Category: Faith-Friends

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Well, it looks like I’ll be taking a trip out of the country. I just got word that I have an inheritance of 9.5 million waiting for me in Nigeria. If I follow all of their instructions the fund will be transferred to my account without delay. I have between now and Monday to go down to their offices and sign the fund release order documents. The notice says, “You are also adviced to send us your account informations where you want the fund to be transferred to avoid any wrong transfer.” Plus they encourage me to “higher an accredited attorney.” So it looks like the next few days will be quite busy for me.

Actually, I am already the recipient of a much better inheritance! Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa in Acts 26 included his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. The voice of the Lord said that Paul was being sent to the Gentiles, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:18) More detail is given in Colossians 1:12-14, telling us that the inheritance is not measured in dollars, but in light, “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” After the events of this week and thinking of the intense sorrow of the parents and families of slain students in Virginia, if I were in their shoes I would rather have light than dollars. I pray that those who are grieving who have not trusted Christ for their salvation would have their eyes opened to the light of the truth of the gospel and trust Him.

Continue reading “April 19 – News” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Reading in the book of Job the other day, I was reminded of a particular truth. Even when Job was so terribly afflicted, groaning and weak, he still understood God’s righteousness. He said (in Job 23:10), “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” Do you have that confidence in God’s wisdom and love toward you?

Still looking for some help – several did send me their suggestions, it’s not too late for yours:
I am planning a Sunday evening message series! The aim of the series will be to develop a 6-week Bible study series you can then use with an unsaved friend, neighbor or co-worker. So I’m looking for topics that would resonate with the needs of an unbeliever, but would also address the needs that they truly have as identified in Scripture (today’s “felt” needs are often not what God says people really need – there’s a difference).
Think to yourself, “If I am an unsaved individual what questions do I have that the Bible might answer?” I will address these from Scripture and put together handouts that can be duplicated and used as the basis for a Bible study with the unsaved. The goal is to get people in the Scriptures and point them to a realization of their sin and need of a Savior. The old method of a Doctrine 101 type Bible study – “Who is God?”; “What is the Bible?”; “Who is Jesus Christ?”; etc. requires a level of Biblical awareness that our society no longer possesses. I would like topics that your neighbors would say, “I’ve been wondering about that! Sure, I’d like to meet with you and see what the Bible says about those things.”
Send me your ideas – this will be good for both of us!

Continue reading “April 12 – News” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Please remember to pray for the evangelistic fruitfulness of our Good Friday Service (7pm on April 6th).
On Resurrection Sunday we will have a “Son-Rise” Service at 8am followed by a breakfast; then at 9:30am we will have our regular Family Bible Classes; and at 10:45am our Morning Worship will include the Resurrection musical, “Proclaim Him Lord!” and a message from the Word. We won’t have an Evening Celebration this Sunday.

I would like your help in planning a Sunday evening message series! The aim of the series will be to develop a 6-week Bible study series you can then use with an unsaved friend, neighbor or co-worker. So I’m looking for topics that would resonate with the needs of an unbeliever, but would also address the needs that they truly have as identified in Scripture (today’s “felt” needs are often not what God says people really need – there’s a difference).
Think to yourself, “If I am an unsaved individual what questions do I have that the Bible might answer?” I will address these from Scripture and put together handouts that can be duplicated and used as the basis for a Bible study with the unsaved. The goal is to get people in the Scriptures and point them to a realization of their sin and need of a Savior. The old method of a Doctrine 101 type Bible study – “Who is God?”; “What is the Bible?”; “Who is Jesus Christ?”; etc. requires a level of Biblical awareness that our society no longer possesses. I would like topics that your neighbors would say, “I’ve been wondering about that! Sure, I’d like to meet with you and see what the Bible says about those things.”
Send me your ideas – this will be good for both of us!

A pastor friend of mine wrote to his church family (after reading my FaithFriends e-mail from two weeks ago). It’s good advice!
“I’ve been having trouble concentrating lately – I think I have that attention deficit whatever.”
I think this is what Spring time can really bring about in many of our lives. But I hope it will not be apparent in you this Sunday at our services! You will find that your “attention deficit whatever” will decrease significantly if you would “look toward Sunday” by preparing early. Monitor the activity level of your family on Saturday afternoon and evening. Eat early, get your Sunday clothes ready on Saturday evening, especially if you have one or more young children. Don’t stay up late, but get a good night’s rest. Wake up early enough so that you are not rushed, but spend some time in prayer, the Word of God, and listen to some uplifting Christian music. Get your offering ready before you leave – tithing comes easier this way. Leave 10 minutes earlier than you think you should – this all avoids arguments on the way to church. We have coffee in case you get here too early! I think you get the picture now, and I know it will work for you.

Continue reading “April 5 – News” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Somebody asked me, “How do you respond to a person who comes from a formal church background and asks why the Lord’s Prayer isn’t used at every service?”

My answer: I remember a wise friend telling me one time, “A good idea used all the time becomes a bad idea.” That wasn’t the context of his statement, but I think it applies here. The Lord’s Prayer is one of the more familiar passages of Scripture, often memorized and used with great profit. However, over-use would make it so familiar as to turn it into a meaningless ritual. I believe the value of that portion is to be sure we order our thoughts correctly when we pray, starting with an awareness and acknowledgment of the Lord’s awesome majesty and holiness. I like to personally think through the Lord’s sample prayer as a way of approaching God with the correct mindset – focusing on Him and His will first, rather than my list of wants and/or needs. I don’t lead our church family to quote it every week because I don’t want it to be viewed as a magic chant which might gain favor with God or increase our leverage to get what we want. It’s better that our minds are engaged when we pray and we are speaking what is in our hearts as we communicate with the Lord.

Continue reading “March 29 – News” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

I’m back – after having had a GREAT week at the Pastors Retreat Network retreat in NE Ohio. Janet and I spent a delightful, restful, relaxing, and encouraging week without phone, TV, computer or newspapers. I wanted to just spend a week with the Lord and I did that, reading the Word, praying, reading a bit in a couple of books I brought with me. Just having a week without an agenda, message preparations, or To-Do List was refreshing. I highly recommend it!

Here’s something to think about. I was reading the book of Ezra in “The Message” (Eugene Peterson’s translation/paraphrase). In chapter nine I read this relevant warning: “Don’t cultivate their good opinion [speaking of the pagan people in the land of Israel]; don’t make over them and get them to like you so you can make a lot of money and build up a tidy estate.” I wonder how much effort I put into getting unbelievers to like me instead of being salt and light to a dying and dark world. I wonder if that effort is motivated by a desire to “get along” to make life easier and convenient for me. While reading through the Old Testament so far this year, what I’ve noted is the emphasis that a life lived removed from God is not worth living. Having a strong desire to be close to and obedient to God is what makes life worth living, not money or possessions!

Continue reading “March 22 – News” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Don’t forget – Saturday is the day to set your clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time! We’ll see you bright and early for Family Bible Classes at 9:30 am (although your body will be telling you it’s only 8:30 am). But, cheer up – we’ll be done around noon-ish, but it will only feel like 11 am. Right? Woo-hoo!

Next week Janet and I will be attending a Pastor’s Retreat Network retreat at A Valley View Inn, in New Bedford, Ohio (Amish country, near Sugar Creek). It runs from Sunday night to Friday morning. We will be back home on Saturday afternoon (with our delightful granddaughter, Julianna, Lord willing). Because of that there won’t be an e-mail from me next Thursday. Sorry! If you want to know more about these retreats, check it out at: Click for PastorsRetreatNetwork.org

The following Sunday, March 18th, we will have Missionaries Travis and Becky Gravley with us. He will be ministering the Word in both morning and evening services. I will be teaching the adult Bible class at 9:30 am. They are appointees planning to work with Gypsies in Romania (through Baptist Mid-Missions). You can find out more about them from their blog at: Click for Travis’ blog

Continue reading “March 8 – News” →

Friends of Faith Baptist of North Chili,

Friday (that’s, tomorrow) evening, we’ve scheduled a Family Game Night with our sister church, Bethel Baptist of Bergen. It begins at 7pm and you are encouraged to bring a snack — chips and/or a dessert to share. Hayes Hall will be open for volleyball and basketball, plus we will have a quieter area for board or table games (bring your favorites – no poker!). Something for everyone – active games, quiet games, food and fellowship. Hope to see you here!

Last Sunday night we had a great time with our first “Ask Pastor” service. Let me share one of the questions and answers: “When it comes to salvation, is faith a work?” We confidently assert that we are saved by God’s grace through faith and that it is not (at all) of works. So, when we preach that God does all of the saving–all you need to do is believe, are we making belief a work or activity on which our salvation depends?
My answer to that question was that faith (the verb form of that word is translated “trust” or “believe”) is not a stand-alone concept. We speak of faith, but it is always faith IN something (or someone). Genuine salvation is based on faith in Christ (see Galatians 2:16 “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”)
So, my point is that if our faith, trust or confidence is in Jesus Christ, then we are not trusting our works or human effort to gain righteousness and eternal life. However, if we are trusting our trust, or if our faith is in our faith, then we are depending on human effort (trust) for our salvation. So, trust Christ, not your faith and you will be justified according to God’s Word. I also believe that Ephesians 2:8 states that even our faith is a gift from God, so it is error to think like we can personally generate a faith that has some magical ability to justify. Jesus Christ justifies – trust Him!

Continue reading “March 1 – News” →

Faith Friends is a weekly information memo from Faith Baptist of North Chili. It usually includes a devotional thought, a humorous story or two and then a quick snapshot of the coming Sunday’s ministry of the Word.