Ladies of Grace

Ladies of Grace

Our next breakfast will also be our Christmas Bulb Exchange on Saturday, 

December 15th at Christoffs, West Road and Allen Road in Woodhaven.

Time: Between 9:30 - 10:00 a.m.

We will be having a Christmas ornament exchange, please bring it wrapped or in a gift bag. 

We will draw numbers and have a little fun swapping and sharing. More details when you arrive.
(PS: Ornaments should be $10)

Upcoming Events at Grace Bible Church

Ladies of Grace Breakfast

Saturday, July 14, 9:30 am at TV's Deli & Diner

2441 Fort St., Trenton, MI

Bring a friend and join us!

Wednesday, July 18

35th Anniversary of Grace Bible Church

 Count Your Trespasses

How many are my iniquities and my sins?

Job 13:23

Have you ever really weighed and considered how great the sin of God's people is? Think how heinous is your own transgression, and you will find that not only does a sin here and there tower up like an alp, but that your iniquities are heaped upon each other, as in the old fable of the giants who piled Pelian upon Ossa,¹ mountain upon mountain. What an aggregate of sin there is in the life of one of the most sanctified of God's children! Attempt to multiply this, the sin of one only, by the multitude of the redeemed, "a great multitude that no one could number,"² and you will have some conception of the great mass of the guilt of the people for whom Jesus shed His blood. But we arrive at a more adequate idea of the magnitude of sin by the greatness of the remedy provided.

It is the blood of Jesus Christ, God's only and well-beloved Son. God's Son! Angels cast their crowns before Him! All the choral symphonies of heaven surround His glorious throne. "God over all, blessed forever. Amen."³ And yet He takes upon Himself the form of a servant and is scourged and pierced, bruised and torn, and at last slain; nothing but the blood of the incarnate Son of God could make atonement for our offenses.

No human mind can adequately estimate the infinite value of the divine sacrifice, for although the sin of God's people is great, the atonement that takes it away is immeasurably greater. Therefore, even when sin rolls in like a flood, and the remembrance of the past is bitter, the believer can still stand before the blazing throne of the great and holy God and cry, "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised."⁴ While the recollection of the believer's sin fills him with shame and sorrow, its very darkness serves to show the brightness of mercy; guilt is the dark night in which the fair star of divine love shines with serene splendor.

¹⁾ The giant sons of Iphimedia who tried to reach Olympus by piling Mt. Pelian on Mt. Ossa (The Odyssey).

²⁾ Revelation 7:9
³⁾ Romans 9:5
⁴⁾ Romans 8:34

Alistair Begg, Truth for Life

May you have a great Independence Day

2018

What is Your Calling?

Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.

1 Corinthians 7:20

Some people have the foolish notion that the only way in which they can live for God is by becoming pastors, missionaries, or Bible teachers. How many would be excluded from any opportunity of spiritual usefulness if this were the case. Beloved, it is not office—it is sincerity; it is not position—it is grace that will enable us to serve and glorify God. God is definitely glorified at the workbench, where the godly worker fulfills his task singing of the Savior's love. In this humble setting God is glorified far more than in many a lofty pulpit where official religion performs its scanty duties. The name of Jesus is glorified by the taxicab driver as he blesses God and speaks to his passengers of the living hope. He will be more useful than the popular preacher who goes about peddling the Gospel for profit. God is glorified when we serve Him in our proper vocations.

Take care, dear reader, that you do not neglect the path of duty by leaving your occupation, and take care you do not dishonor your profession while in it. Think little of yourselves, but do not think too little of your callings. Every lawful trade may be sanctified by the Gospel to noblest ends. Turn to the Bible, and you will find the most menial forms of labor connected either with most daring deeds of faith or with persons whose lives have been illustrations of holiness.

Therefore do not be discontented with your calling. Whatever God has made your position or your work, remain in that, unless you are quite sure that He calls you to something else. Let your first concern be to glorify God to the best of your ability where you are. Fill your present sphere to His praise, and if He needs you in another, He will show it to you. This evening lay aside anxious ambition, and embrace peaceful content.

~Alistair Begg~

Happy and Holy

Remove far from me falsehood and lying. 

 Proverbs 30:8

Do not forsake me, O Lord  Psalms 38:21

Here we have two great lessons—what to deprecate and what to supplicate. The happiest state of a Christian is the holiest state. Just as there is the most heat nearest to the sun, so there is the most happiness closest to Christ. No Christian enjoys comfort when his eyes are fixed on falsehood—he finds no satisfaction unless his soul is quickened in the ways of God.

The world may find happiness elsewhere, but he cannot. I do not blame ungodly men for rushing to their pleasures. Why should I? Let them have their fill. That is all they have to enjoy. A converted wife who despaired of her husband was always very kind to him, for she said, "I fear that this is the only world in which he will be happy, and therefore I have made up my mind to make him as happy as I can in it." Christians must seek their delights in a higher sphere than the tasteless trifles or sinful enjoyments of the world. Empty pursuits are dangerous to renewed souls.

We have heard of a philosopher who, while he looked up to the stars, fell into a pit; but how deeply do they fall who look down. Their fall is fatal. No Christian is safe when his soul is lazy, and his God is far from him. Every Christian is always safe as to the great matter of his standing in Christ, but he is not safe as regards his experience in holiness and communion with Jesus in this life.

Satan does not often attack a Christian who is living near to God. It is when the Christian departs from God, becomes spiritually starved, and tries to feed on lies that the devil discovers his moment of advantage. He may sometimes stand foot to foot with the child of God who is active in his Master's service, but the battle is generally brief. He who slips as he goes down into the Valley of Humiliation will find that with every false step he invites the devil's attack. O for grace to walk humbly with our God!

~Alistair Begg, June 13, 2018~

This devotional fits perfectly with the sermon we had yesterday by Tony Royals.

Gazing Into The Perfect Law

"One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25).

God blesses you when you obey His Word.

James 1:21-24 contrasts hearers of the Word and doers of the Word. Hearers don't respond to Scripture or benefit from its truths—though they may study it in depth. Doers receive it in humility and obey its commands. James 1:25 adds that they are blessed in what they do. That means there is blessing in the very act of obedience.

James calls Scripture "the perfect law, the law of liberty" (v. 25). It is "law" because it's God's obligatory behavioral code. Grace doesn't eliminate God's moral law—it gives us the spiritual resources to obey it, and forgiveness when we fail. That's how Jesus fulfills the law in us (cf. Matt. 5:17).

Scripture is "the perfect law" because it is complete, sufficient, comprehensive, and without error. Through it God meets every need and fulfills every desire of the human heart. In addition, it is "the law of liberty." That may sound paradoxical because we tend to think of law and freedom as opposites. But as you look intently into the Word, the Holy Spirit enables you to apply its principles to your life, thereby freeing you from the guilt and bondage of sin, and enabling you to live to God's glory. That's true freedom!

"Look intently" translates a Greek word that pictures bending down to examine something with care and precision. Stooping implies humility and a desire to see clearly what Scripture reveals about your own spiritual condition. It's an attitude as well as an action.

As you study Scripture, let this be your underlying attitude: "Lord, as I gaze intently into your Word, reveal the things in my life that need to be changed. Then grant me the grace to make those changes so I can live more fully to your glory."

Suggestions for Prayer

Memorize Psalm 139:23-24 and make it your sincere prayer.

Psalm 139:23-24 ²³Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Taken from "Drawing Near"; Grace To You Blog by John MacArthur, June 11, 2018

MOTHERS DAY, Sunday, May 13 

No one speaks more beautifully of a wife and mother than the author of the Book of Proverbs

(see Proverbs 31:25-31):

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.

She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her, saying:

“Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all!”

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised!

Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Pastor Bill's Sermon for Mother's Day will be

A WOMAN OF MEASURELESS WORTH

1 Peter 3:1-7

Won't you join us? Services begin at 10:45.

Realizing Your Reward

by John MacArthur

"Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:11-12).

The sacrifices you make for Christ’s sake in this life will be abundantly compensated for in Heaven.

God's promise for those who are persecuted for His sake is that their reward in heaven will be great (Matt. 5:11). Jesus said, "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life" (Matt. 19:29).

Focusing on that promise instead of your present circumstances is how you can experience happiness amid suffering. That was Paul's great confidence even as he faced certain death. In 2 Timothy 4:8 he declares, "In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

Another source of joy in trials is knowing that you share the fate of the prophets themselves (Matt. 5:12). Those godly men suffered untold hardships for proclaiming God's message. That's a noble group to be identified with!

One final word of encouragement from Matthew 5:11: persecution will not be incessant! Jesus said, "Blessed are you when. . . ." The Greek word translated "when" means "whenever." You won't always be persecuted, but whenever you are, you will be blessed. In addition, God will govern its intensity so you will be able to bear it (1 Cor. 10:13). He knows your human weaknesses and will supply the necessary grace and peace to get you through. That's why you can rejoice when otherwise you might be devastated and filled with grief.

If you are willing to make sacrifices now, you will receive incomparable rewards in the future. How shortsighted are those who protect themselves now by denying Christ or compromising His truth rather than sacrificing the present for the sake of eternal blessing and glory!

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for the example of the prophets and others who have suffered for Him.

For Further Study

Matthew 21:33-39 and Hebrews 11:32-38.

Read From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993.

Sunday, April 29

Missionaries to Thailand

Dan & Laurie Fuller

in  Adult Sunday School at 9:45

and 10:45 Worship Service

After that, we'll be sharing a multiple choice lunch with

these precious folks at 12:15 pm.

Contact and other information on the Fullers is available at

https://ethnos360.org/missionaries/dan-and-laurie-fuller

EYEGLASSES FOR THE PEOPLE OF THAILAND

We are happy to report that we have collected

over 105 pairs of used glasses

and/or new reading glasses for Dan & Laurie

to take back with them to Thailand.

Thank you for your contributions!

Thursday, May 3

1:30 - 3:30 pm and 6:00-8:00pm

The purpose of this yearly event is to focus prayer by believers on the nation itself. The “Seven Centers of Influence” of our nation which will receive prayer attention this year are: Government, Military, Media Arts, Business, Education, Church, and Family.

To respond to this year’s opportunity, we are scheduling two time periods at the church building for prayer. Each two-hour period will include prayer both for these “Centers of Influence” and for our church family.

You are welcome to come whichever hours you are available during these times.

We also recognize that some in our church family may have difficulty coming to the church building at all during these times. Because of that, if you would like to receive the printed material to assist with prayer which will be distributed at church, please make your request to Pastor Bill at wgfc@hotmail.com early in the week. Thank you.