June 17-20 – 6:00-8:30pm

Join us for a thrilling Bible adventure! We will travel through some of the most famous Bible stories and cities of all time. You will see some of the stories Jesus’ told come to life right in front of you. Travel to our craft shop to make projects like they did in Bible times. You will get delicious treats and snacks, and be able to play exciting games all week.

There is no cost for the week, so sign up today! Click here…

In Bangkok, Thailand, the government wanted to build a large highway through a village. In the path of the planned road was a Buddhist monastery, so they had to relocate the monastery and the 11 foot clay statue of Buddha – to another place. Using a crane, the workers moved the monastery in sections. When the workers transported the statue of Buddha to the new location and began to lower it into place, the clay on the statue started to crumble and fall off.
The people were afraid because this was a precious religious symbol to them, and they didn’t want it to be destroyed. The more the workers tried to place the statue, the more it fell apart until, eventually, all the clay was falling off. Suddenly, the workers stared in amazement because, as the clay fell away, something unexpected was revealed. The statue was pure gold underneath. Before the statue was moved, people thought it was worth about $50,000. Today, that golden Buddha is worth millions and, because of the story behind it, it is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year.
What’s the point of that story? I believe many of us are living as clay vessels when, in reality, we are pure gold inside. Our lives do not reflect who we truly are or what we can be.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” -Jeremiah 29:11

Maybe you can relate to the following story. I was walking into Wal-Mart (now, I know you all relate to that part, right?) When I saw this little boy getting onto one of those familiar machines (a truck that kids climb on and feed it quarters as the engine roars and it moves back and forth although, the little kids feel like they’re on their way in an imaginary land.) Many of you have fed those machines I’m sure. I did my time in Wal-mart, probably 20-30 minutes, when I came out I noticed this little boy was still riding in the truck, Mom said probably for the 20th time, this is the last quarter. As I smiled and walked off, I realized something about that little picture of life. There’s a lot of people today that feel like that little boy, and maybe feel like that Mom. They are riding along in life, spending all their time and their money, and their energy trying to get somewhere, but when the day is over they realize that they really haven’t gone anywhere. That’s how most people in our world live today, they’re working hard, they’re spending a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of effort, but they are not really making any real progress in life. They are not going anywhere. Our world is filled with people who are busy but not feeling effective or satisfied.

Listen to these statistics of American employees:

• 50% of all US workers feel overwhelmed by a growing number of job tasks and longer working hours.

•  88% of employees say they have a hard time juggling work and life

• 48% of workers aged 35-44 are satisfied with their jobs, down from nearly 61% in 1995.

•Older workers, aged 55-64, also express a low level of satisfaction.

     What about your life? What are you using your precious energy on? Are you actively pursuing the dreams and vision that God has placed within you?  If I were to ask you today, “Why do you exist?” How would you answer? Most people cannot tell you. They can’t explain their purpose in the world. They have no vision for their lives.

Do you have a sense of personal purpose? Do you know why you were born? Does your purpose give you a passion for living? Some might ask, “Do I really need to have a reason for my existence?” The Answer is Yes! Life is intended to have meaning, you were not born just for the fun of it. Life doesn’t have to be an aimless, repetitive exercise, because you were not designed to simply ride in a pretend truck going nowhere. You were meant to be going somewhere, to be headed toward a destination.
As a Christian, we understand that our ultimate goal is to go to heaven, right? But if that was all God wanted for us, if God’s grand design was for us just to be saved and make heaven our home, don’t you think God would have put in place an express delivery system? If becoming a Christian was all there was to this life, and there was no other purpose for your life other than becoming a Christian…. I think God would save us and take us to heaven as soon as you were saved. It doesn’t work that way does it?
The reason is because God has a plan for our whole lives…. God designed you to accomplish His will while you live on planet Earth…. Heaven is our ultimate goal, it will be worth whatever you have to endure while you’re here, but God has given to everyone of us divine plans, dreams, a vision for our life. You were born to be distinct…. God didn’t create you to blend in, but to stand out as special, as unique. There is no one in the whole world with your personality, your makeup, your gifts, your God given talents, your way of thinking, your abilities; there is no one who can do what God has specifically created you to do… it’s His plan for you.
There are over 7 billion people in the world, and not one of them has your fingerprints. Some people may consider you to be “just another person”, but they are wrong. Don’t ever allow anyone to cause you to think of yourself as ordinary. When you go Antique shopping, what makes an item very, very expensive?  The value of something is determined by how rare it is. Gold is costly because it is difficult to find. In the same way with oil; it does not usually just spring up in your backyard, you normally have to dig deep to find it.

The truth is God created you as a one of a kind, you were not mass produced, You were designer made.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11

As we often try to eat healthy and trim down at the start of a new year, it feels truly liberating at the end of the day. You have eaten right, exercised, and had your water for the day. If so, there is a feeling of accomplishment and a lack of guilt! If we apply that spiritually, the Devil has many Christians filling up on the junk of this world and claiming it is excusable under grace. He is convincing many that they should live like or close to the world to experience liberty. Really? Let’s be honest! Do you feel better when you have eaten wrong, been lazy, and are nearly dehydrated? NO! You feel bad, carry guilt, and it leads to problems. Spiritually, the more we submit to God, the greater the liberty. Christians are not free to sin, but rather free to draw closer and closer to Him. We are free to experience His blessings, spiritual health, lack of guilt, and a stronger wall against sin! James 1:25 “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” True freedom comes in giving Him your all. What do you need to give up to gain spiritual health and true liberation?

If you have been in any recent services, you have heard pastor speak about a tract and Gospel campaign called “50 Faithful.” He has been emphasizing the need for people to hear the Gospel or at least given the Gospel message in tract form. The “50 Faithful” slogan refers to the commitment of members to give out 50 Gospel tracts every month of the year.

Of course, this is not limited to 50 people. It would be great to have everyone commit. We have already had more than 50 people sign up. Just think, that’s at least 2,500 pieces of Gospel literature every month and 30,000 a year. Wouldn’t that be fantastic? Don’t you believe God could use this effort to bring someone to salvation. It does take some effort, but it is well worth it.

Each month, there will be bundles of 50 assorted tracts available in the church foyer and office. Just pick one up and start giving, witnessing, and praying.

There is also another opportunity to order tracts (still free of charge) through the church website. Here, we can bundle tracts to your specific needs or desires. There are tracts for different people (Catholics, Native American, soldiers, Muslims, etc.), age groups (kids, teenagers, senior citizens), and even situations (grieving, sick, struggling, etc.). Simply go to lbcrichmond.com/tracts, make your selections and submit an order. Only the Lord knows what could happen from this effort.

The use of gospel tracts is an effective evangelistic tool. The reason, assuming the gospel tract contains a clear and biblical presentation of the gospel, is that a tract communicates the only power of God for salvation — the gospel (Romans 1:16).

While the gospel is primarily a spoken message (Romans 10:14-17), the gospel can also be communicated through written correspondence. Hence, the existence of God’s, infallible, inerrant, God-breathed Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:1-7). Therefore, the presentation of the gospel in written form is a valid and biblical means for communicating the gospel.  After all, the New Testament is the written form of the gospel as well.

Gospel tracts can go where the evangelist may not be able to go, and they can be tucked into a pocket to be read later. Maybe a person walks far enough away for no one to notice him reading it, or reads it later in the car, or later still in the comfort and privacy of his home. The Lord has used gospel tracts on countless occasions to bring lost souls to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sadly, many Christians, discount the effectiveness of gospel tracts. Some even malign their distribution. Perhaps they might want to consider if they are, in a sense, blaspheming God when they do so. Why? The reason is simple. As previously stated, gospel tracts contain the gospel.

In his efforts, nothing man contrives without the gospel to reach the lost will ever be as powerful a tool as anything that contains and communicates the gospel itself. Gospel tracts are powerful tools for furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract ready….Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a touching gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life. Therefore, do not go out without your tracts.”

~ Charles Spurgeon ~

As many of you know our son Justin graduated recently from the Richmond Police Academy and has now started his journey as a law enforcement officer. It was not until his graduation that I heard that the class motto for his training period was, “The Hard Way”. Granted we heard many stories in the twenty eight week process that exhibited the fact that this was a very difficult process.

Before the training began we attended a meet and greet for the family of those entering the academy. The Police chief and the leaders of the academy gave us just a hint of what was ahead.  They did give us this information which I filed away in the general knowledge file of my brain for later use.  They said the recruits in a few days will grow to hate us, despise us, they will not understand us, they will want to quit, and the way will be hard! But after the academy is over and they find themselves working with those who neither respect nor appreciate their position, they will look back on these weeks and understand our motive. We must do things that are hard in order to prepare for a purpose that is harder.

I don’t know about you but I feel that I have spent much of my life following the same philosophy of learning: “the hard way”!

Whenever we do something, we generally tend to do it the quickest, easiest way. We don’t usually take the long way home on purpose. People don’t usually try to do things the hard way. So as I was reading the story of the Exodus, it struck me as strange, as to why God did things the hard way. I’ve noticed something strange: God commanded Moses to go to Egypt, where he had fled from years before, and to go and risk his life confronting the Pharaoh. Then God turns around and says, in effect, “Oh, by the way, Pharaoh isn’t going to listen to you.”

If I were doing the job, I would find what the objective was; to get the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Then I would figure out the quickest, easiest way of doing that.
Instead of softening Pharaoh’s heart, what does God do? He makes things difficult by hardening Pharaoh’s heart! Why did God do things the hard way? Moses was probably wondering the same thing.

Instead of being rescued, Exodus 6:9 speaks about the discouragement that the Israelites endured. The result was that the Israelites were blaming Moses for their increasing misery. It’s amazing: God calls Moses to a task, and then God proceeds to make life difficult for Moses!
Perhaps you’ve wondered why God seems to do things the hard way. Why doesn’t God just solve the problem? Why doesn’t God just heal the sick? Why doesn’t God just restore the relationship? Why doesn’t God just help me out here a little?

There’s no question that it was God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart. But there was also a reason. And the reason for God hardening Pharaoh’s heart was that God had a plan, God wanted all of Egypt to understand that He was the one true God. Ex 7:5 God let Moses go through all the trouble of dealing with Pharaoh so that when the time was right, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Moses would be known throughout Egypt. Why did God do things the hard way – or the long way? Why did he let the Israelites suffer just a little longer? Why did he let poor old Moses be denied by Pharaoh and rejected by his own people so many times? Because God had a much bigger picture in mind than just those Israelites.

The lesson we learn from Exodus is that God’s primary purpose was not to make everything go as smoothly as possible for his people. If we are expecting God to make things as smooth as possible for us, we will be disappointed.

It is because God cares for us, that he allows us to go through things the hard way. He knows that it is often through struggles that the great lessons of life are learned. It is often through struggles that we develop the capacity to care for others.

What Moses learned, and what we also need to learn, is that there is nothing safe or easy about following God’s call. It’s risky business. But we also learn, that when we respond to God’s call, and if He chooses to do things the hard way (which he seems to usually do), He will also give you all the strength to accomplish His will. Following God can certainly be tough but it is the desired end for which He is preparing us.

To be with you.

   “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” — Joshua 1:9

To give you victory.

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world….” — 1 John 5:4

To be your refuge.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” — Psalm 46:1

To supply sufficient grace.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9

To uphold you.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” — Isaiah 41:10

To provide for you.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:19

To renew your strength.

   “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

To settle you.

   “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,stablish, strengthen, settle you.” — 1 Peter 5:10

To work all things for good.

   “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28

To deliver you.

   “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” — Psalm 34:19

To love you. 

   “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38–39

To give you perfect peace. 

    “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
— Isaiah 26:3

To give help for your need. 

   “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16

To draw close to you. 

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” |
— Psalm 34:18

My GPS makes me laugh! I feel like it almost has a personality of its own; that perhaps she is laughing silently. She says things like, “Turn around in 400 yards.” I immediately notice three opportunities to turn right ahead and I say to her,” Helloooo! How far is 400 yards? I’m not a track star!” She does not answer me aloud, but I think she is smiling. As I miss the correct right turn because I have misjudged the 400 yards, she says things like, “Please do a u-turn or turn left now, and go the other direction.” I am almost positive I hear her add words like “idiot” to the end of her instructions!

The truth is the GPS gives clear directions and will take me to the right destination. Sometimes, I just do not listen, or I second guess. Sometimes I even forget the GPS at home, or it is in the other car. God’s Word is like a GPS in that it gives specific instructions as to the “way” we should take.

Psalm 1 describes two very different ways or paths for life. It clearly labels the way of the godly and ungodly. Godliness is making God the center of every part of your life. It means that we consider Him in our thoughts and actions all throughout the day. In Psalms 1, God clearly marks these two different ways.

Ungodly Way

• Accepts ungodly counsel
• Walks the path of sin
• Scornful (showing contempt)
• Does not enjoy God’s Word
• Does not think of God and His Word every day
• Does not bear spiritual fruit
• Does not prosper according to God’s definition
  of prosperity
• Unstable, blown about
• Does not want to be around the righteous
• Will not have an excuse before God
• On a path that will perish

Godly Way

• Not counseled by the ungodly
• Not on a path of sin
• Not scornful
• Delights in God’s Word
• Thinks about God and His Word every day
• Bears spiritual fruit
• Prospers according to God’s definition of prosperity
• God knows his ways and directs
• On an everlasting path

Among Christians today, the progressive thought is that we should be like the world to reach them. It is as if they picture the Christian and the lost on the same path and the path separates at death, with one going to Heaven and one perishing in Hell. The picture painted in Psalm 1, however, is that at the moment of salvation the Christian is on a totally different path. The Christian and lost man are on two different roads! Yes, these roads are on the same earth but not the same “way.” They are not guided by the same GPS!

Christians are guilty of leading sinners straight to Hell because we confuse them. It is as if we help them think they are on the right path because we appear to be on the same path! The unsaved are on the wrong way, and it is our job to live so that they see a different way! Our GPS should be the Scriptures. Study Psalm 1 and evaluate “your way” today.

~Sonya Sumpter

Ideas for Personal Bible Study  

         ( see bottom of article for online resources)

As we enter a new year, most of us are thinking about new things. The new year offers a fresh start in many areas of life including Bible study. Sometimes this personal area of life becomes routine or mechanical. Below are some ideas, in no particular order, that may help develop this part of your walk with God.

1. Start by reading the Bible in Places Where You Can Understand It—don’t be afraid to read another passage if you’re getting bogged down in a complex portion of the Bible.

2. Read Good Books about the Bible or Biblical Truths—lose yourself in a good book that contains a lot of scripture.

3. Use a Bible Software or Study Tools to Help You Understand—things like Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary of the Bible is free online. Take advantage of the insight of others.

4. Read the Bible from a Big Picture Perspective—read a whole book or lengthy passage, rather than just a short chapter.

5. Ask God to Teach You Something that You Need—expect Him to answer this prayer and speak to you.

6. Make a Record of the Things that God is Teaching You (Journal)—whether by hand or on computer, write down what God is teaching you.

7. Tell Someone Else Something that God Taught You (Godly Friends)—what a great use of social networking and a great conversation starter with a friend.

8. Talk to God Openly and Take Time to Listen to Him—don’t be afraid to sit quietly before the Lord and listen.

9. Literally Take a Walk with God and Talk to Him—walking will keep you awake and engaged.

10. Make a List of Prayer Requests and Record When They Are Answered—there’s something very special about looking back on all those answers.

11. Listen to Godly Music and Think about the Message—great Christian music will take your heart to a very special place with God.

12. Listen to Preaching or Teaching from Past Events—what a great use for an iPod.

13. Read Biographies of Great Christians—discover how others developed their lives for the Lord.

14. Spend Time with God in Places You Like—the beach? A park? If you enjoy being there, He will enjoy being there with you!

15. Include God on Other Activities of Life—God is with you all day, so He doesn’t mind if you talk to Him while you eat, fold laundry, exercise, or mow the lawn.

16. Give God the Time You Give to Some Other Form of Media—He’s vastly more enjoyable than Facebook, TV, cell phone, and video games all combined!

17. Give God Quiet, Uninterrupted, Unrushed Time—find moments when you aren’t in a hurry and give those to God.

18. Plan Specific Times to Spend More Time with God—have you ever set aside a larger chunk of time just for the Lord? Try a few hours or a half a day some time.

19. Write Out Scripture or Prayers/Letters to God—what a great way to place God’s Word into your heart and to record your walk with Him.

20. Don’t Quit if You Miss a Day—if you missed yesterday, that’s ok… God is still waiting to spend time with you today.

Bible Reading/Daily Devotionals

www.dailyintheword.org

www.biblegateway.com

www.faithcomesbyhearing.com 

               ~free audio Bible and download~

Books and Bible Resource

www.strivingtogether.com

www.faithforthefamily.com

Christian Radio

www.knvbc.com

www.lancasterbaptist.org

www.wblwradio.com

 What if we were to spiritually organize and prioritize our hearts? As we enter, we should look around and evaluate. What is not necessary? What is simply CLUTTER? Then we should gather those items and discard them. Nothing to throw away in your heart? How about bitterness, foul language, envy, impure thoughts, wasted time, and more? What fills up the room of your heart and makes it hard to see the important focus- Christ? Now let us ORGANIZE! What things should be left behind that actually help and compliment the heart? Kindness, love, Scripture, prayer, godly music, clean tv and movies, conversation that uplifts. Then PRIORITIZE! Is God the central focus of the room? How important is Bible reading and prayer? What things or people have become more valuable than Christ? What area truly needs growth? In what ways can I know Christ more? If the rooms of our homes need continual attention, then surely we need to do a spiritual clean up from time to time!

 That’s what we can change, and it’s simple. But we cannot “change” us – the real me! I can change my clothes but it’s still me. I can sport a new hairdo, but it would still be me. I carry with me the same old handicaps, worries, fears, sadness and miseries. No amount of new gadgets, clothes, or things can really give me my heart’s longing. WHY? Because what we need are not new things, but a new life. We can have many new things, but we cannot have a new life unless we come back to Christ.

The Bible says only in Jesus Christ can we have a new life – a new creation. It’s not an external change – I still look the same. The change is internal. I experience God’s love, joy, peace, and hope. These things inspire and change me. Man cannot see these things. The man who looks great on the outside may be a miserable man. The one who looks shabby may be one of the happiest men around.

Let me put it to you with the story of a simple, illiterate man who was converted by God through the work of the Salvation Army. He went regularly to the Salvation Army citadel. One day he came home rather disconsolate, and his wife said, “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve just noticed that all the people in the Salvation Army wear red sweaters, and I don’t have a red sweater,” he responded. She replied, “I’ll knit one.” So she knitted him a red sweater.

The next Sunday after he went to the citadel, he still wasn’t happy. His wife said, “What’s wrong this time?” He said, “I just noticed all their red sweaters have yellow writing.”

They were both illiterate, but she said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll embroider some writing on for you.” She had no idea what the yellow writing on the red sweater of a Salvation Army man said. (Do any of you know what it is?) The man’s wife had no idea what the letters said, and she couldn’t read anyway. So copying a sign from a store window opposite their home, she embroidered the words of that store sign onto his red sweater. When he came back the next Sunday, she said, “Did they like your sweater?”

“They loved my sweater. Some of them smiled at me when they saw my sweater.” What neither of them knew was that the sign on the store window she had copied read, “UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.”

We don’t really need better gadgets, better things, or better programs. We need Jesus to rule our lives. Make this one of your resolutions this year – get to know Him better. Spend time with Him.

C. S. Lewis says,

“All that is not eternal is eternally useless.”

What are you living for? Every year, during the New Year, we wish for everything to be new and good. After the same New Year’s wishes, are we better off today? What we need cannot be found in this world. We need a new life, because we’re in sin. We need a Saviour in Jesus Christ. We need the forgiveness of our sins. We need a new life, and only Jesus Christ can do that.