High Point Baptist Church

Church Family,

Please Pray for VBS tonight. I am so thankful to the teachers and leaders who have been sharing the gospel constantly throughout the week. Tonight, we will specifically talk with the older kids and present the gospel again. Pray that the lost will be saved and the saved will be drawn closer to God.

I can recall sharing the gospel with a grown(40+) man several years ago. His mother was in the room at the time as well. When I asked the man what the Lord was telling him, the mother quickly jumped in. She exclaimed that her son had been baptized as a little boy and didn’t need the gospel. My heart broke. Here was a man that rarely came to church, was caught up in sin, and was trained to live that way from his so called Christian mother.

Matthew 10:37-39 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

I will never be worthy of the gospel. None of us are. In my quiet time today, the Lord impressed upon my heart a deep sadness for situations similar to the one I mentioned above. That sadness spread when I considered how many “family churches” are willing to allow their family members to openly sin and go to Hell for ETERNITY rather than love God more. How often do we keep quiet about the sin of dear cousin, aunt, uncle, close friend, grandpa, husband, etc.? How often do we allow the future generations to hurt because we don’t love God more than keeping family peace? I often use the excuse of how unworthy I am, so how can I dare help someone else. The sad thing is, I never use that excuse when I see my kids acting out or if someone is causing pain to my life, but in the church…. I use it all the time. Lord, forgive me. Forgive us. I pray that somehow that man came to know Jesus as his savior and the mom too.

Reminder:

1. Pray for the gospel to be boldly and clearly spoken and received tonight. Pray for Gayle and the other leaders by name. Only 2 nights left, 6-8:30pm
2. Glory Train in concert this Sunday at 6pm.

Love, Serve, Go

Brian Winburn

Church Family,

Day 1 of VBS was a great success. Today I am praying for you by name and as a group. Asking that God will give the opportunity to share the gospel with co-workers and VBS attenders. Hoping that the Lord will make your work day a joy and not a burden. May He give you strength and energy!

Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

There is no shortage of those who do not know Jesus as Lord. We as believers need to pray that God will send us and more to reach those without Christ. While the group Christ is seeing is probably being harassed and are helpless, we also need to remember that this is the spiritual state of anyone without Jesus today. Rather than seeing them as enemies or people who don’t deserve the gospel, see them as they are. Being harassed and helpless against the sin that is blinding them from seeing Christ. See them the way someone once saw you before they shared the gospel with you.

Reminders:

1. VBS Continues tonight from 6pm-8:30pm. Come be rescued by Jesus with us.
2. Glory Train in Concert Sunday June 24^th at 6pm
3. Toronto Mission Trip June 26^th-July 3^rd

Love, Serve, Go

Brian Winburn

Church Family,

Matthew 8:2-3 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Is there a sin sickness or physical sickness that you need to seek Christ for? Often times I wonder if God is too busy or my problem to small to bother God with. Yet, scripture presents God as willing to be there for His creation.

I am not making God out to be your genie in a bottle. Where you can ask for whatever you want and get it.

James 4:2-3 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Can I encourage you to pray for what you need today? Ask God to change you and not your circumstances? Seek His kingdom and His glory in all that you ask. The Lord is willing, are you?

Reminders:

1. Father’s Day Celebration this Sunday
2. VBS Sunday night June 17^th-21^st 6 to 8:30pm.

Love, Serve, Go

Brian Winburn

Church Family,

Tonight is prayer meeting. At 7pm the youth are going to be going out to pass out flyers for VBS. If you wish to go they would love to have you join them. Speaking of VBS please continue to pray or begin to pray for it. Pray for the parents that are bringing the children, for the children that they will clearly hear and understand the gospel, for the Word of God that it will be freely taught, that the lost might be saved and that the saved will grow closer to God, and lastly, pray for the workers beginning with Gayle and all the other servants.

My reading today was Matthew 6.

Matthew 6:1 Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

In the movie Aladdin, Jafar tricks Aladdin and then offers to give Aladdin his eternal reward. Accoring to Matthew you can only collect one reward for your actions. Think about that. The rest of the chapter discusses how if we receive our reward here on earth then we will not receive it from the father. Imagine living a life that everyone envy’s and compliments, but your reward is temporary.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and ruste destroy and where thieves break in and steal,20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What God is offering as a reward is far greater than what the earth can offer. Live for Jesus.

Short note, this goes completely against prosperity preaching. Those men/women trying to get you to receive a reward here on earth are liars and thieves. They misuse the name of Lord and will spend an eternity separated from Him. They’ve already received all of their rewards here on earth.

Reminder:

1. Prayer meeting tonight.
2. Father’s Day this Sunday!
3. VBS Shipwrecked Sunday thru Thursday starting at 6pm and lasting till 8:30

Love, Serve, Go

Brian Winburn

Church Family,

I love Matthew 4. It is well known for the temptation of Christ, but what sticks out to me is the amount of change that is happening and the rate in which it is happening. Maybe it’s the Sunday school lesson spilling over into my worship time, but Jesus went from a relatively unknown to a household name in a short time.

Matthew 4:24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.          

Change is difficult. Especially in the church. In part, I believe it is because we know for certain that the gospel, word of God, and God Himself never change. Yet, throughout scripture we see that where the gospel is present, change happens. In this passage Jesus’ ministry changes. 1^st he is tempted by satan himself. 2^nd he calls others into ministry. Those men had their whole lives changed and soon will have their eternal destination changed. In fact, from this time on, the only constants in their lives are God and change. 3^rd where they lived changed. 4^th Have you ever thought about the fact that the only ones who don’t change in scripture are the ones that have rejected God?

Can I encourage you today to take some time and reflect on the change that God has brought to your life? Praise Him for His goodness. Let me also encourage you to dream of what God wants your life to look like. Now pray about what kind of change is needed in your life for that to happen. I am so guilty of wanting God to do things in my life without being willing to change for God.

Reminders:

1. Senior Cookout Tuesday at 11:30. You can also vote at the church.
2. Sunday we will have our Father’s Day celebration during the morning service.
3. VBS Shipwrecked begins Sunday night June 17^th -21^st 6pm-8:30pm.
4. Glory Train in Concert June 24^th at 6pm
5. Toronto Mission trip June 26^th-July 3^rd
6. Yesterday we voted as a church to call Peyton Andreucci to be our Youth Summer Intern. Please pray for him and the ministry that he will be doing in our church and community. This Weds Peyton and the youth will be passing out flyers to invite others to VBS.
7. Continue to Pray for the St. John’s Ridge community(Prayer Walking area).

Love, Serve, Go

Brian Winburn