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We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. This past Sunday we dedicated the new classroom wing God gave us. I can be configured to be as many as six classrooms, or as few as three. When God provides gifts to His children, He always does it in the very best possible way. One of the greatest blessings God has given Baptist Christian Church is that our new addition is completely paid for. From ground breaking to dedication we never had to borrow one penny! It is also a testimony to God’s great provision that we were able to increase our missions budget as we have always done, we were blessed with new members, and our regular giving never suffered. Ps. 50:10 tells us God owns the cattle on a thousand hills; He also owns the hills! The point is that God never lacks or needs anything. He is a God of giving as demonstrated on Calvary and throughout His inspired, inerrant Word. He desires to share with His people blessings that are given in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over into your lap! In the verse before that (Luke 6:37) God gives the prerequisites for receiving His blessings. Though the folks at BCC struggle, suffer, experience all the junk and nasties of this sin-filled world that everyone else does, many of them have given their whole hearts to the Lord as the unchallenged Sovereign of their lives. Those individual commitments on their part are the reasons God is able to bless and provide in the Niagara proportions He does. In 2 Chron. 7:11-18 we find God’s Mandate to His people. Now that our new addition is finished, it is our responsibility to continue to follow God in obedience to His Word and commands. The order of the four steps to cause God to hear, forgive, and heal are our guidelines for the future, as they have been! Someone might ask, “So now will you try to grow BCC larger than it is?” The answer is “NO! We won’t!” If you read Matt. 16:13-18 and focus on v. 18 you will understand why we are not focusing on growth. We are focusing on our God-given responsibility as His adopted children, and that responsibility is found in 1 Cor. 3:5-9. I find it interesting that more often than not God gives His adopted children the easy part of ministry, while He takes on the hard stuff! Any true man or woman of God can share with others the truth of God’s saving grace; but only God can grow a heart! If you look closely at the 2 Chronicles passage you will discover it is conditional before it is certain! God says, “IF My people…” As a God of grace He will not force anyone to accept His offer of salvation or blessing or anything else He offers. To force us to do His will would be Law, and we would be puppets! God created us in His image and likeness which means we are creatures of choice! God simply offers us His partnership in our life, and then allow us to choose whether or not we want what He is offering. Now if just saying, “Yes, I want what you are offering” were the only thing, everyone would take what God offers. The “catch” is we must accept what God offers on HIS terms, the way HE offers it, not on our own terms. Pride is the thing that causes most people to think they can tell God when, what, and how they want Him to work and provide for them. Pride is also what will cause people to spend eternity in hell, because they think they can bribe God into letting them into heaven based on their own merits. Here is a truth for you to think about: no human being has any merit before God. Read Romans 1:18-3:20 for all the details. If you haven’t accepted Christ as your Savior, we would be glad to tell you how, so you can then experience the blessings God has for you, and has shared with us.
If we can help you with your spiritual questions, call us at 574-643-9419.
