Be Strong and of a Good Courage

Whats Training You

2010-07-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

According to Luke 6:40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. What is the Bible saying? Simply this, when you are matured you will be like the one who is training you...what is training your life today- TV, Music, Magazines, World Philosophy? I see so many of us, myself included being led astray sometimes by influence. Too many times TV or somebody, or some influence has trained my line of thought more than Scripture. Are your friends, or is your lifestyle reflecting what has been training you, I am sure it is whether we want to admit it or not. Take a look today at yourself and if you are saved say "does my life reflect what Jesus both began to do and teach." Does it show what dominates your life, if you were truthful with yourself first I am sure you could say Preacher, my life is exactly what it has been trained to do...do you party, or do you present the gospel, do you pray, or do you persecute? Not being raised everyday of my life in church or with the Bible as the sole authority of my life, I have made numerous mistakes because of what has trained my thought process. My challenge to myself is to really just stop and think before I act and or react. To look at the Scriptures for answers more than every thing else that comes up in the way. Can I challenge you to do the same? So many times we are inundated with the worlds philosophy, but I desire to be like the Bereans, they were more nobler, why? Because they searched the Scriptures DAILY to see whether those things were so. In the book of Proverbs the Bible says put a knife to your throat if your a man given to appetite, (what is your appetite, Spiritual or Carnal) now we can say, see there Preacher it means don't be gluttonous, well good point. I also remember this verse preceding it "When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: " study it out Christian we need to be a peculiar people that are not taken just because somebody lays something out before us. We need to ensure that when we are presented with something that we consider it before we jump at it, if we were trained to do the Spiritual things then we'd be all right, but if you have been trained to be like the world then you will only find yourself jumping at the next greatest thing. I guess what the Lord has laid on my heart is the fact we are too soon moved and guided by our own lusts and desires rather than leaning unto Scripture before we move. Everything looks good as it is before us, but everything is not always good for us. We don't walk by faith as Abraham did, we most always walk by sight. Dear Christian friend we need to ensure the reason we do what we do is because it brings glory and honor to Jesus Christ, not only that but that it lines up with Scripture. We need to stop and pray for direction, do any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God! We would do well to keep ourselves continually led by the Spirit and the Scriptures, no matter the outcome. Not all decisions will be pleasant for all people, but if they are God honoring and in the will of God would it not be better to be with Him in His will rather than on our own? So many times we get our eye off of Jesus and onto circumstance, we start to second guess what God has laid in our heart and then resentment and heaviness move in, dear child of God just be obedient to the Lord. What is training you today? Are you more like Jesus, or has the world got more of you than Him? Where will it stop, when we miss the blessings of God and in the end all comes to nought because we have allowed something other than the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit to train us. If we are to be His disciples then we must make it a point to be in the right training. We must find our place daily in the Word of God, in prayer and in a good Bible believing church that preaches "All the Bible, All the time." Dig in today and make it a point to get the training you need to be a better witness for Christ, Sunday School is a great place to start, until next time...to God be the Glory!!!!

He Received Sight Forthwith

2010-06-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!

Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Now we can understand from reading scripture and comparing line upon line, and precept upon precept that Saul here did not just stand up and get baptized for salvation, no dearly beloved, he had a "come to Jesus meeting", he understood his sins, and as the Lord showed Himself to Saul, no doubt Saul became a "believer", then after the meeting with repentence and a new heart he was baptized and it was all by faith through grace..Eph 2:8-9. Thank God for that marvelous, wonderful grace. Here I sit and prepare for tomorrows Sunday School lesson and I see Grace at work in the life of Paul the Apostle. Traveling to Damascus with a mission..to destroy those that don't hold to the Law. How many times might we be as Saul, as he was blinded by simple error. He wholeheartedly felt that he was pleasing God in his pursuit. At least he was zealous enough not to just whine about it, he was putting it into action. How are we sometimes like Saul pursuing those of another religion and getting disgruntled and say that they deserve to be in hell? Dear Christian friend if it weren't for the prayers and steadfastness of some other saint in our lives and the drawing of the Holy Spirit of God we would never know saving Grace. What if they just said let em burn? Thank God there was that grace and the power of God unto salvation to intervene in Saul's life. I pray today that we would get off our high horses and humble ourselves and see the condition of so many around us that are lost and going to hell, can we instead pursue them with the Gospel and see the mighty hand of God work that we might glorify Him for all that is said and done? Today I had to think about a lost soul as I was traveling with our teenagers past a palm reader/psychic sign, do you know how easy it was to think about Old Testament law and say that we shouldn't suffer a witch to live, then the overwhelming guilt overshadowed my heart. You see that person needs to be Saved! They need to see Jesus, they are as Saul, blind and without true direction. Some would say preacher someone could've told them about Jesus, yeah, that's true, but did I is my question. So we see that there are many a lost soul caught up in cults and religion, may it be our endeavour to preach unto them Jesus. As you look at the great spreading of the gospel in Jerusalem then the sending into Samaria how glorious it is to see it growing and going to the uttermost! In past chapters we have Peters Preaching, Stephens Testimony, Phillip reaching the Samaritans, we now come upon the life and conversion of Saul. As Saul is riding in, we see the miraculous power of God, but even more encouraging we see the obedience of a single man, and the impact it made in the life of a new convert. Think about this, you may be the vessel made unto honor this day that God would so choose to use you in the saving of some wretched soul. When I mean the saving, I mean being available to God, knowing God's Word, and being able to show some blinded sinner the Romans Road to salvation! Wow what a thought that God used Ananias to lift the darkness from a blinded Pharisee's eyes! What even a greater thought that God would use you or me to see that same event being repeated some 2000 years later! Can we honestly answer God, Behold, I am here Lord? Is your receiver up, are you in tune with what God has called you to do in life that you might be ready and available? Do we have some other object in the way, is our eye single and focused, or do we have spiritual cataracts? Dear brethren there is no greater calling, no greater work than that which God has set you aside for. Has God laid a Saul on your heart, well if so dear brother then get busy, fear not as the Lord promised "I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the world." May God continue to bless and may your heart be stirred to serve Him more boldly...until Jesus comes.

The Law of Multiplication

2010-06-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

This little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine! Such a simple song, some would even say Preacher that is so childish, but I say I'm gonna let it shine no matter where I am. Paul the Apostle no doubt let his light shine wherever he went, starting at the synagogue (..to the Jew first) and then outward wherever he might have been. Then when he had found some that would listen and receive the good news of the Gospel of Christ how he would expend himself to love on them and train them to get them into the harvest . Paul received the message, Christ and Christ alone and ourselves for His sake, my what a mighty ministry as Paul was blessed to produce fruit. I am always encouraged to read how Paul so expressively made mention of those young ones in the faith, not only those, but other disciples, and saints that were dear to him as he was doing the Fathers will. I have been under deep conviction about the law of multiplication as of late. The more I read of the book of Acts, the more I have an earnest desire to see others taught, and trained to go out into the world and preach the gospel. I do not want to be like the young church in the beginning, I pray that God would make us as "those that turned the world upside down." Pastors please do not force the hand of God to make us move, may we be moved by the Holy Spirit of God, may our ministries bear fruit, may it bear fruit that would remain. I had a thought this afternoon and we all know there is nothing new under the sun, but let us focus on missions and the training of labourers for the fields in which God is preparing the hearts and minds of His dear children. If we preach as many do a message on productivity and multiplication, can we not apply it to the sense of missions, and the training of Preachers? Look at the above verse and then tag along with it in thought Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. If God has given you a ministry of leadership that you may have the impact of stirring up someone to serve God, then go at it fully, as I believe God has given unto us Pastors talents in which we should not bury, but invest! Let us get a little pressed, then shaken, so we can be running over with the zeal to see others saved, and entered into the work of the Lord. May we not hoard to ourselves the people God has put into our path. When God gives us some young person, couple, or otherwise adds to our ministry let us train them and invest into them that they may go out and do the same, then when we have invested and help them to strive to accomplish Gods will in their lives can we begin to see the good measure and the overflowing abundance that God is about to pour out! I am so encouraged by Pastors that have a strong balanced ministry, and I even desire one day to Pastor as they do a strong missions minded, Christ-centered church that would reproduce Biblically founded mature Christians for the work of the ministry. I desire that God would bless and raise up many workers in which we can faithfully put into the ministry, whether in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or unto the uttermost.... What I am saying is the law of multiplication doesn't have to always be preached materialistically, it can be preached enthusiastically with Christ as the focal point and the harvest fields in mind. Oh how much God has given unto us, and how much responsibility we bear all because of Him. May our ministries produce some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundredfold all for the glory of Almighty God! I hope this thought encourages to action, that it might not be said of our ministries "us 4 and no more", but that Christ might have the preeminence and many be skilled in the art of fishing. May God bless as you and I earnestly contend for the faith...until Jesus comes may we be found working.

Keeping On

2010-06-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

Gal 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.Gal 2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. Gal 2:13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. Gal 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Gal 2:15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Praise God it is not by the Law that I am sanctified and justified, but by the precious blood of Christ. How many of us are guilty in Christendom of being "men-pleasers", how many of us go around trying to live a life unfulfilled because we are trying to fulfill some one else's expectations? The Lord Jesus Christ died once for all fulfilling the law that we might have Grace. Now don't take me wrong as Paul admonished the early church also.. should we live in sin that grace may abound...God forbid. We are to live as bondservents to the Lord Jesus and not to man or man's methods, how inexcusable is it to lay upon some believer some religious command or idea? As Paul exposed the error of judgement herein lies what should keep us going forward for Christ...Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. Now again if it is against Scripture then of course we can go to the wayward one and try to restore and bring into light of Scripture what he or she may be doing, but as far as knowing the will of God, or the direction explicitly for that person.. who are we? Let that man so give account, for every man must give an answer for that which he does with the knowledge of the Word of God in his life. Let us "study to show ourselves approved unto God," not as mere pleasers of men trying to win their affection. We are to be consecrated to the One and Only True God of Heaven. Our whole being is to be brought unto subjection for His glory. Train of thought here....wisdom must be mixed with knowledge, for with knowledge alone we are prone to make a mess of things. Think about this, if a man has read and understood that Jesus Christ is indeed "the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father but by me John 14:6; Then if he does not accept that piece of Scripture we can say how unwise for the knowledge is there, but the application and wisdom to call upon the name of the Lord for salvation has passed him by. This is where I am at in today's world.. for they have no knowledge of God. We as a nation have ended up like Israel of old..Hos 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. God instructs us to live for Him, not for them, there is a separation from the world and the worlds patterns and ideas. If you have been saved then there is a higher calling on your life and that calling is to do the will of your Father in Heaven. Pray and earnestly seek unto God what that perfect will for your life is according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and direction by the Word of God, then you may pillow your head at night knowing that all has been done to please Him and not them! May the grace of God and peace of God be with you, until Jesus comes...keep on keeping on!

Listen and Hear

2009-09-09T11:34:00.003-05:00

Listen and Hear

Intro: The word hear is used 550x in the Bible, if I were a truly educated man then I would have to say that it is more important to listen and hear than to be speaking. The reason I bring this message up is because of the importance of hearing. It is said that hearing separates the leaders from the others, how so you might say, well if leaders listen properly then situations can have results, problems can be avoided and people can be challenged, comforted and led!
If I were to take a poll, I think most people would say that others just don’t listen, and if they are then they aren’t hearing what is said, there is a difference you know. When the preacher preaches almost 90% of what is said is not listened to or heard, how do I know well look at the deplorable situations that most people are in nowadays. They are lost and going to hell, they are confused as to salvation, eternal security, they get themselves into situations that the preacher probably already preached on previously. Think about the passage we just heard, if Hananai had brought this message to me would I have listened and heard, or would I have been distracted and interrupted? Hananai had an important message, Nehemiah listened to what was said:
a. Jerusalem is also broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire
i. They were in reproach
ii. They were afflicted
iii. People were making fun of them (Gods Children!)
iv. There was no military for protection
This was a long sad story, but again instead of interrupting with a great plan of action, Nehemiah listened, he heard the anguish, he felt the burden. So today I want to give you some points of leadership and character that deserves a lot of attention – Listening and Hearing.

1. Prayer
It’s amazing how the Bible speaks so much of God listening and hearing us:
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his
troubles.
Psalm 77:1 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave
ear unto me.
When our backs are against the wall, when we have reached that moment of
despondency and we have nowhere to turn and when we finally call upon God, we always
expect Him to hear us. Rightfully so because the Bible clearly indicates that God desires
us to call upon Him and depend upon Him Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee,
and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Now comes the
important part of prayer, after all that speaking we should listen, and hear. Listen with
our heart to what God is saying, and the direction He is leading us. Listen so we might
glorify Him when we come out of our prayer closets.

What a thought it would be if we had it in our mind that God just wasn’t listening, how sad would we walk away from that time alone with Him in our time of need. The same thing goes outside of prayer in our dealings with others, if we spend time in prayer listening, then we ought to be
developing that skill to use on others. Nehemiah prayed for 4 months before he made a decision, I am sure that in the past Nehemiah was a man of prayer, that is why he was able to listen when Hanani came to him, the Bible says that God “heareth the cry of the afflicted” (Job34:28), when you spend time with people you tend to mimic some of their traits, Nehemiah was just mimicking the character trait of listening.

2. Example
As Jesus Christ is our great example then we ought to learn by Him. Jesus listened intently when it came to the woman at the well. He didn’t just blurt out about her current situation in life, he didn’t run her down the road of being a harlot, instead He listened for every opportunity in conversation to show her what she needed most – eternal life through Him. We also can be an example for others to follow, by being a good listener, and hearing what is said, by this we can show others compassion, friendship, and concern. We can learn to talk when it’s time to talk, and listen when its time to listen so that we might be the wiser for it:
Pro 1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Pro 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
By our example of listening, then others will learn to hear and they will be wiser also.

3. Practice
We learn to listen by practice, we all have to practice listening. Sometimes in my day to day conversations I find myself asking myself, “am I really listening and hearing what is said?”
Science has proven that we can speak about 100 words a minute, we can hear about 400. The warning comes in when we see the next stat, we can think about 10x faster than we hear! That means we can think about 4,000 words a minute. The sad part about all this is in the following scenario:
If I am talking to someone and I am just hearing what is going on then there are over 4,000 things cluttering my mind, I’m not listening. I have to constantly practice listening by clearing my mind and focusing on the situation at hand – it takes practice.

4. Character
We show that we have developed our listening skills by having character. Think about this as its already been stated this morning numerous times- when “listening” our mouths are shut, and our ears, and hearts are open. Don’t listen to some of the conversation then just jump in trying to save the day with a reaction. Don’t react, just listen. Listening shows character by telling the other person that “My opinion is not the important thing at the moment” just let them know that you are there for them. Now if it is a situation that requires response then responds accordingly, but defiantly listen first to what is being said.
When in those great debates show character by showing respect to let them finish, then follow up with I’ve heard you now it’s my turn. Nehemiah listened to the whole story before he ever spoke.

5. Repetition
The fifth way we can learn to listen is by repletion, that is repeating what we have heard back to the person. It shows the person that you were taking in what you heard and it is being digested, it also allows for corrections in the conversation just in case you mis-heard what was trying to be said. The old preacher once said God designed each of us uniquely, however he gave all of us the same ability to listen, that is he gave all of us 2 ears and one mouth, so open them up, and close the other you’ll be better off for it.

So we see listening means to pay attention, to close our mouths and hear God and others. It is also the act of applying Gods Word into our lives! We also will hear what Godly people are saying to sharpen us and know when there is error. It is the person who listens who exhibits good character and godliness.

We also see that Wander, Disregard, Disrespect, and Contempt are the opposites of godliness and good character. When we are reluctant to listen and hear, then we are refusing to learn and grow. When we do not listen we transition into distrust from others and God and begin to grow in pride and rebellion.

Great leaders listen, Do U?

The Word Of God

2009-08-27T10:49:00.002-05:00

Hello world, what a great time I had last night at church, since I was with our other volunteer leaders in our church's Mid Week Bible Club where God blessed our first meeting unfortunatly because of that I missed our preachers preaching, so I now am sitting here and listening to our preachers message from last night, I am so encouraged to keep on the firing line and defend the stance of the Local Church, not some denominational name, not some hierarchy developed by diluted men who want power of this world, but....that Christ died for the church and its His and nobody elses! I also wanted to share with you a message the Lord had on my heart for the teenagers last night as I preached. It is so sad that I heard this week that amongst pre-teens and teenagers over 70% of them cannot even name the first book of the Bible, over 50% cannot even name 1 of the Ten Commandments? And to think that in America we have parents asking the question....what is going on with our children! First and foremost we must get back into the Bible! We must make it the focal point of our lives! Here are some thoughts as I preached them.

The Word Spoken
Bro. Paul Pschirer
Intro: The Word of God, the blessed old book, the Bible spoken and revealed unto man to show us our total depravity. Without the Word of God preserved from generation to generation and handed down where would we be? Some people today look at the Bible and say so what it’s just a book, others say it may contain some good advice, but to those that are lost it’s the path of light unto their darkened souls. It’s the way to redemption through Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father! To the Christian it is much more! Let us look tonight the importance of His Word for a lost and dying world, and as a provision for a pursuit of Christ likeness! Two main things need to be understood tonight
1. The Bible is the only book that is Gods Word to us, and it is better than all other books combined.
2. There are many evidences that might lead us to believe the Bible is Gods Word, but it is only by the Holy Spirits direct work in us that we can be assured without a doubt that the Bible is Gods Word.
When God desired to create a universe He spoke it into existence through His Word, it was by
the POWER of His spoken Word
· Gen 1:1-31 - and God said…..8x in these verses alone
· Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by
the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things
which do appear.
1. God Word Reveals It’s Purpose:
A. To Work In Our Lives
· Every single saved soul is begotten of the Father through His Word
Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
· 1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
B. To Weed through Our Lives
When we take God at His Word and desire it more than the things of
this world then it lowers the plough and begins to dig deep thereby
· It Cleanses the conscience- Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word
which I have spoken unto you.
· It corrects the wrong - 2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:
· It consecrates the life - Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth.
C. To Warn In Our Lives
When we have been convicted, converted, and consecrated Gods Word works
to warn us of the things to come.
· 2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth
the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
· 2Ti 3:12 - 15 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which
thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou
hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.
· God also gives us a warning from His Word about the way we treat His Word
Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add
unto him the plagues that are written in this book: Rev 22:19 And if any
man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and
from the things which are written in this book.
How then are we as Christians to respond to this?
1Pe 1:22 -23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

2. Satan's Battle Against the Word
When Satan knew that martyrdom and persecution wouldn’t stop the spread of Christianity he tried another tactic, the watering down of the Word of God. Using Carnal Men that developed New Translations, New Programs, and New Gimmicks that deceive the very elect into believing falsely.
· Satan has tried to CORRUPT the Word
Hath God not said….Satan got one over on Eve because
she didn’t heed the Word.
· Satan has tried to CUT the Word
In modern translations there are numerous omitted
verses….NIV, NLT, RSV, all these have either removed verses
about the blood of Christ, or watered down words to change the
Deity of Christ and other theological implications.
· Satan has tried to CONCEAL the Word
In times past and even today there are denominations that allow
so called priests and bishops to hide the truth from the
congregation by supplying them with their version instead of the
true Word of God, the KJB! We saw in the "Dark Ages" that it
wasn't dark because of the ignorant masses, but because the true
Word of God was kept concealed from them by priests and
bishops that said their words were on the same level as if God
himself was speaking, so therefore they didn't need a Bible, they
"just needed to depend on the priests" How foolish as the Bible
clearly states there is one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus. No need to confess to some man your sins
thereby giving him the right to dangle those over your head,
besides, it is not in his power to absolve you of your sins. Only the
Lord Jesus Christ can forgive you of your sins....we have access to
the Throne of Grace ourselves by the precious blood of Jesus
Christ. There is also no private interpretation of the Scriptures!
It is His Word, revealed to His people, that they might know HIM!

· God promised that if by faith we accept His Word then we have a
guarantee that….Isa 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
· God through His Word encourages us to hide His Word in our heart
that we might not sin against God. Psalm 119:11
· Paul the Apostle encourages preachers to...Preach the Word that
way Satan can’t try to get his words over on somebody.We should
stand and preach as loudly we can so that we will choke out the
words of this world.

3. Because God Spoke His Word It will Bring About:

· No Fear - But Praise
Psa 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what
flesh can do unto me.
· Healing and Deliverance
Psa 107:19 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of
their distresses. Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them
from their destructions.
· Cleansing
Psa 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed
thereto according to thy word.
· Strength
Psa 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy
word.
· Mercy
Psa 119:58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according
to thy word.
· Salvation
Psa 119:41 VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation,
according to thy word.
· Faith
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit
of promise,

Today's Generation

2009-05-07T11:35:00.003-05:00

Woe Unto Rebellious Children
Isaiah Chapter 30

In a day and age when rebellion and downright ignorance abounds we can learn a lot from the children of Israel from this chapter. It burdens my heart that Preachers all over the country have to deal with so many problems because of a shallow form of Christianity, and lack of faithfulness to God. Here the children of Israel have become so apostate and backslidden that in verse 10 they even try to get the Preachers and Prophets to tell them lies, and to get them to speak about things that would tickle their ears. Teens lets look at these passages and learn from them so that we might add to our faith and live a life pleasing unto God rather than to men! V1 - That take counsel, but not of me.What an accusation to fall under, here the children of Israel are willing to listen to anything and everything except for the Lord God and the way that He has outlined for them to live. I see teens and young adults all day long falling all over themselves because the take counsel from everything under the sun except from the perfect Word of God. They resist the Preacher, they resist their parents, any type of authority.
The second accusation is that they might add sin to sin, that is they have sinned first by not listening to God, and because they have rebelled and listened to other things they fall by the wayside in doing those things compounding the problem and adding sin to sin.

V2 - Egypt, that great picture of sin and the world. Here they would rather run to the "worlds" philosophies, system of government, and ideas, rather than stopping and praying and seeking the Lord. However being the faithful and just God that He is, has an answer for them.
V3 - Because you seek out the world rather than God it will bring you to shame, not only shame but if you continue to seek out other ways than the Word of God it will only bring confusion to your life.
V8 - Because God's Word liveth for ever and ever we see that all these years ago as an example for us today Isaiah was commanded to write this down as a testimony for the future generations to learn from. Teens if you'll just pick up your Bibles and read them you could learn a thing or two from these verses on how to live wholly for the Lord.
V9 - Oh wicked people, who would not rather hear the Word of God, they instead lean unto their ways and even go so far as to...
V10 - Petition the Prophets and the Preachers to ...speak unto them smooth things. How true it is today when we have an abundance of shallow weak Christians that would rather continue in doing things the worlds way. We have paid off the "Speakers" on television and fallen to their weak speaking rather than listen to true preaching about Hell hot and Heaven sweet! Look at those that have builded their kingdoms of multitudes that only listen to how to "become a better you, or your best life now". We have "speakers" instead of Preachers, those that tickle ears and make merchandise of Gods Word! When the going gets rough they pick up some weak book instead of The Book - a King James Bible and read what God has for them. We have created Christian "experience" addicts! Not Bible believing, Bible Preaching, Bible Living saved and redeemed by the precious Blood of the Lamb, God serving people!
V15 - Praise God for His mercy and grace though! As we see here the Bible says that if we turn from our wickedness and trust in an all mighty God and all that He has for us then we shall be saved from the problems of this world, and the confidence we have in Him will be our strength!
V16 - True to the nature of the human mind their answer was NO! How can we be so foolish not to see that in everything without God it is only "fun" or "profitable" for a season. Here the children were still ready to flee into Egypt wide open to their perverseness and destruction, oh but the love of God abounds yet still.
V18 - And therefore will the Lord wait....longsuffering, gracious, and merciful is He, even though we don't deserve it. Here it says He will wait, that He might be gracious unto you, and have mercy upon you, and blessed are all they that wait upon Him. When will you stop running into the world and return unto the Lord? When will you give up your wicked ways and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, today could be your day, the Lord is waiting that He might redeem you that His word might be exalted in all the land.
V21 - If you truly desire to serve God, and live a life acceptable unto Him then you too can hear the still small voice of God saying ....This is the way, walk ye in it.

Four things in closing:

1. There is a Way, One Way That Leads To Hell or Heaven

Pro 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
2. There Is Grace and Mercy In The Way V18
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
3. There Is Adversity In The Way V20

Isa 30:20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
Praise God that He will show us the way according to His Word, and according to His Preachers. That you may have someone that you can lean towards to get help in a time of trouble. Teens, the Preacher is not the enemy, but the servant of God willing to help!
4. There Is Direction In The Way V21
Isa 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

If you'll keep your hearts and minds clear of the things of this world, then you can hear the Lord speaking unto you and guiding you down the straight and narrow, rather than turning aside to the broad way of destruction!

How about it Teens, isn't it time we knew more about Jesus rather than the video games, the who's who and what's what on television? It burdens my heart that we can spend more time talking about our favorite video game, or movie star but we'll clam up in a heartbeat when there is mention of Jesus. Teens our command is pointed and straight forward, we are to be a light unto a world of darkness, we are to be going into all the world spreading the gospel, not the latest rumor mill, or video game strategies!

Walking Thru The Mine Field - Satan's Tactics

2009-01-15T08:36:00.003-06:00

2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Good morning dear friends, what a joy it is first today to proclaim that God is in control! As much as our finite minds might falter, He is still on the throne, and is worthy to receive praise, honor and glory. Well we at Calvary Baptist Church have entered into our next nine week session of our Wednesday night program called "Explorers". I encourage you to go to our website and go to our ministries page and check out the link. Last night started off a great session as we have some new group leaders, and some new faces praise the Lord. Well teenagers if you missed out on the first meeting then I encourage you to sacrifice a candy bar, a coke, or the next video game that your about to buy and get in. I really wanted to encourage those that were there last night with what the Lord had on my heart when I see teenagers struggling as they walk through this world. If you missed out dear teen then here are the points!
1. Satan wants to damage our personal relationship with God!
Satan will try to get you to not have personal prayer time, not read your Bible, and not have time for God- period.
2. Satan wants to distract us from God!
Satan will try all he can to distract you through false doctrine, money, friends, sports, and a variety of other issues to keep you from serving God.
3. Satan wants to discourage us!
Satan will fill your ears, hearts, and minds with all sorts of lies trying to tell you that what your doing for God won't matter, that what God wants to do with you and through you can't happen because your not perfect enough.
4. Satan wants to instill fear and doubt in you!
Satan wants you to be so fearful that you won't take any steps out in faith, he wants you to doubt that way he can deceive you into believing his lies, vs. Gods truth! If he can get you to fear and doubt then you become ineffective in serving a holy God!
So with all those landmines scattered out before you how do you overcome? Remember
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
If you are saved then here is the answer to avoiding these landmines.
1. Surrender your life to the Lord!
I'm talking about 100% committed consecration, (Rom 12:1 ....which is your reasonable service)
give yourself over to Gods will and diligently seek it that He may be glorified.
2. Ask God to teach you His truth!
We know that the Bible says that if a man desires wisdom all he has to do is ask Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
3. Be committed to following God, even through times of difficulty!
We will be persecuted, we will have trials and temptations, all these can be overcome because of Christ. If we will just keep our eyes on the author and finisher of our Faith, then there is nothing that is too difficult. If God be for us, who can be against us??
Dear Christian, I pray that this will encourage you today to stand fast and hold forth the Word of Life, the gospel message that Jesus saves!

Believing Then Seeing

2008-12-10T08:50:00.003-06:00

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
What a statement my friends, in a day when people mill about as "Christians" and worry about everything under the sun, rather than glorifying God. Oh, my troubled soul for those that don't know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, and those that run to and fro fretting about this life. As true Christians we must believe that He is! If you will but believe what is written about God, and Jesus Christ, then you will be able to see. The Bible says that the men of this world are blinded, men love darkness rather than light. If you could but for one moment today allow yourself to open your eyes to the true God of Heaven, then you will begin to see. He is the God who rules on high, He is the God that oversees and is involved in the lives of men and women who will allow Him to be a part of their lives! You see I fear that there are way to many people that have a thought of who God is, but they really haven't put faith 100% into what His word says who He is. He is the God, Supreme, Eternal willing to save, sanctify, and seal for eternity any that call upon His name. Our God is also a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him....seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven is our admonition from the Lord. What are you seeking today; a position in life, more money than you know what to do with because you can't even control what you already have? God rewards in ways that are unbelievable to man. Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven....friends let me encourage you to make this your lifelong desire, the goal that you set before yourself daily. Allowing the God of Heaven to have control of your hearts and minds, letting Him be the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. If today you are searching for answers in an answer less world, then turn to the God of Heaven and to His Son, Jesus Christ for redemption through the shedding of His precious blood. Friend let me encourage you to repent of your sins, turn from your ways and call upon the name of Jesus Christ so that you may enter into His rest, then diligently seek Him, and He shall reward thee with blessing eternal.

Lord, teach us to pray,

2008-07-16T17:31:00.003-05:00

Luk 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
Well good afternoon teens and readers. I am hoping that you are making your preparations to be in service tonight. Boy how I have enjoyed the messages from the Pastor on the book of Revelation! If you haven't tried it you can hear these messages and others at www.cbclawrenceburg.org. Well we have a busy week still ahead of us and I am still praising the Lord for the great number of you that were with us all week last week! Please mark your calendars for a Car Wash fundraiser on the 19th of July at Auto Zone, meet at the church at 7:30 AM so we can get a good start! Remember all this is so that we can go to the Creation Museum in Ohio on the 24th and 25th. Well I was given the opportunity to preach at the Nursing Home that we are allowed to minister to and my message has spurred my heart to look at a subject that receives attention when we seem to want some type of materialistic blessing, that subject is prayer! For the next couple of posts Lord willing I will be posting on prayer. It does amaze me that prayer is all in the Bible, and so many of us just use it as an escape goat when something is absolutely wrong or when we think we need something that really doesn't matter. I want to look at prayer in its completeness and as the disciples asked "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." I want my prayer life to reflect what the Lord would have it to be that I might know Him more, so that I might draw closer to God. Friends and teens until tomorrow God bless.

He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul:

2008-07-15T09:04:00.004-05:00

Pro 15:32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
Good morning teenagers and fellow readers! God is so good as we have wrapped up our VBS from last week and seen such wondrous results. The Lords arm was surely not shortened and 12 souls were saved-hallelujah! We also had wonderful attendance throughout the week, here is what it looked liked:
Mon- 96 Tues.- 109 Wed- 113 Thurs- 114 Fri- 131
God is so great to have given us a harvest as such! I am thankful for each and everyone of you that made it a point to be there, and also to bring visitors. I look forward to what God will do with the messages throughout the week.
Well looking at the verse that is above today, I can see how we as a nation are in such a fix. We have many rebellious people around, and many that don't want to be corrected. Teenagers, if somebody takes the time to correct you it is not because they are trying to lord over you, it is because they care enough to instruct you before you get into trouble or you hurt yourself. The Bible speaks of wisdom and folly, how one brings joy and the other destruction. My challenge to you today is look into the scriptures and see whether you are seeking after wisdom, or walking in folly. If you don't regard instruction you despise your own soul and how sad that is to not secure your standing with the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior because of His shed blood for the remission of your sins. If you despise correction and wisdom, then you will not understand that living in sin leads to death, and that death is eternal death in hell! However if you would listen to instruction in righteousness, then you would repent of your sins and call upon the name of Jesus Christ to save your soul. You would then learn to walk uprightly and circumspectly in sight of the Lord, and have joy and peace for eternity! Yesterday the Pastor had officiated over the funeral over one of our teenagers grandfather, and the text that was used was found in
Job 14:10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? My question to you is where are you today teenagers, are you walking in light of the Word of God, or are you in darkness allowing rebellion and sin to wreak havoc in your lives? Where would you be in the next few hours if the Lord would require your life? Teens have enough compassion even for your own selves to consider the state of your own soul, that you might heareth reproof and getteth understanding! Glory to God that even during this moment yesterday, there were two poeple that heard reproof, that is they listened to the message preached during the funeral and considered thier own ways and found themselves in need of the Lord Jesus Christ as thier personal Savior, and wouldn't you know it right there in the funeral home they recieved the Lord!

Let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2008-07-11T12:06:00.002-05:00

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Well good afternoon teenagers, and dearly beloved. VBS has been such an encouragement and boy how gracious the Lord has been to see each night increase in number. We have had souls saved, and great teaching by our teachers. The biggest thing I wanted to write to you about today is not to get be discouraged because VBS is coming to an end tonight, instead think about the things that you have learned this week about Signing Up with God, that is accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then you get to Team Up with others, that is the saints of God in a local New Testament Church that would teach and preach the Bible! While Teamed Up, you can join in Sunday School and sit under the preaching of the Pastor and get Trained Up every Sunday, and Wednesday, or any other time that the church house doors are open. All this helps you to Power Up in your Christian life so that you can as Paul the Apostle said "run with patience the race that is set before us" allowing you to Finish Up strong whether it be that the Lord may return today to call all the saints home in the rapture, or you may personally be called home before the rapture, you can say you have done all to stand and Finish Up strong! Teenagers, I know that if there were any decisions made during the week that the devil is going to try and discourage you. Teens stay in pray and stay in the Bible that you may resist the devil and he shall flee, stay in fellowship with the other teens and encourage one another in the Lord. Notice I didn't say get together and gossip about the world or who is doing what, but rather glorify God through your walk and talk that no man may accuse you of walking falsely!

Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

2008-06-28T21:45:00.003-05:00

Joh 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Good evening folks;
It has been almost a month since my last post and boy how fun filled and busy it has been. The teenagers have been an encouragement in my life and the church as a whole has been wonderful. How do you begin to tell of all the things that have happened in over a month? I guess I will just pick up from where we are today it would probably make it much easier. Today the Pastor and I had the opportunity to do some follow ups on visits that some of the teenage young men and I had made earlier in the week, what an opportunity to present to people a true presentation of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ! At first there was a warm reception, then of course the devil tried to throw his 2-cents in, but in the end it is by the mighty and wonderful Word of God that prevailed! We were able to see about three people commit to coming and visiting our church, all because these young men decided to be in Gods will and share a personal invitation to a few folks. It's great to know that the Bible is very clear in our efforts as soul winners---His Word will not return void. Now that does not mean all people will accept the Lord as their personal Savior, however it does mean that no matter what a decision has to be made. If we are faithful to get into the harvest fields and plow, and water, then God can give the increase. I would brethren that while in your prayers you would remember Philip as he was one of our visits, and very receptive to the Gospel message that we were able to deliver. Pray that he would get saved! We also have Paul and Pat to pray for and hope that they will visit with us tomorrow. Well teenagers Monday is the big day to go to the Space and Rocket Center in Alabama, please remember to dress appropriately and also to bring extra money for food and souvenirs. Until next time, may God Bless

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me

2008-05-30T06:58:00.006-05:00

Pro 30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Pro 30:9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Good morning friends and teens. Well we have gotten off to a great start in our Wednesday night series (the Book of Revelation). The Pastor has started in Chapter 1 and we will be walking through until the end. How exciting considering the message he brought was only the beginning, afterwards while fellow shipping a young boy came forward and wanted to "talk with the preacher". Well in case you may not have heard church, or teens little Jojo got Saved! Glory to God when a young boy has it all figured out that he is a sinner in need of a Savior, and that he had enough sense to come forward and make it right. In this morning reading of Proverbs I came across the above two verses that I usually come across during my daily reading, but for some reason I guess the Lord just impressed upon me to share them with you. What an exact picture of today's people in this country, we are a covetous, ungrateful nation at what the Lord has blessed us with always chasing after more wealth and gain. Because of our unrighteousness we have become full of our own conceit and therefore have left the Lord in many areas. If you look at other people, they have become poor and destitute because of their lack of love for the Lord, and have turned to thievery and unrighteous gain because of their slothfulness all in which keep them from a personal relationship with the Lord God. Teens let your lives emulate the second verse, learn to be content with what you have and the position that you may be in life, don't seek after riches and unrighteous gain. I know its not easy to look at others and see what they may be running around with (new clothes, cool video games, ipods, cell phones) think about this though..what have they forsaken in order to get those things, or how do they treat their parents and God after always receiving those things? What have their parents forsaken in order to deliver these things into their hands? What about a relationship at home because the parents are always working to satisfy worldly desire rather than need. What about a relationship with God, where when in fellow ship with Him all your needs are met? Friends little is much when God is in it, don't be fooled by this worlds promotion of things. Remember that the Lord said "Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Teens where is your heart today, and what treasure are you chasing after? What price are you willing to pay to get what you are seeking, for there is always a price. Is it treasure that in the end, when the Lord has required your life that He will reward you, and your riches will be gold, silver and precious stone or will it burn up in the fire and be nothing as wood hay and stubble? Another possibility is that you may have your heart so set on the things of this world that you never call upon the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and never accept Him as your personal Savior. I remember growing up that I had a very good friend, a best friend and his hearts desire was on a Nissan 300Z, well he got one from his parents, and six months later while on the way to my house on Christmas Eve he ended up wrecking and dying, the car was mangled, and so was his families lives! The saddest part was; he was the son of a preacher, and he never shared with me the gospel, so my thought is to this day, was he saved? His life revolved around getting things and going fast, what a testimony... Teens there is more to life than material gain, my prayer for you today is that you would look at what, or who you are living for and decide to make a change for the Glory of God! I love ya'll and am praying for you.

He that rebuketh a man

2008-05-28T06:49:00.003-05:00

Pro 28:23 He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

Good morning friends, and teenagers if you happen to have started reading this. Well this week in Sunday School we almost completed Philippians Chapter 1 with a few different thoughts to go on. We see from Chapter 1 that it showed Christ as the purpose of life, and that Paul had a single focused mind in preaching the gospel no matter the circumstance. We also learned of how Paul was able to be a steadfast testimony even while in bonds in the prison with the elite Roman soldiers guarding him. We've had the opportunity to learn this past week of the following:

1. Paul's Chains
2. Paul's Critics
3. Paul's Crises

All this can be found in verses 13-26, where we will close out chapter 1 with verses 27-30 this Sunday. Teenagers if you will be reading the last few verses in Chapter 1 and prepared to discuss them it would be an encouragement not only to me, but the others around you. Now when I was reading my daily Proverb, it struck me to write on the above verse for this morning. We see in America today that there is enough flattery going on, and no correction in peoples lives. This doesn't give you however a license to run around and destroy people with the tongue. When you are talking in everyday conversation and somebody says something that is not correct according to the Word of God, then it would be wiser to correct that person in love, rather than agree with them, or to build them up in their own conceit. A lot of times this is done at the schoolhouse to gain acceptance, or at the work place to gain support for that new promotion. According to the Word of God however it is better to correct that person up front then let that person be rebuked later by somebody else and made a fool. The person that you are rebuking will probably take it pretty harsh up front, however if they are a Christian, they will see why you said what you said after much prayer and then come and thank you for it. In today's society of "peace and harmony" it is very rare to find a person that rebukes out of love, even in a lot of peoples rebuking nowadays it is to prove that they are better, smarter, quicker than somebody else. Don't let this be your intention Christian, instead let your words be seasoned with grace, for the encouragement of others to turn from ignorance and idleness, and glorify God through your actions. The challenge today then is to not flatter, but to lovingly be a leader according to the Word of God, by rebuking with gentleness for the purpose of instruction and guidance, rather than a haughty spirit of you know more than them just to prove a point.

Have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

2008-05-21T16:16:00.003-05:00

Php 1:12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

Good afternoon again readers, what a wonderful time we are having at Calvary Baptist Church during our Discoveries of Destiny Bible Conference. God has blessed us with a tremendous turnout, and the information that is given during the preaching hour is fascinating. I would highly recommend Bro. J.D. Grush to come and preach if you are seeking to learn more about Antiquities, Archeology, and Prophecy. Not only had the preaching been good but the fellowship with the saints has been great, there have been many visitors and we thank our Lord for sending them our way, our prayer is that their hearts may be stirred for Him, to learn more, and worship Him in Spirit and Truth according to the Word of God! I have been so overjoyed at the teens that have made it a point to be in their places to hear and learn, I know that as Paul said while he was in chains that it fell out rather to the furtherance of the Gospel, that what these teens are able to see, hear and learn from this conference will definitely fall out to the furtherance of the Gospel. Friends let me encourage you to read your Bible's more closely, and pay attention to what is happening in the world, if you haven't noticed already we are one more day closer to the glorious return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The question is are you ready, are you doing all you can, or should be for Him that upon His return the Lord would find you working in His vineyard? I am looking forward to this Sunday as we are finishing Chapter 1 of Philippians with the teens, won't you follow along with us as we see Chapter 1 applied as "Having the Mind of Christ throughout the Gospel" We see that no matter what circumstance Paul was in, he was going to preach. We also see that Christ preached the message of the Savior and Salvation. So no matter where you are, or what your going through will you allow your testimony to show the mind of Christ and allow the furtherance of the gospel to be accomplished in your life?

That ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

2008-05-19T14:14:00.003-05:00

Php 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Good afternoon fellow readers, what an awesome start to our Bible conference yesterday as we hosted Brother J.D. Grush presenting the "Discoveries of Destiny". I will try and have these posted on our web page within the next day, you can go to www.cbclawrenceburg.org and then go to sermon page to hear what was presented. All of our teens had a good time last night as we had our first "afterglow". We met after the services and played games and had pizza what a good time of fellowship. During this time I had encouraged them to look and see who is missing from the group, after they named a few names I gave them this suggestion...when they are out and about tell them how much we missed them, and what they missed out on when they see these folks. Friends this is the duty of every Christian, not just the Pastor and staff. If you noticed a church family member out, why don't you give them a call, be concerned, not nosey. As the above verse states "that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;" Tell them what they missed and that you missed them, you don't know how much of a difference that may make in their lives. Friends it is a shame when we call on folks to be nosey and busybodies, instead let us be encouraging and sincere in our desires to see folks come and worship God. On another note, I was able to get the teen room cleaned out and ready to get the floor painted so we can finally move in this weekend. What a blessing that will be so that we can expand our ministries at the church. I thank God for every need that has been supplied during this process and we are excited that we will have more room for the teaching and preaching of God's Word! Well we look forward to Gods blessings again this evening as we head into our third message of the series "The Exodus Enigma" for our Bible conference. Please be praying for the services and also for decisions that are being made! I hope and pray you all have a wonderful day!

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all

2008-05-16T07:56:00.002-05:00

Php 1:7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

Good morning again dear friends, what a wonderful night our church had last night on our church wide visitation. All of us had such wonderful visits and I can't wait to see what the Lord does in the way of blessing for our labors. Well yesterday I covered some of what we covered during Sunday School last Sunday, so today I will try to finish out what we could not get to considering you only have an 45 minutes to teach. As I said yesterday we looked at versus 1-12 of Philippians Chapter 1, so today's thought is this "let this mind be in you". Our minds are so full of things when in actuality it ought to be full of Christ. The spiritual battle that goes on in our hearts and minds can be won through Jesus Christ if we would but have the mind of Christ. Here are some devotional thoughts for you to look at and see where your mind is concerning them:

The fellowship of the gospel vs. 5-6
The confirmation of the gospel vs. 7-11
The furtherance of the gospel vs. 12-16

We can see because of the fellowship with one another, it confirms the message that Christ related to His disciples, Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. Because of the change of man from the old to the new, the fellowship confirmed, which encouraged the saints to further the gospel message. May God bless and you find your place in church this Sunday. Please be praying for our Discoveries of Destiny Bible Conference starting this Sunday and going through this Wednesday.

Being confident of this very thing

2008-05-15T09:30:00.003-05:00

Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Well good morning my dearly beloved readers and friends. I have been quite busy and also praying on which direction to take this blog. Now that I have a Teen Sunday School class to teach I thought that I would aim this at them and give them something to read for devotionals while in-between our Sundays. This does not mean that this will be fruitless for you to look at if your not in our Sunday School class, but I hope and pray that it will encourage you the same way if you have followed along since this Blogs inception. What I will do is go over some of the material that I didn't get to cover during the Sunday School hour and also give them something to think about for the upcoming week. With this younger generation it seems that this also could prove to be an effective communication tool as I see more and more teens texting and such. Well the teen building is almost complete, we still need to under gird it, put the ceiling in, paint the floor, and plant flowers if you have been following the status of that. I would ask that you pray for us this week coming as we are excited to have Evangelist JD Grush present to us his work on "Discoveries of Destiny", a walk through the Bible from an archaeological perspective. Pray that our hearts would be stirred because of the supporting information from the Bible to what archaeologists have found in this present day and age. I would also ask for prayer for the teen group since we have many upcoming events! Just to bring all you readers up to speed we have been in the book of Philippians and have started @ Chapter 1:1-12. We are looking at chapter 1 as the purpose of life, that is Christ. Our Key verse is 1:21 in which Paul gives plenty of supporting information on why it is that way for him since we find him in prison, ready to go before the Roman emperor. We have seen in vv 1-12 the following bits of information, Paul had the saints at Philippi:

In his mind- all the things that he remembered were excellent thoughts
In his heart- he longed for them, and wanted them to continue on
In his prayers- that their love would abound, that they would approve excellent things, and that they would be sincere until the day of Christ

I like the verse that the Lord has had me thinking about because of the power behind that verse, it's three fold in nature as we can see through:

the work God does for us--that is salvation, remember it is by faith through grace, we cannot earn it, pay for it, or work for it. God did the work accept that finished work on the cross by Jesus Christ and His shed blood for the remission of our sins
the work God does in us- that is sanctification, daily coming before the throne of grace and receiving cleansing from our sinful ways. Cleansing our hands and our hearts as the Bible states. Be careful of what you are doing, and what your are desiring.
the work God does through us- that is service, God has at a minimum in every Christians life given us the work of the great commission to fulfill, and as Paul states in Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

2008-05-09T23:21:00.005-05:00

Psa 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness

Well good evening to you faithful readers and friends! I have been busy as of late trying to get the teen building finished out. We have started to hang the siding and our own local church sent missionary Bro Norris Ward lent a hand today by taking the lead to get all the trim and siding started! Thank God for men who are willing to work even after they have traveled and preached. Well tomorrow we will be painting the inside of the building and the teens are getting excited, they are talking how they can raise some funds for some decorations and plants. I know that this encourages me because it shows that some still have a heartbeat for God and are willing to be around Gods house, hearing Gods messages and willing to do Gods work by making the house of God look good with what they have been given. Please pray for me as I try to lead them the way that the Lord would have me, and that we would get much accomplished tomorrow. As the above verse states David was just excited to greet somebody as he was to be the King of Israel. I want the teens of our church to understand that there is always somewhere to serve God, whether that be with a smiling face greeting new visitors, or leading a devotion for other teenagers. We all learn a lesson from David if our hearts were right and say thank you Lord, even if we don't have ministry that looks like it is big, we can still find joy in doing the simplest of things that makes your church warm and welcome, even if it is just standing by the door and being a doorkeeper in the house of God! What a privilege it is to serve the Lord no matter what capacity it may be in. I also thank God that there are those that are willing to be faithful to the house of God, and not running around in their old haunts. It is better to be found in fellowship with the saints rather then in sin with the sinners! Friends I look forward to tomorrow and this upcoming Sunday for Mothers Day. May your weekend be safe and have a blessed Mothers day.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

2008-05-07T14:10:00.003-05:00

Well good afternoon readers and dear friends. As you may have noticed a lot of my posts have swapped from the morning to afternoon that way I can accommodate the tasks that I have now on my radar. Well we just finished with looking at the training of the Christian soldier, I am praying as to what the Lord would have me to look at next. I sincerely hope and pray the all the posts on the Christian Soldier was an encouragement, not only an encouragement but a challenge to arm up and go forth in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ proclaiming the Gospel message wherever it is that God has you. In the mean time would you be praying with me about a few things going on at Calvary Baptist Church in Lawrenceburg, TN. There are a lot of needs and I know that our God can meet every need that is mentioned. The First need is what is on my heart the most at the moment is our planned missions trip to Mexico. There are a group of us that have a burden to go to Veracruz, Mexico and preach the gospel. This door of opportunity arose because one of our members is from that town and four years ago he was saved! He has lived in this country now for fifteen years and hasn't been home since, but there is a great burden to have the gospel preached there since there are no good Bible believing folks there. We have contacted a full time missionary in that country who is going to help us when we get there. Here are our current needs for this trip:

1. Passports
2. Financial Help
3. Open hearts in that country
4. Open hearts here that would help us get there

The second need for that I would like you to pray about is our ministries. Gos has blessed us with a great responsibility through these ministries and I am praying that we would not get weary in well doing and that each member would pray for more souls. The third need is a van for our Bus ministry, we sold our older van in hopes of getting a new one, we had one picked out and talked to the folks at the car lot, unfortunately when we finally raised the money for the one we were interested in they had already sold it. Please pray that God would give us the van that we need to fulfill this hole. The fourth thing is for our Bible conference that is coming up in here May 18th thru the 21st, please pray that this will open eyes and hearts and that God would bless and give the increase. I thank you all for praying and look forward to tomorrow and what God may have for us!

Training of the Christian Soldier--Equipping the Soldier II

2008-05-06T14:17:00.002-05:00

Hello and good afternoon dear friends! What a lovely past couple of days it has been weather wise here in Tennessee. Well we have made headway on the Teen building at Calvary Baptist Church and this weekend the teens are scheduled to paint it, please pray for me! Well yesterday we left off with the sandals of the gospel, which are rooted and grounded and prepared to go if need be wherever God may lead. Today we are going to look at a couple of pieces of defensive armor and the first piece of offensive weaponry. The last piece of bodily armor is the Helmet of Salvation, this piece was important for without protecting the head all the other pieces were in vain. You see if you couldn't hear the preaching then you wouldn't know what Jesus Christ did and why He did it. It also protects you from hearing stuff that you ought not to hear of you are wearing it properly. The helmet also protected the eyes, for without shielding them with the Word of God, then you would be blinded and useless. Lastly it protects the brain, or better yet your mind so you are not confused by false doctrines and wayward teachers. Friends the Bible exhorts us to "touch not, taste not, handle not" so we see that we are to be armored with all of the aforementioned bodily armor so that we may fulfill this command. The last piece of armor to be mentioned looks huge and intimidating, but without it the body would be blasted by attack after attack and would eventually fall apart. With this last piece of armor though it is a real help in the beginning of the battle and if all the other armor starts to fail, then you can always run to this piece and pick it up and let it surround you. The Shield of Faith is the last piece of armor, yet it is the biggest part of the soldier to carry into battle. We could say what the Bible says, "without faith it is impossible to please God" or better yet "the just shall live by faith"! Friends the shield of Faith is the first piece of armor that the enemy sees, and like the shield that the Roman soldiers carried. our faith ought to be as big. The shield that those Roman soldiers carried was almost five feet tall, enough to conceal a man behind it, strong enough to plow through the battle. Roman foot soldiers who were strong carried this shield because they trusted that with it, it would bring them to the point that they could get into the hand to hand combat without being scratched. Faith is trusting God when all else is brought to nought. When we are at the ends of our ropes and we think that we have it all figured out, it is faith that brings us to that closer relationship with our Heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus said if we had faith as a mustard seed, think about that, and do a study on the mustard seed, our Pastor brought us through one a while back and it was eye opening! If our faith was large enough or Strong enough we could figuratively move mountains! Friends our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the anchor for our soul, and the defense to plow through life's obstacles because we are trusting God to provide for us in every aspect of our lives! It is faith that makes long nights short, and it is faith that shines through the darkest of tunnels. Remember the Bible says that the good work which God started, He will finish! Trust God my friends, and put your faith in Jesus Christ that He has the answers for all of life's needs! Now with faith comes the working or trying of our faith, and we are given some offensive weapons in which we can faithfully go to battle. The first listed is the Sword of the Spirit, and friends let me tell you to wield it you MUST train with it. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, and with it if you are not careful you can cut deeper than any physical two-edged sword that man can possibly furnish. When you have armored up and taken the shield of faith and plowed through and the battle gets to be close and personal then wield your sword and defeat the Devil by using exactly what Christ used to defeat him, the Word of God! Friends I hope today was another encouraging devotion to spur you into action to get into the battle and have faith that God has provided for the Christian Soldier all that he needs to accomplish the task.

Training of the Chrsitian Soldier- Equipping the Soldier

2008-05-05T14:06:00.002-05:00

1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

No man goes to battle without first counting the cost, and no man goes into battle without the proper equipment! What a joy it is to know that our Lord and Savior has given to us the proper equipment to go into the fray. Like every good soldier knows not only having the proper equipment is important, but maintaining that equipment is equally important. When I was in the military everything from my rucksack to my weapon was meticulously looked after, why, because it could very well save my physical life. In the spiritual realm you can tell the disciplined soldier from the undisciplined by how well he maintains his equipment and puts it to use. Lets look at a few pieces of defensive equipment first today. (Ephesians 6:11, 13-17)

The girdle of Truth- No soldier in the old Roman army would be caught without one, it tied all his armor in together, also allowing him mobility of movement to do battle, in later years the sword was attached to the belt. As we can see the belt kept everything in place otherwise it the armor would fall all over the place, just so in our lives also, the Truth will make you free, free to move about without retribution or worry. Truth through the Word of God, and Jesus Christ allows you to keep your life together so that you can do battle. How well have you put the Truth of Gods Word to use in your life?
The breastplate of righteousness- Righteous living affects the heart, and just as the breastplate in the soldiers armor was designed to protect the heart, we need to ensure that we are living Biblical separated lives so that the devil cannot get to our hearts, this is accomplished by staying in the Word and heeded to Gods will. The Word of God says be ye Holy for I am Holy, are we trying to live Holy separated lives according to His word?
The Sandals of the Gospel- Roman soldier wore sandals that had nails in them for footing so when they were battling they had a firm foothold and couldn't be pushed backwards. We always need to have the gospel with us and prepared to take it anywhere, we should understand the gospel message, that is Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious death by the shedding of His blood on the cross, was raised in victory sitting at the right hand of God, waiting for the trump to sound that He may return in power and glory to redeem all of those that have called upon His name for the remission of sins! This should be our firm footing and we should not be pushed away with the tainting of this worlds wisdom after mans own religious thoughts. How well do you know the gospel, and if you know it are you prepared to take it to the uttermost, wherever God may lead you to share it?

Friends we will continue tomorrow on the thoughts of the defensive equipment of the Christian soldier so that you have time to go back and study these out for yourself today. I hope and pray this will have been an encouragement to pull out some of this equipment and dust it off to put it to use! Until tomorrow may God bless.

Training of the Christain Soldier Part 3

2008-05-01T08:25:00.001-05:00

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Good morning friends and readers, last night was such a blessing at Calvary Baptist as the Spirit was really moving. There was much liberty for the preacher to preach what the Lord placed on his heart and what a great message it was. Well today I would like to finish out point #3 of our Training of a Soldier Part I. To recap from previous posts we looked at:
· Core Values- God First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do To The Glory of God!
· Core Beliefs- The Verbal Inspiration of the Scriptures, The Virgin Birth, The Vicarious Death, The Victorious Resurrection, and The Visible Return of Christ

We will look at our Core Mission for today, this is the why of the training cycle. In it we see that the sub points lead to the main reason for all Christians to get in the fray. Here is a simple breakdown of what to look at in the Core Mission.
· Our exhortation
· Our equipping
· Our evangelizing

Our exhortation is these three things to make us successful. First we are exhorted to stand. Standing in the line of fire is not an easy thing to do, when bullets start flying most people want to run. A good soldier will just plant his feet and prepare for the onslaught, he doesn’t want to give up any ground, he is fighting to protect something that is very dear to him. Friends, when the devil throws those fiery darts at you just stand, plant your feet and resist him ( Jas 4:7; Eph 6:11, 13-14) for the God of Heaven says that you are able through Christ to do so. We are not to be on the offensive looking to run over the devil at every chance we get, or go charging the gates of hell with a squirt gun, instead we are exhorted to stand (1Pet 5:8-9). When persecution starts just stand, and pray for those that are ignorant of what you know, and who you are through our Lord Jesus Christ. When temptation tries to take you then know that God has made a way of escape (1 Cor 10:13). Second we are exhorted to pray. When the going gets tough the tough go to praying (Jude 1:20). In many ways we can overcome the devil and this world by the simple act of taking it to the Lord in prayer (Mat 5:44). When I was in the military one of the most effective things to winning the war was communication, and our communication with the Lord is very important, He needs to hear from us in order for Him to help us. Our lifeline when we are about to get defeated is with the Lord, then the reserves can be sent in, or another soldier can pick up the slack and help out a brother in need, all this comes though by prayer and supplication (Mat 6:4). Thirdly we are to be watching. If we are ever vigilant then it would be hard for the enemy to get a foothold, or and advantage of us. What a shame it is when we are to be watching and praying that we are found to be goofing off or have our eyes on things that are of no eternal value. The Lord took three of His disciples into the garden to watch and pray, instead they became secure in their place and fell fast asleep, this ultimately led to them being taken advantage of during the trial of Christ. If they had obeyed and watched, they would have seen the perfect example of what we are to do when the battle gets fiery hot, that is pray like you’ve never prayed before. Our Lord prayed so hard that the Bible says it was as if He were sweating blood! It says this in 2Ti 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. We are exhorted to watch thou in all things, inside the home, outside the home, in the church, out of the church all this so we may be considered a good servant and an excellent soldier. In closing today I hope that I have encouraged you to stand, pray and watch and endure hardness as a good soldier for the honor and glory of Christ. Tomorrow we will begin to look at our equipping so that we are able to accomplish these things.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

2008-04-29T05:40:00.004-05:00

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Good morning dear friends, it has been 5 days since my last post and I apologize greatly as I wanted to get to another point in our study. Just in case you are new and just joining us here is a quick outline of what we have been talking about:

Core Beliefs of the Christian Soldier
1. The Verbal Inspiration of the Scriptures
2. The Virgin Birth
3. The Vicarious Death
4. The Victorious Resurrection
5. Today's Topic---The Visible Return of Christ

I believe with all my heart as the scriptures promise that our Lords first return will be so surprising that it is really going to catch a lot of people off guard. He has promised time and again that He will come again for those that are His. No other religion in the world speaks of their god taking one thought of returning to gather their followers together with them. In a Christians life this is unique as it allows for us to have hope that we are not to be forsaken or left, we are not doomed to this plane of existence, and we are not left to inherit this miserable planet that we now occupy. Before the tribulation time ever begins our Lords first appearing will be the rapture, when all the saints of God are called up with a trump and a shout to be risen with our Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ will not set foot on this earth at that time, instead we are called up to Him for that glad reunion day in the sky! We will then be given a new body, and be changed, for the corruptible must put on incorporation (1 Cor 15:51-53). The Lord will have us to be with Him while the tribulation period as described in Revelation will occur. Then after the seven years of the tribulation another event occurs, the Second Coming of the Lord will be the actual return of Christ with His saints by setting foot on earth. Our Lords return will be signified by touching down on the Mount of Olives. Our Lords purpose in this return is five fold from the best of my studies so far in life.
1. To bring defeat to the nations and the antichrist at the battle of Armageddon
2. To bring about the restoration of faithful Israel- regather, regenerate, and restore
3. To judge and punish faithless Israel
4. To separate the sheep from the goats
5. To bind Satan
So we see from today that we as Christians have much to look forward to, we have much to rejoice about, and we have much work to be done before that trump sounds and we are called up hither! Friend there are many things we are to be doing before the Lords calls us home and here are just a few:
1. Not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together (Heb 10:25)
2. Observe the Lords supper with His return in mind (1Cor 11:26)
3. Love lost souls and the brethern (1 Thess 3:12-13)
4. Be patient (Jas 5:8)
5. Live a separated life from this world (Titus 2:12-13)
6. Preach the Word (2 Tim 4:1-2)
7. Win souls to Christ (Jude 21-23)