Posts by Michael Nelson (Page 9)

Weekly Update – February 23rd, 2023 When we think our lives as Christians, one aspect of our Christian walk should be a motivation for holiness.  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. …

Weekly Update – February 16th, 2023 About a month ago, I explained what it is we believe about our first point in our statement on biblical sexuality.  You can find that explanation HERE.  This week, I want to move on to point 2 of 9, as we continue to understand why we, at First Baptist Church, believe what we do about sexuality.  The second point we believe about sexuality states this: The differences between male and female reproductive structures are…

Weekly Update – February 9th, 2023 This past Sunday, I mentioned that as a means to help God’s people to trust in Him, the scriptures often remind them of their redemption. All throughout the Old Testament, for example, you see the phrase, “I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt” (Josh. 24:5; 1 Sam. 10:18; Ps. 81:10; Jer. 2:6; etc.) In a similar way, we, as New Testament believers, have been redeemed through Christ, who has freed…

Weekly Update – February 2nd, 2023 In 1 Samuel 4:1, there are nine words that start off a new account in the storyline of Israel.  Judgement has just been pronounced on Eli and his sons (1 Sam. 2:32-35) and Samuel has been established as the next man to lead Israel (1 Sam. 3:19-21).  Not all is made right immediately though.  There has been corruption and wickedness flowing throughout Israel for many years as “everyone did what was right in his…

Weekly Update – January 26th, 2023 As we have been in 1 Samuel for the last few weeks, we have begun to see this contrast between those who are prideful verses those who are humble.  On the one hand, you have the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, who were treating their role as God’s priests with contempt (1 Sam. 2:17).  They were taking advantage of the sacrifices offered by the faithful in Israel (1 Sam. 2:16) as well as…

Weekly Update – January 19th, 2023 Back at our December member’s meeting, we passed a new statement on Biblical sexuality.  The statement has nine points describing what it is that we at First Baptist Church believe about how God has created us as men and women to function and interact with one another.  Over the next couple of months, I want to take some time to review each point to further clarify what the Bible says about sexuality and why…

Weekly Update – January 12th, 2023 Many times when we pray for members in the church, it is easy to remember requests that are spoken, lift up those who might be on our prayer list, or pray for those we know in our classes or in our groups.  But when we take a look at the apostle Paul’s prayers for the different churches, we notice that he might mention his concerns about other’s health (Phil. 2:27; 2 Tim. 4:20), but…

Weekly Update – January 5th, 2023 On Sunday, January 8th, at 9:15am, we will begin what we are now calling, Adult Equipping Classes.  These Equipping Classes will take the place of what we have traditionally called Adult Sunday School or Bible Study Classes.  This hour won’t look much different from what it has looked like the last year or two.  We will still have three classes, they will still meet at the same time, and the studies will still be…

Weekly Update – December 29th, 2022 This Sunday, there will be a number of Bible reading plans available for you to look at set on the organ bench in the sanctuary.  You can also feel free to choose one from this website too, if you are interested.  Each Bible reading plan set out and on the above website are varied in the days that you read, where you read, and how much you read.  Every year I pick out a…

Weekly Update – December 22nd, 2022 There seems to be this growing trend among many churches to cancel services on Christmas Day.  For that matter, there are several others who will also cancel on New Year’s Day as well.  Ruth Graham of the New York Times says, “Christmas Day falls on a Sunday for the first time since 2016, and that’s a problem.”  Some pastors will give practical reasons for why they have cancelled church on these days saying, “it…

Weekly Update – December 15th, 2022 During our September members’ meeting, there was a document introduced to be considered as our new constitution for First Baptist Church. This document was adopted last Sunday night at our December members’ meeting (You can view the new constitution HERE). Some of the major changes that this new constitution would entail included a plurality of elders and a sort of redefinition for our deacons. There was also some clarification given to how we receive…

Weekly Update – December 8th, 2022 On Sunday night, we will meet for our final quarterly members’ meeting of the year. During this meeting, you will hear of updates from various ministries, be encouraged by what the Lord is doing in our church, have an opportunity to pray, and finally, participate in the decision making process of the church. The goal of members’ meetings are to create a family type of atmosphere where we can celebrate God’s hand at work,…