pastor's update 11.26.08

PASTOR’S UPDATE

A Bowl of Soup

Sometimes we have to
lose something to be thankful for it; I learned this lesson while in the
hospital with leukemia.  After a round of
chemotherapy I completely lost my appetite. 
After days of not eating my family was getting nervous.  Everyone tried to get me to eat and offered
to go and buy anything I would promise to eat. 
But nothing and I mean nothing appealed to me.  I had always taken an appetite for granted,
but now I wish I could find mine.  But
one day as I was lying in the hospital bed, something strange happened.  I was looking at the get well cards posted on
the bulletin board, when one jumped out at me. 
It was a drawing of a bowl of chicken soup.  I don’t know why but that bowl of soup
clicked in my head and I asked my wife to find one for me.  I finished that bowl and ate another, my
appetite had returned.  So this Thanksgiving
when I sit down to eat my meal I will be thankful for my appetite.  Sometimes loss is the backdoor to
thankfulness.  Hope you have a wonderful
Thanksgiving.

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The
high cost of heating fuel and the weak economy have set the stage for a long
hard winter for many people.  We at Faith
are trying to do our part to show the love of Christ to hurting people in our
community.  We helped five different
families this week with heating and electrical bills.  We gave out 15 baskets of food last week as
well as helping other families with needs. 
Our resources are limited so many months we
must turn people away because of no funds. 
This year our Christmas offering is going to help families make it
through this winter.  Please pray about
what God would have you to do.  We will
be receiving the offering on Sunday, December 21.  Please use the special offering envelopes
located in the pews at church.

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Our missionary Ernie Harmon will be
speaking this Sunday morning at Faith.Ernie has a ministry
in Mexico reaching out to the poor.  He
is coming to pick up some toys we have been collecting for children living on
the trash dumps of Mexico.  Ernie has faced
a lot of opposition and difficulties on the field for the Lord.  We hope you will join us as we honor a choice
servant of God.

Sunday night Aaron Seay, a student at Appalachian Bible College will be
speaking.

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Xerox came up with a
great way to say thanks to our troops. 
Just click on this  link www.LetsSayThanks.comand send a thank you note to our troops
serving around the world.

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THIS
AND THAT

·        
Baptized
five people Sunday night

·        
We
welcome two new members Gail and Gene Wood

·        
Thanksgiving
service at Covington Bible Church was a wonderful    time in which four churches met together to
praise the Lord, I                                                                                             didn’t
know the mayor of Covington could sing that well! J

·        
We are
booked up for the Christmas dinner, but call the church office to be placed on
a standby list.  We have the Christmas dinner               on two nights to handle the crowd.  We  meet at Grace Bible Camp for Christmas in
the mountains.  Hope you can come.

·         You can still bring toys for Mexico but
this will be the last Sunday

·         We want to thank the ladies for the beautiful Christmas decorations at
Faith

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At the
very core of the Bible is the message of obedience. From Abraham to Christ
obedience is a key factor in our walk with God. 
Come join us as learn the freeing truth of obeying our Father.  Jesus the ultimate example of obedience will show
us the way to life, blessing and fulfillment.

12.07.08     The Door to
Blessing

12.14.08     Motivated by Love

12.21.08     Christ Our Example

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HOPE YOU HAVE A
WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!  SEE YOU SUNDAY.

THE WILES OF THE DEVIL

Wiles = a trick or deceit Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph. 6:11
Balance in our beliefs about Satan

Why is Satan a master at deceit?

1. He belongs to a higher order than man ⁷ You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. Hebrews 2:7

2. He has greater experience than man

3. He can transform himself in many ways ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

Satan’s Plan

To counterfeit God’s plan ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Isaiah 14:14

Satan’s Devices
1. Mimic God’s work

2. Open opposition

3. Discouragement

4. Sidetracks

5. Temptations

6. Stagnation

7. Any device to keep believer from normal and proper maturity

Our defense

¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- Ephesians 6:1-24

1. Intercession of Jesus ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

2. Truth

3. Righteousness

4. Readiness to do the will of God

5. Faith

6. Helmet of salvation

7. Sword of the Spirit

8. Prayer

Christ lives in me, greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world, He will never leave me nor forsake me.

*Gal. 2:20,1John 4:4, Heb. 13:5

The above lesson is based on the book by Charles Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life

Pastor's Update 11.20.08

PASTOR'S UPDATE 11.20.08

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We just went through a major election and one of the major themes was change. How much change will we see, only time will tell. Chris Chesley will be preaching this Sunday morning on change, not the fleeting change of politics but the real change that only God can bring. Hope you will join us this Sunday.

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Sunday night I will be continuing in the series Balancing The Christian Life. We will be looking at the Wiles of the Devil. What are some of the tricks and devices that Satan can use in our lives to trip us up? Hope you can join us this Sunday night at 6 PM. (This series is based on the book of the same name by Charles Ryrie)

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Baptism this Sunday night, please contact John Burnham if interested.

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NOTES

• We able to give out 15 Thanksgiving baskets
  
• Welcome new members Gene and Gail Wood
  
• 50+ had a great trip to the Smokey Mountains
  
• Boxes in lobby:toys for Mexico,cellphone collection for mission team
• The teen praise team did a good job Sunday in the AM services
• The whole church was touched Sunday night by the medical missionary to Uganda
• Please check our church calendar at www.faithbaptistcovington.net for all the holiday events
  

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NEW LAND
The land purchase was finalized this week. We now have 17.5 acres across the street to develop for the future of Faith Baptist Church. A chart has been placed in
the McAllister Addition to help us track the debt retirement on the
land, we hope to pay the debt off in five years. Please designate any
gifts for debt retirement for the land.

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Perry Wiseman (yellow shirt) sang with Mr. Kincaid in a gospel quartet for years. Mr. Kincaid (scooter) went to be with the Lord last week and Perry was able to sing at his funeral. Pray for the family in their time of loss.

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At
the very core of the Bible is the message of obedience. From Abraham to
Christ obedience is a key factor in our walk with God. Come join us as
learn the freeing truth of obeying our Father. Jesus the ultimate
example of obedience will show us the way to life, blessing and
fulfillment.

12.07.08 The Door to Blessing

12.14.08 Motivated by Love

12.21.08 Christ Our Example

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JOIN US FOR AN EVENING BY THE FIRE . . .

A warm time of reflection on the good things God has done for us.

Tuesday, November 25, 7:00 PM

Covington Bible Church

(please note our Wednesday service is being moved to this night so we can participate in this joint service)

Hope to see you Sunday!

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Peter's Earthbound Perspective

Peter's vision was limited to this world

Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" Matthew 16:22

Jesus corrected Peter

But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23

Owning the whole world can’t prepare you for eternity

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26

Jesus shares the big picture with His disciples

"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. Matthew 16:27

Jesus gives a preview

Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Matthew 16:28

What was Jesus teaching?

• Transfiguration

• Resurrection

• Pentecost

• Spread of church

Faith in the return of Christ will . . .

1. Cause me to live a prepared life
You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Matthew 24:44

2. Cause me to be encouraged

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

3. Cause me to long for Christ
He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20

The Choice

PAUL ON ATTITUDE

PAUL ON LIFE:
ATTITUDE NOVEMBER 16,2008

Life

1. Paul’s faith

²¹ for to me, to live is
Christ . . . Philippians 1:21

2. Paul’s confidence
¹³ I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

3. Paul’s thinking

⁸ And
now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on
what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and
admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of
praise. Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

4. Paul’s attitude

⁴
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Philippians 4:4

5. Paul’s life

• His critics ¹⁸ But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or
  genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I
  rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. Philippians 1:18 (NLT)

• His
  needs ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I
  have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
  ¹² I
  know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have
  learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with
  a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. Philippians
  4:11-12 (NLT)

  “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.—Charles Swindoll
  

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to
respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to
choose ones attitude in any given circumstance.”—Victor Frankl

Faith Baptist
Church, Covington, VA bpfbc@aol.com faithbaptistcovington.net

New Sermon Series: Obedience

At the very core of the Bible is the message of obedience. From Abraham to Christ obedience is a key factor in our walk with God. Come join us as learn the freeing truth of obeying our Father. Jesus the ultimate example of obedience will show us the way to life, blessing and fulfillment.

12.07.08 The Door to Blessing

12.14.08 Motivated by Love

12.21.08 Christ Our Example

All The Pieces

21 God made my life complete

when I placed all the pieces before him.

When I cleaned up my act,

he gave me a fresh start.

Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways;

I haven't taken God for granted.

Every day I review the ways he works,

I try not to miss a trick.

I feel put back together,

and I'm watching my step.

God rewrote the text of my life

when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

2 Samuel 22:21-25 (from the Message paraphrase)

(David prayed to God the words of this song after God saved him from all his enemies and from Saul. 2 Samuel 22:1)