Church guide

We are living in a day and time that most know absolutely nothing about true love. We may use the word but the true meaning is no longer there. The Bible tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” to come and die on the cross for our sins. It took true love for God to be willing to make that sacrifice. However, there was another act of love demonstrated on this day. That was the act of the Son, Jesus the Christ, showing His love, by not only coming to this earth, but also by going through with the plan of the Father that He would give His life for you and me. As Jesus was in the Garden, just hours before He was to die, He went through a struggle as He looked into the cup He was about to drink of. Now understand this was not a literal cup, rather a figure of speech, speaking about Him looking at the things He was about to face. It had come to the point where Jesus was looking at the cup He was about to deal with but also looking at His purpose of coming to this earth, to be God’s love for all mankind. At this moment in the life of Jesus He faced a struggle within; “Turn from His Cup or demonstrate His Love.” The question this morning is; “What was in the cup that Jesus was looking into?” I do not think it was the beatings or death that He was seeing in the cup that concerned Him because He knew He was to be beaten and put to death and that in 3 days He would be resurrected. I think it was something else. I think the thing Jesus was seeing in that cup, as He was crying out to God, was something greater than the beatings or death. Join us today as we look at 3 things Jesus saw in that cup that caused Him to cry out to the Father, “If there is another way, let this cup pass from Me.”

The more people I talk to the more I hear how bad of shape our nation is in. Every time I hear that, a question comes to mind; “Well who’s fault is it that we are where we are as a nation.” Many would be quick to point the blame at satan. “It is because of all the evil that is about us that we are where we are as a nation.” I would beg to differ. I believe we are where we are as a nation, not because of satan, rather because of “Christians.” Now I use that term lightly because in the true meaning of the word it would mean a follower of Christ, or, to be Christ like. But in America it has come to mean “one who is not a follower of satan.” In other words, “If you are not a satan worshipper you are a Christian. After all, I am an American and America is a Christian nation.” I believe that if more “True Christians” would understand the fields that are before us and work those fields the way Christ Himself would work them, we would see our nation turn around and become the God fearing nation it was prior to the 1960’s. In fact a question to ask yourself is; “If all church members were just like me, what kind of church would my church be?” When was the last time we laid aside thinking about our physical desires and just focused on the spiritual purpose God has placed us here for? When was the last time we were willing to lay aside a meal and seek what God would have us do for His Kingdom? When was the last time we sought to please God rather than pleasing ourselves? Here this day while the disciples were seeking to appease their physical hunger Jesus was seeking to carry out the will and purpose of the Father. It is the responsibility of the Church to sow the seed, water the seed, and then harvest the fruit. When we plant the seed, God will, in His own way, give the increase. And as God gives the increase the fields become white unto harvest. I firmly believe the reason it has been so long since we have see “fields white unto harvest” here in our nation is due to the fact that the people of God are no longer in the fields planting and watering the way they did years ago. Join us today as we see what Jesus would do with the fields that are before us.

What does it mean to be a “Bug Light Christian?” You may remember in the early 70’s when they first came out with the “Bug Light.” It was a purple light surrounded by 2 rows of electric wires. As bugs would attempt to get to the light they would touch the 2 wires and “SAP!,” they were dead to the world. In fact, they were not only dead, they were fried! And the bigger the bug the more noise it made frying them. Now being a “Bug Light Christian” doesn’t mean that you go around frying people to a crisp; what it does mean is that you live your life in such a way as to attract people to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ just as the purple light attracts bug to it. It means that you don’t bless people out going down the road. It means you don’t shake your fist at them in the Wal-mart parking lot because they cut in front of you and got the parking spot you waited for the past 5 minutes. And it surely means you don’t wave at them with 1 finger up and 3 down just because that is the way they waved at you for cutting them off. You see, the life we live as a Christian will either turn people on to Christ or turn them off to Him. You can’t sing “I’m coming back to the heart of worship” in one breath and scream out to someone in anger the next breath and expect to be a “Bug Light Christian.” As His people, God has placed His light within every one of us in order that we can do our part in dispelling the darkness of sin within this world. One of the greatest hindrances of Christianity today are those who call themselves Christians yet the only time they let their light shine is when they walk through the door of the church house. Join us today as we examine the words of Jesus as He commanded us to “let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven.”

We come to the final letter from Christ to the churches at Asia Minor. This final letter is also the saddest letter of all the churches. In every other letter we hear Jesus have some word of commendation even though they all, with the exception of the church at Philadelphia, had some problems within them. But in this church in Laodicea, nothing good was coming out of it. The eye of the Lord penetrated the hearts of the people and what He saw made Him sick to His stomach. These people were neither cold nor hot rather “lukewarm” of which made the Lord sick to His stomach to the point He wanted to vomit. There are enough Christians in our nation that if we all got “hot” for Christ at the same time, instead of the “lukewarm” state the church is in, we could turn this world upside down for Christ. There wouldn’t be a debate over abortion. There wouldn’t be a debate over same sex marriage. We wouldn’t be sending liberal politicians to Washington to pass laws that contradict the teaching of God’s Word. If we would just give up our lukewarm ways as children of God and get serious about serving Him what an impact we would have on the future population of hell. The church of Jesus Christ has become so tolerant and politically correct that rather than having the power God intends for us to have we have become a watered version of the New testament Church to the point God is about ready to spew us out of His mouth. I believe it is high time the church returns to calling a spade a spade, calling sin a sin, and remembering there is no gray area, rather it is either black or white. Join us today as we look at the “lukewarm” church and the warning Jesus gave to them.

We now get to the “Church at Philadelphia.” A church known by its “Brotherly love,” and is referred to as “The Faithful Church.” They were known as The Faithful Church because they remained faithful to God in spite of all the sin and evil around them. The church at Philadelphia had little strength and we can assume that they didn’t have much money or many influential people. But, they had great faith! What is it that God honors? Faith! What is He looking for? Faith! What does He reward? Faith! And how much faith does He require? Faith as small as a mustard seed. He’s not asking for the faith of many years of service and deep knowledge, He honors the faith of a child. In this letter Jesus is letting the readers know that He has an official position. He has the keys to the Kingdom of heaven and He opens the door when we trust Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus holds the keys to the presence of God and He opens the door for us when we go to Him is prayer. Jesus holds the keys to His Word and He opens the truth of His Word as we study the pages of that Word. Jesus holds the keys to true joy and happiness and He opens that door as we serve Him in obedience. Just as David held the keys to the earthly kingdom, Jesus holds the keys to the spiritual kingdom. Join us today as we take a look at this “Faithful Church” and see the lesson we can learn from them.

As we get to the church at Sardis we find a church that “was dead and didn’t know it.” As sad as it is, there are many churches today that are that very same way. In fact right here in Angelina County there are churches that meet Sunday after Sunday who do not even realize they are simply going through the motions yet all the life is gone out of them. I believe the liveliest thing in the world is a “live church.” A church that is charged with spiritual power! A church that when people walk through the doors they know they are in the house of God! A church that when people leave there is no doubt in their minds they have met with God! A church in which you just can’t wait until the next service comes around because you’re excited about what God is doing! But the deadest thing in the world is a church in which the Spirit of God has been withdrawn. Its buildings may look pretty, they have all the “required” services, Sunday School, Morning worship, evening worship, even Wednesday Night Bible study, they even meet on a regular basis but one thing is lacking, “The Spirit of God.” Such was the church of Sardis. It was dead and the members did not even know it. Join us today as we look at the church of Sardis and not only judge our church by what we see in this church, but also judge ourselves individually and see if we may be spiritually dead and not even be aware of it.

We now come to the church at Thyatira which is known as the church that was seduced by Jezebel. It is also referred as “The Tolerant Church.” Though they disapproved of immorality, false doctrine and idol worship, they were guilty of “tolerating” it because things were going pretty good in the church and they saw no need to “rock the boat.” Sometimes the pressure of “fitting in” with the world is overwhelming, but as the people of God we are to stand firm in our faith, speak out against sin, and trust God to provide and to take care of us. We are also to stand firm on the truth of God’s Word and not tolerate those who disregard and pervert it. Though this church was doing some great things and progressing year after year there was a problem in the church that the church was unwilling to address. There was an elephant in the room that everyone ignored. The problem Jesus was having with this church is that they, knowing this was going on, permitted Jezebel to stay in the church and the church refused to discipline her for her actions. One of the most difficult things to do is to exercise church discipline on a member, especially if that member is in a position of importance or one who is liked by many. But the worst thing a church can do is to turn its back on one who is bringing division into the body of Christ. Paul was clear to the church at Rome as he wrote to them; “17Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17, 18) This woman was causing division in the church, teaching false doctrine within the church and through her craftiness and ability to speak led many into spiritual fornication in the worship of idols. There has never been, nor ever will there be, a perfect church as long as we are in our earthly bodies because churches are made up of people and people are not perfect. Even the handpicked church of Jesus was far from perfect. So the question is not, “Are we a perfect church?” The question is, “Are we a repentant obedient church willing to remain faithful to the Word of God?” Are we willing to repent when the Holy Spirit reveals a sin within the church and are we being obedient to the direction He has set before us? Here in the church at Thyatira we see that some of the members had been led astray by a brilliant, forceful, yet wicked woman known as Jezebel and were not willing to repent. Join us today as we examine this church and see the lesson we can learn from their mistake.

As we get to the church at Pergamos again Jesus, as with all the churches, sees their works. What we will see is that this church had decided that it could maintain some kind of Christian credibility and also associate itself with the sins of those around them. A problem in many churches today is the effort to camouflage sin. We think if we throw a camouflage covering over the sin that Jesus will overlook it. The fact is, “Jesus never overlooks sin.” He will always see sin, He will always warn against sin, and He will always judge sin if the sinner does not seek repentance. Pergamos is a picture of any church that courts the world or any church that connects itself with paganism in any form. Here was a church that had allowed open sin and rebellion within it and they were doing nothing about it so Jesus says; “I will judge you for the sin that is being ignored.” They had no problem with some within the church following the doctrine of Balaam. Today the doctrine of Balaam would mean a church that has adopted worldliness into the church. Though not approving of it, they would turn their heads from it and not speak out against it so as to not offend anyone. When a church gets to the point they will not speak out against the sin that its members may be involved in, then that church can expect Jesus showing up with a sword of judgment to set thing right. There were those in the church at Pergamos who were involved in fornication, idolatry, religious orgies and the eating of meat sacrificed to idols and the church was turning their heads from it, mainly because they did not want to address it. Even today there are churches turning their heads from those involved in fornication, adultery, homosexuality, drunkenness, drug abuse and yes, even the busy bodies who are gossiping about those involved in such, and there are pastors not willing to address these issues out of fear of offending his members and losing some of them. The Church must be in the world but not allow the world to get into it. The Titanic is a good example of this. The Titanic was a thing of beauty and power while it was in the water cruising the ocean. But when the water got into it, it was no longer a thing of beauty or power rather of destruction and tragedy. When the church is in the world there is no problem, but as soon as the world gets in the church, you are asking for disaster. Join us today as we look at the Church at Pergamos and see the warning Jesus gave to them.

We are looking at the Letters to the 7 Churches in the book of Revelation. As we get to the church at Smyrna we see that Jesus, as with all the churches, knows their works. He knows not only what every church is doing but also what every church is going through. This church had gone through much suffering and pain. They had been crushed and beaten down emotionally and needed some encouraging. These words were surely encouraging to the church as Jesus assured them that He knew what they were going through, He was there with them, and had power over the one bringing all the misery upon them. It doesn’t matter what we are going through in life God, the first and the last, knows all about it. Jesus is giving them some words of comfort here as He is reassuring them that He has always been and always will be. Even when satan thought he had won a victory on the cross, as Jesus closed His eyes in death, Jesus was reminding them that death could not keep Him in the ground. That is what Easter Sunday is all about, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior! “I was dead, but am alive!” “Though they placed Me in a tomb, rolled a stone over the entrance, shed tears of sadness over My death, death could not keep Me in the ground.” “I have power over death, hell and the grave and any and all things that may come your way, I have power over that also. Satan may throw many flaming arrows on your life but I was here long before satan and I will be here long after I have cast him in the lake of fire to be bound forever and ever and ever!” Join us today as we look at Jesus’ letter to the Church at Smyrna and see that there is never a thing you go through in life that God does not know about, nor knows not the end results of it.

In the first part of His letter to the church at Ephesus Jesus commended them for being a working church. He then applauded them for being a patient church and a church that did not approve of evil. Finally He praised them for being a faithful church. However, with all the good and favorable things they were doing, there was just one problem, somewhere in all their working, ministering and service of others, the divine spirit of love had evaporated out of the hearts of the people. They were doing the right things yet with the wrong motivation. The same is true in the hearts of individuals within the church. They may be at every service, they may be involved in many ministries, but when the motivating factor for ministry is gone, that being a love for Christ, then everything we do is empty. We can build our beautiful buildings, make worship comfortable, have the best music in town and the smartest most educated pastor in town. But if all of this is not done out of a love for Christ it means nothing and is not pleasing to God. That is what happens when we leave our first love for Christ. Join us today as we look at 3 commands of Jesus to the Church at Ephesus instructing them on how to return to that first love which they had left.

In the 2nd & 3rd chapters of the book of The Revelation we see letters that Christ dictated, through John, to the 7 churches of Asia Minor. Let’s not forget when studying these seven churches the message is actually 4 fold. 1) These churches actually existed during this time period. 2) Each church represents the various church ages throughout church history. 3) Each church today can find themselves in one or more of these churches. 4) The spiritual life of each and every one of us falls into one of these churches. The Church at Ephesus was a church Jesus commended for a number of reasons including how they did not condone evil nor did they tolerate it. Rather it was evil within the community or a member that was living a life that brought embarrassment upon the church or the Lord, they addressed the problem quickly. One reason our churches today lack the power they should possess is because they have become “open-minded” to sin. We are afraid we will be labeled as a judgmental church or a people who think they are better than anyone else. A problem today is too many churches are allowing the world to have influence over them rather than the church having influence over the world. “If the church has too little influence over the world it is because the world has too much influence over the church.” Join us today as we look at The Church at Ephesus and see if our church, or we as a believer, is represented of it.

We observed the Lord’s Supper today so we reached back a couple of months on a study we are doing on Sunday nights on The Tribulation and are posting one of those sermons. As we enter ch.11, we are in the middle of the tribulation period and the anti-christ has not yet revealed himself as such, but is still know only as a dynamic leader. Also, we are still in this interlude, or interval. What we see is not a flash-forward as in c.10, rather a time of preparing for what is to come and a time of informing the reader of something that has been going on sometime, that being the testifying of 2 witnesses. We will also see the measuring of the Temple by God. Keep in mind that the book of Revelation was written around 95 A.D., some 25 years after the destruction of Herod's temple. So this means as John was writing this there was not even a temple in existence. So this must be a temple that will be built during the tribulation period, probably during the first part of the tribulation as part of a peace treaty with Israel by this flamboyant leader that comes on the scene. God will determine through His measurement that the tribulation temple is not based on recognition of Jesus as Messiah rather it is an expression of Jewish nationalism. So God sentences the temple and the people to 42 months of abuse by the Gentiles. Join us today on this exciting study of “The Measuring Of The Temple & The Two Witnesses.”

We have pretty much established the fact that we can trust God to keep His promise of meeting our needs if we are faithful to Him and obedient in the area of tithing. So, if we know that we can trust God, the next question is, “Can God Trust Me?” Can He trust me to be a wise steward of that He has entrusted to me? Can He trust me to live up to my promise to love and serve Him? Can He look at me and literally bestow more on me, as His faithful child, realizing I am trustworthy of what He is going to give me, or am I one of those people that I’m trustworthy in some things but in other areas God says, “I can’t touch this area of your life because you’re not yet trustworthy?” Many of us struggle to manage the money the Lord has entrusted to us and I believe for most people within our churches we need to learn how to manage our money more wisely. So today, I want to go to God’s Word, get practical, and see the wisdom God has made available to us from the book of Proverbs about how good stewards manage money. Many times pastors teach about tithing and money yet never give their people practical insight on how to go about it. It is easy for pastors to tell his people they need to be giving 10% but how can they get into a position where they can give when their living from pay check to pay check now? Here’s a thought; “Maybe the reason you’re living from pay check to pay check now is because you have not been tithing nor have you been a good manger of that God has entrusted to you.” Just a thought! Join us today as we look at 6 Principles Of Wise Money Management, all from the Book of Proverbs, and see if there is some room in our life for improvement in one or more of these areas.

When it comes to Stewardship the thing we need to always remember is that we all are going to be held accountable for how we handled the gifts, talents, and resources that God has entrusted to us. Last week we established the fact that “God’s the owner – I’m the manager.” Once we understand this truth it is much easier for us to surrender all of our possessions to the Lord, even our finances. This is why so many within our churches have a difficult time with commitment, rather it is commitment to church attendance, ministry, and in the area of tithing. They many times don’t want to admit it, but, if they would be honest, they feel that they are the ones who are in control of their life and not God. They have never put God number 1 in their life and because of that, they do not understand that God is owner of “everything,” even they themselves! And because of this, they are still struggling with the things of life and allowing things in life to control them rather than them controlling the things of life. Here is a fact; “Until God is in control of my life, I am out of control.” You see, Stewardship is more than the management of things, it is the refusal to let things manage us. Join us today as we look at 5 principles that, if we make a part of our everyday life, will help us to be more faithful in every area of stewardship, even in the area of tithing.

When it comes to understanding and practicing stewardship, the first thing we must understand is that God owns everything. For many that is why they are never able to practice and be faithful in the area of stewardship and tithing within their life. If we are to be faithful in the area of stewardship, we must come to understand the principle that God owns everything that we call “ours.” He owns it all! If I look at myself as the owner, then I am constantly going to be in conflict with God over what I do with the things that I have. Why? Because I think I own everything He has entrusted to me and that I have the right to do with it as I please. I think it is all mine. But, when I understand that the Lord is the owner and I am only the manager, then the conflict disappears and freedom overtakes my life. Eugene Peterson puts it like this; “If you start thinking to yourselves, ‘I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich. It’s all mine!’ Well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth…” (Deut. 8:17, 18a The Message) This, I believe, is the main reason that so many have such a big problem in the area of tithing. They think that all they have in life is a result of all “they have done” and do not understand that it is only by the grace of God they have the health and ability to accomplish what they have accomplished in life. Join us today as we begin our yearly Stewardship Series as we see that, “I All Belongs To God.”

Why does one need to be saved? Why does one need to “confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead?” “Why Salvation?” Peter’s message to the people of Jerusalem following Pentecost was simple, they must “repent” and be baptized because of the remission of their sins. Repent = To Think Differently. They needed to change their “thinking” as to who Jesus really was. “True Repentance is an internal change resulting, not from remorse, but from conviction of sin and having godly sorrow for it.” Many times people are sorry they got caught sinning, but being sorry you got caught is not godly sorrow. Paul told the church at Corinth; “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Cor. 7:10) Therefore, being sorry you got caught doing something wrong is not “sorrow for your sins” that will lead you to repentance. Being sorry for doing wrong is simply “worldly sorrow” that will lead you to hell. Godly sorrow is understanding that we have sinned against God and that will lead to true repentance. Join us today as we break down this one passage and see “Why Salvation” is a must.

The title of this lesson this morning may sound kind of unusual however, there are many within our world, and within our churches, that are running around with “opened eyes” who are in reality “blind” in a spiritual sense. They think they can see yet their world is full of darkness. Helen Keller, though I totally disagree with her political views as she was a member of the socialist party of America in the early 1900’s and went about spreading that socialist poison, once said something I do agree with; “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” (Helen Keller) Such was the case with the Pharisees of Jesus’ day and many within our churches today. Because of their religious practices they thought their eyes were opened to God and the sin around them. Yet when Jesus, the LIGHT of the world, came on the scene, they were not able to see Him because they were blinded to the LIGHT. One thing blinded eyes have never seen is light. One whom is blind lives in total darkness at all times. However, when light is able to enter, darkness is dispelled. So it is in the spiritual sense when Jesus, who is “The Light”, enters the life of a person, spiritual eyes that were once blinded to sin now are able to see things that are displeasing to God clearly. There are many people who attend a church service week after week who have never had their spiritual eyes opened. Basically, the church service becomes a pacifier for them. You see, a pacifier is not designed to give a baby the nutrition they need, it is designed to make them think they are getting what their body is craving. And many within our churches are the same way. Church makes them feel good about themselves for a short while but in reality they are not receiving anything of spiritual value. Until we have our spiritual eyes opened, by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are not really receiving what our spirit man is craving, that being, a personal relationship with the God who created us. Church has only become a spiritual pacifier to our spiritual man for many. Join us this morning as we take a look at this unusual story about a young man Jesus healed of blindness and learn the lesson Jesus attempted to teach the blinded Pharisees who in reality lacked vision.

We still have a couple of spots available if you would like to join us on our Mission Trip to Peru on July 16th -23rd. The cost is approximately $1,500.00 which will cover round trip airfare, hotel, ground transportation, and meals for 5 days. If you are interested in going our just helping out our team financially you can contact the church office at (936) 637-1466 or (936) 676-5229.

It was great to have Evangelists Ed & Heather Held with us this morning. They led our worship through song and the Word. The music was great and Ed challenged us to look to Jesus during the storms of life. If you want to bring in an evangelist team for revival I strongly recommend Ed & Heather.

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus we see that the spirit of both men were required of the Creator of those spirits and both returned to the Maker of the spirit. One was held in a place called paradise, the other in a place called hell. Looking at this story that Jesus told about these 2 men, it is clear what happens to the spirit and soul of a person when they die. This is not just a made up story that Jesus tells, it is the actual experience of 2 men after their deaths. We must understand that both rich and poor will experience death. The Pharisees thought that having riches was a sign that they were blessed by God and that poverty was the result of God’s curse. Jesus rejects that whole idea in this story. Jesus told this story of the rich man and Lazarus to show that being rich should not be equated with being righteous. Though the rich man had everything he wanted the one thing he didn't have was the only thing that would get him to heaven, that being a relationship with God. Jesus is not teaching that it is sin in having riches, but riches without a relationship with God means nothing when we pass from this life to the next. In hell the rich man finally saw afar off or saw the bigger picture of life. In the context of this chapter, the rich man's sin was not that he hated Lazarus, but simply that he neglected him. If he had only realized his spiritual thirst while living, he could have come to Jesus, the Living Water, and experienced everlasting water for his soul and wouldn’t have found himself begging for just a drop of water in eternity. In the same way we must come to Jesus, the fountain of Living Water. We must acknowledge our thirst and come to Him and partake of the life that only He can give while here on this earth as it will be too late once we leave this life. Join us today as we look at, 2 destinations in the next life.

Just a taste of the Southern Plainsmen if you missed our concert tonight.

We had to cancel a rally with Evangelist David Ring in the summer due to a scheduling conflict but this time it is a go! David will be with us on Sunday December 4th for both our 11:00am service and our 6:00pm service. If you have never heard David speak you have missed a blessing. Put this date on your calendar and we will look forward to seeing you with us. A love offering will be taken.

Here is just some of what you missed if you missed our concert tonight with Anthony Facello.

Everyone of us go through things in life we do not understand at the time. But the one thing we can be assured of is that “Even When” we are going through them God is there with us and it is during those times we must trust Him. This song is for those of you this evening who are going or who have gone through some things in life that were difficult for you. A great song by The Anchormen entitled “Even When.”

A Great Song, "O What A Savior"

A great concert with The Anchormen tonight at Fairview. Here is a great one, "What A Morning."

We wish to thank all of you who shared in our July 4th Community Celebration last night. We are saddened that after 12 years we will discontinue this event but we thank all of you who have supported it over the years. Here is a short video of last nights fireworks show. We wish to thank Logan Lair for shooting and sharing this video with us.

Due to a scheduling conflict we have moved our night Revival Rally with Evangelist David Ring to Monday Night, July 11th at 7:00pm. Just 4 weeks away! Please enjoy our updated promo video. We are expecting a big crowd so plan on getting here early. Doors will open at 6:00pm. The event is FREE but we will take up a love offering.