We Have Come Into This House
(written by Bruce Ballinger)


Verse 1:
We have come into this house
and gathered in His name to worship Him.

We have come into this house
and gathered in His name to worship Him.

We have come into this house
and gathered in His name
*to worship Christ the Lord.

Worship Him,
Christ the Lord.

Verse 2:
So forget about yourself,
and concentrate on Him, and worship Him.

So forget about yourself,
and concentrate on Him, and worship Him.

So forget about yourself,
and concentrate on Him,
and worship Christ the Lord.

Worship Him,
Christ the Lord.

Verse 3:
Let us lift up holy hands,
and magnify His name, and worship Him.

Let us lift up holy hands,
and magnify His name, and worship Him.

Let us lift up holy hands,
and magnify His name,
and worship Christ the Lord.

Worship Him,
Christ the Lord.

Do you have those mornings when you just can’t stop praising God? Have you noticed how wonderful you feel when you are singing praises to Our Lord? What a miracle. What Joy.

As Jesus was entering Jerusalem, the people were shouting, praising God, and irritating the Pharisees. Luke 19 gives us the account of this exciting event. The Bible says that “with a loud voice” the people shouted, “blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38)
In every crowd there seems to be some who feel they should calm everyone down. The Bible tells us King David's wife despised him in her heart when he worshiped the Lord by dancing with all his might! 2 Samuel 6:16.

I, for one will never give the rocks cause to cry out in praise. I will forever praise Our Lord.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

Another Miracle of Christ

Another Miracle of Christ

Matthew 27 (New King James Version)
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

This account of the risen saints is given only in the Gospel according to Matthew. The same Matthew who followed Jesus without question when asked (Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14).

Can you imagine meeting a friend or loved one whom you know was dead and buried walking down the street to greet you? The scripture says “bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;” so this feels like a special message for the church of Christ, another time when Our Lord was giving evidence of His divine power to His followers!

Other miraculous events such as the tearing of the veil in the temple, the earthquake and the darkening of the sun gave non-followers as well as the saints opportunity to witness his majesty; but these risen saints went into the holy city and their very presence bore witness to the body of Christ to the awesome power of the Son of God.

This is an account of only one of the miracles of Holy Week which inspires me to spend even more time in the study of The Word. I hope that this week inspires you to have a closer walk with our Lord.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

The Lost Son and Other Stubborn Folk

The Lost Son and Other Stubborn Folk

The parable of the Lost Son is found only in the Gospel of Luke. This is another reason to be thankful for the contributions of the physician.


Luke 15:11-32 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Lost Son
11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.
12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.
15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.
16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'
20So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[a]'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.
24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

This parable is often used to demonstrate God’s infinite capacity for forgiveness and the joy of the Father when one of the lost is redeemed. When combined with verses 25-32 it demonstrates our need to refrain from jealousy when another receives a blessing.

I am a mother and a grandmother. I read this parable and my heart goes out to this father and the agony he must have felt when his youngest son was lost to him. I think about the pain we cause the compassionate Jesus with our wayward ways.

I have a grandchild who asked “please just pray that I make good decisions” and I wonder at the consternation of the Holy Spirit when her heart is touched with a divine truth and she chooses to ignore.

I have had many opportunities in my own life to thank God for “gentle reprimands” when he has graciously shown me the error of my ways in a gentle way rather than the slap I probably deserved.

I continuously thank God for His Word and a desire to "Study to show myself approved".

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

James, The Brother of Jesus

26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:26-27 (New International Version)

James the Brother of Jesus
Birth: After Jesus (6 BC). Death: 61 AD
Looking for information about the author of the Book of James was another of my WOW moments. WOW because of the controversy over his identity.

Scripture describes James as the brother of our Lord. (Matthew 13:55 (King James Version) 55 is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56 Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
and Mark 6:3 (New International Version)

"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James

We are told that Jesus' brothers did not believe in Him. John 7 (New International Version)

Jesus Goes to the Feast of Tabernacles
1After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.
2But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, 3Jesus' brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world."
5For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

From this, and from references in early Christian writers, it is inferred that James was not a disciple of the Lord until after the Resurrection; but after the resurrection they are mentioned among the group at prayer before Pentecost (Acts 1:14). Paul mentions that the risen Jesus appeared personally to James, which may explain the change in heart (1 Cor. 15:7).

It seems that James quickly took the lead of the Church in Jerusalem, officiating at the Council of Jerusalem. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul mentions James along with John son of Zebedee, and Peter as the Pillars of the Church. Galatians 2:9
9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

James was well enough known that in the New Testament epistle carrying his name, he refers to himself simply as "James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1). To further evidence that James was well known, Jude (the youngest of Jesus' brothers) simply identifies himself as James' brother, and a servant of the Lord in his letter (Jude 1).

In 61 AD James was executed at the instigation of the high priest Ananus. In the following centuries legends developed surrounding James, none of which are very reliable, but included the possibility that he was known as "James the Just" due to his amazing (Jewish) piety.

There is so much more to say about James and his epistle. There is so much more to study in the Word.

May God Forever Be a Blessing In Your Life!!!

Easter

We are fast approaching our most holy celebration, the celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. For it is not Christmas that defines us as Christians, the birth of Christ is historical fact, it is our belief that He loved us enough to suffer the death of crucifixion for us and that He rose from the dead.

We believe in and accept the sacred Scriptures upon the subject of the resurrection and return of Christ at their face and full value.
Of the Resurrection, we believe that Christ rose bodily “The third day according to the Scripture” 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4;
that He ascended “to the right hand of the throne of God” and that He alone is our “merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God” Hebrews 8:1;
and “that this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven,” bodily, personally, and visibly Acts 1:11;
that the ‘dead in Christ shall rise first” 1 Thessalonians 4:16; ‘
that the living saints “shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 ;
“that the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David” Luke 1:32;
and that “Christ shall reign a thousand years in righteousness until He hath put all enemies under His feet” Revelation 20:1-4. .

There is so much promise in our beliefs.
There is so much hope in our beliefs.
How wonderful to serve a God who has the capacity for so much love.

May God Forever Be a Blessing In Your Life!!!

Putting Together This Blog

I love to read. I am the kind of person who will read labels if nothing else with words is around. This means that I have read many good books and very, very many not so good.

I had a father who cultivated a love of history. He truly believed that we should have a sense of the triumphs and failures of the past so that we could have some sense of the future. His problem was to get a kid interested enough to read history. His solution was to encourage me to find novels about the period under study so that the time came alive for me.

It worked.

I was able to memorize the boring (and quickly forgotten) dates and generals and battles required to “pass” history exams. But I never forgot the feel of living in times past through the images of the characters in those books.

This style of study has transferred itself to my study of the Word. When I wake in the morning. I often turn on the computer and read sermons, websites, encyclopedia entries and blogs on subjects of interest and I have a special love of books written about biblical times or biblical subjects.

While this provides lots of opportunities for learning and growth it also leaves room for exposure to false teachings and down right heresies.

Matthew 7:15-20 (New International Version)
A Tree and Its Fruit
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Very Simply I pray a lot. This is one of the perks of this ministry. I must pray a lot for guidance. Second, I claim no special knowledge or gift. My job, as I see it, is to offer a simple message for consideration.

I always hope that the message of the day will be uplifting and I probably avoid controversial subjects for fear of sanction. I always try to check out the Word on any subject presented and have trashed blogs I felt were interesting that had no basis in the bible. I give the reference for articles from which I pull extensive parts so that the reader can check them out.

I pray a lot.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!

Missions and Gifts

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to carry on ministries of the Word, such as evangelism and literacy, or ministries of service, such as education, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning "act of sending" or mittere, meaning "to send". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

When I think of missions I also think of ‘gifts” because, for many of us, our “mission” is to share those “gifts of the Holy Spirit” and ways we can use whatever gifts we are given to carry on ministries of the Word.

Many believers have received more than one spiritual gift. Because there is such a variety of gifts, the number of possible combinations is great. Each multi-gifted Christian has received a combination of spiritual abilities that is perfectly suited to his or her God-given ministry. But every believer has received at least one gift.



We have a member with a mission to nursing homes and prisons. She visits a group of nursing homes on a daily basis bringing comfort to many who seem to have been forgotten by the world. She is also a member of our prison ministry providing a service that has grown from two or three to more than a hundred . Matthew 25:40.

We have a member who uses her gift of hospitality to serve the church 1 Peter 4:9-10 . When we have out of town visitors, events at the church or need to travel, we know that she will provide comfort and welcome with a song in her heart.

We have members with the gift of service Rom. 12:7 who work hours every week to provide food to the hungry in our community.

We have members with the gift of Faith (1 Cor. 12:9) who are committed to pray for the fulfillment of the missions of the church.

Our Pastor truly has the gift of teaching.Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28-29; Eph. 4:11. She is able to clearly explain and effectively apply the truths of God's Word so that others will learn. This requires the capacity to accurately interpret Scripture, engage in necessary research, and organize the results in a way that is easily communicated. This is a gift she shares with undisguised joy.

We have members with the gift of giving (Rom. 12:8) who quietly support the missions of the Church at home and abroad.

We have a clear understanding that not everyone can have an assignment of missionary work abroad. For many of us our mission field is across the street or down the road, or even in our home office, but this in no way diminishes the importance of the mission.

11 It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.Ephesians 4:11-16 (New International Version)

Every Christian has at least one Spiritual Gift ( 1 Peter 4:10 ) No Christian has all the gifts ( 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 )

We have an obligation to know and use our gifts in order to be effective, contributing members of the body of Christ.

Accept the challenge of finding your gift and your mission.

May God Forever Be a Blessing In Your Life!!!