Bethany Baptist Church

Before the sermon, a men’s group sang “What a Day.” Lori Knight’s offertory was “Love Grew Where the Blood Fell.” Bro. Steve’s sermon was from the Book of Nahum. This prophet is giving the message to the people of Nineveh (the capital of Assyria) that God will bring judgment against them for their rejection of God. In this stern book of judgment is a jewel: a verse containing heavenly assurances. In Nahum 1:7, the word states that God is good, that he is a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knows those who trust in him. In James 1:17, we read that every good gift comes from heaven. The greatest gift is the gift of salvation and the assurance of salvation that we can have. We all have troubles, but God is our stronghold. He is our defense and strong place in storms of life. John 14:27 states, “let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” We can trust in God. He knows our heart, and he knows who has a need and trusts in him when there seems to be no way out.

On Sunday night, Bro. Steve’s message was from Romans 8:38-39. Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? The writer of Romans listed ten things that cannot possibly separate us from God’s love for us. The last one listed, ‘any other creature,’ covers anything that was not named or included in the other nine. We who are saved can have the assurance that God loves us, and he always will.

Prayer List: Betty Biggs, James Bixler, Ada Church, Arnold DeLoach, Doris and Verdie Glenn, Hubert Griffin, Mildred Griffin, Laverne and Dick Hayes, Journey Mission in Calera, Vicki Mims, Billie Neeley and Lillianna Thompson.

See you Sunday!

Mars Hill Baptist Church

For every ending in life, there must first be a beginning. You have to run the race to win it; nothing gets done without some effort on our part. We cannot continue doing the same things day after day and expect different results. We cannot be couch potatoes and expect to live our lives the way God intended. So, thank you, Lord, for dying on the cross for our sins. You didn’t call ten thousand angels to help you off the cross. You bore the sin of the world so the world, through you, might be saved. You gave your all for all people.

Bro. William Short preached from Exodus 3:1-5. Here we learn that Moses was on the back side of the desert, alone with a flock of sheep. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from a bush, but the bush did not burn. God called to Moses from the bush, and Moses said, “Here I am.” Sometimes God has to remove us from our everyday lives in order to get our attention focused on him. There was nothing to distract Moses from God while he was in the desert. In our lives today, there are many distractions that draw us away from our walk with God: television, smart phones, ipads, computers, video games and sports arenas. We cannot hear God with all this taking place around us. We need to get on the back side of the desert, leaving all distractions behind, and really listen to what God is saying. Will it take a burning bush for us to focus on God, or maybe losing a job, a loved one, a home, a car, a relationship we cherish, our health or our wealth? What will it take for us to say, “Here I am, Lord, use me.”

God used a burning bush to get Moses’ attention. And a fire is what we need in our churches today, fire preached from the truth of God’s word, fire to ignite our congregation to get up and be about our Father’s business. A real and honest Holy Spirit fire, one that cannot be put out, and one that will last for all eternity is needed. God cannot use us until our attention, and our lives, are completely focused on him rather than on the world and what it holds. Jesus is the fire that never dies. You can run from the fire of Jesus, but you cannot hide. You might get burned or have your hair sizzled by the fire if you fall away from Jesus, but you can never escape. God’s word is truth, and truth never changes. It was in the beginning, and so it will be in the end. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Amen.

Please pray for our church, the sick, the lost, the hurting, our troops, our schools, our government, and our country and its leaders. We invite you to visit with us at Mars Hill. We know you will receive a blessing from God, for God is great, all the time.