tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88988747479441445372024-02-07T20:03:09.746-08:00Curtis KingThe blog ministry of Pastor Curtis King and Calvary Baptist Church in Hartwell, GA.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-13129552261758544502017-05-04T10:46:00.001-07:002017-05-04T10:46:58.485-07:00How To Lose While Trying To Win<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I enjoy winning. If I lose a game I feel deflated, as if I have wasted some of my time on actually playing the game. It’s not about having fun or spending time with friends and family, I want to win. Of course, I am partially joking, but we all would admit that winning is better than losing. That is why, as a Christian and as a pastor I want to win. Too often I see Christians who are trying hard to experience personal victories but never will because they are going about it the wrong way. I’ve listed three things here that will keep you from experiencing personal victories every single time.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Anger</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>James 1:20, “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Nothing spiritual has ever been accomplished out of an angry heart. Yet I see pastors motivate out of anger and I see Christians who walk into church with anger in their hearts. Some Christians try to make their angry disposition sound spiritual by saying that they have righteous indignation, but they do not fool God and they mostly do not fool other people, they are just angry. God will not use an angry Christian. And if you think you will experience spiritual victories while harboring anger in your heart, you are in for a disappointment.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Faithlessness</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him…”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is no room for doubt in the Christian life. God wants you to have faith in him. I think one of the biggest lies given to Christians today is that all you need is a little faith and God can do great things. That is not what Jesus was saying when he talked about the mustard seed. He said he can use a little faith, not that we can have just a little faith. What’s the difference? Let me ask you this: That mustard seed that produced a mighty tree, was it half a seed, a small part of a seed, or a full seed? Obviously, it had to be a full seed. I am not going to plant my garden and cut my seeds into tiny pieces before planting them, nothing would happen. The same is true with your faith, do not give a small chunk of your faith to God, completely trust Him. Yes, all of your faith is still very little faith (just a little faith…), but God does not want some of it, God wants all of it. Why are Christians not experiencing spiritual victories? Because they do not fully trust God. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Distractions and Sin</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Hebrews 12:1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It saddens me how many people try to live the successful Christian life while still holding on to sin. You cannot have it both ways, a college professor used to always say to my class, “There are only two choices on the shelf, pleasing God and pleasing self!” You cannot hold on to sin and be a victorious Christian. Along those lines, you cannot have distractions and be a victorious Christian. Notice that the verse differentiates between weights and sins. This is telling me that there are some things in life that are not necessarily sin but slow me down in my spiritual race. Let me ask you, what is slowing you down in your walk with God? What is decreasing your fervency? Get rid of it!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Pride</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>James 4:6, “…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Possibly the biggest problem that Christians face is pride. Pride comes naturally to us because we are naturally sinful people. But we see that God resists the proud. What does that mean? It actually means that he is actively opposing the proud, not passively, actively. To give you an idea of this, my son loves playing outside and he loves getting dirty while doing so. I have had trouble lately getting him inside to take a bath. He will kick and cry, he will fight me so that he can stay inside and play some more. What is he doing? He is resisting me. The big difference between my son and God though, is that God has the power to resist me. I can punish my son and put him in time out for his resistance, but I certainly cannot do that to God. Let me ask you, do you want God actively working on your behalf (he giveth grace to the humble) or do you want him actively working against you? The answer should be obvious. Yet many Christians find themselves trying to live the Christian life and constantly running into a brick wall because God is resisting their heart of pride.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">Those are a few things that hinder our walk with God and stop us from being victorious. Can you think of any more? Tell me in the comments!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Try out my new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=level+up+self+help+book" target="_blank">Level Up</a>!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-7470537710626676622017-04-26T09:04:00.002-07:002017-04-26T09:04:34.276-07:00Why Christians Ought To Be The Most Loving People In The World<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This month for <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> is what we call Love Works Month. I will be encouraging the members of the church to perform individual acts of kindness and then use that kindness to then share the Gospel. The church will also be involved in several corporate activities including: making lunch for first responders, giving away cookies at our local 5k run, holding a special offering for <a href="http://www.hartlife.net/" target="_blank">Hart Life</a>, and giving donuts to fast food workers all across town. I adopted the Love Works concept from several other churches, but as the years have gone by my own personal feelings toward it have grown and even changed. The purpose of Love Works, for us, used to be to give out the Gospel in a unique way; that is certainly still what it is all about, but over the last few years another purpose for Love Works has emerged in my heart and that is this: Christians ought to be loving people. It breaks my heart that when I look at the landscape of our solid independent, Baptist churches I see a few dots of loving, caring people in the midst of a sea of mean-spirited people. I understand that sometimes our stand for doctrine will make us seem mean-spirited, and that is not what I am talking about; instead, I am talking about the rude behavior, the grumpy attitudes, the “get off my lawn” mentality that so many have. But here is the things: Christians ought to be loving people, not just any kind of loving, but the most loving. To not be so is a poor representation of what we are and who we serve. Here are three reasons why Christians ought to be the most loving people in the world:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>We Have Christ</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is no greater example of love than Jesus Christ. He lived 33 years on this planet, despised and rejected of man. But even through the mistreatment, the name calling, and the hatred, Jesus still went to that cross and died on it out of a love for me, out of a love for you, and out of a love for them. It is hard for us to fully grasp that when Jesus was on that cross, he was able to look down at the people who were cheering his death and were mocking but was able to truly say that he loved them. Jesus loved every Pharisee that was standing around the cross, he loved every Roman centurion, he loved Herod and Pilate, he loved Judas, and he loves us.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sometimes we feel like we have just cause for hating someone because of a way they mistreated us, but we would be wise to remember that no one can do as bad to you as you have done to Jesus, yet he still loves you and he died on the cross for you. The love that Jesus displays for me motivates me to love others in a greater way.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Because we have the example of Christ, we are capable of loving in a greater way than the rest of the world. The “acts of love” that a lot of people perform today are not completely sincere. A lot of people give time and/or money to feel good about themselves, sometimes they do these things because of a feeling of guilt. In both of those cases, the action is performed, not for the person that is the recipient of the action, but for the person doing the action. Now, I am not saying that every Christian is always completely sincere when they are loving, but I am saying that Christians have the distinct capability of being self-less in our love because of the purpose of our love: sharing Jesus Christ. When we give out 300 bags of cookies in a few weeks, we will not be doing it to feel good about ourselves, we will be doing it to get the Gospel into the hands of 300 people. It’s not about us, it is about those who are still lost and on their way to Hell, and an action of love by a Christian may very well push them over the edge and they might accept Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>We Have The Command</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If the other two reasons were not a reality, this one stands by itself. Countless times in the Bible, we are shown that we ought to be kind, loving people:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Ephesians 4:32</i></b><i>, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Galatians 5:22</i></b><i>, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love…”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>John 13:34,35</i></b><i>, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Romans 12:10</i></b><i>, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Do I need any more than that? Because there are more! There is no legitimate excuse for a Christian to be a hateful person, to be so is to either be ignorant of what the Bible says or to resist what the Bible says. Let’s be loving people, because Christ commands us to be.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When we display the love of Christ, that is when we will make a difference in this world, Jude 22, <i>“And of some have compassion, making a difference”</i>. It does not say that our stand against wickedness will make a difference, or that our standards will make a difference, both are very important, but the passage tells us that compassion is what will make a difference in our world. Could it be that Christians today are not seeing the world turn upside down for Jesus because they do not have compassion that makes a difference? Give me your thoughts in the comments!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Also, don’t forget to check out my newest book,<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-walkthrough-reach-level-ebook/dp/B06XDXGXP1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493222620&sr=8-1&keywords=level+up+self+help+book" target="_blank"> Level Up</a>!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-561607255480423702017-04-12T07:58:00.000-07:002017-04-12T07:58:19.349-07:00What Is Church?<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I believe that when we all get to Heaven, there will be many people shocked and bewildered that Jesus will not like the way that they did church while on earth. I see the church of the first century and compare it to the practices of a lot of churches today and amazed how far off the mark many have gone. I am not claiming that the first century church was perfect, just a casual study of Acts and several of the epistles proves for a fact that they were far from perfect. But there were quite a few things that they did get right. Today I want to point out three operations that the Bible says that the church ought to be involved in:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>The Great Commission</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The church exists to be a vehicle of the furtherance of the Gospel. This is the primary function of the church. I have been asked before, “Should the church focus on evangelism or should it focus on discipleship?” The answer is… “Yes.” I understand, some churches emphasize one over the other. Some churches focus on winning souls but they never do anything to help baby Christians to grow, whereas some churches get so wrapped up in searching out the depths of Scripture that they forget to look outward to a lost and dying world. A balanced church will reach out to a sinful world, and when those people get saved that church will bring them in, teach them the Word of God (discipleship) and then send them out to do the work of the ministry and reach more people for Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We are guilty of treating the church as more of a book club and less like an army. The point is to recruit more soldiers and then train them to go out and recruit more soldiers. The church does not continue without the Great Commission. By the way, I believe that is one of the reasons why we are seeing a decline in church attendance and in Christianity in our nation today, for more than a generation the church has been fixated on making the sinful world conform to its standards by using the government as its tool at the expense of spreading the Gospel, which will transform the sinful world, with the Bible as our tool. Satan does everything he can to stop us from spreading the truth of the Gospel, because it is the Gospel that has the power to save souls and change lives. Why has the church become satisfied with simple conformity to our way of life rather than yearning for the transformative work of the Gospel? Complacency. Laziness. Pride. The church is about spreading the Gospel.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Worship</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Next time you go to a church service, I want you to intentionally think about how each aspect of the service is an act of worship. I look at <a href="http://calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church’s</a> particular schedule of events for our worship services and notice that each action done is for the purpose of worship (with the exception of Announcement time). The first thing that comes to mind is the singing of songs, we do not do that as a time filler so that we do not have to listen to the pastor preach an hour long sermon, we do it as an act of worship. Our tithes and offerings are an act of worship. It is saying, “Lord, you have been so good to me, I want to give you something in return.” Truly a time of worship. The preaching of God’s Word is worship, as it is approached in a desire to learn more about our God and his Word. Even the altar call at the end of the sermon is an act of worship, as it is kneeling down before God and saying, “Lord, I am convicted of my sin, please help me to please you with my life!”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The problem is, too often we approach Sunday morning as more of a routine than actual worship. “I sing because that is what we do every week”, “I give because I have to”, “Pastor preaches because he has to do something around here,” It all becomes a routine rather than an act of true worship. Let me challenge you, when you walk into your church on Sunday, have a worshipful attitude. Participate in the service as if God is standing in front of you and you are worshiping Him (because He is and you are!)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Growth in the Word</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Acts 17:11, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I was once told that doctrine and theology were for a pastor to know and not the laypeople. It is a shame that a lot of people feel this way. There are plenty of Christians who have been saved for decades but still only have a surface concept of their faith. As the average Christian how to prove from the Bible that Jesus is God and they may break out in hives out of fear. How many Christians know how to go through the Gospel and lead someone to Christ? Too few! How many Christians actually understand their salvation and all the beauty of it? Again, too few. We go to church so that we can grow in the Word of God. By the way, this does not contradict my first point at all. True growth in the Word of God will motivate me and equip me to be a better soul winner. A Christian who knows what the Bible says about eternal security can show that to another Christian who is wavering. A Christian that can show the deity of Christ in the Gospels is better equipped to show that Jesus indeed died on the cross and rose again for our sins. A Christian that dives deeper into learning everything that happened to them at the moment of their salvation will be amazed and more thankful and, in turn, motivated to reach more people with the Gospel. The Bible is an incredible book (quite the understatement!) we need to dig deep into it, and when we do, we will be motivated to serve more. That is why I suggest being in church every time the doors are open. The way I preach (and a lot of pastors do too), is on Sunday morning I preach in a series (right now in the ministry of Christ) Sunday night I typically do stand alone sermons as God leads me to preach, and then on Wednesday night we do a verse by verse study of a book of the Bible (right now we are in Revelations). That gives us a well-rounded schedule of Bible study not just in where in the Bible we are studying but even in how we are studying it. But the point is all the same- Growth.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I believe that in many churches today we have lost sight of these three things. We have become overly concerned with making the church our own little family group that gets together every week. We make it into a social club. We use the funds of the church to cater to the whims of our own rather than reaching a dying world with the Gospel. We have meals and potlucks just for the sake of having them, rather than using them to bring people in from the fields of sin. Do not forget Jesus’ purpose for the church, and do not forget to follow it. If we are to be Jesus’ church, we are to follow his rules. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Check out my newest book- <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-walkthrough-reach-level-ebook/dp/B06XDXGXP1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492008630&sr=8-1&keywords=level+up+self+help+book" target="_blank">Level Up</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-63802064624185103622017-03-30T09:45:00.002-07:002017-03-30T09:45:30.035-07:00The Two Times The Gospel Was Presented To Me (In My Adult Life)<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">All my life, I have grown up in churches that taught the importance of personal soul winning. I have been challenged to go out of the church building and tell as many people as I can about Jesus. Every Christian ought to be a witness for the Lord, Jesus has commanded that we “Go and Tell”. In my adult life, there have been two occasions in which someone confronted me with the Gospel. I want to tell you about both encounters:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The first encounter was when I was working at Panera Bread. I was in seminary in Florida. I had just gotten married and was earning my Masters Degree. I worked at Panera to pay my school bill and for us to survive. I often worked at the cash register and had the privilege of meeting a lot of people. One day, as I was taking a lady’s order, after she paid she handed me a piece of paper, she smiled, and simply said, “Read this paper when you have a chance, it will show you what the Bible says about going to Heaven!” And then left. Of course, this blessed my heart. I am already saved, but it is always nice to see other people spreading the Gospel. I looked at the paper (we would call it a tract), the church named on it was a local non-denominational church. As I read what the tract said about the Gospel and the plan of salvation, I was pleased to see that it was doctrinally sound, a person could read it and be saved by believing!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My second encounter was actually yesterday. I was pumping gas, and a truck pulled up onto the other side of the pump. A man got out and started pumping gas. The man said hi to me, and I said hi back. I was wearing a suit coat and tie because I was about to go to a funeral, and maybe that was why he asked me, “Are you from Hartwell?” I then told him that I was actually the pastor of <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a>. He went on to talk to me about the Bible. He told me that he was a Mennonite and we talked a little about Biblical interpretation ( we were in agreement that the Bible ought to be taken literally). After that, he asked me about how I was certain about Heaven! I was shocked and pleased. Most people, after hearing that they were talking to a pastor, would not have the courage to ask that question. But this man was not afraid, and he asked me about my soul. I explained to him that I was saved by grace through faith, not by my own works but by the finished work of Christ on the cross. We shared a little bit of conversation about the Gospel and how sweet it is. After that he said to me, “A long time ago, I made a decision to tell as many people as I possibly could about the Gospel!” What a blessing!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As I dwell on both of these encounters, I cannot help but be convicted by them. There are actually two things about these encounters that convict me:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">First, why do I not witness like that? This may come as a surprise to you, but I am a relatively shy person. I am very introverted and it makes me nervous just talking to people that I do not know. As I think about my encounter from yesterday, I cannot see myself suddenly initiating conversation with a random stranger at the gas station. But I most certainly can do what that woman did when I was working at Panera. We are already forced to talk to people at fast food restaurants that we are ordering from, why can’t I take an extra 5 seconds (at the most) and say, “Hey, can you read this when you have a chance? It’s about how to know you will go to Heaven when you die!” It is not that hard. I am convicted by the fact that, yes, I am a soul winner. I try to get out every week to knock on doors and spread the Gospel and as pastor of Calvary I enjoy creating opportunities for our church to spread the Gospel even more through special days, Love Works, Neighborhood Bible Time, and others. But when I see someone taking relatively mundane experiences like ordering at fast food or getting gas and then turning them into soul winning opportunities, it shows me that these people are truly serious about the Gospel. I need to have a heart for lost souls like these two wonderful people have, not just at designated times of the week, but ALL THE TIME.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Second, those of you who come to Calvary or are familiar with me know that I am an independent Baptist. I am more than an independent Baptist: I am an independent, fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist. These two that witnessed to me were non-denominational and Mennonite. I will preface what I am about to say with this: I have very little issue with Mennonites and very little issue with (most) non-denominational churches. I have met many sincere and doctrinally sound people in both of those categories. But I am an independent Baptist, and I cannot ignore that. As I said, all of my life I have been brought up in independent Baptist churches that have told me that I need to make my Gospel witness personal. And to be honest, I do not think I have ever met an independent Baptist pastor who was not also passionate about personal soul winning in his preaching. But again, the two times I was witnessed to were when a non-denominational lady gave me a tract and when a Mennonite asked about my soul. I’ll take it further, the only time that someone has ever knocked on my door to ask me about my eternity was when the Mormon missionaries came by (I understand that they are in doctrinal error, but they did show concern for my soul). As independent Baptists, we claim that we have a fire and a passion to see people get saved, but from my personal experiences I have seen that this is mostly not true. Baptist friends, stop talking about soul winning and start actually soul winning. Nothing gets accomplished by talking about something you ought to do, things get accomplished when you actually do it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Pretty negative post, so let me tell this story to balance things out a little bit. My family and I were traveling from Florida back home to Georgia a few weeks ago. We stopped at a Chick-fil-a to get some food before continuing our journey. At one point I went to the restroom. When I was at the sink washing my hands, there was a Gospel tract from a Baptist church sitting against the mirror. I examined the tract, the pastor of the church was listed, I saw that the pastor was a close friend of my dad’s. This church was all the way in North Carolina, and I was in a Chick-fil-a in Georgia. I realized that someone from that North Carolina church, in their travels, left a Gospel tract in the restroom to try to be a witness to whoever was coming next. What a blessing!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Being a witness of the Gospel can truly be simply, but we MUST determine to actually do it. In closing, here are a few simply ways you can share the Gospel in your day to day activity:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Soul winning is more than a weekly church activity or something we do on Sunday, it should be a part of our daily lives, bleeding into our most basic of interactions. The Gospel message is deserving of it. Be a messenger of the Gospel.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Question for the comment section: How are you being a witness in your day-to-day activity?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Don’t forget to check out my new book- <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-walkthrough-reach-level-ebook/dp/B06XDXGXP1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489852321&sr=8-1&keywords=level+up+self+help+book" target="_blank">Level Up</a>!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-32446000304640396912017-03-23T08:36:00.000-07:002017-03-23T08:36:25.069-07:00Three Favorite Verses About Doing Right<div style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I want to be honest with you, dear reader, about something. This week I got discouraged. I have said in church before that the biggest difficulty for me when it comes to pastoring is my desire to make people happy and for people to like me. It is a weakness of mine. I understand that making people happy is not a bad thing, but at the same time we must have an understanding that when you do the right thing and you stand up for it there are going to be times, plenty of times, when you will not be liked for it. My family was at Disney World a few weeks ago, as we were walking to an attraction we came across a cast member who had a big grin on her face, she was holding a bubble wand that blew bubbles all over the place. Children and parents alike were giggling and playing with the bubbles and having a good time. I thought to myself, “Man, that sure is the life! Your job is simply to make people happy!” But the truth is, and this is nothing against this girl or any of those cast members for that matter, a smile is short-lived doing right has eternal rewards. I say all of that to say this: My desire to make people happy is strong, but I have to constantly keep that in check with God’s calling on my life, and that calling is to <b>do right. </b>As <a href="https://www.majestymusic.com/patch-the-pirate.html" target="_blank">Ron Hamilton</a> wrote in song, “Do right til the stars fall, Do right till the last call, Do right when there’s no one else to stand by you. Do right when you're all alone, do right though it’s never known, Do right since you love the Lord. Do right, <b>DO RIGHT</b>!”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is times when I am discouraged in doing right that I am reminded of these verses, I want to share them with you today.</span></div>
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<li style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that <i>were</i> on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>we will serve the Lord</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>.”</b></span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Joshua was giving the children of Israel his final address. He knew that the children of Israel were prone to wander and to rebel against God. It was in light of this that Joshua stood and made an example of himself and of his family. He told them that they needed to choose who they would serve (something they would truly struggle with for generations to come) the Canaanite gods or the Lord. But then he says this, “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” What was he saying? Basically, “If you all choose to worship the false gods of the Canaanites, me and my family are still going to serve the true and living God!” Joshua was committed to serving the Lord, even if it meant doing it alone. I’ll be honest with you today, the path of doing right is a lonely path. There are many who will oppose you, there are many who will walk with you for a little while and then turn back, unsaved people will mock you, many in the church will scorn you, even hate you. But you must determine to do right. Remember the song, “I have decided to follow Jesus”? One of the most touching verses to that song, yet one of the most difficult to sing is, “Though none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back.” Determine this, “Even though I stand alone, I will do what’s right!”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Some Christians get saved and then after that go about living their own way. Time does not permit me to delve into the churches that propagate this false teaching, but suffice it to say that these people believe they can do whatever they want because, “Jesus died on the cross for all my sin, therefore all of my sins are forgiven, I can do whatever I want because my sins are forgiven already.” What a carnal way to look at salvation and the Christian life! But this is part of the mindset behind Christians being involved in much of the wickedness that the unsaved world is involved in. Name any sin that an unsaved person regularly commits and you will not struggle to find a saved person who has, is, and relishes in doing the same. The reason I point out this verse is because it is a direct command of God. It is not a suggestion, it is not a good idea, it is a command. And it is a command to be HOLY. Holy means to be set apart. What basically God is saying is that we ought to be set apart from the world, we ought to be different from them. We ought to look different, act different, talk different, and be different. Why? Because we ARE different thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ! When I am tempted to hang in the towel on doing right, maybe just ease up a little, I am reminded that God has called me to be this way. To not do right is to go against the command of God and why would I want to disobey the one who has given everything for my salvation?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I don’t want to misrepresent myself here, I do fail sometimes often. I am by no means perfect, some of you who are reading this know me pretty well and you can attest to that, I am a sinful person. But I still strive to do right, and it is this command that helps me continue on.</span></div>
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<li style="color: #232323; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Daniel 3:17-18, “If it be <i>so</i>, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver <i>us</i> out of thine hand, O king. </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>But if not</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>, be it known unto thee, O king, that </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>we will not serve thy gods</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”</b></span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (their real names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and I am sure they would be offended by us calling them by Babylonian names, but that is a different post for a different day) they did not bow down to the idol and so they were thrown into the fiery furnace, and, as we know, God spared them from the flame. Before they were thrown into the furnace, they testified to Nebuchadnezzar the verses that I posted up above. What are they saying? Basically, “We know that our God can deliver us from the flame of the fiery furnace, but even if he does not WE WILL NOT BOW!” They believed in the power of God, which we all should, but they determined that even if it was not within the will of God to protect them from the flame, they would do what is right. The truth is, doing right sometimes hurts. You will sometimes face real troubles for doing right. The eternal rewards are wonderful, but let’s be honest, it is difficult to think about the eternal rewards for doing right when you are hurting right now for doing right! The three Hebrew boys said, “Do whatever you want to do, you can kill us, you can throw us into the fire, but we will not disobey our God!” What steely determination! It makes me think of the martyrs who burned at the stake for standing up for the Word of God and their beliefs. They would not recant for anyone, even if it meant burning at the stake, being drowned in the lake, or being cut with the sword. And when I think of the testimonies of these brave Christians it breaks my heart that so many times I am so quick to give up on doing right over the smallest of oppositions! We must be like these three boys and determine to do right, no matter what difficulties may come our way for doing so.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Do right! We see that we ought to do right even when we must stand alone, we see that we ought to do right because it is commanded by God, and we see that we ought to do right although we may face hardships for doing so.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Don’t forget to check out my new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-walkthrough-reach-level-ebook/dp/B06XDXGXP1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489852321&sr=8-1&keywords=level+up+self+help+book" target="_blank">here</a>!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-13141870523183898682017-03-18T08:54:00.000-07:002017-03-18T08:54:57.204-07:00Why Are Young People Leaving the Church (And What Can We Do About It)?<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am a young pastor. I pastor an “older” church. I am one of the youngest adult members of the church that I pastor but it is my desire to change that. In these past three years I have been introduced to countless people my age and almost every time I ask them about church they will say, “Oh, I went to church as a kid, but I don’t anymore,” or worse, “Oh yeah! I used to go to <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> (which is the church that I pastor)!” This sentiment is not just in Hartwell, GA, but it is everywhere. Plenty of my friends on Facebook grew up in Bible-preaching churches, but are now no longer active, turned off by the church and its people. What happened? I know that some have written long articles about this very subject, but I hope to offer some insight from the perspective of being both a young man (at this point, 27 years old) and a senior pastor. Here are a few reasons, why I have seen, young people are leaving the church and what we, as the church, can do about it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>They Clung to People Rather than God</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Everybody wants a hero. We all long for someone to look up to in life. A lot of teenagers are pressured by the church and Christian leaders to not make heroes out of sports figures, movie stars, or similar types of people. This is wise advise. It is foolish to make heroes or role models out of people who often life worldly, sinful lives. But what ended up happening for some of these teens is that in order to fill the void of needing a hero or role model, they went to their parents, youth pastor, senior pastor, coach at their Christian school, etc. You may say, “That is a good thing!” But I would suggest that it is not! I love my parents, they are wonderful people, but I am not fooled by something, my parents are sinners. My parents are capable of doing things that break the heart of God. So is your pastor, so is your youth pastor, or whoever else. This does not mean that they are not worthy of our admiration and respect, but it does mean that they are not perfect. When teens are inevitably presented with the harsh truth that their parents or their pastors are not perfect people they are quick to call out the word “hypocrite!” What they fail to understand is that, in many cases, their spiritual leaders are not hypocrites, they are simply sinners on the same spiritual journey that they are on, maybe a little further along, but on the same journey nonetheless. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>What Can We Do About It? </b>The answer is simple. Make Jesus the hero. The moment that teens start clinging onto God instead of onto the adults in their life is when they begin to develop a truly deep relationship with God. Something that I strive to do as I preach is to often remind my congregation that I am a sinner. I worry, I have pride, I sometimes act carnally. Their relationship with the Lord is not based on my spirituality, it is based on the goodness of God. Preacher, Sunday school teacher, parent, make JESUS the hero, don’t make yourself the hero. Making Jesus look good and lifting up his name will cause the young people of the church to be less disillusioned with the sinners surrounding them in church.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>They Learned the Rules of Our Faith but not the Relationship</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If a teenager is active in your church’s youth group and goes to your Christian school, they are aware of the rules of our faith. Their are quite a lot of rules too! As adults, we understand that there is a need for rules. Rules provide structure and organization. Also, rules keep sinful activity from being present in our youth groups and in our classrooms. Rules are good. The problem though, is that little children will follow a rule just because it is a rule and an adult says to follow it, a teenager will not. A teen wants to know why the rule is in place. Some adults may see such questioning as rebellion, but it certainly is not. Some adults do their best to silence such questioning, and they do themselves great harm in doing so. Teens question things, and that is what begins them on their personal journey of belief and knowledge. In other words, the teenage years are the prime years for a teen to practice their faith because THEY believe it rather than because their parents believe it. That is why the questioning of rules comes in, “Why don’t we say those words? Why don’t we watch that type of movie? Why don’t we have sex before marriage? Why are we supposed to behave this way?” When those questions go unanswered, it turns teens and young adults skeptical toward what we believe. A lot of spiritual leaders want their teens to simply fall in line and obey, but that is not what our ultimate goal ought to be. I was once told this, “Subdued and spiritual are not the same thing.” You may be doing well at getting your teen to obey, but that may very well end when they are out from under your roof if do not move them to being spiritual.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>What Can We Do About It? </b>Again, The answer is simple. Don’t just teach these young adults to adhere to rules, help them build a relationship with God. I once heard a good phrase, “Rules without relationship breed contempt”. Teach your teens why we have the rules we have, show them the Scripture that supports your rules (if you know the Scripture. if you don’t, it is time to start figuring it out!) But then teach them how to have a relationship with God- teach them to pray, teach them to read (no, study!) their Bibles. Take your teens from an area of doing to an area of being. Answer the “why” questions that they have and then show them the “how” about our faith. May I make an observation? I believe the BIG reason this goes undone is because many adults, who have been in the faith for decades, do not have a walk with God themselves. These young adults are not buying into all these rules without knowing why we have them, and you cannot expect them to.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><u>They Did Not Learn Sound Doctrine</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have sat where many of our church teens are sitting. I have been to youth conferences that give emotional pleas the make decisions for the Lord. I have seen hundred of teens flood the aisles at camp meetings and youth conferences surrendering their hearts to Jesus. I have seen the tears of teens flow down their faces as they get things right with their peers and determine to live for Jesus. I have also seen less than 48 hours later, nearly every teen went back to living the same way and acting the same way they did before. What happened? Emotion driven decisions. Please do not misunderstand me, there is certainly a place for emotion when it comes to making decisions for Christ, and I believe that we ought to pull at these teens heartstrings, but THAT IS THE EASY PART. The hard part is moving passed the emotion and making them grounded. The only way to do that is with doctrine. Young adults can not survive in their faith through emotion alone, actually, emotion can only work so much by itself. If you are pulling at teens emotions without teaching them doctrine, over time they will grow to resent your use of emotion driven sermons and teaching to get them to make decisions for Christ. We need to use emotion in tandem with teaching the doctrinal truth, because ultimately it is doctrine that will keep our young adults in church and will make them grounded in our faith.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>What Can We Do About It? </b>Stop preaching “teen sermons” in youth group. What I mean is, a lot of youth pastors will preach sermons that they believe will appeal to their young audience. They preach a lot of sermons on faith, facing giants, God taking care of them, which are good subjects but do not make up much of what the Bible says at all, but do teach on the deity of Christ, the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the great depths of our salvation and how we can thoroughly enjoy it, the attributes of God, and what the church is in God’s eyes. Those may seem like topics that you do not think teens will listen to, but those are topics that they will need if they are going to stick around in the long run. I was once told that it is the pastor’s job to know doctrine and that it is the church members role to simply listen to sermons. Not many people are bold enough to voice that opinion, but I believe that is a sentiment shared by many. The problem with that thinking is that doctrine is and what should be the thing that strengthens us and keeps us in the church. Teach them Biblical truth.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We have done ourselves great harm in focusing on our traditions rather than on the good news of the Bible. I remember one time me and a few of my friends came up with a way to get more children to ride into church on our church buses. We were so excited about this program we had made and were prayerful about getting these young children in church. On the day that I was setting up for our special day, a lady came up to me with a sour look on her face and she said, “We’ve never done things this way before!” Honestly, hearing her say that, hearing her tone of voice, and seeing the anger on her face quenched my spirit. But looking back, I would have asked “young me” these questions: Does this idea go against the teachings of the Bible? The answer to that was no. Does this idea compromise anyones standards? Again, the answer was no. Does this idea have the potential to bring children into the church so they can hear the Gospel? The answer was ABSOLUTELY. So then, why should I give it a second thought whether or not the church had “never done this before”. Listen, just because your church has done something the same way for 3 decades does not mean that it is the right way to do things. I see where this attitude is coming from too, many older adults do not see the church as Jesus’ church but as their church. They feel as if everything should be centered around their comfort and that no changes ever ought to be made. They have “their” pew, and “their” parking spot, and they believe they are entitled to the church being exactly the way they want because they financially support the church. Here is the problem with that, the church does not belong to you, it belongs to Jesus, the church does not bow down to your whims and desires, it bows down to the command of Christ, that command includes reaching and even keeping young adults. These teens have creativity flowing through their minds, and when they start wanting to serve Jesus, those creative ideas are going to start coming up. Instead of squelching the creativity and zeal out of them, encourage it. It is ok to do a few new things, it is ok to have a different approach, and it is ok to follow the creative lead of a teen.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>What Can We Do About It? </b>I have challenged my congregation that they ought to never argue that we should not do something simply because we have never done it before. If they have a problem with a new program, new ministry, or new idea they ought to come to me with Scripture in hand or with a reasonable, well-thought out reason why it won’t work rather than say, “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it and we don’t want it to change.” Be open to listen to your young adults. I know that many older adults believe themselves to be the “fount of all wisdom” and that their voices should be the only ones heard in the church. I respect the opinions of older adults, and appreciate their decades of labor and service for the Lord, but their opinion is not the only one in the room, and sometimes their opinion is not the right one in the room. Do not turn a deaf ear to these younger Christians.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I believe that these 4 points all boil down to one main theme: Authenticity. What is missing in many churches today is a real walk with the Lord and our young adults can see right through it. From my experience with young adults, they do not necessarily want the things that everyone says they want in a church. A lot of pastors think they can attract young adults by having concerts, by building coffee shops in their churches, and by using slang while they preach. Young adults are not looking for that, they are looking for an authentic experience. They are looking for a place where the Bible is preached unapologetically, by a man of God who admits that he is not perfect but on the same spiritual journey as they are, surrounded by people who sincerely strive to follow Jesus and want to help others on their journey. Boy, that is a tall order, but that is what the church is supposed to be and what we are supposed to do.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By the way, Our church is beginning to turn the corner with young adults. We now have several young couples who are involved in the church, they are excited, they are growing, they are writing notes during sermons, and soaking it all in. In our country, most churches are losing young adults by large numbers, but at Calvary Baptist Church we are gaining young adults slowly but surely. I believe that has to do with understanding these 4 points and what we ought to do about them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Hey, check out my new book by clicking <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Level-Up-walkthrough-reach-level-ebook/dp/B06XDXGXP1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489852321&sr=8-1&keywords=level+up+self+help+book" target="_blank">here</a>!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-49715313194151417902016-08-30T12:52:00.003-07:002016-08-30T12:52:44.252-07:00Christian Rules for Handling Bullies<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I was bullied when I was in high school. I was not physically beaten up but I was mistreated quite a bit which did bring me quite a bit of emotional grief and tears. I am quick to admit that some of the mistreatment that I got was self-inflicted (I was a little bit of a “know-it-all” stinker), but for the most part, I did not deserve the way that I was treated (neither do 99.99999999999% of people that are bullied). That is why I sympathize with people who struggle with being bullied. Although I sympathize, I do not agree with a lot of the methods being taught today about handling bullies. To me, it seems as if this generation is not being taught how to handle bullies, but that they have the right to not be around bullies. There is a problem with that thinking and let me give you an illustration: When I was a teen there was one person, above all others, that was really cruel to me (let’s call him Bill). One day I was so fed up that I told my dad about how upset I was that Bill was picking on me. Dad told me this piece of truth “Curt, there is going to be a “Bill” everywhere you go for the rest of your life.” Do you know what? He was right! I went off to Bible college and there was a guy just like Bill, I went to work at Panera Bread and at each store I ended up working at I worked with a Bill, even now that I am in the ministry I have to deal with “Bills” every Sunday. The point I am trying to make is this: No matter how far you run, there will always be a bully. That does not make it right, it does not make it fair; but it does mean that we need to learn how to handle them instead of running away from them. Fortunately, Jesus does not leave us without answers when it comes to dealing with bullies. Here are some rules to abide by if you are a Christian.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Be kind</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I feel like I mention kindness almost every blog post that I write. The reason for that is because of the fact that as Christians WE OUGHT TO BE KIND. Let me ask you, does a bully deserve your kindness? Absolutely not! To be honest, it can be hard enough to be kind to your friends, let alone your enemies. But there are a few reasons why this is a good practice. First, it will burn the bully with conviction (Romans 12:20, “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.) Second, you will be blameless and on the high ground. And third, and most important, it is what Jesus did for you. Let me elaborate on this one, you were the enemy of God (Romans 5:10) before you were saved. You did not deserve a single good thing from God, all you deserved was eternity in Hell, but Jesus came and died on a cross for your sins as undeserving as you are. That is called grace. That same grace that Jesus gave to us, we ought to give to other people as well. Does that bully deserve your kindness? No! Give it to him anyway. Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t just save those who “deserved” to be saved! Let’s be like Jesus and show grace to everyone.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Be prayerful</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I heard a sermon when I was a teen, it was about loving your enemies. The preacher said something that stuck to my mind, he said, “It is impossible to not love someone that you pray for every day.” I heard what he said, I thought about the bullies in my life, and I took him to task on that statement. I singled out the top 5 people who were particularly cruel to me and every night before I went to bed I would pray for them, calling them the Fantastic Five (I was, and still am, a nerd). I didn’t pray anything dumb like, “I pray they will have a ton of bricks fall on them”, instead I prayed three things, first, that God would give them a good day the next day, and second, that I would be granted the opportunity to show at least one of them kindness. And third, that God would help me to love them. Do you know what happened? They never changed. Those five kept being bullies, they never stopped mistreating me. But there was a change inside of me. I can honestly say that I love those 5 now and if I were to see any one of them today I would have nothing but kind things to say to them. God put a piece in my heart that could only be gotten by praying for my enemies. If you have a bully who is ruining your life, pray for them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Choose to be happy</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Acts 16:25, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Paul and Silas were in a difficult situation, they were in prison. They had been beaten and now their feet were in stocks, rodents and vermin were likely crawling all over them. In the middle of this awful circumstance, Paul and Silas praised God. Their actions show us that happiness is not based on circumstances. By the way, even if it was based on circumstances you should still be happy, here are your circumstances: you are on your way to Heaven instead of Hell, you are no longer seen by God as a sinner but a saint, you are a child of God rather then a child of sin. Be happy. No matter what life throughs your way, be happy. In fact, God does not say to just be happy in convenient times, but to “rejoice in the Lord ALWAY” (Philippians 4:4). What does being happy have to do with bullies? The reason that bullies will bully people you is because they do not want you to be happy, they want to see you miserable. I’ve had to learn this the tough way, the bully is happy when you cry, the bully is giddy and feels like he has won when you lash out in anger, but the bully has lost when you do not let him get to you and you keep that smile on your face. In high school, I would get weepy and sad over people that were unkind to me, but now I have learned that in order to win against a bully you need to smile in their face, say hello to them whenever you see them with a little bit of a spring in your voice as if nothing they do or say can get you down. Everyone, even a bully, ought to see that you have the joy of Jesus in your heart.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By the way, bullies are often miserable themselves, that is why they are a bully (miserable people make more miserable people and then they are happy!) maybe you can help the bully by spreading that joy a little: invite them to church, witness to them, again, be kind. Show them the reason why you are happy.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I want to send out a disclaimer before this post is finished: I am not trying to victim shame. I know what being a victim of bullying is like, it is not fun. I wish that no one would have to go through bullying. I am not trying to victim shame, instead, I am trying to keep you from being a victim. I would rather be a victor than be a victim, and I believe that when it comes to bullies we can be victors. I believe that when we follow these truths found in the Word of God we can be victorious over bullies.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Check out more of my writing at<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Getting-My-Attitude-Adjusted-principles-ebook/dp/B01CHEPEY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472586696&sr=8-1&keywords=getting+my+attitude+adjusted#nav-subnav" target="_blank"> Getting My Attitude Adjusted</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sermons-Book-Haggai-Curtis-King-ebook/dp/B00JKVC3C8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472586739&sr=8-1&keywords=sermons+from+the+book+of+haggai#nav-subnav" target="_blank">Sermons from the Book of Haggai</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-61252608651097673012016-08-02T13:17:00.003-07:002016-08-02T13:17:51.211-07:00Christian Rules for Politics<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It has been quite some time since I have written on here, for which I apologize (sense, you know, thousands, or even millions, of people read my blog!) But the Lord has been laying some things on my heart about this upcoming election. If you go on <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2015/05/christian-rules-for-facebook.html" target="_blank">Facebook</a> at all, you see that one out of every 5 posts (statistic created by myself) is about this year’s election. Some are anti-Trump, some are anti-Clinton, some are anti-both. It is not uncommon to see a large group of my friends posting at least a dozen politically charged articles in a day. This post IS NOT to say that we ought to abandon our concern about politics. I believe every Christian ought to vote. I believe every Christian should be an informed voter. But I believe that there are a few things more important than politics. Here are some Christian rules for politics, based on Scripture.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>1. Don’t Neglect Your Spiritual Walk</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>2nd Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I get on Drudge Report every day to read the news. I make sure that I am somewhat informed about the world around me. But I should never be a “news hound” at the expense of my walk with God. If you are constantly reading news stories but not reading your Bible, you are not walking with God. I fear that there are too many Christians reading the news and too few Christians reading their Bibles. I have said behind my pulpit many times before, and I strongly believe this, that one of the biggest problems with Christianity today is that we are not people of the Word of God. Get into your Bibles!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have met plenty of people who are very quick into getting into political arguments (they call it discussions) with other people. It burdens my heart that too many Christians are more quick to share their political beliefs with a stranger than to tell that stranger about their Saviour. Christian, Donald Trump is not your Messiah. Hillary Clinton did not die on the cross for your sins. Gary Johnson did not give you the gift of eternal life. There is no person in this world more important to the world than Jesus Christ. Let’s tell others about him! Sure, he may not be on our ballot, but he is in our Bibles and on our Gospel tracts. Tell others about Jesus. By the way, most of the world’s problems would be a lot smaller if more people knew Christ as their Saviour. The Gospel is the hope of the world!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>2nd Chronicles 7:14, “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.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Can I say something that will hurt some people… ok, here it goes… Donald Trump cannot Make America Great Again. Neither can Hillary for that matter. Republicans and Democrats alike tend to deify their candidate to a level of “Messiah-ship” (look, I made up a word!), and that is absolutely wrong. No matter who is put into the White House, this nation is still in a great amount of trouble. No president can fix this mess. Who can? God can! The verse above does not say to seek Trump’s face or Clinton’s face, it says to seek God’s face. And this is a task that must be done by the people of God (“if my people…”) I have said before and will say it for years to come, America is in the shape that it is in because of Christians who will not humble themselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from their own wicked ways.” Do not look for a president that will fix the problems that you created, seek God’s face at this time. The only way America will be great again is if Christians start living like Christians ought to.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>4. Be Kind</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind…”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is more to that verse, which goes into greater detail about how and why we should be kind to others. But those first four words are beautiful in their simplicity. Be nice! I have seen unkindness rear its ugly head on two fronts:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cruel statements about politicians- I am not opposed to calling out politicians on inconsistencies or on their policy, but personal attacks are unChristian and unkind. The other day my wife and I saw an article about Michelle Obama, underneath the article were all of these comments about how ugly Mrs. Obama is. My wife and I were shocked! People were saying cruel things like calling her “Moochelle”. My wife and I agreed that this was ridiculous. Every time we see Mrs Obama, we are both impressed by how put together she looks and, yes, the fact that she is a pretty woman. Let me ask you this, would Jesus ever call any woman ugly? The answer to that is “NO!” Neither should a child of God. This is not just about Mrs Obama though, but about practically every politician that anyone ever disagrees with. Even children aren’t off limits! Remember, politicians are people too, they do not deserve personal attacks based on their looks, intelligence, or public speaking abilities (you try it sometime! I promise, public speaking is hard and I only speak to 30-40 every week!) Attack positions, but do not attack people.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cruel statements to others- Too many families and friends get into heated discussions about politics! I understand talking over things, but when names start getting called and when people start to be cruel is when the line has been crossed. Do not forget that after this election is over you will still have that family member in your life whether or not they voted Blue or Red. That coworker will still be standing next to you every week. Basically, what I am trying to say is <b>Practice Grace with people that disagree with you. </b>Just because someone disagrees with you over some minor area of policy does not mean that we should cast them out of our lives and treat them as heretics. Kindness is what is expected of a Christian.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You might say, “Pastor King, these are all things we ought to be doing anyway!” Exactly! The point I am making is simple: Our spiritual lives do not take a back seat in the election year. Before you are a Republican, you are a Christian. Before you are an American, you are a Christian. Go out and vote this year (you have no right to complain about politics if you do not vote), be an informed voter, read the news to make sure you know the developing stories, but please, Christian, please do not stop being what you ought to be for your Saviour. A blogger wrote the other day that this will be the ugliest election in our modern history. It very well may be, but let that not be said of us Christians, let us walk through this season with grace toward all men.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">"Pastor King, where </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">have</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> you been? I miss your writing!" The mighty throngs of you are saying. I will continue to write on this blog when I can, but in the meantime, check out the health/lifestyle blog that my wife and I have together <a href="https://backtothebreadbox.com/" target="_blank">right here</a>!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Don't forget to check out my books on the Kindle: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Getting-My-Attitude-Adjusted-principles-ebook/dp/B01CHEPEY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470168899&sr=8-1&keywords=getting+my+attitude+adjusted#nav-subnav" target="_blank">Getting My Attitude Adjusted</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sermons-Book-Haggai-Curtis-King-ebook/dp/B00JKVC3C8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470168952&sr=8-1&keywords=sermons+from+the+book+of+haggai#nav-subnav" target="_blank">Sermons from the Book of Haggai</a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sermons-Life-Abraham-Curtis-King-ebook/dp/B00R9VT6S0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1470169016&sr=8-1&keywords=sermons+from+the+life+of+abraham#nav-subnav" target="_blank">Sermons from the Life of Abraham</a>!</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-26737777365130690562015-12-04T13:16:00.001-08:002015-12-04T13:16:36.255-08:00Observing the Sower<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Matthew 13:3, “And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As the pastor of <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a>, I believe that God has called me to be a sower, and also to get the members of my church to be sowers. I am unashamed that I heavily emphasize the subject of spreading the Gospel in my preaching. Plenty of other pastors focus on “hobby horses” that may or may not be central in God’s Word, but I believe it is important to keep the Great Commission as our top priority. This upcoming year, 2016, is going to be a great year for Calvary Baptist Church. We are stepping out in faith and are planning an unprecedented year of outreach with Love Works Month, Friend Day, door knocking goals, Thursday and Saturday visitation, as well as several other events and programs. The members of Calvary Baptist Church will know (if they do not already) that we are meant to be a lighthouse for the lost, sowing the seed of the Gospel wherever we are able to. With that vision in mind, I was reading the parable of the sower and I made a few observations about this character that will help us in our service for the Lord:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">1. The Sower Sowed the Seed</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This may sound like an incredibly obvious point, but sadly it is overlooked. The seed, in this passage, is the Word of God. It is the job of the sower to sow the Word of God. Notice, the seed was the only thing that the sower sowed, nothing else. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly socially conscious, which is not bad thing. I fear though that in this consciousness, we (as the church) have lost track of being spiritually conscious. Let me give an example: A few weeks ago I received a pamphlet in the mail at church. It was about churches giving special love offerings to these agencies in order to help people in 3rd world countries get livestock, such as cows, water buffalo, chickens, etc. I believe that it is a <b><i>good </i></b>thing to give livestock to third world countries, but I believe that giving the Gospel is <b><i>better.</i></b> If I am going to give time, energy, and resources to something, it ought to be to the spreading of the Gospel. Why? Because a cow or a chicken is not going to save a soul from Hell, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will. In this Christmas season, there will be a lot of causes vying for your attention and your donations, all of which are noble and good, but do not get sidetracked and forget that the Gospel is the most important. Giving to the missions program at your church, give of your time to go door knocking and telling people about Jesus. If you are a sower, you must sow the seed. A sower that does not sow the seed is a worthless sower.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2. The Sower Didn’t Focus on the Ground</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My wife and I have tried gardening for two years now, one year was a great success whereas this last year was an utter failure. I am not good at making straight lines, but my wife assured me that it was important to plant the seed in straight lines. Not only that, but it was important that the ground be tilled so that it was nice and loamy enough for a plant to grow. I am by no means an expert in gardening, and it confuses me when gardening experts talk about “PH balance” and “full sun”. We are meticulous about how seed gets planted these days. In the story of the sower though, we do not see that. In fact, by the way the story looks, it would seem as if the sower is just tossing the seed wherever with little to no regard as to where the seed landed. And that is the whole point. The sower did not inspect the ground and say, “Well, this ground is good, but this ground is thorny” instead he threw the seed wherever he could. As sowers for Christ, we cannot be picky and choosy over who we spread the Gospel to. When my dad was a young pastor, he was standing outside the door of his church with a member. A young couple pulled up in their car, they were visitors, and they began to walk into the church. My dad and the member greeted them and they went inside. The member looked at my dad and said, “They look like our kind of people!” Dad asked him, “What do you mean?” and the member said, “They are breathing!” The truth is, if they are breathing it is our job to reach them with the Gospel. Too often churches get focused on reaching a certain type of person, maybe someone of your own race or economic status or age; maybe someone who looks like a “church person” instead of just a random person from off the street. That is not how it should be. Often times I am guilty of this and the Holy Spirit has pricked my heart. I will tell myself, “That person doesn’t want to hear what I have to say!” And the Holy Spirit will say to me, “Tough! Tell them anyway! They need to hear the Good News!” Some churches will focus on getting the rich people to church at the expense of the poor, but the true sower does not care whether a person is rich or poor. The master told the servant (in another parable) to go to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in. Where was the servant supposed to go? EVERYWHERE! Jesus told his disciples to go to Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Where did Jesus tell them to go? EVERYWHERE! Who did he tell them to witness to? EVERYONE! Stop focusing on the ground and focus on the seed and getting it out to as many people as you possibly can.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">3. The Sower has No Name</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I understand that one of the hallmarks of Jesus’ parables is that none of the characters ever have a name (the rich man and Lazarus is not a parable). But I feel it is especially significant in this story. We call this parable “The Parable of the Sower”, but interestingly enough, the sower only appears in one verse, and all that it says about him is that he went forth to sow. Really, I believe that it would be more accurate to call this parable “The Parable of the Seed and Ground” because the sower plays a minor role, at best, in this story. What is the point? The sower got no attention, he just did what he needed to do. Too many Christians seek the praise of men instead of seeking the glory of God. They want their name in the bulletin or they want the pastor to mention them from the pulpit for a job well done or maybe even they want a thank you. But this sower was not thanked for his work, he was not named, he did not receive any attention at all, he simply did what he was supposed to do. I have found that Christians who constantly seek attention for their service are miserable people, reason being is that they lost their focus. The happiest people on earth are the Christians who learned that this life is not about them, but it is about giving glory to God and spreading the Good News of the Gospel. When a Christian loses focus of the importance of the Gospel he becomes caustic, bitter, and more prone to get his feelings hurt. That can be combatted with focusing on what God wants us to focus on: The salvation of the lost. My challenge to you: Put your nose to the grind and get to work for Jesus. Do not care about attention or praise, do not make sure people see what you are doing. God sees, and He is the only one who matters! Focus on spreading the seed.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I hope you are doing your part in spreading the Gospel. As we enter into a new year, make it a point to commit to God to be a better soul winner in the year 2016. Be a sower.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-21406373880753323312015-05-26T18:20:00.000-07:002015-05-26T18:21:17.490-07:00Christian Rules For Facebook<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I created my Facebook account a little later than most people do. My wife and I created a shared account just a few weeks before we got married. Facebook has been a blessing in my life: I am able to see how my friends are doing, I get to watch as my ministry friends serve the Lord, I get to know how I can specifically pray for people. Facebook has also been a curse as well: It is difficult to watch the carnality that a lot Christians exhibit on their Facebook pages. Now, we all have read the stories about people spouting off their ignorance on Facebook and then losing friendships over it, or losing their jobs, or getting into legal trouble. We often shake our heads in disbelief at just how foolish people can be on Facebook. Let me propose, though, that on a spiritual level, many Christians are doing the same exact thing. Almost as if when they log onto their Facebook accounts they decide to throw their walk with God out the window. Here are a few rules that Christians should practice as they do their “Facebooking”.</span></div>
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Never Talk Badly of Anyone- </b>Many act like just because they have a screen in front of them, they can say whatever they want. A good rule to live by is, “If I wouldn’t say it to their face, I shouldn’t say it at all.” Another good rule to live by is, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” The truth is, Christians ought not to be in the business of tearing people down, God has not called us to do that, instead he has called us to lift people up; Galatians 6:1,2, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” It doesn't matter how someone has hurt you, done you wrong, or simply annoys you; the wise thing to do is to hold your tongue.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Never Lift Yourself Up- </b>Just as much as we enjoy tearing people down, we also enjoy lifting ourselves up. If you ever decide that you want to make someone look good on Facebook, make sure it is at least one of two people: Jesus or other people. Never talk about your accomplishments, or your intellect, or your success. A good verse for that is Proverbs 27:2, “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. Remember, if you lift yourself up in pride, you will be abased (Matthew 23:12)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Never Exalt Sin- </b>I could tell you many stories about Christian friends of mine who exalt sin on Facebook, I will not because it is unfair to single people out. A wise question to ask yourself is this, “Would Jesus be involved in this activity that I’m about to post a picture of?” Unfortunately, a lot of pictures I see of things that some of my Christian brothers and sisters are doing, I know (based on Scripture) that Jesus does not want to be a party to those activities. Remember what 1st Thessalonians 3:7 says, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Never Argue- </b>Do you know how much good arguing does? None! When we argue with people all it does is leaves both parties upset with each other, no one has changed their mind, and both people become even more entrenched in their beliefs, right or wrong. Arguing is unproductive. I remember in college how excited some college guys would get when they would run across some Jehovah’s Witness’s while out soul winning. They came back grinning from ear to ear saying, “Yeah, we met some Jehovah’s Witness’s today and we won the argument! We sure stumped them!” Unfortunately though, in that time when they could have been productive for the Lord and actually trying to win souls for Jesus, they instead engaged in senseless debate. Arguing is foolish, do not do it. Do not be the person that is constantly trying to pick a fight. Jesus commands us to be gracious people, read Matthew 18:23-35, sense God has been gracious to us, we should do the same for others.</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Do you notice something about these rules? They do not just apply to Facebook but to real life. Do you know why? Facebook is a part of real life! Sometimes we get on Facebook, or any kind of social media for that matter, and see a screen, and then tell ourselves that what we post have no real consequences, there are no spiritual implications, or no one will get hurt. But we couldn’t be more wrong! Facebook is just as real of interaction as face to face interaction, but we often treat with much less sobriety than we should. We often pray that everything we say and do will be to the glory of God, the same must be true with your Facebook account. I doubt the fervency of a Christian who is able to live for Jesus at church, but lives for himself on Facebook. A sincere, genuine Christian will allow Christ to shine in his life no matter what avenue. Let’s determine that as we build our internet presence, it will all point to our great Saviour!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-68118268069554360632015-01-20T12:46:00.001-08:002015-01-20T12:46:55.539-08:00My Three Favorite Verses On Eternal Security<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is a false teaching that is spreading all over Christian churches today that has created great destruction in people’s walk with God, and that is the false teaching that one can lost their salvation. Preachers all across America are telling their churches that if you sin after you get saved then you have to confess in order to continue to be saved. This belief yields itself to a lack of certainty in the Christian life. As I read my Bible, I see that God wants me to have certainty in my beliefs and in my future. 1st John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” That passage tells me that God wants me to be certain about my eternity. In this post, I would like to highlight three different passages in the Bible that show me that I am eternal secure in my salvation</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Ephesians 4:30, “…sealed unto the day of redemption.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This may be my favorite Bible verse on the matter of eternal security. This passage tells us that we are sealed unto the day of redemption. The “day of redemption” being referred to in this verse is the day that the transaction of our salvation is completed, and that is the day we arrive in Heaven to be with the Lord. So we are sealed until the day we are in Heaven with Jesus. But what does “sealed” mean. This is where the truth gets amazing! To be sealed means to be marked for ownership or to be held securely. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you put yourself under the ownership of God, and the fact that we are sealed means that nothing will change that until the day of our redemption. There was a practical illustration of this in Bible days, that Paul may have been alluding to: When lumber was being sent from one place to another the person who owned the wood to sell would put his mark (or seal) on it, this mark would indicate that it was his. The only time the seal could be taken off of the shipment of wood would be when it arrived to the person to whom it was being sold to. Do you see the simple truth here? When I got saved, I was sealed. That seal can only come off once I reach Heaven, because that is my final destination. You would get upset if you had a loved one who tried to mail a package to you but instead of it getting to you, instead it went to the mean neighbor across the street. The same is true here, you have a specific destination that God had you starting toward once you got saved. It can’t be Hell, it certainly is Heaven. Do not forget that you are <b>sealed.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>John 10:29, “…no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We often use this group of verses as proof of the deity of Christ, and of course, this is a go-to passage for that. It is spelled out plain and simple. But this is also a passage about eternal security. First, let’s identify the “them” in this passage. Several verses previous to this, Jesus is referring to his “sheep”, when he says, “My sheep hear my voice…” The “them” in this verse is the sheep. Who are the sheep? Those that believe on Jesus, in other words, those that are saved. That makes me a sheep! Pretty cool. This also makes sense because of what we saw from Ephesians 4:30, we belong to God once we are saved. All of that being said, this verse tells me that since I am saved, I have been placed in the hand of God and no man is able to pluck me out of the Father’s hand. There is not a single person in this world that can make you “unsaved”. Let me ask you something: Are you a person? I’m sure the answer is “yes”. If you are a person, than you are a part of this “no man” category that this verse refers to. You cannot do anything to be taken out of the hand of God once you are saved.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I like to explain it this way. What if I were to go out today and commit a heinous crime, let’s say that I killed someone (remember, this is just an illustration, I have never actually killed anyone). After I commit the crime I call my dad and tell him what I did. Now, would my dad be happy with me? No way! He would be incredibly disappointed in me. But would I still be his son? Of course I would. Ultimately, nothing could change the fact that I am my father’s son. I have his DNA inside of me, his blood runs through my veins. It doesn’t matter what happens in life, I will forever be the son of my father. When you got saved, you became a child of God, Jesus’ blood covers you and accounts for you. You are securely held in the Father’s hand, and no one, not even you, can change that. You cannot be <b>plucked.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>1st John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>all </b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>unrighteousness.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This truth is very simple. When you got saved, you were cleansed from all unrighteousness. Does the verse say, “All past unrighteousnesses”? No! It says “all”. I once heard a preachers say, “all means all and that is all that all means”! Very true statement. When I asked Jesus to save me, he cleansed me from all unrighteousness past, present, <b><i>and future</i></b>. After all, future unrighteousnesses are a part of “all”, aren’t they? You may ask, “How can that be?” But let me rebuttal with a question of my own, “How can it not be?” How long ago did Jesus die on that old rugged cross? It almost 2000 years ago. I do not know a single person on this planet who has lived for 2000 years, that means this, every sin that you ever committed was committed in the future for Jesus. Your past sins were committed in the cross’s future. Remember, God transcends both time and space, therefore, he is able to cleanse us of our sins, even before they are committed. When I came to Jesus and confessed my sin to Him and believed that he would save me from them, not only did he save me from my past, but also from my future. The Bible calls those of us that are saved “justified”. Justified means to be “declared righteous”. When I got saved, I was declared righteous before God, that is what makes it possible for me to go to Heaven. But how can I be declared righteous? It isn’t because of anything I did, it is because Jesus cleansed me from my unrighteousnesses. I can only be righteous by not being unrighteous, and that is what Jesus did for me when he saved me, took away my unrighteousnesses.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ultimately, you need to understand the essence of salvation. Salvation has nothing to do with you but it has everything to do with Jesus. Salvation is not dependent on your goodness or the thing that you do, it is dependent on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If I can be saved by the grace of God, but then lose my salvation because of bad works, then ultimately Jesus’ death was in vain (Galatians 2:21). You are not saved by grace and then kept by works, that doesn’t make any sense (Romans 3:28, Galatians 3:1-5) Salvation is either all about Jesus and his saving grace or it isn’t really salvation at all. And that is enough for me to believe that what God promises he will do, that he will do. The Gospel is simple, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”, let’s not add man’s doctrine because we think God’s plan is to simple. I am saved by grace, through faith, and not by works. In just the same way, I am kept saved, I am eternally secure because of the grace of God.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>If you have any topics for me to write about in "My Three Favorite" series, let me know in the comments!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Curtis King is the pastor of <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> in Hartwell, GA</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-82346535624020692942015-01-16T11:49:00.000-08:002015-01-16T11:49:40.113-08:003 Major Problems With Modern, American Christians<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am so thankful that God had me to be born in the United States of America. I will not say that the USA is not without its flaws, because there are many, but I can still say that, for the most part, the USA is a good nation. I have life, liberty, and I can pursue happiness in a way that is not common in many other places in the world. I am also thankful to be a Christian. I praise the Lord every day that he, in mercy and grace, came down to this world to die on a cross in order to save a wretched sinner like me. Being an American and being a Christian are two of the most important aspects of my life, but unfortunately, when blended together, it produces something that I am not proud of: being a modern, American Christian.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It doesn’t take a incredibly insightful person to see that an overwhelming majority of Christians in the United States are heading the wrong way. And as I look over the spiritual landscape of the churches and Christians in our country I see three major problems:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have found that there is a severe lack of Biblical understanding in the churches across our nation. People do not know their Bibles. Unfortunately, we do our best to teach our children to memorize Bible verses and learn Biblical principles at a very young age through programs such as Awana, Masters Club, Kings Kids, etc. But we neglect to learn more about the Bible as adults. It is unfortunate that I can ask the average person who has been saved for 30 years or more to show me from the Bible proof of the deity of Christ, and most will not be able to show me, they wouldn’t really know where to start. A lack of Biblical understanding produces weak Christians. And it is because of weak Christians that false doctrines such as Calvinism, the Prosperity Gospel, relativism, and liberal textual criticism have found a foothold. It is very easy to swallow false doctrine when you don’t know true Biblical doctrine. I believe that there are two main reasons why there is a lack of Biblical understanding in our modern, American churches. First, there is a lack of personal Bible reading. Bible reading may be one of the most neglected parts of the Christian life. Many do not read their Bible regularly and those that do read it regularly often read very little. Let me ask you: how are you supposed to understand the Bible if you never read it? The second reason, there is a lack of solid Biblical preaching. Understand today, I am not saying that every pastor is guilty of this. I know many pastors who are very thorough in their preaching of the Bible and do their best to feed their flocks. But I have seen, time and time again, preachers who are more concerned with being sensational than being doctrinal, or producing emotion instead of producing conviction, or tickling ears instead of breaking hearts. Too many preachers fear to get in their pulpits and preach “Thus saith the Lord” because it may mean ruffling a few feathers. If you are in a church like that, you need to leave at once and never look back. Find a solid, Bible preaching church. There is a lack of Biblical understanding among modern, American Christians because of a lack of personal Bible reading and a lack of Bible preaching.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>2nd Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When I was a child, there was a lady in our church who sang this one song once every year or so. The title of the song was, “My House is Full, But My Field is Empty”. That song has stuck with me all throughout my childhood and into my adult life. It is a shame that the message of this song is very true. I firmly believe that God has given each Christian the capacity to serve Him in some way. It doesn’t matter how old, young, rich or poor, God has called us to serve. When I used to teach children’s church I would tell the kids that they cannot be too young to be a soul winner. I brought my first soul to Christ when I was just 7 years old. I wasn’t a theological scholar, I wasn’t a “super Christian”, I was just a little boy who loved Jesus and wanted to see my classmate go to Heaven. If 7 year old Curtis King can do it, then you can do it. It is a shame though, that across America on Sunday morning there are a lot of full churches, but then on Monday through Saturday there are no Christians to be seen! No one is being a witness for Christ, no one wants to pick up people and drive them to church, no one wants to go the extra mile and actually DO something for Jesus. Yes, the house is full on Sunday but the field is very, very empty the rest of the week. I think what may be the problem is how Christians perceive the Christian life. I know, I have seen with my own eyes, Christians who treat going to church on Sunday morning as if it is their duty as a Christian. They treat Sunday as if it is their “Christian day” but then every other day of the week is a “normal person day”. Let me tell you something, Jesus does not want you to just be a Christian at church on Sunday. Jesus wants you to be a Christian all the time, no matter the day, time, or situation.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I fear that most Christians do not see the need to serve the Lord. I heard a statement once that says that 10 percent of the people in a church end up doing 90 percent of the work. I cannot disagree with that statement. Too many Christians come up with some sort of excuse to not serve, “I am to busy,”, “I don’t know how,” or, “We pay the preacher to do that.” None of those excuses will have any weight on judgement day.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>John 4:35, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”</i></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">A Lack of Powerful Prayer</b></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Christians in America are not getting their prayers answered. Do you know why? Most Christians in America are not praying. I tire of hearing Christians pray these vague, nonspecific prayers such as, “Bless so-and-so,” or “Be with so-and-so”! Do you know what those prayers mean? Absolutely nothing. They can mean just about whatever you want them to mean but at the same time mean nothing. Many Christians have convinced themselves that God doesn’t really answer prayer, therefore they pray these vague, general prayers, just to stay safe. I tire of hearing Christians give the terribly unBiblical excuse that God always answers, but sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says no, and sometimes he says to wait. I’m sorry, but my Bible tells me that if I ask ANYTHING of the Father in the name of Christ (or within the will of Christ) he WILL give it to me.Yes, that requires that I be filled with the Spirit, which in turn will mean that I will pray for what the Spirit would have me to pray for, but God says that He will honor that prayer. Why then do we settle to not pray?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">God convicted me about this last year. I spent so much time worrying about the needs in our church until one day I was convicted to start praying about them. I wrote a list of the needs that our church had. It is a very specific list. Would you believe after several months of praying for very specific needs for our church, God miraculously provided answers to two of them! I prayed that God would give us a van to pick up people for church and he gave us one. I prayed for funds to fix a major flooding problem that the church basement has and God provided. God still answers specific, Spirit-filled prayers. Unfortunately, most Christians are content with praying vague, empty prayers. Ultimately, those vague, empty prayers are simply the fruit of a lack of faith in an all-powerful God.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>John 14:13, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">These three major problems all lie under one major problem in modern Christian America, and that is a lack of commitment to the cause of Christ. Christ does not want me to be a Sunday Christian, he wants me to be an everyday Christian. If I am to be a disciple of Christ every day, it means that I am going to read my Bible and learn it, it means that I am going to serve the Lord, and it means that I am going to be a person with enough faith to pray and expect and answer. We do not live in a time that allows for uncommitted Christians. Allow me to ask you this question as I close this post: Is your all on the altar? Today, you must determine to give the Lord every single aspect of your life. Let’s break the destructive trend that has been set over the past few decades and commit ourselves to Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Pastor King is the Pastor of <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> in Hartwell, GA</i></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-74683253448807337192014-11-20T05:00:00.000-08:002014-11-20T05:00:02.415-08:00The Greatest Lesson My Mom Taught Me<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Today is my mom’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom! In honor of this occasion, I will share in this post the greatest lesson my mom ever taught me. It did not take a long time to figure out which lesson to write about, this one has been in the front of my mind sense the very beginning. It is also apt because it is also so close to Thanksgiving. The greatest lesson that my mom taught me was about being thankful.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My mom has always made a big deal about being thankful. Ever since I was a kid, I knew that my mother’s favorite hymn was Count Your Blessings. To this day, whenever I sing that song it makes me think about my mother. I guess the one thing, though, that makes this lesson stand out to me, is my mom’s treatment of Thanksgiving. If you know the King family at all, you know that we LOVE Thanksgiving. No matter how separated me are throughout the year (I live in Georgia, my parents and brother live in Maryland, and my sisters live in California!) we always are able to gather ourselves up together for Thanksgiving. Not a single one of us has missed Thanksgiving as a family yet; I know that someday we will not be able to say anymore, but for now, that is impressive. My mom says every year that she is planning on scaling back on the food, but every year seems like she makes more than the year before! As soon as we wake up in the morning there are cinnamon rolls ready to eat and all day long there are “appetizers” on the table, including things like pumpkin roll, shrimp dip, crab dip, buffalo chicken dip, and many other dips, cheese ball and crackers, and the list goes on and on. And then, of course, later on in the day, we stop eating the appetizers in order to give our stomach’s some room for Thanksgiving dinner. Every year, my family has a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, with the turkey, corn, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potato casserole (AMEN!), and others. As I write this, I feel like such a pig! But I promise, it gets better. Thanksgiving is not special for my family because of the food. Yes, the food is awesome! And it is definitely a perk to being there, but that is not what our Thanksgiving is about. Our Thanksgiving is about a turkey made out of construction paper. Did I lose you? Let me explain. Every year, my mom cuts out “feathers” from colored construction paper and sends a feather to each extended member of the family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, some people I don’t think I have ever met) and asks them to write down what they are thankful for on the feather and then mail it back to us. On Thanksgiving day, those of us that are there also write our own feathers. When we are done eating the dinner, we stay at the table and dad brings a turkey made of construction paper into the dining room. We all get the same amount of feathers, and we read out loud what every member of the family said. The feathers go onto the construction paper turkey and when it is all done the turkey looks full and fat with feathers.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I cannot remember when that tradition started. It is something that we have done every year since I was just a little kid. That tradition has brought about some of the greatest memories that my family has ever had: There would be some years when it seemed like everyone in our family had gone through some serious trials and we were all in tears as we read our feathers about how thankful we are for God’s goodness, one year a turkey feather announced my wife’s pregnancy to the family, almost every year brings laughter as we read the feathers. I am even getting a little emotional right now as I think of all the great memories I have from doing that. What’s the point? Now that I am older, I understand why my mom went out of her way to make sure that that tradition was done. She was trying to instill in us a heart of thankfulness. My mom taught me that even when the future looks bleak, that even when I do not know what the future holds, I still have so much to be thankful for.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thankfulness is missing in most of our homes and churches. Yes, we say what we are thankful for around the dinner table on Thanksgiving day, but for the rest of the year we act very unthankful. A lack of thankfulness expresses itself in griping, complaining, never having joy, not being a soul winner, and not being holy. The truth is, <b>if we all determined that we would be more thankful to the Lord for everything he has done in our lives, it would transform the way that we live</b>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here is the problem though, it comes naturally for us to complain about our problems, and it is unnatural (or supernatural) for us to be thankful. Dr. Rasmussen, at <a href="http://www.wcbc.edu/" target="_blank">West Coast Baptist College</a>, always says, “<b>Thinkfulness is Thankfulness</b>”. Do you want to be a thankful person? It requires you make a conscious effort. It isn’t just going to happen; thankfulness requires that you put some effort into it. As the song says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am so thankful for a mother who has taught me all throughout my life that being thankful is an important part of my walk with God. My challenge to you today is to Count Your Blessings. It really will surprise you what the Lord has done.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Don’t forget to check out the other lessons my mom has taught me: <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/11/lessons-my-mom-taught-me-meekness-is.html" target="_blank">Meekness Is Not Weakness</a>, and <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/10/lessons-my-mom-taught-me-home-is-haven.html" target="_blank">Home Is A Haven</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Be sure to check out <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-10330268785920596802014-11-15T14:03:00.002-08:002014-11-19T19:10:52.545-08:00Lessons My Mom Taught Me- Meekness is not Weakness<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Fragile. That is not a good word to describe my mom. Now, some of you who think that you know my mom are reading this and thinking, “Of course she is fragile! She is sweet, sensitive, and a bit quiet.” Well, I hate to tell you this, but you don’t know my mom. It takes great fortitude to be a pastor’s wife. There are many women who cannot handle the pressure and hurt their husband’s ministry because of it. Being a pastor’s wife is MUCH harder than being a pastor. I can say that because my mother is a pastor’s wife and my wife is a pastor’s wife. I have seen and experienced firsthand this truth. My mother is not fragile, my mother is not weak. I think Hollywood has tricked modern society into thinking that in order for a woman to be strong, she needs to be loud and boisterous. First example of this that comes to my mind is Lois Lane in the Superman comics. Whenever Lois walks into a room, she takes control. She is pushy, always gets her way. Most people would look at Lois Lane (if she was a real person) and say, “That is a strong woman!” And maybe she is. But can I tell you a strength that is often overlooked? Meekness. The word “fragile” is not a good way to describe my mom, “meek” is. What does it mean to be meek? The Biblical idea behind meekness is twofold, the first part is speaking of humility and the second part is referring to weakness. You might say, “Pastor King, look at the title of this blog. You are saying that meekness is NOT weakness.” Correct, because meekness as a Christian is not simply being weak, but also gaining strength from Jesus Christ. Understand, every single one of us is weak, but it is the meek person who understands that they are weak and need to take on the strength of Christ. Do you know something that is very difficult about being a pastor’s wife? Knowing about people who mistreat your husband but still loving them and being kind to them. Knowing that someone said something overly cruel to your husband but then going up to them with a smile on your face and love in your heart on Sunday anyway. That takes strength. Some people would say, “That person hurt me, I’m just going to hurt them back. They don’t deserve my kindness or love!” That person is reactionary and weak. The person that can bite his tongue and continue on loving is the strong person.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have seen my mom hurt many times. Whether it was someone saying a cruel thing about my dad, or about one of us kids. Whether it was someone being overly cruel or harsh to my family. I have talked to my mom on several occasions where she was in tears. But never once have I seen her angry. And that speaks a lot of her strength.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Many Christians can learn from this. Why are we so quick to lash out? Why are we so quick to act out in anger? Truly strong people are the ones who decide not to fight back, but instead decide to continue to love despite the bad treatment they endured.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Isn’t that what Jesus did? On the cross, one of the things he said was, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Who was Jesus speaking of? The people that beat him, spit in his face, whipped him, and nailed him on a cross to die! But Jesus did not act out in anger, he didn’t call fire down from Heaven to destroy them all, instead he loved them. <b>One of the most Christ-like things we can do is to love those that have hurt us</b>. Yes, it is meek, but it is also very strong.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My mother is one of the strongest women I know. Yes, she may be quiet at times, she may not like speaking in big crowds, she may be sweet, and yes, she may even be a little sensitive at times, but my mom is not fragile. She has great fortitude. She is meek. And it is the meek people who, in reality, are very strong.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Stay tuned for next week’s post- <u>The Greatest Lesson My Mom Taught Me</u>!</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Check out <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>If you missed my first post in Lessons My Mom Taught Me, check it out- <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/10/lessons-my-mom-taught-me-home-is-haven.html" target="_blank">Home is a Haven</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Last thing, I promise. In the beginning of 2015, I am launching my new book “Sermons from the Life of Abraham” on the Kindle. Stay tuned for its release. In the meantime, check out my book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sermons-Book-Haggai-Curtis-King-ebook/dp/B00JKVC3C8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416088955&sr=8-1&keywords=sermons+from+haggai&pebp=1416088967365" target="_blank">Sermons from the Book of Haggai</a>.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-84862223577633112142014-10-23T17:51:00.001-07:002014-11-19T19:07:04.635-08:00Restoring Passion in the Ministry- Guest Post, Levi Leeder<div style="font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 12px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>I asked my good friend, Levi Leeder, to write a post on passion in the ministry. I have several ministry friends, some are serving as pastors, some as associate or youth pastors, some school teachers, some missionaries, and others. I know, from my own personal experiences and from talking to ministry friends that it is easy to lose our passion in the ministry. I asked Pastor Leeder to write on this subject, because I believe that he is truly passionate about the work of the Lord. I hope that his post will be a blessing to you.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Living in Grapevine, Texas I have the opportunity to see men that represent the passion they have for their favorite sports team. When the weekend started everyone donned their favorite sports teams colors as if they where a badge of honor. If you where to ask any warm-blooded American who they routed for it would be safe to say that 95% of them would give you an answer. Win or lose, the passion of a sports fan will never die.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When we look at the Churches of this generation we have a lack of passion sweeping through them like it’s an infectious disease. We would rather stand up for our favorite sports team then stand for The Lord and His Church. We have traded our Bible for a Football, our Churches for a field, and our Faith for a false sense of enjoyment. Passion is not something that can be manufacture, bought, or born with. Passion is when you devote your whole heart to a cause, vision, or goal and will do all you can to see it through. The question has to be asked, “why has the passion for the ministry faded in so many Christians?” I believe we can have revival in this generation but it will need the Christians of this generation to get a passion for the ministry again. So how do you continue to have a passion for the ministry?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">First, we must remember who lives through us. Galatians 2:20 says: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. When we think of all that Christ has done for us we can’t help but keep the passion that was started at the start of our salvation. I am humbled by the fact that God chose to use a worthless sinner such as me. When the Creator of the universe decides to leave his glory and die for you it should light a passion in your heart.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Second,we must understand that we are examples to those around us. Matthew 5:16 says: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>“</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. Have you ever taught a class of young people? When you are teaching a class there will always be a leader of the group. The mood of the leader will spread and effect the rest of the group. D.L. Moody was quoted saying, “the world has yet to see what one man can do that is wholly surrendered to God”. One of the reasons the Churches are full of people with a lack of passion is due to the lack of passion in the congregation. We are called to be a light in this dark world and as a light we have a responsibility to spread that passion to others. You need to stop and ask yourself if you are the reason passion has been stifled in the local church. We must carry the passion that Christ has given us to those around us so the light of Christ can burn brighter.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In conclusion, I want to make it clear on why we can’t afford to lose our passion. Philippians 3:14 says, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”. When you have your sights set on a goal you will be focused on finishing it no matter what. We as Christians do not have the luxury of going through this life without a fire in our souls for the lost. I believe, with all my heart, that if we lose our passion then the future generation has no hope. We have an obligation to this and future generations to keep that passion that we once had. Christian, you must keep your passion; the future depends on it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>For more info about the Pastor Leeder’s ministry as a youth pastor, check out <a href="http://www.bethelbaptistchurch.org/" target="_blank">Bethel Baptist Church in Grapevine, Texas</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Next week I will continue <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/10/lessons-my-mom-taught-me-home-is-haven.html" target="_blank">Lessons My Mom Taught Me</a>, you won’t want to miss it.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>If you haven’t yet, check out <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a>, the church that I am the pastor of.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-10647099327184616212014-10-18T06:12:00.001-07:002014-11-19T19:08:24.919-08:00Lessons My Mom Taught Me- Home Is a Haven<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">High school was very difficult for me. I did not have a whole lot of friends during my time in high school. In fact, it wasn’t until about my junior year when I could reach out to younger guys that I really had a nice base of friends. Admittedly, some of it I brought on myself; some of it was not my fault though. I know it doesn’t sound very manly to admit, but there were several times in my time in high school when I came home crying just because someone had treated me cruelly. By the way, as a side note, there is never a good reason to be mean to anyone, ever. Jesus calls us to live above that and love one another. It is a shame that in a Christian high school, where everyone professed to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour, there was so much hatred and cruelty, but that is a different post for a different time. In high school I endured people saying cruel things to men, about me, spreading vicious rumors about me, treating me like the worst kind of person imaginable. I was mocked, scorned, belittled, and hurt. I am telling you all of this, not so you will feel bad for me, but so that you will see the burden that I felt. Put yourself in my shoes for a moment. Does it hurt? Do you dread waking up in the morning to face another day surrounded by people that hate you? Yeah. It’s tough. But do you know what made it all worth it? HOME. You see, my mother lived by a principle. Home is a haven. When we come home, the worries that we had from school were no longer important. At home, everyone was loved. At home, it was calm and relaxing. At home, I was safe. My mom made this happen by doing several things. Often there would be a plate of cookies or brownies ready for me and my siblings when we came home from school. Most mornings when we woke up and many evenings, my mom would turn on some soft playing music that was relaxing and calming. And every single day when we came home, my mom was genuinely happy to see us. It has been said that two things make the spirit of a home what it is, mom and music. My mom strived to make the spirit of our home one of safety and love.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I compare that to what many other children face. I can say with certainty that many children do not experience that type of home. From conversations I’ve had with friends, to seeing the homes of children we pick up on the church bus. Many children lack this type of home. Here is the problem with that. Most children and teenagers do not find safety or rest in school. Even the most popular in school are faced by pressure and difficulties among their peers. Those that do find safety and rest at school are in for a world of trouble, because there is a need to hold on to it, so peer pressure is easier to fall to. Children that lack a loving home lack stability. By the way, if you think what I am saying is hogwash (that’s a fun word to use) this is something that I studied about and I have many sources to back me on this. Kids need a loving home. Period.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Can I be honest about something? I love my dad. That was made very clear by my series called <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/10/lessons-my-dad-taught-me-quality-time.html" target="_blank">Lessons My Dad Taught Me</a>. But, if I would have had my dad without my mom, I do not believe I would be a well adjusted member of society. My dad would testify to that. If I had not had my mother, I would hate the life of the ministry, I would be bitter at life and people, and I would not have any of the positive relationships that I have today. Why? Because when I would get beaten down by the outside world, I knew I had a haven, a place to go where I felt safe. Home. That is not to say that my dad did not do a good job, it’s just that my mother made it a point to make home a place of comfort (please don’t read into this what isn’t intended to be said).</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If you are a parent, which I’m sure many of you are. Do not make home a place of fighting and bickering. Too many homes, Christian homes, are a hotbed for strife; that is not the way that it is supposed to be. Why do so many children grow up and want nothing to do with the church? Oftentimes it has nothing to do with the church, but it has everything to do with the home. It may have been Lee Roberson who said that our country is weak because the church is weak, but the church is weak because families are weak. My mother taught me that in order to make a family strong, a family needs to feel safe from all trouble at home. No hatred, no anger, no strife. Just love, acceptance, and encouragement. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>My mom is full of wisdom, you can hear her at the <a href="http://www.swordofthelord.com/jubilees.php" target="_blank">Sword Ladies Jubilee</a> on </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Check out <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> for more about me and my ministry.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>For some of the music cd’s that my mom would use at home, go to <a href="http://www.faithmusicmission.org/" target="_blank">Faith Music Mission</a>. </i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-68562970476129644472014-10-11T11:11:00.000-07:002014-11-19T19:10:09.922-08:00Lessons My Dad Taught Me- Quality Time<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ever since I was a little boy, my dad made it a point to spend time with me. When I was in elementary school, sometimes my dad would pull me out of school early and we would go see an Orioles baseball game. My dad would buy me a cup of Dip ’N Dots and we would sit and talk while watching the game. I remember my dad taking me every year to the Ravens training camp, and getting autographs from players and getting to talk with Tony Banks and The Goose. Once I got into the 5th grade or so, dad would wake me up early a few times a week and we would jog in the woods. Once I got older and my tastes began to change, dad would take me to McDonalds every Monday morning and we would spend time with each other and talk. Several times we would drive a few to hear a preacher out of town, and when the winter came my dad would drive me every single week to go snowboarding. My dad invested a whole lot of time in me. I remember that most of those drives to and from snowboarding I would talk to my dad about a subject that I was passionate about- please don’t laugh- the life of Walt Disney. I don’t want to brag, but I have read over a dozen biographies of Walt Disney, his life fascinates me, it did even when I was a teenager. I would talk for hours about Walt Disney to my dad. Do you something I realized not to long ago? My dad did not care even an ounce about what I was talking about! Seriously, who really wants to know how Dumbo did in the box office or why the Disney Studio riot happened? But as a teen, I did not know that. My dad engaged with me about something that he cared little to nothing about. Why is that? He was trying to invest time in me.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I love my parents. They mean the world to me. The hardest thing about living in Georgia is that I don’t get to see them nearly as much as I used to. I believe that a large part of the reason that I feel love by my parents and why I love them in return is because of time spent. My dad made it very clear in his actions that his job was important, but his family was more important. Yes, sometimes he had to take a phone call while we were spending time together and sometimes he did have to go on an emergency hospital visit, but I never had a doubt in my mind that he would rather be spending time with me than doing that.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Who do you love? We all love at least one person in our lives. Is it your parents? your spouse? your child? co-worker? The list goes on and on. Do you know how to express that love in a genuine way? Give them your time. Time is the most valuable asset that we have, therefore the things that we spend time on are ultimately the things that we truly care about. As a pastor, I love my congregation. I need to be diligent to give them my time, in writing them letters, in listening to them if they need to talk to me, in prayer, and in other areas. You see, it takes more than telling someone that you love them, it takes actions. Talk is cheap, actions are valuable.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have never doubted the love that my parents have for me. Not many grown children are able to say that. A lot of children feel like they took second place to work, or maybe even third, fourth, or fifth place. But since my parents spend their time on me, I know they love me and I love them in return. Quality time is important.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Don’t forget to check out <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>This is the last of the Lessons My Dad Taught Me Series. To read the others again, here is <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-that-my-dad-taught-me-no.html" target="_blank">No Complainin’ About Nothin’</a>, T<a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-my-dad-taught-me-importance-of.html" target="_blank">he Importance of Soulwinning</a>, and <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/10/lessons-my-dad-taught-me-never-argue.html" target="_blank">Never Argue With Anyone About Anything Ever</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Stay tuned for a new series coming next week: Lessons My Mom Taught Me!</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-82819021425609990332014-10-04T06:00:00.001-07:002014-11-19T19:10:35.262-08:00Lessons My Dad Taught Me- Never Argue With Anyone About Anything Ever<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">College was a huge step in my life, as it is with every college student. It was particularly hard on me and my family because the college I had chosen to was in California, (<a href="http://www.wcbc.edu/" target="_blank">West Coast Baptist College</a>) while my family lived in Maryland. I was far from home. This was not my first time being far from home, I had spent summers serving at the <a href="http://www.billriceranch.org/" target="_blank">Bill Rice Ranch</a>, but this was the first truly long time. My family flew out with me to get me all set up and ready. We made the most of those last days we had together. I will never forget my father pulling me aside and giving me a word of advice. This was one of the last things he advised me on before they left, and it will stick with me until the day I die. He said to me, “Curt, never get into an argument with anybody.” He then explained to me that preacher boys are notorious for enjoying an argument over theology, or personal standards, or other things (He was right) and that doing so is an unwise and not a spirit-filled thing to do.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It did not take me very long for me to realize that he was very right about what he told me. In my time at college, I heard preacher boys argue in dorm rooms, I saw them argue on Facebook, and I overheard them argue while out soul winning. By the way, this is not a reflection on my alma mater, this is a reflection on human nature. It seemed as if everywhere I turned people were arguing. I will not say some of the ridiculous things that were being argued about, because some who read this may have been the people who were arguing!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Before you roll your eyes and say, “Well, doesn’t Pastor King think he is so perfect!” I have to admit, sometimes I did not follow my dad’s advice. Sometimes I got sucked into arguing. I remember one time in particular, there was a guy who told me that the preaching at church was not really as important as we made it out to be. Now, maybe he just said that to grind my gears, because it did! I got angry and I began to argue.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Looking back though, I realize just how foolish it was. How much time was wasted by guys sitting around and arguing all afternoon? Sometimes when we would get back from visitation on Saturday’s, guys would come into the dorm with a big grin on their face. People would ask, “Did you see anyone get saved today?” And they would reply, “No! But we got to argue with some Mormons, and boy did we let them have it!” Do you know what happened? These guys would spend an hour arguing theology with Mormon missionaries. I am not saying that Mormons can’t be saved, but I am saying that arguing with one isn’t going to do it! These guys would waste all of that time on this group of Mormons while the entire time they could have been knocking on more doors, inviting people to church and spreading the Gospel. When they decided to argue instead, nobody won. They didn’t win, the Mormons didn’t win, certainly God didn’t win. Oh wait, there is someone who did win…the Devil.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And that is the whole point. Arguing is nothing but a waste of time. All it does is it swells the ego of the person who “won the argument”, and it keeps us from doing what we are supposed to be doing.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You might want to argue with me and say, “But how will we show people that they are wrong?” When you decide to argue with someone, they don’t care what you have to say. If you want to help change someone for the better try to love them to where they need to be. Many of you have heard the famous phrase, “It is easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar”. Although that is technically not true (<a href="http://site.cleanairgardening.com/info/youll-catch-more-flies-with%E2%80%A6vinegar.html" target="_blank">flies are definitely more attracted to vinegar</a>) the lesson remains the same. You are not going to help people change or grow by arguing or belittling what they believe or do, you win them by loving them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I still cannot get over how much time I wasted that I could have used to serve the Lord in an effective way. If only I had heeded that lesson that my dad taught me much sooner. Arguing is a waste of time, never argue with anyone about anything.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>God is doing great things at <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> in Hartwell, GA! Check us out!</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>My dad is the pastor of <a href="http://www.ebthagerstown.com/" target="_blank">Emmanuel Baptist Temple</a>. Give it a look!</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Check out the other Lessons My Dad Taught Me: <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-that-my-dad-taught-me-no.html" target="_blank">No Complainin' About Nothin'</a> and <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-my-dad-taught-me-importance-of.html" target="_blank">The Importance of </a></i></span><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><i><u>Soul winning</u></i></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-64151259656925010732014-09-30T13:09:00.001-07:002014-11-19T19:11:40.979-08:00Lessons My Dad Taught Me- The Importance of Soul Winning<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Another recent article on soul winning was written by my good friend, Kreig Durham. Read it here at <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/09/cutting-great-commission-short-guest.html?m=1" target="_blank">Cutting the Great Commission Short</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I would like to share what may possibly thing the biggest thing that my father taught me that has shaped who I am today. If my father had never taught me this, I do not believe that I would be in the ministry today. That is the area of soul winning. Can you look back on your life and identify one particular moment that shaped the rest of your life? I sure can. I forget what grade I was in, I believe it was around the third grade, but I can take you to the exact spot where this happened and all the events surrounding it. This moment was the time that my dad showed me how to be a soul winner. You might think that a third grader is too young to be a soul winner, but I cannot disagree with you more. I remember exactly how it happened. My dad and me were sitting in the front pew of the church we were at. It was not a Sunday or Wednesday night, I think it was after school one day. My dad gave me a brown Gideon Bible and took me through the Romans Road, underlining verses and then writing notes to show me which verse to go to next. That moment motivated me to be a soul winner. I asked my junior church teacher if I could go through the salvation plan with any kid that needed to get saved, I witnessed to my classmates, in fact, I got to win one girl to the Lord, I would stand outside the auditorium when church was over, asking people if they were saved. I was excited about sharing the Gospel because my dad showed me how much of a priority it was by showing me how to do it. It was around the 5th grade when my dad asked me if I wanted to go soul winning with the teens on Wednesday night. I agreed to do so, and every Wednesday night after that I would go out soul winning with a group of teen guys. Typically 5th graders are not invited to go out soul winning with teens, but my dad was trying to show me that soul winning is important.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am still pretty young, in life and in the ministry, but I have had the opportunity to see many churches and their operations. I do not think I am overstepping my bounds when I say that I can see the spiritual climate of fundamental Baptists. I have noticed that there are two areas that are vastly being ignored among many of our Christians, they are the areas of personal Bible study and personal soul winning. Many Christians do not know how to be an effective soul winner, but that isn’t the main problem; the main problem is that many Christians don’t feel like they need to know how to be an effective soul winner. I think what fuels this problem is the fact that being a soul winner requires you to not just play the part of being a Christian on Sunday morning during church, but it requires you to be a Christian ALL THE TIME. That is a commitment that some are just not willing to make. Why aren’t they? Because they do not see the importance in soul winning.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Jesus saw the importance of soul winning. What does he say to his disciples in Matthew 9:37, “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.” Jesus is telling his disciples that they need to get out into the harvest field. There are souls that need to be saved, and we are the ones that can go out there and make a difference for the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We, as Christians, rally behind great causes. I ate at Chick-fil-a on Chick-fil-a Day, I shop at Hobby Lobby, I vote for what I believe in, my wife walked for Breast Cancer Awareness, I am for political activism or drawing attention to an illness or a charity that helps some particular cause, but we cannot forget that our number one focus, the most important cause that we are to stand for is the salvation of lost souls.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I do not know what the future holds for Calvary Baptist Church. Someday we may have ministries that help with people in every stage of life. I would love to see people in our building every single day having Bible studies, growing and edifying one another; I would love to see activity and excitement in our members. But the one thing that should never change is the understanding that soul winning takes the front seat in the operations of our church. As I have heard many wise men say in the past, “We need to keep the main thing the main thing, and the main thing is soul winning.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am so thankful for a dad who isn’t just a soul winner. He is much more than that. At a very young age, he taught me how important soul winning is. I sincerely believe that every soul that is saved through my ministry will be credited to my dad and mom in eternity, because without their influence and training I would not be a soul winner today. How about you? How important is soul winning to you? Think of what God could do through us if we all determined to place soul winning on our priority list where God wants it to be! Let’s all determine to be more passionate in our soul winning efforts.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Did you miss part one of this series? If so, here is a link to <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/09/lessons-that-my-dad-taught-me-no.html?m=1" target="_blank">No Complaining About Nothin</a>’! Check it out.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Also, for more information on my dad’s ministry, check out the website of <a href="http://www.ebthagerstown.com/" target="_blank">Emmanuel Baptist Temple</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Lastly, if you live in Northeast Georgia, or are travelling through, check out the website of <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> in Hartwell, GA. We would love to have you as a guest to our church!</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-44315383923337162352014-09-25T13:06:00.002-07:002014-11-19T19:12:14.331-08:00Lessons That My Dad Taught Me- No Complaining About Nothin'<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When I was thirteen years old, I had the opportunity to go on a missions trip to Nassau, Bahamas. My dad was the youth pastor of a large youth group and several of us went to hold a Bible school for the children who lived in Nassau. It was an incredible time! God worked in a great way, and I was able to see what it was like to live in poverty. This is off topic, but I believe that every teen needs to see what it is like to live in a third world country. It is easy to get spoiled living in the USA, but to be able to see the living conditions of those less fortunate and see that, despite what little they have, they are so much happier than we tend to be, is very convicting and is a great reality check. My dad was in charge of our group of teens and he put us through several meetings of training before we got there. In the first meeting that we all had, my dad went over a list of the rules for the missions trip. Rules like, no dating while on the missions trip, no color tv (we were allowed to talk about black and white shows, like the Andy Griffith show, I Love Lucy, and Three Stooges), dress code rules, things to not bring with us, and more. There was one rule in particular that has always stuck out to me. It was a rule that I learned did not just apply to the missions trip but to life in general. That rule was, as my dad humorously put it, “no complaining about nothin’!” (Note: For any Grammar Nazi’s reading this, the double negative was said on purpose in order to be funny. Please do not flood my comment section with grammar corrections.)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Why was this such an important rule for a missions trip? Since we were going down to the Bahamas to do a Bible school for the church, we were to serve them for the week. It would be selfish of us to go down there and then complain about how hot the weather was, how we didn’t like the food that was given to us, or the cleanliness of our sleeping arrangement. We were there to be a blessing and to serve, complaining was not compatible with the purpose for being down there.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As Christians, we are called to serve the Lord and to be a blessing wherever we go. Remember, we are ambassadors for Christ. Complaining is not compatible with our calling as Christians. Complaining is a very carnal thing to do, because the root of complaining is being unthankful. The Lord has done so much for us, why do we feel like we have the right to be unthankful? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sometimes when I am tempted to complain, I think about the people in the Bahamas. Many of them live in small cinder block houses that are no bigger than my living room. No air conditioning, many had no running water. Who am I to complain? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Paul said it this way in 1st Timothy 6:8, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” God has provided for our needs, there is no reason to complain.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When we went down to the Bahamas, we got to see many children accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. God blessed our time there, and part of it was because we had a good spirit. That good spirit was present within our group because we came to do God’s work and to not complain while doing it. When we focus on serving the Lord, and having an excellent spirit while doing so, God will bless in a great way. That is why we need to have the rule, “No complaining about nothin’!”</span></div>
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<i>If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Calvary Baptist Church's website at <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/">www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com</a>.</i></div>
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<i>Also, check out my dad's ministry at <a href="http://www.ebthagerstown.com/">www.ebthagerstown.com</a>.</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-50238216732592906192014-09-18T17:37:00.002-07:002014-11-19T19:12:54.955-08:00Cutting The Great Commission Short- Guest Post by Kreig Durham<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A note from Curtis: My first week in college I was scared and lonely. I didn't know anyone on campus and my family was all the way on the other end of the country. On the bus ride to a Dodgers game, I sat with my roommate and we got into a fun conversation. A guy in the row in front of us turned around and started talking with us. He was funny and friendly. We ended up spending the entire time at the game together, and long story short, he became my best friend. His name is Kreig Durham. In the future, I plan on having more guest writers on my blog, but I decided that the first person to have should be my best friend. Kreig is very intelligent, and in his writing he gives insight that others normally do not see. I believe this post will be a blessing to you. If you enjoy his writing, stop by his blog at <a href="http://assortedbagofcandy.wordpress.com/">assortedbagofcandy.wordpress.com</a>. Happy reading!</span></i><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Matthew 28:18-20, <i>"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Jesus gave the church marching orders. He gave us a mission. He gave us a Great Commission. We've all heard many excellent messages about how we must go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). Many people have been burdened to share the message of the Gospel by sermons from the passages containing the Great Commission. It's an excellent truth that we all need to follow better!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But are we doing all of it?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">That is to say, are we <i>fully</i> obeying the Great Commission, or are we just focusing on part of it? I would go so far as to say that many churches are focusing on the "preach the gospel" part, to the neglect of the much larger plan laid out by Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>The Great Commission doesn't end after someone receives Jesus.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In Matthew 28, we find Jesus giving a detailed plan for the church. It was the plan which they were to be consumed in doing. In fact, it is the entire mission of the church. And it includes so much more than just seeing people believe on Jesus Christ. Don't misunderstand, we should strive to introduce as many people as possible to the Savior!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But it doesn't end there. When Jesus told us in Matthew 28 to "teach all nations," the words we've translated into English mean not just to teach, but to make disciples. Then we are to baptize those we are making into disciples, which means they've come to the place where they want to publicly identify with Jesus and the church. Then we are to continue to teach those disciples everything God has commanded us.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>The Great Commission is a lifestyle, not a program.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So what does "making disciples" mean, really? When you read the Gospel accounts, you find different groups of people following Jesus around for different reason. The Pharisees, scribes, and Saducees followed Him around to defame Him. The multitudes follow Jesus to experience His miracles and hear His revolutionary teaching. But the disciples followed Him to become more like Him. They wanted to learn from Him. They wanted to be in on everything Jesus had for them. They weren't perfect, and they certainly weren't always faithful. The disciples were, however, close to Jesus. And because of this closeness, this committedness to Jesus, they were changed.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Disciples aren't just passive consumers, nor are they skeptics always trying to find fault. Disciples don't just want to be <i>near</i> Jesus. They want to be <i>with</i> Jesus. To be a disciples, you must forsake your way, your will, and follow Jesus, wherever He goes. For the church to fulfill the Great Commission, it has to make disciples. Making disciples means bringing those who have accepted Christ from being newborns in Christ to being maturing, committed followers of Christ. And the only way to do this is by making it our lifestyle. A passing interest will not bring people along the path of discipleship— it has to be a fully integrated lifestyle of teaching new Christians to become mature believers.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>When we cut the Great Commission short, we endanger baby believers.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ephesians 4:14 explains, <i>"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"</i> Baby Christians, those who are new in the faith or just very immature in their faith, are more easily deceive by false teachers who seem to have the truth. Without the strong support of a church that is constantly making disciples (not just converts), they will be eaten alive spiritually!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Imagine a newborn baby, so small, so defenseless, so needy. He's so young and small that he needs every single one of his needs met by someone else. He is totally incapable of taking care of himself, and will be for quite a while. He needs to be cared for, watched over, protected, taught, and led by people who will not deceive him or hurt him. Someday he will be old enough and mature enough to care for himself. But right now he's totally and completely dependent on others.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now imagine that this baby's mother abandons him mere days after he is born into this world. What do you think his chances of survival are? Now imagine we aren't talking about a literal baby, but a new believer. Imagine his church is very good at preaching the Gospel, but have no plan for people after they meet the Savior. What do you think will happen to these new Christians?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>The Great Commission is everyone's job.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In order for this all to come together, for the <i>whole</i> mission of the church to be fulfilled, we have to remember that the pastor isn't the only one responsible to obey it. The church is a body. The church is people. Everyone, no matter their place in the church, must choose to obey the marching orders given by Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Otherwise we'll just continue to cut the Great Commission short.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Additional note from Curtis: Stay tuned for a new series coming soon. It's called </i>Lessons I Learned from My Dad. <i>There are a lot of interesting things that I really would like to talk about.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-79730500186041780332014-09-02T13:09:00.000-07:002014-11-19T19:13:25.547-08:00Three Spirits That Will Destroy A Church- Part 3<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A Spirit of Apathy Rev. 3:14-16</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The church of Laodicea had an apathy problem. They were lukewarm. The problem with the church of Laodicea was that, in our eyes, they were not bad people. They were just a regular church, filled with normal people. If the church in Laodicea existed today, they would be singing the same hymns as us, they would have the Lord’s Supper, they would meet every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. They probably enjoyed each other’s company and they probably sang out during the song service, and they probably even listened when the preacher was preaching God’s Word. I also believe that if you would have walked up to most of the members of that church and asked them, “Do you believe that it is the church’s job to bring souls to Jesus?” They would have said, “Of course, obviously, that’s the Great Commission!” What was the problem with Laodicea? I believe it was the same problem that a lot of churches have today. Across America today, there are Christians who are lukewarm. Why is that? Because they have a Christianity that affects them on Sunday but not for the rest of the week. It isn’t that they are against people coming into the church and getting saved. In fact, when people start getting saved and baptized and when visitors come who do not look like “good Christians” they rejoice over the goodness of God. The problem is not that they feel entitled like the point before. The problem is that they are apathetic. They simply did not care. Once again, let me point out, if you were to ask them if they cared about lost souls, or having a fervent, passionate walk with God, they would give you a very confused look and say that they obviously did. What was the problem? Their words said one thing while their actions said another.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We have churches that are dwindling and dying all across this country and it is largely because of apathy in the pew. There are some Christians who feel entitled, there are some who doubt, but the overwhelming majority of Christians are simply apathetic. They do not care about living a genuine Christian life. They are content with their “Sunday only” Christianity. It has worked for them for years, why should they change it. They sit in the pew and hear sermons on reading the Bible, or on prayer, or on soul-winning and they nod and agree with what the pastor says, but then they wake up on Monday and don’t read the Bible, they don’t pray, and they don’t plan on being a witness for the Lord. Almost as if they are the exception to the rule. Maybe they make excuses for why they don’t go soul winning. Maybe they say ridiculous things like, “Well, soul winning is the pastor’s job” or, “I don’t want anyone to think bad of me if I witness”. And the church dies more and more with every passing year, because it has people willing to sit in a pew, but it doesn’t have people willing to crack open a Bible, or get on their knees, or walk a street with a handful of tracts.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My mom used to have a shirt that said, “Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.” (Try to say that 5 times fast!) What a very true statement! We have a lot of Christians who play a part on Sunday but are someone totally different the rest of the week, their walk is talking louder than their Sunday talk talks. It’s no wonder that unsaved people refuse to get saved because of how hypocritical Christians can be. BECAUSE SO MANY CHRISTIANS ARE TOTALLY HYPOCRITES! But when you boil it down, it isn’t because those Christians are malevolent, it isn’t because they are mustache-twirling villains who want to see the world burn, it all simply comes down to the point that they do not care. They are apathetic.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am amazed by the need for the Gospel that Hartwell, Georgia has. It seems like every time I go out soul winning their are people who have never heard the Gospel. I ask them, “Are you 100% sure that you are on your way to Heaven?” And most of the time people will shake their heads and say, “I know that I’m not going to Heaven. Before I came to Georgia, I lived in Maryland, and I honestly believed that it was going to be difficult winning souls to the Lord in Georgia, because it seems like in the South everyone thinks that they are already saved. But not Hartwell. In Hartwell, there are many, many lost people and they KNOW that they are lost. That burdens me. Not as a pastor, but as a Christian, it is my obligation to give them the Gospel. An apathetic person will hear that and say, “Well, that’s nice pastor, keep up the good work,” and never lift a finger to see souls saved, but a person who is passionate about their Saviour will say, “Sign me up for soul winning, pastor. There is a need and I want to help fill that need!”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Whatever happened to passionate Christians? Whatever happened to Christians who cared more about their growth in the Lord and the salvation of the lost than they cared about how much money they were making or the entertainment, or their quality of life? There used to be Christians who lived under the motto, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” But those Christians today are few and far between. Churches are dying. Yes, some are dying because of doubt, some are dying because of wicked Christians who feel entitled, but most are dying simply because an apathetic disinterest in serving the Lord. Don’t sit, soak, and sour. SERVE. God has called you to be more than a Sunday service Christian, he has called you to be an every day Christian.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A young lady named Rosina was enjoying a day on the town. She went to the city with a group of friends, they enjoyed a sightseeing and shopping. They went to a coffee shop and sat and drank some speciality lattes. It had been a great day, but the sun was going down and it was getting time for them to go home. As they walked to their car they walked past a dark alley where one single light showed Rosina and her group of friends that there was a man being beaten up by another man. Rosina and her friends were not sure what to do, so they simply kept walking to their car, acting as if they had never seen it and that nothing ever happened. The next day, as Rosina saw the newspaper, she was shocked to find that the man who had been beaten up in the alley ended up dying. She could’t help but feel responsible for the death of this man. If only she had called for help, if only she had dialed 911 and got the police or someone to come. She could have done something, but she didn’t, simply because she didn’t care to and a man died because of it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We have a lost and dying world that we live in. It is on its way to Hell. Do you care? Do you care enough to do something about it, or will you just walk by and doom people to a Christless eternity. Apathy will not just affect you, but it will affect the unsaved that you come in contact with as well. The church can no longer afford apathetic Christians; now is the time for every single one of us to serve the Lord with a fervor and a passion for Him.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Conclusion: So, the question that you may be asking tonight is, “Pastor, is my church dying?” My honest answer is that I do not know. I cannot tell what is in your heart, neither can you tell me what is in mine. The question then should be this, “Am I killing my church or am I building it?” The spirits of doubt, entitlement, and apathy will kill this church, but a spirit of faith, selflessness, and passion will build it. Are you being a builder or a destroyer?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Read part one <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/08/three-spirits-that-will-destroy-church.html" target="_blank">here</a> and part two <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/08/three-spirits-that-will-destroy-church_21.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Keep tuned in for a guest post by Kreig Durham coming soon, and a new series called, "Lessons from My Dad"!</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Check out Calvary Baptist Church of Hartwell, GA <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">here</a></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-42093780459489865202014-08-21T12:49:00.000-07:002014-11-19T19:14:10.155-08:00Three Spirits That Will Destroy a Church- Part 2<div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>3rd John 9, “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Apostle John wrote the 3rd book of John as a letter to a friend and fellow-laborer named Gaius. Apparently he had tried to write a letter to the church that Gaius was a member of, but a man named Diotrephes took the letter and did not read it to the church. Now, we do not know who Diotrephes was. He may have been the pastor, he may have been a deacon, he may have just been a layman who checked the mail, regardless of who he was, John tells us why Diotrephes hid the letter from the church and that was because Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence among them. What does that mean? preeminent means to be superior, or to be important. Diotrephes was large and in charge. The church was all about him, and he liked it that way.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is a spirit in a lot of churches that rings of the spirit that Diotrephes had. It is the spirit of preeminence or entitlement. Allow me to explain, people who feel like they are entitled are very selfish people. Everything revolves around them. They believe they deserve whatever it is they want, they get upset when they do not get their own way, and ultimately they act like the world must cater to them and their wants and needs.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Allow me to challenge your thinking today. I heard a preacher ask the question the other day, “Is the church for the saved or the unsaved?” To me, as I read my Bible, the answer is very simple. The church is for BOTH the saved and the unsaved. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not see it that way. You see, a lot of those churches that started off with a mission to see the people in their communities get saved began to slip in the years. They started taking their focus off of outside the walls of the church and became more self-focused. Many churches today only serve the purpose of care taking for its members. They don’t want to hear Gospel messages because they are already saved, they want to hear deep theological messages that will make them grow in their Christian life, they don’t like to spend any money on outreach, and the tracts the church gets had better be those ones that you can get for free or for very cheap, because we don’t want to waste our money on those fancy looking tracts. So churches have adopted the mentality of, “What do I want,” and “What do I need,” but have lost what the entire true purpose of the church is: Others. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The pastor is not the head of the church. The church is not supposed to follow an personal agenda that the pastor has. The deacons are not the head of the church. If the deacons have their own personal agenda they should not be followed. The members are not the head of the church. And very many times there are church members who have their own personal agendas and they should not be followed. Who is the head of the church? Jesus Christ! And Jesus does have a personal agenda for the church. He didn’t say, “Go ye into all the world and put money into your church savings accounts,” he didn’t say, “ Go ye into all the world and make sure all programs are catered to your own personal whims and desires.” No! Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world and PREACH THE GOSPEL!” Jesus’ personal agenda for the church is that the church preach the Gospel to every creature. The church was not built for your comfort, it was built to be a lighthouse.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A church stops becoming a church when it stops caring about the souls of the lost. A church stops becoming a church when it isolates and alienates unsaved people when they come through the church doors. Many times an unsaved person has walked into a church because they felt a spiritual need but found that the “holy” people of the church treated them terribly. Maybe it was the way they were dressed, maybe they had the smell of alcohol on their breath, maybe they had piercings and tattoos; whatever it was, it was enough for the Christians in the church to turn their nose up at that unsaved person. You could hear church members saying things like, “We don’t want that kind of person at our church,” or, “Who does she think she is, wearing that here,” or, “if more people like that start coming here, we are going to have ourselves a problem.” And here is what happens, we give these people the cold shoulder and then they never darken the doors of the church ever again, and this person, who Jesus loves and who Jesus died for, slips off into a Christless eternity in Hell. All because of a few people, in a church, who decided that the church wasn’t about reaching unsaved people, but about themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There was once a coastal town that had a problem with ship-wrecks. Apparently, the water became very shallow in some areas and there would be sharp rocks that would tear ships apart. A small band of people wanted to do something about this problem so they created a life-saving station. They built up a little wooden hut on the beach, so that they could keep their eyes on the coast and whenever a ship would wreck they would go out and rescue those that were about to drown. After saving several lives, the town started to take notice of the work that they were doing, and being kind-hearted, many citizens of the town started pitching in with finances and supplies for this life-saving station. The station started to accumulate boats and equipment which made it a lot easier to save lives. At one point the station had enough money that they decided to built a fancy headquarters, complete with bedrooms for ship-wreck survivors to stay in, a beautiful mosaic floor at the entrance, expensive pieces of art on the wall, a restaurant to eat in, a indoor pool, and many other luxuries. Over a stretch of time though, there were no shipwrecks, meaning that there was no one that needed to be rescued. So the members of the life-saving station grew complacent. They started using the HQ for their own benefit, enjoying what they had built. Until one day a large ship sank right off the coast. The life-saving station was able to rescue every person and so they brought them to the fancy, expensive headquarters. This caused a problem with several of the members. Some of the members did not like that wet and dirty people were walking through their immaculate buildings. Some of the members did not appreciate the new-comers interrupting their programs and activity. The members of the life-saving station called a board meeting. In the board meeting there was a rift between the members, some no longer were interested in saving lives because they were just interested in having an expensive club, while others believed that it was their purpose to save lives. In the end, those that wanted to save lives left to start a new life-saving station, while those who just wanted a exclusive club stayed in their fancy club-house. This sad story gets even more sad, because this second life-saving station became successful, and with success came money, and several years later they too lost their focus and became a club instead of a life-saving station. Today, in that town, you will find yacht clubs everywhere, but there is not a single life-saving station.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When did our churches lose their purpose? There came a point when many churches decided that they didn’t care about lost souls anymore, they only cared about themselves. I cannot think of anything more selfish than that. How dare we use our churches as a social club, when we have the greatest news that must be spread! “Pastor King, you don’t understand, if unsaved people start coming here it will mess up the spirit of this church!” If the spirit of your church is so exclusive that the unsaved are not invited than the spirit of your church needs to be changed. “But Pastor King, if unsaved people come they might sit in my seat!” Yes, they might, and when they do it is your opportunity to reach out to them and love them. “But Pastor King, if unsaved people come I won't feel comfortable!” No, you won’t; and that is fine. Jesus didn’t create the church so that you could feel comfortable, he created it so that the lost could get saved.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ask yourself this today: What is church about? Be honest with yourself. The obvious first answer is to glorify God. But how do we do that? By winning souls.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A church that is no winning souls is not a church at all, it is a club. How many places out there call themselves churches when they are not acting in accordance with what Christ commanded them to do? Far too many! My prayer is that <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> in Hartwell, GA, will be in obedience to God and follow his Great Commission. We cannot afford to be self-centered, we must be Christ-centered and in being Christ-centered we will be lost-centered.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The spirit of entitlement will quickly destroy a church.</span></div>
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<i>Click here for <a href="http://curtking.blogspot.com/2014/08/three-spirits-that-will-destroy-church.html" target="_blank">Part one</a> of this series.</i></div>
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<i>Also, in a few short weeks, I will be having a dear friend of mine write a guest post on this blog. He is my best friend Kreig Durham. To get acquainted to his writing click <a href="http://assortedbagofcandy.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">here</a></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-78716729263119200042014-08-15T09:46:00.000-07:002014-11-19T19:14:31.758-08:00Three Spirits That Will Destroy A Church- Part 1<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;">A statistic came out several years ago that said that 80% of churches in the United States have either grown stagnant, are declining, or are sharply declining in their attendance. Many have speculated that we are living in a “post-Christian” era in this country. I can also attest to this statistic. I have had the privilege of growing up in churches that were actively reaching their communities for the cause of Christ and seeing people getting saved and added to the church, but for every church that I have seen that was like that, there would be ten others who were the opposite. Churches that hadn’t seen anyone saved in many years, churches that used their baptistries as a storage area, churches that were focused on the wrong things, churches that got into more arguments about where the money was going than they would pray with each other for the lost souls of their communities. Died and dying churches. And for every dying church, there would be excuses for why they were dying, such as, “We are in a hard area,” or, “Nobody wants to hear the Bible anymore,” or, “Everybody in our town is already saved.” In my short time in ministry, I have learned that excuses are just what they sound like, Excuses. The problem very rarely lies in the unsaved in town, or in the town that the church is in. Most often the reason why a church is declining is in the spirit of the church. I believe that any Christian I'd talk to would tell me that they want to see their church grow and that they want to see people get saved, that’s normal, there are not many people in any churches that would say differently than that. Unfortunately there is a spirit that takes over a church and when that spirit take over, a church is as good as destroyed unless there is a miraculous intervention. I would like to talk to you about three spirits that will destroy </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">any church</span><span style="font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0px;"> if we allow them to.</span></span><br />
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A spirit of doubt- Matthew 14:28-31</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Matthew 14:28-31, “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. </i></span><span style="font-size: 7.3px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><sup>29</sup></i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. </i></span><span style="font-size: 7.3px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><sup>30</sup></i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. </i></span><span style="font-size: 7.3px; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><sup>31</sup></i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i> And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We know from the context of this passage that the disciples were on the Sea of Galilee when a storm came. Jesus was not with them at the time, and so they feared. They were doing everything they could do just to stay alive, when out in the distance they see a man walking on the water. Of course, they began to be even more afraid because they thought they were seeing a ghost. But then the person walking on the water says, “Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.” The disciples recognized that it was Jesus who was talking to them. Peter, who was the vocal one in the group then speaks, “If it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” What was Peter saying? Basically, “If it’s really you, Lord, let me walk on the water too!” What a bold thing to request! We make fun of Peter often for his brashness and his wide-open mouth, but this is one of those instances where Peter was practicing an extreme faith in Jesus that we all should have. Jesus bids him to come, so Peter steps out onto the water, and sure enough, he is walking. Peter was walking on the water! Wow! So Peter starts walking toward Jesus but as he is walking, he looks around himself. He sees the waves, and the storm. He feels the wind as it blows onto him. Peter finally realizes what he is doing and becomes afraid, and as he did, he began to sink. Of course, Jesus saves Peter from drowning and asks chides him for his lack of faith.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">As we read that passage in the Bible, many of us would ask ourselves, “How could Peter start off so strong but then finish so weak. After all, it took a great amount of faith to step out onto the waters in the first place, but it took a lack of faith, or doubt, to start sinking. As Peter stood on the water, in the middle of a miracle, he looked around at the circumstances and began to doubt the strength of God, and that is when he sank.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We have a lot of churches today that are sinking because of a lack of faith in God. They want to see God bless, and they want to see people get saved and baptized and added to the church, but they don’t believe that God can do that anymore. I have talked to many preachers and laymen alike and I have heard depressing expressions of doubt. If I had a penny for every time I heard someone say, “Times have changed and no one wants to hear the Gospel anymore,” I’d be a rich man! Unfortunately, we have bought into a mindset that since we live in the last days, no one is going to respond to what we have to say. People use 2nd Timothy 4:3 as an excuse as to why people are not getting saved, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” And do not get me wrong, I understand that we live in a time where people are particularly closed to the message of the Gospel, but I also believe that I serve a God who is able to overcome those obstacles as long as I simply believe that he can. Peter’s walking on the water was directly linked to his faith in Jesus, when Peter started to doubt, he began to sink.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Do you want to see miracles happen in your church? Have faith! If you do not believe that people can get saved or that lives can be changed than the chances are that no one will. You and your church will sink just like Peter did.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I can’t help but think about the days in the past when great men of God stepped out in faith to start a church. They claimed a town for Jesus Christ and built a church, fully believing that God was going to do great things. I particularly think of Dr. Roland Garlick, who was the founding pastor of <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> in Hartwell, GA, the church I pastor. Dr. Garlick was a man who saw the need for an independent Baptist church in Hartwell, GA, so he took a group of 20 people and started Calvary Baptist Church. With the help of some church members, he built the building that we still worship in today, and he brought the attendance of the church from 20 up to 150. How was he able to do that? Because he believed in a God who could do that. Yes, times have changed; but I still serve a powerful God who can break the heart of stone and can perform miracles. Stop focusing on the wind and waves, stop concerning yourself with the obstacles and trust in God!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You may be reading this and thinking, “But Pastor King, it’s too late now. After years of doubt, I don’t think our church can turn around. We are as good as dead.” I want you to notice something. Peter was drowning, but Jesus came and rescued him. Peter would have died had it not been for the rescuing hand of Jesus Christ. I see many churches that are taking their final breathes, and I honestly believe that even in those final moments Jesus can still come and rescue the church that has a restored faith in Him. For instance, many of us know of <a href="http://www.lancasterbaptist.org/" target="_blank">Lancaster Baptist Church</a>. I went to college there and learned a lot about the ministry from there. When Pastor Chappell became pastor there over 25 years ago, there were about 20 people, they were in a great amount of debt, they were renting their building out to another church, while they met in the upper room of the church. Things were looking bleak and from the outside looking in, any of us would have said that there is no hope for that church to survive. But what happened? A young man came into that church, believing that he served a God that could do great things. And guess what! God DID do great things. And Pastor Chappell would be the first to tell you that it didn’t happen because of anything he did, the church grew and people got saved because he serves a God who is powerful to save.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Before I move on, you may be sitting here and you may think that you have faith that God can bless your church. Let me ask you something: What are you doing to show that faith? Faith requires action. Abraham believed God, and because he believed God he left the city of Ur to the place where God promised. Abraham could have sat around in Ur and said, “Oh, yes, I believe God!” but if he didn’t get up and go, he wouldn't have seen the great miracles that he did. Do you believe that God can bless your church? Then you need to pray for your church. You need to go out soul winning. You need to invite your unsaved friends, family, and co-workers to church. You need to be faithful. Actions speak louder than words. Let’s be sure that our actions match up to the faith we claim we have. God can do great things, we need to believe that he can do them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>This is part one of my three part series on the Three Spirits That Will Destroy A Church. In the upcoming weeks, stay tuned for the next part of this series!</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15837476627872061975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898874747944144537.post-24216661703697747752014-05-06T11:44:00.000-07:002014-11-19T19:15:04.403-08:00How To Be Welcoming to A Visitor At Church<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are many churches in our nation that brag about how
friendly they are. Unfortunately, what many of these churches actually mean is
that they are friendly to the people that they are friends with. Unfortunately,
this is often a trend in small churches. We pray for growth, we ask the Lord to
bless, we even work by passing out tracts to people, but as soon as someone
comes into the church that we do not recognize, we seem to not know what to do.
My church, <a href="http://www.calvarybaptisthartwell.com/" target="_blank">Calvary Baptist Church</a> in Hartwell, GA, is having a Friend Day on
May 18<sup>th</sup>. I am very excited about this day, and I believe we are
going to see many people that have never been to our church before. That being
said, we need to be welcoming to the visitors that come. Ultimately, the goal
is not just to get these visitors to come for Friend Day, but for them to get
saved and then for them to start coming every Sunday. Now, in order for that
goal to be accomplished it is going to take more than a good song line-up, or
powerful preaching, or a delicious lunch, it is going to take the friendliness
of our church members. In this post, I would like to point out a few ways in
which we can be welcoming to the people that come to our churches for the first
time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do not be
angry with them<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You may think that this is a strange thing to say.
Especially for the first point. Allow me to explain myself. When a visitor
walks into your church (hopefully after being greeted by your assigned
greeters. More about that some other time.) The visitor needs to figure out
where to sit. Sometimes this can be a tricky thing to do. Do they want to sit
near where all the other people are sitting or do they want to sit farther
away. Should they sit close to the front or further to the back. Suppose they
ultimately decide to sit near the back. But there is a problem, that seat the
visitor sat in is the pew that you sit in every week. That is your pew. AND NO
ONE IS GOING TO TAKE MY PEW AWAY FROM ME!!! You may be laughing right now and
telling yourself that this doesn’t happen. You might think that everyone in
church is happy to have visitors and it doesn’t matter where they sit as long
as they hear about Jesus… I wish you were right, but you are not. It is unfortunate
that there are a lot of people that get very angry when their seat is taken in
church, they literally lose their minds (Don’t you hate hyperbole? It’s
literally the worst thing in the entire world!). We have to decide that if we
see someone sitting in our pew at church, we deal with that person in a
gracious way. Jesus wouldn’t be angry that someone was sitting in his pew, he
would be thrilled beyond belief and he would pray that visitor would be blessed
during the service. Key thought: Be gracious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Approach
them<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Very often, the visitor comes in, sits down, attends
the service, and then leaves. The entire time no one has said a word to them
except for at the door. I think one of two things happen to us when we see a
visitor. Either one, we expect the visitor to approach us and talk to us (After
all, it’s our church. Why do you expect me to go talk to visitor vermin!) or we
are too nervous to talk to them because we don’t know them. Many visitors can
attest that the “Friendliest Church in Town” is actually not very friendly at
all. What brings people back to church? Relationships. How are relationships
built? Communication. Here is the scenario: You walk into church and you see
that there is a visitor sitting in your pew. Here is what you are supposed to
do: You need to walk up to the visitor, have a smile on your face and say, “Hi!
Welcome to Calvary Baptist Church! My name is John Doe (if your name is not
John Doe, you have my permission to use your own name). What’s your name?” You
see, in doing that you have greeted a visitor, you have helped soften the blow
of being new to a place where they do not know anyone, and you have started a
relationship that just might get the person to come back. This is probably the
hardest step to follow but it is the most necessary step to follow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ask if you
can sit with them<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If there is room next to the visitor ask if you can
sit with them. This helps the visitor not to feel alone during the service.
Oftentimes, a visitor does not have a Bible, share yours with him. Generally be
friendly to the visitor. Engage in conversation. What do they do for a living?
How did they hear about the church? Do they have families? Things like that.
You may have to miss some fellowship with your church friends this week, but
this is much more important. Sit with the visitor, engage in conversation, and
even introduce them to your friends. Which brings me to the next point.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do not
introduce them to the pastor…yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Something that completely blows my mind is how
intimidated people get by pastors. I am not an intimidating person. I am not
that athletic, I am not strong, I am a little chubby, and I have a baby face
that my wife says is adorable (but she is biased). There is nothing in this
world that is intimidating about me, but as soon as I say that I am a pastor
some people literally go crazy (There’s that hyperbole again!). As the pastor,
I avoid contact with visitors before the church service, a visitor is already
intimidated by being in a new place, I do not want to add to that intimidation.
Sometimes I make an exception to this, but not often, because the job of
greeting and building relationships with visitors before the service lies
squarely on the shoulders of our church members. Do not say, “Hi, my name is
John Doe. Let me introduce you to the pastor!” That is awkward. Now, I’ve said
all of this. But let me add to it. Not only should you not introduce the
visitor to the pastor before the service, it is also an absolute must TO
introduce the pastor to the visitor after the service. Throughout the service,
the visitor has had a chance to warm up to the pastor, he has heard the sermon,
he heard the announcements. Hopefully the visitor was able to gather from what
he saw that the pastor really is an approachable person. Now is the time to
meet the pastor. By the way, the pastor desperately wants to meet the visitor.
There is no such thing as a pastor that does not want to meet visitors, or at
least I think. So here is what you do: After the service is over, look at the
visitor and say, “Would you like to meet the pastor?” If they say yes, Take
them to where the pastor is standing and say to the pastor, “Pastor, this is
John Smith, he is visiting with us today.” It’s that simple. This gives the
visitor a bridge between himself and the pastor, that bridge being you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next week,
continue to be friendly<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I believe that if a visitor returns for a second
visit, it says a lot about their interest. I also believe that a visitors
second visit can make or break whether or not they end up becoming faithful
members. If the visitor comes back for the second week, do not ignore them. Do
not think to yourself, “They were a visitor last week, they aren’t my
responsibility anymore.” No! Greet them, tell them that it is good to see them again,
offer to sit with them, and ask them how their week was. You may even want to
introduce them to some of your church friends. At this point, you have done
something that benefits both you and the visitor, you have both found a friend
in each other. If you can create a genuine friendship with a visitor then that
visitor will soon become an active member in your church. All it really takes
is for you to step out of your comfort zone just a little bit and be friendly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few more small pointers:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t be a Negative Nancy- be upbeat and cheerful. If
you want to say something negative about the music, the preaching, the flower
arrangement, anything- DON’T! Negativity is contagious and will make a visitor
not want to come back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t criticize them if they show up a month, or more,
later- if the visitor doesn’t come back until a month or two later, don’t say
something to them like, “Well, looks like you finally got your heart right with
God.” Don’t even say stuff like, “Where’ve you been the past few weeks?” These
things are discouraging to a visitor. Instead, continue to be friendly, ask
them how they’ve been, but do not, in any way, refer to their absence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Engage with them outside of church- invite them over
for a meal, go fishing with them. Continue to build that relationship even
outside of the church walls.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be attentive in church- if you are going to sit next
to the visitor, do not play on your cell-phone during the sermon and, by all
means, do not fall asleep. Listen attentively to the message, take sermon
notes. The visitor needs to see that you take church seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lastly, pray for them. You’ve met them, you’ve been
friendly, you’ve introduced them to the pastor, but the most important work is
yet to be done. Add them to your prayer list. Pray for them in a specific way.
If they are unsaved, pray that they will get saved. If they need to make some
decisions in their life then pray for that. If they told you about some trouble
or trial in their life than pray for that. Become their prayer warrior. If you
get to a place where you are comfortable with each other, pray with him. If we
really believed in the power of prayer, we would pray for our visitors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope those pointers were a blessing. Let’s be diligent in
how we deal with those who are visiting our churches!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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