Family Meeting

Introduction

Well, I’ll be starting things off, and I must say, as the shepherds here of this flock, we are delighted to have this opportunity to speak to you this morning in what we praise a family meeting. Um as we think of this year as it’s coming to a close.

Yes, there have been ups and downs here and there, but when you take the whole year into consideration, we think it’s been a good year. And I want us to start just reflecting on what has been our theme that’s been up there. We are family.

Do you think differently about the family here?

1. We Are Family

And we all do the same hope that it’s not just something of a punchline that okay, this theme, the year, this year’s theme was we’re family, and let’s move on to the next and whatever that may be. But I hope we see ourselves truly as the family of God, and that each day we strive to live in that way, remembering that you know we’re to live like the family that Christ died to make us a part of. I will encourage you to go back and look at some of the lessons as each quarter started as we had the theme subdivided. Ken has introduced these themes. And ironically, the first was the first of this year, the very first day of this year fell on a Sunday, and we talk about our family praises God.

And that the second quarter, and if I’m giving you at the actual dates when these were done, if you if you have to go back and look at them.

Our physical families. I’ve often thought of it, but this year with this year’s theme, the idea that we are family, I realize that our physical families is like a training ground for the spiritual. You know, and as I look at my family, the the branch of this this steel family, if you want to say, it it’s been growing and it’s continuing to grow, as some of you may know. But what have I learned through that? That all these different personalities and different challenges, it has, if you want to say, taught me how I ought to deal with fellow brothers and sisters, and one of the most profound things that have come in my thought process in that, you know what good is it with my physical family if it grows and I love them all and everything, and then I’m a part of the family of God.

In the end, it will be all for naught. So I say that in light of here we are as a family.

Because at the end of the day, nothing else really matters. It’s I I think of the passage where Jesus said, if a man gains the whole world and lose his soul, well, what good is that? So Christ would return one day for this family, his family. Hopefully, we’re all a part of it. So the idea of our theme, as we reflect on it, let’s not just see it as what this year brings to us. But I hope that we would have all given it some thought. And next year, what’s in store for us, we’re gonna still think of ourselves, see ourselves as a family. It means, yeah, there are times we don’t see things eye to eye, but what do we do? You know, I hope that we will, as in in my closing thoughts here, whenever there are clashes, I hope that we will practice the things that we let’s say have covered, putting God first, seeking to praise him and please him as we live our lives.

We will love each other as Jesus has taught us, bearing in mind that we were converted for such a cause, you know, 1 Peter 1 20 and 22. We were converted to to love one another, and we will restore one another, you know. You know, yes, there might be some as a part of this physical body, this local church here, who have fallen away, and it’s upon all of us to try and restore them. But when we think of restoring each other, we think of our souls as most important. It’s more important than anything else. So it doesn’t necessarily have to be, oh, someone has fallen away. But that we restore each other, lifting each other, building up one another each and every day. And we will continue to help one another grow in our relationship with God, being transformed into his image more and more each day.

So as we think of the year that has, well, I’m not saying it has been. Yeah, it still has a few more days to go. But let us think of our theme. It’s been a good year. Wherever we might have fallen short, it’s an opportunity now for us to just keep going. You guys have anything else you want to share on that? No, thanks, Walker. You know, as you uh mentioned, growth and uh us as a family growth. You know, we all have to realize that COVID is a few years behind us now, but we are still suffering the effects, not the effects health wise, although some are, uh, but the effects of being at home alone or with your family and not with your spiritual family.

2. Growth Beyond Our Assembly to Worship God

And that absolutely has an effect on us all. You can look at the news, uh, look at society, you can see the effects that that’s had on society as a whole. It would have an effect on each and every one of us. And that’s why it’s so important that we as a family gather here to worship God in truth and in spirit as we’ve been commanded to. There is a real benefit for us all to be together to worship God, as Walcott had mentioned. I want to talk about growth uh as far as a recap in 2023, uh 2023 here at this congregation. Before I get into that though, I want to acknowledge the deacons uh that we have.

Um Rob, who just recently stepped away from the deaconship. He had been in that capacity for 18 years. And uh be sure to thank him for his service to this congregation. Not to say that he won’t be working any longer. He’s agreed to continue doing some of the work that he was uh doing before, and will do that in an unofficial capacity, but helping the deacons that uh as they strive to do their roles in this congregation. As Walcott was talking about growth, there are things that the elders have in place for this congregation that goes beyond our gathering together, our assembly to worship God. It still has something to do with worship, but it goes beyond that. For example, um the men’s prayer breakfast. You know, there’s a purpose for that.

The men get together, they have a morning meal, and then they discuss the sick, those that might be struggled, struggling in different ways, those that have concerns about their overall well-being. Maybe it’s in their family, their immediate family, it might be friends, it might be co-workers, whoever it is. And then after we discuss these things, uh we pray about these things, and we have full confidence and the power of prayer. And I hope, we hope that all of you do too. Pray.

That doesn’t mean that you’re constantly with bowed heads and our Father in heaven, but have that prayerful attitude. Talk to God, God will hear you. Talk to him every day. Don’t let a day go by without without you thinking about God and talking to him. You know, the ladies also they have their uh prayer breakfast as well, and they also have a monthly Bible study, and they have a day set aside to where they can all get together and uh um talk about spiritual things. Um they um they uh they go through uh praising God and and uh and a service of sorts on their own. There’s the monthly evening uh Sunday evening um study right now. It’s on the 17 periods of the Bible. All of these things that um that are being done are there for all of us to help us to be stronger in the faith, to help us have more knowledge and the things that that we do each Lord’s day.

I really appreciate what Sean said this morning before he led the songs, talking about knowing what you’re saying, because as you sing praises, you’re singing these praises to God. You need to know that you’re speaking to God, and that you’re not just making a pretty melody, but you’re talking to God, and you’re giving him your petitions, you’re thanking him. Think about these things. I really appreciate what he had said. You know, on top of these things, we also have our regular Sunday morning and Wednesday evening Bible studies. There is a real benefit in being a part of uh the Bible studies. For one thing, as a teacher, it takes a lot of time to prepare. The teachers that we have for all the grade levels, all the age groups, they take a lot of time.

They they they are well aware of the impact that they could be having on a child’s life or on a teenager’s life or on an adult’s life, and there is a lot of emotion, a lot of thought that goes in what’s being said, and when you show up to class and there’s one student, maybe none, and how discouraging that can be.

It is our responsibility to be teaching our children about God. And that teaching can come in a variety of ways. When you sit down to eat, do you pray? Your children are watching this at night. If there is something that is bothering you, do you sit down and pray? Do your children say a night prayer before they go to bed? Do you pray to God? All of these things are beneficial because of what you learn in the Bible studies. But there’s also the same thing about being together. When children, especially they’re with their peers learning spiritual things, there is a real benefit to that. No matter, even if they’re in the first and second grade or up through high school, they talk about these things, they discuss these things, things that’s on their minds, maybe that they heard in school, things that are bothering them that pertain to the lesson that the teachers prepared.

These are necessary that they talk with each other in the context of a Bible study. Now, as we talk about Bible studies, we as the eldership are talking about ways to measure are these Bible studies being beneficial to this to the children. In doing that, in the past, it’s always been well, how was your quarter? How did it go? And the response would be, well, I think it went all right. We got through all the material and things such as that. We’re talking about having goals for the class. Maybe a child of this age should know this. Does that child know this by this age? And the same for the teacher. So the teacher would know, am I successful in my teaching? And if not, that that teacher can self-critique and figure out ways to better teach.

And this is this is not for any purpose other than self-critiquing. There will not be us critiquing the teachers, but the teachers critiquing themselves in what they’re doing. Now, also, speaking of 2023 and growth, I’ve taken a look at the numbers in attendance.

And it tells me nothing. It tells me nothing because there are so many visitors coming and going in this congregation.

3. Am I Stronger Spiritually Speaking Today?

From what I can best tell, is there is a little bit of growth going on here in numbers. But when we talk about growth, I want us to be thinking, we want you to be thinking in terms of spiritual growth. Is there spiritual growth going on? Are we stronger going into 2024 than we were in 2023? And that’s something that we need to be setting our minds on. I want we want, and I’m speaking for all four of us, to think about one question as we go as we leave 2023 and go into 2024. And that question is, am I stronger spiritually speaking today than I was in the beginning of the year?

Sometimes you can think, well, I’ve been to all the worship services, I’ve not missed one. But you also think about the passages we’re always studying but never coming to the knowledge. Have you come to the knowledge? Are you are you stronger spiritually speaking today than you were before? You know, in 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 18, it says, talking about grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to him be the glory, both now and forever. That’s the very last verse you’ll read in 1 Peter. Think about that. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That has nothing to do with numbers. It’s talking to individuals. Now, within that growth, we will see growth in numbers.

Because within that growth, ask yourself this. Do I find myself from the first of the year to now? Do I find myself praying more often? Or do I overcome temptations that I’m faced with more readily than I did before? Or am I being a good example or a better example to all around me than I was before? Or am I more apt to talk about God and my faith to others now than I did before? You know, these are tough questions. These are tough questions that you have to ask yourself. They’re tough because you’re giving yourself the answer. Honesty to yourself is paramount.

Answer these questions honestly. Am I stronger than I was the first year? Whatever your answer is, ask yourself why. Why is this? Why am I stronger? Why is my faith or love or spiritual things or strength in God? Why has it not improved? Or why am I perhaps weaker in the faith? So as we uh speak of themes or our focus for the year, let’s be sure to put it in context. 2023 was we are family. How has this helped you to grow? Our hopes are becoming closer one to another, and this allowing us to be encouragers, just like Barnabas. That’s what this theme was all about this year. We are family because we’re going to help each other be children of God and wear the name of Christ rightly, Christian.

You know, in conclusion, on my part, in Romans chapter 12, verse 10 says, and this follows uh verse 9 where it talks about let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Verse 10 says, be kindly, affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor, giving preverance to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. That’s what we all hope that was accomplished this last year. Well, one thing I would just add to what uh David said, he was talking about the different programs and activities, you know, the prayer breakfast and uh the Ladies’ Day and the the Sunday night study, and there’s a long list of things that uh he could have articulated, but uh in addition to spiritual growth and drawing closer together is just the fellowship aspect of that, time together as Christians.

We should treasure that. If we say we are a family, we want to be together as a family. We don’t forsake opportunities to be together if we are truly a family who cares about and loves one another. So, you know, think about those things not only as spiritual growth opportunities, which they are and most importantly they should be, but just that fellowship. And why is it important to fellowship and draw closer together? Because we can help one another and we can encourage one another. And and therefore we grow individual excuse me, individually as well. So think about those relative to these kinds of things and and the growth, the spiritual growth that Dave was just talking about as we head into 2024. I want to take just a couple of minutes and update you on a couple of things that uh with regard to uh our evangelism.

4. Our Evangelism Outreach Through the Preachers We Support

Uh first of all, I know some of you are wondering about the status of Jared Rosado, who we announced a couple of months ago is coming to uh uh work with us as a second evangelist, which is a good growth thing for our congregation. Um Jared is uh working very hard to get his home sold uh up in Arkansas, and uh that’s not going as quickly as he had hoped. Um and so we are in constant communication with Jared. He is as anxious to get here and start working as we are to get him here. Um, but we also started talking in the last couple of weeks, and we’ll be uh talking to Jared this month about um things that we might do to help him go ahead and make the move and start working here in January, even if his home doesn’t get sold.

Um he has a a personal interest in that first and foremost to work, but he also wants to get his family down here with him and get his kids in school for the start of uh the the January semester. So there’s a lot going on, a lot of moving parts there. Uh we are actively talking with Jared, as I said, and uh we are working as quickly as we can to get him here and get him started in that work. We’ll keep everybody posted on how that goes forward. I also want to take a minute and talk about our evangelism outreach through the preachers we support.

This congregation is blessed with financial resources that allow us to do a lot of things. And Saltership has put a high priority on uh supporting uh evangelists in the United States and even in other parts of the world. And the goal again is to what? Evangelize, teach and preach the gospel. And this is an effective way that we can use our resources and that we can all, every member here be a part of doing just that. I want to give you uh a little bit of a summary here of where we are with regard to uh evangelism support beyond this congregation. Beginning of 2023, we were supporting seven men on a uh an ongoing monthly basis. As we close out the year as we sit here today, we are now supporting 21 men.

We have crippled the number of men that we have been able to support. Uh and that’s pretty significant. But not only in addition to the United States, and some of some of these men we have added are uh in we also are supporting men in nine different countries, including the United States, but also six of the seven world continents. So we are we as a congregation are going out into the world. And that’s that’s significant. Now we are uh w earlier this year we had a substantial gift from uh Sister Deborah Koch, uh financial gift, uh, but also the contributions that we uh give collectively here as a body uh allow us to do that work. So we we’re all a a part of that. In addition, um there throughout the year there have been opportunities that we have uh fulfilled for some one-time support here and there for different men.

And we also contributed to uh Brother Ken’s trip to uh Sri Lanka and Walcott accompanied them on that trip as well. So we have good opportunities to do things because of the financial blessings that we have, and again, you all are a part of that. Um we’re gonna continue to look for uh ways to support other men, opportunities, uh find other men who need uh the support, and uh we will respond to those requests as appropriate. And just so you know, too, we do a lot of homework and checking before when we get a request and before we say yes. Uh we check resources and and uh we we uh listen to sermons when we can and and do things online. Uh a lot of most of the time we talk with the men, we ask for different kinds of updates and reports about their work and about their finances and so on.

So there’s a lot that goes into that. It’s not just oh, we got a request and check the box. Yes, we’re gonna send that that person uh excuse me, a hundred dollars a month or or whatever the case might be. The other thing that’s important about this, and I mentioned all of us being a part of this, we are looking for and trying to put in place some ways that we can all grow closer to these men that we are supporting, these these 21 men. Um, and so there are a number of ways that we’re gonna do that. Whenever we have opportunity, we’re going to bring these men here and have them preach for us and give all of us an opportunity to get to know them a little bit, talk and visit with them, have a meal with them, whatever the case might be.

Um earlier this year, Raymond Pringle was here. Uh later this month, Tom Rainwater will be here uh and will be preaching for us, and then in January, Tim Bunting will be here and will be preaching for us and spending some time with us. So these are opportunities and one way that we can get to know them better. In addition, uh one of our deacons, Andrew Fix, is leading an effort to put together a board, and that is started out in the lobby there, uh, where the the men will be listed, the geography will be listed, the you know, the names and contact information. Uh we’re going to try to provide uh more and regular access to the different reports and updates that these men provide. This is for all of us to better get to know and understand these men and their works and we’ve said many times and you all know some of these works are very difficult and you you know when you read these reports you will be encouraged but you also will want to encourage them to keep on keeping on and they need that kind of encouragement by the way another thing we’re going to be doing is working through the groups finding ways for the groups to do their own individual outreach to these men whether it’s just sending cards and notes of encouragement or if there’s a need or request that the or more Bibles or other materials those are opportunities for the groups to respond and be a part of and be in contact with some of these men.

And then most obviously pray pray for these men on a continuing basis. Keep them in your hearts keep them in your minds they need, they solicit they appreciate the prayers that all of us can provide we all have an interest in this work. We all can’t obviously go out into the world and preach. We understand that.

And that does include of course our contributions but includes some of these other things that we’ll be introducing as well. So just encourage everybody think about these men keep them in your hearts in 2024 make an effort to find a way to get to know them a little bit to communicate with them to connect them through whatever means. And if you have any ideas, by the way, about how we can do this better, we are all ears. We would really love to hear from you. So uh you know let’s let’s uh join together in continuing our support of these evangelists around the globe. We recognize the uh hours getting late, and uh if you’re visiting with us and you need to get up and leave to be somewhere, please do so.

Don’t uh don’t feel bad about that if you’re a member. Uh same same goes for you. Um I’ll try to keep my remarks to less than half an hour. But we will also um we’ll also use these closing remarks as our uh uh encouragement or invitation. So at the conclusion of my remarks, if we can uh sing the invitation song. You know, David touched on this already, but we want you, and as we as shepherds have talked about our theme at the close of this year, and as we come to the close of this year and we’re thinking about a theme for next year, uh, I’ll give you a teaser, we’ll be announcing it in the next couple of weeks, but uh not quite ready to do so.

5. Self-Examine Your Spiritual Journey This Year

Um ask yourselves that that question how have I grown spiritually this year? How am I closer to God? How am I closer to my spiritual family here at South Bumby? How have I benefited from the opportunities that have been provided to me? I really appreciated Ken’s sermon last week that where he talked about um the less noble. And we often read about the Bereans who were more noble than those of Thessalonica, and we say, Oh, we want to be more like the Bereans, but we also want to be less like those of Thessalonica, which he pointed out. And and you know, something that he said resonated with me, and that is when there’s an opportunity to do to study God’s Word, and you’ve made a decision not to be there, what does that say about you and your desire to know more about God and to learn more about God?

So we encourage you to avail yourself of all of these opportunities. In Galatians 6, verses 4 through 5, we read, Let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another, for each one shall bear his own load. Paul teaches us that we need to conduct self-examination, and that’s what we’re asking you to do this morning to look back on these lessons, to look back on this theme, to look back on your spiritual journey this year and self-examine. Lamentations 3 40, we read, let us search out and examine our ways and turn back to the Lord. But more importantly, let’s remember that God knows it’s not just how we feel about our growth spiritually, but how does God feel about our spirit our growth spiritually this year?

6. How We Interact With One Another

In Psalm 139, we read, O Lord, you have searched me and known me. God knows what’s inside of us. Verse 2, you know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. We can’t live an ungodly life and think that God does not see, does not know what we’re doing. And then in verse 23, search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. This is something we should be praying about regularly. We should be asking God for His help as He searches out our hearts. How we interact with one another is another reflection of our spiritual growth and our love for God.

In 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous, not returning evil for evil or reveling for reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. And then listen to what Paul quotes from the Psalmist in verse 10. And he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

What is Jesus tell us to do in regards to removing the speck from our brother’s eye? Matthew 7, 5, he says, hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye. Notice he doesn’t tell us, ignore your brother, ignore the speck in his eye. He says, clean up your own life first, fix your own sin, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. We need to help one another in this journey. Lastly, as we continu as we self-examine, consider what Paul says to the Ephesians in chapter 4, verse 21. If indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness.

Look back on your life. Look back on the things that you did before becoming a Christian and stop those things which are corrupt. And look at what where this takes place. Paul says, be renewed in the spirit of your mind. It’s a it’s a battle of the mind. And remember, as Christians, the new man is supposed to be marked by true righteousness and holiness. James tells us bluntly in James chapter 1, be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone’s a hearer of the word and not a doer, he’s like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Conclusion

I went back and looked at some of the sermons that Ken preached for us on We Are Family, and I encourage you to go back and listen to these again. In January, we We Are Family introducing our theme, but he also spoke about written on your heart, a lesson about writing God’s law on our heart. Also, I bow to the Father in February. In April, he introduced the theme with our family loves, a sermon about loving one another and what that means to love one another. In June, he introduced the third part of our series on burden bearers, bearing one another’s burdens. And in July, seeking the lost. In September, unbalanced relationships. And in October, introducing the fourth sub theme, helping grow our family. The last thing that I’ll share with you, something that we’ve been talking about as shepherds is we want to meet with each of the individual couples in our congregation to have an opportunity to talk with you, touch base with you, and talk about your families, your families at home, and how things are going with your marriage, how things are going with your children, and how you’re helping them to grow spiritually.

So when you get that invitation, don’t wonder what are the elders uh wanting to meet with me about. You’ll know we just want to uh share with you and express our love and concern for you. So again, uh if there’s anybody here that has a need of this congregation, has a need for prayers, or wants to put on Jesus and baptism this morning, we invite you to come while we stand and while we sing.