To My Fellow Priests:
That is sure a strange way to start an email, especially when what we think of priests is driven more by the Catholic Church than the Bible.
1 Peter 2:9"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
What does this royal priesthood mean? Well next week we celebrate the 500 year anniversary of the Reformation, and as we have seen it restored the Biblical priority of expository preaching, it gave voice to the praise of God's people in congregational singing and it released the biblical concept of the priesthood of all believers. What in essence this meant was that we now as individuals have a direct and intimate relationship with God that leads to worshiping Him, and representing Him. We have one mediator, and that is Jesus...now having been reconciled to God we seek to show how great He is and introduce others to Him.
We are all privileged to belong to Him, and to be on mission for Him. If you are a child of God, you are a priest, and we believe in your value and ministry and the priesthood of all believers. Know what this means and apply it!
Reminder: Next week is our R500 conference, and we would love for all of you to have the chance to come and take part. The evenings (Tuesday and Wednesday) are free, and will have excellent messages, as well we would love for more of you to register for the entire conference online. If you want a special deal, please talk with Peter Sylvester, and register.
Welcome Ray & Robyn! Pastor Ray starts tomorrow (October 26). What a joy to see God moving in this way and to have a quality ministry couple like this joining us in ministry! WELCOME. They both commented to me how friendly our church is (WELL DONE). Then over coffee today another report of a first time attender who felt right at home and loves our church family (WELL DONE). We need all of us working hard at coming with our love antenna's up and looking for ways to love those around us if we are going to continue to do well at this, and grow in this. Proud of our love when I hear these stories, but also know we need to grow continually in our pursuit of greatness God's way!
What In The World Is God Doing?
We belong to the C hurch when we come to know Jesus, which means we are a part of the Family of God throughout history and around the world. We also are to be committed to the c hurch, the local family of believers that allows us to function as the church as God commands (Ephesians 4:11-16). Realizing the importance of both is essential to healthy Christian living. We as a c hurch want to minister effectively to other believers all around the world together for God's glory. We want to be a sending church. Today I received another letter from a missions organization (OMF) welcoming a family from our church into their ministry organization and missional work around the world (you will hear more on this soon). Was reminded again of the importance for us as a congregation to continue to grow in our passion for world wide impact even as we continue to grow in our conformity to the image of Jesus and impact on our own communities! Commit to Jesus and His c hurch so that we can continue to impact the world for His glory!
Sunday: Membership Class: For all interested in learning more about CBC, join us Sunday at 2:00 in the Fellowship Hall for a time of learning. Pick up a manual, pre-read it and prayerfully consider joining us in seeking God's will in your maximum impact and belonging for His glory!
Sunday Is Coming:
Title: Reformation: Faithfulness To God & His Gospel
Text: Romans 1:17
Why is knowing church history so important to us today?
How did the Reformation shape the church?
Do you know the 5 Sola's? As you come up with them ask why each is important?
What does it mean to not be ashamed of the Gospel?
What is "the righteousness of God", that comes by faith?
A fellow priest,
Rob