The Lord is our Refuge, He is our Rock
Forever He tenderly cares for His flock.
We are, like sheep, so prone to stray
“Lord, keep us each one in fellowship today.”
May each member of Your little flock
Glorify Your name whenever we talk.
When storms of life come our way
Help us to band together and never stray.
Help us to be patient with a wayward brother
Understanding him and encouraging each other.
Work in our midst to win those who are lost
Bless every member, Lord, whatever the cost.
Lord, help us to listen for that still small voice
And in our responding may we continue to rejoice.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133)
Joy Baptist Church in Fort Madison, Iowa, is a church that has joy and unity. The name does speak for it and the joy is tangible when you walk into this church. I know a big reason is because of leadership and they have an amazing pastor and his wife. They love and take care of each one of the flock. We had the privilege to serve two different time periods at Joy Baptist and it will always remain my home church.
Look, though, how the Psalm describes unity. Every one of us needs unity in our life. Unity brings peace, joy and contentment. Unity is described here as a precious ointment. In Bible times it was an honor to have ointment anointed on one’s head. Another way unity is described here is as dew. Dew is so refreshing and comes just in the wee hours of the morning.
Have you ever walked out in the early morning hours and have seen the dew glistening on the grass? It is so peaceful and leaves one with hope that even as God waters the grass each morning He will take care of us! One way He takes care of us is when we have a church family that is united. How can a church stay united?
Fellowship
I John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,…” Some definitions of fellowship are, “community of interest” and “a company of equals”. This is how I feel about my church family. We have the same interest primarily and that is to follow God, to study His Word and to follow His leading. It means we are equals because we are all children of God. We are all part of the family of God that He has placed in the community we live in (which for the moment is in Florida and we have a great church family here, too).
Singing
If you know anything about me, you know that singing is a vital part of my life. It may be as vital to me as breathing even! I love to sing. I have sung since I was a baby and now our youngest Melanie is the same way. We love to sing and when we all lift our voices in praise to God, the church fills with a presence and a divine joy like no other.
Colossians 3:16 tells us to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” If you take time, while singing in church, to look at the words of the songs they will teach you mighty truths!
Preaching
When our pastor preaches, one must sit up and take notice (I take notes) and listen as he challenges us. He is loving and kind but direct in his approach and not afraid to tell us the truth. He definitely exemplifies II Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” He is a true man of faith and a man of God.
Serving
Another way that Joy Baptist is family is the serving it does together. It is a rare church where instead of 10% of the people do 90% of the work, it is the other way around. Everyone in the church loves to serve and you can tell by the joy on their faces and the results you see as you walk around the church. Psalm 100:2 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” What an example to our young people!
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1) Are you glad to be part of a church and serving in it?
