Category: Faith/ Local Churches

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Well looks like another year has come and gone. As we enter into a New Year I’m praying that you start the year off right surrounded by love and family. I also pray for our nation that each individual and family will grow closer to God and search the scriptures daily. I hope you remember to get into your Bible every day for it tells us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2nd Timothy 2:15).” And “pray without ceasing (1st Thessalonians 5:17).” Our question for the week is; “Where in the Bible will I find sundown at noon and darkness in the clear of day?
There are many things that God did during the Patriarchal times to show His people that he really was God. many attempts have been made over the years to explain these miracles away by exaggeration, or natural phenomenon. The truth is God miraculously did things to convince people! In the passage of question for this article God tells the prophet Amos that He’s going to bring destruction upon his people for their sinful behavior. Amos 8:9 “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:” Think about it! J.W.

Question: Why did Jesus come to this earth?
Answer: According to the Bible, Jesus came to this earth to save sinners. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” One of the names of Jesus is “the Son of Man” so this verse is referring to Jesus coming for the purpose of saving everyone who is lost. Why is this so important? Because all of us are sinners and are lost in our sins. Romans 3:23. Without Jesus, everybody would still be lost. This is why we celebrate Christmas and Christ’s arrival as a baby born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2. Luke 2:10-12. Even though Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago, because He’s God and eternal, the sacrifice He made back then still has the same power today. Hebrews 13:8. The birth of Jesus Christ shows with crystal clear clarity how much God loves people. John 3:16. Romans 5:8. Knowing that our Creator and our God who has unimaginable and limitless power loves and cares for even the poorest of mankind is astounding and should create awe and joy in our hearts. 1 John 3:1. God is not a distant, impersonal God, no, on the contrary, He desires to be very close and personal with all His people. Another name of Jesus is Emmanuel which means, “God with us”. Matthew 1:23. This is all part of why Jesus came to this earth, to reveal God the Father to all people and let them know that He loves them and wants to save them from their sins. John 14:9-11. Jesus wants to save you from your sins, just pray and ask Jesus to come into your life and save you from all the bad things you’ve done, all the sins you’ve committed. Romans 10:9-13. It only takes one sin to make you a sinner, and Jesus came to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15. Jesus left His throne in heaven and put on human flesh so that He could save all humans. As you celebrate Christmas this week, don’t forget the real reason we celebrate, Jesus is the reason for the season!

Question: How do I choose which Church to go to?
Answer: According to the Bible, you should go to a church that is founded on and based in Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” This verse speaks of Jesus and how He is the head of the church. You should only go to a church that gives Jesus the preeminence, which means that He’s placed first. The song service, fellowship, communion, and children’s programs are important but if Jesus isn’t honored and glorified, it’s not a true church. The other most important factor when choosing a church goes hand in hand with the first one, that is making sure the entire Bible is taught and preached there. A church that honors Jesus must also honor and reverence His Word, the Bible. The Bible is the very words of God recorded for us in our language. 2 Timothy 3:16. 2 Peter 1:20-21. In order to be a true church of God, the Bible must be the first and final authority in all matters. Joshua 1:8. Before choosing to attend a church you should carefully look into what the church believes and their position on important issues. If the Bible isn’t preached straightly, if Jesus isn’t honored especially, and the church doesn’t attempt to help you grow closer to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, then you’re better off going to a different church that does. 1 John 2:19-23. Pray and ask God to guide you to the church He wants you to attend. Proverbs 3:5-6.

Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
It’s hard to believe we’re already well into December! I hope everyone is doing well and praying for our country “…that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (1st Timothy 2:2).” I hope you remember to get into your Bible every day. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump (Galatians 5:9).” And “pray without ceasing (1st Thessalonians 5:17).” Our question for the week is; “Where in the Bible will I find an oath also called a curse in the same passage?”
Some words in the original language will have several meanings while other words are more exact than the words they translate to in English. Sometimes it’s just that the way things were worded were so different back then that we see them as odd or strange. The passage is about the sealing of a covenant and can be found in Nehemiah 10:28-29, “And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding. They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.” Think about it! J.W.

Join us on Saturday, December 14th from 9-11:30am for Breakfast with Baby Jesus at Devine First United Methodist Church! Event includes an opportunity to dress up and step into the manger scene to take a picture with Baby Jesus, pancake and sausage breakfast, several crafts, and cookie decorating with Santa and Mrs. Claus! There are several opportunities and backdrops for selfies or photos for memory making! Recommended $5.00 donation per person. See you Saturday at 212 W. Benton, Devine!

Question: Does Everyone Have a Soul? 
Answer: According to the Bible, yes everyone has a soul. Genesis 2:7 says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” “Man” here represents all mankind, because Adam and Eve were the parents of all mankind. Genesis 3:20. When God created Adam, He breathed into Him the breath of life and Adam became a living soul. Genesis 1:26-27 tells us that God made man and woman in His image, this doesn’t mean in God’s physical image but in His spiritual image. It means that our soul and spirit come from God, whereas our bodies come from the earth, dust. Genesis 2:7. Because our soul comes from God it also has some of the characteristics of God, mainly it’s eternal as God is eternal. Psalm 48:14. This simply means that our soul doesn’t ever die, it lives forever and ever. Now our soul is made up of our mind, will, and emotion. To put it simply, our soul is what makes us unique and different than everyone else on the planet. God has never and will never cookie-cut people, we’re all different by design. God is the master creator with an endless amount of creativity. Everything He does is good and perfect. Psalm 139:14. Our soul is very important because it will live forever, so, we must always consider and care for our soul carefully. Our soul will either live with God forever in heaven, Matthew 25:46, John 17:3, or live separated from Him in a terrible place called hell. Matthew 10:28. The only way to ensure we’ll go to heaven is to believe in Jesus Christ and ask Him to save us from our sins. Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9-13. Once we do that, our soul rests in the loving hands of our heavenly Father and our dear Saviour Jesus Christ as we live out our lives on this earth. John 10:27-30. Once we’re saved, reading the Bible is like food for our souls, it strengthens us and helps us grow spiritually. 1 Peter 2:2. Also, praying to God benefits our souls very much by being in communication with our creator and God. Philippians 4:6-7. Are you caring for your soul? Have you asked Jesus to save you from your sins? Your soul is priceless, so give it to the One who made it and can give you life forever, Jesus. John 11:25-26.

Question: What does Justification mean?
Answer: According to the Bible justification is the process of making one right or acquitting one of guilt before God. The Bible says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justification is a legal term, declaring that someone is in right standing with God. In the Old Testament this meant keeping the law that God had given to His people, like the Ten Commandments, but no one could keep the whole law on their own. This is why Romans 3:28 says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” All through the New Testament we read that the only way to be right before God is by faith and not by works. There won’t be one person who makes it to heaven because they did good works. The only way to be saved and go to heaven is to have faith. Faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Ephesians 2:8-9. Galatians 2:16. We must believe that Jesus died on the cross for all mankind’s sin, that He was buried, and rose again to life three days later. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. If we believe what Jesus said, then we won’t be condemned before God we’ll be justified or made right before God. John 5:24. The reason we need to be justified, is because without believing in Jesus we’re still lost in our sins. Romans 3:23. We must choose to accept God’s free gift of salvation. Romans 6:23. God sent Jesus so that lost, sinful people could be saved and spend eternity with Him in heaven. John 3:16-17. Romans 5:8-9. If you haven’t been justified already, you can be today by asking Jesus to save you and forgive you of your sins. Romans 10:13.

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
As always I pray that you are doing well so far this week. Please pray for rain as we are getting extremely dry, the last couple of showers we got dried up quickly. Are you getting into the word of God on a daily basis? Have you read your Bible today? If not why not? It only takes a few minutes to read a whole chapter. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said: “…it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Don’t just read it, let’s live by it! Let us also continue to pray for our nation’s defenders and our first responders. And please pray for all those fighting cancer! Our question for the week is; “Where in the Bible will I find all men forsaking someone but God standing with him and delivering him out of the mouth of the lion?”

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Question: Why should we be thankful this Thanksgiving?
Answer: Because according to the Bible, we should be thankful in every time and season of life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” The Bible doesn’t say only be thankful when everything is going well, but at all times. The only way we can truly do this is if we have Jesus Christ in our life who is the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27. With Jesus, we can see through the dark clouds of life that sometimes surround us and see that there’s hope to push on, because He’s with us, and with His help we’ll get through the storm. Philippians 4:19. So, we should be thankful in everything because the Bible says we should be and that’s more than enough reason, but most of all we should be thankful because Jesus came to this earth to save us from our sins. Sin is disobedience against God and what He’s said in His Word, the Bible. All of us have disobeyed God at one point or another, the Bible says we’re all sinners. Romans 3:23. If we tried on our own to make it to heaven, none of us would ever get there because we’re sinners. But because God loves us so much, He provided His Son to be the perfect and complete sacrifice on the cross so that all people could be saved. John 3:16-17. Jesus shed His blood so that our sins could be covered by it, He died for us so that we could live. What a gift! Now anyone who calls upon Jesus to save them will be saved. Romans 10:9-13. So, this Thanksgiving it doesn’t matter how rich or poor we are, or where we live or how old we are, we all can be very thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice for us all! While you’re sitting around the dinner table eating or watching football on tv, don’t forget to say, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”-2 Corinthians 9:15.

Answer: The Bible says in Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” This verse tells us that death started when sin entered the picture of mankind. The Bible tells us that sin originated with Adam and Eve after God had created them and put them in the garden of Eden, and they disobeyed God. Genesis 3:1-7. Sin is anything that breaks God’s laws or disobeys His Word. Sin started in the garden of Eden and by consequence, death started there too. If you think about it, death comes for everyone, the rich, the poor, those with a PhD and those with a GED, those in Africa and those in North America, why? Because death is universal, it affects everyone. That’s what Romans 5:12 is speaking of. Sin entered the scene by or through one man, Adam, and because Adam and Eve were the parents of all mankind, they passed down their sin nature to all their descendants. Including you and me. We all have sinned, whether by telling a lie, stealing something, thinking a bad thought or saying a bad word, none of us can say we’re perfect and haven’t done anything wrong. Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:10.

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