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
R ETU R N S ERVICE R EQUESTED

T HE
C OLLEGE L AKES

Challenger

News From College Lakes Church

A Message from Reverend Lanier. . .

Scars and Blisters
Recently on a project I noticed a large
blister on my hand. When the skin bubble
pops, the raw skin underneath becomes
very sensitive to any thing that touches it.
Soap and clean up really lets you know
you have feeling! But thats just a blister.
No worries, get over it. Bandage and go
on. But it reminded me of the hands of
our Savior Jesus. Most can endure a small
pain in life. It comes with work. In the
building and maintaining of our great
country, folks have suffered a lot of
things.
But His hands. In Johns gospel,
Thomas informed the others that he would
not believe unless he actually saw and
placed his fingers in the place of the
nails, and thrust his hand into the
Saviors wounded side. When Jesus did
appear to Thomas, he immediately
believed. He did not have to touch the
Lords healed scars (hands, feet, head and
side). These wounds in themselves are
not fatal. (The side was pierced after He
had died). But to be crucified was a death

September 4, 2014

sentence. A slow death. The fact is that

Jesus died for our sins. Isaiah said by His
stripes we are healed. The nail scarred
hands of Jesus proves He died for us and
that He lives for us. It is impossible for us
to be saved by our works or even a scar
we may have.
Jesus and His complete atonement
must save us, and we must work to get His
word out while we can. Get some blisters!
Church votes to acquire property
The church voted to buy Strickland lots
adjacent to church property. This has been
a long term hope for College Lakes. The
vote was unanimous.

10 Reasons You Should Tithe

God Blesses Tithing
By Jason Shuler
Tithing, simply put, is giving back to God
10% of all He has blessed us with. Did you
know that Christians in the US spend more
money annually on dog food than they give
to their local church? It is estimated that
fewer than 6% of Christians in the U.S.

2 News From College Lakes Church

even tithe! Consider a few of the reasons
why you should tithe:
1. Ownership
The tithe doesnt belong to us; God said it
belongs to Him. Furthermore, God said
that when we dont tithe we steal from
Him. (See Leviticus 27:30 and Malachi
3:89.)
2. Worship
Tithing is one of the primary ways we
express to God His worth. If we do not
worship God with our money, we do not
worship God at all.
3. Support
Tithing allows Gods work to go forward.
The government doesnt fund the church,
nor should it. The people of God are
responsible for the House of God. (See 1
Corinthians 9:13 and Numbers 18:21.)
4. Blessing
God has promised that He will bless us
and He invites us to test Him on this
promise. (See Malachi 3:10.)
5. Protection
We invite all sorts of problems into our
lives when we dont tithe. God said He
would rebuke the devourer in our lives if
we will trust Him with our finances.
Christians who faithfully tithe attest to the
fact that God protects them and that they
have more financially even though they
are giving part of their income to God.
(See Malachi 3:11.)
6. Expectation
We have probably all heard someone say,
Tithing is an Old Testament law that we
dont have to obey. That simply is not
true. Tithing was an expectation that God
established long before He wrote the Old
Testament law. The tithe supersedes the

September 4, 2014

law and is the least amount we should give

to God. In the New Testament, Jesus even
commended the Pharisees for tithing! It
was seemingly the only thing they were
doing right! (See Matthew 23:23.)
7. Obedience
Lets face it, tithing comes down to our
obedience to God. The tithe is to be given
to your local church. If you feel Spirit-led
to give to a ministry outside of your
church, do so with money above and
beyond your tithe.
8. First Place
Tithing aligns our focus and helps us put
God first in our lives. (See Deuteronomy
14:23.)
9. Investment
Tithing is one investment that lasts beyond
this earthit literally allows you to invest
in eternity. (See Matthew 6:19.)
10. Love
Do you love God? That should be an easy
answer. Jesus said that our heart will be
found where our treasure is. Tithing is a
test of your love for God. If you really love
Him, then do what He commands. (See
Matthew 6:21, 2 Corinthians 8:8, and John
14:15.)

Ushers for September 7th

A.M. Jerry Adams
Michael Williams
John Johnson
Elijah Henry
Billy Tyson
Sonny Alvarez
P.M. Ken Triplett