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 →
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
Continue reading →
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.
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.
Continue reading →
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.
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.
Continue reading →