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Happy Thanksgiving!

This week I have been spending time with my family in Illinois, and I will be back with you on Sunday.

This week begins the season of Advent - the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve.  In Advent we anticipate the coming of Christ.  We start by anticipating his Second Coming and finish the season by remembering his arrival at Bethlehem as an infant. 

This week, we’ll be looking at Mark 13:24 - 37.  Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard quite a bit about what God intends life to be like at the return of Christ.  This Sunday, we will see how God intends to interrupt the way life is going to intervene in this world.  There is a dual message in this passage - hope that God will make everything right, and a warning to pay attention to see what God is up to. 

Next Sunday, in the Second Sunday of Advent, we will be looking at 2 Peter 3:8 - 15.  This passage describes to us how we should live in light of God’s coming.  It contains the famous “with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day.”  (verse

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

This week has seen much good going on for First Baptist Church.  As I mentioned last week, we hosted the City-wide Intercessor group on Thursday evening.  This group prayed intensely for this congregation, for its health, growth and well-being.  We certainly have people outside of our congregation who are rooting for us!  We’ll be hosting them again this evening, and I encourage you to join us at 7:00 PM!

Over the last few weeks, I have begun working with some of our newest regular attenders to invite them more fully into the life of God here at First Baptist.  Right now, we have around 10 people who are growing intentionally toward baptism and/or church membership at FBC. 

The men’s group at First Baptist is beginning to read a book called Outflow.  It’s about how to allow the Spirit of God to fill you to overflowing with God’s life, so that you can pour God’s life into the lives of others.  We had a great kick-off discussion yesterday evening at Panera Bread on Elm Road.  You can join us at 6:30 on Wednesdays.

Tim F. and Eric S. have been talking with me and with a number of you about getting a youth group re-started.  If you are interested in participating - as a youth or as a leader - contact either of them, or talk to me.  We’ll get something going soon!

This Sunday, we will look at how we can encourage one another with God’s promises about what he’s up to, even when times are hard.  We’ll look at 1 Thessalonians 5:1 - 11 during worship.  Next week, we’ll be in Ezekiel 34:11 - 16, 20 - 24.  This passage marks the last Sunday of the year before Advent, and the focus is on God coming to take charge of his people and get them where they need to be. 

I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday!

Dear Congregation -

May God continue to bless you richly as you grow in him, “rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:7)

This week, we’ve had the opportunity to play host to the members of our community who will be working the polls on November 4.  The Trumbull County Board of Elections rents our building for the week prior to the election in order to train all the poll workers from each precinct.  Our church will also be hosting four precincts from the southeast side of Warren on November 4, in the Fellowship Hall.  We anticipate having a lot of guests - perhaps numbering even 1000 - in our building that day.  So I, with the help and suggestions of a number of you, took the opportunity to start to spruce the place up, to get ready for our guests. 

The first thing we did was to update all the bulletin boards in the hallway leading from the parking lot to the Fellowship Hall.  We designed the new information on the bulletin boards to help our guests get to know us and feel welcome in our building.  We set up the boards so that as people walk down the hall from the parking lot, they learn a little about us along the way, so that by the time they reach the Fellowship Hall, they may be open to the invitation on the large bulletin board to join us for worship at 10:45 AM Sundays. 

Along the same lines, we placed an order for some banners that we will place on the outside of our building in order to be more welcoming and to help our guests navigate to where they need to be.  Over the years, it has become obvious that those who are not currently an active part of First Baptist Church have trouble finding which door to come in for worship, for the offices, and even where the restrooms are once they get in the building.  We are going to do our best to update our signage without spending a significant amount of money.  As a congregation that is seeking to reach out to others, we must do our best to increase our accessibility to outsiders through making navigation easier. 

This week in worship, we are looking at Joshua 3:7 - 17, where the Jordan River is parted and the people of Israel walk through it on dry ground in order to take possession of the Land God promised to them.  The miracles God did in the desert did not cease when the people entered the Land, but the changed.  Let’s look for how God does new kinds of miracles as we begin to enter in to what God has for us. 

Coming up on November 9, we will look at Matthew 25:1 - 13, the parable of the 10 bridesmaids, with the theme, “be prepared for God to act.”  We don’t want to be having to scramble around when God does show up in a powerful way, so let’s start thinking about (and acting upon) how we can be prepared for God to do in us “exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). 

I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday!

Dear Congregation,

Before I left on vacation, I left a letter to be posted to the church website and distributed in worship.  I hope you all have read it as a letter of encouragement and exhortation.  I have returned from a week of vacation and three days at the American Baptist Churches of Ohio Annual Gathering in Columbus.  However, it’s likely that relatively few of you have seen or heard from me - especially those not in worship on Sunday - because I came down with a rather nasty cold on Sunday afternoon and have been lying low, fighting it off and avoiding infecting others. 

By the time most of you see this letter, we will be in worship on Sunday, where we will be looking at a passage from 1 Thessalonians 2:1 - 12.  In it, Paul relates to the church at Thessalonika how much he suffered to bring them the Good News of Jesus, but how worthwhile it was, since he was able to share with them his life, in the role of a spiritual parent.  We will talk about such “spiritual parenting” and how we fit into that idea this Sunday morning.  But to summarize: in healthy churches, the spiritual parents parent those who are their spiritual children to maturity, so that they may, in turn, become spiritual parents and raise their own spiritual children.  Instead of a contractual relationship between the “leaders” and the “led”, there is a natural relationship between parents and children.  Instead of a “consent relationship” wherein two parties mutually agree to terms, there is an organic relationship wherein one begets the other, and wherein no matter how broken the relationship becomes, it still exists, because one cannot declare their children, “not their children,” nor their parents, “not their parents.”  Let’s look at how we may put this parental relationship into practice here at First Baptist Church. 

This week, we have an opportunity to reach out to others with hospitality, in the name of Christ.  The Trumbull County Board of Elections will be training poll workers in our sanctuary from Tuesday through Saturday, October 28 - November 1.  Let’s all find ways of making these folks feel welcome as they visit.  If you have any specific ideas as to how we might show hospitality and the love of Christ to these people as they are trained for the election, let me know.  We also will be hosting four precincts for the election on Tuesday, November 4.  Please understand that we cannot endorse or post signs for any particular candidate or party anywhere on our property in order to maintain our tax-exempt non-profit status.  However, we do welcome Christ-centered discussion of the issues as they are presented so that all of us may make faithful decisions in the elections. 

Looking forward to Sunday, November 2, we will be looking at Joshua 3:7 - 17.  In it, God does a mini-repetition of the miracle at the Red Sea when the People of Israel cross the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land.  Let us, then, look for ways that God is giving us signs that he is still with us as we move into his land of promise.  Let’s share these with one another.

I look forward to worshipping God with you this Sunday!

Dear Congregation:

As I leave on vacation for this week, returning for some rest and rejuvenation to my family in Illinois, God has led me to share some thoughts with you.

God has given us many promises. He has given us promises individually, as his beloved children; he has given us promises collectively as First Baptist Church; he has given us promises as his people, the People of God, through the Scriptures, through the work of the Spirit, and through the mouth of Jesus himself. The first promise I want to remind you of is that God is not slow in keeping his promises. (2 Peter 3:9) He always does what he says he will do. Moreover, he always shows up in the right way at the right time in the right measure. It is up to us to believe this promise so that we may receive from his other promises.

The second promise I want to remind you of is that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58) Because of this promise, he exhorts us in the same verse to “stand firm and let nothing move you, and excel in the work of the Lord.” In many parts of our lives, it seems that the work we do does not pay off. For one reason or another, we are unable to receive blessing from our daily work. Nevertheless, God promises that as we work for him, in his name, and do so with the excellence that comes from working for God with a heart fixed on him, we know that our work is worthwhile.

The third promise I want to remind you of is that of the cross and the resurrection. Jesus promises his disciples that “in this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) His next sentence is, “but take heart, for I have conquered the world.” He also reminds us that it is our life – not just our job or duty, but our life itself – as disciples to carry our cross as we follow Jesus, putting to death everything in us that is not of him. As daunting as this sounds, his promise to those who go to the cross with Jesus is that those who do will share in the resurrection with Jesus. It is this resurrection that makes our work worthwhile.

The fourth promise I want to remind you of is that God is in the business of restoring broken relationships. It is for this reason that I am writing to you on this day: from evening on Wednesday, 8 October to the evening of Thursday, 9 October, it is the day known to the Old Testament People as Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. (See Leviticus 16:1 – 34.) It was on this day that the people formally repented and sacrifices were made to restore the relationship between the People and God. This was also the day to be reconciled one to another. As followers of Jesus Christ, we know that he has atoned for our sins, and the sins committed against us, and we can be right with him. Let us take this time to renew our repentance and be reconciled. Offer the olive branch. Bury the hatchet. Burn the list of sins committed against you and forgive. This is the Call of God.

I want to encourage you in light of these promises. Many of you are exhausted. Life in general and life at First Baptist have been difficult. Things have not gone as we have wanted. Many of us face chaos at home or work, in our neighborhoods or in our extended families. Economics are hard. This applies both to us personally and to the church.

These promises stand in stark contrast to what we see as our “everyday realities.” In fact, they look so different from what we live in day-in and day-out that they seem quite unbelievable. The world does not seem conquered. We have more broken relationships than we can count. We struggle to make ends meet. Reality and promise look like they live in two different worlds.

But God has something more for us. We must always remember that God’s reality is the only real reality. His perspective is the way of seeing things that puts everything in its proper place.

I believe that God has made some very specific promises to First Baptist Church. I pray that we all may accept them and live in light of them, no matter how things appear.

First, God has promised that if we do God’s will, we will become a healthy, thriving congregation, a missional congregation capable of being the presence of Jesus himself in our community for its transformation and redemption. This is a big promise. It does require our obedience, and our single-hearted devotion to doing everything God has invited us to do, but it is a big promise.

Second, God has promised that he will raise up leaders to help coordinate and guide his people to do what he has called us to do. Some of those leaders may be you. Others may come from elsewhere. But he will do this.

Third, God has promised that our congregation will be re-populated, and that soon. Let us prepare ourselves for this reality.

Fourth, God has promised to pour out financial abundance upon our congregation and people, in whatever measure we are faithful with what he has given us. And he plans to do so soon. As long as we are able to demonstrate wisdom and generosity, God will provide for us with more resources to do more for the work of his Kingdom. But if we choose to hoard and to keep our resources to ourselves, we will be in want and need. This is what we call “Kingdom Economics.” Kingdom Economics is where the blessing of God comes through following his Call and applying his wisdom. It is often the reverse to all other Economic systems. If God is inviting you to be wisely generous, it will likely challenge your understanding of how God is providing for you. But he will do it.

Fifth, God intends to restore damaged and broken relationships all around us – including many of those broken during the last five to ten years around First Baptist. He desires to bring us all deep healing for our hurts and forgiveness for our sins. Let us take this time to set ourselves right with others.

Sixth, God is showing us that we are a part of something he is doing that is much bigger than just us. He has not taken us this far to leave us to fail now. He has called others around us to support us and to walk alongside of us.

When I return to you on 19 October, I will be preaching on Exodus 33:12 – 23. I hope that by that time most of you will have read this letter and that passage in Exodus. I hope that by then you will have taken to heart God’s promises – both the specific and the general – and will have set yourself to prayer, repentance and study of the Scriptures toward what God is, in fact, doing with us, and how he intends to get it done. I hope that some among you will take the initiative to invite others to new or renewed involvement in this Body of Believers by offering them this letter as encouragement, and by offering the invitation to join us for worship, or join you in prayer and Bible Reading together.

For the passage from Exodus speaks of Moses’ desire not to move forward unless he was assured God was with him and the people. He asked God to show him his glory. And God did so. We are about to see God’s glory, if we allow God to give us eyes to see it. Let us prepare ourselves in this time for wholeheartedly asking for and receiving God’s glory.

Will you join me in seeking God’s glory and his presence together?

Grace and Peace –

+Pastor Matt

As I continue in congregational leadership, I have become convinced that there is much more that God wants to do than we ever allow him to do.  God really wants to heal the sick.  God really wants to cast out demons.  God really wants to change lives and bring people abundant life.  God really wants to pour out his Spirit - in the supernatural kinds of ways that we see in the New Testament and elsewhere.  God really wants to even raise the dead. 

And yet, we don’t pray anywhere near enough for this to take place.  Moreover, oftentimes, the prayers that we pray are weakened by the expectations of failure or, perhaps worse yet, survival rations of God’s Spirit.  Sadly, we often don’t expect God to respond.  Especially not immediately. 

What if the Church - and yes, our local congregation, too - were to pray 24-7 as a habit: not just in a few places, mind you, but as a habit for congregational life?  What if we were to expect the miraculous?  What if we were to expect God’s will to actually be done in our lives?  What if we were to invite the full giftedness of the Holy Spirit to come down upon us - to give us what we need for ministry, and to form God’s character in us? 

If?  Then: then we would see God transforming our communities organically through the work of the Spirit-filled church.  Then we would see the message of Christ connected to the lives of many people who otherwise would see this as just so much more talk.  Then we would see radical revival.  Are we ready for this?

Then let us pray: not just for the extravagant, but for the mundane.  Let us pray expecting that God will speak to us.  Let us pray, knowing that he hears us.  Let us pray, knowing that he desires to grant us Abundant Life.  Let us pray - knowing that God desires the church to grow as we do his work.  And let us do so together, as much as possible. 

God, move your Spirit upon us.  Cleanse us from our sins.  Heal our bodies, souls and minds.  Grant us emotional healing.  Provide for our needs.  We want to give you glory, honor and praise.  Pour out your Spirit and let your Kingdom come. 

Amen!

Today, I observed a subtle shift that has been going on in my outlook on preaching - what needs to be preached, what must be heard - has come to some fruition.  Today, I had the “not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom…” passage from Matthew 7:21 - 29.  While through the past I have heard and focused on the warning aspects of the passage, today, we focused on the reassurance and confidence aspects of it.

Yes, even in such a passage there is hope and good news.  That was the focus today.  Previously, I think we needed to hear the warning more.  Now, the encouragement. 

This is a very good sign that we are moving toward congregational health.  What do you think?

This was the question at our men’s group tonight.  How do we reach ____?  fill in the blank.  It was a good discussion.  We decided to pray the prayer Jesus invites us to pray in Matthew 9 - “Lord, send workers into your harvest field!” for two weeks and see what God is saying.

Pray with us!

After a few conversations recently, I am again reminded of the nature of God’s call on our lives.  When God calls us, he does not “need” us.  His motivation is blessing.  He desires to bless us.  So he calls us.  The things to which he calls us are the vectors and the means by which he blesses us - even now.  When we run from God’s call, thinking he is asking too much, we run from God’s blessing.  God cannot bless us as much or as fully if we disobey rather than obey. 

This runs alongside the call-burnout issue.  We think we have to do so much - this activity, that activity… we end up so hyperactive, we don’t know what to do with space and silence except that all the stuff we’ve packed away comes to the surface.  So then we blame God about how tired we are (since he has called us) or what we’re going through (because it hurts) and then don’t want to listen to what happens in the silence and so run harder and further. 

And all God wanted was for us to do what he called us to do: no more, no less.  A long time ago I decided to follow God’s call - wherever that led.  I decided to let God do as much as he possibly could.  And it has led me to some very surprising places.  Not the least of which is Warren, Ohio.  It’s been a tough call, so far.  Crazier by far than anything I’d imagined.

But God’s blessing has been greater than anything I’d imagined, either.  And it isn’t over yet - not by any stretch.  This week, I’m preaching on Isaiah 49:8 - 16.  In that passage, God’s people feel overwhelmed, abandoned by God and unable to fulfill their calling.  Yet, even so, God chooses to bless them.  They’ve been failures as his covenant people.  Yet, he chooses to give them something greater than they had to begin with.  He even wants to bless the journey back from exile into the land of promise.  He’s not just blessing the land, he blesses the journey too.

No, we have not been forgotten.  We will not be forgotten.  But we must pursue the call to receive the blessing.  We must pursue the call of God and no other calls.  This is the Word of the Lord; Thanks be to God!

So I’ve continued my work of prayer this week, seeking God’s vision and direction (while not neglecting my other pastoral duties).  It seems like I’ve been interacting with God at a very deep level regarding some issues we’ve been experiencing in our Congregation.  And the conversations I’m having reinforce what I’ve been praying for. 

I think we as followers of Jesus tend to under-play extended periods of prayer as valid for Christians - espeicially “professional church leaders.” 

I’m realizing it needs to be more balanced, now.  Definitely more time for prayer - in solitude and in groups.  No doubt about it. 

Now… how to get that to take hold congregation-wide…