Dr. James Brown

Do You Know What You Believe?

Does it really matter what you believe? The Bible suggests that God wants His followers to know what we believe, why we believe it, and be able to share it with others. God wants us to live by a biblical worldview. Our church subscribes to the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message, which summarizes 18 major doctrines.

To assist you in learning and abiding by a biblical worldview, over the next several months I will highlight various sections of our doctrinal statement. Last month we looked at our beliefs on the Scriptures. This month we will highlight the doctrine of GOD: There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

God the Father:  God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.  He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men. (Gen 1:1; 2:7; Ex 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11; 20:1; Lev 22:2; Deut 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chron 29:10; Ps 19:1-3; Is 43:3, 15; 64:8; Jer 10:10; 17:13; Mt 6:9; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mk 1:9-11; Jn 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Rom 8:14-15; 1Cor 8:6; Gal 4:6; Eph 4:6; Col 1:15; 1Tim 1:17; Heb 11:6; 12:9; 1Pet 1:17; 1Jn 5:7)

God the Son:  Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord. (Gen 18:1; Ps 2:7; 110:1; Is 7:14; 53:1-12; Mt 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16, 27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6, 19; Mk 1:1; 3:11; Lk 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; Jn 1:1-18, 29; 10:30, 38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11, 16:15-16, 28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20, 28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5, 20; Rom 1; 3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3, 34; 10:4; 1Cor 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; 2Cor 5:19-21; Gal 4:4-5; Eph 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Php 2:5-11; Col 1:13-22; 2:9; 1Thes 4:14-18;1Tim 2:5-6; 3:16; Tit 2:13-14; Heb 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; Heb 9:12-15, 24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1Pet 2:21-25; 3:22; 1Jn 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14- 15; 5:9; 2Jn 7-9; Rev 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16)

God the Holy Spirit:  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts" by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fulness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. (Gen 1:2; Jdg 14:6; Job 26:13; Ps 51:11; 139:7; Is 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Mt 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mk 1:10, 12; Lk 1:35; 4:1, 18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; Jn 4:24; 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17, 39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Rom 8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27; 1Cor 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11; Gal 4:6; Eph 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1Thes 5:19; 1Tim 3:16; 4:1; 2Tim 1:14; 3:16; Heb 9:8, 14; 2Pet 1:21; 1Jn 4:13; 5:6-7; Rev 1:10; 22:17)

God Loves You and So Do I! Pastor Jimmy

Young Adult Mission trip to Jamaca!

Praying Pelican Missions (PPM) began in 2003 serving two communities in Belize. They expanded to Jamaica in 2007, and now annually serve more than 100 communities between the two countries, making them the largest provider of mission trips to Belize and Jamaica in the U.S.

This August, young adults from FBCCB are planning to participate in a  mission trip organized by The Praying Pelican Missions group.  To make it happen, they will be conducting numerous fund-raising projects designed to help them reach their goal of $10,000.  Here are the details of the trip:

• Dates of trip:  August 2 – 9, 2014
  
• Cost is $595 per person
  
• Airfare is separate/Est Cost $500 per person
• Duration of the trip is 7 days/6 nights
  
• Meals provided by local community
  
• Accommodations in a community centers/churches
• Local Transportation Provided
  
• Each participant will receive 35+ hours of ministry
  
• Materials provided
  
• Safe drinking water is provided

You will hear much more about this great mission project.  In the meantime, be in prayer for the participants, and the people they are planning to help!
  

On-Line Resource for all Members!

Check it out!

Our church has enrolled in an online Bible Study Resource that will give us access to hundreds of video Bible studies by well-known and trusted teachers and preachers. The media portions of these studies can be accessed, streamed from your phone, pad, laptop, desktop, or TV, and used by individuals, couples, families, small groups, etc at NO COST to you. You may choose whether or not to purchase any supporting print materials that go along with the studies. 

Studies are divided into the following categories:  Youth, Adult Small Groups, Work, Family, Marriage, Men, Women, Bible Characters, and Video Illustrations. To check out the available studies, go to rightnowmedia.org. After clicking on the Login button in the upper right-hand corner, enter jimmy@fbccb.org in the Email Address box and then enter jimmy in the Password box. Under the Browse Media tab, click on the category you would like to view. Then click on the particular study you are interested in. To find out what print resources go along with the study, click on the orange button labeled Books, Workbooks, and Handouts. If you are interested in engaging in one of the studies, contact the pastor (458-5134) and he will add you as a user in the system. This is an excellent resource that offers unlimited topics of study.

http://www.rightnowmedia.org/