Welcome. I’m happy to make it through the wintry weather we had the past few days. The ice and snow is finally melting away. We still have many who are sick and suffering. Let us continue in prayer for these and others who are in quarantine due to the virus. The numbers are falling. God is good to us.
Congratulations to Carla Prysock, our newest sister in Christ at Harding Street. Carla experienced the joy of salvation in Christ when she was baptized into Christ on Sunday morning, January 30th. God is blessing us. We are thankful.
It is so good to have the opportunity to meet together on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week. On Sunday we study the Bible together. When we study God’s word our faith is stronger, our mind is sharper, and our confidence in Christ is reaffirmed after a week of life and living. We pray together. A family that prays together stays together. I know this sounds cliché, but it is true. We want to “be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). We will sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together. We sing because Jesus sung (Matthew 26:30). We sing like Paul sang; with the spirit and with the understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15). The church is to “speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). We are to “let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). “Worship” can become more about us, what we want and what pleases us rather than what God wants or what pleases Him. We must remember who the audience is in worship. The audience is not us. The audience is God. We share in the Lord’s Supper together. The bread represents Jesus’ body. The fruit of the vine represents Jesus’ blood. We have communion together every Sunday. In the Bible the church met to “break bread” on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). We are continuing steadfastly in the Apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). We give. We “lay something aside” giving as we have purposed in our hearts, not grudgingly or of necessity, but cheerfully and bountifully for the work of the church (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
Our Sunday morning sermon this past Sunday helps us “Find the Joy in Giving.” God expects us to share our time, talent, and treasure to make the world better. We want to give generously, sacrificially, purposefully, creatively, and abundantly. Luke 6:38 is forever true. Have you tried it? If you have, you know. If you haven’t, you’re missing out. Remember Jesus saying this? “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” On the evening at 5:00 we focused our attention on the “V” in BRAVE and found that Brave Christians Value God’s Word. Come meet with us on Sunday at 9:00/10:00/5:00 and again on Wednesday at 7:00 and let us worship God our Savior our Lord our King. MB
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