Mars Hill Baptist Church

Sitting here today, writing this message, I want to thank you God for your blessings, for our church family and the love we have for each other. I pray that our love for you increases daily, and that we as a church body and as families within that body, serve you more and get ever closer to you. The end is closer now than ever before. Jesus could return to earth at any time and we must be ready! Hold fast to your faith in God. Never let up, never give up and keep on going!

Bro. William Short’s message this Sunday was taken from Hebrews 10:19-25: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, his flesh and having a High Priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching.”

People have been talking about the end of time for centuries; some will even tell you it is a myth and never going to happen. Well, don’t you believe it! Jesus said he will come again, and it is going to happen. When God says its time, your ticket had better be ready to board that heavenly train. Don’t get left behind!

Hold fast to your confession of faith in God. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, is alive and well and lives within the hearts of all of us who have accepted him. Draw near with a true heart full of faith with our bodies washed and ready.

Being saved is not the end of our Christian walk but a beginning. We are a work in progress. When you think you know it all, you had better look out because there will be a lesson coming your way. Our spiritual life is like being in a boat going upstream: it takes work to get closer to the goal. If you quit paddling the boat in the middle of the river, you will become stationary or drift backwards. Every time you stop, it gets harder to start again. You have to put some effort into your walk with God in order to get something out of it. Many people are drifting and don’t even realize it. When you miss church, you are drifting. His word says to not forsake assembling together. That’s where we draw strength: from each other, from God, from hearing the Word preached in truth and love.

Consider one another, love each other and show that love. Do good works for your church, for you are serving God. Don’t neglect to tell your family, friends and neighbors about the love God has for them. Even if you don’t like someone, you have to love them in Christ; it’s what Jesus commands that we do. You don’t have to like what a person does, but you should love them enough to tell them about Jesus. Show them love, don’t gossip about them. I have always been told if you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anything at all. If we as Christians aren’t promoting love and good works, then what are we doing? Showing up at church to be counted or to judge others on their appearance, actions or words is not promoting love, rather it is about as un-Christ-like as we can get. It is bad for us and even worse for our church body.

You know a carpenter by the tools he carries and the work he does. How does the world know that we are Christians? Because we tote a Bible or wear a cross around our neck? No. This is symbolism but not necessarily possession. People know that we are Christians by the life we lead outside the church walls. You know, those other six days of the week, the ones where we aren’t in church, but out in the world. Is Christ with you those other six days? Can others see him in you? Love one another seven days a week. Love Jesus more than the day before and keep on paddling upstream, no matter how rough the waters get. The reward will be in reaching heaven’s shores and living forever with Jesus Christ. Are we drawing near, or fading away?

Our youth will be going to Gatlinburg, Tenn. this Friday for a youth conference. Please pray for their safety, that God will keep his hands of protection around each and every one going, and that they return closer to God than ever before.

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

Bethany Baptist Church

We began service by singing “My Jesus I Love Thee,” led by Barbara G. Miller. Glenn Vines then gave the devotion, “God’s Plan for His Churches,” from Acts 1:6-11.

Before ascending to heaven after his resurrection, Jesus gave his churches instructions for doing his work on earth. At one time, and one time only, the Holy Spirit came upon the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and will never leave. At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit begins living in our hearts and lives there forever. We must yield to the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

We were dismissed with a prayer to our Sunday School classes. We sang “In the Sweet By and By,” “The Home Over There” and “In the Gospel Way.”

Bro. Aubry announced the baby shower for Michelle and Glenn Vines on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. The Disaster Relief Report was given on Sunday night following our business meeting. The morning message, “Am I a Child of God,” was taken from Proverbs 23:6. “My son, give me thine heart and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

If we are saved, male or female, this verse pertains to us. There are four “C’s” spoken of in this verse:

1) Conversion: All are sinners, even saved people are sinners saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the grace of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:12 and Isaiah 64:6). Even though we are saved, with an eternal relationship with God, we can get out of fellowship with him. Everyone belongs to God just because he created them. The only way to get to heaven is to ask Jesus to forgive us our sins and ask him to come into our hearts. Be saved and go to heaven or stay lost and go to hell!

2) Consecration: All God wants from us is our heart. By giving him our heart, we dedicate ourselves to be used of him.

3) Commitment: We must, after giving our heart, make a commitment to put God first and foremost in our daily lives.

4) Conduct. Our life should always be pleasing to God. Obey God’s instructions (1 Samuel 15:22). We should read the Bible and do what the word of God instructs us to do.

After a prayer, we sang “I’ll Fly Away” and were dismissed the evening.

In the evening service, we sang “When Morning Comes,” followed by our business meeting. We then sang “Wonderful Story Of Love” followed by a report and a message from Bro. John Hancock, a minister of the Gospel and also the assistant director of the ABA Disaster Relief Ministry. Through this ministry, in times of disasters, we can minister to people three ways: emotionally, spiritually and physically. The churches who wish to support this can do so through prayer, money and filling shoeboxes at Christmas, or by volunteering to help our when disaster strikes.

The message from Matthew 7:24-27 was titled “Three Components to Help Us Withstand Life’s Storms.” 1) Everyone is hit by a storm of some kind at some point in their life. This may be a physical or spiritual storm. By building on the Rock, Jesus Christ, we can withstand the storms.

2) Everyone has the same instructions. If a physical storm, it may be to get to a safe place. Sometimes, in physical storms, even this may not save our life. In spiritual storms, we need Jesus Christ.

3) Everyone who acts on instructions will stand. When we go to our safe place, Jesus Christ, we can withstand the spiritual storms of life, although we may not withstand the physical storms. In the spiritual storms we need to trust Jesus; he will save us and nothing will separate us from the love of Jesus. Once saved, we will go to heaven when we die.

We had prayer, sang, “Just As I Am” and were dismissed with another prayer.

Our prayer list includes Bro. John Hancock (lymphoma), Bro. “Moose” Marvin Jackson (pancreatic cancer), Eli Hernani (mersa), Bro. Aubry and Shirley, Elwyn and Grace Robinson, Billie and Jackie, Hubert Griffin, Michelle and Glenn as they wait for the new baby, missionaries, the unsaved and our church.