Happy new year! I hope you had a blessed Christmas, and I pray that you have hit the ground running for Jesus Christ in 2024. As I look back at 2023, I want to thank you for your generosity. Year end giving reports have come in, and I am grateful to announce that we have met our budgeted goal for 2023. Thank you to every person who faithfully worshipped through giving. Your partnership means so much to me personally, and I thank you for equipping our church to do the ministry that God has called us to do. I encourage you to press on in your faithful stewardship this month, as we continue to shine our light in Austin and all around the world.
I look forward to returning to the pulpit this coming weekend. Thank you for your prayers and support while I have been gone to Gateway Seminary in California. I will soon wrap up my second year in the doctoral program, and I am thankful for this opportunity to grow as a minister and follower of Jesus Christ. The professors and doctoral candidates have been a great blessing to me, I am excited to press on to my third and final year.
But I am mostly excited to be back home and to kick off our new sermon series on the book of Revelation. I am titling this series, “Our Hope is on the Throne.” Many of us have lots of questions and fears going into this new year. Who will win the 2024 elections? How will the economy perform? What is going to happen in the middle east? Our world is filled with questions, but the good news is our steadfast hope is seated on the throne.
Jesus Christ is our living hope, and the book of Revelation reminds us that our King will soon step off His throne and return to this earth. I believe many wrongly approach this book with a spirit fear, but I encourage every believer to view this book as a source of encouragement. As a follower of Jesus Christ, this book offers you incredible hope. This series will answer some big questions you may have about His return, but most of all, I pray that this series will inspire you to live faithfully for His return.
I encourage you to make your best effort to attend each Sunday. I will unpack the big picture of our text each week, and I am also planning to give extended commentary with Dr. Matt Gillum each week on our podcast channel, “Citizen ATX” (https://citizenatx.buzzsprout.com/). Begin to pray over this series and begin inviting your friends. January is the perfect time to invite people to church, and the book of Revelation will offer an intriguing invitation for many. Send a personal invitation, and I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday at 8:45 or 11:15am. May we all pray together as one this week: “Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
Onward and upward,
Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 