Sunday, February 19, 2012
Creation Reveals the Creator, Part 2
Genesis 1:14-31 | Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, February 12, 2012
Creation Reveals the Creator, Part 1
Genesis 1:3-13 | Justin Wainscott
 

Church Member, Dr. Ben Mitchell, Testifies Before Congressional Committee

On Thursday, February 16, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State. Has the Obama Administration Trampled on Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Conscience? This hearing was in response to a recent government mandate requiring religious organizations to provide contraceptive and abortifacent coverage for employees.

One of the eleven panel witnesses who gave testimony that day was one of our church members, Dr. Ben Mitchell, who serves as the Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy at Union University. He called this decree “an unconscionable intrusion by the state into the consciences of American citizens.”

In his opening statement, Mitchell explicitly stated the contributions Baptists have made throughout our nation’s history to the issue of religious liberty, saying: “I stand in the rich legacy of individuals like Roger Williams, a one-time Baptist and the founder of Providence Plantation which later became the state of Rhode Island, who declared in no uncertain terms that the violation of a person’s religious conscience was nothing less than ‘the rape of the soul.’ Williams understood that forcing a person through the power of the state to violate his or her own conscience is a monstrous harm.”

Mitchell quoted from Massachusetts Baptist minister John Leland, a friend of James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and other American founders, who in 1791 said that “every man ought to be at liberty to serve God in that way that he can best reconcile it to his conscience.” He also cited a famous sermon on religious liberty by Texas Baptist pastor George W. Truett delivered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in 1920.

He mentioned two reasons for citing these historical examples:

“On the one hand, it is to remind us that what American University law professor Daniel Dreisbach and his co-editor Mark David Hall have called ‘the sacred rights of conscience,’ which we Americans enjoy, were secured at an extraordinary cost,” Mitchell said. “On the other hand, it is to remind us that as Truett said later in his sermon, religious liberty was, at least largely, ‘a Baptist achievement,’ for the common good. Every American is a beneficiary of this legacy; we are all freeloading on their sacrifice.”

Mitchell was quick to add, though:

“Contrary to portrayals in some of the popular media, this is not just a Catholic issue. All people of faith—and even those who claim no faith—have a stake in whether or not the government can violate the consciences of its citizenry. Religious liberty and the freedom to obey one’s conscience is also not just a Baptist issue. It is an American issue enshrined in our founding documents.”

In his closing comments, Mitchell addressed what the Obama administration has considered to be an accommodation to the HHS mandate by requiring that insurance companies pay for contraceptives and abortifacient drugs if religious organizations object to doing so.

“The Obama Administration’s most recent so-called ‘accommodation’ for religious organizations is no accommodation at all,” Mitchell said. “It is a bait and switch scheme, in my view, of the most egregious sort.”

We are so thankful to have Ben and Nancy Mitchell in our church, and we are grateful for Ben’s courageous, humble, and articulate testimony before Congress.

Samaria Mission Trip to New Orleans, LA, June 19-25
This summer we will head to the Crescent City to do Backyard Bible Clubs, Neighborhood and Recreation
Ministry, Prayer Walking, Community Clean Up, and Homeless Ministry. We are partnering for the week with Hope Church as we help them reach their city for Christ!
Cost is $200/person for grades 6th and up; and $50/person for 3yrs-5th Grade (2 yrs. and under are free).

About Hope Church

From 2001 to 2005 I had the privilege of being a Student Minister in New Orleans, LA. God used us to see many unchurched young people come to know Christ.

Michael Williams’ new book, How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens: A Guide to Christ-Focused Reading of Scripture, looks to be a helpful and valuable resource for Christians wanting a Christ-centered guide to help them in their Bible reading. The book contains a brief chapter on every book of the Bible, a concise theme of each book, an explanation of how that theme is fulfilled in Christ, and suggestions for contemporary implications.

Here is an excerpt from the introduction that provides some insight into what this book is all about:

“The simple truth that all the Scriptures – Old Testament and New Testament – testify about Jesus seems to be often overlooked. For modern readers, the picture of Christ in the Old Testament can be obscured by veritable whiteout conditions of chronological, sacrificial, architectural, geographical, and genealogical details, so that all that can be made out after spending some time in the snowstorm is a mound of white where the car used to be. To an admittedly lesser degree, the problem exists for the New Testament as well. Names of apostles and disciples, travelogues, letters to forgotten churches in obscure locales regarding confusing theological issues – all of this can seem like so many differently shaped jigsaw pieces without a picture on the box to help us to put it all together. This book is intended to help believers make out the picture on the box. And it is a picture of Jesus.”

If you are looking for a resource to help you see the picture of Jesus portrayed in all the Bible, this book will be of great benefit to you. And if you teach the Bible, this book will be a great help in your understanding of the Christ-centered focal point of redemptive history.

To read the chapter on Genesis, click here.

July 8-13, 2012 | Cost: $275

This summer we will attend the Crossings camp at Jonathan Creek. Deposits of $50 for camp are due now. Sign-up for camp below!

REMEMBRANCE & RENEWAL
Celebrating Our Past, Anticipating Our Future

This year marks the 175th Anniversary of First Baptist Church, and we have chosen for our anniversary theme, “Remembrance & Renewal: Celebrating Our Past, Anticipating Our Future.” Obviously, this theme has a twofold emphasis of both remembrance and renewal, a focus on both the past and the future. We believe this is the right time for us as a church not only to look backward, but also to turn our attention forward to the days ahead.

Remembrance
A historical occasion as significant as a 175th Anniversary is certainly an appropriate time to reflect on the past. It would be unwise to neglect the rich history that is ours, and it would be chronologically arrogant to ignore the sacrifices and labors of those who have gone before us to help make First Baptist Church what it is today. But more importantly, it would be the height of ingratitude to completely disregard the past faithfulness of God seen and experienced during our long history. So we want to do all we can to remember, reflect, and celebrate everything that God has done in and through First Baptist Church over these last 175 years.

Renewal
Having said that, we also do not want this occasion to be merely a celebration of the past. We realize that this is a prime opportunity to look ahead. That is why we want to think strategically about how First Baptist Church can be poised for the future – to continue making a lasting impact for the sake of the gospel here in our city and to continue building a rich legacy for decades to come. To do otherwise, in our opinion, would be short-sighted and a colossal mistake. The work of God always brings about renewal, and we hope to see His renewing work imprinted deep in us.

Remembrance and Renewal
But these two concepts are more than just opposite ends of a chronological spectrum. We believe they can actually work together. And therefore, we hope to see renewal come through remembrance. In other words, we believe there are things that First Baptist Church did in the past that were biblically sound and made our church stronger and healthier, and we hope to recover some of those practices (i.e., utilizing the church covenant). Then, there are other things in our past that we need to recognize as unhealthy and unbiblical and unChristian, and we want to make sure we learn from the mistakes of our forbearers so that we do not repeat them (i.e., justifying slavery).

We hope you will join us throughout the year for the different events we have set aside to celebrate this momentous occasion in the life of our church. And we definitely hope you will set aside the weekend of September 29-30 to be present for our Homecoming and Anniversary Celebration.

May the Lord bring us renewal through remembrance!

Sunday, February 5, 2012
From Chaos to Creation
Genesis 1:1-2 | Justin Wainscott
 

HOLY WEEK
Sunday, April 1-8

PALM SUNDAY WORSHIP, 9 AM
Sunday, April 1

MAUNDY THURSDAY (LORD’S SUPPER), 6 PM
Thursday, April 5

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE, 11 AM
Friday, April 6

EASTER SUNDAY WORSHIP, 9 AM
Sunday, April 8

Pastor Ricky Jenkins of Fellowship Memphis (Downtown) shares with both First Baptist Churches of Jackson, TN the power of the gospel and its centrality in racial reconciliation. Ricky preached in a special joint service (between our congregation and the First Baptist on Martin Luther King Drive) about the “Reconciling Power of the Gospel”. View the bulletin here or listen/download the sermon audio below.

Homepage Photo courtesy of JACOB MOORE/The Jackson Sun. Read their coverage on this event here.

Sunday, February 29, 2012
The Noble Experiment
Matthew 15:21-28 | Pastor Ricky Jenkins
 

Pastor Ricky Jenkins of Fellowship Memphis (Downtown) shares with both First Baptist Churches of Jackson, TN the power of the gospel and its centrality in racial reconciliation. Ricky preached in a special joint service (between our congregation and the First Baptist on Martin Luther King Drive) about the “Reconciling Power of the Gospel”. View the bulletin here or listen/download the sermon audio below.

Homepage Photo courtesy of JACOB MOORE/The Jackson Sun. Read their coverage on this event here.

Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Noble Experiment
Matthew 15:21-28 | Pastor Ricky Jenkins
 

Sunday, January 29, 2012
To God Be Glory in the Church & in Christ Jesus Forever and Ever
Ephesians 3:20-21 | Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Covenant of Life
Genesis 8:20-9:17 | Dr. C. Ben Mitchell
 

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
January 22, 2012
First Baptist Church, Jackson, Tennessee
C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D.

In 1983, theologian Francis Schaeffer and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop asked President Ronald Reagan to create a special day to focus on “the intrinsic value of human life.” That same year, President Reagan issued a proclamation establishing a National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. So, today, we join Christians around the world as we celebrate the gift of life.

One of the tragedies of the abortion debate in America is that we often define Sanctity of Human Life Sunday by what we are against rather than what we are for. There is plenty to be against, of course. Since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973, there have been more than 53 million abortions in the U. S. alone. At the other end of life, three U.S. states, Oregon, Washington, and Montana, now permit physicians to assist in the killing of their patients. Between conception and death, assaults on human life continue to grow. For instance, it is estimated that through prenatal testing, 90% of Down Syndrome babies are either “selected out” at the embryonic stage or aborted. Again, at the other end of life, in our youth-oriented, ageist culture, increasing numbers of senior adults are neglected, abused, and “tossed out.”

Christians have always been at the forefront of protecting human life. For instance, during the first century, an early church manual called the Didache (c. 85-110 AD) said: “thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill them when born.” Tertullian, one of the church fathers who died around 220 AD, devoted an entire chapter of one of his books to repudiating the Roman gladiatorial games, calling on Christians not to attend. Under the reign of a Christian emperor, Theodosius I, the games were ended in the 4th century in the East and in the early 5th century, under his son, Honorius, in the West.

Having said that, Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is an important opportunity to celebrate God’s marvelous handiwork in creating us. We should meditate on Psalm 139, where David speaks powerfully about the nature of human life. In this lofty psalm, he exults both in God’s omniscience and omnipresence (vv. 1-12). And in verses 13-16, he celebrates God’s intricate involvement in his own development in the womb: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Interestingly, the words “woven together” in the womb might be translated “colorfully embroidered.” The tapestry that is a human being—body, soul, and spirit—is the work of the Master Artist.

In the person of Jesus of Nazareth we see both perfect God and real humanity. The affirmation of the Apostles Creed that Jesus was “born of the Virgin Mary” reminds us that, like every other member of humanity, Jesus was once a human embryo. The affirmation that we believe in “The resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting” suggests that the body is a necessary aspect of our humanity from the beginning of life throughout eternity. Thus, every human life—from conception to natural death—is to be received as a gift from the sovereign Creator, to be treated with reverence and respect, and is not to be harmed without biblical justification.

And so, today, along with those who have gone before us, let us celebrate, honor, and protect human life from the womb to the tomb. Here are some practical steps:

The Truth Project Part 2

By Focus on the Family
Leader: Gary Williams
Room: B 202 | Cost: $0

The truth project is a DVD-based small group curriculum taught by Dr. Del Tackett, instructor of Christian Worldview at the Focus Leadership institute. This study is the starting point for looking at life from a biblical perspective. Each lesson discusses in great detail the relevance and importance of living the Christian worldview in daily life. “We believe this curriculum can be a catalyst for exponential change within the body of Christ as people are “transformed by the renewing of their mind” (Romans 12:2). God continues to call ordinary people to make an eternal difference in our world.

Expecting to See Jesus

By Ann Graham Lotz
Leader: Cheryl Shellabarger
Room: D 208-10 | Cost: $5.00

In this eight-session expanded edition of I Saw The LORD, Anne Graham Lotz calls Christians to wake up to the fact Jesus may come in their lifetime. She guides small groups in seeing the Lord in a fresh way, so that each participant can have a genuine experience of life-changing, fire-blazing personal revival. Accompanied by Dr. Crawford Loritts and Dr. Henry Blackaby, and using key biblical characters as examples, they share the revival lessons learned through examination of their lives as recorded in Scripture.

Living The Word

Leader: Ben Mitchell
Room:D 214 | Cost $14.00

We are blessed at First Baptist Church to hear the Word of God faithfully preached and taught. The difficulty I have sometimes is applying that Word to every aspect of my life. So, in our class we’ll work through two books that will help us do that. First, we’ll read Jonathan Leeman’s recent book, Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People. This book is on Pastor Justin’s list of recommended books and is a gold mine of ways the preached Word is to reverberate through our lives both individually and as a church. Next, we’ll read Norman Wirzba’s, Living the Sabbath: Discovering the Rhythms of Rest and Delight. We’ll think about the ways “sabbath living” can change the way we live, work, and rest.

Chewing the Cud: Meditation for Application

Leader: Justin Wainscott
Room D 200

Cud is that portion of food returning from the cow’s stomach to its mouth to be chewed for the second time. While it’s not the most pleasant of thoughts or images, it is a fitting analogy for the aim of this class, where the sermon text from that morning will be “chewed on” for the second time.

During each session, the sermon text and the truths brought out in the sermon from that Sunday morning will be discussed further amongst the group. The participants will have had much of the day to think and meditate on those truths and should, therefore, be easily prepared to discuss the implications and applications together.

We want the Word of God to move beyond just the pulpit and the pews; we want it to take root deep in our hearts and lives. We believe this class is a great way for that to begin happening.

Want to read through the Bible in 2012? A Bible reading plan can be a very helpful resource to keep you on track of that goal. It provides you with a built-in source of accountability, and it gives you a way to measure your progress as you go.

Below are some web addresses for different Bible reading plans that are available for you to print and utilize. They differ in their approach, so browse the different ones and see which one you think will be a good fit for you.

Read the Bible for Life Chronological Plan
http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/readthebible/downloads/RBL-Chron-2-Page.pdf

Read the Bible for Life 4+1 Plan
http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/readthebible/downloads/RBL-4plus1-Plan-Booklet.pdf

Robert Murray M’Cheyne Plan
http://static.crossway.org/excerpts/1581348150.1.pdf

The Discipleship Journal Reading Plan
http://www.navpress.com/uploadedFiles/15074%20BRP.dj.pdf

Engage Scripture Reading Plan
http://journeyon.net/engage/scripture/reading/2011

10 Different Options from Crossway for the ESV
http://www.esv.org/resources/reading-plans-devotions/

Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Horrors of Hell
Luke 16:19-31 |Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, January 1, 2012
The New Age Has Dawned, The New Work Has Begun
Matthew 2:1-23 | Justin Wainscott
 

The Reconciling Power of the Gospel, January 29, 4:00PM

As part of our 175th Anniversary celebration, we will be hosting a joint service at 4:00PM on January 29 with our brothers and sisters from the First Baptist Church on MLK Drive. We look forward to welcoming our sister church to worship with us that afternoon and celebrate the reconciling power of the gospel. A combined choir from the two churches will help lead us in singing and Ricky Jenkins, Pastor of the downtown congregation of Fellowship Memphis, will preach God’s Word for us. A brief time of fellowship will follow the service. All are welcome to join us.