Email This Post
UNIFORMITARIANISM AND A BURNING CANDLE
The evidence for evolution is always dependent on evolutionary assumptions. Remove the assumptions, and the “evidence” vanishes.
The following example is excerpted from The World That Perished by John Whitcomb:
“Many scientists claim to have nearly infallible methods for determining the age of the earth and its various formations. But all of these methods are built upon two basic and unprovable assumptions: (1) the assumption of starting point or original condition and (2) the assumption of a uniform rate of change from that starting point to the present. Consider a burning candle in an abandoned house. It is now burning at the rate of one inch an hour. Question: How long has it been burning and, thus, how long ago was the house abandoned? Answer: No one can know until it can be shown how high the candle was when it was last lit and how fast it was burning originally! Question: How old is the earth? Answer: No one can know unless it can be shown what it was like when it began and how rapidly it has changed since then!”
Email This Post
10 Indicatiors of a Spirit-filled Leader
This post comes to us by way of the blog of Dr. Paul Chappell, pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church in Lancaster, California. O that I could say that each of these is true in my leadership here at Grace.
10 Indicators of a Spirit-Filled Leader
March 3, 2010 by Paul Chappell
Our 2010 theme for Lancaster Baptist Church is “By His Spirit.” Truly, the Holy Spirit’s filling is a “must have” for every spiritual leader. Without His ministry in and through our lives, we will not properly fill the leadership roles in which God has placed us. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can see Him to the impossible!
Sometimes, however, we become a little fuzzy on what a Spirit-filled life looks like. Here are ten indicators that reveal the Holy Spirit’s filling in your life:
- A Spirit-filled leader is personally yielded. The key to effective public leadership is a genuine private walk with God.
- A Spirit-filled leader models godliness. The lifestyle of a spiritual leader is to be an open book—a living testimony—easily seen, clearly examined, and able to be emulated.
- A Spirit-filled leader leads others in sanctification. When God’s Spirit is in control of our lives and leadership, there will be a noticeable direction away from sin—both privately and publicly, at home and at church.
- A Spirit-filled leader maintains spiritual priorities. Right priorities are the product of God’s leading. Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, you’ll never truly zero in on God’s priorities for your life.
- A Spirit-filled leader leads others to Christ. Acts 1:8 instructs us to be “witnesses.” Simply put, the product of the Spirit at work in your life will be a soulwinner’s heart.
- A Spirit-filled leader maintains oversight. Spirit-led oversight will make you both observant and obedient. In other words, you will notice things you never noticed, and then the Holy Spirit will lead you to take action and to obey His impulses.
- A Spirit-filled leader encourages orderliness. When His Holy Spirit is active and working, order will be the natural result. This “order” might be as simple as picking up a piece of trash or as complicated as restructuring your adult Sunday school.
- A Spirit-filled leader remains impartial. The Holy Spirit will lead you to serve every member of your church with the same concern and intensity. He will give patience, understanding, and caution where you might otherwise be reactionary or emotionally charged.
- A Spirit-filled leader is gracious in trials. Hebrews 4:16 teaches us that we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” A peaceful, gracious, and strong spirit through the most difficult of times is supernatural. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we tend to “fall apart”!
- A Spirit-filled leader exercises spiritual authority. Holy Spirit-led authority will lead authoritatively but kindly, and it will always seek to resolve discord rather than stir it up. This kind of authority responds kindly to those who disagree and still loves and gives from a deep heart of compassion and grace.
Email This Post
The Calvary Quartet
Filed under: Announcements, Music, Pastor, Special Services
Due to a scheduling situation on their end, the Calvary Quartet will be in Front royal, Virginia this coming Sunday in the morning service. They had no engagement for the evening, so we asked them to come and sing for us.
So, this Sunday evening, March 7th, we will have the great privilege of hearing from the Calvary Quartet as they minister to us in song.
Please tell your friends and relatives. We are looking forward to a great service.
Email This Post
2010-02-25 Aaron Freeman Update
An update from our missionaries to South Texas, the Freemans…
2/16/2010 3:28:36 PM
Not a whole lot to report today. The photo below is from my birthday cake. Melissa thought you might like it. The cake was delicious, and we enjoyed a good “birthday celebration” weekend. No change on Addie. Still having headaches occassionally, but no fainting. Also, still no test results. We did receive notice today that an anonomous donor at our home church sent $500 to help with the medical bills. That is certainly appreciated. God always meets the need. Today I went to the post office to begin the process of getting our mailing imprint to start bulk mailing “flyers” next month here locally. We’ve been bulk mailing prayer letters, but since we’re going to add 300% more material we’re going to stop licking stamps!! We should be ready to start mailing by the early part of next month. Next week I am in a Pastor’s Training School in Houston from Monday – Thursday, returning on Friday. When I get back on Friday I’m going to the Starr County Fair to work with Steve Andres from San Antonio, who is coming to teach us how to do a “fair ministry”. He has been in that particular ministry for years and has had very good results. So, I’ll be up there with him Friday evening and all day Saturday. Please pray for some good results, both in terms of souls saved and visitors to our services. The following week we will be in San Angelo, Texas for a missions conference. This is the only meeting we have scheduled until the fall, and I think it will be more than enough as we focus on getting the work started! Otherwise, not much else to say, so have a great day!
My birthday cake with 34 candles. I think this is a fire hazard!
Email This Post
2010-02-25 Evan Williams Update
Here is the latest from our missionaries to Honduras, Evan & Carmen Williams…
Dear supporting Pastors;
Greetings from Honduras once more. We rejoice at what God continues to do in and through our ministry here and we wanted our supporting pastors to know how we have been blessed.
Praise God with us that we have seen Him move through our new bible club ministry to the children on Saturday mornings. At the end of our last meeting a young girl of 11 came up to Carmen and I to say that she wanted to accept Christ into her life. What a joy it was to lead her to the foot of the cross and hear her confess her sinful state and accept the savior. Pray for this young girl that God would help her to grow and for us that we might be able to provide her the spiritual tools she will need.
We had the blessing of a visit from our BIMI Central American Director and he was able to speak at three of our meetings as well as visit with some of our contacts. All of the believers enjoyed his ministry and were encouraged by it. Despite the absence on Sunday morning of six of our regulars we had a full house, all the sixty seats were full with quite a number of the children had doubled up on theirs while several adults had to stand at the back until the kids went out to children’s church. Two new couples and one young man were presented to the congregation for the first time and all five were out to our Monday night bible study to hear our brother speak once more. At last nights bible study in Santa Lucia we also had a visit from a gentleman that I have been witnessing to for over a week now. Pray that these new contacts might continue coming and that those who are unsaved might come to Christ soon.
Our new ministry of children’s church, under the leadership of my daughter, has been a wonderful success. We now have 37 children on our role, all of whom stay after Sunday school to attend this ministry. The parents are so relieved to be able to enjoy the morning service and it has made a great difference to the attention levels in the meetings.
Yesterday God moved to help us open up our youth ministry. I received an invitation from the Director of the night school in Santa Lucia to meet with her. She would like me to help the school with voluntary counseling secessions, as she feels that there is a great spiritual need amongst her night students. She professes to be a believer and attends a Methodist church in the town. When I asked her why she did not ask her own Minister to do this work she said that she was not qualified for such a ministry. We agreed that as director of the school she would call a school assembly with the students and that she would give me the opportunity to preach the gospel to all 150 of them and to inform them that Carmen and I are available should any of them wish to talk. The school will provide the gymnasium and audio equipment and we will have complete freedom to preach what we feel God would have us say. Pray that we might be able to develop this ministry also.
The date we agreed, March 5th, for the school assembly coincides with the visit from one of our supporting pastor from Puerto Rico. As he is a natural Spanish speaker I agreed with her that I would invite him to be the preacher. I was able to speak with him last night about this and he is delighted to be of service. Pray much that God will move in this area and that the youth might be reached with a clear gospel presentation.
As you can see God continues to confirm His blessing upon our ministry here. Pray with us that we might remain in step with the Spirit’s leading and that many souls will come to Christ. Thank you yet again for having enabled us to reach these people and for your faithful prayers and support.
Yours in Him.
Evan and Carmen Williams
-
How Do You Balance?
UNIFORMITARIANISM AND A BURNING CANDLE
2010-02-25 Evan Williams Update