“Now when they saw the BOLDNESS of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)
The phrase “boldness” is used to describe how Peter and John spoke to the crowds. It became obvious to the religious leaders that they had been with Jesus. It leads me to ask, Is it obvious that we have been with Jesus? Are we bold in our speech, in our conduct, in our faith, and in our love to the point that people recognize to whom we belong? I guess that’s the million dollar question. Can people recognize Christ in us?
Paul, Luke, and John use the phrase, “in Christ”, over 75 times in the New Testament. Mostly, this phrase is used to describe our relationship to Him. If this is the case, then we should be reflecting Him, should we not? Paul writes, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) There it is. We, his followers, were created-His Handiwork-to do good works for Him. We should be reflecting Him in this lost and dying world.
For this reason, I’ve been led to this theme for our annual meeting, “Dangerously Bold!” As Jesus’ followers, it becomes necessary for us to be bold in every area of our lives in order that the unsaved know that Christ lives in us. Brother Tim Jones of Pickensville FBC will speak on this theme in the afternoon session of the meeting. I look forward to hearing how God will use Brother Tim to share this message.
I invite our pastors, messengers, and church members to attend this year’s annual meeting at Friendship BC outside of Reform on Monday, October 10. The times for the 1st and 2nd sessions are changing, so please make a note of it. The first session begins with registration at 2:45 pm and the meeting at 3:00 pm. The afternoon session will feature our state and associational leadership sharing how God is working in the state of Alabama and in Pickens County. The 1st session will end with a worship service and Brother Tim’s message on our being “Dangerously Bold!”
In the evening session which will begin after supper, our entire focus will be on associational, national, and international missions. At this moment, it seems as though all the missionaries that the Pickens Baptist Association sponsors will be in attendance. That’s incredible! It’ll be the first time this has happened since I’ve been your Associational Missionary. I’m super-excited!
To finish the evening, Brother Mike Owen, Harvest Mission-Brazil missionary, will preach and share what God is doing through his quilombola ministry in Northeastern Brazil. Come, Hear, and Participate in the Joy of how God is using the PBA to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Until Next Month,
Bro. Lyle