VISION MISSION

The Adults4Christ Sunday School Class voted today to take on the mission project of providing reading glasses for Room In The Inn. This Christ-like project came about when our class provided food and fellowship on Monday 12/16. The need became apparent as the class members worked with the 12 homeless men as part of their annual church responsibility. We can't heal the blind like Jesus did many times in the bible, but in a Christ-like manner we can provide aid to the men who are visually impaired. On the same day, we presented to the Room In The Inn Staff, on behalf of our class, a case with 51 pairs of reading glasses and the testing material necessary to properly match the correct lens with each person. The staff will let Brenda know when additional glasses are needed. The Sunday School Class will respond by using some of the extra funds collected on the first of each month for our Ethiopian / Beletech mission project to make the purchase. We will then provide the glasses to the staff before the next group of men are scheduled to arrive.

Matthew 25:40
‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

 

THE GOSPEL PROJECT

God has always had a plan.

The Gospel Project for Adults takes the story of Jesus — the gospel — the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and points to the one story that infuses Scripture from cover to cover — God’s redemptive plan to rescue us from sin and death. Because the entire Bible points to Jesus, it is important to examine the theology and mission within the text, as all of it is an important part of understanding the awesome depth and power of the gospel. 

Join us on Sunday at 9:00AM and be part of our fellowship and study, as our teacher, Joe Steakley delivers the message in chapter 6, "THE LAND.

WE SHALL ALL GIVE AN ACCOUNT SOMEDAY

When Paul wrote to the Romans, he told them in 14:12 that “each of us shall give account of himself to God.” We will have to “settle up” with the Lord some day. That’s why II Corinthians 5:10 reminds us that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” God owns everything, He entrusts to each of us a portion of what He owns so that we can manage it, and someday we’ll each have to give an accounting for our actions. As stewards, we should expect nothing less.

 

BELETECH's BIRTHDAY GIFT

Beletech used part of the birthday money that she received from our class to purchase two chickens.  Hopefully they will provide eggs for the family for a long time. It may seem strange to us that a little 7 year old girl would choose that as a birthday gift, but I'm sure she is happy helping her family. They will probably serve as her pets also.

PHOTO WILL BE POSTED IN SUNDAYS HANDOUT

DUSTY SHOES

Ask yourself, “Am I willing to get my own shoes dusty on the streets of this world in order to make the love of Jesus Christ available to those who don’t know Him?” If I am going to be like my Savior, the answer can only be “Yes.”

If ever there was an example of someone whose feet were dusty in the service of the kingdom of God, it was Jesus himself. In fact, He specifically said on one occasion that “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). Jesus lived and ministered in the highways and byways of this world among people with whom the religious elite of His day would have nothing to do. He was often criticized for eating with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11).

Jesus was happy to socialize with those with whom He disagreed. The time that a woman with a sinful past washed Jesus’ feet with her own tears and hair was when He was eating a meal in the home of a Pharisee. Jesus made it clear that He came to help those who knew they needed help, not those who didn’t (Mark 2:17). And in order to reach them, he lived His life where they were. He went to them — He didn’t force them to come to Him.

John 20:21 summarizes what Jesus did and what He expects us to do: “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Jesus lived His life with dusty feet because He lived in obedience to His father. If our feet aren’t equally “dusty,” it calls into question our obedience to His command to “Go therefore and make disciples...” (Matthew 28:19).

SORROW REMOVED

“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 25:8
Sorrow is the fruit of sin in a fallen world; it has the liberty to inflict pain. No one is immune from sorrow. Sorrow is created by sin, death, divorce, selfishness, poverty, rejection, loss, and fear. Sorrow is all around, circling its prey like vultures around a carcass, ready to pick away at the meat of your soul. Sorrow does not discriminate among races, gender, social class, or stage of life. It causes a weepy heart and a weary mind. It never goes away in this lifetime. Your sorrow may be overwhelming to the point of anguish and despair. The hurt is about to drive you crazy. You feel you can’t handle it. You have lost perspective and God seems a million miles away.

Things have gone from bad to worse; you have nowhere to turn. You have hit a brick wall and life seems to be crumbling around you. Sorrow is like a ball and chain around your joy and you live in the regret of the past rather than the hope of the future. Your current circumstances and worries are crushing down on you to the point of claustrophobia. However, you do not have to stay in this state of perpetual sadness. There is a way out, there is hope. There is a balm for your scarred soul; you can be rescued from drowning in your sorrows.

Jesus is the Savior; He will save you from your sorrows. He was a man acquainted with grief. Sorrow is not foreign to Him. He was a man of many sorrows. He was inflicted with, not just one, but multiple sorrows. He is a sympathetic Savior waiting to soothe your pain. He wants to gently wipe away your tears. So, ask Him to dive in and rescue you from thrashing about in the deep waters of your sorrows. He, at the very least, will be with you. He wants to walk with you during this dark night of your soul. He does not want you to battle sorrow alone.

Others may not understand, but He does. You may not know how to put your sorrow into words, but He still comprehends. Nothing is beyond the omniscience of your Sovereign Lord. His resources are limitless and always just what you need. Tap into a miniscule fraction of His grace, and you will find peace and forgiveness. He comforts and caresses your heart, and He can break the chains of sorrow that grip your soul.

So, take the medication of His grace. Administer larger doses in the beginning to stop the spread of sorrow’s infection. He wants you to experience His abundant life in Christ. He wipes away your tears in heaven and on earth. Sorrow removal is His specialty. Let God remove your points of sorrow one by one as if they were trees downed by a storm’s horrific winds. He will lift them individually from the objects they have crushed. He will replace hurt with healing. Sorrow is temporary with God; His joy is permanent. Let Him remove your sorrow, and you will be glad you did. So will the many others who love you and pray for you. He is the Savior of your sorrows. The Scripture is majestic: “…and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).
 

TRUST OVERCOMES FEAR

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Fear engages an ongoing assault on our heart and mind. If left unchecked, fear can whip our imagination into a frenzy of anxiety. Though only an ounce of what we fear may ever come to pass, we tend to give it a ton of attention. It is madness when we are overcome by fear. It may be the fear of death that dilutes our faith. It may be the fear of failure that drives us to control. It may be the fear of rejection that keeps us from speaking up. It may be the fear of financial ruin that refrains us from taking risks. It may be the fear of divorce that shatters our dreams of a fulfilling family. It may be the fear of losing a job that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whatever fear preoccupies our thinking, we are not alone.

Jesus walks with us through our valleys. He may not deliver us out of the valley, but He mostly certainly does not abandon us in the valley. He walks with us through the valley of doubt. He walks with us through the valley of shame. He walks with us through the valley of transition. He walks with us through the valley of disease. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. Our fear, many times, is but a shadow of Satan. It is not real. It seems like reality but it is not. It is but a reflection of the evil one. So we have no need to fear because our heavenly Father casts His bright light of love. A shadow assumes a light. Therefore, the light of Christ is there to guide us through the shadows of our soul. Death stands next to our path of life and attempts to cast a shadow, but the light of heaven guides our way. We trust Jesus. Trust overcomes fear.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12

God blesses a nation because of its prayers, not its power. He blesses a nation because of its character, not its commerce. He blesses a nation because of its trust in Him, not its advanced technology. God blesses a nation because of its fear of the Lord, not its fear of man. God blesses a nation who loves God and expresses that love in caring for the impoverished and diseased. God blesses a nation because of His church, not the size of that nation’s economy.


Prosperity may be the result of a God-fearing nation, but it is not the cause. People believe in God when they get enough of themselves and realize there has to be more to this life than simply meeting their every need. God blesses a nation when individuals gather corporately in vibrant Christian worship; the church is God’s means to awaken a nation. Nations who try to control the church lose God’s blessing. God’s blessing cannot be governed.

I Am Most Like Jesus When I Serve Others

The foremost characteristic of the life of Jesus Christ was and is service. We are most like Him when we serve as He served.

Many seem to think that a person is most like Jesus when he preaches like Jesus preached, teaches like Jesus taught, heals like Jesus healed, or performs miracles like Jesus performed miracles. They look only at the outward manifestation of a person’s witness and ministry.

They need to look beyond the outer manifestation to the motivation for Jesus’ life. That motivation was always service. Jesus preached, taught, healed, and performed miracles in order to help others, never to call attention to Himself. He poured out His very life so that others might be saved, never thinking for a moment to save Himself. Time and again, Jesus said to those He had healed or helped, “Don’t tell anyone what has happened.” The reason for this was that Jesus didn’t want others to respond to Him as an earthly political savior. He didn’t want them to focus on His potential to rule over them, but, rather, to focus on our loving heavenly Father and on Jesus’ role to serve humanity as Savior, Deliverer, and Redeemer.

The critical point for us to recognize is this: God has called you to serve others just as Jesus served others. He didn’t save you or call you to service so that you might be exalted, praised, glorified, or put on a pedestal. He saved you so that you might serve others and in so doing, bring praise and honor to God’s holy name.

Stanley, C. F. (1997). Developing a Servant's Heart (electronic ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

BECOMING LIKE CHRIST - THROUGH HIS WORD

The word Christian means Christ like - After we get saved, we spend the rest of our lives learning how to take on the character of Christ, to become more like Him. And we learn how through His Word. Abiding in God's Word includes three activities.

God uses the Word, to teach us how to become like Him. Matthew 4:4 tells us we must feed on every word. "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Christianity is the only religion in America that is under constant attack by the secular society. The reason is, is that they know that it is the truth. Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies of the devil, with the truth of the word. Jesus prayed in John 17:17 "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

Sanctification requires knowledge. And knowledge comes through the Word. The Spirit of God (Holy Spirit), uses the Word of God, to make us like the Son of God. To become like Christ, we must fill our lives with his Word. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:17, "that through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us." (The Bible prepares us to do His will).

James I:18 tells us "that God gave us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made". He put us above all other creation. All of creation exists because "God said It." He spoke it all into existence. Without God's Word we would not even be alive.

The Bible is far more than a guidebook that we use for church doctrine. God's Word generates life, creates faith, produces change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles, heals hurts, builds character, changes circumstances, brings joy, overcomes adversity, defeats temptation, infuses hope, releases 
power, cleanses our minds, brings things into being, and guarantees our future forever! We cannot live without the Word of God!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/711613

SOUND DOCTRINE

“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.” 

Titus 1:9

Doctrine is a belief system that is accepted as authoritative. For followers of Jesus Christ, the Bible contains Christian doctrine that is believed, understood, and lived. Doctrine is critical because what you believe can be the difference between heaven and hell; it is critical because it determines your behavior.  Doctrine is valuable because it provides structure around faith, bolstering and encouraging you toward a lifetime of growth and learning. Doctrine is not to be feared but accepted as a support for abundant living. 

Doctrine helps you understand what you believe in a logical fashion, so you in turn, can explain it to others inside and outside of the faith. Yes, doctrine can be abused, used as a club to knock others into line. But doctrine is not designed to discourage, but to encourage. Doctrine is not meant to be an intimidator. Rather, it is designed to lovingly lead disciples toward the ways of God. Your motive for understanding and learning doctrine is that you can know God more deeply and intimately. Doctrine is not an end in itself. If your desire is to simply gain more knowledge then doctrine will work against your Christian maturity. Sound teaching also helps you discern false teachers.

GOD AUDIT

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

Expect God to conduct a regular audit of your life. His Holy Spirit is an expert at probing beneath the surface of our actions and is able to root out unhealthy motives and habits. God’s accountability is thorough and swift. He is honest, steadfast and unbiased. I can talk myself into anything, but God holds my feet to the fire of His expectation. He searches your heart looking for payouts of forgiveness to others.

Your books do not need to be loaded up with accounts receivable that hang over others like a bad dream. God will deal with their shortcomings and the pain they have inflicted. Keep your accounts short. You have the ability in Christ to forgive others of their debt. Write off their offenses and you will build up your heavenly tax credits.

This is what we do as Christians. We forgive. We forgive because of the great mercy we have received from our heavenly Father. Another common discovery from God’s audit is fear. Our minds swirl with scenarios out of our control. Fear of failure, fear of confrontation, fear of rejection, and fear of what might happen can immobilize you. These fears birth anxious thoughts that refuse to go away. They race back and forth through your head uncontrollably.

God’s probing will put a finger on your worries, and He will remind you to trust Him.
He gently and lovingly says not to let anxiety drive you but to trust instead. He can handle whatever He uncovers in your life, and He can handle whatever you encounter in life. This is what He does as God. He is the calmer during uncertainty and the stabilizer when you face difficult circumstances. This is where you trust your heavenly auditor.
You trust God that whatever He asks you to change will be for your good and the good of others. His audit is for your benefit since He already knows His conclusions before He starts.

CALL FOR WISDOM

“This calls for wisdom.” Revelation 13:18a

Wisdom is required more often than we realize. It is wisdom that cuts through emotion and gets to the reality of the situation. “What is the wise thing to do?” is an effective question in decision-making. “What is best for the enterprise?” is a wise question to ask as it relates to business and ministry. And, many times, God speaks through money—or the lack thereof. So, if money is tight, then we need to be extremely wise with expenditures. Wisdom says to cut back on expenses and do not add additional costs. At this point it is not about lack of faith, it is about being a wise steward with what you have so that you can be trusted with more. Wise stewardship attracts generous givers.

Moreover, the crown jewel of wisdom accumulation may be the fear of the Lord. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline”(Proverbs 1:7). The fear of God positions you to receive wisdom. No fear of God means no wisdom. No wonder our world is flush with fools! We have lost our fear of God, and thus wisdom has alluded us. The fear of the Lord is an incubator for wisdom. God dispenses wisdom to those who fear Him.

HONORABLE WEALTH

Why do we honor the Lord with our wealth? We honor Him because He is the giver of all good things, the author of our abundance. As our estate grows so should the honor of our Heavenly Father. Otherwise, we are tempted to take credit for our success, and honor ourselves. The Bible says, “You may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17).

In some seasons our net worth decreases, and we are reminded that Christ controls cash flow. Wealth is not an end in itself, but the means to a greater goal of honoring God. Peace and contentment flow from wealth that honors the Lord, while fear and insecurity consumes the heart that honors itself.
So, how do you honor the Lord with your wealth? One way is to remain faithful and give Him the firstfruits of your fortune. Small or large as it may be, His primary concern is your faithfulness to give. You give out of obedience not abundance. People see Christ when you keep your cash commitments, especially when it costs you. This is honorable in heaven and on earth. Give to your church, the poor and needy, widows, orphans, family and ministries who align with your passions. You do not honor God when your thoughts are about new cars, clothes, or jewerly. Wealth is a gift from God and He expects us to be wise in its use, and like any gift it can be taken away if our motivation is selfish. The Bible says, “If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them” (Psalm 62:10b).

The results of your generous giving in the middle of downward financial pressures will be an upward blessing to you and the recipients. Your honorable use of wealth for Jesus’ sake may mean food, clothing, shelter and medical supplies for a village, or Bibles translated into the foreign tongue of a remote people half way around the world. The best time to aggressively give is when the need is the greatest. You take care of honoring Christ with generous giving, and He will take care of you. What you give now, you still have in abundance later.

LOVE FORGIVES

Love looks for excuses to eliminate hard feelings, as it replaces resentment and bitterness with love and forgiveness. Love by forgiving your family member who may not even know they hurt your heart. Love by forgiving your friend who volitionally violated your confidence. Love by forgiving your father and mother who are preoccupied parents. Love by forgiving your child who is ungrateful and selfish. Love by forgiving yourself for your stupid decisions. Forgiveness forgets the past, engages in the present, and hopes in the future. Extend forgiveness indiscriminately and receive it graciously. Delete any record of wrongs from the hard drive of your heart. Call, write, or initiate a freeing conversation of forgiveness. Reject the temptation for indignation and humbly receive God’s grace instead. Love liberally by regularly relying on forgiveness. Love forgives.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6: 5

MARRIAGE COVENANT

“It [wisdom] will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.” Proverbs 2:16-17

Marriage is a covenant before God, not to be messed with by man. It is not a secular ceremony, but a Christ-centered commitment ‘until death do us part’. However, there are tempters, both men and women, who try to take away the trust between a husband and a wife. Their life is unhappy, so they scheme for artificial satisfaction at the expense of someone else’s marriage.

Sin is not passive but active, so be on prayerful alert not to listen to its allure. Pay attention and do not place yourself in compromising circumstances. Marriage is a sacred obligation; God is not only a witness, but the one who instituted the ordinance, so stay true to Him and your true love.

“Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” Hebrews 13:4

Marriage is accountability between husband and wife, under the authority of Almighty God. This is why wayward men and women do not get away with disrespecting marriage vows. Disobedience to an oath before God leads to the damaging and even death of relationships, reputation, financial security, emotional stability and physical health. Husbands and wives who take seriously their commitment to Christ and to each other do not get seduced into sex outside their marriage.

 How do you maintain this high standard of honor? By God’s grace you romance each other like the days when you were dating. You only share your heart and affections with your true love, the bride of your youth. You determine not to be alone with anyone of the opposite sex, as this can feed temptations. Lastly, celebrate and uphold marriage as a solemn covenant before the Lord, your family, your friends and each other.
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How can I honor my spouse : by respecting your marriage as a covenant before God?

OUR CLASSROOM WAS BAPTIZED SUNDAY

Hallway outside clssroom

Looking toward Joe's seat

When we arrived at church this morning we found our classroom flooded with 2 inches of water because of a broken water pipe. Our class was relocated to the sanctuary where Wayne Ashworth did an excellent job under the circumstances.There was another class in the balcony which made it difficult to hear.

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Rob Darnell did the opening prayer and Kim Morrow passed out Valentine cards for us to sign for the Grace Manor residents. A small flood wasn't going to distract us from our purpose for being here. ...

Praise Be To God in 2012!

Looking toward back of classroomfrom Brenda's seat

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

"LOVE IS KIND"... 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4

CLICK ON PHOTO TO READ PRINT

Kindness is a natural application of love because it makes one feel loved. It is the ability to be accepting when everything within you wants to be rejecting. It is a strategy for forgiveness when you are wronged or when someone takes advantage of you. When your trusting spirit has been violated, you still love by being kind; you stop fighting, and you start forgiving.

Kindness means you are pleasant to be around because your countenance is inviting and shows interest. It is as much an attitude as anything, and it is the ability to see beyond the immediate to the potential. Kindness means you go out of your way to love someone. People who are unlovable become prime candidates for your kindness. A family member, a friend, and even a stranger who is far from God, deep down desires unconditional love and kindness.

Therefore, kindly love people through difficult situations. Serve those who are experiencing financial difficulties, for example. Kindness is king for followers of King Jesus, so love with kindness and watch them come around and embrace Christ. Kindness kills sin and sadness, and brings to life love, forgiveness, and hope. Allow Jesus’ loving kindness to flow through you, for kindness toward the needy honors God (Proverbs 14:31). Kindness resides where love is applied, because love is kind.

GOD LISTENS

You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens. He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel, God listens. Intently. Carefully.
The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God.” Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.
Then, the angel “filled the incense pan with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth” (Rev. 8:5). One call and Heaven’s fleet appears. Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven, and “God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.”
You are the someone of God’s kingdom. You have access to God’s furnace. Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear: Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth. What an amazing thought!
When you speak, Jesus hears.
And when Jesus hears, thunder falls.
And when thunder falls, the world is changed.
All because someone prayed.

ENCOURAGE A FRIEND

 Message Forwarded by: Ret. Captain Dave Roberts

JESUS COMMANDS BAPTISM FOR HIS CHILDREN



( click on photo )

Baptism is a bold declaration of a personal belief in Jesus Christ. It is an outward expression of an inward conversion. Baptism is symbolic of an individual Christian (normally a new believer) burying their old way of life and coming alive in Christ. Jesus commands baptism for His children. He knows the accountability, the encouragement and the love that accompanies this act of obedience.

Who is a candidate for baptism? If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior your next step is to follow the example of Jesus and be baptized. He modeled the way of humble submission—when as the Son of God—He insisted on being baptized by another. Baptism identifies you with God’s forever family of faith.

What happens if a believer is not baptized? You don’t miss heaven, but you miss the blessing of hearing your Heavenly Father say, “This is my child in whom I am well pleased.” Baptism brands you a Christian—a follower of Jesus Christ. Your public display of gratitude and glory to God will help another make a private commitment to Christ. It is a formal declaration of your dependence on Jesus for grace and forgiveness.

BEGIN A NEW LIFE

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then at the right time and place He created you.

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' (Acts 17:24-28)

Christianity is not just a religion; True Christians experience a deep personal relationship with the Creator God of the universe. All other religions of the world have one thing in common they are attempting to reach God by their own efforts and traditions. Only the God of the Bible reaches out to people in love. He has provided a way for you to be united with Him. The way is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus says to you, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Jesus the Christ is the only true path for unity with God. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

PRAYERS FOR CLASSMATE

Please add Wayne Ashcroft to your prayer list. He found out that he has to go on insulin for his diabetes. Plus something is wrong with his liver, so he had to have a liver scan. The liver scan showed everything is ok...no fatty liver or damage. They tested for all types of hepatitis...all negative. He was taken off of 3 other meds. He goes back n 4 weeks. Hopefully, all levels will be stabilized. We appreciated your prayers!

Love in Christ, Melody Ashworth

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER

In the 6th chapter of Ephesians in the 18th verse we read words which put the tremendous importance of prayer with startling and overwhelming force:
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
When we stop to weigh the meaning of these words, then note the connection in which they are found, the intelligent child of God is driven to say,
“I must pray, pray, pray. I must put all my energy and all my heart into prayer. Whatever else I do, I must pray.”
The Revised Version is, if possible, stronger than the Authorized:
“With all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
Note the alls: “with all prayer,” “at all seasons,” “in all perseverance,” “for all the saints.” Note the piling up of strong words, “prayer,” “supplication,” “perseverance.” Note once more the strong expression, “watching thereunto,” more literally, “being sleepless thereunto.” Paul realized the natural slothfulness of man, and especially his natural slothfulness in prayer. How seldom we pray things through! How often the church and the individual get right up to the verge of a great blessing in prayer and just then let go, get drowsy, quit. I wish that these words “being sleepless unto prayer” might burn into our hearts. I wish the whole verse might burn into our hearts.
Torrey, R. A. (1900). How to pray (6). Chicago; New York [etc.: Fleming H. Revell company.

COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST

We read in Romans 1:20 that there is enough evidence to convince everyone that God is Creator, so much so that we are condemned if we do not believe. Then why do only a few people follow Christ for a lifetime? Why do some appear to follow for a time and then fall away? What prevents us from following Jesus wholeheartedly? Why do many of us prefer to build on the sand rather than the rock?
It can't be that we don't know about Him. With all the technology available today, the archaeological research confirming the people and places of the Bible, the immense volumes of writings of believers explaining their faith, and the exegetical study of the words of the Bible - it's as if we know so much, yet believe so little.

Many today respond to Jesus with a lack of commitment. They believe with their mind, but not their heart. They are skeptical about who He is. They are not willing to give up themselves to follow him. They are willing to follow some of His commands, but not willing to sacrifice their own needs or wants. Many prefer to  hold on to parents/children, money, siblings, jobs, or material items.

Whose goals and aspirations direct your daily living? God's or your own carnal, self-centered desires? If today is the day for God to judge how youv'e spent his money, lived your life, and spread his word, are you prepared for the verdict? Many people will stand before God's throne someday and say, "Lord, in You name we cast out devils, we healed the sick, we did many wonderful works for You." But they built their houses on sand. They're actions did not match up with their words, they said one thing in public and lived their lives in greed and materialism. They cried, "Lord, Lord!" throughout their lives - coming to Him for relief, for power, and for rewards. They were busy for Him, they gave money for someone else to do his works and filled themselves with a false sense of "having done their part" but they never stopped long enough in His presence to really get to know Him.
They never understood that he wanted them, not their money, advise, or stuff. Just them filled with a love that flows from a totally abandoned heart.                                             

WHATS IN A NAME?

"Here we are in a month named after the Roman god Janus, a personification of the start of the new year. This particular Roman god had two faces so that he could look ahead toward the future and back at the past at the same time. As we get rid of an old year and look forward to a new one, some like to worry. a few try to be a little like Janus. We know through experience what we did wrong and what we did right, and hope to do better this year.

 Some people make ambitious new year’s resolutions; others just take a deep breath and hope for the best. 

As Christians, we realize that hope is only available by faith in Jesus Christ. We draw closer to him through his word, prayer, and obedience. We were created in his image, and our thoughts and works should reflect just that and not some Roman god or other idol. So to address the question,"WHAT'S IN A NAME?", the answer is "not much", unless it's the name of Jesus.

So as Christians, our new years resolutions should never take the place of prayer and both should always be focused on Him.

Praise Be To God in January 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR