First Baptist Blowing Rock

The Apostle Paul makes a bold declaration in 1st Corinthians 11:1 when he tells the Corinthian Christians to "Follow me as I follow the example of Christ". As Christians, we are all following the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, but what Paul was saying is that if you want to see what it means to live that out; look at me, watch me, listen to me and imitate me. I don't know many Christians today that would want that kind of pressure or be willing to make that kind of statement, but the truth is that people are already following us, watching us, listening to us, imitating us. It is part of our DNA and we grow up being taught by example. We start out following the examples of our parents, then our peers, then maybe a teacher or a coach, then maybe a co-worker; but we are all following someone. That means that someone is probably following you; your children and grandchildren, your neighbors, your friends, co-workers, fellow students, maybe people you will never see or know about - but they

Join us as we discover the importance of maintaining balance in every area of our lives - especially our spiritual lives. We examine 1st Corinthians 10:23-24 and strive to discover just what it means to be spiritually free and how we can apply our spiritual freedoms to our everyday lives. 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

What do we think about when we hear the term "idol", or idolatry, or "false idols"? Most of us think of bowing down to carved or created object, yet the most dangerous form of idolatry today has nothing to do with created objects but rather our attitudes and priorities. The Bible teaches that idolatry is the most destructive sin that a person can commit, yet we rarely hear that term any longer. We prefer less offensive phrases like "misplaced priorities" or "wrong perspective" or "different theology" but make no mistake, those things are no less idolatry or an offense to a Holy God than if we had a golden calf in the garage. Join us as the Apostle Paul takes a deep dive on the dangers of idolatry and how our unwitting participation can have profound effects on our relationship with God. Modern idolatry has less to do with things around us than it does with those things within us. From 1st Corinthians 10: 14-22Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would

A look at 1st Corinthians 10:1-13 and the issue of trials, temptations and test. Join us as we examine how it could not only happen to you - but probably will! What is "it" listen in to find out! 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

Most Christians would say that they have a desire to grow spiritually; to learn the word of God and how to apply it to their lives, to grow deeper in their personal relationship with God - yet their seems to be a huge gap between wanting something (desire) and actually doing it. Less than 5% of those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ say they actually read the Bible on a daily basis and less than 25% on a weekly basis and that includes a Sunday service where they are encouraged to read it. We will never develop spiritual disciplines in our lives and grow spiritually until we have the right commitment, motivation and training. Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to start something new, and even harder to stick with it until completion? The Apostle Paul offers some insight into his own personal life and how he was able to develop spiritually and grow by comparing spiritual growth to an athlete in training. Join us as we discover how we can apply these same principles and truths to our own personal

We continue our close examination of 1st Corinthians 9:15-23 and the Apotle Paul's motivation and determination to preach the gospel to anyone, anywhere at anytime. We once again look at what it means to be "compelled" and what exactly might it be that could compel us to move out of our apathy and comfort zone and move into a place of service for the Kingdom of God. Sermon #24 examined how Paul was compelled by the call that God had placed on his life and this morning's message picks up there to examine how Paul was also compelled by both the messsage itself and his own personal experience. These truths will challenge us and make even the most committed among us a little uncomfortable when we examine our own lives by comparison. A challenge for the church to be adaptable and flexible in our methods and ministry in a changing culture and for individual Christians to recognize the responsibility and role we each play in being "all things to all people"! Throw in a little visit from

As Paul continues to defend his rights as an Apostle and his preference for choosing to abstain from those rights for the sake of sharing the gospel; he gives us some insight into his motivation for serving. While the word "call" is never used in the passage from 1st Corinthians 9:15-23, Paul clearly defines what a "call" from God looks like lived out. When we use the word "call" in a religious sense, most think of someone who has been called to vocational ministry, like a missionary or a Pastor; but the New Testament is very clear that everyone who gives their life to Jesus Christ has a new "call" on their lives - they have been "Called"! The problem is that it is a call that most Christians let go to Voicemail. Join us as we explore both the general and uniquely specific "calls" from God that those who choose to follow Christ have on their lives and how we can discover what that call means and looks like, in our everyday lives.  Thank you for liste

After introducing the concept of a Christ follower's willingness to restrict their own freedoms and rights for the sake of a weaker or more immature fellow Christian in 1st Corinthians 8 in last week's message; the Apostle Paul continues to illustrate this concept by using examples from his own life. Here in Chapter 9, Paul makes the case for his own rights as an Apostle and how he freely sacrifices those rights for the sake of the gospel. In this study we will examine what makes someone an Apostle and why their are no modern day apostles as well as the argument on the churches responsibility to financially support their ministers and Pastors. We also continue to examine the overall concept of sacrificing our rights and freedoms as Christians for the sake of others. When should we consider it and what might it look like? Join us as we walk through 1st Corinthians 9 and learn what it means to truly express your rights and freedoms with love as our motivation. Thank you for listening to our podcast an

The Apostle Paul has already warned the Corinthian church about using their personal convictions as a spiritual club to guilt, manipulate and control other Christians. These convictions are not always spiritual admonitions but rather guidelines and boundaries  that the Holy Spirit has convicted the individuals for their own personal growth, yet when we try to push these convictions on others or worse, we judge others because they do not hold the same convictions; it can lead to legalism and turn biblically gray areas into dangerous absolutes. But what about on the other end of the spectrum? What about the spiritually mature Christ follower who has experienced freedoms in various areas yet they use those freedoms to undermine the personal convictions of the more immature believer? If one side is dangerous, might the other be just as dangerous and possibly turn something that is not sinful into sin through our actions? While Paul may be talking about eating meat sacrificed to idols in 1st Corinthians 8, the les

One of the greatest areas of struggle in a Christians life is dealing with destructive discontentment. From the Garden of Eden until today, we all struggle with the idea that if we could only have a better job, a better relationship, a bigger house, etc. then life would all work out and we would be happy and satisfied. But it never works out, because those things only create a bigger hunger and never satisfy. That is the same lie that convinced Lucifer to rebel against God in the heavens, and it was the same seeds of discontentment that led Adam and Eve's to disobey God in the garden and it continues to rob Christians of their peace, joy and contentment today. In the middle of answering questions about relationships from the Corinthian church in 1st Corinthian 7, the Apostle Paul lays out some incredible truth about the roots of discontentment and confronts the three main areas where most of us continue to struggle with learning to be content. He also identifies the answer to why God might not be changin

A message looking at the Freedoms that we have as Americans compared to the Freedoms we have in Jesus Christ. From Galatians 5:1-6,13Thank 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

What does the Bible really teach about divorce? about remarriage? While most are quick to point to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5 and 19, the Apostle Paul takes a deeper dive in answering questions from the Corinthian Church about specific instances that Jesus' teachings don't cover. Join us as we examine those specific examples and try to seek some truth we can apply to our own relationship situations as well as how the church should treat and minister to those who are divorced or remarried. Regardless of what we might believe or may have been taught; the issue of divorce and remarriage from a Biblical standpoint is much more complex than what many make it out to be. From 1st Corinthians 7:8-17. 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

Many people consider 1st Corinthians 7 to be the Apostle Paul's manifesto on marriage and if that is true, then it is also his masterpiece on Singleness. All throughout the Chapter, Paul continues to confront the culture and the church's wrong thinking about those who are unmarried or single by reminding them that not only was he single and content, but being single is a gift from God and comes with many blessings and opportunities to serve and minister that married people will never have. Join us as we discuss why the modern church needs to repent of the same mindset as the Corinthian church in our attitudes and behaviors towards those who are not married and move towards a more Biblical attitude. Many of us are guilty of seeing those who are single and older and asking ourselves "I wonder what is wrong with them that they are not married?" or "Why are they still single?" when we should be recognizing that God calls and gifts those among us to be single for a purpose. Join us as

Just a short message from Pastor Rusty about our lack of recent podcast due to some sound upgrades and his recent vacation. We will be back with a new podcast on Monday, June 24th from the Sunday, June 23rd worship service. We also would like to announce that our entire worship services are now Livestreamed each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on our church's website (firstbaptistblowingrock.com) or our church's Facebook page. You can also go back and watch services from earlier services. This is also available on mobile devices by going to our website from those devices. Thank you for listening to our podcast and for your continued support of our ministry by sharing it with your friends and family. We have people listening from all around the globe and in every state and we thank you for that. If you ever have any questions about a message or a prayer request, or if their is something our ministry might can do for you; please let us know by emailing us at office@firstbaptistblowingrock

The Church at Corinth was surrounded by one of the most immoral cultures in the Roman world and the city of Corinth and it's Temple to Aphrodite was ground zero. With over 2,000 temple priestess who supported the temple through prostitution, the prevailing attitude concerning sex and sexual behavior had devolved to the point where it was considered just another "activity" like eating, sleeping and going to work. This had a strong influence on the mindset and the activity of the Corinthian Christians as they found themselves embracing this new "liberating" sexual revolution. With slogans like "Everything is Permissible" or "I can do what I want" to "It's My Body", these early Christians lost sight of the devastating effects that sexual activity outside the confines of Biblical marriage can sow in our hearts and souls. The Apostle Paul not only confronts this mindset, but warns and reminds this early church - and us, how we are to respond to sexual tem

As the Apostle Paul continues to challenge the Church at Corinth about what it means for the church to love one another and operate as a "family"; he confronts the issue of Christians suing each other and church members taking other members to court. As America continues to be the most litigious nation in the world with over 125 million civil lawsuits filed last year; the church is not far behind. Any easy search will discover information about Pastors or church staff members suing deacon boards, deacon boards suing the staff, church members suing the church, members suing one another and even individual churches suing their denominations. It seems Paul's warnings from 1st Corinthians 6 have gone unheeded and the reputation, integrity and testimony of the church and its members continues to deteriorate. Join us to discover why Paul thinks Christians taking other Christians to court is such a big deal and how it can destroy the unity of the Body of Christ. We also address when it is okay for a C

 One of the struggle for the Christian Church today is how do you create a welcoming, loving and gracious attmosphere where anyone and everyone is welcome yet still be a Holy place that stands for God's righteousness. The simple answer is balance, but many congregations and even denominations find themselves slipping into the dangerous extremes where you are either legalistic, harsh and judgmental on one end or you ignore, rationalize and excuse sin in the name of tolerance and love to the point that the church becomes powerless and indistinguishable from the world on the other. In our passage today, the Apostle Paul deals with the somewhat controversial topic of "Church Discipline" and in his warnings and encouragements, I think we can find some answers for maintaining balance and creating an open and welcoming, grace centered church that still takes sin seriously. Join us to discover the answer. From 1st Corinthians 5. Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscr

In the setting of the local church, it seems like everyone has an opinion on what a Pastor does or even should be doing. Some think the Pastor only works on Sunday's and Wednesday's, others think the Pastor should do everything that is needed done around the church - after all, the church does pay their salary! Sadly, when you look at most Pastor's job descriptions and combine it with the expectations of church members; you have a job that even the Apostle Paul couldn't live up to. Could it be that many of the churches that struggle and find themselves in decline have arrived at that place because their Pastor or Spiritual leaders spend so much time trying to live up to the unrealistic expectations of church members that they have no time or energy left to actually Pastor? So what does the Bible actually say about "what" a Pastor should be focusing their time and energy on? Join us as we examine how Paul confronts the division and the disunity in the Church at Corinth by laying o

Join us as we celebrate Easter and the impact and power of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ by examining one of the most memorized and quoted verses in the Bible; Romans 6:23. In this short and concise verse, the Apostle Paul captures the impact of the Easter story and the implications it holds for all of humanity. 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

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