It’s hard to believe it, but the school year is almost wrapped up and summer is right around the corner.  I think there is fresh sense of excitement leading into this new season, as last summer felt stolen by the pandemic.  But with COVID numbers consistently diminishing and CDC guidelines relaxing, most Austinites are making big plans for the summer.  People are feeling the need to get out, and they are hungry to find fellowship with others.  However, we should note that desire was not caused by this pandemic.  God declared in the garden “it is not good that the man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18 ESV).  As image bearers of God, we are made to be relational just like our Creator.  Our desire for fellowship is deeply embedded into our souls, and the pandemic simply starved us from feeding that natural appetite.  So thousands in our city are now looking for ways to nourish that need.

My prayer is that many will find the fellowship they are looking for at ABC.  We want our church family to serve as a place of refuge, for people to connect, be fed, and find encouragement that can only come through community with other believers.  To make that happen, our church is going to offer many extra opportunities for people to find community this summer.  The fun will begin this Friday at our first ever “Homecoming Dinner.”  This event is designed to provide a fellowship opportunity for those who are new, or newly returning, to ABC.  Our hope is that all of our guests that night will feel welcomed and will begin to build new relationships with our staff and with each other.  If you would like to join us for this special event, there is still room to add a few extra folks.  Simply reach out to Christina Mendoza and she’d be happy to assist.

We are also planning a church-wide social on Sunday June 6^th.  Save the date and plan to participate in our ABC Summer Kick-off Party.  We encouraging everyone that morning to wear Hawaiian shirts or relaxed summer attire as we celebrate the arrival of summer.  We’re going to have some classic cars and boats on display, the children’s and student ministries are going to have tropical fun-factors, and BFG classes will be having a chili cook-off competition.  The winning class will be awarded an amazing breakfast in their room the following Sunday.  We will have a church-wide luncheon at 12PM, and we’ll be serving hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and have inflatables for the kids.  I encourage you to register quickly so we can count you in on the food order.  Lunch tickets are available for $5 and you can purchase them here: https://www.austinbaptistchurch.com/summer.  But I also encourage you to consider buying a few extra tickets and inviting your neighbors and friends.  This party will serve as a perfect opportunity to invite a guest to ABC and have them enjoy the fellowship of this exciting church family.  

There will be plenty of opportunities to invite others into the followship of our church this summer.  VBS is coming up, Freedom Over Austin is on the horizon, and there will many amazing events happening all summer long.  But the first opportunity to invite someone is this Sunday in worship.  My prayer is that the fellowship of ABC will stand out to those who walk in, as they see us aim to be the church that God’s Word has called us to be: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 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. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15-17 ESV).

May we stand united as one body, with Christ ruling in our hearts, and thankful for all that He’s done.  I look forward to worshipping alongside you this Sunday.

I hope you all enjoyed our Mother’s Day celebration.  I thought last Sunday was an amazing weekend of worship from start to finish.   From the pre-service photo loop, to the children’s ministry video tribute, to the delicious chocolate truffles provided after our services, I believe Mother’s Day 2021 was a day that we’ll all remember for a long time.  I am proud of our team and how hard they worked to honor the Lord and our mothers on this big day.  I’m especially thankful for Lori DeVillez and Tabitha Jackson for encouraging our mothers and challenging our congregation through their powerful stories.  I firmly believe that if you are pro-life, you also have to be pro-mom.  As we heard, there are many mothers in our city who are in a pregnancy crisis, so I’m thankful for ministries like the Trotter House that lead the way in ministering to them.  I look forward to continuing, and expanding, our partnership with Trotter House, so we can help share the hope and help that comes through Jesus Christ and His people.

Even aside from the Mother’s Day excitement, last Sunday was worth celebrating for another reason.  It was the first time since August of 2019 that we saw 800+ people attend our regularly scheduled worship services (excluding Easter).  Momentum is continuing to build as every week we welcome new faces, and welcome back many familiar ones.  Last Sunday was a good reminder of why we are hosting our Homecoming Dinner on Friday May 21^st.  That evening will provide a great opportunity for our new and newly returning folks to be properly “welcomed home,” but it will also give me an opportunity to share my vision with you and answer any questions that you may have about ABC.  If you have not already RSVP’d for this important dinner, please do so now using this link: www.austinbaptistchurch.com/homecoming.  It will be a be a wonderful night of fellowship, unity, and excitement as we look to all that God has in store for us together in the coming days.

This steady growth indeed brings excitement to our church, but it is important to note that it also brings needs.  As more and more people walk through our doors, more ministry needs likewise start to arise.  Last weekend we had over 100 in our ABC Kids worship services for the first time since the pandemic.  Our student ministry also reached 80 for the first time since the pandemic, and many BFG classes are starting to add chairs.  Food services are continuing to be stretched, as are our greeters, ushers, and AV team members.  We also are looking to expand our music ministry with more choir members and instrumentalists.  I’d encourage you to ask yourself how you can join in on the excitement.  Peter reminds 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 believer in this church has been given at least one spiritual gift, and we’ve been given those gifts for a purpose: to serve one another. 

That is the beauty of the church.  As the church grows with needs, God already gives the church everything it needs to meet them.  This is because church members are not designed to be spectators, but instead, participants in ministry.  Peter actually tells us that we are “living stones” that God uses to build up His church (1 Peter 2:5).  So my question for you to consider this week is, “How is God using you to build up ABC?”  I have no doubt that God has given you gifts that would be a blessing to this church, and I also have no doubt that we need your help on the team.  So I encourage you to not settle for the bleachers.  It’s so much more fun to get in the game.  If God is tugging on your heart to serve in any of these areas, I encourage you to reach out to one of our ministers and they will gladly help you find the right place to plug in. 

I believe Jesus is building up this local church.  May we all be available to Him to use us however He wants in this kingdom construction project.  I look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we press on in our study of the seven “I am” statements of Christ.

This Sunday will be a special day in the life of our church as we celebrate Mother’s Day at ABC.  I think this year’s Mother’s Day will be especially significant because many did not get to see or celebrate their moms on this day last year.  I believe many will make up for lost time, and our church will be filled with mothers, grandmothers, and even great grandmothers worshipping alongside their loved ones and celebrating God’s blessing of motherhood.  We have big plans this weekend to honor our moms at ABC through a photo tribute, a special video, a poem, and a message from God’s Word about the power of motherhood.  Every mom in attendance will also walk away with a box of delicious chocolate truffles, courtesy of our ABC food services team.

Through all of this, I pray that our moms will be blessed this weekend, and our church will see that ABC loves mothers and values the unique role that God has entrusted to them.  We should do this because Jesus himself treasured his mom.  When Jesus was on the cross and approaching his final breath, the scriptures record seven different statements that he made at Calvary.  I find it interesting that one of these final statements revolved around His devotion to His mother.  Jesus looked at his dear friend, John, and his faithful mother, Mary, and said “’Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, you mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26-27).  Some commentators believe Joseph likely passed away by this time, so Jesus is clearly concerned about his mother’s welfare after He dies.  So even though He is bearing the weight of all the sin of the world on his shoulders, Jesus still made it a high priority to honor and care for his mom

At ABC we are committed to honor and care for the mothers in our city  We do this through relationships, ministries, and support systems that we have built into this community of faith.  For instance, we are launching a new fully licensed 4-day preschool, “Little Lights Preschool,” this fall to minister to young children, but also to minister to moms.  We are partnering with moms this summer through our on-campus Vacation Bible School, as well as through dozens of activities and events for kids this summer.  We have a dynamic Women’s Ministry, with bible studies, special events, and Godly women that are devoted to love, encourage, and pray for moms in our city.  Our hope is that all mothers will not only feel loved on Mother’s Day, but also feel valued and encouraged all year long at ABC.

One way we also support mothers in our city is through the Trotter House.  Some of you are very familiar with one of church members, Lori DeVillez.  Lori has the honor of serving as the Executive Director and Founder of Trotter House.  She has devoted her lifetime to investing into the lives of moms who are in a pregnancy crisis.  This weekend, I’ve invited Lori to share her heart for mothers and give an update on how God is moving in the lives of moms through her ministry.  We will also have several Trotter House tables in the Great Hall that will display many ways in which you can partner with their ministry, so you can also make an impact on moms who are in desperate need.

I hope you are as excited to worship this weekend as I am!  Take some time to personally invite a mother to be a part of the celebration at ABC.  I look forward to seeing what God is going to do through this special Mother’s Day weekend.

Last Sunday was a special day in the life of our church, as we saw God move in a powerful way through our Student Ministry.  Our first ever “ABC Student Weekend” was a huge success, and it was inspiring to watch our students lead the way in our church. I want to thank our Student Minister, Nathan Wood, for his outstanding leadership behind the scenes to make the weekend such a success.  I also want to give a special thanks to Mason Cushing and Ashton Rausch for sharing their hearts through their testimonies.  I believe God spoke a word to each of us through their stories that morning.  I also want to thank you church family for being so supportive of our next generation.  The importance of our church investing into the lives of our children and youth cannot be overstated.  They are our future, and we must ensure that we equip them to carry on the work of the ministry for the generations to come.  Thank you for loving them, encouraging them, and blessing them with your generous contributions at the spaghetti luncheon. 

While our students were indeed a spark of energy last Sunday, it was also exciting to see that our crowd is continuing to grow week to week.  We saw our largest crowd since March 1, 2020 walk through our doors for our regularly scheduled worship services.  We are welcoming first-time visitors every weekend, and our Bible fellowship groups are starting to add chairs to their rooms.  It is an exciting time in the life of our church, and my prayer is that this wave of momentum will only continue to grow in the coming days.  I believe there is a hunger in our city as thousands of people are longing to connect, experience community, and meet with the Lord after such a dry year.  Be cognizant of those that God has strategically placed around you.  Paul reminds us that “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV).  I encourage you to serve as a kingdom ambassador this week.  Love and encourage those who are around you and invite them to come experience what God is doing here at ABC.  If we commit to that, I have no doubt that Jesus Christ will continue to build up his church with people from across the Greater-Austin area.

To help you serve as an ambassador, our staff has worked hard to build a dynamic summer calendar for our church family to enjoy and to use as a catalyst to invite others.  This Sunday you’ll receive this calendar in your bulletin, and I recommend you take it home and keep it in front of you.  There will be exciting events such as “Freedom Over Austin,” which will be a patriotic event hosted here at ABC on July 3rd.  It will feature a professional fireworks show, food trucks, and carnival attractions for kids and teens.  We’re also going to have a night at the ballpark this summer, as we’ve purchased a large block of tickets for our church to go watch a Round Rock Express game together.  We will have a summer kick-off party after church on Sunday June 6^th with burgers/hot dogs, inflatables, BFG chili cook off, and great fellowship for all.  You’ll see we’re offering a free in-person VBS and several wonderful kids events all summer long.  The students will be looking forward to beach camp and great fellowship events each month.  The women’s ministry will have some wonderful nights out, and in a few days we’re going to announce some additional special events specifically for our senior adults.  I think you’ll see that our church will be busy this summer!  I hope you plan to jump in and invite someone to come alongside you.  Our prayer is that these events will help our church build relationships with the surrounding community, and that these events will open up the door for our church to make a Gospel-centered impact on thousands of people.

This Sunday, I am looking forward to stepping back into the pulpit to carry on in our “Who Do You Say I am” series.  This week, we’ll be looking at Jesus’ declaration that He is “the door” in John 10:9.   The door is open for each of you to come and meet with Christ this Sunday.  I hope that you’ll walk through our doors and invite some to come in with you.  God bless you and your home, and I look forward to seeing you on this Lord’s Supper Sunday.

If you’re new to ABC, it won’t take you long to realize that ABC loves kids!  Our church family has always placed a strong emphasis on reaching and teaching the next generation for Jesus Christ.  Because of that, we offer some of the finest staff and volunteers, resources, and facilities to the youngest ones who walk through our church doors.  In the coming weeks, you’re going to see a dynamic summer calendar filled with great events, many of which are designed specifically for kids.  These events will include staple programs such as our vacation bible school, student beach camp, and pre-teen camp.  But you’ll also discover lots of new exciting things sponsored by our ABC Kids and ABC Student ministries.  You’ve probably also heard that we are expanding our day preschool this coming Fall to make it a fully licensed 4-day ministry to our community.  “Little Lights Preschool” will help nurture and teach the youngest children in our area, and we’re confident that it will shine light into homes all across Austin.  I’m thrilled to pastor a church that is committed to raising champions for Jesus Christ and devoted to making the necessary investment to do so.  But perhaps the greatest investment we could make as a church family is to teach the next generation how to serve.

Every year new studies come out that communicate the same disheartening news: most high school graduates simply stop going to church.  That reality has led to conversations filled with countless proposed answers to the most obvious question, “Why on earth is this happening?”  While I acknowledge the answer to that question is multifaceted, I would dare say one major reason young adults leave the church is because they never learned how to contribute to the church.  Many children across our country are taught that their only job at church is to receive.  They aren’t specifically told that, but their programs are specifically catered to their needs, all the work is done for them, and they simply have to show up and absorb for 18 years.  While I do firmly believe we must pour into our children, I also believe our children have to learn how to pour out themselves.  Regardless of our age, God has given every believer time, talent, and treasure to be used to build up His church.  Even our youngest believers have spiritual gifts that God has given them to serve the bride of Christ (1 Peter 4:10).  That’s why we had kids serving with their parents and leaders last weekend at ABC Serves.  That’s why we have teenagers help lead our kids every Sunday in our children’s worship program, Elevate.  And that’s why this Sunday we are going to have our first ever “Student Weekend” here at ABC

This Sunday our student ministry is going to “take over” the church.  We’re going to have youth serving as greeters and ushers, we’re going to have a student choir in both services, and we’re going to feature talented student singers and musicians.  Students will help lead us in prayer and in the various platform assignments.  We are even going to have students share their testimonies in worship and in a few of our bible fellowship groups.  After each worship service, dozens of students are going to serve our church family lunch at our Super Summer Spaghetti Spectacular luncheon.  As you can imagine, a lot of work has gone into making this Sunday happen.  I want to thank our Student Minister, Nathan Wood, for his outstanding leadership these past several weeks.  The efforts of Nathan and his team will provide a special moment in the life of our church as we watch our students boldly serve and lead our family of faith.

When you see these students this Sunday, I encourage you to thank them for their service, and serve them by being their biggest cheerleaders!  It takes a lot of courage for even an adult to step up and serve Christ which is why these students are so remarkable.  As you may remember, Timothy was a powerful young Pastor in an established church of Ephesus.  He had a big job ahead of him to lead the church, but Paul charged him to not shy away from his calling as a young man.  Instead, Paul said “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).  Join me in praying for these students as they set the example this weekend for all of us.  Come to church ready to worship and ready to learn because Jesus says we all should take notes this Sunday: “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4).

God bless you and your family and I look forward to worshipping with you on this special Student Weekend.

“Who do you say I am?”  In Matthew 16, Jesus asked this question to His disciples, as He understood that there were a variety of opinions circulating about Him.  This is because Jesus is the most famous person to ever walk on this earth and people have always been trying to make sense of Him.  And since Jesus ascended back to heaven, these opinions have only increased over nearly 2,000 years.  It’s good to become educated on these various opinions, but Jesus tells us in that Matthew 16 passage that He is most concerned about your opinion.   “Who do you say I am?” is the most important, and the most personal, question in the entire Bible.  This is because the question calls every person to process His life and ministry and come to a decision regarding all of it.  The weight of the question likewise could not be overstated, as scripture tells us, all of eternity is hinged to that answer. That’s why I’m so thrilled that more and more people in our church are coming to the same conclusion that Peter had that day: “He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).”

This past week we celebrated another baptism, which is a public answer to that essential question.  We’ve been humbled to watch 8 individuals in our church get baptized over the past 5 weeks.  Believer’s baptism is a special moment where people proudly raise their flags for Jesus Christ.  In obedience to Christ’s command, each of those eight people showed outwardly what they already knew inwardly: Jesus is their Lord.  Last Sunday we added 6 more new members who likewise answered that question.  They joined this family of faith based on our common confession that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Three other individuals said they are ready to join our church family as well and will be following through with believer’s baptism very soon.  God is moving in our church family, and by His grace more and more people will discover the answer to that question through the ministry of ABC.

This question should stir us to action.  The reality is most people do not know the true answer to that question.  Everyone knows of Jesus, but most do not know Him personally (Matthew 7:13-14).  That’s why we must commit to take the Gospel to others outside of our church, both by word and deed.  We are all ambassadors for Christ, and we all must do our part in kingdom service.  I’m so proud of Scott Agthe and our Missions Committee, as well as our Deacons, for leading the way in our first ever church-wide service day, “ABC Serves.”  These men and women have worked hard in organizing and planning these past 2 months.  Their efforts have made it possible for our church to be mobilized to take the hope of Jesus Christ out to our community through service.   This Saturday, ABC will work with 12 organizations to meet needs across our city.  We will be partnering with great organizations such as Austin Baptist Chapel, Baptist Community Center, Mission Possible, Trotter House, Circle of Hope Community Center, Texas Baptist Children’s Home, Community First, Down Home Ranch, and more.  I am proud of those who have labored hard to make this weekend happen, and I’m proud of every person who has answered the call to serve alongside them this Saturday.

My hope and prayer is that we will all continue to open our eyes to the needs around us.  Jesus is clear that there is no shortage of work to do.  He’s said it has always come down to a shortage of labor.  He explains that , “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38 ESV).  Jesus has answered that prayer by sending 100+ laborers out this Saturday to serve as His hands and feet.  But I know there will be plenty of work left to do next week as well.  I encourage you to labor for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Ask for God to use you, and pray for a great harvest here at ABC.  By His grace, I believe many more are going to learn the true answer to that question through the ministry of our church.

Ask God who you could invite to join you in worship this weekend.  We will press on in our study of the “I am” statements and we’ll learn that Jesus is the light of the world.  Come prayed up and expectant to meet with God in His house.  Have a great week and I’ll see you Sunday.

I hope you were as encouraged as I was last Sunday!  Easter 2021 was a special day in the life of our church as we celebrated a “homecoming” moment for many in the ABC family.  Last Sunday we saw 1,187 people join us in-person for our worship services, we distributed 3,000 eggs to children in our community, we added seven new members, and baptized five new followers of Jesus Christ.  The choir sounded amazing and featured the most voices we’ve had on stage in over a year.  The orchestra was packed with talented instrumentalists who provided a beautiful, full sound in our worship center.  I want to thank Eddie Cox, Mackenzie Guthrie, Carlos Jordan, and the dozens of volunteers in our music and media ministries for making it all happen.  Their hard work and servant leadership behind the scenes made it a special day for all of us.

But while the music was beautiful, perhaps the sweetest sound all day was the “buzz” coming from our Lobby.  It was music to my ears to hear the body of Christ congregating, laughing, hugging, and enjoying one other’s company. People were handing out bulletins, drinking coffee, and even eating donuts.  I might dare say, it finally “felt” like church.  My prayer is that kind of momentum will only continue to build in the coming weeks.  God willing, we’ll keep seeing new people walk through our doors, and we’ll see more of our regulars come back home to worship and experience the community that can only come through the body of Christ.  As folks continue to walk through our doors, ^“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, ⁶ that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:5-7 ESV).

So what’s next at ABC?  As a diehard Aggie, I don’t like to quote Texas Longhorns very often.  However, I have to admit I can resonate with what Coach Sarkisian has been preaching lately on the 40 acres: “it’s going to be all gas, no brakes.”  We are likewise moving full steam ahead with lots of exciting things coming up.  I hope you’re signed up for our ABC Serves event on April 17^th.  If you have signed up, you’ll be able to pick up your t-shirt in the Great Hall this Sunday.  If you haven’t, I encourage you to sign up quickly as space is filling up.  This Sunday we’re also going to celebrate 4 families through our Parent Child Dedication during the 11:11 service.  These moms and dads are going to boldly commit to raise their children in Christ-centered homes.  After worship, I’ll also be leading our Starting Point membership class to get to know some of our recent guests at ABC.  In worship, we’re kicking off a brand-new sermon series on Jesus’ 7 I am statements titled, “Who do you say I am?”  I believe we’ll all be challenged and encouraged as we get to know Jesus through His own words. 

More great things are on the horizon, but it all begins this Sunday.  Easter may be behind us, but this Sunday will be another resurrection celebration.  Invite someone to celebrate with you and come expectant to meet with the Lord in this place. 

I hope you had a great week, and for those of you fortunate enough to enjoy a spring break, I hope you found some rest.  I had a great week with my family as we got to spend time together with out-of-town relatives and friends.  I missed being with you all on Sunday, but it was refreshing to reconnect and recharge before our final sprint to Easter.  I want to publicly thank Pastor Matt Gillum for filling in the pulpit last Sunday to free me up.  I know we’d all agree that he did a great job wrapping up our “Fresh Start” series by teaching us what it means to truly do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

I’m looking forward to rejoining you in our worship services this weekend.  As you know, we will celebrate Palm Sunday and prayerfully enter into Holy Week.  Sunday’s services will be filled with special elements, as our children’s choir will help lead us in worship, we’ll observe the Lord’s Supper together as a community, and we’ll be celebrating changed lives through believer’s baptism in both services.  I hope you make it a priority to join us for this important Sunday and begin preparing your own heart for Easter.

Proper preparation is always critical for any event to be successful.  Last week, in order for us to have a successful vacation, we had to thoughtfully prepare all of the logistics.  We had to focus on our schedules, pack the right things, and make all of the proper travel arrangements.  In the same way, we must all thoughtfully begin preparations if we want to have a successful Easter at ABC.  These preparations will look different than my travel plans, because spiritual preparation isn’t centered around mere logistics.  Instead, the preparation we must focus on centers around our hearts.

You might ask, “how do I prepare my heart?”  First, I’d advise you to reflect on the Gospel with fresh eyes.  Paul tells us, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  It is of “first importance” that we remember our own need for a Savior.  Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection were not merely historical events, they were personal events for any Christian.   His death was our death, and by grace and through faith, His resurrection is our new life as well.

Secondly, I’d encourage you to confess your sin.  There is an old puritan saying that the most mature Christian isn’t the one who sins the least, but rather the one who repents the most.  As we grow in Christian maturity, we should also grow in awareness of our own shortcomings.  The more we understand the Word, the more we see where we fall short.  The more we are led by the Holy Spirt, the quicker we will hear His correction.  I’d encourage to examine your heart this week and ask for the Holy Spirit to expose and convict you of sin.  When He does, quickly confess and turn away.  When you do, the Apostle John tells us there is great news waiting for you: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Finally, I’d encourage you to commit to the Word of God.  Read your Bible every day.  If you already read your Bible every day, read more of it every day leading up to Easter.  Don’t spend your time on commentaries and authors (although they all have a purpose), but instead solely focus on God’s Word.  Let Him speak to you, not some other author.  I truly believe most Christians spend more time each week reading the words of man, instead of the Word of God.  Read God’s Word consistently and purposefully this week.   Read the crucifixion and resurrection accounts in each of the four Gospels.  Read the greatest resurrection chapter in the scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15.  Focus intently on the story of Easter, and ask for God to speak into your life through His Word.  The good news is the Book is alive, just like our Savior (Hebrews 4:12).  If you seek His voice this week, I believe you’ll find it in His Word.

The countdown is officially on for Easter.  My question is are you ready for the big day?  We’ve all got time to get prepared, but the work begins today.  So may we all be purposeful in the coming days, because if we are, I believe we’ll experience a Resurrection Sunday like no other.  Have a great rest of your week and I’ll see you on Sunday.

I looks like warmer weather and sunny skies arrived just in time for this week’s spring break!  Many Austinites have been looking forward to this week, especially after such a frigid and tumultuous February.  Thousands of Austinites are now spending time with their family and friends to rest and recharge for the final sprint to summer.  Likewise, I’m also enjoying some time off this week with Bethany and the kids, as we rest before the final sprint to Easter.

I’m excited that churches around the country will be gathering in-person this year on Easter Sunday.  As we all know, almost every church in America had its doors closed on Easter in 2020, but I’m praying this Easter will be a “homecoming” moment for many Christians across our country.  To make room for those who are not here yet, we are offering three identical worship services with choir and orchestra at 8:15AM, 9:45AM, and 11:11AM.  This schedule will give us extra space for guests and extra time to properly sanitize and flip the room in between services.  If you are ready to worship with us in-person, I’d encourage you to join us on this special resurrection Sunday.  For our early risers and for those who would like to avoid the crowds, I would encourage you to join us for our earliest morning service.  I believe you’ll be blessed by that 8:15AM service,  and you will likewise be a blessing to our guests in the later services by making room for them.

As we approach this special Sunday, I’d encourage you to do a couple things.  The first is pray.  Pray for our services, for the message, and for the music being led by Eddie Cox and Mackenzie Guthrie.  Pray that people will feel welcomed, loved, and renewed by the hope of Christ’s resurrection.  But also pray for your friends and neighbors.  I believe many are looking for hope right now, and Easter could be the catalyst to get them pointed back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The second thing I’d ask you to do is invite.  We all have neighbors and friends who do not go to church, and you’d be surprised how many would be open to a sincere invitation.  Many people do not go to church simply because no one invites them.  Attending an unfamiliar church all alone can be an intimidating endeavor.  So I urge to invite your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to join you on April 4th.  Young parents, I encourage you to attend the 11:11AM service since the egg hunt will begin right afterwards.  This will provide a great opportunity for you to invite a family to sit with you in worship, and then join you for the festivities afterwards.  We’ll also have some beautiful Easter photo spots that morning for families in all services to capture a special Easter picture.

To help equip you to invite, we’re going to begin distributing Easter yard signs this Sunday after our worship services.  I encourage each of you to pick one up and place it proudly in your yard.  This will help ABC create awareness in our community, and it will serve as a springboard for you to open up conversations with others.  Even if you are not ready to attend in-person, you can still invite others to join us online!  These yard signs will be distributed at church on 3/21 and 3/28, but you can also come up to the church to pick them up during the work week, beginning Monday March 22^nd. 

Jesus tells us in Matthew 9:37 that “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”  My prayer is that we will all labor together in the coming weeks to point others in our city to our living hope in Jesus Christ.  If we do, I believe Easter 2021 will be a day to be remembered by the church for many years to come.

2017 was a year that I will always remember with great clarity.  This is because several big things were happening in my life that year.  Our third child, Daniel, was born at the end of 2016, so Bethany and I were adjusting to being “outnumbered” in the home.  My former church opened the doors to a brand-new state of the art facility, and we were experiencing exponential church growth.  And in the city of Houston (where I was residing), I remember everyone caught a case of “Astros-fever.”  As you may remember, the Houston Astros finally took home their first world series championship that year after having no luck for 50+ years as an organization.  I remember how I jumped on the bandwagon with great enthusiasm that year.  Everyone in the city was thrilled that our team formerly ridiculed as the “Lastros” finally made it to the top of the mountain.

The mass hysteria was very clear to me when I drove by a local Academy on the evening of the World Series championship.  The store had advertised that they’d be the first to carry “World Series Champion” merchandise for fans to purchase.  The store planned to open their doors the next morning, but I was shocked to see hundreds of people lined up outside preparing to spend the night outdoors.  They were committed to doing whatever it took to get that coveted championship merchandise.  And many will hear that story and think, “why?”  Why would they be so fixated on owning a simple t-shirt?  The reason is they desperately wanted to identify themselves with a champion.  They saw the Astros victory as their victory, and they wanted the world to know it.

I find it interesting that right before Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, He left the church with a specific commandment.  He said, “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” (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus commanded us to go and tell others about Him, but He also commanded us to baptize them after they believed.  It’s clear that baptism meant a lot to Jesus.  He himself was baptized (Matthew 3), and He chose to highlight this topic during His most critical, final words to His disciples.  And because baptism meant so much to Jesus, I believe baptism should also mean much to us.  After all, through believer’s baptism we are publicly identifying ourselves with our champion.  The Bible teaches us that Jesus’ victory over sin and death is our victory over sin and death.  By grace and through faith, His victory has become our very own.  And believer’s baptism is our way of putting on that championship t-shirt. 

This year we are placing a special emphasis on baptism on Easter Sunday.  Easter is the perfect day to raise your flag for Christ through baptism.  There is no better way to celebrate the resurrection than to demonstrate that resurrection through believer’s baptism.  Every baptism is a Gospel presentation.  As a believer goes under the water, we declare that he or she has been “buried with Christ unto death.”  These words celebrate that all of their sins, past, present and future, were crucified with Christ.  Then when the believer comes out from the water, we declare that he or she has been “raised to walk in newness of life.”  These words point out that the believer has experienced a spiritual resurrection through faith in Jesus Christ, and one day, he or she will experience a physical resurrection through the second coming of Christ.

If you have never been baptized by immersion, I would strongly encourage you to take that bold step this Easter.  Last Sunday, we had a great turnout at our ABC Kids “First Steps” class, and two kids were ready to raise their flags for Christ this Easter.  If you have children in your home that you think may be ready, you’re welcome to join us for our second class on March 28^th at 12:15pm (Sign up HERE).  I was also thrilled that two students committed to be baptized at our ABC Student Conference.  Through all of this, it’s clear to me that our Savior was spot on when He told us that we all need to find child-like faith (Matthew 18:3-4).  Children have a way of humbly trusting God’s commandments for their life, and my hope is that all of us grown-ups will likewise do the same.  If God is leading you to be baptized this Easter, you can sign up HERE or in our lobby this Sunday.  From there, our staff will follow up and we’d be honored to help walk you through the process.

I look forward to opening up Philippians Chapter 4 with you this Sunday.  Don’t forget to “spring forward” your clocks the night before.  We’ll have fresh coffee waiting for you in the morning, and we can’t wait to worship with you this weekend at ABC.