Announcements for June 27, 2010

There will be no Men’s Fraternity Meetings in June and July. We look forward to starting up again on Wednesdays in August.  Stay tuned for more information.

Friday Youth Fellowship There will be FYF on Friday July 2nd. 2010 at JIBC Function Room at 6:00 PM

Coming to a Sunday School near you. This August 2010.  All new Sunday School programs for every age with material from Desiring God and Children’s Desiring God!  Don’t miss it!

Praise God For His Provision! In anticipation of future ministerial needs, our church Council affirmed a financial decision to increase our monthly offering target from $16,000 to $20,000, effective next month. Through the faithful giving of tithes and offerings we are confident that the Lord will meet this increase.

Food Gathering Next week for Street Children’s Ministry and the Ministry of our sister Indonesian Language congregation. Please come with non-perishable food items or cash donations.

The Life That Values Christ Above All Things

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8).

Have you ever wondered, “What would a life that truly valued Christ above all things look like?” Perhaps we can get some idea from the man who wrote the sentences above.

Paul was a skilled craftsman, a tentmaker. As a professional in that trade he could have been constantly employed, built up his own business, and maintained a comfortable lifestyle.

But Paul was also a scholar of the highest level. He was well versed in both Rabbinic and Greek literature. He could write, speak, and debate with the best thinkers of his day. He could have opened schools or advised rulers if he had chosen to pursue an academic career.

Furthermore, Paul was at one time a respected religious leader. He was a rising star in the sect of the Pharisees with a promising future of leadership in this popular religious party. He could have even become a politician, a ruler among his own people.

Paul, however, experienced the grace, mercy, forgiveness, and power of Jesus Christ when he was saved on the road to Damascus. From that moment on, Jesus became the most important part of Paul’s life. When he wrote the verses above, he was in prison in Rome, most likely chained to a Roman guard. He had few possessions, a couple sets of clothing and a few books. His future on this earth was uncertain. He had chosen Christ above all other things, answering a call to the gospel ministry and passing up more lucrative possibilities. Doing this landed Him in jail. Was he disappointed? I will let him answer that question himself:

“I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13).

Paul was content, even in prison. Notice, however, that he knew how to be content in abundance too. What Paul had and the situation he was in did not matter to him that much. The thing that was most significant to Paul was his relationship with his God, Jesus Christ. This is where he found his strength, his joy, his peace, his motivation, his purpose, and his treasure. And that is what the life which values Christ above all things looks like. It is a life content with plenty or with little, so long as Christ abides in the heart.

May the Lord help each of us to learn to live this kind of life!

Your servant,

Stephen

Announcements for June, 20 2010

There will be no Men’s Fraternity Meetings in June and July. We look forward to starting up again on Wednesdays in August.  Stay tuned for more information.

Lord’s Supper Next week, June 27 we will have the Lord’s supper.

Serving Christ With Others

Mark 9:38-42 (English Standard Version)

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Because we belong to the body of Christ, we must support all those who serve Him!

1. We must encourage other individuals who are serving Him.
2. We must encourage other groups who are serving Him.
3. We may enjoy the benefits of belonging to Him.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 9:38-41

Watch Out for Things That Draw Your Heart Away from God

Dear friends,

“For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1 Kings 11:4).

Let King Solomon’s later years serve as a warning. Never assume, Christian, that you are totally safe from stumbling. Although your sins are paid for by Christ, you may not put down your guard until you stand inside the gates of the Heavenly City. Watch out for those things that can draw your heart away from the Lord your God.

Awake each morning with an awareness of your need for the grace of Jesus, the counsel of the Holy Spirit, and the rule of the Father in your life. Open the Bible and beg for His wisdom; get on your knees and beg for His help. With God it is possible for you to stand firm until the end. Without His help, you must ask yourself if you are wiser than Solomon was?

Your servant,

Stephen

Announcements for June 13, 2010

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b).  Join us for the next JIBC Prayer Meeting this Thursday, June 17 at 7 PM in the Function Room.  Please submit your prayer requests using the slips on the welcome table or via email to the church office.  See Deacon Kongkin for more information.

The Elders and Deacons along with their families are invited to participate in a covered dish fellowship dinner at the Pastor’s house this Wednesday, June 16 at 5:30 PM.  Each family may bring a dish to share.  This is a fellowship meeting and there will be no business discussion!  If you have any questions, please speak with Pastor Stephen or Jennifer.

There will be no Men’s Fraternity Meetings in June and July. We look forward to starting up again on Wednesdays in August. Stay tuned for more information.

Friday Youth Fellowship, there will be Friday Fun Night at JIBC Function room June 18, 2010 at 6:00 PM

Mission Moment Next Sunday, we will have a Mission Moment presentation from Indonesia Evangelist Outreach Ministry

Humility in the Kingdom

Mark 9:33-37 (English Standard Version)

33And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

If we are to understand how to live in the Kingdom of God, we must listen to the Lord!

1. He teaches us through the disciples behavior.
2. He teaches us through the little child.
3. He teaches us about Himself.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 9:33-37

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