God Is Working

Today we worked again getting everyone's car ready for the summer.  We have 16 young people signed up to attend Camp Ironwood.  We are excited to see God do some big things next week.  Camp is a great place for young people to get right with God and make commitments to serve the Lord.  Please pray that God works in the lives of each one attending next week.

Thanks Out of Town Friends

This year we've had three guest preachers from our camp, Camp Ironwood.  Thanks, Joe and Aricka Hansen, Alan Cover and Scott Olson.  You've been a blessing to all of us.  This summer we are looking forward to see what God has planned for our church.  We need folks to help with the work of the ministry.  Let us pray that God would raise up men and women that want to make a difference for Christ.

Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

This verse is one that challenged me- peace to them that love thy law and nothing shall offend them. This week Caleb was diagnosed with Leukemia.  So, we are now in the greatest trial of our lives.  Today while reading the largest chapter of the Bible I was knocked over with this verse 65.  I asked, " Lord, may I continue to love thy law and believe that you are a great, merciful and loving God.   May I continue to live out the life of a follower of Christ."  I'v struggled the last few days.  To be honest, I'm not sure that I have always truly taken hold of the phrase "nothing can offend them."  My faith has been stretched.  But, the outpouring of fellow believers and their promises of prayer have been powerful.  Just the rush of each one of the praying friends to our time of need has been excellent.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

This Sunday is our Resurrection Celebration.  That is what it should be.  Easter Sunday at Trinity Baptist Church is a time of worship.  We will first, meet at 6:30 am to remember just how great the sacrifice that was made when our Lord Jesus went to the cross and gave up his life.  Then at 11:00 we will worship and celebrate all of Christ's work.  We will end with remembering the Resurrection.  "If Christ be not raised' our faith is void. "If Christ be not raised" where is our Savior?  He is Risen brother and sisters!  Let's celebrate on Sunday!

Our Hebrew History

We enjoyed Brother Richard Hill and his Jewish Seder presentation.  How interesting to see the likenesses and parallels made between the Passover  celebration and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We experienced the bitter herbs and the horseradish spread and then the sweet contrast of the apples and cinnamon.  What an interesting way to experience the feel of what the Children of Israel experienced as they left Egypt for the promised land.  Then we saw the way the blessing of the unleavened bread reminded us of the work of Jesus Christ.  How exciting it was to see how the experience of the Hebrew children helped prepare the world for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us from our sins.  I somehow feel a bit more ready for the Passover/Resurrection Season.   Sunday we will begin a series of messages that will helps us be better prepared to share the wonderful message of Jesus Christ. 

Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah

The last two weeks we've been studying the most outstanding Kings of Israel.  We looked at Jehoshaphat (II Chronicles 17-19) last week and Hezekiah (II Kings 18,19)  this week.  These men were both two of the best kings of the Southern Kingdom of Israel-that of Judah.  Each of these men made great contributions to the people of Israel.  They both were known for directing their people to serve God.  Both of them destroyed idols and tried to follow the Lord in worship.  Jehoshaphat was the King who loved souls.  He tried to bring everyone around him to the Lord-even a wicked King.  He was unsuccessful in bringing wicked King Ahab to God-but in the scripture I think we can see his heart for helping people to know God.  He was a good example for all of us.  Would that we had the heart for souls like Jehoshaphat and that we would have the discernment and closeness to God like Hezekiah. 

Hezekiah was a strong King.  One all of us fathers can learn from.  He also cared about bringing his people to God, but went a step further than Jehoshaphat and destroyed all of the high places.  He destroyed the idols and then made it so the people would no longer worship idols by destroying the places where the idols were worshipped.  But, perhaps the greatest key of his character was that in the King James Bible it tells us that his heart "clove" to the Lord.  This means he clung to the Lord and loved the Lord with all his heart.  Hezekiah was a strong King because he had a personal relationship with God.  How his relationship came in handy when he had to stand down the wicked King of Assyria.  He stayed strong and trusted the Lord to protect his Godly Kingdom in the way His God would see fit.  Then, Hezekiah sat back and watched God directly and miraculously destroy the Assyrian army with His own hand.  May we learn from the good King Hezekiah and seek a perosnal relationship with God by making God's Word a part of our daily life. 

Singing in Church and Musical Skill

Congratulations to three of our high school kids-Andy Dell, Caleb and Jeanette Evins.  All three of these talented musicians qualified for the Northwest All-Region Honor Choir and Band.  In fact, Andy and Caleb finished as the 2nd chair for Bass and Tenor with Jeanette scoring higher than all Sopranos in the Region. 

Although, these three have had many musical experiences outside of church, much of their musical talent has been honed and encouraged with all the singing they have done in the church.  Each Sunday we stop and praise the Lord in song and with musical instruments.  Our goal is to glorify the Lord.  Andy, Caleb and Jeanette have been doing this for many Sundays at Trinity Baptist Church and now help to lead us in worship.  May God bless their talents as tools to help others know our Savior Jesus Christ.

Great Missions Emphasis Sunday with the Cunninghams

What a great Sunday we had as Art and Debbie Cunningham ministered to us here at Trinity Baptist.  Brother Art ministered to us from the Word challenging us about the Great Comission as well as encouraging us to keep strong during the dark times.  We were blessed and greatly encouraged in the Lord.  God is Good all of the time and knows our needs.  We look forward to hearing Dr. Tetreau this Sunday as well. 

Using the Bible to Attack Racism and Justify Non-Violent Protest

Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail is an amazing example of a man using the Bible to point out racism and justify protest against grossly unjust policies.  If you haven't ever read through this, perhaps today is good day to.  I find it his most inspiring work.  Although not all of King's Theology can I agree with-his way of using the Bible to help stop social injustice is excellent in this document.

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

New Info for 2012

Take a look at the blog for updates.  There is a new memory verse for 2012 as well as some updates concerning things happening at Trinity Baptist Church.  This Sunday, January 8th we will be listening to one of the great old fashioned preachers of our day, Ron Comfort on video as he preaches on the rapture.  Pastor Craig will continue a series about Christ in the Old Testament.  On Sunday night we'll be finishing up the Mormon scrapbook.  Hope everyone can be there to encourage one another in the Lord. 

A New Beginning in 2012

I really do like New Year's Day. For nothing more than it is a place to start. It is a place to begin something new and put aside the old. We can always justify making a change in our lives on New Year's Day. So, the question for all of us at Trinity Baptist Church is what should be new for us in 2012? I wonder what the Lord has in store for all of us that are striving to do God's will in 2012. Maybe 2012 will bring a new way of reaching out to our community. Perhaps our God will bring people into our midst brothers and sisters in Christ that will inspire us to be stronger in our outreach! Let us pray for power, wisdom, love and growth. Although, I am daily thankful for everyone at TBC and their encouragement and love, I know that our body of believers could do so much more. Paul gives us great inspiration in the book of Philippians for a time like New Year's.
Philippians 3:13-14

13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
So on this New Year's Eve-I challenge my brothers and sisters to "forget the behind, reach forth to what is before and press to the mark." Its God year this 2012. God has been good and we have seen in particular young men and women be drawn to the Saviour in 2011. Let us look to our God for the way in 2012!

How Satan Tried to Steal Christmas

We all love the holiday classic-"How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  I'm talking about the cartoon that I watched as a kid and with my children every year for many years.  I'll never forget the low bass singer singing "you're a mean one Mister Grinch."  You know the story-he goes to Whoville to steal everything related to the Christmas celebration.  In the end he is charmed by Cindy-Lou Who and saves Christmas for all.  The Grinch did everything he could to steal away the joy of Christmas for the folks of Whoville.  Well, Satan did everything he could to take away the true reason for Christmas.  We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  Satan tried his best to put up roadblocks to stop the birth and life of the Savior.  Today we remembered three obstacles to the life of Christ. 

First, the importance of God fulfilling his promise to David that the Messiah would be one of his offspring.  Well, Satan caused many of David's offspring to be very wicked, so wicked that the wicked King Coniah was cursed that none of his offspring qualify to be the Messiah.  God's plan would make sure that Jesus would be the son of David and that the curse of Coniah would be fulfilled.  It happened that Jesus would be in the line of both Mary's lineage and Joseph's.  Coniah was promised you will be "childless" for the Messiah of which he was, as Mary's lineage was through David's son Nathan and not the legal line of Solomon.  God's plan was preserved as his plan remains true for each and every one of us every day.

Second, Mary was virgin born.  To many of the day this was very hard to accept.  God did a miracle as Mary was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 7:14).  There must have been rumours of a stoning as that was the punishment for unmarried pregnancies.  Joseph was told by God in a dream that this baby was unique and special.  He remained true to his betrothed and God's plan was fulfilled.  Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.  Satan's plan was thwarted.

Third, the baby Jesus was saved from a murder by the wicked King Herod.  The three Godly wise men refused to give in to Herod and give him details of the whereabouts of the baby Jesus.  Joseph reacted quickly to take his family to Egypt to avoid the baby killings that would happen in Bethlehem.  Again, God's perfect plan was fulfilled.  Satan tried and failed.  He tried to stop the redemption plan and failed.  He tried every day to distract us from serving our God.  He tries to use trials to cause us to doubt.  Christian- Satan has already failed.  Trust Christ as Savior and let him rule your life.  Don't let Satan steal Christmas!

Christmas Carols and the Gospel

This week our young people at Trinity have Christmas concerts nearly every day.  Actually there was one Monday, last night and each week night of the rest of the week.  I'll be Christmas caroling with two different clubs here in the next week and our youth group will carol on Monday evening.  One could easily tire of hearing Christmas carols.  My daughter Jeanette mentioned this very attitude to me this week.  But, with a Evangelistic mindset, Christmas is the greatest time for the Gospel.  All you have to do is sing (usually) the last verse of our most treasured Christmas Carols.  Take Silent Night-
Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God, loves' pure light.  Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace.  Jesus Lord at the birth, Jesus Lord at the birth.   


Redeeming grace is the hallmark of the Gospel.  Christmas is a great time to comment on this verse and the redeeming grace.  This is an easy transition to a Gospel witness of Christ to the unsaved.

Take The First Noel and the last verse:
Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, That hath made heav'n and earth of naught, And with His blood mankind hath bought. 
Here we read of God being the creator and His reaching down and shedding his blood to buy back our eternal redemption.  Wow!  I challenge you to take some time to share the last verse of a Christmas carol to someone this week.  It is like a Gospel Tract sent from World and American Cultural History.  :)  
Tomorow more Gospel Carol Last Verses.

Sunday is Mongolia Day

This Sunday we are excited to have our missionaries, the Conners,to the land of Mongolia.  After serving the Lord nearly 20 years they have retired to Flagstaff, Arizona and are looking forward to new ways of service for God.  We hope to continue to be involved in their endeavors whatever they may be.   Sunday Brother Dick will be here to  preach and encourage us in the Word.  We pray that you can be here. 

Celebrating the Birth of the King

Trinity Baptist Church will be celebrating Christmas this year with a special youth program on December 18th and a special Christmas Day Celebration on the 25th.  We welcome everyone to come and join us as we celebrate the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our services will begin at 11:00 am each day.

Giving Thanks

I love  Thanksgiving.  It is a truly American holiday that emphasizes the importance of our Christian history.  It is without dispute that the first Americans were Bible believers and sought to come to America so they could more freely worship the God of the Bible.  We look back on the Pilgrims and realize their hard work, sacrifice and commitment to the new life that they had chosen in America.  But, they had come because they wanted to more freely worship, so it was all worth it.  The Pilgrims relationship with their God was all-important.

The first Thanksgiving was a celebration to God's goodness for helping them to survive.  They could have dwelled on the hardships and hard times that they went though, but instead gave thanks to His goodness.

We need to have the same attitude this week.  As America gives thanks and celebrates the good things God has given them, so should we give thanks to the God of our salvation and all the good gifts that are from above.

Thanks, Dr. Bob, for the encouraging words

We were privileged to have Dr. Bob Jones III, from Bob Jones University with us last Monday, November.7th.  He was a blessing.  

Mrs. Jones also blessed with an encouraging dramatic reading.  It challenged the hearts of our young people for mssions.

The music was excellent, the fellowship was great and the preaching was encouraging.  One day we are looking forward to seeing some of our young people go on to attend BJU.  It is one of a few excellent Christian colleges in our land that takes a stand for Christ and is not ashamed of the Gospel.  This Sunday we pray that God would use each one of us to minister to each other.  We can encourage one another in the fellowship and just in each other's presence.

Evangelism in the City

October 21st and 22nd our church had the opportunity to share God's Word with our town.  We held an open air booth at the Hardyville Days.

Several of us spent time passing out Gospel Tracks and sharing the Good Test.  Many were challenged about their sin problem and exhorted to be made righteous before their God.  What a blessing to share the message of Jesus to our City.

Dr. Bob Jones III to speak at Trinity Baptist

Monday, November 7th, we are excited to have Dr. Bob Jones III with us for a special meeting at 7:00 pm.  He will be traveling with Beneth, his wife as well as two musicians who will be blessing us with some excellent special music.  This is the second time Dr. Bob will have spoken at our church.   The last times was back in the 80's.  Dr. Bob has travelled widely and preached in many foreign countries along with most states in the United States.  We'll be having a dinner provided by the church at 6:00 pm.  We hope everyone will invite their friends to this important event.  Our church is located at 1941 Havasupai Dr.  Just review the blog to find directions to our church. 

Are Christians Arrogant?

Read this excellent article that answers this important questions for skeptics.  Christian shouldn't be arrogant, but we should be confident in truth.  We should be thankful for being freed from sin.  We should be lovingly sharing the great Gospel that is the only way of salvation.

How can Christians say Jesus is the only way to God?

Isaiah 45:21
"There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me."
John 14:6
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

---

How can Christians be so sure they're right and everyone else is wrong? Isn't that arrogant?Logically, it's not possible for all the major world religions to be valid ways to God. As seen in the verses above, Christianity states that the God of the Bible is the only true God and salvation is only possible by accepting Christ as Savior and Lord. Judaism states that the God of the Torah/Old Testament is the only true God, but that Jesus is not the Messiah, putting it directly at odds with Christianity. Jesus either is the Messiah, or he is not. If he is, Judiasm is not a valid way to God; if he is not, Christianity is not a valid way to God. The mutual exclusion only grows when other religions are added: Islam says that Allah is the only true God, and that anyone who says Christ is the Son of God will be condemned (Qur'an, 5:72, 9:30). Furthermore, if religions other than Christianity are valid ways to God, then one of Christianity's basic principles is false; in that case, can it still be said to be a valid, trustworthy religion? (See also 1 Cor 15:14-19.)
No matter what belief system you adopt, you will be saying that your system is right and that the billions of people who don't accept it are wrong. If Islam is correct, the billions of non-Muslims are wrong; if Orthodox Judiasm is correct, the billions of Gentiles are wrong. If it is correct to approve of multiple belief systems because they're all valid ways of acheiving spiritual enlightenment, the billions of Christians, Jews, Muslims and others who belive in exclusive religions are intolerant and therefore wrong.
How can Christians be sure their religion is the right one? Being born into a Christian family or growing up in a Christian community doesn't make one a Christian; culture and ethnicity don't determine one's relationship with God. Instead, people become Christians because they are convinced of the truth of Christianity and/or have had experiences with God - in short, they have good reasons for believing Christianity to be true. (See the testimonies of people who have become Christians.) Also, Christians are not saying that their personal ideas are true, but that the Christian God exists, andhis words are true.
Furthermore, Christianity is unique among religions because it addresses the fact that we can never be good enough to be in the presence of a perfect, holy God. In order to be perfectly good, we would have to be doing good all the time. If we do something wrong, we can't undo it, and we can no longer be considered perfect. Nor can we do more good to make up for our wrongs, for perfection requires doing the most good possible at all times - we can't be more than perfect to make up for when we're less than perfect. Other religions teach that we can somehow do enough good to earn heaven or nirvana, but they don't address the fact that we continually make mistakes. Christianity teaches that our sins were paid for by Jesus' death on the cross, and that by accepting his payment and believing in him we can be forgiven; we don't have to earn our way into heaven, which is a good thing, because we can't do it. Christ is the only way to God, because without the forgiveness that comes through his death and resurrection, there's no way for us to be able to stand before a holy God.
Saying that Christianity is right does not mean that Christians themselves are right about everything, or that they are innately superior to non-Christians. What Christianity teaches is that both Christians and non-Christians "have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) and need salvation, which comes only by the grace of God, not the individual's actions or merits (Eph 2:8-9, 1 Cor 1:26-31).
Christianity is intolerant of other beliefs
Is refusing to call a belief false always the right thing to do? For instance, is it right to say that racism and Nazism are simply alternate belief systems that we shouldn't pass judgment on, or should we condemn these beliefs as being morally wrong? If someone believes they have the right to rape or kill whomever they please, should we accept their beliefs as an alternate lifestyle, or denounce them? Tolerance is an admirable virtue in many circumstances, but tolerating wrong by refusing to say it's wrong is in itself wrong. If Christianity is true, then there is only one God and salvation comes only through Him, and religions that deny this are not merely alternate forms of spiritual expression, but systems of belief that prevent their adherents from obtaining salvation. If Christ is in fact the only way to God, then to claim that he's not is both false and dangerous. If someone has a fatal disease, telling them that they don't need to seek medical treatment is wrong. If someone can only have salvation by accepting Christ as their Savior, telling them they don't need to accept Christ is even more wrong, no matter how tolerant or well-meaning it may seem to be.
Christianity is exclusive - those outside the church aren't saved
First of all, would a religion that taught that everyone goes to heaven be a good religion? We would all like to think that we and our loved ones will go to heaven. Yet if everyone automatically goes to heaven, this includes evil people as well as good people. Should an unrepentant killer go to heaven? Should someone who enjoys torturing people, or who molests children and feels no guilt, go to heaven? If not, then there are cases when it's morally right for people to be excluded from heaven.
Christianity does not teach that only Christians deserve to go to heaven. Rather, it teaches that no one deserves to go to heaven, because we have all done wrong during our lives (Rom 3:23). We can gain admittance to heaven by repenting of our wrongs, accepting Jesus Christ's death as payment for our wrongs and deciding to follow and worship him as Lord. The principle is that Jesus is the only way to God, not any particular church or denomination (Jn 6:40). Thus, salvation is accessible to everyone and is intended by God for everyone:

Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth. (Is 45:22)I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone...This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. (1 Tim 2:1, 3-6)

(See also Is 49:6, 52:10, Rev 5:9.) Indeed, there are people "from every nation, tribe, people and language" who will be saved (Rev 7:9). Thus, far from being exclusive, Christianity is inclusive. Anyone who chooses to accept Christ as Lord and Savior is a Christian and has equal standing with all other Christians before God.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26-28)