April2012

Magnolia

"Every person -a place to serve anda place to belong."

Baptist Church

720 S. MagnoliaAnaheim, CA

92804

The MessengerO.K. for those who might want a “nice ending” or a “wrap-up” to Deeper: Experiencing Christ through Spiritual Disciplines this article is for you. For those who want to really follow Jesus… this article is for you. For those of you who don’t desire truth and challenge…who don’t want to experience the deeper, more abundant life Jesus calls us to, please turn the page and read through the birthdays and anniversaries. I’m sure you’ll find something “nice” or to your “liking.”

One last lesson on following Christ deeply. This one is important. Pay attention.

Start here: Read Matthew 23…the whole chapter…read it slow and let it sink in for a moment.

Following the rules kept them focused on the outside, but who they were on the inside is what Jesus paid attention to. HINT: The same is true of us. Jesus is more concerned with our internal attitudes of repentance and belief than the outward show of being Christianish (going to church, helping old ladies across the street and cats out of trees, putting spare change in the Salvation Army kettle, etc.)

Jesus is going to strongly oppose these religious leaders because He doesn’t want people to confuse following the rules with following Him. That includes practicing spiritual disciplines.

Have you ever been to the gym and watched people move around the gym a lot. They move from station to station and never really seem to break a sweat. I always wonder who they are trying to impress…or there’s this one guy…I don’t get it, but hey…there was this one guy who I worked out with in college…he would always shift the weight pin to heavier weights when he was finished because he wanted the girls in the workout room to think he was stronger than he really was! What? They didn’t care. The problem that Jesus had with these teachers is that what they were teaching wasn’t a reflection of who they really were. HINT: Jesus doesn’t care what you can do on the outside, if who you are on the inside doesn’t match His word and His way.

Jesus has harsh words for these fans who were trying to impress others through their religious credentials. Jesus doesn’t expect followers to be perfect, but he does call them to be authentic. What Jesus desires in His followers is someone who isn’t pretending on the outside to have it all together.

Do you remember a few years ago when there was a commercial for a pharmaceutical company that was trying to sell this prescription drug for hepatitis C? My understanding is that if you have hepatitis C, you don’t see it manifested outside of the body, at least not for some time; instead it just eats your insides. And in the commercial they showed this person’s face and the face becomes more and more disfigured and marred. Then there is this caption that comes up at the end of the commercial: “If Hep C attacked your face instead of your liver, you’d do something about it.” If you could see what’s on the inside instead of what you’re just showing everybody else on the outside, I wonder if you’d do something about it. HINT: This is what Jesus is trying to do. He’s trying to get people to see what’s on the inside.

When we learn to truly follow Jesus, we find that obedience to God comes from the inside out. Submission to what God wants for our lives flows naturally out of that relationship. It’s not to say that what we do or don’t do doesn’t matter, but what we do or don’t do must come from who we are as followers of Jesus. HINT: If the relationship on the inside is right, the outside will follow.

Trying to keep up appearances is exhausting. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were condemned and warned for exhausting people with religion. Many of us are religiously exhausted too because we’ve never found the rest and freedom that comes from a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. This isn’t as much a caution for new believers as it is a wake-up call for “good church-going folk” (as we call them in the South). For many of us, we have been raised in the Church, but never raised in relationship with Jesus!

We’ve been raised to look right on the outside but didn’t learn about the inside. We’ve been taught to keep all the rules, but never really encouraged to have a relationship with Jesus. We’ve been made to feel guilty for the wrong things, but somehow missed God’s amazing grace.

The disciplines are a means to a relationship…not an end product. Having a relationship with Jesus is not a bi-product of doing good things or spiritual things or spiritually good things. Relationships are intentional…requiring effort and engagement. That is spiritual discipline…our effort and engagement in response to the effort and engagement of God Himself and His great love and grace.

Glad to be your pastor,

Jeremy

All Families Welcome

Saturday, April 7th11:00am - 1:00pm

Lunch, games, and an easter egg hunt!

Invite your friends and families in

your neighborhood.

Easter Egg-Stravaganza

5 Brian & Anna Lepkowski7 50th ~ Art & Maxine Dagen7 Gene & Barbara Gatch15 Mike & Debbie McMillen16 Ron & Mary Bengochea

Magnolia Children Frontline Student Ministry

LAUNCHYoung Adult

Magnolia Daycare

H U G E Y A R DS A L E

April 21, 2012 8am - 1pm,

on the MBC Front lawn

Union Rescue Missionlos angeles

Youth Mission Trip April 4th - 6th

Spring Break ScheduleMonday, April 2nd Movie Day

Tuesday, April 3rd Beach Day

Wednesday, April 4th Let's go Bowling

Thursday, April 5th Brookhurst Park ~ Bike and Skate

Kids Night Out(ages 4 years old - 6th grade)

and

Infant Care(up to 3 years old)May 4th 6pm - 9pm

ALL CHURCH WORKDAY

APRIL 14THWe could use your help!

Pageant Of The Masters

in Laguna Beach

Sunday, August 19th

$17.00for information or to buy

tickets contact Danna Bone.

Special Pre-Saledeal on Tickets to

Buy your ticket before April 30th

Birthday's

Anniversaries

Join us onSunday, April 22nd

7:00pmMBC Leuschner Hall

If you are out of high school and under the age of 26 and want to stay current with the LAUNCH activities join us at the Magnolia Baptist Church College Group on Facebook.

This has been an absolutely amazing read. Tozer is a master with words. This book is a perfect morning devotional. Each essay is about 2 pages and can be read with a bowl of cereal before work. And what an uplifting way to start the day it is. Tozer clearly points his readers to the cross and shows how important and powerful it is, and how central it needs to be in the life of a Christian. I particu-larly recommend chapter 23 “That Incredible Christian” and chapter 24 “Integration or Repudiation?”

Reviewed by Adam De-

The Radical Cross: Living the Passion of Christ by A. W. Tozer

1 Evelyn Rothert2 Edgar Eneria2 Brendon Kirby2 Ralph Milburn4 Nicole Schlegel4 Nicole Faircloth4 Danielle Grimshaw6 Giselle Fernandez7 I.J. Preston7 Christina Gustavson8 Betty Boyts9 Cody Mora9 Elaine Dolan9 Ricky Gutierrez10 Susan Downs10 Tim Pham10 Bang Cao11 Ann Alderson12 Sue Frenzel12 Rose Eneria13 Rose Kirby13 Kayla Hartman14 Lorraine Swain 17 Bill Decker18 Meredith Wylde19 Lynette Miramontes19 Abygail Faircloth20 Brianne Gough24 Barbara Gustavson24 Dave Mitchell25 Jessica Avila25 Lyn Lewis28 Patrick Keleher28 Thomas Farr30 Jean Southerland30 Nathan Sawyer30 Stewart Bone30 Veronica Alejos

5 Brian & Anna Lepkowski7 50th ~ Art & Maxine Dagen7 Gene & Barbara Gatch15 Mike & Debbie McMillen16 Ron & Mary Bengochea

Men's MinistryWomen's MinistryBirthday's

Anniversaries

Men's Breakfastat Hometown Buffet

on Katella and Euclid

April 28thTime: 7:30am – 9am

Cost: $7.70 per person Includes: a breakfast buffet,

Omelette bar and Coffee.

If you bring a visitor they are FREE.For more information talk with: Gene Gatch; 714.774.7036 or Dan Guerrero; 714.794.9729

Enjoy the comfort of our dorm style accommodations, first rate food, and the highlighted activities for the low price of $155 or $215. Escape to Palomar Mountain for an exciting experience focused on rejuvenation, recreation, and personal reflection. Come and join us as we look to be take hold of the “Weapons of our Warfare!”

Men's Retreat April 13-15, 2012

Sign up with

Dan Guerrero

or Gene Gatch

SeniorAdultsMonthly Luncheon

Leuschner Hall11:00am April 26th

$3.00 Per Person

WOMEN

WOMENpraying for

April 27th ~ 6:30pmHome of Lois Farr

The Radical Cross: Living the Passion of Christ by A. W. Tozer

Join the Ladies who Lunch

Saturday, April 14th11:30am - 1:30pm

Leuschner Hall

only $7.00 ticket

Lunch, Beverage, Dessertand our speaker

Our speaker is a florist and she will be showing us how

to arrange flowers.

Loving Women NeededOn May 4th Women's Ministry is hosting a babycare night for parents of children ages newborn to 3.

If you would like to come to the church that night and help us "babysit" please let Danna Bone know. We will be there from 5:30pm - 9:00pm. dbone@magnoliabapist.org

Be Part of all the fun

(714) 827-0553

Offi ce Hours: 8:30am - 3:30pm

Monday - Thursday

www.magnoliabaptist.org

email: staff@magnoliabaptist.org

Find us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: @magnoliabaptist

Magnolia Baptist Church720 S. Magnolia AvenueAnaheim, CA 92804

Easter Week in April

April 1st Palm Sunday, Special Services 9am & 10:45am

April 6th Good Friday Service 7:00pm

Arpil 3rd Passover Dinner Leuschner Hall 6:30pm

April 8th Easter Sunday Services 9am & 10:45am

APRIL13th - 15th Men's Retreat 15th Purls to the World 10:45am17th Women Praying for Women 6:30pm20th Women's Craft Night 7:00pm21st Youth Yard Sale 7:00am22nd Compassion Sunday 28th PYHO (Prep day) 8:00am