First Baptist Church Gulf Breeze

Do you know why you were created?  What is your purpose on this planet?  Life is a continual revealing of God's purposes in us and for us.  Along the path new directions are taken.  But, each step builds on the last.  So, what do you do now?  You do the "next right thing".  You move in the right direction.  God will guide the steps.  He will train and equip.  Your "secret sauce" will become more a...

We need each other.  The Christian life is not intended to be a solo venture.  Part of the "secret sauce" is being a part of something bigger than us.  It's receiving from others and giving to others.  We are to love each other deeply! 

Every believer has been gifted.  Each person is unique.  Our giftedness is mixed with our personality and experiences.  No two people are alike in their makeup.  God has created it this way intentionally.  We need each other.  Left alone, we are missing pieces, but together we have the fullness of God's plan.  

Everyone needs a purpose.  Without purpose life feels meaningless.  In a world that promotes self, maybe we have been pursuing this the wrong way.  Could it be that the way to find what we have been wanting, we need to focus outward?  Putting our attention on other people.  As we help others, could that possibly lead to our own self fulfillment?

Every one of us have many similarities.  We have emotions, we have drives, we have goals, we have physical bodies, we have dreams.  Yet, we are all also unique.  Every single person has a distinction that makes them who they are.  Have you ever thought about your uniqueness?  What is the "secret sauce" that makes you different than everyone else?

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in human history.  Time was split in half.  Death was defeated.  God became man, took on the sins of the entire world, paid the ultimate price, then defeated the curse and death.  Jesus is alive, and because of His resurrection, we have life as well. 

God lived in a tent!  Throughout the Old Testament we see the tent being used as the dwelling place of God.  It moved with the people.  In more modern day history the tent has been used for many revivals over the years.  Today's message is the start of a tent week for our congregation.  We are setting up a literal tent in town and setting aside a time of prayer and focus.  

Every single person will be judged.  Justice is always served.  To say that God is judgmental goes against the modern day grain.  He's all loving right?  Well, yes, God is good and loving.  He extends His mercy and grace and forgiveness to all.  However, He is also a judging God.  To rephrase it:  God is fair!  Isn't that the kind of God we want?

The breaking of chains is at the heart of the Christian message.  But, are there some chains that are needed?  Chains that serve a purpose.  What may seem like an inconvenience, a setback, a burden, a challenge, or a trial, may actually be the very thing God is using for a bigger purpose.  

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few".  If you've been around Christian circles much, you've likely heard that verse many times.  Typically it's a call to be a worker.  It's a call to evangelize and tell the world about Jesus.  That's a good interpretation.  However, what does it mean to be a worker?  Are the workers just those that actually see someone give their life to Christ?  In...

The anointing.  What exactly is anointing anyway?  What are the roots of the word and tradition?  Who receives the anointing?  How do you receive the anointing?  This week we focused on these questions and the key benefits of the anointing (Blessing, Protection, and Empowerment).

The power comes from above.  It's not enough to have good theology and doctrine.  It's not enough to live a moral life.  It's not enough to serve.  Nothing wrong with any of those things, but what's really needed is the power of God residing in the believer.  An anointing!

Everyone has a story.  Each story is unique.  Stories are our personal history.  They are filled with ups and downs, highs and lows.  As believers, they are also filled with redemption and forgiveness.  Stories are captivating and full of adventure.  What's your story?

A lofty goal was presented today.  The challenge presented was for 1,000 souls to be changed forever in 2021.  It's a reminder to return to our calling, our mission.  This year, one thousand people forever changed ... that's the challenge.

God must become greater in our lives, while we become less in our lives.  God is above all things.  It only makes sense that the Creator knows the creation even better than the creation knows itself.  Said another way, God knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows what we need and what we don't need.  He knows our deepest longings and desires.  Yet, in our humanity, we hold on to the contr...

He split time in half.  He's been talked about more, mentioned more, and written about more than any one in history.  He's brought peace to millions, while his name has been at the center of many wars.  Jesus Christ is the single most important person in the history of mankind.  But, Who is Jesus to you personally?

The most powerful prayer in all of Scripture was given by Jesus himself.  He prayed over his disciples.  He prayed for protection, for power, for unity, and for revelation.  This powerful prayer over them, is over us today as well.  Jesus himself has prayed over you and me.  As the world around us seems to be getting tougher, we are reminded that Jesus is still with us.  He has prayed and is prayi...

We live in a world full of chaos.  Every day seems to bring yet another story of madness.  Politics, racial tensions, pandemic, lost jobs, depression, suicide, marriages falling apart, and the list goes on and on.  Fortunately for believers we are reminded, this is not our home.  Our citizenship is in Heaven.  We are just here visiting as strangers in this foreign land.

One day every single one of us will die.  It's inevitable.  There is an eternal destination ahead.  Are you sure beyond any doubts that you are on the right path?  Having assurance makes all the difference!

The Bible is full of verses that will change your life.  But, these two verses, if applied are a guarantee.  Put these two verses into practice, and your whole life will be completely different!

God is slow.  His schedule isn't our schedule.  His timetable isn't our timetable.  Have you ever felt trapped in the waiting?  You want God to do something, and you want it now.  God always does what He needs to do, but it's in His timing, and that timing is always perfect.

Does giving come from an obligation or from gratitude?  Yes, Christians are and should be givers, but the motivation behind the gift makes all the difference.

Uncertainty.  The path ahead is hard to see.  Confusion.  No one seems to no what to do next.  But, is it possible to actually thrive in the midst of the darkness?  As Christians, we can live with a certainty.  We walk in the darkness, but we walk with a hope and a purpose.  

One day each one of us will have a finish line.  This life that we have will be over.  So meanwhile, what do we do?  What is our purpose?  Where are we headed?  The goal is to obviously hear those words "Well done, good and faithful servant".  But, what have we done well with?  What is our specific area?  Having a good idea about the finish line, helps us stay in the race now.

We see the best of others and the worst of ourselves.  For many this false perspective ushers in envy.  Wanting what someone else has.  Desiring their life more that our own.  Wishing that we had what they have, and then maybe, we'd have it altogether.  An incorrect view?  Yes.  But, one that is so easy to fall for.