Results from this years Vacation Bible School

The Lord was gracious to us and gave us a great Bible School this year. Though we did not have as many accept the Lord as their Saviour this year as in years pasts, we seemed to have picked up some new people (kids and adults) that might actually "stick" this time. In years past, we had many kids who visited from out of town or other churches. And while we always will do whatever we can to get the Gospel to a child, it was nice this year to come away from the week with some prospects for the church.

Here is one story that I will share with you from last week:

On Monday night we led a young man to the Lord. Afterwards, he was so excited to be saved that he ran around his house and street when he got home telling everyone what had happened to him. Well, his daddy works with one of the men in our church and asked the next day at work what did his son mean by that he was saved. Well, the man from our church had witnessed to him many times before, and began to again. One of the questions that he asked was, "Well, did you read the pamphlet that we sent home with him explaining what happened?" His answer was no, but he would read it first thing when he gets home.

Now, in this pamphlet that we give out to a child who accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, it explains to the parent that we taught their child, from the Bible, the plan of salvation and they accepted it - then it gives the parent a chance to do the same. Well, the next day at work our church member goes up to him and begins to talk to him about the Lord again when this boy's dad says ,"I went home and read that pamphlet and believed it and asked Jesus to be my Saviour." They both, along with the mom and sister, came to church Sunday Morning and came forward during the invitation time and made public their profession of faith.

Well, the Lord laid it on my heart a couple of weeks ago to begin preaching on Sunday's about the miracles of Christ. I began the week before with the first one, and was preaching on the second one yesterday about the Nobleman's son who was healed. I preached, among many things, how it took this son to get the father to Jesus, and the rest of his house to believe - And Praise the Lord God allowed it to happen right before our eyes that day.

We serve a God who is still in the miracle happening business! Pray for me as I meet with this family to speak to the mother about her salvation, and that they will follow through in believer's baptism.

Vacation Bible School Begins Tonight

Sorry I have not posted more recently, but we have been very busy, and I was without Internet in the office for a couple of days now.

Please pray for our Vacation Bible School this week. Pray that souls would be saved, and children would be encouraged to live for Jesus and be faithful to the House of God.

We are asking the Lord to do great things and bring in many children. In years past we have had upwards to 30+ kids here. May we all pray together that the Lord may send us more this year?

I will be teaching the lessons this year, so pray for me that the Lord would use me as I proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that the Holy Spirit would bring conviction to the children who are lost.

And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

The title of today's entry is taken from the latter part of Acts 11:26. The disciples did not get together, form a committee, and bring a vote before the church on what to call themselves. No, the term "Christian" was given to them by those who were on the outside, looking in at Antioch. They noticed how the disciples carried themselves and deported themselves and gave them that name as a descriptive term.

What were they doing that caused the people of Antioch to place that name on them? They were following and being like Christ! Here is a statement I heard Evangelist Jayson Godsey make at Sr. High Camp at couple of weeks ago and the Holy Spirit has spurred me to preach a series of messages on the subject:

All Christians are saved, but not all the saved are Christians.

This may sound contradictory to you at first, but a person can repent of their sin, accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour, but not follow Him as they should and not make Him Lord of their life. Now, there are some who try to combat this by adding a step, if you would, to the process of salvation by saying something to the effect of, "You cannot make Jesus your Saviour if you do not make Him your Lord, too." This is what is called "Lordship Salvation," but yet it has no Biblical foundation.

There are many born-again believers who are not fully following the Lord, and thus, are not Christians according to the Bible definition of a Christian. My question to you today is two-fold:

#1 - Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour? If not, ask me how, and I would be glad to take the Word of God and show you how you can know for sure that when your life ends here on this earth, heaven will be your home for eternity.

#2 - Are you a Christian? Not by the world's standards, because to the world, everything that is even remotely religious is considered "Christian." No, I am wondering if someone can look at your life and say that you are a follower of Christ. That should be the goal of all of God's children, to be like Christ. And we should be more like Him today than we were yesterday, and want to be more like Him tomorrow than we are today.

Another week of Church Camp

Getting ready for another week of church camp, this time with the Jr High kids. And Darci and all three of the girls are going this time as well, so it should be exciting. Since I will be gone and away from the computer, there will not be any post this week, but I will leave you with this thought:

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

This statement was made by John the Baptist and gives us a glimpse of his mindset. He was willing to serve in a cause greater than himself - and this is the mindset we need today as born-again believers.

Are you serving a cause that is greater than yourself, or is everything about you and what benefit you will get out of it? Commit your complete life to the Lord, and live a life that about something greater than yourself.

Videos of some Charlatan's

Here are some interesting videos to watch that should open your eyes as to the spiritual temperature of our country (Please remember, I am not responsible to what is said in the comment section, or other videos, this is only a link to someone else's videos):

Benny Hinn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7q0xynqcC4

Oprah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwGLNbiw1gk

Todd Bentley (A radio show, no video, just audio)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3hzVAXaW8c

This Generation - Part 2 and 3

{Sorry for the delay in posting. We had Sr. High Church Camp, and I picked up a cold while there and have not yet fully shook it off, so I am combining both Part 2 and 3.}

#2 - THIS GENERATION IS INDOCTRINATED – Matt. 3:7-8

We are living in a time when people are indoctrinated by false religion and have a false sense of security when it comes to their salvation.

CONTEXT: John is preaching repentance…many repented, were saved and baptized. The Sadducee's and Pharisees came and wanted to be baptized, but did not want to repent.

They were very religious, the most religious of their day…but they were lost!

They did not want to repent of their sin and turn to the Saviour; they just wanted an outward showing. Religion cannot and will not save you from the wrath to come.

Man’s Religion cannot do what it promises. Some church may tell you that you can join with them, be baptized there, or do good works through them and be saved. But salvation does not come by church membership, baptism, or good works.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Many people tell me when I ask them if they are saved that, “Well, I was baptized…” But if baptism saved a person, John would have baptized them. But he tells them to bring the fruits of repentance – which is faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Many people today think they will go to heaven when they die based on what church they are a part of, but let me remind you of the words of our Lord when he said:

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This generation is Indifferent, Indoctrinated, and

#3 - THIS GENERATION IS IMMORAL – Matt. 12:34,39,39

Our generation today is no different than that generation – it is wicked, perverse, and immoral.
There is wickedness all around – so much so as now it is the norm.

God’s Word has a lot to say about wickedness:

Noah’s day - Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Sodom and Gomorrah’s day - Genesis 18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

Nineveh’s day - Jonah 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

And I can’t help but wonder what God thinks of this generation today – there is no difference today from those days.

The Bible teaches us that man is depraved, degenerate, and lost:

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

And it is this wicked generation that is leading the entertainment industry, and Christian’s today are laughing along with them:

Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Folks, the Bible is very clear and very blunt on the condition of lost mankind.
And because this generation is Indifferent, Indoctrinated with false religion, and Immoral,

CLOSE:

THIS GENERATION IS HELL-BOUND – Matt. 23:33

There are two paths to choose in this life:

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: (14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

This generation has chosen the broad path that leads to Hell. Will you choose the straight and narrow path that leads to Heaven?

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Christian, are you living like this generation? Has you fire for the Lord grown lukewarm? Are you being entertained by the sinfulness of society? It’s time to come out from among them, and be ye separate!

Matthew 11:16a - This Generation - Part 1

Matthew 11:16a "But whereunto shall I liken this generation?"

Jesus here is speaking to the multitudes about John the Baptist. John the Baptist was in jail for preaching to Herod that it was unlawful for him to take his brother’s wife as his own.

While in prison he hears of Jesus’ preaching and sends his disciples to ask Christ if He was the one. Two thoughts as to why he asked:

#1 – For his disciples sake, because John himself knew and he wanted them to hear for themselves.

#2 – He began to have some doubt. Maybe he wondered, “If Jesus is the Christ, than why am I in jail for preaching His Gospel…why hasn't he got me out...?” By the way, it is o.k. to ask God why when you go through trials, but you must be willing to accept His answer.

After this, Jesus tells this crowd that is following Him some great things about John the Baptist:

– 11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

- 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist...

Then Jesus asks the question – but whereunto shall I liken this generation? He asks this to those who heard the truth from John the Baptist, but did not listen and were still lost, living in their sin. That was a generation that was bound for an eternity in a Christ-less Hell, and we are surrounded by people today in that same generation. People have not changed. Human nature is still the same today as it was when Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden and sent all mankind into the downward spiral of sin.

Are you a part of this generation today?

In the next couple of post, I want to give you 3 things that the Bible says about that generation that are still true today about this generation. Today, we will look at the first one:

#1 - THIS GENERATION IS INDIFFERENT – Matt. 11:16-17

Jesus likened this generation to a group of children playing out on the street. Children are imitators. Jesus said this generation imitates two things: a dance, and a funeral.

Someone played music, and no one came.

Someone had a funeral, and no one cared.

They were indifferent to what was going on around them.

In spite of all the preaching of the Gospel, this generation is indifferent to the Bible. They are not indifferent to religion, which we will talk about in a later post, but indifferent to the Gospel of Grace.

And this indifferent attitude of the lost has rubbed off on many Christians today. They are neither hot nor cold – lukewarm. Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. This attitude of indifference has sent more people to hell than anything else.

You say you don’t care now – but you better start caring before it is too late.