December 14, 2008
Sunday 10:00am WLEX TV Channel 18

It is requested that all children under the age of five stay in our nursery
so there will be no distractions during the preaching of the Gospel

Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour
Guide, and counselor, and friend
Bearing all our misbehavior
Kind and loving to the end.

Nothing but Thy blood, O Saviour
Can relieve us from our smart
Nothing else from guilt release us
Nothing else can melt the heart.

Law and judgment do but burden
All the while they work alone
But a sense of blood-bought pardon
Soon dissolves a heart of stone.

Trust Him; He will not deceive us
Though we see through glass so dim
He will never, never leave us
Nor will we depart from Him.

(Tune: “Our Great Saviour” p.49)

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I, along with several of our men, will leave for Mexico in the morning to visit the Groovers, our missionaries. We will return Saturday, Lord willing. Don Fortner will preach here this Wednesday evening.

There will be no Wednesday evening service on December 24th.

Congratulation to Jim and Pam Murphy on the birth of their son and Mitch and Amie Steeves on the birth of their daughter.

The ladies are invited to a brunch at Lee Anne Walmsley’s this Saturday. The information is on the foyer table if you plan to attend.
Birthdays
14th – Christie Small 16th - Cindy Farmer 19th – Amanda Carver



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ONESIPHORUS
The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to mention Onesiphorus to Timothy (II Timothy 1:16-18). In the previous20verse he mentioned two men who let him down. They turned away from him when they should have helped him. But not Onesiphorus! Paul said, “He oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.” He stood by Paul in the afflictions he endured for the Gospel’s sake, and often refreshed him. He did not merely wish him well, but “when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me.” He said to Timothy, “In how many things he ministered to me in Ephesus, thou knowest very well.” The name Onesiphorus means… “one who brings benefit.” Oh for grace to be like this man. The Holy Spirit moved Paul to record this to give us a man to emulate.


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Modern day evangelism (so-called) says to any and all it approaches, “God loves you and Christ died for you.” But none of the prophets nor any of the apostles addressed people in this way. The starting point of true evangelism is to acquaint men with the holy and sovereign character of God. This is the “beginning of wisdom”, which is able to make a man wise unto salvation: for THE FEAR OF THE LORD brings men to true repentance and faith. – Pastor Henry Mahan



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“The north wind driveth away rain; so doth an angry countenance a back-biting tongue.” - Proverb 25:23

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Ephesians 1:3
How often have we heard someone say, “You need to count your blessings?” This is said whenever some calamity takes place or someone is feeling sorry for himself and is down in the dumps about something. As men begin to “count their blessings,” they invariably start counting their cars, their houses, their health and that of their family, jobs, husbands, wives, friends, etc. All these things have their place, I’m sure; and we are truly thankful for them. But when the saints in the Bible “counted their blessings,” their COUNTING was always different from ours. “They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). They counted suffering shame for Christ to be a blessing! They also counted whatever was gain to them to be but loss, to be dung that they might win Christ. They counted it a blessing to give up all, to count it all loss for Christ, their Lord.
Paul, when counting his blessings in the first chapter of Ephesians, started counting election, God’s eternal love, God’s predestinating purpose, God’s glorious sovereignty, Christ’s blessed redemption, and the effectual work of the Holy Spirit. He counted being chosen in Christ before the world began and being accepted in the Beloved to be the CHIEFEST BLESSINGS. Maybe we need to rethink this thing of “counting our blessings.”
- Pastor Donnie Bell