Intentional Gathering

Weekly Update – April 30th, 2026 

Everything we do on Sunday morning is with purpose. Hopefully this is not something new to you. From the way scripture is preached, to the way we sing, the prayers that are prayed, the scripture that is chosen for our readings, and the ministry updates that we hear, everything is done intentionally. The reason for this is because we believe that the way we gather matters. We don’t come together in some haphazard way that seeks to fulfil everyone’s individual preference for worship or listening. Instead, we gather as a picture of what heaven will one day look like. Revelation 7:9-10 gives a glimpse of this reality when it says, “A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on through throne, and to the Lamb.”   

You see, the plan of God, from before the creation of the world, is that we would be redeemed through his son Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:4). Due to sin, we have all been separated from God, made strangers to his promises, as we live without hope in this world (Eph. 2:12).  But God, being rich in mercy saved us (Eph. 2:4-5). God’s plan wasn’t just for us as individuals though. What I mean is that when God planned to forgive us of our sins and unite us back to him, he also planned to reconcile us to one another. This mystery, as Ephesians 3:6 says, is that we are all fellow heirs with one another, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus. What this means is that not only is there now no separation between Jew and Gentile, but now all people, regardless of nationality, race, culture, gender, age and so on, are brought together as one.  Through Christ we are brought together into the church. 

Paul then gets more specific with this thought in Ephesians 3:10 when he says that it is through the church that the manifold wisdom of God is on display. Specifically, Paul is referring to the wisdom of God on display before the heavenly beings, but we could also extend this to refer to the wisdom of God on display before the watching world around us. It is here that we see the purpose of our gathering as a church. We gather together to get a glimpse of Revelation 7:9-10 as we just said, but even more, we gather to show the world a glimpse of Revelation 7:9-10. In other words, the purpose of our gathering is to show the manifold wisdom of God before the world.

Therefore, how we gather matters. For when we gather together for worship, we ought to strive to display a foretaste of what is to come. That means that through our gathering together, we want to disciple one another in the faith. Through our gathering together, we want to teach our children what it looks like to worship. Through our gathering together, we want to forsake personal preferences for the good of our brother and sister next to us. We want to be intentional in our gathering for the purpose of forming a congregation that is not united by age, demographic, or economic status, but one that is united in Christ and his gospel. For this is ultimately what moves us to see the hope of our gathering, Revelation 7:9-10.

This pursuit began over 10 years ago when we moved from two services to one. From there, it only continued as we sought to be intentional in every aspect of our service to build a congregation the displays the manifold wisdom of God through our desire to see a glimpse of our eternal worship before the throne of God. With that said, HERE is a podcast that describes our pursuit of this vision to intentionally gather as a church. Take a listen and be encouraged through what the Lord has done in our church.

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.."
- Psalm 1:3-4

Announcements:

Thursday Night Worship Jam: Do you play an instrument or sing? Everyone is invited to come play or sing during this informal time of worship held at 6:30pm on the last Thursday of each month. See Martin Maharas for details.

Harry’s Hay Days: On Saturday, May 2nd, from 10:00am-4:00pm, First Baptist Church will be participating in the citywide festival called, “Harry’s Hay Days.” We will be hosting carnival games, face painters, balloon artists, and more, right here in our parking lot. We need lots of volunteers. Put this date on your calendar and look for a sign up sheet in the hall. You can find out more information about Harry’s Hay Days HERE.

Parent/Child Dedication: On Sunday, May 10th, we will have a parent/child dedication during our morning service. This is a time for parents to affirm their commitment to raise their child in the Lord (Eph. 6:4), as well as the church to affirm their commitment to invest and encourage parents as well as pray for their child to one day know the Lord. If you have had a child born in the last several months and you would like to take part in this dedication, email michael@firstbaptistgrandview.org

Membership Matters Class: Beginning Sunday, May 3rd, there will be a Membership Matters Class for those interested in joining FBC. This will be a 4 week class (5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/24), meeting at 9:15am during our Equipping/Sunday School hour. You can find out more about our membership process HERE.

Family Discipleship Guides: These guides are designed to help equip parents further engage with what our children and youth are learning. You can find a guide for AWANA, HERE and for our Youth, HERE.

Men’s Study: Our Men’s study meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights at 8:00-9:15pm. The book for this study will be The Case for Christ. See Clint Blankenship for more information.

Building Remodel: We have officially kicked off our fundraiser! There are commitment cards available in the sanctuary as well as in the welcome center. Feel free to pick up one and return it to one an available basket. If you would like to give a one time or a reoccurring gift, you can do so HERE and select “building remodel.” You can also give through one of the offering boxes at church. Be sure to mark your envelop, “building remodel.” Check out a video highlighting the work done so far.

Food Pantry: The food pantry is currently in need of some food items. For a complete list of food pantry needs, click HERE.

Awana Bible Club

Awana is officially on summer break. Clubs are typically held on Wednesdays throughout the school year. Dinner is at 6:00pm with Awana Clubs starting at 6:30pm. Children can be registered HERE.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “Habits of the Household” meets in the Sanctuary, a study in Hebrews in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the Old Testament meets in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Home Groups

Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE.

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE.