Connections fall 2014 print

Intentional Living

M i s s i o nBuenos Aires

Just Say No... To Garbage

Connectionsmagazine

Fall 2014

ContentsMeet Our Staff

Lead PastorRalph Sawyer

Pastor of Music & AdministrationGrant Jessen

Pastor of StudentsJeremy Shirley

Pastor of Preschool/Children Jason Hoke

Message from our Pastor: Just Say NO... To Garbage ............................ 3-4

In Community: VBS 2014 ...................................................... 5

On & Off Campus: Indy: Youth Missions ..................................... 9 Crossings Camp ............................................. 9

Mission Emphasis: Mission Buenos Aires ................................. 6-7

Resources: Halloween: Should Christians Celebrate? ........ 8 Living the Intentional Life .......................10-11 Upcoming Events ........................................ 12

Upcoming Sermons9/7 Spirit-Filled9/14 Overcoming Temptation9/21 Encountering Evil9/28 Fight the Good Fight 10/5 Armor of God10/12 Guided by the Truth10/19 Basic Training10/26 Deeply Rooted and Grounded in Our Faith11/2 Believing What We Haven’t Seen11/9 Wisdom and the Word11/16 His Word is Sufficient11/23 A Thankful Heart11/30 U-Turn

Sermons are subject to change without notice

First Baptist Church of Wentzville653 Luetkenhaus Blvd.Wentzville, MO 63385(636) 327-8696

A quarterly publication by First Baptist Church of Wentzville, Missouri.The material within this publication may not be disseminated without permission.All inquiries, comments, suggestions and story ideas should be directed to our creative team at:[email protected]

Connections Creative TeamDee SchneiderLori JohnsonTracy SmithJayne PattonJeremy Shirley

If you are interested in serving on this team, please contact Dee Schneider [email protected]

2 Connections Fall 2014

to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) Okay…let’s be watchful. This is

the time of the year the devil begins to implement, with greater intensity and more precision, one of the many strategies he employs to tear you and your family apart and stop the work of the church all at the same time. During this time of the year, he ramps up the attack on the mind. He wants to control your mind and the minds of your children. Once he does that, he knows he can influence the decisions made by you and your children and change them from good to bad, from right to wrong. He wins…he thinks. Do you ever just sit down and wonder how our country finds itself in the shape it is today? How the thinking by so many just seems so wrong at times? Well, the devil has been working very hard… and his “fall” strategy has been proving itself quite effective over the years as he peddles his garbage. Yes…garbage!

When the children were small, I took them to the garbage can one day and lifted up the lid and said, “Look in there. What do you see?” They said, “Garbage.” I said “That’s right, have some.” They said, “Uh, uh, Dad,” and I’d say, “Well, why not?” They said, “It will make me sick.” I said, “That is exactly right. If you eat garbage—put garbage in your stomach—it will make you sick.” Then I would teach them that there will be a lot of “garbage thinking” they will run into in the world. If you put garbage in your mind and in your heart, it will make you spiritually and morally sick. The devil has always attempted to use garbage peddlers to blind the minds of those who don’t believe and to destroy the lives of those who know Christ as their Lord.

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)

It all just seems to ramp up in the fall…there are new teachers at school, new shows on television, new friends, new cartoons, new songs, etc., and whether old or new, everything we hear or read communicates a viewpoint about life—God’s view or the world’s view. Yes, a lot of garbage peddling will be done and a lot of people will take it in and begin to make bad choices…choices based on what feels right or comfortable, choices based on what is best for me, or choices based on whatever causes the least conflict with others. Few will make their decisions based on what the Bible, God’s Word, says. And, the devil will win another victory.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Another football season is upon us and football coaches all over America, including Missouri, have spent their summer making preparation for their team to have the victory. Football teams follow strategies you know. The Missouri coaches have been developing an offense and a defense that will make them capable of defeating the teams they will play…including Arkansas. Not only that, one of the most important facets of winning a football game is to know the strategy of the opposition—to know what kind of plays to expect—to know what kind of game plan they will pursue. It’s important in football to know the enemy and to know the attacks of the enemy if you’re going to defeat the enemy, but it pales in importance when compared to the fact that you and I as Christians have an enemy who seeks to defeat us and destroy our lives and our ministry to others. The name of your greatest enemy is the devil and he is very real. He is active on this earth and he has strategies and plans to defeat you and your family.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone

Just Say NO... To Garbage

Pastor Ralph Sawyer has been Lead Pastor at First Baptist Church Wentz-ville since 1999.

...continued on page 4

Fall 2014 Connections 3

Abortion, sex, marriage…you get the drift.The ones along the path are those who have heard;

then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Luke 8:12 (ESV)

Jump for joy, for as believers, we don’t have to eat out of the devil’s garbage pail and we don’t have to follow the garbage peddlers. We can have the victory…we can overcome…and we can defeat the devil…we are not ignorant about what he’s trying to do. We can be courageous and strong and know the truth and not only find freedom for ourselves and our families; but, we can stand up for what is right and true and help others to find freedom in Christ as well. The Bible says in Matthew 10,”If you stand up for me against world opinion, I’ll stand up for you in heaven.” That’s a pretty good reason to stand for what we believe, even when it may not be “politically correct.” It’s what our Coach Jesus wants us to do. It is always a big deal and very important to Jesus that our team is passionately spreading the good news and sharing the “mind of Christ” wherever “Team Jesus” goes.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)

To accomplish team goals, you will have to say “no” to self and “yes” to the Lord and make sure you know the difference between what is “garbage” and what is not. …so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. 2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV)How do we do this?

1. Keep your family in the Word of God and close to Jesus. Know the Lord’s playbook inside and out. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 (ESV) The best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the real thing inside and out. Have personal and family devotions. Learn, teach and discuss what is true and what is garbage.

2. Use the current events of each day to learn and to teach what God thinks about the people and the situations. And these words that I command you today shall be on

your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV) Does God have a side regarding Israel and Hamas? What does God think about government? Or, depending on the age, what is this cartoon trying to teach us and is it right or wrong compared to what God says?

3. Stay informed with what you and your children are being “pummeled” with each day. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 (ESV) At the dinner table you might start a “garbage” list of garbage items each person thought they were exposed to during their day and discuss why they’re not going to “swallow” that garbage, but instead will follow what the Bible teaches.

4. Pick a few controversial areas being promoted in our culture where you need to be clear about what God says in His Word. “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you? Matthew 10:32-33 (MSG)

Discuss why it’s important for Christians to stand up and speak the truth in love. I can think of three areas that appear as if they are going to continue to be in the forefront. I’m sure there are others you will want to address.

a. The sanctity of life. God has a purpose for every unborn baby.b. The sanctity of sex. Sex—only for marriage. c. The sanctity of marriage. God’s intended design is one man and one woman for life.

I love this time of the year and I know that you do as well. Let’s determine to keep it that way by just saying, “No, to garbage!” in whatever form it takes and “Yes, to Jesus.” Prepare for the Victory…Jesus Wins!

See you Sunday,

...continued from page 3... Just Say No... To Garbage

Pastor Ralph

NO to GARBAGE!4 Connections Fall 2014

BIG TOP VBS was one of the major highlights of the summer for FBCW Students! Each night

the students met under a large tent where they were able to worship led by a guest band and hear challenging messages from local church pastors in the area. We tackled questions like ‘Why does the resurrection of Christ really matter?’ and ‘What

do we do with all the evidence about Jesus?’ From the beginning of the week to the end, the students were immersed in a massive team competition that awarded points for bringing friends, money for Compassion International, winning games, and dressing up for theme nights. We kicked off the week with Sports night, then Cartoon night, 70’s night, Duct Tape night, and finished with Team Color night. We finished the week with a Dodge ball tournament that included 15 teams, each with at least 2 visitors. For the majority of the week, the Blue and Green team battled for the lead due to the number of

friends and amount of money they contributed. In the end, the Green team brought home the win! In all, the students raised $549.01 to give to Compassion International. We are extremely

thankful for the numerous volunteers who made it possible for the students to enjoy such a fun and exciting week!

July 20-24, 2014

The investigation concluded:

Our main question: What do I do with the Evidence about Jesus?

Peter confidently summed up the evidence proving that Jesus is the Messiah. As a result of Peter’s testimony, many believed in Jesus. Our agents summed up what the evidence showed them. They looked at Peter’s testimony from Acts 2:14-42 and 1 Peter 3:15. Our agents have now decided what to do with the evidence of who Jesus is. Have you looked at the evidence and made your own decision?

Funding:Where did all those pennies come from? We

ended the week strong. There were 84,199 pennies given to our mission’s project to Mexico.

TOTAL $841.99

VBS Family NightJuly 25, 2014 was amazing! Our agents sang

the information they learned in their week long investigation. They were then ready to test their agent skills on our many fun and “challenging” courses like the ladder climb, the giant mountain and the super slide. There were hot dogs and other snacks to keep up their energy—not to mention the Saint Charles SWAT and Tactical vehicles who came for a visit.

De-classified information

Attendance by registration:

Children (agents) 335 Youth 110 Adults 125TOTAL 570

End of communication.

VBS 2014


If you had told me that by the time I was 25 I would be living in a city of 14 million on another continent, I would most likely have doubted you. But, as the Lord tells us in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” Aren’t you so thankful for that? I know I am.

When I started applying for the Journeyman program, I knew I was called to urban missions. I wanted to go to Latin America because my passion was Spanish. It wasn’t long before God placed Buenos Aires on my heart. This was well before I knew if I was even going to be given an interview. Once I went to Virginia for those interviews, it was there I saw what Latin American cities were available. There weren’t many I was eligible for as a single female, but sure enough, Buenos Aires was one of the few in South America that captured my attention. So, it’s been my joy to tell people here that since March of 2013, I’ve been praying for their city.

My primary role here is to work with volunteer teams from the Tennessee Baptist Convention. We work to make partnerships between the Argentine Baptist churches and TBC churches so they can build relationships to further the Kingdom here in the city. In my first three months here, I have had three teams come in, working in two different parts of this city, and these two different parts of the city could not be more different.

The first barrio, or neighborhood, in which I’ve worked the most has been Recoleta. If you “google” images of it, you’ll be enamored by beautiful old buildings, a historic cemetery, museums and

MISSION BUENOS AIRES

parks. This part of the city has the nickname of ‘old money’ because the people here are retired and wealthy. This barrio is also one of the most unreached parts of the city. There is a population of 157,932 with only one Baptist church. Only 3.9% of its population is evangelical.

When a partnering team comes to work with a church that is already working in Recoleta, we take them prayer-walking throughout the city streets in Recoleta. They also get to participate in a weekly Bible study for new believers on Monday nights in a Christian center. The most unique part about their trip is that we leave their nights open to meet with people from the church or Bible study, and I’ve already seen so many friendships form from this. Lots of encouragement and laughter occur in these late

nights.

By: Bethany Locklear

❝There is a population of 157,932 with

only one Baptist church. Only 3.9% of its population is

evangelical.❞


MISSION BUENOS AIRES

The second barrio I’ve worked in was the polar opposite from Recoleta. It is called Villa Lugano and it is just that, a villa—which is a slum. People don’t really go here for any reason, and it’s generally not safe. This barrio has a population of about 114,000 and has two Baptist churches. This barrio is the highest evangelized at 21%, but also has the lowest monthly average income and lowest level of education.

My most recent volunteer team worked in this area and we did a lot more hands on—daily work within the church, home visits to encourage the church family, and prayer for their needs. We saw a lot of addiction and marital problems in this part of the city. We did evening events for children, women, and youth every night. The volunteer team did an amazing job and the church was truly affected by their love in the name of Christ.

The differences between Villa Lugano and that of Recoleta are immeasurable. Yet these are just 2 of 18 barrios, making up 78 square miles of Capital

Federal, Buenos Aires. Just to give you some perspective, St. Louis is 66 square miles with a total population of 320,000, and total metro population is 2.8 million. Buenos Aires, on a weekend, has 3 million (weekdays is where we get the 14 million figure). The St. Louis metro area has 3,763 area churches. Buenos Aires total Baptist works is 42. So, there is work to be done.

This year our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering was the largest ever recorded. I am completely humbled by Southern Baptist generosity in this and I challenge you to continue to give, pray, and, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

If you’d like to learn more about my city and team, please visit our website at http://www.missionbuenosaires.com/.


Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21

Let me give you a couple of thoughts for your prayerful consideration

in answer to your question. Most holidays we celebrate have a very special meaning. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, and your birthday is a day set aside to celebrate your birth. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and Thanksgiving was created to thank God for His love and provision.

Let me ask you a question. When October 31st rolls around, what do millions of people around the world and in America celebrate? They celebrate “Halloween” (also known as the Day of the Dead). Many people view Halloween as a harmless day where children dress up in costumes and go door to door in their neighborhood asking for candy, but we should realize there are others who take Halloween very seriously. For some it is a “holy” day because it is set aside to worship the devil. Satan hates God and mankind very much, and wants to hurt us all. It should make us sad that so many people want to celebrate a day which was meant to give glory to God’s enemy and to hellish things.

What should followers of Christ do? The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that we are in a war against Satan and his allies. That’s why God instructs us to daily use the armor of God to protect ourselves (verses 13-17).

Every day should be a celebration of life and God’s goodness…that includes October 31st. Party? Yes! Maybe a fall festival would be in order or some other creative way to give glory to God. But, engage in celebration of the evil one and hellish things—no! Maybe we should take spiritual warfare seriously, for the Lord does. Romans 12:21 says “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

What does the Bible say? Read these verses and prayerfully ask the Lord what He would have you to do.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.)

• James 1:27 (Keep oneself from being polluted by the world.)

• 3 John 1:11 (Do not imitate what is evil.)• Romans 12:9 (Abhor what is evil. Cling to

what is good.)• Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (Do not learn

to imitate detestable ways, including spiritists, sorcerers and witchcraft.)

• Ephesians 5:11-12 (Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness/live as children of light.)

• 1 Timothy 4:1 (Don’t follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.)

• 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (What fellowship can light have with darkness?)

• Philippians 4:8 (Think about pure, lovely, noble things.)

• 1 Corinthians 10:31 (Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.)

• James 4:7-8 (Submit yourselves to God / resist the devil / purify your hearts.)

• Ezekiel 44:23 (…teach my people… to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.)

• Proverbs 22:6 (Train a child in the way he should go…)

• Matthew 18:6 (If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin…)

• Hosea 4:6 (My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.)

• John 3:19-20 (People love darkness instead of light.)

• Romans 13:12 (Put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.)

• Ephesians 6:11-18 (Take your stand against the devil’s schemes.)

H A L L O W E E N ,Should Christians Celebrate?

“


INDYThis past summer

our students had the opportunity to travel to Indianapolis, IN to partner with a church plant, Generation Church. They are in the process of growing their launch team in preparation for a Fall 2014 launch date. Our students, after going through training to learn to share the gospel intentionally, played a key role in getting the word out into the community about the church plant. The students knocked on thousands of doors, shared the

gospel many times, and hosted VBS and a block party. Rain derailed us from our plans a couple times throughout the week but our students remained flexible and we found other ways to be a blessing to the community. In the month that followed our trip to Indianapolis, close to 200 new people visited Generation Church in some way as a result of the students missions effort. We took a very hard-working group of students. It’s exciting that our church has the opportunity to expose students as young as middle school and high school age to missions work in cities like Indianapolis! Continue to pray for Pastor Jeremiah Brown and Generation Church as they get closer to the launch on September 14!

INDY: YOUTH MISSIONSCrossings Camp

The students returned to Crossings Camp at Jonathan Creek this summer for a week of non-stop activities and biblical teaching. Students and leaders had a ton of fun with the different activities and competitions. Every morning before Bible study, everyone would meet for a morning celebration (“Morning Cel”) which is a loud, exciting, crazy time intended to wake up the students (and adults). This year’s theme was a game show competition between the boys and the girls—with the boys taking the victory at the end of the week! Each afternoon the students had recreation time in the lake where they could zip line, go down water slides, climb on inflatables, or “BLOB!” After lake time, students had time alone

with God and youth group Bible study. This time was spent doing a personal devotional, praying, and then a whole group study. For the last part of the afternoon, students went to activities ranging from tubing to field games, climbing stations, zip lines, and Bazooka Ball (similar to

paintball but with soft foam balls). After a full afternoon and dinner, students would head for the evening worship service. The theme of the week revolved around how to make God “greater” in your life. Using passages about John the Baptist, the camp speaker, Brent Gambrell, challenged the students to trust God in all things, remove distractions, and to be missionaries in their hometowns! The students were encouraged to think of ways they could serve God by finding what burdened them and how they could reach out and help meet a need, while also sharing the Gospel. It was a great week of growth, fellowship, and fun!


Living

By: Tracy Smith

It’s rush hour...lucky me! I find myself west bound on Interstate 70 exiting at Wentzville Parkway. I’m in the far right turn lane, the light is red, oncoming traffic is

whizzing through the intersection and I’m stopped—not stopped by traffic but by choice. There are a few things I know: 1) traffic is heavy and moving fast, and 2) the far right turn lane is designed to keep traffic moving but also leads to either QT or the next intersection to eventually turn right. I know what I’m supposed to do—move! However, I’m stopped because I don’t feel comfortable moving with traffic flying through the intersection. So, I sit there...waiting...waiting…waiting until I’m comfortable, waiting for exactly the right moment to join the ranks of moving cars. And, then it happens—the all embarrassing, you better get moving “BEEP, BEEP” coming from the “I don’t care how you feel” car behind me! Startled, I move quickly, laughing at myself a bit at my reaction.

Intentionally serving others is quite similar to my Wentzville Parkway experience. See if you can relate. I’m living life, loving God, and desiring to love people. I’m at an intersection stopped and comfortable, unwilling to move unless it’s my idea or timing. Then Someone (you know Him—the Holy Spirit) has a job for me to do, someone He wants me to serve, a task He wants me to complete, or a ministry He desires for me to be involved with or lead. He gives the quick, gentle reminder to move! You’ve felt that nudge before, right? But, I’m

Living th e In t e n tiona l Li f e


Living th e In t e n tiona l Li f eWhatever your gift, using it

for God’s glory and through God’s strength shows the world

He’s in control and genuinely involved in your life.

comfortable, happy and besides, doesn’t He see all the traffic coming and how fast they’re going? Doesn’t He really understand how busy I am and how quickly life is moving right past me? How can He expect me to serve others when I’m so busy and there’s so little time! I don’t think I can do it—certainly there’s someone else who can fill the gap, right? However, God sees the right turn lane up ahead and He knows it’s clear. He knows I’ll be just fine if only I’ll trust Him and move! Those nudges from the LORD make taking the first step in serving possible—just like the “beeping” car behind me helped make up my mind to get going!

Peter does a great job outlining our Christian service in 1 Peter 4:7-11. In verse 7 he states, “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” God encourages us through Peter to be intentional with our time. We

know life is fleeting and our time to serve is short. Continuing in verse 8 he states, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” I don’t know about you but I’m so thankful when a fellow Christian brother or sister forgives me and shows grace. This gives me more freedom to serve, knowing that I’m truly loved, flaws and all. Verse 9 commands us to “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” We don’t really need a spiritual gift to be kind to each other and meet the needs of others. We just need Jesus to tell us to move and a little courage to trust Him. Verse 10 is all about our gifts: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of

God.” As Christians, we’ve each been given at least one spiritual gift to use for our good and God’s glory. When we use God’s gift to serve others, we receive a fulfilling life that leads to giving God glory. Others see God’s glory through us because they know us, and they know only God could give us the ability to selflessly serve. He is the one who creates and freely distributes the manifold (many, various) gifts that make His church work together for good. And finally, verse 11 says, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen.” Whatever your gift, using it for God’s glory and through God’s strength shows the world He’s in control and genuinely involved in your life.

First Baptist Church of Wentzville offers

over 30 different ministries working toward the goal of Loving God and Loving People through our collective God-given gifts. How are you being intentional with the time God is giving you, with your love and forgiveness of others, and with your service and gifts? How are you responding to God’s call to “move?” The right turn lane is clear, and you can do it! It might even cause you to laugh with startled delight at His perfect timing and plan.


SEPT

UPCOMING EVENTSOCT NOV

Future issues of the Connections Magazine will be distributed via email and on our website. If you require a hard copy, please notify the church office.

3Children’s WAM Begins

4Martial Arts Ministry En-rollment Night

5Legacy Builders & Boom-ers (55+) Day Trip – Amish Village

7Extreme Evangelism BeginsTeam Kids Begins

8Health & Wellness – Blood Drive

12-13Girlfriends & Co. Retreat

19-20“Remembrance” Scrap-booking

21Children’s SS Miniature Golf

26Prayer Vigil for Saeed Abedini

3-4Middle School Guys Re-treat

4Legacy Builders & Boomers Quarterly Dinner

13Girlfriends & Co. Evening Event

17“Remembrance” Scrap-booking

24-25Couples Connecting with Christ Marriage Retreat

1Legacy Builders & Boomers Luncheon at the Blue Owl

14Girlfriends & Co. Mistletoe Madness

21-22Youth Lock In


Documents

Connections fall 2014 print