Are We Under Attack? -- October 26, 2012

Are we under attack at Liberty Park Baptist Church?

Let's look at the scoreboard.  Name a church staff member and I bet I can name a crisis they have faced in the last 90 days.

Look at the names of the people on the "To" line of this email and most of them have experienced a personal, family, or close friend crisis in the last 90 days.

What does this mean?  Part of me says, "It's just life.  It happens to us all." 

But I believe it's deeper than that.  Our church and its members are under attack from all directions.  The purpose of this attack is to keep us from fulfilling some great things God wants to do through us.

So what do we do?  One word:  PRAY.

On the day before the election, we will be praying for 24 hours for our country.

You have done a wonderful job praying for our family as my wife went through back surgery.

You are letting everyone know about prayer needs by "Replying All" to any emails I've sent to the class.

You're doing really good.

But I expect more.

Huh?

You heard me.  I...Expect...More.

We do great letting each other know about physical problems for us and those we love.  I want us to go deeper.

Now, what I want doesn't lend itself to broadcast by email.

This week, the first part of our lesson is about Jesus going into the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion.  He took his most trusted disciples as He went to pour out His heart to God.

That's what I want for our class.  We each have issues that weigh on our heart.  I hope you have another Christian you can talk with about those issues.  If you don't, I ask you to find someone in our class who will be that person.  Call them your accountability partner, your prayer partner, or your encourager.  The title doesn't matter; their prayers and support do.

Think about it.  Then act.

So what is our lesson about this week at 9:50 a.m.?  Here it is in a nutshell..."When Christ submitted to the Father's will, it brought great suffering, caused great shame, but led to His exultation."

Our scripture passages are Mark 14:32-36, Philippians 2:5-11, and Hebrews 1:1-4.

One thing going on Sunday afternoon you need to know about.  At 4:30 p.m. in the sanctuary, we will be celebrating a baptism service.  It is a moving experience.  Be there to celebrate the outward sign of an inner change of those being baptized.

Finish Friday strong.  Enjoy Saturday with your family.  See you Sunday!

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

“I don’t mind the question if you don’t mind the answer.”  William Bailey