First Baptist Church of Fort Scott, KS

Dear Friends,

As we come to the close of 2009 and enter the new year of 2010, my heart is ever more moved toward those who are NOT moved to belief when it comes to Jesus! I have purposefully aligned my heart with God’s in that those who have not accepted His Son Jesus as their ONLY atoning sacrifice for their sins and the ONLY way to the Father; (NKJV John 14:6- ‘Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’), are of paramount importance to US! Are you one of the ‘Grand Processions,’ described in the above Scripture? God has revealed to me that we can want everyone to come to the realization that He loves them so much He sent Jesus to die for them with all our hearts! BUT---unless we ALL are equipped properly to do so; it is NOT going to happen! He has turned my focus on this very thing in 2010! Our theme at First Baptist will be, “The Year of Purposeful Prayer!” That’s why the five sermons in the morning during the month of January will focus on the following:

NKJV Phil. 2:10-11--10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What is the importance of a name? As you read the following names, focus on the feelings and historical connotations they invoke; Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Jeffrey Dahmer. I think you can see that much can be perceived just by the mention of a name. Why is it that around Christmas, the name of Jesus brings about a similar reaction as some of those we formerly mentioned? Not so long ago, Broward County (Florida) told the Calvary Chapel there that they could not include the words: “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” in their Christmas display. So the church filed a suit in the U.S. District Court claiming they had the right to display the words. Judge William Zloch agreed with their “free speech” argument and allowed them to keep the words in their display as long as they included the words, “Calvary Chapel says,” before the words “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Even though 90% of Americans celebrate Christmas, and even though Christianity is the largest religious group in the nation, “Jesus” has been repeatedly forced into the closet during this season. So much so that the very word “Christmas” has been removed from the season and replaced by the term “Happy Holidays” California recently made the news on this issue. Years ago they had changed the name of their Christmas tree to the “Holiday Tree”… until Governor Schwarzenegger declared that he thought that was unnecessary … and promptly renamed it a “Christmas Tree” much to the chagrin of the politically correct crowd. There was a school in Chicago – which staged their holiday program celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa… but excluded any reference to Christ and the Christmas story. Back in 1991, humorist Dave Barry poked fun at all of this when he wrote:  “To avoid offending anybody, the school dropped religion altogether and started singing about the weather. At my son’s school, they now hold the winter program in February and sing increasingly non memorable songs such as ‘Winter Wonderland,’ ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and--this is a real song—‘Suzy Snowflake,’ all of which is pretty funny because we live in Miami. A visitor from another planet would assume that the children belonged to the Church of Meteorology.” To admit that Jesus IS the reason for the season would create the demand for people to recognize Him for who He is and what He has done for each of their lives! They would have to accept His redemptive work on the Cross! This would exact some accountability on the world’s part for people to come to Jesus and make Him their Lord and Savior!  People would have to stop letting Jesus be their ‘co-pilot’ and switch seats with Him to let HIM have control! THIS is what creates the negative reaction! How can we as Christians honor Christ at Christmas? Celebrate YOUR Christmas with as much warmth and love as you can, while including the Savior in every facet of your celebration! Come celebrate at First Baptist with us! Others will be drawn to you like moths to a flame!  NKJV Matthew 5: 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  

Have a Merry CHRISTmas,

Pastor Tim

Dear Friends,

Do you ever find yourself wondering if people have a good grasp on the true meaning of “Thanksgiving?” Besides symbolizing a time when many of us gather together to feast on turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, and apple pie, what does it truly mean? America’s revered holiday was founded by a group of struggling Christian Pilgrims during the fall of 1621. In today’s society the TRUTH of their fleeing Europe to the “New World” due to religious persecution is downplayed a great deal. We should remember the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock endured extreme hardship to pioneer a new land. Their daily existence was a life-or-death battle to overcome constant hunger, sickness, and exposure to the elements. Crudely assembled houses made of mud daub were their only shelter from the icy New England weather. Because they were not yet knowledgeable about their new environment’s agriculture, planting gardens in the hostile conditions proved virtually fruitless. Every meal was portioned out meticulously. The death toll, a constant reminder of their fragility, rose steadily. At one point only five men were well enough to care for the sick. Twice , the God they worshiped heard the Pilgrims supplications that produced the Thanksgiving meal (That’s right, historical documentation reveals the first TWO thanksgiving meals were based upon fervent prayer lifted up by these faithful Christians!) . The first time God sent an Algonquin Indian chief with a Patuxet Indian named Squanto, (who spoke perfect English, taught by Christian missionaries), to interrupt a Sunday worship service and taught them how to hunt, trap and plant corn. This resulted in the first Thanksgiving Feast celebration. The second time, at their lowest point when drought reduced them to 5 kernels of corn per person, per meal, 8 straight hours of prayer followed.  God came through a second time with 14 straight days of rain! Their second Thanksgiving feast began with the first symbolic course of 5 kernels of corn on an empty plate before each person as a gentle reminder of God’s provision! Now, some would say these historically documented facts were simply coincidences that occurred just at the right time. I have lived long enough to have learned that with God, there ARE no coincidences!

NKJV Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 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.  If you consider the phrase ‘stir up’, love and good works are not what necessarily comes to mind. Usually, when this phrase is used it’s to describe stirring up trouble! But, the writer of Hebrews uses it in the Scripture to conjure up a completely different picture. How do you ‘stir’ up love? Wow, is THAT a loaded question! I’m talking about the kind of love that does so by sheer will! The kind that God has for sinners! The Greek term for this is “Agape.” Many focus on the unconditional aspect of this love. Contrary to popular understanding, the significance of this type of love is not that it is an unconditional love, but that it is primarily a love of the will rather than the emotions. The New Testament never speaks of God loving unbelieving human beings with emotional love or a love that expects something in return. But He loves with His WILL! SO---how does this type of love stir up love all the more? Because it’s the kind of love Jesus portrayed. A selfless, spiritual love as revealed in Christ, especially as distinguished from the physical kind of love that society is so fixated on today! When you have a heart changed by Christ, you want to do good works for others so you might have the opportunity to tell them WHY you are doing those good works! Jesus loves us SO much; He literally gave Himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Christians have embraced that love. They are so moved by it that those works are just a natural outpouring of what Christ’s love has manifested within them! It just can’t help but come out! The word ‘exhort’ is one we don’t use or hear a lot. It means to admonish, entreat, encourage, or comfort through formal preaching. ‘Exhortation’ is a different form of the word which denotes a message of warning or encouragement, designed to motivate persons to action. This verse in Hebrews means that if you want to experience agape love, the kind that just naturally leads to ‘good deeds,’ this can only come about after a person accepts salvation from Jesus atoning sacrifice on the cross! We will be ‘stirred up’ in love and good works by meeting with other Christians and fellowshipping---(Check out the calendar on this web site for opportunities)---hanging out and getting to know them! This is how the family of God acts as ‘cheerleaders’ for each other, exhorting---cheering each other on as the ‘Day’---(When Jesus returns to call ALL Christians to heaven!)---is fast approaching! Until then--- 

Come Meet Jesus With US! 

Pastor Tim