Rocky Mount UMC

“Do You Know My Jesus?” The words of that wonderful song resounded in my mind as Bro. Phil preached from Acts 1:15-26 on Sunday. The fact that Jesus revealed himself in person to the disciples allowed them to believe so much more than words or a vision or a ghost would have. That reveal made the difference in their lives and the power of the Resurrection put them on fire.

There is a great difference between “knowing” Jesus Christ and “knowing of” Jesus Christ. Religion alone won’t save you; it is merely a vessel by which we come to a relationship with Jesus. Put your faith in Jesus, as he is the only one who can get us through the day and through our lives. So many are searching for Jesus Christ and don’t even know it. Knowing him transforms us!

Sunday, Jan. 26 is the last Sunday of the month and is, therefore, casual Sunday at Rocky Mount. It is also known as “Blue Jean Day” and “Bring a Friend Day.” We encourage you to come join us and experience what we have to offer. We have a wonderful pastor, worship leader and minister. If you have only been listening to him on Thursday mornings, come see what he looks like! Come and give us the opportunity to meet you. Call and leave a message on the church phone at 688-2204 if you have any questions and Bro. Phil will get back with.

Bethany Baptist Church

We began morning services with a hymn, “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship,” led by Lori Knight. The devotion, “The Promise of His Coming,” from John 14:1-3 was given by Glenn.

Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and arose the third day as promised. Before ascending into heaven 40 days later, he gave the promise of his return to take the saved to heaven with him forever to love. Do we fully believe this and all the other promises of God?

After prayer and Sunday school, we sang “Did You Think to Pray,” “At the Cross,” “In the Sweet By and By” and “Rock of Ages.”

Bro. Aubry delivered the morning message from 2 Timothy 4:1-8. This was the last letter penned by the Apostle Paul before being beheaded. Although written to Timothy, a young preacher, this scripture is applicable to us today.

As in sports, every one of us wants to win at whatever we do. In the end zone of our life, can we say as Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

The entire Christian life is broken down into three parts: 1) Warfare: As believers, we are in a battle with the devil every day. He cannot get our soul, but we can lose rewards in heaven (1 Peter 5:8). 2) In our Christian walk, we must always try to please the Lord. Man isn’t our enemy; Satan just uses man for his purpose (Ephesians 6:12). Learn to forgive! Matthew 22:36-40 gives the greatest commandment: Love the Lord thy God! We need not fight our spiritual battles alone but by the power of God (Ephesians 6:10). Our weapons, except for the word of God and prayer, are all weapons of defense (Ephesians 6:11-18). We should get rid of anything in our lives that will hinder us from finishing our race well. 3) The word of God must be maintained in pure form. It should not be changed, and the primary goal of the church is to teach the Word to others. Share the faith (2 Corinthians 4:1-5).

Following a prayer, we sang “My Latest Sun Is Sinking Fast” and were dismissed in prayer until the evening.

Night services began with “Because He Lives.” Bro. Aubry’s message was titled “What is Righteousness? How Righteous Am I?” God is righteous, as seen in Psalms 116:5, 129:4, 145:17 and 119:7. He wants us to be righteous. God judges the righteous and is angry with the wicked (Psalm 11:7, 92:12, Proverbs 10:30, and 14:32). We have no righteousness of our own (Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:10). How do we get righteousness and go to heaven? We must turn to Christ in faith. We will never be sinless like Christ because we are human, but our goal in life as saved people is to be like Christ so others will want what we have, which is Jesus Christ. To see how righteous we are, we need to study God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

After prayer and a hymn, “Saved by the Blood,” we were dismissed until Wednesday.

Prayer list: Our church, Bro. Paul Armstrong and family, other missionaries, Bro. Aubry and Shirley, April Vickers, Elwyn and Grace, Billie and Jackie, Bro. Hubert, Jeanette, J.C. Collins, Glenda Wallace, Lori Knight, Glenn and Michelle Vines.