Messages

Pastor’s Message

March Madness!  The name associated with the NCAA basketball tournament.  Carolyn and I always enjoy watching the NCAA basketball tournament.  Our family usually has a little friendly competition on who can fill out a bracket with the fewest losses.  Don’t tell anyone, but Carolyn almost always wins that friendly competition.  I guess one of the things we enjoy the most about this tournament is how unpredictable it is.  Nearly every year, the NCAA tournament features some dramatic upsets when a Cinderella team with little chance of winning a game can rise to the challenge and defeat a stronger, more prominent team. 

God’s Word is filled with account after account of underdogs emerging victorious with God’s help:  Two such examples that come to mind are David defeating the giant Goliath and Gideon and his 300 unarmed men defeating an army of thousands of well-fortified Midianite soldiers. 

But the greatest account in God’s Word of a time when things looked hopeless was when Jesus was crucified on the cross.  It was from that cross that He spoke His final word, “It is finished” and then He died.  His body was taken off the cross and buried.  The disciples and other followers of Jesus were devastated.  Satan thought he had won the victory, but three days later, on that first glorious Easter Sunday, the Son of God stepped out of the tomb.  Death was conquered!  Satan was defeated!  Jesus is alive!  The greatest comeback in history! 

For some, Easter will be a great day, spent surrounded by family and friends.  But for others, Easter, like some other holidays, will be a bittersweet day, for it will be a reminder of someone who is no longer with them.  Death seems so cruel, so harsh, and so final.  But may we never forget that the resurrection of Jesus Christ proves death is not the end.  Jesus is at the right hand of our Heavenly Father right now, interceding for you and me.  One day, He’s coming back and we’ll be taken out of this sin-filled world.  We will see our loved ones again, we will have a new glorified body that can never be touched by sickness, pain, death, or sin ever again.  We will live forever in heaven, in the presence of God.  Easter is all about hope.  “He lives!  He lives!  Christ Jesus lives today!”

May God bless you and I hope to see you and your family in church this coming Lord’s Day, Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!

Pastor Rick

Message From Andy (Student Minister)

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

This is an exciting month for us as Christians as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday!  The author of Hebrews writes that we should never forsake gathering together to worship our Lord and Savior, especially as we remember the greatest event in history.  Even though we don’t know the day or time of His Return, we must recognize that we draw nearer and nearer to it each day, and that fact should encourage us to gather together as His Church and praise His Holy Name!

Our youth are always seeking opportunities to gather together with other youth in our area to worship together as followers of Christ.  This month, youth from all over Kingsport will gather together for worship in the Dobyns Bennett dome, and then later this month youth groups will gather for the annual Speak Life Conference. 

A question this raises for me, though, is why don’t we as adults have this drive to gather together with other believers to worship our Savior?

These words in Hebrews remind us that we as Christians should never forsake gathering together in our individual churches, and that we should also gather as believers in Christ to give praise to Jesus, just as we will all do when we worship Him together in Heaven!

Andy