JOIN THE REALM
The Realm is our church's online network. We use this tool as our primary means of communication. To request an invitation, send an email to [email protected].
Emmaus is a Reformed Baptist church in Hemet, California. We are a community of Christ followers who love God, love one another, and serve the church, community, and nations, for the glory of God and for our joy.
Our hope is that you will make Emmaus your home and that you will begin to grow with us as we study the scriptures and, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, live in a way that honors our great King.
LORD'S DAY WORSHIP (SUNDAYS)
10:00am Corporate Worship
In the Emmaus Chapel at Cornerstone
26089 Girard St.
Hemet, CA 92544
EMMAUS ESSENTIALS
Sunday School For Adults
9:00am to 9:45am most Sundays (Schedule)
In the Chapel
MAILING ADDRESS
43430 E. Florida Ave. #F329
Hemet, CA 92544
The Realm is our church's online network. We use this tool as our primary means of communication. Be sure to check it often and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Interested in becoming a member? Please join us for a four-week study in which we will make a case from the scriptures for local church membership and introduce the ministries, government, doctrines, and distinctive's of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church.
Learn MoreEmmaus Essentials classes are currently offered online Sundays at 9AM. It is through our Emmaus Essentials (Sunday School) that we hope to experience an in depth study of the scriptures and Christian theology. These classes focus on the study of systematic theology, biblical theology, church history, and other topics practical to Christian living.
An audio teaching series through the Baptist Catechism aimed to instruct in foundational Christian doctrine and to encourage obedience within God’s people.
A podcast produced for International Reformed Baptist Seminary: a forum for discussion of important scriptural and theological subjects by faculty, administrators, and friends of IRBS.
A podcast devoted to discussions concerning Christian doctrine and the Christian life from a confessionally Reformed Baptist perspective.
A fourteen-week Bible study in which we consider “what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man” (Baptist Catechism #6).
Search:
At Emmaus we believe that God has given parents, especially fathers the authority and responsibility to train and instruct children up in the Lord. In addition, we believe that God has ordained the gathering of all generations, young to old, to worship Him together in one place and at one time. Therefore, each and every Sunday our children worship the Lord alongside their parents and other members of God’s family.
Learn MoreEmmaus Reformed Baptist Church is committed to the fullfilment of the Great Commision given by our Lord when he said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV), through the planting of local churches, both at home and abroad.
Nov 11
22
One of the joys of starting a new church is having the opportunity to establish new traditions. Traditions can be either good or bad depending on how they are approached. If they become routine they can actually hinder the gospel by distracting from it; if they are approached with sincerity of heart and mind they can serve to illuminate and magnify the gospel in our midst.
One of the traditions that we are going to establish here at Emmaus is the observance of Advent. For most of us, this is nothing new. I can remember back to my early days as a child seeing families walk to the front of the church to read something and to light a candle or two. I think I was more impressed with the fire than I was with the reading, but I do remember the tradition! Now that I am a father and a Pastor I find myself excited about the possibility of making this a meaningful part our family and church tradition.
The word advent comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming”. It is during this season that we are to remember the first coming of Christ and also look forward to His second coming. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and also includes Christmas eve or Christmas day.
It was interesting to do a little research on the Advent tradition. As it turns out, there are many different ways to approach Advent. There are traditionally five candles, one for each Sunday leading up to Christmas and one for Christmas eve or Christmas day. Often the candles are organized in a ring to symbolize that God is eternal, the Alpha and Omega without beginning or end, and typically the candles are a particular color (three purple or blue to symbolize royalty, one pink to symbolize joy, and one white to symbolize the Christ). There is significant diversity within these traditions and, in some ways, I am glad for the diversity. It is not the arrangement of candles nor the color of candles that really matters, the point is that we remember Jesus.
Over the next five weeks we will have five families light candles and read scripture at Emmaus. For Advent season 2011 we will focus on the five songs (or pieces of poetry) found in Luke’s gospel. On November 27th the first candle will be lit and Mary’s song found in Luke 1:46-55 will be read. On December 4th the first and second candle will be lit and Zechariah’s song found in Luke 1:67-79 will be read. On December 11th candles one through three will be lit and John the Baptists song (poetry) found in Luke 3:1-18 will be read. On December 18th candles one through four will be lit and the angels song found in Luke 2:14 will be read. And finally, on Christmas day all five candles will be lit and Simeon’s song will be read from Luke 2:28-32.
It may be that we focus on different scriptures and themes in 2012 for the sake of fighting against falling into a routine. The point is that we remember Jesus during this holiday season. With each Sunday the candles will burn more brightly as a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world. May He shine fourth from each of our lives as we represent Him in this dark place. I am praying for Emmaus, that we would have an opportunity to proclaim the gospel to our friends, family, and our neighbors and that the lighting of the Advent candles would remind us to do that very thing.
Blessings,
Joe
Nov 11
9
Hello Church,
I am planning to do something out of the ordinary this Sunday and I thought it best to warn you in advance (some people don’t like change – or so I hear:-).
During the time in the worship service usually dedicated to the “pastoral prayer” I plan to lead the congregation in a “concert of prayer” instead.
Here is how it will work:
I will introduce a topic such as a particular need in connection with the persecuted church (Nov. 13 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church).
After the topic is introduced I will ask everyone in the congregation to pray out loud all at once. This might seem strange to you at first but I would like you to consider a few things.
1) Many of our brothers and sisters in Christ who live throughout the world pray like this all of the time.
2) Our God is big enough to handle all of these prayers coming to Him at once.
3) Hearing the voices of all of the saints crying out to God in prayer helps us to remember that we all have direct access to the Father.
4) Though we will be praying as individuals there is something about crying out in unison that reminds us that we are the church, the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit.
After a couple of minutes I will interrupt the time of prayer and close that particular topic before introducing another.
This will be good for us Emmaus! Come ready for something new and come with boldness this Sunday!
Blessings,
Joe
Nov 11
1
Hello Emmaus,
I mentioned on Sunday that November 13th is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I would like to take some time in the worship service on the 13th to lift up in prayer our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering in Jesus’ name throughout the world.
I would like to encourage you to do some research between now and then utilizing sites such as www.onewiththem.com and www.persecution.com. Both organizations make it their aim to bring awareness to the sufferings that Christians endure around the world because they are followers of Jesus Christ.
We need to be obedient to the command found in Hebrews 13:3 which says, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
Below is one story taken from persecution.com. You can subscribe to their newsletter and perhaps include the persecuted church in your regular prayer time.
Blessings,
Joe
Maldives Teacher Deported
After teaching at a school in Maldives for two years, 30-year-old Indian Christian Shijo Kakkattu was deported on Oct. 14, 2011, after police found a Bible in his house, according to Compass Direct News. A co-worker reported Kakkattu to the National Administrative Center after finding Christian materials on a school computer.
According to Minivan News, an independent news agency based in Maldives, Kakkattu accidentally transferred material from his flash drive onto the school’s computer. Mohamed Shiraj, the principal of Raafainu School in Raa Atool, told Minivan News, “The videos were in Indian, so I don’t know what they were saying, but the images were Christian.”
Police raided Kakkattu’s house and discovered a Bible and other Christian materials. They then charged him with preaching the Christian faith in the Muslim nation of Maldives, which recently tightened restrictions on preaching and practicing non-Islamic faiths. Police took Kakkattu to another island for interrogation and held him for 15 days before deporting him back to India.
Last month, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs published new regulations under the Protection of Religious Unity Act of 1994. Anything that represents a religion other than Islam is strictly prohibited, according to Compass Direct News. Web sites, blogs, newspapers and magazines are forbidden from publishing anything contradictory to Islam. Violators face two to five years in prison, house arrest or banishment. As in Kakkattu’s case, foreigners accused of proselytizing will be deported.
Sources: Compass Direct News, Minivan News
Oct 11
19
On Tuesday, October 25th, and every Tuesday after that, Lord willing, we will be venturing out on a prayer walk from the church office at 6:30am. We will go out in groups of two or three and we will engage in both silent and vocal prayer using the prayer guide below. We will meet at Weston Park for a final group prayer at 7:15am.
Please take a look at the prayer guide that is attached and respond with suggestions. This is a first draft so please be gracious in that regard. The content is what matters at this time and I would love input from the members of Emmaus.
Our hope is that God would give us the city for Jesus but we know we must start with prayer.
Blessings,
Joe
Sep 11
26
Thank you for praying for the four of us who ventured out to Minneapolis this past weekend to attend the Desiring God National Conference which focused on finishing the mission of global evangalization.
The only thing that I can say at this time is that this was a pivotal moment for Emmaus Christian Fellowship. So many things that have been on my heart, things that for 10 years have been developing within me were confirmed and honed at this conference. It was a blessing to share this experience with three other men. I believe that the impact of this conference will be much greater due to the fact that four hearts and minds were influenced instead of just one.
Please pray for the leadership of Emmaus over the next three months that God would give us clarity of mind and oneness of heart concerning the mission of Emmaus Christian Fellowship. There are truly exciting and challenging times ahead of us; let’s be sure that we are on our knees praying that God would be glorified amongst us, in this valley, and to the ends of the earth.
Some of the teaching from the conference will be available later this week on our “Resources” page under the “video” section if you care to listen in.
Blessings,
Joe
Aug 11
21
Please join Glen and Anna at the church office on Saturday to help with Angel Food distribution if you are able. Set up will begin at 8:00am and distribution will run from 9:00-10:30am. Anna said that we have had a good number of orders this month so praise the Lord for that!
Aug 11
16
Alright folks, hopefully we will be settling into a consistent routine with Emmaus Essentials after this week. We are now going to be meeting at EV Free at 2:00pm on Sundays for our study on the Doctrine of Salvation. Also, I have lined up childcare for the class at EV Free. We are going to charge $1 per kid for childcare to help offset the cost ($2 if your kid is a handful… just kidding :-). Please come a few minutes early to drop your kids off so that we can start class on time.
Blessings,
Joe
Aug 11
7
We will be meeting at the Zerebny’s house at 10am on Sunday for Emmaus Essentials. Directions are on the Emmaus Essentials page under connect.
"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)
