First Baptist Church Muncie Indiana

"Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem." - From Ezra 1:1-8 "It's over now." Those were my thoughts in the fourth quarter as the score slipped further and further out of the Pacers' favor in Game 7 of this year's NBA finals. This is one of the things that I dislike about basketball compared to baseball. There is a timer in basketball. If the leading team is too far ahead, you can see people get up and start to celebrate before it's over. There is an air of inevitability. In baseball, by contrast, something may seem unlikely, but there is always a turnaround possible. The number of outs, not the clock, determines the end of the game. In 1901, the Detroit Tigers came back to beat the Milwaukee Brewers by one run, 14-13. At the beginning of the bottom of the 19th inning, they had been down 13-4. In 2001, the Cleveland Indians took a game to extra innings, overcoming a 12-run deficit. That tied the league record for the most substantial comeback in American professional baseball history. To paraphrase the prophet's words in Isaiah 43, there was a way out made out of no way. God making a way out of no way is exactly what we see in the book of Ezra. The Lord has the power to rebuild. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 This week, the title of Pastor Jonathan's sermon is, "Justified by Faith, Empowered by the Spirit." There are times when my own words are not good enough, and it is wiser to simply cede the metaphorical online microphone to someone who draws us into the happy mystery of the Gospel with a fitting word. This week, we learn about the Holy Spirit's role in giving us up— Hope which does not put us to shame. Hope which looks like Christ dying for the ungodly. Come on Sunday to see what the Spirit might say to us through this message. Come to the church blog to see a fitting quotation from Lutheran Pastor Sarah Hinlicky Wilson about the implications of this very good Gospel: "Christ came not for the good. Not even for the ones who wanted to be good or tried to be good. Not for his well-meaning allies, not for the ones who remembered to say thanks. He came for the unrighteous, the sinners, the ungrateful, the evil, the lost, the condemned, the ungodly. In short: his enemies. The ones who don’t want to be saved at all, whether because they don’t think they need it or because they frankly prefer their sins to God’s company. Christ wanted so much to rescue and redeem his enemies that he became sin for their sake, a curse for their sake, and then simply offered his redemption as a gift, knowing full well that some wouldn’t want the full pardon and the steadfast love and the everlasting life, if it meant conceding their enemy status. Two thousand years later we are still stunned by the news and still haven’t figured out how to be a church that corresponds to its message. Because what could such a church be? Only a perpetual embarrassment. People selected chiefly on account of their disqualification to accomplish great things. A fellowship of such sinners that backbiting and betrayal are an inevitability. Ambassadors who constantly consider defecting to the other side. How can God expect to win more to His church with that kind of public relations campaign? Unless, of course, that is exactly the point." --->>You can read more at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog. For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth." - from John 14:8-17; 25-27 "If only I had been there, and seen Jesus in the flesh myself, then it would be easy to trust him." Maybe you've had a thought like this before. If so, the Gospels may surprise you on reading how those who knew Jesus received him. Those who saw him, lived with him, and followed him in the flesh often seemed bewildered. They struggled with trust and faith as much as any of us living two thousand years later. At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus gives his famous "farewell discourse." His disciples do not understand what is happening, where Jesus is going, or why. But make no mistake, Jesus is not abandoning him. Just as they see the Father by seeing Jesus, so they are being given another Advocate: the Spirit of Truth. Or, as Paul refers to Spirit, "the Spirit of the Son" (Gal. 4:6). That means that Jesus is still with his disciples, and not just the disciples Jesus is speaking to in this passage of the Gospel. The Spirit of truth is given to followers today, as well as to the disciples then. Continuing reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog

"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else." - from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Those who get payback or those who are peacemakers. We have a choice on which we will be. In a lecture on forgiveness and its limits, Elizabeth Bruenig described her two children fighting. They knew hitting each other was against the rules, punishable by the docking of allowance. But they also knew there was an exception: if you did not instigate or start the fight, that is, if you were acting in self-defense, you were not considered the aggressor. Your allowance would remain. After all, you had the right to defend yourself. But this led to a situation where, after every fight, both children claimed the other started it. Being unfairly attacked became a sought-after status. Elizabeth Bruenig began to wonder if adults behaved the same way: Consider the state of social media, where people frequently go in order to find something to be angry about, so that they can express their anger in ways that would typically be forbidden but are permissible in cases only of having been wronged. Had the social media user not sought out an example of someone doing something offensive or outrageous, they wouldn’t have anger to discharge, but it seems to me that acquiring anger and the right to discharge it is precisely the point. [emphasis mine] Sometimes, we want to be wronged, so we can do what we otherwise couldn't: pay back. It is this that the Apostle Paul tells us explicitly not to do. Continuing reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” -excerpt from 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:11 I’ve never watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but my favorite meme comes from an episode where Charlie thinks he’s discovered a “major conspiracy.” It’s an older meme now, so you probably know what I’m talking about. There’s a picture of a typical office worker man. But upon further inspection, he has crazy eyes, a cigarette in one hand, and the other hand pointing behind him to a board covered in pictures, clues, and a red web of string that supposedly connects everything together in the conspiracy. It makes me laugh. Every. Time. Unfortunately, sometimes when people talk about scripture passages like 1 Thessalonians 4 or Revelation, they start to feel a little like this meme. They know Jesus is coming back. This is a GREAT thing! But they’ve gotten too caught up in trying to read the signs or figure out the details of when or how. And that’s when they’ve missed the point! 2,000 years after this letter, what are we supposed to learn from the Thessalonians about the end times or Jesus’ return? [Continuing reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog ] For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” -excerpt from 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 I had the “bright idea” to pop into a spin exercise class last week. The good news is that it was the most thorough workout I’ve done in years. The bad news is that it was the most thorough exercise I’ve done in years. Being the first time I had ever done a cycling-based class, I was shocked to find out how much cardio, core, and strength this childhood hobby took. At one point in the class, we were already 3 speeds above our starting point and cycling while standing, as if going up a huge hill. I was sweating something awful, huffing and puffing. That’s when I heard the instructor say to turn up the gear two more settings. Um…excuse me. I’m already working as hard as I can! I’m already at my limit! What more do you want from me, crazy fit Instructor lady?! Sometimes when churches talk about holiness, this is how we feel. Sometimes the idea of God revealing our imperfections and calling us to repentance initially feels stressful. Aren’t we already doing enough for you, Lord? But just like my spin instructor wasn’t being mean by pushing us to bike up the hill, Paul is not being hyper-critical of the Thessalonians by reminding them to live a holy life. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution, we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now, we live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? -excerpt from 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13 If you ever decide to pop into the church office during the Pastors’ office hours on Tuesdays, you might be surprised to find what you stumble upon. One Tuesday afternoon, for reasons I cannot remember, Jim Butler and I (Pastor Kendall) started talking about easy playground games. The kinds of games you played during recess as a kid that didn't need any special equipment. One of the games Jim described was new to me, though perhaps some older church members might remember playing it as kids. We don’t even know what the game is called. The whole point of the game is to knock your opponent off-balance using just the force of your interlocked arms. If you walked into the office that Tuesday, you would’ve found me and Jim me face-to-face, flailing our arms trying to get the other off-step with a few others laughing and cheering around us. (Jim won, in case you wanted to know!) Isn’t that just how life feels sometimes? You are trying your best to stand firm, but it just feels like something is trying its best to knock you off your feet. How can Easter’s good news help us be stayers when the odds are stacked against us? Read more at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog. For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

Proclaimers: Easter People Have Been Entrusted With the Gospel This week's sermon scriptures are 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16. For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

"You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."-From 1 Thessalonians 1 My daughter is one and a half years old. It's hard to believe. So much, she learns from imitation. Her new favorite phrase is "Oooooh Noooo!" Often when she says something, Kendall and I think: "Where did she learn that!" Often (and sometimes to our horror) the answer is simple: us! Of course, we are reasonably, and I hope not vainly, proud when she tries and tries and imitates something we have been trying to teach her successfully. Imitation is a way of learning. And it shows up prominently in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians (perhaps his first letter, if some scholars are accurate). Read more at: https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you…’”-excerpt fromLuke 24:1-12; 36-49 The women & Peter discover the resurrection, but no Jesus is in sight. Later, when Jesus appears to the disciples, they wrongly assume he is a ghost…Sometimes when we encounter Christ, we treat him like a ghost-a stranger, something too mystical for us. Perhaps when faith feels impossible, we don’t need a miracle. The miracle has already happened through Jesus Christ. We need only to “remember” who Jesus is and what he has done. FBCM looks forward to remembering resurrection with you this Holy Week and Easter! Click the blog and/or read this week’s news to see all the opportunities to gather together in worship this week. Read more at: https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“... They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road."-from Luke 19:28-40 “There are three things that are stately in their stride, four that move with stately bearing: a lion, mighty among beasts, who retreats before nothing; a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king secure against revolt” -from Proverbs 30:29-31 According to the Proverbs, there are four creatures stately in their stride, including a king. As we remember Palm Sunday, we are reminded of the King of King - Jesus the Christ - who strode into Jerusalem on an unlikely colt. Though an unusual King, the crowds can see this is the only king who is worthy of our praise. When you compare these two passages side-by-side, it seems the differences stick out to us more than the similarities. After all, Jesus (though a King) does not appear "secure against revolt." He begins the week with cheers from the crowd of "Hosannah!" But we know, as we follow the last week of Jesus's ministry before His crucifixion, the cries of "Crucify Him!" will be heard before the week ends. Join us this special Palm Sunday! (And bring a coat or jacket!). Read more at: https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

Walking Together “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” from Hebrews 10:19-25 A couple of years ago, a survey was released suggesting our society is experiencing what researchers termed a "friendship recession." The survey found "only about half of the public is fully satisfied with the number of friends they have." And while the problem presents with both men and women, men are especially likely to report few friends: "The percentage of men with at least six close friends fell by half since 1990, from 55 percent to 27 percent." (AEI/ Survey Center on American Life). Friendship is worth considering. Not only because it has become a concern for "civic life," but because the strange new world of the Bible causes us to think about friendship in a new way. Jesus calls his own disciples friends (John 15:15). Abraham is called a "friend of God" (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23). What does it mean, however, to be a friend (and what might friends have to do with our theme this Lent: walking in wisdom)? Read more at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction.” -excerpt from Proverbs 16:21-24 “A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.” -excerpt from Proverbs 17:10-12 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” -excerpt from Proverbs 27:1 Have you ever received contradictory advice? In elementary school, I remember local law enforcement hosting a big “safety day” event. There were lots of fun things for five-year-old me–carnival games with candy, cool cars, and our own personal police badges. But there was also a serious teaching moment where we learned about “stranger danger.” I remember the teachers drilling it into our heads: “I will not talk to strangers. I will not talk to strangers. I will not talk to strangers.” All seemed fine. Except then I went home. My family went out into town that night, and something happened that always happened when we were in public. My dad somehow managed to have a conversation with everyone he saw. I would ask how he knew so many people, and my dad would laugh. “I don’t know them. I was just being friendly.” “But, Dad!” I yelled at him. “Don’t you know that you’re never, ever, EVER supposed to talk to strangers!?” Obviously, that’s not what the police officers meant. I was too literal. My five-year-old mind had a hard time understanding the difference between when it was and was not okay to talk to someone I didn’t know. Sometimes this is what it’s like to read Proverbs–it’s just a book of contradictory sayings! Read more at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

Walking in Wisdom Requires Faithfulness to God's plans This week's scripture is Proverbs 16:1-9. Even with our best efforts, we are prone to arrogance and missteps. In this section of Solomon's sayings, he reminds us that in God's grace, he has created everything with a purpose. God does not just assign us a purpose, leave us, and hope for the best. (No clockmakers here!) But in addition to creating us with purpose, God guides our every step, promising us peace and giving us grace when we struggle along the way. This Lent, we can recommit ourselves to the present purpose which God has called us. Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.” -excerpt from Proverbs 1:20-33 Fans of the 1990’s sitcom Boy Meets World love to quote “The Feeny Call.” Eric Matthews–a high school student–is neighbors with his teacher, Mr. Feeny. While both Eric and Mr. Feeny often complained about their constant close proximity, deep down they both loved it. On special occasions, usually when Eric needed advice, he would come out of his house and call for his beloved teacher in a ridiculous, sing-songy voice: “Feeny?! Fa-fa-fa-fa-feeny! Feenay! Fee-hee-heenay!” Good teachers like Mr. Feeny know that they’re making a difference when their students seek them out for help. But in the second half of Proverbs 1, we see the opposite happening. No one is seeking Lady Wisdom. In fact, everyone is ignoring her. It’s Lady Wisdom who is going out calling to her students: “Eric?! Eh-eh-eh-eh-eric! Eric! Er-ri-iiiiic!” What are we supposed to make of this role reversal? Lent is the season of the Church year when Christian intentionally reflect on how much we need Jesus to be our Savior and Sustainer each day. Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog. For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it…Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” - from Matthew 7:13-29 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”-from Proverbs 1:1-19 Famous poet Robert Frost writes, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Oh how our choices make a difference! But there is something more interesting than the outcome of the traveler’s chosen path. In fact, Mr. Frost doesn’t really share anything about the path that was chosen. He doesn’t say what cool sights he saw along the way of the chosen path. He doesn’t say anything about where the path ends up. The whole poem is dedicated to something that resonates more deeply with all of us: the difficulty of making a choice. Sometimes, we get lucky and the right choice is clear and easy. But most other times, we are the traveler in Frost’s poem. We are stuck between two choices that appear equally good and promising. Yet we know that they will lead us to very different places. How are we supposed to choose?! How are we supposed to measure the roads before us?! In the conclusion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks to our struggle to discern what the next right step is. Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog. For more information about messages in this series, or to nd out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: cmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45).

Sermon delivered by Kendall Ellis on March 2, 2025 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." from Matthew 7:1-12 Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - from Matthew 6:19-34 Treasure, money, and anxiety. If we haven't been convicted so far in Jesus's sermon on the mount, if one of us suspects Jesus is not talking about us, most reading along will have to admit there is something in this passage that feels like Jesus is speaking directly to us. We worry and feel insecure about the future. And what is our response? Often, we need to shore up what we need: make more money, have more things, and live more securely. We worry (and sometimes with very good reason!) about what we will wear or our housing. And Jesus says simply, "Your Heavenly Father needs these things" and "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus wants us to "Seek first the Kingdom and his righteousness," rather than worrying about tomorrow. But, Jesus . . . how? How can we simply let "tomorrow worry about itself"? Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog. For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel. Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel. If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card. To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page. – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." - From Matthew 6:1-8; 14-18 "Don't think the church is full of hypocrites. There's always room for at least one more." I shared this once from the pulpit. It is what I thought was a well-worn-out preacher joke. A person who heard me say it found it a bold statement: one he'd rarely heard a preacher share. Can you say that about "good church people"? Hypocrisy involves many things. We usually take it to mean to preach one thing and do another. The original word has the connotation of putting on a mask or putting on a big showy display. When I said the church always has room for more hypocrites, that is not to say anything positive about hypocrisy. It is to say it is a universal human temptation and the hospital for sinners which is the church is exactly where such people need to be: not because God loves hypocrisy but because he wants religious hypocrites to become genuinely spiritual. Jesus, in fact, is against hypocrisy, but he is not surprised to see it. Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog.

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” - from Matthew 5:33-48 Let your yes be yes, and your no, no. Turn the other cheek. Go the extra mile. Love your enemies. It rains on the righteous and the unrighteous. Be ye perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect (as the King James would have it, on the last one). Here are some of Jesus's most famous teachings. But they are not the easiest. Anything that has "Be ye perfect" at the end of it, isn't going to be the simplest instruction. Even if we understand that "perfect" means "whole," that hardly erases the difficulty. We're fractured and torn people, within ourselves and outside ourselves. Being whole doesn't come naturally to us. But Jesus isn't showing us what comes naturally. He is showing us the supernatural way of the Kingdom of God. These last three case studies in the Law continue from where Jesus left us last week. If last week concerned how we treat others, this week concerns how we pursue the peace of God. One point that can often be missed is that Jesus is not advocating accepting the evil in the world as the way things have to be. Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” - from Matthew 5:21-32 Someone once joked that if their family had a motto, it would be this: Well, that escalated quickly. How relatable! One day your toddler tries strawberries for the first time. The next day they refuse to eat anything that’s not a berry. Well, that escalated quickly. One daughter annoyingly pokes her sister. A few pokes later, and the sister punches the daughter in the face. Well, that escalated quickly. Your spouse casually mentions the idea of a vacation, and within the month you’re signed up for a retreat in the Dominican Republic with new passports on the way. Well, that escalated quickly. As we move past Jesus’ love for the Law into his interpretation of the Law, hearers of the Sermon on the Mount are left with a similar impression. Well, that escalated quickly. Jesus doesn’t just do what the Old Testament Laws command in his outside actions. Jesus internalizes the Laws so that his internal desires and motivations reflect God’s wisdom and reign in the kingdom of heaven. Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” - from Matthew 5:17-20 The movie Lilo & Stitch begins with the trial of mad scientist Dr. Jumba and his failed Experiment 626–also known as “Stitch.” Dr. Jumba created 626 to have incredible learning capabilities, which it did. Unfortunately, the experiment also turned out to be aggressive, near-indestructible, and have a downright evil side. This opening is a common Hollywood motif–some genius creates life, only for their creation to go wrong and be left to their own devices. Planet of the Apes, Spy Kids 2, and Jurassic Park all portray the results of a massively failed experiment. Sometimes I wonder if the Sermon on the Mount feels a bit like one of Hollywood’s failed experiments. After all, God created this world and everything in it, down to every atom. According to Jesus, the kingdom of heaven has come. This sounds nice and all, but what are we to think when things don’t reflect God’s will on earth as it is in heaven? Read more at www.fbcmuncie.org/blog.

This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) Epiphany, the season after Advent, is a time when the Church traditionally celebrates the realization of Jesus Christ's coming, especially his inclusion of Jews and Gentiles. Instead of a traditional Epiphany series on the Wise Men, we're going to study Jesus' most famous manifesto: the Sermon on the Mount. We can be tempted to divide this grand sermon into small proverbs. But Jesus is doing more than mere moral teaching here. Jesus is transforming our very desires so that the will of God may be revealed and done, here in Muncie as it is in heaven.

One rarely thinks of Paul's message to the Corinthians as a Christmas passage. But whenever I read 1 Corinthians 1, I think of this famous Christmas story in Luke. In that letter, Paul writes of God's people: "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."- 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NIV) We do not need to look further than these first chapters of Luke to see that Paul is correct about Paul's habit. God chooses Bethlehem, the beleaguered small backwater of Bethlehem under Roman rule; he silences the priest Zachariah's doubt; God welcomes the questions of poor Mary. The peace of God comes and turns our expectations and, even more, the whole world upside down. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

"I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth," the prophet proclaims (Zephaniah 3:19) - From Zephaniah 3:14-20 (Old Testament, Candle Lighting Reading) Meanwhile, John the Baptist, proclaims, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Luke 3:7) - From Luke 3:7-18 (New Testament Reading) "It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming!" S. M. Lockridge was a famous preacher who popularized that phase. We might also say, "It's Advent, but Christmas is coming." One of the most simple and captivating images which helps us understand a key Advent theme: that the world we live in awaits the invasion of God's grace while existing "in territory held largely by the devil" (Flannery O'Connor) comes from a children's novel. C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. The White Witch is in control of Narnia, in the first book The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. And while she reigns it is, "Always Winter, and Never Christmas." It's a terrible state, for sure. When we read the prophets, as we often do around Advent, it can be tempting to read the promises and to not allow ourselves to marvel at the situation in which the prophets spoke. We do this, especially because, we do not read the whole prophetic letters. We read portions that fit on an image we could share to social media, or put on a Christmas card. But what is striking is that these prophetic promises come to people who do not know "Sunday is coming," or that Christmas will arrive, or that anything, ever, could look better. But imagine how these words of the prophets would sound if you did not stand on the side of history in which we now stand. What if you did not know Christmas was on the other side of these Advent words of judgment? What if you did not know resurrection Sunday was coming after the crucifixion of Good Friday? Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

"...the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." - From Luke 3:1-6 "But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire" Malachi says of the Lord's Judgment, even as he promises a messenger, an Elijah to come ahead of the day of the Lord. (Malachi 3:2). This Elijah coming before the Day of the Lord, Christians (and Jesus himself!) associate with John the Baptist, a figure about as cuddly as a cactus. Yet, gruff as he may be, John the Baptist has a message for us that is truly good news. A weary world is unprepared to see God or God's salvation, so the landscape must, and will, change by God's action. John testifies to the one who comes after him. He testifies to Jesus. Preparing to see the salvation of the Lord, we change our hearts and lives. What is wrong that has been exalted and celebrated? Let it be brought down. Where has what God has called good been trampled? Let it be lifted. And what's more, let judgment start with me, with you, with us. As 1 Peter 4:17 says, "For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household." Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line - From Jeremiah 33:14-16 The following sermon preview, which reveals our Advent Focus this year, is a preview of what can be found in the upcoming December issue of The Visitor publication. The Visitor can always be found on our publications page on the church website and is a wonderful way to learn more about the life of the church. It’s nearly impossible to think of a more Christmas-y Christmas hymn than “O Holy Night.” The song is about the night itself, the first Christmas. And yet, the stage from which the triumphant chorus bursts is undeniably “Advent.” The first stanza speaks of the long pining of the world, pining that is, “until he appeared” bringing with him “the thrill of hope.” It is then, “The weary world rejoices.” That is the title of our focus this Advent. Before we can get to the new and glorious morn, we should recognize the world that waits is tired, weary, and in need. When Christ arrives, and this will be true in his second advent (coming) just as it was his first, he does not come to a world full of light, warmly expecting his visit as friends. Christ’s light, life, and freedom come not to a world all accustomed to that reality (and just needing a bit of a refill of it), but a world filled with darkness, death, and bondage – aching in expectation for a long, long time. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

“The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.” -excerpt from Psalm 93 I can’t hear the word “forever” without thinking about the movie The Sandlot. After Smalls hits his step-dad’s signed Babe Ruth baseball across the forbidden fence, he finds himself at a campout where his friends tell him the tale of the murderous Beast who lives behind the Sandlot. Small’s ball is gone, according to Squints, “FOR-EH-VER! FOR-EH-VER! FOR-EH-VER!” Even if Squints’ story of the Beast seems ridiculous, the timelessness of his warning has an eeriness about it. We struggle to imagine anything that lasts forever. And we worry that whatever we’re stuck with indefinitely will even be worth having. But as Christians, forever should have a totally different connotation. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog. --- Visit us at fbcmuncie.org to find out more about our ministries. Bumper Music for Audio Only Sermon Podcast by our Worship Arts Pastor, Clif Davis.

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” -excerpt from 1 Corinthians 8 (NIV) Have you ever wanted to do something because you saw a friend do it? Not something bad, just something different that you wouldn’t usually have thought to do on your own. After school, I rode the bus to my friends’ house to play until my parents got home from school. One year after Black Friday, I learned that their mom hid all my friends’ Christmas presents in the hall closet upstairs. Being the nosey person that I am and wanting to be in on the secret of what my friends were getting for Christmas, I ran upstairs to snoop in the closet. After all, who cares if I knew what gifts my friends were getting? My friends’ eyes grew wide with fear as they realized what I was up to. They sprinted up the stairs after me and yelled. They blocked me from the hall closet door and begged me not to open it. I remember looking at them very confused. Why did it matter if I looked? My friends said if they knew I snooped through the presents, even if they weren’t around, they would just be too tempted to snoop too. They really didn’t want to ruin Christmas for themselves or their mom. But they also knew they didn’t have enough self-control to keep themselves from snooping with me. I didn’t want to ruin their Christmas either. So I left the closet alone. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter to me what they were getting for Christmas, so if they felt so strongly, I figured I could give up my opportunity to snoop for my friends. In the end, by sacrificing a bit of my freedom, we ended up coming together all the more, as we mutually dreamed together what Christmas morning would be like. It’s funny how giving up some of our personal freedoms can actually turn into a bridge that unites us with others. Perhaps we are united by one liberty given by God to serve others over ourselves. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” -excerpt from John 18:33-37 (NIV) Is anything more satisfying than a good mystery? My obsession with finding clues and searching for the truth began as young as Pre-K as I sat in front of the TV every day to watch Blue’s Clues. I loved yelling at Steve from my living room to turn around and find a bright blue paw print on an item that led us one step closer to figuring out what Blue’s favorite story is. And I declared that the recliner in my great-grandmother’s living room was my own “thinking chair,” where I could contemplate my own mysteries of life. As I grew, my attention turned away from Steve and the gang, but the love of mysteries remained. Playing “Clue,” checking out Nancy Drew from the library, and watching shows like X-Files or CSI became a norm not just for me, but also for my friends. There was something very satisfying about putting our heads together to figure it out. Anyone who’s been to a murder mystery party knows how fun seeking the truth with others can be. I wonder what would happen if Christ’s Church sought truth together more often. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

“Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.’" -excerpt from John 17:1-5; 20-24 Authority is one of those things we have a love-hate relationship with. We love the idea of having all the authority ourselves, but we hate the responsibility that comes with it. We love the order an authority figure brings to our lives, but we hate following rules that we don’t get a say in. We love the security we feel under a good authority figure, but we hate the risk that corruption can strike at any time. If there’s ever a time when the concept of “authority” is on our mind, then it’s definitely election week during a presidential cycle. We can’t help but wonder, or worry, what life will look like under the plans, policies, and authority of the new executive branch. Would it help take the edge off of this week if I told you that the scriptures tell us exactly what life will look like under the authority of the soon-to-be elected president? The answer may not be what you’d expect. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

"Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” -from James 3:3-10 As anyone attending First Baptist Church Muncie during this series has noticed, we've made faux-political signs for the fruit of the Spirit. The one which is most amusing to me is, "Self-Control 2024." I've tried to figure out what makes that particular sign so amusing to me. Perhaps it seems antithetical to so much of our public life, which is animated by excess or problems exterior to us. Problems and solutions are offered by parties and candidates who promise, "I have a plan" or "I alone can fix it." It would seem odd if a candidate stood up in front of their potential voters and said, "You know some of your problems are your fault and could be fixed by self-control." Even when we speak of "personal responsibility," we often mean other people taking such responsibility. Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

"The angel of the Lord came back a second time, and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” - 1 Kings 19:7 “Looking inside ourselves, we can anticipate only harshness from heaven. Looking out to Christ, we can anticipate only gentleness.” ― Dane C. Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers You believe in God, well and good. But even the demons believe and shudder (to paraphrase James 2:19). Many of us believe in God. In fact, most in our country believe in God, according to surveys. And I do not mention this to cast doubt on anyone's sincerity. But it makes a difference what God we believe in. Is the God you believe in the true God? Is he gentle? Is his burden easy and light like the God revealed to us in Jesus? Or is this God merely an incessant voice of accusation? While on vacation, I attended my friend Sara Jane's church in suburban Cincinnati. She is a Presbyterian. One of the gifts of good Presbyterian preaching is its strict attention to the holy scriptures. She cautioned us not to assume that the voice in our heads was not necessarily of God. "If you are being told never to rest, never to give up, that might be the voice of your old boss posing at Jesus, but that is not the real Jesus. Jesus told his disciples then to rest. He tells us who are his disciples now to rest." Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog.

For more information about messages in this series, or to find out more about First Baptist Church Muncie (FBCM), please see our website: fbcmuncie.org Our video live streams are available on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/FbcmuncieOrg). Find a video library of past sermons on our church center channel (https://fbcmuncie.churchcenter.com/channels/4999). If you’re looking for a church home, or seeking information about the church, please submit a virtual visitor’s card (https://fbcmuncie.churchcenter.com/people/forms/159198). To financially support our ministry, please see our Church Center giving page (https://fbcmuncie.churchcenter.com/giving). This week James Heimlich shared a message on faithfulness as we continue our series on electing spiritual fruit! First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Acclaim the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” – from Psalm 136 (Translated by Robert Alter) You may also read Psalm 136 (NIV). There's a viral Facebook post that says, "It costs nothing to be kind." In the most technical sense, it's true. Kindness doesn’t have to involve a charge coming out of your bank account. But kindness is costly. I like how Christopher J.H. Wright put it in his book Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit. "Kindness goes beyond duty. It means doing something you don't have to do, but just choose to do. Kindness goes beyond reward--it means doing something you won't get paid to do." In other words, kindness demands that we trade in our preferences, conveniences, and expectations for the sake of loving someone else. In this way, a life that is producing “kindness fruit” sounds a lot like FBCM’s 2024 watchword: not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). This begs the question: How do we see this costly kindness in God’s character? Read More at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog Special Note about Audio: Due to a glitch in our system, the sermon audio is missing about two minutes in the middle. We apologize for the inconvenience, but assure that you will still get the main essence of the sermon instruction.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Psalm 103:6-14 (NIV) Are you the tortoise or the hare? In this classic Aesop fable, a tortoise and a hare embark on a race. You likely remember reading this tale in elementary school. The hare is obviously faster than the tortoise. The tortoise doesn’t even refute this fact, so the idea of a race is absurdly comical. Yet–spoiler alert–the tortoise wins the race! What’s fascinating about this story is not necessarily who wins, though that is a surprise for a room of first graders. But the real point of the story is how: slow and steady wins the race. The image of the slow and steady tortoise is the essence of what patience looks like to me. Admittedly, my natural disposition is much closer to the hare. I like to zoom, zoom, zoom from here to there. If a project takes too long, there’s a high chance I’ll “take a break” and never finish it. There’s a stack of close to 10 books on my nightstand with bookmarks ⅔ ways through because I couldn’t make it to the end fast enough. The patience isn’t there–not with myself, and at times, not with others either. But slow and steady wins the race. Read More at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” – from Ephesians 2:11-22 (NIV) There is a pendant hanging in my office that I got as a gift when I began serving as a Resident Chaplain at Baylor University. In beautiful cursive letters, the pendant reads an opening line of a prayer commonly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” As a former band woodwind player, I love the imagery of this prayer. I like to imagine what delightful music peace would sound like. I wonder what kind of life someone would have to lead to be an instrument in the condition to sing peace through each action. I wonder if it’s possible for an instrument of peace to appear as effortless as professionals playing in the symphony. In this scenario, I might need to pray alongside St. Francis more often. If I’m an instrument of peace, my instrument probably sounds more like a tornado siren–loud, chaotic, and a bit off-key. What would your life’s instrument sound like? Would your life’s song resemble peace? Read More at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog

“For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest, and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.” –Selection from Deuteronomy 16:9-17 I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. WHERE? Down in my heart! WHERE? Down in my heart! I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart. Down in my heart to stay! I know you just sang that in your head with me. Maybe even out loud. Don’t even deny it. That classic kids’ church song is infectious, much like the true joy of the Lord is. But there’s a big catch here, isn’t there: How are we supposed to elect the spiritual fruit of joy when we’re not going through a particularly joyous season in our lives right now? Let me just be honest, I feel that struggle deep within my bones. Read More at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." from Leviticus 19:1-18 NIV Love is not simply a feeling of affection. It is actively seeking the good of others. The Old Testament shows how the separateness, the holiness, and the love the people of God are told to demonstrate are all connected to the Lord's Holiness. So, if it is true Love isn't a vague feeling that we like someone or something, what is it? Love looks like living honoring God and honoring others. As we begin a series on the fruit of the Spirit in a world where such fruit seems so rare, we are reminded that the sort of life we are given to live in Christ, and the fruit we are to seek as we become more like him, are truly good things. And in a contentious election season, Christians must display the fruit of the Spirit more than political vices. Join us as guest preacher Dr. Craig Long brings us the first message in our series on the Fruit of the Spirit on Love. Read More at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog

“Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” -Excerpt from Mark 4:26-34 In preparation for On the Case VBS, I’ve been reminded that there are many mysteries in life. Why do travelers seem to get lost in the Bermuda Triangle? Is Bigfoot hiding out somewhere? And what’s up with Stonehenge? Though we wonder about many things in our world, we also wonder about our faith. The scripture we are exploring this week tells us two of Jesus’ parables in which two mysteries occur. First, there’s the mystery in the story: how does the seed grow? Then there’s the mystery of our faith: what is the Kingdom of God like? For my fellow ecology and biology-minded folks out there, let’s be clear! The parable’s mystery is not a literal question about how seeds grow. The author of Mark is not suddenly overcome with questions about seed germination, plant root systems, or photosynthesis. Mark’s question about seeds growing is a little more abstract than the hard science. [Continue reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/post/god-works-while-we-sleep – Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’” - from Mark 2:23-28 "The solution to an over-busy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.” - John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry Rest is a command in the Bible. It’s one of the Ten Commandments. God wants his people to rest. And, being the people we are, we’re good at turning good gifts into achievements we can use to trumpet as signs of our accomplishments. There is a comic where there are two characters: one relaxed, and one high-strung. The relaxed one sees the other rushing around: “Woah woah woah. Slow down, friend. Dont'cha know that sometimes you have to stop and smell the flowers?" The high-strung character, with a manic look on its face, inhales a dozen flowers, sniffing them as if his nose were a vacuum cleaner — to the alarm of the relaxed character. He then produces a comical trophy that looks like a gold nose sniffing golden flowers, lifting it up in victory. The trophy’s inscription reads: “flower smelling champion.” [Continue reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/post/sabbath-for-us] --- Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.... Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.” - From Romans 16:1-16 (NIV) “Don’t Call It a List!” Back in the late ‘80s the preacher Fred Craddock thundered these words when speaking on this passage, imagining Paul remembering his experience with each of the people he listed. He says: “IN THE LIST there is a husband and wife, Aquila and Priscilla. There’s a man and his mother, Rufus, and his mother. There is a brother and sister, Nereus and his sister. There are brothers, Andronicus and Junias. There are sisters, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. There is an old man, Epaenetus. Isn’t that an interesting profile of the church? There’s a single woman, Mary. There’s a single man, Herodion. Not a lot of nuclear family there at all except as Christ has called them together. . . . [But] Paul doesn’t call it a list” Craddock is right, there are people from all over: and this is yet another picture of a “Kingdom Family” more than the nuclear family. There are people who went to jail with Paul, people who treated Paul as a child like Rufus’ mom who was a mother to Paul as well. But there is one detail Craddock got wrong. In that list, the name is “Junia” not “Junias.” Paul calls a woman and (likely) her husband: “outstanding among the Apostles.” Read more at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/post/spiritual-mothers --- Audio-Only Podcast Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” – from 1 Corinthians 4:6-16 (NIV) "Men are Lost. Here's a map out of the wilderness" "Boys Get Everything, Except the Thing That’s Most Worth Having" "America's men are in crisis, and it's rooted in one big lie" "The Trouble With Boys And Men" It seems like headlines about men and boys being in trouble proliferate. These are just the articles I remember reading, from various sources across the ideological spectrum. Loneliness seems to be a general societal epidemic, but there is also evidence teenage boys and men are especially susceptible to loneliness. As one commentator noted, recent surveys show a quarter of men report having no close friends, and in general, boys spend two hours less per day socializing than girls their age. How do we respond to this development? Read more at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog/tags/kingdom-family-vacation --- Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). – These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ….’For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church." – from Ephesians 5:21-33 (NIV) When it comes to family, a lot of us are going to think about marriage. This made me think: there are two kinds of stories, in traditional Western theater. From the Greeks to Shakespeare. There are tragedies and there are comedies. Tragedies end in death. And comedies aren’t like our modern comedies, except maybe our Rom-Coms. They end in marriage. The astounding thing about the Gospel is that it is both. Read more at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog/tags/kingdom-family-vacation

Sermon resources: https://www.fbcmuncie.org/post/there-s-no-sin-in-single-resources Matthew 19:1-14 --- We often bring with us a lot of assumptions about marriage. The Pharisees in our scriptural passage this week did the same. "When you get married..." is a common way to begin a statement regarding a young person's future. I think I heard it more than a few times when I was growing up. Notice, it's a "when" not "if": the assumption is essentially everyone will marry. But an increasing number of people are single in our culture. And it's not just younger people, but older people who have never married or find themselves widows or widowers. In a world often built around couples, even if it's not spoken aloud, it can perhaps feel like there really is "sin" in "being single." Jesus's remarkable words about marriage startle his disciples, and should perhaps startle us. This week we'll see how singleness, far from being a sin, can serve as a witness to the hope of the Kingdom of God. Despite the popular refrain of your spouse being your "other half," often heard even in churches, the Kingdom math for marriage is that 1 (whole person) + 1 (whole person) = 1. Or, as Jesus puts it, "The two become one flesh." (Mt. 19:5; Gen. 2:24) That is the original design of marriage, but not the vocation of every human being. He points out: not everyone will marry, but some will serve the Kingdom of God by not marrying. Jesus's teaching on marriage and singleness has plenty to challenge our assumptions. --- Audio Version Notes Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). – These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

Sermon resources: https://www.fbcmuncie.org/post/kingdom-family-vacation-anti-family-values-jesus-resources — "[Jesus] said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” -excerpt from Luke 9:57 - 9:62 (NIV) Science suggests that no one is actually a good multi-tasker, and I’m definitely proof of that. I can only do one thing at a time, so at any given moment when I’m interrupted, my go-to phrase is “Give me a minute.” I don’t ask for the minute to be rude. It’s quite the opposite! I ask for the extra time so I can transition from what I’m currently doing and be able to give the person my full attention, as they deserve. Assuming it’s not an emergency situation, most people are happy to patiently oblige. And on the rare occasion that there’s a crisis, then of course we turn immediately to the matter at hand! Everything I’m describing here is rather normal. It’s so normal, in fact, that this might be the most boring sermon teaser you’ve ever read. As a society, we understand that priorities must be made, and there are certain things–especially our families–which rightly demand our attention first. This is what makes some of the Bible’s comments on families and the Kingdom of God shocking! "Family-friendly" or "family values" have been used by some Christians as synonyms for "Christian teaching." But what if Jesus doesn't always sound "pro-family?" Read more at fbcmuncie.org/blog --- Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). – These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” from Acts 2:1-21 (NIV) On the cusp of summer break, I’ve noticed that wildfire prevention campaigns have returned. I saw one billboard that depicted a person looking into a puddle, their reflection looking like Smokey Bear, with the caption, “Smokey Bear is within us all.” The hope, of course, is that everyone will remember to practice appropriate fire safety this camping season. The ad reminded me of a previous time I went “glamping.” There was a wind advisory in the area, and because of that, a burn ban. Why can’t you burn things when there’s wind? Because the wind will carry the embers away, leading to a bunch of mini, uncontrolled fires everywhere! Furthermore, what does oxygen do to fire? It gives the fire fuel! Smokey would be proud: we didn’t burn anything during our trip (even though I really wanted smores)! But if Smokey Bear was in Jerusalem during Pentecost, he would be shaken: violent wind and fire come together in a risky combination! But the risk isn’t what we’d expect. [Continue reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog] --- Show Notes for audio version of sermon Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. – First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). – These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. from 1 John 5:1-13 (NIV) It hasn’t quite hit me that this Sunday will be my first Mother’s Day as a mom. When we dropped MJ off on her first day of daycare this week, her teacher asked if it was okay for her feet to get painted for a Mom’s Day craft. Later, a friend messaged me what I was doing on Sunday to celebrate. Each time, I look like a deer in headlights, somehow surprised that having this cuddly lil’ human now initiates me into a new side of the celebrations. But let’s be real: with the several months of increasing illness I’ve had, I hardly feel worth celebrating. I’m not saying I’m a bad mom. I’m doing the best I can to care for my girl in and out of the hospital. But aren’t we told that moms have superpowers? Aren’t they supposed to be the ones who can overcome anything?! My mom certainly was! And right now, I’m barely even overcoming dinner time. Does anyone know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout? I know you do! [Continue reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog] --- Show Notes for audio version of sermon Bumper Music is an arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision” by Dr. Clifton Davis, FBCM’s Worship Arts Pastor. – First Baptist Church, Muncie, Indiana is a Spirit-led Community gathered to join Christ’s presence in our community. We gather at 309 East Adams Street, Muncie, Indiana, 47305, each week. Our worship service is at 10:45 a.m. Our current scriptural watchword for this season is “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). – These message recordings are meant to be shared. Please rate us 5 stars on Spotify, Apple Music, or your podcasting app of choice and share with family and friends.

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” - 1 John 4:7-21 (NIV) In 1997, I was in my YPK (Youth Pastor’s Kid) Era, jamming to folks like DC Talk, Audio Adrenaline, and Jars of Clay in my car seat, chocolate milk in hand. The chorus of one Avalon song still randomly pops into my head today: For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love I'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough With every breath I take, I will give thanks to God above For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love. I can imagine the writer of 1 John jamming with me to this song. He’s really into love. Within one short letter, the author mentions love 28 times! In chapter 3, Christian love is not limited to merely words. Christian love is an action. Jesus laid down his life for us, and that love requires us to lay down our lives for others, too. Love in action is a beautiful mantra. But it also rattles us. Have you ever stopped to consider the details of this sacrificial love? James Heimlich brought this message after a medical emergency prevented Pastor Kendall and Jonathan from attending. [Continue reading at https://www.fbcmuncie.org/blog]