Good morning, today is Friday, April 24, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

Psalm 20

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now this I know:
The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
with the victorious power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.
Lord, give victory to the king!
Answer us when we call!

If you are listening to this online, I have included a link to a poem written by a poet named Malcolm Guite. This poem was written as a reflection on this Easter season in light of the strange times we are in this year. There is some art he has included on his webpage, so I encourage you to look it up, but I have included an audio clip of him reading his poem for us in his own voice. Listen and be encouraged today knowing that Jesus identified with us in his life and death so that we could identify with him in his new life and resurrection.

This poem, and Malcolm Guite’s other work can be found at his website here: https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2020/04/12/easter-2020-a-new-poem/

Easter 2020: A New Poem

And where is Jesus, this strange Easter day?

Not lost in our locked churches, anymore

Than he was sealed in that dark sepulchre.

The locks are loosed; the stone is rolled away,

And he is up and risen, long before,

Alive, at large, and making his strong way

Into the world he gave his life to save,

No need to seek him in his empty grave.

He might have been a wafer in the hands

Of priests this day, or music from the lips

Of red-robed choristers, instead he slips

Away from church, shakes off our linen bands

To don his apron with a nurse: he grips

And lifts a stretcher, soothes with gentle hands

The frail flesh of the dying, gives them hope,

Breathes with the breathless, lends them strength to cope.

On Thursday we applauded, for he came

And served us in a thousand names and faces

Mopping our sickroom floors and catching traces

Of that virus which was death to him:

Good Friday happened in a thousand places

Where Jesus held the helpless, died with them

That they might share his Easter in their need,

Now they are risen with him, risen indeed.

Good morning, today is Thursday, April 23, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

We have been reading 1 Corinthians 15 together this week, and we will finish today with 1 Corinthians 15:50-58

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I hope this teaching from Paul and the events that surrounded Peter that we looked at last week bring you hope today just as these events were intended to bring hope. Jesus resurrected, we will be resurrected, and this hope gives us reason to live with Jesus as the center of our lives even now.

Paul finishes this incredible chapter declaring the resurrection of Jesus as the foundation and basis of our faith by giving us a final word of encouragement. He says to stand firm, give yourselves to the Lord’s work, and know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

We talked a few weeks ago now about the idea of our working and our living not being in vain because God is with us. And Paul is giving us another evidence to help us understand that our living to do God’s work is not in vain.

Good morning, today is Wednesday, April 22, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

Paul is continuing to instruct the church in Corinth about the resurrection. There were some in the church who doubted the idea of resurrecting from the dead and Paul responds with this powerful chapter about our hope in being resurrected from the dead ourselves because Jesus resurrected. The resurrection is reason for hope in future victory over death, but it is also the reality in which we live now that guides even the ways and patterns in which we worship.

We’ve been breaking up chapter 15 into smaller chunks this week to read and reflect on, but I invite you to sit down and just read this a few times through on your own from beginning to end. I believe it will encourage you to think about how the resurrection is not just a fact to be known, but a reality to live in to now.

1 Corinthians 15:35-49

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

Good morning, today is Tuesday, April 21, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

1 Corinthians 15:20-27

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.”

Psalm 18:1-15, 46-49

I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior!
He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,
who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.

Good morning, today is Monday, April 20, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

Last week we read through the miracle of the lame man at the Temple gate who was healed after Peter and John told him to rise up and walk. This led to a passionate speech from Peter about the forgiveness that the risen Jesus wants to offer to the very people how killed him. And this offer of new life is for us also! Just as it was our sins as much as the Jews that killed Jesus, Jesus is offering us the same new, resurrected life he has now.

This week, let’s read some of the Apostle Paul’s words about the resurrection. I’m going to read from 1 Corinthians 15. Paul goes in to this lengthy discussion on the resurrection of Jesus right at the end of his instructions for gathered worship services. It is almost as if Paul is reminding the church in Corinth and us as well of why we worship in the first place. What our great hope is.

So, listen to this passage of Scripture and be reminded today that our understanding of reality is shaped by this story and the hope of resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-20

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Good morning, today is Friday, April 17, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

Happy Easter season to you! 

For this Easter Season, we are going to hear testimonies from those within our church who are walking in this new life we are talking about. I have with me today, Mrs. Maria Smith.

1. How did you come to know Jesus

2. What does new life look like for you

3. Do you have anything on your heart you would like to share

Philippians 2:1-4

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Happy Easter season to you! 

We left off in Acts 3 with Peter going into the Temple courtyard and seeing a man who was begging and could not walk. Peter, now filled with the Holy Spirit, tells the man to get up and walk. So the man got up and did more than just walk, he skipped. Because of the sick man’s faith, he was healed. Peter then address the crowed says this.

Acts 3:11-26

While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’

“Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Can you imagine being one in the crowd hearing this? Luke has actually written this in a way where we are intended to put ourselves in the position of one in the crowd hearing this. Just like Jesus went around healing people and showing what this new life of faith in him would look like, Peter is continuing that pattern. He points to this healed man as an example of what could happen in each of our own lives if we were to live with faith in Jesus. 

Can you imagine being one in the crowd, knowing that it was you and your religious system that killed Jesus and then hearing this from Peter that there is still an opportunity for you to turn to Jesus and be healed of the sin and brokenness? The very brokenness in each of us that condemned Jesus to the cross is the brokenness that Jesus wants to heal.

Through faith Peter was healed. Through faith this man who could not walk was health. And Peter’s invitation for you today is to walk in that same faith and by healed of your inward darkness and brokenness as well.

Psalm 8

Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prayer for Wednesday of Easter Week

Almighty God, you show those in error the light of your truth so that they  may turn to the path of righteousness: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

To receive this daily devotion to your inbox each morning, sing up below

Sign up if you would like to receive Green Acres Worship Daily devotion every morning straight to your inbox.

Good morning, today is Wednesday, April 15, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

Happy Easter season to you! 

So, we are reading through the first couple chapters from the book of Acts and remember, these first few chapters from the book of Acts are all about what happened immediately after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. They follow the storyline of the apostles, and specifically Peter. So, the story continues on with Peter and the other disciples who are still in Jerusalem. Remember, Jesus had told them in what we call the Great Commission to remain in Jerusalem where the Spirit would come upon them. Acts 1:8 kind of gives us the whole summary of the book. After the disciples ask when Jesus will come back, Jesus says to wait for him and then says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

So, here we are, in Jerusalem, after the Holy Spirit had already come upon the disciples.

Acts 3:1-10

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

For today, just notice this one fact that Peter and the other disciples are now carrying on the same work of Jesus. And if you were to continue reading the book of Acts all the way through, it would become clear that this is just the beginning of the followers of Jesus imitating Jesus and doing what he did. Today, as you continue to wrestle with or think about what it means to be a person who lives according to the truth that Jesus defeated sin and death, be reminded that the Spirit of God is actually with you today and is empowering you to live in union with the life of Christ. To love the poor, help the weak, to forgive your enemies, to separate yourself from corrupt institutions that are built on oppression, and to live with peace and joy because of the hope that Jesus is stronger than death.

Psalm 105:1-8

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
you his servants, the descendants of Abraham,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

Prayer for Wednesday of Easter Week

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in the fullness of his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Sign up below to receive this devotion every morning in your inbox

Good morning, today is Tuesday, April 14, 2020. My name is Keith and I am the Worship Pastor at Green Acres Baptist Church in Athens, GA.

Well, again, happy Easter to you! This week we are reading and thinking about the events that transpired in the book of Acts directly following Jesus’s resurrection and ascension. We read yesterday about Jesus being the one who was rescued from the pit of death, and as the one who defeated death, we are now invited to find hope in him. Jesus is inviting us to share in his victory, in his resurrection, and to be people who now live with hope. This is the true story about reality in which we are being called to live. Not to allow fear and anxiety to overwhelm us, but rather to understand the world through the life and work of Jesus, knowing that even something as evil as death itself is not the end. In other words, our hope is that we will share in the resurrection with Jesus and not be overcome by death.

Listen to this from Peter, still speaking to a great crowd and part of the same speech we listened to yesterday.

Acts 2:36-41

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

What boldness! Peter just recently denied that he knew Jesus at all when Jesus stood before the people and the Sanhedrin and they all wanted to kill him. And now Peter is speaking to a similar crowd about how that Teacher they put to death because he called himself the Messiah is, in fact, the Messiah. And Peter, as one who was just recently forgiven by God and filled with the Holy Spirit, calls the crowd to confess from their wrongdoing, just like he did. And now, as a repentant and forgiven man who is filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter tells the crowds to join him and repent and identify with Jesus, just like he did.

I don’t know how this story hits you, I don’t know where in this story you may find yourself, but hear this word from Peter and know that no matter who you are or what you have done, Jesus wants to forgive you and is inviting you to identify with him and be filled with the Spirit as well.

Prayer for Tuesday of Holy Week

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. 

Good morning Green Acres, today is Monday, April 13, 2020.

Well, again, happy Easter to you! I know, I know, Easter was yesterday you say, but just like we observed Lent as a season of fasting, repentance, and reflection for 46 whole days that came to a head at Holy Week, Easter Sunday is actually the first day of the Eastertide. And just like Lent ended dramatically in Holy Week, Easter begins dramatically with what they (whoever they are) call “Easter Week.” 

Easter is a season in the church calendar that last for 50 whole days! So, folks, just like spent the Lent season reflecting on specific things like repentance, the Easter brings with it a whole host of celebration and devotional thoughts that we will explore together until the end of May.

Now, it is no secret that we have been using the Church calendar to help us think strategically about our worship patterns, but this is not a new thing for us, even us Baptists! We have been celebrating Christmas and Easter, two of the most principle days in the church calendar, for a very long time now!

Observance of the Christian year is not prescribed in the New Testament, so if it is unhelpful for you, or maybe brings up bad memories of growing up in Catholic Sunday School, don’t worry! It is only one of dozens of devotional practices that Christians have developed as helps to their public and personal prayer life. It is helpful to think of the Christian year as devotional guide, like any other you might purchase at a Christian bookstore.

And speaking about the Easter season specifically, Augustine described Eastertide this way: "These days after the Lord's resurrection form a period, not of labor, but of peace and joy. That is why there is no fasting and we pray standing, which is a sign of the resurrection. . . .[during this season] the "alleluia" is sung to indicate that our future occupation is to be no other than the praise of God."

You may be asking yourself, “but why would we celebrate when we are in the middle of a pandemic?” My hope is that by celebrating Easter in our devotional and prayer life, at least here in this morning devotion, that we would be reminded that our hope in a future resurrection and new life now would be stronger than our fear of the death that this pandemic threatens us with. Notice I did not say that our hope in the resurrection negates our concerns during this time. No, there is a healthy place to process and even express things like fear, hurt, pain, or anxiety. Not to push these feelings down and suppress them, but rather to bring them before the Lord knowing that he suffered with us in all things, knows our pains, and gives us hope that this life, and all that is now, is not the end. Easter reminds us that while our suffering is great, God, how knows the suffering, defeated it and invites us in to new life through Him. We can share in his victory over death.

So, I’m going to read a passage of Scripture and then pray for us. I encourage you to spend some time thinking today about what it means to celebrate the resurrection even in the middle of a pandemic as threatening like COVID-19.

Acts 2:22-32

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

David said about him:

“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.

Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

Prayer for Monday of Easter Week

O God, who for our redemption gave your only begotten Son to die upon the Cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the devil and the power of death: Grant us grace to die daily to sin, that we may live with him in the joy of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.