Minister's Blog

Summer is winding down for many of us as the temperatures continue to rise! This summer has been a blur of trips, outreach, and special ministry opportunities for our church. While these events have been tiring for many, they have been great opportunities for discipleship, missions, and personal growth. May seems like so long ago when I remember the youth heading to Mission Lab, Vacation Bible School, the Canada mission trip, and children’s camp. These activities (except for VBS) involved only small segments of the Body, but every church member had a part. Your giving made each of these endeavors possible and your prayers brought spiritual power to bear. If you did not participate in any of these opportunities physically by helping or giving or spiritually through prayer, repent and ask the Lord’s forgiveness. All church members have a responsibility to pray, support, and serve within the Body, so that we might build one another up and so bear witness to the Lord Jesus in the world (Ephesians 4:11-16). It is a blessing to serve and to belong to Emmanuel Baptist Church!
REVIVAL
It has become our custom over the past 7 years to set aside a week in August or September for a series of worship services focusing on spiritual renewal. We call this series of meetings REVIVAL. We know real spiritual revival is not generated by the meetings themselves, but the work of the Holy Spirit as He stirs us to devotion, holiness, and service. Habakkuk stated Habakkuk 3:2: Lord, I have heard the report about you; Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds. Revive your work in these years; make it known in these years. In your wrath remember mercy! When Habakkuk pleads with the Lord to revive His work, He is not asking for revival as we might think of it today. He is asking for the Lord to judge the evil he sees around him. If you read Habakkuk, you will see he is longing for the house of Israel to be purified and for God to judge their enemies. In all that Habakkuk understands about the Lord, he is simply longing for the Lord’s will to be done. The simple request found in the Lord’s prayer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done,” comes to mind. Spiritual revival will be evidenced in our midst by a renewed longing for the Glory of God. We will prayerfully pursue sanctification (holiness) in thought and deed. We will also begin again to long and labor for the advance of the Kingdom in our world through prayer and witnessing. Join me in praying and preparing for revival! Make attending these worship services (August 10-13, 6:00pm) a top priority and invite your friends, family and neighbors to come along!
Dr. David Allen will be our preacher and Brother Dee will be leading our singing for these services. Dr. Allen was a long-time professor of New Testament and preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored numerous books, serves as a preaching coach, preaches at many conventions and denominational meetings, and is currently an adjunct professor at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He will be with us Sunday morning and evening of the 10th and each night through Wednesday. I am looking forward to a great week!