Posts from 2020 (Page 2)

No More Banging Gongs I’ve been reading through Ephesians for my devotions for the last few weeks and a few things stood out to me. The church was in a hostile environment in Ephesus, were they were isolated and under pressure to give into the Godless culture of their day. Paul encourages the church, by reminding them that God is in control, and their salvation can’t be taken away. Eternal life is eternal. Then Paul shows what God’s purpose and…

Have you ever wondered if you’re the only one who struggles with the hypocrisy of not living out what you know to be true? How can a believer know God’s word and be so casual in not being a doer of the word? Is there a way to experience love, joy, peace and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit in a growing way in a world that is getting more and more divided and anti-Christian? The answer isn’t…

AMAZING GRACE By Elder Jim Shedd   INTRODUCTION:  As I began to think about the subject of GRACE, I first looked at what we  normally mean when we use the term, and how we most often  understand it.  (it may seem somewhat old fashioned, as we don’t use it a lot except in Christian circles and contexts where it is a word rich and full of meaning).  It seems that generally the term GRACE means something like “Unmerited Favor” or…

August 2nd Sermon: Spiritual Warfare:  The Unseen Battle (Series) We are One in Christ! Romans 3:21-27 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. God’s ‘righteousness’ stands at the heart of these verses. How can we be righteous before God? What are three areas you struggle with consistently? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ There is…

We all struggle with a heart of a Pharisee We have a lot of people struggling with isolation and depression. Last week God challenged me with Matthew 15:18 as I was thinking about people who I disagreed with. I wrote down some questions realizing I needed to repent. This exercise helped me, and I hope it helps you. Matthew 15:18       But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. Do you…

This Week Elder Chair Home Haynes shares with us scriptures relating to Obedience to the Lord.   Discipline of Obedience Deuteronomy 13:4 It is the Lord your God you must follow and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him. 1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice…

Freedom Has A Purpose We are free in Christ. What does that mean? I’ve been going through Galatians for my devotions the last few weeks and I came to Galatians 5 on the 4th of July. There I read, Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” I was trying to understand how my three adopted children who are…

Ask God to speak to you through today’s verses. (Example: Romans 8:1-2) After reading the text, summarize them in your own words. Rewrite it in a way that would enable you to easily explain it to a friend. Reread the scripture and compare it to your summary. Is there something you added or missed?                                        If needed, modify your summary to reflect the big idea in the verses. Ask yourself, what is the Holy Spirit saying to me through these scriptures?…

  My Father’s Advice: ‘Don’t Hate, Don’t Hide, Don’t Be a Victim’ Someone burned a cross in our neighbors’ yard. My sister and I were taught to carry on living. By Jonathan Harmon June 12, 2020 2:43 pm ET   Mr. Harmon’s parents in their backyard in the 1980s. PHOTO: COURTESY OF JONATHAN HARMON When I was 14, someone burned a cross on the lawn of the house across the street. It was September 1979, and we lived in overwhelmingly white Port…

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION – Elder Jim shedd Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed; Matthew 13 –The sower (the Holy Spirit) and the seed (God’s Word) are effective and good, but the field  or soil must accept and allow the seed to take root and grow.  The context is about how receptive and open we (people) are to the Gospel message and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. So how can we know that God’s seed has been firmly…