Faith Covenant Christian Church

11:00 a.m. Service

CALL TO WORSHIP

*INVOCATION

*CONGREGATIONAL HYMN

*RESPONSIVE READING

*PRAYER

SONG OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP

WELCOME / ANNOUNCEMENTS / FELLOWSHIP

OFFERTORY PRAYER AND OFFERING

*INTERCESSORY PRAYER

*PRAYER OF FAITH AND COMMITMENT

SPECIAL MUSIC

WORD OF GOD – Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

*INVITATION TO SALVATION AND DISCIPLESHIP

[You may join Faith Covenant Christian Church by: Baptism, Christian Experience,

Re-Dedication, Transfer Letter, or Watch Care]

HOLY COMMUNION (1st Sunday Of Every Month)

BENEDICTION

This Week's Message

Date: November 10, 2024

Preacher: Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Sermon: We Serve An Emotional God

Scripture: John 11: 33-37

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Sing Words Jesus Wants Us To Remember

Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 147:1

Music has the ability to help us remember words. Ever notice how easy it is to recall hymns you sang growing up — or a TV jingle from the eighties, nursery rhymes, Christmas carols, or pop songs that you learned as a teenager? Do you ever find yourself singing along to a song you hadn’t heard for twenty years? You see the power of music in Alzheimer’s patients who can’t tell you the name of their spouse or children but can instantly sing songs they learned as a child. That is why we should sing words that God wants us to remember. It not only matters that we sing; it matters what we sing. And the words we sing have a far greater impact on us than most of us are aware. New Testament scholar Gordon Fee once said, “Show me a church’s songs and I’ll show you their theology.” And it’s true. Words should be the first thing we consider when we think about what songs to sing when we gather as the body of Christ.

In Colossians 3:16 Paul tells us that we are to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” It is the Word of Christ, the Word about Christ, the Word of the gospel — not musical experiences or emotional highs — that are to dwell in us richly as we sing. There’s certainly a place for expressing our subjective responses to God in song, but the greater portion of our lyrical diet should be the objective truths we’re responding to: God’s Word, his character, and his works, especially his work of sending his Son to be our atoning sacrifice.

That means the lyrics to our songs should reflect the broad themes of Scripture and not simply the themes we’re fond of. John and Charles Wesley understood that. Charles wrote over 6500 hymns, and together they produced fifty-six hymnals that covered every area of Christian doctrine and experience that they taught. They weren’t attempting to write worship hits. They wanted to teach and admonish the church. They wanted to give people songs that were filled with the Word of Christ. They understood that songs will never replace preaching but can serve as a significant complement to it.

So the question we need to ask today is this: if the teaching in our church was limited to the songs that we sing, how well taught would we be? How well would we know God? We should make it our aim not only to preach the whole counsel of God but to sing it, as well.

Just Sing To Him !

There is something uniquely powerful about singing. It transcends the spoken words we use in regular conversations and often take for granted. Singing taps into a deep spiritual part of us. 1st Chronicles 16:9 encourages us to sing praise to God to tell him his wonderful acts. Music has a way of embedding itself into our memories and emotions. Singing is a powerful way to celebrate the wonderful ways God is working in our lives. Singing praise to God is a form of worship that not only honors God, but also reminds us of His goodness in power.

Each of us has a unique voice, a distinct way of expressing ourselves. When we sing, we engage this God given gift in a personal and profound way. Our voices become instruments of praise Singing helps us to discover and use our unique voices to connect with God more deeply. When we feel joyful, songs of praise can amplify our joy, turning our rejoicing into an offering to God. When we feel sad, singing can lift our spirits and help us find comfort in God's presence. Singing praises to God can transform our perspective by shifting our focus of our circumstances to God's greatness. Singing can be a powerful tool for self-expression and connection with God because it involves our whole selves, body, mind and spirit. The physical act of singing engages our breath, creating a sense of presence and grounding and our bodies. The mental focus required to remember lyrics and melodies sharpens our minds. Spiritually singing opens us up to the Holy Spirit, making room for a stronger connection between our spirits and God's Spirit.

We never need to worry about how good our voices sound musically when we're singing to God. God's focus isn't on our music, talents, or on our skills. It's on us authentically expressing ourselves to Him. God listens with the love when we sing to him from our heart. When we lift our voices in song to God with simple and genuine praise, we can notice God's presence with us and feel God's love for us. The songs we sing in worship are not just musical pieces. They're declarations of God's wonderful character and acts. So as you think of God's wonderful work in your life, sing praises to Him, not just as a ritual, but as a heartfelt expression of your love and gratitude. Let your voice tell the story of God's amazing grace and unfailing love. Your unique God given voice is invaluable gift. When you use it to sing God's praises you celebrate not only his wonderful acts, but also the individual way God has created you to connect with him.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK

November 17, 2024

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A Song Of Thanksgiving – Psalm 100

After participating in this lesson; each learner should be able to:

IDENTIFY the psalmist’s reason for grateful praise

ARTICULATE why giving thanks is appropriate for all creation

PLAN to recognize and seize opportunities for thanksgiving

Worship the Lord

Psalm 100:1–3 NIV. 1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

The KJV refers to Psalm 100 as an ode of “praise,” while the NIV adds “for giving grateful praise.” Throughout Israel’s history, God demonstrated His unwavering commitment to His chosen people. Verse 1 begins with the exhortation that the entire “earth” participate in praise. Everything and everyone in creation is to give God the worship He deserves. A king over one country might be deserving of reverence from the people in that one location. The God of the universe deserves worship and praise from everywhere and everyone. The same Hebrew word translated “shout for joy” sometimes refers to the loud sound soldiers made in a war cry (see Josh. 6:5, 10, 20). In Psalm 100:1, God’s children have just as much energy and enthusiasm in their “joyful noise” (KJV) as in a fierce battle cry. The psalmist imagines the worshipers joining together to express their “gladness” (v. 2) for His grace and goodness. They would signal this gratitude in God’s sacred “presence” through “singing” with joy. Their songs were often accompanied by instruments. In this psalm worshipers are overflowing with joy, which they openly express for the Lord. This psalm expresses that overflowing joy through emphasizing how loud the people worshiped. As God’s children assembled for corporate worship, they would declare that He was their creator (v. 5). He brought everything into existence. He created the living things—every person, every sea creature, every bird. He created the heavenly bodies—the sun, moon, and stars. Everything that you can see only exists because He created it. Because He is the creator of all things and all people, the Israelites praised Him. The worshipers rejoice in that they “are his” (v. 3). They belong to the God who created everything. The Israelites belong to a loving God who has taken them in as His. God’s children are His prized possession. The Israelites celebrated this truth in their worship (Ex. 6:7; 19:5; Deut. 7:6; Isa. 43:1, 21; 44:2). They were not only His “people,” but also the “sheep of his pasture” (Ps. 100:3). God protected and provided for His people, like a shepherd guiding and watching over his well-tended flock (Ps. 95:6– 7). The worshipers in Psalm 100 were overjoyed as they reflected on His guiding staff, and worshiped Him for it. The Old Testament uses the shepherd motif many times, such as in the Psalms (such as Psalm 23; lesson 10). Ezekiel 34 records the Lord’s prophecy against Israel’s wicked rulers who did not “take care of the flock” (vv. 1–8). God pledged to hold them accountable (vv. 9–10). God promised to rescue His abused sheep from their enemies’ clutches. God pledged to search for His scattered sheep, bring them back to their homeland, and feed them (vv. 11–13). The restored flock would graze in lush pastures and lie down in peace (vv. 14–15). It was important to the Israelites that they would be ruled by a good shepherd. God contrasts these kings who did not care for their flock. He is the perfect shepherd, who would bring His sheep into safety and provide them with sustenance. The Israelites praised God for being the shepherd they needed.

Give Thanks to the Lord

Psalm 100:4–5 NIV 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

The psalmist invites God’s children to enter the “gates” of His temple (perhaps as a ceremonial procession) with an attitude of “thanksgiving.” They would affirm that God rescued them from their enemies and provided for all their needs. The worshipers were also to offer “praise” to God in the “courts” of the sanctuary, such as words conveying homage to Him. The “gates” and “courts” (Ps. 100:4) refer to the temple that Solomon built, where the Psalms may have been used in worship. The temple would have been regarded as a symbol of Israel’s national identity. It functioned as the focal point for the religious, cultural, political, and economic life of the twelve tribes. In 586 BC, the Babylonians destroyed the temple and looted its treasures, as well as demolished Jerusalem and its walls. Despite the suffering that God’s people experienced, they continued to believe that He cared for them. Verse 5 affirms God’s inherent goodness, along with the everlasting nature of His “mercy” (KJV). The psalmist draws attention to God’s “faithfulness” (NIV). This can refer to the Lord’s trustworthiness. He is loyal to His people. He made a covenant with Moses on Mount Sinai, and promised that “although the whole earth is” His, they “will be for [Him] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:5–6). He has an unwavering commitment to His people. God’s devotion to the people of Israel is everlasting. Just as His “love” for them lasts “forever,” so, too, His “faithfulness” (or fidelity) to the promises He made to them endured throughout “all generations.” In giving “praise” to “his name” (v. 4), the Israelites were worshiping God for who He is. They were not simply worshiping Him for the actions He performed for them, such as being a good shepherd. They praised Him also for His own sake. The name of God, Yahweh, reminds worshipers of God as a whole. It is a humble expression in which the very syllables of God’s name are deserving of praise. Outside of any wonder He may perform for His people, the Lord is worthy of all praise. Nothing in “all creation” (Rom. 8:39) can drive a wedge between the “love of God” and His children, especially as it is seen in the Lord Jesus. “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else” throughout the universe could “separate” believers from Jesus’ pardon, along with His “love” (Ps. 100:5) and “faithfulness,” toward those whom He “called” (Rom. 8:28), “foreknew” (v. 29), “justified,” and “glorified” (v. 30) in the Son. Like the Israelites who praised God for who He is and what He did, so do believers today.

About Us

OUR HISTORY

Faith Covenant Christian Church began on February 27, 2014 following a fellowship dinner for displaced former members of Crossroads Christian Church. Following that first meeting, we formed a Planning Committee and began meeting @ Best Western Hotel at Cedar Bluff. On May 7, 2014, we adopted the name Faith Covenant Christian Church, with our foundational verse being Jeremiah 50:5. On June 22, 2014 an invitation to membership was given by Rev A. David Baxter and 21 people united with Faith Covenant Christian Church. Women’s and Men’s Ministries began having regular meetings. In September 2014, we began having Sunday School and Wednesday Night Bible Study. In November, Youth Ministry began. By the end of 2014, 10 more people joined, three as new converts. We moved into our current space on April 1, 2015 and look forward to serving God faithfully. Following a yearlong pastor search, our pastor, Violet P. McRoy, was called on April 18, 2016. In March 2018, Pastor McRoy resigned as pastor, due to poor health and other personal issues. God quickly responded to our prayer-laden search and Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr. was elected to the pastoral position on April 16, 2018. In May, 2024, we will celebrate our 10th church anniversary and are looking onward, upward and forward to serving God faithfully.

OUR PASTOR

Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Pastor Yeldell was born in Mt Pleasant, Texas, the third of five children of Nokomis and Dollie Pearl Yeldell. His father, also a Pastor for over 60 years, was called to Memphis, TN, where Nokomis Jr. grew up. Following graduation Pastor Yeldell attended Southwestern Christian College. He then served four years in the United States Air Force. He then decided to move to Knoxville, TN to further his education. After serving in leadership capacities in various ministries at Foster Chapel Baptist Church, Pastor Yeldell was called into the ministry in 2010.

Faith Covenant Christian Church represents Pastor Yeldell’s third and prayerfully final pastorate.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

FAITH COVENANT Christian Church accepts the Holy Scriptures as the revealed will of God, the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, and holds to the following foundational truths:

1. The One True God

GOD IS… He is the eternally existent and immutable Father, Creator of the Universe and everything therein. He is the Lord of heaven and earth, and in Him we move and have our being. He is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Our Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is One God in three distinct persons: one in essence and purpose and distinct in personality and function. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is the essence of love, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, mercy, grace, holiness, righteousness, and justice.

2. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the eternally existent Son of the living God, the fullness of the Godhead bodily, the image of the invisible God, and the firstborn of all creation. Through Him was made everything that is made—things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together.

He was born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God through His substitutionary death on the cross. He was resurrected bodily from the dead, and sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.

3. The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, who goes out from the Father and testifies about the Son. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regards to sin and righteousness and judgment. He is given to all who believe, for Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit according to the promise of God the Father, who gives the Spirit without limit. The Holy Spirit lives with us and in us, bringing about the endowment of power for life and service, as well as the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. These gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to His own will (Hebrews 2:4) include: prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, contributing to the needs of others, leadership, mercy (Romans 12:6-8), message of wisdom, message of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, distinguishing between spirits (discernment), tongues, interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

4. Salvation from the Penalty of Sin

By grace, through faith, we are saved from the penalty of sin. Mankind, though made in the image of God, has inherited through the first man, Adam, a sinful nature. By this nature, all mankind has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and thereby, was alienated from God; dead in transgressions—gratifying the cravings, desires, and thoughts of the sinful nature; following the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air; stirring up wrath against himself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. But God did not appoint mankind to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—and saved us by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

5. Salvation from the Power of Sin

By grace, through faith, we are saved from the power of sin. Having been crucified with Christ, we put to death the deeds of the body so that sin shall have no dominion over our mortal bodies. We have received the Spirit who is from God so that we may live by faith, understanding what God has freely given us to accomplish His purpose:

He has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our personal knowledge of Him as Savior and Lord.
He has given us His precious and magnificent promises by which we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
He has given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ, His church, may be built up.
He has given to us the manifestation of the Spirit through spiritual gifts for the common good.
He has given us the ministry of reconciliation: that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him.

6. Salvation from the Presence of Sin

By grace, through faith, we are saved from the presence of sin, for the Lord Jesus died and rose again, and will Himself come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. The dead in Christ shall rise first, and we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth will pass away. And we shall dwell with God in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. We shall be His people, and God Himself will be with us and be our God. He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away.

7. The Inspiration and Inerrancy of Scripture

God’s Word is TRUTH. The Holy Scriptures (both the Old and New Testament) is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. We are saved from the penalty, power, and presence of sin by grace through faith that comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, which testifies of Jesus Christ. By His Word, God has revealed Himself, His plan, His purpose, and His ways—so that we would come to Him to receive eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

OUR MINISTRIES

Faith Covenant Christian Church operates under a FIVE FOLD Ministry concept

I EXALTATION

Deacons- Bro. Reggie Lindsey, Bro. William Lundy

Holy Sacraments And Sacred Days – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Media- Bro. Anthony Lindsey

Music- Bro. Reggie Lindsey

Program – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Public Relations – Bro. Reggie Lindsey, Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Pulpit – Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Reconciliation – Ministerial Council

Ushers – Sis. Teresa Farmer

II ENABLING

Benevolence – Bro. William Lundy; Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Food Pantry – Bro. Karl Townes

Hospitality – Sis. Teresa Farmer

Intercessory Prayer – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Missions – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

III EDUCATION

Bible Study – Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Youth Church –

Sunday School – Bro. Reggie Lindsey

Supplemental Education And Training – Bro. Reggie Lindsey

Vacation Bible School –

IV EDIFICATION

Church-Wide Edification – Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Men’s Ministry – Bro. Karl Towns

Women’s Ministry (WICS) – Sis. Teresa Farmer

Youth – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

V EQUIPPING

Administration – Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Finance – Sis. Teresa Farmer, Sis. Tiaeshia Kelso, Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Transportation – Bro. Karl Towns

Trustees – Bro. Karl Towns

Kitchen Ministry / Special Events – Sis. Teresa Farmer

Comfort And Care Ministry - Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.