A Message from Pastor Jim

Hi Fellow BSBC'ers,

Last month one of our Pastoral Staff, (the one with the least amount of hair), said that because of my age he was now going to call me "3/4 McLellan". Following up with the fraction idea, today is approximately 1/2 way between Mother's Day and Father's Day, and the "stay home virus" has me focusing on God's provision of parents and a family.  

Through God's Word we realize that He has established for us a strong family system comprised of holy and magnificent components including His presence, a commitment through marriage, monogamy, parental and family unity, faith, and common concerns.

So what greater way to experience life and carry out our God given responsibilities than within the beauty and wonder and awesomeness of our God created family system! To assist us in our living and in fulfilling His purposes through you and me, He has entrusted us with, and gave to us, our Mom and our Dad and our spouse and our siblings and our off springs. So how do these fit into His purposes, and how should we handle this wonderful and holy system? In particular, do our God given family relationships assist us in fulfilling Acts 1:8 that tells us that we will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the world?

To answer these, let's start off by making sure that our "religion" doesn't replace our "relationship" with Christ, and let's not forget that God is an ever present member of our family.

Then within that relationship with Christ, let's ask ourself "Who is my Jerusalem?" For me, my spouse is my Jerusalem. Unless I show Christ in this relationship, I probably will not have an effective witness as I move on to my Judea, that is, to my off springs and my immediate family.

And only when my relationships with my spouse and off springs/immediate family are in order, can I then  be His witness to my Samaria, ie to my neighbours, and following that then I can go on to the "uttermost" parts of the earth. So our God given family framework is super important, and we really have something to celebrate on Mother's and Father's Day. The gift of a family is one of the ways that our Creator has perfectly made and provided for us, especially in effective witnessing for Him.

Of what are we to be a "witness"? Of His tremendous gift of forgiveness! Can we share anything greater with our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth than the message how and why Christ's powerful forgiveness became available to us!! What a powerful, magnificent, and loving God we have!

Do we have any similarities between our "earthly" family and our BSBC family?

Blessings,

Pastor Jim