Ed Stetzer on Tradition

Ed Stetzer just posted this on his twitter feed. Something to ponder.

If a church reflects an "era" more than it reflects the gospel, it values past culture more than missional engagement.

Praying for the Hendersons

This morning, the men met for their quarterly Brotherhood Breakfast. The cooking crew completed their tasks in record time.

Brian Henderson was our speaker. He and his wife Felicia and their two children are headed to the foreign mission field on a two year appointment. I have always been impressed by them. God has used them in an awesome way through our Baptist Association. To see their willingness to serve God, which is evidenced by the many sacrifices they have had to make, is such a blessing. I couldn't help but shed a few tears this morning as Brian shared his story. God is going to use them mightily. Pray for them.

Commonalities of Believers

Tonight, I preached at the South Mississippi Correctional Facility. I've been preaching there on the third Saturday of each month for about two years. I really look forward to preaching in the prison each month.

Tonight I preached from Acts 2:40-47. In this passage the early church displayed six commonalities.

1. A Common Baptism (40-41)
2. A Common Belief (42)
3. A Common Bewilderment (43)
4. A Common Burden (44-45)
5. A Common Behavior (46-47a)
6. A Common Blessing (47b)

The unity the early church displayed was an answer to the the prayer Jesus voiced shortly before he died. He prayed, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me (John 17:20-21)."

So, the unity that the early Christians exemplified showed the non-believers around them that Jesus was alive and changing lives. May FBC hold in common those eternal values and demonstrate love for Jesus through lives of faith.

Great Banquet

The Family Banquet was a lot of fun. The deacons did a great job of serving. The ribs were fabulous and so were the "fixins." The was a good time for our church.

As expected, John Yates did an amazing job utilizing his ventriloquism and injecting a lot of humor. Hopefully, this will become an annual tradition.

Banquet Tonight

Our Church Banquet is tonight at 6:00 PM. The deacons of our church will cook and serve. This will be a fun time. John Yates will provide the entertainment. He is super talented. I can't wait.

Early Valentine Date

Terri and I were able to slip away for a rare date tonight. Abbey was a doll and kept the younger kids. We had an incredible time. God has truly blessed me with an amazing wife. We had so much fun tonight. I'm so glad Terri is my valentine.

When God Puts Words in Your Mouth

Following is an actual note from a parent to her daughter's teacher.

"Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday."

I'm amazed a parent would commit such a blunder to paper. Makes you wonder who should be in school--the parent or the child.

In Exodus, Chapter 3 & 4, the encounter Moses had with God at the burning bush is presented. In light of the marvelous and undeniable presence of God, all Moses could do was make excuses. Basically, Moses asked 5 pitiful questions regarding his ability to lead the people of Israel from Egypt.

1. Who Am I? God's Response: "I'll be with you."
2. Who Are You? God's Response: "Tell them "I AM" sent you."
3. Why Believe Me? God's Response: "Perform three signs."- 1) Rod into serpent 2) Hand becomes Leprous and is healed. 3: Water is turned into blood.
4. What Can I Say? God's Response: "I made your mouth. I'll tell you what to say."
5 . Why Not Send Someone Else? God's Response: "O.K. You're Making me mad. I'll give you a spokesman, Aaron."

While hearing all of the "crawfishing" from Moses, God showed remarkable grace in continuing to extend the call to Moses. He sought to teach him five lessons in response to his final three excuses (Ex. 4:1-17).

5 Words that describe the lessons God taught Moses.

I. Surrender (4:1-5)

In order to prove to the Hebrews Moses came with authority from God, he was given three signs. The first dealt with the importance of surrendering worldly identity. God asked Moses to take what was in his hand and lay it down. In his hand was a staff he used to tend his flock of sheep. The staff represented his support, security, and skills. He had to let go of it in order for God to use him.

II. Sin (vv.6-9)

Next, God gave him a sign that represented the sinfulness of the human heart and God’s ability to cleanse us from iniquity. God instructed Moses to place his hand inside his cloak. Once he removed his hand it was covered with dreaded leprosy. He was told to place inside his hand cloak again and, then, his hand was cleansed. Our hearts are wicked (Matt. 15:18-19). Only God can cleanse us of the sin within us.

III. Salvation (v.9)

Then, a third sign was given, which illustrated what would happen if a person does not deal with the truths demonstrated by the first two signs. If a person does not surrender and repent of their sin, their blood will be required of them. Importantly, this last sign foreshadows the coming of Jesus who would be the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. If we trust in Christ, the blood he shed is sufficient to pay our sin debt.

IV. Speech (vv.10-12)

The next to last excuse of Moses dealt with his personal appraisal of his own speaking skills. God reminded him that He made his mouth and would teach him what to say.

At the Mississippi Evangelism Conference in January, Frank Cox shared that there is a member in his church that is illiterate. Since he cannot read, he shares the Gospel with others by asking people to read a copy of scriptures pertaining to salvation. He has led many to Christ. God will use us, if we let him.

V. Supply (13-17)

Finally, Moses tried to pass the buck. God was moved to anger and he promised to give Moses a spokesman. This was not the ideal arrangement. God wanted Moses to go by himself, but he was gracious and provided him a helpmate.

Conclusions

1. Who we are doesn’t matter as much as whose we are.
2. We all have heart problems
3. Only the shed blood of Jesus cleanses our sin.
4. The message of God is more powerful than the messenger.
5. God supplies our needs.

What is your excuse for not serving the Lord today? Remember, God is sufficient to supply all you need.

Almost like Spring...

Thursday Morning the temperature here was around 19 (F). Today the high was close to 70. I love Mississippi. The weather is great most of the time.

Scrapbooking

This morning Terri left with some of the ladies from the church to go to a scrapbook session. I'm not sure what that is. However she deserves a day away from us. She just sent me a message telling me the other girls are still going strong. Maybe she'll be home eventually.

Basketball and "Being ready in and out of Season"

Jared and I left at 8:25 AM to go for his next to last Upward Basketball Game at Memorial Baptist in Perry County. He's doing a lot better on defense. He won the star for "Best Effort." I was pressed into service at the last minute to do a devotion at Halftime. I focused on the first point of tomorrow's sermon. It lasted 10 minutes. I've got to cut that down, because I have 5 points in the sermon.

Play Ball

I signed Jared up for T-Ball later in the morning. He loves baseball. Basketball has been better for him. He's able to focus better inside.

Mixed Review

Grilled some chicken for lunch. Abbey said it wasn't the best she had ever had. Also, she said it wasn't the worst. Thanks.

Wildcat Baseball

Jared and I went to the Greene County/George County Preseason Baseball Game this afternoon. The game started at 2 PM. JV squad played the first 2 innings. Then, the varsity played. I sat on "The Deck" with Coach Bray and other loyal Wildcat Fans. Jared played int he dirt. Greene County was trailing 8-2 in the bottom of the 5th when I left. It was a beautiful day. They had a grill fired up. I really enjoyed it. Jared played until he was exhausted. Hopefully, he'll go to bed early.

The Question of the Hour?

What's for Supper?

Congratulations Are In Order

Boo and Missy White welcomed Anabell Lee White into the world this morning just after 10:00 AM. She weighed 6 pounds and 5 ounces and measured 18 3/4 inches long.

Boo and Missy are a blessing to our church. Their children, Ashton and Garrett, are just like they are ours. So, we are so excited for them.

Yesterday at FBC

Some Great Things Happened at FBC Yesterday:

Deacons Meeting

The men we gathered for our meeting brought up some good ministry ideas. I'm excited about the banquet the deacons are hosting on February 13.

Choir

The choir began the service by singing "Yes, I Know." That is one of my favorite songs. Many years ago, I was a member of a Men's Group who sang that song.

Attendance

We had one of the best attended days of Bible Study this year. Also, the attendance in the morning worshipt service was super. We had a good number of guests present and they expressed some complimentary remarks in regard to the friendliness of FBC Leakesville.

Bible Drill

We had six students give a Bible Drill demonstration in the evening service. I am so proud of them. They still have some work to do before the official church drill in a few weeks, but I know they will do well.

Sermons from Exodus

I preached two sermons from Exodus yesterday. "Running Into Destiny(Ex. 2:11-25)" and "I Am No, But He Is(Ex. 3:1-14)." I'll post a general outline later.