Irondale Church is a place of promise to grow and belong

Irondale Church News

April 2015

Reasons I Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead

dead, and behold, he is going
before you to Galilee; there
you will see him. See, I have
told you. So they departed
quickly from the tomb with
fear and great joy, and ran to
tell his disciples. John 20:20,
When he had said this, he
showed them his hands and
his side. Then the disciples
were glad when they saw the
Lord.

Pray Always:

Pastor David and

Colleen
Community Soup
Irondale Bible Institute
Our outreach and
witness to our community
Busy Hands
People struggling
with illness
Young families and
single parent families
Those struggling
with addictions
Schools: students,
staff, administrators
Missionaries
Homeless, helpless,
hopeless and hungry
Salvation for the lost
Law enforcement
professionals
The military serving
at home and abroad

1.

Jesus said He would rise

from the dead.
Jesus spoke openly about
what would happen to him:
crucifixion and then resurrection from the dead. Mark
8:31, And he began to teach
them that the Son of Man
must suffer many things and
be rejected by the elders and
the chief priests and the
scribes and be killed, and
after three days rise again.
Matthew 17:22-23, As they
were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them, The Son
of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men,
and they will kill him, and he
will be raised on the third
day. And they were greatly
distressed. Luke 9:21-22,
2. People alive at the time
believed He rose from the
dead.
Matthew 28:7-8, Then go
quickly and tell his disciples
that he has risen from the

3. The tomb was empty on

Easter.
The earliest documents claim
this: When they went in they
did not find the body of the
Lord Jesus (Luke 24:3). And
the enemies of Jesus confirmed it by claiming that the
disciples had stolen the body
(Matthew 28:13). The dead
body of Jesus could not be
found.
There are four possible ways
to account for this:
His foes stole the body. If
they did, they never claimed
to have done it and they
surely would have produced
the body to stop the successful spread of the Christian
faith. But that never happened.
His friends stole the
body. This was an early rumor
(Matthew 28:11-15). If so
would they have begun to
preach that Jesus was raised,
knowing that He was not?

Would they have risked their

lives and accepted beatings
for something they knew was
a fraud?
Jesus was not dead, but
only unconscious when they
laid him in the tomb. He
awoke, removed the stone,
overcame the soldiers, and
vanished from history after a
few meetings with his disciples in which he convinced
them he was risen from the
dead.
He was obviously
dead. The Romans saw to
that. The stone could not be
moved by a man who had just
been stabbed in the side by a
spear and spent six hours
nailed to a cross.
God raised Jesus from the
dead. This is what He said
would happen. It is what the
disciples said did happen. We
dont want to be gullible, but
neither do we want to reject
the truth just because its
strange.
Matthew 19:26,
But Jesus looked at them
and said, With man this is
impossible, but with God all
things are possible.
4. The resurrection increased
the confidence of the disciples
After Jesus died the disciples
were afraid. John 20:19,
the doors being locked where
the disciples were for fear of
the Jews . After the resurrection they were confident,
Acts 4:13 Now when they
Continued page 2

Reasons I Believe, continued

saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they
were uneducated, common
men, they were astonished.
And they recognized that they
had been with Jesus.

Blessed be the God and

Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ! According to his
great mercy, he has
caused us to be born
again to a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the
dead to an inheritance
that is imperishable,
undefiled and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
1Peter 1:3-4 ESV

5. The number of people who

saw Jesus resurrected from the
dead
1 Corinthians 15:3-8, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that
he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and
that he appeared to Cephas,
then to the twelve. Then he
appeared to more than five
hundred brothers at one time,
most of whom are still alive,
though some have fallen
asleep. Then he appeared to
James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one untimely
born, he appeared also to me.
6. The testimony of the disciples was true
How do we decide whether to
believe a persons testimony?
Monsanto lobbyist Dr. Patrick
Moore claimed that the chemical in the company's Roundup
weed killer is safe for humans
to consume and "won't hurt
you." He then refused to drink
it when offered a glass by the
interviewing journalist. Public
opinion
quickly
dismissed
Moores statement as true. But
concerning Christ, His disciples
put their life on the line. Acts
12:1-2, About that time Herod
the king laid violent hands on
some who belonged to the
church. He killed James the
brother of John with the
sword. Also, Acts 16:19-23,
But when her owners saw that
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their hope of gain was gone,

they seized Paul and Silas and
dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And
when they had brought them to
the magistrates, they said,
These men are Jews, and they
are disturbing our city. They
advocate customs that are not
lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice. The crowd
joined in attacking them, and
the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders
to beat them with rods. And
when they had inflicted many
blows upon them, they threw
them into prison, ordering the
jailer to keep them safely. This
people really believed.
7. Believing in the resurrection
of Jesus changes people
Of course not everyone who
says they believe changes, but
enough do so that when coupled with the other evidence it
moves me to belief. There is
something about receiving
Christ that clarifies how we
think. Like new spectacles can
clarify what we see, believing in
Christ can clarify what we think.
Jesus said, When the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you
into all the truth. ... He will glorify me (John 16:13). The Holy
Spirit does not do this by telling
us that Jesus rose from the
dead. He does it by opening our
eyes to life and death and life
after death.
2 Corinthians
4:4, 6 states, The god of this
world has blinded the minds of
the unbelievers, to keep them
from seeing the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God. ... For
God, who said, Let light shine
out of darkness, has shone in
our hearts to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of

God in the face of Jesus Christ.

8. It changed me
I dont expect that to move you,
but receiving Christ changed
everything in my life. Did it
make me perfect? I wish. What
it did was give me reason and
hope; reasons to face adversity
and hope for a better day. Do I
get it right all the time? I wish.
But no matter how bad it is
when I pause and recall, Oh,
taste and see that the LORD is
good! Blessed is the man who
takes refuge in him! The young
lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD
lack no good thing (Psalm 34:8,
10). Life just fits together
neatly. I hope you believe too!
Indeed, I count everything as
loss because of the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus
my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things
and count them as rubbish, in
order that I may gain Christ and
be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but that
which comes through faith in
Christ, the righteousness from
God that depends on faith
that I may know him and the
power of his resurrection, and
may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
that by any means possible I
may attain the resurrection
from the dead. (Philippians 3:811 ESV)
-Pastor David

Newsletter Title

Cutting through the Fog

we could ever ask Him to forgive us of our sins, He already
had provided the most priceless
provision to restore us to Himself even though we may never
acknowledge Him ever.

Life is about decisions. Right

now the sun is trying to push
through the fog which is lying in
thick blankets on the valley
floor. By perception it is an
easy process, the earth warms,
the fog dissipates and water
molecules become miniscule. A
+ B = C. But life itself is seldom
that simple. We have so many
variable factors. Its why the,
free gift of salvation is so hard
to grasp.
All through our lives we have
lived with the principle of cause
and effect, i.e. A+ B= C. We
have trained ourselves to operate from this perspective. A
constant give and take cause
and effect, type of reasoning
and watched it on a daily basis
be proven to be true.
For some of us the grasp of the
gift of unearned approval and
love is mountainous to overcome. With every breath we
take, expectations are in place
that we or others place on our
intrinsic value as an individual
human being. Our very worth is
metered out by our looks our
behaviors and or the lack of
them.
Reaching across the immense
gulf of Gods unconditional love
and grace given to us before we
ever knew of Him, before we
ever even came to exist, is almost incomprehensible. Before
Volume 1, Issue 1

As the fogs separates and the

suns rays pierce through to our
perception A+ B=C happens. All
the contributing factors are in
place.
On my kitchen counter is a little
plant given to my husband. Its
a thank you for a kindness
shown. It has pushed through
the soil and its tiny fragile
leaves and stem arch towards
the window needing the
sunlight to complete its growth
process. It just knows it needs
to do this. There is plenty of
light in our home and well
placed, so if lighting were its
needs, it would just project
upward, but, thats not what it
needs. It needs what God programmed it for, sunlight and
intrinsically it does exactly that,
reaches for the type of provision only the sun can provide.
Yes, I know, now you can provide false light for plants but, if
God had not provided His
energy resources; we could not
manipulate plants to accept this
form of light for photosynthesis. Without God, simply we
could and would not exist nor
would plants.
I see a tomb with a great stone
rolled away from its door, inside the provision of Gods love
in the form of Himself, Jesus
the Son, had lain having already given up His perfect life
and blood on the cross, to cover
our sin, He willingly gave up His

life for all who would believe He

is the Son of God. A is all of
humanity sins, each of us even
for those who would never believe (love given without restriction looking for no reciprocation). +B is when we recognize our sinful state and acknowledge He alone can provide the unspeakable gift to
cover our sins and we ask for
His forgiveness of sin, it brings
us to a sinless state, we have
then become children of God
because we have been cleansed
by the precious blood of Christ.
=C means we can be the redeemed children of the living
God known by the name of
Christians. The one and only
risen Savior and only perfect
sacrifice who opened the door
to heaven for all who have believed, He is that gift of limitless
unconditional love. He is the
only true cause and effect for
the forgiveness of our sin providing eternal life in heaven.
Why do we wrestle and make it
so hard? Why do we willingly
place ourselves in the role of
being our own savior, whom we
can never hope to be? Could
any of us ever hope to live a
completely sinless life?
In the bible, Romans 3:23NKJV,
For all have sinned and fall
short of Gods glory. It tells us
every one of us has sinned and
do sin. What about our unknown sin or omitted sin or the
imputed sin (born from imperfect parents, not from God)?
1Corinthians 15:22KJV, For as
in Adam all die even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.
We were born within this broken and fallen world. What
makes us think we could ever
be that gift of perfect limitless
Page 3

...that I may know him

and the power of his
resurrection, and may
share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his
death, that by any means
possible I may attain the
resurrection from the
dead. Not that I have
already obtained this or
am already perfect, but I
press on to make it my
own, because Christ Jesus
has made me his own.
Philippians 3:10-12 ESV

Inside Story Headline

unconditional love that would
cover all our sins just by our
behaviors? Romans 6:23KJV,
The wages of sin are death, but
the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gods word never says we can
be the covering or the payment
for our own sins or the sins of
anyone else. Only Jesus has
that power.

Now if we have died with

Christ, we believe that we
will also live with him. We
know that Christ, being

Satans condemning lie as in the

Garden of Eden has always
been we could somehow be our
own saviors.
Genesis 3:24KJV, And the woman said
unto the serpent, We may eat
of the fruit of the trees of the
garden: but of the fruit of the

raised from the dead , will

never die again; death no

tree which is in the midst of

the garden, God hath said, Ye
shall not eat of it, neither shall
ye touch it, lest ye die. And
the serpent said unto the
woman, Ye shall not surely
die. Our own spirit tells us we
cannot and will not ever be
good enough on our own merits
to become perfectly free from
sin and able to enter the holy
presence of God when we leave
this earth.

think this an irreverent representation of this priceless gift.

But God meant for it to be that
simple. Let the fog that would
distract you be pierced by the
perfect blood and overflowing
love of Christ and receive His
free gift to you bought at so
great a price in Him. Happy
Easter!
-Colleen

The tomb was empty because

Gods perfect plan of redemption for our sins is complete.
A+B=C. Love rules and reigns
from Heaven.
Some might

Community Soup

longer has dominion over

We have begun to see more

families coming, more young
adults, and, now that the winter shelter has closed, more
homeless people. Some are
returning for a season, some
are new to us.

him. For the death he died

he died to sin, once for all,
but the live he lives he lives
to God. So you also must
consider yourselves dead
to sin and alive to God in
Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:8-11 ESV

We are halfway through our

fourth year of Community Soup
now, and I have been increasingly amazed at the way God
provides all we need when we
need it, all the time! Hopefully
we will never begin to take that
for granted.
When the Tri Area Community
Center began serving dinners
on Tuesdays again this past
year, we had a concern that our
numbers would go down. However we began to serve from
100-134 meals per week for five
months in a row, give or take a
week here or there.
Page 4

With the loss of our senior center group, donations in the donation box are down, but still
the Lord provides all the money
we need from month to month.
Thank you to all of you who
contribute!
Please pray for our volunteers.
It takes at least 20 people to
put this on every week. Usually
we need one or two more than
that. People get tired. They
have health issues. They have
lives and need to take time off
to enjoy their lives. We are
looking at shortages of help for
the month of May and the summer months. Its a great time
for new volunteers to step up

and step in. Serving at soup on

Tuesdays is a humbling and
rewarding experience, and one
which will surely bless you.
Jesus said, in Mark 14:7, For
you will always have the poor
with you, and whenever you
want, you can do good for
them I hope we can keep
these words in mind; remembering that we are choosing to
help in obedience to the call He
has placed on our church.
Places where you can plug in to
help:
Cook Soup
Prep Cook
Bake Cookies
Bake Bread
Serve Soup, Bread or Cookies
Set up with Roger, Don &Curtis
Wash Dishes
Clean up
-Kim
Newsletter Title

The Anchor Youth Group

Irondale youth group, The Anchor Youth, is doing well! The
Lord is moving in wonderful
ways. It is hard to explain the
progress, as it would be were
you to ask a farmer, How
about those newly planted
seeds? Perhaps the answer
would be the same. The Lord is
the one that will bring growth
and I will joyously continue my
labor in this great garden of his
here in Irondale.
Just recently we went through a
study on Christ, where He came
from, who He is, what He has
done as well as what He is doing now.
Our group has grown into a
group of about twelve spanning
from 6th grade to 10th grade,
each facing issues of their own
that are new to this generation.
There has never been such a
generation as fatherless and
unwanted as this one would
seem. Coming into the age of
maturity, most are yet to learn
what it means to be a man or
woman, much less a man or
woman who fears God. There

are scales of atheism and carelessness which are blinding the

eyes. My prayer is that their
eyes be opened and their
hearts be softened to the gospel. As a farmer would, I am to
the best of my ability working
the soil in faith that a great harvest is coming.
Surely the farmer must look
with eyes of faith over the
newly purchased ground that
has not been tamed or kept for
years that his hard work will
pay off. It will take time, patience, prayers, hard work, persistence, and most of all a move
of God to bring forth the harvest but the Lord knows it is
worth it!
Some prayer requests:
For the eyes and hearts of
the youth to opened
to the gospel of Christ.
For an assistant to help out
with the youth as their
numbers are growing.
That the Lord would
strengthen me and fill
me with His Spirit that
I would labor well.

For a breaking of addictions in the lives of the

young.
-Cheyanne

Financial Report

Jesus said to her, I am

March 31, 2015

the resurrection and the

General Operations:

life. Whoever b believes in

Income:

$171,571.41

me, though he die, yet

Expense:

$153,524.33

shall he live, and

Annual Budget: $153.048.00

Budget YTD:

-$

476.33

April 12: On Sunday April

12, Dan and Carrie Ritzman, missionaries to Belgium, will be visiting. Sunday School classes will
meet in the Fellowship Hall
that morning to hear from
them, and Dan will deliver
a message during the worship service as well.

Also on Sunday, April 12,

Dave Eddie will give a presentation for the Gideons.

Volume 1, Issue 1

May 3: Sunday, May 3,

after our normal church
service, we will hold our
annual business meeting.
At this meeting we will
review the fiscal year which
ended on March 31, 2015,
present and vote on a
budget for the new year,
and vote for officers for the
new year. As per our bylaws, only members of the
church may vote, however
anyone who chooses to
attend the meeting is more
than welcome.

believes in me shall never

die. Do you believe this?
John 11:25-26 ESV

Things to Remember

everyone who lives and

There is a growing library in

the church office of Christian reading material, both
non fiction and fiction. The
library works on the honor
system: you see a book
youd like to read, borrow
it and return it when you
are finished. Gail Eddie can
answer any questions you
may have.

Page 5

Irondale Church

681 Irondale Road

PO Box 959
Port Hadlock, WA 98339

Phone: 360-385-1720
E-mail: irondalechurch@gmail.com
www.irondalechurch.org

Find us on the web at irondalechurch.org

Pastor & Wife: David & Colleen Hodgin

Associate Pastor: Troy Norman
Visitation Pastor: Chuck Gadbaw
Elders: Dave Noble, John Jamison, Fritz Gordon, LeRoy Glessing, Dave Eddie
Council: Sue Hay-Missions, Colleen Hodgin-Fellowship, Mary Noble-Finance, Troy Norman-Worship, Jim
Wilcox-Interior Property, Kim Wilcox-Treasurer
Weekly Schedule:
Sunday: 9:30 Sunday School, 10:30 Worship, Childrens Church & Nursery;
Coffee Hour; 6:30 Evening Bible Study
Tuesday: 4-6:30 Community Soup
Wednesday: 3-5:30 Kids Club and Youth Group
Thursday: 11:00 Prayer Hour
2nd Saturday Mens breakfast at Chimacum Cafe
3rd Saturday: Busy Hands Quilts for Foster Kids
4th Saturday: Mens Breakfast at IHOP (Irondale House of Praise)

...And he said to them, Do not be

alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified. He has risen; he is
not here. Mark 16:6 ESV

Irondale Church is a place of

promise to belong and grow.

Irondale Church
PO Box 959
Port Hadlock, WA 98339

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