For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Your greatest assurance as a Christian--if you've been united with Christ--is that your assurance doesn't depend on you. It depends on Christ and His obedience, appropriated by you by faith and imputed to you by God Himself.

My Response To Mikal Smith's Latest Message. 18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

We take a look at a section in the book, Diner With The Doctor: Luke's Gospel For The Hungry

Imaginary or Exaggerated Sufferings Some suffering is very real. But how often do pride, self-pity, fear, and ingratitude cause us to imagine suffering that isn't there, or exaggerate the trials that are? Eve focused on the one thing withheld instead of God's abundance. She imagined herself deprived and abused. Elijah believed he alone was left. Jacob cried, "All these things are against me," when God was actually working for his deliverance. And there are many other examples. Modern culture can make this worse: correction becomes "abuse," disagreement becomes "gaslighting," discomfort becomes "unsafe," and ordinary hardships become "trauma." The Bible gives another way: humility, sobriety, faith, and thanksgiving. In earlier generations, many Christian families regularly read the Bible together, along with accounts of the sufferings and sacrifices of Christians found in works such as "Foxe's Book of Martyrs." Such examples helped put ordinary trials into perspective and guarded against whining, self-pity, and imaginary or exaggerated sufferings. But today's modern religion of psychology and self-help - so often encouraging or increasing a victimhood mentality - can pour gas on the flames of pride and self-pity!

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

Thank you for joining us! Our regular service live streams at at 9:45 AM, 11:00 AM, and 5:00 PM on Sundays and 7:00 PM on Wednesdays. (Mountain Standard Time)

Pastor Wayne Van Gelderen, Jr., is senior pastor at Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls. Under his leadership, several hundred members have been trained to serve the Lord and are engaged in ministry. He also started Falls Baptist Academy High School and Baptist College of Ministry & Theological Seminary to train the next generation of laborers for the harvest field. He's the speaker on the radio broadcasts, The Bible Stands and On to Victory, and this week is celebrating 40 years of ministry on VCY and also at this church. At VCY America, our main purpose in bringing glory to God, is "to serve as a resource for and extension of the Church of Jesus Christ, God's chosen agency, partnering with local churches in reaching the lost, edifying the body of Christ, and advancing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by every biblically legitimate and effective means." God ordained the establishment, the work and the ministry of the local church. Many times on our Friday News Roundup we have stated that the Lord's Day is coming and trust you'll be in a Bible-believing, Bible teaching local church. It's important we do that even as the writer of Hebrews stated, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Indeed, believers in Christ are to come together in worship and glorifying God, in using the talents and gifts He has blessed us with, in encouraging believers, and in giving to support the ministry and outreach of the church.