If we grow up to be great doctors, lawyers, athletes, or musicians, but do not honor and obey God, we have failed. If we are a success in the world but are not faithful followers of Christ, it is all in vain. Not that we can not be those things and honor God, but that if we are those things and do not honor God we have lost! Remember, Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 says, What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

About the most important thing in your life is to build a foundation for who you are supposed to be in the three main relationships: Relationship to God, Relationship to Family, Faithfulness to Fellowship. The question is, what are you doing today to be who God created and called you to be? You will only be what you are becoming today. Let me give you some examples of how this applies to your every day life – today!

You will only have the relationship with God that you are developing today. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Jesus brought it forward in Matthew 22:37, And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Godliness does not just happen with age, nor does it happen over night. It is characterized biblically as a walk because it is a long progression in a deliberate direction; characterized by obedience and devotion, one day at a time.

You will only have the relationship with your spouse and family that you are developing today.

Ephesians 5 and 6 have a great deal to say about having a godly family; Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

How you handle relationships today will affect your relationship with your spouse. If you are fickle and jumping around now, you will be inclined to those kinds of relationships then. If he is abusive and controlling now, then he will probably be more so then. If you are dishonest and selfish now, then you will fight that mode of operation as an adult. You will only view your children with the perspective you are developing today. How do you view children? Are they a blessing from God, or a burden, or a curse? The Bible views them as a gift from God, a crown and a blessing.

You will only have the relationship with the local church fellowship that you are developing today. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. We can not be part-time churchgoers any more than we can be part-time believers. What is your relationship to the local church today? Are you stirring up something other than love and good works, or are you in the habit of neglecting to meet together? Your relationship with the church today will affect your relationship later. Your role in the church today will affect your role in the church later. Your response to the church today will affect your response to the church later.

You will only become what God created and called you to be, by being what He created and called you to be today. You can only not waste your life by not wasting today! Where are you even promised tomorrow? Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today, because you can not become tomorrow what you are not becoming today!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Reid

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

With freedom comes responsibility, and we have to take responsibility for our faith. We have to remember to always make God our first desire, because that is where real freedom lies. The Bible says that where the Spirit of God is there is freedom, but it also says do not use your freedom as an excuse for sin. We have to remember that God desires to have fellowship with us. He wants to be with us, and wants to bless us and be affectionate toward us. God delights in us when we trust in Him. If we are children of God, then we delight when He delights in us. That is why Piper says that God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him, and we are most satisfied in Him when He is most glorified in us.

We are starting a new book in Sunday School this week, the book of Colossians. This little book was chosen to help us all think more deeply about our spiritual lives this Summer, and as we move through it and finish our study of Ephesians, we should be encouraged in living out the more practical aspects of our spiritual lives. I pray that you will make the most of it and really commit to being here this Summer as much as you can, and spending this Summer growing in wisdom and the knowledge of God, knowing the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Next Sunday will be the drawing for the Big Snooz Letter Prize.  So, this is the last week to get you name in the drawing by telling me who Epaphras is and why he is an important figure. The first three people to come tell me who He is gets a small prize this week, but anyone who comes to tell me who he is gets their name in the drawing for the big prize.

There are a couple of other things I want you to be aware of. We will be holding FUEL Praise Team interviews and auditions during the month of June. If you are interested in trying to be part of the FPT, you need to talk to Jason McHenry or myself in the next couple of weeks and fill out an application as soon as they are available (Wednesday, June 1).

Also, We will be selecting a new Student Leadership Team for next year. That team will be made up of one representative from each Sunday School class, as elected by that class. The classes in the Fall will be; 7-9^th grade Girls, 7-9^th grade Boys, 10-11^th grade Girls, 10-11th grade Boys, and Co-ed Seniors. Also, the entire group will vote on one Senior to be the Captain of the SLT. That group will help plan activities and service projects, as they meet with me once a month, and will pray with me as I consult with them concerning ministry to students. Those elections will be held on Promotion Sunday, August 21^st.

Promotion Retreat (Rookie Camp) will be August 20^th, but the new 7^th graders will join us, starting August 3^rd, when FUEL starts back after the July break. Starting that night, Fuel Breakout Groups will be going through a workbook called Developing Disciplines. This workbook is a 25 week strategy designed to help establish the fundamental disciplines that are key to the discipleship process. There will be significant rewards for completing the workbook each semester. Y-MIT will start back September 11^th with The Truth Project!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Reid

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

All students are invited to our day trip to Six Flags over Georgia on Monday, June 1. We will be leaving at 6:45 am and return around 10:20 pm.  Any student in grades 7-12 is welcome to go.  Cost is $30 plus money for two meals. All students will need to complete and turn in an updated permission form to go on this trip.  Trip fee is due Sunday, May 24th.  We need an accurate count by this date.  Make plans to join us for this fun day.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Our retreat will be a 24-hour Friday and Saturday event designed to give you some solid teaching about your ‘identity in Christ’ and allow time and opportunity for you to connect with others in this ministry.  It will be memorable, and you don’t want to miss out.  Make sure you follow the “what to bring list” and get your small fee returned by Sunday, September 6th.  Welcome aboard Rookies!  We’re looking forward to a great year.

What to bring:  Bible, pen, sleeping bag, pillow, towel, sunscreen, toiletries, modest swimsuit, change of clothes.  All rookies bring a 2-liter drink; GUYS bring a bag of chips, GIRLS bring snack – Oreos, Skittles, etc.  $10 fee is due September 6th.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

As you might imagine, this was a very provocative statement for his church that reverberated loudly within the wider Atlanta community.  The local NBC affiliate in Atlanta picked up on the story and did a follow-up interview with the pastor.  They subsequently found out that the church would be partnering with Bethany Christian Services to facilitate the adoption of any unwanted infants, both by church members and by those in the wider community.

I’m sharing this story with you this week for two reasons.  First, this is an excellent example of how the church is supposed to function in the world.  Conservative evangelical churches are quick to condemn abortion, and in the process, we unintentionally vilify single mothers and hurting women, effectively shutting down critical avenues of ministry to those who need to know the forgiveness and love of Christ.  We cannot just be bold in preaching the biblical standard, we also must be the first ones to step out in faith and obey the biblical standard.
Saving the lives of unborn children is more about opening our homes and hearts to them than forcing a political agenda.  We still need to utilize our freedom to vote in a godly manner, but I dare say that Peachtree Presbyterian Church will save more lives this way than they would with any voting campaign at election time.  This same lesson applies to helping the poor, protecting a biblical ethic of marriage, and fighting racism.  It is not just about how loudly we speak, it is about how actively we glorify God by sacrificing our time and resources, by getting out among the hurting and getting our hands dirty, and by serving those in need in the name of Christ.
The second reason I am sharing this story with you is because I want our church family to experience the blessings that come with helping children in need.  Right now, our leadership is prayerfully examining opportunities that will help us develop this kind of ministry.  In the upcoming MIT quarter, we will be teaching a class on Adoption.  Early next year, we hope to offer classes that will assist couples who would like to adopt as well as training those who would like to serve as foster parents.
I know there are many challenges that come with this type of ministry, but it is time for us to go beyond mere rhetoric about the sanctity of life and really invest ourselves in being “family” to the motherless and fatherless in our world.  Can you imagine how quickly Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry would shrink if all biblical churches stepped forward in this way?  It would be a mighty move of God!  The lesson is this:  We must preach the Word, but we must also be brave enough to walk the talk.  I love you all dearly!

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Journey of Faith Children’s Class

Sunday Evenings 5:00 – 6:15 pm
August 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th

We have a new four-week course designed for children who are interested in knowing what it means to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.  All curious children are invited!  This class is especially designed for children who think they have already come to faith in Christ and who are interested in seeking baptism and church membership.  It will help them come to a biblically grounded assurance of salvation.  The Journey of Faith class is prerequisite to any child’s baptism and membership.  We’re also asking that at least one parent attend the class with the child.  Please register for the course by calling the church office at 272-2304 by July 31.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church