December 25, 2010 by Worship Director.

For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.  - Titus 2:11&14

What has happened to grace these days?  It is disappearing from our world.  Life is “mean” and getting meaner.  Is grace out of style - out of fashion?

Christmas is not just the celebration of a baby, but of a change in the world.  Grace - undeserved forgiveness - made manifest among us, for everyone. The baby, born into humble beginnings, is the perfect analogy for grace - innocent, without ulterior motivation, and vulnerable to the response that may be returned.

While only God can bestow the forgiveness of sins which brings salvation, we can - and should - celebrate the abundance of grace we have been given by giving it away. Hurtful words, wrongs perpetrated against us, annoying behaviors that test our last ounce of patience - are the perfect opportunities to practice grace.  Soon you will find that grace begets grace.

Perhaps you can’t change the world, but you can absolutely influence the world around you.  Start today.  Live everyday remembering that grace appeared the day Jesus was born.

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October 25, 2010 by Worship Director.

Shakespeare wrote “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” in his classic Romeo and Juliet.  In this true to life tale, neither family could look beyond the connotations and preconceptions of their family names, resulting in tragic consequences.  A name is an identifier, a title, a label that conjures an expectation or a prejudice.  Think about it.  What immediately springs to your mind from these names: O’Brien,  Gonzales, Republican, Democrat, Pit Bull, Church, Hindu, Presbyterian… depending upon our individual experiences, names are less and less unique.  The question becomes “how do we describe ourselves in a way that represents who we really are?”  How do we keep our sweet scent under a different name?

This week, the Austin First Church of God adopts a new name while retaining the same great message:  “Community Bible Fellowship – Where every Christian is a member.”  We hope that the new name on our building makes everyone feel even more welcome. As a nondenominational, Bible-based church, our mission is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), which is just what this new name embodies:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”  We welcome every one of any nationality, gender, age, and race to be an active part of our COMMUNITY, sharing our desire to seek the will of Jesus Christ in our lives and for our world.

“…baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;”   The BIBLE is our guide and we practice and promote its teachings in love.  Our relevant pastoral messages, worship, and Christian education take direction from the transformational Word of God.

“…and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Christ came to make possible a personal relationship with God and FELLOWSHIP with His Church.  Companionship is critical to the Christian journey and we seek to provide camaraderie, friendship and a supportive family environment, inside and outside our walls.

We are so proud of our Church of God heritage, founded in the holiness movement by Daniel Sidney Warner and headquartered in Anderson, Indiana.  However, with nearly fifty religious denominations bearing the “Church of God” name around the world, with doctrines and traditions wildly different from our own, we hope to describe ourselves simply and clearly as a Community Bible Fellowship: Nondenominational, Christ-centered, and welcoming you!

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October 20, 2010 by Web Admin.

God is our strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam.  Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!  -Psalm 46:1-3

A minister had been on a long flight between church conferences.  The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten Your Seat belts.Then, after a while, a calm voice said, “We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened.”

As the minister looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice on the intercom said, “We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us.”And then the storm broke . . .

The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The minister confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, “As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.”

“Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her… She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly.”

“Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world.  When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid.” The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, the minister lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The child replied, “Because my Daddy’s the pilot, and he’s taking me home.” In the storms of life whatever they may be, God says to us “Peace be still and do not be afraid, I have everything under control.”

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August 11, 2010 by Worship Director.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me.
Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

The very first line of the 23rd Psalm says it all; “The Lord is MY Shepherd.”  It is the key to Christian living, comfort and confidence.  The Shepherd is:

• Permanently responsible,
• Powerfully responsive, and
• committed to a Personal relationship with us

Listen to Reverend Gilbert Davila’s first message in a series on the 23rd Psalm by clicking here and finding “Listen to Worship” on the left navigation bar and selecting “August 8, 2010.” It will inspire you to have confidence in Christ Jesus as your Shepherd.

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April 25, 2010 by Worship Director.

Delivered by Charlie Schnabel at Austin First Church of God April 25, 2010

In 2006-2007, a guy name Jack Dorsey, sort of by accident, discovered and developed “Twitter”  as a networking tool. Although starting small, there are now over 1 billion hits a month on Twitter all over the world. You can set up a Twitter account and then communicate with your friends called followers.  A message that you might give on Twitter is called a “Tweet.”

There are millions of entities on Twitter– individuals, organizations, universities, political groups, military units, astronauts and just about anyone else that you can think of - and information can be passed quicker than on network television.  Do you know what they call two birds in love?  Tweet Hearts!

As you can imagine, not many preachers use Twitter because a Tweet is limited to 140 characters.  But it’s not too much of a stretch to say that the Apostle Paul might have used Twitter if he had the opportunity. How about a Tweet to the church at Galatia: BEWARE FALSE TEACHERS - JUSTIFIED BY FAITH IN CHRIST NOT RELIGIOUS PRACTICE.

Or the Tweet to the churches in Corinth:  GET UNIFIED! CLEAN UP, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, GET BACK TO BASICS.

Also, the Tweet to Ephesus: BELIEF AND BEHAVIOR.  IT ALL WORKS TOGETHER TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S PLAN. BE LIKE CHRIST.

Well, a Tweet can only be 140 characters long, so I had better close. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if the billions of Tweets that are out there included God’s message to be scattered all over the world? Maybe there could be an application for a message to the millions who have never heard the message of salvation.  Tweet for Christ!

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March 1, 2010 by Worship Director.

Pastor Gil and his son Steve Davila were invited guests to participate in leadership training for Seminary students in Quito, Ecuador a few years ago.  During this trip, Pastor Gil was the speaker for the 20th anniversary celebration of the Church of God in Ecuador.  The congregations that gathered, represented the diverse regions of the country. Ecuador is one of the seventeen mega-diverse countries in the world, straddles the equator and is the size of Nevada.

In August 2010, Pastor Gil and CBH (Christians Broadcasting Hope) will lead an excursion/mission trip throughout this enchanted and interesting country.  Would you like to join them on this exciting trip? For information on cost and itinerary, contact Pastor Gil on our “Contact Us” page.

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March 1, 2010 by Worship Director.

Pastor Davila worked with the local pastors in Panama during September of 2009, to minister to the indigenous Indian people. Traveling by plane, canoe, and on foot, the ministry team was able to worship with the people and support the local pastor.

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January 29, 2010 by Web Admin.

Pastor Gil and Melba recently attended a three day conference that emphasized the importance of building strong organizations to help improve lives and strengthen communities.

The workshops were led by excellent presenters who shared information on the following topics:

* Organizational Policies & Procedures
* Empowering Leaders
* Boards that Make a Difference
* Practical Insights to Social Media & Non-Profit World
* Non-Profit Financial Fundamentals
* Essentials for a Healthy Non-Profit
* Strategies for Navigating the Economic Environment
* Mobilizing Volunteers and Evident Based Outcomes

We express our gratitude to Family Service Association in San Antonio, Texas, Urban Strategies in Washington, DC, and ONESTAR Foundation in Austin, Texas for extending the invitation to be a part of such a significant meeting.

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January 26, 2010 by Worship Director.

Serving on a team in the Church is important to Kingdom work.  We are all uniquely gifted by God and placed where we can both give and grow.  We can accomplish more together than individually.  For 2010, these are the formal boards and committees of Austin First Church of God.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES                                BOARD OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION                  MISSIONS COMMITTEE
Shirley Blomquist                                             Elizabeth Baker-McLain                                          Rudy Phillips
Barry McFarlane                                               Melba Davila                                                              Linda Brooks
Count Fuller                                                        Barbara McFarlane                                                  Mike Young
Fae Jones
Charlie Schnabel

SPECIAL EVENTS COMMITTEE                 BENEVOLENCE COMMITTEE                                  WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Shirley Blomquist                                           Louise Green                                                                   Sue Breland
Rudy Phillips                                                    Fae Jones                                                                         Fae Jones
LouAnn Russell                                                Christine Stromme                                                      Theresa Slocum
Ann Reilley
Karen Saathoff

The chairs of each of these boards and committees, along with other leaders, make up the Church Council who partner with the Pastor to focus on the ministries of the church.  We look forward to an exciting year of service.

In addition to these teams, we’re grateful for our Sunday School teachers, lawn care workers, singers, prayer warriors, and the many others that are using their gifts in His Majesty’s service!

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January 12, 2010 by Web Admin.

Pastor Gil attended a two day conference where Hugh Halter taught some church growth principles from his book The  Tangible Kingdom.

The challenge for the 21st. century church is to be missional and incarnational by crossing the fence, street, and social, political or ethnic barriers.  The foundation of a missional life is to give God our plans in exchange for His plans.  Halter reminds us that whenever a group of people work together to create a rhythm or balance among communion, community, and mission, you will always find the Kingdom of God.

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