A Friend of Sinners

Dear friends,

“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Luke 7:34)

Among the many titles which belong to the our Lord Jesus Christ, there is one that has special meaning to me. In the verse above, Jesus is accused of many things that are untrue. He is called a glutton, although he never coveted food. He was called a drunkard, although he was never drunk. But one of the accusations made is true! Jesus is unreservedly, unhesitatingly, a friend of sinners!

What glorious truth. What a great description for the Savior. I say it is glorious because that means he is my friend and yours too! I say it is great because His love for us led Him to the cross and His work on the cross opened the door to heaven for all of us sinners who believe!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

An Audience With the Almighty (includes audio)

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him (1 John 5:13-15).

Because we believe in the name of the Son of God, we have an audience with the Almighty.

1. We may pray with confidence.
2. We may pray with courage.
3. We must pray with trust.

An Audience with the Almighty

Announcements for the Week of July 26

Men’s Bible Study (lunch edition) will be this Wednesday at 12 PM. We will meet at Outback Steakhouse in Ratu Plaza. Come for fellowship and Bible Study.

Members and Regular Attendants, please fill out the JIBC data form for the 2009 church directory found on the welcome table in the back. Everyone over sixteen needs to complete a form, even if your spouse or parent has already completed one. We need individual information from members, associate members, and regular attendants. Please give completed forms to Dina.

There will be a meeting of the Church Ministry Council on Monday, August 3 at 7 PM in the JIBC Office.

Girls Only Bible Study will meet Thursday, July 30 at the Grand Canyon Cafe in Darmawangsa Square Mall at 11:30 am for lunch. All youth girls are invited! Please contact Jill Sharp if you plan on attending.

Online Youth Group Photo Album

As of July 23, there is an official JIBC Youth Online Photo Album, hosted by Photobucket and featuring photos from all the youth trips in 2009. Now you can easily browse through them! If you like to donate any photos from these events, please send them to jillsharp1@gmail.com

If you are interested in seeing this album, please use this url: http://s954.photobucket.com/albums/ae27/JIBCyouth/

It is a private album, so type in the password “JIBCFYF” to view the pictures.

The albums can be found on the left hand side of the page and are listed by date and event (Photobucket automatically categorizes them alphabetically, so they are not necessarily in chronological order). The pictures on the main album are simply highlights from each album.

Enjoy!

God is Our Bomb Shelter

Dear friends,

We were still vacationing last weekend when the bombers attacked in downtown Jakarta. I actually heard about it when my mother called me from America! News sure travels fast these days - especially when it’s bad. It is truly saddening when people are so cruel and when lives are destroyed. My prayers are for the family members of victims, that they would have the peace of Christ in their hearts. And for those who would perpetrate such a terrible act, that the Lord God would give them better minds and hearts.

I want to remind you, friends, that the Christian person is always safe in God. This does not mean we will not face danger, but we will find refuge in the Almighty either here on earth or in our glorious heavenly city!

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall. God will help her at the break of day. Be still and know that I am God. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps. 46:1-5, 10a, 11).

No need to fear my friends.

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

That You May Know (Includes Audio)

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:10-13)

Because God is preparing eternity, we must hear His good news.

What is the good news?

1. We can know God.
2. We can know that we know Him.

Click below for Sermon Audio:
That You May Know

Escape from the Judgement of God

Dear friends,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

It is a shame that Christians are sometimes accused of being judgmental when one of the primary messages in the Bible is that we can escape judgment. In the verse above we are reminded that the words of Jesus are words of life! When we listen to his message and believe in what he has done, then we pass from death to life. Eternal life becomes ours through faith and we do not fall under the judgment of God!

Oh yes, God is judgmental. He cannot stand sin. The boastful shall not stand before his eyes and he hates all evildoers. He destroys those who speak lies and abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man (Ps. 5:5-6). He punishes sin. There are some, perhaps even you, who are offended by these words. The thought of a God being a judge of the wicked is hard on human ears. However, that is only half the message. Sometimes the message is not presented completely and other times people simply will not listen. But it is the complete message that makes the good news truly good!

Jesus Christ came into the world and laid down his life for our sins. This means he stood in our place under the judgment of God so that we, through believing in him, might not be judged. By God’s grace, we are acquitted in the court of heaven. God declares us righteous! “It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8:33b-34). The message of the gospel is not a message of judgment, but a message of salvation!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

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