Sunday Recap at GSJ

Sunday was an absolutely fabulous day of worship and praise to a deserving God. Despite the additional two inches of snow to add to the roughly 58 inches we’ve already received so far this winter, the attendance at all three services was simply wonderful. During our 8 & 11 am services, we were led by our youth which is usually the case on third Sunday, and as usual we were blessed. Truly God is doing a great work in the lives of His little ones.

I did not preach the 8am service, however during the 11am service I preached a message emphasizing the importance of training our youth to love God, live and labor for Him. The sermon was based on Proverbs 22:6; Proverbs 13:24; Deuteronomy 6:6-8; and Ephesians 6:4 just to name a few. The message was well received and God added two people to the church including one as a candidate for baptism. God be praised for making His presence known, and for the rich fellowship we share through Christ Jesus.

That afternoon at 4pm, we hosted the 19th Ecumenical Service remembering the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This service is sponsored annually by The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of St. Joseph County (IMA), led by our out-going president, Pastor Timothy Rouse of First A. M. E. Zion Church. This was his last charge as president as the mantle will be passed to our new president, my brother and fellow blogger, Pastor Keith D. Witherspoon of Bethlehem Baptist Church. We were graced with the presence of Mayor Lueke, members of his staff, elected officials from every corner of the city, Pastors, ministers and a host of others from all walks of life.

Our featured guest for this occasion was Dr. Addis Moore, Pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church (mtzionkalamazoo.org), in Kalamazoo, MI. Many from his congregation traveled the snow covered roads to support their pastor in the preaching moment. Both he and the choir set the place ablaze as the atmosphere was one of jubilant praise throughout. The sermon he preached was entitled “Deliverance is in the Power of the Church taken from 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” The Lord used him in a masterful way and we were blessed immeasurably. I am not at liberty to share his outline but take my word for it, he came to preach and that he did. We left the place more determined to bridge the gap between church and community with The Church leading the way. Although we have much cause for celebration in lieu of Dr. King’s dream and looking ahead to the Inauguration of our nation’s first African-American President, the church remains accountable to make our God ordained stamp on society in order that we may experience real healing. What a Day!!!!! Today, many events are scheduled to continue our observance of Dr. Martin L. King's life and work. I sincerely hope you will take the time to praise God for how far we've come and continue to press on. See you soon.

Dr. Moore, Pastor McGhee, Dr. Dennis D. Engbrecht of Bethel College (bethelcollege.edu)

Most People Who Have A Problem With God

Most people who have a problem with God handle Him in one of two ways:

· They pretend He does not exist:

Which solves the problem of accountability. If He doesn't exist, we are free to live our lives as we please. There remains, however, the thorny problem of explaining how we all got here. The trick is to concoct a fairy tale to the effect that everything around us just "happened." "Chance." TALK ABOUT LIVING BY FAITH!

Currently evolutionists are telling us it all started with amino acids. But where did they come from? Tough to explain away the gnarly issue of "First Cause."

Perhaps this is why God states "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" (Psalm 14:1).

· They re-invent Him:

Let's face it, His demand on us for all of our heart, soul, mind and strength is pretty steep, given the fact that we'd rather play than carry a cross. So we cope by:

Reducing God to a manageable size:

"Knowing God, they refused to honor Him as God… hence all their thinking ended in futility, and their misguided minds are plunged into darkness. They boast of their wisdom, but they have made fools of themselves… because they have bartered away the true God for a false one." (Romans 1:21, 22, 25 – neb)

Collecting around us religious leaders who tell us what we want to hear about God:

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers according to their own desires." (2 Timothy 4:2)

Romans 11:22 speaks about the kindness and severity of God. To those who acknowledge Him for who He is: Kindness. To the rest: Severity. As always, the choice is ours.

Facts of the Matter: Daily Devotionals by Dwight Hill

Happy New Year

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

We take this opportunity to wish every one a safe and prosperous New Year. Philippians 3:12-14 gives us at least 3 helpful hints to ensure a greater result this time around. They are:

I. Realize Your Present Situation

- Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.

II. Release Your Past Successes

- Forgetting (to no longer be influenced or affected by) those things which are behind.

III. Reach for the Prize Steadily

- Reaching forth unto the things ahead; Press toward the mark....

May God's richest blessings be upon you all.

Merry Christmas

May this season not only be a time of gift exchange, but a day of rejoicing over the greatest gift ever given. Jesus is our reason for celebration. Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you.

Sunday Recap

Today, despite freezing temperatures which subsequently caused low attendance, we had a rewarding experience at both worship opportunities. Usually the third Sunday is Youth Sunday at GSJ and they blessed us tremendously. I preached a message from John chapter 1 verse 14, entitled “The Word Became Flesh.” The Lord blessed the preaching of His Word and the people were the better for it.

During the 8am service, we were blessed to have in attendance the Delaware State Basketball Team. They were in town the night before competing with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame for the first time in their school's history. Although they did not come away with a win, a lot was learned from the experience and more impressive than that, they made it a point to worship with a church in our community prior to leaving. We were extremely honored to be that church. They found us on the web thanks to Dr. R. G. Moore, Jr., Pastor of Union Baptist Church (unionmbc.org), Dover, Delaware. It may have been blistering cold outside but, that was not the case inside. Special thanks to Brother Richard Armstrong who is responsible for the above photos. I truly thank him for capturing this moment for us. God be praised for showing Himself strong among His people.

Don't Waste Your Pulpit

I was watching this video by John Piper, Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota earlier today. It really gave me renewed perspective and purpose with regard to my preaching ministry. I was so blessed. Let me share it with you. Enjoy!!!

Newness of Life

As most of you are aware, I am currently teaching expositionally the Book of Romans each mid-week at GSJ. I must admit, this is my first time teaching this great book in my almost 11 years of pastoral ministry. Needless to say, it’s always good to explore, expound and engage in the fundamental truths of the Christian Faith. We are in the 6th chapter where Paul continues to write on the subject of justification by faith while explaining in specific details its application to daily living. In the previous chapters, much was said about man’s sin and God’s provision of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. Now Paul seeks to explain our obligation to live a sanctified life in light of our new position in Christ.

Notice what Paul says in the opening verses:

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)

With the aforementioned thought in mind, allow me to share an excerpt of Warren Wiersbe’s treatment of the 4th verse in particular. This I believe will best explain in a nutshell our study of this marvelous passage.

“Historians agree that the mode of baptism in the early church was immersion. The believer was "buried" in the water and brought up again as a picture of death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism by immersion (which is the illustration Paul is using in Romans 6) pictures the believer's identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. It is an outward symbol of an inward experience. Paul is not saying that their immersion in water put them "into Jesus Christ," for that was accomplished by the Spirit when they believed. Their immersion was a picture of what the Spirit did: the Holy Spirit identified them with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. This means that the believer has a new relationship to sin. He is "dead to sin." If a drunk dies, he can no longer be tempted by alcohol because his body is dead to all physical senses. He cannot see the alcohol, smell it, taste it, or desire it. In Jesus Christ we have died to sin so that we no longer want to "continue in sin." But we are not only dead to sin; we are also alive in Christ. We have been raised from the dead and now walk in the power of His resurrection. We walk in "newness of life" because we share His life. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).” - Pause for Power