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You Were Asked To Pray For:
All of Our Military, Their Family’s
& All the Civilian Workers in The Middle East, Zee Mink Fuller and
Family, Her son’s Bryan Armstrong and Hunter Hackie, Daughter Shannon, and
Brother Philip & Sondra Thornsberry, Virgil
Hoskins and his daughters Liz Janis and Debbie Gray, Frank & Dawana
Reigel, Andrew Preston, Helen Maggard, Renee
Jackson, LarryMollette, Larry Mollette
II & Family, Linda Mollette, Kirby Mollette, Kerry Pennington, Kim
Butler, Danny & Nita Mollette, Verna Mae Allen, Wendell
Henderson, Judy Dunn, Joshua Kidd, Matthew Kidd, Ronnie
Henderson Jr, Donnie Henderson, Kevin Henderson,
Ricky Henderson, Rosalie Graves, Terry Hanson, Jim Stagner,
Bro. & Mrs. Hammond, Don Hammond, Archie & Barbara Griffin & son
Daniel, Larry Platt, Edna Garvin, Bro. & Sister Bob Keller, Wanda Fowler,
Kathy Rosinbaum, Brenda Galusha
and Jewel, Mary Ramsey, Donna Johnson, Fay Johnson, Bobby Walker, Luann Reynolds,
Bro. & Sis. Curtis Pugh and his brother Billy Jack Cooper and family,
Abigail Cattemull, Timothy and Nathan Fails, Jacob
Ramsey, Jim & Linda Meier, Brother David & Sister Anne Shortt,
Brother Manuel Seymour, Zach Seymour, Doris Hammock, Letha Langford, Leacho Tittle, Pastor Kelley
and Sister Eyvonne Hinson and Wesley, Brother Frank
and Sister Cyd James, Billy and Jo Hobbs, Michael Hiem, Jerry Hughes, Nita Bookout’s
Niece, Pastor G. L. Burr, Alicia Lightsey, Melody
Carr, Bryan Thompson Jr., Betty, Tommy Walker, and Bro. Sergey Mochalov and
the Churches in Russia.
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A Thought From Our Pastor:
Guilt
By Association
Psalms 50:18 “When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst
with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.”
As Christians we
have very strong limits from the Lord our God, we are not allowed to dwell
among the lost and those Christians that are out of step with the Lord. I
understand some will think this to be strong language; however it is God’s
law and not mine. We need to look to what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:17 and
we get a better understanding of what God is talking about in Psalms 50:18
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
and I will receive you,” The Lord told us in our text scripture “thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker”. The Lord
did not warn us to watch our step with them but to stay away from them. The
Lord said if we “run with a thief” that is to join him or agree with him then
we are guilty of the same, not that we were active in the act but rather just
associating ourselves with them. As Christians we are to exclude those who
are not saved or are acting outside of God’s will and truth from our life or
fall into the judgment of sinful acts. I understand some Christians truly
believe they can be their own person and we as minister or their church or
pastor has no right to judge their actions but they are wrong. If you are a
member of a church then your life is of interest to the church membership
because the Lord told the churches to weed out the leaven from among them. In
1 Cor. 5:6 the Lord said “…Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” that is your sinful actions as
a church member without discipline from the church can cause the entire
church to be partakers of your sins. In 1 Cor. 5:7 the Lord went farther to
say “Purge out therefore the old leaven…” the words “purge out” means to
cleanse thoroughly that is to cleans the one with the leaven from the church
or exclude them or else the entire church is guilty by association. And the
Lord ends with verse 8 of 1 Cor. 5 “Therefore let us keep the feast, not
with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” That is to keep
ourselves and our churches pure even if it means expulsion. One of my church
members informed me of a woman who attended another denomination that told
him she would not be a part of a church that believed in expulsion; well I
could not be a part of one that did not purge out the leaven. Let’s not
forget the Lord said we become partakers in their sinful acts.
We also need to consider what the Lord said in Psalms 50:22 “Now consider
this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to
deliver.” If the Lord is angry with us and brings punishment on us
because of our actions then who will deliver us from His anger? God is our
shield, He is our protector, and He is the One whom delivers us, so if He
refuses or if He is tearing us to pieces, who else do we look to for
deliverance? We as Christians must be very careful in this life in what we do
because God sees every action and He knows every thought. Be careful at whom
you associate yourself with and do not become guilty by association because
the eyes of God are everywhere. Do not make the sad mistake of saying it is
none of my pastor’s business or it is none of the churches business because
it is and they also can become guilty by association. I understand there are
churches that do not believe in expulsion and will allow their membership to
do as they please but remember this, a church without order is not a church
and if it was then the Lord Jesus has removed the candlestick and it is no
more. This is a serious matter and God is serious and His punishment is
serious and real. God has not changed, man has changed who God is and will
greatly suffer because of it.
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These are the idols of the heart!
The first
commandment of the decalogue says, "You shall have
no other gods before Me." The meaning of this precept, which is the
foundation of all religion, is not merely that we shall not acknowledge any
other God besides Jehovah--but also that we shall treat Him as God!
That is, we . . .
must love Him with all our hearts,
serve Him with all our lives, and
depend upon Him for our supreme felicity.
It is obvious that whatever we love most, and are most anxious to retain and
please--whatever it is we depend most upon for happiness and help--whatever
has most of our hearts--that is, in effect, is our God! It does not matter
whether it is friends, possessions, desires--or our own selves!
These are the idols of the heart!
SELF is the great idol which is the rival of God, and which divides with Him
the worship of the human race. It is surprising and affecting to think how
much SELF enters into almost all we do. Besides the grosser form of self-righteousness,
which leads many unconverted people actually to depend upon their own doings
for acceptance with God; how much of . . .
self-seeking,
self-valuing,
self-admiration,
self-dependence,
there is in many converted ones!
How covertly do some seek their own praise in what they professedly do for God,
and their fellow-creatures! How eager are they for the admiration and applause
of their fellow-creatures! How much of self, yet how little suspected by
themselves--is seen by One who knows them better than they know themselves,
at the bottom of their most splendid services, donations, and most costly
sacrifices!
In how many ways does self steal away the heart from God! How subtle are its
workings, how concealed its movements, yet how extensive is its influence.
How SELF . . .
perverts our motives,
lowers our aims,
corrupts our affections, and
taints our best actions!
How much incense is burned--and how many sacrifices are offered on the altar
of this idol!
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols!" 1 John 5:21
By John Angell James, From his article "Spiritual
Idolatry"
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