Sermonic Text: Acts 16:25-26

Sermonic Title: “When Your Jail Begins To Rock”

The Key Idea: God Calls All Believers To Engage In Ministry.

I. Our Ministry Should Be Sensitive.

II. Our Ministry Should Be Salvific.

III. Our Ministry Should Be Successful.

From the Pastor Desk

“JUDGE NOT”
(Matthew 7:1-5)

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:
and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye,
but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Instead of self-examination, we are often guilty of judging others. Jesus admonished us about judging others because this will cause us to be judged. Jesus asked, why pay attention to something so small in another’s eye when we have something huge in our eye? Jesus further said if we remove the plank from our eye, then we can see clearly to remove the speck from another’s eye.

My beloved, our lives can be much better if we “Judge Not.” Because all of us have been guilty (and in many cases are guilty) of various sins, we are not qualified to judge the lives of others. If we examine ourselves correctly, we will have no time to judge others. Therefore, let’s make it our practice henceforth to “Judge Not.”

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

“St. John exists, as A Kingdom Building Church in two communities,
to Evangelize sinners and Equip saints,
who are Edifying and Enjoying one another,
to Exalt the SAVIOR” (Mt. 28:18-20).

LET’S HAVE A GOOD TIME!

We are so blessed to enter into another month (February), so let’s demonstrate our gratitude to God. One of the ways we can show how appreciative we are to Him is by worshipping Him in Spirit and truth.

“Let’s Have A Good Time” at St. John this upcoming Sunday (February 4, 2024) at the North Campus (9:00 a.m.) and/or South Campus (11:00 a.m.). If God permits, I will preach, our Sanctuary Choir will sing, the Lord’s Supper will be served, and February birthdayswill be acknowledged in both morning Worship Celebrations. Moreover, two of my granddaughters are scheduled to be blessed and dedicated, and some new believers are scheduled to be baptized in our 11:00 Worship Celebration (South Campus). Come and inspire others to worship with us.

SOMETHIN’ NU
(YOUTH)

Somethin’NU is scheduled to go to The Black College Expo, on Saturday, February 17th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Everyone should meet at the South Campus at 9:00 a.m. and depart no later than 9:15 a.m. For those needing transportation, seating in the van is limited, so the sign-up deadline will be Sunday, February 4th.

GENERATION NOWWW
(CHILDREN, YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS)

Generation NoWWW has scheduled its 2nd Annual President’s Day Hike on Monday, February 19th at 7:00 a.m. (4699 Pene Adobe Road, Vacaville, CA 95687). Everyone (especially Generation NoWWW) is invited to attend and join them for some fresh air, exercise, and fellowship.

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

Intercessory Prayer is when believers pray on behalf of others. James 5:16b says: “Pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” When believers pray for one another, people are blessed. For example, Peter was delivered from prison because the church prayed incessantly to God on his behalf (Acts 12:5-17). Because God answers prayer, please pray daily for others and the following:

St. John Missionary Baptist Church: Ask God to grow our congregation spiritually, numerically, and financially. Also, pray to Godregarding our Building Project, and intercede on behalf of parishioners who are shut in with COVID.

Pastor & Ministers: Kevin B. Hall & Family and Metrice Williams

Deacons: Elwood Jordan and Steven Porter

Mothers: Annie Johnson, Geraldine Johnson, Ermestine Martin, Zadie Patterson, Ruth Thomas, Marie Ward, Lillie Wiggins, and Ruth Wilson

Brother: Brady Stewart

Sisters: Dorothy Beasley, Drucilla Cooper, Vera Dixon, Nyla Gonzalez, Zodia Jordan, Margaret LeBrane, Constance Lopez, Clara Martin, Deborah McWhorter, Joe Nell Payton, Barbara Ratliff, Dolores Rollins, and Dorothy Younger

If you are a sick & shut-in member of St. Johnwho needs special prayer and desires to be added to this list, call (510-233-1779) or email me (pastorhall@sjmbc.org).

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.”
(Jn. 14-13-14)

UPCOMING CHURCH SCHOOL LESSON

“Spiritual Armor”
(Ephesians 6:10-24)

Related Scriptures: Romans 8:26-27; 2 Corinthians 10:1-5; 1 Peter 5:6-11

OUR DAILY BREAD

Thursday, February 1: Exodus 27-28; Matthew 21:23-46
Friday, February 2: Exodus 29-30; Matthew 22:1-22
Saturday, February 3: Exodus 31-33; Matthew 22:23-39
Sunday, February 4: Exodus 34-36; Matthew 23:1-22
Monday, February 5: Exodus 37-38; Matthew 23:23-39
Tuesday, February 6: Exodus 39-40; Matthew 24:1-22
Wednesday, February 7: Leviticus 1-3; Matthew 24:23-51
Thursday, February 8: Leviticus 4-6; Matthew 25:1-30
Friday, February 9: Leviticus 7-9; Matthew 25:31-46
Saturday, February 10: Leviticus 10-12; Matthew 26:1-19

“GOD DOES NOT NEED FROM US WHAT’S ALREADY HIS”

A family came home from church one Sunday, and after they had lunch, they sent their 6-year-old son off to play. After a while, his mother realized that they hadn’t heard much from him, which any parent knows is a recipe for disaster.

The mother got up from her recliner, walked to the child's bedroom, and listened right outside his door. She kept hearing small metallic sounds and jingling coming from the other side of the door. Intrigued, she cracked the door a little and looked in to see her son sitting on the floor with his piggy bank opened and a few dollars in coins lying around the floor. He gathered them up, put them in a handkerchief, knelt, prayed silently, and then threw the coins up in the air. He watched them hit the ground, frowned, gathered his coins back into the handkerchief, and repeated throwing them up in the air.

His mom opened the door and asked him what in the world he was doing. The little boy replied, “We learned in Sunday School today that we should give money to God for an offering. I forgot to bring my money today, so I figured I’d come home, throw mine in the air, and watch God catch whatever He needed, and I could keep the rest, but He hasn’t caught any yet!”

Unfortunately, the boy had a misconception about giving. Like the boy, many of us have misconceptions about giving. Some may feel that they are doing God a favor by giving Him tithes and offerings. Technically, everything that we possess belongs to God. Because everything belongs to God, He has a right to give and take away (Job 1:21). Because everything belongs to Him, “God Does Not Need From Us What’s Already His.”

We should give because we love God and desire to please God by obeying what He commands us to do as recorded in the Bible.For example, God said in Malachi 3:10: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Believers please God by faithfully and generously giving Him tithes and offerings. Tithing is giving to God 10% of our gross income/increase (which belongs to God), and the remaining 90% is ours to utilize wisely. Our offerings are what God inspires us to give from the remaining 90% which is in addition to our tithes. Our tithes and offerings should be set aside before paying anything else (first fruits).

At St. John, we give in person during Sunday Morning Worship Celebrations, by mailing or dropping off our tithes and offerings at our Administration Building or South Campus. We also give online through our website (sjmbc.org).

MEMORANDUM

Our Worship Celebrations: We have two in-person Worship Celebrations on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. (the North Campus) and 11:00 a.m.(the South Campus). Also, our virtual audience is proliferating. Let’s continue to share with others how they can view our Worship Celebrations via live streaming (YouTube) or hear them via podcasts. For more information, you may visit our website at sjmbc.org.

Our Family Life Center: The city of Richmond has approved the revision of our design and granted us a building permit to build our Family Life Center. We have now proceeded to the next step which is negotiating the total cost of the project. Please pray daily asking God to direct us regarding our Family Life Center which will be adjacent to our current sanctuary at the North Campus, consisting of a gymnasium, weight room, and game room (mainly for kids). Also, a parking lot will be across the street from this edifice.

Many of us made a commitment that we fulfilled, but some have not. May God bless each of us who have already fulfilled our pledge and others who have made “Building Fund” contributions. I encourage everyone (if you have not already done so) to contribute financially (in full or in installments) as soon as possible to this building project by choosing one of the following tiers:

1) $10,000.00 or more
2) $5,000.00 to $9,999.00
3) $1,000.00 to $4,999.00
4) $500.00 to $999.00
5) Below $500.00

Our Weekly Activities: I strongly encourage everyone to participate in the St. John activities that benefit you. Visit our website at sjmbc.org if you need more information. What’s forthcoming?

Sundays:
Worship Celebrations at 9:00 a.m. (North Campus) and 11:00 a.m. (South Campus)
Online Church School at 2:00 p.m.
Online Lord’s Supper on 1st Sundays in the 11:00 Worship Celebration or thereafter. To participate, each believer will need bread (or crackers) and grape juice (or something similar).

Mondays:
Grocery Giveaway Preparation at 10:00 a.m. (South Campus)
Women Missionary Ministry (General Mission) on 4th Mondays at 6:00 p.m.(South Campus)

Tuesdays:
Grocery Giveaway (North Campus and South Campus) at 12:00 p.m.
Online Church Leadership Council on Tuesdays following 2nd Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesdays:
Online Prayer at 12:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Online Church School at 7:00 p.m.

BIBLICAL RECAPITULATION

“Judge Not” (Mt. 7:1-5). Moreover, “God Does Not Need From Us What’s Already His” (Mal. 3:10).

May God bless and sustain each of us.

Your Beloved Servant In Christ,



Dr. Kevin B. Hall, Pastor