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

One of our core values at ABC is impact.  Jesus instructs the church to “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).  Jesus’ followers are called to shine their light and push back against darkness in our world. As we make an impact together, we pray our good works will lead many others to give glory to our Father in heaven.

I am excited to see how God will increase our impact in these coming months.  By the grace of God, our debt is down to the final $1 million!  Through the Light the Way generosity initiative, our church has rapidly paid down our debt in recent months.  The upcoming elimination of our debt will undoubtedly lead to an increase in kingdom impact.  When the debt is paid off, I will encourage our church to begin “tithing” within our budget.  I would love to see us set a baseline for 10% of our contributions to go outward to missions partners.  When you give to the church, you will also give through the church to bless our city, nation, and world.

Begin praying with me about what it could look like for our church to shine farther than we ever have.  Thank you for your generosity to our general fund and to our Light the Way initiative.  I look forward to celebrating the completion of all three LTW objectives in the coming months as we eliminate our debt, expand our mission, and extend the message of Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will press on in our summer sermon series, “Summer Stories.”  I look forward to seeing you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

One of our core values at ABC is truth.  The apostle Paul describes the church as “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).  We are commanded to lift up the truth, the Word of God, for all to hear it.  But Paul also instructs God’s people to be clothed in the truth.  He says we must “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior” (Titus 2:10).  It is one thing to speak the truth, but it is a much more challenging task to live out the truth for all to see it.

Every day you preach a sermon.  God has given each of us a captive audience through our children, grandchildren, co-workers, neighbors, friends, and even strangers.  The question is, “What sermon are you going to proclaim?”  Unquestionably, your audience is listening to your words.  But don’t forget your decision making and conduct are preaching as well.  I pray your audience hears a message of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control through your actions today (Galatians 5:22).

Let’s continue to be a church that “grows in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18).  Invite a friend this Sunday and come grow with us.  And I pray you preach a compelling sermon this week.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer

Here at ABC, we want to see God light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  This vision statement gives our church clarity in its ministry strategies.  We want to be an impactful church reaching people beyond our church doors.  VBS is one of the pillar events that helps us fulfill that vision.  We’ve experienced a record setting crowd this week with 500+ children and 150+ volunteers.  I am so proud of our church and thankful for the way God continues to use this body to shine His light into our community.

Thank you for your prayers, your service, and your faithful stewardship.  Your steadfast giving makes ministry like this possible.  A healthy church is one with the sound of children in the hallways.  We celebrate that sound at ABC, and I pray God will turn up the volume even louder through more children in the days to come.  May we continue to be a church that prioritizes children and youth ministries.  We do not merely aim to keep them busy.  We aim to lead them into a life-changing relationship with the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

Don’t forget this Sunday is our patriotic celebration.  We will feature special choir and orchestra music, and we will honor our veterans in both worship services.  Sunday’s services will then feed into our annual patriotic celebration on Wednesday night, “Freedom Over Austin.”  Take the opportunity to invite a neighbor to come celebrate freedom with the ABC family.  I look forward to seeing you at 8:45am or 11:15am this Sunday.

Onward and Upward,

Dr. Jonathan Spencer