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!

I would have to agree with Representative Tom Price of Georgia who stated, “The inclusion of ‘thought crimes’ legislation in what is otherwise a bipartisan bill for troop funding is an absolute disgrace.”

No matter what you may think about “hate crimes legislation,” anyone can see it has nothing to do with defense funding. I am a firm believer that every citizen should have equal protection under the law. If a crime is committed against you, it should be punished equally. The victim’s race, religion, or sexual decisions should not enter into how a criminal is punished. A person is a person. Of course this legislation also carries huge implications for free speech rights of those who may not speak in politically correct sentences.

The Wall Street Journal Article may be read here:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125503856503174407.htm

“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 that of completeness.  Like us, Job had a variety of roles and responsibilities to fulfill, and he was found to be complete.  Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines this word as, “complete in moral excellencies.”  Albert Barnes explains, “It denotes that in which there is no part lacking to complete the whole - as in a watch in which no wheel is wanting.”

This should be a challenge to us to examine our lives and find the areas that are wanting.  What am I neglecting?  What has God instructed me to do that is not being done?  What part of my character is not developed as it should be?

2.  He was upright.  Job was a man of integrity.  He was honest, sincere, righteous, and principled.  A man that is upright is one that consistently acts upon a set of clear moral principles.  This virtue is becoming more difficult to find in our American culture, but for a disciple of Christ, uprightness must be his manner of walking through life.

Once again we are challenged to search our own character and find where this uprightness is lacking.  Do we live lives of moral principle.?  Do we act in a certain way because it is right?  We should not look for the comfortable, easy, popular, or profitable way.  We must always look for the right way and follow it because it is right, no matter the consequence.  Remember the LORD is more concerned with obedience than sacrifice, 1 Samuel 15:22.

3.  He feared God.  The fear of God is one of the most important virtues taught in the Scriptures.  However, it is one of the least understood and practiced virtues of this generation.  Noah Webster defined it this way:

“In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and His laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun everything that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience.”

I am convinced that if God’s people began to live in the proper fear of God, the church would see a revival unlike anything in recent history.  Our lives today are so removed from a fear of God that we have accepted lukewarmness as a way of life.  We must get in the Word and see the LORD for who He really is.  We must develop an awe of His holiness and exalted position above creation.  We must begin to be offended at sin once again.  We must shun anything that would offend the LORD and aim at perfect obedience to His will.

4.  He eschewed evil.  The word eschew simply means to flee from, shun, or avoid.  This character trait is a natural result of the fear of the Lord.  Where is the generation of Christians who avoid evil?  There are some who would push the borders of association with evil for the sake of evangelism or outreach.  I can applaud their motivation to reach more people, but their method is flawed.  We are called to eschew evil, not to befriend it.  Friendship with the world is enmity with God. - James 4:4

Some would argue that being serious about eschewing evil would offend many people, and turn off some to the gospel.  I would have to ask the question, Should we be primarily concerned with offending man or God?  We can love the lost without having to adopt or remain neutral to their evil ways.  The world’s problem is sin, and of all men, Christians must be serious about personal holiness.    We must eschew evil.

Job’s character is truly a challenge to me.  I hope it is a challenge to you.  Any thoughts?

I am trusting the Lord that this year holds great things for the cause of Christ in our world.  The purpose for this post is to introduce an exciting plan for Gospel Light Baptist Church in the coming year.  I would encourage everyone to join us as we “Walk Through the Word.”  

I have encouraged each person in the church to read through the Bible in chronological order over the course of one year.  My Sunday sermons will be primarily drawn from the previous week’s Scripture passages.  So in essence I will be preaching through the Bible in fifty-two weeks!  In these sermons I will only be able to cover a small fraction of the content of our reading.  Therefore, I am planning on posting additional thoughts and comments here on my blog.

Feel free to post questions or comments you may have on a passage.  If you have additional questions about a passage please email them to me at: pastor@gospellightludington.org.  They might just end up as a blog post.

For reading schedules and additional resources, you may visit the Gospel Light Baptist Church Website.  Would you consider joining us as we embark on our journey with the Lord and walk through His Word?

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. There are multitudes of communities across our nation without a Fundamental, Bible Preaching church. Though our modern technology and transportation have made our world seem smaller, there are many families without a doctrinally sound church within a reasonable distance of their homes.

Take for example Gospel Light Baptist Church. We planted the church in Ludington, the largest city in Mason County, Michigan. Our intent was to base from the larger city, and draw people from the smaller outlying communities. However we are actually drawing people from over 50 miles away! Why is this? Christians who are grounded in the faith are hungry for sound doctrinal preaching, and are willing to drive more than an hour to find such a church.

That may be fine for them, but the problem arises when they attempt to reach their local friends and neighbors with the gospel. The cost and inconvenience of attending a church so far from home is an obstacle that is too difficult for most to overcome. It is fine to invite your neighbors to special services down the street, but when the church is two counties away the invitation is rarely accepted.

The church is commanded to take the Gospel to the whole world (Matthew 28:19-20). Wherever the gospel is preached, believers are to be baptized and taught to observe the teachings of Christ. This commission must be done within the confines of a local church. A simple overview of the New Testament will reveal that if a community had a group of believers, the community had a church. We cannot expect Christians to be faithfully involved in the ministries of their local church if their church isn’t really local.

As long as there are communities without a faithful Bible preaching church, there will be a need for more churches to be planted. The current downgrade of doctrine, worship methods, and standards among our once fundamental churches is only multiplying the need for church planting. The truth of God’s Word is being forsaken at an alarming rate. It is time for our sound, fundamental churches to rise to the challenge and get involved in the cause of church planting!

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Adjusting from two children to three is no simple task, and we have been doing the best that could be expected. I have been collecting quite a bit of interesting blog material, but being the father of three children under the age of four, pastoring a church, and working as a web developer tends to leave little time for posting new information to the web.

It seems that things have quieted down and we are beginning to find our routine once again. I am endeavoring to be sure and fit writing new posts into that routine at least a few times a week. There is much happening in our world, and I believe there is much value in examining all things in the light of God’s immortal truth.

Dr. Paisley is surely not afraid of controversy. He started the Free Presbyterian Church in response to the liberalism and apostasy of the mainline denomination. He started the Democratic Unionist Party in opposition to the IRA and Irish Republican causes. He freely exposes the error of the church of Rome using terms such as ‘popery’ and ‘priestcraft.’ He even heckled Pope John Paul II as “Antichrist” during an address the European Parliament in the late 80’s(I wish I had been there to see it).

He has stood faithfully by the Word of God for his 81 years, and shows little sign of stopping anytime soon. He still enters the pulpit every Sunday to preach to the Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast. His messages are direct and powerful, and he still uses the Authorized Version. I have been greatly blessed by his preaching as well as his life’s testimony.

I wish him God’s blessing and direction as he enters this new era of progress in the History of Northern Ireland, and a new venue of service for Christ. What a day to see a Funadmentalist’s Funamentalist being elected to the highest office in the land. What great potential there is for a country governed by such a true man of God!

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 as opposed to a few points of similarity. Let me be very pointed here. If the Roman Catholic Church is correct in its teaching concerning man’s salvation, then I as a Baptist I am doomed to spend eternity in Hell. If one has to trust in the seven sacraments to gain Heaven, then I am surely a lost man. This would also mean that if the only requirement for salvation is faith in the person and work of Christ, then the Roman Church(and others) are clearly in error.

You see, things that are different are not the same. This may seem obvious to the beginning student of logic, but it is a truth that seems to have eluded the leadership of the CCT. I am not proposing that every Christian in America must agree on every detail of doctrine, however it would be impossible to unite with a man or group that has forsaken the basic foundations of Biblical truth. The Bible commands: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?“ - 2Corinthians 6:14

If I cannot even agree with a man on a doctrine as foundational as salvation, how could I ever unite with him for the cause of evangelism? It is impossible! We must beware of the call to unity at the expense of truth. While the Lord’s will is for his children to love one another and to experience unity; that unity must be found as we gather around His truth. I will be glad to unite, as long as that uniting is based upon the words of the infallible Word of God. Any other unity is treason to the truth, and in-fact it is attempting to join light with darkness, a practice that is clearly forbidden by God.

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 of the Scriptures he was burned at the stake on March 10, 1528, by the Roman Catholic authorities. However the truth that he stood for is still very alive today.

It is in this spirit that I stand where I do today. Hubmaier understood that God’s truth will stand. The simple fact that men do not accept the truth makes no difference. My understanding of a fact has absolutely no bearing on the fact itself. Men have ridiculed, scoffed, attacked, and tried to completely eradicate the Bible, but God has promised it will stand(Psalm 12:6-7; Psalm 119:89; Matthew 5:18; Luke 16:17). My purpose in the blog is not to purposely offend, but to examine issues in the light of God’s Holy Word. I cannot force any man to accept the truth of God, I can only declare the truth and do my best to persuade others of it. Every man will stand accountable to his Creator.

In spite of popular opinion, truth is not relative, it is absolute, and in fact it is immortal. You can kill the messenger of truth, but you can never kill the truth for which he is willing to die.