At Christianbook.com they have a sale on "The Bible Panorama." This is chapter by chapter guide to the whole Bible. I use it daily. It is concise, short and just enough to help you put all the parts of Scripture together. They have it on sale for 14 dollars which is a great price. I seriously recommend picking it you will not be sorry. Pastor Phillip
I day to day have to deal with trying not to get run over by huge ships. You don't how hard it is to a preacher some days. But, luckily I have found the book to help me out. It is called "How To Avoid Getting Hit By Huge Ships."The back cover says "If you have ever wondered what action to take to keep clear of a huge ships, this book will remove the doubt." The author is a Master Mariner and Deep Sea Towing Master, Licensed Panama Canal Pilot and Active Washington State Pilot.
So give it a read and see if you can become an expert at avoiding large objects in the water as well. Pastor Phillip
Do you remember you life before you were saved and then the change, (there should have been a change) afterward? This is a powerful part of your life, probably the most important day in your life.
How often do you share it? When was the last time you told someone about the day you were saved? Do you share more about fish you caught, football games, how knees hurt, and who is on your nerves? Try telling someone joyfully about your salvation experience. If you find you don’t have one, then you may need to do some praying to see if you have truly received Jesus or just practicing religion. I recently of a great man of God’s conversion experience.
Charles Spurgeon who was one of the greatest Baptist preachers of all time and he also shared his conversion story over 280 times in his preaching. He never got over the fact that God saved him. He said that prior to conversion he had a Christian upbringing (he was christened as an infant, and raised in the Congregational church), and he read the Bible and prayed daily, he did not know Jesus.
He describes his feeling prior as “I was years and years upon the brink of hell—I mean in my own feeling. I was unhappy, I was desponding, I was despairing. I dreamed of hell. My life was full of sorrow and wretchedness, believing that I was lost.”
But one day on a Sunday in January in1850 Spurgeon woke one with a deep sense of his need for deliverance. Because of a snowstorm, the 15-year-old’s path to church was diverted down a side street. For shelter, he ducked into the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Artillery Street. An unknown substitute lay preacher stepped into the pulpit and read his text—Isaiah 45:22—“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”
Spurgeon’s Autobiography records his reaction:
“He had not much to say, thank God, for that compelled him to keep on repeating his text, and there was nothing needed—by me, at any rate except his text. Then, stopping, he pointed to where I was sitting under the gallery, and he said, ‘That young man there looks very miserable’ … and he shouted, as I think only a Primitive Methodist can, ‘Look! Look, young man! Look now!’ … Then I had this vision—not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Savior Christ was.… Now I can never tell you how it was, but I no sooner saw whom I was to believe than I also understood what it was to believe, and I did believe in one moment.
“And as the snow fell on my road home from the little house of prayer I thought every snowflake talked with me and told of the pardon I had found, for I was white as the driven snow through the grace of God.”
Upon his return home, his appearance caused his mother to exclaim,
“Something wonderful has happened to you.”
For the next months young Spurgeon searched the Scriptures
“to know more fully the value of the jewel which God had given me.… I found that believers ought to be baptized.” And so he was baptized, by immersion and joined a Baptist church.
What is your conversion story? Do you have one? Why don’t you share it?
Paul asked the churches he served to pray for him often. One example is Eph 6:19 “Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.” So, by following the example of Paul I am going to ask for your prayer. Sometimes in pride I am reluctant to ask church members for prayer as I feel I ought to be the one praying for you all. So, in light Paul I found this letter on how to pray for your pastor and I am going to humbly, and maybe somewhat selfishly ask you to please pray for me and my family. Also be in prayer for Pastor Kyle as well and his upcoming marriage. (By the way this list come from a Presbyterian, it is a little more formal than we tend to be.)
So Pray that…
1. That Pastor Phillip would know and love the living God, would have a saving interest in Christ, being purchased by His blood, and thus would be bound to the Lord by the indissoluble bond of the Holy Spirit.
2. That Pastor Phillip would know, embrace and ever more deeply understand the Gospel and be shaped by it in life and ministry.
3. That Pastor Phillip would be useful servant of the Lord, that he would know and love God's word, God's people, and God's kingdom; that he would be used to build it up and so that it prevails even against Hell's gates.
4. That Pastor Phillip would study, practice and teach the Word of the Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
5. That Pastor Phillip would love to pray, because he loves to commune with his God, and that he would be a man of prayer, characteristically.
6. That Pastor Phillip would be ever dependent upon and filled with the Spirit; and that he would possess true Spiritual wisdom.
7. That Pastor Phillip would be holy unto the Lord. That his tongue and heart would be wholly God's.
8. That Pastor Phillip would be kept from pride, and especially spiritual pride. That the Lord himself would be gracious to slay pride in him, and that your pastor would endeavor to always be putting pride to death, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
9. That God would give Pastor Phillip guidance as to where to focus his efforts in ministry.
10. That He would protect Pastor Phillip from himself, from the enemy of his soul, and from all earthly enemies.
11. That no decision which Pastor Phillip ever makes or desire that Pastor Phillip ever pursues would restrict his ability to pour his whole soul into the Gospel ministry.
12.That many would be converted and many built up under Pastor Phillip's ministry, to God's glory alone.
13. That the Lord would bless Pastor Phillip's wife, Rebecca with holiness and happiness, Gospel assurance and Gospel rest.
14. That God would make Pastor Phillip a decent husband and father.
15. That Pastor Phillip would be a good friend to his wife, and love her self-sacrificially,
16. That Pastor Phillip would be a good daddy to his children. That they would love God, their parents and the church.
17. That Pastor Phillip would be a testimony in the home so that his wife might be able to respect him when he is in the pulpit, and so that Pastor Phillip will be able to feed her soul, along with the rest of the congregation.
Yall are amazing church and I and my family are forever grateful for all that you do for us. Pastor Phillip
How would explain to someone that there is more to life than this? This is the working assumption of many people so share some ideas on how to convince someone otherwise? Pastor Phillip
I am working on Sunday Morning's sermon and we will be continuing in our practical atheist series. Remember we said a PRACTICAL ATHEIST WAS SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES IN GOD, BUT LIVES AS IF HE DOESN’T EXIST. This week we will be looking at "I believe in God, but I just don't want to take things too far!" I will be looking at 10 traits of a lukewarm Christian AKA a practical atheist. These 1o traits come from Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. Read over these and think about them, if the shoe fits wear it, then repent and seek the grace from God to change.
LUKEWARM CHRISTIANS
1) Crave acceptance from people more than acceptance from God. 2) Rarely share their faith in Christ. 3) Do whatever it takes to alleviate their guilt. 4) Think more about life on earth than eternity in heaven. 5) Gauge their morality by comparing to others. 6) Want to be saved from the penalty of sin without changing their lives. 7) Only turn to God when they are in a bind. 8) Give whenever it doesn’t hinder their standard of living. 9) Are not much different from the rest of the world. 10) Want the benefits of what Christ did without conforming to who He is.
Why not go ahead and read the Church at Laocidea as well.
Revelation 3:14-22 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The Letter to Laodicea
14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:"The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God's creation says: 15I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. 17Because you say, 'I'm rich; I have become wealthy, and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, 18I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committedand repent. 20Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. 21The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne.22"Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."
