First Baptist Church of Ojai, California

Blog Break

The blog will be taking a break until Tuesday, December 2nd.  See you then.

More From E.M. Bounds on Prayer

Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God.

Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.

 

Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honoured; it takes God at His Word, and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes, and in carrying on His work. There is bound to be much delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions—knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show its mettle, and the stern stuff of which it is made.

Highlights From Today's Bible Reading

James 2:26 (NIV) 

    As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

James 3:10 (NIV) 

    Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

 

Psalm 118:5-7 (NIV) 

    In my anguish I cried to the Lord,

        and he answered by setting me free.

    [6] The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

        What can man do to me?

    [7] The Lord is with me; he is my helper.

        I will look in triumph on my enemies.

 

Psalm 118:13-15 (NIV) 

    I was pushed back and about to fall,

        but the Lord helped me.

    [14] The Lord is my strength and my song;

        he has become my salvation.

    [15] Shouts of joy and victory

        resound in the tents of the righteous:

    "The Lord's right hand has done mighty things!

What a Difference a Year Makes

It is amazing the difference a year makes.  One year ago when we were preparing the proposed budget for 2008 it did not include even 1 cent for youth ministry.  We were still playing catch-up financially and budgeting according to urgent present needs.  While we were blessed to have some youth attending morning worship, we had no youth ministry strategy or leadership.  It was understood that those issues would have to be addressed at some point in the future.

 

            It has become very clear that the future is now.  First Baptist has continued to grow steadily.  Nowhere has this growth been more apparent than in youth ministry.  Early in 2008 Zac and Jess Cannon stepped up to lead a ministry to Jr. and Sr. High students.  While not having any formal youth ministry training, it became immediately evident that they possessed the intangibles for effective ministry to students:  love, patience, passion, the ability to connect with youth, a growing walk with Christ, and a maturity beyond their years.  What started as a once a week gathering of both Jr. High and Sr. High in homes has become a Thursday night Sr. High ministry and a Sunday night Jr. High ministry.  The former nursery in the educational wing has become a youth center with a big screen TV (donated), retro furniture, video games, and snack bar (Can I be a youth again?).  But most importantly, Zac and Jess are communicating an authentic love for Jesus and providing prime examples of what it is to be a follower of Christ.  All of this has taken place in less than a year while Zac has juggled a busy schedule as a full-time student, part-time employee, and full-time husband. 

 

I cannot say enough about the impact Zac and Jess have had on this church.  Their energy and enthusiasm has been contagious.  That impact is also being felt in this community.  Zac has already developed strategic relationships with other youth ministry leaders in town including the leadership of Young Life.  He is recognized as a valued member of the youth ministry community in the Ojai Valley.

    Personally, I have been greatly encouraged by the fact that the more that Zac becomes immersed in youth ministry, the greater is his desire to do more. 

 

The Finance Committee and Deacon Board have recognized this strategic time and the valuable resource that God has provided us in Zac and Jess Cannon.  We think it is important for the First Baptist Family to make an investment in this couple and in the growing ministry to students at First Baptist.  Therefore, the proposed 2009 budget reflects $400 per month for a part-time youth director.  This amount is enough to take the place of Zac’s part-time job, freeing him to give a greater focus to the student ministry at First Baptist. 

 

What a difference a year makes.  What will the impact of First Baptist look like when we approach 2010?

 

Are we after quality or quantity?

"The truth is there is such a lust for members in the Church in these modern times, that the officials and preachers have entirely lost sight of the members who have violated baptismal covenants, and who are living in open disregard of God’s Word. The idea now is quantity in membership, not quality. The purity of the Church is put in the background in the craze to secure numbers, and to pad the Church rolls and make large figures in statistical columns. Prayer, much prayer, mutual prayer, would bring the Church back to Scriptural standards, and would purge the Church of many wrongdoers, while it might cure not a few of their evil lives." -- E.M. Bounds

Thoughts From Today's Bible Reading

Hebrews 11:27 (NIV) 

    By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

May God grant us the ability to see the unseen today, that we might walk by faith and not by sight. 

Growing Leaders

First Baptist is growing!  With growth comes new challenges and new opportunities that rely on the development of new leaders.  Simply put, we can only grow as fast as we develop leaders.  The first step in growing leaders is to pray that God would raise them up.

"But God does not send these labourers into His harvest without prayer.  The failure of the labourers is owing to the failure of prayer.  The scarcity of labourers in the harvest is due to the fact that the Church fails to pray for labourers according to His command." -- E.M. Bounds. 

Join me in praying today for a new wave of Godly leaders to make an even greater impact in our community and world. 

Thoughts From Today's Bible Reading

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) 
    Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) 
    And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

How is God calling you to exercise faith today?  Are you trusting in that which is seen or unseen? 

Highlights From Today's Bible Reading

Hebrews 10:35 (NIV) 

    So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

 

Hebrews 10:39 (NIV) 

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Adoniram Judson once wrote to a friend, “Let me beg you, not to rest contented with the commonplace religion that is now so prevalent.”