To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church Are you doing a Bible read this year? Being Word saturated is one of the most important things in our spiritual growth. One of the ways we encourage this as a church family is by reading together through the Bible. We have done this for many years, and most of us either start, and then give up, or have our own plan (I have my own plan that I follow every year). Last Tuesday an elder shared how impacted they were in a previous church when they read God's Word together and this challenged my heart to challenge you. Would you join me this year in our Bible read. If you are starting now, you will be a little behind (like me), and then share what you are learning with someone else in the church and encourage them to be in the Word.
As we are separated my deepest concern is that we will struggle in our connection with God, and listening to His Word together will help us to stay connected to Him. My second concern is that we will be disconnected from one another, and following a Bible read and communicating what we are learning will at the very least help solve that! Will you join me in the Bible read, and if, like me, you are starting late, what matters is today, and so get into God's Word, and share with others the impact it is having on your life. If we do this together, we will find a unity that is so important in the midst of what is going on around us!Today, we spent time in Genesis 27; Matthew 26; Esther 3; and Acts 26. I found all rich, but particularly Matthew 26, where we find a precious woman who responds with lavish love to Jesus, by anointing his head with her life's savings. Some call it a waste, but Jesus declares it a great use of her wealth, and then states, "Truly, I say to you, wherever this Gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." So today, I tell the story in memory of her and encourage us as followers of God to follow her in her lavish devotion to God. Let us give all we have to Him, even if some around us think it is a waste, and let us remember this precious woman and her love and devotion to God and share it with others as we seek to live it ourselves.
Invite 1, Encourage 3. We are commanded to serve in the local church, and in that devotion to her to love one another. This is not easy when we are physically separated, but it is possible, so please take the extra time to obey God's Word and be an encouragement. Especially focus on sharing what you are learning from our online gatherings, or reading God's Word together. One of the ways we can be better at the end of our physical isolation is to realize the importance God has placed on the local church and love her more purely. Will you learn this lesson with me, and devote yourself even now to building her up?
Sunday Is Coming:
Title: Being A Good Citizen
Text: Romans 13:1-7
What a joy to see how God plans our working through the text. Never in my life have I seen so many interested in what Romans 13 teaches. It is perhaps in the midst of the situation we are in the most quoted and misquoted verses in Romans.
I am thankful that this message was prepared before the Pandemic, and even more thankful that God has so clearly addressed situations we are in, well before we find ourselves in them. The Christian life is to be lived in the world but not of the world, and God calls us to be the very best citizens because we obey Him.
Please read this text with open hands and an open heart, and take the time to reflect on the following questions:
- How does the Sovereignty of God help us to obey Romans 13 (and other commands) in the midst of a broken world?
- Why is believing in His plan and power key to our joy in the midst brokenness and pain, and in our situation isolation?
- What stories come to mind from God's Word of times when God's people disobeyed the government and were blessed by God for it?
- What steps can you take to be a "best citizen" in 2021 in Canada?
Membership Candidates
We celebrate with those who seek to join the CBC family through membership. Stefan and Jana Van der Watt and Coralie Still are in process of this; if you have any questions or concerns please speak with a pastor or elder.
Please check out our online bulletin that is updated every week: Keep Informed
cloverdalebaptistchurch.ca/
Other:
The 2020 Christmas offering will be designated to the Langley Foodbank and will remain open until January 31, 2021. Please mark your envelopes accordingly as you seek God's will to know how to invest your giving above your tithes and offerings.
Every Sunday we have CONNECTION CAFÉ: Join us before the service in a time of sharing what God is doing.
Sunday School Is On!
Special Guests:
Ryan and Katelynn Penner have returned from 2 ½ years of ministry in the Philippines. They have recorded their story for us as they cannot tell us in person of their ministry time. This will be made available this coming weekend instead of the Worldliness Sunday School class that Pastor’s Thomas and Ray have been hosting. Watch their story and join us at 9:30am on Sunday for Q&A with them.
Kids ministry is seeking to serve you, and help in discipling our children and families even though we are not gathering live. Please take advantage of this, and continue to make church a priority that your children can see and taste!
Thanks all for staying informed, and for being a person who has a positive impact for God's glory and the good of His church at CBC.