We have experienced a wonderful day today at "The Greatest Church on Earth!" (OK, OK, I know that is boastful... but it is not bragging since it is true). ;>)
4 Baptized, 4 bricks taken down, great attendance, singing, offering, specials, and a typically biblical and soul-stirring sermons from Bobby Boyles! It was a joy to have "Touched by Grace" with us this evening for special music!
We will have three more services this week: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 7pm. I hope you will be able to attend and bring your family and friends with you.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
16:20. The End of Mark
This coming Sunday, as the Lord allows, I will preach the final sermon (#66) from the Gospel of Mark completing the series I began nearly 18 months ago!
Mark 16:14-20 is about the forty day ministry of Jesus following His resurrection from the dead. There are three great controversies about these verses:
1) Are these verses actually scripture?
2) Is being baptized required for salvation?
3) Are the miraculous signs that followed still for today?
I will certainly address each of these issues, but, let me say that the great controversy I find in these verses is why Christians have not made more progress toward accomplishing the Great Commission nearly 2,000 years after Jesus spoke these words! Read the verses, pray, and get ready to learn!
I hope to see you Sunday with a Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your friends and family by your side!
Mark 16:14-20 is about the forty day ministry of Jesus following His resurrection from the dead. There are three great controversies about these verses:
1) Are these verses actually scripture?
2) Is being baptized required for salvation?
3) Are the miraculous signs that followed still for today?
I will certainly address each of these issues, but, let me say that the great controversy I find in these verses is why Christians have not made more progress toward accomplishing the Great Commission nearly 2,000 years after Jesus spoke these words! Read the verses, pray, and get ready to learn!
I hope to see you Sunday with a Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your friends and family by your side!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Great Expectations!
William Carey, (1761-1834) English Baptist Missionary, Founder of the Baptist Missionary Society, and known as “The Father of Modern Missions” served the Lord in Serampore, India. His most famous quote, (from a sermon on Isaiah 54:2-3) is, “expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”
It is from this quote that I have been meditating on the idea of “Great Expectations!” What exactly do I mean when I say that we, as the people of God, should live our life with Great Expectations?
Recently, I attended a Sunday School leadership training event led by Dale Davenport of IBSA. He gave us some great material including a booklet by David Francis entitled, “Great Expectations.” In this booklet, he lists three things that we ought to see in a “Great Expectations Sunday School”:
First, we should expect new people every week!
Second, we should expect people to say yes!
Third, we should expect classes to reproduce!
I want to springboard off of these ideas and get us thinking about several “Great Expectations” for our Church in the future:
1) We should expect (and be ready for) new people every week!
2) We should expect (and be ready for) God to save lost people every week!
3) We should expect (and be ready for) new believers to be baptized every month!
4) We should expect (and have the process and programs in place for) new members to grow spiritually!
5) We should expect (and have training in place for) spiritually growing members to serve the Lord!
6) We should expect (and provide training) to start new classes and new Ministry Teams continually!
7) We should expect (and be spiritually prepared for) opposition from the evil one and his helpers!
May God grant that we will always be known as “The Great Expectations Church.”
It is from this quote that I have been meditating on the idea of “Great Expectations!” What exactly do I mean when I say that we, as the people of God, should live our life with Great Expectations?
Recently, I attended a Sunday School leadership training event led by Dale Davenport of IBSA. He gave us some great material including a booklet by David Francis entitled, “Great Expectations.” In this booklet, he lists three things that we ought to see in a “Great Expectations Sunday School”:
First, we should expect new people every week!
Second, we should expect people to say yes!
Third, we should expect classes to reproduce!
I want to springboard off of these ideas and get us thinking about several “Great Expectations” for our Church in the future:
1) We should expect (and be ready for) new people every week!
2) We should expect (and be ready for) God to save lost people every week!
3) We should expect (and be ready for) new believers to be baptized every month!
4) We should expect (and have the process and programs in place for) new members to grow spiritually!
5) We should expect (and have training in place for) spiritually growing members to serve the Lord!
6) We should expect (and provide training) to start new classes and new Ministry Teams continually!
7) We should expect (and be spiritually prepared for) opposition from the evil one and his helpers!
May God grant that we will always be known as “The Great Expectations Church.”
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Beautiful Foyer
The new carpet is complete in the foyer of the church. It is beautiful! Thanks to everyone who came up with the idea, picked the style and color of the carpet, and to THE SUPER-DUPER VOLUNTEER CLEANING TEAM who have worked and worked and worked to get it cleaned up and ready for Sunday! God bless you!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday School Changes Beginning Next Sunday!
The fastest way to grow a Church is to start new units! No doubt, no argument, and no kidding! NEXT SUNDAY, 3/7/2010, we will give birth to a NEW YOUNG ADULT SS CLASS! David and Kim Senseney will lead the new Class for Young Adults. They will be having a get together with the prospective Class Members at church on Friday evening.
Here is how it works! David and Kim are leaving the Jr and Sr High Class to lead this new Class; Jim and Lynnette Wilson are taking over leadership of the Jr and Sr High Class along with Leslie Schultz; Matt Voyles and Andy Appleby will take over the leadership of Jim Wilson's Men's Class... Got all that?
We already have over 30 prospects for the new Class, of which only about 10 are currently attending Sunday School at our Church. Please pray that God will bless our efforts to reach these young people and build this new Class; and, that He will continually provide us the workers to start more new Classes!
We currently have classes for all ages from Birth to Senior High; and, Adults have 7 Classes from which to choose:
Young Adults - Dave and Kim Senseney
Adult Men - Matt Voyles and Andy Appleby
Adult Women - Misty Appleby
Life Principles Class for Men - Patrick Curry
Mixed Adult Class - Bob Eads
Mixed Adult Class - Pastor Lanny Faulkner
Senior Adults Class - Freda Black
I hope to see you Sunday Morning at 9:00am with your Bible in your hand; a smile on your face; and family and friends by your side!
Here is how it works! David and Kim are leaving the Jr and Sr High Class to lead this new Class; Jim and Lynnette Wilson are taking over leadership of the Jr and Sr High Class along with Leslie Schultz; Matt Voyles and Andy Appleby will take over the leadership of Jim Wilson's Men's Class... Got all that?
We already have over 30 prospects for the new Class, of which only about 10 are currently attending Sunday School at our Church. Please pray that God will bless our efforts to reach these young people and build this new Class; and, that He will continually provide us the workers to start more new Classes!
We currently have classes for all ages from Birth to Senior High; and, Adults have 7 Classes from which to choose:
Young Adults - Dave and Kim Senseney
Adult Men - Matt Voyles and Andy Appleby
Adult Women - Misty Appleby
Life Principles Class for Men - Patrick Curry
Mixed Adult Class - Bob Eads
Mixed Adult Class - Pastor Lanny Faulkner
Senior Adults Class - Freda Black
I hope to see you Sunday Morning at 9:00am with your Bible in your hand; a smile on your face; and family and friends by your side!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday Morning Memo
Monday Morning, February 22, 2010
God richly blessed us again yesterday at FBC! We had 95 people in Sunday School; 155 people in AM Worship; and we were able to take down another Brick from the Wall of Debt. We had two baptisms and several visitors were present in the service.
The Lord again provided us with a generous offering, and our usual crowd of faithful folk came out for the Sunday Night study. 14 workers and young people attended Greatest Common Factor, including a first-time visitor!
REMEMBER, we are starting a new Sunday School class for Young Adults on March 7th and we are getting ready for the "Find It Here" Easter Evangelism Campaign! You will be hearing much more about that this coming week.
Also, "Life Builders" Discipleship Classes begin on March 7th at 4:45pm. Sign-up sheets are in the foyer.
WOW! Just six more days till Sunday!
God richly blessed us again yesterday at FBC! We had 95 people in Sunday School; 155 people in AM Worship; and we were able to take down another Brick from the Wall of Debt. We had two baptisms and several visitors were present in the service.
The Lord again provided us with a generous offering, and our usual crowd of faithful folk came out for the Sunday Night study. 14 workers and young people attended Greatest Common Factor, including a first-time visitor!
REMEMBER, we are starting a new Sunday School class for Young Adults on March 7th and we are getting ready for the "Find It Here" Easter Evangelism Campaign! You will be hearing much more about that this coming week.
Also, "Life Builders" Discipleship Classes begin on March 7th at 4:45pm. Sign-up sheets are in the foyer.
WOW! Just six more days till Sunday!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Before Jehovah's Awesome Throne!
Before Jehovah's Awesome Throne
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Before Jehovah's awesome throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create, and He destroy.
His sovereign pow'r, with-out our aid,
Made us of clay, and formed us men;
And when like wand'ring sheep we strayed,
He brought us to His fold again.
We are His people, we His care,
Our souls, and all our mortal frame;
What lasting honors shall we rear,
Almighty Maker, to Thy Name?
We'll crowd Thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heav'ns our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thou-sand tongues,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise.
Wide as the world is Thy command,
Vast as eternity Thy love;
Firm as a rock Thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.
This is sung to the tune "Old 100th" (All People Who on Earth Do Dwell)
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Before Jehovah's awesome throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create, and He destroy.
His sovereign pow'r, with-out our aid,
Made us of clay, and formed us men;
And when like wand'ring sheep we strayed,
He brought us to His fold again.
We are His people, we His care,
Our souls, and all our mortal frame;
What lasting honors shall we rear,
Almighty Maker, to Thy Name?
We'll crowd Thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heav'ns our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thou-sand tongues,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise.
Wide as the world is Thy command,
Vast as eternity Thy love;
Firm as a rock Thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.
This is sung to the tune "Old 100th" (All People Who on Earth Do Dwell)
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