From time to time during these difficulties Byron

                 and/or Larry will post information here

                    that might be of interest to the flock.

                           (Latest Posts at bottom)

Heritage Fellowship

On Monday, March 23^rd Gov. Noem issued an executive order for guidelines to municipalities in South Dakota about the Corona virus. She extended the large gathering (10 or over) restrictions for another 8 weeks. So until then, unless the restrictions are lifted sooner we will have to forgo large services.

Some see this as a difficult time for the church. I see it as a time that reveals what the church really is. Several of you have invited a few people into your homes for worship and fellowship around God’s Word. Others have reached out to those in need; both brothers and sisters and those outside the church. If we had handled our finances like many churches we would be in financial difficulty from not having offerings for a few weeks. But because you have been faithful in your giving in the past, the church does not have to worry about our financial responsibilities. Continue to be faithful where you now serve.

You have access to more excellent Bible teaching than any group in history. All of our teaching is available and there are excellent Bible teachers online that allow you to listen to their teaching for free.

John MacArthur 

https://www.gty.org/library/resources/sermonslibrary/scripture/1?book=1&chapter=0

Alistair Begg

https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/most-recent-sermons/

On regular meeting times invite a few others to listen with you! But don’t stop there! Use this time to learn to minister to others. Do you have relatives, co-workers or neighbors who are at extra risk because of a physical condition? Give them a call, find out if they have any needs and try to help them! If you find someone you are not able to help, (especially in the fellowship) please let Byron or me know.

And most importantly, as you hear Byron say all the time, pray for one another regularly.

Larry   

Phil. 1:9-11

4/11/2020



From what I see in the media many pastors are fearful for their congregations during this time that we cannot meet in large groups.  I am not the slightest bit fearful for our congregation.

Let me illustrate with a story.  When I had been in my first pastorate for nine months, I was asked to attend a national pastor’s seminar by the man who had been the leader of the church for two years while they were without a pastor.  While I was at the seminar the same man distributed a letter to the congregation saying I was teaching heresy.  (He had never heard the teaching about more than one elder in the church and considered it heresy.)  Someone else in the church called me and told me what was happening.  When I asked for counsel from several older, wiser pastors attending the same conference, they all said, "you need to go home immediately, or you will not have a church when you get there."

I thought about it and I called the two men in the church that attended the most regularly and were the most serious about knowing the Bible.  I told them, "I have been there for nine months.  If the church falls apart in one week while I'm gone, I haven't been much of a pastor.  You need to get into the Bible and find out if I'm teaching what the Bible says or not."  The results were amazing.  In one week most of the men in the church met every night and taught themselves the Greek alphabet well enough to use a Greek lexicon, and by the time I was home they were as convinced about a plurality of pastors as I was.

The reason I give this story is that I've been at Heritage for 20 years.  If the flock is destroyed or even seriously damaged because we cannot meet as a full congregation for three or four months, then I have failed as a pastor/teacher.  You have been prepared for this situation in the following ways.

Many churches fear the results of not meeting together because:

I haven't heard anyone say, "the church cannot witness!"

You may use your "spiritual gift" with an individual or up to eight others at a time.

You may call someone or have face time and sing hymns with them.

Get the idea?

Your elders

 One more time. We are neither omniscient nor omnipresent. Let us know if a brother or sister is in need! Let's make sure every house-hold is contacted every week.

On a personal note there are some of you that often have a question or comment for me on Sunday. Please email me if you have a question or comment.  Larry

4/26/20

FEAR

Fear, like most of our emotions, is a tremendous blessing. After falling out of his crib a couple of times on his head a toddler learns certain climbs are dangerous.

A teenage boy that doesn't have a healthy fear of his father is probably going to get into problems both inside and outside the home.

Some fears are very good for us. (If we don't let them control us)

If an angry bear is chasing you, fear is an excellent emotion because it heightens your senses and floods you with adrenaline so that you can run faster than you thought you could.

        (If you trip your friend so the bear will eat him instead

          of you, you've let fear control you.)

If you always drive the speed limit because you fear getting into an accident or getting a ticket, that fear can be beneficial.

         (If you always drive 5 mph because you 

           are afraid, then your fear is controlling you.)

If an pandemic causes you to limit your activities so that you do not spread the virus to yourself or someone more vulnerable than yourself that is a good use of fear.

         (If an pandemic causes you to worry all the time

          so that you do not do what you are supposed

          to, the fear is controlling you.)

What are the primary reasons that cause Christians to fear incorrectly?

Incorrect thinking.

Whenever I fear something, and the fear continues, the first question I ask myself is:

        "Am I thinking Biblically about this situation?"

  (Unless I'm being chased by a bear, that one is obvious.)

Sample fears:

Is it physical danger? Then I remember that God has "numbered my days." The day I was born God knew when I would die and how. I do not need to fear physical danger as long as I am doing the will of the Father. (Ps 139:16)

Is this a concern about food or clothing? God has told me not to be concerned about food or clothing because He has promised to meet those needs as long as I'm still in this life. Usually this kind of fear comes when we are not "seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."(We are more concerned about our self-interests than God's. Matt 6:25-34)

Is this a concern about financial security? It's interesting that Christ does not deal with this specifically in the sermon on the Mount because those people were not concerned about their Social Security, their 401(k), or their retirement savings because those did not exist. Their main concern financially was their next meal and enough clothing to keep them alive. This concern (financial security) is one of the hardest things to balance as a Christian in the wealthiest country in history. If I worry about this I realize that I am trusting my finances rather than God and I am forgetting that I am just a steward of whatever God has trusted me with. As a steward I do my best to prepare for the future but I am careful not to trust in my preparations to the exclusion of trusting God. So if He chooses to destroy my preparations, that is what is best for me and those for whom I am responsible.

The second reason that Christians fear is SIN.

Christians know that the Bible says God will chasten those he loves when they sin. So when a Christian has unconfessed sin he or she is always looking over their shoulder for God's chastening. (Heb. 12:6-11)

Since love is the fruit of the Spirit, when a Christian sins, he cannot love God the way God wants us to. And since the Scripture says "perfect love casts out fear," when we are in sin we have a tendency to be fearful. (I Jn.4:18)

God is just as much in control as He was before the pandemic. (Yes it has happened many times before and the human race has survived.) As always, our responsibility is finding the will of God and doing it.

Are you fearful?

If you are Christian, the first thing you should ask is, "Do I have any unconfessed sin?" If you're living in sin, fear is going to be part of your life.

The second thing you should ask is "what is my fear specifically?" Write it out in one sentence on a piece of paper and then ask yourself, "Am I thinking about this fear Biblically?"

If you cannot specifically name your fear or you can name your fear but you don't know what the Bible says about it; that is the time to go to a more mature brother or sister and ask for counsel. If you're not sure whom to ask, that's what Byron and Larry are for. God does not want you to live in fear for an extended period of time, he wants you to have a peace that is so amazing that the Bible describes it as "the peace that passes understanding." (Phil 4:6-7)

Please let us know if you or anyone in the fellowship is experiencing fear that they don't know how to deal with.

Concerning the present situation in our country.

There are those who are concerned that our actions to combat the present pandemic will begin to cause more harm than the pandemic itself.

While Byron and I have the responsibility to direct the flock in its response to government instruction, you as a citizen of our Republic have the responsibility to decide how you will respond individually to the government’s mandates concerning this epidemic. 

 We ask that you make your decision prayerfully, keeping your testimony in mind as you decide what your responsibility as a citizen is. And we must be careful as believers not to think less of another believer who makes a different response than we do.

Your Elders

4/30/20

For those of you who regularly attend Heritage, check your email for news concerning our next meeting. If you do not get an email, give one of the elders a call.