Wednesday's Prayer

"When we are awake, we are still with Thee, O God most merciful, and Thy hand is over us for good. Be Thou the Desire of our hearts, and the Ruler of our thoughts. O heavenly Father, we need Thy love and Thy calm breath shed abroad in our souls to be a fountain of strength; we know know not without Thee what may befall us this day, either of peril, or of temptation, or of sorrow. But Thou canst put a guard about our path, and canst fence all our senses from temptation by sobering them with Thy holy fear. Give us then, we pray Thee, a right sense of duty, to shield us in all conflict, and guard us against sin and death. Lead us not into temptation; or, when we are tempted, deliver us by humble watchfulness from all power of evil - Amen."

Rowland Williams, Prayers Ancient and Modern, 1903

See you at Prayer Meeting tonight,
Pastor Mike

Will you SPLASH on someone this week?

On Sunday evening we are working through a series entitled "Splash." Ken Hemphill wrote a book by that title and the word is actually an acronym reminding us to...
Show
People
Love
And
Share
Him.

We learned that we must ILLUSTRATE the Gospel in order to earn the right to ARTICULATE the Gospel. We need to show others, through our lives, the power of the Gospel.

Here are four important truths we must remember if we want to "Splash" people with the living water.
1) God is everywhere and is always working to advance his Kingdom.
2) Prayer is the key to seeing God at work and showing people love.
3) The harvest is abundant (Luke 10:2)
4) Being a witness is not an option (Luke 24:48-49)

Let's join together in praying: "Father, show me where you are working so I can show others your love."

Looking for an opportunity to SPLASH someone this week,
Pastor Mike

Sunday Summary - September 18, 2011

On Sunday, I began a new series entitled: "Becoming the Unchurch." We are looking at key characteristics of the Church in Antioch and how they apply to us today. If we truly applied these qualities to our church I think we would become the "Unchurch" and by that I mean a church unlike what we have grown all too familiar with. I'm afraid we have grown accustomed to church that is simply a weekly meeting we attend but not a life changing gathering where we see and sense the power and presence of God. I don't want that to characterize the the church family at Everett Springs Baptist Church.

Sunday's message focused on "Unbelievable Power." Such power should mark a church that worships the living God. Think about it; God is a God of the unheard of, the unusual and the unbelievable. Does our church life reflect that we worship such a God? It can.

The first use of the word "Power" in the New testament comes from the lips of Jesus when he says: "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29). Wow, would He say that of our churches today? Do we know the power of God? How is that knowledge evident in our churches today?

We considered three aspects of God's "Unbelievable Power" in Sunday's message:
1) The Power of the Cross to change lives (Rom. 1:16 and 1 Cor. 1:17-18)
2) The Power Working through the Church (Eph. 3:14-21 and 2 Cor. 4:7)
3) The Power of the Comforter (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, Acts 4:33 and Rom. 15:18-19)

Our response to the message should include:
1) Realization of our Powerlessness.
2) Confession of our sin (We are not to quench or grieve the Spirit)
3) Participation in the will of God through prayer.

Our prayer is captured by the words penned by Charles H. Gabriel in the song "Pentecostal Power"
"Lord, send thy old-time power, the Pentecostal power!
Thy floodgates of blessing, on is throw open wide!
Lord, send the old time power, thy Pentecostal power!
That sinners be converted and Thy name glorified!"

Praying for God's Unbelievable Power in our Church,
Pastor Mike

In the Refiner's Fire

Those who know me well know I often refer to the devotional book, Streams in the Desert. It is a great book. We have a print edition and I also read an online edition when I have my Quiet Time each day. The online edition and the print edition are not laid out the same but the content is excellent in both of them. If you want to read the online edition just click HERE.

Here is an excerpt from today's devotion.

"He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat,

As He watched by the precious ore,

And closer He bent with a searching gaze

As He heated it more and more.

 

He knew He had ore that could stand the test,

And He wanted the finest gold

To mould as a crown for the King to wear,

Set with gems with a price untold.

 

So He laid our gold in the burning fire,

Tho' we fain would have said Him 'Nay,'

And He watched the dross that we had not seen,

And it melted and passed away.

 

And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,

But our eyes were so dim with tears,

We saw but the fire--not the Master's hand,

And questioned with anxious fears.

 

Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,

As it mirrored a Form above,

That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us,

With a look of ineffable love.

 

Can we think that it pleases His loving heart

To cause us a moment's pain?

Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross

The bliss of eternal gain.

 

So He waited there with a watchful eye,

With a love that is strong and sure,

And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,

Than was needed to make it pure."

Don't forget to pray: "Lord, do something we are not used to."

In the Fire,
Pastor Mike

Sunday Summary - September 4, 2011

Once again I find myself thanking the Lord for another great day of worship with the Everett Springs Church family. Since yesterday was the first Sunday of the month, the men of the Church gathered together at 8:00AM for the Brotherhood Breakfast. We always enjoy a delicious breakfast and a great time of fellowship. I sure do appreciate Hudon Miller and the crew of guys that come out early and prepare a breakfast feast for the men of our church and community. 

Since this is Labor Day weekend I thought it would be good to preach on "Responding to the Current Labor Crisis." Now, the crisis I spoke of was one of eternal significance. In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus speaks of the need for Laborers in the harvest. Every church I know of has a need for faithful "Harvest Laborers" and our hearts were challenged yesterday by the message of Matt. 9:35-38.

Here's a quick overview of the message:

1. Christ's MINISTRY as an example for our Labor
     a. The PLACE of His Labor
          I am so glad that Jesus ministered in the cities and villages.
          He would be serving in Rome and Armuchee.
          His travels would take Him to Summerville and Plainville; if He were here today.
     b. The PRACTICE of His Labor
         He labored through the Words He spoke: Teaching and Preaching
         He labored through the Works He accomplished (Healing every kind of disease).
         He was concerned about the physical needs of those He came in contact with.

2. Christ's MOTIVATION in Labor
     a. His COMPASSION
          He was moved with compassion as He looked at the people around Him.
          I pray that we will see what He saw and feel what He felt and that we would have compassion for others in our community.
     b. The CONDITION of the people
          The were harassed and helpless (Distressed and Dispirited)
          May we always remember we live in a community filled with people who are hurting.


3. Christ's METHOD for getting more Laborers
     a. He was INVOLVED (He set the Pattern for us)
     b. He was INSIGHTFUL (He Pointed out the need for more laborers)
     c. He was INSTRUCTIVE (He told us to Pray for the Lord to send forth laborers)

While we can and should pray for the Lord to send forth laborers into His harvest I also want us to consider praying a "dangerous" prayer. Wonder what would happen if we prayed: "Lord, do things we are not used to" and really, truly, with all our heart meant it? What would the Lord do in us and through us if we asked Him to do things we are not used to?

It has been said that "everyone wants progress, but no one wants change." I want progress and I am willing to change - what about you?

Here are some questions for you to think about:
1. Will we be like Jesus and seek to reach people in the cities and communities around us?
2. Will we ask God to give us a heart of compassion and an ability to see and sense the true need of those we encounter on a regular basis?
3. Will we commit to pray that the Lord will send out the laborers needed for the harvest and that He really would "Do things we are not used to"?

Click HERE for a link to the Crabb Family singing about the Harvest. I trust you will enjoy the song.

Praying for the Lord to do things we're not used to,
Pastor Mike

A Labor Day Message

I have been planning, preparing and praying for this Sunday's message. I'm now wrestling with the title for the message. I like "Gospel Guts" but that seems a bit, ... a bit, ... well, a little tacky or kind of gross sounding, although it would serve to grab one's attention. The reason for such a title is a key word that is found in Matthew 9:36. This word is used in the New Testament ONLY in reference to Christ. It is a word that is rich with meaning. I'll talk about it on Sunday but I don't think I will call the message: "Gospel Guts."

I am leaning toward: "Recognizing and Responding to the Church's Labor Problems." That sounds like an interesting title to me, what do you think? Most churches do have a "labor" problem. In fact, if you read Matthew 9:35-38 you will see that this problem has been around for a LONG time. Prior to serving as a Pastor, I served as a home missionary assisting local churches with their youth ministry. I talked with a lot of Pastors and leaders over a 19 year period. Most church leaders have a "Wish List" of ministry positions they wish they could fill. Needs in their church and community go unmet for a lack of people who are willing to serve. Wouldn't it be something if our church had a "Waiting List" instead of a "Wish List"?

What if someone said: "Pastor I would like to teach our children on Wednesday night." And I told them "Great, but there are three ahead of you who also want to serve in that area, so I will put you on our ministry waiting list or we can place you in another area of ministry." Wow, that would be something. I think every Pastor I know would love to have that problem. The sad reality is that most of us only have a "Wish List."

Well, on Sunday we will discover the Lord's answer to the church's labor problem. I hope to see you at Church this Sunday with an open Bible, a receptive heart, and a willingness to obey the Lord's leading.

Gratefully Laboring for the Lord,
Pastor Mike

Courageous

On Friday night, August 26th, Marilyn and I were able to attend the Atlanta premier of the movie Courageous. Wow, what a movie! We laughed, we cried, we were impacted by the story. It was a special opportunity for us and an enjoyable night out at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.

Here's a picture of us at the event:

The movie will open in theaters across the country on September 30. I highly recommend that you go see it and that you encourage others to do the same. You can learn more about the movie by clicking HERE.

Endeavoring to be a "Courageous" father,
Pastor Mike