December 25, 2016
Weekly Schedule of Services
Sunday: / 10:15 AM / Bible Class11:00 AM / Morning Service
Thursday: / 7:30 PM / Mid-week Service
Services Broadcast Live @ www.FreeGraceMedia.com/live
Web Address
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Weekly Meeting Location
251 Green Lane
Ewing, NJ, 08638 / Mailing Address
7 Birch Street
Pennington, NJ 08534
Clay Curtis, pastor
Phone: 615-513-4464 | Email:
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Articles in this bulletin are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Services are scheduled as normal January 1.
THANK YOU!
Brethren, Melinda and I thank you for always taking care of us so graciously and generously. I thank God every day for you and ask God’s mercies upon you. It is hard for me express how grateful I am to those who helped so much with the remodeling of the building. Those who were not able to help, I know that you were praying for God’s hand to move everything along for us and helping in other ways. My prayer for us all in the upcoming year is that God would reveal Christ in our hearts more and more. I pray he would make us know that our times are in his hand. May he make us more and more arrange everything in our lives so that we always worship Christ together at every opportunity and further this good news to needy sinners in every way that He makes possible. May God give you a nice time with your families and a time to refresh with a few days off this week.
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A great big hug to Brother Henry and Sister Doris Mahan who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this week. This pastor and his family, and therefore this congregation, have been blessed by God’s grace using this couple to minister the gospel to us. It cannot be measured.
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“There is no royal road to the knowledge of the Bible. It does not come to man by intuition. The book must be studied, pondered, prayed over, searched into, and not left always lying on a shelf, or carelessly looked at now and then.” J.C. Ryle
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JOY TO THE WORLD
I love to sing the hymns about the Savior’s birth. The world associates these songs with Christmas, but they are not Christmas carols. They are songs rejoicing in the birth of Christ the Savior. The joy found in these songs is not that a cute baby was born. The joy in these songs is in why that baby was born. God was born as a man so He would be able to establish righteousness as the representative of His elect who were sinful men and women. God was born as a man so He could be the substitute for His elect who were sinful men and women, and by His sacrifice for them, put their sin away. None of that would have been possible unless God became a man. Pastor Frank Tate
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And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 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." (Luke 2:10-14)
This is the season of the year when, whether we wish it or not, we are compelled to think of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is celebrated all over this nation by believers, unbelievers, skeptics, agnostics and even infidels. I hold it to be one of the greatest absurdities under heaven to think that there is any religion in keeping Christmas or any other holiday. It is even doubtful that the Lord Jesus was born on Christmas day. A relationship with God is not based on keeping days, observing rituals, or continuing ceremonies. A relationship with God is based upon heart faith, loving obedience and personal knowledge of God.
However, I am thankful for the Christmas season for several reasons.
(1) There is enough work in this world and a few days of rest and relaxation is wonderful for working people.
(2) I enjoy the generous spirit of Christmas. I wish it could last all year. People laugh a lot during Christmas. We seem to be more aware of each other during this season.
(3) Christmas enables families to get together around the fireplace and to meet old friends again. Children come home and visit their parents.
(4) Christmas is good for the nation's economy. Let's face it, people spend money during the Christmas season and this enables the small businessman to make ends meet and the large businesses to employ more people. The way our economy operates, the quickest way to recession and unemployment is for us to quit buying.
(5) But the chief reason why I am thankful for the Christmas season is that, even with all of the undesirable qualities, at least once a year men and women are brought face to face with the fact that JESUS CHRIST THE LORD DID COME INTO THIS WORLD. Now, it is our business to find out who He was, why He came into the world, and what He did while He was here; and I might add, where He is now. Pastor Henry Mahan
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Isaiah 7: 14: Behold, a virgin…shall call his name Immanuel.
When did the virgin call Jesus, Immanuel? “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Lu 1:46-47)
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We must make Christ the paramount object of our soul’s pursuit or our spiritual life will decline. It was Christ yesterday, and it must be Christ today, and Christ forever. It will not do to feed partly on Christ and partly on other things. As in the matter of life, it is Christ alone; so in the matter of living, it must be Christ alone.
Pastor Scott Richardson
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GOD’S GIFT
As we give our gifts to one another over the next few days, remember that God’s gift of eternal life is like our gift giving in at least three ways.
First, when we give a gift we give it to whomsoever we will. Likewise, God gives eternal life to whomsoever he will. (Jn 17: 1-2; 9, 24) Suppose you gave a gift to someone you love and strangers began to accuse you of being unjust because you did not give them the same gift. You would think they were absurd. They have no right to question you or accuse you. Neither does any sinner have a right to question God. (Rom 9: 14-21)
Secondly, when we give a gift we purchase it ourselves. Likewise, God sent his Son who paid the purchase price of his precious blood to give his people eternal life in him. (Lev 17:11; Heb 9: 22; Acts 20: 28) “Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” (Job 33: 24)
Lastly, when we give a gift we give it to the one for whom we purchased it. Likewise, God irresistibly creates his people anew and gives the gift of eternal life to us through faith in Christ. We do not purchase a gift then sit on a shelf and hope someone will come claim it as their own. We take the gift to the one for whom we bought it and make sure they get it. So does God. But here is a difference. When we give a gift the person to whom we give it has the ability to receive our gift. But each sinner to whom God shall give this free gift of eternal life does not even have the ability to receive it until God even gives faith and repentance to receive this gift in his Son. (Jn 3: 5; Jn 6:53; Eph 2:8; Gal 4: 4-6)
Believers glory in the LORD, giving all the praise only to God, telling everyone we can about the great gift Giver and the gift of his Son. (2 Cor 9:11, 8-15) “Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.” (1 Chr 16: 8)