Matthew 15:32-39 recounts the feeding of the 4,000 and shows us four traits of Jesus: Jesus was compassionate, Jesus does much with little, Jesus is powerful, and Jesus uses unlikely servants to do his work. This passage poses three questions for us to consider: 1) Will we adopt Jesus' heart for all people? 2) Will we minimize our selfishness? 3) Will we share?

Mark 5:1-20. In this text, we recognize the ability of Jesus Christ to subdue the power of demons that tormented the man from the region of The Gerasenes. How do we respond to the threat of personified evil? In this message, we recognize spiritual warfare is real but must have a healthy balance when considering the devil and demons as it relates to our daily lives.

As Christians, we have been made new creations and given the ministry of reconciliation that is written about in 2 Corinthians 5. For 150 years, God has been using Salem Baptist Church in our neighborhoods and in the nations to bring reconciliation between people of many tribes, tongues, and nations; and we pray that God continues to use us in the years ahead. We thank God for all he has done in the past and we truly believe the best is yet to come! Will you join us? 

Over the last few days of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, Salem had a team serving in Uganda alongside our mission's partners, Ryan and Megan Kelley, at the Lulwanda Children's Home. Six members of our team had the opportunity to share with our church about the work they did and how it impacted them. This conversation is facilitated by our Pastor of Global Missions, Scott Miller.

Have you ever longed for a new beginning? Today, we will walk through the scripture of Genesis 12-13 and Judges 18 as we step into the journey of Abram from Ur of the Chaldeans to the land of Canaan. We learn that, for a time, Abram did not continue to Canaan, but settled in Haran. Have you ever settled for less than God's best? But, the story did not end there. Abram left his family and continued to the land of Canaan. Are you on the road God has for you?

We are traveling back to Mount Gilboa and the Jezreel Valley to Ein Harod, better known as Gideon Springs. The story of Gideon is found in Judges 6-8. First, God orders Gideon to send home 22,000 troops, leaving 10,000. That number was then cut to 300 troops after the famous "drinking test." Only those who cupped their hands to drink from the water would remain. Then the unthinkable happens, the 300 defeat a Midianite army, numbering 135,000. How? Only God.

What do we learn from this story? 

1. God chooses who he uses.

2. God tries and tests the ones whome he will bless.

3. God gives a great victory because he uses the weak to do amazing things.

A new year means new resolutions, but what's the point? People make resolutions with the intention to meet their goals. What are your goals for Christ? In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel teaches us a simple way of following God's will: listen and obey.

In Luke 2:8-20, the shepherds teach us some valuable lessons about walking worthy of the calling God has placed on our lives. God created every person on earth for a specific purpose, therefore each person's role is significant in the story of God. The shepherd's job is just as important as the wise men, the priests, and even Mary and Joseph. We are all called to point people to Jesus. The shepherds teach us we need to walk worthy in our work, our worship, and our witness.

How do we do this? Be immediately responsive to God's prompting in our lives.

As a local church, how do we fulfill the Great Commission and our call to carry the message of Christ to the ends of the earth? Our new Pastor of Global Missions, Dr. Scott Miller unpacks six key steps to help us live a missions minded life in our community and to the nations.

We will be studying and hearing a sermon from Luke 24, On the Road to Emmaus. Are we slow of heart to believe all that the prophets and the Word of God have spoken? These men knew the scriptures, but they did not correlate it to the things that had taken place. Through the coming days, Jesus helped them realize that which God has promised, God has accomplished. Do we have knowledge of of Jesus, but yet still miss him when he is walking next to us?