Cedar Grove Church

Pastor Jeff Carroll’s text for his sermon “Witnesses of Jesus” was taken from John 5:31-37.

What you believe about Jesus determines your eternity. Life here is really nothing compared to slipping out into eternity without Jesus.

In this passage, the Jews had turned their backs on God. The Bible gives explicit instructions on how to reach Jesus and have a relationship with him.

The seven witnesses of Jesus:

(1) John the Baptist said, “I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

(2) Works of Jesus bear witness to who he is. Those works include walking on water, calming the seas, calling Lazarus to come forth from the grave after he had been dead four days, and healing the lame, blind and demon-possessed.

(3) Jesus said, “The Father himself who sent me has testified of me, ‘This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

(4) The Old Testament, about which Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of me.”

(5) In John 8:14, Jesus answered and said, “Even if I hear witness of myself, my witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.”

(6) “When the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father will testify of me.

(7) “And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning, and we as believers will bear witness of Jesus.”

Is God’s plan at work in your life today? Who do you say Jesus is? He is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Prayer concerns: Our church family, our nation, those in hospitals and nursing homes, and spoken and unspoken requests.

We would like to thank our visitors for coming out to join us. Please feel welcome to come back again any time.

Submitted by Naomi Gillespie

Samaria Baptist Church

God blessed us with an amazing day to worship him in the park. It was such a wonderful time in the Lord, coming together under the open air for our service.

Colossians 1-20 reminds us that the blood of the cross provides peace for us to inherit. So many bad things are going on today in the world that are definitely of the world. God provides the strength to us in order to overcome the world and the evil that is within it.

God did not create evil. This would be impossible; however, when we see all the evil around us, it makes some wonder why these things exist. One way to determine the answer to this wonder is to use comparison theory. The absence of light is darkness, and the absence of heat is cold; therefore, we can surmise that the absence of God is evil.

Jesus preached about peace. Understand his peace in John 14 when he reminds us, “Peace I leave with you. I will never leave you comfortless, and I go to prepare a place for you.”

Evil surrounds us due to the lack God’s presence. More of God equals less evil, worry, stress and suffering. Ephesians 2-14 reminds us that he is our peace.

Some of God’s creations function through repetition. They are creatures of habit, and they can only survive by the methods of living that are provided in their nature; however, we cannot continue to do the same things over and over in our lives and expect different results. We can overcome old habits and find peace and newness of life through Christ.

Negative people do not expect anything better, and we are often discouraged when we are in the presence of such negativity. Let us delight in Jesus Christ today, and let us find peace in him. He will never leave nor forsake us.

God bless you all on this beautiful spring day. Join us at Samaria next Sunday for a wonderful Mother’s Day service.

Remember in prayer Bro. Shane and his family in the death of his grandmother; also remember Buddy Johnson, as he has surgery on May 8.

God loves you.

Submitted by Diane Fisher