Newsletter – 04/18/24

Upcoming Events

This Sunday (April 21st) – Crochet Night @ EBC
Saturday (April 30th) – Serve @ Pregnancy Resource Banquet
April – Connect Groups are starting a book titled “Before You Share Your Faith”.
September 6th-7th – Couples Retreat/Conference – More Details TBA

Nosker Family

Larry Nosker (Jake Nosker’s Father) passed away early yesterday (Wednesday) morning. Please be in prayer for Jake and the rest of the family. The funeral service will be Saturday April 27th. More details will be given Sunday for those who would like to come to the service. Pray for God’s saving work in all of the Nosker family and please look for opportunities to serve this family lovingly in the coming weeks and months.

From the Desk of Pastor Tom

Our study in Acts has been motivating, comforting, convicting, and eye-opening. Its relevance for our country and our church today is obvious. The Good News of Jesus is being spread. People are turning from their sins and believing Jesus. The three thousand souls represented devout Jews who realized their need of salvation, militant Israelites who admitted their inability to rescue themselves, religious gentiles who found the ultimate answer to all they sought, and even the curious bystanders present in the crowd. The three thousand souls who were miraculously saved and baptized that day made a very diverse family of God. Yet the Word of God and the transforming work of Christ was stronger than everything that stood in the way.
Religious oppression and hypocrisy were undone by the truth of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Prison and beatings did not dissuade Christ’s followers from proclaiming this name, the name of their loving Savior. Internal controversy was faced and dealt with by God to preserve the unity and purity of His church. The Good News of Jesus Christ is so powerful that nothing has or ever will stop it.
If you will allow me to get personal for a moment. Does your faith in Christ and gratitude for the gift of salvation show in love and service for others? Is God working in you to produce such a committed love for Him and His Word that you must talk about Christ? It is easy to love people you have known for a long time. It is easy to love people that are just like you. That is normal. Yet, it is Christlike to love all other believers deeply and sacrificially. Even those new or different than yourself. How would you describe your tendency to respond to complaints from people in need?
Here in Acts 6 we find a diverse unity of believers learning and growing together. They are not yet perfect but they are profoundly changed. They still have room to improve yet they are increasingly Christ-like in the thoughts and actions.
Instead of ignoring the complaints or ostracizing the complainers, the church listened and responded prayerfully and wisely. In contrast to this, an unfortunate result of a society that drifts further from God and deeper into a self-focus is that my needs and “my people’s” needs overshadow the thoughts, needs, and concerns of others. What we find in Acts 6 is God’s children are Holy Spirit motivated to understand and serve all of their spiritual brothers and sisters regardless of perceived commonality. They want to serve all of God’s children and love everyone in the church in Christ-like sacrificial ways. Not just serve those they like or know already.

Watch It Again