Next Sunday you are in for an interesting surprise. Then on May 5th I will continue the series on the Ten Commandments as we look at the First Commandment.
Don’t forget the garage sale on Saturday, 8 AM to 2 PM. Sloopy Joe lunch available from 10 to 2.
No-bake bake-sale donations accepted through April 30.
Sunday School will resume on May 5th (Yea!). Adults will meet in the sanctuary from 9 to 9:45. with worship service continuing at 10:00 AM.
Wednesday Bible study will resume on May 5th featuring a DVD study on “Church History Made Easy.”

May you all have a very blessed week.
Pastor Bowman

(I apologize for the late post. ~Sam Henley)

Our attendance is gradually creeping up as virtually all attending have been vaccinated. Thank you all for keeping our church alive with your prayers and gifts during the pandemic. The virus is still with us and we will continue to follow CDC guidelines for the foreseeable future. We rejoice that no one has been infected by attending church!

Tuesday evening (4/13) is our monthly board meeting. We have several important items to discuss.

Remember the no-bake bake sale through April 30. The small church-bank at the rear of the sanctuary is for donations.

The FCW garage sale is on April 24 from 8 AM to 2 PM. Donations are still being accepted (no clothing please).

Marie and I will be attending the Disciple Heritage Fellowship Conference in Decatur, IL April 20-25. Sandy Schmitt will be our guest speaker on 4/25.

Next Sunday I will begin a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. It has been about 9 years since we last covered that topic. Sunday’s sermon will be “An Introduction to the Ten Commandments.” The text is Matthew 5:17-20 where Jesus discussed the Law of God. Since we are saved by faith do we even need the Ten Commandments? We will be discussing the difference between moral law, case law, and religious law, and how the law worked in a theocracy. On May 1st I will be preaching on the First Commandment.

May God grant to all a very blessed week.
Pastor Bowman

(I apologize for the late post. ~Sam Henley)

DAILY DEVOTION, April 24, 2021

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

In a few words, James presents us with a profound truth. Some people will find that God resists them.  They are proud. Others will find that they are the recipients of God’s grace. They are the humble. This is one of those spiritual truths that operates round the clock. God always resists the proud and always gives grace to the humble.

I don’t know this for sure, having never been to Australia, but I understand there are tiny spiders there who have very colorful abdomens. They are called peacock spiders. The males try to impress the females by showing off their colorful abdomens.

Some of us are like these spiders. We want to draw attention to ourselves by displaying our brilliant minds, or bodies, our talents or our wealth, or whatever. The effort to draw attention to ourselves may impress people, but God is not impressed. Pride always puts us at odds with God, not a good place to be! 

If you wish to receive God’s grace, His unmerited favor, that blessing is reserved for the humble. The humble are those who are not seeking to exalt themselves. They are often embarrassed when others seek to praise them. They seek to use their gifts to honor God even if no one else notices.

When God looks at us what does He see, pride or humility? Pride will always repel God. Humility is like a magnet that attracts the grace of God into our lives.

Gracious Father, I ask You to help me turn aside from pride. Help me to look continually at the life of Jesus and thus to be driven to humility before Him.  When I consider who He is and what He has done for me, all pride vanishes. I thank You for Your grace which You bestow upon us richly as we walk humbly before You. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, APRIL 23, 2021

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him (Romans 10:12).

We learn several important truths from this verse. First, God is no respecter of persons. He is an equal opportunity Savior. God makes no distinction between Jews and Gentiles.  He has no favorite races or nations. All external factors are irrelevant to God. Whether you are Jewish or Gentile, black or white, European or Asian, none of this matters.

What matters is whether or not you are willing to call upon Him. If you call upon God, that means you believe He exists and you trust Him. All who call upon Him are heard regardless of who they are.

Our God is One. There are not many Gods, just one. He listens for the voices of those who call upon Him. He loves us and is eager to bless us. He loves it when we express our faith in Him and His Son. And notice the word “rich.” When we trust Him, he responds to us out of His riches. God is not a tightwad!

So, whoever you are, call upon the one true and living God, and He will pour out His riches upon you. It may not take the form of material riches, but we can definitely count upon His spiritual riches. He will richly pour out upon us the forgiveness of all our sins, the Gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. Those are riches worth possessing. They are ours if we call upon His name.

Our Lord and our God, I thank You for this wonderful promise. If I call upon You, the one true God, You have promised to hear and answer. You have promised to pour out your riches upon all who call upon Your name. You know the matters that concern me today. I call upon You to pour out Your riches, in the blessed name of Jesus, Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, April 10, 2021

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one “Go” and he goes; and that one “Come” and he comes. I say to my servant “Do this,” and he does it (Luke 7:8).

In Luke 7:1-10 a Roman Centurian asks Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus planned to go to the Centurian’s home, but the Centurian stopped Him. He recognized the authority of Jesus. All Jesus needed to do was say the word, and healing would come. Jesus marveled at the faith of this non-Jewish Roman.

While Jesus is not physically present with us today, we do possess His Words in Scripture. This episode reminds us to ask a question: who is in charge of your life? To whom or what do you answer? Many answer only to their personal thoughts and opinions. This Centurian trusted in the Word of Jesus. Do you? Do I?

This episode should renew our resolve to listen carefully to the Bible, the Book where God speaks. As we hear and obey the Word of God, His power is unleashed in our lives. The Centurian knew he had authority over his soldiers. They would do as he commanded. He also believed in the absolute authority of Jesus. Disease would flee at His Word.

One would not expect to find such faith in a Roman soldier. One would expect to find such dedication in Christian believers in Jesus. Let God’s Word be your final authority, and perhaps, like the Centurian, you will find a miracle.

Father, I thank You for Your Word. Thank You for giving us your thoughts in written form that we may possess them today. Help me, I pray, to organize my life around Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.