Five Reasons to Worship God Together

Dear friends,

Have you ever wondered, “Why do we worship God together?” Here are five good reasons:

First, we worship because God created us. In the fourth commandment he tells the children of Israel to worship for this reason:

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (Ex. 20:11).

Second, we worship because God has redeemed (saved) us. He also gives this reason for worship:

“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Dt. 5:15).

Third, we worship because God has commanded us:

“Worship the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Ps. 100:2).

Fourth, we worship because God wants us to encourage each other:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16).

Fifth, we worship because God is worshiped by the angels and people in heaven:

“And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4:8-12).

Enjoy worship with your brothers and sisters in church this weekend!

Your servant,

Stephen

Announcements for April 25, 2010

Watch and Pray!  Join your brothers and sisters at the New JIBC prayer meeting.  This bi-monthly event starts Thursday at 7 PM in the Function Room!  For more information, please see Deacon Kongkin.

Join us for the joint service of English Speaking International Churches on Ascension Day, May 13, 10 AM in the International English Service facility.  More details will be coming soon.

JIBC will be responsible for ushering and greeting at the joint service on Ascension Day this year.  If you would like to represent JIBC as an usher or greeter for the May 13 service, then please inform Ibu Dina or Pastor Stephen so they can prepare your name-tag.  Ushers and greeters will need to arrive at 9:30 AM on that day in order to prepare for the 10 AM service.

Preteen fellowship has their kick off party to start the preteen ministry Yesterday. The next meeting will be on Friday, May 7 at 5 pm at JIBC Function Room. Any Question please call or see Mrs. Edna Romulo 081808470655 or 7363145

JIBC Directory Data Forms We will soon publish our new directory.  If you have not filled out a Directory Data Form, please be sure to pick one up at the Welcome Center, fill it out and hand it to one of our ushers and greeters today.  All members, associate members and regular attenders are encouraged to fill out a form and be included in the JIBC directory

A Warning From Jesus

Mark 8:14-21:

14Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20″And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Because we live in a world full of temptation, we must listen to Jesus’ warning.

1. We must beware of self-righteousness.
2. We must beware of worldliness.
3. We must trust Jesus for help.

Please click the link below for sermon audio:
Mark 8:14-21

In Jesus Name, Amen

Dear friends,

“If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it” (Mark 14:14).

The words of Jesus above are one of the primary reasons we end our prayers with the phrase “in Jesus Name, Amen.” I do not doubt that many millions of sincere Christian prayers have ended in this fashion and then received a positive answer from the Lord.

Nevertheless, I agree with Dr. Bryan Chapell when he suggests that we need to be careful not to just tag those four words thoughtlessly onto the end of our prayers. The idea is to make the content of the prayer consistent with the will of Jesus, to pray in such a way that He would happily sign His name at the bottom of your request. In his book Praying Backwards, Dr. Chapell suggests we do just that. Try starting your prayer in the Name of Jesus and see if that does not change your prayers.

I think if we do that, some of us will stop asking for such worldly things and others of us will be emboldened to ask for bigger, greater things! Let’s offer up Jesus sized prayers!. Prayers that bear the seal of the King and are rooted in the reality of His heavenly reign!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

Announcements for April 18, 2010

Preteens Club Saturday April 24th. Preteen club fellowships kick off at Suwardi’s house at 5 pm. All preteen are invited (9 -11 years old). Parents of the preteen are also welcome to come.

Friday Youth Fellowship meeting at Don Jonston’s place at 6pm. Don Johnston will be leading the bible study. Maps to the Jonston’s house are available on the welcome table.

Watch and Pray! The new JIBC Prayer Meeting will start on Thursday, April 29 at 7 PM in the Function Room. Join with your brothers and sisters in praying for our families, our church, and our world.

Lord’s Supper Next week, April 25 we will have the Lord’s supper

I’m With Him

Mark 8:1-13:

1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” 6And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha. 11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.

Because Jesus is Lord, we must be with Him!

1. We must be with Him because He is moved with compassion for us.
2. We must be with Him because He has absolute provision for us.
3. We must be with Him because it is so foolish to reject him.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 8:1-13

Give as God Has Given

Dear friends,

Can you use your wealth to make a difference for Christ in this world?

In his book Crazy Love Pastor Francis Chan writes: “If one hundred people represented the world’s population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4,000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person living on this planet?”*

Think about this for just a moment. Do you think someone who makes one hundred times as much as you is rich? Most of us would say, “Yes, they are super-rich!” Why then do most of us think we do not have the financial resources to help others when we ourselves are making so much more than the average person!

In Hosea 13:6 the Lord says, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me” How about us? Have we forgotten that all we have is given to us by the Lord so that it can be used for His glory!

May the Lord help us to give to others as He has given to us!

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

*Quote from Chan, Francis. Crazy Love. David C. Cook Publishing. Colorado Springs, 2008 (page 89).

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