FBC Independence Podcast

Crowns of Blessing

Following Jesus is easy and clear—until it isn't! What I mean by that is when someone first receives Jesus as Savior, the issue is usually very simple: "Do you want to be forgiven of your sins and commit to following Jesus?" The answer is usually, "Yes, I do." However, at some point, when the new convert begins to struggle against the sin that is their life, or they struggle with biblical teachings that challenge them, they begin to realize just how 'extreme' this Christian faith can become!

 

The 'extreme' nature of the faith occurs in at least two areas of life. First, the beliefs that lead to salvation are quite extreme. We believe that our salvation is based on the truths of the Gospel: God came in the flesh as the infant Jesus and lived a sinless life. When he was about 33 years old, though, he was crucified by the Roman government, buried, and then came back to life after three days in the grave. This was God's way of offering us cleansing from our sins and a chance at a better life now, as well as an eternal life with Him after our life on this earth is over. This is an extreme set of beliefs!

 

The other area where the faith becomes extreme is how we live our daily lives. God calls us to not only learn some of the spiritual beliefs of the faith but also expects us to live our lives based upon those beliefs! The self-control of our emotions and passions and offering love and forgiveness to others are to be valued by those who follow Jesus. He also calls us to give up part of our lives to serve others in the name of Jesus, help those in need, and proclaim the message of Jesus to anyone who will listen.

 

This is an extreme faith! It is much more than just "listen and learn." It is also "practice and do!" When we live as God calls us to live, our lives are better. God blesses us, and we can even become a blessing to those around us.

 

You can best support our Ministry by sharing these podcasts with your friends and family. 

 

We also need your financial contributions to make our Ministries a possibility. You can contribute online at https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/. 

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here: https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/.

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.

God Uses People: Thomas

Several years ago, my wife and I bumped into an old college friend; he was a great guy, and we both liked him very much. He went by a nickname that fit his character, and I could never remember calling him by his proper name. He seemed ok with that, so I had no reason to question the practice. When we ran into this old friend, he was with his young wife, whom we had never met. I walked up to him and called him by the nickname I had always used, and the situation immediately became very awkward. He ignored me entirely and turned to walk away, and his wife, who heard me call out to him, didn’t seem to recognize the name I had used for her husband!  

 

My wife and I were a little hurt, but then we talked about it. My wife, who tends to ‘read’ social situations better than I do, finally concluded that he had likely never liked the nickname and now, as an adult, did not want it to be used. Rather than confronting me, though, he just chose to walk away!

 

Sometimes, people are known for something and given a name, even though it may no longer ‘fit,’ or they simply don’t like it anymore!

 

There is a story in the Bible about a man who was nicknamed for one of his actions. If he were alive today, he would be repelled by the nickname he was given. The story is recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 20.

 

Jesus called out the disciples from everyday life, and one of them was Thomas. This man was strong and outspoken, but he sometimes tended to be stubborn.

 

All in all, though, Jesus thought he would make a good disciple. A couple of times, he blurted out something foolish or ‘over the top,’ but nothing that really amounted to anything. And then, just three days after Thomas and the other disciples watched Jesus die on the cross and heard the story of his burial in a tomb by a wealthy man named Joseph, something unimaginable happened. The disciples had gathered together to grieve the loss of their Rabbi, and all of them were there except for Thomas. At some point in their time together, Jesus appeared to them! He had risen from the dead, as he had predicted, and they were amazed and excited and relieved to see Jesus alive. It was a wonderful time for them all!

 

The next time the disciples gathered, Thomas was there. They told him the good news, and he couldn’t believe it! He was so adamant in his disbelief that he proclaimed, in front of his friends, that unless he could see the wounds on Jesus’ hands, put his fingers in those wounds, and the cut on his stomach, he would not believe! Eight days later, the disciples gathered again, and Jesus appeared to them all. He gave them a greeting common in that day, and then, without wasting any time, turned to Thomas and said, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands, and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.” (v.27)  Thomas was stunned! He looked around and then examined Jesus’ wounds. Without saying anything else, he blurted out, “My Lord and My God!” (v.28). Jesus chastised him a bit, explaining that those who believed without seeing him were blessed. The issue was never addressed in the Bible again. Forever after, in church history, Thomas was given the nickname “Doubting Thomas.”

 

It was insulting and unfair, to be sure, but the name has ‘stuck’ on this disciple for over 2000 years!

 

Unfortunately, he has never received the credit he deserved for his life of faithful service because of that one ‘failure of faith.’

 

“Doubting Thomas” continued to follow Jesus faithfully and ended up in India, where he led hundreds to faith and established many churches up and down the coast in that heavily populated nation. 

No one who knew him and served with him would ever have called him by the nickname he still uses today in the Western Church! He is remembered as a strong, passionate, and dynamic minister of the Gospel. 

 

“Doubting Thomas” simply no longer existed!

 

God works with people who fail, even with disciples who say something foolish in a crisis. God used Thomas, and he can use us as we turn from our sins, allow God to nurture us in our faith, and get to work.

 

Please join us for worship and praise every Sunday starting at 10:30 AM. We are located at 500 W. Truman Road, Independence, MO.

 

Our ministry is also reliant on the generosity of our congregation. Please consider contributing online by clicking here: https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week!

God Uses People: Joseph and Mary

I was talking to a good friend recently, and we were lamenting that it was becoming increasingly difficult to believe what our political leaders would tell us. Sometimes, it is obvious they do not understand what they are talking about; sometimes, we get the distinct impression that we are being lied to, even though we cannot prove it. To emphasize that this has happened before, I mentioned a report that recently came out regarding our government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in the spring of 2020. The report clarified that many mistakes were made, including false information being passed on to people. Because of this, even more mistakes were made, and people began to lose faith in "the system." The commentator who reported on this then mentioned, almost casually, that it would be long before the people's trust would be gained.

Once you lose someone's trust, it is tough to gain it back!

 

There are many passages in the Bible where God promises to us.

 

Sometimes, He promises a blessing if one follows a particular pattern of behavior; other times, He promises to act in certain ways and work to bring about a specific outcome. Whenever He promises to us, He always follows through! God may not do things according to our timetable, but He always makes good on His Word.  

 

The story of Jesus' crucifixion is just such a word. God promised us, in many ways and times, that He would send an anointed one, a 'Messiah,' to come and save humanity from sin. This Messiah would offer himself up as a sacrifice and, in doing so, would pay the price for our sins and make our salvation possible. One such promise comes through the prophet Isaiah: "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging, we are healed." 53:5  The Apostle Paul, writing to the church at Corinth over 750 years later, wrote of the fulfillment of this promise of God: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sin according to the Scriptures." 15:3  God kept His word! This has happened hundreds of times in Scripture. Christians often speak of God keeping his word to care for them, protect them, and give them encouragement and strength - just as He promised in a biblical passage.

 

This week, we will remember Jesus' crucifixion on the cross and be reminded that it fulfilled one of God's promises to us all.

God is a God of His Word! You can trust Him with your life and believe what He says in Scripture. You can base your life on it!

 

Please join us for worship and praise every Sunday starting at 10:30 AM. We are located at 500 W. Truman Road, Independence, MO.

 

Our ministry is also reliant on the generosity of our congregation. Please consider contributing online by clicking here: https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week!

God Uses People: Jonah

Have you ever heard a story that seemed impossible? The Bible has many such stories!

          

In one Old Testament book, the book of Jonah, there is the story of a man who was in a boat during a tremendous rainstorm; the situation was so desperate that the sailors on board began to throw everything off the ship to lighten its load and raise it in the water. The man, Jonah, realizing that he was the reason for the storm because of a wrong decision on his part, told the sailors to throw him into the water; they did so, and the storm stopped, and the waters immediately calmed. Instead of drowning, though, Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish; after three days, the fish vomited him up on a nearby beach. What a story! Why in the world would such a story be placed in the Bible, which is considered a religious work that happens to include a history of the Jewish people?

           

The story of a man swallowed by a big fish who lived to talk about it is an account of how God worked with one of his prophets, Jonah, to reach a people group in a nearby city with his message of forgiveness. Let me explain:

           

Jonah was a prophet with the Hebrew people when God called him to go and preach a warning of imminent destruction to the people of the city of Nineveh. He was to go and tell the people that their destruction could be avoided if they would turn from their wicked ways and worship the Hebrew God. Jonah refused because he did not like the Ninevites. 

They were sinful people, and Jonah, rather than warning them of coming judgment, wanted just to let them die! 

 

He refused God's call, got on a ship, and went as far away as possible; this is where the story of the storm and great fish came from! God had caused the storm to stop Jonah from running away; the great fish was one of God's ways of rescuing him from drowning and giving him a chance to reconsider his choice to run away. Jonah relented while in the fish's stomach and, after being vomited up on a beach, proceeded to Nineveh. He went and warned them of their coming destruction, and, in an act that surprised everyone, the people turned from their sin and became people of faith, thus saving themselves from certain destruction!  

           

This should have made Jonah happy, but instead, it made him angry. He didn't want them to be saved! So, he threw a fit, ran, and hid from God in the desert. God grew a special plant to shade the prophet from the blazing sun to demonstrate the prophet's messed-up priorities. And then, God destroyed the plant, and, predictably, Jonah threw another fit about the plant. God confronted him by saying, and I will paraphrase here, "Jonah, you're so messed up; you care more about a dead plant than you do about the people of Nineveh! I am God and care about all people, not just those you like."

           

Wow – what a story! And, more importantly, what a great truth that story communicated! 

 

The point of the story was not that God could save Jonah from drowning by using a big fish; the point was that God loved everyone, even the sinful Ninevites, and wanted to save them! Jonah only loved certain people and only certain types of people. Instead of representing the truth of our loving God, he chose to ignore the very message he was to preach: Jonah was a bigot! A bigot rejects and even hates those who are different or from a different group or nation – that was Jonah.

           

God loves everyone, and he calls his people to do the same. It is a message that can change the world when we live out a truly revolutionary conviction!

 

You can best support our Ministry by sharing these podcasts with your friends and family.

 

We also need your financial contributions to make our Ministries a possibility. You can contribute online at https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.

God Uses People: Esther

Sometimes, in times of stress or hardship, we may wonder if God is doing anything!

           

As a student preacher in college many years ago, I wondered how God would get me into a church. I didn’t know much, I wasn’t connected to influential people, and I was struggling with deciding which Seminary I would attend to finish my education. I was slightly afraid of the whole thing. I even wondered if I had correctly discerned God’s call on my life into the preaching ministry. Looking back, though, I can now see the ways that God was working!

          

While this was all happening, the long-term Pastor in my home church retired, and some new guy was there – a total stranger! He attended my wedding, one of his first events as the new Pastor. We talked for a little bit and immediately became friends. He questioned my life plans and even made it a point to speak to my new bride. He was just a nice, average person who happened to be a preacher -or so I thought! In just a few months, this new friend that God had brought into my life greatly impacted my life.

 

In the months after the wedding, my new friend investigated the churches around my home church and found a small church without a pastor. He made a few phone calls on my behalf and then called me one evening. 

 

He told me he had found a small church that needed a pastor and wondered if I would be interested. I was astounded that he had done this for me! 

 

One thing led to another, and just a couple of months later, that small church called me as their Pastor. We eventually moved from the college town we lived in for five years into the church’s parsonage. For the next three years, I practiced the craft of preaching, made good friends, learned to lead a church, and, to top it all off, decided to attend a seminary within an easy driving distance from my church. God was working! He worked through a man God had brought into my contacts; He worked through my new friend’s desire to help a young, unproven preacher student get into a church. He worked through those first few years of my service as a Pastor and attending a Seminary to shape me for the next 40 years of Ministry.  

 

Looking back at my story, I am reminded that God is working—even when you don’t realize it! This is one of the great messages of the Bible, and it is particularly evident in the Book of Esther. 

 

Esther was just a young girl in the city of Susa, but God had plans for her. She ended up the wife of the King and earned the title “Queen Esther.” 

She worked in a corrupt and terrifying system to make a good life and even save her Jewish relatives from annihilation. 

 

She is remembered fondly by those of the Jewish faith and is a testament to the truth that God is at work, even when you may not realize it at the time. God used a young woman and her cousin, Mordecai, to save his people. All they did was place their faith in God’s direction, and He did all the rest!

 

Let me encourage you to allow God to work in your life. Ask and pray for guidance from Him, and when you sense his leadership, follow him in faith. He will guide your steps and give you a life you could never imagine. 

 

You can best support our Ministry by sharing these podcast with your friends and family.

 

We also need your financial contributions to make our Ministries a possibility. You can contribute online at https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.

God Uses People: Solomon

The story could have been taken from today’s tabloids – it was so bizarre and unbelievable!

           

There were two prostitutes living together in a dirty, run-down part of town. Both were pregnant and finally gave birth just a few days apart. Everything was going as well as they could, considering their miserable circumstances. One night, though, one of the women rolled over in bed on her baby, suffocating it. 

 

She woke up in horror the following day and was terribly distraught – her baby was dead! But then, in an instant, the sound of her friend’s baby, sleeping in a nearby room, gave her an idea: she would take her dead child, wrapped in her blanket, and sneak into her friend’s room. There, she would switch her lifeless child for the live one – surely the other woman would not notice! She would claim that it was the other woman’s baby that had died in her sleep, and the now lifeless child was hers! It seemed like a good plan, and it worked – until morning!

           

In the darkness of the early dawn, the other woman awoke to find the dead child in her bed – she was so distraught! But then, as light filled the room, she recognized the child – it was her friend’s baby! 

She immediately figured out what had happened and thus began the fight of her life for her child!

           

There was no way the other woman would admit to the switch – a baby was at stake! So, they took the case to court before King Solomon. He was already known as a wise and fair judge – he would fix this! Solomon heard their emotional plea – the one whose child had been stolen was distraught, and the other, who had made the switch, was enraged with her accusations! 

 

The crowd hung on this story – what would the wise king do? How would he know which woman was lying? He considered the circumstances and considered the women and their demeanor as they told their stories. Then, he prayed to God for wisdom. Finally, he announced: “Bring me a sword!” He explained that because neither would relent, he would have the child cut in two – each woman would have to be satisfied with one-half of a now-dead child. In horror, the mother of the baby pleaded with the king and asked him to give her baby to the other woman. She explained that she would instead give up the child and have it live with the other woman rather than be killed. The other woman, surprisingly, cried out for the king to cut up the child and be done! 

           

This final word helped King Solomon decide; he ordered the baby to be given to the mother who wanted to save the child. He understood that only the true mother would do anything to keep the child’s life – even if it meant the child would be given to another woman.  

           

The crowd was amazed, and this story made news for years! In fact, over time, Solomon became known as one who had been given a special gift of wisdom from the One God – and people traveled from all over the world to hear him speak.

           

That is quite a story, isn’t it? There is at least one great truth we can glean from this story. When we consider how God moved in Solomon’s life, we learn that the God who loves us can give us the wisdom to face the circumstances of this life. We can pray to God and ask for wisdom and guidance, and He will, in some way, help us do the right and good things. We do not have to live at the mercy of our emotions or the schemes of those around us. God can help us think, discern the truth, and make a decision that will enable God to work with us and guide us through whatever troubles us. 

 

Wisdom is a gift that God can give to those who trust in Him.

 

You can best support our Ministry by sharing these podcasts with your friends and family.

 

We also need your financial contributions to make our ministries possible. You can contribute online at https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.

God Uses People: Rahab

I am so glad God changes people and puts them to work in His Church!

 

Several years ago, our praise team needed a drummer in a church where I served as Pastor. These are not easy to find, especially for a Sunday morning ‘gig!’ We played for several months without one, as our drummer, who had played with us for several years, had graduated from High School and gone off to college. Finally, a woman who had started visiting our church told me about her husband. He had been a drummer for many years, playing in bars and ‘honky-tonks,’ and had recently received Christ as Savior. He didn’t seem to ‘fit’ in any church they had visited, and she was worried about him falling away. I set up a time to visit him, and we quickly became friends.

 

I asked him if he would be interested in playing drums for our Praise Team, and he said he would try it – but he was very non-committal, unsure he would like our church.

  

Mike showed up at practice the next week and immediately fit in with our group! He was an excellent drummer and a very kind and gracious person who loved his family and wanted to get involved in a church but didn’t know how. 

 

He played with us for the next several years, sharing bits of musical wisdom gained through years of experience. He taught us, made us laugh with his ‘honky-tonk’ stories, and helped us in a way no one else could have at that time. Too, he learned from us a set of values and beliefs he had not heard before and grew in his faith. He and his entire family were involved in our church until the sons grew up and moved on, and they are still involved in the faith.  

 

It is incredible, isn’t it? God uses people – not just the good people or the ‘religious’ people, but people of faith who respond to His call to service!  

 

There is a Bible story of a woman, Rahab, who had lived as a prostitute in the city of Jericho. She was not a believer but had heard stories of the Hebrew God, who had blessed them and helped them escape from Egypt, where they were held as slaves. 

 

When spies from the Hebrew army came to her house and asked for help as they ‘scouted out’ the city for an attack, she responded in faith and hid them from the city’s police. She helped them for days and even misled the police when they came to her house, looking for the Hebrew spies. As a reward for her service, they promised to spare her and her family when they attacked the city.  

           

On the day of the attack, Rahab hung a red rope out of her window. This was a signal to the Hebrew warriors, who had been told to kill everyone in the city except the family out of whose window the red rope hung. Afterward, Rahab, who gave up her life as a prostitute and the rest of her family, lived with the Hebrew people and adopted their faith in The One God. One of her descendants, Joseph, was married many years later to a woman named Mary, who had a son they named Jesus. Yes, that Jesus is the Son of God, Messiah, and Savior of the world.   

 

Rahab, a former prostitute, was used by God to bring about the Savior of the world!

 

Indeed, God uses people! People with faith who will follow Him. Regardless of past sins or circumstances, when we place our faith in God and listen to His call for service, He can use us for his will to do great things! Let us all learn the eternal truth from this story and from Rahab herself – God uses people to bring about His will!

 

You can best support our Ministry by sharing these podcasts with your friends and family.

 

We also need your financial contributions to make our ministries possible. You can contribute online at https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.

God Uses People: Joseph

While a student in 'Preacher School' many years ago, a guest speaker said something that we young preachers were very pleased to hear. In a sermon dealing with personal devotion, he said, with great conviction, this statement: "God will never use someone who has sin in their lives." We almost cheered! We were young and enthusiastic and often encountered people struggling in their battle against sin. We wanted to preach the truth, and at that very early stage in our ministry, we all wanted to confront sinners and challenge them in their sins. But then, as I had time to think about that statement, it occurred to me – That statement wasn't true! I wanted to believe that God would punish sin. I tried to lead people to reject their sinful lives and follow Jesus, but it occurred to me:  If God would not use people with sin in their lives, who would He use? Everyone has sin in their lives!

 

The more I read and studied, the more I realized that God was working to bring about His will in many ways – but God's ways always included Him working through the lives of sinful people! Of course, they were doing their best, but their best sometimes wasn't very good. God used them anyway! Others were not trying to live with faith at all, yet God used even them!

 

Many stories in the scriptures teach us this truth. The story of Joseph is one such story. Joseph was Jacob's twelfth son and was his father's favorite. He swaggered around, harassing his brothers, and would often 'snitch' on them when they did something their father would not like. Joseph even detailed his dreams that showed that his family would bow down to him in the coming years. It was unbearable for the brothers! Finally, they could take it no more. They sold him into slavery, made up a story to cover their evil, and forgot all about him. This is where Joseph's story takes a turn!

 

Joseph went from being a slave to being a respected house steward and then to prison on false charges of rape. He ended up managing the jail and demonstrated an ability to interpret dreams. After several years, he ended up in front of Pharoah, the Egyptian king, who helped him make sense of some bizarre dreams he had been having. After explaining things to Pharoah, the King placed Joseph in charge of the whole nation's food supply – it was almost miraculous! Finally, as an end to the story, Joseph's family came to Egypt for food during a drought. He recognized them, of course, and forgave them for their evil against him. They brought the entire family to live in Egypt and came to know and love Joseph. God blessed them with many children and a huge extended family. This was the beginning of the Israelites in Egypt, from which came the Exodus experience centuries later.

 

God used this long story, with its many twists and turns, to form his people and bring about the nation of Israel! Think about the list of characters that God used: Joseph's jealous brothers, Egyptian slave owners and a lustful, lying woman, criminals in prison, and, finally, the leader of a pagan nation; sinners all but used God to bring about His will!

 

God is sovereign. He uses everything at his disposal to bring about His plan and never gives up. 

 

He uses people who sin – people like you and me, every day. Nothing can stop Him!

 

Let me encourage you to place your faith in the God who loves you as you are and will use you to do His great will. Joseph and his family discovered that God has a plan for every situation and wants us to be involved, even when we are imperfect!

           

You can best support our ministry by sharing these podcasts with your friends and family.

 

We also need your financial contributions to make our ministries possible. You can contribute online at https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.

God Uses People: Noah

Have you ever noticed that many Bible stories contain great ‘life lessons?’  

 

I am beginning a series of messages about how God uses people to do great things. The list is long, of course, of great stories in the Bible, and many of the stories have a ‘star’ in the center: a man or woman of faith who responded to God’s call in a time of crisis. I began with the story of Noah and the great flood.

 

You no doubt remember the story:  In the days after the Fall of man and expulsion from the garden, humanity grew to populate the earth. (The one thing they did according to God!) Unfortunately, man turned his back on God and his ways and quickly devolved into what is described as almost animal-like behavior: Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5

 

God searched the earth and only found one righteous man, Noah. He and his wife and three sons were living quietly, following God, and earning their living. God called them into service and asked them to build a giant ship called an “Ark,” when the time came, animal kingdom representatives would come on the Ark. Then, Noah and his family would be closed into the Ark, and floodwaters would cover the earth. All others would be destroyed; only the animals and Noah and his family would survive!

  

Noah and his family obeyed God and worked for many years to build this great ship. He was mocked and ridiculed by all who knew him and saw the great ship he was building; his faith and obedience to God proved to cause him great pain! But then the waters came and swallowed the earth – everyone died. It was an act of profound judgment by God! Finally, the waters receded, and the Ark was opened. Noah and his family, instructed to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth,” went about the task of rebuilding their lives and serving God. Genesis 9:1 The story ends with God offering a covenant with Noah and the new humanity, stating that God would never again destroy man with a great flood. The rainbow was given as a sign so that all would remember that God punished sin and took the issue seriously. The offer of grace, using the Ark, as directed by God, was also a key feature of the story. The Ark was a sign that demonstrated God’s mercy and his patience and concern for sinful man.

  

What a great story, and what a wonder that an ordinary man of faith, with great conviction, can serve God in a way that forever alters the course of humanity! This story is full of eternal truths for us to consider: 

God cares for sinful humanity; God, who is concerned for justice, must judge sin; God offers us mercy and forgiveness simply because of his loving and gracious character; and, finally, God can perform wonderful, marvelous, and eternally life-changing things through the service of his people of faith. Wow!

 

Let me challenge you to consider these great lessons and follow the God who loves you and invites you to serve him in a way that helps others and enriches your life.

 

You can best support our Ministry by sharing these podcasts with your friends and family.

 

We also need your financial contributions to make our ministries possible. You can contribute online at https://firstbaptistofindependence.aware3.net/give/

 

If you would like to stay up to date on all things FBC, download our App by clicking here: https://a3a.me/firstbaptistofindependence or by Liking our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/1stBaptist/

 

Thank you for listening. We will see you next week!

A Faithful Stewardship

Just last week, I attended one of my grandson’s basketball games – it was sheer joy! My grandson is a tall boy for seven years and talks a big game when the subject of basketball comes up. 

 

He just knows he’s going to be a big star when he grows up and that his height will be a major plus for him. (His father is 6’7”, so he has a good idea that he will be very tall when grown). 

 

After hearing him talk and knowing how much he wanted us to come to see him play, I just knew I was going to be impressed and walk out of the gym, glowing with pride in my grandson’s abilities and future on the court!

 

The game was a blast to watch! My grandson ran and jumped and even made a basket. 

 

He was so excited when he made the basket that he forgot all about the game and simply stood in the middle of the court looking our way, making sure we saw what he had done. The players got the rebound and ran down the court, and my grandson, still excited and beaming with pride, completely missed the next play. We laughed and laughed! The rest of the game was similar – my grandson ran with the ball (sometimes!). He occasionally got confused and ran in the wrong direction. Sometimes, he played defense when he was supposed to play offense; over and again, he stood and watched the game, forgetting that he was supposed to be going after the ball; it was hilarious! He was doing his best, of course; it was just that, right now, his best wasn’t making his coach very happy – but he was bringing great joy to our hearts. He wasn’t the best on the court (yet), but he was playing hard, giving it all he had, and we were so proud of him! When the game was over, we yelled and hugged and said over and over to the budding athlete, “Good job!”  

 

The reason I tell you this story is because my grandson was doing his best – he was being a ‘good steward’ of his gifts and abilities and a ‘good steward’ of his life.

           

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, Jesus tells a parable about one that he called a “sensible steward.” He said this, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave when his master finds so doing when he comes.” vv.42-43  In Jesus’ day, a ‘steward’ had extraordinary abilities in managing a business or a wealthy man’s estate. Often a slave, this person served in a position of great honor and importance. In terms of power and authority, stewards were usually number 2 in the household, just under the owner!

           

Jesus was explaining to his followers that He wanted them to be ‘sensible stewards’ of all that God had given them. Money, talents, abilities, intellect, even their very lives – it was all a gift from God to be used well and for God’s Kingdom! Moreover, when a Christ-follower lived as a sensible steward, God would bless them in ways they could never anticipate!

           

Living your life as a ‘sensible steward’ means that you discern the gifts that God has placed into your life, such as a particular talent or ability or even material possessions, and develop and use those gifts to serve God and his kingdom. The message of the Gospel will be shared, people’s needs will be met, and God will be glorified.

           

Let me encourage all here to choose to become a ‘sensible steward.’ God will use you and bless you. And, you will please your Father-God and make him so proud of you. You might even hear him say, “Good job,” just like my grandson!

 

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Thank you for listening. We will see you next week.