First Baptist Church has been ministering in our community for over 75 years. Established in 1944, our church is committed to the preaching of God's Word, the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, corporate worship, and the equipping of the people to grow and share their faith.
The city of Belle Chasse is located just 7 miles from downtown New Orleans, LA on the storied West Bank. Our church is located on Highway 23 in Belle Chasse, LA, just past the local high school and post office, and just 1.9 miles north of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base of New Orleans. Our congregants are eager to welcome new visitors and help you to feel at home whether you are here for just one Sunday or many.
If you have any questions regarding our church, please fill out a Connect form and someone will contact you.
The city of Belle Chasse is located just 7 miles from downtown New Orleans, LA on the storied West Bank. Our church is located on Highway 23 in Belle Chasse, LA, just past the local high school and post office, and just 1.9 miles north of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base of New Orleans. Our congregants are eager to welcome new visitors and help you to feel at home whether you are here for just one Sunday or many.
If you have any questions regarding our church, please fill out a Connect form and someone will contact you.
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Current Sermon Series: The Beatitudes
Through the summer we will be studying in the book of Matthew, chapter 5, taking an in-depth look at The Beatitudes - the introduction to Jesus' most famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount. After hearing a recent sermon by a friend of mine, I was inspired to go deeper into these passages. As I began to research Matthew 5 in various commentaries and writing, I came across a study of The Beatitudes by Thomas Watson, a Quaker and theologian from the 1800s. The following excerpt is from his introduction to his book on The Beatitudes. I was so moved and inspired by his eloquent language and description of this passage that I felt led to share it with you as we begin this study: Christian Reader, I here present you with a subject full of sweet variety. This Sermon of Christ on the Mount is piece of spiritual needlework, wrought with diverse colors. Here is both usefulness and sweetness. In this portion of Holy Scripture, you have a summary of true religion -- the Bible epitomized. Here is a garden of delight, where you may pluck those flowers which will deck the hidden man of your heart. Here is the golden key which will open the gate of Paradise! Here is the conduit of the Gospel, running wine to nourish such as are poor in spirit and pure in heart. Here is the rich cabinet wherein the Pearl of Blessedness is locked up. Here is the golden pot in which that manna which will feed and revive the soul unto everlasting life. Here is the way chalked out to the Holy of Holies. -Thomas Watson Reading Watson's words confirmed my decision to study The Beatitudes. According to Watson, The Beatitudes are the dipstick that measures our depth of understanding of Jesus' character and ministry. What a perfect subject to encourage us to be Christ in our communities. In the first verse of this passage, Jesus already sets a three-fold example for us to follow. When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. - Matthew 5:1-12 CSB Jesus Took A Stand. In this first verse, Jesus chose a place on the mountain and began to teach the people from the hillside. Jesus was God in a man-suit - fully God and fully man - but He was still human. Jesus was the literal embodiment of God's Word, but he did not represent God by default. In his humanity, Jesus still had to chose to represent his father, just as he had to chose the cross for our sake. Jesus' position as "Rabbi" or "Teacher" was still a chosen one, one that he was meant to fulfill. Just as Jesus had a mission and purpose that he chose to act on, we must do the same. As believers, we are called to represent Jesus to the world and that is a chosen role not an appointed one. We must choose to take a stand. Jesus Knew His Audience. Matthew 5:1 says that Jesus "saw" the crowd and began to teach them. The Greek word translated as "saw" in this verse has deeper meaning than in our English interpretation. When we read that Jesus "saw" the crowd, we only think of him noticing a group of people. The Greek word horao can be more adequately translated as "to discern clearly" or "to perceive." Jesus was clearly the greatest preacher who ever lived. But Jesus' preaching was much more than delivering a prepared speech or quoting Scripture. Jesus knew His audience. That means more than knowing the age range, nationality, genders, etc. of his audience. Jesus knew His audience. He knew what they were thinking, feeling, and struggling with. Jesus is able to speak to their individual needs and hearts, knowing each person's distance or closeness to his own. It has been said that writing a story for the character Superman is virtually impossible. When your character is all-powerful, or virtually unbeatable, how do you write a relatable story? It has also been said that a realistic Superman story would feature the hero lying on a bed in the fetal position crying because he would be able to hear people all over the world suffering while he can only save one person at a time. No matter how powerful Superman is, he can't be everywhere at once. It would be a crushing reality for Superman to exist in a world where he knows everyone who is hurting but he can't save them all. Jesus spent His days on this Earth aware of people's hurts and struggles. What an incredible responsibility and weight on Jesus' shoulders to have such knowledge. There are multiple references to Jesus' knowledge of the hearts and minds of others. In Mark 2:8 Jesus knew the hearts of the religious teachers listening to His sermon. In John 2:25 it is recorded that Jesus did not reveal himself because he knew of the corruption in mankind. In Luke 6:8 Jesus knew the hearts of the Pharisees and their plans to entrap him. And in Matthew 9:20-22 Jesus healed a woman because he knew her faithful heart. If we want to be Jesus to someone else, it's hard to do so with someone that you do not care for. Jesus had compassion upon the people that he helped - He knew their needs. In order to be Jesus to those around us we have to determine their needs and decide how we can meet them. That opens the door to sharing the Gospel. Jesus Never Wasted An Opportunity. Given that Jesus had the aforementioned foreknowledge of his audience, he must have been inundated with the needs of those around him at any given time. This explains why so much of the recorded actions of Jesus in the New Testament chronicle him encountering hurting people and stopping to help them - not just because he knew their hearts, but because he knew their needs. There are dozens of accounts in the book of Matthew alone of Jesus sensing people's needs and meeting them. In Matthew 9:35-36 and 14:14 Jesus is recorded as having compassion on crowds of people and healing their sick. In 8:2-3, Jesus healed a man of leprosy. In Matthew 20:34, Jesus restored the sight of two blind men. When Jesus came upon an opportunity to meet someone's need, he did it. But there was purpose behind his actions. Jesus not only took the opportunity to meet their needs, he took the opportunity to minister to their hearts. In order for us to be Jesus to others on a daily basis, we must take a stand, know our audience, and never waste an opportunity to serve. Join us this summer on Sunday mornings as we explore Jesus' message in The Beatitudes. 
Worship with us.
One way to worship with us is to attend a worship service on Sunday mornings. Our worship services are held once a week at 10:30AM on Sunday mornings. A typical service consists of worship through song, prayer, and a sermon from our pastor. We encourage families to worship together at First Baptist Church. Children ages 5 and up are invited to join us in worship and childcare is provided for children ages 4 and under. Our desire is that every member of your family will find worship at First Baptist Church to be engaging, edifying, and inspirational. The worship gathering is not meant to be your family's one exposure to God's word per week, but rather it is meant to supplement the study of the Bible taking place in your home and to celebrate how you and your family are living for God outside of the church. To view our video library of past worship services, visit our Watch page. Or, you can listen to past sermons in a podcast format by visiting our Listen page. Another way to worship with us is to join a small group. We have a number of groups for all ages meeting on Sunday mornings at 9:30. If you would like to be contacted with more information about small groups, please fill out a Connect form and someone will contact you. Worship through service. The most effective means of growing in your relationship with Christ and with the church is to serve. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, our areas of service are somewhat limited, but we do have needs in our nursery, children's ministry, worship team, and production team. If you would like to volunteer in any of these or other areas in our church, please fill out a Serve form and we will contact you. Worship at home. The most effective and lasting faith training happens at home. We want to encourage you to worship with your family and study God's word in your home. Joining us for a worship service is wonderful, but worship is a lifestyle. We want to encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit into your home and worship outside of the church as well as inside. Worship services will be live-streamed via Facebook Live at 10:30Am on Sundays, and past services are available on our YouTube Channel. Worship through giving. To keep our church financially healthy and able to do ministry, we need the financial support of our members and of those who feel led to give. Please use our online giving system to give your tithes and offerings so that the ministry of First Baptist Church of Belle Chasse may continue today and in the future. 
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Discussions from the book
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis April-May 2023. 
3:16 Choir Practice Tracks
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