Ferguson Avenue Baptist Church 10050 Ferguson Avenue v Savannah, Georgia 31406

Bob Dimmitt Pastor 912-398-4363 bob@fabchurch.com

Tim Wade Assoc. Pastor/Youth 912-231-7199 tim@fabchurch.com

Church Phone: 912-355-0949 Church Fax: 912-355-4869 www.fabchurch.com

Announcements Where Christ Is Exalted and the Fellowship Is Exciting

If you have any questions concerning the message from today, or are interested in obtaining information about church membership, please see the Pastor after the service, drop a note in the offering plate indicating your desire to talk with the Pastor, or call the church office.

FABC Deacons

Reggie Brown 844-9239 Matt Coleman 832-341-6551 Bobby Deloach 667-8867 Mickey Fell 920-4557 Dean McCraw 596-8624 Billy Morris, Sr. 398-1038 Joe Morris 398-0125 Steve Posner 704-5617 Jay Rowe 547-5770 Kelly Stanford 441-2151 Billy Waters 308-2311 Ric Zittrouer 210-0344

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tary in a home. These glorious truths are not mere platitudes, but practical realities that we as a church can help our commu-nity to realize. Join us for this special movie night as we see what one man is doing half a world away, and then consider what we can be doing in our own community by way of foster care, adoption, and fam-ily support. Even if you have never considered foster care or adoption as a possibility for you and your family, I encour-age you to join us as we con-sider ways to love and support those that do open their homes to the lonely and solitary. We look forward to seeing you on March 18 for this special event. We will begin at 6:30 and end at 8:30, snacks will be provided.

Wednesday Night Wednesday, March 16, the menu is Spaghetti. Sign up!

Missionary Speaker Welcome, Jim Romaine!

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: The Dropbox Film Friday, March 18 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. This documentary tells the true story of South Korean pastor Lee Jong-rak and his heroic efforts to embrace and protect abandoned children. It is a story about the forgotten, the disabled, the discarded, and a man and his wife who give everything to protect them. Psalm 68:4-6 says: Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. Our God is a father of the fa-therless, and he settles the soli-

March 13, 2016

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10:30 a.m.

Welcome and Announcements

* Opening Chorus & Greeting “Revive Us Again”

Words are on back of bulletin

* Call to Worship 1 Corinthians 1:18

Hymn #129 “At the Cross”

Scripture Reading & Prayer Steven Jackson

Proverbs 11:22-31

Special Music

Receiving of Tithes And Offerings

* Hymn #127 “Hallelujah, What a Savior!”

Message Bob Dimmitt Fellowship, Part 1

1 John 1:1-3, Antology #10

* Hymn, to the right

“Doxology”

March 13 , 2016

*All those who are able, please stand.

6:00 p.m.

Welcome and Announcements

* Hymn #208 “Are You Washed in the

Blood?”

Prayer

Receiving of Tithes And Offerings

Hymn #126 “Rock of Ages”

Hymn, bulletin pp. 6-7 “And Can It Be that I Should

Gain?”

Message Jim Romaine

Mission to the World Queens, New York

* Hymn #212 “Nothing but the Blood”

Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen

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A .M. Notes

Fellowship, Part 1 Antology #10 1 John 1:1-3 First: What is the basis of our fellowship? koinonia = The whole point of the preaching of the gospel_______________________________ 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Corinthians 13:14 The word fellowship is specifically a Christian word. 1 John 1:1-7 The first thing John does is give them the historical context of their faith. Humanity wants a God that we can feel, a God we can touch and see and hear on our own terms. Christianity does not offer that kind of God to the world. Did you know that behind this push for homosexual marriage is a very specific spiritual belief? Along with this elimination of the distinction between creator and the created is the elimination of the distinctions the creator has declared in his creation, because every living thing is from or made up of the same stuff, or the same in its essence….

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Jim Romaine Mission to the World

____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

P.M. Notes

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Senior Saints Going to Olive Garden, Tuesday, March 15. Sign the list in the hall, and meet at the restaurant at 11:30 a.m!

Drop Box Film Friday, March 18, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. De-tails on page 1!

Young Adult Bible Study Thursday, March 24, at 7:00 p.m., at the Sheffields’.

Easter Sunday We will have our annual fantastic Easter Breakfast on Sunday, March 27. Sign up! We will eat at 8:30 a.m. and worship at 10:00 a.m. There will be no evening service.

New Sunday School Class! Steve Posner is beginning a new Sun-day School class, Biblical Theology: A Primer, next week. This basic class will look at the types, shadows, themes and patterns that develop from creation to Christ. No prior knowledge of the sub-ject is required. There is an introduc-tory class on March 20, and then after Easter class will carry on, using as a resource a short book by Jim Hamilton, What is Biblical Theology?: A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns. Next, the class will make sweeping overviews at individual and collective books of the Bible to see how the Bibli-cal authors are previewing Christ and our need for Him. This class is intended to give a better understanding of the narrative of Scrip-ture and God's design in bringing many different authors and stories to form the great story of redemption. Steve’s class meets in the Youth House.

Save These Dates for Upcoming Children’s Activities!

Mother/Daughter Tea in May ........................................ Date TBA

Vacation Bible School ..................................................... June 20-24

Children’s Camp at Epworth by the Sea .......................... July 25-28

Summer Music Camp ................................. Wednesday nights from 7-8pm beginning June 29th with the Ending Program on August 10

Welcome, New Members! Don & Angela King

T he tongue is literally the only part of the human body that

never gets tired.

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Family Resources for the Coming Holy Week and Easter Desiring God has some online resources they have posted in the past years for Christians to use in their preparation for Holy Week/Easter Sunday that would be beneficial for our families. The first one is: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/five-helps-for-your-holy-week – “5 of the best Piper articles related to the Easter season” - there are clickable links to access the 5 articles. The second, included in the previous internet link, is http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lenten-lights which gives 8 readings starting Saturday of Palm Sunday weekend and ends on Easter Sunday. And the third is “A

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Vision for Holy Week” which is a more in-depth devotional reading for the same week found at http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-vision-for-holy-week that can be downloaded in multiple formats including printing it out for free. As Mr. Piper points out, “We worship Christ not just because he was meek. And not just because he was mighty. But because no one in history has ever united them the way he did. Sovereign might in sacrificial meekness. Terrible majesty through tender mercy. Infinite lowliness because he descended from infinite heights. Infinite wor-thiness because he never murmured in the pain of his appointed path. Infinite exal-tation because he perfectly finished what the infinite Father sent him to do.” He is worthy of our worship! - Cindy Wise

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Antology In summarizing the last 9 weeks: We began with Proverbs 6:6, basically what we took from that is we need to learn from the ant (as God commands), we need to ponder his life, and not only gain wisdom, but as Proverbs often points out, we need to embrace it, guard it, consider it the apple of our eye, to have a close and intimate relationship with wisdom. We spent some time thinking about a key word Solomon uses: sluggard, a useless person who always fails because of laziness that becomes moral failure; his soul wants nothing, and he gets nothing. This person takes no initiative; doesn’t do his tasks on time; and will not work. He creates imaginary excuses. His wealth and health deteriorate; but he often considers himself wise. There are over 9,000 ant species, though some say that number is closer to 12,000, and we noted that there are at least 15 common traits the ants share. The first thing we see is the ant is one of the most laborious (characterized by extreme care and much attention to detail; exhibits excessive effort) insects that exist. It gives more ef-fort than any other animal or insect in existence. Ants are successful because they are diligent in all they do. Diligence or attentiveness = zeal, effort, leaves no stone unturned, involvement, dedi-cation, seriousness, desire, haste. According to the Bible we looked at some things we are to be diligent in:

Christians must exert themselves to maintain the unity that Christ has achieved for them.

Pastor/teachers should do all they can to present themselves as approved. We are to have a concern and a zeal to do what is right. We are to escape the corruption that is in the world: It takes every bit of diligence and

effort a Christian can muster, along with the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (1 Peter 1:4) and to bring in alongside of his faith a complement of virtue. He should work hard at culti-vating the 7 qualities Peter lists. Try your hardest and try even harder to add these qualities to your faith.

As we looked at those 7 traits that Peter lists we then focused on self-control= this word is used of the one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites. It points to the inner power to control one’s own desires and appetites, and in context is a fruit of “true knowledge” (epignosis). No self control, by analogy, means one is wide open to attack from the world, the flesh and the devil! Such a person is an easy victim when attacked by strong desires and impulses. This begs the question: Are there any breeches in the walls guarding your heart? Are we open to attack? What are we to do to ensure we have and exercise self-control? For the Christian, self-control arises from and is accompanied by our knowledge, which comes out of obedience to the Word of God. It comes right out of that faith that God gives us. When one is in the Word of God, he is a controlled person. Believers, because of Christ within them, possess the potential to control their temper, to exercise control over their desires and all of this self-discipline comes out of our faith. We are reminded that the Holy Spirit, living in us, is our restrainer. That the Spirit of God will subdue the flesh. As a believer walks through life he should depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit for guidance

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and power. But the Spirit does not operate automatically in a believer’s heart. He waits to be de-pended on. When a Christian does yield to the Spirit’s control, the promise is that he will not in anywise gratify (complete, fulfill in outward action), the desires of the flesh. We then looked at Galatians 5 so we could understand how we actually obtain self-control and emphasized that we are to be diligent in pursuing and putting forth effort to possess and exercise self-control. Though it is not obtained by self effort we are to make an effort through the strength and ministry of the Holy Spirit. If we habitually indulge in any immoral habit, it matters not what it is; if we are habitu-ally ungodly, or impure, or unjust, or intemperate, we cannot be saved. We are commanded to “walk in the Spirit”; keep in mind that this phrase and the phrase “be led by the Spirit,” are synonymous. To walk like this means one lives in obedi-ence to what God says in Scripture. Diligent study of the Bible, and fervent believing prayer for the assistance of the Holy Spirit, are the principal means of Christian sanctification. We learned from Romans 1 that one key to this change is the mind, the control center of one’s attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. As one’s mind keeps on being made new by the spiritual input of God’s Word, prayer, and Christian fellowship, his lifestyle keeps on being transformed. The true way of escaping from the dominion of the flesh (what I was) is to subject ourselves to the power of the Spirit and Word. We also learned an important and often overlooked point that along the way in the life we live, emotional pain is intended to inform us what is going on in our hearts so that we might avail ourselves of the resources that are ours in Christ to experience heart transfor-mation. Lastly, we looked at what the apostle Paul meant by his statement that believers are those who crucify the flesh (this is an important component to gaining self control as well as escaping the corruption that is in the world). Some are more successful than others in mortifying or crucifying their depraved habits/ways of thinking and feeling; but they are all honestly engaged, and it is just in the degree in which they are successful that they give evidence to themselves and others that they indeed belong to Christ. As we heard John Piper’s description of this we need to “slay the dragon.” Again Paul’s statement is not they who are Christians ought to crucify the flesh, but it is they who are Christians do crucify the flesh. The force of this exhortation is obviously this: if we are Christians let’s prove it by acting like Christians. If we are spiritually alive, let’s show it by being spiritually active. The only way of obtaining it (holiness, which scripture tells us that without it we can-not see the Lord), is to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind;” and this can only be brought about by the operation of the Holy Spirit, through the instrumentality of Christian truth that is understood, believed, embraced, and lived out. All of this lays the ground work as we look at the other characteristics of the ant, to put all that we have looked at into a short phrase let’s pray and encourage each other to “slay the dragon” and let us be diligent about it.

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Missionary of the Week

Bruce & Vicki Kelly Deaf Church - Atlanta

Bruce Kelly and his family are mis-sionaries to the deaf community in Smyrna, Georgia, and Bruce pas-tors the Deaf Baptist Church. They are involved in church planting, mission trips, recruiting and train-ing deaf missionaries, as well as being involved with deaf camps nationally and internationally. To reach the Kelly family, you can

email them at: bavkelly@yahoo.com. Please pray for: 1. Growth! They had 10 new visitors at their Thanksgiving Potluck,

and they average 2 new visitors each week! 2. Twice a month Bible study in Canton, Georgia. This is held at a

coffee shop about 45 minutes from their church, but Bruce has still about 10 people who come on a regular basis.

3. Worship services at their church. 4. Spiritual growth in the church members. 5. Fruit from a Deaf Spiritual Leadership Conference Bruce attended

in Brazil during February, 2016.

M y experience is not what makes redemption real—redemption is reality. Redemption has no real meaning for me until it is worked out through my conscious life. When I am born again, the Spirit of God takes me be-

yond myself and my experiences, and identifies me with Jesus Christ. If I am left only with my personal experiences, I am left with something not produced by re-demption. But experiences produced by redemption prove themselves by leading me beyond myself, to the point of no longer paying any attention to experiences as the basis of reality. Instead, I see that only the reality itself produced the experi-ences. My experiences are not worth anything unless they keep me at the Source of truth—Jesus Christ.

Oswald Chambers

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Sunday School Classes & Descriptions

Adult “Fundamentals of the Faith” - Room 27:

Matt Coleman “Chronological Survey of the Bible” -

Fellowship Hall: Bob Dimmitt Various topics - Youth House: Steve

Posner Students & Children Babies - Room 3: Kay Stanford &

Saundra Bridges 1s & 2s - Room 24: Savannah Stanford

& Donna Martin 3s & 4s - Room 25: Emily Wise & Susan

Su Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grade - Room

200: Jimmy & Angie Creech 3rd-6th Grade Boys - Room 202: Ric

Zittrouer & Richie Mills 3rd-6th Grade Girls - Room 204: Kelly

Zittrouer & Mary Ann Fowler Youth Guys - Room 206: Tim Wade,

Bobby Deloach, & Nick Herring Youth Girls - Room 207: Sona Bailey,

Jessica Dimmitt, & Lauren Wade

Bible Reading Schedule March 2016

1 Acts 1-4

2 Acts 5-7

3 Acts 8-10

4 Acts 11-14

5 Acts 15-18

6 Acts 19-21

7 Acts 22-26

8 Acts 27-28

9 Romans 1-4

10 Romans 5-8

11 Romans 9-12

12 Romans 13-16

13 1 Cor 1-5

14 1 Cor 6-9

15 1 Cor 10-13

16 1 Cor 14-16

17 2 Cor 1-5

18 2 Cor 6-10

19 2 Cor 11-13

20 Galatians 1-3

21 Galatians 4-6

22 Ephesians 1-3

23 Ephesians 4-6

24 Philippians (1-4)

25 Colossians (1-4)

26 1 Thess (1-5)

27 2 Thess (1-3)

28 1 Timothy 1-4

29 1 Timothy 5-6

30 2 Timothy (1-4)

31 Titus & Philemon

T he way things really are: When thinking about mankind you can-not study his condition without

being touched by the plight of man. Though biologically intact, man is es-sentially afflicted with a sense of help-lessness, discontent, inferiority, and fear. Outwardly we pretend to be satisfied and strong; inwardly we are poor, needy, vulnerable, always on the verge of misery, prone to suffer mentally and physically. Scratch his skin and you come upon bereavement, affliction, un-certainty, fear and pain. Sounds to me like we really do need a savior; just say-ing.

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Opportunities for the Week Today

Fellowship Time 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. Adult Choir Practice 4:00 p.m. Easter Choir Practice 4:45 p.m. Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday

Spaghetti Supper 5:45 p.m. Awana & Youth 6:30 p.m. Prayer & Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

Nursery March 13 10:30 A.M.

Babies: Shelma Lewis, Jeanie Groover,

Savannah Ward Toddlers - 4 year olds:

Karrie & Lindsey Walker/ Steve & Linnea Posner

6:00 P.M. Sona Bailey, Cindy Dimmitt,

Lynn Ernst

Nursery March 20 10:30 A.M.

Babies: Mary Fowler, Heather Clark,

Kay Stanford Toddlers - 4 year olds:

Jimmy & Tammy Kicklighter/ Nick Herring, Kim Lawson,

Allie Mills 6:00 P.M.

Janice Donaldson, Ceci Sheffield, Sharon Boaen

Ushers March 13 10:30 A.M.

Mike Morris, Buddy Bacon, Johnny Bridges, Reggie Brown

6:00 P.M. Ron Fowler, Dean McCraw

Ushers March 20

10:30 A.M. Shawn Champion, Charlie Crews,

Bucky Lanier, Jack Moore 6:00 P.M.

Joe Morris, Jay Rowe

Sunday Greeters - March 13 Lisa Rowe, Mary Fowler

March Lock-Up Deacons Joe Morris, Steve Posner,

Jay Rowe

I n prayer we tell God nothing he does not already know. Instead, our

prayers acknowledge our awareness of something he has always known and that we regularly forget--that we need him and cannot live without him.

From Trusting God, by Jerry Bridges

Revive Us Again We praise Thee, O God, For the Son of Thy love, For Jesus who died And is now gone above. Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Hallelujah, amen! Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Revive us again. All glory and praise To the Lamb that was slain, Who has borne all our sins And has cleansed every stain. Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Hallelujah, amen! Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Revive us again.