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Dover Assembly of God

8.4.2019 | 2 Peter - Week 5

Locations & Times

4790 Carlisle Rd, Dover, PA 17315, USA

Sunday 10:30 AM

Dover Assembly Online

Sunday 10:30 AM

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This Week's Bulletin

Aug 4, 2019 Welcome to Dover Assembly! We are so glad you have chosen to attend Dover Assembly this morning. It is not by accident that you are here. We believe that God has allowed you to be here so that you might receive all that He has for you. We pray you are blessed as you allow the Lord to work in your life. THIS WEEK Sunday 9:00 am ~ Coffee & Donuts 9:30 am ~ Sunday School 10:30 am ~ R.O.C.K. Children’s Ministries 10:30 am ~ Worship Service 1:00 pm ~ Spanish Service 6:30 pm ~ VBS BEGINS! Sunday-Wednesday 6:30-8:30 pm~ Power Up VBS! Thursday 6:30 pm ~ Men’s Dinner @ El Rodeo Friday 6:00 pm ~ Women’s Summer Reading Dinner @ Dee D’Agostino’s Saturday 6:30 pm ~ Saturday Night Spanish Service UPCOMING EVENTS Invite Your One Is Here! We have been teasing this event for the past few weeks and it is finally revealed. Your deacon board and several others have already been in prayer for this for a few weeks now. We have designated Sunday September 22 as the day where we invite one (at least) person to church. New Wednesday Night Bible Study We will begin our study on the giants that each of us face and how with God’s help we can overcome each of them. Fear, Discouragement, Worry, Guilt and Resentment are just some of the giants we will tackle in this encouraging look at the life of Nehemiah. Join us, beginning Wednesday, August 14. Men's Dinner This month we will be going to the El Rodeo restaurant on route 30 across from the Verizon store. We will meet there at 6:30 pm on Thursday August 8. Be sure to sign up and bring a friend! BODY NEWS Congratulations! To Pastor Luis & Edith Nunez on the birth of their grandson! Khalex Nunez was born Tuesday, July 30 at 6:33 am and weighed in at 7 lbs 14 oz. Proud mom is Cindy Nunez! Praise the Lord for this new addition! In Sympathy To Dick Sweitzer and his family at the home-going of his son, Tom Sweitzer on Friday morning Aug 2. Continue to lift Dick up in prayer during this difficult time. Childcare Clearances We continue to update our files for all those who work with children under the age of 18. We are mandated by state law to have clearances on each worker. If you received a letter stating that yours is expired or that we do not have a copy on file, please make sure that we receive them. Online Giving In the age of smart phones, websites, social media and electronic banking, our church wants to be sure that we are exploring every technology that will ultimately benefit the work of God here in Dover Assembly. We have partnered with the company Tithe.ly.com and put a link on our website and phone app that will permit online giving. You can learn more and give online at doverassembly.com/give. MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Aug 4-7 ~ VBS Aug 9 ~ WOP Women’s Book Club Dinner Aug 29- Sept 2 ~ Dover Fireman’s Fair Sept 6-15 ~ York County Fair Sept 7 ~ “Fearless” Youth Event Sept 9 ~ Women’s Bible Study Begins Sept 22 ~ “Invite Your One” Day Sept 25 ~ See You at the Pole Oct 5 ~ Dover Parade Oct 11 ~ Women’s Cupcake Decorating Night Oct 18-19 ~ Men’s Conference @ CLA Nov 8 ~ Joyce Meyer Nov 15-16 ~ Women’s Conference PRAYER NEEDS Please take time to review and pray for those on this list. Drop them a card or call to set up a time to visit. They will be blessed! Shut-Ins ~ Beulah S. Prayer Needs ~ Robin H. ~ Rose K. ~ Marian T.

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Week 5 - August 4, 2019 - Pastor Jeff Bender

It’s been a few weeks, but we are going to pick up our study in the book of 2 Peter.

During our Wednesday night classes, we talked about the reliability of the Bible. How God used so many different authors, many of whom didn’t know each other, and most likely didn’t know what they did or would write. Yet, all their writings dove tailed together, never a contradiction all focusing on one basic topic-Jesus.

I kind of feel that is what God has been doing here. As Gil mentioned, and we have noticed before, many times the sermon jives with that day’s SS lesson. A God-thing.

Now when we have 3 different preachers, not really comparing notes, all dove tailing everything together, so nothing is really disjointed or stands out of place, that is really a God thing.

Last week Gil focused on, basically, do our actions match what we say we believe?

Watch the sermons from the past few weeks...

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Now where we pick up in Peter may not sound like it matches that subject, but it does. So let’s jump in at 2 Peter 2.

Remember the back-story of Peter. This is his last letter before he is martyred. He is writing to this young church that he helped to start and he wants to impart to them as much as he can so that when he is gone, they will have enough to grow.

As parents, we try to teach our kids as much as we can in the time that we have. We want them to be better than us, more successful than us and hopefully more spiritual than us.

Not to make the same mistakes that we did. To avoid the pain and problems that we had.

And we know that we have a limited window of opportunity to do that.

His first chapter was encouraging them to grow in their faith, become more righteous, live right, love God and serve others, and to trust God’s word.

Remember these are relatively new believers. Remember back to when you first came to know Christ.

I can tell you my experience to hopefully set up chapter 2. I wanted to know everything. I listened all day every day to every preacher on the radio.

I was saturating myself.

But here is the danger with that: Not everyone out there in Christian land is good.

Peter knew that and wanted to warn these new hungry believers to be careful.

That is why he writes chapter 2.

2 Peter 2:1

Right after he ends chapter 1 by telling them to trust God’s word, because it was written by God’s men moved by the Holy Spirit, he says BUT!

Just as there were false prophets in the Old Testament in Israel, there are going to be people today that teach false things.

In the Old Testament, they were prophets, In the New Testament, there are going to be not Old Testament prophets, but New Testament teachers.

He is telling them that in their excitement to learn more, be careful who you listen to. I think that applies as much today if not more, than here.

We as Christians have to have spiritual discernment and wisdom as to who we listen to.

Last week, Gil said basically, does your walk match your talk. If we listen to false teachers, your walk will walk you right away from God.

Why?

2 Peter 2:1

These are people who will present themselves as Christians and sound good up front.

When they get you listening or reading, they will slip in little things that sound good, but are not biblical.

“God helps those who help themselves”

“God wants you to be happy”

“This too shall pass.”

“If you work hard enough, you will be successful”

“Just follow your heart”

“Money is the root of all evil”

Eventually once you are hooked into their teaching, or their charisma, they will eventually come to the logical end of their teaching which is that Jesus isn’t really who we think he was.

2 Peter 2:1

Anyone remember a book years ago called “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”? Written by a teenage believer about purity before marriage.

Well it turns out that he has recently come out and denied the faith he once promoted. Not sure what happened, but if you followed him and whatever he was teaching, you might be led astray as well.

A few years Rob Bell was a mover and shaker in the Christian world until he said that he didn’t believe in HELL.

There has always been and will always be people who teach things that are not true.

Peter is warning them to be careful. Don’t be led astray.

WHY?

2 Peter 2:2

Between those who teach and those who follow, God’s truth will be harmed.

It’s one thing to have someone who doesn’t believe challenge the faith, but when you have teachers and followers who claim to BE Christian challenging the faith, what happens? The world sees that Christians don’t agree on biblical truth and it now is slandered.

Christianity, God’s word and believers in general get a bad wrap because of those who fall into the false teaching category.

What happened when Swaggart and Baker fell? All of Christianity was lumped in with them.

Every church going Christian was just like they were. We were all scammers and cheats and sex crazed liars.

That is how God’s word is brought into disrepute.

2 Peter 2:3

The word exploit means “to make merchandise of”.

I have to say that whenever I see ministries on TV selling pieces of cloth, or holy water or anything like that, this is what I think of.

When I hear about people needing jets to get to preaching dates or the lavish houses they have, my ears perk up.

2 Peter 2:3

Ministries will give exaggerated stories, false statistics and false promises in order for us to send them money.

They honor and promote themselves, more than Christ to enhance your opportunity to “partner with them”!

Micah rebuked Israel for the same thing.

Micah 3:11

Peter does not mince word when dealing with them.

2 Peter 2:3-6

Sounds kind of harsh, but think about it for a moment. God calls his people, children, and now you have people trying to drag your children away from you.

What would you as a parent do if someone was trying to take your small child from you? Probably not negotiate with them or try to win their friendship. You would act harsh.

We sometimes try to make sin not as bad as it is. And God not as mad at sin as He is.

Peter is reminding them that God does NOT take it lightly and there is going to be severe punishment coming.

This ties in with Gil’s sermon. If we think we are ok with God simply because we believe in Jesus but our lives show no indication of a relationship, judgment is waiting for us as well.

But it is possible to have that relationship and not be influenced by everything around us.

2 Peter 2:7-8

That means we cannot blame others for our actions or inactions.

The false teachers will be judged, but we are not free from guilt simply by blaming them.

Lot was surrounded by evil and yet he didn’t give into it. He could have said “Lord, there was so much around me and it sounded right because everyone agreed, and that is what they were teaching, so I gave in.”

2 Peter 2:9

Nobody will be able to pass off blame to anyone or anything else.

We can never blame the preacher, teacher, society or even the devil. Because we will be tempted, but we do not have to give in.

If you know God’s word and want to follow it, God will see to it that you can.

This verse even tells us that Christ will return for His children to rescue them before the judgment comes to the world.

But like Lot, we have to resist the trials and temptations of the world and not simply be believers in Jesus, but doers of what Jesus says.

2 Peter 2:10

What is especially true? That judgment awaits the people who follow their sinful nature and despise authority.

What’s that mean? Well, since the example given was that of Sodom & Gomorrah, we can assume that it means homosexuality.

And authority means anything that has the power to retrain evil. They hate people telling them what to do or not do.

And wow isn’t that what we see today? False teachers, preachers and churches are growing in popularity simply because they are giving in to the culture around them.

Let's look at something from a church’s website. A church that calls itself a Christian and Jesus loving church:

“We aren’t fundamentalists. We don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant or infallible word of God. We don’t agree that Creationism should replace the science of evolution in public schools. We don’t believe that God hates gays. [GOD DOESN’T HATE GAYS] We don’t believe that people of other faiths are going to hell unless they convert to Christianity. We don’t deny the right of women to choose what happens to their bodies.”THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS OUR WAY OF BEING FAITHFUL TO GOD. BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. Christianity is the truth for us. But it is not the only truth.

Picture in your mind a man in a van asking little kids to get in and help him find his lost puppy.

Is there any doubt as to why Peter is so harsh in his telling of the judgment to come upon those who lure people into a faith that will ultimately lead them to destruction?

As believers, we need to be vigilant in teaching the truth. And just as vigilant in what we listen to and what and who we follow.

There’s a reason that God says those who teach will be judged more harshly . . .

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