Easter (Resurrection Sunday) is a holiday when church pews are filled to the brim – and wonderfully so because the Easter story is Christianity 101.1. We have all sinned.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

2. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin.

“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.” John 3:16

“God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God.” II Corinthians 5:21

3. He was buried and rose again on the 3rd day.

“…In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a livinghope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,” I Peter 1:3-4

God…In His great mercy has given us 

• new birth (we were first born as human beings, we can now be born again as new creations in Christ)

• into a living hope

• through (by) the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

• into (and the result is) an inheritance* that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you (who believe)

*And this inheritance is as sure and eternal as Jesus’ own resurrection life – which is why and what we will celebrate on Resurrection Sunday!

Do you want the living hope of eternal life?

If so, please contact anyone at the church office and they will pray with you and help with any questions you may have.

(405) 720-1449

““Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Mark 16:3b (ESV)

On what was quite possibly the darkest morning of their lives, the day they thought their dream was dead, several ladies wrestled with what looked like an impossible situation. If they got any sleep it was with tears in their eyes and the question, “How could this have happened?” running laps in their minds.

In those early morning hours, when the sky was dark and their hope was darker, they put one foot in front of the other and faced their disappointment.

The tear stained cheeks.

Tired, red eyes.

The hope…

Dreams of purpose and freedom.

They laid everything on the line to follow this man. And now it was over…

Have You Been There?

”What now?”

”How are we going to?”

It may be circumstances beyond your control that led you there. When my Father-In-Law died suddenly we were spinning and somehow crushed all at the same time. It felt like we couldn’t breathe, or think, or feel anything but pain… For weeks and months.

Sin may have brought you there. The unfaithfulness of our heart that had its way with our will until we willingly followed wherever our lusts led.

You may be feeling, even right now, the stone is blocking the rest of your life.

Your heart may be crushed, your hopes and dreams may appear long gone. Like these ladies, your cheeks may be salty from the tears. Your world may be spinning and you too are wondering how life goes on.

“Who will roll away the stone for us …”

In their worry and grief, weeping and aching God had already dealt with the stone and so much more.

Listen to the beautiful words of Scripture and let them wash over you, wherever you find your heart.

” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.” (Mark 16:4)

Maybe You Need to Look up

May you see the hope in the resurrection. Today, fight to look up from your hurt and troubles to see this great God who is mighty to save, already at work, and merciful beyond our wildest imaginations.

 

Our guess is you probably could not name all the Elders… Am I right? Well, we want to reintroduce them to you while bringing a new candidate for your consideration.

Meet Jermal Bridges.

Jermal is being brought before the church as an Elder Candidate. You will have the opportunity to confirm him at the Annual Meeting on March 6. Please get to know Jermal and his family.

He was born on an Air Force base in Japan.  Besides living in Hawaii and a couple of other states, his family moved to several different places outside the United States.  After graduating at Kadena High School in Okinawa, he attended San Diego State University before transferring to the University of Oklahoma.  He has lived in Oklahoma since then, and considers Oklahoma home.

While attending the University of Oklahoma, he began attending Everlasting Life Baptist Church in Norman.

He realized that for a long time he knew ABOUT GOD, but he did not KNOW GOD.  God was gracious and gave Jermal the faith to KNOW Him.  Jermal came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior during his sophomore year in college.

He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with three degrees: Accounting, Management, and MIS. He now works as a Database Administrator for a consulting company.   Jermal enjoys video games, superhero shows/comics, eating out, and hanging out with the family.

Jermal married his high school sweetheart Ceretta, while both of them were attending the University of Oklahoma.  Ceretta was born in North Carolina, graduated from Kadena High School, and then earned her degree in early childhood education from the University of Oklahoma. She currently teaches at an elementary school.  She loves to teach, sing, and work on big home improvement projects. The Lord has blessed Jermal and Ceretta with three wonderful children.

Jermal is currently serving as a co-teacher in the Next Steps class during Adult Bible Fellowship.

And now for the rest of these guys…

And some of the areas they are serving.

 

Marty Brown*

Teaching pastor/elder; Mission Oversight Team; co-teaches the “Next Steps” ABF class

 

 

 

Howard Geis

Music pastor/elder; teaches Senior Adult 65 & Better ABF class

 

 

 

Rocky Hails*

Ministries pastor/elder; Adult Bible Fellowship; co-teaches Hope from the Scriptures class; 4Men

 

 

David Holmes

Lay-elder; teaches in the student ministry (grades 7-12)

 

 

 

Todd Jackson

Lay-elder; co-teacher in “The Potter’s Clay” ABF class

 

 

 

Jim Jackson

Family pastor/elder; preaching; teaches 5/6th grade Sunday school

 

 

 

Asir (Jeba) Jebaraj*

Lay-elder; co-teaches “The Potter’s Clay” ABF class

 

 

 

Chad “Kicker” Kositzky

Pastor/elder working with Student (7-12 grades) & Children; occasionally helps lead music worship

 

 

 

Wayne Marley

Lay-elder; small group leader (previous)

 

 

 

Chip McWilliams

Lay-elder; serves in the “Salt and Light” ABF class

 

 

Jeff Plangman*

Lay-elder; teaches the 3 year old Sunday school class

 

 

 

 

Chad Puckett

Pastor/elder working with  College; communications; Mission Oversight Team; preaching

 

 

 

Micah Rigdon*

Lay-elder; teaches in the student ministry (grades 7-12)

 

 

 

Eric Schrock*

Administration & Facilities pastor/elder; Finance Team; 4Men

 

 

 

Jon Sikes

Lay-elder; co-teacher in “Abundant Family Living” ABF class

 

 

Rich Smith*

Lay-elder; co-teacher in “The Launch” ABF class

 

 

 

 

Marvin Starkey

Lay-elder; Finance Team

 

 

 

Ted Webb*

Lay-elder; teaches the 4 year old Sunday school class

 

 

*Current Governing Elders

Have you ever had one of those moments where you were talking about something, or learned something new, then suddenly you start seeing it everywhere? Maybe you started researching a new car, and now you are seeing them all over the place. Bet you didn’t know there was a name for this…

Baader-Meinhof is the phenomenon where one happens upon some obscure piece of information—often an unfamiliar word or name—and soon afterwards encounters the same subject again, often repeatedly. Anytime the phrase “That’s crazy, I just heard about that the other day” would be appropriate, you have met our good friend, Baader-Meinhof.
This happened to me with the Bible in at least three distinct ways. When I first started reading the Bible, I thought the whole story was about me. I would read it like a yearbook, looking for myself on every page. Then, someone told me it was really all about God and it was as If I were reading an entirely new book. Suddenly, every page was like running into Baader-Meinhof.

Later on, it happened again. I was told God’s story wasn’t just about God, but God as the foundation piece of everything. What? This took a long time to come to grips with. I remember going to the man who so patiently discipled me and literally saying, “Why have you never told me this?” My mind was blown and it is still in recovery.

I once again stumbled up a biblical Nader-meinhof when God made it clear that His love was for more than people who looked just like me. I was looking to love on some Americans in a far away place and God grabbed my heart with this truth: The Bible is all about God,He is the first cause of all things, AND His love extends to people of all tribes and tongues and nations.

The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, at work again and again as I have read the bible. Today, if you were to see my bible you would find it marked up with these truths on almost every page.

Matthew 20 gives us a glimpse of two guys in a situation which illustrates this for us. These two guys are blind. They could just gripe or wallow, but instead are begging Jesus for help. There is no way they could have possibly understood all the nuances of the Gospel or even faith. All we really know is that they thought Jesus could help.

“Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. Matthew 20:31a-34 (ESV)

My prayer this morning, and by extension for you, is to ask the Lord to be merciful to us, to open our eyes, and to help us follow Him.

I hope you have a run in with Baader-Meinhof today, but even more than this, I pray your eyes are opened to this great God and what He is doing all around you.

“ I don’t know anyone, I don’t have any friends at church…”

  Have you ever said those words – or thought them? Friends are valuable, maybe essential to our well-being. Below are some ways ‘friends’ have been described:
• God’s ‘salve’ on your hurts and fears

• Know your ups and downs and still chose to hang out with you

• Someone I can call upon in the middle of the night with a need

• You can tell them anything and they will not repeat it

• They have the loving courage to offer correction when the other is walking outside God’s will

• Faithful in wanting to spend time together

• They make life so much sweeter

• Transparent

• They have taken the time to get to know you

• Shares openly about their own bad days

• Will pray for you NOW

These are the people we all need in our lives, but how do we get them?​

One Sunday as I sat on my back-row pew and watched the people fill the auditorium, I was surprised at how many I actually knew and could call friends. Now I’m just an ordinary ‘Jane’ at church – I have no great and wonderful talents or church position. So how did I acquire these friends? I met them while I scrubbed potatoes (surely hundreds!!) for a church dinner, while I worked as a temporary greeter, and while I helped make snacks for VBS. I also made new friends while doing data entry, making phone calls, and hemming quilts for various church ministries. Currently I’m part of a group of women who color (yes, color – like with fabric pens) labels for the Quilting Ministry. I’ve taken Bible study courses. I attend a Sunday School class (tried several until I found my niche.)

All of these jobs required only limited skills – the only real requirement was someone willing to say, “I can help. I’ll volunteer.” With each new job, each new Bible study, I have met new women who have become my friends. Say, “yes” and you may eventually end up with a church-full of friends and you’ll be able to sit on your pew and watch all your friends come in!

Every church has multiple opportunities to volunteer and make new friends. Take that first step and ask, “How can I help?”

Sometimes I come to these soaring chapters and, I have to tell you, I don’t feel much like soaring. Sometimes it’s easy to recognize the triumph while other times it’s hard to see past the war. Today I am thinking about Psalm 40. The glorious passage of God in His sustaining and rescuing love. This may have been the first bit of bible I memorized.

 Don’t think for a second I memorized it as some sort of plan or discipleship group. I wasn’t raised in the church. I knew this passage because I knew good music and U2 sang it, and let’s be honest, U2 ruled my world at the time.
This Song, I mean Psalm is filled with words like “sacrifice” and “wonderous”, “lifted” and “set”. Those words of rescue and past tense… But we don’t always find ourselves there and we are not always feeling the past tense of His rescue.
This morning, after countless readings, listening, and recitings of this passage I am moved by the most meek aspects of this passage, the last verse.

“As for me, I am poor and needy,

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!”

Psalm 40:17

Please allow me to rearrange some things in this verse…

I am poor and needy

Lord, do not delay. 

BUT THE LORD TAKES THOUGHT FOR ME

YOU are my HELP and my DELIVERER.

Whether you are praying the prayers of victory this morning or struggling even to lift your head, may you remember, not the words of Bono, but of our great God. May you take comfort in the knowledge that He who is able, He who is loving. And He who conquered death, the Lord Himself takes thought for you.

This Sunday will be different. It will look and sound a bit different. And this is a good thing, not just for the students, but for all of us.
Every year there is a three day assault on Heritage called “Deep Impact“. It becomes a construction zone for a week. There has been a house built in the sanctuary. One year we built a 60ft pirate ship, then took chainsaws to it to make it look “wrecked“. There was a Roman coliseum, a big top tent, Dr Seus’ World, and of course, the grass…    

    
  What may be lost in all of this is how the decorations are not just for show. They are intentional and important. The Student Ministry wants each and every student to walk in and immediately think, “That is not what I was expecting.” As the weekend unfolds we want students to continue to think, “That is not what I was expecting.” And as they are confronted with the truths of who Jesus is and what He has done we want them to think, “That is not THE JESUS I was expecting.”  

Most of you will only experience Sunday morning, but know it will have been going on for 36 hours by the time the service rolls around. Students will have been through two main sessions, three other bible studies (in homes scattered throughout the city), an Amazing Race style scavenger hunt, and way too much sugar for their own good. By 10:30 on Sunday morning they will be sleep deprived, over caffeinated, and overloaded with information. And they are teenagers… They will probably be attempting to be on their best behavior, but that may not count for much by Sunday morning. Some will fall asleep in service. Some will not be listening, and still some can’t sit still and listen under the best of circumstances. 

For years the student ministry has put on this event designed to challenge young people wherever they are with the Lord.  

It was originally called “Disciple Now Weekend”, but we realized this was for far more than just discipleship.  

 Students are encouraged to invite people who may have never heard the Gospel, who are not involved in church, or who are not walking with the Lord. We were praying for big things and asking for more than just “our kids” to be nice. We were asking God to change us in DEEP, meaningful, life-altering ways. Maybe for some, for the first time. And “Deep Impact” was born. 

As always, there will be a good number of students who have not heard the Gospel before this weekend. There will be at least one who has never attended a church service. There will be more who have no relationship with Jesus. This means: OUR ATTITUDES MATTER. 

They will hear you complaining…

They will see you walking out…

The reverse is true as well. 

They will respond to genuine-ness. Maybe not how you would like, but they will notice. 

These students are hungry to be accepted and have people who care. When they see this they will notice. 

These students will know if they are loved or just tolerated, welcomed or withdrawn from. 

While this weekend is a “student weekend” it involves all of us.  

This weekend is important because it is a dramatic change of pace and a call to follow Jesus for these students. But it is important for all of us as well. We have the opportunity to welcome these young people, to model Christ’ love for them. We, as adults, can live in front of them in a way that leads them to say, “That is not what I was expecting from grown ups.”

See you Sunday…

I am so thankful to be a part of a church that stands for truth, for life, and God. Abortion is a horrific event each and every time it takes place, regardless of the circumstances. Like most of you, I was challenged by Pastor Marty’s sermon to stand boldly for life, I was moved to take action, and I was made aware of information new to me on the subject. 
To the people in the room hurting from this issue in ways I can not fully understand, please know you are LOVED, there is GRACE, and we as the church want to point you to real HOPE. 
I was also broken for those in the room who know first hand, the pain and the shame associated with these decisions. Too often, those who feel the most passionate about the issue of life can be the least compassionate to the people walking this road.  Immediately after washing His disciples feet, as He is giving them their marching orders, Jesus makes clear, 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

John 13:34-35

Jesus who embraced the afflicted, the shamed, the cast-offs , and the scoundrels, sends His followers out with an entirely radical weapon: love in life-altering ways. 

It is not enough for us to love the unborn. We have to love those who are making these decisions and the ones dealing with the consequences. 

You may be wrestling with the decision of abortion this very moment, or as Marty brought up, it may be something you have carried with you for years. Maybe it was your decision, someone else’s, or you felt it was pressed upon you. You need to know the Lord Jesus Christ loves us, not because we are good enough, but because His love is extravagant. And this church loves you. We are far from perfect. We will let you down. But we want to show you the Love of Christ in our lives, as well as, our words. 
Many of us know people who have experienced this issue first hand, and the shame associated with it (especially in church culture). Please know there is grace to be found in Jesus. 1 John 1:9 states, 

”If we CONFESS our sins, 

he is FAITHFUL

and JUST 

to FORGIVE us our sins 

and to CLEANSE us 

from ALL unrighteousness.”

Let me repeat a familiar refrain: God rescues sinners. 

Praise God that He does not just condemn, though all of us deserve judgment. Grace and mercy are found in Christ alone. If you are here and are struggling with the guilt and shame of past decisions, afraid of what others might think, I pray you will hear me when I say, all of us are undeserving and grace is found here. May Heritage be a place of healing for you and not a place of condemnation. 

There is also hope to be found in the Scriptures.  

 This is not the story of a sinking ship where we hold hands and tell each other of our love as we drown. This is more than just having the prison doors opened to us only to find we are miles from help and even further from a future. No, this is a story of a great God who loves more than we can comprehend. 

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Romans 5:1-5

This is the story of a righteous King who sits on a throne of grace.

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

And this is the story of THE Magnificent Redeemer, who makes beauty from ashes. 

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Titus 2:11-14

To the hurting in the room… To those who have or are experiencing these pains… To those who may be wrestling with these issues even right now… My prayer is for you to see in our lives what is written in God’s Word: We love and stand with life, those precious babies and yours. You are loved, not because of our agreements, but because of grace and because we too are sinners in desperate need of a Savior. 

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were WASHED, but you were SANCTIFIED, but you were JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

  
We Christians often use words that can make non-Christians think we are speaking in a foreign language. One of those words is “Glorify.” – It’s used throughout the Bible and in many of our praise songs. Isaiah 43:7 says that God created us for His glory. And in I Cor. 10:31, we are told, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” Our purpose is to glorify Him. But do you know what it means? 

Could you define what “glorify” means to someone who may not be familiar with churchy talk?

In his book “Don’t Waste Your Life,” John Piper helps the reader have a clearer understanding of what ‘glorify’ means, how it applies to each of us. He compares lives that glorify God to the action of the Hubble telescope. 

“With the Hubble, pinprick galaxies in the sky are revealed for the billion-star giants they are.”

 The Hubble allows us to see the truth about the sheer magnitude of these galaxies – and so our lives should reveal the truth of how awesome our God is. That’s how we “glorify” God – as we eat or drink or whatever we do…

Some of you are asking this very question. It may be formed in other ways but the basic, nuts and bolts of it, are the same.

 

 

Why would we give an entire service to one family?

The reasoning is very simple: We didn’t. I want to share three specific ways in whichever this is true.
Every week we look to do the same basic thing: Bring glory and praise to God and lead others to do the same. Several months ago, I stepped up to the pulpit and spoke on “work“. At least that was the hook, or what most people would say it was about. But let’s be clear, it is always focused on God being lifted up and God being at the center. This is important because too often we think it is about us. We can think coming to church is about us. We can think reading the bible is about us. But the focus is not on us. It is always focused on God because it is in Him alone we find the proper perspective for life.
In just over a month we will be having our annual meeting, something of a “State of the Heritage Union“. Look for it. Start paying attention. This will be entirely about God, even as we speak about some specific things around Heritage.
This past Sunday was about one family in the same sense that Genesis is about one family. There are hundreds of lines given to the patriarchs, but if you think the story is about Abraham you are missing the point. Genesis is a God story. Looking at the life of Abraham is looking at a story of what God has done.
Every story is a God story and our God is a missional God.

“If you take missions out of the Bible, you won’t have anything left but the covers” — Nina Gunter

We like to compartmentalize our lives into neat categories which insulate us from things that may be uncomfortable. As pastors, our job is to lead you to the throne of grace, to the only one who can heal and redeem. This Lord Jesus has called us to take His Good News to the world. Marty quoted Hudson Taylor on Sunday, but let me throw one more in for good measure.

“The Great Commission is NOT AN OPTION to be considered; it is a COMMAND to be obeyed” — Hudson Taylor

Finally, we, the people of Heritage, are a family. We weep together as our people hurt. Over the past few years we have done this with specific stories of sickness, death, and loss. There are times we celebrate as a family. Recently we rejoiced with a family over their adoption. Let us always be a body who praises God for the great things He has done and is doing in lives around us. Let us be people who rally to the hurting and gather to send out those beautiful feet of those of this larger family going to the uttermost.