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Support a Nigerian Missionary (Al's info below)
Promotion Sunday note in e-bulletin
Communion & Pot Trust

NIGERIAN MISSIONARY:
Some of you may recall that when Al was here, he spoke of his return to Nigeria. He grew up there when his dad was a missionary. One interesting comment on Nigeria: 90% of all Christians killed in the world are in Nigeria. Al shared with us the great news that they have 1,000 men and women trained and ready to be sent as missionaries. They just lack funds. What is amazing is the price tag to send just one is $600... ANNUALLY! I suggested we might have a few folks interested in sending a missionary outright. He has given me the following information:

To support one of these Nigerian missionaries, send your $600.00 check to: Mr. Tony Rondinella, Box 5310, Glendale, CA 91201. Make your check out to Global Teaching Network and ear mark your check EMS Missionary support. They will choose your missionary and send you a tax receipt, bio of the missionary, tribe where he or she is from, and where they will be sent. You will not be able to be in contact the missionary at any time for security reasons. They do ask that you pray for your missionary every day.

STANDING STONE BIBLE

WEEKLY

May 19, 2025

A Point from pastor

It was on Saturday, May 10th, in Cozad, Nebraska, that a father brutally murdered his two sons and wife before then killing himself. It was the older boy's graduation day. Horrific and sad in so many ways. The father had struggled with mental health issues since 2009. The parents of the murdered wife posted on Facebook a frustration with the state of mental health care in the United States.

It is a sad state we are in as a country. We so often don't fix the problem. This was horrific. A guy mentioned to me the other day that this have been demonic. Possible. How many mental health "professionals" could address that? We will continue to see a mental health "crisis" until we can call sin "sin" and address the great need of salvation in Jesus Christ and the good news of the gospel to address these issues. We will otherwise continue to medicate and put band-aid psychotherapeutic tools in place that help to mask the pain and struggle, giving us "tools" to deal with it. The gospel can help us with actually solving these issues.

It may be we mistakenly speak of the gospel being about the forgiveness of sins - our salvation. It certainly is. But, the gospel is about so much more... and it applies to our life right now. Just a few more thoughts on what the gospel is about:

abundant life
being transformed by God and discerning His good, perfect, and pleasing will
all these things added unto you
being filled with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope
God supplying every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus
learning in whatever situation be content knowing you can handle it through Jesus who gives you strength

Shame on the prosperity gospel to preach about STUFF - none of this list above is about stuff! Those false preachers preach prosperity and everyone gets their ears tickled and wants to hear more because, "Hey! I want stuff!" And, some even get "saved" (they pray the prayer so they can get stuff). But when they don't get everything the wealthy pastor and others have, how can that not impact their mental health? After all, they also harmed their spiritual health. The shame of those deceivers.

Do we preach of the gospel as an "insurance policy" - fire insurance to save you from the burning of hell? Don't do that! I have several insurance policies, sadly. I never think of them until I pay the bill or until I need them. The gospel is not an insurance policy sitting there until we collect. It is an inexhaustible supply of God's riches in Christ Jesus able to meet every need we have! We can cash the check and use the funds today!

I am hurting for this family and that community - I'm hopeful that maybe they had heard the good news. Yet, I am pained that they never did find health. "Mental health counseling" not based on the Bible will not succeed long-term. Without addressing our physical, mental, and spiritual health - thus, there are always sin issues and occasionally demonic spirits involved - we will continue to see frustration with the state of mental health. God, we need your help - help us to be wise disciplers and counselors of those around us!

Church Notes...

For those bringing children to Sunday school, "Promotion Sunday" is on June 1st. This means...

•New pre-school children (Age 3 prior to June) will now join with the pre-school to 5th grade.
•Pre-school through those going into 5th Grade will be in rooms 117-118 downstairs (for the summer).
•Those going into 6th grade will join the middle school class. Room 121.
•Those going into 9th grade will now join with the high school class in rooms 115-116.
•Senior Graduates get to choose! They may remain in the high school class for the summer or join another adult class (the 18–26 year-old class is recommended – meets in room 123).
•Other Adults – Hopefully, you know where you are. Adult classes currently meet in rooms 216, 100, and 122 (women).

THIS WEEK

Here are the highlights of classes and events THIS week

LIGHThouse Continues - Through the summer months, LIGHThouse (6th to 12th grade will continue to meet on Wednesday nights. This week begins TLT (for those entering 6th but highly recommended for others that have not taken). Some youth have gone through it more than once.

TLT, Teen Life Truths - This 10-week study of basic life principles for those entering 6th grade begins Wednesday night, May 21, from 6:30 to 8:00pm. Older grades may also join in.

Prayer Force - This prayer meeting continues meeting through the summer months at 7pm. Join us this summer!

Memorial Day Celebration - This coming Sunday will be a special remembrance in light of Memorial Day. We will have a few tables set up of memories from a couple of our families who have lost a son that served. We will also have a special video presentation during the worship service. Make time this coming week to honor our fallen that served to keep us free.

upcoming events

Make note of the classes and events available in the near future

CCS, Colossae Collaborative School - This homeschool help offered by SSB is preparing for the upcoming school year beginning in the fall. If you are interested, please ask for information.

VBS - Vacation Bible School will run from July 7-10 in the mornings. Plan now for your kiddo to attend. We will also need a good-sized crew of middle to high school students to help. Talk to PKW for more info.

Four the Master - Upcoming ministry events:

June 3 @ 3:30pm - Maple Ridge
June 12 @ 3:30pm - Aksarben Village

Creation Days is Coming! - Full day event on August 9th

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

- Romans 8:28

The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

- Proverbs 16:4

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

- Ephesians 2:10

the Lord's day

We opened with a declaration of the Gospel! Pastor Tim shared the importance of preaching the gospel and we shared a video from the "Pure Gospel" series that was presented over several weeks on Wednesday nights.

The message from Luke 15 gave us insights into God's feelings toward the lost... and His joy at finding. How can we know God if we don't know what pains Him or what gives Him joy? God as a shepherd searches for the one lost. He seeks us because we are incredibly valuable. And, when He finds? There is "more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:7).

View Past Worship Services

Did You Know?

The Youth will move to their summer hours beginning in June. LIGHThouse (Wednesday nights) currently meet from 7 to 8:30pm. In June, they will meet from 7 to 9. Sunday evening's LG-t (teen) will also extend so they meet from 6 to 9pm. The extended summer-hours begin in June!

Who is Worthy?

Jacob was Abraham’s grandson (Isaac and Rebekah’s son). He was the younger twin brother of Esau… a rival of his from inside the womb! Doubtless that Isaac and Rebekah had their hands full raising this pair of boys. Esau was favored by dad but Rebekah was partial to Jacob. As Isaac aged, he was tricked by Jacob into giving the firstborn blessing to Jacob instead of Esau (Gen. 27:6-41). Jacob certainly lived up to his name (Jacob means "supplanter"). Fearing that Esau had vowed to kill Jacob, mom sends Jacob away to choose a wife from her brother’s family. Jacob remains for fourteen years laboring to earn the marriage of Rachel (after being tricked into marrying her older sister). In many ways, the conflict between Rachel and Leah was a counterpart to Jacob and Esau’s struggle. Jacob did eventually return to be reconciled with his brother. He eventually was used by God and fathered the twelve tribes of Israel (his new name given by God). Jacob is a man that we would do well to avoid modeling our life after but we can certainly see God’s grace in His life. God can use a schemer like Jacob… or you... or I. God is worthy!

This Month in Christian History

May 3, 1891
Friedrich August Crämer (1812–1891) was a German Lutheran pastor and missionary who answered the call to serve on the American frontier. Born in Klein-Langheim, Bavaria, he was arrested as a university student at Erlangen for participating in a revolutionary plot. While in prison, Crämer experienced a spiritual transformation, reasoning that if Christ redeemed sinners, He had also redeemed him.

Pastor Wilhelm Loehe recruited Crämer to lead a mission settlement in Michigan to serve the Chippewa people. In 1845, Crämer led a group of Lutheran immigrants to the Saginaw Valley, founding the town of Frankenmuth ("Courage of Franconia"). Crämer began teaching Indian children with the help of Jim Grant, a half-Chippewa interpreter, and baptized 31 Native Americans. He also established three mission stations and visited them monthly despite harsh conditions.

As the settlement grew, the community built St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, dedicated on Christmas Day 1846. However, the mission to the Chippewa declined as the tribe migrated westward. Facing theological conflicts with less-confessional Lutheran teachings, Crämer helped found the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and became a professor at its seminaries. While teaching in St. Louis, he also organized and led a congregation of Irish and German immigrants without pay.

Crämer endured personal tragedies, losing three grown children and two grandchildren in 1881, followed by his wife’s death in 1884. Despite declining health, he led the relocation of the seminary to Springfield, Illinois. He died on May 3, 1891, from complications of influenza after training 635 ministry candidates. His legacy includes his missionary work, his contribution to the Missouri Synod, and his role in establishing Frankenmuth as a center of Lutheran faith.

Be the Church

The Second Step

Last month, we looked at the first step of discipleship - we study who Jesus was and commit our life to Him. Second...

Young men would spend time, during Jesus’s day, investigating a rabbi to determine their credibility. As disciples, we did this as well. We investigated His identity to see if He was the Messiah. After committing our life to Christ, our discipleship has only begun. For those following a rabbi, this meant total commitment. They would memorize what he said. They would mimic his lifestyle. They would choose to be with him. They would learn from him. They would become like him. This is our call as a disciple. We do not just believe in Jesus. We also follow Him! Disciples go deeper into relationship with Jesus; we abide in Him. “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Disciples of Christ, in obedience, will immerse themselves into a deep relationship with Him. This is ongoing discipleship. We must live this out… and help others do this as well. Be the church!

BIG Words

Immutability

See Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 40:28; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17. “Immutable” means “unchanging” or “unalterable.” God is immutable. Perhaps immutability is best expressed this way: God is the same. Charnock wrote “He could not be the same if he could be changed into any other thing than what he is.” You are the same, and your years have no end (Psalm 102:27). God’s immutability is an expression of His perfection. Change implies something might become better or worse. Although we might see in Scripture that God “changes his mind” (Gen. 6:6; Exo. 32:14; Jonah 3:4), these are examples of anthropomorphism (see “Big Words,” SSB Weekly, Jan 30, 2023). These are human characteristics applied to God that we might better understand Him (e.g. when we read of God’s “hand”). God adapts His treatment of us in response to our variation, our actions and character. Thus, God was to destroy Nineveh in 40-days but they repented. God’s character remained immutable throughout. God is the same!

The Moral of the story

Although Baltimore held a 3-0 lead going into the 4th inning, the game against the Texas Rangers on August 22, 2007 drastically changed. The Rangers scored five runs in the fifth inning, followed by another nine in the sixth. Another ten runs in the 8th inning would take the teams, going into the 9th inning, to a score of 24-3.

This was a home game for Baltimore. Any thoughts on the number of fans that were still watching by the ninth inning? They knew it. The players knew it. The game was over. There was no way the Orioles could come back from 24 to 3. Disaster!

What if, though, by some magic or miracle, they could have returned the game to 0-0 going into the ninth inning? The players would have been hopeful again. Baltimore, as the home team, might have played with some intensity, cheered on by hopeful fans.

Resetting the score in a bad game is the way forgiveness with God works. Forgiveness restores our hope. Many feel hopelessly defeated because of sin. But the gospel does an amazing thing. Even with a hopeless score, Jesus is able to reset the score again. When our sins are forgiven, we have a clean start, a whole new ball game, with renewed hope. And, a guaranteed victory! “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:16-17).

• Am I my brother’s keeper? Genesis 4:1-10 (v 9)

After destroying a quarter of the entire earth’s population by murdering his only brother, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

Cain responds with a question in return: “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” We often hear that Cain was the first murderer in the Bible. I might argue that we could conclude his dad gets that honor. God told Adam, “eat… and die” and Adam let his wife eat, knowing what God had said. In that sense, Cain did not start anything new but continued in sin as his father before him. And, just to clarify, that was not the only sin. He lied to God. His anger was sinful. That also probably led to coveting of what Abel had (sheep). He also very likely stole the sheep after Abel died. He certainly dishonored his parents by murdering their child. Not to mention his failing to love God. Cain did not just murder.

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” God answers “What have you done?” God tells Cain that his brother’s blood is crying to God from the ground and then curses Cain. On one hand, God is our keeper – ultimately, each person’s lives are in His hand. We just cannot be responsible for everyone’s safety all of the time (e.g. parents must entrust their older children into God’s keeping). But, on that other hand, we are our brother’s keeper. God’s answer to Cain was “Yes!” For our brothers and sisters in Christ, we must keep them by, first, not sinning against them. This includes sins of the tongue. Second, we must keep one another … with a “unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (1 Pet. 3:8). We love one another.

A Joyful Heart

Several years ago, I worked for a brokerage company and got a call one night from Robert Hayes, the actor. He was best known for his role as the disgraced pilot Ted Striker, who landed the plane in the 1970s spoof movie Airplane! We probably had a 30-minute conversation; it took me a few minutes to realize that this was the Robert Hayes. I confirmed this after as he shared that he grew up in the Omaha area. He went to Bellevue High School (now Bellevue East). We talked business for a bit but then talked religion and politics. He said he was surprised that his high school mascot was still the Chieftains… that they had not been forced to change their name for political correctness. Robert and I talked about how you can't even mention God anymore without someone being offended.

As we wrapped up the phone call, Robert said to me, “Oh, one other thing.” “Yes?” “God bless you.” I said, “God bless you too.” And we hung up. Bellevue East is still the Chieftains. And no Christian should ever aspire to be “politically correct.” Why should I be politically correct? I’m not a politician! That being said, as Christians, although we should not to go out of our way to offend others, we must remember that the truth of Christianity is offensive. Paul speaks about the cross being offensive (Gal. 5:11). Even more so, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18). Are we willing to offend another for the sake of Christ… and for the sake of their lost soul?

“What the reader does with the meaning [of a Bible text] is application... The term application [refers] to the response of the reader to the meaning of the text. Thus, it would be incorrect for us to ask in a Bible study, "What does this passage mean to you? The correct question sequence is, "What does this passage mean? How should you apply this meaning to your life?”

- J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

Prayer Prods

Those of us in mourning
Cancer folks... Tami's PET scan this week. Kathie beginning new chemo
Recovery: Sue P - tibia fracture, Marco - ankle surgery. Others in a healing mode
Cozad, Nebraska - murder/suicide tragedy
Our grads... as they handle their summer months and make fall plans
Three of our young adults are going to Summit in two weeks: Aaron H, Elijah W and Isaac W

Weekly Prayer Prods