Mars Hill Baptist Church

Revival is going on at Mars Hill Baptist Church in Jemison! Come and be a part of it. You will be blessed, renewed and ready to finish the race.

Have you ever been accused of doing something you did not do? Have you ever been accused of being a Christian? If you had to present proof of being a Christian, would you have anything to show? Are you always talking about it, but never actually doing anything? All throughout Jesus’ life, he was constantly being accused of being who he was: God in the flesh, power to heal, with the power to raise the dead and forgive sins, the Son of the Living God. Do you know him? Friend, if you don’t, you need to go to church somewhere, find out who he is, and ask him into your heart. He is coming back soon, and you need to have your ticket ready to get on board for the trip to heaven. You don’t want to miss this flight!

Bro. William Short took our message this week from Matthew 9:1-8. A man who was paralytic and lying on a bed was brought to Jesus. When Jesus saw the faith of the man’s friends, he said to the one paralyzed, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes who heard him accused Jesus of blasphemy, but Jesus knew their thoughts and said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” He then told the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. And the man got up off his bed and walked to his house.

Jesus knew this man had a bigger problem than being paralyzed. Being unable to walk was only half the problem. He had a sin problem. Most of our problems today are caused by sin. You may have all kinds of physical problems, but sin is the one that will take you straight to hell if not repented. Sin keeps you separated from God; repentance is the only way back. We can live our lives in such a way that problems are constantly knocking on our door. Infidelity in marriage, lying, cheating, stealing, smoking, drinking, gambling, gossiping and backbiting are a few of the sins we bring upon ourselves. No one’s sin is greater or lesser than another; sin is sin in God’s eyes.

When we sin, we always look for the easy way out, going around in circles, trying to cover our tracks, staying one step ahead of disaster and looking for answers in all the wrong places. Jesus is the only answer we need. Be honest with yourself; see your sins for what they are and come to Jesus. Ask for his healing hand of mercy, love and grace. There is nothing you can do that God will not forgive. He loves you and me, and it breaks the heart of Jesus to see sin in our lives, especially if we say we are Christians. When you get sick and tired of sin, you can try to clean yourself up—and most can do a good job on the outside—but Jesus is the only one who can clean us up from the inside out. When you think you have messed up beyond redemption, hit your knees, pray and look up. You will find Jesus waiting for you with open arms, always willing to take us back into his holy embrace. What a promise; what a wonderful Savior he is! There is no friend like Jesus!

We are only on this earth for a short while. Focus on God, his glory and the eternity that is waiting. Don’t build your security or put down roots here because it will all pass away. Remember: Adam and Eve left the garden, Abraham was a nomad and Jacob fled from his brother. Every one of us will spend eternity in one place or another, heaven or hell. I don’t know about you, my friend, but I want to see Jesus face to face. I want to thank him for his amazing grace and walk those streets of gold! This old world has nothing for the child of God. Our treasure is in heaven, where life truly begins. Christians should make the most of their earthly stay, putting all trust in God. When our trust is truly in God alone, then our actions and our lives will be transformed, serving as an example of all God can do through us.

Yes, all of us have a sin problem; face it, ask repentance for it and get rid of it! Trust God with your whole heart. He will be your everything. Happiness comes from circumstances surrounding your daily life, but joy comes from knowing Jesus. You can have joy no matter what your life is like. Just accept Jesus as your personal Savior and ask him into your heart to save your soul. Amen.

Revival next week on Sunday night at 6 p.m. and Monday night at 7 p.m. Come be a part of it. We are having a truly wonderful time in the Lord!

Please continue to pray for our church, our pastor, the lost, the hurting, the sick, our country, our troops, our children. God is good, all the time! Amen

Rocky Mount United Methodist Church

We had such a special treat today as Ms. Bethany Mooney and Ms. Jordan Mooney blessed us with their wonderful talents by playing the piano and singing a special anthem. We always miss our regular musicians, but feel so happy to have someone step up and help us out, willing to share their God-given talent with us. Much hard work goes into advancing these talents and we are very appreciative. Thank you, girls, for blessing our worship service. We are so very proud of you!

Sunday’s scripture was from Luke 15:1-10, consisting mostly of the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin, stopping just short of the Parable of the Lost Son. We heard the stories of these lost things that were searched for as opposed to just moving on with one less. In verses 7 and 10, and then again in verse 32, we heard what rejoicing took place upon the discovery of what was lost. We can only imagine the great rejoicing God does each time a sinner is found or redeemed! We all need to help with that rejoicing party. We need to embrace sinners and call them into the love of God.

Don’t begrudge the generosity of God as in the Parable of the Vineyard Workers. God will just as generously accept those who have stains or years on their lives as he will the young, pristine teenager. Don’t be a dour sourpuss. Show the love of God. Be a diamond. We all love to see diamonds as opposed to dark velvet.

Our prayer list was unusually long this week, but we particularly mourn the loss of one of our members, Mrs. Ellen Heptinstall. We extend our prayers to her family.