I AM A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS

Transcription

1 A PLACE TO CALL HOME January 6, I AM A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS I pray that the peace & mercy given by Father God, King Jesus & the Holy Spirit flows into each of your lives. John the Baptizer, a cousin of Jesus, was called by God to baptize people & calling them to repentance of their sins by cleansing them in the water of the river Jordon which symbolically cleansed them. He gained many followers & thus became a concern for their authority to the High Priests & the Pharisees. They came to him & questioned who he was. He quoted & fulfilled a prophesy given by the prophet Isaiah approximately 800 years before. John 1:23 - He said, I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said. Isaiah gave this prophesy regarding John & Jesus. Isaiah 40: 1-5 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem (the Israelites) & cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up & every mountain & hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level & the rough places a plain. We know that the people, in the 8 th & 1 st centuries when Isaiah & John lived, did not have the equipment, such as bull dozers, that we have today to make straight the mountains, hills, valleys, etc Isaiah described the geological features of Jerusalem & its surrounding area. It would have taken years of physical manual labor, if at all possible, to make level (make straight) all the land around the city. So, what does this part of the scripture really mean? The word wilderness has several definitions as defined in Strong s Biblical reference 1. Places: A desert, wilderness, deserted places, lonely regions, an uncultivated region fit for pasturage (only fit for animals to graze on). 2. Persons: deserted by others, deprived of the aid & protection of others, especially of friends, acquaintances, kindred. 3. Lacking: a flock deserted by the shepherd. The wilderness spoken of in these scriptures is spiritual. Throughout thousands of years the Israelites followed God for a time & then sinned against Him over & over again. They turned their backs on God, their Creator, & worshiped idols & became worldly & sinned much. It was they, themselves that created their spiritual wilderness. They were left to wander like sheep without a shepherd due to their own decisions not to honor & follow God as their creator. It is true today as well; there are people who have turned away from God & there are people who have predetermined not to follow God at all, but to follow worldly, sinful ways of the devil. They are lost in a spiritual wilderness. Isaiah writes, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed & all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. We know the appearance of Jesus fulfills these prophesies; He is our Shepherd Who calls us. John 10: My sheep listen to My voice; I know them & they follow Me. I give them eternal life & they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of My Father s hand. Jesus is the one who gave His life to pardon sin, He is the one who has provided blessings to believers, He is the one who leveled the land Isaiah spoke of so everyone who seeks God can see His truths. Jesus levels the spiritual land & removes the hiding places of the devil who lays in wait to pounce upon us from the shadows, the valleys, the mountains, the deserts & the nooks & crannies of the spiritual world to manifest evil in our earthly existence. John says he is the voice. His was a directive from God to be the voice foretelling of the great Savior, Jesus Christ & our salvation thru Him. Stay the course & don t get lost in the spiritual or earthly wilderness. Stay straight the course & follow Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit for putting this lesson on my heart to share with the WSCC church family. We praise You God & glorify Your name always! Mary Bowden

2 ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD (CONTINUATION) Whatever the Word of God says I can... I CAN I!!! We can do because God has given us the strength thru Him to allow us to do it. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Phil 4: 13 I can minister with God's ability. 1 Peter 4: 11 I can always triumph in Christ. 2 Cor 2:14 I can walk by faith. 2 Cor 5: 7 I can call those things which be not as though they were. Rom 4: 17 I can reign in life by Jesus Christ. Rom 5: 17 I can lay hands on the sick & see them recover. Mark 16: 18 I can use the authority in the Name ofjesus to overcome sin, sickness, demons, fear, lack & death. Phil 1:6 I can lead others to Jesus as an ambassador & a minister of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5: I can believe that all things are possible to me. Mark 9:23 I can run and not be weary. Isa 40:31 I can walk and not faint. Isa 40:31 I canfight the goodfight offaith. 2 Tim 4:7 I can know that the communication of my faith may become effectual by the acknowledging every good thing which is in me in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 4:7 GOD HAS THE ANSWER TO BREAKING THE CYCLE WITH UNBELIEVING "MENTAL VAMPIRES" Many years ago, I had an acquaintance that I found myself dreading to talk to. I finally realized it was because she seemed to draw the life right out of me every time we talked. After our conversations Iwas mentally tired &distressed that I could not help her. I would spend more of my time afterwards trying to figure out what I could say to help her. She had a life that would make a soap opera writer envious. I often wondered how in the world could such an intelligent individual continually have so many problems in her life. Finally, my inner Giger counter that God instilled in me went off & I realized that she was a "mental vampire" who had the power to drain all your mental & physical energy trying to be a good person & helping her. Misery loves company! It dawned on me that she didn't really want help, she enjoyed the chaos & what she did want was someone to support her in her daily drama. Thank God, He puts a detection system in each of us to warn us to back off in these types of scenarios where the person doesn't want to turn to God's word for direction. When we buy into supporting individuals like this who don't really want help & more importantly. who don't want help from God then we risk being pulled down into the pits of despair right beside them. Nagging guilt planted by the devil of not being able to help people in these situations leads to aggravation & aggravation turns into purposeful avoidance of them which makes one feel guilty of trying to avoid them in the 1't place,so a vicious cycle of helplessness, guilt & avoidance starts up again. How does God help protect us from this cycle? Everyone knows that there are no real vampires & as such, wearing a clove of garlic around your neck won't keep you from being a victim of a "mental vampire". There are situations in your life you cannot avoid being around them. Tell them the answers they seek are in the Bible, God' word, & if they are serious about wanting help you can point them to scriptures that can put them on a path for God to guide them. They may not like the answers, but God's Word gives us everything we need to know to be saved & prosper. Uer 29:11). All believers know they are covered by the blood of Jesus &the armor of God (Eph 6: 10-18) which is stronger than any snares the devil would try to lure you into. Remember that the "Sword of God", the Bible, & your faith is like a cloak of chain (armor made of small metal rings linked together) which cannot be penetrated. Your shield of faith provides additional protection. (Eph 6:16)... take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. God says ALL! It is Christian to try to help people who want it by sharing God's word; however, when they continually deny there is a God Who can help them, then we know that their hearts &their mental attitudes have been hardened. Prov 28:14- How blessed is the man who fears (respects God) always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Our Father gave everyone free will to accept or reject God & His wonderful plans for us. Jesus said Mat 10:33,34 - Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him willi also deny before My Father which is in heaven. Pray for wisdom & discernment, & let the Holy Spirit lead you in this scenario. James 1:5 -...If any lack wisdom, ask God who gives generously to all... & it will be given to you. You don't need the garlic for a "mental vampire", you just need God, His words, His armor, & your faith. Thank you, Jesus for this life experience, the wisdom to overcome it & the ability to share with my brothers & sisters. ~ '8owde.t

3 For more information about Western Star Cowboy Church, our ministries or spiritual guidance; please contact one of our church leaders. For Benevolence call one of the Elders. Western Star Cowboy Church P.O. Box 276 -Springtown Pastor Bobby Bowden WOLF Pack Minister & Newsletter Mary Bowden Elders Garry Tebbens Wes Robinson James Fraizer Tye Kinnibrugh Lay Pastors Kenny Woodruff David King Manny Cuevas David Sneed Wranglers Ministry (ages 1-12) Mary Bowden; Coordinator Open Gate Ministry (ages 13 to young adult) Sundays at 2:00 pm at the Bunkhouse Manny Cuevas WOLF Ministry (Woman Of Love & Faith) WOLF Pack Leadership Mary Bowden Cyndi Sneed PRAYER REQUESTS Please keep the church & all WSCC members in your daily prayers. Additional prayers are needed for: Prayers for all that need healing/health/& other needs that God knows. *ALL our church family & their extended families who are sick. *Pray for families who have lost a beloved animal. *Pray for our Pastor Bobby, the Elders, Lay Pastors, Bible study teachers & our youth. *Pray for WSCC & for God to bring other souls to His church. *Pray for God to lead our government officials & to keep our freedom of religion, military members, fire, police & emergency responders & their families. ANNOUNCEMENTS Wed Nights - Fellowship Hall: 6:00 PM Prayer Group 7:00 PM Bible study - Book of John (film & discussions Pastor Bobby) Every 3 rd Saturday of the month from 7PM to 9PM Worship night at WSCC Church 2019 Jan 6 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Communion by Lay Pastor David King Jan 8 th : Tues Comprehensive Bible Study starts again at 7PM 1 st Meeting at Pastor Bobby s house Jan 9 th : Wednesday Start back up the Prayer & Bible Study sessions Jan 12 th : WOLF pack meeting in Fellowship Hall at 9 AM Jan 13 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Jan 20 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Grub Sunday Pot Luck Jan 27 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Feb 3 rd : Pastor Bobby to preach Communion by: tbd Feb 10 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Annual WSCC Meeting right after Church Services Feb 17 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Grub Sunday tbd Feb 24 th : Pastor Bobby to preach Your monetary gifts to God are used to cover the various monthly & annual expenses/missions of WSCC. God in His ultimate wisdom brought us together to worship & praise Him. Pro 3:9-10 tells us we will be blessed for blessing God. Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018 attendance: 70 Donations $4,685.62

4 WSCC NEWS Sue Deal in period costume at wedding Mannny & Tab in Vegas Sue Moore - New Years Johnny & Laura Carrington A big thank you to Renee & Dustin Loper. They have donated a large refrigerator for our Fellowship Hall kitchen. This will allow us to have ample room on Grub Sundays for everyone who needs to store their dishes in the frig until lunch. We need volunteers to help bring it here from their home. We can arrange the time with them. For inquiring minds: We will put the bigger refrigerator where the small one is now, put the small one where the little freezer is now, & of course the little freezer will be moved to a new location in the building. ANNOUNCEMENT: God has provided the basic plot for the next WSCC movie. I will be looking for volunteers to be in the movie. Please let me know if you are interested. I have some individuals in mind that will fill some of the parts. It will be sometime in the spring before the movie is ready to be filmed. I will keep you informed on the progress. The fellowship is always great when we do this & all the glory goes to God. -Men on cattle drive more people donate cattle on drive to be able to raise money to rebuild town of Faith s church most men gone from town to accomplish this big drive (lots of shots of cattle drive & conversations) -Marshall King will be out of town the same time for a couple of weeks on business at the county seat -Snake oil sales man & wife infiltrate the town hearing of the plans they go back & tell outlaw gang they belong to that the town is prime for robbing the bank only women & children & some older men will be left -Women hold off outlaws (lots of other stuff happens with this) Women step up to the task of defending town. Some women patrol town at night on horseback An outlaw gets shot & women drag him into building.more on this later -Plans for one of the children to sneak out of town on horse to go get help -Men & Marshall come riding back shooting outlaws. -The plot & some lines will eventually be provided, but this time I want people to take on the person of their character & talk with me about what they think their character would say in each situation. This is your chance to add to the movie. -We will need props like the last time & Tim & Lori Livingston have donated a buggy to the church which we will use in this movie. Thank you Tim & Lori!

5 IT S 11:59 Pastor Bobby sings Time is winding down, just look around. Evil is breaking loose on every side. The devil knows his time is almost over. Soon the clock will stop when Jesus comes & splits the sky. Shout it from the roof tops, proclaim it in the streets. Tell your friends & neighbors, tell everyone you meet. We all need a Savior, but we re running out of time. He s coming back at midnight, it s 11:59. God s prepared a place for me & for you. Free from fears & doubts & tears & pain. We must choose our own destination. You know there s just one way to Heaven & Jesus is His name. C. THE REST OF MINE Brenda sings There is no guarantee that I ll see you tomorrow. Heaven only knows how long I have. So, there s no way you ll ever for one second, let me wonder just how long my love for You will last. Till my last breath, till I m called on high, till the angels come & I see the Light. To the very end, till I give in, to the last beat of my heart. So, I can swear that I ll be there for the rest of my life. And I swear I ll love You, for the rest of mine. C. WAY DOWN DEEP Rick sings The highway of lost souls is rocky & rough. Lord, I learned a long time ago you can t get to Heaven till you ve had enough of your daily walk with the foe. Down deep inside my soul where once it was cold & dark I feel God s love take a hold. Way down deep in my heart. Jesus was the light on my darkest of days. Though storms were still raging within, but the Lord said, Be still & the clouds rolled away & the sun started shining again. C.C. GET IN THE BOAT Debbie sings Get in the boat, get in the boat. Straighten up & walk the narrow way. Better read your Bible; believe the Words He wrote. If you can t walk on water, then you better get in the boat. Jesus gave the blind man back his sight. Jesus turned the water into wine. We are just His children, lost without His grace; guys & gals you better get in your place. C. You can bet they nailed Him to the cross. Jesus gave His life so we d not be lost. The devil stirs up the water so we must sink or swim, Jesus is the Boat, get on in! C. You know Jesus multiplies the loaves, he multiplies the fishes we ve been told. Multiplies our blessings, took away our sins. Jesus is the Boat, you better get in. C.C.

6 RIVER OF JORDAN Janee sings To the river of Jordan, our Savior went one day & we read that John the Baptist met Him there. When John baptized Jesus in Jordan s rushing waters the mighty power of God filled the air. I m on my way to the River of Jordan. Gonna wade right in the rushing waters. I m going down, I m going down to the River of Jordan & let the cool waters cleanse my soul. King Naaman was stricken with dreaded leprosy & he sent for the man of God to pray. But Elisha said to Naaman, God dip yourself in Jordan & let the cool water wash your spots away. So he went right down to the River of Jordan. He went right in the rushing waters to dip himself. He dipped himself in the River of Jordan & the cool waters made him whole. The River of Jordan is many miles away. This mighty river I may never see, but I ll find myself an altar in an old- fashioned church house. My River of Jordan that will be. C.C. JESUS LEAD ME TO YOUR HEALING WATERS Adam sings Jesus lead me to your healing waters. Take me down to Your healing stream. Jesus lead me to Your healing waters. Take me down & wash me clean. Many days have gone since I first loved You. Now I m out here wanderin on my own. Never have I known more that I need You than out here wanderin all alone. C. Jesus purify me in Your fire, burn me up until I see. Jesus purify me in Your fire, burn me up until I believe. Many days have gone yet still I loved You. Never would I make it on my own. This life here & now is where I need You. And then up there is where I m finally home. Jesus, oh sweet heavenly Father, take me up & give me wings. Jesus, oh sweet heavenly Father, take me up & set me free. ROLL YOUR BURDENS Mary sings Roll your burdens on the rock of ages, lean a little longer on the everlasting arms. Seek safe haven while the storm still rages. Roll your burdens on the rock of ages. Worried, worn & weary tossed upon life s sin, sick sea. There s a lighthouse in the distance to guide you past the reef. There s a strong & steadfast shelter just beyond the ragin tide. A tower & a refuge where you can safely hide. C. Cast your cares behind you drowning in the water deep. Troubles turn to triumphs when you lay them at His feet. Hold your head above the water keep your eyes fixed on dry land. Come into the lifeboat & take the Master s hand. C.C.