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The JIBC Office is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5:30 PM.

O Magnify the Lord

This beautiful song titled O Magnify the Lord played played using violin. This song is inspired from the book of Psalm 34:3

O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.

A little bit about this violist, he is Jaime Jorge, his forceful, expressive mastery of the violin has delighted audiences around the globe. Jaime has dedicated his talents to sharing the love of God through sacred and classical concerts and special appearances the world over.

God and Man

Because God reveals himself to us in this chapter, we must learn about God and man.

A. We must learn about God.

• He is the God of heaven (9a).
• He is the creator of the universe (9b).
• He reveals himself to men (1).
• He hates sin (2).
• He is powerful (4, 7, 15).
• He is gracious (2, 17).
• He does whatever he pleases (6, 14).

B. We must learn about man.

We learn from Jonah (believer).

• Jonah is disobedient to the Lord (2, 3).
• Jonah turns away from God (5c).
• Jonah did care about the unbelievers (12-13).
• God disciplines Jonah, but he also took care of him (17).
• We also learn from the sailors (unbelievers).

We also learn from the sailors (unbelievers)

• They were afraid (4-5, 10
• They asked Jonah what must we do? (11).
• Things changed when they obeyed (14-15).
• They were saved (16).

Scripture reading from Jonah 1

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil [1] has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” 7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard [2] to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. 17 [3] And the Lord appointed [4] a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Footnotes
[1] 1:2 The same Hebrew word can mean evil or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jonah
[2] 1:13 Hebrew the men dug in [their oars]
[3] 1:17 Ch 2:1 in Hebrew
[4] 1:17 Or had appointed

Sermon audio here: God and Man

Do Everything Without Complaining

Dear friend,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Recently I heard a question which was very convicting. “Suppose you asked your spouse, your children, or the people at your workplace the following question: Do I seem content and thankful or do I seem busy and irritable?” When I heard this, I knew right away that a person would need to be brave to ask such a question. Many of us can guess an honest answer would be less than positive. All too often our conversation is characterized by grumbling and complaining rather than thanksgiving. This should not be so for the Christian person.

In fact, just think for a moment about all you have to be thankful for. In this life, there are many blessings given by God including food, clothing, shelter, family, friends, and other comforts. For the Christian, however, there is even more. We have “all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms.” This means that those who believe in Jesus for salvation have a home in heaven and “an inheritance that will never perish, spoil, or fade.” Our God supplies our needs in this life while we look expectantly forward to the next. Furthermore, we have Him! Christ Jesus, our Savior, Lord, and Friend!

With these things in mind, let’s look beyond those daily difficulties that cause us to appear busy and irritable and let’s keep our eyes fixed on our Savior!

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Phil. 4:14-16a).

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

Fellow Servants in the Lord

Because all scripture is useful (2 Tim. 3:16), we must learn from this closing section of Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae.

1. We learn the people in the Bible are real people

• Tychicus (7)
• Onesimus (9)
• Aristarchus (10)
• Mark (10
• Jesus Justus (11
• Epaphras (12)
• Luke (14)
• Demas (14)
• Nympha (15)
• Archippus (17)

2. We learn God brings different kinds of people together

• People from different races are brought together (11).
• People from nations are brought together.
• People from different social-economic backgrounds are brought together.
• In Christ they are family ( 7, 10, 11, 12; 10, 18; 8 )

3. We learn God can work through anybody

• The failure.
• The runaway.
• The prisoner.

Scripture reading from Colossians 4:7-18

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Sermon audio here: Fellow Servants in the Lord

Food Gathering

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This is to remind you that Sunday, October 5, there will be a monthly Food Gathering to help our brothers and sisters in need from Indonesian congregation and also for the Street Kids ministry. Don’t forget to bring your donations: Powdered Milk, Cooking Oil, Sugar, Noodles, and Rice. We will share the food with the Indonesian congregation. Financial gifts will be given to the Street Kids ministry.

May the Lord bless you!

In Christ,
JIBC

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