April 2005
THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRIST’S SUFFERINGS
“For it has been granted unto you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Philippians 1:29)
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though some strange thing were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the Name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of Glory and God rests upon you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or a thief, or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” (1 Peter 4:12-16)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)
HOW GOD USES SUFFERING
“God disciplines us for our good, that we might share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:10-12)
“Now I rejoice in what I suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” (Colossians 1:24)
“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)
Could it be that the Lord takes all the members of His body through trials and tests so His body will be conformed to HIS HEADSHIP? “We shall be like Him …” (1 John 3:2b)
GOD LEADS US ALONG
“Sometimes in the valley in the darkest of night”—when Job cried out: “If only I knew where I might find Him!” (Job 23:3) But by verse 10 his faith conquered his darkness: “But He knows the way that I take. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. I have treasured the words of His mouth, more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:12b)
As I meditated on His sufferings, this following article from “Kindred Spirit,” a Dallas Seminary publication, came in the mail. I think it says it all.
HONESTLY, I WANT TO BE LIKE CHRIST
But honestly, I want to be like the Christ who turned water into wine, not the Christ who thirsted on a cross. I want to be the clothed Christ, not the one whose garment was stripped and gambled away. I want to be like the Christ who fed the five thousand, not the one who hungered for forty days in the wilderness. I want to be the free Christ, walking through wheat fields with His disciples, not the imprisoned Christ who was deserted by them.
I want to be the Good Samaritan, not the man who fell among thieves. But if the man had not fallen among thieves, been beaten, stripped, and left for dead, the good in the Samaritan never would have emerged.
This is the dark side of Christianity, the side we don’t see when we sign up. That if we want to be like Christ, we have to embrace both sides of His life. What else could it mean when the Bible talks about “the fellowship of His suffering?” How could we enter that fellowship apart from suffering? How could we truly know the Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief if we had not ourselves known grief and sorrow? (Ken Gire, in The Reflective Life)
Lizetta Williams
THE DIRECTOR'S CORNER
Easter time is come and gone. In our clubs, Sunday School, and church, the occasion provided natural opportunities to make the message of the Bible simply clear—the doom of sin and the hope of the Savior. Several of our youngest boys and girls understood their spiritual situation and prayed with us to God for salvation. We rejoice and look forward to helping them learn God’s way.
The timing of this was encouraging to me. A few evenings before, we had met as a BWC board and the last topic on the agenda was an open discussion of goals and direction. We had asked ourselves what, with everything we’re doing, is our #1 priority. We came down to the same priority the Camp had at the beginning: reaching children for Christ. It seems that the hardness of sin is evident at an increasingly early age and only God’s love and forgiveness can change that direction—the earlier, the better.
Pray for God’s guidance in the use of our time and energy.
Awana Girls
Alfreta Daniel, who started attending BWC as a child, leads the 5th and 6th grade girls group on Wednesdays. A fire in her apartment building last summer destroyed all of her personal belongings. Since then her car has been her home base, and friends have graciously provided lodging. Now she has moved into a new place and is setting up her home once again. The Awana girls who have had Alfreta as their leader were invited to go shopping for her one day over spring break, and they gave her a housewarming shower here at BWC.
Awana Boys
To fulfill one of the service requirements in their
Awana books, the JV boys have been working on
some repairs in the white chapel.
TEEN CLUB
Teen Club Activity Night
Activity Night for Top Teen Club Members
PRAISE AND PRAYER ITEMS
- Thank God with us for recent salvation decisions.
- Praise the Lord for another volunteer driver and for all of our faithful volunteers.
- Pray for our final events for our club year:
- April 16—Sparks-a-Rama
- April 21—Teen Club Activity Night
- April 23—Awana Games
- Please pray for God’s power in individual lives to break out of patterns of sin.
- A member of our congregation needs a kidney (blood type O+). Please pray for a donor.
- Please pray for the preparations for our spring ladies retreat (May 21) and for lessons and programming for summer camps.
Dave and Becky McMillan; Lizetta, Mary, Mark and Karen Williams; Judy Chesebro;
Joji Barredo, Philippines; Trudie Hayon, Trinidad
Return To Archived Page