To God’s Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist:
What a joy to get to see so many of you for the first time in more than a year on Sunday. So many tears shed (including from your preacher), and I am so thankful for the feedback so many of you have given (best service ever, which may be contextual, but I love it!) We praise God for your love for Him, and His bride and the way you have stayed focused on Christ in the midst of COVID. Thank you for your faithfulness in a difficult time! Your support, love, prayers, finances, and general passionate pursuit of being on God’s side is not only something I delight in, I also realize that it is from God. THANK YOU for your partnership in the Gospel! I praise God for your faithfulness to Him, and focus on Him!
When the storms come, those who stand firm are those who have heard the Word of God and obey it (Matthew 7:14-27), and one of the great joys I see is that so many of you have stood firm. I am so thankful for Cloverdale Baptist Church and her maturity in this storm.
Want to encourage you in three things this week (similar to every week I guess, with a little twist):
- Prayer:
We are making this the major emphasis of the summer because we know we are dependent and because we want so much more in our lives and church.
We believe this to be our #1 priority this summer in our longing to know God more and stay on His side during this time, as well as to accomplish His will.
Will you join us personally in making prayer a priority this summer. Get a copy of our book online for free (epub, or pdf), or from Amazon ($5), read it, and use it as a guide to deepen your prayer life with us!
Join us at our prayer meetings on Tuesday’s at the church (7-8) where we will work through The Lord’s Prayer, and learn from Jesus how to pray. THESE START TONIGHT!
Pray for one another in homes, coffee shops, and work places. PRAY PRAY PRAY.
https://www.
There are so many things to pray for, and we will certainly pass some of those on, but we believe if we truly develop a deeper culture of prayer this year we will see massive growth in our relationship with God and one another, and massive power in doing His will for His glory. He is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine!
May it never be said of us that we do not have because we do not ask.
This week, we are focusing on OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN, and rejoicing in the immanence and transcendence of God. Join us and our God in pursuing His best for our lives and church family.
PRAY PRAY PRAY!
- Pursuit:
On Sunday we took the time to share with you that we believe that God has provided above and beyond in our needs in the worship ministry area. Jeff and team have been an AMAZING BLESSING, and we are so delighted with their service, especially Jeff as Interim Worship Director. We were told by someone who knows the program Jeff was in, that it would be impossible for him to serve the church, and pass. Jeff has passed with excellence and served God and His bride in His strength and for His glory. We are so thankful for him, and his ministry (that will continue as a volunteer, as he loves Jesus church!). As he transitions to teaching, we were in desperate need! We prayed, and we believe God has answered.
This now needs your continued prayers, and help to get to know Dr. Johnny and Darlene and affirm with us and them that this is God’s will. I have been thrilled to get to know Johnny's passion for God, and the heart, mind and voices of God's people together exalting Him with joy and renewed devotion. I am so thankful that God's timing and plan are better than ours!
Seeking His will with us in this takes full devotion to God, Word Saturation, and Prayer (Romans 12:1-2). So please join us in pursuing His will, getting to know this amazing couple, and sharing what you believe to be God’s will at our meeting on July 25, after the am service.
We will be having a congregational meeting on July 25, at around 11:45 as announced Sunday, July 4.
This is a very exciting time for us as a congregation. We need your help with this! Please pray, and join us in this exciting pursuit of God's will.
- Passion/Plan:
To know Jesus and make Him known. This has been a time of distraction and dismay, and now it is a time to fight the spiritual battle with renewed focus. How do we do this? Submit to God, and seek to encourage and love others. We have said throughout COVID invite 1, encourage 3. Let us keep this up and increase it as we move forward together.
Be a blessing because you love Jesus with all your heart! Let Him and His love dominate your mind and heart until you are filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-21). This is our hope for unity and joy, even if you are on one of the extremes in your cultural response to this crisis. Focus on Christ and everything else becomes almost irrelevant (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
If all of us see ourselves as Ambassadors for Jesus, then in His Sovereignty we have an opportunity to share the Gospel with people who are confused, hurting and have just had fear of death made more evident. Sounds a little like the first century, and a lot like an opportunity, so let’s not waste it!
When is the last time you shared the Gospel of Christ? Make it that if you are asked that tomorrow you will say yesterday...
If we PRAY, PURSUE, AND HAVE PASSION, we will never go back to the old normal, we will move forward in a NEW NORMAL that is centred around Jesus and does His work for His glory with ever more passion!
I love Cloverdale Baptist Church, have really always loved her (as long as I have known her), and believe that she will never return to normal, and this is GREAT NEWS…if we as those who belong to her and love her, PRAY, PURSUE, and live with the right PASSION…we will continue to know him more deeply, impact for Him more widely, and love one another more sacrificially!
The FUTURE IS BRIGHT if we passionately pursue in prayer and life being on God's side!
I can’t wait for the next few months, as although I know they will be filled with battle (the flesh, the world, and the devil will continue to rage), if we fight in His strength for His glory together, we can’t lose!
WE ARE OPEN WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS: All who choose God’s side are welcome as we choose our devotion to Him and focus on His glory and Gospel together. Remember we gather for Jesus, so our first love will be for Him, and this will always lead to a self-sacrificial love for one another (Ephesians 5:1-2). Leave your preferences in the car, and bring your love for others, and competition to out honour them (Romans 12:10). You are welcome to wear a mask, or choose not to, you are welcome to keep distance, or shake hands, and you are commanded to LOVE sacrificially and fix your eyes on Jesus! We will continue with the two-seat space between pods, and hope that helps all feel welcome and honoured!
We will be having CONNECTION CAFÉ THIS WEEK…and so come early, and join us for a coffee and visit if you feel comfortable doing that!
Children’s Ministry Sunday Mornings Is Not Going Yet: SO…
Nursing Mothers room will be open (nursing mothers only please)
- Nursery will be open, but not church supervised. Will be for women and children only, and parents are responsible for your own children.
- Fellowship will be open this Sunday, and service on the screen, if you feel more comfortable with young families there (you are welcome in the sanctuary).
If you need more specific information on children’s ministries, please contact Robyn or Hannah.
WE NEED YOU TO SERVE JESUS AND HIS CHURCH: As programs start up again, we will need God’s people to join us in serving Him together! Will you consider signing up to serve, for we have many opportunities available…contact a deacon, or pastor, or the church office and let us know where you feel led to serve Jesus Bride, and it will help us prepare to re-engage with a strong volunteer force serving together.
Sunday Is Coming:
Title: God Is Real And Revealed
Text: Malachi 1:6-14
Malachi is a book that calls God’s people too authenticity, and to live in light of His Sovereign love.
It is a difficult book, because it gets so personal, and addresses issues that we all struggle with.
God is real, and we must live as though He is who He says He is, if we are His followers.
This passage shows us that God cares about His Name. What does this mean?
How can we show that we treasure His name as well?
Why do you think God cares so much as to our obedience of His Word?
How does your life display the power of the Gospel to others, and show the beauty of who God is to those in your sphere of influence?
Why do you think Malachi takes so much time to show the uselessness of religious activity devoid of intimacy with God?
Excited about what this week might bring, and trusting that it will display our trust in God and love for one another…
For God, and in service of His bride,
Pastor Rob
Some REMINDERS:
Treasure in the Tundra: July 12-16. Register online, VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! This is a fantastic way to have children learn to love Jesus together. WE ARE FULL, but still need servants of God who want to be GREAT by pointing children to Him.
Kids ministry is seeking to serve you, and help in discipling our children and families even though we are not gathering physically. Please take advantage of this, and continue to make church a priority that your children can see and taste!
Stay informed and connected!
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Please make an effort to stay informed as we seek to get the engagement together moving forward! We are so excited to see God's people joining together in unified pursuit of His best!
Please join me in making an extra effort to pursue unity, encourage a family member, and share what God is teaching you with someone else.
Encourage 3, Invite 1, Share With All Who Will Listen!
STAY STRONG, FAITHFUL, COURAGEOUS and FOCUSED! We are almost around the corner on this challenge, and although there are many more to come, what we have learned will make us stronger if we stay submitted to God and His Word!
If you have read to the end, and want a free copy of Pastor Rob's book on prayer, we will give one to the first 5 people that respond... (I know they are free online, and only $5 from Amazon, but might as well try to get rewarded for reading this much on a Tuesday morning)
Igniting His Church Through Prayer
What would happen if God’s people truly prayed?
What would the church look like if those who followed Jesus sought God’s face with passion as they lived their lives conscious of His presence for His glory? There is an opportunity in this world to grow in our relationship with Jesus and impact the world for His glory right now in Canada, and at the heart of this opportunity is the prayers of Jesus’ followers. Children of the heavenly Father need to learn how to pray, but we need more than that, we need to actually put feet on that and pray!
If God’s people will humble themselves, seek His face, and pray, they will know Him more intimately and magnify His name more intensely, in His strength, for His glory.
What would happen if God’s people prayed? Apply what you find in this book and we will find out!
Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.
SAMUEL CHADWICK