Weekly Update – March 12th, 2026
When we think our lives as Christians, one aspect of our Christian walk should be a motivation for godly living. This is clearly displayed, for example, in Ephesians 2:1-10 with the apostle Paul giving an exposition of the gospel from beginning to end. In verses 1-3, he explains our life before Christ as desperate sinners. In verses 5-9, he explains what God has done for us in Christ to rescue us from our desperate state. Then in verse 10, Paul explains what this all leads to. He says “for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. . .” What becomes evident is that the truth of the gospel leads to our salvation, but this truth also leads to godly living.
An author who is very clear on how the gospel leads to godly living is Jerry Bridges. If you are ever looking for a book on Christian growth, just about anything he has written would be a great investment. Here is what he says about understanding the gospel and meditating on it daily: “the gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living by it. … Christians are not instructed in the gospel. And because they do not fully understand the riches and glory of the gospel, they cannot preach it to themselves, nor live by it in their daily lives.”
In the third chapter of The Discipline of Grace, Bridges provides a clear and powerful explanation of the gospel and does this by looking at Romans 3:19-26. His exposition of this passage leads to this imperative: Preach the gospel to yourself. Let me explain what this means:
First – To preach the gospel to yourself means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you.
Second – To preach the gospel to yourself means that you take at face value the precious words of Romans 4:7-8: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
Third – To preach the gospel to yourself means that you believe on the testimony of God that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). It means you believe that “Christ redeemed [you] from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for [you], for it is written ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’” (Galatians 3:13). It means you believe He forgave you all your sins (Colossians 2:13) and now “[presents you] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:22).
Fourth – To preach the gospel to yourself means that you believe 2 Corinthians 5:19 in that, “in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” Therefore, not only are we reconciled to God, but we implore others to be reconciled to God through Christ (2 Cor. 5:20).
In order to grow in godliness, we can never simply “get saved” and then follow a bunch of commands. We must fix our eyes on God and his great mercy shown to us through Christ. Then and only then will we learn how to forgive, live humbly with each other, patiently endure with one another, bear each other’s burdens, evangelize the lost, etc. Keep this truth in your hearts and daily meditate on God and his great love shown through Christ.
Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson
Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson
Fighter Verse for the Week
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
- Philippians 2:5-7
Announcements:
Prom Dress Giveaway: The prom dress giveaway is in need of volunteers. See Amy Blankenship or sign up on the bulletin board in the hall. Click HERE for more details.
Spring Work Day: On Saturday, March 21st at 8:00am there will be an all church work day. Come and help us clean, make minor repairs and get our building ready for all of the spring/summer activities that will take place.
New – Game Night: Our monthly game night is Friday, March 27th from 7:00-9:00pm. invite a friend to come with you and bring your favorite game and/or snack.
Members’ Meeting: Following the morning service on Sunday, March 29th, we will have a potluck lunch and members’ meeting. There is a signup sheet for the potluck on the bulletin board in the hall.
Easter Schedule: There will be many opportunities to connect with us this Easter season. First, join us on Palm Sunday on March 29th at 10:30am. Second, Maundy Thursday will be on April 2nd, at 7:00pm. Lastly, celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with us on April 5th. That morning we will have our annual Easter Breakfast at 9:15am with our Worship Service to follow at 10:30am.
Annie Armstrong Easter Offering: Every year at this time, we raise funds to support missionaries all over North America who are serving with the North American Mission Board (NAMB). This year, our goal at First Baptist Church is to raise $3000. You can give on Sunday mornings through one of our offering boxes located in the foyer or the welcome center. Just mark your envelop as “missions” or “Annie.” Or you can give online HERE and choose “missions” under the Fund tab. You can find more information about this offering HERE.
Men’s Study: Our next Men’s study will begin on Wednesday, April 8th from 8:00-9:15pm. The book for this study will be The Case for Christ. See Clint Blankenship for more information.
Ladies Bible Study: On Tuesday, February 17th, a ten week Bible study through the book of Joshua began. There are two sessions, one at 9:30am and another at 6:00pm. You can check out more information about this Bible study, HERE.
Family Discipleship Guides: These guides are designed to help equip parents further engage with what our children and youth are learning. You can find a guide for AWANA, HERE and for our Youth, HERE.
Building Remodel: We have officially kicked off our fundraiser! There are commitment cards available in the sanctuary as well as in the welcome center. Feel free to pick up one and return it to one an available basket. If you would like to give a one time or a reoccurring gift, you can do so HERE and select “building remodel.” You can also give through one of the offering boxes at church. Be sure to mark your envelop, “building remodel.” Check out a video highlighting the work done so far.
Food Pantry: The food pantry is currently in need of some food items. For a complete list of food pantry needs, click HERE.
Awana Bible Club
Awana Clubs are held on Wednesdays throughout the school year. Dinner is at 6:00pm with Awana Clubs starting at 6:30pm. Children can be registered HERE.
Equipping Hour
We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “Habits of the Household” meets in the Sanctuary, a study in Hebrews in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the Old Testament meets in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.
Giving
To Give Online, Go HERE.
You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030
Home Groups
Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.
Prayer
An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE.
Prepare for Sunday
Guide for Worship can be found HERE.