BODY LIFE - many members 1 BODY

A Prayer of Praise to God our Father

2009-12-05T23:12:00.002-05:00

1 Chronicles 29:10-13

¹⁰ David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
"Praise be to you, O LORD,
God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

¹¹ Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.

¹² Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.

¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.

Old Testment Disciple's Prayer

2009-08-08T21:25:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow in church we will be studying the Lord's Prayer (really the disciples) from Matthew 6:5-15. So I began to wonder if the Old Testament had any similar prayers and as always Google did not fail to bring back some relevant finds on the first page.

The first Lord's Prayer can be found in the Pentateuch. Lancelot Andrews (1555-1626), an Anglican writer, paraphrased the Lord's Prayer from Old Testament passages:

Let thy name be called upon of us. (Genesis 4:26). Be thou our shield and our exceeding great reward (Genesis 15:1). What word so ever proceedeth from thee, Let it not be in us to speak aught against it, whether good or bad, (Numbers 24:13). Give us bread to eat and raiment to put on. (Genesis 2:8-20). And now pardon the iniquity and the unrighteousness of thy servants. (Numbers 14:19). And, O Lord, let us not think anxiously in our hearts all the day long. (Deuteronomy 28:32). And let no evils take hold of us, (Deuteronomy 31:17)

The second is a passage from Numbers 6:24-26. While not a complete duplicate it was close.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Logos Bible Giveaway

2009-07-07T06:24:00.000-05:00

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

A Sunday Prayer - Mt 5:17-20

2009-06-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Heavenly Father, your blessings to us are innumerable. When I begin to "Count [my] blessings, [and] name them one by one," I am surprised just how much you have done for me. May we always be grateful to you, for every blessing comes from you.

O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness or the sin we hide in our hearts. You cannot tolerate any sin in your presence. And yet you choose to dwell among us, creatures whose lives are but dirty rags before you. But you came so that we might know Christ who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Father thank you for giving us your Son, to be our savior, our righteousness.

Greatly are you to be praise O Lord. For you have clothed your Children with the garments of salvation. You have covered us with the robe of righteousness. Only you could have done this Father through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is our the messiah. The Precious lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. May others see your Son as the their savior and ask Him to forgive them of their sin so you can cloth them in the Son's righteousness.

Because of your unfailing love, we can enter your house; We can worship at your temple with deepest awe. We can enter your into your presence with boldness and leave our requests and burdens at your feet.

Lead us in the right path, O Lord, or our enemies will conquer us. Make your way plain for us to follow as we seek to Glorify your name through Loving you and Loving others. May we "Reach our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to Teach each other people to love and serve you more.

Heal and care for those in our church that are ill, Father. Let them rely on you as your body ministers unto them. May we continually be a blessing to them as your servants as they are to us.

Guide the feet of our pastors and missionaries as they seek to minster through your Word and the Wisdom that only you can impart. Place a hedge about them to protect them from the plans of the wicked. Bless the work of their hands.

Open our hearts father to be willing to give back to you what you so graciously have given to us. May we be wise stewards of all you have given us. Our homes, family, money, possessions - they all belong to you and we have them but only a brief time to use as talents on loan for the master. In our lives Father be glorified.

May we all take refuge in you O, Lord and rejoice in your love and provision for us.

In your Son's Most Holy name, Jesus.

Amen

Proverbs 28:20
Ephesians 1:3
Psalms 5:4, 7, 8, 11
2 Corinthians 5:21
Isaiah 61:10
John 1:29
Job 1:10
James 1:5, 3:17; 5:14
1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Eph 4
Matthew 25:14-30

There Is A Redeemer

2009-06-13T22:26:00.002-05:00

There Is A Redeemer by Keith Green

There is a redeemer,
Jesus, God’s own Son,
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
Holy one,

Jesus my redeemer,
Name above all names,
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
Oh, for sinners slain.

Thank you oh my Father,
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit,
’til the work on earth is done.

When I stand in glory,
I will see His face,
And there I’ll serve my King forever,
In that holy place.

Thank you oh my Father,
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit,
’til the work on earth is done.

There is a redeemer,
Jesus, God’s own Son,
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
Holy one,

Thank you oh my Father,
For giving us Your Son,
And leaving Your Spirit,
’til the work on earth is done.

And leaving Your Spirit,
’til the work on earth is done.

Do Not Put Down Your Tool (The Bible)

2009-04-16T09:30:00.004-05:00

The following is an expert from Colin Smith's 10/21/2005 Baptist Bible College Chapel message from II Timothy 3:1-4:4. Click the title or here to listen to the message in it's entirity. For addition messages by Colin Smith click here.

All Scripture is breathed out by God. It is the powerful Word of God that makes people wise to salvation.

The only thing that outlived the age of the apostles was this Book. None of the churches Paul started are still around. None of the people Paul led to Christ are still around. None of those churches left behind any ministries that are still around.

We are living in an age when the church's soultion is: "Well, since the world doesn't want to listen to the Bible, we'll become like them. We'll find out what they want. You want a class on cinema, we'll give you a class on cinema. You want Judo, we'll give you Judo. We'll give you anything you want." The Bible is the only thing that you can give them that works!

You will hear people say that you are the only Bible some people will see. Well that's a shame. Put a Bible in thir hands. Then they won't have to get a corrupted version.

People may look at your life and say, "You know, there's something about your zeal.' But you've never driven an airplane into a building filled with strangers - now that's zeal.

Give them the book. The Bible is the voice of God speaking so loudly to you that you can feel His Breath.

How to pray in the midst of financial catastrophe

2009-04-01T10:27:00.002-05:00

By Philip Yancey:

Historians will look at the year that just ended as a financial tsunami that left in its wake millions of foreclosed homes, bankruptcies, and lost jobs. As if competing to abandon the basic tenets of capitalism, governments threw money at banks, investment companies, and huge insurers in an attempt to restore trust and stanch the flow of capital.

During one of the most volatile periods, a week in which global stock markets declined by $7 trillion, I received a call from an editor at Time. "You wrote a book on prayer, right?" he said. "Tell me, how should a person pray during a crisis like this?" In the course of the conversation, we came up with a three-stage approach to prayer.

You can read the rest at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/january/29.80.html

How to Make the Enemy Run

2008-11-10T23:13:00.003-05:00

Jesus Christ showed us the way and E.V. Hill hit's it back to us.

Hit the devil with the Word!!

Godspeed vs. good luck

2008-11-01T23:42:00.003-05:00

As a follower of The Way (Acts 9.2 cp. John 14.6) maybe we ought to wish people Godspeed and not good luck.

Godspeed: An expression of good will to express concern and prayer for someone on a journey or a daring endeavor as a reminder that nothing is random and out of the hands of God.

Good Luck: A sacrilegious comment which implies that anything can be random and out of the hands of God.

Angels we have heard on High

2005-12-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

"They are sent to guide our feet
Up to the gates of thine abode,
Through all the dangers that we meet,
In traveling the heavenly road."
Issac Watts

Purpose Driven Life # 3

2005-11-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

Number 3 For the Purpose Driven Life
1. Believing - worship
2. Belonging- fellowship
3. Becoming - discipleship

How we seek Christlikeness, wrongly
1. Culture
2. Tradition
3. Reason
4. Feelings

3 opponents to our Christian life
1. World
2. Flesh
3. Satan

Gods Purpose is realized by 3 tools
1. Word of God
2. Holy Spirit
3. Body of Christ

many members, 1 Body - Illustrated

2005-11-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday Sermon ~ Takeaway Lessons

2005-11-06T21:09:00.000-05:00

Take-away Lessons from 2 Thess 3:6-15
Pastor Culver Spoke an excellent message on the Christians and our work ethic. Towards the end he wrapped everything up in these two take-away lessons.

Work...
Commanded by God before the Fall
Exemplified By God
Given by God
Done For God

Church discipline...
To be practiced
With ostracism
By the congregation
For restoration

Verse of the Day ~ Eph 4:29

2005-10-21T07:19:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (ESV)

God, The Holy Spirit, and Our Praise

2005-02-17T09:55:00.000-05:00

"If you practice enough so you can play it smooth but your still looking at the music, are you then limiting how much you can just praise God and let the Spirit work through you."

Recently I came across a blog that made a statement similar to the question above and as I read through the Blog my heart was pricked to leave a response there and here.

I would disagree with that it is more difficult to praise God and "let the spirit work" if you have to look at your music. Ones playing whether with or without music is praise. You either are praising God or you are not. Practically speaking, for a couple hundred years people have been using hymnals and praising God and the spirit was not hindered by that. Even today I can praise God by my reading sheet music as I sing it aloud in church or home or play it on my trumpet.

What hinders our praise to God is our hearts. What I mean by that is the our praise to God is a pleasing sight before Him when it is done in "Truth and Spirit". I would also include our purity as apart of His accepting our praise and being a member of His family. I can even praise God as I walk, run, or drive down 5th ave. Whether you FEEL like worshipping God or you FEEL that your reading music hinders praise is not relevant to your actual praise to God. That is because our praise is not about us but about Him. If you play to the best of your ability with a right heart according to truth and spirit and do it for His Glory and Praise then God will NEVER be displeased with it nor will you be able to praise him better. Praise and Worship is not about our quality but about our willingness to submit to Him and give our all to Him through obedience and submission to His will as revealed in the Word of God. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:13 talks about us praising God and giving Him glory in all that we do. So play to your best in church and in your rock band and do it for His glory I know God will be pleased with your offerings.

In relation to allowing the Spirit to work unless you have grieved the Spirit I would expect him to be active in your life daily. Isaiah 63 talks about rebellion grieves the Spirit and Ephesians 4:17-30 talks about our lack of love for others members of the Body of Christ grieves the spirit. We are to be involved in activities and ways of life that will build up (edify) the body not bring it down. Look over this passage and see the number of ways you can build up the body and keep from Grieving the spirit. I would also add that you ought to be sure your life is right with God according to His word since our rebellion grieves the Spirit and our Lord. Lastly, Eph 5 talks about being controlled by the spirit instead of alcohol. Whether this is the human or holy spirit I think the application is the same. Being that we are to keep our bodies under control and not yield our control to anyone or thing other than God and His Spirit. I see this including everything from alcohol, to tobacco, to over eating, to our TV viewing habits. Anything that begins to control our lives in such a way that God and the spirit (Spirit) are no longer leading us is sin.

In summary I would encourage anyone to memorize their music if it makes them FEEL better, but I would also remind you that regardless the praise you give to God and the work of the spirit will go on. If you are living a spirit controlled life and doing your playing for God's glory and not your own.

Godspeed,
Wesley

ARE WE CLOSER THAN BEFORE

2004-07-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

The following poem was written to my wife, by me, before we were married and most likely one year after we started dating. Today, as I look upon it's words I find them ever so true. They seem to have a timeless quality about them that makes me think about our love and dedication for God. Are we closer than before? Have we steadily become more Christ like over the last 7 years? Examining our lives is something that we must continually be doing in order to know where we were, are, and can go.

ARE WE CLOSER THAN BEFORE

A Year has gone
Our Love has grown
But are we closer than before.
We've set a goal to attain
Have we sought it day by day.
Does He come in first
Or only second place.
Jesus Christ Is He King.

A Year has gone
Our Love has grown
But are we closer than before.
Have we sought Him more and more
Or only in our deepest need.
Has His Word been our guiding light
In this stormy world we call life.
Jesus Christ Is He Sought.

A Year has gone
Our Love has grown
But are we closer than before.
Can we say we have grown
Closer to the Goal.
Does He see Himself in us
Do we see Our Lord in us.
Jesus Christ Is He Exemplified.

A Year has gone
Our Love has grown
But are we closer than before.
I hear us say we love Him more
But are we speaking only empty words.
Do our lives really show
The Love we say we have for Him.
Jesus Christ Is He Loved.

A Year has gone
Our Love has grown
But are we closer than before.
Do we live every day by the grace of God
Or by the letters of one another.
Is our comfort delivered by the mail
Or do we say, "Lord help me this day."
Jesus Christ Is He Comforter.

A Year has gone
Our Love has grown
But are we closer than before.
Have we honored Him with our lives
Or given ourselves to one another.
Can we say to one another
I love you, but He is number one.
Jesus Christ Is He Beloved.

ANCIENT WORDS EVERY TRUE

2004-06-23T15:53:00.000-05:00

Ancient Words

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
O let the ancient words impart

Words of life words of hope
Give us strength help us cope
In this world where'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you

We have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart

Holy words of our faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
O heed the faithful words of Christ

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
O let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart

We have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart

Words and Music by Lynn Deshazo
© 2001 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (ASCAP)

Nuggets - "Know Your Limits"

2004-06-15T19:38:00.000-05:00

Nuggets
…from Matthew 26
061204

"And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly."
Matt. 26:73-74

In the place where I pursue part-time work, there is a sign which admonishes, "know your limits." There are regulations in that workplace which restrict access to persons under eighteen years of age, and the signs are a reminder for those who fall into that category. That sign, however, would make a good motto for Christians in pursuit of the will of God, as Peter's heartbreaking experience on the eve of the Savor's crucifixion illustrates.

Earlier in the chapter the Lord Jesus began to unveil for the disciples the events which would soon come to pass, and then predicted the defection of His disciples as a result. Peter's bold reaction is singled out for notice, ad he boasted, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended." And when the Savior declared that the night would not pass before Peter had thrice denied Him, the impetuous apostle vehemently replied, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny Thee." (cf. Mt. 26:31-35)

Perhaps it is because of Peter's rugged disposition and ready speech that he is singled out for emphasis in the account of the events that followed, but it is important to remember that the record concludes, "Likewise also said all the disciples." These men were not fickle by nature, at least in the ordinary sense of the word, nor were they wimps. They were, many of them, men of courage, determination and strength born of a life of hard labor in a rugged industry. And, they were men of integrity who were surely sincere and intended to keep their word.

The strong affirmation of Peter and his fellows was the expression of their deep affection and determined commitment to Jesus, Whom they all had concluded was "the Christ, the Son of the living God." But, when the crisis hour came, the big fisherman denied the Savior with an oath. As for the others, let us remember, "all the disciples forsook Him and fled." (v.56) Peter was not alone. And you and I would have done the same!

"Know your limits!" If we are to stand in the evil day, we will need to know first the real nature of the battle in which we are engaged. The Holy Spirit has instructed us that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6:12) This is a battle that requires more than sincerity to win. There are elements at work in the conflict of the ages like no other on earth, and the best resources of man are no match for their subtlety and power. This the disciples did not, and at that point could not know.

And with this there is a another incident worthy of note. Immediately following Peter's bold affirmation, the disciples accompanied the Lord to the Garden of Gethsemene and repeatedly fell asleep while He wrestled in prayer against the impending trial. Gently chiding them for their laxity, Jesus said, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" then offered the explanation, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mt. 26:40-41)

"Know your limits." The enemy is strong, the flesh is weak. Survival in this battle, to say nothing of victory, can never be realized through human determination or natural resources. The psalmist understood it when he prayed to the end, "that I may know how frail I am." (Psalm 39:4) The Savior said, "Without Me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5) He said that with reference to fruit bearing, but it is a principle that applies across the board in the spiritual realm. In yet another place we are counseled, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (I Cor. 10:12) It is not until we have recognized the bankruptcy of the flesh that we will begin to rely on the Spirit as we should.

A gifted preacher friend said, "It takes God to be godly." It is for that reason Jesus said to His heavy-eyed disciples, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." The Christian who presumes to trust in his own love for Christ, his "dedication," his natural resources, is destined to fail as miserably as Peter did—and for the same reason!

Victory finally came for Peter—after Pentecost. It requires the same Holy Spirit, not as an article in our statement of faith, but as One personally present and relied upon, in our hearts and lives, to "keep us from falling." When we have entered into and begun to function in terms of a right relation with Him, we will make no boast in ourselves, but with the Psalmist will say, "My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble will hear thereof and be glad." (Ps. 34:2)

For HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

Sweetness of the Storm

2004-06-12T20:07:00.000-05:00

"In everything ye are enriched by him" ~ 1 Cor. 1:5

Have you ever seen men and women whom some disaster drove to a great act of prayer, and by and by the disaster was forgotten, but the sweetness of religion remained and warmed their souls?

So have I seen a storm in later spring; and all was black, save where the lightning tore the cloud with thundering rent.

The winds blew and the rains fell, as though heaven had opened its windows. What a devastation there was! Not a spider's web that was out of doors escaped the storm, which tore up even the strong-branched oak.

But ere long the lightning had gone by, the thunder was spent and silent, the rain was over, the western wind came up with its sweet breath, the clouds were chased away, and the retreating storm threw a scarf of rainbows over her fair shoulders and resplendent neck, and looked back and smiled, and so withdrew and passed out of sight.

But for weeks long the fields held up their bands full of ambrosial flowers, and all the summer through the grass was greener, the brooks were fuller, and the trees cast a more umbrageous shade, because the storm passed by--though all the rest of the earth had long ago forgotten the storm, its rainbows and its rain. ~ Theodore Parker

Nuggets - "The Days of Noah"

2004-06-12T10:09:00.000-05:00

From time to time I will be posting with permission an email newsletter from a retired pastor friend of mine from Western New York. I have found his newsletter refreshing and insightful. I hope in the future to have him posting these articles on his own. Until that time I will be placing these post for him. I hope you enjoy his articles.
Wesley

Nuggets
…from Matthew 24
052904

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Matt. 24:36-37

Current events in this volatile world have increased the frequency with which we hear remarks, especially among professing Christians, anticipating the return of the Lord and/or the second coming of Christ. Now, it is a good thing to look forward to His coming to rapture the church, if it keeps us alert, but it is important to balance that hope by noting that the scriptures indicate that He will not come on the crest of a wave of expectancy, "For in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Cf. v.44 my italics)

However, if the precise time of the Savior's return is hidden from everyone but God Himself, our text makes evident the climate that will immediately precede His coming: "…as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." That statement, falling as it does from the lips of the Savior Himself, should send us back to Genesis to consider the characteristics of the days of Noah.

Let me suggest, briefly, some of the obvious trends of Noah's day. The first, and one of the most striking, we treated some time ago when our V.O.W. was taken from Genesis 6. It is the marriage of the "sons of God" with the "daughters of men." That is the wedding of the holy and the profane. The sons of God "saw the daughters of men that they were fair (attractive); and they took them wives of all which they chose." As the church becomes more worldly in its values and methods, without a proper separation from the world and regard for the precepts and principles of the word of God, the "days of Noah" are approaching.

A second characteristic emerges in Gen. 6:5 - "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." This suggests the saturation of "evil." Evil does not have to be something culturally unacceptable; in fact, it may be just the opposite. Essentially, that is evil which behaves contrary to the word of God. When a society outlaws the exhibition of God's principles in public places, that is evil. When a society legalizes divorce, abortion, homosexual "marriage" and other behavioral characteristics clearly condemned in scripture, that society is evil in the judgment of a holy God, however it may pride itself on its broadmindedness and tolerance. And when the church buys into these cultural trends, the wedding of the holy and the profane is accelerated.

A third major characteristic of the days of Noah: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence." (Genesis 6:11) It should need little emphasis on my part to convince most readers that we are living in a violent world. "Terrorism" is a buzzword in our day, and acts of terror, acts of violence, are on the increase throughout the world. And, let us not overlook the fact that, though called by other names, there are various acts of violence perpetrated with ever increasing frequency in the streets of cities and towns everywhere, at home and abroad. In addition, violence is a major part of our entertainment in this electronic era, as is other immoral and ungodly behavior. We "entertain" ourselves with evil.

There is, one may observe, a logical progression here. The restraints that ought to have been exercised by the "sons of God" were removed by the merger of the "church" and the world. This in turn led to a universal disregard for godly ethics, and that paved the way for the escalation of violence. So it was then, and so it will be at the end of the age.

There are two or three other points of interest regarding those "days of Noah," that our format will allow us only to mention briefly. It is to be noted that these evils had reached the saturation point, the "whole earth" being affected, before the judgment finally fell. In the end God could find only one man's family qualified for deliverance! Nevertheless, from the time God uttered His sentence against that universal corruption, there were still 120 years of grace while Noah's lonely warning was sounding the alarm to an indifferent world!

One does not have to be a theologian to recognize that we are a world moving relentlessly in the same direction as in "the days of Noah." But, given the universality of these characteristics in that awful day, we may not be there just yet. What is more important for believers now is to hear the Savior's warning to us. He had said, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Mt. 24:12) Now He issues the admonition, "watch," and "be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." (See v.42-45)

Are you watching? Ready? One thing is certain: "Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer that when we believed.' (Rom. 13:11)

For HIS glory,

"Pastor" Frasier

Greatest Gifts Come Through Travail

2004-06-03T06:06:00.000-05:00

For Abraham, when hope was gone, hoped in faith, His faith never quailed (Rom 4:18,19).
~
     We shall never forget a remark that Georege Mueller once made to a gentleman who asked him the best way to have strong faith.
     "The only way," replied the patriarch of faith, "to learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings." This is very true. The time to trust is when all else fails.
     Dear one, you scarcely realize the value of your present oppurtunity; if you are passing through great afflications you are in the very soul of the strongest faith, and if you will only let go, He will teach you in these hours the mightiest hold upon His throne which you can ever know.
     "Be not afraid, only believe." And if you are afraid just look up and say, "What time I am afraid I will trust in thee," and you will thank God for the school of sorrow which was to you the school of faith. A.B. Simpson
~
     Great faith must have great trials.
     God's greatest gifts come through travail. Whether we look into the spiritual or temporal sphere, can we discover anything, any great reform, any beneficient discovery, any soul-awaking revival, which did not come through the toils and tears, the vigils and blood-shedding of men and women whose sufferings were the pangs of its birth? If the temple of God is raised, David must bear sore afflications; if the gospel of the grace of God is to be disentangled from Jewish tradition, Paul's life must be one long agony.

Take heart, O weary, burdened one, bowed down
Beneath thy cross;
Remeber that thy hreatest gain may come
Through greatest loss.
Thy life is nobler for a sacrifice,
And more divine.
Acres of bloom are crushed to make a drop
Of perfume fine.

Because of storms that lash the ocean waves,
The waters there
Keep purer than if the heavena o'verhead
Were always fair.
The brightest banner of the skies floats not
At noonday warm;
The rainbow traileth after thunder-clouds,
And after storm.

From Streams in the Desert June 2. by Mrs. Chrles E. Cowman

Blessings from the Body abroad

2004-05-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

This weekend was an awesome time to meet fellow Christians from around the world. On Friday I meet a believer from East Africa who is working on his education before returning to Africa to serve in his home country. Then on Saturday I was able to meet and minister to a Pastor from Myanmar (Burma) who has spent the last 5 years I believe in the US preparing to return and teach his people. Finally, on Sunday I heard about what God is doing throughout the world for His Glory. At Heritage Baptist Church we heard from an Indian (India) Bible College President and an Egyptian born Pastor who has ministered from Egypt to the United Arab Emirates. My weekend was a global experience of what God is doing in the lives of the members of His body. God is alive and and working across the globe as I type tonight.

The Pastor and President of Hanson Baptist Bible College of Myanmar has been studying abroad for the last five years in order to return back to his home country so that he can be better equipped to disciple many and to reach millions. Be praying for his family (wife and three kids) as they prepare to go home early this summer and resume their responsibilities back in Myanmar. Also pray that the tools he developed (a "Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms" and study notes for Acts through Ephesians in the Kachin language) for his Doctor of Ministry degree will be edifying to the people of his home country. They are a part of the KBC (Kachin Baptist Churches) fellowship and have 76 local churches, 45 senior Pastors, and 90 evangelist.

Professor and President Samuel Buraga of Bharat Bible College and Logos Evangelical Seminary of India. Has a growing ministry in India in training young men and women to be servants of the King, Jesus Christ (just in case you thought I was talking about Elvis). For education they have a grammer school, a college, and a seminary. They are currently working on raising the funds for a new priting press to continue printing their own literature and numerous expansions and repairs to their 25 acre campus in India. BBC is a fundemntal work that has been traing men for minstry for over 30 years. Currently they have evangelist, pastors, bible teachers, Christian educators, Sunday School teachers, and youth minsters serving throughout India, Burma, Africa, Middle East and the United States.

The Egyptian born Pastor spent the entire evening service telling of his minstry experience in the Middle East. This included his perspective from being raised in the Middle East in Egypt. He spoke of the persuction and hardships that Christians face from denial of building permits to the out right murder of believers by the governments of Islamic countries. His story seemed to be vary gloomy until he told us the good news. For even in the "10-40 Window" the gospel is going out. Through radio and satilite many Arabs and Muslims are hearing of the Good News of Christ. Many of these are coming to Christ secretively (if they convert from the Islamic faith they can be killed for apostacy). He told of one story of an militant fundamental Iman's (like a pastor for Muslims) son who after two years of listening to Christian radio got saved through a radio he smuggled into his father home. When his father discover that his son was a Christian he had him turned in for stealing and was beaten until his father gave him the choice to deny Christ and follow allah or flee the country. This Chrisitan choose to pick up his and follow Christ.

GOD IS ALIVE and he is working might deeds (Ps 40:5) in His name across the globe as we speak. Take the time to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ around the world as many are facing persuction unlike any thing some of us can even imagine. The 20th Century has seen more martyrs for Christ than all of the centuries combined.

PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTRED CHRUCH

Godspeed and good night to all believers everywhere.

FREE BIBLE STUDY TOOLS

2004-05-20T14:02:00.000-05:00

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The Purpose of Christian Blogging

2004-05-20T06:38:00.000-05:00

The Purpose of Christian Blogging
Check out this blog at http://exchanging.blogspot.com/.

Good Human Communication Begins With...

2004-05-19T10:39:00.000-05:00

“The beginning of all good human communication is listening. To communicate well is, first of all, to listen intently. If we gab all the time, whether in person or online, we live noisily--and foolishly. Such noise is one of the great setbacks of our age; it leads to greater isolation. The more we talk, without first listening, the more confused and confounded we become. This is partly why our lives today tend to be technologically rich and communication poor.”

I came across this quote as I researched a paper for school. It comes from Schultze, Quentin J. "Questions About Worship and Technology: A Starting Point for a Discussion on Technology." I found his quote to be very profound.