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Business Meeting Our quarterly church conference meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20, following morning worship. Pastor's Notes: • Lunch Sundays: Dec. 9; Dec. 30; Jan. 13, Jan. 27 • Nursing Home Meeting: Dec. 9; Jan. 13 • A new movie titled The Golden Compass opens on 12/7. Though I haven’t seen the movie, I have read enough reviews to determine that Christian people are justified to be alarmed by its anti-Christian, atheistic message. A good place to start researching the movie is the article in Citizen magazine, published by Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson’s organization. You may find the article at http://www.citizenlink.org/ content/A000005672.cfm Prayer List
] Tapes & CD’s Available of Recent Sermons by Eld. Gowens (unless otherwise noted):
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Fear Not!Perhaps there has never been a day more adapted to produce fear than the present. Consider your typical nightly newscast. First is a story about terrorism and the need to be extremely cautious during holiday travel; next a story about how fluorocarbons are destroying the ozone and contributing to climate changes that will eventually melt the polar ice caps and flood the planet; next a story about a potential economic recession; next a story about how Americans are eating themselves to death; finally a story about how sexual predators are preying on little children by means of the internet. Is it any wonder that many a person is a nervous wreck? Show me someone who has already had his share of traumatic experiences, and I’ll show you someone who can easily become dominated by gut-wrenching fear and anxiety when exposed to a constant diet of such negative information. Every time the phone rings, his heart skips a beat. Emotions are fragile and every new setback or disappointment becomes the catalyst for a personal meltdown. A vague, undefined paranoia settles in on the mind, pervading every move he makes through the day. Fear grips his life, controlling him like maestro conducting an orchestra. I think we would be literally stunned to see just how much fear governs and dominates our lives. Most of us are oblivious to its presence. But if you and I could step back and objectively analyze our responses to other people and daily circumstances in general, we would be surprised at how fear—the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, the fear of conflict, the fear of appearing foolish, the fear of being hurt, the fear of public embarrassment, the fear of the unknown, the fear of death—factors into the equation of our lives. It is to frightened people like you and me, therefore, that the story of the Savior’s incarnation and advent into the world is such a welcome theme. It is welcome because this message is carefully calculated to allay our fears: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:10-11). We might call Gabriel’s announcement a ‘Fear Not’ for the Sinner. I know of no more potent antidote to the poison of fear in the heart than the fact that Christ came into the world to save sinners. Are you afraid that your sins are too great and too many for a remedy? Fear not, for the grace of God is greater than all your sins (Rom. 5:20). Do you fear that you are unworthy of God’s favor? Fear not, for “God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Is your conscience troubled with a sense of your just condemnation before a holy and righteous God? Fear not, for “God hath made Him to be sin for us…that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). But there is yet another “fear not” associated with the message of Christ’s coming – a ‘Fear Not’ for the Overwhelmed: “Fear not, Mary, for the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, and that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God, for with God nothing shall be impossible” (Lk. 1:30, 35, 37). Mary tended to think of her life merely in natural terms: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” But the angel aims to remind her of the Supernatural – “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee…for with God nothing shall be impossible.” Do you feel overwhelmed by your problems? Are your knees buckling in weakness beneath the load of life’s burdens? Is your soul fatigued by the relentless demands of daily life? Do you despair that your problems are beyond help? Then you need to be reminded of the Supernatural. You need a refresher course in the power of God – for with God nothing shall be impossible. The gospel message says to such a one, “Fear not; don’t forget about the Holy Spirit; don’t forget the element of the supernatural; don’t lose sight of the fact that if God can cause a virgin to conceive, then no problem is too big for Him, for with God nothing shall be impossible.” Finally, the Messiah’s incarnation and advent into the world means ‘Fear Not’ for the Perplexed: “Fear not, Joseph, to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost…Then Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him” (Mt. 1:20, 24). Joseph, being a righteous man, had determined to end his engagement privately, not to publicly humiliate Mary. No doubt, his mind was in a whirl. He could not decipher the situation. Mary seemed to be telling the truth when she reassured him that she had not been unfaithful, but how else could her pregnancy be explained? The circumstances were incriminating. Every detail argued for her guilt. His heart was breaking; his future plans were turned upside down; his life had been changed in an instant. Suddenly, in his perplexity, he hears the angel’s reassuring imperative – “Fear Not”. Although you can make neither rhyme nor reason of the scene, Joseph, you must not be afraid, but must trust the loving heart and the strong hand of a good God. You may not be able to figure it all out, but you must do as the Lord has bidden you. Are you uncertain about your future, my friend? As you embark on your voyage in this new year, do you look out on the distant horizon with a sense of hesitancy and trepidation? Are you afraid of what you might find beyond the next bend in the road? Do you struggle to make sense of the numerous complexities in your life at the moment? Are you ever perplexed and confused about the next step to take? Fear Not. You may never be able to figure it all out, but the Lord knows the way you take. Trust him. Rest in His wisdom, His love, and His power. Commit yourself to “doing as the Lord has bidden you” and leave the outcome to Him. In a world preconditioned to promote fear in our lives, we must be regularly reminded of the gospel message. I challenge you, my friend, to shift gears in your thinking. Cease to focus on your own faults and failures and remember that Christ came as the Savior of sinners. Stop dealing with your problems in purely naturalistic terms and remember that with God nothing is impossible. Quit trying to figure everything out and just live your life from day to day doing what God has bidden you and leaving the results in His hands. In a word, “Fear Not”. This is what the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem’s manger means to your life and mine today. Rachel Mullins to Graduate We are pleased to announce that Rachel Mullins will graduate from Morehead State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work on December 15, 2007. Congratulations to Sister Rachel on this significant accomplishment. We are thankful for the Lord’s blessings on her thus far and pray for a continuation of His grace and guidance on this precious young woman as she goes forward. Please join me in applauding her. 
From the mailbox… From Sis. Geneva Lillard, Franklin, TN: Dear friends, I want to thank you for all you do for my Jenni. The church has welcomed her. Bless you for that. We miss her here but glad she can be with you. From Jane Lane, resident of Mayfair Manor Nursing Home: Thank you for the music. Your beautiful voices are clearly a gift to God and to us who heard you today. God bless you and your church in its work. Please Join UsFor Public Worshipevery Lord's Dayat 10:30 am & 6:30 pm |