Mars Hill Baptist Church

Thank God for a beautiful Sunday to worship! And to God be the glory for adding five more members to our church this week! We welcome each of you and pray that your journey with Christ gets stronger every day. We are always excited to see visitors in our church, and we hope that you feel loved and at home here.

Bro. William Short’s message this week came from Revelation 3:19-22: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

As parents, we often discipline our children. I would tell mine that I discipline them because I love them, and that it hurt me more than it did them. Of course they never believed me, but one day they will know what I mean. If we discipline our kids, why should we not expect our Heavenly Father to discipline us if we belong to him? It always hurts, but it is always for our good. It gets us back on the straight and narrow road to victory in Jesus. If God has never chastened you, it’s not because you are perfect my friend. You’d better check the playhouse you call church, stop playing and get serious with God.

His word says he is standing at the door knocking, and if anyone hears his voice and opens the door, he will come in to him and dine with him. He wants to come in; you need to let him in. Just because he knocks at your heart’s door today, does not mean he will be back again tomorrow. Jesus may knock a million times, asking for your heart. Then again, he might knock just once, and if you don’t answer, he may never come back and knock again. Why take that chance? Open the door and let him in today. You will never be sorry. His table is full of wonderful things for you: mercy, grace, the joy of his salvation, love that lasts forever, forgiveness of sins and understanding. He is a Father like no other!

If you were born into a Christian family with wonderful loving parents, brothers and sisters, it does not mean you too are a Christian. Your parents cannot answer the door to your heart and ask Jesus inside for you. You have to open your own door, do your own talking to Christ and do your own repenting. You may have been raised in church, never missed Sunday school or sang in the choir, but if you haven’t opened the door to Christ Jesus, you will die and go to a devil’s hell! Again, don’t take that chance my friend. Jesus loves you so much that he died for you. Can you live for him?

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The “whoever” in this verse means whoever answers his call—his knock on the door—can be saved. It doesn’t say that if you are white, if you are black, if you live in America or if you are a good person you can be saved; it says that anyone who answers the call of Jesus can be saved. Praise God! He is not prejudiced but loves us all equally! Amen.

Remember: we have two ears and one mouth, so we need to listen twice as much as we talk. Jesus may be trying to tell us something, so be quiet and listen to the sound of his voice, his knock on your heart’s door.

Please pray for our church, our pastor, the sick, the lost, the hurting, our children, our troops and our government. Our church should be a light for all to see the love of God, for God is good all the time! Amen.

Cedar Grove Church

Pray without ceasing!

Prayer concerns: Our nation, Mike Price, Steven Fricke, Janet Wyatt, Billy Caton, Conniemack Easterling, Janice Cleckler, Renee Cleckley, those in hospitals and nursing homes.

Bro. Stony Barbee brought our message today out of Hebrews 11:30 and Mark 9. The message title was “A Faith That Will Carry You Through.”

We need all we can get from God and more, because it seems at times the bloodhounds of hell are after us.

One of the greatest acts of faith demonstrated in the word of God was when the walls of Jericho fell. God is going to prove he is real one great day, but for now he expects us to believe without seeing. God gives us his promises; we just have to have the faith. When others say the odds are against us, God is for us and we can claim the victory. The Bible tells us that by faith the walls of Jericho fell. It wasn’t the people that brought the walls down, nor the sound of the trumpet being blown, but faith and obedience to God by marching around Jericho for seven days. I am sure there were people outside and inside those walls who grumbled and complained, mocked and laughed at God’s people when they were marching around Jericho.

We today, like God’s people then, need to realize the battle is God’s; we only need to step back and obey God’s command. God’s way is the only way. Greater is he that is in us as Christians than he that is in the world. Some of us have doubt and unbelief in the sight of faith. Faith is belief and unbelief, but acting on the belief part. This is the test: Do we trust God enough in faith to bring down our walls of Jericho. Whatever your walls of Jericho may be, ask and obey, for there is no other way but by faith through Jesus Christ our Savior. God will show up and show out if his people will let him in by letting go and letting the Holy Ghost power have control in our lives today.

Love to all. Have a blessed week!