To God’s Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Run Run Run!
Run Run Run!
As we start the new ministry year, our theme is ENGAGEMENT, and our goal is to have each person who calls Cloverdale Baptist Church home attending, serving, loving, growing, and living life in the presence of God for the glory of God.
This is a big goal, especially as so many of us have to some degree disengaged, so what are the basics that will allow you to help us as a family have a FANTASTIC YEAR?
I love Hebrews 12, although Lori would tell you I end up falling in love with almost every text I have the privilege of preaching.
To start, let us realize we are in a race, and sometimes in the midst of what is not easy, we are called to keep on running!
RUN RUN RUN!
The crowds are cheering us on, showing us it is possible in God’s strength to live for God’s glory, so we must keep on running the race marked out for us!
To do this well, WE MUST…
- Throw off weight that is distracting us from what really matters. This means being aware of what is taking up our focus, maybe seen best in how we use our time, treasures and talents, and ensuring our best is given to the race. Where do you spend your time? What occupies your thoughts, texts, emails, life? If it is not the Gospel, and the One who saved you, make the adjustments you need to make to be able to keep going in the marathon God has given you!
- Kill Sin. This is maybe the most important message for us, as we realize the damage sin does to the glory of God we are to display, the church family, and our own lives. Sin will be killing us, or we will be killing sin. Do not become content with the rattle snake in your life, cut its head off in the power of the Spirit and stop playing with it. Sin will entangle the feet of the runner, and cause tripping and destruction.
- Focus On Jesus. This is a fixing of our eyes, and a focusing of our minds. It is an all exclusive passion and an essential discipline. Jesus should be the first person we think of in the morning, the last passion we reflect on at night, and a fixation throughout the day. This will take discipline, especially if you have lived a life of distraction to this point in your life, but it is the only way to endurance and engagement.
It is interesting to me that in the midst of all the people the book of Hebrews is written to, there is no call to fight the culture (which was even worse than ours), rather a call to patient and passionate endurance and intimacy with Jesus and His family. Yes there is a lot about commitment to the local church, obedience to your elders, and encouraging one another, but almost nothing about engaging the culture on cultural issues. Perhaps we should learn a little from this and fixate on Jesus and not panic about the Roman Emperor or the Canadian Prime Minister.
If we want to stay in the race, to engage as God desires…we must listen to Hebrews 12:1-3.
RUN RUN RUN!
As we kick off our ministries there is so much that we would love for you to choose to take part in!
Partners In Prayer: This is a special group that prays for me and my ministry on a weekly basis as well as when emailed. You can sign up for this on Ministry Sunday, or respond to this email and I will send more details.
Growth Groups: In a larger church like ours, connecting on an intimate level with other believers is greatly enhanced by joining a Growth Group. Make a commitment to do this in the coming year, and sign up on Ministry Sunday, or talk to Ken Bayne.
Discipleship Hour: We have discovered that the Canadian church spends more time online then in God’s Word, and as such believes CNN or Fox or conspiracy theories more than Jesus. This has created a world that is angry or apathetic rather than passionate about Jesus! As elder we desperately want to make this unthinkable at Cloverdale Baptist and want to do an ever improving job of helping God’s people here grow deeper for a wider impact. Sign up for this Discipleship opportunity for all ages on Sunday’s from 9-10 at the Ministry Sunday, or just show up and grow with us! Pastor Rob will be teaching on Current Issues and A Christ Response in the Youth Room, and Ken Bayne will be teaching on Fundementals of the Faith in the board room.
So many other ministries are kicking off, and we long for this year to be our best ever in growing deeper in intimacy and wider in love and impact. Please ENGAGE this year with us and help us bring glory to God and encouragement to one another.
I am excited about the coming year, and looking forward to hearing in eternity how God used you to accomplish His work!
Running with you and for you,
Pastor Rob
Sunday Is Coming:
Please come early and enjoy a Cinnamon Bun and fellowship, as well as take the opportunity to see everything going on in ministry. Please make God and His people a priority this year and let it be seen as we start and beyond.
Sermon: Engage With God
Romans 11/Isaiah 40
This is the most important place to start and stay if you want to run the race well.
"Your view of God is the most important thing about you". Tozer
- How have you shaped your view of God? What do you do to make sure it is biblical and not cultural?
- When you think about God what comes into your mind?
- Do you live your life in His presence?
- How can you grow to know Him better this coming year, and become more and more effective in bringing Him glory?
Announcements:
Bulletin
Summer Prayer Nights
Ministry Info Sunday
Sunday, September 10th / 9:30 AM / CBC We’ll be hosting our annual Ministry Info Sunday, where you’ll get to know more about our different ministries and learn how you can get involved. We’ll also be serving delicious cinnamon buns and coffee, so you won’t want to miss out!
Seniors Luncheon
Wed. Sept 13th / 11:30 Am / Fellow. Hall Our first seniors luncheon of the fall season! Join us for an old fashioned BBQ. Our special guests will be “Sings of Hope”—playing old time country gospel favorites—lots of songs you’ll be able to sing along with. Tickets ($10) on sale in the foyer for the next two Sundays only.
More Than $3 Worth of the Gospel: Relationship
The Cloverdale Baptist Podcast Jesus summarized the entire Old Testament relationally. What does that mean for us today and how can we make sure our lives are driven and defined by a first-love relationship with God? Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, as well as on our website.
We’re Hiring!
Pastor of Discipleship: Our search committee is looking for a candidate with a heart to see people grow in the faith and knowledge of the Lord. Learn more >
