Word From Pastor - Sep 2

What a special Sunday we experienced together this past weekend!  If you were present, you know what I mean.  From the opening musical praise to the stirring report on our Cuba mission from Ray Harris on through the poignant testimony from Rachelle Peterson, we knew that God was present and moving among us.  During the sermon from Luke 10:25-37, the story of the Good Samaritan came alive and penetrated deeply into our souls.  I sensed it as I preached; you testified to it after the service with affirmations of how the Holy Spirit ministered to your hearts. 

Sunday was not an occasion where we might have said, "We enjoyed the service!"  Somehow, through His grace, God moved us past the "Sunday show" to a life encounter with the call of Christ and the radical challenge to follow Him!  Andrea Bothwell, one of our members, wrote me earlier this week and stated so eloquently and profoundly what the Spirit spoke into her life that morning.  I share the following excerpt with her permission:

" . . . the bar of forgiveness & compassion has just been raised.   Neutrality is not good enough.  It's not even ballpark.  The story of the Good Samaritan has a lot in it - and it is quite profound when analyzed.  One cannot claim love for Jesus if one does not love, have compassion or is closed to forgiving ALL people.  I think of it like this: humans were made with a divine fiber that God also used when he made Jesus and sent him to earth.  While Jesus was made with 100% divine fiber and humans with maybe only a few threads - it is still the same divine stuff.  Understanding this truth and how it should translate into your Christian life in terms of loving one and other, forgiveness, prayer, compassion etc. is profound.  We deny Jesus and the same divine fiber in us when we succumb to hate, pettiness, gossip, grudges, judgment, EVEN neutrality!  To believe otherwise is to fool oneself.    One of our jobs while here on earth is to struggle with that and come to place of love again and again and yet again through the grace of God."

Yes, through the grace of God, we would all agree that the "bar of forgiveness & compassion" has been raised in our lives!  It's so exciting and refreshing to know that God is moving our congregation into the deeper waters of sharing love and life with a world in need!  Discipleship is not merely knowing Christ; it is following Him and learning of Him and drinking deeply from Him such that life is truly lived in Him!  And when that happens, the world sees Jesus and lives are changed forever! 

In the coming days (just weeks ahead in fact!), you will be offered multiple opportunities to move forward in your personal discipleship of following Jesus.  Soon, we will launch our Life Groups, small groups gathering at various times and in various places to experience life together in Christ.  From Bible study and prayer groups to mission and coffee groups and all kinds in between, Cayman Islands Baptist Church will "group" together in order that we might grow together in the "grace and knowledge" of our Lord and Savior.  On September 11, as a closing part of the morning worship, we will participate in a Ministry Fair-an informal opportunity for you to talk to ministry leaders and explore how you might be a part of a small group engaged in a variety of study, prayer, fellowship, service and/or mission activities.  Come join us!

This coming Sunday will be special as well (Aren't all Sundays at CIBC special?) as we express our love and appreciation to Hayes Singleton for his ministry this past year with our youth.  (Hayes will be returning to the US on September 17.)  A Love Offering will be taken for Hayes at the close of the worship service, and then, we will enjoy a time of fellowship and light snacks.

Just a reminder of other events for this weekend . . .

• Please remember the Prayer Gathering this Saturday morning at the altar.  Beginning at 5:00 a.m., we will come together for a time of concerted prayer for our church, our country, and the needs of our homes and individual lives.   Following this early morning session of prayer, a second group will convene at 9:00 with the focus on missions praying!  Remember, God says, "If my people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray . . . then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
• Baptism will take place at Smith's Cove at 7:00
• The Lord's Supper will be observed during the Morning Worship at 10:00.

Blessings be yours in abundance in Christ,

Pastor Randy