From The Pastor's Desk
Beyond Candy Store Prayers
-I Samuel Chapter 1
Hannah couldn't bear children and was ridiculed by her husband's other wife seemingly on a daily basis. Apparently, she felt like a second class citizen.
She prayed and she prayed for a child but her prayer went unanswered. We cannot know her heart so we cannot truly know her motives or her exact reasons for wanting a child.
However, it was only when she offered to give the child, a son, to the Lord that she was able to conceive.
She was given three sons and two daughters when all was said and done.
I don't know exactly what to think of all of that, but I am deeply impressed with her prayer. Three years after Samuel was born and fully weaned, she gave him to Levi, the high priest, in the temple. As a loving mother, she made him a new robe every year as he grew in stature.
In her prayer, which Mary seemed to borrow from in her own prayer, Hannah's concept of God was amazingly right on target.
She knew God was all knowing, That He is holy, righteous and just. She knew there was only one God. Also, she knew the world was round. So much for the Flat Earthers of today.
Hannah somehow knew of a coming king in Israel and of God's anointed one. I like to think in that respect that she had a glimpse of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Two other qualities marked her character. She had a strong faith in God and with that faith, she kept praying.
The question I ask myself and I will ask you is, will your prayer request if answered, honor God or honor you?
I am Johnie J. Logue, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Warsaw MO. We are located at 31046 Hwy MM. Services on Sunday are at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Call (660) 281-4775 for more info.
Lincoln First Baptist Church
Today was a blessed day at our church. We had three people baptized and another couple are coming by letter. God bless each one of them. Todd Gruhn and Isaac McCown celebrated birthdays. We wish them well. Congratulations to Dana Lynde on her retirement from teaching at Lincoln. Keep on praying for those who are recovering from surgeries, illness and other issues.
Pastor Jesse’s sermon was titled Where is your life going? All stories have an ending. How our story ends is where we go. God created us how we should be. Miracles happen all the time but people don’t see them. God doesn’t make a big show of what he does. All there is to it to be called by God and get on your knees. The Bible is a road map to God. It is a guide to how we should live. We all go a different way.
What is great in your eyes? What is greater than eternal life? Do you hear the word of God or do you just listen? The greatest thing in life is eternal life.
COME AND JOIN US FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL AT 9:30 AND WORSHIP AT 10:30. YOUTH GROUP MEETS EVERY 2ND AND 4TH SUNDAY EVENING AT 6 PM. GOD BLESS AND TALK TO YOU NEXT WEEK.
Warsaw Christian Church
It is difficult to play Scrabble in German. Here is an example: Einzelhandelskaufleuten (It basically means retail merchants). It just won’t fit on a Scrabble board. It is kind of that way in Greek. In 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul says, “I remind (anamimnesko) you to stir up the gift of God which is in you…” Try to arrange those letters onto a Scrabble Board! It means we need to continually hit the rewind button in our minds and “replay” the times God has been faithful to us. We need constant reminders of how faithful God is. We fail him time and time again, but He is always faithful. We need to remind ourselves of that on a regular basis. And if you are thinking that God has not been that faithful to me, I would say that you haven’t been trusting Him enough. When we trust Him He is always faithful.
Hopewell Baptist Church
In Matthew 20:17-34 Jesus goes to Jerusalem toward the end of His life. Jesus pulls the disciples aside and tells them the Son of Man will be betrayed and turned over to the chief priest who will condemn Him and put Him to death. The disciples have no clue how serious Jesus is.
A mother kneels asking Jesus for a favor. She requests her sons be able to sit on His left and right in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told her she didn’t know what she was asking and went on to ask if they could handle it, and answering yes, they had no idea what they were saying yes to. Jesus tells the mother her sons will be able to handle the cup but not on His right or left as those have been prepared by His Father.
Jesus pulls the disciples a side again and tells them, the greatest is not who thinks they are the best. I did not come to be served, but to serve. Jesus comes with the express intention to die for us and ask His disciples to be willing to also. To what lengths would we be willing to go to serve other people. Jesus didn’t have limits, so why do we?
Two blind men were sitting on the road as everyone is heading to Jerusalem. They yell at Jesus to have mercy on them, and the disciples rebuke them. The men shout louder – Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus hears them and asks what they want, and they say they want to see. Jesus stops, takes compassion on the men, and gives them their sight back.
We’re busy and we’ve got stuff to do. Jesus stops and has compassion for others. Do we want to live for Jesus or for what makes us feel good? Maybe, our attitudes need adjusting so what makes us feel good is God’s will. We can handle the cup because Jesus walks with us. What are we going to give up to serve others better?
Join us Sunday mornings for Sunday School at 10 a.m. with Worship at 11 a.m. We have a new Sunday evening Children’s Program at 5:30 p.m. with Adult Bible Study at 6 p.m. Our mid-week Bible Study is Wednesday at 6 p.m. Watch our service live at 11 a.m. each Sunday on Hopewell Baptist Church Facebook page.
Unity Of The Lakes
This Sunday 5/26/24 Rev. Don will be at Unity of the Lakes to continue his series of Gospel Miracles. His service is The Centurion's Servant. Please join us as we find a deeper meaning to this miracle and how we may apply its meaning in our life. Service is 11 am, dress is casual and all are welcome. Come for service and stay for refreshments and fellowship. After our fellowship time we would love to have you to join us for Rev. Don's class on "Lessons in Truth" by Emilie Cady. We will go and grow from truth to Truth during this powerful class. We are located 8 miles south of Warsaw on highway 65. Our physical address is 34948 Hwy 65 South. We look forward to seeing you.
