Christ Church

10/29/2026

10/29/2026

Wordly Wisdom from Phil Manly
Stand Strong in the Lord

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”�Ephesians 6:10–11 (NIV)

Some days, if we’re honest, we just don’t have much strength left in the tank. But the good news is, the Lord never told us to depend on our own strength. He said, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” When the enemy tries to stir up fear, doubt, temptation, or discouragement, God has already given us what we need to stand our ground.

So when life gets hard and the road gets rough, don’t give up and don’t try to carry the whole load yourself. Put on the armor of God, plant your feet firmly in His truth, believe His promises, and trust Him to hold you steady. The battle may be bigger than you, but it will never be bigger than our God!

Lord, when I’m weary and life gets rough, remind me that my strength comes from You. Help me put on Your armor, stand firm in Your truth, and trust Your mighty power in every battle I face. Keep my heart close to You and my faith strong. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

10/21/2026

Wordly Wisdom

My Utmost for His Highest
by Oswald Chambers

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified. — 1 Thessalonians 4:3

My sanctification isn’t a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me. The question is, Am I willing? Am I willing to let God do in me all that has been made possible by the atonement? Am I willing to let the life of Jesus Christ manifest itself in my mortal flesh?

Beware of saying, “I’m longing to be sanctified.” Stop longing and treat it as a transaction, a simple matter of asking and receiving. Ask God for the Holy Spirit on the basis of Luke 11:13: “How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Then, in implicit faith, receive Jesus Christ to be made sanctification to you, and the great marvel of the atonement will be made real in you.

All that Jesus Christ made possible is mine because of one thing and one thing only: the free, loving gift of God. My attitude as a saved and sanctified soul must be one of profound, humble holiness. (There’s no such thing as proud holiness.) I recognize what Jesus has done for me with agonizing repentance and a sense of unspeakable shame and degradation. I have the amazing realization that even when I cared nothing for God, his love for me was so great that he completed everything for my salvation and sanctification.

No wonder Paul says that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in him one with God. This is done only through the atonement of Christ, which is the cause of my holiness. Never confuse the cause and the effect. My holiness and obedience and service and prayer are all effects—the outcome of speechless thanks and adoration for the sanctification worked in me by the atonement.

10/15/2026

Wordly Wisdom from Michael Perry

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

What does it mean to have a pure heart, and how does a person obtain one?

A pure heart does not exist in human nature. Our hearts are corrupt by nature, and that is why we need the Gospel. But before the Gospel can be accepted, a person must recognize that they are a sinner. I’m not just talking about a drinking problem, a s*x addiction, or a nasty attitude. You can stop those things and still be a sinner at heart.

Until a person sees that reality, they will never truly embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they can’t see the bad news, they’ll never accept the Good News. When they do, they are born again. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them and begins the lifelong process of purifying their heart. Then, at the end of this life, they will see God.

That is this verse in a nutshell, but there is more here. Jesus said the pure in heart shall see God. That points to a future event. Scripture tells us that no man can see God in His fullness and live, as illustrated in Moses’ encounter with Him.

Yet I believe we can see God even now, at least in part.

We do not actually see with our eyes; we see with our minds. Our eyes simply deliver images to the brain. In the same way, a believer can "see" God’s presence through His creation, His Word, and His work in the world. We see Him in the mountains, the stars, the ocean, the wonders of the human body, and in many other ways. His handiwork is all arounds us.

If God is purifying your heart, then you can see Him today. And if you can see Him, you should strive to help others see Him too. May the Lord be with you.

10/13/2026

Join us on November 7 at 5 pm for some great food and fellowship!

10/11/2026

What a day of celebration as we welcomed Rev. Lucas Waters and his wife, Jennifer, to Christ Church! We are so blessed that the Lord led him to us! Come worship with us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am.

10/09/2026

Celebrate with us this Sunday when we install Rev. Lucas Waters as the next pastor of Christ Church! Service begins at 9:30!

10/09/2026

Wordly Wisdom from Ricky Simpson

The One Matters

Scripture: Luke 15:4

“He leaves the ninety-nine in the open country and goes after the lost sheep until he finds it.” — Luke 15:4 (NIV)

We live in a world that often measures value by numbers. How many followers? How much success? How big the crowd? But Jesus tells a different story. A shepherd has ninety-nine safe sheep, yet he goes looking for the one that is lost.

Why? Because the one still matters.
Perhaps you feel like the one today—forgotten, overlooked, or wandering far from where you should be. Remember this: you may feel lost, but you are never beyond the reach of the Good Shepherd. And perhaps God is calling you to notice the one everyone else has overlooked—the lonely neighbor, the struggling friend, the person who feels forgotten.
The ninety-nine remind us of God’s blessings. The one reminds us of God’s heart.

09/30/2026

Wordly Wisdom from Thad Ellett

Almost every people group in this world has someone or thing that they look up to who has some ability to control or affect their lives or environment. This powerful being or creature can affect these people’s weather, their life span, their fertility and local survival. These beings are either free standing or hand crafted. A unknown god our friend Paul said in Athens, Greece two thousand years ago was a god that those people didn’t know and was not made with hands or needed anything because He made everything and gave each of us life, breath and all things. The true God has situated people where He wants them in this world. The true God desires that all people should reach out to Him and that they would find Him because for in Him we live and move and have our being. The true God has put up with mankind’s ignoring him for sometime but now wants all people to seek Him and come to him, repent of their past worship of worldly things and worship only Him. He will judge the world of sin one day by His Son whom He raised from the dead many years ago. I and my friends have come to believe and agree with this plan and God and His Son Jesus Christ and we are counting on this conclusions and furthermore this could happen soon. Acts chapter 17.

09/27/2026

Please join us on October 11 at 9:30 am as we hold the installation service for our new pastor, Rev. Lucas Waters. We are thrilled to welcome him and his wife, Jennifer, and are very excited to see what the Lord has in store for His people!