Serve the Lord with Gladness

Dear friends,

“Serve the Lord with gladness…” (Psalm 100:2a).

Many Christians serve the Lord with a strong sense of duty because it is the right thing to do. We feel it is our responsibility and our obligation to be busy working for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. In our best moments we remember that serving is a way of acknowledging our love for Him. However, real happiness and joy in service to Jesus is rare. Too often we toil for God without the kind of gladness prescribed in Psalm 100.

This is not such a surprise, but you may be surprised by the reason. When we do not enjoy serving the Lord, it is a reflection of unbelief in our lives. If we truly grasp the graciousness of God and the incredible goodness He has shown us in Christ Jesus, then it will be impossible for us to serve Him without gladness of heart. When we are fully aware of the great eternal danger our souls were in without the Savior and the glorious home in heaven that awaits us, then we would more readily understand the exhortation of the apostle to “count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2). If we truly believe in our salvation, then we will serve with unceasing joy!

Remember what you believe and serve the Lord with gladness!

Your friend,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

Announcements, 19 September 2010

There will be a special business meeting next Sunday September 26 after the Worship Service.  The purpose of this meeting is to elect new Ministry Directors, approve proposed changes to the Church Constitution, and vote on calling Dave Atkins to serve as Pastor for Worship and Family.  The meeting is expected to last less than 20 minutes.  There will also be a brief update on our financial status as we enter the last quarter of the year.

Today is the last day to nominate new Ministry Directors. Please pick up the form on the back table and follow the instructions at the top.

There will be a meeting to discuss our “Sunday Morning Service Emphasis” for 2011 on Sunday October 10, 1 PM at the The’s home in Pondok Indah.  Lunch will be included.  It is particularly important for elders, deacons, and ministry directors to participate but anyone interested is welcome to attend. More information will be coming soon.

Lord’s Supper Next week, September 26 we will have the Lord’s supper.

Preteen Outing to Sindang Reret

The Preteens are headed to Sindang Reret in Lembang-Bandung for a fun outing on Saturday, October 2, 2010!  We already have almost 20 preteens signed up along with their families for a total of 55 persons! Please see Deacon John Suwardi, Mr. Janto Widjaja or Dominic Rusiana if you wish to join or are interested to know more about this event.

If you have signed up but have not paid the joining fee (it’s Rp. 50,000 per person), please do so as soon as possible.  Please hand your payment to Deacon John.  For those who need transportation and financial assistance, please don’t hesitate to let Deacon John or Pastor Stephen know. We want everyone to be able to participate!

If your preteen needs a chaperone and ride to the outing, please sign up with Mrs. Edna Romulo.
She will be chaperoning a car from Permata Hijau. There is currently still space for 4-5 preteens
and/or adults in that car.  Please let Deacon John know if your family intends to stay over in Sindang Reret.

Please try your best to arrive there by 10AM.   Sindang Reret is a 3-hour drive from
Jakarta and it’s best to leave by 7AM to avoid traffic.  Everyone is encouraged to bring a change of clothes.  See you all there!

The agenda is as follows:

10:00 – 10:30      Welcome

10:30 – 11:30      Games for Preteen and family members

11:45 – 12:00      Photo Session

12:00 – 12:15      Devotion by Pastor Stephen “The Heart Condition”

12:15 – 13:15      Lunch

13:30 – 14:30      Preteen Out-bound activity at “Kid’s Jones Park”

14:30 – 15:00      Getting ready to go back to Jakarta

All Christians Are Called to Participate in World Evangelization

John 20:21 (English Standard Version)

21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Mark 16:15 (English Standard Version)

15And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Acts 1:8 (English Standard Version)

8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (English Standard Version)

18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Three reasons why the topic of missions is important:

1. Jesus commands us to share the gospel with the whole world.
2. The new birth is the only lasting hope for our broken world.
3. It is impossible to have a healthy church without missions.

Two goals for this message:

1. That any non-Christian who hears this will realize how important this gospel message it to us and then believe that message as a result.
2. That Christians who are present would understand that the task of world evangelization is the responsibility of every Christian person and that each of us would embrace that responsibility.

Three groups to address when talking about missions:

1. The Lost.
2. Missionaries (those who are sent).
3. Senders.

Click the link below for sermon audio:
Missions Sunday 2010

Pray Against Temptation Too

Dear friends,

“And he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:46).

Too often we pray only for “stuff” or for the resolution of “problems.” Do not misunderstand, it is good to ask God for help with all things. However, we do not pray enough for strength in the battle against sin and for the will of God to be done in our lives.

On the night before Jesus’ crucification, even as He prayed that the cup of wrath might pass from Him, our Lord prayed for the will of His Father to be done. This was His priority as He entered the darkest day of His life. And apparently, the Lord’s number one concern for the disciples who waited on Him was that they pray against sin and temptation.

So what are our priorities in prayer? Let’s follow Jesus and pray for our needs without forgetting to seek the will of the Father above all things. And let’s follow the Lord’s instructions which He gave to His disciples and beg God to protect us from the many sinful temptations that are around us.
Your friend,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

JIBC on Facebook and get the Weekly Announcements and Pastor’s Desk in your newsfeed.  Just search on Facebook for JIBC - The Jakarta International Baptist Church.

Mission Sunday we will have a Mission Sunday on September 19th all the supported mission and missionary are invited to attend.

Young Adult Fellowship and Bible Study Saturday 18 September at 3:00 Pm. At JIBC Function room. All young adults over 16 are invited to attend.

Join us for a Baptism Service next Sunday (Sept. 19) at the Pastor’s house. This brief celebration will take place at 3 PM in the afternoon.  Maps will be available next Sunday at the welcome table.

There will be a special business meeting on Sunday September 26 after the Worship Service.  The purpose of this meeting is to elect new Ministry Directors, approve proposed changes to the Church Constitution, and vote on calling Dave Atkins to serve as Pastor for Worship and Family.  There will also be a brief update on our financial status as we enter the last quarter of the year.  Information about nominating Ministry Directors and the proposed constitutional changes is available at the Welcome Table and at www.theJIBC.org

There is still time to sign up for the Preteen Outing to Sindang Reret on Oct. 2. We already have 13 preteens signed up along with their families for a total of 40 persons!  Please check the Welcome Table for permission forms or see Deacon John Suwardi for more information.  If you need transportation or financial assistance then please don’t hesitate to let Deacon John or Pastor Stephen know.  We want everyone to be able to participate!

Jesus Knew How to Relate to Unbelievers. Do You?

Mark 12:13-17 (English Standard Version)

13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

Because we will always have unbelievers around us, we must learn from the way Jesus related to the people around Him.

1. Jesus knew the unbelievers around Him needed new hearts.
2. Jesus knew that unbelievers were watching so He always spoke the truth.
3. Jesus knew that unbelievers would need to see a consistently obedient life.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 12:13-17

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