Hi Church!
Is there enough evidence of your faith in God to convict you of being a true follower? James says, “show me”. In other words, does your faith have “feet”? Faith is more than a belief, James argues. He says, “Even the demons believe that there is a God”. Imagine that. The enemy does not deny the existence of his maker. What he does do is try to misrepresent him. He wants you to doubt him and hence disobey him. That is where faith comes in. Faith is action!
It takes faith to believe that God is who He says He is and that He does what He says He will do. That is the life of faith and apart from it, you can not please God. I LOVE the name of our Church. There is First Baptist (first here?)…Nazarene (after the birthplace of Jesus)… Wesleyan (after its founder)… Presbyterian(greek for elder), New Walk (descriptive of a new life), Congregational (order of power), and the list of churches goes on. They are all good, BUT FAITH, THAT IS REALLY GOOD!
We are saved by faith, and we are to live and serve by faith. Every day I choose who I am going to believe. God says, “believe me”, “trust me” no matter how things look, how long they take or how bad they seem to get. I want to encourage you today, my friend, to keep believing in God. Need some examples and encouragement, Read Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith”. By faith they… it is a list of “normal” everyday people who believed God against all odds and were blessed for it!
Also, show your Love for God and your church, Faith, this Sunday! Come, buy and wear your Faith Shirts! They are a great way to get the word out that you are a person of Faith. This past week I wore my Faith shirt at the savage race. I always get a few responses like, “I like your shirt”. People notice. Someone told me just this morning how they had received some great responses to their Faith Baptist Shirt.
Again, this Sunday is mission Sunday! We are pleased to have two great families/couples with us: the Lethbridges and Brittains. They are two families who have demonstrated great faith, and they will be sharing their stories with us on Sunday.
9:30 – worship, Bill Brittain speaking.
10:50 – Special Business Meeting to welcome 9 new members into Faith
11:00 – reports from both the Brittain’s and the Lethbridges.
12:30 – BBQ (just come, $5 suggested donation)
12:30- 1:30 pm live music
By Faith,
Pastor Mike
PS: Some have asked about my recent savage race and my injury… well, I put my mind and body to the test, and it passed! Thankful to have finished 3rd, just a minute or two out of 2nd place in the open race for my age bracket. And out of I think about 3,500 registered, I finished 51st overall. Not bad. And, Jacob, my son finished in the top 35 overall! VERY COMMENDABLE!
But most importantly, I finished nearly every obstacle, including the real tough saw tooth with no problem. And it Felt great! My next goal is to win it! Yep, I am in it to win it now. I am close enough to have it in my sights! I am going to make a few minor changes in my diet, life and routine over the next 8 months and GO FOR THE “PRIZED HATCHET”, LOL! The savage race is a lot like life, filled with obstacles, but our faith overcomes!