On October 6, 2024, we launched Light The Way, a two-year generosity initiative designed to eliminate our debt, expand our mission, and extend the message of Jesus Christ.  On that kick-off Sunday, ABC carried around $4.5 million in debt.  Exactly one year later, on October 6, 2025, Austin Baptist Church became DEBT FREE! 

This is an incredible testimony of God’s grace and your faithfulness to Him.  Thank you for being a generous church and worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ through your giving.  I’m humbled to serve as your pastor, and I am grateful for what this debt retirement means.  The Great Commission will be advanced even farther, and lives will be forever changed because of your generosity. 

I’m most excited that we will begin “tithing as a church” within our general fund budget.  Ten percent of what comes in, will go out to advance the Gospel through missions locally, nationally, and across the globe.  When you give to the church, you will also be giving through the church.  A debt-free budget is a game-changer for the Kingdom of God.

Thank you for your partnership in this effort.  Today, let’s give glory to God for what He has done.  I also encourage you to continue in your giving to Light The Way, as we still have unfinished business in our missions projects, media improvements, and security enhancements.  I am confident, by God’s grace, these remaining objectives can be fully completed in 2026.  God bless you and thank you for your partnership in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Let’s worship this weekend and give thanks to our generous God.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Acts 1:8, “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.”  Jesus had a clear vision for his disciples.  He said his followers will become his witnesses, and they will multiply themselves across the earth.  What began with 120 faithful believers in the upper room of Acts chapter one, has now become a movement of two billion professing Christians across the globe.

This was accomplished through multiplication.  This Sunday I’m going to begin a new sermon series titled, “Multiply: How God Can Advance His Mission Through Us.”  For the next few weeks, we will see how God wants to use each of us to make more disciples and expand his Kingdom even farther.  In conjunction with this sermon series, October will be themed as our “Missions Month.”  Every Sunday you will hear a report of some of the wonderful ministries we partner with as a church locally, nationally, and globally.  This month we are also training our adults in interpersonal evangelism through our Bible Fellowship Groups at 10am.

I encourage you to come expectantly and learn how God can use you to advance his mission right here in Austin and beyond.  Lastly, don’t forget our Egypt Bible Tour is now open for registration: www.austinbaptistchurch.com/egypt.  Come experience the trip of a lifetime and get a glimpse of what God is doing through our church’s partnership with TC Egypt.  I’ll host an informational meeting Sunday October 19^th at 12:30pm in the Chapel for any who would like to learn more.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Our vision at ABC is “to see God light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.”  To fulfill that vision, we must be intentional in building bridges to our neighbors around us.  God has blessed us with a great opportunity to share the love of Christ with some of our closest neighbors at the Cardinal Point Apartments.  Cardinal Point offers affordable housing with free on-site services for families in need.

On Saturday October 4^th, a group of volunteers from ABC will provide dinner and fellowship there on site.  You are invited to come volunteer by simply serving food and breaking bread with our neighbors.  We prayerfully believe this will be the first of many opportunities to relationally engage our neighbors and introduce them to Jesus and our church.  If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to light up your neighborhood, here it is: https://austinbaptistchurch.com/event/cardinal-point-volunteer-supper-event?d=2025-10-04

We have one more week in our current sermon series, “The One Anothers.”  We’ve learned to love one another, welcome one another, forgive one another, bear one another’s burdens, and encourage one another.  This Sunday we’ll conclude our series by learning to serve one another.  We will also celebrate our young families through Parent Child Dedication, and we will take the Lord’s Supper together as a church family.

Lastly, don’t forget our Egypt Bible Tour is now open for registration: www.austinbaptistchurch.com/egypt.  Come experience the trip of a lifetime and get a glimpse of what God is doing through our church’s partnership with TC Egypt.  I’ll host an informational meeting Sunday October 19^th at 12:30pm in the Chapel for any who would like to learn more.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  God cares.  This simple but profound truth gives great comfort to our souls.  He knows our anxieties, He knows the battles we face, and He cares about them.  Last Sunday we saw one way God demonstrates this care is through the care of the local church.  What burden can you help carry for someone else this week?  We are all ministers, and we all have an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

One way we demonstrate our care is by also caring for those beyond our church walls.  I had a great trip to Los Angeles with a few staff and church members last week.  We spent time with our church planter, Derek Berry, and his sweet family.  We also had the opportunity to visit an incredible ministry center sponsored by the SBC’s Send Relief.  This ministry is meeting the needs of north Hollywood and pushing back darkness with the light of Jesus Christ.  I’m looking forward to continuing this partnership through your ongoing generosity to Light the Way.  I am especially excited for the group of young adults we will send to serve these ministries in Los Angeles in 2026.

God is doing a great work through our church.  I encourage you to continue to BE the church by loving one another, welcoming one another, forgiving one another, bearing one another’s burdens, and this weekend we will learn to encourage one another.  Invite a friend, and I look forward to seeing you at 8:45am or 11:15am. 

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”  People walk into the church carrying all kinds of heavy weights.  These weights are invisible, but their presence is undeniable.  Some are carrying heavy anxiety from their home lives.  Marital conflict, rebellious kids, and relational heartache can become unbearable at times.  Others are carrying heavy burdens from their work.  An unquenchable pressure to perform and a to-do list that never ends creates a high level of stress.  Others are facing a personal financial crisis, a serious health ailment, or grieving the loss of a loved one. 

The anxieties in our hearts can be overwhelming at times, but praise be to God for giving us the gift of His church.  The One Anothers sermon series is teaching us how to be the church to one another.  The church is called to shine as a city on a hill, a place of refuge for those who are weary.  We are Biblically called to love one another, welcome one another, forgive one another, and this Sunday we will see we are called to bear one another’s burdens.  How can you help lighten the load for someone in our church this week?  King Solomon said one simple way is to share “a good word” with them today.

I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday.  Invite a friend, and I’ll see you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Psalm 122:1 says, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’.”  I hope you are glad when you come to ABC each Sunday.  I truly do believe the gathering of God’s people is a special and sacred thing.  God wants His people to be connected to Him, but He also wants us to be connected to one another.  The One Anothers sermon series is reminding us of how we are called to relate to one another within the church.  So far, we’ve learned we are called to love one another, welcome one another, and this Sunday we will see we are called to forgive one another.

As we continue to learn how to “be” the church, I would encourage you to take your next step at ABC.  It is one thing to attend our church, but it is a much sweeter thing to become a part of the faith family.  What is your next step?  For some, it may be to officially join the church.  Others may need to find authentic community through a Bible Fellowship Group.  Or perhaps you need to check out Midweek or find a volunteer team to serve on.  We have many onramps into the life of our church, so I encourage you to prayerfully find yours this month.

As a reminder, we have relaunched our Citizen ATX podcast show.  We just released a new series titled, “Blueprints: Jesus’ Design for the Church.”  This podcast series will complement our Sunday morning sermon series.  On Sundays, we will focus on how to “be” the church, but in our weekly podcast show we will focus on “what” constitutes a church.  We are covering topics such as the gathering, the great commission, authority, ordinances, spiritual gifts, and more.  Citizen ATX is available on all major podcast platforms, or you can click this link to access content online: https://citizenatx.buzzsprout.com/

I look forward to welcoming you Sunday.  Invite a friend, and I’ll see you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

School is back in full swing which means the college football season is upon us!  This Sunday is College Colors Day, and we are inviting you to wear your favorite team’s colors.  Most of you know I enjoy watching college football, but I also love how football brings a community together.  It gives a reason for people to come together and watch a game.  And it also gives a conversation starter for people to build connections with others.  I hope many connections are made this Sunday as we represent our favorite teams and perhaps even enjoy some friendly banter.

Even though we will represent many different teams this Sunday, our sermon series will remain focused on the one team we are all a part of: Austin Baptist Church.  The One Anothers sermon series is focused on how we can be the church here at ABC.  Last Sunday we saw we are called to “love one another,” and this weekend we will focus on the New Testament’s instruction to “welcome one another.”  How can you make someone feel welcome this Sunday?  It all begins with intentionality. 

We must always be a church that exists for those who are not here yet.  Welcome someone this Sunday, as Christ has welcomed you into His family.  If you are heading out of town for this three-day Labor Day weekend, I wish you safe travels on the road.  For those of us who are staying in town, I encourage you to invite a friend to church, and I look forward to seeing you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

I’m looking forward to seeing you this Sunday as we kick-off our new sermon series, “The One Anothers.”  The Bible teaches that we do not just go to church, but we are the church.  The Spirit of God dwells in each of us, and we are united by the same confession of Jesus Christ.  As Christ-followers, the Scriptures provide instruction for how we should interact with one another as His church.

Did you know the New Testament has over 50 “one another” commandments?  These commandments shine light on what it looks like to live in Biblical community as the church.  For the next six weeks, we will examine six of the most important “one another” commandments, starting with the biggest one: “love one another.”  I hope you plan to join us this weekend for a special Lord’s Supper Sunday.

And don’t forget Midweek is back Wednesday night!  Come experience the life of our church at 5:30pm for dinner, and 6:30pm for classes with all ages.  Go BE the church this week and invite a friend to join you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Our fourth core value at ABC is authenticity.  1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”  God wants us to be authentically known by him and by others.  We were made for relationships, and thankfully the Gospel reconciles us back to God and to each other.

When we surrender to Christ, he begins to light up our lives.  We then walk in the light as he is in the light and have fellowship with him.  But John takes it a step further and says we also begin to have fellowship with one another.  The body of Christ is a beautiful thing.  Within the church, we do not need to hide in darkness because we are all reconciled sinners by God’s grace.  Instead, we can build meaningful fellowship with one another through the unity of Jesus Christ.

Do you have authentic Christian community here at ABC?  Admittedly, we are too big of a church for everyone to know everyone.  However, we are NOT too big for everyone to be known by someone.  I encourage you to establish rhythms of community this fall semester.  Join a BFG group at 10am.  We have groups for every age and stage of life.  Join us for midweek when it returns on August 20^th.  We’ll have dinner every Wednesday night at 5:30pm, with equipping classes and ministries available for all at 6:30pm.

Take a step of faith this week and build fellowship in our church.  Don’t just go to church.  Become a part of the family because we have room for you.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

One of our core values at ABC is grace.  John 1:14 says “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  The Son of God put on human flesh and walked in a fullness of truth AND grace.  Most people are only strong in one of the two.

Some believers are strong in truth.  They boldly proclaim what God’s Word says and do not fear drawing hard lines in the sand.  However, some of these saints struggle to season their speech with salt, or have compassion for the lost.  Other believers can be strong in grace.  They are empathetic and compassionate, always considering the well-being of others.  However, they care so much they are unwilling to communicate hard truth when they know it will hurt.

Jesus was miraculously able to do both perfectly.  He was bold and prophetic, but he was gracious and kind.  He called out sin, yet he spent time with sinners.  Children found him to be winsome, and the lost found him to be warm.  Admittedly, none of us will ever be perfect like Jesus, but we are called to do our best to imitate his example.

This means we must lift up the truth so all can see the light (Psalm 119:105), but we must also welcome others with the warmth of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful to pastor a warm congregation.  We have some of the most loving people on planet earth right here at ABC.  However, we must not take that for granted.  We must strive to maintain that culture and scale it as we grow.

Who can you be gracious to this week?  Perhaps you could send a text message, a hand-written note, or a thoughtful gift.  You could set aside time from your friends this Sunday to instead look for new people to welcome into our church.  Oftentimes it is these little touches that shine the brightest.  Go shine your light this week.  Be gracious with others as Christ has been gracious with you.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer