First Baptist Blowing Rock

If you had to describe what real, genuine, worship looked like; what words would you use? kneeling? standing? hands raised? crying? reverent? shouting? singing? It is a trick question. Worship is not about the expressions we use but rather a matter of the heart. Those words describe the ways we express our worship and really don't indicate the heart of the worshiper. Too often, we get caught...

Many Christians are great at sharing "what" they believe, but not so great at "why" they believe it. When it comes to the "why's" and the difficult questions of our faith, we often fall back on our Christian cliché’s and catch phrases and end up building barriers to the very people we need to be reaching. We are called and commanded to build bridges and engage ou...

How much faith is enough? Is this a simple question with a complex answer? Enough to do what? To see someone healed? To see a life changed? To move a mountain? Join us this week as we discover the story of a women who "had issues" and yet had enough faith to find physical, emotional and spiritual healing. How much faith did it take? You might be surprised at the answer. All of us "h...

The Bible tells us quite a bit about John the Baptist; we know about his prophetic birth to Zechariah and Elizabeth, his very active public ministry, his baptizing Jesus in the Jordan river, his flashy fashion sense, his strange diet and even his death at the hands of Herod. But the question we examine with this message is; what was it about John that attracted so many people? His personality? His...

What is your favorite love story? Maybe from literature like Romeo and Juliet or maybe from the movies or even some TV characters? What about the Bible? We don't always think of the Bible when we think of love stories but it contains the greatest love story of all time; How much God loved you and I. Join us as we look at the complex love stories we find in the Book of Ruth, and along the way...

The three Hebrew boys hanging out in the fire with Jesus; rescued and called out, clothes not touched, the evil king repents, happy ending! But what happens when there's no happy ending in sight? What about the first deacon, young Stephen, whose powerful ministry was cut short by a hail of stones and his broken lifeless body left on the street? Was his faith any less than Shadrach, Meshach an...

All over the world; from the middle east of Egypt and Syria to the Far East of Indonesia and China. From the Sudan to Central America; whole families and individuals are facing job loss, poverty, hunger and persecution and some are even facing death. They did not commit a crime, it has nothing to do with politics or race; it is simply because they have placed their faith in Jesus Christ and identi...

Have you ever faced a season of despair, burnout or depression? Can you relate to what it means to be emotionally, physically or spiritually exhuasted? For every mountaintop their comes a valley, for every high there comes a low and at one time or another in all of our lives we face a season where our Faith seems to falter. Join us this week as we explore how Elijah the prophet could go from the f...

From a house of shame to the Hall of Fame. From an unknown prostitute to a princess in the tribe of Judah. Never underestimate what God is weaving together and the transformation that takes place when His grace collides with our faith. Join us as we look at the life of Rahab of Jericho and how her faith allowed her to be sure of what she hoped for and certain of what she could not see. Like Rahab,...

How does someone go from fearfully cowering in the woods to leading an small army of 300 against overwheming odds and 135,000 enemies soldiers? By allowing his faith to overpower his fear. Many followers of Christ allow fear to keep them in bondage and rob them of their purpose and power. Listen today to find out how to set your faith free and stand against the "spirit of fear". From Jud...

Waiting on God can require a lot of patience. Have you ever held on to a promise from God but had to wait longer than you expected? Have you wanted to give up, quit praying, gotten angry or even discouraged and depressed? Have you felt like you were all alone while trying to do what God was calling you toward? Imagine waiting over 100 years for God timing. Noah did and he remained faithful through...

When you read through the Bible it is easy to be intimidated and overwhelmed by the faith and actions of those you read about. How did David have the strength to face Golaith? Noah the perseverance to build an Ark? Esther the patience to follow God's plan? Were these "super believers" that we could never aspire to follow? In our new series "Found Faithful" we will be exami...

This is part two of the Message from January 5th, "Overcoming Your Secret Sins" looking at 1st John 5:15-21 and how we can have victory this year over all of our struggles with sin. Following up on last weeks encouragement to pray for one another in the body of Christ, John continues with specific applications we can apply to our everyday lives. Thank you for listening to our podcast and...

All of us have certain sins we struggle with more than others; sins we think no one else will notice or find out about. Some that we have excused or rationalized for so long that they have become a part of our character. In this message from 1st John 5, we discover that even those "secret sins" can rob us of our joy, peace and intimacy with God. Listen to discover how you can overcome an...

James tells us, "We have not because we ask not" and in our study of 1st John we are reminded that as followers of Christ we can approach God for anything. God desires an intimate relationship with each one of us and prayer is the main avenue to that intimacy. So many times we allow fear and a misunderstanding of God's nature to keep us from asking but it is in the asking that intim...

We spend a lot of time, effort and energy preparing to celebrate the 1st arrival of Jesus Christ, but how much time and effort do we spend preparing for his 2nd coming? Even with all the signs and prophecies most of the people in Bethlehem had no idea the Messiah had come. In the last chapter of the New Testament, Jesus promises "I will return soon" yet most Christians live their lives l...

Part 2 of the message from 1st John 5:1-5. Followers of Jesus Christ have a promise of victory over every circumstance or situation we may face, the problem is many are not claiming or walking in that promise. What does it mean to be an "overcomer" and how can we live in victory? Join us as we discover a promise that could set you free in every area of your life. Thank you for listening...

Which of these two terms would describe your Christian walk; Survive or Thrive? Too many Christ followers live their lives just trying to survive. When faced with trials or difficutlies we hunker down and hope to wait it out or just surivive until the whistle blows. That is not only un-scriptural, it is selling short the promises and calling of God on your life. In our study, John reminds us that...

Do the Thanksgiving holidays stress you out? Blended families, extended families, dysfunctional families all gathering in one place. Black Friday? The perfect meal? Can’t we all just get along? The Apostle John has an App for that and it is a lot easier than you might think; more Lettuce!! No, he is not suggesting you go vegan, or even mix in a little green with your turkey and ham. What he is sug...

Can you tell the difference between truth and error, clairty over deception? In a day when confusion and deception reign, how can a follower of Jesus know what is true? Are their false teachers and leaders that seek to control and build their own kingdoms instead of setting believers free and advancing Christ kingdom? In this podcast and passage, the Apostle John seeks to bring freedom and truth b...

Doubts? Guilt? Not Good enough? Bound to your past? Do these sound familar? These are the struggles that can become chains of bondage for the followers of Jesus Christ. Chains of our own making. While many freely accept the incredible forgiveness we have through Jesus Christ, we still struggle to forgive ourselves. Listen as the Apsotle John identifies 3 truths that can set us free and give us a p...

Did you realize that it was a religious dispute that instigated the first recorded murder in the Bible? What happened and how does it affect us today? Listen as the Apostle John explains how the "Spirit of Cain" continues to dissrupt and divide the church and destroy its witness. He also points out, that the answer to the problems is as simple as changing your defaults. Ist John 3:11-20...

We live in a culture that continues to rename, redefine and rationalize sin to make it more palatable and easier to justify. Even in the church, it is popular to downplay the destructive nature of sin for the sake of comfort. In this warning, the Apostle John concludes that the measure of a true Child of God is how they react and respond to sin and he reminds us all of the incredible power we have...

The names we use to identify ourselves carry history, heritage and meaning. Sometimes we even allow those name to become our identitiy. For those that have an initmate relationship with God; you have a new name. A name that carries a promise, a new identity and will define us, not just in this life but also the next. You are a "Child of God"! Thank you for listening to our podcast and we...

Does it really matter where you go to church? Does it matter what you believe as long as you are sincere? John warns us that one of the greatest dangers for the Christ follower and for the church are false teachers, or as he calls them "anti-christ". How can you know if someone is a false teacher and what can you do to protect yourself and your church? John has an APP for that. Thank you...