Psalm 149 declares, “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!” One of the joys of being part of the church is public worship. Public worship is the opportunity to join our hearts and minds in the praise of our God. I know that we can worship God anywhere. I understand that we are to be in an attitude of worship continually but there is something unique about public worship. Sure we can worship in our prayer closet. We ought to engage in private worship but there is no substitute for corporate worship.

Yes you can be blessed through the ministry of televised worship services. There are some wonderful Bible teachers available both on television and through the Internet. Yet it is not the same as gathering with your church for worship. It is not the same as joining with those with whom you are in covenant to praise and honor God. On Sundays, when I look across the congregation and see those who’ve walked with Christ for years, I’m spurred on toward faithfulness. When I see those who’ve experienced devastating loss sing, with joy the great hymns of our faith, I’m encouraged to persevere through trial. When I see those are locked in battle with sickness and disease or burdened with caring for a loved one, I’m reminded that God’s grace is sufficient and He will supply all my needs. When I see those, one fallen now restored, I know He’s faithful even when I’m not.

I need worship. Further I need you in worship. Worship, indeed our faith, is a corporate effort! I’ll see you Sunday.

Rod

An exposition of Psalm 39:1-13. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, October 2, 2011.

This is an exposition of Psalm 76:1-12. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, October 9, 2011.

Do you get depressed watching the news? Drive-by shootings, meth labs, and home invasions those things used to happen in other places now they are commonplace here. Culturally the country is going to pot. Political bickering is wearisome. Everywhere I turn lately there seems to be controversy, trouble, bad news or despair. Is it any wonder I seek relief by visiting Mayberry where the great tragedy is that new lady druggist want sell Emma Watson her miracle pills?

But, alas, that only buys me 30 minutes of comfort and relief. I know that retreating to Mayberry is not a lasting remedy and doesn’t supply any real relief but where are we to turn? Is there a place of safety and rest? Is there a more permanent solution to our troubles? The answer is yes. And the answer is not found in retreating to a “make believe” world. It isn’t found in denying the real dangers that threaten us. It is found in taking refuge in the profound truths of our faith. It is found in taking refuge in our God. Doctrine is practical. Biblical truth is to be embraced and lived. It is to be applied to the real world in which we struggle day by day. Our faith is to impact our lives on a daily basis.

Throughout history God has graciously revealed himself to his people. He has not been silent. He has spoken. He has said, “This is who I am. And this is what I am doing.” This is why we gather for Bible study on Sunday morning. This is why we attend the preaching of the Word. So that we might be equipped for life. So that we are prepared to handle the heartache and struggles that regularly come our way. It’s worth thinking about. I’ll see you Sunday.

Rod

It is an overwhelming thought, a great motivation and provides amazing comfort to understand the depth of God’s love for His own. Jesus made an extraordinary comment on the night of His betrayal as He spoke to the 11 remaining apostles (Judas had already gone to betray Him). “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love.” To the degree that God loved me – I love you. In the way the Father has loved me – I love you. Such a love is fixed, settled and unwavering. Such a love invites your “abiding.” To abide is to relax, make yourself at home, and settle in. You don’t have to impress Him. You do not have to gain His favor. You have it! You have it not because you perform up to standard but because of Christ. Christ’s perfect obedience has secured the Father’s love for the believer, so relax. Get off the treadmill of works and start striving in love. Start living out of gratitude instead of guilt.

It’s not that we do not strive. It is not that we do not struggle. Rather we live knowing love is not given as a reward or removed as punishment. God’s love for the believer is constant and unchanging because of the finished work of Christ laid to our account. We are not driven to obey in order to experience the love of God rather we are driven to obey because of our experience of God’s love. That is Gospel living.

I hope to see you and your family as we gather for worship this coming Lord’s Day.

Rod

This Sunday-evening series began on October 16, 2011.

• 10/16: Our Knowledge of God Impacts Our Prayers, from 1 Samuel 1:1-28.
• 10/23: Exulting Prayer, from 1 Samuel 2:1-10.
• 10/30: Lessons from the Darkness, from 1 Samuel 2:11-36.
• 11/06: Light from the Word, from 1 Samuel 3:1-21.
• 11/13: Hard Lessons, from 1 Samuel 4:1-22.
• 11/20: Lessons in Arkeology, from 1 Samuel 5:1-7:1.
• 11/27: God’s Mercy Towards a Wayward People, from 1 Samuel 7:1-17.
• 01/08: Israel’s Folly: A Look into Our Own Souls, from 1 Samuel 8:1-22.
• 01/22: History as Revelation, from 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16.
• 01/29: A King Unlike the Nations Around Us, from 1 Samuel 10:17-27.
• 02/12: A Revelation of the True King, from 1 Samuel 11:1-15.

From Psalm 44:1-26. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, October 19, 2011.

It is ingrained in us from an early age, “Behave in a certain way or you’ll not be loved.” Your worth or value is determined by your performance. Certain people in school are given exceptions and privileges because of how they perform on the football field or the basketball court. Even in church the message is, “Live up to the standard or God won’t love you.” That is why I find the Gospel so appealing. The message of God’s love and grace comforts, encourages and inspires. I’m not loved or valued because of my performance. God does not love me because I make the grade but because of Christ!

Christ fulfilled the law of God perfectly. He satisfied every righteous demand. By my faith in Him I am clothed with His righteousness. I am in Christ and thus loved by the Father. That love is fixed, settled, and unchanging. The Father now loves me just as He has loved Christ. I do not have to earn God’s love it is mine because of Christ. I can rest in that. I am called to dwell, abide, and be at home in the love of God. Now that does not mean I quit striving for holiness. It does not mean that I do not need to obey. It means my motivation is different. I do not obey in order to be loved but I obey because I am loved. I want to demonstrate my love out of profound gratitude. I do not want to betray such love. Love is far more demanding that law. Now that I’m loved I’m driven to even greater obedience.

I hope to see you and your family as we gather for Bible study and worship this coming Lord’s Day.

Rod

An exposition of Psalm 25:1-22. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Wednesday evening, October 26, 2011.

November? How can that be it was January just last week. Isn’t it hard to believe the year is almost over? November means a couple of things. First the holidays are upon us. Things get busy from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Pray for our children’s choir and our Celebration Singers as they work on Christmas music. A new wrinkle to the holidays this year is that both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sunday. We will be adjusting our schedule some for those two Sundays we’ll tell you more about that in the days to come.

Second, it means that it is budget time. I would ask you to pray for our finance committee as they begin work on next year’s budget. We do have some challenges. While we’ve been blessed and have no debt, we’ve experienced a significant drop in receipts the last quarter. Pray that we will be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us.

Third, and this is really the most important, guard your heart during the business of the season so that you do not forget what it’s all about. Thanksgiving is not about food, family and football it’s about giving thanks to God for His gracious provision. It is a time to acknowledge every good and perfect gift comes down from above. Christmas is not about jolly old Saint Nick it’s about God’s gift of salvation through His Son. This is the time of year that grants us many opportunities to testify of our faith. Let’s not waste this opportunity. It’s worth thinking about. I’ll see you Sunday.

Rod