6 Brianna Johnson

ANNIVERSARY

7 Kenny & Shirley Powell

SERVICE Wednesday 6:30

Adults/youth/children

If you are age 65 and over, don’t miss the meeting Tuesday, Feb. 14, of the Twilight Years. The meeting begins at 6:00 at the church. For more information, call Martha Blankenship at 270 585-3825.

The Complete Trustworthiness of the Bible*

*Taken from KINGDOM DYNAMICS from New King James Version.

Psalm 19:7-8 “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The Word of God is perfect–absolute, complete and entirely trustworthy are the Holy Scpritures. The Word of God is perfect in its accuracy and sure in its dependability.

It is inerrant. From the origianl manuscripts there was never any mistakes and it was protected by the Holy Spirit over the centuries. The Bible is the most completely reliable of any book from antiquity. It remains unchanged and accurate.

It is infallible. The Bible is absolutely a trustworthy guide for our faith and practice. God is true (John 3:33). The Word reveals truth (John 17:17). God cannot lie (Numbers 23:10, Titus 1:2, Heb. 6:18).

As a believer, I choose to trust the Word of God over the words of man and over the emotions about issues. I am not saved because I feel like it. I am saved because of Rom. 10:9. “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” I am not healed because I feel like it. I am healed because of I Pet. 2:24. “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.” I make right decisions not based on my “feelings” but because of James 1:5. “If any man lacks wisdom let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

I have found over the years that the more I turn to God and His Word for decisions in my life, the more I am aware of His contant presence. Doing what is right, because it is right according to the Word of God, will bring me more peace and victory in my life.

Ps 119:89 “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations.”

Ps. 119:165 “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.”

JOIN A GROUP FOR THE SHOWING OF THE MOVIE “COURAGEOUS”.

Three nights at three different locations. The meeting schedule is as follows:***

6:00 CST each night.

FEBRUARY 19 Jimmy and Gayle Dowell

FEBRUARY 26 Bob and Rita Reynolds

MARCH 4 Tim and Jodie Cooper (pending)

The size of each group is limited to approximately 12. Sign up early. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to fellowship and be blessed. ****Sign up sheets are on the table in back of the church.

***We will schedule another movie night on March 11 if needed.

It is so easy to get in a routine and “comfort” zone in our spiritual walk. God wants us to “step out on the water” as Peter did and go beyond our human limitations. If you want to see miracles, signs and wonders, begin to reach for them with your faith.

The following poem was sent to me and encouraged me. Let this poem encourage you in your walk today.

  BEYOND OUR LIMITATIONS

Lord we need to move beyond

This place that we are in

To touch your very heart, O God

To have your love within

We need to move beyond the limits

We’ve placed upon our lives

To move into more of you

Revealed through Jesus Christ

Help us to keep pressing on

As, by faith, we take more steps

To really conquer our inner selves

To know you with more depth

To be focused more on you

No matter how hard it gets for us

We need to press on through

Though Satan rises with hell’s fury

With vengeance to devour

We pray, O God, you’ll arise in us

And fight with holy power

For greater are you within us

Than the enemy of our souls

For you have power and might, O God

And your Spirit is in control!

We know the victory shall be ours

Though for now the heat is on

Help us Lord to not give up

For by this you make us strong

You will sustain us in your love

Through what we’re going through

And deliver us the other side

Victorious in you! By M.S. Lowndes

       James 1:17     Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)

Everything we own, everything we have comes from God. So when we give, we simply offer him a very small portion of all the abundance he has already given to us. Giving is an expression of our thankfulness and praise to God! It comes from a heart of worship. For everything we give already belongs to him!  God instructed Old Testament believers to give a tithe, or a tenth, because this 10% represented the first, or most important portion of all that they had.

Believers should give according to their income.

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. (NIV)

We are blessed when we give.

Acts 20:35… remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (NIV)

God wants us to give because he knows how blessed we will be as we give generously to him and to others. Giving is a kingdom principle—it brings more blessing to the giver than to the recipient.  When we give freely to God, we receive freely from God.

Luke 6:38  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (NIV)

Proverbs 11:24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. (NIV)

The value of our offering is not determined by how much we give, but how we give.

—Mark 12:41-44 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on.” (NIV) from notes by Mary Fairchild

It is doubtless here we get the beautiful expression, “throne of grace.” (Heb. 4:16). It was a place of mercy.  Located beneath the mercy seat was the Ark of the Covenant itself.  This special container held reminders of God’s relationship with His people.  Because of man’s inconsistancies and lack of diligence the contents of the ark were lost.  Jesus came to restore and complete all that God had promised in His first covenant.   Under Jesus the New Covenant is established on better grounds with better promises.

Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your Father and Mother which is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

This is a scripture verse that we began teaching our children at home and at church when they were very young.  A person can never honor God if they do not honor their parents.  You may not agree with everything your parents have done, but by faith we need to find a way to honor the position they hold as our parents.

“Honour thy father and mother. This was a plain command of God in Exodus 20:12, written with his own hand, and delivered by Moses to them; it was of a moral nature, and of eternal obligation: and to be understood, not merely of that high esteem parents are to be held in by their children, and of the respectful language and gesture to be used towards them, and of the cheerful obedience to be yielded to them; but also of honouring them with their substance, feeding, clothing, and supplying them with the necessaries of life, when they stand in need thereof; which is but their reasonable service, for all the care, expense, and trouble they have been at, in bringing them up in the world: nor did the Jews deny this to be the duty of children to their parents, and own it to be the sense of the commandment: they say that this is the weightiest commandment among the weighty ones.” (Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible)  

        Many of us at New Life are now in the season of our lives that we must make the right decisions in the care of our parents.  It is a great responsibility to do the right thing at the right time for their care and it is not always easy.   Sometimes we must do things that our minds tell us it is the right decision but our hearts are hurting.  Pray for those who want to do the right thing to honor and care for their parents. The rewards of honor are eternal.  “That it may go well for you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth.”   I claim this promise today.