THE CHURCH IS OPEN

Our lives are a manifestation of what we think about God. –Anonymous

Psalm 103:2, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

There are so many benefits to serving the Lord we cannot begin to number them all. However, one of the greatest benefits is the local church. Where on Sundays and other days, we come together and worship our Lord and Saviour in spiritual and in truth.

Have you been forsaking the privilege of the local body of believers? One day you might just wake up and the local church may not be there. It may have a chain on the doors. It may have a sign in the front yard- For Sale. It may be leveled to the ground by our government. So, while the doors are open, GO TO CHURCH!

WEEPING HELPS

God washes the eyes by tears until they can behold the invisible land where tears shall come no more. -Beecher

Psalm 30:5, For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

There are times in this life in which we cannot hold back the tears. Death and loss can bring tears of sadness. These tears point us to One greater than us! When we wash our eyes of the grief from a loved one that has gone on to be with the Lord, we can see His plan clearer. When we have our tears purge our eyes of the deadness of this life, we can see God’s greatness!

Are you going through a crisis in your life; weeping helps! Though the tears may flow now, there are better days ahead as you look to the Lord for peace, joy, and contentment!  

HEAR ME

Human hearing is one thing, Divine hearing is another.

Psalm 143:1, Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

David cries out to the Lord and is expecting an answer. He says, “In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.” How often do we say a prayer but we really do it as lip service; not really seeking an answer? How often do we say, “I’m praying for you, but never think about the request again?

Friend, God hears us when we call out to Him. We ought to be expecting Him to answer our prayers when we go to Him with a clean heart and motives that are honoring and glorifying to Him! Will you call out to the Lord this morning with the thought of “HEAR MY PRAYER O LORD…” on your mind?  

HEAR ME

Human hearing is one thing, Divine hearing is another.

Psalm 143:1, Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

David cries out to the Lord and is expecting an answer. He says, “In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.” How often do we say a prayer but we really do it as lip service; not really seeking an answer? How often do we say, “I’m praying for you, but never think about the request again?

Friend, God hears us when we call out to Him. We ought to be expecting Him to answer our prayers when we go to Him with a clean heart and motives that are honoring and glorifying to Him! Will you call out to the Lord this morning with the thought of “HEAR MY PRAYER O LORD…” on your mind?  

TRUST

“In God We Trust” is more than our Nation’s motto!

Psalm 25:2, O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

“In God We Trust” became the United States national motto in 1956. That was about 100 years after James Pollock said in a letter dated November 20, 1861,

“Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins.”

Some of this nation’s representatives hit the nail on the head when they voted to have the National Mint engrave “In God We Trust” on our currency. It identifies who our financial blessings come from. Oh, how much more should we, as the Church, let “In God We Trust” be more than a motto! It should be our mission to live by!

LEARINING HURTS

Correction is the way to learning.

Proverbs 12:1, Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

I don’t know about you, but I was corrected A LOT when I was growing up. Many times, one spanking wasn’t enough. Many times, two spankings were not enough. Let’s just say, I was hard head and had to learn the hard way! However, those spanking didn’t kill me! As a matter of fact, they taught me what to do and what not to do. They taught me respect, honor, and how to obey the first time. They kept me out a lot of trouble!

If someone loves you, they will be willing to correct you. It may hurt, but through that hurting you are learning things that matter!

LEARN OF HIM

There is no better teacher than the Lord Himself!

Proverbs 19:20, Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Christian books, Bible college, nor Sunday school can do for you what the Lord can do Himself. Now don’t get me wrong, we need to read good supplemental books. We need to attend Sunday school and, if God so leads, go to a solid Bible college that actually teaches the Bible. However, let me drive home this point, the Word of God being taught by the Holy Ghost of God is superior to any book, college, or educational system that has been designed to teach us about God.

Have you heard the instruction of the Word? Are you following the instructions given? If not, why not? When will you surrender to God’s call of salvation? When will you surrender to God’s call to surrender all? If not now, why not? We are not guaranteed tomorrow so, quit putting it off! Heed to His call today and learn of Him!  

DWELLING IN THE BEST

The difference between listening to a radio sermon and going to church, someone has said, is almost like the difference between calling your girl on the telephone and spending an evening with her. -Moody

Psalm 92:13, Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

What was your Sunday like? Did you have your normal routine? Get up, have a cup of coffee, eat some breakfast, mow the yard, eat some lunch, work in the yard a bit, maybe watch some TV, eat supper out somewhere with the family, or maybe it wasn’t like that but you did something to occupy your time other than being where you should have been—in church!

Child of God, if you want the best outcome in your life, you must be dwelling in the best. The best is the local church. One that believes the Bible is perfect, without error, exalting our Saviour in every aspect of its ministry. Don’t dwell in the mistakes of yesterday though, you be in church Wednesday night for Prayer meeting and Bible Study!

JESUS IS GOD

Jesus is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and all that man is as God created him. -Spurgeon

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

I have heard more than once that Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or He is Lord. God’s Word proclaims Him to be God in the flesh. Some make the claim that Jesus isn’t the Son of God. When they make that claim, they are also saying that the Bible is full of lies. If I can’t trust the Bible in this one important point, where could I trust it?

Friend, Jesus is God. He was manifested in the flesh for us so that He could do that which we could not do ourself; He came to save our wretched souls from an eternity in Hell.

Do you believe Jesus is God? That’s a start! Now, have you repented of your sins and trusted Him as Lord and Saviour? If so, life should be different! Is it? 2 Corinthians 5:17- go read it!  

DON’T MOVE

If you don’t know the direction you’re going, don’t move!

Psalm 46:10, Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Many people attempt to make things happen for them. They manipulate, twist, or out right lie to get their way. Instead of relying on the Lord; trusting in His way, and having faith that God will give them the way they should go, they force things to happen, creating a complete mess!

Hey friend, if you don’t know where you are going or which way you should go—DON’T MOVE!

Be still and trust He knows what is best for you! Exalting Him where ever you go.

MIDWEEK PRAYER

If Christians spent as much time praying as they do grumbling, they would soon have nothing to grumble about. -Anonymous

Psalm 88:9, Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

We could go to many verses dealing with prayer in an attempt to drive home the importance of it. I could list 5, 10, 20 or many even more reasons why we should not only begin each day and end each day in prayer but also, as Paul said, pray without ceasing. I could point to our modes of prayer; standing, kneeling, or laying prostrate. I could explain reasons for prayer; mourning, death, patience, wisdom, and strength to name a few. But we will not take a lot of time listing the do’s and don’ts of prayer.

I want to challenge you to go to your midweek prayer and Bible study today— to worship and pray! Not to get the scoop on the latest gossip. Not to check up on friends and family. Not to see the kids or grandkids. Not to knit pick the preacher. Go with the purpose in mind that you will be worshipping our Saviour—Jesus Christ in song and message and praying. Will you go?

BE A MOVER

He who would be a mover of the world must not be moved by the world. -Anonymous

Ephesians 6:13, Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The Apostle Paul warns us of several issues that we should be aware of in our Christian walk. He said we fight against “… principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” So, in order for us to be a mover, doing anything for the Lord, we must stand firm for the Lord. Not wavering in our doctrine! Not waning in our duties! Not working in the depravity of our flesh! Only being steadfast in Christ!

REDEEMED

Redeemed, How I love to proclaim it! Redeemed, by the Blood of the Lamb!

Psalm 49:15, But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

My Mom, read a lot. I ran across one of her devotional books that had multiple poems in it recently and was encouraged. She had taken one of those poems and wrote out Scripture to it. To started with Psalm 49:15 and went from there basically sharing the Gospel. It was a blessing to me to see how she thought through each verse coming to the blessed hope in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Do you have that blessed hope? Have you been redeemed? Why don’t you say so?

ON THE HILL

Proclaim the Word wherever God opens the door.

Acts 17:22, Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

Paul had been converted and began proclaiming the Gospel to whomever and wherever God opened the door. In prisons, on boats, in synagogues, on Mar’s Hill, and any other place God opened the door to preach, he went through them with boldness proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel.

This morning we can proclaim the Gospel by being an example to your neighbors, to our family, and to our church family by GETTING UP, GETTING READY, and GOING TO CHURCH. While Paul literally preached on the hill, you can be a light set on a hill to those around you! Will you make the difference in anyone’s life this morning?   

OUT OF THE SCRIPTURES

The Bible is our final authority for life!

Acts 17:2, And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

In the early church, the disciples taught the Apostles doctrine. What was the Apostle’s doctrine; it was the doctrine that Jesus had taught them. It was the Word of God. It was what made the difference in their lives and the lives of those who listened and responded to the Word.

Do you want to make a difference in those whom you love? Want to make a difference in this lost, dying, and hurting generation? Get in the Scriptures and you will get something out of the Scriptures. That is what will make a difference in everyone’s lives!

THERE’S HOPE FOR YOUR FAMILY

Want to see your family do right; You do right!

Acts 16:31, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

I was talking with someone the other day and they said, I can’t give my life to Jesus because I might lose my family. My heart was crushed because what they didn’t understand is what the Scripture teaches about being a witness. Consider that one verse in Acts. If you believe on the Lord, trusting, Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your family has a better chance of being saved with your witness! The Light of the Gospel you have within you will shine into the family and friends you come in contact with. They will see the difference Jesus has made in your life.

Do you want to see your family do right? Do you want to see your family start living for the Lord? Do you want to have the peace of God that passes all understanding; for you and your family? Do you want the hope for your family that Jesus offers? Then, start living for the Lord! Give your life to Christ!

YOU HYPOCRITE

Hypocrites in the Church? Yes, and in the lodge, and at home. Don't hunt through the Church for a hypocrite. Go home and look in the glass. Hypocrites? Yes. See that you make the number one less. -Billy Sunday

I saw about a peck of counterfeit dollars once. Did I go to the window and throw away all my good dollars? No! Yet you reject Christianity because there are hypocrites, or counterfeit Christians. -Biederwolf

Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

There are hypocrites everywhere. I should not worry about them so much as I worry about myself. The Lord will take care of them. All I can do is to try to live a Godly example before them and pray for them. Today, let’s be real. Stop playing church. Be who you say you are. Trusting the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, sanctification, and a place to serve!

WHAT’S HINDERING YOU

Baptism is an outward display of your inward profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

Acts 8:37, “… If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Some you probably received an unscriptural baptism at birth. Maybe, you got baptized thinking that was the means by which grace was bestowed upon you. Maybe you thought baptism was how a person gets to Heaven. I am here to tell you, on the authority of God’s Word, if you have not been born again, that water that you were sprinkled with, that ran over your forehead as a baby, or maybe someone wiped it across your brow in the shape of a cross, only got you wet!

If you have never trusted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you’re still on your way to hell. But the good news is you don’t have to! You can trust Jesus right now and go to Heaven! You can get into a local, New Testament church being discipled in the doctrines of Jesus Christ, following Jesus, and obeying His commands to be baptized! The Eunuch asks Phillip in Acts 8, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” Phillip’s answer was Scriptural and as simple as ”… If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”

Are you saved and on your way to Heaven? If not, what’s hindering you?

Toored

Toord- What most pastors are on Monday morning.

Psalm 4:8, I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

I heard for years, before the Lord called me to preach and then into the pastorate, that most pastors quit on Monday morning. I’m not sure they quit because of what didn’t happen on Sunday but what they probably wanted to quit over is from being so mentally and physically exhausted they must have a short break. They need to come apart before they come a part.

Are you toored? Have you been so busy that you haven’t had a break? Take a few moments and come apart before you come a part!

WORSHIP JESUS

My happiest moments are when I am worshiping God, really adoring the Lord Jesus Christ, and having fellowship with the ever-blessed Spirit.  In that worship I forget the cares of everything else.  To me it is the nearest approach to what it will be in heaven. -Spurgeon

Psalm 66:4, All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

To come before the Lord with fellow believers is the highlight of my week. It is there that we hear the songs of Zion sung. It is there that the world’s distractions are put away. It is there that we can Worship Him in Spirit and Truth with freedom without the fear of being condemned for it.

Will you GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH today? Will you get up a little earlier and make it to Sunday school? If not, why? What keeps you from doing what the Lord has commanded? What is it that keeps you from being obedient to God? What it is, get it out of the way and go Worship Him!