April 2021

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we looked at John 7 and Jesus’ great invitation: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  Jesus is the one who quenches the thirsting of our souls. Coming to Him is the way to find true and ultimate satisfaction in life. Jesus saves and forgives us, and Jesus provides all who believe with His Holy Spirit to strengthen, comfort, guide, empower, protect, and sustain us. The Holy Spirit will never leave or forsake those who believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit provides a never exhaustible source of life to those who will accept Jesus’ offer and come to Him. Jesus invites those thirsty for true life to quench that thirst through Him.

We hope to be able to meet outside beginning next Sunday, May 2. Watch for details in Saturday’s worship order email.

We will be continuing our virtual Bible Study of the book of Galatians this Wednesday, April 28^th at 6:30 PM. We will be studying Galatians 3 and 4. If you would like to be part of this study, let me know so I can add you to the email list to send you the weekly link.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday in worship we worked our way through Psalm 107 and confessed together how we can cry to the Lord in our trouble, and He ultimately delivers us from our distress. The message from John 7 helped us to learn that nearness to the truth of God does not ensure understanding of the truth of God. We learned that speculations about the truth of God does not lead to acceptance of the truth of God. We also learned that religious elitism leads us away from God’s truth. The way to know truth is to believe in Jesus and be willing to do God’s will. If that is true in our lives, we will continually grow in understanding God’s truth and God’s ways. We will continually grow nearer to Jesus Himself. We saw that any person willing to do God’s will increasingly understands the truth of God found in Jesus Christ.

We will be continuing our virtual Bible Study of the book of Galatians this Wednesday, April 21st at 6:30 PM. We will be studying Galatians 3. If you would like to be part of this study, let me know so I can add you to the email list to send you the weekly link.

Here is a link one of my favorite worship hymns at this time, “The King In All His Beauty”: https://youtu.be/odKxftGhVRE. I hope you enjoy it also.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we worshipped and celebrated the Lord’s Supper, we considered our Savior and the price paid for our salvation and for us to live in community with Him and one another. Then from John 6:60-71, we thought about following Jesus when it is unpopular to follow Him. We thought about following Him at the times we struggle understanding His instructions and His ways. We thought about continuing to follow Jesus even when someone we know turns their backs on Jesus and no longer follows Him. We confess with Peter that Jesus alone has words of eternal life. So, whatever comes our way in the days ahead, no matter how much we might be ridiculed, mocked, opposed or misunderstood, we will follow Jesus. If we want God’s life, real and eternal life, we follow Jesus no matter what comes our way.

We will be continuing our virtual Bible Study of the book of Galatians this Wednesday, April 7 at 6:30 PM. We will be studying Galatians 2. If you would like to be part of this study, let me know so I can add you to the email list to send you the weekly link.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! What a fantastic Resurrection Sunday we celebrated yesterday! How wonderful it was to sing praises to the risen Christ! How wonderful it was to read from the Scripture about this most important event in history remembering Jesus’ complete victory over death! How wonderful it was to witness George Linde and Lauri Skille confess Jesus as Lord in baptism! The message from 1 Corinthians 15 reminded us of the continual hope we have because of the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It may have looked bad on that Friday afternoon almost 2000 years ago after Jesus was crucified and buried in a borrowed tomb. But now on that following first resurrection Sunday, Jesus broke the chains of death over mankind by rising physically and bodily from the grave never to die again. Jesus ripped the gates of death off its hinges so that all who believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection provides the sure foundation for our faith.

We will be beginning a new virtual Bible Study of the book of Galatians this Wednesday, April 7 at 6:30 PM. If you did not join us for the last virtual study and would like to be part of this study, let me know so I can add you to the email list to send you the weekly link. 

We will have our annual business meeting on Sunday April 11 right after our morning worship. We will provide a zoom link for all who want to join us virtually on that day so we can receive your feedback.  

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church