Jackson Chapel Church

Bro. Gary Fant got the morning worship service started off with “Praise Him, Praise Him” and “The Glory Land Way.” Bro. Dennis blessed us with a beautiful song titled “He Didn’t Throw the Clay Away,” and as he was singing, people began to come to the altar to pray. The Holy Spirit was present in a mighty way.

Bro. Gary Fant got the evening service started off with “Just Over in the Glory Land,” “I’ll Meet You in the Morning” and “Where Could I Go.” Luke Wilson blessed us with “Jesus Loves Me” and “Victory in Jesus.” Olivia Campbell sang “I Never Shall Forget the Day” and “Sweet Beulah Land.”

Bro. Dennis’ text came from Proverbs 6:16-19: If we are the Christians we are supposed to be, then we won’t act like we are better than another person because we are all created equal in God’s eyes. We are to be careful how we live our lives because people in this lost and dying world watch us. We shouldn’t do things that we know aren’t right. We also need to be careful about beating false witness about people because we don’t know the situations people go through. Remember: God doesn’t judge a person until he or she is dead, so why should we judge someone?

Happy Birthday to Juanita Wilkins. Happy Anniversary to Johnny and Marie Burnett and David and Sandra Pate.

Please pray for these as you pray this week: Karl Smith, Herschel Edwards, Mason Pate, our servicemen and women, Devaughn Welcher, J.W. Bone’s family, Roy Martin’s mom, Samuel Burnett, the Rev. Pate Hughins and our lost loved ones.

We will be in revival Sept. 22-24, with special guest speaker, Milton O’Stander, better known as “Big Mo.” Everyone is invited.

We are located at 4020 Yellow Leaf Road, Clanton. Our service times are Sunday school: 10 a.m., Sunday morning worship service: 11 a.m., Sunday evening worship service: 6 p.m. and Wednesday Bible study: 7 p.m.

Mars Hill Baptist Church

Its football season again and Friday nights are special for our student athletes and families, and they should be. It’s a part of growing up, of finding out who you are and where you want life to take you. It’s the beginning of a race, to do your best to finish the game, be a winner; to be able to say at the end of the game, I fought a good fight, I finished the game and I kept to the game plan. But when the game is over, what then? Where do you go from there? Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”

Bro. William Short took the message this week from 2 Timothy 4:6-9: Paul was nearing the end of his life on earth. He was able to truly say that he had done everything he could for the cause of Christ. He had been imprisoned, beaten and shipwrecked—all for Jesus. He had fought the battle, he was nearing the finish line and his faith was still as strong as ever. His statements began with “I,” which was a personal account of his life: preaching and teaching about Jesus. It was always about Jesus with Paul, nothing and no one else. He preached the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus to everyone he encountered, converting souls daily, even while in prison. Paul did not have an easy life. It was filled with hardship and suffering, but still he kept the faith. He just kept on keeping on until the end. Can we say that today? I think not. Let’s begin with the first part of Paul’s statement: “I have fought a good fight.” Well, we like to fight and we argue over the smallest, silliest things. We fight with our brothers and sisters in Christ, sometimes even in church. Who did Paul fight? He fought the devil—and that’s who we need to fight, friend: the devil, good vs. evil.

Now, the second part: “I have finished the race.” It’s hard to finish something if you never get started. If you have accepted Jesus as your personal savior, you have entered the race; the flag has dropped, and the runners have come out of the gate. But where are the runners? Most of us are still sitting at the gate, trying to get up and not yet understanding that the race has started. We can sit around and do nothing for Jesus, or we can get up and start the race—and when we do, we should be prepared to race until the day we are called home to be with Jesus. Or, we can quit. Paul did not quit, he finished his race. We should do no less than our best for our Lord and Savior. We can stand on the promises of Jesus, or sit on the premises and watch others. What will you do?

And now, the third part: “I have kept the faith.” What did Paul have faith in? In Jesus Christ, the one who died for his sins, and for yours and mine. He preached Jesus until the day he died. You can have faith that your car will start in the morning, that the sun will come up or that the electricity will come on at the flip of a switch—but faith in Jesus? If you want to go to heaven, friend, being saved by his wonderful grace, and having the faith of Paul, is what will get you there. Faith is believing in what you cannot see. But if you fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith, Jesus will be there waiting at the finish line, with a “Welcome home, my child!” What a day that will be! Praise his holy name!

Yes, life is like a game of football: it’s us against the enemy, the devil. If we want to win, we have to block our opponent, tackle his sneaky attacks, do our job on the line and finish the game with a win for Jesus. Will you finish or wimp out? Will you block Satan’s line or let him run your life? We all have a race to finish, not for a trophy that will rust, but for a crown of life in heaven.

How will we ever please God if we don’t stand and fight for right? It’s time to fight, to shake off the lazy, don’t care attitude that most of us have adopted and put on the armor of God, going forward for Jesus every day. There is a spiritual warfare raging around us; never let down your shield of armor, lest the arrows of Satan pierce you. Ready or not, Jesus is coming soon! Are you ready to finish the race? Have you kept the faith? None of us are perfect; we all fall short, but that doesn’t mean we have to stay down. When a member of your team falls, be ready to help them back up and enter the race again. Give out kind and encouraging words, and always love others. Fight the good fight, finish the race, and above all, keep the faith.

Revival kicked off on Sunday night with special guest Bro. Kevin Blackwell and special music from Bill Short. God is good, and our service was wonderful. Monday service starts at 7 p.m.

Next Sunday night, Sept. 15, our guest speaker will be Bro. Evie Megginson, with special music by Austin Foster. Worship starts at 6 p.m., then again on Monday at 7 p.m. All through the month of September, we will have revival services on Sunday and Monday nights, with different speakers and singers each week. Come and join us for worship. Be renewed and ready to enter the race to win. Please be in prayer for this revival, that we be renewed in our strength to keep on keeping on ‘til the day Jesus returns.

Please continue to pray for our church, our pastor, the sick, the lost, the hurting, our children, our country, our troops and our government. God is good, all the time! Amen.