Sunday Summary

Today was a great day @GSJ. I woke up more refreshed than I’ve been in a long time. Saturdays are usually difficult for me as far as going to sleep is concerned. Fortunate for me, I was able to get to bed earlier than normal which helped a great deal.

I arrived at church eager to continue our current preaching series “Signs of the Savior” with a message entitled “The Quest for Wholeness” taken from John 5:1-9. The message was well received in both services and two were added to the church.  Praise God!!

In the afternoon, we traveled to Benton Harbor, Michigan to fellowship with Pastor James Childs and Progressive Baptist Church on the occasion of their 65^th Church Anniversary. My heart was warmed by the hospitality of Progressive as they eagerly anticipated our arrival. They were very friendly and they fed us well. There was a sweet spirit in this church and the service was hot from the very beginning.

 I was overwhelmed by the response of our congregation as many of them decided to join us. The selections by our choir were very inspirational and uplifting as they had been most of the day. When preaching time came, I was lead to preach a passage from Nehemiah 4:1-6. The title of the message was “So Built We the Wall.” Turns out it was exactly what they needed and the response was very favorable.

Thank God for the area pastors who came by to show their support.  A few of them I became acquainted with through our National Convention. When they learned I was in town, they took time out of their busy schedules to worship with us. I appreciate their kindness.

As I retire for the evening, I pray that the Lord would refresh me for the work ahead this week. There are a few loose ends that we must take care of in anticipation of our State Annual Session which will be held @ GSJ, July 30- August 3. Pray for us as we host this great session and if you are in the area, stop by. God Bless!!

Sunday Briefs

Yesterday was a great day of worship and praise at GSJ. During both services, one of our associate ministers, Rev. Fred Brown, preached a message entitled “Be Strong” from Ephesians 6:10-11. It was a message greatly needed to encourage the believer in reliance upon God’s strength to combat satanic opposition. Incidentally, this passage was also the center of our study during the Sunday school period. Every 5th Sunday, I teach the mass adult classes of our Sunday school and it was a joy for me to uncover the richness of this passage despite its familiarity. There are three things I believe Paul wanted to stress as he gives a final charge to the believers at Ephesus. If we are to amass any type of success as we war against diabolical devices and stand strong in the evil day, we must practice the following:

1. We must remember that Satan is primarily God’s enemy.
2. We must use spiritual equipment to combat him.
3. We must fight with God’s energy, not our own.

I had so much fun sharing the word of God and am convinced that eyes were opened and lives transformed to the glory of God.

After church one of our members treated us to a delicious meal at Angles, a local eating establishment which opened the first week of May. During our visit, I was asked by the owners to offer a word of prayer asking God’s blessings upon there success and strength in this new enterprise. Thank God for genuine fellowships!

At 7pm, I participated in a 5th Sunday evening fellowship at Bethlehem Baptist Church. This service is sponsored by The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA), with Pastor Keith D. Witherspoon as President and Host Pastor. It was a great fellowship and I am a fan of Pastor Witherspoon’s leadership and look forward to what God has in store for this region.

I can’t wait until the Finals begin because it was tough coming home to no game. The Lakers are the favorite to win the NBA title but anybody that knows me know that I have a soft spot for the underdog. Oh well, pray for me because I have a busy week ahead. Take care!

Gary Simultaneous Revival

Sunday evening, I had the blessed privilege of attending the kickoff for the 49th Annual Simultaneous Revival Services, sponsored by the Baptist Ministers Conference of Gary and Vicinity, Inc., Pastor Isaac Culver, Jr., President. This service was held at New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church where Dr. W.N. Reed is pastor. The late Dr. Floyd E. Dumas, a native of Oklahoma City, who served the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Gary for a number of years, is responsible for bringing this idea to my hometown 49 years ago. Since its inception, this revival like the one held in Oklahoma City, has been a coveted venue for pastors and preachers across this nation. Pastors and churches coming together for the express purpose and specific intent of prayer, praise and preaching is a sight to behold. Even those who were not scheduled would attend just for the fellowship. Many would take vacations from their job just to pack out every church, morning, noon and night to hear the preached word.

Ever since I was a boy, growing up in Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Charles L. Emery, I have attended these services. Like a kid in the candy store, I have made it a priority to be a part of this great gathering and to this day I have cherished every moment. To fellowship with pastors across this nation has truly been my honor. As fellow bloggers Pastor Owens and Pastor Witherspoon have already expressed, our love for preaching took shape during experiences such as what these settings bring.

On last night the following preachers set our souls ablaze as they preached with power, persuasion and purpose:

· Pastor Harold Cadwell, Jr., Mt Olive Baptist Church, Detroit, MI.
· Pastor Alphonso Jackson, Sr., Second Baptist Church, Miami, Fl.
· Pastor Keith G. Tyler, Antioch Baptist Church, Lexington, Ky.
· Pastor Edward L. McCree, Israel Baptist Church, Detroit, MI.

Needless to say, I had a blast and am looking forward to attending as many services as my schedule will allow. Special thanks to Pastor Keith D. Witherspoon, my beloved brother, for allowing his son in the ministry, Rev. Derrick Buggs, to drive us to Gary last evening. Much obliged “Mr. Mayor.” God Bless!

Thanksgiving Fellowship

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, ....... Psalm 92:1(ESV)

l to r: Min. Tate, Pastor Gathright, Pastor Witherspoon, Pastor McGhee, Min. Buggs

Today at GSJ, we hosted a Thanksgiving Day worship experience at 10am. We were blessed to have Pastor Keith D. Witherspoon & Bethlehem Baptist Church along with Pastor Cory L. Garthright & New Birth Christian Church in fellowship with us. Pastor Gathright preached a message from Psalm 100 encouraging us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord and to also serve Him with gladness in light of all He has done. The Lord blessed the preaching and the praising and we give Him thanks. I hope you are having a blessed and prosperous Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Sunday In Indy

Sunday, I was pleased to worship with Dr. Wayne L. Moore & the Olivet Missionary Baptist Church of Indianapolis, Indiana. Sometime ago, he invited me to preach their 8am & 11am worship services. I was more than happy to oblige. We are quickly becoming good friends which is rare these days. I am grateful for the blossoming friendship and fellowship that Pastor Moore and I share, and pray vigorously for his continued prosperity. He recently accepted the challenge to serve as president of our State Convention and is doing a phenomenal job. His church really loves and respects him as pastor /teacher. Although much of the membership did not know me personally, the warmth and hospitality shown me and my family was second to none.

The Lord truly blessed our time in the Word as we shared during the 8am worship a message entitled “The Believers Profile” taken from Romans chapter one verse one. The congregation responded very well to the presentation and I was blessed to see former members of GSJ who relocated to Indianapolis and also those who have family at GSJ. Here is a sample of the outline:

The Believers Profile - Romans 1:1

I. Saved (was Saul: “big one”; now Paul: “little one”)

II. Slave (bond slave; servant)

III. Sent (sent by authority with a commission)

IV. Separated unto (separated out from unto; to have a new horizon)

At the 11am worship, I shared a message entitled “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” using as a text, Matthew 6:25ff. The text cautions us not to fret over the basic necessities of life (i.e. what to eat; wear etc.). The thrust of the message was to discourage the sin of worry while encouraging believers to trust the providential Hand of God through faithful obedience to His Word. It was not my original intent to preach this message, however, God always knows what’s best. Since I am in His employ, it behooves me to adhere to His direction that He may receive the ultimate glory.

I am truly grateful to Dr. Moore & the entire Olivet Family for going all out to make us comfortable and solicit your prayers for my new friends in the faith. I am also pleased to learn that all was well at home. Special thanks to Rev. Fred Brown and Rev. Eugene Johnson for standing in my absence and the church for receiving them warmly. Pray for us as we start another work week. Our prayer is that God will grant us sufficient grace for the work awaiting us. God Be Praised!!!!

Saturday & Sunday Thoughts

The Gospel Chorus of GSJ celebrated 70 years of faithful service to our church this past weekend. We were blessed to hear songs of Zion led by past and present members during a Reunion Concert held on Saturday evening. What a time we had as the atmosphere was filled with the praises of God’s people in worship. One former member, Helen Barham, traveled from the state of Tennessee to be with us and we were truly blessed by her presence. Please pray that God will continue to prosper this integral part of our Music Ministry.

Today at GSJ was a rather challenging preaching experience for me. I continued my sermon series out of 1 Corinthians, chapter 9; a very difficult chapter to preach where you serve as pastor. Regardless of what disclaimer you use, there will always be someone to question your motivation. Even though I’ve preached from 1 Corinthians for a few months now, there are some who accuse you of asking for a raise as if more money for faithful diligence in the Word is an anti-biblical concept. Nevertheless, I valiantly pressed on to follow Paul’s train of thought as he continues to address one of several questions the Corinthians asked of him.

Previously in chapter 8, Paul began to answer their question concerning meat offered to idols. After initially agreeing with the strong whose line of reasoning was not against biblical principles, he cautioned them to not use their christian liberties to offend the weak. While eating meat was not a sin in and of itself, it can become hazardous to the spiritual well being of the weak. Therefore, we must forgo the exercising of our right to eat meat lest we force the weak to violate their own consciences.

In chapter 9 Paul further illustrates this principle by reminding them of his own experience. He begins the opening verses defending his apostleship as he was flanked with underserved criticism from his enemies because of the message he preached, ministry methods he implemented and his refusal to exercise certain apostolic privileges. This led him, however, to remind the Corinthians of some rights he willingly refused so that the gospel is preached without obstruction. Although it was Paul’s apostolic right to receive generous compensation for service rendered, he labored among the Corinthians for three years without a salary. This was brought to their attention not to extort money from them, but to further drive home the fact that sometimes we must voluntarily surrender that which we know we are entitled so that an example of selfless sacrifice can be displayed for others to imitate.

Truly the Lord saw us through as we shared this message in a rather unorthodox way. With that said, I don’t necessarily have an outline I can share. It was one of those Sundays, if you know what I mean. According to some members I talked to following the services, it did not impede their ability to get the point of the passage, for that I am grateful.

We concluded the afternoon with lunch at a local establishment called ‘Trios’ with the Gospel Chorus. There we continued in wholesome fellowship before returning home for the day.

What A Fellowship

Last evening my brother, Pastor Keith D. Witherspoon and I, had the awesome blessing of traveling to Grand Rapids, MI., for worship with Pastor Decarto Draper Jr., and the Bethlehem Baptist Church during the second night of their “Power-Pac Revival 2008."

We were encouraged, empowered and enriched as we heard the teaching and preaching of Dr. Clifton Rhodes Jr. of Messiah Missionary Baptist Church(messiahmissionarygr.org), Grand Rapids, MI. and Pastor Marvin E. Wiley of Rock of Ages Baptist Church(rockofagesbc.org), Maywood Ill.

Dr. Rhodes was the featured lecturer who stirred us up immediately by challenging us to evaluate our spiritual posture before God. He stated that in order for us to accomplish this feat we must begin with an honest assessment of our obedience to the word and discipline in prayer. Pastor Rhodes is a seasoned preacher who can be a tremendous asset to the young Timothys of the gospel.

After music rendered by guest choirs, we were ready to hear preaching from Pastor Marvin E. Wiley. He preached a message entitled “It’s All Good” taken from Psalm 119:71. As a young pastor, I was really locked in, not only because he is one of my pastoral heroes, but because he really encouraged us to develop a deeper appreciation for God’s word while facing various afflictions in life. I don't have to tell you that serving the Lord has it's share of bumps and bruises, but God will deliver us out of them all. The message ended with a brief testimony highlighting how God’s faithfulness and the love of his beloved congregation helped him in recent physical afflictions. God always come through for us when we stand on His word.

We were able to further cherish this rare opportunity to glean from these men over dinner as we discussed church life, mutual friends and ministerial philosophies which proved to be simply delightful. I came away from the experience of fellowship more determined to improve my stewardship toward God as it relate to my church and the whole of life. God Be Praised!!!!