Warsaw Christian Church
Does church involvement serve any useful purpose? Many would say “no” and regard church as a waste of time. Others would affirm that the church plays a critical role in their spiritual development. There are genuine Christians who, for various reasons, do not have a lot of church involvement, but I doubt if any true Christian would dismiss the church as a waste of time. Christians may not be able to attend church, but they honor and respect the church because they honor and respect Christ.
I have learned that if something is important to me, I need to discipline myself to ensure I participate. Here are a couple of examples from my own life. Because of neuropathy and spinal stenosis, I have difficulty walking. I go to physical therapy in an attempt to improve my condition.
I am also in Weight Watchers. Even though I have maintained my goal weight for about 13 years, I keep attending the meetings. I know what will happen if I quit! I need to be accountable.
Back to the church. I believe I receive benefits from regular church involvement. Granted, I am a pastor. During the years I worked for the State of Illinois and was out of the pastorate, I continued to attend church. Just as I need certain disciplines to maintain bodily health, I also need the discipline of church involvement to sustain and increase my spiritual health.
It's true that the church is far from perfect. But let's be honest: What can we expect from an institution made up of forgiven sinners? The church is not perfect because we, its members, are not perfect. The only perfection we find in the church is Jesus Christ. We involve ourselves in church life not because it's flawless but because it honors Him.
If I decide to forgo physical therapy and Weight Watchers, I know my physical health will suffer. I need the support of others and the discipline of accountability. I trust you see the point I am making about the church.
From The Pastor's Desk
Fallen From Grace
-Galatians 5:4
O.J. Simpson passed away this last week. I remember the old Hertz Rent-A-Car commercials where O.J. was racing through airports. It was fun to watch.
I also remember him playing football in college and in the pros. He was one of the best running backs to ever play the game.
He played in a few movies too. He was well liked and well respected.
I remember Bill Cosby and his recordings of Chicken Heart and other popular skits, the I-Spy series, the cartoons of Fat Albert and The Cosby Show. He was truly loved and respected in Hollywood.
Pete Rose was denied the Hall of Fame being found guilty of betting on baseball.
Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Baker were popular preachers at one time.
These men and many such others fell from the grace of the public eye.
The grace of the world can be a very fickle thing. Friendships can vanish in a moment of time. Marriages can be dissolved. Family ties can be broken.
However, the grace of God is everlasting and the verse in question has been misused and misunderstood time and time again.
Simply put, reverting back to the law makes the grace of God seem of be of none effect. The context is very clear but most want to pull out a phrase here and there and run with it.
Christ paid the price of sin once and for all on the cross of Calvary. Folks, it is a done deal. If not, the cross was of no affect. Seriously, He either did or He didn't. He either paid the price or He doesn't save to the uttermost.
A woman asked me once if I sin every day. My reply was that I sin every minute of everyday. Be honest here. We are all in the same exact boat when it comes to the weakness of the flesh. Our actions, our words, the thoughts and intents of the heart manifest themselves and can hinder our walk with others and with the Lord.
I am Johnie J. Logue, pastor of Grace Baptist Church at 31046 Hwy MM in Warsaw. Call (660) 281-4775 for more information.
Warsaw First Church Of The Nazarene
Good morning! Good morning is a traditional greeting of the Church of the Nazarene used throughout the day by Dr. Bresee, one of our founders. With this greeting he was acknowledging the rising of the sun somewhere on God’s creation and acknowledging the resurrection of Christ who rose from the tomb bringing life and salvation to us all. So, I say again Good Morning from the desk of Pastor Andy Lavender.
My wife, Rown, and I wish to invite you to our service as we continue to enjoy a season of renewal within the small body of believers. Last week’s first monthly ‘unplugged’ service was well received as we sent our computer and screens on vacation for a week. We walked back into our rich heritage by worshiping in songs from the hymnal, sharing of His Word, and a session of prayer which encompassed our fellowship with other believers.
Our message this week will focus on John 14:6, ‘Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.’ Having spoken on how the discovery of truth brings new life into those who are seeking good things for we know that ALL good things come from the Father, I hope to speak on ‘The Way of Life’. While we have promises from our God, we often miss those blessings because of the distractions caused by the business of life. Can we slow down and find the peace and gentleness that so often we desire for our lives? Who orders your steps? I realize we make plans for that is life, but again who orders your steps? Please join us and we seek to discover the answers to these questions at the Church of the Nazarene where we have the challenge of being missional, discipled, and difference makers in our community with the love, grace, and mercy of God. Sunday service starts at 10:45.
May God’s blessing be upon you and your families,
Pastor Andy Lavender
(660) 641-2957
Email: warsawnaz712@gmail.com
Lincoln First Baptist Church
It was a great day to be with the Lord. There are many who need our prayers. Please keep on praying. Many were in worship today. We were visited by our DOM Randy Festervand. Always nice to see him. We will be baptizing a mother and daughter next Sunday. There will be a meal after church and then we will go to the creek where they want to be baptized.
Pastor Jesse’s sermon was taken from 2 Samuel 12. God knows all about you. Nothing is hidden from God. You’re saved one time. King David always took God with him. After he became king is when his trouble started. David wanted Bathsheba who was another man’s wife. Things happened and Nathan brought David’s sin to his attention. David hadn’t repented at this time. He lost a child because of his sin with Bathsheba.
Don’t make deals with God. He don’t need them. He needs repentance from us. Is there a wall between you and God? Clean out your garbage. We can go to family who are in heaven but they can’t come to us. This is only possible through repentance. God doesn’t need us we need him.
We have the only religion that offers eternal life. We need salvation. All should come to repentance and be saved. Jesus is the only one that is perfect. We need always to repent. No prophet was who they were without Jesus. When you get saved things change.
ATTEND CHURCH NEXT WEEK. GOD CHANGES EVERYTHING. PRAYERS FOR A GREAT WEEK. BLESS YOU.
Hopewell Baptist Church
Matthew 18:10-20 shows us how to handle sin among believers? Jesus uses images to illustrate, when a person gets lost, God goes looking for them because they are valuable. When we sin, we don’t lose our value. Nothing can separate us from Jesus. He comes and looks for us to restore us. He is excited when He finds the one that is lost.
If there is someone in the body of believers who is sinning, don’t be surprised. We all have sin. Jesus is talking about believers and public sin. If it’s our sin, we are to remove it from our lives. If it is the sin of others, we should go them privately because we care about them and want to see them restored. If they listen, it’s a great day! If they don’t listen, we are to find someone to go with us. If this still doesn’t work, then we are to go to the church. Jesus knows things are going to happen in churches and He wants to make sure the church body knows how to handle conflict and deals with it together. We should be able to share out faults in the church body and not receive judgement but encouragement. How can we build a body of believers if we cannot address sin in our midst. If they still refuse, we are to treat them like pagans and Gentiles. And to be very clear, Jesus loves the pagans, Gentiles, and sinners. We don’t get to write people off for sin in their lives. Jesus goes on to tell them, this is what happens we when want to be a part of the restoration of those who stumble. We can be a part of it, but Jesus is the restorer. We can be excited because this has eternal significance. Are we excited about helping someone who is really struggling? How can we worship Jesus better together? When we confront sin together, Jesus is with us!
Join us Sunday mornings for Sunday School at 10 a.m. with Worship at 11 a.m. We have a new Sunday evening Children’s Program at 5:30 p.m. with Adult Bible Study at 6 p.m. Our mid-week Bible Study is Wednesday at 6 p.m. Watch our service live at 11 a.m. each Sunday on Hopewell Baptist Church Facebook page.
Unity Of The Lakes
This Sunday 4/28/24 Rev. Don will be at Unity of the Lakes and his service is "As You Tithe, You Prosper". If this sounds like a repeat, it isn't. A few weeks ago when he was to give this service he was under the weather and not able to be at Unity of the Lakes. This Sunday, he is over the weather and will present this valuable lesson. It will be fun and informative. Are you ready to have more abundance in your life? Service is 11 am, dress is casual and all are welcome. Join us for service and stay for refreshments and fellowship. We are located 8 miles south of Warsaw on highway 65. Our physical address is 34948 Hwy 65 South. Unity offers positive, practical Christianity as taught and demonstrated by Jesus Christ. If it is True it can be demonstrated. Come grow with us. We look forward to seeing you. Follow us on Facebook.
