On Sunday, July 31, the church family is invited to join the Erwin family in their weekly nursing home service. Everyone is invited, but we especially want to encourage the young people to go along. Feel free to bring your lunch to eat right after the morning service before going to the nursing home.
On Sunday, July 24, we will enjoy our monthly fellowship meal after the evening service. This month we are having a “Finger Food Frenzy!”, so get creative and let’s enjoy a great time of food and fellowship!
On Saturday, July 23, the church family will continue our outreach into the greater Hendersonville area. We will meet at the church a little before 10:00 A.M. for a time of prayer before heading out. Please be in prayer between now and then and ask the Lord to prepare us for effective service as well as the hearts of those who will receive the Word.
While history revisionists refuse to believe that our country was founded on Christian principles, or that many of our founding fathers professed a sincere faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, the facts prove otherwise.
Below are several quotes taken from Wall Builders (David Barton) that will deepen your appreciation and respect for the men whom God used to lay the foundation for this great country. May God raise up another generation who will lead our country back to the God of our fathers.
Samuel Adams
Father of the American Revolution, Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.
Will of Samuel Adams
John Dickinson
Signer of the Constitution
Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.
Will of John Dickinson
Patrick Henry
Governor of Virginia, Patriot
This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.
Will of Patrick Henry
John Langdon
Signer of the Constitution
In the name of God, Amen. I, John Langdon, . . . considering the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say-First: I commend my soul to the infinite mercies of God in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, who died and rose again that He might be the Lord of the dead and of the living . . . professing to believe and hope in the joyful Scripture doctrine of a resurrection to eternal life . . .
Will of John Langdon
Robert Treat Paine
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears.
Robert Treat Paine, The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen Riley and Edward Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, March/April, 1749.
Rufus Putnam
Revolutionary War General, First Surveyor General of the United States
[F]irst, I give my soul to a holy, sovereign God Who gave it in humble hope of a blessed immortality through the atonement and righteousness of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. My body I commit to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian manner. I fully believe that this body shall, by the mighty power of God, be raised to life at the last day; ‘for this corruptable (sic) must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.’ [I Corinthians 15:53]
Will of Rufus Putnam
John Witherspoon
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I entreat you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other [Acts 4:12]. . . . [I]f you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish.
John Witherspoon, The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. V, pp. 276, 278, The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ, January 2, 1758.
II Chronicles 31: 20, 21 “And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments to seek his God, he did it with all his heart and prospered.”
Our salvation cost God His ONLY begotten Son, and our Redeemer shed His very life’s blood to save our souls. Yet, as His followers our service and love for Him is often halfhearted at best. Why? Certainly, we are not bound by the law, and we don’t have to work to be saved or to keep ourselves saved. But shouldn’t His sacrificial love for us motivate us to serve Him with fervency and passion?
Paul said, “For the love of Christ constraineth us..that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again” in II Corinthians 5:14, 15. Most likely, the reason for our half-hearted love for God is due to selfishness, or as Paul wrote, we our living unto ourselves. Jesus prayed, “Not my will” in His darkest hour. Not until we are ready to relinquish our will and our “rights” will we be passionate about Jesus and others.
In a day when even ministry is marked by extreme selfishness and self promotion, may God help us serve God “in all humility of mind” (Acts 20:19) and as Hezekiah, “with all (our) heart!”
Imagine how many problems could be avoided if we would follow God’s simple instruction, “Study to be quiet, and to do your own business.” Most folks are not involved in anything meaningful enough to occupy their thoughts and energy, and that’s why they spend their time worrying about what others are doing. And while the internet has the potential to be an incredible tool for good, it has also enabled lazy busybodies to spend hours on end minding other people’s business. How sad! Our generation is going to hell; there are lonely folks (many still unsaved) in nursing homes, teen-agers walking the streets wondering if anyone cares, and literally millions of folks in our country struggling with every possible type of addiction. We hold the truth in our hands and shout about our preserved English Bible (thank God for it!). But, sadly we do very little with that truth. We spend more time worrying about someone else in the church who isn’t doing enough for the Lord in our opinion, or we focus our attention on the church down the road and what we think they ought to be doing. How much better would it be to use our time strengthening our own family, provoking the fellow members of our church family to love and good works, and doing our part to share the good news of the gospel with at least one of the segments of our society dying without hope.
The Proverbs writer said, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin, but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” If we are using our words to encourage a brother in Christ or to tell a sinner about Jesus, we can be confident we won’t be sinning with our lips. May God give us the wisdom and Spirit-control in our lives to be quiet.
This coming Sunday, June 26, the young people (and any others who would like to come along) will join the Erwin family in their nursing home outreach. Please bring your lunch. After the morning service, everyone can eat together at the church before going to the service.
Nursing home ministries provide a great opportunity to reach out to an often forgotten segment of our society. In addition to ministering to the residents, you often have the privilege of touching the lives of employees, nurses, custodial staff, and family members who are there for a visit. Please pray and ask the Lord to use you this weekend!
What a joy this week the past two weeks to see the excitement on the faces of the Hispanic believers in Lancaster, SC, at Iglesia Bautista El Faro as they brough new co-workers who just arrived in Lancaster. These new co-workers are Ethiopian men who had been in Atlanta, GA, for one year, and their sponsoring organization helped them with the move to South Carolina. God in His providence allowed one of them to be assigned to a new believer who was thrilled at the opportunity to share her newfound faith, language barrier notwithstanding!
Services at “El Faro” have now become bi-lingual, and God is working in hearts and lives. The Hispanic believers are thrilled to see others hear the liberating message of the gospel, and the Ethiopian men are simply taking it all in, much like Nicodemus; “How can a man be born when he is old?”
The power of the gospel is best shared “heart to heart.” It has often been said that we cannot take the gospel to the wrong address, and that is certainly true. Interestingly enough, the first contacts at Iglesia Bautista El Faro were reached through a “cold call.” But let’s be careful not miss those opportunities to reach friends, family, co-workers and neighbors as well!
God’s Word has many references to the concept of passing our faith from generation to generation. What a blessing it is to see three and four generations of one family walking in the fear of the Lord. And, surely nothing validates the authenticity of our faith quite as well as seeing our children embrace the Word of God and its teaching. III John 4 says it best, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” It could also be said that there is no greater disappointment than to hear/see your children reject the truth.
Sadly, many churches and families have backed away from the clear teachings of God’s Word in an attempt to keep their children “in the church.” What our children need to see is parents and pastors who are committed to the truth and are passionate about passing it on. If God’s Word is preached, taught, and lived; if the truth is spoken in love, and if we will pay the price to have the presence and power of God in our lives, homes, and churches; we will see many of our young people choose to seek after God.
In a day of compromise; our children need to see Biblical convictions lived consistently from the heart. In a day when entertainment is substituted for worship; our children need to see the power and holiness of God. And in a day when for many families Christian devotion is a Sunday affair; our children need to see meditation on the things of God day and night. (Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1)
If our faith is successfully passed on to the next generation, it will not be by accident. It will because of an intentional, passionate desire inspired by our love for God, and it will be fueled, energized, and enabled by prayer and the Spirit of God. Parents; let’s pay the price and trust God to do a great work in the hearts and lives of our children!
God was so good to include both the good and the “not so good” words and actions of those men and women we commonly refer to as Bible characters. The truth is; some were real characters!
Look for example at Hezekiah. Verse 5 of chapter 18 in the second book of Kings states: So that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. What a testimony! Yet, sadly we find that he didn’t end his reign as well as he could have or should have.
The tragedy of this king’s ending, and his apparent lack of judgment is most clearly seen in the statement recorded in verse 19 of chapter 20 (II Kings). Isaiah the prophet had pronounced the word of the Lord (judgment) against Hezekiah after the king had shown all of his house and treasures to the Babylonians. Part of the judgment was that the king’s sons would be taken away and made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. After hearing this sentence of judgment, Hezekiah made this statement: Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
How sad to see a man think only of his own generation, and his own time on this earth! But the awful truth is, today our society is filled with “fathers” who think only of themselves with little or NO regard for the children coming along behind them.
May God give us true men with a heart for Him who will strive to lead their families in the way of truth. Because it is God’s way and His truth that will bring blessing from generation to generation.
