Monday, November 13, 2023

Why I am Thankful for My Church

 

Why I am Thankful for My Church

1.      God promises to meet with us every time at least 2 or 3 gather here together

2.      I get to see my blood-washed family.

3.      I get to rub shoulders with the best people on earth.

4.      The Word is preached, believed, received, and practiced.

5.      When Jesus said that we would have, in this life, 100-fold fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, this is where I get to see them.

6.      I get to pay my tithes and give offerings through this church. Some pays the bills, but much of it goes to get the gospel to the ends of the earth.

7.      The music here is the best music this side of heaven.

8.      This is a tremendous place to rejoice with those who do rejoice and weep with them that weep.

9.      Because this is Christ’s Bride, and His love and blessings are concentrated on this place.

10.   Because this is the Body of Christ, I am a body part and I need execute my function.

11.   His house is a house of prayer. Though I can pray anywhere, there is something special and powerful about corporate prayer.

12.   Because we get to worship together, which is practice for what we will be doing for all eternity.

13.   Because special things happen here. We pray and work for there to be an atmospheric presence of the Almighty. And when that occurs, there in nothing on earth like it.

14.   Because souls are saved here. Burdens are lifted. Babies are dedicated, baptisms occur, communion is observed, missionaries are sent, saints are blessed and God is praised!


These are a few of the reasons for which I am thankful for my church. What are some of your reasons?

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

The 15 Spiritual Blessings of the Believer, Eph 1

 The complex forest of life we traverse often obscures the panoply of God’s manifold blessings He bestows upon us.

Generally, when we contemplate His blessings, we consider things like health to enjoy, family to love, church to attend, food to eat, a house to dwell in, a car to drive, etc. But His richest and truest blessings are not the mere creature comforts He supplies, but the eternal and spiritual blessings shared by every child of God.

Here Paul lists these blessings money cannot buy and entropy cannot diminish.

Notice here in verse three where we see the Bestower, the recipients and the nature of these spiritual blessings: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 

Here we have the blessed God and Jesus, blessing us with all spiritual blessings in and from heavenly places.  

What are the spiritual blessings in heavenly places bestowed upon each of us believers?

1. Sainthood, verse 1

2. Grace and Peace, verse 2

3. Chosen, 4

4. Sanctification, 4

5. Imputed Righteousness, 4

6. Predestined, 5

7. Placed into His Family, 5

8. Accepted in/by Him, 6

9. Redeemed, 7

10. Forgiven, 7

11. Abundance of Wisdom and Prudence, 8 (moral insight)

12. Partakers of the Mystery, 9-10  (Jews and Gentiles in one body)

13. Co-Inheritors with Jesus, 11

14. Trophies of Grace, 12

15. Sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of Redemption, 13-14

Then Paul gives thanks and prays for us that our eyes would be opened and we would understand, be enlightened regarding our true riches and His mighty power working in and for us.

When we confess that we are blessed, our sentiments go far deeper than that which meets the eye. Money buys things that are counted by some as blessings. But the blood of our dear Saviour, Jesus, buys us unmeasurable blessings which are beyond our wildest imaginations.

Monday, January 30, 2023

Good, Better, Best

Sins of Omission

St Jerome said it well, "Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best."

My honest observation is that most of us are settling for much less than the best that God has for us. 

When we are enlightened regarding the good we ought to do, we revert to the mediocre we are accustomed to. 

We often opt for that which is passable rather than pursuing that which is gloriously possible.  

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17

When we have been led to do right, and we fail to act on that prompting, that is a called a sin of omission. 

What are we commonly omitting? 

1. Is it good, having investigated and accepted the truths of Scripture and the love of God, and having committed oneself to Christ, following Him in believers baptism, to unite with a New Testament Church and serve through that body?

2. Is it good to spend time with God in prayer and devotion, Scripture reading and meditation?

3. Is it good to attend worship services, learning more of Jesus and His Word, and encouraging and being encouraged on a regular basis?

4. Is it good to tell others of Jesus and to send the gospel to the ends of the Earth?

5. Is it good to show kindness to those in need, impoverished, abused and victimized, when we have the wherewithal to bless them?

6. Is it good to keep ourselves in mental, physical, and financial shape so that we can be of benefit to the kingdom of God when called upon?

7. Is it good to stand for truth and oppose evil? 

8. Is it good to live a Spirit-filled life, allowing Him to produce His fruit through us for the betterment of those around us?

9. Is it good to walk in the light Jesus gives us through his Word, following His will with complete obedience?

10. Is it good to spend one's life exhibiting the influences of gospel salt and light, allowing others to witness our good works and therefore glorify our Father which is in heaven?

Friend, it is time to set aside worthless pursuits and prioritize those things which are good and right, better and best. 




Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Seasons Greetings to the Hurting, Grieving and Lonely

      As the Holiday Season is upon us, here are a few thoughts to make this time more festive.

     The Holidays are a real challenge to a lot of people. The season, to them, is a stark reminder of loss. It is a gut punch screaming to them that things can never be the same. We all understand this, at least to some degree. During this time meant for rejoicing, we all feel the pangs of longing for those who are no longer here to share this special time.

     However, God intends this season of advent to be a reminder of His nearness to us. It is a time to celebrate a Savior Who came to give us peace and goodwill. It is a notice of His unfailing love, His marvelous grace and His generous gift of salvation. It prompts us to look forward to a time of reunion with those we lost, made possible by the gift of God’s Son so that we can spend eternity together in the presence of Immanuel, God with us!

     So come, let us adore Him. Give and receive gifts recalling the glorious gift of His love. Sing the songs with joy. Work toward peace on earth and goodwill to men. Gather with your church family to worship the newborn King.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

The World’s Vain Philosophies

     Having been immersed in our culture, that is, our systems of the arts and humanities, education, media, entertainment, sports, places of employment, etc., we have all been indoctrinated to some extent with the world’s vain philosophies.

     Compare the time the world influences us in a given week with the time we are influenced by God’s Word through devotional reading, Sunday school, church and Bible studies, and we find that our spirits are not being nourished nearly enough.

     If we spend 30 minutes per day in studying our Bibles and in prayer, and another 4 hours per week in church settings, we would be feeding our souls a total of about 7 ½ hours in a week. That is actually pretty good. But, in watching the news, taking in a few TV shows, going to a movie, a sporting event, and reading the newspaper, about 30 hours in the week are given to secular input.  

     Do you see the disparity in our intake of information? It’s no wonder that worldly philosophy, like a weed, strangles out the good seeds of our faith.

     Cleary, most of our current culture has little to no Scriptural input. There is no exposure to the biblical world view if people are not in church and don’t open a Bible. Considering this, it is amazing to me that we actually have any moral fiber left in America.

     Consider the words of R.A. Torrey, spoken over a hundred years ago: "For eighteen centuries and more the opinions of scientists and philosophers have come and gone, today regarded as the final and absolute wisdom, tomorrow regarded as the sheerest folly. But the teachings of this Book have stood fast amid the wreck of centuries of man's thinking. The experience of eighteen centuries proves that the man who banks on the Bible is wise."

     Imagine what future generations will think of ambiguous and bizarre gender pronouns, men being pregnant, or a supreme court justice not being able to give the definition of “woman.”

     The hammers of unbelief lay broken in piles, but the anvil of God’s Word remains unchanged.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Am I Fit Enough to do Specialized Work for the Lord?

Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 

Would/could we be called upon to be this fit person to carry out this important task? 

Would we have the:

*Mental Acuity to navigate the wilderness while seeing to the well being of the goat?

*Common Sense to deal with the eventualities?

*Spiritual wherewithal to tune in to the Lord's leading? 

*Physical fitness to make the arduous journey? 

God is looking for folks in shape to do His will. Could we qualify?

Saturday, February 5, 2022

How to Have a Better Church by Next Sunday

 


1)     Look forward to church & pray for the preacher, yourself, church family and visitors

2)     Show up with an attitude of praise and worship

3)     Be anxious to receive God’s Word & encounter Him

4)     Bring a friend/family member/workmate with you

5)     Be friendly, greet others, be positive

6)     Participate! Sing out, say “Amen!” when you agree

7)     If the message spoke to your heart, respond.