First Baptist Blowing Rock

If you pay attention to the media, it would be hard to miss all of the articles, books and reports declaring the decline of the Christian church in America. From falling attendance numbers, shrinking membership roles to declining conversions, it seems like there is no good news for the American Church. But are we really in a crisis or is this simply just a correction? Could it be that over the last 30 years the church has lost sight of its mission and purpose and what we are experiencing is simply God's way of calling it back to Him? We begin a new series based on Romans 12 that suggest the answers might be found in the Apostle Paul's call for believers to become "Living Sacrifices". Join us as we discover what that really means and how it has effected not only the churches in America, but individual believers and their ability to see the power and purposes of God for their lives. In the introduction to this series we examine Romans 12:1 and ask the question, are their "Too Many Empty

A recent survey found that people had greater success naming the kids on the Brady Bunch than trying to name the 10 Commandments. The second most recognized Commandment was the fourth; "Honor the Sabbath and keep it Holy" yet most people could not really explain how we are supposed to do that in today's church. It is often one of the most misunderstood or controversial commandments and it is the only commandment that is not quoted or revised in the New Testament. Nowhere in the New Testament are we asked to follow this commandment and if you study the Gospels you will find that it is the only commandment that Jesus did not keep. So what happened, and does it still apply to Christ followers? Is the Sabbath supposed to be on Saturday or Sunday or does it even matter? Join us to discover some interesting truths about this important commandment and how it is not only relevant for the church today, but it is a gift from God that can change our lives if applied correctly. From Exodus 20; Exodus 31;

While Americans gather this weekend to celebrate our Independence and Freedoms; churches on Sunday will be full of people singing and celebrating their spiritual freedoms, yet many remain in bondage. In Galatians 5, Paul reminds us that until we experience true spiritual freedom and understand what we have been set free from, we will struggle to walk out those freedoms. For many Christ followers, we simply exchange one bondage for another and never really understand how free we are; free to offer ourselves in worship, free to love our neighbors, free to honor God in our lifestyles, free to share our freedoms with others. When you have really been set free, it is not enough just to gather once a week and sing a few songs about it - we must LIVE it. Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others. Join us for our weekly worship online at www.firstbaptistblowingrock.com or our Youtube page. Contact us at office@firstbaptistblowingrock.com or by phon

If you want to make people uncomfortable in church just mention the word "change"! While we are willing to strive for some personal change, when it comes to changing how we do church, or what we do at church, or even a line on the order of service; we are much more hesitant or even resistant. Yet, for the church to reach the next generations, we must change and adapt. It is not a matter of compromising belief or standards - but rather examining our structures, our prejudices and our preconceived notions and seeing how they line up with what God is doing around us. Using the passage from 1 Samuel 16 again, we look at David and all the changes he brought to the nation of Israel for some insight into the types of changes that we need to make if we will carry the anointing and power of God into the future. Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others. Join us for our weekly worship online at www.firstbaptistblowingrock.com or our Youtub

In 1st Samuel 16:1, the nation of Israel and its future was at a crossroads. God has just taken His anointing away from King Saul and was moving towards the future by sending the Prophet Samuel to find and anoint the new king at the home of Jesse. But Samuel was in mourning for his friend Saul, and had no idea what God's plans for the future involved and what he might find while looking for this "new king". Join us as we look at how Samuel allowed God to use him to become a bridge between the past and the future and discover the parallels with the struggles the church is finding as it strives to reach the next generation. Samuel was willing to "Stand in the Gap" on behalf of the Nation of Israel and become a bridge from Saul (the past) to David (the future). Where are the Samuel's today that will help us move the gospel and our churches out of the past and into the future? Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with ot

People today love to take pictures, we have whole social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram built around sharing our pictures with the world. In a recent survey, high school and college students use their phones more for taking pictures than phone calls. With the explosion of picture taking, the arrival of quick self editing using "filters" has followed suit. Most of the pictures we see on social media have been edited in some way using our built in 'filters" but the problem with these filters is that they can distort reality. We start a new "min-series" of 3 messages looking at an unfiltered snapshot from 1st Samuel 16:1 and three people's lives and interactions with God. This message examines King Saul and how he went from God's man in Israel to yesterday's news. Examining what it means to have "God's anointing" and how Saul lost it, we look at our lives "unfiltered" and what that same "anointing" means to each of us, a

Depression is one of those topics you don't hear discussed much in church, yet it is said 20% of all Americans (1 in 5) will suffer from serious depression in their lifetime. Currently almost 19 million Americans suffer from some sort of clinical depression and a recent study found that 36 % of all teenage girls have suffered a significant depressive episode or consider themselves depressed. The Bible is full of examples of those who suffered from depression; from Moses, Job, Jeremiah, David and Elijah, the Bible speaks out on depression. Many of the Psalms give voice to those struggling with depression but the church has remained silent or depended on trite responses and false perceptions like; "You just need more faith" or "You need to Love Jesus more". All around us people are struggling and suffering in silence and it is time for Christians and the church to bring depression out of the shadows and deal with it. Listen in to find what really dealing with depression should look like

As we wrap up our study on the Sermon on the Mount, we ask the question, "Why does it matter?". Why is the sermon so important? Why do many consider it to be one of Jesus's greatest teachings? To help find some answers, we look at how the original listeners responded? What did they think, and what difference did it make to them? While many today try to separate Jesus from the life lessons found in these passages, to those sitting around Jesus, listening intently as he taught- Jesus was the message. It was His authority found all through these 3 chapters of Matthew that made the difference and it is His authority that makes the difference today. Listen in to discover how these verses can move from truth to transformation in every area of your life. From Matthew 7:28-29.Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others. Join us for our weekly worship online at www.firstbaptistblowingrock.com or our Youtube page. Contact us at office@fi

Join us as we learn some important lessons about the influence of a Mother's Passion. We hope to redeem a Mother who has received a bad rap in the New Testament as well as gaining a few examples for all parents to follow when it comes to our children's spiritual future. From Matthew 20:20-28 Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others. Join us for our weekly worship online at www.firstbaptistblowingrock.com or our Youtube page. Contact us at office@firstbaptistblowingrock.com or by phone @ 828-295-7715

In every letter that the Apostle Paul writes to the various churches he warns them about false teachers. Numerous times throughout the Gospels, Jesus warns about false teachers but none clearer and more direct than what is found at the end of his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. He is very pointed in calling out those He calls "wolves in sheep" clothing whose intent is to build up their own kingdoms, their own power and their own prosperity at the expense of deceiving those looking to follow Christ. He then goes on with a scary and heartbreaking warning about the end results of those who get lured into these false teachings by describing what will happen when they stand before him in judgment at the end times. Instead of hearing "Welcome in my good and faithful servant", Jesus warns they will hear "Depart from me, I never knew you". We have a clear warning, we see the results of the deception but what is difficult to understand is how it happens. How does a sincere and spiritual

While many consider Jesus words in Matthew 7:21-23 to be the most shocking or heartbreaking of the entire New Testament, others would love to bypass, overlook or rationalize them away. After warning about false teachers or "wolves in sheep's clothing", Jesus now confronts the end results for those who fall into the trap or are lured away by those teachings. What makes the teaching so startling is that He is clearly talking about good, sincere and religious people who are inside the church and have said all the right thing and done all the right things and yet when they stand before God in judgement, they will be rejected. This passage makes very clear that not everyone will be saved and even more striking, some who think that are saved will still be rejected. What is clear is that one day everyone on earth will stand before God and give an account for their lives and they will only hear one of two responses; "Welcome in my good and faithful servant" or "Depart from me" and t

People have been using and blaming God for their own profit and gain, to build their own kingdoms and to justify their sinful actions and behavior since the garden of Eden. False prophets and false teachers claiming to speak for God are scattered all through the Old Testament, but as Jesus establishes His church he knew it would only get worse. In every letter/epistle the Apostle Paul wrote to his various churches one can find a dire warning against false teachers and the dangers they bring to both Christ followers and the true church. So it should not surprise us that as Jesus brings one of his greatest teachings to a close, he emphatically warns about false teachers calling them "wolves in sheep's clothes". He predicts that when Satan was not attacking the church, he would be joining it and over the years Satan has sowed more destruction through imitation than he ever could with outright opposition. Luckily for us, Jesus did not just give a warning - he outlined a way by which we could determ

The Apostle Paul encourages the Church at Philippi to "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" in Philippians 2:12 as an encouragement for them to never stop examining their own hearts and motives. Jesus spends the better part of the end of his Sermon on the Mount on the same topic giving several metaphors and illustrations calling for self-examination. Yet you will not hear it discussed much in today's "church world" for fear of causing people to "doubt" their salvation. So we propagate a cultural Christianity where assurance comes from a date written in the front of a Bible, on a baptismal certificate or on a emotional memory from our youth instead of a changed heart. Jesus is pretty clear that each of us have one of two choices, the wide gate and the wide road or the narrow gate and narrow road. There are no exceptions, no compromises, no middle ground and the reality is that if you have not chosen the narrow gate found in Jesus Christ, you are already headed dow

Many love to quote Matthew 7:1, "judge not least you be judged" yet that passage is found in a section of Jesus' teaching from the Sermon on the Mount that puts a spotlight on what could be defined as "judging". We are told not to be self-righteous or hypercritical in how we respond or treat others and we are warned to never try to take God's role and authority as the ultimate judge of peoples hearts and motives; yet the entire chapter is a call to evaluation - self evaluation! Using several metaphors and parables, Jesus teaches that their is a clear delineation between those who are His disciples and those who are not, and he calls those listening to his Sermon to evaluate their own hearts, motives and actions to see where they stand. He starts this call for evaluation by describing how prayer, worship and their outflow determines the heartbeat or pulse of a healthy Christ follower. Listen in to check your own spiritual pulse. From Matthew 7:7-12Thank you for listening to our po

In our current culture, it doesn't take long for anyone who states a conviction or belief that might runs counter to modern PC group think to receive the admonition, "Judge Not least You Be Judged". It seems that is the "go-to" response on Facebook, Social Media, Blogs, Websites and sometimes even in person anytime we might express a biblical conviction about sin or sinful behavior. My first reaction to reading or hearing this response is to quote Inigo Montoya from "The Princess Bride"; "I do not think that word means what you think it means!". Taken out of context, the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount might seem to call us to be more "tolerant", but is that what he really means? What about the context of those words and the verses that follow? Do they back up this interpretation? What about other New Testament passages or even Jesus' own words later in the same sermon, do they? Join us as we discover what Jesus meant when he called us &q

Worry is not only something that can affect your health, your sleep patterns and stress levels but according to Jesus IT IS A SIN. We don't like to think of it in those terms, but God does. Worry and Anxiety rob your joy, diminish your worship, corrupt your faith and reveal that you really don't trust God according to Matthew 6. Jesus unpacks a convicting illustration to his earlier teaching on what we invest our time / talent and treasure on and who we really serve by proving that the wrong "temporary" investments will always reap worry, stress and anxiety and the right "eternal" investments will reap contentment, joy, peace and faith. Why do we worry? It is simply a lack of faith in God or the results of placing our faith in the wrong things. Tired of sleepless nights? stress related stomach problems? Feeling overwhelmed? Luckily for us, Jesus ends his illustration with a very clear suggestion and some practical steps we can take to make worry and anxiety a thing of our past.

In Luke 18 when Jesus is asked by the "rich young ruler" what it takes to "inherit eternal life" Jesus responds by calling him to "sell all you have and give the proceeds to those in need". Was this a specific command for this one person or is it something He expects from every follower? In our series from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seems to be encouraging his followers to invest their time/talent and treasure in eternal things over the temporary things of this world - but it is only a suggestion and not a command. What is the difference and how does it relate to those of us today who are followers of Christ? Maybe the issue was not that the "rich young ruler" had money but rather that his money HAD HIM. Listen in as we discuss what it means to only serve one master and the consequences that occur when we try to serve more than one. From Matthew 6:24Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others. Join

Is it possible for God to be moving in our midst and we not know it? Could He be opening doors and providing opportunities and yet we are unaware? What did Jesus mean when he warned "He who has eyes to see, let him see"? As Jesus continues to encourage his followers from his Sermon on the Mount to invest their time/talent and treasure in things that have eternal value, he also warns that for some followers, it may be difficult to recognize what has eternal value and what is only temporary. Join us as we strive to understand his warning and what it might mean for us today as well as what Paul meant when he prayed that God would "open the eyes of their hearts" for those believers in the church at Ephesus. From Matthew 6:22-23.Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others. Join us for our weekly worship online at www.firstbaptistblowingrock.com or our Youtube page. Contact us at office@firstbaptistblowingrock.com or by phone @

We make investments every day; we invest our time, we invest our talents and we invest our treasure on those things that we think are important. As Jesus continues his teaching from the Sermon on the Mount aimed at calling his followers to a higher standard; he warns that while we may pay lip service about what is important to us - the true devotion of our heart is always revealed in where we have invested our time, talent and treasure the most. Join us to discover how those investments that we make, not only reveal the condition of our hearts, but also have eternal significance. From Matthew 6:19-21.Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with others. Join us for our weekly worship online at www.firstbaptistblowingrock.com or our Youtube page. Contact us at office@firstbaptistblowingrock.com or by phone @ 828-295-7715

In James 5:16, The King James Version translates James' promises that "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much". In a more modern translation it is given as "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective", another says "The effective and passionate prayer of the righteous works" yet most followers of Christ would not honestly describe their personal prayer life as being "powerful" or "effective" and even fewer might say that they feel it "works"; so is James wrong or are we missing something? If Jesus tells His followers in the Sermon on the Mount that we now have his righteousness and that the powerful Holy Spirit is now dwelling inside of us, why is prayer so difficult and why do many Christians not feel their prayers are effective? Is it the way we pray, the amount of time we prayer or maybe it is the words we use? In the middle of his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus slips in what many consider to be