Endless love !

Jesus told the truth about sin. 

He said, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, and adulteries, and all other sins that we commit.” Matthew 15:19. 

War comes from the human heart. 

Family tensions and problems come from the human heart. 

Rebellion comes from the human heart.

He also told the truth about love. 

God loves you-

- with a love that you don’t know anything about,

- because there is no human love comparable to divine love.

God’s love sent His Son to the cross to die and shed his blood for you. 

He would have died had you been the only person in the whole world. 

That’s exactly what our Lord Jesus Christ did. 

God raised Him from the dead.

And He’s alive!

"Dear Lord, thank You for Your endless love that is longer, wider, higher and deeper than I can comprehend. Please forgive me of my sin and let Your love wash over me so that I may be free from shame, guilt and condemnation. Make me fully alive in You! In Jesus’ Name. Amen."

Repented?

Jesus told the truth about repentance. 

He said, “Unless you repent, you will perish.”

Have you repented? 

Repentance means change. 

I change my mind about God, about myself, about my fellow man. 

I change my way of living. 

But on my own I don’t have strength to change. 

I can’t change. 

I can’t become a Christian. 

Why? 

Because I’m “dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:1.

God has to help me change. 

He has to help me repent. 

And I have to say, “O God, help me to repent.” 

Not only do we have to repent-

- but by faith we must receive Christ into our hearts as Saviour and Lord.

Bottom line?

"...even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you." Isaiah 46:4

A hundred years ago, people lived an average of 47 years. 

Today many men live to be at least 75. 

Many women live to be at least 80. 

As you get older, your skin wrinkles because it becomes thinner and less elastic. 

Your bones become more visible as you store less fat beneath your skin. 

Inside the body, your bones and muscle become weaker. 

Your memory gets worse, and your immune system can’t fight disease as easily. 

Retirement from work brings more leisure time, but it can also bring a sense of a loss of purpose in life. 

Your income may be lower. 

Family and friends die or move away. 

It may be time to move out of a house that has become too big and hard to maintain. 

Face it, your body wears out as you get older. 

Bottom line? 

Growing old definitely is NOT for the faint of heart!

In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon agreed. He wrote of how the things we take for granted when we’re young cause us to lose delight in living when we’re old. 

On top of that, without God, life can be meaningless. 

Ah, but with God, there is wisdom, strength, joy, and the hope that when the body finally gives out, there is life – real life – in heaven with God. 

It’s something to remember when you’re young and when you’re old.

If you haven’t thought about what will happen when you leave this earth, read John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

Don’t let another day go by without giving your life to Jesus. 

You’ll never have to wonder where you’ll spend eternity!

​​ ​​ So it is in life!

"I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands." Psalm 119:10.
I love this story.

You may have read it before, but it so beautifully illustrates the need to keep our eyes on Jesus, it’s worth another read.

Walking through freshly fallen snow, a father wanted to teach his son a key lesson in life.
He said, “Son, I’m going to walk to that tree about 50 feet ahead in a perfectly straight line.
Then I want you to do the same.”

The father walked to the tree.
He turned to look at his son, and they both observed the perfectly straight tracks in the snow.

Not wanting to fail the test, the son looked at his father and began to walk.
He looked down at his steps and veered to the left.
He looked up and corrected his course.
He looked down again.
He veered to the right and had to correct his course once more.
Arriving at the tree, his tracks told the story of his failure.

His father explained, “Son, as long as you focused on me, your tracks were straight. The moment you took your eyes off me, you got off track. The key is keeping your eyes on the goal.”

​​

​​

So it is in life!

There is one primary goal and if it becomes the heart and focus of your life it will be the key to eternal success.
That goal is following the Lord.

If we are to have a strong walk with Christ Jesus, we have to look to Him as the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
We have to look to Him and not take our eyes off Him.

When we are lured in by the weight and sin of the world which clings so closely, we take our eyes off of Him.

But when we keep your eyes on Him-
He will keep us right on track to where we need to go.

Running out of time​!​

"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." 
2 Timothy 3:2-4.

The Bible gives many examples of signs that should warn us of the coming end of the age. 

Six such signs are given by Jesus, two characteristics are given by Paul, and eleven other occurrences are given by the prophets to occur prior to or soon after the end of the age. 

While we are also told we will not know the time of the End-
God obviously wanted us to know when that time was getting closer. 

As the Christian church is increasingly drawn into the interfaith movement, and as more and more churches go into isolation, preparing to sleep through the growing attacks on their faith, perhaps God knew it would take a few signs to wake us up and remind us that we have work to do.

So, let’s imagine a time in history when, “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unloving, slanderous, without self-control, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness but denying its power.”

What a description of many inside and outside of today’s churches!

Does this sound like today’s world or not? 
So, when were these words penned? 

Around 2,000 years ago in the Word of God. 
This prediction was prefaced with these haunting words: 
“But mark this: These will be terrible times in the last days.”

Sounds like we’re there.

How can we change? 

God’s Word says, “the Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.” 

So study God’s Word. 
Believe what it says about how to be saved from ungodly character. 
Live what it says, for we all are running out of time!​

Seeing But Not Seeing

by Dean W. Masters

" Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him." (Luke 24:13-16, NRSV)

The news has had stories of some people who have been blind for a long time. Then through medical technology they could see. They could see items but their brain could not process all they saw. So at times they could see without really seeing.

The two men on the road to Emmaus saw Jesus but were kept from recognizing Him until a later time. These two had just gone through a huge ordeal with the crucifixion of Jesus, their leader. They thought the whole thing was over. They wondered if any of it was true. So they were going home.

When we go through hard times it is hard to see that Jesus is still with us. We may be facing a terrible disease. It may be the loss of a job. It may be the death of a loved one or good friend. During these times we may think that Jesus is not with us. We know that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. So we can be sure that Jesus will always be there if we just turn to Him. As He said,

"… And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”" (Matthew 28:20b, NRSV)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You that You are always with us. Help us to see that You are there even in the dark times and we have a hard time seeing You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Thought: Let us look to Jesus and see Him at all times.

The Son Of A Virgin

By Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child” (Matt. 1:23).

Mary was highly honored that she should be chosen to be the virgin mother of Messiah. This was a distinction for which every Jewish woman had hoped and prayed. But — now that she had heard the glad news from the angel Gabriel, she was to find herself in the most embarrassing position of an unmarried maiden with child. Little wonder that Mary hastened to the hill country to visit Elisabeth, the mother-to-be of miraculously-born John, later called John the Baptist. Who, in such a case, would better understand, or be better fitted to give sympathetic advice to Mary?

Mary remained with Elisabeth for about three months, or until the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:36,56), but now the real test lay ahead, for she must return to her home in Nazareth to face her relatives and acquaintances — and Joseph, her love. What would they say? And above all, what would he say? How could they be expected to believe her story? An angel had appeared to her, indeed!

In the record of Joseph’s reactions we are given light as to the extreme embarrassment in which Mary now found herself. Consider Joseph’s position. Mary was his “espoused wife.” Why had she gone away — and stayed so long? And now, what is this? She is found with child — not by him. Her explanation, if indeed she offered it to him, must have seemed most unsatisfactory. He could have charged her with adultery and had her stoned, but “being a just [Lit., “fair-minded”] man” he “was minded to put her away privily” (Matt. 1:19).

But “while he thought on these things,” with a heavy heart, “the angel of the Lord appeared unto him” and Joseph learned the truth; that she was indeed to be the honored mother of the Messiah of Israel, the Redeemer of sinners.

It was because our Lord was the Son of God, born into the world by a virgin and not partaking of Adam’s sinful nature, that He could go to Calvary and pay the full penalty for our sins. He “suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Pet. 3:18).

LET BROTHERLY LOVE CONTINUE

“Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them - those who are mistreated - since you yourselves are in the body also” (Hebrews 13:1-3 NKJV).

 

The book of Hebrews was mainly about the superiority of Jesus Christ over the Old Testament prophets and religious systems. In concluding his message, the writer of the book admonished his audience to let brotherly love continue. The Greek word (filadelfia) translated “brotherly love” in most English translations of the Bible can mean mutual love of brothers (and sisters) or “love for one's fellow believer, affection for a fellow believer.” It is in contrast with another Greek word (agapee) also translated “love” which is the unconditional and unparallel love that God has for the mankind. The implication of the admonition was that brotherly love already existed among the Hebrews that the book was addressed to. So, it must continue and the continuation should have no end. The writer of the book went ahead to give two explanations on how to demonstrate brotherly love (Hebrews 13:2-3). One, by entertaining strangers: he inferred to Abraham who unknowingly entertained angels (see Genesis 19). Two, by caring for the less privileged: Jesus Christ alluded to this in one of His parables (see Matthew 25:34-46). There are other ways of making brotherly love continue among us. 

 

It is evident from these two ways of demonstrating brotherly love that the “brother” that one is to love may not necessarily be a sibling or a fellow believer (as a commentator put it) or somebody of common interest, but anyone that one can help at a given time. The Samaritan in the popular parable of the Good Samaritan has been a classic example of demonstration of brotherly love (see Luke 10:25-37).

Many people would say that they love God, and they are ready to do anything for Him. However, do they love their fellow “brother”? Such people are hypocrites! Apostle John said, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20 NIV). 

 

A very important reason why one should let brotherly love continue is that one may on one occasion or the other be at the receiving end of such love. The “strange” stranger who leads the love or care may be YOU!

 

Do you have brotherly love? Be ready to demonstrate it to anyone that comes your way. Let brotherly love continue!

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

For Conscience Sake

- 1 Corinthians 10:23-33

INTRODUCTION

According to the Bible, a man’s conscience is worth protecting. So much so, that a man’s decisions in life should often be dictated by how his choices will affect his conscience as well as those who know of his decisions. Paul summed up this thought process when he said, “Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” Sometimes the emphasis placed upon a concern for one’s conscience moves an individual to submit himself to those who rule, perhaps even unworthily (Romans 13:5
). Other times, it may cause a man to suffer wrongfully, enduring grief. Either way, a man who cares about the conscience will allow its well-being to change his life.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Read 1 Peter 2:19-23 . David suffered at the hands of Saul and had the opportunity to twice kill Saul. Yet, both times, he yielded to the Lord’s will and prevented his men from sinning as they had opportunity to kill Saul (1 Samuel 24:4-7 : 1 Samuel 26:5-9 ).
• (For everyone): What decisions do you make based upon a desire to protect your conscience? What have you done to protect the conscience of others that you know?
• What are some of the desired functions of the conscience? How do these functions make it extremely important for a believer to work hard to protect the conscience of others?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask the Lord to give you wisdom concerning others’ consciences.
• Ask God to show you if you have hurt someone’s conscience.

HYMN

FOOTPRINTS OF JESUS

The Convicting Conscience - John 8:9

INTRODUCTION

It is extremely important for everyone to have a functioning conscience. According to Romans 2:15
, the conscience works in man to either accuse or else excuse his thoughts. His thoughts further affect his actions. The more often a conscience is ignored, the sooner it loses its capability to work upon man. The same holds true for any conscience defiled by sin. In John chapter 8, as the Lord dealt with the scribes and Pharisees, the desired inner workings of the conscience can be seen. In this instance, the religious leaders brought a woman before the Lord, accusing her of sin. In response, the Saviour suggested that he that was without sin should be the first to cast a stone in judgment. One by one the consciences of the religious leaders convicted them as they turned and walked away.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): Read Genesis 37:18-33 and Genesis 42:21-22 . Which son of Jacob had a convicting conscience? What did he do to lead you to believe he had a conscience that could bring conviction? How did the other brothers demonstrate their weak consciences?
• (For everyone): Has your conscience been corrupted so much that it can no longer convict you of wrongdoing? What steps would you need to take to mend your conscience?
• The conscience of the religious leaders worked in response to the words of the Lord (John 8:7
  , 9). How will your conscience best serve you?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to use your conscience to convict you of wrong.
• Ask the Lord to use His word to help your conscience.

HYMN

TAKE MY LIFE, AND LET IT BE

Strength Of The LORD

Psalms18:32 It is GOD that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

There do come a time in our life when we can not depend upon our own strength, our own emotions, or even, our own logical thinking. We become weak in body, emotional disabilitated, and, our mind becomes confused.

In times like that we need good praying friends, we need a loving family, and, we the support of folks that care. Thank GOD I have all that plus I have Jesus that feels my sorrow!

Christian friends, GOD will “girdeth” you with strength to meet any need in our life. GOD will make your way perfect by saving you today.

This is GOD's will, that all come to repentance and accept Jesus as their LORD.

WILL YOU?

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

Be Still and Know

Psalm 77:1 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

The LORD does hear our cry of need. Yes! Tears are a language God understands.

Many of us think we are strong enough for any situation. We think we can take care of our selves and our loved ones. Some may even think they are good enough, that, they don't need help from anyone.

But, dear Christian friends, there will come a time when we reach our limits. We will realize our weakness. We then find out we can't even help our self especially anyone else.

It's at the time of deep despair that we turn to God and cry out for help. Our LORD can, and, will give us help, hope, and healing for our souls.

The last part of this verse got my attention “and he gave ear unto me.” WOW! YES! The GOD of all does listen to his children's cry for help. Our heavenly father cares and is concerned about us. Jesus, our savior, has sent back the Comforter to minister unto us! It's the Holy Spirit that empowers, embolden, and, leads us gently in our path of life.

Be still and know GOD is real. Then you will hear the Holy Spirit speak to you heart.

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

Without Resurrection, We’re Dead in Our Sins

by Dr. Robert Jeffress

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
—1 Corinthians 15:16–18

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised . . . you are still in your sins.” If Christ is still in that tomb, it means when He died He didn’t die for our sins as He promised; He died for His own sins. You see, the Bible says, “The person who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:20). The reason we die is because of our sin. And if Jesus remained in that tomb it meant He didn’t pay for our sins; He was paying for his own sins. 

 

That has a logical implication. Paul says if Christ stayed in the tomb, then our loved ones have also perished. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then those who have gone before us—our Christian loved ones—have perished. “Those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians 15:18).

 

Now, that word “perished” doesn’t just mean dying physically. It means to suffer eternal separation from God. Think about it. If we are still in our sins, if Jesus Christ has not paid for our sins, then every Christian loved one who has preceded you in death that person died in their sins as well. And because of that, right now they are suffering separation from God for all eternity. It means your Christian grandparent, your Christian parent, your Christian mate, your Christian child or grandchild, your Christian friends and loved ones who have died—they are all suffering the eternal torment of hell right now. Do you believe that? 

 

That’s what Paul is saying. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then you’re still in your sins and so are your loved ones.

What Does Your BIBLE Say???

Matt. 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is,God with us.

If your bible does not have the word “virgin” in this verse THROW IT IN THE TRASH CAN!!!

I can not emphasize how important the doctrine of the virgin birth is.

Some of today's supposedly translators replace the word “virgin” with “young woman”. Christian friends, there is a big difference between a young woman and a virgin! Especially in the day we are living in. In Jesus's day, yes, a young woman was expected to be a virgin. She was to remain a virgin until she was married. On the wedding night, if the husband found she was not a virgin, he could immediately divorce or annul the marriage.

Any young woman, not a virgin, was considered a harlot in that day.

My, how things have changed!!

Its a sorry state of moral affairs when a young girl with no baby is considered a “mule” by her friends, AND, she can get paid for having even more!

No Christian friends, a virgin is more than just a young woman. A virgin has self restraint, is not controlled by others, and, keeps herself ready for better things than a “one night stand”.

Thank God! Our LORD forgives us from all sin.

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

Being A Christian

Matt.5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus is making a three point statement to his followers in this verse. First, he is telling them what to do. Second, he is telling them how to do it. Finally, he is telling them what the results will be.

Before we dissect this verse, let me say that most believers are “closet” believers. We believe, but, we don't tell any one, not even our closest friends. We keep silent afraid people will think us foolish, religious zealots, or, we might be offensive to them.

First, Jesus tells us to let our light shine before men. Anyone walking at night, that has a light of any kind, will shine it before them. This keeps them from falling and hurting themselves. Anyone with them can share the light; thus being safe also.

Second, Jesus says to “let your light so shine”. He did not say to make, force, or do it if you feel like it. Jesus said to “let” it shine. That means to allow your light to shine on its own accord. If you have Jesus in your heart, there is something different about you than before. You have a different attitude, perspective, and commitment about yourselves.

Finally, Jesus said other people will see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

That is what being a Christian is all about; living and telling others about the Christian life.

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

Heart and Mouth

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto rightousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

I don't put much stock into a person when they tell me they are saved but then can't or won't tell me about the circumstance, time, or place where they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. I think if you are saved, you will tell about it! You will WANT to tell others.

I have heard folks say they were too shy, tongue tied, or embarrassed to stand in church and share their experience with Jesus. I might be wrong, but, if you won't share your blessings of Jesus, in church with fellow Christians who love you, then, you sure won't share Jesus with anyone on the street!

I've concluded that many Christians don't know what witnessing is, or, is all about.

That is one of the major problems in our churches. We are not going unto the world with the good news that Jesus saves. We sit back and tell ourselves, “God will save them in the end”,or, “God already knows who will be saved so we don't have to worry about it”,or, and here is the kicker, “ I am not worthy to witness”.

IF CHRISTIANS WON'T TELL ABOUT JESUS, WHO WILL???

I still love you and God does too!!

 

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

Have Faith In GOD

Mark 11:22 (KJV) “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.”

Have you ever stopped to think about the word “faith”? The definition of “faith” is the complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Now, take a moment and really think about that. In your life today how much faith, confidence, or trust do you have in God? Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that comes to God MUST believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Believe me, I know it’s not an easy thing to wrap your brain around. I know from experience that when troubling times come, how hard it is to know you are in God’s hands. There were times in my life when I didn’t know how I would be able to put food on the table for my children, or even how I was going to take my next breath when it felt like my world was crumbling around me. I was powerless. There have been moments in my life when absolutely NOTHING went right day after day after day. I am thankful for the ones who loved me and prayed for me. They interceded on my behalf so that I could make it through.

Looking back now I am able to see where God was there for me. He was WITH me even when I didn’t think He even cared. I say this to encourage you to continue to grow yourself in the Lord. Build yourself and let the Holy Spirit guide you. The scripture says it plainly to keep your eyes lifted to the hills. He is there with you through it all.

If you need prayer for anything, please feel free to message us through the website, Facebook, or through the emails. We are more than happy to give you a phone call and pray with you if you’d like.

God Bless;

Anna Green