Messages

Pastor’s Message

The story is told of a woman in England who came to her minister with a troubled conscience. The minister knew her to be a habitual gossip — she had maligned nearly everyone in the village. “How can I make amends?” she pleaded. The minister said, “If you want to make peace with your conscience, take a bag of goose feathers and drop one on the porch of each one you have slandered.” When she had done so, she came back to the minister and said, “Is that all?” “No,” said the wise old minister, “you must go now and gather up every feather and bring them all back to me.” After a long time the woman returned without a single feather. “The wind has blown them all away,” she said. “My good woman,” said the minister, “So it is with gossip. Unkind words are easily dropped, but we can never take them back again.”
 
In Psalm 141:3, we find these words, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” The problems of the
world could be solved overnight if people could get victory over their tongues. A wise person thinks about how their words will be received
and what effect their words might have on the other person and on their witness. The one filled with godly wisdom doesn’t always say what’s on their minds, but instead pauses to ask, “God, what would you have me say?” Asking God to set a guard over our mouths is more than a prayer for self-control when we’re angry. It’s a plea for self-control in everything we say. I know you’ve seen this acronym before, but we
should ask ourselves the following five questions before we speak:
 
T – Is it truthful? Is what I’m about to say the truth?
H – Is it helpful? Or will it simply harm the other person?
I – Is it inspirational? Does it build up or does it tear down?
N – Is it necessary? If it’s not necessary, why do I need to say it?
K – Is it kind?
 
May God bless you and your family. Let your light shine for Jesus!
 
Pastor Rick

Message From Andy (Youth Minister)

“But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, ‘These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
Acts 17:6
 

It certainly feels like the world was turned upside down over the past year, but can you imagine what it was like when Jesus’ disciples and the early church were spreading through the Middle East, Africa, Asia Minor, and Greece in the 1st century introducing the Jews and Gentiles to Jesus?

Charlie Hall at Passion in 2020 opened by saying, “God, let us be a generation that seeks Your Face.”
 
I firmly believe that we need a generation to RISE UP and TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN for JESUS. I’m approaching the big 4-0 this year, and I don’t believe it will be my generation. I would love to be wrong, but as a whole, we’ve already messed things up too badly.
 
Will it be the upcoming generation? The one after that?
 
The opposite is something terrible to think about ….
 
“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”
Judges 2:10
 
If we don’t start preparing our children and youth to be a generation that seeks God’s face, my fear is this will happen. Can you imagine? An entire generation that didn’t know God. There are few things scarier!
 
I see sparks in our children and youth today that could start a fire for God, but Satan is trying his best to use the lures of this world to pull them away. And they can’t do it alone. The need us, church family, to support and disciple them. They need Christ-centered friendships and relationships with others of their generation to bolster them. They need prayer and encouragement to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and spread the Gospel with courage and boldness.
 
Let’s pray that we will see a generation turn this world upside down for Jesus!
 

Andy

Note from Kevin (Music Minister)

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we have had our “regular” church services. It was almost a year without a choir practice. And believe me, it was not easy missing out on that time with each other. There’s a song that Heritage has been rehearsing recently and I feel like it is continually stuck in my head, not a bad thing though. “Great is Thy Faithfulness” has almost became my “theme” for the past year. We do not know why we all had to deal with so many tough circumstances in the past year, and we may never know. But, I do know that through it all, God has been faithful. There have been times where we, I personally, have thought there’s no way that we can continue on, but the great songwriter, Thomas Chisholm, reminded us all in the lyrics in “Great is Thy Faithfulness” that He gives us “strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow.”

We have had strength for today, and now I am having hope for tomorrow. The choir resumed its regular Wednesday night choir rehearsals on March 3rd. I know that some still may not feel comfortable, and that is completely understandable. If you have any questions about reentering the choir or joining the choir for the first time, please feel free to contact me personally, or be at our next meeting.
 
Blessings in Song,

K

Bro. James’ Corner

When I was a child, I would pick Mom wild flowers. She would quickly put them in a vase. She loved them. Our sons used to pick their mother dandelions. They meant so much to her. To this day Margaret still calls them a “Mommie’s Flower.” I remember on my first trip to Bristol alone, I wanted to buy my Mother a Christmas gift. I searched everywhere for a gift to match the money I had. I finally found a ceramic high-top shoe with a rose on it. It matched the money I had which was 25 cents. She unwrapped it and cuddled it as if it was a $100 gift. She put it in the living room where it could be seen by all. It was still there when I left home. It is not always the big gifts that mean the most to Moms. It is what we give from our heart. If your mom is still living, give her a hug or go pick her a wild flower or maybe write her a personal note. She will love it as much as an expensive gift. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Bro. James Meade

Message From Franklin Graham

We Cannot Remain Silent!

The Equality Act is a dangerous threat to our nation.

I am writing to you about a very dangerous piece of legislation — the Equality Act. The administration is wanting to pass this act soon. I cannot say this more emphatically — for people, for businesses, and for ministries of faith, the Equality Act is a threat to life as we know it in our nation today. It’s a real game-changer.

The House has already passed this legislation one time previously, so it will likely pass in the House again before moving on to the Senate. We need you to contact your congress member and U.S. senators and ask them to vote NO. I also encourage you to let the White House know about your strong opposition to this bill. The progressive Left is zealous about this issue and will pull out all the stops to try to make it the law of the land.
    • The Equality Act designates schools, churches, and healthcare organizations as “public accommodations.” With this, schools, churches, and hospitals could be forced to accept the government’s beliefs and mandates about sexual orientation and gender identity. That would be highly intrusive and incredibly far-reaching. It will threaten everyday speech where people can be fined or lose their jobs for using the wrong name or pronouns.
    • The Equality Act will use the force of law across all 50 states to strip Christian and other religious ministries of their right to hire people of shared faith to pursue a shared mission. Can you imagine a Christian organization being forced to hire people hostile to its deeply held beliefs who have no passion for its beliefs, teachings, and mission? That doesn’t work.

These are just a few examples. Friends, this is a pivotal time for our nation. The impact of this legislation is immense. We must not remain silent and accept what we know is wrong.

People of faith need to PRAY. Churches need to recognize the significance of this and pray corporately, asking for God’s intervention and mercy to extend the religious freedoms we have been blessed with for so long.

We also must get to work now, in these fleeting days before the Equality Act comes up for a vote again. As individuals, churches, and organizations, we need to let our representatives in the U.S. House and Senate know how important this is to us, and that we are asking them to vote an emphatic NO to the Equality Act.

Link to contact our representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Sincerely,

Franklin Graham

Message from Steve (SS Director)

How’s your knowledge of Scripture: 1) Extensive, 2) Above Average, 3) Average, 4) Below Average, 5) Minimal? Can you name the four gospels? How many of Jesus’ disciples can you name? According to the data from the Barna Research Group, 60% of Americans can’t name five of the ten commandments. Why do we believe what we believe about the Lord? It’s because of Scripture. However, if we don’t know it, how can we be sure of what we believe? Let me give a couple of examples. “The Lord helps those who help themselves”, is a statement we sometimes here, and according to 82% of Americans, it is a Bible verse. How many of us can correctly discern that it is not? A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in one’s life if taking care of one’s family. Would you be able to refute that? So many false doctrines gain traction in churches because the members because can’t discern what is true and what is a lie.
 
In a recent Lifeway Research study, the following was revealed about Bible reading habits among those who attend church: 1) 19% – every day, 2) 26% – a few times a week, 3) 14% – once a week, 4) 22% – at least once a month, 5) 18% – rarely or never. Which category to do fit in? Are you surprised by # 5?
 
The point I’m trying to make is that biblical illiteracy is a big problem in churches across America. How can we really know the Lord if we are not avid students of His Word? A great way to get more familiar with the Word is by getting involved in a Sunday School class. You’ll get into God’s Word and you’ll learn more about who He is, what He desires, and what pleases Him. You’ll discover the timeless nature of this most unique of all books, and how the teachings contained in it apply to our daily lives. You’ll come to understand the importance of being in God’s Word on a daily basis, and be able to better discern truth from falsehood.
 
Not sure what class might be the best for you? Let’s get together and we’ll find one that is right for you!
 
Blessings in Christ!
Steve Byrd
LGBC Sunday School Director