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First, before the regular news, a short message from me...

There has been so much done in recent times to harm the church. So called preachers that are only after fame and fortune, self-proclaimed ministers of God that are more worldly than they are Godly, businessmen who have found a way to use God to make a profit, have all contributed to giving the church a bad name. Well, let it be known that God certainly isn't amused by the shenanigans of these folks who prance around proclaiming the name of Jesus while living a life of luxury at the expense of the poor and needy. If you were to ask God if this was his church, or if he condoned this type of behavior, the answer would be a resounding, "NO".

The bible says plainly, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20) and, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). Also, the bible tells us exactly what true religion is in the sight of God. James 1:27 says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world". If a church is bearing this fruit and doing this work, there is a good chance it's real and not a "make believe" church. Following a preacher will never get you into heaven, but if you follow God and show his love to those in need, you can't go wrong.

And, now for the regular news. We are still in the process of setting up a Prayer Line that you will be able to call when you find yourself, or someone you know, in need of prayer. Of course, we take prayer very seriously, so you can be sure that the person answering the phone when you call will know how to get a hold of God, and know how to get an answer from him. I've noticed that the real key to prayer is not just having faith in God when we pray, but understanding that we have to pray until we get the answer. There cannot be a point at which we give up and say, "God just isn't going to answer...so...I'll quit praying". We have to have our heart and mind made up that we will continue to pray, no matter how much prayer it takes, until we get an answer from God. The Bible says in James 5:16 that, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." And, that's a promise from God.

 

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