Tyrel Lett, Anna Lee Emanuel and Lou Durbin celebrated birthdays this week as we gathered to worship Sunday morning at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Doug Cory greeted the congregation and many visitors as prayers were requested for several. We also pray for physical and spiritual rain.
The children's Sunday school lesson taught by Terry Lett was an introduction to "Destination Dig," the theme for Vacation Bible School which will be held from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 30. All children are invited.
The adult Sunday school lesson was "Hope," a study of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. The lesson reminds us that "believers can feel alone when facing opposition to faith, God appears in the still moments of life, and faithful followers can stand together for God's honor."
Linda Abercrombie read Exodus 14:14 and shared a devotional, "Enemy Territory." "Satan is our enemy and wants us to disobey God as he does. Satan has us in his sights, but God fights for us."
Rick Lett and Tyrel served as offering attendants and Susan Cory and Karen Gardner led the congregational hymns, including "Living for Jesus."
Pastor Mark Hall brought us God's message and began by reading Exodus 3:4, "When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, 'Moses! Moses!' And Moses said, 'Here I am.'"
Brother Mark began by asking, "Has there ever been a time in life when you blew it? When you came to a crossroads, had to make a choice and didn't stop to pray and seek counsel and just acted on impulse without thinking about the consequences? Impulse can be dangerous. It is driven by emotions and feelings. The top three are anger, lust and loneliness. Just like Moses, we run to the wilderness and wonder how we got there. We may be stubborn enough to stay there, but bitterness lives in the wilderness. We feed ourselves bitterness by blaming everyone else for where we are instead of ourselves. God will not forget you in the wilderness."
Brother Mark talked about the story of Moses in Exodus, a Hebrew being saved at birth by growing up in Pharaoh's house by his God-fearing mother. After he kills an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew, he acts on impulse and heads to the wilderness and figures God has forgotten him. But God didn't forget him. Moses encountered God at the burning bush. Brother Mark told us, "To encounter God, you have to experience God. You can learn about Him, but you need to encounter Him. You can have the knowledge, but you need the encounter. Just like Moses, until you turn to God, he doesn't have much to say to you. We all come from dirt. The soul on your shoe might make you feel a little higher, but don't be like Moses who let living in the Pharaoh's house go to his head."
Brother Mark told us that there were three things to remember about the story of Moses: deliverance, development and destiny.
"The story reminds us that God doesn't send us to the wilderness. That is our choice, but God can help us to use that bad experience to help someone else. He can still use you if you will let Him. Moses spent forty years tending sheep and forty years tending God's sheep. We may be in the wilderness for a while, but each of us will have a unique experience as a result of that wilderness experience to help others. God never wastes pain. You have had that experience to use for someone else's good. It is your destiny and God uses it."
In closing, Brother Mark told us, "Don't waste your wilderness experience. God will see you through that and use it to help others. Are you wandering in the wilderness? Are you ready to turn to God? If God is calling you out, He has a destiny for you, if you will turn toward Him. Moses wandered for forty years and then turned to God's calling. God hasn't forgotten you. He's waiting on you. Is God calling you like He did Moses?"
Our hymn of invitation was "Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling." Rick gave the benediction.
We invite you to worship with us Sunday mornings at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. Bible Study is Wednesday nights at 7 p.m.
As we celebrate 118 years of worship at Mill Creek, we will hold our annual Homecoming on Sunday, Aug. 21, with a worship service and special music from the Butler Creek Boys during our song service -- then followed by lunch in the fellowship hall after the service. Everyone is invited. Mill Creek Baptist Church is located 3 1/2 miles east of Noel, just off Highway 90.
Opinions expressed are those of the author.