This Lord's Day (September 1, 2024) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

This Sunday we will return to the Gospel of Luke as I have a purpose to preach through this gospel over an eight-to-nine-year period.  In fact, it was 2017 when I first started preaching through Luke and with great expectation I return to where we left off in late 2023.

This Sunday we will pick up in Luke 16.  Let's be reminded of what Dr. Luke is doing in this section of his gospel.

Luke 14 has given us the mandate of a disciple of Jesus...to follow Jesus completely and without reservation.

Luke 15 reveals the type of Father we have...one who receives sinners and rejoices over their salvation.

Luke 16 deals more intimately with following Jesus by speaking about the disciples' relationship with our money and material possessions.  All of the material in Luke 16 is unique to Luke except for verses 13-18.

It is interesting to note one-third of all the parables of Jesus deal with the relationship of his followers with money and their material possessions.

It is in the context of the love of money Jesus addresses the Pharisees in verses 14-18 and at the end of his talk, he mentions divorce. 

This caused me to think about the issue of marriage and divorce and I want to do a short series of messages on "Marriage:  The Gospel Reflected" beginning this Sunday.

This Lord's Day (August 25, 2024) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

I have planned and attempted to preach from Ezekiel 37: 1-14 twice this year (May and August) and both times the Spirit of God moved in the service in a different way.  Well, this week the Lord brought a new look at Ezekiel 37 and I want to share this message on Sunday, "God is Building An Army:  The Church."

Join us in person at 233 Church Avene in Rainsville, AL or online at rfbc.sermon.net.  

"Times of Spiritual Renewal" at Rainsville First Baptist Church August 18-20, 2024

This Sunday we begin "Times of Spiritual Renewal" here at Rainsville First Baptist Church.  Our schedule:

This Sunday, 10:15 AM and 6:30 PM

Monday and Tuesday: 6:30 PM nightly

We welcome Dr. Jeff LaBorg to our pulpit for these days of renewal.  Dr. LaBorg is Pastor of the Fairview Knox Church in Corryton, Tennessee since 2015.  The church has experienced record growth, baptisms, and in 2020 purchased over 80 acres for ministry and future relocation.

Just this year he completed his Ph.D. in Advanced Prophetics/Eschatology.  He has done post-graduate studies through Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and leads teaching tours to Israel.  He has earned four academic degrees from Liberty University, Liberty Theological Seminary, and Louisiana Baptist University.

He and his wife, Kristi, have two children and four granddaughters.

You are invited to join us in person at 223 Church Avenue, Rainsville, AL for these services or watch online at www.rfbc.sermon.net. 

This Lord's Day (August 11, 2024) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

The question of all questions is, can a person really change?  This sobering question is at the heart of Christianity because if the answer is no, then we have no gospel.  But we do have the good news that a person can become a new person and that the same person can continually change becoming more like Jesus.

So how?  Well, there is a pattern in the Word of God how God works to bring about change.  Ezekiel 37 will be our text of when God used the Word of God and the Spirit of God to bring dead bones to become a living strong army.

It is no different today.  God uses His Word and the Spirit coordinating with our obedient response to the Word and Spirit.  We will examine this wonderful truth this Sunday at Rainsville First Baptist Church in the 10:15 worship service.

Also, this Sunday Isaiah Craig will baptize his son, Zakobi.  We will hear another video of Dr. Jeff LaBorg preaching as we introduce him to our congregation in anticipation of his preaching on August 18-20 in four services.  Then at the close of the service, we will pray for all our college students.

This Lord's Day (August 4, 2024) at Rainsville First Baptist Church

I'm back from Sabbatical.  What an unusual experience for a pastor who is accustomed to being deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of the church and people's lives.  But God provided both physical and mental rest.  

I'm not sure how much I will continue to blog.  I have blogged three times a week for several months now.  I will continue to blog on the weekend about the Lord's Day at Rainsville First and I'll see in the coming days whatever I will do.

Tomorrow we gather for worship at Rainsville First Baptist Church.  Roxanne and I look forward to being back with the Rainsville First Family.  

I announced to the church in June I felt compelled to preach this message when I returned and I still do.  So tomorrow I will share "Leading Your Child to Christ."  This is not a new message. In fact, the first time I preached it at RFBC was August 16, 2015, and tomorrow will be the fifth time.  I believe it is that important.

This is the premise the Lord gave me several years ago.  If the parents are followers of Jesus Christ and He did not bypass them to bring their children into the world physically, then He doesn't want to bypass them to bring their children into their spiritual world.

God wants to use the parents to lead their children to Christ.  I look forward to sharing this message again.

Also tomorrow I will begin the "heavy" preparation for our 'Times of Spiritual Renewal" services coming up August 18-20 with Dr. Jeff LaBorg.  We will also pray over all our teachers, staff, bus drivers, coaches, lunchroom personnel and administrators as another school year begins.

On Wednesday, August 7 several of our members who have been on missions this summer will be sharing in the 6:00 service.  All the youth and adults will be meeting together in the Auditorium.

My Sabbitical July 1-31

The church I pastor has graciously given me a sabbatical for the month of July.  This is only the second sabbatical I have had in my 46 years of being a pastor.  It was with interest I heard Dr. Jeff Iorg's podcast last week on the issue of rest.  I have included the link to the podcast at the bottom if you want to hear it in its fullness.

But Dr. Iorg said there are "Models of Rest" in the Bible.  The first is the Sabbath day found in Genesis 2:2 when God rested on the seventh day.  He did not rest because He was tired, but rather to set an example and put into pattern the normality of resting every seven days.  These days are to be days to worship and reconnect with family.  But let me just suggest, that we don't observe a sabbath very well.  For most people, the "day of rest" is just another day to get done what we did not get done the other six days.

The second model found in the Old Testament was the feast weeks.  There were three feasts extending from one Sabbath to the next.  These eight days were set for the Jews to worship God and recalibrate their lives around who God was and what He had done.

Lastly, there was an entire year of rest granted for the land and for new married couples.

He summarizes with three main purposes of these rest periods God ordained.

1. Remind us God is our creator, provider, and sustainer.

2. Refocus our life on God and His presence in our life.  The focus of our life is not work, but God.

3. Rejunate us for work.  

As I begin this sabbatical on July 1, I will step away from blogging and social media in order to focus on God and rest.  I will admit, as a pastor, this is a bit scary.  As a pastor, there is never a time when my mind and my heart are not engaged with God's people and His work.  To take 31 days of disconnecting will be hard, but I believe it will be healthy and good.

Pray for Roxanne and me as we spend these days with God, each other, and family.

Here is the link to Dr. Iorg's podcast.

Blessings;

David

Young Man, Don’t Even Make that First Sports Bet by Tim Challies

 It’s impossible to avoid the advertising and impossible to miss the claims. Sports are great, they say, but do you know what makes them even better? Adding a little wager. Sports are exciting, they say, but even more exciting when you’ve got a bit of money riding on them. So why not enjoy them all the way? Just download our app and try it out. It’s easy. It’s harmless. And it’s so much fun.

In the past few years, sports betting has exploded into the mainstream. You can’t watch a game without seeing ads for it and, if you’re within their target audience, you can’t surf the web or visit an app store without seeing the banners. If you’re a man, and especially if you’re a young man, they’re after you. They want you. And they know you’re vulnerable.

But young man, I want to encourage you: Don’t consider it. Don’t do it. Don’t even make that first bet. I’m going to give you four reasons that betting is not only unwise but also sinful—four reasons that you should avoid it altogether.

First, betting is an expression of idolatry. We all understand what it is to have a discontented spirit and to want to have more than we do now. Yet God commands us to be content with what he has provided. And, even better, he also promises to provide all that we need. Ultimately, we are to be content in him, no matter what we have or don’t have. Betting is a sure sign of discontentment and proof that you have an idolatrous relationship with money—proof that you are looking to money to provide what God wants you to derive from your relationship with him. “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

Second, betting represents an illicit form of gain, not one that receives God’s blessing. God means for us to work to earn money, not to gamble for it. “He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty. A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:19-20). Betting is the ultimate form of “making haste to be rich” instead of laboring to have enough. God does not sanction gambling as a means of gaining wealth. He will not bless it.

Third, betting is a failure to love others. God calls us to love others and to always seek their good. Yet by definition, betting is a form of taking rather than giving. It is not the exchanging of goods or services for money, but the enriching of one person through the impoverishment of another. You can only win when somebody else loses. Hence, to win at betting may be a greater evil than to lose at it, for in losing at least you are only victimizing yourself. “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Betting is not loving, not just, and not merciful.

Fourth, betting is dangerous. All sin is progressive and all sin aims at the uttermost. The invitation to sin in a small and seemingly harmless way is actually an invitation to sin in the greatest and most substantial ways. Adultery begins with just a peek and murder begins with just an angry thought. In that vein, the invitation to make even a small bet is actually the invitation to theft, to addiction, and to financial catastrophe. “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent … For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors” (Proverbs 1:10, 17-19).

I don’t mean to deny the claims that betting makes sports more exciting. If you’ve ever participated in a really good fantasy league, you’ve probably experienced a kind of “enhancement” to sports that makes them all the more exciting. But what you need to know is that everything in this world is ultimately disappointing. The greatest thrills still fall short of what we long for. Hence, there will always be an element of disappointment or dissatisfaction. That’s true of sex, true of drugs, true of gambling, and true of everything else. You would almost think that God has purposely put dampers on even the greatest pleasures to help us understand that nothing in this world will ultimately satisfy our restless souls—and, of course, to cause us to look beyond this world. And should you win thousands or millions, even that thrill will soon fade and your heart will continue to be restless and discontent.

So, my friend, don’t listen to their lies. Don’t let them persuade you. Don’t make that first bet.

But if you are unpersuaded and choose to disregard me—if you go ahead and make that first bet—I have a hope for you. I hope that you’ll lose badly. Losing badly would be God’s grace in your life and his means of warning you away from much more dire consequences. As De Witt Talmage said a very long time ago, “The only man who gambles successfully is the man who loses so fearfully at the start that he is disgusted and quits. Let him win at the start, and win again, and it means farewell to home and heaven.”