In January this year, God gave me a vision about making the year dedicated to the Bible in our church. Our Deacon Body approved the vision and the church adopted it as a guide for worship and ministry during the entire year. The vision included memorizing 12 passages of scripture, one per month, that every believer and follower of Jesus Christ should know and be able to quote. We have been consistent and faithful all year long repeating together and quoting scripture to begin every worship service up to the latest one, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
 
Could we have imagined back in January what this verse would mean to us after one of the greatest economic turndowns ever experienced since the Great Depression. God has not only supplied our needs, He has poured out His blessing upon our church through tithes and offerings that have exceeded budget expectations throughout the year.
 
Many within our church have chosen to read through the Bible this year using the chronological order of readings recommended by Brother Edward Grant. We are at various stages of the plan depending on where people are in their progress, but the worthy goal of completing our reading of the entire Bible continues throughout our membership. This has made the Bible not only the centerpiece of our worship as a church family, but it has placed a priority on Bible reading in our homes. I continue to hear testimonies of progress and new insights gained for those who continue their personal journey through the word of God. Bible preaching and Bible reading are central to the character and unity in fellowship of a Godly church.
 
I preached 5 sermons on the Bible, beginning with one entitled “My Family Bible” on January 12th. These sermons served to kick-off our emphasis on Bible preaching this year. On February 2nd, I began a new series of 24 sermons preaching through Psalm 119 which demonstrated the commitment and benefits of making the Bible the center of your life. Now, we are in the middle of a sermon series entitle, “I Believe in Jesus…” who embodied the word of God by embedding it in His life and work. In this series, we continue to see that there is no clearer understanding and no greater example of what living out the word of God day by day really means, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
 
This year we have encountered a health crisis as a nation, and economic slowdown, a racial challenge and a political divide greater than any I can remember in my lifetime. Through all the noise and uncertainty we have endured this year, we remain on course and the Bible is still out front in our church. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (John 12:32)
 
No matter what we face in the remaining months of the year. In spite of the challenges that continue to confront us. In the prospect of a hotly contested presidential race and a divided outcome, I am committed to remain faithful to the vision God gave us at the beginning of the year. I will preach Jesus and lift Him up as our Savior and complete fulfillment of what God’s word says. After all, He was the one who said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)
 
The best I can do right now is to remain faithful in fulfilling the vision to lift up God’s word.

On June 6, 1944, the United States landed 73,000 American troops on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion. Our men were part of a total invasion force of 156,000 allied forces that would eventually result in the total surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of the Second World War in Europe. On that morning, during the last year of President Roosevelt’s presidency, dressed in all white with hair silver grey, our leader led the nation in prayer during his radio broadcast:
 
“In this poignant moment I ask you to join with me in prayer; Almighty God: our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set on a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity… They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest—until the victory is won.”
 
On that day, 4,400 allied forces died and over 9,000 were wounded and missing in action. Before they gave up their lives in service to our country and freedom around the world, the President prayed for them and asked God to make their fighting and sacrifices count for good and for the preservation of our civilization on earth. Though my dad was not a part of the invasion of France, he was a part of 30,000 American troops in Iceland at that time who guarded the northern shipping lanes in the Atlantic Ocean. This mission preserved the vital transport of troops and supplies so important to the invasion effort. While President Roosevelt’s prayer focused on the invasion forces, I believe it included my dad and all others who served to defeat our bitter enemy.
 
Do you know that God’s will and purpose is immutable?
 
That means God has established the final outcome and the overall goal of everything He has created. While things change, kingdom’s rise and fall, and good and evil struggle within God’s plan. The end result is already determined by God Himself. Here is the way King David talked about God’s plan, “Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands, even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.” (Psalm 102: 25-27)
 
Listen to the apostle Paul’s trust in the direction of God’s unchanging will, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
 
President Roosevelt believed that God is in control of everything and that His will for all those who put their lives on the line that day would result in a mighty victory over a hard and determined enemy. He also believed in the ultimate TRIUMPH of God’s sovereign plan for His creation. It’s like that which Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
 
In this day of COVID 19, economic uncertainty, racial unrest, and political division, choose to pray like Jesus taught and Roosevelt practiced. God’s “VICTORY WILL BE WON” as we pray and fight together with Him.
 
We can trust God because His plan never changes.

Fall is in the air. Days are getting dryer and cooler. Leaves are beginning to turn and fall to the ground. Kids have returned to school and football starts this week. I have not yet changed my short-sleeves into long-sleeves, but those days are coming soon. We are getting ready to begin our planning cycle for the coming church year by projecting the ministries and events God would have us do in 2021. Our Church Leadership Team will begin working soon to forecast the calendar of activities to guide our church forward. The Stewardship and Finance Team will start its work this Tuesday to study our financial status in order to project a workable church budget for the new church year. The church voted last Sunday to choose deacons to begin service in the coming year. The work of our church continues with God leading us to face today’s challenges in the strength of tomorrow’s promise.
 
The words of the Lord still apply, “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
 
God is not yet finished with this world. He is still working to accomplish His plan for planet earth, America, and Grace Baptist Church. Our future is as bright and hope filled as it has ever been. We must refrain from allowing the present circumstances to discourage us. We know that since “…God is for us…nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:31, 39)
 
As of this week, COVID-19 cases in Georgia stand at less than 2,000. Hall county reports 923 total cases. At the present time all of our membership is COVID free with our young people and children healthy after the first 2 weeks of school. We are truly blessed by God continuing to have socially distanced Sunday School and worship services in which most of our people faithfully wear their masks and practice safe interaction. The church is thoroughly scrubbed and sanitized each week which provides safe and clean facilities for our people. We are doing what is recommended by our medical and government leaders. Georgia considers Houses of Worship as essential services recommending that churches should continue as many of their functions as necessary while practicing the guidelines of mask wearing, social distancing and sanitary cleanliness. Our church remains in full compliance with all the recommended guidelines.
 
If someone had told me at this time last year, we would be facing the circumstances that have come to pass this year, I could not have believed it. We planned then like nothing unusual would occur. We were looking forward to another year of growth and advance in ministry without interruption. This year everything has changed, and our church still continues to thrive. Like the saying goes, “I know not what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.”
 
So, the fall season means planning, projecting, dreaming and hoping. That is what we do here at Grace. We continue to be the people of God who believe the best in the hope of God’s blessing. Let’s pledge ourselves this fall season to continue to:

1. LOOK AHEAD,
2. LOOK UP TO GOD WHO IS IN CONTROL, AND
3. LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER IN THE LOVE AND COMPASSION OF JESUS.

​Labor today is under a heavy load of stress. The pandemic has caused 18 million working people to lose their jobs. Almost 30 million have filed for unemployment insurance averaging about 1 million new unemployment claims filed every month since the pandemic started. More than 54 million people face hunger every day right now. Hunger is defined as taking in 1,800 calories per day or less. Of that number, 18 million are children. The health crisis caused by the pandemic has created a second-wave pandemic in joblessness and hunger. We come to Labor Day this year celebrating the dignity of work, but we also grieve for those who suffer because their work has been lost.
 
Here is a verse to remember during this time of difficulty:
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Jesus never went a single day without meaningful work to do. The Bible says, “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)
 
Doing good was His job and He did it well. Work is good. Work is beneficial and therapeutic. Without meaningful work, none of us are as fulfilled and happy as we should be. During these days of lay-offs and furloughs, find something good to do. Help somebody in need. Extend a kind word or lend a hand to someone. Doing good for others does something really good for you.

​Do you know somebody who is hungry?
Have you seen somebody on the streets who may be hungry?

​Last week there was a young man on our church property who has been homeless since March. His name is James. I approached him and began a conversation. I learned that he had not eaten all day, so I gave him a $10 bill to go and find something to eat. When I gave him the money, I talked with him about Jesus who knows what hunger is all about. I told him that Jesus fed 5,000 people one day. I shared that Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was hungry at the end of it. I shared with him that Jesus knows what hunger feels like because he had been hungry himself.
 
Maybe this Labor Day you might want to feed somebody who is hungry. Ask God to put somebody in your path that you can help. Reach out and find a person who has lost their job or been laid off. Take them something to eat and pray with them. Give someone a job to do around your house or in your yard. Pay them well so they can use the money you provide to buy food or pay a bill. Celebrate the spirit of good work by helping someone do something good for you.