Calvary’s light

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | CALVARY BIBLE CHURCH SEPTEMBER 2020

Life as the frantic pursuit of nothing.

A Laborious Loitering: “Men laugh at danger and trample on difficulties in the pursuit of earthly treasures. Their whole life is a laborious loitering. Is it not sad that so noble a being as man’s soul should be wholly taken up with such low and sorted things? Oh, how costly is that treasure which makes you a beggar for all eternity!”

George Swinnock You come home after a long day and collapse into your favorite chair with no energy left. You are spent, and what you really want more than anything else is to eat, enjoy some down time and then go to bed. As you sit there, your wife asks you, “So, what did you do today?” You can’t really think of anything. “Nothing,” is your dismissive answer, “I just worked.” This leads you to begin to ask yourself, “What DID I do today? What did I achieve? Anything?” After all, you didn’t just sit around all day. You were busy…but you feel like you were just spinning your wheels. We often see signs that say, “No loitering.” What does it mean to loiter? A google search rendered this definition: “Loiter (verb): stand or wait around idly or without apparent purpose.” When we loiter, we do nothing and we do this nothing for no apparent purpose. We just float, we just hang out, we are just there. The opposite of loitering, then, must be activity, right? Not necessarily. We can learn a lot from a hamster’s wheel. The hamster’s little feet are moving quickly, but it hasn’t really gone anywhere. This hamster is laboriously loitering. It is not just standing around, it is expending energy, but he is still stuck in his cage. In the same way, it is very easy for us to spend much time, effort, energy and money on things that bring us no closer to our desired destination.

Contents

Pg 1-2 A Laborious Loitering

Pg 2 Adopt- a-Family

Pg 3-6 Upcoming Events

Pg 7 CBC’s September Calendar

We expect to see this laborious loitering in the world, for people who do not know God are doing their best to fill the vacuum left by His absence. Everybody longs to be happy and will do what they think will bring them happiness. Those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ will work their entire lives to acquire the things they think will bring them this happiness. What they don’t understand is that all this work, all this labor, all this energy is simply a laborious loitering. They are no closer to true joy at the end of the day as they were when they dragged themselves out of bed to go to work. They are exhausted, spent, and worst of all, they are just standing still. Our message to those laborious loiterers is this: "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance (Isaiah 55:2).” Could there be anything sadder than spending your entire life in order to acquire something that cannot bring you any real joy, especially when true joy can be had for free? This laborious loitering may also be true of us who do know the Lord. We may be busy, but are we really progressing? Are we really growing? We may easily fall under the rebuke that Martha received from the Lord when she asked Him to correct her sister, Mary, for just sitting at His feet while Martha was doing all the work (Luke 10:38-42). Jesus said to Martha that it was she who was wasting her time. Sure, Martha was busy, but this activity was nothing more than laborious loitering. Like Martha, we may not be lazy, but, sadly, our hurried activity may actually be our biggest distraction. We may be just laboriously loitering. "It is not necessary for me to be rich, or what the world accounts wise; to be healthy, or admired by my fellow worms; to pass through life in a state of prosperity and outward comfort; these things may be, or they may be otherwise, as the Lord in his wisdom shall appoint; but it is necessary for me to be humble and spiritual, to seek communion with God, to adorn my profession of the gospel, and to yield submissively to his disposal, in whatever way, whether of service or suffering, he shall be pleased to call me to glorify him in the world. It is not necessary for me to live long, but highly expedient that whilst I do live I should live to him."

John Newton 1 Corinthians 16:24 Pastor Dom

Adopt-A-Family is collecting items for CBC’s yearly Christmas outreach. Here’s a list of items being collected the next two months.

September 20 - Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Lip Balm, Pillows

(standard size to fit Pins & Needles’ handmade pillowcases)

October 18 - Deodorant, Standard Size Pillows

UPCOMING EVENTS

World Awareness Conference 2020  

Our annual World Awareness Conference (WAC) is just around the corner. It's time to add the dates to your calendar and plan on attending! The dates for this year's conference are Sunday, October 4 through Sunday, October 11. The theme of our conference this year is "For this reason I bow" taken from Ephesians 3:14-15 (ESV). Our guest speaker for both morning services this year will be Dr. Kevin Callahan, president of International Partnership Ministries. Dr. Callahan will be speaking on how to share the gospel with those who have different world views and concepts of God. One of our newest missionary families, Peter and Sarah along with their children Joshua and Emmagrace, will be with us in-person for the first time and will be speaking both Sundays in combined Adult and Teen Sunday School in the sanctuary. Please plan to attend both weeks and get to know this wonderful family. Plans are in the works for possible additional activities and guests. See next month's newsletter for details!

He changes the times and the seasons.

Daniel 2:21

CBC’s September Event Calendar

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His, and He changeth the times and the seasons… Daniel 2:21a

Date Day Time Event Room 2  Wednesday  9:30 AM  Ladies’ Fellowship  202 

    6:15 PM  Teen Group  201 

    6:30 PM  Awana Registra on & Parent Orienta on   

6  Sunday  9:30 AM  Sunday School, Infant—Adult: Classes Begin   

    10:30 AM  AM Worship Service  Sanctuary 

    6:30 PM  PM Communion Service  Sanctuary 

7  Monday    Labor Day—CBC Office Closed   

9  Wednesday  6:15 PM  Teen Group  201 

    6:30 PM  Awana First Club Night   

    6:30 PM  ESL, Prayer Rm 207 open   

10  Thursday  6:30 PM  Elder Mee ng  Conf Rm 

12  Saturday  9:00 AM  Pins & Needles  106 

13  Sunday  9:30 AM  Sunday School, Infant—Adult   

    10:30 AM  AM Worship Service  Sanctuary 

    6:30 PM  PM Worship Service  Sanctuary 

16  Wednesday  9:30 AM  Ladies’ Fellowship  202 

    6:15 PM  Teen Group  201 

    6:30 PM  Ladies’ Bible Study: It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way  216 

    6:30 PM  Awana, ESL, Prayer Room   

18‐19  Fri‐Saturday  7 PM– 7 AM  Teens: Fall All‐Nighter  CBC 

20  Sunday  9:30 AM  Sunday School, Infant—Adult  Sanctuary 

    10:30 AM  AM Worship Service  Sanctuary 

    6:30 PM  PM Worship Service  Sanctuary 

23  Wednesday  6:15 PM  Teen Group  201 

    6:30 PM  Awana, Ladies’ Bible Study, ESL, Prayer Room   

24  Thursday  6:30 PM  Elder Mee ng  Conf Rm 

27  Sunday  9:30 AM  Sunday School, Infant—Adult   

    10:30 AM  AM Worship Service  Sanctuary 

    6:30 PM  PM Worship Service  Sanctuary 

30  Wednesday  6:15 PM  Teen Group  201 

    6:30 PM  Men’s Bible Study, Ladies’ Bible Study, ESL, Prayer Room   

22  Tuesday  6:30 PM  Precepts Bible Study: Joshua  106 

    6:30 PM  Men’s Bible Study: 33 The Series  213 

    6:30 PM  Awana: Awana Theatre Night   

29  Tuesday  6:30 PM  Precepts Bible Study: Joshua  106