The Sword of the Lord

Dear friend,

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11).

Are you looking for some ammunition for the fight against sin? The Lord has given us a powerful weapon, the Bible. Your Bible is not just a book of inspirational literature, it is a weapon for doing battle with evil (Eph. 6:17). The discipline of reading the scripture each day and memorizing verses is not only good for helping us grow in wisdom and understanding. It equips us for facing temptation, killing wicked desires, and getting over ungodly habits. If you want help overcoming these things, one sure place to find it is in the pages of God’s Word.

Are you geared up for the fight today? Store the Word in your heart (read it, listen to it, study it, memorize it, mediate upon it), so that you might not sin against your God!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

He Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You

Dear friend,

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

Obviously money is a necessity for most of us. We need it to pay our bills, buy food for our families, and meet other obligations. But every mature person knows that money cannot bring you contentment. For that you must look somewhere else.

Contentment in this life never comes from having enough things, it comes from having God in your life. Money, property, other people, and even your own health fade away, but God is eternal. He is always there for you. “He will never leave you or forsake you.” Knowing that He will always take care of you brings contentment into your life no matter what your outward circumstances are. If you belong to God in Christ Jesus, then He is your inheritance, your reward, your hope, and your contentment.

Never love money or look for happiness in the illusion of financial security. Instead find the peace, joy, and contentment that comes from resting in His promise.

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

Be an Ark-Builder, World-Condemner, and Heir!

“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

Dear friend,

In our meeting the other day, the elders and I read the verse above and came up with three observations about Noah.

First, Noah was an ark-builder. Notice that he believed God’s message and took action to save his family. In this way he is a good example to us. Christian men and women must try to live in such a way that their family might learn of Christ and find salvation in Him.

Second, Noah was a world-condemner. This is not to say that he did not love the people in the world. In fact, he tried to save them too by warning them of the coming judgement. He was a world-condemner, however, in that he considered the opinion of God more important than all that is in this world. This is the way those who love God should live.

Third, Noah was an heir of righteousness! Because he had faith in God, he could look forward to an inheritance in heaven that would never perish, spoil, or fade. This was his hope and it kept him going in live.

Friends, let’s be like Noah. Be an ark-builder, a world-condemner, and an heir of righteousness through faith in Jesus!

Your friend,
Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

Let’s Encourage One Another in the Lord!

Dear friend,

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess. 5:11).

The scripture commands us to “encourage one another” and it is a blessed commandment indeed! We need encouragement to live for Jesus Christ in this world. And we need to do all we can to help one another. There should be no “lone-ranger” Christians. Every Christian must seek opportunities to sit down with other believers, open up the Word of God, and learn how God wants us to love and live for Him.

I pray that each of you are finding that kind fellowship at church or in another good Bible Study forum. At JIBC we have Sunday classes for all ages at 9:15. If you are looking for an opportunity to meet with other believers during the week, then please let me know and I will send you some information about several Bible Studies that are going on right now.

If you would like a fresh start in a Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study, then check out the new classes that begin on May 22 at JIBC (see attachment). I hope you feel welcome to attend.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Pr. 27:7). Let’s get together and keep each other sharp for the glory of God and the good of all!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

Click the link below for information about NEW Adult Bible Studies:
abs-e28093-adult-bible-studies-promo

Jesus Understands Temptation

Dear friend,

“For because He Himself had suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

There are a few things we can learn from this verse:

First, it does not mean that Jesus needed to endure temptation to understand what our life is like. We must remember that He is God and therefore all-knowing. There is nothing in your life that he does not understand. When the verse says that He is able to help those who are tempted because He was tempted, it means He can help us because He lived and died for our sins. Because of His earthly ministry, He can help deliver us from the consequences of sin, He can send His Spirit into our lives, and He can help us in the battle with temptation.

Second, the verse shows us that our excuses for giving into temptation are no good. Jesus was tempted in every way, but never sinned. In another place the Lord tells us “we will not be tempted beyond what we can endure” (1 Cor. 10:13).

Third, the verse proves it is possible to be tempted and not sin. Sin and temptation are closely related, but they are not the same thing.

Fourth, we are assured of our Lord’s understanding in this verse. He would have known all about temptation if He had not become a man (as mentioned above), but somehow knowing that He lived in the world and faced all the things we commonly do is powerfully comforting to us. Yes, He knows and understands! Praise be to His great Name!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

Characteristics of the Christian Life

Dear friend,

“For God gave us not a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

We can discover four important characteristics of the Christian life in this short verse.

First, the Christian life is characterized by fearlessness. No matter what challenge we face, God is with us. “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom. 8:31).

Second, the Christian life is characterized by power. The almighty power of God’s Spirit is at work in us, changing, molding, and making us into the people He wants us to be. When we trusted Christ as Savior, a good work was begun in us that will be completed and cannot be stopped (Phil 1:6).

Third, the Christian life is characterized by love. God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us (John 3:16). Because of this love, we love Him and we love each other too!

Fourth, the Christian life is characterized by self-control. With the help of God’s Spirit we are disciplined and changed so that we do not find satisfaction in the passions of the unconverted life. Instead we “train ourselves for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7-8) so that we can live in a way pleasing to our Master.

Christian, look for these characteristics in your life today: fearlessness, power, love, and self-control. God gave these things to you and you do have them in your life. Use these gifts for His glory!

Your friend,

Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John
Jakarta International Baptist Church

In Christ We Are Citizens of Heaven

Dear friend,

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

The congregation of JIBC is made up of many different nations and races. By the grace of God, our Sunday worship service is proof that the Christian church transcends national and cultural boundaries. However, the Christian people of JIBC are also citizens of the same country, a heavenly country where Jesus is King! We are bound together as fellow countrymen in God’s Kingdom. This is a bond that is stronger than the unity we have with our homelands and in some cases stronger than the unity we have with blood relatives.

The worldwide church (which is represented in places like JIBC) is a sample of what awaits us when our Lord Jesus Christ returns and brings us to heaven. There we will worship, honor, and enjoy Him with “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). For now, let us remember our citizenship is in heaven and walk through this world in a way that is pleasing to our country’s ruler, King Jesus.

Your friend,
Stephen

Pastor Stephen St. John

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