Hamilton Square Baptist Church

Dr. David and Jean Potter will retire from missionary service with BWM at the end of October. The Potters were appointed by BWM in 1997 and have served in Hunga...ry since April of 1999. The Potters are the rare example of a couple who took years of stateside ministry experience with them to the mission field. Mature, stable and humble leadership have been the hallmarks of their missionary service. Dwight Schultz, their sending pastor, reflected on their ministry, churches have been strengthened and planted, men have been trained and mentored into ministry, and many men and women have seen their lives transformed. Dr. Brosnan, their field administrator remarked, A preeminent trait of Dr. Potter’s missionary work has been his role in training nationals for ministry. By life and word the Potters have left their imprint upon the lives and ministries of Hungarian preachers and church leaders. Although the inevitable progress of life eventually ends every missionary’s direct ministry, the Potters have the joy of retiring with ongoing visible fruit and the assurance that their labor was not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). Please pray for David and Jean as they transition back to America. Dr. Potter has accepted a part-time position on the seminary faculty of Maranatha Baptist University, beginning in January.

Join us for Livestream Church services! www.hamiltonsquare.org

Are you faithfully watching the Hamilton Square LiveSteaming Services? www.hamiltonsquare.org

Stay with us online for Livestream and Zoom Fellowships at www.hamiltonsquare.org. We’re almost ready to get back to on-site services.

Some Biblical principles for you to remember over the next several weeks during this election season. 1. Whoever is elected, even if it's not who you support, i...s who God allowed.God is the One who removes kings and sets up kings. (Daniel 2:21) 2. Christians should pray publicly and privately for whoever is elected in November, even if it's the candidate they villainize. For it is good and pleasing to God to pray for all those in high positions. And remember, Paul wrote this about Roman emperors who would one day behead him. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) 3. The tide of history is under the control of Christ, not the Republican or Democratic party. Jesus is the only One worthy to open the scroll of history. (Revelation 5:9) 4. Neither Trump nor Biden are your deliverer. That is Christ alone. We do not put our hope in princes or in any son of man because they will all die and return to dust. (Psalm 146:3-4) 5. There are certain things that belong to the government's jurisdiction. And there are certain things that don't. Render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. (Matthew 22:21) 6. Christian, remember that someone's view of Christ could be marred by the venom you spit regarding the candidate you don't like. Your tongue will either be used to build up or harm. Use it appropriately. (James 3:6) 7. Don't give your allegiance to any worldly system or party. Give your allegiance to Christ alone. You cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24) 8. It is better to love your neighbor than to rudely win an argument against them. (Matthew 22:39) 9. Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Kamala Harris, Nanci Pelosi, every conservative, and every liberal are all made in God's image and should be treated with dignity. (Genesis 1:27) 10. Christ will build His church no matter who wins the election. Do not fear. Put your trust in His promise. (Matthew 16:18) 11. There's nothing godly about denying truth and promoting falsehood in order to make your candidate look good. (Ephesians 4:25) 12. Kill the phrase, "You're not a true Christian unless you vote for ___________." What makes someone a Christian is not how they vote. It's faith in what Christ did on the cross on their behalf. (Romans 3:23-26) 13. Blessed is the man who meditates day and night on the Word of God.....not their social media feed, Fox News, CNN, etc. Put your phone away and turn your TV off and plunge your heart into God's Word. (Psalm 1:1-2) 14. The Kingdom of Jesus is not of this world. It's not contained in the platform of the Republican or Democratic party. Both of those parties will bow before Him. (John 18:36) 15. While I love our country and I'm so thankful to live here, our citizenship as Christians is not ultimately in America. It is in heaven and from it, we await a Savior. We're not home here. We are sojourners and strangers. (Philippians 3:20) 16. Ultimately, no politician is going to change the hearts of the American people. Scripture says the hearts of man are completely wicked and will always devolve into madness. Only the Gospel of Christ can transform people's hearts. (Romans 3:10-24) 17. On the day of judgment, people will give an account for every word (or careless Facebook post they shared.)(Matthew 12:36) 18. We do not wrestle against politicians on the other side. We wrestle against powers over the present darkness. (Ephesians 6:12) 19. Submit to rulers and authorities, be ready for every good work, speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, be gentle, and show perfect courtesy to everyone. (Titus 3:1-2) 20. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead. He's the point of everything. Nothing can stop Him. He will reign forever and ever. (2 Timothy 2:8)

BLESSING ALERT! Over the past few weeks my wife and I have experienced a real blessing that reminded me today of the value of The Widow’s Mites. An elderly coup...le who has been watching our livestream services heard about my battle with Coronavirus and mailed us two cards with a few dollars and assurance of their prayers for my recovery. What a blessing! Then this afternoon the gentleman made his way masked up and walking through the smoke-filled air and showed up at the front door of the church with a bag full of vegetable seed packets for anyone in the church who could use them. They just wanted to express their gratitude for God’s healing and the blessings they have received from the services. I can hardly wait to get back to meeting in our building! I hope these two lovely people can come out. I want to express my gratitude for their loving kindness. It’s not always the big things that are the greatest blessings. Do what you can for the Lord. Let Him turn it into greatness! Mark 12:41-44 - The Widow’s Mite And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.

BLESSING ALERT! Wow! What a morning! After taking our Virtual Camp Team around to a deliver awards from this week's Virtual 5-Day Bible Camp, I was waiting out...side the church gate in the church van. Someone had parked in the alley, and they had to move before I could put the vehicle away. So, I was parked along the sidewalk in the church van, waiting, when a masked man walked by. He looked at me. I looked at him, and I thought I recognized him, but was unsure because of the mask (and the Covid Haircut he was wearing). Then, he walked half-way down the block and turned around. Apparently, he had recognized me after all. It was Michael. He and his wife Molly sat in the back row of the balcony of our church when we were able to meet, and usually whisked out of the services as soon as the final "amen" was prayed. He's Irish. She's Indonesian. They really don't say much at church, but they are there faithfully. Today it was different! He couldn't stop talking! He was joyful! He was praising God! He was excited about what God has been doing in his home during the Coronavirus Crisis. Shortly after the coronavirus began, Molly was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. It was malignant. Radiation procedures preceded a surgery to remove the cancerous organ. Chemotherapy was planned to kill whatever residual cancer remained. After the surgery, they were scheduling the followup chemo, but the doctors were amazed! They had removed the cancerous organ, and there is no further sign of cancer. No chemotherapy was needed, because the kind of cancer she had was one that was better fought off with the antibodies in her own body than it would be if they attacked it with chemotherapy! She is healed! Then, he couldn't say enough of how blessed they were by the livestream broadcasts our church has been doing. They watch every Sunday and Wednesday night. Without those broadcasts his family would not be able to attend church even if the doors were opened. God is meeting their needs in every way. Beyond that, Michael said that his brother has recently received Christ in their homeland of Ireland, and that he, too has been watching our livestream services! He has found a Bible-believing church full of Nigerian immigrants and has been attending church and growing in the Lord with them! We prayed together, praising God for His goodness! We anticipate a wonderful reunion when we are able to meet together again as a church. In the mean time, God is meeting the needs of His people everywhere. Don't tell me God doesn't know what He's doing! His providence is inexplicable! Praise God! - and tune in to www.hamiltonsquare.org.

Like many of you, I look forward to getting back to our church building for services: singing, corporate prayer, fellowship, preaching, and all that is involved... in what used to be normal. It’s been a long time! But this week I read the first few chapters of 1 Samuel. Three (or four) characters stood out: Eli, his sons, and Samuel. All attended the same place of worship; but there is quite a contrast between their reasons for being there. Let me encourage you to look for those reasons and ask yourself what church means to you. Is it tradition? Is it entertainment? Is it worship? Is it service? Something else? If you have the right motive, you can continue walking with God and prosper even as you wait for the church doors to reopen.