Bethany Baptist Church

Service opened with the song “Tell It to Jesus” and a devotion titled “The Disciples” from John 13:34-35.

In Leviticus 19:18, God told the Israelites to love their neighbors. Who is your neighbor? Everyone with whom you come in contact is your neighbor.

God sent his Son for everyone to be saved. Love in the church will keep the church strong and help bring in new people. We must love people as Jesus does. Only through love can people see that you are a child of God. Without love, we will not be good witnesses for the cause of Jesus Christ.

After Sunday School, we sang “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” “All Alone” and “Heaven Is Nearer Since Mother Is There.” We honored our mothers through Barbara Miller’s scripture reading from Proverbs 31. Lori K., Barbara A. and Barbara then passed out a carnation and a small gift to all the mothers present.

Bro. Aubry also read scripture from Proverbs 31. After a prayer, he brought the Mother’s Day message, “Who Can Find a Virtuous Woman?” This scripture describes a caring, loving woman who really loves and cares for the needs of her family. Whether or not we have had a virtuous mother, it is our responsibility to care for our families and the lost persons of the world. Each lost person in the world needs the gospel message and to come to the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, we have examples of four mothers:

(1) In Luke 2:18-19, we find an attentive mother, Mary the mother of Jesus. Like us, Mary was a sinner, and she is not to be worshipped. She was a blessed woman, but not more important than other mothers. God chose her to be the mother of his only begotten son, Jesus.

Verse 19 shows us that Mary was a very attentive and loving mother. In Luke 2:41-51 is recorded the account of Jesus staying behind after the Passover, listening at the feet of the teachers and asking questions of them. After three days, his parents found him and they rebuked him. Mary and Joseph knew who Jesus was, and asked them if they did not know that he must “be about his Father’s business.”

Mary kept all these sayings in her heart. She knew Jesus came into the world to be the Savior of the world. At the wedding feast, when the host ran out of wine, Mary knew Jesus could provide. She was also at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified.

(2) In Matthew 20:20, 23 and 27, we find the ambitious mother: the mother of Zebedee’s children, James and John. She came to Jesus asking that in heaven her two sons would sit beside God—one on the left side, and the other on the right side. Jesus then asked the sons if they were able to suffer as he would suffer.

The mother asked on behalf of her sons for the favor. She thought her sons deserved to be in first place. Those who want to be first should start by serving.

We all want the best for our children. James and John turned out to be great servants of God. James was the first martyr, and John wrote the Gospel of John and the books 1, 2 and 3 John.

(3) The articulate mother is found in 2 Timothy 1:5. This verse mentions the mother and grandmother who wanted Timothy to know about Jesus and taught him the Scriptures.

When and where should a child first hear the Bible stories? They should learn from their mothers and fathers. They should be taken to church and Sunday School on the Lord’s day, the first day of the week. Where should children be on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night? They should be in church. We should diligently teach the Word of God to our children.

(4) The adoptive mother is mentioned in Romans 16:13. In this verse, Paul is handing out compliments to the people of Rome. The mother of Rufus was not the mother of Paul, but she was like an adoptive mother to him. The many things we should do for our mothers are not written in the Bible, but it is our duty to love our mothers in both word and deed.

We closed with a prayer and the song “My Faith Looks Up To Thee.”

The ladies auxiliary and men’s meetings were held in the afternoon; afterward, the evening service began with the song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” followed by our business meeting.

Bro. Aubry brought the message “How We Should Pray” from Luke 18:1-8.

The Bible is plain about the necessity of prayer because it is communication with God. God expects us to ask for our needs, whatever they might be. Colossians 4:2 says that if you ask God for something according to his will, go ahead and thank him for it. Don’t pray expecting nothing (Ephesians 6:18). The end thereof is near. Don’t fret; pray (1 Peter 4:7).

In 1 Chronicles 7:14, God says that if we will humble ourselves and pray, he will forgive our sins and heal our land. The people who are saved in America need to pray for our leaders and our government. Things are bad, and will only get worse except for the intervening of God.

2 Chronicles 19:6 gives an example of why the job of the judges is so important in the eyes of God. The widow in the parable of Luke 18:1-8 had a legitimate reason to appeal to the judge. She did not quit asking for her need to be met. When we have a need, we should keep asking, just as the widow in this parable did. The judge, unlike God, gave in because he was tired of the woman asking every day. God will avenge us and meet our needs, whether it is for a lost person to be saved or for some other need.

As the mother and father hear the pleas of their children, so God the Father of the saved hears the prayers of his children (Galatians 4:6-7). Will God’s people show their faith with their continual praying? Don’t quit; there is a real need for our church, the lost and each other.

We closed with a prayer. Our prayer list includes: our church, Bro. Aubry, Shirley, Grace, Billie, Jackie, Debbie, Frankie, Jeanette, J.C., missions and missionaries, Lisa R., Vikii, Helen, Glenda, R. Allen D., Mary K., Chris K., VBS, Colyn, Bro. Hubert and many more, but most of all those who are lost and in need of a Savior.

Submitted by Jane Vines

Calvary Independent Baptist Church

We want to thank everyone who attended services last week.

Sunday morning’s service included a message from Proverbs 31 on the value of a mother. We hope you made an extra effort in doing something special to remember your mother on Mother’s Day.

Mothers are very special and deserve praise for all the good they have done in and through their children’s lives. They are a valuable asset, not only to their own family, but also for the kingdom of God.

Paul recognized the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, and he believed the same faith was instilled in Timothy as well. The world could really use a lot more of these godly mothers and grandmothers today, impacting the lives of people around them for the glory and purpose of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you are a mother, we hope you had a blessed and wonderful Mother’s Day.

Sunday night’s service included a continued study through the book of Acts. We looked at Acts 20:7-27, which illustrates how dozing and declining can lead to spiritual death, and one actually falling out of church service.

We also looked at how Paul was a witness for Christ, was a walking testimony and how he continued in the work God had called him to do. A dispensation of the gospel was committed unto him. Can you imagine trying to operate a church today under the gospel of the kingdom and not having the 13 epistles written to the church the body of Christ? Without them, there would be little to no chance of understanding future events.

Paul ran his race and did what he was called to do to fulfill the Word of God so we could have that completed written revelation today. Likewise, we who are saved are called for a purpose, and we have a race that is set before us. We need to be about our Father’s business. We need to be that witness for Jesus Christ, having a testimony seen through our walk and doing the work we are called to do.

We hope you are saved and serving the Lord in fellowship with a church near you. If not, and you are in or near Clanton and looking for a church, or just want to visit with us, we would love to see you this Sunday at Calvary.

For services and events, check us out on Facebook, Twitter or visit our website at www.cibc-clanton.com.

Submitted by Oscar Mims