Bethsalem Baptist Church

Bro. Cleve opened our day of worship with ministry opportunities, by welcoming everyone and recognizing those with birthdays. Great songs were sung by the congregation.

On the first Sunday of Advent, Chris and Amanda Arnold presented the Prophecy Candle. Afterward, the Celebration Choir sang “God So Loved.”

The message by Bro. Mel Johnson was from Isaiah 11:1-10. It is the Christmas message.

Wednesday night: Supper begins at 5:30 p.m. and service at 6:30 p.m. We will have prayer meeting for adults, Team Kids for children and Student’s Outlet.

Happy Birthday to Belda Cobern, Marie Smith, Courtney Pierce and David Mack Griner.

Pray for Charles Bryant, Rebecca Martin, Vickie Wilson, Betty McGee, Hunter Moore, our Pastor Search Committee, Lillianna Thompson, Jennifer and Brandon Teel, George and Diane Williams, Wendy Speigner, Hayley Boyd, Renee Dobbins, Bobby Bush, Johnny McClain, Eric Myers, Harold Patterson and Marie Smith.

Next Sunday at 6 p.m., the Voice of Victory Concert Sr. Adult Choir from Heritage Baptist Church will perform a Christmas concert during our evening worship service with food and fellowship to follow. You don’t want to miss this.

Next Sunday night: Life Tracks at 5 p.m. and preaching service at 6 p.m.

Come and worship with us on Sundays.

Mars Hill Baptist Church

Thanksgiving has past, the Iron Bowl has been played, and no matter which team you cheer for, there is one team we should all be standing for: Team Jesus! Pass on his name and the hope you have in him; tell of his wonderful love for all and the blessings you have experienced because of him. Football is just a game, but Jesus is life everlasting. Pass it on to your children and your grandchildren. Everyone should hear of Jesus and his love. Don’t wait till tomorrow; today is the day to share Jesus!

Bro. William Short’s message this Sunday was taken from Matthew 6:33-34: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

What does it mean to seek God’s kingdom first? Simply put, it means to look for God and seek his salvation before anything else: before worldly pleasures or things you want. Seek God and his forgiveness and live your life for him.

When you have the salvation of Jesus, everything changes. You will find yourself changed from the inside, changed in your heart, mind and soul. Instead of asking what can Jesus do for you, you will ask what you can do for Jesus. After all, Jesus has already done everything he could for us: he gave his life so that we might live. Jesus will become your first line of defense against troubles, instead of your last hope. You will find yourself living for today. You can’t change what you did yesterday, and you can’t plan on tomorrow coming. You will know that God is in control, not us, and that only God can satisfy your soul. The only good in any of us is Jesus. We were all born miserable sinners, and only through God’s grace, salvation and love is there anything worth saving in us.

How can we serve Jesus? We serve him through prayer, seeking his counsel, reading his word and looking for ways to help in our church, our community and in our jobs. Jesus will never make us do anything, but our life is so much richer when we reach out and share him with others. That’s all he asks of us: to share his love and salvation with others. We don’t need the world or its sinful pleasures; we need Jesus. When we seek him first, he will take care of our needs (not our wants, friend) of food, shelter and clothing. God cloths the grass of the field with beautiful flowers and he feeds the birds of the air, so why do we think he won’t do the same for us, his creation? Put your hope and trust in him, who gave his all for us.

Can the world see Jesus in you? Get a grip on reality here, friends. We won’t live forever on this earth; it’s just a stopping place for us. We will all go on to either heaven or hell. Which one will it be? Choose Jesus. Choose life. Choose heaven!

What we do for God today is what matters. Ask him to use you for his kingdom and his glory. Don’t worry about tomorrow. It is important to know that you know that you know who holds tomorrow. Are you saved by the grace of God? Do you know God’s love? Do you have his joy and salvation? Tomorrow may be too late to ask him into your heart, so do it today, friend. Then, when tomorrow comes and brings trouble or joy, you will have the blessed hope of Jesus to get you through. Amen.

Upcoming events:

Dec. 8: Our youth will sponsor a pancake breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Donations will be appreciated.

Dec. 25: Join us at 7 p.m. on Christmas for a special worship service. Jesus is the reason for the season; it is all about him!

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