Almost Over

Summer 2016 is almost over, at least for the church calendar. Already this summer we have had Carpenter's For Christ, Vacation Bible School (VBS), middle school camp, high school mission trip, and this week helping another church with their VBS! We still have Children's Camp and End of Summer Revival.
While it has been very busy, God has been moving. Several children and youth saved this summer, many rededications, new church members, and a stronger fellowship. During all this, our world has seen evil run rampant. Last Sunday we recognized and encouraged all our public servants (Fire and Police) in all our services then fed them dinner. It was a time of showing our appreciation for all they do twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
The greatest movement in our church has been prayer! We have a growing prayer ministry that covers all services and events as well as all requests. It is an amazing thing to have people pouring out their hearts before God as you preach! And the preaching... we are traveling through the book of Acts as the church is born and grows. Growing pains for sure, even persecution! It is a very challenging series. I believe God shows us the pictures of the early church to encourage and correct the church of today. While no church is perfect, we can be better.
I'm looking forward to the fall when we will ramp up our efforts towards Vision implementation. God has given the Church an incredible look into the future. It is challenging and exciting, sometimes misunderstood, and often humbling. While some may think that growing big is the vision, they have totally missed it! Growing deeper is our call which leads us to reaching more for the cause of Christ and their salvation. To be a part of a church that seeks to fully follow Christ and then help others follow Him is what the Bible is all about. Surely the circumstances of this world shows us the importance of our mission.
I am looking forward to a deeper walk with Christ! How about you?

From the Heart,
Pastor BR

Great and Mighty

"Great and Mighty is the Lord our God, great and mighty is He" is more than just a song! The scriptures teach us of the greatness and power that God has. This power is afforded to us when we trust in Him as our Lord and Savior. In studying Ephesians 1:19-23, we find this power as demonstrated in the exaltation of Christ. This word for "power" is from the Greek word "megathos" from which we get our word "megathon" which measures atomic explosives. Now THAT is power!

This power raised Christ from the dead. When God raised Jesus Christ, He demonstrated three things for us. First, the power to raise Christ shows that God has the power to conquer all the trials and temptations of life. We face trials and often fail but that does not diminish the power of God. We must put that power to work when we walk through the valleys.
Second, The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows that God has the power to give man a new life and power to live the new life. He makes all things in us new!
Third, The power to raise Christ from the dead shows that God has the power to raise men from the dead. The believer will experience the great resurrection power of God and be resurrected from the dead.
Daily we have the opportunity to walk in the power of God. This power will help us accomplish the things God has for us as His children and as His church. We are on Kingdom business with atomic power!
I pray God will be so real to you today and bless you as you faithfully walk in Him!
From the Heart,
Pastor BR

Helping the Hurting

A knock on the door by policeman at 4am cannot be good news. Many flood victims in Louisiana woke up to such a scenario with little time to gather what was important and get out before the flood waters swallowed their homes. Last week I had the privilege of serving with other Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplains in Franklington, LA. We prayed with so many who had lost so much. Praise the Lord our team lead some to Christ. We were able to bring hope in a very desperate time. I am grateful that we have the promises and the presence of God to offer those in such need. Please pray for the almost 6,000 families that lost their homes and the lengthy recovery process. Many Disaster Relief teams will be serving in the coming weeks to touch those with the grace of God.

On another note, Easter Sunday was wonderful! The music was very uplifting and the message very challenging. I preached on the idea of having "A Thomas Easter." while Thomas brought his questions to Christ, we can bring our doubts and delays to Christ as well. Thomas was moved from being a "doubter" to being a "declarer" and "devoted." Thomas ended up being a martyr for the Gospel. Be encouraged because we serve a Risen Savior!

I pray God will bless you and your family.

From the Heart,
Pastor BR

Evangelism

The world needs more than just the church but the Savior of the church. If the world only experiences the "friendliness" of the church and misses Jesus, then we have failed.
Our emphasis should always be on evangelism and discipleship. We seek for every member to reach one person over the next two years. We know that through our obedience of sharing the faith, our church can double. Each One Reach One is the call upon every follower of Christ. We also know that as we are obedient to this call, we will have to grow our Sunday school and growth group ministries. Leaders will need to be trained and new classes started. How Exciting!
It is sad to know that 103 people a minute die, 6,000 people an hour! Do they know Christ? We want to make sure we reach everyone within our touch with the "Good News." Then we must be willing and organized to help new believers grow in their faith. We must disciple those we reach.
Next Sunday we will talk about the vision for discipleship. It will be very challenging and rewarding as we see the Kingdom of God grow. Our challenge is to follow the scriptures as closely as possible. To live out the gospel on a daily basis.
what about you? Will you remain faithful to the call? Are you "ashamed of the gospel" or do you "glory in the gospel?"
From the Heart,
Pastor BR

It Has Been A While

My goodness! It has been a while since I have posted to my blog. 2016 has started off as a busy year but I am back. This past year has been a time of intense searching for the vision God has for the church. The difference between the membership of the church and those who are active is very disturbing to me as pastor. I just can't imagine receiving Christ as my Lord and Savior and joining His Bride, the church, and not be active. When I embrace all that God has done for me, it moves me closer to Him.
I am presently preaching through the vision God has laid on our hearts. It is exciting and challenging at the same time. We are mobilizing people to serve the Lord and reach the lost. Great days are ahead as we seek to honor Christ!
I am going to strive to post on my blog more often. I want to share what God is doing. As a matter of fact, this blog post was interrupted for about 45 minutes as I received an anonymous call in which I shared Christ. All I can ask is that you pray for this man that called me.
Blessings to you and your family!

From the Heart,

Pastor BR

B.C or A.D.?

The church during the Christmas season is so beautiful and special as we come together to celebrate God's greatest gift to the world... His Son, Jesus Christ. Every year the church celebrates and remembers three distinct events that changed the course of time and all humanity:
The church at the birth of Christ
The church at the cross of Christ
The church at the resurrection of Christ

The birth of Christ split time in half between B.C. and A.D.. B.C. is used to label time "before Christ's" birth. A.D. (anno Domini) or more fully (anno Domini nostril Jesu Christi) "in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ" marks the time after the birth of Christ. The purpose of the B.C./A.D. dating system (developed around 500 A.D. and formally adopted around 800A.D.) was to make the birth of Jesus Christ the dividing point of world history. Jesus Christ is the separation between the "old" and the "new."

Every human heart is divided between B.C. and A.D.. We are either living before accepting Christ (B.C.) or after accepting Christ as our personal Savior and Lord (A.D.). We are reminded in Philippians 2:10-11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
All eternity is determined by Jesus Christ!

So, are you living in B.C. or A.D.?

From the Heart,
Pastor BR Johnson

Disaster Relief

Last week I had the blessing of a lifetime as I served with Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief in Sumter, South Carolina. I led a chaplain group of six that knocked on over 500 doors and spoke to 244 people. One blessing was be used to lead an 80yr old woman to the Lord!
We train for disaster work praying that we will never need to be called. When a disaster hits, the time to train is past. So we spend the necessary time preparing ourselves to serve when people are devastated. We are able to bring hope in the midst of the crises.
What a blessing to serve with a small group that consisted of a retired truck driver, an electrical engineer that works on the International Space Station, a retired middle school counselor, a school bus driver, and a clinical counselor. Wow what a team! We had not met one another until this week of deployment but God melded our hearts together as we walked the streets sharing Christ!
If you have ever considered serving in disaster relief, I strongly encourage you to get involved. It is missions in crises. One of our group members said it was like being in a revival all week. Serving in disaster relief will remind you of how blessed you really are.
While I pray that there are no more disasters to respond to, I know we are ready when the call comes. The bags are packed and the prayers have been spoken. God will give you a divine appointment in which you can be the hands and feet of Jesus!

From the Heart,
Pastor BR