And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
We have to ask, such what were some of you? In verse 11 Paul is referring to the not-so-pretty list in verses 9-10. Go ahead and look it up! He covers a wide range of things describing “the unrighteous.” We should never forget that “such were some of you.” We need to marvel in the grace of God that washed, sanctified, and justified us in spite of who we were! And we should have a burden for those around us who are in the “such are some of you” category, in need of the same washing, sanctifying, and justifying in the name of Jesus Christ!
Pray for Dave & Ron, & John. Just this afternoon Dave Ezell and Ron Whitted headed to the airport to begin the journey to Terre Blanche, Haiti on a short term medical mission trip. Please be in prayer for them, for their families and for the ministry in Haiti. There is a day-by-day prayer letter for them on a table in the foyer. But for today and tomorrow, we can be praying about the tiring overnight travel! Also, John Joiner is heading tomorrow to Burundi to add his engineering expertice to a medical facility there. His travel will be even longer than Dave & Ron’s. Please pray for John and for an effective and meaningful time away.
Read Revelation 7:1-8. This Sunday I am preaching on this “interlude” between the 6th and 7th seal judgments. What does it mean to be “sealed?” Who are these people described in the passage? Join us Sunday as I share about “The Sealed Servants.”
Praise the Lord. One of our young men who is currently attending Oregon State University, Thurman Falk, will be baptized this Sunday at his church in Corvallis, called ReNew. Thank the Lord along with his parents Bill & Vickie, for the work He is doing in Thurman’s life!
45 Days till Easter (and 43 until “Experience Easter” at FBC). I know, it seems early to start counting down. But it has always bothered me that there is such a build-up to Christmas, while Easter can “sneak up on us.” Where is the “Advent Calendar” to prepare for Easter? Some Christians of other traditions started the period known as Lent yesterday with Ash Wednesday. Whether you observe that or not is between you and the Lord. But I think it would be good for all of us to begin to think seriously about how we want to prepare to remember the Passion of our Lord, and of course His resurrection. 40 Days is a period of time used frequently in the Bible for significant events. So if you were wondering, next Tuesday, Feb. 24, will be 40 Days until Easter. Elizabeth is beginning preparations for “Experience Easter,” which we have scheduled for Friday, April 3. She’d love your help and participation!
A Call to Fasting & Prayer. Lastly, but definitely not least, I want to call on all of us to a time of fasting and prayer. As many of you know, the elders and I have been considering our burden for the ministry to our youth and families, and young adults. Last weekend we had Jeff Moritz with us as someone we have been considering to help us in these areas. After meeting again this week, we are still prayerfully seeking the Lord’s direction regarding this possibility. We are also still working on the best way and the best time for us to come together as a church family and openly discuss these things. We decided that we are still in need of clarifying among ourselves what we believe God’s vision for our future entails. We are seeking His face regarding what He wants for us. Our hope and prayer is for His clear leading and for our church body to be able to move forward unified, with one heart and one mind. We intend to meet again soon, possibly on Feb. 28. Between now and then, I am asking you to choose one day (or more if you are so led) between now and then to fast and pray for me as your pastor and for all of us as elders (Alan Blake, Mike Kirk, Mike Hammitt, and Wendell Trimble). We are praying for you – each elder has a list of a portion of the church family that I have asked them to pray for weekly. I am trying to pray for each of you by name weekly as well. Now we need your prayers for us! One wise member said it would be good if the “information faucet” were turned all the way on, instead of there being a trickle. We intend to do our best to do that. We are asking for: Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8 ) And we are asking that you ask God to grant all of us much wisdom, a request He promises to answer (James 1:5). So please consider some serious time of fasting and praying on our behalf and on behalf of FBC. If you’d like to join in our times of corporate prayer, the men gather at 6am on Saturdays, and we have all-church prayer times on Wednesdays at 5am, 6am, and 7pm. Thank you! We love you.
Washed… Sanctified… Justified…
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael