Most sports enthusiasts are excited about the football game this Sunday night between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. Many of our Sunday School classes have planned fellowships around the Super Bowl so it should be a great Sunday evening for building relationships. If you are going to a Sunday School party fellowship this would be a great opportunity to invite someone to go with you. Use it as an outreach. Maybe there is someone new to your class and they might not take the initiative to go on their own but if you invite them to go with you, they might just do it. Be intentional in building those relationships this weekend.

I am curious as to the number of people that are pulling for the Giants and the number of people that are pulling for the Patriots. Most of us would certainly rather see the Titans playing one of them. Since it is an “all northeast” Super Bowl I wonder if that will hurt the national appeal of the game. I doubt it. My guess is that it will be just like always and that televisions across America and around the world will be tuned to Indianapolis, Indiana for about four hours Sunday evening.

Whatever your plans call for this weekend don’t miss Bible Study and Worship Sunday morning at the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville. God is up to something. There is a new wind blowing. If we come expecting God to speak to our hearts, He will! Let’s come prayerful and expectant and gather in His name to worship Him this Sunday morning. As always, worship and Bible Study are offered at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.

We will begin our study in the book of 1 Corinthians this Sunday morning. Paul begins the letter to the Corinthians with some words that should really grab our attention. He calls us “saints.” I don’t know how many times I have heard someone say “I am no saint.” Well, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ you are! We will see what else Paul has to say to us in that passage Sunday morning.

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

“Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and our brother Sosthenes: To God's church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord-theirs and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God for you because of God's grace given to you in Christ Jesus, that by Him you were made rich in everything-in all speaking and all knowledge- as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend. I’ll see you Sunday!

Bruce

I wish you could have seen all the teenagers here last night. The chapel is getting full as the High School students continue to bring friends to the midweek worship. A group of adults were out last night grilling hundreds of hot dogs for the kids to enjoy after their worship service. Brandon is going to use the first Wednesday night of every month to have an outreach focus and he will follow that with a fellowship time for the kids. You can put that on your calendar to pray for the Student Ministry (pray for them every week but especially on the first Wednesday of every month). Good things continue to happen in the Middle School area, too. We have a great group of kids and they are supported by a wonderful group of adults who gather around them every week to encourage them and help them as they grow to be more like Jesus. Brandon, Jeff, Melissa, and all of the volunteers are making a difference!

It's always fun to wander through the Children's Ministry area on Wednesday nights. Mark Hayman, Denise Patton, and all the crew just do an incredible job with music and missions. The children are happy to be there and they seem to genuinely enjoy Wednesday nights. I know I do.

Today is Ground Hog Day. I don't know what 'Punxsutawney Phil' saw up in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania but I know that 'Hendersonville Harry' saw his shadow without any doubt. The sun was shining nice and bright this morning. So, can you imagine six more weeks of this terrible winter that we have been enduring. It's going to be horrible. Lows are going to continue to dip all the way down into the 40's and the highs will probably not get out of the upper 60's for the next few weeks. Well, we will just have to suffer through this record winter for a few more weeks. The truth is that I am not looking to a Ground Hog for information about the future. I am looking to the Lord.

Here is a word from the Word: (Psalm 121)

"I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. The sun will not strike you by day, or the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever."

Have a great Thursday!

Bruce

I went to the Living Sent Awards Banquet and Fundraising event last night. Jerry Moll, a church member, leads this marketplace ministry. The concept is simple. This is a group of businessmen and women who are committed to taking the gospel and the Christian life from the church on Sunday to the marketplace on Monday. Their desire is to help equip people in the business community to live out their faith. I go to their monthly meetings and I am constantly encouraged by the testimonies of men and women who are determined to take a stand in the marketplace for Christ. The meeting last night was outstanding. The group is growing. The future is bright for Living Sent Ministries.

Our staff met this morning, as we do every Wednesday morning, and we prayed for many of you. In the course of 2012 every family in our church and every member of every family will be prayed for by name. In addition, we are making every effort to call every family in our church week by week to find out how we can pray for you specifically. We have had a number of people who have e-mailed or called back to tell us how their prayers were answered. Prayer really does make a difference. It is the key.

Remember the Mission Expo this Sunday morning. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will last until 12:00 p.m. Take some time before, or after, you finish your Sunday School and worship service time and walk through and see all the mission opportunities available through First Baptist Church. Many Sunday School classes are going to take a part of their class time to walk through the exhibit area. It would certainly be worth your time.

Adult choir and orchestra, children's choirs, children's missions, The Timothy Initiative, Student Worship, and the Pastor's Bible Study class will all meet tonight. I love Wednesday nights at FBCH. Don't let the rain keep you away. I hope to see you tonight.

Here is a word from the Word: (Acts 20:17-38)

"Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: 'You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time- serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and with the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews- and that I did not shrink back from proclaiming to you anything that was profitable, or from teaching it to you in public and from house to house. I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. 'And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, bound in my spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there, except that in town after town the Holy Spirit testifies to me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God's grace. '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

This past Saturday a group of teenage girls met with their moms and some other interested ladies to make tote bags for the Dominican Republic mission trip in March. We had material that had been donated for the project and we just needed people who could sew. (By the way, someone donated three sewing machines to the group to use on their 'sew days' for missions). Melissa Payne (our Girls Ministry Associate) promoted a mother/daughter project for missions. There were moms and daughters and grandmothers and even a few women who acted as surrogate mothers. Different people were here sewing from 8:00 until 3:00 and at the end of the day they had made 150 tote bags. There were about 25 - 30 women and girls who worked on this mission project. Paula Kingsbury oversees this 'Sewing for the Nations' ministry and if you are interested in helping you can contact her in the church office (pkingsbury@fbchtn.org).

We have groups right now that are getting ready to go to the Dominican Republic and to Alaska in the next few weeks. Going on mission is not just a matter of showing up on the day of departure with your suitcase. They meet together, pray together, plan together and seek the Lord's direction a long time before they ever get on an airplane. There is a real sense of excitement about our mission opportunities. A couple stopped me Sunday morning and said "are all the spots taken for the Alaska mission trip? We really want to go!"

You can learn about all of the upcoming mission opportunities as well as all of the on-going mission projects/ministries that we support this Sunday. Our annual Mission Expo will be in the Fellowship Hall A all morning this coming Sunday. Take some time during some part of the day to walk through the booths and displays and learn as much as you can about our mission opportunities for 2012. You will be encouraged and blessed to know that your church is involved in so many different efforts of taking the Gospel to the nations. You will also be challenged to get involved!

Here is a word from the Word: (Revelation 22:6-21)

"Then he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must quickly take place.' 'Look, I am coming quickly! Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic words of this book.' I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. But he said to me, 'Don't do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.' He also said to me, 'Don't seal the prophetic words of this book, because the time is near. Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy go on being made filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; and let the holy go on being made holy.' 'Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 'Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. 'I, Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star.' Both the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' Anyone who hears should say, 'Come!' And the one who is thirsty should come. Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift. I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book. He who testifies about these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen."

Have a great Tuesday!

Bruce

We finished up the "Intentional" series yesterday. Through the month of January we focused on being Intentional in our Living, Giving, Praying, Relationships, and our Mission. It has been a good way to start the New Year and we have really been blessed in our corporate worship. We will turn our attention to the book of 1 Corinthians beginning this Sunday morning.

The Chili Cook-Off fellowship last night was great fun. We are a family and last night we did what families do. We shared a meal. We prayed together. We laughed together. We played together. There were probably some tall tales told and some good natured ribbing taking place. The kids had a great time down on the inflatables in the Family Ministry Center. It was just a fun evening together as a church family.

This coming Sunday night, a lot of our Sunday School classes will get together for Super Bowl fellowships. That is a little different because it is generally just for small Sunday School/Bible Study groups. The Fellowship last night was church wide so we had people of all ages. That made it very special. We have several more planned throughout the year. I appreciate Barry Payne and his team cooking all that good food. I appreciate all of you who brought a pot of your own homemade chili. And, I appreciate Jeff Lake, Teresa Friedman and the entire Family Ministry team for putting it all together down in the Family Ministry area and the Fellowship Hall. It was a fun night.

Here is a word from the Word as you begin your new work week: (John 15:9-17)

"As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. "I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My command: love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. This is what I command you: love one another."

Have a great Monday!

Bruce