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“All the Believers were together and had everything in common.” Acts 2:44
“We are a Brotherhood of Churches.”
I ask that you continue to pray for two of our area pastors who are experiencing health issues. Pastor Doug Lindley of FBC Burnet who is suffering from shingles on the eyes and for pastor Jeremy Sanders of FBC Oglesby who was injured when a cow kicked him in the face. Since our last newsletter we were praying for the health of Collin Dabbs the 3-month-old son to pastor Drew Dabbs of FBC Hamilton. Collin is now home and recovering. Please take a moment to offer a prayer for healing and recovery.
This is the week for the upcoming Missions Gathering hosted at the Tri-Rivers Retreat Center on February 4th. We already have over 80 registered. I encourage you to RSVP if you haven’t done so. This mission gathering will be a blessing for all who attend as we Worship Together, Fellowship Together, Learn Together, Do Missions Together and Pray Together. Learn more in this newsletter.
This past week, we spent a lot of time traveling serving our area churches. I encourage you to view the SOS Report (Summary of Service) in this newsletter to view a snapshot of our service to our Area Churches. We continue to serve our churches in the areas of: On-site Ministry Resources, Pulpit Supplies, Church Administration Assistance, Church Search Committees, Sound/Social Media Assistance, Encouragement, Evangelism, Mentoring and more.
On Sunday, I was blessed to worship and preach at the Ordination Service of worship pastor Lonnie Bear at Adamsville Baptist Church, followed by attending and sharing at the Hamilton Baptist Association Meeting hosted at FBC Hico and then I travel to Gatesville to attend the Tri-Rivers Hispanic Church Fellowship hosted by Iglesia Bautista Hispana.
This week, I will be meeting with some area pastors/ministers, serving our ministry partners, preparing for the upcoming Missions Gathering, while providing the daily ministry needs of our area churches and leadership. I will also be attending an informational ministry meeting hosted by Texas Baptist and I will be attending the Erath Baptist Association Meeting hosted by Greens Creek Baptist Church. This Sunday, I am honored to worship with FBC Tow.
Please take time to view the Tri-Rivers Baptist Area Newsletter to remain connected to ministry needs & Resource/Training Opportunities and to view all upcoming Ministry, Training and Fellowship Opportunities.
If you have a ministry need or request, please do not hesitate to call your
Tri-Rivers Baptist Area Office as we are here to serve you 24/7.
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Director of Missions Report
I am going to start out this 2023 year with this scripture:
Acts 2:42-47… “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
In the life of a church, you will hear church leadership discuss church transformation or revitalization as they try to re-discover who they are. I am proud to assist churches in this endeavor, however, in this process we learn that God already show us in His Word how to be The Church and how to Remain the Church.
If the church has changed or has got off track, it is only because we have gotten away from our God Given Directive found in His Holy Word. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) clearly explains that the Church is called to plant seeds of Salvation and to encourage those who are saved to live their life in such a way that others are drawn to the saving Grace of Jesus Christ. The church directive is to introduce the world to Jesus Christ.
However, once on track, the question is how do we stay on track? I am glad you asked. The Answer: We must Stay Together, Share Together, Serve Together and Sacrifice Together!
I believe most pastors genuinely affirm that the Kingdom of God is bigger than their own churches, but we can easily fall into thinking that it’s all about our own ministries. Of course, each pastor must serve their own local church and be responsible to serve the people God has called them to lead.
Yet it’s helpful to remember our main objective… to introduce one more person to Jesus Christ. When we look at the main objective… it is easier to stay focused on the mission. When we affirm each of our churches’ distinct roles in this mission of The Great Commission and recognize when every church does well, then our Lord gets the Victory.
In all that we do, it should never be to draw attention to the church but to Jesus Christ. We the Church we can demonstrate this to the world when we Stay Together, Share Together, Serve Together and Sacrifice Together. Partnership with other churches allows us to do far more than we would ever be able to do by ourselves, that is why the Association and Tri-Rivers Baptist Area exist.
When each church Stay, Share, Serve and Sacrifice Together, just as the early church did, then no church will ever lack the resources they need to complete the Mission of the Great Commission. When we partner with one another, our strengths are shared, and our weaknesses are supported by one another who may be strong and weak in ways that are different than us. It frees us to acknowledge that we do not need to be amazing in everything. When we are Together, greater power is unleashed and the world takes notice. Just as in the early church.
I am often asked how we address the needs of the church. I call it the LAMB Method:
· L = Listen to the Need
· A = Assess the Need
· M = Meet the Need
· B = Bless the Need
By the way, I didn’t come up with that… it was already laid out in God’s Word. Act 2:45 says, "They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” The Early Church Listened to the Need, Assessed the Need, then they Met the Need (by selling property), followed by Blessing the Need (ate together, fellowshipped, and worshipped the Lord Together). They knew they couldn’t meet these needs alone… they needed one another… they needed to Stay, Serve, Share and Sacrifice Together. For they had all things in common… just like you and I today.
And the results were: “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Why does the Association of Churches exist and why be a part of it? So that one more person can be introduced to the Saving Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am proud to serve as your Director of Missions and our staff is excited to meet the needs of the Church as we together make a way for us to Stay Together, Serve Together, Share Together and Sacrifice Together as a “Brotherhood of Churches”.
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