Service Times
Worship Service
Sun. 9:30am – 10:30am
Sunday School
Sun. 10:45am – 11:20am
Prayer Meeting & Bible Study
Wed. 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Crusaders Club (Seasonal)
Thurs. 3:00pm – 5:30pm
Crusaders Teens (Seasonal)
Thurs. 6:00pm – 8:00pm
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:00 — 45.5MB) Subscribe: Psalm 102:25-27
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. We live in a world where change often happens faster that we can click the remote. We often buy things that are obsolete by the time we get them home. The one comforting truth to us is that in all the changes that ravage this world, the one unchanging constant is God! The Lord told Malachi “I The Lord do not change.” I like the way Wayne Grudem defines the truth that God never changes; “God is unchanging in His being, perfections, purposes, and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions and He acts and feels differently in response to different situations.” (Systematic Theology, P.163). Let’s consider how
- GOD DOES NOT CHANGE IN HIS PERSONALITY! This means God doesn’t change in His Person, or Who He is in His nature and character. In our focal passage David explains God’s unchanging Person (His immutability) and God’s eternity in one sentence. One of the most wonderful truths about God’s immutability is that God always responds to us, He never reacts! His response always provides His very best for us. Because God doesn’t change, we can always know how He is going to respond to us. We shouldn’t be surprised when He is displeased because of our sinfulness; nor should we be surprised at His benevolence at our obedience.
- GOD DOES NOT CHANGE IN HIS PERFECTIONS! This means He doesn’t change in His attributes, nature, or character. Read Ps. 18:30 where David explains this very simply. To a true Christian this means you will never catch God or a bad day, in a bad mood, or too busy to give you His undivided attention. We can always count on God to be God exactly as we need Him to be, not always as we want Him to be! He will never contradict Himself, His Word, or His will in any way!
- GOD NEVER CHANGES IN HIS PURPOSES! God’s purposes have to do with His will, His desires, and His reasons for acting as He does. See Isa. 14:27; Acts 26:17; Eph. 1:7-10. Because God is driven by His love for us, He is compelled to create, share, direct, provide, protect and even redeem! God’s unchanging purposes mean He will never lead us wrong, cause us harm, or fail us in any way. And,
- GOD NEVER CHANGES IN HIS PROMISES. All God promises, He has or will deliver. Depending on your personal relationship with Him, that can be negative or positive. God’s promises are allequal opportunity promises. Whosoever will, may be a recipient of the benefits of God’s promises, according to His Word of course! All this is important to us because if God could change, He would be unreliable as God. We would never know with any certainty what kind of “mood” God might be in at any given time. Therefore, we would not be sure how He might act toward us! We can find great comfort and peace because God has made it clear to us, He is a God Who does not change in His Personality, Perfections, Purposes, and Promises. Therefore, we rest assured that “He Who began a good work in you will continue it until Jesus comes to get us, or God calls us to heaven.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:27 — 44.9MB) Subscribe: 1 Peter 2:1-5
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. In our culture and society the word sacrifice has a negative connotation. Refer to Mr. Webster and you will understand why. However, if we look at Scripture, we will see because of the Resurrection, God has given a whole new perspective to sacrifice. Let’s consider sacrifice from the viewpoint of three of the most influential teachers in the New Testament.
- CHRIST’S TEACHING ABOUT SACRIFICE. We get only 3 chapters and 15 verses into Scripture before we learn God will provide a Redeemer for us. In Lev. 17 we learn the price for sin is life for life. Sacrifice is a synonym for death! When we begin to understand the true meaning of sacrifice we will discover that our current philosophy of sacrificing only part of our lives to God is impossible. No animal was ever partially dead! Now, read John 10:14-18 and focus on 18. Christ teaches us the NT concept of sacrifice is that it is voluntary! Jesus makes it crystal clear that He gave His life it was not taken from Him! A life sacrificed to God means that life is given in desire to serve. The amazing truth is that once a true Christian offers their life to God, He then gives it back better than it could have been without offering it to Him.
- PETER’S TEACHING ABOUT SACRIFICE! Our focal passage today helps us understand Peter’s perspective on sacrifice. If you want to see how God hakes a man from humanism to spiritual maturity, study the life of Peter. He teaches us sacrifice is spiritual, not just physical. Read all of chapter one in this letter and you’ll see God has given us eternal life and an inheritance that’s impervious to earthly destruction. Spiritual sacrifice means we die to self, not to life! We are God-oriented, not self-oriented! We voluntarily offer God the real us-our hear/mind/soul/strength. It is in essence giving back to God (through daily submission) a life He gave to us in Christ.
- PAUL’S TEACHING ABOUT SACRIFICE! Read Rom. 12:1, 2. What Paul is teaching is that the sacrifice God expects from true Christians is not beyond the realm of possibility. Paul teaches us the NT concept of sacrifice is reasonable. Another way of looking at it is whatever God requires of us in salvation can be reasoned in one’s mind to be within the realm of possibility. God tells us to do only those things He knows we can already do through the indwelling Holy Spirit. When we come to God with a truly broken and contrite heart that recognizes the magnitude of our salvation and offer back to Him the life He gave us, God then begins to work in us from the inside out. Gradually, the inside work begins to show on the outside. Such wonderful results then cause us to see that even physical life is worth living because it is filled with God’s blessings to us. If you are living with the OT view of sacrifice and see it as a burden, move into the NT where voluntary sacrifice of your spirit is most reasonable.
You will be glad you did. If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:00 — 68.5MB) Subscribe: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. When the resurrection comes to mind, exactly what do you think about? Is it life after death? Is it the Rapture? Perhaps eternal life? The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the focal point of all human history. Like so many of the great doctrines of Scripture, this one has become commonplace to the point it has lost much of its meaning. Actually God intends it to be one of the most powerful “drawing” points to non-believers. Let’s consider a new order in the resurrection.
- THE MEANING OF THE RESURRECTION! If we consider Paul’s simplest definition of resurrection we might, at first, object to it! In just five words the great Apostle teaches us resurrection will be certain, all inclusive, and scary to most people! When God says, in v.51, will, it is as certain as you are right now; all means all; and the scary part is change! “Change” scares some people so much that their daily life as a Christian looks exactly like the lives of those without Christ! True resurrection means that which is perishable will become that which is imperishable. Physically, that won’t happen until the Rapture; spiritually it has already happened. A true Christian no longer has a physical, temporal view of life; they look heavenward towhere their treasure is waiting for them. The resurrection means “God has already won!!” When God says anything must happen, it must therefore, happen! Salvation changes everything about your perspective—if salvation really occurs in your life. The question is: what does the resurrection mean to you in your everyday life? Ponder
- THE MESSAGE OF THE RESURRECTION! Verse 54 sums up one of the most powerful doctrines in all of Scripture. Read it, then think about it. Everyone must face two deaths; one is physical, the other is spiritual! Jesus tells us not to fear physical death, but to fear spiritual death, Matt. 10:28. The word Jesus uses for death means, not extinction, but ruin, loss; not of being, but ofwell-being. That’s why hell is referred to as a place of torment and suffering. People will most certainly be very much alive, but experience, forever, an unimaginable suffering and torment because they rejected Christ as Savior. The message of resurrection tells us hell has been overcome and eternal life with Christ is available now to all who will accept it. Finally,
- THE MANDATE OF THE RESURRECTION is to stand firm! We can stand firm, in Christ, because He has given us a sure victory over all sin and unrighteousness. This world and everything in it is passing away, 1 John 1:15-17, but because of the resurrection (a new order) true Christians are not part of that world. In essence, we are not passing away. We are eternal beings made new for a future eternal world that exists in the very physical presence of a thrice holy Almighty God! The mandate to all Christians is to always give ourselves fully, not partially, but fully to the work of the Lord because the Resurrection means our work for Him is never in vain.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:44 — 52.4MB) Subscribe: Philippians 4:14-20
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. Even without a record of all the events in Abraham’s life we can know his Moriah experience was one of his most demanding trials. God often uses severe trials to force us to look deep into our hearts to find our true allegiance to Him. We can rest assured He will always provide by seeing to our daily needs. Note three principles of God’s goodness we can learn, not just from Moriah, but throughout our lives. Paul makes a great summary statement in Phil. 4:19 which is our focal verse.
- GOD’S GOODNESS COMES FROM A PERSONAL GOD! Paul says “my” God shall supply all your needs. In Greek there are two words that mean “my.” One is ego meaning my in reference to possessions; my car, my home, my pen, my things. The other is emos which is much stronger and much more personal. It would be used to say my hand, my foot, my eye, my spouse, my child. Emos means part of my very being without which my life is incomplete. That’s the word Paul used for “my” God. So which is “my” God to you? Is God a part of your life, or is He a partfrom your life? If your supply is wanting, perhaps you should examine to see where God is in reference to your life. Abraham could say with Paul “my” God, can you?
- GOD’S GOODNESS IS SEEN IN HIS PROVISION! Go back and read Phil 1:6, then use your chain reference to read others like it and you discover God is a God of completion. No part of anything is left undone or incomplete where God is concerned. Often when we ask we want God to supply our needs immediately. He often says “go to Moriah.” We say, “just give me the lamb.” However, God is not now, nor has He ever been in the welfare business. Read Proverbs and you will discover God takes a dim view of the sluggard. Jesus teaches us to ask, seek, and knock, all of which require effort on our part. God gives to us that which is beyond our capability of obtaining. The secret is, as Jesus tells us to seek the kingdom of God first, and all other things will be given, and it will be given completely. Finally notice
- GOD’S GOODNESS ERASES OUR POVERTY! The word “needs” literally means “ to fill completely. The word came to mean “that which is lacking.” Watch! Read Matt. 6:25-34 and focus on 33; Matt. 16:24-26; Prov. 10:3, 22; 21:21. Here is the principle: God fully meets all our physical/temporal needs when we focus on our spiritual needs. Now do you see why your concept of“my” is so important? When God called Abraham to Moriah, He was saying the same thing Jesus said to Peter when He asked him, “do you love me more than…?” God always know exactly what word follows “than!” Neither Abraham, nor Peter, nor us can say to God “just give me…!” We must make the journey to Moriah and go through all the steps necessary to raise the knife, not so God will know, but so we will know where our ultimate love resides. God promises to supply, but only when we raise the knife. Then He gives to us more fully, richly, and abundantly than we would have known without the journey.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:35 — 32.5MB) Subscribe: Due to the length of the Crusaders’ program, not all of Pastor Rich’s message was recorded.
Matt. 6:19-25
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. If you asked your children, “what’s the most important thing, person, desire of your heart,” what would they say? How would you answer that same question? Think about this – the treasure of your child’s heart is what you have taught them is the treasure of your heart! The treasure of a person’s heart can be one of only two choices, themselves or God! We know the real answer don’t we. What is the point? Let’s consider
- THE DUTY OF PARENTS. See Prov. 22:6 then 1:8, 9. God assigns many duties to parents and all of them fall under Prov. 22:6. It would seem according to Prov. 1:8, 9 both parents are part of the teaching process. In 1:8, 9 God uses two words to explain parental duty. The first is “instruction” which means basically to give heed to, or to understand. The other is “teaching”which means to cause to learn or to understand. Notice anything in common? To understand means “to separate, distinguish, or to discern.” So parents are charged by God to “show their children how to distinguish what is right and Godly giving heed to it, and separating themselves from all that is ungodly.” God knew raising children wouldn’t be a piece of cake, so He gave us a perfect lesson plan. Read Deut. 6:1-9. There are five steps in the plan. 1= Love God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Later Jesus adds “your mind” to that love. If you don’t love God totally, you won’t be able to teach your children to do so. 2= Our teaching is to be diligent, focused, concentrated in all things God. Part of that diligence is 3= talking about God’s Word with our children. The idea here is not just a passing word, but all day long everyday! It doesn’t do any good to love God and talk about Him if you leave Him behind. We are told to 4= take Him with us were ever we go. We are to show our children that our entire life rotates around God Who fills our hearts. All this results in 5= building our homes on God and His Word. Do you begin to see why we must begin with “all!!” When we do such things God provides to those who fulfill their duty as parents
- THE DELIGHT OF THE CHILDREN! Read Prov. 17:6. Solomon wrote “glory” instead of pride as in the NIV. Parents are to be glorious examples of Godly living and a Godly way of life. Scripture teaches when we as parents teach our children God’s Word, when they are old they will not depart from it; Prov. 22:6. So let me ask again, what is the treasure of your heart? Is it focused on heaven or this world? Do you want your children to grow into men and women of God or just grow up to be moral? Look around and see how much morality you see in America today! We see around us the effects of not teaching the eternal truths of God as He has told us to do. It is not yet too late, we can still repent. So what is the treasure of your child’s heart? It’s what you are teaching them is the real treasure of yours!
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
CRUSADER CLUB AWARD SUNDAY was March 17th. The following awards were given to:
Blue Ribbon—Corporal Cayden Hill
Red Ribbon—Major Markell Hill
Belt of Truth (Medallion)—Corporal Jaden Odom, Corporal Kammen Odom, and Private Devin Wethington
Helmet of Salvation (Medallion)—Corporal Anna Shewalter and Corporal Erica Sylvester
Breastplate of Righteousness (Medallion)—Lt. Ryan Adams, Lt. Jacob Funk, and Lt. Esther McKaig
Sword of the Spirit (Trophy)—Capt. Bryce Funk, Capt. Noah Red Elk, and Capt. Markell Hill
Shoes of Peace (Medallion)—Major Nathan Adams and Major Isaac Barr
We are so proud of their accomplishments! See you again when Crusader Club begins again in September.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:44 — 45.6MB) Subscribe: Genesis 22:12-14
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. Read James 1:23. As we journey through life, God often directs our path near a mirror where we catch a glimpse of Calvary. Moriah is such a mirror. We often pass by these times without breaking stride and soon forget what we’ve seen. If you stop and “tabernacle” near one of these glimpses, God will open your eyes to a deep, rich prophetic picture of His redeeming grace and mercy. Let’s consider the second “step” of our journey as we look at
- A COMPARISON OF THE TWO PLACES! Isaac was well acquainted with Abraham’s deep faith in God. He had watched his dad worship and sacrifice throughout his childhood. As they approached Moriah Isaac asked, “Dad, we have firewood, and fire but where is the lamb?” Herbert Lockyer writes, “it wasn’t until 2,000 years later John The Baptist answered with,“Behold the Lamb of God!” Moriah asks the question, Calvary answers it. Only Abraham could fully comprehend the impact of Isaac’s question. Anything we can imagine isn’t real, because it isn’t imminent or life threatening to our children. It was to God though because He didn’t stay the knife from His Son. Abraham knew what was ahead of him at Moriah, Isaac didn’t. You know what’s ahead of your children, but they don’t! Men if Satan didn’t hesitate to try to destroy Christ, do you think he won’t do all he can to keep yours? If you don’t go to Moriah, it isn’t likely your children will go to Calvary! Notice also
- THE COMPANIONSHIP OF THE TWO PARTICIPANTS! It is reasonable to believe Isaac was in his teens now. Abraham undoubtedly set Isaac on a course that would grow him into a man of God. He knew there would be Moriah events in Isaac’s life, and common faith wouldn’t be enough. Are you walking with your children while they are available to journey with you, so when those Moriah evens come, they will let nothing deter them from doing exactly as God asks? Someone will say, “It’s too late, my children are grown.” The truth is as long as your children are breathing it is never too late. Teach your children to walk with you Moriah, then Calvary, and they will walk with you beyond both all their life. Don’t miss the
- CERTAINTY OF THE PROMISES! From a human perspective Abraham couldn’t see how God was going to fulfill His promise to Abraham if Isaac died. But I have no doubt that Abraham knew God couldn’t lie, the promise had to be fulfilled. Read Heb. 11:17-19. The question is; do we have such a magnificent faith in God that there is nothing “in all creation” that can separate us from His love for us, or cause us to waiver in our ministry for Him? It wasn’t until Abraham raised the knife, the lamb appeared. God calls us to Moriah to test our faith; God calls us to Calvary to reward our faith. What God promises, He must provide. If we sacrifice our entire life to God, and all that is in it, He will return it to us better than we could ever have experienced it without a Moriah and Calvary experience.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:29 — 41.8MB) Subscribe: Genesis 22:1-8
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can also download our service at Baptist-Christian at iTunes. This is one of those situations where understanding comes only from experience. It’s hard to imagine what Abraham must have thought when God told him to sacrifice Isaac. I am using an outline I found from Herbert Lockyer for this series. God provided for Abraham in three distinct and extraordinary ways. We will consider the first today. We see A MEMORIAL OF DIVINE INTERVENTION! This event in Abraham’s life is the first recorded instance of naming a place where God intervened and manifested Himself to a person. One author says most often the point of consecrating a place or giving it extraordinary sanctity was to remind the person of the awful circumstances they were in, and more importantly, to magnify and remind them of God’s great grace that redeemed them out of such severe circumstances. Abraham knew, and saw, Isaac was the son of promise, a holy gift from God that couldn’t be duplicated or replaced. So it was unimaginable that God would ask Abraham to give him up, sacrifice, the only son Abraham would ever have.
Has God ever asked something of you that was just way more than you could imagine? Has He ever called you to Moriah? He often does, not to hurt us, but to bring us face-to-face with our faith in Him. Such an experience will change a person’s life for the rest of their life. God makes it clear to us He is setting us on a course to rendezvous with Him to for the single purpose of driving a knife deep into the heart of our most beloved possession. It could be an attitude, pride, job, independence from God, or anything (anyone) else we love so deeply. God calls His children to meet with Him to put to death their skepticism, reluctance, excuses, and fears of whatever God may ask them to do. Here is a truth for you – God leaves no part of a person’s life untouched, uncalled, uncleansed by His redeeming grace. The journey to Moriah isn’t always instantaneous; it can take days, weeks, months, decades, but the trip must be endured. Only Abraham knows the full weight of that dagger as he lifted it over Isaac. Notice that God didn’t provide the lamb until Abraham raised the knife. God didn’t provide as a result of an ultimatum from Abraham. God delivered Abraham because of His unquestioning faith in God’s resurrection power! Perhaps the most encouraging words any Christian can ever hear from God is “now I know you fear Me above all others.” Of course we understand God knew all along, but Abraham had to know. Men, God is still calling us to Moriah today. All of us must meet with God over the altar of sacrifice. On the altar, under our raised knife is that which is most dear to us, but that which must be dealt with so we can continue our journey with God in ways we would not otherwise know. Men, it is our mandate and our own deliverance that will prepare our families with faith so strong that the most severe circumstances can’t divert them from their own personal meeting with God that will result in Him counting it to us for righteousness.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
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