Monday, August 31, 2009

Testimony and Baptism on Sunday



(Photo) Pastor Ely Chano - Manilla Philippenes

Sunday Morning Amanda Wardlaw got baptized. Amanda accepted Christ a week ago at our outreach meeting in Homeland Park. Amanda gave a short testimony before she was baptized about where God brought her from. Her testimony is awesome. We are working on video taping her testimony for play right here on the Pastors Pen and also on our new blogspot that will be presented soon.

Pastor Ely Chano from the Philippenes also was with us to share how God is moving in Manilla. Pastor Ely gave a great message from the book of Daniel.

Another Great and Awesome thing about Sunday was 8 year old McKenzie. She was visiting with us and had her great uncle Brad if he would get me to speak to her. After service we got together on the front pew and she asked if she could get baptized. I asked her why she wanted to get baptized? She blew me away with her answer. She said that last week she came to know something. I ask her what was that something? She said that she knew she was a sinner and needed to get saved and wanted Jesus to come into her heart. We spoke for a few minutes as I explained baptism and what it means.

Needless to say, We are having another baptism Sunday Morning.
Praise the Lord - Amen.


Tuesday night is our outreach Bible Study at Spearmans Garage on US 29. Our fellowship there has grown to about 15 people. There is still room for more.

Friday Night - Labor of the Field 7pm. I will not be there this week as I have another committment. Gray Welch will head up our ministry part in my place.

Continue to pray for our service folks. My nephew Trey is still in Iraq and my neice Jessica is still in Afghanistan. Praying for our military and missionarys should be a daily thing and a constant thing.

Ken Stone is doing better after four bypasses and covets your prayers.
"Aunt Lou" Louise Powell request prayer as her cancer has returned and she is struggling with making some hard decisions.

This week is shaping up to be a very busy one for our ministry as well as for my secular job. I have a big decision coming up as far as the secular job is concerned.

Show no Fear - Sola Scriptura

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Then Came the Morning...



Cindy Clark sings with Pastor at our fifth Sunday Night Singing. Hard to believe this is only her third time singing in church and first time before a different congregation.

Great worship service.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

God's table...

Have you ever sat and just looked at the dinner table?

As I look at mine I notice that it is void of food and settings.

I think of what God's table must be like.

I picture a large banquet table with all manner of foods and multitudes of people sitting all around it. As I look around I see a setting that is not occupied.
It's then I remember a passage of scripture that says, God does not desire for any to perish but for all to come to salvation. The i realize there is always a place available at the table. There is room for you at HIS table. Are you hungry? Ready to eat? Come to the masters house for he is preparing a supper and he wants you to attend. He has spared no cost. Matter of fact this supper cost heavens best.

"Come and dine the master calleth!"

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Big Deal.....

Our scripture today was in ephesians. I posted it earlier so folks could be prepared for the service. While on "vacation" I read and sought direction for Lakeview Baptist Church. I had to face some strong decisions for the Ministry and this question has been strongly on m mind. Our sermon series is along this question, "Is it Wise?" Everything we do should be focused on Christ. It's all about him and zero about us. We have to be focused toward the end when Christ comes again.

Eph 5:15-17
(15) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
(16) Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
(17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Having heard people for years ask me as a Pastor, Is this right or wrong? Can I do this or that and make it to Heaven? I have reached the conclusion that we have been asking the wrong questions. People spend so much time trying to figure this out that they over shadow one fact. It may be alright but is it the wise thing to do? I heard Andy Stanley talk about this on a podcast. His reasoning was spot on so I will share the point. In light of your past, history, your present circumstances and your future, family, and hopes. Is this thing the wise thing to do?

I think that question, is a Big DEAL .. and should be asked more often.

Only in wisdom can we walk circumspectly. Only by wisdom can we redeem the time we have left. Therefore we should Analyze, Utilize and Prioritize our walk to make a difference for Christ to those we walk by, with and before.

God help us where we have not been wise.

There are only 4 types of walkers: Wise, Naive, Fools and Mockers.
Our final question tonight was this. Which one are you?

More to come........

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Take out your Bible and read these Scriptures..

Eph 5:15-17KJV
(15) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
(16) Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
(17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Eph 5:15-17 Espanol
(15) Por tanto, tened cuidado cómo andáis; no como insensatos, sino como sabios,
(16) aprovechando bien el tiempo, porque los días son malos.
(17) Así pues, no seáis necios, sino entended cuál es la voluntad del Señor.

What do you see here?
What is God trying to say here?

We will go over this Sunday....

Saturday - back at home..



To be back on the beach.....in the sunshine next time...

Cutting the grass today. Felt more like moving dust around. Highest grass over the ceptic tank... wonder if there is a sermon in that?

After a week of fantastic meals the question for us as well as for the Nobles was.... Where to go for supper? Downer is there won't be charcoal grilled oysters.

Maybe CHINESE?

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Man Vs Food.......






Man won..........

Ohh to live at the beach.........

Headin home Friday..... Raining like crazy at Tybee Island.. The place is flooded again. Next time I am going to drive a Duck....

Now to relax a little and prepare to preach Sunday. Supposed to preach at the outreach Friday night if I get back in time.... Barring complications I should make it. .. Back at it again soon.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

What If........

■WHAT IF the early church had decided to simply study what Jesus said but not apply it?
■WHAT IF the early church had decided their primary responsibility was to be political, thus organizing protests against the Roman government for occupying their land?
■WHAT IF the early church had decided to yell and scream at the Romans for acting like Romans?
■WHAT IF the early church had decided their primary call was to save the environment rather than the ones living in it?
■WHAT IF the early church had substituted their personal preferences in place of the words of Jesus?

What if?

Savannah Ga.

We have arrived in Savannah Ga. Had lunch at the Pirates House. Found our Hotel and have settled in. Time for a nap before supper. Yes I found Paula Deans place. We will try to eat dinner there tomorrow.

Praise the Lord for HIS will being done. We have been praying for Matt and I attempted to go see him Monday at ACDC but got delayed. It must have been God's intervention as Matt was released and got a job at the Animal Shelter.

Tuesday Night Outreach will carryon in my absence. David Richie will be there at 7pm. Travis Osborne will fill in for me at LBC on Weds. I will be back and preaching at our outreach Friday Night.

Keep on the firing line. Our enemy is not resting.

Monday, August 10, 2009

A few rambling thoughts on the problem with proselytizing within the church



Photo: Dr. Thomas Maxwell and Dr. Ron Lynch. It was Dr. Lynch that Bapized me years ago at the age of 13. It was Mr. Luddy Payne that first witnessed to me the Love of Jesus. He and Sister Payne witnessed Jesus to a lot of mill hill Boys and Girls.

I was approached this week while preparing to leave for vacation with a problem a friend in the Ministry is having with persons proselytizing attendees from a ministry event he has weekly. I prefer to use the term sheep stealer's. It is easier to spell. Plus it is a closer explanation of what is actually going on.

Anytime a ministry begins to be fruitful you find fruit flies hanging around. Fruit flies feed on the fruit you know.

Unfortunately in ministry events it does not take long before someone gets full of themselves and finds or creates opportunities to forward their agenda. This happens especially when people get their eyes off Jesus, fail to be kingdom minded and begin to put their own agenda and self interests ahead of God's.

Most recently their has been some debate as well between folks about the over abundance of music and an absence or downplaying of the importance of the preached word at some events. Also there are these people who want to start a church. Not knowing any other way to get members they try to solicit members from other churches to join theirs. Hence comes the sheep stealing analogy. As is always the case, some innocent persons get hurt and ministries get hurt.
This is a shame. The basis for outreach ministries is to get the gospel out to the masses. To reach outside the confines of the church building to those outside with the message of Jesus Christ. This is in itself what some say proselytizing is.

Proselyte defined:
1. (intransitive) To encourage or induce people to join a religious movement, political party or other cause or organization.
2. (transitive) To convert (someone) to one’s own faith or beliefs.

The difference between Proselytizing and Evangelism
The Jews were big into proselytes. They were constantly trying to get gentile converts to Judaism. There were righteous proselytes who were gentiles that fully embraced Judaism and were circumcised and proselytes of the gate, who rejected their pagan life and conformed to some of the mosaic law but would not be circumcised.

The difference is Evangelizing witnesses to the faith and allows the person to decide for himself whether to come forward. Jesus of Nazareth spoke to the people wherever they gathered to hear Him. Each individual was free to stay or go, believe or not, and be responsible to God alone for his decision. Jesus told us, Jn 20:21 “As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” Christians are to evangelize as Jesus did, by gently inviting others to become interested in God’s glory through His son.

Dr. Mike Knowles one of my Seminary teachers said, As Baptist we split to start churches instead if seeding them. By this I mean, Instead of persons desiring to leave and start a new work by causing some contention and splitting the church to do it, we should encourage those who wish to start one in a new area by seeding it. Taking some strong members who are firmly established in the Faith and Biblical Doctrine and using them as volunteers to help with starting the new work.

One fact remains. There are certainly enough people out there who do not know Jesus we can reach without trying to re-reach those already in the faith and members of churches.

A person that feels the call to preach must realize the awesome responsibility and preparation needed to carry out the call. Moses was prepared by God in the Wilderness before leading the people of God, the Apostles were chosen by Christ and taught by him for a period of time before set out to preach. The Apostle Paul already one of the brightest of his time had to be taught of Christ prior to beginning ministry. Don't take preaching lighly, God's annointing has to be there and you have to be prepared and proved to effectively. Yes the apostles were perceived to be ignorant and unlearned men. But the people took notice that they had been with Jesus. That means they spent time with the Lord learning and preparing for the ministry assigned them.

2Ti 2:15 KJV Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

A man just does not sit up one day and say, I think I will start a church and become a Pastor. God certainly calls a man and he will certainly equip him. However there are qualifications to be met. First and foremost the man has to know Christ as Lord and Savior. Have a relationship with Christ and a calling from him. To feel the leadership of God moving you to the Pastorate or to any Ministry is an awesome feeling.

1Ti 3:1-9 KJV This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. (2) A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; (3) Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; (4) One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (5) (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (6) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. (7) Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (8) Likewise [must] the deacons [be] grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; (9) Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Gods word is awe inspiring when you get into it.

I certainly wish to assist any man who feels the call of God on his life to preach. I understand the calling, the responsibility to respond and to prepare for ministry. God calls the man and God uses the church to confirm the call.

Join me in praying for this situation. For all the persons involved to keep Christ center and to follow Johns advice. To Decrease that HE may increase. After all we must lift up Jesus. Not ourselves. He said if HE be lifted up HE will draw all persons unto himself.

see ya after vacation....

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Friday Night Outreach and Saturday Back to School Blast






Great turnout. Retro-Praise from Georgia played, 9 people came to Jesus. Packed house.

Saturday Back to School Blast was a hit. The Big Island pool jumper was a great hit with the kids and the Adults.

Sunday Morning Sermon = "Rescue Me"

Monday, August 3, 2009

What's in a name?

What's in a name? This is our new Sermon Series on Weds nights. This series is on the names of God. When you start to study the names of God you really begin to understand the Awesomeness if God. I read while in seminary, Ken Hemphill's book on the names of God. I found that it is a good starter book to get you searching.

Reading Wayne Cordiero's new book, 'Leading on empty' I enjoy hearing him preach.

Tuesday Night 7pm Spearmans Garage on US 29. Bible Study.

Wednesday Night we will be having missions night. Supper and then we are going out door to door inviting and passing out flyers for out Back to School Blast.

August 8th 10:30 Back to School Blast. Food - Hotdogs / Hamburgers, Pool and Slide, Horsehoes.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Happy 28th Anniversary




It's been a long time since the day we got married. Dig those hairstyles.