DEDICATED TO BRINGING GLORY TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

COLLEGE LAKES BAPTIST CHURCH

4704 Ramsey Street
Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311-1615
Church Office 910-488-8344
Church Cell Phone 910-658-3475

church@collegelakeschurch.org
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THE
COLLEGE LAKES

Challenger

News From College Lakes Church

A Message from Reverend Lanier. . .

The Coming of Jesus

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her
firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a
manger; because there was no room for
them in the inn.
She brought. She wrapped. She
laid. She did all for Him, and He
would do all for US! Although there was
no room in the inn for Jesus, there would
be room at the Cross! We think of at least
5 things connected with the Coming of
Jesus: (1)The Promise of God. Genesis
3:15 is the first mention of the promised
Redeemer. (2) Fulfillment of Prophecy.
The most familiar is found in Isaiah 7:14
which tells us that Jesus would be born of
a virgin. Micah 5:2 tells us that
Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the
Savior. (3) A real time and space event.
It really happened. (4) Heaven and Earth
REJOICED, Luke 2:10, 13-14. (5) A
heart-changing, life-altering decision. He
was embraced by those who loved Him ,

December 11, 2014

yet hated by Herod and others of the

kingdom of darkness. Yet in spite of the
darkness and hatred of mankind, Jesus
came to earth. He took on the form of
man. He came to serve His brethren. He
became our Savior, calling us to salvation.
Mary, the dedicated mother of our Lord
beset with inconvenience and working with
what God provided, brought forth her first
born Son.
Thank God for the Christmas season and
the Real Christmas Story. Let us allow
Jesus to renew our hearts this year.

It Is More Blessed to Give

Than to Receive
Learning to Give
By Dr. Bud Calvert
Christmas is such a wonderful time of the
year. How wonderful it is to stop and
reflect upon the birthday of the King, our
wonderful Saviour!
My family has always had the tradition of
gathering around the Christmas tree before
any presents were opened, and quote the
first twenty verses of Luke two together.
Then we have prayer and begin to open

2 News From College Lakes Church

presents. It is just a fun time together as a
family. It is also a great time to share with
our special friends. Anyway you look at
it, we have been blessed!
Although I dont think there has ever been
a young child who didnt look forward to
receiving gifts at Christmas time,
somewhere in the maturing process, we
should actually learn the axiom that it is
more blessed to give than to receive.
Giving truly is a blessing and joy. The
problem is that most people only get in the
spirit of giving during the Christmas
season, which doesnt last long enough.
Giving should describe what all
Christians do all the time. This is not to
be a seasonal activity, but a way of life.
Our giving should start with an
understanding that everything we have
belongs to God and that for the rest of our
lives, we are to be stewards of that which
He has entrusted into our hands. This
starts out with a recognition of Gods
ownership by paying back the tithe and
giving offerings above that. Then we
should invest in eternity by giving to
Grace Giving, or Faith Promise Missions
Giving. Then above our weekly givings,
we are to learn to give to the poor and
those in need. My wife and I have set up
a Gleaners Fund which allows us to do
this.
Paul said in his letter to the Corinthian
church, Let every one of you lay by him
in store, as God hath prospered him (1
Corinthians 12:2). Does your giving
represent Gods blessings and prosperity
upon your life?
A man by the name of Kenneth Kantzer
said, We must give up all our wealth.
We must own nothing. We are only
stewards of what God owns. The point is
not that we must be merely willing to give
it up and then live like anyone else.
Rather, we must actually give it up. We
are to abandon completely any claims to
the wealth of this world. It is not our own

December 11, 2014

and we do not have ultimate control over

it.
We all know that God hates idolatry of any
kind, and we all also know that without
using that label it is easy to be brought
under the spell of money. Money, like our
hearts, can be awfully deceitful. Often the
people who love money the most are those
who do not have much to begin with,
meaning, just because you are hurting
financially, dont think you are exempt
from this money monster.
Remedy for it allgive, then give, and
then give some more! Find some people at
church you could be a blessing to and put
some money in their hands. Take different
ones out to eat and pay for their meal.
Send a missionary you know a little extra
from your pocket to encourage them.
I close with a quote I read in one of A.W.
Tozers books where he quoted someone
else with the following: He who has God
and everything, has no more than he who
has God alone.

Ushers for December 14

A.M. Jerry Adams
Michael Williams
John Johnson
Elijah Henry
Billy Tyson
Sonny Alvarez
P.M. Ken Triplett
Thank You
Thank you to all that helped with the
Christmas program and meal last Sunday!
Sunday Dec. 14
Covered Dish meal after AM Service.
Christmas Offering
Thank you College Lakers and Friends of
the Ministry for your tangible commitment
to this church through the annual
Christmas offering. The current total is a
little over $14,000. Praise God!