To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Today in history...Gikita (Guiquita) Waewae died...1997. Who is that you say? He is an Ecuadorian who was impacted by the Gospel because of two amazing women. His tribe was violent and cannibalistic, they rejected missionaries (really all outsiders) and after befriending some white visitors with presents, killed them. Gikita speared Nate Saint to death and led the violent abrupt attack in January of 1956, that left five missionaries dead. Not long after this horrific and tragic experience the sister of Nate, and one of my heroes, the wife of Jim Elliott went back into the village and shared the good news of the Gospel with these people that had murdered their husband and brother. Elizabeth Elliott went on to write many books (Through The Gates Of Splendour, a good starting place), but even more than their books their courage for the Gospel. These women not only truly forgave those who had wronged them, they led them into the forgiveness that only Jesus can offer and embraced them as family. Amazing examples for us of what the grace of God when it is truly experienced does! Incredible, powerful, and overwhelming, and we too share in the richness of this Gospel. Jim Elliott had written in his journal before he died, "he is no fool to give up what he can not keep, to gain what he cannot lose." AMEN! May we be encouraged today by Gikita's life, salvation, and death to share the Gospel with those God brings across our path, even if it means miraculous forgiveness as we do it! We have been given the mission of representing God and His Gospel to our friends and neighbours, and as we follow the example of Jim and Nate, even more powerfully of Elizabeth and Rachael let us rejoice as God uses us to reach out even to the most hardened with His life giving grace.
One of our values as a church is to live lives of impact, and this example is one we should learn from, and follow, even if it is not at that extreme.
We started our 31 day journey yesterday. I hope and pray you are joining us in reading the devotional, and especially in reading Romans 8 for 31 days straight! It is so precious to hear what it means to live life in the Spirit, and to be free from condemnation and to experience the life changing love of God. Please join us if you haven't started, you can get a book in the foyer, or download it online. Join us, for we long for so much more than attendance, we want intimacy with Jesus that leads to conformity to Jesus that leads to impact for Jesus. JOIN US, and talk about it with people around you. May His story impact yours, and then grow beyond yours as you share it with others!
Baptism: This coming Sunday is a baptism, join us and rejoice in God's goodness of grace, and if you haven't been baptized by immersion as a believer, NOW IS THE TIME. Contact one of your pastors and set up an interview and we will seek to help you to joyfully follow Jesus in this step of identification and obedience in relationship with Him.
February 14 is coming. Happy birthday to two of my staff members! Also it is a day of sharing love with our sweetheart. Don't Forget! Encourage you also, to share love with others. The call of God on our lives is to love one another, in fact it is the defining mark that will let others know that we have experienced His love, so take the time not only to love on your sweetheart (if you have one), but also to share God's love with someone who He brings to your mind. Write a note, make a phone call, send an email, be used by God to build His reputation in His church at CBC, and encourage one of His children!
We had a fire alarm on Sunday. Thankfully it was a false alarm, and no one was hurt. Although it was painful for the ears, shocking to the heart, and stopped a lot of great fellowship, it was also a chance for us to see where we need improving in the case of a real fire, so you will be hearing more from our team in terms of how to insure our families safety if something like this happens again. Thanks to our security team and those who engaged in helping people to be safe.
Someone wondered if the preacher had lit a fire in our people in the sermon on the amazing text of Romans 8:1...Well, don't know about that preacher, but sure hope the Holy Spirit encouraged us all in the preciousness of the Gospel and the greatness of NO CONDEMNATION! It is worth being fired up about!!!!!!!!
Sunday Is Coming:
Title: Life In The Spirit:
Text: Romans 8:5-13
Perhaps there is no one who has been so misunderstood in Christian history as the HOLY SPIRIT. In fact I still find many who equate Him to certain churches, or styles, instead of what the Bible teaches about Him. Romans 8 is one of only a few chapters in the Bible that introduce us powerfully to Him, and therefore worth taking our time to walk through and understand. If you have the work of the Holy Spirit in you, you will be radically set on Jesus, and your life will be altered to image Jesus. There is little more important for the "aliveness" of a Christian than the Spirit's work.
Read, read again, and don't stop, this tremendous chapter. Join us by reading the devotional, and the text, for Lori and I it was about 10 minutes of calibrating our lives this morning.
- As you reflect on these specific verses, what is the role of the Spirit?
- What is the contrast that this text makes?
- Why do you think there is so much confusion when it comes to the role of the Holy Spirit in the believers life?
- What steps can you take from verses 1-13 to affirm the Spirit's work in your life?
Looking forward to another great Sunday with you,
Seeking to walk according to the Spirit with you,
Pastor Rob