NBCB Weekly Newsletter 08-15-2024

This past week we finished our series from the Old Testament Wisdom literature book Proverbs. I pray that we grow in our fear of the LORD! Sunday, I was struggling a good bit with my headache and wasn’t quite right. I forgot to mention an important part of the Proverbs 31 sermon. If you recall, in the line of Ambrose, John Gill, and others I argued that Proverbs 31:10-31 was more than just a list of what Christian women should be doing today. If it was just a list then all the wives in our church would need to be morning people, night owls, keepers of the home, knitters, clothes designers, Bed Bath and Beyond consultants, farmers, international business importers/exporters, home schoolteachers, farmers, and the operators of several small businesses. That’s a list that could make any woman feel like she doesn’t measure up. These verses do point to the fact that Christian wives should fear the LORD above all else and there are lessons to be learned for sure but there seems to be something more going on in the passage. Proverbs 31:10-31 is picture of completeness, it’s what the people of God, the Bride of Christ will look like in glorification. To bolster his argument (and this is what I forgot to mention) these verses in the Hebrew formed an acrostic in the Hebrew Alphabet. Each verse began with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This is what the woman (or the people of God) who fear the LORD should look like in completeness.

This coming Sunday we begin a series from 1 Corinthians. We hope to wrap up this series by end of this calendar year. The Corinthian church was a problematic church. Paul founded the church on his second missionary journey. During the third missionary journey Paul wrote to the church of Corinth from Ephesus. The church of Corinth had strengths and a lot of weaknesses. In other words, the church of Corinth is a lot like quite a few churches today. I’m encouraged because by the time Paul writes 2 Corinthians, the church had made a lot of corrections. God is not done with us as individuals and God is not done with a church even when things get problematic in our lives or in our congregations. Hold tight as we once again examine the Word of God.

On Sunday Night, September 25 Josh Pelletier will be kicking off our first ever Preaching Lab! He will be preaching from Philippians 2:5-11. Come on out that night, listen to Josh preach the Word. Josh will have a chance to be encouraged and critiqued. We will share finger food fellowship afterwards. On Sunday night, September 1, James Peebles will preach from Ephesians 1:3-14. James too will have a chance to receive feedback and we will have a finger food fellowship. We are excited that God is raising up preachers at Northwood Berkeley!

This Fall starting September 8 we will kick off our Discipleship Series which will be a survey of the Old Testament.

Marie warmed my heart yesterday. She sent me a text letting me know she has read through the entire Bible! It’s great when we spend time with the Lord and read the Word of God daily. There are some Bible reading plans in the lobby. The Word of God transforms lives. We have lots of voices vying or our attention. We must listen. to God’s voice spoken to us through His Word.

Hey, guys, let’s be in prayer for our children and students as they start school. We have kids in public, private, and home schools. Please pray for those in our congregation who serve as teachers at a public school or serve as a home schoolteacher.

I love being your Pastor!