Looking back.....

What a year 2010 was for my family and I! One year ago I had just finished my toughest Christmas at Walmart yet. I knew that God had called me to the ministry, but it seemed that it would not happen any time soon. It seemed that there was no light at the "end of the tunnel". Well.... God has truly moved in our lives! He opened a door that I did not think existed. It was a tough transition to Associate Pastor / breadman, but very worth it. Here are just a few ministry highlights:

Seeing many souls saved at Church Hill Baptist and other locations. One soul saved is something great to shout about, but seeing dozens saved (and having opportunity to lead some myself) is worthy of having a "Bapticostal Fit"! Glory to God!

The chance to preach multiple times at Church Hill Baptist, Bible Baptist in Unity, Tri-Town Baptist in East Millinocket, and Barter's Island Baptist Church in Trevett.

Participating in the filming of a Baptist History documetary "Drops of Morning Dew" produced by Pastor Ryan McGuire from Bluestone Baptist Church in Clarksville, Virginia.

Found out that I have two Baptist preachers in my lineage. The church that I attended in my youth was once pastored by George Jenkins, my great-great-great grandfather. The Rev. Nathaniel Jenkins was also a famous Baptist from the late 1600s to mid 1700s in New Jersey.

Witnessing the chartering service of Bible Baptist Church in Unity, Maine! What a blessed event!

Celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Church Hill Baptist!

Paricipating in the first classes ever offered at Heritage Baptist Bible College!

Getting the chance to work with my best friend and mentor, Pastor James Wiley.

Getting to know some of the great men of God from around the corner and around the country.

Seeing God's hand provide in ways that we would never expect. My church family at Church Hill Baptist deserve a special shout out for the generosity. Wow! From the "pounding" to the Bible and gift cards to the money gift.... Thank you soooo much.

Hearing great preaching from Pastor James Wiley, Pastor Todd Bell, Pastor Ron Caudill, Pastor Cal Fuller, Pastor Scott Caudle, Pastor Jeff Faggart, Pastor Ryan McGuire, Pastor Carl Barnard, Pastor Nathan Pelkey, Pastor Josh Lovelace, Brother Michael Britt, Brother Gary Partridge...... If I missed someone, please let me know!

What a blessing it is serve the Lord of Lords and King of Kings! 2010 was a great year.... I can't wait to see what 2011 holds!

Merry Christmas from the Jones family!

December 15, 2010

I can not believe that it is only 10 days from Christmas. Wow, how the year has flown by. I look back on the last number of Christmas seasons and reflect on how good God has been to the Jones family. Last year at this time I was co manager of the busiest Walmart store in the northeast USA. I was totally ready for Christmas to be over. I tried very hard to ensure that I was mentally and spiritually "there" for my family when I needed to be, but that was a rare moment in the Christmas season at Walmart. This year we are celebrating. I am actually home much more than I have been in many years. We may not have as many gifts under the tree as years past, but even the kids have said that they are just happy to have me home more. I know that seems like a very carnal reason to shout about, but God intends fathers to be a vital part of the family life. I praise God that He has allowed me to get to know my family again!
I have had opportunity to preach for the last three weeks at the Barter's Island Baptist Church. What a blessing that has been for me as God has allowed me to preach a couple of sermon series. Usually when I am preaching it is for a "one time deal" to fill in. I praise the LORD for all opportunities to open up my King James Bible and preach, but it has been very exciting to preach through books and topics. Please pray for the Jones family as we minister to the folks at Barter's Island Baptist Church and Church Hill Baptist Church. The next few weeks will be important weeks for the Jones family as we seek the Lord's will.
Can I just ask you one question: what are you planning to do for your pastor this Christmas season? Just think of what an encouragement just a card with an encouraging note would be.

Exciting weeks to come!!!

God is so good! I know I don't really have to say that, we all know that, but God truly is so good to me! I don't deserve it, I have done nothing to merit it, but God is sooooo good!
What a great Thanksgiving the Jones family had. It was fantastic to enjoy the day with my family.
This weekend is a busy one at Church Hill Baptist Church. We have the men's prayer breakfast at 7:30 on Saturday morning. Saturday morning soul-winning and visitation is next at 9 am. Saturday night is the annual Christmas Banquet.
Sunday services will be exciting with a few baptisms happening. Praise God for obedient believers following the Lord in believers baptism. At 2pm Sunday afternoon Truth Baptist Church will be holding a baptismal service.
The Choir is singing, the kids are practicing their Christmas program, Ladies ensamble is practicing and singing..... busy times! Ohhhhh how wonderful it is to be busy in the work of the LORD of LORDS and KING of KINGS!

I will be filling in for the next few weeks at Barter's Island Baptist Church. I look forward to preaching the Word of God to these precious folks! Last week I started three sermon series. In Sunday School we are tracing Bible characters to whom God has called out as people close to him. Last week it was "Daniel, a man greatly beloved.". This week it is "Abraham, friend of God". Why have these men been given these titles by God? What is it about their life that stirred God to make these profound declarations?
In the Sunday morning services we are studying our way through the book of Nehemiah. Last week we preached through the entire of chapter 1, setting the stage for the rest of the book and for the "building of the walls". God has slowed me down through chapter two and I see at least seven messages from this chapter alone. Sunday it will be Nehemiah 2:1-2 and Nehemiah's life of praise. This all fits in under the umbrella of rebuilding the walls. I would dare say that we all have some walls that need rebuilding. Perhaps the entire wall has not fallen, but there is some rebuilding that must be done. Maybe there is a relationship that has broken down, maybe some of those high standards have started to deteriorate? (Cut out meddeling I can hear you saying....) My heart is stirred as I think of Barter's Island Baptist Church rebuilding their "walls". Oh, may the LORD give us insight on what walls are fallen down in our own lives.
Sunday nights I began preaching a short series meant to encourage the believer. "Can God" is the title. This week it will be "Can God really meet your needs?" We have a head knowledge that the answer is "yes" but do we really believe it?

It is great to be busy in the LORD's work! My soul is stirred up and I can not wait to see what is around the corner!
Shouting for Jesus!

I am so thankful!

God is good all the time! Isn't it true that we sometimes forget to stop and think on how good God has been to us? It sometimes takes Thanksgiving to remind us to thank the Lord for his blessings. That should not be so. I am as guilty as anybody else in that regard. I am thankful for so much..... here's just a small list:
The Lord saved my wretched soul! (shouting!!!!!)
The Lord gave us the King James Bible, His very Word!
The Lord gave me a great wife and entrusted with two awesome kids!
The Lord put me in the greatest church in the world! (Thank you Church Hill Baptist!)
The Lord gave me a pastor who is a true friend and mentor. (Thank you Pastor Wiley)
The Lord gave me a very Godly heritage!
The Lord called me into the ministry!!!!!!!!!!
The Lord desires to use somebody like me (I still can't get over that)
The Lord gave me a tremendous extended family.
The Lord gave me some of the greatest friends one could ever have.
The Lord gave me hands and feet that work, a brain that functions (well, most of the time) and the ability to work to earn a living.
The Lord gave me a warm house to sleep in and food on the table.
The Lord allowed me to be born in America, the greatest country in the world!
The Lord gave us soldiers that have fought for our country ever since it's founding. Many of these soldiers have bled and died for our freedom.
The Lord allowed me to be called to Maine, the state I love.
The Lord allows me to come boldly to the throne of grace whenever I like.
The Lord gave us 1 John 1:9.
Gotta stop now. I need to go pray and thank Him for how good He is!
Let us never get over how good God is to us

Lord, establish my thoughts!

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established."
What a wonderful verse that is to me! I am a person whose thoughts are frequently scattered (just ask my wife who has lived with me for 15 years). Sometimes they come at me at a million miles per hour and I lose track of them. It tends to make me "absent minded" sometimes. I call it the "ping pong ball theory". Bits of information are like ping pong balls. My head is only big enough for so many ping pong balls. Sometimes one new thought may push another thought right out. My thoughts are scattered.
It is not so with the LORD! He will establish your thoughts if you commit your works to Him. I am going through a season where my thoughts are very heavy on me. There are many things on my mind that are pressing me and if the LORD was not helping me, I may crush under the weight it seems.
God will not let that happen. If I commit my works to Him, my thoughts will be established. After all, Isaiah 55:8-9 tell us "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."
Amen.

Pray for Barter's Island Baptist Church

How amazing it is to see the LORD of Glory part the clouds and bring light and with it clarity to a clouded world. God is so good!

Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:3 Ohhh what that verse means to me now. God knows!

You don't have to shoulder it alone.....

1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care on him; for he careth for you." These 11 words play such a vital role in my life. Isn't it so easy to fall into the trap where we begin to crush under the heavy weight that life sometimes brings to us? All mankind has this thing in common: we will all go through suffering. If you have breath, you will have suffering. Some people will see worse suffering than others. I think of great Godly people that are physically suffering through cancer or other debilating diseases. Others have lost loved ones that died way before "their time". The truth is we all suffer. Isn't it great to know that if you are a child of God, you never, ever have to go through it alone! The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to cast our cares upon Him. He knows that we can not handle the burden alone. Shouldn't we all heed what He is saying to us? After all, he created us and He knows us more than we know ourselves. Please, be encouraged in this: God loves you and wants to shoulder your burdens!

The Jones family had a great Lord's Day at the Tri Town Baptist Church in East Millinocket, Maine yesterday. I had great liberty to preach the Word of God! We had great fellowship with the Stanleys and the Johnstons over lunch. After the evening service we drove home through the pouring and blowing rain, but the Lord granted safe passage. What a blessing. I can't wait to see what this week will bring!

I just don't deserve it.....

What a blessed week we have had! It was finals week at Heritage Baptist Bible College. Congratulations to Erica and Sarah Granquist and Pastor Nathan Pelkey for all earning an A+ score (99 average) in Bible Doctrines, and Paula Gravelle for earning a high score of A+ (98 average) in Old Testament Survey. Both classes were a tremendous blessing. We will certainly miss the Caudills as they venture south to Oklahoma on Wednesday morning. They will be missed! Saturday morning was a great time of visitation in Augusta. Those of you that don't go door-to-door in your communities are missing a real blessing. There may be harsh words and rude comments sometimes, but it is genuinely a blessing to know you are being obedient.
Sunday services were very special. Pastor Wiley preached a great message on the Romans Road. We are so blessed to have such great preaching every week. Following the morning service the good folks at Church Hill Baptist shocked my family with a Pastor appreciation gift. I will discuss that soon. In the evening service we had Pastor Nathan Pelkey preach for us. I have not listened to the message yet (I was in awana) but all reports were really good. What a special thing it is to have such good friends in the ministry.
Now for the gifts: they were awesome! We received numerous gift cards, some cash and I was given the above pictured Bible. It is a text only note takers edition from Local Church Bible Publishers. I can honestly say I don't deserve how much God has blessed my family. I don't deserve salvation to begin with, but God saved my family and I. He not only brought me to the greatest church in the world, but called me into the ministry. Now the generosity shown to us is astounding. I just can't believe it. All I can say to my Church Hill Baptist family is: WE LOVE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US. And to my Lord and Saviour: THANK YOU LORD! God is sooooo good!

Another great Sunday

God is good all the time! For the second time in the last two weeks we had the opportunity to visit another Indpendent Fundamental Baptist church to preach the Word of God! Last week it was the Tri Town Baptist Church in Millinocket. This Sunday it was Barter's Island Baptist Church. Pastor Wiley receved a call on Friday afternoon asking if he or myself could fill in on the island. I was very happy to answer the call. I taught Sunday School and preached the morning and evening service. Preached out of Proverbs 22 and Joshua 4 in the morning service and 1 Peter 5 in the evening service.
Just three weeks ago I prayed for the Lord to give me more opportunities to preach. Oh, boy did He answer! I praise God for His call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Please continue to pray for the Barter's Island Baptist Church.

We did miss our church family today. It has now been two Sundays in a row that we have been out of our church. Pastor joked that he was going to put us on the visitation list since we have been out of church. That is funny. What a joy to serve with Pastor Wiley. He is not only my pastor and my boss, but a great friend and a mentor to me. We praise the Lord that Anderson got saved today! I also found out that my cousins daughter also got saved today! Oh, what a blessing that these two young souls now belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Praise God!

This week will be busy one with finals in both Bible Doctrines and Old Testament Survey. I still need to finish my paper for Bible Doctrines as well as finish reading the Old Testament and the OT textbook. I also run my full Pep Farms run tomorrow..... It's great to be busy about the King's Business!

Wednesday October 20, 2010

What a great weekend it was! Friday night and Saturday morning was very exciting for us as we (Paula and I) took and passed a concealed weapons course. Saturday morning we had the opportunity to go to the range in Boothbay and shoot many rounds with a 40 Caliber Glock. What a blast (pun intended!) After that we packed the kids and drove to Millinocket to visit the good folks at Tri Town Baptist Church. We had a great time on Sunday! It was a blessing to preach the Word of God! Sunday morning I preached out of the book of Revelation chapter 2 and the letter to the Church at Pergamos. The Lord gave me full liberty to preach and it went very well. After the morning service we ate lunch with the church family (boiled dinner.....mmmmmmmmmmm). Once we left there we drove to Baxter state park and took pictures of Mt. Kahtadin. It was a very special time for us as a family. Sunday night I preached out of the 78th Psalm. It was a message of encouragement for us, knowing that whatever the problem "God Can" take care of it.
I am looking forward to Wednesday night and hearing Pastor Jeff Faggart (founder of the Baptist History Preservation Society) preach the Word of God! I am hoping to spend some time with Brother Faggart and his family later this week.
Here's the thought for the day.....God does not need us, He is the "Self Existant One". God, however, chooses to use us. Let Him use you today.
God Bless!

What a week on tap.....

What a blessing it is to be a child of the King of Kings! He is truly so good to us! We have a lot to look forward to over the upcoming days. Friday night / Saturday morning Paula and I are taking a concealed weapons permit class together. Friday night will be classroom time with Saturday morning shooting time. I have never been shooting with her and I am looking forward to it greatly. After class we will pick the girls up and drive to East Millinocket so I can preach at Tri-Town Baptist Church on Sunday. I can not wait to open up that old black King James Bible and preach from the awe-inspiring, inerrant, infallible, incredible Word of God! Next week we will be spending some time with Pastor Jeff Faggart, the director of the Baptist History Preservation Society. I am not sure where we will be going, but I will have a chance to visit some very important Baptist landmarks in the state of Maine. Pastor Faggart is even going to preach for us on Wednesday night at Church Hill Baptist! What a week it will be! Glory to God!

Looking forward to a full day of service for the Lord! I praise God for His call! He does not have to use us, he chooses to use us. Amen!

God gave a great day yesterday! I ran my full route and was home by 4. My wife and kids met me with a great chicken dinner. What a blessing! God is good!

A great Lord's day!

What a blessed day today at Church Hill Baptist Church! We had a great morning service, with great preaching out of the book of Nahum. The message was titled "The Sound of Victory". Pastor Wiley "flung er' down" and let er' rip. At the end of the service we had one lady walk the aisle and trust Christ as her Saviour! Amen! There's one more that the devil won't get. Tonight the title of the message was "What came first, the chicken or the egg". I was downstairs in AWANA so I did not hear the message but I will listen asap! This week we have class on Tuesday night (Bible Doctrines), Prayer meeting on Wednesday, Class as well as the Ladies Bible Study on Thursday night! How AWESOME it is to be busy about the Lord's business!

A new season, a new look.

It's hard to believe that fall is here. The temperatures are dropping and the leaves are shining brightly. What a beautiful time of year here in Maine.
As you can see the website has a new look. I hope it it to your liking. We have also been doing some work on the Church Hill Baptist website. There is a new links page as well as a more crisp, modern look. If you have any suggestions for either website please email me at PastorJones@ChurchHillBaptist.org

We just finished our missions conference this past week. What a great time we had with Brother Cal Fuller and his wife Melba (from "Winning New England for Eternity" ministries) as well as Pastor Scott Caudill, his wife Cassie and their son Josh. The week was full of great preaching, great singing and great fellowship. We are now settling in to a period where there is not quite as much happening at CHB. It is right now that we are in danger of a spiritual let-down. Let me encourage you with this: the devil wants us to have that let-down and take a "well-deserved" break. He would have us to put our feet up and relax for a while. That visitation can wait, that "reaching our neighbor" can wait for a couple of weeks..... Don't tune me out, this can and will happen if we are not careful. God desires us to be constantly busy about our Father's business. There can be no break from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have heard it said that preachers need to "preach like its their last day on earth". That is a good point of view. We should all share the gospel like we only have one more day to tell as many people as possible. Let me encourage you to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). Now is no time for a break!

Missions Week

What a great missions week we have had so far! Saturday night we had a great rib feed with our featured missionary Cal Fuller from "Winning New England for Eternity". What a blessing to fellowship and......oh yeah......the ribs were great!!! During the Sunday morning service Pastor Wiley preached a powerful message "the missing ingredient". It is available on the bottom of this blog, please play this or download to play later. Brother Cal Fuller preached for us Sunday night a message "pay your debt". What a great message! Monday night we welcomed Pastor Scott Caudill and his family for the remainder of the week. He sang for us and it was a real blessing, but..... when he preached......WOW! He preached out of Romans 10 and brought a huge powerful message to us!

I can't wait for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday services!

Letter from an athiest. This is a must read.

"You are really convinced that you've got all the answers. You've really got yourself tricked into believing that you're 100% right. Well, let me tell you just one thing. Do you consider yourself to be compassionate of other humans? If you're right, as you say you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night? When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of horrendous pain which your 'loving' god created, yet you stand by and do nothing.

If you believed one bit that thousands every day were falling into an eternal and unchangeable fate, you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness. That's equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes you walk blindly directly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by and do nothing. You're just twiddling your thumbs, happy in the knowledge that one day that 'walk' signal will shine your way across the road.

Think about it. Imagine the horrors Hell must have in store if the Bible is true. You're just going to allow that to happen and not care about saving anyone but yourself? If you're right then you're an uncaring, unemotional and purely selfish (expletive) that has no right to talk about subjects such as love and caring."

This is an excerpt from an e-mail sent to Evangelist Ray Comfort of Living Waters.

Folks, we live in a lost and dying world. Let's never forget the "Go" from Matthew 28:19........
As we approach missions week, we must remember we have a mission field all around us. It's not just for preaches and missionaries to tell others about Christ, it is the job of every child of God. At Church Hill Baptist our missions week theme is "Fields White Unto Harvest". This is a great description for Augusta, Maine. It's also a great description for where you live.
"Go ye therefore....."

"I'm all set" and other lessons from witnessing.

Lesson #1: Being "all set" is not what it seems.
Have you ever used the phrase "I'm all set"? I am sure you have as I also have. Over the last few weeks I have heard that phrase dozens of times. Augusta is a very heavily Catholic area and that means most doors you knock on are "Catholic" doors. What is the #1 response that you get when you try to share the Gospel? "I'm all set." I do not know if that term is just a Maine or northeast term, but it sure seems to roll off the tongue so easy up this way. I will say that 99% of the people that tell me "I'm all set" are NOT all set. They are all "set" in their religion that is leading them to the slaughter, all the way to Hell. They are all "set" in their church attendance. They are "all set" in their church attendance. They are "all set" in their good works. Unfortunately, they are "all set" to go to Hell for eternity. (John 3:18). If you are saved you can say that you are "all set" with "religion" and am on your way to Heaven! Praise God for that "all set". Not all "all set"'s are the same.

Lesson #2: It's often the most unlikely looking people that want to hear the gospel the most.
I have learned that if you are looking for someone to witness to, don't just look for the person that looks "respectable enough" to want to hear. Often times the person that you least expect will stop and listen as you present the Gospel. The power of the Gospel is for all families. Not just the ones that are free from piercings and tattoos. You may say "How do I tell who I need to witness to?" Well, how about this....... witness to everybody and let God bring the increase.

What a week! What a Saviour!

Wow, again I have to say that God is sooooooooo good! We had a great day on this past Lord's day! Pastor Wiley taught the first "new believers" Sunday School class in quite a long time! Paula and I are in the class to learn in order that I teach the class during the next round. What a great class it is and I am excited to get to know these students!
Tuesday night was opening night for Heritage Baptist Bible College. Dr. Caudill taught the first Bible Doctrines 1 class to a group of 20 students. How exciting it is to dig deep into the doctrines of God's Word. In fact, the first half of the semester we will be concentrating on Bibliogy (the study of God's Word). If that is not the most exciting subject I have ever taken, I don't know what is!
Wednesday night was an amazing service! Pastor Wiley preached a tremendous message on "God's pattern for church planting." The sermon is available right on my blog here. Listen, it is awesome Bible preaching (something that is getting harder and harder to find these days.) Best of all, we had a man for whom the whole church has been praying for, come forward and get saved! It was not a salvation message, even. Wow, Praise God!

Thursday night Dr. Caudill taught the first Old Testament Survey class. Another awesome class. I am so fired up! I am looking forward to 9 am visitation tomorrow followed by some special time celebratig a birthday. Oh, it's wonderful to be a Christain.

By the way, here's a verse to memorize. What a blessed verse. Deuteronomy 32:4 "He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."

A Godly Heritage

God is good all the time! I praise Him that I feel much better this afternoon after a few days of being under the weather. We had the opportunity to go to a family reunion this afternoon. It was very good to see long lost cousins and family members that I have not seen for a very long time.
Over the past year I have become very interested in my geneology. I had the pleasure of learning that my great-great grandfather, Rev. George Jenkins, was a Baptist preacher in Maine. In fact, I learned that he was the pastor of the Newcastle-Alna Baptist Church from 1893-1897. What is the big deal with that you say? Well, that is the church that I attended during my childhood. My grandparents were members of that church and it was the church where I was first baptized. I can remember sitting in those old wooden pews and hearing the preaching of Pastor Pearson as he opened up that old King James Bible. What an exciting find.
Also, going generations back, the Rev. Nathaniel Jenkins came over from Wales in the late 1600's. He was a Baptist preacher in New Jersey and preached in the same church that Obadiah Holmes and Valentine Wightman planted. Here is a commentary about one incident involving Rev. Jenkins: "The Rev. Jenkins was a man of talents and education and while at Cape May was a member of the Council of Parliment as the State Legislature was then called. In 1721 a bill was introduced to "punish such as denied the doctrine of the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the inspiration of the Scriptures." Mr. Jenkins stood boldly forth as the champion of "soul liberty," declaring that, although he believed these doctrines as the warmest advocates of this ill-advised bill, he would never consent to oppose those who rejected them with law or any weapon other than arguement. As a result the bill was quashed, to the great disappointment of those who would have had the scenes of persecution which raged in New England repeated in New Jersey." (from "A Brief Early History to Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Its Formation as a Precinct of Cumberland County January 19, 1748)
How exciting. Oh, how the Lord has blessed me with a Godly heritage! How great it is to be called into the ministry! Amen!

Pig Roast

Pastor Wiley posing with "Wilbur". Wow, he was good!

Glory to God!

What a great week it has been at Church Hill Baptist Church! The LORD has blessed us all week. Our Vacation Bible School (themed "Seaquest") ran very smoothly, a testament to the hard work of many church members. We had a total of five young souls saved this week! Glory to God! Thank you, Jesus!
Wednesday night Pastor Wiley felt led to change his message about five minutes before he began preaching. The result: three ladies trusted Christ as their saviour! God is moving and we give Him ALL the glory! Shouting! Praise God, for He is good and I have been blessed!

Wheeww! Makes me wanna preach some!

What a special Lords day! An old fashioned King James, Independent, Fundamental Baptist Church is being born today! God bless Bible Baptist!

We've been "pounded"!

What a surprise! Our blessed Church Hill Baptist Church family "pounded" us today! In the north that would mean we got the tar beat out of us. "Pounding" is a southern term for filling the house with groceries. As the pictures above show, we now are well stocked to say the least. There was even a $100 gift card for the purchase of meat of our choice. To my Church Hill Baptist family: THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU! To the God that called me into the ministry: I PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME! THANK YOU! To any of you that God is speaking to about going into the ministry: let this be a lesson to you. God always, always, always, always, always, always, always (7 times, of course) takes care of his man.
Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Amen! God is good, so good! We have been blessed!

Praise God, what a great Lord's Day!

I praise the Holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ! What a day he gave me today! It was fantastic. It did not start out that way, though. I awoke at 4:50 am to have some time of study and prayer. What a great way to start out the day. I was about to jump in the shower @ 7 when we lost power. Neither Paula or I had showered yet and it was approaching 8 am. At @7:15 I had texted Pastor Wiley to see if we could shower in the missions house. When he called back @ 8 we hurriedly loaded up the truck to go shower. When Paula noticed she had forgotten her blow dryer, she went back inside to retreive it. The power came back on while she was inside. She motioned for us to go back inside and then the power went off again..... only to come back on within seconds. This time it was for good. The devil had gotten an early start on me. We did get ready in time and drove off to church, happy to be showered and clean. We had a great time of study in Sunday school. When it came time to sing, I could not be more off key if I had tried. The devil was attacking my ability to sing, but we pushed through. When it came time to preach, the devil was wreaking havoc with my voice. The Lord pushed me through. I preached out of Psalm 142 on the deliverance available to us through Jesus Christ. During invitation time we had two young men (probably in their 20's) come forward to get saved. I had the pleasure to lead a man named Mark to the Lord. It was a genuine case of Holy Ghost conviction. I had noticed throughout the sermon that he seemed to be very fidgety. I wrote it off as him being bored. It was conviction. When it came time to raise hands, his shot up like a bullet. When it came time to come forward, it was as soon as I asked. There was no hesitation at all. He was ready. The other young man had trusted Christ as his saviour on Saturday but needed assurance. Wow! This is the first time that I have ever had someone come forward and get saved under my preaching. Glory to God! Now, I want to do it again and again and again and again...... you get the picture. The service tonight was also very good. I praise God for the blessings he gave me today. What a great God we serve!

Revival season!

It's summer in Maine and what does that mean? Revival season has begun. This week it is Barter's Island Baptist Church. At Barter's Island Baptist Church it is Dr. Ronnie Simpson preaching the revival. What a great service tonight! After some hearty singing we heard some good old-fashioned "hell-fire and damnation" preaching! At the close of the service, after an old-fashioned altar call (Praise God there are still churches that do altar calls!), a lady came forward and trusted Christ as her savior. The message, which was titled "When God leaves town", was the kind that made you want to go forward and get saved again. The text was John 12:31-41. In this passage the Lord Jesus Christ left them and hid himself. What a scary thought. Praise God for this preaching.

Next week it is Bible Baptist in Unity. The revival services run Sunday to Wednesday and Pastor James Wiley (my preacher!) will be preaching each service. This revival week is in preperation for the chartering service on July 11. What a blessing to see Bible Baptist in Unity charter! Bless God it excites me to see churches planted in Maine! This also means that I will have a chance to preach Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night! Praise the Lord! God is good all the time!

We are on our way to Barters Island Baptist Church! I know its going to be shoutin' good time! Praise God!

God is moving

What a great week! God is so good! We just had a very powerful mid week service tonight. How I praise the Lord for Pastor Wiley, our Man of God. He is a preacher's preacher and tonight was a very powerful message. I praise God for Church Hill Baptist Church!
I am looking forward to my second run as a Pepperidge Farm route owner. In fact, 3 am comes early so I should be sleeping instead of blogging. This route is a ministry tool for me and I praise God for it. What a blessing to meet people all the way from here to Greenville.
Well, I am looking forward also to beginning our Saturday morning visitation program. It is a joy to be able to tell others about a saviour that bled, died and rose again for them. Oh, how I wish to see souls saved through this ministry! Augusta is our Jerusalem. We need to seek and to save that which is lost. Amen.

Pictures of the tomb of George Whitfield

This is directly under the current pulpit.

Inside video of Old South Church

The Old South Church in Newburyport, MA was founded in 1742. George Whitfield preached many sermons at this church. Before his death on September 30, 1770, Whitfield asked that he be buried below the pulpit at the Old South Church. Upon his death his body was buried as he requested. In 1829 the church was remodeled and the bodies (of Whitfield and two others buried below the pulpit) were moved to their current resting spot. I will post some pictures of the tomb below the pulpit. You may ask why the big deal for a Baptist to research George Whitfield (a Congregationalist)? The reason: the Lord used Whitfield not only to lead tens of thousands of people to Christ, but to also re-awaken the churches of the colonies. With all of these hearts set ablaze, people started to dig deep into God's Word. Upon digging into God's word, many, many people were submitting to believers baptism in obedience to the Bible. Upon seeing so many non-Baptists convert to Baptist, Whitfield quipped "All my chickens have turned to ducks."

I have a chance to drive a Pastor around as he films a Baptist documentary today. Going to Newburyport, MA to start. Ill be taking many pics

Tonight at Church Hill Baptist we will be hosting Pastor Ryan Mcguire. He will be sharing the Word of God for us. Don't miss what God's doin

Mark 1:38 lived out through Isaac Case

Mark 1:38 "And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth." Here we see Pastor Wiley teaching the men of the institute about Isaac Case. Elder Case ,as he was known back then, was called of God while living in Reheboth, Massachusets. He followed his calling and preached his way up the coast into Maine. Keep in mind that he did not fly a plane, he did not drive his Lexus, he walked. This was before roads or maps even. He followed the coastline and preached his way to Thomaston, Maine. There he planted the First Baptist Church of Thomaston. He then helped plant churches all over Maine, New Hampshire and Canada. Over 300 Maine Baptist churches can trace their roots to Isaac Case.
When we look at Mark 1:38, we see the Lord Jesus Christ and his burden for preaching the Word in the "next towns". Isaac Case lived that same passion. Please remember that the same God that penned Mark 1:38 also used Isaac Case. That same God can use us today. God has not changed, people have changed. May we be sensitive to the call of God. Follow his perfect will and He will use you.

Small plane lands in Farmingdale field | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME

Small plane lands in Farmingdale field | The Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME

God's protection

This video was taken from the Cherokee 6 plane owned by the "Wings with the Word Ministries" and Pastor Todd Bell. The video was shot today around 9:30 am on our trip from Augusta to Sanford to assist with the project at the new Christian school in Sanford. On the ride home we had a little bit of turbulence but otherwise it was a good trip. Shortly after dropping us off in Augusta, Pastor Bell had to make an emergency landing. He safely landed in a field in Farmingdale after losing his engine. I want to take this moment to praise the LORD for his protection of Pastor Bell, Pastor Wiley, Brother Tim Wood and myself. I want to stress that Pastor Bell landed safely. God's protection is so amazing. My wife may be a little stressed out but she also is praising God. I can't wait to take another trip with Pastor Bell. Praise God!

Sunday June 6, 2010

What a great Lord's day we had at Church Hill Baptist! We had two ladies follow the Lord's command into believers baptism. April and Robin are each now members of our church. I also had the fantastic blessing of leading 6 year old Ian to the Lord this morning. I was so happy that I had that opportunity! There's another one the devil won't get! We have a busy week ahead as I go on the route on Monday, Sanford on Tuesday, Institute on Tuesday night, welcoming guest Preacher on Wednesday, route on Thursday and who knows Friday and Saturday yet? I praise the Lord for how he is moving amongst us at Church Hill Baptist!

Sunday May 30,2010

Wow! Praise the Lord! God moved in power and great glory today at Church Hill Baptist Church! In the morning service the Lord gave us 4 to be baptized. What an absolute blessing it is to see the Lord adding to His church! We also had boys of 10 and 13 years old preach for us. We believe that we need to give these boys the opportunity to preach! After all, if we desire to have men called out of our church to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ we need to start them young. I praise God for the vision He has given CHB and Pastor Wiley! To see God's plan coming together is so fantastic. Speaking of Pastor Wiley, he preached a great message this morning out of Matthew 9. I praise God for the faithful Man of God He has given us. The afternoon service was also very special as we had two girls, 8 and 5 years old, reciting Hebrews chapter 11 (yes the entire chapter) without any help what so ever! Again, Pastor Wiley preached an awesome message out of Matthew 5.
The afternoon service gave us an opportunity to go to another church's evening service. We decided on Wednesday that we would be going to Bible Baptist Church in Unity, Maine. Pastor Nathan Pelkey, upon hearing I would be visiting, invited me to preach for them and I did just that. The Lord gave me liberty and I preached out of the 78th Psalm. What a blessed day! Oh, how great it is to serve the LORD!

Thursday May 27, 2010

What a blessed day yesterday! My day started out at the doctor's office. It was a blessing to hear that my vital statistics are doing very well. When your doctor says "whatever you are doing, keep doing it" you know that something is going right. I praise God for my health. After that it was to church to attempt to fix the main recording computer. Unfortunately the computer does not look good and we may need to replace it. Last night's service was another blessing as we heard great preaching out of the 37th Psalm. The prayer time after the service was great. I love breaking up into groups and praying. What a way to bring our congregation together.
Today it is off to the computer repair man with that recording computer. We will then drop the kids off at my mother's while Paula and I go to the airport to pick up a precious family member of a local pastor. Then, well....... some quiet time with my beautiful wife! What a blessing it is to serve the King of Kings!!!

Tuesday May 25,2010

What a great day I had on yesterday! I woke up really early (3:15 am) so that I could still have some quiet time with the Lord before running the Pep Farm route with the current owner. I learned a lot yesterday about running the handheld computer and "picking" the orders. It was a profitable day on the route. After I arrived home (around 3:30 pm), I picked up the family and then we drove to church to set up for tonight's homeschool ministry closing celebration. Mmmmmmmm, hamburgers and hot dogs. Wow, I'm really suffering for Jesus! I look forward to all that is going to happen over the next two weeks. God is MOVING in Maine and at Church Hill Baptist Church and I am so excite to be a part of it.

Sunday May 23, 2010

What a beautiful Lord's day morning this is. As I write this my heart is leaping within me. I am just so excited for what is to come.
My last day at Walmart was Thursday and it was a very touching send off. The Lord is good and the people at the store let me know how much they will miss me. It gave me a great opportunity to invite people to church and witness to them. I praise God for the opportunity to throw handfulls of Gospel seed on my way out. I do expect to see some of my former associates at Church Hill Baptist Church. I pray they will all get saved.
On Wednesday of last week (my second-to-last day) I received a call from Pepperidge Farms stating that the closing date was pushed back two weeks, from May 28 to June 11. This was a tough call to get, meaning it will be two weeks further until I get a paycheck (probably the first of July now). This means we need to go through the entire month of June with no paycheck. My fleshy self did what any unspiritual person would do and panicked. However, the Lord quickly reigned me back in and let me know it would be allright. Oh how I praise the Lord God and his provision for his people.
I look forward with great anticipation for what is to come! God is so good!

Church Hill Baptist helping out at New Heights Baptist Church plant in Bridgton

This is the truck that the Lord is providing for my bread / cracker route. I praise Him for his fantastic provision for us. God is so good!

New Heights Baptist Church

This morning we helped invite people to the opening week of services at New Heights Baptist Church in Bridgton. Pastor Carl Morrison coordinated the effort and, despite the rain, it was a real blessing.

Video Clip of Ashley's party

I got my wife this fancy video recorder for Mother's day, but it seems that Daddy is kind of taking it over! This is a clip from our birthday party today for our now 12 year old daugher Ashley. I figured it would be a good test to see if this upload process works.

Here it is!

On October 17,2008 at the "First Annual Maine Church Planters Conference" at Calvary Baptist Church in Sanford, Maine, the Lord called me to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. For a very long time I have been studying and learning from Pastor Wiley. I have even had many chances to preach. All that time I did not know what the specifics of my calling would be, until late last summer. The Lord planted it in my heart that I would be associate Pastor of Church Hill Baptist Church. Since that time I have been praying about how the Lord would have me to make the transition from retail to the ministry. Well....... the Lord has presented me an opportunity to purchase a bread route selling Pepperidge Farms bread and crackers (you know......Goldfish and Milano's). I have been approved for the purchase and my closing date is May 28. This means that on Monday morning I will be giving my two week notice to the store.
The Lord did it!!!! I will be starting my duties at Church Hill Baptist shortly thereafter. Oh, how I have dreamed of this day! God is so good and I praise his HOLY NAME!

Exciting news coming soon...... I have some great news about my future.

Our new pulpit

Pastor Wiley stands behind the brand new hand-crafted pulpit for Church Hill Baptist Church. Pastor Todd Bell helped us aquire this beautiful pulpit. He has built countless other pulpits for Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches throughout the region. What a great friend in the ministry. I can't wait to "break it in"!

Upcoming events

Wow, what a blessed few weeks it has been at Church Hill Baptist! God has moved in fantastic ways and I praise his holy name! We have a lot coming up over the next few weeks and months. Here is a rundown:
This coming Saturday the Ladies are hosting the mother's tea. The theme is "Motherhood, a treasured heirloom". The guest speaker is Melba Fuller, wife of Pastor Cal Fuller. This is at 9:30 am.

Sunday May 2 Church Hill Baptist will be hosting Pastor Cal Fuller, as he opens up that blessed King James Bible and preaches to us.

In June we will be hosting singers from Heartland Baptist Bible College.

In July we will be having our vacation Bible school.

August 1 we will be starting our first class of our college. The Lord is leading Church Hill Baptist to be a hub for those men who are called to preach the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. What a blessing!

Visit www.churchhillbaptist.org and click on the calendar to see the entire year's worth of events. Plan your vacations around the events that you don't want to miss (hopefully you don't want to miss any of the events).

God is moving at Church Hill Baptist! We praise his holy name!

God is so good to me!

This is a picture of my birthday cake which my wife made for me. I jokingly told her earlier in the week that I wanted the cake to be a 1 a 6 a 1 and a 1 for the 1611 King James Bible. I was kidding, but my awesome wife decided to make the cake to surprise me. She did a great job. It looked great and tasted even greater. What a great conversation piece it was for some of our unsaved family members at the table. The Lord has blessed me with a great wife. I praise His name!

Our Baptist History

What a great couple of weeks it has been so far at Church Hill Baptist Church! On Resurrection Sunday two lost souls came forward and trusted Christ as their saviour after a passionate message preached by Pastor Wiley. The Holy Spirit moved and conviction poured down like a summer thunder shower. Even those of us that are saved were moved by the message. What a blessing to find out that during that same message, we had 9 young souls trust Christ downstairs in Superchurch! Oh, what a tremendous day it was.
This week began our spring revival services. What a blessing it is to have Bro Jeff Faggart in our presence to preach and teach. We have such a deep and rich heritage as Baptists. Many of us, myself included, never were taught the importance of our Baptist heritage, to our own detriment. We need to know where we came from to know where we are going. Bro Faggart, Pastor of Harvest Baptist Church in Kannapolis, NC, is also the head of the Baptist History Preservation Society. We will have all of his messages online at the bottom of this page, or on the Church Hill Baptist homepage www.churchhillbaptist.org
Why not listen live, with services at 7 following the mealtime at 6 here at Church Hill Baptist in Augusta! Hope to see you there!

Thursday April 1, 2010

I had a great opportunity to travel through some towns that I have never visited before. I drove up to Palmyra / Newport and went through Corinna, Dover-Foxcroft, Dexter and Guilford. What beautiful country. What a country that needs the Lord Jesus Christ. I am praying that the LORD will use us at Church Hill Baptist Church to turn out preachers to send to these areas. I am praying that very soon the LORD will use me to aid in that ministry. May the LORD continue to bless church planting in Maine. We are looking forward to another Independent, Fundamental Baptist Church being planted in Harrison, Maine. Brother Carl Morrison and family will be hosting the first services at "New Heights Baptist Church" in May. Oh how wonderful it is to see another family serve the LORD by planting a church. We need more soul winning, sin hating, KJV preaching, sold out, blood bought independent fundamental Baptist churches in Maine. You can help.
Pray for church planting efforts and men to answer the call.
Support ministries like "Wings with the Word / Next Towns Ministries" and Missionary Pastor Todd Bell, and Baptist Ministries and Pastor Ron Meldrum
Listen for the call of God on your own life. Too many people fail to answer when God calls them. I hate to quote a pagan company but when God calls you "just do it". If you surrender to the LORD, He will direct and guide you.

Rural Maine needs men of God preaching the Word of God. Is that man you?

It's official!

It is official, the Lord is using Church Hill Baptist Church to train up preachers to go out into the state and beyond! Beginning in August CHB will offer two courses: Bible Doctrine 1 and Old Testament Survey. There will be much more information coming very soon. How exciting that there will be a good Independent, Fundamental, Bible Believing Baptist institution to send our young men (and career men as well) to prepare for the ministry! We know that Maine needs preachers of the gospel. On this very blog there have been many pictures of former churches that now sit empty. Ohhhh, that God would use Church Hill Baptist to help fill all of these pulpits once again! Our God is a great big God and He is working in Maine right now! Amen! Makes me feel like preachin'!

I will update soon from my laptop but great news from Oklahoma regarding the start of the Church Hill Baptist college. Official courses beginning in August!

Churches of the past.....

Here are two more former churches that now sit empty. I wonder what kind of churches these were. What kind of preaching took place there? Did the halls of these churches echo with the preaching of some of the famous men of God from the past? The top church is the Head Tide Church in Alna. The town of Alna is very special to me. I spent a majority of my childhood in Alna. In my 38 years today was the first time that I have ever driven up to take a look. I wanted to go inside, but nobody was home. What a beautiful church.
The bottom picture is a very historic church building in Wiscasset. This former church has since become the American Legion post. It is now for sale. I pray that somehow the Word of God will again echo through those historic timbers. The town of Wiscasset was my home for my late teenage years. It was the town of Wiscasset that I went to school. In addition I spent many years attending the Bible Baptist Church there.
These two church buildings may be beautiful, historic structures, but now that there is no man of God preaching the King James Bible there..... they are nothing but empty buildings. I know that God is doing something special in Maine again! May these empty buildings again echo with the preaching of God's Word.

A Brief Baptist History of Origins

A Brief Baptist History Of Origins

By Dr. Larry Landis



At one time all Baptists rejected the idea that Baptists are Protestants and at one time all Baptists believed that we sprang from the first church established by Jesus Christ while He was on this earth. The greatest theological minds among Baptists have always taught that the first church was a Baptist church; that all early apostolic churches were Baptist churches; and that originally all churches and Christians were Baptists. The greatest Baptist scholars, theologians and historians have believed and taught that the Baptist church was established by Jesus and His disciples upon the foundation laid by John the Baptist.

In 1894, Edward T. Hiscox wrote the New Directory for Baptist Churches. In this book, which for over 100 years has been a standard among Baptists, on pages 492-493, Hiscox wrote:

"Baptists have a history of which they need not be ashamed--a history of noble names and noble deeds, extending back through many ages, in which the present generation well may glory. From the days of John the Baptist until now, a great army of these witnesses for the truth, and martyrs for its sake, has illumined and honored the march of Christian history. The ages since Christ have known no purer, nobler lives, no braver, more faithful witnesses for the Gospel of Christ, no more glorious martyrs for its sake, than many of those who honor us by being called "our fathers in the faith".

In 1880, the great Baptist historian, author, lecturer, theologian and preacher, J. R. Graves, wrote in the foreword and dedication to his monumental work, Old Landmarkism:

"This little work is dedicated and it's dissemination throughout the denomination committed to every Baptist brother and sister and especially my brethren in the ministry and of the press in America, who love those principles for which our Baptist Fathers for 18 centuries suffered cruel mockings, bloody stripes, imprisonment, and martyrdoms . . ."

The well-respected Baptist apologist, J. M Carroll, whose book The Trail of Blood has been printed continuously since it was copyrighted in 1931, and whose numbers now reach well into the millions, says simply that it is "The History of Baptist Churches from the Time of Christ, Their Founder, to the Present Day".

In 1912, D. B. Ray authored the coveted treasure, Baptist Succession, a Handbook of Baptist History and in the preface, Dr. Ray wrote, "Baptists have, with one voice denied any connection with the Romish apostasy, and claimed their origin, as a church, from Jesus Christ and the apostles".

David Benedict, pastor of the Baptist Church in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, wrote his classic A General History of the Baptist Denomination, in 1813. All throughout the over 1200 pages of his monumental work, Mr. Benedict asserts that the Baptist denomination of his day was most assuredly the same as the church started by Jesus Christ Himself while He was on earth. He is most emphatic to state that the original church was a Baptist church.

Another venerable author, the Englishman William Jones, wrote The History of the Christian Church in 1812 and stated flatly, "the Waldenses were Baptists". These ancient people and their churches existed from the early 1300's to the beginning of the eighteenth century. This statement, at its worst, proves that Baptists have believed in their ancient existence. The Baptist ancestors of the Waldenses lived in the mountains of Piedmont in Northern Italy and France since from early in the second century A;D.

Yet another author, Charles B. Stovall, in his book, Baptist History and Succession, says:

"It will be seen that the Baptists claim the high antiquity of the commencement of the Christian church. They can trace a succession of those who have believed the same doctrine and administered the same ordinances directly, up to the Apostolic Age."

M. M. Munger, in his book, Baptist Churches from Jerusalem to North America, wrote:

"The intention of this little work is to show that from the time of Christ, beginning while He was on earth, the church of Christ has not failed to exist down to this present year of 1926. We have chosen this line of history as being the most simple and direct; Jerusalem, Rome, Britain (now Wales), to the North American colonies. . .Baptist church perpetuity is a proven fact."

And, of course, the testimony of the venerable G. H. Orchard, the great English Baptist wrote prior to 1855, A Concise History of Baptists from the time of Christ their Founder to the 18th Century.

Perhaps W. A. Jarrel said it best when he wrote in his book, Baptist Church Perpetuity or History in 1894, "the Baptist movement in history has always been back to the New Testament ... then it was about 150 A.D. that the first Baptist protest was raised by the Montanists".

Credible Baptist historians and theologians have both believed and taught that there is a direct link from the days of Christ and His apostles to the Baptist church of today. Though called by other names (i.e. Waldenisians, Novationists, Dontatists, Montanists, Paterines, Cathari, Paulicians, Arnoldists, Henricians, Albigenses, etc.), true Baptists subscribe to the idea that originally all churches were Baptist churches. Baptists who deny this historical position and indisputable fact are of modern origin and thought. Certainly they do not reflect the doctrine of church (Baptist) perpetuity as was so universally believed among Baptists of previous generations.

These, along with countless scores of others, have been faithful to the end to proclaim the "tenets" of our faith and the glorious history of the Baptist church. Although basically passed from church to church, this belief was argued vehemently as early as 1640 when William Kiffin, who for sixty-one years (1640-1701) pastored the Baptist church in Devonshire Square in London who wrote an essay defending the Baptist position of exclusion at the Lord's Table (Communion).

But do not think for one moment that Baptists have arrogantly propagated this opinion of themselves alone. Many of our adversaries and detractors have also testified as to the antiquity of the Baptist faith. Some, who out of the hatred in their hearts for these people called Baptists, have unwittingly given credibility to our illustrious history.

Roman Catholic Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius, President of the Council of Trent in 1524, said, "Were it not that the Baptists have been grievously tormented and cut off with the knife during the past twelve hundred years, they would swarm in greater number than all the Reformers." This Roman Catholic Cardinal in charge of anathematizing Bible believers acknowledged that the Baptists had existed as far back as 324 A.D.

Even the principal Lutheran historian, Johann Laurenz von Mosheim, wrote, "Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, there lay secreted in almost all of the countries of Europe persons who adhered tenaciously to the principles of modern Dutch Baptists."

The Edinburgh Encyclopedia, a Presbyterian publication, speaking of Tertullian who was born just fifty years after the death of the Apostle John states:

"It must have already occurred to our readers that the Baptists are the same sect of Christians that were formerly described as Ana-Baptists. Indeed this seems to have been their leading principle from the time of Tertullian to the present time."

Other renowned scholars and writers, some knowingly, some cluelessly, have lent their support to the notion that the original church of Christendom was a Baptist church.

Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575), the aide and successor to the reformer Zwingli admitted that as contrary as the doctrine was, this doctrine of the Baptists persisted from the days of the Apostles.

Peter Allix, the learned scholar and historian of the Church of England, "furnishes us a list of thirty-three errors charged against this people by the Jacobite priest Raynerius" from his work first published in 1690.

Rainerius Saccho was a thirteenth century monk and sworn enemy of the Waldensian Baptists.

Famed English scientist, Sir Isaac Newton, wrote, "The modern Baptists formerly called Anabaptists are the only people that never symbolized with the Papacy." He thus admits that the beginning of this illustrious group of Christians began sometime before the Roman Catholic system.

Testimonies to this fact can also be extracted from the writings of such great minds as those of Professor David Masson of Edinburgh University (1822-1907); William C. King, editor of Crossing the Centuries; Robert Barclay the Quaker theologian (1648-1690); and Alexander Campbell, founder of the Churches of Christ.

Respected American educator and historian, John Clarke Ridpath, a Methodist, and professor for sixteen years of what is now known as De Pauw University said, "I should not readily admit that there was a Baptist Church as far back as A.D. 100, although without doubt there were Baptists then, as all Christians were then Baptists."

Perhaps the most excellent testimony to the antiquity of the people called "Baptists" comes from the very unlikely source of Doctors A. Ypeij and J. J. Dermout, Chaplain to the King of Holland. In 1819 these men received a royal commission to prepare a history of the Dutch Reformed Church. This history, prepared under royal sanction, and officially published, contains the following testimony to the origin of the Baptists:

"We have now seen that the Baptists, who were formerly called Anabaptists ... were the original Waldenses ... On this account, the Baptists may be considered as the only religious community which has stood since the days of the apostles, and as a Christian society which has preserved pure the doctrines of the gospel through all ages. The perfectly correct external and internal economy of the Baptist denomination tends to confirm the truth, disputed by the Romish Church, that the Reformation brought about in the sixteenth century was in the highest degree necessary, and at the same time goes to refute the erroneous notion of the Catholics, that their denomination is the most ancient."

From the pages of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, we are able to prove that the "tenets" of our faith began with John the Baptist and Jesus Christ Himself. We are able to establish that Baptists for centuries have laid claim to be the original church, the one started by Jesus on the foundation set by John the Baptist. And, even though many of these men hated the Baptists they have attributed the beginning of the church to the Baptists.

Are you a baptist or a Baptist?

As I write this I am listening to a great sermon on Baptist history. It was preached at Southwest Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, OK by Bro. Dave McCracken. If you go to www.history.landmarkbiblebaptist.net and look in the upper left hand side of the page for this Baptist sermon. As I listen the question comes to my mind "are you a baptist or a Baptist?". Some may not understand what I am asking. Here it is in a more simple language: do you believe that the Baptist church is THE New Testament church? Do you believe that the Baptist church was borne out of the reformation? Do you believe that Baptists are "protestants"?
For many years I was a baptist. I did not really know why I attended a Baptist church, besides "that's where I have always gone". Over the last three years I have learned a lot about the Baptist church and why I am a Baptist.
Here are the scriptural answers to the questions above:
1. The foundation of the Baptist church was Jesus Christ himself. When Jesus was baptized, he was not just baptized by any old person. He was baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus Christ walked over 60 miles from Galilee to Jordan (Matthew 3:13) to seek the baptism of John the Baptist. In Matthew 3:16-17 we see that God the father and the Holy Spirit were all "well pleased". Jesus Christ was baptized by immersion (note in Matthew 3:16 he "went up straightway out of the water") by John the Baptist. I would further note that John was not given the title Baptist because he baptized people, this title was given of God (John 1:6). Jesus Christ was baptized by a Baptist.
2. Jesus Christ called his 12 apostles and the original church was born. In Mark 3:7 we read that a "great multitude" followed him. Jesus Christ had many followers. We then read that Jesus Christ called 12 out of the multitude and ordained them. Note that the Greek word for church is ecclesia or "a called out assembly". Jesus Christ called out the apostles, who were all not only baptized believers, they had the "baptism of John" (Acts 1:21-26). Many, many people believe that the church was started at pentecost, but that is not so. The church had began with the calling out of the 12 apostles. Note that in Acts 2:41 we read "and there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Understand that in the Word of God there are no wasted words whatsoever. The words "unto them" are very important. Unto who? Unto the Baptist church. The church began before pentecost and it was a Baptist church.
So again I ask, are you a baptist? or are you a sold out, blood bought, soul winning, separated, sin hating, shouting glad, independent fundamental Baptist?
Do you want more information? You can go to www.history.landmarkbiblebaptist.net


I am a Baptist!

Accusations toward Jesus Christ

Pastor Wiley preached a hot message last night entitled "Accusations toward Jesus Christ". It is well worth the listen. The King James Bible is the very word of God and in this sermon the Preacher takes three passages (of the many) where "new versions" accuse Jesus Christ of being in danger of judgement, along with many other things. You can download the sermon at the bottom of this page or you can go to www.sermon.net/churchhillbaptist to download.

Vacant Waldoboro church

Here is another example of a church that has closed it's doors. Every time I see one of these former churches it makes me very sad. I am encouraged by the recent movement in Maine. Independent Fundamental Baptist churches are being planted throughout the state and it is very exciting. Seeing pictures like this should stir your soul. What are you doing to help spread the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ? Maybe this old church will again hold old time style meetings where the hymns are sung and the preaching of the Word of God will bring conviction and change lives. Are you prepared for it?

The Lord is moving!

Oh, how I praise the Lord. He is moving in a tremendous way in my life. I had the opportunity to be "Pastor for the day" on January 31. What a thrill it was to be able to teach adult Sunday School and preach on Sunday morning and night. I am so glad that the Lord places such a distinction between preaching (Isaiah 58:1, Jeremiah 1:10) and teaching. The teaching of God's word is a very good thing. We all definitely need good solid Bible teaching. There is something very special about preaching. We need preaching. We need to hear the man of God open up that blessed King James and preach "The Word of God Declares....!" Preaching has authority. When I became serious about serving the Lord he instilled in me a love for preaching. Instead of the wicked "Christian" contemporary music I was listening to, he opened my eyes and my heart to the preaching of the word of God. The Lord placed me in a church where the preaching of that old King James Bible is the #1 ministry. When someone asks me about Church Hill Baptist, the first thing I tell them about is the preaching. Yes, I love the music ministry where the good old hymns of the faith are played and sung with passion. Yes, I have a deep love for all of my church family. But it is the preaching that is the greatest thing about Church Hill Baptist. Having the opportunity to listen to great preaching is a precious gift from the Lord. Being called to preach the blessed Word of God is beyond my wildest dreams. Like my previous post "I'd rather have Jesus" than anything this world offers.
Yes, the Lord is moving in my life. I just can't wait for what is to come.

I'd Rather Have Jesus

Many of today's "churches" have abandoned the classic hymns of the faith for new, generic songs that just say the same 11 words 7 times in a row. I praise the Lord that Church Hill Baptist is a church where the old-time hymns are still sang with passion. One of my favorite hymns is the song "I'd Rather Have Jesus". It was written in 1922 by Rhea Miller.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I'd rather be His than have riches untold; I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands, I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

Than to be the king of a vast domain And be held in sin's dread sway; I'd rather have Jesus than anything this World affords today.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause, I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause; I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame, I'd rather be true to His holy name.

Than to be the king of a vast domain And be held in sin's dread sway; I'd rather have Jesus than anything this World affords today.

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom, He's sweeter than honey from out the comb; He's all that my hungering spirit needs, I'd rather be His and let Him lead.

Than to be the king of a vast domain And be held in sin's dread sway; I'd rather have Jesus than anything this World affords today.


Amen!

What is your vision for 2010?

Proverbs 29:18 "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the Law, happy is he."

We all know that it is Biblical to have a vision. This is a good concept that applies in so many ways. In order to be successful in any undertaking, one must have a vision. If we don't know what the destination is, how will we get anywhere? If we don't know what the goal is, how will we ever measure success? This applies in all areas of life. Every company, big or small, has a vision. Often times success hinges on that vision itself. Sometimes the vision is just too big and broad to truly be useful. For example "Sales will be through the roof". What can you get from that statement? What defines "through the roof". Is that more sales than last year? What will define success? Your vision must be clear. It also should be simple. I listened to a sermon preached by Pastor Todd Bell on Habakkuk 2:2. "And the LORD answered me and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." You should make the vision "plain" or simple. Don't make some convoluted vision that would take a PHD to understand. Simple.
What goals do you have for 2010? How many people will you witness to this year? This month? This week? How will you serve the Lord this year? How will you be a blessing to others in your church body this year?
We are now 7 days into the new year. It is time to "write the vision".