Great Day!

I went to the Georgia Baptist Bible Fellowship Meeting at Central Fellowship Baptist Church today. My friend Rodney Queen is the Pastor there & he asked me to speak. It was a joy & a privilege. I've been attending the meetings for going on 3 years now & the speakers are a cut above to be sure. Today I heard some great sermons from the Word of God. First I heard a great testimony sermon from Brother Paul Young who is from Brighton England. He has a ministry to the homeless there called "Off the Fence". What a salty brother who actually believes God & takes Him at his Word! Go figure. I was captivated by has strong British accent & his heart for God.

Brother Henry Van Wye is an older pastor who is an excellent preacher. This is the second time that I've had the privilege of hearing him preach. He spoke on Jonah 1:1-3 - "God always picks the right man for the job" One of his thoughts was that because God chose us for our particular work/ministry - then we must be the right man for that job. He also asserted that God has confidence in us & our calling. Our job is to have as much confidence in God that He has in us. Interesting & tremendously encouraging.

The last preacher tonight was a favorite of mine - Pastor Virgil Barnard. I don't know how old he is but he's got to be in his upper 80's. He preached on Psalm 22 - the prophetic psalm of the suffering messiah. When he got behind the pulpit he lost 50 years at least & came alive with the zeal & passion of a young evangelist. One statement that I found particularly stunning was the statement of Christ, "I Thirst". Pastor Barnard then said - "The one who made the rivers & streams cried out for thirst & was offered vinegar mixed with gall" He CREATED water & his request was denied by the men her created. What have we done?

Then brother Virgil said this, "The first Adam through his sin striped us all naked in shame but the last Adam (Christ) hung naked in shame that we might be clothed in His righteousness." What has He done?!

What a day of encouragement & affirmation. The Reformer's Unanimous ladies provided the special music & it was off the hook!

What an incredible day invested in God's house with God's men exalting God's son by preaching God's Word!

Wake Up Call

Great Start - Poor Finish. I taught 2 classes today at the first CWW Co-Op. Both were Bible classes (for some reason they didn't want me teaching math...go figure). My first class was with the little children ages 3 to 6 or 7.
First of all, they are so easy to please. We sang & did the motions & they just ate it up. Then I began the lesson on David. I asked several questions that I wasn't sure this little kiddos would know. One was, "Who wrote most of the Psalms". Little Elizabeth knew that one. I asked what instrument David played & my son Sam knew that. They knew the name of Goliath's country - Philistia! Color me impressed.
Next class: 11 older children from 9 - 16. That class is Bible 101. The basic structure, layout, history, & basic geography of the Word of God. It was an exercise in contrast to the younger children. Nobody knew what the word "Testament" meant. To my shame, my daughters were in this class! No one knew what the oldest book of the O.T. was (the earliest written - do you know?) No one knew who authored the majority of the N.T. (do you know that one?) I know my girls have heard me teach this stuff before. When I asked the questions...Crickets.
This class represents CWW's brightest & best. I really challenged them to get engaged & get to know their Bibles. Next week's class opens with a fill in of the break down of the Old & New Testaments - the 3 kinds of books in each & then writing out in order the books of the Bible spelled correctly. My wife said that might have been a little much. I disagree...it's not enough.
Somehow I've broken my arm patting myself on the back because my pre schooler knows that David played a harp while allowing my Junior High age girls to be ignorant of what a 'Testament' is.
Today was a wake up call for me as a Parent & a Pastor.

The Death of the Wicked

Romans 1:32

And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

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Proverbs 2:22

But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and they that deal treacherously shall be rooted out of it.

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Proverbs 5:22

His own iniquities shall take the wicked, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.

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Proverbs 10:7

The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

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Proverbs 11:7

When a wicked man dieth [his] expectation shall perish: and the hope of iniquity perisheth.