When the pandemic began we canceled church for several months. I began sending sermons to everyone on my church list. Since church services resumed I continued sending the manuscript version of the sermon to everyone. Since many of you are back in church and have heard the sermon I will stop mailing it to everyone. If you want to continue receiving the manuscript version via email I will add you to my sermon list. If I do not hear from you, you will no longer receive the weekly sermon via email. FYI, the manuscript version of the sermon is often very different than what you hear in the pulpit as I preach from an outline and sometimes say things that are not in the manuscript or omit things that are in the manuscript. For those who have still not returned to church I will keep sending the sermon. I hope all this makes sense!

Board members will meet on Tuesday at 6:00 PM.
Wednesday Bible Study meets at 3:30. We will continue our study of church history. We will be examining how the early church struggled to define the exact nature of Jesus.

On Sunday, May 16 I will continue the series on the Ten Commandments. We will be examing the 2nd command regarding images in the church.

Walk with Jesus and have a wonderful week!
Pastor Bowman

DAILY DEVOTION, May 17, 2021

The next petition finds us once again asking God to meet a need in us. There is something we need far more than daily bread. We need to find forgiveness. We pray, “Forgive us our debts.” A debt is something you owe.  What is it that we owe to God? We owe Him a life of complete obedience.  Our obedience, however, is not adequate. We fall far short of the divine expectation, leaving us with a debt we cannot possibly pay. On what basis can we say to God, “Forgive us our debts?” In the light of the full New Testament revelation, we know that God’s forgiveness is based on the vicarious suffering and death of His Son, Jesus. When we come to the Father with repentance in our hearts, truly sorry that we have offended Him, and add to that our faith in Jesus, believing that He atoned for our sins, the debt we owe is discharged.

What joy floods our souls when we realize that God forgives us based on the sacrifice of Jesus! John writes this: He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Jesus atoned for the sins of the world.  That means there is forgiveness for all. However, for that forgiveness to be active in our souls we must also be reconciled to God. We read in Acts 20:21: I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. God’s forgiveness will not benefit the person who will not turn to God with repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The entire human race stands under the umbrella of God’s forgiveness, but in order to enter into a relationship with God and receive the blessing of eternal life there must be repentance and faith.

When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, you are saying to God, “Father, I am truly sorry for offending you.  Please forgive me for Jesus’ sake.” There is forgiveness for all. Have you received it?

Father in heaven, how can we ever thank You for what You have done for us? You have taken away our sins, providing complete pardon for us. We are without hope unless You act on our behalf. Thank You for not turning away from us, but for reaching out to us with Your love and forgiveness. We pray in the name of our crucified and risen Savior, Jesus, Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, May 15, 2021, Bread

We come at last to that petition where we focus on our needs. “Give us this day our daily bread.” To pray for our daily bread may seem strange to us.  Most of us have enough food in the house to last for weeks. When we pray this petition, we are confessing our faith that whatever we have comes from God. Whether or not we always realize it or think about it, we do not know what a day will bring. Everything we have may be taken from us in a moment of time through some natural disaster or unexpected illness. We need to pray daily that God will meet our needs.

The word “bread” does not simply mean literal bread. Like ourselves, the Greeks and Hebrews used the word to refer to all our physical needs.  We sometimes refer to the one who earns a living for the family as the “breadwinner.”  Bread in that expression refers to all our temporal needs. When we ask God to supply our daily bread, we are asking Him to supply all our needs – – – food, clothing, shelter etc.

We make a drastic spiritual error if we fall into the trap of thinking we are self-sufficient, able to provide for our own needs. Yes, God gives us intelligence and strength so that we do work for our daily bread, but when we pray for our daily bread, we acknowledge that all that we have and all that we are comes from God. We are headed for disaster when we think too highly of ourselves and too little of the God who made us what we are and who provides for us.

There is one more aspect to praying for our daily bread we need to examine. What is the bread that we need most of all? Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” The bread we need most of all is to walk in faith daily with our Savior and Lord. If you have a living, vital relationship with Jesus Christ, you have everything you need. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are praying that the Lord Jesus would abide with us throughout the day. He is the “daily bread” we need most of all.

Father in heaven, I do thank you for providing my daily bread, for giving to me all that I need to function in this life and even blessings me beyond my needs. May I never forget that all that I have and all that I am comes from You. Thank You especially for sending Jesus, the bread of life. In His holy name, I pray, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, May 14, 2021, Thy will be done

The next petition in the Lord’s Prayer is “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. All those in heaven, angels, and redeemed souls do the will of God. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that our lives will reflect that same spirit. If we have no intention or desire to do the will of God, we probably should not pray the Lord’s Prayer.  God will see that as hypocrisy on our part.

However, is it not true that God’s will is always done? The answer is “yes and no.” God’s will is not always done in the permissive sense. God permits us to act freely, even when we are in conflict with His will. That is why we pray, “Thy will be done.” Why pray those words if you believe that God’s will is always done?  However, when we speak of human free will we have to say that God also has free will, and when our wills come into conflict with His will, His will trumps our will. We humans have wisdom and intelligence, but God’s wisdom and intelligence are without limits. What I am suggesting is that God’s will is always done in the sense that no matter what we do, God works all things in harmony with His eternal purpose. His will shall ultimately triumph.

And so, in the Lord’s Prayer, we are praying that we may always be in harmony with the will of God. We do not always know or understand the will of God, and so we pray, thy will be done. Yes, we have our own thoughts about how things ought to be, but as Christians, we also believe that God’s ways are always best. Jesus prayed that God would find a way that would allow Him to escape the cross, but then added, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). We need to follow His example. Never engage in a battle of wills with God. Guess who will always win!

Father in heaven, help me to live my life in submission to Your will. When my will is in conflict with Your will, I want Your will to be done. Forgive me when I demand that things be done my way. Help me to understand that because You love me that Your will is always best for me. In Jesus name, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, May 12, 2021. Thy Kingdom come

Ok, I have honored the name of God. Now I can get on with my requests, right? Wrong! As we proceed through the Lord’s Prayer, we still have not arrived at the place where our needs are addressed. The next petition is “Thy kingdom come.” Before we even think about what we desire that God would do for us, we pray for His kingdom to come.

In this petition, we are praying that the kingdom of God will be manifested on the earth.  That is quite a request! It is, however, the heart and soul of Christian prayer. Yes, we have things we want; yes, we pray for blessings upon others, but before we arrive at that point, we pray that God’s Kingdom will be manifested on earth. Those who believe that the kingdom of God has no place in our government cannot possibly pray the Lord’s Prayer sincerely.

Israel made a tragic mistake in 1 Samuel 8. They inform Samuel they want a king to rule over them like the other nations (8:4, 5). God informs Samuel that they are rejecting God as King. God tells Samuel to acquiesce to their demand for a king, but to warn them of the consequences.  God does not intervene and stop all our bad choices, but He does warn us of the consequences of disobeying His will.. Israel made a bad choice when they traded God in for a human king.

We also have a choice to make. Do we really want God’s Kingdom to come to this earth, or do we prefer being ruled by men? Is God’s kingdom our highest priority? We live in a fallen world. God’s Kingdom and God’s will can never be fully realized on earth unless everyone submitted to the authority of Jesus. So what are we praying for in the Lord’s Prayer?  Our prayer is that God’s Kingdom will be our Kingdom of choice. Our primary desire is to live under the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus.

Father, Your Kingdom is the only Kingdom that finally matters. Help me to pray, “Thy Kingdom come” with sincerity. Help me to be a person who seeks first the Kingdom of God, In Jesus name, Amen.