13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:13-16 (New King James Version)

The statement, “These all died,” is in reference to men who had lived by faith in scriptures.  The Apostle Paul is talking about people who live by faith looking forward to a new Kingdom in which Christ will be the ruler.  That is the way it should be with us who have been born again into the Kingdom of God. (John 3:16)  We look forward to the physical coming of the Kingdom of God as promised by Christ. (Luke 17:20,21; 18;29,30; and 22:2)  We are aliens and strangers on earth and are looking for a country of our own.  We are looking for a better country—a heavenly one. 

That is what motivated us to begin a Saturday night meeting with a potluck dinner, praise and worship music, and a word of encouragement regarding our future home and how to live in this land as a stranger and foreigner.  Often times we Christians give ourselves a bad name because we are so zealous about trying to make things better here in this foreign land that those who live and have this world as their possession become angry at us for attempting to make their world like the future one we hope for.  We must remember, they have not chosen to live in the Kingdom of God as we have.  As much as we desire for everyone to experience the Kingdom of God, we must remember that we can’t force it upon them.

So our option is simple.  We don’t get wrapped up in this worldly system in which we are foreigners.  We joyously and victoriously look forward to the Kingdom of God.  When this world system becomes fearful, and full of uncertainty, we will still be rejoicing and celebrating knowing that better things are coming.  That alone will bring many into the Kingdom of God.  That is the purpose of the Saturday night meetings.

In the meantime, we will pray for revelation of God and His Word to those of this world, its leaders, our family, friends, and various loved ones.  We will pray God’s promise of a world which is based upon His Word and the coming Kingdom will become a reality, and many in number will be added to the Kingdom daily as this worldly system becomes more and more uncertain and fearful.

-Pastor Herb

It is always wonderful to have a place to go that has good atmosphere and is quaint.  It is more than wonderful when the leadership of that organization or business is Christian.  And it is absolutely fantastic when those organizations become recognized as a leading business in the area.  That is the case with Tea & Thee Tea Room located on the west side of the square in Butler.  The Butler Area Chamber of Commerce has awarded this year People’s Choice Award for Favorite Business of the Year to Tea & Tea, their first year of business.  And they deserve it!!

They offer a wonderful soothing reflective atmosphere for the diner along with delightfully and wonderfully arraigned soup, salads, pastries, and desserts as well as gourmet teas, flavored coffees, scones and handmade mints.  As soon as you enter you know there is something special about the place.  And if you ask the staff, they’re not bashful to tell you it’s the Lord.  Every bit of the experience at Tea and Thee is as if it has been bathed in prayer. Their goal was to create a dining experience that is meant to be a tranquil and relaxing; a place of comfort and rest.  They succeeded and the award is recognition of that success.

People are seeking what only the Lord can offer; peace, hope, love, and joy to mention a few.  In today’s world, people know where to go to find those qualities and attributes.  People are wising up and leaving those things that do not offer these qualities in abundance.  As times become more and more difficult, Tea and Thee will become more and more successful.  People desire to be lifted up, encouraged, and want those places that have something special to offer them that allows them to leave the stresses of life behind, even if it’s for a moment at lunch.  

Thank you Tea & Thee for offering a place that is centered around the things of the Lord.  Our community is indeed a better place because of you.  God Bless your future brightly.

-Pastor Herb

Have you heard about a pastor’s sex challenge?  Pastor Ed Young is founder of the Grapevine, Texas-based, nondenominational Fellowship Church, which draws about 20,000 people each Sunday and also has campuses in Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano, Texas. Pastor Young has challenged the married couples in his congregation to have sex seven days a week during a paticular week in which he is doing a series on the subject? 

In an interview with CBS (See the original interview here), Young describes people’s reaction to his proposed week of sex: “We’ve had a few people go, ‘Man, I wonder why you’re doing this,’ or, ‘That’s kind of odd, talking about making love in church.’ But, again, I think the church has allowed the culture to hijack sex from the church, and it’s time that we moved the bed back in church and put God back in the bed, and I think we are the real sex-perts because, after all, we’re made in God’s image and he’s the one who wants us to do it his way.”

For many years I thought it has been backwards that the world enjoys that which God has made for married couples and in particular the church while the church avoids the subject.  The church should be so enjoying all that God has given us in such a way that it makes the world envious to have what we have.  Sex is God’s idea.  He designed it for the marriage and He expressly teaches about it in the scriptures (Song of Solomon; 1 Corinthians 7:1-7) 

If it would had been taught all along in the proper context, maybe we would not have such a large problem of abusing the gift from God.  We are the body of Christ and we have the answer to life’s most complex problems.  It would be interesting to hear what this pastor has to say on the subject or as Paul Harvey might say, “the rest of the story.”

-Pastor Herb

As our second President of the United States and signer of the Declaration of Independence, as well as many other amazing accomplishments in the forming of our young country, John Adams is one of many qualified individuals to speak on behalf of our country and what makes it free.  He stated on June 21, 1776,

“Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand.  The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspiried into our people in a greater measure, than they have it now, they may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty.”

Scripture is clear that the body of Christ is to work together; to be unified.  God promises that His blessings reside in unity (Psalm 133).  Often times we divide over issues that are based on how we are to live out our Christian calling at the expense of the unity of universal body of Christ.  There are certain issues that we do not compromise: The deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His sacrificial life, His atoning death, and the fact that He rose from the dead are all issues essential to the body of Christ.  Other areas that we often separate over, such as spiritual gifts, the role of women, the clothes that are to be worn, the bible we use, are all personal convictions that are often elevated to the corporate level causing divisions in the body of Christ.  God calls us to be tolerant of our differences in the areas of personal conviction (1 Cor. 10:14-33).  We at Rock Butler are calling for Christians to pull together to impact the city of Butler for the sake of the Gospel of Christ.  Through unity, we will have God’s blessing as promised.  To that end, we will soon begin to set aside a work day that the entire body of Christ will be invited to attend.  At this point in development, we are looking at Saturday Mornings from 9 am to noon.  This work day will be for the purpose of the body reaching our the city which God has appointed us to win over to the Kingdom of God.  Those involved in the work day will all be identified as the body of Christ and will be wearing the same shirts for easy identification.  Meeting the needs physically will allow us to meet needs spiritually.  We will then re-gather Saturday nights for a potluck dinner together in which those new contacts will be invited to attend.  We will also have time of worship, praise music, and a short teaching time that shares the benefits of Kingdom living.  This is still in the planning stages and any thoughts within the Christian community of Butler are welcome.  We hope that you will consider utilizing your gifts, represent your church,  and enjoy a time of fellowship in the body of Christ as we minister weekly to the community around us (1 Peter 4:7-11)

Welcome to our new blog page.  We will be blogging daily as the Lord leads so keep watch for the newest from us.

Blessings!

- Pastor Diane