April 2019

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all!  Yesterday we worshipped Almighty God and thought about how He uniquely made each of us.  God made us to follow Him, walk with Him, become more like Jesus continually in our character, and be on mission with Him. God placed us individually and collectively in a certain place and a certain time in history.  God did not place us in 1950 America but in 2019 America.  God did not place us in some small rural setting but in the crazy city of Madison, Wisconsin.  That was not an accident but a divine plan. He wants to use us here and now in specific ways to bear witness to Jesus.  We don’t have to be High Point Church, Door Creek Church or New Beginnings Church.  We can thank God for other believers and bodies of Christians and work alongside them to take the gospel to Madison and our world. However, we recognize God works through us in ways that are unique to His plan for us.  Yes, let us learn as much as we can from others who came before us and others who are our contemporaries.  But let us remember that learning from them does not mean being them.  God has made us His unique people and a unique church seeking to carry out His Great Commission to our world in 2019.  You and I, filled with God’s Holy Spirit, can be used as the individuals that we are.  East Madison, led by God’s Holy Spirit, can be the body of Christ where God placed us and obediently carry out the work of Christ He has given us.  Believers seek to allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead them specifically as they carry out the work God has called them to do.   

Jean Holmes’ memorial service will be this Saturday, May 4, at 11:00 AM at the East Madison building.  There will be a visitation time with the family from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.  Also, we will be providing a meal for the family and those who attend immediately after the service.

We will observe the Lord’s Supper during worship next Sunday, May 5.

Love being your pastor!    

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! I pray your day is going well and you are living in the light of the resurrection of Jesus. It was wonderful yesterday to focus on Christ Jesus’ complete victory over death. We celebrated it as we worshiped together and thought about the question, “Will we believe that Jesus conquered death never to die again?” We believe there is evidence that rationally verifies Jesus came out of that grave. But you have to decide something about that evidence. Many times people do not want to believe in the resurrection of Jesus because if they believe, they cannot continue to live life for themselves. Belief in Jesus resurrection requires submitting to Jesus as Lord, Master, Boss and Ruler of your life. It means losing your personal agenda and surrendering to God’s agenda and God’s mission. It also means seeking to continually surrender to God’s will and God’s agenda as you continually confess Jesus as Lord. So the question we asked yesterday is a question we ask ourselves every single day, “Will we believe that Jesus conquered death never to die again?”

We are exploring the possibility of conducting some “Five Day Clubs” for children this summer at homes.  The clubs will last five days and be 1½ hours long each day.   Those hosting them would have to have a background check done by Child Evangelism Fellowship.  If you think you might have children in your neighborhood that you could invite to one of these clubs and would like to host a club, please contact me.    

Love being your pastor!    

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all!  To quote Mr. Rogers, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood!”  We had a wonderful day of worship yesterday.  We thought about the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and then His crucifixion.  Through the lens of the old spiritual “Were You There?’, we considered what it might be like to have witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus.  We saw the Savior proclaimed King and Messiah even by those who refused to believe.  We contemplated the Savior fulfilling prophetic Scripture through those soldiers who carried out this act of execution. We witnessed the Savior from the cross caring for those He loved and thought about how He cares even for each of us today. We considered how the Savior finished all that was necessary for our forgiveness and redemption. There is no sin greater than Jesus’ sacrifice, no sin that cannot be forgiven.  But also we saw that no sin is so small that it does not need Jesus’ sacrifice for it to be forgiven.  We saw and still see in Jesus the Savior providing for us complete forgiveness for our sins. 

We will be having a joint Good Friday service on April 19^th at the East Madison building at 7:00 PM in conjunction with Sovereign Joy Church.  Join us as we contemplate why  Good Friday is truly Good Friday.

Join us this Easter Sunday morning, April 21^st, as we remember we serve a risen Savior!  Our Savior is living and active and working among us today.  The tomb could not hold Him and the grave could not keep Him!  He has conquered death forever!  We will begin our celebration of His resurrection at our  annual Easter Breakfast at 9:30 AM.  We will then worship Him together at 10.:30 AM and celebrate His victory over death that gives those who believe complete victory over death!

We are exploring the possibility of conducting some “Five Day Clubs” for children this summer at homes.  The clubs will last five days and be 1½ hours long each day.   Those hosting them would have to have a background check done by Child Evangelism Fellowship.  If you think you might have children in your neighborhood that you could invite to one of these clubs and would like to host a club, please contact me.    

Love being your pastor! 

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy beautiful Monday to all!  I hope you will have some time today to enjoy this beautiful weather we are having. 

Yesterday, we focused on the greatness of God as we worshiped from Psalm 145.  We looked at how we should speak of His greatness to the next generation and proclaim His mighty deeds.  Then we looked in John 18 and 19 on how God’s purposes will be accomplished and His plans will prevail.  History is not moving in cycles.  History had a beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. History will have an end when Jesus returns to destroy evil and reign forever.  We saw through looking at Pilate’s role in Jesus’ crucifixion how we can either partner with God in bringing about His purposes and agenda or we can be pawns of God in bringing about His purposes and agenda.  Pilate did not believe in the true God or cooperate with Almighty God.  However, God will even work through pawns like Pilate to accomplish His redemptive purposes for the world.  No human ruler or government and no individual will thwart the purposes of God!  God will ultimately bring about the complete destruction of evil and the redemption of God’s people and God’s creation!  And I say “Hallelujah” to that truth!

We will have a Business Meeting following morning worship next Sunday, April 14.   

We will be having a Good Friday service on April 19^th at the East Madison building at 7:00 PM in conjunction with Sovereign Joy Church.  Also remember that we will have our annual Easter Breakfast on Easter Sunday, April 21 at 9:30 AM.   There is a sign-up sheet for the needed food items for the Easter Breakfast in the foyer.

Love being your pastor! 

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all.  Even though we have joy always in the Lord, this Monday is not as happy for us as most.  Our beloved sister Peggy Blum went to be with Jesus on Saturday.    We will miss her tremendously.  We will all be short of a hug on Sunday.  However, we know she is happier than she has ever been, living now in the presence of Jesus, the One who gave His life so she might live with Him forever.  She loved Jesus and she is in His presence.  Even as I reminded her of her love for Jesus and His love for her last Thursday evening, she reminded me that no one could love her like Jesus loves her. No one can love any of us like Jesus loves us. Peggy lived and continues to live in His love.  We grieve here but rejoice that she is with Him forever.    We will celebrate her life here at the East Madison building at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 3. 

Yesterday, we thought about Jesus’ Last Supper and our continuing celebration of that when we share in the Lord’s Supper.  The Supper symbolizes Jesus giving of His body and shedding His blood so we could be justly forgiven.  We are part of the new covenant that the shed blood of Jesus inaugurated. Every time we take the Supper, we are reminded that we are in Jesus and He is in us.  Each of us is a part of His body and, because of that, we who believe in Jesus are a part of one  another.  Faith in Jesus makes us part of His body and united to one another.

Remember that we will be having a Good Friday service on April 19^th at the East Madison building at 7:00 PM in conjunction with Sovereign Joy Church.  Also remember that we will have our annual Easter Breakfast on Easter Sunday, April 21 at 9:30 AM.   There is a sign-up sheet for the needed food items for the Easter Breakfast in the foyer.

Love being your pastor! 

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church