Ecclesiastes chapter three informs us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck it up; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to win, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to speak, and a time to be silent; a time to hate, and a time to love; a time for war, and a time of peace.” Today, my dear friends I would also add there is a time to say good-bye.
These words were written thousands of years ago by the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon. In the Book of Kings the heavenly visit of God to Solomon is recorded whereby He had granted to Solomon one request. The request was that God would give him all wisdom in order to know how to best lead the people God had given him charge over. While there will never be another Solomon, I can sincerely tell you I too have made that request of God often over the past 5 years as your pastor. I can also say God has faithfully granted wisdom in many areas of my ministry to First Baptist and to your service.
There is much to celebrate in recounting some of the successes we have shared together over these recent years in order to build God’s Kingdom and bring Him glory. There have been men, women, children, and families who have experienced the life changing event of acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To God be the glory. There are also many folks who have gone through the exercise of believer’s baptism making their profession of faith in Jesus public in our midst. I believe that we have tried very hard to show this community of Travelers Rest the love of Christ through visitation nights and walking nearby neighborhoods as well as through numerous outreach events both inside and outside of our walls including children’s events such as Bible schools, baking goods for our businesses, providing food and supplies for our local schools and shelters, and our infamous “back to school bash.” Yes, there have been lives and families who have been changed over the last 5 years because of this church.
Now I wish to challenge you, my friends, to never give up in striving to bring joy to your surrounding area in fulfilling our great God’s command. Make disciples, Jesus would say as He ascended back to heaven after the cross, Go, and Make disciples. Even though the wisdom that God has granted has now brought us to this time of parting, my prayer for Travelers Rest is that you would always seek to glorify God in building His kingdom. I would ask you, in the words of a popular song, “Pray for me, and I will pray for you!” I love you and it has been my family’s privilege to serve you for these past five years.
Pastor Scott
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A FATHER?
Almost any man can father a child, but that certainly does not make him a FATHER. Just ask the nearly 13 million single mothers trying to raise their children on their own according to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau statistics. If you are still not convinced, ask the 21.8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today) who belong to those single mothers. The taboo subject of out of wedlock pregnancy of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, and certain ostracism in the schoolroom, is now often celebrated and heralded as glorious with a feeling of liberation by today’s society. This is especially true of the family and peers of the young men involved; however, this alarmingly offensive trend comes at a great cost to all of those associated and society at large. Men, God’s Holy Word tells us quite clearly that this is NOT what it means to be a FATHER!
God informs us, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and then the two shall become one flesh!” (Italics mine). What God as the creator of all life has established from Genesis on is the rightly blessed family unit. It begins with a man and a woman marrying for the purpose of, then and only then, having children who will in turn populate the earth. Not only is marriage God’s necessary and blessed plan for men to become husbands and fathers, but also for us to raise godly children. Thus, the cycle continues not only of procreation, but the continuation of children who will become adults who love the Lord and want nothing more than to live for Him and His glory!
Men, in order to become real FATHERS, we must first love our wives just as Jesus loves His church, and show our children this model as God intended in our homes. Secondly, we must raise our children in the training and admonition of the Lord; just as the wisdom literature of Proverbs tells us that if we train up our children this way, when they are old they will not depart from it. The training is demanding and none of us are perfect, but we must spend our whole lives to this end. It doesn’t stop when our children reach 18 and/or leave our homes. We are fathers, should we choose to undertake such a tremendous task, for our whole lives. It continues from our children to our grandchildren and even our great grandchildren. This training the Bible refers to is simply that as we are teaching our children and loving and nurturing them in all their physical needs, we also teach them that there is a God who loves them and expects them to return that love with all their hearts, mind, soul, and strength. The only way we can instill in our children that kind of love for the Lord, an attitude of serving Him with all that they are and bringing glory to Him, is for them to see it continuously lived out by example in the lives of godly men. Then and only then can we truly be called FATHERS!
Pastor Scott
God informs us, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and then the two shall become one flesh!” (Italics mine). What God as the creator of all life has established from Genesis on is the rightly blessed family unit. It begins with a man and a woman marrying for the purpose of, then and only then, having children who will in turn populate the earth. Not only is marriage God’s necessary and blessed plan for men to become husbands and fathers, but also for us to raise godly children. Thus, the cycle continues not only of procreation, but the continuation of children who will become adults who love the Lord and want nothing more than to live for Him and His glory!
Men, in order to become real FATHERS, we must first love our wives just as Jesus loves His church, and show our children this model as God intended in our homes. Secondly, we must raise our children in the training and admonition of the Lord; just as the wisdom literature of Proverbs tells us that if we train up our children this way, when they are old they will not depart from it. The training is demanding and none of us are perfect, but we must spend our whole lives to this end. It doesn’t stop when our children reach 18 and/or leave our homes. We are fathers, should we choose to undertake such a tremendous task, for our whole lives. It continues from our children to our grandchildren and even our great grandchildren. This training the Bible refers to is simply that as we are teaching our children and loving and nurturing them in all their physical needs, we also teach them that there is a God who loves them and expects them to return that love with all their hearts, mind, soul, and strength. The only way we can instill in our children that kind of love for the Lord, an attitude of serving Him with all that they are and bringing glory to Him, is for them to see it continuously lived out by example in the lives of godly men. Then and only then can we truly be called FATHERS!
Pastor Scott
Monday, April 11, 2011
WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD!
Without question this is the most sacred month of the year for all Evangelical Christians. Why, you might ask? It is because the crux of our faith is celebrated in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. The Bible tells us that if in this life we have hope in a Christ who is not raised from the dead then we are the most pitiable men in all the world. “But now CHRIST IS RISEN from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who are dead…for as in Adam we (all humanity) die, even so in Jesus Christ all shall be made alive; Christ the firstfruits and afterwards, those who are His!” 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Jesus is indeed ALIVE, and therein affords great news of hope that you and I might also defeat death and be resurrected to eternal life with God the Father in heaven. Jesus has given us the means of being saved, but what I would like to focus on for a few minutes is the fact that He also showed us ‘The Way.” Have you ever thought about Jesus’ faith? What did He believe to be true with regard to God His Father? What did He do about it? These are great questions that will help us to be confident with our own faith in God’s promises. We can follow Jesus’ example.
The prophet Moses in Gen. 3:15 and Isaiah in Isaiah 53:4,10 give us the fact that it was all part of God’s master plan for His Son Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. Jesus took our place and died and was buried on our behalf. You see God is a holy God which means that sin cannot dwell in His presence. Therefore, if you and I as sinners were ever going to have a restored relationship with God, then someone would have to take away our sin. Enter Jesus, God’s only Son, who not only agreed to take our sin voluntarily allowing it to put Him to death on the cross and be buried, but Jesus also had to have faith that God would not leave Him in that state but raise Him back to life. Jesus had to have tremendous faith!
I’m sure they had talked about it many times in His short 33 years of life. I know that Jesus agonized over it in the garden on the night He was arrested. The gospel of Mark describes that scene as he says that Jesus was troubled and distressed saying, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to the point of death…Father, will you take this cup from Me if it is possible, nevertheless, not My will, but Your will!” On the cross Jesus cried out again, “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me,” as He was within His final breaths of dying. Nevertheless, even in the darkest moments of His entire life on earth Jesus had faith in God His Father!
Now, the question of the hour becomes not what would Jesus do, but would you have done what Jesus did? Have you ever placed your life in God’s hands by faith completely trusting Him with your life? If not today should be the day. If he raised His Son from the dead and He did, now Jesus is the firstfruits of the harvest meaning that others are to follow. Will you be part of the rest of the fruit metaphorically speaking? The meaning is clear. Will you ask Jesus to forgive your sin by faith believing that HE died on the cross to take your sin from you and by faith believe that God will also raise you from the fate of an earthly physical death one day just as He raised Jesus? Without FAITH it is impossible to please God, to have a restored relationship with Him!
Jesus is indeed ALIVE, and therein affords great news of hope that you and I might also defeat death and be resurrected to eternal life with God the Father in heaven. Jesus has given us the means of being saved, but what I would like to focus on for a few minutes is the fact that He also showed us ‘The Way.” Have you ever thought about Jesus’ faith? What did He believe to be true with regard to God His Father? What did He do about it? These are great questions that will help us to be confident with our own faith in God’s promises. We can follow Jesus’ example.
The prophet Moses in Gen. 3:15 and Isaiah in Isaiah 53:4,10 give us the fact that it was all part of God’s master plan for His Son Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. Jesus took our place and died and was buried on our behalf. You see God is a holy God which means that sin cannot dwell in His presence. Therefore, if you and I as sinners were ever going to have a restored relationship with God, then someone would have to take away our sin. Enter Jesus, God’s only Son, who not only agreed to take our sin voluntarily allowing it to put Him to death on the cross and be buried, but Jesus also had to have faith that God would not leave Him in that state but raise Him back to life. Jesus had to have tremendous faith!
I’m sure they had talked about it many times in His short 33 years of life. I know that Jesus agonized over it in the garden on the night He was arrested. The gospel of Mark describes that scene as he says that Jesus was troubled and distressed saying, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to the point of death…Father, will you take this cup from Me if it is possible, nevertheless, not My will, but Your will!” On the cross Jesus cried out again, “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me,” as He was within His final breaths of dying. Nevertheless, even in the darkest moments of His entire life on earth Jesus had faith in God His Father!
Now, the question of the hour becomes not what would Jesus do, but would you have done what Jesus did? Have you ever placed your life in God’s hands by faith completely trusting Him with your life? If not today should be the day. If he raised His Son from the dead and He did, now Jesus is the firstfruits of the harvest meaning that others are to follow. Will you be part of the rest of the fruit metaphorically speaking? The meaning is clear. Will you ask Jesus to forgive your sin by faith believing that HE died on the cross to take your sin from you and by faith believe that God will also raise you from the fate of an earthly physical death one day just as He raised Jesus? Without FAITH it is impossible to please God, to have a restored relationship with Him!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
WHAT PART OF “ALL” DON’T WE UNDERSTAND?
In a recent sermon we were discussing the magnitude of God’s kingdom which is “all” encompassing. Psalm 24 tells us that the earth and the whole universe belong to the Lord. Not only in substance, but also everything that dwells in the universe, “all the fullness,” is God’s. There are numerous texts in Scripture that affirm this same truth such as Colossians 1 which states not only that God created us and that we belong to Him, but that in Him we consist. In other words we are physically held together in bodily form because of our great God’s design. Therefore, our understanding of life MUST take into account that “I” belong to God!
Herein is our greatest problem because we mostly believe that “I” belong to me and I can do with myself whatever I want to do with myself whenever I want to do it because I only answer to me. Now I know that most of us would never articulate such a statement regarding how we live, but in reality, sadly, this is exactly how we make daily decisions, and how we live. God mercifully cautions us repeatedly against the sin of pride in how we govern ourselves without regard for Him, but His compassionate pleas far too often go unheeded.
I’m reminded of the narrative found in Daniel concerning the son of the infamous Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. His son’s name was Belshazzar and he had thrown an elaborate party with some friends one night when all of the sudden, out of thin air, a hand just appeared and began to write on a wall. The phrase written in Hebrew read, “Mene, Mene. Tekel, Upharsin” which translated means “you have been weighed on the scales and have been found lacking!” Belshazzar had lived his whole life unto himself with little or no thought for the God who created him and the fact that this whole earth is God’s kingdom not his and not ours! Sadly, the message was that Belshazzar’s whole short life did not measure up when weighed by God on God’s scales, and that very night his life was taken from him.
I pray that this thought captures your heart today. When Daniel interpreted the handwriting for Belshazzar he made this comment, “you have lifted YOURSELF up against the Lord of heaven. You have praised the gods which do not see or hear or know; and The God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” My friend, don’t let this happen to you! Understand today, that all of this world, including you, belongs to the Lord. He expects that by faith you repent of pride and sin in your life trusting Him as your Savior and Lord. He is gracious, merciful, compassionate and will forgive you. Today, will you acknowledge Him as sovereign in your life and give yourself and the rest of your days to Him? If not, what part of “all” the earth don’t you understand?
Herein is our greatest problem because we mostly believe that “I” belong to me and I can do with myself whatever I want to do with myself whenever I want to do it because I only answer to me. Now I know that most of us would never articulate such a statement regarding how we live, but in reality, sadly, this is exactly how we make daily decisions, and how we live. God mercifully cautions us repeatedly against the sin of pride in how we govern ourselves without regard for Him, but His compassionate pleas far too often go unheeded.
I’m reminded of the narrative found in Daniel concerning the son of the infamous Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. His son’s name was Belshazzar and he had thrown an elaborate party with some friends one night when all of the sudden, out of thin air, a hand just appeared and began to write on a wall. The phrase written in Hebrew read, “Mene, Mene. Tekel, Upharsin” which translated means “you have been weighed on the scales and have been found lacking!” Belshazzar had lived his whole life unto himself with little or no thought for the God who created him and the fact that this whole earth is God’s kingdom not his and not ours! Sadly, the message was that Belshazzar’s whole short life did not measure up when weighed by God on God’s scales, and that very night his life was taken from him.
I pray that this thought captures your heart today. When Daniel interpreted the handwriting for Belshazzar he made this comment, “you have lifted YOURSELF up against the Lord of heaven. You have praised the gods which do not see or hear or know; and The God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.” My friend, don’t let this happen to you! Understand today, that all of this world, including you, belongs to the Lord. He expects that by faith you repent of pride and sin in your life trusting Him as your Savior and Lord. He is gracious, merciful, compassionate and will forgive you. Today, will you acknowledge Him as sovereign in your life and give yourself and the rest of your days to Him? If not, what part of “all” the earth don’t you understand?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
THE SEASON FOR LOVE
Americans are just about as ‘loving’ a people as you will find anywhere on the planet. If you doubt this statement just be quiet and listen to the average conversion over lunch at work, school, or home. What you’ll find in our everyday conversation is the word ‘love’ used at an alarming rate of frequency. For example, we love our shoes and all the different styles. We love our clothes and all the favorite stores that sell them. We love our hair and our one of a kind hair stylists\salons. We love our nails, spas, and boutiques. We love our homes and decorating them, the furniture and all the stores that stock the furniture, our art and the antique dealers, our yards, trees, flowers, and gardens and those big stores that sell everything we need to maintain them. We love our cars and favorite dealerships, our motor homes, our motor cycles, campers, boats, 4-wheelers, and anything else that moves with a motor. We also love our electronics and don’t forget the stores that sell them; we love our cell phones, flat screen televisions, computers, stereos, i-pods, i-pads, i-phones, i-tunes and all our other music. We love our food, and don’t forget the 1000’s of different favorite restaurants, our donuts, our chocolate, our pastries, pies, and cakes, oh yeah, and we love our coffee. Most of us also love our country, our churches, our families, friends, our sports, our recreation\vacations, and even our jobs. Let’s face it, we ‘LOVE’ everything, but do we really ‘love’ anything?
Our conversation reveals the term ‘love’ has lost all sense of meaning and definition as we use it for everything, with little to no thought given before it is tritely thrown out. Our fascination with all afore mentioned things reveals that we have little to no concept of the sacredness or the value love holds. Still, the most alarming and saddest fact remains. Not only do we not understand love’s true meaning or it’s genuine worth, but we also have no idea what it looks like or to whom it truly belongs. Case and point: according to business news media outlets February, affectionately known as ‘the month of love,’ home of the Valentine’s holiday posts retail sales receipts of around 14 BILLION dollars annually. This second only to Christmas and often rivals Mother’s day for the 2nd or 3rd biggest retail season of the year. The point is that we think we can somehow buy something that never was or ever will be for sale, ‘love.’
You see, we do not have a clue what real love is because we were all born with a love deficiency which can be imagined as a huge hole in our heart. It is a void incapable of being filled with anything or by anyone other than the One true God who created us. When you come to Him by faith and ask God to fill your broken heart, He will hear your cry and instill His love into you. This is the love of a renewed relationship that was broken between you and God but now has been restored. Only then can you understand what real love is and ready to demonstrate and give true love to others. Jesus put it this way in His Word, the Bible, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Then He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Our love from Him and our ability to love is a special gift from God, let’s treat it SPECIAL this month as well as all the others.
Our conversation reveals the term ‘love’ has lost all sense of meaning and definition as we use it for everything, with little to no thought given before it is tritely thrown out. Our fascination with all afore mentioned things reveals that we have little to no concept of the sacredness or the value love holds. Still, the most alarming and saddest fact remains. Not only do we not understand love’s true meaning or it’s genuine worth, but we also have no idea what it looks like or to whom it truly belongs. Case and point: according to business news media outlets February, affectionately known as ‘the month of love,’ home of the Valentine’s holiday posts retail sales receipts of around 14 BILLION dollars annually. This second only to Christmas and often rivals Mother’s day for the 2nd or 3rd biggest retail season of the year. The point is that we think we can somehow buy something that never was or ever will be for sale, ‘love.’
You see, we do not have a clue what real love is because we were all born with a love deficiency which can be imagined as a huge hole in our heart. It is a void incapable of being filled with anything or by anyone other than the One true God who created us. When you come to Him by faith and ask God to fill your broken heart, He will hear your cry and instill His love into you. This is the love of a renewed relationship that was broken between you and God but now has been restored. Only then can you understand what real love is and ready to demonstrate and give true love to others. Jesus put it this way in His Word, the Bible, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Then He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Our love from Him and our ability to love is a special gift from God, let’s treat it SPECIAL this month as well as all the others.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
LET GOD BE YOUR BARNABUS THIS YEAR
New beginnings are always a great opportunity to reflect on the mistakes of the past in order not to repeat them in the future. Now we are on the brink of entering a brand new year and it is time to make some positive changes in our lives. I’m not talking about New Year’s resolutions that last until about mid January, even if you are half-way motivated. What I am speaking of is wholesome lifestyle changes that will bring you closer to the one who made you, loves you, and has work for you to do every day. It is why you are here on planet earth, that is, to bring God glory by living in a manner that is both pleasing to Him and productive in accomplishing His goals for you. The problem is that we need plenty of help, and we usually look for it in all the wrong places. The good news is that it is not too late, and not only that, but it is a great opportunity to begin again at the start of this brand new year.
I am reminded of the story in the Book of Acts of a young man named John Mark. It was the initiation of the career of the great apostle Paul, who had been commissioned to go on his first missionary trip. There was also a man, by the name of Barnabus, who was set apart to go with Paul. John Mark was chosen by Paul and Barnabus to accompany them on their journey. The Bible tells us that sometime after they had departed, not too long into the trip, John Mark left them and headed back home. The story resumes after Paul and Barnabus had returned home and some time had passed. When they were ready to embark on their second missionary journey, Barnabus wanted to take John Mark along with them again. Wait a minute. Stop! Did you catch that? Barnabus wanted to give John Mark another chance, a NEW BEGINNING! Even though he had been a presumable screw-up, let down, and disappointment; even though he had quit on them and gone back to the reliable, safe outlet; Barnabus wanted him to succeed! Well, Paul and Barnabus argued and parted ways. Paul went on his second missionary journey, and took Silas with him. Barnabus went on his second missionary journey, and took John Mark with him. At the end of Paul’s life he had become a John Mark fan, and even stated that John Mark was someone he could trust, and was useful to him, when others had abandoned him.
Here’s the point. You and I are guilty of doing many things that need improvement. We have left, so to speak, our Father’s side and His mission, or will, for us on this earth. Quite honestly, and too often, perhaps we have tried to clean up our act, on our own, only to go back very quickly to old ‘safe or reliable’ sinful habits. Well, there is no better time than on the start of this new year for us to begin a fresh and anew. God is our Barnabus, He is our encourager, and He is saying to us that we can do it! We can accomplish living the life that He wants for us for His glory, if we let Him lead and strengthen us. He has not given up on you yet! Know that, no matter how much you think that you have messed up, He still loves you! The question is, will you be encouraged, will you ask for and accept His forgiveness, and will you try anew to live for Him, and with Him in this New Year?
I am reminded of the story in the Book of Acts of a young man named John Mark. It was the initiation of the career of the great apostle Paul, who had been commissioned to go on his first missionary trip. There was also a man, by the name of Barnabus, who was set apart to go with Paul. John Mark was chosen by Paul and Barnabus to accompany them on their journey. The Bible tells us that sometime after they had departed, not too long into the trip, John Mark left them and headed back home. The story resumes after Paul and Barnabus had returned home and some time had passed. When they were ready to embark on their second missionary journey, Barnabus wanted to take John Mark along with them again. Wait a minute. Stop! Did you catch that? Barnabus wanted to give John Mark another chance, a NEW BEGINNING! Even though he had been a presumable screw-up, let down, and disappointment; even though he had quit on them and gone back to the reliable, safe outlet; Barnabus wanted him to succeed! Well, Paul and Barnabus argued and parted ways. Paul went on his second missionary journey, and took Silas with him. Barnabus went on his second missionary journey, and took John Mark with him. At the end of Paul’s life he had become a John Mark fan, and even stated that John Mark was someone he could trust, and was useful to him, when others had abandoned him.
Here’s the point. You and I are guilty of doing many things that need improvement. We have left, so to speak, our Father’s side and His mission, or will, for us on this earth. Quite honestly, and too often, perhaps we have tried to clean up our act, on our own, only to go back very quickly to old ‘safe or reliable’ sinful habits. Well, there is no better time than on the start of this new year for us to begin a fresh and anew. God is our Barnabus, He is our encourager, and He is saying to us that we can do it! We can accomplish living the life that He wants for us for His glory, if we let Him lead and strengthen us. He has not given up on you yet! Know that, no matter how much you think that you have messed up, He still loves you! The question is, will you be encouraged, will you ask for and accept His forgiveness, and will you try anew to live for Him, and with Him in this New Year?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)