This Week At Bristol - Search and Rescue Mission

Perhaps you have a GPS in your vehicle. It really is a helpful device if you want to get to a place you have never been before with no or minimum difficulty.

If a GPS would have been invented back in the late 1950s my dad likely would not have gotten lost in Louisville, Kentucky. As a family, we were on our way to Florida (back before the interstate system was completed) and just as we crossed the Ohio River we were lost. It was a relief when dad figured out how to get back on the right highway.

There are times when we need a spiritual GPS and the Lord has provided one. Matthew wrote, as Jesus taught, about a shepherd who had 100 sheep. As was the end of the day custom of a shepherd, he would count the noses of his sheep.

The story tells us that as he counted, he discoved that one of the flock had wandered away. There was no hesitation regarding the next move of the shepherd - He would leave the 99 sheep that were safe and go on a one man search and rescue mission. One sheep was valuable enough to the shepherd that he would leave the safe sheep and seek after the wandering one.

No matter how far someone has traveled in the wrong direction, it is not too late for them to listen to God’s GPS and make a U-turn and get back on the right road. God is always ready to forgive and restore.

Wow! What a lesson for us. It is important from time-to-time to remind ourselves that we are so important to the Lord that He would do whatever was necessary to rescue us.

Another lesson - since we are the hands and feet of Jesus, He uses us to go after those who find themselves in a spiritually precarious position - perhaps far away from God. We are commissioned to be a member of this elite search and rescue team.

This Sunday we will continue our current series, “A Look in the Mirror - A Study of the Parables” as we take a good look at Matthew 18:10-14. This parable is often titled, “The Parable of the Lost Sheep,” but this Sunday I am going to rename it, “The Parable of the Rejoicing Shepherd.” You can read the verses to see why.

I hope to see you Sunday as we continue to learn and grow together. What a great privilege!

Remember, as always, you are loved and appreciated.

Pastor Terry

This Week At Bristol - You Really Are A Minister

If you don’t feel called to be a minister and are wondering if your life counts for Christ - it does! You don’t have to dress in a particular wardrobe, or preach sermons, or have your name on the church sign to prove it! Read Luke 10:25-37 - the story of one person making a difference.

The Apostle Peter spoke about believers as a “royal and holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5 and 9). Yes, he is talking about us. If the world is going to be impacted, it will happen because we, and many others just like us, take the first step and allow the Lord to use us. 

This Sunday we continue our current teaching series, “A Look in the Mirror - A Study of the Parables” as we discover truths in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Here was a man - a Samaritan - that God used to build a simple bridge to a desperate man. That wounded man of Luke 10 represents many today who need someone to stand in the gap for them. 

Bridge building must be our battle cry as a fellowship of believers. Just as the Samaritan reached out to touch someone he didn’t even know, so must we. Jesus modeled bridge building for us when he conversed with the unnamed woman at the well (John 4), Zaccheus (Luke 19), Nicodemus (John 3), and others. By reaching out, He was telling us that every person has value. After all, since people matter to God, they must matter to us.

Are you a minister? Without a doubt! Can you make a difference? Absolutely. Read Romans 15:14. This Sunday we will explore this intriguing subject of building bridges that can revolutionize the world in which we live. 

I look forward to seeing you and remember you are deeply loved and appreciated!

Pastor Terry

This Week At Bristol - Dinner Is Ready

This Sunday we begin a new teaching series titled, “A Look in the Mirror - A Study of the Parables.” I am looking forward to what the Lord is going to teach us through this series. We know that one of the best ways to communicate is through the telling of stories. Jesus was the master storyteller. He taught truth through the words of a story - probably one of the reasons that the masses enjoyed listening to Him.

 

The first parable we will study comes from Luke 14:12-24 - The Parable of the Great Banquet. One truth that we will discover is the lesson of opportunity. Some were given the opportunity to attend an elaborate and elegant meal, but found excuses why they could not come. Then the invitation went out to the masses who lived on the roads and country lanes and they responded with great delight.

 

The word “come” is a significant word in this story and indicates the simplicity and the availability of salvation and the responsibility the invitee has to the host to accept the invitation. It carries the idea of the ringing of the dinner bell - a notice that says the food is ready so come and get it.

 

There is something special that happens across a dinner table. Do you remember the story of Zaccheus’ encounter with Jesus in Luke 19:1-10? I do not know what was said at their luncheon, but it must have been powerful because Zaccheus became a changed man - he was changed into a person of integrity and honesty, all because Jesus took the time to have lunch with him. Jesus understood the importance of fences coming down, masks taken off and lines of communication opened up so that good things could happen.

 

We learn from this parable that the time has come for bridges to be built that allow others to cross over. There are many around our church and in the neighborhoods where we live who need Jesus. They are the ones that Jesus referred to in the parable as living, “on the streets and lanes of the city . . . on the highways and hedges.” (verses 21 and 23)

 

There are some great lessons we will learn from this story. I encourage you to read the parable a few times in preparation for Sunday.

 

I look forward to seeing you and remember you are truly loved and appreciated.

 

Pastor Terry

This Week At Bristol - Open To God's Plan

Helen Steiner Rice wrote, “God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform . . .” It is true. None of can accurately say how God is going to lead. As a teenager I had plans to either join the U.S. Navy or the Peace Corp (very popular in my day), but God had other plans and a different course laid out for me. Through His clear leading, and according to the gifts He had given me, I became a pastor - something I have thoroughly enjoyed for over forty years. It is a privilege to serve you and I hope you know how much you are loved and appreciated.

Like me, some of you have had similar experiences. You think ahead and carefully work out a plan. You picture in your mind with great detail how your future is going to unfold. Guess what? Things don’t always go as planned. Some doors close, while others open. If this happens to you, it may be that God has something completely different in mind.

This Sunday we are privileged to have with us Patrick Neff who serves with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. God has placed His hand on Patrick and moved him from serving as a pastor to serving as a missionary. I am sure that Patrick would tell you, “God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform . . .”

It is good to plan and dream and think ahead, but we must always be open to God-appointed changes in direction. King Solomon wrote, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” - Proverbs 16:9.

Maybe the Lord has a change of direction for you. Maybe He wants you doing something that you never dreamed possible. Remember, whenever God opens a door, He always provides a way. 

God will never mislead you. When you trust Him with all our heart, He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). His way is always best.

I hope you come this Sunday ready to be blessed by a man who has the call of the Lord on His heart.

See you then,

Pastor Terry

Special New Year's Eve Party

Add to your calendar the special New Year's Eve Party for the whole family starting at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Bring some finger food and enjoy the fellowship (while you are at it, why not invite a friend). This is going to be a fun time.

Come when you can and leave when you must!

For Jenni and Angie, I am,

Pastor Terry