He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus.” Jesus’ parable in Luke 16 features two characters before and after they die. While on earth the rich man feasts sumptuously; but after he dies, he’s tormented in Hades. Lazarus, though poor on earth, lives with Abraham after he dies. Surprisingly, the “rich […]
Read More »Volunteering has never been easier, more effective, or as efficient at First Baptist. Thanks to the great work of Hannah Watt and our staff team, we have many simple ways for you to get involved to Think, Act, and Be like Jesus on the block and in the community. These one day, hands on events […]
Read More »‘Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ Of all the things that surprised Nicodemus, the one statement that he could not figure out was the new birth that comes from Jesus. Nicodemus assumed that all of this was believing in Jesus was on him—if he could just […]
Read More »Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we are in Christ, we undergo an identity crisis. Our old loyalties to family, nation, religion, work, and values change. We realize that Jesus has paid a very high price for us—his life—and now we are bound to him. Under ordinary circumstances, a person would […]
Read More »“This is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us.” At Connections weekend, Scot McKnight shared with us that Christian love is prepositional—to, for, with, and until the end. It’s a “fierce love” that doesn’t sit passively by on the sidelines waiting for someone else to initiate or provide a warm fuzzy […]
Read More »Now to him who is able to keep you from falling. Jude 24 Every child today is instructed to wear a bicycle helmet even on a tricycle. They start the habit now of protecting their head for the inevitable crash that comes to anyone who’s tried to ride. The helmet protects the rider from the […]
Read More »Today, we begin week two of “Think, Act, Be.” We’ll focus on what the Bible says about my identity in Christ today in worship. We will celebrate the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper today in worship and celebrate. Our beliefs this week: I believe I am significant because of my position as a […]
Read More »“So there was great joy in that city.” Philip is one of my favorite deacons in the New Testament. After Saul began persecuting followers of the Way, Philip went to the Samaritans. This deacon was fulfilling Acts 1:8. “You will be my witnesses in Judea and Samaria.” As a result of his ministry, there was […]
Read More »On Sunday, Caleb and Terrah Mello shared the exciting news of God’s work in their lives over the last few months. They’ve accepted an invitation to move to South Africa. They’ll be working with Knysa Hope, a new non-profit (NGO) focused on reaching people in Knysa, South Africa for Jesus. I wanted to share a […]
Read More »“My, my, look how much you’ve grown! I can hardly recognize you.” No child likes to hear those words at a family reunion. But tell those words to a growing believer in Jesus—especially one that you knew before she came to know the Lord. Suddenly, you’re encouraging them with grace. It’s one of the marks […]
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