Hello FBC Friends!
“But fear not, O Jacob My servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear not, O Jacob My servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” (Jeremiah 46:27-28)
This passage was another encouraging reminder to me this morning of the Lord’s constant presence, and because of that, the ability we as believers have to live without fear. It tied in excellently with one of the messages Elizabeth and I heard at the Conservative Baptist Northwest Annual Enrichment Conference this week. Greg Spires from Medford FBC spoke on Matthew 10:26-33 and challenged us all to Fear God, not “them”. In other words, don’t fear people; God is the only One we should fear. We actually four really outstanding messages, all from four different CBANW pastors. We were encouraged, challenged, and inspired. I was just told that they hope to have the messages up on their website by the end of next week, so hopefully I can direct you to them soon. Each message was timely not just for me personally, but also for our church family.
Thank you for helping make Justin and Lynsey Hostetter feel welcome this past week! They enjoyed their time with our church and seemed to really like the Brownsville community and surrounding area. You will hopefully be hearing soon from the Search Task Team and the Elders about possible next steps in the process.
16 DAYS TO EASTER SUNDAY! Please be praying. Please be inviting. Whom has God placed in your path lately? Be looking for “Divine appointments” and chances to point people to our Risen Savior! We will be having one Easter service this year, at 10:30am (our normal time). It should be a packed house and a blessed time. This is a great time to invite that friend, neighbor, family member, etc. that you have been wanting to invite!
Wednesday, March 16, at Noon is the monthly gathering for Christian Adventurers (the 55+ group) at FBC. Come join in the potluck and fellowship time!
This Sunday I will begin a 3-week series from the book of Mark entitled, “JESUS: Rejection, Triumph, & Resurrection” that will conclude on Easter Sunday. This week’s message will be from Mark 6. It’s a long chapter, so it won’t be a thorough exposition of every verse in the chapter. But I want to go through the whole chapter and zoom in specifically on a few key statements Jesus made in the chapter. I’d again encourage you to read ahead and be ready for the Lord to speak to us through His Word Sunday.
Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed,
for I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
for I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
(from “How Firm a Foundation”)
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael