The Building Is Gone!

Yes, the building is gone, but the Church is still standing!

Thompson Springs Baptist Church wishes to thank all the firefighters, first responders, Taylor Elementary School; as well as all those who have offered assistance, called, and are praying. The Church will meet this Sunday Morning at 10:30am at the Taylor Elementary School in triumphant worship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I covet your prayers...

The Missing Link Is Still Missing

WorldMag.com's Scott Lamb has this report on Ida the so-called missing link. He writes... "When anthropologists find fossils that “prove” evolution, it is always front page news. Then, when the findings are later overturned, the news is less publicized. Page 17 of Friday’s New York Times reports that “Fossil Skeleton Known as Ida is No Ancestor of Humans.”

'Remember Ida, the fossil discovery announced last May with its own book and television documentary? A publicity blitz called it “the link” that would reveal the earliest evolutionary roots of monkeys, apes and humans. Experts protested that Ida was not even a close relative. And now a new analysis supports their reaction. In fact, Ida is as far removed from the monkey-ape-human ancestry as a primate could be, says Erik Seiffert of Stony Brook University in New York.'"

God said in Genesis 1:24... "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind..." This is why the missing link will always be missing.

Are You Looking For A New Cart?

In 2 Samuel chapter 6, King David decided to bring the Ark of God up to Jerusalem. The Phillistines had captured the Ark during the last, sad days of Eli. However, the Ark caused them so much trouble that they put it on a cart and returned it. According to 1 Samuel chapter 7, the Ark was brought into the house of Abinadab. So, David undertook the task of bringing the Ark up to Jerusalem. This was a good idea, but he sought to do it the wrong way. You see, God had designed and ordered that the Ark was to be moved or carried upon the shoulders of the Levitites. Yet, David loaded the Ark on a "new cart". On the way to Jerusalem the wagon rocked; Uzzah put forth his hand to steady the Ark and God struck him dead! Lesson learned: God's work must be done God's way.

C. I. Scofield, the great Bible scholar and preacher had this to say about this passage: "The story of David's new cart and its results is a striking illustration of the spiritual truth that blessing does not follow even the best intentions in the service of God except as that service is rendered in God's way. It is a constant point of failure. God had given explicit directions how the ark should be borne, but David adopted a Philistine expedient. The church is full of Philistine ways of doing service to Christ."

Many today seek to remake and/or remarket the Gospel. Churches are looking for a new cart upon which they can carry their message. In doing this, many have studied hard worldly techniques and sought to borrow vehicles from the world. According to 1 Chronicles 13:4, the thing that David had done was right in the eyes of all the people. However, this was the voice of the people and not the voice of God. What they perceived to be new, creative, even innovative; God saw as disobedience.

These questions must be asked of ourselves and our churches... Are we doing God's work God's way? Have we adopted a "Phillistine expedient"? Are we following God's instructions, or are we looking for a new cart?