To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Lori and I feel so blessed to be able to have gone away on an amazing holiday to celebrate our 25th! We praise God for the gift of one another, and this opportunity to focus on one another in a great place. We enjoyed the beach, the history, the food, and most importantly spending quality time together. Thank you for your prayers!
It was fun to listen to the father/son team that preached at CBC, and know both were appreciated! Thank you for being a congregation that loves God's Word, wants to hear it preached, and seeks to apply it in all of life! I am proud to be a part of a family like this!
Some things to be aware of:
Baptism Service: July 9. If you have questions about baptism, or want to be a part of this amazing service in getting baptized, please contact one of your pastors. It is always a privilege to hear people celebrate their salvation with their testimonies!
Summer Prayer Meetings: The elders invite you to a weekly prayer meeting, starting July 4, and carrying on every Tuesday evening for the summer. They will run from 7-8, and be focused on the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, with the majority of time being spent in prayer. We truly believe that we will only succeed God's way as we pray, so strongly encourage you to join us in this, and to learn how to pray as we pray together!
Want to carry on our theme of pursuing godliness together by encouraging one another to be thankful! It is interesting that not only will thanksgiving chase out bitterness and self focus it also will yield a peace that transcends understanding when partnered with prayer (Philippians 4:4-6). Take the time to be thankful, and when you struggle with others around you being negative, fight against it with thanksgiving. God is worthy of our praise always! BE THANKFUL!
Sunday Is Coming:
This summer we are going to do a series on being, In The World, BUT Not Of The World: The first two sermons will focus on the foundations we must have in place if we are to be who God has called us to be. So often the demonic realm leads those who want to feel committed to Jesus in compromise by focusing on being in, or not, rather than living on mission for Him. We are called to be Ambassadors, His representatives and the best way we do this is being in the world, and being like Jesus as we live among those who need to hear about Him!
Our hope is that this series will equip us to deal with the difficult issues that Christians are facing, as the world (and many churches) drift from the pattern of Scripture. May God help us to be in the world, but not of the world!
Sermon: Foundations: Don't Tamper With God's Word
Text: Genesis 3; 2 Corinthians 4
Do you struggle with being in the world, or being of the world? Why is it important to recognize that God has called us to live among those in the world, and to be like Jesus?
This struggle is with the flesh, the world, and the demonic realm, why is it important to realize that the Christian life is a battle, not a stroll in the park?
Why is knowing the Word of God so important to seeking to live a life that glorifies God?
How are you seeking now in your life to have a Biblical view of God, rather than selfish, or worldly?
What does it mean to treasure God's Word? Practically what does this look like?
How can we make sure that we think biblically?
Have a great week, excited to see you Sunday, and feeling very blessed to be married to Lori, back home with my wonderful boys (miss you Jeff), and able to serve you as God's family here!
Thankful to serve you,
Pastor Rob