Bookstore

Weekly Update – September 21st, 2023

A little over 5 years ago now, First Baptist Church opened up a “bookstore”.  Now it’s no Barnes and Nobles, but it is a few shelves in the welcome center of key books that will help influence your Christian life.  We have books such as, The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller, which will help shape your view on marriage, or Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Don Whitney which will give you direction in consistently seeking the Lord.  These books and more are all available at a discounted rate for your growth in Christ.  But, more than simply reminding you about this book store, I thought it might be helpful to tell you why I think it is important for you to read good Christian books in the first place.  So then here are three reasons:

First, read good Christian books to learn from others.  Part of being an active member in a local church is learning from other believers.  We join in corporate worship to glorify God as a collective group in singing, praying, listening, observing baptism and through taking the Lord’s Supper.  But we also gather to see the example of other believers, to hear from those to whom God has placed over us as teachers and pastors, and to gain insight from others who are also studying the word of God.  Through reading Christian books, we have a unique opportunity to learn from others who might not be in our locality.  There are others outside of our sphere who are also seeking to know and serve the Lord rightly and the Lord has gifted them to write about what they have learned.  Through reading, we learn from the insight of believers both past and present who might be near or far from us. 

Second, read good Christian books for the sake of those you influence.  Albert Mohler in his book titled The Conviction to Lead said, “When you find a leader, you have found a reader. The reason for this is simple—there is no substitute for effective reading when it comes to developing and maintaining the intelligence necessary to lead.”  In other words, reading forms your convictions and convictions will determine how you influence and lead others.  Every single one of us leads in some area or another.  It may in obvious ministries such as Equipping classes/Sunday School or some sort small group Bible study, but it may instead be a husband trying to lead his wife, or a mother trying to lead her children.  You may be in a workplace trying to influence co-workers for Christ or in a civic organization with other neighbors from your area.  Either way, we are all in a position to influence someone.  Read so that you might influence them well. 

Third, read to grow in your faith. All of us have blind spots in our lives.  There are areas that we think we have sufficient knowledge, to only find out that we were perhaps really lacking in what we knew.  On the other hand, we all have strengths as well.  Areas in which our experiences have shaped us and previous reading has informed us.  Either way, good Christian books can strengthen our weaknesses and make us even stronger in our strengths.  None of us have arrived to the pinnacle of our faith.  We all need to grow and continue to strive for growth in our Christian walk and reading is a key way in which we can do that.

There are many good books in the world that range in all sorts of genres.  Read them too.  But if you struggle to read or you simply lack time to read a lot, then choose a good Christian book and dive into it.  You can stop by our “bookstore” and check out some good books to start with.  Here you will find everything from a biblical view of finances, to marriage, missions, counseling and devotionals. I once heard it said that you can tell if a person is growing in their Christian faith by what they are reading.  Keep the Bible first in your priority of books, but then add to it the insights of other good authors as you seek to learn, lead and grow in your Christian life. 

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
- Matthew 5:11-12

Announcements: .

Ladies’ Bible Study: The Ladies’ Bible Study for the fall will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm on Tuesdays, for the next 5 weeks. Sheryl Nelson will lead through Kelly Minter’s study on the book of Ruth.

Men’s Retreat: Men, mark your calendars for Friday, September 29th-Saturday, September 30th for our 1st annual men’s retreat. We will head to Rushville, MO., to God’s Mountain Camp. We will have times of teaching, recreation and lots of good food. The price is $40. Sign up in the hall this Sunday!

Members’ Meeting: We look forward to our regularly scheduled members’ meeting on Sunday, October 8th.

Candy Collection: We are now collecting individually wrapped candy for our Fall Festival. Mark your calendars for for the Fall Festival on Sunday, October 29th, and keep an eye out for more information.

Missouri Missions Offering: Every year, along with nearly 1,800 other churches, our church partners to pray and give concerning the Lord’s work in our state. The statewide goal is $750,000 this year. Our church goal is $4500. I hope that you will consider praying and giving to this effort throughout this month. As with your normal offering, you can give in person, by mail or online. Just mark MMO when you do give. Check out more information about this effort HERE.

Befriend a Student: If you are interested in befriending a student from Longview Community College this semester, connect with Matthew Klika. You can find more information about befriend a student HERE.

Food Pantry: We are in need of pop-top and ready to eat items for our food pantry. These items are needed specifically for the homeless in our community that stop by the church building throughout the week looking for a meal.

Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are still needed during the 10:30am nursery time. Check the update or email the office for more information on how you can serve.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “Firm Foundations” will meet in the Sanctuary, a biblical exposition of the minor prophets will meet in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the New Testament will meet 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. 

Wednesday Evening Activities

Awana, Youth Group, and Biblical Counseling are on Wednesday evenings. We will share a meal in the Faith Center Gym at 6:00pm before heading to classes at 6:30pm.