New Sermon Series Kicks Off
Kenneth and Sheri White celebrated an anniversary as we gathered to worship Sunday morning at Mill Creek Baptist Church.
Special prayers were requested for Jim Stauber, Pat Ramsey, the Henry McMahan family, Ruth Briggs, Mrs. Wyatt, Mickey, Rhonda, and Dot’s cousin. Renae Sherman shared a praise. Wayne Johnson opened our service with prayer. Linda reminded us of the 14th annual Poker Run in memory of Jeremy Abercrombie and that we will have our fall fellowship at David and Kitty Collingsworth’s at 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.
Linda Abercrombie shared a couple of devotionals. “What If,” with scripture from 1 Peter 5:7, is a story about unnecessary worry. We waste so much time worrying about what if, preparing for things that might not happen, that life gets overshadowed by anxiety. We need to trust in God. “Practical Peace,” with scripture from Psalm 23:22, tells us how to relieve stress in our life and build peace. Find little ways to release stress, like dark chocolate or riding a bike, and taste God’s rest.
Tyrel Lett asked God’s blessing upon the offertory, and he and Rick Lett served as ushers. Becky Johnson and Karen Gardner led the congregational hymns, including “Glory to His Name.” Jerry and Linda joined in harmony and sang “It Is Well With My Soul,” and Karen sang “Leave It There.”
Romans 12 was the passage for the first of the sermon series, “Christian Citizenship,” with Sunday’s message “Saved to Serve.”
Paul tells us, for our own sake, if you are saved, act like it. Brother Mark told us “When you are saved, you are living by a higher standard. You represent something bigger than you. It is your duty to represent it well.”
Verses 1-2 say, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Brother Mark told us, “We need a transformed mind — one committed to the ideals of the Kingdom of God. And to prove is to test and to prove by practice in everyday life that God’s will for us is good and acceptable and perfect. If you are going to find that perfect will, you will have to put your whole self in it. It can’t be like the Hokey Pokey where you put in one leg or one arm. You have to put in your whole self. Until then, you will never understand God’s will if He only has part of you. He needs all of you. We should wear our Christianity with honor and reverence and not be chasing the world. The god of this world is the devil, and he doesn’t have anything good for us.”
Brother Mark continued, telling us that we didn’t become a Christian by being perfect. “We brought sins that needed to be confessed. We brought questions that needed to be answered. We brought problems that needed solutions. We brought burdens that needed to be lifted, worries that needed to be calmed, frustrations and depressions. We want it all fixed. God says turn yourself completely over to Him so he can fix it, but we still hold back. Real worship is the total commitment of the total person for the total life. It is putting your whole self in.
“Anything less isn’t genuine worship. We offer ourselves to God because of His mercy. When we recognize what God has done for us through His son, Christ Jesus, the only response is to give ourselves completely over to Him. Jesus is the grace giver, the dead raiser and the soul saver.
“We are just the sorry sinners, and that sin has deadly consequences.
“Where would we be without God’s love and presence in our life? What kind of hope would we have without Him. What did we do to deserve what He has given us? Did we deserve any of it on merit alone? Everything we have is a gift from Him.
“Worship isn’t just a church activity. It is a life activity.”
Brother Mark told us, “It’s not a sometimes thing. It’s an all-the-time thing seven days a week, not just Sundays. We offer ourselves to God through transformation and renewing of our mind. We are not saved to be Christians who act and look like our surroundings. Hypocrite Christians act like a Christian on Sunday morning and carry on like everyone else around them the rest of the week. Saved people are changed people. It is reflected in the way we walk, talk, our attitudes, and our personality. When we give ourselves to Christ, we move from a self-centered world to a Christ-centered world. The world pressures our minds from the outside in, and we give in to the world’s pressure. The Holy Spirit of God counters that and works from the inside out.
“When you have the Holy Spirit of God releasing power from the inside out, you don’t have to go around trying to do the right thing because you become the right sort of person. When you get sealed by the Holy Spirit of God and you allow Him to work in your life working from the inside out, He makes you the right sort of person. Come to Christ to be transformed and have your mind renewed so it won’t be soiled by the world. Before you serve, be saved.”
Our hymn of invitation was “I Surrender All” and Wayne Holly gave the benediction. We invite you to worship with us next Sunday as Brother Mark’s sermon will be on “Serving.” Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. Everyone is welcome. Mill Creek is located 3.5 miles east of Noel just off Highway 90.