It's Thursday afternoon and I'm counting the minutes until Sunday at EFBC. I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for us this week. If last week is any indicator of what we can expect this week, then we'd better all get prepared to be blown away by the power of God. I'm expecting even bigger and better things this week, and I hope you are, too.
I truly believe that God honored the prayers and efforts of many of you who invited friends and family members to come to church this past Sunday. Some of you may have been disappointed that the person you've been investing in didn't show up, and that's understandable. But let me encourage you: DON'T LET SATAN DISCOURAGE YOU!
Just because they weren't here last week doesn't mean they won't be here this week. Just because they didn't show doesn't mean that God is not working in their hearts. Just because you were disappointed last week doesn't mean you should be discouraged about this week. Keep praying, keep sharing, keep investing and keep inviting. And remember the words of Galatians 6:9: And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Translation: Never give up!
I believe this past Sunday was just the beginning of something big that God wants to do in our church and our community. Let's keep coming expecting God to work. Let's keep praying for His blessings on our church. And let's be careful that we don't do anything to quench the Spirit or hinder what He wants to do in our midst. I believe we're about to see something AWESOME!!!
Don't blink now, cause the best is yet to come!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sunday's On The Way
I'm struggling to stay awake today. Why, you ask? Because the thought of so many people whose names I don't even know kept me up for the better part of last night. All I know is their initials, but I know that every set of initials on our dry erase board in the sanctuary represents a precious soul. And I'm seriously praying for these people.
Did you write somebody's initials on that board this past Sunday? If you did, let me encourage you to not forget about that person this week. Let me remind you of the commitment you made to God about that person. Let me cheer you on as you seek to share Jesus with that person and/or get them here this Sunday.
I am insanely excited about this week's Sunday morning message (message title: Christ For Clunkers). My promise to you is that if you get your person here, they will hear the Gospel presented in a creative way and in a language that they can easily understand. Don't give up on them. Pray for them. Talk with them. Keep encouraging them to come and see what God is doing at EFBC.
Perhaps you didn't come forward last Sunday, but God put somebody on your heart that you know needs Jesus. Don't let the fact that you didn't put their initials on the board keep you from investing in their life. Pray for them. Talk with them. Invite them to come and worship with you this Sunday. God wants to use you; you've just got to let Him.
Now, let me give everybody a warning. God is up to something big, and we all know what that means: Satan is up to something, too. When fires of renewal and revival begin to burn, everybody will have the opportunity to pick up one of two buckets to throw on those fires. One bucket contains water, and we all know what water does to a fire. The other bucket contains gasoline. Need I say more?
Make sure you pick up the bucket with gasoline, so that we might see these fires of renewal and revival spread and burn white hot. Please don't try and throw water on the fires that God has ignited in so many people's hearts. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 tells us, "Do not quench the Spirit." 2 Timothy 1:6 tells us to, "Fan into flame the gift of God." (NIV) Let's do everything we can to keep this fire burning that the Lord has lit in our church.
And remember; fasten your seatbelts, because the best is yet to come.
Did you write somebody's initials on that board this past Sunday? If you did, let me encourage you to not forget about that person this week. Let me remind you of the commitment you made to God about that person. Let me cheer you on as you seek to share Jesus with that person and/or get them here this Sunday.
I am insanely excited about this week's Sunday morning message (message title: Christ For Clunkers). My promise to you is that if you get your person here, they will hear the Gospel presented in a creative way and in a language that they can easily understand. Don't give up on them. Pray for them. Talk with them. Keep encouraging them to come and see what God is doing at EFBC.
Perhaps you didn't come forward last Sunday, but God put somebody on your heart that you know needs Jesus. Don't let the fact that you didn't put their initials on the board keep you from investing in their life. Pray for them. Talk with them. Invite them to come and worship with you this Sunday. God wants to use you; you've just got to let Him.
Now, let me give everybody a warning. God is up to something big, and we all know what that means: Satan is up to something, too. When fires of renewal and revival begin to burn, everybody will have the opportunity to pick up one of two buckets to throw on those fires. One bucket contains water, and we all know what water does to a fire. The other bucket contains gasoline. Need I say more?
Make sure you pick up the bucket with gasoline, so that we might see these fires of renewal and revival spread and burn white hot. Please don't try and throw water on the fires that God has ignited in so many people's hearts. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 tells us, "Do not quench the Spirit." 2 Timothy 1:6 tells us to, "Fan into flame the gift of God." (NIV) Let's do everything we can to keep this fire burning that the Lord has lit in our church.
And remember; fasten your seatbelts, because the best is yet to come.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
A Challenge For Sunday
I am incredibily PUMPED about the next two Sundays here at Eulaton First Baptist. This Sunday will be the final message in our series What Would It Look Like If... and I can't wait to stand before you and preach! In preparation for this Sunday, I have a challenge for you:
I want to ask everybody who reads this to be thinking about the people you know who need Jesus. When you come to church this Sunday, I want you to come with that person or those persons in your mind and on your heart. I want you to be thinking about them while I am preaching. And then I want to ask you to commit to doing whatever God lays on your heart this Sunday.
If you will take this challenge seriously, I truly believe that the following Sunday (August 16) will be one to remember in the history of EFBC. If very few people or nobody takes this challenge seriously, then the best we can expect is to maintain the status quo. I don't know about you, but I seriously want to see God show up, and show up in a BIG WAY! Let's make history. Or more appropriately, let's let God use us so that He can make history in the Eulaton community.
Please try to get this message out to those who don't have Internet access. I want as many people as possible to come to church Sunday prepared to see this challenge through.
Are you ready? I hope so, because God is up to something HUGE and He wants you to be a part of it. Hold on tight, because the best is yet to come!
I want to ask everybody who reads this to be thinking about the people you know who need Jesus. When you come to church this Sunday, I want you to come with that person or those persons in your mind and on your heart. I want you to be thinking about them while I am preaching. And then I want to ask you to commit to doing whatever God lays on your heart this Sunday.
If you will take this challenge seriously, I truly believe that the following Sunday (August 16) will be one to remember in the history of EFBC. If very few people or nobody takes this challenge seriously, then the best we can expect is to maintain the status quo. I don't know about you, but I seriously want to see God show up, and show up in a BIG WAY! Let's make history. Or more appropriately, let's let God use us so that He can make history in the Eulaton community.
Please try to get this message out to those who don't have Internet access. I want as many people as possible to come to church Sunday prepared to see this challenge through.
Are you ready? I hope so, because God is up to something HUGE and He wants you to be a part of it. Hold on tight, because the best is yet to come!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Best Is Yet To Come!
WOW!!! That's the first word that comes to mind when I look back at our recently completed Bible School. Boomerang Express was a huge success, and most definitely the biggest VBS this church has seen in recent history. I want to thank everybody who worked so hard to make this year's Bible School the best one I've ever been associated with. The prayers and preparation that went into this ministry were HUGE! I was blown away by what God did and continues to do. Thank you church for allowing Him to use you. And a special thank you to Star, our VBS director, for her leadership and vision.
As I write this, we are halfway through our sermon series entitled What Would It Look Like If. We've already asked two questions: What would it look like if we were radically devoted to Jesus? And, what would it look like if we forgave others no matter what? The first two Sundays in August we will be asking two more of these "what would it look like if" questions. The first two have been incredibly challenging, and you can expect that the last two will be, as well. But I firmly believe that these messages are vitally important for the future of our church.
If you miss any of the messages in this series, you can always go to our website at www.eulaton.org and click on Online Sermons. Most of the messages from this year are archived on our website. If you don't have Internet access and would like a copy of any sermon, please feel free to let me know and I'll be glad to burn a CD or make a tape for you.
With a new school and church year set to begin soon, let's commit ourselves to giving God our best in everything we do. Let's keep praying for God's blessings on our church and on our community. Let's keep investing in people's lives and inviting them to come and hear about a man named Jesus who can radically change their lives. Let's keep giving God the praise for all He's done, is doing, and will do in our lives and in our church.
And let's all get ready, because the best is yet to come!
As I write this, we are halfway through our sermon series entitled What Would It Look Like If. We've already asked two questions: What would it look like if we were radically devoted to Jesus? And, what would it look like if we forgave others no matter what? The first two Sundays in August we will be asking two more of these "what would it look like if" questions. The first two have been incredibly challenging, and you can expect that the last two will be, as well. But I firmly believe that these messages are vitally important for the future of our church.
If you miss any of the messages in this series, you can always go to our website at www.eulaton.org and click on Online Sermons. Most of the messages from this year are archived on our website. If you don't have Internet access and would like a copy of any sermon, please feel free to let me know and I'll be glad to burn a CD or make a tape for you.
With a new school and church year set to begin soon, let's commit ourselves to giving God our best in everything we do. Let's keep praying for God's blessings on our church and on our community. Let's keep investing in people's lives and inviting them to come and hear about a man named Jesus who can radically change their lives. Let's keep giving God the praise for all He's done, is doing, and will do in our lives and in our church.
And let's all get ready, because the best is yet to come!
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Are You Ready For Bible School?
Can you believe 2009 is half over and we've moved into the seventh month of the year? Time flies when you're doing the Lord's work, doesn't it?
You can't talk about July at EFBC without talking about Vacation Bible School. One of our biggest events of the year, Bible School requires a lot of manpower as well as a lot of prayer power. This year's VBS theme is Boomerang Express: It All Comes Back To Jesus, and I believe 2009 will be the biggest Bible School EFBC has experienced in this millennium.
With our exploding numbers of children on Wednesday nights, we are expecting our Bible School enrollment to be way up this year. But with additional children comes the need for additional adults to help us work in VBS. If you've not yet signed up to work, it's never too late. We can use you and would love for you to be a part of this incredible ministry opportunity. It's a lot of work, and can be tiring, but it is totally worth it. You'll never regret investing yourself in the lives of children.
July is also the time of year when we celebrate our country's birthday. The United States of America turned 233-years-old on July the 4th. Let's never forget the courage of our founding fathers who stood up against tyranny and boldly declared that "these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states."
It's because of their vision and valor that we can worship freely today as our conscience dictates. Praise God that we live in a country that guarantees freedom of religion.
Let us never take that for granted.
You can't talk about July at EFBC without talking about Vacation Bible School. One of our biggest events of the year, Bible School requires a lot of manpower as well as a lot of prayer power. This year's VBS theme is Boomerang Express: It All Comes Back To Jesus, and I believe 2009 will be the biggest Bible School EFBC has experienced in this millennium.
With our exploding numbers of children on Wednesday nights, we are expecting our Bible School enrollment to be way up this year. But with additional children comes the need for additional adults to help us work in VBS. If you've not yet signed up to work, it's never too late. We can use you and would love for you to be a part of this incredible ministry opportunity. It's a lot of work, and can be tiring, but it is totally worth it. You'll never regret investing yourself in the lives of children.
July is also the time of year when we celebrate our country's birthday. The United States of America turned 233-years-old on July the 4th. Let's never forget the courage of our founding fathers who stood up against tyranny and boldly declared that "these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states."
It's because of their vision and valor that we can worship freely today as our conscience dictates. Praise God that we live in a country that guarantees freedom of religion.
Let us never take that for granted.
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