Mountain Springs Church           

To start off Mt. Springs’ Sunday morning service, the congregation sang the hymns “Glory to His Name,” “O, I Want to See Him,” “Are You Washed in the Blood” and “Heaven’s Jubilee.”

Trey Coker read 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, and then read a devotional. Jesus Christ became your “partner” or “teammate” the moment you decided to make him Lord and Savior of your life. Jesus paid the price so that we could be saved. Without Jesus, we have nothing, but with him, we have everything. Have you made Christ Jesus your partner?

After Sunday School, Kandice Cleckler, Savannah Parrish and Kadie Coker sang “I Want to Know How it Feels.”

Bro. Heath Vines brought his sermon from Exodus 19:1-8. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of all of the times God has been faithful. He has never failed us. He is always committed to us, but we aren’t always committed to him. Some people aren’t committed to church, his Word or to growing in Christ. A lack of commitment will hinder you. Are you committed to his Living Word and abstaining from sin? If you’re not committed, you are not going to heaven. Are we committed to God?

Sunday night was the Fifth Sunday Community Service. The congregation sang the hymns “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” “I Never Shall Forget the Day” and “I Want to Know More about My Lord.”

Roger Cleckler, Ricky Cleckler and Kandice Cleckler sang “I’m Glad I’m Saved,” “Didn’t I Walk on the Water” and “Soon and Very Soon.”

Bro. Heath Vines preached from 1 Corinthians 2:9. For someone to be saved, the Holy Spirit has to draw them (John 6:44). Not everybody is going to heaven. The only way we are going to heaven is if we make Jesus Lord and Savior of our lives. Make the decision that you are tired of living in sin and give your heart to Jesus.

Jesus is coming back soon (John 14:1-4). Bro. Heath said that he believes the next big thing to happen will be the rapture of the Church. You will not see heaven if you do not get right with God. Are you ready to go home?

Mt. Springs’ homecoming will be held on Sept. 13. Pastor Wayne Hughes will be preaching, and Mike and Kelly Bowling will be singing.

Submitted by Savannah Parrish

Samaria Baptist Church

We were blessed to have John Jamison, his wife Mandy and son Jacob with us today. John brought the morning message in Bro. Shane’s absence due to his work with En Fuego.

John’s message was titled “Conditions of the Church.” The main scripture passage came from 2 Corinthians 1:3.

How many of us have had a bad church experience? At some point it’s pretty certain that we all may have. Many people use this constant theme to excuse themselves from darkening the doors of God’s house.

While they are grasping for any excuse to cover their sins, we need to remember the reason we are called to assemble in the first place. Churches should be hospitals for lost people just as hospitals are for the physically sick. It is so disheartening to see a person hide behind a faulty Christian in order to avoid seeking the life God has for them. We need to make sure we are not causing others to avoid coming to Christ.

God deserves our best, and as long as we have breath in our bodies, we should do something to serve and reach another soul. It should be no secret what we do in our churches. The community should be able to tell that we are Christians by the way we worship and take Jesus out into the world with us.

Jesus can use anyone to get his message out. He reached out to all types of people in his walk on the earth. He made it clear to those who thought themselves to be above others that we are called to minister to all. As he leads and directs us, so should we go into all the world, but especially in our own back yards. So, are we sharing the gospel by the way we conduct ourselves each day, or are we keeping it to ourselves in order not to offend anyone Satan has thrown in our path?

If God is in the message, it will move, so we should never make excuses for our times of despair. The Apostle Paul endured much despair. He could have thrown up his hands many times and said, “I’m not cut out for this Lord.” But since he had a personal relationship with Jesus, he knew that while he couldn’t carry on alone, he would always have the power of God on his side. If we do not pray, support each other and lift one another up as a church family, why on earth would outsiders who are not Christians think we will have anything they need?

Let us let go and let God be God. In Psalms, we find this message: “Bless the Lord oh my soul, and he will provide many miraculous blessings.”

Our prayer concerns today are Caleb Harrison, Bro. Gaines Silas and his mom, Ms. Silas, Jerry Greer’s children in the death of their grandmother in Kentucky and all decisions made at En Fuego. May those who reached out to Jesus be ministered to and led by mature Christians to help them grow in his grace. Join us at Samaria for God’s powerful messages. Jesus is Lord of all.

Submitted by Diane Fisher