Fourth Of July Celebration at Christ's Church FWB

How To Have A Great Nation

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing

1) Saved citizens

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

2) Submissive citizens

1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme.

3) Sensible citizens

Psalm 100:4-5

Enter into his gates with Thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

4) Scriptural citizens

Deutoronomy 11:27-28

A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

5) Seeking citizens

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Upcoming Events

Friday, October 9th - Saturday, October 10th Men's Retreat in Sedona, AZ

The Home Bible Studies will be starting soon. If you have any specific questions about the studies, please call or email the pastor at 520-723-7020 or hrgwartney@aol.com

Happy Father's Day!

What My Father Taught Me
By Pastor Howard Gwartney

To obey my parents
To be friendly and warm to strangers
To honor and respect law enforcement
To do my best in everything I do
To shake hands
To drive a nail and change a tire
To work hard for my employer
To pay my bills on time
Not to say "I can't", say "I'll try"!
Not to be a whiner
To allow ladies to go first
To love my wife
To remember that I am not infallible
To apologize when I am wrong
To be on time for appointments
To always be early for church
To remember that God deserves my best!
To have a sense of humor
To carry a little money
To keep my word
To stand up for my convictions but also be a peacemaker
To sing and love worship music
To do what is right even when others do me wrong
To love the unlovable
To be generous with others
To pay my tithes
To read God's word
How to become a Christian
To stop preaching when my sermon is over.

Easter Egg Hunt

The meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ's victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry.

Baptism

We had three people baptized today: Steve, Linda and Wayne.
Congratulations!

Collingsworth family in concert at Christ's Church

Installation of our church signs

Today, March 1st 2009, Christ's Church installed the new church signs at our church property located approximately 2 miles south of Hunt Highway WalMart on Gary at Ivar.

The Claims of Jesus

John 7:37-38
'In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

In that statement is the whole Gospel: thirst, come and drink
Thirst = recognize your need for forgiveness and salvation
Come = an act of your will
Drink = appropriate Christ

Acts 1:8
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
To believe is to receive the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:9
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

AZ Free Will Baptists Summer Camp 2009

This year camp will be held at united Christian Youth Camp in Prescott. UCYC is a much nicer camp than we had last year. Plus there's a climbing wall, a swimming pool, paintball area, etc. The cost will be about $150 per camper. Campers 9 years old and up are welcome to attend without a parent.
http://www.ucyc.com/CAMPS.htm

Two Sisters - One Heart Event

On Valentines Day, February 14th, 2009, Christ's Church got ready to participate in the fundraising event for conjoined twins Emma and Taylor Bailey (twosisters-oneheart.blogspot.com). The event took place at the Walker Butte Elementary in Johnson Ranch Queen Creek, Arizona. That's where we had a booth set up and held a water give-away.

We had three people participate in the 10K race: Brooke, Nathan and Wayne. Pastor Howard and Patsy were also there since 7 AM.

Also, thank you Pat, Bob, Kim, Andrea and Aubree, Drew and Ashley for your help in setting up and tearing down the Christ's Church's area at the event.

It was a blessing to be a part of this cause!

Two Sisters One Heart Water Give-Away

This event is a benefit run for Emma and Taylor Bailey - conjoined twins. It will be held at Walker Butte Elementary School in Queen Creek on Valentine's Day, February 14th. It will be health and family focused with 3K, 5K and 10K runs, silent auction, vendor booths, children crafts and activities.

Christ's Church will be sponsoring a vendor booth at this event and having a water give-away. If you would like to be a part of this event, please let Pastor Howard mailto:mpastor@christschurchfwb.org know.



More information is available here: http://www.emmaandtaylorbailey.blogspot.com/

FEAR OF DEATH (Sunday sermon highlights)

What happens you die? Do you know where you're going?

Death is probably the most misunderstood subject in the world today. It evokes feelings of fear, uncertainty and hopelessness. We have all wondered what to expect after death and the ultimate statistics show that 10 out of 10 people die.

It's bothersome, yet it is a valid question that every human being needs to deal with during his or her lifetime, because the consequences are enormous. There is no room for guessing on this topic.

People fear death because they don’t know what’s going to happen or what it’s going to feel like. Even talking about death makes some people nervous and uneasy.

What does the Bible have to say about death?
The Bible talks about Resurrection, Judgement and Separation:

Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
The Resurrection of the just and the unjust will take place on Judgement day.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

There is a place for the righteous to go and the place for the wicked. Most people do nothing to prepare for the "appointment" with God on Judgement Day. As Christians we are sealed with the holy Spirit of promise, our sinfulness is taken away when we trust Jesus Christ. God sees the righteousness of Christ when He looks at us.

Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

Heaven is the place where there is no more dying, no more suffering, no more wars. Hell is the eternal separation from God. It's a place of utter darkness.

God does not want any one to go to hell. That's why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

FEAR OF GOD

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" Proverbs 1:7
"But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love" Psalm 33:18
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" Ecclesiastes 12:13

Fear of the Lord is mentioned 32 time in the Bible
Fear of God - 8 times
Fear God - 10 times

To the Christian, knowing God begins with knowing that He is God and we're not; that He is holy and we are not; that He is above reproach and we are not.

1. It's necessary to recognize that God is the creator and the savior. This recognition is the basis for a healthy fear of God and is one of the important ways to give Him glory.
2. It's necessary for us to give God respect. We are not to take His name in vain or use God's name lightly. What does it mean to use God's name in vain? This means to misuse God's name in any fashion. Instead, we should honor and revere His name every time we use it.
3. It's necessary to reverence God - give Him Honor He deserves. Reverence gives us strength and wisdom to appreciate God's goodness.

Love and Sound Doctrine should always balance each other out:

Too much Sound Doctrine without the aspect of Love will result in legalism, while Love without applying Sound Doctrine will lead to tolerance of sin, lost opportunities to win people to Christ.

To become a Christian we have to know 4 things:

1) God unconditionally loves us
2) We have blown it
3) God took the initiative
4) It's your call

Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.