September 1st, 2010
Dear Welsh Faith Family,
Is it just me or does it seem to you like time is continually speeding up? When I was younger, days seemed like they never ended. Weeks felt like months and months felt like years. At this point in my life, days feel way to short. Weeks fly by at mach one and months seem to disappear before I realize they were even here. Is it just me, or do you feel the same way?
I know you feel the same. Everyone I talk to expresses their surprise at how fast the days go by…how there are never enough hours in the day. And you know what I’ve come to realize? There are NOT enough hours in the day. We all have a limited amount of time to accomplish a limited number of goals. This realization necessitates that we carefully and intentionally prioritize our lives so that we accomplish the most important goals to make sure we don’t one day look back and realize we wasted our lives on things that do not really matter.
Let’s put things in perspective. Let’s say we will all live to the ripe old age of 100. In comparison to one million years, 100 years is only about as long as the blinking of an eye. When we look at how long 100 years is in relation to eternity, we begin to realize 100 years is really no time at all.
This begs the question: What goals are worthy of my time and resources while I am alive for such a short period of time? It seems that the goals that would have to take priority are the goals that will last for much longer than my short life on this earth. Don’t you think we should try our hardest to accomplish the most important and the most impacting goals possible in order to make our lives as meaningful as possible? If you call yourself a Christian (i.e. a Christ-follower), then you can’t ignore the fact that Jesus said our lives are to be about God’s glory, not about us. We were created to love God back in a way that makes Him as famous and well-known as possible. After all, it’s about God, not us.
When we begin to put things into perspective, it’s easy to see that most of us spend a great deal of time focusing on things that don’t mean very much in the long run. Does it really matter if we drive the biggest and best cars, when we could settle for less and give more money to those in need? Does it really matter if I please everyone around me when the only person I’m created to please is God? If we began to reassess everything we do and don’t do in this life according to Scripture and according to what God has called us to do in this short life, would we still put so much time and effort into the things that seem to take up all our time now? I don’t think we would.
Once we realize that the only things that really matter are the souls of those around us and God being glorified, it seems that our priorities shift to reflect this truth. What do you fill your days with during this short life you have on this earth? Are you allowing yourself to be consumed with things that really aren’t going to matter in the long run? Or are you constantly seeking to re-prioritize your life to make sure that everything you spend your life doing is going to have an eternal impact? This is what Jesus commands us to do. In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul says it better than I ever could:
“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
Don’t set your minds on earthly things for the short time we are here on this earth. It doesn’t matter the style of music we play. It doesn’t matter what color the walls are where we worship together. It doesn’t matter if the order of service isn’t exactly like I want it to be. It doesn’t matter who leads the singing or who gives the announcements. It doesn’t matter what stuff we use or don’t use for decorations.
There are only two things that really matter when it comes to our faith family: 1.) Are we doing everything we can to make much of God and to make Jesus’ name great in our community? 2.) Are we doing everything we can to take the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost in our community and around the world so that they can join us in worshipping the one, true God of the Bible?
Once John the Baptist realized the overwhelming task at hand, to glorify God and win the lost for Jesus’ sake, he put things into perspective for us. He says it plainly and concisely in John 3:30, “Jesus must increase, but I must decrease.” What would happen if we started to see things so clearly, if we realized we need to decrease in importance and Jesus needs to increase in importance in our lives?
I’ll tell you what would happen. We would quit bickering over things that don’t matter. We’d stop complaining about all the things that are exactly the way we’d like them to be. We’d re-prioritize and we’d start impacting the world by sharing the gospel of Jesus with the lost in our town and around the world. We’d start seeing lives changed through the power of the Spirit of God, by the grace of God, because of the Son of God. It would change our lives, our community, and our world, all for God’s glory. I pray this is what we become as a faith family here at Welsh. Let’s make this our utmost goal.
Your brother in Christ,
Thomas
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July 11th, 2010
Our newest sermon series is entitled HEROES. Throughout this series, we will revisit the stories we grew up learning in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, but we will look at them with fresh eyes and for maybe the first time we will see and understand how they fit into the grand narrative of Scripture. We’re finally going to understand how these stories relate to us today and how they all point us to the One True Hero. This week, we are looking in Genesis 6:9-9:17 to revisit the spectacular story of Noah and the Ark. Here are some notes to help you follow along.
God’s Eternal Plan:
“And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Leviticus 26:12
God makes new beginnings to continue his good kingdom on earth.
1. The final outcome of human sin is God’s judgment and death.
A. The Flood
B. Israel in the Desert
C. Israel in Exile
D. Jesus on Calvary
2. God has made a covenant with his people. (Genesis 9:8-11)
A. Noah and the Flood
B. Israel in Moab
C. Israel in Exile (Isaiah 54:9-10)
D. Jesus on Calvary (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
3. Through Jesus, God makes a completely new start with his people.
A. He gives us clean hearts.
B. He gives us hope of a new creation.
4. God remembers us, his remnant. (Genesis 8:1)
5. God is making for us a new beginning to continue his good kingdom on earth.
To listen to this sermon now, CLICK HERE. To subscribe to our podcast, CLICK HERE.
Tags: Ark, authority, beginning, beginnings, Calvary, Christ, church, clean, Corinthians, creation, death, deeds, delcare, depraved, earth, exile, faith, fall, Flood, Genesis, glorify, God, good, gospel, hearts, hell, Hero, HEROES, hope, hot, hurts, independence, inherit, Isaiah, Israel, iTunes, Jesus, judgment, kingdom, Leviticus, love, Luke, man, mark, Matthew, message, mission, Moab, nature, new, Noah, Old, people, podcast, reject, rejected, remember, remembers, remnant, repent, result, save, saved, sermon, sin, sinful, sinner, sinners, testament, totally, unrepentant, works, wrath
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June 27th, 2010
Our Mission is to glorify God through lives changed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This mission has many facets, but the foundation of the mission is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the rock upon which His church is built, the cornerstone of our knowledge of God and our faith in God. The Great Commission found in the last few verses of Matthew 28 was Jesus’ mission for His church. The way we are to accomplish this mission is to proclaim the truth about Jesus to all the nations, making disciples of them, baptizing them, and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded of us. This message is what we are studying in this four week series, THE GOSPEL. This week we are talking about part three: JESUS (who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do).
THE GOSPEL
The Message of the Mission Part 3: JESUS
THE PERSON OF JESUS
1. Jesus is fully God and fully man.
A. Jesus was born of a virgin. (Luke 1:34-35)
B. The Son is one in essence with the Father. (John 1:1, 14)
2. Jesus is without sin.
THE WORK OF JESUS
1. Jesus is our sacrifice. (1 Corinthians 5:7)
A. We deserve to die as the penalty for sin.
B. Jesus paid the penalty that we deserve.
2. Jesus is our propitiation. (Romans 3:23-25)
A. We deserve to bear God’s wrath against sin.
B. Jesus bore God’s wrath toward us in full.
C. Jesus changed God’s wrath toward us into favor.
3. Jesus is our reconciliation. (Romans 5:10-11; Colossians 1:19-23)
A. We are separated from God by our sin.
B. Jesus removed enmity between God and us.
C. Jesus restored fellowship between God and us.
4. Jesus is our redemption. (Mark 10:45; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:13-14)
A. We are in bondage to sin and Satan’s kingdom.
B. Jesus purchased us out of our bondage.
C. Jesus paid the ransom to God.
To listen to this sermon, CLICK HERE.
Tags: Christ, church, fully, God, gospel, iTunes, Jesus, man, message, mission, person, podcast, propitiation, reconcilation, redemption, sacrifice, sin, work
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June 20th, 2010
Our Mission is to glorify God through lives changed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This mission has many facets, but the foundation of the mission is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the rock upon which His church is built, the cornerstone of our knowledge of God and our faith in God. The Great Commission found in the last few verses of Matthew 28 was Jesus’ mission for His church. The way we are to accomplish this mission is to proclaim the truth about Jesus to all the nations, making disciples of them, baptizing them, and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded of us. This message is what we are studying in this four week series, THE GOSPEL. This week we are talking about part two: Man (the creation of mankind, the Fall, and sin).
THE GOSPEL
The Message of the Mission Part 2: Man
1. In the Beginning, Adam Sinned (Gen 3)
A. They rejected God’s authority over them.
B. They declared their independence from God.
2. We Are Sinners by Nature, Not because We Sin
A. We are born children of wrath. (Eph 2:1-3)
B. The inevitable result of our sinful nature is death. (Rom 5:12)
3. We Are Totally Depraved
A. No one deserves God’s love. (Rom 3:9-12)
B. Everyone misses the mark. (Rom 3:23)
C. Our best deeds are filthy to God. (Isa 64:6a)
4. God’s Judgment Is Active (Isaiah 59:1-2; Rev 19:15)
A. Your sinfulness has separated you from God. (Isa 59:1-2)
B. God’s wrath will be forever poured out on sinners. (Rev 19:15)
5. The Unrepentant Inherit Hell
A. Hell is worse than we can understand. (Matt 10:28)
B. Hell is real…it’s hot and it hurts. (Mark 9:43, 48)
C. Only those who repent will be saved. (Luke 13:3, 5)
To listen to this sermon, CLICK HERE.
Tags: active, adam, authority, beginning, born, children, Christ, church, death, deeds, delcare, depraved, Ephesians, faith, fall, filthy, Genesis, glorify, God, gospel, hell, hot, hurts, independence, inherit, Isaiah, Jesus, judgment, love, Luke, man, mark, Matthew, message, mission, nature, podcast, reject, rejected, repent, result, Revelation, Romans, save, saved, sermon, sin, sinful, sinner, sinners, totally, unrepentant, works, wrath
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June 13th, 2010
Our Mission is to glorify God through lives changed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This mission has many facets, but the foundation of the mission is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the rock upon which His church is built, the cornerstone of our knowledge of God and our faith in God. The Great Commission found in the last few verses of Matthew 28 was Jesus’ mission for His church. The way we are to accomplish this mission is to proclaim the truth about Jesus to all the nations, making disciples of them, baptizing them, and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded of us. This message is what we are studying in this four week series, THE GOSPEL. This week we are talking about part one: GOD.
THE GOSPEL
The Message of the Mission Part 3: JESUS
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A. W. Tozer
1. God is the Creator.
A. The gospel is God’s response to the bad news of sin.
B. Sin is a person’s rejection of God’s Creator-rights over him.
2. God is the Holy One.
A. God is transcendent above His creation.
B. God is transcendent above His creation’s corruption.
3. God is the Righteous Judge.
A. God’s love and justice are inseparable.
B. God’s righteousness and justice are the source of His love and faithfulness.
4. God is the Sovereign King.
A. He is the Ruler over all.
B. He is the Giver of all things.
To listen to this sermon, CLICK HERE. To subscribe to our podcast, CLICK HERE.
Tags: bad, Baptist, baptize, baptizing, built, changed, Christ, church, commanded, Commission, cornerstone, corruption, creation, Creator, Creator-rights, disciples, faithfulness, foundation, giver, glorify, God, gospel, Great, Holy, inseparable, iTunes, Jesus, Judge, King, knowledge, lives, love, making, Matthew 28, message, mission, nations, news, One, person, podcast, power, proclaim, rejection, response, Righteous, rights, rock, ruler, series, sermon, sin, source, Sovereign, teaching, transcendent, truth, Welsh
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June 1st, 2010
Long before Carol and I moved to Frostburg, we began praying to our Father on behalf of this faith family. It has continually been our prayer that God would glorify Himself through the lives of everyone involved in the ministry of our faith family as we seek to make Him known from Frostburg to the ends of the earth. We knew from the beginning that there would be difficult times as we, our faith family, began to seek reformation and revitalization to ensure that everything we do as the body of Christ would line up with the Scriptures. Even though there would be tough times and tough decisions, we knew that above all else, all of us would have to one day stand before our God and Father to account for everything we have done with our time, talents, and treasure; and more than anything else, we wanted to be able to stand before Him and with everything within us say that we have done everything possible to make much of Him and to spread the gospel of His Son, Jesus, to every nation of the world.
Although we have already endured some trying times, we have also seen some great workings of God in our midst, even at this early time in our revitalization. Here are a few things we can celebrate together as we continually reaffirm our desire to do whatever it takes to glorify God by reaching our community and the world for the sake of Jesus.
For the last six months, we’ve been blessed with children in our nursery every Sunday.
This Easter we had our highest attendance in a long time of approximately 90 people.
We began our partnership with Compassion International on May 23rd by committing to support over 10 children as a faith family.
We’ve had an increase in the number of individuals participating in our Sunday morning worship team. The team now consists of the following people: Angela Radcliffe (vocals), Vicky Warnick (piano/vocals), Derek McCauley (guitar), Lauren Stair (piano), Barb Stahl (bass guitar), Tyler Pensyl (drums), and Elizabeth Radcliffe (vocals).
Since we began this revitalization, we have seen a substantial increase in the number of college students attending our Sunday morning worship gathering. Beginning with 2 to 3 students and ending the school year with an average of 15 college students each week.
We’ve also had significant growth in the area of spiritual maturity among many in our faith family. This is a difficult thing to quantify, but there is no doubt that many in our faith family are growing in their knowledge of the Scriptures and in their daily walk with God. Although this is a difficult thing to quantify, it is one of the most important things we are called to do as the body of Christ…make disciples!
I am looking forward to being a part of what God is going to do with us over this summer as we prepare to become the people on mission that God commands us to be. After all, we exist to glorify God through lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and that is precisely what we are beginning to do right here in Frostburg and beyond! May God receive all the glory, honor, and praise!
For Jesus’ fame,
Thomas
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April 18th, 2010
Our latest sermon series is based on our Core Values. Each week we will be covering one of our church’s five core values. This week we are learning the importance of living by God’s Word. All of us want to live lives of purpose, lives that bring us joy and satisfaction. This week we are looking to God’s Word to reveal to us how we can make that a possibility. Here’s a short outline with a link to the sermon below, or if you have iTunes, you can go to our page there and subscribe to our podcast.
THE CORE: Living by God’s Word
2 Timothy 3:14-17
I. God Reveals Himself to Us through His Word
II. God’s Word Is Sufficient
III. God’s Word Reveals Our Path to Salvation
1. The entire Bible is about God’s redemption through Jesus Christ.
2. It’s about Jesus, not you.
3. Jesus is not the means by which you get something; Jesus is what you get!
IV. God’s Word Is Our Key to Life
1. You are what you eat. (John 6:48-58)
2. You are shaped by what you hold to be ultimate. (1 John 2:3-6)
3. You walk in whatever you hold to be ultimate. (1 John 2:3-6)
4. Jesus is not all you need; Jesus is all you’ve got.
To listen to the Podcast, CLICK HERE. To subscribe to our podcast, CLICK HERE.
Tags: Baptist, Bible, Christ, Christians, church, core, eat, Frostburg, God, gospel, importance, important, iTunes, Jesus, John, joy, key, life, listen, lives, living, Maryland, means, member, members, membership, path, podcast, purpose, redemption, relationship, reveal, roles, salvation, satisfaction, sermon, shaped, subscribe, sufficient, sunday, Timothy, ultimate, values, walk, Welsh, Word
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April 11th, 2010
Our latest sermon series is based on our Core Values. Each week we will be covering one of our church’s five core values. This week we are talking about worship. Unlike what most people think when they hear the word worship, it is not simply what we do when we sing songs about God. We are born worshipping. We are either worshipping someone or something or we are worshipping our Creator. This week we are going to try and understand what worship is and how we can align our hearts and minds to make sure we worship the only one who deserves to be worshipped…our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Here’s a short outline with a link to the sermon below, or if you have iTunes, you can go to our page there and subscribe to our podcast.
THE CORE: Worship
Hebrews 13:15-17
I. We Are Created Worshipping
1. Worship is honoring someone or something: glory.
2. Worship is something we do: sacrifice.
Our lives are about not doing some things so we can find time or money to do things more important to us.
II. We Have a Worship Problem
1. Sin is making something else more central to your significance, purpose, and happiness than your relationship with God.
2. Whatever we base our identity and value on becomes deified.
3. The root of the problem is always that you are worshipping something or someone over God.
4. We must constantly seek and smash our idols!
III. The Essentials of Biblical Worship
1. Praise
2. Proclamation: lips that confess Jesus’ name
3. Service: doing good as a demonstration of the gospel
4. Participation: sharing with others as a demonstration of grace
5. Sacrifice: giving of time, talent, and treasure
6. Submission: respecting godly authority placed over us
To listen to the Podcast, CLICK HERE. To subscribe to our podcast, CLICK HERE.
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April 4th, 2010
This sermon was preached on Easter 2010 celebrating Resurrection Sunday at Welsh Baptist Church. Pastor Thomas told the story of the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of Jesus’ disciple and close friend, Peter. Here’s a link to the sermon, or if you have iTunes, you can go to our page there and subscribe to our podcast.
To listen to the Podcast, CLICK HERE. To subscribe to our podcast, CLICK HERE.
Tags: 2010, Baptist, celebrating, celebration, Christ, church, death, disciple, Easter, friend, gospel, iTunes, Jesus, Peter, podcast, preach, preached, resurrection, sermon, story, sunday, Welsh
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April 1st, 2010
I’m not sure I’ve ever appreciated the dawning of Spring like I am beginning to appreciate it this year. After such a long, dark winter, it’s as if a fresh breath of air has rolled into the waking town of Frostburg. As you watch the people around town, it seems as if the pace is picking up each day. I’m sure everyone is just as excited as we are to be able to spend some time outside without having to layer up to stay warm. As the pace quickens, it’s easy to see how quickly our lives become busy with lots to do and not enough time to get it all done. It seems as if that never changes.
For this month’s entry I’d like to take a moment and ask you all to stop what you’re doing and take the next few moments to settle your hearts and minds on the one thing that should be the center of our lives all year long. Too often it’s relegated to the back of our minds until we approach this season of the year when Easter rolls around and we once again remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For many of us, this story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (the gospel) has become simply that…a story. It is a story that most of us are able to recite, but it isn’t for us what it is intended to be for those of us who call ourselves Christians.
What I’m trying to say is that a large number of us have come to a place in our lives where the gospel is something that we say is very important, but for most of us, we have relegated it’s importance to the people who have yet to “be saved.” We know it is important, but many of us believe it is important because it is what someone needs if they have never come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If this is where you are, then let me first say you are right…it is important for a lost person and it is
the only way a lost person can ever come to know Jesus as their Savior, but the gospel is much more than this. It is not just a pathway to salvation. It is much, much more!
The gospel of Jesus is the heart of the matter for His followers. It is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the Christian life. Yes, we come to know Jesus through the Holy Spirit’s enlightening us to the gospel, but it is also meant to be the central theme of our lives from then on until the return of Christ. We can never move beyond the gospel for then we would enter into a life of moralistic living where it is our good deeds that we rely upon for our sanctification. This type of thought is not only wrong, but it is anti-Christ. We, as followers of Jesus, must constantly place ourselves at the foot of the cross of Christ in humble submission to the gospel as our only means to salvation and relationship with God through Jesus. We can never move beyond the gospel in our Christian lives because to do so would be to move beyond Jesus himself. This is impossible for a follower of Jesus because the purpose for our lives is to become more like Jesus everyday and everything that Jesus is and was is encapsulated in the gospel! It is the air we breathe. It is the living water we drink. It is the food that nourishes our soul daily.
Let us as a church look upon the cross this Easter in a new way, not just in remembrance of what God has done for us in Christ, but let’s also see it as a call to remind us that the gospel of Christ is to be the central theme, the central motif of our lives every day. It’s not just for us to look into the past, but it is meant for us to carry it into the future as we live gospel-centered lives here in Frostburg, our lives purposed to reflect the glory and mercies of God in Jesus. Let’s make this Easter the beginning of the rest of our lives…the beginning of our church’s return to the gospel as the heart and soul of everything we are and do.
For Jesus’ fame,
Thomas
Tags: burial, busy, center, Christ, Christians, cross, death, Frostburg, gospel, gospel-centered, heart, Jesus, life, lives, living, Lord, matter, moral, moralistic, remembrance, resurrection, salvation, Savior, soul, Spring, story, theme, Welsh
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