Celebrating Our Heritage, Claiming Our Future

This Sunday is Heritage Day at First Baptist.  During each worship service, we will recognize members of our Heritage Club, individuals who have been members of First Baptist Church for 50 years or more.  Our church has a strong heritage of mission and ministry because of the investment of these veteran Christians who have served the Lord faithfully across the generations, serving as our living examples of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

Jesus frequently referred to his followers as his friends. At First Baptist we treasure our multi-generational friendships. In our worship services this Sunday our topic is “I Have Called You Friends” from John 15:9-17.   On Sunday evening we will gather in the sanctuary at six o-clock for the Spring Forth concert featuring music by the Acapella Singers, and the Sanctuary Bells.

As we approach Heritage Day, we are reminded that our history and our future are connected, but they are not identical twins.  At First Baptist we can embrace our future by listening to the Spirit’s creative leadership for our day and by following God’s commission for us to be faithful servants in our community, faithful managers of all our resources, and faithful witnesses in our world. 

As we celebrate our heritage and claim our future, I look forward to seeing you in worship and Bible study this Sunday.

Letting Jesus Get Inside Your Head

Luke 24:36-49

(Sunday April 26 sermon outline)

Jesus wants inside your heart to share his passion and he wants inside your head to transform your thinking.

• Jesus teaches us to confront our doubts and fears.

• Jesus helps us understand the teachings of the Bible.

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.   Luke 24: 45  NIV

• Jesus gives us the passion and opportunity to serve.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.                                                                               Philippians 2:5-8 KJV

When Jesus gets inside your head, you emerge with a new way of thinking and a new awareness of where you fit into God’s plan.

Faithful Financial Management Provides Stability

The market is up one day and down the next. Some analysts believe that the recession is nearing an end and others caution that the recession could linger for another year or two. How do you find personal and emotional stability in an unstable economy?  The only way I know is by practicing the principles of Christian stewardship, and there are no shortcuts.

Christian stewardship is a pragmatic spiritual discipline…a management responsibility which applies to every facet of life.  As believers and worshippers, we are accountable to God for how we exercise that managerial responsibility over all of our resources, especially our time, our spiritual gifts, our opportunities, and our finances.

Although Florida’s economy began to spiral downward in the aftermath of the sequential hurricanes in 2004-2005, the negative trends in Florida have been compounded by national growth in unemployment, a depressed housing market, a depreciating market, and global economic anxiety. Although we do not know how long these recession conditions will last, we do know that God’s economic guidelines bring stability during all of the seasons of life.

God’s plan for economics begins by calling us to a positive and proactive attitude toward managing. A primary step toward managing all of your God-given resources is to present the firstfruits, or the first tenth of your increase, as a tithe unto the Lord.  The prophet Malachi probably has the most emphatic words to say about giving:  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.  Malachi 3:8-10 NIV

In his book, Full Disclosure: Everything the Bible Says about Financial Giving, Dave Bell writes, Stewardship is not just an opportunity to enter into God's service but an opportunity for God to enter into you.  I believe that for those who dare to practice biblical stewardship, giving becomes a fun part of our management responsibility. Paul gives us a vivid description of a believer’s attitude toward God’s economic plan when he writes, Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver ( II Corinthians 9:7  NIV).

Herb Mather, author of Don’t Shoot the Horse (Until You Know How to Drive the Tractor), proposes that "The vertical relationship to God and the horizontal relationship to neighbor come together in the act of giving.” In other words, that cheerful spirit of managing and appropriating our resources for kingdom purposes cultivates within us a passion for mission and ministry.

How do you begin, or continue, the practice of Christian stewardship?

• Understand that all resources are a trust from God.
• Prioritize your tithes and offerings.  
• Provide for your family through careful management.
• Adopt a lifestyle of enjoying simple gifts.
• Be ethical and honest in all transactions.
• Limit credit liability and strive to eliminate debt.
• Invest in the future through a savings plan.

During these tough economic times God’s principles of stewardship can bring stability to our homes, our church, and our businesses.

This Sunday we will focus on Luke 24:36-49 as we talk about Letting Jesus Get Inside Your Head.  On Sunday evening, we will meet in Chipley Hall at six o’clock for a concert by our Student Worship Team and Band.

It’s an awesome privilege to gather with church family for worship and Bible study.  I am looking for you this Sunday!

Bread to Go

Luke 24:13-35

(sermon outline for Sunday April 19)

Like Jesus, you can be identified by the way you break bread.

Contemplate:  This table keeps the work of Christ fresh on our minds.

Incarnate:  These elements remind us that we are the body of Christ.

Motivate:  The bread and the cup inspire us to share in the work of Christ in today’s world.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. 

Luke 24: 30-31  NIV

Hit the road, to break bread with others, and in so doing to share the Bread of life.

 

 

 

Do You Believe This?

Our oldest First Baptist sweetheart, Mrs. Gertrude Strickland, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday afternoon of Easter weekend.  One of the favorite Bible passages of Mrs. Strickland’s daughters is John 11:25-26, which records Jesus saying to Martha,"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Do you believe this? Besides the empty tomb and the numerous accounts of Jesus sightings, the greatest evidence affirming the resurrection is the radical change in the lives of his followers. 

• They were more harmonious.  As the reality of the resurrection dawned on the disciples, there was less bickering as they served in a spirit of unity.
• They were more faithful.  They met regularly, studying the word, breaking bread, and ministering to the “least of these.”
• They were more generous.  They sold properties, shared resources and gave cheerfully and sacrificially to the work of the kingdom.
• They were more courageous.  They did not live in fear of their own lives but proactively shared the good news.

For the living of these current days, as we welcome the resurrected Christ to the center of our lives, may we worship and serve together with greater unity, uncompromising loyalty, growing generosity, and extraordinary courage.

This Sunday we will share in the Lord’s Supper in both of our morning worship services.  Also, during the midmorning service, we will share in the celebration of baptism of those who have recently declared faith in Christ and those who have come into our church family from other Christian traditions. 

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday as we gather for worship and Bible study.

Now Vacant

Luke 24:1-12

(sermon outline for Easter, April 12)

On Sunday morning, the tomb of Jesus was discovered to be unoccupied.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!    Luke 24:5-6 NIV

• After the crucifixion the body of Jesus was interred in a secure tomb.

• On the third day the tomb was discovered to be vacant.

• This discovery immediately evoked a variety of emotions and responses.
• The women were “perplexed.”
• Then they were “terrified.”
• Simon Peter was “amazed.”

• After the resurrection, the followers of Jesus experienced a remarkable change.

Because the tomb is “vacant,” your life can be “occupied” by the resurrected Christ.

Easter, Through the Eyes of Multiple Generations

This is Holy Week, a time for re-visiting and reflecting on the passion of Christ.  We are preparing for the Pensacola Easter Pageant and for our celebration of the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday morning.  What does Easter mean to you?  I asked a few members of our church family what Easter means to them and this is what they had to say:

Easter is eggs, baskets, trees and Jesus died on the cross.                                            - Grace Brantley, preschool

Easter is about the resurrection of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ who gave himself to save me from my sins.

                                                - Mary Ellen Edwards

Easter is a time for realizing what Jesus sacrificed for us.

                                                - Lynn Overman

Easter is a time of renewal and to be reminded of my Lord’s sacrifice on the cross for my sins and the precious gift to me of eternal life.                            - Dean Rector

Easter is the celebration of new life that we have through Jesus because of his death and resurrection.

                                                - Kesha Barker

Easter is the Resurrection and birth of new life.

                                                - Wade Ingram

Easter is celebrating victory through Jesus’ sacrifice.

                                                - Bart Neal

Easter is a time when you refocus and re-energize your faith and a re-encouragement to stay strong in your belief.

                                                - Garrett Hodges

Easter is the commencement of a celebration of hope and new life.                                     - Meredith Killam

Easter is a time of joy, praise, repentance and rebirth.

                                                - Roy Hornsby

Easter is when Jesus died and came back to life.

                                    - Anna Johnson, 4th grade

Easter is a blessed reminder that ALL is well….we are victorious even in death!      - Dr. James Pleitz

I look forward to seeing you as we gather on Easter Sunday for worship and Bible study.

Giving a Grand Welcome

Luke 19:28-40

(sermon outline for Sunday April 5)

Believers have an opportunity to extend a grand welcome to those who are inquiring about Jesus.

• The crowd extended a royal welcome to Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.

• You have an opportunity to welcome Jesus into the center of your life.

• As believers, we can offer gracious hospitality to those who are not yet followers of Jesus.

Some folks make you feel at home. Others make you wish you were.                        Arnold H. Glasow.

• A growing faith promotes consistency in our praise and in our welcome.

This week your life will intersect with countless friends and strangers.  As you extend gracious hospitality and a grand welcome for others to join you in the journey, you may be surprised at who will begin following.

Practicing the Spiritual Disciplines

For the past thirteen weeks in Bible study and worship, we have focused on twelve spiritual disciplines that have helped Christians grow and become more effective followers of Jesus since the advent of the Christian era.  Are these disciplines relevant for living the Christian life in the 21^st century? Unquestionably! I cannot imagine how someone could live the Christian life without adopting a majority of these disciplines:

• Meditation: Finding a quiet solitary place to listen for God’s voice. (Philippians 2:1-11)
• Prayer: Engaging in honest, ongoing conversation with God. (Luke 11:1)
• Fasting: Voluntarily abstaining from a normal function, such as eating, for the sake of intense spiritual inquiry or transformation. (Matthew 6:16-18)
• Study: Growing and maturing  through “the renewing of your mind” so that you can discover and experience God’s direction for your life. (Romans 12:1-2)
• Simplicity:  Noticing and embracing the simple gifts in life and honoring God with your attitude and your actions. (Luke 12:15)
• Stewardship: Honoring God in the way you manage all of the resources and responsibilities placed in your care. (Malachi 3: 6-12)
• Submission: Becoming a good and faithful follower of those who lead us, so that we truly work toward the common good. (Mark 8:34-35)
• Service: Using our best spiritual gifts and personal passions to serve God by serving others, especially the “least of these” in our community. (Matthew 20: 25-28)
• Confession:  Regularly admitting our sin and our need for God in order to experience forgiveness, healing, and growth. (I John 1:8-9   )
• Worship: Gathering with the community of faith to celebrate and respond to the initiatives of God in our life and in our world. (John 4:19-26)
• Guidance: Discovering the leadership of the Spirit corporately and individually. (Acts 15:22-35)
• Celebration: Festively engaging in praise and thanksgiving for God’s grace and for God’s good gifts. (John 15:9-11, Philippians 4:4)

As we continue to practice these spiritual disciplines, we begin a new series this Sunday called “Celebrating Life: Learning to Live Life God’s Way.” Join us for worship and Bible study this Palm Sunday as we talk about “Giving a Grand Welcome.”

On Sunday evening, you are invited to Pleitz Chapel where  we will share in a Holy Week Communion.  The Lord’s Supper will be celebrated in two sessions:  5:00-5:30 and 6:00-6:30.  Come as you are and bring the whole family to one of these opportunities.