EMMETT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
September 2023
Discover Christ's Transforming Love
126 S. Hayes Ave. Emmett, Idaho 83617
Lance Zagaris, Pastor
Pam Hodges, Worship Director
A Word From the Pastor
Dearly Beloved,
I have been reading Jonathan Edward’s book, Religious Affections. I want to share some quotes from his book in this article.
"That religion which God requires…does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless wishes, raising us but a little above a state of indifference: God, in His word, greatly insists upon it, that we be in good earnest, “fervent in spirit”, and our hearts vigorously engaged in religion: Rom. 12:11, “Be ye fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” Dt. 10:12, “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all of His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul?” and chap. 6:4-5, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy might (p. 18)”
Jesus says in Rev. 3:15-16 that He knows the deeds of the Laodicean Church, that they are neither hot nor cold. “I wish you were one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth!” Jesus wants His church members to be on fire for Him, eager to worship and serve Him, enthusiastic to be on mission in their community for Him. Being lukewarm toward him and His service is something that He can’t tolerate. He spits that kind of religious affection out! He grossly rejects it!
Edwards says, “True religion is evermore a powerful thing; and the power of it appears in the first place in the inward exercises of it in the heart, where is the principal and original sent of it. Hence true religion is called the power of godliness, in distinction from the external appearances of it, that are the form of it, 2 Tim.3:5: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it.” The Spirit of God, in those that have sound and solid religion, is a spirit of powerful and holy affection; and therefore God is said “to have given the Spirit of power and of love, and of a sound mind, “ 2 Tim1:7. And such, when they receive the Spirit of God in His sanctifying and saving influences, are said to be “baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, “ by reason of the power and fervor of those exercises the Spirit of God excites in their hearts, whereby their hearts, when grace is in exercise may be said to" burn within them!" As is said of the disciples, Luke 24:32 (p.19)”.
The Holy Spirit is the One Who ignites the flame of spiritual fervor and affection for the Lord in the hearts of people. And He often uses the Word of God, as Jesus did with the disciples on the Emmaus Road, to fan into flames the flickering embers of our hearts.
Edwards states: “The author of the human nature has not only given affections to men but had made them very much the spring of men’s actions. As the affections do not only necessarily belong to the human nature, but are a very great part of it; so (inasmuch as by regeneration persons are renewed in the whole man, and sanctified throughout) holy affections do not only necessarily belong to true religion, but are a very great part of it (p. 19)”.
So God has placed affections within the heart of each person and from those affections spring our motives, thoughts, words, and deeds. They can be ungodly or they can be holy.
Imagine what life would be like without affections. Edward’s states: “Take away all love and hatred, all hope and fear, all anger, zeal, and affectionate desire, and the world would be in a great measure motionless and dead; there would be no such thing as activity amongst mankind, or any earnest pursuit whatsoever. It is affection that engages the covetous man, and him that is greedy of worldly profits, in his pursuits…; so in religious matters the spring of their actions is very much religious affection: he that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion” (pp. 19-20).
So what is the temperature of your heart toward Jesus Christ, toward His Word, toward His church, toward His mission for the lost? Is it burning hot, ice cold, lukewarm? Talk to the Lord and ask Him to search your heart and see if there is any wicked ways in you (Ps. 139:23-24). Ask Him to rekindle the flames of your heart’s affections toward Him and lead you in the way everlasting! Examine your motives, thoughts, words, relationships, and your actions. See if they are springing from a heart on fire for Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23). Confess any sin, seek the Lord’s forgiveness, and ask His Spirit to empower you to live out the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your relationships...with spiritual passion!
Shepherding you in Christ’s Love,
Lance
5 Day Club
The 5 Day Club was held from August - All together, 26 children attended and 1 decision for Christ.
Margo shared Bible stories in Jesus" life from the gospels. Jolene share the Missionary Story about Nate, Rachel and Steve Saints Ministry to the Auca Indians. Connie shared the Bible memory verse daily. The students love worshiping the LORD and playing games!
Thanks to those who helped (Lance & Jolene Zagaris, Connie Walker, Roma Careaga & Margo Moodie) and to those who made the creative and delicious cookies (Cyndi Butticci, Pam Hodges, and Suzi Morgan)!
AS LONG AS THERE ARE TESTS, THERE WILL BE PRAYER IN SCHOOL!
What is Good News Club?
Since 1937, Good News Club© has been working with churches and schools to provide a a nurturing, welcoming, privately-sponsored after-school enrichment club! This includes stories, songs, games, and special projects. It provides training in morals, character, leadership and citizen-ship from a Biblical perspective, through fun activities. All children are welcome, regardless of religious belief, and may only attend with parental permission. Attendance is free, and no donations are solicited.
Legality?
Sometimes questions arise about the club’s legality in light of its Biblical basis and Christian viewpoint. On June 11, 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was legal for public schools to allow CEF® to provide the Good News Club as a means of after-school, Biblically-based, character instruction for public school students. The ruling stated that Bible clubs must be given the same access to school facilities accorded to any other non-school related outside group.
Since GNC® is a youth-centered, non-profit organization, not affiliated with any church or denomination, and charges no admission fees, we are typically welcomed to use the facilities with no usage fees.
Here’s what other school principals have said about Good News Club®:
- “It allows the students and families of my school to have an extended learning opportunity connecting home/school/church. “
- We love having such a positive program as part of our Community-ty School programming. The Good News Club has been a very welcome addition to the school. Thank you.”
- “Students love the program. Parents are excited to have the program in our school. The GNC works with us to promote good choices among children.
To find out about having a club in your school, or if you have questions, please contact me. Angi Jamieson, Local CEF Director 208-546-4760 / angi@cefofidahocom
I Will
Have you picked up your copy of the book I Will, by Thom S. Rainer?
Have you read it?
What are your thoughts?
You are encouraged to discuss it in small groups or with Pastor Lance, or one of the men who went through it in their small group.
Women Unite!
Due to Labor Day, there was no monthly women's gathering for September. Please plan for October 2nd!
The Monthly Women's Group meets the first Monday of every month. Women of all ages are invited to meet at 6:30PM in the FBC Fellowship Hall for fun, fellowship, prayer, etc. New activity each month. Bring a friend!
We are stronger together!
"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up." ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
God' is Still on the Throne
God is still on the throne and
He will remember His own;
Though trials may press us and
burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone.
God is still on the throne;
He never forsaketh His own;
His promise is true,
He will not forget you,
God is till on the throne.
Aspire Women's Event
A group from Emmett FBC is planning to attend and will get bulk ticket @ $20 each. Let the office know if you are interested and want tickets. For more information click on this link: https://aspirewomensevents.com/payette-id-2023/
Sunday, Nov 5, 2023, 07:00 PM
Payette Church of the Nazarene, 7th Avenue North, Payette, ID, USA
A NEW BEGINNING
"Death's door." That's how Richard describes his life before coming to the Mission last March.
Richard says in the year and a half before he joined the Mission's New Life Discipleship and Recovery Program, he went from a casual drinker to drinking 20 hours a day. "I would go to bed about midnight, wake up around 4 am, and just start all over again. I was in a really dark place of pain and mourning."
In 2010, Richard's wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. "We got through it. It was difficult, but she was cancer-free in the end.
"But then, in 2018, she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Two more tests confirmed the diagnosis as early-onset Alzheimer's. She had in- home care for a while, and that led to a care facility."
Richard says mourning the loss of his relationship with his wife, his "one-and- only" as he puts it, was more than he could handle on his own, but the choices he made at the time left him to do precisely that - 'handle' it all on his own.
"I just was having a hard time seeing my wife, my sweetheart, go the way she was, and I lost my way. I could and should have kept my eyes on Jesus, but I went to the bottle instead."
Richard had a lot of people in his life encouraging him to stop drinking and get help, but he resisted for a long time. Then a year ago, he got very sick and couldn't keep anything down. He went for four days without any alcohol and started to go into withdrawal. He began experiencing DTs (delirium tremens), including terrifying hallucinations.
Richard says one night he saw something or someone in his house and called the police. When the officer came, he noted that there was no one there, but also the evidence that Richard was a heavy drinker. So when Richard called again, saying someone was there, he says, "They came, as did the fire department, the paramedics, and my son and daughter-in-law.
"One of the paramedics was a pastor, and we talked for about 30 minutes. He said, 'I can't make you come with us since you didn't do anything illegal, but it's my advice that you come. We are going to take you to the hospital.'
"My daughter-in-law was just praying like crazy, and I don't know if it was the Holy Spirit kicking me over the edge, but I finally said, 'Okay.'"
After four days on the psych floor at the hospital, Richard knew he had to get into a program. He says, "I was all set for a 30-day gig. I could do 30 days standing on my head." But he also knew deep down that he would leave that situation and return to drinking.
"But," he says, "I have, hands down, the coolest daughter-in-law on the planet. She's a bulldog. She, in large part, working in league with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is the reason I'm here. She said, 'Dad, you know you have got to get help. You've got to figure this out. And you won't be able to do it on your own."
Richard's daughter-in-law had already filled out an application for him for the New Life Program. He says, "She told me, 'Dad, this is the Program you have to do!' Now it's been one year since that conversation and one year in the program.
Before all this, Richard had a 12-year career in ministry. He says one thing he has learned in the past year is the importance of working on yourself first before you can help others. He compares it to the instructions you receive for using oxygen masks on airplanes. First, you put the mask on yourself so you can then help someone else. Richard learned how to put his spiritual oxygen mask on first through the Program, its classes, and the opportunities offered.
Richard also says he learned a new understanding of how the Holy Spirit works in his life. "The teaching my advisors have laid down is epic. Not just parts about addiction. Those are very, very good, and they're very necessary. But, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer's work, and now I'm going through The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul...these are what really ignited my passion again, to be able to sort things out and to get back to where God wants me to be."
After much prayer, Richard says he is not only experiencing God's healing spiritually, but in his body as well. He says, "I went to my first gastroenterologist appointment when I got here, and I have cirrhosis of the liver. But I'm being healed. My liver numbers are good now."
Even more than physical healing, Richard is rebuilding beautiful relationships with his family. One example he shares, he had been searching the internet to figure out where he was going to live after finishing the Program. "I was just at a loss. Then, out at breakfast one morning, my son said, 'Hey, Dad, we want you to come and live with us. I could have cried. It was amazing because I never ever even hinted that that might be a possibility. Nobody owes me anything. I owe people, and I owe God.
"Then, a few days later, my daughter- in-law texted me. Her text said, 'I am so incredibly grateful to have you back in our lives!' Call me a millionaire or a billionaire! I'm like George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life". I'm the richest man in town. That's what I have been given
back. '... grateful to have you back in our lives!'
"To the Mission's donors, I would just say thank you. Really! Thank you for not giving up on us, even when we give up on ourselves."
Part of Richard's ministry now is working at our River of Life Shelter's front desk. "I have this desire and ability to connect with the men, to talk to them, pray with them, even just learn their names - it's amazing how incredibly powerful that is, for someone to know you know their name. I care about them!
"But also, mostly, my ministry will be with my children and grandchildren.
"The best thing I can do is take what I've learned at the Mission and in this Program and make it count for the Lord."
Boise Rescue Mission Ministries - 65 Years of Faith, Hope and Family
Contact: info@BoiseRM.org | (208) 343-2389 | PO Box 1494, Boise, ID 83701 | BoiseRM.org
Hash Brown and Bacon Omelet Cups
Hash browns make a delicious crust for grab-and-go egg bites made in a muffin tin.
By Juliana Hale
Tested by Allrecipes Test Kitchen
Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 35 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 12
Ingredients
cooking spray
3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Mexican-style four-cheese blend
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
6 slicesbacon, crisp-cooked and chopped
chopped fresh chives
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease 12 (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray.
Wrap hash browns in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible. Stir together hash browns, melted butter, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Press about 1/4 cup of the hash brown mixture into bottom and up the sides of each prepared muffin cup.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together cheese, eggs, bell pepper, and crushed red pepper (if using) in a bowl.
Remove muffin tin from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Top hash browns with half of the bacon. Top with egg mixture and remaining bacon. Bake until a knife inserted into centers comes out clean, 13 to 15 minutes. Garnish with chives.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
311Calories 22gFat 17gCarbs 11gProtein
Show Full Nutrition Label
A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination. He looked at the old pages as he turned them. Then something fell out of the Bible and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between pages. "Mommy, look what I found," the boy called out.
"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.
With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered:
"It's Adam's clothes!!!!"
Want to read past newsletters?
All newsletters are posted to the FBC Website. Go to www.FBCemmett.org and click on the 'News' dropdown, then 'Church Newsletters". There you will find a list of all the past newsletters that have been posted to the website.
Note: you can click on any picture within the newsletter to enlarge it!
Calendar of Events at FBC
Sept. 11 ...... Knitters/Crocheters at 10am (Janet's house)
Sept. 21 ...... Bunco Night 6pm
Sept. 22 ...... Good News Club begins @ Carberry 2:20pm
Sept. 24 ...... Class 401 on Evangelism @ 9:30
Sept. 24 ...... Magic Show & Ice Cream @ 6pm
Oct. 2 .......... Women's Gathering @ 6:30pm
Oct. 5 .......... All Boards meet @ 6:30