Truth

In the first few verses of II John, the word truth  is used over and over again. According to John, it is because of truth that God provides us with grace, mercy and peace. It is truth that allows our children to walk safely within the will of God. The love we have for other Christians has its foundation in truth.

Without an understanding of truth, we could not serve God, the church and even our society would quickly fall apart. As we prepare for this week’s service, I would encourage you to consider the following statements to see how many of them you agree with.

1. If you believe in absolute truth you will always be in the minority.
2. If you believe in truth you will make decisions which many people will disagree with.
3. Truth is absolute and it is eternal. 
4. If your children walk in the truth they will have eternal life. 
5. Most people do not understand the concept of truth. 
6. There is only one truth because truth will not contradict itself. 

See you Sunday.

Dean

*February 3 is Scout Sunday. The scouts will hand out food bags for donations to benefit the Christian Care Center. Please return your bag with food Sunday evening. The scouts will be leading the prayers and song service for the Sunday evening service. Come and support our young men.

Which One Will You Choose?

An artist wrote an extensive description of heaven  and hell, detailing every aspect of life in both places. He then painted a large painting of each place on the wall in his office. Later, as people came to see him, he would casually ask them, “Which place do you want to live?” Not surprisingly, as they looked at the painting, everyone picked heaven. Not one soul ever picked hell.

Heaven and hell are destinations and before we get to the destination, we must choose the way we are going to travel. The way to the destination is determined by the nature we choose for our life. Will we have a Godly nature or a sinful nature? Peter describes both in chapters one and two of I Peter because he wants to show us what it really means to serve Christ. You have the opportunity to choose either a Godly nature or a worldly nature. One leads to heaven, the other will take you to the fires of hell.

Which one will you choose? Would you choose the nature of God which leads to eternal life in heaven or the worldly nature which leads to eternal condemnation? II Peter helps us see the choices in three short chapters.

• Chapter 1 looks at the Godly nature.
• Chapter 2 gives us a picture of the sinful nature.
• The last chapter takes a look at the judgment.

Think about it! I’ll see you in church Sunday.

Dean

James: Practical, Everyday Christian Living

In five short chapters James covers a number of important everyday topics. As you can see below, each chapter is packed with powerful everyday information designed to help us live for God.

1. GODLY WISDOM 
2. FAITH AND WORKS 
3. POWER OF THE TONGUE 
4. SUBMIT TO GOD 
5. LIVING WITH FAITH 

When you compare God’s concept of wisdom with the view of the world, you see two totally different lifestyles emerge. Worldly wisdom leads to a hunger for things and selfish ambitions dominate life.

Godly wisdom on the other hand causes us to have a faith in God and it directs our lifestyle toward people rather than things. As we will see Sunday, Godly wisdom changes the things we say as well as the deeds we do. It also provides us with a totally different attitude toward the nature and purpose of human life.

See you Sunday morning.

Dean

The Bible

People in every century have challenged the authenticity of the Bible. Questions are asked by unbelievers as well as those who want to believe in God’s word.

1. How do we know the Bible is really God’s word? 
2. Why are there so many English translations? 
3. How do we know that we have the right text? 
4. How can we be sure the Bible hasn't changed over the years? 
5. Which translation is the most accurate? 

As we look at some of these issues this coming Sunday; you can be absolutely sure that the God who created the universe fulfills all of his promises. One of those promises is that His word will always be protected.

• “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word  of God. For, all men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of God stands forever.” I Peter 1:23-25
  
  
• II Timothy 3:16,17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in  righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
  
  
• “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had it’s origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”  II Peter 1:20,21

Dean

What is Important in 2013?

According to several surveys, here is a list of the most popular New Year’s resolutions in America. Look closely and see what is missing!

• Drink Less Alcohol
• Eat Healthy Food
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others

Did you notice? Not one resolution has  anything to do with God! You might want to consider the following for 2013:

1. Start every day with prayer and Bible reading 
2. Help every member of your family toknow God better. 
3. Never miss a worship service. 
4. Tell others about Christ. 
5. Fight against any sin that is in your life. 
6. Put God’s will first in your life. 

In the final judgment, the only thing that will matter is our relationship with God. Let’s grow in that relationship during 2013.

Happy New Year!

Dean