The Pastor’s File

I was just made aware of an important day that is being organized by First Baptist Church in Santa Maria, California.  The church is setting aside Thursday, October 15th as a day to fast a pray for revival amongst God’s people.  They are also encouraging other churches and individual believers to commit to spending the day in prayer and fasting with them.  Gospel Light Baptist Church is going to join them in this effort, and I would like to encourage other believers and churches who long for revival to consider joining as well.

More details can be found at a special website they have established for this day.  Those who will be participating are encouraged to sign up on the site.

http://www.hartforrevival.com/

Here are some guidelines taken from the HART for Revival website:

Habakkuk 3:2
O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

1. Pray that Lord would revive His people — that Christians would become saturated with their God, turn from their sin and live fully the victorious Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Pray that the Lord would revive His Church — that He would purify and empower the Church as a united whole and the body of local believers to impact their world for His glory.
3. Pray that the Lord would make His reviving presence known to His people that are thirsty for Him and through His people to an unbelieving world.
4. Pray for a great harvest of souls and healthy churches where those souls can be properly nourished.
5. Pray for our nation, that we would see a Great Awakening in the midst of our years.
6. Pray for God’s mercy, as our sin deserve His judgment. May we be broken, contrite, and humble.

Can you commit to prayer for revival on this day.  If so, go sign up now!

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. ” - Job 1:1

A I began to read the book of Job this week, I came to the familiar verse that opens the book and introduces us to its main character.  I was struck with the fact that Job’s life was summarized by God in a single verse of twenty-eight words.  I thought  for a while on how God would summarize my life in only one verse..

Every Christian should be challenged and motivated by this potent description of the man Job.

1.  He was perfect.  The Biblical concept of being perfect is (more…)

I was recently asked to take part in a panel discussion during the IFBAM Baptist Builders Conference at Faith Baptist Church in Warren , Michigan. In preparation for this panel discussion, the host pastor Dr. Marty Marriot presented me with three questions he would like the panel to address. I would like to take the next three posts and discuss these questions.

Question #1 - Why do we need more churches?

This question is extremely important, because its answer strikes at the heart of our motivation in church planting. In a nation such as the USA is there a legitimate need to start more churches? I would have to answer that there absolutely is a need to plant more churches, and that need is actually expanding with each passing year.

The reason we need more churches is actually quite simple (more…)

It has commonly been said by preachers that if God calls you to be a preacher, you should never stoop to be the king. It appears however that Dr. Ian Paisley is about to become both. He has been an outspoken fundamentalist preacher for many decades, and now is posed to become the First Minister of Northern Ireland.

Dr. Paisley is surely not afraid of controversy. (more…)

A new ecumenical group of Christian churches was launched last Wednesday in Pasadena California. The group named “Christian Churches Together” is attempting to bring together representatives from all of the major religions in America that would consider themselves Christian. In a press release on their website, the CCT summarises their target membership and vision of unity:

Members of Christian Churches Together represent the “five families” of Christianity in the U.S., according to the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America and chair of the CCT steering committee. The five faith families are Evangelical/Pentecostal, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Racial/Ethnic.

The CCT bylaws affirm the desire to “be together:” (1) celebrate a common confession of faith in the Triune God; (2) discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer and theological dialogue; (3) provide fellowship and mutual support; (4) seek better mutual understanding; (5) foster evangelism faithful to the Gospel; (6) speak to society with a common voice; and (7) promote the common good. (http://www.christianchurchestogether.org/news/070205.html)

While the stated goals may seem noble, they are not really possible. The truth of the Scriptures is absolute, and it must be our standard of unity. True Biblical unity is always based in truth (more…)

Balthasar Hubmaier was one of the most influential leaders of the Anabaptist Movement of the sixteenth century. He often closed his writings with the statement, “Truth is immortal.” Or as it has sometimes been translated, “Truth is unkillable.”

One of his most influential works was: Concerning Heretics and Those Who Burn Them (1524). In this treatise, he demonstrates that the gospel of Christ does not allow for coercion, but persuasion. A man must be persuaded in his conscience to trust Christ and become His disciple. He insisted that the state had no right to interfere with religious matters, and that every man must decide for himself what he would do with the Saviour. He even extended this religious freedom to atheists, consider the following quote: “It is well and good that the secular authority puts to death the criminals who do physical harm to the defenseless, Romans 13. But no one may injure the atheist who wishes nothing for himself other than to forsake the gospel.” (Estep, Anabaptist Beginnings, p. 51)

Because Hubmaier would not give up his belief in the truth (more…)