Sunday School: 9:30 AM
Worship Service: 10:30 AM
Women’s Bible Study: Thursday 10:00 AM
Men’s Breakfast: Saturday 7:00 AM
Bill and Andrea Bujnowski have been attending and help-ing with several "Behind the Walls" prison events in California. They are seeing a hunger for God and His salvation in the in-mates. Your prayers and contributions are appreciated.
Our men hold a Saturday morning breakfast, prayer and Bible study at 7:00 am in our church, and our women hold a Bible study and fellowship time on Thursday mornings at 10:00 am in our church. If you cannot attend these Bible study times, we have Wednesday Shepherding Groups: Pastor Tom at 6:00 pm in our church; Roger Brown / Pastor Jim at 5:30 pm in their homes, and Lee Copeland at 5:00 pm.
The new church addition is going up. PTL! And, as it goes up so do the costs of construction. You may have noticed the "Giving Thermometer" in our entryway. Thanks so much for all that you've given to this point. We as a church are grateful. Now, each of us need to prayerfully consider raising the thermometer with our contributions. God bless.
There's a large water bottle change collector at the back of our church where anyone can contribute to our building program. No gift is too small. Let's fill the bottle, and the next one, and the one after that. Your pocket change will make a difference. Thanks.
Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing is for certain except death and taxes." And, as April 15th rolls around (I guess it's been changed to April 18th???), we once again cringe with paying our taxes.
Most of us, being small tax payers, look forward to getting a refund from the total amount already paid. We utilize every means possible to grow that return so that the government gets less and we get more. Over time, our negative attitude towards taxes has been increased by how the government spends our money.
Taxes were a problem in Jesus' day too. The Roman overlords taxed the dayights out of their subjects. In fact, Peter was challenged by the "tax men" in Capernaum about paying the poll tax: "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax" (Matt.17.24b)? Peter replied, "Yes," without thinking. Jesus later called him on it: "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers" (17.25)?
Peter responded, "Strangers." Jesus said, "Consequently the sons are exempt." But, Jesus not wanting to give offense, sent Peter to the sea to catch a fish and out of its mouth came a stater to pay their tax.
It would be nice if God settled our taxes like this, but alas, we're still accountable, and we still pay.
There are no taxes in heaven. Jesus is reminding Peter and us that taxes are an earthly tribulation, like all the other things that torment and annoy us. Nevertheless, even as God gave them the stater to pay the tax, so God helps us pay our earthly due (Phil.4.19).
It's significant that Jesus called Matthew, who was a tax collector, as one of His disciples. Matthew, like the other tax collectors in Palestine, was a Jew, given the position by the Romans. It was assumed that he would tax his people at a rate where he could fund the Romans and at the same time skim off a living for himself. Sound familiar?
Jesus called Matthew to "Follow Me," and he did (Matt.9.9). Then he went to Matthew's house (a type of the world) for a party where other tax collectors and sinners were gathered. The Pharisees hated Jesus for this, but Jesus said, "For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (9.13).
Pastor Tom
April 23, 2023
“Jesus and Technology”
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…..but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven….” (Matt 6.19,20).
Pastor Tom Brown
Secretary’s Corner Lora Slater 406-868-2144
Pastor Tom Brown
Pastor Jim Powell, Assoc. Pastor/Worship leader, Elder Lee Copeland
Bill Bujnowski, Lanny Dameron, Chris Lewis, Roger Brown, Lee Larson and Matt Greenwood
Lora Slater – Secretary ♥
John Greer – Media
Cyndi DiMauro– Bookkeeping
Tami Powell – Nursery/Kitchen
Jenny Brundage – Custodian
Cathy Parry– Prayer"
