Weekly Encouragement from Pastor Tim
Announcements, prayer requests, and some alarming news.
Some Alarming News
A few weeks ago, Ligonier Ministries (the ministry of the late R.C. Sproul) released the findings of their latest survey of Evangelicals, and the results were confusing, if not alarming.
For the purposes of the survey, Evangelicals were defined as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements:
The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.
So, in other words, those surveyed all share a common belief in the gospel and the importance of sharing it with others. We would expect Evangelicals to have many similar theological beliefs, too, but the results were a mixed bag.
On some issues, Evangelicals are very much in agreement.
91% believe abortion is a sin.
94% agree that sex outside of marriage is a sin.
78% agree that God created male and female.
But on questions regarding the nature of God, the results are surprising.
73% agree with the claim that Jesus is the “first and greatest being created by God.”
58% believe God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
55% believe the Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.
43% say that Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.
It’s quite alarming that more than half of bible believing evangelicals don’t believe in the divinity of Jesus. Evangelicals overwhelmingly believe in the Trinity, but this survey suggests that the majority don’t seem to know what that means. Yet, when it comes to teachings about gender, sex, and abortion, evangelicals seem to be overwhelmingly in agreement.
What does this mean? Well, it seems to suggest that the term “evangelical” isn’t a very good indicator of whether or not a person believes in the God of the Bible anymore. If someone says, “I’m an Evangelical,” we can be fairly certain of where they stand on abortion and other issues related to sex, but there’s a pretty significant chance they wouldn’t describe God in a biblical way at all.
That’s concerning, to say the least, and something I think we should all spend more time discussing and praying about.
For God’s glory,
Pastor Tim
Websites
Here are two “new” websites to check out. The first one isn’t new, but it needed to be redone since we had to change hosts. Please let Pastor Tim know what you think. The second one is Pastor Lovejoy’s new website. Check it out, and be sure to send him a note of encouragement while you’re there.
Prayer Requests
Bob & Barb - Bob & Barb have purchased a home in Littleton and are planning to move in mid-November. They are looking forward to living in a house with fewer stairs and a more convenient location for Shane. Please pray that the moving process goes well for them and for the sale of their home in Kittredge.
Nan's husband, Ron - has prostate cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
Tris - is recovering from back surgery.
Potlucks
We will have two church potlucks this month! The first one will be Sunday, October 17th (3rd Sunday of the month). And the 2nd one will be on October 30th since Sean and Jani Carney (VM District Reps) will be worshiping with us that day.
Village Missions Spotlight
Gary & Patsy Semenyna, District Representatives, East/West District, Canada
Our district covers British Columbia in the western part of the country as well as Ontario and Nova Scotia in the eastern part of Canada. We look after 14 churches. We are blessed to see a wide variety of countryside as we travel to our fields: we go through farmland, ranches, lots of trees and, of course, the mountains. The churches are as diverse as the country we live in, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve them.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
We have just finished our first year as DRs. Please pray for us as we build relationships with the missionary pastor couples and the churches. Pray that we are sensitive and discerning as we care for the missionary couples.
Thank God for His wisdom as we raise our 16-year-old son.
Semenynas, Box 89, Wasa, BC V0B 2K0, CANADA (250) 464-0471