Monday, January 31, 2011

Dr. Bob Taylor

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet a Godly man.  Dr. and Mrs. Bob Taylor are here in the Pensacola area and attended our church yesterday.  The Life Action Sunday School class gave Dr. Taylor a chance to speak.  It is a good thing for God's people to get together for fellowship.  We are happy for old friends that were able to see each other again.

Dr. Bob Taylor is the former Pastor of the Campus Church at PCC and is also the Pastor Emeritus of the Colonial Hills Baptist Church in the Indianapolis, IN area.  It is our privilege this coming Sunday, February 6, to have Dr. Taylor speak in all of our services.  If you are in the Pensacola area, our morning worship service starts at 10:30 a.m. and our evening service starts at 6:00 p.m.

For local pastors, Dr. Taylor will be speaking at our monthly Pastors Fellowship at Faith Baptist Church this Tuesday, February 1, at 8:00 a.m.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Tell Your Story

God's people need to be more conscious about the opportunities that they have to be a witness for Him. We bring glory to God when we tell the story of what He has done in our lives.  Most people who come to know Christ do it as a result of someone they know sharing what God has done for them.  The question that we have to ask ourselves is whether or not we believe the words of Jesus. Is there really only one way to get to heaven? If we believe that, then we need to tell our story.

It's pretty simple. Start with the phrase, "The greatest thing that ever happened in my life is ..." Tell someone what you were like before you came to know Jesus.  Don't glory in all the details.  Simply paint the picture that you were a sinner and then share what happened in your life that God used to get your attention.  You will be amazed at how people can relate. At this point, explain how you trusted Jesus to be your savior. Make sure you include the important details. You recognized that you were a sinner. You accepted that fact that because of your sin, you deserved to die and spend eternity separated from God. You believed that Jesus died on the cross to take your punishment and pay the penalty for your sin. Then as best as you knew how, you placed your trust in Jesus to be your savior.  Finally, share how your life is different since you became a follower of Jesus. You can be an encouragement to someone else that their life can be different if they will accept Jesus Christ to be their Savior.

Maybe after reading this you say, "That's too simple.  You've got to say more than that to lead someone to Christ."  What I'm talking about is being a witness.  Telling your story can open the door to you getting a chance to lead someone to Christ.  As long as you clearly tell people what you did to accept Christ, then you are giving enough information for them to make the same decision.  If you are really not sure that you have explained it right and the person you are talking to is truly interested, call your pastor or your Sunday school teacher.  There is no greater joy than to be able to lead someone to Christ.

I Love To Tell The Story!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Faith Cometh By Hearing

Recently, the phrase "Faith cometh by hearing" has taken on a new meaning to me.  I have encouraged people to read their Bibles for as long as I can remember preaching.  It's an easy thing to preach.  Everyone knows that we should do it. Regularly, we give a challenge at the beginning of a new year for people to attempt to read the whole Bible in the coming year.  All of the effort is worth it, even if only one person takes up the challenge.  The reality is that not near as many people as should read God's word do it regularly, let alone every day.

I have not abandoned trying to get people to read their Bibles, but I am accepting that it's just not going to happen for so many.  If that is the case, here is another idea.  We must regularly expose ourselves to God's word.  I have recently started listening to God's word when I am walking or running.  At first, I listened to fast paced music or something just to keep me distracted. Now, I am trying to do something meaningful with the time. I have found that the hour gives me a chance to clear my head and even meditate on Bible truth.  When I listen to the Scripture, I hear things that I have never seen.  It's not that my eyes never read the words.  My focus is different.

I am listening to a lightly dramatized reading of the Bible.  The narrator uses some personality and a little bit of a dramatic v.  The result has been that I hear what I have not seen, and I think about the words.  The Bible does say, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Try listening to God's word.  You too may find that you will hear what you have not seen.  If you struggle reading, try listening.  God wants His children to spend time in His word.  You will be amazed at what spending time in God's word will do to your life.  Give it a try.

Monday, January 17, 2011

5K Walk/Run

17 weeks ago my family and I made a significant life change.  We began a low-carb diet with specific portion controls and started a program of physical activity.  It has taken me 17 weeks to complete a 9 week regimine called Couch 2 5K.  My wife is still working through the program with me.  We are excited about the results to both our endurance and weight.  Our church family has been an amazing encouragement to both of us.

As a way of encouraging us, folks started asking what we were training for.  "What is your goal?" The suggestion was made that we could run in a 5K.  That was the start to a good idea. With several refinements in the idea, we put our minds to getting in good enough shape to do a 5K in celebration of our coming 40th birthdays. We have asked the church to walk or run with us on Saturday, March 5, at 8:30 a.m.

Several members of our church have agreed to participate and are already training.  Our goal is to get as many people from that church as possible to participate.  For those who are unable to walk or run, we have asked that they come out and cheer us on.  We could use help at water tables and with keeping track of times.  To celebrate the completion of the activity, we will have a big church breakfast. (I know, it sounds counter productive, but I expect that we will all have a good time).

If you are in the community and would like to participate, we would love to have you come out and cheer us on.  Better yet, when we start registering people, sign up to walk/run.  The activity is all about God's people doing something healthy as they have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ.

We are planning on getting a t-shirt made. We will have an award for all those who complete the course.