To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church,
It is good to be a child of the KING and to be found in Him! Knowing who we are is key to becoming who we are, and that is the goal of our lives here, to conform to the image of Jesus (Galatians 4:19).
I am ready for Spring. I love new flowers, no snow, warmer weather, and most importantly the celebration of love (yes, talking about Jeff and Hannah's wedding) Thank you to all of you who have said you would come, we would love this to be a church event that includes you, our church family that we LOVE! Since you asked (okay, not all of you, and there is certainly no pressure, we just want this church event to be our church family celebrating this event with us) Jeff and Hannah are registered at the Bay (Lori says this is the best), and Bed Bath & Beyond. We are excited to celebrate with you our church family this great day!
This week Shepherds conference is going on in Southern California, and you can watch the livestream sessions. Listened to an excellent sermon this afternoon by Sinclair Ferguson on the importance of holiness in life (Hebrews 12:14). I encourage you to listen to good preaching during the week, and keep learning and sharing what you are learning with others. At the end of this month is The Gospel Coalition conference, and that also livestreams, would love for you to listen in, and enjoy great preaching when you can. KEEP GROWING! (Dan and Tim, hope you have a blast there, and bring back many Shepherds Treasures).
It is good to interact on God's Word together. That is one of the reasons why we value the Bible Study Books that go along with the sermon. We really want to create a conversation amongst God's people that will lead to deeper knowledge, warmer emotions, and greater impact in our world and church. Someone asked me the other day, as an overflow of the sermon on Romans 5, if we are sinful from birth, what happens to babies who die. Or we could expand this to include, not only babies who die, as in miscarriages, abortions, or the pain of early death, but also those who are not capable of thinking through the decision that they must make for sin, or for salvation. Do babies who die go to heaven? My answer is YES! To get here, there are three necessary steps to take: 1. All who have ever been conceived are in Adam, and thus deserve the separation from God that comes with that; including being, "by nature objects of wrath", 2. God is a gracious God (Psalm 86:15), who I believe in that grace will save those through His death and resurrection who die before the age of accountability (or really ability of accountability); 3. The bible is clear on Jesus love for, and time with children (Mark 10), and in fact is displeased with those who do not take time for them. So, based on the grace of God, and Jesus clear love and time for children, I believe that in that grace, all who die before the age of accountability, will be with believers in glory. If you have lost a baby, or someone incapable of rejecting the grace of God, take heart, and live filled with HOPE in the grace of our God.
We have been discussing Revival...and with Tozer's help, I hope pursuing it in our own hearts. We have seen that, that we need to: 1. Get Thoroughly Dissatisfied With Yourself; 2. Set Your Face Like A Flint Toward A Sweeping Transformation Of Your Life; 3. Put Yourself In The Way Of Blessing; 4. Do A Thorough Job Of Repenting. Now we continue with some very practical steps that put action on the first four steps. 5. Make Restitution Wherever Possible. Repentance is not just about being sorry, it is about turning our back on sin, and our face toward God, and putting feet on that, in this we will seek to make right any wrongs we have committed, specifically with those who we have sinned against. This is a rare God wrought reality that takes humility that can only be found in Him. It is hard to own our sin before God, perhaps even harder, to make it right with those around us. If you have sinned against someone (and you have), take the time to say sorry and own your own part of this journey without any expectations on others. Be sorry, and say sorry, and live sorry. If you have stolen, repay...6. Bring Your Life Into Accord With The Sermon On The Mount& Such Other NT Scriptures As Are Designed To Instruct Us In The Way Of Righteousness. I would just call this being Word Saturated, but I think Tozer wants this more specific, and as these are his we will let him win. Read the beatitudes, memorize them, meditate on them, and pursue them for your life. These are the characteristics of Christ's people. When you read God's Word, seek to obey it, and pursue a heart of full devotion to Him. When God's Word is read, read it on your knees, and rise to obey! It is a joy to know that God has shown us who He is and what He wants in His Word. Every revival is brought about by Biblical preaching and yields Biblical passions! Fight on! Apply on! Pray for revival, and with me would you pray that He would continue a work in each individual that attends Cloverdale Baptist Church, and that He would help us to live every moment in His strength, for His glory!
Sunday Is Coming
Title: Who We Are In Christ
Text: Romans 6:1-14
- Why is it so important that we know our identity in Christ?
- Why is this the Bible's favourite way of describing Christians (around 140 times)?
- How can we live in light of who we are?
- As you read through Romans 6:1-14, what do you think this passage adds to the discussion of what it means to be IN CHRIST?
Excited to grow in our understanding and experience of this great reality!
In Christ,
Pastor Rob