Shelby County Today

May 14, 2018 - Pastor Byron Coutee, Jr. and the Blount Chapel Missionary Baptist Church cordially invites all area churches to our Annual Usher Day on Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 at 3:00pm.

Guest Speaker is Pastor Rayford Caraway of the New Prospect Baptist Church in Timpson, Texas.

"For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." - Psalms 84:10 KJV

May 10, 2018 - Come along for the ride May 12, 2018, 10am-1pm.

Horses & Hearts Ministry Impact Cowboy Church of Nacogdoches. 415 FM 2112, Nacogdoches, TX.

An event for children 3-18 years old with physical, cognitive, and/or emotional disabilities. Siblings are welcome.

Lunch provided, face painting, crafts and games, horseback riding and t-shirts.

Pre-registration is preferred but not required. 

For more information and registration contact Marc Green: 936-645-5122; Dawn Green: 936-645-5120; 936-585-1020.

horsesandheartsministry@gmail.com or the Facebook event page

Notarized parent/guardian consent rerquired for horseback riding.

One day as Jesus sat by the sea and many people had come to hear his words he told a parable of the weeds. A story of a man who was planting seeds in his field, looking for a fruitful harvest to come.
And so Jesus said; “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weds appeared also.” (Matt13:24-26)

Jesus then explains that when the servants of the house saw the weeds they came and asked the master of the house did he not plant only good seeds. And so why does it have weeds among the grain?

The master answered them; “An enemy has done this. so the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them? But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matt. 13:28-30)

Later when only Jesus and his disciples remained there they asked him to explain the parable of the weeds to them so they would better understand his teachings.

And so Jesus answered them; “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matt. 13:37-43)

The age which Jesus is speaking about here is the age we are living in which many call the “church age”, when it comes to an end we will then enter the “kingdom age”. The kingdom age being the kingdom of Jesus Christ erected here on earth, a reign of one thousand years after which will come the final day of judgement when all will be sorted out as Jesus explains in this parable.

Now I ask you today, if the end of this age were to come today, into which group would you fall, the good seed or the weeds?

That is the question we must all answer for ourselves, for if we would fall today into the group of the weeds then today we must make ourselves right with the Lord.

We must come humbly before the Lord, seeking his face and his grace, praying for his forgiveness for our sins and for his help in repentance of our sins. For only by our submission to him are we to find forgiveness of our sins.

Only by trusting Jesus Christ and acknowledging him as our sovereign Lord and Master are we to be able to come before the Father to receive eternal life in Christ.

So I beg you today, if you do not know him, seek him out today and offer yourself as a living sacrifice to him this very day for no one knows the hour nor even the day when the end of this age will come.

Prepare yourself today before the time has passed and salvation is no more… Blessed be the name of our Lord…

"And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Matthew 6:7

May 7, 2018 - Muslims pray fifty prayers every day and pray them five times daily. There are several religions that use prayer beads to keep track of their repetitious prayers. Among these religions are Hinduism, ISLAM, Buddhism, Sikhism, the Bahai belief and some Christian denominations.

Christians are told to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but that doesn't mean chanting the same words over and over. Praying (or singing) "I love the Lord" 100 consecutive times does not prove that we love Him. And our prayers don’t always have to be audible. If the heart prays them right, the mouth cannot get it wrong.
 
The old adage is right: "It's not how loud you holler or how high you jump…

It's how straight you walk when you come down".