News:
Mary Bono will not return to Landmark. She will live with her son. She can be reached at 516 883-0267.
Her new address is:
Mary Bono
67 Bogart Ave.
Port Washington, NY 11050.
Our Missionaries to Panama, Mark & Carol Mavar, completed their week with us and traveled Northeast. They were a great couple and encouraged many greatly.
Bob Lopez's son Robert' wife brought forth a grandson for Bob & Chris: John.
Below are the summaries of the various week's teachings.
Our 9:45 AM Sunday School is part of over a four year program to cover the entire Bible History. Giulio Varsi led the Adult English Sunday school and covered 2Samuel 9. David had promised Saul that David would not destroy his family. Now David instead of destroying Saul’s family is looking for someone in his family to whom he may show kindness. David thus gives a picture of God who is constantly looking for people upon which to show His kindness and grace. David found such a one in a crippled son of Jonathan named Mephibosheth. The crippled came humbly before King David, knowing that the king could rightly take his life. David eased his fears and promised Mephibosheth a perennial seat at David’s table. We have no reason to receive God’s gifts to us, but rather deserve judgment. David provided for him and God provides forever for us, solely from His grace to undeserving guilty sinners like ourselves.
This Sunday, August 1, we will study 2Samuel 11 & 12 & Psalm 32.
In our Sunday 11 AM Bible Service, Pastor Thomas returned to his extended study of the Psalm with Psalm 119. With 176 verses, it is the longest chapter in the Bible. Pastor used this opportunity to speak to our need to have a plan to read the Bible through on a regular basis each year. He gave a number of suggestions of how to read the Bible’s 1129 chapters. 3 chapters a day with 5 chapters on Sundays would do it. We need commitment. We read all of Psalm 119 aloud in a mere 15 minutes. We could read the Bible through each year silently by committing ourselves to about 15 minutes per day and a little more on the Lord’s Day. The theme of Psalm 119 is the surpassing greatness of God’s Word. 173 verses use 8 synonyms of the Word of God. They are also clearly directed to God. The 8 synonyms are commandments, word, judgments, word (promises), law, precepts, testimonies, and statutes. Psalm 119 speaks of the perennial truth of God’s Word. The praise of such truth requires thinking, talking and time. The psalm speaks of personal testimony. The psalmist shows his appreciation in a poetic use of words, wisdom, and witnessing. Finally, Psalm 119 speaks of prophetic teaching. The psalm encompasses a fullness of a study of God’s Word and many other doctrines as well. He applies the entire psalm in practical ways to both exhort and encourage us to love the Word of God and the God of the Word.
This Sunday, August 1, Pastor Thomas will return to the study of the Psalm 119 vv 1-8.
On Sunday evening, After a wonderful time of many remembrances of the person and work of the Lord Jesus, Pastor taught Proverbs 15:14-17.
14 The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, But the mouth of fools feeds on folly.
God desires that we seek Him first above all other things. We often think of Him almost last of all our day & energy. In Luke 10 a woman named Martha was doing a wonderful job of serving the Lord, but she missed the best job. Her sister Mary chose to sit and listen to Jesus. Christ said that Mary had chosen better. Fools, on the other hand, spend their times talking mainly about the things of the world that do not matter for eternity.
15 All the days of the afflicted are bad, But a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
God wants us to know that He is both all-powerful and that He loves us as individuals. He works all things for good in our lives in light of eternity. A gratitude attitude lets us experience joy in all of life as if it were a continual feast, even during afflictions.
16, 17 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure & turmoil with it. 17 Better is a dish of vegetables where love is Than a fattened ox served with hatred.
Charles Dickens’ Bob Cratchit & Ebenezer Scrooge provides a good contrast of treasure without joy and little with experienced joy. Love is so much better than food. We must work hard to put love on our tables even more that we do food. On the other hand we can never rejoice or even satisfy selfishness.
On Wednesday evening, July 28, Pastor Thomas led a study on Evangelism and the Local Church. The local church exists to help believers grow that they might take the gospel to the various places that God has placed them. God has set each believer in his own unique family. He has set each believer in His specific work situation, neighborhood, and other places. Evangelism is not a word used in the Bible, but it is a valid word. It describes our responsibility to announce the good news of Christ to others. We are His witnesses, sent as His ambassadors, to win souls by fishing and catching people for Christ. God describes the gospel as the Gospel of God, of Christ, of the grace of God, and of salvation. We must communicate what God has revealed and not our own ideas, which easily becomes a different gospel. The gospel brings blessing & hope, but it is veiled and a mystery that we must explain and defend before others. 1Cor. 15 gives a summary of what the gospel is, but it is not a mechanical set of words. The gospel must explain the mystery of who Jesus is as the God-man, Lord and Savior. We must lift the veil that people wear that hinder them from seeing what Christ did when He died on the cross. He became a substitutionary sacrifice to pay the penalty of our sin. We must then show that individuals must apply Christ’s work on the cross to their lives. Evangelism consists in the responsibility of all believers Going where God has sent them. They are to vocally Tell others of God’s good news concerning the Person and Work of Christ. They are to challenge people to Apply Christ’s work to their lives by trusting Jesus Christ alone as their Lord and Savior.
At our 7 PM Wednesday (August 4), someone will lead a Bible Study during Pastor Thomas' absence.