" Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:"
Now if I can just do this, and not miss out on the wonderful life God has planned for me!
Thanks, Dean and Donald, the song was beautiful! I guess we just have a houseful of musicians in our Church! This is one of my most favorite songs… “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” And tis true, for when you have your eyes on Jesus it is really hard to see anything else! Yes, you all might have noticed I did not post last week’s sermon, and for that, I do ask you forgiveness. I had a couple of sick little ones who dearly needed their momma at every waking moment.
Welcome visitors! I am just plain thankful you guys feel welcome here. It is just an awesome feeling to walk into the house of the Lord and fellowship with His children.
Vernacular Too many times we have become used to, desensitized, just plain numb to some words or phrases in our vocabulary, words that really should stir up great feelings and emotions within us, words that should hold important meaning in our lives.
Take the word “Christian” or “Christianity”.
The New Testament gives a simple answer to the question who a Christian is: “Whoever claims to live in Him [Jesus] must walk as Jesus did.” 1John 2:6 The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Christian as “one who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus; one who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.” Simply stated a Christian follows the example of Jesus’ life in thankful obedience to God's will. However, we hear this word many times by or about people who do not truly hold to its meaning! We have become just used to hearing it and assume it just means these people go to church, when the meaning is oh so much more than that! It has just become a vernacular.
How about “Born Again”
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13 How many times have you heard this word when used in reference to Christians, or used by Christians to explain their rebirth in Christ. Yes, it is a wonderful word with the most of important aspects of my relationship with Jesus, however it is a word that is tossed around and I am afraid the meaning and the reverence that should be associated with it are “lost in translation”. A Vernacular.
But When Our Eyes are On JESUS!!!
These words “Christian” and “Born Again” mean so much more, more than just a vernacular, when you have a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Son of God! Moreover, when you become a Christian, by being born again and accepting Jesus as your savior there are important aspects to you, your spirit, that are an evident proclamation of Christ to others!
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life - the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” 1John 1:1-4
6 Distinguishable Aspects of Spiritual Maturity A Christian who is truly born again.
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1John 1: 5-10
1. Spiritual Deportment: conduct or behavior of our spirit. - LOVE - Cannot hate - Abiding by God’s Will
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1John 2:1-6 2. Spiritual Desire. - Desire God’ s Will - Desire Not to practice habitual sin - Desire to abide in Christ - Desire to love one another “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” 1John 3:1-9 3. Spiritual Disposition. - Unconditional love for one another “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” 1John 3:16-23
4. Spiritual Discernment. - Must know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God! - Keep His 2 Commandments • Love the Lord • Love one another “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1John 4:1-11
5. Spiritual Deliverance. - Faith “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:1-5 6. Spiritual Dominion. - Confidence in Christ “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” 1John 5: 13-20
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:21
Just Serving JESUS by Keeping Our Eyes on HIM!!!
Thank you Lord for your word and your instruction. Thanks, Brother Larry for your service.
Wow! What a testimony I heard this morning, thank you Mr. Paul Flowers. You are an inspiration to me. Yes, you are right it is hard to believe that Jesus Loves us so. He loves us in spite of all the things we do (good or bad)! As you and Mrs. Gale and Mr. One Man Band aka Donald sang, "No more darkness; no more night. Praise the Lord I saw the light". You guys sound just wonderful together! I hope to hear more songs by you guys in the near future! Paul I am thankful you shared your life story with us, a brave Christian leader you are indeed. Thank you.
Again, thank you visitors for choosing to fellowship, worship with us, and sing praises to our magnificent Lord, Jesus Christ! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! I hope you all had a pleasant experience today. I am just excited about you all being here!
I Marvel At Your Creation!
"O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen- Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!" Psalms 8
What is man that you are so mindful of me?
How wonderful it feels to sing of his praise. To read scripture and understand and to just be in awe of God and all he has done / does/ and will do! The book of Psalms is beautiful, and even so God is worthy of so much more! With this statement being made and acknowledged as fact, how then can I even begin to explain the question that Brother Larry presented to us today! How can a marvelous, miraculous, wonderful God, think so much of me. Think so much of me that he is mindful of me. A me of over billions of individuals? Yes, it is true every single person he knows. We are all His creation! And you know what he knows us. Not just kind knows us like a passing friend or close sister, He really knows us! God Loves Us, Each and Every one of Us!!!
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nation."
Jeremiah 1:5
How Precious Every Individual is to God!
Really, there is just no way I could ever sing the praise of my Lord any more wonderfully than David, so just read on andlet his words be an inspiration to you. The words need no paraphrasing, the message is clear!
God Knows Me!
"O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high I cannot attain it. Psalms 139:1-6
I am Captured By God's Hand!
"Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in sheol, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me",
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed the darkness shall not hid from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Psalms 139:7-12
I am Fearfully and Wonderfully made
"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Psalms 139:13-16
God Loves me and you and you and you... all of us he thinks of individually more than the sands of the earth! WOW!
"How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.
Psalms 139:17 & 18
Our God is and awesome God! For sure, he not only created everything upon the earth, He created us from mere substances. And He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is never surprised by our actions or words because he knows what we are going to say and do before we say or do it! He knows our thoughts. He knows our inner most desires. He knows! And guess what? He still LOVES US!!! He loves us so much that when we make a poor decision or bad choice, that He knew we would make, He waits. Yes, waits for us to ask him for forgiveness. Then he forgives, if we ask. Oh my, how He Loves us! I saw the light…
God Loves You!
Thank you Lord for all you have given me.
Thank you Lord for loving Me.
Thank you Lord!
"Thy word, have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou O Lord: teach me thy statutes."
Psalms 119:11 & 12
Just Serving Jesus by growing stronger through praising my Awesome Lord!
I just felt so loved this morning walking into our little church! I really missed you guys this week! Thank you Mrs. Mary Jeffreys that song "Today I Faced a Mountain" was absolutely beautiful! It is comforting to know that yes, there are mountains that will be in our way, however with God they are mere hills!
Welcome visitors! I am truly glad that you all have been coming and you guys are just so welcome here! I am glad to get to know you all. If there is anything we can do for you all please just ask. Honestly, it is just a pleasure to do God's work! A servant I wish to be. There are just so many mountains here on earth, and it seems like you get over one and there is another on the horizon. We are all on this journey with Jesus, just at different stages. Thanks be to God for seeing us through and enabling us to use our abilities he has blessed us with to help one another, even if it is just the simple knack for loving to talk, of which I will gladly claim as a blessing the Lord bestowed upon me!
Put Off the Old Put On the New
This morning there was a bit of excitement going on prior to service. We got a phone call from a member of the church to inform another member that the field behind their house was on fire! Yikes! It was heart warming to see a couple of our willing and able young men follow and assist with the putting out of the fire. This is exactly what I am talking about the abilities that God gives us are amazing even if they are seemingly small and simple! I am thankful that Brother Larry is blessed with the ability to preach. I am grateful to sit, listen, and learn from his message.
The whole sermon was educational to my Spirit, thanks! The hole in the t-shirt was a wonderfully comically analogy. We all have a couple of holes in our lives that lend to imperfection! Yes, we do and well some of us, me included our t-shirts are barely threaded together, with holes consuming the majority of the shirt! Nevertheless, through Jesus, even though we know those holes are there and He does too, we are still considered whole, and not full of holes.
Through this realization, I see now that I should just let go of all those old raggedy t-shirts with all the holes and put on and wear my new clothes that is as white as snow lacking holes of any size.
It is only through Him that we are able to live with a risen attitude. Through our rebirth in Jesus Christ, even when we sin he does not look at me and see my flesh and human nature but instead He sees my spirit, which is Him in me! I am so thankful He loves me so much that he allows His Grace to cover all my sin, fill in all my holes
" If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting on the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4
Simply, we just need to let go of all these old ragged clothes that we just cannot ever make whole again, and adorn ourselves with His glory. Put on our new clothes that He has given us. Wear the shirt that is white as snow and lacking any and all holes! We need to change to the point that our old self is unrecognizable. Change all our old habits and selfish reasoning that lead to all the holes in the first place. Let Jesus be our example!
“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. Colossians 3:5-7
How Do We Put All This Behind Us? Take Off the Old T-shirt With Holes?
It is hard to let go of all the earthy selfish things that we like to hold onto. It is a struggle to let go of this control we think we have over our lives. As we have talked of before it is really difficult to come to that place in our lives when we just walk blindly by faith; however, in the knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ all this is possible. If we keep learning and wanting to hear the word of God and we continue to grow and mature personally through our own relationship with Christ, it is possible to shed those ragged clothes of the flesh!
“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Colossians 3:8-11
New White T-shirt, No Holes!
Let the Holy Spirit live through us! Just Serve Jesus! Yes, that is what we are to do. We are always to be of a forgiving nature! Always have a forgiving heart! That is the one thing I really got out of this last part of the message, and the hardest!
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him!” Colossians 3:12-17
Just Serving Jesus by growing in knowledge, strengthening our relationship with Him!
Thanks Brother Larry for your service.
Hope you all have a blessed week!
Lord, thank You for all your grace, love and forgiveness!
Thank you dear Lord, this morning was a great time of fellowship, sharing, and learning in Your house. I had a wonderful time; I hope you all did as well! Welcome all you visitors, I am happy you guys chose to come back and share with us! I was so so glad to see my sister and her family in attendance! I love you.
Thank you Donald, our one-man band, the song "Who Will Go Who'll Choose The Lord" was such a Joy to hear! (Not leaving Sarah or Mrs. Hess out, we love you girls and your talents are much appreciated by all!) I cannot wait to put a couple of your songs on here to share with everyone else! In addition, you might have noticed that the title of this song is the title of this weeks blog entry, how fitting and divinely choreographed! Who knew the sermon would be on this exact point? Who knew Donald would write a song this week on this same topic? God did!!!
You cannot serve 2 masters!
"No one can serve 2 masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other, you cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24
Now what is mammon you ask? Mammon is money or wealth! Therefore, you cannot serve God and money. Well really, I never thought about anyone as serving money. However, I get it now! Not is it just saying that you are serving money, but that you are putting your faith in money, and faith in your own ability to make money. Instead what we should do as servant of Christ, put our faith in Him and His ability to provide for us! Now this makes it so much clearer!
Who will provide!
Oh my, during these times of economic downturns it is hard to be still, listen, and trust and have faith that all will be ok. Believe me, when I say that I am there with you. How after a job has been lost are we to just have faith that God will provide food, shelter and clothing for us as well as our children? How after the steady flow of money that was already so tight to begin with stops abruptly with really no foresight, are we to just have Faith that God is going to provide all the health care, medication and transportation that we need? It really seems like a seemingly crazy thing to think about, but do think about it!
God tells us to not worry! He will provide!!! Really if He says He is going to then well, He is going to. If God says for us not to worry about things of this nature, then really we should not! He gives us His word and He always fallows through! ALWAYS!!! Choose to have Faith In GOD! Choose to serve The One and Only Master! Make the conscious decision to not let worry consume you, and be a servant to the world. Choose to be a servant of JESUS CHRIST!!
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet you heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add on cubit to his stature?" Matthew 6:25-27
Cliff Hanger!
A couple of weeks back Brother Larry described an event that I thought gave a startling look at a mans life in today’s times. A man whose master is mammon, clinging to everything he has built, a home, a career, a family, his own sense of his place in the world. Literally clinging, hanging on by white knuckles. his arms beginning to tremble and shake from the weight of his body. Sweat dripping from his brow, eyes darting to and fro looking for a way to hold on. His mind reeling at his astonished realization, that his faith in money has lead him to ruins. He is unable to let go and reach out for any assistance, no one waiting on the edge to pull him to safety. Crying, screaming in utter helplessness the man has no choice, he lets go. Lets go of all that he thought sustained him, all the prideful things that he thought fulfilled him and he fell. Fell in to God's Grace! He put his faith in the Lord!Can you not just envision this, with so many men and women losing their jobs, over 100,000 just last week alone! Their downward spiral is happening as we sit here. Pray for them, their families, and their hearts, to come to peace in the Lord and let them feel the joy that can only come from Jesus!
GOD your Master Will Provide!
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you the even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For after all these things the gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Matthew 6:28-34
Behold and Consider what you have.
Yes, no matter it seems the amount of faith and trust I think I have I still worry. I am still growing, my faith still growing, my trust still growing. I pray that one day I can just wake up with no worries. How can I do this? How can I accomplish this goal of leading a worry free life? Really it is very simple, Just place faith and trust in Jesus, let the Spirit indwell in us, listen and obey what He says! So, I will continue to behold, or look intensely at what Gods word says and what he is saying to me. I will consider what I have been given, my abilities my talents that he blessed me with. I will overcome trials and hardships through Christ Jesus, and be thankful in all that he gives. There will always be trials! I will take up roots where I have been placed. I will continue to strive to put my relationship with Jesus 1st in all that I do! I will acknowledge that I cannot handle anything without Him. I will continue to believe that I am not alone in my struggle; Jesus walks with me hand in hand. For God our Heavenly Father cares for all of us Much More! He cares for us more than for the birds and more than for the lilies for through no effort of their own, but by the Grace of God they are still alive and as a beautiful as ever!
"Who will Go? Who'll Choose The Lord"? Me! I will choose the Lord, my God! He is my Master!
Let me share my Joy with you, I have found in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! This morning we had more than a handful of visitors, which I am so glad to see. Welcome to our fellowship, I hope Jesus leads you back to our church very soon! I pray you, as well as all church members were as enlightened and inspired as I was to learn more about the Gospel, the "Good News".
The BIBLE is:
The infallible, inerrant, inspired word of God!
The living word.
The instruction book for life!
"But you must continue in the things which have you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, an is profitable for doctrine,for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may becomplete, thoroughly equipped for every good work"
2 Timothy 3: 14-17
The Gospel of JESUS CHRIST!
God's plan is simple and easy, turn away from sin. Yes, it does sound simple and easy, but reality sets in and I am forced to recognize that it is the most difficult of tasks. God knew it would be impossible for us to always turn away from sin "due to the depravity of the nature of the flesh", our "propensity to sin" long before sin even entered the world. Did you hear that, sin has nothing to do with our salvation! He knew we would need a redeemer to secure our salvation and that there was no way we could ever receive eternal life with Him through our actions alone. He knew he would have to send his one and only son, who never knew sin, God in the flesh, Jesus Christ. Who lived a perfectly sinless human life. Who was prosecuted for his faith in God and claiming to be The Son of God. Who died on a cross bearing all the sins of the world. Who resurrected. Who now sits on the right hand of God, interceding for us, sinners. There is only one way, only one who gives salvation, only one who secures our place in heaven, JESUS CHRIST! Who will come back to this earth again to take all his children home!
"Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints." Romans 1:1-7
Transformation
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to transform our lives, our attitudes, if we allow it to do so! How amazing this sounds, but really is this true for my life in particular? As I sat in the pew and listened and watched all eyes on Brother Larry as he lead us through this sermon, I was shocked to find myself asking this exact question. Hmmmm...
Growing up in church and having accepted Jesus as my Savior as a preteen, I was shocked by my own reaction to this sermon of transformation. Yes, it is true; Salvation through Jesus Christ transforms all who accept it! Just stop for a moment and look back / think back on your own life’s journey. Before you accepted Jesus as your savior, where were you headed? What actions did you take? What thoughts did you have? How were you going about living from day to day? Now after you asked Jesus to be your savior and cleanse you white as snow, asking and receiving forgiveness for your sins, where are you headed? What actions do you take? What thoughts do you have? How are you going about living your life from day to day? I pray that the answers to these questions shed a bit of light on the reality of your own personal transformation through Christ.
Walk worthy of Your Calling!
"walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
Ephesians 4:1-6
Walk Differently than Unbelievers!
"that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you out on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him in labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving and another, even as God on Christ forgave you."
Ephesians 4:22-32
Walk in Love!
"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in Love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet - smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanliness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for the saints, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving thanks.
Ephesians 5:1-4
Walk as Children of Light!
"For you were once darkenness, but now you are the light of the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship the unfruitful works of darkeness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever manifest is light."
Ephesians 5:8-13
God Loves Us!
He Loves Everyone He Created!
We are Joyfully and Wonderfully Made!
Why, if He knew we would never be able to secure our own eternal life in heaven, would He come to this sin filled earth, to suffer, to be persecuted, to die? Because GOD LOVES US! He wants fellowship with us! He wants us to make the choice to believe in / have faith in Jesus! If we confess our sins, He is faithful and Just to forgive us of those sins! The Joy and Peace that Jesus Christ gives cannot be compared to any offered in the flesh. There is no condemnation to hard or unbearable when you are walking in the Spirit! Through Jesus Christ and his grace of Salvation, we all can have freedom from sins by bearing them / confessing them. Freedom to feel the Joy, that only God gives through the security in our salvation through Jesus Christ!
Live in the Liberty of the Gospel!
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Galatians 5:1
Wow! I give thanks to you, my Lord, Jesus Christ!
Just Serving Jesus by Sharing, the Joy, The Good News, The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thanks Brother Larry for sharing the Good News with Us!
Here are some questions that we probably all ask ourselves while going through our daily journey with Jesus.
Who receives the call of God?
Who does God choose to call?
Why does he speak to some and not others?
Often times we see our preachers, Sunday school teachers, missionaries and service people of the Lord and we think wow, they have been hand selected, chosen as it were by God himself to preform these certain and specific tasks, laborers of love. They must not sin near as much or have as great a burden of sin as I. Indeed they have sinned, continue to do so and still have been chosen by God. However we fail to realize that we have all been called by God, chosen by Him! Hand selected by the Lord Jesus Christ! It came to my attention that God is NEVER silent! He is always there speaking, we are just not listening, or listening but not willing to labor. And chosen one's ( ministers, missionaries, Sunday school teachers, children church preachers,) are the one's who have stopped and listened and obeyed or surrendered to God's will in their lives! The call of God is for all humanity, aka EVERYONE! It is just dependent upon us, our disposition and the state of our ears to hearing and mind to understanding, God's "small still voice" as whether or not we hear what he is trying to say to us. Every one's call is not the same and really it could be a really simple task or call that God wants us to do, we just have to be willing stop and listen and do it!
We need to listen!
"also I heard the voice of the Lord saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." Isaiah 6:8
We need to have the right disposition!
"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land"
Isaiah 1:16-18
We all sin and still we remain redeemed by Jesus!
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified by His grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ" Romans 3:23&24
Walk with me oh my Lord!
The Great Almighty, the one who is my sustainer, He who sent us!
"Thy word, have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. Psalms 119:11&12
Listening to that small still voice in order to Just Serve Jesus!
Thanks Brother Larry for listening to, obeying and sharing God's word with us!
Thanks to the wonderful Burns Family we now have a new beautiful sign. Thank you guys for listening and obeying God's will for your life. What an inspiration your faith in God is.
Pictures will be posted soon. Yes, it is good to know that God answers knee mail!
Just Serve Jesus and more Wonderful songs, By Donald Dozier
Worship with us @ Liberty Baptist Church 1031 White Bluff Rd. White Bluff TN, 37187
Sunday School @9:45a.m (we gather a little earlier in the sanctuary and basement for a little fellowship before Sunday school) Sunday Morning Worship @11:00a.m. Sunday Evening Worship @ 6:00p.m. Monday Night Outreach @ 6p.m. Wednesday Evening Worship @ 7:00p.m. if you have need to speak with someone please call 615-797-5151
We have a wonderful youth and children's ministry during all services!
Messages by Brother Larry Cochran Youth & Children's Ministry lead by Dean Morgan
