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Thanks for visiting the official site of the First Baptist Church of Carlisle, we're glad you stopped by for a visit.

FBC Carlisle has been a presence of Christ in Carlisle, KY since 1819. Over the years we have been blessed to minister to countless people, and we look forward to ministering to you as well.

Whether you're looking for a new church home, seeking a deeper relationship with God, or just curious - please take the time to explore our site and learn a little more about our church.

Consider the Lilies

After a winter that seemed never to cease, finally "spring has sprung." Driving back and forth to Carlisle lately has offered a delightful view of God's nature in full bloom. Flowers of the fields and blooming trees of every kind are in full array: lilies, wildflowers, (dandelions) redbuds, dogwoods, you name it. Don't miss them; they are not around long.

In Matthew 6 Jesus encouraged his hearers to appreciate their beauty, and not miss the lessons they offer about life, and God. His main point was that God takes care of them, and He will take care of us. Therefore, we are not to be anxious about life, and its provisions, but have faith in God. He will provide what we need, like He does for the lilies of the field.

Indeed, flowering spring offers timeless spiritual reminders. During winter nature appears dead. Flower beds are bare. Gardens are empty, Grass is dormant. Trees are barren. Days are short, and the sun stays low in the southern hemisphere. People stay in and huddle for warmth. And studies show that psychological depression afflicts many more in winter.

Then comes the spring, revealing that nature is not dead, but has just been sleep. She offers a grand, spectacular resurrection of life. Sap is rising. Grass is greening. Flowers are blooming, trees are budding. Renewal is the atmosphere of the spring season. It is fitting that Christ's resurrection occurred in the spring, Easter season.

Are you depressed about the past, anxious about the future, or stressed over material things for you or your loved ones? If so, such anxiety will likely rob you of peace and joy. Furthermore, it may prevent you from even noticing the beautiful picture of renewal and hope that God is painting all around us in these days. Let go of the stress. Look around. God is not dead. See and hear the hopeful message of spring. "Consider the lilies."

   Favor with God

What does it mean to find favor with God? This phrase is used by Luke as he kicks off the Christmas story with the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (Luke 1:26f). He says "O favored one, the Lord is with you." As the narrative continues, Mary is very troubled by this news. Why would she be troubled to be in God's favor? Was it the shocking surprise of being suddenly visited by an angel? Surely that would trouble most of us. But why didn't the news of being favored by God cause her great relief, and anticipation of smooth sailing ahead?

       Perhaps it was because Mary was familiar with the story of others who had been chosen of God, or who found favor with the Almighty. Maybe she remembered Abraham who found God's favor, but who never got to inherit the promised land, though he left home seeking it. Or Moses, who found God's favor and spent the rest of his life trying to lead a rebellious people where they did not want to go. Or Jeremiah, who was chosen of God to deliver an unpopular message to a people who didn't want to hear it and finally threw him down a well to silence him. Yes, if Mary knew her religious history, she was very justified with being "troubled" that the Lord had found favor with her, and chosen her for a special role in his plan.

      There is a popular religious notion that to find favor with God means to become "healthy, wealthy and wise." Many believe that if God is with them, the road of life is smooth, and leads to comfort, pleasure, and prosperity. But consider the story of this season. Soon Mary would be pregnant out of wedlock and endure the gossip of a small town. She would go on a very long journey, while "great with child," and deliver her baby in a barn, not a hospital, with no doctors or nurses. She would return to Nazareth and raise him, only to see him pull away from her. She would watch him walk the path of danger and become the object of hostility and resentment by the religious and political powers of his day, who would conspire to arrest and crucify her son.

        Mary understood that God's favor did not mean a life of ease.  Her story reminds us that God's favor may mean a defeat to be suffered, a trial to be endured, a disappointment to be accepted, or a loss to be taken. A life of ease is not the sign of God's favor. It may just mean we have insulated ourselves from the struggles of others around us. And likewise, hard times don't mean God has forsaken us either.

       Walter Russell Bowie wrote: "Lives that think themselves fortunate because they have never been called upon to face great difficulties may end with nothing to show but feebleness. It is the lives which have been given something great to do and to bear, even though they have been bruised in the process, which have truly known the favor of God."

        What difficulties has life brought your way? What trials have you endured? What burdens do you bear? The message of this season is that God is with you through it all, and furthermore, your faithfulness may just result in God's redemptive grace being revealed to those around you. And that is the story of Christmas.
                                                                                  by:  Dr. John E. Owen
                                                                                          Pastor

Sunday Sermons

Be sure to check out the sermons page and listen to the gospel message being preached during our morning worship services.

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Sunday:

Sunday Morning Worship from 11:00 am

Address:
First Baptist Church of Carlisle
345 N. Locust St.
Carlisle, KY 40311

Phone:
(859) 289-5293

Email:
[email protected]

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