IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH Newsletter - FEBRUARY 2015 Pastor Dan Jividen "Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." Colossians 4:12, NKJV Perhaps the greatest reason for the spiritual anemia that besets many churches is the problem of prayerlessness. A healthy church remains healthy as a result of a consistent prayer ministry. In John 15:5, Jesus put it bluntly: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." Prayer is the activity of purposefully abiding in Christ. The Colossians 4 passage above demonstrates that prayer is not a product of spiritual passivity. Serious prayer is purposefully laboring at seeking the heart of God. It is not for the lethargic or double minded (James 1:7-8). It is not for the inconsistent or uncommitted (Luke 18:6-7). Perhaps that is the real reason most modern churches suffer from prayerlessness. It requires a serious, concerted and consistent effort on the part of the members. Remember, Paul spoke to the Colossians about Ephaphras, "who is one of you." He spoke about the fact that Epaphras was, "always laboring fervently for you," in prayer. Last of all, he mentioned that the goal of Epaphras' prayers were that the body of Christ there in Colosse might, "stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." The problem with the prayer ministry of so many Churches is that it is restricted to those we believe are, "in need of prayer." Most of the time, our perception of those, "needing prayer," is relegated to those who have physical needs, ailments, or desires. This is the great problem, because the greatest needs within the Church are always spiritual in nature. We have an enemy who roams about, "like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) Certainly we must recognize that such an enemy demands that we remain constantly vigilant in prayer for, "pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). This commitment to prayer is not mamby-pamby stuff. It is serious business! Maintaining Church health through prayer requires serious disciples with a serious commitment to see the kingdom of God advanced by aligning ourselves with God's good, acceptable and perfect will (Romans 12:2). This explains why so few Church members will ever be involved in prayer ministries. Nevertheless, it is not up to how many of our members we can involve in prayer. It is up to the commitment of those precious few who recognize the seriousness of our call to prayer, "For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few." (1 Samuel 14:6). Let me put it very bluntly: Show me a Church that no longer maintains a prayer meeting and I will show you a dead or dying Church! Show me a Church that is not praying for spiritual power in the pulpit and I will show you a Church that is starving for want of spiritual meat! I am convinced that when God's people pray; God speaks! Why refuse to hold prayer meetings just because the majority of the membership does not recognize the need, or have the desire to participate? Let the Lord God call the members to assemble themselves! Those who are in tune with the Spirit will respond to His call. Leave the others to whatever pursuits they believe more important! Although the prayer meeting will always and ever be relegated to the few faithful "Epaphrases," it must never be abandoned just because, "almost nobody shows up." I would rather be counted among those who do, because I still believe the prayer meeting is the true power-plant of ministry. It is the engine from which every other ministry derives its spiritual power! Blessings and Peace, Brother Dan Immanuel Baptist Church It’s that time of year again! F-30 is right around the corner! Mark your calendars, friends; F-30 is February 27-28 this year. F-30 stands for a 30-hour fast, in which we raise awareness, funds, and food for Global Hunger Relief. Additionally, all food items raised during the event will go to Princeton Tender Mercies and the Bluefield Union Mission. During the weekend, we will be raising money for Global Hunger Relief. GHR is an initiative of Southern Baptists that was formerly known as the World Hunger Fund. GHR-funded projects combat hunger in North America and around the world in a wide variety of ways, from disaster relief to addressing chronic hunger, from eliminating urban food deserts, and much more. GHR is one of the most effective channels for donating toward the global hunger crisis. While most humanitarian organizations may keep from 30% to 70% for administrative overhead (buildings, salaries, advertising, etc.), GHR is able to devote resources directly to meeting hunger needs because of the unique partnership it represents through the funding of the Cooperative Program giving and special offerings. What this means is that 100% of every dollar donated to GHR funds hunger-related issues; 80% goes internationally and 20% stays in North America. The weekend will feature mission projects, concerts, speakers, games, scavenger hunt, a free t-shirt, and much more! This event is for students 6th grade and up. College students and adults are heavily encouraged to attend and participate! We are blessed to have Render the Hearts leading worship, and Doug Compton as our guest speaker once again. They desire for people to see the love they have for Christ through their music. The burden God has laid on their ministries is not only to see lives saved, but to reach the lukewarm and broken-hearted Christ followers. Bring a friend and come join the fun! You won’t want to miss out! Fasting starts at 1:00 p.m. Friday and ends with a break-fast meal around 7:00 p.m. Saturday. F-30 registration begins at 6:00 p.m., Friday February 27 and the event starts at 6:30 p.m. that evening. Remember, this is a lock-in, so bring your air mattress, sleeping bag, pillow, change of clothes, etc. ADULTS 21+: If you want to be a volunteer driver and lead a team of teens this weekend, let Kyle know ASAP. This is always an area in which we need several volunteer drivers to lead teams of students. What being a Driver entails is simply driving students to and from their destinations in the community for scavenger hunts, as well as gathering food and monetary donations, and leading up a small mission project in our community. Just being there for these young people can make a world of difference in their lives. If you have never been a driver for this event, it is a blessing; both for you and the students. If you’re interested in driving or have questions about the event, please talk to me and let me know! There is also a signup sheet in the foyer for those interested in driving. Flyers and permission slips for students are also in the foyer. How can you help? In addition to your volunteer efforts, Pray! In order for this event to be a success, both spiritually and numerically, it must be saturated in prayer. Please be in prayer for this event. Pray for those participating and for those who will receive the blessing of what will be raised (both food and funds) during the weekend. Another way to help is to be involved by leading a group of students as a driver, or by joining with a team as an adult chaperone. Your presence and involvement will mean the world to these young people. In Christ, Kyle Neal IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH Make a difference in a child’s life! Bring them to be a part of this exciting ministry! 7 pm every Wednesday Night. Ages 2 through 5th grade The Youth Evangelism Conference was an amazing time of worship, evangelistic messages and challenges, and gathering with churches from around the state. Total attendance from YEC 2015 was 809! Praise the Lord! Experiencing corporate worship at that level, with hundreds of students, is truly a blessing. We enjoyed concerts by 7eventh Time Down and Royal Tailor, as well as having Luminate lead in worship, and David Nasser as the speaker. Often times we come back from these “mountain top experiences” and repel off the mountain, or in some cases, jump off the cliff, so to speak, when we return to our schools and workplaces. It is my prayer that our students and adults alike absorbed the focus of the weekend; that they are “Made Different to Make a Difference” and that they are transformed, presenting themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1-2). Thank you Immanuel for continually supporting our student ministry and continue to pray for our students’ spiritual growth, particularly two within our group that made a renewed commitment to Christ. FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS 1. Marie Davidson 4. Misty Cox Tanner Jones 5. Racheal Pitcher Mike Barker 6.Kenny Osborne 7. Bonnie Roberts Nicole McMillan 8. Sheila Belcher 10. Jeff Smith Logan Sigmon Rebecca Pender grass 11. Staci Sigmon In Christ, 12. Connie Shrewsbury Kyle Neal 14.Paula Bishop New Additions to our Membership December Business Meeting : Emmett Williams and Janel Willis January Business Meeting: Michael and Cathy Barker, Bill, Holly & Katie Streit, Brandon and Elizabeth Ramsey MOUNTAIN STATE BAPTIST MEN’S BREAKFAST FEBRUARY 7TH 8 A.M. IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH Frances Gillespie 15.Logan Cox Patty Miller Carol Sexton 16.Yvonne Bane 17. Mary Forrester Alex Richardson 18.Zachary White 19.Joey Martin Euna Milligan 21.Bobby Worrell 22.Ariel Schulte 26.Jack Goode 28.Pearl Mann 29.Devin Shrewsbury Immanuel Baptist Church Return Service Non-Profit Requested U.S. Postage Paid 1000 New Hope Road Princeton, WV 24740 Permit No.32 Phone: 304-425-0651 Fax: 304-425-3888 E-mail: [email protected] February 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Deacon’s Mtg. 3 4 5 6 7 pm 7 MSBA Men’s Breakfast SHEbrews 8 am at IBC pm 8 Carry in 9 SHEbrews Dinner 6 pm 10 11 Focus on WMU Study 12 Union Mission 13 14 20 21 5:30 pm 7 pm 15 16 SHEbrews 17 WMU 7 pm 18 Business Mtg, 7 pm 19 STATE VBS CLINIC 6 pm 20-21 22 Counting Committee 23 SHEbrews 5:45 pm 6 pm/ Early VBS Mtg. Directors Only 7 pm 24 25 26 27 28 - F 30
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