Peace is one of those words that gets used regularly in our culture but is seemingly impossible to achieve.  Perhaps the reason that we are unable to experience real peace is that we are seeking it outside of the only true source of Peace.  The Bible says that Jesus Christ is our 'Prince of Peace.' (Isaiah 9:6)  We will never find peace by passing laws and treaties, because the great flaw in the equation is the sinful heart of man.  The sinful, selfish heart of man is only seeking after personal satisfaction, and we as a society, and as individuals, will never find peace when everyone is looking out for his own interests.  True peace comes through the One who did not look out for His own interests, but instead humbled himself, becoming a man that He might lay down His life for us.  True peace comes because we are in right relationship with God, which can only come through salvation through Jesus Christ alone.  My prayer is that you have found true peace in your life, not through self-actualization or international peace talks, but through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, who died for us so that we could have everlasting life.  Join us this Sunday, May 8, 2011, at New Canaan as we explore the idea of peace, and define how we can work for it, therefore fulfilling the teachings of Jesus, who said in Matthew 5:9:  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

Thank you so much to everyone who served, cooked, cleaned up, and came to Homecoming 2011 at New Canaan!  We had a blessed day of worship and fellowship.  Thank you to Buck Coalson and Amy Coalson for blessing us with music.  I am certainly blessed to pastor such a great family of faith.  May Jesus be continually exalted in our midst as we meet together, share the gospel together, and love one another, to the glory of God!

I am very excited about Homecoming 2011 at New Canaan!  I am so excited because we will be joining together to worship God and fellowship with other believers.  My prayer for each person that comes is that they experience genuine worship of the one true God, and His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I hope that each one will feel the love of a church family that truly enjoys fellowshipping together in the Lord.  The Bible teaches us to “not give up meeting together” (Hebrews 10:25) but instead we are to try to find ways to build each other up and encourage one another in love.  In addition to our regular activites, Buck Coalson and his daughter Amy will be ministering to us through song.  Through our worship, may you be encouraged, may your faith be strengthened, and may you experience an encounter with the Lord today.  May His word richly dwell in your hearts so that you leave prepared to “contend for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3)  I truly believe the best is yet to come for New Canaan Baptist Church, and I invite everyone to join us as we journey on this road of faith in Christ and ministry to others!  It is my honor to serve as the pastor of such a wonderful and loving church family.

He is risen!   The cry echoes across the centuries, reminding us that we serve a Savior who is alive, whom death, hell and sin could not conquer, but who instead won the victory over all three.  Christianity is the only religion in the world where God Himself became a man for the purpose of bringing men to salvation, and Christ is the only religious figure in the world to have risen from the dead.  The resurrection is the most important belief held by Christians.  If Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, then God did not accept His sacrifice, and you and I are doomed to an eternity in hell, separated from God.  However, the fact that Jesus rose from the dead shows us that we who have received Him are now in right standing with God the Father, because He accepted the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross.  Archeologists may look for evidence against this claim, a secular culture may tell us we are crazy for believing in a risen Savior, liberal scholars may try to figure out how the disciples were able to create this well-known “myth,” but the fact remains that Jesus rose from the dead.  If He did not, then there is no reason to worship Him.  If He did, then there is no reason to worship anyone else, for He is the One who makes all things new!  He is risen, indeed!  Happy Easter!

Don't forget the easter weekend activities at New Canaan Baptist Church:
Good Friday - April 22, 2011 - 7 pm - Communion Service
Saturday - April 23, 2011 - 11 am - Easter Egg Hunt and Spring Fling
Easter Sunday - April 24, 2011 - 7 am - Sunrise Service
                                            10 am - Sunday School
                                            11 am - Morning Worship featuring the adult choir's Easter contata

We have some exciting upcoming events in the life of our church.  Easter weekend is just around the corner, and we are hosting some great events this year to help us celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Good Friday, April 22, we will have a communion service beginning at 7:00 pm.  Saturday, April 23, we will have a great time at the Spring Fling and Egg Hunt, and then Easter Sunday morning, we will begin the day with a Sunrise Service at 7:00 am, followed by breakfast, and then celebrate together with Sunday School at 10:00 am and Morning worship at 11:00 am.  Our morning worship service will include a beautiful contata by our choir celebrating the Risen Lord!

On Sunday, May 1, we will be having our Homecoming celebration.  We will have special music during the morning worship service at 11:00 am, I will be preaching the message, and then we will enjoy dinner on the grounds.  Everyone is invited to come.  Don't forget to bring some food for the dinner after the service!  Looking forward to seeing some old friends and making new ones as we celebrate together what the Lord has done through New Canaan Baptist Church over the years!

Money:  the mere mention of the word makes many people cringe.  The mention of money in the context of the church makes most groan audibly! And given the current economic climate, many Christians have stopped or reduced their tithing.  Yet there are clear commands of Scripture to honor the Lord with our tithe.  While I realize that preaching about tithing is often misused by television evangelists, I believe that as Bible believing Christians we are to examine God’s Word concerning our stewardship.   Do we tithe out of obligation to God, seeking to obey the Law?  No.  Jesus was clear that He came to fulfill the law, and did so in a way that we never could.  So if we don't have to tithe (under the law), then why bother?  Can't I just use my money for other stuff in my life?  The foundational principle upon which tithing is based is not that we obey the law, but that we recognize Who has given us what we have.  God is the one who owns it all, and so our tithes, our offerings, our gifts are merely a means of tangible thanksgiving by which we acknowledge that without the grace of God, we could not have any of what we have.  When we adopt this perspective, then we give out of gratitude to the One who has given us so much, whom we could never repay.  May we as Christians be a people who honor God with all of our resources, and use those resources to make Him known in our communities and around our world.  Come visit New Canaan Baptist Church this Sunday as we hear about a sermon on tithing, as we continue our sermon series "Why We Do What We Do."

This Sunday, January 23, we are asking the question "Why do I have to join the church?"  With a lack of specific biblical command to be a member of the local church, many people in our culture believe that they no longer need to join the local church.  This has led to the phenomena among Christians of irregular (at best) church attendance and church-hopping, always looking for the next best thing.  While I agree that there are many churches out there that are not doing things well, if every church that you attend cannot meet up with your expectations, then perhaps the problem lies not with the churches, but within yourself.  Perhaps our love of self makes it impossible, apart from the grace of Christ, to actually love the local church.  Perhaps we need to spend less time critiquing the church and more time repenting of our own selfishness.  Join us at New Canaan Baptist Church in Dallas, Georgia, this coming Sunday as we examine this very important issue in the life of the Christian.