I am so excited this morning ! We have focused on revival in my first month with you. I am beginning to pick up on some things that really get me going. Last week on Facebook I saw someone get involved in a conversation with a friend that included an invite to join us in worship on Sunday. And that friend said she would love to! Then, after yesterday’s message, someone in attendance went out to eat and tried something new. They told the waiter they were getting ready to bless their meal and if he had anything he needed prayer for. And he said yes! This couple said it was scary to get out of their comfort zone but it worked!
This coming Sunday we will finish up our series on “Awakening.” Out of the five weeks, this may be the most difficult. The title is “It’s Gonna Cost Ya.” True discipleship comes with a very heavy price. Jesus taught the disciples to pray “thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” and that kind of thinking cost Jesus his life. He told the disciples – and us through the Bible – that if we were going to follow him, we would have to take up our cross. In Roman times, taking up a cross was a one-way trip. A one-way trip that meant dying to self.
Please remember that I will not be in the office this morning. I will be over Tuesday morning instead as we have an Evangelism & Missions team meeting plus the monthly men’s lunch. Also, the Hwangs, ABC missionaries from Japan, will be sharing tonight at AWANAs. If you missed them at Prairie Homestead yesterday you have one more opportunity to hear them. This Wednesday night in our Bible study we will begin to focus on overcoming objections to the Christian way of life. We had some visitors yesterday who said they caught our worship on Facebook and also our study on Wednesday nights.
Be blessed this week. Ask God for opportunities to share your faith. Tony Evans says we should be the kind of Christ followers that when we get up in the morning the Devil says “Oh crap, he’s up!”
Hope you enjoyed the game yesterday. Just for fun, if you are a KC Chiefs fan, sport your gear on Sunday, Feb. 11!
I was doing some reading this morning and found an interesting post on Church Answers. As you know, there is a rift in the Methodist church over gender identity and homosexuality. It has led to a split in the denomination with a new group forming called the Global Methodists. It is growing quickly not just here in the US but around the world where most conservative Methodists live. The staff at Church Answers offered up the following in prayer for the new group:
That they look forward and not backwards. While this is a good thing for the new group it is also good for us at MABC as well. You have heard me say it before but let’s not live in the past.
Pray for a rekindling of evangelistic fires. I will touch on that this coming Sunday. For those of you concerned that I am going to put you all out on the streets to do evangelism, “fear not!” There are many of ways for each of us to do outreach.
Pray that these new churches will attempt new and great things for His glory. As a church seeking revitalization, this should be our aim as well.
Pray that they will work in unity. The author says they may not agree on every detail but that they keep the main things the main thing. We heard that this past Sunday!
Finally, pray that they have courage. When the Israelites were getting ready to take the Promised Land Joshua was told “fear not for I am with you wherever you go.” I pray the same thing for us. Let’s have courage in carrying out the Great Commission because Jesus promised to be with us always.
Have a great week. Begin praying specifically for three people you know that need to have a saving relationship with Jesus. We will tap into that as we get closer to Easter.
Couple of things to remind you about. One, don’t forget the missionary coming tomorrow evening to MABC. She will be speaking about 6:15 pm in the Fellowship Hall. It’s always great to hear from those we support through the ABC. Bible study this Wednesday is bumped up a little bit. Steve has moved praise team practice up 30 minutes to allow us to start earlier. We will show the video on campus at 7:00 and then at 7:15 we will start Facebook live for the discussion. I will be trying something a little different for this week’s lesson to see if we can make it more engaging. We will keep trying until we get it right. Email me if you need the link to the video source (PastorMABC@outlook.com). There is one more upcoming mission reporting session that I want to get the word out well enough in advance for you to get it on your calendar. On February 4 th , Gordon and Lee Ann Hwang, ABC Missionaries to India, will be sharing at Prairie Homestead Vespers. Time for that is 3:00 pm.
Today we tackled a tough topic – sin. More importantly, being aware of our own sin. Unless we fully recognize the gravity of sin it is hard to fully comprehend the magnitude of God’s grace. German minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about cheap grace in his book The Cost of Discipleship. “Cheap grace”; he said, is “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ”; When we fail to acknowledge the magnitude of sin, we cheapen the grace offered to us through Jesus Christ’s death. The Romans devised crucifixion to be painful and excruciating. It was to be an example of what happened when you crossed the Romans. Prior to being hung on a cross, Jesus was beaten so badly, disfigured beyond recognition (Isa. 52:14). Jesus endured great pain and anguish because of my sin, your sin and the sin of the world. Let’s never take that for granted. “Repent” John the Baptist exclaimed as he readied the world for the coming of his cousin, the Messiah, Jesus. What have you done that you need to repent of today?
Next week, we get a great look at what happens as we become active participants in revival, helping others to experience and awakening. One of two things will happen and we will follow the adventures of Paul and Silas as they set out in obedience to Jesus’ Great Commission. What will it take for us to be active participants in the next Awakening? I will share one aspect with you right now because we have talked about it previously in our series. Paul and Silas were men of prayer. We must continue to be a people of prayer. We need to seek God’s will individually and corporately. I can tell you from my past work that we need to be in serious prayer about reaching out into our community. One of the major reasons churches plateau or decline in attendance is a lack of evangelism. We are looking at making a major push to connect with our community for Easter. Begin to pray for that outreach now even though Easter is slightly more than two months away. Pray that God would provide the laborers and that the hearts of the people we try to reach will be softened to hear our message.
Enjoy the warm up this week. For the “old ball coach” anything above freezing is shorts weather! Pastor Rick
Jeremiah 3:15 NIV – Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
Meridian Avenue Baptist Church had been without a Lead Pastor for two years this week. In that time we have been blessed by having Rev. Dick Sipe help us through the rewrite of our Constitution and Bylaws, Rev. Jim Zier helped us celebrate the 2022 Christmas Season and pastor us through February of 2023 when Rev. Fred Becker came and pastored our church until the end of 2023. We have been blessed through the ministries of these men and I, for one, am grateful for the time they spent with us.
This year we shall walk beside Rev. Rick Neubauer, our new lead pastor. We each have expectations of the days and months ahead and there is hope of wonderful things to come our way.
The pastor and church agreement that Pastor Rick, Janet (Chair of Pastoral Search) and Randy (Chair of Leadership Team) will sign has this sentence in it. “In awareness of the support needed for ministry together, the congregation and minister mutually agree to support one another in private and public prayer.” It is a promise that we, the congregation of Meridian Avenue Baptist Church, will support our minister in private and public prayer.
The relationship between a pastor and the congregation is a partnership of mutual caring and compassion. A pastor, any pastor, cannot lead a congregation unless the congrations is willing to follow. We, the congregation and our pastor, are fully in this together as we seek God’s direction for us in Christ’s church.
So, pray for our pastor, pray for one another, pray for God’s guidance and pray for wonderful things to happen at Meridian Avenue Baptist Church as we near our centennial anniversary year and beyond.
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
How many times have any of us become weary of the routine events of daily living; experiencing nearly identical patterns day after day. Living a routine lifestyle is comfortable but offers little excitement. Humans frequently enjoy having something new and exciting come their way. New things have an appeal that attracts us and very often distract us. The Christian faith offers newness that disrupts the daily routines in a number of ways. Many have reread a scripture in the Bible and have it suddenly reveal something that they never before observed or thought of. Many have attended a worship service and have experienced a conviction to serve they never before felt. Some, during a period of prayer, felt a presence and, perhaps, a Spiritual direction they had never before felt. Such disruptions are blessings that are personal in nature and instrumental in spiritual growth. I hope that everyone may experience such disruptions in their lives.
Matthew 26:41 NIV – Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
the devil whispered in his ear, please come play with me
we will have a real fun time, walk away if you don’t agree
I’ll show you the game Temptation, so many kids have played
take my hand, your life will change, please don’t be afraid
the devil spoke a bit louder, you MUST make up your mind
you know you want to join me, for our souls are intertwined
OH, the power I can show you, all your wants will be fulfilled
one does not need anything else for a better life we’ll build
the devil began screaming, if you don’t listen we are through
you must follow now or never know of the many things I do
all the happiness I can give you by letting evil take control
you shall want for nothing more, all for the price of a soul
the devil suddenly froze as the young boy turned to speak
just because I am not a grownup don’t think that I am weak
my loving parents warned me of how you deceive through hate
my belief in God is firm and strong and you are a bit too late
Written by Gary Adcock, shared with permission. Gary Adcock has been my friend for over 50 years, going back to our days in school. Other poems by Gary can be found at allpoetry.com.