30 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2011 - Day 29

Today, please pray for JR Nall and the music ministry at 1st B.  You've probably noticed many new faces along with the people who have been serving for quite a while.    Please pray for each person on the music team and others who will soon be joining.   Also, be in prayer for this Sunday's Independence Day Oikos Party which will feature many people in our music team performing great national hymns and more at the potluck after church.

Please pray also for our Worship Director, J.R. Nall.  Pray he and his wife Eri as parents to their son Corban and teach him to love God passionately as he grows up.  Also, for his parents who are retiring and looking for a condominium in San Diego to live.  Pray that they are blessed with an affordable place.

Psalm 96

 ¹ Sing to the LORD a new song;
   sing to the LORD, all the earth.
² Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
   proclaim his salvation day after day.
³ Declare his glory among the nations,
   his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 ⁴ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
   he is to be feared above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the nations are idols,
   but the LORD made the heavens.
⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him;
   strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

 ⁷ Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
   ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
⁸ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
   bring an offering and come into his courts.
⁹ Worship the LORD in the splendor of his^[a] holiness;
   tremble before him, all the earth.
¹⁰ Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
   The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
   he will judge the peoples with equity.

 ¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
   let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
¹² Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
   let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
¹³ Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
   he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
   and the peoples in his faithfulness. 

FBCSD

30 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2011 - Day 26

As we come to our final week of this period of prayer for our church, please plan to fast on Thursday, June 30.  Many people will abstain from food on that day, however, please do as the Lord leads you and participate in some meaningful way.  As you fast, each time you desire to eat or do whatever you are refraining from today, stop where you are and pray for our church.

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.

30 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2011 - Day 25

As we come to a close of this 30 day period, please spend each of the next few days in prayer for the upcoming year of our church.  We have many exciting things being prepared, changes and new ideas.  But we need prayer for God's blessing and endurance.  Over the next few days, we'll be sharing prayer requests from church staff and ministry areas.  

Did you know you can share prayer requests via email, and that we have an emailed prayer list each week?  Our prayer team includes our staff and other leadership, as well as many others in our congreagation that pray each week for you and our church.  To join the prayer team, or to simply ask for prayer, please email prayer@fbcsd.com.   Unless you mark these as confidential, these prayer requests will be published by email (and in print to some of our shut-ins without Internet). 

For today, read John 17 and note how Jesus prayed for you:

John 17

Jesus Prays for Himself

 ¹ After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

   “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ² For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

    ⁶ “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸ For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. ⁹ I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. ¹¹ I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

   ¹³ “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

    ²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³ I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

   ²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

   ²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

FBCSD

 

30 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2011 - Day 23

 Today, please pray for our Church leadership, specifically, our church board, ministry teams, teachers, small group leaders, and volunteers who serve us so dilligently every week.  When you see someone who you know serves, please thank them next time you see them.  Ask God to let you know who needs encouragement, and let them know.

Colossians 1:15-20

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

 

30 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2011 - Day 5

 
Today is the 142nd birthday of the First Baptist Church of San Diego!  Organized June 5, 1869!

Today is also Day 5 of our 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting.  The emphasis will change this week, but for today, please continue to give thanks to God for His great blessing in our church.  Please keep our church in prayer and give thanks that God has used us for so many years. 

The passage for today is Colossians 3:15-17

Colossians 3:15-17

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The pictures on the left are 4 of the 5 worship centers of the First Baptist Church of San Diego, the first one being the first protestant church building in San Diego. (The missing one is the Fellowship Hall at the current Governor Drive location).


FBCSD

30 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2011 - Day 4

Day 4 our our 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting.  Please read and pray through Psalm 111 below, giving thanks to the Lord our God.

Psalm 111

         1      Praise the LORD.

         I will extol the LORD with all my heart
         in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

         2      Great are the works of the LORD;
         they are pondered by all who delight in them.
         3      Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
         and his righteousness endures forever.
         4      He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
         the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
         5      He provides food for those who fear him;
         he remembers his covenant forever.
         6      He has shown his people the power of his works,
         giving them the lands of other nations.
         7      The works of his hands are faithful and just;
         all his precepts are trustworthy.
         8      They are steadfast for ever and ever,
         done in faithfulness and uprightness.
         9      He provided redemption for his people;
         he ordained his covenant forever—
         holy and awesome is his name.

         10      The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
         all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
         To him belongs eternal praise.



FBCSD

30 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2011 - Day 3

Day 3 - Continue to pray and give God thanks as we are in our first week of 30 Days of Prayer and Fasting.  Today, watch the video below and read Psalm 96.  Give God praise and thanksgiving for all He does!






Psalm 96

         1      Sing to the LORD a new song;
         sing to the LORD, all the earth.
         2      Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
         proclaim his salvation day after day.
         3      Declare his glory among the nations,
         his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

         4      For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
         he is to be feared above all gods.
         5      For all the gods of the nations are idols,
         but the LORD made the heavens.
         6      Splendor and majesty are before him;
         strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

         7      Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
         ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
         8      Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
         bring an offering and come into his courts.
         9      Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
         tremble before him, all the earth.

         10      Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
         The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
         he will judge the peoples with equity.
         11      Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
         let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
         12      let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
         Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
         13      they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,
         he comes to judge the earth.
         He will judge the world in righteousness
         and the peoples in his truth.

FBCSD

Revelation 8 - 30 Mintues of Silence and You

Please comment below...

Are You Lukewarm? Revelation 3 Devotion Follow-UP

Greetings!

I hope you are having a great Christmas season!  

On Sunday, I told you about a devotional I would send you related to our topic on Sunday from Revelation Chapter 3.   Here's the passage we studied:

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:  These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.   Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.  To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.   Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

This devotional (link below) is part of a small group curriculum called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  It contains a list of 18 different descriptions of "Lukewarm People" with a scriptural reference for us on each one.   Since the book of Revelation begins with Jesus' concern for His church, I thought it would be good for us to be challenged to respond during these next few weeks before we continue with the book.

So, for the next 18 days, just take one of these thoughts and scripture references each day and have a devotion and prayer about it.  Ask God to examine your heart and to draw you closer to Him.  No doubt, this will be challenging for us all, but following Jesus is the most serious part of our life, so its worth it.  Keep in mind, we all struggle, but God's grace through Christ not only brings you forgiveness, but also spiritual growth.

As we consider all there is to consider this Christmas, remember our little Advent Conspiracy slogan - Spend Less, Give More, Worship Fully.  More about that on Sunday.  See you then.

Blessings,

Pastor Scott

Click here for the "Lukewarm People" PDF


Want to use Crazy Love in your small group?  Here's a link to the book - we have the DVD at church in the Resource room.

Crazy Love

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Click here to download or stream the sermons online.

San Diego CityFest 40 Days of Prayer Begins Today

TODAY (Monday, Aug 2) begins the 40 days of united prayer leading up San Diego CityFest!  

The link below has the prayer calendar that will be used by thousands of people in congregations all over San Diego and the world.  I encourage you to join with your family each day in praying for this amazing event that will be on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

In addition, please help get the word out by inviting others to join with us in prayer.  Please forward the prayer calendar to others who will pray, wherever they might be.

This is an exciting time in San Diego.  I look forward to sharing more with you about CityFest and ways to be involved in the coming days.  For more information about CityFest and the Season of Service, check out www.SanDiegoCityFest.com

Click here to download the CityFest prayer calendar!

Blessings to you!

Pastor Scott

Sunday Reflection

As usual it is such a joy to sing together about the grace of God and the hope we have through Christ. He really moves when we come together and focus on him.

For me, I really connected with the verse in first Peter about the living hope and assurance we have through Christ (1:3-4). Dorothy loved the lyrics "be glorified in me" and Krista really connected with "Father Let me dedicate all this life to You. In what ever worldly state thou would have me be".

These are great words to live by this week as we ask the question to God "how can I be more holy?".

How about you? How did the messages from this Sunday connect with you and how did you experience God this week?

In Spirit and Truth,

J.R.

30 Day Prayer and Fasting - Day 3

Tuesday, April 20:  1 John 1:5-10

How is your “walk”?  Take time today to confess sin.  God already knows what the sin is in your life, so don't hold back or try to hide or sugar coat it.   Read Hebrews 4:16.  When you approach God, what will you find?  Approach God confidently in your prayers, He loves you as a good Father loves His child.

30 Day Prayer and Fasting - Day 2

Monday, April 19:  Ephesians 4:29-32

What comes to mind when you read this passage?  Are there people you need to forgive?  How do you speak about others?  Ask God to reveal in you anything that grieves Him.   Read Philippians 1:6.    Prepare your mind for action...

Feel free to comment here...

Join us for a 30 Day Fast and Prayer

Today Begins Our 30 Day Fast and Prayer

With many challenges we face as a congregation, we are taking some time to fast and to pray together.  Each day, we'll post something or some things related to that day's fasting.  Please feel free to comment here on this blog (or if you prefer, on our Facebook page if you use Facebook.)

As we begin our time of prayer and fasting, begin this week with the simple question:  What kind of life did Jesus save me from?  Where was I headed?   Then ask, I am still headed there?  What other things do I need to do to follow Jesus?  Use the schedule below as a starting point for your day’s meditation.

This week:  Pick any day that works for you and fast.  On that day, refrain from food during the day, or something else that you would normally do if that is a better choice for you.  Each time you are reminded or tempted to eat or do whatever you are fasting from, take time to pray and acknowledge the presence of God.

We invite you to take a day in each of the next 4 weeks to fast.  However, if possible, we would like everyone to fast on Friday, May 14.  Put it on your calendar before you schedule lunch.

On the back of this sheet is a suggested schedule for some Scripture reading and thoughts to consider.  Please pray and consider these things each day and continue however the Lord leads you.

If you have Internet access, you can post thoughts and comments on our daily blog posting labeled “30 Day Fast” or on our Facebook Fan page if you have a Facebook account.  If you don’t have Internet, please consider sharing your thoughts with a friend or loved one in another manner.

Suggested Schedule for Week 1

Our desire this week is for you to reflect on your own life, your own walk with God.  We are one body of Christ, and each person in the body can grow spiritually and benefits the whole. 

Sunday, April 18:  1 Peter 1:13-16

Pray that God would prepare your mind for action.  What does it mean to “be holy” in all I do?

Monday, April 19:  Ephesians 4:29-32;

What comes to mind when you read this passage?  Are there people you need to forgive?  How do you speak about others?  Ask God to reveal in you anything that grieves Him.   Read Philippians 1:6.    Prepare your mind for action...

Tuesday, April 20:  1 John 1:5-10

How is your “walk”?  Take time today to confess sin.  God already knows what the sin is in your life.  Read Hebrews 4:16.  When you approach God, what will you find?  Approach God confidently in your prayers, He loves you as a good Father loves His child.

Wednesday, April 21: Matthew 6:5-15

What comes to mind when you read this passage about prayer?  Is it complicated?  Pray this way in your own words, in relationship to your own life and situations, as best as you can.  

Thursday, April 22:  Matthew 6:16-18

What should our attitude be when we fast?  Who’s business is this?  What is God showing me today?

Friday, April 23: Romans 11:33 - 12:2

What does worshipping God entail?  Whatever came to mind, where does that teaching come from?  Does it match what God says worship is?  What then is your “spiritual act of worship?”

Saturday, April 24:  Acts 2:42-47

What are you devoted to?  What occupies your time?  Are you in fellowship?  If not, consider joining a church small group.  If one doesn’t fit your schedule, why not start your own and invite others to join you?

Please feel free to comment by clicking the word "comments" below. 

Peace and Joy to you this day!