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Worship: Sunday 9:00 AM Bible Class to follow

SING FOR JOY TO THE LORD

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. - Psalm 95:1-2

Many of us like to sing. Even if we are hesitant to sing publicly, when we are alone in the car or at home, often we sing along when we hear our favorite songs.

We love to sing for a lot of reasons—joy, love, sorrow, even fear sometimes.

Our best reason to sing is given in the Bible verse: “Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”

We live in changing times. Change means uncertainty. Culture, the future, security, economy, jobs, politics, family—these are life’s experiences that bring us more change that we are sometimes comfortable with. In this sea of change, we can always depend on the unchanging Rock of our salvation.

Salvation is the Bible’s word for God rescuing us from the consequences we should receive for all of our sins. We don’t give God the respect he is worthy of. We second guess how God deals with us and this world. We don’t give God the love he deserves. He comes in second or third or four hundred fortieth on our love list. Our actions and attitude pile up a boatload of trouble for us. God should reject and punish us.

But instead of dishing out what we deserve, the Rock of our salvation rescued us. In his great love, God chose to rescue us by sending his Son to suffer sin’s consequences for us. God will never punish us for our sins because he already punished Jesus for them. God’s choices and actions are unchangeable history. Our Rock of salvation will not shift his position or change his mind. He has rescued us from our sins. This fact will outlast the universe!

So we sing to the Rock of our salvation. We sing for joy because God has forgiven us. We sing songs about his sure promises to chase away our fears and heal our wounded hearts. We sing to express our love to God who will never stop loving us.

Go ahead and sing to the Rock of our salvation. If you aren’t sure what to sing, or would like company singing to the Lord, come and worship with us. We have found real comfort and genuine joy in singing together the praises of our Lord.

- from the WELS Outreach Newsletter

10203 W. Tieton Drive, Yakima WA 98908 Isaac P. Cherney, Pastorwww.redeemer-yakima.org (262) 204-8027

NOVEMBER 2017See http://www.redeemer-yakima.org/#/calendarnews for

most recently updated calendarSun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat

1

6:30 Bible Study7:30 EveningDevotion

2 3 4

5

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS

9:00 Worship (Preaching – Stuebs)10:30 Bible Study

6 7 8 9 10 11

7:00am Elders9:00am “Dying to Live” Study

NOVEMBER 2017See http://www.redeemer-yakima.org/#/calendarnews for

most recently updated calendarSun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat12

9:00 Worship (Preaching – Flunker)(Communion)10:30 Bible Study

13 146:00pmCatechism

6:00 pmLadies Bible Study @ Redeemer

15

6:30 Bible Study7:30 EveningDevotion

16

7:00 pmCHURCH COUNCIL

17 18

19

9:00 Worship 10:30 Bible Study

20 21

6:00pmCatechism

22

Thanksgiving Eve Worship7:00 pm @ Grace

23

THANKSGIVING DAYWorship9:00 am @ Redeemer

24 25

26

9:00 Worship (Communion)10:30 Bible Study

27 286:00pmCatechism

6:00 pmLadies Bible Study @ Redeemer

29

6:30 Bible Study7:30 EveningDevotion

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DATE ATTENDANCE MINISTRATIONS -EVENTS OFFERINGS

Sunday, October 1, 2017 87 18 $5,289.10

Sunday, October 8, 2017 84 5 17 - Grace / 19 - Redeemer $3,869.00

Sunday, October 15, 2017 85 20 - Grace $4,536.00

Sunday, October 22, 2017 64 $1,464.00

How Does Faith Grow?

By Matt Johnson

Proverbs states, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (22:6). Does this mean Christian education is just for kids? In the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) we do a great job of educating our children. We offer many resources, including Sunday school, VBS, and a full pre-k through college education system. It is all designed for our children to learn

about God and to be prepared for their personal ministry. However, Christian education does not stop at confirmation… not with graduation from high school… not even graduation from college. God calls us to continually grow in our knowledge and understanding of his Word. In doing so we can progress from spiritual milk (1 Corinthians 3:2) and be prepared to give an answer about why we believe what we do.

God has given us many commands concerning our education and roles as Christian adults. We are to “learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Note the first word (“learn”). Being defenders of the oppressed, fatherless and widows flows from growing in our understanding of God’s Word. A basic knowledge of the gospel is a start… but God wants us to pursue, strive, and seek greater knowledge. The gospel is all-powerful in our salvation and the advancement

of the Church. In that truth we receive the calling to learn more.

Peter encourages us to picture growing in our faith as receiving nutrition from food: spiritual milk. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” (1 Peter 2:2). The writer of Hebrews implores believers

to move on from there to solid food, “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

Are you an infant or an adult Christian? It is not a question of your age or how long you have been a church member. Here is a little test for you: If someone were to ask you “Why are you a Christian?”, would you have an answer for them that does not involve your parents or growing up in a certain church? Could you lay down the reasons why you choose to sacrifice an hour every week to spend time with fellow believers? Or donate money to certain charities through your church? Or spend time regularly reading God’s Word? Peter says we should have that answer in our pocket at all times, ready to fire: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Do you have an answer? If not, read on to learn how to move from milk to meat.

A common Lutheran phrase is that you go to worship to strengthen your faith and Bible study to grow your faith. The Bible is an amazing book whose central message is so simple a child can understand it. At the same time, it remains complex enough that higher-end scholarship has been discussing it for thousands of years. God speaks to you through his Word. If you are not reading and studying the Bible everyday that is a great place to start. Even if it is just 10-15 minutes, you will be amazed by the blessings you will get from it. A common objection I hear is that, “The Bible is too hard to understand.” If you

feel that way, I have great news for you. We have a professional theologian on staff! His sole purpose for being here is to help us grow in our faith while preaching the law and gospel. If you have a question, Pastor Cherney is just a call, text, or email away. He is here to answer concerns, help craft a reading plan, or just talk about God’s amazing truth in the Bible with you. In addition to Pastor Cherney we are blessed with many retired pastors, who also have graduate degrees in studying the Bible. If that were not enough, we are blessed with many lay members who are mature Christians happy to speak with you.

Are you ready to develop in your maturity as a Christian? Good! We have many options available to help you. For your at-home study, we offer the Meditations booklets for free, a collection of short daily Bible studies. You can find these on the table in the narthex. Every Sunday we have Bible study after

worship at 10:30 AM. Feel free to sit in on Sunday school or the Teen Group if you like.

Speaking of Sunday school: Jennifer, Nikara, Cherie and I love teaching your children about God and the Bible. We will take good care of your children while you are growing in your faith. In addition to Bible study and Sunday school we offer Women’s Bible Studies (Thursday 1pm at Grace or every other Tuesday at Redeemer 6-7pm), a Wednesday evening Bible study (1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:30pm), and a once-a-month Bible study that just started looking at the book Dying to Live, a work focusing on forgiveness in the Christian life (2nd Saturday at 9am).

Do none of these options work for you? Let us know how we can help you grow in your faith, which is why we are here. We love you and want you to take that next step from spiritual infancy to a greater appreciation of the Bible and God’s love for you.

When Things Go Wrong – from “A Breath of Fresh Air”

By John Hardison

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the

habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.Hebrews 10:23-25

Sometimes things go “haywire.” When I was a boy most hay bales were bound with bailing wire using as many as three strands. Sometimes the hay balers would have a wire break and get all tangled up

inside the machine, which meant a half day's work trying to get it fixed. When those bales were opened one by one, it was easy to get all those wires tangled to the point where the used wire was of no further

“Sometimes when Christians have problems they avoid people… including their church and God. This is exactly the wrong move.”

use and had to be thrown away. From those happenings came the phrase “Everything went haywire today,” which meant everything had gone wrong.

As I described the meaning of “haywire,” I could not help but think of what happened some time ago. It had been a pretty good day as quitting time approached. I had hired Dustin Melius to put in some underground sprinklers in a section of my pasture. He had finished gluing the pipe together in the ditches, which another friend Larry Johnson had dug with his backhoe. Dustin had pushed dirt into the trenches with his Bobcat and smoothed out the dirt along the buried sprinkler pipes. We had taken out a small section of fence to allow room for some new valves and we needed to move one post over a few feet before we rebuilt the fence. Dustin and I looked over the situation and decided where to put the posthole. That is when things went “haywire.”

I was filling the line with water so we could try out the newly installed sprinklers. I had just finished closing the various drains and faucets on the line at the far end of the field when I saw Dustin walking out to meet me. He said he had finished the hole, but nicked the main line with the small backhoe on the Bobcat. He said water was beginning to run everywhere! I had already picked the spot to dig… so what could I say? “Let’s turn off the main line, drain it, and see about getting the hole fixed!” It seemed like everything had suddenly gone “haywire” out of nowhere.

There are times when things in our lives go wrong, both big and small. A broken pipe is certainly not as big a problem as an illness, death, accident or any of a hundred other serious problems, some with long lasting consequences. At times it may seem like

everything is going “haywire.” The good thing is that as Christians and members of a Christian church we have a place we can go to help us get back on our feet. As members of a Christian church we help those in need. It may be just having someone to listen to our problems. Perhaps we need to ask our fellow members for prayer. Sometimes when Christians have problems they avoid people including their church and God. This is exactly the wrong move. That is when we need God and Christian people the most.

I have had my share of serious problems and it has been my experience that coming to church is the smartest thing I can do. Of course, I can read my Bible and pray any time and I do. However, I have found being around fellow Christians, singing Christian songs, hearing a good sermon, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and perhaps studying a good Bible lesson helps me get through the rough times. We all need Christian fellowship because it will help build us up and continue to hold us up every day.

I do not know why we had to hit the water pipe at the very edge of the posthole with the very last stroke of the backhoe. A couple of inches to the west and everything would have been great. I only know there is a reason for everything. God tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 2:5,6). In other words: When things do go “haywire,” look to the Lord and you will find the help you need.

Questions and AnswersIsaac Cherney

Here’s another question a church member posed to the newsletter since last edition. Enjoy!

Question: God’s Word sometimes speaks of Christians being “sealed in faith” with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 1:22). If we are sealed by God himself… how can some still fall away?

Reaction: To speak of “sealing by the Holy Spirit” like a sort of “once saved, always saved” idea is exactly what the sinful nature desires most. If this sealing acts like a permanent opening of the heart to God (as opposed to Pharaoh’s hardening of the heart in Exodus)… then we’re set! So set that Bible study is pointless, church attendance unnecessary, and repenting for sin redundant!

God’s Word says just the opposite is true: Repentance recognizes the truth of our sin and our Savior (Luke 5:31-32). Church attendance encourages us to godly living and hearing the Word (Hebrews, quoted in Hardison article above). Bible study enlightens and guides us for serving in faith (1 Peter, quoted in Johnson article above). When we come to faith, we don’t expect to be sealed in righteousness that ignores these activities; we are moved to these activities all the more out of thankfulness for Christ’s work on the cross. We

want to grow in faith, be strengthened in knowledge, and remain dutiful in service. Our motivation is not only to give God what he deserves, but to fight against temptations of

laziness and even unbelief/falling away, which is still possible.

So what good is a “sealing”? Think of a letter sent in ancient times carrying a wax seal. The seal was not to protect the contents inside against anyone getting in. Rather, it’s for the person opening the letter, the reader, to see that the contents inside come officially

and directly from a reliable and authoritative source.

God has sealed you as his love letter to the world, an ambassador of Christ to other sinners. When they “open you up and read you,” do they recognize an official mark, a seal, of the one who sends Christ’s loving forgiveness? Can people tell from your life your faith is in the authority of the one God and his true gospel?

To sum up: the sealing imagery is used to show that your faith is not fake or based on something that will fade away: it’s rooted in the perfect and

Almighty God! The object of our faith, our Savior Jesus, is our assurance that forgiveness has come to us. God carries us in his hands.

What would I say to someone hoping for a seal of faith that means they’re set for life? A faith that receives Christ’s Word and hopes in his promises is set for life! Set to carry the seal of God’s forgiveness and proclaim it to others with our whole lives.