Month: April 2023

Sermons

This year’s Family Week theme focused on Hope. God reminds us in Scripture of our hope in Him, in the Gospel, in the Faith, and in His return. The men who preached during the week explored various facets of hope. Click on the name below to hear the specific message.

Groaning in Hope: Danny Whetstone
The Psalmist’s Hope: Gene Krachenfels
Jeremiah’s Hope: Barry Goodman
Don’t Lose Hope in God’s Unseen Plan: Jeremy Lockhart
The Scripture’s Hope: David Fulp
The Call of Hope: Dalton Heath
The Gospel’s Hope: Tim Daniel
The Finisher’s Hope: Chad Estep
The Door of Hope: John O’Malley

Testimonies

An important aspect of Family Fellowship Week is the fellowship. The week provides an opportunity to share the blessings and burdens of others within our World Wide family. Our theme this year was Hope. Men and ladies shared testimonies of how they never lost hope when facing a challenging season, a hardship, a trial, or a setback in their ministry. Click on the name below to hear a specific testimony.  Note: Some cannot be widely published due to the sensitive location of their ministries.

Fred Daniel, Jr.
Elwood Hurst
Edgar Feghaly
Adrian Hendricks
Colton Lee
Barbara O’Malley
Josh Wagar and Sarah Wagar
Tim Stalcup

Click here to view all recordings from Family Fellowship Week.

Quotable Quotes

Paul had hope, mingled with faith, that what he faced was nothing compared to what he would see. – Danny Whetstone

Courage is fear holding on one minute longer. – George Patton

It is not what we want that gets us in trouble, but what we insist on having beyond the will of God. – unknown

There is always hope in the wilderness because our older Brother (Jesus Christ) has been there before us. – Fred Daniel, Jr.

True hope fixes the heart on thoughts of God instead of on self, failures, dreams, and misery. – Barry Goodman

God already knows how many storms you will face, and what He calls you to He will carry you through. – Elwood Hurst

When you can’t seem to find God, don’t lose hope in His unseen plan. – Jeremy Lockhart

God’s methods are men. – Eric Franks

It is in the ordinary that God shows Himself faithful. – Adrian Hendricks

God sees down the road where today will fit into His plan for you. – Colton Lee

The devil doesn’t mind taking time with you because he knows that over time he can wear you down. – Frank Camp

It is always too soon to quit! – unknown

Christ renews our hope daily, but it is up to us to choose to walk in that hope. – Josh Wagar

Allow Christ to work in you. Even when it seems He isn’t, He is. – Tim Daniel

Photos

Click here to view photos from the week! If you have photos to share, you may do so by uploading to https://wwntbm.com/upload, or by sharing on social media with the hashtag #WWNTBM23.

by John O’Malley

Do you hold space for God in your life?

If so, how much room or space do you allow God?

Does He only have room on your days of public worship or ministry?

How much room does He have on the other days of the week when you are less needy?

Do you only give Him space in the hour of your greatest need?

Do you take up the room you do not allow Him on the days when you have less demand, and your work is more perfunctory?

How much room do you have for God?

January is our church’s annual missions Sunday for the Faith Promise giving year. Our church’s theme, More of Him and Less of Me, led me to speak from John 3:30. I see John’s testimony of him making room for God’s presence, plan, and power.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

I read this verse and began a quest to understand how much room I make for God.

John the Baptist’s life was only about Jesus. In other words, John made room for Jesus.

I asked myself, “Who reigns every moment of the day on the throne of my life?” I think I reign on the little stuff, then I “let” God sit on the throne of my life to allow Him to reign on the big stuff. Unfortunately, this is not a good plan.

Thus far today, who reigned on the throne of your life, and who made all the decisions today? Who reacted today, you or God? Whom did your spouse see on the throne of your life?

I want to evict myself from the throne of my life permanently.

How about you?

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

by John O’Malley

“And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house” (Ruth 2:7).

The servant shared with Boaz:

• • • Ruth’s devotion to the harvest.
    • Ruth’s desire to harvest.
    • Ruth’s determination in the harvest.
    • Ruth’s dedication to the harvest.

The servant was impressed with her declarations to him and her duty to his boss. At the end of his testimony of Ruth’s demeanor, he mentioned an interesting point for the believer to ponder.

The servant set over the reapers said Ruth had “continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.” Notice with me his last eight words: “that she tarried a little in the house.” It is apparent that Ruth was a good harvester for Boaz. The servant pointed out to Boaz that Ruth had tarried only a “little” in the house.

The servant set over the reapers had a place where all in his charge could come and seek refreshment and rest. Service in the field requires rest and refreshing. After a period of work, the reapers would come to the house and gather for fellowship. The resting house was also a place of rejoicing when the harvest was completed.

The thought of a house in which to rest from our labors brings two concerns to mind in light of this present generation. The first concern is that of God’s laborers ignoring times of needed rest. Many times, in the service of our Eternal Boaz, we pride ourselves in our work and brag that we never take a break or a time to rest. Ruth was a diligent worker, both in her reaping and her resting.

The second concern is one that is far too common among twenty-first-century believers. This is the danger of all rest and no labor. Many today have made a ministry of staying in the house and never going to the fields.

It is clear that it could be said of those like this, “They have tarried too long and labored too little for our Eternal Boaz.” You can always spot those in this way; they are the spiritual hogs of the church. They linger long at the trough and do little but grunt if they cannot feed their bellies.

It should be overwhelmingly apparent that the believer working in the field should make regular trips to the house of God. We should go to the house of our Eternal Boaz for rest from the noonday sun after we have labored for Him.

We should get to the house of our Eternal Boaz; it is there we will meet other harvesters, and we can fellowship over our labors. We should get to the house of our Eternal Boaz and listen to His words of encouragement for our needed refreshment. We should get to the house of our Eternal Boaz for times of rejoicing over the harvest.

Temporary rest is vital; full-time rest is for when we leave this earth for the eternal house of our Boaz. “Let us therefore labor to enter into that rest” (Hebrews 4:11).

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley