Obeying of the Gospel

This evening we welcomed Brenda Sturgess into God's family.  How did she get added to God's body?  I'm glad you asked.  She first visited our congregation this past Lord's day.  After hearing the message from God's word, she felt as though the lesson was directed towards her.  She filled out a visitor's slip and requested to know more about the Lord's church.  Upon leaving the church building she was asked by the preacher if she would be interested in having a Bible study.  She replied yes and a study was set up for today, Tuesday the 24th of May.

After studying "How One Is Saved by the Gospel Made Simple" by Jerry Weldon, she discovered that what she had done previously was not in accordance with God's inspired word.  When asked if she wanted to be baptized for the right reason and be added to the Lord's church by God Himself, she replied, "Yes, Why put off  till tomorrow what needs to be taken care of today."

Needless to say, we immediately drove to our church building where we took her profession that Jesus is the Son of God and baptized her for the remission of sin in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 2:38.

She is now a member of the Lord's church and no one can remove her from it.  She will now be faithful and obedient to assemble with other believers until Christ returns for His bride, the church.  There was joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repented this evening.  Praise be to God and all glory be His!

Rejoicing!

Confession - Is It Not Good For The Soul?

Most people have heard of the phrase, “Confession is good for the soul.” Do we have any idea where this saying was coined? Probably not, but we do have another saying that relays the same truth and it is found in 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Could it be said that this is the key verse for restoring our relationship with the heavenly Father? Probably yes. The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, wrote essentially the same thing, warning, He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Confession of sin is manifested by repentance, as was the case of David after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan about his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51). It is also manifested by self-abasement (humility/dishonor). Jeremiah put it this way, We lie down in our shame, and our reproach covers us. For we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God (Jer. 3:25). The apostle Paul said, For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted...(2 Cor. 7:10a). Confession is even manifested by restitution (compensation/amends). The children of Israel were made to do this when they were found guilty of any sin against the Lord.

Now that we see how the confession of sin is manifested, what will be the results of our confession? First there is forgiveness, as stated earlier in 1 John 1:9. Secondly there is pardon, concerning David (Psalm 32:1-5). Thirdly there is renewed fellowship (Psalm 51:12-19). Lastly there is healing. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16a).

Our sins are not something that we should take lightly. It is true that our sins will find us out, as they did with David and others in the Holy Scriptures. We want to make sure that we stay confessed up so that we will find ourselves continually being cleansed by the blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ. This will assure our entrance into the heavenly kingdom Christ is now preparing for each of us.

God's Blessings!

Eddie