Encouragement

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George Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Address, 1789

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

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Who is watching you?

Pretty good message from the heart of a child. It is so true that we as Christians are being watched. Our kids and our grandkids will be watching us to see if what we “say” we believe is really true in our lives.

I want to encourage each person to be a person of integrity.
When presented with the opportunity to present the gospel of Jesus Christ will you…
1. tell a story about yourself?
2. tell a bunch of jokes accompanied with a bunch of stories about yourself?
3. or will you tell people what they need to hear? The truth! The whole gospel message?

Our kids are watching us as parent, as leaders, and they are even watching the pastor’s. If pastor’s talk more about their own lives than they do about Jesus, then it really shows where their heart truly lies.

We should be preaching Christ and Him crucified!

It is the power of the gospel to change lives. We must not soften the gospel with stories about ourselves. I know some people will say that Jesus used parables. He did it so that His disciples would gain knowledge but that the truth would remain hidden to some. Herein lies the problem…
We are not commanded to go into all the world preaching parables about ourselves to all creatures in every land.

We are commanded to preach, read that again…
WE ARE COMMANDED TO PREACH the gospel to every creature.

Why not do it the way Jesus did? The way Paul did it? The way Peter did it? The way the other Disciples did it?

They all used the Law to convict the person of their sins. The Law was used to break the heart of the self righteous person and then they used God’s grace to humble the broken heart. It is a wonderful example of how to reach a lost soul.

Psalm 19:7
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

Romans 3:19-20
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 7:7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

Unless someone knows they have sinned against an Almighty, Holy God, then they will never come to a saving knowledge of exactly WHY Jesus died on the cross.

All the story telling in the world about your family will do nothing to further the Kingdom of God. It is time we get back to the Bible and preach it unashamedly. Christ and Him crucified!

People are watching us in how we live our lives. They will also see how important Jesus is to us by the way we “present” Him to the nations. When we die to self, we no longer preach about “us” but rather we preach Jesus and Him alone!

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Thank you: An open letter to faithful pastors.

standing-alone DefCon deals with defending the Christian faith from a virtual cornucopia of heresy, damnable lies, false teaching, cults, and the lukewarm status quo which is running rampant throughout most American churches. But I wanted to take a moment to not only recognize those pastors out there who have refused to compromise, but I wanted to also encourage them to continue to remain faithful.

So in the same spirit as Ingrid Schuleter’s Wanted: An Old Fashioned Church, I’ve decided to post my own open letter. I’d like to address mine to all the faithful pastors out there; these pastors know who they are.

Dear faithful pastors:

While every other church in your town has gone “purpose-driven,” you refuse to allow this poison to infect your congregation; blocking it at the door. Thank you.

When the goats and wolves among the flock urge you to change what you’re doing or they’ll leave, you refuse; remaining steadfast to the truth and preaching the whole counsel of God. Thank you.

When the wolves secreted among the sheep try everything they can to get you to capitulate and compromise in this or that matter, you stand firm to protect your flock and drive out the wolves from among them. Thank you.

When the goats among the sheep defend the wolves you’re resisting and demand you compromise to accommodate the wolves, you continue to stand firm. Thank you.

When every other pastor in your town has refused to teach sound Biblical doctrine in favor of tickling ears with myths, fables, and upbeat, positive self-help messages, you remain true to preaching the whole counsel of God, including the not-so-seeker-friendly parts. Thank you.

When the other pastors are too busy courting friendship with the world (i.e. being enemies of God) in order to be seen as “hip” and “relevant,” you have resisted and stood firm on the matter of holiness. Thank you.

When many of the other churches in your area are offering “sermons” on the Beatles, Elvis, sex, Hollywood movies, and every other lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and pride of life, you continue to faithfully, systematically, and fearfully teach the words of life from the holy Scriptures. Thank you.

When other pastors are spending their time immersed in the culture, setting wickedness before their eyes by spending countless hours rotting on the couch in front of their televisions and sitting in darkened theaters, you spend countless hours in prayer and studying the Word of God to not only show yourself an approved workman of God, but a faithful shepherd of your flock. Thank you.

When it seems that no one in your local assembly wants to sacrifice but they all want to reap rewards, you don’t let it discourage you; you keep on fighting the good fight. Thank you.

In spite of pressure to compromise Biblical truths for the sake of “unity” and “tolerance,” you stay the course, preaching the exclusivity of Christ and Him crucified. Thank you.

You endure those middle-of-the-night phone calls. You give so much of yourself in endless counseling sessions to those who refuse to simply open the Bible and follow its directions. You make great sacrifices in ways that no one will ever know and almost all of which go completely unnoticed. Thank you.

No matter how much the world pulls at you to compromise, you know that you will stand before God one day and give an account and that you have many people counting on you to persevere till the end. Thank you.

On behalf of those who sit under your preaching week after week, we stand up and applaud, thanking God for your faithfulness as shepherds of His Church, tirelessly counseling, teaching, preaching, and protecting the flock that He’s entrusted you with in the face of a world (and church) full of relentless opposition.

Thank you for your faithfulness to Jesus Christ, to His gospel, to His Church, and to His truth. You are few. You are a minority. Many times you feel as if you stand alone, but know that you are never alone and great will be your reward in Heaven.

Stay the course and never compromise!

Sincerely,

– The Pilgrim

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Please see: A Sobering Call to Pastors, Preachers, and Teachers



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My Recent Absence!

In a nutshell, the last month has seen the evil one completely decimate the already small congregation which I pastor.  Freemasonry reared its ugly, Luciferian head within our midst.  Some in our church preferred the ungodly, worldly alliances instead of the covenant they made with God’s people.  Instead of making things right with the Lord and forsaking the wicked connections they had probably unwittingly made years ago, they chose to start calling others within the congregation.

For the rest of this post, please go to The Desert Pastor.

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Poignant Commentary from James White

In my Bible study this morning, we discussed what we should be praying for Barack Obama. It turned into an hour long discussion, and it seemed we arrived at many of the same conclusions that James White has arrived at in this 18 minute video.

America is very materialistic. The people of this country need to decide whether they are going to trust God or mammon. It seems that many times God, in His grace, slowly removes all our options, until we are forced to choose His way. If He has to destroy everyone’s retirement account to bring one person to faith in Him, that is a small price to pay.

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Wanted: An Old Fashioned Church.

I wanted to share with you a fantastic open letter written by Ingrid Schuleter that I encourage you all to read. I can think of a few churches that should receive this letter.

Wanted: An Old Fashioned Church

To Whom it May Concern:

I’m looking for a good Christian church. I don’t want to sing songs off a wall, the same five notes, over and over and over and over again while I am lightheaded from standing so long. There’s a record of the hymns of God’s people that spans 2000 years. Why are we so arrogant as to think we don’t need those wonderful songs any longer? Have we gone through more suffering, more affliction, more pain for Jesus than those who wrote these enduring hymns? Does a semi-secular song writer in Nashville with a multi-million dollar music contract have more to say to us about God and the Christian life than the 17th-century hymn writer who lost four children and his wife during the 30 years War?

I don’t want to have my eardrums bashed in by the three kids in the “worship band” who can’t be bothered to bathe, shave, dress or comb their hair on Sunday morning. If it’s really all about the God that Scripture describes as ineffably holy, shouldn’t that be reflected in attitude and dress for those who serve in church music?

I don’t want a vampy “praise and worship” leader who is flaunting her wares at every male within view as she does her worship moves on “stage”. If we are to worship God in spirit and in truth, as Scripture tells us, than what’s all the flesh about? Can we no longer discern the difference?

I don’t want to see people in beach attire with their backsides peeping out of their shorts because they think that God isn’t worth their best efforts at dressing. “God doesn’t care about clothes, only man”, they say. But the real reason is that it’s just plain easier to cruise into church in jeans or whatever is still lying on the floor from the night before. Dressing up for worship of the Lord would cost them something, however little, and they don’t want to pay it.

I also don’t want to see all the variations on lovers’ back rubs where Chuck and Sue take turns massaging each other’s neck and shoulders during the sermon so everyone behind them is completely distracted. Behavior affects other people. Are Christians so self-absorbed that they never think about the people behind them trying to hear the message?

I don’t want to hear announcements during “worship” about the youth group pizza blast and laser tag event next Tuesday night, the need for grills for the upcoming church fun fest or jokes about how Bill burned the wieners last summer at the church picnic. Why can this not be put at the end after our “worship” is completed?

Continue reading here.

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Jeff Noblit on Church discipline coming to South Carolina.

Wendi from Declared Righteous by Christ Alone asked if I would be willing to publish an advertisement on an upcoming Church discipline conference by Pastor Jeff Noblit. Knowing Pastor Noblit’s uncompromising preaching, I am honored to get the word out.

Exactly one month from today, Pastor Jeff Noblit will be at Holly Ridge Baptist Church in Blacksburg, South Carolina speaking on Church discipline.

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Steven Curtis Chapman–“No Greater Love”

This week’s video comes from…me. This is a little video I made, set to SCC’s song about forgiveness and reconciliation. The man you hear chanting at the end of the song is one of the men who carried out the attack on Ed McCully, Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderias. His name is Mincaye.

Men of courage with your message of peace
What is that look in your eyes?
Why have you come to this faraway place?
What is this story you would lay down your life to tell?
What kind of love can this be?

There is no greater love than this
There is no greater gift that can ever be given
To be willing to die so another might live
There is no greater love than this

Broken hearted from all you have lost
How can you sing through your tears?
What is this music that can bear such a cost?
What is this fire that grows stronger against the wind?
What kind of flame can this be?

This is the love that God showed the world
When He gave us His Son
So we could know His love forever
Beyond the gates of splendor

There is no greater love than this
There is no greater gift that can ever be given
To be willing to die so another might live
There is no greater love, there is no greater love, there is no greater love than this

Here is a video of Mincaye with Steve Saint, son of Nate Saint (I didn’t make this one. haha.). As you watch this keep in mind that Mincaye killed Steve’s father. What’s the worst thing someone did to you (Not to mention Richard Abanes by name).