Category Archives: bible study

GO ON MISSION IN 2014

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gomakedisciplesJesus said, „Come with Me, and I will make you fishers of men.“  As His followers, each and everyone of us has the God-given responsibility of sharing the gospel.  For 2014, here are opportunities to learn and practice how to live missionally.

 Jelka in Slovakia (05 – 09 June)

  • supporting IBCB‘s IMP church planter, Oto Sipos, in their Football Tournament and Family Fun Day outreach event.

Hungary in Versend, Sarods, & Seregelyes( 26 June – 05 July) & in Puspokladany (3 – 12 July)

  • working through a local church in a local school teaching German to children using a Bible-based curriculum.  The project is co-sponsored by Hungarian Baptists and International Commission.

Hungary 2014 Invitation

Jerusalem (30 June to 09 July)

  • participating with IBCB’s IMP church-planter, Rajai Samawi, in his annual Back2Jerusalem evangelism project – street evangelism, literature distribution, and social service projects.  See www.back2jerusalem.org for more information.

Brochure available

Moldova (in the Fall – date to be determined)

  • evangelistic and social outreach coordinated by the Moldova Baptist Union and the International Baptist Convention (IBC).

 

If you would like to know more about these mission trips and how to get involved, come to the „Equipping for Missions“ Fellowship on the 2nd of March, immediately after the worship service.

 

Experiencing God @ Work & Play

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Disciple-making begins when we give ourselves to God’s purpose in
the world … where we work and play. Each and everyone of us has the God-given responsibility of sharing the gospel with family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.  If we want to know God by experience, then we will have to learn to lovingly obey him by sharing our faith with the non-believers in our circles of influence.
But let’s be honest, not everyone is ready for us to present to them the truths of the gospel.  Most non-believers are still on their way to accepting Jesus…and that’s where sharing your faith becomes more than just “Steps to Peace with God” or “The Four Spiritual Laws.”  It becomes a matter of becoming a “missionary” — or living missionally — by investing in your relationships, inviting them to share life with you, andintroducing them to spiritual matters.
Here’s a very simple yet helpful way to think about living as a missionary: BLESS!
Begin with Prayer — pray that God will give you opportunities to build genuine friendships with non-believers that will lead people to receiving Christ
Listen to People — take the time to learn what’s really important to your friends by listening not only to their words but also their hearts
Eat with People — something mystical happens when you take time to share a meal with people and your connection is deepened
Serve People — when you discover people’s needs serve them in prayer and practical ways both of which can be powerful expressions and experiences of God’s love
Share Your Spiritual Experiences with People — let people know how Jesus has made a difference in your life by helping you with your problems and giving you a meaningful life
When you live as a missionary and BLESS people in this way, they will begin to ask you questions about your life (1 Peter 3:15) and you will have an opportunity to share the facts of salvation with them.
Experiencing God @ work and play begins with our commitment to be a BLESSing to the non-believers in our lives.  We get to know God through experience…his presence and power in and through our lives…when we obey him in love.
May God use YOU to be a BLESSing to others!

Small Groups @ IBCB

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Here are small groups that you could join:

Men’s Small Group on Mondays from 19:00 till 20:30 h at the Haus  Nazareth (1. OG) just 150 m from the church on Wrangelstr. 6.  For more info, contact Mark Morton,  mwjmorton@gmail.com.

Women’s Small Group on Mondays (from 10:00-12:00 h at the Fellowship Room downstairs. The group will be studying the book “Gideon: Your Weakness, God’s Strength” by Priscilla Shirer [seven-week Bible study with DVD].  For more information contact Kim Bleck, kbleck7622@aol.com.

New Small Groups:

  • Spandau (Wasserstadt) weekly on Fridays from 19:00-  21:00 h to be led by David & Patricia Ayres
  • Wilmersdorf – to be led by Jeff & Heidi Magiera
  • Charlottenburg on Fridays from 19:30 –21:00 h led by Samuel Brown

Other Small Groups:

  • Friday evenings – Günter Springer, leader
  • Saturday evenings – Pedro & Taline Perla, leaders

Are you interested to connect with, start or lead a small group?  Then contact Craig Huggins, smallgroups@ibcberlin.org to find out how you can get started.

 

 

A Note from Scott

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26082009309“Home for Christmas” … that was our theme for last night’s Christmas Coffee House, and that what it was!  Our children did a wonderful job playing and singing.  Our Praise Team and others did a great job performing and leading.  Special thanks to Lucas Ebert (Praise Team Leader) and his team for making this year’s Coffee House a special event.
“Home for Christmas” … that will be my theme for the next three weeks.  Laurie and I will travel to the States to spend Christmas with my mom along with my sisters and their families.  We look forward to sharing this special season together for the first time in five years.
Of course, my mind and heart are never far from my IBCB family.  I’ll be praying for you and those who will continue overseeing our family during my vacation during the holidays — the leaders (Klaus and Jeff) and our deacons (Mark, Lucas,Faith, Pedro, & Kasub).  I’m happy to have Juergen and Mark filling the pulpit during my absence.  Give them the same encouraging support that you give me on Sundays.
I’ll look forward to returning home to IBCB for 2014 — an important year in the life of our church family.  It’s a year where we sense God wanting to do something big in and through us during this year of “2nds” — pastor, service, & church.  Only God can accomplish this God-sized calling for our church.
Quite frankly, I’m praying that God will increase my faith because I know that apart from his intervention we are not able to accomplish what we believe God is asking us to do.  However, I know that with God all things are possible when we place our trust in him and follow his lead.  So, for the first 21 days of 2014, we will again set aside the “first fruits” of the year to dedicate ourselves to the Lord and to renew our faith in him in an all-church emphasis — “21 Days of Experiencing God.”
Have a blessed Christmas season and a New Year of God’s peace.  Get ready for an exciting year of God-sized challenges as we put God to the test and as we stretch our faith.

Birthday Gift for Jesus: From “Red” to “Black”

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Getting ready for Christmas means thinking through the ways that we can show our love and appreciation for family friends by giving them a thoughtful and appropriate Christmas gift.  That’s what makes Christmas special.
But whose birthday is it anyway?  Have you considered showing your love and appreciation for Jesus and his family by giving him a birthday gift through our church?
Our November and Year-To-Date (YTD) finance reports (see below) show that we’re in the “red” (deficit spending) for the month and for the year.  Why not consider a special offering to Jesus — above and beyond your tithe — to move us as a church from “red” to “black” (surplus giving).
November -4,220.00
YTD        -23,934.00
For us to move from “red” to “black” would require that we receive a total of approximately 42,400 Euros in December alone.  Humanly speaking … and considering our giving habits … it seems impossible.  But with God, all things are possible.
Prayerfully consider how you might give Jesus a birthday gift by bringing a special offering during December.