Higher Expectations

"The treacherous enemy facing the church of Jesus Christ today is the dictatorship of the routine, when the routine becomes "lord" in the life of the church. Programs are organized and the prevailing conditions are accepted as normal. Anyone can predict next Sunday's service and what will happen. This seems to be the most deadly threat in the church today. When we come to the place where everything can be predicted and nobody expects anything unusual from God, we are in a rut. The routine dictates, and we can tell not only what will happen next Sunday, but what will occur next month and, if things do not improve, what will take place next year. Then we have reached the place where what has been determines what is, and what is determines what will be.

That would be perfectly all right and proper for a cemetery. Nobody expects a cemetery to do anything but conform.... But the church is not a cemetery and we should expect much from it, because what has been should not be lord to tell us what is, and what is should not be ruler to tell us what will be. God's people are supposed to grow."

Tozer on Christian Leadership: A 366-Day Devotional.

Driving Through the Storm

The following story was shared with me by a resourceful member of GSJ:

One day a young lady was driving along with her father when they came upon a storm. The young lady asked her father what should she do, he said "keep driving." Cars began to pull over to the side; the storm was getting worse. What should I do the young lady asked, "keep driving" her father replied. On up a few feet she noticed eighteen wheelers were pulling over also. She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible out here everyone is pulling over." Her father told her not to give up just keep driving. Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was on dry land and the sun was out. Her father said now pull over and get out. She said "but why now?" He said "get out and look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm." You never gave up and now the storm is over.

I'm so glad that trouble don't last always. Storms will come but thank God the Father wills us to keep on driving. Hallelujah!!!

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!

Make Me A Blessing

"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee,and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:" Genesis 12:2

While reading through my resources, I came across the lyrics of a song penned by Ira B. Wilson that speaks to how we can be a blessing to others. Here it is. Hope you enjoy.

Out on the highways and byways of life,

Many are the weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,

Making the sorrowing glad.

Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love,

Tell of His pow'r to forgive;

Others will trust Him if only you prove

True every moment you live.

Give as 'twas given to you in your need,

Love as the Master loved you;

Be to the helpless a helper indeed,

Unto your mission be true.

Make me a blessing,

make me a blessing;

Out of my life may Jesus shine.

Make me a blessing, O Saviour I pray,

Make me a blessing to someone today.

Jesus Is The Door

I found great comfort in my morning meditation. Sometimes our perspective on the things we experience need adjustment and this is just what the doctor ordered. I pray you will find it helpful as I have.

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.”—John 10:9

As Christians, we talk about God “opening doors” to us as a means of His revealing His will. What we are asking God to do is engineer our circumstances to match what we think would be best. The problem is that we misunderstand what the door is. Jesus said He is the door. Circumstances are irrelevant, for no one can shut the door that Jesus opens (Rev.3:8). If you have substituted activity for your relationship with Christ, then circumstances can disrupt your activity. When the activity is hindered, you may assume the door has been closed. Yet, if Christ is the door in your life, He will guide you into every experience of Him that He wants, and there will be nothing that people can do to stop Him.

When Paul and Silas were thrown into prison at Philippi, it appeared that the door to their ministry in Greece had been violently and firmly closed (Acts 16:22-24). The reality of their situation, however, was that their Lord had opened a door of ministry to a previously unreached group of men in prison. The Philippian jailer and his household would become a significant nucleus of the new church in Philippi. From a human perspective, a door had been closed; from God's perspective, Paul and Silas continued to minister exactly where God wanted them to.

When people oppose us, we can become discouraged or worry about what others are doing to us. We may even try to take matters into our own hands to accomplish what we think God wants. This reveals that we do not really believe Jesus is the door for our lives. If we did, we would be assured that through Christ we have access to everything He wants to do in and through us.

Experiencing God Day by Day: A Devotional and Journal.
By Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby

New Blogger

Hello blog family! I just wanted to inform you that we have a new addition to the family. Thats right, my wife, Jennifer McGhee, the first lady of Greater St. John Missionary Baptist Church is now one of us. Please feel free to give her a word of encouragement as she hones her own gift of expression. The title of her blog is “Oh My Joy" (jennifermcghee.blogspot.com). Enjoy!!

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!