What thrill it was to witness the birth of a brother in the family of God! We offer our love and congratulations to Jeremy Howell upon his baptism. Let’s all be sure to surround Jeremy with love and let him know that we are glad he is in the family of God.
This past Sunday we also had great Bible classes, a service opportunity at Morningside assisted living facility, youth activities at the building, and a Birthday/Anniversary celebration Sunday night. On top of that we also hosted the visitation and funeral service for one of our dear former members, Margaret Jones. Sunday was a busy day, but a wonderful day for us to share together.
If you weren’t here Sunday night you missed an entertaining moment that occurred when your preacher, who tends to wander across the stage, got too close to the edge on the west side and inadvertently kicked the collection baskets off the stage out onto the floor in front of the pews! There’s got to be a good sermon illustration in that somewhere!
But more importantly, if you weren’t here Sunday night you missed a message from the book of Jude about standing up for your faith. How amazing that Jude, a son of Mary and Joseph and brother to Jesus, didn’t believe on Jesus during his ministry(John 7.5). This was in spite of the fact that he was among the people who had been closest to Jesus his whole life. Yet years later he would write to Christians to stand firm in their faith and convictions for the very same Jesus (Jude 3). How grateful we ought to be that we serve a God who gives second chances! Jude couldn’t go back and change the fact that he hadn’t believed during Jesus’ ministry. But when he came to an understanding of who Jesus was he could be the kind of person who would “contend earnestly” for that faith he now had in Jesus. So you and I can’t go back and erase past mistakes made out of unbelief or weak conviction. But we can be the kind of people who set out with strong determination to stand up for what we believe in today and every day from here forward. Making that kind of a stand doesn’t happen accidentally. It takes firm conviction, dedication, a willingness to sacrifice, and genuine love for the Lord. Will you be the kind of person who embraces second chances and stands up for faith?
