It has been really awesome to see God fill up the food pantry this week.  God answers prayers!  I really pray that we can see Christ impact and change people lives through our food pantry ministry.  I am so blessed that God called me to a church that believes in doing ministry.  My prayer is that we would see more and more people getting involved with all the various ministries we do here at FBC Henryville.  If you want to know what you can do.  Come see me and lets pray and ask God where He wants to place you.  The reality is that God is moving in our church, and if you want to be involved all you need to do is say, “here am I Lord, send me”.  The only true joy and satisfaction that can be found in this life is in Christ and His will for your life.  Christians, please get plugged in here at church doing what God has called you to do.  Really I should change that and say get plugged into Christ and He will plug you into His Church where He wants you to serve.

John 15:1-11  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  (2)  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  (3)  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  (4)  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  (5)  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  (6)  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  (7)  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  (8)  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.  (9)  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  (10)  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  (11)  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

So there you go.  True joy is found in Christ, and those who are abiding in Christ are gonna bear much fruit.  Which means if you are plugged in to Christ, then He is plugging you into His Church and your bearing much fruit.

I’m gonna go for now and get to studying for Sunday.  My title is “Living Water”.  I really love studying God’s Word.  The more I study the more I realize how ignorant I am and how incredibly amazing He is.  Please be praying for God to speak to your heart.  Pray for your brothers and sister in Christ.  Pray for the lost of our community to come hear the Word and believe the gospel.  And invite someone to come with you this Sunday.

In Christ,

Toby

I hope that everyone is doing great.  I just wanted to write and let everyone know that I didn’t stop writing on purpose.  It was a complete accident.  I was walking out to the truck the other day and I fell down.  When I got up I had a bow in my hand and a tree stand on my back.  The next thing I knew I was hanging about 30 feet off the ground on the side of a tree.  Crazy Huh!!  I just wish I would have accidentally shot a big old buck.  However, I still answer my phone if you need me and I happen to accidentally land in a tree again.  Its kinda funny when people call and I’m whispering; they ask me if I’m sick.  I tell them, no, I’m whispering because I’m hunting.  It’s funny cause some people will start whispering back that their sorry for calling me.  I tell them I don’t mind if they call, and they don’t have to whisper.  But not everyone responds the same when I tell them that I’m hunting.  Candy laughed for 20 minutes.  She thought it was hilarious that I was hunting and answered my phone whispering.

There is a lot of things for us to do these coming weeks.  I hope that you find a place to get involved.  We still need people to work at the Fall Festival.  See Willy if you want to know where you can be used.  Also operation Christmas child is getting into full swing; if you would like to be involved with that see Sherry.  The youth are planning a bond fire, weeny roast and hay ride; if you would like to be involved with that see Matt.  Also, we are getting ready for our Christmas musical; if you would like to be involved see Enda or Mandy.  We also are trying to get the boulders moved into the ditch behind the church; if you would like to be involved in that see Mark.  Food pantry just got a bunch of diapers and paper products from the association.  We praise the Lord for that!  Beginning Wednesday the food pantry will be receiving can goods from the food drive that the school is doing; if you would like to be involved with that see Stella.  If you would like the help with the clothing closet see Robin.  Right now one of the greatest needs that we have as a church is people to volunteer to work with children and keep the nursery.  We need Nursery workers for Sunday mornings/nights and Wednesday nights;  If you would like to help see me.

God is so good to us!  I hope that you are growing in your love for Christ and His people.  Please let me know if there is anything I can do to serve you.

Your Pastor,

Toby

October 11, 2009     John 3:16-21

Download sermon

I hope that you will be able to get out tonight and come to the Community center for chili, Karaoke, and a silent auction.  We have some really great things to auction off tonight, so I hope that you all can come.  That is if you can get out of your road with all the flooding that we’ve had.  Guess what?  The Church took on water again.  What’s that 6 times so far?  LOL!!!!  Good thing we’re Baptist and aren’t afraid of water.

I’m really excited about how God is moving in our Church.  To have 70 people in Sunday School is really awesome.  I want to thank all of the teachers for all of their hard work and dedication to teach the Word.  If you are not coming to Sunday School I want to encourage you to come and be a part of what God is doing.  We have classes for every age.  Sunday School starts at 9:45.  If you don’t know what class you would go to just come at 9:30 and see Donna Horton in the Secretary office and she will show you and your family where to go.

Please pray for God to speak to His people Sunday.  Speaking of which the the “Homer Gomer” sermon is up now”.  So embarrassing!!

In Christ,

Toby

October 4, 2009 John 3:16

Download sermon

I thought about telling Matt to erase that part of my sermon before uploading it to the website, but I came to the conclusion that I should leave it in there.  I think its important for people to know that I’m an idiot, and that if they get moved during the message its God moving them and not me.  So I hope that you enjoyed a laugh and if you didn’t then just go listen to it on the sermon audio player and you can laugh for the first time or again.  To God be the glory for the great things that He has done.

Your pastor,

Toby

If you have prayer requests for your brothers and sisters in Christ to lift before the Lord during October, Click on Prayer Requests for October 2009  above, then type the prayer request in the comment box below.

We are in danger of stopping short of the great commission.  Some may think that we have fulfilled the great commission because we did an evangelistic crusade and many people came to know the Lord.  So now we are tempted to think that we can kick up the recliner and cruise for a while.  NO, NO, NO!!!!  We are not done!  Don’t misunderstand this as a rebuke, because it’s not.  At least not yet.  I see a danger and this post is preventive maintenance, so as, to steer us away from this pitfall.  That pitfall being our sitting back and putting the car on cruise control thinking that our work is done.  Don’t take me wrong.  I’m so proud of everyone of you and the hard work you put into taking the gospel to this community, but our work is not done.  The great commission is also about teaching and disciplining.   We’ve sent letters and e-mails to all those who trusted Christ, and I’ve sent letters to all the pastors who had members believe the gospel here last week, but many who believed don’t have a church.  It is our responsibility to go teach and disciple these babes in Christ.  Please join me in fulfilling the great commission God has mandated for our church.  We will leave the church tonight at 5:30 going to visit those new believers.  Please come!  If you can’t please pray!!!!

Also be praying for me as I prepare to preach God’s Word Sunday.  Pray that God would preach to me and change me so that I might preach to you from the heart the things that God has preached to me. Pray for our youth, pray for our food pantry, pray for our clothing closet, pray for our school, pray for our mission team, pray for our deacons, and pray for our staff.

In Christ,

Toby