Mars Hill Baptist Church

Sunday was a great day to be in the Lord’s house! Though some were missing, we had a great crowd to worship and praise our Savior Jesus Christ.

Special recognition for those fallen in the line of duty was observed this Memorial Day weekend. A very special solo by Vanessa Wheeler, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was beautiful and left us in tears. We love our country and our flag, our veterans, those currently serving in our military, and especially those who gave all for our freedom.

What does freedom mean to you? Do you give any thought to what it takes for our nation to live in relative peace, not fearing bombs going off in the cities and towns where we live? It takes a powerful, loving God with his hand upon us. We cannot turn our backs on God; he is the peace-giver. Amen.

Bro. William Short’s message this week was taken from Psalms 103:1-5: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”

Psalms 103:8-10: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will he keep his anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.”

Psalms 103:11-12: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

These are wonderful promises of mercy, loving kindness and forgiveness of sins—but God will not strive with us forever. We cannot turn our backs on him and expect his tender mercies to remain with us. He has yet to deal with the sins of this nation. He cannot bless sin.

We lie to God, cheat him and steal from him; yet we still expect his blessings upon us. There will be a payday, friends. Turn back to God now.

As our military fights for our freedom, we Christians are called to be soldiers of the cross. We are to fight for the cause of Christ and spiritual freedom. Just as we love the freedom to come and go, to say and do what we please, we desperately need the freedom to worship our Lord in spirit and truth.

Every day we see these things being trampled on, just as some trample our beloved flag. How much more so should we fight for the cause of Christ? Our very souls depend upon our belief in Jesus Christ as the one and only Son of the living God. We cannot allow this spiritual freedom to be taken away. We are failing God as soldiers.

Many people stay home instead of attending church. The church is a hospital for sinners, of which I am chief. There is nothing good about me but Jesus. Hebrews 10:25 says this: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.”

What day is Paul referring to in this passage? He’s talking about the coming day of the Lord, when Jesus returns to earth. No, going to church won’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage will make you a car; it’s what you have inside that counts. But going to church and being with other like-minded people will give you encouragement to keep up the fight, and no matter how smart you think you are, there is always something to be learned from the “foolishness of preaching.”

People, God loves you, and he wants only the best for you. He will forgive your sins if you ask him to. He will scatter them as far as the east is to the west and never remember them again. Why would you not want his love, mercy and kindness, and to live forever with him in heaven? Don’t turn away from God; instead, run to him! Amen.

Announcements:

VBS will be held June 7-11. We have classes for everyone from babies to adults. Come and find out about Jesus in our “Journey off the Map.”

The WMU Care Net Baby Bottle Campaign is currently underway. This program provides much needed funds for the ministry to continue, so please give as God leads you.

The WMU is also giving a pounding for a member of our community whose home was lost in a fire. We will collect items through the first week of June. Anything is appreciated.

Please continue to pray for our church, our pastor and family, the sick, the lost, the hurting, our children, our schools, our military, our government, our missionaries at home and abroad. Please especially pray for the peace of Israel. God is good, all the time! Amen.

Submitted by Danny L.

Floyd Baptist Church

Bro. Mike Lawrence’s message was taken from Amos 8:11.

A famine is coming; not a famine of food, but of God’s Word. America has been blessed beyond measure compared to other countries, and we’ve been the envy of the world. Our nation was founded on God’s principles.

Some people come to church to be entertained instead of worshipping God. Some people chose not to tell others about Jesus, but we should carry the Word beyond the four walls of the church. To neglect to study the Bible is to starve the soul.

Our Fifth Sunday Singing will be held May 31 at 5 p.m. with specials by Randall Edwards. Everyone is invited.

 

Friendship Baptist Church

A special service was held for Memorial Day. Matthew Jones, who is serving in the Marine Corps, was home and able to be with us on Sunday.

Ty Moore sang “Hallelujah” while Matthew played the guitar.

Bro. Ken’s message for his sermon “Standing in the Gap” was taken from Ezekiel 22:30.

In the evening service, the message “Where Are You” was based on scripture from Genesis 3:8-10, 23-24.

Congratulations to Diane Varden, who has a new grandson. Zayre Pike was born May 22.

We were also pleased to meet Randall and Doris Wyatt’s new grandson Wyatt King.

Upcoming events:

May 30-June 5: Chilton Baptist mission trip to Ross Common, Michigan.

June 5-6: Men’s fishing trip.

June 6: Event to affirm traditional marriage will be held on the steps of the state capital. For more details, contact Rebecca Ford at (334) 530-9096.

June 8: VBS (theme is “Camp Discovery”).

June 28: Sweet Sunday Night, with ice cream and a movie, starts at 5 p.m.

July 20-24: Chilton Association Children’s Camp. Deadline to register is June 3.

Aug. 2-5: Revival with the Rev. Don Graham and Frank Jones.

Aug. 12-18: Medical Mission Trip to Guatemala.

Happy birthday to Janice Wyatt and Doris Wyatt.

Prayer requests: The family of Melissa Cole, Faye Honeycutt, Jennifer Watley and the Kelley family.