The name of our church is Fellowship Bible Church. I John 1:7 states, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,…” Fellowship is defined as companionship; society; joint interest; communion.

John Fawcett was preparing to move. At age 32, he was leaving the small Baptist Church in Wainsgate, England, for the prestigious Carter’s Land church in London. Fawcett had worked hard. Orphaned at 12, he was forced to work fourteen hours a day in a sweat shop. He taught himself to read by candlelight and studied continuously. When he was ordained at age 25, he moved to Wainsgate. For seven years he served the tiny church of 100 members before receiving the invitation in London. However, Fawcett never moved to London. He couldn’t break “the tie that binds.” The last possessions were loaded on the moving cart as Fawcett began his good-byes. Tearfully he bade farewell to those he had loved for the past seven years. They returned his tears…and his love. It was too much for the young preacher. London would have to wait. Unloading the cart, he decided to stay in Wainsgate a little longer. He died there 54 years later. Fawcett was destined to become one of England’s greatest preachers. He wrote hymns, pubished books and opened a training school for young ministers. His “Essay on Anger” so impressed King George III that he offered Fawcett “any benefit a king could confer.” His love for the people and their love for him not only kept him in Wainsgate, but it also prompted the writing of a hymn we sing today:

Blest be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds, Is like to that above.

There are three important parts to Christian fellowship. 1) Faith. I John 1:3, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 2) Following. Philippians 2:1-3, “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,” “Fulful ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” 3) Forgiveness. I John 1:6, “If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” 4:20, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

It is a funny thing, but true, That folks you don’t like, don’t like you;
I don’t know why this should be so, But, just the same, I always know
If I am “sour,” friends are few; If I am friendly, folks are too.
Sometimes I get up in the morn, A-wishin’ I was never born;
I make of cross remarks a few, And then my family wishes, too,
That I had gone some other place, Instead of showing them my face.
But let me change my little tune, And sing and smile, then pretty soon
The folks around me sing and smile; I guess ‘twas catchin’ all the while.
Yes, it’s a funny thing, but true, That folks you like will sure like you.

Steve Blankenship wrote, “One New Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas. Often, Christians neglect their spiritual maintenance, and find themselves (out of gas).” Worry will take all of your strength! Fear will make you feeble! Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

There is a great blessing in knowing and experiencing God’s strength.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…” Isaiah 40:31

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:…” Psalm 28:7

”In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Psalm 138:3

“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness;…” Colossians 1:11

“…out of weakness were made strong…” Hebrews 11:34

Knowing your own strength is a fine thing. Recognizing your own weakness is even better. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean upon God. And the harder we lean upon God, the stronger we grow. Chambers writes, “Only one in a thousand sits down in the midst of their troubles and trials and says – I will watch my Father mend this.”

“Ah, I have kept Him waiting when I ought not, but He has waited even then. Always waiting – so patient with my foolishness, my weakness, my fear. Our fellowship is with God, and fellowship is friendship, and friendship means that partnership which, on His part, is the accommodating of His strength to my weakness.”
~ G. Campbell Morgan, English & American Preacher

JESUS PAID IT ALL

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small.
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots And melt the heart of stone.

For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete,
“Jesus died my soul to save,” My lips shall still repeat.

As we begin the New Year, most people are looking for a change, an improvement in health, relationships, in circumstances, etc. Commitments are made, but seldom kept. We call these first of the year commitments New Year’s Resolutions. Sad to say, “Most people will passively do exactly what they did last year.”

When you read the Gospels, you find that Jesus was always trying to convince people of their need of salvation. This is certainly the most important change anyone can make if they are not a Christian. In John chapter three, Jesus told Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.” The Bible explains that in order to be born again, you must receive Jesus as your Savior. This is called the new birth, becoming a new creation in Christ. Marvin Lewis tells the story about such a life. “His first name was Bill. At an early age he began to drink and live in the depths of sin. Sometimes he was referred to as “Old Bill.” One night in a drunken brawl, a man hit him so hard that he was often referred to as “One-eyed Bill.”  But something happened to that sinful man. Bill was told about a Savior who could save him and give him a new life. In simple faith, he accepted the Savior, and his life was completely changed. For many years after that, Bill worked around the rescue mission in Evansville, Indiana. Because of the remarkable change in this man’s life, many of his old friends began to speak of him as “New Bill.” In fact, he actually went by that name for the rest of his life. While in my junior year of college, I heard “New Bill” give his testimony. I do not even remember his last name, but I remember him as “New Bill.”

“In the natural world it is impossible to be made all over again, but in the spiritual world it is exactly what Jesus Christ makes possible.” Oswald Chambers. If you are already a Christian, share this wonderful and powerful message of new life with those around you. It will be the beginning of a new life that many so desperately need.

In John 10:10, Jesus said, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” The Christian has eternal life when he is born again. He has abundant life when he follows the Lord. Here is some advice passed down to us from various authors.

“Let’s make one resolution this year: to anchor ourselves to God’s grace.”
Chuck Swindoll

“New Year’s Day is a good time to fix one’s eyes on the only One who knows what the year is to hold.”
Elisabeth Elliot

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.”
Oswald Chambers

“This one simple act of beginning each day with God sets each day on the path of wisdom.”
Elizabeth Elliott

“We’re most happy when we’re enjoying God and fulfilling His purpose for our life.”
Nancy Wolgemuth

“Enter the coming year with renewed hope in the power of God to do through you what you cannot.”
John MacArthur

“It’s time to begin righting the story of your life.” (How will you be remembered?)
David Jeremiah

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas day has come and gone. Now, many people are paying for this year’s presents with next year’s money! Ha! For the Christian, the true gift of Christmas is the Lord Jesus Christ and that gift is paid for by God Himself. No charge to us! Three times in Romans chapter five it is called the “free gift”. For a gift to be yours it has to be received. John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Romans 6:23, “…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is an eternal gift. This is a gift that we, who have accepted Jesus as our Savior, will enjoy in Heaven for all eternity.

“Our God is the God of the unexpected. A few things could be more unexpected than the King of heaven being born in a stable”
— Bill Crowder

“You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift”
— John R. Rice

“If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: “God with us.” We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!”
— John MacArthur

“Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”
— Corrie Ten Boom

“Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice.”
— Vance Havner

Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Luke 2:12-15, “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine Oh night divine

The story of Christmas is an amazing story! Songs are written and sung all over the world with this theme. Believers rejoice that the Savior has come. The Scriptures foretold of His birth in many details. The Scriptures went on to tell of the fulfillment of the prophecies, but also described the purpose of Christs coming to this world. Matthew 18:11 states, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Jesus prepared for our salvation by being born. Jesus paid for our salvation by being put to death. Both His birth and His death were necessary that man might be saved. Christmas is the story of the incarnation. John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us,…” Philippians 2:7, “…and was made in the likeness of men:…” II Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” He became a man that He might become our Substitute and our Sacrifice. I Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” Jesus came into the world to be our Savior, but He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. We know that He was crucified and that He was buried, but that was not the end. I Corinthians 15:4 states, “…that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” You really can’t talk about Christmas without talking about Easter.

Let me say to you today that the best is to come. We rejoice in the birth of Jesus because of what that means for our future…our eternity! We, who are believers, have read the last chapters of the Bible. Revelation 21:4 states, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” God is careful to tell us that in Heaven there will be no more sorrow, crying, pain or death. He is saying the best is yet to come. I Corinthians 15:53, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” Psalm 16:11, “…in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” There are not enough words to describe what is ahead for the Christian. Suffice it to say that the best is yet to come.

The last verse of “Good Christian Men Rejoice” shows us the reason for our rejoicing.

Good Christian men rejoice, With heart and soul and voice.
Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save.
Calls you one and calls you all, To gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!

Years ago, “Just say no!” became a popular saying in America’s war on drugs. It has been used in response to many different sinful temptations. Nothing complicated about the word no. Webster defines it as “A word of denial or refusal, expressing a negative, and equivalent to nay and not. When it expresses a negative answer, it is opposed to yes or yea.” Proverbs instructs us in chapter 1 and verse 10, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” Just say no when some would lead you the wrong way. “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” Jeremiah 6:16. God said, “This is the way, walk ye in it” and Israel said no. It is important to say no to the right thing. Saying no to sin is wise. Saying no to God is unwise and foolish. The Bible teaches that the pleasures of sin are only for a season. God’s pleasures are forevermore. The song says, “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.

The Bible teaches us the difference between good and evil, truth and error, wisdom and foolishness. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1. We “try” the spirits or search the Scriptures to see what God says is good. The problem today is that many have their own ideas and philosophies. Don’t get caught up in false teachings and say no to the Truth. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8. Isaiah 5:20 states, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

There is no question that we should say no to evil and yes to God. Billy Graham wrote,

More than 100 years ago a man living in London was converted to Christ. He became pastor of a church in the slums of London. He went to the poor, the down and out and the oppressed. He formed a little group of people called the Hallelujah Band, and he would stand on street corners and preach the Gospel. Many of the clergy were embarrassed by it all. The man was called before a conference of religious leaders, who said, “William Booth, will you go where we tell you to go? If not, you will be defrocked.” In the balcony a woman stood. She was Booth’s wife, Catherine. She said, “William, say, ‘No, never!’” And he said, “No.” That no changed history in Great Britain and in many other parts of the world, as Booth founded the Salvation Army, which has given help for both body and soul wherever it has gone.

I’ll say yes Lord yes, To Your will and to Your way
I’ll say yes Lord yes, I will trust You and obey
When the Spirit speaks to me, With my whole heart I’ll agree
And my answer will be, Yes Lord yes