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.
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.
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.
Last Sunday, we finished the introduction to the book of Daniel in our morning worship service. Together we noted that our God is a God of Consequences, a God of Current Events, and a God of Details. Make your plans to join us each Sunday morning this summer at 10:30 a.m. as we explore this prophetic book. When most people think about the book of Daniel, they think about the Lion's Den, the Fiery Furnace, or the Handwriting on the Wall. Certainly there is plenty of action in the book, but there is also insight into the character of our God seen both through His work in the past and His intended work in the future.
Our desire is to worship God through knowledge of Him. The journey this summer will be practical, personal, and challenging. In times like these, it is easy to let the focus of life be on ourselves and everything that is going on around us. I'm asking you to take a step back and look at the big picture through God's perspective. The Old Testament will come alive before your very eyes, if you have a ready heart and ears to hear the mind of God.
Do something this summer to help you put life in perspective for the fall, join us for worship each Sunday morning.
Members, Friends, and Neighbors of Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church,
I would like to invite you to attend a special service at our church this Sunday, April 25. We are celebrating Homecoming. What that means is that you can expect a family atmosphere. If it's been a long time since you have attended one of our services, come and see what has changed and what has stayed the same. Last summer, we completed a significant remodel of the auditorium. The year before that, we were finally able to complete our family life center. It may just be time for you to come back home, or perhaps it's time to find a church home.
This Sunday, we will only be having one service in the morning, starting at 10:30 a.m. The service will be special because we have classically trained singers Ray and Ann Gibbs doing a sacred music concert for us. The Gibbs have sung professionally all across the country as well as having taught music on the undergraduate and graduate levels. During the service, they will give their testimonies about how they came to know the Lord. Join us for an amazing time of worship.
After the morning service, please stay and be our guest for an old-fashioned covered dish dinner. We are asking our members to bring a main dish or side as well as a dessert and drink. The church will provide the plastic ware and plates. Experience tells me that this will be the best buffet in Pensacola this Sunday. In years past, we ate the dinner under the oak trees. Now we have the privilege of eating in the Family Life Center. If you really want to be nostalgic, feel free to eat outside on our new picnic tables. The Family Life Center will be open prior to the service for those wishing to plug in crock pots.
We would love to see you in church this Sunday. We are a growing independent Baptist church that places a premium on Godly worship, fellowship, and expositional preaching. We have a fresh perspective, yet we remain grounded in the truth. Come and see what God is doing at Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church.