Porter First Baptist

1 John 2:1-2
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

God is a merciful God! He never says we’ve sinned too many times. He’s waiting for us and calling us to Himself. If we truly know God, our faith will work- we don’t work for our salvation, but we work because of our salvation. We can’t work it in – it’s something God grants us through his grace. Through our response of repentance and faith, God gives us salvation. Now we have the Word of God, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the Body of Christ- the Church- cheering us on and urging us on to be conformed to the image of Christ.
—Pastor Rob Ray

In Scripture we see a prohibition against sin. God’s goal is that we do not sin but are righteous and holy as He is. The reality is we will never reach that this side of heaven. We have both an old nature and new nature. Before we were saved, our old nature and choices pulled us towards sin. But when we’re saved, we’re given the Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. He works in us both to will and to do of God’s good pleasure; He is empowering us and producing His Fruit in us. He transforms our lives; we have been changed. —Pastor Rob Ray

God is holy and righteous, and He is The Light. We might say we know him, but if we’re practicing lawlessness and sin, we’re deceiving ourselves. God sees right through that – He knows our hearts. When we have sin in our lives, it shuts out the Light of God, silences the Truth of God, severs our fellowship with God, and sabotages fellowship and unity with other believers. —Pastor Rob Ray

Sin is serious in the believer’s life. We need to confess our sins and guard against sin. We tend to make light of sin, excuse it, and rationalize it. We bank on the hope that we’ll get right with God tomorrow but enjoy the sin in the moment. But the principle of sin is that we have a sin nature and we’re sinners by choice. The standard is Jesus, and we fall woefully short of His glory. Sin is missing the mark and it’s transgression. We willfully step across God’s deadline. —Pastor Rob Ray

Youth tonight! 6th to 12th grade welcome!!

Tonight!! 6 to 7:30 we will be getting together in the gym. There will be games, dinner, and a time of prayer. See you all there!!

The believers at Antioch visibly expressed their faith. They were the first to be called Christians, meaning “little Christ.“ So the best way to describe them was that they looked like Jesus. That’s a great indictment on your life- that you look like Jesus! The same was said about Peter and John before the Sanhedrin; the 2 disciples weren’t educated in the synagogue, but were fisherman. The only conclusion was that Peter and John had been with Jesus because they were doing as He had done: preaching the Gospel, loving on people, healing people. —Pastor Rob Ray