Church Covenant FBC Waco 1877

Church Covenant

Having been brought as we trust, by Divine Grace, to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant with each other to walk together in Him with brotherly love to His glory as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in his strength engage,

That we will exercise mutual care, as members one of another, to promote the growth of the whole body in Christian knowledge, holiness and comfort in all the will of God.

That we cheerfully contribute of our property to the support of the poor of the church, and for the maintenance of a faithful ministry of the gospel among us.

That we will not omit closet and family religion at home, nor allow ourselves to permit too common neglect of the great duty of religiously training our children and those under our care, with a view of the service of Christ and the enjoyment of Heaven.

That we will walk circumspectly in the world, that we may win souls, remembering that God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

That we will frequently exhort, and if occasion require, admonish one another (according to Matthew xviii chap.) in the spirit of meekness, considering ourselves lest we also be tempted; and

That, as we have been buried with Christ in baptism and raised again, there is henceforth on us a special obligation to walk in newness of life;

And the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the flock, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work, working in us that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Dunn's Falls

Dunn's Falls was one of my favorite places when I was growing up. This show doesn't do it justice but you do get a taste of a great place in Mississippi.

Tracy Lawrence/Find Out Who Your Friends Are

I'll preach the second message in the, O How He Loves You and Me, series this week. We'll explore Christian friendship. Paul Wadell of St. Norbert College said, "Friends do not give up on one another." Tracy Lawrence said the same thing with a little twang. Enjoy!

MAVIS STAPLES & JEFF TWEEDY (WILCO) TV LIVE 2010

Mavis and Tweedy blessed me again today. More about this Sunday!

First Steps @ First Baptist Waco

We are offering an opportunity at FBC Waco for new members and guests called, First Steps. I'll lead the group through four weeks of introduction into the life of our spiritual community.  We will meet at 9:30 in room 102.  Here is the talk sheet for week 1. Click on the blog title for the '63 Baptist Faith and Message. -

First Steps @ First Baptist Church


Thank you for taking part in First Steps at FBC Waco. We are glad that you are here. We are praying that you experience God’s best during this season of transition in your spiritual life. For the next four weeks we will talk about issues that are important to you. First Steps is designed for you so please feel free to take charge of the direction.



Doctrine

“The basis for our doctrine is the Bible – God’s Holy Word. We consider the Bible to be God’s uniquely inspired revelation of Himself and we turn to it as the authoritative source of our beliefs and practice. Every believer has the responsibility and privilege of interpreting God’s Word in light of God’s ultimate revelation of Himself, Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit guides.”

“There is room for variety of interpretation, but our beliefs are best summarized by the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, a confession of faith adopted May 9, 1963.”



Membership

FBC Waco believes in a regenerate church membership. Let’s pause and review the ’63 BF&M section on salvation (p.7).

Article II Membership (FBC Waco Bylaws Revised 2008)

Section 1. Members The Members of FBC shall be those persons whose names are on the membership roll kept by the Church Clerk as of the date these revised Bylaws are adopted and all applicants for membership who, upon a majority vote of Members present at any annual, regular, or special meeting of the Members, are subsequently received as members in one of the following ways:

(a) by profession of faith in Jesus Christ and believer’s baptism;

(b) by transfer of membership from another Baptist church;

(c) by believer’s baptism; or

(d) by statement of faith and prior experience of believer’s baptism.

Section 2. Watchcare. A person who has already made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but is undecided about believer’s baptism, or who wishes to maintain membership in another church, may affiliate with FBC by watchcare. A person who affiliates by watchcare by watchcare shall not be considered a voting member of FBC unless such person later is received for membership under Section 1 of this Article.

O How He Loves You and Me

I had wonderful experience yesterday. I spend a little time hanging out with Kurt Kaiser. He was kind enough to let me drop by his house and talk about a song that touches me deeply. His 1975 song, "O How He Loves You and Me" was my uncle Steve's final lesson for his students and has become my creed (more about this later). I am going to preach a sermon series based on this chorus. It will start on Feb. 13 and continue until March 6. Kurt Kaiser will join us on the 6th and help lead in worship. I count all of this as a gift of God's kindness.

O How He Loves You and Me is a testimony, a confession. I'd  like to hear yours. In the spirit of the favorite passages series I'd like you to send me your responses to  this -

Tell me a little about your love relationship with Jesus. How did it begin?





Your testimony is a beautiful song of redemption and it needs to be sung. Enjoy the YouTube videos of O How He Loves You and Me. Click on the title of the blog piece to link to Kurt's blog.

50 Plus Retreat Bible Study Notes



     I'm giving a bible study for a senior adult retreat this week at the Latham Springs Retreat Center. Here are the rough notes. If you were there -  thanks. I hope you were encouraged.

All The Lord’s People: The Church in Service to Christ and Community

Luke 9:28-36 – The Encounter

Jesus filled the prophetic office of Moses. Deuteronomy 8:15, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your people; you shall heed such a prophet.”

Jesus was connected to Elijah, the prophet of the eschaton. Malachi 4:5

The disciples were sleepy but stayed awake. This is an interesting little detail and we should not make too much of it but there is something important about being awake. Falling asleep at the wrong times causes you to miss things. (s) “Odell and the Hearing Aide” (s) Alice Dell Rolling Out of the Pew – Ephesians 5:14-25

Peter- Three equal booths calls to mind the Feast of Tabernacles and God’s provision in the desert. Don’t camp here – keep moving.

Shekinah glory and the voice of God – my son, my chosen, listen to him. “Jesus was found alone.” Christ is utterly unique. Colossians – revelation, creation, dominion, salvation.

Luke 9:37-43 – Into the Mess

The inner circle walks back down into a mess. Mark 9:28-29, “why?...only through prayer” J. Lyle Story, “Some demons are stronger than others.” Spiritual preparation for ministry is vitally important. God openly rewards the secret life of prayer.

Luke 9:44-48 – We Don’t Always Learn From Experience

Admiration is short lived. There’s a cross in the middle of history. Pride seems to be the human default setting. Jesus models Godly humility – the child at his side. God hangs out with weird people. See Timothy Keller’s work.

Luke 9:49-50 – Making Room for Others

Church should be a place concerned with power. We often settle for a cheap knock-off of real power and settle for control. Jesus wants empowered and released disciples. Jesus IS like Moses was – Numbers 11:26-30





God wants us to see Christ as he is and serve in the light of the vision. The service that brings God pleasure is spiritually vital, humble, and inclusive. Let’s wake up and walk down the hill with th