Pastor's Letter 5.23.23
Check out Pastor's letter of encouragement to the Lincoln Baptist Church.
Dear Church,
What wonderful services we had this past Sunday! I truly believe that the Lord met with us and has begun a special work in our church. There is something very sweet about the people of God undertaking changes in their living to accommodate God's will for their lives. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philippians 1:6)
Saturday my wife and I had a great opportunity to take several of the church kiddos our visiting with us. We had a great time, though because our visits were so spread out we did not make as many visits as normal, but we covered a lot of ground. We also managed to stop and grab a drink and a snack, as well as take a picture with the sun in our faces! :)
We are rolling into the fourth week of our Sunday School campaign. This Sunday is Sidewinder Sunday. The emphasis in Sunday School will be on honesty. I am looking forward to seeing everybody join us this week.
"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) I am glad to see the Lord is building the Lincoln Baptist Church. I believe we should claim his promise that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. In this verse, Jesus is stating what the main purpose of the church that He would build would be. That she would raid the gates of Hell and snatch the souls of poor sinners destined for a fiery eternity, bringing their souls to Jesus. He built the church for this purpose, and as long as we fulfill this purpose I believe that He will continue to build. Sadly, if we forsake the purpose, I am certain He would leave off building us as a church.
What role can you play in this? What is your part? I invite you to join us in raiding the gates of Hell through our soul-winning efforts and bringing sinful souls to Jesus. Even if you are not experienced and do not feel that you can do the talking to win souls on your own, I invite you to come and go with someone who is experienced in sharing the gospel. See for yourself how the Lord will use our church to pursue the lost and keep them from the Lake of Fire. I am motivated by the words of a wonderful song I have heard many times...
We must tell the lost of Calvary
Jesus' blood has paid the penalty
Tell the grace that Christ brought down to man
We must reach them while we can.
I fear that time is growing short and that we must step up our urgency in spreading the Gospel. We need to go reach the lost!
Dear church, I am praying for each of you this week and asking the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you on your way. Many of you have specific requests for prayer. I am taking those to the Lord on your behalf. May God be with you and bless you as you go about your week. Have a blessed day!
Pastor Jonathan Painter
Lincoln Baptist Church