To the dear members of Friendship, thank you for an awesome anniversary celebration.

 In the aftermath of such a celebration, this Pastor stands in awe of how a Mighty God will move a people to such an outpouring of love.  To this Pastor, the members of Friendship Baptist Church are the greatest people in the world.  God has uniquely blessed this Pastor, his family and this Church.  When we came to Friendship in 1973, it was by divine direction.  Hear the Psalmist in Psalm 37:23-25:  “The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord:  And He delighteth in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:  For the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

 Let me tell you, unequivocally, through-out these forty-four years, God has been faithful!  He has given us joy for the journey, people with a purpose and His perpetual presence to preserve this ministry.  People with a Purpose.  WOW!  How that phrase defines the people of Friendship.  We thank God for the wonderful, loving, caring people in this Church family.  There was such an outpouring of love, and the desire to bless in a tangible way, this Pastor and family during the anniversary; but that’s who you are, wonderful, loving, caring people! 

 Dear Ones, thank you for all that you do to bless your Pastor, his family, and most of all, to be a blessing to the Kingdom.

 Lastly, God has given us His assurance that the best is yet to come.  Therefore, let us continue.

 Pastor J. Amos Jones

“Wilt thou not revive us again:  That thy people may rejoice in thee?”  (Psalm 85:6)  The answer to the rhetorical question posed to God by the Psalmist is found in His loving character and in His sovereignty. 

 In Revival and Soul-Saving Campaign 2017, we experienced the manifestation of the move of God in an awesome way.  How mighty was the man of God in the preaching of the Gospel.  The Gospel is a holy-making Gospel and the Lord Jesus is a holy Savior.  We were challenged out of Acts 5:38-41 to be an “Unstoppable Witness” for the Lord Jesus as were Peter and the other Apostles.  “And when they had called the Apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.  And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”  The Apostles were unstoppable, and so must we be.  We must not give-up, nor let-up, or back-up, until we are caught-up.  The evangelist exhorted us to live with wholesome reverence and respect for God, which is the basis for all Godly living.

 Hear the wiseman:  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)  Please hear this truth; We do not live a holy life to be justified, but we are justified in order that we might live a holy life.  The blotting out of our dark past is the beginning of a holy life.  We praise God for a Spirit-filled Revival and the blessings of it’s aftermath.  We thank God for the Evangelist, Pastor Earl Whitaker, may God continue to bless him.  We praise Him for the Choir, awesome song services; the Ushers and the Sound Room Personnel, great work every night.  A big “God bless you” to all and a very special “thank you Lord” for the food preparers, excellent food each night of the Revival.

 To God be the glory!  Let the Revival continue.

 Pastor J. Amos Jones

I hope you are beginning to think revival.  We are one day away from Revival – 2017.  Let the words of William P. MacKay’s “Revive Us Again,” inspire us to prayerfully prepare for the Revival and Soul-Saving Campaign.  “Revive Us Again – fill each heart with Thy love; May each soul be rekindled with fire from above, Hallelujah, Thine the glory!  Hallelujah, amen!  Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Revive Us Again!”

Revivals are “prayed” down.  They emanate out of the sovereign will of Almighty God.  The Church does her preparatory work and the Lord in His sovereignty sends the Revival.  With that in mind, let me ask that you do this: 

•  First and foremost, please continue in prayer for

      the Evangelist, and for the overall success of the

      Meeting.

•  Secondly, ask the Lord to direct you in your level

      of financial participation.  (We do not conduct

      public offerings during the meeting.)  We

      support our efforts!  Dear Ones, the air of

      expectancy is the breeding ground of miracles. 

     We are expecting an awesome move of God in

      this Meeting and we will not spare any effort or the resources to ensure His will is done in the Revival and Soul-Saving

      Campaign.

•  Lastly, your attendance is expected and please

      bring someone with you. 

 “Revive Us Again – fill each heart with Thy love; May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

 HALLELUJAH!  HALLELUJAH!

 Pastor J. Amos Jones

 This Pastor cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of the Sunday School to the overall worship experience.  The Sunday School is the primary teaching department of the church.  In the Sunday School, we are not only taught about God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we get to know the God-head in a very real way.  Paul tells us in Philippians 3:10:  “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.”  That we may know Him!  That is the essence of the Sunday School: 

1. That we have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. 

2. That we know the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward the believers when He raised Christ from the

         dead. 

3. Know that if we suffer with Christ, we shall also reign with him.

 In the Greek, the original language of the New Testament, ‘to know” means “to have an intimate knowledge of.”  Participation in the Sunday School will bring us to the place where the Samaritans are in John 4:42:  “And said unto the woman, now we believe, not because thy saying; for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

 In Sunday School, we receive that “intimate knowledge of God,” or “revelation knowledge.”  To “know God” is to love and obey Him.  As important as the Sunday School is to the body of Christ, sadly here at Friendship, only eleven percent of the members attend Sunday School on a regular basis.  Let me appeal to the eighty-nine percent of the membership that do not attend Sunday School on a regular basis. 

 Dear Ones, there is something in the Sunday School for YOU.  Age appropriate classes, the Word of God taught in a clear, concise, contextual manner and the Godhead presented in a relevant way is the Sunday School at Friendship.  It is my prayer that I will see YOU there.

 Pastor J. Amos Jones