Bandon First Baptist

10/13/2026

Joy Heard from Afar

Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away. (Nehemiah 12:43)

October 13, 2026
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Nehemiah ordered everyone on the wall and up they came by the dozens. Ezra led the first choir, while Nehemiah directed the second choir; so we have Ezra on one side of the city’s wall and Nehemiah on the other side.

“Then . . . I appointed two great choirs, the first proceeding to the right on top of the wall . . . . The second choir proceeded to the left.” (Nehemiah 12:31, 38 NASB)

I’ve often tried to imagine what that must have looked like from outside the wall. Hundreds of singers, all varieties of instruments, joyous dancing, and an elation that certainly wouldn’t resemble today’s average church service! That’s what I get when I picture Nehemiah 12:43 in my mind:

“On that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, and the women and children rejoiced as well, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from far away.” (NASB)

The Bible says, “A joyful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22 NASB) and “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face” (15:13 NASB). Isn’t that the truth! People want to be near the individual who smiles and sings his or her way through life. A joyful heart is contagious. And it fits any situation, no matter how bad the circumstances.

I’m impressed with the fact that Nehemiah 12:43 does not say the song was heard from far away. It says, the joy was heard from far away. That encourages me! People don’t pay much attention to voices and words, but they cannot ignore genuine, heartfelt joy.

One great application pours out of these verses: Happiness is not dependent on outward circumstances but upon inward choice. When you have chosen to focus on what’s important in any situation, you smile and sing through an experience and come out rejoicing. It all depends upon what you choose to make your focus.

To those of you who are now in leadership positions or plan to be in the future:

Do you bring joy to those you lead?
Is your leadership marked by a good sense of humor?
I know of few things more magnetic than a smile or a cheerful disposition, especially among those in God’s work. How easy it is to become intense, severe, grim, and even oppressive! The people under Nehemiah’s leadership felt free to rejoice and laugh. Do the people who are under your leadership feel that freedom?

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

Holiness Precedes Happiness

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. (Proverbs 17:22)

October 12, 2026
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
If happiness were a disease, none other would be more contagious. If you laugh often, if you’re making life fun, if you’re never very far from a smile, you’ll have no trouble encouraging people and making friends. People who really enjoy life are always, always in demand.

Leaders need to be happy people! Those who look to a leader for encouragement and hope don’t want the specter of the grim reaper sitting at the boss’s desk. Many followers crawl to work every morning worn down by domestic conflicts and financial worries. They face a day of endless demands and thankless tasks, only later to return home to bickering, discontented mates and fussing children. Somehow, if you are in a position to influence them, God can use you to introduce the one ingredient—real and lasting joy—that will lighten their load.

In Nehemiah 12:27, the people have gathered to dedicate the recently completed wall. The city was slowly beginning to show signs of progress—new homes, new businesses, the whole gamut of urban renewal. Although times were still hard, a new spark of enthusiasm and a renewed vision gave the people hope to continue. A monumental feat had been accomplished.

Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they could celebrate the dedication with joy, with songs of thanksgiving and with songs to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps, and lyres. (12:27 NASB)

The Hebrew word for joy means “gaiety, mirth, pleasure, delight.” The people brought in this group of specialists and said, “Lead us in a joyful celebration! Let’s have fun!” Then they added to the celebration by singing psalms and songs accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres. People from all around were selected to lead in the celebration of joy. It was designed to be an unforgettable, enjoyable day.

The dedication consisted of more than fun and games, however. Notice something very important in 12:30: “The priests and the Levites purified themselves; they also purified the people, the gates, and the wall.” We must not overlook the fact that purification came before celebration. In order to enjoy the city upon completion of the wall, their hearts had to be pure. Holiness precedes happiness. Never forget that the first step to a happy countenance is a clean heart.

10/11/2026

Known and Remembered by God

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. (Colossians 3:23–24)

October 11, 2026
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
As Nehemiah’s surely was in Nehemiah 11, my mind is flooded with the faces of those who worked behind the scenes over the years so that I could remain focused on the task of leadership. My wife faithfully and consistently supported me, encouraged me, worked with our children, and even took on the huge responsibility of leading our radio ministry, Insight for Living.

I think of staff members who stuck with it day in and day out; the board members and officers who filled strategic roles while holding down full-time employment; the people who prayed, who helped in the nursery, who taught, who worked in our library, who gave, who counseled, who visited. Without them, my life would have been reduced to an endless list of tedious details that would have become the enemy of my ministry. I give God praise for each one of them who have willingly stood beside me without the benefit of public applause.

Allow me to share some timeless truths with you. The first one is this: Your gifts make you valuable, although not necessarily famous. If you are gifted in an area that will never reach the spotlight, rest in the knowledge that you are valuable to God’s family. Your work may be done anonymously, but you are not anonymous to God.

And that fact introduces a second truth: the Lord remembers every labor done in love. With Him, nothing is ever forgotten.

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, by having served and by still serving the saints. (Hebrews 6:10 NASB)

Tuck Hebrews 6:10 into the back pocket of your mind and every time you begin to feel discouraged because you don’t receive the recognition and affirmation you deserve, remember that God never overlooks a single deed.

The third truth: our rewards will be based on our faithfulness—not public applause. The public may never know of your ministry, but that will have nothing to do with final rewards. God never checks an applause meter to measure the merit of our service or to determine our rewards.

10/10/2026

The Willing Unknowns

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. (Hebrews 6:10)

October 10, 2026
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
There is another body of names and faces equally deserving of our praise. They are the lesser lights, the forgotten heroes, the unknowns, the “nobodies” who paved the way for the “somebodies.” Without these willing unknowns, no leader can ever carry out his or her calling. But how easy it is to forget them.

Two dangers lurk in the shadows of leadership. One is the reluctance on the part of the leader to become virtually unknown, forgotten, and overlooked in the accomplishment of an objective. The second is the negligence of strong natural leaders who fail to recognize others who deserve much of the credit.

I’m going to ask you to make a commitment to the Lord to be, if necessary, as unknown as possible in your position of influence. This is a genuine test of strong leadership. If you desire fame and recognition, you will most likely fail as a leader and your efforts will go unrewarded for all eternity. That’s not a threat: it’s a fact. Jesus spoke directly to this point:

“Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1 NASB)

And in even stronger words, He declared:

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (20:25–28 NASB 1995)

It may sound strange to our twenty-first-century ears, but God is ready to bless some capable leaders who genuinely do not care who receives the glory. Such leaders are all too rare, but what a wonderful discovery when we stumble across a few outstanding people who don’t want to be superstars and willingly remain genuine servants.

Several people like this appear in the eleventh chapter of Nehemiah’s journal. We find here the crosses of unknown, obscure, forgotten people (with unpronounceable names!). But they represent a massive force that makes the Word of God exciting. All of them willingly gave of themselves. “Willing unknowns” rarely if ever enjoy recognition for their contributions. The Scripture rarely mentions the name of any one of them.

10/10/2026

Please join us Sunday, 11am as Pastor Dennis teaches from the book of Habakkuk.