MOTHER’S DAY SUNDAY AT 10:00 AM

INVITE FAMILY & FRIENDS TO HONOR HER ON THIS SPECIAL DAY!

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Daily Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart:

1 John 2:1, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

We have the privilege of calling “Jesus.” 

This call is not a work to establish something with God. 

This call is a direct participation in His life. 

Of course, no human being dares to participate in God’s life unless he is qualified. 

What then qualifies us to participate? 

We are qualified by the blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:17-20). 

Knowing this truth sets us free from trying to establish our own righteousness. 

Being in this reality takes away all pretense. 

Without this reality I will be trying to establish my own righteousness. 

For example, I may be in a bad mood and want to get to the Lord. 

My getting to the Lord can be like a little ritual that I go through. 

I have to call ten times before I can feel accepted by God. 

So even my calling upon the name of the Lord becomes a work of attaining to something, rather than a participation in the Lord’s life through the merit of His blood.

First John 2:1 says, “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father.” 

It does not even say, “And if anyone repents, we have an Advocate with the Father.” 

This means that the moment sin enters the picture and breaks our fellowship with the Lord, there does not need to be any time lost in restoring that fellowship. 

“We have [present tense] an Advocate with the Father.” 

When sin occurs, in that moment we can turn and look to our Advocate who is before the blood-sprinkled throne.

Then it also may follow that the Holy Spirit will move within you concerning your sin. 

He will pass through you, and you will weep and weep. 

But your weeping will be tears of joy because you are a forgiven person. 

Yet at the same time you will find that you loathe yourself. 

Ezekiel chapter 36 indicates that when we have “a new spirit,” indwelt by the divine Spirit, we will spontaneously loathe ourselves (vv. 26-27, 31). 

This loathing of ourselves is the activity of the Spirit. 

It does not come from morbid introspection and shedding many tears over our poor condition. 

Martin Luther passed through this kind of introspection in his own experience. 

He shed tears, thinking that this would wash away his sins. 

But he discovered that his tears did not work to cleanse his conscience. 

Then one day from Romans 1:17 he saw Christ as his total righteousness and became a new man.

Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

The sight of Calvary releases our spirit to participate in Him.

Until Tomorrow,

With a Shepherd’s Love

Pastor

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TODAY’S PRAYER LIST

Don Slate – Angela Bryan’s Dad – Hospice 

Debra Roberts – Home in need of prayer
Hanna Hall – Pray For Grace

Amy Garner’s Mother  
Ashley Burn’s Sisters
Barbara Shed’s Family 
Bill Lawhead  – Prayer Needed
Bill Moody 
Charlie Sessom –Waiting  
Colby/Connor – Allison’s G’sons 
Denise Stubbs – Kim Allison’s Mom 
Doug Fritzel 
Greg & Keith Payne – Lisa’s Brother
James Garner – Home 

James Garner’s G’Son  

John Burnette 
Joyceann – James Garner’s Daughter 
Kimberly – Dustin’s Sister  
Larry Barker – Hip Replacement

Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah  
Lynn – Nancy Brown’s Daughter  
Mary Sims  
Michael Stanley 
Nancy Brown’s G’Daughter  
Nora Allison – Dustin’s Mom  
Pastor Stucke– Nikki’s Dad
Paula Ferus’ Missionary Friend 
Ricky Stubbs  
Roseleigh Osborn  
Scott Lanier – Lisa’s Cousin 
Sharon Blalock  
Sherry Yoachum – Recovering
Shaelyn – Jill’s Friend
Sheila Simmons Cousin  
Todd Bailey 

Todd Roberts 
Tom Witcher 
Wanda Galanti