January 2018
Make the Most of 2018!
“16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
Happy New Year! I pray that you have had a wonderful, joyous Christmas, and a peaceful, special New Year celebration with family and friends. It’s been a much-needed season of family time around our house, and I hope yours, as well.
As we turn our focus to this brand-new year, I’m reminded of a couple of passages:
Lamentations 3:22-23, “22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness”, and
Romans 1:16, “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
I read somewhere this great little thought – We were not saved to be silent. What an awesome idea, and a challenge that should convict us. Have you shared the Gospel with anyone lately? Have you ever? Our salvation is not a secret – we should shout it from the highest place we can find, to everyone who will listen. That’s our mission – to love, serve, and reach our friends, family, neighbors, community, and world with the message of the Gospel – the message that, regardless of your circumstances, God loves you and wants to make you a part of His family. Surely, there is someone you know who needs to hear that wonderful news!
So, my prayer is that you will join me in making that little thought your New Year’s mission – to embrace the reality that you were not saved to be silent, and to offer your life as a testimony to the greatness, the mercy, and the grace of the God who saved you. Find ways to make that a part of your life – God will open the doors, if you will walk through them. Let’s see what God will do with us in 2018!
In His Love,
Bro. Heath
December 2017
Preparation is Paramount
Welcome to Christmas time! It seems, in so many ways, like we were just here. I can’t believe that, in just a month’s time, we’ll welcome in 2018. But first, we need to take some time to really let the wonder of Christmas penetrate our hearts.
To do that, we have to prepare ourselves – spiritually, physically, and emotionally. That’s what Advent is all about. The word “advent” means preparation – it’s the time that we take whatever time is necessary to understand that the Child born in a manger came with a purpose – to reconcile the world with our heavenly Father. The passage at the top of this article tells us about John the Baptist, and how he was born to pave the way – to prepare Israel – for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God.
In many important ways, what John did for Israel is similar to what Advent does for us. We are called to get ourselves ready for the coming of Christ, and the season of Advent helps us to focus on the reality of heaven coming to earth. There are couple of things that we need to do in order to make sure we appreciate the magnitude of this event:
So, as we enter this time of anticipation and celebration, let’s do it the right way. And, I don’t mean getting just the right gift, or cooking just the right foods. I mean preparing our hearts and souls for the true meaning of Christmas – so that, when we think of the birth of Jesus, we see the whole picture, and the true meaning of the Season becomes clear, relevant, and real to each and every one of us. Merry Christmas!
November 2017
“O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, in whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Psalm 95:1-6)
I love the Fall! I love the respite, however brief, from the heat of Summer, when what few seasonal trees we have burst in beautiful colors of orange, yellow and red. It is, to me a wonderful time to reflect on the greatness of God and the utter genius of His creation – and to do so in a sweater or jacket! While not the renewal and rebirth that characterizes Spring, Fall, to me, shows the hand of God so clearly on our world. It’s one of the many things I’m thankful for.
Perhaps that’s why Abraham Lincoln selected this time of year to inaugurate our nation’s Thanksgiving observance. OK, it was likely because there wasn’t already a holiday during this time – but, indulge me just a little on this. The important thing isn’t really when we celebrate it, it’s the fact that we do. The idea that we, as a country, pause on this one day to remember the bountiful blessings of our Creator, and to simply reflect with thanksgiving to the One who made it all – everything – even us. Especially us.
And, as the Civil War came to a close, Lincoln must have had similar thoughts of the provision of God, who carried the Republic through a bitter war, and on whom he relied daily for peace and direction. So much so that he declared a day of remembrance for the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord who made it possible.
How much we have to be thankful for! For family, friends, church. For peace, provision, and life. For the God who made the mountains and the seas, and us. Everything we are, and hope to be, we owe to Him. So, as we gather to eat and watch football, let’s not forget to take a moment to, first, remember and thank the founder of it all – the living God!
In His Love,
Heath
October 2017
Hello!
The musical will be Sunday, December 17 at 6:00pm. We will have the members of the South Mississippi Regional Home joining us, as we do each year, to celebrate the birth of Christ! I look forward to seeing you in the choir and being able to worship with you!
Tyler Selby
September 2017
Hate 2 Wait
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)
August 2017
“’Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.’ ” (Jeremiah 18:6)
compelled
Many churches lack people who are willing to get involved in carrying out God’s redemptive work. We are more interested in conducting our own interest and gift inventories and telling God what we think we can or can’t do for Him, or what we want or don’t want to do. But, this is not a characteristic of clay. God is not limited to working with our strengths, or around our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9-10). He looks for someone who will submit to being broken and remade into a holy vessel. He finds those who will allow Him to remove their impurities.
One of the personal lessons I learned this summer is that the mission fields are crying out for Christians to go and share the Gospel with those who’ve never heard it. I never thought it was me – it was something for someone else to do. But, then I realized that obedience is a willingness to be what God wants you to be, and go where He wants you to go – no questions asked. That’s what being a disciple means. What we need is not more pleas for volunteers, but an outpouring of the power of God. When God comes among His people in power, there is never a shortage of volunteers or resources for His work!
When Christians today are asked what aspects of the Christian life are most important to them, missions is not usually ranked as a priority. This is because we have lost track of why God called us in the first place. We were not saved from our sin simply so that we would qualify for heaven. God delivered us so we would have a relationship with Him through which He could carry out His mission to redeem a lost world. It is not a noble task, being clay. There is nothing noteworthy, or glamorous, or worthy of boasting – except it is exactly what God is looking for.
mission
In His love,
Bro. Heath
(Excerpts taken from Experiencing God Day-By-Bay, by Henry and Richard Blackaby (1997).)
July 2017
Draw Near to God
James 4:8
“8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you . . . 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
There may be times in our journey, however, when God seems far away. You may feel as if your prayers go unheard. James said there is a simple reason for this, and a solution. If you are far from God, it is because sin as separated you from Him.
Drawing near to God requires us to take two actions. First we must cleanse your hands (Isaiah 1:15). Before we can enjoy the blessings God’s intimacy with us has to offer, we have to clean up. We must cleanse our way of living. If you have been actively engaged in sin, you must reject it – every bit of it. If you have done anything to offend or hurt someone, you must make it right. Second, you are to purify your heart (Psalm 51:10). You have to make certain your attitudes, thoughts, and motives are right in God’s eyes and are in harmony with God’s word. Jesus warned that you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). It is impossible to love anything else as much as you love God and still please Him.
If God seems distant, do what is necessary to cleanse your hands, purify your heart, and draw near to Him. Then you will begin to grow more and more irresistible to heaven!
In His Love,
Bro Heath
May 2017
The Apostle’s Creed
A couple of weeks ago, we started a new study on Sunday nights. It’s called “The Apostle’s Creed,” and it takes an in-depth look at the theology, development and use of one of the earliest documents in the history of the Christian Church. One review states, “Keeping Christians on the same page, before the invention of the page!”
Because of last week’s weather, we’re only one week into this great study, and I’d like to invite you to join me, every Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. To give you a little background, here is a welcome from Matt Chandler, the study’s author:
“It’s easy for our culture of individuality and innovation to shape the way we think about the church. So what should we believe? Should Christians try to be more accepting of a postmodern worldview? With so many questions, opinions, and interpretations among people today, even within the church, what should we all agree on as essential to Christian faith?
The creed helps us develop better symmetry as Christians, giving us a more robust understanding of biblical teaching. As Christians, it’s easy to stick with what we already know. Either we don’t grow and remain immature with a minimal, two-dimensional faith, or even if we’re growing, we become out of balance instead of developing a holistic, well-rounded faith.
It also helps us with clarity, making clear who God is. Clarity is a more specific focus on what we believe about God and the world. By and large, American evangelicals seem to be terribly confused about who God is, what He’s up to, what He’s like, and what He’s about. The Christian life isn’t about our preferences or opinions or the latest cultural trends; it’s about God. What you believe about God is the most important thing in your life; it shapes all your attitudes and actions.
The Apostles’ Creed informs our community, whom we belong to, and whom we’re with. As Christians who believe the doctrines summarized in the Apostles’ Creed, we’re part of a people who have been around for thousands of years. We’re part of a people who go back to the beginning of humankind, when God called first people to Himself. Throughout history God’s people, those He has chosen and called to Himself, have thrived and worshiped the one true God. We’re part of that tradition. We’ve been woven into something much bigger than us. The fabric created by God makes us stronger than any of us can ever be on our own. It’s diverse, it’s beautiful, and it’s global.
Lastly, the creed informs the way we counsel ourselves and others. Counsel is essentially the point of application. How do symmetry, clarity, and community lead to a change in your perspective? How do you think and act differently? When you grow in your understanding of the person of God, the work of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, you’ll think differently. The result should be an ever deepening maturity and a closer walk of obedience with our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Bro. Heath
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April 2017
Nothing, and Everything
Easter is almost here. This season, more than any, we are reminded of the many contrasts of the Christian life. Through the events of Jesus’ last week on earth, we follow Him from His triumphant entry into Jerusalem – hearing the adulation of the crowds – to His agonizing walk up the Via Dolorossa, soaked in His own sweat and blood, toward Calvary. We hear, just as clearly, the jeering and mockery of the same crowd which, just a few days earlier, wanted to declare Him king.
We experience the loneliness of the cross, as Jesus, dying for me, cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And, very soon thereafter, we hear Jesus declare victory, stating, “It is finished!” We share with the disciples the loss and confusion of His death and burial, and we also share with them the incredible, unbelievable confidence of the empty tomb. As Christians, we are emboldened by the words, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” (Luke 24:5; Matthew 28:6)
nothing, and everything. You see, it cost us nothing to become a Christian, and to receive eternal life. The price was paid in full before we ever even thought about the consequences of our sin. The conquering of Satan, the payment of a blood sacrifice, the agony of the cross, the bearing of the weight of the sins of the world. Add to that the experience of God’s rejection and condemnation in our place, the facing down of hell itself – all of these things Christ accomplished on our behalf – without any help at all from us.
And the victory – along with all of the benefits of His mighty work are ours, through faith – they’re free to everyone who would believe in Him and claim them for their own.
In that darkened Upper Room, through the flickering of candlelight, only a few hours before His crucifixion, Jesus challenged the disciples, saying, “If you love Me, keep My commands.” (John 14:15) And, that challenge is ours, as well.
Learning Christ’s will, and then choosing to give Him your obedience is a profound act of worship. Obedience to God is confirmation, to ourselves and others who may be watching, that our faith-statements are real. It is also the surest path to personal satisfaction and happiness.
So, this Easter, embrace the contradictions that come from living a life of Christ-honoring service. Know that, as Max Lucado wrote, He chose the nails – for me, and because of me. And, through Him, I am forever free. He saves!
In His Love,
Bro. Heath
March 2017
The Love of Easter
1 John 4:7-11
We should remember, too, the words of John:
Easter is all about love: a Father’s love, a Son’s love, and the love of repentant children, who present themselves as a holy and living sacrifice – a gift of love, through faith, that is the only acceptable response we can have for the indescribable gift that was given to us in salvation.
So, as we prepare ourselves for Easter over the next forty or so days, let’s remember the love that made a plan, and the love that took a cross, and the love that gave and empty tomb. And, let’s remember that it was all for us, and respond with the gratitude and humility that is demanded of such an awesome gift. And, let our belief, our faith, impact our behavior. Let’s share some of that love with others; because, “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
In His Love,
Bro. Heath