Bowls of Prayer

Do you have a prayer list? A number of us at Salem have a list of 51 names for whom we are praying for a Spiritual Breakthrough. The individuals on this list may need to experience salvation or rededication or be in need of a personal revival. Whatever their need we are simply praying for God to work in their lives in His time, for His Glory and for their good. Yes, we have names written down because we believe the MOST LOVING thing we can do for anyone is to pray for them!

But what about a “Bowl of Prayer,” what’s that all about? Actually the Bible tells us there are bowls of prayer in Heaven. John the revelator gives us a glimpse of a Heavenly worship service in Revelation 4 and 5 and in 5:8 we read: “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” The “vials” may also be translated “bowls” and these bowls are full of “the prayers of the saints.” These prayers are a part of the heavenly worship service. That is mind-blowing to me. Your prayers, my prayers, our prayers, the prayers offered among all believers are used as a means of worship in heaven. Wow!!

On Sunday night we made four applications to this truth.

1. It is the Prayers of BELIEVERS that are a part of the Heavenly Worship.
The prayers are not prayers of angels or of any other creature. Our prayers are used to Worship the Lord. Our prayers are like a sweet smelling savor to Him.

Psalm 141:2 (KJV)
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

2. Our Prayers are BLENDED with the prayers of others
Just as the incense of old was blended together (Exodus 37:29) so are our prayers blended together in Heaven. May our prayers be blended with faith, hope, love, repentance, and humility (just to name a few important qualities). May we also see our prayers blended with the prayers of the young, the middle aged and the Sr. Saint. May we also see our prayer blended together with the prayers of believers from every tribe, tongue and nation. May each of our prayers rise to the very throne room of God bringing him praise, honor and glory!

3. Our prayers should also be BURNING
May we have a burning intensity to our prayers. May we always be mindful that “the effectual FERVENT prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” A “fervent” prayer is a prayer that is on fire; it has intensity about it! God deliver us from ho-hum, half-hearted, half-baked kind of prayers. May they be set on fire and launched heavenward for God’s glory and our good!

4. The prayers we pray can surely be a BLESSING

Charles Spurgeon said: “Prayer itself is essentially a doxology. It is an utterance of Glory to God in His attributes.” The very act of praying declares your faith and trust in an awesome God who alone is worthy of our faith and trust. So pray with the thought that even through your prayers you are offering a blessing to God.

What is exciting is what happens to these “Bowls of Prayer.” If you want to know then you can read it for yourself in Revelation 8:3-5.

Let’s fill the bowls of prayer and see God send fires of revival and change our way.

Praying over my list and filling the heavenly bowls of prayer,

Pastor Mike

Three Great Facts of the Christian Life

Yesterday we discovered “Three Great Facts of the Christian Life.” No matter what is happening in your life these facts can and should encourage you and strengthen you for whatever comes your way. The first fact, for some strange reason, is one that has brought about debate, discussion and even division for some. It shouldn’t; because under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter says that our election by God is a source of comfort and stability to us as we face uncertain days or trying times. May we not make a truth challenging that God has designed to be comforting.

I am grateful that the security of our salvation is wrapped up in the Trinity. 1 Peter 1:2 shows us that we are 1) Chosen by the Father, 2) Consecrated by the Spirit, and 3) Cleansed and Commissioned by Christ. Our security as believers is secured through the effectual ministry of the Trinity. That is some wonderful good news! This same great truth is also found in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-16.

As I prepared for the message, I had the thought that if Salvation were mine to choose then it may also be mine to lose. Praise God he chose me long before I responded to Him and I am eternally secure in that truth! My salvation is secure and my life has purpose and meaning because “he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,” (Eph. 1:4)

I am blessed by the statement in the Baptist Faith and Message that states:

“Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.”

The great evangelist of days gone by tells us how this wonderful doctrine is a source of strength and comfort to us even today.

“I should utterly sink under a dread of my impending trials, were I not firmly persuaded that God has chosen me in Christ from before the foundation of the world, and that now being effectually called, he will allow no one to pluck me out of His almighty hand,” – George Whitefield

So no matter what may come your way; always keep in mind:

The Father chose us; the Son died for us; and the Spirit quickens us. Or you could say that the Father was concerned ABOUT us; the Son shed his blood FOR us; and the Spirit performs His work WINTHIN us.

So I am safe and secure in the blessed Trinity!

Thanking God for His Word and the blessed truth that I too am an elect exile,

Pastor Mike

Sanctify Yourselves

I can’t get away from the words of Joshua 3:5 and their implications for us today. The children of Israel were on the banks of the Jordan River. They are about to enter into a new phase of life. The life of slavery; the life of wandering in the wilderness; was about to give way to a brand new way of life. As they are on the brink of this significant transition, Joshua tells them: “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5) Wow!

What would happen if we approached Sunday with the same thought? What would happen if we began to examine our hearts, our actions, and our motives as we prepared for worship on Sunday? Would we see God do wonders among us if we truly sanctified ourselves in preparation for worshipping Him? If I really wanted to see God do “wonders” around me wouldn’t it be worth my time and effort to “sanctify” myself in preparation for that? I believe time spent preparing our heart and soul for Sunday would be well worth the effort in order to see God do wonders in our midst.

So, take some time today and tomorrow to “sanctify yourself.”

How?

Here are some verses God can use to prepare you and I for a great day of worship. These verses can be used to prepare our hearts so we are ready to hear and receive the message God has just for us.

Read these verses and then make them into a prayer.

Psalm 34:18 (ESV) ¹⁸  The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 66:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)
²³  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Matthew 5:23-24 (ESV)
²³  So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
²⁴  leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Galatians 5:22-25 (ESV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
²⁴  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
⁹  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

On Sunday, I will be preaching from 1Peter 1:1-3. Take some time to read those verses and ask God to prepare your heart for His message, as revealed in these verses.

I am anticipating God doing WONDERS in our midst as we sanctify ourselves to Him,

Pastor Mike

Will You Be the One?

I believe we had an awesome service on Sunday night! We focused on prayer and closed the service with a special time of prayer for those in need of a spiritual breakthrough in their lives. What is exciting to me is how the impact of that service carried over on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and today; as Marilyn and I have bowed in prayer asking God to bring about a spiritual breakthrough in the lives of those who were named on Sunday night. I trust the service impacted you in the same way. I also hope there will be a group of us who will make such prayer a DAILY priority!

John Wesley said: “God, does nothing on earth save in answer to believing prayer.” I believe that is simply another way of saying “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” If we truly believe God hears and answers prayer than we would be men and women who give ourselves to frequent, focused and fervent prayer. After all the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16).

On Sunday morning I closed with a reference to Ezekiel 22:29-31. These are some straight up; strong words we need to take to heart. Read them and let their message sink into your heart and soul.

Ezekiel 22:30-31 (KJV)
³⁰  And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
³¹  Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

I still believe God is seeking for men and women to stand in the gap and be prayer warriors for our friends and loved ones. As I said on Sunday night, the one thing God cannot do is answer prayers we have not prayed. So let’s pray with fervency for the salvation of lost loved ones. Let’s weep over those who have strayed from the Lord. Let’s pray that God will change the hearts and lives of those we are burdened for and let’s get ready to see God do some amazing things in us and through us as we “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17)

Will you be the one to stand in the gap?

Standing with you and for you,

Pastor Mike

Where Have I Been?

Wow, I really feel bad that I have been away from the blog for so many days. I haven’t been anywhere except for passing through “Busyville” and living in internet “no man’s land.” Being “busy” is no excuse for not taking a few minutes to write and connect with you. I can better plan my trips through “busyville” and adjust my planning and writing schedule accordingly.

Being in internet “no man’s land” is another issue and one that is a little bit out of my control. It is frustrating to live this close to a city and NOT have a DSL line or any form of internet connection. Yes, I did have a WiFi Hotspot; but the price was too high for the amount of data I could use.

We had an installer from a local wireless internet service provider out this week checking on a signal from one of their towers. Well, so far the signal is not strong enough so I am still without internet. I went to the library to get online there but that didn’t happen either. Their WiFi was down and they had no idea when it would be back up. What??? (At least they still had books there)

I can be frustrated but that really doesn’t help me or the situation. So, I need to be creative. I will work to write my blog posts off line and then find a way to upload them so I can stay in touch with you. You can also check out my Twitter account as it is a bit easier to post updates and ideas from my cell phone to @ESBCPastorMike.

Thanks again for your interest and the comments you have shared with me about what I have been writing. Please pass the word along that “I’m back” and looking forward to sharing helpful ideas, thoughts and resources with you through my posts. I write primarily with the Salem Baptist family in mind but also hope there are others who will find something helpful here.

My plans are to write no less than three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and occasionally I will write five days a week. I typically will not write on Saturday or Sunday.

I will have a post for tomorrow and Friday so I hope you will stop by for a visit then.

See you tomorrow,

Pastor Mike

We Have a Great Day before us on Sunday

Scott Phillips Family

I am so excited about our Sunday service! I trust you are planning to be with us at 10:00 for Bible Study and fellowship. I also want to encourage you to INVITE friends and family to join us for worship at 11:00. We will be blessed to hear from Scott Phillips. Scott has been used of God to take the glorious message of the Gospel to the Dao tribe of Indonesia. Their story of God's work in them and through them will bless your heart!

Scott and Jennie and their three sons have recently returned to the states, as Jennie is due with child #4. Their latest newsletter is a wonderful story of how the Dao people sought to be a blessing to them and to honor God with their own generosity. Please take the time to read the story HERE. You will be glad you did.

Along with the blessing of our Sunday morning service we will have a very special Sunday evening service. At 6:00 we will experience the "Beauty of Baptism," hear a powerful testimony of God's grace and take part in a commissioning service. We are sending one of our own to a mission field. It is not a field of his choosing; but it is one that he is confident that God is sending him to for a definite plan and purpose. I trust we will have a great number of the Salem family present for this special service Sunday night at 6:00.

I can't wait to see you on Sunday!

Pastor Mike

Prayer and Praise

Just like peanut butter and chocolate go great together so do prayer and praise! It seems to me that praying leads to praising and praising leads to more praying. That's two great practices that go great together!

Tonight we will continue in our series on "The Power of Praise" We will review from the last time we met and we will discover some new ways that praise changes things. We will also discover some practical ways we can examine our praise, so that our praise can be all that God would have it to be.

Of course we will also receive your prayer requests and praise reports tonight as well.

Here is another prayer from the book Prayers Ancient and Modern (c. 1897).

"O Lord, give us grace, we beseech Thee, to hear and obey Thy voice which saith to every one of us "This is the way, walk ye in it." Nevertheless, let us not hear it behind us saying, This is the way; but rather before us saying, Follow me. When Thou puttest us forth, go before us; when the way is to great for us, carry us; in the darkness of death, comfort us; in the day of resurrection, satisfy us. - Amen (Christina Rossetti)

Praying prayers like that will lead to times of praise when the Lord answers such prayers.

Peanut butter & chocolate; prayer & praise great things that go great together!

Praying and Praising,

Pastor Mike

Why are Some Churches Declining?

Thom Rainer, who is the president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources has written a great article addressing the declining attendance that is happening in many churches. I still believe that God is BUILDING His church AND I do believe we may be witnessing a PURGING of the Church.

Ultimately the purging of the Church will make a stronger and more vibrant church in the coming years. We need that! Our nation needs a strong Church. The lost need the witness that a strong church gives to the world. Missionaries need the prayer and financial support that comes from a strong, healthy, vibrant church. May the "falling away" and purging that we see not discourage us but may it lead us to stronger, healthier, more vibrant churches.

Now, take a moment to read Thom's article. You can find it HERE.

Here is the beginning of his article:

My five-year old grandson asked me how old I was. When I told him I would turn 60 in a few weeks, he responded: “I didn’t realize people got that old."  

Indeed, in 60 years, like any of us who have lived a few years, I have seen change, lots of change. And I am seeing change in local congregations faster than any time in my lifetime.

One of the most disheartening changes I am seeing is the declining attendance in a majority of churches. I am asked repeatedly to diagnose and help with these challenges. 

Though addressing the issue of declining attendance cannot be covered in a brief blog post, I hope it will be helpful to share some high-level perspectives. See if any of these seven reasons apply to your church.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

I trust that Thom's article will challenge us to be active and faithful members in our local church.

If the article prompts a good thought or idea on how we can be a dynamic and developing church please share your thoughts and ideas with me. You can call, e-mail or talk to me the next time you see me.

Pastor Mike

Finding a Church Home

"Exciting" Salem Baptist Church

I am planning to preach on "Finding a Church Home" this Sunday. The church is not a building but it is a body of believers who have joined together to Worship, Witness, and to Work for the Glory of God and the good of others. At 10:00 on Sunday, the Church will GATHER, in small groups, for Bible Study. At 11:00 AM, several more will join those who are already here to WORSHIP the Lord. When the last amen is said the church will SCATTER. 

We GATHER to Worship and we SCATTER to Work and Witness.

Thankfully, our faithful members are not looking for a Church home; they have found one! But there are people we all know who need a church home. They need a local body of believers to be a part of, to worship and serve with. We need the affection, the accountability, and the activity that a local church provides for its members.

So take some time today to pray for our Sunday service. Pray for our Small Group leaders as they put the finishing touches on the Bible Study they will lead this Sunday at 10:00. We are blessed to have multiple groups for all ages with very qualified teachers. Pray for the message to edify us and encourage us to do all that we can to see our local body of believers to GROW. God has not called us to "maintain" - NO! We are to grow! He is still building His church (Matt. 16:18) and I want us all to be active members in His building program. That is an exciting and fulfilling project and one of eternal significance.

I am looking forward to gathering with the Salem Family on Sunday,

Pastor Mike

Let Us Pray!

A. J. Gordon said: "You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed." Be sure to make time to pray today.

I have an old book titled: "Prayers Ancient and Modern" (1903) and it has one or more prayers printed for each day of the year.

Here are the prayers for today. May they be a blessing to you and add to your time in prayer.

"O Lord, give us grace, I pray Thee, so to realize Thine almighty succor pledged to us, Thy protecting Presence surrounding us, Thine all-seeing eye fixed upon us, Thy Divine heart yearning over us, that we may cease to tremble at man's anger, or shrink from man's ridicule; but may with a good courage perform the work Thou givest us to do, and after we have suffered may enter into rest - Amen." - Christina G. Roseetti

"O Heavenly Father, The Author and Fountain of all truth, the bottomless Sea of all understanding, send, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, and lighten our understandings with the beams of Thy heavenly grace. We ask this, O merciful Father, for Thy dear Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ's sake - Amen." - Nicholas Ridley (1500-1555)

I am always blessed by the richness and depth of such brief prayers. I read them and say with the Disciples, "Lord, teach us to pray."

As you pray today, let these prayers encourage the depth and breadth of your prayers. Pray for our services tonight. Pray as I prepare the message for Sunday. Pray for opportunities to invite friends to attend Bible Study and Church with you. Pray for the Spirit of God to empower the Word of God to impact the People of God as we gather for Worship on Sunday.

And Remember ... "You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed."

Praying with you and for you,
Pastor Mike

Women on Mission

On Wednesday night at 7:00 pm, our Women on Mission group will meet together. Marilyn has been asked to share the devotional for the night. She is excited to share with the ladies how "God Leads His Dear Children Along." She will be sharing how God has led her, how He leads her today, and the confidence that she has that He will continue to lead her in the days ahead. She is looking forward to each lady discovering the leadership of the Lord in their lives as well.

So ladies, plan to gather together with the Women on Mission tomorrow night here at Salem Baptist Church.

Grateful for all who are led by God,

Pastor Mike