Cedar Grove Baptist Church

Announcements: The evening service Christmas program is scheduled for Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. with finger foods to follow.

Prayer concerns: Our pastors, our church family, those in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as spoken and unspoken requests.

Pastor Jeff Carroll’s text came from John 13: 1-17 and was titled “Feet Washing Service”.

Near death experiences are where you think this is it. Jesus knew his hour had come for departure from this world to the heavenly father. Jesus’ love for us is until the end. He will always be with us, and he will never leave us.

Christians that are trying to live for God will never be left alone by the devil. He will always be trying to take us away from God. People that are holding back their heart from God in church by giving lip service will become what they really are, an adulterer, thief etc. for listening to the devil.

If a person’s heart is right with God, they will not listen to Satan when he tempts them to sin against God. If your heart is right with God, you will not disobey God. If we are in good standing with God, everything else will line up into place.

Most people do not know who they are, what they are doing, or where they are going. We are living in a confused world. It does not matter how successful you are if you do not know Jesus.

Depend on God and not the government to take care of us. In order to have a part with God you have to play by his rules. His playbook is the Bible, and we must all be sure to be on his team.

If you want to have a part with God, go in whole heartedly, and you will never be a failure again. Jesus wants to clean you up and get all the dirtiness off so that you can represent Christ as a child of God. Make something good of yourself and your life.

This is where the foot washing service comes in. Jesus began to wash the feet of the disciples, but Peter said to him you shall never wash my feet. “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me,” Jesus answered.

Peter said to him, Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. “If I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given an example that you should do as I have done to you,” Jesus responded.

We need and should be a servant for one another. In closing, the greatest reason for unhappiness is because people are unwilling to help others. The biggest lesson we need to learn is to serve others without expecting anything in return. Love to all and God bless!

Mt. Carmel No. 1 Baptist Church

As you turn the page on your calendar did you say, as we did, “I can’t believe this year is almost gone?” This is just another thing that we have for which to be thankful. God has allowed us to live and enjoy another day that he has given us.

With the Thanksgiving season behind us, we are now looking forward to the time we have set aside to celebrate the greatest gift of all, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice and keep this time sacred and celebrate it in a way that will be honoring to our Lord.

Our Sunday morning services started with Libby Warren playing “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” for our penny march.

Our special music was presented by Jim Hayes who sang “God on the Mountain” and Kaitlyn Burnett signed “Because He Lives”. The feeling that she puts into her signing is amazing. It really brings the meaning of each word of each song alive.

Bro. Travis Burnett brought our message from Daniel 1:1-21, as he spoke on ‘Being Bold’. Looking at this event in Daniel’s life, we can find a great example of the kind of faith that we must have as we travel our daily walk that will enable us to stand boldly for God.

There may be times in our lives that people try to overpower us and brainwash us into forgetting our Christian upbringing and heritage. It pleases the Devil when Christian traditions are destroyed and worldly ways prevail. As Daniel faced this trying time of his life, he held on and continued to follow the ways of the true God. His strength, as well as ours today, was from God.

As a child of God, all the powers of hell cannot take away the royal bloodline that we have inherited. Things that the world offers can distort our judgment and cause us to falter. Standing for what is right sometimes requires us to wait on God as we hold on to the knowledge that God will provide the help and strength we need.

Sunday evening, Kaitlyn presented another inspired signing to “In Christ Alone”. Following her song, Bro. Travis continued his message from Daniel about how Daniel’s decision was being bold.

Daniel had a desire to please God rather than man. As Christians, this should be our desire no matter what is going on around us. It should be a desire so great that we reject the things that appear in the world’s eye to be the best. In doing so, you may be rejected and mocked by others.

You may feel that you are standing alone against the world, but remember that God is with you. We will struggle with earthly desires all the days of our life, and it does not matter how old God allows us to be, the struggle will still be there.

Every time we allow a worldly desire to win, our Godly desire becomes weaker. That is why it is so important to stay strong and rooted in God’s word and his way. The reward is surely worth our holding on and staying true to God and his way.

Upcoming events include children’s play practice Saturday at 4 p.m., while the practice on Saturday Dec. 12 will begin at 10:30 a.m. and followed by lunch for everyone that is in the play and going caroling afterward. Children’s play practice on Saturday, Dec.19 is set for 4 p.m. Adult choir practice will follow Sunday evening service.

On our prayer list for this week we ask that you especially remember Grant Franklin. At the time of this writing, he is in a children’s hospital so please remember him and his family. Also on our prayer list are Mary Dean Higgins, Pat Hayes, Phyllis Cofer, Richard Sexton, Janice Robinson, Jacob Jones, Minnie Childress, Ruthie Jean Giles, Mary Maudlin, Elladene Mims, Leona Liveoak, Juanita Childress, Gladys Franklin and Hilda Cary.