Everybody Needs...........
 |  |  |  |  |  |
irst
B
F
aptist
C
hurch
Warm Springs, Georgia
"Modeling the Life of Christ to Our Community""
Curiosity can be a good thing. It has been the cause of many noble advances in human
history. I hope your curiosity about Jesus and His followers will prompt you to visit us again.
Let me address an important issue. We are not ‘that’ kind of Baptist church. Some people
shy away from churches because they are Baptist. Some Baptist churches make me
uncomfortable. Don’t let our name scare you off. I think our church reflects the very best of
the Baptist tradition. While some Baptists embarrass me, I am quite proud to be a Baptist.
You are welcome at all our events. The best way to experience us is to visit. You can find the
calendar on the web site. I encourage people to take us for a test drive. We will not pressure
you to join or make a decision. I believe you need the time to think and reflect as God moves
in your heart. I think letting the Spirit of God work in your heart is best. We will talk, pray and
listen as you seek the truth.
By the way, we do not have a dress code. People wear jeans, open collar shirts, casual
pants, suits or dresses. Just wear comfortable clothes and be ready to experience God.
Our church family is very diverse. You will probably find some people with common interests.
Our family has people with a wide variety of educational experiences, blue and white collar
workers, single, married from all parts of the country and all ages.
I hope this will answer your questions. I hope it will also generate more questions. You can
contact me at these phone numbers: 655-3812 (office), 655-3660 (home) and 706-366-
7214 (cell). Email is an especially good way to communicate. My email address is
bpatterson@surfbest.net. Two of our deacons have a primary responsibility to help me in
this area. Winn Self’s phone number is 655-2223. Doug Fuller’s number is 846-3202. Call
us if we can help you. Please contact us so we can send you our monthly newsletter The
First Word.
My prayer is for our church family to help you find your place in God’s plan for your life. I hope
to see and talk with you soon.
Yours in a Common Cause,
Bob M. Patterson
Everyone needs . . .
Thanks for reading this article. I’m glad you have had some point of contact with our church
family. Perhaps a worship service, Bible study, soccer game, youth or children’s event, or a
referral from an agency or acquaintance was your point of contact. Or maybe a friend invited
you and shared this with you.
Recognizing our need for food, clothing, and shelter is easy. You will eventually realize that
you have spiritual needs as well. Meeting those needs requires a community that will walk
with you on the journey. My spiritual life reminds me of the slogan “The journey is the
destination.” We may be the place for you at this point in your journey. Everyone needs a
place to Seek Christ, Confess Christ , Identify with Christ and Discover Christ’s purpose for
your life.
In today’s mobile life, many people find multiple places for help on their journeys. Wherever
you are in your spiritual life, we could be the place you need most. If not here, then you must
never give up seeking another safe and healthy place to encounter God.
If you are searching for God, you must meet Jesus. I believe Jesus Christ is God’s self-
revelation. The Bible is the record of God’s self-revelation to humanity. It is important to know
what is written in the Bible because it tells us about God. Jesus promised that if you look for
him, you will find him. Why don’t you take Jesus up on his offer?
If you decide to believe in Jesus, you need to tell other people about that choice. Making your
decision public encourages you and the people you tell.
Becoming a Christian brings you into the family of God. It is the beginning of a lifelong
journey. You need a church home. Everyone needs a place and a time in their life to identify
themselves as believers.
As your journey continues, you will discover God’s will for your life. God has a general will for
all believers. God also has special plans for your life. A church home should help you find out
that ultimately personal information.
A place to seek the truth about Jesus Christ
I believe that inside every person is a spiritual void that can only be satisfied by a personal
relationship with Jesus. Your search for the truth about Jesus has many obstacles. The evil
one (we usually call him the devil or Satan) will place obstacles in your path. But he cannot
keep you from finding Jesus. I encourage you to apply a rigorous intellectual and spiritual
approach in your search for spiritual truth.
One obstacle you will confront is Christians. The atheistic philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
was once asked what made him so negative toward Christians. He replied, “I would believe
in their salvation if they looked a little more like people who have been saved.” It is sad that
Christians or those who call themselves Christians turn so many people away from Jesus.
You may have experienced narrow-minded, legalistic attitudes in Christians; I have. Venture
out and seek to know Jesus through and in our fellowship. We will listen, share our beliefs,
respect your beliefs, love you, and let the Holy Spirit lead you to a saving understanding about
Jesus.
Another obstacle may be intellectual and philosophical questions. Many have experienced
the same questions and doubts. I believe that science and faith are compatible. I believe all
truth is God’s truth. Don’t let those questions keep you from finding the one who created us
and everything we see and experience.
The best way to confront these obstacles is to focus on Jesus. Jesus is our faith. Jesus’
claims are massive and compelling. Jesus claimed to be God and the only way to God. He
promised his presence and power to change and sustain us. The claims Jesus made are
supernatural. I invite you to explore those claims. Jesus made this invitation recorded in the
Gospel according to Matthew:
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll
recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch
how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. (Matthew 11:28-30 from The
Message)
One of my favorite Christians is C. S. Lewis. He taught at Oxford and Cambridge. He became
a believer after a long struggle about Jesus. In reflection upon the teachings and claims of
Jesus, C. S. Lewis drew this challenging conclusion:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about
Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be
God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort
of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a
level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else He would be the Devil of Hell. You
must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a
demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any
patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to
us. He did not intend to.”
The best news is that God is looking for you. I recommend a great booklet, The True Seeker.
Contact me and I will give you one. I also have a Bible for you. Please read it and ask
questions. Ask Jesus to help you understand what you read. Ask me questions about what
you read. Let’s talk about it.
I hope you will not let your questions, pain, and skepticism drive you away from God. These
are the very things that will lead you to Jesus. Embrace them, engage your mind and spirit,
and seek Jesus with your whole heart. I hope you will let us walk that path with you. You can
find web sites that will answer more questions. A good site is www.whoisjesus.org.
A place to confess Christ
As you search for the truth about Jesus, you will come to the point of decision. I came to that
time when I was a young teenager. I pray you will come to that point soon.
C. S. Lewis became a Christian in 1931. One evening in September, Lewis had a long talk
about Christianity with J. R .R. Tolkien (author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Hugo
Dyson. That evening’s discussion was important in bringing about the following day’s event
that Lewis recorded in Surprised by Joy: “When we set out by motorcycle to the Whipsnade
Zoo I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I
did.”
Often, “becoming a Christian” is described as though the experience is the same for every
person. That is not true. For some, this is a dramatic experience. For others it is quiet and
reflective. Still others have a more gradual experience. But there are some common threads
in what we realize as we come to Christ. The following list includes the points we believe to
be important and verses from the Bible that explain them. The Holy Spirit will give you insight
to the meaning of the verses.
Admit that God has not been first in your life and ask him to forgive your sins. “If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from every wrong.”
(1 John 1:9)
Believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins and that he rose from the dead and is alive today.
“If you confess that Jesus is your Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Confess Jesus to be the Christ and ask him to come into your life and be Lord of your life.
“To all who receive him, he gives the right to become children of God. All we need to do is to
trust him to save us. All those who believe this are reborn!” (John 1:12-13)
You can take these steps by praying this simple prayer of commitment to God (or something
similar in your own words): “Jesus, thank you for making and loving me, even when I have
ignored you and gone my own way. I realize I need you in my life and I am sorry for my sins. I
want freedom from my sin, my guilt, and my shame. I ask you to forgive me. Thank you for
dying on the cross for me. Please help me to understand it more. As much as I know how, I
want to follow you from now on. Please come into my life and make me a new person inside.
I accept your gift of salvation. Please help me to grow now as a Christian. Amen”
A lifelong process of becoming like Jesus begins when you make a personal commitment to
Jesus. God will transform you into the image of Jesus from the inside out. The next step in
your pilgrimage is to find a church home.
A place to identify with Jesus’ church
Is church really necessary for a believing Christian? Winston Churchill once said that he
related to the church rather like a flying buttress; he supported it from the outside. Many
Christians have the same attitude. A church home is necessary for a Christian who wants to
become what he or she was created to be.
Paul Tournier expresses a contrasting point of view: “There are two things we cannot do
alone, one is to be married and the other is to be a Christian.” In my life, the church is where I
find encouragement and help to trust God. I find that I need the church far more than the
church needs me.
You need a church home for the major transitions of life: Baptism, Marriage, Death, and all
the fluctuations of life in a fallen world. You need a place for support and guidance on your
spiritual journey. Finding a spiritual home is not easy. Do not give up until you find your place.
Every church is unique. We are a Baptist church. That means many different things to people.
Read appendix one for an overview of Baptist history. The next appendix has more specific
information about how we live out our Baptist identity.
Our uniqueness extends beyond the Baptist label. I hope you will give us a test drive. Check
us out. We may be the place you need. Come visit, listen, worship, ask questions, make
friends, and encounter God. Perhaps we will be a stop on your journey to finding your place.
Or maybe you’ll become a regular attender as you participate and listen for God’s leadership
about church membership. Then you’ll decide to be a member in a formal sense.
God created the local church not only for the benefit of Christians. God created the church to
be a lighthouse to the world. Jesus leads us to take responsibility for the needs of those in
our community. Archbishop William Temple once wrote that the church is “the only
cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its nonmembers.” We believe in
engaging our community in the name of Jesus. We have several ministries that meet the
needs of our community.
Why did God choose to work in this world through an institution like the church? C. S. Lewis
wrote that God “seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His
creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in
the twinkling of an eye.” There is no greater illustration of that principle than the church of
Jesus Christ, to which God has delegated the task of embodying God’s Presence in the
world. All of our efforts are examples of God’s delegation.
Our purpose is to model the life of Christ. We want our individual actions and our church
actions to reflect Jesus’ mercy and truth. We are not a social or civic club. Those are fine, but
our mission is different. Our first expectation of a prospective member is a personal
relationship with Jesus. The next expectation is a belief that Jesus wants them to invest their
life here.
A place to discover God’s will for your life
In my life God’s will involves three dimensions. I must know God’s general expectations.
Then I must find what God created me to be. Then each day I must be attentive to discern
God’s immediate will in the experiences of life.
Overall I have found that Rick Warren has effectively packaged the general understanding of
God’s big-picture will. Many of our members carry a bookmark with these words to remind
them about God’s global intentions for us:
Since I was planned for God’s pleasure (worship), I will use this day to get to know and love
God better. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
Since I was formed for God’s family (fellowship), I will use this day to show love to other
believers. “For we are partners working together with God.” (1 Corinthians 3:9)
Since I was created to be like Christ (discipleship), I will use this day to make choices that
grow my character. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:
5)
Since I was shaped to serve God (ministry), I will use this day to serve God by serving others.
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” (1 Peter 4:10)
Since I was made for a mission (evangelism), I will use this day to share the Good News
of Salvation. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every
opportunity.” (Colossians 4:5)
Understanding these things is only the beginning. Jesus has plans for your life. We have a
process that will help you find the more personal nature of God’s will. It involves discovering
your spiritual gifts and understanding your personality, life experiences, passions, and
abilities. Knowing these are the best way to discover what God wants to do with your life. It
not a hard or complicated process.
Finally, we intend to be the kind of church that will help you be sensitive to Jesus’ presence.
No magic shortcuts exist to attain spiritual discernment. Regular worship, Bible study, time
alone with God, and personal interactions with other believers develop our ability to make
spiritual discernments. I have material that will help you cultivate a lifestyle sensitive to the
Holy Spirit. We will help you find your way.
