Church Blog

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday and Happy Thanksgiving week to all! Yesterday, we remembered Jesus’ sacrifice for us as His body was broken and His blood was shed to provide for our forgiveness and life. We also remembered that Jesus through the Holy Spirit is present with us right now. Then from Paul’s final words to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16 we thought about the importance of last words. We need to learn from Paul’s last words to the Corinthians. God’s Word in 1 Corinthians 16 helped us to see that we need to plan life with a willingness to adjust to God’s will. We also saw that we always need to prepare ourselves for the spiritual battles that will come. We saw that we are not serving Jesus as individuals or even as a single church, but we are to partner with others around the world who love Jesus in advancing the Kingdom of God. As John Piper has said, “Don’t live your life for small things!”Believers live lives of surrender to God by joining Him in the greatest mission of advancing His kingdom.

Ladies, plan to bring your pipes, and your friends and family, to raise a joyful noise with the Overture Concert Organ on Saturday, December 7, at 11:00 AM. Always a fan favorite, the Carol Sing will get everyone in the mood for Christmas. Join Madison Symphony Orchestra Principal Organist Greg Zelek for this wonderful event that is sure to delight audiences of all ages. This event is free. The event takes place in Overture Hall and lasts 45 minutes to one hour. After the carol sing, the ladies will enjoy lunch together.

We will have an all-church Christmas party on Friday, December 13, at 6:00 PM. We will gather at the church building and then carpool to Connie Boss’ apartment building in Sun Prairie to carol. After we carol, we will then come back to the church building for snacks and games.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! We had a wonderful time of feasting and fellowship at our annual East Madison Baptist Thanksgiving celebration last night. We also had a fantastic morning of worship yesterday as we gloried in our Redeemer whose precious blood has ransomed us. In the message, we explored from 1 Corinthians 16 about the place of money in the lives of followers of Jesus. We learned that God is concerned with the attitude of His people about money. God wants them to love Him and not money. All we have belongs to God and He wants us to be good managers of what He has entrusted to us. We are to support the work of the Lord and help others with some of that. But along with that, we are to pay bills, and feed, clothe, and provide for our families. Whatever we do with the money entrusted to us, we are to remember those resources are to be disbursed for the glory of God. Truly, God wants believers to be generous and wise in giving. God also wants believers to give without being emotionally manipulated. When a church or ministry promotes and manages any offering, it must be promoted and managed with unquestioned integrity. God wants his children to give to Him and His work regularly, systematically, and proportionally to spread the gospel and help others.

Ladies, plan to bring your pipes, and your friends and family, to raise a joyful noise with the Overture Concert Organ on Saturday, December 7, at 11:00 AM. Always a fan favorite, the Carol Sing will get everyone in the mood for Christmas. Join Madison Symphony Orchestra Principal Organist Greg Zelek for this wonderful event that is sure to delight audiences of all ages. This event is free and open to the public. The event takes place in Overture Hall and lasts 45 minutes to one hour. After the carol sing, the ladies will enjoy lunch together.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we worshipped our Lord who never changes and praised Him for the salvation He gives to those who believe. Because of Jesus death in our place and His conquering death by His resurrection, we have eternal life beginning the moment we believe. Then, from 1 Corinthians 15 we looked at the victory of resurrection. We saw we are to live today in the light of eternity. Yes, we are to live so heavenly minded that we will have influence in the world today. We understand that the resurrection of Jesus and our future resurrection makes sense of believers’ worship and suffering. We saw that Jesus’ resurrection and our resurrection displays the unlimited power of God. We understand for certain that the resurrection reveals eternity’s superior future for believers. Because of the resurrection, we can faithfully labor for the Lord. Our coming resurrection enables us to make a difference now.

We will have our annual East Madison Baptist Thanksgiving celebration next Sunday, November 17, at 5:30 PM. Join us for the wonderful food and fellowship as we celebrate and thank God for His abundant goodness.

Ladies, plan to bring your pipes, and your friends and family, to raise a joyful noise with the Overture Concert Organ on Saturday, December 7, at 11:00 AM. Always a fan favorite, the Carol Sing will get everyone in the mood for Christmas. Join Madison Symphony Orchestra Principal Organist Greg Zelek for this wonderful event that is sure to delight audiences of all ages. This event is free and open to the public. The event takes place in Overture Hall and lasts 45 minutes to one hour. After the carol sing, all who come can go out to eat and enjoy lunch together.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we worshipped our great and holy God, to whom none can compare. Our God is above all and Ruler of all and one day every knee will bow before Him and confess Jesus alone is Lord. This great God of the universe is the one who holds believers fast to Himself. From 1 Corinthians 15, we looked at the truth of the bodily resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. He died in our place so our sins can be forgiven. Jesus rose again from the dead never to die again. His resurrection provides believers with a sure hope of our physical resurrection from the graves. Our bodies will be turned from mortal to immortal bodies and from perishable to imperishable bodies. Believers embrace these truths. We embrace the truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus and our future bodily resurrection.  We also learned that Christ Jesus’ bodily resurrection guarantees the triumph of the eternal Kingdom of God. We thought about this in relation to our national election tomorrow. Today, none of us know who our president and governing leaders will be for the next four years. For all of us, no matter what our political leanings, it is an anxious time. Believers, however, remember they are first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of God. We absolutely know that Jesus’ Kingdom is coming, and all the kingdoms of this world and all the forces of hell and evil will be forever destroyed. Jesus’ Kingdom is coming because Jesus the King is coming! The dead in Christ will be raised and those believers who are alive will be changed forever. And King Jesus will alone reign forever, ever, and ever. Hallelujah!

An EMBC membership orientation class will be held on Sunday, November 10, at 4:00 PM for all who would like to learn more about being a member of East Madison Baptist Church. Let me know if you are interested in joining us.

Our annual East Madison Baptist Thanksgiving celebration will be held on Sunday, November 17, at 5:30 PM. There will be a sign-up list for the food we need on the table in the foyer.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we worshipped our amazing God who rules the universe and seeks for the salvation of people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. From the missionary that spoke, we saw God’s Holy Spirit expanding God’s Kingdom all around the world, even in places where there is great hostility. We heard about God bringing together people through Jesus who had been hostile to one another. We were challenged to remember that wherever God has placed us, we are His missionaries to take the good news of Jesus to our spheres of influence. Believers are part of something far greater than ourselves, the eternal Kingdom of God.

A big “thank you” for all who contributed to our “Trunk or Treat” event last Saturday. We had 150 to 200 people attending. We handed out more than 150 gospel tracts to bear witness to our neighbors of the love of Jesus.

We will have a EMBC membership orientation class on Sunday, November 10 at 4:00 PM for all who would like to learn more about being a member of East Madison Baptist Church. Let me know if you are interested in joining us.

We will have our annual East Madison Baptist Thanksgiving celebration on Sunday, November 17, at 5:30 PM. There will be a sign-up list for the food we need for this celebration on the table in the foyer next Sunday.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we worshipped our amazing God who rules the universe and seeks for the salvation of people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. From the missionary that spoke, we saw God’s Holy Spirit expanding God’s Kingdom all around the world, even in places where there is great hostility. We heard about God bringing together people through Jesus who had been hostile to one another. We were challenged to remember that wherever God has placed us, we are His missionaries to take the good news of Jesus to our spheres of influence. Believers are part of something far greater than ourselves, the eternal Kingdom of God.

A big “thank you” for all who contributed to our “Trunk or Treat” event last Saturday. We had 150 to 200 people attending. We handed out more than 150 gospel tracts to bear witness to our neighbors of the love of Jesus.

We will have a EMBC membership orientation class on Sunday, November 10 at 4:00 PM for all who would like to learn more about being a member of East Madison Baptist Church. Let me know if you are interested in joining us.

We will have our annual East Madison Baptist Thanksgiving celebration on Sunday, November 17, at 5:30 PM. There will be a sign-up list for the food we need for this celebration on the table in the foyer next Sunday.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we worshipped and observed the Lord’ Supper, we remembered by singing about and then taking the bread and the cup, our merciful God’s great salvation coming to us through Christ Jesus. Then, we saw Paul writing about the proper use of spiritual gifts during corporate worship. His focus in chapter 14 has been on contrasting two of the gifts, tongues and prophecy. Now in the last portion of 1 Corinthians 14, he simply gives some instructions on how to provide an ordered worship time where God’s people can exercise their spiritual gifts to build each other up and expose unbelievers to a clear gospel witness. When the Holy Spirit moves among us, there is not chaos but order. When the Holy Spirit moves among us, those filled with His Spirit do not lose control but gain self-control. God is the very creator of order. All of creation reveals that orderliness, from the very design of DNA within the human body to the way the planets and stars move about in the universe. When God moves among His children through His church, there is order. Believers honor God and help others when public worship remains orderly.

Our annual “Trunk or Treat” for our neighborhood will happen this Saturday, October 26, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Please be here at 2:00 PM to help us set up. We will need lots of candy and lots of help to reach out to our neighborhood on that day.

Next Sunday, October 27, 2024, we will have some special missionary speakers with us during our morning worship service. We will have no livestream of next week’s service. Following the service, we will have a potluck luncheon. Bring enough food for your family and any guests we might have, especially the missionary speakers and their kids. I hope you can be here to see how God is working all around the world to save the lost and expand His kingdom.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! We worshipped the Lord yesterday realizing Jesus is the shepherd of our lives and the solid rock we build upon. Then, as we looked at 1 Corinthians 14, we saw the Word of God was seeking to move the focus of the Corinthian believers and us from serving ourselves to serving Jesus with others in the body of Christ. We studied about the importance of seeking spiritual gifts and abilities that would help all believers to grow rather than spectacular spiritual gifts that simply build up our egos. We learned that living only for ourselves and not living for the glory of God and for the good of the people of God is not living at all. Things that only build us up as individuals do not actually in the long run truly help us if those gifts do not help others. Focusing on ourselves instead of focusing on the growth of the body of Christ is not denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Jesus. All of us have people in our lives that invested themselves in us and enabled us to grow as people and to grow in our faith in Jesus. This is the way we are to live. Believers need to seek the talents, abilities, and gifts that build up others in the body of Christ. Believers seek to desire gifts and abilities that clearly communicate God’s truth and enhance understanding. Believers also need to desire abilities that clearly reveal salvation found in Jesus alone. As we grow in maturity as believers, we more and more need to seek to help others continually see Jesus in us and become more and more like Him.

We will observe the Lord’s Supper next Sunday, October 20, 2024, during our morning worship gathering.

Remember to pray for our EMBC brothers and sisters in Christ, like Kathleen Brandenburg, Kathy McElmurry, Donald Smith, and Mike Skille, as they struggle with long term health issues. We pray for each of you to know God’s continual loving and powerful presence in your present struggles.

We will hold our annual “Trunk or Treat” for our neighborhood on October 26 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. We will need lots of candy and lots of help to reach out to our neighborhood on that day.

We will have special missionary speakers with us on Sunday, October 27, 2024, during our morning worship. I hope you can be here to see how God is working all around the world to save the lost and expand His kingdom.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we worshipped our great God and realized we can rejoice because He alone rules the universe. Then we looked at one of the most familiar passages of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 13, which describes to us what truly godly love is and how it operates among the people of God. 1 Corinthians 13 was specifically written to a troubled church where individualism had wrongly become supreme. That chapter points us to the antidote to that selfishness by helping us see the true nature of love. Living lives of glorifying God and helping build the church means we are motivated by love for God and others. 1 Corinthians 13 helps us see we need to focus on the necessity and first importance of godly love. Then it helped us to understand the true character of love, that love is what you do and do not do. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  Love is more than some feeling or emotion. Love is something you do. Finally, we saw from 1 Corinthians 13 that love is permanent. Love endures forever into eternity! In churches where people have great talents, abilities, and spiritual gift we see this forever truth: Exercising talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts mean nothing if those things are not exercised with godly love.

We will hold our annual “Trunk or Treat” for our neighborhood on October 26 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. We will need lots of candy and lots of help to reach out to our neighborhood on that day.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we worshipped, we rejoiced as the redeemed people of God. Then as we looked at 1 Corinthians 12, we thought about how the church, the body of Christ, is to function. Every single believer in Jesus is a significant and essential part of the body of Christ. Every single believer must work together with other believers to glorify God and see the mission of Christ accomplished. The church is one body of Christ with many members and every member is essential to the proper working of the body of Christ. It is wrong to say about yourself, “I am an insignificant part of the body of Christ, and you are more essential than me.” It is wrong to say about any other believer, “You are an insignificant part of the body of Christ, and I am more essential than you.” It is right to say about ourselves and each other, “Every believer belongs to the body of Christ and must see themselves and others as essential and significant.” We together are the body of Christ. God the Holy Spirit empowers every believer with different abilities to work side by side to accomplish the mission of Christ.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church