Check Brother Mike's Post!

I think all of you will be challenged from Brother Mike McCormack's Blog this week. He gives a sad portrayal of how the blessing of God is departing from the United States. I hope you'll got o his blog and let him know that you are appreciating his thoughtful contribution. May God Bless our church. http://maninthepew.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/god-bless-america/

Considering God's Work in the World

So many times as believers we forget our responsibility to the Word of the Lord in other lands. In the scripture, our Lord, in one of His last messages to his followers commands us to be concerned with the Work of the ministry everywhere. Acts 1:8 reads, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Each one of these place names represents a region for believers today. We are to be witnesses in our Jerusalem-Bullhead City area(I use area to make sure everyone knows our community really stretches from Lake Mohave to Needles).

Our Judea is our state-or nearby states. We might make the connection to Arizona, Nevada and California, since Cal and Nev we often visit.

Our Samaria would be compared to reaching out to areas that are not so close. I think practically speaking our Samaria is the United States of America.

What about the uttermost part of the earth? This obviously is the world

Of course, Trinity is greatly concerned about reaching our Jerusalem or our community for Jesus Christ.

We have the opportunity to support our camp which is making a huge impact on lives all over the west. We often give financial support and prayer support to the ministry of International Baptist College in Phoenix. I believe these two minisries are having a huge impact on the West for Christ. I think this covers our Judea pretty well.

What about concern for souls nationwide. Sarah and I support missionaries to the Mormons in Ephraim, Utah. I believe this would be our Samaria concern. Perhaps being involved in "see you at the pole" for our young people would be an opportunity to be concerned about our nation for Christ. Our church prays and supports several Christian colleges that are preparing men and women to serve Christ all over the world. Many of these future servants are preparing to be pastors all over the United States of America.

Finally, we are to be concerned for the world-wide ministry for Christ. God has given us missionaries to support throughout the world. We are currently supporting the Websters ministering for Christ in Canada, as well as the Conners in Mongolia. I believe we need to increase our vision for foreign missions. This summer we have the opportunity to do that as we will be hearing from the Missionary John Kane and his wife who is a missionary to Southeast Asia among the Hmong people. Then, next week Leigh Koerbel's daughter will be with us to share her opportunity for summer missions in the Czech Republic. I hope everyone at Trinity will be in their place to encourage these servants. Not only to lend support throught prayer and financial means, but also to increase your individual vision for reaching a lost world. Let's be there to "be witnesses" in the way Acts 1 charges us.

man in the pew again

This is another try at getting Mike's blog to you through email=here it is.

http://maninthepew.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/living-through-the-barak-obama-presidency/

Man in the Pulpit-New blog by our own Mike McCormack

Hi everyone,
I hope you will check Mike McCormack's new blog. http://maninthepew.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/living-through-the-barak-obama-presidency/

He's posted an interesting article about how we can respond to the Presidency of Obama. It is insigtful, well-studies and challenging. Hope all of you will be there tonight for Part 2 on Satan.

Back to Blogging and Being a Fulltime Pastor

This week is the first week of summer vacation and I'm back at home with a little time to do some things that need to be done-like blogging to the church family. I've got 10 emails that I'm sending the blog posts to. If you got this you are one of those folks. If you don't want to get the email when I creat a new post-then email me or make a comment at the blog that you'd rather not get the email-I'll be ok with it-everyone has their reasons. If you'd like to continue getting the email, I'd appreciate it if you could make a short comment on this post-just so I know you are out there. Here are the directions for commenting:
1. Choose the comment button at the end of the post.
2. Type your comment in the comment box.
3. Type in the word verification
4. Choose the buttone Name/URL
5. Choose preview or publish-if preview then later choose publish and your are finished.
Thanks for doing this!!!! Now for my blog-----

God has been greatly blessing our church recently in many ways. As a working/tentmaking Pastor I have been blessed to see many of you help with the burden of the many tasks that need to be taken care of in our ministry. When we are all working together and sharing the load it really makes a difference. Recently, some of you have pitched in to help greatly with the burden-what a great blessing.

Also, we have been seeing many visitors come through our doors. I challenge all of you to try your best to catch the new folks before they can leave and make them feel welcome. As a small church it really is not the that hard to find the visitors and shake their hand and give a word of encouragement.

Another matter for prayer and concern-is work projects that we'd like to see accomplished. We are praying and discussing the best way to use the funds given in Pastor Ken's name. Please give the men in our church wisdom to help us in this endeavor.

Finally, let us be praying for the summer ministries and activities that we are working on. The minsitry of evangelism, of course, is very important. There are still some fairly regular attendars that we are still not sure of their salvation. Please pray for these ones. We have our camp weeks coming up. Pray for the fundraising activities-which are needed to get everyone that needs to go to camp. God has blessed us in our endeavors. We have actually seen one person come to church who we made contact with at the car wash. Let us also pray for our young people to grow in the Lord and respond to the Gospel while at camp.

If you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to email me about them. I'd also love to hear your comments. In Christ, Pastor Craig

The One and Only Gospel of Jesus Christ

Today we continued our study of Corinthians and we looked at the first part of the 15th chapter. Most people like to call this the definition of the gospel. My Outline consisted of four simple points--1. The Prediction of the Gospel (we looked at prophecty) --2. The Process of the Gospel--3. The Evidence of the Gospel--4. The Practice of the Gospel. The last few verses of this passage helped to make things practical. In verse 8-11, Paul speaks of how he was the least of the Apostles and the most unworthy, "but by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain;" Paul was transformed by the Gospel. He went from persecutor and enemy of God to the greatest influence for the cause of Christ in the New Testament. It was by God's grace. God's amazing grace is the gospel. My vow is to be a gospel preacher no matter what. My goal for our church is that we are a gospel church and no matter what else we do we preach the Gospel. We may disciple, give counsel, teach doctrine, etc. , but we must always be proclaiming the Gospel message amidst everything else we do. Paul, here, emphasizes the Gospel. May we also go forth proclaiming this glorious message wherever we are.

Pastor Kenneth Evins-With the Lord

With joy and sadness I write this tribute to our beloved pastor and my father, Pastor Kenneth Evins, who went to be with Jesus on February 21st, 2009. My dad battled cancer for the last two years, but his time finally came to be in the presence of the Lord. I'll miss my dad. He was a tireless worker who really cared about people. His greatest desire in life was to point people to the Savior. He spent his life in ministry-preaching the Word of God and being a witness for Christ. He loved me unconditionally and was always giving up his desires for mine. Even as an adult, my dad would stop everything to come bail me out of a difficulty I might be having. He always had an answer to the problem and could figure out how to fix anything. We will miss our Pastor. Pastor Ken started Trinity Baptist Church and pastored the church for over 29 years. He also was the first Pastor at Riviera Baptist Church back in 1969. He will be greatly missed by all of us. Today my dad truly can understand his life's verse-Phil 1:6. "Being confident of this very thing. that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ." The Day of Jesus Christ has been fufilled for my dad, Pastor Kenneth Evins.

Salvation In No Other from Spurgeon

Well, it's been a while since I posted. Today, though, in reading from Phil Johnson's blog he posted this excellent article from Spurgeon. It is amazing to read Spurgeon-because sometimes it seems like he is sitting and watching the way of "the church" in American today. The things that he warns about have not changed. Just read this article---it will make you think--

The Intolerance of True Religion
Your weekly dose of Spurgeonposted by Phil Johnson
The PyroManiacs devote some space each weekend to highlights from The Spurgeon Archive.

The following excerpt is from "The Way of Salvation," a sermon preached Sunday morning, August 15, 1858, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.

"Neither is there salvation in any other."

Did you ever notice the intolerance of God's religion? In olden times the heathen, who had different gods, all of them respected the gods of their neighbors.For instance, the king of Egypt would confess that the gods of Nineveh were true and real gods, and the prince of Babylon would acknowledge that the gods of the Philistines were true and real gods: but Jehovah, the God of Israel, put this as one of his first commandments, "Thou shalt have none other gods besides me;" and he would not allow them to pay the slightest possible respect to the gods of any other nation: "Thou shalt hew them in pieces, thou shalt break down their temples, and cut down their groves."All other nations were tolerant the one to the other, but the Jew could not be so. One part of his religion was, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one God;" and as the consequence of his belief that there was but one God, and that that one God was Jehovah, he felt it his bounden duty to call all pretended gods by nicknames, to spit upon them, to treat them with contumely and contempt.

Now the Christian religion, you observe, is just as intolerant as this. If you apply to a Brahmin to know the way of salvation, he will very likely tell you at once, that all persons who follow out their sincere religious convictions will undoubtedly be saved. "There," says he, "are the Mohammedans; if they obey Mohammed, and sincerely believe what he has taught without doubt, Alla will glorify them at last."

And the Brahmin turns round upon the Christian missionary, and says, "What is the use of your bringing your Christianity here to disturb us? I tell you our religion is quite capable of carrying us to heaven, if we are faithful to it."Now just hear the text: how intolerant is the Christian religion! "Neither is there salvation in any other."

The Brahmin may admit, that there is salvation in fifty religions besides his own; but we admit no such thing. There is no true salvation out of Jesus Christ.The gods of the heathens may approach us with their mock charity, and tell us that every man may follow out his own conscientious conviction and be saved.We reply—No such thing: there is no salvation in any other; "for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."Now, what do you suppose is the reason of this intolerance—if I may use the word again? I believe it is just because there is the truth both with the Jew and with the Christian. A thousand errors may live in peace with one another, but truth is the hammer that breaks them all in pieces. A hundred lying religions may sleep peaceably in one bed, but wherever the Christian religion goes as the truth, it is like a fire-brand, and it abideth nothing that is not more substantial than the wood, the hay, and the stubble of carnal error.All the gods of the heathen, and all other religions are born of hell, and therefore, being children of the same father, it would seem amiss that they should fall out, and chide, and fight; but the religion of Christ is a thing of God's—its pedigree is from on high, and, therefore, when once it is thrust into the midst of an ungodly and gainsaying generation, it hath neither peace, nor parley, nor treaty with them, for it is truth, and cannot afford to be yoked with error: it stands upon its own rights, and gives to error its due, declaring that it hath no salvation, but that in the truth, and in the truth alone, is salvation to be found.Again, it is because we have here the sanction of God. It would be improper in any man who had invented a creed of his own, to state that all others must be damned who do not believe it; that would be an overweening censoriousness and bigotry, at which we might afford to smile; but since this religion of Christ is revealed from heaven itself, God, who is the author of all truth, hath a right to append to this truth the dreadful condition, that who so rejecteth it shall perish without mercy; and in proclaiming that, apart from Christ, no man can be saved. We are not really intolerant, for we are but echoing the words of him that speaketh from heaven, and who declares, that cursed is the man who rejects this religion of Christ, seeing that there is no salvation out of him.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."Now I hear one or two persons saying, "Do you imagine then, sir, that none are saved apart from Christ?"I reply, I don't imagine it, but I have it here in my text plainly taught."Neither is there salvation in any other." A man may seek after it and labor after it in his own way, but there he cannot possibly find it, "for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."