Take Your Spiritual Vital Signs

Dear friends,

If you go in for a health check up, the doctor or nurse will be sure to check your primary vital signs, which include your temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate. This is the first method they employ to see how you are doing and these simple signs are a good indicator of what kind of shape you are in.

Did you know there were spiritual vital signs too? What are some of these vitals that ought to appear in the heathy born again Christian? The great preacher, C.H. Spurgeon lists six “signs to prove the soul.”* Here they are in italics, with my summary comments added:

1. The Christian must show a conviction of sin.

You must recognize you are lost and condemned by your many sins before you can fully understand the good news of salvation. You are spiritually unhealthy if you think you are good enough on your own.

2. The Christian must exhibit a simple faith in Jesus Christ.

The believer must trust that Jesus alone makes it possible to have salvation because he paid the price for sin on the cross. You are spiritually unhealthy if you are trusting in anything other than Jesus.

3. The Christian must have unfeigned repentance of sin.

If you really are saved by Jesus, then you will hate the sin for which Jesus died. You are spiritually unhealthy if you continue to cling to sins without concern.

4. The Christian must enjoy a real change of life.

Being a Christian is not just a change of mind or attitude, it means you have become a new creature completely. You are spiritually unhealthy if you live and think just like you did before claiming a relationship with Jesus.

5. The Christian must practice true prayer.

Imagine if you claimed to be in a relationship with another person and yet you never talked to him or her. You are spiritually unhealthy if you do not talk to God often about what is going on in your life.

6. The Christian must show a willingness to obey the Lord in all His commands.

If you know what God wants you to do and determine to ignore it or if you are totally uninterested in what God expects of you, then you cannot possibly call yourself a real believer. You are spiritually unhealthy if you ignore God’s rules for living in this world.

How is your spiritual health friend? Praise God if you see good spiritual vital signs. But if you detect an illness (or worse) there is no time like the present for getting in shape!

Your friend,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

* Spurgeon, C.H., The Soul Winner: How to Lead Sinners to the Savior, Eerdmans. Grand Rapids, 1963

Embrace the Agenda of Christ

Mark 11:27-33 (English Standard Version)

27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32But shall we say, ‘From man’?”— they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Since Jesus is the ultimate authority in the universe, then we must listen to Him.

1. We must beware of our own agendas.
2. We must embrace the agenda of Christ.

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 11:27-33

Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain

Dear friends,

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” (1 Timothy 6:6-7).

These verses teach us how to relate to wealth in this world. However, there is a broader and more general meaning as well. Not only should we seek “godliness and contentment” outside of money, but also other things such as pleasure, rest, fame, fitness, and worldly success. “Godliness” begins when we place our trust in Christ and have our sins washed away. It continues as we strive to love and honor Him by obeying His commands. “Contentment” comes from valuing and appreciating our relationship with the Lord more than anything else in this life.

Many people chase after the toys of this world and find that peace and happiness always elude them. This is because everything in the world will eventually spoil, perish, and fade away. Only the soul lasts for ever and only a Christ possessed soul will be prepared for heaven. This is why the greatest gain comes when we find salvation and satisfaction in Him.

“Worldlings prize their gems of beauty,
Cling to gilded toys of dust,
Boast of wealth and fame and pleasure;
Only Jesus will I trust.

Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
So enchained my spirit’s vision,
Looking at the Crucified.”

Your friend,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

Pray Bigger Prayers!

Mark 11:22-25 (English Standard Version)

22And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Jesus wants us to have complete trust and faith in Him.

1. We must pray in faith.
2. We must forgive in faith.
3. We must expect the impossible in faith.

Click the link below for sermon audio:
Mark 11:22-25

Open Up for the Lost

Mark 11:12-21 (English Standard Version)

12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city. 20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

Jesus came to remind us of God’s love for the whole world.

1. Jesus came to Jerusalem to do some house cleaning!
2. Jesus came to Jerusalem to have an open house!

Click below for sermon audio:
Mark 11:12-21

Angels Celebrate Our Wonderful Salvation

Dear friends,

“I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

Here is some of the evidence that shows how wonderful our salvation is. When we turned away from sin and placed our trust in Christ, the angels celebrated! They did not worship us, rather they praised God who once again displayed His sovereign grace in rescuing us from sin and hell while making us members of His family through faith in Christ Jesus. Our salvation is to “the praise of His glorious grace” (Eph. 1:12).

Nevertheless, Jesus blesses us by letting us know there was a celebration in heaven as a result of our particular salvation. When a man, woman, or child believes in Jesus it is a significant moment in the universe. Although it may go unnoticed by our fellow humans, it is an important item on the agenda of heaven. The angels rise up with joy and praise God for His work of salvation through the gift of the Savior. There truly are no insignificant Christians. Just ask the angels.

Your friend,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder

A Vision for Ministry in 2011

1 Corinthians 10:31 (English Standard Version)

31So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

James 4:13-15 (English Standard Version)

13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

If we are to serve the Lord together, we must have a vision for the future of JIBC.

1. We must remember the purpose of JIBC.

JIBC exists to glorify God through:

1. Worship
2. Discipleship
3. Evangelism

2. We must give thanks for the progress of JIBC.

1. Distant past.
2. Recent past.
3. This year.

3. We must focus on the plans of JIBC.

3. We must implement a system that clarifies the roles of our various leaders.
2. We must invest in a family pastor with a youth emphasis.
1. We must improve our Sunday morning ministries.

Click below for Sermon Audio:
Vision 2011

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