Preparation for Sunday - January 31, 2021 - "On The Journey: Conflict is Inevitable"

Someone has said, "To live with saints above, now that will be glory, but to live with saints below, well, that's a different story."

It doesn't take long for a person to discover that in every relationship of life there will be conflict.  As we follow Abram in his journey, we have seen God send a trial his way with a famine.  Now Abram discovers life will have conflicts.

How do we handle that conflict?  I believe Abram provides us a model for how a believer should handle conflict.  

Join us this Sunday, January 31, at Rainsville First Baptist Church in either of our morning worship services at 8:45 or 10:15 as we look at the continuing journey of Abram in Genesis 13.  If you can't join us in person, join us online live at 8:45 at rfbc.sermon.net or on Facebook at Rainsville First.  These sights will also have the archive of the service later.

(For Pastors)...Why Some Pastors are Loners . . . and Why That’s Not Good by Chuck Lawless

 Why Some of Us are Loners

1. Some of us are naturally introverts. In fact, I’m convinced many pastors are introverts, but we’ve learned how to manage the public responsibilities of shepherding a church. If we don’t have our alone time, however, we’d never rejuvenate.
2. Some have been hurt in the past. It doesn’t take many experiences of sharing ministry with others, becoming best friends with your staff, opening up to members . . . and then getting wounded . . . before you become a loner out of self-protection.
3. It’s easier to do ministry alone. It takes less time to make a visit if I go by myself. Lunch takes less time if it’s not connected to hanging out with another believer. It feels like we can accomplish more if we do it all ourselves. 
4. It’s risky to be vulnerable. If I never invite others into my life, I never need to talk about my fears, my weaknesses, my failures. Nobody learns that I sometimes struggle.
5. It’s the only model we know. Few of us had someone pour into our lives when we were young pastors. We’ve learned the lessons of ministry the hard way – by ourselves – and we’ve learned how to survive on our own.

Why that Pattern’s Not Good

1. It misses the point that God created us to be with others. When God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” He was not talking about a consequence of the fall. He spoke prior to the fall – showing He created us to be in relationship with others. 
2. It misses the way Jesus did ministry. Jesus knew how to balance His time with the Father and with others. He prayed often, preached to the hundreds and fed the thousands–all while also patiently investing in a few men.
3. It’s dangerous. Let’s be honest: we often make our dumbest decisions when we’re alone. I’ve met very few leaders who fell when they were sharing life and ministry with others.
4. It can be self-centered. It sounds odd to say my desire to work alone can be self-centered, but it can be. It’s my space. My plans. My ministry. Meanwhile, I share little with others who might long to learn beside their pastor.
5. It’s not good leadership. Most of us know this truth intellectually, but we don’t practically live it out. If my departure from a church leaves a hole because I built the work around me, I’ve not been the best leader. 

Preparation for this Sunday, January 24, 2021

 

The life of Abraham is a mirror to all of us who are seeking to follow the Lord.  He calls, we follow, we begin to walk with Him and then times of testing come.

God will always use times of testing to strengthen our relationship and dependence on Him.

Yet, like us, Abraham had to learn how to handle these "rough roads" in his journey and sometimes he failed.

This Sunday we will examine when a famine hit the new land where he finds himself.  He went there by the leadership of God, but now things turn sour.  What do you do?

Here are five truths about testing:

1.  God sometimes will give the test and then give you the answer.

2. God's testing procedures are always proportionate to where you are with Him.

Jeremiah 12:5 "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?"

3. God's testing results in a more committed faith.

Your faith is only as strong as your next trial.

4. God's testing reveals weaknesses, sins, and impurities.

5. God's testing results deeping of our obedience and love.

Deuteronomy 13:3 "For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

Join us in person at Rainsville First Baptist Church this Sunday at either 8:45 or 10:15 or online at rfbc.sermon.net or on Facebook at Rainsville First.

Preparation for this Sunday (January 17, 2021)

 

It is popular today to have a "Life Coach." According to the Oxford Dictionary, a life coach is "a person who counsels and encourages clients on matters having to do with careers or personal challenges."

This is a relatively new career, or at least with that name.  The profession is being called that because of our society's attraction to sports and a "coach" is a more acceptable term than "counselor."  It doesn't carry the baggage that the counselor does.

But it is a counselor wrapped in modern terminology.  The purpose is the same...a fellow person who is further along in life's experiences or education that comes alongside of you to help you with decisions involving career, relationships, finances, etc.  This "coach" is to position you with your purpose, setting forth a plan, and providing avenues where you can find resources.

There is nothing wrong with having a "Life Coach." But if you are looking, let me suggest to you "The Ultimate Life Coach."  First of all, Jesus is Life.  That's a good place to begin.  And second, He is the ultimate one to help you determine purpose, develop a plan, and provide resources.  

This Sunday, January 17, 2021, as we gather for worship we will continue to look at the beginning of Abraham's spiritual life and see how God became "The Ultimate Life Coach."  Join us in person at Rainsville First Baptist Church at either 8:45 or 10:15 or online at rfbc.sermon.net or on Facebook Live at Rainsville First.

Why Is There Only One Way To Heaven? by Tim Challies

 

It is an audacious claim of the Christian faith that there is only one way to heaven. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” we believe. Not most, not some, but all. Since all of us have sinned, all of us are lost and in need of saving. And this saving we so badly need can come from only one Savior since “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Thus, we believe, there is only one way to be saved, only one way to heaven—Jesus Christ who is “the way, the truth, and the life.” No one comes to relationship with God, no one comes into the presence of God, no one gets to heaven, except through faith in Jesus Christ.

But why? Why is there only one way to heaven? The answer is far simpler than we may think. Far more logical, too. There is only one way into heaven because there is only one way out of heaven.

The fact is, in essence, there is only one kind of person on this earth. While in some regards humanity is a stunning display of diversity, there is something that unites us, something that is essentially the same: We are all descendants of one man. This first man Adam was our representative. He stood before God as the head of the human race and was able to choose whether we would be at peace with God or at war, whether we would submit to God or rebel against his rule. He chose war. He chose rebellion. And he made this choice not only on his own behalf, but on behalf of all who would follow in his line. He was, after all, our head, our representative. When he went to war, we went to war.

And so, since Adam, there has only been one kind of person. Each of us has been born in that state of rebellion, with a sinful nature that is inherited from our birth parents and, ultimately, from our first parents. Those who were born thousands of years in the past and those who were born moments ago are the same in that regard. Those who were born in the metropolises of North America and those who were born on the distant islands of the Pacific are alike. All are born under the dominion of sin, with a nature inclined toward sin, with a desire to commit sin, and, therefore, with hands, feet, minds, and mouths that actually do sin. As the psalmist says so bluntly,

None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.

Not even one. Not you, not me, not him, not she.

Yet it is on the heels of this bad news that we find such good news. Because we are all in the same condition, we all need the same salvation. Because damnation came through one representative, salvation can come through a second. And sure enough, just as all fell in Adam, all can be made alive in Jesus. Just as Adam stood before God and was rebellious on our behalf, Jesus stood before God and was obedient on our behalf. In this way we fall and stand on our sameness. The one road that leads us away from God is paralleled by the one road that leads us back to him.

Ultimately, there is only one way into relationship with God because there is only one way out of relationship with God—sin. There is only one way to heaven because there’s only one way to hell—rebellion. There is only one way to be saved because there is only one kind of person who needs to be saved—sinful rebels like you and me. The only path to heaven leads through the only Savior, Jesus Christ.

This Sunday: New Series of Sermons on "Abraham: The Greatest Man of Faith"

 

As a Pastor, I believe the best way to grow the church is through book-by-book exposition of the Word of God.  I alternate every five-to-six months between the major series that I am doing on Sunday morning.  I am currently alternating between Genesis and The Gospel of Luke.

This Sunday, I am beginning a series through the life of Abraham entitled "Abraham: The Greatest Man of Faith."

Why would I say that?  There is no religious person that is more admired and revered by religious people in all the world than Abraham.  He is the greatest man in the Old Testament and the second greatest man in the Bible for Christians.  Among Jews, he is the most revered man as he is viewed as the founder of their faith.  Even in Islam, there are 188 references to Abraham in the Koran.

This week (and year) has been a deeply troubling one for Americans and where we are headed can quickly cause even a sane person to deeply troubled if you permit yourself.  But the future has always been uncertain - who ever saw COVID? the riots of 2020? the election turmoil? The Capitol building overrun?

But uncertainty was the way of life for Abraham.  What can we learn from this great man of faith about living in uncertain days?  This Sunday we will open our Bibles to Genesis 11: 26 through 12:9 and deal with "The Journey Into the Unknown Begins With Certainty."  I hope you will join us at 8:45 or 10:15 or online at 8:45 at rfbc.sermon.net or on Facebook at Rainsville First.  Let me remind you, Facebook is not always liable, but the rfbc.sermon.net site is.

Quotes from Priscilla Shirer from "Passion 2021"

Brian Dodd wrote a blog on December 31, 2020 from Passion 2021 giving us 12 quotes from Priscilla Shirer.  She was speaking on "Abiding in Jesus." What a wonderful preacher she is and I hope you inhale these quotes fully:

1. “Without an ongoing, effervescent nourishment coming up inside of you, you will not have the nourishment you require.”
2. “We need something on the inside of us that does not require external circumstances to keep us steady and strong.”
3. “John used ‘Abide’ 40 times in his gospel and 27 times in I, II, and III John.”
4. “The strength of your life will be determined by how long you choose to remain.”
5. “Abiding is about deepening your friendship with Him. Are you deepening your friendship with Him?”
6. “Do you take time to talk, lean in, and listen to the voice of God and be obedient to what He says.”
7. “Make your friendship with Jesus the priority of your life.”
8. “The minute we get away from the fundamentals can’t sustain our success over the long haul.”
9. “Our overriding ambition must be to please Christ and Christ alone and abide in Him and have a relationship with Him.”
10. “Lord help us if the relationship with Jesus becomes a business, it’s what we do and not who we are.”
11. “Rest in Me. That is your job.”
12. “Never let the pursuit of ministry override the fundamental need for a relationship with Jesus.”

Quotes of Matt Chandler from "Passion 2021"

Brian Dodd wrote a blog on December 31, 2020 from Passion 2021 giving these quotes from Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor of The Village Church. He was speaking on the "Love of God." 

1. “As a 46-year-old I want to finish you well and cheer you on.”
2. “What you’re going to need is the love of God and power of God.”
3. “You’ve got this word (love) that’s been emptied of its meaning.”
4. “Love is made visible in the sending of Jesus Christ, the Son of God to live among us.”
5. “God is love. The nature of who God is is love.”
6. “The Holy Spirit is always cheering on Jesus.”
7. “You might have an OK life outside of Jesus but you’ll never live.”
8. “Life is more than breathing and eating.”
9. “All common grace pleasures are there to point to a greater reality.”
10. “If you want to see love, look to Jesus.”
11. “You cannot rightly define love by looking at humanity alone.”
12. “All of us have been tainted by sin.”
13. “The love of Christ is an initiating love that comes towards us.”
14. “In our day and age, love and wrath can’t comingle…. When you can’t define a word, you’re left with slogans.”
15. “If you assault God’s wrath you also assault God’s love.”
16. “Because God is so loving He is wrath.”
17. “God hates sin and hates the sinner.”
18. “God is so loving that sin boils His wrath and His rage.”
19. “God hates sin and He hates sinners because they destroy the beauty of His name.”
20. “Love, despite that, initiates and moves toward us.”
21. “God is love. He has wrath.  He’s not wrath who is loving.”
22. “If you’re self-condemning that is not of God. That is demonic.”
23. “Do not tease out the wrath of God from the love of God. You will cost yourself worship.”
24. “Don’t believe the hype, the church of Jesus Christ is not in any kind of danger.”
25. “We should be actively seeking and save the lost.”
26. “The first way to live out the love of God is passionate prayer.”
27. “How are the heavens moved through the prayers of the people of God?”
28. “Boring preachers should get benched.”
29. “You won’t evangelize until you pray.”
30. “Prayer is the hard work of the saints.”
31. “If you do anything in 2021 learn to contend in prayer and you will rock the world for Jesus Christ.”
32. “God loves you friend. You only have to look at the cross and the reality of hell.”
33. “It is the love of God that confronts sin in your life.”
34. “Sin will grow up and devour you…. When it gets of age it will destroy you.”
35. “I pray we become a generation of ferocious prayer warriors.”

From the Shepherd's Heart...January 3, 2021...My spiritual journey in 2020

 

I want to look at 2020 through the spiritual prism of my own experience hoping this might help someone.

When the shutdown began in March lasting through May, I was initially thinking this was going to be a great spiritual boost for me because I often take time away to pray, read and seek the Lord.  So what could be better than having that extended time?  But it turned out to be a "dud." It was not a spiritual boast, but a spiritual downtime.  There were no gatherings of God's people in worship and a spiritual burden that I carried for people who were having to miss these worship gatherings.

But just like God, when things changed in my spiritual walk in 2020 came totally unexpected.  Like the wind that comes without warning, so the Spirit came in freshness without warning. It happened in May when we started regathering.  Due to needing to maximize the seating in our Auditorium, we added seating on the platform and I chose to sit there so not to take away a seat on the main floor.  You see, I have not sat on the platform as a pastor during the music portion of the service in over 20 years since God had done a fresh work in my life concerning worship.  I did not want to be a distraction to others and I didn't want others to be a distraction to me.

So, I had to make a decision immediately on that first Sunday back in May...would I continue to worship without reservations like I had on the front pew for years or would I permit pride to keep me reserved.  Well, I had no choice - God is worthy no matter where I am or what is going on.  And God showed up so fresh in my life that literally lasted for six months.

Until..COVID.  I started preaching on healing in November and on Wednesday, December 2 I preached about "The Current Healing Ministry of Jesus."  Then the following night, the fever, body aches, and cough hit.  For 14 days I was in quarantine.  This was not a good time emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually.  After quarantine, I improved but knew I was still not "myself" emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually.  

Then just like in May, the Holy Spirit showed up without warning and restored all that COVID took.  And let me be very clear....I firmly, without hesitation, blame Satan for COVID on me.  I don't about you, but I believe it was because of what I was preaching on healing.  So, Satan I hate you worse than I ever have.  And I want more of Jesus and the Spirit than I ever have.  I don't want years to be known for wars, presidents, or pandemics.  I want them to be known for what God did in my life.  2020 has been a great year and 2021 will be even greater because as I said last Sunday in my sermon, "There are no reruns with the Holy Spirit.  Everything is fresh."  

From the Shepherd's Heart...January 2, 2020 - Preparing for Worship tomorrow

 

Our mission statement as a church is "Glorifying God by transforming lives through the Gospel and Discipleship."  God is greatly glorified through lives transformed into His likeness which leads us, as a church, to have as an ultimate goal every believer to be on mission and in ministry.

Interwoven into all we do is for Jesus to been seen in us and through us.  What if Jesus came to Rainsville to live, work, shop, and worship?  Well, He has through you and me.  

What does it look like for Jesus to be a husband? wife? child? chef? production line worker? 23-year-old single man? 

Tomorrow as we gather for corporate worship, we will look at this over-arching mission of the church and our Lord - for Christ to be revealed in us and through us.  This is the single purpose of Christ - to be conformed to His image.  This is predestination - Romans 8: 28-30.

Join us in person as we will be on our holiday schedule of only one worship service at 10:15 (and no Sunday School). Or join us online at rfbc.sermon.net or on Facebook at Rainsville First.