Cry Out to God and Take Decisive Action

Dear friend,

Imagine that you are in bed at night when you hear the loud crack of breaking wood and the shrill sound of smashing glass. Soon there are footsteps pounding toward the bedrooms where you and your family sleep. From the rough voices you quickly realize a gang of enemies are in your house and they have come to do you harm. What are you going to do? Most likely, without a second thought, you will cry out to God for help and then take decisive action.

Thankfully, this kind of thing does not happen very often, but there are other more common dangers. Have you ever considered how dangerous temptation and sin are for your family? Lust, greed, lying, gossip, covetousness, stealing, unholy hate, and many other sins are enemies that break into lives and hurt them. Are you prepared to mount a defense against these things when they sneak up on you, your spouse, your children, or your friends? What can you do?

The same thing you would do if a group of bad guys attacked your home. Cry out to God for help and take decisive action. This is what the Apostle Paul does when faced with sin and temptation:

First, he cries out to God for help in Christ:

“Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God . . . Jesus Christ our Lord!” (from Rom. 7:24b-25).

Next, he takes decisive action in the battle against the threat of sin in his life:

“I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave” (1 Cor. 9:26-27).

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5).

Paul’s trusts Christ to remove the penalty of sin, which he could never take care of on his own. This does not mean, however, that the apostle just sits down in comfort with the sin around him. No, he goes to war against those things that threaten spiritual harm. Let’s follow his example. Cry out to God and take decisive action!

Your servant,

Stephen

JIBC Servant’s Retreat 2010

JIBC Servant’s Retreat 2010
“One Purpose: Glorifying God”

All servants are invited to the “One Purpose : Glorifying God” Retreat on Friday, 26 February to Saturday 27 February at The Aryaduta Hotel and Country Club Lippo Karawaci. The Speaker is Pastor Stephen St. John, Pastor/Elder JIBC.  Fee is Rp. 250,000 per person.  Open to 13 years old and above.  February 14 is the last day of Payment.  Application forms are available at the Welcome table or download and print it from this link:   Retreat Application Form .  Please fill out and submit an application form along with your payment at the Welcome Table before or after the Worship Service.  Should you require more information, please send an email to the “JIBC Retreat Administrator”  at  JIBCRetreat@gmail.com.

 

The Programme

Day 1 – Friday, February 26, 2010 (Public Holiday)
Morning	10:00 – 11:25 Registration
	11:30 - 12:00 Welcome and Orientation
Afternoon	12:00 – 14:00 Lunch and Free time
	14:00 – 16:00 Session 1 – “One Purpose : The JIBC exists to glorify God” then Breakaway Sessions
	16:00 – 18:00 Free time
Evening	18:00 – 19:30 Dinner
	19:30 – 21:00 Session 2 - “Glorifying God Upwardly Through Worship” then Prayer Meeting
Day 2 – Saturday, February 27, 2010
Morning	06:30 – 10:30 Breakfast and Free Time
	10:30 – 12:00 Session 3 - “Glorifying God Inwardly Through Discipleship/Glorifying God Outwardly Through Evangelism” then Lord’s Supper
Afternoon	12:00 – 14:00 Lunch and Free Time

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

The Hotel Aryaduta is located at 401 Boulevard Jend. Sudirman Lippo Village 1300 Tangerang 15811, Banten, Indonesia
For Directions to the Hotel, Please call Aryaduta at +62 21 546 0101

Announcements for 7 February, 2010

All men are invited to our Men’s Fraternity Meeting this Wednesday at 7 PM! This is the “Evening Edition” of our Bible Study for 2010: The Disciplines of a Godly Man. We will meet in the JIBC Office Conference Room.

There will be a Church Ministry Council Meeting tomorrow evening at 7 PM in the JIBC Function Hall. Please pray for our elders, deacons, and other ministry leaders as they meet.

Ladies’ Bible Study Ladies ages 14 and older are invited to join us on Wednesday, February 10, 7:00 PM. “Lives of Integrity.” The study will continue on February 17, 24 and March 3. We will meet at Julie Spake’s home. Please sign up at the welcome table or by SMS to Jill Sharp, and please collect a map to the Spake’s home from the welcome table. For more information or to sign up, please contact Jill Sharp at 08118200783.

Living for Christ in a Fallen World

King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.” But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:14-29)

Because we live in a fallen world, we must be equipped by scripture.

1. We must beware of false faith.
2. We must be ready to deal with fallen folks.
3. We must be prepared as faithful friends.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 6:14-29

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

Dear friend,

For our 20th wedding anniversary, Jennifer and I went to Bali for the first time. While we were there God revealed Himself to us.

In fact, God is speaking to people all the time. Christian theology teaches us there are two broad ways He does this. One is through special revelation, God’s voice as we hear it primarily through the scriptures. The other is general revelation, that is the way the created world announces to us that there is a God.

Of course special revelation is necessary for salvation. If we did not have the message of the gospel, then we could not know how to be saved from sin, death, and hell. Nevertheless, the other kind of revelation is a powerful reminder that the God of the Bible is the King of the Universe. People in the world might try to deny his existence, but a few moments on the beach in a place like Bali leaves us breathlessly aware that there is a powerful, intelligent, omnipresent Creator with whom we must deal.

When you look at a beautiful garden flower, an intricate butterfly, a microscopic cell, or the evening sky, do you hear them proclaiming Him?

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour fourth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out to the ends of the earth, their words to the end of the world” (Ps. 19:1-4a).

Your servant,

Stephen

Announcements for January 31, 2010

We welcome Rev. John Ronny Serworwora as our guest preacher this morning. He is the President of the Jakarta Baptist Theological Seminary, a graduate of Mid-America Baptist Seminary, and lives in Jakarta with his wife, Lena and three children.

It’s time brothers! The 2010 Men’s Fraternity is ready to start this Wednesday with the Lunchtime Edition. This Fraternity meeting is held in the Outback Steakhouse at Ratu Plaza. See you there at 12 Noon. Books for the study (Disciplines of a Godly Man) are still on sale at the Welcome Table for a cost of Rp. 225.000,-. Please email Pastor Stephen if you need a scholarship (free) book (pastorstjohn@gmail.com). Also, remember you can enjoy a Men’s Fraternity meeting whether you have the book of not! See you there!

Sunday School Join us each Sunday for Sunday School. There are classes for all ages starting at 9:15. Please come for fun, friends, and leaning from the Word of God. Come on time and be sure to bring your Bibles!

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