Bethany Baptist Church

We celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We opened the service with the hymn “The First Lord’s Day,” and a devotion from Romans 10:13 titled “One Way, Jew or Gentile.”

There is only one way to look at this short verse. There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile when it comes to the plan of salvation. The Jews are God’s chosen people who were chosen to spread the gospel message to the world. They did not want to spread the message to the Gentiles who had not followed the law. They tried to blend the gospel and the law. Today, people try to do the same when they bring works into being saved or keeping saved. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Following a prayer and Sunday School, we sang “Blessed Redeemer,” “He Is Not Here, But Is Risen” and “Christ Arose,” along with two choir specials: “It Is Finished” and “We Shall See Jesus.”

Bro. Aubry welcomed visitors to our service, accepted prayer requests, and after prayer and the offering, be gave the message.

“He is not here, for he is risen” (Matthew 28:6-7). When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he was taken by some men to a tomb and was placed in it. After three days and nights in the tomb, on Sunday morning, some of the women who were at the crucifixion came to the grave to see where Jesus lay and anoint his body with spices. When they arrived, the stone had been rolled away from the opening, and they were surprised and frightened.

An angel told the women not to fear, for Jesus had risen, to come see the place where the Lord lay. He then told the women to go quickly and tell the disciples. There are four words in this text that sum up the message of Easter. These words are commands, not suggestions:

(1) Come: The women were coming to see a dead Jesus, but were told by the angel to come. Jesus, on the cross said, “It is finished,” meaning he paid the price for our sins. God offered to Adam and Eve when they sinned in the Garden of Eden the invitation to come to him for salvation. That is when they became spiritually dead.

In Genesis 3:15, God made the first promise of a savior coming into the world. God planned for the salvation of Noah’s family when he told them to get into the ark. God shut the door to the ark so no one could leave. When we are saved by Jesus, we are sealed forever, and cannot lose our salvation. Isaiah 55:1-3: “If you are lost and come to Jesus asking forgiveness for your sins, you will be saved.” Revelation 22:7: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’”

When we hear and accept the Word of God, we need to tell others how to be saved. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus tells us to come to him to be saved. We on our own can never learn to live a Christian life, but through Jesus Christ you can live one. The people of the Old Testament were saved through the blood of Jesus just as we are today. They looked forward to his coming, and we look back to his coming and dying on the cross.

(2) See: When we look at something, we may not always see what we are looking at. To see is to comprehend. There should come a time in our lives at which we see what Jesus has done for us.

(3) Go: That is what we as a church should do. Go tell the world that Jesus arose.

2 Peter 3:18 says that we should grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We need to pray. In John 14, we are told to ask anything in Jesus’ name and he would do it. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us we should meet together as a church, learn and go tell others what we have learned.

We should be good witnesses for Jesus and be careful what we do, because everything that we do is a reflection on Jesus.

(4) Tell: We should tell the lost where to find the bread of life. Tell them what Jesus did for us when he saved us. 1 Peter 3:15 says to satisfy the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to lovingly tell others the plan of salvation. Always tell the truth of God’s Word. There is only one truth, and everything else is false.

Come and see, go and tell!

We closed the service with a prayer and the hymn “The Nail Scarred Hand.”

Evening service opened with the song “Why,” and Bro. Aubry brought the message from Psalm 103 titled “God’s Greatest Benefit for His Children.”

A day like Sunday reminds us of all that we owe him and that praise is due him for what he has done for us. David wanted to praise God for all the times he was victorious. We need to remember the blessings we receive from God. We should praise God with our spirits and praise him willingly. One day the stones will cry out with praise to God.

Some of the benefits for which God is worthy of praise:

(1) The forgiveness of our sins: When we ask God to forgive us of our sins, they are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. God takes our sins away. In Ezekiel, we are told that we shall surely live. 1 John 1:7 says that even what we call little mistakes are sins against God. He heals us from the sin of the world. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tell us that once we accept Jesus, our sins are washed away.

(2) Freedom: We are made whole, spiritual and are bought (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

(3) God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We should be content with what we have because he will give us as saved people everything we need.

We closed the service with a hymn and a prayer.

The prayer list includes our church, Bro. Aubry, Shirley, Grace, Elwyn, Billie, Jackie, Debbie, Frankie, Jeanette and family, J.C., Vikii, Helen, Lisa, Jenny, Colyn, Sherry, Wayne, Glenda, R. Allen D., missions, missionaries, Journey in Calera, and most of all the unsaved.

Submitted by Jane Vines

Samaria Baptist Church

How blessed to be in the house of God for an awesome service commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.

Bobby Patterson blessed us with “Old Rugged Cross,” and Darrell and Ashlyn Willis sang “Oh Glorious Day.”

Our youth performed a drama illustrating the risen Lord. Ashley Shearon, Lauren Wyatt, Lindsey Popwell, Emily Parker and Jonathon Stoneback did a wonderful job with the Resurrection drama.

Prayer needs: Edna Hay, Mrs. Silas, Ell Campbell, Jennifer Whatley, Debbie D. Jones, Linda Dennis, and Barbara Collins. Please remember our military service members who are serving our country and those who serve in law enforcement.

Bro. Shane Wyatt brought a stirring message about how much the risen Savior loves us. Philippians 3:10-11, 1 Corinthians 15:7, Isaiah 64 and 1 John 3 were the scripture references for the message.

God changed the world forever when he brought Jesus to life and out of the borrowed tomb. The love of Jesus Christ for you and me came out of that tomb with him.

The only way that we can have victory over death, hell and the grave is through the blood of Jesus. He came to give and to forgive as he bore the sins of mankind on his body on a cruel cross at Calvary.

Our only hope is in Jesus Christ. There is no hope in our nation, our economy or our government to lift us out of the mess we are in today in America. We have hope with him, and no hope without him. Jesus will never change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent us a comforter—the Holy Spirit—to keep us close to him and provide comfort and direction as we serve and wait for his amazing return someday. We are able to walk in newness of life. We will arise in the likeness of Christ’s resurrection and go to live forever with him. Forgiveness and peace are only available from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Why did guards stand at the foot of Jesus’ burial place? To be assured that his body wasn’t stolen by His disciples. Nothing can hold back the power of God. No devil in hell can take away the strength that we have in him. Jesus overcame death and the grave, and in doing so gave us the gift of eternal life.

So the question to reflect upon today is not “Does Jesus love me” or “Will Jesus save me?” The choice is yours and mine to make. What will we do with this risen Savior? How exciting to serve a living God rather than worshiping a graven image or dead leader.

If we want victory over death, change in our lives, hope and salvation, we have to make the choice to claim the hope of Jesus Christ. Take the risen Savior with you as we celebrate his amazing day. This day is a gift for us.

God bless all who read this message today. Join us at Samaria, where Jesus is celebrated as Lord and King.

Submitted by Diane Fisher