Tag Archives: Baptist

Apr 11 2010

Haiti 2010 Day 11

Day 11: Sunday, March 21st 2010

1:00pm ish: You have probably noticed that I add “ish” to a lot of my times, and in case you were wondering, it is because time is not that essential here.  Night and day seem to be the only real form of time here.

Today was… well I’m at a loss for words.  Being back in Port Au Prince reminded me of why I was burdened to come here in the first place.  No words or pictures can describe the poverty and destruction.  You have to see it for yourself to believe it.

I preached to a crowd of around 150-200 Haitians today at Bethel Baptist Church in Southern P.A.P. (See bottom of page for sermon notes). I have been extremely blessed to preach last Sunday morning in Creve, and this Sunday morning in P.A.P.  This morning at Bethel they were actually able to give each of the individuals a large bag filled with rice, beans, and cooking oil.  That was a true blessing for the people.  That is probably enough food for each of them to survive 3-4 weeks.

We spent some time touring more of P.A.P.   We drove past a large garbage dump, and there were multiple Haitians digging through the heap.  It was awful.  It was just down the road from a large market, and the smell in the air was ungodly.  For about a 10 mile radius the stench of death and rotten sewage filled the air.  Many of the structures were destroyed with many bodies still under them.  I don’t know what the answer is to restoring this area, but we have to do something.  They almost need to build small cities of commerce throughout all of Haiti, and evacuate the people out of P.A.P.  It is simply overpopulated in this city.  If typhoid was to set in, it would wipe out the majority of the population in this area.

I have seen about all of the poverty and destruction a person could handle for a lifetime.  I hate to leave it knowing that when I am relaxing in the comfort of my own home there will still be tent cities all over Haiti with people sleeping on the ground under tarps and sheets in the midst of sewage, waste, and sickness.  I think I am going to be sick to my stomach.  Lord, get me home!!

I hate that this trip is about to end, and my emotions are not in better condition.  I would also love to tell you we made a huge impact, but there is so much need here that it could take 100 of years, 1,000 mission teams, billions of dollars, and more.  Every little bit helps though.

Feeling burdened to help?  There are many ways to help:

  • Financial Support
  • Child Sponsorship
  • Mission Team
  • Pray Warrior
  • & multiple other opportunities.

Contact the AFDC today to get involved!!

www.AFDC-Haiti.com

 

 

Sunday March 21st Sermon Notes:

“There is Hope” – “Gen Espwa!!”

I. Introduction:  About us, our trip, and the story of the goat deer

II. Illustration of the Man, the donkey, and the well

III. 4 Key Applications from Isaiah 6

  1. Recognize our sinfulness in comparison to the Glory of God v. 1-5
  2. receive Salvation (purification) through Christ alone. v. 6-7 / N.T. Romans 5:8
  3. Respond to the Call v. 8
  4. React to the Command v. 9-10

IV. Invitation “Gen Espwa!!” (There is hope!!)

Jan 16 2009

Day of Inspiration

p1000482Yesterday our church staff headed home from the BMAA Texas Symposium, and on the way we stopped into two historical churches.  The first was First Baptist Church of Dallas which was the church of former pastor W.A. Criswell, and the second was Prestonwood whose pastor is Jack Graham.  These two churches were totally different and at the same time each inspired me in its own way.  FBC was enriched with detailed architectural design and tradition.  Beautiful stained glass and chandeliers covered the walls and ceiling.  Red velvet upholstery and carpet adorned the sanctuary.  This facility was a work of art.  It was an honor to stand on the stage where a man so great as W.A. Criswell proclaimed the Gospel.  As I griped the pulpit from which he proclaimed I was overcome with emotion.  It reminded me of how great God is.   

p1000521Prestonwood on the other hand was a church of creativity filled with contemporary design.  I don’t even know how to begin to describe it.  It was nothing like what you or I would consider a church to be.  It was like its own community.  FBC was like a museum; however Prestonwood was like an amusement park.  (Not in a bad way)  Some mega churches only have entertainment in mind, where as you could tell that Prestonwood was much more than that.  Scripture references covered the walls, and Bibles covered the pews.  Once I was in the sanctuary I ascended to the top step of the stage, and I felt so unworthy to approach any further.  I did find the strength to place myself behind the pulpit, and I was immediately humbled.  Could God ever use me in such a way?  Only time will tell.  I looked out amongst the thousands of empty seats with stage light of every color beaming down on me.  God truly was doing something special in this place.

david_preachingAfter touring these facilities we had the privilege to listen to Evangelist David Ring preach at Prestonwood.  David was born dead for the first eighteen minutes of his life, but by the grace of God David lived; however he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.  You or I might consider that to be a disability, but David considers it to be a tool to proclaiming the Gospel.  David always focuses on an individual’s need to conquer the personal challenges and adversities of life.  David was told after he surrendered to preach that he would never be able to do anything for the Kingdom of God.  On the contrary David has spoken in over 6,000 churches and to over 100,000 people a year since 1973.  He was told not to look for a wife because he would never find anyone to love him.  He has been happily married for over 25 years to a very beautiful woman.  He was told that he would never have children.  He has four healthy lively children.  He was told he would not live past a certain age, and he has shocked medical science because he is healthy and prosperous at the age of 55.  David’s testimony is pure inspiration.

p1000516“Never let anything hold you back” – David Ring

“Stop having these self pity parties, because no one will show up, but you.” – David Ring

“When life throws you a curve ball hit a grand slam” – David Ring

Jan 15 2009

Search + Rescue

search-and-rescue

I have spent the last two days being inspired by some of God’s greatest men.  This was the first BMA Mission’s Symposium that I have ever been to so I can’t compare it to those of the past, but compared to some of the missions conferences that I have attended within different Baptist associations this one was the best by far.  The first night John David Smith brought a powerful sermon from Romans chapter ten challenging us to live out the theme of this symposium: “Search + Rescue”, and then today it was jam packed with missionaries and speakers.  We heard from John Lindsey from Ghana West Africa, Andrey and Laura Kanaykina from Ukraine, Merrit Youngdeer from New Mexico, and many others.   One missionary in particular really touched my heart.  The man came from a very religious persecuted country, and was forbidden to speak of Christianity.  They even had to stop recording the event before he would speak.  This man was imprisoned for the Gospel and faced persecution just for carrying his Bible.  If his country was to find out about him proclaiming the Gospel his family back home would be imprisoned.  I will not mention his name, but I want to encourage you to be praying for him.  I was also motivated by Rob Hager a missionary of Jacob’s Well in Chicago, Illinois, because this man is genuinely on fire for God.  Just while speaking with him it made me want to head straight up to Chicago and start telling people about Jesus. 

When we came back from break for the final session I decided to skip out on the music, and go check out Fellowship Baptist Church Forney, Texas’ youth ministry.  It was totally awesome.  It was amazing what they were able to accomplish with just a little bit of space and energy.  I spoke with both of the student pastors of FSM, and they opened my eyes to the possibilities that lie ahead for REFUGE.  Just a few years ago they were running 25 students, and now they have over 500.  One of the primary factors was that they split the Jr. & Sr. High when they reached about 50 – 75 students which was only possible with volunteers.  We still have a little ways to go to reach those numbers, but we have to have some dedicated volunteers if we ever hope to grow beyond our measures.  I as a Youth Pastor have to incorporate more parents into our ministry by partnering with them and challenging them to get involved by stepping up into various leadership roles.

                To finish off the night I headed back down to the symposium to support my pastor Brandon Cox who was preaching the closing message.  He brought an awesome sermon to a room full of preachers.  BBC Baby!  He preached from Acts chapter eight and he gave us 5 points to apply in our ministries when it comes to “Search + Rescue” from the example of Phillip.

  1. Get close to God and stay there
  2. Join God in what He’s already doing in the world around you
  3. Break through existing barriers to share the Gospel
  • a. Three Main Barriers
  • i. Geographical
  • ii. Social
  • iii. Cultural

4. Stick to the Scripture

5. Let’s go after (reach) one more

Bethel would be proud of him, and I would encourage you to check with BMAAMissions.org over the next few months when they will post a multimedia link to listen to this message.

All this would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the dedication and commitment of our BMA directors.  I would like to recognize Grady Higgs, Jerry Kid, Phil Knott, Larry Barker, Ralph Izard, John David Smith, Donny Parish, and of course their beautiful families. 

Check it out, if you weren’t able to attend this year; you missed out.  To sum up the general theme of this week we as missionaries to the here and now should engage the culture and community around us by determining what the needs of the people are.  

LOST, SEARCH, + RESCUE!

Oct 28 2008

Sermon Preperation

I looked at the date on the last sermon I preached, and it was dated back in April 08.  With that being said it has been about 6 months since I have preached.  I am very excited about getting to preach my first message here at Bethel Baptist Church.  It has been far too long since I have been able to proclaim God’s Word from the pulpit.  I have been in constant prayer every since I was given the opportunity.  I have been searching scripture for the last two weeks to find that inspired scripture God desires for me to preach.  I believe I have finally found it, and now it is time for the work to begin.  Meditation upon the scripture, context upon the scripture, application of the scripture, arrangement of the scripture, and proclamation of the scripture are major focuses.  (That could be a message in itself.)  As I prepare my message I continue to ask myself “4 Questions” (by Andy Stanley) 

  1. What do I want them (the listener) to know?
  2. Why do they need to know it?
  3. What do I want them to do & how are they to do it?
  4. Why do they need to do it?

I also seek out ways to make it a message with IMPACT.

  • I – interesting
  • M – motivating
  • P – prepared
  • A – authentic
  • C – clear
  • T – targeted

I just ask that you be praying for me in this time of preparation and delivery.  Every time I prepare to preach it reminds me that we need to be praying for our pastors 24/7, because they have an enormous responsibility to proclaim God’s Word still warm from the Father’s Mouth.

Oct 1 2008

New Church Building / Sunday School

I am probably being premature in this matter, and I know it is something that is in the near future to be discussed here at Bethel Baptist Church, however after reading Criswell’s view on growth I believe it is essential for us to build a new building.

“Every church building in the country has its own story to tell.  Usually, it is a story of men and women who believed in the future and of their victory over those who doubt.  The real price of a building built to house the work of Christ is not in dollars and cents, but in the measure of sacrifice taken on lovingly, freely, and faithfully by the people who had a dream.”  – W.A. Criswell

Even with us going to two services we are still having full Sunday School Classes.  I recently visited these classes and discovered that many of them are full.  With that being said when need to consider more classroom space, and that is something we just don’t have.  At the same time we need to be training up teachers to lead these classes once a classroom setting is in place.  I believe Sunday School is essential to obtaining committed Christians.  We must have these small groups in order for relationships to be established, and theology to be taught and implemented.  We are only holding ourselves back.  We must step out by faith, and it starts with prayer.  Be praying for our church growth, and leadership team. 

We start our Outreach Program in less than a week, and if we don’t have a place for them to go then we have a problem.  God is going to do amazing things through our GROW program.  GROW stands for God Rewards Our Works.  With that being said even if everyone moves up 3 rows God is going to fill them, and we will still need more space.  I think right now it is a crucial time to go to two services, however at the same time without more Sunday School Classes we will never be able to have consistent growth.  We fail to realize that Sunday School is a vital part of our church, and it doesn’t have to be Sunday School but some form of small groups.  These groups make people accountable, and as a Sunday School teacher we should hold our students accountable for attendance.  I’m not saying go to everyone in church that should be in your Sunday School Class and hound them.  No, I’m saying those who are active in your class currently encourage them to be consistent in their attendance, and also encourage them to reach out to others.  Call your students when they are absent.  Once again not to hound them, but to make sure they are ok and to let them know you care about them and missed them.

Another aspect of Sunday School that we fail to realize is that Sunday School is one of the greatest outreach tools we as a church have.  If we get our students fired up about Sunday School they will invite others.  It is through Sunday School that we should challenge believers to share their faith.

This is a lot to consider.  I pray that you think about it, pray about it, and implement it.