DEVOTION: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." The Story p. 462
What is lukewarm water good for? Swimming.... maybe? It's not really good for anything. It doesn't taste good to drink. You can't cook anything with it. It is just tepid, useless, lifeless water.
Or you may compare it to coffee. Lot's of people like iced coffee. Millions of people like hot coffee. But lukewarm coffee, coffee that's been sitting around all day, is gross. You'd spit it out of your mouth.
In our reading above Jesus is comparing the church in Laodicea to lukewarm coffee. They are neither hot nor cold. They are just there. They are complacent, lifeless, "I don't care one way or another" Christians. If their church would go away tomorrow they probably wouldn't miss it too much. They could live without it. Their faith is just sitting there doing nothing. It isn't growing. They are just going through the motions like a football team on walk through day before the game without ever getting to the game. (Those who have played football will understand).
Jesus shows his disgust with these lukewarm Christians by telling them that he is about to spit them out of his mouth. He doesn't like it when Christians are complacent, lifeless, and just going through the motions. They are just one step away from unbelief and damnation.
What are you like? What is your faith like these days? Is it something that you could live without? If your faith or your church were gone tomorrow would you miss it? Are you too busy with your life right now to have time for or acknowledge the Lord? Do you find yourself making excuses for bad behavior or just for the fact that you haven't been going to worship lately?
Do you have a lukewarm faith? If you do heed this warning Jesus says, "I am about to spit you out of my mouth." What does this mean???? It means that he may give you over to your lukewarmness so that you face a trial or a tough time in your life so that you get "heated up" and turn to Him and repent. It may mean that he "hands you over to Satan so that you may be saved."
I confess that there have been many times in my life when I have just kind of been floating through life, times I haven't been on fire for the Lord. I've been lukewarm. It's at those times that God usually shakes up my life either a little or a lot. He even sometimes puts people in my life that shake me up a bit. He brings me to my knees so that I have no choice but to confess and repent.
There is still time. You can still "buy gold refined by fire". That gold is the forgiveness of sins "bought" by Jesus on the cross. That "white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see". If the washing with water and word that you received at your baptism and the opening of the eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit.
"So be earnest and repent." says the Lord! Stop being wishy washy. Stop being complacent in your faith! Stop being lukewarm! Get heated up! Get on fire by the Lord by confessing, repenting, and receiving forgiveness and then let your bonfire light shine so that all can see!
Let us pray: Lord keep us from being lukewarm. Fill us with your Spirit. Light us on fire! Make us fruitful Christians that are known by our love and forgiveness. Amen.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
YESTERDAY'S QUIZ: Name the seven church to whom John wrote Revelation. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
_____________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S QUIZ: Who is the one seated on the throne with the appearance of jasper and carnelian?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Wed- Jonesburg nursing home worship 10:30
Thurs- Alzheimer's support group 1pm; PRAISE BAND PRACTICE AT 5:30!!
Fri- Assemble Newsletter 9am
Sat- Bible Study 4; Worship 5
Sun- RALLY DAY!!; worship 8:30; Bible Study and Sunday school 9:45; worship 11 ; PICNIC noon
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS WEEK
Acolytes- 8:30- Zach Hoelscher 11- Hannah Johnson
Altar guild- Set up- Linda Callies; Clean Up-- Sandy Robine
Greeters- 8:30- Mike and Sharon Spoede; 11- Mike and Naomi Johnson
Communion Assistants- Sat- Randy Sweet; 8:30- John Hachtel; 11- Rich Boeger
Lay Readers- Sat- Randy Sweet; 8:30- John Hachtel; 11am- Kailyn Blechle
8:30 Ushers- Dae WInter, Gary Scott, Larry Schulze, Scott Schulze
Projectors- Sat- Perricone; 8:30- Panhorst; 11- ?????
Sat pianist- Barb Dreyer; Sun- Melissa Pedersen 11am--- Praise band
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:
CHURCH PICNIC THIS SUNDAY AT NOON!!!!!! WE WANT LOTS OF KIDS TO COME!!
There aren't a lot of kids signed up on the sheet! Bring your kids, grandkids, neighbor's kids, and everyone else's kids!!!
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN INFLATABLE OBSTACLE COURSE AND BOUNCE HOUSE AS WELL AS A GIANT SLIP AND SLIDE FOR THE KIDS!!
Everyone will need to help with clean up at the end, but it would be good to have a few volunteers to be in charge of clean up.
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What is lukewarm water good for? Swimming.... maybe? It's not really good for anything. It doesn't taste good to drink. You can't cook anything with it. It is just tepid, useless, lifeless water.
Or you may compare it to coffee. Lot's of people like iced coffee. Millions of people like hot coffee. But lukewarm coffee, coffee that's been sitting around all day, is gross. You'd spit it out of your mouth.
In our reading above Jesus is comparing the church in Laodicea to lukewarm coffee. They are neither hot nor cold. They are just there. They are complacent, lifeless, "I don't care one way or another" Christians. If their church would go away tomorrow they probably wouldn't miss it too much. They could live without it. Their faith is just sitting there doing nothing. It isn't growing. They are just going through the motions like a football team on walk through day before the game without ever getting to the game. (Those who have played football will understand).
Jesus shows his disgust with these lukewarm Christians by telling them that he is about to spit them out of his mouth. He doesn't like it when Christians are complacent, lifeless, and just going through the motions. They are just one step away from unbelief and damnation.
What are you like? What is your faith like these days? Is it something that you could live without? If your faith or your church were gone tomorrow would you miss it? Are you too busy with your life right now to have time for or acknowledge the Lord? Do you find yourself making excuses for bad behavior or just for the fact that you haven't been going to worship lately?
Do you have a lukewarm faith? If you do heed this warning Jesus says, "I am about to spit you out of my mouth." What does this mean???? It means that he may give you over to your lukewarmness so that you face a trial or a tough time in your life so that you get "heated up" and turn to Him and repent. It may mean that he "hands you over to Satan so that you may be saved."
I confess that there have been many times in my life when I have just kind of been floating through life, times I haven't been on fire for the Lord. I've been lukewarm. It's at those times that God usually shakes up my life either a little or a lot. He even sometimes puts people in my life that shake me up a bit. He brings me to my knees so that I have no choice but to confess and repent.
There is still time. You can still "buy gold refined by fire". That gold is the forgiveness of sins "bought" by Jesus on the cross. That "white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see". If the washing with water and word that you received at your baptism and the opening of the eyes by the power of the Holy Spirit.
"So be earnest and repent." says the Lord! Stop being wishy washy. Stop being complacent in your faith! Stop being lukewarm! Get heated up! Get on fire by the Lord by confessing, repenting, and receiving forgiveness and then let your bonfire light shine so that all can see!
Let us pray: Lord keep us from being lukewarm. Fill us with your Spirit. Light us on fire! Make us fruitful Christians that are known by our love and forgiveness. Amen.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
YESTERDAY'S QUIZ: Name the seven church to whom John wrote Revelation. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
_____________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S QUIZ: Who is the one seated on the throne with the appearance of jasper and carnelian?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Wed- Jonesburg nursing home worship 10:30
Thurs- Alzheimer's support group 1pm; PRAISE BAND PRACTICE AT 5:30!!
Fri- Assemble Newsletter 9am
Sat- Bible Study 4; Worship 5
Sun- RALLY DAY!!; worship 8:30; Bible Study and Sunday school 9:45; worship 11 ; PICNIC noon
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS WEEK
Acolytes- 8:30- Zach Hoelscher 11- Hannah Johnson
Altar guild- Set up- Linda Callies; Clean Up-- Sandy Robine
Greeters- 8:30- Mike and Sharon Spoede; 11- Mike and Naomi Johnson
Communion Assistants- Sat- Randy Sweet; 8:30- John Hachtel; 11- Rich Boeger
Lay Readers- Sat- Randy Sweet; 8:30- John Hachtel; 11am- Kailyn Blechle
8:30 Ushers- Dae WInter, Gary Scott, Larry Schulze, Scott Schulze
Projectors- Sat- Perricone; 8:30- Panhorst; 11- ?????
Sat pianist- Barb Dreyer; Sun- Melissa Pedersen 11am--- Praise band
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
NEWS:
CHURCH PICNIC THIS SUNDAY AT NOON!!!!!! WE WANT LOTS OF KIDS TO COME!!
There aren't a lot of kids signed up on the sheet! Bring your kids, grandkids, neighbor's kids, and everyone else's kids!!!
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN INFLATABLE OBSTACLE COURSE AND BOUNCE HOUSE AS WELL AS A GIANT SLIP AND SLIDE FOR THE KIDS!!
Everyone will need to help with clean up at the end, but it would be good to have a few volunteers to be in charge of clean up.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
NEW PRAISE BAND WILL BE PLAYING FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SUNDAY AT THE 11am SERVICE!!!!
Come and hear them play and PRAISE GOD WITH THEM!!!
_______________________________________________________________________
THERE IS AN EXTRA PRAISE BAND PRACTICE THURSDAY (TOMORROW) AT 5:30 TO GET READY FOR SUNDAY!!
____________________________________________________________________________________
WE NEED MORE GUYS TO SIGN UP FOR THE MEN'S RETREAT COMING UP Friday, Sept. 26- Sunday Sept. 28 AT MARK TWAIN LAKE!!
You don't have to stay up there all weekend. You can come for the day on Saturday and go home that night if you wish. You can just do the golf outing, the fishing, or the trap shooting. PLEASE SIGN UP!!
Go to t3mensretreat.org for all the info you will need and to sign up! It would be wonderful to get a big group of guys from St. John's to go! I never miss it.
_______________________________________________________________________
Kelsey updates our website weekly! Check it out!! www.stjohnwarrenton.org
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
FROM YOUR QUILTERS!!! MEN ARE WELCOME TOO!!
I have a person interested in learning to quilt in the evening. Are there any more ladies that work and would be interested in setting up an evening? Also any experienced quilter that might want to work with us as an instructor helper. Please contact Pam Bueltmann 636 745 2500 or pbueltmann@centurytel.net. Lets keep this wonderful old craft going for future generations. Thanks, Pam Bueltmann
I have a person interested in learning to quilt in the evening. Are there any more ladies that work and would be interested in setting up an evening? Also any experienced quilter that might want to work with us as an instructor helper. Please contact Pam Bueltmann 636 745 2500 or pbueltmann@centurytel.net. Lets keep this wonderful old craft going for future generations. Thanks, Pam Bueltmann
__________________________________________________________________________________________
PRAYER REQUESTS: (If you have a prayer request please reply to this email or call me at 636-359-1061)
For MARILYN FOSTER'S SISTER, MARCIE, who has an unidentified mass on the base of her spine causing her great pain.
For JONAS BORCHERT as he has been put on hospice but is still fighting.
For BILL WOOLF as he recovers from a broken ankle.
For ED KOHRS as he will have surgery to repair his eye soon.
A prayer of thanksgiving For CHERI VERME, daughter of Lil Winter, as they are 99% sure she doesn't have cancer.
For FRANCES LAMKIN, Sandra Perricone's aunt, who is dealing with many health issues.
For FRANCES LAMKIN, Sandra Perricone's aunt, who is dealing with many health issues.
For our NATION'S MILITARY LEADERS AND SOLDIERS as they figure out what to do about the imminent threats from ISIS.
For those who are heartbroken because of the loss of a loved one or a broken relationship that God would lift them up in his arms, show them his love and remind them that all will be restored in paradise.
For MIM DUNN, as she is recovering from a fractured pelvis at home.
For the community of FERGUSON, and all of North County, as they deal with the civil unrest, rioting, and looting that continues.
For HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, who are being persecuted to the point of death for their faith.
For NANCY SPINIOLAS as she recovers from a car accident and a fall, and now also surgery to remove some skin cancer from near her eye.
For RICK SPINIOLAS as he continues to deal with pancreatic caner and the effects of the chemo on his body.
For LYNN MESSER, a friend of Jo Fahrni, who is has been missing for a month, that she will be found safe and well very soon.
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