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Power
for Today The
story is told that, on September 2, 1945, when General Yoshijiro Umezu
came into the presence of General MacArthur, on board the battleship Missouri,
to sign the Articles of Surrender, he extended his hand. General MacArthur
clasped his hands behind him and said very firmly, "Your sword, Sir."
General Umezu is said to have unsheathed his sword and handed it to General
MacArthur. General MacArthur then turned the Articles of Surrender toward
General Umezu and said, "Your signature, Sir." General Umezu leaned forward
and affixed his signature to the document. With that final gesture of
surrender completed, then, and only then, did General MacArthur extend
his hand. From that point on, as we all know, General MacArthur led the
United States in helping Japan to rebuild." (Avanelle Baird) In a similar way, it is only when we completely surrender to Jesus that he gives us power. In his prayer to and for the Ephesians, Paul desires that they "be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love..." (Eph. 3:16-17). The Lord has made available to us tremendous power. We have to make the contact for that power to come into and remain in our lives. This we do through faith. In Romans 12:1, Paul says this power can transform our lives. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Transformation does not come automatically. The rebuilding of Japan was a long and on-going process for many years. The transforming process in our lives continues until the day of our death. Part of what that living sacrifice means is described in 2 Peter 1:24, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. " We must have knowledge of the One who called us by his own glory and virtue. This knowledge acquaints us with those "exceeding great and precious promises," which in turn leads us to be "partakers of the divine nature." It all hinges on knowledge. As far as I know, the only way to gain Bible knowledge is through study. Study can take the form of reading, listening to tapes, researching Bible questions and doctrines, being in a Bible class, attending Gospel Meetings, Vacation Bible School, etc. Have you tapped into the power that is available to you? Are you presenting your body a living sacrifice? Are you a partaker of the divine nature? Are you using the power available to you to escape the corruption that is in the world? You Need to! |
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AM
SERMON:
"To
Be Announced"
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PM
SERMON:
"To
Be Announced"
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Ladies' Ghana Fund Ladies, $500 from our Ghana Fund is being sent along with Brother Bauer when he leaves for Ghana July 31. This will be used to buy Bibles and whatever he feels is needed to do the most good where he is while he is there. We will still have $100+ in our Fund to build on. Let us keep up the good work for truly we believe the words of our Lord who said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35). Shirley Faneuf Fellowship Tonight Bob's Ghana Trip Children's Class
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Don't
forget to attend the weekly Prayer Session in Room #3
- each Sunday evening at 5:30 Wendy
Chambers, Vanessa Powell, Elsie
Chambers, Jr. & Marie Howard, In The Nursing Homes Doc Anderson, Elizabeth Gillespie, Victoria Wooster |
