Union Church of La Harpe IL

Union Church of La Harpe IL This is the Homepage of the Union Church of La Harpe where you will find daily devotions and information about the life and ministry of the Union Church.

10/31/2024

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 9.

It seems like I write on this a great deal. I'd argue that it is because it is in the Bible so much. The Bible is clear: genuine faith will result in trying to walk by the teaching of God's Word. A PROFESSION of faith must be followed by a POSSESSION of faith. In other words, knowing what is true, must be followed by pursuing what is true, or it is not genuine faith.

I can say that I have complete confidence that airplanes can safely fly. But if I refuse to get on a plane, it shows that I don't believe what I say I believe. Such is the case with the Christian faith. You can call yourself a Christian, but if you don't actually follow Christ, your words mean little.

Jesus calls us to a life-transforming faith. Anything less indicates that we have not trusted Him at all. Realign your heart and life. Trust Him fully and follow Him boldly.

10/30/2024

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Psalm 127:1–2.

We are so dependent on the Lord! Unless the Lord is at the center of our homes, there will be trouble. And we must remember that unless the Lord controls our country, we will not survive. As we begin to vote, it is essential that we pray for our country and not just for specific candidates. God has blessed us in the past, but we are spiritually adrift as a country. We must pray for His presence to be restored.

We can do all the good deeds we want, but if the Lord is not behind them, we will work in vain. "One life will soon be past, and only what is done for Christ will last."

10/29/2024

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:19–20.

Real love is something that God produces in us. When we come to Him in faith, trusting Him for the forgiveness of sin and for a new life as we follow Him, He teaches us to see each other as He does.

When we have received God's love, we understand how undeserving we are and how transforming His love is for us. That realization should change how we view others. Yes, everyone has idiosyncrasies and are not easy to love. But when we truly understand how God has loved us, these things seem minor in comparison.

John says if we can't love each other, who we see, and whose offenses are relatively minor (compared to what God has forgiven us), then it is hard to believe we really love God whom we cannot see. For if we loved God, we would love those whom He loves.

Let God's love transform the way you love Him and each other.

10/28/2024

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:9–10.

John takes us back to the definition of faith. It is more than mental assent. It is a willingness to entrust our lives to the Lord. It is a willingness to follow Him even as we throw off sin.

John isn't saying, "You aren't a true believer if you sin." We all still sin. The point is that we should live a life with a different orientation. We no longer want to sin; we want to serve the Lord! We should now be following Jesus instead of following the world.

There is a country singer who is fond of telling people, "You are not following Him enough!" And maybe that is John's point. God calls us not to be casual acquaintances with Him; He wants us to walk with Him every moment of every day.

Look at your life and consider that you may not be following enough.

10/27/2024

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:2–3.

If we knew what we will be as children of God, we would fret much less about the problems of this life. If we knew what we will be, we would not hesitate to endure whatever we were asked to endure here. But, we don't know what we will be. We don't know what it is like to die. We don't know what happens one minute after we die.

So, once again, we are in a position to trust the One who died for us. Through Paul he tells us that we will be like a seed planted in the ground. What comes from that seed is far more spectacular than one could tell from looking at the seed.

I don't know what burden you carry. What I do know is this: it is only the seed. What God produces through that seed is going to bring us to our knees in worship and unending praise. Don't give up hope! Instead, keep on being faithful!

10/26/2024

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15–17

These are tough commands, but they make sense. All these things clamor for our attention over the Lord. They tend to take first place in our lives. Think about the hold of sports, rising on the corporate ladder, our various hobbies, our families, our possessions, television and movies, pleasures from eating, drinking, and desires for intimacy. These are things that can consume us.

It is better to gaze at and think about the Lord's greatness. We must be Bible-saturated to build our lives on His Word rather than our desires. God is not trying to ruin our enjoyment of life, He is trying to show us that the best life is the life lived with Him at the center of that life. Live consciously!

10/25/2024

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1 John 2:4–6.

Many seem to have a hard time understanding this concept. We cannot do anything to earn our salvation. It is all by grace. We must humbly acknowledge our sin and then run to Christ as our Savior and Lord. But merely saying "I believe" is not enough. We must ACTUALLY believe He is our Savior and Lord. We show that belief by striving to live by His Word. We now want to honor Him.

I've said it many times: the unchanged believer is a contradiction in terms. Some say this is a doctrine of works . . . but it is not! The argument is that true faith is not just mental assent to truth but a belief with legs! If we really believe Jesus is Lord, we will follow Him. If we don't follow Him, we don't really believe He is Lord. It is not that hard to understand.

10/24/2024

O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
Isaiah 25:1.

At this point in my life, I have taken some time to look back. What I have seen is the hand of God guiding, directing, and strengthening me through the years and their challenges.

I have learned that things go well when I simply walk with Him. When I get too set in my ways, that is when things don't go so well.

Are you pulling against the Lord's wisdom and purpose, or are you letting Him lead? God is good all the time. Sometimes, we just need to let Him lead and see what adventures await.

10/23/2024

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:19–21.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to see the resurrected Christ? Confusion mixed with joy unspeakable. Talk about turning life around in a moment! The disciples went from locked doors and fear, to the joy of the resurrection. Hope and peace flooded over them. What a day it must have been.

Let's not forget that we will have a similar experience when we die if we trust and follow Christ. We will move from the fear of death into the presence of the Lord! Oh my! How glorious a day will that be? At the moment we die (from our perspective here) we will be more alive than we ever were. We will know peace and know God in His fullness. We will KNOW that we have been forgiven and the curse of sin will be gone. Wow!

Do you have this hope today?

10/22/2024

On Sunday, October 6th the Union Church did something it hasn’t done for 43 years, it issued a call for a new Senior Pastor. Rev. Rick Goettsche has been called to become Senior Pastor on February 1st 2025 when his father, Rev. Bruce Goettsche will officially retire.

Rick has been the Associate Pastor for the church for the last 18 years, working with his dad. He has a bachelor’s degree from SIUE in Edwardsville and a Master’s Degree in Religion from Liberty University. Rick has been splitting the preaching duties with his dad for the last three years. He looks forward to continuing and hopefully expanding the work begun during his dad’s tenure.

Rick is married to his wife Ashlee who works as a counselor in the La Harpe School. He has two daughters, Grace and Glory, and their dog, Lilly.

While the church prepares for new leadership, they have set October 27th as the day for the church and the community to celebrate the ministry of current Pastor, Bruce Goettsche. There will be a program at 2:00 p.m. in the La Harpe School Gymnasium. The entire community is invited to thank God for 43 years of blessing.

Many have benefited from Bruce’s years of service in La Harpe through weddings, funerals, substitute teaching, counseling, daily devotionals, the daily and Sunday “God’s Truth for Daily Living” Radio Ministry, Bible studies, the 20 books he has written, Christian Concerts, his yearly talk at the MDH Hospice Service of Remembrance, the weekly church livestream, or just visiting with him as a member of the community. Pastors around the world have taken advantage of the church sermon archive. You are all invited to give thanks for Bruce’s time in La Harpe.

This is intended as a community event. Following the program, there will be refreshments and time to share personal stories and comments with Bruce.
-The Hancock Country Quill

10/22/2024

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30.

The three words "it is finished" are majestic. Jesus was not just saying, "My suffering is finished." The job He came to do—to pay for our sins so we could be made right with God—was done.

You don't have to earn His favor or save up a certain amount of points. Jesus did what was necessary to make it possible for you to be forgiven. Our job is to entrust ourselves to Him. He promises that if we truly come to Him, repentant and willing to follow Him, we will be saved. It is an outstanding offer that He paid for with His life.

Have you found the comfort that He alone can give? Remember, the work needed for salvation has already been done. It is amazing, it is a staggering truth, and it is love in action.

10/21/2024

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.
John 18:28.

The religious leaders of Israel are trying to get Jesus executed (showing the depth of their depravity) while at the same time trying to stay "clean" so they could still celebrate the Passover. What??? Talk about a disconnect! They are trying to kill the very Lamb of God that Passover pointed to.

The same thing happens today when people engage in reckless and sinful behavior even as they plan to make time for church! The Lord is lord, not just on Sunday morning. . He is Lord at all times. There is a deep hypocrisy in those who disregard Him in their daily decisions but are great churchgoers. Basically, all we are doing is trying to "buy God off" with our Sunday appearance. It is a way of saying, "OK, I was in church, now back up and let me live my life."

A true believer follows Jesus and tries to do so in every moment of their lives. If that is not your commitment, I question whether or not you are really one who trusts Him. Jesus is not looking for those who will pay lip service to Him; he is looking for those who will "deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him."

Address

107 N. Center
La Harpe, IL
61450

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 12pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 12pm
Thursday 8am - 12pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 7am - 5pm

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