See Jesus!

Dear friends,

“So these [Greeks] came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus’” (John 12:21).

Like the Greek men in John 12, we should make seeing Jesus our goal. We must fix our eyes upon Him, because we desperately need His grace, forgiveness, wisdom, strength, and love. Our souls need Jesus like our bodies need oxygen.

Not only do we need to see Jesus, but Christian people have the honor of helping others to see Him! Philip was a faithful minister, bringing people to Jesus. This is the purpose of Christian ministry. It is not to see how many people come to us, but to see people come to Christ so they might have eternal life and a right relationship with Him!

Do you want to see Jesus and help others see Him too?

Your friend,

Stephen

Stop Trying to Fix Everything and Fix Your Eyes on the Lord

Dear friends,

“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth” (Job 40:4).

There is something in the attitude of Job’s words that fits the way we ought to respond to God in the face of our difficulties. God has spoken to us clearly and completely in His word and through the ministry of His Spirit. The trouble is, we are slow to pay attention and obey. Too often we try to work through (or at least talk through) all our problems on our own, when instead we should give them completely to God.

He is all-sufficient. By His mighty power, He has made a way of salvation (John 3:16) and given us the instructions we need for walking in this world (Ps. 119:105). Perhaps you are wrestling with a big challenge? Maybe you are battling some sin or trying to solve a life crisis? Consider taking a break from your attempts to fix everything on your own and instead fix your eyes on the Lord!

“God is our refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble.” Today, I pray you will cover your mouth and hear Him saying, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:1, 10a).

Your friend,

Stephen

Making the Best of Our Days

Dear friends,

“O Lord, make me know the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am” (Ps. 39:4).

I am happy to be back in Jakarta this week. It will be a joy to worship with the dear brothers and sisters at JIBC and to share from the Word of God for a few more Sundays. It is strange to think, however, that my time serving as pastor will be coming to an end soon. I have been working on my calendar to make sure I am doing what is most important in the time I have left serving in this beloved ministry.

The thought has reminded me that each of us has a limited number of days in this world. Perhaps we would be wise to always consider how we can best serve Jesus with the time we have? What will you do for the King today? How can you make a difference for the glory of our God?

See you Sunday if not sooner!

Your friend,

Stephen

Encouragement from the Lord in a Time of Transition

Dear friends,

In this post I am sharing a portion of a personal email I sent out regarding my not seeking another term of service as pastor at JIBC. The original letter was much longer, but the best part is the way the Lord is encouraging us to trust Him for the future! I have included those paragraphs here and invite you to take a look:

__________________________

There is great hope, joy, peace, and everlasting encouragement for us in the Word of God! When people, things, opportunities, and even pastors come and go in our lives - the Lord is still in control.

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

The faithful statement made by Job came at a time of crisis in his life that makes our separation from the ministry in Jakarta look trivial. And yet he readily recognized the hand of the Lord in those events. The New Testament teaches the same truth with an even more positive emphasis:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I have mediated on the verse above many times over the past six months because, frankly, things have simply not gone the way I wanted. But the undeniable, scriptural reality is that God is working all these things for good. He has given us His word! This is such an incredible comfort to me. He has not forgotten our family, our desire for ministry, or the beloved body of Christ there in Jakarta. Nor is he passively looking away. He is actively involved, working in our lives to accomplish exactly what is best for all of us! For this truth I praise and thank Him and I hope it will lift your spirits as well!

The Lord offers lots of encouragement for the future of ministry at JIBC as well. The words of Jesus to his disciple Peter have been a constant blessing to me:

“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18b).

We must never overestimate the importance of any one person or group of people in the church. Jesus is doing the building and there is no power in heaven or on earth who can stop Him. The work He began will continue until He comes again! JIBC belongs to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He rules the church, protects the church, nourishes, loves, saves, and continually watches over the church. All is well because He is on the throne! With this in mind, I do not doubt there is a bright future for the Jakarta International Baptist Church. I cannot predict smooth sailing all the time, but I do know that with Jesus all will be well.

Does God have any specifics for the church to meditate on during a time of transition? Of course He does. The scripture gives us all we need to know for Christian living in this world. Perhaps the biggest ministry transition in the Old Testament came when Moses died. Many millions of God’s people must have wondered what would happen next. God, however, already had a man and a plan. Joshua had been chosen by God to be the next leader. God promised to be with him and to help him lead. He also gave very specific instructions on how to be sucessful. As JIBC faces a time of change, I think we would all be very interested in what those instructions were:

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:6-8).

God tells the new leadership of His people that if they want to be successful, they need to meditate on and obey the scriptures. Apparently Moses was replaceable and so was Joshua. The leadership of the holy nation was not about the charisma of an individual personality. It was about transparent leaders showing the way to the truth of God’s will and Word!

This is how I know JIBC can be sucsessful. In fact, it is the same idea that has propelled me in ministry for a long time. It has never been about me or even about my wonderful family. The church is about Christ and His Word! All JIBC needs to do is stay focused on the Bible. Teach it, preach it, read it, believe it, obey it! And then all will be well. There is nothing to fear when we remain firmly rooted in the scriptures. The words of our Lord are the strong foundation of the church.

I thank God that my brothers in leadership at JIBC know and cling to this truth. This is the biggest encouragement for me as it becomes clear the Lord is calling me away from Jakarta. If we keep our eyes on Him and listen to His voice, then all will be well!

Lord willing, I will expand on these ideas more when I am back in Jakarta for three Sundays staring on January 29. I am looking forward to seeing you then. May God give us peace and joy through His mighty Spirit!

Your friend,

Stephen

The Destitute Are Not Despised By God

Dear friends,

“He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer” (Ps. 102:17).

I looked up the word “destitute” in the dictionary and found this meaning: utterly lacking, devoid, lacking resources or means. In my own words, to be destitute is to have nothing.

Of course people might find themselves destitute of a variety of things. It is possible to find oneself utterly lacking money, time, patience, friends, hope, health, rest, righteousness, and so forth. When people are in those situations it can be deeply discouraging. It can also be lonely.

Can you relate to the destitute? Are you utterly lacking in some area? Here is good news for you. The Almighty God hears your prayers. He does not despise you, even when all others do. And He lacks nothing! The universe is at His disposal to help the destitute. So lift your head, open your mouth, and cry out to Him for help!

Your friend,

Stephen

Missions Sunday 2011!

Dear friends,

According to our church Statement of Faith, we believe:

God provides . . . by command and providence, that proclamation of the full counsel of God be made to all men as sinners. This reality most forcefully implies that Christ’s Gospel be proclaimed to all fallen humanity. The decree of salvation for the elect of every tongue, tribe, and nation, involves of necessity the proclamation of both the Gospel and the accompanying duties of repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus to all men everywhere (JIBC SOF, 20.2).

This Sunday at JIBC is intended to be a reminder of our duty to proclaim the message of salvation through faith in Christ “to all men everywhere.” One of the ways we fulfill that duty at JIBC is through the support of mission organizations and missionaries. Many of these special people will be joining us for worship this weekend!

Before and after our Sunday service, you will have an opportunity to meet these representatives of Jesus. Take the time to get to know them better, get their contact information, understand what they are doing for the kingdom, and then remember them as you pray and support their work throughout the next year.

Every Christian must serve in the cause of world missions. Some serve as senders and others as the sent. Whichever you are, be ready to obey Jesus with us and “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen’s Leave of Absence

Dear friend,

“And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile’” (Mark 6:31).

I met another pastor in the hospital one day when we were both visiting patients. He was an older brother who had many years of experience behind him. We chatted for a few moments and exchanged name cards. Just as we were about to head off on our different ways, he touched my arm, looked me in the eyes and said, “Young man be sure to take a break or you will break!” I lost this man’s contact information and have never seen him again, but I remember his exhortation to rest when it is needed.

Our family has enjoyed three years and eight months of continuous living here in Indonesia. It has been a joy to serve actively through most of that time. However, it has been a while since we were in the United States and we have let some family and personal issues go unattended for a little too long. Several weeks ago, I began discussing this with the JIBC elders and later the deacons. After considering different scenarios, they have offered us a three month leave of absence from the ministry at JIBC, which will begin on October 25.

During this time we will be tackling some health issues and taking care of some other business matters. I would like to make it perfectly clear that there is nothing “wrong” between our family and the church we love. In fact we are excited about the many great things going on at JIBC this season, which we will regretfully be missing. Serving at JIBC has been a joy for us. This is one of the reasons we put off a trip to the States for so long.

Among the many gifts the Lord has given to JIBC are our elders, deacons, office staff, ministry directors, and Pastor Dave. With all these good folks actively leading and serving I am confident the church will continue growing and thriving during our leave of absence. It is not our church after all, but it belongs to the King of Kings - and He never needs a rest! He will take care of every detail!

I would like to ask you to join us in prayer for JIBC over the next few months and for our family too. I hope you know you will be on our hearts and minds the whole time and we will be remembering you before the throne each day!

Meanwhile, there is a lot of work to do in October. The new RBI class starts on October 4, October 9 is World Missions Sunday, and Lord willing we will have a baptism service later in the month. May the Lord help us to glorify Him in every way!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John
Jakarta International Baptist Church

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