Month: June 2021

3 Steps to Discipleship

Jesus called us to do more than say a sinners prayer and rest upon our blessed assurance. He called us to follow Him.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

The call to follow Jesus is the call to an amazing lifelong journey in which you will literally see amazing things.

The life of a disciple is truly a transformational and fascinating experience. Think about it. When we read the Gospels, we often imagine ourselves as one of the disciples, as one who would follow and learn from Jesus.

In fact, there’s an entire TV series dedicated to that idea. The Chosen spends as much time, if not more, exploring the lives of the disciples and their personalities than it does recreating the events of the Bible.

None of us imagine ourselves as just one of the townspeople, Roman soldiers or Pharisees. We tend to imagine ourselves as disciples. That’s where Jesus was. That’s where the action was.

But life for the disciples was not for the faint hearted, and neither is life for disciples today. When Jesus issued this call to discipleship, He clearly set tough expectations. He made it plainly known what we should expect.

In Luke 9:23, we see three steps to discipleship.

1. Discipleship begins with the commitment to follow Jesus. Jesus had just predicted His death, burial and resurrection for our sins according to the scriptures. He then said, “If any will come after me.” Basically, He was saying, “This is where we’re headed.” To follow Jesus meant that you would have to be committed to the cause.

2. Discipleship involves sacrifice. Jesus’ next words were “let him deny himself.” Denying yourself means foregoing current temporary pleasures in order to achieve the greater goal of following Jesus. Sometimes this involves financial or career sacrifice. Sometimes this means discontinuing activities that are not pleasing to the Lord. Either way, there is sacrifice.

3. Discipleship involves following. This means we learn from the Lord and conform our lives accordingly.

Being a disciple means learning from the Lord and growing in your faith. This is an endeavor we have all undertaken. This is a journey that is best taken together.

Come join with us at Life Point. Services and times are listed on this site.

It’s in the Book? Where?!!!
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Have you ever been struggling with an issue, only to go to church and hear the preacher say that the answer to your problem is “in the Book?”

You might be wondering what book or chapter deals specifically with your problem. After all, many Bibles (depending on font size) have more than 1,500 pages. How do I know where to look?

While there are specific passages that deal with specific issues in the Bible, scripture’s cure-all power comes not in finding the right remedy for the right problem at the right time. Scripture works more like an inoculation. By consistently reading the Bible and learning its message, you can set yourself up to be at peace when the storms of life rage.

The Bible tells us the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which demonstrates how Christ redeemed those who will trust Him as Savior and how He transforms them through His continual work in their lives. Through reading the Bible, you not only get the saving message of the Gospel, but you also learn about God’s nature, grace, power, and the nature of this world, and the role the events of your life play in your transformation.

If you have a specific issue that you are facing, and want to know what the Bible says about it, message us below. For ongoing Bible reading and teaching, feel free to join us on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. at 599 Sunrise Drive in Early, Tex.

3 Things to Remember During VBS This Year

Life Point will break tradition this year when we hold VBS for six consecutive Wednesday nights, as opposed to holding it every night for one week. The plan is to foster Spiritual growth as a family by giving parents and children a week to consider the lessons learned and by providing resources to help.

This year’s theme verse is Jeremiah 29:13, which says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

That verse falls right behind the often quoted Jeremiah 29:11, which says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

These two verses coupled together remind us that God is continually working in our lives to bring us into His presence. Everything that happens in our lives happens for that purpose.

With that in mind, let’s remember the following:

1. God is real. It might seem overly basic to make such a declaration on a church’s blog, but the simple truth is that God exists beyond our understanding and imaginations. Our belief does not define Him, rather He defines our belief. True science, research and archaeology proves His existence and truth. Scripture reveals it.

2. God loves. Not only does God exist, but He gave His only Begotten Son to redeem us from sin and death. Not only did God give His Son for our Salvation, but He made sure we knew about it by revealing it in the Bible. Not only did He reveal it in the Bible, but He uses the events of our lives to reveal His presence and draw us into His truth.

3. The Bible builds faith. The search for truth, and the desire for understanding doesn’t end when you come to know the Lord as your Savior. There are still tough questions to be answered.

Questions such as why God permitted the existence of evil, why a certain tragedy happened in our life, what our purpose is. While a pastor or mentor may be able to give you an academic answer to these questions, the truth is that you will not find peace until you understand how it all fits into God’s nature.

That’s where routine Bible study really helps. As Job said, “I have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” Job didn’t say he saw God because God showed up and spoke to him. He said he saw God because of the experience he had with God. Our experience with God comes through reading the Bible.

We are going to have fun this summer, and we are going to grow in our faith. Come see us. VBS, Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. at Life Point Baptist Church.

Who Is This Jesus?

In Luke 9, Jesus sent the disciples out into the villages to preach the Gospel and heal the people. As His fame grew, Herod heard about Him and was perplexed. The last great prophet that drew a following was John the Baptist, and Herod had him beheaded.

In his exasperation, Herod asked, “Who is this?”

It’s possible that Herod had a guilty conscience and knew his day of judgment was coming. Or, maybe he was simply curious. Either way, his question stood, and it’s a question upon which the eternal destiny of every individual hangs.

“Who is Jesus?”

In Luke 9, we see that Jesus was many things to many people. Some saw Him as a great prophet, or the resurrection of one of the great prophets.

To those whom He miraculously fed, He was a free (and much needed) meal.

But when He asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responded, “The Christ of God.”

In that confession, Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and the Savior and Redeemer of Israel, as well as all mankind. Jesus went on to discuss the Gospel with Peter, how that He would die and rise again to redeem man from sin.

We live in a world today where people are encouraged to define and live by their own truths… Their own beliefs. This freedom is essential in allowing us to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth, and to live our lives in peace and Godliness, which is God’s will for us.

However, our freedom to define truth and our own belief system does not mean that there are no wrong answers. The question of Who Jesus is must be correctly answered, and accepted, or the sinner is doomed.

For many, Jesus is a wise prophet or a great teacher. For others, He is merely a source of blessing. Some treat Him like a magic genie or a trump card to fulfill their desires in this life. To others, He is a culture warrior who shakes the foundation of the establishment and exacts social justice.

While some of these descriptions fit, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the only Begotten Son of God, who took on the form of man, lived sinlessly, and then went to the cross to pay for our sin, freeing us from guilt and reconciling us to God.

His resurrection conquered death and gave us hope for eternal life.

That is the true Gospel. That is the central message of Christianity. That is what we believe, and it’s what brings us hope.

In Luke 9, you see the people being distracted by the miracles and events surrounding the ministry of Christ. Today, we can be distracted by controversies, politics, debates and economic conditions surrounding the church. Let us tune out the noise and get back to what matters.

Who is Jesus?

He is my Savior and Redeemer, the one Who didn’t see the good in me, but rather put the good in Himself as He transformed me into the person He intended on me being. He is my source of hope, and the reason I live and minister today.

Who is Jesus to you?

Life Point VBS Kicks off Wednesday

Life Point Baptist Church is pleased to announce our new Wednesday night Vacation Bible School program! VBS will be held every Wednesday night June 23-July 28. All ages welcome, with classes from Pre-K all the way up to adults. Parents are invited to attend as well. Food will be provided as well as a host of fun activities.

Join us for the kickoff event at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, at Life Point Baptist Church, 599 Sunrise Drive, Early, TX, 76802. Register early by filling out the form below. Be sure to tell us how many and what ages will be attending with you.