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