Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”  

Christians are not called to live their lives in isolation.  Because we were made in the image of a relational God, God has also made us for relationships.  We were created to have a relationship with Him, and we were created to have relationships with each other.  This is why the church is described in the New Testament as a “body” with many parts.  We are called to connection with each other, while we are mutually connected to the head of the body, Jesus Christ.

I encourage you to get connected at ABC.  The primary catalyst for connection is our Bible Fellowship Groups that meet at 10am.  This is where people come together to study God’s word, pray, and encourage one another.  Friendships are formed in these classes that spill over to everyday life.  Have you found a group to connect with?  If not, we can help you find one this Sunday at 10am.

I also encourage parents with teenagers to sign up their students for Connection Weekend on February 20-22^nd.  This weekend is designed to facilitate connections for your 6^th to 12^th grader.  These students will connect with God and grow in their relationship with Him through worship, prayer, Bible study, and service.  But they will also connect with each other and build meaningful relationships within their own peer groups.

I want to challenge you with this reminder: you cannot connect if you do not show up.  Connection requires effort, intentionality, and yes, getting over the initial awkwardness that comes with developing new relationships.  But I also want to encourage you with this: that effort is worth it.  God wants you to be known, and there is joy that comes through living in real Christian community.  Don’t neglect the gathering this weekend.  Even better, invite someone to come with you.  I look forward to connecting with you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

I hope you stayed warm and safe during this recent winter storm.  I’m grateful the power outages were minimal around our city, and I am thankful we were still able to meet remotely last Sunday.  I do want to thank our Director of Media Ministries, Stephen Vaughn, for making it possible.  Stephen put many unseen hours into recording, editing, and producing those online worship services.  Because of his effort, we were able to worship together from our living rooms on an icy weekend.

Weekends like last Sunday remind us of the power of media ministries.  Technological resources provide the necessary tools to extend the message of Jesus Christ beyond our church walls.  They help us connect with church members who are unable to gather, and they help us connect with people who have yet to walk through our church doors.  I’m excited we are about to upgrade these critical resources through your continued generosity to Light the Way.

In the next few months, our media partner, Paragon 360, will be installing brand new cameras, broadcasting systems, and worship center video screens.  These resources will provided necessary updates to 15+ year old equipment, but even more importantly they will give us upgraded tools to connect with people beyond our church doors.  After this Phase 1 of media upgrades is installed, we will press on to Phase 2 which includes new lighting and technological security upgrades to our campus.

Thank you for your continued partnership in this effort.  Through Light the Way, we have now eliminated our debt, and we will continue to expand our mission, and extend the message of Jesus Christ in the days to come.  We are approximately $400k from fully funding all Light the Way objectives.  So I encourage you to continue to give your tithes and offerings to the general fund, The Great Commission Fund, and consider giving above and beyond to Light the Way as God leads you.  Together, we will light the way forward at ABC for years to come.

Invite a friend to come experience ABC this weekend!  One simple invitation has the potential to change a life.  I look forward to seeing you this Sunday back on campus at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Join us this Sunday for an incredible time of celebration.  We will give God the glory for what He has done on this special “I Love My Church Sunday.”  We will look back to ABC’s history and reflect on God’s goodness and grace.  We will look forward to ABC’s bright future and celebrate the door of opportunity that God has opened through our debt retirement.

We will have some special guests including my predecessor, Pastor Gary Dyer.  I look forward to bringing him on stage to hear reflections from his time in leadership at ABC.  We will also have a special ceremonial moment at the conclusion of our service where we will celebrate together.  Immediately following worship, we will have a church-wide luncheon offered across our campus.  Please join us for a delicious fajita lunch and enjoy fellowshipping together as a multi-generational church family (buy $10 lunch tickets HERE).

Remember our special schedule for this weekend only: 9am BFGs, one combined worship service at 10:30am, and the church wide lunch at 11:45am.  This is a great opportunity to invite a guest to come and experience the life of our church.  The invitation is simple: “I love my church, and I think you will too.”

P.S. Don’t forget Dr. Matt Gillum will begin his eight-week sabbatical on Monday January 19^th.  Join me in celebrating Matt’s 14 years of service at ABC and pray for him as he takes this time to rest and be spiritually renewed by the Lord.  I am confident Matt will return mid-March with a renewed passion and excitement to serve you and the Lord for years to come.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Happy New Year!  With every new year comes new beginnings.  I encourage you to seize the moment and establish new and healthy rhythms for your life.  Commit to worship with us every Sunday.  Prioritize the sabbath and gathering with the saints.  Commit to a Bible Fellowship Group.  Grow in community this year with like-minded believers.  And as Pastor Nathan challenged us last Sunday, commit to reading the Bible.  Be transformed this year by reading and applying the truth of God’s Word.

Since it is a time for new beginnings, I think it is only appropriate for us to return to the book of beginnings, the book Genesis.  I will kick off a new sermon series this weekend titled, “Foundations,” and we will dive into chapters one through three for the next few months.  These three chapters are foundational to our understanding as Christians.  These chapters explain the foundation of the world, the foundation of man, the foundation of man’s sin, and the brokenness of our world.  The book gives us a foundational understanding of marriage, sex, work, and biblical masculinity and femininity.  This study will take us back to the basics and propel us forward with biblical clarity as we pursue God’s purpose for our lives.

I encourage you to invite a friend this Sunday.  Every church member in the world wants his or her church to reach more people.  But many church members forget they are the primary catalyst for church growth.  God has given every Christian a sphere of influence and has called us into his mission.  Invite the people around you to come and worship Christ this weekend. 

P.S. Save the date for “I Love My Church Sunday” on January 18^th.  We will give God glory and celebrate the beginning of our first debt-free year since we opened our doors here in Four Points.  We are also inviting special guests including my predecessor, Pastor Gary Dyer, to come and worship with us.  BFGs will be at 9am, we will have one combined worship service at 10:30am, and we will have a church wide luncheon at 11:45am ($10 fajita lunch tickets).

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

As 2025 is nearing its end, I want to remind you of our opportunity to make a Kingdom impact through year-end giving.  Thank you for your continued generosity to our general fund at ABC which we call, “The Great Commission Fund.”  The Great Commission Fund provides the resources for our church to advance the Great Commission through our ministries and missions partnerships.  Your tithes and offerings to this fund make ministry possible, including great outreach events such as the recent Sights and Sounds of Christmas.

I also want to make a plug for you to consider giving above your tithes and offerings to our Light the Way generosity initiative.  God has done remarkable things through this church-wide effort.  I look forward to celebrating the retirement of our debt with you in January as we embark on our first ever debt-free year!  However, I also look forward to celebrating the completion of our remaining objections in 2026.  100% of your continued LTW gifts will go toward us fulfilling our remaining missions’ projects, media improvements, and campus security upgrades.  Here are the details of our unfinished LTW business:

• Baptist Community Center – We will provide resources to fund food ministry and campus improvements at this downtown mission center.
• North American Mission Board – Fund Send LA’s church planting residency program and support Pastor Derek Berry’s church plant in northern Pasadena.
• Love For Myanmar – Help build the Healing Trauma Center on the land we have already leased in Yangon.
• Media Improvements – New cameras, screens, and online broadcast systems will be installed in the new year.  We will upgrade our lighting systems next.
• Security Upgrades – We will professionally upgrade our security, adding more cameras and technology systems both inside our facilities and outside in the parking lots.

We need around $600k to complete all remaining Light the Way objectives.  I am confident that God will continue to work through us to Light the Way forward for ABC in 2026.  If God is leading you to partner with us, you can do so HERE. Thank you for your faithfulness, and I look forward to pressing on to week three of our Christmas prophecy series, “The Promise of Christmas.”  I will see you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).  The wise men journeyed far from the east to find the King of the Jews.  As they made their way into the home of Joseph and Mary, they set their eyes on Jesus.  What did their gaze lead them to do?  Worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This Christmas, I pray you set your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  This weekend we will look to Jesus and worship Him at “The Sights and Sounds of Christmas.”  We will have performances on Saturday at 4pm and Sunday at 3pm and 6pm.  All three concerts will have a family-friendly reception immediately following featuring hot chocolate, cookie and ornament decorating, and photo opportunities.

Who can you bring into God’s house to set their eyes on Jesus?  I look forward to seeing you at The Sights and Sounds of Christmas, and at our Sunday morning worship services.  We will unwrap our second Christmas prophecy this weekend, Micah 5:2.  I’ll see you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

The Christmas season is upon us at ABC!  I cannot wait to see what God is going to do as we set our eyes on the Light of the World this month.  I hope you’re planning to join us for our “Light Up Austin” service day this Saturday December 6^th.  We will take Christmas on the road to local community centers such as the Texas Baptist Children’s Home, the Baptist Community Center, and the Cardinal Point Apartments.  Staff and volunteers will serve local parents and children and provide a meaningful Christmas celebration.  Sign up HERE.

The following weekend, we will host our annual Christmas production, “The Sights and Sounds of Christmas.”  This year we are expanding to three identical performances: Saturday December 13^th at 4pm and Sunday December 14^th at 3pm and 6pm.  We will have a family-friendly Christmas reception following each of the concerts featuring hot chocolate, cookie and ornament decorating, photo spots and more.

I encourage you to invest in our Christmas experiences.  All our service projects, special events, and Sunday services are prayerfully designed to stir our hearts for Jesus Christ during this special season.  However, these events and services are not just for you.  I also encourage you to invite others to join you.  There is no better time to invite someone to church than the Christmas season.  Who can you invite to be with you this Sunday?  Who can you bring with you to one of our Sights and Sounds performances?  Don’t miss the opportunity God has given you to share the joy of Christmas.  

The angel in the shepherd’s field reminds us Christmas is a message of “good news of great joy for ALL people” (Luke 2:10). Invite a friend and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday.  I’ll be kicking off our Christmas sermon series, “The Promises of Christmas,” as we look to the OT promises fulfilled through the birth of Jesus.  I’ll see you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

James 1:16-17 says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”  Thanksgiving is upon us at ABC.  This Wednesday we will give thanks as a church family at our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner (sign up HERE).  And this Sunday I’ll preach a special Thanksgiving message to prepare our hearts for this upcoming Thanksgiving week.

I hope these upcoming days are filled with laughter, good food, and great company.  But I also pray these upcoming days are filled with a spirit of thanksgiving in your home. Take time to reflect on the goodness of God.  Identify the good and perfect gifts the Father has given you.  I hope you know that you are one of those gifts to me.  I’m grateful to serve as your pastor, and I am thankful for the fellowship of our church family.  God is doing a great work at ABC, and you are a part of that Kingdom story.  Thank you for giving me and our staff the honor of serving you every week.

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

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  We have much to be thankful for here at ABC.  God continues to pour out His blessings on our church family.  He is growing our church both in width and depth, and He blesses us beyond measure.  We are especially grateful that God retired our debt this year, and we look forward to the big plans He has for our future.

I hope you are planning to join us for our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday November 19^th (buy tickets HERE).  Our food services team will serve a delicious Thanksgiving feast, and we will have a meaningful time of worship and reflection as a church family.  I look forward to hearing testimonies of God’s faithfulness, and I hope you can join us for this special celebration.

This Sunday I’ll wrap up our series, The Generous Life.  I’ll be speaking about the topic of “Generous Impact.”  We will give thanks to God for what He is doing through the generosity of Light the Way, and we’ll look ahead to what He has for us in the future.  Invite a friend and I look forward to seeing you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Romans 12:10 says, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” This Sunday is Veteran’s Day Weekend at ABC.  This is a special day where we take time in our church gatherings to give honor where honor is due. 

Come early to view the “Wall of Honor” display in our lobby.  This tribute has become one of my favorite traditions at ABC, as it displays the many men and women in our church who have served to protect our freedom.  Additionally, we will have a special moment in both worship services where we will recognize our veterans and pray for our nation. It is important for us to remember our religious freedom comes at a great cost.  Our freedom is protected by selfless men and women who serve in our armed services. 

Did you know 1 out of 7 Christians are persecuted around the world?  May we never take for granted the blessing that God has given the church here in America.  I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday and giving thanks to God for our liberty.  We will press on to week two of our “Generous Life” sermon series, and we will also vote for our debt-free, 2026 Great Commission Fund Budget at the conclusion of both services.  Have a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer