Places I Wouldn't Want To Be

As we gathered to worship Sunday morning at Mill Creek Baptist Church, special prayers were requested for Wayne Fischer, the family of Margerie Greene, Shelley's cousin's families and travel prayers for several. Janice Mason shared a praise.

Janet Chaney gave the devotional, "How a Christian is Like A Pumpkin," as she told us how God picks us and scoops out all of the yucky stuff inside like seeds of doubt, greed, hate and impurity. "People see our outside, but Jesus sees our soul and hearts inside. When Jesus lives inside you, you glow with God's spirit and we need His light. Like carving a pumpkin, God carves us a new smiling face and puts His light inside us." Janet read Ezekiel 36:26-27.

Tyrel Lett asked God's blessing upon our offertory, and he and Rick Lett served as ushers. With Becky Johnson at the piano, our congregational hymns included "Mansion Over The Hilltop." We were blessed with special music from Wayne Holly and Karen Gardner, who sang "Sweet Hour of Prayer."

Scripture for Bro. Mark Hall's message was from Luke 18:15-17 as he gave the last sermon in the series "Places I Wouldn't Want To Be" on "Humility-Part 2." The message was to help us understand how to come to God as a little child. Bro. Mark read Luke 18:18-23 about the rich young ruler who had a need for eternal life, but left sorrowful since his need was not filled because he would not sell his riches.

Bro. Mark asked, "That is a place you wouldn't want to be. Would the outcome have been different if he had come to God as a child? You must come to God as a child with five things: humility, dependency, expectation of complete faith, trust and an admitted need. If you don't come with the first four, you won't get the need fulfilled. I wonder if the rich young man ever got another chance? The Bible never said he did. God isn't here to solve our earthly problems. He is here to solve one thing and that is our spiritual problem, which is sin. God has a plan for all of us and that is eternal life."

Bro. Mark continued by telling us that a child comes to God first with humility.

"Having humility doesn't mean you are a sissy. It allows you forgiveness. It doesn't mean we have simple minds, it means we have soft hearts. Sometimes we need dump trucks to haul off our big egos. Humility gives you the ability to forgive. The Bible says if you want to be forgiven, you must also forgive. The second thing a child comes with is a dependency. We all hate to depend on others or ask for help because of our pride. We become too proud to ask for help. We come into this world totally dependent and we will go out the same way.

The only real freedom you can have is a complete dependence on God. The third thing a child comes with is an expectation -- a complete faith. We should have powerful prayer and pray like a child with unselfishness, complete humility, full of expectations, complete trust and dependency.

We should pray with complete faith and trust. Ignorance says, "I don't know what the Word of God says." Arrogance says, "I don't agree with all of what God's Word says." And petulance says, "I can't so I won't do what the Word of God says."

Bro. Mark talked about trust, the fourth thing a child comes to God with. "As a child, your kids trust you. Have your kids seen you humble yourself before God and display a dependency on Him? Trust in Him for forgiveness and help."

Bro. Mark talked about the lyrics is a song. "'Not because of what I have done, but because of who you are. Not because of who I am, but because of what you have done, I am yours.' That's where you want to be. You don't want to be like the rich young ruler that came with that need and went away sorrowful because he couldn't do it. All he had to do was come to God as a little child."

In Luke 18:17, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

In closing, Bro. Mark said you must come a child with complete humility, complete dependency, complete trust, complete expectation and a need. A child comes with a need and they have all the faith that their need will be met. God gives us all a measure of faith. Grow yours. Pray God's will will be done. The greatest need is the need for salvation. That is what the young rich man needed. Don't go into eternity lost."

Our hymn of invitation was "Just As I Am," and Wayne Johnson gave the benediction.

Our fourth annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, in the fellowship hall. We invite everyone to come eat with us and fellowship. We also invite you to stop by and see us at Southwest City's annual Trunk or Treat on Halloween at the ballpark beginning at 5:30.

Everyone is welcome to worship with us at Mill Creek Baptist Church on Sunday mornings. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11:00. Mill Creek is located 3.5 miles east of Noel, just off Highway 90.