Thank You for 2014

Well, it is hard to believe that another year has come and gone. Tonight at midnight, 2014 will be officially "in the books." 

I wanted to take the time and thank all of you who have read, followed, and commented on this blog. Thank you very much. Each one of you means much to me and I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate each of you. The primary audience of this blog is an audience of ONE, and unto Him belong Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen (Revelation 7:12, ESV) My secondary audience is you. I do this for you!

I know that this is a "different" kind of blog. As much as I try to be upbeat and encouraging, the topics can, well, be very heavy at times. My goal is to get you to think, to think biblically, and to be a means by which the glorious nature and character of our Lord Jesus, the Christ is reflected to a lost and dying world.

I began blogging in February 2009. I was able by God's grace to blog most days in 2014. My goal and hope is to blog each day something beneficial and valuable to you in 2015, or the little bit of 2015 before retire this blog in February.

We have had some fun this year in bloggyland haven't we? Here is a little something I have written just for you!

Very often as the days progress

I find that I for one must confess;

that I fail to appreciate all of you.

Words can never say nor explain

even with a very clever refrain

but it's all I have, it will have to do!

I looked for you each day you see,

wondering what words you left for me;

hoping the post you read would bless.

I hoped to offer some encouragement

as I hit the publish button that sent

thoughts of joy, peace, and rest.

As this year comes to it's end,

I take this time for you my friend;

to give you thanks from my heart.

Please join me in the year to come

for more words of joy and fun;

Let's stick together never to part!

Have a Happy New Year!

Thank You From the Bottom of My Heart!

10 Reasons Why I Believe the Bible Is Inspired by God

1.  The character of the Scriptures - they resonate with the presence of God through His Holy Spirit. Man could not and would not have conjured up such things as the infinite holiness of God, the absolute depravity of man, or the existence of evil. The character of scripture cries out for divine inspiration.

2.  Jesus believed the Scriptures to be inspired. He quoted from and treated the Old Testament as sacred and not as a work of man.

3.  The 12 Apostles believed the scriptures to be inspired and from God.

4.  The early church and disciples of Jesus believed the Scriptures to be from God. They believed that the Old Testament was from God and accepted the New Testament books of the bible as they were written and distributed.

5.  Martyrs believed the bible to be from God. So many gave their lives for the testimony of Christ. They bled and died believing the word to be inspired.

6.  The longevity of the Bible. No book or collection of books have affected so many for so long. Great books, classic books, and masterpieces have come and gone but the bible remains and continues to work in the lives of men.

7.  The vicious attack on  the bible. No book has been hated so much and no book has had so persecution hurled against it. The bible has been hated more than it has been loved.

8.  The millions of lives that have been changed by the bible. No book, no writing, no composition has changed vile and heinous sinners into holy men and women of God.

9.  The internal witness of the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I am a child of God by the work of God as He applies the work of Christ to my heart through faith, the Holy Spirit bears witness that the words of Scripture are the very words of God.

10.  The impact that the word has had on my life. I am a changed man. My affections are on things above and not on things below in this earth. My hope is in Christ and that I will be delivered from the body of this death and will live forever with Jesus the Christ.

An Old Message For A New Year

SERMON               GMT14-025

SERIES:              Topical Messages:  New Year’s Message

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM (Dec 28, 2014)

SUBTITLE:        An Old Message for a New Year

SCRIPTURE:     Colossians 3:1-4

SUBJECT:          An old message for a new year – what is that old message?

SUMMARY:       The resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new                                         perspective of heart and mind

SCHEME:           that believers change the focus of their perspective for earthly to heavenly

_____________________________________________________________

Our theme is: An old message for a new year

This is a good reminder for us all that as 2015 approaches in just 3 days that you examine the focus of your perspective making whatever changes are, in order not to lose sight of the freshness of the New Year.

 Proposition:  The resurrection of the believer demands the pursuit of a new perspective of heart and mind         

Interrogatory Sentence:  What does Paul want us to know about this new perspective that believers now have as a result of their resurrection?

Transitional Sentence: The passage before us identifies four (4) aspects of this new perspective. As we develop our theme we will clearly understand…

1.     Its foundation   

2.     It’s function

3.     It’s format
4.  It’s finish

Why didn't I think of that?

Happy Holidays!

 

To My Christian Friends - Happy Holidays

To My Jewish Friends - Happy Hanukkah

To My Atheist Friends - Good Luck!

Christmas Eve Warning 2014

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Twas the Night before Christmas

Written by Gregg Metcalf

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through heaven

Not an angel was singing, not even the one named Evan

The cherubim were all packed and were waiting to send

A multitude of heavenly hosts to a town called Bethlehem

Mary and Joseph were all snug in the manager

On this dark night nothing could ever be stranger

For the Holy Spirit of God came there to hover

As a young Jewish maiden was to become a mother

The time had now come for Mary to deliver

The child formed by the great heavenly giver

It seemed the quiet of this once silent night

Would only be broken by sounds of delight

When out in the fields there arose a heavenly host

Praising God with great words which did boast

Of his glory to the highest in all of the creation

Peace on earth and good will to every nation

The glory of the Lord shone bright around them

As the angels brought glad tidings to Bethlehem

Do not be afraid was the message they heard

All these things had been written in God’s word

The moon on the stalks of wheat in the field

Dancing along as the moonlight gave yield

When, what by the listening ear was heard

But words of comfort which were not slurred

A figure in shadows appeared so lively and quick

 The young mother sensing this might be a trick

With a message to the land this shadow came

Bringing words of joy to all the tribes by name

  

Benjamin, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Dan

Naphtali, Asher, Issachar, Judah, to the man

To Zebulon, Simeon, Reuben, Gad he spoke

The time has come to now throw off the yoke

This babe laying here in swaddling clothes

Is the sign which God himself has chose

He has come to save his people from sin

And to bring good news to all of them

When the angels returned to heaven on high

The shepherds made haste and did fly

To the town where this thing came to be

Which the Lord had allowed them to see

The shepherds found the babe in a crib

With no room at the inn they had to adlib

A pleasure it was to visit this tiny family

The shepherds worshiped in great jubilee

The babe was wrapped in swaddling tight

To keep away the chill of this night

A pillow of hay gave rest to his head

Unbecoming for a King was this bed

The baby’s eyes did twinkle and shine

He neither gave whimper nor whine

His cheeks were like roses in bloom

Since safely delivered from the womb

As the shepherds saw him they made known

Of all they knew of this blessing on loan

All who were privy they too were amazed

And with one voice their God was praised

As the shepherds prepared to depart

Mary pondered what was in her heart

They were singing filled with great joy

Having been led to see this baby boy

All these things were brought forth by God

Since he had chosen to bless this vile sod

He says to each of us with great delight

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night

Revision to Retirement Date

I had previously announced the retirement of my blog effective December 31, 2014. I am having a hard time letting go of it. However, I began this blog on February 19, 2009. So I have decided to continue until that date and make it an exact 6 years of posting and blogging.

I won't promise daily blogs until then, but I shall try to make it interesting and hopefully it will remain a blessing unto the end.

For those of you who have been faithful followers, please add the North Kelso Baptist Church Blog in your blog roll - www.northkelsobc.blogspot.com. I would dearly appreciate it and your prayers for NKBC.

Immanuel

Immanuel

by Charles H. Spurgeon

When once I mourned a load of sin,

When conscience felt a wound within,

When all my works were thrown away,

When on my knees I knelt to pray,

Then, blissful hour, remembered well,

I learned Thy love, Immanuel!

When storms of sorrow toss my soul,

When waves of care around me roll,

When comforts sink, when joys shall flee,

When hopeless griefs shall gape for me,

One word the tempest’s rage shall quell,

That word, Thy name, Immanuel!

When for the truth I suffer shame,

When foes pour scandal on my name,

When cruel taunts and jeers abound,

When “Bulls of Bashan” gird me round,

Secure within Thy tower I’ll dwell,

That tower, Thy grace, Immanuel!

When hell, enraged, lifts up her roar,

When Satan stops my path before,

When fiends rejoice and wait my end,

When legion’d hosts their arrows send,

Fear not, my soul, but hurl at hell

Thy battle-cry, Immanuel!

When down the hill of life I go,

When o’er my feet death’s waters flow,

When in the deep’ning flood I sink,

When friends stand weeping on the brink,

I’ll mingle with my last farewell,

Thy lovely name, Immanuel!

When tears are banished from mine eye,

When fairer worlds than these are nigh,

When Heaven shall fill my ravish’d sight,

When I shall bathe in sweet delight,

One joy all joys shall far excel,

To see Thy face, Immanuel!

False Religion Will be Judged and Destroyed!

As I read of the ultimate judgment and destruction of all false religion in Revelation 17, I am deeply moved and appreciative of the fact that not only did God save me through Jesus Christ, but He kept me from being deceived and sucked into a false religion that would have dammed my soul for eternity. Praise God for His good pleasure in electing me by His free and unfettered grace unto salvation through Jesus Christ His Son.

The Real Meaning of Christmas (Part 2)

SERMON        GMT14-023

SERIES:          Topical Messages:  Christmas

SETTING:        North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:        Sunday AM (Dec 14, 2014)

SUBTITLE:    The Real Meaning of Christmas (Part 2)

SCRIPTURE:      Philippians 2:7c-8

SUBJECT:        God became a man

SUMMARY:    God became man in order to redeem his people from their sin.

SCHEME:    that believers appreciate the incarnation of Jesus Christ

_____________________________________________________________

Our theme is: God became a man

This is a good reminder for us all that as the Christmas season approaches with all of its frenzied excitement, we do not lose sight of the true or the real meaning of Christmas.

 Proposition:  God became man in order to redeem his people from their sin.

Interrogatory Sentence:  What does God want us to know about the incarnation of Jesus Christ?

Transitional Sentence: The passage before us identifies three (3) aspects of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. As we develop our theme we will clearly see the real meaning of Christmas.

The Real Meaning of Christmas is seen in:

1. The Person of the Incarnation         3.  The Prize of the Incarnation
2. The Purpose of the Incarnation   

The Waters Turned to Blood

I had to drive in to Vancouver today and as I drove south on I-5, we drove along the Columbia River. We also crossed the Cowlitz River, the Kalama River, and within sight of the Cowee River. I then thought of the Puget Sound which runs from near Bellingham to Olympia. These are extremely beautiful bodies of water and I truly appreciate God's handiwork in their creation. What made me think of them? I was in Revelation 16 today for my devotion and I read where God commanded an angel to tip his bowl and empty God's wrath on the sea and the rivers and springs. When the angel did so the bodies of water were turned to coagulated blood. I cannot imagine the great Columbia River or the Puget Sound or the Cowlitz as coagulated blood with every living water creature dead. How much does God hate sin and will judge sin? The waters will be turned to blood.

Say, I Believe In Christ

Say, I Believe In Christ

by Gregg Metcalf

December 10, 2014

This version was written in response to the song being circulated on Face Book and You Tube called Say I Believe In Christmas.

I believe in Christ…I believe He’s true

I believe in the Savior…sent for the chosen few

If you…believe in Jesus…join me in this song

Keep living for him…be obedient all year long

If…you don’t see Merry Christmas in a window

No! You don’t go past that store (don’t go by)

If you don’t see Merry Christmas in the window

Yes! You walk right in their front door

Oh…it’s all about the gospel…the meaning of His birth

It’s the one and only reason we worship in every season

Sharing the good news of Jesus to everyone on earth

If you don’t hear Merry Christmas…don’t let it get to you

When you walking through their store

Find the nearest employee and forget about you

Share with them what they haven’t heard before

Words are chosen every year to hide the truth

Of the reason for this time of year

They may not like our song and profit is not wrong

Let them make some dough that is all they know

Unless you stand out from the crowd and share the gospel loud

Christmas is just man-made but what a great holiday you know

What would they be missing? Now let’s see

If you don’t share the truth of the Nativity…

No forgiveness of sins or joy of salvation

No freedom from sin or condemnation

No joy deep down in their soul

No knowledge of being made whole

No promise of grace for livin

No celebrating all God has givin

No help to fight the battle of sin
No one to who calls them his friend

No promise of reward and blessing

No confidence just a life of guessing

And one more thing there wouldn’t be

No-ooo recognition of Calvary------

If…you…don’t see Merry Christmas in the window

Yes! Run right straight into that store

If you don’t see Merry Christmas in the window

Yes! You walk in by their front door

If you don’t believe the reasons to share the gospel…you’re not ok with me

Please don’t blame a blind mind for walking into a wall clumsily

After all we celebrate Christ and His resurrected life all year ‘round

Christian come out from the shallow end and stand your ground

Christmas is just a man-made holiday!

Happy 81st Birthday Mom!

Happy 81st Birthday to my mom, 

Evelyn L. Metcalf of Modesto, CA

I love you Mom!

From the pages of "You Got To Be Kidding Me?"

You have got to be kidding, right?

“If you don’t see merry Christmas in the window you don’t go in that store?” “If you don’t see merry Christmas, yes you walk right by that door?”

Have we lost our minds? I guess there is no use being ignorant if you can’t show it every now and then. People, let’s get a grip.

First of all, Christ wasn’t born in December or on December 25th.

Second of all, the emphasis of the incarnation is not on the fact that a baby was born in a manager named Jesus. The emphasis on the incarnation is that the Christ agreed to empty Himself of His glory and to be born as a man in order to redeem His people from their sins.

Third, if saying or hearing ‘Merry Christmas’ is needed as some emotional or psychological lift, get a grip and get into Scripture. Depend on the promises of God rather than some more often than not faked annual greeting.

Fourth, do you really want to die on that hill? Come on, is that the battle you want to be known for? Can’t we pick a better battle to engage? Do we really want to hurt local merchants, many who have families, who have never done a thing to you, and who may be on the verge of bankruptcy due to the economy?

Fifth, do we really want to show ourselves as that ignorant? How do you plan on sharing the gospel, the real meaning of the incarnation with the store owners that you refuse to go into and do business?

All this is, is symbolism over substance, feel-goodism, and shallow Christianity.

It is Vital That You Pray!

"Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap,f or the harvest of the earth is ripe." (Revelation 14:b, NKJV)

 

The time is drawing near when Christ will participate in the judgment of all sin and unrighteousness on this earth. We don't know the moment of this event but it certainly is closer today than when John recorded this for the seven churches in Asia. 

Two thoughts emerge from this impending judgment; first, this gives great encouragement to all believers of any age that God through Jesus Christ will judge and punish all unrighteousness; and second, we must work while it is day because the night is coming when no man can work - we are to preach the gospel to every creature. 

Jesus told the seventy disciples as He commissioned them to go into the harvest to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers into His harvest.

 Let me ask you; are you praying regularly that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers into His harvest?

The Real Meaning of Christmas (Part 1)

SERMON               GMT14-022

SERIES:              Topical Messages:  Christmas

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM (Dec 7, 2014)

SUBTITLE:        The Real Meaning of Christmas (Part 1)

SCRIPTURE:     Philippians 2:5-7b

SUBJECT:          God became a man

SUMMARY:       God became man in order to redeem the human race                                  from sin.

SCHEME:           that believers appreciate the incarnation of Jesus Christ

_____________________________________________________________

Now Look at What Chick-fil-A Has Gone and Done!

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014

The Christian-owned Chick-fil-A is well-known to the liberal mainstream media.

They portray it as a company that forces its religious and cultural views on others.

But the media was strangely silent last winter when a rare snowstorm in the South left countless motorists stranded on the slick road for hours in subfreezing temperatures andChick-fil-A once again made its religious leanings known.

A local Birmingham, Ala., restaurant provided not only food to some who were stranded along Highway 280 but also shelter.

Employees stranded at the store, led by manager Audrey Pitt, prepared hundreds of sandwiches and trudged through the storm to distribute them to motorists, some of whom had been stuck in their cars for up to seven hours without food or water.

Aubrey said that the move showed exactly what was at the heart of Chick-fil-A — the Christian principles of its owners.

“This company is based on taking care of people and loving people before you’re worried about money or profit,” she said. “We were just trying to follow the model that we’ve all worked under for so long and the model that we’ve come to love. There was really nothing else we could have done but try to help people any way we could.”

In addition, the store opened up its dining area to anyone who could get there and wanted a warm — if not exactly comfortable — place to sleep.

And in the morning, more food, this time chicken biscuits.

The charge for this room and board?

Nothing. They wouldn’t accept a penny.

Thanks to the always-attentive folks over at Mad World News we know about this story and the fact that “The only thing that Chick-Fil-A has closed is its cash register.”

We could offer several explanations for why the mainstream media never picked up this story.

They only cover stories where they can claim that Christianity is hateful or divisive, for example, or they didn’t want to place Chick-fil-A in a positive light.

But with winter once again preparing to descend, the important thing to remember is this:

If you’re driving in snow, try to keep as close to a Chick-fil-A store as you can. You never know when you might need them.

(Copied from the Conservative Tribune)

With Great Anticipation We Wait!

We await the day with great anticipation when we can join in with the 24 elders and say, "We give You thanks, O Lord God almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned." (Revelation 11:17)

Spurgeon and Christmas Part 3

I came across this in an internet search. It is supposedly a quote from Spurgeon regarding Christmas. I have not been able to document this at this point. It does sound like something Spurgeon would have said.

Regardless of whether it was spoken or written by Spurgeon, it does express my heart, therefore I include it as part of this little series.

"Now a happy Christmas to you all; and it will be a happy Christmas if you have God with you. I shall say nothing to day against festivities on this great birthday of Christ. We will to-morrow think of Christ's birthday; we shall be obliged to do it, I am sure, however sturdily we may hold to our rough Puritanism. And so, 'let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavend bread of sincerity and truth.' Do not feast as if you wished to keep the festival of Bacchus; do not live to-morrow as if you adored some heathen divinity. Feast, Christians, feast; you have a right to feast. Go to the house of feasting to-morrow, celebrate your Saviour's birth; do not be ashamed to be glad; you have a right to be happy. Solomon says, 'Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.'

"Religion never was designed to make your pleasures less."

Recollect that your Master ate butter and honey. Go your way, rejoice tomorrow, but in your feasting, think of the Man in Bethlehem; let him have a place in your hearts, give him the glory, think of the virgin who conceived him, but think most of all of the Man born, the Child given. I finish by again saying, ---

"A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL"