Prayer
List
Charles
Counts has improved after surgery &
is being monitored weekly.
Monte
Randolph had PET scan. Results not good.
Jeremy
King has his blood pressure under control for now.
Nonie
Tucker had new hip repaired and is slowly recovering She is in good
spirits and has to be cautious about every move she makes.
Norma
Garza (Walter’s neighbor) had shoulder surgery Wednesday & is
staying with daughter until Monday.
Ruby
Slone has pneumonia in her left lung & pain in her neck. Had
stimulator inserted in back.
Ronald
Hickerson had surgery on shoulder, & is waiting for biopsy
results.
Eddie
Roland to get filter for blood clots & needs a hip replacement.
Pat
Rivera (friend of Frank) is in rehab for COPD & several broken
bones.
Rebecca
Van Deren has eye problems & may get insulin pump for diabetes.
Kathy
Hill (cancer), Ben Harrington (diabetes complications), Don
Hickerson (arterial problems), Eddie Griffin (heart), Tabitha
Griffin (cancer), Billie Bradford (in nursing home), Betty Clark
(in remission from cancer), Les Hamel (weekly transfusions, stress),
Beryl Miller (macular degeneration).
Serving
in the military: Tyler Davies, Josh Van Deren, Kirklynn Hance
and Kirk Johnson in the USA. Cody Blomstedt is in Korea.
Our
Spring Meeting will be April 7-10
Topic
NEVER. GIVE. UP. - a study of the saints and what kept them going
By
Clint Brown from Farmersville, Texas
Fellowship
meal will be after morning services on April 7th.
Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.
James
5:16 (KJV)
Pantry
Item: Spaghetti Sauce - or other non-perishable items.
April
Announcements Robert Embry
Communion
Don Harrington Jerry Harris Kerry King
Men
Serving Next Week April
7, 2019
Morning
Prayers Don Baker, Greg Counts
Evening
Prayers Robert Embry, Don Harrington
Scripture
Robert
Embry
If Every Christian Imitated You
David
Sproule
Paul
told his fellow Christians in Corinth, “I urge you, imitate
me...Imitate me…” (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1). He told his fellow
Christians in Philippi, “Brethren, join in following my
example...The things which you learned and received and heard and
saw in me, these do” (Phil. 3:17; 4:9). What would that early
church have looked like if they all truly mimicked the life of the
apostle Paul? How evangelistic would they have been? How
encouraging? How devoted? How generous? How studious?
Now,
let’s turn the tables for a moment and make this glaringly
personal. Imagine for a moment that you told your fellow Christians
in your home congregation at the beginning of this year, “I urge
you, imitate me...Brethren, join in following my example...The
things which you hear and see in me, these do.” What would your
home congregation look like now, at the end of the year, if every
member truly mimicked you?
How
evangelistic would your home congregation have been this year if
every member mimicked you? How many tracts would the
church have handed out? How many deeply religious conversations
would have taken place with family members and coworkers? How many
friends would have been invited to worship? How many links to
articles and sermons would have been shared? How many Bible studies
would have been offered and conducted? How many baptisms would have
resulted if everyone mimicked you?
How
encouraging would your home congregation have been this year if
every member mimicked you? How many cards would have
been mailed out? How many phone calls would have been made? How
many friendly texts or emails would have been sent? How many home
visits would have been made? How many warm handshakes and hugs
would have been given? How many meals would have been shared
together? How many church members would have been personally
contacted and built up if everyone mimicked you?
You
get the idea, right? How fervent would singing in worship have been
this year if everyone mimicked you? How sacrificial would the total
contribution have been if everyone mimicked you? How many chapters
in the Bible would have been personally read and studied throughout
the year if everyone mimicked you?
The
Lord’s church does need fancy programs to reach lost souls, to
encourage fellow Christians, to improve our worship, to cause
Christians to read their Bibles, etc., etc. No! It just needs
Christians who are deeply committed to Jesus Christ! Paul could
say, “Imitate me,” because he was deeply committed every day to
“imitating Christ.” Are you?
**********************************
Gaps in the Walls, Must Be Filled
Dan
Jenkins
The
Bible is filled with illustrations from the lives of ancient times
which are then used to make great spiritual applications. When God
spoke to Israel through His prophet Ezekiel, He used the expression
of “a man standing in the gap” (Ezek. 22:30). We may not readily
see what this man was doing, but it was well understood by the men
in Ezekiel’s day.
Men
in the gap, breaches in the city walls and ancient warfare. The
cities in the Old Testament were protected by walls, watchmen on top
of those walls and fortified gates. The most skilled soldiers were
posted atop the walls to ensure the safety of the city. However,
there were those times when enemy soldiers were able to break down
the wall and create gaps so they could enter and plunder the city.
When such emergencies occurred, it was imperative that someone, even
if he was not a highly trained soldier, stand in that gap and
protect the city at all cost.
Gaps
in the wall around the city of Jerusalem in Ezekiel’s day. This
imagery was used by Ezekiel to describe what was spiritually
happening to Israel. Spiritual gaps were in the walls, yet not one
person was willing to do anything about them. There were political
gaps. The rulers were self-centered and unashamedly taking bribes to
become wealthy (Ezek. 22:27). There were religious gaps created by
their leaders who used their positions to take the possessions of
the people and oppressed the poor, especially widows (Ezek. 22:25).
They also covered their actions by acting like they were working on
these gaps and claimed to see visions from God (Ezek. 22:23-28).
They were even making up messages and saying, “Thus says the
Lord.” Inside the walls there were the citizens creating “gaps”
by oppression and robbery (Ezek. 22:29). The gaps were obvious, but
nothing was being done to close them. God said, “So I sought for a
man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before
Me...but I found no one” (Ezek. 22:29).
Gaps
in our walls, and God looks for a man. There are gaps
all around us locally and nationally. There are gaps in our homes
when parents are too busy to stand for what is right. There are gaps
in the church when preaching has so little Scripture.
God
looks for those to stand in the gaps. They must be vigilant. They
must be courageous. They must be focused and determined to stand at
all costs.
The
question is whether you are willing to be that person to deal with
the reality of gaps in the wall. Consider this. God is looking for
just one person to stand in the gap. Godly men and women have stood
in the gaps in the past. God is looking for a man to stand, and that
person can be you!
**********************************
Answer
to last weeks question!
What
unlucky prophet delivered an unfavorable
message to King Ahab? - Micaiah
ben-Imiah (1Kings 22:8-28)
Trivia
Question This false prophet
wore a yoke, which Jeremiah broke.