I read this the other day. “Most people have birthmarks that are specific to them, whether moles or other kinds of unique identification marks, Designers are known by their trademarks. They have logos of various kinds that even if you don’t read the name, it becomes clear who made it. God likewise has established a mark, a very clear mark, by which His children who have been birthed by the Spirit ought to be known. Love is the birthmark of the Christian. Without the birthmark of love, other people really don’t know who you are.”
February is the month of love. But what is love? What is this birthmark mentioned above? In 1 John 4:8, we read that “God is love.” Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” If God is love and God shows His love for us by sending His one and only Son then what is the definition of love? However you define love, the definition must line up with the character of God because God is love.
I believe a simple and accurate definition of love is seeking the good of another. God is love and therefore He acts in a way that seeks our ultimate good. In Romans 8:28 we’re told, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” God works for the good of His people. Love is seeking the good of another.
In 1 John 4:19 we learn that “we love because he [God] first loved us.” This means that the only way we can truly, fully, and consistency love both God and man is by understanding and experiencing God’s love for us through Jesus Christ. Love requires that we forgive. Love requires that we show grace and mercy. Love requires that we speak truth. Love requires that we speak up when we see injustice. Love compels us to share the gospel. Because it’s only through a relationship with God that people can become who God created them to be. It’s only through faith in Jesus Christ that we truly know what love is. During this “month of love,” let us put the love of God on full display toward one another and those in our city!
While the people of God were in exile during the ministry of the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to them and said:
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)
The people of God were probably discouraged and their hope for a return to the land God had given them was most likely diminishing. As their grip was slipping on the rope of hope, God assured them that He was present and at work. He told them, “I am doing a new thing.” This reminder that God is at work in the present just as He worked in the past offered hope to His weary people.
If you’re like me, you may be entering 2022 weary. It has been a challenging two years. Like the people in Isaiah’s day, we need to be reminded that God is at work in this very moment to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). As we move into the new year, let us allow the Word of God to strengthen our grip on the rope of hope. One way we can do this is by reading through the Bible.
I want to invite you to join me in reading through the Bible this year. I’ve included the reading plan for January in the newsletter. Also, there is a printed copy in the vestibule of the Sanctuary. I’ll include the reading plan each month. It is so easy to forget what God has done and what He continues to do in the world. Let’s allow the daily reading of God’s Word to strengthen our faith this year!
We have all heard the news that people are becoming more secular and less interested in Jesus. I’m sure there is truth in that statement but a recent Lifeway Research poll revealed that people are especially open to Christianity during Christmas. Not only did the poll reveal that almost 80% of people believe Christmas should be more about Jesus, but over 60% also said that Christmas should include attending a church service. That means that two out of every three people you know are most likely going to attend a church service in December. This is a great opportunity to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join you for one or more of our worship services. Remember, Jesus came into the world to save us and enable us to go into the world to reach others! Who can you reach this season?
This month in our daily Bible reading we’re going to be reading verses about giving thanks to God. I encourage to read along with us and be challenged to “give thanks in all circumstances” as the Apostle Paul exhorts us to do. Speaking of giving thanks, we all know that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. As you know, last year our Church Family Thanksgiving Dinner was canceled due to Covid. Thankfully, this year we are bringing it back. We will gather for our Church Family Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 21st at 5pm in the Social Hall. We will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal followed by the Lord’s Supper.
Since we're still dealing with the virus in our city we will be implementing some changes in order to gather as safely as possible. One change we will be implementing is that we will be catering the entire meal. So instead of asking you to bring a covered dish, we are asking you to make a donation toward the cost of the meal. Feel free to invite your friends and family to join us! We will need you and anyone you plan to bring with you to RSVP by November 17th. You can RSVP through our website by going to www.thehillbaptist.com and clicking on Thanksgiving RSVP. I’m looking forward to gathering with you!
Before we exit November we have one more special event planned. The first Sunday of Advent is Sunday, November 28th. We will have our Hanging of the Green Service that evening at 6pm. I look forward to this service every year! For me, it marks the beginning of the Christmas season. I hope you will plan on attending. Also, this is another great opportunity to invite your friends and family to join you! I’m looking forward to gathering with you on these special occasions!
In October we have two great opportunities for outreach and discipleship! First, let me tell you about an opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus. On Wednesday evenings we are offering a men’s Bible study and a women’s Bible study.
The men are going through a study entitled “A Man and His Traps.” We are meeting in room 207 from 6:30-7:30pm.
The women are going through a study on Psalm 23. They are meeting in room 206 from 6-7:30pm.
These are two great studies that will help you grow as a disciple of Jesus.
The second opportunity I want to make you aware of is an outreach opportunity. This opportunity will help us continue to implement the B.L.E.S.S. practices that we learned.
On Wednesday, October 27th from 5:30-7:30pm we will host a Fall Festival. There will be food and fun for all ages. This is a great opportunity to invite someone you know that doesn’t know Jesus or isn’t connected to a local church.
If we’re going to grow we must take steps of faith! I want to challenge you to take a step of faith and participate in these two opportunities!
As we conclude the B.L.E.S.S. sermon series, I want to remind you what the five missional practices are that will help you be a blessing to those around you. Here is how the authors of the book entitled B.L.E.S.S. - 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World summarize each practice.
B - Begin with Prayer
“When Jesus started His earthly mission, Luke 6 tells us that He went out on a mountain and prayed. Prayer is both how you discover your mission and how you live out the mission. Over and over again, we see Jesus retreating to pray. If you’re not sure who God is calling you to bless or where God is calling you to go to be a blessing, you can begin with prayer. And if you know the people you want to bless, begin praying for those people now.”
L - Listen
“Asking questions and then listening was central to Jesus’s life and teachings. Consider the blind man in Luke 18. Jesus didn’t assume the blind man wanted to see. First, He asked, ‘What do you want me to do?’ Then He listened. In the Gospels, Jesus asked more questions than He answered. Of the 183 different questions He received, Jesus answered only a handful. Any relationship starts with listening to someone’s words and life. True listening may be the kindest and most loving gift you can give someone.”
E - Eat
“Jesus liked to eat! Over and over, as in Matthew 9, we find Jesus with tax collectors and sinners…doing what? Eating! There is something about sharing a meal together that moves any relationship past acquaintance toward friendship - faster than just about anything else we can do.”
S - Serve
“Jesus told us straight up, ‘The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve….’ (Matthew 20:28). He modeled for us that once you begin with prayer, listen, and eat with someone, there is a good chance that you’ll discover how you can best serve the person God is asking you to bless."
S - Story
“When people were ready to listen, Jesus would share His story. Like when doubting Thomas came to him asking, ‘How can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:5-6). When you befriend and bless people, they feel relationally safe and want to know your story. Then, and only then, you can tell them how the love of God and Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection have changed you.”
I want to encourage you to continue to put these into practice. We have been blessed to be a blessing. The best way for us to fulfill the mission of loving people and making disciples of Jesus Christ is to be blessers. I’m looking forward to meeting the people you’re praying for, listening to, eating with, serving, and sharing your story with!
Over the past few years, you’ve heard a lot about infrastructure. The past two presidents have talked about the need to improve the infrastructure of our country. One website defines infrastructure this way:
Infrastructure is the general term for the basic physical systems of a business,
region, or nation. Examples of infrastructure include transportation systems,
communication networks, sewage, water, and electric systems. These systems
tend to be capital intensive and high-cost investments, and are vital to a
country's economic development and prosperity.
If you have adequate infrastructure then you’re able to grow. Imagine a community that is seeing more people move into the area. In order to adequately serve the growing population, the community will need to expand roads and other public services. If the community fails to improve its infrastructure, not only will growth not happen but the current residents will experience the congestion of services.
Our church is like the community in my example. We want to see more people “move to our area” meaning we want to see more people become disciples of Jesus and worship with us. However, our current infrastructure can only handle so much. In order for us to improve and increase our services, we must expand.
The way we expand our services to those within our church and community is by our members, you and me, serving in specific ways. During the month of August, you will have the opportunity to sign up to serve and help us expand our infrastructure. We have several different ways that you can be involved in helping us fulfill our mission to love God, love people, and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Whether it’s working with children, running the audio-visual system, playing an instrument, teaching a Sunday school class, planning short-term mission trips, spearheading our senior adult ministry, working with our teenagers, or wherever you may serve you will help us improve and increase the ministry of The Hill Baptist Church. I want you to pray about where God is leading you to sign up to serve!
A story is told of a young boy who sat in church and watched as the offering plate was being passed. Wanting to give something, he reached inside his pocket for something to put in. To his dismay, he had nothing inside. As the plate was passed down the row and came to him, he put the plate on the ground and stepped inside. He had nothing monetary to give, but he gave the most important thing he had—himself.
The story of the young boy reminds us that God wants us to give not only our resources but, more importantly, ourselves. Our church needs you. We need you to join us in the mission God has given us. We need you to give financially but we also need you to give yourself. We need you to serve.
During the pandemic, our ministry team strategy has become dormant. Now that we are emerging from the pandemic, we will be forming ministry teams once again. A ministry team is a group of people seeking to accomplish a specific part of our mission. Serving on a ministry team is a great way to use the gifts God has uniquely given you. Ministry team sign ups will begin in August. I want to encourage you to begin praying about where God will have you serve.
"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:" Romans 12:6
Next month the offering plate of opportunity will be passed. When it comes to you, what will you put inside?
In Christ,
Pastor Ron Jones
To help you prayerfully consider where God may have you serve, here’s a list of some of the potential Ministry Teams.
As we move into June, the spread of the virus is decreasing and we are beginning to see our city emerge from the pandemic. Let’s pray this trend continues. The pandemic has altered our way of life in many ways. Some of the alterations will prove to be temporary. The mask-wearing and social distancing will continue to be relaxed. Virtual school will be replaced by normal face-to-face learning. Restaurants, stadiums, and theme parks will begin to operate a full capacity.
However, some of the alterations will be more permanent. The increased use of technology will continue. Hopefully, the increased attention to personal hygiene will continue. One alteration that I hope will only be temporary is the decrease in church involvement.
I want to challenge you to emerge from the pandemic more committed than ever before to your relationship with Christ and His Church. I desire to see growth in you and growth in the number of people worshipping with us on Sundays! Now more than ever people are realizing their need for God and for community. Both can be experienced in the church.
I want to challenge you to commit to attending our worship services when you’re in town. I want to challenge you to reach out to those around you and invite them to join us for worship. If we’re going to grow, we need to take steps of faith. What is your next step? Maybe your next step is going from watching online to worshipping with us in person. Maybe your next step is placing your faith in Jesus for the first time. Maybe your next step is getting baptized. Maybe your next step is attending a Sunday school class or the Wednesday evening Bible study. Maybe your next step is volunteering in an area of ministry such as the children’s ministry, youth ministry, or music ministry. If we’re going to grow, we must be willing to take steps of faith. Let’s emerge from this pandemic with our faith firmly fixed on Jesus Christ and let’s move forward with Him by taking our next step!
A few weeks ago I shared an interesting statistic with the deacons. A recent survey done in April found that only 37% of adults feel comfortable attending a religious service. This means that over 60% do not feel comfortable! This statistic tells me two things. First, people are going to be slow in returning to the in-person Sunday worship service. Second, one of the best ways for us to reach people is going to be online.
We’ve all had to learn how to use technology over this past year and that’s not going away. Rather than seeing it as a burden, we need to see it as an opportunity. We need to get accustomed to not only inviting people to join us for our in-person worship gatherings but also inviting them to watch our online service. We need to not only invite them to our Wednesday Evening Bible Study but also to participate online using Facebook or Zoom. Other ways we can help them take a next step is to invite them to join our email list, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Before the pandemic, many of these ways to connect with people were not on our radar. Now Zoom, Facebook, YouTube, and Livestreaming are terms that everyone knows. Let’s make the most of these tools and invite people to take their next step to connect with our church.
In summary, here are some action points.
Invite someone to watch our worship service online using our website (thehillbaptist.com), our Facebook page (TheHillBaptist), or our YouTube channel (to access our YouTube channel, go to our website and click on the YouTube slide).
Invite someone to join our email list. They can join by going to our website and clicking on “Subscribe to Receive Weekly Updates” which is located at the bottom right of the page.
Invite someone to join our Wednesday Evening Study by joining our Facebook Group “Wednesday Evening Bible Study” or by joining through Zoom (the Zoom information is sent out every Wednesday in the Mission Update email).
