An independent Baptist church.
Archive for December, 2011
From the back cover:
We were all taught in debate class how to build a strong case for our topic by knowing both the pros and cons — not only knowing our main points but also anticipating the opposing side’s. “A Case For…” is a series of articles that are written in a simple format, highlighting some of the main points for and against each topic. While a book, chapter and verse may not be provided for each argument given, overarching principles guide every point. Some people may not think that approach is very spiritual, but this series takes a practical, logical approach as well as maintaining a biblical stance on everything. A Case For Why We Have “Church” is a biblical and logical discussion of the church’s authority and timelessness. When Christ transferred his authority to the church, he promised to be with it until the end. Thankfully, we still have that authority today.
Click here to download PDF booklet
Introduction
Every wonder where the whole concept of church came from, anyway?
I mean, if you were an alien who just dropped in, knowing nothing of our culture or history, wouldn’t it seem strange that people all over the world meet together during the week?
And not only that… they talk about this… book. And this… book… is thousands of years old!
First of all, if I were the alien, I’d want to know about how that book has lasted so long. There’s no doubt it is the most unique book ever written, but there’s also the fact that people would actually die for it. Now that might seem strange, if he didn’t understand the book’s significance.
Things might make more sense to our alien friend when he understands that we meet in what we call church in order to worship God and hear this book preached.
From the back cover:
We were all taught in debate class how to build a strong case for our topic by knowing both the pros and cons — not only knowing our main points but also anticipating the opposing side’s. “A Case For…” is a series of articles that are written in a simple format, highlighting some of the main points for and against each topic. While a book, chapter and verse may not be provided for each argument given, overarching principles guide every point. Some people may not think that approach is very spiritual, but this series takes a practical, logical approach as well as maintaining a biblical stance on everything. A Case For Saturday Soul-Winning is a discussion of some practical reasons that every church member should be involved in the outreach of our church… particularly through Saturday soul-winning times.
Click here to download PDF booklet
Introduction
Every Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church, around 9:45 am people start showing up, getting maps, getting tracts, and praying for the day of soul-winning. What we call soul-winning is a time of the week that we take gospel tracts with church information and invite people to our church and try to be a witness and see people saved.
At the heart of our scheduled soul-winning time is the Great Commission found in the gospels: Matthew 28:18-20, 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Christ is literally telling us His plan for bringing people into His family: He conveys His authority (“All power”) to the church (the only entity that will last “unto the end of the world”) and expects the individuals to “Go ye…” The core job of the church is to:
- Win souls (“teach all nations”)
- Baptize them (“baptizing them…”)
- Disciple them (“Teaching them…”)
A great way to be involved in the Great Commission is to be a part of our Saturday soul-winning time. Not only is it commanded to be a witness, but Saturday soul-winning time allows us to be a part of something that will matter in 1,000 years, as opposed to most everything else we do on earth. The following points are certainly not exhaustive, but they provide a few practical, logical reasons to come out on Saturdays.
Good Morning!
Oh man, my Thursday was good!
You might think I’m about to say something spiritual. Sorry but no. Okay, It WAS good when I read my Bible in the morning. It WAS good when I thought about all of you serving the night before (setting up all those tables and chairs… Praise God!)
But that wasn’t the best part.
The best part was a tin on my desk.
Wednesday night, Sam handed me a tin. I thought, “Wow! That was REALLY kind!” Then I asked if I could open it and he said, “Sure.”
What I was expecting was something like chocolate or cookies or something.
But when I opened the can a bright light appeared from within. It blinded me for a second. The rays of intense light shot out of the can and filled the hallway where we were standing. Everyone froze, wondering what just happened.
I heard the angels singing in the background.
There… in the tin… was a bag of… gummy bears. Sweet, happy gummy bears.
So that’s why my Thursday was good. Gummy bear breakfast! What does this have to do with anything? Absolutely nothing. Except to tell you that angels are real. I heard them. True story.
Bro. Ryan
TOF DESSERT FUNDRAISER – TONIGHT
We’ll provide cookies and homemade hot chocolate after the evening service and play. If you are helping with this fundraiser, please plan on staying after the service to help serve and clean up. Please come tonight at 5:30 if you are available to help with setup. If your cookies are not already in the kitchen, please bring them no later than 5:30 pm tonight.
CHRISTMAS DAY – NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25
We’ll have a combined service in the sanctuary from 10:30 am-12:00 pm. If you are in the bell choir, please arrive no later than 10:15 am so we can pass out bells and get prepared for the opening song.
GIVING
Did you notice the thermometer on Sunday?
We made our goal!
But, like I’ve said a few times before, the REAL goal isn’t the money amount we’re shooting for… the REAL goal is involvement. If we could have everyone involved in some way in the Teens of Faith Home Missions Fund, God would blow that thermometer out of the water! If every member really sought God on how he or she could be involved, and really made it a spiritual discipline to be involved every week, we’d see God bless in ways you can’t imagine.
He promised He would. And remember from Sunday… He’s good for EVERY promise He makes, no matter what. So why not bank on that promise? The promise to “give and it shall be given unto you.” Get in on the cycle!
Mrs. Jamie, Pastor and I are going out to Heartland Baptist Bible College in January to give our Home Missions Fund to church planters all over America. It’s such a privilege to be involved, and we might be the only youth group there who’s done that… I don’t remember (from when I was there) any other youth group bringing offerings to the conference.
Giving is a privilege. I hope you never get cynical about the pastor or the Bible when you hear or read something about giving. Non-givers are cynics. Givers are blessed and happy, and can’t give enough! Be a giver… for YOUR sake!
We sure love you and we’re glad you’re here tonight. Do right.
Bro. Ryan
SETUP FOR SUNDAY – TONIGHT AFTER CHURCH
Please help set up tables and chairs for Sunday’s fund-raiser.
TOF DESSERT FUNDRAISER – SUNDAY
We’ll provide cookies and homemade hot chocolate after the evening service and play. If you are helping with this fundraiser, please plan on staying after the service to help serve and clean up. Please come tonight at 5:30 if you are available to help with setup. If your cookies are not already in the kitchen, please bring them no later than 5:30 pm Sunday night.
CHRISTMAS DAY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25
We’ll have a combined service in the sanctuary from 10:30 am-12:00 pm. If you are in the bell choir, please arrive no later than 10:15 am so we can pass out bells and get prepared for the opening song.
WEDNESDAY
Wasn’t last Wednesday cool?
Who knew that Habakkuk had anything to say to us? Well… apparently YOU knew, because you were the ones who dug it all out, right from the Bible! I felt like I was in a roomful of scholars; it was great to see you getting it.
Nothing is more rewarding for a preacher than to be understood. The spiritual growth all comes from God, but the human aspect of preaching and teaching requires study, presentation AND listeners. When the Bible gets all the way to where the listeners understand it, the human aspect is over and the Spirit goes to work on man’s spirit to convict, encourage, challenge, comfort, etc. My joy in working with you is when you move from hearing to doing.
Also, yesterday was a blast! Afterwards I just kept saying to my wife, “That was fun! That was fun!” Everything went well, and we’re always encouraged to be with you. It’s never a bother and we love every bit of it. You need to come over more often!
If you couldn’t make it last night, I’m sorry you had to miss. Do right!
Bro. Ryan
BELL CHOIR PRACTICE – TODAY
If you volunteered to help, please meet in the sanctuary at 5 pm for practice.
SATURATION SATURDAY – THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17
We’ll meet at 9:45am. Please try to make it to the last Saturation Saturday of 2011. It’s a great way to spend a few hours of your week serving God.
TOF DESSERT FUNDRAISER – NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18
We’ll provide cookies and homemade hot chocolate after the evening service and play. There will be no charge. All donations will go toward the Winter Rendezvous. If you want to receive part of the profits from this fundraiser, please sign up today to bake cookies, and please plan on staying after the service to help serve and clean up. Please bring the cookies to the church kitchen no later than 5:30 pm. They can be brought in the morning.
SATURDAY SOUL-WINNING
We just printed up some booklets on some reasons that everyone should be involved in Saturday soul-winning time. It’s not a requirement to get to heaven. It’s not a requirement in order to come to church. It’s a privilege!
I have such a good time on Saturday soul-winning. I’ve learned a lot through doing it for a while, and I know I still have a lot more to learn with it. I’ve loved seeing the ones who have been faithful to come out every week, and I appreciate those of you who would be there if you could. Thank you for your spirit to reach others.
Tonight will be a very cool lesson during which you’ll have to think. To me, when dull, dry boring parts of the Bible (like Habakkuk!) made sense in my mind, I couldn’t get enough of God’s Word! It was like, “Oh wow! This DOES mean something! Cool!”
Thank you for being here tonight. You’re a blessing to be around, and we sure missed you last week. I was in a church in Indiana and sat in the back, but it didn’t feel right that I wasn’t up with the teens in the first few rows! Afterward we got a text with your picture, and that just made our night. You’re the best!
Do right. Love God.
Bro. Ryan
TONIGHT – Mixed Ensemble practice after church
TONIGHT – Table and chair setup after church.
Three 8’ tables – for serving – no chairs
Six 8’ tables – for eating – 8 chairs per table
Six round tables – for eating – 8 chairs per table
CHRISTMAS PARTY – THIS SATURDAY 4-7 pm
Bring a <$5 gift and a snack.
BELL CHOIR PRACTICE – SUNDAY
If you volunteered to help, please meet in the sanctuary at 5 pm for practice.
SATURATION SATURDAY – NEXT SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17
We’ll meet at 9:45am. Please try to make it to the last Saturation Saturday of 2011. It’s a great way to spend a few hours of your week serving God.
TOF DESSERT FUNDRAISER – NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18
We’ll provide cookies and homemade hot chocolate after the evening service and play. There will be no charge. All donations will go toward the Winter Rendezvous. If you want to receive part of the profits from this fundraiser, please sign up today to bake cookies, and please plan on staying after the service to help serve and clean up. Please bring the cookies to the church kitchen no later than 5:30 pm. They can be brought in the morning.
One of the highlights of this year’s Christmas Party was the chance to laugh. Enjoy the skit that was done last Friday night…
This is the most recent prayer letter from the Winters family, our missionaries to Japan.
This is the most recent prayer letter from the Joyce family, our missionaries to Burkina Faso.
WELCOME!
Whew! You didn’t revolt. Thanks for that!
We’re very happy to be back from our vacation, and we are thankful to those of you who prayed for us. All went well with the travels and we had a relaxing and restful time with family and friends. We bragged on you everywhere we went!
I hope you all get jobs some day that you love as much as I do! I hope you obey God now and let Him lead you in His will all along. As long as you’re obedient to the Bible, you can’t miss His plan for your life. (Read that last sentence again… it’s a good one.)
Being a youth pastor is not what’s great… doing what God has for me is what’s great! If you’re obedient to God’s Word and are in His will, ANY job you work can often be a joy… for me, it’s a job I even look forward to getting home from vacation to work! I love that!
Bro. Ken told me that I would have been proud to see you last week with our “Be Our Guest” stuff. I wish I could have seen it, but it sure sounds like you’re acting on what you know to do… that’s a great step.
Finally, thank you so much for our picture on Wednesday! We happened to be at a restaurant with 2 other youth pastors and their wives, and we were SO happy to show them all your pretty little faces. We love you, teens.
Bro. Ryan
WINTER RENDEZVOUS DEPOSIT DUE – TODAY
We are asking for a $40 deposit if you are planning on going to the Winter Rendezvous on Thursday, January 5 – Saturday, January 7.
TOF CHRISTMAS PARTY – THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10
This will be at Bro. Ryan’s house from 4-7pm. Please bring a snack to share and a $5 gift for a gift exchange.
BELL CHOIR PRACTICE – NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11
If you volunteered to help, please meet in the sanctuary at 5 pm for practice.
SATURATION SATURDAY – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17
We’ll meet at 9:45am. Please try to make it to the last Saturation Saturday of 2011. It’s a great way to spend a few hours of your week serving God.
TOF DESSERT FUNDRAISER – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18
We’ll be providing cookies and homemade hot chocolate for everyone after the evening service and play. There will be no charge. Any donations given will go toward the Winter Rendezvous in January. If you want to be a part of this fundraiser, please sign up soon to bake some cookies, and please plan on staying after the service to help serve and clean up.
