RETURN TO THE LORD

The next three weeks at WBC will be about returning to the Lord.  The time is now!  We can no longer live in a religious idealism that hopes some day things will change.  We must return now.  God has gone to great lengths to give us the opportunity for forgiveness, holiness and righteousness.  We must be willing to move back towards him.  This means repentance.  Repentance is acknowlegding our sin and going in the opposite direction towards God.   As we fast and pray over the next few weeks, may God work in us in new and fresh ways.  We must make room for him in our lives and be willing to listen and obey what he shows us.  

Are you open to hearing from the Lord.  Remember pray for personal holiness, our church and those people you have identified as needing Christ.  Come pray at the church, pray at home, pray with your families.  RETURN TO THE LORD!

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. 

 It is what we have been called to do.  Prayer and fasting should be in the fabric of our existence.  Unfortunately it is an occasional if not a nonexistent part of our Christian walk.  On February 28 we will put back into our vocabulary and our practice; Prayer and Fasting. 

As Pastor of Williamstown Baptist Church I have been challenged and am challenging our church to return to the Lord.  We will be praying specifically for 3 things:  Personal Holiness, Our Church, and Lost people.  

God is calling His church back to holiness and purity that call includes us.  It is time for the people who are called by His name to be humble, repentant and seek the face of God. 

God is at work in Williamstown Baptist Church.  In the past months I have encountered exciting converstation, dreams, hopes, actions of God's people.  I have sensed an excitement and desire for God to move here at WBC in a new and powerful way.  I recently had the opportunity to lead our Wednesday prayer meeting and heaven came down.  I havent prayed with others like that in a long time.  We are planning a mission trip to Michigan and the excitement I hear about that is very motivating and exciting.  Because of all of this we must spend time together praying and seeking God.  As God moves among us we must seek and consult Him.  May we only do what he as purposed.  Join us as we pray for our Church!

God sent His son so that we might live.  He sent His son for the forgiveness of sin.  We live among a people who do not know Christ.  We live among people who are lost and headed for a Christless eternity. namely Hell.  Join us as we pray for specific friends, family members and others who are not follower of Christ.

Prayer and Fasting.  February 28 - March 20.  21 Days of returning to the Lord.  Join us!

To hear more about our effort come to WBC on February 27 as we begin our return to the Lord.

I write this morning hopeful.  We have another week to serve the Lord.  It will present itself with unique opportunities to minister, show love, care, share the gospel.  This week will also present opportunities to overcome and live our lives well.  We have been preaching through Romans and the last two weeks we have talked about sanctification. 

God cares about our sanctification as much as he cares about our salvation.  Sanctification is God working in our lives after we are saved so we will live for Him.  Paul alludes to this in Philippians 2:12 when he talks about “working out your salvation with fear and trembling.” 

I know I have been challenged in my own life and how well I am working out the salvation that I cherish so much.  We really live in a way that the choices we make define our success or failure.  Certainly this week we will be tempted and given opportunity.  We must be ready.  We must allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us and empower us to work out our salvation well.

Please Join me in this prayer:

Father in heaven, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, we rely on your Spirit to empower us to live our lives well.  We want to know you, follow you and please you.  We also want to experience your love, care and desire for us.  We need you to go before us and light our path; we need you to strengthen us, and may our greatest joy this week be in you.  Whatever you allow to come our way, we want to be ready to choose you.  Forgive us when we choose ourselves and empower us to change.   We thank you for your love, your holiness and your greatness.  May we live great lives for you!  Amen

As I grow older and attempt to understand the world in a more full way I have come to understand that what I believe about God is in many ways connected to how I live my life.   If i have an understanding of God that is a small unintersted, distant being then my day to day life is not motivated in the least to please him, live for him or really acknowledge him.  If in contrast I have a large view of God, that is I see him in all his splendor and understand his love, justice, mercy, holiness and his sense of being other than me, I can then begin to "Live" for him.  Paul says in Romans that we have been buried with Christ in his death and given new life in his resurrection. 

I wonder how this effects our lives?  If God is my Genie in a bottle or simply acknowledge him only when I need him then I am doomed.  I haven't a new life, nor a new existence or the power of his spirit.  However if I desire newness, fresheness and a sense of new living, new wants, new priorities then it will start with my understanding of God and his magnificent work on the Cross in Jesus Christ.   You see if I am aloof to the truth of God, then my life is aloof from him and his power. 

The challenge then is to gain understanding, knowledge and the power of God.  How do I do that?  I pray, I read, I allow God's presence to invade my space. I participate in his church.  I allow God to interrupt my selfishness, I allow the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, convict.  I do these things because I know that God is BIG and I am not.  

Live in the presence of a big God and life can be lived in a new way.  Behold all things have become new.  Not because of my religiosity but because of his greatness.