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Showing posts with label Sermon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sermon. Show all posts

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Sunday Preview


I am really looking forward to worship tomorrow!  I have heard so many stories about decisions that have been made during these five weeks of revival at our church.  It is encouraging to see how the Lord still works in the lives of those who humble themselves before Him.

Tomorrow I will be preaching on the story of Jacob from Genesis 32.  This is one of the most unusual stories in the Bible.  After living a life with so many twists and turns that it could a modern soap opera to shame, Jacob finds himself alone in the wilderness, in the dark of night, when a shadowy figure approaches.  The next thing you know Jacob and the unknown figure are locked in a wrestling match that lasts hours.  Who is the shadowy figure?  If you don’t already know the story, it would be the very last person you would guess.  You can read Genesis 32 to find out or just wait until tomorrow.  Through this struggle, though, Jacob becomes a changed man.  That will be our focus tomorrow.  I cannot wait!

Special Singer

Also tomorrow we have a special singer sharing a mini concert in both the morning and evening services.  Stephanie Lambert comes to us from Lynchburg, Virginia where she regularly sings alongside Charles Billingsley at Thomas Road Baptist Church.  Stephanie has been singing for the Lord for many years at churches and events around the country such as the Jerry Falwell Old Time Gospel Hour and Mark Lowry’s National Christian Singing Competition.  In addition to her singing in both services, her husband, George Lambert will be preaching in the 6:00 p.m. service.

So I hope to see you tomorrow at 10:45 and 6:00.  It will be a good day.

New Book

On another note, about three weeks ago I published a book that I have been working on for some time.  I haven’t said much about it because my focus has been on other things in recent days, but next week I will begin to publicize the book and try to begin to get the word out.  It is titled, Illuminating The Darkness: A Fresh and Effective Solution to Depression,Stress, and Anxiety.  It gives a thoroughly biblical perspective to the mental and emotional struggles so many people face.  I will say much more about it in a blog post I will post on Monday but you can take a look at a few pages of the book by going to its Amazon.com page.  The cost of the book is $12.99 (8.99 for the Kindle book), but for FBC Heath people and for people in the Heath-Newark-Granville area I want to make the book available for as little as possible.  Therefore, books will be available tomorrow on the “Sermon CD Table” in the main foyer for $6.00.  Just pick up a book and use the envelope that is in it to put $6.00 in the box that is provided.

In Christ,
Pastor Noel

Friday, October 21, 2011

Weekly Email


We send out an email each week to those on our church email list.  Occasionally we post these emails to this blog just as a reminder that if you are not on the list and would like to be, just send us an email (info@fbcho.com).






FBC Heath Logo
525 S 30th St -- Heath, OH -- 43056
www.FirstBaptistHeath.com
info@fbcho.com -- 740.522.5245 

From the Pastor's Desk


Dear Church Family,

I hope you enjoyed "Exotic Animal Week" here in central Ohio!  I know the Bible says there is nothing new under the sun, but we came close last week with our lions, tigers, and bears.  It has been a week to remember.

Last Sunday was a memorable day as well.  We had a great crowd and a sweet spirit.  I have heard so many comments this week about decisions made.  Praise the Lord for His goodness.

Last week we wrapped up our nine week series of messages on "Knowing the Real Jesus" from the gospel of Mark.  This week we begin something new with a series titled:

I'm All In!


We are going to talk about what it means to be "all in" with the Lord.  This is going to be a little different than what we usually do.  I am very excited about what I believe the Lord will accomplish in and through us these next five weeks.

If you want to read ahead, we will be focusing on John 6:5-14 and Mark 6:32-44 this first Sunday.

Of course, the times are as usual:  Connect Groups (Sunday School) at 9:30 and our morning worship at 10:45.  I love you and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Pastor Noel

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Theology 101 -- The Word of God

Theology 101 — The Word of God
Sundays at 6:00 p.m.
July 31, August 7, 14, 21

Are you ready to go to the next level in your understanding of God and His word?  Do you sometimes struggle to understand how all of the pieces of Bible truth fit together?  Would you like to be better able to lead a class, teach your children, or answer a friend's questions about the Bible?

We have what you need!

On August 1, we will begin a series of messages taking a deep look at the theology of the Bible.  In the beginning, we will spend four weeks focusing on the doctrine of the Word of God.  Following these four weeks we will begin to walk through the other doctrines of Scripture like the doctrine of God, the doctrine of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of sin, the doctrine of eternal punishment, and so forth.  It will likely take about one year to cover all of the major doctrines, especially since we will do these in bite size pieces of four to six weeks each.

Each week, we will pass out notes formatted for a three-ring binder.  We will make audio CD's and spiral bound notes available at the end of each doctrine study (four to six weeks).  We will also have available for purchase a recommended resource for further study ("Systematic Theology" by Wayne Grudem, $28.00).  Binders, CD's, and books will all be available in our bookstore.

To keep things interesting, there will be an opportunity to submit questions via texting pertaining to the focus of each lesson while the pastor is teaching.  At the end of the worship service each night, the pastor will expand his teachings and try to answer the pertinent questions.  Also, a take-home test will be provided at the end of each doctrine study so you can see just how much you have learned.

Join us for this study which we trust will be enlightening, informative, and fun!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Prep for Tomorrow

Tomorrow's message outline is printed in the bulletin, and Carla did the projection slides for me yesterday, but I need today to polish things up a bit.  So it is a study day.

I will be preaching on the Six Actions of a Healthy Family from Ephesians 5:22-25; 6:1-4.   I am really looking forward to sharing this on Mother's Day.

I ran across an illustration in my reading today that is way too corny to use in a message, but some of you will enjoy.  Here it is:

Recipe For Child Raising
 1 cup of Proverbs 22:6
 2 Tablespoons of Proverbs 19:13
 1 Dash of Proverbs 23:13
 1 Teaspoon of Proverbs 3:5
 1/2 cup of Titus 2:3 through 7
 Mix all the ingredients, add a pound of persistence, one cup of love, and whip until right consistency. This recipe is recommended by the Creator of Mankind.
 Please add a pinch of Ephesians 6:4


(I will list the Scripture verses below.)

So now I am going to sit out on the deck, and obey 1 Timothy 4:13, "Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."  I'm reading "The Fulfilled Family" by John MacArthur.  Good book.  You can purchase it from Amazon.  (Soon, when our construction is complete, we will have books like this that relate to Sunday's messages for sale in our bookstore each week.)

Remember, our new Connect Group semester begins tomorrow.  If you haven't yet signed up for a group, just come a little early, and you can get signed up at the main welcome center in the worship center foyer.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Pastor Noel

--------

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 19:13 - A foolish son is the ruin of his father, And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.
Proverbs 23:13 - Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
Titus 2:3 - the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—
Ephesians 6:4 - And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Weekend and other Miscellaneous bits...

I'm looking forward to the weekend. (And not because it's Super Bowl weekend.) Today is my birthday, so what I've asked for is... a family night. It will be a good night at home. I have a suspicion that my wife is cooking some of her ought-to-be famous shrimp and grits, and Emily is cooking me a made-from-scratch cheesecake. We will probably play a game or maybe watch "Secretariat". I have a little bit of a surprise for them, maybe.

This morning started off bad/good. In my quiet time this morning I prayed for Bill Helms, a godly older man in our church. I knew he was close to passing away. I felt the Lord remind me during my prayer time that If Bill died today, he was going to have a much better weekend than me. His wife called about an hour later to share with me that he had just passed.

Tomorrow, Donna and I are going to go out, something we rarely do on Saturdays. For Christmas I had purchased cooking classes for her. That was the one thing I knew she needed least but would enjoy the most. So that is our date tomorrow, taking a cooking class together. Ironically, Jeff and Angela Salyer are going with us. Angela is the second least likely person in the world to need cooking classes. It will be interesting. Maybe Donna and Angela can just teach the class. Jeff and I can handle the eating.

I've been mum on my sermon focus this Sunday because this is going to be one of those difficult messages, but it is important, and I am ready to preach it. It's messages like these that will have the least positive-feedback, but perhaps the most significant impact.

We've got some new church members coming over for lunch Sunday and maybe also some prospects. Still mulling over my Super Bowl plans...

It will be a great weekend!

Noel

P.S.
The Pletchers, some friends who have been in Ukraine for the past two months trying to adopt three little kids, finally return to Ohio tonight. I think they are scheduled to land at CMH at 10:15 p.m.. I can't wait to meet their new children!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Jesus is God!

Below is some supporting material for my message preached on December 12. I hope this helps...

...................................

Jesus is God

A. Jesus has the attributes of deity.

1. He is eternal.


-John 1:1‑3, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

-Micah 5:2, But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.

-Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

-Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

2. He is omnipresent.

-John 3:13, No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

-Matthew 18:20, For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

-Matthew 28:20, Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

3. He is omniscient.

-John 16:30, Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.

-John 21:17, He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.

-Colossians 2:3, In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

-John 4:28‑29, The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

-Luke 6:8, But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood.

-It is true that Jesus said that he didn’t know the time of his return and he did ‘marvel’ at the people’s unbelief, and he went to the fig tree expecting figs, but these have explanations...

4. He is omnipotent.

-John 5:19, Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

-Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

-Revelation 1:8, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

-Hebrews 1:3, Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

-John 5:36, But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish‑‑ the very works that I do‑‑ bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.

5. He is immutable.

-Hebrews 1:12, Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.

-Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

B. Jesus has the offices of deity.

1. He is the Creator.

-John 1:3, All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

-Colossians 1:16, For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

-Hebrews 1:10, And: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

2. He is the Sustainer.

-Colossians 1:17, And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

-Colossians 1:17, He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (NIV)

-Hebrews 1:3, Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

C. Jesus has the authority of deity.

1. He forgave sins.


-Matthew 9:2, 6, Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you. But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"‑‑ then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

2. He will raise the dead in the resurrection.

-John 5:28‑29, Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth‑‑ those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

3. He will execute judgment.

-Romans 14:10. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

-2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

D. Jesus claimed to be Yahweh (Jehovah)

-Other words for titles can be used in varying ways.

-Adonai (Lord) can sometimes be used of man.

-Genesis 18:12, Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord (adonai) being old also?"

-Elohim (god) can sometimes be used of false gods.

-Deuteronomy 6:14, You shall not go after other gods (elohim), the gods of the peoples who are all around you.

-YHWH only refers to the one true God.

-Exodus 3:14, And God said to Moses, "I AM (YHWH) WHO I AM (YHWH)." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM (YHWH) has sent me to you.'"

-Isaiah 44:6, Thus says the LORD (YHWH), the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD (YHWH) of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.

-John 8:58‑59, Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

E. Jesus claimed to be equal with God.

-Mark 2:5‑12, When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? "Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'? "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"‑‑ He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go your way to your house." Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

-John 5:21, For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

F. Jesus claimed to be Messiah-God.

-When Isaiah talked about the coming Messiah, he called Him, ‘Mighty God.’

-Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

-Mark 14:61‑64, But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? "You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Leave a Comment on our New Blog




Check out a new blog we are using to get the word out about an upcoming message series.

www.InvestigatingEvidence.com

Leave a comment about any objection to the Bible's trustworthiness and I will be sure to address it during this message series.

Pastor Noel


Saturday, July 17, 2010

Tomorrow, tomorrow...

Tomorrow I will begin a new series of messages I have titled, "Everyone Lives Forever, Somewhere". I think that sometimes we get in the middle of the busyness and stress of life and forget why we are still here, what our purpose is as believers and as a church.

My prayer is that in the next four weeks we can recapture a real sense of urgency for sharing the good news of God's love and forgiveness with those who haven't yet experienced it. I pray that we while see real change in our lives and our church in these next few weeks.

On another note... Our Ukraine mission team will land back in Columbus around 5:30 pm on Monday. Pray for their last Sunday in country. All the reports we have heard are that it has been a great trip.

Pastor Noel

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Fourth of July Message

I am very excited about what I believe the Lord has shown me in His Word to share with you on Sunday morning!

In the Scripture story of a man by the funny name of Hezekiah we see that he makes a grave mistake near the end of his life that tarnished his legacy and hurt his nation. I believe it is that same error that we are facing as a nation, and perhaps even as a church.

Sunday we will focus on Isaiah 39 and the passages that give us background to the story.

My prayer is that the Lord will shake us from our complacency and our selfishness as a nation, as a church, as fathers and mothers, and as the children of God!

I hope you will make plans to join us, even though it is a holiday weekend.

Pastor Noel

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Ready for Sunday!

I'm sitting at an airport in birmingham AL this morning waiting to catch a flight home. I flew down yesterday to spend some time with my mom who is undergoing treatment for cancer. We had a good day yesterday... My sister and her boys from Atlanta were in too so it was good to spend time with them.

It has been a very busy week. Due to the holiday on Monday everything has been compressed, but tomorrow is the beginning of a new week.

I am really looking forward to worship tomorrow. I will be preaching the last message in our series on Joseph in Genesis. We will be focused on the one thing you see throughout Joseph's life that allowed him to handle everything that came his way.

..............

Sometimes people ask me what I am especially praying for right now. Well, let me share...

... Of course I am praying much for my mother as she goes throughout her treatments.

... I am praying for Edward Rafferty who lost his mother this week.

... I am praying for a very serious community issue that impacts a number of people in our church and also impacts the whole faith family in our area. Just pray that the Lord's will be done.

... I am praying for our missions work in Kenya. I had a good meeting with the Kenya team this week. I am enthused for this ministry right now.

... I am praying for youth camp and vacation Bible school, both of which are just around the corner.

Well, it's time to line up to get on the plane...

Pastor Noel



Wednesday, May 26, 2010

How To Be A Blessing To Your Kids

I just finished the first draft of my Sunday message. It has been a convicting study process. Since we are focusing on the life of Joseph in our Sunday messages these last few weeks I have spent time this week learning how Joseph and his father Jacob sought to be a blessing to Manasseh and Ephraim (Joseph's sons).

I realize that sometimes we just take the growth, maturity, and spiritual development of our kids or grandkids for granted. Joseph and Jacob were much more intentional. I have been convicted as I have outlined the things they did.

So Sunday we will study through this. I think it will be helpful whether your kids or grandkids are young or old. It is never too late to have some influence on those around us. In fact, the principles we will learn will teach us how to have influence in the lives of everyone around us, not just kids and grandkids.

Looking forward to Sunday!
Pastor Noel

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Reasons I'm Looking Forward To Tomorrow

I'm looking forward to tomorrow for several reasons...

... Tomorrow is the first day of our new Connect group semester. We have some new groups and some carry over groups. All of them will be good. Tomorrow we will have several people attend a Connect Group for the first time. In fact, I just received an email from someone that will be doing that. If you have not yet signed up for a group, just join us tomorrow at 9:30 and we will help you find a group that will be a good fit for you.

... Tomorrow we will begin again our Sunday morning prayer time around the alter. During weeks we have Connect Groups, many people from our church meet at 9:10 and gather around the altar as our deacons lead us in prayer for the upcoming service. I look forward to these special times.

... I'm fired up about my message tomorrow morning. See previous blog posts to read about that.

... I'm looking forward to our new Sunday night study. You can also read more about this in previous blog posts.

... I'm looking forward to meeting new people who will be visiting our church for the first time tomorrow.

... I'm looking forward to worshiping the Lord tomorrow!

Pastor Noel



Friday, May 21, 2010

Why We Aren't A Liberal Church

I made a last minute decision yesterday to change the focus of our upcoming Sunday night series. I still want to do what we had planned, but at a later time. Now we are going to spend the next three weeks focusing on who we are as a church and why we are that way.

The three message titles will be...

-- Why We Aren't A Liberal Church
-- Why We Aren't An Emerging Church
-- Why We Aren't A Liturgical Church

The point of this study is not to bash other churches but to help our church understand who we are and why. Churches across the country and in our area are changing. Some of those changes are good and have a biblical basis. Some of those changes are very bad and have no biblical basis. All kinds of activities, lifestyles, and beliefs are endorsed by churches and are said to be sanctioned by the Lord when Scripture clearly contradicts those claims.

The church is defined by God's Word.

I want us to look into Scripture and learn what the church should look like. I want us to know some of the errors of direction churches make and how they make them.

This first week we will answer the question: Why aren't we a liberal church? We will learn what is meant by the phrase 'liberal church'. We will look at some examples of practices and beliefs. We will learn how churches get to that place. And of course we will study the biblical model that speaks to this error.

I think this will be a profitable study. I hope you will join us.

Pastor Noel

Thursday, May 20, 2010

If Someone Hurts You -- Post II

I just finished the final draft of Sunday's message about what to do if you have been hurt. I can't wait until Sunday. There is so much relevant and life changing wisdom in Scripture and the Lord has taught me much about this subject as I have studied these last two days.

When we've been hurt, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in our lives. How we handle our hurt and the offending party will go a long ways toward determining our future and God's role in our lives. If you would like to really get prepared, read the story of Joseph in Genesis 39-50. I look forward to diving deep into parts of this Sunday morning.

-----

On another subject, we had a great New Member's Class last night. The group asked many questions as we went through the material. The Lord added a number of new people to our church family last night!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

What To Do If Someone Hurts You

Has someone ever hurt you? Maybe it was someone in your family... Maybe a close friend... A coworker...

Often people carry that hurt around for years or even decades, and then worse than that when a hurt person gets a chance for revenge, some pretty negative things can happen. The result is more hurt, more broken relationships, bitterness, anger, and on and on.

I've spent the day studying part of the life of Joseph found in Genesis 40-45. In this passage we learn what to do if someone hurts us. We learn how to take a bad situation and make something redeeming out of it.

This is something we all need to learn. We will be focusing on this Sunday morning in our 10:45 worship service. I hope you will join us.

I usually study from my home study on Wednesdays, but I'm heading in to the church now for a meeting and for tonight's New Member Class. I'm liking forward to meeting new people the Lord is adding to our church family.

Pastor Noel

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Sunday

I'm sitting in Lexington, KY this morning waiting for the family to wake up and looking over my notes for tomorrow morning's message. Tomorrow we will be continuing our focus on life lessons we can learn as we study the Old Testament character of Joseph. This Sunday we will be focusing on Genesis 39 where we see Joseph showing an unusual amount of character in the face of temptation. When you stand back and look at this event from a distance, you can't help but marvel at his integrity, and when you take a very close up look you can't help but learn some important lessons that Joseph knew to help him live with so much integrity. We all need to learn these lessons.

We will also take some time to focus on the upcoming Connect Ministry semester. We have a testimony planned that will thrill you as we point to some of the life change we've seen in recent semesters. If you haven't yet signed up for a group, read through my recent blog posts for some suggestions or go to our website (www.FirstBaptistHeath.com) to see the whole catalog.

I've been in Anniston, AL these past two days visiting with my Mom. She has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. She started chemotherapy last week, and she will start radiation next week. I wanted my girls to be able to spend some time with her before the treatment got into full swing. We had a good couple of days. Thank you for all who have been praying for her as she goes through is difficult time in her life.

Pastor Noel

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Upcoming Messages

Today is a study day. As I do most Wednesdays, I will spend my time today studying and preparing for upcoming messages. Other concerns and issues can wait until Thursday. On Wednesdays I hunker down in an office I built in my basement and just study. I have counseling appointments on Wednesday evenings, usually several. Today I have only two, with AWANA Awards night in between.

My upcoming Sunday morning message, a Mother's Day message, will focus primarily from Genesis 41 as we look at the dream Joseph interpreted for the Pharoah. I'll blog more on this later.

I'm also working on our next Sunday night Bible Study Series. The working title is "You Have Never Read The Bible: A Surprising Approach To How To Study Your Bible." Obviously the title needs some work. This series will last three weeks and it will begin Sunday evening, May 23. I would love to have the notebooks written by the end of the day so Carla could begin to put them together, but I doubt I'll get that far.

Well, time to begin...

Glad I Belong To Him,
Pastor Noel

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Thoughts on Last Sunday and the Next...

This past Sunday was a great Sunday of worship...
  • We had a great crowd... both on the main floor and in the balcony! (In fact we had some families that had a difficult time finding seats together. I want to remind our regular worship attenders to sit as close to the front as you can get and to scoot to the center of the row you are sitting on. That will help us make things easier and more comfortable for our guests each week.)
  • We began the service with baptisms which has become an almost weekly occurrence. I pray this will always be true, and I pray that we never get 'used to it'. We should always marvel at the grace of God that changes lives.
  • We had a very good response during our invitation... a number of people and families praying at the altar. We had one young adult lady make a profession of faith and three youth make public that they had made professions of faith over the weekend.
  • Sunday night was a blast. We had a real wedding in our evening worship service... Sound strange? It was great! We had a young couple come into our church a few weeks ago. They made a profession of faith and began to allow the grace of God to change their lives. One of the things they wanted to do was to get married and re-start their family the right way. They didn't have the resources to have a wedding so we decided we would just make it a part of our worship service and celebrate the grace of God... How God's grace was changing them and how God's grace is changing all of us. So we had a wedding, a sermon, and a couple of baptisms... Then we had a giant reception. I was so proud of how our church came out to celebrate with the young couple and how they blessed them with money and gifts at the reception... Wow! What a great example of the love of Christ.
This next Sunday is going to be fun as well...
  • Our new semester of Connect Groups begins Sunday. We are hoping for a record attendance and involvement in our Connect Ministry beginning this week. If you haven't signed up for a group, there is still a few days left. Go to our website, fill out the form, and choose your group. Some of the groups are closed now, but we will do our best to get you in the group you choose.
  • This week we will be continuing our series of messages on 'Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.' This weeks myth is... God Helps Those Who Help Themselves. We will be in Genesis 16.
  • Pastor Wally just let me know we have two more baptisms schedule for this Sunday morning!
A quick note on our daily Quiet Time encouragements. If you sometimes struggle with having a daily devotional time, take a look at our daily QT Encouragement blog... MyMornings.blogspot.com.

Pastor Noel

Monday, September 7, 2009

Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe

There are two things on my mind this morning as I do a little studying and praying about what is on the horizon at First Baptist Church of Heath…

First, I am looking forward to our new message series that begins this Sunday. After spending six weeks focusing on just two chapters in the Book of Revelation, now we are going to skip around the Bible for the next six weeks. I am borrowing this series title from a Larry Osborne book I read a while back. As soon as I saw the book title, I thought this would make a great message series if the Lord gave me liberty to preach it. So the title of our upcoming series is “Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe”. Larry, in his book, identifies ten of these dumb things. In my message series, I plan to address six. Three of mine are similar to his; three are different. Here is my list…


Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe
• Myth #1: Your Conscience Should Be Your Guide (9/13)

• Myth #2: Dead People Go To A Better Place (9/20)

• Myth #3: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves (9/27)

• Myth #4: God Forgets All Our Sins (10/4)

• Myth #5: God Has A Blueprint For My Life (10/11)

• Myth #6: All Things Work Together For Your Good (10/18)

Invite your friends, family, and co-workers. Let’s see how God’s Word can encourage us as we learn the truth about these myths.

Second, I have received much positive feedback from our on-line quiet time encouragement videos. Tomorrow (9/8) I will begin to focus on the Gospel of John. If you would like to join me for these quiet times for a few weeks, this would be a good place to start.

The best way to begin is to watch the video I made on how to have a quiet time. Then just jump in with the rest of us tomorrow morning!

For the introduction video, click here.

For the daily quiet time videos, click here.

Invite your friends, family, and co-workers to join in. The website is MyMornings.Blogspot.com.

Pastor Noel