Warsaw Christian Church
I still love the Christmas season. Some of the magic I felt as a child is gone, but as an adult, I see much more clearly what Christmas is about. A virgin conceived a child, a wonderfully unique child. He is “Immanuel,” or “God with us.” He is the Son of the living God. There is none like Jesus in the recorded history of mankind. His words and deeds never cease to create awe and wonder in my soul.
We must never forget that this baby, the Son of God and Savior of the world, requires us to make a decision. If we believe He is who He claimed to be, the only rational decision we can make is unconditional surrender to Him. We trust Him unconditionally as Savior and follow Him unconditionally as Lord. Any notion of a half-hearted or qualified commitment to Him only reveals that we do not understand or accept His claims. He has not asked us to surrender a portion of our lives to Him, and those who do so only insult the Son of God.
Unfortunately, we must admit that Christians all over the country are somewhat tentative in their response to the Gospel. I sometimes wonder if the old spiritual is true: “Everybody talk’n ‘bout heaven ain’t goin’ there.” It may behoove all of us this Christmas season to ask this question. Have I made an unconditional surrender to Jesus?
Unconditional surrender to Jesus as Savior means trusting Him to take me to heaven. I believe totally and completely in the sacrifice He made on Calvary. It means that I abandon any notion that I can somehow save myself. You cannot. Only one door leads to eternal life, and that door is Jesus.
Unconditional surrender to Jesus as Lord means I commit myself to living under His control. He is the Commander in Chief who calls the shots. When I think about church, Sunday School, Bible study, career, finances, recreation, personal relationships - - - or any other matter, my first thought must be, “What does Jesus want me to do?”
Unconditional surrender to Jesus is such a radical decision that the New Testament requires of us a new birth or being born again. Jesus clearly affirmed that we must be born again if we hope to see heaven (John 3:3). This new birth is created in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We can no more birth ourselves spiritually than we can physically. We can and must search our hearts to ensure that we are unconditionally surrendered to Jesus and have experienced a rebirth in our souls. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem will avail us nothing unless we have been born again.
From The Pastor's Desk
What I Wish People Knew
I love you in the Lord but most of the people I talk to still don't get it.
1. You should go to church to worship God, period.
2. The preaching should change your life. Most who say their preachers are good; cuss, drink, have sex outside of marriage, cheat on their taxes and lie. So the preaching is not affecting their lives. It is not the preacher's fault, but it is on them.
3. It is all about numbers to worldly church members. Do I wish I had more people? Sure, but it wouldn't make me more successful in God's eyes.
4. Again, if I was on a pulpit committee, the last thing I would consider was the preacher's preaching ability. To you, it is the first. To me, it is the last because I know preachers better than you do.
5. The older English Bibles are the better ones. The newer ones have changed too many things.
6. The preaching should take precedent over the music, the programs and everything involved.
7. If you don't bother to get married before sexual relations and you claim to be a Christian then you have slapped God in the face.
8. God saves souls not you. We don't lead people to the Lord. God, in reality, leads them to us. He provides the faith and the conviction for people to be saved. Don't steal the glory from God.
9. Understanding the Bible is about context and knowing who is talking, who they are talking to and what they are talking about. Don't get so wrapped up in the Hebrew and the Greek that you change the meanings.
10. Life is about decisions we make and about timing. I believe in prayer and the providence of God.
I am Johnie J. Logue, pastor of Grace Baptist Church In Warsaw MO. Call (660) 281-4775 for more info.
Hopewell Baptist Church
Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-23 & 13-18 tell how the birth of Jesus came about. Mary was pledged to marry Joseph, but before they were together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he wanted to quietly divorce her. But an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid and to take Mary home as his wife. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Joseph woke up and did as the angel commanded.
Now the Magi from the East came to King Herod telling him they saw the star for the King of the Jews, and they came to worship the baby. Herod is furious and ask when they first saw the star and to let him know so he can also go to worship. The Magi are not followers of God, but they were looking and paying attention. No one paid attention, they accepted what was. The only people looking were from far away.
Matthew illustrates things are not fine the way they were. Herod ordered all boys under age two to be killed – things are not fine now either. When a little boy is born in a desert town, the world is a dark place and suddenly, Hope enters, and no one notices. People have no value for human life. We treat people like they are disposable. We think if we elect the right person, all is good. The only solution was born 2000 years ago. The Hope of mankind has entered the World and His name is Jesus!
This is the Christmas Story! We get so wrapped up and miss it. The Savior of the world was born in a dark place. What is Lord in our lives? If it’s not Jesus, it’s not worth following! Let’s start small. Let’s make what we do this December, all about Jesus! Make Jesus the most important thing every day. God is still moving!
Join us Sunday mornings for Sunday School at 10 a.m. with Worship at 11 a.m., and Sunday and Wednesday Bible Study at 6 p.m. Watch us live at 11 a.m. on Hopewell Baptist Church Facebook page.
Lincoln First Baptist Church
Here we are almost to a new year. Please enjoy the Christmas season. Remember why we celebrate Christmas. It is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Sunday school is going well and in worship today there were 60 present. The youth took a trip to Bass Pro in Springfield after church. The pastor and other adults went with them. We collected 38 OCC boxes in November.
The pastor’s sermon was from 1 Samuel 17. The Lord doesn’t make mistakes. You are where you are supposed to be for a reason. Luck comes and goes but Jesus is forever. Pastor told the story of David and Goliath. David went to where his brothers and the Israelites were fighting the Philistines. The men were afraid of Goliath and David asked why no one would face him. God made David and he was eventually going to be king. David took a sling shot and some stones and went up against Goliath. David killed him with one stone and then cut off Goliath’s head. David was where he was supposed to be.
God doesn’t make mistakes. He didn’t make us by mistake. He made us in His image. Good things happen because God allows it. Bad things happen to bring us closer to Him. We can quit God but God doesn’t quit us. Being saved makes us white as snow. Ones who aren’t saved His will suffer. Know where you are going don’t hope.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU THIS WEEK AND INTO THE NEW YEAR.
Unity Of The Lakes
Unity of the Lakes is very pleased to have Rev. Laura Bennett as our guest speaker 12/17/23. As we light the third candle of Advent for love Rev, Laura will share "The Birth of an Idea". The birth of love is the idea behind every Christmas story, be it told in an old movie, a modern song, or in scripture. She will draw from a popular article she wrote on the birth stories in the Gospels. Rev. Laura will share the depth of the human experience as well as the ecstasy of spiritual awakening and how both come together in you and I as an expression of the divine Love that can heal our lives and our world. This is a service you do not want to miss. In addition to being a gifted speaker and teacher, Re. Laura has served as Chair of Biblical Studies for Unity along with the many other ways she has served the Unity movement. Service is 11 am, dress is casual and all are welcome. Please join us after service for fellowship and refreshments. We are located 8 miles south of Warsaw on highway 65. Our physical address is 34948 Hwy 65 South. We look forward to seeing you. Follow us on Facebook.
