Working Together

Today, I had the joy of working alongside many of the members of our church.  We all played our parts. No one was above anyone else. No one matterred more.  We worked together.  It is truly amazing what God's people can accomplish when they work together.

Our hearts are full as as we dream of what God will do through us. To those who are taking part, enjoy the process. This is the joy of the ministry.  May each generation in our church enjoy this kind of fellowship with us. It is wonderful for brethren to dwell together and serve together in unity.

Outreach

The theme of this fall at our church is outreach.  Praise the Lord for three ladies who came to know Christ as their Savior at our Ladies Luncheon.  Our hearts were challenged as Brent Gellos and Mike Taylor spoke to us during our Outreach Conference.

Last Sunday, we had a 10 year old girl accept Christ in the morning service.  What is obvious is that God is still willing to save.  It's up to his people to share the gospel.  Join us as we organize to reach our community for Christ.

The next evangelistic event that we are working on is our Christmas play The Other Wise Man directed Ray Gibbs.  The whole church is coming together to form the cast, build the set, and stage the event on December 6-8.

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 Resurrection Sunday

This Sunday is one of the days out of the year that folks go to church.  Our church will celebrate the day with several different activities meant to remind us of the significance of the resurrection.  Some of our members will meet early for a sunrise service, we will have a special treasure hunt for the kids, and we will observe the Lord's Supper.  In the evening service, we will enjoy a dramatic presentation. 

For those who are believers, we worship together on Sunday's because of the resurrection.  There is a sense in which every Sunday is special.  The early church gathered on the first day of the week. This Sunday is special, but every Sunday is special.  If people come to church on a special day, we will be happy to share the truth of Jesus with them. If folks come just because it is a special day, to satisfy their consciences, they will be missing the real meaning of the resurrection.

As you celebrate Easter this year, make sure that the resurrection is what it is all about.  Next Sunday, make still all about the resurrection.  If Christ be not raised from the dead, our faith is in vain.

Now It Happened Like This

The book of Matthew begins the Christmas story by saying, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise."  We understand that phrase "was on this wise" to mean, "it happened like this."  What a comfort to know that God was in control of all the "this."  An additional comfort is knowing that He still is.

At this Christmas season, take time to look for God's hand at work. As it relates to the "things" of Jesus, they all happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. As it relates to us, if we know the Savior, He is working all "things" together for our good to conform us to His image.

The story of Jesus has now been told for over two thousand years.  It happened like this...  Our stories will be told for years to come.  Don't wait for the history books to write it down, recognize the hand of God at work.  He knew what He was doing with the "things" of His Son, and He knows what He is doing with you.

Christian Camp

Our young people just returned from a great week of camp at The Wilds in North Carolina. Praise the Lord for the decisions that were made. One young man in our group accepted Christ as his Savior. Camp is a unique environment where peer pressure is minimized, outside influences from the world are eliminated, and God's word is elevated. Our teens have benefited from the week every time we go. This year, we had the opportunity to hear Pastor Jim Schettler who pastored the Campus Church at PCC for many years. I am glad that my own children got a chance to hear the man that had such a great influence in my life while I was in college. His messages were full of energy and connected with the young people. Pray for our teens that they will continue in the decisions that they made. Praise the Lord for those who gave so that our youth could go to camp. Camp is an investment in the future of our church. As it relates to The Wilds, I wish that I could take every adult in the church. Perhaps we can get new sponsors to go every year. Perhaps we can talk folks into going to different conferences throughout the year. One thing is for sure, The Wilds is a special place.

Making Church Essential in 2012

January is about over.  The church has selected new officers for the coming year. We have seen our attendance on Sunday mornings go above 140 for the last four weeks in a row.  God is blessing the people known as Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church.

Our goal is to make church essential to the lives of our people this year.  When I talk about church, attendance is not really the main issue.  It is important, but church is much more than attendance.  May God help us to be the people that He wants us to be this year.  As we meet each other's needs and develop relationships for fellowship and ministry, the church becomes essential to our lives.

Recently, I read a statement about making the church essential that caught my eye.  The statement went something like this.  "It ought to be harder to leave a church than it is to join one."  In general, it is easy to leave a church.  Our hope is that we can develop a culture, through discipleship that keeps track of and supports our members.  We must get better at meeting the needs of the body of Christ.

As life changes and life stages change, we must grow in our knowledge of people.  The old adage says, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."  We do care.  Now we need to do a better job of showing it.  Can you think of any ways to demonstrate your care for the body of Christ?  Let's demonstrate that the church (people) is essential (can't live without it) this year.

Passionate People Welcome Here

I am in the process of learning how to understand and accept passionate people. In fact, I intend to do everything in my power to welcome passionate people to our church. God save us from those who don't care about something. As we continue our growth, we are seeking to develop a church culture that values passion.

The idea goes something like this. We start new ministries and try to talk people into participating because it is a good thing to do. After a while, it's like pulling teeth to keep people involved. They need someone to come along and use a bicycle pump to pump up their tire so they can go again. The cycle repeats over and over again. The result is frustration on the part of everyone involved. The need for constant pep talks demonstrates that their hearts are not in the activity.

Our new strategy is to figure out who our people are (What is your passion?) and match them with spiritual activity that is consistent with their gifts and passions. I don't have a desire to increase our participation and service each week by just 20-30%. My goal is to get as close to 100% participation in any given week as possible. (Every member serves God in a tangible way every week). God's people need to know what it is like to successfully serve Him on purpose each week. The satisfaction that comes from pleasing God is achievable by the whole church. To the extent that we can help those who have never purposefully served God on a regular basis see God use them in an area that they already enjoy, we can develop their appetite to be involved in other spiritual activities.

We need to be honest in our expectations and our communication about them. There are more ways to serve God each week than just going on door-to-door visitation, soul-winning, and bus visitation. Though these activities are commendable and a great way to put the command of the great commission into practice, I question the wisdom of acting like this is the first step toward maturity or even the ultimate step of maturity. Serving God has to be a way of life, and it has to be something that can be done no matter where one is or what one's skills or abilities are. Relationship with God is essential. Let's start by helping folks literally take the logical next step. Start where you are. The most important spiritual step that you can take today is the next one.

As to passionate people, passion is not the answer to every problem. In fact, it can create problems in the church. Passionate people don't always get along with other passionate people. Passionate people don't get why others don't share their passion. It takes work to work with passionate people. What is the solution to helping those with passion get along with others, it's the same as the solution to helping those who are not currently serving the Lord. Discipleship.

May God give us a passion to serve Him! Passionate people are welcome here.

Leaders as Servants

The time has come for us look at the way we do ministry.  Leading as a servant is not a new idea.  Books have been written that extoll the virtues of serving the people we lead.  Just about every pastor has read an article or attended a conference promoting servant leadership.  The words almost don’t even mean what the say anymore – we are used to them.  Sometimes, familiarity with a concept keeps us from practicing it.  There is no excitement in it.  Nothing new here.

Others in ministry aren’t convinced that the model works.  To be sure, it doesn’t work for them.  “I’m the leader; now follow me.” Much of the traditional, old-time fundamental movement functioned under this model.  It almost seems as if everyone in the organization or church existed for the benefit of the leader’s ministry. Certainly, there are many casualties that have been left in the wake of this kind of ministry.

To be fair, not every fundamental leader was cruel or egotistical.  Many men served with grace and dignity.  Those whose ministries were patterned after Christ avoided the excess of the caricature.  The fault lies not in conservative theology and practice but in the frailty of humanity. If I get in the way, it’s not Christ.  Ego and a desire for power have no place in the leadership of God’s people.

The approach that we should follow sounds like this, “I exist to serve the people of God.”  Don’t be confused.  This is not an argument to undermine the necessity of leadership.  It is a call to take leadership to the next level. One of the problems with the “old model” is that individuals viewed themselves as serving people by taking them somewhere.  The servant model of leadership would recognize that as backward thinking.

A servant leader helps people go where they need to go and do what they need to do.  The emphasis is on those being served not on those being led.  What’s the difference?  For one, it is an issue of development.  One could use the word discipleship.  Too many leaders are busy developing followers.  Ultimately, the goal is not to produce followers who do not think for themselves.  Servant leadership does not develop a ministry where the leader is essential to the future of the church.  Instead, it produces mature followers of Christ who do not need another leader to draw them close to Christ.

Don’t misunderstand me, God has a special role for the pastor in the life of the believer.  One’s style and method of leadership practiced in grace does not take away from spiritual authority.  What is enhanced is the opportunity to see people take the next step in their spiritual lives.

The emphasis of servant leadership is on serving and not being served.  The life of a servant leader is one of sacrifice and placing another before one’s self. The leader truly is seeking the best for those in his care.  Best is not defined by crossing t’s and doting i's the same way.  Best is defined by assisting people to take the next step in their spiritual lives.  Best takes time. Best comes in small increments. Best is messy.

Sounds like work!

PFEBC New Church Website

Our church website continues to be a work in progress.  After a few technical difficulties, we were able to get it online after the Sunday evening service.  Undoubtedly, there are glitches.  We have been working on them for a while.  If you notice some, please let me know.  We will fix them as quickly as we can.

Many of the pictures are still stock photo's that came with the template.  We will be adding more of our own over the next week or so.  We will also be revealing a membership only section in our services in the next week or two.  Members can expect to be able to see church bulletins, prayer lists, and other member specific information like a church directory.  I am excited about the upcoming events box that is located on the home page.  I trust that visiting the site will become a regular part of our member's week.

If you have a suggestion for improvement, we are all ears.  Some ideas will take longer than others.  Special thanks to Larry Vance for his help in putting the site together and working through some of our technical difficulties.

http://www.pfebaptist.org/

Good News Club

The Lord has given us another opportunity to reach out to our community and make a difference in some one's life.  For the last three weeks, we have been able to host a Good News Club in a local elementary school.  To all those who have believed that it is not possible for a bible-believing church to be involved in the lives of children in the local school system, you should think again.

We arrive at the school by 2:00 p.m. each Friday with the permission of the parents, principal, and school district.  For about 45 minutes, we tutor reading in preparation for the FCAT exam.  After that we give the children a snack and begin our Good News Club.  We are using the CEF program and appreciate their assistance with training and credentials.

The club requires a significant amount of participation on the part of our church and friends, but it has been worth it. Six children have come to know Christ as their Savior in the last three weeks. We are averaging over 30 children in attendance each week.  As we pray that things continue to go well, we are trusting that other churches in the area will be able to host a club next year as well.  Pray with us.

From my perspective, it is time for us to look for ways to be involved in our community.  Too often, our "come out from among them, and be ye separate" has resulted in "us four and no more."  We run the club and control the environment.  I could not be more pleased with the results.

What are you doing to make a difference for eternity where you are?

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.

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!

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.

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.

Website Updates

We have made several enhancements to our church website http://www.pfebaptist.org/ this week. One key improvement is the inclusion of a usable calendar for church events. In the coming days, we will have login options on the calendar page for those who are part of the music ministry, work in the nursery, and serve in leadership roles in the church. This will allow us to post ministry service schedules in a location that can be easily viewed from your web browser.

If you are a member of Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church, put the church website in your favorites folder and visit often. The more times we can get people to view our site per day, the higher our rankings will be in search engines. Just for fun, look us up at http://www.yp.com/ under independent Baptist churches in Pensacola. If you have something good to say about the church, log in and leave a positive review. This also will help us remain at the top of the list when folks search for an independent Baptist church in our area.

We are open to suggestions for improvement. In the coming days, we hope to have a members login section so that you could view the church bulletin and have access to other membership information.

The Yellow Pages

As we continue to improve our effectiveness at online advertising, I would like your help. Please visit the following link http://www.yp.com/ and look up Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church. A Yellow Pages consultant suggested that if we could get some good reviews posted to the listing, it will help our ratings in search engines such as google, yahoo, etc. Be the first to rate Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church. Help us reach more people.

Missionary Heroes

It was my privilege to visit some wonderful missionaries in Haiti a little over a year ago. Since that time, they have continued to faithfully serve the Lord. I count it a great privilege to have met Don and Bridgette Dryden. It was wonderful to become reacquainted with their son Benji and his wife Kerri. At this year's Spiritual Leadership Conference in Lancaster, CA the Dryden's were given the World Harvest Award for 35 years of pioneering work in Haiti. Take a look at this link http://vimeo.com/13344911 and be challenged by what God can do through individuals who are committed to Him.

A Week at Camp

Well, the week is about half way over. Everyone has survived and is having a good time. The preaching of Tom Farrell has been excellent; we will have him at our church in 2012. The Wilds truly is a wonderful place to get alone with God. For those who have campers at The Wilds this week, visit their website at www.wilds.org to see pictures of this week's activities. They will post even more pictures this weekend.

I have to admit, there is just something special about hearing 1,100 campers and sponsors along with hundreds of support staff singing God honoring, traditional, conservative music that thrills my heart. For those of you who have not had a chance to hear teenagers enjoying a music service, you have to visit here some day. I wish I could take all of this home with us and let the whole church hear these kids sing. Forget about the popular styles of today, this is awesome. It's too bad that some ministries are turning away from this kind of music and leaning towards more secular styles. There will always be a place in my heart for the music of The Wilds.

It has been good for the campers, and all of us, to get away from our normal activities. Some of the kids are having withdrawal symptoms from being deprived of electronic devices for a few days. Just joking! It is good to be in a controlled atmosphere for preaching where the Holy Spirit has time to work in our lives. It is also good for the campers to be removed from the peer pressure of friends who are not here. Pray that God continues to work.

It has been good to see some friends from college days. It's nice to run into friends in ministry, and this is a great place for fellowship. Pray that the Lord gives us safety as we travel home on Saturday.

America and Christianity

For the record, I am a Christian. What I mean by that is that I have recognized that I am a sinner. I believe that because of my sin, I deserve to die and go to a place called hell. I also believe that God sent his Son to die on the cross and pay the penalty for my sin (death) and take my place so that I could have eternal life with Him in heaven. I have placed my faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again. I am trusting Jesus as my Savior. According to the Bible, I have the promise of eternal life. I am a Christian.

I am grateful to live in the United States of America. I love America. I believe that America has experienced tremendous blessing from God. There are many individuals in America's history that are worthy of recognition and praise for their faithfulness to and trust in the God of the Bible. I am thankful that much of America's foundation was based upon Bible principles. I am thankful for those who have gone out from America to share the gospel with those in other lands who did not have it.

I recognize the need to stand up for truth. Historically, American culture has held up with reverence those who proclaimed truth. I wish that were still true today. I am not offended by those who seek to attribute godly motives to American leaders of previous generations. I would like to think that there were better days than today, that there was a time when the godly served as a restraint to evil in the world around them. I would love to think that America in some way was a restraining force to evil in the world. Patriotic holidays have the tendency to bring back nostalgia for the good old days. I would have loved to attend a camp meeting of days gone by where the preaching was hot and the singing lifted the tents. I have dreamed about what it would have been like to live during one of the Great Awakenings. There have been times that America turned to God. America has known revival. America has been Christian.

America has changed. It is not that we now find ourselves with government leaders who are secular. America has always had secular leaders. This is not the first time that America has changed. America changes with each new generation. We are the product of what we have taught as a nation. We now teach a tolerance for evil. That has not always been true in America. In days gone by, most unbelievers were still shy to identify with what society viewed as being immoral. There are not many things left that society believes to be immoral. Today, America is not culturally Christian. I think our President is correct in saying that. What a shame! Our courts and our laws reflect who we have become. They have not made us who we are.

For the record, there is no other place I would rather live in this entire world than the United States of America. There is a place that I will live someday that is better. That place is heaven. America is a great land, but she is not the next best thing to heaven. No place is a next best thing to heaven. We cannot compare the glories of heaven in the presence of God Himself, where there is no evil, to even the best of circumstances in this life. Maybe, we can identify with the words of the song, "This world is not my home …"

I pray for America. It may be selfish, but I want to experience God's blessing in America. When I read the Bible, I do wonder at times how God can bless America. We know that we are not the nation of Israel, but some people like to compare us to God's chosen people. In days gone by, when they sinned, GOD JUDGED. When His people turned to Him, then He healed their land. America is going in the wrong direction. If she does not turn towards God, she will face the same sure judgment of every other godless people. – Don't let those words shock you. The God of all the earth will always do right.

The solution for America is not new laws, new judges, or new political leaders. The solution for America is found in the heart of her people. If they will turn to God, He will bless. I dream of a Christian America. I don't dream of it being Christian by coercion or decree. God is still in the saving business, but He has chosen to use Christians to tell of Christ. What are we doing to tell the world, to tell America about Christ? We are already in danger of becoming the land that needs foreigners to come to our shores and tell us of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You say that could never happen. –It happened to England. –It happened to Scotland. It is never a bad thing for people to come and share the truth. It is just sad that others would feel the need when we used to be the people that told others. Let's do our part.

Ideas to Consider for Local Church Outreach

The following article which can be found in its entirety at http://baptistbulletin.org/?p=7155, contains suggestions we should consider as we continue to develop our outreach strategy. Tell me what you think.

Leader's Digest: 8 Areas of Local Church Outreach

Every church should make evangelism a ministry priority. But getting organized and strategic is the challenge! Here's my recommendation: Start with at least one initiative in each of the eight areas outlined below, even if it's just one small effort at the beginning. Then set annual goals in each area as resources become available. Variety and balance are the ultimate goals!

1. Visibility ministries.

Many churches are their communities' best kept secret! Visibility ministries allow the church to be "visible" in the community through publicity, signage, and caring efforts.

2. Compassion ministries.

These ministries mobilize the church family to demonstrate God's love in practical ways in the community, focusing on food and clothing distribution, crisis financial assistance, public school tutoring, community cleanup projects, and so forth.

3. Way-of-life ministries.

Through workshops, Sunday School classes, or small groups, these ministries seek to train people to share Christ in the context of their everyday relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

4. Harvesting ministries.

These ministries focus on specifically sharing the content of the gospel and encouraging salvation decisions through ministries like evangelistic Bible studies, door-to-door contacts, and evangelistic services.

5. Discipleship ministries.

Two main categories make up discipleship ministries: the initial follow-up of new believers as they are grounded in the faith, and upper-level discipleship ministries for believers who have laid the necessary foundation and who desire to grow toward maturity.

6. Assimilation ministries.

These ministries relate to the church's desire to assimilate people into the membership and ministry of the church. They focus on efforts to "grow" people from being visitors to committed, serving members in the church.

7. Special-event ministries.

These are single, onetime outreach events such as Christmas and Easter programs, Mother's and Father's Day events, church open houses, and Friend Days.

8. Target ministries.

These ongoing ministries specifically target a segment of the community that can be reached with the gospel. For example, churches in college communities can target students. Other churches could target senior adults, fire and police personnel, international students, the homeless, or businesspeople.

Jim Vogel (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) was a pastor for 30 years before becoming associate national representative of the GARBC.