Pastor's Note

One of the reasons I love the study of Scripture and taking time to deeply pore over God's Word is that there is always more to learn and more to ponder. The most familiar passages may feature an angle we had never considered, and very often a new experience in life or new thought might bring fresh application out of an "old" text. Consider Matthew 28:19, a text very familiar to us all.

After a brief break over the summer, the church planting team is meeting again and considering where the church plant might be located. Please join them in prayer, specifically for discernment on where we are being called to plant.

I regularly reflect on Hebrews 10:19-25. You can read the passage on your own, but it essentially calls us to cling to God, cling to truth, and cling to each other because of Christ's work in bringing us to God through His death. Right now, I'd like to encourage you with the call of verse 25, that we not neglect to meet together, but that we encourage one another, and all the more as "the day" draws near.

Scripture repeatedly calls us to openly and willingly speak of God's goodness and His faithfulness. You can look to Psalm 34:3; Psalm 71:8; Psalm 145:7; Luke 8:39; 1 Peter 3:15; or 1 Chronicles 16:8, for example. We can simply look at Psalm 107:2; "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble..." With this biblical witness, I'd like to encourage us all to be ever and increasingly willing to speak of what God has done in our lives, to those both outside and inside the church.

I think it's safe to say that there is no one more patient than the Lord Himself. Therefore, when we see Jesus display a moment of seeming exasperation, we ought to take notice. One of those moments comes in Mark 9, where Jesus says in verse 19; “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?" What causes such a reaction in Jesus?

Last Sunday I should have remembered to say thank you for allowing me the privilege to travel to our USMB national gathering and represent CBC. There were a number of highlights, including the chance to recall God's faithfulness in and through our family of churches. We will have a chance to celebrate God's faithfulness on Sunday as well, as we celebrate our 60th anniversary as Community Bible Church.

Our July elder meeting was held July 16. We spent a portion of our time in discussion of pastoral care and related prayer, and the remaining agenda consisted of preparing for the Family Gathering (July 26) and some other miscellaneous items.

We are now squarely in the summer season, which, for many of us, means abnormal schedules, travel, and vacation opportunities. This also means that we may be more sporadically plugged into the events and rhythms of church! That's not necessarily a bad thing - just a reality of the season. But we might miss some things, so I want to encourage you to engage in a few specific ways!

Our June elder meeting was held July 1. Josh gave us an update on their mission; we were encouraged and spent time in prayer for their mission. Much of the remaining time was spent formulating a budget for the 26-27 fiscal year.

Satan is aggressively opposed to the proclamation and spread of the gospel. I think this is clearly established in Scripture and life experience. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says; "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ..." In 1 Thessalonians 2:18, Paul tells the church he wanted to visit them, but Satan prevented it.