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Sharing the Real Meaning of Christmas

December is a joyous time for believers as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. At Progress Baptist Church, we love to use this time of year to share with a lost, hurting world the truth of the gospel! On Saturday, December 1, we visited two area nursing homes/assisted living centers with gift bags for all the residents. At each facility we were able to sing some Christmas carols and share a short message from God’s Word.

On Saturday, December 15, we will hold our annual Christmas Dinner. This year we will be at the Boiling Springs Baptist Church fellowship hall in Fletcher. The evening will begin with good fellowship around some hot cider, coffee, and hot chocolate around 5:30 P.M. Then at 6:00 P.M., the Philbeck family will provide some good music for us to enjoy followed by a message from God’s Word from Pastor Barry Philbeck from Love Valley Baptist Church in Kings Mtn., NC. Then, we’ll enjoy a great meal and some more good fellowship. The church family is encouraged to bring friends and family with them to this event, and we hope to share the light of the gospel with many folks that night!

On Thursday, December 20, we will hold our annual caroling event. We’ll meet at the church at 6:00 and head out to a subdivision where we’ll carol and distribute Christmas-themed evangelism packets to all the homes. Afterwards, we’ll head back to the church for some good food, fellowship, and games!

God has been so good to us! We are thankful for His many blessings and are looking forward to the rest of the month of December as we worship Him and share His love with those who need a Saviour!

“Pressing On” is On the Air!

Sunday, September 30, 2012, is an exciting day in the history of Progress Baptist Church. Our radio broadcast ministry, “Pressing On,” will begin airing on WKJV 1380 AM in Asheville, NC. Earlier this year, WKJV begin simulcasting with a station in Bryson City, NC, giving much wider coverage into the western corner of our state.

We had been praying about a radio ministry, and our tentative plan was to inquire about beginning a weekly radio broadcast in early 2013. Then, at a tent meeting in Leicester, NC, in August, Dr. Wendell Runion, director of the station approached our pastor about an opening in their Sunday, mid-day schedule. The church family prayed about the opportunity, several folks committed to support the outreach financially, and the time slot was secured.

We are excited about this new avenue of outreach and look forward to what God has in store. Christian radio is important to saved and lost folks alike, and we are blessed in this nation to have the privilege to share the gospel over the airwaves. May God keep that freedom for the church!

So, tune in on Sundays from 12:30 – 1:00 P.M. on 1380 AM. We are praying that the broadcast of, “Pressing On” will be a blessing to you!

You’re invited to join us every Monday night at 7:00 P.M. and Sunday morning at 10:00 A.M. for a great time of preaching, teaching, encouragement, and fellowship. Since the first week in May, God has used these services and classes to help folks in our church family as well as some who do not have a church home.

Our primary goal is to preach Christ! He is the answer to all of life’s battles. “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18) For those who do not know Christ and are bound by addictions, hurt, and bitterness; the message of Christ and the cross will set you free! For those who have been saved, a steady diet of the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, Scripture memorization, accountability, and good fellowship is what we all need as we, “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 3:18)

If you need more information or would like to speak with someone about finding answers to life’s struggles, please call us at: 828-419-0722 or 828-545-9177. We would love to be a blessing to you!

Jubilee 2012 – What a Mighty God We Serve!

To God be the glory, great things He hath done! What a blessing to be in the house of the Lord for Jubilee 2012! God ordained each message, and He put each service together in such a way that only He could have ordered the messages in the way that He did. Each service and every message fit together like a interlocking puzzle piece, and when it was all said and done, the final product was a picture of the grace of God.

God helped so many people during the three days of service, and we are thankful. At the same time, He was continuing His great work in the body of Progress Baptist Church. Every message dealt with needs, burdens, and the heart of our church family. II Timothy 3:16 tells us that God’s Word is profitable, and how profitable It is! We received clear instruction, rebuke, and encouragement, and every man of God had tremendous liberty and power to preach God’s Truth!

May God bless the faithful Progress Baptist family! Your attendance, participation, giving, friendliness to our guests, and kindness to the men of God was a great blessing to all who were there and honored our Saviour! May God continue to make His face to shine upon us, and may all the glory go to Jesus!

 

 

God has directed us to build our year around the theme of, “A Sure Foundation.” Because Peter wrote that we have a “more sure word of prophecy” (II Peter 1:19), it is the desire of the Progress Baptist family to get a renewed vision of the importance of building our lives in, on, and around the Word of God. This year’s Spring Jubilee (April 1-3) will be no exception! A jubilee is a time set aside to enjoy the powerful, anointed preaching of the Word of God, and to enjoy a manifestation of the presence of God, and we are planning on doing just that! Our church family has been praying extra in preparation for this meeting, and we are expecting God to do a great work in our midst.

While old-time religion, separated living, and a Biblical passion for reaching the lost, have been mocked and/or compromised by so many in this Laodicean church age, there is still a remnant of God’s people who love the Word and the lost, yet are unashamed to walk in a separated, holy mannet that sets us apart from this wicked society we live in. We are not in bondage! We have been set free from sin, and it is an honor to be a child of the King of Kings!

If you live in or around the mountains of western North Carolina, we would love to have you come and visit with us during these special days! Lord willing, we’ll have special preaching all day Sunday, April 1, from men in our church family. then on Monday evening at 6:30 P.M., Tuesday morning at 9:30 A.M., and again on Tuesday evening at 6:30 P.M. we will hear from many great men of God. We hope to see you at Spring Jubilee 2012 at Progress Baptist!

And Prayer Was Made Daily

Be sure no time is so well spent as that which a man spends on his knees. (J.C. Ryle)

When reading the book of Acts, one of the first things you notice is the priority of prayer! Is it any wonder God did such great and mighty things for His church during this time period! They totally relied on HIm, and when He worked, the gave Him all the glory!

Starting Thursday, March 8 through Sunday April 1, our church family is putting special emphasis on prayer. We are asking God to manifest His presence during our Jubilee services, April 1-3, and to let His Word go forth in power during these days. The old song says, “All us vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down!” We are acknowledging to our Father that, “Without (Him) we can do nothing,”  and we are seeking His face.

In addition to those who have signed up to spend extra time in prayer, let’s all set aside time  to ask God to work in our midst. What a blessing it would be to see souls saved, families restored, and God’s people truly revived! God has left us here for a purpose, and we need His power if we are going to reach a lost world. Let’s cry out to God, asking that His Word and His presence be magnified during these days. More than a “stirring,” we need to be changed by a face-to-face encounter with a Holy God!

Jubilee Offering – Sunday, April 1

On Sunday morning, April 1, the church family will have an opportunity to give a special offering toward the expense of our Spring Jubilee which will be held April 1-3. Giving is a privilege, and it truly is, “More blessed to give than to receive.” Let’s pray about our offering ahead of time, and let’s trust the Lord to provide the amount HE lays on our hearts. Praying and planning for a special offering can be a great time to stretch our faith and deepen our dependence on our faithful Heavenly Father!

In I Chronicles 29:14 David said regarding an offering, “Of thine own have we given thee.” What a blessing it is to give back to God that which came from Him to start with! This special offering will be used to take care of those men who will preach to us during Jubilee, and it would be impossible to put a monetary value on the Spirit-anointed preaching of God’s Word. So let’s pray, plan, prepare, and trust God to meet the needs of this year’s meeting. He’ll do it through His people!

Little is Much When God is in It!

On February 1, Brother Jerry Sexton (Bearing Precious Seed) called to give our church an invitation to participate in National Bible Publishing Month during the month of February. This year, four specific doors had been opened to the folks at BPS; Southern Sudan, Zambia, Philippines, and Mexico. We were familiar with the ministry and definitely sensed that God was leading us to be a part of spreading His Word in this way.

The church family immediately began praying about a special offering that would be received on Sunday, February 26 for this cause. In addition, a coin offering that had been received for the past year was also designated for the Bible-publishing offering. During the last week of February the coin offering was totaled and came to right at $1,100! We were excited about this great start!

On Sunday morning, February 26, Brother Sexton preached a challenging message from Esther about the urgency of getting the message out to a lost world. God continued to work and move in the service, and soon it was offering time! God had touched hearts, and His people were obedient, and when the total was given, $4,250 had come in for this year’s Bible-publishing offering! In addition to the blessing of being able to give, God has has blessed our church with a spirit of sensitivity to the Word, and we are seeing Him honor simple obedience. When God’s people respond to the Light of His Word, He always responds by giving them MORE Light to walk in!

To God be the glory, great things He hath done! We are praying and expecting God to continue to work mightily at Progress Baptist!

Building Marriages on a Sure Foundation

One thing you can count on in today’s American culture; your marriage will be attacked by the winds, rain, and floods of our perverted, sin-sick society. Praise the Lord, we have the Word of God as our foundation. At Progress Baptist Church, the first weekend in March has been devoted to taking a Biblical look at marriage.

Evangelist Randy Sutherland and his family will be with us the entire weekend, and we are praying for God to give Brother Sutherland the very messages we need to help us build strong marriages and homes for His glory. Satan, the enemy of God and everything that is pure and holy is relentless in his attacks on the home, and the sad truth is; many young couples today have never seen a Bible-based marriage. God’s Word is still true, however, and the truths we find in its pages will work in every culture.

The weekend will begin with a relaxing time of fellowship, meal, and short message on Saturday evening. Then on Sunday, Brother Sutherland will be preaching in both the morning and evening services. Pray with us for this special weekend, and to those who are looking for a strong, Bible-believing church for your home and family, why not come and spend the weekend with us on March 3 and 4? We’d love to have you as our guests!

A Sure Foundation

Peter witnessed the glory of Christ and heard the voice of God on the Mount of Transfiguration. Yet, inspired by the Holy Ghost, he wrote; We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. 

While studying to preach during the month of December, the Lord directed my thoughts to all of the heavenly visions, dreams, and visits by angels that accompanied the birth of our Saviour. How special those times must have been in the lives of Mary, Joseph, Zacharia, and those we refer to as “the wise men”! Yet, as born-again believers, we hold in our hands something far greater! The written Word of God! Peter, who witnessed first-hand His glory, said that God’s Word was more sure than what he heard and saw on the holy mount. If we would be honest, we are so moved and guided by temporal things, and by our senses, that most of us would choose the opportunity of seeing/hearing such an event over reading about in God’s Word. Not Peter! Because we know that “all Scripture if given by inspiration of God,” we realize that this is not simply Peter’s opinion. His statement that the written word is more sure is also a part of God’s divine revelation to man about Himself. God used the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to tell us that HIs Word is more sure than what He allowed Peter to see and hear! The critics would call this “circular reasoning.” I call it powerful, life-changing truth from a sovereign God!

During 2012, the church family at Progress Baptist will enjoy a fresh focus on the Word of God as the Sure Foundation for everything we do. Every service, every special meeting, every activity, every outreach…everything will be based on God’s Word! If we can’t do it on the foundation of the Bible, then we don’t need to be wasting our time, money, and energy. As pastor, my prayer is that our commitment to God’s Word will be deeper and more meaningful as a result of looking at everything we do and say in the light of His revealed truth. I also believe the effect will carry over into our homes and individual lives. Too many professing believers check their Christianity at the door when leaving church on Sunday! What America, and the world, need today is to see real Christians in the workplace, marketplace, and at home who are sincerely attempting to follow God’s Word in every aspect of their lives.

May God’s grace and truth guide us as we build on our Sure Foundation!