Faith Baptist Church of Hollis

Faith Baptist Church of Hollis Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit for the gathering in and the building up of the body of Christ....

Sunday
9:30am - Sunday School (2yrs - adult)
10:30am - Worship Service (nursery provided for newborn - 3yrs)

05/17/2026

"What God has made clean, do not call common."

There is a major implication from this command of our Lord to Peter found in Acts 10:15 which we can all too easily pass over: If anything in this fallen world that is clean or holy in God's eyes, it is clean because He has made it so and not because it is inherently so.

I had a few bacon bits with my eggs the other day. Why is that okay? It's not because it was just a few bits and not a whole slab. It's not because it's my natural right to eat the flesh of a pig. And it's not because God changed His mind about the matter. It's only because God has made the unclean clean. Perhaps this sobering thought doesn't often cross our minds in the kitchen or at the table. Perhaps it should. But the matters of cleanliness found in the Levitical Law are a picture of something of great significance.

As alluded to in the account found in Acts chapter 10 being unclean goes far beyond dietary choices. When you and I get up in the morning and look in the mirror, we see the face of one who, apart from God's gracious cleansing, is unclean in the eyes of the Holy One. We're not naturally clean. We're not okay. We're naturally lovers of the world and of sin. We're corrupt in a place where no amount of water can make us clean. And we cannot make ourselves clean - to try would be similar to attempting to wash dirt off our hands in a mud puddle. There is only one source of hope for unclean sinners like us: the cleansing work of God through Jesus Christ.

Next time we sit down to a meal that includes something that represents uncleanness such as pork, clam, lobster, catfish, or any such thing, let it be a reminder to us that it is God who makes the unclean clean. And let's give thanks to Him for that great gift! May this thought help keep us joyfully grounded in the glorious Gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ. He alone can - and does - make the unclean clean.

04/18/2026

Imagine with me that you're in a foreign land and you've inadvertently violated a law of that land. You've been arrested and put in jail awaiting trial. Ignorance is your only plea, and you know that won't get you very far with the magistrate.
Then, a consular official visits you. It's the first friendly face you've seen so far, and he says, "Don't worry. We've dealt with this before, and we'll have you out of here and on your way back home in no time." Wouldn't your demeanor change drastically? Despair would turn to joy in a hurry!

Now for a scenario that's not imaginary...
You and I are God's creatures in God's universe, and we have wilfully done as we please. God's reasonable, holy law says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength," and, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:30-31) Instead, we've loved ourselves with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and demanded that others love us like we love ourselves... or at least stay out of our self-loving way. And none of us can plead ignorance. (Romans 2:14-16) Each of us stands condemned before the judge of the universe, sentenced to eternal wrath and awaiting the carrying out of that sentence.

But God, in the person of the Son, begotten in the world as a man, has become the substitute for all condemned sinners who will trust Him. He is the righteousness of God for all who earnestly desire it. And, instead of being under the sentence of death, in the Son, you and I may be saved from God's righteous wrath and welcomed in His presence to eternal life as His beloved sons and daughters. (1 John 3:1)
For those who trust God, the Good News of Jesus Christ turns utter despair to indescribable joy! (1 Peter 1:8-9)

04/11/2026

Some have called sinful people such as we are "glory thieves." In a sense, this is an accurate description - instead of consciously, actively living for the glory of the only God as we were made to do, we subtly (or not so subtly) scheme and act for our own glory.
We..... crave the attention of others.. want to be seen as smart, witty, skilled.. relish being important in some way or connected to someone who is.. desire to be seen as good and right in the eyes of others - or at least not on "the wrong side" of some issue.. even perversely seek the honor of being one perceived to not be seeking our own glory!

In a real sense, however, it's impossible to steal the glory of God. Our seeking our own glory doesn't diminish His glory in the least, but it does serve to highlight it:.. our skills and abilities die along with our mortal bodies while our God's power and purposes endure forever (Isaiah 46:8-11).. our possessions in this world will be scattered and perhaps squandered when we leave them behind, but all things belong to their Creator (Psalm 24:1-2).. the praise of man tends to swiftly turn to scorn while God's steadfast love and mercy are ever on those whom He receives (Psalm 25:6-7).. the pride of men and nations, like Ozymandias, lies in ruins while the King of Kings reigns and rules forever (Revelation 11:15)

To continue the thief analogy, it's as if we broke into someone's house and grabbed a bag we thought had treasure in it, only to find we had done him the service of taking out his trash!

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, because of your mercy, because of your faithfulness!" (Psalm 115:1)

03/29/2026

Is there anything that can reconcile bitter adversaries... not just a truce for a temporary common purpose, but true reconciliation?
In our experience of life, each side of a conflict believes itself to be in the right - at least more right than the other. And so the schism is at least nurtured and maintained if not widened over time.

There is only one thing that can bring two such sides together in peace - not merely a truce but genuine peace. In an ironic twist, it's the only message found among mankind which says that both sides are hopelessly, irretrievably wrong and must humble themselves and rest in a righteousness outside themselves. This is absolute foolishness to the blinded minds of fallen mankind and abhorrent to those who want to nurse a grudge, but, for those who by God's grace love peace, it's Good News!

It's an amazing thing that God has done in the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ!

02/01/2026

Many brilliant minds are confounded by an apparent contradiction between the will of man and the sovereignty of God. Of course, God isn't confused by the matter and neither were the apostles, the prophets, and other men by whom He gave us His Word.
It seems that mankind's confounding problem isn't with truth but with his own perspective of himself and of God:

From our perspective, we act according to our will. This is only partly true - have you not been hindered on many occasions from doing what you would and forced to do what you would not? By itself, that should say something! But, even more, what is God's judgement concerning what you and I by our fallen nature will to do? Does He not say that the intent of man's heart is only evil continually and that our will is enslaved to sin? Thus, our experience demonstrates that man's will isn't absolute, and even a casual observer can take note that, when man is left to himself, he does what is evil - even in the sight of other men.

Also from a strictly human perspective, God doesn't seem to be truly sovereign. After all, don't people do things that God clearly declares to be evil? Many through the millennia have struggled philosophically with the so-called "problem of evil." But, what if the evil intent of fallen man plays a part in the sovereign dictates of God? This is clearly taught all over the Scripture, along with the corollary that God sovereignly restrains the evil intent of man so that man is frustrated in those things which would not fulfill God's sovereign decree.
To put a finer point on it, if this does not describe God, then He is like the idols that man creates out of his own imagination which are more like man than like God.

"... for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place." (from a prayer of the Apostles, Acts 4:27-28)

01/24/2026

Perhaps you've considered before the differences between boldness and brashness or between genuine confidence and a cocky attitude.

One of the fundamental distinctions is that brashness and cockiness are founded on an inflated opinion of self while boldness and genuine confidence are grounded in something outside of self - something transcendent that doesn't arise from one's own imagination or intellect.
A good mathematician will be confident in the transcendent truth that 2+2=4 even as he is humble regarding his own application of mathematical certainties.
A disciple, a learner, of Jesus Christ will be confident in Jesus' atoning death, bodily resurrection, present glorification, and sure return while putting no confidence in his own flesh. (Philippians 3:1-11)

But as confidently as an honest mathematician can speak of simple addition, a true disciple of Jesus Christ will more boldly say regarding eternal matters, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

01/04/2026

The foundational understanding of the true Church of Jesus Christ comes from an honest proclamation of the Gospel.

Sinners like us need something totally different than therapy and affirmation. Our problem isn't self-image, self-esteem, material deprivation, political repression, or the opinions of others.
Our problem is that, by nature, we've rejected God and worshiped the creation (Romans 1:18-23). We've forsaken the fountain of living water and, instead, dug cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:11-13). We've willingly become slaves to sin (John 8:31-34) and even worship our appetites and glory in that of which we ought to be ashamed (Philippians 3:17-19).
And worst of all, even when faced with the evil of our sin, we reject the only source of righteousness that we must have in order to stand before God without condemnation. We either try to manufacture and maintain our own righteousness or we make up our own standard by which we judge ourselves - and perhaps some others - to be okay.

An honest hearing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it really is cuts to the heart of sinners like us. We see the wickedness of our hearts and the desperate position of our souls.
And when God grants the gift of faith, we are humbled before the exalted Christ who becomes Our Righteousness, and we are saved for glory!

To the One who is both Lord and Christ!

12/07/2025

When various challenging circumstances in life are anticipated, there are often reasonable steps that can be taken to prepare:
- An approaching storm may call for securing things that might be blown around.
- An unpleasant medical diagnosis may require changes in living arrangements.
- Impending income changes may signal a need to revisit the household budget.
- A failing appliance may prompt setting aside funds for replacement.

But, all our thoughtful, reasonable preparation may ultimately not produce the desired results for any of a number of reasons. After all, we don't know much, we aren't very wise, and we really aren't in control of any of our circumstances.

There is, however, one sure preparation for peace and joy in every circumstance of life: intentional growth in knowing, loving, and trusting God. He is all-knowing, all-wise, in control of every particle in the universe... and He is merciful, gracious, good, and loving to all who trust Him with child-like faith!

11/29/2025

With regard to grace and holiness, people tend to "fall off the cart" on one of two sides:
- Off one side of the cart is not actually caring about God's perspective on sin and righteousness. Personal holiness is not an earnest concern on this side.
- Off the other side of the cart is an earnestness about outward performance. There's a list of do's and don'ts - mostly don'ts - adherence to which God is presumed to be pleased. Sin isn't earnestly hated, and righteousness isn't really desired. The motivational principle is an attempt to keep God happy so that one doesn't get what one doesn't want. Superstition is a description that comes to mind.

God speaks clearly in His Word about both of these: He's displeased with them both! Neither of them are truly biblical, Christian understandings of grace, salvation, and relationship with God because neither of them really hate sin and love righteousness.

Then there are those who are "on the cart" who earnestly love God and want to be pleasing to Him. In fact, they're afraid of not being pleasing to him, and they are personally convinced along with the Apostle Paul that "nothing good dwells in my flesh." (Romans 7:18) It worries them to read about characters in the Bible such as Judas, who betrayed Christ. They ask along with the disciples, "Is it I?" (Matthew 26:22)
Might this describe you? If so, God has great news for you!
- First, it is Christ who keeps you. (John 6:39) Trust all of your life in His hands!
- Second, keep growing in your love for God and His righteousness, and you will find that, while your hatred of your own sin also increases, you will be increasingly delighted to fight it. (Galatians 5:16)

11/26/2025

Do you have a hard time being honestly thankful in the midst of difficult circumstances and relationships? Are your expressions of gratitude primarily focused on earthly comforts and pleasures?
To some level, this describes each of us, doesn't it?

But do you desire to grow in true gratitude? There are any number of suggestions out there that are about as effective as new year's resolutions. There's really only one way, but there is a way: grow in your knowledge of God, and set your mind on Him.
The most sincere expression of gratitude - toward God and man - comes from the heart that is first thrilled with the glory of God and full of humble praise to Him!
..

Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.
Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
(1 Chronicles 16:23-34, ESV)

Address

43 Wheeler Road
Hollis, NH
03049

Telephone

+16034657764

Website

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