One of the things that makes the disciples so great to study is that they were human. They had failures as well as victories. They had weaknesses as well as strengths. Peter is a prime example. John MacArthur calls Peter, "The disciple with the foot-shaped mouth. Peter was impetuous, but the Lord used Peter to accomplish some extraordinary things. In this message, Pastor Mike walks us through Peter's initial step of faith, his inconsistent walk of faith, and his incredible leap of faith.

The post Peter: A Refined Faith appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

Jesus chose twelve men from among His followers to be apostles.  He poured his life into these twelve men – teaching and transforming them into people who would change the world.  In this series, titled Follow Me, Pastor Mike will look at each disciple individually and examine his impact as well as what we can learn […]

The post Changing the World appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

There are events in our lives that change everything in our world.  Starting school, starting high school, starting college,  moving away from home, getting married, having children – these are events that change everything. Easter Sunday culminated a week that changed everything.  1 Corinthians 15, often referred to as the “resurrection chapter,” stresses the importance […]

The post Easter Changes Everything appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

“Come and take it.” In 1835, Texans at Ft. Gonzales posted a flag with this phrase when the Mexican government threatened to take back a cannon that had been given as a gift. This was an act of defiance, proclaiming the independence of the Texas spirit. In John 10:17-18, Jesus is essentially saying, “Come and […]

The post Come and Take It appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

Worship has been a divisive issue in many churches.  We disagree about the order of worship, the style of worship, and the expression of worship.  But some of the things that we consider essential in worship are just personal preferences. True worship happens when we acknowledge who God is and who we are.  In this […]

The post A Fresh Start in Worship appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

Everything that we have is a gift from God: money, time, talents.  Stewardship is the use of God-given resources for the accomplishment of God-given goals. In this message, based on 2 Corinthians 9, Pastor Mike gives us 4 key principles for being good stewards: Learn to give abundantly, love to give cheerfully, look to give […]

The post A Fresh Start in Stewardship appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

In a courtroom, when a witness is placed on the stand they can only state something they personally know to be true – something they have seen or experienced.  Jesus told his disciples they would be witnesses. They were to tell the world what they had seen and had learned from him.  We are also […]

The post A Fresh Start in Witnessing appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

Grace isn’t fair.  It is so much better than fair.  You don’t deserve it.  You can’t work for it.  God gives gifts, not wages.  The wages of our sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus, our Lord.

The post The Gift of Grace appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

John Newton, the man who wrote the hymn, Amazing Grace, said as he neared the end of his life, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour.”  When we become aware of the sin in our lives, we see ourselves and […]

The post Amazing Grace appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.

Serving is never considered optional in scripture.  Our service comes from hearts tuned to God and eyes that see others the way He sees them.  In this message from the Fresh Start series, Pastor Mike uses Luke 22:25-27 to explain the expectation of service, the preparation for service, and the motivation for service.

The post A Fresh Start in Service appeared first on First Baptist Van Alstyne.