Category Archives: Announcements

Meeting Report (March 2012)

Meeting Report

Brethren,

This past weekend, we at Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church were privileged to host our March Meeting.  This year, we were blessed to have Elder Mark Green from Booneville, AR with us to do the preaching.  All during the weekend, it appeared that the Lord's presence descended upon us and rested on us throughout the weekend.  Much like the children of Israel rested when the cloudy pillar remained on the tabernacle, so we rested while His presence dwelt among us over the course of our services.  As with many Spirit-led and Spirit-felt meetings, there was a general them to the preaching woven like a cord throughout the sermons.  The theme of this meeting appeared to entail the high priority relationship of the Lord to His people and our reflected attitude toward Him for this wonderful bond that He has with us.

The services and the sermon details were as follows:

Friday Night – "The intense love of Christ to His bride"  Brother Mark expounded on several of the ways that the Lord has blessed His beloved, particularly on the singularity of His love for us, and our love to Him should reflect the same characteristics that He has for us.

Saturday Morning – "Attributes of Christ both as God and man" From Philippians 2:5-9, Brother Mark showed the glory of our Master as both the Son of God, equal with God, but also as a man of no reputation that submitted Himself for the benefit of all of His chosen.

Saturday Night – "Working out what God has worked in"  Taking Philippians 2:12-13, Brother Mark expressed the beauty of showing love to the Lord for all the wonderful ways He has blessed us.  When we diligently work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, we show forth what has been done in us, and thereby express our highest adoration for him.

Sunday Morning – "Going the way, which we shall not return" Using Job's language in Job 16:16-22, Brother Mark expounded the beautiful principles of our short pilgrimage ending with all of us going the same, singular way by the grace and power of God.  Furthermore, that road to heaven is one that we shall not return again from.  Heaven is both real, but ultimately comforting, it is permanent as well.

Sunday Night – "The minister's job and the bride's job in getting close to the Husband" From Genesis 24, Brother Mark showed that to get close to Christ (in His tent), the minister needed to responsibly follow the Master's direction, and the bride needed to willingly follow to the rich Husband's house.  At the end of the day, the Husband (much like Isaac) is comforted in the presence of His beloved as we should be comforted at the presence of our Beloved.

The tone of the preaching was the sweet combination of love and firmness that comes from the seriousness of the subject matter, coupled with the tenderness of the thoughts conveyed.  There were several points during the services when Brother Mark became quite emotional and carried away with the Spirit's presence at that moment.  Such times are impossible to manufacture, and those that know Brother Mark's personality understand that such a scene is definitely out of character for him.  We thank God for such rich mercies unto us, though we deserve none of the blessings that we enjoyed and were nourished by.

As a body, we thank all of our visitors that came to worship with us and participate in making this such a wonderful meeting experience.  The food was so remarkable that my clothes do not feel right, which is a testimony to the care and labour the sisters put forth for every meal.  Our natural and spiritual needs were more than supplied from beginning to end.  Already, I have found myself yearning for our August meeting and anticipating in prayerful expectation another wonderful time and season with our Lord.  Should any ever have a desire to worship with us, please do come and see us whenever you can.

For those that are interested, the sermons from the meeting will be posted to our website at: coolspringspbc.org.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

 

To listen to these efforts, please click here.

 

Meeting Report (New Year’s Eve 2012)

Meeting Report

Brethren,

Every so often, the calendar seems to "fall just right."  This past weekend was one of those times where we had the opportunity to ring out the old year in the same way that we rung in the new: worshipping in God's house.  Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church hosted her New Years Meeting with two services on New Years' Eve and two more services on New Years' Day.  Our Lord's presence was manifestly and powerfully felt throughout the weekend, and for all the many rich blessings, we give Him the thanks and glory.

The church was privileged to have Elder Ronnie Loudermilk from Gainesville, GA with us for most of the weekend to do the majority of the preaching.  It was his first trip to Cool Springs, but by the end of the weekend, he felt like an "old friend" to the congregation.  After this weekend, I have personally gained many things that I freely admit that I plan to "steal" from Brother Ronnie.  Some of his expressions and anecdotes were original to me (though he claimed that many of them came from his father), and the one I plan to use the most is, "When you feel so good that you could swing over hell on a rotten grapevine singing 'Amazing Grace.'"  An outline of the preaching services is below:

Saturday Morning (December 31st):
Elder Ronnie Loudermilk – Jeremiah 31:26.  What are the five unchangeable things in the context that make for sweet sleep?  When considering the eternal promises and blessings that God has declared, no matter what we face or what this year brings, we can not only get through it but have sweet sleep while in the midst of it.

Saturday Night (December 31st):
Elder Ronnie Loudermilk – Deuteronomy 11.  What are the seven characteristics of the Promised Land?  By comparing the land of Canaan to the Lord's church, we see that the pillar and ground of the truth is the best land and most spiritually nourishing place in all the world.  Wherever we are this year, the church needs to be a big part of it and have a large place in it.

Sunday Morning (January 1st):
Elder Philip Conley (Pastor) – Luke 4 and the sovereignty of God in Christ's first sermon.  When dealing with His universe, God interacts, charges, and blesses people and lands as He pleases not based on the pleasures of others.  Whatever the year may bring, He is still in charge of His own universe and will do His own good pleasure, and man's wickedness will not prevent any of His promises from coming to pass.

Sunday Night (January 1st):
Elder Ronnie Loudermilk – Ruth 1:16-17.  What is our devotion to God?  Considering all that He has done for us, our devotion to Him should far surpass our devotion to anything else, and by extension, our devotion to His people should be done as if doing it to Him personally.  Regardless of what happens this year, devotion to the Lord is never "out of style" for proper conduct by God's people.

By the weekend's end, we were all charged up for the new year, and from what I have gathered from many, this past year was tough in a lot of different ways.  If the year goes for us the saints at Cool Springs the way it began, it will be a wonderful year. By meeting's end, I think all of us were happy enough to swing over hell on a rotten grapevine singing "Amazing Grace." Regardless of what happened in 2011 or what will happen in 2012, may we thank God for His past mercies and blessings, thank Him and pray to Him for our present watchcare, and pray for His future providence always knowing that He has not nor will ever change in character or precept.

If anyone would like to listen to the sermons from the weekend, they have been posted at our website at: http://coolspringspbc.org/

In Hope,

Bro Philip

 

To listen to these efforts, please click here.