Church Blog

tombobray@gmail.com	Mon, Nov 23, 12:19 PM
to tombobray Unsubscribe

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! As we worshipped yesterday, we focused on how great God is and how great is His redeeming love for us. We considered from 1 Thessalonians 5 and Ephesians 5 how to live a life of true thankfulness, especially in this crazy year of 2020. We need to seek to be truly thankful at this time of year and all the time and not just go through the motions of being thankful without real gratitude. Thankfulness does not mean we deny our pain or minimize the bad stuff we are going through. It does not mean that we do not recognize evil as evil. But in the realities of life, we can give thinks even as we grieve and mourn and weep. This happens at the funeral of every believer that we know and love. We grieve because of the separation we will have to endure, but not as those with no hope. We know there is resurrection in Jesus. We know it is better to be away from the body and present with the Lord. So even during sorrow and pain we can give thanks. We are not denying the difficulties but knowing God works even during our pain. We weep and give thanks at the same time because in everything, everything, everything, God is working for our ultimate good and His glory. There can be weeping, grieving, struggling and thankfulness all at the same time. In Jesus we can truly give thanks in everything because God is using the good and the bad to make His people more and more and more like Jesus. God is working in everything to bring glory to His name. Believers filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit remain thankful knowing God is working out everything for His glory and our ultimate good.

If you miss our Sunday services and would like to watch them or perhaps share them with someone you know, you can find video of the services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rJ-oFvSS-9W-iWf6Wcvnw.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we met virtually and physically, we worshipped Jesus, our Rock and our Redeemer. We thought from Hebrews 13 about how to live out our faith because Jesus has changed us. What a difference Jesus makes in our lives when we believe! Jesus is our life. Jesus has changed our hearts and caused us to want to live for Him. Because of what Jesus has done, we are to keep loving each other as members together of the family of God. We also are to keep loving even people we do not know well by using our homes as tools to welcome others. We are to keep loving others by reaching out to those in prisons and otherwise confined. We are to love those closest to us by protecting our marriages and by seeking contentment by refusing to love money. We are to seek to completely identify with Jesus, whether He is popular or rejected in our culture, because Jesus provides us with an eternal city and makes us His own to live for Him and live for eternal values. We gladly accept the mockery that belongs to those who follow Jesus. Believers seek to totally identify with Jesus and live for His glory.

Please join me in praying for an end to this plague of Covid 19. Pray for those who are sick from this virus and those families who have lost loved ones. Pray for God to use this so people would understand how brief life can be and how salvation, forgiveness and eternal life are only found in Jesus. Pray for God’s people to shine forth Jesus in this dark time we are in today. Pray for the leaders of our city, state, and nation to work together to do things that will help in these times of crisis.

If you miss our Sunday services and would like to watch them or perhaps share them with someone you know, you can find video of the services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rJ-oFvSS-9W-iWf6Wcvnw.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! It was wonderful to worship in the parking lot together yesterday and think of the sacrifice Jesus made for us to be saved from sin. Because we are saved from sin by Jesus’ sacrifice, we can know and love the God who created and redeems us. We shared the Lord’s Supper, communion, together.  This reminds us that we are part of one another and need each other. We then looked at Hebrews 12 and considered living out the gospel. There is nothing more destructive to Christian witness than Christians who do not seek to live out their faith. When we claim Christ, but are unloving, untruthful, immoral, unforgiving, ungracious, etc., we hinder others from believing in Jesus. If people look at us but do not see anything that looks like Jesus, they may be hindered from knowing Jesus. So, we must seek always to live out our faith. We must live out the truth of the gospel of Jesus by avoiding destructive and sinful behaviors. We seek to live the truth of the gospel of Jesus by showing people that holy God is near and approachable through Jesus Christ. We want to live out the truth of the gospel of Jesus by heeding His call for us to come to Him and to ultimate reality. We are not fools who turn down His gracious invitation to forgiveness and life. We live out the truth of the gospel so that others may come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus today. May this song remind you to ever keep your eyes on Him: https://youtu.be/F2tKVqZZiI4

If you miss our Sunday services and would like to watch them or perhaps share them with someone you know, you can find video of the services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rJ-oFvSS-9W-iWf6Wcvnw.

Please join me in continuing to pray for our city, state, and nation. God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we consider from God’s Word how to handle the difficult things all of us will face in life and the difficulties we will face as followers of Jesus. Everything that happens in your life can make us bitter or better. Some of the godliest people I have known have been people in life that had suffered the worst of tragedies and circumstances. They grew in and through those tragedies and circumstances. What could have made them bitter and self-absorbed, made them better and Christ-centered. Jesus said in the world his followers would have tribulations. Sometimes those hardships, those tribulations and persecutions will be extremely horrific and tragic. Hebrews 12 gives us truth that will enable us to handle the tragedies, tribulations and trials that come our way. It teaches us to accept the hardships of life as God’s way to teach and train. Hebrews 12 teaches us to help and encourage others in difficulties who are discouraged and weak. Together, we are part of Jesus church that overcomes! Hebrews 12 teaches us to stay focused on Jesus no matter what your circumstances. Accept every difficulty of life as a way to glorify God and grow closer to Him.

If you miss our Sunday services and would like to watch them or perhaps share them with someone you know, you can find video of the services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rJ-oFvSS-9W-iWf6Wcvnw.

We provide multiple ways for you to give to support the Lord’s work through East Madison. Every Sunday morning, an offering box is provided for you to be able to deposit your offerings. If you would like, you can mail offering checks to the church address at the Milwaukee Street address below. Also, you can give your offerings online at the embclife.org website by clicking the “Give Online” tab on the homepage or you can click this link directly: https://give.idonate.com/east-madison-baptist-church/give

Please join me in praying for our city, state, and nation during these difficult days. God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Here is a link to a song from Emu Music, “Hallelujah.”  I hope it encourages you as it did me:  https://youtu.be/zMuWbTwKknc

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday as we worshipped together, we thought about examples of overcoming faith from Hebrews 11. We saw people of faith who did not see complete fulfillment of God’s promises in their lifetimes but knew God would come through and fulfill his promises. We saw people of faith who stood in faith amid angry opposition. We saw people of faith doing seemingly impossible things in impossible situations. We saw people of faith conquer and overcome God’s enemies. We saw people of faith endure horrific and unspeakable treatment because they would not deny their faith. Finally, we saw the people of faith of the Old Testament wait for God’s ultimate best, which is Jesus, and then all God’s people waiting until every enemy is destroyed under Jesus’ feet. Through these examples, we see that men and women’s imperfect faith in a perfect God enables them to overcome in life and in death.

Remember to turn your clocks back this Saturday night as daylight savings time ends at 2:00 AM, Sunday, November 1^st.

If you miss our Sunday services and would like to watch them or perhaps share them with someone you know, you can find video of the services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rJ-oFvSS-9W-iWf6Wcvnw.

We provide multiple ways for you to give to support the Lord’s work through East Madison. Every Sunday morning, an offering box is provided for you to be able to deposit your offerings. If you would like, you can mail offering checks to the church address at the Milwaukee Street address below. Also, you can give your offerings online at the embclife.org website by clicking the “Give Online” tab on the homepage or you can click this link directly: https://give.idonate.com/east-madison-baptist-church/give

Please join me in praying for our city, state, and nation during these difficult days. God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Here is a link to a song that I hope would encourage all of you, “Jesus, Your Mercy”:  https://youtu.be/HpQZREWhgXg.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! We worshipped together yesterday both virtually and in person. We looked at the first part of Hebrews 11, the faith chapter of the Bible, to consider what faith is and what it is not. Faith is more than wishful thinking or hoping for the best. Faith is not some kind of “blind leap” into irrationality or something that has no evidence whatsoever. Faith is not closing your minds to natural law and science. It is not becoming an unthinking and irrational person. Biblical faith is trusting the one who made the laws by which all the universe operates and is governed. Biblical, saving faith is believing and trusting in God who has come to us and revealed Himself to us. Saving faith believes in the power of God’s Word. Saving faith worships, walks, and works for God. Saving faith stakes it very reputation, life, and future on God direction. Saving faith believes in real and full life beyond this earthly existence. Saving faith honors God and receives His approval. Saving faith is finding life in Jesus who made the universe, loving Him and living for Him.Saving faith trusts in the living God and acts upon the certainty of His Word.

The Minnesota/Wisconsin Baptist convention annual meeting will be held virtually this Friday, October 23, 20 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  If you would like to be a part of this annual meeting, use this link this Friday: https://www.mwbc.org/annual-meeting/.

If you miss our Sunday services and would like to watch them or perhaps share them with someone you know, you can find video of the services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rJ-oFvSS-9W-iWf6Wcvnw.

We provide multiple ways for you to give to support the Lord’s work through East Madison.  Every Sunday morning, an offering box is provided for you to be able to deposit your offerings. If you would like, you can mail offering checks to the church address at the Milwaukee Street address below. Also, you can give your offerings online at the embclife.org website by clicking the “Give Online” tab on the homepage or you can click this link directly: https://give.idonate.com/east-madison-baptist-church/give

Please join me in praying for our city, state, and nation during these difficult days. God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! It was wonderful to be able to worship outdoors yesterday so more of us could gather physically. We were able to take the Lord’s Supper together. We sang about the hope we always have in Jesus. We sang about the darkness being great and our sins many, but the light and mercy of God is greater and more. We heard a wonderful answer to our prayers as Donald shared with us the good reports of his improvement.  From Hebrews 10, we thought about living in community with each other.  We considered how to draw near to God together, how to hold fast to our hope in Jesus, and how to stir one another up to love and good deeds. We saw from Hebrews 10 the utter hopelessness of those who, after having been enlightened to the gospel, willfully and finally reject the love of Jesus. We considered how during extremely hard times we can help each other be victorious. We must live together in community to truly live victoriously as believers in Jesus. To live in isolation is danger and disaster. Not living in community reveals something seriously wrong with our spiritual life.  It will reveal either continual defeat in following Jesus or it reveals you have never truly embraced Jesus. Satan will do everything he can to keep you isolated and separated from God’s family, so do not let him to that! Believers in community together victoriously face the struggles of life and carry the gospel to the world.

If you miss our Sunday services and would like to watch them or perhaps share them with someone you know, you can find video of the services at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3rJ-oFvSS-9W-iWf6Wcvnw.

We provide multiple ways for you to give to support the Lord’s work through East Madison.  Every Sunday morning, an offering box is provided for you to be able to deposit your offerings. If you would like, you can mail offering checks to the church address at the Milwaukee Street address below. Also, you can give your offerings online at the embclife.org website by clicking the “Give Online” tab on the homepage or you can click this link directly: https://give.idonate.com/east-madison-baptist-church/give

Please join me in praying for our city, state, and nation during these difficult days. God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! It was good to worship with those of you who could attend physically and those who worshipped with us virtually because we had to meet inside. Even though we were not all physically together, we worshipped together as the body of Christ united in Him. We worshipped our Almighty Maker and gloried in the name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We looked at dealing with our real guilt before Holy God from Hebrews 10. We learned that religious ritual and repetition never provide forgiveness or a cleansed conscience. Christ Jesus’ offering of Himself on the cross, which was fully accepted by God the Father, provides complete forgiveness and a cleansed conscience. We are set free to know, love and serve God! Jesus’ offering of Himself provides all who believe with new hearts and minds. Christ Jesus once for all by the offering of Himself on the cross sets apart all who will believe to love and serve God forever. Yes, forgiveness and new life is possible in Jesus. Do not live in unforgiveness and guilt any longer. Give your life to Christ today if you have never received Him. If you know Him today, live in the complete forgiveness that belongs to you as you belong to Him.

We will observe the Lord’s Supper during our morning worship next Sunday, October 11, 2020. If the weather is good, we will meet outside. 

Please join me in praying for our city, state, and nation during these difficult days.  God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday was a great day to worship our God, the One from whom all blessings flow, as is every day! We looked at the human tendency to look with nostalgia on the good old days. The problem is that the good old days were often not that good at all.  We tend to remember the good things and forget the struggles of the past.  The writer to the Hebrews in Hebrews 9 was confronting some who wanted to go back to the ritual and religion of the of the old covenant.  Hebrews 9 revealed that the old covenant was completely fulfilled in Jesus! The way of Jesus is superior to the old, and every other belief system. The way of Jesus replaces the old covenant. Jesus now has brought complete and total forgiveness for those who believe. Those who believe have unlimited access to Holy God through Jesus Christ right now. And one day, Jesus will appear. Jesus will come back physically and bodily to bring the fullness of salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him. Complete forgiveness for sin and free access to Almighty God comes in and through Jesus Christ alone. Believe in Him. Trust your life to Him and live every day in His presence and for His glory.

If you are interested in either a short-term small group Bible study at the church building with appropriate social distancing and masking, or a short-term virtual Bible study, send me an email this week with your interest and preference.

Please join me in praying for our city, state, and nation during these difficult days.  God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday we worshipped our great God and learned from Hebrews 8 that we are under a new and better covenant through Jesus Christ. The old covenant revealed to us that we could never achieve God’s favor through performance.  The old covenant revealed we could not keep God’s law because of our innate sinful nature. The old covenant revealed that the animal sacrifices of the old covenant could not provide for complete forgiveness.  The old covenant revealed those imperfect priests of the old covenant could not bring Holy God and sinful men together. However, there is a new and perfect covenant!  The new covenant reveals what we could not do for ourselves, Jesus does for us! The death of Jesus in our place on the cross provides complete, total, and forever forgiveness. As our risen and perfect forever High Priest, Jesus completely bridges the gap between sinful man and Holy God.  Some people see Christianity like the Pharisees and scribes saw Judaism in the time of Jesus. They see it as toilsome, burdensome, and joyless.  They see it as a list of rules for you to keep to hopefully make you right with God. But that kind of Christianity is not real and will never work. All our rule-keeping will not make you or me right with God. God’s Spirit and Jesus’ church do not invite you to toilsome and burdensome religion. Today, God’s Spirit and God’ church are not inviting people to follow Christ to do something for Him. God’s Spirit and God’s church invite you to come to Christ because Jesus has done everything for you!

If you are interested in either a short-term small group Bible study at the church building with appropriate social distancing and masking, or a short-term virtual Bible study, send me an email with your interest and preference.

We are receiving during September the State Missions Offering.  I believe in the work we do to advance God’s Kingdom in Wisconsin and Minnesota through this offering.  If you  want to learn more about this, go to  https://www.mwbc.org/state-missions-offering/ and watch the video on that page. Offering envelopes are available at our worship gatherings or you can write a check and designate it to “State Missions.”

Please join me in praying for our city, state, and nation during these difficult days.  God’s people need to intensely seek His help, His justice, His mercy, and His peace in these times.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church