Mr. Jeff Keplinger has been elected to a 3 year term as a Deacon. He replaces Mr. Lionel Hahn whose term has ended.  Pray for Jeff as he serves the Lord and our church.
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Thanks to all of you who said “Yes” to our Nominating Committee and agreed to serve in some ministry capacity during the next church year. Thanks to all of you who so faithfully served this past year.
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Let me return to a subject that I have mentioned in the past—–PRAISE. You say, “Wait a minute, Pastor Ed, I am not into that praise stuff. I leave that to the Charismatics and the Pentecostals”. Are you sure that you want to ignore one of the most important, powerful, forces in a Christian’s walk with the Lord? Remember, there are old hymns that praise, choruses that praise, and Scriptures that can be read as praise. In addition, heartfelt expressions of praise, such as, “I praise You, Lord; Lord, You are worthy of praise; Lord, I praise You for Your goodness, mercy, love, forgiveness, blessings, and salvation” are always appropriate.

You will remember the Scripture, “The Lord inhabits the praises of His people”. [Psalm 22:3] The more you praise the Lord, the stronger will be His presence in your life. There is comfort, peace, and joy when you become aware of the sweet presence of Jesus surrounding you.

Can we go a step further? Last week, while I was at the Missions Conference in Oklahoma, the Praise Team shared some beautiful, worshipful music. I have never heard them do better. They sang one song that I had never heard before. A short phrase in that song “reached out and grabbed me”. The phrase was—”Praise is a weapon”. I knew it. The Bible affirms it. But I really became newly reminded that true praise is a powerful weapon in our spiritual warfare.
   …Are you facing tall, formidable walls hindering your progress in some area of your life? Be like the Israelites. Give a shout of praise [Joshua 6:1-20] and see those walls come tumbling down, or a door open in that wall, or perhaps the Lord may give you a tall ladder to climb over the wall.
   …Are you fearful, feeling inadequate, facing an enemy that is so much bigger than you? Join Gideon’s 300 as they shout about the Sword of the Lord and Gideon. [Judges 6:11-7:23] Your enemy can be put to flight.
   …Does your situation seem hopeless? Does it appear that the devil is attacking you from every side? Join the praise choir leading the Lord’s armies. Your enemy can be defeated. [2 Chronicles 20]
   …Are you feeling abused, mistreated, alone and hurting? .Have others treated you wrongly? Like Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail at Midnight, let your praise to your Savior ring out strong and sure. [Acts 16: 16-31] An earthquake of deliverance is possible.

Every good soldier wants all of his weapons with him and fully loaded as he goes out to battle. Christian friends, let us not leave our powerful weapon of praise unused as we face our evil enemy on a daily basis. Oh, how the devil hates it when a genuine Praise Warrior faces him in battle. I highly recommend that you always carry your God given weapon of praise.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

1. Sunday School is at 9:00 am
2. Morning Worship and Children’s Church is at 10:00 am. Also available in  the parking lot at 10 on 99.1 FM and on the website after 12:30 pm
3. Prayer and Bible Study is Wednesday at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall
4. HOMECOMING—-September 7—The Towers in concert—-Spread the word

Let everything that has breath, PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Pastor Ed and Deacons of Barbee’s Grove Baptist Church