Hi FBC!
And he said, “The God of our fathers appointed you to know His will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from His mouth; for you will be a witness for Him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”(Acts 22:14-16)
Here Paul is describing his “appointment,” his calling, to be an apostle and witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of what he experienced and was called to do was specific to him. But some of it applies to all of us. Like the idea that “you will be a witness for Him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.” All the disciples were promised they would be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). Also the idea of being baptized. All believers all called to do the same in obedience to the Lord. Baptism is an outward picture of an inward reality – that your sins have been washed away. If you have not yet been baptized, “why do you wait?” Let me know if you are interested and we can get that situation taken care of!
Happy Independence Day (a.k.a. 4th of July)! Enjoy time with family and friends tomorrow celebrating our nation’s freedom! Take some time tomorrow to pray for America at this crucial time in our history. Maybe we’ll see you at the parade in Harrisburg, or the fireworks at Pioneer Park in Brownsville!
This Sunday at 9am we’ll continue our sermon series, “LAMENTATIONS: Rivers of Tears” with a message from chapter 2, “Fury Like a Fire.” Please read the chapter prayerfully before Sunday morning. Try to engage with the text and get a sense of the emotion it portrays as the author “laments” the aweful situation in Jerusalem.
Last week I encouraged you to memorize Lam. 1:18a with me – thank you to all who did that! The next passage I want us to memorize is a bit longer, so I’m going to give us 2 weeks to do it. Please work on the following for July 13:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. (Lam 3:22-25 ESV)
Please remember the quarterly business meeting July 13 after Sunday School (around 12pm).
Sons of Thunder: For dads with sons in grades 1-8, today is the deadline to get the best price on registration for the August 1-3 father/son weekend at Tadmor. Make sure you register! August 8-10 is also available for you and your son(s). Go to www.cbnw.org/events/sot.
“Why do you wait?…”
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael