From The Pastor's Desk
Ashamed
They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush.
-Jeremiah 6:15
In reality, a person who comes to Christ for salvation must be ashamed of their life style and unbelief. They must be convicted and know they are lost.
I still do things everyday that I am ashamed of. What about you? Are you ever ashamed?
If you are a Christian or claim to be and cuss then you ought to be ashamed.
If you approve of sex outside of marriage, you should be ashamed.
If you approve of abortion and a transgender life style, and same sex marriage, you ought to be ashamed.
If you vote for such people, you should be ashamed.
If you disrespect the American flag and the National Anthem, you ought to be ashamed.
If you are a preacher and you have received riches by begging money, you ought to be ashamed.
If you are a liar, you ought to be ashamed.
If you are afraid to say you are a Christian, you ought to be ashamed.
Of that I am not ashamed. Romans 1:16. I love the Lord. I love the gospel. I am a Christian. I am not ashamed? Are you?
Call me (660) 281-4775.
Warsaw First Church Of The Nazarene
Good morning from Warsaw First Church of the Nazarene! I pray and hope you will join me in a discussion on faith, grace, and sanctification beginning with this article. Let’s start with a question. How was your faith formed? Did your trust in Jesus, self, and the church remain unchanged since the day you ask Jesus to forgive you? Please do not rush to answer the question but reflect on the purpose of sharing those thoughts. I would love to hear your response for I am sure there are multitudes willing to share the truth found in a life full of faith. First, we must establish that every human relationship is shaped by faith or the lack of faith in each other, yet is seldom spoken when we address friendships, marriage, and work. The pain in broken relationships is not the lack of love (Romans 8:39) but from shattered trust (faith) in the other person. Maybe this is the main reason people have not returned to worship with other believers since CoVID. Maybe, this is why the younger generations are walking away or seldom attend worship with other believers. They do not know how to really walk in faith. Why am I opening this door? The global church in our country has a virus—instant Christianity—that needs addressed.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth – Genesis 1:1 How many believers in God, the Father, fully believe these words? Is it true? Of course, humans were not there to record with their senses what God did for us in love, so it requires faith to trust in scripture. (Hebrews 11:1) Maybe you believe today, did you always place your faith fully in those words? Consider Peter’s situation in the New Testament. He knew Jesus was the Messiah and our Lord confirmed the faith Peter was exercising by telling Peter that only His Father in heaven could reveal this to Peter (Matthew 16:17), yet in his faith walk Peter denies His Savior at the trial of Jesus—three times. Peter’s faith waned under intense pressure and lack of full trust in His Savior. We can see through hindsight that Peter’s faith at that particular moment in his relationship with Jesus was based on what was viewable—not on what he could not see. Peter would need to take part in ‘operation grace’.
You know the grace that has flowed from our Heavenly Father since the ‘fall’. Peter life was covered by grace several times through his journey with Christ—so is ours! While our faith will be tested, we must remember Jesus words “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, and I in you. --John 15:1-4 (NASB)
You must… remain true to the source to remain clean—not perfect. You must trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance in your sanctification. After all, it is your choice. The greatest tragedy spinning out of instant Christianity, as defined by A.W. Tozer in his essay of the same title, is the desire for instant fruit. How many years does it take before a vine produces fruit desired by the master? We must remain in Him by renewing our minds daily. While you were made clean the instant you received Jesus in your heart, you must NOT let one faith experience in Jesus determine your value in the family of God. Ask the saints in your church body to testify about their faith forming experiences. I have no doubt there are many such experiences that they have built their house on over the years.
Pastor Andy Lavender
Email: warsawnaz712@
gmail.com
P.S. You can find Tozer’s essay on the web.
Unity Of The Lakes
This Sunday, Reverend Laura Bennett will speak on "The Key to Grace-Filled Living".
Within the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew is a hidden treasure. It is a teaching so powerful that it makes all other teachings possible. It can strengthen and empower you even-and especially-in the most difficult times. It is a great follow up to our national elections and a wonderful precedence to a full holiday season because it is shared in ways that lay the groundwork for new vision, personal freedom, and peace of mind. What is this mystery teaching? Come and find out on Sunday, November 10, at 11 AM as Rev. Laura reveals the key to grace-filled living.
All are welcome!
Lincoln First Baptist Church
In Matthew 27:11-26 Jesus goes before Pilate and Pilate asks, are You the King of the Jews? Jesus answers, you have said so. This is a time of civil unrest. Pilate derived a plan to convince the people he was on their side by releasing one of their people. Barabbas is a political prisoner, and Pilate asks which one they want released. The chief priests and the elders encouraged the crowd to ask for Barabbas. Pilate ask what shall I do with Jesus the Messiah, and the crowd shouted, crucify Him. Why, Pilate ask, what crime has He committed. They yelled crucify Him again. A riot is breaking out, so Pilate decides to give them just enough so they would leave him alone. Pilate washes his hands of this, and the people say His blood is on our hands and on our children. Any sense of doing the right thing has gone completely out the window. Everything about this feels so wrong.
We often overlook Barabbas in this story. We are often Barabbas because Jesus took our place. Jesus didn’t deserve what happened, but we did. Substitutionary atonement. When Jesus takes Barabbas’ place, it’s the definition of grace. He desires that not anyone would perish, that we would never die and live eternally with Him. We are the story of the Bible, and if we think it’s a story about other people, we miss that it’s our story. Jesus literally died for all of us. He walked willing to the cross for a man like Barabbas and sinners like us. He chose to give His life as an atonement for our sin. This is our hope. This is it! It’s so easy to lose sight of Jesus as our hope. Jesus took our place. Every day we have hope, even when it’s hard to see! We can get stuck in the stuff or we can see Jesus! Let’s see Jesus everywhere we go! He is worth following every time!
School at 10 a.m. with Worship at 11 a.m., regular Bible Study Wednesdays and Sundays at 6 p.m. with our Children’s Program Sundays at 5:30 p.m. Watch our service live at 11 a.m. Sunday mornings on Hopewell Baptist Church Facebook page.
Warsaw Christian Church
I would like to introduce you to our great congregation. First, I will mention our website, where you can find weekly information by clicking on www.warsawchristian.church. We are a traditional congregation in terms of worship style. We sing from a hymnal with organ accompaniment. We have a choir. Our worship service consists of hymns, prayers, a weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper, a Bible-based sermon …., all the usual. While we are not opposed to contemporary worship styles, we prefer the traditional approach.
Our beautiful sanctuary has historic significance. It predates the Civil War, and during that awful conflict, Federal Troops took over our building, first using it as a hospital and later as a stable. We have several Federal soldiers buried on our property in unmarked graves. Several people have come by wanting to see the unmarked graves, and I try to explain the meaning of “unmarked" patiently!
We are a non-denominational church rooted in the 19th-century “Restoration Movement.” Our founders wanted to build the modern church squarely on the Bible, and we affirm that goal today. Our weekly Bible study is at 2:30 every Wednesday. Our current study is in the Book of Daniel.
Our creed is simple. Our founders had a slogan we continue to follow: “No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible.” We proclaim Jesus Christ as the world’s only Savior in harmony with the Bible. We are a Christ-centered, Bible-based church.
Our worship service begins at 10:00 A.M. each Sunday, and Sunday School starts at 9 A.M. If you are interested in a traditional, conservative church, you are invited to visit us.
