The First Baptist Church of Gray's Prairie exist in order that                             
                                 GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED


We are faithful in our fellowship in order that
GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED

We minister in order that
GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED

We sing in order that
GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED

We preach in order that
GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED

We witness our faith in order that
GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED

We seek God continually in order that
GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED

We are obedient to God in order that
GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED




                Upcoming  events:


July 5 - Contenders for the Faith (youth)

July 13 - Men's Meeting 5:00 pm

July17 - Community Crime Watch Meeting 7:00 pm

July 20 - Family Ministry 6:00 pm

  Monday evenings at 7:00 pm the church is open for prayer.
 
 
(This list may not contain all events. Members please check your weekly bulletins  for complete list.)

Service  times:

Sunday school  9:30am              Worship  10:40am

Sunday evening - 6:00pm    Wed. evening- 7:00pm
  First Baptist Church
    of   Gray's Prairie
May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward for His suffering.

 
“ Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
     Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
     Cease to do evil,
       Learn to do good;
     Seek justice,
     Rebuke the oppressor;
     Defend the fatherless,
     Plead for the widow.
       “ Come now, and let us reason together,”
     Says the LORD,

     “ Though your sins are like scarlet,
     They shall be as white as snow;
     Though they are red like crimson,
     They shall be as wool.
       If you are willing and obedient,
     You shall eat the good of the land;
      But if you refuse and rebel,
     You shall be devoured by the sword”;
     For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Isaiah 1:16-20 (New King James Version)

13711 South FM 148   Scurry, Texas 75158
                      (972) 452-3548

Two young Moravians heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British owner had 2000 to 3000 slaves. And the owner had said, "No preacher, no clergyman, will ever stay on this island. If he’s shipwrecked we’ll keep him in a separate house until he has to leave; but he’s never going to talk to any of us about God. I’m through with all that nonsense." Three thousand salves from the jungles of Africa brought to an island in the Atlantic and there to live and die without hearing of Christ.

Two young Moravians heard about it. They sold themselves to the British planter and used the money they received from their sale, for he paid no more than he would for any slave, to pay their passage out to his island for he wouldn’t even transport them. As the ship left it’s pier in the river at Hamburg and was going out into the North Sea, carried with the tide, the Moravians had come from Herrenhut to see these two lads off, in their early twenties. Never to return again, for this wasn’t a four year term; they sold themselves into life-time slavery. Simply that as slaves, they could be a s Christians where these others were. The families were there weeping, for they knew they would never see them again. And they wondered why they were going and questioned the wisdom of it. As the gap widened and the housings had been cast off and were being curled up there on the pier, and the young boys saw the widening gap, one lad with his arm liked through the arm of his fellow, raised his hand and shouted across the gap the last words that were heard from them, they were these: "MAY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN, RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!" This became the call of Moravian missions. And this is the only reason for being, That the Lamb that was slain, may receive the reward of His suffering                                 
                                              Paris Reidhead
                                         Ten Shekels and a Shirt
FEEDING SHEEP OR AMUSING GOATS

C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

The mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired.
An evil resides in the professed camp of the Lord so gross in its impudence that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years it has developed at an abnormal rate evil for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out as the Puritans did, the Church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." That is clear enough. So it would have been if He has added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to Him. Then again, "He gave some apostles, some prophets, some pastors and teachers, for the work of the ministry." Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all His apostles. What was the attitude of the Church to the world? "Ye are the salt," not sugar candy-something the world will spit out, not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead." He was in awful earnestness!
Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into His mission, He would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear Him say, "Run after these people, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick, Peter, we must get the people somehow!" Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them. In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of the gospel amusement. Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon. After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the Church had a prayer meeting, but they did not pray, "Lord grant Thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not for preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They "turned the world upside down." That is the difference! Lord, clear the Church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her and bring us back to apostolic methods.
Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to affect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the Church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy-laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
He that is poor in spirit is lowly in heart. Rich men are commonly proud and scornful, but the poor are submissive. The poor in spirit roll themselves in the dust in the sense of their unworthiness. 'I abhor myself in dust' (Job 42:6). He that is poor in spirit looks at another's excellencies and his own infirmities. He denies not only his sins but his duties. The more grace he has, the more humble he is, because he now sees himself a greater debtor to God. If he can do any duty, he acknowledges it is Christ's strength more than his own. As the ship gets to the haven more by the benefit of the wind than the sail, so when a Christian makes swift progress, it is more by wind of God's Spirit than the sail of his own endeavour. The poor in spirit, when he acts most like a saint, confesses himself to be 'the chief of sinners'. He blushes more at the defect of his graces than others do at the excess of their sins. He dares not say he has prayed or wept. He lives, yet not he, but Christ lives in him. He labours, yet not he, but the grace of God.
                                                    by Thomas Watson

THE GOSPEL MUST BE PREACHED


Romans 1: 16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes…


I feel it necessary to write this brief message, to not only the members of First Baptist, but also to all those who are led to our humble website

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There is strength in good doctrine. It would seem very evident in scripture that, concerning the church, our understanding of doctrine begins with understanding why we exist. I believe a good systematic study of scripture would clearly show that we, the church, exist to please God in worship. Our justification (salvation), our sanctification (growing in holiness), and our glorification, (eventual perfection) are all to the glory of God. All things working together for good… being conformed to His image. The greatest good being the fulfillment of our existence, to please God in worship. (Revelations chapters 4 and 5 serve to support these statements)

Our ability to please God is subject to our faith in God.

Hebrews 11:6

Without faith it is impossible to please God…

We must receive the grace of faith to please God. Why do I say, the grace of faith? Paul says in Romans chapter 7 that in his flesh (our flesh also) dwells NO good thing. We cannot self generate faith. God grants faith, yet we have a responsibility to adhere to scripture. Romans chapter 10 tells us that Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. If you will study the preceding scriptures, you will clearly see that this "Word" is in fact the preaching of the gospel.

Listen closely to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:16.

For though I preach the gospel I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe unto me, if I preach not the gospel.

The preaching of the gospel is not only the power of God unto salvation. The preaching of the gospel allows for the grace of faith to be planted and nurtured to perfection. We will FOREVER be searching out the unsearchable riches of Christ. We need the gospel. As Paul so profoundly states, we must live the gospel.

Many Christians today are ignorant of the gospel, I was for so many years. The gospel says that God is sovereign in all things, that man is helpless in sin, and that God has redeemed us through Christ. Those few words could be written about from now through eternity and never be comprehended. The preaching of God's sovereignty alone is unimaginable. Then we add the helplessness of man in sin, and the redemptive work of Christ. I cannot even progress past the foothills of this great gospel.

The preaching of the gospel saves and builds faith. Our faith allows us to begin to do the very thing God has intended us to do: please Him in worship. Hebrews chapter 11 teaches us that faith is the thing that brings substance to God. In other words, faith makes God real to us, and that changes things in a great way. For when God is real to us we worship, and pray, and serve Him in a very passionate manner.

Therefore, at the First Baptist Church of Gray's Prairie, the necessity has been laid upon us to PREACH THE GOSPEL. Woe unto us if we fail to preach the gospel to the church, from the youngest to the oldest… THE GOSPEL MUST BE PREACHED!

In God's Grace

Pastor Jack