The gospel means many things to

many different people. I heard one

preacher claim that if you did not use a

specific translation of the Bible you were

not saved. I heard another preacher say

that he presents the Gospel when he leaves

a generous tip, 20-25%, as he leaves a

restaurant.

I find both of these claims

disturbing. With regards to the first claim,

God moved the authors of Scripture to

write the exact words He wanted recorded,

in their original writings. What we have

today are very accurate translations, NKJV,

NIV, NASB, and the ESV that preserve

God’s Word, which includes His Gospel

message. As for the second claim, if

generosity is the Gospel message then Bill

Gates, an unbeliever, is spreading the

Gospel far more successfully than most

Christians will ever have the capacity to do

so.

Neither of these claims agree with

Scripture, but they do strongly reflect the

ideas of men. There have been, and

continue to be, many other additions or

changes to the Gospel message over the

ages. After all, it is a great strategy for

satan to confuse the one message that can

deliver a person from a life of hopelessness

and the penalty of sin, to keep them from

enjoying an eternal relationship with their

Creator. This, after all, is the enemy’s

greatest goal.

Instead of asking what people

think the Gospel message is, I believe we

must ask God what He has determined to

be the true Gospel message; after all, it is

His message, His idea, not mankind’s.

Let us look to the Bible, God’s

revealed Word, to discover what the

Gospel is according to Jesus:

1. Believing Jesus Christ is who

he claimed to be. In John 8:23 Jesus

tells the religious leaders, “I told you

that you would die in your sins; if you do

not believe that I am the one I claim to

be, you will indeed die in your sins.”

Who did Jesus claim to be? He claimed

to be equal with God (John 5:18) and this

is why the religious leaders planned to

kill him. He claimed to be eternal (John

8:58-59) and the religious leaders tried to

kill him. He claimed to be God (John

10:29-33) and once again the religious

leaders were eager to kill him. The

religious leaders understood the claims

of Jesus and they actively decided to

reject those claims in a very harsh way,

murder.

To deny Jesus’ claim of deity we

would need to remove the book of John

from our Bible, but that is exactly what

all other religions do. Either they deny

the deity of Jesus Christ or they make

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JULY 2012

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him a completely separate and lesser

god from Jehovah. Satan wants the

important truth of Jesus’ deity to be

twisted and even ignored if possible.

God wants this critical truth clearly

stated so that the one who believes will

have eternal life with God our Creator

(John 3:16; 4:14; 5:24; 10:28; 17:3). It

is no wonder the world will talk about

God, but reject most any witness to

Jesus Christ. This should be of no

surprise to the believer because Jesus

said it would happen (John 15:18-16:4).

As we view the world through the eyes

of Jesus this rejection should not bring

anger to the believers, but deep,

heartfelt concern for those who have no

relationship, therefore no hope, with

Jesus Christ.

2. Trusting fully in the

finished work of Jesus Christ. In

John 3:16 it says, “For God so loved

the world that he gave his one and only

Son, that whoever believes in him shall

not perish but have eternal life.” The

whole book of John explains how the

Son was given; he died on the cross for

the sins of the world providing a way to

begin an uninterrupted relationship with

the Creator. Hebrews 10:12 says, “He

(Jesus) did not enter by means of the

blood of goats and calves; but he

entered the Most Holy Place once for

all by his own blood, having obtained

eternal redemption.” This is a

reference to Jesus’ death on the cross; it

was this act alone that has made

salvation available to all who will

believe. There is no hope trusting our

own efforts to be a good person

(Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-5), our only

hope of salvation is Jesus Christ’s death

on the cross and his resurrection.

Trusting in this work alone will bring

eternal life with God our Creator.

So what is the Gospel message in

Scripture? To believe Jesus is who He

claimed to be and that His work on the

cross paid the full price for mankind’s

sin. John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes

in him (Jesus)is not condemned, but

whoever does not believe stands

condemned already because he has not

believed in the name of God’s one and

only Son.”

How do people meet this Jesus?

They meet Him by reading the Bible, but

they also meet Him by meeting a

Believer. To meet someone who

believes in Jesus and who is choosing to

be transformed by this relationship

causes the unbeliever to consider the

reality of these claims. When someone

claims to believe in Jesus Christ and, in

love, works at living their life consistent

with God’s teaching, it is a

demonstration of the Gospel’s power.

Believer, the best way to protect the

truth of the Gospel is to be faithful in

living it out in your daily life.

In His Service,

Pastor Jim

Monday - Thursday

9:00 AM - NOON

Friday BBQ 6:00 PM

Ladies Walk July 14 8:30 am

Theler Center Meet in parking lot.

Bring: comfy shoes & light sweater (just in case).

Goal: Exercise, enjoying God’s beautiful creation,

& fellowship.

Women’s Ministries will provide muffins, fruit, coffee, juice & water.

Thank you to all who helped with Promotion Sunday!

We hope that you will all

join us on Sunday, July 1st for Baptism & Communion

at 6:00 pm.

Friday March 9th, West Sound

Youth for Christ celebrated the 30th

anniversary of YFC. It was a great

celebration giving God the credit for all

that has been done.

They are looking, asking and

praying for 10,000 prayer warriors/

partners to be involved in praying over

the next ten years for 10,000 more youths

in our area to make a personal choice to

follow Jesus. They are also looking for

volunteers that would be willing to help in

their many programs to reach kids.

If the Spirit leads you to join the

cause you can contact Youth for Christ at

360-779-9929.

Over 230 years ago our

forefathers signed a document declaring

their independence from England. Upon

doing so they declared to the world the

birth of a new nation which they

understood would cost in blood on the

battle field. You may have heard it said

about our freedom in America, “Freedom

is never free”. The freedom we

experience as members of the United

States comes at a very heavy price. We

have lost many lives to establish and

maintain our freedoms and rights as

citizens. The freedom we experience in

Christ is not free either.

God, in His infinite wisdom and

mercy, established a freedom from the

tyranny of sin and death with the

shedding of only one man’s blood, His

perfect Son Jesus Christ. Scripture tells

us, “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and

made His dwelling among us” (John

1:14a, NIV, name added). John goes on

to tell us that, “God so loved the world

that He gave His one and only Son, that

whoever believes in Him shall not perish

but have eternal life. For God did not

send His Son into the world to condemn

the world, but to save the world through

Him” (3:16-17). Through Christ’s

obedience to death on a cross, He paid

the price in His precious blood to redeem

us and pay for our freedom from sin.

When we seek forgiveness from our sin

and ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of

our lives, believe that He died for us on

the cross and that God raised Him from

the dead, the bible tells us we are free

from the cost of our sin.

Paul says, “Therefore, there is now

no condemnation for those who are in

Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus

the law of the Spirit of life set me free

from the law of sin and death” (Romans

8:1-2). In Christ we are not condemned!

Hallelujah! We are set free. But we are

not set free to do what we want, we are set

free to serve our Lord. Paul goes on to

encourage his readers, “Therefore, I urge

you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to

offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy

and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual

act of worship. Do not conform any

longer to the pattern of this world, but be

transformed by the renewing of your

mind” (12:1-2a).

Dear friends, when God frees us

from the bondage of sin He enables us to

serve Him with all we are! We experience

true freedom in service and obedience to

Him. Our freedom is NOT free! Jesus

paid the ultimate price for you and me.

This month as you celebrate our nation’s

freedom and remember what it cost, take

time to rejoice in the freedom our Savior

has given us. Renew your mind daily in

His word. Do not conform to the

pressures around you from the world but

allow your life to be transformed by the

Holy Spirit within you. As you do you

demonstrate your understanding of what

our freedom truly cost.

His servant and yours,

Pastor Fred

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BUILDING TO HONOR GOD

Being good stewards of God’s resources,

let us keep looking to our future ministry!

Are you able to contribute a gift to help

purchase land?

*Mark your gift “Land Purchase”

Current amount in “Land Purchase” fund

$10,268.92

Estimated cost to purchase this land =

several thousand

VAN PURCHASE

Thank you for your donations towards the

goal. Let’s keep building this fund. Please

mark your donation “Van Purchase.”

Estimated cost 18,000.00

Donated so far 6,558.03

Amount needed 11,441.97

*Mark your donation “Van Purchase”

JUNE - AUGUST

What’s So Amazing About Grace

School Administrative Building

TEACHER: Jim Walker

DESCRIPTION: If you want to know how amazing

grace really is, take a good look at the broken world it

heals. This class offers intimate glimpses of God’s life-

changing grace. Using candid interviews with real

people you will see the power of God to forgive the

unforgiveable, love the unloving, and redeem the

seemingly irredeemable.

Orientation

Shack - The Upper Room

TEACHER: Pastor Jim Porter

DESCRIPTION: Are you fairly new to North Mason

Bible Church? Would you like to learn more about the

church you are attending? In this interactive class,

Pastor Jim will share the reason we exist, how we got

started, what our core beliefs are and where we are

heading. There will be plenty of time for questions, so

join the class and let’s get better acquainted!

God Heard Their Cry

Worship Center

TEACHER: Dan Daniels

DESCRIPTION: Travel to Egypt and see how God

answered the cry of His people in the midst of their

bondage. Journey with Ray Vander Laan, by DVD, as

he explains the significance of God’s mercy in

delivering Israel from His enemy.

Eventually we will find ourselves at the foot

of God’s mountain where the people learn about His

holiness, His justice and His mercy.

PASTOR FRED’S FORUM:

Thursdays @ 2:00 pm

Teacher: Kathy Zink

Location: Pavilion

Subject: “Death and

Resurrection

of the Messiah”

Quarterly Business Meeting / Potluck July 15 @ 5:00 pm

Potluck: 5:00 pm Meeting: 6:00 pm

Please bring salads of

all kinds. As usual, please place in two dishes. Bring enough for your family & 4 more. Please put

your name on your dishes.

Hospitality will provide

rolls and desserts.

RSVP Gene Bush

360-432-7936

$12 AARP Members

$14 Non-Members

August 5 @ 1:30 PM

Come With Your Family To Mason Lake!

Bring The Sunshine!

The Whole Church Family Gets Together For Fun, Food , Swimming,

Baseball, Frisbee, Horseshoes, Boating , Laughter and More!

Please Plan To Join Us!

Men’s Breakfast July 14

NMBC @ 7:30 am

Guest Speaker: Mike Buckley

Sharing His Testimony

Reminder #1

Please invite a friend, pal, team

mate, family member or neighbor.

They do not need to be a

church member to attend!

Reminder #2

Due to the rising cost of the

breakfast supplies and food

we are asking for a small

donation of $3.00

If you would like to order a CD, please contact the office or Fran Schmitt at 360-275-

9394. They are $2 a piece; order forms and envelopes are available on the tools table.

Then look for your order on the tools table the following Sunday. Use the envelopes

provided and drop your payment into the box on the tools table or on the offering

plate.

Other Sermon Series Available

The Books Of: Topics: Bible Conference:

Seminar:

10 Ways For You To Stay Informed With Your

North Mason Bible Church Family

1. Weekly Bulletin

2. Our Website – www.northmasonbible.org

3. The Lifeline – Monthly Newsletter

4. Rolling Slides – played on monitors in the worship center and in the foyer

before and after services

5. Deacon & Deaconess – Care group leaders

6. Sign-up Sheets – in the foyer

7. Facebook – North Mason Bible Church

8. Bulletin Boards – and posters throughout the church

9. Contacts – from various ministry leaders

10. Emails (northmasonbible@gmail.com) and of course Postal Service (PO Box

805, Belfair 98528) continuing

Genesis

Exodus

Daniel

Matthew

I Corinthians

Ephesians

Hebrews

James

I John

John

Prayer

Core Values

Forgiveness

Church Leadership

Stewardship

Dr. Borror

– Prophecy

Dr. Overstreet

– God The Father

Dr. Overstreet

– Eternal Rewards

Dr. Jerry Hamilton

– Book Of Judah

Dr. Larry & Linda Overstreet

– Marriage

Richard Maxwell

-Marriage