INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A Letter From Our Pastor 1 Revival Operation Christmas Child 2 Bible Study Opportunities- Deacon of the Week Nursery Volunteers 3 Bro Allen’s Quotable Quotes and Recommendation of the Month 4 FBC Birthdays & Anniversaries Announcements 5 UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS First Baptist Church, Rogers FEBRUARY 2018 February 3rd Men’s Breakfast 8:00am February 4th Deacon’s Mtg 5pm February 11th Bedrich Baby Shower 12pm February 11th Valentine’s Ban- quet and Movie Night February 18th Business Mtg 7:15pm February 25th –28th Revival Dear Church Family . . . What brings about revival in a person’s life? It may seem like there could be many answers to this simple question, but there is really just one. The answer is simply “renewal.” It is getting our batteries recharged, resetting, reaffirming, coming home, getting back to square one. There are lots of things that can bring about a sense of renewal in our lives. If we are lonely it may be spending time talking with some- one. If we are homesick it may mean visiting home. If we are missing someone in particular it may mean giving them a call, or if they are no longer with us perhaps looking at pictures or taking memory trips in our minds can take us back. What does revival/renewal mean when it comes to the church and our Christian faith? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold all things have become new.” We remember the “newness” of our faith when we first found it but it is so easy for the things of this world and the trickery of Satan to allure us back into the world. In effect, what Satan does is try to trick us into going back into the burning building from which we fled, make our way back into rising floodwaters, or get back in a boat that is sinking. Satan is as sly as a fox and people fall for his tricks every day We are all prone to gravitate back to our old sinful, selfish ways. When I was a boy I went to children’s camp one year and we were taught the importance of memorizing Scripture. One of the verses we had to memorize was from 2 Peter 2:22 which says “But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: a dog returns to his own vomit, and a sow having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” As a boy of about 10 years old that verse made me squirm and feel really uncomfortable. I associated “vomit” with sickness not with the Bible, church, or church camp. Further, I knew how nasty pigs could be as they wallowed in the mud. I really wanted to pretend that verse was not in the Bible; but it is in the Bible and the concept it teaches is spot-on accurate. In graphic, earthy terms, Peter is telling his readers that just as a dog disgustingly returns to his own vomit to re-eat it, and as a pig who having been washed spotlessly clean returns to the stinking mud hole; we as human beings are so very prone to return to our sinful ways. We easily become carnal (fleshly). I had no idea at the time how real the concepts taught in 2 Peter 2:22 would figure in to my own life and to the ups and downs of ministering to people who would also struggle day by day to resist the devil. True “revival” takes place in our lives when we realize that Satan has fooled us once again into returning to our own vomit (sins) and are ready to re-eat it once more and to wallow in the mud again with the hogs. He tries to hide the look of it, the smell of it, the taste of it, the feel of it, and the wretchedness of it but it is still as vile and putrid as it ever was. It is still vomit and it is still mud! Revival is saying to Satan, “I am not going to be fooled anymore.” It is re-declaring war against the desires of our own flesh; it is letting go again of the reigns of our life and asking God to re-take control. It is recognizing our own weakness and helplessness apart from the Holy Spirit of God, it is coming back home to the Father. It is our reaffirmation of our declaration of dependence on God and Him alone. The happy ending to Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son is a picture of revival or coming back after experiencing the low point and emptiness of the best Satan has to offer. A “revival meeting” is a time for the church to come together as the body of Christ and acknowledge our weaknesses, frailties, and utter dependence on God. It is a time to invite guests to come and experience God and to hopefully commit to Him or perhaps re-commit to Him. We look forward to Larry Rice and Tim Timmons leading us in this revival meeting Feb. 25-28. Please be in earnest prayer for them as they prepare. In Christ Our Lord, Bro. Allen
Transcript
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
A Letter From Our Pastor 1
Revival
Operation Christmas Child
2
Bible Study Opportunities-
Deacon of the Week
Nursery Volunteers
3
Bro Allen’s Quotable
Quotes and
Recommendation of the
Month
4
FBC Birthdays &
Anniversaries
Announcements
5
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S A N D
M E E T I N G S First Baptist Church, Rogers F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8
February 3rd Men’s Breakfast
8:00am
February 4th Deacon’s Mtg
5pm
February 11th Bedrich Baby
Shower 12pm
February 11th Valentine’s Ban-
quet and Movie Night
February 18th Business Mtg
7:15pm
February 25th –28th Revival
Dear Church Family . . .
What brings about revival in a person’s life? It may seem like there could be many answers to this simple question, but there is really
just one. The answer is simply “renewal.” It is getting our batteries recharged, resetting, reaffirming, coming home, getting back to square
one.
There are lots of things that can bring about a sense of renewal in our lives. If we are lonely it may be spending time talking with some-
one. If we are homesick it may mean visiting home. If we are missing someone in particular it may mean giving them a call, or if they are
no longer with us perhaps looking at pictures or taking memory trips in our minds can take us back.
What does revival/renewal mean when it comes to the church and our Christian faith? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “If any man be in
Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold all things have become new.” We remember the “newness” of our faith
when we first found it but it is so easy for the things of this world and the trickery of Satan to allure us back into the world. In effect, what
Satan does is try to trick us into going back into the burning building from which we fled, make our way back into rising floodwaters, or get
back in a boat that is sinking. Satan is as sly as a fox and people fall for his tricks every day
We are all prone to gravitate back to our old sinful, selfish ways. When I was a boy I went to children’s camp one year and we were
taught the importance of memorizing Scripture. One of the verses we had to memorize was from 2 Peter 2:22 which says “But it has
happened to them according to the true proverb: a dog returns to his own vomit, and a sow having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
As a boy of about 10 years old that verse made me squirm and feel really uncomfortable. I associated “vomit” with sickness not with the
Bible, church, or church camp. Further, I knew how nasty pigs could be as they wallowed in the mud. I really wanted to pretend that verse
was not in the Bible; but it is in the Bible and the concept it teaches is spot-on accurate. In graphic, earthy terms, Peter is telling his readers
that just as a dog disgustingly returns to his own vomit to re-eat it, and as a pig who having been washed spotlessly clean returns to the
stinking mud hole; we as human beings are so very prone to return to our sinful ways. We easily become carnal (fleshly). I had no idea at
the time how real the concepts taught in 2 Peter 2:22 would figure in to my own life and to the ups and downs of ministering to people
who would also struggle day by day to resist the devil.
True “revival” takes place in our lives when we realize that Satan has fooled us once again into returning to our own vomit (sins) and
are ready to re-eat it once more and to wallow in the mud again with the hogs. He tries to hide the look of it, the smell of it, the taste of it,
the feel of it, and the wretchedness of it but it is still as vile and putrid as it ever was. It is still vomit and it is still mud!
Revival is saying to Satan, “I am not going to be fooled anymore.” It is re-declaring war against the desires of our own flesh; it is letting
go again of the reigns of our life and asking God to re-take control. It is recognizing our own weakness and helplessness apart from the Holy
Spirit of God, it is coming back home to the Father. It is our reaffirmation of our declaration of dependence on God and Him alone. The
happy ending to Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son is a picture of revival or coming back after experiencing the low point and emptiness of
the best Satan has to offer.
A “revival meeting” is a time for the church to come together as the body of Christ and acknowledge our weaknesses, frailties, and
utter dependence on God. It is a time to invite guests to come and experience God and to hopefully commit to Him or perhaps re-commit
to Him. We look forward to Larry Rice and Tim Timmons leading us in this revival meeting Feb. 25-28. Please be in earnest prayer for them
as they prepare.
In Christ Our Lord,
Bro. Allen
P A G E 2
F I R S T B A P T I S T C H U R C H , R O G E R S
Item Of The Month
Hair Accessories
Please place in basket in sanctuary
Upcoming Messages
P A G E 3
.
Nursery Volunteers this Month
2/4 Susan Faucett/Jill Metcalf
2/11 Aggie Cecil/ Laura Posas
2/18 Kelly Ray/ Joyce Lemmons
2/25 Pam Gasaway/ Cathy Hill
Deacon of the Week
2/4 Todd Marek
2/11 Brian Ray
2/18 Jeremy Pelley
2/25 Will Kennedy
Sun. AM
2/4 – “Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer” (Pt. 2) (Mat. 6:7-8)
2/11 – “Our Father in Heaven” (Mat. 6:9 a & b)
2/18 – “Preparing Our Hearts for Revival” (Selected Scriptures)
2/25 – Revival
Sun. PM
2/4 – “Philemon’s Love and Faith” (Phil. vs. 4-7)
2/11 – Valentines Dinner and Movie Night
2/18 – “Paul’s Appeal for Onesimus” (Phil. vs. 8-16)
2/25 - Revival
Ongoing Bible Studies:
Sunday Mornings @ 9:45am Ladies Class: Beth Moore– “The Quest”
Video Class: “ Secret Church - Angels, Demons & Spiritual Warfare
Men’ s Class: Books Of The Bible
Youth & children’s classes
Wednesday Evening @ 7pm “The Prodigal Son” by John McArthur
Wednesday ‘s @ 5:20pm to 6:00pm
Ages Pre-K through 5th grade
First performance will be @ Revival on 2/28th
P A G E 4 February 2018
F I R S T B A P T I S T C H U R C H , R O G E R S
Pastor Allen’s Recommendation of the Month
Bro. Allen’s Quotable Quotes
Subject: The decline of the church
“Church culture in North America is a vestige of the original Christian movement, an institutional expression of religion that is in
part a civil religion and in part a club where religious people can hang out with other people whose politics, worldview, and lifestyle
match theirs.” (Reggie McNeal; The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church; 1)
“Today we are more concerned with style than with substance, more concerned with acceptance than with accuracy, more concerned
with popularity than with power; strong doctrine is seen as the enemy of evangelicalism today, we are more concerned with provid-
ing people with enjoyment than with conviction, self-fulfillment reigns over self-denial, honoring the sinner is more important than
honoring the Savior.” (John MacArthur)
“Churches today are filled with people who drift from church to church. They are often more concerned about whether they like the
music than they are about whether they are hearing the truth. They are usually absorbed in religion for self-centered reasons. They
want a better life. They are ‘recovering’ sinners looking for fellowship. They are therefore susceptible to anyone who promises to
meet their ‘felt needs.’ They are the first-line victims of false religion.” (John MacArthur; The Truth War: Fighting for Christianity
in an Age of Deception)
“Much that passes for New Testament Christianity is little more than objective truth sweetened with song and made palatable by
religious entertainment.” (A. W. Tozer)
Faith is not merely a Christian nor a religious concept. “Faith” can be seen very strongly,
in fact, by those who claim not to believe in God. An “atheist” has faith in their position/
belief that there is no such thing as God.
Atheists typically do not like to even use the word “faith” because they associate the
word itself with religious people who they often view as non-thinking. Many of them do not
realize that it takes enormously more faith to hold their positions than it does to believe the
accounts of Scripture and see intelligent design saturating the entire universe from the small-
est things such as a human cell all the way up to the stars in the sky.
Norman Geisler and Frank Turek have co-written an excellent book called I Don’t Have
Enough Faith to be an Atheist. The book is hard to put down as it engages your mind
throughout. It arms you with a treasure trove of information about the intelligent design of
life, origins, the universe, the historical reliability of Scripture, etc. It is readable and written
in an easy-to-follow style. There are many books that cover a lot of the same and similar ma-
terial, but this is more readable for the average laymen.
This book arms you with information in defense of your faith to others, but its greatest
asset is that it will strengthen your own faith. There is a “wow” moment on nearly every
page where one can only marvel at the beautiful, intricate design and plans of God. Truly one
of the most enjoyable books I have read.
P A G E 5
We want to remember you on your birthdays and anniversaries! If we have missed your special day please call.
