2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”
February – Seeing Stewardship and Giving from God’s Perspective
Next Sunday, we will have the privilege of speaking directly with Haile in Ethiopia. Across the miles and time zones, we will hear from a faithful servant who ministers where the needs are great and the gospel is precious. He will open the Word of God and challenge us—not with pressure, but with conviction—reminding us what obedience looks like when faith is lived out daily. And as he always does, Haile will pray for us. Not with performance, not with volume, but with the kind of humility that carries weight in heaven. There is something powerful about hearing a man who serves in difficult places bow his heart before God on behalf of our church. His prayers are never rushed or rehearsed; they are sincere, grateful, and deeply dependent on the Lord. I believe next Sunday will not just inform us—it will align us. Come ready to listen, to be stretched by the Word, and to receive the kind of prayer that strengthens both faith and surrender.
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
During the first two weeks of Missions Month, we’ve been reminded that missions is not a calendar event but the heartbeat of God and the responsibility of every believer. From the foundation of the world, God’s plan has always been global—the gospel woven throughout Scripture, crossing oceans and generations so that we could hear, believe, and be saved. Missions begins when we stop leaning on our own understanding and start trusting God’s heart for people we may never meet this side of heaven. Giving is not between us and the church but between us and God; Faith Promise is revealed through prayer, not calculated by reason. As we pray, give, and go, we join God in bringing light into darkness and hope into despair. We’ve also been challenged to see missions personally, not abstractly. As long as “missions” is just a concept, giving feels optional—but when God lets us see faces instead of figures, everything changes. People need the Lord, and when obedience has a face—like the children rescued and loved by the Wachiras in Kenya or the lives touched through Medical Missions Outreach—our response moves from theory to surrender. Biblical missions is incarnational love: truth with hands and feet. God chooses to involve His people, calling some to go and all to participate. The question before us is simple and searching: “Lord, what would You have me do?” And when He answers, may we be found faithful.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Missions Is the Heartbeat of God
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16
Before there was a church building, before there was a missions conference, before there was a calendar to mark “Missions Month,” there was the heart of God. Missions did not begin with us—it began with Him. John 3:16 reveals the very pulse of Heaven. God loved. God gave. God sent. Missions is not a strategy developed by man; it is the eternal expression of divine love. The gospel crossed the distance from Heaven to earth before it ever crossed an ocean. And the same love that reached you is the love still reaching for the nations. When we speak of missions, we are not discussing an optional ministry emphasis. We are talking about the very heartbeat of God.
God’s Love Is Global, Not Local
“For God so loved the world…” God’s love has always been global. From Genesis to Revelation, His redemptive plan was never confined to one people group. When He called Abraham, He declared that through him all families of the earth would be blessed. When Christ gave the Great Commission, He commanded the gospel to go into all the world. The enemy constantly tempts us to shrink our vision—to think locally, comfortably, safely. But God’s heart beats for tribes you cannot pronounce, languages you do not understand, and faces you have never seen. The gospel that saved you did not originate in your city. It traveled through centuries of obedience. Someone endured persecution. Someone translated Scripture. Someone boarded a ship. Someone prayed through the night. And because they obeyed, you heard. Missions reminds us that our salvation is part of a much bigger story.
Giving Reflects the Nature of God
“…that he gave…” Missions is rooted in giving because God Himself is a giver. He did not merely speak love—He demonstrated it. He gave His Son. The cross is the greatest missionary act in history. When we give to missions, we are reflecting the character of our Father. Giving is not about finances alone—it is about surrender. It is declaring, “Lord, what You value, I will value. What moves Your heart, will move mine.” The world teaches us to accumulate. The Spirit teaches us to release. The world measures success by what we keep. Heaven measures obedience by what we surrender. When a church prays, gives, and sends, it is aligning itself with the giving nature of God. That alignment brings joy, unity, and eternal fruit.
Someone’s Obedience Brought You the Gospel
“…that whosoever believeth in him…” Pause and consider this: you are someone’s “whosoever.” The gospel did not reach you accidentally. It came through obedience. Perhaps it was a faithful pastor. A praying grandmother. A missionary family. A Sunday school teacher. A friend who invited you. Obedience bridged the gap between Heaven’s message and your heart. Now the question becomes: whose story will include your obedience? Somewhere today, a child waits for a Bible in their language. Somewhere, a pastor prays for strength to continue. Somewhere, a missionary family wonders if the support will remain steady. Missions shifts us from being recipients of grace to participants in redemption.
The Ripple That Reached You
Imagine dropping a stone into a lake. The ripple moves outward, touching water far beyond where the stone entered. Two thousand years ago, Jesus stepped into history. The ripple began at Calvary. It spread through disciples, martyrs, missionaries, reformers, translators, preachers, parents, and churches. That ripple reached you. Now you stand at the edge of the water. The question is not whether the ripple will continue—the question is whether your obedience will strengthen it. Missions is not pressure. It is privilege. It is not obligation. It is participation.
When we pray, we join Heaven’s intercession.
When we give, we mirror God’s generosity.
When we go, we reflect Christ’s sending heart.
Missions is the heartbeat of God—and when our hearts align with His, we step into something eternal.
Warfare Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I resist every spirit of apathy, comfort, and narrow vision that would dull my sensitivity to Your heart for the nations. I bind the lie that missions is optional, and I receive the truth that it is central to Your purpose. Break selfishness off of me. Break fear off of me. Break complacency off of me. Holy Spirit, enlarge my vision. Let me see beyond my preferences and into eternity. Protect the missionaries laboring in dark places. Strengthen pastors in persecuted regions. Provide supernaturally for every gospel work that You have ordained. Align my heart with Yours. Let Your heartbeat become mine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Daily Challenge
- Choose one nation and pray specifically for its people, pastors, and missionaries.
- Research one missionary our church supports and pray for them by name.
- Ask the Lord this direct question: “What part do You want me to play in Your global mission?”
- Write down whatever He impresses upon your heart—and obey.
MONDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Baby Mary Marin – RSV – ICU CHOA – Still Critical but some improvement
Britany Smith ~ Breast Cancer
Jason Gibson – Pneumonia
Darlene Kelley – Cancer Treatment
Don And Carol Franklin – Mae’s Uncle
Ed Franklin’s Son In Law – Heart Surgery
Sandra Mitchell
Tammy Shelnutt
Jean Partee
Aston Savage
Gloria Young
Amy Garner’s Dad
Bentley Smith – Broken Leg
Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers
Joni Oberhage
Linda Mays
Myles Elliott
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Brando Echarte
Debbie Foskey
Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene, Son, David
Ed Adkins – Friend of Brian Edwards
Jake Jenkins
June Cronan
Jean Partee’s Sister
Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda
Deon Lotter
Doris Loyd
Nancy Brown
Annette Ford
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Angela Bryan’s Sisters
Ann Stanley
Danny Jarrard
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
James Burnette
Jessica Headrick
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kim McClain’s Mother
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
Lonzo Christian
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Mrs. Franklin
Nora Allison
Ron And Johnnie Barry – Friends Of Ashton & Glenda Bateman
Scott Lanier
Scotty Nix
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher
2026 THEME — “SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE” February – Seeing Stewardship and Giving from God’s Perspective
NEXT SUNDAY
From where I sit as a Senior Citizen, living on a fixed income and counting every dollar carefully, missions is not just a church theme or a special month on the calendar. It is part of my daily walk with the Lord. I may not travel across the ocean, but I can pray. I may not have much to give, but I can sacrifice. And I have learned that when something costs me a little, it means something to God. When we connect live with the Wachira family in Kenya, you will hear real voices and see real faces. You will hear how your prayers and obedience help children sleep safely at night, how believers are being discipled, and how families who once felt forgotten are now finding hope in Christ. That is not theory—that is fruit. You will also hear from Marli and learn how Medical Missions Worldwide carries life-saving care into places of deep poverty. In those places, compassion speaks loudly. A bandage, a prescription, a listening ear—those simple acts often open hearts to the gospel. Sometimes healing the body becomes the doorway to healing the soul. As you listen, I encourage you to pray—not just about what to give, but about your availability. Ask the Lord if He might want you to go on a future two-week medical mission trip or serve in some other way. I may not be able to go myself, but I can help send someone. I can help hold the rope. And that matters. Whether you pray, support, or go, your faithfulness is not small in God’s eyes. I have learned that He multiplies even widow’s mites. So together, let’s ask one simple, honest question: “Lord, would You have me do?”
SUNDAY’S SERMON SUMMARY
Missions Month isn’t just another emphasis on the church calendar to me. I grew up in Calvary Children’s Home. I am living proof that missions and giving are not theories—they are lifelines. When your church talks about seeing missions from God’s perspective, I don’t hear pressure or obligation. I hear gratitude. I hear opportunity. I hear love in action. There were people who gave when they didn’t know my name. People who prayed for children they would never meet. People who trusted God with their firstfruits and responded in Faith Promise, not because it was easy, but because it was obedience. And because they did, I had a safe place to sleep, people who discipled me, and a future that once felt impossible. When Pastor teaches on giving, I don’t hear a financial lesson—I hear a freedom lesson. Honoring God with our firstfruits isn’t about money; it’s about surrender. It’s about saying, “Lord, I trust You more than I trust my understanding.” I watched missionaries visit the Home. I saw how churches sustained ministries year after year. I saw how obedience—quiet, consistent obedience—changed lives like mine. Through Scripture, testimony, and decades of faithful ministry, we’re reminded that when we stop calculating and start obeying, God moves. He uses our prayers to strengthen weary missionaries. He uses our gifts to rescue children. He uses our trust to push light into places we may never personally see. Missions is not a program to me. It is the reason I had stability. It is the reason I found Christ-centered mentors. It is the reason I graduated from college with hope instead of hurt defining my future. Missions is love with a name. It is obedience with a face. It is our privilege to partner with God in reaching the world—and sometimes, that world is a child like I once was.
GO TO www.belmontbaptistchurch.com/sermons and listen to Sunday’s message.
1 Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
Putting Your Wages in a Bag with Holes
“Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:6
Few things are more frustrating than working hard and still feeling behind. The hours were long. The effort was real. The income came in—but somehow, it never seems to stay. Bills rise unexpectedly. Resources vanish quickly. There is motion without progress and effort without reward. God, through the prophet Haggai, reveals a sobering truth: sometimes the problem is not the amount earned, but the order in which God is honored. When firstfruits are withheld, blessing is not merely delayed—it leaks.
Activity Without Alignment
The people in Haggai’s day were busy. They were planting, harvesting, eating, drinking, and clothing themselves—yet nothing satisfied. Their labor produced exhaustion instead of fruitfulness. God exposed the root issue: they had prioritized their own houses while neglecting the house of the Lord. Productivity without spiritual alignment leads to frustration. When our lives are full but our priorities are off, God allows us to feel the emptiness so we will return to His order.
Spiritual Leaks Often Feel Natural
A bag with holes doesn’t announce itself. Money doesn’t disappear all at once—it slips away gradually. Unexpected expenses. Broken appliances. Medical bills. Repairs you didn’t plan for. The enemy loves to disguise spiritual consequences as “just life.” But God was clear: the loss had a spiritual explanation. When God is not honored first, He does not curse—He removes protection. What we call coincidence may actually be correction, lovingly designed to draw our hearts back into obedience.
Firstfruits Restore Flow and Covering
God never demanded firstfruits to impoverish His people but to position them under blessing. When Israel returned to honoring God’s house, He promised to rebuke the devourer and restore fruitfulness. Firstfruits are not about percentages—they are about lordship. When God is first, provision flows with purpose. When God is delayed, provision leaks without explanation. The order of giving determines the outcome of living. God does not desire His children to live exhausted, anxious, or always behind. He reveals the holes not to shame us, but to heal us. The moment the people obeyed, God responded with favor. What feels like financial frustration may actually be a merciful invitation to reorder your heart. When God is honored first, the bag holds. The harvest lasts. And peace replaces pressure. Imagine filling a bucket from a well, only to realize there’s a crack at the bottom. You draw water again and again, growing tired and confused as it drains away. The solution isn’t more water—it’s fixing the leak. God’s Word identifies the cracks so restoration can begin. Increase never fixes a spiritual leak—obedience does.
Warfare Prayer: Father God, I come before You in humility. Reveal any area where I have placed myself before You. I repent for honoring my needs before Your command. I ask You to close every spiritual leak, rebuke the devourer, and restore what has been lost. I choose obedience over understanding and trust You as my Provider. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Daily Challenge: Review your finances and your priorities today. Ask the Lord, “Am I honoring You first or fitting You in later?” Take one concrete step of obedience—whether in tithing, giving, or reordered trust—and watch how God begins to restore peace and provision
WEDNESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Brittany Smith ~ Breast Cancer
Darlene Kelley – Cancer Treatment
Don And Carol Franklin – Mae’s Uncle
Ed Franklin’s Son In Law – Heart Surgery
Sandra Mitchell
Tammy Shelnutt
Jean Partee
Aston Savage
Gloria Young
Amy Garner’s Dad
Bentley Smith – Broken Leg
Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers
Joni Oberhage
Linda Mays
Myles Elliott
Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA
Brando Echarte
Debbie Foskey
Don Franklin’s Daughter, Darlene, Son, David
Ed Adkins – Friend of Brian Edwards
Jake Jenkins
June Cronan
Jean Partee’s Sister
Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda
Deon Lotter
Doris Loyd
Nancy Brown
Annette Ford
Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Angela Bryan’s Sisters
Ann Stanley
Danny Jarrard
Darlene Wiggins
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Eric Magnusson’s Mother
Eric Ward
Friend of Linda Hodge
Gayle Sparks
James Burnette
Jessica Headrick
John McClain’s Mother
June Cronan’s Sister
June Davis
Kailey Bateman
Kim McClain’s Mother
Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda
Lee Cronan
Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom
Lonzo Christian
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Williams
Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom
Mrs. Franklin
Nora Allison
Ron And Johnnie Barry – Friends Of Ashton & Glenda Bateman
Scott Lanier
Scotty Nix
Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shelnutt’s
Steve Michaels
Tom Witcher