News and Resources (Page 9)
Midweek Update December 6, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This Sunday is the second Sunday in Advent, sometimes called “Peace Sunday.” You may find it hard at times to trust that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We can be cynical about that reality when we turn on the news or navigate family tension. In the midst of chaos, our hearts long for order. In the midst of conflict, we ache for…
Midweek Update: November 29, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Advent is upon us! I don’t know about you, but sometimes it seems that no matter how much our family tries to prepare for Christmas, it always catches us a little by surprise. As you probably know, the word “advent” means “coming;” it is the season in the church calendar when we prepare to celebrate the first coming of…
November 22, 2023 Midweek Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). We could spend our whole lives listing out things to be thankful for as believers, and we would never get to the bottom of the list, because God’s gifts to us are infinite.…
November 15 Midweek Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters, When we are secure in God’s eternal covenant (as every Christian is), God himself equips and enables us to follow his will in pleasing him. This Sunday we conclude our sermon series The Glory of Christ with Hebrews 13:20-25, a passage that—fittingly—closes with ascribing glory to Jesus. Click here for the livestream to Sunday’s worship service…
Midweek Update: November 9
Dear Faith Community Church Family, It’s so exciting to see our Called to Flourish Vision Campaign starting to bear fruit! At this point, we have raised $188,632 in pledges, allowing us to move forward with significant building renovations and improvements. You have probably noticed the new flooring in several of our classrooms. Additionally, work has begun to…
Midweek Update: November 1
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Every nation and every kingdom will one day come to an end, but the kingdom of God is everlasting. “Therefore,” says the author of Hebrews, “let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). The kingdom of Jesus will not falter or fail, and the King of this kingdom reigns forever and ever. As believers in Jesus,…
Midweek Update Oct. 18, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, The book of Hebrews is one of the most theologically rich books in all the New Testament, but it is also a book that is immensely practical. In our passage for this Sunday, Hebrews 12:12-17, the author is very specific about how we are to put into practice what he has been preaching. He calls us, for example, to “[s]trive for peace with…
Midweek Update: October 4, 2023
Dear Faith Community Church Family, One of the clearest and theologically rich passages on generosity in the Scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 8-9. Paul writes 2 Corinthians for two main reasons: First, to respond to people who were saying Paul had suffered too much in his ministry to be a true Apostle (Paul responds by saying that suffering is the means by which God…
Midweek Update: September 27
Dear Faith Community Church Family, In Ezekiel 17:22-24, we read these words: “And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” God makes the dry tree flourish in order to make his name and glory known…
Midweek Update: September 13, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, The dominant theme that ran through Sunday’s worship service and Vision Campaign presentation was the faithfulness of God. Our God is faithful at all times and in all circumstances. During the Vision Campaign presentation, I shared from Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are…
Midweek Update: September 6, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, A year ago we launched our Called to Flourish three year vision. The primary aim of this vision is to put into practice in a very concrete way our church’s purpose statement. Over these last twelve months I’ve seen the Lord transforming our congregation and causing us to flourish in multiple areas. In fact, many of you have shared with me how…
August 31 Midweek Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This week I had a conversation with our son, Charlie, about what the word “church” means. In the Bible, the word “church” doesn’t refer to a building, but rather the people of God; the people God has called out of the world to be members of his family. The church includes all believers everywhere, from the era of the Old Testament and all those…
Midweek Update: August 23, 2023
Dear Faith Community Church Family, Hebrews chapter 11 is sometimes called the “Hall of Faith,” and for good reason. It includes many godly examples of faithful believers from the Old Testament; people like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph–and the list goes on. These persevering believers were anything but perfect; however, through difficulties, disappointments, and…
Midweek Update: August 16, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, God never intended that we would live the Christian life alone. We need one another for support and encouragement in our spiritual journey. This is why the author of Hebrews says in last Sunday’s passage, “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). In fact, the author of Hebrews immediately “practices…
Midweek Update – August 9, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, One pattern that we see in several of the New Testament letters is the movement from explanation to application. Another way you could put this is the move from indicative to imperative, or, perhaps, from precept to practice. In the passage for this Sunday in our series The Glory of Christ, there is a grand transition in Hebrews from focusing on…
Midweek Update – August 2, 2023
Dear Faith Community Church Family, Thank you for your prayers for our family’s safety as we traveled. We enjoyed our time with my parents and siblings and were refreshed as we had the opportunity to take in the beautiful views of the gulf coast. I am looking forward to worshipping with you this Lord’s Day. On Sunday, we will turn our attention to Hebrews 10:1-18, where…
Midweek Update July 19, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters: This past Sunday Pastor Rhett preached from Hebrews 9:23-28 about the sacrifice Christ offered once and for all. Through His sacrifice we are guaranteed that Jesus intercedes for us, we are guaranteed forgiveness of sin, and we are guaranteed that Jesus will return for His people. Pastor asked us the question: “Are you longing for the return of…
Midweek Update July 12, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, On Sunday we heard about the great things Jesus has accomplished on our behalf through his death and resurrection. Hebrews 9:11-22 tells us that the blood of Jesus has opened the way to the heavenly sanctuary, purchased eternal life, purified our conscience, inaugurated the New Covenant, and provided for us an eternal inheritance. In our passage…
Midweek Update July 5
Hebrews 9:12 states the following regarding Jesus’s work on our behalf: “[H]e entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” The author is emphasizing the contrast between the limited effectiveness of sacrifices under the Old Covenant (which had to be made…
Midweek Update June 28, 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters, On Sunday, I shared this quote with you from Charles Spurgeon, the 19th century English preacher: “When God writes His law in our hearts, He writes that which will never be blotted out. Once let Him take the pen in His hand, and begin to write, ‘Holy to Yahweh’ (Zech 14:20), right across a man’s heart, and the devil himself can never remove that…