jstchurchofchrist

Healing a Paralyzed Man

‘When Jesus Saw Their Faith…’ Four men are determined to bring their hurting friend to Jesus, even if means tearing a hole through the roof!

4/26/2020 Dear brethren, we are in week 5 of the COVID-19 Coronavius quarantine. Thankfully as I write this, no one in our congregation has been sick from the coronavirus, and although everyone’s work has been affected, no one has lost employment due to the state wide lockdown. News reports indicate that restrictions may be scaled back in phases soon, which I pray will allow us to assemble together again for worship and Bible study. May God bless you during this difficult time as we walk with Him through the valleys and mountain peaks of life.

Your fellow servant in the kingdom, Bill Turner

This week’s bulletin article: I Thank You God

Healing a Paralyzed Man

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?
Mark 2:9

This week’s sermon: AUDIO | Text PDF

AUDIO: ‘When Jesus saw their faith…’

I Thank You God

I thank you God that You are eternal and infinite

I thank you God that you are perfect and holy

I thank you God for the intricate beauty of Your creation

I thank you God for the mysteries of Your cosmos

I thank you God for the billions of suns burning in brilliant light

I thank you God that You rule heaven and earth

I thank you God for creating me in Your image

I thank you God for Your patience with me

I thank you God that You the Author entered your own story

I thank you God that You came to earth in human flesh

I thank you God that You are free from space and time

I thank you God for the adventure of life

I thank you God for the hope of each new day

I thank you God for the future because it is in your hands

I thank you God for light and love that emanates from You

I thank you God that You are in control and rule from Your throne

I thank you God for Your love that is eternal

I thank you God that nothing is impossible for You

I thank you God that You answer millions of prayers simultaneously

I thank you God for Your people

I thank you God that You care for the sparrows

I thank you God that You reveal the secrets of eternity to children

I thank you God that I was dead but now I am alive today

I thank you God that I was blind but now I see

I thank you God that You saved me from my sins and set me free

I thank you God that You redeemed me by your blood on the cross

I thank you God that I could be born again as a child of Yours

I thank you God for the inheritance You give your children

––Bill Turner
April 25, 2020
Grants Pass, Oregon

Healing the Centurion’s Servant

Brothers and Sisters, It is now week four of the COVID-19 Coronavirus quarantine. I pray that you are healthy and growing spiritually (3 John 2) during this rare time when the world seems to be taking a much needed rest. It is also a good time for reflection and prayer (Psalm 46). I hope you receive this lesson in the love in which it is given. The Lord knows all we go through, He knows all we need and He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). He will supply all our needs.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

Click here for the latest bulletin article: Strength for the Loyal Heart. Please pray for the congregation, for those who are struggling with physical ailments, and also that no one will lose employment due to this present distress. Please pray that we may assemble again soon, worshiping together with a renewed spirit of thankfulness. May God bless you this week!

–Your fellow servant, Bill Turner.

Healing the Centurion’s Servant

The Man Whose Faith Impressed Jesus (Matthew 8:5-13).

“Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Although this Roman soldier makes only a brief appearance in the gospels, he’s had a lasting impact over the centuries of what true faith looks like.

April 19, 2020 – Sermon 7 of a series on the miracles of Jesus.
AUDIO | PDF TEXT

The man whose faith impressed Jesus

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26

Strength for the Loyal Heart

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him”
(2 Chronicles 16:9).

THE LORD IS LOOKING FOR THOSE WHOSE HEARTS WILL BE TRUE TO HIM. And He is eager to “show Himself strong” on behalf of such people, those who know the meaning of loyalty.

Asa, the king of Judah to whom the admonition was addressed in 2 Chronicles 16:9, was a good man in many respects. The general course of his life was commendable, but there were times when his decisions left much to be desired. Earlier, he had been told by one of the prophets, “The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). This warning was not always heeded, however. And when Asa deviated from his duty, he forfeited the help of a God who fights on behalf of “those whose hearts are wholly his” (Jerusalem Bible).

There is hardly a virtue more noble than loyalty. Consider the cluster of words in our language that denote this trait. Faithfulness and fidelity imply adherence to one’s vows or obligations — the fulfillment of duty and the keeping of promises. Allegiance means that one has been true to an authority to which he is subject. Fealty, an older word, once referred to the obligation of a vassal to a feudal lord, but now means faithfulness to a law or principle that one has pledged to uphold. And the word loyalty itself gives us the picture of a person who has such a steadfast and devoted attachment to something that he or she is not easily turned aside.

Think of the good things that would come out of a serious application of these ideas to our seeking of God. If we sought Him with a loyalty that He could count on — a faithful love that would hold us at His side — what strength He would make available to us! Our greatest need is for fidelity, the honor that holds steadfastly to all the truth we know of God, however little that may be at present. If we turn our back on what we know of Him, then, as traitors, we cut ourselves off from His help at the time we need it most. Our seeking must be with an allegiance that will die in battle before it will do any treachery to God.

“Lord, help me faithfully to journey along my road, holding my rightful place in the great procession of humanity” (Michel Quoist).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com

Set Free From Fear

The significance of Jesus’ incredible sacrifice of love at the cross through His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension may never be fully comprehended on this side of eternity. The Risen Savior Set the Captives Free. One way Christians are set free is from fear––the fear of life, of death and of eternity. (Revelation 1:17-18)

“At the heart of anxiety is fear, and at the heart of fear is our focus”

Sermon for April 12, 2020 AUDIO | PDF

Set Free From Fear

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
3 John 2

Dear brothers and sisters, it is week three of the coronavirus quarantine and I pray your are safe and healthy physically and spiritually. News reports indicate that conditions may improve over the next few weeks which gives me hope we will see one another again soon to assemble in worship together. In the meantime, I send this sermon to you for your encouragement and edification. Remember to call, text, email, write one another and pray for one another. May we use this time to grow in faith, knowledge, love and good works. Below are links to a bulletin article and chart.

SERMON: Set Free From Fear (above). Click here for a text file PDF

BULLETIN ARTICLE: ‘Fear Not’

POST: Who Do I Want to Be During the Covid Crisis?