RBBC State of the Church Address 2024

“We often start with the bigger problems outside and forget about the one inside of us. A man has to learn the plague of his own heart before his own problems can be solved.”

Oswald Chambers, “The Shadow of Agony”, Pg. 76

When we come to a famine or hard choice in life and need to make a decision.

Warren Wiersbe, a great pastor and author wrote in his commentary that when we have a storm in our lives we go at it one of three ways:

Endure them: And if we endure it it only leads to those trials becoming our masters and we can become bitter and form a hardened heart.

Escape them: If we escape them, it’s only temporary- they’ll return and sometimes with a vengeance. When we escape them we can easily miss God’s purposes for our lives.

Enlist them: When we enlist in them they become our servants instead of our masters and they work for us; they help to build our Christian character and our faith in God.

Romans 8:27–29 ESV

27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

We have the opportunity to be the bride of Christ that God calls us to be in this world, it’s up to you and I if we let the principles in it guide and lead us to being more faithful to the Lord or not.

To be the laborers in the vineyard that Jesus desires or to just be those that sit on the bench.

I want to grow and learn, to serve, and to bring glory to His name; how about you?

That was our challenge as we started the year and I must say, I stand here today in awe of what God has done in and through us a church family.

We’re gonna spend the next 20-25 minutes hearing from various ministry leaders in our church share about what God has done over this past year.

Before we do let’s go to the Lord in prayer and then buckle up to be blessed!

LET’S PRAY

Sharing time for various ministries

Men- Steve led us in a study called “Pray first” on 3rd Saturday of each month, Bowling night, and small group in my office that starts again on 1/12 studying John, working on another group this next year as well as some hiking days and “Man Camp 2024; Coming back!”

Deacon/Building & Grounds- JOSH

Women- JOANN?

Deaconess & Prayer Ministry- CAROLE

Greeter- GLORIA

Youth/Children- JOY

Music, Sound Board & Video- LAUREL

Global Outreach- TERRY

Community Outreach & Announcements?- PHIL

Church Events- JOY

Video Editing, Social Media & Website- TYLER

Preaching in 2024 and where we’re headed in 2025

We started this year in the book of Ruth together “gleaning” from what Ruth and those around her experienced from famine to faithfulness.

We had the privilege of Doctor Dan and Linda Iles come share about their trip to Kenya shortly after that in February, planting seeds in our hearts as our partnership with Kenya was growing.

Next, to prepare our hearts for our time in Ecclesiastes and Philippians we dove into the various topics of Stewardship; our time, talent, treasures, and truth.

And directly after Easter we started our 11 month study in Ecclesiastes and Philippians where we broke the books up into 9 mini series’.

And in October we had the honor to have our brother and fellow Pastor Anthony Juma come and share with us what he has been up to in Kitale, Kenya.

We learned of his needs and his dreams for where the Lord was leading him.

As the Lord continued to prepare the ground for our church’s first ever Kenya missions trip!

And as if time doesn’t fly by any quicker, we entered into this year’s Christmas season with a series titled, “The Invitation: A Christmas story of hope and healing.”

We were challenged and encouraged to look back on God’s heart for us all— through redemption, transformation, assurance of His love, the hope of glory, and the power of His love in Christ.

We paralleled this series alongside the Daily Bread’s brief devotional titled, “Living Free”.

And as 2024 comes to a close I just want to say a special thank you to our preachers.

Elders— Andy H. and Steve

Deacons— Josh, Garrett, and Andy W.

This year we are diving back into the Bible; bringing it to life through the book of John.

We have 5 different sermon series’ that we are breaking the book of John into and we’ll be hearing from some new preachers this year!

Caleb has been a camp counselor and speaker at Mount Meadows Bible camp for several years and has been one of the most requested counselors each year by students.

He has his degree in Archaeology and studies God’s Word, marrying it with discoveries all over the world to support the Bible.

You will not want to miss his sermon on John 5:1-18 this Spring!

Another fella who you’ve seen backflipping around here from time to time is Tyler.

Tyler has been growing leaps and bounds over the last few years and has been devouring the Word of God and asking incredible questions.

He has a passion to learn and teach it to others and both he and Caleb had the honor to teach and preach in various churches while they were in Kenya and word is they want them both to come back and do it again!

Tyler’s love is knowing what and why we believe, also known as apologetics.

Not just defending the faith, but helping those who didn’t grow up in church to easily understand and put their faith in Christ.

I’ve been challenged by his questions many times and I can’t wait to hear his sermon on John 14:1-14 where Jesus claims He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

Above the information in sermons and Bible studies, our desire here at RBBC, is to have people become passionate followers of Jesus and to love and share it with those around them.

Our aim and goal to grow

Our goal and prayer is NOT that we all become Bible scholars, it’s that in this coming year we all become more like Christ and renew our passion for God’s Word in our lives.

To make prayer the forefront of every decision we make.

To follow the Holy Spirit’s leading as we take steps way out of our comfort zones to serve Him.

And to build on the unity and love that exists here at RBBC.

I am truly grateful to be your pastor and fellow servant of God here with you all.

I’m grateful for how you’ve loved on my wife and kids through all we went through with Alisha’s colon cancer in 2022 though now.

How you’ve not put expectations on my children but have loved and encouraged them to be their own person and live out their personal faith in Christ, not their dad’s or mom’s.

I feel so blessed to be a part of a thriving and growing church that is not represented by only one generation, but all generations who gladly serve shoulder to shoulder; whether that is through our ministries in the church and events, or through our outreaches in the community, or on a mission’s trip across the globe.

We have faith in Christ, we are a community, and we are family that is bound together in the love of God.

Closing Vision and Call to Action

As we bring this year to a close, I want to remind us of who we are and why we’re here as a church.

Red Bluff Bible Church isn’t just a building or a meeting place.

We are a family on mission together— called by God, empowered by His Spirit, and sent into the world with the greatest hope ever known.

Our vision is simple yet deeply transformative:

Redeem, Root, Reach.

Redeem We exist to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ with those who are lost, broken, and searching.

Redemption is the heartbeat of the gospel—Jesus saves, restores, and makes all things new. Who in your life is God asking you to bring this hope to today?

Root We’re committed to growing deep in our faith.

The Christian life isn’t just about believing— it’s about becoming.

Becoming more like Jesus, grounded in His Word, strengthened through prayer, and supported by authentic community. What step can you take this year to root your life deeper in Christ?

Reach We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a world in need.

Whether it’s serving here in our church, in Red Bluff, or supporting global missions, Christ’s love compels us to act. Where is God calling you to step out of your comfort zone to make a difference?

Colossians 2:6–7 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

As we look back on all God has done through us this year, let’s also look ahead with renewed purpose.

God isn’t finished with us yet!

Imagine what He could do if each one of us fully embraced this mission!

Let’s be a church that prays bold prayers, serves sacrificially, and shines brightly in this community.

A church where every generation loves God, loves people, and lives on mission every single day.

Church family, the state of the church is strong— not because of us, but because of Jesus.

Not just here in Red Bluff, but around the world; despite what some studies show the Gospel IS going out and the Lord is refining the church as well as bringing new believers in.

He is the One who ultimately redeems, roots, and reaches.

Let’s give Him our all, trusting Him to do more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine.

Closing prayer

To close, I want to challenge us to take a step of faith together.

Before I end in a brief prayer, we’re going to close this service in groups of 3-5 people around you.

Take a moment to share one area where you’d like to grow in your faith this year.

Maybe it’s:

Reading through the whole Bible in 2024.

Joining a small group or ministry to grow and serve.

Reaching out to a co-worker or neighbor with the love of Christ.

Starting a journal to track answered prayers and personal reflections.

Committing to regular attendance for encouragement and authentic community.

This is not about sharing your deepest struggles; it’s about being real and specific in asking for prayer in one area where you want to be challenged spiritually.

After about 5 minutes, I’ll close us in a brief prayer to end our service.

Let’s take this time to pray boldly for one another and for the year ahead.

LET’S PRAY

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