Pastor's Vision

Attempting great things for God in 2012!!!

 

William Carey was a missionary in the late 1700’s to the country of India.  William Carey had a motto – “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God”.  With this motto as his guide, God used him William Carey in a great way!  In his 43 years of service in India he translated the Bible into six complete languages.  He translated the New Testament into twenty-two different languages and portions of the Old Testament onto forty different languages.  In addition he was able to bring thousands of people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

 

As another year approaches we want to expect great things from God and attempt great things from God at the Mount Vernon Baptist Temple!!!  We are not satisfied to be content.  While we praise the Lord for past blessings, God has many new blessings waiting for us.  However, it is not enough just to expect great things from God.  We must attempt great things for God! 

 

The Mount Vernon Baptist Temple exists to glorify God!  We do this by seeking to Evangelize the lost, Enrolling people into our Church family, Encouraging them to live for Christ, Educating them in the Word of God, and Equipping them to serve the Lord in the Church!

 

            I encourage you to get involved with the growing ministries of the Mount Vernon Baptist Temple.  Truly it is an exciting place to serve, worship, grow, and fellowship!  We look forward to new blessings as we “attempt great things for God in 2012!”

 

A Happy NEW Year ~ Ten references that can help us get a New start in the New Year:

 

The New Creature

 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” - Galatians 6:15

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  -2 Corinthians 5:17

“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” -1 Corinthians 5:7

The New Spirit

 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:” - Ezekiel 11:19

 The New Man

 “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” -Ephesians 4:24

 The New Commandment

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” - John 13:34

 The New Hope

“…for ye have not passed this way heretofore.  And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. - Joshua 3:4,5,7

 The New Song

“Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.” - Psalm 33:3

The New Promise for a New Day

“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:23

 

 

 

Neglect Not the Baby!

 “The story is told of a christening that was to be held many years ago by a very wealthy European family.  Many guests were invited to the home for the occasion and came in the very latest fashionable garb.  Their wraps and coats were carried to a bedroom and laid upon the beds.  After the usual lot of conversation and commotion, they were ready for the christening ceremony and someone asked, ‘Where is the baby?’  The nurse was sent upstairs to look and returned in alarmed distress.  The baby was nowhere to be found!  After several minutes search someone remembered that the child had last been seen lying on one of the beds, and after a frantic search the little child was found smothered under the coats of the guests (San Jose Mercury News  ).” The entire reason for the ceremony had been forgotten! 

 

As many of you know, this Christmas many will neglect the baby of Christmas. It certainly does not have to be that way.  It is my prayer that each member of MVBT  keep Christ in Christmas!  Here are some practical ways that you can do just that:

 

  1. Pray that souls would be saved during our Christmas services.
  2. Have your family do something for a needy family.
  3. Read the Christmas story before “diving” into the gifts!
  4. Attend the Christmas cantata “The Promised One” and bring a guest!
  5. Take a moment and personally thank God for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and what He means in your life!

 

 

Christmas is a reminder that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was born to die!  Christmas is a celebration of Salvation – Let us not forget! Let us not neglect the baby of the celebration!

 

Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 

 

  

 

Inventory

 Thanksgiving is a time to “take inventory”!

The renown teacher and author Dr. David McLennon tells a story of his very first job in a small town general store. This was the day before mails and supermarket chains at least it was in his community. At age thirteen he was hired as a handy boy. He would sweep the flour, bag items for customers, put up stock. On one particular Saturday, he recalled., he heard the owner say to one of the clerks "It's that time of the year again, it's time to take inventory." Dr. McLennon Wrote that this was a word that had not yet entered into his vocabulary. When an opportune moment arrived, he went up to the kindly older man and asked, Sir, what is an inventory? Patiently the owner explained that it was a time when you made a list of everything that you had--from groceries on the shelves to wrapping paper and string. Still somewhat puzzled, the young McLennon then asked, Why?

"Well, responded the owner, its easy to forget exactly how much you have each year.

Every now and then you have to take an inventory just to see what all you have."

When the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land, Moses wanted to make sure that they did not forget the blessings of the Lord. 

Deuteronomy 8:2 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”

 

Moses wanted the Children of Israel to “take inventory” of the last 40 years.  Moses knew that they would have a tendency to forget…

 

Deuteronomy 8:11 “Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:”

 

Mankind has the same problem today – we have a tendency to forget the blessings of the Lord!  In the hectic, hurried hour in which we live, it is important to take time to remember to “take inventory”.  That is why Thanksgiving is such an important time of year!

I challenge you this Thanksgiving to “Take inventory”!

Pause, ponder and praise the Lord for all of the blessings that He has bestowed upon you! J


“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”

 

 

I found this article very interesting:

 
A church newsletter mentioned a man who visited eighteen different churches on successive Sundays. He was trying to find out what the churches were really like. He said, " I used a scale to rate the reception I received. I awarded points on the following basis:
 
·         10 for a smile from a worshiper
·         10 for a greeting from someone sitting nearby
·         100 for an exchange of names
·         200 for an invitation to have coffee
·         200 for an invitation to return
·         1000 for an introduction to another worshiper
·         2000 for an invitation to meet the pastor
 
   On this scale, eleven of the eighteen churches earned fewer than 100 points. Five actually received less than 20. The conclusion: The doctrine may be biblical, the singing inspirational, the sermon uplifting, but when a visitor finds nobody who cares whether he's here, he is not likely to come back."
 
The Bible says in James 2:1-8:
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
Are ye not then partial in yourselves, …
Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
 
God makes it very clear that we are not to be “partial” to those who may be different than us.  These verses specifically refer to financial differences, however the principle applies in many different ways.  For example, a first time visitor to our church is “different” in that we do not know who they are.  As a result we have a tendency to treat them differently by either not introducing ourselves to them or speaking to them. As a church family, let’s continue to uphold our reputation of being a church that, “…loves our neighbor” as ourselves. 
 
                                                            In Christ,
 
Pastor Bill  ~ 1 John 2:28

 

 Is Your Watch Faithful?

 

“A pastor was once asked to define "Faithful Christians," and this was his

reply: All that I ask is that we apply the same standards of faithfulness to our church activities that we would in other areas of our life. That doesn't seem too much to ask. The church, after all, is concerned about faithfulness.”

 

Consider these examples:

1.            If your watch ticked one time and missed the next, would it be dependable?

2.            If your heart beat one time and missed the next, would it be faithful?

3.            If your child missed every other day at school, would they be affected?

4.            If your engine only hit on half of its cylinders, would it be trustworthy?

5.            If your car started one out of three times, would you consider it faithful?

6.            If the paperboy skipped Monday and Thursdays, would they be missed?

7.            If you didn't show up at work two or three times a month, would your boss call you faithful?

8.            If your refrigerator quit a day now and then, would you excuse it and say, "Oh, well, it works most of the time."

9.            If your water heater greets you with cold-water one or two mornings a week while you were in the shower, would it be faithful?

10.          If you miss a couple of mortgage payments in a year's time, would

your mortgage holder say, "Oh, well, ten out of twelve isn't bad"?

11.          If you miss worship and attend meetings only often enough to show

you're interested but not often enough to get involved, are you faithful?

~ Illustrations Unlimited

 

Inconsistency in any area of life causes problems. Why is it that we realize the importance of faithfulness in every aspect of life except when it comes to spiritual matters? All of us need a reminder now and then about “faithfulness”. We need to be faithful to daily devotions, prayer, the Lord’s House, family devotions, and personal Evangelism. The early Church is our example:

 

Acts 2:42,46-47 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

 

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

 

 

 "He that turneth away his ear."

 

God's Word states in Proverbs 28: 9, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."

 

Why does God place such importance on His words?  Allow me to give you a few reasons:

 

•             Gods Word GUIDES the Christian!

  "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." ~ Psalm 119:105

 

•             God's Word GUARDS the Christian!

 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."  ~ Psalm 119:11

 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." ~ Psalm 119:9

 

•             God's Word GROWS the Christian!

 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable .That the man of God might be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."  ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

 

I am thankful to be a part of a growing, thriving, church that believes that the Word of God is the most important thing that we have.  If marriages are to be strengthened, if lives are to be changed, if souls are to be saved it will be because of the power of the Word of God!

 

Proverbs 28: 9, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."

 

Pretty strong words!  However this warning should not surprise us!  God places a very high value on His words.  2 Timothy 2:16 tells us that God breathed (inspired) every word of the Bible.  Psalm 138:2 states that God has "magnified thy word above all thy name."  And we find in here in Proverbs that a Christian that "turns his ear away" from hearing God's words will not be a blessed Christian.  This verse tells us that at the very least - "even his prayer shall be an abomination." 

 

Be blessed!  Don't forsake the opportunities to hear the law of the Lord in the next few months!  God will bless you for it.  - AMEN!