Weekly Newsletter 10/4-10/10
FBC Marysville Weekly Newsletter
Recently:
- Steeple: Shout out to the Madison's who gave a large chunk of their week recently to power wash the walkway, clean the Steeple, and paint the Steeple. Our building looks even more like a beacon of God's holiness due to the faithful service and labor of our beloved family members.
- Growth: We have seen the grace of the Lord in many ways as a congregation. One of the ways God has shown His kindness to us is by adding to our family consistently. Our attendance, which was recently enjoyed, was 85. What is great about this number is that 16 children went to our kid's lesson during the sermon. That is 16 precious children being taught the truths of the gospel from God's Word.
- Start Here: Speaking of growth, in our latest Start Here class, we had 6 people of various ages desiring membership in our congregation. Say hello to an unfamiliar face this week!
Announcements:
- Deible's: On November 15th, we will host Chad and Sarah Deible. These are our missionary friends who we have supported this year, as they serve in South Dakota on a Lakota Indian reservation. Their ministry hub is the Chanku Waste Ranch where they hold camps, serve the community, and do countless ministry endeavors in order to see people's lives transformed by Christ and His Church.
- New folks: If you missed the recent Start Here class, do not worry. We will hold another one very soon in order to make sure all who desire to become a part of our church family have all the information they need.
- Community Groups: If you have not already, check out one of our community groups that meet during the week. Inquire of the different options available, as we would love for you to have the opportunity to grow through our Bible studies, the chance to pray together, and to do life alongside one another.
Prayer Requests:
- Betty Williams: Our beloved sister took a fall last week which she is still recovering from. Nothing serious as of now, but sore and in some pain as a result of the spill.
- Continued growth: Pray not only that God would continue to add to our family in numbers, pray that God would help us grow in the depth of our walk with Him. We, as a church, desire to develop believers, to make mature followers of Jesus, and to truly disciple God's people. May we be a people of the Word, of prayer, and of a rich love for God and one another.
- Think of a name and face from our church family and pray specifically for them each day this week.
Devotional from James 1:16-27
The peak of James' message as he rounds out the first chapter of his letter to dispersed Jewish Christians was to emphasize the importance of looking in the mirror to see whether or not we are genuine believers. In verses 22-25, James calls for those who proclaim the Christian faith to be not only hearers of the Word, but to be doers of the Word. He calls those who only hear and do not act, deceived. Then he calls those who act after hearing those who are blessed. Let's consider the heart of this issue and take a look in the mirror of our souls in order to grasp James' words and do a proper assessment of our own walk with Jesus.
Hearers who are deceived: It seems to some that James is beginning a promotion of a works based salvation. This is not the case. Instead, we need to understand that what James is emphasizing here is the idea that our actions speak louder than our words. This being said, if we claim to be something that our life does not align with, we have good reason to doubt that we are what we claimed to be. Being a hearer of God's precious Word but not one who does what God's Word says would be like driving with a GPS but never obeying the gps' directions. We can come to church and hear God's Word, we can read God's Word for 5 minutes in the morning, but if God's Word has never made the 18 inch trip from our head to our hearts, it will not spur us on to any action.
Doers who are blessed: For those who read and hear God's Word on a regular basis and are stirred by His commands, we can be assured that God is working in and through us as His Spirit applies the work that His Word does in our souls. Again, the premise James is working on here is not that our works are what earn God's blessing, it is that our works are the evidence of what God through His Word is doing in our lives. Obedience does not precede love. Works do not precede faith. That said, we need to check our hearts and spend time with the Lord to consider if our lives line up with what He has said to us in Scripture. It is well said that a tree is known by its fruit. So the hearer who does not act on God's Word has reason to doubt their souls root system. The one who loves the Lord, loves His Word, and is obedient to God's Scriptures can rest knowing they belong to the Lord. Not because of their works, but because they know what motivates their works is their being rooted to the Vine.
Anthony Lampron, Pastor