"Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator." (1 Peter 4:19)¹   

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¹Some people suffer in this life more than others. For those who do, it may be more difficult to commit themselves to Christ. The problems and troubles of this world can certainly distract us and interfere with our being Christians. Sometimes things may become so difficult and we are so involved in our struggles that we don't want to think about Jesus. We don't want the help that is offered by our brothers and sisters. But we choose to suffer alone. God wants to hear your problems through prayer. Jesus wants to help you through His Word. And your family in Christ loves you and wants to help. If you will let them. 

If you're interested in learning more about God's word please e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

Today's blog is from one of our members, Bill Brittenham.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5.15-16, ESV)¹

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¹Time is one of the most precious things in this life. One reason for this is because every second that goes by is another second that we cannot get back and another second closer to our death. Here’s a scary thought: the second we are born we begin to die!

A quick internet search will show that we watch an average of 5 hours of television a day while browsing our social media accounts for an average of 1 hour and 40 minutes and consuming food and drink for nearly 1 hour and 8 minutes. This does not include sleep, work, commute times, shopping, sports, school, cooking, cleaning, reading, exercising, playing games, or even going to the bathroom! Simply put, we spend a lot of time doing several things in this life.

However, in all that we do, are we making the best use of our time? There is nothing necessarily wrong in the stated activities above, but one could argue that it becomes wrong when these things either consume all our time or are placed before the time necessary to serve God.

In fact, as Christians all our time belongs to God! What does that say about the things we do? Again, while watching television or playing sports is not sinful in and of itself, they become sinful when these things compete with God’s time (our service to Him and others). When this happens, God is no longer first in our lives, but placed on the “back burner.”

On the flip side, what happens when we fill our lives with sinful things? Since the two (sin and God) cannot co-exist in one’s life, we must choose what remains consistent. In other words, which master will we serve, sin or God? (Matt. 6.24, 33; Rom. 6.16-18, etc.)

Let us not fill our lives with innocent or sinful activities that simply distract us from giving our time to God. If you’re interested in learning how to walk wisely before God, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2.21, ESV).¹

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¹Before Jesus left this earth, He told the apostles that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations…” (Luke 24.47, NKJV).

Therefore, on the day of Pentecost Peter told everyone that they needed to prepare for the coming judgment by “calling on the name of the Lord”. There is a misunderstanding in the religious world about this statement. What exactly did he mean?

After preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter told the convicted murderers (Acts 2.36-37), “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” (Acts 2.38, ESV). Obviously, Peter did not preach anything different in verse 38 than he did in verse 21. Both require the same authority, the name of Jesus Christ, and both end with the same result, salvation.

When the Jews asked what they must do (Acts 2.37), Peter explained by inspiration exactly what he meant. Therefore, it must be understood that to “call on the name of the Lord” to be saved is explained by “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins....”

No wonder Saul was later told, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22.16, ESV).

Have you called on the name of the Lord to be saved? It is not a verbal calling (as in a “sinner’s prayer” – which has no Scriptural support), but a calling on the Lord in baptism for the forgiveness of sins (cf. 1 Peter 3.21; Heb. 10.22). If you’re interested in learning more about what is required to be saved, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16.16, ESV)¹

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¹There are at least five different views of Mark 16.16. Let us examine them all.

View #1: “He who believes and is baptized will not be saved.”

• Those who believe this view: Atheists, Muslims, Jews, etc.
• Why? Because they do not believe in God or the Bible.
• Problem with this view: There is a God and His majesty and existence is seen in the creation of this world (Psalm 19.1; Rom. 1.19-20).

View #2: “He who does not believe and is not baptized will be saved.”

• Those who believe this view: Universalist [one that claims all will be saved].
• Why? Ultimately, because they cannot believe in a God that would send anyone to hell.
• Problem with this view: God says some will be saved and others will be lost: Matt. 7.13-14, 21-23; Rom. 6.23, etc.

View #3: “He who does not believe and is baptized will be saved.”

• Those who believe this view: Catholics, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, etc.
• Why? This view means infant baptism. They believe babies are born in sin and therefore they must be baptized to be saved (where’s the Scripture?).
• Problem with this view: The Bible says one must hear (Rom. 10.17), believe (John 8.24), repent of sins (Acts 2.38), and confess Jesus (Rom. 10.9-10) before one may be baptized. Can a baby do any of that?

View #4: “He who believes and is not baptized will be saved.”

• Those who believe this view: Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, etc.
• Why? They do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation. However, they believe salvation is by “faith alone”.
• Problem with this view: Jesus said baptism is essential in Matt. 28.18-20. James said we are not saved by “faith only” (James 2.24). Since Jesus requires faith (John 3.16), repentance (Luke 13.3), and confession (Matt. 10.32-33), then one cannot be saved by “faith alone”.

View #5: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.”

• Those who believe this view: Those who believe Jesus, the Son of the living God.
• Why? Because they want to listen to Jesus (Matt. 17.5), obey Jesus (Luke 6.46), and be saved by Jesus (John 14.6).
• Problem with this view: None. This is the only view that quotes Jesus. The truth is, salvation and forgiveness of sins is found in baptism in the name of Jesus (Acts 2.38; 22.16; Gal. 3.27, etc.).

If we our honest with God’s word, we can see that Jesus’ words are truth and are in opposition to the views of the religious world. This raises the questions, "Which view is a lie?" and "Have you believed a lie?"

What is your view of Mark 16.16? Let me know. If you’re interested in learning more about the different views of Mark 16.16 e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe…” (Hebrews 12.28, ESV)¹

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¹God has given us so much to be thankful for. In our text, the Christians were to be grateful for receiving the prophesied kingdom that was impossible to destroy (Isaiah 2.2-4; Dan. 2.44; Acts 2, etc.). Even Jesus said that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16.18). The result of receiving this kingdom is to offer God acceptable worship and this worship is conditioned upon reverence and awe [godly fear] (cf. John 4.24).

Because “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1.13), we ought to be thankful in prayer (Eph. 1.15-16; Heb. 13.15), in song (Col. 3.15-16), and in our daily walk as Christians (1 Peter 2.9).

If you’re interested in learning more about the kingdom God has given us please e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905. We would love for you to become a citizen of His kingdom today (Eph. 2.19; Phil. 3.20)!