Janet Chaney shared the devotional "Keep on Keepin' On" and read Galatians 6:9 where the Apostle Paul says, "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart." God has promised to never leave us. He is bigger than any problem everyone faces. He is always with us. Janet also read a Cherokee story about the battle of two wolves in us -- evil versus good.
Wayne Holly led the congregational hymns "Rock of Ages" and "Glory to His Name" with piano accompaniment from Susan Cory. Mitchell Lett asked God's blessing upon the offering, and he and Tyrel Lett served as ushers.
Brother Mark Hall thanked the prayer warrior's in our church and then began Sunday's message "A Brand New Life." Scripture was from Acts 9:1-22, the story of Saul of Tarsus, who wanted to kill Christian disciples and close churches and Saul being converted. As Saul is coming from Damascus, he saw a bright light, fell to the ground as he heard Jesus asking him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Saul said he was not persecuting Him, but Christians. Jesus told him if he was persecuting Christians, he was persecuting Him, too.
As an example, Brother Mark told everyone that if we bad mouth another Christian, Jesus takes it personally, as if we are doing it to Him, too. Brother Mark asked, "Has the Lord ever had your attention like He got Saul's? If not, you will be there someday. When you are flat on your back, the first and smartest question you can ask God is what would He have you to do. Then you need to do it."
As Brother Mark continued the story about Saul, he talked about Ananias, a regular church-going 'Joe' who prays and Jesus tells to go meet Saul. Ananias told Saul that the Lord had sent him so that he might receive sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:18 says, "Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized." Saul then spent some days with the disciples at Damascus instead of wanting to kill them. Acts 9:20 says, "Immediately he preached Christ in the synagogues that He is the Son of God." Brother Mark said, "Saul began a new life at that point."
Brother Mark told us that when we are saved and have that new life, we also have five more new things. "We have a new Lord and need to ask Him what He would have us do. We also have a new life. Once we were lost, but now we are found. Once we were blind but now we see and just like Saul when the scales fell from his eyes. He saw Jesus then. When we have that new life, God wants to communicate with us and things make sense.
Third, when we are saved there is new liberty. It's like having new tools, but still wanting to use the old ones. With new liberty, we don't need the old stuff. Fourth, there is a new love. When you have a new life, the Lord changes you. Saul was going to kill the disciples, but with his new life, he was spending time with them. He loves them. The only thing two Christians need to have in common to love one another is Jesus.
And the fifth thing is to have new labor. We have a new job now just like Saul had a new job once he was saved. Instead of going to kill Christians, he is now preaching Christ. Our job is to be witnesses at home and all around us. Sometimes, we get sidetracked from our labor, but we never retire from that labor. The last thing Jesus told us to do before He went to heaven is in Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Our hymn of invitation was "Where He Leads, I'll Go," and Bobby Bryan gave the benediction.
We invite everyone to worship at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and the morning service at 11 a.m. Mill Creek Baptist Church is located 3½ miles east of Noel or 8½ miles west of I49, just off Highway 90, on Upper Mill Creek Road.
Religion on 01/09/2020