Everyone is invited to attend the annual program on Thursday, April 26th, at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium. Please come enjoy the program, encourage the kids & teachers and meet the parents. Also, Dee is asking for homemade cookies for the reception, bring them to church Wednesday evening or drop them off on Thursday.
TREASURES IN THE EXTRA MILE
Posted in: Articles
What this world promotes self and happiness, but Christ is offering us His kingdom and the blessings that accompany it.
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:1-4
The world tells us on a daily basis that blessing comes to the rich and the powerful. The world calls us to depend upon ourselves to dig deep within ourselves and to rely upon our own strength, whether physical or spiritual. However, Jesus begins teaching His disciples about the nature of His kingdom with the very opposite thought.
The blessed, in the kingdom, are not those who can survive on their own strength of spirit nor are they who see themselves as rich in spirit. No, the nature of the kingdom is that its blessing comes to those who have the humility to acknowledge their poverty of spirit and seek the strength of spirit that comes from the reign of Christ in their hearts.
The world preaches to us the gospel of happiness that says we come to Christ for Him to make us happy by giving us what we want in this life. However, Jesus would teach His disciples that the nature of the kingdom is that it blesses those who mourn in the promise that they will be comforted. In other words, the blessing we have in Christ is not that we never mourn but that we have a comfort from Him awaiting us.
Our victory over this world (1 John 5:4) comes in knowing and relying upon the reign of Christ over all things for the church (Eph 1:20–22). What Jesus taught His disciples long ago is still a lesson that we need today – true blessing is found only in the humility that brings us to trust and obey!
Peace,
Jay Don
Order of Worship
Posted in: Worship
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sermon: AM & PM Jay Don Poindexter
Song Leader: AM & PM Shelton Boyd
Opening Prayers: AM- Scott Carey PM- Burl McCoy
Closing Prayers: AM- Mark Rogers PM- Logan Cravens
Lord’s Table: – Jim Goldsmith, Billy Lucas, Rick Buczyna, Cary Bryan, Ronnie Hobbs, & Joe Stephens
PM- Jim Goldsmith
Pick-up Cards: Conner Barnett & Preston Jackson
Worship Helpers: Cody Buczyna & Will Jackson
Nursing Home: Jim Goldsmith
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Devo: Shelton Boyd
Song Leader: Lou David Allen
Prayers: Opening- Jim Jacobs Closing- Joel Owens
The Next Generation: Jay Don Poindexter
Posted in: Podcast
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Scripture makes clear our role in teaching the next generation about God and His word. Matthew 21:28-32; John 17:20; Rom 10:17; Heb 11:1,6 The Next Generation Article, Journey of Faith Article
Journey of Faith
Posted in: Articles
Journey of Faith, from the text of Genesis, was the theme of the 2012 Leadership Training for Christ (LTC), and for our youth, it truly has been a journey of faith. Attending the competition and watching our young people perform has both judged and inspired me!
LTC judged my heart in that it made me realize what an opportunity I had missed by being to busy to encourage and help these kids learn God’s word. I should have done more than observe their success; I should have coached and encouraged their success. I am sorry that I was not more involved!
However, LTC inspired me in several ways. First, I observed our youth and their coaches working together to please the Lord and accomplish His purpose in their performances. Secondly, I saw our kids love, support, and encourage one another in a way that only God can provide. They were an example of what the church of Christ in Merkel, Texas strives to be. Thirdly, I was inspired by the fellowship and company of all the parents and coaches who came and were apart of their children’s lives at this event. Finally, as I walked among the thousands of Christians gathered, I saw and hugged people that I know from all over the state and was reminded of the common bond we have in Christ and through our young people. All of these things brought to mind of the final goal of our Journey of Faith, Heaven!
I have repented and decided to be a more active part of our kids’ training for the 2013 LTC events, and I am inviting the congregation to join me. This year’s title is Going the Extra Mile using the text of Matthew. We are challenging all of our kids to learn the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5 -7, over the next year, and we want to challenge the entire congregation to learn it with them. It will only take a couple of verses per week to do this. Each week we will give the verses to be read, considered, learned, and treasured. We are asking everyone to read/listen to these verses 7 times everyday. If you will post these verses where you can see them regularly – on the fridge, mirror, coffee pot, light switch, and door, then you will soon find that God has posted them in your heart (where your treasure is – Matt 6:21), and they will not be idle words for you, they will be your life (Deut 32:47)! This week we want to read, consider, learn, and treasure: Matthew 5:1-2 – Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
This week’s Treasures in the Extra Mile: Jesus puts Himself in position to teach those disciples who are willing to come to Him. He wants to teach them and they want to learn. His words are spirit and they are life! May God grant us the wisdom to grow and learn together as a family of disciples!
Peace,
Jay Don
Order of Worship
Posted in: Worship
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sermon: AM & PM Jay Don Poindexter
Song Leader: AM & PM Joel Owens
Opening Prayers: AM- Lou David Allen PM- Billy Lucas
Closing Prayers: AM- Logan Cravens PM- Lane Boyd
Lord’s Table: – Jim Goldsmith, Jim Jacobs, David Shockley, Robert Jackson, Rodney Russell & Russ McGuire PM- Jim Goldsmith
Pick-up Cards: Preston Jackson & Tyler Jones
Worship Helpers: Jansen Savage & Brayden Shockley
Nursing Home: Jim Goldsmith
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Devo: Joel Owens
Song Leader: Lou David Allen
Prayers: Opening- Shelton Boyd Closing- Jerry Russell
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The resurrection is the evidence and proof of God’s power to keep every promise He made through Jesus Christ.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…
1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV)
1 Timothy 1:12-17, Romans 4, Acts 8
Congratulations to McKenna Russell – in UIL District placed 3rd in Feature Writing; Journalism Team placed 1st overall – McKenna will compete in Regionals at ACU on 4/21st.
How Can I Get Along With Others?
Posted in: Articles
Here are ten rules by which you can get along with people. These rules are based on Bible principles, and are absolutely dependable. They are guaranteed to do the job of cultivating good friendships in the most efficient manner. Faithfully apply these ten rules to your daily life, and see how much more real cheer and happiness you have to enjoy and pass onto others. Some real Christianity can be found in so doing.
1. Keep skid chains on your tongue; say less than you think. “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” James 1:29
2. Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully, no matter what it costs you. “Do not lie to one another.” Colossians. 3:9
3. Never let an opportunity pass to say or do a kind thing to another. “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” Luke 6:31
4. If criticism is merited, criticize helpfully, never destructively or spitefully. “But we do all things, beloved for your edification.” II Corinthians 12:19
5. Be interested in others, their pursuits, their welfare, their problems and their burdens. “Rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep.” Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel your sincere interest in him. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
6. Be cheerful. Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. A soured person is not a good representative of Christ or country. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice…..Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:4-6
7. Don’t complain about your pains, your worries, and disappointments. Be long suffering. “Let your gentleness be known to all men.” Philippians 4:5 “…patient in tribulation…” Romans 12:12
8. Preserve an open mind on all debatable questions. “They searched the scriptures daily whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11
9. Be consistent. No one admires a Christian flirting with the world any more than did the chief priests and elders admire Judas for betraying Jesus into their hands. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58
10. Nothing is wrong with the mind of the man who minds his own business. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.” I Peter 4:15. A person usually tries to run another’s business after he has lost his own.
-Borrowed
