Penrose, Colorado Missions Conference

Greetings all.  We had a fine week.  We were at Penrose Baptist Church (Pastor Keith Bates) from Monday the 24th to Friday the 28th.  We thank God for the hospitality of churches like Penrose Baptist Church. 

I addition to having the honour of presenting we also got to hear other missionaries; one from Mexico, one from Colorado, and one from Wales--yes, Wales.  We had a great time.

Canyon wall along I-70, west of Denver.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

On Sunday we had our first meeting in the state of Utah.  We were in Salt Lake City with Anchor Baptist Church and Pastor Randy Love for their evening service.  We had a precious time in the Word of God.  I was wishing that I had more time to spend with Pastor Love as he had been to the Canadian province of Newfoundland this past summer and was very burdened with the lack of sound Baptist churches, or even un-sound Baptist church in the provinces.  He is so right.  Newfoundland is a spiritually neglected part of Canada, more than any other that I can think of.

The car just turned 80,000 miles.  Adam is wanting to drive.

Still laughing.

Falls Near St. Elmo, Colorado

Jesus the Carpenter

Jesus’ Church Building Method

Jesus, the Carpenter

1)    Public Preaching:  Jesus went forth seeking people where they were to preach the Word of God to them.  See Matthew 4:17, 23.  This included preaching to crowds and individuals.  See John 4:4-7.  We need to get to people.  We need to endeavour, by Scripturally consistent means, to get people’s ear (attention) so that they may hear.

2)    Baptizing:  The repentant believers were baptized, thereby declaring that they were Jesus’ disciple.  See John 4:1-2.  Disciple is what a born-again baptized person is called in the New Testament.  Of course, the New Testament does not all allow that a born-again person would go through their days on this earth without being baptized into a Scriptural church.  Obviously, if a person refuses Scriptural Baptism they are not a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

3)    Separating Disciples:  Jesus began separating his disciples from the multitudes and taught them separately.  See Matthew 4:25-5:1.  The Lord also sought true and surrendered disciples, not superficial disciples.  The Lord separated superficial disciples from real disciples by hard doctrinal teaching, which caused the superficial disciples to abdicate their profession.  See John 2:23-25 and John 6:66-69.

4)    Mentoring Male Leadership:  Jesus sought out these men.  See Matthew 4:17-22.  These men were to be devoted to being with Jesus, being trained by Jesus, and practicing what Jesus taught them by example and instruction.  The goal was to provide leadership for the church and the work of the Great Commission through the church.  See John 21:15-17.  The historical record of the book of Acts bears this out.

5)    Built Upon the Word of God as Sole Authority:  Jesus had an intensely specific pattern by which he built His first assembly of baptized believers.  See Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20-21; 1Peter 2:4-12; Jude 20; Luke 6:47-49; 2Timothy 3:16-17.

6)    Establish with Authority and Power: 

(a)  Authority—Where does authority come from?  Consider, Why does civil government have authority?  Governmental authority was given by God.  See Romans 13:1.  Why does a husband have authority?  A husband is the head of his home because God appointed him to be.  See 1Corinthians 11:8-12 and Ephesians 5:23.  Why does a New Testament founded and patterned Baptist church have the authority to preach & teach, administer the ordinances, discipline, and ordain?  For the same reason as stated immediately above, God has given the authority to the New Testament founded and patterned Baptist church?  See Matthew 18:15-20; 28:18-20; and 1Corinthains 5.

(b)  Power—The New Testament founded and patterned church has the power of God.  The power of God is not to be taken for granted and can be lost.  See Revelation 2-3.  The Lord Jesus promised this power to His first church in Acts 1:8.  We see the event of the empowering of the church and the immediate affects in Acts 2.  We find that in Acts 4 the church of Jerusalem seeks the strengthening of God and receives that strength so that they may continue faithful in obedience in the face of persecution.  See Acts 4:31-33.  POWER IS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT AS A CHURCH IS JOYFULLY OBEDIENT TO THE WORD OF GOD.  God honours His.  God is no respecter of persons.  God will honour men and churches only as they honour God’s Word.  See John 15.  The Power of God is in doing of the Word of God.  The Word of God is powerful, Hebrews 4:12.  Paul had power in preaching because faithfully and boldly taught the Word of God, Acts 13:13.  The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God in people’s lives and in churches, 1Thessalonians 1:5-6. 

(c)    Transmission of Authority from one church to establish a new autonomous church of like faith and practice by the duly commissioned representative(s) of the mother church.  This is seen in Acts 8.  Philip the evangelist preaches in Samaria.  There many disciples are made and as it is recorded in verses 14-17 the representatives of the church of Jerusalem prayed for this new assembly of disciples and laid their hands on them and they corporately were bound together by the Holy Ghost.  A church is the habitation of God through the Spirit, Ephesians 2:22.  The laying on of hands, all through the Bible, is a act conferring something on another.  Sin could be conferred upon another as in the OT. sacrifices.  Blessing could be conferred as in Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons.  Responsibility and authority could be conferred as in the case of a church being constituted or a man being ordained to the Baptist ministry.  See 1Timothy 4:14; Hebrews 6:2; Genesis 48:14; Numbers 27:33; Deuteronomy 34:9. 

From Pike's Peak, Colorado

Pike's Peak in the background to the left.

Taken on the way up to Pike's Peak, elevation 14,110 ft.

Up To Date

Greetings all.  During the last two and a half weeks we have been staying in missions apartments or houses.  This short period in September has been skinny on meetings, but we have been active.  On Sundays and Wednesdays we have been visiting churches.  From this we have heard some good preaching, made ourselves known in the flesh and got to preach.  This will no doubt yield meetings next year.

Last evening (Wednesday, Sept. 19th) I preached at Highland Park Baptist Church and enjoyed the fellowship with Pastor Ron Oster, his family, and folks at the church.

I preached a message called Guarding the Door.  This is a message on the doctrine of baptism including baptism being the door to the church, baptism as the representative and protective ordinance to our doctrine, and that the only one that has authority to baptise in the New Testament patterned Baptist church.

When I preach a message like this and pastor and people are amen-ing I know I am in a church of kindred doctrine and spirit.  Highland Park Baptist Church is such a church.

This weekend we are off to Utah--stay tuned.

Sunday, September 2nd, 2012

Greetings all. 

We had a blessed time in the Lord on Sunday.  We were all day with Pastor Ken Black and the folks of Antioch Baptist Church.

We were very thankful to be involved in their missions month and to have the entire day to spend with them. 

We presented, sang, and preached.





One of Pastor Black's grandsons drew us this fine custom bulletin.

Wow.  How did that boulder get up there?