First Baptist Blowing Rock

When you mention Satan in Christian circles you will find that many Christ followers fall into one of two extreme positions; they are either obsessed with spiritual warfare and see the devil in everything, or they downplay or ignore that he is even real, with many picturing him as some cartoon with a pointy tail and horns. The Bible is very clear that both of those extremes are dangerous and the Apostle Peter warns us in 2 Peter 5 that we must always be alert as "the enemy" or Satan would love to "devour" all we hold dear. Jesus warns in the Gospel of John that not only is Satan a liar, but he seeks to steal, kill and destroy our relationship with God, our peace, our joy and our purpose. We must take him serious because one of his greatest tools of disruption are the people we encounter in our everyday lives. This message examines and identifies how the enemy will use other people to attack, undermine, intimidate and isolate us whenever we strive to be obedient to God's word and apply

How do we determine our worth? Is it our income? our talent? our abilities? For the Christ follower our value or worth should not be defined by who we are, or what we can do, or have done but rather "whose" we are. From our story in Nehemiah we discover that the Israelites used the old broken and burned bricks from the destroyed wall to rebuild the new wall. They literally redeemed those bricks that had laid around for 170 years and which most people had considered worthless and gave them value. They formed the foundation of all that was new. God does the same thing for each of us. Even at our worst, God never stopped seeing our worth and value to Him - we just needed to be redeemed. Join us as we discover the beauty and joy of redemption and how valuable each of us really are to God. From Nehemiah 4:1-2, Nehemiah 6:15-16.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.firstbaptistblowingroc

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 Nehemiah chapter 6 we discover that Nehemiah has seen his dream/vision become a reality. The walls of Jerusalem are complete and in record time. In Chapter 7 we learn that after completing the task, the people go back to their villages, jobs and normal routines, yet something is still not right. They had their security, life was returning to normal, but something was still missing. In Chapter 8 as they gather back in Jerusalem to celebrate "Rosh Hashana", the Jewish new year, they are confronted with the reality that what is missing and has been missing for 170 years is their relationship with God. Join us as we examine how our appetites and desires dictate our decision making and "what we are hungry for" is always revealed by our actions. In the message, we discuss the growing threat of a "Spiritual Anorexia" in the church and in many Christ followers lives as we are in danger of losing our spiritual hunger for the power and presence of God. How does it happen? How can you ge

We continue our examination of Strongholds that exist in the lives of Christ followers and that have been institutionalized in the church. Strongholds are "beliefs, ideas, pretext or principles" that are contrary to the Word of God. These are ideas we have allowed to take root in our hearts and minds that keep us from fulfilling God's call on our lives and distort our mission and message. This week we examine and explain the stronghold of "Americanized Cultural Christianity". A homogenized view of what it means to be a Christ follower that circumvents scripture and replaces it with the American dream. We examine what Jesus expects out of those who follow Him compared to what we hear from most American Christians. We also examine the offshoot stronghold of "Christian Nationalism" that is beginning to take root in many churches and communities in America and how it loses sight of where our true hope and allegiance lies. From the three parable of Matthew 25, 2nd Corinthians 10:

In 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5, the Apostle Paul uses the term "Stronghold" to describe thoughts, pretext, reasonings and even beliefs that can take root in our hearts and minds that are contrary to scripture. These "strongholds" can be both conscious or subconscious. Many times we do not even realize that they have taken root until they are exposed by the truth of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. These "strongholds" influence our thought patterns, our presuppositions, our prejudices, our philosophies and even our worldviews and while they might seem innocent, many are unbiblical and can not only hinder our spiritual growth, they can also distort the message of the gospel we are called to proclaim. These same strongholds, over time, can become institutionalized in the church and keep a local faith community from fulfilling its mission. This morning we examine how Nehemiah dealt with a potential stronghold in Nehemiah 13 as well as identifying 4 strongholds that can be found in man

Everyone of us has faced discouragement; things don't turn out the way we had planned, not moving as fast as we had hoped, everyone is not supportive - we have all been there. But if we are not careful, simple discouragement can lead us into a pit of despair where we can lose hope, joy and even our faith. By revisiting our story from Nehemiah, this message examines and identifies several factors that can lead us into discouragement and despair. We then look at how Nehemiah dealt with discouragement and discover some spiritual solutions to not only guard against it, but to also help those who find themselves on the verge of despair. From Nehemiah 4:10-12, Psalms 40:1-3.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

As we celebrate our nations independence, this week we examine some of the reasons that drove the 13 colonies to choose independence and whether or not we have achieved those goals. We examine how that relates to the church in the areas of religious liberty and freedom and ask the question; is their anything today that we really feel is worth fighting for? Join us for a call to the church for a Spiritual Revolution and Revival that declares not our independence but rather our total dependence on the one who created, saves and leads us. From 2 Samuel 23:11-12. 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

Nehemiah gathered forty four diverse groups of people and put them to work rebuilding a mile and a half wall that used to encircle the city of Jerusalem. People from all types of backgrounds and walks of life, people with no real training in construction, and under constant threats of attack; he led them to build. In 52 days, less than 2 months, they had completed the wall to a height of 8 feet or half of its original height. For 170 years the walls had been nothing more than rubble that people walked over and ignored and then this stranger with a vision had called them together to accomplish the impossible and he did it in less time than it takes most churches to put a committee together. How? How did this seemingly impossible task become a reality in such a short amount of time? Join us to find out the secret for witnessing the impossible become reality and along the way you might just discover the keys to moving forward with your own God given dream. From Nehemiah 3 Thank you for listening to our podcast a

It is all to common to find Christians and Churches pursue a God given dream or vision, only to find it turn into a nightmare along the journey. From losing sight of our true purpose to allowing opposition or distractions to get us sidetracked; History is littered with the stories of how well intentioned people and churches go from moving forward to falling by the wayside. In this message, we examine the many detours and dangers that Nehemiah faced as he pursued his vision. Sometimes it is even the most well intentioned thoughts and ideas that can turn our dreams into nightmares. This is a great warning for anyone who is willing to boldly step out on faith and trust God to see the "what could be" become a reality. From Nehemiah 5:14-19.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

As we continue our discussion on following our God given dreams and visions, this morning we discuss how we can recognize when God is opening a door, or providing a means for our dreams to become reality. So many churches and Christians become focused on God working in the same way He has worked in the past, that we miss all of the new opportunities and open doors right in front of us. We examine how God provided for Nehemiah thought the most unexpected place as he pursued his dream. We also discuss the opposition and conflicts you will face once you begin to go through the open doors that God provides. Join us for an encouraging look at how you can identify when, where and how God is working all around you to provide a means for you to fulfill your God given dream. From Nehemiah 2:1-9Thank 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@

When God gives us a vision or dream for anything; our families, our future, a career, a ministry opportunity; there is always a tension between the way things are and the way things can be, or should be. It is in this tension between the two where most of us spend our time. We know what could be, we might even know how to see it become a reality, but waiting on God's timing and for God to open a door that will allow us to move forward is one of the hardest parts of following a dream. We hate waiting and instead of being patient, many times, we end up forcing the issue or taking matters into our own hands and making a mess of it. This morning we will examine Nehemiah's life and journey and how he handled waiting for God to provide an "open door" for his dream to become a reality and what he did in the meantime. If you feel like God has you in a "holding pattern" as you strive to move from where you are to where you want to be, or even where you should be; this message is for you.

How do we know what God's dream or vision for our life is? Does everyone have one? What about the church, how can we know? Where do we start? Join us we continue our series "This is Us" by talking about the tension between "where we are" and "where God wants us to be" and how it relates to the "dreams and visions" that Peter talked about in quoting Joel at Pentecost. The Bible is clear that God created each one of us with a purpose but how can we know what it is, and once we do, what can we do about it? In this message that reflects on the recent history of First Baptist Blowing Rock, we examine what it takes to get from "here" to "there". From Nehemiah. 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

A celebration and encouragement to all of our Mothers. From Matthew 15:21-28Thank 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

How many of us have allowed the "cant's" of the world and the people around us to stifle and kill our hopes, dreams and visions? The Bible is clear that God has a purpose for each one of us and he reveals and plants that purpose in our hearts through his visions and dreams. He does the same thing for churches and ministries. Then how can we know it is a "God given dream" and not just our own? What do we do once we discover what His dream is for our lives? or for our churches? Join us as we answer those questions and discover how we can learn to turn all of those "cant's" in "cans"! From Act 11:6-10. 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

One of the rare phenomenon found in many churches is the idea of an "inactive member". Many churches claim to have one number as "church members" that is usually much greater than the number of people who are in worship on a regular basis. Some have "members" who have not been in that church for years, some who they don't even have an active address or phone number to be able to contact; yet they are still counted as "members". In searching the Bible it is difficult to find anything that might indicate it is possible to be an "inactive" church member; the name itself is an oxymoron. How do you define "active" or "inactive'? Join us as we discover what the New Testament defined as an active member of a local faith community and along the way uncover why we should "join" church in the first place. From Colossians 3:11-17Thank you for listening to our podcast and we would love for you to subscribe to our page and share with oth

We continue our "This is Us" sermon series by examining the "how" and "why" of the various things we do in the church by discussing how we evaluate church health or church success. How do we measure success and by what standards? It is difficult to evaluate the success of a program or ministry unless we first examine why we do those programs or ministries. Do we do them because their is a Biblical mandate or it was something the early church exampled? Or do we do them because it is a preference (the way we like it, or way it has always been done)? Or do we do them because of pragmatism (it works, or has worked somewhere else)? We can't honestly evaluate something until we investigate the "why's". This message examines the principle of church membership. Is joining a local church a preference, pragmatic or a biblical mandate? What does the Bible say? Why is it important? Join us to discover the answer. From 1 Peter 5:1-4,Hebrews 13:17. Thank you for listening t

We continue our examination of who we are as "the church" by looking at the first church and what where their guiding motives and methods. As we plan for the future and who we want to be as a church and a Christian community in ten, twenty or even fifty years; the best place to start is by examining where we have come from, where we have been and to allow those lessons to become guardrails that guide us towards the future. We have an example in Acts 2 of the most effective and Biblical church growth model in history; yet many fail to apply those founding principles as they plan for the future, choosing instead to chase trends, fads and programs. Join us as we discover how the secret to the churches future might just be found in our past. From Acts 2:42-47.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@firstbaptistblowingr

In this session we examine the world setting and context for the end of Genesis (Joseph's death) and the beginning of Exodus (Moses birth and calling). We also answer some questions related to our Sunday sermon series on Baptist beliefs that cover; baptism and infant baptism, religious liberty and communion. We hope to have the maps and study notes available online at the churches website this week. Thank you for following along and for your emailed questions. 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

We continue the sermon series "This is Us" calling us to examine who we are as a church, what we believe, what is our vision for the future and how are we going to accomplish it; this morning we examine "Where we came from", our heritage. Using the story of Josephs bones in Genesis, Exodus and Joshua, we discuss the importance of passing along our story and how Christ has impacted that story to the next generation. Building on the history of how FBC Blowing Rock came into existence 115 years ago, we are challenged by what it might look like 115 years from now and our role in that future. The reason so many churches are in self preservation mode is because they have lost sight of their original mission and message and have resorted to programs and personalities to try and stay relevant. We can never understand where God is leading us, if we do not understand and remember where we have come from. Join us as we discover the importance of the "Keepers of the Bones", not only in the h