Vision 2015?

What is your church's vision for 2015?

What are you trying to intentionally teach this year?

5 Reasons Christ was Superior to John

• Jesus was of "heavenly" origin

• Jesus knew truth by first hand experience

• Jesus's testimony always agreed with God

• Jesus experienced the Holy Spirit in full

• Jesus was granted superior status by God

Taken from John MacArthur's, One Perfect Life, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2012), p. 93

Of Tongues and Mouths

“Is there anything more worthy of our tongues and mouths than to speak of the things of God and Heaven?"

― John Bunyan, 

The Pilgrim's Progress: 

From This World to That Which Is to Come

Five Truths for Today

• God is the one who regulates worship of Himself

• Religion in the hands of men always turns materialistic

• God's character requires holiness in worship

• God requires genuine conversion rather than religious enthusiasm

• God is the only one who truly knows the heart (character) of man

5 Principles From Turning Water into Wine

My devotion this morning was taken from John 2:1-12. This is a familiar story of an event in the early ministry of our Lord. 

He and His disciples had been invited to a wedding in the town of Cana. Since Mary, Jesus' brothers, and Jesus had been invited, this was probably the wedding of a family member or very close friend.

If you are not familiar with the story please take a moment and turn to John 2 and read verses one through twelve. Most who read this blog will remember that John chose to write this gospel to prove or authenticate Christ's claim of being the Messiah. Rather than write a biography of Christ, John chose 7 miracles or "signs" performed by Christ to authenticate His claim.

Let me say, at this point, that this is not the time nor place to "argue" the percentage of fermentation of the wine at the supper or the wine that Christ made. Certainly enough ink has been spilt over this issue. If you don't know my position, email me sometime, I will gladly share it.

My purpose today is to share with you at least five (5) principles that can be gleaned from this account by John. I think they are principles that are vital to our Christian walk. So, they are as follows:

• In time of need, turn to Christ, through God first! Running out of wine could have been a real problem. Mary went straight to Jesus. She wasted no time, did not rely on herself, no beat the bushes for solutions. She ran to Christ.

• Even in times of need or real problems, priorities must be maintained. Since wine and its bounty, among other things was a symbol of God's blessing and an element of the coming kingdom, Jesus kept the priority of the cross and exaltation in proper perspective and order. He reminded Mary that priorities and perspective must be maintained even in times of need or want.

• Great faith and consistent faith is necessary to walk with God and to please God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God and Christ did little or no "work" where there was no or little faith. Mary's faith was elevated to the type of faith that could say, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Have absolute confidence in Christ to meet you need in His timing and technique. 

• Always rely on God and seek God's wisdom as to never miss the point or reason in the workings of God. The host missed the point. He focused on the goodness of the wine and it being served last without making the connection that Jesus was the Messiah by the miracle itself.

• God's work can and will produce faith. His disciples were convinced and believed. God will draw His elect unto Himself through great and small events. 

God is Sovereign Over Everything!

God is sovereign over everything in my life. And He is in your life also. I don't say this as if it something I just learned or I am surprised by its reality. I am just amazed at how God can control the most insignificant events in my life in order to accomplish some purpose that He has for me.

This morning, even though my alarm with off on time, I didn't chose to get up until 30 minutes later than normal. Although I was up later and running behind on my "schedule" I still had to shower, dress, put the leash on Fi Fi and then get in a newly purchased power chair to take Fi Fi on her normal walk and morning constitution. 

These little things - getting up later, still doing the same morning routines but at a later time. Significant? Insignificant? Well today in God's sovereign timing He put me where He needed me at the exact moment He needed me.

I was "cruising" up W. Main headed to NW 8th in order to head off into our daily walk when I encountered an individual in a power chair. I asked him to stop and roll toward me and he wanted to "run away." As he turned I noticed the battery charger cord was dangling from the back of the chair. My chair did the same thing. Wait, that was my chair!

Friday night while waiting on Gold Rush to come on I fell asleep in my recliner. I woke up about 10:00 PM and knew I better take the dog out quickly or, "forget about it." I opened the door to get into my power chair and it was gone. Yeppers, stolen. Stolen from under the covered walkway in front of my door. I was sick. 

I called the Kelso Police Department who sent an officer to take a report. I never expected to see that chair again. The Lord gives and the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord!

Since God "sovereignly" arranged for me to wake up later than normal, complete my morning routine later than normal and set out on our walk later than normal, I was able to confront this guy. 

Apparently he bought if off a couple of teen-age boys for 20.00. We have chased those boys out of the complex before. I offered his 20.00 back and that I would not call the cops if we returned the chair to my door without incident. He did and I did.

God is good. Oh no, don't get me wrong. God is not good simply because He let me recover my power chair. God was good when He allowed Irene to find it at a rummage sale and God was good when He permitted it to be stolen. God is good always and always does God. God is good because of a million reasons, but one reason He is good, is He is good because He is sovereign over the times, the seasons, and the events in my life. And because He provides even before I can ask.

Quite frankly, I hadn't even asked God for it to be recovered yet. I praised God for His goodness even in my loss. I hadn't even gotten around to asking yet and now it is sitting here 20 feet away having its batteries recharged. So, praise God!

Two more things if I may:

Yes, it was a dumb call that ended in an interception, but thanks Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks for a great season! I ashamed you lost control of yourselves and entered into a brawl. 

Happy 56th Birthday to my only brother, Craig Lee Metcalf of Houston, Texas! 

The Man and His Message Part 3

SERMON:             GM15-045

SERIES:              Renewal Through Romans: The Gospel Defined, Explained &           Applied

SETTING:          North Kelso Baptist Church

SERVICE:          Sunday AM (February 1, 2015)

SUBTITLE:        The Man and His Message Part 3

SCRIPTURE:     Romans1:1b-4

SUBJECT:          The Man and His Message

SUMMARY:       The book of Romans was written by a man named Paul

SCHEME:           that the Christian grasps the ingredients that went into the making of this great man of God

_____________________________________________________________

Our theme is: the man and his message

This is a good reminder for us all that we need to understand all the ingredients that God used to make this man such a valuable player in the eternal plans of God.

 Proposition:  The book of Romans was written by a man named Paul    

Interrogatory Sentence:  What were the ingredients that God used to make Paul into the man who played such an important role in the life of Christianity and the Church?

Transitional Sentence: This introduction and overview of the man and his message identifies four ingredients that help us see what God used to make Paul, Paul.

1.     The Childhood

2.     The Conversion

3.     The Credentials

4.     The Commission