This episode is a special student led worship service with a special message from First Baptist's Minister to Students, Cory Bennett.
Christmas is always a special time at First Baptist, and one of the most important celebrations during the Christmas season is our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. This year we invite you to celebrate Christmas Eve again with us through this audio recording of our annual Candlelight Service.
Included Music: There's a Song in the Air, Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, It's Christmas, As with Gladness Men of Old, Isn't He, and Your Name followed by Gwen Vance and Janice Sutton playing an arrangement of instrumental praise
Message Title: A Time for Clarification
Text: Luke 2:12
Take Home Point: We do not need to clean up our lives before worshipping God because when we truly worship God He will clean up our lives.
Included Music: Angels We Have Heard on High, Good Christian Men Rejoice, All Is Well, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and Hallelujah What a Savior followed by the Children's Choir singing Welcome to the Newborn King
Message Title: Time for Reconciliation
Text: Luke 2:11
Take Home Point: Jesus came to give you the opportunity to be forgiven and to enjoy a restored relationship with God so that you might bring pace to others.
Included Music: O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to the World!, The First Noel, and Emmanuel (God With Us) followed by the Worship Choir singing O Holy Night
Message Title: A Time for Salvation
Text: Luke 2:10-11
Take Home Point: We are all imperfect and in need of a Savior, but salvation requires a personal encounter and relationship with Jesus.
Included Music: Sweet By and By, We'll Understand It Better By and By, and Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus
Message Title: Words of Life
Text: John 6:60-71
Take Home Point: Once you have experienced the power of a personal relationship with Jesus nothing else can truly satisfy you.
Included Music: Angels from the Realms of Glory, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, Silent Night, and How Great Is Our God followed by Pam Setser, Jim Duncan, Chelsea Jones, and Matthew Jones singing Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
Message Title: A Time for Celebration
Text: Luke 2:8-10
Take Home Point: Through Jesus, God gives each of us the opportunity to exchange our guilt and sorrow for His forgiveness and joy.
Included Music: More About Jesus, Enough, Blessed Redeemer, and At the Cross followed by Matthew, Chelsea, and Elijah Jones singing Glorious Day
Message Title: Community Life
Text: Philippians 2:1-4
Take Home Point: Life is simply better in community when believers adopt a "We Not Me" lifestyle.
Included Music: Mansion Over the Hilltop, Whispering Hope, and He Looked Beyond my Fault
Message Title: Entrance to the Kingdom
Text: John 6:41-59
Take Home Point: The only source of real and eternal life is found in a growing and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Included Music: Victory in Jesus, How Can I Keep/Praise Him, Now Thank We All Our God, and Once Again followed by the Children's Choir singing He Freed Me
Message Title: Encouragement of Community
Text: Colossians 3:15-17
Take Home Point: We were called to a faith of peace focused on the gospel in which everything we do is an act of worship to God.
Included Music: My Tribute, Bless His Holy Name, and To God Be the Glory
Message Title: Life in the Kingdom
Text: John 6:22-40
Take Home Point: We can come to Jesus without fear of rejection knowing that He will provide everything we need for all eternity.
Included Music: Nothing But the Blood, Because of Your Love, I Will Sing of My Redeemer, and Lion and the Lamb followed by the Worship Choir singing Unexpected Places
Message Title: Characteristics of Community
Text: Colossians 3:12-14
Take Home Point: No matter who you were, in Christ, you have been given a new identity and a new way to live that reflects God's work in your life.
Included Music: Great Is Thy Faithfulness followed by a special Southern Gospel presentation by the musical group Measure of Grace
Message Title: Others First
Text: Romans 14:13-18
Take Home Point: Freedom gives us the responsibility to serve others where they are, even if it means setting aside our rights to do so.
Included Music: Jesus Saves, Send the Light, and I Love to Tell the Story
Message Title: The Storms of Life
Text: John 6:16-21
Take Home Point: Following Jesus will not eliminate the storms of life, but when we are obedient, God brings protection during the storms.
Included Music: Wonderful Grace of Jesus, Blessed Be Your Name, All Glory Laud and Honor, and Glorious Day followed by the Worship Choir singing Lion and the Lamb
Message Title: Purposeful Unity
Text: John 17:20-23
Take Home Point: Unity reveals the power of the gospel and empowers us to take the love of God into a broken world.
Included Music: I've Found a Friend in Jesus, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, No One Understands Like Jesus, and Jesus What A Friend for Sinners
Message Title: A Challenging Opportunity
Text: John 6:1-15
Take Home Point: We are never limited by what we don't have. We are limited only by our willingness to give all we have to Jesus so He can do what we cannot.
Included Music: Serve the Lord with Gladness, Shine on Us, I Am Resolved, and Your Name followed by the First Baptist Praise Team singing Lion and the Lamb
Message Title: Through Love
Text: 1 John 4:19-21
Take Home Point: The world simply cannot understand the love of God until it experiences the love of God flowing through the people of God.
Included Music: Now I Belong to Jesus, Love the Lord, I Gave My Life for Thee, and Shout to the Lord followed by the First Baptist Children's Choir singing Holy Spirit
Message Title: Through Sacrifice
Text: Romans 12:1-2
Take Home Point: When we understand all God has done for us, the only reasonable response is to live our lives as an act of worship to Him.
Included Music: I Know a Fount, O the Blood of Jesus, and The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power
Message Title: Evidence Worthy Believing
Text: John 5:31-47
Take Home Point: Nothing attracts people to Jesus more than the surrendered life of a believer who has been completely changed by God.
Included Music: Praise to the Lord the Almighty, Mighty to Save, Great is Thy Faithfulness, and This I Believe followed by the Adult Worship Choir singing The Gospel
Message Title: Through Witnessing
Text: Matthew 9:35-38
Take Home Point: We will never be used by God to impact our community for Him until we step into their world and lovingly meet them right where they are.
Included Music: I Surrender All, Take My Life and Let It Be, and Living for Jesus
Message Title: Life and Judgment
Text: John 5:24-30
Take Home Point: It is your actions, not your words, that reveal what you truly believe.
Included Music: Glorious Is Thy Name Most Holy, You're Worthy of My Praise, Near the Cross, and 10,000 Reasons followed by Pam Mowery, Candi Cooper, Sue Willis, and Nancy Fowlkes performing Wonderful, Merciful Savior
Message Title: Through Service
Text: Hebrews 6:10-12
Take Home Point: We are never more like Jesus than when we are serving others.
Included Music: We're Marching to Zion, The Family of God, and Heavenly Sunlight
Message Title: In Perfect Harmony
Text: John 5:16-23
Take Home Point: Jesus lived in perfect harmony with the Father so we might know the Father through relationship with the Son.
Included Music: Blessed Assurance, Alive Forever Amen, Holy Holy Holy, and No Longer Slaves followed by Matthew Jones singing Goodness of God
Message Title: Through Prayer
Text: Luke 18:1-8
Take Home Point: If we want the world to change, we must pray.
Included Music: Alleluia Alleluia, Low in the Grave He Lay (Christ Arose), and Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
Message Title: Missing the Point
Text: John 5:1-15
Take Home Point: When we become more focused on obeying the letter of the law than we are on God's work in someone's life, we have missed the point of worship.