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Blog Archive
August 31, 2022
Terry's Thoughts September 2022
I have been intrigued by Isaiah 56:1-7 lately. From time to time, the Lord parks me on a passage for some reason: to speak to me specifically about a matter I have been praying about or if He wants to give me a message. This Isaiah Scripture is one of those passages. Space will not allow an extensive exegesis of this passage; however, there are some overarching themes I would like to briefly discuss for this article. First, I see this passage as an extremely evangelistic Old Testament passage which reminds us that Jesus and His salvation is on its way for the children of Israel as well as all nations. Those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus have experienced this salvation, but God is also telling the “church people” (Israel) that His salvation is for anyone who will come to Him. He illustrates this point by indicating even the foreigners (people who were considered outside the privileged status as God’s people) as well as eunuchs could experience the same promises of God that the Children of Israel experienced, through simple obedience to His invitation to come. The message for us to remember here is that no one is outside the saving grace of Jesus; therefore, we should not exclude anyone from hearing His message of salvation regardless of their status in life or their ethnicity. The second overwhelming message seems to be that the temple of God (church for us) should be a place of prayer and restoration. Far too often, the church has been used for reasons other than what God intended it to be used; therefore, just as God was reminding Israel what His house needs to be known for, let us remember that our churches should be known for our concentration on prayer and the offer of restoration, as well as true salvation when anyone comes, in obedience, to our Lord! Obviously, there is much more to be said concerning these verses; however, these two great messages are such timely ones for our culture and time.
In addition to the above reminder, allow me to encourage you to get involved with your association. The fall brings with it so many great opportunities for fellowship, mission activity, and celebration among sister churches within our association. One such important celebration and time of fellowship is the Annual Fall meeting of the association. This opportunity is scheduled for Sunday evening October 16th at Potecasi Baptist Church. It begins at 4:00 with reports and adoption of business matters, followed by dinner at 5:30, and concluding with a time of worship at 6:15. This year’s theme is “Partnerships” and is based on Philippians 1:3-5. We will feature the “Tim Sutton Trio,” who will be leading our worship time, and Dr. Jamie Work, of the IMB, as our keynote speaker. This time promises to illustrate the importance of partnering together in worship and evangelism to the world with the gospel. PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE IN ATTENDANCE AND BRING AS MANY AS POSSIBLE WITH YOU. If you plan to join us for dinner, please take the time to register the number coming in order for us to have enough food available. You can register at our website www.westchowan.org. Obviously, there are many more great opportunities for service and fellowship which are outlined within this newsletter and on our website. My prayer is that this Fall will be one of your strongest ever and that our Lord will be honored by our service and fellowship with each other and Him! Remember I love you and, as always, it is an honor to serve alongside of you on our joint journeys following Jesus!
Terry