In the last two Sundays, we have had 3 people baptized and the Lord added 8 new members to our church family. We also have 3 more adults that have indicated their interest in baptism and another 4 who will soon be joining the church. Two of those are new believers!
On Sunday mornings, I've been preaching a new series entitled, "Who Cares?" It goes along with the billboards we have posted in our community and also our website, www.ebc-cares.com. People are being reminded of what "real" caring means and how we as the Church, must care for those around us. They are also realizing that you can't serve God, while sitting on the sidelines. By the way... what ministry are you involved in?
It's been good seeing God move in the hearts of our people, as they have been volunteering to serve in various ministries. We need all the volunteers and help we can get with Judgement House and Trunk-or-Treat coming up. I'll keep you posted on how God uses our volunteers!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Bible Doctrine Class
I started a new Life Group 2 weeks ago and it has been amazing! The class is "Bible Doctrine 101." While doctrine doesn't sound very exciting, the crowd is growing and those present are excited about having a "safe place" to ask those Bible questions that have bewildered them for years.
The class consists of various age groups, new believers, not-so-new believers, regular church-goers, occasional church-goers, and more. We started by introducing the basics of the Bible (sections, divisions, Library mentality, authors, etc.) It appears the simplicity of the subject matter has been well received, and I think the excitement will only grow as we begin to study the doctrines and watch the lights come on for new believers.
The purpose of the class is to help people gain a firm foundation for their faith. CNN recently had a survey of religious questions on their website. Sadly, atheists and agnostics answered the questions about religion more accurately than those who claimed to be "religious." Even more sadly, the survey revealed that Southerners (specifically in the Bible belt), knew the LEAST about religion.
Maybe if preachers would preach more Bible and less opinion, people would know more about the Bible. Can you imagine what the church would be like if people actually knew their Bibles, lived its teachings, and had a foundation upon which to build a biblical worldview! I CAN, so I'm teaching a class on Bible doctrine; since you can't live what you believe, until you know what you believe.
The class consists of various age groups, new believers, not-so-new believers, regular church-goers, occasional church-goers, and more. We started by introducing the basics of the Bible (sections, divisions, Library mentality, authors, etc.) It appears the simplicity of the subject matter has been well received, and I think the excitement will only grow as we begin to study the doctrines and watch the lights come on for new believers.
The purpose of the class is to help people gain a firm foundation for their faith. CNN recently had a survey of religious questions on their website. Sadly, atheists and agnostics answered the questions about religion more accurately than those who claimed to be "religious." Even more sadly, the survey revealed that Southerners (specifically in the Bible belt), knew the LEAST about religion.
Maybe if preachers would preach more Bible and less opinion, people would know more about the Bible. Can you imagine what the church would be like if people actually knew their Bibles, lived its teachings, and had a foundation upon which to build a biblical worldview! I CAN, so I'm teaching a class on Bible doctrine; since you can't live what you believe, until you know what you believe.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friend Day - 9.12.10
Last Sunday was AWESOME! Whether you called it "Friend Day," "National Back to Church Sunday," or as the old-timers used to call it... "Round-up Sunday;" it was a GREAT day!
Many of our church members invited their friends and family members to attend with them. One of our newest evangelist and her 2 friends (who recently trusted Christ), had two pews of people with them! We had 2 baptized, 3 prayed to receive Christ, 3 more requested info on how to start a relationship with God, 4 recommitted their lives to Christ, and many first-time guests were in attendance! As we started following-up on our guests, another lady invited Christ to be her Lord and Savior on Monday night!
Friend Day also served as a great reminder (to me) that it is "not my our might, nor by our power; but by His Spirit" that God convicts hearts and builds His Church. On Friday night, our family went to visit our daughter in VA and on one of our biggest Sundays of the year, I left my sermon notes laying in the hotel lobby as we drove off. Imagine my surprise on Saturday night as I went to look over my sermon one more time. So, I was at the church at 6:00am on Sunday morning praying and recreating. The experience was a teachable moment reminding me to depend on God and trust Him for the results.
Thank you to all who prepared our facilities, made coffee, served donuts, cleaned up, greeted, had a part in the service, etc. Also, a special thanks to everyone who cared enough to invite a guest to attend with them. God rewarded your efforts!
Many of our church members invited their friends and family members to attend with them. One of our newest evangelist and her 2 friends (who recently trusted Christ), had two pews of people with them! We had 2 baptized, 3 prayed to receive Christ, 3 more requested info on how to start a relationship with God, 4 recommitted their lives to Christ, and many first-time guests were in attendance! As we started following-up on our guests, another lady invited Christ to be her Lord and Savior on Monday night!
Friend Day also served as a great reminder (to me) that it is "not my our might, nor by our power; but by His Spirit" that God convicts hearts and builds His Church. On Friday night, our family went to visit our daughter in VA and on one of our biggest Sundays of the year, I left my sermon notes laying in the hotel lobby as we drove off. Imagine my surprise on Saturday night as I went to look over my sermon one more time. So, I was at the church at 6:00am on Sunday morning praying and recreating. The experience was a teachable moment reminding me to depend on God and trust Him for the results.
Thank you to all who prepared our facilities, made coffee, served donuts, cleaned up, greeted, had a part in the service, etc. Also, a special thanks to everyone who cared enough to invite a guest to attend with them. God rewarded your efforts!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Sunday Summary 9.10.10
Last Sunday, was exciting as 2 people were baptized and 2 joined the church. We concluded the sermon series regarding the process for making disciples. Our 4-step process for making disciples at EBC is:
- Share
- Connect
- Serve
- Disciple Others
Following the morning service, I had the sweetest conversation with a couple who was convicted about inviting their friends to do everything, except come to church. They made a prayer list and e-mailed it to me. We have joined them in praying. Others filled out cards asking us to pray for their friends and relatives who need to start a relationship with God.
Now that we've talked about making disciples --- let's DO IT!
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