First Hour Classes (8:30 a.m.):

A Praying Life – Continues- The difficulty of coming to God just as we are is that we are messy. And prayer makes it worse. When we slow down to pray, we are immediately confronted with how unspiritual we are, with how difficult it is to concentrate on God. Taught by Terry Schleiger and Gay Bennett.

New Testament Survey - An interactive overview of the whole New Testament. Study with us as we look at the history leading up to the New Testament period, the themes structure and key verses in each New Testament book, finishing the story of God’s redemption. Note: this class will be taught in to four-week segments. Taught by Chris Eich.

Second Hour Classes (10:15 a.m.):

Apologetics: Biblical Answers to Tough Questions- Christians often face tough questions when evangelizing the lost. This four-week course seeks to equip believers with biblical answers to these tough questions: 1. Why should I believe Christianity is different from other world religions? 2. How can a loving God send anyone to hell? 3. Doesn’t science contradict the Bible? 4. How old is the universe and why does it matter? Taught by Pat Perez.

Way of the Master Beginners Class- Do you have fears and concerns when sharing your faith? Come, get equipped and attend an eight-week evangelism basic training course and learn the basic principles how you can share you faith simply, effectively and biblically. This is accomplished primarily by addressing the person’s conscience (the place of knowledge of right and wrong), rather than the intellect (the place of argument). These basic principles are ease to learn, and the benefits will be very evident as you get into this course. You will never again need to feel intimidated by intellectuals, atheist, or the religious self-righteous. All you need is the desire to obey God and fulfill the Great Commission all for His glory. You will soon discover there is no greater joy that to do God’s will—seeking to save what is lost! Taught by Dojo Aguilar and friends.

So…What are you waiting for? Sign up for one by contacting Wayne Schleiger today (wtbt9@earthlink.net ) or sign up on Sunday!

Maybe you would be different – since you are just a regular person. Could be, yet consider this: in Christ’s day, inns were not the stopping places of the rich or noble. The rich stayed with their friends. Inns were the stopping places of the common folks, who had nowhere else to go, and it was precisely the inn that had no place for Jesus.

We sometimes try to convince ourselves that common people are more charitable or sympathetic than the rich or the powerful. We speculate ‘everyday people’ are more responsive to the claims of religion and the needs of people. But that is not so.

Rather, the Bible teaches all of us, even common folk… in Isaiah 53:6:  “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Let’s be fair. It is easy to understand why the common folk who filled the inn that first Christmas did not receive Christ.

For one thing, others had simply come first. The inn was full, and why should one [who had possessed the wisdom to arrive early], make way for those who came late, regardless of how pressing the need was?

For another thing, there was no obvious difference. True, the woman was with child. But so were thousands of other women.

Perhaps if they had possessed money, they might have been welcomed. But they did not. They were poor. So there was literally no incentive to show concern or attention, so Christ was ‘crowded’ out.

But could this be a description of your life? If you are honest, you will admit that every chamber of your soul is so filled with human interests, there is little room for Christ. And at times, have you discovered that there is little vital interest in Him?

There is little time for Him. And this is true simply because our time is demanded by a thousand other things.

Our interest is drawn off in a thousand other directions, and our life is full with possessions, pleasures and people… events, entertainment, movies, sports, parties…until…

until…strange, though it seems, there is no room for the Savior in our lives either – except in a very small stable in our soul.

I wonder if Christ is relegated to a stall of your heart or sitting on the throne of your heart. Is Christ centered on Sunday only or central every day, in everything?

On Sunday morning, everyone worked together to help put on a church service, complete with two sermons (one in English by Jimmy Apodaca, another in Spanish by Danny Salcedo), music and childcare.

Afterward, some worked on the mural on the outside of the building, while others went out to hand out fliers for the toy sale/dinner on Sunday night.

Later that night, the team served dinner, helped with the toy sale and continued to work on the mural. The turnout was even bigger than expected! Praise God!

Everyone at the end of the night in front of the mural:

And here’s a brief video of the mural.

A little tougher, are you thankful for your circumstances, trials, health, age, appearance, general well-being, difficulties, and crisis?

If you are filled with the Spirit, you WILL express thanks OFTEN. According to Ephesians 5:20, thankfulness is one of the FRUITS of being filled with the Spirit:  always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

What is thanks? One writer says thankfulness is the grateful acknowledgement of benefits received, and once you understand that, you quickly discern WHY there are so few thankful people. WHY?

To give thanks means…

One – you do not take CREDIT. You have to admit that the blessings you enjoy were GIVEN to you. You didn’t pick that spouse, raise those kids, buy that home, attend this church, get that job…YOU DIDN’T PICK IT, God gave it to you.

You say, I work hard to get my pay – yes, but WHO gave you the ability to work hard, the health, stamina and desire – GOD DID!

True thankfulness acknowledges that God has given you ALL you’ve received, therefore you don’t take credit.

Want to grow in gratitude? Every day recognize just how dependent you are for everything; don’t take credit but give credit to your creator, sustainer and redeemer.

Two – Being thankful means you believe your life is BETTER than you deserve. You’re totally unworthy of the blessings you’ve received.

True believers know because of their sin, they deserve punishment now, and God would be right to toss them into Hell forever. And every single day they recognize that Christ delivered them from that horrible fate; therefore, believers are THANKFUL.

Only those who recognize we don’t deserve all the blessings we’ve been given; only those who remember that any day we are not in Hell is a pretty good day – are those who are thankful.

Three – Thankfulness is also the result of recognizing that you have been given MORE than you deserve.

Thankful people are those who see God’s blessing in many different ways. Beyond their marriage, or family or material possessions, they are thankful for peace, love and joy. They are thankful for purpose and a passion to pursue. They are thankful for intimacy with God, for trials that change us, for pains that make us dependent, for hurts that make us tender. They see a loving heavenly father blessing them with a thousand small things every single day.

Four – Thankfulness grows with the INCREASE of awareness. Thankfulness intensifies as you realize the depth of your sinfulness.

Self-righteous people are not loving, nor thankful. People who see the increasing depth of their sinfulness are the most thankful for God’s forgiveness

Luke 7:47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

The most loving and thankful people are those who realize just how sinful, how needy, how desperate they were and still are for God’s grace
HOW THANKFUL ARE YOU?

The main passion of FBC is to see God glorified by people coming to Christ in salvation and becoming more like Christ in sanctification.

This process orbits around God’s Word and dependence upon God’s Spirit. People can’t turn to Christ to be saved without hearing God’s Word, and people can’t grow to be more like Christ without submitting to God’s Word, empowered by God’s Spirit.  Another way of stating the passionate drive of FBC is that we want to be USED OF GOD TO MAKE AS MANY PEOPLE LIKE JESUS CHRIST, IN THE SHORTEST TIME POSSIBLE.

This is why we have begun an evening service, so people in another region of our valley (and our people who can’t come on Sunday) can hear God’s Word the way God wrote it through His apostles, in order to come under the authority of the Word in every area of their lives, to become more like Christ in every way. We are praying people turn to Christ and grow to be more like Christ.

This is why we have begun seven RMG’s, so that the great commission of GOING, BAPTIZING and TEACHING people to obey all that Christ has commanded us, [aka, MAKING DISCIPLES] is being passionately PURSUED by our family.

This is why we are funding an effort to get on five high school campuses in our area, so that lost students can hear God’s Word and hopefully respond to the gospel, then grow to be more like Christ in the context of a local church family, pursuing Christ together.

And this is why we are paying off some property near Clinton Keith and I-15, so we can later build a base of unrestricted operations in order to pursue this goal of having our God be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth in this valley, in our state, in our country and throughout the world for His glory.

It is so great to be a part of a family that is passionate about the same things!
May He receive all the glory!!