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What is faith? How would you define Biblical Faith? Is it the same as hope? Is it a formula? Is it the ultimate Christian "power-tool"?
In Old Testament times, men and women had to rest on the promises of God. God had told them of a coming Messiah, a Deliverer who would take away sin. He told them that one day all Israel would be made clean and be ruled by this righteous Messiah. God's faithful believed God's promises, as incomplete and vague as many of those promises were. They did not have a great deal of specifics, by New Testament standards, but they knew God was in the specifics, so they put their full trust and hope in it. That is what faith is. Faith is living in a hope that is so real it gives absolute assurance. The promises given to the Old Testament saints were so real to them, because they believed that God was who He said He was, that they based their lives on these promises. All the Old Testament promises related to the future--for many believers, far into the future. But the faithful among God's people acted as if they were in the present tense. They simply took God at His word and lived on that basis. Hebrews 11:13 tells us that these Old Testament saints "died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them......from afar". They saw the fulfillment of God's promise with the eye of faith, which, when it is in God, has immeasurably better vision than the best of physical eyes. This week, we will put a definition to true Biblical faith. As you prepare your hearts and minds for the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, I want to encourage you to take some time over the next few days to read the story of Noah, in Genesis 6 and 7, along with the story of Abraham in Genesis 12. As you read these stories, ask yourself this question, "Why did Noah build the ark"? Was it because he prayed for rain and wanted to be ready just in case God answered his prayer? What about Abraham? Why did he leave everything that was familiar and comfortable in order to travel to an unknown land? Was it because he got bored of Haran and wanted a change scenery? Was it because he prayed to God asking God to take him on a great adventure? What motivated these men to act in such a seemingly foolish manner? Join us on Sunday at 9:00am as we look at the actions of these Old Testament heroes and through their lives, gain a better understanding of what true Biblical faith looks like. Please Note: Members of FBC are invited to a special time of Q & A next Saturday, June 2nd from 4:00pm to 6:00pm in the Fireside Room. This is an opportunity for members to ask questions regarding the selling of our rental properties and the future direction of our church. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug
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WHEW.....I think this word best describes this past week. Besides the "normal" ministry activities that take place every week on our church campus, this week, through our Room 4 Hope ministry, we hosted 2 families who are struggling with homelessness. Each family came to us with their own unique set of circumstances, but as God has allowed us to minister to them throughout the week, I believe that they will leave with a better understanding of God's love! As they prepare to leave us on Sunday morning, please continue to pray for their practical, emotional and most importantly, their spiritual needs.
It's also not too late to get involved. We have 2 unfilled volunteer opportunities. We need a couple people to provide and serve dinner tomorrow (Saturday night) and we also have a need for an overnight host to sleep on campus and provide a safe environment for our guests. Larry Collins has already volunteered to be one of our Saturday overnight hosts, but we need two and I know Larry would appreciate the company.....right Larry! If you are able to help with either Saturday night dinner or as an overnight host, please call Pastor Doug at 949-838-6981. I also want to take this opportunity to say a huge "Thank You" to all those who donated food, prepared and served meals, helped set-up and tear-down bedrooms, helped with breakfast, spent time talking with and playing with the kids and spent the night on our campus, thus providing a safe experience for our guests. We could not have done it without all of our amazing volunteers! This next week will again be a busy one for our campus. On Thursday, both our Adults on Mission and Young at Heart will hold their monthly gatherings. Adults on Mission will meet at 10:30am in the Fireside Room (East), followed immediately by our Young at Heart Luncheon at Noon, also in the Fireside Room. Please join us on Thursday as we pray for those who are on the frontlines of spreading the Gospel. Then stick around for what is always an amazing lunch! Hope to see you there! On Sunday morning we will begin a 4 week series on Faith. Some of the questions we will answer are: 1. Where does faith in Jesus begin? 2. What is the definition of true Biblical faith? 3. What role do the promises of God play in our faith? 4. How can my faith stand the test of time? This week, our focus will be on the anchor for our faith.....Jesus! In preparation for Sunday, take some time over the next few days to read and meditate on I Corinthians 15:3-17, then join us on Sunday at 9:00am and learn about this God that loves us and wants to be in relationship with us. Don't come alone. Finally, a few weeks ago, our church council hosted a Soup Sunday business meeting. At this meeting, our leadership provided you with an update on the refinance of our church loan, that has a balloon payment due on June 5th. During this meeting, we shared with you the possibility that our refinance application could be denied and that we would need to consider selling our rental homes. We learned late last week that in fact, our request for a refinance had been denied and were encouraged by the bank to consider selling these homes. I then contacted the Northwest Baptist Foundation about the possibility of securing financing through them. They too, felt that our best option was to sell our rental homes, which would greatly reduce and possibly even help us eliminate our debt altogether. I then contacted Umpqua Bank, who is our current lender and asked them about the possibility of providing us with a 6 month loan extension, while we worked on selling these homes. They have verbally agreed to begin the paperwork to extend our loan, provided that we also begin the process of selling these properties. Because our Church Council views this as a significant decision in the future of our church, we are requesting a vote be taken of our church membership, seeking your approval to move forward in the sale of these homes. The opportunity to vote will take place on Sunday, June 3rd, immediately following the 9:00am service. Our Church Council would also like to provide you with the opportunity to ask questions prior to Sunday's vote. To accommodate this, members of our church council will be available to answer questions on Saturday, June 2nd from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Please note that this Q&A time will not be a formal meeting, but is simply an opportunity for you to ask questions and make an informed decision as you cast your ballot. I want to personally thank all of you for your prayers during this season of transformation. I know God has an amazing plan for FBC and that His desire is for us to remain faithful to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Please continue to pray as God continues to move and always remember, God still sits on the throne, He is in control and His plan, in His time, is PERFECT! See you Sunday. Pastor Doug Because this Sunday is Mother's Day, I want to devote this week's edition of Think, Act and Be Like Jesus to honoring mothers. If there's one attitude families are guilty of more than any other when it comes to mothers, it's presumption.....taking them for granted. As a child and even well into my teenager years, I never lost sleep wondering who was going to type my history term paper. Never felt compelled to make my school lunch before I went to bed. Never thought about making sure the clothes I wanted to wear where clean. All of those things just magically took care of themselves.....THANKS MOM!
As each of us, in our own way, prepares to honor the mothers in our lives, I want to encourage you to think about her example, her support, her humor, her counsel, her humility, her hospitality, her insight, her patience, her sacrifices. Old "honest Abe" was correct: "He is not poor who has had a godly mother." Indebted, but not poor. Moms, on Mother's Day Sunday we rise up and call you blessed. But knowing you, you'll feel uneasy in the limelight. You'll probably look for a place to hide. True servants are like that. In preparation for Mother's Day, I would encourage you to take the time to read Proverbs 31:10-31 and thank God for the "mother" in your life! Finally, before I wrap-up this edition of my weekly email, I wanted to let you know that beginning Sunday evening, we will be hosting two families on our campus through our Room4Hope outreach ministry. I think it is only fitting that the two families we will be hosting are both single moms who need our love and support during this season of transition in their lives. If you are interested in volunteering, we are still in need of overnight hosts for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Dinner hosts for Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and breakfast hosts for Monday, Friday and Saturday. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Pastor Doug at [email protected]. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug That's right......Pastor Doug is back from cruising the Pacific Ocean and, although not as rested as I would like to be, ready to continue serving alongside you to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Beaverton. I want to say a huge "THANK YOU" to Pastor Avery, Pastor Norm and Larry Annes for preaching in my absence. We are so lucky to have such gifted preachers in our church family.
This Sunday, we will conclude our series in Joshua. Over the past 4 weeks, we have been reminded..... 1. Be strong and courageous as we follow God into the "Promised-Land" Life that is waiting for all of us. 2. Don't let the pressures of life divert our eyes from God's presence, because God's presence will lead us to places that we have never been before. 3. Pastor Norm asked the question, when facing our own "walls of Jericho", will we flee back into the wilderness or by faith, stand and face the challenge of the wall, knowing that by faith, the wall will fall. 4. A "Promised-Land" life needs to be prayed for and fought for, but it will be worth it. On Sunday, we will dive into the life of Caleb and see how his faith had God saying....."But my servant Caleb has a different spirit." What do you think God meant by "different spirit"? As you prepare your hearts for Sunday, take some time over the next few days to read Joshua 14:7-12 and look for the secret to Caleb's faith that is revealed within this text. You might just receive a prize! Also, don't forget that this Sunday is a special "Soup Sunday" business meeting. Join us at noon in the Fireside room for some good soup, even better desserts and hear from our church leaders about topics ranging from community outreach to finances. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug Seven years of total domination. Seven nations conquered. At least 31 kings defeated. Approximately 10,000 square miles of choice real estate claimed. They were vastly outnumbered, under equipped and voted least likely to conquer some of the most barbaric armies in history. Most historians, unless they've taken the time to study Hebrew history, would never associate these facts with the nation of Israel, but this is exactly what transpired in the lives of God's people and it is all chronicled in the book of Joshua. Joshua documents for us the journey of this often forgotten nation, as they exit the wilderness and enter the promised land of Canaan. As we study their journey into a land "flowing with milk and honey", a land that was promised to Abraham, we too want to embark on our own journey out of the wilderness and into the land that God is waiting to give us.
Don't miss this Sunday as Pastor Avery, from Common Ground Church, will be preaching from Joshua 3. His focus will be on the challenge of crossing over the Jordan River (fear and doubt) and leaving our past behind, so that we can experience the promised land (Canaan) that awaits us on the other side. I would encourage you to take some time over the next few days to read Joshua 3 and ask God to show you what current challenge is hindering you from seeing the future that God has for you. Over the next 3 Sundays, you will hear from Pastor Avery, Pastor Norm and Larry, our council chairman. Please be praying for these men as they seek the Holy Spirit for guidance as they prepare to preach God's message to his people. Also, our family is leaving tomorrow (Saturday) morning for some much needed rest and relaxation. During my absence, if you hear of any congregational needs, please inform Cheryle Douglas in the church office. See you in a couple weeks! Pastor Doug As the memory of Easter Sunday fades I can't help but wonder, what must have been going through the minds of those early followers of Jesus. Followers who had committed to travel with him all around the known world, listening to him preach and watching him perform miracles. Followers who watched in disbelief as Jesus was arrested, tortured and put to death on a cross. Followers who had given up hope, only to be overcome with joy over his resurrection, but then, as Jesus ascended into heaven, left to ponder life without their Savior.
Can you at all relate to the roller-coaster of emotions this small band of Christians had been subjected too in such a short period of time? If we're honest with ourselves, sometimes life's challenges can be overwhelming. You want to remain faithful. You want to keep up. But life happens and you just have no fight left in you. The book of Joshua is in the Bible for seasons like the one I just described. Join us for the next several weeks, as we walk with the nation of Israel on their journey from the arid desert of the wilderness to the fertile fields of the promised land. Along the way, you may be forced to ask the question, "how would my life be different if I put aside fear and followed God's vision for my life?" God has a "promised-land" vision for all of us, but it's up to us to take the first step. In preparation for Sunday, I want to encourage you to read the first 2 chapters in the book of Joshua, especially focusing on verse 9. Also, our theme verse for this series is taken from Joshua 21:43-45, where we read.... "Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass." See you Sunday. Pastor Doug As we continue on our journey towards Good Friday and Easter, I want to turn our attention to the Last Supper. During this Passover ritual, laden with symbolism, Jesus suddenly interrupts the progress of the meal. This is how John describes this peculiar scene.....
"During the supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:2-5 What a strange way for the guest of honor to act during the final meal with his friends. What kind of behavior is this from someone who called himself the Son of God? In those days, foot washing was considered so degrading that a master could not require it of a Jewish slave. However, with this one act, Jesus symbolically overturned the whole social order. Hardly comprehending what was happening, even his own disciples were horrified by his behavior. Jesus asked his followers to do three things to remember him. He asked us to baptize others, just as he had been baptized by John. He asked us to remember the meal he shared that evening with the disciples. Finally, he asked us to wash one another's feet. The church has always honored two of those commands. But today, the third command of foot washing is practiced by only a handful of denominations. For the rest of us, this act of humility seems primitive, rural and unsophisticated. There is some debate whether Jesus intended this command only for the twelve disciples or for all of us. Although, even the twelve who witnessed this command first-hand, struggled to follow it. In foot washing, the disciples had seen a living example of how Jesus wanted them to portray who he was and what he stood for.....a humble servant who just happened to be the Son of God. Who's feet is Jesus calling you to wash? Could extending an invitation to our Easter Service be considered an act of foot washing? Don't forget to join us at 6:30pm for our Good Friday service and Sunday at 10:00am for our Easter gathering. In His Grip. Pastor Doug This Sunday, we will begin a week-long prayer emphasis. There will be prayer guides available at the Welcome Center and on the table at the back of the sanctuary. During the week you will focus on praying for your own personal mission field and for the missionaries working here in Oregon, the United States and Canada. Then next Sunday, we will collect a special offering that will go directly toward supporting church planting missionaries, like our very own Tom Tang from New Creation Fellowship. Be praying for what God would have you give. Also, on Wednesday at 10:00am, we will gather in the Fireside Room for a special time of sharing and prayer for our church planters and missionaries. Don't miss this opportunity to pray with others.
On Thursday, we will have our monthly Young at Heart luncheon and will continue to focus on praying for our church planters and our upcoming Easter service. Lunch begins at noon in the Fireside Room and is FREE! Be sure and write the day and time on your calendar and plan to be there! This Sunday, as we begin to wrap-up our "Chosen" series, our focus turns to Pilate and the life-changing decision that has forever defined him. Along with Pilate, all of us want to make courageous decisions. We all want to make the courageous choice and were committed to doing the right thing.....until the right thing, making the right decision is more costly than we thought it was going to be and then, just like Pilate, we opt for the path of least resistance. Join us on Sunday at 9:00am, as we explore what it looks like to have a courageous faith. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life". John 3:16.
This is the message of Easter. All human history hinges on the person of Jesus Christ and the church has been charged with the task of proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. Don't miss this Easter as we join with Anthem Church and Common Ground Church to celebrate our risen Savior. On this Sunday, we will have one service at 10:00am. The most important thing we can do to prepare for Easter is to pray.....
This Sunday, we will continue our series titled, Chosen. With this series, we are focusing our attention on individuals and groups of people for whom our level of disdain varies. People like Judas who betrayed Jesus, the Sanhedrin who despised him, Herod who mocked him, the crowd, who called for his crucifixion, and Pilate who appeases the mob and washes his hands. And then there's this guy named Barabbas. Remember Barabbas, the murderer, the rebel, the guilty who was set free while our Savior was put to death in his place. Sometimes I wonder why his name is even mentioned. What can we possibly learn from such an evil man. Is there any redeeming value to knowing a little bit more about his connection to Jesus. Join us this Sunday as we unpack God's incredible love for Barabbas. If you would like to read ahead, the passage for this week will be Luke 23:1-25. Hope to see you Sunday. Pastor Doug I can't believe it's already March 1st and Easter is just one month away!
Today, I had the privilege of attending the Grand Opening of Family Promise Beaverton (Room 4 Hope), as they officially opened their doors to families in our community who are facing a homeless situation. It was an encouraging scene as I watched representatives from our local government, standing side-by-side with pastors and other faith leaders, to pray for and offer support for, the "least of these" in our community. FBC was well represented with 8 in attendance. As we prepare to serve in our role as a host church, we will be hosting another volunteer information meeting this coming Sunday, March 3rd at 11:45am in room 307. Lunch will be provided, so please consider attending this meeting and learn how you can be a part of providing hope to families who are facing homelessness. In order to have enough food, if you are planning to attend this meeting, please RSVP by emailing Doug at [email protected]. I hope to see you there! As we begin to turn our attention towards Easter, for the next 4 Sundays, we are going to be focusing our attention on some of the individuals who played key roles in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. However, the people that we are going to look at are not held in very high esteem. They are not considered heroes of the faith. In fact, just the opposite. When you hear the name Pilate, Barabbas, the Sanhedrin(religious leaders), the crowd, who in one unified voice cried out for Jesus to be crucified, we tend to place these names in the "evil" category of the crucifixion story. But regardless of whether or not they believed that Jesus was the Son of God, they were still "Chosen" by God to play a significant role in the death of our Savior that provided us the opportunity to experience forgiveness. Join us this Sunday as we look into the lives of those who called themselves "religious" and see how their desire to be in charge, blinded them from the reality that Jesus was in fact the Son of God. Take some time before Sunday to read Luke 20:1-18. After the service, stick around and connect with others in our church family by joining one of our Adult Bible Study Groups. Two of them will be starting brand-new studies. One is called "Experiencing God's Presence" and the other is titled, "Guidance for the Seasons of Life." It's also not too late to join our third group, which is just a couple of weeks into their study of I Samuel. Consider joining one of these Sunday morning groups and experience the type of community that can only happen within a small group environment. Have a great weekend and I hope to see you on Sunday! Pastor Doug |
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