Church Blog

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we took the Lord’s Supper, we remembered how God had called broken and ruined sinners to come to His table and receive life. We remembered that Jesus paid with His blood to give us this life as we took the bread and juice. Then from Romans 8, we thought about waiting on the Lord. As long as we are in this fallen world, we will be waiting. There is coming a day when God will make every believer completely into the image of His Son. There is coming a day when God will completely restore His creation to its original goodness and perfection. Romans 8 reminds us of these truths. It is the great climatic chapter of Romans assuring believers of our complete redemption, the complete restoration of God’s good creation, and the total confidence of God bringing us into His forever presence. Jesus will come for those who believe and belong to Him, and creation will then be completely restored! But until then we wait. Right now, the Holy Spirit is praying for us and changes us into becoming increasingly more like Jesus. Right now, we can live daily in the confidence that nothing will ever separate us from God’s love found in Christ Jesus.Christ is coming back, and everything will be made right. As we know these things will come, we are in a period of waiting. Believers long for the day of the complete restoration of the goodness of God’s creation.

We will have a potluck luncheon following our worship service next Sunday, September 18. Bring enough food for your family and a little extra for any guest we might have.

I received this update from Connie Boss about her sister-in-law Alice on Saturday evening.

“Alice is home having hospice come in. The chemo did not shrink the tumors. She was in a lot of pain. Now they are trying to keep her comfortable. I was able to spend the afternoon with her. That was good.”

Please continue to keep Alice in your prayers and pray for Connie and the family in this situation.

During the month of September, we are taking up an offering for Minnesota/Wisconsin State Missions. There are special offering envelopes available for this offering.

Put October 29 on your calendar for “Trunk or Treat.” We will need lots of candy and plenty of help to reach out to our community on that day. We will be picking up the block party trailer, overseeing bounce houses and other fun activities, publicizing “Trunk or Treat” on Facebook and throughout our neighborhood. “Trunk or Treat” will be an “all hands-on-deck event.” Pray for God’s blessing on this outreach and for your specific part in helping.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Ever since we sang “Who Can Compare,” Sunday morning, written by our own Ron Roberts, I have not been able to get the song out of my mind.

He Walked on the earth one day, To show us a better Way – Who can compare?
And, dying upon the Cross, He saved us at such a cost – Who can compare, oh Lord, to You?

God the Father and God the Son, God the Spirit, the Three in One:
Before time ‘til the victory’s won – Who can compare?
Of His Kingdom, there is no end,; On His mercy, we can depend.
He’s our Maker, Redeemer, Friend – Who can compare?     

Stars will fall down, We’ll cast our crown Before the Great I AM;
And at His name, All will proclaim: “Worthy the Risen lamb!”

What a great God we serve! Also, as we began to look at the wonderful Romans 8, we learned of the rescue of believers. Believers have been rescued from condemnation and danger and now can live for the glory of God. Faith in Christ has freed us to live life in the power of the Holy Spirit because God the Holy Spirit lives within each of us. Believers have been forever adopted as the children of God who are privileged to cry out, “Father!” to Almighty God. We have the honor of inviting others to be rescued from condemnation. Because we have been rescued and freed, our love and gratitude for God should move us to want to share the freedom, love, and life we have with others. Christ Jesus perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection frees those who believe in Jesus from condemnation and empowers them to live for Christ.

We will observe the Lord’s Supper next Sunday, September 11, during our morning worship.

Put October 29 on your calendar for “Trunk or Treat.” We will need a lot of candy and plenty of help to reach out to our community on that day. We will be picking up the block party trailer, overseeing bounce houses and other fun activities, publicizing “Trunk or Treat” on Facebook and throughout our neighborhood. “Trunk or Treat” will be an “all hands-on-deck event.” Pray for God’s blessing on this outreach and for your specific part in helping.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we worshiped, we focused on the wonderful grace and mercy of God. As we looked in Romans 7, we learned that we died to seeking God through law and rule keeping and became free to serve God in the resurrected life of the Spirit. We learned that the purpose of the law was to make us aware of the sinful nature that resides in every human being from which we need to be delivered. We learned another purpose of the law was to help us see the dehumanizing, destructive and deadly nature of sin. We learned that the law tells us what to do, but never give us the power to do right and good. We learned that all of us do not need more laws, but someone to deliver us from ourselves and our sin. Paul cried out when he saw his own sin and the need for a deliver, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  Then Paul answered his own question by saying, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  We have a Deliverer, a Rescuer, a Savior, and His name is Jesus! We do not have to depend on our own willpower and determination to overcome sin. These will not help. We can depend on the power and presence of Jesus through His Spirit who lives in us. The Holy Spirit can deliver us day by day by day for those temptations and sin that we will face.

We hope to worship next Sunday in our parking lot if the weather is cooperative.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie Boss’ sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we sang praise to the Ruler of the universe, the Ancient of Days, who has loved us a saved us by His grace. Then from the last half of Romans 6 we thought about where our loyalties lie. Believers’ loyalties are with Christ and His kingdom of righteousness. Though sometimes we mess up and give aid to the enemy, the desire of believers is not aid to the enemy in even the smallest ways. Our desire is to be continually obedient to God and help advance His kingdom. We present ourselves to God as loyal servants of righteousness. Even though we are weak and realize that it might be two steps forward and one back, we know by God’s grace we are progressively becoming more like Jesus as God’s Holy Spirit works in our lives.

There will be a potluck lunch after worship next Sunday, August 14, 2022. Bring enough food for yourself and a little extra for any quest we might have.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie’s sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we had the privilege of together worshiping Almighty God, from who all blessings flow. Then from Romans 6, we saw believers are living in the realm of the life of God. We have eternal life now, which Jesus defined as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. We learned believers right now are freed from sin’s control because we were united with Christ when He died on the cross. In Jesus’ crucifixion and death, we died to sin. Then we saw that right now we possess and live in the life of God because we are also united to Jesus in His resurrection. We will still be tempted and sometimes fall because we live in a mortal body that has not yet been changed into an immortal body.  But we learned how to win victory over many temptations in this mortal body. Because we are dead to sin and live in the life of God, believers present themselves to God to walk in the life that God has given to us.We declare once and for all our loyalty to Jesus and then daily yield ourselves to the control of God’s Holy Spirit. Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection frees those who belong to Him from sin’s power to walk in the life of God.

We will be observing the Lord Supper in our worship gathering next Sunday, August 7, 2022.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie’s sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we worshipped by declaring how firm a foundation believers have through believing in Jesus and trusting in His Word. Then from 2 Timothy 1 and Psalm 56 we thought about the subject of fear. We learned we needed to fear and respect God’s holiness and fear the consequences of sin, which can be far reaching and long lasting. But we also learned that God does not want His children to live in constant fear. We learned denying fear was not the answer to fear. The answer to fear is to take those fears to God and trust Him when we are afraid. God has given his children a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. We are never powerless in any situation because God’s power is available to His children. God has given us a spirit of love, so we do not have to be afraid of those who are different from us or who think differently from us. And God has given us a sound mind so that when we are confronted by demanding situations, we will not panic and make rash decision. Instead, we will be led by His Holy Spirit to face crises with wisdom and love. Believers do not have to live our lives in constant fear. When we are afraid, we remind ourselves of God’s protection. We can do what the Psalmist wrote: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you,” (Psalm 56:3, NIV). When we are afraid, we can ask the Holy Spirit to take away our fears and replace it with a true confidence in God. God is in control, and we are His children. Christ Jesus frees us from constant fear.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie Boss’ sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy early Monday to all! It was great to worship with God’s people today and remember the greatness of our God and Savior. We know nothing in all the earth and no power of hell can separate us from the God who saved us through Jesus. From Romans 5 we saw that death reigns like a tyrant over every human being, but the free gift of life in Jesus frees us from the tyranny of death. Christ Jesus’ obedience leads to justification and life for all who are in Christ.Jesus humbled Himself and obeyed and His obedience more than conquers death for us. We no longer have to fear death. David wrote,

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4, KJV)

Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil; for Jesus is with all who believe! The obedience of our Savior Jesus more than overcomes the curse of sin and death that hangs over every human being.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie Boss’ sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she will be starting a different and stronger chemo.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all and happy Independence Day! It was good to be worshipping with God’s family at East Madison yesterday. From Romans 5 we learned God has provided us peace with Himself through Jesus death and resurrection and we can live in and experience that peace. We do not have to live as paupers. “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”  We can live in the peace God has provided for us through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is ours, so live in it. We do not have to live as if we might not make it to heaven. God will complete His work in each of us. Live in full assurance that God’s Work of salvation begun in us will be fully completed. We should never forget this truth that Christ Jesus death and resurrected life provide everything we need for our complete salvation.

We will have a potluck lunch after worship next Sunday, July 10. Bring enough food for your family and a little extra for any guest we might have.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday was strange day for me. I cannot remember that last time I missed a worship service because I was sick. I was diagnosed with covid and was genuinely surprised. I rode my bike on Friday evening and just thought I overdid it and was dehydrated. But I was not feeling any better by Sunday and went to the emergency room. I was a little dehydrated and given an IV, but the main problem was Covid. I am feeling much better today. The sad news is that Carla now has Covid. She is feeling fluish but being helped by Tylenol. We appreciate your prayers for us.

I want to thank Pete, David, Kathy, Annette for making sure things went smoothly yesterday. I want to thank Jason for filling in for me without much notice. And, though I should do this more often, I also want to thank Deanna, Grace, Jason, and David for their faithfulness in teaching God’s Word every week. It is great to know that God’s church is not dependent on any individual. There are men and women of God who are ready to step up the plate and lead God’s people in worship.

Emmanuel Church’s block party last Wednesday, June 22, was a smashing success! Many of our neighbors, both English and Spanish speaking, came. We did receive cards of English speakers from our neighborhood from those who registered at the block party. We will attempt to contact these people.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday it was wonderful to sing about the mercy of our Savior, which is greater than our sin. We saw from Romans 4, looking at Abraham, that righteousness is credited to all who will put their faith in Jesus, who paid in full our debt of sin. We learned that Abraham and David and persons who lived before Christ and every person who has lived since Jesus died and rose again is justified before God by faith in Jesus and Jesus alone. None of us merit God’s grace or work for God’s grace or work to complete God’s grace. God grace comes only by faith in Jesus! As the song says:

“He paid a debt He did not owe

I owed a debt I could not pay

I needed someone to wash my sins away.

And now I sing a brand-new song,

Amazing grace, all day long.

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.”

Emmanuel Church is having a block party on Wednesday, June 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. They will be able to use you if you might be able to help. If you can help, show up at 5:00-5:15 PM.

If you have not already, bring your baby bottles for CareNet next Sunday, June 19 so we can take these to CareNet.

Pray for Connie Boss’ sister-in-law, Alice, who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She has begun receiving chemotherapy. Pray for God’s healing touch and for her to experience His comforting presence.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church