October 9^th, 2016

9:30 am ----------------------------------------She Left Her Waterpot – John 4:27-30

10:00 am -----------------------------------The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1-7

Nursery Today: Second Service -- Lauren P. , Alt. -- Debra

“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” -- Proverbs 29:15

Our God in wisdom, ordered the rod of correction for our children. “Spare the rod, spoil the child”, God says. And how clearly we see the shame that an unruly, undisciplined child brings to its parent. And that unruly child will grow up to be an unruly adult. God does not leave His children to themselves, but chastens those He loves. And a true lesson learned involves pain. A ‘painful experience’ is one truly learned. Love cannot abuse the one it loves. Scripture says, “Let not thy soul spare for his crying” (Prov.19:18).

Along with the rod must come reproof. The child must be told the reason for the rod. If done so calmly, thoughtfully, it will keep us from lashing out in anger, and the child will thoughtfully consider why it is receiving the rod. Disregard the so-called experts or our day and do as our all-wise God says. He has promised: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” -- Proverbs 22:6

With God, All Things Are Possible -- Mark 10:26-27

NOTHING more clearly reveals to us that salvation, sanctification, and redemption are the work of our God than to observe the efforts and failure of those who try to accomplish this work for themselves! The disciples asked, "Lord, who then can be saved?" He said unto them, "with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." It is impossible in the flesh for a man to please God. Yet millions, ignorant of the righteousness of Christ, still go about to establish their own righteousness and will not submit to the righteousness of God, which is Christ Jesus, our Lord. Many keep up this masquerade to the judgment and then plead their works before God, Matthew 7:21-23. However, most finally lose interest, keep their names on church rolls, and play church on special days. When they die, their preachers try to find some cause on which to give their families hope. But that too is impossible, for if Christ is not in you, there is no hope of glory.

– H.T.M.

A Stranger Will They Not Follow

I try not to worry about God’s people listening to various voices (preachers, politicians, leaders), whether they will be wrongly influenced or not. The Lord plainly said: “The sheep follow (the Shepherd); for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but they will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” – John 10:4-5.

For this reason I do not try to police the people as to who or what they should or should not listen to, but am confident that the Holy Spirit will cause them to flee from strangers. The Holy Spirit is the great Teacher, Guide and Protector, sent by the Shepherd. He guides (the sheep) into all truth and will not let them stray from the Truth, but will ever keep pointing them to Christ, teaching them the Truth as it is in Him, and warn the sheep of wolves. And the Great Shepherd also provides His sheep with undershepherds (pastors) whose responsibility it is to feed the sheep with the Truth, to point them always to Christ, as well as pointing out the wolves when they see them.

Concerning Faith:

“ Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of that faith is to see what we believe.” – Augustine