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Is Worship Attendance Important?     June 23,2017

6/23/2017

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​IS WORSHIP ATTENDANCE IMPORTANT?“Just because I don’t attend church regularly does not mean that I’m not a good Christian.” I initially heard those words from a “professed” Christian nearly 50 years ago. I have heard it scores of times since. Although I have no idea where it originated, I’m confident that it did not originate with God’s word.
 
God commands us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The early church frequently assembled to do so – Acts 2:41-42; 20:7ff; 1 Cor. 16:2; etc. Speaking of which, Hebrews 3:12-13 states, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but EXHORT ONE ANOTHER DAILY, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”  How is such exhortation possible unless Christians assemble regularly with the saints?
 
Moreover, Hebrews 10:25-27 says, "…NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and SO MUCH THE MORE as you see the day approaching.  For IF WE SIN WILLFULLY after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain FEARFUL EXPECTATION OF JUDGMENT, and fiery indignation."  If we intentionally forsake church assemblies, we not only disobey this directive of God, but we rob ourselves of the benefits of worship, including spiritual renewal. And, as the reading indicates, failure to grow spiritually makes us more susceptible to willful sin and dire consequences.
 
It is no coincidence that when people fall away from the Lord, they typically start by missing church assemblies like midweek Bible study. Before long, they begin missing Sunday morning Bible study or Sunday evening worship. In the end, they stop attending Sunday morning worship. Oh, they may occasionally show up at a service, but by that time their devotion to the Lord is virtually non-existent.
 
Is worship attendance important? In addition to the aforementioned points, listen to David – the man after God’s own heart - “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’"  (Psa. 122:1)
 
Jesus, always Jesus!
Dennis
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Wanted: Godly Fathers                   June 18, 2017

6/18/2017

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WANTED – GODLY FATHERS
 
Over the past 60 years the crime rate in the United States has risen steadily and alarmingly. Why? Law enforcement agencies are quick to blame high unemployment rates, insufficient police personnel, easy access to drugs and weapons, lenient judges, etc.
 
Tragically, THE THREE PRINCIPAL CULPRITS behind our burgeoning crime rate are frequently ignored –
1.     Lack of consistent spiritual training in the home.
2.     Lack of consistent discipline in the home.
3.     Lack of a strong, moral father figure in the home.
 
When children lack sufficient spiritual training, they tend to adopt the morals and behavior of peers, regardless of how reckless or lawless.
 
When children are permitted to get away with disobedience, disrespect or improper behavior at home, the same behavior tends to continue as they enter society as adults. 
 
Without a strong, devoted father figure at home, children frequently turn to worldly peers for advice, direction, and examples to imitate.
 
Fathers, God has given YOU the primary responsibility for the spiritual upbringing of your children. “…FATHERS, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training & admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Your children need YOU to show them how to lead productive, law-abiding lives, and the WAY TO HEAVEN!
 
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY TO YOUR CHILDREN, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, & when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates.” (Deut. 6:6-9)


Our children need Godly fathers. Don't let them down.
 
Jesus, always Jesus!

Dennis
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How to Get Into Christ     June 10, 2017

6/11/2017

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HOW TO GET INTO CHRIST
 
The Bible associates salvation with numerous things – redemption (1 Cor. 1:30), sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30), forgiveness of sins(Eph. 1:7), eternal life (Rom. 6:23) and being IN CHRIST.
 


  • "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly placesIN CHRIST" (Eph. 1:3). Only those in Christ can enjoy these spiritual blessings.


 


  • "Therefore if anyone is IN CHRIST, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"(2 Cor. 5:17). A person becomes a new creation when he or she gets into Christ.


 


  • "Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is IN CHRIST JESUS..."(2 Tim 2:10). Since salvation is found in Christ, one must get into Christ in order to be saved.


 


  • "And this is the testimony, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is IN HIS SON"  (1 Jn. 5:11). Since eternal life is found in Christ, one must be in Christ in order to possess it.


 
I have yet to find anyone who will argue these points. At the same time, I have met many who have no idea what the Bible instructs us to do in order to get into Christ. “Or do you not know that as many of us as were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST JESUS were baptized into His death?” (Rom 6:3) "For as many of you as were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:27)
 
Like it or not, baptism is the only scriptural way a person can get into Christ. You can search from the front to the back of your Bible, and you will find no other way. Why is it, then, that many denominations underrate the importance of baptism?
 
Truth be told, many denominations have a “love/hate” relationship with baptism. Although they teach and practice it, they minimize its importance, rationalizing that to do otherwise is tantamount to teaching salvation by works. But baptism is NOT a work. (How much WORK did you do when someone immersed you in the water?) Moreover, they typically insist that repentance and confession ARE necessary to salvation, yet BOTH require EFFORT or WORK. Interesting…
 
I want to be IN CHRIST, don’t you?
 
Jesus, always Jesus!
 
Dennis
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Be Part of The Few              June 2, 2017

6/2/2017

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BE PART OF THE FEW!
 
“Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there FEW who are SAVED?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the NARROW GATE, for MANY, I say to you, will SEEK TO ENTER and will NOT be able.” (Lk. 13:23)
 
The answer Jesus gave to the query was not popular in His day, and less so today. Many believe that the majority will be saved, especially those who desire to be. But look again at Jesus’ words – “…MANY, I say to you, will SEEK TO ENTER and will NOT be able.” In other words, many who desire to go to heaven will not make it.
 
Our Lord further elaborated in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the NARROW GATE: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because NARROW is the gate and DIFFICULT is the way which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it".
 
Again, consider Jesus’ words carefully. The main reason that so few will find THE GATE and THE WAY to heaven is that the entrance is NARROW (“restricted, as by stringent rules or requirements”) and DIFFICULT (“demanding, challenging”). Unfortunately, many who desire to be saved will fail to fully comply with God’s requirements.
 
In Matthew 7:21 Jesus adds, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who DOES THE WILL of My Father in heaven.” Doing the will of God – strictly abiding by His instructions – is what makes the gate narrow and the way difficult.
 
There are ONLY TWO ROADS and TWO ETERNAL DESTINATIONS. If we miss Heaven, we will be cast into Hell. Jesus stressed that the majority will end up in the latter. Those who do so will have failed to enter through the narrow gate. Don’t let that happen to you.
 
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off…"(Acts 2:37-39)
 
Jesus, always Jesus!

Dennis
​
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