Bethany Baptist Church

We opened services with the hymn “Safely Through Another Week,” followed by a devotion titled “A Wholesome Tongue” from Proverbs 15:1-7. What we say is no more important as how we say it. Always think before you speak. Once our word is out of our mouth, it is like a bag of feathers blown by the wind and we can never retrieve them. Also how do we take what others have to say to us? When someone tries to correct us, do we get upset, or do we heed their instruction. God’s Word will correct us if we listen and it will lead us in the right path. People always remember the bad about us, rather than the good.

We sang, “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go’, “Thy Will Be Done,” “Peace Be Still” and “If You Only Knew Him.” Bro. Aubry then brought the announcements: Fifth Sunday fellowship after church next Sunday, June 29. There will be no evening services.

He then brought another message on the series “Can God?” with a sermon titled “Can God Really Save Your Soul?” In John 3, we have the account of a man named Nicodemus who could not understand how a man can be born again. To know how to be saved we only need to know John 3:16-17, which was the text.

We as saved people need to read and study the entire Bible. Man is a natural-born sinner. Our sin nature comes from Adam. We have the choice of being a lost sinner on the road to hell or a saved sinner on the way to heaven. If we do not accept Jesus Christ as our savior, we will die in our sins and be forever separated from God in an eternal burning place called hell.

Can God save us? In Genesis 3:15, God made a promise to provide a means of salvation, but before the foundation of the world, Jesus was. How does God bring us to salvation? He does it by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That is the only way a sinner can be saved. Everyone has a chance to be saved. When Jesus calls, we must be saved. We do not have the promise of another breath. When Jesus saves us, sin is forgiven. At the point of salvation, we become a child of God. When saved, we are delivered from sin and the penalty of sin. Revelation 21:27 tells us that once saved, we can never be lost again. If our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, we will have a home in heaven.

Some examples of the saving power of Jesus Christ are Saul of Tarsus, Nicodemus, blind Bartimaeus and the dying thief.

“Only Trust Him” was our last hymn followed by a prayer.

Evening service began with “It Is Well with My Soul,” then the message titled “Can God Save Forever?” As with a parent’s relationship to their children, so is the relationship of God the Father to his children, those who are saved. The proof is in God’s Word. The word saved has no meaning unless we are saved forever. To live fearing losing our salvation would be a very miserable life. Jesus saves! Only Jesus was the perfect Lamb (sacrifice) for our sin. He was the only man that was virgin-born with no earthly father. Our sin nature comes from our father Adam. Jesus died once for all.

We closed with the hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” and a prayer.

Mars Hill Baptist Church

John 6: 1-14: “After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed him because they saw his signs which he performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain and there he sat with his disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denari worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks he distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down, and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Bro. William Short’s message this week from John 6:1-14 taught us there is more to this scripture than the miracle of feeding five thousand (not counting the women and children that were most likely there) from five loaves of bread and two fish. It’s about finding Jesus and realizing who he really is. He’s not just a miracle worker healing the sick, blind and crippled. He is God Almighty—all man, yet all God. Have you found him? You may have found the perfect house, the perfect job, the perfect spouse, but none of these things are worth anything without Jesus.

Philip and Andrew, two of his own disciples who walked with him daily witnessing first hand all the miracles he performed, still did not understand completely who Jesus was until he fed the multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish, and then had twelve baskets of scraps left over. Only after this did they realize that Jesus truly was the One who was to come, the Savior of the world.

When Jesus asked Philip where to buy bread to feed the multitude, he already knew what he was going to do. In truth, he already knew what Philip’s response was going to be. Jesus already knows what’s going on in our life today. Yes, he already knows and already has the answer, if only we were faithful enough and prayerful enough to ask him. Truly, the answer to all questions can be found in the Bible, God’s holy word. Andrew graciously told Jesus about the young boy with the loaves of bread and two fish. He already knew it was not enough to feed the multitude. But friends, little is much in the hands of Jesus. He can take a sinner like you and me and save our poor souls, put us on the road to heaven, to life everlasting. You and I are nothing without Jesus. Yes, Jesus can take a little and do a lot; whereas, in our foolish human hands, we can’t take a lot and do a little. We fall for the silliest things when not rooted and grounded in the word of God. I ask you to fall for Jesus. He will catch you in his loving arms every time!

If there is nothing else to learn from this scripture, get hold of this: God will always meet your needs; it’s never too much for him. God sent his Son Jesus to die for us, to be our King. Other nations have kings who expect their people to die for them; yet we have a King that died for us. Praise his holy name!

Next Sunday, June 29, we will have baptism service. Come and be a part of this special time in the lives of new Christians. Sunday night at 5 p.m., we will have an ice cream supper. Just bring your freezer full of ice cream or bring cake, pie, cookies or whatever you want to bring and have a good time in the Lord. Please continue to pray for our church, our pastor, the sick, the lost, the hurting, our children, our schools, our government, and our troops. God is good, all the time! Amen.