Hi FBC Friends!
But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,… (Acts 3:18-20)
I really like what the Life Application Bible says about verse 19: “John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance. The apostles’ message of salvation also included the call to repentance – acknowledging personal sin and turning away from it. Many people want the benefits of being identified with Christ without admitting their own disobedience and turning from sin. The key to forgiveness is confessing your sin and turning from it.” (Pg. 1949) There is a great promise given to us when we do repent and turn to the Lord: times of refreshing will come from His presence! Do you need spiritual refreshment today? Repent.
This Sunday I will continue the “Family Matters” sermon series with a message entitled, “Communication or Conflict?” from Ephesians 4:25-32. Please be sure to read that ahead of time. I will specifically addressing communication within marriage, but of course these verses apply to every relationship, especially within the church. We will look at some ways of communicating that we want to avoid (and the opposite ways which we want to pursue). Looking forward to seeing you Sunday!
For those not involved in high school graduations this Saturday, there is an all-church workday from 9am-Noon. We will be doing bark dust and other things to beautify our church yard. Bring wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, gloves, and be ready to put in some “sweat equity”!
Speaking of graduation, CONGRATULATIONS to our graduates upon their high school graduation! We plan to acknowledge them and pray for them this Sunday. Also, thank you so much to all of you who prayed for my speaking at Baccalaureate, and for the many from FBC who attended as a show of support! Oh, how I appreciated that!
I wanted to give here a few recommendations from your pastor:
Recommended website: www.d6family.com. This site is based on Deuteronomy 6 and has articles and resources about ministering to your family.
Recommended apps for those of us who have phones smarter than we are: “Scripture Typer” – the best resource I’ve used for helping to memorize Scripture! I have 23 verses memorized so far, and it forces me to review them on a regular basis. I’ve been using this when I have to wait at the gas station, at a restaurant, waiting to pick up one of my kids, etc. Also, “Focus Daily” – this is Focus on the Family’s app. Elizabeth and I have both been trying to listen to their program on our phones almost every day. It’s been especially timely during the current sermon series.
Recommended books: The Pursuit of Holiness and The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges. These are 2 of the best books I’ve read in quite some time. Ephesians 4 talks about “taking off” the old self (that’s what Pursuit of Holiness is about), and “putting on” the new self (which is what Practice of Godliness is about). I know the first book is in our church library. I’m tempted to buy a case of these 2 books and give them away. They’re that good. Very convicting, challenging, and insightful and practical.
Also, Unstuck by Arnie Cole and Michael Ross. These guys are leaders at “Back to the Bible” and they were featured on Focus on the Family awhile back. That radio program had a huge impact on Elizabeth, and now she is going through the book and loving it. She was challenged to “engage” with the Bible every day, and it’s taken her on quite a journey. This book is so good (and it was on sale for $2.99 each!) that we did actually buy 10 of them to share!
Church family, I want you to know that I consider it a huge privilege to serve in ministry with you! I thank my God as I pray for you!
Enjoying times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord…
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael