Religion Fresh Eyes: Exodus 18:13-27 PASTOR’S COLUMN By Pastor Rodney Kincaid (Senior Pastor) Jefferson Church of the Nazarene The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses’ father-inlaw said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.” 24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country. (ESV) As I stood at the bathroom sink removing my contacts my son Lucas (five years old) was standing beside me watching intently in the mirror. He said, “Dad, what are you doing?” I instantly replied, “I am taking my eyes out. Every night I take them out and when I get up in the morning I put them back in. After a few weeks of doing this I throw them away and put a set of fresh eyes in.” As you can imagine the look on the face of this five year old, I knew I had to further explain myself. Today, I want to share with you the concept of “Fresh Eyes.” This is dealing with the idea of seeking fresh eyes for your church. As we have read the story about Moses and his father-in-law we can see that Jethro was fresh eyes for Moses and the Israelites. Every church needs fresh eyes every once in a while. You can accomplish this on a weekly basis by getting some feedback that day from visitors who attended the Sunday morning worship service. You can get feedback from guest speakers, evangelist, visiting pastors, visiting members of your family, and the list could go on and on. Whatever the case is it’s vital for your church to get the perspective from fresh eyes. A “Fresh eyes” perspective does not always result in good advice. As we know Satan is still at work and won’t retire. We need to be able to sift through those “Fresh Eyes” perspectives so that we may get great advice. How do we do this? The story of Moses and Jethro points out three things: mutual love for one another, mutual respect for one another, and mutual purpose. Moses loved his father-in-law and Jethro loved him. Moses knew his father-in-law had respect for him as he did for Jethro. And finally, Moses and Jethro both had a similar purpose. These are the fresh eyes you need to seek out and gather advice from. Let’s look at two benefits we can receive from “Fresh Eyes:” 1. Be able to give resolution to present problems. (Vs 19) “Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you.” When we are in the middle of the action it can cause tunnel vision. We don’t see the forest because of all the trees. Fresh eyes helps you see and resolve the present problems that you have. I have found that fresh eyes help point out problems that I didn’t even see. Once they are pointed out to us we can start to solve them. One of the blessings we can receive from fresh eyes Fresh eyes helps to resolve present problems. 2. Be able to see future problems. (Vs 17-18) Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. In the course of our day, week, month, or year, without fresh eyes we may miss the future problems that will arise. Jethro saw a future problem (wearing out) and was able to point this out to Moses. We may not be able to see these problems due to the routine of everyday life. With fresh eyes Moses was able to make adjustments and save himself, as well as his people, from future problems. Fresh Eyes are important to the success of your ministry, the churches ministry, as well as to the success at reaching the lost in your community. Seek out fresh eyes! Take advantage of those opportunities that you do have today to gather opinions (Visitors, Evangelist). Create opportunities for fresh eyes to come in and give feed back to what is going on in your church. You might just like the results. Blessings Pastor Rodney Kincaid (Senior Pastor) Jefferson Church of the Nazarene
GAZETTE NEWSPAPERS • WEEK OF WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012 • 21A
First Baptist Church to Hunter brings healing miracles screen ‘Courageous’ to Faith Freedom Fellowship JEFFERSON - The First Baptist Church in Jefferson will air a special screening of the film “Courageous” on Friday, June 1, and Sunday, June 3. A special seminar for men also will be part of the upcoming programming. “Courageous” is a 2011 independent Christian drama film produced by Sherwood Pictures and was released to theaters on Sept. 30, 2011. It is the fourth film by Sherwood Pictures, the creators of “Flywheel,” “Facing the Giants,” and “Fireproof.” “Courageous” is a movie that helps provide men with some insight about how to behave like men from a Biblical standpoint, First Baptist Church Pastor Jerry Bentley said. The synopsis for the film reads: “Honor begins at home. Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood. “While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they’re quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark. “When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears,
their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God...and to their children?” By screening the film, the First Baptist Church hopes to reach out to men in the church and in the community, as the screening is open to all. The church purchased a license to show the film, and the license is good for a year, meaning if people miss the screening and would like to see it, they can contact the church about future screenings. The film will be shown at 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 1, as a “drive-in” movie. The movie will be shown again on 6 p.m. Sunday, June 3, inside the church. After the screenings, the church will host a men’s free breakfast and “Courageous Living Seminar” during four Saturdays in June. All men ages 16 and up are invited. The seminar will be held on 8-9:30 a.m. Saturdays, June 9, 16, 23 and 30. At the end of the seminar, the men will be able to sign a contract declaring that they will live their life upholding what they learned during the seminar, Bentley said. He said a ceremony will be held for the men on July 1. The First Baptist Church is located at 85 W. Jefferson St. in Jefferson. For more information about the movie screenings and seminar, contact the church at (440) 5761631.
Religious Briefs Ongoing Ashtabula: Bible Study A Bible study will be held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the Remnant of Israel, non-denominational group. Come join them and have a coffee as they study the Bible from a non-denominational point of view. The group meets at the McDonald’s located at 2424 N. Ridge Road East, just east off Route 11. For more info, visit theremnantofisrael.org or call 228-6157.
May 30 Ashtabula: Free community dinner The Ashtabula Baptist Church will hold a free community dinner from 5-6:15 p.m. at its location at 5909 Shepard Rd. in Ashtabula. Dinner includes sloppy joes, potato salad, dessert and beverage. Gospel singer Sherry Cornell to follow. For more info, call (440) 2289423.
May 31 Saybrook Township: Free community dinner A free community dinner will be held on Thursday, May 31, from 5-6 p.m. in the Church Social Hall. Come enjoy a free dinner, dessert and drink, served to you by members of Saybrook United Methodist Church, 7900 S. Depot Rd., Saybrook. (across from Saybrook Elementary School). All are welcome!
June 2 Harpersfield: Open house at Harpersfield UMC Harpersfield United Methodist Church invites the community to an Open House on Saturday, June 2, from noon to 3 p.m. at the new church location at 224 Garford Rd. Following three years of planning, this beautiful new building was dedicated to God during morning worship on May 20. Guests at the service included Harpersfield Township trustees Ed Demshar, Jim Pristov and Cliff Henry. Also present were county commissioner Dan Claypool and District 99 State Representative Casey Kozlowski. Congressman Steven LaTourette sent a public proclamation acknowledging the achievement and the dedication of the new building. Come and wander through the new church and experience the excitement of the congregation as you visit with the folks at the Open House on June 2. Refreshments will be available. We’ll be looking for you!
June 3 Jefferson: Blessing of the Bikes Jefferson Church of the Nazarene Motorcycle Outreach would like to invite you to the 2nd Annual Blessing of the Bikes Service on Sunday, June, 2012 at 10:45 a.m. Join us at 55 East Satin Street in Jefferson for Sunday service, a picnic lunch, and weather permitting, a ride. This group rides most Sunday afternoons during the summer months. For questions contact Roger Braden at 330-442-4661 or Dan Hines at 440-645-8889. All bikers welcome! Hope to see you there!
June 9 Saybrook: Strawberry Festival Come join us at Saybrook United Methodist Church, 7900 Depot Rd. in Saybrook for our annual Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 9, from 4-7 p.m. We have strawberry shortcake, pies, chocolate covered strawberries and plenty of other scrumptious foods. Carry out is available.
June 11-15 Geneva: VBS Peoples Church invites all incredikids to join us for an incredible week of incrediworld VBS! Come learn about the Creator and His Creation! If you are age four through sixth grade, have your parents call or stop by the church office to pre-register you. VBS will be June 11-15 from 9 a.m. to noon at 300 S. Ridge Rd. E. Geneva. For more info, call 440-466-2020.
June 16 Jefferson: Rummage sale St. Paul’s Lutheran Church will hold a rummage sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 16, at its location at 89 E. Satin St. in Jefferson.
The daughter of the “HAPPY HUNTERS” - Joan Hunter will be the guest speaker at Faith Freedom Fellowship, 205 West Liberty Street, on Wednesday and Thursday, June 6-7 at 7 p.m. for Miracle Healing services. Charles and Frances Hunter, known as the Happy Hunters, legendary figures in the body of Christ, were known around the world as two of the most anointed and energetic evangelists on earth! They ministered in 49 nations around the world and in every one they saw awesome healings. In the United States they saw exactly the same thing. They were known for teaching people how to minister healing to the sick. They were authors of over 72 very powerful and best-selling books, including, How to Heal the Sick. Committing her life to Christ at the tender age of 12, Joan faithfully served alongside her parents around the globe ministering in Healing Schools, Miracle Services, and Healing Explosions for over 30 years. Commissioned to pursue her own international healing ministry, God uses Joan mightily in the gift of healing, laced with the evidence of signs, wonders, and miracles. One of the hallmarks of her ministry is her commitment to train believers to fulfill the commission of Jesus to “…lay hands on the sick,” according to Mark 16:18, by demonstrating the God given authority over sickness and disease that is available to all believers. However, tragic circumstances came and wreaked havoc in Joan’s personal life and attempted to obliterate the ministry she had sown so much in. Joan’s challenging testimony tells of how she overcame rejection and the worst betrayal imaginable. Specifically, she discusses her personal struggles with obesity, breast cancer, depression and the heart-breaking divorce of a twenty-five year marriage. Today however, Joan Hunter, stands before us in the beauty of holiness as a shining example of total healing and wholeness in Christ Jesus. Subsequently, she has personally experienced the miraculous healing of God in every area of her life, enabling her to minister a message of hope and restoration to the broken hearted, deliverance and freedom to the bound, and healing and wholeness to the diseased. Joan shares with us how she experienced her personal process of “healing the heart.” Joan Hunter, has taken over the leadership of Hunter Ministries since the
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Joan Hunter passing of her parents. She flows in a greater anointing than her parents and has authored three books: Healing the Whole Man, Healing the Heart and Power to Heal. Recently, Joan has ministered in Miracle Services and conducted Healing Schools in numerous countries including the United States, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the Republic of the Philippines, and countless other countries. As of late, she just returned from Japan where God used her in the administration of over 200 healings. Joan has also appeared on numerous television and radio networks around the world, such as Daystar, The Church Channel, Christian Television Network, Sid Roth’s “It’s Supernatural,” Steve Shultz’s “Prophetic TV”, amid many others. Joan Hunter Ministries’ mission statement is to equip the believers to take the healing power of God beyond the 4 walls of the church to the 4 corners of the earth. Joan has a main thrust of dealing with the root causes of sickness stress, unforgiveness, generational curses, etc. - so all sickness has to leave and cannot come back. It would be absolutely difficult to depict Joan Hunter in one word. So, we’ll just say this; behind the mighty anointing of God stands a woman of immense mercy and grace, with a servant motivated character, jovial demeanor, observing the office of an outstanding mother to four beautiful daughters, one grandson, Luke, and wife to her cherished source of wisdom and strength given to her by God, Kelley Murrell. Ultimately, Joan Hunter loves God and it is her passion and desire to see people totally healed and whole. Joan and her husband currently live in Pinehurst, TX, where her ministry is located. Pastor Raymond Baker states, “We are excited, believing that God is preparing hearts and He desires to bless people’s lives. It is a new season…if you need some answers…a miracle healing touch from God...please attend!” The public is invited, and an offering will be taken each service for the Joan Hunter Ministry.
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