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

Christmas at JIBC

What is your favorite Christmas song? Perhaps I should ask what is your favorite Christmas “religious” song and “secular” song. In some philosophical way, all the songs might be considered religious one way or the other. So, let’s just keep it simple…what is your favorite Christmas song? The one that when you hear it you always stop to listen; you know some if not most of the words; and it always makes you feel good. One of my favorite Christmas songs was banned from many radio stations. Can you guess which song and why it is banned?

Here is a second question: What is your favorite Christmas tradition? You do it every year… almost every year; you may have started the tradition or it might have been passed down to you. I would be interested in knowing. In fact, if you attend the Christmas Day worship service this Sunday, December 25, I will be asking those two questions. I have several traditions that I love. One of them is placing the “spikes” in a very inconspicuous place on the Christmas tree. I know these are not exactly like the spikes used to crucify Jesus, but they are a pretty good reminder. In the middle of all the other whimsical and family decorations, there are two reminders of why Jesus was born. He was born to die.

If we have the time and opportunity, I would love to hear from some of our church family about your favorite Christmas songs and your favorite Christmas traditions.

If we have children at the Christmas Day service, we have a little surprise for them. I will read the Christmas Story and give each of them a gift from Bethlehem.

By the way, just a reminder that we will have a nursery available for Christmas Eve worship services at 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. The nursery will be open for preschoolers from birth to 5 years of age. The 4:00 PM hostess will be Mary Braxton and her Christmas Crew. The 6:00 PM hostess will be Brook Brewer and her Merry Elves.

The Christmas Eve Worship is always beautiful. How could it not be? We read the Christmas Story, sing the old familiar Christmas Carols, Celebrate Communion, have a Candle Lighting Ceremony and this year will continue the JIBC tradition of baptizing by candlelight (only at the 4:00 service). Spoiler alert…we are on schedule to baptize two of my grandchildren! Yeah, a good thing we are in the water…I will probably be crying a bucket load of tears of joy to add to the baptismal pool! Call the church office if you want to be baptized on Christmas Eve. We would love to have you join us.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Pastor Tom

Here we go!

We are officially on countdown for Christmas. We have one Sunday left in Advent. We entitled this year’s advent series “When Christ Came down”. We have given the Biblical story of when Hope came down, when Peace came down and when Joy came down. This Sunday we will look at “When Love came down!” This has been a great season for re-examining the story of when God became flesh. It has been an amazing theological story as well as an amazing practical story that impacts our daily lives. I pray you have been blessed. Don’t miss this Sunday as we celebrate baptism and remember when Love came down!

Now, on to Christmas Eve. We will have two Christmas Eve services. The first will be at 4:00 PM The second will be at 6:00 PM. They will be identical except for the baptisms. We have a confirmed baptism for the 4:00 service. Guess who is being baptized? If all goes according to plans and the flu does not derail the plan…my grandson, Beck. My son Bryon and his family are planning to be with us on Christmas Eve. They asked if Beck, their oldest son, could be baptized. Wow, what a privilege. There is another surprise. We can tell you about that one later.

For the past 20 years or so, the Christmas Eve service here at JIBC has been the largest attended service of the year, even larger than Easter. I think it is because we focus on Christmas Carols, Communion and a beautiful Candlelight service. Be ready to invite family and friends. If they do not attend worship or are not members of a church, invite them to be your guest. Christmas Eve is one of the best times of the year to invite our non-churched family and friends. One of our most faithful members, Bill Murray, started attending JIBC because Parker Kelly, working at Whole Foods, invited him to the Christmas Eve service. The rest is a wonderful history!

This is one of the years when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday. I know that is a stretch for our usual Christmas morning routines. We will have a Christmas Worship service at 11:00. Enjoy your Christmas morning, then come on and join us. There will NOT BE a 9:00 service that day. There will only be one service at 11:00. The same schedule for New Years Day: one service at 11:00.

Well, here we go. Christmas time at JIBC. Don’t forget to consider making a financial gift to the Lottie Moon International Missions Christmas Offering. It is the first gift that Janie and I make every year. Did you pick up one of the Week of Prayer guides? What a wonderful way to support our missionaries. There are plenty still around. I hope you will pick one up.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

In my mind, I am thinking what is not to love? I do understand that there are some who really struggle with the holidays. Seasonal Affective Disorder is real and it can pack a heavy emotional punch! Even with that being said, I am praying that all the hope, peace, joy and love of the Christmas season will brighten the season.

Now, for the rest of us, let the “ho, ho, holy day celebrations begin. Here are a few things I want to emphasize for this season.

One, please consider making a financial gift to the Lottie Moon International Missions Offering. As Great Commission Baptists, we help support 3,650 full time missionaries around the world. We work in 116 different countries. This year’s Week of Prayer Guide gives a great way to pray with specificity for missions around the world. Janie and I try to make our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering the first gift of the Christmas Season.

Two, you do not want to miss the joy of the first Annual Jingle Jam. This will be a night of smiles and laughter. Family friendly, interactive, touching all the senses! Wednesday night December 14 from 6 to 8:15! Actually, it starts with the Fellowship Meal at 5 if you want a night out to eat. Meal time is optional…fun time is a must! Please invite children that you know. Did I mention there will be jugglers???

Three, Christmas Eve services will be at 4 PM and 6 PM. We will have our traditional Carols, Communion and Candlelight Service. This service has always been a standing room only. The staff finally convinced me to go to two services instead of just one. They were right! We pack out the 4 PM service and have a very full 6 PM service. It is always a favorite. Remember, family and friends are more likely to accept your invitation to a Christmas Eve service than what they view as a “every Sunday” kind of service. We have beautiful, colorful invite cards to help us invite.

And now, number four: Christmas Day is on a Sunday. I know, that I know that I know there will be some folks who cannot make it Sunday morning. No problem, no guilt, no lecture. The Sabbath was made for you. For those who would like to come, we will have one service at 11 AM. We WILL NOT HAVE A 9 AM SERVICE. You can come casual. We will plan on singing our favorite Christmas Carols, reading the Christmas Story to the children; have a Christmas Message on our Advent theme, When Christ Came Down.

Now, see what I mean? What is not to love about the Christmas Season? I love it all. Hope to see you at one or all of the special days of celebration.  Merry CHRIST-MAS, Happy Holy-days, and all the rest of the warm Christmas greetings.

Pastor Tom

2023 MISSION AND MINISTRY BUDGET

This past Sunday we were scheduled to present our new 2023 Mission and Ministry Budget. I made the decision to postpone this one week. Last Sunday I had the flu. I was diagnosed on Saturday, November 19. By the way, if you can, I recommend avoiding the flu. So, I suggested postponing both the budget presentation and the budget vote. Our calendar date to present the budget was Sunday, November 27 and the date to vote on the budget was scheduled for Sunday, December 25…yep, on Christmas. I really believe no one would object to postponing the presentation and vote by a week.

So, the printed budgets will be available for review. You can find them at the entrances of the Worship Center. I will speak ever so briefly about the budget this Sunday, good Lord willing. We have been blessed with Ministry and Mission Leaders who see their ministry as service to the Lord and His people. We believe they prayed and sought the Lord’s wisdom concerning their budget request. I love the increase requests in the areas of mission. I also love the good stewardship demonstrated by all of our teams in this past year’s budget.

Our Budget Team met and discussed every budget request. Not all budget increases will be reflected in this budget. That is where the good stewardship of our Budget Team comes into play. There is a general feeling that 2023 may be an economically challenging year. It will affect businesses, the economy, families and churches. Our Budget Team has taken that possibility seriously. As a result, the decision was made to keep the 2023 Budget as close to the 2022 Budget as possible, while still providing for many of the increase requests. That is possible because the Lord has blessed us with a strong savings account. Some of the increase requests will be taken out of our excess funds (savings). We are able to maintain an emergency fund to cover 6 months should that be needed. We also have funds available to meet the requests for the 2023 Budget. To God be the glory and thank you for your faithful and generous giving.

This past year saw more money given to missions than any year in our history. In addition, we saw more people involved. May God bless your efforts with fruit that will last an eternity.

ADVENT GIVING

I would like to encourage our church family to consider giving generously to the Lottie Moon, International Missions Christmas Offering. Every penny given to this fund goes directly to help our missionaries around the world. Janie and I always try to make the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering our first Christmas gift of the year.

While we will not be promoting diapers and jelly as hard, you may still continue to bring them as a gift to our community. We have been able to take 75 jars of jelly to James Island Outreach every week since September! We will be taking over 10,000 diapers to the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center.

Thank you for your love!

Pastor Tom