Valley View Baptist Church

Pastor Jared Shumate opened his heart to us tonight and shared his experience of what our Pastor search was like for him. We saw the process from our side. We know much of what those seven months were like. We saw what transpired from our side. We saw the way God worked through many twists and turns, broken hearts, confusion, and unexpected situations along the way. But what was it like from Pastor Jared's perspective?

Tonight he showed us his experiences from the last seven months. We already knew that God is so good! We already know the ending of the story! We already know the miracle that God worked!

But tonight we got to experience it all over again, from a completely different perspective.

Elijah had great faith in God. He challenged the false prophets of Baal to see whose god was the One True God. When the prophets failed to ignite their sacrifice, Elijah mocked them, asking if their god was on a journey or asleep. He was a very confident prophet! When his turn came, he called down fire from Heaven and left no question as to who the True God was!

But before he could do that, he had to repair the altar. Apparently there was already a broken down altar there that had fallen apart from disuse.

This morning Bro. Tim Haynes shows us that before we can draw near to God, we must first repair the broken things in our life. We must do the things that God has told us to do. We must be faithful to the things He has told us to do. Not just that, but we must do it the way He tells us to!

Do you need to repair your altar today in order to draw near to Him?

The Bible tells us that if we draw near to God then He will draw near to us. Tonight Bro. Lee Severt challenged us to examine our life and our relationship with God. Are you close to Him today? Are you as close as you used to be? Do you want to be closer to Him? What is hindering your relationship with Him?

Examine your life tonight. How is your walk with God? If you desire to be nearer to Him, then we are promised the He will draw closer to us!

The Apostle Paul faced many trials and hardships during his ministry. Thankfully, he didn't face it all alone. Yes, he had the Lord with him, but he also had a friend; Silas.

Godly friendships are important in the Christian life. There are going to be times when we feel like we are facing the world alone. There are times when we need true, friendly, Biblical advise and guidance. We need people who make us better and encourage us a Christians rather than those who drag us down and entice us to sin. Someone to stick by our side when the going gets tough.

Think about Silas. He stuck by Paul's side throughout his ministry. Paul was the one who was preaching the Gospel and accused of breaking the law. Yet we often see Silas right by his side in jail, enduring the punishment and persecution for nothing more than being by Paul's side. Silas was a good friend.

Are you being a good friend? Ask God to make you one. Do you have at least one Godly friendship? Then thank God for that relationship.

Social media... Facebook... Twitter... Instagram... Snapchat... YouTube... LinkedIn... etc, etc, etc...

Have you ever wondered what Jesus would have thought or said about social media? Social media isn't really a sin in and of itself. In fact, our church has a very strong social media presence. The Christian Church as a whole has a very strong social media presence. In the 21st century it is a very viable tool for fulfilling the great commission. As a medium-sized church nestled on the side of a hill in Knoxville, Valley View is regularly reaching missionaries and followers all around the world. Social media isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it can become a bad thing. It can lead you to sin.

So how do we follow Christ while living on social media? Tonight Bro. Mike gives us some very practical advice on how we as Christians should act online.