There are hundreds of Baptist Conventions in the World and even several dozen in the United States. Some Baptist churches however are not associated with any specific Convention or Association and are purely Independent. Mountain Springs Fellowship Baptist Church is one of those Independent, Bible-believing churches and are committed to spreading the Word of God. I visited Mountain Springs last Sunday for their 11am service.
They started out the service with singing praise with a choir and then they had prayer.
Senior Pastor Dr. John Adams gave a
sermon about the Sons of Thunder, James and John. In the beginning, the two were difficult, would not back away from a confrontation, were aggressive and prideful. God, however, drew them close to him. They were sent to the Mount of Transfiguration and witnessed other miracles - by the end of their lives, they became known for something very different. James was the first apostle to be martyred and John became known as the apostle of love. The preacher's lesson was how God turned James and John into very different people through a relationship with Christ and you can find transformation through the same. The minister shared with us that Intimacy with Christ brings a revelation of self. The minister also spoke of ways to better represent Christ in your worldly relationships. He spoke of Reacting versus Responding. He defined Reacting as doing or saying something without thought. Response, he said, requires thought and you should ask counsel of The Lord for the right spirit in your response. Responding will be more in line with God's Will as counsel has been sought first. This will make all of your relationships more genuine and true to your Christian values.
sermon about the Sons of Thunder, James and John. In the beginning, the two were difficult, would not back away from a confrontation, were aggressive and prideful. God, however, drew them close to him. They were sent to the Mount of Transfiguration and witnessed other miracles - by the end of their lives, they became known for something very different. James was the first apostle to be martyred and John became known as the apostle of love. The preacher's lesson was how God turned James and John into very different people through a relationship with Christ and you can find transformation through the same. The minister shared with us that Intimacy with Christ brings a revelation of self. The minister also spoke of ways to better represent Christ in your worldly relationships. He spoke of Reacting versus Responding. He defined Reacting as doing or saying something without thought. Response, he said, requires thought and you should ask counsel of The Lord for the right spirit in your response. Responding will be more in line with God's Will as counsel has been sought first. This will make all of your relationships more genuine and true to your Christian values.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:32
After the sermon there was a child dedication ceremony. Sandra Burch performed a beautiful solo, "A Mother's Prayer." Baptists do not baptize their babies, children are baptized when they are old enough to comprehend the commitment and take the Christian faith as their own - usually no earlier than 10. The dedication ceremony was basically a blessing of the child by the family and the whole church community. The family took the baby to the front of the congregation, and each member laid their hands on the child's foot, head, etc. And the family and whole congregation said a prayer over him. All of those a part of this young child's life made the commitment to help raise the child with Christian and biblical principles and support him on his Christian path.
It was a wonderful event to witness.
THANK YOU Mountain Springs Fellowship Baptist Church for letting me witness the dedication of a precious child.
