Grace Youth Serving Christ by Serving the Community

By Charlie | Published: September 15, 2011

The following article featuring some of our youth was written by Laura Brenner of LINCNewOrleans. Thanks, Laura! There are pictures too, but I couldn’t figure out how to post them here. You can see them along with this article at the Grace Baptist Church group on Facebook.

New Orleans, LA: It’s a beautiful Saturday morning; the sun is shining, perfect weather for basketball, taking a run, or sleeping the day away. Which is exactly what this eclectic group of people would be doing, if not for the common goal that brought them together: strengthening the community. To commemorate the 6th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall, City Year New Orleans partnered with the Bywater Neighborhood Association in a day long beautification initiative. Communities First Association partner, LINCNewOrleans heard about this great collaboration and wanted to strengthen the effort.

They connected with Grace Baptist, a LINCNewOrleans partner church located in the Bywater neighborhood, to have some of the youth come out and serve. Grace readily understands the importance of service; most recently ten of the high school students each raised $400 so that they could go to Tennessee on a service oriented missions trip this past summer. Three of the young men that participated in the trip were present for the Service Day. It was the first time that they had participated in a service event in New Orleans, and cannot wait to get to contribute again. “Seeing the outcome of our efforts was definitely my favorite part of the day”, states Brandon Garrett, a junior at International High School. “If it were up to me, I’d do this every Saturday”.

Ronald Claiborne, a junior at George Washington Carver was equally enthused. As luck would have it, Luke Hoar de Galvan, Recruitment/Operations Manager with City Year New Orleans, was the Team Leader for a City Year team that served in the 9th grade academy at Carver High School where Claiborne attends. “Throughout the year, Ronald was a real joy to work with… I know that all of the members of my team enjoyed his calming presence”. Whether in school or in the community, the young men know where to draw their strength: “It doesn’t have to be a Christian activity to serve Christ” reflects Garrett. “It is my faith that strengthens and sustains me in the face of adversity. I am going to graduate high school, I’m going to college, I’m going to make it” state Claiborne.

Aaron Ford, the youth pastor at Grace Baptist, echoed the sentiments of the young men as he reflected on their strengths. “They are all willing to try new things. Matt Leonard (who was unavailable for comment) recently came back to the US from England. He’s quiet, but you can tell the wheels are always turning. He’s starting to come out of his shell, it’s exciting to watch. Ronald never lets the possibility of failure stop him from trying new things. Brandon is always the first to arrive and the last to leave an event. He knows that he lives in a hard world, and understands the impact of bad decisions. He has a desire to step up and serve”.

Through the LINCNewOrleans partnership, Grace Baptist youth are learning how they can connect with and engage in their communities. “It’s a beautiful thing to be able to witness, states Laura Brenner, Community Development Assistant with LINCNewOrleans, “The community members working alongside AmeriCorps members alongside local high school students, all learning from each other, striving toward the common goal of bettering the neighborhood”. Both Claiborne and Garrett have plans to go to college, and are seriously considering doing an AmeriCorps program like City Year, especially since there is an education award granted at the end of the service term that can help pay for tuition or student loans. A renaissance is occurring throughout the city of New Orleans and these young men are at the forefront of that transformational development.

Posted in Children and Youth, Community Life, Guest Blogger | Leave a comment

We Welcome New Members!

By Charlie | Published: September 6, 2011

Our church family is excited that in the last few weeks we have received three new members. I want to take a little time here to introduce you to them.

Hilda Miller

Ms. Miller lives in our neighborhood on the same block as two other church members (Kevin George and Jenny Anderson) where she is raising her sweet twin grandbabies. She first learned of Grace Baptist through our friend Billy Puckett of the New Orleans Baptist Association. Ms. Miller and her late husband used to work in prison ministry, and she hopes to find a place of service in our church too.

Marion Watson

Ms. Watson lives in the apartment complex run by our friends at Holy Angels three blocks down from the church. She’s been visiting our church since she moved there a few months ago and has been praying about where God would lead her to a church home. We’re glad He led her to us!

Dreux Summers

Shannon, Jenny, and I met Dreux at a conference about two years ago. He was then living in Lakeview and attending another church but came to visit us at Grace several times. With his recent move to Chalmette, Dreux felt that the Lord was leading him to join us here at Grace. He’s already become a part of the family in our Wednesday night fellowship. Dreux told me that he gave his heart to Jesus when he was a boy, but he’s never been Scripturally baptized. Therefore, I’ll be baptizing him this Sunday in church!

It’s great to welcome Ms. Miller, Ms. Watson, and Dreux. I know you’ll want to get know them more in the weeks ahead. As God has saved us through faith in Jesus Christ, He brings us into the Body of Christ. We are members of one another. It’s exciting to see these new people coming into our fellowship to give and receive the support that the Grace Family gives.

…so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Romans 12:5 (ESV)

Posted in Church Life, Scripture | 1 Comment

We are having Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday (September 4th)

By Charlie | Published: September 2, 2011

We welcome anyone who wants to come out and brave the storm this Sunday, but please be wise. No one will judge you if you decide to stay home due to Tropical Storm Lee.

If you do stay home. Spend some time in prayer, Scripture meditaiton, and enjoy this great sermon on ministry to New Orleans from Dr. David Crosby of First Baptist New Orleans.

You may have been aware that we were planning to have the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, but we’re postponing it until next Sunday, September 11. We’ll also be baptizing our new church member Dreux that Sunday. So I know you’ll not want to miss.

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“The Carpenter’s Apprentice Skills Camp” featured on nola.com

By Charlie | Published: August 22, 2011

http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/08/grace_baptist_churchs_carpentr.html

Above is a link to a Times-Picayune article on our recent skills camp, in partnership with the New Orleans Baptist Association. Great things happen when we step out and get involved with fellow believers. Thanks to NOBA’s Billy Puckett who designed and ran an awesome program, and special thanks to our dedicated church member Mr. Norman who volunteered his valuable time to be at the camp every day!

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

-Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

 

Posted in Children and Youth, Church Life, Community Life, Scripture | Leave a comment

The Unforgivable Sin

By Charlie | Published: August 8, 2011

Very recently, a young man came to me concerned that he had committed the unforgivable sin. He is certainly not the first Christian to be concerned that he may have done this, so I would like to take the opportunity to address the issue here for anyone who struggles with this idea or may know someone who will.

The idea of the unforgivable sin is found in Matthew 12:32, but it really needs to be kept within the context of the entire passage in the middle of Matthew 12. I’ll type it out here.

Matthew 12:22-32 (ESV):

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to [Jesus], and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

First of all, to whom was Jesus speaking? The Pharisees

Secondly, what did the Pharisees do that made Jesus say this? They saw what was obviously the Holy Spirit working through Jesus and attributed it to Satan. Not out of ignorance but out of willful rebellion against the Spirit of God, they saw the Messiah fulfill Messianic prophecy (healing the blind and mute) with their own eyes but chose to say that it was the work of Satan instead of God.

Had these particular Pharisees actually committed the unforgivable sin? The Scripture doesn’t really say, but Jesus was definitely giving the warning that they were coming close.

The main emphasis of this passage really is that of making a decision for yourself as to who this Jesus really is. In our time, people love to say that Jesus was a good man and a great teacher of morality, but the people of his time who actually knew him knew that this was not an option. He was either the “Son of David” (the Messiah) or he was a servant of Satan, but no happy middle ground could be carved out for this divisive lightning rod of a man. Ancient versions of the Jewish Talmud even say, “Jesus the Nazarene practiced magic and led Israel astray.” We must choose for ourselves if he was a deceiver and a fraud worthy of nothing but rejection, or if he is the Christ worthy of our total allegiance. No middle ground can be held.

So back to the question at hand. Have you committed the unforgivable sin? Well let me ask you some questions:

  • Do you feel any conviction for your sins?
  • Do you feel a desire to repent and be saved?
  • Do you have any love for Jesus Christ?

None of these feelings or desires can come into your heart without the Holy Spirit. If you were beyond God’s reach of salvation, the Holy Spirit would not be doing His work in you. If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you have not committed the unforgivable sin.

What you actually may be feeling is a struggle over the certainty of your salvation. That is a rather natural struggle that almost all Christians go through. Examine your heart. Have you genuinely turned your heart away from sin and self and placed your faith in the Jesus Christ and his crucifixion and resurrection to save you from your sin? If so, then you are in Christ, and Christ is in you. You will see struggle and victory in your spiritual walk, but through it all, hold on to the promise of Philippians 1:6:

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Posted in Scripture, Spiritual Growth | 5 Comments