The weekend forecast looks to be a little colder than it has been in the past few weekends. Of course, it has been more like spring than winter this year. Whatever the weather; “this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24)

We have just begun our study in the book of 1 Corinthians. This Sunday we will study 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. I would entitle this message “A Divided Church.” There are many things that will be obvious in this passage. One is that we often romanticize the Scripture and we see the churches and people of the New Testament as not having the same problems that we face. It is apparent from the very earliest days that their churches went through the same kinds of struggles as our churches. Paul is dealing with division, disunity, and problems within the church. And he gives them the solution. Focus on the cross! When we focus on the periphery and non-essential things that do not matter we get into divisions and petty arguments. When we focus on the thing that is central; the cross of Jesus Christ, then there is unity and purpose. This is a great passage and I look forward to sharing this Sunday morning. When you hear someone say “keep the main thing the main thing” that should be what they are talking about! The main thing is a focus on the cross of Christ and His compelling love for us. When we have that focus we can overcome division and have unity.

Here is a word from the Word: (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

“Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe's household, that there are quarrels among you. What I am saying is this: each of you says, ‘I'm with Paul,’ or ‘I'm with Apollos,’ or ‘I'm with Cephas,’ or ‘I'm with Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul's name? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say you had been baptized in my name. I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't know if I baptized anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.”

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend. I hope to see you Sunday!

Bruce

This Sunday we are going to celebrate with many families of our church that have had the blessing of adoption. Life is a gift and it is precious. We stand with other organizations and groups that stand for the right to life. Whether it is an adoption ministry, the crisis pregnancy center, a right to life group, or some type of abstinence message we are pro-life. In addition to our emphasis this Sunday morning, you will find baby bottles placed around our campus and for the next month we will be receiving those baby bottles filled with change, dollar bills, and checks to support the Cumberland Crisis Pregnancy Center. We have many ministries in our area that support the right to life in many different ways. Pray for them. Ask God to bless them and to raise the financial support and the volunteers that they need to make a difference in this community.

Every time we celebrate life I am always aware that there are ladies all around us who are still dealing with guilt and shame over decisions that they made earlier in their lives. While we celebrate life we also are fully aware that Jesus came that we might all have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). God's grace is sufficient for every situation. There is nothing that you have done from which you cannot find grace and forgiveness and peace. If you, or someone that you know is dealing with leftover guilt and shame from a past abortion please let them know that there is help available. If they will just contact our Women's Ministry office there are ladies that have been through exactly the same situation that want to help them find peace from their past.

Here is a word from the Word: (Psalm 139)

"Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. [This] extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to [reach] it. Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I live at the eastern horizon [or] settle at the western limits, even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will become night'- even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You. For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will praise You, because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know [this] very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all [my] days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. God, how difficult Your thoughts are for me [to comprehend]; how vast their sum is! If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with You. God, if only You would kill the wicked - you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me - who invoke You deceitfully. Your enemies swear [by You] falsely. Lord, don't I hate those who hate You, and detest those who rebel against You? I hate them with extreme hatred; I consider them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.'"

Have a great Thursday!

Bruce

We had a great time last night ministering at "The Bridge" ministry in downtown Nashville. We enjoyed feeding the men and women who gathered and we enjoyed the time of worship. The folks who run this ministry do a great job.

We are working now on the plans for our next "Love on Sumner Day." It will be Sunday, April 1st. The last time we did this we had abbreviated services that morning and went and worked early in the day. This time we will go ahead with all of our regular morning events (all Bible Study classes and worship services) and then we will have these projects scheduled for Sunday afternoon. It should be a great day of ministry. We had over 1,100 people scattered throughout Sumner County last time making a difference in the name of Jesus Christ. How can your Sunday School class get involved? What can you do? There are many projects that we will provide for you or you can find something on your own. Contact Mark Satterfield (msatterfield@fbchtn.org) or the Missions Office if you need information about the various projects that are available. Also, if you have your own project that you will be doing as a Sunday School class please be sure to let the Missions Office know about that.

Here is a prayer need and also a little more of a plea for help. Kim Meadors is a 29 year old single mom in the hospital here in Hendersonville. She has a son named Alex. She received a kidney from her mom when she was 13 years old and it has served her for 16 years. The bad news is that it is failing her. She is on a waiting list for a new kidney but the waiting list is from 3-5 years. Kim doesn't have that kind of time. The Nashville television stations are making her story available to people. Susie Turner is a member of our church and is the principal at Watt Hardison Elementary School in Portland where her son Alex attends. You can contact Susie at 325-3233 if you need more information or if you are interested in seeing if you are a potential donor. If you happen to have an interest in being a kidney donor here is a link that will help you know if you are a candidate. http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=kidney_pancreas. Click on the "Kidney/Pancreas Transplant" in a box in the middle of the page. Then click on "Am I eligible to become a kidney transplant living donor?" which is located in a box on the right side of the page. There you will find a form to complete and someone from Vanderbilt would get in touch with you after you submit the form. All of us can pray for Kim and for a matching kidney to be found.

There are plenty of opportunities tonight for Discipleship, prayer, fellowship, and worship. There is something for you on Wednesday evenings and we would love for you to get involved. My Bible Study tonight will be finishing the 20th chapter of Acts. I think I enjoy Wednesday evenings at FBCH as much as any day of the week. There is just a wonderful spirit here. I love to walk through the complex and just see what all God is doing in the lives of young and old alike. Come join us!

Here is a word from the Word: (Acts 20:25-38)

"And now I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of everyone's blood, for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole plan of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And men from among yourselves will rise up with deviant doctrines to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears. 'And now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands have provided for my needs, and for those who were with me. In every way I've shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive. After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. There was a great deal of weeping by everyone. And embracing Paul, they kissed him, grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.'"

Have a great Wednesday!

Bruce

Many of our church staff members are going to a homeless ministry in downtown Nashville tonight to pitch in and minister. It is nice to go and help another ministry. This particular one is just called "The Bridge Ministry" and it feeds hundreds of homeless people every Tuesday night throughout the year regardless of the weather. We are looking forward to helping out tonight. They do much of what we do through "Room at the Inn." They provide clothing and food to homeless people. They also offer a Tuesday night worship service under the Jefferson Street Bridge.

We had a great Deacons meeting last night. I love these men. Richard Breece shared his life's journey with us and it was incredible. God has blessed him during a time when doctors did not think he was going to live. And, they said, if he did happen to beat the odds and live he would never be able to have children. Of course, we all know about Mattie, Eli, Robert, Ben, and Will. It certainly wasn't one of those "if you love Jesus you'll never have any problems" testimonies. Richard has been through cancer (twice), financial difficulty, tornados, and all other kinds of issues but God's grace has been sufficient. It was a wonderful reminder of the power and providence of God at work in the lives of His people.

We also heard a testimony from Michael Davenport. Michael serves the Lord through the Nashville Rescue Mission. I have been so encouraged and impressed by the ministry of the Rescue Mission. Every time that I go there I am reminded of the unconditional love of God. Fourteen hundred people came to know Christ last year through the Nashville Rescue Mission and over 20,000 made recommitments of their lives to Christ. Thousands and thousands of people are touched by the Nashville Rescue Mission every year. The Nashville Rescue Mission provides food, housing, clothing, job training, counseling and the love of Jesus Christ on a daily basis. I am glad that we support this ministry through First Baptist Church. Our Deacons are going to be recommending that we ordain Michael to the ministry. God is using him mightily.

Here is a word from the Word: (John 15:1-15)

"After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). And a huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing on the sick. So Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with His disciples. Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near. Therefore, when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, 'Where will we buy bread so these people can eat?' He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. Philip answered, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough for each of them to have a little.' One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 'There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish-but what are they for so many?' Then Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000. Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated-so also with the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were full, He told His disciples, 'Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.' So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, 'This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!' Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself."

Have a great Tuesday!

Bruce

Thank you for your support of the Mission Expo yesterday. I was told that it was one of the best attended mission events that we have ever had. One thousand one hundred and seventy-two people wandered through all the displays and talked to people about mission opportunities. I appreciate all the work that the Global Impact Team (Susie Willis is the chairperson), Donna Branch, and Mark Satterfield did to make this a reality. There were about 45 exhibits of various ways that you can be involved in missions through FBCH. From Hendersonville to Africa, and all points in between, there is a way for you to be involved in taking the gospel to the nations.

Well, I must say that it was an entertaining football game last night. We watched it at a Sunday School class party. It seemed to me that there were more Giants fans at our particular event. There were a few Patriot fans scattered around but most of the people seemed to be pulling for Eli and the Giants. Whether or not your team won, it was a good game. I hope it gave you a good opportunity to connect through a Sunday School event, a home group, or some other type of event.

This morning I am going to be meeting with a group of pastors from across the Bledsoe Baptist Association at our monthly meeting. This is a great group of God's choice servants and it is always an honor to share a little time with them. Mike Pennington leads the group.

I will finish the day with our Deacon fellowship tonight. These men are great servant leaders of our church. They pray for our church regularly. Actually, a group of Deacons get together each month to do nothing other than pray. They also contact all of those who visit with our church each week. For example, there were six new families that visited our church for the first time yesterday. Some of our Deacons made every effort to visit them or make contact with them yesterday afternoon to let them know we were glad to have them and answer any questions that they might have about our church. I really appreciate our deacons. They are a great group. Mike Stoops is the chairman of our deacon fellowship this year.

Here is a word from the Word: (Joshua 1:1-9)

"After the death of Moses the Lord's servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses: 'Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great Euphrates River-all the land of the Hittites-and west to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you. 'Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'"

Have a great Monday!

Bruce