Category: Featured Articles

DEALING WITH THE LOSS OF A CHILD
by: Jason Williams

How many of you have been in a relationship and lost someone you love? Maybe it was because of a break up and you are hurting badly and feel rejected. Maybe you even lost someone dear to you because of death. If so, then perhaps you are like me and you are asking God, “Why did you take this person from me?”

My wife and I tried for nearly two years to have children, and one day, a year ago this spring, we received the amazing news that we were expecting! We were overjoyed! We tried so hard to keep it a secret, but we were so happy we just couldn’t keep it from people. We told everyone we knew! The next couple of weeks were so exciting as we prepared for our first child. We came up with names, bought clothes, and started buying furniture. It was an amazing and exciting time.

One day, while my wife was on a trip, she began to get very sick. I told her to come home, and after a five hour trip home, I rushed her to the hospital. After an exhausting night in the hospital and several days of waiting and praying, we received the news that we had lost our baby. Our joy had turned to heartache in just a couple of quick days.

Like many of you we asked the question, “Why?”

It was during this very difficult time in my life when I was asking God why He took my child, that He showed me Psalm 61. Psalm 61 is a Psalm of healing. It details all the things that God gives us. As I read this chapter, it was as if God was saying to me. “Yes, I did take your baby, but look at all of the things that I have given you.”

“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations. He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.”

As you read this list I hope you will realize what an amazing and giving God we serve.

1. His ear – He hears my cry.

2. His strength – I am not strong, but He is.

3. His shelter – He keeps me from pain I cannot bear.

4. His defense – He defends me from attacks I cannot face.

5. His house – church or a quiet place to spend time alone with Him. (For me it is at the altar of our church when no one else is around)

6. His cover – He puts His arms around me and covers me with His love.

7. A heritage – my family. If you do not have a traditional family, then the family of God is your heritage. If you are hurting, your church is there to hurt with you and help you along.

8. Life – the life He has given us all is so much better than we know. We could have been born anywhere or anytime. God gave you a life that is perfect for you.

9. His time – He is always willing to listen to me.

10. His eternality – He is always the same.

11. His mercy – I deserve Hell, but He gave me mercy.

12. His truth – He cannot lie, and that means I am guaranteed a home in Heaven.

13. His preservation – He preserves me.

14. A chance to praise Him

Your loss is a gift from God! He looked down from Heaven and deemed you worthy to glorify Him! What a gift! To think that God would think I am worthy to praise Him blows my mind! I am just a sinner, but He looked past my sin and gave me a trial so that I can stand in front of others and tell them that He is good!

Because God took our baby, I have been able to stand in front of our church and praise Him! So many people came to me afterwards and told me that the testimony made them realize just how good God is! That night a politician texted me and told me our testimony caused his faith in God to grow! What a gift God gave me! The chance to glorify Him!

If you are going through a loss, be strong. Jesus has given you a wonderful gift – A chance to tell others that He is good. Praise Him today for His gifts!

Jason Williams
Assistant Pastor
High Street Baptist Church
Columbus, OH
churchonhigh.wordpress.com

by: Keith Phemister

I have read the story of the healing of the ten lepers countless times. It makes for great study and meditation. Recently, while digesting some of the truths from this text, I realized that this one who differed from the majority represented the vast minority of Christians. For one, out of ten lepers who were healed, he is the only one who got assurance. He is the one who heard the Master say, “thy faith hath made thee whole.” Now to be sure, the others came the same way this one did. They exhibited the same faith as this one leper who broke away and came to Jesus. I strongly believe all ten were made whole by the same means: their faith. But, this one in the minority got something more than the nine! Although he was a Samaritan, no less, he separated from the 90% and came and thanked Jesus.

Hey, when a real miracle takes place in our lives and we realize it fully, it seems the most normal thing in the world would be to run to the one who performed the miracle and offer thanks! This Samaritan realized it; maybe because it was not supposed to happen to him. This man is an example of the “ten percenters.” Our Lord seems amazed that out of ten lepers who were cleansed, only one would return and offer thanks.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I do not want to be included in the 90% of people to whom Jesus stands in amazement of their behavior after being cleansed and made whole. I want to be one of the ten percenters.

What is the difference between the Samaritan and the other nine lepers? One word leaps out and grabs my fundamental neck to most of our shame. The word is S-e-l-f-i-s-h-n-e-s-s! There it is! One word separates the ten percenters from the ninety percenters. These nine lepers were different than that one, and it seems to have broken our Lord’s heart. “Where are the Nine?” he asks. I think he expected that more would be there to offer a thankful gesture. What a sad exclamation from our Lord’s lips that befalls too many of us. We need to realize that a person who is selfish before he is saved will tend to be selfish after he is saved. Just think of it though! Isn’t the real reason we get saved because we are thinking of ourselves?

Selfishness is clothed and concealed in self worship. By definition, selfishness regards one’s own interest chiefly or solely; influenced in actions by a view to private advantage. These ten men could be characterized in their worship as a worship of self or a worship of Christ. Sadly, nine of the ten chose to worship self over Christ. But thanks be unto God for the ten percenters.

There is no one quite so discontented as the individual who is full of themselves. We are to be “filled with the Spirit.” Reality tells me that most of us are filled with ourselves. Selfishness breeds discontent and discontent breeds emptiness. So what exactly does selfishness look like? Well, let me briefly share three areas for you and me.

First, selfishness shows itself in unfaithfulness! The Bible says it, “… a faithful man who can find.” Most men will proclaim their own goodness, but God is not looking for talented people, He is looking for faithful people! Now, why are faithful people so hard to find? Yes sir and Yes ma’am—they are unfaithful. We have unfaithful people making up our churches today because we have selfish people in our churches today. But thanks be to God for the “ten percenters”.

Secondly, selfishness shows itself in greed. Okay, another word may be more appropriate: materialism. Greed is take-take instead of give-give. Why oh why are we having such a problem with our people in the support of missionaries? Missionaries are being forced off the field of service because of selfishness.

Hudson Taylor wrote about traveling on a Chinese junk boat. He had witnessed to a man, but he rejected Christ. Later in the day, that man fell overboard and Taylor jumped in after him, but no one else joined him in the rescue effort. Shortly, he saw a fishing boat and called for help, but they wanted money. Upon bartering for all the money Taylor had, the fisherman then joined in the effort to rescue the man. In a minute or so, they found him—dead. Too late! I am afraid we are just like the fisherman. We are more concerned about the almighty dollar than the souls away from the Almighty God. Where are the “ten percenters?”

Lastly, as referenced here in our text, selfishness shows itself in unthankfulness. One out of the ten showed thanks to a Saviour and healer. Unthankful people are selfish people! Once again, that makes up most of us.

This led me to the conclusion that I truly would like to be a part of the “ten percenters!” May the Lord help me and you to do just that!

Keith Phemister
Pastor
Faith Baptist Church
Nashua, NH

by: David Owens

Romans 12:2, “…that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

1 Peter 4:1-2, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.”

There are all kinds of strange and unscriptural ways that people are convinced of God’s will or that something is of God. According to Wikipedia, in 1977 Oral Roberts claimed to have had a vision of a 900-foot-tall Jesus. He claimed that the vision told him to build the City of Faith Medical and Research Center, and that the hospital would be a success. In 1980, Roberts said he had another vision which encouraged him to continue the construction of his City of Faith Medical and Research Center in Oklahoma, which then opened in 1981. The City of Faith operated for only eight years before closing in late 1989. Clearly Mr. Roberts was confused as to how to find the will of God, but many of God’s people are also puzzled and use human perception to try to discern the spiritual.

God’s ways are actually very simple, man tends to complicate everything because we are sinners and will naturally pervert everything that is godly. We have a human tendency to try to spiritualize the carnal and humanize the spiritual. I did not say it was easy to follow God’s will, but to discern His will is plainer than we suspect. We need no external evidence to discern what God’s will is. We are to prove God’s will. Romans 12:2 says “…that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” First, you don’t really find God’s will, you prove God’s will. Secondly, do not try to separate God’s will into three categories or levels such as God’s good will or His acceptable will or His perfect will. God’s good will is acceptable and perfect. God’s acceptable will is good and perfect and God’s perfect will is good and is accepted. God’s will is all three not one or the other.

God has given to us His perfect Word which tells us of His perfect will for us. Every command is His perfect will. Every prohibition in Scripture is His perfect will. Every suggestion is His perfect will. Every example in Scripture shows us of the results of obeying His will or disobeying His will. Don’t miss this, obey what God has revealed to you in Scripture, consistently and in every circumstance and you will prove God’s will with your life.

Yet, too often God’s people use Oral Robert’s ways of finding God’s will rather than just obeying God. Even when we agree that God’s Word is His perfect will, we struggle in applying it to our lives. Suddenly we forget that God’s will is directly connected to His Word, and we look for outward assurances of His will. We look for some outward proof that God’s will applies to us, or somehow if God doesn’t twist my arm I don’t need to obey. We start to misinterpret some spooky happening in life as “God trying to tell us something.”

We cannot list here every false assumption claiming God’s will or every wrong way to discern God’s will, but we can explain a few of them. These are some of the statements I have heard people use which are ways not to know God’s will.

1. “I know in my heart.” Boy meets girl and is smitten. Suddenly, they both think they know God’s will, but the Bible says, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool:” Proverbs 28:26. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Human thinking or reasoning will only get us into trouble. This is an attitude of if it “makes sense to me it must be of God.” But God says in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

We are not to make decisions based on our thoughts, but we are to think God’s thoughts. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5) Christ’s mind is recorded in Scripture. It is important to think, but listen first, then think about obeying.

We have a human desire for the future to make sense to us, but God’s ways seldom makes sense until we obey and look back. For years, Joseph’s life made little sense, but as he continued to be obedient to the Lord through his trials, his life proved God’s will.

2. “I have faith that this is God’s will.” This is trying to justify ourselves by using the word “faith.” Be careful, God doesn’t care that you believe, what you believe or that we use the word “faith,” God only cares that you believe the truth. It is not important that you have faith, but that you have faith in the truth. “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38) None of these Scriptures refer to faith in yourself or circumstances, but faith in the revealed Word of God. These New Testament verses are a quote from Habakkuk 2:4 which says, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” Yes, God has faith. God believes Himself! Jesus believed His Father. Living by faith is living by what God believes is right. What God says is right, is right whether I believe it or not.

3. “I prayed about it.” John R. Rice correctly taught that prayer is asking, but often our prayers include more telling than asking. So, you told God the way you want it or the way you say it is supposed to be. Just like using the word, “faith,” we sometimes claim to have prayed, and so magically, just because I prayed, I get what I want. Both prayer and Bible reading are important, but if you must choose between prayer and Bible reading choose Bible reading. It is more important that we hear God than He hear us. Yes, God wants us to pray, but never to demand from God what we want, but to ask for help to live according to His will.

What about all the promises that God will answer my prayer if prayed in faith? Even our praying ought to be according to the will of God. Remember, faith is that I believe what God believes and I pray and I act according to God’s will.

1 John 5:14 – 15, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 

4. “I have peace about it.” Please allow me to be blunt. Smoke a joint and you’ll have peace. Humans always feel good when they pursue what they want, and they are disappointed and unsettled when they don’t get what they want. “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick…” Proverbs 13:12. Somehow we are good at taking our hopes, wishes, dreams and desires and believe that God wants these also. We dream ourselves into believing that God wants what we want, and that makes us feel good. God will seldom give peace until after we obey or at least decide to obey. You don’t get peace from getting your own way, but peace comes when you know you are obeying God’s will. Why? There is no faith in peace. Peace comes after the fact when I obey. Do you suppose Daniel had peace when he prayed knowing he would be thrown to the lions? Did Abraham have peace when God told him to go to a place not knowing where he was going? Jesus did not have peace facing the cross, but in submitting to God’s will. Matthew 26:37-39 says that Jesus “began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death…and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

5. “I have an interest, aptitude or an ability.” The reasoning goes something like this, God has given me a natural ability in engineering, so God wants me to be an engineer. I have always liked war stories, so God wants me to join the military. Basically this thinking is: “Whatever I want must be God’s will.” No doubt God has given you your abilities and interests, but for a purpose. As easy as it is for God to give abilities, He can give abilities later in life if they are needed to obey Him. No doubt Gideon did not believe he had the ability to lead three hundred men to victory with pitchers, lamps and horns. Moses had quite a disagreement with God over his ability to lead His people. Too often our interests and even human abilities will get us into trouble because we won’t see the need to trust Him. We must not trust our abilities, but the clear commands of God.

6. “What is wrong with it?” That is the wrong question to ask concerning God’s will. God’s will is perfect. We are not to see how close we can get to wrong without touching the wrong, we are to get as close to right as we can. “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” Ephesians 5:10. The question should be, “Is it godly, does God accept it?” If the answer is, “Yes,” according to the Bible then you will get even closer to God’s will.

7. “I am following my leader.” This is no less than doing the will of man. I call this hero worship, paparazzi Christianity. This is exactly what got the followers of cult leaders like David Koresh and Jim Jones in trouble. God’s will is called the “will of God” on purpose. We are to follow God by faith, but nowhere in Scripture do we follow any man by faith. Two times Paul told the Corinthian Christians, “be ye followers of me.” Both times the context specifies that he was to be followed only “as I also am of Christ” or to follow his “ways which be in Christ.” Yes, there are those we are to follow, as a child is to follow their parents or church members should follow their pastor, but only as they follow Christ. The burden is on the followers to prove according to God’s Word that their human leaders are following Christ. This means that I must be able to prove from God’s Word, which is God’s will, that my leader is in line with my Saviour before I can follow him. Noah built the ark, but he later got drunk. Jonah was a preacher, but he got a bad attitude concerning Nineveh. The Apostle Paul took a Jewish vow. None of these leaders were to be followed when they did wrong just because they were someones leader.

8. “I promised God.” A Christian said to me one Saturday, “I won’t be in church tomorrow because I promised to be at our family reunion. Doesn’t the Bible tell us to keep our promises? ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.’ ” Ecclesiastes 5:4. I answered; “It also says in verse 6, ‘Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin.’ Your mouth has caused your flesh to sin if you miss church, or, if you want to obey God and go to church you must break your promise.” He looked at me strangely, so I went on, “Let’s suppose when you were young you were angry with your brother. In anger you vowed to kill him. Should you break your promise or keep your word?” We do not determine God’s will by our promises, God determines it with His commands. Amazingly some people are more concerned with obeying their own self-made rules than God’s rules. Be careful what you promise, it may contradict God’s will.

9. “It worked out, so it must be God’s will.” I call this “the great Calvinistic cover-up.” Whatever happens must be God’s will. I needed a job, prayed, applied and was hired as a bartender. God let it happen, so therefore it must be God’s will. This thinking is similar to the, “If it feels good do it” philosophy. This thinking also looks at the obstacles in life and surmises that “it must not be God’s will, or there would be no negatives,” as if somehow God’s will always happens. There is some trouble at church, so it must be God’s will for me to leave. I won the lottery, so it must have been God’s will for me to gamble. Granny came for a visit, so it must be God’s will not to go to church. Someone did not get saved, so it must be God’s will that they don’t get saved. Good times do not mean God’s will. Easy times do not determine God’s will. Hard times do not prove God’s will. Because something worked out does not help you to know God’s will. Easy or hard, human obedience or disobedience does not determine God’s will. God’s Word determines God’s will. We all want God’s will like Joseph experienced while a ruler in Egypt, but we would doubt God when we are sold to the slave traders. God’s will is in obeying the commands of God in any circumstance.

10. “I have no fear.” Some only believe in God’s will if they have an absence of fear or the absence of doubt. Why did God have to tell Joshua “…Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest? Joshua 1:9. Because Joshua was afraid, he doubted! However, fear or no fear, Joshua was commanded to lead God’s people into the Promised Land. Let me assure you, following God’s will can often be very scary! In fact, personal security is often absent when following God’s will. Human security is not necessarily God’s will; actually, less human security is often God’s will. There is nothing unscriptural about preparation, insurance or a retirement fund, but to trust them rather than God is sin, which can very often lead us away from God’s will. “The just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17. We don’t ask God for our daily bread when the cupboard is full, only when it is empty. Remember, when following God’s will, God will pay, but when I follow my will, I pay. Jonah paid the fare to follow his own will, and God paid to get him to Nineveh.

Were you looking for directions concerning your life’s occupation? Who you are to marry? Should I quit the ministry? We worry too much about these specifics and not enough about the clear commands that make up God’s will.

So, how do you know God’s specific will? You don’t; you prove God’s will by doing it. David told King Saul that he could not use the king’s armour to fight Goliath because he had not proved them. Meaning, I have never used your armour; therefore, I have no idea if it will work. I have however, trusted and obeyed God before and He works! It wasn’t easy. I had to fight, it wasn’t popular and it was really scary, but God’s will is the way to go. David was saying to King Saul, God’s will proves itself if we will obey it. It doesn’t matter what is popular, it doesn’t matter if it makes sense and it doesn’t matter if I must suffer, God’s will for me is to accomplish God’s purpose, not mine.

God’s will is written. Your life will prove it, eternity will prove it, if you will live it. Most Christians do not accomplish God’s will or reach their God given potential for the simple fact that they do not fully obey God’s written will. Few Christians are 100% faithful to church, read their Bible faithfully, pray as they ought, separate from ungodliness or preach the Gospel to every creature. If I do not obey God’s will that is plainly written, how can I expect for God to further lead me in His specific will for my life?

Remember, in determining God’s will –

– God never leads us to do wrong in order to do right.

– God never gives what will cause us to do less for Him.

– God can take his child who obeys what is clearly written, and lead him anywhere!

Do not be guilty of living according to your own lusts and trying to justify them by claiming God’s will. “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:2.

David Owens
Pastor
Westside Baptist Church
Pacifica, CA

 

by: Abdel Judeh

People are drawn to the extreme, especially teenagers. I remember watching with great anticipation as Nik Wallenda walked a tightrope across the Grand Canyon. I remember sitting there in unbelief as Felix Baumgartner jumped from outer space and landed on Earth – with his Red Bull! It is a picture that will be forever burned into my mind as he stood on that platform and looked down at our planet right before jumping. He stepped off the platform and fell 120,000 feet. That was riveting! That was extreme! There are times in the Scripture where God did the extreme. Times when He chose to completely abandon the laws of science and reason and show Himself strong. I think of Elijah on Mount Carmel – God did the extreme when He answered with fire! I think of when the sun stood still for Joshua during the battle – God chose to do the extreme! In Acts 16, God did the extreme when He sent an earthquake to free his servants Paul and Silas from the inner prison. There are times in our lives when we need God to come through in an unusual way. There are going to be times when we need God to do something that only He can do; times when we need to see the Earth shake. Please read along as I write about how to make the Earth shake.

In Acts chapter 16, Paul and Silas found themselves in a very difficult position. They were arrested and beaten for simply preaching the Gospel and healing a young girl who was possessed with a devil. This young girl was treated by her masters as a circus act, and they profited from her demon possession. Once she was healed, instead of rejoicing because they loved the young girl, they were furious because they now lost their profit. This young girl was nothing more than an ATM for these wicked men. Everyone WILL NOT be happy when you do right and good things happen.

In Paul and Silas’ case, they were beaten and put into prison (vs.23), an interesting thing about this story is that as they were brought into prison their jailor was given a very stern charge to keep them. The Bible says about the jailer, ‘who having received such a charge thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks.’ What was the charge given to the jailor? Whatever he was told, he certainly took it seriously. He put Paul and Silas in stocks while they were in their inner prison cell to make sure they were secure! I’ve studied the charge that the jailor was given and some believe it was a fate worse than death. Some believe that the jailor was told that if these special prisoners escaped his care he would be put into prison himself. Not only would he be put into prison, but he would have a dead body secured to his body! A corpse would be tied to his ankles and to his wrists and to his neck. Everywhere he went, he would be accompanied with death. When he lifted his hands to his mouth in order to eat, he would also lift a dead man’s hand to his mouth. When he slept, he would sleep on top of a dead man. Eventually you would die slowly as that dead body decomposed and the infection and rot worked its way into your body! ‘Who having received such a charge…’ No wonder why the jailor was about to commit suicide when Paul and Silas were thought to have escaped from his watch!

Paul and Silas were in a position where they needed God. Their friends could not help them. Money could not help them. They needed a miracle; they needed to see the earth shake. God came through just in time! He sent an earthquake that split that prison in half, and freed the prisoners including Paul and Silas. The jailor, knowing his fate was about to commit suicide when he heard Paul and Silas calling out for him. Seeing their faith, the jailor and his entire family got saved that night! This is a wonderful story in the Scripture. Read on as I point out some things that I believe caused God to send an earthquake for Paul and Silas

1. They praised God in adversity. (vs 25)

Paul and Silas were in a desperate situation. They had been brutally beaten and then unjustly thrown into the inner prison with the worst of the worst. Many people, if put into that same position, would question God and lose faith. Instead of asking “Why?” they asked “What?” There are going to be times in our life when we are simply facing adversity. These are the times when we need God the most, but many of us never feel the earth shake because we are stuck asking “why?” when Paul and Silas prayed and they sang songs of praise to God. I’m sure they didn’t want to be in that prison, but they trusted God and instead of asking “Why?” they asked “What?” When you’re facing adversity ask God, “What are you trying to teach me?” Have faith, pray, and sing in tough times.

2. They prayed at midnight. (vs 25)

The midnight hour is typically a time of sleep. If we are ever going to see the earth shake, we will need to pray while others are sleeping. The fact that they prayed at midnight revealed just how much they wanted to see God work. When was the last time your prayer extended beyond your normal prayer time? When was the last time you were so consumed with wanting to see God work that you went above and beyond what you normally do day in and day out? I’m sure Paul and Silas were tired and sore, yet they pressed on in prayer and they received their answer.

3. The prisoners heard them. (vs 25)

This is an often overlooked part of the story. Paul and Silas prayed and praised in such a way that the prisoners heard them at midnight. They displayed BOLD TRUST in God. I love working with teenagers, because teenagers are bold. Many teenagers are bold in everything they do, except their relationship with God. No wonder God shook the Earth for Paul and Silas, they were bold! Imagine what kind of things the worst of the worst were screaming at Paul and Silas as their praise kept them from sleeping! They were bold! Have you ever been soul winning, and came across a group of rough characters and you thought to yourself, “I’ll just keep walking, they probably wouldn’t listen?” Paul and Silas were bold in the face of hardened criminals! As Christians in today’s world we need to be so bold that the prisoners hear us! So often our Christianity is kept secret, that’s not the kind of faith that sees the earth shake.

The result of all of this was simply amazing. God came through for Paul and Silas ‘suddenly.’ While they were doing right and being bold, God came through for them. ‘Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’ Sometimes God comes through ‘suddenly’ when you least expect it. The foundations of the prison were shaken, doors were opened and everyone’s bands were loosed (vs 26). Finally the hardest case was won when the very jailor asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” I’m not sure what he was calling Paul and Silas before God shook the earth, but I can guarantee it wasn’t, “Sirs” – they had earned his respect.

Here we are in 2013 in an uncomfortable position as Christians and as Christian teenagers. The world is as fierce as ever. Sin abounds on every hand. Christians are not respected in society and sometimes as young people we become ashamed of who and what we are. Oh how we need God to shake the earth for us. We need to see the foundations shaken, doors opened and bands loosed. Perhaps you are facing a situation in your own life where you need God to come through. Remember Paul and Silas and praise in adversity. Instead of asking ‘Why?’ ask ‘What?’ Pray at midnight, while everyone else is sleeping. Be bold and unashamed of Jesus no matter who sees and hears. I believe God can still shake the earth, but he will use committed Christians to do so!

Abdel Judeh
Youth Pastor
Landmark Baptist Church
Parkersburg, WV

by: Jason Watford

“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. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:5-7)

Man was created to walk, talk and fellowship with God, but in Noah’s day they were not doing this. These were arguably the most wicked days ever. Only Noah and his family were walking with God. Noah’s family was the only family that survived this worldwide flood. Every living thing was destroyed except Noah, his family and the animals he took into the ark. We need to follow Noah’s example to save our family! Let me give you seven things Noah did to save his family.

1. Noah “found grace.” (Genesis 6:8) We usually don’t find something unless we are looking for it. Noah sought God’s help with his family. A lot of times we seek God’s help for the bad times, but we still need God’s help for the good times. We need God’s grace when the grades are good and when the grades are bad. We need God’s grace for the financially good times and the financially hard times. We should be diligently searching to get God’s grace in our family’s lives.

2. Noah “walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9) In order to save our family, we have to walk with God! This requires that we read our Bible. God speaks to us through His word. Many today do not set aside time to spend in God’s Word. Our children need to see us reading God’s Word. If it’s important to us, it will be important to them.

3. Noah cared about the little details. (Genesis 6:14-22) God gave Noah specific details concerning how to build the ark. Every detail saved the life of Noah and his family. Had he not followed each detailed instruction, it would have ultimately killed his family. The Bible has sixty-six books with details on how to live our lives. Each detail we choose not to follow is killing our family. This goes back to reading our Bibles…we can’t follow His instructions if we don’t know what they are.

4. Noah did everything God said. Genesis 7:5 states, “…Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.” He didn’t change the instructions. He didn’t do the “best he could” and just hope it would all work out. He did all the Lord commanded him. Our families need to see that we will live all of God’s commandments.

5. Noah taught his children to work. Noah got the credit for building the ark, but Shem, Ham and Japheth worked right alongside their father helping him build the ark as God stated. Don’t be afraid to let your children serve God with you. Teach them the value of hard work. Today, too many times the children are allowed to watch TV or play video games while dad is mowing the yard or mom is cleaning the house. Get your children involved with the work it takes to run your household.

6. Noah’s family was unified. Genesis 7:7 states, “…Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark…” Back in our grandparent’s day, the family used to do everything together. The family was a unit that worked and played together. Today our families hardly ever see each other. We need to get our families back together.

7. Noah was thankful. Genesis 8:20 states, “…Noah builded an altar unto the Lord…” The first thing Noah did when he came off the ark was worship God. He could have built a house for his family to live in, but he saw the importance of thankfulness and teaching his children to worship God first. Many times today thankfulness is the last thing on our minds. Take time to teach your children to be thankful. Teach them to write thank you notes and to express their thankfulness to others.

Today our world is morally, ethically, politically and environmentally going in the wrong direction, but we can still save our families. We can still have a family that honors and relies on God even in this current state in which we live. If you want to save your family, follow Noah’s example in Genesis.

Jason Watford
Pastor
Spring Creek Baptist Church
Seven Springs, NC

by: Jason Williams

Recently, Obamacare was enacted in America and our nation took a dramatic turn towards socialism. We have heard arguments from both sides of the news spectrum as they chronicle every twist and turn of this currently failing system. Of course, the recent news has been about how the website seems not to be working, which is ironic, because now we will be punished for not joining a system that will not allow us to join even if we wanted to. Of course both sides of the debate are flooding the airwaves with people who claim to support or oppose the system. So far after polling, almost seventy percent of Americans are against this system which brings up the question, if we are against it then why aren’t politicians trying to overturn it? The simple truth is that our current leadership is running our nation more and more like a dictatorship than a democracy, with surveillance on anyone with a phone, the ability to use drone strikes against U.S. citizens, and the rapid loss of freedom of speech, we are dangerously closer to a King than a President. It would seem that regardless of what America wants, our current ruler really wants his new social agenda to be law and he is willing to monitor, threaten, fine, bully, and remove from office anyone who is opposed.

It appears most of America is against Obamacare, and it also appears that our leadership, though fractured, is for Obamacare. As Christians, the real question should be, what does God think about Obamacare? After all, doesn’t the Bible command us to help those who need help? How do we help the poor? Let’s answer these questions one at a time.

Let’s start with the question whether or not we are commanded to help those who need help.  There is over 20 verses in the Bible commanding us to give to those less fortunate. So, there really is no option, but a command. If you are a Christian, then God wants you to help the needy. This was the topic our president brought about in his new book that chronicles his daily devotions. It would seem that God Himself told Mr. Obama that he needs to force us into giving our money to others. But the Bible also makes it very clear that we are to do so out of love for our neighbor, and this is the tricky part. Can you give out of love when you have no option but to give? To answer this Paul said, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3) Paul made it very clear that anything given without love is meaningless, which brings up another question that I believe needs to be asked. Can you give out of love when you are being rewarded for it? The obvious answer is no! In fact, Jesus discussed this very issue in the Book of Luke.

Luke 14:12, “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.” Christ is saying that while we are commanded to give to the needy, we are not to do so simply to receive a reward. In our case, this reward would be a tax break or avoiding a fine. The truth is government enforced charity is not charity at all, it is simply a government enforcement.

How do we help the needy if not through socialism? I believe the Bible gives us the answer by giving us a warning in Ezekiel 16:48-50. “As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” God says that Sodom was full of bread, but notice it did not say they didn’t help. It says they did not strengthen the poor. In other words Sodom was guilty of the exact same thing we are doing today. Instead of giving money to give the poor a hand up, they merely gave them a hand out and kept them in the exact same condition they were in before receiving help. They gave food to the needy, but did not teach them how to work or how to take care of themselves.

The truth is that God does want us, and in fact demands us to help the needy out of love without receiving any reward, but helping is not simply giving a handout, sometimes it is giving a hand up.

Jason Williams
Assistant Pastor
High Street Baptist Church
Columbus, OH
churchonhigh.wordpress.com

by: Johnny Esposito

Friends,

I am in America and we just concluded the Missions’ Conference at Pacific Baptist Church. As most of you know, my brother Pastor Joe, is still in a coma. He is in dire need of a miracle!

PLEASE PRAY FOR MARY, THE KIDS, THE CHURCH FAMILY, AND STEVE MEYERS AND THE PASTORAL STAFF AT THIS TIME!

Many of you, in fact, thousands, from around the world have been praying.

THANK YOU!!!

While none of us know WHAT the future holds, we rest assured in the fact, that we know WHO holds the future. JESUS still sits on His throne, working out the fulfillment of His eternal purpose!

We know; we don’t think, we don’t hope, but we KNOW that “all things” work together for our good and for His glory, and in this we rest.

On the last Sunday morning and evening of the Missions’ Conference, I preached a two-part message from ACTS 16:1-5 entitled “Don’t Let the Dream Die.”

I thought I would include a few thoughts from the message that would help you to know how to pray for the church as you pray for the family:

DON’T LET THE DREAM DIE (ACTS 16:1-5)

The dream started in North Chicago in the early 1980s. Joe was a bus captain and had been for quite sometime. At the time, the vast majority of his riders were Hispanic children. One day, Joe started noticing Asian children hanging out on or near his bus route.

He later told me, that these were a people who it seemed as if  “No man cared for their souls.” I can remember Joe and I talking about the possibility of him starting a new route to reach into this community of Cambodian families who had fled the communist regime of Pol Pot.

Joe started the route, he loved the people, and he started learning the language. At the time, he lived with my wife and me, and I can remember listening as the tapes played of the Cambodian language down in our basement thinking, “Wow, now that’s a difficult language.”

Joe felt the desire and burden to go to Cambodia to reach these people; a people who no man cared for their soul. Regrettably, or possibly the sovereignty of God, Cambodia was considered a “closed” country at the time. Of course, we now know that no country is “closed” to God, but at the time, at least for many in the Independent Baptist community, Cambodia was closed!

What a “coincidence,” for those of you who believe in coincidences–I don’t, but for those of you who do–my brother soon found out that over 40,000 Cambodians who had fled the communist regime in Cambodia had moved to our hometown of Long Beach, California. More Cambodians lived in Long Beach, California than anywhere else in the world outside of Cambodia and Thailand.

The vision that started in a small neighborhood in North Chicago, had now expanded to the Cambodian people of Long Beach.

My brother decided to plant a church in Long Beach. It was called, Cambodian Baptist Church. My brother Joe loved the Asian people, especially the Cambodians. He often referred to himself as an “egg: yellow (Asian) on the inside and white (Caucasian) on the outside.”

God blessed, and the church grew as did the vision!

After many years, Cambodian Baptist Church changed their name to Pacific Baptist Church. The church became ethnically diverse. Before long, Pacific Baptist Church had a thriving Spanish ministry, as well as a Filipino ministry.

The vision that started in a small neighborhood in North Chicago, had now expanded to Long Beach and surrounding areas and to many different ethnic groups!

About eight years ago, one of our assistant pastors, Dave Board, resigned from PBC and left for the harvest fields of Cambodia. He eventually came back, and my brother and Dave Board prayerfully started Team Cambodia and sent a team to Cambodia. God is doing a miraculous work there in Cambodia with the team headed by Dave Board.

The vision that started in a small neighborhood in North Chicago, had now expanded to Cambodia.

A year or two later, one of my brother’s former bus kids from that Asian route in North Chicago, a Hmong young man named Jay Chang, was recruited by my brother with another couple from the midwest to start a team in Thailand.

The vision that started in a small neighborhood in North Chicago, had now expanded to Long Beach, Cambodia, and Thailand.

It wasn’t too long later before through another “coincidence,” that God laid the country of communist Laos on my brothers heart. We sent Koumaly and Darath Thongdy, along with two single girls to this “closed” country. My wife and I would join them about 18 months later.

The vision that started in a small neighborhood in North Chicago, had now expanded to Long Beach, Cambodia, Thailand, and to communist Laos!

Right about the same time that we were preparing to send a team to Laos, my brother got the vision for planting more churches in California. The first church plant was in the East Los Angeles area. Being that this area was predominately Hispanic in it’s makeup, we naturally thought it would be primarily a Hispanic congregation. What we did not know, here’s another one of those “coincidences,” that the area where the church would be planted had more Chinese living than anywhere else in America.

We started a Chinese ministry, and by God’s grace began to reach Chinese folks. Little by little, the vision expanded. Over the past year or so, my brother became burdened for the 1.3 billion people in China. Some of the last words my brother said just prior to being rushed to the hospital, on the first night of our missions’ conference, which just so happened to be emphasizing China, were “China or Bust.”

My brother had his stroke on the first night of our missions’ conference. This conference had China as its main emphasis. Two missionaries from China were brought in along with Dave Board (missionary in Cambodia) and me (missionary in Laos).

My brother and I were supposed to have a meeting during the conference about the future of our team in Laos, and China was definitely going to be discussed!

The vision that started in a small neighborhood in North Chicago, had now expanded to Long Beach, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and to the entire 10/40 Window, but specifically China!

“Where there is no vision the people perish”

While you pray for Pastor Joe Esposito, while you pray for the family, while you pray for the PBC family, you must stay the course.

Don’t let the dream die!!!

Johnny Esposito
Missionary to the 10/40 Window

by: Jason Williams

Recently, America suffered yet another tragedy at the hands of a gunman in the Navy Yard Massacre. It seemed like the bullets had barely hit the ground when shots were being fired on all sides of the gun control argument and all those who were determined to make a dollar off of death. On one side you had those who responded by trying to use death to prove a point. Our president and his liberal media seemed especially  determined to respond by pointing out the fact that it was guns that were the real issue.  They almost seemed to forget the fact that people were hurting in their attempt at this.  One news station went so far as to say that the weapon used was a Ar-15 shotgun, even though no such weapon exists! The other conservative side to seemed just as desperate to point out that it was not the guns at fault, and if everyone carried a gun it would never happen, still others talked about medicine and PTSD and many other topics, but lost in the whole mess was the fact that people, real people, were hurting.

Romans 12:15 tells us to weep with those who weep, and I am afraid that in our efforts to protect or limit our freedoms, America and all her Christians have forgot that we are not to respond in selfishness but in love. You see, sometimes we forget that it is just as important to do right as it is to be right, and because we know that the liberals will turn bloodshed into a dollar and an agenda, we feel that we need to shout the truth just as loudly as they shout lies. But the truth is Jesus Christ loves all sinners and is moved by their sorrows, and He alone, not a law, not a speech, not a article can change a world.

So today, let’s put down our fists and reach out hands like He did to those who have broken hearts, let’s dry their tears while we weep and lift up those who cannot lift themselves up, comfort those who cannot be comforted and let’s respond by weeping with those who weep. This is how Jesus would respond.

Jason Williams
Assistant Pastor
High Street Baptist Church
Columbus, OH
churchonhigh.wordpress.com

by: Steve Shutt

While this topic is a bit tedious, I ask that you take some time to consider it and its ramifications. If in any way, the texts that make up our Bible are in error, then there will be a serious stall in the Christian faith. To that end, I have endeavored to deal with this topic as simply as possible – while at the same time being honest in both my research and delivery. I want you, the reader, to have a fairly good understanding of this issue, so that when (this is no longer an “if” scenario) you are asked about this issue, you have a good basis from which to work.

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”  (Galatians 1:8)

As I began work on this article, this passage in Galatians chapter 1 kept coming to my mind. In this passage, Paul is fairly clear about what he thinks of people who preach another gospel. He was especially hard on those who knowingly preached a different gospel, with the sole intent of destroying the authority, person, and work of Jesus Christ. Sadly, the only difference between Paul’s Galatian Epistle and us concerning this problem is time; nothing else has really changed…it has merely taken a different name brand. In this article, it is my intention to show the significance of true Christian faith, as well as the absolute necessity of a true and valid text that both describes and defends that faith.

There are no less than 44 books that fall into the category of “Major Christian Apocryphal Books.” Of those, 6 are classified as “Gospels” and contain materials specific to the life and teachings of Christ. Among some scholars, these books hold a special appeal because “orthodox Christianity” has generally ignored and/or condemned these books. These scholars often are inclined, not to give a legitimate thesis for their conclusions, but rather seek to interpret their own views upon the Bible and upon Christianity as a whole. They fail to see that these books were not condemned because the authors were hated, but rather because the content was so radically different from accepted Christian faith that they threatened its very foundation, and often blatantly challenged basic Christian truths. Let us deal with a few of these texts (as well as the people who both penned and promoted them), and see the massive differences they bring within Christianity as a whole.

The first thing that needs to be discussed is the fracture that existed in Christianity during the times of the Apostles. Christianity, being a young faith at the time, had its share of trials and tribulations. The physical problems that Christianity faced were merely a part of the whole; the theological problems were really beginning to hurt the church from within. The Apostles were keenly aware of the problems, and addressed them quickly and specifically. One of the main threats that the Apostles saw within Christianity, and one that was rapidly growing was, “Gnosticism.”

Gnosticism took its namesake from their very belief system: “The learned ones” (γνῶσις and Οι Γνωστικοί in Greek). They believed that salvation could only come from learning the “deep things” that were hinted at in Scripture, and that one could not truly understand Scripture unless they were educated by a Gnostic in one of their schools/churches, and told what exactly to look for when reading Scripture. Obviously, the Gnostics did not deny everything that the Apostles taught. For example, the Gnostics did believe that Jesus was God (at least in part), but He did not take on a physical body because that would have corrupted his Divine attributes. Thus, some of the Gnostics went so far as to say that Christ did not actually die, but was merely acting like He was dead. This view became known as “Docetism,” which means “illusion.” Norbert Brox narrowly defines it as, “the doctrine according to which the phenomenon of Christ, his historical and bodily existence, and thus above all the human form of Jesus, was altogether mere semblance without any true reality.” In other words, these people believed that Jesus’ human attributes were merely an illusion to obtain a following.

This flies in the fact of what John said in 1 John 1:1-3,

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

It is within this passage that John clearly states that the Jesus he saw was no mere “apparition” or “phantom,” but was literally and physically present. We know that Thomas touched Jesus’ physical body. So it would seem, based on John’s own testimony, that he touched Jesus’ physical body as well; that means that the Gnostic view that Jesus’ body was merely an “apparition” or an illusion is false.

Let us deal with one of the more famous “Lost Gospels” of the Gnostics: the Gospel of Thomas. Penned around the middle of the 2^nd century AD, the text was fairly well known and used, until Athanasius gave a list of accepted Christian writings, as well as a list of heretical writings, in 387 AD. The Gospel of Thomas fell into the latter category, and most of the texts were destroyed and never again produced. On copy of the Gospel of Thomas, along with 52 other texts (most were Gnostic, though some were not) was hidden in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, where it was to be found nearly 1,500 years later.

The opening statement in the Gospel of Thomas is the following, “These are the secret words which the living Jesus spoke, and Didymus Judas Thomas wrote them down. 1 And he said: He who shall find the interpretation of the words shall not taste of death.” At this point, it is obvious that it is a Gnostic text, because the Gnostics believed that salvation came through knowledge, rather than through grace and faith in Christ.  Again we see a massive challenge to what the Bible clearly says in Titus 3:5-7:

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

In the text itself, it says that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were “extremely close” and had a close relationship. While it does not specifically state how close, or what type of closeness it was, it does state that Jesus was known to kiss Mary. Here is the problem: the part where it says Jesus kissed her has been partially eaten away by ants, leaving only the phrase, “Jesus often kissed Mary on.” While this flies in the face of all biblical evidence, the people who translated the text thought it best to add in what they believed the text was going to say. So, they translated it to say that Jesus often kissed Mary “on the mouth.” Why would someone do that? Simple: they saw what they wanted to see, rather than what was actually there.

In conclusion: Why do people read these “Lost Books of Christianity?” The answer, as sad as it appears, is actually very simple: they are not content with reading only the Bible. They want to have “something more” than just an old book. They want to know the character of Christ from what someone else says about him, rather than going directly to Him for confirmation. They would rather believe what someone says about the Bible, than read it for themselves. They are not content to rely on God’s grace for their salvation; they would rather try to earn it themselves by their own merits and studies. While I am certainly for studying, studying can only bring you so far. If you’re not careful, it can lead you into heresy – especially if you’re studying all the wrong things. The Gnostics were looking to their own minds to solve problems that only God could solve. When they couldn’t solve those problems themselves, they tried to change the character of God to make up for their failed efforts.

Christian, stop looking to yourself to solve spiritual things. Look to Christ, and to Christ alone. Only Christ can solve the problems that you need answered. He is enough to trust for salvation, and He is more than enough to trust now that we are saved. Remember, our own “works of righteousness” got us into the mess we were in when He saved us. Trust his Word – as It is – and you will see that It is all you need.

Steve Shutt

¹ A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, David W. Bercott (editor), p. 305

² Brox, Norbert (1984). “‘Doketismus’-eine Problemanzeige”. Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte 95. Kohlhammer Verlag. pp. 306

³ John 20:26-29

⁴ http://users.misericordia.edu/davies/thomas/faq.htm

by: Allen Domelle

Sunday is always a great day, but this Sunday was a bit different. I was invited to speak at the Woodlawn Baptist Church in Bowie, Maryland. This was their annual Round-Up Sunday. Pastor William Tyson and his people worked real hard inviting people to come, and spent much time in prayer to see God bless in a tremendous way.

God was good to give the church a great Sunday. We had 840 attending the morning service. 149 of those attending were first time visitors. The buses worked hard and brought in 350 riders. God then rewarded the efforts of these dear people by giving us 18 people who accepted Christ as their personal Saviour and 1 person baptized.

Each ministry had a different promotion. The bus ministry rented some blow-up slides and trampolines for the children to enjoy. The Spanish department had a pig roast, and many Spanish people came and heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the main adult Sunday school class, the pastor has several gift cards he gave away to many of those attending. The pastor’s wife worked hard and had a chocolate covered pretzel that was given to each person attending. It reminded me a lot of when Jesus performed miracles and fed thousands of people so that they would come hear Him tell them how to get saved. It was truly amazing to see these people give their best effort for God to work through them.

The one thing that came to my mind throughout the whole day is that the old-time religion still works. In a day when compromise has crept into our independent, fundamental Baptist churches, it was refreshing to see that God still blesses the soul winning efforts of churches who still stand strongly on the truths of the King James Bible. Luke 14:23 is still effective today as it says, “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” The people of Woodlawn Baptist didn’t bring in a drum set or have rock music to bring the crowds in, instead they simply obeyed the command to “Go.” They literally went out into the highways and hedges and compelled the people to come, and they came.

Let me remind you that you don’t have to compromise to still see God bless. I wish you could have heard the testimonies that were given on Sunday night how God truly blessed the efforts as they worked the tried and true methods of the old time, separated Baptists. Don’t let the progressive liberal Baptists tell you that you can’t preach hard and soul win and still build a church in this present day. The Woodlawn Baptist Church is a testament to the fact that the independent, fundamental Baptist movement is alive and well, and if people will simply put God to the test, then they will be amazed at what He will do for them. Whenever you’re tempted to compromise, simply remember 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” The people of Woodlawn Baptist put God to the test, and he showed Himself strong in our presence this past Sunday.