Posts Tagged ‘Gospel’

Friend Day

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

One week from this Sunday, on February 21, our church will celebrate our 3rd annual Friend Day. Come join us on Friend Day. Friend Day is a day when we challenge all our church members to be present, and to invite at least one friend.

You can be assured of a friendly welcome at our church on February 21, and you can be assured of hearing a clear presentation of the gospel. Friend Day is a great celebration of friendship and truth.

I have found through the years that Friend Day has been a remarkable success in bringing so many people together, and in many cases, in seeing people come to a personal saving faith in Jesus Christ.

If you are reading this and are not a member of Delaney Street Baptist Church, I hope that someone invites you to visit us on Friend Day, February 21, at 10:45 AM. But if no one invites you, consider this my personal invitation for you to join us on Friend Day!

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Missions in India

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Our church is praying for me as I prepared to go to India on a missions trip. Evangelist Larry McFadden and I will be preaching and teaching the Word of God in Bible training seminars in southern India. We will speak to about 175 pastors and 165 college students in Trivandrum and then to about 200 pastors in Chennai. For many of them, this is the only Bible training they receive.

India is a land of one billion population. Predominantly Hindu, only about 2.5% of India’s people profess to be Christians of all denominations, and only about 1% profess to be evangelical, or born again Christians. That figures out to about 10-million Christians among 1-billion population.

There are 200 people groups in India not yet reached with the Bible in their own language. India is called the “land of 300 million gods.” Because Indian people are often ready to “add” any new god to their pantheon of belief, it is important to proclaim the exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father except through Me!” That is the message I will take to India.

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Gates of Hell

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Such words give an assumption — that the church is on the march, actively moving against the “gates of hell.” One would sit and protect the gates to one’s residence. In Christ’s description, the gates belong to the enemy. That means the church should be advancing against the forces of darkness.

In recent years I have actually heard preachers express the concern that the church can no longer effectively reach our modern culture. I have heard the concern that our secularized society has become too antagonistic to the gospel to be reached in large numbers, and that the best the church today can do is to “maintain” an effective witness, without necessarily seeing good results.

I do not buy that argument at all! I could not disagree more. These are great days to be alive and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Hearts are as hungry and spiritually needy today as ever. There is a young generation seeking truth — and there always has been. The gospel is as powerful and effective today as it has ever been. The Word of God is also as real today — Isaiah 40:8 — and as effective today — Hebrews 4:12 — as ever.

God can change lives and turn this generation to Himself, if believers will be faithful to Him and to His truth — Acts 26:18. I believe we are seeing evidence of this in the many churches which are staying true to the Word of God and which are growing in our current generation!

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Funerals

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

I spoke recently with a veteran Baptist pastor friend of mine. He told me that the church he serves is an “older” congregation, and he lamented the fact that he was conducting a funeral “every other week” — literally. Well, I gave it some thought and realized that the same is true for me. Our church has an older membership. We are reaching young families. Our nursery is full. Our pre-school is over-flowing. That is all good. But we definitely have an “older” congregation that has been the backbone of our church for decades. And we are losing them, one by one. That is sad, and it is hard emotionally. We hate to let go and say good-bye.

But we take heart in the fact that a glorious heaven is the reward for those who have loved God and served Him all these years. The Bible says that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard” the wonders and glories which God has in store for those who love Him. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord!”

The day is going to come for each of us. We never know when. It may be when we are older. And then it may be when we are yet young. The most important thing in life is to know Christ as one’s personal Savior. John 3:16

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