Smoky Mountain Jubilee

I can’t stress enough just how important it is for God’s people to take full advantage of the God-given benefit of corporate worship, fellowship and encouragement built on God’s Word! In February, Trinity has the distinct honor to be one of the host churches for the Smoky Mountain Jubilee. This will be an incredible time of refreshment and spiritual sustenance for the entire family. Miranda and I can’t wait to see you there. Our very own Jubilee Choir will be singing, along with Amber Saunders and 11th hour.

There will be preaching by our Pastor Emeritus, Evangelist Dr. Ralph Sexton, as well as preaching by Dr. Joe Arthur and Dr. C.T. Townsend.

We will gather in beautiful Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on February 10-11, 2022. The beautiful LeConte Center will be the new Smoky Mountain Jubilee home venue. This event is completely free as we gather to hear powerful preaching from great men of God, experience Spirit-filled worship, and enjoy great Gospel singing by amazing choirs and southern gospel group favorites.

All evening services begin with music at 6:00 PM then preaching begins at 7:00 PM. The Friday morning service begins at 10:00 AM.

No tickets or reservations are necessary; however, registration is an absolute must for adequate seating.

Call the church office at 828-254-2187 for more information or visit the Smoky Mountain Jubilee Facebook page for current updates.

Come praying, come believing and I’ll see you there!

Pastor Winston Parrish

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But God!

Wednesday Night in our Bible Study we explored those two words:  But God!  We talked about hopelessness and despair, pressure, pain and fatigue. Dissatisfaction, Contempt, Complacency, Weariness—all the compartments of life can be affected by these adjectives.

Our nation is in a place of despair at a level not felt since the second World War.  We are in the midst of the greatest battle for truth, all while deception and lies are at an all-time high.  We are plagued with outlets of information and disinformation that obliterate trust and that wage war on the internal security of humanity.

More than ever, people are tense, people are worried, people are sad, and people are afraid.  They are short tempered, short on mercy, lacking in kindness and are unable to have civil discussion.  Wave after wave of new information on new virus variants, daily scandal, financial instability, and the dread of what’s to come have the average person on edge.  Many are far beyond that—many have had more than they can process, more than they can handle.

The straw that “broke the camel’s back” fell on the pile months ago, and in all reality, there are many people who are truly at the end of their ability to cope.

The Bible gives us incredible examples of times in history that seemed  hopeless.  These were situations in individual lives that were dark and full of dread.  Noah, Joseph, Ruth, Gideon, John The Baptist, Martha—-so many places in Scripture that points to hopelessness and despair, but then put the attributes of our God on display!

Psalm 54:4

“Behold, God is mine helper…” The Hebrew word for helper is “Ezer”, pronounced “ay-zer”, meaning to help, to assist, to come to the aid of the one in need.

The character of our God is one that does not change.  He is the same today,  yesterday and forever more.  We have a God who to this day is in the business of “Ezer!”— coming to the place you are, reaching down to the depth of where you are and providing help that only He can.

God loves you; He knows you, He understands your issues in life and He is aware of how you feel.  Don’t quit, don’t give up, keep on trusting Him for Ezer!

Take a look at the issue, the problem, the place of pain and say aloud, “But, God!”

Pastor Winston

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2022—A New Year, Renewed Hope!

As we come out of the Christmas season and begin a new year, I want to challenge you to take a look back at what we experienced during Christmas at Trinity Baptist Church.  In the messages, in the songs, and even in the Christmas play presented by our children’s ministry, there was one overwhelming theme, and that theme was hope.  We were reminded in several different ways how the birth of Jesus Christ launched out a  beacon of divine hope for all of mankind.

In a world that seems at times hopeless, in a society of madness and confusion, the believer can embrace a lifestyle and attitude that reflect the hope found in the person of Jesus!  Our hope for the coming year is not fixed to anything of this world.  Thank God, our hope, all our hope, peace and comfort is tied securely to the Son of God.  That is real, tangible hope that you can have going in to 2022. The world is uncertain, but we have assurance.  The world is dark but we possess the Light of the Word.  We can have HOPE!  Now— enter the coming year with renewed hope in the power of God to do through you what you cannot.

Miranda and I want to wish you a Happy, Hopeful, New Year!

Pastor Winston & Miranda Parrish

 

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Let Us Pray

Dear Church Family,

Recently our Supreme Court has been presented a case on abortion from the State of Mississippi that challenges Roe v. Wade at the core of the law.  Roe v. Wade was the 1973 landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court erroneously ruled that the Constitution of the United States gives a pregnant woman the right to choose to have an abortion without government restriction.  It struck down many U.S. federal and state abortion laws that protected life, and to this day it is a  sinful stain on America.  I can’t imagine what it does to the heart of God to observe a blessed nation like the United States legalize the murder of its own babies.  May God have mercy!

Why this case matters to the Christian:

The very fact that the current court, with its solid six-member conservative majority, agreed to even consider a state law that bans abortion could indicate that the court is prepared to scale back Roe v. Wade,  if not reverse it outright—this is something we have prayed about for a very long time!

Already, in a separate case, the court is considering a Texas law that bans abortion after six weeks.  The justices have allowed that law to remain in place for three months, rendering Roe v. Wade “dead” in the country’s second largest state!  This law isn’t perfect, but it saves lives and is a step in the right direction.

What do we pray for now?

Pray for the justices by name.  Pray that God will turn their hearts and minds towards what is right!  This week, the nine justices will sit alone in a conference room, away from the media and outside influence, to review the case.  They will speak in order,  with Chief Justice John Roberts explaining his vote and reasoning, then following by seniority: Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

The senior justice in the majority and minority will get to choose who writes the Court’s opinion, a process that will take months, with plenty of drafts going back and forth          between the chambers.  As we’ve mentioned recently, prayer is a powerful weapon against the forces of evil and this will be an ongoing prayer effort as they deliberate on the future of this unthinkable crime against life and against our God, who gives life.

One national prayer group is making an emphasis to pray from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, the darkest hours of the night.  So much evil and darkness surround this satanic effort to end lives before they even get to start. It’s our duty to go to battle and pray for the far-reaching, ever-capable hand of God to intervene!

Will you join me in this effort?  Let us pray!

Pastor Winston Parrish

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“Myrrh—The Death Gift of The Magi”

On Wednesday night, I preached a message entitled, “The Message Of The Magi.” We revisited the facts around the birth of Christ as it pertains to the wisemen from the east. We know from scripture that there were three gifts given to Jesus by these men: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I want to remind you of the latter gift and the powerful implications that it had on the day it was given to Jesus.

The third gift the wise men brought was a very valuable gum-like substance called myrrh that was used in embalming process of that day. Can you imagine bringing a little baby something that would be used to embalm the dead?  They did this because they recognized that this little baby was born to die.  The gift of myrrh given to Jesus pointed to His sacrificial death.

Imagine being Mary. You have seen the gold and the frankincense, now the myrrh is the “dagger to the heart”; a chilling reminder that your precious little boy will have to die!  He’s just a baby—at the most a toddler— but it all comes back to her, this child is here for a reason.  He is the consolation of Israel!

The Myrrh brought by the Magi reminded Mary that the Messiah was mankind’s only way out—our only hope—this is the reason that these wisemen brought the components needed to prepare someone for death, because Jesus would die.

Jesus was the remedy, the perfect sacrifice!

The wise men may not have understood all of this, but the Holy Ghost did.  None of this was by accident.  Of everything that could be listed as gifts to the King, we know they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to recognize His sovereign dominion, sacred deity, and sacrificial death that was to come.

Jesus paid it all—All to Him I owe!

Merry Christmas

Pastor Winston Parrish

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