A Message from Pastor Jim
Dear Church Family,
I miss you beloved. There is nothing that stirs my heart more than being with you, interacting with you about life, God and our Savior Jesus Christ. May the “social distancing” that we are practicing will soon be over, but until then I want to remind us all of a few things in this time of uncertainty and vagueness about the future. I would share these with your children during family devotions to begin helping them know how to process by trusting God.
1. Trust God and do not lean on your own understanding (Prov 3:5-6).
When I’m overwhelmed, burdened, and battered by life’s circumstances, I’m tempted to trust in myself rather than the Lord. The unfortunate reality is that sinful self-sufficiency is hardwired into me. I’m tempted to believe that if I can devise the right strategy and make smart moves, I can get through life on my own. By my wit and grit.
Of course, this is utter nonsense. I’m not smart enough to navigate the dangerous shoals of life. I don’t have the strength or the wisdom to successfully weave through the minefields that I encounter.
Rather, God’s word calls me to trust in him with all my heart and to not lean one iota on my own understanding. When I’m tempted to fear and doubt and worry, God calls me to abandon my own understanding of the situation and trust him entirely. I love how John Piper puts it…
“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them…not only may you see a tiny fraction of what God is doing in your life; the part you do see may make no sense to you”.
2. Run to The Throne of Grace (Heb 4:16).
What a sweet, sweet promise this is. I love how honest the Bible is. It clearly acknowledges that there will be times of need. Scripture never makes it seem like life is all roses and peanut butter cups. The Bible fully acknowledges that there are times when life just plain stinks.
And it also tells us exactly what to do in those times. When life is hard and circumstances are bewildering and trusting God seems difficult, I am to run to the throne of grace. There I will find Jesus, ready to give me exactly what I need. Run to him for sustaining grace.
3. Remember God’s Character (Lam. 3:21-23).
Three things stand out to me from this passage
· The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
· The mercies of the Lord never come to end and are new every morning
· Great is God’s faithfulness
The glorious knowledge of God’s steadfastness, faithfulness, and constant mercy compel me to trust God. When I call to mind God’s character, I’m able to trust God even when things don’t make sense. As Charles Spurgeon said:
“Let us lean on God with all our weight. Let us throw ourselves on his faithfulness as we do on our beds, bringing all our weariness to his dear rest.”
4. Recall God’s Past Faithfulness (Hab 3:1-19).
Habakkuk 3:15-19 is perhaps greatest statement of confidence in God in the entire OT. But it came out of
3:1-15 in Hab. reviewing God’s past faithfulness to Israel. It is no different for us…the past builds our faith for now and the future. Psalm 44 reviews God’s past dealing too. Take time sharing with each other God’s faithfulness in your life.
5. Pray for Faith (Phil. 4:5-6).
We must consistently, constantly pray that God would enable us to trust him and that God would help us believe his promises and trust him even when life doesn’t make sense. That he would help us to wait patiently for him. We fight for faith every day therefore, fight and fight well. Stay close to your Bibles.
What’s going on here at Faith Baptist Church.
1. The leadership team will be meeting again tonight to discuss “how do we best do Church” as we practice social distancing. Pray for us as we meet via facetime. Gotta love technology 😊
2. All services and activities are cancelled until further notified by the leadership. There is a strong recommendation to limit gatherings to ten or less people and we desire to work with government officials. This is not a lack of faith but rather a demonstration of faith in God and the Scriptures to submit to the God ordained institution of Government.
3. We will “live stream” our service on Sunday morning again. We are in process of enhancing the quality of the streams so any feedback would be appreciated. Lord willing, I will be finishing our series entitled “Forgiveness: Healing Undeserved Hurt” this Sunday.
4. Check on one another and pray for one another. We are hearing reports that the body is beginning to do this. Please engage in this way.
5. If you don’t have a church directory, we can send one to you “Snail Mail” or “email”. Let us know.
6. Remember your tithe and offering. Several people have already stopped by and dropped off their giving.
7. If you have reports of sharing your testimony, witnessing or giving a word of encouragement to others during this time, please email us. We want to know how God is using you for his kingdom during this time.
8. I did cancel my trip to Nepal.
Beloved, God’s got us right where is wants us. There is no need to fear or panic but rather rejoice that we have the mind of Christ. In fact, the prophet Isaiah states in 26:3-4.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Immediate prayer requests:
Praying to God for…
…Jim Pagett is recovering from prostate surgery…went well. Pray for an uncomplicated recovery.
…our shut ins, those who are older and one another in general.
…the leadership as we response by God’s grace to the needs of our church and community at large
…opportunities to “share with anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” 1 Peter 3:15
Be Strong. Stand for Truth. Live for Eternity.
Loving you from afar…Pastor Jim