Pastor’s Ponderings
“Building Christ Church”
The Gospel of Mark is heating up. In the last few weeks we have seen Jesus tell His disciples that He will go to Jerusalem, be delivered to the religious leaders, suffer, and die. He also told them he will rise again.
But a very key feature of the book is the ministry Jesus chooses in the final months leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. He now avoids crowds, performs few miracles, and spends extra time with his followers. Why? He’s preparing the disciples to lead His church after He is gone, by teaching and discipling them.
It is interesting to look in Scripture at the terms “disciple” and “Christian.” The words “disciple” and “disciples” occur almost 260 in the New Testament, while the word “Christian” occurs but 3 times.
John Piper said, “People need to become Christians, and people need to be taught how to think and feel and act as a Christian. That is a disciple.”
Our hymns often reflect this thought. We sing of nearness to Christ in “I Am Thine, O Lord” and “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” We sing of being like Christ in the hymns “O to Be like Thee!” and “I Want to Be like Jesus.”
But how does this come about? I believe the most effective way to make disciples is the way Jesus did it: by teaching Biblical truths and expanding personal relationships. At the end of His ministry, Jesus called the disciples “friends.”
We will accomplish this at Calvary by launching a new ministry in 2022, Relational Discipleship. It will be very small at first, but every time a few go through the process, they can turn around and teach it to others, who will do the same (2 Timothy 2:2). We will announce more as we get closer to the new year.
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We are excited about the lineup for guest preachers during October. Make ever effort to attend Sunday nights in October, as these men open God Word for us!
October 3 our own Dr. Carl Baugh will bless us with a sermon. Dr. Baugh is the founder of the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose and a longtime defender of the faith. He has a grasp of the Bible and science as very few do. He has been on television and was featured in the 2016 documentary Finding Noah.
Evangelist J. C. House will be our speaker on October 10. He has been in the ministry over 50 years and is faithfully serving God. He speaks regularly at Faith Promise Mission meetings and has preached all over the country.
Jonathan Stewart is the President of Norris Bible Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth. He served as a pastor for many years and now heads up the seminary which is in its 38th year. He will preach on the 17th.
Our final speaker will be Evangelist Alan Harris. He has been traveling full-time since 1982. He is also a gifted vocalist who has toured with many of the Gaither Homecoming Friends. His sermon on the 24th will conclude the preaching.
But the evening service on the 31st will also be special. It will be singing from start to finish! We hope you will make a special effort to be here every Sunday night in October.
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For the past couple of months we have not livestreamed our services. We have recorded and posted them later on our Facebook and YouTube pages. Bro. Matthew has been working on the internet signal, and beginning Oct 3, we will again be streaming our Sunday morning and evening services live. So tune in at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. for our LIVE services!
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A couple of weeks ago Bro. Andrew Lawrence sat down with me and said he believed God was moving him out of his current ministry position at Calvary. It is always tough when this happens. Please keep him and his family in your prayers as well as Calvary!
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I am so grateful for the faithful volunteers at Calvary Baptist Church. So many ministries would die were it not for the faithful men and women who bless us in so many ways.
To those of you who faithfully serve, often unnoticed, thank you for your faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. We love you!
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I have asked from the beginning for you to pray for me and my family in five areas. Thank you for doing so, and please continue to plead with God that I would have:
1) Courage
2) Wisdom
3) Strength
4) Victory
5) Vision