God has a Plan

God has a Plan Jeremiah 29: 11

Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God has plans to do what to you?

Prosper you

God says he will not do what to you?

Harm you

What will these plans from God do?

Give us hope and a future

How do we discover these plans from God?

we actively SEEK after Him

Let’s Take a look at the History of Fairlawn Baptist Church

Tom Lang

Sam Crawford

David Dockery

Don Yeager

Bill Reid

Greg Varndell

Jason Spade

First person who served as our pastor was Floyd Tidsworth. He was also our area missionary for our association at that time. He was the one who helped birth our church.

Tom Lang was our first full time pastor. He taught us the doctrine of what Baptists believe and gave us our foundation which we were able to build on.

Sam Crawford was the pastor who taught us how to minister to each other. He taught us what brotherly love was all about. During Sam’s ministry we also added the property that the HAVOC house sits on.

David Dockery came and brought us through our first major addition to the church. While he served as our pastor, we not only added the educational wing to our building, but we also were able to purchase the Moore property which more than doubled our acreage.

Don Yeager followed David. Don gave us a quick kick in the pants on missions. Under Don, the church started doing mission trips to our own state, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Our missions giving went up dramatically under Don’s leadership. Plans were also made to add our current worship center.

Bill Reid was our next pastor. Bill helped us to begin to think outside the box on reaching out to our community. He also helped Fairlawn through a time when we needed to take a hard look at ourselves and see who we were as a church. While painful, it was much needed and this time has allowed us to become the church we are today.

Greg Varndell followed Bill. Greg continued to help us think outside the box on engaging our community. several new events were birthed under his pastorate. While Greg wouldn’t take the leadership of these events, he was very encouraging to those who did. Under Greg, we were also able to acquire the Newberry property which gives us the current campus we now have.

Jason followed Greg. While I would like to tell you exactly how I see Jason’s time leading our church, I think it will take a couple years down the road for us to be able to see how Jason’s chapter should be titled at Fairlawn.

Seeing the legacy all of these pastors have left behind and the way God has used them, I have no doubt God is preparing the man he has to lead us in our next chapter.

We can also take a look at the things God has brought Fairlawn itself through. Fairlawn was the third attempt to get a church plant started in South Parkersburg. The missions committee of Grace Baptist approached Fred and Deanna Morgan, my parents, about starting a home Bible study. The Lord had already been working on their hearts before they were approached.

The property we are on was supposed to be the Foodland grocery store that was located on Rt. 95. Through fervent prayer and God working on Mr. Moore’s heart to sell us the original two plus acres.

When Rt. 50 came through, it was originally going to split our property. With a lot of work and discussion with the state road department and designers, we have the current loop around the church which was ran a the very back of the property and only left a miniscule part of our property on the other side of the road.

There are many other things we could talk about how God has seen Fairlawn through, but we would be here far longer than we need to be. What we need to take assurance in is that God has a plan for this church.

What does our future hold?

God is currently revealing His plans for our future. Our job is to seek after him as shown in vs 12-13 and then we are to trust in the plan of God.

Jeremiah 29:12-13

Jeremiah 29:12–13 ESV

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

The main thing we can be doing during this time is praying and seeking God’s will for our church. God will bring us the man who He wants to lead us into our next chapter. He will provide the guidance we need if we truly get on our knees and pray to Him. We don’t only need to be praying for this man, we also need to be praying for our search committee, which we don’t even know who they are yet, but God does.

Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

God working all things together for the good of Christians happens naturally.

We realize that since God was willing to send His son to die on the cross for OUR sins, then he will undoubtedly plan all things for the good and not to harm us.

1 Co 1:9

1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 8:31

Romans 8:31 ESV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Ourselves?

Romans 14:23

Romans 14:23 ESV

But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

We have to put our trust in God. We have to know that He has a plan for us. We have to fully rely on this. We can’t be half in our half out on this. We either believe He has a plan or we don’t. We either believe that God was behind Jason’s calling to the church he is at today, or we don’t. We either believe God has a man who He is already preparing for our pulpit, or we don’t. As hard as this is, we need to realize that God is in control. Don’t try to make God smaller by starting rumors or believing in them. Let’s allow our God to be just that, our God. Let’s allow Him to lead and guide each one of us through this transition and be glorified through all that is going to take place through this time.

Proverbs 3:5-8

Proverbs 3:5–8 ESV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Trust Definition: noun. strong confidence in, and reliance upon, someone or something; often with the object of trust understood.

Dictionary of Bible Themes 8030 trust

Reliance on and confidence in a person. Scripture affirms the total trustworthiness of God, especially in relation to his promises to his people. Christian faith is, essentially, trust in the person and character of God.

So who’s plan do we trust? God’s plan or our own?

Will you trust God today?