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Guest Writer

Redeemer Bible Church Stafford

Redeemer Bible Church Stafford (Update)

For those who may not be aware, Redeemer Bible Church is planting a church in Stafford.  Praise God!  For all of you who have been walking through this process with us, Pastor Vic asked me to send out a short update to keep you up to speed on our progress. 

Why are we planting a church?

  • The local church is primary in God’s redemptive plan for sharing the gospel and making disciples.  Those involved with this church plant have felt God’s calling and leading to be part of this commission in Stafford.
  • The local church should be local.  For the handful of families that drive from Stafford to Spotsy each Sunday, this church plant represents an opportunity to gather for worship and outreach in our community where we live, work, go to school and do life.  Our aim is to strengthen and compliment, not compete with, the other biblically faithful Christian churches already established in Stafford.       
  • From the beginning, Redeemer Spotsy set out to be a church that plants churches.  Sending out Redeemer Stafford is the first step towards this goal.

How will the church be organized?

  • Unlike other church models, Redeemer Stafford will not be a satellite campus of Redeemer Spotsy but an autonomous cooperating church.  This means that both churches will hold to the same core beliefs with regard to the Bible, theology and church governance/essentials (link to RBC cooperating agreement).  We will also share the same name, Redeemer Bible Church, and continue to seek ministry partnerships together (i.e. orphan care, short term missions).  However, Redeemer Stafford will be led by its own team of elders and ruled by the church members in Stafford. 

Where will the church meet?

  • Since Aug of ’21, North Stafford Baptist Church has expressed a desire to potentially join with Redeemer Stafford.  We have held two combined church services with North Stafford Baptist and are in ongoing conversations with their elders about becoming one church.  Should this happen, we will come together as Redeemer Bible Church of Stafford at their current location (11 Meadowood Drive, Stafford). 

When will weekly Sunday church services begin?

  • Since last October, we have been meeting weekly on Sunday evenings for small-group home Bible studies and once a month for church services at North Stafford Baptist.  
  • Our goal is to begin meeting for weekly Sunday services on August 21st. 

How can you pray for us?

  • Pray for unity between North Stafford Baptist and Redeemer Stafford.
  • Pray that more people would be called and equipped to fill key leadership roles within the church (elders, deacons, ministry leaders).
  • Pray that in all of this, the families of Redeemer Stafford would be filled with joy and stay focused on our primary mission of exalting God, growing disciples of Christ and making the gospel known through our words and deeds!

You can find more information on our website (redeemerstafford.org) and you are welcome to join us this Sunday from 5:30-7:00pm at 11 Meadowood drive for our monthly worship service and see for yourself what God is doing through Redeemer in Stafford.

On behalf of the elders and families that currently represent Redeemer Bible Church of Stafford, we genuinely want to thank each of you for your steadfast encouragement and prayers on our behalf.  I can say without hesitation that Molly and I have never been a part of a church family that has supported and loved us like you have over the last three years.  Your example has transformed our lives. 

We love you, church.

In Christ,

Pastor Justin

Missions & Men’s Ministry

Mission Ministry

Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In Acts 1:8, He told us where we need to go to fulfill His commission: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem (local and surrounding area) and all Judea (the Commonwealth of Virginia) and Samaria (United States) and to the end of the earth (the world).”

This year we are planning several mission trips to Rwanda, Guatemala, and possibly in the US. A young adult trip is being planned for Rwanda, evangelizing and disciplining students in Kigali. Josiah (IMB Missionary) is asking for a married couple to commit to a two-year, temporary assignment, to support the discipleship and evangelism efforts working with local church plants. This is a salaried, fully funded assignment. If you are interested, please contact me.

In May we will conduct a missions information meeting for those who are interested in leading or participating in a mission trip.
 
Pray: For wisdom and insight as we discern God’s will and that the laborers will heed God’s call to go out into the harvest.

 

Men’s Ministry

The purpose of the men’s ministry is to help men be the men God has called them to be. 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
 

  • March 18-20: Redeemer Men will be attending the Be Strong Men’s Conference at SWO (Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters).
  • We are planning two Legacy (Dying to self and living for Christ) events this year. The first will be April 9th

Pray: God will grow our fellowship of brothers together so that we can be the iron that sharpens each other by calling one another into accountability based on the principles of God’s word. 

Rodney Swann

Parenting

Parenting

Children, obey your parent in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor you father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4 
(Sermon follow-up)

For many of us, it is easy to honor our father and mother. For those of us who were blessed with godly or moral parents, they are worthy of honor because their actions are honorable. But some of us are not in this category; unfortunately, some of us were abandoned by our parents or suffered physical or emotional abuse growing up. How do we honor such parents? Should we honor them?
 
With the help of the Holy Spirit, the first way to honor an abusive parent is to come to a place of forgiveness. We all must forgive those who have wronged us, no matter how grievous the wound. This will honor your parent and bring a measure of healing to your own heart. This does not mean that you should allow the abuse to continue. It is important to set up appropriate boundaries. If conditions allow, you can discuss those boundaries with them and explain why they are needed. In many cases though, this may not be fruitful or wise. It is not possible to provide good counsel for each individual circumstance in a general sermon or newsletter. If you have suffered abuse from a parent (biological parents or other caregivers), I would encourage you to seek a mentor or Christian counselor if you need help establishing proper boundaries and working through forgiveness.

Honoring our parents means that we work to ensure that they are cared for, especially as they age. It does not mean that we meet their every expectation or desire. But we should maintain involvement and connection with them (again, assuming abuse or neglect is not an issue). Few people have ever expressed regret over giving their parents too much of their time, but many have regretted losing connection with their parents. I know how easy it is for the weeks to slip by, but I am reminded of how important it is to stay in touch.   In closing, I want to address the discipline of young children.

As I detailed Sunday, the Bible uses the word “rod” in describing how to discipline a child, but the “rod” itself is not described. It is important to never wound your child, so the use of a proper “rod” will ensure that you get their attention and correct their heart attitude without abuse. A good “rod” for young children is a simple one-gallon paint stirrer. Again, if you have questions, please reach out to older parents who have successfully raised their children.  

God bless,
Bob Sawyer
Elder

Men’s Ministry

Men’s Ministry

Exciting things are happening at Redeemer! God has led Redeemer to launch two new ministries—a men’s mentoring ministry and a missions ministry.  

Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another (Pro 27:17)

The purpose of the men’s ministry is to come along side men and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. God has placed men in a leadership role within their families and the Church. Our hope is to counter the current cultural philosophies of secular humanism through biblical teaching, fellowship and leadership in the home, church, and community. We need to reach out to unsaved men, as well, and build relationships with the intention of sharing the Gospel. To accomplish this goal, we are planning the first annual men’s event, Legacy, Sunday July 18, at 6:30pm.  We will gather men for a time of worship and teaching.  Paul Sok will be our speaker and Coleson Herron will be our worship leader. We are going to provide an opportunity for men to register for the event to get a good head count. This will be a great time of fellowship.

In addition, we are currently working to establish a men’s mentoring ministry to encourage Christian men who desire to have a deeper walk with Christ through the mentoring of other spiritually mature men. More information to come on this aspect of the ministry.

Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Our mission’s ministry has several opportunities coming up to fulfill the Great Commission.

Hope of Appalachia Virginia, led by Mike and Lisa Dodson, is a ministry to the rural areas of southeastern Kentucky.  They work with local schools in poor areas to perform evangelism and discipleship activities.  We are working to partner with Mike and Lisa to conduct a trip this fall or in the spring of 2022.

Josiah Luttrull, IMB Missionary to Rwanda, and his family are stationed in Kigali, Rwanda, Africa and minister to the student community and rural areas outside Kigali.  Their primary mission is to preach the Gospel, teach, and disciple the people of Kigali.  We are planning a trip in September to work alongside Josiah to evangelize, teach, and build relationships. Pray that God will open the hearts and minds of those we will be teaching.

IMB missionaries, Nathan and Tessa Baker, are located in Madagascar.  We are hoping to partner with them in the future to reach an engaged, but unreached people group in the region of Sihanaka. Missionaries in that region, Olivia and Narindra, are working with the Malagasy Biblical Baptist Church.  Unfortunately, we currently are not able to travel to Madagascar due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Please pray for God’s direction as we move forward with the ministries.   

 In His Service,

Rodney Swann

Authentic Christian Love

Authentic Christian Love

“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
 

Authentic Christian love is unique.  It exists in a heart that celebrates the new life found only through faith in Jesus Christ.  Authentic Christian love is supernatural.  It is completely the work of God’s grace and is fueled by the Holy Spirit living inside of us.  This love does not seek to earn God’s favor by what we do, but instead longs to magnify God’s goodness in all that he has made us to be.  God’s love for us is beyond compare and is the catalyst for everything good in our lives.  Authentic Christian love is radical.  
 

As I am typing this message, I cannot help but think of specific families in our church who are modeling this type of authentic Christian love in their care for orphaned children.  I am so thankful for God’s grace in their lives.  Here are just a few (of many!) examples: 
 
One couple, despite a crazy season of life with busy jobs, graduate school and two small kids, became certified last year as foster parents.  Not because they needed more to do, but because they love Christ and long to serve him by loving those in need.  I found out today (3/9) that Social Services placed them with a two-week old infant this afternoon.  They didn’t know the call would come.  They don’t know what will happen with this child tomorrow or next week.  They probably will not sleep much tonight.  Yet, God’s love compels them to act.  Christian love is unique. 

Another couple in our church, with little information and on short notice, recently adopted a Liberian boy who was facing dire circumstances.  They had no idea how he would adjust to their family or receive them as parents.  Yet, because of their love for Christ, they willingly opened their hearts and lives to him no matter what the outcome.  In the months since arriving in their home, God’s grace in this situation has been profound.  This young boy recently placed his faith in Christ and was baptized last week! Christian love is supernatural. 

Lastly, another couple from our church was required to move out of state last year for work.  However, with their move came an unexpected work bonus.  Rather than spend the money on themselves, they gave over $15,000 to pay for the adoption I mentioned above.  Not for lack of their own financial needs or for personal recognition.  Instead, they gave out of an overflow of love for Jesus Christ and a desire to exalt his name through adoption.  Christian love is radical. 
 
At Redeemer Bible Church we long to model the sacrificial love of Christ in everything we do.  While caring for orphans is just one of many biblical ways to express this love, I would urge you to consider how you might become involved.  This Sunday after the 11:00 service, we will have a meeting to talk about our church’s Orphan Care Ministry.  Whether you are new to this ministry or are already plugged in, we invite you to come and hear from others, share your own story, and deepen our fellowship in the fulfillment of this biblical mandate.
 
We love because He first loved us.
 
In Christ,
 
Justin Woodruff

Book Review: Praying The Bible

By Mike Patterson
Spotswood West Elder (Prayer)

Admittedly, one of the areas of my Christian faith where I’ve struggled the most has been with prayer. It’s hard to get into a good rhythm. It’s easy to get distracted. My mind wanders all over the place. It’s even easy to fall asleep. I’ve tried several different methods to help with developing a good habit of prayer. But one of the best ways is one I was introduced to while reading the book, Praying the Bible. 

Author, Don Whitney, maintains that the reason so many Christians get bored or discouraged when they pray is not because there is something wrong with them, but because there is something wrong with their method. We tend to pray the most about the important things in our lives, such as our family, future, finances, work, our church or ministry involvement, and current crises in our lives. That is normal and good; we are called to pray about our lives, and our lives are made up of those things. The problem is not that we pray for the same things, but that we pray for the same things in the same old way. We pray the same things over and over, leaving us bored, frustrated, and feeling like there is something wrong. 

The solution to praying the same prayers over and over is to instead pray through the Bible. You choose a passage of Scripture and simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. If you don’t understand a particular verse, or nothing comes to mind when you read it, you simply move on to the next one. As you read the Word, you talk to God about everything and anything that comes to mind. This works particularly well with the Psalms, which were designed to be prayed, but it can work with any passage of Scripture.

The author describes this method and then teaches it with very practical instructions. The book’s tone is that of a wise, older Christian coming alongside a young one and saying, “Let me teach you what I have learned. Let me teach you how to pray.” If you read the book, you will walk away knowing and being able to practice his method. I also think you will walk away excited to try it out and confident that it will bring new life to your prayers.

After reading the book, I tried a 5-7 minute time of prayer using Psalm 23. I went through this passage, bringing before God so many things I had never seen, never thought about and never prayed about before. And once my time was up, I found I had more prayer than time! More and more, things to pray about came to mind as I went through each verse of the psalm. And my mind didn’t wander nearly as much. Most importantly, I found that, as I prayed, my prayers were more naturally conformed to Scripture—they were more biblical than those I pray when I’m just making things up. This is perhaps the greatest benefit of the method.

One of the other benefits of this approach is that it fosters meditation on Scripture and guides our thinking. For example, if we are praying Psalm 34:19 (“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”) we may think of those we know who are in the midst of affliction as well as praising God for the reality that he delivers from our afflictions. Anything to get us to slow down and think about Scripture is a good thing!

Praying the Bible is a small, 106-page book easily digested over a short read. It’s very specific focus means the reader can put it into practice right away. If you have never read this book, I urge you to do so. Make the Lord make us a people of constant and scriptural prayer!

May our hearts be turned toward heaven,

Mike Patterson