Saturday, December 6, 2014

What Difference Does Christmas Make?

Why celebrate on a cold day in December?
What makes the twenty-fifth a day to remember?
Is it about watching your kids opening their gifts?
Then, what do we do about the kids that are missed?

Why do we decorate our houses and send cards?
And some even set up displays in their front yards?
We do lots of things to make our children smile.
Is that what makes the Christmas season worthwhile?

No, Christmas is a time when we celebrate a birth.
That is what gives this winter day its real worth.
We do not know the exact day that Jesus came.
But we know that he did not seek worldly fame.

To many it sounds like the greatest of insanities.
That the Creator of the world took on humanity.
People all over the world sing songs of great joy,
Because the all-powerful One came as a baby boy.

Jesus left his heavenly throne for a manger.
Yet his own people received him as a stranger.
An angel choir sang to announce his arrival,
But a wicked king saw him only as a rival.

It was with joy they heard that host of angels sing,
Humble shepherds ran to see the coming King.
His birth prompted magi to journey from afar,
They came to worship Him when they saw his star.

When the King of kings was born in Bethlehem town,
You would think His coming would receive some renown,
But almost everyone failed to notice this great event.
It took faith to see that this Babe was heaven sent.

It is because Jesus came to bring salvation,
That we now have this wonderful celebration.
But we know that it would be a terrible loss,
If we focused on the manger and forgot the Cross.





Monday, October 27, 2014

THANKSGIVING POEM 2014

Heavenly Father, we are gathered on this day,
To give thanks for the debt that we can never repay.
We remember the gift of your one and only Son,
And the work of salvation that Jesus has done.

In a world full of turmoil and war you have given us peace.
In a world full of hunger you have given us a feast.
The blessings you have bestowed are more than words can express.
We know that without you we would be in deep distress.

May we show our thanks by sharing what you have given us,
With all those that are suffering with pain we won’t discuss.
We can’t pay you back for you are rich beyond all measure.
But you have called us to share with others your treasure.

For how can we say that we have a heart of thanksgiving,
If we do not respond with a spirit of giving?
On this day and always may we honor your blessings,
By sharing your blessings and with hearts full of singing.





Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Here is a prayer poem based on the acronym ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) which I have written and adapted for use in public prayers.

ADORATION

Creator God, we are here to praise Your glorious name,
For You call all the billions and billions of stars by name.
Redeemer God, we can only bow humbly at your feet,
For You alone all the powers of hell did defeat.

Heavenly Father, we kneel in worship and adoration.
Your power is vastly beyond our imagination.
Your wisdom and knowledge is so infinite and vast.
You see everything that is present, future and past.

You alone are worthy of all our worship and praise.
May we love and honour You all of the rest of our days.
Jesus, we cannot thank You enough for Your sacrifice.
For our sins, it was the only payment that would suffice.

We come as sinful creatures before the Holy One.
Yet we come in the precious name of the beloved Son.
We come boldly before the heavenly throne of grace.
We come as needy children seeking the Father’s face.




CONFESSION

Heavenly Father, we are so weak and twisted and frail.
If our inmost thoughts were exposed we’d be worthy of jail.
You have forgiven us so many times we’ve lost count.
If our sins were piled up it would be an impressive mount.
How many times can we come before your mercy throne?
How many of our sins will the blood of Jesus atone?
We have hurt so many, many people over the years.
We can’t count how many people we’ve driven to tears.
And now once more we come before your throne of grace.
And bow before you to confess our own disgrace.
Please ease the pain that we have inflicted on others.
Please grant them a measure of your grace to discover.
Yet we know that it is against you that we have sinned.
So it is your mercy and grace that we hope to win.


THANKSGIVING

Father, we know that our life comes from you.
Your love and grace sustains us all our days through.
Help us to remember that we are but dust.
Sunshine  and rain are also your gifts to us.

You’ve given us this wondrous world to enjoy.
You’ve granted us a measure of peace and joy.
We also want to thank you for our health.
Compared to many we also have great wealth.

Thank-you Jesus for dying at Calvary.
The salvation which for us is totally free,
You purchased at the cost of your precious blood.
Now all of our sins are covered by your blood.


How can we mere mortals thank you enough?
To count all that we owe you is really quite tough.
We can only honour you with our thanks and praise,
And pledge to serve you all the rest of our days.

SUPPLICATION

Heavenly Father, we have so many needs.
We need forgiveness for our many misdeeds.
We need your comfort for our times of great pain.
So we come before your throne of grace again.

Father, we come humbly before you at this hour.
We have loved ones who need your healing power.
We ask you to hold them in the palm of your hand.
And comfort them until they reach the Promised Land.

We pray that you would continually feed us.
We also pray for those all those who lead us.
May they daily seek your guidance and wisdom.
May they know where their power truly comes from.






Monday, July 21, 2014

SUPPLICATION

Heavenly Father, we have so many needs.
We need forgiveness for our many misdeeds.
We need your comfort for our times of great pain.
So we come before your throne of grace again.

Father, we come humbly before you at this hour.
We have loved ones who need your healing power.
We ask you to hold them in the palm of your hand.
And comfort them until they reach the Promised Land.

We pray that you would continually feed us.
We also pray for those all those who lead us.
May they daily seek your guidance and wisdom.
May they know where their power truly comes from.





Friday, July 18, 2014

8. Soul Liberty

                Separation of church and state and soul liberty are often linked together. They are both issues for which Baptists have marked Baptists from the beginning. They are also issues for which Baptist have been willing to die. Thomas Helwys, one of the founders of the Baptist church in England was imprisoned by King James I (the one who commissioned the King James Bible) for daring to argue for separation of church and state and religious liberty. He died in prison. Many religious groups that fled religious persecution set up their own religious persecution in the new world. Roger Williams was different. He not only started the first Baptist church in America he also established the colony of Providence Plantation which provided a sanctuary for victims of religious persecution.
                Soul liberty means that each individual has the right to choose for himself or herself what to believe and practice. Individuals are accountable to God alone. They should not be compelled to join a state church, but should be free to join which ever religion and whatever church they choose for themselves. This also means that church officials have no right to dictate what their followers should believe and practice. Unfortunately, many church officials today do exercise considerable control over their followers.
                Jesus came to earth to set us free from slavery to sin. We should not replace this with slavery to church officials, but should exercise the freedom that he has won for us. 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (E.S.V.) Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Question:            How should churches exercise church discipline in light of this principle?



Friday, July 11, 2014

7. Separation of Church and State

Throughout history church and state have been intertwined. In ancient times the ruling monarch not only governed state affairs, but religious ones as well. In ancient Israel, if the king was faithful to God, then the nation prospered. If he was not, then calamity came upon the people. These ties between church and state continued for hundreds of years. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Martin Luther probably would not have succeeded if he had not received some support from the nobility. John Calvin established a state church. This union between state and church still exists in many places today.  Queen Elizabeth II is not only the nominal head of Great Britain, but also the nominal head of the Church of England. Many countries are still ruled by religious leaders. Baptists consider such ties to be unhealthy. Abuses have been frequent.
The church and civil government each have their separate roles given to them by God. Romans 13:1 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (E.S.V.) Verses two to six explain what the role of civil government should be and verse seven says, “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” When Jesus was questioned about whether people should pay taxes to Caesar, he replied in Matthew 22:21, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Baptists believe that both the church and the state have legitimate roles to perform and that these roles should not overlap. The state should not interfere with the church’s role and the church should not interfere with the state’s role.
That does not mean that Baptists cannot be involved in politics. John Diefenbaker, Tommy Douglas and Ernest Manning were prominent Canadian Baptists who were also involved in politics. However, it must be noted that that these three politicians were members of three different political parties with vastly different political views.
A practical illustration of what separation of church and state means is that church leaders should not tell their followers how to vote and state leaders should not tell church leaders that they must perform same sex marriages. Unfortunately, church leaders often do tell their followers how to vote. They do not want the state to interfere with their affairs, but they feel quite free to interfere with state affairs.

Question:            How should Christians respond to moral issues like same sex marriage and abortion, prostitution which are governed by the state?


Friday, July 4, 2014

6. Congregational Government

Baptists practice congregational government because they believe that all believers are equal in Christ. There is no separate ruling class. There is to be no hierarchy in Baptist churches. Jesus Christ is the only head of the church. Colossians 1:18 says, “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (E.S.V.) Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Baptists also believe in the autonomy of the local church. No denominational officials dictate what local churches do. However, Baptist churches do associate with other Baptists churches to be better able to perform such tasks as world mission.
The New Testament does not lay down rules as to how churches are to be governed. There are offices mentioned such as pastors, elders, deacons and evangelists and there are qualifications given for those who hold these offices, but there is no specific church explicitly stated.
Unfortunately, many Baptist churches only maintain the illusion of congregational government. Nominating committees choose who will fulfill the offices in the church and the congregational merely votes to ratify these choices. Then these officers then choose the nominating committee for the next year and so the cycle goes. Many people in the church are not involved at all in the decisions that are made. Attendance at business meetings is remarkably low.

Question:            Why are so few people involved in the work of the local church?


Friday, June 27, 2014

5. Believer’s Baptism by Immersion

Baptists believe that baptism is one of the two ordinances instituted by Jesus Christ. The other is the Lord’s Supper. When Jesus gave the Great Commission to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (E.S.V.) In obedience this command, Baptists baptize believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Baptism is meant to follow repentance and faith. When Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost he said to the people in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Baptists also believe that baptism is to be administered by the local church.
Baptists also believed that baptism should be by immersion. The Greek word for baptism means to dip, plunge or soak. Also full immersion in water is symbolic of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and the believer’s death to sin and rising to new life in Jesus Christ. Baptism is a step of obedience and an act of identification with Jesus Christ. Jesus identified with us sinners through his baptism. We identify with him through ours. Galatians 3:27 says, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." It is also a public proclamation of faith and an initiation into the Church of Christ. Believer’s baptism is a requirement for membership in Baptist churches.


Question:            Should Baptist churches accept into the membership Christians who have been baptized as believers by a mode other than immersion?

Friday, June 20, 2014

4. A Believers’ Church

Baptists believe that their churches should include as members only those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. While they definitely encourage seekers to attend their church services, they do not receive them into the membership until they have confessed Christ in the waters of baptism. We know that we can be deceived by people who make false professions, but we do our best eliminate these deceptions. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (E.S.V.) We endeavor to raise our children to make their own personal decisions to follow Christ, but we do not consider them to be Christians until they have made their own commitments. We also recognize that there are many sincere Christians that are not Baptists.
In our churches we gather to worship God and to fellowship with one another. Our services are also teaching services where we study the Bible. Acts 2:42, 46-67 describes what the early church was like. It says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. This is the goal for our churches.
We also fellowship with sincere Christians in other denominations and work together with them to further the cause of Christ. John 10:16 says, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” While we believe that the universal church is made up all Christian believers, we also believe that this invisible church should be expressed in individual, local congregations.


Question:            How should your local church be working with other churches to further the cause of Christ?

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

WORSHIP PRAYER

Creator God, we are here to praise Your glorious name,
For You call all the billions and billions of stars by name.
Redeemer God, we can only bow humbly at your feet,
For You alone all the powers of hell did defeat.

Heavenly Father, we kneel in worship and adoration.
Your power is vastly beyond our imagination.
Your wisdom and knowledge is so infinite and vast.
You see everything that is present, future and past.

You alone are worthy all of our worship and praise.
May we love and honour You all of the rest of our days.
Jesus, we cannot thank You enough for Your sacrifice.
For our sins, it was the only payment that would suffice.

We come as sinful creatures before the Holy One.
Yet we come in the precious name of the beloved Son.
We come boldly before the heavenly throne of grace.
We come as needy children seeking the Father’s face.



MY CONFESSION

Heavenly Father, I am so weak and twisted and frail.
If my inmost thoughts were exposed I’d be worthy of jail.
You have forgiven me so many times I’ve lost count.
If my sins were piled up it would be an impressive mount.
How many times can I come before your mercy throne?
How many of my sins will the blood of Jesus atone?
I have hurt so many, many people over the years.
I can’t count how many people I’ve driven to tears.
I could say it’s because I was never really loved,
But it’s because I did not trust in my Father above.
And now once more I come before your throne of grace.
And bow before you to confess my own disgrace.
Please ease the pain that I have inflicted on others.
Please grant them a measure of your grace to discover.
Yet I know that it is against you that I have sinned.
So it is your mercy and grace that I hope to win.



Friday, June 13, 2014

3. The Priesthood of All Believers

                Baptists do not believe in a separate priesthood, but that all believers are priests. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (ESV) Under the old covenant, the priests were the intermediaries between ordinary people and God. Ordinary people had to come to them to make sacrifices to God on their behalf.
Only the priests could enter the Holy Place. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, the symbol of the presence of God in the midst of his people. He could only enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement. A curtain separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple. However, with the death of Christ, everything changed. Matthew 27:50-51 says, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
                Jesus is now the only priest that we need. He offered up to God the eternal sacrifice of himself. No other sacrifices are needed. Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Because of what Jesus has done for us, every believer can approach God on his or her own. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
                Jesus, our great high priest, has made us all priests before God. Revelation 5:9-10 says, “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’” This means not only that we do not need an intermediary between us and God, but also they we are to act as intermediaries for others. We are to pray for others and help them on their spiritual journey. This aspect of our role as priests is often neglected. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 says, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” God has given us a role to perform, a task to complete. Will we be faithful to him?

Question:            In what ways are we to ask as priests for others?


Thursday, June 12, 2014

Fatherhood

We have been given a job like no other.
God has called each of us to be a father.
We strive to the best of our ability,
To fulfill this awesome responsibility.

Our Heavenly Father has set the example.
Love and grace and compassion are just a sample,
Of the many blessings He has given to us.
And the children He has given us in trust.

For all His gifts we thank our Father above.
Will we be faithful to follow Him in love?
Will we raise our children to love and honour God?

Will we be true while this earthly path we trod?

Friday, June 6, 2014

2. The Word of God is the Authoritative Rule of Faith and Practice

                Baptists believe that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:19-21 says, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,  knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (E.S.V.) Because the Bible is the Word of God given to mankind it is the final authority on all matters of faith and practice.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 says, “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” What the Bible says Baptists affirm even if it is uncomfortable. Mark Twain once said, “Most people are bothered by those passages of scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.”
In 2 Timothy 3:15-17Paul says to his son in faith, Timothy, “… from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” The Bible is all that we need to find salvation and to grow in Christ We need no other authority, no other writings. Other groups may accept tradition, church authorities and/or personal experience as having some authority, but Baptists do not.
                Baptist churches often have statements of faith in their constitutions, but they do not carry the authority of the Bible. They may occasionally recite creeds in their services, but this is simply to remind them of the long history of the Christians faith and their affinity with their Christians, past and present.

Question:            How do you respond to passages like 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 which says, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”?




Friday, May 30, 2014

1.                   Jesus is Lord

Baptists believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, the Creator of all that exists. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (E.S.V.) Verse 14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Isaiah 9:6-7 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Jesus was not a mere human being, nor is he some kind of lesser deity. He is fully God, equal with God the Father.
There are other passages that affirm the divinity of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Because Jesus is our God and our Creator, he is also our Lord. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus also deserves our full allegiance because he is our Savior. By his death and resurrection he purchased our salvation. Philippians 2:5-8 says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Indeed, salvation, forgiveness of sins and eternal can only be found in him. Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” John 20:30-31 says, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
Because of who Jesus is and what he has done for us, we should obey him above all other authorities. We are to obey our governing authorities as Paul says in Romans 13:1, but Jesus is our ultimate authority, both individually and in the church. Every area of our life should be submitted to him. He is Lord over our business practices, our relationships, our leisure activities and our church life.


Question:            Is the Lordship of Jesus Christ stressed enough in your church?