Pastor's Blog

The Joy of the Lord is your strength

Tue, 11 May 2010 13:55:05 -0400

Josef Tson is the former president of the Romanian Missionary Society and of the Emmanuel Bible Institute in Oradea, Romania. Throughout his life in Romania, he faced the possibilities of imprisonment and martyrdom. On one such occasion, when Communists came to search his house, almost all of his books were taken. He had to sign each book as proof that they came from his house. As he was signing his books, he came across one entitled, "Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory" with the subtitle, "Is This Your Experience NOW?" He asked himself that very question, and felt that God filled him with great joy. While the soldiers were stealing his books, he asked his wife to serve them coffee. His text for the upcoming Sunday was Nehemiah 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." What a great testimony of commitment to Christ no matter what the circumstances! On Sunday, we'll start a series on the book of Philippians, which is largely about joy in Christ. And so we pray that we'll continue to grow in the joy of the Lord! Be sure to invite friends to come...It's going to be a great study!

A Prayer

Mon, 10 May 2010 16:08:00 -0400

I've been reading through Nehemiah recently, and today I came across a phrase that I've been praying for us as a church: "that we would be filled with faithful and God-fearing people" -Nehemiah 7:2. Part of what struck me about the phrase was the lack of those two attributes within much of American Christianity. Unfortunately, the opposite might be a more accurate picture of us. Rather than faithful, we're flighty. If something doesn't suit us, we'll abandon it for something better and smoother. The term "God-fearing" sounds archaic to modern ears that have been tickled and tuned to hear only of His unending love, but not of His holiness. We're more likely to fear the disapproval of fellow man than to properly fear God. So my prayer for today is simple & relevant: "May we be faithful and fear You, O God" -Nehemiah 7:2.

Welcome to the new blog

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:59:46 -0400

I've decided to start a new blog for the church. I'm praying that this will be a place of equipping and encouragement to you. I'll start with a prayer for the people at Bahama Baptist Church. It's a famous benediction found in Numbers 6:24-27: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace." I've made this my prayer for our people this past week. 1. That God would bless you. This means as He counts blessing, not as we count blessing. We tend to think of blessings as calculable...especially monertarily. His blessings may come this way, but more often, His blessings come in other ways. May God truly bless you according to His wisdom. 2. That God would keep you. May God protect you as His children. I was reading to Owen last night from C.S. Lewis's book, "The Silver Chair." One of the scenes in the book prompted Owen to start asking questions about death. I told him what Jesus said, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). May the God who blesses, also keep us according to His power. 3. That God would make His face to shine upon you. May God show His goodness to you. As the sun shines on us, may God's face shine upon us. 4. That God would be gracious to you. I can't think of many words more precious to me than "grace." May God's unearned, unmerited favor be showered upon you like the buckets of rain we had last night. 5. That God would lift up His countenance upon you. This means, "to take note of." When I was in Kenya last October, I heard a group of students sing a song with these words, "I have a Father, He calls me His own. He'll never leave me, No matter where I go. He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls, and He hears me when I call." May the God who holds all things together (from gigantic stars to the tiniest of cells) lift His countenance upon you. 6. That God would give you peace. I haven't been a pastor very long. There are tons of things I don't know. I do know there aren't many who would use the term "peace" to describe their lives right now. I pray that God would bring peace to you. The word, "Shalom" means a "total well-being." May the King of Kings who shakes earthly kingdoms, give you peace. I pray these things for His glory and for our good. Privileged to be your pastor, wes