Winfield Baptist Church

A Time & A Place

LizzyR — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:56:39 +0000

This Monday is Memorial Day. A few Sunday’s ago it was Mother’s Day and in a few more weeks it will be Father’s Day. These are good days. It is good to celebrate a godly mother and a godly father and to remember the godly men and women who laid down their lives for the freedom of others. I send cards and give gifts to my mother and father on their respective holidays; I have the flag flying by my front door. It is fine to celebrate these holidays, but as your Pastor, I must evaluate what is appropriate for corporate worship. The first line of our church’s mission statement says: “We exist to exalt Jesus Christ.” That is the most important item to consider when it comes to corporate worship; we are gathered to exalt Jesus. When we worship together corporately, it should reflect the ongoing worship taking place in heaven around the throne of God as closely as possible. Let’s be honest, citizens of these United States who have died in Jesus Christ and are in heaven now are not singing about America. They are singing praises to God! Does that mean that we should not sing patriotic songs? No. The question is: “When is it appropriate?” As a local body of Christ, His bride, the church, we have a limited amount of time together on the Lord’s Day. Sure, it would be nice to do all kinds of different things, but for that one hour a week we should be focused solely on Jesus Christ. We should also bear in mind that God’s people are not tied to any one specific nation. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must remember that we have fellow citizens (in Christ) in many other nations. How we think, speak and act in light of this truth is not something that we can separate from our day to day life. We should filter everything through the lens of the Bible. As a Christian who was born in America, I am thankful that the gospel was freely preached and that I could freely respond. I am also thankful for those who were persecuted for the sake of Christ, who endured suffering and even death so that the message of the gospel of Christ could come to this land nearly 400 years ago. But I am even more thankful for my citizenship in a kingdom untainted by sin and the political schemes of man—a perfect place called Heaven.

-Pastor Corey Mitchell

May 26, 2013

LizzyR — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:48:10 +0000

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May 12, 2013

LizzyR — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:01:50 +0000

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May 5, 2013

LizzyR — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:55:03 +0000

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Still a Child

LizzyR — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:49:01 +0000

Each of my children received a kite for Easter and they were very eager to fly them on the first windy day. I enjoyed watching from the window as they struggled to get their kites aloft, untangled them from each other and various limbs, and then grinned from ear to ear as they finally watched them soar. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. Max came stomping in, crying, and throwing his kite in a pile on the ground. He was sobbing that it was junk, and ruined and that he would never fly a kite again! I glanced over and could see that the string was tangled, but not beyond saving. He stomped around for a while before he sat down to work out the tangle, all the while muttering under his breath. I casually walked by and said, “If you want any help, just let me know.” No response. After several more minutes of watching him struggle, I again offered to help if he would just ask. Again, no response. Finally, after the third time, he asked for help. I fixed the kite in a minute (it would have been quicker, but all of his efforts had made it worse). Soon he was out the door with his kite, despite previous threats about the end of his kite flying career.

As I watched him from the window, I thought about how I am so often like him. Something doesn’t work out or go my way and I stomp around, yelling things (I wish this were figurative, but it’s quite literal). All the while, God is just standing around, watching, saying, “Hey, I’m right here, if you want my help, you just have to ask.” But I would rather wallow and feel sorry for myself or try to fix it on my own. How silly and childish I am. I end up making the situation worse before I turn to God. O, that I would turn to him first!

When I began teaching my children, I assumed that I would shower my great knowledge upon them, but the more I watch and teach my children, what is revealed is MY sin and MY need for a savior. I am no better than my 1 year old, who cries when she doesn’t get her way. My heart can be as dark as my 3 year old, who loves the word ‘NO.’ I can be as vain as my 5 year old, who spends hours looking in the mirror. I can be as careless as my 7 year old, who never completes a task. I can be as unsure as my 9 year old, who needs constant reminders of her worth and value. I have been a Christian for over 25 years. As I look back over that journey, I am amazed by how far I have come, and by how much I still need HIM, day by day, hour by hour, second by second. I am still a child in desperate need of a Savior.

- Heather Mitchell