Samaria Baptist Church

We were blessed to have Carolyn and Billy Maddox worshiping with us this Sunday. Carolyn served as our pianist today, and what a joy it was to have her play. Her special music was “His Eye Is On the Sparrow.” Oddly enough, George Beverly Shea, who is known for that beautiful song, passed away this week, so it was especially nice to hear the song.

Bro. Charles’ message came from Romans 8:28-34. His message was titled “The Unfailing Purpose of God Through the Gospel.”

Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord, will be entered into heaven. All things work together for good for those who love God and who are called according to his promise. To the world, it seems the preaching of the gospel is foolish. Of course, I’m sure it seems crazy for those who are unbelievers, and who want no part of God’s pathway in life. The Son of Man will come again one day in all his glory. He will judge our deeds, and whether or not we are truly one of his own.

It isn’t up to Christ whether or not you are saved. He provides the opportunity for all of us to respond to his wonderful Holy Spirit. It is then up to us to ignore him or to accept him. God provides everything for us, but will not override our will.

Our church is important in our lives. It is our responsibility to serve through our church, and to share with the world what God has in store for them. We cannot just attend church as though it were a social event. Of course, we enjoy fellowship with our friends and family of God, but the true reason for gathering together is to worship and honor the true and living God. We are created in his image; we did not evolve from anything but the image of our Lord God. God made us for his glory.

We are millionaires, but not by means of money. We have a deed to a heavenly home, where we will live for all eternity and never die. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only one we need to bow down to. We should worship him in spirit and in truth. We are to pass on blessings that will make God able to work in the lives of others. We are his feet, hands and hearts on this earth. We are expected to make ourselves available for his purpose, and to show Jesus to a lost and dying world.

Our prayer list includes Horace and Gayle, Ray Hardee, Ronnie Lockhart, Bruce Moore, our police officers, firefighters and military service members. Special prayer is requested for the families and victims in Boston, as well as the victims of the families of the disaster in Texas.

Bring your burdens to Jesus. He meets us here. Come and join us. May God bless you and your family.

Mount Carmel No. 1 Baptist Church

It was such a great blessing to be able to attend another worship service with God’s people. As we met for service, Bro. Derrell gathered the children for a message discussing the importance of an instruction booklet that you might get when you purchase a new device. He explained to them that the most important instruction book we have in life is the Bible.

His morning message to us was taken from Genesis 16:1-6. He delivered a message titled “What Happens When We Get Tired of Waiting on God.” Using this scripture, he was able to show us that nothing good can come from us trying to help God get the job done. God has a reason for the timing of events in our lives. Events can go from joy to tragedy when we fail to wait on God. Time spans may seem long to us, but God’s timing is not the same as ours. He doesn’t work on “instant timing” as we would like for him to do in all situations. Just because we can’t see God working doesn’t mean he isn’t working.

On Sunday evening, Bro. Derrell used scripture from Ezekiel 37:1-14 to bring the message he titled “Your Knee Bone Is Connected to the Backbone.”

A person without God in his life is like the valley of dry bones. Sin takes all life from a person. Even we Christians can be like this when we neglect praying and standing up for the cause of Christ. Our spiritual lives can become dried up. Spending time on our knee bone makes for a strong backbone. The endless blessings God bestows upon our lives should bring forth thankfulness and praise. Putting God into a life is like God bringing this valley of dry bones back to life again.

Jessica Dennis thanked everyone who helped in the church’s campaign to raise money for Relay for Life. Our prayer is that God will bless each dollar that was given, and that it will be used toward finding a cure for this dreadful disease we call cancer.

Our Vacation Bible School will be June 23-27 at 6 p.m. Commencement will be June 28 at 7 p.m. There will be classes for all ages, including adults. Please make your plans to join us.

We have several connected to our church family who need a special touch from God. Our prayer list includes Sarah Scott, Elladene Mims, Ruthie Jean Giles, Minnie Childress and Ronnie Childress.

If you do not have a church home, you are always welcome to worship with us at Mt. Carmel.