From The Pastor's Desk
As I sit here to write this, I am reminded that what I am about to say doesn't really matter in regard to Christianity. I am also feeling overcome with the inability to help people with health problems and their sufferings.
If a church, regardless of size, becomes about who their leader is instead of Jesus, there’s a problem. We should be unified around Jesus and Jesus alone! He’s the focus. We’re here because of Jesus and what He’s doing. If we’re attending because of the preacher, we’re challenged to ask, is this a reason to attend this church. The preacher does not follow you home, but Jesus does. The Church in Corinth was divided over things that weren’t all that important. There will be disagreements that do matter, such as things that don’t follow Jesus or the scripture.
Our hearts should be united around Jesus Christ and then we can deal with difficult things. It’s all about Jesus Christ. The rest, we can work through. We can find a way. For some 2000 years, Jesus has brought the church through some very difficult things. Jesus can get us through. Him and only Him. We need to set aside the things that don’t matter so we can have the hard discussions. It must start with Jesus. Every day it needs to start with Jesus. We have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus. We build the church together. We were made to do this together. Jesus first! The rest, we can work out together.
Join us weekly for Sunday School at 10 a.m., Worship at 11 a.m., Children’s program and Bible study at 6 p.m., and midweek Bible Study Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Souper Bowl next Sunday with canned goods for the Food Banc.
Warsaw First Church of the Nazarene
Good morning from Warsaw first Church of the Nazarene. Last week I wrote about blessing your neighbor. So, this week I will touch on the conflict every human has with understanding the spoken word. We literally speak blessings and curses into other people’s lives every day! The sad part is most adults do not realize that they are cursing others to include their own children. So many life coaches, writers of self-help books, and councilors within our society will tell you how valuable positive words of affirmation are in relationships. Have you ever considered how you say the words or your word choices? One of the most common lines, among southern women is “bless you”. We must realize that how we say ‘bless you’ reflects the truth hidden in our hearts. Words that are meant to be positive but spoken with a harsh undertone are not a blessing. God wants us to realize this, or Paul would not have shared in 1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal…” Words not spoken in kindness are a curse and often cause separation from a person we once thought wants the best for us. If we go all the way back into Genesis, we see that our Heavenly Father has always desired to bless us. He gave this world to mankind and set up a network of living organisms for this reason, so we would be fruit bearers. Genesis reveals the powers of fertility and generosity in creation—to include us! It is through mankind that the world is to be blessed. Abram (Abraham) received this anointing directly from God (Genesis 12:1-3).
There is more evidence as to the power behind blessings and curses. Psalm 19:1-4 tells of the evident wonder and inexplicable gift of blessings on the house (nation) of Israel. We can clearly see the correct response from Israel by their awe in how God’s creative love filled their hearts. Wait! There is more to consider in Psalm 104:14-23. In this passage, we are told about the glory of God. Can you see it? Can you see how God is looking after, caring, sustaining, and protecting his creation with generous guarantees? I know that is Old Testament stuff which seems to be out of touch with our world today, but it is not. I hope you discover that the gift of prosperity is not bound to the earth but found in heavenly treasures. Treasures of life as shared by Paul in the Book of Ephesians. Do you realize that blessings impart life while curses weaken the very fabric of every relationship until they reach the point of destruction (death)?
Paul said it best in Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” We can start by speaking blessings and stop cursing because words spoken, even if they are truth, will not edify the body of believers and show nonbelievers Christ. This is why Paul added in Ephesians 4:29-32 “Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor (a loud and confusing noise, especially that of people shouting vehemently), and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” This is so much to share on this topic. In blessing, we will find hope and compassion to change ourselves so we can become blesser of others within our community.
Andy Lavender, Pastor
Warsaw First Church of the Nazarene,
(660) 641-2947 email: warsawnaz712@gmail.com
Warsaw Christian Church
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor (Acts 9:36, NIV).
Tabitha was a disciple of Jesus. I assume she was just an ordinary woman. How did she live out her discipleship? She went about doing good. That became her way of life. She was always consistently doing good. When her name came up in a conversation, people said, "Yes, Tabitha. I know about her. She is always doing good." Wouldn't it please you if that is how others spoke of you?
She was especially interested in helping the poor. When you think of living the Christian life, you may think of people like Martin Luther or Billy Graham, who have done great things. We cannot do what they did. Does that mean we are failures as Christians? Tabitha probably does not come to mind when we think of great Christians. She was just an ordinary Christian woman who went about doing good and helping the poor. If that can be said of us, we are faithful disciples. Don't put yourself down because you are not doing great things. God is happy with you if you are doing good things.
