Jonan Castillon

May 19 2023

Supervision Support, Testimonies, Youth, Prayers, Regional Hui, Sermons

BAPTIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER 19 MAY 2023

Seeking external supervision support

As a requirement in my Baptist Registration Development Agreement 2023, I meet with an experienced Baptist pastor for accountability and seek external supervision support every two months.

My 17 May meeting was a treat because instead of meeting with my external supervisor alone, I got to join and meet six more pastors in their cluster’s meeting at Oxford Baptist Church.

The trip to Oxford (a two-hour long drive one way) was worthwhile. The sharing, encouragement, and praying brought much nourishment to my spirit. Also, meeting pastors and hearing their trials and triumphs assures me that I am part of a broader community in God’s vineyard. To God, our praises!

Writing and sharing testimonies

We are moving to the next topic on Sunday, 21 May, “Testimony Writing and Sharing.” I will preach on testimonies as the buried treasure we must dig and celebrate.

We’ll have Malcolm preach about its role and importance on 28 May. On 4 June, Tom will share how we can present testimonies creatively.

I’m sure that sharing testimonies is not new to all. Thus, I look forward to hearing your testimonies in the next few Sundays. We will also learn how to harness its power in the church and personal life; how it can impact the community.

Weekly Reminders

Youth Ministry – Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
Prayer Meeting – Thursday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Music Jam – Thursday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM
We invite our young people and anyone in our church to come and sing, play an instrument, and even just be there to listen.

Pastor’s Activities on 26-28 May 2023

I am sharing these dates for your information and guidance.

26-27 May – I will attend the Otago and Southland Regional Hui at Alexandra Baptist Church.
28 May – I am scheduled to present on Philippine Missions at Gleniti Baptist Church, Timaru

Joining the Editorial Advisory Group

I am deeply grateful for the new opportunity to serve the Lord through the NZ Baptist Union’s Editorial Advisory Group – an excellent avenue to share my God-given talents. To God be the glory! Click the button below to read more.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP

Giving

Thank you for your continued support for the ministries the Lord God has entrusted us with. Your generosity means a lot for the development and progress of His work.

If you want to set up an automatic payment for regular giving or make a one-off donation via Internet banking, the Oamaru Baptist Church account number is (ANZ) 06-0941-0015036-00.

May the Lord God bless you and keep you.

Past Sermons

Please browse and read past sermons by clicking the button below.

OBC SERMONS COLLECTION

May 09 2023

The Faithful, Indomitable, Noble, Hopeful, and Generous People of OBC

As part of our “Faith-Wisdom Series”, this continues the Mapping Oamaru Baptist Church’s Faith-Wisdom sermon I shared on 28 March.

Previously, I talked about OBC’s faith-wisdom in 1883, 1889, 2008, and 2012, which led us to discover the church’s founding values.

steadfast faith,
indomitable courage,
noble vision,
hope, and
generosity

In this message, we will talk about the faithful, indomitable, noble, hopeful and generous people of Oamaru Baptist Church and the faith-wisdom discovery map in the past three years.

ministry appreciation and participation toolkit

The flow chart above indicates that we are still on “Faith-Wisdom Discovery”, and next, we will tackle “Testimony Writing and Sharing”. All the tools we discuss and learn are integral to our church planning.

Basic Biblical Principle

Between 1883 and 2023, Oamaru Baptist Church had many faith-wisdom waiting to be found.

The basic principle in faith-wisdom discovery is searching for and finding God in all the events in the church’s life.

The faith-wisdom statement above is taken from the “In Retrospect” article on the “Turning Back the Pages”, Oamaru Baptist Church Centenary 1883-1983, published in 1983, where the founding values are mentioned.

During all the years of its witness in Oamaru, the Church has been steadfastly loyal to the foundation principles of the Evangelical faith. The distinctive and historic Baptist witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the absolute authority of the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, the freedom of the individual personality before God, and the right of all to freedom of conscience have been maintained with vigour and without compromise.

Today we thank God for those early pioneer members who, with indomitable courage, steadfast faith and sanctified vision, established the Baptist Cause in this town. We bless our God for every remembrance of them. ‘Their faith and their hopes we share as a glorious heritage. God grant that we prove worthy of the trust they have left us.
“Turning Back the Pages, Oamaru Baptist Church Centenary 1883-1983

Applying the faith-wisdom principles

The slide below shows some events in OBC’s life from 2020 to 2023. The listing is not exhaustive. I selected a few for illustration purposes only.

Now that we have listed the events, how do we search for and find God in these events in OBC’s life in the last three years, you may ask.

Remember the basic Biblical principle I showed earlier (Slide No. 3) found in James 1:22 and 1:26 and summed up by the phrase, “Faith without works is dead”?

As believers, the church continues to perpetuate works of faith because we have been born again in Jesus Christ.

It is the same faith that moved the early pioneers, “who, with indomitable courage, steadfast faith and sanctified vision, established the Baptist Cause in this town.”

Looking at OBC’s Faith-Wisdom Discovery Map above and reflecting on the events listed from 2020 to 2023 takes us to two questions.

One is hypothetical. Could those who left have stayed if they knew of OBC’s faith-wisdom statement?
The other question is reflective. Now that you know OBC’s faith-wisdom statement, how does it impact your commitment to be part of OBC?

As I have mentioned in my previous explanation, Faith-Wisdom discovery must lead to forming a mission statement.

So, based on the faith-wisdom statement, we create a mission statement needed in planning programs for the church.

Oamaru Baptist Church must plan and implement programs that teach, train, and track the founding values of every member (dynamic discipleship).

steadfast faith,
indomitable courage,
noble vision,
hope, and
generosity

Apr 15 2023

Resurrection Reflection, Dynamic Discipleship Groups, AGM, Giving

BAPTIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER 15 APRIL 2023

Jesus Christ is risen!

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect,
but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Philippians 3:10-12

May our response be both “He is risen INDEED” and “He is risen IN DEED”

The first is our declaration of faith.

The second is our testimony that we worship and serve the Living God.

Group Leaders’ Training is done

Nineteen participants joined the Theological Education by Extension (TEE) Group Leaders’ Training on 31 March (7:00-9:00 PM) and 1 April (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM) at Oamaru Baptist Church.

The participants came from four church groups, Salvation Army Oamaru (7), All Nations Church of Hope (3), Waitaki Life Group (1), and Oamaru Baptist Church (8).

CLICK on this link to read more ➞ TEE Aotearoa Dynamic Discipleship Group Leaders’ Training Held at Oamaru

Call to Action!

Those who attended the GLT are requested to stay after the worship service for a 10-minute meeting. We will talk about the discipleship groups that we will be organising. Thank you very much.

We look forward to seeing every OBC member participating in a discipleship group.

Annual General Meeting on 7th May

On Sunday, 7th May, we will hold the Annual General Meeting right after the worship service. Materials for the meeting (e.g. agenda, reports) will be available towards the end of this month.

Please mark the AGM on 7th May in your calendar. Thank you very much.

Weekly Reminders

Youth Ministry – Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
Prayer Meeting – Thursday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Music Jam – Thursday from 4:00 to 5:00 PM

Giving

Thank you very much for your continued support for the ministries with which the Lord God has entrusted us. Your generosity means a lot for the development and progress of His work.

If you would like to set up an automatic payment for regular giving or to make a one-off donation via internet banking, the Oamaru Baptist Church account number is (ANZ) 06-0941-0015036-00.

May the Lord God bless you and keep you.

Apr 12 2023

TEE Aotearoa Dynamic Discipleship Group Leaders’ Training Held at Oamaru

Nineteen participants joined the Theological Education by Extension (TEE) Group Leaders’ Training on 31 March (7:00-9:00 PM) and 1 April (10:00 AM to 5:00 PM) at Oamaru Baptist Church.

The participants came from four church groups, Salvation Army Oamaru (7), All Nations Church of Hope (3), Waitaki Life Group (1), and Oamaru Baptist Church (8).

The TEE Aotearoa training team is thankful for the support of their respective pastors – Paul and Jocelyn Smith (Salvation Army Oamaru), Sam and Dawn Ghoorah (All Nations Church of Hope) and Andy Aguilar (Waitaki Life Group).

*Thank you, Ray, for the fantastic coffee you served us and your and Cheryl’s outstanding service.*

Our Next Step Commitments

Organise a city-wide small group programme (coordinate between the four churches that participated) – Jonan will follow up with the pastors.
Talk to your leadership.
Exchange phone numbers and emails of training participants – Jonan will follow up.
Pastors meet to encourage and coordinate on TEE – pastors could share ideas and pray for groups in each church.
Ask the Lord what you can do to follow up on this training
Invite some people to form a group.
Share the TEE model with your church.
Think outside of the box.
Pray for TEE to spread in Oamaru and that God will lead you to a specific person.
Order some books from TEE Aotearoa and move forward in faith.

Source: Ann’s notes

Thank you, Ann and Lewis and TEE Aotearoa!

We thank Ann Borquist and Lewis Varley for offering their precious time to train us. We salute your commitment to Jesus’ Great Commission through TEE Aotearoa.

Thinking of Lewis having an early morning trip from Hamilton to Wellington, then with Ann, flying into Timaru and travelling to Oamaru on 31 March, and then the trip back makes us value dearly the training that we received from you. May God bless you and your respective families.

Acknowledgment of support

TEE Aotearoa appreciates deeply and is thankful for the following organisations and persons: Oamaru Baptist Church, Hopevale Trust, Century House Bed and Breakfast (host), Arnel and Jane Casitas (host), Brendan and Deana Grant (host), Jewel Castillon (host), Gleniti Baptist Church, and many others who prayed and helped make this event a success.

PHOTO CREDITS: Ann Borquist

Apr 02 2023

Proclaiming God’s Righteousness – The Triumphal Entry of Jesus

John 12:12-19

We are celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem once again.

It is well-known as “Palm Sunday” because when Jesus rode on to Jerusalem, people carrying palm leaves, some waving and others spreading along the ground, greeted him.

To be exact, it was John who specified that “they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him” (John 12:13). Matthew (21:8) and Mark (11:8) mentioned that the people got leafy branches of trees Luke only said “cloaks” that the people spread on the road as Jesus entered Jerusalem (Luke 19:36).

Whether you would like to call it “Palm Sunday” or “Cloaks and Branches Sunday” is not the focus of our reflection.

Here, we see Jesus proceeding on a critical mission to enter Jerusalem.

Jesus proclaimed the righteousness of God.

Jesus entered enemy territor Word was out that anyone who would see Jesus must report to the priestly authorities so that they would arrest Jesus.

Jerusalem was the seat of the religious hierarch Jesus pushed through because God called upon him to proclaim His righteousnes Where is righteousness fitting to be declared than among unrighteous people?

What we need today is COURAGE TO PROCLAIM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

It begins when we have been put right with God from within ourselves.

How?

Romans 3:21-31 explains how we have been put right with God in Jesus Christ.

Yes, God makes us right by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Roman 3:22 points out:

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And h s is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

ROMANS 3:22 (NLT)

And because we have experienced the righteousness of God, we aren’t comfortable seeing unrighteousness done before us.

We become restless and can only relax when we have proclaimed what is right.

What hinders us from seeking and proclaiming God’s righteousness?

However, some of us tend to only focus on seeking the “Kingdom of God” but aren’t keen on finding and proclaiming “His righteousness”, as the first statement in Matthew 6:33 mentions.

I have thought of three things that hinder us from seeking and proclaiming God’s righteousness.

1. Proclaiming God’s righteousness puts us outside of our comfort zone

Seeking and proclaiming God’s righteousness will not only take us out of our comfort zone, but most of us dread the thought that we would make others uncomfortable.

Yes, we are uncomfortable thinking that our proclamation will cause others to be uncomfortable.

Our thinking would be like…we have everything we need and live in a peaceful and secure community; why should we bother?

2. The world and some believers accuse us that we aren’t righteous enough

“Oh, let us leave them alone because we too are sinners” is the statement that Christians often hear discouraging Christians from speaking what is right and just before God.

Going through the triumphal entry narrative in Luke 19:28-44, we read in verses 36 and 37 that…

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Then some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus to rebuke His disciples, but Jesus replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (vs. 39-40).

Not everyone in the crowd of disciples is righteous enough based on the Pharisees’ standard (or on the world’s standard), for they told Jesus to rebuke His disciples.

The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t stop them from proclaiming God’s righteousness.

It’s not the world or some ignorantly righteous persons who call the shot when it comes to who would proclaim God’s righteousness. Only Jesus Christ!

3. We are compromising and serving two masters

A lot of us today are what we call TIRED AND WEARY Christians. What causes it is “SIN.

The most tiresome part of sin is when the Christian compromises. TO BE LUKEWARM is the most tiresome thing to a faithful Christian.

Serving two masters will eventually wear us out.

We cannot serve both God and money, Jesus said. We must serve the one and only Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Paul tells us to take off all that hinders our race.

Therefore, since such a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

(Hebrews 12:1-3)

He also exhorts us not to conform anymore to the pattern of this world but be transformed by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2).

How can Jesus’ triumphal entry lead us to our triumph?

I want to close this sermon with some reflections on the relevance of the triumphal entry of Jesus to our present situation.

1. Let us welcome the Lord in our “Jerusalem.”

Remember, when we read Acts 1:8, where “Jerusalem” is mentioned, we would interpret it as starting our witness in our place “Jerus lem” could be our hearts, homes, and families.

I don’t know if your culture has this saying: “Clean your backyard first before cleaning the backyard of others.”

Then we have Jesus Christ saying in Matthew 7:5, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Therefore, let us welcome the Lord Jesus Christ into our own “Jerusalem”, but unlike the people in Jesus’ time who received him with external objects (palm leaves, leafy branches, and cloaks), let us welcome him with all our hearts, mind, and soul.

2. A grim reminder – If we choose to remain silent, “the stones will cry out”.

Okay, I may appear like a doomsday prophet ere. Som theologians will challenge my statement based on a deeper hermeneutical basis.

My reflection is a simple analogy here. As I’ve mentioned, many church people are satisfied with seeking His Kingdom but not keen on seeking His righteousness.

Not many are proclaiming the righteousness of God because it’s easy to raise and clap hands in worship, recite our prayers, sing and shout praises, and play the instruments within the comfort of the church.

It wasn’t a long time ago when the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and their uncertainties caused us to be more prayerful, more trusting and more dependent on God’s grace and mercy.

I recalled that during the height of the pandemic when the number of positive cases and deaths were announced, I saw a flood of posts on social media channels (FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Mix, etc.) about the righteousness of God.

Still, I can confidently say that God’s people calling out to God, showing kindness, and encouraging one another in this pandemic have become exponentially more viral than the coronavirus.

A virus, a microscopic non-living organism like a non-living stone, has caused God’s people to proclaim His righteousness louder than ever before.

As we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem, let us once again shout with louder voices starting within our own “Jerusalem”:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”