Haggai February 20, 2022 SS.

In this message we open God's word to the our new study in the book of Haggai, led by James Widgeon. This book is technically the second shortest book of the Bible. We ready the entire book which consisted of only two chapters. Our focus of this text is on the following main topic: God neglected - a temple project neglected.

Matthew 14:13-36 February 16, 2022 PM.

Christ is able to take care of us here while taking care of our eternal life as well. Direct our prayer toward Christ to ask His help. But do so in faith, trusting that the Lord will help you as He sees fit. Return to passages like this to review so that you do not get too far off base. It is easy to stray away and look at our own things, our own circumstances, our own problems, our wind and waves, and forget Jesus is in charge and is using all of that to improve our character.

1 Samuel 16:1-23 February 13, 2022 AM.

The Lord speaks to the prophet Samuel to stop mourning for Saul, but to go to the house of Jesse where He will reveal to Samuel who He had chosen to become king of Israel, a man after God's own heart. Samuel, fearing Saul would seek to kill him, responds to God asking for help. God provides a safe solution for Samuel in the means of bringing a heifer to Bethlehem as a sacrifice to God. So Samuel did what the Lord said, went to Bethlehem, and the elders of that town trembled at Samuel's coming. Samuel puts the concerns of the elders to rest by announcing he has come in peace to sacrifice to the Lord. The Lord's solution to Samuel's dilemma preserved not only the life of the prophet, but the town, the sons of Jesse, and the coming king of the Lord's own heart. This is the guiding principle that should inform our prayer life and its simply this: when we are faced with obstacles on the path of obedience, we must turn to our Lord in sincere heartfelt and specific prayer. We must turn our concern to Him! This demonstrates our total dependence on the Lord and ultimately gives Him the glory that He alone is due. We must turn our problems... into prayers...

Matthew 14:22-33 // Mark 6:45-52 // John 6:15-21 February 9, 2022 PM.

Christ is able to take care of us here while taking care of our

eternal life as well.

Direct our prayer toward Christ to ask His help. But do so in

faith, trusting that the Lord will help you as He sees fit.

Return to passages like this to review so that you do not get

too far off base. It is easy to stray away and look at our

own things, our own circumstances, our own problems,

our wind and waves, and forget Jesus is in charge and is

using all of that to improve our character.

Matthew 14:13-21 February 6, 2022 PM.

The so-called feeding of the 5,000 is recorded in all four of the

gospels. We focus on Matthew’s account of it, but we examine all four accounts as we study this miracle that Christ performed. Today, where are the multitudes going out to find Jesus? Of course, no one finds Him in person today on this earth. But the analogous situation is this: people must come to true churches if they are to find Jesus. They will find there the message of Jesus, the people of Jesus, the provision of eternal life from Jesus, and the love of Jesus. Do not be frustrated when inconveniences come. Look at the “inconvenient” people who need compassion. Help them by sharing the Word of God, and, if needed, benevolence. It has been well said that the Lord permits us to be

involved in His work by using what we have—as small as it might

be. But it must be done in faith, without doubting (James 1:6).

Remember that the fish and loaves were given by God too—as is

everything else that we have. We use the resources that God gives

us to do God’s work, even if those resources at first seem

insufficient to do the job. The boy with the loaves and fish—and

the disciples too—had to give them up so that the other people

could be fed. We give and often get back…not in the prosperity

gospel way, but in a way in which God’s grace ordains to supply so

that His people have an abundance for every good work (2 Cor.

9:8). We should not be surprised at this historical account

whatsoever, for the Creator of the universe (John 1:3) who used

nothing but His divine power to make all things in six days can

easily use something to create something more. Somehow He used

the loaves and fishes as “seed-starters” because He “broke them,”

meaning that he divided them into portions. Maybe He created the

rest of the food out of pure nothing. One time He used dirt to

create (new?) working eyes (John 9:6). The situation is a miracle,

so trying to find a physics-based or natural-law explanation is

futile. Do not waste the Lord’s provision, whether it was

miraculous or not! (I am not suggesting that the Lord supplies via

miraculous provision today.)

Philippians 2:12-18 February 6, 2022 AM.

The apostle now is going to spell out some details about what it looks like to obey God’s word, which is the same thing as working out our salvation with fear and trembling. The next exhortations certainly fit the context of humility and like-mindedness, but they are even broader than that, encompassing all that we do in our lives. If the Christians keep holding on, keep believing, keep obeying,

that is, persevering, this will give Paul a reason for rejoicing at the

judgment of Christ because it will mean that his teaching and

preaching work “remained” and did not disappear into thin air.

John 15:16 says, “I chose you…that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” That is what the servant of God

desires. It takes energy and toil to do this work. The salvation of souls is not the only goal! Paul wants to present every man perfect in Christ (Col. 1:28). God is working in you… to hold steadfastly to His sound teaching… so you shine as lights in the world… and one result of that is that you will not complain and argue.

Various February 6, 2022 SS.

We prepare our hearts in sharing the Lord's table, with a message focused on how Christians are to rejoice in our salvation, that God loves us enough to save us from the second death.

Philippians 2:14-18 January 30, 2022 AM.

The apostle now is going to spell out some details about what it looks

like to obey God’s word, which is the same thing as working out

our salvation with fear and trembling. The next exhortations

certainly fit the context of humility and like-mindedness, but they

are even broader than that, encompassing all that we do in our

lives. God is working in you… to hold steadfastly to His sound teaching… so

you shine as lights in the world… and one result of that is that you

will not complain and argue.

Various January 30, 2022 SS.

We welcome brother David Kurowicki and his wife Wendy

this morning, who gave a testimony for us during the Sunday School hour. David has

served with RBM ministries teaching Release time Bible classes as well as VBS for a number

of years.

Matthew 6 January 23, 2022 PM.