Christian Service

Jesus has such a gentle yet powerful way of saying things, mostly because of who he was and the degree to which he loves us. Matthew 20:27 "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:" Jesus recognized "will be chief among you" as a human reality, which we understand when we reflect upon our own need for appreciation and recognition. John 12:26 "if and man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be:" See the role of ministering as service to the Lord and not a way to promote self. Our heart's struggle to be appreciated can only be fully realized when we are motivated more by our love for Christ (II Corinthians 5:14) and desire to please him than to meet our need for appreciation. Our humility in service accomplishes God's plan, damages no one, and ultimately God wonderfully meets our need for appreciation. See Galatians 1:10 and Philippians 2:7-9. Christ is our example "God highly exalted Him"!

A Cheerful Giver

The sowing and reaping principle is brought to bear on the subject of Christian giving in II Corinthians 9:6-7. How you sow is how you reap, either bountifully or sparingly. Both are direct results of giving. Yet there is an overriding principle the Apostle refers to in this passage which is purpose of heart. The heart is what God sees (II Samuel 16:7) and what God is truly interested in. Don't let your giving be grudgingly, nor of necessity! the fear of the Lord is part of the equation in giving, but the thing that God loves about Christian Giving is cheerfulness. we are instructed "God loveth a cheerful giver," Personally, I am thrilled that we cheered during last week's offering. Let's do it every week! Cheerfulness is a thing that God loves in our giving. cheering is an appropriate way to express cheerfulness. Both grudging and cheerfulness reflect what is in the heart of the Christian giver. Proverbs 4:23

summer

Jesus told us that we know summer is nigh when the trees begin to put forth leaves in Matthew 24:32. The climate in Israel is unique in that they have desert, tropics, mountains, seacoasts, Galilee and the Dead Sea; it snows in places and in other places it never gets cold. All of this in a very small geographical area. Michigan is not like that. We have three months of mostly summer weather, three months of extremely iffy weather, and the rest mostly nasty weather. Spring is exciting because we look forward to summer, and the time to plant...not quite yet, due to the danger of frost and the cold ground. Then it gets warm and we are way past ready to spend time out of doors. Hallelujah! as you plan your summer with all its activities, joys and pleasures, be sure that you don't leave out the Lord. Apparently, Jesus us aware when it is summer, and He, I'm sure, knows Michigan's weather seeing He made it. Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves"

Missions

The great commission is so much more than just a command. Matthew 28:18-20 reveals God's heart to us! God loves all the people of the world John 3:16. God expressed this love when He sent his only begotten Son into the world to save people from their sin. In the mession ideal, we become the channels through which God's love flows to the world. God committed the Gospel of Jesus' death, burrial, and resurrection in trust to us. This trust compels us to obedience. In II Cor. 4:3-7 we see the battle to bring the light of the Gospel to people in darkness, that battle is won through God's servants, who have the light of the Gospel shining in them. This "treasure in earthen vessels" is God's battle weapon to reveal Salvation to people in spiritual darkness. What a privilege we are given to have this light in us and to be servants through witness and giving to "give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God" through "the Excellency of the power of God."

Faith Promise Missions

Bible Baptist doing Missions! Churches use several methods to commit funds to missions. Some churches give 10% of their income to missions, other methods are used varying from church to church. What God has led our church in is Faith Promise, a principle by which a Christian promises to give regularly to missions above their tithe and other offerings. Last year our church gave over $38,000 to missions. This would have been $27,000 had we given 10% to missions. II Corinthians 10:15-16 speaks of increased faith that results in increased support for mission work. As faith grows so does giving. Faith Promise is a promise made to God to give, through your church, an amount that you by Faith believe God wants you to promise. How you arrive at this amount is simply by asking God to lay a burden upon your heart for Missions. Ask, in prayer, for God to lead you to the amount he desires for you to commit to regular mission giving.

Missions

Mission means "the act of sending" and "the duty on which one is sent." Believers in Jesus are sent ones as Jesus told his disciples in John 20:21"...As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." when we read the history of the Church in Acts we see the Holy Spirit ask the Church to separate from them Barnabus and Saul (Paul). The Church prayed and fasted, laid their hands on them and "sent" them. This we read in Acts 13:2-4. "So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed..." What we are seeing here is an organic partnership between the Church and the Holy Ghost in the work of Missions. Our mission as a church is spelled out by the Word of God. Acts 1:8 "...ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." As the Holy Ghost leads our Church so we are to go into all the world and preach Christ's gospel to every person. Mark 16:15