January 2012

01.03.2012

Actively Rejoicing and Believing in Christ (ARBC)
And so begins the new year of 2012! Having spent three weeks at ARBC in December and getting to know so many of you, I believe that some very bright days are ahead of us! God has placed a wonderful spirit at this church with so many of you ready to move forward for the cause of Christ!

When we hear and see the letters ARBC, we know this stands for Arapahoe Road Baptist Church. We know what the letters stand for, but one question that needs asking is, what do we stand for? My prayer is that for 2012, our aim would be that ARBC stands for “Actively Rejoicing and Believing in Christ” (thanks, Shelley Joplin, for this clever and timely acronym!). What will this look like?

In January and February on Sunday mornings, I will preach through the book of James in a sermon series titled, “Faith That Works.” We reject that we are saved by faith plus works, but once we come to Christ, we want to have a faith that works in how we worship our Lord, take care of one another in Christ, bringing others to Christ, and serving the community Christ has placed us in. This is where the active part in Actively Rejoicing and Believing in Christ comes in.

Pray for our church in the next three months or so for a number of reasons:

• We plan on offering all ages an opportunity to minister in being a part of an outreach and follow-up ministry. We pray everyone can commit at least one day a month to be a part of a team that will have members who will pray, visit, call, or write letters to those who need a contact (either members or visitors).
• We have plans to implement a Wednesday night children’s ministry for elementary-aged children that will teach them about the Scriptures, missions, and other areas of the faith in an age-appropriate fashion. Karen Bransgrove of the Colorado Baptist Convention will come on Saturday, January 28, at 10:00 a.m. to help us, to advise us in this area and help give us some direction. All who work with children or have an interest in this area are welcome to attend.
• Pray for our deacons and myself as we work to have a retreat, either in January or February, as we go through a wonderful study by Johnny Hunt entitled, “The Deacon I Want to Be.” Let me ask, are you praying for your deacons? I pray you are—God has called some wonderful servants from this church.

This is just the beginning! And just as all of you have been working diligently in serving our Lord in bridging the gap from our previous pastor until now, I pray you will continue to work and serve in the areas God has led you to serve. No one person can do it by themselves, but together being led by the Spirit, we can accomplish much for the Kingdom.

In closing, pray for me as I travel to the country of Trinidad & Tobago from January 20-23, 2012. My pastor friend (and “brother from another mother”) Roddie Taylor, who pastors the Point Fortin Mt. Beulah Evangelical Baptist Church, will be installed as a bishop on Sunday, January 22. He has planted numerous churches and mentored numerous young pastors in that oversight, and in many African-American churches, they see the evidence of this faithfulness over the years. I was honored and humbled when he asked me to come and to preach the installation sermon and oversee this ordination process. I am grateful to our deacons and the Personnel Committee for permitting me this short time away. Pray that the Spirit would endow and empower me and continue to empower Roddie in the days ahead.

I’m thankful to be your pastor. May God richly bless you in 2012.

Pastor Matt

Posted by arbc at 10:01 AM