It was about twenty years ago when I took my first trip to Hammond, Indiana and I'll never forget it. Brother Frank Whitmire and I took off on a Monday in March headed for the First Baptist Church of Hammond to attend Pastor's School and to see the church that Dr. Jack Hyles pastored. I remember reading in the Sword of the Lord how First Baptist was the largest Sunday School in the world with average attendances of over 22,000 throughout the 1970's. This was one of the first mega-churches in America and we were going to sit in the pews and soak up every minute of it. When we got to Hammond I had no idea where the church was so we stopped to ask the man at the service station for directions. Surely we thought, everybody will know where the largest church in the world is when its in you own town, but not so. He had never even heard of it or Dr. Jack Hyles. We were shocked, but not as much as we were when we actually found the church. It was a warehouse looking structure that took up what looked like a whole city block. Well, we got there early that night only to find the place packed with people and few seats left, but it was worth the effort. Words could not describe the thrill we felt just to be a part of this conference of legendary proportions.
The years have come and gone and Pastors Schools have flown by. I look back at years where the evening programs and great preaching still stick in my mind. I also remember people we took with us making great decisions to be missionaries, preachers and church planters. One night I found both my boys in the altar making their own decisions to serve God. I still get excited recalling the bombastic preaching of Dr. Hyles, the patriotic music of the choir and the life-size King James Bibles parading down the aisles, etc. And then there was the night when they brought all the bus kids across the platform of the old Gary Civic center. It took almost two hours as many tears were shed while we fell in love again with the bus ministry and the "Church with a Heart". I could go on and on with memories of Curtis Hutson in his last days preaching and seeing Carl Hatch, Joe Boyd and Lee Roberson standing in the pews shouting and Pastor Larry Brown standing on Dr.Schaap's brand new pulpit. Then came the thrill of being in the massive new auditorium and watching Dr. Jack Schaap take First Baptist and Pastor's School to new levels and even greater days.
I remember one time walking onto the platform and imagining how it would feel to preach at Pastor's School. (I guess every preacher to attend from ten and up has had such thoughts.) Well two nights ago as I was just getting in from a long day at church I got a call. I recognized the area code as Indiana since I have several friends from there and many missionaries that call me about meetings. But this was not a missionary, it was Dr.Bob Marshall the Asst. Pastor to Dr. Schaap and the man in charge of Adult Sunday School at First Baptist. I have gotten to know Dr. Marshall from his visit to my church and time I have spent with him on my trips to Hammond. He is a person very easy to talk to and also someone who has a lot of depth and wisdom. I knew immediately who he was and I was a good bit curious when he said he wanted to ask a favor of me.
He went on to say that he had enjoyed our conversation about the discipleship program that I had developed at Lighthouse and that he wanted me to share it with the pastors this year. He asked if I would teach a couple of sessions on the topic. Of course I agreed and expressed my gratitude for the opportunity. It is a great honor for me to be able to speak at the First Baptist Church and the 2011 Pastor's School. This year's theme is "About the Cross" and in spite of the fact that I will have a small part in the program, I highly recommend that every preacher, pastor, missionary, and church worker attend. By no means will I be a major part of Pastor's School, but for me it is a dream come true.
Just Saying
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Great Day for Me
Yesterday was a great day for me. It began in the Young Couple's group that I lead. We have been discussing the kind of church we should be. Three words describe this, caring, compelling and converting. As we were talking about a compelling church our group erupted with praises for Lighthouse Baptist Church. Many of the ones commenting are new to Lighthouse, while others have been here for years. It was so encouraging to hear them discuss their perspectives on our church. The praise wasn't about the music or the activities, but person after person talked about the spirituality, the sincerity, and the solid Bible teaching and preaching. I pray that what we do makes a difference and if the testimonies from yesterday are any indicator, Lighthouse Baptist Church truly is.
Then in the preaching service I was blessed again. I preached on "Jonah's Gourd". God asked Jonah if it was right for him to be so concerned for a gourd and not for the 120,000 people of Nineveh. I presented the challenge to make people important and to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those we know. The challenge is to do all we can to duplicate our self between now and Easter. That is, a family reaching another family, a single reaching another single, a student reaching another student, etc. Dozens came forward with signed commitment cards and praying that God would help us accomplish the Great Commission in our Jerusalem.
While these were coming forward in faith, another blessing began to take place. I noticed a family coming forward in the invitation. For those not familiar, we still have a time at the end of the sermon where we invite people to respond to the message. Some come froward to pray and make a decision to do what was preached. Others like this family come forward to receive Christ as Saviour. This mother and father were bringing their son forward. He was teary eyed and expressed his desire to be saved. After going through several verses regarding salvation I asked him if he wanted to receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour. He said he did and that he wanted to pray. I then asked his parents if they had been saved. His father confessed that he needed Christ too. What a joy it was to lead this precious father and son to Christ as mother wept for joy. I look forward to baptizing them nest Sunday.
Well, the day wasn't over. Each week as I preach on Sunday mornings, we also have a service in Spanish. Our Spanish pastor, Aaron Vance, is leaving to go to Colombia S.A. as a missionary. Soon we will be turning the leadership of the Spanish Church over to a man named Alfonzo Gonzales. I wanted our English church to hear him preach, so last night we invited the Spanish church to join our service. Before Bro. Alfonzo preached some of the members from the church sang in Spanish. It was really a blessing. Bro. Alfonzo's message was very touching as he told about his conversion to Christ. He was the first person in his family to ever trust Christ as Saviour. Since then, he has lead everyone but one brother to Christ. We will miss the Vances greatly, but I believe the Spanish church will remain in good hands.
Sunday was really a great day for me. Just Saying.
Then in the preaching service I was blessed again. I preached on "Jonah's Gourd". God asked Jonah if it was right for him to be so concerned for a gourd and not for the 120,000 people of Nineveh. I presented the challenge to make people important and to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those we know. The challenge is to do all we can to duplicate our self between now and Easter. That is, a family reaching another family, a single reaching another single, a student reaching another student, etc. Dozens came forward with signed commitment cards and praying that God would help us accomplish the Great Commission in our Jerusalem.
While these were coming forward in faith, another blessing began to take place. I noticed a family coming forward in the invitation. For those not familiar, we still have a time at the end of the sermon where we invite people to respond to the message. Some come froward to pray and make a decision to do what was preached. Others like this family come forward to receive Christ as Saviour. This mother and father were bringing their son forward. He was teary eyed and expressed his desire to be saved. After going through several verses regarding salvation I asked him if he wanted to receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour. He said he did and that he wanted to pray. I then asked his parents if they had been saved. His father confessed that he needed Christ too. What a joy it was to lead this precious father and son to Christ as mother wept for joy. I look forward to baptizing them nest Sunday.
Well, the day wasn't over. Each week as I preach on Sunday mornings, we also have a service in Spanish. Our Spanish pastor, Aaron Vance, is leaving to go to Colombia S.A. as a missionary. Soon we will be turning the leadership of the Spanish Church over to a man named Alfonzo Gonzales. I wanted our English church to hear him preach, so last night we invited the Spanish church to join our service. Before Bro. Alfonzo preached some of the members from the church sang in Spanish. It was really a blessing. Bro. Alfonzo's message was very touching as he told about his conversion to Christ. He was the first person in his family to ever trust Christ as Saviour. Since then, he has lead everyone but one brother to Christ. We will miss the Vances greatly, but I believe the Spanish church will remain in good hands.
Sunday was really a great day for me. Just Saying.
Monday, January 17, 2011
This is fun !
Last night after the message was preached and the adults were going into their prayer groups, I summoned all the children to gather for youth choir practice. They had already sung in the service and were really a blessing. It is special to hear young people sing songs for the Lord like, "I Have decided to Follow Jesus" and "Lord Prepare Me To Be a Sanctuary". One of the young men, Tate Webb, sang a solo which ended with a standing ovation from the congregation. Again I say, what a blessing it is to hear our youth singing for Jesus Christ.
So with all the parents praying, the youth begin to sing. We start off with an all-time favorite. An action song called "I'm In-Right-Out-Right Happy all the Time" There are a lot of motions and fun as we start off slowly and speed up with each round. From there we do another fun song and then we start learning a song new to the choir. I'm really impressed with their effort to learn and how fast they catch on. It's called "Trusty Sword" so I bring in the big sword from my office and we talk about it. Then I get my Bible out and I explain that the song is really about the Sword of the Lord, God's Word. When asked which one is more powerful, the kids quickly respond in favor of the Bible. A few more times through and the choir is really getting the tune down and the words are filling in, as well.
Now it's time to take a break and play Solomon Says. (This is our version of Simon Says.) Solomon says, "Raise your right hand." Solomon says, "Raise your left hand." Put your hands down... uh oh, somebody's out. The competition is tough but Trey comes out a winner. Now he gets to lead Solomon Says for a round. Nobody is bored and soon we're ready to sing again. We go through another favorite and a final couple times through the new song. We're getting closer to where we want to be on it.
Then I announce, it's time for our ice cream treat. We don't want to eat in the choir so I invite all the children to my office. Ice creams for everyone I say as we are heading down the hall. It's then that one of the boys looks at me and says: "This is fun!" I know that we have won the battle for another week. If I can get them to like serving Jesus when they are this age I know my chances have greatly improved for the future.
I'm sitting here thinking about the evening and I realize that it was fun for me too. I love spending time with the young people of Lighthouse Baptist Church. I can't wait for next week.
Just Saying
So with all the parents praying, the youth begin to sing. We start off with an all-time favorite. An action song called "I'm In-Right-Out-Right Happy all the Time" There are a lot of motions and fun as we start off slowly and speed up with each round. From there we do another fun song and then we start learning a song new to the choir. I'm really impressed with their effort to learn and how fast they catch on. It's called "Trusty Sword" so I bring in the big sword from my office and we talk about it. Then I get my Bible out and I explain that the song is really about the Sword of the Lord, God's Word. When asked which one is more powerful, the kids quickly respond in favor of the Bible. A few more times through and the choir is really getting the tune down and the words are filling in, as well.
Now it's time to take a break and play Solomon Says. (This is our version of Simon Says.) Solomon says, "Raise your right hand." Solomon says, "Raise your left hand." Put your hands down... uh oh, somebody's out. The competition is tough but Trey comes out a winner. Now he gets to lead Solomon Says for a round. Nobody is bored and soon we're ready to sing again. We go through another favorite and a final couple times through the new song. We're getting closer to where we want to be on it.
Then I announce, it's time for our ice cream treat. We don't want to eat in the choir so I invite all the children to my office. Ice creams for everyone I say as we are heading down the hall. It's then that one of the boys looks at me and says: "This is fun!" I know that we have won the battle for another week. If I can get them to like serving Jesus when they are this age I know my chances have greatly improved for the future.
I'm sitting here thinking about the evening and I realize that it was fun for me too. I love spending time with the young people of Lighthouse Baptist Church. I can't wait for next week.
Just Saying
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Popeye and Resolutions
I love new years. It seems that a new year offers us a chance to start again. While we can do that at any time, it just seems that a new year makes it easier. I guess we could categorize our resolutions to bring a little order to the rush to change. People tend to make resolutions to (1) start things that they are not doing, (2) stop things that they are doing, (but don't want to), (3) do a better job of things that they are already doing but want to improve upon.
Lets take a "for example". You want to start a healthy lifestyle, stop smoking, and spend more time on relationships. This would put a resolution into each category. Of course nothing necessitates us having one in each area or even using categories at all. We are all free to choose to resolve or not to resolve however we individually desire. Yet, there is one common denominator that we all must acknowledge.
Making resolutions is not very difficult, keeping them is another matter. What if you could make one resolution that would empower all the others? Do you remember Popeye the Sailor? He would face task after task, battle after battle and he would always come to the limits of his own ability. But then he would open that wonderful can of spinach. I've often wondered who picked spinach. Was it the Del Monte company who wanted to sell more, or was it a group of mothers who conspired to trick their boys into eating more of the green stuff? Nevertheless, everyone knew that as soon as Popeye got that can open and sucked down that miracle working veg, things would change. Too bad we adults don't have such an option.
Well, we do. Consider the following verse: Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. God makes us two promises regarding what we can do. This is the first and it strengthens us to venture out into the arena of change. We can open a can of power from God. Whatever we should start, stop or improve upon we have the assurance that through Christ we can do it.
So here I am. I've made a resolution to do better. Yet I have come across the same old arch-enemy, (not Brutus but my own fleshly weaknesses), and I'm about to fail again when I look to Christ for the strength to overcome. Better yet, I've learned to look to him before I am beaten down. I realize that my power comes not from my human strength but from my God.
This leads me to the second promise and really the key to the first. Jesus also told us the following: John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Jesus promised us that without Him we could do nothing. So many times we strike out with a new resolve just to crash and burn. We should have known that we would fail without God's help. We should have remembered how much a difference Christ makes in our life. But we forget and we foolishly think we can succeed without Him.
We do well to remember when we first trusted Christ and how our new faith, dependence and submission to our Saviour wrought great power and great change. What happens to us. It's like the pilot whose plane was going down and he couldn't pull the nose up. He cried out to God to deliver him and suddenly the plane miraculously leveled out. With a great sigh of relief the pilot once again takes the controls and says "Thank you God, now I'll take over and fly us on home." Jesus rescued us from hell and delivered us from sin. Why do we think we need Him any less to fly the plane on home?
You see, the key to the power we need is not found in a can or even in a special prayer. Jesus said that we must abide in Him. That's the day to day prayer life; the morning Bible time; the being at church every time the doors open, kind of walk with God. It's that kind of closeness to God that gave us the advantage. It is that kind of power the devil fears the most. That is why he fights so hard to keep you from abiding in Christ. Satan is a master at distracting you from the source of your strength. He gets you tied up in "good things" that take you away from fellowship with Christ. Once he lures you away with these "good things" then he drags you down into the depths of sin and powerlessness.
So you want to make a new resolve? Then I suggest that you also decide to take your spinach with you too. Even Popeye knew where his strength came from.
Just Saying
Lets take a "for example". You want to start a healthy lifestyle, stop smoking, and spend more time on relationships. This would put a resolution into each category. Of course nothing necessitates us having one in each area or even using categories at all. We are all free to choose to resolve or not to resolve however we individually desire. Yet, there is one common denominator that we all must acknowledge.
Making resolutions is not very difficult, keeping them is another matter. What if you could make one resolution that would empower all the others? Do you remember Popeye the Sailor? He would face task after task, battle after battle and he would always come to the limits of his own ability. But then he would open that wonderful can of spinach. I've often wondered who picked spinach. Was it the Del Monte company who wanted to sell more, or was it a group of mothers who conspired to trick their boys into eating more of the green stuff? Nevertheless, everyone knew that as soon as Popeye got that can open and sucked down that miracle working veg, things would change. Too bad we adults don't have such an option.
Well, we do. Consider the following verse: Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. God makes us two promises regarding what we can do. This is the first and it strengthens us to venture out into the arena of change. We can open a can of power from God. Whatever we should start, stop or improve upon we have the assurance that through Christ we can do it.
So here I am. I've made a resolution to do better. Yet I have come across the same old arch-enemy, (not Brutus but my own fleshly weaknesses), and I'm about to fail again when I look to Christ for the strength to overcome. Better yet, I've learned to look to him before I am beaten down. I realize that my power comes not from my human strength but from my God.
This leads me to the second promise and really the key to the first. Jesus also told us the following: John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Jesus promised us that without Him we could do nothing. So many times we strike out with a new resolve just to crash and burn. We should have known that we would fail without God's help. We should have remembered how much a difference Christ makes in our life. But we forget and we foolishly think we can succeed without Him.
We do well to remember when we first trusted Christ and how our new faith, dependence and submission to our Saviour wrought great power and great change. What happens to us. It's like the pilot whose plane was going down and he couldn't pull the nose up. He cried out to God to deliver him and suddenly the plane miraculously leveled out. With a great sigh of relief the pilot once again takes the controls and says "Thank you God, now I'll take over and fly us on home." Jesus rescued us from hell and delivered us from sin. Why do we think we need Him any less to fly the plane on home?
You see, the key to the power we need is not found in a can or even in a special prayer. Jesus said that we must abide in Him. That's the day to day prayer life; the morning Bible time; the being at church every time the doors open, kind of walk with God. It's that kind of closeness to God that gave us the advantage. It is that kind of power the devil fears the most. That is why he fights so hard to keep you from abiding in Christ. Satan is a master at distracting you from the source of your strength. He gets you tied up in "good things" that take you away from fellowship with Christ. Once he lures you away with these "good things" then he drags you down into the depths of sin and powerlessness.
So you want to make a new resolve? Then I suggest that you also decide to take your spinach with you too. Even Popeye knew where his strength came from.
Just Saying
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Small Groups and Prayer for Power
As Independent Baptists we are often resistant to change unless we perceive it to be biblical and much needed. As a pastor I constantly look at our church for needs and ways to meet them. For a long time I have noticed the closeness that more contemporary churches gain from small groups. I have even compared that to days gone by when in a smaller church my wife and I had a small group of close friends at church. We knew each other very well and could pray and encourage each other on a very special level. As church size has grown and our pace of life has accelerated, the average couple in church doesn't have this same surrounding of friends and encouragers.
Most any Baptist could quote to you Hebrews 10:25 that talks about not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is... We have all heard preaching on being faithful to church attendance. However, I dare say, many if not most have never heard a sermon or a lesson on the verse before.
Heb. 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.
This command to consider one another goes farther than just sitting in a congregation. To consider is to get to know well enough that you will be able to encourage (provoke) someone to love and accept being loved and to maintain good works. Do you see the accountability and the closeness in this verse? Do you realize that this is impossible in the larger group?
Recognizing both the need and the command I began to look at small groups. I did not like what I saw. The groups presented several problems that I just couldn't seem to work through. They almost always were a replacement for a traditional Sunday night or Wednesday night service or both. I felt like we needed more time in the Word, not less. As I investigated, I was led to believe that the teaching time wasn't lost because of the devotions in the group. This brought me to my second major complaint. Without fail, the least trained and the least qualified to be teachers and leaders and to supplant the pastor's role of feeding the flock were the small group leaders. I present this as a criticism with the pastoral leadership and not the small group leader since it is the pastor's responsibility to equip the member for the work of the ministry. However, without fail, small group leaders were so unqualified that in many churches the leaders reflected everything from Calvinism to Charismaticism and they did more harm than good in unifying the church around the fundamental doctrines of Scripture.
Another dilemma surfaced when I looked at adding small groups to our schedule without eliminating any regular services. I thought, we will keep Sunday school, morning and evening preaching and Wednesday night Bible study and add small groups. One attempt at this proved fatal. Not only were people struggling to keep up with a four service a week church in light of the contemporary one service per week model, they rebelled completely at adding another night of the week for small groups.
For over a year I abandoned the idea all together and remained focused on the big room service. Yet, every month we were losing more and more battles. The enemy was succeeding in dividing, discouraging and afflicting our families. It was obvious that we had to have more prayer time and that we needed to be able to "consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works". After brainstorming with several friends, staff and church members we ventured out into new waters.
Last Sunday night Lighthouse Baptist Church began what may very well be the most revolutionary move we have ever made as a church. We instituted the Prayer for Power Sunday evening service that allows me to do the preaching/teaching and to have somewhat of a traditional church service. Then everyone divided up into small groups of 8-10 people for discussion of the message, prayer for the power of God on our ministries and for prayer for each individual in the group. We are just in the beta process of this new venture but the reviews so far have been phenomenally good. From the leaders to the members I haven't seen this much positive enthusiasm and agreement in a long time. Groups are getting to know each other. They are getting their meeting places established. (I've given liberty in this area and some are meeting in their homes and some are meeting at church. One group is meeting at Wendy's,) Their children are in youth choir practice and a nursery is available for babies. Teens have their own groups as well as the singles & college students. Everyone realizes that this Prayer for Power is a must if we are going to stay in the battle for souls and the kingdom of heaven. Our mission is the Great Commission and we must pray for the power of God to accomplish this great task.
I will keep you posted on the progress.
Just Saying
Most any Baptist could quote to you Hebrews 10:25 that talks about not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is... We have all heard preaching on being faithful to church attendance. However, I dare say, many if not most have never heard a sermon or a lesson on the verse before.
Heb. 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works.
This command to consider one another goes farther than just sitting in a congregation. To consider is to get to know well enough that you will be able to encourage (provoke) someone to love and accept being loved and to maintain good works. Do you see the accountability and the closeness in this verse? Do you realize that this is impossible in the larger group?
Recognizing both the need and the command I began to look at small groups. I did not like what I saw. The groups presented several problems that I just couldn't seem to work through. They almost always were a replacement for a traditional Sunday night or Wednesday night service or both. I felt like we needed more time in the Word, not less. As I investigated, I was led to believe that the teaching time wasn't lost because of the devotions in the group. This brought me to my second major complaint. Without fail, the least trained and the least qualified to be teachers and leaders and to supplant the pastor's role of feeding the flock were the small group leaders. I present this as a criticism with the pastoral leadership and not the small group leader since it is the pastor's responsibility to equip the member for the work of the ministry. However, without fail, small group leaders were so unqualified that in many churches the leaders reflected everything from Calvinism to Charismaticism and they did more harm than good in unifying the church around the fundamental doctrines of Scripture.
Another dilemma surfaced when I looked at adding small groups to our schedule without eliminating any regular services. I thought, we will keep Sunday school, morning and evening preaching and Wednesday night Bible study and add small groups. One attempt at this proved fatal. Not only were people struggling to keep up with a four service a week church in light of the contemporary one service per week model, they rebelled completely at adding another night of the week for small groups.
For over a year I abandoned the idea all together and remained focused on the big room service. Yet, every month we were losing more and more battles. The enemy was succeeding in dividing, discouraging and afflicting our families. It was obvious that we had to have more prayer time and that we needed to be able to "consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works". After brainstorming with several friends, staff and church members we ventured out into new waters.
Last Sunday night Lighthouse Baptist Church began what may very well be the most revolutionary move we have ever made as a church. We instituted the Prayer for Power Sunday evening service that allows me to do the preaching/teaching and to have somewhat of a traditional church service. Then everyone divided up into small groups of 8-10 people for discussion of the message, prayer for the power of God on our ministries and for prayer for each individual in the group. We are just in the beta process of this new venture but the reviews so far have been phenomenally good. From the leaders to the members I haven't seen this much positive enthusiasm and agreement in a long time. Groups are getting to know each other. They are getting their meeting places established. (I've given liberty in this area and some are meeting in their homes and some are meeting at church. One group is meeting at Wendy's,) Their children are in youth choir practice and a nursery is available for babies. Teens have their own groups as well as the singles & college students. Everyone realizes that this Prayer for Power is a must if we are going to stay in the battle for souls and the kingdom of heaven. Our mission is the Great Commission and we must pray for the power of God to accomplish this great task.
I will keep you posted on the progress.
Just Saying
Monday, January 3, 2011
Prayer for Power
Sunday night may very well be one of the most significant evenings ever at Lighthouse Baptist Church. In a bold new approach we ventured into a different format for our Sunday evening service. We wanted the relationships of the small group format but couldn't bring ourselves to give up another night of the week for it. Furthermore, with a challenging vision to make a difference in more lives than ever, we knew it would take extra prayer.
So, last night we began the Prayer for Power service. We begin with a great evening of singing and Bible preaching and then we break off into small groups for an hour of prayer. When I introduced the concept, I must admit that I was amazed at the instant enthusiasm. Most changes in a Baptist church come with mild to widespread resistance. So even with a positive reaction, I was still reserved in my optimism until actually seeing what the first night would bring.
Even with the holiday season still upon us and the children not yet back in school, we had one of the largest turn-outs for Sunday night service in several weeks. Moreover, when the preaching was over and it was time to go to small groups almost everyone stayed to pray. The groups developed with little confusion and everyone had a great attitude.
I really believe that in days to come we will look back at this and realize the God did something miraculous last night.
Just Saying
So, last night we began the Prayer for Power service. We begin with a great evening of singing and Bible preaching and then we break off into small groups for an hour of prayer. When I introduced the concept, I must admit that I was amazed at the instant enthusiasm. Most changes in a Baptist church come with mild to widespread resistance. So even with a positive reaction, I was still reserved in my optimism until actually seeing what the first night would bring.
Even with the holiday season still upon us and the children not yet back in school, we had one of the largest turn-outs for Sunday night service in several weeks. Moreover, when the preaching was over and it was time to go to small groups almost everyone stayed to pray. The groups developed with little confusion and everyone had a great attitude.
Just Saying
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Meaning of Christmas #4
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
The word Immanuel mean, "God with us." We have already seen that Christmas has great significance. It means that God is real and that He is God. It means that God cares. (See earlier posts for the full explanation.) But it even goes further. Christmas means that God is reachable. The agnostic says he believes there is a god but that it is impossible for a finite man to reach up to an infinite God. It is great to know that Christmas makes God reachable because the infinite God reached down to man.
The Bible goes on to say that we have a great high priest that can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities. To you that carry a heavy burden, He is reachable. He says cast your cares upon me. To you that have great needs, He is reachable. Jesus said that the Lord knoweth that you have needs in this world and that you can ask and He will hear and answer.
To you who have known great heartbreak, He is reachable. Jesus said he came to heal the brokenhearted. There is nothing like the comfort of the Lord. Our father is known as the God of all comfort and he loves to heal hurting hearts.
To you that are lost in sin, He is reachable. There is no sin God hasn't already paid for. There is no sinner that God can't save. He delights in forgiving sin and in giving eternal life. When that baby boy was born some 2000 years, God entered our world. We had never seen God like that before. Jesus showed us the love of God and the compassion of a saviour. Christmas made God reachable. Will you take advantage of this opportunity? Jesus is the gift of God that will give eternal life. Have you accepted that gift. If not, ask him today and he will hear. He is reachable.
This is just a touch of the real meaning of Christmas. The depth of this great event will never be fully know this side of Heaven, but today we can rejoice in what we do know.
Just Saying
Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)
The word Immanuel mean, "God with us." We have already seen that Christmas has great significance. It means that God is real and that He is God. It means that God cares. (See earlier posts for the full explanation.) But it even goes further. Christmas means that God is reachable. The agnostic says he believes there is a god but that it is impossible for a finite man to reach up to an infinite God. It is great to know that Christmas makes God reachable because the infinite God reached down to man.
The Bible goes on to say that we have a great high priest that can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities. To you that carry a heavy burden, He is reachable. He says cast your cares upon me. To you that have great needs, He is reachable. Jesus said that the Lord knoweth that you have needs in this world and that you can ask and He will hear and answer.
To you who have known great heartbreak, He is reachable. Jesus said he came to heal the brokenhearted. There is nothing like the comfort of the Lord. Our father is known as the God of all comfort and he loves to heal hurting hearts.
To you that are lost in sin, He is reachable. There is no sin God hasn't already paid for. There is no sinner that God can't save. He delights in forgiving sin and in giving eternal life. When that baby boy was born some 2000 years, God entered our world. We had never seen God like that before. Jesus showed us the love of God and the compassion of a saviour. Christmas made God reachable. Will you take advantage of this opportunity? Jesus is the gift of God that will give eternal life. Have you accepted that gift. If not, ask him today and he will hear. He is reachable.
This is just a touch of the real meaning of Christmas. The depth of this great event will never be fully know this side of Heaven, but today we can rejoice in what we do know.
Just Saying
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