Ruth Briggs, Rick Lett, Kitty Collingsworth and Lou Durbin were celebrating birthdays as we gathered to worship Sunday morning at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Special prayers were requested for Barbara Cory, Susan's mother, Ralph McKnight, Don Chaney, Gene Hall and the Darnell family. Janet, Susan and Kim shared praises. In announcements, the business meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday evening and Vacation Bible School will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 13.
Janey Chaney shared the devotional about how America celebrates the Fourth of July and reminded us to thank God for our freedom in this country. She reflected on the history of why we celebrate our freedom to worship God, read the Bible and all that our freedom allows us to do that doesn't exist in other countries. Janet also read a "Prayer for America" and a humorous story about "A Cowboy Named Bud."
Rick Lett asked for God's blessing upon the offertory and he and Tyrel Lett served as ushers. With Susan Cory at the piano, Karen Gardner led the congregational hymns, including "The Lily of the Valley."
Brother Mark Hall shared God's message, "Jesus Take the Wheel," about the sower and the seed from Matthew 13:1-9. Brother Mark talked about bumper stickers and told us that the God of this universe is not the co-pilot of anything. God is the pilot and we are all the passengers. As we travel, God is the captain. We need Jesus' hands on the wheel of our life all of the time, but we tend to take Jesus out of the driver's seat and put Him in the back seat. Jesus has to be in the front seat to have His hands on the wheel."
As Brother Mark talked about the scripture and the parable of the sower, he compared it to a truck patch. "You have to have good ground to grow a crop. Our hearts are the ground and Jesus is the sower. He plants the word in our heart. It is up to us to grow it. If you want Jesus in the front seat and His hands on the wheel, there are three things you need to watch out for. First, you need to watch out for the devil. He doesn't want you in the word. When you are in God's word, that's when you are a danger and a threat to the devil. He will distract you and snatch you away like the birds snatched the seeds after they are sowed. We are never so old or so secure in our faith that we don't have to contend with the devil as long as you are a threat to him. James 4:7 says, "You have to submit to God to resist the devil." James 4:6 says, "We need to humble ourselves. The devil uses our pride against us. The devil comes after practicing Christians hard."
The second thing you need to watch out for is hard, stony ground in reference to hard hearts. Brother Mark referred to Matthew 13:20-21 and said, "It is like mowing a beautiful yard and hitting rocks that hide under the surface. Rocks in our hearts come to surface in our hearts during the week and make a racket just like when your mower hits rocks you can't see when you are mowing. Remember that living in milk and honey country isn't about the absence of problems; it is about the presence of God."
The third thing you need to look out for is the thorns. Brother Mark referred to Matthew 13:22 and said that the "cares" in the verse concerns the distractions, anxieties, worries and burdens that we carry with us. "We live in a time when there are too many. When we try to carry them ourselves, we are putting Jesus in the back seat where the devil wants Him. Jesus tells us to cast our worries to Him and let Him carry them. He tells us "My burden is light and my yoke is easy," but we have to put him in the driver's seat. If we get our ground worked, Jesus will plant and we will pick His promises. What in your heart needs to be worked out? Jesus wants to plant in our hearts, but we have to have good ground. We have to have a good heart to produce. Know that you have a home in heaven and you want the same thing for your neighbor. Jesus plants the seeds, but we have to prepare the ground, our hearts. He will tell you what you need to take care of in your heart to have good ground for Him to sow and your heart to produce."
Our hymn of invitation was "He Was There All The Time," and Rick Lett gave the benediction.
We invite you to worship with us at Mill Creek Baptist. Everyone is welcome. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. Mill Creek Baptist Church is located 3 1/2 miles east of Noel or 8 1/2 miles west of I49, just off Highway 90, on Upper Mill Creek Road. We wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July.
Religion on 07/04/2019