examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

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2 from Pat Kelly, Lead Pastor ORDERING OFF THE MENU Have you ever been to a place where you get to create your own sandwich? For some people this can be overwhelming, having to check so many boxes. I like to know my options, and usually get my money s worth by loading it up. You know you are a foodie when you began to ask for things not on the menu. There is this restaurant in town that serves a special salsa only upon request. Even when you order it, the wait-staff still look at you and question whether you know what you are talking about. But if you persist with confidence, you get the special hot sauce. I am concerned that far too many Christians are just ordering off the menu and often times ordering the same thing expecting to experience something different. When they are dissatisfied with their order, they complain about the service, the food and may even change restaurants. But what if they knew to order off the menu. Paul and Silas are on a mission sharing the Gospel in Thessalonica. They created quite a stir that a mob formed. They were encouraged to move on to another city, Berea, under the cover of the night. Paul is not one to avoid persecution, but he agreed to do this. Acts 17:10-11 tells us that when Paul and Silas arrived in Berea and taught in the synagogue that they experienced a different audience. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. In spite of the angry mob, Paul had a great experience with the believers at Thessalonica, but these Jews in Berea were different. They wanted more. They were ready to order off the menu. In fact, they met daily to search the Scriptures. They wished to hear the message and study it beyond the Sabbath teaching. The response of the Berean Jews is remarkable. They were ready and prepared even before Paul s visit. They were open to Paul s teaching. When they heard the truth, they wanted more. We should imitate these Berean s by faithfully studying God s Word daily, discussing it, and testing the messages that we hear. Recently I had lunch with a young man I have been discipling this past year. After sharing a simple truth with him based on our conversation, he turned to me and said that he wanted more. He asked where he could go in the Bible to go deeper? He was ordering off the menu. I believe the Lord wants to give us more of Him, if we would approach with humility and in faith. There are depths that Father God is waiting to lead us to, if we would just order off the menu. Praying for you in your pursuit of Him. Agape, Pat Kelly Lead Pastor

3 SING A NEW SONG He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3 from Blake Russell, Worship Pastor Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. Isaiah 42:10 And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation Revelation 5:9 Repeatedly we see this phrase in scriptures: Sing a new song. Does this mean that we should only sing new songs that we ve never heard or sang before? I don t think so. However there is a need for us to continue to write and sing new songs that are a reflection of the heart of our church and community. Lets think about the power of a song. Many times we hear a melody or we listen to a song on the radio and takes us to a different place. We begin to remember the events and people of days past. Music can conjure up many different emotions. It can be a verbal expression of the deepest feelings in our heart. A song can bring peace, or it can create stress. A song can say many things. Sing a new song. The word new in the scriptures translate to the Hebrew word for fresh. The idea here is that we should be singing songs of worship with a purposeful heart and spirit. Too often we sing lyrics without that fresh spirit. Maybe we ve sang a song hundreds of times, and we ve all but forgotten what we re actually singing, the words we re actually saying to God. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. In that line we see a story of sacrifice, grace, mercy, and redemption. Jesus Paid it All was written in It is by no means a new song, however if we sing it with purpose, if we meditate on the lyrics, if these words are an overflow of the worship in our heart, then we sing a new song to the Lord. Let s look at the flip side of that. Have you ever been walking along and suddenly find yourself mindlessly humming or singing the lyrics to a shallow pop song? Everyone knows it can be incredibly hard to get things like that out of your head. Other than it being extremely annoying, the larger danger is that you might be speaking words that aren t a reflection of your heart, but since the music was catchy, it was something easily picked up. A song can be powerful. Blake Russell Worship Pastor

4 HEART ATTACK from Becky Weems, Children s Director So, it being February, I thought back at one of my favorite activities that we have done with children. We gave out heart attacks. I know that this sounds crazy. Why would you want to give someone a heart attack? It s not what you think. We did not cause people to go into distress or have sudden heart murmurs - quite the opposite. We let them know that they are dearly loved, not forgotten, and even as much as we love them the Heavenly Father adores them even more. Our heavenly Father says that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in Psalm 139:14; they are the apple of His eye (Deut. 7:6); they are his treasured possession (Phil. 4:8); and He is our refuge and our shield. We can put our hope in his word (Psalm 119:114). Surprise a loved one with a heart attack this Vaentine s Day. Showing you care is easier than you think. As crazy as it sounds, we would jump out of the car, attack someone s car or front door with hearts that would stick all over and cover the surface. Each heart would remind them of our love for them or Gods love for them. Don t we need to be reminded of how passionately God loves us and how his love for us is just over the top. I would encourage you - if you know the sweet love of God - to love someone extravagantly this February. Cut out hearts, write reminders of how you love or how God loves that person, and then give them a heart attack. We just cannot keep it to ourselves. God s love is constant, sure, overwhelming, and spills over into others lives through us! Send a package to someone to remind them that you are thinking of them. Becky Weems Children s Minister

5 PROVE IT THE DIFFERENCE from Matt Murray, Student Pastor Last month we took a group of students and leaders to a weekend discipleship conference at Pineywoods Baptist Encampment called The Difference. A total of 224 people from several Nacogdoches youth ministries came together for a weekend focused on deepening our relationship with God and growing closer to others. The theme of the weekend was Prove It and it centered around us living a life that proves what we believe. We had a great time and God was glorified through it all. rence 2015 t 7th graders Lexi Weems and Maddy Stout at The Difference Lexi Weems (left, Rebecca Clark (top), Maddy Stout (right), with Megan Murray. Armorbearer Kelsey McDougald with students Allison Clark, Camryn Barrios, and Whitney Clark at The Difference. Rebecca Clark and Maddy Stout in Bible study. Students preparing for worship. Clay Rushing (leader), Mason Jones (10th grade), Jonathan Hartwell (leader), with Matt Murray. FEBRUARY SERIES: Blurred Lines (Starts Feb 4th) Wednesdays, 6:00pm 7:30pm Students are bombarded daily with messages about sex, dating, and relationships. It s all over movies, magazines, music, and so much more. It seems like the lines have been blurred when it comes to what God says about it. During this series, we will dive into God s Word to discover the truth about sex, dating and relationships and uncover the lies surrounding every single one of us. Matt Murray Youth Pastor

6 INVESTING IN GENERATIONS I pray you have been refreshed and gained a deeper level of focus as we have wrapped up this fast and sermon series. Every week in staff meeting we begin by reading the scriptures together. Yesterday we read Psalm 71 and a I wanted to share with you a section of that chapter which really stood out to me. Look at Psalm 71: 17-19: O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, eaches the high heavens. You have done great things, O God, who is like you? from Kendall McDonald, University Pastor seen him work in our lives to the next generation. Second, by asking God for continued strength until the work is done, David is recognizing that telling the next generation is a process. It s not something that happens once in one day. We cannot expect a generation of young people to receive the testimony of God s goodness because we tell them one time. It will happen as we continually speak about who God is while investing in the day to day lives of the next generation. No matter how old you are, there is always another generation coming behind you which needs to hear about the faithfulness of God. Who can you tell? Who can you invest in on a day to day basis. The next generation is dying to know God. Will we pray as David did, So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation. Shalom. David is recognizing God s faithfulness to him from his youth and his desire to still proclaim God s wondrous deeds. However, he quickly turns to a mandate and desire over his life to tell the next generation about the goodness of God. He asks God to not forsake him until he has proclaimed God s might to the next generation. Let s realize a couple of truths in this passage. One, David is rightly recognizing his job to declare the faithfulness of God to the next generation. God has designed for blessing to pass from one generation to the next through testimony. It is absolutely necessary for us to speak of who God is and how we have Kendall McDonald College Pastor

7 Baby Dedications