Sunday, May 13, 2012
Brand New World, Same Old Problem
Genesis 9:18-29 | Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, May 6, 2012
De-Creation, Re-Creation, and the New Creation
Genesis 6:9-9:17 | Justin Wainscott
 

On Sunday evening, May 6, 2012, we held an organ concert as part of our yearlong 175th Anniversary celebration. In addition to celebrating our church’s anniversary, that concert was also in honor of Mr. Bobby Newton, who has faithfully served First Baptist Church for five decades as church organist. As a means of expressing our appreciation for his service, we announced that the church’s pipe organ has been named in his honor. At the conclusion of the concert, the pastor and all those who have sung in the choir or been a part of the Music Ministry during the last five decades presented Bobby with a plaque that will be placed on the organ – The Bobby Newton Organ.

Bobby, we are all grateful to God for you and for your faithful service to our church. “From the heart of our bottoms,” we thank you! We want you to know that “you bless us all over as much as anywhere else!”

Sunday, April 29, 2012
Foundations for Gospel Transformation
1 Timothy 1:12-17 | Dr. Todd Brady
 

Sunday, April 22, 2012
Grief and Grace in the Heart of God
Genesis 6:1-8 | Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, April 15, 2012
Glimmers of Grace amid the Shadows of Sin
Genesis 4:17-5:32 | Justin Wainscott
 

As First Baptist Church honors its 175th Anniversary this year, we are both celebrating the past and anticipating the future. It seems appropriate, then, to consider our primary calling as the people of God. What unique mission has Christ given to His Church? As we consider our future together, what is that we must continue to do above all else?

Those are the kinds of questions we hope to answer in our panel discussion on Sunday evening, April 29, at 5:00. Ben Mitchell and Todd Brady will be joining our Pastoral Staff to discuss a recent book written by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert titled, What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission.

We pray the discussion will be edifying, affirming, and clarifying for our church. And we hope it helps us to think rightly about our future as we seek to fulfill the mission Christ has given to us.

First, I want to thank you for the hunger and appetite you demonstrate for the Word of God. With every Bible that is brought and opened, every head-nodding affirmation that is given, every “Amen” that is voiced, every attentive posture that is struck, every note that is taken, I witness a people who sit weekly in submission to the Word of God as it is preached. Sadly, there are many congregations today who have “itching ears,” who have accumulated for themselves “teachers to suit their own passions,” and who have “turned away from listening to the truth and wandered off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). But thanks be to God, that’s not true of you!

Second, I want to thank you for the continual encouragement so many of you give to me on a weekly basis. Your comments, notes, emails, text messages, phone calls, and hallway conversations mean more than you’ll ever know. What a joy to preach to a congregation who wants to hear the Word and who appreciates hearing the Word. And what a blessing it is to be spurred on to keep elevating the Word of God and to keep exalting the God of the Word.

Third, I want to thank you for the time you afford me to study God’s Word. Your willingness to support me financially allows me the time and opportunity to devote myself to the solitude of study, contemplation, meditation, and prayer. And your willingness to support our other staff members, and their willingness to shoulder other responsibilities, gives me periods of the day where I can immerse myself in the study of God’s Word. Many preachers do not have the luxury of being paid a full-time salary by the church or having fellow ministers and staff to help care for the needs of the flock. I know because I’ve been in those situations before, so I recognize the blessing this is and I am extremely grateful for it.

Fourth and finally, I want to thank you for your prayers. Many of you regularly and faithfully pray for me. You plead with the Lord on my behalf, and the Lord graciously hears and answers your prayers, helping me throughout the week as I study and on Sunday as I preach. How thankful I am for a praying congregation, because without the help of the Spirit, my preaching would be empty and powerless. Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher of the nineteenth century, was once asked about the secret to his success in preaching. Spurgeon simply replied, “My people pray for me.” I say, “Amen, Mr. Spurgeon.”

Thank you, First Baptist Church! I love you; I love preaching the Word of God to you; and I love hearing and obeying the Word of God with you!

-Justin

Sunday, April 8, 2012
Opened Eyes, Burning Hearts, and the Risen Christ
Luke 24:13-35 | Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Spread of Sin
Genesis 4:1-16 | Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, March 25, 2012
Paradise Lost
Genesis 3:8-24 | Justin Wainscott
 

PALM SUNDAY WORSHIP, April 1 at 9 AM
Palm Sunday commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem where he was met by crowds who were there to celebrate the Passover, waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the Messianic King. This year’s Palm Sunday service will emphasize Jesus Christ as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Easter Egg Hunt at the church for children and families at 4 PM. Regular Sunday evening activities at 5 PM.

MAUNDY THURSDAY (LORD’S SUPPER), April 5 at 6 PM
Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, where he instituted the Lord’s Supper. The term “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum (from which we get our English word “mandate”). The term is usually translated “commandment” in the account of this Thursday night in John’s Gospel, where Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment after they had finished their meal together (John 13:34-35).

This year we will have a Tenebrae service on Maundy Thursday, consisting of songs, Scripture, prayer, silence, responsive readings, and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Tenebrae means “darkness” or “shadows,” and the service itself is one in which lights are continually extinguished to remind us of the ever-growing darkness that surrounded Jesus as he went to and suffered on the cross.

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE, April 6 at 11 AM
Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, suffering, death, and burial. It is a grave reminder to us of the cost Jesus had to pay to save us from our sins. This service will consist of songs, a series of Scripture readings, and a time of meditation and prayer. It will not last beyond an hour, allowing you to come on your lunch break.

EASTER SUNDAY WORSHIP, April 8 at 9 AM
Easter Sunday is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! It is, in many ways, the most important day of the entire year for believers. On Easter Sunday, we will celebrate the joy and victory we have through the risen Christ.

There will be no evening activities.

Sunday, March 18, 2012
The Seductive Schemes of Satan
Genesis 3:1-7 | Justin Wainscott
 

Sunday, March 11, 2012
Images of God’s Image-Bearers
Genesis 2:4-25 | Justin Wainscott