Central Baptist Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

The Bible tells us that we were saved for good works that God prepared for us. Chief among those good works is the disciple-making mission that we’ve been called to. It’s really the Jesus mission. This week we’ll see that a disciple is increasingly committed to the mission of Jesus, and we’ll explore some strategies to increase our commitment to his mission.

You’ve probably heard the joke never pray for patience, because then God will give you situations that will really test your patience. The truth is we all have areas in our life where we need to grow or where change needs to take place. One of the marks of a disciple is that we are consistently being changed by Jesus. This week we will study from Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy some common areas where Jesus changes all of us.

Dr. Ron Minton, a missionary to Ukraine and Bible scholar, will be leading a seminar titled, How We Got Our Bible.

As followers of Jesus, the command we are perhaps most familiar with is the great commission. We know that as we go, we are to make disciples. However, as energizing as that is, so few Christians actually make disciples. One of the reasons for that is if you ask 20 different people what makes a disciple – you will probably get 20 different answers. During our next series, Defining a Disciple, we will partner clarity with strategy so that we can all take the next step as effective disciple-makers.

We’ve all had times when we know we should do something, we even tell ourselves we’re going to do something, but for whatever reason we don’t do it. As we finish our series, In Between, we will be talking about living in between knowing and doing. We’ll discover that while that’s a dangerous place to live there is a key that takes you from one place to the other.

God is our ultimate authority, but we live with worldly leaders. Often times earthly leaders and God have entirely different world views. How do we live between God and Caesar? We’ll explore what Jesus said in Matthew’s gospel to gain a healthy perspective on this important topic.

Have you ever been promised something, but you have to wait a while for it to come? We’ve all been there. The promise of marriage, the promise of Christmas, the promise of a vacation or a new job – big promises and great anticipation for their fulfillment. As Christians we live with a promise and we await the promised land. So, how do we live in between?

Life is full of questions. We all have lots of things we’d like to ask God that we believe one day those questions will be answered. But how do we live now – between the questions and the answers? That’s what we’ll be talking about this week.

Have you ever been in one place when you were supposed to be in another? As Christians, we are called to live in the world but not of the world. Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross we are free from the power of sin, and yet still not free from the presence of sin. We are called to depend wholly upon Christ and at the same time to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. On this earth, we live with this holy tension. In many ways we live life in between. In between what is already positionally true now, but still not yet practically realized. In this next series, we will explore how to live in between. We’ll study through how to live in between sinner and saint, in between the questions and the answers, in between the promise and the promised land, in between God and Caesar, and in between knowing and doing. This practical series will serve as a guide for how to live life now, in the in between.

There are certain moments and feelings in life that we wish would never end and could keep on going. As we come to the end of our study in the book of Esther, we enter into a time like that. You won’t want to miss the finale as we’ll see the importance of remembering those good times and celebrating God’s goodness to us.

Recently, the NBA’s Boston Celtics had the opportunity to do what no other NBA team had ever done in the playoffs—turn the tables on their opponent to win the 7-game series after losing the first three games. Sadly, the Celtics were not able to join their city’s Red Sox, Major League Baseball’s only team to ever come back from a 0-3 deficit (and – Can you tell Pastor Steve isn’t writing this email? – it was against the Yankees!); they lost Game 7 to the Miami Heat, and the game wasn’t especially close. It’s stuff like this that makes sports so appealing to us—these kinds of heroic and against-all-odds moments. There is something in us that comes alive when the tables are turned. And in this week’s passage in Esther 9, we see the tables turning in a big way as God works on behalf of His people. There are some great lessons in this passage to encourage us in our mission to make disciples for Jesus.

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and thought you reached the end of the story only for there to be another twist in the plot? Life works that way. We think there is a resolution to a circumstance, but then something happens revealing the circumstance is not yet resolved. The same thing happens in the book of Esther. Haman is dead, Esther has identified herself with God’s people, Mordecai is alive, everything is good, or is it? You won’t want to miss the next turn in the story of Queen Esther.

There is something about human nature that really appreciates a real plot twist. It pushes us to the edge of our seat when something happens that you just don’t see coming. One of the most amazing plot twists in all of scripture occurs in Esther 7.

Have you ever watched a sporting event and you see the momentum shift? There is a feeling that comes over the crowd as the team that was behind is now turning things around. A sense of excitement or dread, depending on your point of view, takes over. As we continue our study of Queen Esther, The Weight of the Crown, we come to a momentum shift in the book. The world would look at this shift and call it coincidence. As Christians, we see God’s invisible hand of providence.

As we continue our Esther series this Mother’s day, I’m so excited for you to hear Will Smith bring God’s word. He is a faithful brother who loves God, loves people, and loves God’s word. Our church family has benefitted by his ministry in a variety of ways and this Sunday we will benefit from his study and proclamation of God’s truth. So, whether this Sunday is a time of celebration or heartache I know you will be encouraged as we lift our eyes heavenward to the king of kings and lord of lords.

Have you ever learned to play a sport or an instrument? As you play more and more you tend to get better and better. One of the characteristics of the Christian is growth. As our faith is activated we grow in relationship with God and the effect that has on our daily living. We’ll see and be challenged by that in the next scene from the life of Queen Esther.

As we look around the world and our own lives we see countless things that are not as they should be. Circumstances and cultural norms that should be different. When we read the story of Queen Esther we see a world not so different than our own – a world filled with sin. This week we will see some of those things that should not be, but we will also see an active God working all things together for the good of those who love Him.

When we see movies play out on the big screen sometimes those stories can be romanticized. As we read the Scriptures, we can do much the same thing. We can imagine a fairy tale like setting, where the scenes and the characters are sanitized from the stain of sin. One character we often do that with is Esther. This week we’ll see that while Esther was not perfect and her life was far from idyllic God did not desert her. He doesn’t desert us either even with all our stains.

We live in a world of uncertainty with danger seemingly lurking behind every shadow. Many are trapped in a confused maze punctuated with misery. Esther could relate. She seems almost out of place in the Bible. The book of Esther contains no mention of God, no reference to faith or worship, no prediction of the Messiah, no talk of heaven or hell – there is almost nothing religious about it. At least on the surface. But, when you dig a little deeper into this mesmerizing story you’ll find that past the dramatic beginning, suspenseful plot, villain, hero, damsel in distress, twists and turns in every direction God is at work invisibly, yet with invincibility to bring his sovereign plan to completion. In our next series, The Weight of the Crown, you’ll be encouraged that God works in the quiet areas of your life and you’ll be challenged to live courageously for the sake of others.

He is risen! The reality of the resurrection impacts every moment of every day. This weekend we get to celebrate that in a special way during our Good Friday gathering at 6:00 and our Resurrection Sunday gatherings. On Easter morning, we will see how Mark relays the good news of the resurrection. Here’s a hint: he doesn’t end his gospel in a way we would expect.