August 2010 Newsletter

Forgotten God

Danae Yankoski (Contributor). David C. Cook 2009, Paperback, 208 pages, $6.99

Chan begins by lamenting our disconnect from the power of the Spirit. He considers the cause to be our comfort. Chan admits:

I also know that God works uniquely in various places and times, and I do think this explains part of the difference between here and there. However, I also believe that the Spirit is more obviously active in places where people are desperate for Him, humbled before Him, and not distracted by their pursuit of wealth or comforts (like we are). The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world.

He challenges the church to consider its reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps much of what exists in the modern church is human endeavor. Chan states:

The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.

May we, as a church, pursue God’s Spirit in all we do. May our work be more concentrated on following the Spirit and less concerned with building a grand institution. Chan yearns for Spirit level work in his life.

I can probably “pull off’ a fairly adequate church on my own . . . But who wants or needs that? I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn’t come through, I am screwed. (I probably shouldn’t write that word here, but it’s how I truly feel about this.)

May what happens at First Baptist not be in our own power. May what God does through us be unexplainable! May the Spirit of God empower us like never before.

Mission Dinners

We continue to provide meals for the men at the Muncie Mission during the month of August. On August 1st and August 10th, we will provide dinner for these men.If you are interested in helping on August 1st, please contact Marianne at 254-1484 or Jane at 759-8276. If August 10th works better for you, contact Debbie at 730-2796.

School Supply Giveaway

Jenny and Keith are organizing a project to provide school supplies for the children involved in A Better Way. They are accepting monetary donations for this project.

Poverty Simulation

Finally, we are continuing to learn more about those living in poverty. On August 17 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm, role play the circumstances of a person living in poverty, trying to survey four “weeks” in the town of Realville. After the debriefing, hear the testimonials of local people who have lived the circumstances that participants faced in the simulation. A total of 99% have learned “more” to “a lot more” during the 55 simulations TEAMwork has hosted, and 98% would recommend the exercise to someone else. There is no cost for this event. RSVP to TEAMwork at 765-747-7158 or jim@teamworkql.org.

In July, the church provided dinner for the OPT (Overcoming Poverty Together). Everyone involved was encouraged by the fantastic work that is taking place. We continue to partner with Teamwork in its continuing efforts to eliminate poverty in Delaware County.

We continue to discern our involvement in the area of students and are seeking direction in this area. Please pray for our church–for the power of the Holy Spirit to guide our efforts.

Do people individually discover God’s will and then collectively share how God has been leading them. Do we then decide how God is leading the church based on how He is leading each of us individually? This has been the assumption in many churches. God will lead people individually; the sum of this individual leading equals the direction of the church.

This is a false assumption. In our passage this week, God leads the church to direct individuals. The discerning of the Holy Spirit happens as the believers are gathered for worship.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2 NIV)

The Holy Spirit is mysterious, dynamic, and ever prompting his people. Reading Francis Chan’s Forgotten God has illuminated the work of the Holy Spirit for me. I would highly recommend this book.

Forgotten God

Danae Yankoski (Contributor). David C. Cook 2009, Paperback, 208 pages, $6.99

The point I am making is that in Acts, the people discern the Holy Spirit as they are gathered. It is not a private endeavor. Sure, we each need to learn to be attentive to the Holy Spirit in our lives. He prompts each of us in different ways as we seek His guidance. However, Acts paints the picture of the church discerning together. Paul’s journeys in the New Testament lay the foundation for God’s work throughout the entire world. Paul and Barnabas are directed to go in Acts 13 as the church discerns through its worship.

May we continue to do the ever important work of discerning God collectively as we gather.

Sermon Text: Acts 11:19–12:24

I see ways He protected us, utilized us, prepared us. I am thankful for what He was doing then and see how each piece fit together for the furthering of His Kingdom. I know that I am not detailing these events; they are really to many to catalog. What I am saying is that God is always working through the most unlikely events. He is often preparing us now for what He will do later.

In this week’s text, God is laying foundations for future works. The establishment of the church in Antioch and the death of Herod both serve to propel the work of the Kingdom.

God is always at work. His plans and His timing are perfect. May we learn to live into His plans; May we trust His timing.