"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....."
Monday, September 20, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
"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.
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.
Friday, August 6, 2010
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."
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."
Saturday, July 31, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
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!
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!