Hi Church,
God is good…and this is where you say, “All the time.” Whenever you hear someone say, “God is good,” you can’t help yourself but add, “All the time.” We know that cleanliness is next to what? “Godliness.” We are to “let go and….let God.” And “When God closes a door…he opens a window” (or opens another door). God helps those who? “Help themselves.” In the nineties it was WWJD (“what would Jesus do?”), PUSH (pray until something happens) and FROG (fully rely on God) and on and on it goes. Oh! one more- “tweet others…as you want to be tweeted.” That one brings a smile to my face.
My point? Some are true, some are not. And sometimes in our desire to simplify truth we can actually trivialize it. I realize that God dedicated a whole book of the Bible to proverbs that gave us truisms of life put on the bottom shelf where we can easily reach them and apply them to our lives. There is power in shrink wrapping complex truths into clear and memorable statements. I do it all the time in communicating God’s word each Sunday. I did it this past Sunday in saying, “If Jesus is worth serving, he is worth serving well.”
There is a place for pithy statements that help us remember truth. But one-liners aren’t always helpful. Life can be hard sometimes and to hear my struggle boiled down to, “God will not give you more than you can handle,” isn’t very useful. To be precise it isn’t accurate either. The truth is God will give me more than I can handle so that I will lean on Him. It is all about what He can handle that gives me strength.
The tongue has the power of life and death, Proverbs 18:21 tells us. Ephesians 4:29 reminds us that beneficial words are spoken according to one’s needs and build up those who listen. Speaking God’s Word to others is most beneficial when we have taken the time to listen to what it is that the person needs. Speaking life words isn’t just a matter of truth; it’s an issue of love. God’s Words are both true and loving. And what an awesome privilege to speak the truth in love to others.
Don’t forget to check out the announcements! Let me highlight a few of them. Our trunk or treat event is growing so more cars are needed. Wouldn’t it be great to fill two parking lots with decorated cars this year? Secondly, on November 3 during fellowship time, we will pause to celebrate the projects completed through the “What’s Next Campaign.” Our second service will begin 15 minutes later than usual and go from 11:00-noon. We will shoot to keep each worship service to one hour so that we can have a full 30 minutes between services to celebrate together over in the gym (10:15-10:45). Hope you plan to attend our community night of Worship on October 20 at EBC. It will be night of praise to our God who is blessed when we worship Him in unity and truth!
See you Sunday. And church, keep looking up! Pastor Brian
Looking Forward
Sermon Direction
Crashing Through the Quitting Points
2 Timothy 2:8-13
Last Sunday’s Sermon
Community Night of Worship
Come out for an evening of worship with other local churches on Sunday October 20th at 6pm here at EBC.
Prayer Builders
Prayer Builders will be meeting this Sunday from 10:20-10:40 in the room behind the stage.
Save the Date
Aspire Women’s Center invites you to attend a screening of the movie, Unplanned, on Friday, October 25th at Evangelical Baptist Church. Unplanned is the true story of Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood clinic director complicit in thousands of abortions until, one day, she saw something that changed everything.
Admission is free – a freewill offering to benefit Aspire will be taken.
Celebration Sunday
Sunday November 3rd we will be having a Celebration in between services to praise the Lord for the updates we have made to our facility to date!
Our services will be at 9am and 11am.
Trunk or Treat
We will be hosting our 4th annual Trunk or Treat!
October 31st from 5pm-8pm, bring your kids by the gym parking lot for some extra fun! This is a great way to get to know our church neighbors and them us.
We would like to have our parking lot full of decorated trunks for a safe place for kids to enjoy the evening. If you would like to participate and decorate your car trunk you can sign up this Sunday. There are also other ways you can help make this night special by donating cider, candy, or making a soup or chili for our participating families to have for dinner that night. Other items needed are fire pits, lighting and portable generators.
Signup this Sunday at the Ministry Counter and see Laura Hollenbeck with any questions.
Right People in the Right Place
Our next Spiritual Gifts Network workshop will be Saturday 11/2 and 11/9 from 9am -12pm. Sign up this Sunday at the Ministry Counter. These classes help you discover your spiritual gifts and get you plugged into the right ministry.
Community Groups
We have a host home for a day time community group, but we still need a facilitator. If you are interested, please see Tim Whitman or contact the office
Discovery Class
Join us for 4 weeks beginning October 6th on Sunday mornings at 9am. This class is for those looking for more information about our church and those considering membership.
Adult Bible Study
Sunday mornings at 9am we are offering an adult bible study meeting in room 102. This study is on the book of James, “Faith that Works”.
Monday Night Prayer
Monday nights we will have a Prayer time at the Gym from 7pm-7:30pm. This prayer time is focused on praying over the gym floor and the TREC ministry.