W4J: Out Of Order

The Weekend 4 Jesus retreat is right around the corner. (It seems just like yesterday that we had the last one!) This year, the focus is on service. Yet, to truly be a servant fulfilling all your service, you must be in love with God. That is why I have chosen Matthew 22:37-40 as the theme verses for my sermons.

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

If you love God with everything you are, then you will have no trouble serving Him. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will have no trouble serving them. Yet, how often do we have trouble serving?!? What is the disconnect? Where are we failing? Well, I could go and on about that, but I believe we all know the answer to that.

Please pray for the retreat. Pray for the speaker (please!). Pray for the students. And most of all, pray that God will be glorified in all we do.

What's Wrong With People?

This is a question that is often asked concerning the world we live in, especially after attacks like the one yesterday at Virginia Tech. What is wrong with people? Often we try to soothe our emotions by looking at someone's past and blaming societal problems, etc. for what happened (and there may be some truth to that), but we must realize that there is a much deeper problem that needs to be addressed. You see, we are dealing with a world-wide epidemic. There is a disease that affects every human and drives many people to do the things such as the massacre that occured yesterday. The problem is sin. We are corrupt creatures. We have a depraved nature that is inherently evil. There is no good in us, so what can we expect from flawed creatures? What's wrong with people? Sin! However, there is a solution. God sent His only Son to die on the cross in our place. Jesus Christ was our substitute. He is perfect. We are not. He is love. We are not. He is God. We are not. He can save us. We can not. Will you admit that you have a problem and trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Repent of your sins , believe in Jesus Christ, and He will save you.

To the students, parents, professors, workers, colleagues, families, friends, neighbors, etc. of those students injured and killed in this horrible act of violence:
Our prayers are with you. We pray that God will give you strength during this time of need. Remember, He loves you and will never forsake you. If there is anything we can do to assist you, please contact us at (903)655-0164 or email us at info@ebenezermbc.com.

May God Bless You

Feel The Love!

Yes, it’s that time of year again when most of the ladies get excited about chocolate, flowers, and maybe jewelry, while us men hope we do not forget about Valentine’s Day! But did you know the following? There are more than 192 million Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark). Nearly 60% of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine’s Day a procrastinator’s delight. (Source: Hallmark ).
Valentine’s Day is fun because it is a time when you can tell your loved ones how much they mean to you (although we should do this more than once a year!). Yet, did you know that God has given us a valentine? It is given to us in John 3:16. Fortunately, God does not take only one day a year to tell us how much He loves us! In fact, God gave us more than a card to show us how much He loves us. He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in the place of you and me. What love that is! What a wonderful heavenly Father we have. He truly loves us and desires for us to respond to that love.
So, the question is, “Do you love God?” Be careful how you answer because if you say you love God, then you need to read John 14:15. (If you love me, you will keep my commandments.) Why not give God a great Valentine’s gift this year and commit to loving Him each and every day by being an obedient servant? This is truly how we show God that we do love Him. So, don’t just tell Him, show Him! Happy Valentine's Day!

For God so loVed the world,

that He gAve

His onLy

begottEn

SoN

That whosoever

believeth In Him

should Not perish,

but have Everlasting life.

John 3:16