Promise of the Father | Acts 1:1-5 | April 23, 2017
Promise of His Return | Acts 1:6-11 | April 30, 2017
Lesson of Matthias | Act 1:12-26 | May 7, 2017
We watched these at church last year and probably the year before. This website has a different audience with some overlap as my personal blog. I plan to watch these every year for as long as YouTube exists or until Christ come back. The greatest story ever told never gets old and this is a dramatic and engaging way of sharing part of it, in my humble opinion.
The first video combines audio from D.M. Lockridge with a digitally enhanced slideshow. The second has footage from The Passion of Christ.
Easter is this coming Sunday. People tend to think about church around Easter Sunday and Christmas time each year. You are certainly welcome to visit Unity Baptist Church anytime but we expect to have guests and first-time visitors on those days especially. There will never be a better time to Start Your New Beginning!
What to Expect
We have Sunday school at 10 am every week but many first time guests will arrive between 10:45 and 11 am for our Sunday morning worship service. We will be expecting visitors and guests, more so than usual, so don’t worry about finding things like the nursery or restrooms. You will be greeted at the front door (if not sooner) by friendly church members who can answer any question you may have about our church.
Our music service consists of a mix of old hymns and newer praise choruses. Worship will also include prayer, responsive reading, giving, preaching and response to preaching.
Expect a clear presentation of the Gospel message. You can expect to hear the Gospel not just on Easter Sunday but in some form or fashion every single time Pastor Clark Bunch preaches. Every sermon begins with scripture and the Bible is about is Jesus.
There are Bibles in each pew rack. If you would like a Bible of your own we would be happy to be sure you are receive one.
Our church family ranges in age from 7 to 94. We have a nursery and workers prepared to care for little ones. Children between 5 years and 5th grade will have children’s church (and you can hang around and watch too, if you’d like).
Expect to be invited back. There’s no obligation, but expect an invitation to join us again sometime.
Need more information?
This is the first Start Your New Beginning post from a few weeks ago. It’s less about church and more about starting over. There is a link on that page to some personal testimonies of people who found their new beginnings.
You can read the About and History pages to learn more about our church.
Email our pastor ( pastor@unitybaptist.church ) or give him call (770) 608-7005.
We look forward to celebrating the resurrection and hope to see you soon!
In Mark 4 Jesus shares some now well known parables about sowing and harvesting. Today we relate a couple of those to The Big Invite. Keep sowing Gospel seeds because some will find good soil, take root, and produce much fruit.
Have you ever heard that in real life there is no reset button? The people who say that mean well but it’s not entirely true. There may be consequences for past actions that we have to deal with and work through; there is no going back and recalling lost years or wasted time. But it’s never too late to begin again. If you don’t like the direction life is heading, it’s never too late to change, to make a fresh start, to turn around.
Marriage counseling and debt relief programs can work on one aspect of a life at a time. Jesus can make lives new again. Bad news on the television represent things going on around us. What about the soul inside of you, how is it doing? Life takes a toll that wears us all down eventually. Just like your phone will die if not plugged in our spirits get drained dealing with the stress of life. Someday this world will end completely. Have you ever thought about what happens next?
You may have seen banners or church signs that say Start Your New Beginning. Someone from our church may have invited you recently or you may you came home to an invitation card hung on the door. Consider responding to that invitation, not to join our church or enroll in Sunday school. Just come on Easter morning. We expect many guests and first time visitors that day, so everyone will be warmly welcomed and there will not be any hoops to jump through. No pressure, just a clear presentation of the Gospel message. No matter what you’ve heard, and there’s a lot of misinformation going around, we’d like to introduce you to Jesus.
Click this link to meet some real people who have already made their new start. We hope to see you soon. Peace and blessings from Unity Baptist.
Congrats to our recent graduates of Financial Peace University! Two couples completed the 9 week program and we recently had a graduation celebration and handed out diplomas; why was no one taking pictures?!?
Father’s Day is June 18th. We will recognize all fathers present and honor those no longer with us during the 11 a.m. service. There will be no evening services as we spend that time with family.
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University will begin at Unity Baptist on Tuesday, March 7th. We have a special preview scheduled on Sunday, February 19th so you can get a feel for what the class will be like and have your questions answered and concerns addressed. Click here for more information about Financial Peace University.
If you are ready to sign up click this link for our page at the Financial Peace University website. Don’t forget to mention the class to family and friends.
Financial Peace University is a 9 week course produced by Dave Ramsey. The class is designed to teach you how to become debt free, prepare for the future and get couples on a plan together. Here is a short video about what FPU does and why:
FPU classes will start at Unity Baptist on Tuesday, March 7th. The course runs for 9 weeks with each weekly meeting lasting about an hour and a half. The cost of attending a local class and meeting with a small group is less than ordering the DVD’s and taking the course alone. When you sign up for a local class you will also receive online access to the same lessons. You can easily catch up if you miss a class or wish to review a lesson again.
In the coming weeks we will be looking at FPU in greater detail and listening to the personal testimony of just a few of the 2.7 million families that have benefitted from this training over the past 20 years. We will host a preview and begin signing people up on Sunday, February 19th. It’s not too early to sign up now! Use this link to register for our class and order materials directly from FPU.
Note: Services were cancelled due to weather concerns, but the Epiphany sermon would have sounded something like this.
Epiphany is the celebration of finding something worth finding. It follows Christmastide on January 6th (back when December 25th was the beginning of the 12 Days of Christmas instead of the final day of 3 months of Christmas).
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. -Matthew 2:1-12 ESV via Bible Gateway
If you’ve ever heard someone say “I’ve had an epiphany” what they probably mean is they have just realized something. A true epiphany is more of a discovery than coming to a realization. We know from the Matthew 2 text that the wise men made a long journey. They were more likely from Persia than the Orient but I won’t get into all the many things we don’t know about them right now. We do know they were wise, journeyed from afar, brought precious gifts and obeyed the Word of the Lord. When they saw Jesus and his mother they fell down and worshipped. They were led to an even more valuable treasure than anything they had brought with them.
Jesus would later talk about seeking treasure in a series of parables. When the woman with 10 coins lost one (Luke 15:8-10) she lit a lamp and swept her entire house, and called on her friends to rejoice with her when she found it. When a man found a treasure in a field (Matthew 13:44) he sold all that he had so he could buy that field, much like collector of pearls who sold all his others so that could purchase the pearl of great price. (Matthew 13:45-46)
Neither the magi nor the examples in Jesus’ parables accidentally stumbled onto something. They sought diligently for the treasure they eventually found. They worked hard, devoted time and effort and sacrificed possessions of lesser value. No one accidentally pursues righteousness. You might drive around aimlessly and find a nice farmer’s market or antique store, but no one wanders into the Kingdom of God. We must be deliberate and intentional on life’s journey. It may require a little effort and sacrifice. But what we find will far surpass anything we give up.
UPDATE: Saturday, January 7
No church services, classes or small groups will meet on Sunday, January 8th.
The snow we have on the ground, including the icy sheen on the roads, will probably stick around another day or two. The high temp today may not get above freezing and wind chill will be as low as 5 degrees. I will post something in the morning for Epiphany.
Stay safe, warm and dry. Peace and God bless.
Unity Baptist Church 