Pastor Ricky Powell

Facts About Forgiveness

This Sunday I will continue sharing how our church can be a healthy spiritual body of believers. I will preach about forgiveness. The teaching idea is: "Forgiven people forgive people." Here are two of the passages we will address. Below you will find some facts about forgiveness. 

Interracial couple denied marriage license in La.

HAMMOND, La. (AP) - A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

Neither Bardwell nor the couple immediately returned phone calls from The Associated Press. But Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that he was not a racist.

via www.breitbart.com

This reminded me of a question Dr. John MacArthur was once asked about inter-racial marriages. I agree with his conclusion.

What does the Bible teach about interracial marriages?

1 Corinthians 7:39

Code: QA117

Here's the short answer: nothing in the New Testament prohibits interracial marriage. Christians are at liberty to marry whomever they wish--as long as the other person is also a Christian (1 Corinthians 7:39).

The Old Testament contained some restrictions on whom the Israelites could marry. These were meant to protect the people of God from pagan influences (Deut. 7:3-4) and to guard the purity of the Aaronic priesthood (Lev. 21:13-14). There were even some strict regulations about inter-tribal marriage, designed to keep the various tribes' inheritance from being lost by intermarriage (Num. 36:3-9). However, all such restrictions are explicitly annulled by the New Testament (Gal. 3:27-29).

Rumor Has It…That E-mail You Forwarded Is A Hoax

It seems that every week a well-meaning friend forwards an e-mail to me warning of a nefarious governmental plot, telling me about an opportunity that sounds too good to be true, or alerting me about a petition that threatens my religious freedoms as an American. These e-mails usually state up-front that they are legitimate, credible, even verified! I am then instructed to add my name to the list of names at the bottom of the e-mail and forward it to all my family and friends. Most of the forwards I get have hundreds of names already listed. I usually recognize several of the names close to the bottom of the list. What kind of friend would I be if I don’t add my name and send it on? So I do the responsible thing.

Check Out The Redesigned Website of Fort Caroline Baptist Church

Our church was one of the first in Jacksonville with a website. Since those early days in the '90's we have sought to use our site to give a meaningful introduction of our church to our community and to communicate with our members. It is also a great way to share the Good News with the world. We launched our redesigned site this week, incorporating our new church logo. Visit www.fcbcjax.com and let me know what you think. We would love to hear your suggestions for improvement. Please note: There are a few areas we are still tweaking. Did you know that our website allows you to:

• Listen to and/or download podcasts of the weekly sermons?
• Learn about Celebrate Recovery (CR)?
• Read and download the monthly newsletter?
• Send your family and friends personalized e-mail invitations to visit FCBC?
• View a current calendar of events?
• Learn about the history and future of FCBC?
• Share prayer requests with the staff?
• Read the latest announcements?
• Learn about the ministries of the church?
• Read our church's doctrinal statement?
• Learn about the Fort Caroline Baptist Academy?
• Learn about our Pastoral counseling service with Dr. Carl Kyle?
• View available LifeGroups and schedules?
• Enlist in the Navy? (OK, not really!)

Communication In Marriage: Learning To Listen

Learning to communicate with your spouse is like learning a foreign language. I had one class of French in High School. I wasn’t a very good student. The only thing I learned to say in French was, “Je ne sais pas.” It means, “I don’t know.” That was usually the answer I gave to my French teacher when he asked me a question. Don’t laugh! Most of us are about as adept in communicating with our spouse as I am in speaking French. It doesn’t come naturally. It takes effort to develop the skill of communication. Most of us were never taught proper communication skills.

Poor communication can led to all kinds of misunderstandings. This is certainly true in marriage. Polls and surveys consistently demonstrate that the number one issue that can cripple a married couple’s relationship is poor communication. It doesn’t take long for the honeymoon to fade and the consequences of poor communication to appear. Couples wake up to the hard, cold reality: “We don’t talk as much as we used to. We fight more than ever, and I feel like we are growing apart. I don’t know who you are anymore.”

Prove The Tithe Sunday Results

I want to thank each of you who trusted the Lord with your finances by bringing a tithe of your weekly income to His house on Sunday, October 11, 2009. Our congregation gave $28,745.52 in tithes, and $6,386.57 in offerings, for a total of $35,132.33! This is a great demonstration of how God can be trusted when we put Him first. Allow me to give you a few helpful ways to continue tithing.

• Remember that God owns everything and that we are just managers (Genesis 1.1; Psalm 19.1; Psalm 24.1).
• Remember that Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20.35).
• If you are faithful with the little that God trusts you with He will trust you with more (Luke 19.17).
• Tithing is an act of faith (Malachi 3.10).
• Tithing teaches you to reverence God in your life (Deuteronomy 8.17-18, 14.22-23).
• Develop a budget, giving to God off the top, not what's left over.
• Avoid the trap of materialism.
• Live below your income so you can put money aside for savings.
• Avoid debt (Proverbs 22.7).
• Begin where you are and ask God to help you grow.
• Imagine the life-changing ministries and missions your church could fund if everyone tithed! Last week's results show that we could fund a ministry budget of $1,494,743.00 if we all tithed.
• Remember that to be like God you must be a giver (John 3.16). 

Ministry Made Easier With Getting Things Done (GTD)

Over the years I have sought to improve my time management skills. I have tried to learn ways to help me define my life’s mission, my objectives, goals, and action plans. I really wanted something that would help me make better use of Microsoft Outlook. Recently I read, “Getting Things Done,”by David Allen. His system of time management has really resonated with me. I have been implementing his methodology over the last 30 days and can already see a marked improvement in my peace of mind, clarity, focus, and efficiency. Here is a brief description of the GTD methodology from David Allen.

A Sneak Preview of Sunday's Sermon Outline

Here is a sneak-peek at the message for this Sunday. I am beginning a new series that focuses on the "one another" passages in Scripture. I hope you will join me for one of the two morning services. Please note that the first service begins at 9:00 a.m. and the second service begins at 10:30 a.m.

Series: A Rx For Total Body Health

Sermon: Love One Another

John 13:34-35

 

(Jesus) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35 (NKJV)

1. We Must Live By The Law of Love. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another."
2. We Must Love Like the Lord of Love. "As I have loved you, that you also love one another."
3. We Must Long For the Legacy of Love. "By this will all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Personal Application:

1. How has God shown His love for you? (John 3:16; Romans 5:8)
2. What is the evidence that you have passed from death into life? (1 John 3:14)
3. What is the Holy Spirit’s role in enabling us to love one another? (Galatians 5:16-26)
4. How can you show the selfless, sacrificial love of God to someone today?

Is That Austin Powers In The 1969 Mustang Commecial?

My first car was a 'white 69 Ford Mustang (straight 6) coupe. I loved that car. I recently saw an original commercial for the '69 428 Cobra Jet, Mustang Mach I. It is fun to watch the 60's style music video. Boy have commercials changed! But was that a young Austin Powers sitting on the floor? Check him out at about the 29 second mark and tell me what you think.

Startling Statistics About Christian Giving

This Sunday, October 11, 2009, is "Prove the Tithe Sunday" at Fort Caroline Baptist Church. We are challenging every member to trust God and give 10% of their weekly income to Him as an act of worship. I am not preaching on giving this Sunday, but here are some statistics that might surprise you from www.generousgiving.org about Christians and their pocketbooks.