Getting Here
Belmont Heights is located on the corner of Belmont Boulevard and Delmar Avenue. We are on the campus of Belmont University. Parking is available adjacent to the church in the lot in front of the Wellness Center which faces Belmont Blvd.; in front of the playground which faces Delmar Ave.; and immediately behind the main church building. You may enter either at the front of the church leading to the main sanctuary or the side office entrance marked by the green awning.
A Note From Pastor Nick
The Source, January/February 2010
Recently, Kimberly and I have been teaching our children to memorize Psalm 122:1, where David says, "I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!" We desire to create a culture within our family where all of us are genuinely excited when we have the opportunity to gather with our church family to worship our great God and learn from His word. That is not how I remember feeling on Sundays when I was a child. I always seemed to be either too tired to get ready, or I happened to come down with a mysterious illness overnight. I remember Sunday mornings being one of the most stressful times of the week for my family, as we were normally quite irritable and were always scrambling to get ready. When we would finally make it to church, we were normally late, annoyed with one another, and resented having to be there. But I was expected to be quiet, remain still, and not misbehave because we were in "God's house."
Maybe you can relate to that statement. If you have spent much time in a church building, chances are that you have probably heard someone say to another, "You can't say that in God's house!" Or, "I cannot believe you just did that! Don't you know that you are in the house of the LORD?" But is the church building really "God's house?" In Acts 7:48-50, Stephen rebukes the religious leaders of his day, who put an unhealthy emphasis on the physical structure of the temple, by telling them, "The Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, "Heaven is My throne, and earth is my footstool. What kind of a house will you build for Me, says the LORD, or what is the place of My rest? Did not My hand make all these things?" The apostle Paul told the Athenian worshipers in Acts 17:24 that, "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man..."
Why does this seem to be a re-occuring statement in the New Testament? I think it is because all man-made religion inevitably places the emphasis on a place, instead of a Person. For Muslims, it is the mosque and Mecca. For Buddhists, it is the temple and Nepal. For Jews, it is Jerusalem. For Mormons, it is Salt Lake City. For Catholics, it is the cathedral and the Vatican in Rome. For Protestants, it is the church's physical building.
In his gospel, Mark gives us an account of a striking conversation between Jesus and His disciples. Mark 13:1-2 says, "As [Jesus] was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" (Luke 21:5 says, "Some of His disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.") Jesus responded, "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
The day is coming soon (perhaps even sooner than we think) when the sanctuary that we love so dearly will be torn down. These words will literally be fulfilled: "Not one stone will be left upon another." We probably will not even recognize the new structure that will be erected in its place. We are even closer to the day when we will move our Sunday worship services from the sanctuary to another, more conducive, location. But thanks be to God that our place of worship is not our priority or identity! It is not our holy place. Our priority is Christ; our identity is found in Him. Our holy place is anywhere we gather, for "the earth is the LORD's and everything in it (Psalm 24:1)" and our bodies are now temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). For the Christian, Sundays should be the most joyful day of the week. It is not because of the place where we meet. It is because we have the privilege of gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ and worshiping our heavenly Father-together.
February's Song of the Month: O Wondrous Love
Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. Psa 149:1
We are starting something new in 2010. Each month of this year we will be learning a new song as a congregation. This will enable us to add 12 songs to our congregational library and will ensure that we really know the melodies and are able to study the words.
February's song, O Wondrous Love, is based on the following scriptures:
- There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. (Dt. 1:31)
- The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!' (Dt 33:27)
- For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. (Ps 100:5)
- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
- Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Php 3:12)
The lyrics are below:
O wondrous love that will not let me go\I cling to You with all my strength and soul
Yet if my hold should ever fail\This wondrous love will never let me go
O wondrous love that’s come to dwell in me\Lord who am I that I should come to know
Your tender voice assuring me\This wondrous love will never let me go
I’m resting in the everlasting arms\In the ever faithful heart
The Shepherd of my life\You’ll carry me on Your mighty wings of grace
Keeping me until the day\I look into Your eyes
O wondrous love that sings of Calvary\The sweetest sound this sinner’s ever known
The song of Your redeeming Son\Whose wondrous love will never let me go
O wondrous love that rushes over me\I can’t escape this river’s glorious flow
You overwhelm my days with good\Your wondrous love will never let me go
2001 Sovereign Grace Worship (ASCAP). Steve & Vicki Cook.
As we sing this song, may we remember the love and mercy of God displayed to us through God's Son, Jesus Christ. The Spirit has transformed our hearts, replacing the old with the new. Christ guards our hearts until His return. God perfects His love in us, and we in turn love one another.
