Church Blog

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! We worshiped together yesterday our great, loving, and faithful God. We also, in the songs and Scripture we read, focused on the preciousness of His Word which guides, strengthens, and comforts us. Then we looked at God’s working again in the life of Joseph from Genesis 40, even as Joseph was in prison. We learned that Joseph, like us, had to trust God day by day and step by step. We will not have a laid-out blueprint for us as we follow Jesus. If there were, we would follow the blueprint instead of the One who is the Way, Jesus. We follow Jesus step by step fulfilling whatever task He places before us. We understand that God will put us in the places and relationship He wants us to pursue. While being faithful to each task set before us, we seek to have the heart of our compassionate God for those downcast around us. We trust that God has put us into places where we are already equipped to speak His truth. We remember God’s love and goodness toward us when faced with severe disappointments as we follow Him. Following the Lord requires day by day obedience to the tasks before us.

From Mother’s Day until Father’s Day, we encourage people to pick up a baby bottle and put their change, bills, and checks (make check out to CareNet) in these bottles. Next Sunday on Father’s Day, bring your bottles back to the church and we will return them to CareNet to support their ministry to help pregnant women in our community choose life and help young moms as they raise their children. Thank you for your generosity!

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! We worshiped our Almighty Creator and loving Redeemer yesterday and sang of His greatness. Then from Genesis 39, we looked at the life of Joseph in Egyptian slavery. Joseph was faced with one of the most unjust situations that anyone could face in life. His brothers attacked him, put him in a pit, and then sold him to slave traders. Then Joseph was falsely accused of sexual assault by the wife of the Egyptian that bought him. Joseph, however, did not wallow in self-pity like many of us might do. Joseph went into those multiple situations and tried to do his best to make things better. Joseph had a trust in God that enabled him not to be defeated by even the most unjust situations because he believed that God had a better future for him no matter what. We will also be faced with unjust situations throughout life as we follow Christ. We will not be immune to such situations. We follow Christ Jesus, who faced the most wicked and unjust situation in history, and He told us to expect persecution in this world. From what we learned from the life and reaction of Joseph in Genesis 39 we see that God presence and blessing will never leave those who walk with Him. 

We will have potluck luncheon next Sunday, June 14, after our morning worship gathering. Bring enough food for your family and a little extra for any guests we might have with us.

From Mother’s Day until Father’s Day, we encourage people to pick up a baby bottle and put their change, bills, and checks (make check out to CareNet) in these bottles. On Father’s Day, we will bring these bottles back to the church and then return them to CareNet to support their ministry to help pregnant women in our community choose life and help young moms as they raise their children.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! It was so encouraging to worship with the family of God yesterday. (We apologize to those who may have been watching on the livestream for the glitch that ended the service as we were just starting.) As we investigated Genesis 38, we saw in Judah a messed-up man who was not at that time living for the Lord. We also learned that despite him not walking with God, God was working in Judah’s life to bring Judah back to Himself and fulfill His plan of redemption for the world. As we looked at Judah’s life, we saw that God is watching over us even before we surrender to him. All those wrong choices and evil things we did before and since we were saved, God will use those for our good, the good of His children, and His glory. Also, the evil things that might have been done to us that cannot be undone God will use for good and His glory. We cannot undo what we did, or the evils of others done to us. We can move past the sorrow, regret, and bitterness caused by past sins.  We can forgive others for what they have done to us. We can ask forgiveness for sins we have done against God knowing His promise to completely forgive. We can also seek the forgiveness of people we may have wronged. Yes, we can move past the sorrow, regret, and bitterness caused by past sins! Does not this encourage us as we walk with God? Despite all missteps, failures, sins, and wrongs done to us, God is working in and through our lives for our good and His glory. We cannot mess it up! God will not waste one circumstance in the lives of His children as He brings about His eternal purposes.

From Mother’s Day until Father’s Day, we encourage people to pick up a baby bottle and put their change, bills, and checks (make check out to CareNet) in these bottles. On Father’s Day, we will bring these bottles back to the church and then return them to CareNet to support their ministry to help pregnant women in our community choose life and help young moms as they raise their children.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Tuesday to all! We looked at the horrific and hard things that happened to Joseph in Genesis 37 on Sunday. Joseph was almost killed by his brothers and then sold into slavery by them. However, in all of Joseph’s betrayals, hardships, and sorrows, God was bringing about His plan for the protection of all the family of Jacob and for the redemption of the world. God will lead us sometimes right into exceedingly difficult and trying situations. God allows and leads in such horrific situations for our ultimate good, the good of all His children, and for His glory. We see in the lives of God’s children the truth that sometimes, as Steve Estes said, “God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.” It is in those times that we must trust in God’s goodness when we cannot understand His ways. Will we believe in the goodness and love of God even when we cannot understand some of the things He allows? Will we believe that God truly is bringing a beautiful and perfect future for His children?God works through the most horrific of circumstances to bring about good for His children.

From Mother’s Day until Father’s Day, we encourage people to pick up a baby bottle and put their change, bills, and checks (make check out to CareNet) in these bottles. On Father’s Day, we will bring these bottles back to the church and then return them to CareNet to support their ministry to help pregnant women in our community choose life and help young moms as they raise their children.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! What a day we had yesterday! The tornado warning came during worship, and we moved everyone downstairs to be safe. The way the church worked to help our brothers and sisters all be safe was wonderful. It was the way the family of God the church should be with all helping each other. We did not let the tornado warning stop us from worshipping as God’s Word was proclaimed and we continued to sing and praise our great God and Redeemer. I will never forget yesterday and the unity of the body of Christ in that moment!

The message was from Genesis 37 and about Jacob’s family disfunction. We saw that Jacob elevated Joseph above his other sons and Joseph inadvertently elevated himself above his family. We learned about walking in humility. When we walk in pride, we cause division, but when we walk in humility, we can bring people together. Humility is one of the chief virtues of the Bible. It was supremely exhibited to us in Christ. Philippians 2:5-11 instructs us that: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Jesus tells us, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Peter tells us, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time,” (1 Peter 5:6). James tells us, “God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble,” (James 4:6).Do you want to cause division in your family or anywhere else? Walk in pride. Do you want to bring your family together and heal relationships? Humble yourselves before God and others. Elevating one person or one child above others brings jealousy and hatred. Elevating yourself above others even unintentionally widens already broken divisions.Believers should avoid elevating ourselves or our children above others.

From Mother’s Day until Father’s Day, we encourage people to pick up a baby bottle and put their change, bills, and checks (make check out to CareNet) in these bottles. On Father’s Day, we will bring these bottles back to the church and then return them to CareNet to support their ministry to help pregnant women in our community choose life and help young moms as they raise their children.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we looked from Genesis 35 at Jacob as he completed his journey back to his father and the promised land. We considered that those who have trusted Jesus with their lives to save them are on a journey with God back to God’s forever presence. Once you believe, you are on your way home to live in God’s forever presence. We are heading to our true forever home where we belong. Do not be like some who have rewritten the old spiritual and sing, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin through, but I’ve got a few CD’s and a Krugerrand or two. The angels beckon me from heaven’s other shore, but let me see my broker just once more.” Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of our flesh, which war against your soul.” Do not forget believers are all on a journey and this world is not our home. We can never be satisfied completely with life as it is now. God has something far better for all of us with Him. God walks with us on this journey toward forever life with Him. Live in His presence daily realizing God is with you and look forward to when we will be fully in His presence and our forever home. God invites us to walk with Him as we journey through life toward our forever home with Him.

This Saturday beginning at 9:00 AM, we will have a workday at the church building to do some sprucing up. We will be done by 12:00 PM. We hope many can be here to lighten the load for all of us.

From Mother’s Day until Father’s Day, we encourage people to pick up a baby bottle and put their change, bills, and checks (make check out to CareNet) in these bottles. On Father’s Day, we will bring these bottles back to the church and then return them to CareNet to support their ministry to help pregnant women in our community choose life and help young moms as they raise their children.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, from Genesis 34, we looked at the difference between justice and the vengeance of man. Justice seeks for wrongs to be righted and for proper punishments for crimes committed. The vengeance of man seeks for others to be destroyed. Jacob’s sons were right to be angry over the abuse of their sister Dinah. But they were wrong to carry out vengeance, not just on the ones who committed the abuse, but on those who were simply connected to them by nationality. We learned that God will bring about perfect justice and right every wrong in the end. In fact, the cross points to perfect justice. God did not just overlook our sin. Christ Jesus came to die on the cross and justly pay the deserved penalty for sin. God can forgive us because in Jesus’ death on the cross, our sins have been atoned for, paid for, justly. We can justly forgive others knowing that if they will believe in Jesus, their wrongs against us and their sins against holy God will also be justly forgiven. God does not give people what we justly deserve. In Christ Jesus, God poured His perfect wrath on His Son that we justly deserved because of our sins so we could be justly forgiven. God tells us as His children, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord,’” (Romans 12:19, ESV). His children are never to repay evil for evil. We are to leave that in the just hands of God. Desire justice and avoid vengeance as the people of God knowing that God will work it all out in the end. God’s people trust God to right all the wrongs in His perfect timing.

We will have a potluck luncheon after worship, next Sunday, May 10. Bring enough food to feed your family and a little extra for any guest who might be with us.

Also, beginning next Sunday, which is Mother’s Day, we will be passing out baby bottles for the annual CareNet offering. From Mother’s Day until Father’s Day, we encourage people to put their change, bills, and checks in these bottles. At Father’s Day, we will bring these bottles back to the church and then return them to CareNet to support their ministry to help pregnant women in our community choose life.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,   

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we thought about the sweetness of reconciliation from Genesis 33. We saw a picture of that as Jacob and Esau were reconciled to one another. Jacob humbled himself before his brother Esau whom he had deceived and stolen the blessing that normally went to the firstborn son. Esau with a picture of complete grace ran to his brother Jacob and hugged, kissed and wept with him offering complete forgiveness. Reconciliation is the essence of the gospel. The gospel is not a story of “we sin and we can’t be with God.” Yes, our sins are a barrier between us and God. We have offended a holy God by our sins against Him. We, however, could not remove this barrier. God had to do that. God did not wait for us to move toward Him. God moved toward us! God came looking for us! God provided the way for Him and us to be together! The gospel is a story of how God moves toward reconciliation and provides an answer to the question of “how can God be with us?” “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation,” (2 Corinthians 5:19). God moved towards us and continues to move toward us! Romans 5:8 tells us when God did this, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  The gospel today tells us God continues to move toward us and call rebellious sinners like us to forgiveness and life through His Christ. God moves toward us in self-sacrificial love and we are to thus move toward others, not away from them.

I want to thank God for the CarePortal team that enables us to minister in Jesus’ name wisely. We have been able to meet tangible and vetted needs of those in our community. Thank you Alicia, Jim, MaryAnn, Tricia, Pete, and Carla for the work you do in this wonderful ministry.

We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper in our worship gathering next Sunday morning.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,   

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we looked at Genesis 32 where Jacob was returning to the promised land. When Jacob left, he had deceived his father and older brother out of the blessing that usually went to the oldest son. As Jacob came back to the promised land a changed and more mature man, he realized that God would have him seek to reconcile with his brother Esau, whom he had greatly offended. Jacob had to face an exceedingly difficult situation. It is always good to humble ourselves and acknowledge the wrongdoing we have done to others, especially to those who have been the objects of our wrongdoing. Yes, that is difficult. We all, from time to time, must deal with unpleasant situations. Sometimes we put off dealing with unpleasant situation for longer than we should and that unpleasant situation or confrontation we avoid leads to far more difficulties. If we are wise, we will prayerfully seek God’s guidance in dealing with unpleasant situations as God leads us but doing it sooner rather than later. Believers can do the difficult things in life if we remember certain truths. First remember, God goes ahead and with His children as we walk with Him. There is never anything we have to deal with that God has not prepared the way for us. Remember also, God’s children’s faith is tested and grows as we face with these difficult situations. Also, remember we do not have to wait for our faith to be totally complete to deal with difficult things, because it never will be fully completed in this life. God comes to us and helps us in our imperfect faith to do the hard things. God guides and goes with us as we obey Him in the difficult tasks of life.

I do not say this enough, but I am so grateful for those of you who faithfully serve in our weekly Bible studies and worship. Our Bible study teachers work hard to help us understand God’s Word. Also, those who are on the worship team and run the sound and video systems during worship give of themselves continually to help us worship our great God. Thank you to all of you who serve the Lord week after week.

During the month of April, we will be taking up the Annie Armstrong for North American Missions. All the money given goes to reaching people and starting churches all over North America.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Brothers and sisters,   

Happy Monday to all! Yesterday, we worshipped our great God knowing we are His children forever through faith in Christ. Then we looked from Genesis 31 how God directed Jacob’s life to make him a godlier man and to accomplish His purposes to bring salvation to the world through Jacob’s descendants. We learned God will guide and direct us to do His will for our good and for His glory. God does not hide His will but makes clear to us what he desires for us to do. God provides confirming signs to direct our paths to His purposes. Even though you and I have not yet become the men or women we need to be, God protects and directs us despite our flaws. God purposes for our lives will be fulfilled whether others understand or not. God works out His purposes for His children even when people seek to thwart that from happening.

During the month of April, we will be taking up the Annie Armstrong for North American Missions. All the money given goes to reaching people and starting churches all over North America.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.

Love being your pastor!

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church