Carrying Out the Mandate (Part 3)
John 4:23
Pastor Jerry Koller

Worship is an active response to God whereby we declare His worth.

The Message:
• The message, as we know it, was not something that was always done in the church.

In the 1500’s, an event happened that we called the Protestant Reformation happened, and it affected Christianity in many ways, a significant effect centered on the word of God itself.
• Preaching, not the celebration of the mass, became the main component of Protestant worship.
• The pulpit replaced the altar and was located where every eye could see it.
• The word of God, delivered through speech, through oratory skills, became the central component of protestant worship

At least half of the time we devote to worship consists of a message based on the word of God. Scripture says:

Three factors come into play in order for a sermon to be effective:
• Preacher: For us to be able to successfully celebrate the Word, the speaker or preacher must faithfully deliver it. (see 1 Cor. 2:1-5)
• The message must be Christ-centered.

The Holy Spirit

The Congregation

When it comes to the message, we must understand that God is talking to us through His Word.
• It is not enough to just hear the word. We must listen to the word with ears that hear.
• We must take what we hear to heart.
• We must purpose in our hearts to let the Holy Spirit apply it to our lives.

Reflective Prayer: The primary reason why we have a prayer time at the conclusion of a message is to give each one of us an opportunity to actively respond to God in light of His word.
• The word of God demands a response.
• Now that we have heard the word of the God, what are we going to do with it?

A Three-Fold Response: Consecration, Confession, and Commitment.
• Consecration is the act of setting apart any person or thing to the worship or service of God. (see John 17:17)
• We align our lives, our thoughts, our actions, our goals and desires with what God has just revealed to us in His word.

Confession is taking responsibility for any thought and action that may be contrary to the word of God.
• Through confession, we take responsibility for our thoughts and actions while at the same time acknowledging the forgiveness God has provided for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Commitment is the act of binding ourselves to a course of action.
• It is a solution to the question, Now that we have heard the word of the God, what are we going to do with it?

In addition to this three-fold response to God’s word, Prayer Time also acknowledges our dependence on Christ.

It is also a time when we can intercede for the needs of one another, whether they are a part of this local church family or members of our community.

mission café
Sundays | 9:00-10:15am | Mission Cafe

worship
Sundays | 10:30am | Sanctuary
• If you're unable to join us in-person, you can watch live on Facebook or view later in the week on Facebook or YouTube or listen to an audio only version on Archive.

children’s worship
Sundays | 10:30am | Children’s Worship Room
• Ages 5 years old through 5th grade
• Does not meet on the first Sunday of each month.
• Contact Alyssa Newell for questions or more information.

men’s bible study
Tuesdays | 7:00-8:30pm | Mission Café
• Contact Paul Fitton or Larry Dobberstein for questions or more information.

church office open
Wednesdays | 11:00am-4:00pm

theology class
Wednesdays | 7:00-8:00pm | Main Foyer
• Closed course.

bible study
Thursdays | 9:30-11:30am | Online
• New study starting soon; open to new participants at any time.
• Contact Tina Wilburn for questions or more information.

women’s craft group
Thursdays | 6:30pm | Craft Room
• Contact Tracy Marshall for questions or more information.

coming soon
• Special Business Meeting: Sun. 5/24 | after worship | Sanctuary
• Graduation Sunday: 5/31 | during worship | Sanctuary

• Miriam Bryant and her family upon the loss of her son, Vincent, on 5/10.
• John Seitz is recovering from prostate surgery.
• Tina Chandler (Brandy Zantello's mom) is recovering from surgery to remove a cyst on her liver.
• Debbie Foskett (Bill Foskett's mother) fell and broke her wrist. She is waiting for swelling to reduce and will then possibly have surgery.
• Randy Marshall (Dan Marshall's father) has been diagnosed and is in the early stages of Alzheimer's dementia.
• Janet (Julie Zantello & Chris Truer's sister) is recovering from a successful shoulder replacement surgery.
• Bruce Ferguson is recovering from a procedure to prepare his prostate and bladder for radiation. Pray that everything heals properly.
• Lennon McKamey is recovering from shoulder surgery.
• Maria Saldana (director of So. Haven Childcare) is recovering from surgery.
• Check out our monthly prayer card on-line at southhavenfbc.com under “Weekly Bulletins” for a list of those with on-going needs.

First Baptist Church
1635 76th Street
South Haven, MI 49090
269-637-1291
southhavenfbc@gmail.com