Tuesday and Wednesday Events - Ukraine Trip

Tuesday, we began by taking a trip to a Rehab home for men hooked on alcohol and drugs.  Pastor Vitaly (far left) led these men to the Lord in his church in Ternopil, but found the men were addicted to alcohol and drugs and couldn't get victory over it.  He began this home way out in the village to help the men stay away from their bad influences and put them in an atmosphere of Bible study, hard work, and accountability.  

We sat around the living room and the men sang and gave testimonies of how God worked in their lives. It was a time of giving God glory for intervening in their lives.  This home needs additional funds to complete the building.  They raise their own chickens and rabbits, as well as work a large garden for food.  

After the trip to the rehab home, we visited Pastor Vitaly's church in Ternopil.  This is a city of 230,000 people and over 30,000 college students.  Pastor Vitaly started the church from scratch 5 years ago and has seen alot of souls saved.  In this picture is Tony Quirici, myself, Sam, and Pastor Vitaly.  Tony is from New York and has been to Ukraine numerous times.  He is alot of fun to be around.  

Below is Pastor Vitaly's new building.  They are meeting in a rented facility right now and can only have the facility on Sunday, because of the cost.  This building, when it is finished, will let them have a place 7 days a week.  They will be able to have an office and classrooms for Sunday School and youth meetings.

We spent the night with Pastor Vitaly and his family out in a village.  They are a very sweet family.

Wednesday morning, we left and traveled back to Kiev.  On the way back, we stopped and saw this man, Leonid.  He is the tallest man in the world at 8'5".  He is slouching a bit in this picture, but still towers us.  He has recently been saved after Tony got a burden for him several years ago and started witnessing to him.  Leonid had a tumor in his pituitary gland that caused growth hormones to explode.  He is not in the Guiness Book of World Records, though, after denying permission for them to put him in.  

Wednesday evening, we had dinner with Pastor Igor Boloshov and his family.  Igor is also the director of the Servicemen Center in Desna.  He preaches at a nearby church plant.  He served in the special forces of the Soviet Union army before coming to Christ.  What a blessing it was to hear his testimony, as well as his wife, Lana.  

Lana fixed us a really good Ukranian meal. 

Monday - September 19th - Ukraine

On Sunday evening, I had the privilege of preaching at the Pukhova Church in Kiev.  This is the largest independent baptist church in Kiev and a church with a wonderful history and testimony.  They are getting ready to celebrate their 50th anniversary and are expecting many guests from around Ukraine.  Many pastors have gone out from this church to start churches in Ukraine and surrounding areas.

Below is the pastor of the church at Pukho, Nikolai Velichko.  This pastor has been at the church for over 40 years and is a pioneer of the independent Baptist movement in Ukraine.  He has spent time in prison, as has many others in his congregation during the time of the Soviet Union for the sake of the Gospel.  What a spiritual hero!

After the PM service, we headed to the Kiev train station.  As you can tell, I was pretty amazed by what I saw - a modern technologically advanced train station.  Too bad the train wasn't as modern.  We took the 9 hour train ride in the old Soviet Union box car train.  But thanks to two sleeping pills, I never heard a sound and slept all the way to Lutsk.  

 Once we arrived in Lutsk, we went to the house we are staying and cleaned up and had some breakfast.  Then, we headed into the city of Lutsk, a city of 300,000 people on the western side of Ukraine.  There, we toured this castle that has been maintained since the 1300's.  Lutsk has seen many battles over those years, as it has been highly sought after land by Russia and Poland.

This is Pastor Victor, who pastors in Lutsk.  His church runs about 100 and they are seeing fruit from the preaching of God's Word.  He and his wife are allowing us to stay with them for a couple nights.  

These five men are pastors in Belarus.  They drove over to meet us and to hear Dr. Larry Oats teach a seminar.  The economy in Belarus is near collapse.  The people are struggling severely and the churches stay under persecution from the government.  These men are faithfully serving the Lord and making an impact for God.

The church in Lutsk, where Pastor Victor leads has a wonderful outreach ministry to children off the streets.  They come into the church to get warm meals, participate in activities, Bible studies, and evangelistic outreaches.  The church makes contacts with their parents in hopes of reaching them.  Several parents have been saved and are now faithful members of the church.  Other wayward teens have been saved and one young man is preaching now.  Here, BIEM is doing another Bible distribution with care packages to these needy children.  What a blessing it is to see a ministry of such great compassion.  

Dr. Oats, dean of the seminary at Maranatha Bible College, teaches pastors from Belarus and Lutsk about the dangers of post-modernism and the Emerging Church.  The pastors had alot of questions and benefited from the seminar.  

God has given us a great trip.  My heart is so full as I have seen how God has opened amazing doors for the Gospel in this area of the world.  Missions truly is the heartbeat of God!

Saturday and Sunday - Ukraine Trip

On Saturday, we took the entire day to see the sights of Kiev.  The picture below is a Ukranian Orthodox Church.  We went into the church and observed the ceremony.  How sad it is to see that no Bible was read from and no Gospel shared.  The people believe that they find grace by being around the relics of dead saints.  

This a  picture of the Kiev skyline with the skyscrapers in the background.  Kiev is a large city, about 2.5 million people.  It was totally destroyed after World War II, but has been built back beautifully.  The downtown area is really a great tourist attraction.

Here I am with Sasha, one of the BIEM church planters, who is planting a church in Turkey.  Sasha has a unique ability to make connections with influential people.  He has already led several Muslims in Turkey to faith in Christ and baptized them in the Mediterranean Sea.  We are standing inside the Russian Orthodox Monastery.  We went through the catacombs where dead saints are buried and watched as worshipers prayed for some of the holiness of these saints to be imparted to them.

Here I am pictured with Sam Slobodian, who is a member of our church at Mt. Tabor.  Bro. Sam travels much with BIEM and we don't get to fellowship together often.  We have enjoyed doing so this week.  Here we are in front of a beautiful fountain in Kiev.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to be with one of our missionaries, Pastor Anatole.  He has started a couple of churches and is preparing to start another.  This is the building where his current church meets.  I am pictured here with Pastor Anatole, Bro. Sam, and Larry and Colleen Oats, a sweet couple from Wisconsin who have joined us on this trip.

Ukranians celebrate Thanksgiving all month during September, but it is up to each individual church to choose which Sunday to celebrate thanksgiving as a church.  This Sunday was the special day at Pastor Anatole's church.  This a ceremony, where the church thanks God for the physical bread as well as the spiritual bread, the Bible.  

I was given the opportunity to preach one of the sermons, with the help of a translator.  There were two other sermons besides mine and many songs by the choir and congregation.  The service lasted over 2 hours, and then we stayed afterward to eat together.  There were close to 200 people in attendance in a building that would maybe seat 150 comfortably.

After the service, those who were visiting received a gift, a free Ukranian Bible and other literature that they desired.  As you can see, the Bibles were a big hit.  The people here are very hungry for God's Word.

Trip to Ukraine - Friday, September 16

Today, we were able to visit a state run orphanage and distribute children's Bibles and care packages to about 80 children.  It was heartbreaking to see these children, who have for the most part, grown up in homes of alcoholics and drug addicts.  There are 300,000 orphan children in Ukraine.  The majority of them get involved in crime and prostitution when they get out.  BIEM has the privilege and open door to conduct evangelism and Bible studies there and is involved in humanitarian aid to the orphanage.  If your church would like to get involved in putting care packages together or helping to buy a nice hardback children's Bible for $3, you can contact BIEM through their website.

Dr. Larry Oats from Maranatha Baptist Bible College and myself with some of the children from the orphanage.

Eugene and myself distributing care packages to the children.

This boy is happy with his new children's Bible and care package.

With Bro. Slobodian's help, I am explaining to the children that Americans gave for these Bibles to be given.

After that, we were off to lunch at a pastor's home and then to see the church that has been built in the town of Fastiv.  This church is about 15 years old and the pastor is getting up in years.  Pray that God will lead a younger pastor to take his place.  The older pastor shared his testimony with us.  As a baby, he was abandoned during the war.  A lady found him and brought him to a church service.  There, a couple took them as their own son and raised him.  Later, he was saved and called to preach.  This man's son is Eugene, the Ukranian director of the BIEM mission.  What another amazing story of God's grace and sovereignty!  

We are eating borscht (soup) which is always served at the beginning of each meal.  Also fried chicken!  

Anatole and Hala and their children.  Anatole has graduated from the seminary and is the assistant pastor for Pastor Mikhail in Fastiv.  

The church in Fastiv.  It took about 10 years to build.  Pastor Mikhail did all the woodwork himself.  BIEM planted this church in a theater and then helped raise the funds for materials to build the building.  

Me, Pastor Mikhail, and his son, Euguene, the Ukranian director of BIEM mission

Thursday Pictures and Events - Trip to Ukraine

We started off Thursday with a trip on the Kiev Subway.  That was quite an experience.

Next, we were off to see a church building in the 2nd most affluent region in Kiev.  Pastor Nikolai has been pastoring this church after being the rector of Kiev Seminary for several years.  The church has outgrown its facility and running over 200.  God has provided this new building for them in the heart of the residential area of their region.  There are 300,000 people in that region.  Most of the people live in high rises just a short distance from the church.  The building is under construction and they are not able to occupy it yet.  Pray that the Lord will supply the funds needed to finish this construction project in this critical area of Kiev.

After that, we had lunch with Eugene and his wife, Sophia.  He is the director of the BIEM mission and acts as Bro. Slobodian's right hand man here in Kiev.  We had a wonderful time with his children.  Here is a picture of me and their daughter, Solomia

Following lunch, we traveled over an hour to a military base, known as Desna.  It was the 2nd largest military base during the time of the Soviet Union.  God has opened up a door for a church to be constructed right on the base.  Pastor Igor is leading this church and they are also in a building program.  On one side of the building is their auditorium and on the other side is a Servicemen's Center.  It is a place for servicemen to come when they are off duty and have recreation, instead of going to the bars.  The prayer is that this tool can be used to reach many of these soldiers for Christ.  Pastor Igor has a wonderful testimony of how he was saved out of a life of drugs and alcohol. He was being trained as a teenager to be a part of the Russian Mafia.  He is truly a picture of God's grace and has a burden for these soldiers. 

Pastor Igor

We drove back to Kiev to be the guests of an afternoon kids club, where Eugene and the mission are trying to get into for Bible studies and Bible distribution.  The kids put on quite a show for us.  Here is a picture of myself with two of the kids dressed in Ukranian garb.

After that presentation, we had dinner with Pastor Anatole and his wife, Natasha.  Pastor Anatole is one of our missionaries at Mt. Tabor and a faithful man.  He has planted 2 churches already and is getting ready to plant another church on the other side of his town.  God has given him favor with the town mayor, and the mayor has agreed to give a piece of land for the new church building.  Pray that funds will be provided for the construction of this building.  

Pastor Anatole and his wife, Natasha

Wednesday Pictures and Events - Ukraine Trip

Today, we had a group of Iranian men come to cook lunch for us.  Pastor Ali (far left) and Abbas (far right) cooked.  Abbas was offered a job as the chef in the Iranian embassy but turned it down knowing he would be under constant surveillance since he is now a Christian.  It took Abbas six years from the time he first heard the Gospel to accept Christ.  Pastor Ali has started a church and has about 15 Iranians attending.  All of them have been converted and are witnessing to other Iranians in the area.  There are thousands of refugees in Kiev.

We also presented them with 200 complete Bibles in the Farsi language for them to distribute as well as 24 MP3 players to distribute.  The MP3 player has the entire Bible on it in the Farsi language, as well as testimonies from these Iranian believers.  They are set to where you cannot delete the content on them.

In this picture is (from left to right) Pastor Ali, Myself, Sam Slobodian, Pastor Nikolai Velichko, Dr. Larry Oats, and Abbas.

After lunch, we went to a village about 1 1/2 hours from Kiev.  A man from the seminary went to this village 6 years ago to plant a church.  He and his wife live at the church.  Here is their picture.  There are only about 300 people in this village and the church runs about 20 or so.  God has also blessed them with a large piece of land to build a new building on.  She fixed us a wonderful meal in their home.  This village has never had American visitors.

Trip to Ukraine - Pictures from Tuesday

I wanted to share some pictures and some of the stories of these people I have met on my trip.  This is Anatole and he is a church planter in the Ukraine.  He served in the military for 25 years, was called into the ministry, graduated from seminary and has started 2 churches.  He is getting ready to start his third church.  Our church at Mt. Tabor has the privilege of partnering with him as he plants churches in the Ukraine.

Included in the picture below is a group of Iranian refugees who have converted from Islam to Christianity.  They are studying in the seminary now here in Kiev.  They have a group of about 15 Iranians that have their own service here and are trying to reach other Iranians in Kiev for Christ.  How wonderful it is to see God at work in bringing people from Iran to hear the gospel and be saved.  He is calling out people from all nations to be a part of his bride.

The Iranians are the first four on the first row, as well as the 2nd from the left on the back row and the one all the way to the right on the back row.  The man on the back left is Vitaly, the director of the seminary and also is planting a church in Kiev.  The third man from the left on the back is Dr. Larry Oats, who is teaching at the seminary all week.  To his right is Sam Slobodian, the director of BIEM.  To my right is Oleg, a church planter in St. Petersburg, Russia.

This is Sasha, and he is planting a church in Turkey.  In just a few months, he has seen 3 Muslims saved and baptized and is working on others.  He was in the Ukranian special forces in the military before getting saved and surrendering to ministry.  

God is using BIEM in a wonderful way.  In the 20 years they have been planting churches in Russia and the surrounding areas, they have planted 103 churches and constructed 43 church buildings.  To God be the glory!  It is wonderful to meet these brothers and sisters in Christ from the other side of the world and get a taste of what Heaven is going to be like.  

Trip to Ukraine - Tuesday, September 13th

I have been given the opportunity to go on a missions trip to the Ukraine with one of our church members, Brother Sam Slobodian.  Brother Sam is the director of BIEM, a mission agency in Danville, IN.  Through his ministry, and the ministry of his father, Peter, God has raised up many churches throughout the Ukraine and Russia.  Thanks to my church, Mt. Tabor Baptist Church, for financially supporting this trip.

We left on Sunday afternoon from Indianapolis to Detroit.  Then, we connected quickly and began a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam.  After a 3 hour layover in Amsterdam, we connected to a flight to Kiev, Ukraine.  We arrived on Monday at around 4 PM, but it was only 9 AM back in Indiana.  There is a 7 hour time difference here.

Kiev is a city of 3.5 million people, about the size of Chicago in terms of population.  From the airport to the place we are staying, we had several big traffic jams.  And after stopping off at a local pizzeria, we headed to the BIEM office for supper.  We got cleaned up just in time to head over to the Temple of Salvation Baptist Church (aka Puhova Church here in Ukraine).  It is the largest independent Baptist Church in the country and runs close to 1,000 each Sunday.  The pastor has been there for 40 years and was a pioneer of the underground Baptist movement here during the time of the Soviet Union.  As many as 30 people in that congregation have experienced imprisonment for their faith in Christ.

At the church, a group of 50 or so pastors and students from the seminary attended a seminar on Post Modernism taught by the Dean of the Seminary at Maranatha Baptist College, Dr. Larry Oats.  Dr. Oats has been at Maranatha about 40 years as well.

After the meeting, we came home and quickly went to bed.  We were extremely tired after the long trip and very little sleep on the plane.

I will have another update with pictures this evening, which will be tomorrow morning for you back in the U.S.

This Means War

Read Ephesians 6:10-20

The sooner the believer in Christ recognizes that he is in a war with Satan and his comrades, the better.  The conflict between good and evil has existed since the beginning of time, and every person is thrust into the middle of it at birth.  Due to our sin nature, we begin as the enemies of God.  With each sin we commit, we pledge allegiance to Satan in this invisible war.  But, by the grace of God, when we are born again through salvation, we enter into peace with God, which throws us into war with Satan.  We switch sides and change allegiances.

Satan would like for believers to see him as a cartoon character with a tail and a pitchfork looking for someone bending over, so he can give them a poke in the posterior.  The majority of our culture is too sophisticated to accept the reality of a real Devil.  Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that the Devil exists and that he is active in our world.  The truth is Satan is like a wounded animal, desperately using all his energy to destroy anything in his path.  He knows his time is short and has unleashed all the fiery darts of hell to destroy individuals, families, and churches.

Christians need to understand that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground.  It is not a waltz, but a war.  We need to get off our showboats and climb aboard our battleships.  Instead of being asleep in our barracks, we need to be alert on the battlefield.

In Ephesians 6, we are introduced to the Christian armor that God has given us to fight this warfare with.  As Paul was writing this epistle, he was in a Roman prison, chained to a Roman soldier.  I am sure he watched as the soldiers put on each piece of armor, and the Holy Spirit led him to make this analogy.

The believer should acquaint himself with each piece of armor mentioned in Ephesians 6, knowing that each one protects us from a specific tactic of Satan.  Satan wants to deceive us with error, so we must put on the belt of truth by studying God's Word, the only source of truth.  Satan wants to defile us with sin, so we must put on the breastplate of righteousness, recognizing our weaknesses and carefully avoiding temptation in those areas.  Satan wants to disengage us from being a witness to the lost, so we must put on the shoes of the Gospel of peace, sharing our faith with others and seeking to win the lost to Christ.  Satan wants to distress us with the fiery darts of hell, so we should take up the shield of faith, trusting God not only to save our souls but also to provide for our daily needs.  Satan wants to demoralize us with doubts as to our secure future, so we are to put on the helmet of salvation, possessing complete assurance of our eternal home in Heaven.

Each one of the previous items are defensive weapons to protect us, but we also need an offensive weapon.  God has graciously provided that as well.  We are told to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  God's Word is not only a defensive weapon to protect us from error, but it is also an offensive weapon to attack Satan with.  Jesus quoted the Scripture to defeat Satan in their epic battle in the wilderness.  We should learn to fight temptation with the powerful Word of God.  Hebrews 4:12 describes it as a two-edged sword.

Another offensive weapon God has provided is prayer.  Paul mentions that we are to pray always in verse 18.  We are to pray all through the day, being led by the Holy Spirit, refusing to get discouraged when we don't see immediate answers, and interceding for other believers and their needs.  We can stand by staying on our knees.

The key to victory in this daily warfare is to fight in God's power and not our own.  "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might", Paul instructed.  Let's wage war against Satan by putting on our armor daily as we enter the battlefield of life.  Know that Satan is after you, your family, and your church.  Though he is a destructive force, he is also a defeated foe.  1 John 4:4 says, "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."  In the power of Christ, we can win this war in allegiance to our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spirit-Filled

After over 30 years of being a Christian, I have come to realize how difficult and demanding it is to live the Christian life.  Recently, as I preached through the last three chapters of Ephesians, I discovered many practical admonitions that seemed almost humanly impossible to achieve.  In the center of all those, you find Ephesians 5:18 which says, "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit."  I concluded that verse is the key to the last three chapters.  The demanding Christian life can only be lived as a believer is Spirit-filled.

It is not to difficult to live for the Lord at church where everyone is encouraging you and you are enjoying the haven that church services provide.  But, it is an entirely different story at home and at work.  We are to carry our Christianity there, too, you know.  That is why every believer must learn to be Spirit-filled.

Being Spirit-filled is like an adrenaline rush.  When adrenaline is pumping through your body, maybe as a result of fear or anger, you are able to do things physically that other times, you are not able to do.  This is true of being Spirit-filled as well.  When the Spirit of God is controlling us, we are able to do spiritually what we could not do otherwise.

Paul shares a contrast between being Spirit-filled and drunk.  He says not to be drunk with wine.  A drunk person is controlled by alcohol.  Paul suggests that instead of being controlled by alcohol, we should be controlled by the Holy Spirit.  You might say it like this, "Don't be filled with spirits; be filled with the Spirit."  That is exactly what being Spirit-filled is; it is allowing the Holy Spirit to be in complete control of your attitudes, your words, and your actions.

A drunk person is more courageous when he is drunk.  A Spirit-filled person will also be more courageous in witnessing and taking a stand for Christ than when he is not allowing the Spirit to be in control.  Some people get alot happier when they are drunk.  When we are Spirit-filled, we will have the joy of the Lord in our life that is not dependent on circumstances.

The matter of being Spirit-filled is commanded in this verse.  It is not an option; it is an obligation.  I remember when I was growing up, my dad used to say something like, "I am not asking you to do this; I am telling you to do it."  That is what God is doing here.  He is not asking us to be Spirit-filled; He is telling us to be.  If I am not Spirit-filled, I am being disobedient to God.  It is a sin not to be Spirit-filled.

If I will just be obedient to this command to be Spirit-filled; it will allow me to be obedient to all God's other commands simultaneously.  If I am being filled with the Spirit, I will have no trouble living in unity with my fellow believers, restraining my temper, forgiving those who hurt me and showing kindness to them, loving my wife unconditionally, or any other command that in the last three chapters of Ephesians seem almost humanly impossible.

There are wonderful results of being Spirit-filled.  You find many of these mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23, a list we refer to as the Fruit of the Spirit.  However, there are three additional results mentioned in Ephesians 5 right after the command to be Spirit-filled.

One result is when a person is Spirit-filled, they will surround themselves with Godly music.  Paul said, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."  Nothing is said of music that speaks of getting drunk, running around on your spouse, rebelling against authority, or partaking in illicit drugs.  Most secular genres of music contain lyrics that promote such a lifestyle, which grieves the Holy Spirit of God.  We must learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as we make music choices and make sure He is not grieved by the music we choose.  The music we listen to should glorify God and encourage us to be like Jesus in every way.

Another result of being Spirit-filled is to be thankful at all times and for all things.  Paul mentions this in verse 20.  This is one of the concepts that for me is humanly impossible without the Spirit being in control.  I am inclined to complain and focus on the negative.  I am trying to get to the place in my life where, instead of complaining that roses have thorns, I can be thankful that thorns have roses.  A Spirit-filled Christian will learn to be thankful in all things and at all times.  He will fill his heart with gratitude so that there is no room for Satan to fill it with complaining.

The third result of being Spirit-filled is to be submissive.  Verse 21 speaks of "submitting ourselves to one another in the fear of God."  The word "submit" speaks of teamwork and encourages us to place ourselves in rank of authority. A football team has to have all players submitting to the coach, and in some cases, the quarterback for the offense to click.  If the running backs and wide receivers disagree with the play call and refuse to do their job, the offense suffers.  The same happens in the home, when the wife will not submit to her husband as a the leader or the children rebel against their parents.  It also occurs in the church when people try to usurp authority and impose their will on others in the church.  A submissive attitude is a result of being Spirit-filled.

Are you a Spirit-filled Christian?  Do you recognize the Holy Spirit's presence in your life?  Are you sensitive to His leading and allow Him to control your thoughts, words, and actions?  Begin today to call out to God for a fresh anointing of His Spirit and yield your will completely to Him.  Soon, you will discover just how strangely simple it becomes to live this demanding Christian life!

Glory in the Cross

The symbol of Judaism is the star of David.  The symbol of Isalm is the crescent.  The symbol of Communism is the sickle and hammer.  The symbol of Christianity is the Cross.  But it is not only the symbol of Christianity; it is the secret of Christianity. We cannot live the Christian life without understanding the power of the Cross in our daily lives. 

In Galatians 6:11-17, Paul describes what it means to glory in the Cross.  All throughout the epistle of Galatians, Paul defended the Gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) as the only means for salvation.  He contended with those who wanted to add religious works, such as circumcision, to salvation. These false teachers were minimizing the importance of the Cross of Christ.  In reality, Paul was lifting up and magnifying the Cross, which was the theme of His life and the cornerstone of His preaching, one that brought him much persecution. 

Although he had plenty to boast about, Paul refused to boast in himself at all, but only in the Cross of Jesus.  He was the greatest preacher, the greatest missionary, and wrote more of the Bible than anyone else who had ever lived.  He was the greatest theologian of his day.  If anyone had something to brag about, it was Paul.  Yet, he realized that it was the cross of Christ that had made him the man that he was.

As we learn to glory in the cross, we become less susceptible to the sin of pride.  Religion, with its human achievement, appeals to the flesh of man. The message of the Cross is that man is a sinner and that he cannot save himself.  That doesn't do anything for man's egotistical flesh. Religion compels men to glory in their religious activity, yet  Paul explained that we are saved by grace, not by works "lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:9)

The Jewish Pharisees were always boasting about what they had done.  The Pharisee who prayed in the Temple in Luke 18 bragged about all he had done. However, when one glories in the Cross of Christ, it works to bring about humility in us, rather than devilish pride. 

Scripture warns us that "pride goeth before destruction" and that "God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble."  (Prov. 6:18; 1 Peter 5:5) As we glory in the Cross, we are reminded that if there is anything good in us, it is because of the transforming power of the Cross.

Glorying in the cross helps us overcome the evil system of this present world as well.  In Galatians 6:14, Paul said "But God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world was crucified unto me, and I unto the world."  The message of the cross is that you are to turn your back on the world and its sinful lifestyle.  If you turn to Christ, you have to turn from the world and sin.  We use to sing, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.  The world behind me, the cross before me...."   That is the message of the Cross. 

To be crucified to the world means to be dead to the world. You can tempt a dead corpse with sin, yet he will not give into it.   Paul was saying that he was dead to all those worldly allurements.  That is what happens when we accept the message of the Cross and glory in it - we die to our old life of sin.  It is hard to praise Jesus for what He did on the Cross while engaging in a sinful act of disobedience.

It is the power of the Cross, not religion, that helps us overcome the world.  I have heard it said, "Religion can put new clothes on a man, but salvation will put a new man in His clothes."  That is the power of the Cross. 

Glorying in the Cross will help us be unashamed of Jesus.  Paul said in Galatians 6:17 that he bore in his body the marks of the Cross.  He had been beaten numerous times for preaching the message of the Cross.  These marks identified him as belonging to Christ, just as a slave had a mark engraved into their skin to identify them with their Master.

We should live each day glorying in the Cross and suffering the reproach that comes from doing so.  Many Christians stop taking a stand at the first hint of ridicule.  May God help us to not to be ashamed of Jesus today and everyday! Let's glory in the Cross of Christ and not in ourselves.  Let's confess our sin of pride and realize anything good about us is due to the work of Christ on the Cross.  Let's make a conscious decision to turn from the world and sin to Christ in total allegiance.  

Why Attend Church?

The average person attends church on three occasions in their lives: when they are born and christened, when they are married, and when they die. One could say that they attend church "when they are hatched, when they are matched, and when they are dispatched."  As we study God's Word, we find that God intends for believers to be faithful to attend church.  However, it seems that fewer believers are attending church today than ever.

As we drive to church each Sunday, we see plenty of people mowing their lawns, playing golf, and doing other leisurely activities.  We might even think, Why should I attend church?  If they don't go, why should I?  After all, we have busy lives and it sure would be good to have an extra day to mow the grass and do the chores around the house.  We should answer that question from God's Word.  In Hebrews 10:19-25, the writer of Hebrews gives us some good reasons why we should attend church.

Going to church helps us get closer to God. Verses 19-22 explain how a person can get close to God.  In the Old Testament, it was not possible to get close to God.  The Jewish people came to the tabernacle to worship God and offer sacrifices.  They could go into the courtyard of the tabernacle but not inside the tent.  Inside the tent, there were two rooms, divided by a curtain, which is also called a "veil."  Only the priests could go inside the tent.  He could go into the first room, called the Holy Place and there, he would do his work of intercession.  Then, the High Priest could only go into the second room, called the holy of holies, on the Day of Atonement - one day a year.  Inside the second room was the Ark of the Covenant, which represented the presence of God.  God was holy, man was sinful, and the message of the Old Testament was to stay away from the presence of God.  It was a fearful thing.

When Jesus came into this world, He came to bring us to God.  When He died and shouted "It is finished", the veil inside the Temple was torn from top to bottom.  Just as the body or flesh of Christ was torn on the Cross, the veil was torn in the Temple.  This pictured the fact that the shed blood of Christ had made it possible for believers to get close to God.  Now, we have boldness and confidence to enter into the holy of holies, the very presence of God.  Where two or three or gathered together, God said, "There am I in the midst of them."  So, we are in the very presence of God when we attend church with other believers.

James said, "Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you." (James 4:8)  The writer of Hebrews tells us one way to get close to God is to attend church.  In fact, the primary reason for attending should be to get closer to God, not to be entertained.  Through worship, we become more intimate with God.

After being married for 17 years, I have learned that closeness must be cultivated.  Couples don't just drift to the altar and get married.  They write love notes, go on dates, and do little things to win the hearts of their future spouse.  Those things must be done even after marriage or the closeness will evaporate.  People call it "falling out of love."  The same is true with God.  If we don't work at our relationship with God, we will not feel close.  One way to cultivate that closeness is to attend church.

Another reason one should attend church is to profess your faith.  Verse 23 says, "Let us hold fast our profession of faith without wavering."  Your profession is what you say.  To "hold it fast" means to not just talk the talk, but also , to walk the walk.  If you say you are a Christian, you should act like a Christian.  If we are going to be witnesses for the Lord, our behavior better match up with our beliefs.

Unbelievers are watching us live our lives as followers of Christ, and they expect something different out of us.   They expect to see us going to church on Sunday.  When we attend church, we are literally witnessing to the lost.  We are saying to them that we are on God's team.  We are saying to them that God, His Word, and His people are important to us.  How can we  verbally witness to our lost neighbors if they don't see us going to church faithfully?  How can we verbally witness to our family members if we lay out of church when they come to visit?

Going to church also gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our faithfulness to God. Verse 23 adds, "For He is faithful that promised."  That is a great statement.  It reminds me of Lamentations 3:22, 23 where the Bible says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning.  Great is His faithfulness."  God has been so faithful to me.  He has never let me down.  I am here today because of God's faithfulness. His faithfulness should motivate us to be faithful to Him.

I have heard many times people excuse themselves from coming to church because of the actions of someone else.  They got hurt or dissapointed by another Christian.  I understand that happens all too often, and I have experienced it myself and have disappointed other believers by my actions.  However, I want to be faithful to God.  God has not let me down.  Attending church is my way of being faithful to Him.

The Bible says, "Moreover is it required in stewards that a man be found faithful."  We all have different talents and abilities and we are not able to do what others might be able to do.  However, we can all be faithful.

Going to church also enables us to encourage other believers.  In verse 24, we are admonished to, "Consider one another."  Don't just think about yourself; think about your other brothers and sisters in Christ.  When people don't attend church, they are being inconsiderate of their brothers and sisters in Christ.  They are thinking only of themselves.  They might say, "Those people don't need me" but the others in the church get the idea that the person who doesn't attend doesn't need them.  We encourage one another by being in God's house.

Some say, "I can get just as much out of watching someone on TV or reading a book than I can going to church."  That may be true. You may even get more, but we don't just come to church to GET!  We come to give!  And what we ought to give is more than money.  We ought to give encouragement.  Look around for someone you can encourage.  Maybe you don't need encouragement, but I guarantee you someone here does.  Try to encourage someone else.

We are told in verse 24 to "provoke one another unto love and good works."  We are to stir one another up to be like Christ.  We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.  The word "forsake" literally means "to leave in the lurch."   When we don't attend, we are hurting our church family.  We are failing to encourage them.

More Christians than ever are laying out of church.  Some have a legitimate excuse such as health and some may have to work, but most have no good reason.  My friend, it is imperative that we who are saved make it a priority to attend church faithfully to encourage one another in the Lord.

Read Psalm 73 some time.  David expresses how discouraged he was and how he was ready to quit and throw in the towel.  Then he said in verse 17, "Till I went into the sanctuary of God..."  David found encouragement in God's house.  How many times have you been ready to quit and you came to church and were encouraged?

Going to church also prepares us for the Lord's return.  Verse 25 says we should be faithful to church and then adds, "and so much the more as ye see the day approaching."  "The day" speaks of the Lord's return to this earth.  Jesus is coming again, and we need to be ready.  Those who attend church regularly are more ready for the Lord's return.

The early church in the book of Acts went to church daily.  They were ready for Christ to come back.  But, as we have gotten closer to the coming of Christ, church attendance has gotten more sporadic.  We ought to be more faithful than ever, as we see the signs leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.

If you have no desire to be in church, that is not a natural thing for a Christian.  You are either not saved or you are very backslidden.  If you don't like church, you're not going to like Heaven.  The closest thing on this earth to Heaven is the local church.  Let's be sure and find ourselves in the House of God every time the doors are open as we are Scripturally commanded to do!

What Made America Great?

What is it that made America so great?  I believe it was the fact that this nation was founded on the principles of the Bible.  Our founding fathers were not all fundamental Christians, but they all recognized God and His Word as the basis for this country.  At the Continental Congress, Ben Franklin stood up and said, “Gentlemen, if it is true that not one single petal from any flower falls to the ground without escaping God’s attention, will the distress of this nation go unheeded? Let us therefore determine to seek His face.”  At Franklin’s suggestion, 56 of the signers of the Constitution dropped to their knees in prayer to seek God’s wisdom for the development of our nation’s guidelines.

Patrick Henry said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  The only hope for America’s survival is revival to break out in our churches and for God’s people to return to holy living, being the influence in this dark world we are living in.  Ray Comfort recently stated, "While America is celebrating her independence from Great Britain, she should be mourning her independence from God."

Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”  You don’t hear much talk about “righteousness” today, even in many churches.  There is only one standard of righteousness, and that is the Word of God.  However, America has turned its back on the Bible and kicked it out of our schools and courtrooms.  If America is to survive, we must return to the moral standards that were observed at the time of our founding.  Jesus told His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth.”  We are to influence our culture by living righteous and holy.

Consider the word “exalteth”.  America has been an exalted nation, and it is God alone who has exalted us.  We did not exalt ourselves; we were recipients of God’s favor.  God enabled us to survive the American Revolution, the Civil War, and many other military conflicts.  As America has turned its back on God, God’s hand of protection seems to be less visible.  It was Thomas Jefferson that said, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." That was back in 1871.  The events of September 11, 2001 are only a small taste of what could happen if God removes His favor from this country.  We need to realize where our greatness comes from and follow the admonition of the apostle Peter who wrote, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

Notice the word “sin” from the previously mentioned verse.  It is our sin that will lead to our destruction.  We have sinned in killing unborn babies, giving homosexual couples marital status, among many other evils.  Galatians 6:9 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked.  For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”  Could it be that soon America feels the same reproach that is described in the book of Nehemiah? 

Many in America would like to see the day when they get rid of all Christians. They are going to get their wish soon, but until then, may God give us a burden to pray for America.  Let us humble ourselves and let our light shine in our corrupted culture.  Above all, let us pray for mercy and for revival in our churches that America will turn back to its greatness.