NORTH LIVERMORE – At the Oct. 30 service of the North Livermore Baptist Church, the congregation was welcomed by Pastor Bonnie Higgins at 9:30 a.m. to begin the service. The Call to Worship was read and the Invocation/Lord’s Prayer was recited. The hymns that were sung were “Wonderful Words of Life”, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” and “Our God Reigns”. The service concluded with “Go Now in Peace”. Linda Lyman is the organist each week. Janet Diaz is the pianist each week. Lew Lyman leads the music for the congregation each week.

The sermon, titled “Are You Packed?” and reading the scripture from Matthew 24:36-44. Pastor Bonnie began telling the congregation how we all need to be prepared for things today. Even the Boys Scouts motto was to “be prepared”. When we know that a snowstorm is coming, we go to the store and stock up on food, water, and sometimes puzzles and games. Even during the first days and weeks of Covid, people stocked up on things just to be prepared for anything. We don’t want to come up empty handed and unprepared.

Why is it then, when we are so prepared for everything else, that we aren’t prepared for when the world ceases to exist as it does now? We plan for vacation, a wedding, a new baby, school, a new job, our retirement, we prepare for everything but what really is important, our eternity. Jesus told us, many times in the Bible, that He is coming back for His Church. God created each of us, and God expects all of us to be prepared and ready when Jesus comes back to take us home with Him to Heaven. What about those who die on earth, are they ready to leave early? If you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and live your life for Him, you are prepared. If you have not, you are unprepared for your death on earth, and unprepared if Jesus comes back to gather His Church and bring us all at once with Him.

In scriptures, it tells us about Noah, he followed God and obeyed God when God told him to build the ark. Noah did exactly what God called him to do. Many others were living their lives as nothing was about to happen. But not for Noah and his family. They were preparing for their future. Today, many people are living each day as they always do, not thinking about what might happen in the next five minutes. In five minutes, everything could change. Jesus tells us always be on the lookout for His return, that He will come just like a thief in the night. A thief doesn’t give a warning to the homeowner that he will break in, he just does it. So many of the people today have tunnel vision and only see what is in front of them, they are not looking outward to the big picture, eternity.

We are not told to stop everything, go to a mountain top, and wait for Jesus, we are told to continue to serve God through Jesus as His helper. We are to tell others about Jesus and to bring people to Jesus for saving, saving from the pits of hell and into the glory of Heaven. This is our temporary home on earth, so why do we focus on our temporary home so much and not on our eternal home in Heaven. Our rewards are kept with Jesus, that is where we should be focus on.

Just like in Noah’s days, people mocked him for building the ark, people today mock those who follow Christ. The unbelievers have heard for years that Jesus is coming back and they say, prove it. One day, Jesus will return, and they will not be prepared. There is only one way to be prepared and “packed” and that is knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Are you packed? The trip might be sooner than you know. You only need to pack one thing, redemption from Jesus.

Announcements listed in the bulletin were that the congregation will be collecting Macaroni and Cheese for the Food Pantry in the month of November. Bible Study is at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. October 30 – West Association Fall Meeting at Moose Hill Baptist Church. The AA meetings are held on Friday nights at the church.

For information, check out our website at northlivermorebaptistchurch.org. You can email the church at nlbcmaine@gmail.com. Pastor Bonnie’s office hours are Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon. Pastor Bonnie will be gone to the ABCUSA Board meetings from November 4-6th. Roger Labbe will be filling in for her on November 6. Pastor Bonnie will be back in the church office on November 7th for her regular hours.

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