We are approaching the 3rd anniversary of our first service as a church family.  For those present that day, I am sure we all remember the lawn chairs and the space heaters, but most importantly, we remember the excitement that filled our hearts as God called us together to form Grace Baptist Church.  But have you taken the time out to ponder what our great God has done for us in the past 35 months?  God blessed us with 10.6 acres of land located on a U.S. highway, a thoroughfare that serves as the primary transportation vein through our community; land which was paid off in only nine months. Then, through the sacrificial giving of the Grace family, we have seen a building fund accumulate to over $335,000.00 in just 20 months. And during the entire time, our church has gradually established itself within our community.  Many things have been put into place—a church constitution and by-laws, age graded Sunday school classes, an annual budget, along with staff positions.  God graciously provided tools for us such as a church bus, church furniture, sound equipment, and a cutting edge website, just to name a few.  In our first year, we immediately got the ball rolling to provide youth and children’s ministries.  Our church embarked on our first mission trip in 2010. In that same year, our newly established building committee presented architectural plans for our future facilities. Last year, Grace saw the men’s and women’s ministries of the church flourish.  And when you think of all these things, and ponder the fact that none of these were in existence 36 months ago, it is overwhelming.  All the glory must be given to God!

No doubt, There have been growing pains through the process, yet through it all God has guided our church during these infancy years. I am not sure we all knew at the beginning how much was involved in starting a church, but I pray we all now understand that the commitment level must be strong.  Think of the impact Grace Baptist will have on our present generation and generations to come. Be encouraged, and allow God to show you all that He has done for our flock in such a short time.  May we all be appreciative for His blessings, patient in His timing, yet persistent in His mission!

“A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” – Acts 16:14

In 1992, the 6^th of October was on a Tuesday. It is a day that will forever be etched upon my heart.  On that warm breezy afternoon while sitting at a picnic table on my High School campus, I surrendered my heart and life to Jesus Christ.  A particular friend of mine sat at the table with me and had just explained the gospel message of Christ one more time. He had been very persistent in sharing the gospel with me throughout the year.  Our first conversation took place in the spring on a hiking trip at a nearby state park. And through it all, this friend patiently prayed that I would eventually trust Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.  His labor was not in vain; for on that day, God removed the blinders from my eyes and I saw clearly the Gospel of Christ. I saw the severity of my sinfulness and the glory of God’s holiness. In that moment, all the seeds planted in the soil of my heart leading up to that point immediately began to germinate. It was the greatest moment of my life. God softened my heart with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and He enabled me to receive His free gift of salvation. My conversion experience was not my doing, rather God’s doing.  For out of His grace and mercy, He opened my heart to the truth of the gospel, just as He did for Lydia, the first European convert.

My story prior to conversion is not as extravagant as some.  There are those who were down in the valley of despair, a valley which God used for His glory to draw them to the clefts of a personal relationship with Him. Others traveled down the rivers and roads of depression, paths mapped out by our sovereign Lord to bring them to salvation.  But for me, I was a young man raised in church with the head knowledge lacking the heart knowledge. My problem was that I had never made that eighteen inches journey from my head to my heart. Before conversion, I had been a fairly good moral person.  I had even accumulated a large quantity of head knowledge about the things of God because church had become one of the primary threads in my life tapestry. Yet even with my impressive life résumé, I still was not saved.

Finally on October 6, 1992, a light flickered within me, and I saw things clearly.  I understood that even my good moral standards were rubbish in comparison to God’s standard.  I realized that I could never be good enough, wise enough, or even charming enough to obtain salvation for myself.  It was a free gift from God, and it was a gift because it could not be earned or bought.  My eyes were opened to my sinfulness, and my heart was opened to the truths my friend shared with me that day.  I saw the gospel message in a whole new light, a way that I had never seen it before. My cognitive understanding of the gospel had grown into heartfelt sincerity. The truth of the matter is this; I could have never comprehended the truth of the gospel until the Holy Spirit of God turned the light on in my heart.

It is sobering to know that up to that point, all I had was a lot of head knowledge about spiritual matters, but that I did not genuinely have the saving heart knowledge of Christ. But on that day, everything changed. This is not to suggest that everything since that moment in my life has been a bed of roses. Roses have thorns.  There still have been bumps in the road of life. But since that moment there has been an evident change within my heart. I no longer trust in myself to get to heaven, but rather trust in Christ for salvation.  Isn’t the transition from the head to the heart overwhelming?

“Though your plowing and sowing will not give harvest without the sun, and rain, and the blessing of God, yet the sun and rain will not bring a crop unless you plow and plant” – Richard Baxter

Happy 6th Birthday Aubrey!

Here are my upcoming sermon topics for Sunday…

In our A.M. services, we are looking at the 7 letters written to the 7 churches Asia Minor.  This Week, We consider the church at Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11).  In our evening series “Fish Stories” we ponder the second miraculous catch of fish in the gospels, a post-resurrection appearance of our Lord recorded in John 21:1-17.  Come join us!

Tim Tebow’s Faith  and the Absurd Phrase  “Really Big Christian”

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” – Luke 9:26

Through the years, I have been perplexed by a particular phrase used by many Christians within evangelical circles.  It’s when one believer describes another believer as a “really big Christian.” To me this term is nonsense. What really is a “big” Christian?  Does it refer to a believer that has a weight problem; obviously not.  What it wrongly suggests is that there are different tiers within the Christian faith.  It suggests that when we surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, that we have the option of only being somewhat committed to Christ and choose to be a “small” or “medium” Christian. But the irony of that statement is found in the fact that if you desire to have a small or medium commitment to Christ, then you really haven’t surrendered and submitted to His Lordship in the first place.  The cliché “really big Christian” also suggests that if you are open about your faith, then you must be a “really big Christian.”  But expressing your faith does not make you a “big” Christian, it makes you an “obedient” Christian; for it is a command that every believer is called to obey. How has the evangelical community deteriorated to the point where we see our personal faith in God by way of fast food jargon?  The flaw in “really big Christian” is that it suggests that we can opt out of radical abandonment to Christ and yet still be part of the redeemed family of God.  It suggests that we can be partially committed to Christ rather than fully committed to Christ, and that in the end it will be okay. This is a very disturbing trend. The truth is that we are all called to be committed followers of Jesus Christ. Case closed. There are no minor league or major league Christians.

These things have come to my attention in recent days with the social media craze surrounding Denver Broncos Quarterback, Tim Tebow. No doubt, it is evident that his life purpose is not to play football, but to glorify God.  Yet because of his commitment to the Lord, he has been described by many evangelicals as a “really big Christian.”  Whenever someone uses this phrase, they might as well hang a billboard over their head that reads, “I am a medium sized Christian” or a sign that reads, “Not hot for God, only lukewarm.” The bottom line is this; shouldn’t we all be living out our faith as Tim Tebow does?  And why is it that Tim Tebow’s radical commitment to Christ seems foreign to so many believers? After all, shouldn’t believers be the ones most familiar with his lifestyle? I commend Tim Tebow for his openness about his personal faith in Christ. But when did being mediocre for God become the accepted norm so that when someone actually does live out their faith as Tebow does, they are described as “a big Christian?”  Oh how we have lowered the bar of expectation!

The Bible makes it clear that we are not to be ashamed of the gospel. We are to proudly bear the name of King Jesus.  We are called to unabashedly serve Him with no hesitation or reservation.  We do not cower down in the face of adversity or criticism.  We hold high His banner and do so with a fervent zeal and passion for our Savior. Yet if these things do not describe you, then how real is your faith to begin with?  As His disciples, are we are to be dedicated followers of Him. Being a Christian means being fully devoted to Christ.  It means that every avenue of your life has been completely penetrated by the Holy Spirit of God.  There is no such thing as a life partially penetrated by the Holy Spirit of God, just like there is no such thing as a carnal Christian.  Following Christ is not something that can be done casually or discretely.  Ponder these truths today, and Ask God to help you be fully devoted to Him.

The Worshipper and the Spectator

“And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.’” – Luke 7:37-39

What is worship? Webster’s defines worship as, “performing acts of adoration; to pay honor and reverence to.” Within the Christian faith, it has been suggested that worship is focusing on and responding to God; it is responding to all that God is, with all that we are.

In our passage above, Jesus had been invited into the home of a Pharisee by the name of Simon. But the intentions of Jesus’ host were far from pure. To begin with, Simon was anything but a good host. He did not show the hospitality customary of that day. Based upon Jewish tradition, a host would wash the feet of a guest. Simon did not do this for Jesus. Secondly, it appears that Simon invited Jesus into his home only to engage Him in a theological debate.

During the meal, a woman appears on the scene. Where does she come from, and why does she show up at this particular meal? Well, it was quite common within the first century at Jewish dinner gatherings for beggars to come in and collect the remaining leftovers. And as this particular woman came into the room, she was immediately recognized by those present and associated with her sinful life-style; for her life was a life marked by the sin of prostitution. The dinner guests were surprised by her presence. They were surprised all the more when she came to Jesus, got down on her knees and did the very thing Simon failed to do; she washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them off with her hair, kissed his feet, and anointed Him with a precious ointment.

Coming to Jesus must required great courage on her part, and her tears certainly expressed her sincerity. Yet her actions were scrutinized by Simon the Pharisee. Being an expert on the law, he knew that whoever this woman touched would be considered “ceremonial unclean.” So he thought to himself, “If Jesus were really a prophet, He would know what type of woman this really is.” In that moment, the sins of pride and self-righteousness filled his heart. Jesus and Simon saw this woman from total different perspectives. Simon saw her past, while Jesus saw her present. Simon saw a sinner, while Jesus saw her as a person.

The sinful woman and Simon the Pharisee represent the two types of people present within a worship service. There are worshippers and there are spectators. The sinful woman was a worshipper. Her focus was upon Jesus, and no one else. She wasn’t concerned with those around her; only her Master. Obviously these events transpired in a public setting, yet her act of worship was very private in nature. Her expression of love for Jesus wasn’t some public performance done for public attention. Rather, it was done for an audience of one; namely Jesus. But ironically, she did have an audience; for there was Simon the spectator. A spectator is not focused on the object of worship, but the worshippers. This most accurately describes Simon. He was less concerned with Jesus and more concerned with the actions of the woman, and he immediately detested her style of worship.

Which one are you? Are you a worshipper or a spectator?  Ask God to help you be a worshipper and not a spectator. Remember, you can’t worship God properly until you know Him personally!

Roll Tide!

God has blessed Sarah and I with eleven wonderful years of marriage. Happy anniversary sweetheart.

“I” and “Love” and “You”

Christ My Captain

“And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.”  – Mark 4:37-39

In 2011, the Lord kept drawing my heart towards spiritual thoughts in relation to the ocean.  For example, God brought to my ears an old hymn from the 1800’s titled, “Jesus, Savior Pilot Me” written by Edward Hopper and John Gould.  It says…

“Jesus, Savior, pilot me, over life’s tempestuous sea; unknown waves before me roll, hiding rock and treacherous shoal. Chart and compass come from thee; Jesus, Savior, pilot me. As a mother stills her child, thou canst hush the ocean wild; boisterous waves obey thy will, when thou sayest to them, “Be still!” Wondrous sovereign of the sea, Jesus, Savior, pilot me. When at last I near the shore, and the fearful breakers roar ‘twixt me and the peaceful rest, then, while leaning on thy breast, may I hear thee say to me, “Fear not, I will pilot thee.”

It was this classic hymn that filled my heart during an early morning quiet time with the Lord as I watched a November sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico. During the same time frame, I was introduced to a more contemporary musician named Josh Garrels.  His album titled “Love and War and the Sea In Between” is an entire work with an aquatic theme in relation to our pilgrimage to God.

Yet this aquatic theme for me in 2011 went beyond the realm of music. I also stumbled across a puritan prayer titled “Voyage.” A portion of it reads…

“O Lord of the oceans, My little bark sails on a restless sea, Grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely. Suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course;   Let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals; Bring me to harbor with flying pennants, hull unbreached, cargo unspoiled. I ask great things, expect great things, shall receive great things. I venture on thee wholly, fully, my wind, sunshine, anchor, defense. The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless, but my helm is held steady, thy Word secures safe passage, thy grace wafts me onward, my haven is guaranteed.”

It was a theme that impacted me greatly. And through it, the Lord has led me to pen the following prayer. I pray it speaks to you as you venture out into the uncharted waters of 2012.

“Christ Jesus, please be my Captain. Just as You calmed the sea, calm the raging storms within me.  Help me to submit to thee like the Sea of Galilee. I am just a vulnerable vessel battling the waves and winds of the world. Though the waves are high, help me stay the course as I approach impending storms. Satan the great sea monster will do his best to toss my ship and throw me overboard. Yet help me know that You are my anchor, and that the rope of Your love does not sway in the wind.  It is secured tightly on the deck of grace. Fasten the straps of my life jacket and anchor my soul on the rock of eternal security. Though the voyage is long, chart my course through Your oceans of mercy. I long for your blood stained hands take hold of the helm of my heart and navigate me through the rough, uncharted waters ahead. You are my pilot, and You who provide the map and compass. Dear Christ my captain, steady my boat and bring me safe passage to salvation’s shore.” – Michael Eric Martin – 01.02.2012