New PM Series -- The Lord's Supper

I am looking forward to this Sunday night's worship.  We will begin a new study series focused on the Lord's Supper.  The plan is to spend three weeks studying everything the Bible teaches about this very important type of worship.  A study like this maybe doesn't sound as exciting as some others like, "Spiritual Warfare" or "End Times Prophecy", but the truths we will uncover in this study are just as valuable to our walk and our worship.

So here is a rough outline of what is coming...

Week 1 (3.13)  -- The First Lord's Supper

• The Setting
• The Elements
• The Meaning of the Supper
• The Instructions To Repeat
• The Controversies
• Transubstantiation
• Consubstantiation
• Memorialism

Week 2 (3.20) --  How The Lord's Supper Was Practiced

• The First Church
• The Corinthian Church
• The Love Feast
• The Error
• How to Properly Prepare For and Partake In the Lord's Supper

Week 3 (3.27) -- Celebration

• Questions & Answers
• A Unique Celebration of the Lord's Supper

There is a 50-50 chance we won't get this done in three weeks, but that is the goal.  If you want to read ahead, review these passages...

• Mark 14:22-25
• Matthew 26:26-29
• Luke 22:17-20
• 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Pastor Noel

Good Few Days...

We have had a good few days at the church. Let me give you some highlights...

- We had about 700 kids, parents, and veterans connected to Cherry Valley Elementary School at our church for a program on Friday. It was great to be a small partner in this event. We love our local schools.

- A good morning today. Praise team and choir did a great job. We had one public profession of faith during the service, a long time member that has never had assurance of her faith. Crowd was good with several visitors. Last week we had our largest crowd since Easter. I haven't seen numbers yet, but today could have been as good or better.

- This is out of order, but we had four people officially join the church this past Wednesday in our New Member's class.

- Thursday morning we had a bunch of men show up early to just pray for revival. What an encouragement that was.

- Tonight we had a young mom make a public profession of faith just before the service began! Pastor Wally started a new series of messages from the life of Elijah tonight.

- Garfield Elementary School PTO gave our food pantry a ton of food to help us meet needs in our community. We are incredibly thankful for this gift and for the kids and families who worked hard to provide it.

I am so thankful for what the Lord is doing in and through our church!

Pastor Noel

Lord's Supper

This Sunday morning we will share in the taking of the Lord's Supper in our main worship service. Ordinarily we do this in the evening, so this will be a special event.

I've been thinking about what I want to say for a while now. As I have studied the first Lord's Supper in Scripture, I believe the Lord has shown me a great insight into how to communicate the importance and value of this special celebration.

We will be focusing on the account of the events just preceding the Lord's Supper in John 13. I encourage you to prepare by reading the chapter and asking the Lord to prepare your heart. It will be a good day of worship!

Pastor Noel

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

A Blessing For My Girls

In the morning message today, I shared how I prayed and asked the Lord to show me what I should pray for my daughters. I wrote down what I felt like the Lord wanted me to pray and I shared it with them by praying this prayer over them. For more info, you can listen to the message when it is posted on our church website next week. If it would help you to pray about what you should specifically pray for your kids or grand kids, you can take a look at the prayers I prayed.

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Hannah...

… Lord, I thank you for Hannah, my first daughter. Donna and I prayed and asked you for her and she is one of the best answers to prayer we have ever received from you. You have shown us your kindness through Hannah and we will always praise you for that.

… Lord in heaven, you have given Hannah such a sensitive spirit. That sensitivity shields her from some temptations. I pray that never changes. You have given her an exceptional intelligence. I pray she always uses that to serve you and your kingdom. You have given her remarkable self-discipline, which can help her accomplish much in life if she doesn’t lose it through distraction. So I pray that you keep her focused on the right priorities and never let the world steal the value of this special gift from you.

… Lord, thank you for the salvation that you have given to her. My greatest desire for my girls is that they would become your girls… that they would be children of God. Thank you for convicting Hannah’s heart and giving her the gift of faith so that she could call on you. Thank you for forgiving her sins and securing her eternal life through the sacrifice of Christ.

… Lord, I ask that you increase Hannah’s faith. I know she struggles with fear and worry at times. I pray that you remind her of your faithfulness and trustworthiness. You have been so good and so faithful to our family through the years. I cannot count your blessings. Please let the memory of that faithfulness always be at the forefront of Hannah’s thoughts and let it guard her mind with the peace that passes understanding.

… Lord, I pray that you give Hannah a strong desire to study and know your Word. I believe you have specifically gifted her to excel in this. I ask that you will give her a special insight into what she reads. I pray the Holy Spirit will be her teacher. I pray that she will have the commitment to your Word as an eleven year old that will allow her to be used in an unusual way to teach your Word as a teen and as an adult. I pray that Donna and I will do the things we should do to foster this special gift. I pray that we will be a catalyst in what you want to do in her life and not a hindrance or a distraction.

… Lord, I ask even now that you bless Hannah’s future family. Please protect her innocence and purity. Fix in her mind the value of being a godly wife and a godly mom. Don’t let the world teach her that those are somehow less important roles than the roles the world may offer. I pray for her future husband. I pray that you protect his innocence and his purity. I pray that his parents are leading him to a close walk with you.

… Father, I give you my daughter, Hannah. She belongs to you. Use me to guide her, to teach her, to protect her. But Lord, don’t let me take her back. My desire is that she always be set apart for your honor.

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Emily...

… Lord, thank you for Emily, my baby daughter. You gave her to me and Donna at a time in life when so many good things were happening. She was the best of those things. Your undeserved goodness to us is amazing. Praise you for your kindness.

… Lord, thank you for the salvation that you have given to her. My greatest desire for my girls is that they would become your girls… that they would be children of God. Thank you for convicting Emily’s heart and giving her the gift of faith so that she could call on you. Thank you for forgiving her sins and securing her eternal life through the sacrifice of Christ.

… Lord, there is no doubt that Emily is fearfully and wonderfully made. I thank you for her winsome personality and her caring, soft heart. I believe you have gifted her with an unusual ability to encourage people and to bring joy into their lives. I pray that you will protect that. I ask that this special giftedness become a real ministry that changes lives and I pray that this ministry begins very early in her life. Please give Donna and I the direction we need to foster this ministry and to put her in the best situations to help her be a blessing to others.

… Lord, thank you also for giving Emily such a quick, sharp mind, and a love for reading, especially an early passion for reading your Word. I pray that her love for reading the Bible will be a transforming thing in her life. I pray she will be daily washed in your Word in such a way that her purity will be guarded, her wisdom will increase, and her joy will be contagious.

… Lord I ask that you give Emily greater focus. I know that she struggles with distractions, but with your help she can overcome this. I believe you have such important things for Emily to do in this life. I pray that she doesn’t miss any of them because of distraction.

… I pray, Lord, that you will make Emily into a prayer warrior. I pray that she will draw near to you in a special way and that you will draw near to her in a special way. I ask that you will increase her faith and expand her understanding such that prayer becomes one of the most important things in her life. I ask that this devotion to prayer becomes a source of help and strength not only for her but for our church and our community. I ask that you make her a leader in this ministry throughout her life. I pray that you will be honored in an uncommon way because of her heart for prayer to you.

… Lord, I ask even now that you bless Emily’s future family. Please protect her innocence and purity. Fix in her mind the value of being a godly wife and a godly mom. Don’t let the world teach her that those are somehow less important roles than the roles the world may offer. I pray for her future husband. I pray that you protect his innocence and his purity. I pray that his parents are leading him to a close walk with you.

… Father, I give you my daughter, Emily. She belongs to you. Use me to guide her, to teach her, to protect her. But Lord, don’t let me take her back. My desire is that she always be set apart for your honor.

Pastor Noel

Wrap Up for the Week

It's been a pretty good week. I began the week praying that the Lord would help me be very productive this week. He has done so. Every item on this week's to-do list has been marked off. (That never happens.) Sermon is ready to go. I was able to make a ton of visits and pastoral phone calls. I was able to do every pending counseling request...

Yesterday was a very good day. I drove over to the Stowe Center in Columbus, a church and community mission our church helps sponsor. There I watched eleven of our church kids serve over 100 people in the soup kitchen. They did an excellent job. It is amazing to see how mature these kids can be when they are engaged in service. All the kids seemed anxious to come back for their assigned serving day in June.

I hope to have a lazy day today. This morning, I need to put together a little bit of lawn furniture Donna wanted, and then I'm going to spend a few hours on my bike. Maybe a family picnic this evening.

I hope to see you tomorrow. We are going to have a great day of worship.

Pastor Noel

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

Joseph Group

This morning is the first day of our new men's Connect Group for the summer semester. I'm really looking forward to it. As I was studying yesterday and preparing for how we would begin, I realized that almost every issue or struggle that men deal with is dealt with somewhere in the story of Joseph. Thirteen chapters in the book of Genesis... More than almost anyone else in the Bible... Joseph is a man every Christian man should study closely.

By the way, we had a pretty good day Sunday. Good crowd in worship despite the first really good weather day in a while.

Well, I had a good devotional time today. Time to get ready to head out...

Pastor Noel

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

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.

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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!

Sunday Morning Prayer

What I'm praying for is morning...

... That our worship service will feature the Lord. I am praying at people will experience the presence of the Lord is morning through singing praises and responding to the preaching of His Word.

... I'm praying for the two special speakers we have this morning. I am praying that each of them will be able to convey a contagious enthusiasm and love for the Lord.

... Visitors and guests! I'm praying that those who are here this morning for the first time will feel the warm love of our church. I pray that they will be able to see how much our church loves Jesus and how much we care about them.

... I am asking the Lord to help me preach with clarity and passion. I want my words to reflect His words. I am praying for few distractions during the message time. I'm praying that people will have soft, receptive hearts.

... I am praying for Kids Praise...

... I am praying for those who will be in our service today who don't yet know the Lord. I pray that today is the day that choose to make Him their Lord.

... I am praying for the testimony a couple pin our church will be doing during the service this morning.

... I am praying, because I know that makes a difference!

Pastor Noel

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

Men's & Ladies' Speakers

This Sunday morning we have a special treat. At 9:30 all the men will gather together in Harmon Hall, and all the ladies will gather in the worship center to listen to some very special speakers.

For the ladies we have Julie Gilliam, a Christian inspirational speaker from the Columbus area and for the men we have Coach Klontz, the head baseball coach from Heath High school, and an outspoken believer.

Regular worship will still begin at 10:45, but plan to come early. This will be a great day!

Pastor Noel

A Great Sunday

What a great time of worship we had this morning! We were completely packed out... Probably had nearly 100 visitors in the service... Thirteen babies dedicated... One public profession of faith... Great worship... Great spirit...

I'll comment more later on, but I want to say thanks to everyone who made this happen. We had special teams greeting visitors, we had people make a ton of prospect phone calls this last week, we had people put together gift bags, we had people park in the lot behind the gym to free up spaces in the main lots, and more...

Good team effort today. I am thankful to the Lord for letting us have this special day.

Pastor Noel

Babies...

I just looked over an email the church office sent me last night listing thirteen families who have RSVP'd for baby dedication tomorrow. On top of that I know we already have another half dozen we plan to have dedications for this Summer. On top of that I know of at least three pregnant ladies in the church now.

So, what is my point?

I am so thankful to the Lord and to our church for the pending construction of the new preschool ministry suite. You have been so faithful to give to this. I don't recall off the top of my head what the latest total is, but it will be in the bulletin tomorrow. I do know a few thousand dollars more came in this week and that we are well over $100,000 collected for this project in the last couple of months.

Perfect timing... huh?

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I've been praying for the service tomorrow morning. I hope you will join me in this. We are looking for a big crowd and a great opportunity to make an impact in our community.

Pastor Noel

Mother's Day Service

I am looking forward to Sunday. It is Mother's Day, and we are going to turn it up a notch at the church!

One thing we are doing is moving our regular worship time to 9:30. We think this will make it easier for new families to come to worship who may have Mother's Day plans that would preclude them from the 10:45 service.

We are also having a very special parent/child dedication time in the service for both families in our church and families in our community. We have tried to contact all of the families in our community who have had babies in the last year. Many of those who do not have a church home have RSVP'd to be with us this Sunday.

It's going to be a good day. Pray that the Spirit of God is encountered in our service in a powerful way as we worship the Lord and preach His word.

Glad I belong to Him,
Pastor Noel

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

Inclement Weather II

Everything is a go this morning!

I drove around the area early this morning and conditions were much better than I expected. I was amazed at the difference in snow accumulation from one area to the next and obviously some roads have been cleared better than others, but all in all I didn't have any problems. Of course everyone should use their own judgment.

The church parking lot is in good shape. The worship center is warm :)...

See you for Connect Groups at 9:30 and worship at 10:45!

Pastor Noel

Inclement Weather

The $64,000 question... will we have church services tomorrow?

The 99 cent answer... sure!

The plan right now at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday is that all morning services will take place as scheduled. I don't anticipate that to change. The parking lots at the church have been cleared. The city is working on the roads. Of course, if you can't safely get out then stay home.

If there is a change, I will post that change here.

By the way, here is our official inclement weather notification plan:

If it becomes necessary to cancel Sunday or mid-week services/meetings due to inclement weather, a cancellation notice will be recorded on our answering machine and will appear on our website at least one hour in advance of the service time. In most cases, a notice will also be aired on our local radio stations WHTH/WNKO and WCLT and posted on their website.

I look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday! It is going to be a great day!

Pastor Noel

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