August 2016 - Page 2 of 2 - Fruit Cove Baptist Church

Praying for our schools

Written by Jonathan Wilson on August 11, 2016. Posted in Engage the Culture Stories, Uncategorized.

This Sunday, August 14 prayer walks are scheduled for Duval & St. Johns County Schools:

2pm- elementary campuses
3pm- middle schools
4pm- high schools

Participate in the prayerwalk at the school(s) you are zoned for.

Here are 10 prayers for schools:

Love. “Father, may the students and staff of this school experience Your love through the Christians they know in profound and authentic ways” (John 13:35).
Truth. “Lord, release truth in this school. Help students to rightly discern truth and not believe false teachings” (Proverbs 23:23).
School board. “I pray blessings on each school board member (try to pray for them by name). Father, may your will be done at board meetings” (Romans 13:1).
Principal, Faculty and Staff. “May (name of principal) recognize the God-given responsibility he/she has for the best interests of the children who attend the school. May the faculty and staff walk in wisdom, integrity, grace, and truth” (Proverbs 2:1-11).
Failing students. “Lord, I ask you to encourage those children who are struggling with their studies. Strengthen their minds. Help their teachers and parents know how to help them learn. Protect them from feelings of worthlessness and shame” (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
Violence. “Lord, stay the hand of violence against the children and staff of this school. Dismantle any plan to bring harm to them. Expose any weapon brought into the school premises and render it harmless” (Psalm 34:7; 54:1).
Christian programs. “Father, I pray for abundant blessings on programs that bring Christ into this public school. Help the groups who sponsor such programs function according to your Word and in harmony with each other. Bless the leaders and bring forth new and growing believers” (1 Corinthians 12:12,13).
Christian students. “Grant the Christian students who attend this school wisdom and boldness in living out their faith. Help them share effectively the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ with their classmates” (1 Timothy 4:12).
A chosen generation. “Father, may your kingdom come. From the students at this school, raise up a generation of people who worship you in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23,24; 1 Peter 2:9).
An open door. “Lord, may there be an open door in this school for the gospel to be shared with students and staff. Allow full advantage to be taken of every opportunity to name the name of Jesus” (Matthew 7:7; 1 Corinthians 16:9).

Beach Baptism 2016

Written by Guest Fruit Cove on August 10, 2016. Posted in Embrace The World Stories.

On Sunday, July 31, we gathered at Mickler’s Landing to celebrate baptism at the beach. 28 people had prepared to enter the water in testimony to their faith in Christ and one additional lady who saw us assemble chose to do the same. Here’s a video of the event and some photos to help you celebrate the joy with us!

Leadership 45

Written by TimMaynard on August 10, 2016. Posted in Advance 20/20, Pastor Tim's Blog.

I felt it important to repeat and restate some key points from last Sunday’s message on Nehemiah titled, Moving Forward…Together. As we begin to think through the implications of Advance 2020, these points may help us:

# Organization is key. Finding ways to distribute workers to the places where they are best suited and gifted to work is a key concept. The idea with this is not to simply corral people into the sanctuary but to help them find their God-given assignments through the church. The church is not “a” church. It is not something we go to or an address on the map. Church is YOU. The people are the church. Everything else is dispensable… only you are eternal. God’s dwelling place is not made with human hands. He created YOU to be that dwelling place of His Spirit.

# Participation is essential. It is my desire that we deploy every person who is willing to serve. There are no ‘”saturating saints” whose assignment is to sit and watch. We all have something that God wants to use us in. There will be different areas of giftedness (1 Corinthians 12:14-27) and each is necessary for the church to fully grow up into Christ-likeness. While our different gifts can become points of jealousy or even disagreement, they should be cause for rejoicing since God has especially selected your gift FOR YOU to uniquely use. And remember this even if your gifts are not recognized or publicized, your work in the Lord will never be forgotten: “For God is not unjust and He will not forget your service in His name to the saints….” (Hebrews 6:10)

# Cooperation is crucial. While unity does not mean we are going to agree on every point going forward, especially the structure and form we may follow, it does mean that we move forward most effectively as we unite around Jesus. “One hundred pianos tuned to the same tuning fork are automatically in tune with each other.” (A.W. Tozer) “We will never get beyond how we get along.” (Chip Ingram) B.C. Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine, said “You spell success T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K.”

We want everyone flying in formation. Geese flying in a V formation are flying with 72% more efficiency than a goose flying alone! We want each person working “at the hand” (holding hands) with the person next to them on the wall. And our rebuilding will be most effective as we do it together… not in isolation.

And most importantly, remember that it all began at the Sheep Gate! That place where the sacrifices were brought into the city was the place where some scholars believe Jesus entered the city… God’s perfect Lamb! Any rebuilding in our lives begins at the Sheep Gate…
with Jesus.

He is the Great Rebuilder!

FOR MEDITATION: Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors…. Nehemiah 3:1

FOR REFLECTION: If every member of the church worked and served as you do, would the church be stronger or weaker?

If you would like to hear the whole sermon Dr. Maynard referenced in this blog, click here

Leadership 44

Written by TimMaynard on August 8, 2016. Posted in Pastor Tim's Blog, Uncategorized.

Most of us are good forgetters. We remember, according to most common statistics, about 3 percent of the things that happen to us and store those in conscious memory. The other 97% we forget. (Some days for me I think it may be 99%!) But normally, our conscious memory stuffs the majority of our life memories and experiences into the storage files of our unconscious basement. Unless that is, you are afflicted with a syndrome called hyperthymestic syndrome… the inability to forget.

Those with this rare condition can recall with great and sometimes painful detail, every moment of their lives. The good, the bad, the really painful and awkward moments of childhood, as well as the pleasant ones of course.

But imagine for a moment the ability to recall the detailed wording of every commercial you ever sat through; every inane TV script, the words of every book, the names of every person you have met… and what they said to you.

Forgetting it seems, may be a gift! In fact, it may sometimes be one of the greatest gifts. There are those things you should never forget but for this article, let’s talk about things we should.

We should forget when someone injures us; when we suffer pain. We should forget when we fail God, ourselves or others. We should forget those moments of not feeling we measure up. We should forget our fearful nights; our nagging insecurities. We should forget when someone asks us to forgive them.

God, though sovereign and omniscient (all-knowing), can choose to forget. He chooses to forget where we have sinned against Him and incurred His wrath. He chooses to forget our failures and our blatant disobedience.

In fact, the Bible gives us a very visual way that God forgets: it says He takes our sins and casts them into the depths of the sea… a place of eternal forgetfulness. And He holds them against us no more.

There’s one thing that needs to remain in that place of remembrance in our minds, however. It needs to stay close to the top of the list of the most important things:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

FOR MEDITATION: And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12

FOR REFLECTION: How many times have you gone “fishing” for sins that God has forgotten? Remember, as Corrie Ten Boom said, that God has placed a “no fishing” sign over those sins!

Leadership 43

Written by TimMaynard on August 5, 2016. Posted in Advance 20/20, Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 43

Author Malcom Gladwell popularized the phrase “tipping point.” The concept was not created by him. A “tipping point” is a turning point in a given situation. In business, it is that moment when cash flow exceeds outgo. In sports, it is that moment when the momentum of a game shifts. In technology, it is that moment when public acceptance makes it an essential item to own or understand.

Tipping points happen in relationships, business and economics, in political campaigns, wars and in our spiritual life. The tipping point comes for many when the moment emerges and our understanding wraps around the concept that God is FOR us and not AGAINST us.

Paul expressed the tipping point in Romans 8 when he stated, “If God is FOR us, then who can be AGAINST us?” (Romans 8:31). That concept, that spiritual momentum-shift is a profound one. Jesus came to proclaim the “tipping point” by demonstrating God’s love even for His enemies by sending His Son as our sacrifice and Savior to die for us.

For the person who wrestles with doubt and questions about whether the God who made them loves them, this tipping point is significant. It changes the momentum of life when you realize that you are ALREADY accepted and loved, no matter how you may fail or disappoint God’s standards or your own. Our acceptance is not based on how we perform but on how Jesus Christ has ALREADY performed.

This is important for the person who wrongly believes that God is always angry; always standing ready to punish or judge them. It is important for us to know that God’s anger has fully been vented and satisfied by Jesus at the cross. God isn’t angry with you anymore. He loves you.

We need to reject our false gods… our false concepts of who we believe God to be. God isn’t angry with you. God isn’t against you. God doesn’t delight in punishing or judging. God isn’t rejecting you. These false concepts must die.

He’s FOR you!! That’s the tipping point. That’s the game-changer.

And that’s the Gospel.

FOR MEDITATION: If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

FOR REFLECTION: How have you entertained false concepts of who God is? Do you believe God is angry with you? Have you reached the “tipping point” in your life? God loved us so much that He gave His only-begotten Son for us. Knowing He loves us that much changes not only our life… but our eternity!

Leadership 42

Written by TimMaynard on August 3, 2016. Posted in Advance 20/20, Equip The Church, Pastor Tim's Blog.

In our culture, spiritual conversations are happening all around us. Though the world seems to be set on rejecting historical Christian values and principles, there is still a void in people that is being shouted out through music, novels and movies. Many of the most popular movies of our day deal with these issues by depicting a classic, historic and ongoing battle between a “good” god and a “bad” or “evil” one. We seem incapable of writing a script that does not allude in some way to God or spirituality, even if it’s just to try and reject these concepts.

As believers, we need to be ready to enter into these conversations. But we also need to understand that language has changed meanings and the concepts that we will talk about need to avoid “traditional,” Christian language, at least at the beginning stages. In other words, these will not be easy pitches across the plate.

In the world’s language today, though God may be spoken of, often the things that we may associate with “God” are suspect or outright rejected. Rather than becoming defensive we need to understand that this may become the open door we have been praying and looking for, though not exactly where we thought it would be!

Eric Metaxes, author of the notable biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, spoke once at the National Prayer Breakfast. He began his address by saying, “Everything I rejected about God wasn’t God.” He talked of his journey to belief that began with a deep exploration and ultimate rejection of his traditional faith and upbringing.

But God, in mercy, led him back. Recently I had a conversation with a gentleman who was searching spiritually. As we spoke, he told me of the things that he had rejected about Christianity; you know… the usual… “Christians are hypocrites….” “I can be good on my own….” I shared the thought that Metaxes had spoken and said, “It sounds like everything you have rejected about God isn’t God at all.” He grew silent and said, “I think you’re right.”

I’m not sure that our culture has rejected God as much as some false ideas about who He really is. As you speak to friends and coworkers and neighbors and family about their faith, don’t be put off by their rejection of non-essential things.

The primary thing is not that they have faith exactly in the same shape as yours. IT may not be. Our job is not to convert them to our WAY of seeing and expressing it…

… but to truly having a faith that saves!

FOR MEMORIZATION: Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Romans 1:19 NKJV

FOR REFLECTION: Have you ever rejected things about God that weren’t really God at all? Think about what those were and remember them when you speak to a person struggling with their faith!

Leadership 41

Written by TimMaynard on August 1, 2016. Posted in Advance 20/20, Pastor Tim's Blog. No Comments on Leadership 41

As we turn a corner in to a new week, those of you following along know that our devotions are a couple of chapters ahead of the Sunday morning study in Nehemiah that I am leading. So I want to pause here and take a few days to go deeper into an exploration of the Advance 20/20 plan that we started talking about a few weeks ago.

This strategy is an aggressive focus on outreach and ministry expansion as well as a commitment to deepen our walk with Christ. The first point of the plan is simple: grow to an attendance of 2020 by January 1, 2020. We have long needed to move to this level but we (I) have not said out loud that this should be our focus and goal. We have on several different occasions seen 2,600 or 2,800 worshipers on campus for special events like Easter and Christmas Eve. But those are not normal days. I believe we should target that attendance number for a normal Sunday… and then maintain it going forward.

As we know, it is becoming more and more difficult and less politically correct to talk about our faith outside of “faith events” like a church service or other “religious” gathering. Russia, under Vladimir Putin, has made the sharing of faith apart from a church service or outside of a church building a punishable offense. This law threatens and intends to hamper the spread of Christianity as well as other “undesirable” ideas (as Mr Putin sees it).

None of us would argue much that we are living in dark times in our country as well. While it is not illegal to share our faith, it has certainly become a matter of social pressure to “speak no more in that man’s (Jesus’) name.” (Acts 4:17) So while we may experience pressures socially and be marginalized because of our belief in Jesus Christ as Lord, we are not alone nor are we the first. The Christian movement has always grown up and grown best where opposition is at its worst. While Russian Christians are now facing real persecution for their faith and Christians now in Turkey are facing the same reality, we in America are at the most being intimidated “not to speak in that man’s name.”

Interestingly, most people in our culture would welcome a discussion about their faith (or lack of faith) in God. Those conversations usually remain academic and non-volatile. But when we insert the name of “Jesus” in the conversation, suddenly the anger comes! Instinctively we know this. Therefore, unless we are wired to love conflict and confrontation (some are) we simply pull back and remain silent.

The earliest followers of Christ understood the volatility of the name of Jesus. They had watched or heard about the first Christian martyr, a deacon named Stephen, who was allowed to share his faith before a group of Jewish elders and leaders and spectators; and they listened until he brought Jesus into the conversation. The response was immediate: anger, rage and violence followed. And Stephen died with his face turned toward the One he had dared to mention in public. (see Acts 7)

My hope is that the worshipers who come to Fruit Cove, come to see and hear about Jesus. We believe there is no other name under Heaven by which we must be saved. We believe that His name… far from offensive… is WONDERFUL! We believe that Jesus is Lord. But will we dare to talk about it? Will we dare to speak it? Will we dare to share it?

Getting to 2020 is not simply an artificial, numerical goal. The 2,020 we would pray would come are people the Lord Jesus Christ died to save and loves. Numbers may not be significant to us but there’s a whole book in the Bible titled “Numbers.” Obviously, numbers are important to God! May He give us strength to extend the influence of the Kingdom in our community in this period of growth… and beyond.

FOR MEMORIZATION: As for us, we cannot but speak of the things we have seen and heard. Acts 4:20

FOR REFLECTION: Make an effort sometime in the week ahead to engage in a conversation outside of church about Jesus. Preferably, do this with an unchurched or unbelieving person. Ask God to honor that encounter, no matter what the external result may be.

Month: August 2016