Life at First – Page 3 – First Baptist Church Columbia

Don’t Worry About Your Life … Or COVID-19

by First Baptist Church / Life at First / No Comments / March 12, 2020

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life …”

Jesus spoke these words during His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25). There’s a tendency for us sound trite when we use them. “Oh just don’t worry about that. The Bible says you shouldn’t worry,” but I’ve never encountered a situation where simply telling a person to not worry or to not be anxious has ever worked. We miss everything that Jesus meant when we try to package these words up into a cliche saying or platitude.
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Welcome In Your Presence

by First Baptist Church / Life at First / No Comments / March 10, 2020

It was a weird day. It was a tough day. It involved a funeral, but the deceased was not someone to whom I was close. The situation though, was utterly tragic and my heart wrenched for the family and close friends. I showed up to share in the suffering. Christmas was just a few days away and the stress of completing the mile long to-do list was mounting on top of the emotion of that miserable, rainy day. Hours later, after another Christmas activity was over, I went to speak to a friend who had also been at the funeral. I knew that she was grappling with her own feelings, so I simply went to give a hug, and, since I knew I wouldn’t see her again before the holiday, say “Merry Christmas” before departing. My hug was not reciprocated and instead of “Merry Christmas,” I was met with a rant about how she had already seen me that day and it was too much. A bit shocked and hurt, I backed off and stepped away. Then the anger and confusion started to flood in, filling the emotional canyon that the initial hurt had dug, and I retreated to the comfort of more accepting and predictable friends.
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Good Manners

by First Baptist Church / First Seniors / Life at First / No Comments / March 3, 2020

When we think of good manners we think of children needing to learn them. We have a wonderful Manners Camp at our church coming up on July 20-22, 2020. It is for 3 year old preschoolers through rising 5th graders. It is fun and exciting to see these children learning proper manners. Perhaps we need to do a Manners Camp for adults? I have seen many adult Christians act improper at a restaurant. When Jesus dined out in the Bible, what did He do? Continue reading →

Spring R e t r e a t Recap

by Rob Nicholes / College / No Comments / February 12, 2020

This past weekend our College students gathered in houses on the lake to learn what it should look like to live out Acts 2:42 daily with one another. There was laughter, there were tears, and there was a whole lot of feeling near to the presence of the Lord. We had honest conversations on how our relationship with ourselves, the Lord and others are all interconnected and how we must know that the state of our heart affects all three. It is always such a joy to take specific time to reflect and be the body together. Below is some reflections from students who came away with us on Retreat:

“As a freshman, my first student trip with First Baptist at spring retreat was an amazing opportunity to grow deeper In my relationship with God, myself, and my brothers in Christ. All the way learning how to be a better Follower of Gods word daily through my relationships and friendships. So many of my great surface level friendships where deepened and strengthened in both purposeful devotional time and awesome competitive board games and pool! Most importantly, the distractions of school and life disappeared as I focused solely on the well being of relationship with myself, friends and God!“

–Bryson, Freshman
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Why Do I Sing About Jesus?

by First Baptist Church / First Seniors / Life at First / No Comments / February 4, 2020

Our First Seniors at First Baptist Church love to sing. We are a singing church. Our sanctuary choir and our senior adult choir sing beautiful music. We enjoy coming and listening to them. We stand in awe of our Savior as we listen to the choirs. But what about our singing? Why do we sing about Jesus? In Psalm 138:5 it says, “And they will sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.” This seems to be a command in scripture. Charles Spurgeon writes of this verse in his classic devotion Morning and Evening, “The time when Christians begin to sing in the ways of the Lord is when they first lose their burden at the foot of the Cross. Not even the songs of the angels seem so sweet as the first song of rapture which gushes from the inmost soul of the forgiven child of God.” It should be in the nature of the redeemed that we sing of our Redeemer. We will spend all of eternity singing before the throne of God. My motivation for singing is found in Revelation 1:5-6, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood – and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father – to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” I sing about three wonderful things in those verses.

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Bible Reading Plans

by First Baptist Church / Bible / Life at First / No Comments / January 16, 2020

It’s so important to have a plan for the regular intake of God’s Word in order to mature in your love for God and others and grow in Christlikeness. I want to challenge you to (1) Find Time to read the Scriptures everyday, (2) Find a Plan for reading the Bible, and (3) Find one idea or one thought from your daily reading to meditate on or apply to your life.
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Volunteer for Good News Club

by First Baptist Church / Children / Life at First / No Comments / January 7, 2020

The Good News Clubs is an after school program focused on reaching kids with the gospel. It’s designed for kids and makes learning about the bible fun!

Children who have received parental permission come to the club after school is dismissed and separate into different rooms based on grade level. They are split again into smaller groups whereby they grab a snack and begin going over bible verses with their small group leaders. Sometimes they may sing a song or listen to a story but the goal is to learn about the bible. When small group time is up all groups converge in the gym for some worship, stories, and bible lesson.

Good News Club helps provide a safe and loving environment for kids while sharing the love of Jesus. It is a program that reaches children of all backgrounds and gives an opportunity for children that don’t go to church to learn about Jesus.

Are you interested in Volunteering? Good News Club is happening now and we need your help! Fill out the form below and we’ll get in touch with you. Thank you!

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The Blessings of Bible Studies at First Baptist Church

by First Baptist Church / Bible Studies / First Seniors / Life at First / No Comments / January 2, 2020

As we begin a new year and a new decade at First Baptist Church in Columbia, let’s focus on the study of God’s Word together. Whether you are a Senior Adult or Young Adult there is a blessing to be had for studying God’s Word together. We have so many opportunities at our church to study God’s Word. The Bible is a treasure that God has given to us. Charles H. Spurgeon in “The Treasury of David” said, “The Scriptures teem with marvels; the Bible is wonder-land…it is itself a world of wonders.” We can travel down that world of wonders with one another in our church fellowship. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and its main theme is “the power of scripture in the believer’s life.” What are the blessings of studying the Bible together? We find three blessings of small-group Bible studies in Psalm 119:17-24.
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