Greater Peace
Missionary Baptist Church
Celebrating 102 Years...
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The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction that has God for its author, salvation for its end, truth without any mixture of error, and reveals the principles by which God will judge all men.
The True God
We believe the Scriptures teach that there is one and only one, living and true God. He is an infinite, intelligent Spirit whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor confidence and love. There are three persons in perfect unity of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. These three are equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious office in the great work of redemption.
The Fall of Man
We believe the Scriptures teach that Man was created in holiness under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from that holy and happy state. In consequence, all mankind are now sinners, not by constraint, but by choice; therefore being by nature utterly void of the holiness required by the law of God and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse.
The Way of Salvation
We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatorial office of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon him our nature (yet without sin) and honored the divine law by his personal obedience, and by his death made a full atonement for our sins. After having been risen from the dead, he is now enthroned in heaven; and uniteing in his wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, he is in every way qualifed to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Savior.
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From the Pastor's Desk
One of the emotions that is hard for many people to deal and cope with is “Grief.” All of us are affected in one manner or another. Grief comes about with an intensive of emotional suffering from personal loss. When it comes, the affected person can experience deep sorrow, sadness, pain, and anger. The personal loss that one may face is not always from loved ones, but it can occur, when we lose our freedom, job, the ability to pay our bills, or losing the freedom to move around. The “Shelter in Place” order issued by “State and Nation” because of COVID-19, has brought grief to many people. They have experienced personal loss with their freedom to do as they please.
There are others who have lost loved ones who have not been able to properly grieve with extended family and friends because of “Social Distancing.” Family members are not able to visit the hospitals nor be with loved ones in their final dying moments. At their Home Going Celebration of Life service when the final good-bye is expressed, having family and friends present helps in the healing process. That experience has been taken away because of the number of people who are now allowed to attend. So, the grief process moves slower.
Grief is no respect of person. When it comes, there is hope for the griever when they understand what they are experiencing. The cycle of healing from grief often goes through an eight-step process that I want to share with you. If you are experiencing any of these emotions, please know that there is nothing wrong with you. You are simply going through the process of grieving.
- THE INITIAL SHOCK OF LOSS: This is when the intense emotional impact sometimes leaves you with a feeling of paralysis.
- EMOTIONAL RELEASE: This is a time of weeping and extreme pain that you may experience.
- LONELINESS AND DEPRESSION: You begin to realize your sense of loss, and it is impacted by the degree of dependence of your loved one.
- GUILT: You may experience a feeling of guilt, which may be characterized by second-guessing with statements like “I could have done more” or “I should have done something differently.”
- ANGER, HOSTILITY: You may have a desire of blaming God and ask, “Why did God do this to me?”
- LISTLESSNESS: You may feel like you have little or no energy. You may feel like and say, “I can’t get on with life,” or you may have an “I couldn’t care less” attitude.
- A GRADUAL RETURN TO HOPE: This is when you begin to have the realization that life will go on. You come to the point of knowing that “I will be able to cope,” and “God will help me get through this.”
- THE RETURN TO REALITY AND NORMALITY: This is the point of you admitting the loss and making necessary adjustments to carry on with life.
We must remember that grief is not predictable, nor can it be categorized. Sometimes the stages of grief will seem to merge and overlap. Helping grieving people calls for sensitivity, tenderness, sympathy, and empathy. There must be a dependency on the Holy Spirit for guidance. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:4, these encouraging words, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Each of us is to be encouraged through this promise that our Lord, the Holy Spirit, has given us.
Yours in Christ
Pastor Jones
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