Category: Church

A Romans 5.20 Church

It Multiplied

 

Today I share with you a video that says so much.  You will laugh, and you may need that today!  You might even be reminded of that “Billy” you have or had in SS class! He may even be living in your home (Ha!).  At the end of the video, you will probably shed a tear or two.  The underlying message is powerful because as our children at BCBC love to sing, “Our God is so big . . . .”

Billy and My God Is So Big

Job 11:7

Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?

Romans 11:33

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Isaiah 40:18-26 

¹⁸ To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

¹⁹ The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

²⁰ He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

²¹ Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

²² It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

²³ That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

²⁴ Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

²⁵ To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Psalm 100: 1-5   Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

What an awesome day the Lord gave us yesterday at Boones Creek Bible Church!!  Here are some highlights for His Glory:

Sunday AM

• Studying Nehemiah 9 in Sunday School and the AM service.
• Seeing the evidence of God’s grace displayed in folks who have gone through a tough week yet were in attendance to worship our God.
• The 4-5 year old Sunday School class’s ministry at the beginning of the AM service.
• The precious children in Pastor’s Pals
• Congregational singing with a full choir of men:  “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Before the Throne of God,” and “Almighty, Unchangeable God”
• The music ministry of “Hide Away in the Love of Jesus,” “Before the Throne” and “Blessed Assurance”
• The congregation standing to read Psalms 145:14 – 150:6 and their response of hands raised, hearty amens, conviction and joy!
• The congregation’s sharing of praises after reading the Scripture!
• The impromptu singing of “There’s Just Something About that Name!” and “Amazing Grace”
• The collective joy of worshiping in response to the public reading of Scripture was awesome!!
• One individual said in a very deliberate tone upon leaving the service, “The service could have just gone on!  I was truly looking for the rapture! I thought it was going to happen just any minute!”
• Time was not an issue as the presence of the Lord was so evident!

Truly, we were able to say, “What a Savior!” rather than “What a service!”    To God be the glory!!!!

Looking back over this weekend, all I can say is, “How great is our God!”  Here are some of the highlights as we rejoice in God’s goodness:

• The great outpouring of love and affection shown to Allison and Andrew via their wedding shower at BCBC on Saturday!  Thanks to a wonderful, gracious church family!!  An additional blessing was having Denise’s mom and two sisters here as well as Andrew’s parents and sister.
• Watching teen boys come to the church gym Saturday afternoon to play basketball and study God’s Word!
• Leading one of the Senior Saints SS classes in the study of Nehemiah 7.  Also, to hear their prayer requests and how they had seen God work in their lives last week.
• All the precious children at BCBC as they participated in Pastor’s Pals.  What a special treat to see my buddies from Florida!
• Congregational singing was awesome!  To stop after the second stanza of “To God Be the Glory” and listen to folks share what great things He had done was such a blessing!  To hear the men sing with such power on “Before the Throne of God” was another thrill as was “Have You Heard About Jesus?” as Denise and Allison reminded us that the Gospel is the best news we will ever hear!!
• As always, observing The Lord’s Supper was a very special time.  What a joy to see one of the children’s SS classes seated on the altar step watching up close what they had just learned in Sunday School.  Then, to see the deacon’s serving them was extra special.
• To see new believers participate in the service!!!   They used to not sing, now they sing with a glow on their countenance that mirrors their heart!  They used to not listen intently to the preached Word, not they are hanging onto  every word!  That’s exciting!!!
• The joy of hearing God’s people pray for lost souls in the evening service as they joined in small groups.
• To watch the folks at BCBC serve the Lord wholeheartedly and with a “big towel”!!

There is so much more to share, but suffice it to say, “To God be the glory, great things He has done!”  So, as you go through this day, be the “worship leader” that God has made you to be so others will receive the right opinion of Who God is and will join you in praise and worship of our great God either as unbelievers coming to Christ in salvation or believers doing here what we will be doing in Heaven!!

Psalm 103:1-5, 20-22   Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. 21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. 22 Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

September 1, 1984, was my first introduction to Neyland Stadium.  Denise and I had moved to Graysville, TN, in May 1984, to serve in our first pastorate.  All summer long, the anticipation grew for opening game of the UT Football season!  “Preacher, you don’t want to miss it!  You’re gonna go with with us!  You’ve never seen anything like it before!”  Sure enough, that much anticipated Saturday arrived and car loads of men headed for Knoxville to watch UT vs. Washington State.  It rivaled the beginning of hunting season! We arrived in plenty of time to enjoy all the pre-game festivities and stayed for the duration of the game which UT won 34-27.  I was introduced to the checker-boards, John Ward on radio, the T, the blue-tick hound dog, Rocky Top, 105,000 screaming fans and some good football!  I must admit, it was pretty exciting!  After fighting the traffic, we finally got home around 2:30 on Sunday morning very tired.  Within a few short hours, I was up and at the church “trying to be on top of my game,” but that was downhill battle. J

Last night, several of us drove anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.15 minutes to Central Baptist Church, Greeneville, TN, to participate in their meetings with the Herbster Evangelistic Team.  An addition to the meetings for last night only was one of the best children’s preachers in the world, Mr. Bob Roberts, founder of Kids4Truth!  Wanting our folks, and especially our children, to participate in these meetings, we cancelled our own services.  We arrived in plenty of time to greet some the CBC folks and make our way into the auditorium.  There we were able to join in with others singing testimonial songs of praise to God; to hear the music ministry of the team;  to listen to the choir challenge us to be careful to not call Christ, Lord, and refuse to serve Him; to express our heart through “amen’s” and “praise the Lord’s”;  to hear the strong preaching of God’s Word; to see folks respond to the altar call; to fellowship with some friends we haven’t seen in a long time; to celebrate in the 40^th birthday surprise for Mark and Mike Herbster; to just be with God’s people from all over, many that we had never met before, all gathered there to sing, cheer, listen, and “root” for the “home team!”

In the beginning of the service last night, Pastor Abbey of CBC, welcomed us and thanked us for driving so far to be with them in the service.  The thought occurred me, “Drive far?  We didn’t drive far.  It’s no trouble.  Why, I know folks who drive further and stay longer for a football game in Knoxville!”  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to my share of UT football and basketball games and was glad I went.  But, making preparation, driving the distance, and participating in the service around eternal things was really a joy; it was exciting!  We are on the winning team for all eternity!  I’ve watched our team win all day.  I experienced the joys of victory tonight!

When the UT Vols scored, radio announcer John Ward would triumphantly exclaim, “He’s at the 15, the 10, the 5, TOUCHDOWN Tennessee!  Give him SIX!!”  Last night, due to the powerful work of God, we could triumphantly exclaim, “Give Him praise!”  Hey, it’s worth the preparation, the drive and the extra time!!

Read Psalm 147:1-11