November 25th, 2017 Elevator Dedication "To God Be The Glory!"

Saturday, November 25th, was a milestone in our church history. We had the dedicatory service for our new elevator. Brethren came from around the country to glorify God with us and to rejoice in the miracle. Our Pastor, Rev. J. H. Olson, preached a message titled “To God Be The Glory”. He encouraged us to “Remember The Miracle”. We were privileged to have the General contractor and his wife, along with his 92-year-old father present for the service. The contractor had remarked to us “If you didn’t have the elevator, my father would not have been able to attend.” At one point in the service, the contractor and his family joined Pastor & Sister Olson along with myself and my wife in a symbolic, dedicatory ride from the first floor to the sanctuary. The presence of the Lord was abundantly manifest throughout the service. We were reminded of our precious freedom to worship and most of all God’s amazing grace as “God Bless America” and “Amazing Grace” were sang. The service concluded with heartfelt appreciation and worship as we sang “To God Be The Glory”. Follow @ddevonshire

Tomorrow morning, we continue our series "Next Steps". Beginning a Christian journey is a wonderful experience. We are meant to grow! Designed to be molded into the image of Jesus as we journey to heaven. This series deals with the practical steps to take to get from where we are now, to where we want to be. See you at 11am!

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With God, Nothing, Is Impossible

Sunday morning sermon 11/5/2017 Follow @ddevonshire

The Cure For Grumpiness

Have you ever felt sorry for yourself and stewed in your grumpiness because of unfair treatment that you have received? I’m ashamed to say that I have. This is when the bible shows us it is not an old book with no relevance for today, but a life-giving answer book for modern man.

Consider this: Paul and Silas, two Christian ministers, had gone into a city to help people, to teach them about Jesus. Several women had already been assisted, and one had been set free from a demonic possession. The apostle’s efforts were not well received. Read:

Acts 16:22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.

23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Christians face trouble like everyone else, but it is how we are enabled to respond to the trouble that makes us different.

“And the multitude rose up together against them…” Have you ever felt like the world (the haters) are turning on you?

“The magistrates rent off their clothes…” Have you ever felt humiliated? Embarassed? Stripped of your dignity and openly mocked?

“Commanded to beat them…” Have you ever been hurt, physically or emotionally?

“Cast them into prison…” Have you ever felt like you have been cast aside? Forgotten about?

“Thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks…” Have you ever felt like you are locked in to a situation with no way to get out?

These experiences come to all of us in one form or another.  Yet the response by Paul and Silas is the dynamite that blows away the mountains of self-pity!

“At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God and the prisoners heard them.”

In their dark hour, they prayed and praised God! This wasn’t a meek quiet little tune, but one that was loud enough the other prisoners heard them!

Today, instead of concentrating on all the dirty deeds done to you, begin to pray and praise God and watch the chains of grumpiness and sorrow fall to the ground!

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47th Church Anniversary Video

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A Message At Midnight (audio)

A Message At Midnight part 1

A Message At Midnight part 2 Follow @ddevonshire

Our New Church Communication Number

We are excited about our new two way church communication number.  For many months now we have been able to send out alerts, and information to all church members via our text number, but it was limited in that it was only one way, to you, and no one could respond.

Today we introduce a two-way number that includes keywords for joining a prayer chain, member to ministry class, or register for the next baptism.

The number to save in your phone is (314)899-2079.

You can reply with these keywords:
1. "Pray" (to be added to the text prayer chain)
2. "m2m" (to register for the next Member To Ministry class)
3. "Baptism" (to register for the next baptism)
4. "stop" (to unsubscribe, *note, if you do, you won't be able to use this number to register for a class or etc. in the future, you will have to text "start" to re-establish your account, and why would you want to miss out on important notices?) Follow @ddevonshire

Sex And The Bible

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

(3)  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

(4)  That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

(5)  Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

 

1      A Gift from God

I am reminded of the fellow who was raised in a Christian church who tried hard to keep it’s youth from entering into fornication.  He said I was a little confused about the subject.  They told me sex was a dirty thing that you can catch diseases and then they would turn around and say “You should save it as a special gift for the one you love...”

It is clear in the bible that God intended mankind to enjoy sex not only for procreation, but also recreation.  That the pleasures of physical intimacies were intended by God to be enjoyed in a committed marriage relationship.

Genesis 1:28 (KJV)

²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:23–25 (KJV)

²³ And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The bible even goes so far as to say we have a duty to our spouse to meet their physical, sexual needs, and to not do that is to steal from them.

1 Corinthians 7:2–5 ((KJV)

² Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. ³ Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. ⁴ The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. ⁵ Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

So we see that God was the one that designed sex, He was the one that gave it to us as a gift to be enjoyed.  He even tells us that if we are married, we are forbidden to keep back ourselves from our spouses.

Sex is a good thing.

So if fire.  Fire in a fireplace can warm the whole house, it can cook our food, it can light up the darkness.  Fire is good...when it is in the fireplace.  When fire gets outside of that fireplace, it is destructive.  Now that which was intended for good, is destroying, fire outside of the fireplace burns up the house, could possibly kill the people living there.

That is the same with sex.  Sex in the place where God intended it, between a man and a woman inside a marriage relationship is wonderful.  Sex outside of that marriage relationship is destructive.  It can burn down our whole life, it can even kill you physically, and spiritually.

And lest you think I am being over the top in my descriptions, consider this:

A SOUTH FLORIDA WOMAN is in jail tonight because of her shocking confession to officials.

According to police reports, the young woman went down to the station to make a report against herself telling officials “I buried the good girl in me... “ When questioned by police ,the woman then proclaimed “My goal was to infect as many as possible” she explained.

When asked how many men had she infected with the virus,she said at least fifty or more. She also went on to say her eventual plan was to infect a thousand men with the virus before year’s end, but only because she didn’t have money to buy medication is the reason for her being forth coming.

Relatives close to the teen say they’re equally as shocked as everyone else because they had no idea what the young woman known as Gabie was up to. Relatives of the teen also went on to say “when Gabie discovered she was infected with HIV,she then became very depressed and became a slave to alcohol and drugs wanting die and even went as far as eating poison, but even that failed, which only resulted in further anger and rage.

When speaking with Gabie,she said the pain of knowing her fate was unbearable,and she just couldn’t face the world anymore, so as her life became a mess her only joy was to make all men who she came into contact with pay the price. That price was with their lives.

The stories are many.  A simple google search can reveal many similar situations.  So sex outside of the marriage covenant can sometimes be a death sentence physically, and will always be a death sentence spiritually.

The culture is not what defines what is right or wrong. The culture is ever changing.  God’s Word is standing sure.

Matthew 5:18,19,27-28

(18)  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

(19)  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 (27)  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

(28)  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

God’s Word is the final authority, our hearts, our emotions, our mind, can deceive us into thinking that we are right, or what we are doing isn’t so bad, this is why the scriptures tell us:

Proverbs 16:25

(25)  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Proverbs 30:12

(12)  There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

2      Sex Outside The Marriage

Recently in the headlines there has been a big brouhaha about restrooms and men who identify themselves as women being able to use the women’s restroom and vice versa. The inevitable outcome that we have already seen, is that there have been men arrested for using the women’s room and filming women and girls inside the restroom.

In our society, so many don’t want to be seen as a bigot, or narrow minded, that they keep quiet about things that they see that are common sense.  Should grown men be allowed in the restrooms alone with little girls? NO!

So what does the bible say about homosexuality, and transgender?

The bible is very clear on the subject.

Matthew 19:4

(4)  And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

God created us different.  We think different, we look different, our physiology is different.  Not better or worse, just two different sexes to complement each other.

God didn’t make any mistakes.

So what does a man do that finds himself having same sex attraction?  Or a woman that finds herself attracted to another woman?  RESIST THE TEMPTATION!  The same way that a man that finds himself wanting a drink, or attracted to a woman that is not his wife. 

The scripture was so urgent that Paul wrote to the Corinthians to:

1 Corinthians 6:18

(18)  Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

In Paul’s letter to the believers at Rome, he was very explicit about homosexuality and it’s results:

Romans 1:21-28

(21)  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

(22)  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

(23)  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

(24)  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

(25)  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

(26)  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

(27)  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

(28)  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

What about transgender and cross dressing?

Deuteronomy 22:5

(5)  The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

The Florida zookeeper who was fatally mauled by a tiger last week broke protocol by entering the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said.

Tiger expert Stacey Konwiser, 38, failed to follow the zoo's policy when she entered a portion of the creature's enclosure on April 15 "after it was clearly designated as accessible by a tiger," Palm Beach Zoo president Andrew Aiken said in a statement Friday.

Why did this lady die?  She got comfortable doing things that were wrong.  She didn’t think it could happen to her. She thought she knew better.

That is the same thing for people that are engaging in sex outside of marriage.  They get comfortable doing what is wrong, they think nothing will ever happen to them, or that God understands.

Sex promises so much that when the inevitable end comes, and it doesn’t satisfy as we thought it would, people get depressed.

One result is seen in the spiking suicide rate.

WASHINGTON — Suicide in the United States has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years, a federal data analysis has found, with increases in every age group except older adults. The rise was particularly steep for women. It was also substantial among middle-aged Americans, sending a signal of deep anguish from a group whose suicide rates had been stable or falling since the 1950s.

So what is the answer then?

How does a man or a woman keep themselves pure in this sex soaked society?

Psa 119:9

(9) Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Psa 119:11

(11)  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Before we come to Christ, we are led by our emotions, we feed sinful desires until they become raging beasts that can not be tamed, ever demanding more.

The little tiger cub eventually becomes a 1000 pound beast that can not be denied.  It will kill you!

The pornography that started with the women’s underwear in the J.C. Penney catalogs that led to an insatiable addiction to internet porn and a life lived in a make believe world.

What is the answer?

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus came to set the captives free.

We so often picture that as being held in captivity by the devil, but usually we are held in captivity by our own lusts, our own desires, our own greed and covetousness.

Ever desiring, never satisfied.

Jesus satisfies!

When we acknowledge that we have sinned, that we are held, that we can’t get free ourselves, and we look to Jesus and ask Him to forgive and set us free, He, who died for us, sets us free from the addictions, desires and habits that have plagued us for so long!

When Jesus comes in to our lives, He gives us the power to overcome.

What if you are single?  Is it possible to live a clean sexually pure life? YES!

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

(3)  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

(4)  That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

(5)  Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

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Invite Them!

A reminder! #SimplyEaster
Posted by New Testament Christian Church 

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Open it!

Joy! His face may be a little blurred because of the movement, but there is no mistaking his expression; JOY! The truth is, we were probably more excited than he was. We hadn't planned on getting him this gift, but when it went on sale, we did it. We were so excited to give it to him, that I told him he could open it now (about 2 weeks before Christmas) or if he wanted, he could wait till Christmas. I thought for sure he would jump at the opportunity to open it without delay, but he didn't. He thought and delayed and instead of quickly agreeing, had to be encouraged to go ahead and receive it now, and this picture is the result.

It made me think about how excited God is to give us His best gifts, and we, like my son, sometimes hesitate in receiving them immediately.

God is saying "I have forgiveness for you! I have deliverance! I have eternal life! Go ahead...open it! OPEN IT!"

And when we do...JOY!

Does the day after Christmas find you disappointed, a little down because the hype of the holiday didn't deliver as expected?

God is saying..."I have something for you...OPEN IT!"

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