WELCOME TO
M.B.C.
NEW MEMBERS
CLASS
Congratulations you have recently made some of the most
important decisions of your life. The most important decision was to accept Jesus Christ into your heart. The choice
of Montgomery Baptist as your home was also a major decision. If you are in this class and have never made these decisions;
our prayer is, before we finish this class, you will take these two very important steps.
Accepting Christ, becoming a Christian,
is only the beginning of a journey not the end. No one accepts Christ and instantly becomes Christlike, spiritual
maturity is a lifetime process which begins at the point of salvation and concludes at death. We here at Montgomery Baptist,
are committed to helping you develop as a Christian and to reach spiritual maturity by providing:
• Sound biblical teaching Matt 28:20
• Inspired spirit filled preaching 1 Cor 2:4
• Personal instruction Psa 32:8
• Support in good and bad times Rom 12:15
PURPOSE OF
THIS STUDY IS TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF
• Who you are
• What the church does
• What the church believes
• How the church operates
• What can I do
HISTORY OF
M.B.C.
Archie Everage was born on Montgomery Crk in Knott Co.
on June
12, 1928. On March 5, 1947 Archie married Evalee Combs, the daughter of Charlie and Otis
Mae Combs. On Christmas night 1949 they were both baptized into the Hindman Baptist Church by Bro J.S. Bell.
In 1952 Brother J.S. Bell asked Archie as a part of a
Sunday school contest, to return to Montgomery Crk and start a Sunday school. He believed Archie could successfully bridge
the gap between the old regular Baptist belief and the missionary Baptist belief. History has proven Bro. Bell right.
As the work on Montgomery Crk continued to flourish,
Archie began to feel the call to preach. It was decided that he would preach each Sunday following the Sunday school lesson.
The need for a mission became apparent. Before the end of 1952 the Sunday school became an actual mission of the Hindman Baptist Church with Archie as the layman preacher.
On Monday, Feb 18, 1957, the Montgomery
mission was organized into Montgomery Baptist
Church. There were approximately 40 charter members. Land was soon purchased
beside the schoolhouse and with a donation from the state mission board and local contributions, a church was built.
On June 13, 1972 the Montgomery Baptist Church was destroyed by fire. Fortunately, in 1969 the church had purchased
a 50-acre tract of land at Carrie, Ky to
be used in youth work. The land had been partially cleared and an open shelter had been constructed. The shelter was enclosed
and services were held in the shelter until the new church was completed. On Easter Sunday April 1974, the first church service
was conducted in the new building.
WHO AM I?
UNIT 1
YOU ARE GOD’S
CREATION
Most people live their entire lives without ever knowing
"why" they exist, year after year, with no idea of why they live, or God’s purpose for their lives. The most
basic question a person can ask is "what is the meaning of my life".
Everyone wants
to be happy. People try many ways:
• Some look for happiness by acquiring possessions.
• Some look for happiness by experiencing pleasure.
• Some look for happiness by gaining prestige &
power.
Gen 1:26 And God said, let
us make man in our image, and after our likeness.
We were created to be like God, to reveal his character
and to accomplish his purposes in his world. We were created to have a relationship with God.
II. WHAT IS
THE PROBLEM
ISA 59:2 NLT But there is a problem, your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has
turned away and will not listen anymore. Rom 3:23, Psa 14:1-3
Sin creates a barrier between God and man. This barrier
makes it impossible for man to be and to do what God created him for. Therefore, man can never be happy or at peace living
in a sinful condition.
III. WHAT
IS THE ANSWER?
II Cor 5:21 AMP For our sake
he made Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in and through him we might become the righteousness of God. (What
we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with him, by his goodness).
John 10:10 NLT My purpose
is to give life in all it’s fullness.
Our only hope is finding happiness, peace and joy in
this life is to get back in a right standing with God, through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
John 3:3 Except a man be born again he can not see the kingdom of God.
The person who has this salvation experience is called
a Christian or "Christlike". Hopefully you have already taken this step. If not, seriously consider taking this
step today.
IV. YOU ARE
A CHRISTIAN
Acts 11:26 And the disciples
were called Christians first in Antioch.
A Christian is a person who has received forgiveness
for sins repented and trusted Christ as Saviour and Lord.
The difference between a Christian and a person
who merely does good works, is that one has trusted and placed his life under the control of Christ and the other has
not.
List some good things done by non-Christians.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Ep 2: 8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God;
not of works, lest any man should boast.
Doing good works, no matter how many, will never give
you a right relationship with God.
V. WHAT DOES
IT MEAN TO REPENT?
Luke 13:3 Except ye repent ye shall likewise perish.
N.T. repentance is a change of mind which involves
(1) Turning from sin
(2) Turning to God
To repent means to turn away from your sin and surrender
with your whole heart to love and follow Jesus.
Which choice best describes biblical repentance.
(1) Feeling sorry for your sin.
(2) Making up to God for what you’ve done
(3) Being baptized to clean up your life.
(4) Having a change of mind, heart, will and the way
you live.
IS REPENTANCE NECESSARY AFTER SALVATION?
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
Repentance is not just a one time act. It is a lifestyle
a continual turning from sin that will go until death. As long as we are in the flesh there will be a need for repentance.
VI. YOU ARE
AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF A NEW FAMILY
Rom 12:4-5 L.B. Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We
are all parts of it and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do.
For a family unit to run smoothly and harmoniously, each
member should make a positive contribution to the whole. The same is true of your church family. It is important that you
participate in the life and ministry of the church.
1 Cor 12:27 L.B. All of
us together are the one body of Christ and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.
If you do not find and do your part, the body can never
be complete, nor can it ever reach it’s potential. You are cheating the body out of something it needs.
VII. YOU ARE
A WITNESS
Mk 5:19 Go home to thy friends
and tell them how great things the Lord has done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
Your salvation experience is personal. No one else can
tell your story like you can. Write a brief description about how you became a Christian in the space provided below.
WHAT IS A WITNESS?
• Witness-One who has personal knowledge of something,
one who tells what he knows to be true.
• We are to be more than just a witness who tells
what Jesus has done for us, we are also to be a witness through our actions by doing what Jesus would do.
WHAT THE CHURCH
DOES
UNIT 2
Matt 28:19-20 NLT Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
Jesus gave the church the job of taking the gospel message
of salvation, by grace through faith, out into the world. To bring the lost of Jesus Christ and then teaching them what God
has promised and what God expects of us.
The new testament church carries out the command Jesus
gave through five different functions: worship,
evangelize, ministry, fellowship, and education.
I. WORSHIP
Matt 22:37 NLT You must
love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind.
Worship is expressing our love to God. It is an outward
expression of an inward conviction. An outward act that expresses how we feel about God.
Psa 34:3 NASB Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.
Throughout scripture we are commanded to celebrate God’s
presence by magnifying the Lord.
Matt 4:10 Thou shalt worship
the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.
Notice Jesus says you must worship the Lord
before you are qualified or fit for service.
II. EVANGALIZE
Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.
Mak 16:15 NLT Go into
all the world and preach the good news to everyone, everywhere.
In Jesus’ last recorded conversation here on Earth
he gave the church instructions to take the gospel, the good news (that Jesus saves) to everyone.
John 20:21 NLT As the
father sent me so I send you.
Acts 1:8 NLT But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and tell people about
me everywhere.
Jesus made the command to go personal. The Bible is God’s personal message to you. When
you receive the message (salvation) you are commanded to go and share that message.
List some you need to share the message with.
(1)______________ (2)______________
(3)______________ (4)______________
(5)______________ (6)______________
III. MINISTRY
Matt 22:39 Thou shalt
love the neighbor as thyself.
Ministry is demonstrating God’s love to
others by meeting their needs and healing their hurts in the name of Jesus.
John 15:12-13 NLT I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you and here is how
you measure it, the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.
Jesus says that our love for him is not measured by how
often we come to church, how much money we give, or how loud we shout, but rather by how faithful we are to meet the physical,
emotional and spiritual needs of those around us.
Luke 16:19-25 Rich man and Lazarus
If we live a life of luxury and wastefulness and refuse
to meet anyone else’s needs God Says we don’t love him.
Matt 10:42 NLT And if
you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers you will surely be rewarded.
A reward shall be given for ministry acts done out of
love for Jesus, no matter how small or insignificant they may appear to us.
List some ministry acts you could perform.
(1)________________ (2)_______________
(3)________________ (4)_______________
(5)________________ (6)_______________
IV. FELLOWSHIP
Ep 2:19 LB You are members
of God’s very own family you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.
As Christians we are called to belong, not just to
believe. There is no such thing as God’s plan as Lone Ranger Christianity.
The church is to provide you with a family. The New Testament
picture of the church is that of a family.
See 1Cor 12:12-27
1 Peter 1:3 LB He has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of
God’s very own family.
As a family we have responsibilities to each other.
A. 1 Sam 20:1-9 To watch out for each other.
B. 1 Tim 1:2 To warn each other of danger.
C. 1 Kings 19:16 The development
of young converts
D. Luke 24:13-21 To answer life’s confusing questions.
E. John 21:19 Provide encouragement
in hard times.
V. EDUCATE
Matt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things what so ever I have commanded you.
The command to educate is not an option for a church
or a believer, the church which does not educate its people is not a New Testament Church.
Col 1:28 NLT So everywhere we go we tell everyone
about Christ. We warn them, and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us. For we want to present them perfect in their
relationship to Christ.
The goal of a New Testament Church is that everyone they
baptize will become more like Christ in every area of their life.
This process of becoming more like Christ in our thoughts,
feelings, and actions is called discipleship. It is to begin at the point of salvation and continues until death.
1. WHY IS EDUCATION SO IMPORTANT?
Ep 4:14 NLT Then we will no longer be like children forever changing our minds about what we believe
because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound so like
the truth.
Without teaching, the devil can easily deceive you and
keep you from enjoying the benefits that Christ bought and paid for by his blood. Hos 4:6
LIST SOME EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY THE
CHURCH.
(1)________________ (2)________________
(3)________________ (4)________________
(5)________________ (6)________________
WHAT THE CHURCH
BELIEVES
UNIT 3
I. THE BIBLE
The bible was written by men divinely inspired and is
the record of God’s revelation of himself to men. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for it’s
author, salvation for it’s end and truth without any mixture of error, for it’s matter. It reveals the principles
by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and
the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and religious opinions should be tried.
II Pet 1:20, II Tim 3:16
The basic resource of our church is the Bible. All of
the materials and resources we use must be in agreement with the Bible or we do not use it. Our desire is that every decision
we make will be in agreement with what the Bible teaches.
II. JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the son of God. He was God in the flesh.
Jesus lived a sinless human life and then offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people at Calvary. He arose from the dead after 3 days to demonstrate his power over sin and death.
He is now in Heaven seated at the right hand of the Father
making intercession for us. He will return again one day after the true church.
Matt 1:22-23, Isa 9:6, John 1:1-5, 14:10-30,
Heb 4:14-15, 1Cor 15:3-4, Rom 1:3-4, Acts 1:9-11,
1 Tim 6:14-15
III. HOLY
SPIRIT
Commonly referred to as the third person of the God head.
God the Father, God the Son , and God the Holy Spirit these are 3 in 1. He is God no more, no less than God the Father and
God the Son. He is the power source of the God head. He is present in the world to make men aware of their sinful condition
and their need for Jesus Christ. He abides in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He gives us power for living,
understanding of the scriptures, and teaches us what is right & wrong according to God. He wants to guide us in our everyday
life.
John 14: 16-17, 16: 7-13. Acts 1:8, I Cor 2:12, 3:16
II Cor 3:17, Gal 5:25, Ep 1:13, 5:18
IV. REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS
Requirements for membership in Montgomery Baptist Church are very simple. We have only two requirements.
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raise him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
You must believe on Chirst (Be saved) and be willing
to publicly confess Christ as Lord of you life, we will take you at your word, seeing we do no have the ability to judge whether
or not you have been saved.
Acts 2:38 Repent and be baptized
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ.
You must be scripturally baptized in the name of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Matt
28:19 and be immersed in (put under) water.
Matt 3:16
We also accept people from other churches by letter from
your former church, if that is possible, or by statement, if a letter is not available. In either case we must be assured
you have met the two requirements mentioned above.
EXPECTATIONS OF CHURCH MEMBERS
When you chose Montgomery Baptist Church as your home. There are certain things you expect of us. The church also has certain expectations of you. These things
are in reality not our expectations of you, but God’s.
Acts 2:42 And they continued
steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. Live a life worthy of
the name Christian.
Matt 28:19-20 Go ye therefore. Witness to the lost.
Gal 6:10 Let us do good unto
all men. Be a servant and serve others.
Luke 6:38 Give and it shall
be given unto you. Give and support the work of the church.
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together. Be in church when you have the opportunity.
Acts 2:1 They were all I one accord in one place. Promote unity – no gossiping / no backbiting.
Col 1:10 Increasing in the knowledge of God. Grow
and mature.
V. CHURCH ORDINANCES
An ordinance literally means an order or a law. We believe
Christ gave the church two ordinances. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
BAPTISM
Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore…. Baptizing them in…. Christ commanded the church to baptize
all those who become disciples ( followers) of Christ.
1. WHY SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED
Matt 3:16 And Jesus when he
was baptized.
Jesus was baptized and so should we. This is the only
thing I can do exactly like Jesus.
Acts 2:38 Repent and be baptized
everyone of you…
It is an act of obedience to God. Until you are baptized
you are rebelling against God’s will.
1 Pet 3:21 Answer of a good
conscience toward God. You will never be completely satisfied nor will you have the full joy of your salvation. To refuse
baptism is to give the devil a weapon against you.
Rom 6:4 NLT For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism, and just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glorious power of the Father now we also may live new lives.
Baptism is the symbolic death, burial and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Through baptism we are identifying ourselves with Christ and telling the world that the old person is dead
and I am now a new person in Christ.
2. M.B.C. PROCEDURE FOR BAPTISM
A. When (what day)_______________________
B. Where_______________ or ______________
C. Who Baptises_____________or ____________
D. What do I wear?_____________or__________
E. Can I request someone to help baptize me?
Yes, if they are a Christian
and living the life.
THE LORD’S SUPPER
1 Cor 1:24-26 And when he had given thanks, he brake
it, and said, take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also
he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, the cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it in
remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he comes.
Jesus never asked his disciples to remember his birth.
But he did instruct them to remember his death and resurrection. We do this through not only baptism, but also The Lord’s
Supper. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on Thursday night just prior to his crucifixion on good Friday.
I. PURPOSE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
• That we would remember the terrible pain and
suffering Jesus went through at Calvary. 1 Cor 11:24
• Remind us that Christ’s blood that He shed
paid completely our sin price. 1 Cor 11:25
• Remind us and proclaims to the world, that Jesus’
death was real 1 Cor 11:26
II. WHO SHOULD TAKE THE LORD’S SUPPER
1 Cor 11: 27-29 NLT So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthy that person
is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the
bread and drinking from the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink from the cup unworthy, not honoring the body of Christ,
you are eating and drinking God’s judgement upon yourself.
Only Christians whose heart is right with God should
partake of the Lord’s Supper. If a Christian has bitterness, jealousy, unforgiveness etc. in their life, they should
repent and get their heart right with God before they partake.
III. HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE DO THIS
The bible does not specify how often. Doing it too often
may cause this special occasion to lose its significance and become a meaningless ritual.
IV. FOOT WASHING
John 13:1-17 (v 14-15) If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one
another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
We do not believe Jesus instituted foot washing as ordinance
that the church was to observe on an equal basis with baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe rather that Jesus was
given us a lesson on humility, teaching us the importance of serving one another. To wash feet literally means to be willing
to serve no matter how low the job. This was what Jesus was trying to teach.
V. TITHING
• A tithe is one- tenth of our income. Heb
7:1-4
Lev 27:32
• The tithe is to be based on the amount of income
you receive before you pay your bills. For example if you receive an income of $250 your tithe is $25. You do not pay
your bills and then tithe what is left. Deut
14:22, Prov 3:9-10
• You can not give an offering until you have first
given the tithe. Mal 3:8
• Jesus encouraged tithing. Matt 23:23, Luke 11:42
• The tithe is to be brought to the church
which you regularly attend. Mal 3:10
• Tithing is God’s plan to finance
the work of the church. Rummage sales are not God’s plan. God’s work is to be financed by God’s people.
Mal 3:10
• Tithing is not for God’s benefit,
but for our benefit. Mal 3:10-12 Luke 6:38
• Tithing has nothing to do with salvation
or entrance into Heaven. Neither is it a requirement to belong to M.B.C.
HOW THE CHURCH
OPERATES
UNIT 4
1. OUR AFFILIATION –THREE FORKS BAPTIST ASSOCIATION.
Montgomery Baptist
Church is part of the Three Forks Baptist Association. This is a group
of Missionary Baptist churches in Leslie, Letcher, Knott and Perry
Counties. Who have banded together in order that, by working in cooperation
with each other, we may more effectively carry out the great commission in our local area.
• Our associational office is at _________________.
• There are __________ churches in the association.
• We have a full time Director of Missions (DOM)
who is to provide help and assistance to the churches and to coordinate the programs which we decide to do, such as evangelistic
crusades.
• _______________ is our DOM (Director of Missions)
• Three forks was organized in 1900.
• Our associational year runs from Sept 1 –
Aug 31
2. KENTUCKY BAPTIST CONVENTION
We are also a part of the KBC. The Three Forks Association
along with all the other Missionary Baptist Associations in the state have joined together in a united effort to evangelize
the state of Ky.
• KBC OFFICE IS AT___________________.
• THERE ARE___________CHURCHES IN KBC.
3. SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
The KBC along with all the other state conventions have
joined together to share our ideas and resources that we might do a better job of carrying out the great commission on a national
and international level.
• Largest denomination in the U.S.
• 40,000 + Churches
• 15 million members
• 1 out of every 10 churches in U.S. are affiliated with S.B.C.
• Baptizes over 1000 new Christians a day
• Starts 5 new churches a day
One major advantage of being affiliated with the SBC
is that it allows us to participate in the largest missionary organization in the world. Through the SBC "Cooperative Program"
we help support over 7500 missionaries in 104 countries. This allows us to be a part of "Go ye into all the world".
4. WHO ARE WE
We are a Missionary Baptist Church. We are completely independent. There is no denominational control over us, as there are in many denominations. We
are self governed and make our own decisions.
• We choose our own pastor and staff.
• We own our building and grounds.
• We choose our own programs.
• We determine God’s direction for us.
• No one tells us what to preach or teach.
• No one tells us how to spend our money.
II. FINANCES
The work of Montgomery Baptist Church is financed completely by the freewill offerings given by those who attend. We receive no financial support from any
denominational or charitable organization. We cheerfully support the "Cooperative Program" by giving _________ % of all undesignated
gifts we receive.
III. MBC EXPENSES
SALARIES _______________
BENEVOLENCE FUND _________________
THREE FORKS ASSOC _________________
SBC _________________
UTILITIES_____________
INSURANCE ____________
VEHICLE MAINT. ______________
CHURCH PROGRAMS ________________
________________
SPECIAL PROJECTS __________________
PREVIOUS YR OFFERINGS _______________
IV. THE LEADERSHIP
Montgomery Baptist
Church is led primarily by an all volunteer staff. All pastors and departmental
leaders are elected in a business meeting that is open to all the church. The pastor is a part of any committee that is formed
to make recommendation to the church. The pastors or deacons are the only persons who can conduct a business meeting, where
a recommendation can be brought before the church. Once a recommendation has been made in a business meeting every member
has 1 vote to cast just like the pastor.
M.B.C. STAFF
Sr. Pastor ____________________
Assistant Pastor ____________________
Assistant Pastor ____________________
Clerk ____________________
Treasurer ____________________
Sun School Director ____________________
Choir Director ____________________
Youth Director ____________________
Transportation Director ____________________
Deacon _____________________
