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N ovember 15, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
'The Church, JT Body O f Believers
bv
M, I saacs
The very first Truth the follow­
ers o f Christ must believe is that,
“Christ is the Head o f the Church ’.
Unto no other has this title and this
authority been given Not unto any
Preacher has the seat o f authority
over the Church been given; not to
Deacons or Elders or Bishops or
Priests or “ Mighty Men” ; nor to any
other who would set himself up as
“head o f the Church”. Those who are
called are called to a specific job and
are members o f the body o f Christ,
which is the Church. It is an affront to
God himself, to have His people
called by the name of any man, who
stained with sin; prone to the lusts of
the flesh; doomed to die, ro, and
decay; in whom there is no power to
save, to renew or to sanctify.
Believers must know and pro­
claim that only Christ is the Head o f
the Church and that it is He, Jesus,
the Christ, who w ill come again to
this earth to claim the Church as his
bride The gifts o f the Holy Spirit do
not entitle us to claim Lordship over
G od’s Church; but gives us expertise
only in the areas o f our spiritual gifts,
and the ability to develop our talents.
Not many people know why the M in­
istry ofthe Gospel exists. They really
don't know why they gather together
to perform their rituals o f worship.
Some say— “ We're here to be fed” .
Some say— "W e re here to be in­
formed". Some say— "W e’ve come
together to hear 'good preaching’.
We must hasten to remember that we
believers are the Body O f Christ We
are a family, and as such, we show
our love o f Christ in many, many
more ways than just by going to a
religious edifice on Friday, or Satur­
day or Sunday, where we sing praise
songs, do devotions, give offerings,
pray, open the doors o f the Church
and go home; never to be involved
until the next ‘come together day’.
It seems that these many bodies
o f believers, called by men. Church­
es, have forgotten how to Stick to­
gether, regardless o f where they wor-
shipor under which, man given name,
the group happens to be assembled.
These segregated cell groups have
forgotten how to allow room for its
members to express true feelings—
jo y, grief, anger, elation, doubt, dis­
appointment, pleasures, pain, loss,
disagreement and anticipation; al­
though these emotions were dealt
with on a daily basis by Jesus Christ,
when he walked this earth. These are
things within a family that makes it a
family. G o d ’s fam ily must be a place
where members are encouraged to
grow; to learn; to exercise; to find
rest, refreshment and stability for
facing life’s realities. G od ’s family
must realize, again, that we are fel-
low strugglers, who meet together
and relate openly, honestly and free­
ly; never bound or gagged by what
one fleshly man thinks, or dictates or
preaches. We (all o f us) are to exhort
each other; study the Word o f God;
seek spiritual revelation from the
Holy spirit; be accountable to God
and responsible for each other in
Christ. This we must do, whether we
be, named by men as. Baptist, Cath­
olic, Methodist, and so on— if we
would be members o f the Body o f
Christ.
The Church (in the hearts o f the
people) is a training base; a place
where compassion and forgiveness
and grace are dispensed readily and
regularly. A place that follows G o d ’s
Wordsand becomes involved in righ­
teous instruction; A place where truth
is linked with love; a place where
G o d ’s Word is never added to nor
detracted from; nor used as a ‘foot’ to
(Religious (Diversity Celebrated
The public is invited to an inter­
faith meeting to honor family values
and religious diversity on Sunday at
the Portland Rizw an Mosque in
southwest Portland.
Speakers will be Rabbi Joshua
Stampfer, a well known Jewish lead­
er, Mr. David Strait, teacher o f reli­
gion at Oregon Episcopal School
and Mr. Rashed Latif, a Muslim schol­
ar from Los Angeles.
Teachings o f their respective
faiths regarding the fam ily will be the
topic o f conversation. They w ill also
explain that adherence to these teach­
ings is not only important for the
family, but also crucial to the preser­
vation and the prosperity o f the soci­
ety.
The A h m a d iy y a M ovem ent,
a dynam ic m issio n ary sect o f Is ­
lam , w as fo u n d ed by H a zra t
M irza G hu lam Ahm ad o fQ a d ia n ,
In d ia in M a rc h 1 9 8 9 . T h e
A h m a d iy y a M uslim com m unity
has b u ilt m osques and m issio n s
St. Andrew’s ‘Present free
‘Thanksgiving ‘Dinner
St. A n d re w ’ s C h u rch w ill o f­
fer its annual free T h a n k s g iv in g
dinner at St. A n d re w ’ s C o m m u ­
nity Center, 4940 N .E . E igh th
A ven ue, from 12 noon to 3 p.m .,
T h u rsd ay, N ov. 23.
A cco rd in g to Matt Je n kin s,
St. A n d re ’ s E m ergen cy S e r v ic ­
es, this is the eighth co n se cu tive
year that St. A n d re w ’ s p a rish io ­
ners and volunteers w ill present
the free dinner.
“ W e ’ re p la n n in g to o ffe r
T h a n k s g iv in g D in n e r to about
300 to 400 p eo p le.”
Je n k in s said donations o f any
tra d itio n a l T h a n k s g iv in g food
items, from cooked turkeys to
pies, w ill be w elcom ed for the
dinner. T h e co n trib utio ns w ill be
accepted W ednesday, N o v. 22
and T h a n k s g iv in g D ay, N o v. 23
at St. A n d re w ’ s C o m m u n ity C e n ­
ter.
Fo r more inform ation co n ­
tact Je n kin s at 281 -1005 .
throughout the w orld and is a c­
tiv e ly engaged in educational and
w elfare a ctivitie s.
The Religions Founders Day is
A
Portland First Church
o f the Nazarene
presents:
Max McLean
INA “ONE-MANSHOW”
OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK
looks fo r w a r d to the pleasure
o f yo u r presence a t its
annual
RELIGIONS’ FOUNDERS DAY
Sunday, November 19, 1995
Please join us as Jewish, Christian, and Muslim speakers
present the teachings of their respective faiths relevant to
Family Values.
These teachings are not only important for the family
butalso crucial to the preservation and prosperity of the society.
Program: 12:00 noon
Lunch: 1:30pm
Mt Olivet
Baptist Church
8501 N. C hautauqua Blvd.,
at Willis Blvd.
Worship Services 8:00am & 11:00am.
Church School 9:30 to 10:30am,
Bible Study, Wednesdays, 10:30am & 7:00pm
Radio Ministry each Sunday, 8:00am on KBMS
A Teaching Church With A Reaching Ministry
Dr. James E. Martin, Senior Pastor
(503) 240-PRAY
Y o u are c o rd ia lly in vited to attend a "M u sica l E x tra v a g a n za ”
sponsored by Bethel A M E C h u rch Sen io r Usher Bo ard on D ecem ­
ber 2-3, 1995. T h e program b egin s at 12:00pm Saturday, D ecem ­
ber 2, 1995 w ith se llin g dinn ers and lo cal b usinesses w ill be
e x h ib itin g their products, se rvice s and/or jo b opportunities. There
w ill also be d inn ers sold at $3.50 each On D ecem ber 3, 1995
b e g in n in g at 4:0 0pm we w ill feature lo cal ch o irs and so lo ists
ce le b ratin g the h o lid ay season in song. Bethel A M E C h urch is
located at 5828 N E 8th, corner o f N E 8th and Jarrett in Portland,
O regon.
A
FAITH TEMPLE CHURCH
4224 S.E. 62nd Avenue
(between Powell & Foster)
Portland, Oregon 97206
SUNDAY
Sunday Sch o o l 9:30am
Morning Worship 10:45am
Evangelistic Service 7:30pm
Tuesday Pastoral Teaching 7:00pm
F R ID A Y
Evangelistic Service 7:00pm
D A IL Y
Prayer 12 :00pm & 6:00pm
Sunday, November 19
6:00 PM
First Church ofthe Nazarene
6100 SW Raab Rd.
Portland
II wy. 26 at the Sulvan Exit.
(503) 774-5470
P A S T O R S : Bishop Robert Simpson, Jr. • Dr. Ida M. Simpson
297-6100
Cox Funeral Home Inc.
(503)281-4-891
C fb itu a rp
A .A . C O X , S R .
Mortician & Funeral Director
John E d Louis
CH A RLEN E CO X TAN N ER
Manager
Oct. 7, 1909-N ov. 3,1995
Cause of Death: Cancer
Services were held Nov. 9, 1995 at Killingsw orth Little Chapel o f the
Chimes.
JE R O M E G. T A N N E R
A. Funeral Director
John Ed Louis came to Portland in 1944. He worked for Portland Traction
Co. as an assistant Foreman for 42 years. H e re tire d Jan .0 1 ,1975. He was
a former member o f Bethel A .M .E . Church.
The Loss o f it loved one
is always a traumatic
experience. But it can he
made easier if you contact
a facility that has your
interest at heart.
John Louis married in January o f 1945 to Mattie D. Louis.
S u rv iv o rs: Mattie D. Louis, Wife o f Portland, OR.
Josephine Bellard, Daughter o f Berkeley, Cal.
James W ilson, Nephew o f Portland, O R .
A llen J. Massey, Nephew o f Portland, O R .
R.S.V.P.
Portland Rizwan Mosque
9925 S.W. 35th Avenue, Portland
645-4772, 245.9041
Message : (503) 246-0813
obedience is owned to God and not to
man. God Has Done A ll There Is To
Do For Mankind!
The factor that w ill make or brake
us all is our freedom to choose. W ill
you continue to follow other gods;
human gods, alien spirits, fads, cult
forms o f worship, hatreds, denomi­
nations, ritual performances, etc ?
O r w ill you serve the one and only
God, Jehovah, and the Son o f God,
Jesus Christ0 “Y o u are witnesses
against yourselves that you have cho­
sen for yourselves the Lord, to serve
him” . Josh 24:22.
Shun anyone who sets him self
up as Head O f The Church, Head O f
Yo ur Heart
Chose to fear the Lord; Chose to
serve the Lord; Chose to obey His
voice; for choice has a direct bearing
on behavior. The church (the heart)
cannot be rightly related to others
until it is rightly related to God.
“Nlitsical Extravaganza”
^ 3 |
M ovem ent
In Islam
an annual event celebrated by the
movement in order to develop under­
standing, enhance tolerance and pro­
mote mutual coexistence.
trod down others, whether they be
saint or sinner. Nor is the Word o f
God used to elevate any man above
another, whether he be called to
preach or to wash the feet o f other
travelers o f The Way.
The Church to day must remem­
ber that people respond much better
to personal models than to verbal
demands. People are motivated much
more by the Joshua method o f lead­
ership (“as for me and my house, we
w ill serve the Lo rd ” ) than by listen­
ing to what a man has done or to
where he has been, or to what he has
said regarding himself, in the name
o f the Lord. A man that sees him self
as great and brags about his accom ­
plishments in his service to God, has
his reward already; that reward being
the awe o f men, and the elevation o f
him self above G o d ’s people.
The Church (in the hearts o f
believers) must remember that its
■>«» y o u
Jerome G. Tanner
A. Funeral Director
k n o w v ’w h o ^ o u
r e a lly
a ro ?
Where is S IR IU S and what part does it play
in the times to come?
Happy
Thanksgiving
From
Do you know what M E L A N IN is and why it's
called the gift from the gods?
you are invited to join
Delbert B lair, D .D ., Ph. D.
A HISTORIAN, MINISTER, POET, WRITER, AND METEPHYSICIAN TO
EXPLORE THESE SUBJECTS, AND HOW THE GOVERNMENT RELATES.
Dr. Blair represents over 40 years of study and research in the paranormal/metaphysical field,
and will offer the benefits of his enlightenment in a lecture that will be given on December 8th,
1995 7pm to 10pm at:
Mallory Avenue Christian Church, 126 N.E. Alberta, Portland OR.
^ o rtla n h
(OhscrUcr
Advance tickets $13.00 / $15.00 at the door. For advance tickets and more information call:
Rasheed Shareef 289-3490
TICKET OUTLETS: JP ’S FRAME SHOP • HOUSE OF SOUND • REFLECTIONS
288-2118
287-1960
288-6942