Just finished signing baptism certificates for those we've baptized since January 1st, and I counted ten so far in 2011. And that's definitely not going to be the end, because as I write this, I'm filling up the pool in anticipation of another baptism this Sunday at EFBC! Our God is AWESOME, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us next!
I'm super pumped about continuing our It's About Time series this Sunday. The message this week is entitled It's Time To Meet With Jesus, and will be taken from Luke 10:38-42. How often do we make the mistake of choosing the good over the best? I know I'm guilty of it in my life from time to time, and so was one of the ladies in this Scripture passage. Can't wait to see what we can learn this Sunday as we dive into the Word of God!
God's still working here! He's still not finished with this church! He's still changing lives! We've seen some amazing things, but I'm convinced now more than ever that WE AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!!!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Fullness Of Time
I love the verse in Galatians 4 that says, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son." It's a reminder to me that God works in His own perfect timing, not my messed up, flawed sense of timing. And just as God knew the precise moment to send His Son into this world, He also knows the precise moment when He'll send His Son back to this world.
In the meantime, God has left us here with a mission; and the clock is clicking. We've all been given precious opportunities to serve the Lord, and it's imperative that we make the most of every moment. I'm reminded of the words of John Keating from the movie Dead Poet's Society, "Seize the day...make your lives extraordinary."
This Sunday, I'm excited about continuing the series we began last week entitled It's About Time. This week's message, It's Time To Tell Somebody, will come from Galatians 4:4-5. I'm praying for God to show up in a HUGE way and blow our minds with His presence and power!
Eulaton, you ain't seen nothin' yet!
In the meantime, God has left us here with a mission; and the clock is clicking. We've all been given precious opportunities to serve the Lord, and it's imperative that we make the most of every moment. I'm reminded of the words of John Keating from the movie Dead Poet's Society, "Seize the day...make your lives extraordinary."
This Sunday, I'm excited about continuing the series we began last week entitled It's About Time. This week's message, It's Time To Tell Somebody, will come from Galatians 4:4-5. I'm praying for God to show up in a HUGE way and blow our minds with His presence and power!
Eulaton, you ain't seen nothin' yet!
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
No Church Tonight
The decision has been made due to the Winter Storm Warning that goes into effect at 6 p.m., as well as the church van that runs as late as 8:30, to cancel services at Eulaton First Baptist tonight. Please help spread the word to those who aren't on the Internet. Hope to see everyone on Sunday, as it looks like the weather's going to be much more Spring-like this weekend! Everybody stay safe tonight and tomorrow as the wintry weather moves in.
Friday, February 04, 2011
It's About Time
I'm really excited about beginning a new series of messages at EFBC entitled It's About Time. Message number one, It's Time To Hear God's Voice, will be this Sunday and we'll be looking at Hebrews 3:7-13 (if you want to read ahead).
You know, God's given each one of us a finite number of days here on this earth. My prayer through this series is that we will learn to better appreciate the opportunities we have, and that we'll choose to make the most of every moment. The clock is ticking, and it's up to us to seize the day!
Are you expecting God to show up every time we meet together? Are you ready for all that He has in store for us? Are you prepared to see greater things at EFBC? You may think you've seen all there is to see, but I'm here to tell you that you ain't seen nothin' yet!!!
You know, God's given each one of us a finite number of days here on this earth. My prayer through this series is that we will learn to better appreciate the opportunities we have, and that we'll choose to make the most of every moment. The clock is ticking, and it's up to us to seize the day!
Are you expecting God to show up every time we meet together? Are you ready for all that He has in store for us? Are you prepared to see greater things at EFBC? You may think you've seen all there is to see, but I'm here to tell you that you ain't seen nothin' yet!!!
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Biblically True; Culturally Relevant
On the last Sunday in January, I preached a message entitled Starting From Scratch, and I asked the question, "What would it look like if you were starting a church, and you knew nothing about how to 'do church' except what the Bible says about it?" It's a question we need to consider, given that most of us have grown up with an "Americanized" version of Christianity. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does sometimes beg the question, "What do we do because it's biblical and what do we do because it's 'the way we've always done it?'"
One week earlier, on January 23rd, the message was entitled Where Opportunities Abound, and we talked about the church at Philadelphia and how Jesus opened some amazing doors for ministry there. One of the things I said in that sermon was that we have to realize that the way God calls us to do ministry in 2011 may not look exactly like it did twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago. The message is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but the means that we use to get that message out can and does evolve from time to time.
I look at how the world has changed just in the past 18 years since I've been in vocational ministry. The teenagers I worked with as a youth pastor in 1993 were growing up in a very different world than this current generation of students. When I was starting out, if you had asked me what the World Wide Web was, I would have said it was probably a new movie about the son of Spider Man who goes rogue and tries to dominate the planet. And Facebook? That was just another name the kids were using to describe their high school yearbook. My computer skills back then consisted of doing word processing on a 1984 Commodore 64 using a 1541 floppy disc drive.
Having said all of that, here's the question: How do we reconcile those two thoughts from those two sermons? How do we seek to do church the way the Bible prescribes, and still manage to be culturally engaged in 2011? Some people may think that those two things are mutually exclusive, but I'm here to tell you that they most definitely are not! Using new technologies to reach people, engaging the culture, and meeting people where they're at are all good things that can be done in a way that stays true to the biblical mandate. Notice how The Message paraphrases the words of Paul found in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22:
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
If Paul was able to go to different places in the first century and engage the culture while still remaining true to his biblical principles, there's no reason why we can't go and do likewise right here in the twenty-first century!
One week earlier, on January 23rd, the message was entitled Where Opportunities Abound, and we talked about the church at Philadelphia and how Jesus opened some amazing doors for ministry there. One of the things I said in that sermon was that we have to realize that the way God calls us to do ministry in 2011 may not look exactly like it did twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago. The message is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but the means that we use to get that message out can and does evolve from time to time.
I look at how the world has changed just in the past 18 years since I've been in vocational ministry. The teenagers I worked with as a youth pastor in 1993 were growing up in a very different world than this current generation of students. When I was starting out, if you had asked me what the World Wide Web was, I would have said it was probably a new movie about the son of Spider Man who goes rogue and tries to dominate the planet. And Facebook? That was just another name the kids were using to describe their high school yearbook. My computer skills back then consisted of doing word processing on a 1984 Commodore 64 using a 1541 floppy disc drive.
Having said all of that, here's the question: How do we reconcile those two thoughts from those two sermons? How do we seek to do church the way the Bible prescribes, and still manage to be culturally engaged in 2011? Some people may think that those two things are mutually exclusive, but I'm here to tell you that they most definitely are not! Using new technologies to reach people, engaging the culture, and meeting people where they're at are all good things that can be done in a way that stays true to the biblical mandate. Notice how The Message paraphrases the words of Paul found in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22:
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
If Paul was able to go to different places in the first century and engage the culture while still remaining true to his biblical principles, there's no reason why we can't go and do likewise right here in the twenty-first century!
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