A Word from THE WORD

Good Morning Happy Church,

Today is Monday, April 11^th, 2016. Today is the 102^nd Day of 2016.

TODAY IS MITIKU APPLEBY’S BIRTHDAY

TODAY IS DOUG WALK’S BIRTHDAY

There are only 264 days left in this year; and, Our Spring Revival Meetings Continue Tonight and Tomorrow at 7pm!

Please clear your schedule to attend as many of these meetings as possible.

As I often say, “The two things you have to invest to be blessed are your Attendance and your Attention!”

Please be in prayer for Dr. Bobby and Sandra Boyles as they travel back on Wednesday.

Pray that God will pour out HIS SPIRIT on us as never before!

Pray for the salvation of the lost; repentance and renewal in the life of God’s people; new people to become part of our Church Family; the calling out of ministers and missionaries; a spiritual awakening in our area; and, for Jesus Christ to be glorified in all that we do!

BIG WORDS “Depraved”

1 Timothy 6:3-5
³ “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,
⁴ he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,
⁵ and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”

As I begin a new series of lessons for our Daily Devotions, I want to take a few of these to share with you the meaning of a few Theological “Big Words” that many Christians like to avoid and that many of today’s “Church Growth Gurus” tell us to avoid using at all cost.

These are Bible words, and the few that I will highlight are very important to understanding God, Mankind, Lostness, and God’s way of saving sinners.

The word for today is “depraved.”

Bobby would tell us that “depraved” in the Greek is, “dia – phi – thi – ro” which means:

“dia” = thoroughly with “phithiro” = to corrupt

Or, as we would say, “thoroughly corrupted.”

The spirit (mind); the soul (being or personhood); and the body of mankind, before God awakens one to the truth and grants repentance and saving faith) are depraved, or totally corrupted.

The doctrine of total depravity does not mean that a person is a bad as they can be, (God does restrain evil even in the most wicked of people) but it does mean that every part of humans – our mind, our being, and our body – is completely corrupted by sin.

This is why humans desperately need a Savior and this is why God devised such a radical plan of salvation.

God, HIMSELF, came to this earth in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. HE lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to the laws of God. HE died an atoning death which paid the debt owed to God by everyone who would repent of their sins and believe in Jesus as their Savior and LORD.

Man’s lostness is total. God’s remedy is radical.

Everyone you and I know who does not yet know Jesus as Savior and LORD desperately need to come to know HIM.

Our work is to tell them the “Good News.” God’s work is to convict, regenerate, and transform them. HE is always working… The question is, will we?

I am praying for personal and Church-wide revival. I am praying that you will be part of what God is going to do.

I hope that you will sacrifice whatever it takes to be present at every service.

As Pastor Tom Rains, one of my dearest friends, loves to say… “I hope to see you there with a smile on your face, your Bible in your hand, and your family and friends by your side.”

REMEMBER: Our Revival Meetings continue TONIGHT at 7:00pm!

Revival CAN happen, it really CAN happen!

Will we really have revival?

Will you?

Carpe Diem!