Scottie's Scroll

Candy Filled Trunks and Visitation Ministry

2009-10-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Church Family,

Let me remind you of two exciting things that are going on in our church currently. First, we have started our weekly, Tuesday night, visitation ministry. Over the last few weeks there have been an average of 8 people from our church that have gone out visiting those that have recently visited our church services and other prospects as well. Let me encourage each of you to get involved with this wonderful ministry. One of the things that we have learned about this ministry in the last four weeks is that folks in our community want us to come and visit with them. It has not been uncommon for families to invite our teams into their homes for great conversations. You will be blessed of the Lord for getting involved in this ministry on Tuesday nights at 6 pm. We meet in the church library for prayer and assignments so come on out for a God inspired time.
Secondly, I wanted to remind you of our upcoming Trunk-n-treat event on Saturday, Oct. 31st in our church parking lot. Last year we had three or four hundred folks in our church parking lot as we passed out candy and ministered to the community. Make sure you donate you vehicles trunk and candy too. We are going to have a wonderful night as a church family ministering to our community

In Christ,

Scott Brewer

"Did You See That?"

2009-10-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not joking! Did you see it? Did you see what the Lord did Sunday? Did you just have to say, "WOW!!!!", 'cause I sure did. Was there anyone out there that was just as amazed as me? Wow, what a day!
It was real!!! It happened?! It did?! Yes, it really did happen!

Sunday, Oct. 4th, was a beautiful picture of a great church coming together and accomplishing a God sized goal. SABC's Strong in the Lord Sunday was just that, a Sunday that we proved to ourselves that in the Lord we are strong and can do whatever the Lord asks of us.

On this great day at SABC we demonstrated that it takes all of us to help the church be what the Lord wants it to be. Each and every member did their part in seeing that we had a great Strong in the Lord Sunday. I am honored to be apart of what is happening at SABC and I know that you are as well.

On this great day at SABC we demonstrated to ourselves that it is possible to successfully reach out to our community and our neighbors and have a Christ-like affect on them. On Oct. 4th we reached out to our own circle of influence and influenced them. We brought neighbors, family and friends to be apart of what God is doing at SABC. We had a glorious effect on North Pasadena.

The Strong in the Lord breakfast was a hit. Sunday School was a hit. Worship was a hit and the Hukilau was a major hit. SABC stepped up to the plate and hit a homerun. It took a couple months of planning and preparation and many were involed in making Sunday, Oct. 4th a great success.

We had a major victory for the Lord on Oct. 4th and we will continue to see a major victories for the Lord in the coming months. How do I know that? Because I know and believe that the members of SABC are united and on the same page when it comes to our desire in the Lord to reach our community for Christ. I know and believe that each and every member of SABC will continue to bring their friends and families to church as we continue to grow in the Lord.

Sunday, Oct. 4th, was just one victorious Sunday in a line of many more victories for the Lord at our church.

God bless and thank you all for your hard work and committment to SABC

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

Prayer Continuously

2009-09-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

It often times amazes me how God speaks to our hearts through the preached Word. Where I placed focus on one topic in a sermon someone listening may focus in on a part of the message that I hadn't even thought of. That's the way it was the other night at one of our church Bible Studies. I was focusing on prayer and that we, as Christians, should always be "in step with the Spirit". It is interesting what one chuch member got out of the message:::::

Scott, I was just thinking about tonights message, about praying continuosly. It is something I try to practice. I understood the purpose many years ago. I havent been as deliberate at it as I used to. So I wanted to type it out. I know the Lord, has no email addy.LOL I believe he will honor what I have typed and told someone else. I chose you.

Funny story is. I used to pray alot when I worked at the plant. I would pray walking around and while I was doing my work. Sometimes under my breath. There would be unbelievers around. The Holy Spirit would warn me not to upset them. So I wouldn't look like a specticle and spill my pearls to those that are blind. I would sometimes be praying for people, sometimes praying praise.
What happened one day. I was praying and walking back into my shop. One of the guys heard me. He asked, "what are you doing?" I had been clean and sober and walking with the lord for 3 yrs. He had been ripping me about my faith many times. To not start anything. I just said, " Im sorry my muffler broke" LOL. He didnt have a come back. The other workmate cracked up laughing. He was a deacon at his church. I believe it was words from the Holy Spirit. God has a sense of humor....

SABC Food Pantry

2009-09-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago in our morning worship service we recognized a group of folks that serve our church in a mighty way. I was shocked and blessed to see all of those that have volunteered their time in the food pantry over the last year. What a blessing this ministry is to those who serve as well as to those in our community that receive such a blessing from this ministry.
With this ministry being strong and consistent at South Avenue Baptist Church we are fulfilling the Lord’s direction and desire for our church. Isaiah 58:7 instructs us that we are to “share our food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter." What a blessing it is that we as a church are striving to be obedient to the Lord in this way.
There are two ways that we can strengthen this Food Pantry Ministry. First, there is always a need for folks to volunteer their time on Tuesdays from 9 am to noon. We are moving from the sign-up sheet to an actual schedule that each of you can be on. If you would like to sign-up for one or more Tuesday’s please see Renee Crandall (church secretary) or sign-up in the foyer on Sundays.
Second, beginning September 1, we have the wonderful opportunity at South Avenue Baptist Church to help revitalize and lift up our Food Pantry before the Lord. On the first Sunday of every month we are asking our church body to each make a dollar donation towards the purchasing of food for the Food Pantry Ministry. At the end of our morning worship service on the first Sunday of each month there will be offering buckets at the exits available for your simple gift of one dollar. If our church will commit to this our Food Pantry Ministry will be better equipped to serve food to those in need.
What a joy it is that we share in the ministry of our Lord as we reach out to our community and serve. God bless and thank you.

WE ARE STRONG IN HIS PRESENCE!

2009-08-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

“Strong in His Presence”
II Timothy 4:1

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

Christ’s Strong Impression
“I cannot impress this on you too strongly!” “I solemnly charge you…” Paul follows up the last verse of chapter three with a grave and solemn impression. Through the pen of Paul we can feel the character of his posture. He is silently alone in prison at Rome. His face is motionless, his eyes are burning with thought. He italicizes his words, they are in bold print double underlined for effect. His thoughts are serious now and his intent is earnestness. Paul is filled with dignified serious formality. In II Timothy 4:1 Paul is unloading the full barrage of his testimony. He is ready to religiously charge his readers with the very words and wisdom of God.Strength comes through his pen, flows to paper and endures for two thousand years because of the power of the Lord.
His charge, powerful then, still holds power today for the scriptures are God-breathed. And the breath of God is still blowing through these pages today. Blowing straight through the very soul of man. The breath of God is still anointing our hearts to testify his word, to proclaim his word, to herald his word from the rooftops.
The Herald freely and joyfully gives news. The Herald of the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings glad tidings with great joy and fervor of heart. The Herald at SABC yesterday were the men and women that passed out backpack supplies to the community. The Herald, yesterday, was the individual that held hands with the families and prayed over the children as they big school tomorrow.
The Herald that preaches the Word is the Proclaimer. The Christian is encouraged of the Lord and His Word to proclaim the Word in open spaces. To publically, shout for the world to hear, his opinions. But, a step further the proclaimer of the gospel goes. He (she) proclaims not his or her opinions, but instead the very Word of God. Making known publicly the Word of God the Christian makes his praises known for the world to see. Whom shall you fear, God or Man????
We gain strength in the Lord when we declare the Lord. Boldly and unashamedly in any space we are in, public or private.
For you see, Paul’s Words are not just the story of a good man that lived for Christ and feared the Lord. Paul’s words are a confirmation of his testimony and by this testimony he is causing Timothy (the recipient) to believe. And that is just what preaching does. It is a confirmation of the testimony in your life that causes others who hear to believe.
Do you know that the Word of God is the very revelation of God Himself, it is the record of what God want us to know. And when you know God’s revelation it becomes your testimony and you can, yes you can make others believe your testimony of God. You gain strength in the Lord when you share the unbelievable love of God that tells us about Jesus Christ. This church gains strength in the Lord when we each share the great mercy of God that He has poured out upon us through His Sons death on the cross. And stronger you become when you share of the coming again of our Lord to redeem those lives that you have touched through your preaching, proclaiming, praising, heralding exalting, testifying, acclamation of the Lord.
Paul is saying in the first phrase of verse one………………. I cannot impress this information on you strongly enough!!!! Herald the Word, Preach the Word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christ’s Strong Presence
“1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus…..Preach the Word”. How are we Strong in the Lord because of this statement? How do we gain strength from the Lord because of His watchful eye? One translation (The Message) says that “God and Christ are looking over your shoulder”.
The Eye of God is upon you. We must preach the Word for God and Christ are watching. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD (Ps. 89:15). We are strong in the Lord and Strong in His presence because we walk in the light of our Lord. We can have confidence in His presence, because we are walking in the light of His Presence. We become a blessed people of God when we acclaim Him. Our very lives become a SALUTE TO HIM WITH SHOUTS OF PRAISE (Refer Ps. 89:15). We applaud our Lord by heralding the Word, Preaching the Word (Refer Ps. 89:15).
The recognition of the victory over death that we have one incites us to stand at the front of our lives and enhance the lives of others with the miracle of Christ. We applaud our Lord with preaching for we are stimulated by His Holy Word, His Holy Presence, His Holy Spirit!!! As the Christians builds STRENGTH in the Lord he recognizes that the applause is moving from the deep shadows of his life to the cutting edge of his life. Where once the applause was reserved for formal worship in a formal worship house now the acclamation of the Lord and the applause for the Lord that he has is manifested in open spaces for all to see. The acclamation that has now permeated our lives causes the lives that we touch to join in the applause of our Lord. Soon the recognition hits us that the applause that we lift up to the Lord with our preaching is joined by another applause. It is the applause of heaven.
We can almost see Jesus Himself standing at the right hand of God looking over the edge of heavens mass cheering His children on. We have brought joy to the Lord as he watches us from heaven for we simply live our lives heralding the Word. We are strengthened in the Lord for we demonstrate enthusiastic approval of the Lord’s presence in our lives. His constant presence! His current presence! His future literal presence! WE ACCLAIM THE KING!!!!!!!
In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever (Ps. 41:12).
We are strong in the Lord and Strong in His Presence because we walk before our Lord with Integrity.Our relationship with Christ has affected and changed/altered our moral and ethical principles in this life. We can stand strong in His presence because He has changed us, He has shaped us, He has forgiven us. He is on our side. He is for us!!!
Integrity can’t be preached until it is lived first. Is that why so few preach the Word boldly?
Is that why you don’t see Christians across the land shouting from the rooftops? Is that why churches are stagnant and dying? Ones moral and ethical principles are altered, changed when you surrender to the Lord. In the Lordship of Jesus Christ in ones life one’s integrity grows and he can say, “In my integrity you, God, uphold me, You God give me strength.

Christ our Epiphany
II Tim. 4:1 “in view of his appearing and his kingdom”
How are we Strong in the Lord because of this statement? How do we gain strength from the Lord because of His appearing? From the Greek word for appearing (epiphaneia) we get our word epiphany. An epiphany is “a sudden, intuitive perception or insight”. An epiphany is usually initiated by some simple experience.
You see God has chosen Preaching as the tool that we use so that people might have an epiphany. We preach the Word with our lives so Jesus can appear to lost souls. God uses our preaching so that those around us can have a simple experience and a sudden insight into the Love of the Saviour. “At the Name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” Philippians 2:10,11
The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground (Ezk. 38:20).

Gaining Strength In The Lord

2009-08-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

Endurance is one of those words that athletes know all to well. The marathon runner trains as much for endurance as he does for strength in order to go the distance. The intensely accomplished weight lifter has the muscles that demonstrate that he is strong and powerful, but even his explosive muscular physique will not allow him to run the distance of the marathon. He has strength, not endurance.

God's holy word has much to say about spiritual strength and power. The Lord is always faithful with His promise that he always stands beside us and gives us strength (II Timothy 4:17).

In the middle of the writing of this article a man walked into my office. His smile was precious and the Spirit of the Lord was obviously upon him. This man had been across the street from our church since early, early that same morning waiting for someone to hire him at Labor Finders. His request of me was for a small Bible. Easy enough, I've got a lot of those. As we shared wonderful conversation in my office it was undoubtedly clear that this man had great strength from the Lord in his life. But, there was something else that I became thankfully aware of. This man's strength in the Lord had been developed so much that endurance was the spiritual discipline that was visible.

Not only did this humble broken man have great spiritually strong muscles, but his training (walk) in the Lord had developed in such a glorious way that this stranger had great endurance. The Apostle Paul hits this topic head on when he says, "Keep your head in all situations and endure hardship" (II Tim. 4:5). There are bound to be difficult times in our lives whether spiritual, physical or emotional and God's Word says to keep your head and endure in the Lord.

South Avenue Baptist church is a strong church and growing stronger by the day. South Avenue Baptist Church is a wonderful example to its members and the community of a church that continues to endure in the Lord through the years. For the next several weeks we will be focusing in our worship services on being "Strong in the Lord". My prayer is that the Lord will reveal/remind us that WE ARE A STRONG CHURCH, WE ARE A STRONG FAMILY, WE ARE A STRONG PRESENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY and that as our spiritual muscles grow stronger and as we build our endurance that the power of the Lord will be victorious in our community!

Amen! Amen

Pastor Scott

Youth to Falls Creek

2009-07-15T10:34:00.001-07:00

SABC teenagers are getting geared up for their big trip to God’s country next week. That’s right, God’s Country, Oklahoma. I can hear all your sneers and hisses. Our teenagers are leaving Monday, July 13 for Falls Creek Baptist Assembly in Davis, Oklahoma (45 minutes south of Oklahoma City). Youth Camp is one of the highlights of the year for any youth group and I know that our students are super excited about camp.

Falls Creek has been around since the days of Noah (almost, est. 1917) and the Lord has blessed this place with great growth over the years. There are 8 different weeks of Falls Creek (our students are going week 7) and there is an average of 5,600 students that attend each and every week. Falls Creek is like a small town for teenagers. It’s a pretty neat place. If you wouldlike to see where our teenagers will be next week, take a look at www.skopos.org or www.fallscreek.org. You can also hear the evening messages on these sites.

I grew up going to Falls Creek. Before that, my father grew up going to Falls Creek Camp every summer. And before that, my grandmother grew up going to Falls Creek every summer. This camp holds special meaning to me still today. In the summer of 1989, the camp Pastor’s name was Bro. Charles Graves. Bro. Charles was a great man of God, but he wasn’t a super great Youth Communicator. But, on the last night of that camp when the message was delivered, the Lord overwhelmingly moved in my heart to surrender my life to the Ministry of the Gospel. Over the years, the Lord has used Falls Creek Camp to change many a young person’s life for Christ. Would you as members of the SABC family commit with me to pray for our youth and their leaders next week at Falls Creek? Would you daily lift these 35 students and adults up before the Lord as God pours out his love for our youth this next week?

In Christ,

Pastor Scott