Nathan Neighbors
Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, & Youth Pastor
The four communion cups our family used for the Lord’s Supper on July 5, 2015 at Ebenezer.
Today was a special moment in our family. As we celebrated the Lord’s Supper in worship today we needed four cups of juice and four pieces of bread to take communion as a family. Since the day Ashley told me she was pregnant with our second child, we have not stopped praying for him. Our greatest prayer and hope for his life has always been for him to walk with the Lord. (Colossians 1:9-14)
As a preacher’s kid we have tried our best to teach all three of our boys to love the Lord. They live at church almost as much as at home. However, it’s been important for the boys to see life in Christ lived more outside the walls of our church than inside. It’s more than just what dad does to make a living. It’s our life…it’s our faith…it’s the most important thing. Jesus is it. He is the center of our lives and family.
Ellis has known for some time now what it means to be “saved.” He had the head knowledge, but we’ve been waiting for the Spirit of God to pierce the heart of Ellis. That moment happened in the hills of North Carolina at Ridgecrest during CentriKID summer camp on June 24, 2015. It was a holy moment similar to the moment our oldest son gave his life to Christ in 2012 (read about that here).
Today Ellis joined Ebenezer Baptist Church in Florence and publicly proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ. He also took his first communion. And…just like Ellis, those moments were filled with fun and excitement. Ashley and I enjoyed watching him fumble with the little piece of bread/wafer and watch him accidentally break it in his hands as he waited for everyone else to be served. Then he carefully held the cup of juice being mindful of not spilling it all over his shorts. These are the moments we will remember for a lifetime. Ellis will be baptized next Sunday, July 12.
Whether you’re a preacher’s kid or not…faith is a process. Life transformation can happen in big moments during powerful worship experiences, but it most often happens in daily living. During these days of the Summer of 2015 we’re walking day by day through a workbook with Ellis to learn more about his new faith in Christ. It’s in each of these moments that we spend with him that we will get to experience the life changing power of Christ in our second son.
Today we needed four cups for communion. We now pray and long for the day that we need five.
Guest Blog written by: Brad Kempson
When I was reading today’s verses, I was hit hard with something. I have just recently gotten over a major obstacle in my faith. I had felt like my life was broken and that God had left me. But when I read this, I was hit with love and compassion and realization.
The walls of Jerusalem had been broken down. I had felt like the walls of my faith and my life has been broken down. Then, Nehemiah asked the king if he could go to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. God was with Nehemiah and the king allowed him to go.
He got the supplies he needed with letters from the king. He got to Jerusalem and got people together and started rebuilding the wall. Many people helped rebuild the wall in different places.
This showed me that God puts different people in your life to build you up in different places. I realized that no matter how bad I felt or how broken, God is with me and I can be built up. You can too. No matter what you are facing in life, ask God to be with you, and he will rebuild you…to be stronger and better in your faith.
Guest Blog written by: Molly Watkins
As I read today’s verses from Ezra, a recurring theme was obedience. At the very end of 2 Chronicles, the Israelites were living in great sin and would not listen to God, so he destroyed Jerusalem. Then, when the Israelites were given another chance, they started to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple of God just as he commanded. Throughout the whole book, though, others tried to discourage the Israelites from building but they kept to God’s word and he found favor in them. He was on their side and they were able to continue to build. God knows that we are not perfect, but we should live our lives everyday trying to be like him and listen to what he has commanded us to do.
Later on in the book, God sends a prophet named Ezra to teach the people his decrees and to organize the temple. Ezra saw how unclean the Israelites were and he became so discouraged he tore off his clothes and ripped out his hair. He wanted these people to just follow God’s commandments. They had been given so many chances over and over again and they couldn’t even follow one rule. Many of the men had taken pagan wives and had started following their ways. So, Ezra prayed that God would forgive these people and thanked God for not unleashing his anger on these people. He ordered that all these men divorce their wives and obey the commandments of the Lord. As soon as the Israelites saw their wrong doings they obeyed the Lord.
It shouldn’t take someone else telling us how sinful we are, we should be able to see our mistakes and obey God. Something I’ve learned from this scripture is that God is VERY forgiving and that I should be very willing to listen to what he says because then amazing things will happen. God has set rules, not to constrain us, but to help us live better lives in his name. And, one day we will be in Heaven with Him.
Nathan Neighbors 