Psalm 122:1 says, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’!”  I’ve always loved those words from David.  David did not dread going to the temple, but rather he longed to be there (cf. Psalm 84).  He did not see his travel to the temple as a begrudging obligation.  He recognized that it was a blessing from God.  He was excited to participate in the gathering of God’s people and was looking forward to being near God’s presence.

We should not view church as something we have to do, we should view it as something we get to do.  Every Sunday is another divine opportunity from God.  Through the gathering of the saints, God gives His people the opportunity to worship and experience Him in a unique way.  We are also given the opportunity to encourage each other, to build community, and to serve one another with our spiritual gifts.  If you are married, Sundays provide an opportunity for you to grow spiritually with your spouse.  If you have kids, Sundays provide an opportunity for you to help them grow in their faith in their most formative years.

Because Sunday morning gatherings are indeed a blessing from God, I encourage you to do two things this Summer.  First, commit to be here when you are in town.  I understand Summer brings lots of travel and activities.  But if you are in town, make plans to go to the house of the Lord.  I’ll be starting a new summer sermon series titled “Summer on the Mount.”  We’ll be examining the greatest sermon ever delivered by the greatest preacher, Jesus Christ, all summer long (Matthew 5-7). 

Second, I encourage you to share your gladness with others around you.  Paul tells us, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).  We are blessed every week to have new visitors attend each of our worship services.  I realize we all have friends, but we cannot become so insular in our thinking that we miss the opportunity to live on mission right there in the worship center.  Look for someone you do not know and make the intentional effort to introduce yourself. The truth is church can be intimidating for new people.  Many new visitors don’t feel glad, they feel fearful.  You can alleviate those fears and discomforts by simply welcoming them and getting acquainted.

Our time change goes into effect this Sunday (8:45am choir-led service, 10am BFGs, 11:15am band-led service).  Remember that one of the primary reasons we are making this change is to create more time to welcome each other.  I already know we are the friendliest church in Austin, but let’s prove that this Sunday.  Parents, remember that this weekend is also Promotion Sunday.  Our kiddos will be “moving up” to their new classes, so make sure they are here to enjoy that special day.

Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you Sunday at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, which means Summer has officially arrived!  Our ABC Kids will hit the road for our Pre-teen Camp on Memorial Day, and the summer calendar will only pick up from there.  We are looking forward to the student ministry’s Beach Camp, the worship ministry’s Creative Arts Camp, ABC Kids’ Vacation Bible School, and of course our church-wide patriotic outreach, Freedom Over Austin.  Summer will be jam packed with wonderful outreaches and opportunities for our church to connect with each other and our community.

Memorial Day always brings a spirit of excitement and anticipation for the summer, but the holiday should also bring a spirit of humble reflection.  We can enjoy this coming summer because countless men and women have paid the highest sacrifice to preserve and protect our freedom.  This Sunday, we will take time to remember those heroes and pray for their families who have been left behind.  But we will also take time to remember the greatest sacrifice that was ever made by the greatest man, Jesus Christ.  We will observe the Lord’s Supper together and remember that our freedom came through the death of the Son of God.

Jesus told us, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  Through the blood of Jesus, we are now adopted sons and daughters of God and friends of Jesus.  Because of His sacrifice, we are now called to live sacrificial lives for His glory.  We will unpack this idea of being a “living sacrifice” this Sunday on our special Memorial Day weekend.  If you are staying in town, I hope you plan to join us at 9am or 11:11am.  Invite a friend to join you, and I’ll see you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Be sure to join us this Sunday for ABC Student Weekend.  Our student ministry will be activated this Sunday to lead our church across all areas.  They will be greeting, ushering, leading in music and prayers, and three of our students will be sharing their testimonies in our worship services.  I’m so proud of these students and cannot wait to see God shine through them .  Additionally, we’ll be honoring our graduating seniors in both of our worship services and praying for them as they press on to God’s next steps for their lives.

The Apostle Paul told young Pastor Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).  I believe you will be encouraged by these teenagers as they set the example for our church this weekend.   Make sure you come to church hungry and stick around for lunch.  Our students will be serving spaghetti after the BFG hour (for those who attend the 9am service), and they will serve again at 12:15pm (for those who attend the 11:11am service).  This lunch is a fundraiser to help our students get to camp.  Make plans to enjoy the sweet time of fellowship with our church, but I also encourage you to bless these students with a generous contribution to help them get to camp.

Last Sunday was a milestone moment in the life of our church.  We experienced our largest Sunday morning attendance ever, outside of our Grand Opening and Easter Sundays.  We welcomed 1,060 people to our two worship services.  God is moving in our church, and I’m grateful for it.  I hope you were encouraged by Lori DeVillez as she reported all that God is doing through our partnership with the Trotter House.  I was also encouraged to see our Spanish translation ministry launch for the first time at the 11:11am service.  Pray for this new ministry to reach more Spanish speakers and pray for God to bring us additional bilingual members to help lead in this area.

Pray for our student ministry this week.  Come early to church and encourage these students as they set the pace for our church this weekend.  I believe God is going to do a powerful work through them and we’ll all be blessed because of it.  I’ll see you at 9am or 11:11am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you are gearing up for a special Mother’s Day weekend!  We are looking forward to honoring all mothers in our worship services.  We will also be celebrating some of our young moms and dads through our Parent Child Dedication.  These sweet families will stand on stage and publicly commit to raise their children in Christ-centered homes.  We as the church will also have the opportunity to commit to pray for them, encourage them, and equip them to shine their light in their homes. 

This Mother’s Day will also have a special mission’s component.  We are proud supporters of the Pro-Life ministry of The Trotter House, and we will hear from their Executive Director, Lori DeVillez.  She will share a few words about the mission of Trotter House, and we will have an opportunity to bless moms in crisis through our “baby bottle campaign.”  I will also present a special stand-alone sermon that will offer words of encouragement for moms in attendance.  Plan to join us and invite other moms to be a part of this special day.

Last Sunday, we wrapped up our vision and values series, “Let There Be Light,” by looking to our 4^th core value, impact.  I am thrilled to report that 121 people signed up to make an impact in our church as new volunteers.  Our staff and ministry team leaders are currently following up with these individuals to equip them to shine their light at ABC.  This series may now be over, but I must remind you that the work is just beginning.  May we all do our part to make an impact and fulfill our mission to lead people into a life-changing relationship with the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Have a great rest of the week and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Our vision here at ABC is to see God light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  However, we have been learning through our sermon series that we will only fulfill that shared vision if we first share the same core values.  We have examined three core values thus far: truth, grace, and authenticity.  This Sunday, I will conclude our series by looking to our final core value, impact.

Light is supposed to make an impact.  Darkness cannot move light, but rather light was created to move away darkness.  Sadly, many Christians are failing to live impactful lives in their churches and in the world.  This Sunday, we are going to discover that Jesus has called each of us to do big things for His glory and for the good of others.  Immediately following both worship services, you will have an opportunity to make an impact in our church by finding a place to serve in one of our vibrant ministries.  I hope you come prayed up and prepared to find your place to shine here at ABC.

I will warn you though, it always takes some level of personal sacrifice to make an impact.  With this principle in mind, I’m asking for your assistance in helping our church make a greater impact on our Sunday morning gatherings.  Beginning Sunday June 4^th, we are going to alter our Sunday morning schedule to create more margin for transition time between our worship services and the Bible Fellowship Group hour.  Starting that Sunday, our choir and orchestra led service will begin at 8:45am, BFG’s will begin at 10am, and our band-led service will move to 11:15am.

There are multiple factors leading to this change, but the most pressing problem that needs to be addressed occurs between our BFG hour and 11:11am service.  I love that we give a full hour to BFG’s as I am a proud advocate for on-campus discipleship groups in churches.  However, our current schedule does not provide any transition time for folks to make it to the 11:11am worship service on time.  BFG’s are currently running from 10:10am to 11:10am, and our second hour folks cannot make it across our church in one minute.  Instead, most arrive 10-15 minutes late and they miss out on the opportunity to greet and welcome the dozens of new visitors that show up for that service each week.

If you pop your head into the worship center from around 11:00-11:15am, you will find myself and a small group of people in their chairs.  You will also discover that almost all those people in their chairs are new to the church and stepping into a cold and empty room for their first impression.  We do not have proper greeter teams in place because our second hour members would have to forgo much of their BFG hour in order to serve.  Additionally, we lack a critical mass of worshippers in the room to lovingly welcome all these new people that are coming to our church.  This lack warmth in our first impression is causing us to lose new visitors each week at 11:11am.

This schedule change will create margin for us to build up a proper first impression team that will replicate the excellence that we already offer in our first service.  It will also give us enough time for BFG class members to enjoy a full hour of fellowship and not have to sacrifice missing a large portion of worship because of it.  I understand this change will require many in our church to wake up a little earlier, and it will cause others to stay a little longer.  However, it is worth making this small sacrifice because we must always be a church that exists for those who are not here yet. 

This small change will help our church make a greater impact each weekend.  We will recruit and empower more volunteer leaders in the second service, and by God’s grace, we will welcome more people into the fellowship of our church.  Thank you for helping us through this transition which will become effective on promotion Sunday, June 4^th.  As for this Sunday, I look forward to unpacking this 4^th core value with your further at 9am or 11:11am.  Let your light shine this week, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

ABC’s vision is to see God light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  We are currently examining this vision statement in our sermon series and aligning our hearts to four core values.  Core values are essential for any organization because you cannot carry out a shared vision if you are not first united by the same shared values.

In week one of our series, we saw that the church is called to lift up the lamp for others to see.  The City of Austin needs to see the light, so we must always value truth here at ABC (1 Timothy 3:15).  Then last Sunday we learned that Jesus shined differently because He was uniquely full of grace AND truth (John 1:14).  We can only shine like Jesus if we learn to value grace like Him.  A grace-saturated church offers warmth, love, and hope for all.

This week we will press on to our third core value, authenticity.  Have you ever noticed that light switches cannot lie?  For instance, right now you are either sitting in a room with the lights turned on or off.  Light cannot pretend.  In the same way God’s people should not pretend. 

We all find ourselves in dark places and situations at times, but sadly many Christians pretend to be shining amidst those storms.  God wants His church to be authentic.  It’s ok to not be ok.  God wants to minister to you wherever you are at, and He’s called the church to be His hands and feet.  The Lord will pour out His light and renew us when we learn how to be authentic with Him and His people.

Take the time to invite a friend to join you this Sunday as this series is the perfect time for someone new to learn what we are all about here at ABC.  As a final note, I hope you can join us at 5pm this Sunday for a special ordination service for Nathan Wood.  We will be setting him apart and affirming God’s call on his life for the Gospel ministry.  I know your presence will be a great encouragement to him that day.

Have a great week, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday. 

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Core values are the deeply ingrained principles that guide a church’s actions and serve as its cultural cornerstones.  Last Sunday we looked at our church’s first core value, truth.  While the world argues that there is no truth, the church is in fact called to be a pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).  ABC is committed to lifting up the lamp so that others may see it.  This week, we’ll be shifting our attention to our second core value, grace.

 I encourage you to prioritize being here for this sermon series.  I believe our church will only be able to fulfill our vision if we first commit to some shared core values.  ABC’s vision is to see God light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  However, we cannot light up anything if we do not have the same values that will guide us.  I hope you plan to join us this Sunday and invite a friend.

I also would love for you to save the date for a special worship service on Sunday April 30^th at 5pm.  As you heard last Sunday, we are planning to ordain Nathan Wood into the Gospel ministry that day.  Nathan serves as our student minister, and I’ve watched him lead well in ministry for over 10 years.  He has preached faithfully from our pulpit multiple times, and I believe God has made it clear that He has gifted Nathan and called him into pastoral service.

Our church will have an opportunity to come alongside Nathan to affirm that calling.  Pastoral ordination is a special moment where the local church is given the privilege to set apart a man for kingdom service.  Paul told Timothy “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:1-2).

Part of the church’s job is to call out the called.  We will do this through our ordination service for Nathan.  He will stand in front of the church to communicate his calling in ministry, and we’ll have a special time of prayer as we lay hands on Nathan and commit his life to the Lord’s work.  Just like a deacon’s ordination service, a pastoral ordination service is also a special and sacred moment in the life of any church. 

I encourage you to be a part of this moment in Nathan’s life and encourage him with your presence and your words.  I’m praying that God will continue to work through him to build up our church family, and I’m looking forward to seeing how God will use him for years to come.

I can’t wait to see you this Sunday to unpack value #2.  Lift up the truth through word and deed this week, and I will see you in worship this weekend.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

What an incredible weekend!  Easter 2023 was a record setting day for ABC.  We had our largest Sunday ever, as we welcomed 1,734 people to our Easter services.  Additionally, 576 people joined us for a meaningful Good Friday service, which was about a 20% increase from the previous year’s attendance on that same day. 

I’m so grateful for what the Lord did this past weekend.  Thank you to Dr. Stearns and our worship ministry for leading us well, thank you to all our volunteers who served so faithfully, and thank you to every person who invited someone to church.  It’s amazing what God can do through His people when we start to look outward.  To God be the glory for great things He has done.

This Sunday we will press on to the first week of our “Let There Be Light” sermon series.  For nearly two years now, we have been looking to the idea of shining as that city on a hill that Jesus described in His sermon on the mount.  We’ve studied Matthew 5:14-16 and seen that God wants to use ABC to light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  For the next four weeks, we’re going to introduce four core values that align with that vision.

Core values matter.  Of course, we all value many things, but I believe we must value a few things at our core if we want to see God fulfill the vision that He’s given us.  I encourage you to prioritize being here for these next four weeks of church.  It is important for our church to be united in mission, vision, and values.  I believe God will further bind our hearts together and make us even stronger as a body through this series.

I also believe this series offers a great opportunity for you to invite a friend, neighbor, or colleague.  Visitors will have the opportunity to hear the heart of our church and begin to understand what God is doing here at ABC.  There is no better time to get to know our church than right now.  Take the time to invite someone this week, as Easter reminded us that one simple invitation can make all the difference.  God bless you this week and I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Christ is risen!  Holy Week is upon us, and I’m looking forward to celebrating the greatest day in history alongside you.  The significance of the resurrection cannot be overstated as Paul explained it best: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).  Paul is saying if Jesus did not receive new life, we cannot receive new life either.  But praise be to God that the tomb is empty, our debt has been paid, and together we can boldly proclaim, “He is risen indeed!”

I want to invite you to join us for a meaningful weekend of worship.  Our Good Friday service will start us off right by focusing our attention to the cross.  Dr. Stearns and the worship ministry will do a wonderful job leading us in beautiful music, scripture readings, and I will preach the 7^th and final saying of Jesus from Calvary.  We will conclude our service by observing the Lord’s Supper as a faith family in a unique and impactful way.

Sunday morning will be a great celebration of the empty tomb.  We will offer two identical services at 9am and 10:30am with uplifting songs and a hope-filled message focused on Christ’s resurrection.  Our church will offer some photo spots for you to capture a family picture, and don’t forget to bring your baskets for the egg hunt starting right after our 10:30am service.  There will be no Bible Fellowship Groups meeting this Sunday.

Easter is the perfect opportunity to think outward.  Many in our neighborhoods who do not normally attend church would consider doing so on Easter Sunday.  I hope you do not miss that opportunity.  Prayerfully consider who you can bring with you, and then take some time to personally invite them to church this weekend.  I believe God is going to do some great things this Sunday, so I encourage you to come to worship with great expectancy.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

“And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest’!” (Matthew 21:9).  This weekend is Palm Sunday, and we will remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  A massive crowd had gathered in Jerusalem for Passover week.  Some estimate up to 2 million people could have been in and around the Holy city at that time.  A large crowd saw Jesus approaching the temple on a donkey and began shouting “hosanna,” meaning “save now.”  They waved palm branches as a symbol of victory, and they triumphantly welcomed their promised king.

Sadly, they also misunderstood Jesus’ mission on that first Palm Sunday.  The Jews recognized him as the Davidic Messiah, but they misunderstood how He was going to save.  Jesus did not enter Jerusalem to save the Jews from government oppression.  He entered the Holy city to save the world from their sins.  He was not coming to defeat Rome through a military conquest.  He was coming to defeat sin through His death on the cross.  But make no mistake about it, Jesus was victorious in His mission.  He conquered sin, lifted the curse, and opened a door for us to enter into His kingdom.  This is why Jesus declared the 6^th saying on the cross, “It is finished.”

I invite you to join us this weekend for a special time of celebration and remembrance of the cross.  We will unpack those three simple words and remember our triumphant Savior.  This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy week, and I encourage you to make next week different than this one.  Spend extra time in prayer, read through the passion story in the four Gospels, confess sin, and prepare your heart for Easter.  I also encourage you to pray about baptism.  If you have never entered the waters for believer’s baptism, I hope you will consider doing so this Easter. There is no better day to publicly identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Please let us know if God is leading you to be a part of our special Easter baptism celebration.

Invite a friend to join you this weekend because one simple invitation has the power to change a person’s life forever.  I look forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1).  Last Sunday, we learned that Jesus faced darkness at Golgotha so we could be saved from it.  He was forsaken so we could be brought near.  The cross was intended to be an instrument of death, but Christ redeemed it to become a bridge to life.  Through faith, we now have been crucified with Christ, and Christ lives in us.  The light has come, so we are called to “arise” and begin shining for Him.

The truth is most of us have a hard time getting up.  I know this because I struggled with the snooze button for years.  I would set my alarm clock every night with good intentions of waking up early, but time and time again I would not rise up, I would roll over.  This bad habit was only broken when I finally hit my limit.  I was tired of missing out on the life that I knew I could experience in those early hours.  I understood that rolling over was robbing me of the personal growth that I desired, and rising up would lead me to experience new life.

Many of us want to experience more of God, but we keep rolling over.  The Holy Spirit calls us to rise up each day, but we keep hitting that snooze button.  He calls us to spend one on one time with Him, but we can’t fit it in our schedule. He calls us to experience Him by serving others, but our spiritual gifts are going dormant.  He calls us to grow our faith by giving generously, but our flesh tells us it doesn’t make sense.  He calls us to be vulnerable with others.  He commands us to confess our sin, find community, and seek counsel to help us overcome folly.  But that snooze button is so alluring, and it keeps us from experiencing new life.

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14). I encourage you to stop hitting that snooze button this week.  New life will never be found by rolling over, it is only found by getting up.  Have you hit your own limit?  Are you tired of stagnation in your faith and dullness in your life?  Then take a kingdom step during this Holy season.  Let me know what your step is, so our team can help you take it.  New life will never be found through the snooze button, so I’m praying that you will rise up boldly this Easter season.

Invite a friend to join you this Sunday as we examine saying #5 from Calvary.  I’m praying for you this week, and I look forward to seeing you in worship.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

We have officially returned to Austin after a life-changing week in Egypt.  Thank you for your prayers and please know that God has answered them in so many powerful ways.  I wanted to share some of those victories in this post so you celebrate with us all that God has done, and is still doing, through our new ministry partnership in Egypt.  Last week, I was honored to lead nine men into Egypt to partner with TC Egypt.  The Community at Egypt is a dynamic evangelical association that is focused on impacting the next generation for Jesus Christ. Using the prophetic words of Isaiah chapter 19 as their guide and their passion, they are pursuing the expansion of God’s kingdom across Egypt and the middle east.

TC has established campuses in Cairo and Alexandria, as well as a campus in Jordan that has served thousands of refugees.  But as of this week, they now have added a fourth campus in the city of Fayoum due to the generosity and partnership of our church.  Our team was honored to represent ABC at the grand opening of our new campus facility.  Additionally, we were able to serve on mission all week alongside the TC staff in both Cairo and Fayoum.  TC offers a long list of vibrant ministries that fall under three primary sectors: Work & Faith, Recovery, and Discipleship and Evangelism.  We were able to partner in all three areas these past few days.

We brought a team of gifted professionals from ABC.  These men brought decades of experience in areas such as marketing, real estate, entrepreneurship, technology, physical therapy, finance, and wealth management.  They were able to offer business seminars to the Egyptian community to help them sharpen their skills.  These men presented workshops in the TC facilities, but some also had the opportunity to present a session at Cairo’s most prestigious university.  These men were able to share their wisdom in business, but they were also able to share how God has shaped their lives through business.  The audiences were engaged, had lots of questions, and our men were able to consult with them in business and spiritual life.  The TC staff now has a long list of new guests that they are following up with for further discipleship.

We were also blessed to partner with TC’s amazing recovery ministry.  TC Egypt offers Christ-centered programs to help men and women be freed from all kinds of addictions.  They have in-patient recovery facilities for both men and women, with each facility capable of housing over 20 patients.  We were blessed to bring Dr. Jimmy Myers with us on this trip, and God used him in a powerful way.  Jimmy is an ABC member who is also a PhD, a Licensed counselor, and the founder of Austin’s largest Christian counseling center, The Timothy Center.  Jimmy spent many hours training TC’s counselors and helped them further develop their skills.  Our entire group was also able to join the two recovery houses for a special worship service on Sunday morning.  I had the honor of preaching that day, and we were blessed to see over 20 men and women make decisions for Jesus Christ that day. Our men scattered to pray over these individuals and encourage them in their new decisions.  God moved in a powerful way and we were humbled to witness it.

One of the most special days came at the Grand Opening of our new TC Fayoum campus.  I was so encouraged by TC’s work ethic and the Lord’s faithfulness in this joint venture.  We gave TC a green light in December to begin this expansion plan.  Within these four short months, their leadership team acquired a strategic property surrounded by residences and schools.  They fully renovated that property in 40 days, networked across the community, and hosted a grand opening celebration with over 250 people in attendance.  We had a special outdoor worship service with music, preaching, testimonies, and recognition of various community leaders.  I was blessed to preach at that service, and I challenged TC Fayoum to shine their light in their city.  It was inspiring to see the name of Jesus being lifted publicly, the Gospel being proclaimed boldly, and worship happening in open air of a predominately Muslim community.  We welcomed Christians, seekers, and even some Muslims in attendance at that service.  Many more were listening and watching from the balconies and streets that surrounded us.  Our Fayoum campus is now officially open, and I’m excited to see how God will use those facilities to reach the city in the years to come.

In addition to these incredible spiritual moments, our team also had a blast experiencing the Egyptian culture together.  We had lots of laughs and witnessed some incredible things. We stood in awe at the Great Pyramids of Giza and went on camel rides to see the ancient Sphynx.  We visited a national museum and saw many of the ancient Pharaohs.  We traveled across “Garbage City” and were humble to watch hundreds of Egyptians hauling and sorting through trash for provision.  We walked through the famous Cave Church and marveled at this church that has been built literally into a mountain.  We visited historic churches such as St. George’s Church, the “Hanging Church,” and the church built on the traditional site where Mary and Joseph stayed with baby Jesus.  We walked and shopped Cairo’s famous market and enjoyed Egyptian cuisine.  We got to see the desert oasis in Fayoum.  We saw Egypt’s only waterfalls, Africa’s 2^nd biggest lake, and some of Egypt’s most famed deserts.

So what’s next?  This was not the end of our Egyptian partnership, but really just the beginning.  I encourage you to continue to pray for Fayoum in particular.  Pray that God will bless the TC staff in their leadership and pray for the Lord to use our facilities to disciple and reach more people for Jesus Christ.  Pray for our next trip.  We are looking to send a group this coming October (more details to come).  We especially want to take some women on this trip to work with the ladies in the recovery house and to help lead women’s empowerment seminars. 

Pray for Dr. Jimmy Myers and me.  We are looking to potentially return to Egypt for a few days in November.  I will already be in the Middle East for our church’s Israel tour, so I may add on a few days of ministry in Egypt. The TC staff is asking for me to train Egypt’s Baptist pastors.  I had the privilege of meeting the head of the Egyptian Baptist denomination while I was there.  TC is also inviting me to preach a few outreach events while I’m there.  Jimmy is looking to come back at the same time to continue in his training and mentorship of their counseling staff.  Jimmy introduced his CSAT training to them on our trip (certified sex addiction therapist).  Egypt desperately struggles with so many forms of sexual addiction, and our church may have the unique opportunity to bring this professional training to the nation of Egypt for the first time.  We are working on a strategic plan to get their staff certified and equipped with this accreditation so they can help many Egyptians find freedom from sexual bondage.

Thank you for you continued encouragement, prayers, and a support.  I was so proud to see our church do something bold for the kingdom.  God has blessed our initial steps of faith in Egypt, and I believe it is just the beginning of what is to come.  It felt unreal in many ways to see Austin Baptist Church’s name on signs, screens, and flyers in the nation of Egypt.  It was a great reminder that our big God can use this city on a hill in Austin, Texas to help light up the world.  May we all continue to shine our light so that others may see our good work and give glory to our Father in heaven.  The best is yet to come.

Onward and Upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Greetings from Egypt!  Thank you for your continued prayers for our missions team.  God is doing a great work in the Middle East, and it has been encouraging to see the launch of our new campus in Fayoum. I look forward to sharing pictures and details with you when our team returns to Austin.

This weekend marks the beginning of Spring Break.  We will “spring forward” our clocks this Sunday for daylight savings, and many will also be springing forward to vacations and plans for rest.  I know our students are especially looking forward to this week, but of course not everyone will get a break in the coming days.  Business will carry on and next week will be rather ordinary for most adults.  However, I want to remind you that you could find some rest this week even if you aren’t going on a vacation.

Jesus tells us, ^“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).  True rest doesn’t come from a hotel or a spa, although they certainly can help.  True rest comes from resting in the presence of Jesus Christ.  That rest is available 24/7 and 365 days a year.  It doesn’t require paid time off or early reservations.  It simply requires you to slow down and spend time with Him.

How can you connect with God differently this week?  Maybe you could go on a prayer walk to spend some time talking with just Him.  Maybe you could set some time for intentional Bible study and journaling.  Or perhaps you could turn on some worship music and sing praises with no one else around.  Maybe the best thing you could do is turn everything off for just a few minutes and be silent with Him and away from the noise.  These kinds of disciplines will give you far more rest than any vacation ever could.  Take a spring break even if you don’t have a spring break.  Seek the right kind of rest and see how Jesus begins to reinvigorate your soul.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Thank you for your prayers this week for our Egypt missions team.  As you know, we are sending an outstanding group of men next week to work with our new ministry partner, TC Egypt.  Because of your generosity, our church is building a new ministry campus in the city of Fayoum.  I’m looking forward to seeing the progress firsthand, and I can’t wait to watch God work through these nine men to help expand His kingdom in the Middle East.  We will certainly have plenty to report on when we return.

While I am excited to go, I also humbly realize that not everyone gets to go.  As is the case for any international mission trip, not everyone in a church gets to step foot on to the departing airplane.  We all face various limitations that can keep us from going.  Some of us have work and family obligations, while others may have financial constraints.  Some have physical conditions and ailments that limit their travel.  The reality is we cannot all go on this mission trip, but the Bible says we can all go live our lives on mission this week.

Paul says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).  Every son and daughter of God is called an “ambassador.”  We live our lives every day on a mission for the King of kings.  He speaks through us (John 14:26), He accomplishes His purposes in us (Romans 10:14-15), and He has specific assignments for each of us (Ephesians 2:10).  We are surrounded by people every day in Austin, Texas who need to experience the hope and love of Jesus Christ.  That is why He has commissioned you as His ambassador.

I encourage you to live on mission this week.  Pray for the lost around you.  Pray by name, and pray that God will soften their hearts and draw them to himself (John 6:44).  Connect with the lost around you.  Build relationships with them and look for a moment to share the hope that you have living inside of you (1 Peter 3:15).  Invite them to church.  So many people would consider attending a church if they simply received a personal invitation.  God has given us a huge ministry field right here in our city.  Live your life on mission this week knowing that Jesus has already promised a harvest.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Temperatures are beginning to rise, the grass is turning green again, and Spring is right around the corner.  Of course, this also means Easter is almost here.  I hope you are looking forward to celebrating the resurrection of our Lord on Sunday April 9^th.  We only have six Sundays before that big day, so we are going to be intentional with this remaining time.  I believe it is critical for every Christian to take time to prepare their hearts for Easter.  Before we can celebrate the empty tomb, we must first remember and reflect on the old rugged cross.

This Sunday we will begin a new series titled, “Last Words.”  We are going to examine Jesus’ final words from calvary.  The four Gospels account for seven different sayings that Jesus communicated while He was nailed to the cross.  Any person’s last words matter, but Jesus’ last words matter the most.  His last words communicated truth about His heart, His nature, and His mission.  These are words that He wanted us to hear, and they are words that He wanted us to apply into our lives.

I encourage you to commit yourself to the Lord and to His words in these coming weeks.  Paul exhorts the church to, ^“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).  May the words of Jesus dwell in our hearts as we reflect, repent, and give thanks for our salvation.  Commit to be in God’s house for these six weeks.  I will preach the seventh and final saying at our Good Friday service, and then we will celebrate Easter Sunday with a triumphant resurrection message.

Invite someone to join you this Sunday.  God is moving across our country, and you never know what he might do with a simple invitation.  Most of our city is not planning to be in church this Sunday.  But a personal invitation may change that for some of them.  Pray for those who are around you, invite them to join you in God’s house, and I look forward to worshipping with you on this Lord’s Supper weekend. 

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Here at ABC we desire to see God light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  Jesus Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12), and He has commissioned His church to shine for Him: “Let your light shine before others, so that, they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  God receives glory when His people live on mission and shine their light into dark places.

Two weeks ago, one of our women’s Bible study classes met after the winter storm.  During their discussion, a class member mentioned her entire street still did not have power.  These ladies decided to temporarily pause their study, so they could put the truth they had been learning into practice.  They packed bags full of gift cards, household needs, and filled them with encouraging notes.  They then prayed over those bags and the people who would receive them.  From there, they scattered to drop off the bags and bless those homes with the hope and love of Christ.

Last week, our church was informed of a need by one of our beloved senior adults.  In the wake of the winter storm, a church member had many damaged trees on her property, but she did not have the physical capacity to clean it up herself.  We communicated this need to our deacons, and I’m proud to say many of them gave up their Saturday to bless this woman in need.  They cleaned up her property, then thanked her for the opportunity to serve her, and prayed over her and her home.

Anyone can talk about light, but it takes true commitment to shine.  I’m proud of these individuals for setting the pace for our church, and I encourage you to let your light shine in the same way.  The world is not in short supply of darkness.  However, it does seem to be short on light.  What dark circumstances has God placed around you?  How could you light up someone’s life through a simple call, text, or note?  Who needs encouragement and hope around you?  Austin Baptist Church will grow in its impact collectively, as we grow in our impact individually.  We are the body of Christ.  How can you make a difference this week?

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

This weekend is Super Bowl Sunday, and as always, there is great anticipation leading up to the big game.  As a Cowboys fan, I must admit that my passion for this game already departed three weeks ago when the San Francisco 49ers crushed my hopes and dreams.  Nonetheless, millions of other Americans are intently preparing for this game.  They are buying groceries and building an extensive menu.  Some will even begin cooking many hours before the kickoff.  Many are buying jerseys and decorations for their viewing parties.  Fans are reading stat sheets and ESPN articles to prepare their minds for Sunday’s match up.  And millions of people are inviting their friends to come share in the Super Bowl experience with them this Sunday.

I wonder what would happen if Christians began to view church on Sundays like the world views the Super Bowl?  What would happen if we began to anticipate the gathering of the saints in the same capacity that we anticipate a football game?  I think we would start to orient our entire weekends around that big event in a similar way.  Church would no longer be just an option for the weekend, it would be the central focus.  We would go to bed earlier on Saturdays and clear our calendars on Sunday mornings.  We would prepare our minds by reading Scripture and praying before we leave our homes.  We would get to church long before “kickoff” so we would not miss a minute.  We would invite our friends to join us because we would want to share that experience with others that we love.  We would be dialed in to the worship service like we are to our TVs.  We would sing loudly, listen attentively, and prayerfully process the things we are hearing from God.

David says, “I was glad when they said to me, ’Let us go to the house of the Lord’!” (Psalm 122:1).  I love the Super Bowl and there is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying a big football game with friends.  But I pray that our church will begin viewing every Sunday like a Super Bowl Sunday because it is.  Every Sunday, we are proclaiming and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.  For nearly 2,000 years, the church has purposefully gathered on Sundays to remember that it is “the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10).  Jesus overcame the grave on this day, so we gather to celebrate His victory for us.  Jesus blesses the gathering of His people in a unique way (Matthew 18:20).  This is why we should anticipate it, and we certainly should not neglect it (Hebrews 10:25).  I encourage you to enter the Lord’s house this Sunday with a new sense of anticipation.  Come expectant to hear from the Lord, and watch how God begins to bless your soul in a fresh way.

As a closing reminder, I did want to give an update on our upcoming Israel Tour.  I know many of you saw my note go out early this week.  We only have about 10 spots remaining.  If you plan to join us in the Holy Land, I encourage you to register ASAP and put down your deposit this week.  The registration will remain open until we are full.  You can register here: https://signature.rezdy.com/514939/pastor-jonathan-spencer-10-day-journey-to-the-holy-land-november-5-14-2023.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you are staying warm and safe this week.  It’s amazing how unpredictable the weather can be in central Texas.  Sunday afternoon felt like a warm spring day.  My kids were in shorts and riding on their bikes with friends in the neighborhood.  Then Tuesday came and the schools were shut down, and now we find ourselves bundled up in our home.  I think my yard is getting equally confused as well.  I could see green grass starting to pop up last week, and plants in my flower beds were beginning to show signs of new life.  However, this recent freeze reminds me that winter usually lasts longer than we desire.

Have you ever seen those green blades of grass start to spring up in your own life?  When we submit our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, God is faithful to grow those seeds of faith into new life.  We begin to see God soften our hearts and change the way we think, change the way we speak, and change the way we act.  If you’re like me, you’ve been encouraged to see those visible changes which are evidence of God’s grace.  But if you’re also like me, you’ve longed to see more change in your own life, and in the lives of those around you.  It’s important in those seasons that we do not lose hope, but instead we remain faithful even in those winter storms.

The apostle Paul tells us, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).  As we enter the month of February, I encourage you to not grow weary of doing the good things that you began doing in January.  For some of you, you began new disciplines of prayer and scripture reading.  Don’t give up on those critical things.  For some, you began prioritizing the church and gathered with us more faithfully.  Don’t grow weary of entering the Lord’s house.  Some of you began seeking community and serving in our church.  Keep investing into relationships with others in our church family.  For some, you began casting aside that sin that has so easily entangled you.  Keep fighting that good fight.

As we learned last Sunday, sanctification can be a grueling thing.  Don’t forget that life change is a lifelong process (Phil 1:6).  Remain faithful even in the seasons that feel like winter for your soul.  If you do, you will reap the harvest you are looking for in due season.  I look forward to continuing our “More Than Conquerors” series with you this Sunday as we learn how we can live victorious lives even amidst our suffering.  Don’t come alone this weekend.  Pray for a friend, and then invite them to join you in worship at 9am or 11:11am.  Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you in worship.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

The church is more than just a building.  Church is more than an hour of worship or a class that you attend.  The church is more than a ministry or program that you serve in.  All of those things are wonderful functions and byproducts of the church, but they are not the church itself.  The church is the people.  The Greek word is ekklesia, which literally means “the called-out ones.”  That word was previously used to describe the assembly of people for various civic purposes, but in Matthew 16:18, Jesus took that word and applied it in a new context for his own people. 

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rockI will build my church, and the gates of hellshall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).  The church is the called-out people of Jesus Christ who share that same confession of Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).  The church is a great blessing to God’s people because it serves as a family of faith for those who call upon the name of Jesus.  In fact, because it is such a blessing, the author of Hebrews exhorts the church to “not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25).

We need each other.  The Bible is clear that the Christian life is not meant to be done alone.  It is difficult to shine your light for Jesus when you are constantly surrounded by darkness every day.  This is why Jesus created his church to function as a “city on a hill.”  The church offers hope for the lost, but it also offers refuge for the believer.  My question for you to consider today is: what is the church to you?  Is the church a family that you belong to, or have you perhaps relegated it to a much smaller function?  If you are not actively engaged in the community of faith, I would encourage you to take your next step today.

Our church is not a building, it is a family.  We come together each week in a building to worship and lift up the name of Jesus together, but we also break out into smaller groups to begin to do life together.  We offer Bible Fellowship Groups for all ages because we prioritize both of those things: the bible and fellowship.  We want every Christian to grow in their understanding of God’s Word, but we also want every Christian to grow in their relationships with each other. 

We have people in our church who have done life together for over 50 years!  What a legacy and incredible honor for them to experience that much life together.  My prayer is that God will grant each of you with such a blessing.  The reality is believers are not meant to do life alone.  We need each other for encouragement.  We need each other for correction and accountability. We need each other to walk through career transitions, new additions in our home, and tragic losses.  We need each other when we are sick and hurting, and we need each other when we are full of good health and life.  We are the sons and daughters of God, and he has called his children to walk through life as a family.

If you haven’t found community yet, we would love to help you do so.  Simply reach out to our staff or fill out a get connected form at church or online, and we’ll be ready to come alongside you in this season.  Don’t neglect the gathering this weekend and take the opportunity to lift up the name of Jesus and be sharpened by your brothers and sisters in the faith.  I look forward to worshipping and connecting with you this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

It was great to kick off our “More Than Conquerors” series with you last Sunday.  I hope you have spent the week walking in the new freedom that Jesus Christ has purchased for you.  As we learned last weekend, we have been freed from our condemnation, but we were also freed for a specific purpose.  God wants you to experience new life.  The Spirit of God now lives in you, and this week we will see that the Spirit of God has given us new power.  I hope and pray that we will begin to walk in that power, because the church always comes alive when the people of God begin to walk according to the Spirit of God.

What is your ministry right now?  I would encourage you to pause and reflect on that question.  How is the Spirit of God using you to help build up the people of God in this season?  1 Peter 4:10 reminds us, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”  The church has been given a mission to lead people into a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ.  However, that mission will never be fulfilled through us until we first yield to the Spirit’s calling in us.  The Spirit of God equips and empowers the people of God to do the work of God.  So I ask you to consider once again, what ministry has the Spirit given you in this season? 

Our church has growing needs inside our church walls.  I could go down the list of opportunities to serve in the ABC Kids and Student ministries, the music ministry, our BFG’s, the media ministry, our greeters and ushers, and even our social media and communications ministries.  We need more people to help with inreach and outreach.  We need more prayer warriors, more encouragers, and more mentors.  We need more who will step up to care for those who are sick and hurting.  The needs are innumerable, and the same could be said outside our church walls.

God has strategically placed each of us into a community to shine our light.  The reality is the vast majority of our neighbors and colleagues are not in church regularly on Sunday mornings.  Who could you begin ministering to on your own block?  Who is in your own sphere of influence that needs to experience a life changing relationship with Jesus?  One small invitation into your home and into your church home could change everything.  As we look forward to this weekend, I encourage you to consider how you can allow God to work through you this year.  If you have breath in your lungs, God has purpose for your life.  He has given each of us the Spirit to equip us with the power we need to accomplish His purposes in our lives.   

Lastly, I want to remind you that I’m offering two informational meetings for ABC’s Israel trip in November.  I hope you plan to join me in person on Wednesday night or online on Thursday evening.  Additionally, we have a Discover ABC Dinner coming up on January 29^th.  This will be a great opportunity for us to get to know those who are new to our church, both recent new members and recent visitors.  Registration is open and childcare is available (click HERE).  Thank you for all you do and may we all shine our light this week as we walk in freedom.  I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I missed seeing you last Sunday, but I want to thank you for helping me welcome Dr. Alex Himaya to Austin, Texas.  I hope you are as excited as I am about our new partnership with TC Egypt.  I encourage you to specifically begin praying for the people of Fayoum as our church is in the process of establishing a new TC campus in that city right now.  In fact, I’ll be heading to Egypt in March with a group of men from our church to minister to the Egyptian people and to check-in on the progress of our new campus.  I cannot wait to see how God is going to change the lives of many in the Middle East through our church’s efforts in the coming days.

Thank you for being a generous church.  Like Pastor Alex said last Sunday, ministry like this is only possible because of your faithful tithes and offerings.  I hope you realize that your financial partnership is a partnership in the mission of God.  My prayer will always be for God to use every dollar in our church to help lead people into a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Life change is our mission here in Austin, and it is our mission all around the world.  And that mission can only be accomplished through the continued generosity of God’s people.

I also want to thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement in my doctoral studies.  I humbly realize that I cannot be doing this without a supportive church.  This program will indeed continue to demand a lot of my time and energy over the next 2 and half years, but I do believe this journey is worth the investment.  I’ve heard Pastor Craig Groeschel say many times, “When the leader gets better, everyone wins.”  My prayer is for God to use Gateway Seminary to make me better.  Join me in praying that God will use it to refine me, grow me, and make me better so I can serve you better as your shepherd and leader.

This Sunday I will be returning to the pulpit to kick off our new series titled, “More Than Conquerors.”  We will be focusing on perhaps the greatest chapter in the entire Bible: Romans chapter 8.  The Apostle Paul is going to remind us that we are indeed more than conquerors through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus defeated sin and death, and so can we.  Jesus accomplished God’s purposes through his suffering, and so can we.  Jesus experienced an intimate relationship with his Father here on this earth, and so can we.  And Jesus received new life, and so can we.

A new year brings new things.  I’m praying that God will bring a new work in your heart this year.  There are things in my life that I know need to change, and there are things in your life that you know need to change as well.  The good news is change is possible through walking with Jesus.  Over the next several weeks, Paul will help you understand the new life that God has designed for you to walk in through his Spirit.  As we study together, I encourage you to do two things.  First, invest into our church in these coming weeks.  Be here faithfully each Sunday.  Come prayed up and expectant to hear from the Lord.  Get connected into a BFG and find a place to serve.  Introduce yourself to people you do not know and make them feel welcomed. Consider plugging into midweek as it returns on Wednesday nights.  As you invest into the life of the church, I believe you will see God invest into your life through the church.

Secondly, invite others to join you.  Invite friends and family.  Invite neighbors and colleagues.  But do not only invite Christians.  Of course, Christians are always welcomed into our church.  But we must be careful to not be a church that only collects Christians.  Jesus calls his church a city on a hill, so we must always make room for those who are searching for light.  Who has God placed in your life that does not go to church regularly?  Take the time to personally invite that person this week.  A new year brings new opportunities.  You never know how God may already be preparing that individual’s heart.  The only thing keeping them from coming to church may in fact be their lack of an invitation.  Prayerfully invite someone to join you each week, and let’s see how God uses this season to shine light into our community in a fresh way.

I can’t wait to see you this Sunday.  Keep shining this week, and I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Happy new year!  2023 is upon us, and I hope you had a wonderful holiday season with your loved ones.  Looking back at 2022, I am grateful for all the amazing things that God did through ABC, but I’m also excited to see how He will work through this family of faith in the new year. 

A new year always brings a new opportunity for new goals.  I encourage you to set ambitious, God-glorifying goals in your personal life, your home life, and your workplace.  However, we must not forget that there is one goal that reigns supreme above all other goals.

Jesus instructs us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  Growing in our personal relationship with God must always be our primary objective year over year.  We were created to know Christ and to make Him known.  When we start to understand that reality, Jesus says all those other secondary goals begin to fall into their rightful places.

How can you grow in your faith this year?  Some of you may need to get in a consistent Bible reading plan or begin the discipline of journaling.  Others may need to find community in a BFG or begin serving the Lord through a ministry in our church.  God may be calling you to schedule regular time for prayer, or maybe He is calling you to take a leap of faith on a mission trip.  God could be calling you to grow in your faith through regular tithing, or maybe He has put someone on your heart to share Christ with this year.  Maybe God is calling you to set up accountability in your life this year and rid yourself of the sin that has so easily entangled you.  There are so many ways to grow in our faith, so I encourage you to prayerfully consider what your next step should be in 2023.

One way I am currently seeking spiritual growth is through my seminary studies.  As many of you know, last summer I enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Gateway Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention.  As part of my ongoing doctoral program, I must go to the seminary 1-2 times a year to work with seminary leadership and other doctoral candidates in person.  I’m currently in California taking classes and will return next week.  Please pray for me and my studies this year.  Pray that God will continue to help me balance the demands of the home, the church, and the seminary.  I believe God will use this season to grow me as a Christian, a husband and father, and as your pastor.

I will miss you all this Sunday, but I am excited to have Dr. Alex Himaya fill the pulpit in my absence (bio HERE).  Alex serves as the Senior Pastor at The Church at BattleCreek in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Alex is a great evangelist and a visionary leader, and God has used Alex to grow his church into a large multi-site church with international impact.  In fact, God used Alex to help begin TC Egypt, the international ministry that ABC is partnering with this year.  Pastor Himaya will have a special message for you this weekend where he will share the story and vision of TC Egypt, and I believe you’ll be inspired and excited to hear how God is going to use ABC to help advance the Gospel in the middle east.

Please welcome Alex for me and make him feel at home this weekend.  I’ll look forward to seeing you next week at Midweek (Jan 11^th) and back in the pulpit the following Sunday (Jan 15^th).  Have a great week and join me in prayer for great things in 2023.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you enjoyed The Sights and Sounds of Christmas!  Last Sunday was an incredible day in the life of our church, and I’m thankful for what God did through our special Christmas event.  Over 1,000 people joined us for one of the two concerts, and many more came for just the festival.  The music was incredible, and I loved hearing the beautiful, full sound of the choir and orchestra coming through our new sound system.  The fellowship at the festival was wonderful, and I was so encouraged to watch our people simply enjoy spending time with one another.  I believe the entire event honored the Lord and served as a great witness to our community.

Thank you to the many of you who brought your friends, family, and neighbors to be a part of the night.  I’m honored that you believe in your church enough to want to share it with those who are around you.  I also want to especially thank Dr. Todd Stearns for his outstanding leadership with our worship ministry.  A production like that is only possible with great vision and direction from leadership.  Thank you to the choir, orchestra, tech team, and the many staff and volunteers who worked so hard behind the scenes to make it all happen.  You can only pull off an event of that magnitude if you have an A+ team.  I’m thankful to pastor a church with so many talented individuals, and so many willing servants.

This Sunday will be another big weekend as we approach our annual “White Christmas” Sunday.  As you likely know, our church will be blessing 110 families in need with baskets full of food this weekend.  I encourage you to not come to church empty handed.  Instead, bring your gift to worship and we’ll have a special time of offering during our services.  Additionally, we will not have our preschool or children’s worship services this weekend (nursery will still be open), so we encourage you to bring your children/grandchildren to church for this meaningful time of worship.  Immediately following the 11:11 service, you will have an opportunity to help assemble the baskets and get them loaded into cars for delivery.  All 110 baskets will be delivered after church by our amazing volunteers.

I pray that you will come to worship this weekend with a generous heart.  White Christmas reminds me of the words from the author of Hebrews: “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).  God’s people are called to be a generous people.  This generosity is, of course, in response to God’s generosity to us.  Every Christmas, we celebrate the greatest gift that has ever been given.  God gave us his own son, and then the Son gave his own life so we could live.  In view of God’s great mercy and grace, we are now called to present our entire lives as living sacrifices to the Lord (cf. Romans 12:1).  Sharing food with a family in need is just one small way you can this.

I encourage you to maintain this spirit of generosity as we close out our year end giving.  About 25% of our general fund contributions historically come during this final month.  Your tithes and offerings to the general fund are essential, as they fund the life and ministry of our church.  Thank you for being a generous church, and last Sunday’s great outreach event reminded me of the blessing that you are.  We were only able to offer ministry like that to our entire community because of your continued stewardship.  May we each continue to shine our light for Jesus Christ in these coming weeks, as we celebrate that the Light has come.  I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I’m looking forward to being back with you in worship this weekend.  I’m currently wrapping up my Israel trip and looking forward to telling you more about it in Austin.  It has been a phenomenal experience, and I’m looking forward to experiencing it once again with many of you next year.  A trip like this changes the way you view Scripture.  It is thrilling to see the words of the Bible come alive in person in the Holy Land.   As a reminder, registration is now open for our November 2023 trip, and you can learn more about it and put down your deposit HERE.

It’s going to be a big Christmas weekend here at ABC.  We’re pressing on to week two of our sermon series, “The First Songs of Christmas.”  Over the course of this study, we’ll get to examine those first songs of praise recorded during that first Christmas season.  We’ll study the songs of Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, the Angels, and Simeon as recorded in Luke chapters 1-2.  I want to thank Dr. Gillum for delivering a great sermon last weekend, and I’m excited to see how God will continue to prepare our hearts during this advent season.

This Sunday is also our special community event, “The Sights and Sounds of Christmas.”  I’m thrilled to see our choir, orchestra, and music ministry come together for an amazing time of worship at 3pm and 6pm.  In between those two concerts, we’ll have a family friendly Christmas festival at 4pm featuring a snow slide, inflatables, ice sculpting, cookie decorating, hot chocolate and more.  This event is the perfect opportunity for you to invite a neighbor or friend to join you.  I’m confident that they will have an incredible experience, but most importantly, they will get to hear the hope of Jesus Christ through message and song.

Don’t miss the opportunity to shine your light this Christmas season.  Many in our city are disconnected from the Lord and the church, but Christmas gives us a divine opportunity to reach out in a fresh way to those who are around us.  This is the season of light, so “in the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  Begin praying for your neighbors, colleagues, and friends, and then invite them to come experience Christmas at ABC.  One simple invitation can change a person’s life.

As we press on this December, I do want to thank you for your continued generosity.  Weekends of ministry like this are only possible because of your faithful stewardship and partnership in ministry.  As we approach year end giving, I encourage you to continue in that spirit of generosity and join me in prayer that God will continue to meet our needs so we can serve as that city on a hill that he has called us to be.  I look forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you had a restful thanksgiving and are preparing for all that God is going to do this Christmas season.  We are going to have a spectacular December here at ABC, and I hope you plan to be a part of it each week.  This Sunday, we are kicking off our new Christmas sermon series, “The First Songs of Christmas.”  In this series, we will examine Luke chapters 1-2 to study the first songs of praise that were sung during that first Christmas season.  Additionally, ABC Kids will be having a “Polar Express Sunday,” and we’ll have hot chocolate available for all to enjoy this weekend.

This Sunday, Dr. Matt Gillum will be kicking off our series because, as you know, I am currently in the Holy Land.  It has been a phenomenal experience so far to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples.  Over the course of this trip, I’ll get to see where the Christmas story began right there in Bethlehem.  Additionally, I’ll get to experience some phenomenal Biblical sites including Jericho, the Mount of Olives, the Sea of Galilee, and Jerusalem.  We’ll float the Dead Sea, see the Valley of Armageddon, the empty Garden Tomb and so much more.

I’m on this trip for two primary purposes this week.  First, I’m taking this trip for my own spiritual development.  This is my first trip to Israel, and I know this experience will help me better understand and teach the Scriptures.  It’s incredible to see the Bible come alive in person, and I am confident that God will use this entire experience to grow my faith and enhance my ministry to you.  But secondly, I am here in Israel to prepare myself to lead a group from ABC in 2023.  I’m having a great time partnering with another Pastor and getting to sit under his solid teaching and leadership this week.  I’m also enjoying getting to work with Signature Tours, who will be coordinating our own trip next year.

With all of that in mind, I’d like to invite you to join me for a 10-day tour on November 5-14, 2023.   This truly will be a trip of a lifetime, and I encourage you to prayerfully consider joining me for this discipleship experience.  Information and registration is already online HERE.  Consider putting down your $500 deposit this holiday season to secure your spot for 2023.  Additionally, this Israel tour may be the perfect Christmas gift for you to consider giving this month.  I can’t wait to come back next year and see God’s Word come alive in your eyes as well.

I’m already looking forward to what God has in store for our group next November.  I encourage you to continue to pray for me, but also pray whether God may be leading you to join me in the Holy Land next year.  I’ll miss you this Sunday, but I know you will be blessed by your time of worship and fellowship together.  I look forward to seeing you back in Austin next week.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

It is great to welcome back our mission team from South Texas!  As many of you know, we sent a group of men to build a new home for a family of 12 in Penitas, Texas.  We actually began this mission project months ago through our first ever “Project Homebuild.”  Over 100 ABC volunteers rolled up their sleeves during the month of August to build the framing for this home inside our own church.  That structure was then disassembled into sections and shipped to its final destination in South Texas.  For the past week and a half, 20 ABC men gave up their time and money to go finish the job.  Not only did they reassemble the framing, but they finished the entire exterior of the home!  They then went on to complete all the plumbing and electrical installations as well.  Pretty amazing accomplishment for 9 days of work.  Most importantly, they got to meet and spend time with the Quintanna family.  We now pray that this home will be a blessing for this sweet family for many years to come.

I love these kinds of stories because that is what the church is supposed to be about.   The Bible tells us, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).  Jesus Christ laid aside his interests to take on our interests.  He did not come to earth to be served, but rather to serve us.  As Christ followers, we must strive to walk in his likeness.  Every day, we have opportunities to lay down our own lives for the sake of others.  I encourage you to maintain that heart of service.  God wants to use you, and I believe he gives you opportunities every day to be his hands and feet.  However, our hearts must remain soft and responsive to his invitation.

This weekend, you will have another unique opportunity to serve our church.  Christmas will be officially in full swing after our worship services.  Volunteers will begin flooding our hallways with Christmas trees and beautiful decorations.  I encourage you to consider rolling up your sleeves and joining us in the effort.  Additionally, this weekend is “Lottie Moon Sunday.”  We are launching our Christmas missions offering, and you will have an opportunity to give above and beyond your tithes to support missionaries around the world.  We are also welcoming Dr. Todd Lafferty as our special guest speaker in worship.  Dr. Lafferty serves as the Executive Vice President and COO of the International Mission Board.  He will give us a great message about what God is doing around the world and how we can be a part of it.

I encourage you to join us this weekend and make the same commitment that we heard from Nehemiah: “We will not neglect the house of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39).  Don’t neglect meeting together, but instead commit to worship in the house of the Lord.  Don’t neglect giving your tithes and offerings, but instead commit to year end giving.  Over 25% of our church’s contributions are received during these final few weeks, so I encourage you to approach this season with generous hearts just as Christ has been generous to us.   Join me in prayer that God will continue to use ABC to meet the needs of others in our city, our state, and around the world for many years to come.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I pray that you are doing well on this important election week.  The voting polls are now closed, and I hope you exercised your individual right to vote.  Now that the votes are officially in, I thought it’d be appropriate to answer the question, “where do we go from here?”  Regardless of how you voted, I’m confident that some of the people you voted for did get elected, while most certainly some did not.  This is just how elections work.  They usher in a strange combination of simultaneous celebration and disappointment every election year.  So how do we move forward, especially if “your candidate” did not win? I would encourage you to do three things in the coming days:

Pray for your leaders.  Pray for the newly elected political leaders and pray for those who will be exiting their offices.  Paul tells Timothy, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:1-2a).  Paul doesn’t say pray for the leaders you agree with.  He doesn’t even say pray for the ones who are Christians.  He says pray for ALL people, but especially our leaders in high positions.  If you pray for them, your prayers will be a blessing to those leaders, but I believe you will also be blessed as God further aligns your heart to His will through your time with Him.

Live at peace with others.  It seems there is always collateral damage left in the wake of a contentious election.  We become very passionate about our preferred candidates and platforms, and our passion can manifest itself through hurtful words when it goes unbridled.  Most likely you have family members, friends, and neighbors whom you disagree with politically, and perhaps, you have said some things to them that you regret this season. It is important for us to show the watching world how to do life with people we do not agree with.  As Christians, it would be wise for us to take Paul’s advice: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).  Keep in mind, politicians will finish their terms in a few years.  Elected leaders always come and go, but friends do not.  As far as it depends on you, live at peace with others who are around you.

Continue to stand on God’s Word.  Elections usher in new authorities, but always remember that those authorities will be here today and gone tomorrow.  There is only one authority who reigns forever.  Jesus Christ is our Lord, and our highest allegiance will always belongs to Him.  This is great news because He isn’t going to leave His office anytime soon (Cf Hebrews 13:8).  In light of that, submit your life to Him and His unchanging Word.  Your sense of identity and security should not shift with the political winds. God’s Word is our solid foundation, and no election has the power to shatter the living hope that is in us. So be encouraged and walk with spiritual confidence today, regardless of who won and who didn’t. Stand strong for His Word and earnestly pray like David: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart  be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

I look forward to seeing you in worship on this Lord’s Supper Sunday.  We will be wrapping up our Difference Maker sermon series and giving thanks to Christ for who He is and for what He has done.  Invite a friend and join us at 9am or 11:11am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you would agree that it was a great weekend of worship at ABC!  I want to publicly thank Nathan Wood for delivering a fantastic message last Sunday.  It was a great blessing to “sit in the pew” and be fed after coming back from a long week out of the country.  And it was easy to do so because of the confidence that I have in Nathan and our entire staff.  It is a blessing to Pastor a church that has a strong staff team, filled with gifted and capable servant-leaders.  I find great joy in watching God continue to develop each of them in their unique giftedness and callings.

In the Scriptures, the apostle Paul took great joy in watching those under him grow up into Christian maturity.  He famously mentored young Timothy and entrusted to him a high-level pastoral position.  But Paul also warned Timothy to not get lackadaisical in his giftedness . Instead, he told him to, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15).  Timothy is exhorted to reach his potential in ministry.  He’s called to maximize his spiritual gifts, not neglect them.  He’s commanded to grow in his dedication to the Lord, and not to become complacent.  Paul says if he will remain faithful to his calling, something special will happen in his life: people will see his progress.  Spiritual growth is not a secret that we can keep.  When we faithfully walk in God’s purposes for our lives, people will begin to take notice.

As Christians, we have each been entrusted with at least one spiritual gift just like Timothy (1 Peter 4:10, Eph 4:7-8).  Further, we have also been called by God to exercise those gifts and develop them over time.  When we do this successfully, people begin to see spiritual progress in our lives.  They begin to see God moving through us in practical ways, and they can see the impact that we are making on the lives of those around us.  Our families notice the life change, our workplaces notice the life change, and our fellow church members will certainly notice it as well.   My question for you to consider this week is simple: Do you think others around you can see spiritual progress in your life? 

If the answer is “yes,” then praise the Lord!  Continue to practice and immerse yourself in those things.  But if the answer is “no,” ask yourself what specifically needs to change?  Perhaps you have let your gifts go dormant and you need to start exercising them again.  Or maybe others aren’t seeing God work through you because you aren’t letting Him work in you each day (John 15:5). Perhaps it is because you have set aside your spiritual calling to focus all your time and energy on other things that are calling for your devotion.  If any of this is the case , the good news is it can change today and you too can begin to make progress in your spiritual journey.

In sports, we all appreciate a good comeback story.  Every year, there seems to be a team that does not start well, but somehow, they begin to build momentum and finish their season strong.  Of course, this never happens by accident.  Behind the scenes, those comeback teams practiced incredibly hard.  They immersed themselves in the exercise of their athletic gifts and built lasting discipline.  And because they were faithful to those things, they started to perform differently and others began to take notice.  I encourage you to take Paul’s advice.  Practice these spiritual things.  Immerse yourself in them.  Steward your time, talent, and treasure for the glory of God.  As you do so, I’m confident that you will begin to see a difference in your own life.  But I’m also confident that others will begin to see that difference each day.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday in worship.  Invite a friend this week, and continue to invest your life in what God is doing here at ABC.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

As you are reading this, I am in currently in Egypt with Dr. Matt Gillum and Julie Christianson from our Missions Committee.  We are so thankful to be here and partnering with TC Egypt.  It has been encouraging to see the work that God has been doing in the middle east, and I’m so excited about what God is going to begin doing through ABC in this region in 2023.  We will be back in Austin, Texas this Sunday, and I’m planning to give you a recap of our trip and a brief update on our upcoming Egyptian partnership during our two worship services. 

Over the course of 2022, we have been working very hard to build up our culture of missions here at ABC.  For starters, we thankfully reactivated our mission trips after a long COVID hiatus.  Our student ministry sent a group to Montana and has already planned their next trip to New Orleans during Spring Break.  We sent a group to Greece this month, and we are now planning multiple trips to Egypt in 2023.  We mobilized our church through ABC Serves, and we built a house for a family in need through Project Homebuild.  We are sending a group of 19 men next month to deliver that home to Penitas, Texas through Buckner Missions.  We reached our missions offering goals, and we are excited to roll out our Lottie Moon offering in the upcoming weeks.  We established our first ever “Missions Month,” and all our BFG classes are studying the biblical theology which drives missions.  We’ve spotlighted partner ministries and are now looking forward to the Christmas season which will give us opportunities to bless others through our White Christmas, Operation Christmas Child, and Angel Tree ministries.

While I am proud of the work that has been accomplished this year, I believe it is only the beginning of what must be done.  We are looking forward to even more ways that our church can shine the light of Jesus Christ into dark places.  I’m excited to see what God is going to do through the Lighthouse Project, and I pray that the Family Support Center will become a great blessing to mothers, fathers, and children in desperate need.  We are planning to increase the missions budget by 10% in 2023, and I pray that our impact will likewise increase as we focus on how we can reach others in Austin and all around the world. 

Why should missions matter to you and to me?  Jesus told us it must matter.  Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus commanded the church to in fact go on mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe 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 28:19-20).  Reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus isn’t an option, it is a mandate.  In fact, Jesus also said it is something that must happen before He will return: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). 

Jesus has entrusted the church with the precious gift of the Gospel, and He has commanded us to partner with Him in sending that Gospel to those who need it all around the world.  We must increase our intentionality because there still is much work to be done.  The International Mission Board estimates that over 157,000 people die every single day in our world without knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.  That is an overwhelming number.  It should humble us, but it should also compel us to action.  I pray that you will consider how you can live on mission this week.  Missions Month will wrap up soon, but the mission must indeed continue.  How can God use you to reach others around you?  Of course, there are needs in Egypt and all around the world, but there are also needs in your neighborhood, your workplace, and maybe even your own home.  May we all be difference makers in our own spheres of influence because our days truly are numbered.  Invite and invest this week, and I look forward to worshipping with you back home in Austin this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

If you haven’t heard, we currently have a large team of AV professionals working tirelessly to install a brand new custom designed PA system inside our worship center.  I find it appropriate that these men are putting their hands to work while we are studying Nehemiah and the Israelites do the same.  I’m so thankful for these men and this AV project because I believe their good work will indeed make a difference in the life of our church. 

I do want to thank you for your good work in this project as well.  The audio overhaul is only possible because of your continued generosity.  Your faithful tithes and offerings have made this project a reality.  I’m praying that God will continue to provide in His timing and that this will be the first of several technological upgrades.  In the coming months and years, we want to shift our attention from audio to some much-needed upgrades in our video, lighting, and online broadcast ministries.  I believe each of these upcoming enhancements will better equip us to communicate the Gospel with excellence and reach more people for Jesus Christ in our city and around the world. 

I want to encourage you to continue being a difference maker this week.  As we learned last Sunday, it takes a team to build something special and God has invited each of us to be a part of the work.  One practical way you can join the team this week is by partnering with us for our upcoming Trunk or Treat.  This event is one of our favorite outreaches every year, and it will certainly take a team to make it a success.  Consider donating candy on Sunday morning, so we can bless the children in our community.  We also need more volunteers and more cars signed up, so prayerfully consider how you can be a part of the excitement that evening.  Most importantly, think about who you can invite to join us for the special event.  Trunk or Treat is the perfect opportunity to invite a young family to come and experience the love and fellowship of our church.

I encourage you to continue to invite and invest here at ABC.  God is building something special, and I know He wants to use you to make a difference.  May we each respond like the Israelites last week: “And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work” (Nehemiah 2:18b).  Let’s rise up this week and walk in the good works He has planned for us..

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Every time I go on a road trip, I find myself making the same stop.  It does not matter the direction I’m driving, I will usually pull over to walk into a Buc-ee’s convenience store.  Of course, I’m not the only one making that stop.  Many of you are making that stop with me because the stores are always packed.  Thousands of people flood through their doors every day for their wide variety of goods, clean restrooms, and fresh coffee.  While all those things are signature marks of the Buc-ee’s experience, I would contend one other thing stands out: their customer service.  They have hands and feet everywhere, and I usually find myself loudly welcomed as I walk through the doors.  There may be hundreds of people around me, but their staff is trained to acknowledge a guest and welcome them in.

Many churches could take cues from a convenience store.  Church buildings can likewise feel crowded with lots of people quickly rushing in, and without trained intentionality people will undoubtedly be overlooked.  It’s easy for people to get lost in the shuffle and never be greeted in a church.  This happens in many places, but I’m thankful that our church family has always worked hard to exercise genuine hospitality.  I watch it every weekend as I see strangers being greeted at the front doors.  I watch families being walked down the hallways and introduced to the children’s areas.  I watch staff and BFG leaders lovingly follow up during the week with guests who fill out visitor cards.  I believe this this open-armed spirit honors the Lord as Paul instructs us, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).

We are seeing more and more guests walk through our doors every Sunday.  I’m so thankful that God is bringing new people into our church family, and if you are new, let me be the first to say, “welcome home.”  But as our church grows, our need for hospitality will only increase as well.  I encourage you to not walk into our building with blinders on this Sunday.  Yes, we all naturally want to connect with our friends, family, and BFG class members.  However, we must remind ourselves that there are people around us who likewise need a connection.

The truth is church can be a terrifying place for someone who is new.  We forget this when we become established in a church body because it feels like home to us.  We thankfully become comfortable, but we also sometimes forget that there are others who are uncomfortable around us.  We can miss the people who are unfamiliar with the building and feel like they do not know anyone.  Oftentimes these same people are also wondering, “will I fit in here?”  Sometimes, they feel overwhelmed and don’t even know where to start on making a connection.  This is why it has to start with us as the church.  We must have our heads on a swivel every Sunday, mindful of those that God has placed around us. 

Ask yourself how many new people did you meet last Sunday?  If the answer is zero, I would contend that is a problem.  Even if it was just a couple people, I would still say that you are missing out on an opportunity that God has given you.  God places new people around us every weekend, and we must be on mission to welcome them for the glory of God.  Look for someone you do not know and take the time to introduce yourself.  Encourage someone to join you in your BFG. Invite someone to sit with you in worship.  Ask someone how their week was and demonstrate genuine care for their life.  God has blessed us with new people, so we must be faithful to steward that blessing well. 

May we continue to “be kind to one another and tenderhearted” just as Christ has been kind and tenderhearted to us (cf. Ephesians 4:32).  I look forward to welcoming you, and others, in worship this weekend.  Invite someone to come with you, and invest into what God is doing at this city on a hill.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Matthew 28:19-20, “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.”

October is “missions month” here at ABC.  While we strive to live on mission all year long, we are taking some extra time this specific month to bring a special spotlight to this important topic.  All our BFG classes from preschool to the adult ministry are pausing their current studies to focus on the Biblical theology that drives missions.  Additionally, this month you will be educated on some of the great missions partnerships that we have here at ABC.  Most importantly, you will learn a few ways that you can join that mission effort with the ABC family.

I believe it is essential that our church continues to expand its missions’ footprint.  This is not a matter of strategic planning, but rather a matter Biblical obedience.  Jesus Christ entrusted His church with the Gospel, and He has commanded His church to take it to the ends of the earth.  While not all of us can travel to every nation, we can all do our part to live on mission every day.  Jesus told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  If you are a born-again believer, you have received the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.  And likewise, you now have an opportunity to be a witness for Jesus in your own Jerusalem (Austin), Judea (Texas), Samaria (USA), and the ends of the earth.

I encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can make a difference in missions.  God wants you to be a difference maker for His glory, so He equipped you to walk in every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  This weekend we will be praying for some of our own difference makers during church.  We are sending a team to Greece to partner with God’s work through refugee ministry.  They will be taking off on an airplane early Sunday morning, so we will lift this group up in prayer during both of our services.  I hope you plan to be there for part two of our Difference Maker series.  We will study how Nehemiah stepped up into kingdom service, and my prayer is that you and I will also become active in the good works that God is calling each of us to walk in.  Have a great week, and I’ll see you in worship.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

What an amazing Vision Sunday!  Thank you for helping make it a special day in the life of our church.  It was exciting to look back at all God has done here at ABC, but also to look forward at the many ways He could shine through this church family for years to come.  I especially want to thank all the amazing volunteers who made our first ever BFGBFG a huge success.  The food was delicious, but the fellowship was even better.  I loved seeing all our classes together in one room enjoying each other’s company, and it was exciting to see new folks explore our class options and finding groups to plug into.  This week, I encourage each of us to take the application from last Sunday’s message to heart: invite and invest. 

If you believe in the vision of our church, invite people to be your personal guests this weekend.  We believe God is building something special here at ABC, and there is room for more at this city on a hill.  Churches have become very creative in their outreach strategies, but it is amazing to me that the #1 catalyst for church growth remains the same: the personal invitation.  Preaching matters, music matters, Bible study classes and big events matter, but none of those things are strong enough to grow a church by themselves.  People grow churches.  People who catch the vision and then want to share that vision with others.  I encourage you to prayerfully consider who you can invite this week to be a part of what God is doing at ABC.

Secondly, I encourage you to invest in our church.  If you believe in the vision of Austin Baptist Church, do not just attend our church.  Belong to this church.  Plant roots in this church and invest in this community.  If you have been visiting our church, then join the church.  If you’ve joined the church, join a Bible Fellowship Group.  If you’ve already joined a BFG, have you committed to serve anywhere in the church?  If you’re already serving, have you committed to worship through giving?  If you are already giving your tithe, have you committed to going?  We have some amazing mission trips on the horizon and perhaps that is your next step.  I don’t know what your next step is, but I do know God wants you to take that leap of faith in your journey.  The church was never meant to be a product to be consumed.  The church was designed to be a family that we belong to.  We are the body of Christ, and He is the head.  And as unique parts of His body, we each have unique roles to play.

This weekend we will begin a new study in the book of Nehemiah titled, “Difference Maker.”  We’re going to see that God called Nehemiah to rise up and a be a difference maker for his generation, but we are also going to see that God has called each of us to do the same.  Our roles may be different than Nehemiah’s, but God wants each of us to be difference makers in our own spheres of influence as well.  Paul reminds us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).   God has set us apart to walk in good works for Him.  My good works are not your good works, and your good works are not my good works.  God has carefully crafted out plans for each of our lives, and no one else can carry out those plans that He has for you.  Only you can make that difference, and by God’s grace you will.

I look forward to worshipping with you this weekend, and may there be more light in my life and your life this week.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

One year ago, I stood before you to lead us in our first ever “Vision Sunday.”  We celebrated what God has done through our church family as He led us in that first campaign to go “up the mountain” and build this amazing church home.  In fact, last week marked the 10-year anniversary of God opening our church doors at this beautiful facility.  The establishment of our church truly is a testimony of God’s grace.  But we also know that God did not send us up this mountain to get complacent, but rather to get to work.  I believe God has uniquely blessed us to be a blessing to others in Austin and all around the world.  We’ve gone up this mountain, but what are we to do now?  Jesus answered that question for us in Matthew 5.  He told us that we are called to shine as a “city on a hill” (Matthew 5:14).

This Sunday, we’re going to refocus our attention on that same Vision Sunday message in Matthew 5:14-16.  I will preach the text once again, exactly one year later.  Why would I do that?  Solomon tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).  Vision is not a one-time message.  Vision is the high calling of where we are going and what we must become.  Vision must stay in front of us, and we must always keep our eyes focused on who Jesus is calling us to be.  This is in part why we display that message, “let there be light,” on our website, signage, and various print pieces.  Our prayer is that there would indeed be more light shining in Austin and around the world.  The truth is the world is a dark place, but our prayer is that Jesus will use ABC to shine brightly for Him.

Last year we focused on four ways Jesus is calling us to shine: Light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  This Sunday we’re going to celebrate some ways that God has shined through us in those four strategic areas this past year.  But we’re also going to look forward to some exciting ways that He could shine through our church family for the years to come.  I encourage you to make it a priority to join us this Sunday.  I believe you will leave church encouraged and filled with excitement, but also filled up with delicious food!

In conjunction with Vision Sunday, we’re offering our first ever BFGFBG during our regularly scheduled Bible Fellowship Group hour.  Church is a family, so we’re going to have a big family breakfast together this weekend.  All adult BFG groups will come together in Heritage Hall and Great Hall for a special time of fellowship and food.  Each BFG class will sponsor a table filled with delicious breakfast foods made by their very own volunteers.  It will be a big church-wide breakfast buffet, and I encourage you to drop by the tables to sample some food but also to meet some people you do not know.  All 20 of our adult BFGs will be on display, and you will have an opportunity to vote for your favorite breakfast table.  The winner of our friendly competition will be announced Sept 25^th.

The BFGBFG will also be the perfect opportunity for people who are not plugged into a class.  A good number in our congregation have not found a class home, and this will be the perfect opportunity for them to meet leaders and see all the wonderful groups our church has to offer.  I also want to note that our ABC Kids and ABC Student ministries will still have their regularly scheduled BFG classes in their designated spaces.  However, they will also have some special breakfast foods for the kiddos, so make sure your entire family comes hungry this Sunday.

It’s going to be a great weekend at ABC.  I hope you plan to be there, and I encourage you to bring a friend to hear the vision of our church.  Never forget the power of the personal invitation as it is still the #1 reason why people walk through a church’s doors.  Keep shining this week and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Psalm 78:4 says, “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” 

Here at ABC, we are committed to communicating the truth of God’s Word with the coming generation.  Jesus tells us that a lamp in a house is not meant to be hidden (Matt 5:15), so we lift up the lamp of God every week so our children may see it (Psalm 119:105).  We teach kids the Word of God in age-appropriate ways through our BFG’s, worship services, and midweek classes each week.  We do so prayerfully with the goal in mind that our children may begin to understand it, apply it, and by the grace of God, live it out the rest of their days.

This Sunday is a special weekend as we are theming it, “ABC Kids Sunday.”  If you cannot already tell, you will learn quickly that ABC loves kids!  Our children are going to have an opportunity this weekend to gain valuable leadership experience by leading our church through greeting, ushering, video announcements, and prayers on stage.  Additionally, this weekend will feature a special time of Parent Child Dedication, and I’m looking forward to celebrating these families who are publicly committing to raise their children in Christ-centered homes. 

This Sunday we will also be concluding our Homebuilders sermon series with a special message from Dr. Jimmy Myers.  I’m excited to sit under Jimmy’s teaching alongside you as he delivers a special message from Ephesians chapter 6.  If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Myers, he was a founding member of ABC and instrumental in the early days of our church’s development.  He is also the founder, owner, and CEO of The Timothy Center.  The Timothy Center is one of the leading Christian counseling centers in the city of Austin, as they offer a unique blend of solid Biblical insights coupled with the finest current psychotherapeutic methods.

Jimmy and Beth recently rejoined the ABC family, and we are blessed to have them back in our congregation.  Jimmy is an expert in the arenas of marriage and parenting, and we are also looking forward to him blessing our church with a four-week parenting class on Wednesday nights in the month of October (registration coming soon).  This free class will be based off his published book, co-written with George Barna titled, “Fearless Parenting: How to Raise Faithful Kids in a Secular Culture.”  Parents, I hope you are saving the dates and making plans to join us next month. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Parenting-Faithful-Secular-Culture/dp/0801000645/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=fearless+parenting&qid=1662564439&sr=8-2

I know you will be blessed this weekend by Dr. Myers special message and our ABC Kids celebration.  I encourage you to come early and invite a family to join you.  We want to be a city on a hill that continues to serve as a place of refuge for families who are seeking to build homes together for Jesus Christ.  Have a great week, and I look forward to seeing you at 9am or 11:11am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I know many of us are looking forward to our upcoming three-day weekend.  Labor Day weekend is a special time for family and friends to get together each year.  I likewise know many of us are excited to cheer on our favorite teams as college football returns in full swing this Saturday.  Others are beginning to count down the days to Fall, and some early birds will even pull out the pumpkins and Fall décor this weekend.  But I hope amidst all of these things, each of us will take some time to slow down and find rest. Backyard BBQs and good company certainly can aid in that process, but Jesus reminds us that he alone is the source of our rest. 

Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).  All of us are laboring in some capacity right now.  Yes, some of us are laboring at work and carrying heavy burdens in our careers.  But many of us are also laboring in the home.  We are carrying relational burdens within our marriages.  Many of us are also burdened for our children and grandchildren.  And lots of us feel exhausted because those are heavy loads to carry by ourselves.

This is why we have been focusing on Ephesians chapters 4 to 6 these past several weeks in our sermon series.  Jesus wants you to find peace in your home, but as we have seen, that is only possible if we build our homes his way.  This weekend we’re going to shift our focus to Ephesians chapter 6 and tackle the important topic of parenting.  I’m confident every parent and grandparent could use some more rest in their lives.  Parenting is indeed hard work, but fortunately we don’t have to toil all by ourselves.  Jesus wants to guide you in your home and equip you to lead the next generation in a way that will bring you joy. 

But I also want you to know that ABC desires to come alongside you in this parenting journey.  That is why we invest so heavily into our ABC Kids and Student ministries.  We have wonderful staff, volunteers, and resources that are devoted to helping you bring up your children in Christian nurture.  This is why we have adult BFG classes that meet every Sunday.  We want parents to lock arms with one another and begin to do life together.  It is much easier to labor when you have other parents laboring beside you.  This is also why we emphasize multi-generational ministry at ABC.  We have devoted church members in all seasons of life, and many have walked the paths of parenthood and want to come alongside you in your journey.

My question for you to consider is, “are you parenting all alone?”  As we have already seen in Genesis 2, “it is not good for man to be alone.”  God wants to give you all the strength you need, and having a church family is a critical piece of that solution.  We want to be a resource to you, and that is why for instance we are providing a free parenting seminar this Wednesday at 6:30pm.  We’re hosting a licensed family counselor from the Timothy Center to lead an important seminar focused on parenting kids in a world filled with technology.  I hope you are blessed and encouraged by this special ministry opportunity this week.

Above all, I do hope you find rest today.  This coming weekend may be focused on rest, but Jesus can give that to you right now.  If you are in town this weekend, I encourage you to join us at 9am or 11:11am.  Invite a family to come with you as we look to this sacred calling of parenting.  Don’t forget to wear your favorite college jersey or team colors to church, and come prayed up for a special Labor Day weekend at ABC. 

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”  For the past several weeks, our church family has been laboring to build a home for the Quintana family in Penitas, Texas.  We are partnering with Buckner Missions for our first ever “Project Homebuild” at ABC.  It has been an exciting missions project, and 100+ volunteers have gotten in the game to help with the construction process.  I’m proud to say that the building phase is now complete and beginning next week our volunteers will transition to disassemble the structure into strategic sections that we can ship.  Later this fall, ABC will send a mission team to Penitas to help assemble the home for the Quintana family.  But before we begin that load-out process, I would like to invite you to partner with us for a special time of dedication this weekend.

Solomon reminds us in Psalm 127 that our building efforts are in vain without the Lord’s blessing, so this Sunday, I’d like you to join me in asking for God’s special blessing over this home.  Before and after our worship services and BFG’s, you will have an opportunity to write a favorite scripture and/or prayer on the home.  We will write scripture on the floors, and we will pray that God’s Word will serve as the foundation for this family for years to come.  We will write verses and prayers on the walls, and we will pray that God will protect this family and always be their source of strength and place of refuge.  Our staff will have lots of sharpies available for you in the Great Hall, so please come ready to help us dedicate this home to the Lord.  I do believe this house will serve as a great blessing to the Quintana family, but I also believe God’s presence and love is the greatest blessing they could have inside their home. 

While we have been diligently working on the Quintanas’ home, we have also been working on our own homes these past few weeks.  Last Sunday in our “Homebuilders” series, we studied God’s instructions for wives in Ephesians chapter five.  This week, we will transition to God’s instructions for husbands, and I pray that each of us will receive these instructions and then get to work.  The reality is each of our homes has work that needs to be done. This is why Paul tells us that we need to constantly take off the old and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24).  I encourage you to remember Solomon’s words for your own house today: “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”  We cannot build Christ-centered homes without the enabling grace of Jesus Christ Himself every day.  So I encourage you to also dedicate your own home to Him today.  Commit to let God’s Word serve as your foundation and guide.  When you do, you will discover that you are building a house on solid ground.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend in worship.  Invite a friend to join you because you never know how one simple invitation could change someone’s life.  Have a great week, I’ll see you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

School is officially back in session!  Kids have now found their way back to the classrooms, including right here at ABC with our Little Lights Preschool.  New school years always bring new beginnings, and I’m excited to see how God will begin a fresh new work in our ABC kids this year.  I hope you are still wearing your prayer bracelet from last weekend, and I encourage you to take some time to pray for that child by name today.

I firmly believe it is impossible to raise children to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ without belonging to a healthy local church.  Here at ABC, we strive to shine as that “city on a hill” that Jesus describes in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”  Healthy local churches cannot be hidden because their light always offers hope for the lost and refuge for the saved.  I truly believe the local church is the hope for the world because we have been entrusted with the solution for the world, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

My question for you to consider today is, “have you gone all in at ABC?” Many Christians attend church, but not all truly belong to a church.  They may consume the product of a worship service regularly, but they may also never be fully immersed into a community of faith.  I encourage you to war against that western consumer mindset and remind yourself that church is supposed to be a people, not a product.  Church is not something we “do,” it is who we are.  I would encourage you to go “all in” at ABC by committing to do three things: Grow, Give and Go.

Grow.  We teach the word of God in our worship services, Sunday morning BFG classes, and Midweek discipleship classes.  We do this purposefully because we believe the word of God is inerrant (2 Tim 3:16), it is our authority (Ps 119:105), and it has the power to transform our lives (Heb 4:12, Rom 12:2).  Commit to worship each week, and come expectant to hear from the Lord through His word.  Commit to belong to a BFG class, so you can deepen your understanding of Scripture, ask questions, and begin to build Gospel-centered relationships with peers.

Give.  All things were made by Christ, through Christ, and for Christ (Colossians 1:16).  We are called to live generous lives because He has already been generous with us.  Yes, this does mean worshipping the Lord through our tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:10, Prov 3:9-10). But it also means worshipping Him through our time and talent.  I’m so proud of the hundreds of volunteers who serve our church faithfully each week. I’m proud of the dozens of adults who have been working hard these past few weeks in the Great Hall to bless a family in need with a new home.  I have found that the best way to find friendships and community in a church is by serving together.

Go.  Jesus did not call the church to stay, He called it to “go” (Matthew 28:19).  The church is meant to press on far beyond our physical walls.  This means we must learn to live intentional lives, on mission in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods.  Additionally, we must learn to do life with one another Monday through Saturday.  I love hearing how many of our BFG classes go out together, vacation together, and invest in each other’s lives.  I love hearing how our people minister to each other through prayer, checking in, visiting the hospital, or coming alongside one another in time of need. 

My question for you to consider is, “have you experienced church like that?”  If not, what is your next step?  For some, maybe you need to focus on growing by committing to worship and BFG’s each week.  Others may need to focus on giving.  Maybe you need to establish the discipline of tithing, or sign up to serve on one of our wonderful volunteer teams.  Others maybe need to start going.  You can get on mission this week by beginning to invest in the lives of others around you. I don’t what your next step is, but I do know that God will bless your obedience if you take that step of faith.  God wants to use each of our homes to help build His house.  And I’ve found that when you go “all in,” your home will also be blessed in the process.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we focus on “God’s Home Design” in Ephesians chapter 5.  We will also be honoring our 1^st graders in both services for our annual “First Grade Bible Presentation.”  I hope you plan to join me to celebrate that special milestone moment this weekend.  Invite a friend and I’ll see you at 9am or 11:11am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

It was great to be back with you last Sunday to kick off our Homebuilders series.  I’m looking forward to what God is going to do in the next several weeks as we learn how to Biblically build Christ-centered homes.  Last Sunday, we learned that our homes will only look different when we begin to look different ourselves.  So I encourage you to focus on some home renovations this week.  Spend time with the Lord to take off your old self, renew your mind, and put on your new self (Ephesians 4 22-24).  This will prepare you for this weekend where we will shift our focus to “cleaning house,” by examining Ephesians 4:25-32.  I encourage you to invite another family to join you for this special series as we strive to build together homes that will last.

This Sunday is also themed as “Back to School Sunday.”  Most of our local schools are beginning classes next week for the 2022-2023 school year.  In light of that, we are going to have a special prayer emphasis for all our returning students, educators, and administrators.  We will have some special guests worshipping with us this weekend including Leander ISD Superintendent, Dr. Bruce Gearing and Hyde Park School’s Head of School, Dr. Chris Coy.  I’m looking forward to encouraging and praying for these men and all the servant leaders and students at our local schools.  1 Timothy 2:1 says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.” The church is called to pray for all people, and I cannot think of a better place to start than praying for our schools in this season.

Our children are constantly attacked by various worldly ideologies, sinful peer pressure, and the constant comparison of self to others.  Teachers and administrators are so often underappreciated, overworked, and underpaid.  I hope that you plan to join me in praying for God’s protection and favor over this coming school year.  You can do that by joining us in worship this weekend, but you can also do that individually next week by picking up a prayer bracelet at church.  Each bracelet will have the first name and grade level listed for a child in our church.  We’re going to encourage adults to pick one up after our worship services and put it on your wrist this week.  This will remind you to pause each day and pray for that child specifically by name. 

Thank you for being a prayerful church, and I do look forward to praying over this coming school year with you.  I’m also proud to say that “Project Homebuild” is officially underway!  If you haven’t heard, we are building a house at ABC!  While we are focusing on spiritually building up our homes in Austin, we will also be physically building up a home in our Great Hall.  This home is being constructed for a family of 12, the Quintana family, who are living in Penitas, Texas.  We are partnering with Buckner Missions to bless them with a much needed home in south Texas.  After we finish our part of the construction here in Austin, we will ship these assembled materials to Penitas and an ABC missions team will help assemble the pieces there on site.  If you would like to volunteer, please go online to austinbaptistchurch.com to be a part of this exciting special effort.

I pray that you will let there be light in your life and in your home this week.  Invite a friend to church this weekend, and I look forward to worshipping with you at 9am or 11:11am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

This Sunday we’re kicking off a new sermon series titled, “Homebuilders.”  I’m excited to walk us through Ephesians chapters 4 to 6, as we seek God’s instruction on how to build homes that will last.  I believe this series will be challenging and practical for every person in every season of life, regardless of what your home life may presently look like.  The truth is we all want to live in healthy homes, and the good news is God wants that same thing for you too.  So as we study these chapters in the coming weeks, I believe God will help us do demo in the areas of our homes that have become spiritually unhealthy.  My prayer is that we will let the Holy Spirit spiritually renovate our homes and bring a renewed sense of peace and joy into our lives.

As we journey through this series together, I’m excited to announce that we will also have a missions component coincide with the sermon series.  While we are spiritually building up our homes here in Austin, Texas, our church will also be physically building up a home for a family in Penitas, Texas.  ABC is partnering with Buckner Missions for “Project Homebuild.”  Over the next several weeks, we will be working on a home for the Quintana family.  This family of 12 is in dire need of a permanent home, and we’re excited to partner with Buckner Missions to bless them with this gift.  The best part of Project Homebuild is we will get to do lots of the construction right here in Austin!  During this series, our team will begin the construction work in our Great Hall.  After the work is complete, these assembled materials will be shipped to south Texas, and we will send an ABC missions team this Fall to help build the home on site.

I believe this project provides a unique opportunity for our church to partner together on mission.  I encourage you to join us in the effort in several ways.  First of all, please pray for the Quintana family.  Pray that God will bless their family with this home and use this gift to shine His light into each of their hearts.  We pray that this physical gift will be received as a gift of God’s perfect grace.  Second, consider helping us build this home.  We will have time slots available, and we need volunteers!  This will be a great opportunity for our church family to serve together as a family on mission.  Training will be provided on site, and the good news is you will be working in the air conditioning! Third, I encourage you to continue to worship through giving.  This project is only possible because of the generosity of our people.  Thank you for your faithfulness in your tithes and offerings because your stewardship blesses many homes, including this specific home for the Quintana family.

I’m looking forward to joining you all this Sunday in worship.  I want to thank Nathan Wood for doing an outstanding job last weekend and helping us wrap up our summer sermon series.  I can’t wait to see you this weekend, and I’m praying that God will build us up, as we strive to build up the kingdom of God together.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

VBS has come and gone, but we are still celebrating what God did last week! As you have likely heard, we saw 511 children and volunteers join us for an exciting week of Vacation Bible School. But most importantly, we are celebrating the 85 children who came forward during the invitation, and especially the 62 children who made first time decisions to follow Christ. Thank you for helping make it a powerful week. VBS is only possible because of the shared time, talent, and treasure of God’s people. 150 volunteers sacrificed their time and utilized their talent to impact the next generation. And so many gave their treasure, through their faithful tithes and offerings, to help fund this ministry and make it possible. Thank you for praying, serving, giving, and leading these children to know Jesus Christ. I believe heaven was rejoicing over the work that was done last week and so should we.

As I visited with parents last week at VBS, there were two primary themes that consistently came up in our conversations.  First, many parents could not stop commenting on the quality of our volunteers.  As they walked in, they were immediately blown away by the intentionality that was put into the decorations.  I explained that we had teams of volunteers who worked for many weeks to creatively design and decorate those spaces.  Many were also surprised by the sheer number of volunteers.  They were thrilled to see so many adults from all generations, as well as the large number of youth volunteers.  One mom who does not attend church regularly explained that it blew her mind that people would give up that much time and energy for something like this.

The second thing that came up in our conversations was a theme of community.  Many could sense the family atmosphere in our congregation.  They loved being genuinely greeted as they walked through the doors, and several told me how friendly our church truly was.  One mom commented that she loved to see how quickly the teachers learned her child’s name, as well as her own name.  So many moms, dads, boys, and girls genuinely felt loved and welcomed in our church.  I believe that is because God has blessed our church with a genuine affection for one another.  I explained to many parents that community is a vital part of our Austin Baptist Church’s DNA.

I’m so thankful that these two observations came up consistently in conversation because these two themes come up consistently in scripture.  Paul writes, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).  Christians are called to lives of love and service.  Jesus says love is in fact the best evidence of your discipleship: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).  People should sense a difference in our community when they walk through our church doors because we are united by the same spirit of love (Cf. 2 Timothy 1:7).  But people should also see a difference in us through our service and efforts.  Peter instructs us, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).  Every born-again believer has been given gifts by God, to use for the glory of God, and for the good of others.

Jesus describes His church as a “city on a hill,” and this city should indeed have a light that stands out to the world that is watching (cf. Matt 5:14-16). I pass on these words to encourage you to keep shining that light. VBS is over, but you still have an opportunity to love one another and build up our community this week. Send a text, make a phone call, or write a note. Encourage those who are around you and spur them on to continue in love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). You also have a chance to serve someone this week. VBS has concluded, but the work has not. Our church continually needs more volunteers, more sons and daughters of God to rise up and use their gifts for His glory. How are you going to serve the church this week? While events are important, our spiritual gifts are not designed to be limited to annual outreaches. There are still needs today, and God has given you time, talent, and treasure to meet them. So how will you let your light shine this week?

Thank you for your continued love and support.  Have a wonderful week and we look forward to seeing you in worship this weekend.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

VBS is finally here!  We are having an amazing week at Austin Baptist Church, as we have welcomed nearly 500 children and leaders for our annual Vacation Bible School.  I’m so thankful for our church’s steadfast commitment to VBS, because I believe this week has the power to transform a young child’s life, and the future. 

I think back to my time in Houston at Second Baptist Church, and I remember my former Pastor, Dr. Ed Young, would often share about his childhood experience at VBS.  He would recall how a friend invited him as a 7-year-old boy to attend a VBS at a small-town church in Mississippi.  Ed agreed to attend due to the advertised crafts and fun, but little did he know that he would end up making the most important decision of his life that week.  He surrendered his life to Jesus Christ and was baptized at that small church, and it is incredible to now consider what God has done through him since that day.  Dr. Young has impacted millions of lives around the globe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  But we must not forget that those 60+ years of fruitful ministry were only possible because a few nameless leaders at a small-town church chose to invest in his life.

Because of this, I always approach VBS weeks praying for God to raise up a few more Ed Youngs from our midst.  You just never know what could possibly come from a week of ministry like VBS.  The reality is Children’s Ministry is a long-term investment, and we will not see the full return while we are on this earth.  But I do believe investing in a child’s life is the best kingdom investment you can make because God uses our efforts to help impact an entire generation that is yet to come.  So, I don’t just pray for the salvation of the kids who walk through our doors.  I also pray for God to call some of them to be world changers for Him.  I pray that God will capture their hearts, and then use them to capture the hearts of others for Christ in their own generation.  The theme verse this week is Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  God has mapped out good works for each of these young children to walk in, just as He has mapped out good works for me and you to walk in today.

I’m thankful for the good work that our church does week in and week out for the next generation.  The truth is many churches have scaled back their efforts in children’s and youth ministries these days.  Some don’t offer on-campus Bible studies, special events and outreaches, or provide staff who are devoted to children and youth.  But I’m proud that ABC has always looked for ways to improve and expand our impact on the next generation.  It has been a banner summer for our ABC Kids and Student Ministries.  They have offered Pre-Teen Camp, Beach Camp, Creative Arts Camp, Pre-school Camp, and now VBS.  In addition to this, we have continued to invest in kids’ lives through our weekly BFG classes, and we even launched a brand-new Preschool worship service this summer called, “Uplift.”  Here in a few weeks, our kids will be back in school and we’ll start back up our Wednesday night discipleship classes called, “Kids Encounter” and “Axis.”  I hope your children and grandchildren have gotten to experience it all, but if not, I encourage you to get them plugged in this week.  I believe they will discover what I already know to be true: ABC loves kids!

I look forward to reporting more this Sunday as we worship together.  Be praying for our decision service this Thursday, and come prepared to give glory to God for all He has done and all that He will continue to do.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

VBS is finally here at Austin Baptist Church!  We are just days away from the official kick-off, and our ABC Kids team is doing a great job getting things ready for the hundreds of children who will walk through our doors.  Decorations are going up, leaders are being trained, and rooms are getting set for an incredible week of ministry.  Enrollment has already exceeded last year’s numbers, and we’re looking forward to adding even more kids into the mix in these final days before the event.

Why does VBS matter so much to our church family?  This is an appropriate question to ask considering the vast amount of time, money, staff, and volunteers that are committed to this event each year.  VBS is one of those “all hands on deck” events at ABC, so why do we feel it is important to put so much effort into it?  For starters, it is because children are a blessing from the Lord.  Psalm 127:3 tells us, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”  We believe every life is a precious gift from God, so we rejoice when God brings His children through our church doors.  Children must never be viewed as a burden for a church because they are a gift given to the church for us to steward well.

Secondly, children are a mission field.  Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”  The church should carry a burden to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the next generation.  The Great Commission calls us to go and make disciples of all ages, but research shows us that children and youth should be a central focus of that mission.  NAMB reports that 77% of Christians in America were saved before the age of 18.  Further, nearly 95% of Christians in our country came to know Jesus as Lord by the age of 30.  This means it would be wise and fruitful for any church to place a strong emphasis on reaching children, youth, and young parents.  We are biblically called to pass on the baton of faith to the next generation, and VBS is just one of those great opportunities for us to do so.

Third, children are vital members of the church.  As our children and youth come to know Jesus, it’s important for us to remember that they are not the future of the church.  They are the church right NOW.  1 Corinthians 12:14 says, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many.”  If a child or teenager has accepted Christ, that means they are filled with the same Holy Spirit who lives in me and who lives in you.  This means they also have spiritual gifts and callings given by God, and for God (Cf. Ephesians 2:10).  And this also means they are vital parts of our church membership, so we must disciple them and empower them into Christian service.  This is why we do an ABC student weekend, Beach Camp, Bible studies, mission trips, and service projects.  This is why we do events like ABC Serves and White Christmas, where even young children can serve with their parents.  This coming week, teenagers will be serving our kids at VBS, and many of them do that every week at Elevate.  We will continue to seek ways to empower and train the next generation because they are called to help us build up this house (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-5).

Please join me in praying for a great week at VBS.  Pray for our ABC Kids staff and volunteers.  Pray for our teachers as well as those who will be serving in positions behind the scenes.  Most of all, pray for our children.  Pray that many will come to know Jesus Christ as Lord for the first time, and pray that many others will come to better understand Jesus and His love for them.  Pray that parents will come to know Christ and find their place in the church, as a result of their own children doing so first.  Also, take time to consider any neighbors, friends, or colleagues with kids in their homes, and I encourage you to invite them to VBS.  It isn’t too late to sign up, and registration is still open at www.austinbaptistchurch.com.  One simple invitation always has the power to potentially change a life.  Have a great week, and I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you enjoyed our special 4^th of July weekend at ABC! I’m still thanking God for an amazing weekend of worship as we celebrated our nation’s freedom, and most importantly, our spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ. I’m thankful for Derek Tackett, our facilities team, and all of our volunteers who worked hard to make Freedom over Austin an overwhelming success. And I’m proud of Carlos Jordan for putting in many hours behind the scenes to create the video testimony from Beach Week that we showed in worship. But I’m especially proud of those 5 individuals who chose to stand up and raise their flags for Jesus Christ through believer’s baptism during our services last Sunday. It has been encouraging to see our “Let There Be Light” sign continue to light up, as Christ continues to light up more lives that walk through our church doors.

One gentleman who came forward last Sunday to be baptized was attending for only his second week. He was invited by a friend in our church to worship with him two weeks ago, and God began to speak to his heart through our worship services. When I offered the invitation, he came forward immediately to be baptized. As encouraging as that was, I was even more encouraged by what he shared with me afterwards. He told me that he had already brought swim trunks with him to church that morning because God had put baptism on his heart. So when the invitation to be baptized was offered, it was simple confirmation from the Lord that He was at work and calling him to make this important decision.

Last week I was also honored to sit down with a gentleman and got to pray with him as he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. He has been attending our church for some time, and after many years of consideration, he chose to invite Jesus Christ into his life. He was led to this moment in part by watching his own daughter make that same decision at our Kids Camp this summer. It’s amazing how God so often speaks into our hearts through the witness of others who are around us. So may I remind you, your personal witness matters every single day. You CAN make a difference in the lives of those around you. Your intentionality to invite others to church matters, and it also can make an eternal difference in someone’s life. God is doing a great work in our church, and each of us have an opportunity to join Him in that effort.

Starting this Sunday, we will begin our final sprint to Vacation Bible School. As we saw last weekend, next generation ministry does matter because “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11). God’s Word does stand forever, and He has promised to pass on His plan of salvation to the next generation. Because of that, I’m praying that many children will come to know Jesus as Lord at VBS. Vacation Bible School is such an important event in the life of our church because it reaches so many families in our community who are unchurched. I’m praying that God will draw many young children to Himself, but then He will use their testimonies to draw their parents to Himself too. I’ve found it to be true so often in church that when you reach the kids, you then have a good chance to reach the parents.

I encourage you to help us extend this invitation out to your community this week. As you walk into our church this Sunday, you will see displays in our common areas with new ABC invite cards. Grab a couple cards and put them in your wallet or purse. As God crosses your path with folks in your own sphere of influence, look for opportunities to invite them into the life of our church. For some, perhaps VBS will be the best opportunity to draw them into our church for the first time. But don’t forget that every Sunday serves as a great opportunity to invite someone into our fellowship. So who can you extend the light to this week? As we saw last Sunday, one simple invite truly can change a life.

Have a great week, and I’ll look forward to worshipping with you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you’re planning to wear red, white, and blue this Sunday and join us for a special day of worship and fellowship at Austin Baptist Church.  We will be celebrating the great freedom that God has given our nation to worship Him openly and without fear of persecution.  This is a freedom we must never take for granted, as 1 out of 7 Christians around the world do not have that same liberty for themselves (Cf. 2021 World Watch List produced by Open Doors).  We know our freedom is only available because God has used countless men and women in our nation to stand up for that freedom and fight for it at all costs.  Because of that, this weekend we will honor our local heroes who have served our nation through our armed services.  The apostle Paul tells the church to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10).  I hope you plan to join me this weekend in expressing your gratitude and showing honor to whom honor is due.

But this weekend we are also celebrating an even greater freedom that God has given those of us who are in Christ Jesus.  Paul explains, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin” (Romans 6:6-7).  By grace and through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the penalty of our sin has been removed.  His death became our own, and we can now live freely as sons and daughters of God.  We no longer must fear the penalty of our sin which is death, but we also do not have to be held captive by the power of our sin.  Jesus Christ forgives us of our old life bound to sin, but He also enables us to live new lives free from its bondage.  His enabling grace can set you free each day from addictions and strongholds, so you can walk in the light just as He is in the light.

In light of this truth, Paul instructs us: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Romans 6:12-13).  Paul says our spiritual freedom should lead us action.  Just as our physical freedom leads us to pledge allegiance to our great nation, our spiritual freedom should lead us to pledge an even higher allegiance to Jesus Christ.  His great mercy and grace should lead us to show our honor to God and devote ourselves to His purposes for our lives.  And I hope you understand, you will begin to experience freedom and joy when you begin to present yourself to Him day after day.

This celebration of freedom will carry over to Sunday evening for our second annual “Freedom Over Austin” event.  I hope you plan to come back at 7pm that evening for a dynamic event with something for everyone.  We will have live music, an all-American carnival, food trucks, inflatables, train rides, and of course, an amazing professional fireworks show soon as it gets dark.  Bring a lawn chair with you and find a comfortable spot to watch the show that evening.  I also encourage you to do two things before this Sunday.  First, consider serving with us.  Great events are only possible through great teams of committed volunteers.  We still need more people to join the effort so please consider signing up to help HERE.  Secondly, consider who you can invite to join you.  We do this event for our church family to enjoy the fellowship, but we also do it so we can extend our fellowship out to the entire community.  Prayerfully consider inviting a neighbor, colleague, or friend to come and be your guest that evening.  Sometimes special events like this are the best opportunity to introduce someone new into the life of our church.

Thank you for your continued faithfulness in worshipping through giving.  This event is only possible because of your stewardship and continued partnership in ministry.  I encourage you even in these economically challenging times to continue to offer God the first fruits of what you receive.  I’m certain that God will continue to bless each of us, as we strive to be a blessing to others for His glory (Cf. Malachi 3:10, Proverbs 3:9-10).  Have a great rest of your week, and I look forward to celebrating freedom with you this Sunday at ABC.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

It was great to be back with you last Sunday after spending a week in southern California.  As you know, I was in Anaheim for the SBC Convention and for a few days of family vacation following our meetings.  Many in our church, and around our entire nation, had their eyes focused on Anaheim last week.   Most of the interest was due to last month’s released report from the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Force.  As I’ve already discussed with you, this report was saturated with heartbreaking stories of abuse that transpired in Southern Baptist Churches over the last 20 years.  But it was also filled with shocking stories of leadership who mishandled reports of abuse, and even worse, mistreated victims.  Considering these horrifying details, many in our country have been waiting to see if the SBC would be prompted to action.

I’m proud to say that the messengers at the annual meeting did overwhelmingly approve two recommendations presented by the SBC appointed task force.  These two recommendations will not be the final reforms, but they will serve as a place to start.  The messengers approved the creation of a shared SBC database that will keep track of ministers who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct.  This database will hopefully help prevent ministers from traveling between churches and then hide behind individual church’s autonomy.  The messengers also commissioned another task force that will study and oversee necessary further reforms this year and report back at the annual meeting in 2023.  I believe these two recommendations were essential first steps for the SBC to repent of sin, seek forgiveness from victims, and prayerfully begin to rebuild credibility in our culture.

While I was pleased that some action was taken on this specific issue, I must admit that the overall feeling of this year’s meeting was rather discouraging.  Across the country, cooperative giving is down, baptisms are down, new members are down, and even the number of messengers this year was down.  Some in the convention are arguing that this is due to a theological “drift” that is happening in the SBC.  While I hear their concerns, I do not agree with their position.  I remember what a real drift looked like in the 1980’s.  At that time churches and seminaries were battling over the inerrancy of Scripture.  Baptist pastors and professors were teaching against the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word, some were advocating a pro-choice position, and some were even sympathizing with the emerging LGBTQ movement.  I would call that a theological drift, but I would not call today’s problems the same thing.  This is because I sense that nearly all the 44,000+ SBC churches still adhere to the same confession of faith in the Baptist Faith and Message.  It seems that today’s problems are not rooted in orthodoxy, but rather orthopraxy.  Our denomination’s primary struggle is not in what we believe, it is in what we do. 

As I sat in one of the Pastor’s Conference sessions, I heard one pastor share a sobering illustration. He said his young adult son has a good friend who is not a believer, so this pastor decided to do a little personal research with his son’s friend before he came to the convention. He asked that unchurched 21-year-old young man what he thought about the SBC. The young man was a little perplexed by the question but then responded, “Aren’t they the churches that are always fighting with each other?” Sadly, I believe that young man’s words were piercingly accurate. Many in the SBC live to argue with each other, and I would contend that the tribalism in our denomination has grown to an alarming level. Some look down upon others for being reformed in their theology, while some who are reformed look down upon others for not belonging to their camp. Some pastors see big churches as impersonal and watered down, while some big churches see small churches as lazy and ineffective. Some in the SBC despise churches for being too political, while others cast stones at churches for not being political enough. Some contend that you are only theologically conservative if you join a new network, while others would argue our entire convention is a network of theologically conservative churches. People in the SBC are constantly drawing lines in our own house, and then casting stones at family members who do not step over to their side. And then we as a convention wonder why less and less outsiders are wanting to walk through our doors?

This rising conflict in the SBC is troubling to me for three primary reasons. First of all, the church is not supposed to be famous for its conflict; it is supposed to be famous for its love. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Paul explained it further: ^“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12-14). Jesus summarized the entire law with two simple commandments: love God and love people (Mark 12:28-30). And the apostle John went on to explain that you cannot separate those two commandments; if you try to love God but hate your brother, the Word of God says you are a liar (Cf. 1 John 4:10). Love is not a recommendation from God, it is a clear mandate for His people. Yes, we are called to guard our doctrine, but we are also called to give each other grace on secondary matters. As Augustine said, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.”

Secondly, the state of the SBC is troubling because it makes us look like the world.  Our world is filled with division.  In fact, one could argue that our nation has never been as polarized as it is right now.  We live in a culture that cancels and condemns anyone who does not agree with them.   This problem has only been exacerbated by social media.  The world is prone to be careless with words as we are quick to speak, slow to listen, and quick to get angry.  But the Bible tells the church to “not be conformed to this world” (Cf Romans 12:2).  God’s people are called to stand out and look different because we have a Spirit that unites us through our shared salvation and coming inheritance.  The church’s unity is so important to Jesus that He actually prayed for it before He went to Calvary: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21).  Jesus prayed for a radical unity in His followers that would be so strong that it would actually cause the watching world to believe in Him!  But instead, I sadly believe the world oftentimes does not believe because they see more fighting in our religious houses than their own secular homes.

Thirdly, the state of the SBC is troubling because it could compromise our mission. I personally do believe denominations are still helpful. Every church is individually called by Jesus to fulfill the Great Commission, but the truth is we are stronger when we work together than when we work alone. In the SBC, I’m grateful for our cooperative program’s impact on ministries all across the globe. Since the CP’s inception, the SBC has commissioned over 25,000 missionaries around the world through the International Mission Board. The IMB currently has over 3,000 missionaries deployed, and we commissioned 52 more missionaries at the annual meeting last week. They are the true heroes of the SBC, and their ministry would not be possible without the SBC’s cooperative program. Additionally, our SBC seminaries produce over 70% of our nation’s seminary graduates. That is a staggering number because it tells us the vast majority of our nation’s future ministers are trained by the SBC. Many of these seminary students are only able receive that training because SBC churches consistently give $6-10 million a year to these seminaries to help subsidize tuition and make theological education affordable for our future pastors. The list could go on and on with all the good that the SBC does, and my fear is that it will become harder to continue these vital ministries as more churches grow tired of the SBC’s problems and leave. Make no mistake about it, the SBC must continue to address our convention’s cultural issues, or more churches will continue to opt out and our critical missions will lack their critical support.

So what should we do in light of these things?  I’d encourage you to do just two simple things.  First, continue to pray for the SBC.  Pray for healing in our convention and for the new leaders that are rising up into positions.  Many new people were appointed to committees due to folks resigning or turning down previous offers to positions.  Pray especially for this new leadership and for God to give them new vision.  Pray that unity and love would begin to permeate throughout our convention.  Pray for our new president, Bart Barber, and our new Pastor’s Conference president, Daniel Dickard.  Pray for the missionaries, church planters, ministers, and seminarians that continue to press forward in their callings amidst tumultuous times.  And pray that God would help our convention begin to heal and rebuild its unity this year. 

Secondly, commit to be an agent of change in your own church.  One of the defining marks of a Baptist church is its autonomy.  For those who don’t understand, this means every local Baptist church has the freedom to minister as it so chooses.  The SBC may have some cultural problems, but that does not mean their culture has to become a local church’s culture.  I’m grateful for Austin Baptist Church, as I do believe that love is clear and evident in our church family.  Our people do care for one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, and stand by each other in times of need.  And praise God, we do see new people walk through our doors every weekend, we celebrate that people are joining our church, and we’re encouraged when we see the baptismal waters stirred.  God is at work here, and we must remember to give Him the glory.  But we must also continue to stand on the truth of God’s Word and lift up the name of Jesus Christ, because if we do, I believe God will continue to draw more people to Himself here at ABC.  Commit to do your part to build up this family of faith in love and unity.  Exercise your spiritual gifts and use them for the glory of God and the good of others.  The SBC will only make progress as individual churches make progress in their own ministry contexts.  The SBC is not a top-down organization, it operates bottom-up.  If you want change to be evident at the annual meeting in New Orleans next year, I recommend that you let that change begin in your heart and your church’s heart this year.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

The month of June was recently declared “LGBTQ+ Pride Month” by President Joe Biden.  His official proclamation is a continuation of the precedent established by two of his predecessors, President Clinton and President Obama.  Even if you did not read Joe Biden’s official proclamation, you most likely have seen some of its effects.  Pride flags are raised on many flag poles just below the American flag, department stores are marketing rainbow merchandise in the front of their stores, and most websites and television channels are broadcasting pride promotions to communicate their full support.  Some of this support has even carried over into professional sports. 

For years, professional teams have hosted “Pride Nights” at their ballparks or arenas.  On these nights, they encourage the LGBTQ+ community to come to the ballpark for a night of support and celebration, and the teams usually communicate that support through rainbow banners, signage, and various messaging.  However, the Tampa Bay Rays took their effort one step further on Saturday.  Following the example of the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, they chose to incorporate pride symbols into their official team uniforms.  They added the rainbow colors into the “TB” on their ballcaps and added a colorful sunburst to their jersey sleeves.  But these colorful touches have not been the focus of the headlines this week.  The focus has been on the athletes who refused to wear them.

Pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson were among those who chose to not wear the rainbow flagged uniforms, instead electing to wear their standard gear.  Of course, the media wanted to know why these athletes would go against the grain and not support the LGBTQ+ community as their ballclub’s management recommended.  Jason Adam was chosen to serve as the spokesperson for the group and he explained:

“A lot of it comes down to faith, to like a faith-based decision. So it’s a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It’s no different. It’s not judgmental. It’s not looking down. It’s just what we believe the lifestyle he’s encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.”

So to sum it up, these five Christians said they had a deeply rooted spiritual objection to wearing the pride symbol.  They said doing so would communicate them taking pride in something that their faith says is sin.  This position of course infuriated many across our country.  NY Times writer Tyler Kepner wrote a response article titled, “An Attempt at Inclusion Proves There Is More Work To Do.”  In his article, he says “By creating special uniforms for Pride Night, the Rays were expressing their beliefs as an organization. As the primary messengers for the franchise, the players should have been expected to reflect that position.”  In his article he also quotes author Andrew Maraniss who said, “When people use their interpretation of religion to justify discrimination against people for the way they were born, it’s really an indictment of them and their faith.  Acknowledging that people are people and all fans are welcome, that’s not something you should be able to opt out of.”

Maraniss said that those five players failed to acknowledge “that people are people and all fans are welcome.”  I find that accusation puzzling because if you re-read the statement from Jason Adam, he actually said the exact opposite.  He said, “we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.”  So how could this author, and millions of Americans, view these players as discriminatory when they said that they love the LGBTQ+ community and want them there?  I would argue it’s because the LGBTQ+ community is not seeking our acceptance; they demand our affirmation.  They don’t want Christians to just receive them.  They want Christians to give them the one thing that they cannot give: the celebration of their sin. 

This perspective is exactly why this article was titled with the phrase, “there is more work to do.”  What is the work that needs to be done?  It is the removal of the traditional Biblical worldview from our culture.  For many in our country, it does not matter how nice a Christian may be or how welcoming they may present themselves.  They will no longer accept your acceptance.  They want your ringing endorsement instead.  Anything less is viewed as unacceptable, and their mission will proceed until they have fully shifted the moral fabric of our society.

This puts Bible-believing born again Christians in an increasingly difficult position because the Bible is rather clear on the issue.  The Scriptures speak against the sin of homosexuality pretty straight forward in both the Old and New Testaments (Cf. Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10).  The Bible tells us that God made us male and female (Genesis 1:27, 5:2) and Jesus said marriage was designed for a man and woman to be brought together by God to become one flesh just like our first parents, Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:4-7).  I realize some will read my words and say, “that’s just one interpretation.”  You are correct, it is one interpretation.  But it is the literal interpretation of God’s Word, and it is based on thousands of years of Judeo-Christian heritage and tradition.  Indeed, there are other modern, progressive interpretations that are littered with tainted presuppositions and personal agendas which drive them.  But the church must not be surprised or swayed by those alternative teachings. 

The apostle Paul affirmed the authority of all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and then he charged Timothy to preach that Scripture (2 Timothy 4:2) because others would stop preaching it themselves: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  Church, those days are already here.  People have accumulated teachers to suit their own passions.  If you have a behavior or vice that you want affirmed, you can certainly find a church somewhere to do exactly that.  Consequently, people have wondered off into myths just as Paul warned.  But that is exactly why we must listen to the same instructions that Paul then gave Timothy: “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

We have to be “sober-minded” in this season.  We cannot let our discernment be clouded by cultural influences and competing ideologies.  Instead, we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  And we must be prepared to “endure suffering” for doing so.  If you do not fall in line with the cultural pride movement, make no mistake about it, there will be consequences.  This is the general pattern for whenever you stand for God’s Word.  Jesus himself was rejected and cancelled by His own culture, so why should we expect a better treatment?  Do not be surprised for “ The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).  We must endure any form of suffering and continue to “fulfill our ministry.”  We cannot become so fixated on the problems of this world that we fail to move forward with the mission Christ has given us.  Paul is telling Timothy, it isn’t time to cower.  It’s time to get to work.

So what should that work look like?  Traditionally, whenever the church sees evil in the culture, it has felt compelled to respond via boycott.  In fact, some are calling right now for boycotts of the various entertainment companies, amusement parks, sports teams, and retailers that are supporting the pride movement.  And if you have taken that position, I’m not here to tell you that you are right or wrong.  But I am going to encourage you to consider Paul’s words: “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful” (1 Corinthians 10:23).  You have the freedom to boycott anything you may choose, but my question is, “is it helpful?”  I’d encourage you to consider three things to process that question:

First of all, what is the purpose of your boycott?  Usually, the purpose is to financially penalize an organization in hopes that the inflicted pain will force their hand to change.  If that is the driving mission, it seems that most Christian boycotts have historically failed.  Even in my young life, I’ve seen more Christian boycotts than I can count (Disney, Target, Starbucks just to rattle off a few), but I cannot recall any of them making a lasting impact on the company’s bottom line.  The targeted organization tends to continue business as usual, and eventually the opposition begins to fade and grow tired.  I believe the lack of effectiveness is in part because Christians are simply outnumbered.  Jesus told us, “For the gate that is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many (Matthew 7:13).  Christians can try to cancel businesses if they’d like, but it seems that the world will offset their inflicted losses.

Secondly, consider how wide is the scope of your boycott?  For instance, some might say every Christian should start boycotting the MLB right now.  Fair enough, but are you prepared to boycott everyone else?  The truth is virtually every large business, bank, retailer, sports league, university, or professional organization has adopted some form of a LGBTQ+ affirming position and policy.  Even in the last week, I’ve personally seen rainbow flags on my emails, commercials, and ads for Facebook, Instagram, Google, Youtube, Amazon, the NBA, NFL, and MLB, Old Navy, Target, The Gap, Kendra Scott, NASCAR, Columbia, Petsmart, Yankee Candle, my banking institution, and the US Army.  That list could go a mile long, but those are literally just the first few I can remember interacting with in the last few days.  So if you’re going to champion boycotting, it’s worth considering, “how far will you champion?”  Where do you draw your own personal line of conviction?  That line might end up going way further than you originally intended.

Thirdly, consider how will your boycott align with your mission?  To me personally, boycotts seem to work antithetically to the Gospel mission.  The Bible doesn’t tell us that sinners are the problem and they must be avoided at all cost.  The Bible says they are the mission and they are in fact to be pursued.  If we go live under rocks and wait until Jesus comes back, we will have neglected the sacred mission that Jesus gave His church to go and shine light into dark places.  Jesus didn’t say “Go and make disciples if they are easy to reach and don’t offend you.”  But He did say that He will build His church and the gates of hell won’t stop Him (Cf. Matthew 16:18).  Isolating ourselves away from the world only prevents us from engaging it, and it robs us from seeing the Gospel advance into places of darkness. This is why Paul told Timothy to instead “do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry (Cf. 2 Timothy 4:5). 

Instead of focusing on boycotts, I’d encourage Christians to focus their energy on three things this month.  First, focus on prayer.  Pray for those in our country who have been swept away by the teaching of the Pride movement.  Pray for Jesus to awaken hearts that are currently trapped in sin and spiritually blind to their ways.  Pray for God to soften hearts and bring conviction and clarity to Christians who have been brought into the confusion.  Pray for our children, that they may not fall into the snares of this ideology, but instead they will be rooted and secure in God’s Word.  Pray for salvation to continue to come to the LGBTQ community and for more lives to be radically transformed by the grace of God. 

Secondly, focus on courage.  Hold the line on your convictions this month.  We don’t need Christians apologizing for God’s Word.  God’s Word stands on its own power.  I’m proud of those five Christian baseball players who were willing to count the cost to live out their Biblical convictions.  It’s one thing to go into a business with a pride flag, but it is another thing to be forced to wear the flag in a business.  I’m proud of their decision, but I’m also proud of how they communicated it.  They did not condemn and cast stones at the LGBTQ community.  They simply spoke the truth with a whole lot of grace.  Our culture needs more men and women to rise up and follow their example.

Thirdly and finally, I encourage you to focus on the coming elections.  President Obama was correct, elections do have consequences.  And there are leaders right now in our country that want to push the Equality Act into our society.  The title is deceptive, and it is not about equality.  They want to legislate a new morality and silence the biblical convictions of business leaders.  There are politicians who want to target states and schools that have chosen to protect young women from having to compete against young men in their own sports.  Be educated in the political realm, and vote for politicians that preserve religious liberty, uphold Biblical values, and advocate for policy that reflects truth and common sense. 

I truly do believe many Christians are floundering right now on this topic because they don’t even know what is right.  Many pastors and churches have avoided speaking to these things due to fear and a lack of urgency.  Some pastors have thought they don’t need to address this because they are “preaching to the choir” on Sundays.  Those days are gone.  Choirs and entire churches are divided and filled with as much confusion as the world, and part of this is due to their own pastor’s silence.  A lack of teaching will always create a vacuum (especially in young lives), and people will seek out teachers to fill those voids.  Pastors and Christians, you must speak truth on these things to combat the many voices that people are already listening to.  Church leaders must be less worried that they may become irrelevant if they speak truth, because I assure you they will become irrelevant if they do not. 

Stories like the Tampa Bay baseball game will only continue in the days ahead.  But even as darkness clouds our world, do not forget that the light of Jesus Christ is still with you.  We are not called to take pride in this month’s movement, but we are called to take pride in our Living Savior. “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).  May we all walk on our knees this month and find our power and pride in the cross of our resurrected King.  “For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever.  Amen.” (Romans 11:36).

School is out, temperatures are rising, and our ABC Kids are gone to camp this week.  It is safe to say that summer has officially arrived.  We have big plans this summer at ABC, and this Sunday you will receive a hard copy of our summer calendar to share all the details.  You will find dates for our upcoming Creative Arts Camp for kids, Beach Camp for teenagers, and of course our annual Vacation Bible School outreach for the whole community.  We’ve got plans for mission trips, Bible studies, and fireworks at our 2^nd annual Freedom Over Austin event.  There will be things going on virtually every week all summer long, but the party officially begins this Sunday.

This Sunday is themed as our “Summer Kick Off Party.”  We will be enjoying a day filled with fun and fellowship to commemorate the start to this exciting season.  All children and students will move up to their new grade level classes, and everyone is encouraged to wear Hawaiian shirts to get in on the fun.  Following the BFG hour, we will be serving hamburgers and hot dogs for those who attend the first service, and we’ll have a second wave of food served at 12:15pm for those who attend the second service.  There will be snow cones and inflatables for the kids and classic cars for everyone to enjoy.  It will be an exciting day, and I encourage you to join us for all of it.  If you haven’t already done so, please purchase your $5 meal ticket HERE.  I even encourage you to buy a few extra tickets and invite some guests to come join you for church and the party afterwards.

I think it is important for a church to have fun together.  Scripture tells us “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:1-2a).  Every weekend, we should come to church with gladness in our hearts.  Each Sunday offers another opportunity for us to worship and lift up the name of Jesus Christ with our brothers and sisters who share that same joy that can only come from the Holy Spirit’s presence.  I believe it is fun to be in the house of the Lord, and it is our joy to worship Him and spend time with His people.  I hope you take advantage of our summer calendar and look for opportunities to connect and build community.  But also look for opportunities to invite others to come experience that joy with you.  It will be a great summer at ABC, so don’t miss the kickoff this weekend.

On a side note, I did want to give an update on something else coming up this summer.  Last week, I was accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program at Gateway Seminary in California, and I will begin pursuing my doctorate on July 5^th.  I’m excited to begin this new three-year journey at the SBC’s west coast seminary.  With that in mind, I wanted to hopefully answer a few questions you may have.  First of all, I’m not moving to California 🙂 .  I will have to go to California once or twice a year for a few days, but the majority of my work will be done via correspondence from Austin.  Secondly, I wanted to answer the question, “why Gateway?”.  I studied the Doctor of Ministry programs at all six SBC seminaries, and I was drawn to Gateway’s unique cohort model as I think it will be the best fit for me.  Additionally, Gateway is known by many as the SBC’s leading missions and evangelism seminary.  These ministry areas are near to my heart, and I’m looking forward to learning from their expertise.   As we all know, Austin is becoming increasingly west coast in its culture due to the many businesses and professionals that are constantly relocating to the Austin area.  I think it will benefit me to learn from Gateway’s leaders, as they have been contextualizing the Gospel in that same kind of environment for decades.  Lastly, I chose Gateway because I was honored to be invited into the executive leadership cohort led by the seminary’s President.  I’m looking forward to being sharpened and mentored by one of our convention’s greatest leaders, Dr. Jeff Iorg.

Thank you in advance for praying for me and my family as I begin spinning another big plate, along with all my regular church and family responsibilities.  I know it will be hard work, but I do believe it will be rewarding work.  My prayer is that God will grow and further develop me as a Christian, a husband and father, and as your Pastor and leader for the years to come.  Thank you for your love and support, and I’m looking forward to seeing you this weekend in your finest Hawaiian shirt.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Last Sunday was an amazing day in the life of our church.  Our worship services were dynamic and filled with wonderful music, a special recognition of our graduating seniors, and a powerful video testimony from one of our own members.  I’d like to thank Nathan Wood and our student ministry team for helping make the day special for our graduates and their families.  Additionally, I want to thank Lisa Ghera for sharing her story and our Director of Media, Carlos Jordan, for doing an amazing job telling that story through film.  Many hours of unseen work went into that 7-minute video, so I do thank all who were involved and went above and beyond.  Additionally, I want to thank Dr. Todd Stearns, our choir and orchestra, media teams, and all who made our Savior Oratorio such a success.  The music was powerful, inspiring, and so well done.  Thank you for leading us with excellence, and I know everyone that attended was blessed by the immense talent that led us in worship that evening.  It truly was an incredible Sunday and I hope you were able to experience every piece of it.

As electrifying as Sunday morning was, I must admit that late Sunday evening became equally disheartening for completely different reasons.  As many of you know, Guidepost Solutions, a third-party investigative firm, released its Sexual Abuse Task Force Report for the Southern Baptist Convention that evening.  I came home from church Sunday night to read the headlines and began delving through the nearly 300-page report.  It was sickening to read so many instances of convention leadership mishandling reports of abuse, and even worse, mistreating and mischaracterizing the actual victims of abuse.  It appears that some in leadership chose to worry more about protecting the shield than protecting the sheep.  Some were more concerned with legal liability than the moral liability to our Gospel witness.  It was heartbreaking to see prominent leaders called out by name for inexcusable sin, lies, and cover ups.  But most of all, the report brought light to the depth of hurt that many victims have carried in Baptist churches for decades.  It is only appropriate for us to now grieve with those victims this week.  Paul explains that “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:26 ESV).  Just as we should honor and celebrate our brothers and sisters for their successes from last Sunday, we should also suffer and lament with our brothers and sisters around the country who have been carrying years of pain from abuse.

As we process the report with other SBC churches, I do want to remind you of a few key things.  First of all, this report is being called a “bombshell” report by the news.  Indeed, the report is filled with shocking and horrible things, but we must not forget that it was also a “requested” report.  Messengers at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting overwhelmingly voted and demanded for this independent investigation to be conducted this year.  I was personally in the room and voted for it myself.  There has been writing on the wall for several years, and messengers knew it was imperative for SBC churches to receive an unbiased and true assessment of what has been going on behind closed doors.  This is why the report was conducted through a third-party and the attorney-client privilege was waived.  Guidepost was directed to dig deeply and they certainly did.  I think it is important for us to remember the origin of this report because it shows the heart of most Southern Baptists.  Virtually everyone at that annual meeting (and I believe in most SBC churches) want transparency from leadership and desire to do anything and everything to ensure the protection of our congregations.  I believe virtually every SBC member agrees that sexual abuse is detestable, unbiblical, and has no place in our churches.  That heart led to this investigation, and consequently, I believe light has now shined into previously dark places.

Secondly, I want to encourage everyone to pray for the SBC in its next steps.  Make no mistake about it, this report will be the talk of the annual meeting next month.  Many are wondering what are the SBC’s next steps?  The report does offer some guidelines to be considered which I know will be discussed further.  However, the bottom line is there must be reform.  Southern Baptists, a report like this demands a response, and I am hopeful that the SBC will respond accordingly.  Acknowledging mistakes is a vital first step, but it is not the only step.  Corrective measures must be put into place in response.  Paul explains, “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV).  Worldly grief is simply feeling bad about the consequences of poor decisions.  It is wallowing in regret and shame about a poor course of action that has led to pain.  Paul says that kind of grief never leads to new life, only death.  However, Godly grief leads to repentance without regret.  As Christians, we are called to identify sin, crucify it with Christ, seek forgiveness, and then seek restoration and redemption through His grace.   My hope and prayer is that this will be the course of action for the SBC.  We must learn from this and do better, plain and simple.  I expect reform and so should you.  I am optimistic that reform will indeed come about because I still believe that is the desire for most Southern Baptists around the world.  I will look forward to hearing from leadership in Anaheim and reporting back afterwards.

Thirdly and finally, I do want to speak towards things here at ABC.  The report was correct in saying Baptist churches are autonomous, and consequently, we do have our own child protection policy that we adhere to. Every volunteer that works with kids is background checked every two years, has been interviewed and trained by staff, and has had personal references checked.  Additionally, every child and student volunteer has been certified through Ministry Safe training, which educates adults on best practices with kids and helps them better understand how to identify signs of abuse and potential predators.  Every staff member has likewise gone through each of these measures including the Ministry Safe training.  Additionally, about a year ago, we installed cameras in every classroom in the preschool and nursery area to provide both accountability and the resource of recorded footage if an incident report ever came up in a classroom.  I would like us to extend this technology to the children’s ministry classrooms as well in due time.  I say all of this not to provide a false sense of security.  The reality is no church or organization can 100% guarantee safety.  We do live in a fallen world, and sin will continue until Christ returns.  However, I am proud to say that we have been consulted by professionals and have implemented many commonsense practices that I believe mitigate risk.  As your pastor, and a father of three children, I want you to know we value the safety of every person on campus, especially our children.  I am proud of our church and I hope you are too.

I know it’s been a hard week for the SBC, and we should pray for our convention and for God to lead us in the next steps.  We do serve a God of redemption and my hope and prayer is that beauty will come from these ashes in His timing.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers, and I pray that all Southern Baptists will continue to unite under the authority of God’s Word, by the Great Commission that drives us, and through the Holy Spirit that unites us.   I look forward to seeing you this Memorial weekend for a special Lord’s Supper Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Last week, I was scrolling through my social media feed and saw a familiar sight.  A parent had posted a video of their baby’s first bite of cake.  As is customary for many households, this little birthday boy was put in a highchair and presented a small cake made just for him.  Friends and family gathered around the table, pulled out their phones to record, and then cheered him on as happy spectators.  Right on cue, the inquisitive child stuck his hand in the cake, felt the sticky icing, and brought it to his lips.  A smile came across his face as he looked to his parents with eyes of excitement and perhaps even disbelief over how good it tasted, and then he jumped right back in for another big handful.  Most of us have been in that kind of room.  We have watched our children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews experience their first taste of sugar.  While I’m sure every child’s reaction was unique, I would also dare say every reaction shared common ground.  I would guess none of your kids spit out their first dessert and gave up on sugar for the rest of their lives.  Instead, I would suspect they tasted and saw that it was good, and that goodness led them to a lifetime of coming back for more.

David tells us, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8 ESV).  The verb for “taste” was commonly used in the Old Testament in a literal sense, but here David beautifully applies that same word as a metaphor.  When he says “taste” the Lord, he is instructing his readers to come and have their own personal experience with Him.  A child can watch other people eat cake all day, but he will only experience its goodness if he exercises the faith to try it for himself.  In the same way, you will never know the goodness of the Lord until you take that step of faith to personally encounter Him.  We can certainly learn about God and observe His beauty from a far, but David says blessed is the man who personally takes refuge in Him. 

As we journey through these New Testament encounters with Jesus Christ, I hope you do not miss out on having your own personal encounter with Him.  I would never advise someone to watch baking shows and never actually try cake.  Nor would I advise someone to go to church, but never experience Jesus in their own life.  God wants us to experience His presence in a personal way, and the good news is He wants us to keep coming back for more each day.  When a child eats cake for the first time, that bite is not meant to be his last.  It is meant to be the first bite of many more to come over the course of his lifetime.  In the same way, God wants His children to keep coming back for more grace each day.  Perhaps you encountered Jesus in the past, but are you still taking refuge in Him?  If not, today would be a great day to taste and see that the Lord is still good.  Worship Him this week.  Speak to Him as a friend because He is (Cf. John 15:15).  Share your heart and concerns, hear His voice through the Word, and receive the peace and joy that can only come from walking with Him (Cf. Philippians 4:6-7)

As we continue in our series, I encourage you to invite others to join you on Sundays.  As we saw in last week’s sermon, lives can truly be changed when burdened friends commit to bring their loved ones to Jesus.  Many assume that their friends and peers would never go to church.  Some of this is for good reason, as George Barna discovered in his research that sadly only 30% of millennials and Gen Z are active in any form of faith.  But he also discovered that about 80% of those polled said they would be open to attending a church if they were personally invited.  The truth is many of our friends, colleagues, neighbors, and even family members have never tasted and seen that the Lord is good, but data also says they are willing to giving it a try.  Worshipping with the body of Christ is great way for them to receive that first taste.  I encourage you to prayerfully consider who you can bring with you and boldly invite them to be your personal guest. Additionally, our Savior Oratorio concert will be an amazing opportunity to bring friends with you this weekend.  The 6pm concert will feature our choir, orchestra, and special musical guests, Veritas and Lindsey Graham. We will also be blessed to have Lindsey singing with us this weekend in our Sunday morning worship services.

Take some time to taste and see that the Lord is good this week, and come ready to worship on our special Senior Recognition Sunday.  Let there be light in your life this week, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer