We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Before making any resolution: 1. Consider the Scriptures carefully. Some matters for the Christian are clearly commanded or forbidden in the Bible… Other matters are not so clearly or specifically commanded or forbidden… It is in these areas where it is often profitable to make a specific personal resolution. 2. Consider your other necessary duties. As Christians, we have a number of pre-existing responsibilities that must take precedence over personal resolutions… Before making any personal resolution, ask yourself how it will affect other essential things (that God has commanded of you). 3. Consider how your family, your church, and the reputation of Christ in a watching world will be affected, either by your faithfulness, or by your failure to follow through (Luke 14:28-30). 4. (Consider) your motives… a. Is it truly my goal in making this resolution to glorify God through obedience and self-discipline and to receive the praise that comes only from Him? Or am I trying to gain the approval and admiration of people? (cf. Luke 6:26; 1 Cor. 4:3-5). b. Am I trying to appease my conscience by doing well in this one area in order to distract myself from conviction of another sinful behavior? (cf. Matthew 15:1-6). c. Am I acting defensively, angrily, or in prideful response to criticism from another person? In other words, do I have a sort of “I’ll show them” motive for making this resolution? (cf. Phil. 2:3). 5. Consider the cost. We don’t generally need to resolve to do the easy things. The difficulty, discomfort, self-denial, and even sometimes persecution involved in the Christian’s pursuit of holiness are the very aspects that make personal resolution necessary. Consider these carefully, weighing them opposite the rewards. Then determine that by God’s strength you will endure, understanding the price you must pay, and knowing that what you are doing is good and right.

Daryl Wingerd

When church discipline is being carried out properly there are several additional attendant responsibilities: 1. Confidentiality. At every step the matter is to be kept confidential at that level. For example, in step two the only parties who are to know about the matter are the individuals bringing the charge and the witnesses. This is vital. Violating this principle can cause great damage. 2. The sin being confronted must clearly be a sin, not some vague complaint or personal preference. There must be a clear violation of a biblical command or principle. 3. One must always approach a brother who is in sin with true humility and love (Galatians 6:1-5). To approach one with a spirit of pride is both unbiblical and counter-productive. 4. The church must be consistent and show no partiality in carrying out church discipline. Each member must be treated equally with complete fidelity to the Word of God. 5. Earnest prayer should attend every step. God is the one who grants repentance and He must be approached regularly. 6. Disclosing lurid details of sins is not helpful and is often very destructive to both the charged brother and the church body. Great care should be taken in the public disclosure of such matters. 7. The entire church is to be involved in the final steps, the urging of repentance and if there is no repentance, the actual discipline process. It does no good for the church to finally withdraw fellowship from the person if many of the individual members continue to fellowship with him as if nothing had occurred. 8. Forgiveness should be immediate when the brother repents. Full restoration should take place when the matter has been cleared up. If the discipline process has been public, the forgiveness and restoration must also be a public matter. The whole church can then express the wonderful joy of seeing the process work and a brother restored. (In a case where church leaders have fallen, restoration to an office may take some time for trust in them to be restored. In some situations, a leader may never be placed back into a position of leadership). 9. Church discipline is very seriously frowned upon and often criticized or made fun of, not only by the public but also by a number of evangelical churches. Yet, it is Christ’s command to His church. Our allegiance should be to the Sovereign One over our church body – Christ. We must be zealous to carry out His commands rather than fearing criticism by those who are not aware of these biblical responsibilities or by those who simply ignore them. 10. Finally, it should be clearly taught that the immediate purpose is to recover our sinning brother, but that is not the only intent. A church that practices church discipline demonstrates to the world its desire for holiness. It is also a deterrent to sin among the remaining members and it brings glory to the Head of the church – the Lord Jesus Christ.

Curtis Thomas

We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Luncheon Meat Rice Dinner

January 23, 2023

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Grains, Meats, Dairy		Pasta/, Rice	6	Servings

INGREDIENTS

2/3	c	Long-grain white rice; uncooked
1/2	c	Onions; chopped
1 1/3	c	Water
1/2	ts	Salt
2	c	Frozen green peas; thawed and cooked
12	oz	Spam® Lite luncheon meat; cubed
10 3/4	oz	Low-fat cream of mushroom soup
1	c	Skim milk
1/2	ts	Poultry seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 10 x 6 x 2" pan with cooking spray; set
aside. In a saucepan, combine rice, onions, water, and salt. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until rice is done. Remove from
heat and let stand covered for ten minutes. Add peas, meat cubes, soup,
milk, and poultry seasoning. Mix well. Spread into prepared pan. Cover and
bake for 40 minutes.
Per serving: 269 Calories; 9g Fat (30% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 31g
Carbohydrate; 46mg Cholesterol; 930mg Sodium
Recipe by: Better Homes & Gardens, Meat Stretcher Cookbook
Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #803 by "Anita A. Matejka" <matejka@bga.com>
on Sep 24, 97

A Message from our Provider:

“Where love is, God is. #Henry Drummond”