April 2022
Pastor's Pen
Resting in the finished work of Christ for
salvation does not mean we are not to do good
works. It doesnʼt mean being idle and doing
nothing.
Suppose a man is swept out to sea on a raft.
The current takes him further and further from
the shore. The wind and the waves begin to
beat upon his little raft and he struggles desperately
to keep it afloat. Then a ship comes along
and the crew throws him a lifeline. He at once
abandons his own efforts to save himself and
accepts the salvation now offered to him. He is
saved! His standing is now secure.
Later, the captain asks him if he would help
out on the ship. Now, his salvation is sure; they
are not going to throw him overboard if he
refuses to help, but his gratitude is such that he
is eager to help out. Helping out has nothing to
do with securing his salvation. He can rest in
that, even though there is much work to be done
now that he is part of the shipʼs company.
Therefore “let us labor” for Christ and let it be a
labor of love and gratitude.
With that in mind, I am thankful to those in
our church who are so willing to serve faithfully.
From the Youth Pastor
April is here and we are faced with the only 2
certain things in life, death and taxes. Ben Franklin
used these 2 things to refer to the hopeful permanence
of our constitution, but I think we can use them
to put our lives in perspective and further the gospel.
Let me just get this one out of the way. Pay your
taxes. Jesus said “render unto Caesar what is
Caesarʼs”. Iʼve talked about this before and Iʼm sure
there is a sermon on itʼs way soon, but we are to
submit to the governing authorities, until they order
us to sin. So donʼt think about not paying taxes
because you donʼt like the state our country is in.
The other thing that is certain is death. 10 Out of
10 people die, but only 1 person has cheated death
and “ever lives to make intercession for” us. This is
what we celebrate this time of year. Forget about the
conspiracy theories and fake origin stories of Easter.
Most of them are unfounded anyway. We celebrate a
risen savior. This is the linchpin of our faith. In 1
Corinthians 15:14, Paul rightly concludes that if the
resurrection didnʼt happen, then we preach in vain
and our faith is in vain. If this is the central tenet of
our faith, then why not talk about it? Easter, as
commercialized as it is, gives you a perfect opportunity
to talk to someone about Christ; his death, burial
and resurrection. Just ask someone what they think
about Easter. Why do we celebrate Easter? What is
Easter about? Then TELL them about a GOD that sent
his son to die in their place so they wouldnʼt have to
pay the penalty for their own sin. Take advantage of
every opportunity you are afforded to present the
gospel. Donʼt just sit back and complain about how
Hallmark has ruined all of our holidays or how an
Easter dinner this year will cost more than your first
house. Death and taxes are certain, but so is eternal
life if you repent and believe the gospel. So go tell
everyone you know what Easter is really about.
Bro. Tim
Vital Signs
Averages For March
Sunday School - 131
Morning Worship - 224
Evening Worship - 135
Mid-Week Bible Study - 111
New Members - 1
Welcome New Member
Melody Taylor
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