All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for instruction, for being persuaded,
for correction, and for being guided in righteousness so that the child of God may
be complete, having been fully equipped for every good work.

For several weeks I have been writing and preaching that our faith in the resurrection, shown in our baptism, is the foundation upon which we can be "born again," or experience the "first resurrection" of our souls through direct and personal encounter with the resurrected Lord. Just as Jesus breathed his Spirit into the disciples (John 20:22) after their own baptism, experience of the empty tomb, and confession of faith, our faith prepares us for the fullness of Christ's presence in us in this spiritual rebirth, or being "born again." In short, we must be born anew in the Spirit, sealed by Christ's presence in us, to become what God would have us to be: clothed in Christ and conformed to his image.

The obvious question for most of us is, How do we experience this new birth? Well, first off, the new birth isn't a work or something we can achieve on our way to some sort of "higher" knowledge of God. It is a gift freely given by Christ in the power of his Spirit, and bestowed upon his own in faith. Here, we get down to brass tacks. If it is freely given by Christ through faith, then it must come through encounter with him alone. Solo Christo; by Christ alone.

If this is the case, then there is one surefire way to meet him, and that is by reading, breathing in, and immersing oneself in the Word of God, Scripture, which is the word we must hear and trust alone concerning the Word, Jesus Christ (see John 1:1). This is exactly what we hear Paul telling us about Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Scripture is God-breathed. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit who breathed meaning and truth into the writers of Scriptures. The same Holy Spirit who breathed life into those pages breathes life into us as we read and understand who Christ is (seeing him on every page) by the Spirit's inspiration.

Breathed into by God the Spirit through this witness without parallel, we are instructed, persuaded, corrected, and guided in every good way so that we can be complete. In short, as we read Scripture, the Spirit opens us and fills us with Christ's presence, building us in faith and making us complete in him. There is no other way to get there; no shortcut. We must read, study, and be engrossed by Scripture, and in that encounter, we come face-to-face with the living Lord who breathes his life into us.

If we understand this rightly, we can certainly look to our baptism as the sure promise that God (in God's time) will make us complete in faith by the power of the Spirit and bring us through this "new birth." Nevertheless, a simple dunking or sprinkling will never suffice. I affirm, as it is stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, that while baptism is of central importance, "grace and salvation are not so inseparably [tied] to it as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it, or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated" (Chapter XXVIII, s.5). In other words, baptism is a sure promise but is made sure through faith as God's gift to the believer. Faith is required, and faith comes only through an indwelling/sealing of the Spirit in the new birth. If you desire to receive that gift of saving faith, we belong to One who freely bestows it to those who seek him; knock and it shall be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

Of course, some would argue that baptism equals the new birth/gift of the Spirit. They point to theologians like Luther, who, they claim, taught that new birth equals baptism, and that all other talk of being born again, or experiencing the first resurrection, is an unnecessary complication (see Nadia Bolz-Weber's Shameless). For example, Luther writes that those who are tempted or doubt should remember their baptisms, and that the Christian ought "to be nourished and strengthened until death by the continual remembrance of this promise made to us in baptism" ( Babylonian Captivity of the Church). They also point to Luther's maxim that "the only way to drive away the Devil is through faith in Christ, by saying: 'I have been baptized, I am a Christian'" ( Luther: Man between God and the Devil).

I agree with Luther, and I especially agree that "unless faith is present or is conferred in baptism, baptism will profit us nothing" ( Babylonian Captivity of the Church). Baptism requires faith, faith comes by the Spirit, and the indwelling of the Spirit is the free gift of God. This makes perfect sense in Luther's case. Though baptized, he spent years, in despair of God's salvation. However, the promises of God were sure in his baptism, but only in God's time and as that baptism was made effective in the gift of faith. Luther himself recounts how this happened for him. Through his devoted reading and study of Scripture, the time came when the gift of faith and rebirth was given, and he finally understood Paul's words in Romans 1:17 that "the righteous shall live by faith." When the Spirit moved upon him to receive the utter truth of this declaration, he writes, "I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates" ( Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther's Latin Writings).

Imagine that! Luther himself shares with us that the very moment by which faith came to him and equipped him to overturn an entire church order came as a free gift, as an encounter with the risen Lord in the power of the Spirit, and the language he uses is "born again." I say it again: you must be born again!

In closing, my purpose here isn't to have us question the efficacy of our baptisms, as if they didn't "take" the first time. No. Instead, my purpose is simply to show that faith is a gift given freely. Maybe that faith was shaky or half-formed when you took your turn at the baptismal font. Maybe in faith another claimed God's promises for you when you were a babe. It doesn't matter. It is by God's work, God's power, God's Spirit that faith is always conveyed, and in faith we can look towards our baptisms as God's sure promise. However, don't forget the faith part, and "faith comes from hearing, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Hear Christ. Experience Christ. Be born anew by his gift. Receive his Spirit. Seek him where he is found. Hear and read and immerse yourself in the Gospel, and I believe that we are and shall be "born again."

In Christ,

Pastor Sam

We will collect our quarterly Five Cents a Meal offering this Sunday, May 12, at both services. The suggested offering is $13.65 per person, or about a nickel for each meal you eat in a three-month period. Your contribution will provide hunger relief through both local and global ministries. Last year our Five Cents a Meal offerings enabled FPC to help feed the hungry in Bristol through Haven of Rest and Bristol Emergency Food Pantry, and in Ethiopia and Brazil through our missions in those countries. Please be generous!

Erika Greene

A couple of weeks ago, the Stewardship Committee asked each member of FPC to complete a Spiritual Gifts Inventory form. This activity was offered with two major expectations. First, filling out the form would give members a way to identify their spiritual gifts as described in Romans 12: 6-8:

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Often we see the talents and skills in the lives of others while taking for granted the gifts we have received. By filling out the form and counting up the answers, we can see the special abilities with which we have been entrusted. It helps us see what we have to offer in service to others.

Second, the form leads us to consider various areas of the church where we might offer our services based on our spiritual gifts. Everyone has something to offer in service to others. How can we serve? To what ministry is God calling us? In what ways can we be good stewards of the spiritual gifts entrusted to us?

Spiritual Gifts Inventory forms are available at the church. The form can also be accessed on the FPCBristol.org website under Outreach > Stewardship. If you have completed your form and turned it in, we thank you. If not, we ask that you do so this week.

Think of it this way. Taking part in this activity can help you answer the questions, "Who do I say that I am?" and "Am I who I say I am?" / Jerry Poteat

This week we introduce our readers to three more members of the FPC Brazil mission team, two teens and an adult leader.

Memorials and honoraria are published in the newsletter only after the family has been personally notified by our business office. Today we gratefully acknowledge the following gifts:

In honor of Vivian Hill's birthday: to the Christian Hands Ministry Fund from Don & Peggy Hill

In memory of Louise Rutherford: to the Minister's Discretionary Fund from Ann Abel; from Dee Eldreth; from Nadine Hirst, Nancy Krause, D.J. Peoples, Carolyn Winford; from Peggy Peters; from Dotty Royston

Sunday's participants: Pat Flannagan, Bob Greene, Sanctuary Choir, Mary Ellis Rice (soloist).

	Alan Smith

Sunday's music: Our anthem, "Love Is Come Again," was composed by Alan Smith (1962 -2017), who was born in London and studied as Organ Scholar at Kings College, London, from 1981 to 1984. He was named Head of Music at Hazelwick School, Crawley, in 1990, and Director of Music at St. Andrew's Church in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, in 1998, holding both posts until his death. Alan first came to prominence as a composer in 1990 when he won the RSCM's annual composing competition. The text of our anthem is from the poet J.M.C. Crum (1872 -1958), an Anglican theologian, priest, and canon of Canterbury. It vindicates the Easter story (both tragedy and victory), naming Jesus as Love.

	Don Wyrtzen

Organist's footnotes: Sunday's prelude, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah," is an arrangement based on the day's opening hymn. Don Wyrtzen, better known for his contemporary piano arrangements, has taken this hardy Welsh hymn tune ( CWM RHONDDA) and created an uncharacteristically peaceful setting for organ.

Sunday's offertory, "John (the beloved disciple)," is the fifth movement from my work, The Apostles: Twelve Sketches for Organ. Its melody is actually borrowed from another work of mine, a setting of the hymn, "A Lonely Tear," written by John Thornburg. John, an ordained United Methodist minister, now works on the national level for his denomination. I had the privilege of meeting him at a hymn writers workshop in Boston.

I recently composed (2019) "Trumpet Tune in D Major" (postlude) for my musical friends David and Laura Champouillon, of Johnson City. I intentionally wrote it in the style of David N. Johnson, hence the subtitle "Hommage à David N. Johnson." Johnson taught at St. Olaf College, Syracuse University, and Arizona State University. He composed dozens of trumpet tunes. The best-known of these is his "Trumpet Tune in D" (1962), which was played for the wedding of Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia, in 1971, and which can now be heard as the opening and closing theme for the weekly radio show, With Heart and Voice, with host Peter DuBois.

Sunday, May 12

10:10 a.m.     Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     ONE Worship & Confirmation, Sanctuary

3:00 p.m.       Mother's Day Recital, Sanctuary

4:30 p.m.       Finance Comm., Room 117

Monday, May 13

7:00 p.m.       Building & Grounds Comm., Room 117

7:00 p.m.       Worship Comm., Room 123

Tuesday, May 14

10:00 a.m.     Staff Meeting, Room 117

10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room

6:00 p.m.       Venture Crew 3, Room 165

7:00 p.m.       Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing

Wednesday, May 15

6:15 p.m.       Handbell Practice, Room 212

7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir, Room 202

7:15 p.m.       Worship Team, Fellowship Hall

Thursday, May 16

7:00 a.m.       Men's Bible Study, Parlor

12:00 p.m.     Noon Bible Study, Room 117

Church Officers
Class of 2019	Class of 2020	Class of 2021
ELDERS
Anna Booher	Nancy Allerton	Ann Abel
Lee Galliher	Rebecca Beck	Randy Cook
Pete Holler	David Hyde	John Graham
Han Ong	Jordan Pennington	Katie McInnis
Pete Stigers	Jerry Poteat	John Vann
DEACONS
Sujean Bradley	Blake Bassett	Fred Harkleroad
George Linke	Rhonda Comer	Matt Kingsley
Greg Roberts	Ron Fox	Lisa McClain
Nate Sproles	Brenda Lawson	Drew Rice
Bill Whisnant	Barbara Thompson	Joyce Samuel
TRUSTEES
Nancy Cook	Peggy Hill	Jack Butterworth