Five Objectives at
First Baptist Church

Our Mission is to lead people into a maturing and growing relationship with   our Lord.  In order to make this happen, we desire to fulfill five basic objectives through the ministries of our church:
(1)  Bring people to a saving faith in Jesus.
(2)  Teach people the inspired Word of God.
(3)  Involve people in dynamic worship.
(4)  Equip people for and involve in service.
(5)  Help people to develop a sense of belonging.

The Sunday school and Wednesday study times is our primary method of accomplishing these objectives.  It is in these church classes (10:00 a.m. Sunday and 7:00 p.m. Wednesday) that we have interactive, applicable Bible study for all age groups.  People are involved and encouraged during these hours and no one is shunned.  Each person who attends Sunday school and Wednesday studies develops friendships and healthy personal relationships with others.

Get involved in the classes of your church.  It is not merely a church program for children and teens.  It is how people of all ages participate in carrying out our mission for Christ.  Sunday and Wednesdays are for you!  So be faithful. Renew and start again that fire in your Christian heart.  Jesus is waiting for you at your church!  I am too!       

Bro. Adams

Luke 11:1
“Lord Teach Us To Pray…”

The one concern of our enemy,  Satan, is to keep Christians out of church and off of their knees. 
The Devil fears nothing from an unfaithful and prayerless people,
but trembles when the Church and you are on your knees.

Bro. Adams

Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
Proverbs 21:23

  How many times do we roll our eyes and think, “How could I have said something so  stupid?”
  We can keep our souls from trouble – the trouble that comes from others tormenting  us for hurting them or from the nagging guilt from saying dumb things – only if we actively
 Guard our mouths.  Here are some commonsense suggestions that can change your life:
 
  1.  Every morning, ask God for wisdom about your words.
 
  2.  Before any significant conversation, take a minute to define your goals. 
           Also, identify any topics or issues to avoid or treat diplomatically.
 
  3.  Watch out for any temptation to use sarcasm to get a laugh.  (Stopping
                   that habit may severely limit the number of words some of use!)
 
    4.  In conversations, be aware that words can kill or cure.  If you feel emotions
                  rising, take a deep breath and don’t let your words fly!

  5.  From time to time, give yourself a progress report on how well you’re
                  guarding your mouth.

 For all of us, learning a new skill takes time and effort.  And for some of us, the learning
curve for guarding our words is really steep.  Still, the peace of mind and joy of relationships are worth the effort.
-Zig Ziglar-

The world has always been scornful of dreamers.  “Here comes that dreamer!”  Joseph’s  brothers said to one another.  “Come now, let’s kill him…Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams”... Genesis 37:19.

So dreamers have to become in turn thinkers, planners, and workers, and that demands industry or hard labour.  Men of vision need to become men of action.  Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of electrical devices, defined genius as “1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”  All great leaders find this to be true.  Behind their apparently effortless performance there lies the most rigorous and painstaking self-discipline.  A good example is the world-renowned pianist, Paderewski.  He spent hours in practice every day.  It was not unknown for him to repeat a bar or phrase fifty times to perfect it.  Queen Victoria once said to him, after she had heard him play, “Mr. Paderewski, you are a genius.”  That may be, Ma’am,” he replied, “but before I was a genius, I was a drudge.”

 It was not enough for Moses to dream of the land flowing with milk and honey; he had to organize the Israelite rabble into at least the semblance of a nation and lead them through the dangers and hardships of the desert before they could take possession of the Promised Land.  Nehemiah was inspired by his vision of the rebuilt Holy City, but first he had to gather materials to reconstruct the wall and weapons to defend it.

 The combination of vision and industry is needed.

God wishes to promote us at First Baptist Church, Mantachie, as stated in Jeremiah 29:11 … “plans to prosper you and not harm you.”

If so we must commit fully to His Cause and His Church.  Oddly, some people just sit in the shade of the Church and refuse to put down any roots.  Some folks like the benefits, but resist true commitment to Jesus and His Body.

Some love the Church perks, a/c-heat, free parking, powerful sermons, lovely music, and places for the kids to learn and enjoy.  So they date her, visit her, but never put the ring on!  Commit to the Church?  Nope, can’t do that.

Miss the Church in salvation, baptism and local membership and you miss what God has best for you.  For the Church is the best place to do what you can do for Him!  Let Him prosper You!      

Two recurrent themes from Grandma Adams…. (1) “that the days seemed to run together and (2) that time seemed to be rushing by with great speed.”  She knew Psalms 115:18 “this time forth.”
 Didn’t Christmas just happen last month?  Didn’t the kids just start school yesterday?  Didn’t I just graduate a few days ago?  Yes, yes!  We are hurling toward eternity!  Get ready to see the great maker and eternal one!
 So as our friend Dr. Adrian Rogers said “Time will lick all the red off your candy!”  By the way, back to that graduation subject:

 Write down the year you graduated (or will graduate
 from High School ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .________________
 Double this number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ________________
 Add 5 to it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ________________
 Multiply by 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  ________________
 Add your age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ________________
 Subtract 250 for the total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ________________

 The first four numbers in your answer will be the year of graduation from High
 School and the last two numbers will be your age.  WOW!

Deuteronomy 15:11 – Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.

As the Israelites settled into the Promised Land, God instructed them to do something quite shocking.  At the end of every seven years, they were to cancel all debts.

Also during that seventh year, they were to put down their tools and relax.  It was to be a year of rest from both toil and obligations.

Why?  Because God wanted the Israelites to understand that everything they had come from him.  And so, knowing his openheartedness toward them, they should likewise be benevolent with others.

God is a giving God, and he wants his people to be generous as well.  Today, be open-hearted with those who are in need around you.  

The true message of Christmas is found in John 3:16.  Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
 This is the heart of Christmas. Jesus is God’s great love gift, because Jesus came to give His life that we might have life and “have it to the full” (John 10:10). Without a doubt, love came down at Christmas.
 Now because Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross for our sins, what better Christmas gift could we give others than to share His love with them, that they might have life? Love is a gift our world desperately needs this Christmas season.

By Dr. Adrian Rogers

“One Life”

 One life and one alone we have to live upon this little earth. 
One life in which to learn so much . . . to seek and find and prove our worth.
 So many dreams there are to dream . . . so many things to know and do. 
So many rosy peaks to climb . . . so many pathways to pursue.

 So waste no time on fruitless quests that get you nowhere in the end. 
The gold of Time is yours to squander or with care to use and spend.
 It’s folly to postpone good deeds.  To-morrow never comes they say. 
The future times belong to God. 

Your only chance is now . . . To-day.

Operation Christmas Child is just around the corner.  In a couple of weeks we will be kicking off our 2011 Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection for children who are less fortunate in foreign countries.

We ask that each of you take one of the book marks and put it in your Bible as a reminder to begin praying for this year’s shoe box collection.  Remember those who pack the boxes, those who transport the boxes to their destinations, and especially for each child who receives one of these specially packed boxes.  May God Bless each one involved here at home and also those missionaries in foreign lands who are spreading the Love of Christ.

Thanks to each of you,

Junior & Missy Lamb