Church Blog

Brothers and sisters,

Happy Monday to all! It was wonderful to worship together yesterday and praise God for His wonderful grace. From Romans 11 we saw that a remnant always remains of those who believe and trust in Jesus. We also saw that even though many who are advantaged and know some truth about Gods’ ways stumble over Jesus, their stumbling need not be final. God can even use their stumbling over Jesus for good and His glory. We learned that it is through Israel and the Jews that salvation has come to us and so we should never have antisemitic attitudes. We saw that God’s kindness and grace comes because of who God is and not because of any merit on our part. We came to understand that God works out His good purposes even when those who should believe do not. We saw this eternal truth that the unbelief and evil of people will never thwart the redemptive plan of eternal God.

We will have a short training on October 9 after morning worship for the “Trunk or Treat” event on October 29. We need a lot of candy and plenty of help to reach out to our community on that day.

Please continue to keep Connie Boss’ sister-in-law Alice in your prayers as she is in hospice. Also, pray for Connie and the family in this situation.

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 King and God and considered how God the Holy Spirit continues to call us to receive forgiveness and life in Christ Jesus. From Romans 10 we learned that salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ Jesus alone. Salvation is not far away. It is not something you have to search for or make some religious pilgrimage to find. Salvation is a near as the heart and the mouth. Scripture declares, “If you confess with your mouth that “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  We learned that God’s children keep proclaiming the good news that Jesus saves to those around them so that those who hear can believe in Jesus and be saved. We observed it is not enough to hear about Jesus, but we must act upon what we hear by believing in Jesus, embracing Him as the risen Lord of our lives and Lord of all. As we believe in Jesus, we call on Him and confess Him as Lord. And “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

We will have a short training on October 9 after morning worship for the “Trunk or Treat” event on October 29. We need lots of candy and plenty of help to reach out to our community on that day. We will be overseeing bounce houses and other fun activities and publicizing “Trunk or Treat” on Facebook and throughout our neighborhood. “Trunk or Treat” will be an “all hands-on-deck event.” Pray for God’s blessing on this outreach and for your specific part in helping.

Please continue to keep Connie Boss’ sister-in-law Alice in your prayers as she is in hospice. Also, pray for Connie and the family in this situation.

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 is always so wonderful to be with the people of God. George Linde told me last week when he could not attend our worship gathering in person that he watched the livestream, but it just was not the same. If you want to, you can listen to many powerful and Biblical preachers on the radio or internet that will help you grow in knowledge of the Word of God. Many of them are more gifted than your pastor at preaching. However, that is different from worshipping together and being physically present with God’s family. I know there are elderly, immunocompromised people, and from time to time each of us who cannot gather physically, and this is the reason we provide the livestream. However, many of those who cannot come wished they could come. We should seek to be together if possible. We need each other! I want to encourage you, if possible, to be with us physically. Rediscover the fellowship and encouragement that comes from being physically present with God’s family as we worship and study God’s Word together.

Yesterday from Romans 9 we learned again God never fails to fulfill every promise He makes. God loves the world and burdens His children with concern for others around the world and especially for their specific families and nations. We learned God sovereignly chooses which vessels to work through to bless the world. We learned God chooses to glorify Himself both through the children of promise and even those who refuse His love.And we again saw God chooses to save every person who comes to Him by faith in Jesus and rejects those who seek to earn their way to Him.

Please continue to keep Connie Boss’ sister-in-law Alice in your prayers as she is in hospice. Also, pray for Connie and the family in this situation.

During the month of September, we are taking up an offering for Minnesota/Wisconsin State Missions. There are special offering envelopes available for this offering.

Put October 29 on your calendar for “Trunk or Treat.” We will need lots of candy and plenty of help to reach out to our community on that day. We will be picking up the block party trailer, overseeing bounce houses and other fun activities, publicizing “Trunk or Treat” on Facebook and throughout our neighborhood. “Trunk or Treat” will be an “all hands-on-deck event.” Pray for God’s blessing on this outreach and for your specific part in helping.

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 as we took the Lord’s Supper, we remembered how God had called broken and ruined sinners to come to His table and receive life. We remembered that Jesus paid with His blood to give us this life as we took the bread and juice. Then from Romans 8, we thought about waiting on the Lord. As long as we are in this fallen world, we will be waiting. There is coming a day when God will make every believer completely into the image of His Son. There is coming a day when God will completely restore His creation to its original goodness and perfection. Romans 8 reminds us of these truths. It is the great climatic chapter of Romans assuring believers of our complete redemption, the complete restoration of God’s good creation, and the total confidence of God bringing us into His forever presence. Jesus will come for those who believe and belong to Him, and creation will then be completely restored! But until then we wait. Right now, the Holy Spirit is praying for us and changes us into becoming increasingly more like Jesus. Right now, we can live daily in the confidence that nothing will ever separate us from God’s love found in Christ Jesus.Christ is coming back, and everything will be made right. As we know these things will come, we are in a period of waiting. Believers long for the day of the complete restoration of the goodness of God’s creation.

We will have a potluck luncheon following our worship service next Sunday, September 18. Bring enough food for your family and a little extra for any guest we might have.

I received this update from Connie Boss about her sister-in-law Alice on Saturday evening.

“Alice is home having hospice come in. The chemo did not shrink the tumors. She was in a lot of pain. Now they are trying to keep her comfortable. I was able to spend the afternoon with her. That was good.”

Please continue to keep Alice in your prayers and pray for Connie and the family in this situation.

During the month of September, we are taking up an offering for Minnesota/Wisconsin State Missions. There are special offering envelopes available for this offering.

Put October 29 on your calendar for “Trunk or Treat.” We will need lots of candy and plenty of help to reach out to our community on that day. We will be picking up the block party trailer, overseeing bounce houses and other fun activities, publicizing “Trunk or Treat” on Facebook and throughout our neighborhood. “Trunk or Treat” will be an “all hands-on-deck event.” Pray for God’s blessing on this outreach and for your specific part in helping.

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! Ever since we sang “Who Can Compare,” Sunday morning, written by our own Ron Roberts, I have not been able to get the song out of my mind.

He Walked on the earth one day, To show us a better Way – Who can compare?
And, dying upon the Cross, He saved us at such a cost – Who can compare, oh Lord, to You?

God the Father and God the Son, God the Spirit, the Three in One:
Before time ‘til the victory’s won – Who can compare?
Of His Kingdom, there is no end,; On His mercy, we can depend.
He’s our Maker, Redeemer, Friend – Who can compare?     

Stars will fall down, We’ll cast our crown Before the Great I AM;
And at His name, All will proclaim: “Worthy the Risen lamb!”

What a great God we serve! Also, as we began to look at the wonderful Romans 8, we learned of the rescue of believers. Believers have been rescued from condemnation and danger and now can live for the glory of God. Faith in Christ has freed us to live life in the power of the Holy Spirit because God the Holy Spirit lives within each of us. Believers have been forever adopted as the children of God who are privileged to cry out, “Father!” to Almighty God. We have the honor of inviting others to be rescued from condemnation. Because we have been rescued and freed, our love and gratitude for God should move us to want to share the freedom, love, and life we have with others. Christ Jesus perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection frees those who believe in Jesus from condemnation and empowers them to live for Christ.

We will observe the Lord’s Supper next Sunday, September 11, during our morning worship.

Put October 29 on your calendar for “Trunk or Treat.” We will need a lot of candy and plenty of help to reach out to our community on that day. We will be picking up the block party trailer, overseeing bounce houses and other fun activities, publicizing “Trunk or Treat” on Facebook and throughout our neighborhood. “Trunk or Treat” will be an “all hands-on-deck event.” Pray for God’s blessing on this outreach and for your specific part in helping.

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 as we worshiped, we focused on the wonderful grace and mercy of God. As we looked in Romans 7, we learned that we died to seeking God through law and rule keeping and became free to serve God in the resurrected life of the Spirit. We learned that the purpose of the law was to make us aware of the sinful nature that resides in every human being from which we need to be delivered. We learned another purpose of the law was to help us see the dehumanizing, destructive and deadly nature of sin. We learned that the law tells us what to do, but never give us the power to do right and good. We learned that all of us do not need more laws, but someone to deliver us from ourselves and our sin. Paul cried out when he saw his own sin and the need for a deliver, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  Then Paul answered his own question by saying, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  We have a Deliverer, a Rescuer, a Savior, and His name is Jesus! We do not have to depend on our own willpower and determination to overcome sin. These will not help. We can depend on the power and presence of Jesus through His Spirit who lives in us. The Holy Spirit can deliver us day by day by day for those temptations and sin that we will face.

We hope to worship next Sunday in our parking lot if the weather is cooperative.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie Boss’ sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

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 we sang praise to the Ruler of the universe, the Ancient of Days, who has loved us a saved us by His grace. Then from the last half of Romans 6 we thought about where our loyalties lie. Believers’ loyalties are with Christ and His kingdom of righteousness. Though sometimes we mess up and give aid to the enemy, the desire of believers is not aid to the enemy in even the smallest ways. Our desire is to be continually obedient to God and help advance His kingdom. We present ourselves to God as loyal servants of righteousness. Even though we are weak and realize that it might be two steps forward and one back, we know by God’s grace we are progressively becoming more like Jesus as God’s Holy Spirit works in our lives.

There will be a potluck lunch after worship next Sunday, August 14, 2022. Bring enough food for yourself and a little extra for any quest we might have.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie’s sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

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 had the privilege of together worshiping Almighty God, from who all blessings flow. Then from Romans 6, we saw believers are living in the realm of the life of God. We have eternal life now, which Jesus defined as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. We learned believers right now are freed from sin’s control because we were united with Christ when He died on the cross. In Jesus’ crucifixion and death, we died to sin. Then we saw that right now we possess and live in the life of God because we are also united to Jesus in His resurrection. We will still be tempted and sometimes fall because we live in a mortal body that has not yet been changed into an immortal body.  But we learned how to win victory over many temptations in this mortal body. Because we are dead to sin and live in the life of God, believers present themselves to God to walk in the life that God has given to us.We declare once and for all our loyalty to Jesus and then daily yield ourselves to the control of God’s Holy Spirit. Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection frees those who belong to Him from sin’s power to walk in the life of God.

We will be observing the Lord Supper in our worship gathering next Sunday, August 7, 2022.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie’s sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

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 we worshipped by declaring how firm a foundation believers have through believing in Jesus and trusting in His Word. Then from 2 Timothy 1 and Psalm 56 we thought about the subject of fear. We learned we needed to fear and respect God’s holiness and fear the consequences of sin, which can be far reaching and long lasting. But we also learned that God does not want His children to live in constant fear. We learned denying fear was not the answer to fear. The answer to fear is to take those fears to God and trust Him when we are afraid. God has given his children a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. We are never powerless in any situation because God’s power is available to His children. God has given us a spirit of love, so we do not have to be afraid of those who are different from us or who think differently from us. And God has given us a sound mind so that when we are confronted by demanding situations, we will not panic and make rash decision. Instead, we will be led by His Holy Spirit to face crises with wisdom and love. Believers do not have to live our lives in constant fear. When we are afraid, we remind ourselves of God’s protection. We can do what the Psalmist wrote: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you,” (Psalm 56:3, NIV). When we are afraid, we can ask the Holy Spirit to take away our fears and replace it with a true confidence in God. God is in control, and we are His children. Christ Jesus frees us from constant fear.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie Boss’ sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she has started a different and stronger chemo.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church

Sisters and brothers,

Happy early Monday to all! It was great to worship with God’s people today and remember the greatness of our God and Savior. We know nothing in all the earth and no power of hell can separate us from the God who saved us through Jesus. From Romans 5 we saw that death reigns like a tyrant over every human being, but the free gift of life in Jesus frees us from the tyranny of death. Christ Jesus’ obedience leads to justification and life for all who are in Christ.Jesus humbled Himself and obeyed and His obedience more than conquers death for us. We no longer have to fear death. David wrote,

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4, KJV)

Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil; for Jesus is with all who believe! The obedience of our Savior Jesus more than overcomes the curse of sin and death that hangs over every human being.

Continue to pray for Alice, Connie Boss’ sister-in-law, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Her first round of treatment did not shrink the tumors, so she will be starting a different and stronger chemo.

Remember to keep praying continually for each other. 

Love being your pastor,

Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church