Faith

In God's Word: Simply Believe and Confess

January 15, 2019 - At the death of the great king, David, of Israel the Lord appointed his son, Solomon, to be the new king and to rule over the people of Israel.

In the night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.” (2 Chronicles 1:7)

And Solomon responded to God, saying, “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and to come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?” (2 Chronicles 1:10)

And God bing pleased that Solomon had asked only for wisdom and knowledge that he might better serve the people of the Lord gave him that which he asked for but God also gave him much more saying, “Wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” (2 Chronicles 1:12)

As Solomon reigned over the people the time came that he was to build the new temple in Jerusalem for they still worshipped at the tent of meeting which housed the ark of the covenant and the two tablets of Moses upon which God had written the Ten Commandments with his own finger. 

As Solomon has been directed to build the new temple by his father David, and as he prepares to build it in Jerusalem he asks humbly, “The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?” (2 Chronicles 2:5-6)

Solomon in his wisdom realizes that the only reason he would be able to build a house, a temple, for the Lord would be that the people would have a place to come and worship the Lord their God, which in those days included making burnt offerings and sacrifices to him for all their sins and transgressions. 

Solomon did build the temple for the Lord and finally when all the work was finished.

“And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:1)

And Solomon dedicated the new temple to the Lord, saying; “For I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord has promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 6:10)

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (2 Chronicles 7:1)

“When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 7:3)

Many say today, “If we had miracles such as this, I too would believe in the Lord as did these people of old."

I am here to tell you that you do have these same miracles today as they are described for you, by God, in his written word, the Bible. 

In His Word, one can read for himself of the miracles of God, of all the great and wonderful things done by our Lord Jesus Christ; by his life, death and resurrection on earth, and by his continued shepherding of his own from heaven.

Wanna change your life, forever! 

Come forth today and do as the Bible directs all to do. “Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

It’s really simple, accept Jesus Christ as Lord, read the Bible, follow it, believe in God and obey Gods will and you will find yourself in a new place with a new life, a new purpose and unspeakable joy unknown to the world.

Carroll Chapel CME Church Annual Men, Women Day Program

January 14, 2019 - We the Members and Pastor of Carroll Chapel CME Church in Shelbyville, would like to invite you to our Annual Men and Women Day Program. Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 3pm.

Our Gueat Speaker will be Pastor Theresa Cartwright of the First Pentacostal Church in Shelbyville, TX. 

Everyone is invited.

Huxley Helping Hands January Food Pantry

January 10, 2019 - Huxley Helping Hands, a local mission group from the Huxley Community, are holding a food pantry for the residents of Shelby County on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Sign-in starts at 9am and lasts until food is gone.

All recipients must show identification, proof of residency and income. Only one (1) box per household.

Hillcrest Baptist Church is located at 901 Southview Circle, Center, Texas.

First Assembly of God Timpson Movie Night

January 9, 2019 - We will be having movie night at First Assembly of God in Timpson January 13 and 19, 2019 at 6pm. Everyone is invited and it is free to the public. Come out and be blessed.

First Assembly of God is located at 652 Houston Streetm Timpson, Tx. 

For more information call, 936-572-4693.

Smith Chapel Baptist Church 2019 Calendar

January 9, 2019 – Smith Chapel Baptist Church calendar of programs for 2019 is below.

January 20 – Pastor and Wife Appreciation at 3pm
March 3 – Church Anniversary at 2:30pm
April 27 – Choir and Usher Night at 7pm
June 2 - Family and Friend's Day at 2:30pm
August 4 – Homecoming at 11:30am
August 5 to 7 – Homecoming Revival, Monday-Wednesday, 7:30pm nightly
September 8 – Musician's Appreciation at 7pm
October 5 - Men and Women's Day at 6pm
November 10 - Harvest Day at 2:30pm

I am Saved (Regeneration) - Ephesians 2:8
I am being Saved (Sanctification) - 2 Corinthians 4:16
I will be Saved (Glorification) - 1 Peter 1:5

Smith Chapel Baptist Church is located at 919 County Road 4704, Timpson, Texas. Pastor is Reverend Mario Osby with First Lady Sister Teresa Osby.

Smyrna Baptist Church Presents "The Porch"

January 8, 2019 - Smyrna Baptist Church Huxley, Texas presents "The Porch" on January 14th at 7pm. Refreshments served from 6:30pm until 7pm. The guest speaker will be Dr. Jimmy Smith with worship music by Paul and Brittany Koiner. Come join us and bring a friend, you will be blessed.

Pastor, Bro. Rusty Hall

In God's Word - Heirs to The Kingdom by Mike Mills

January 7, 2019 - Let us address the Law which God gave to Moses as he led the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness. God gave Moses over 600 laws, each of which had to be kept perfectly if one was to see the kingdom of God. 

A set of laws made impossible for a human man to follow to perfection and the priest would have to make sacrifices for them before God.

By having an impossible task, the people would learn that, on their own, they could not succeed, but that they would have to have Devine help if they were to see the kingdom of God on the day of judgment.
God did this in order to prepare the Israelite people for the coming of his Son, Jesus Christ as he would come as a savior for all of his people.

On the day when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary when all had been accomplished that the Father had asked of him; “And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:37-38)

The significance of this being that by the death of Jesus there would no longer be a need for intervention for the people by a priest, for the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, would now be forever watching over his own. 
The curtain was between the outer sanctuary and the inner place, the holy of holies where only the priest could go. 

Now by Jesus’ sacrifice of his own life for the lives of all others, anyone could come freely into the throne room of God in prayer.

Once one has accepted Jesus Christ as his own sovereign Lord and Master he is then removed from the world and held by the Spirit.

“But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, (which was sin), so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7:6) 

Until one accepts Jesus as Lord he lives according to the flesh, which is in sin, born of Adam, and transferred to all who are born of man and woman. But those who do accept Jesus as Lord, they live according to the Spirit of God, their minds being set on the things of the Spirit.

For with acceptance of Jesus as Lord comes salvation and the free gift of the Spirit of God. For the path to salvation comes only through repentance; “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” (Acts 2:40)

For all who come to the Lord Jesus seeking his face and his fellowship, humbling themselves and making themselves living sacrifices to the Lord; a new day dawns, a new time begins, a new creature is born, released from the old and made anew.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17)

So accept him and obey his commands and become heirs of the Father God, heirs to the kingdom of heaven…

Happenings at Paxton Methodist, Jan 7th

January 7, 2019 - Sunday was the Epiphany, when traditions of the church have us celebrate the coming of the wise men. In our Christmas programs, the shepherds and the three kings arrive at the manger at the same time. This is the year of Luke in the Common Lectionary, but Luke doesn’t even mention wise men. Since the Epiphany landed on exactly on Sunday, I chose Matthew 2: 1-12 as my scripture. These mystics were not kings but wise men—scholars following the light to Bethlehem. What a wonderful story to inspire our own journeys into the mystery we call God. 

I went to Tenaha Methodist for their church service to hear Pastor Matt preach and to have communion with my Tenaha Methodist friends. I was late to Paxton Sunday School but the part of the lesson I heard sounded very thought-provoking. The title of the lesson was “Hold Fast to God’s Love”: Accompanying scriptures were 2 Thessalonians 3: 1-5 and 2 John 4-11. The main focus was how to tell others about our faith story. We all have thoughts about “witnessing,” but for some of us it is hard to know how to do it effectively without offending or turning people off. I am going to keep my Sunday School book turned to January 6th this week and read over it again. 

We were very saddened to hear that Center Methodist Pastor Karen’s husband Martin Jones passed away. I saw Dr. Thomas Franks listed in our local obituaries. Dr. Franks was Dean of the SFA Education Department for many years. My uncle, Ray Rinas, also died this week. My brother and sister-in-law headed to Kansas City for his funeral. It seems that 2019 got off to a sad start.

January is often a time of reflection as we say goodbye to one year and hello to another. I always fall into the trap of making resolutions, but at least I kept it to three this year. I am reading the book, The Mystic in You, so one of my resolutions is to try to open my eyes to the Divine that happens in the ordinary. The other two I am keeping a secret for now to see if I even try to maintain them. I don’t have a real good track record!

During the month of January, the church is collecting cans of tuna to donate to Community Christian Services. It is also the first Sunday of the month, so we celebrated Holy Communion using a liturgy that quotes from Teresa of Avila. This Thursday at 10:00 we will head to Focused Care for our ministry program. I hope we still sing some Christmas songs even though the twelve days of Christmas are past. We are in the midst of flu season and we all hope and pray that our friends at the various nursing centers have had their flu shots and will avoid illness this season. 

Monday is “Report Day” for Methodist churches in the Texas Conference. Various reports have to be submitted to the District that are then forwarded to the Conference. Last century, when I first became a Methodist minister, we had to physically report to the District while auditors went through our reports. Now these reports are filed and submitted electronically. I wonder what John Wesley would think of that! I really appreciate our treasurer, Gene, for getting all the financial numbers ready for me to enter. 

Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.

“Too Much to Swallow” by Doug Fincher

“You are the salt of the earth…” Matthew 5:13

January 7, 2019 - Mother was our neighborhood’s best cook. My aunts and uncles visited us often because they knew mother would always have something to eat. We usually had biscuits and syrup for breakfast and beans and cornbread for the other meals. We boys added rabbits, squirrels and fish to the menu when we could.

When Mother reached her eighties and was living alone, she quit cooking and got her meals from fast food restaurants. I took my daughter Amber to visit her one summer and when she served us unseasoned oatmeal for breakfast, Amber whispered, “Dad, I can’t swallow it.” So when Mother wasn’t looking, I gulped down both bowls.

Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth, but if our witnessing for Christ makes people nauseas, the Bread of Life is not the problem. The thing that makes it so hard to swallow…

… could be our seasoning.

Happenings at Paxton Methodist, Jan 1st

January 1, 2019 - Sunday was the First Sunday after Christmas. A Happy New Year greeting from all your friends at Paxton Methodist. We wish that 2019 will be a year of spiritual growth and health. Sunday morning was cold, and it looks like East Texas is in for more rain. I remember this summer wishing we would get some much-needed rain. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could save this rain until July and August—and maybe some of the cold temperatures too!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. Christmastide continues until next Sunday, when traditionally, January 6 is the Epiphany. In the lectionary this is the year of Luke, who has no wise men in his telling of the Gospel. So I plan to head back to Matthew and pick up the story next Sunday. This Sunday the Gospel sees Mary, Joseph, and almost-teenage Jesus traveling to Jerusalem. This is one of the few glimpses into the life of the young family. Jesus is totally absorbed in all that he hears to the point that the extended family heads home without him!

Fannie had an inspirational Sunday School lesson, perfect for the coming New Year, titled “Modeling God’s Love.” In the scripture reading, Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. Jesus thanks the righteous for feeding him when he was hungry and welcoming him even though he was a stranger. The righteous don’t remember doing all these things; Jesus tells them that acting with kindness toward the least among us is the same as doing it for him.

It was so great to see Lillie, Liz, and Mike at church this morning. They are up at the farm for a few days. I hope that the weather gets better so they can spend some time enjoying being in the country. Sue was pleased to show Lillie pictures of the Joaquin Senior Center on her phone, including one of the plaque commemorating Lillie and husband Buddy’s hard work during their time at the Senior Center.

Last week, our ministry was at Lakeside, but at two days after Christmas, entertainers and entertained were both in short supply. We certainly couldn’t do without a piano player, and Hilda ably fulfilled that role. Fannie read two sweet poems bridging the time between Christmas and the New Year. That’s what we tried to do also with our song choices—some Christmas and some non-Christmas. Gene sang different types of noels, like the calypso version of “Away in a Manger” and Harry Belafonte’s “Mary’s Boy Child.” Sue read How Santa Lost His Job and later did “Jingle Bell Quiz” with the residents. Maggie, as emcee, kept things moving along. And as usual, we were joined by one of the nicest ladies in Shelby County, Margie Dorner. So even with a small group, we had a good time.

Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed.

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