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"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11 KJV)
"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:" (1 Peter 2:21 KJV) In the Christian walk through life and toward heaven, we must first have accepted Christ as our Savior, repenting of our sins and agreed to obey Him. Once we have become a Christian it is time to start maturing in our knowledge and belief in Our Awesome God and His Son, Jesus Christ. All of us want to mature and most of us know that if we don't mature we will eventually stagnate. So it is essential to mature in our relationship with Jesus Christ. However, just maturing for the sake of maturing is not the intention of God. God expects our maturing to lead us to be more Christ-like in our living and behavior. Over the last year, the articles written on this web page have been intended to help us to mature toward maturity in Christ and that idea will continue in 2017. We need to know how to increase our maturity so here are some ways to mature. 1) We Must Study God's Word -- so that we can recognize His Word when we hear it. Read James 1:18-28. 2) We Must Pray -- so that we are talking to Him, listening for His answers and getting to understand Him better. Read Matthew 26:31-75. 3) We Must Fellowship with Other Christians so that we understand what they have learned, adding it to our own knowledge. Read I Corinthians 12:12-27. 4) We Must Witness for Christ -- so that we realize what we believe and why. Read Acts 26:12-29. 5) We Must Obey God -- so that we realize that obedience to Our Awesome God brings God's awesome power and knowledge to take the right action to correct a problem. Read Romans 6:14-23. Our growth to maturity will never be complete until we reach heaven, but we need a church that is teaching and moving toward maturity for us to grow. Come join us as we work in Our Awesome God's fields, telling others about His story, Jesus Christ's Salvation, and our eternal home with Him, trying to help them to understand Our Creator better. Our church starts with small groups on Sunday at 9:30 AM and a Worship Service at 10:30 AM. On Sunday evening at 6:00 PM, a Bible Study meets for an hour and AWANA clubs for the children until 7:30 PM (September through May). On Wednesdays, we meet at 7:00 PM for Prayer Requests and Bible Study along with a separate Spanish Bible Study until 8:00 PM. This coming Sunday we will not have evening Bible Study or AWANA. We love visitors! Watch our web site next year.
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"And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:3 KJV)
Many Christians get fanatical about the millennium and sometimes even the tribulation. We really must not get fanatical or upset over the reign of Jesus Christ for a thousand years. The Bible says it will happen some way and we obviously see that this event could happen several ways. So we go around when it will happen and how it will occur and agree that it will occur. Jesus will reign for a thousand years while Satan is bound in the lake of fire. This thousand year reign of Christ should be a time of seeing the world and people at their very best. We need to look at Revelations 20:6 which says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6 KJV). Yes, Our Awesome God has a purpose for us to fulfill. Can you be a priest and a ruler? We have seen some very poor ones but none that leaned heavily on God all the time. Surely we can do better and Jesus will help us. All our imaginings about what could happen are not as important as knowing that Our Awesome God knows best and His plans will be carried out. His plan for us is much bigger and even broader than eternal life for believers. Let us draw comfort, love, hope and encouragement from knowing our loving, creating God is in control and His will, shall be done, Amen! Meanwhile, stay focused on Our Awesome God, His kingdom and His will. He wants us to know His plan, know His Bible, and to go into all His world and tell them about His plan. It needs to start with you becoming a Christian if you aren't. Then realize all the laws of God you have broken and that Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to earth as a man to save you from having to pay in eternity for breaking those laws. (A Christian is just a saved sinner who believes and repents of breaking God's Laws.) Become a Christian by repenting of those sins and obeying God. Come join us as we work in Our Awesome God's vineyard, telling others about His story, Jesus Christ's Salvation, and our eternal home with Him, trying to help them to understand Our Creator better. Our church starts with small groups on Sunday at 9:30 AM and a Worship Service at 10:30 AM. On Sunday evening at 6:00 PM, a Bible Study meets along with a program for children called AWANA clubs which goes until 7:30 PM. We have a Prayer Meeting and Bible Study that meets at 7:00 PM on Wednesday along with a separate Spanish Bible Study until 8:00 PM. This coming Sunday we will not have evening Bible Study or AWANA. We appreciate visitors! "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28 KJV)
Many terms, which we need to know and understand, are used for this marvelous event. They include "He rode a white horse" (Revelations 19:11), "that His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:23-24), "the last day" (John 6:39), "they shall see the Son of Man coming" (Matthew 24:29-30), etc. are a few. They are all referring to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ when He comes dressed as a warrior riding a white horse for the battle of Armageddon. The importance of that day is beyond words. The Second Coming will be a day that vindicates Our Awesome God. It will be a day, when it will be known by all that He will eventually make all things right and undo the evil that has been done through the centuries. The exact manner and time of Jesus Christ's return is not known. What is important is that we believe Him when He says He is our Savior, that He will return and that we stay eagerly awaiting His return to earth at all times. It is very clearly taught in the New Testament that Jesus will return (Matthew 24:29). We need to realize that Jesus Christ's Second Coming means victory over death, sin and Satan. So the mere thought of Jesus' return should bring happiness and joy to the believer. All of humanities’ enemies will have been defeated by Our Lord Jesus Christ as He wields His sword from the back of His white horse and leads His saints (us) to the battle of Armageddon. Our belief in Christ's return has very practical effects for those who put action to their beliefs and teaching. It gives us a wonderful reason to live, a strong motivation for our evangelism, and a reason to live a pure life, avoiding sin, as we keep our eyes on the sky. Keep telling others about Our Awesome God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Improve your knowledge and trust in God by attending a church that preaches and teaches that Jesus Christ, who died for you and took your sins upon Himself and arose the third day, is now sitting by God, interceding for you when you sin. Our Awesome God wants you in heaven since He loves you already. We (as a church) want all people in church, worshipping Our Awesome God with faith and obedience every Sunday. Our church starts with small groups on Sunday at 9:30 AM and Worship Service at 10:30 AM. On Sunday evening at 6:00 PM, a Bible Study meets along with children's AWANA which goes until 7:30 PM (September through May). On Wednesdays, we meet at 7:00 PM for Prayer Requests and Bible Study along with a separate Spanish Bible Study until 8:00 PM. This coming Sunday we will not have evening Bible Study or AWANA. We love visitors! "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:27-28 KJV)
The Bible is full of verses that remind us we must die until Jesus Christ's Second Coming. The Bible identifies four different kinds of death: 1) physical death, 2) spiritual death, 3) second death and 4) death to sin. The first two deaths are the ones we will distinguish between. Physical death means the irreversible loss of bodily functions and heart beat. To the Christian, it is the loss of the physical body not the end of life. The Old Testament treats death as the natural end of life; the end of trials, war and the beginning of a new and greater life with Our Awesome God. After Jesus Christ came and the New Testament was written, the writers viewed death as more than simply ending physical life, it is the opening of eternal life with God. Most religions teach that man dies because he has sinned. Spiritual death refers to the state of alienation and separation from God because of man's sin. Sin causes an alienation from the life of God's Spirit as well from the love, righteousness and holiness of the Spirit. The Bible refers to the deep meaning of life being your fellowship with Our Awesome God. The deepest emotional pain would then be death and separation from God. People who reject God often show active antagonism toward God and His creation which shows their spiritual death. These people will seek to do things they know God has forbidden. So those who refuse His grace in His Savior, Jesus Christ, are cast into darkness for eternity (Matthew 22:13). There is no hope for those who do not accept Jesus Christ. It is time to get to know Our Awesome God! Join us at LWBC every Sunday. At 9:30 AM we have small group Bible Studies and at 10:30 AM, we meet in the sanctuary for a Worship Service. The 6:00 PM Bible Study and the AWANA clubs will resume after New Years. Our programs include a Wednesday night Bible Study along with a separate Spanish Bible Study at 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM. We love visitors and practice the "love one another" commandment to all. Watch this website for #3 Second Coming! "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
(Romans 8:31- 32 KJV) Anyone, and especially God, who would love us enough to send His Son to earth to eventually die on a cross for the removal of our sins, has to be for us. But this is Our Awesome God we are talking about. His total rule and dominion includes everywhere that we know exists. He is BIG! Everywhere! His justice, His mercy, His grace, His love is complete and far reaching. This God can do anything and He is for us! Then we look at Psalm 118, where it says: "Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth forever. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? (Psalms 118:4-6 KJV). We should not fear Our Awesome God as we fear man because He loves us and is for us. We should fear disappointing or disobeying Him. Man should have a reverent fear of God because He is in control and will see that justice is done for all. We need to continue doing what God wants and following Him, leaving others for Him to discipline. Heaven is our home when we believe and accept His Son as our Savior. We obey his commandments out of love and gratitude, saving up treasures in heaven. We need to remember, if we are going to do God's will and the work He has given us, that, "a servant is not above his master.."(John 13:16). This Awesome God we are following is the MASTER, He created justice, love, mercy and grace. He created everything good and nothing is too big for Him or too small for Him including you; and you can trust Him with anything. Give reverent fear to Our Awesome God and let Him take care of all your problems. Come with us as we work in Our Awesome God's fields, telling others about His story, Jesus Christ's Salvation, and about our eternal home with Him, trying to help them and ourselves to understand Our Creator better. LWBC is a loving church that tries to live by Biblical principles encouraging all its members to do the same. Join us for church in the Sanctuary this coming Sunday at 10:30 AM. We also have Bible Study on Sunday at 9:30 AM. Sunday evening Bible Study and AWANA clubs for children will resume on the first Sunday after New Year’s Day. On Wednesdays, we meet at 7:00 PM for Prayer Requests and Bible Study along with a separate Spanish Bible Study until 8:00 PM. We love visitors! "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7 KJV)
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11 KJV) Our Awesome God sent His Son from Heaven, that magnificent glowing city with streets of gold, to a dirty manager, with smelly sheep and donkeys, to be a savior for you and me. He sent Jesus because He loves us. He knew we would sin again, but the Blood of Jesus Christ was the only shield that could cover our sin from His sight. Let's focus on the fact that the Jews had little hope under the oppression of mighty Rome and so, how could the birth of a poor insignificant child be important? At the time of Jesus' birth communication was poor, even if the people had recognized the eternal, lasting significance of His birth to us. But most did not realize what Jesus would do for us. So the angel's proclaiming His birth was all the attention He got. God's people listened and spread the word among themselves, that He was Emmanuel, our Savior. People who meet Jesus Christ want to tell others about Him. The shepherds were told and they went to see this wonderful baby. They left, wanting to tell others about what they had seen and heard. If Our Awesome God had told the kings, the rich and the powerful, they would probably have killed Him. God knew what he was doing and how long it would take - and He did it. Our ways are not Our Awesome God's ways. We need to remember, God has a plan and a purpose for all He does and His ways will work. Christ came to live with us and grew up knowing and experiencing all our fears, worries, frustrations and temptations. So He can relate to us in all these areas when we need help. We need to be more like the shepherds who really listened, saw and then went out, boldly telling all who would listen about our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ. Our Awesome God had sent His only begotten Son to die for the sins we have committed. He gave hope to a hopeless small nation called to be His special people, the Jews. He gave hope to us as gentiles that we could be His adopted children and go to heaven. Emmanuel was born and lived among us. Praise His Holy Name!! Come and join us at Living Word Baptist Church today, Sunday Christmas day, for a Worship Service at 10:30 AM. On Wednesdays, we meet at 7:00 PM for Prayer Requests and Bible Study along with a separate Spanish Bible Study until 8:00 PM. After Christmas holidays, Bible Study and AWANA clubs, a children's program, will resume on Sunday nights at 6:00 PM. |
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December 2016
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