JUNE 3, 2018 Combined Worship Service at 9:30 am Reception at the South Campus from 1-4 pm
Order of Worship
9:30 AM COMBINED WORSHIP SERVICE Multi-Generational Choir & Orchestra The Lion And The Lamb
Videos Prayer and Welcome Worship Victory In Jesus Jesus Messiah
Videos Worship
The Blood Of Jesus Speaks For Me
Recognition of Dr. & Mrs. Jimmy Jackson Videos Worship In Christ Alone
Memories Video Offertory Prayer Multi-Generational Choir & Orchestra How Great Thou Art
Message by Dr. Rick Lance Time of Response Only Trust Him
Lord’s Supper Prayer Multi-Generational Choir & Orchestra The Applause Of Heaven Soloist: David Hoggle
Please join us for a Reception at the South Campus, 1:00 - 4:00 pm Whitesburg South Campus, 7300 Whitesburg Drive The banners in the front of the worship center today are replicas of a stained glass window in the J.W. MacGorman Chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The chapel’s windows depict leaders of the conservative resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention. The window was placed as a gift from our church.
Dear Church Family, Forty years ago, I would never have had any idea that I would be writing this letter. On one of our anniversaries, I think twenty fifth, a news reporter asked me if I expected to be the pastor of WBC that many years and why did I stay so long. My answer was off the cuff, but transparent and thankful. I said that I was called to be the pastor of the church because they had a lot of work to be done for the Lord. My family moved to Huntsville in June of 1978. The next morning, I got up and went to work as the pastor of WBC. The next day, I did the same. I just kept doing that every day and the next day there was always more to do. I have been trying to finish the job God called me to and I had to keep on being the pastor because there was always more to do. So here I am, 25 years later, and I am still not done. Well now at 40 years, I can tell you we still have a lot of work to do. What a blessing it has been to be part of one of the great churches in God’s Kingdom. This church is our extended family. We love all of you and look forward to the days to come. One thing that most people overlook is that the pastor and his family have something in common with the other brothers and sisters in our church. We are not just the pastoral leader—we are fellow members of one of the most loving, caring, and blessed ministries in all the world. On June 3, 2018, I will step aside as the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church but, the Lord willing, Bobbi and I will continue to serve and minster as you do. We are glad to be active members of the Whitesburg Church family. Our best work is yet ahead of us. Love in Jesus, Brother Jimmy
Timeless Wisdom FROM OUR PASTOR
Psalm 78
June 1979
In the way of encouragement to you in whatever circumstance may be yours, I want you to look at Psalm 78. You will find it very rewarding as you deal with life on a day-by-day basis. This Psalm records the history of Israel’s failure in the Old Testament days. In three key places the author exposes the reason for this failure. In verses 9, 41, and 57, the text reveals that they “turned back.” Just at a crucial point when God has promised victory if they would trust and obey Him, they “turned back.” They wanted to refuse deliverance from Egypt. Then while out in the wilderness, they rejected God’s call to take the land of Canaan. And even after possessing the land they rebelled against the Lord and “turned back” into their old idolatrous ways. It seems as if God was constantly pushing them up to the edge of their reasoning power and their limited ability. His plan was to lead them to step out in faith upon Himself. What a wonderful place to be – totally dependent upon the Lord! But they would not heed the call to faith. Thus verse 41 tells us that they limited the Holy One of Israel.” Is it not true that our Lord is still seeking to teach us in a similar way? He pushes us to the edge of our resources and our capabilities in order to get us to step out into the realm of faith. How many times we have been challenged to trust God for the improbable, unreasonable, or impossible? Few people weather the storm of doubt and fear associated with such trials. But when someone does, he finds Himself resting on nobody but Jesus and nothing but God’s Word. He has been issued into the throne room of grace along the corridor of simple faith. God’s riches are at His disposal. That is why the psalmist declares in Psalm 84:12, “O Lord of Hosts, happy to overflowing is the man who trusts in you.” A new dimension of spiritual growth and inner peace awaits each of us who are willing to abandon the obvious facts when God’s word directs us to go beyond reason. Jesus had to do it to die for us. The apostles had to do it to continue to preach Jesus after His death and resurrection. It was unreasonable to be loyal to One whom the world considered a failure. But God directed them to preach the good news, and they were obedient. The scripture is interwoven with stories of great victory. In each case, someone or maybe a whole group of people, had to believe God. You and I can experience that same kind of victory. The next time the Lord leads you to a situation or a challenge that seems impossible and unreasonable, verify God’s leading by checking the promises in His word. Then let it be said of you that you “went on by faith.” Let the Lord never record another “turned back” for our family, our church, or us.
The next few pages feature articles and devotionals written by Bro. Jimmy over the past 40 years, along with family and ministry photos.
Timeless Wisdom FROM OUR PASTOR
Private Worship
November 1992
Today I want to offer you a friendly suggestion. You may already be doing this, but if not, would you take a shot at it? It works for me. You will remember that when we studied the Great Commandment of our Lord we talked about loving God. One of the ways we love Him is by putting Him first in our mind, soul, and heart. A practical application of that is to begin to put Him first in our time. I try to do this in two ways. First, for a number of years now I have worked on thinking of Jesus as soon as I wake up in the morning. Even if I wake up very early and do not get up right then, I still want to think about the Lord. This usually is a time of thanksgiving and quiet reflection on His goodness. Second, when I come later to my time of devotion, I have been spending the first part of that period praising and thanking God for Who He is and for What He has done to show me Who He is. My mind wants to rush on to petitions concerning my family, friends, the church, and the world, but I refuse to start asking until I have finished loving the Lord. As with all rules or guidelines, there are usually exceptions to this approach to private devotion. The main one needs to be mentioned. When I have sinned, and my fellowship with God is disrupted, I cannot just begin to praise and thank Him. I must first confess my sin and enter back into harmony with Him. Then I am free in my spirit to worship Him. You may be asking why I am making these two simple suggestions. Well, the reason is that what we do in worship as a body of believers is dependent on what each of us is doing privately. The sweeter, stronger, and more meaningful our private worship becomes; the sweeter, stronger, and more meaningful our public worship becomes. Many of our people are already doing something very similar to what I am encouraging you to do. You may be one of them. There is no set schedule that any of us must follow in our quiet time with the Lord, but if we are to love Him first and foremost, I just thought these simple ideas might be of help. May the Holy Spirit who indwells each of God’s children lead us to love our Lord like never before. Let us discover as believers and as a church the truth of the old chorus: “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!”
Timeless Wisdom FROM OUR PASTOR
Is God enough?
July 2005
After more that forty-five years in the ministry, I still find myself hurting deeply when someone loses a loved one. With each notice of a loved one passing on out into eternity, there is the perturbing question: “What can I say or do to ease the pain, to help this person get through the dark and often lonely and confusing time of grief?” Certain encouragements always come to the surface of my mind. Invariably I hear the powerful and challenging words that the Lord spoke to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you.” I realize that the context of that statement was not the death of a loved one. It concerned a physical illness or disability Paul wanted healed. However, the same grace that is able to give a person faith and perseverance in the face of a lifetime of limitation because of a physical problem is also sufficient to stabilize, strengthen, comfort, and give hope to a person going through grief. Consider the little fish that swims in the Atlantic Ocean. It becomes fearful that the few gallons of water that pass through his gills might deplete the vast waters of the ocean. In his anxiousness he cried out for help. If the ocean could speak, it would say with a broad grin: “Little fish, don’t you worry. My waters are sufficient for you.” What of the little bird who suddenly becomes terrified that the atmosphere might be used up by her few little gulps of air. If God’s atmosphere could speak, it would say: “Little bird, take in all the air you desire. As long as you live, my air is sufficient for you.” Even so as we walk through our losses and the heartaches of those around us. When we privately or publicly cry out to God: “I don’t think I can make it” or “I don’t know whether or not my friend can make it,” can we not hear the God who created the oceans and the sky say gently to us: “Don’t worry, my grace is sufficient for you.” As an old time evangelist once said: “We all need Jesus, and He is all we need” Yes, God is enough.
Timeless Wisdom FROM OUR PASTOR
Psalm16:8
June 1980
One of the bold statements of David (Psalm 16:8) is very fitting for us as we individually and corporately move ahead in building to reach our city for Christ. As is true with anyone who really gets serious about pleasing the Lord, David had numerous challenges to his God-inspired faith. The time when he faced Goliath might stand out as an excellent example. His victory of that awesome enemy (an impossible situation, to say the least) was clearly by God’s intervention although He used normal things like a human being, a sling, and a rock. God could have split Goliath right down the middle with a bolt of lightning. Surely the skeptics would have had fun with that one trying to prove that anyone standing so tall with such a mass of metal armor just happened to attract the lightning. Or God could have chosen any of hundreds of supernatural ways to end the contest. But He did not. He did it through what might be called a supernatural natural means. He allowed man to get in on the victory. Thus He demonstrates the fine balance between human and divine involvement -- or we might say, the inseparability of works and faith. Now we are faced with a similar situation in serving the Lord Jesus. Our enemy is much stronger than we. Our task is much larger than we. But God will use what we have if we will but trust and obey him. But where is the key to this arena of victory by faith? If we can see it in David’s life, perhaps we can follow his lead. Well, here it is in Psalm 16:8 – “I have set the Lord always before me.” This had become David’s lifestyle. I know he failed God bitterly, but he also returned repentantly. But when he lived in victory, the reason was because he had willfully set the Lord before himself. This simply means that David was always behind the Lord following Him. God cannot be “before” us unless we are “behind” Him. Thus, He was David’s daily leader. He did not have to wait until Goliath showed up and then ask the leadership of the Lord. He walked daily under that leadership. This speaks to the need of a daily devotional time in order to discern the will of God through the word of God. Then when the trials come, Jesus is already Lord, and we just move on under His guiding hand. In simple terms, David had victory because He was yielded to the Lord in the innermost parts of his life. If we are to get in on the same kind of triumphant living, we must let Jesus be Lord over our whole life. Let our testimony be: “I have set the Lord always before me.”
LIFE Grouipght Fellowship N 5 Friday, June 1
Contact a LIFE Group for details! Make childcare reservations at ext. 352 by noon on Wednesday, June 13.
Membershi p Ladies Summer Class Bible Studies TH Y PA VER
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The Quest by Beth Moore
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Tuesday Mornings beginning June 12 at 9:30 am
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Rachel & Leah by Nicki Koziarz
Connect. Grow. Se CoSnnervecte. . Grow. Serve. rve. . w ro G . t c Conne
Thursday Nights beginning June 14 at 6:30 pm
Fast Track
Sunday, June 10 8:30 am
Breakfast is provided. Registration is required. Register online or by calling ext. 201.
Get ready for the best week ever!
vacation bible school! June 4-8, 9 am - noon
It’s FREE! For Ages 4 - Grade 5 completed. Must be 4 by 9-1-17 in order to attend.
Register online today! WhitesburgBaptist.org/Camps
g n i n e v E o N Services throughout the month of June
Save the Date: The Collingsworth Family Concert Sunday, July 1 at 6:15 pm
Details and registrations at WhitesburgBaptist.org/Women
Please join us Sundays in June with special Guest Speakers! June 10 Dr. Bruce Ware June 17 Dr. David Allen June 24 Dr. Charles Carter Worship 9:30 or 11:11 am LIFE Groups 8, 9:30, or 11 am