Fine Points Monday July 16, 2018

 
Greeting FB Members and Friends
 
Thanks for joining me for another edition of Fine Points and welcome back.  Let me begin this morning by thanking everyone for coming together last week for the funeral services for Sis. Glennie M. Rorie.  Whatever you did to help comfort the family during this time is greatly appreciated.  We welcomed our newest member Sunday by extending the Right Hand of Fellowship to Sis. V. Marsh.  Sis. Marsh has been fellowshipping with us for some time and we are happy she is now a member of our Christian community of believers. 
 
The Zion Association will meet at Flag Branch to observe Shaw Day on this Sunday, July 22nd at 5:00 pm.  Let’s be prepared to welcome them here.  The Health Ministry is planning another seminar to take place on Saturday, July 28th and it will focus on End-of-Life care for the people we love and care for.  I anticipate that this will be very informative and I encourage all members and friends to attend.  I will be conducting a Financial Workshop for members and friends in September.  It will be designed to help participants to make good and wise choices that will provide the best outcomes for ourselves and our families.  So, don’t miss it when it comes. 
 
Homecoming and Revival is set for Sunday, August 12th through Friday, August 17th.  Dr. Robert Sanders and the Piney Grove West congregation will be our guest for Homecoming.  Rev. Joseph McFarlan, pastor of the Macedonia MBC in Cheraw, SC will be the guest preacher for the week.  Let’s continue praying for a move of God that will bless us with what we need to be faithful and successful in His service.  Walker’s Grove will be in revival this week and we will be going there tonight to worship with them at 7:00 pm.  If you can and will, meet us there.  I will not be in the pulpit Sunday and have asked Min. Duncan to stand in for me.  Please give him your support in my absence. 
 
And now a few final thoughts from yesterday’s message “Doing Better”.  Jesus invited himself to come dine with a rich tax collector who was a despised sinner among the people.  God knocks on the door of our hearts and lives but it’s up to us to let Him in.  Even though the people murmured against Jesus for going into his house, Jesus makes it clear He’s on a mission to save those in need of a savior.  He didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 
 
So when the rich tax collected decided to “do better” by beginning to give away half of his goods and restoring fourfold what he had stolen, Jesus said that salvation had come to his house.  This illustrates that the willingness to do better is even more important than if we do better.  Our goal should be to dot our I’s and cross our T’s so that God will have nothing to say against us when we have our final examination before Him.   But even if we fall short of that goal, we will be accepted of God if we are genuinely making a daily effort to do better.  It is our willingness and effort to do better that is going to make the difference in hearing “well done” or “depart from me”. 
 
So no matter where we think we are or how far we think we have come in being what God wants us to be, if we search our hearts there is something God is saying to us that we can do better.  God expects excellence in and from His children and our willingness and effort to meet His expectation is what is going to separate the saved from the lost.   I invite you to listen to the sermon again and leave a comment on my blog.    Well, that’s all for now.  Have a good week and I hope to see you at Walker’s Grove tonight or the following Sunday, if not before, if the Lord so wills.  So, until then,
 
Blessings and Peace
 
Pastor Jordan