God’s Glory in His Church
God has given us beautiful pictures, models, and celebrations in the church!
Down with Christ, Up with Christ
Sunday is the best day of the week. However, there are two things that can make it even better: the Lord’s Table and baptism. This is Dave. He’s amazing. He’s been a member for years. Faithfully served the church. He’s involved in security, building and grounds, Sunday school, and kids ministry. But, you might be asking me, “Chris, how has he been a member for years and he is just now getting baptized?”
Great question. Thanks for asking.
Several months ago the topic of baptism came up over breakfast. I asked lots of questions about Dave’s conversion and baptism. This conversation started something that could’ve been just as easily a — as they say in the biz — nothing-burger. Since then Pastor Matt has preached on the topic of baptism from Acts and Dave read a book specifically on baptism to better get his head around the matter. What it came down to was that Dave realized he was not yet born again when he was first baptized.
There were lots of reason why Dave could’ve let the issue lie. For one, no one was harping on him about baptism. Everyone knew, at least at one time, that he was baptized otherwise he couldn’t be a member. But, for Dave, this was a matter of finding the Truth of God and obeying it. He could’ve felt sheepish about not having a biblical baptism and just flown under the radar. He could’ve been embarrassed having missed this important milestone in a Christian’s life.
Dave didn’t care. He wanted to please God.
I love Dave. I love his heart, his care for others, and that he calls me every week to give me a hard time.
As an aside, Dave said whoever held him underwater the least could baptize him. Apparently I won that contest, at a whopping 2.4 seconds (officially clocked by someone in attendance). Not bad.
Christ’s Church is for Redemption
Hope in the Grove is pastored by Mike Samuels (far left). He’s worth his weight in gold. The church there didn’t start in this building. It didn’t even start with all these people in the pews. The story of this historic church is one rife with challenges and testimonies of God’s faithfulness. What began as a church plant in Cottage Grove, turned into a merger between two churches who needed each other.
On Sunday night I brought my family to their celebration of autonomy. It’s essential that my girls grow up understanding and witnessing the glory of God in His church. A church becoming autonomous means that the church has become stable and financially viable so that it no longer required the oversight of the sending church New Hope Creswell. This is a big milestone for any church plant, one that we will experience Lord willing, but it is special considering where these churches were only a few years before this evening. If you live in the Cottage Grove area, I don’t think there’s a better church to be at.
Praise God for the testimony of His faithfulness to His church.
Now the Real Work Begins
I have a sense I’ll say that over and over again as we continue to transition between stages of the church plant. At this stage, I’m meeting with people to discuss the church plant in anticipation for training and then launch in August. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers few, so pray to the God of the harvest!
I’ve got one meeting planned this week as well as several invitations to preach at other local churches and discuss the plant. In the meantime I’m preaching at RBC while Pastor Matt enjoys some hard earned paternity leave (hard earned by his wife mostly, but we’ll give it to him). Additionally I finally get to pull out one of my most anticipated books, To the Judicious and Impartial Reader by James Renihan, as I prepare our weekly gatherings to work through the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
There are only a few weeks before training begins so if you or someone you know is interested in joining us or learning more before jumping aboard, let me know! It’s our top priority right now.
Prayer Requests
Take time to praise God for His faithfulness to His church. God is for His church, and that won’t change until Christ returns!
Pray for our (RBC) New Movers ministry. We introduce ourselves to folks who have recently moved to our neighborhood and give them info about the church and the Gospel. We made a push Sunday with several groups and would love to see people come and meet Jesus.
Pray for Dove Medical as they continue to advocate for the life of unborn children through important medical services to vulnerable fathers and mothers. While the wicked culture seeks to destroy the least of these, God’s people are working to preserve life.
