COULD IT HAVE BEEN ANY MORE BEAUTIFUL?

This past Sunday, was a spectacular Sunday in many ways. I know, I say that so often…sorry, not sorry. So, we gather together on a rainy day and a day that was forecast to be a hard rainy day, and we have a packed house. Yep, the extra crowd was there to see the babies and the children.

We had 7 beautiful families coming to bring 9 beautiful children for the Parent Child Dedication Service. They had family members coming to celebrate and participate. All nine of those precious little ones were great. What a privilege to pray for them all. Kat Cumberledge did a great job in presenting the legacy gifts and leading in a deeply meaningful prayer. To God be the glory. We pray for these children and their parents as they become fully devoted followers of Christ and lead their children to be the same.

And then add the baptism of two children. What a joy to see young people make a public profession of their desire to follow Jesus. Family gathered for this meaningful event. It was a day of celebration for sure! Perhaps we will remember this day when we see the little one who were dedicated to the Lord one day follow Him in believers’ baptism! Oh, what a day that will be. May we all be blessed to see the fruit of your prayers, invitations, Bible Studies, nursery duties, Children’s Ministries, etc.

The day continued Sunday at 5:30 as we met for Celebrate Recovery. We had maybe around 20 people in attendance. Our Kitchen Krew and volunteers are the best. Everyone had an opportunity to enjoy a hot, delicious meal. The Charleston Center sent 7 of their patients…you know they appreciated the good food! Pastor David and the CR Praise band led in powerful worship. After one of the songs, one of our CR leaders turned to the Praise Band and complimented them for what he said was one of the most meaningful songs he had ever heard.

Then, the Student Ministry had 15 in attendance. That is great. Thank you Logan, Lily and your team for reaching this generation of students. I pray every parent of a teen will work as hard as they can to get their students involved in a positive, Christian fellowship group like the one Logan and his team are creating.

Could it have been any more beautiful? Maybe, but this was surely a beautiful day!

Pastor Tom

WORSHIP! Why, Yes, thank you.

Worship is not the only thing the church does. It is however a main thing, a priority among the things we do. We also make disciples; serve others using our spiritual giftedness; reach people who need to know Him; go outside the church campus to reach the lost. And we worship. I think of worship as the enabling power that fuels all that we do. We might be able to do outreach, ministry, fellowship and discipleship without worship. But these is no doubt we can do these things better when inspired by, encouraged by and fueled by our regular genuine encounters with God through worship. Those times of worship can be weekly as we gather or daily as we seek and surrender to Him. We also remember that our lifestyle is in some ways an act of worship.

There is no one way or right way to worship. We all may have our favorite styles and traditions on how we worship. Some are quiet and serene while others are loud and celebrative. Worship comes in many styles and, traditions. I tend to think God is worthy of all of them. To me, the key to worship is that you are seeking to encounter our Father in Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ. We seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth. I think I can be at home with any believers, even if they are worshipping in a way that is new or foreign to me. The goal is to worship: exalt His Name; praise and adore; celebrate and confess; pray and listen. Some traditions may help you do these things easier than others. Just remember, the worship is not about what you like. It is about what He likes. So, let us stay in the Word of God seeking “direction” from His book on worship. Let’s seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Our worship should be as important and as connected as our discipleship, our fellowship, our service, and our mission. It is a good quote: the reason we go on mission is because they don’t have Worship. Once they have worship of the True and Living God, our mission changes direction.

Worship? Why, yes, thank you. I love worshipping with JIBC. This past Sunday was a delight for my spirit. Out praise team and tech team were outstanding. Their service to Him helps us to entering into a worshipful spirit. May our Father in Heaven be pleased and may He be blessed.

See you Sunday as we continue through Romans 8.

Pastor Tom

FOUR SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES EVERY BELIEVER SHOULD PRACTICE

Spiritual Disciplines are habits we can develop that will make us more like Jesus, draw us closer to God, can be improved and can be taught to others. There are many more Spiritual Disciplines than the ones I will mention today. But today, I want to mention four of the primary disciplines and focus particularly on one. The Four Spiritual Disciplines every believer needs to know in order to grow are: 1) Time in God’s Word 2) Prayer 3) Generous Giving/Tithing 4) Fellowship with believers.

Today, let’s talk about The Discipline of being into God’s Word. Remember the Bible is God’s Holy Word; it is like a love letter from our Father; it is the way God reveals Himself to us. “If you continue in my Word, then you are really my disciples indeed and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

How can we practice the spiritual discipline of being in God’s Word? First, we need to HEAR God’s Word. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17. Second, we need to READ God’s Word. “Happy is the one who reads this book…and obeys what is written in it.” Revelation 1:3. Third, we need to STUDY God’s Word. The Berean Church in Acts 17:11 received the Word eagerly and studied it every day. Fourth, and here is the hard one…we need to MEMORIZE God’s Word. “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11. Fifth, we need to MEDITATE on the Word of God. Psalm 1:2-3 carries a promise to all who would meditate on Scripture. It is worth the effort. Last, but not least, we need to APPLY God’s Word. Impression without expression leads to depression. What will you do with what you have read?

I am in a teaching series on Romans 8. I will be going verse by verse through one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Along the way, I will be encouraging you to memorize several verses from the majestic chapter. The first one is Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is what I call a “Hallelujah and Amen Verse”. You will need this verse or someone you love will need this verse. Let’s get ahead of the curve and hide this one in our heart right away!

The past week I taught on Romans 8:1-4. This week I will pick up on Romans 8:5 and go a few more verses into this most inspiring chapter of God’s Word. See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

NO CONDEMNATION!

Those are great words for the guilty soul. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

For the next four weeks I will be teaching through one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, Romans 8. The theme for this series will be “In Christ Jesus”. Many of you are already vey familiar with Romans 8 because it contains several of our favorite Bible verses several of our favorite Bible passages. So, let’s camp out here for a few weeks. Could I make a suggestion for you? Romans 8 is not too long of a chapter, only 39 verses. I am a slow reader, but I think I could read it in five minutes or so. My wife, Janie, is a fast reader and she could read it twice by the time I open my Bible! Would you add Romans 8 to your daily Bible reading? Just add it to whatever you are currently doing. Maybe read Romans 8 five times, Monday through Friday, each week for the month of January. Your walk with our Lord will be blessed, it really will be.

Now, could I really stretch the ask? There are some great verses to memorize. Would you stretch out and try to memorize a few of these verses? Romans 8:1, 5-8, 16, 26-27, 28-30, any of 31-39! I know, it is almost trying to memorize the whole chapter. If there was ever a chapter to memorize, this would be in consideration. Just pick out 3 or 4, maybe one verse for each week.

If you have been through Class 201 with me you have heard this before: here are 3 keys to memorizing scripture: review, review and review! Buy a pack of 3x5 cards, write down one verse, carry it with you or leave it somewhere you will see it often. Even if you do not successfully memorize the verse, you will be blessed for trying. “Faith comes from hearing…” so let your faith grow!

So what if you are not up to the challenge or you just don’t want to? In that case, refer back to Romans 8:1…“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Praying for you and your loved ones as you live your life “In Christ Jesus”. See you Sunday good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom