Family Bible Church

Today we worshiped at Family Bible Church, 325 Freedom Crider Road, Freedom, PA 15042, 724.774.2276, www.thefamilybiblechurch.org, Pastor Ed Bailey.

Scripture – King James Version

Revelation 14:13

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Revelation 22:12

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Bob’s thoughts:

We thought we were choosing a new place to worship when we tried to visit this church a few weeks back. A waitress at a pizza shop had recounted how much she enjoyed worship here, so I was curious what we would feel.

I had driven through on two occasions to find no one home, and was thinking this a last attempt. The real surprise was when we went downstairs while Sunday School was going on in the sanctuary and we both recognized the kitchen. Until then neither of us remembered visiting about a year and a half ago.

We were welcomed by, I believe, the entire congregation.

The sermon developed from part of an in depth study of Rev. Bailey’s which brought up the point that our deeds will follow us and our works will be judged in heaven.

Jan’s thoughts:

Neither Bob nor I had any memory of having visited this church before so I did not checked the blog to see if we had. We believed we were first-time visitors here until we went downstairs and saw the kitchen area and our memories were both jogged at the same time. It turns out we visited here 1 ½ years ago.

There may have been a few people there who did not greet us, but anyone anywhere near us came and introduced themselves.

This is a quaint, well-kept church that is off the beaten path, but one that seems to take their mission seriously. In the course of the service there were many references to answered prayers and some stories of presenting the Gospel to family members. It was good stuff.

Big Knob Fair is a good-sized annual event nearby where this church gives out candy to the kids along with tracts to both kids and adults; many present seemed to participate in some way or another.

Upon entering we were handed glossy, colorful 11” x 17” graphic representations depicting an interpretation of the events of Revelation, the topic of the pastor’s current sermon series.

A couple of points that caught my attention were what we do for the cause of Christ lasts forever and that in the end, even good works done with bad motives are bad works.

Last week, at another church, we heard a reminder that people from every nation will be saved, and we heard this again here this week. In the midst of all the upheaval around the world, this is something we all need to remember. Every human being, no matter their stance on any given issue, is created in God’s image, and this should make us think long and hard about every issue that comes to our awareness.

Our prayer for this church:

Father, we pray You continue to bless this church and continue to lead them to where they need to be. Amen.

Family Bible Church

Today we worshiped at Family Bible Church, 325 Freedom Crider Road, Freedom, PA 15042-0025, 724.774.2276, www.thefamilybiblechurch.org, Pastor Ed Bailey.

Scripture: King James Version

John 3:14-16 –

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 8:35-39 –

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bob’s thoughts:

We stopped first to hear a cantata in which our son-in-law was singing and then were led to this church. We were early and a woman greeted us and offered a number of options, including coffee. We opted for a self-guided tour and the coffee.

The Sunday school/social area was bright and cheerful and I noticed a lot of welcoming things about the kitchen area.

Two Marines and a Marine Mom stopped to chat and others introduced themselves before and after the service.

I noticed a cross in a high porthole window and when I turned to chat with one of those welcoming us I saw a large rustic cross on the rear wall. The windows were plain opaque glass with a cobalt blue surrounding strip; overall a warm feeling.

I was pleased there is a lot of emphasis on prayer, updates were given, and a prayer sheet was circulated through the congregation. When it was time to commission the next family going on a mission trip the offer was made for those who wanted to come forward for prayers to come up. I wish I would have realized that I might have been welcome to join them in prayer. I was sorry to have missed the opportunity but prayed for them and the church from the pew. Nevertheless I was happy to see the prayer ministry of this church and to hear of their mission involvement.

There was some Scripture quoted on the bulletin/newsletter handout but I don’t think it was in regard to the service.

The message seemed to be about God’s great love for us. I did miss some of it when there were people talking in the narthex. The pastor had a passion in his preaching and quoted numerous Scriptures.

I had a realization today that church congregations are fed in many ways; coming from a Presbyterian heritage I think I was narrow in my understanding of this. I have known some pastors whose spouses were the ones with the strong ministry, and likewise many who are nurtured by the songs or prayers or other aspects of the worship service. While we might tend to be judgmental and not realize how God can use any part of worship to get His message to believers. Looking back and remembering some of the most Spirit-filled moments I’ve had, they were not in church but happened outside the sanctuary, such as prayers in the parking lot.

Jan’s thoughts:

The care and attention showed at this well-kept church tucked back off the main road.

From the time we walked in, numerous people greeted us warmly, including several of Bob’s Marine brothers. It’s always a joy to encounter members of the Marine Corps family. While Bob talked with the men, I had the privilege of chatting with a woman who is the daughter of a Marine as well as the mother of one. I wished we had more time to talk, partly because of our shared Marine family connection, but also because she was one of those people who exuded joy. I have met a few people like that over the years, and their faces are indelibly imprinted in my mind. She is now there also, and I’m very grateful for our conversation.

This church calls themselves a “House of Prayer” and much prayer was accomplished this morning. Mission seems to be another core value, and this morning a fair amount of time was spent praying over a family that will leave this week on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

The untitled message was a reminder of God’s love for all His people, not just the saved. It was a call to believe and share God’s love with those who do not know Him, wherever they may be.

The Romans passage that was read is one of my favorites, and every time I hear it I think of Bible teacher Beth Moore’s comment regarding verse 37 about being “more than conquerors.” She says, “How can we be ‘more than conquerors’ unless we have something to conquer?” Remembering this truth has helped me more than a few times, and always makes me smile.

Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You will continue to guide and encourage this congregation’s mission involvement and that they would always remember the importance of their prayer ministry. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.