Psalm 122:1 says, “I was glad when they said to me, ’Let us go to the house of the Lord’!”  There is supposed to be joy in the house of the Lord.  Going to church is not something we have to do, it is something we get to do.  There is joy in worshiping God with other believers.  There is joy in hearing the truth of God’s Word.  And there is joy in building meaningful relationships with other believers.  I truly hope ABC is place that you are glad to go to each Sunday.

When it comes to children’s and youth ministries, we want to create a culture where God’s Word is taught, all while having fun together.  Some may find it hard to believe, but there is nothing wrong with having fun at church!  That is why we are offering our 2nd annual Family Fun Fest this Friday evening.  Families will come together to share a meal and then have an evening filled with games and friendly competition.  If you haven’t already done so, you can still register online at http://www.austinbaptistchurch.com.

I encourage you this week to share your gladness with others.  Look for new people this Sunday at church.  We have had dozens of visitors come through our doors every Sunday in January.  Let’s share our joy by receiving those who are new with gladness.  I also encourage you to shift your eyes outward from ABC this week.  I believe others would be glad to come to the house of the Lord if they were simply invited by someone inside it.  I challenge you to invite a friend to worship with you this weekend.  The invitation is simple: “I love my church, and I think you would too.”

I look forward to seeing you in worship and pressing forward in our study of the book of Revelation.  Read ahead to chapters 6 and 7 this week to get ready for Sunday’s message.  Additionally, make sure you subscribe to the Citizen ATX podcast to get bonus content for the sermon series (https://citizenatx.buzzsprout.com/).  New episodes are released by each Wednesday.  Each episode is focused on unpacking the previous Sunday’s sermon, and it will offer additional commentary and insight on the text.  I look forward to seeing you this Sunday at 8:45 or 11:15am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Our vision at ABC is to see God light up your life, your home, your neighborhood, and the world.  In pursuit of that vision, ABC works hard to equip every member to shine for Jesus Christ in their home life.  We do this through community, counseling, prayer and support, and Biblical teaching.  Whether you are single or married, we believe Jesus wants to be the foundation of your home. 

Some of the most challenging years in a home can be found in those child-rearing years.  Simply put, raising children is not for the faint of heart!  Raising children brings joy and excitement, but it can also bring exhaustion, heartache, and frustration.  Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for those parenting challenges to negatively impact a marriage.  That is why we are going to offer our first ever “Valentine’s Couple’s Retreat” on February 16^th to 18^th in Schulenberg, Texas.

The theme for this retreat will be, “protecting your marriage through the parenting years.”  All married couples with kids in the home are invited to join us for a weekend of refreshment and encouragement.  Our own Dr. Jimmy Myers, founder of The Timothy Center, will be leading the sessions for this retreat.  He will offer practical, Biblical wisdom that will equip you to thrive in your marriage during those parenting years. 

If you have kids in the home, Bethany and I would like to invite you to join us at the retreat.  Spots are limited, so I encourage you to sign up ASAP.  I can’t think of a better way to spend Valentine’s weekend than to invest in your marriage at the beautiful Jordan Ranch (https://www.jordanranch.org/).  For more info and to register, please click the link here: https://austinbaptistchurch.com/event/valentines-couples-retreat?d=2024-02-16

I look forward to pressing on in our study of Revelation this Sunday.  I encourage you to read ahead in chapters four and five, and take some time to invite a neighbor or friend this week.  Have a wonderful week, and I will see you at 8:45am or 11:15am on this Lord’s Supper Sunday.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you are staying warm this week, and I am looking forward to seeing you next weekend as we press on to the seven churches of Revelation.  As we look ahead to 2024, I want to extend an invitation for you to join me on a special trip this upcoming summer.  I am planning to lead a group to Greece for a Biblical discipleship trip to follow the footsteps of the apostle Paul.  The Bible will come alive as we journey through Philippi, Thessaloniki, Berea, Athens, Corinth, and Crete. 

We will even have the opportunity to visit Patmos, the island where the apostle John was exiled and wrote the book of Revelation.  We will also see Ephesus, home of one of the seven churches of Revelation that will be studying this weekend.  This trip will take place July 7^th to 16^th and more information can be found here: https://signature.rezdy.com/606214/pastor-jonathan-spencer-10-day-journeys-of-paul-in-greece-july-7-16-2024

As many of you know, we had a large group lined up to go to Israel just a few weeks after the October 7^th attack.  Unfortunately, the war has caused us to postpone that trip indefinitely, but I hope this trip will offer an alternative for those who looking to experience a Biblical tour of a lifetime.  Please review the itinerary on the link above, and let me know if you have any questions. 

I’m looking forward to seeing you back in worship this weekend.  I encourage you to invite a friend to join us on this journey through the book of Revelation.  If you have not done so already, take the time to subscribe to our Citizen ATX podcast channel (https://citizenatx.buzzsprout.com/).  We will provide bonus content every week on the previous Sunday’s sermon.  I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Happy new year!  I hope you had a blessed Christmas, and I pray that you have hit the ground running for Jesus Christ in 2024.  As I look back at 2023, I want to thank you for your generosity.  Year end giving reports have come in, and I am grateful to announce that we have met our budgeted goal for 2023.  Thank you to every person who faithfully worshipped through giving.  Your partnership means so much to me personally, and I thank you for equipping our church to do the ministry that God has called us to do.  I encourage you to press on in your faithful stewardship this month, as we continue to shine our light in Austin and all around the world.

I look forward to returning to the pulpit this coming weekend.  Thank you for your prayers and support while I have been gone to Gateway Seminary in California.  I will soon wrap up my second year in the doctoral program, and I am thankful for this opportunity to grow as a minister and follower of Jesus Christ.  The professors and doctoral candidates have been a great blessing to me, I am excited to press on to my third and final year.

But I am mostly excited to be back home and to kick off our new sermon series on the book of Revelation.  I am titling this series, “Our Hope is on the Throne.”  Many of us have lots of questions and fears going into this new year.  Who will win the 2024 elections?  How will the economy perform?  What is going to happen in the middle east?  Our world is filled with questions, but the good news is our steadfast hope is seated on the throne.

Jesus Christ is our living hope, and the book of Revelation reminds us that our King will soon step off His throne and return to this earth.  I believe many wrongly approach this book with a spirit fear, but I encourage every believer to view this book as a source of encouragement.  As a follower of Jesus Christ, this book offers you incredible hope.  This series will answer some big questions you may have about His return, but most of all, I pray that this series will inspire you to live faithfully for His return.

I encourage you to make your best effort to attend each Sunday.  I will unpack the big picture of our text each week, and I am also planning to give extended commentary with Dr. Matt Gillum each week on our podcast channel, “Citizen ATX” (https://citizenatx.buzzsprout.com/).  Begin to pray over this series and begin inviting your friends.  January is the perfect time to invite people to church, and the book of Revelation will offer an intriguing invitation for many.  Send a personal invitation, and I look forward to worshipping with you on Sunday at 8:45 or 11:15am.  May we all pray together as one this week: “Amen.  Come Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you would agree that The Sights and Sounds of Christmas was incredible!  We welcomed nearly 1,500 people to our campus for an amazing Christmas concert and festival.  I want to thank Dr. Todd Stearns for his outstanding vision and leadership in our musical presentation.  The entire team did a superb job, and I know we were all blown away by the talent on stage.  I also want to thank our Director of Media, Stephen Vaughn, and our Director of Operations, Derek Tackett.  That concert and festival would not have been possible without these two men and their teams.  Thank you to every volunteer who served behind the scenes to make it such an impactful day in the life of our church.

One of our core values at ABC is impact.  Jesus envisioned his church being an impactful people.  He said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).  Light always makes an impact on darkness.  God sent his Light into the world through His Son, and Jesus Christ has now commanded His church to shine for Him.  I encourage you to help us make an impact in these final weeks of December.  How can you shine your light for Him?  I encourage you to invite and invest.

Invite others to church.  Christmas is the perfect opportunity to invite guests to church.  I loved having so many church members introduce me to their friends last Sunday.  In fact, I had one church member pull me to the side to share how surprised he was that his friend actually came!  The reality is many people would go to church if they were simply asked.  Invite your neighbors, co-workers, and friends and pray that God will light up their lives this Christmas season.

Invest in our church.  The Christmas season presents a unique opportunity for each of us exercise generosity in response to God’s generosity to us.  Nearly 25% of our annual contributions come through year end giving.  I encourage you financially invest into the life and ministry of ABC.  I am grateful for every person who gives because your faithful partnership allows us to advance this mission forward.  Your giving is making an impact in our community and our world, and I truly do believe the best is yet to come.

I’m looking forward to pressing on to week three of our sermon series, The Heart of Christmas.  This Sunday we’re going to see that the good news of great joy is for all people.  I will see you at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

Last Saturday, we had an incredible day at Light Up Austin!  I’m so proud of our church for taking Christmas on the road to the Texas Baptist Children’s Home.  Over 100 volunteers spent their Saturday serving on mission as they blessed mothers and children in need with a first-class Christmas event.  There were games, inflatables, a hot chocolate bar, a Chickfila dinner, and an outstanding program featuring music, entertainment, and a hope-filled message. 

I want to thank all the volunteers who served that day, as well as our BFG’s who donated nearly $10,000 worth of household goods for these families.  I also want to thank Greg and Lindsey Kalb and John and Michelle Spears for their outstanding leadership with this event.  They provided clear direction and worked tirelessly behind the scenes this past year to organize this new outreach.  Job well done to the entire ABC family, and I thank you for shining your light into our community this Christmas season.

This Sunday is our annual Sights and Sounds of Christmas.  It will be an amazing concert featuring the ABC choir, our children’s choir, and special musical guests, Evidence.  We will offer two identical concerts at 3pm and 6pm with a Christmas festival in between at 4:30pm.  The festival will have inflatables, food trucks, a snow slide, ice sculpting and more.  Because of your generosity, this event is FREE of charge to the entire community so be sure to invite your neighbors and friends!

The excitement will all begin this Sunday at 8:45am and 11:15am.  Our musical guests will be with us in worship, and I will continue in our new series, “The Heart of Christmas.”  Commit to worship with us all four Sundays this month, and let’s celebrate together that the Light has come.

Onward and Upward,

Jonathan Spencer

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).  The Christmas season has officially arrived!  I’m looking forward to all the festivities that will come in the days ahead.  From serving families in need at Light Up Austin, to our annual Sights and Sounds of Christmas concert and festival, to our meaningful candlelight services on Christmas Eve, I believe these coming weeks truly are the most wonderful time of the year.

As we walk through this season together, we will set our eyes on Bethlehem in our sermon series, “The Heart of Christmas.”  This new series will examine Luke 2:10, and we will discover the heart of the Christmas message:  we have good news, of great joy, for all people.  I hope you plan to join us every Sunday during the month of December for this special time of worship.  I also encourage you to not come alone!  The Christmas season is the perfect time to invite someone to church, so prayerfully invite your neighbors, co-workers, and friends to come celebrate that the Light has come.

Have a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday in worship at 8:45am or 11:15am.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

I hope you enjoyed last Sunday’s Veterans Day celebration.   I want to thank Nick Radoe for sharing his testimony in both worship services.  It was a blessing to hear the stories of God’s faithfulness throughout Nick’s military career.  I encourage you to take some time this week to thank Nick and Jo Ellen for sharing their hearts with us from stage.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I know many of us have travel plans on the horizon.  If you are staying in town, I encourage you to join us for a two-week mini-series titled: “Thanks and Giving: How to Prepare Your Heart for the Holidays.”  On these two Sundays that bookend Thanksgiving, we will examine how we can get ourselves ready for the holiday season.  God’s Word will remind us that we should all walk through these coming days with hearts filled with gratitude and hearts filled with generosity. 

I also want to remind you that this Sunday is our annual Christmas decoration day.  Volunteers will flood our hallways after our services to get ABC “Christmas-ready.”  I’m looking forward to seeing the church come alive with our beautiful Christmas decorations.  Volunteers are always welcomed, so feel free to roll up your sleeves and stick around after church to help.

I hope to see many of you this Wednesday for our Thanksgiving dinner, and I look forward to walking through this holiday season with you and the entire ABC family.  May we all give thanks to God for the great things He has done.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).  When I consider those who count others as more significant than themselves, I cannot help but think of our military.  Every day, brave men and women set aside their own interests, to take on the interests of others.  Our soldiers serve people they do not even know as they fight to protect and preserve our nation’s freedom.  It is important for us to not overlook that selfless act, but instead, it right for us as Christians to give honor where honor is due (Romans 12:10).

This Sunday, I encourage you to wear red, white, and blue and join us for a special Veteran’s Day weekend celebration.  As you walk into the Great Hall, you will find a thirty-foot “Wall of Honor.”  This wall was built to display the names and faces of ABC’s local heroes.  Take some time to recognize the men and women from our church who have served or are currently serving our great nation.  We will also have a special time of recognition for our veterans during our worship services.  We will pray over our country, and you will have an opportunity to hear a testimony from one of our own veterans at ABC.

Especially amidst a time of war and rumors of wars, I believe it is essential for our church to pray for our military and our country.  I don’t know about you, but I am thankful for my freedom.  However, weekends like this soberly remind us that our freedom is constantly being defended.  Invite a friend to join you this Sunday, and I look forward to experiencing a special weekend of worship with you.

Onward and upward,

Jonathan Spencer