Newspaper Page Text
August 17, 2022
a
PASTOR’S CORNER by Rev. Brian Moore
Reporter
Page 3B
Spotlight on Local Churches
Stay true to the race
God has set for you
(HUIKH CALENDAR
Email church calendar news to Diane Glidewell at news@mymcr.net by Monday at
1 0 a.m. Church information is published free of charge as space permits.
Rev. Brian Moore
W ith sports seasons upon
us, let us be reminded of
a spiritual race that all
Christians have been called
to run. Hebrews 12:1-3 - “Therefore
we also, since we are surrounded by so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endur
ance the race that is set before us, 2 look
ing unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before
Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has
sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God. 3 For
consider Him who endured
such hostility from sinners
against Himself, lest you be
come weary and discouraged
in your souls.”
These verses come right
after a long list of people of
faith in Hebrews 11. This list was not sim
ply given to us as a history lesson on the
faith heroes of the Old Testament. It is a
list of encouragements that should impact
our faith today. This is emphasized by the
way chapter 12 begins, “Therefore”.
What is the context in which you view
your life? What arena do you interpret
your Christian life being lived out in? Do
you view yourself as living in the midst of
a secular culture with all of its material
ism and relativism? Do you see yourself
as part of a team or an organization or an
occupation? Do you think of yourself in
relation to the family you grew up in or the
neighborhood you live in or the racial or
socioeconomic class you are a part of?
How you define your context of life will
dramatically shape your manner of living.
The writer of Hebrews suggests that your
context should be the great cloud of wit
nesses who bear testimony to what it looks
like to have faith in Christ. This is the audi
ence before whom you live. “Now it's time
for you to run your race.” The cloud of
witnesses in vs.l refers to the heroes of the
faith presented in Chapter 11. The writer
of Hebrews does not see these as dead men
to be remembered. He sees them as living
witnesses to be heard.
You are surrounded by those with whom
you will spend eternity. You are challenged
to conform to their example as opposed
to being conformed to this world that we
live in. Romans 12:1-2 - “I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
is your reasonable service. 2 And do not
be conformed to this world, but be trans
formed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.”
God has marked out a race for us. He
has laid out a course for our lives. There
are places we've been called to go, things
we've been called to do, people we've been
called to reach, struggles we've been called
to overcome. Our calling is to “run with
endurance the race that is set before us.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 - “24 Do you not
know that those who run in a race all run,
but one receives the prize? Run in such
a way that you may obtain it. 25 And
everyone who competes for the prize is
temperate in all things. Now they do it to
obtain a perishable crown, but we for an
imperishable crown.”
The writer of Hebrews tells us that the
stands are packed with the Saints of old.
They are cheering for us and we are to fol
low their testimony of faith.
Abel reminds us of the true sacrifice we
must trust in. Enoch says walk with the
Lord no matter what. Noah encourages us
that there is an arc of salvation in the midst
of a perverse and wicked world. Abraham
cheers out of a hope for promises yet to
be fulfilled. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph tell
us to stay true to the promise and walk
in obedience. Moses shouts to forsake
anything this world has to offer in order
to follow after Christ. Joshua encourages
us to obey even when it doesn’t
make sense. And Rahab tells
us that even when we feel like
an outcast, we can be part of
the team.
Going back to the context in
which we view our lives, what
do we perceive is our goal and
purpose in life? We must line
that up with our true calling
to rim the race of faith in the
living God. We are to persevere
through the various trials and
circumstances that God places
in front of us. This is a marathon, not a
sprint and we must stay the course.
The writer tells us that there is some
necessary conditioning to run this race
well. “Let us lay aside every weight, and
the sin which so easily ensnares us” An
other translation for weight is hindrance.
He is basically referring to anything that
slows you down in the race of faith. Those
things must be discarded in order to rim
well. This category of conditioning may
not necessarily be sin, but it is distraction.
Anything that weighs you down or hinders
you from running well should be discard
ed. Remember the goal is HOLINESS! We
should constantly be asking the question:
“Is this a help or a hindrance to my walk
with Christ?”
The writer then brings up the matter
of sin, “and the sin which so easily en
snares us.” Weights and hindrances slow
us down, sin trips us up. One subtly causes
you to lose while the other puts you flat on
your face! In order to stay conditioned and
persevere in the Christian race, we have
got to put off the distractions and get rid of
the sin. It cannot be tolerated. You cannot
manage sin. It will always manage you.
Sin must be treated like cancer, ridding
your body of it no matter the cost. It will
never be satisfied with how much of you it
consumes. The battle must be fought in the
heart and mind.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 - “3 For though we
walk in the flesh, we do not war according
to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our war
fare are not carnal but mighty in God for
pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down
arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought into captivity to
the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready
to punish all disobedience when your
obedience is fulfilled.”
We’ve got to know what context our
life should be viewed in. Stay true to our
calling of running the race God has set for
us. And stay conditioned by properly and
efficiently dealing with sin and distrac
tions. Ultimately, the answer in running
successfully is keeping our eyes on Jesus.
“Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith”. Run well!
Rev. Brian Moore is the senior pastor
at New Providence Baptist Church, 2560
Highway 41 S., Smarr. The Pastors Corner
is sponsored by the Monroe County Ministe
rial Association, which meets on the second
Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at Christ
United Methodist Church, 417 N. Frontage
Road, Forsyth.
Aug. 14-17
St. Paul Missionary
Baptist has Revival
Rev. Rufus Whatley and the
St. Paul Missionary Baptist
Church, 591 Elbert Jackson
Road, Forsyth invite every
one to revival Monday-
Wednesday, Aug. 15-17,
with services starting at 7 p.m.
nightly. Rev. Eddie Collier
of the Towaliga County Line
Baptist Church in Jackson will
be the guest minister for the
three-night revival.
Beginning Aug. 17
Adventure Kids at
Bethany Baptist
Adventure Kids will begin at
Bethany Baptist Church, 365
Pea Ridge Road, Juliette on
Wednesday, Aug. 17. The
activities for children ages 3-
6th grade will be on Wednes
days from 6:30-7:30 p.m.,
including missions, camping
basics, recreation, art, crafts,
woodworking and music. Sun
day school is at 9:45 a.m. and
children’s church is at 1 1 a.m.
Aug. 17-Sept. 28
Bethany Bapt. hosts
Women's Bible Study
Bethany Baptist Church, 365
Pea Ridge Road, Juliette will
host a 7-session Women's
Bible Study entitled “Elijah:
Faith and Fire" by Priscilla
Shirer on Wednesday nights
from 6:30-7:30 p.m. begin
ning Aug. 17. The study will
be led by Karen Wilson and
is for young adult to senior
women. There will be a nurs
ery and children’s ministries
available. Cost of the study
guide is $ 17.
Aug. 18
M.C. Ministerial Associa
tion to meet
Monroe County Ministe
rial Association will meet on
Thursday, Aug. 1 8 at 9 a.m.
at Christ United Methodist
Church, 417 N. Frontage
Road, Forsyth.
Dwell: a worship gather
ing for women
The women’s ministry of New
Providence in Smarr will host
Dwell, a worship gathering
for women of all ages at Fox
City Brewery on Thursday,
Aug. 18. It will be a night of
food, fellowship, worship and
teaching led by the music
team from Southside Baptist in
Warner Robins. Teaching will
be by Jana Abbott of Macon,
who writes for www.inthewin-
dowministries.com.
Doors open at 6:30 and
Dwell starts at 7 p.m. A light
meal will be included. The
night’s theme verse is Acts
4:31.
Aug. 19-20
East Juliette Baptist
hosts Women's
Conference
The East Juliette Baptist
Church Women’s Ministry
will have a women's confer
ence at East Juliette Baptist
Church in Juliette, where the
senior pastor is JR Jones. The
conference, titled “For Such
a Time as This,” will be on
Friday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. and
on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 10
a.m. There are no fees for this
conference, but a love offer
ing will be accepted.
The conference is set to be
a powerful time of worship
and the Word, along with fel
lowship and testimonies. The
guest speaker for the confer
ence will be Johnnie Goolsby,
who serves as the associ
ate pastor of East Juliette
Baptist Church. Deadline for
registration is Monday, Aug.
8. For more information, visit
www.ejbaptist.com or call
478-305-1054 or 478-365-
0537.
Aug. 20
Liberty Baptist hosts
Charlie Sexton & Home
coming
Charlie Sexton and Home
coming will sing at Liberty
Baptist Church, 3043 High
Falls Road, Jackson on
Saturday, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m.
Refreshments will be served
afterwards. Come and be
blessed. For more information,
call Brenda Brown at 478-
972-0730.
Trail Life USA
Trail Life USA will host an
Open House with s-mores on
Saturday, Aug. 20 from 3-5
p.m. in the Fellowship Hal
of New Providence Baptist
Church, 2560 Highway 41
South, Forsyth. Trail Life is a
church-based, christ-centered,
boy-focused program.
The Open House is an oppor
tunity to learn more about the
oca Trail Life USA chapter
and the adventurous year that
is planned. This is a program
of mentoring and a disciple-
ship journey that speaks to the
heart of a boy and lets boys
be boys.
For more information, email
TrailLifeTroopGAl 315@gmail.
Aug. 21, Aug. 23
Tessie Hall Baptist cel
ebrates Annual Home
coming, Revival
Tessie Hall Baptist Church,
320 Boxankle Rd, Forsyth
invites everyone to its annual
Homecoming and “one night”
Revival beginning Sunday,
Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. with
Pastor Sams delivering the
message. Rev. Rufus Whatley
of Pleasant Grove, St Paul,
Union Hill and Macedonia
Missionary Baptist Churches
will bring the Revival message
on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m.
Aug. 23
First Baptist of High Falls
has Red Cross Blood
Drive
First Baptist Church of High
Falls, 4408 High Falls Road,
will have a Red Cross Blood
Drive from 2 - 7 pm in the
Fellowship Half
Aug. 27
Sanctuary Baptist offers
Single Mothers/Grand
mothers Free Oil Change
Plus
The Men’s ministry of The
Sanctuary Baptist Church,
1 2643 Georgia Highway
87, Juliette will host a Single
Mothers/Grandmothers Free
Oil Change Plus on Saturday
Aug. 27 from 9 a.m.- 1 2
noon. The oil change will
consist of oil, filter change and
a vehicle maintenance check
by appointment only. You
must make the appointment
by emailing Steve Skinner:
skinnersl963@att.net, or call
ing 478-394-1 449 with the
following information, year,
make and model of car and
engine size; one vehicle per
appointment per mother (one
appointment only), registration
cutoff is Aug. 24. Mothers
will be required to sign a hold
harmless agreement prior
to having oil change done.
Childcare will be available.
Living Word holds car
wash fundraiser
Living Word Community
Church, 1278 Juliette Road,
Forsyth will have a Car Wash
on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 10
a.m.-2 p.m. Funds raised will
go toward shipping for the
Samaritan s Purse Opera
tion Christmas Child project.
People are encouraged to
get their vehicles cleaned and
support the cause at the same
time.
Aug. 28
First Baptist of High Falls
celebrates Homecoming
First Baptist Church of High
Falls, 4408 High Falls Road,
invites everyone to its 49th
Anniversary Homecoming on
Sunday, Aug. 28 starting at
1 1 a.m. with guest speaker
Thomas Hammond, Executive
Director of the Georgia Bap
tist Mission Board, and guest
singer, David Akin. There will
be Dinner on the Grounds
followed by a Summer Con
cert by Akin at 2 p.m.
Aug. 28-31
Pine Grove C.M.E.
Church of Colluden
Homecoming & Revival
Pine Grove C.M.E. Church of
Culloden will host a home
coming service
at 12
Sunday August 28 followed
by Revival Services August
29-31 at 7:30 pm each eve
ning featuring Rev. Matthew
Raines of Little Union Commu
nity Church.
Beginning Sept. 1
First Baptist Forsyth has
Lunch & Learn
First Baptist Forsyth, 95 West
Morse Street will begin a
Lunch & Learn program on
Thursday, Sept. 1 that will
meet in the Fellowship Hall
every 1st & 3rd Thursday.
All ages are welcome. Pastor
Dr. Hambric Brooks will lead
Bible Study. Gather for cof
fee and fellowship at 1 1:30
a.m. Bible study and lunch will
begin at 1 2 noon. Participants
are encouraged to bring a
sack lunch. It will be an inter
active study where dialogue
is encouraged, and discussion
and questions are welcomed.
Bring your Bible.
Sept. 14
Food Distribution at
Christ UMC
The Circle of Care Mobile
Food Distribution at Christ
United Methodist Church,
417 N. Frontage Road, For
syth will be on Wednesday,
Sept. 1 4 from 10 am - 12
noon.
Sept. 18
First Baptist of High
Falls has Back to Church
Sunday
First Baptist Church of High
Falls, 4408 High Falls Road,
welcomes everyone to come
back to church on Back to
Church Sunday on Sept. 1 8
starting at 9:45 a.m. for Sun
day Bible Study and 1 1 a.m.
for Worship Celebration.
Sept. 27
St. James Baptist hosts
Food Distribution
St. James Baptist Church,
1 10 James Street, Forsyth will
again be hosting a Mobile
Food Distribution on the fourth
Tuesday of each month begin
ning on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at
10 a.m.
Ongoing
Bread & Blessings
food pantry is open at
Bethany Baptist
The Bread & Blessing food
pantry is open at the fellow
ship hall of Bethany Baptist
Church, 365 Pea Ridge Road,
Bolingbroke every Monday
from 10 a.m.-1 2 noon. There
are a variety of shelf stable
items available for families
who need them. For more
information, call 478-974-
0002.
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478-957-9164
www.wbibfm.com
We are here to serve the
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Sunday morning local sermon schedule:
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10 a.m. Rock Springs Church
11 a.m. New Providence Baptist Church
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