"Why A Bible Conference?" pt.2

Acts 20:32 "And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
I started a blog post last week prior to our first annual bible conference at Pleasant Hill Baptist church. I wanted to answer a question many had asked me prior to our bible conference. The question was, "why are you having a bible conference" or "is a bible conference like revival?" I tried by the grace of God to answer these questions as humbly as I knew how.

3. The third reason for having a bible conference was to:
"...build you up..." The Apostle Paul was commending these elders at Ephesus with some great instructions as they were to lead their sheep at this church is Ephesus. He tells them the "word of his grace" (the gospel), is "able to build" them (elders and members of the church) up.
My intentions of having a bible conference was really four fold.
-i- First, it was to bring glory to God. 1 Corinthians 10:31) So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Our prayer at PHBC was that God would be greatly glorified through the conference. The scriptures teach we were created to worship the God of the universe and bring Him great glory. Because of our fallen nature and sin we worship everything else and bring glory to these idols as well. This conference was to be God-centered and not man-centered.The bible conference was very simple, we had one song before each message, therefore we were able to focus our attention on the Word of God and not some person singing a special (although God centered specials are o.k. in the right place).

-ii- That God's people at PHBC would be "built up" in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our modern day evangelism teaches us that special meetings "revivals" should only be for the salvation of lost people. This is contrary to the word of God. The church is for God's redeemed and we are "to go out into the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 15:16)." When we gather as the church it is to "build the saints of God up" in the word. As the pastor/elder of PHBC my desire is for God's people would be built up in the "word of his grace."

-iii- Not only was the bible conference to build our people up but it was to be an outreach opportunity. An opportunity for us to reach out to the community to hear the "gospel of God's free grace." We were able to send out over four hundred invitations to people in several states and people within our local community. We had advertisement in two of our local papers as well. God blessed and we had several from all over to visit. We even had some who stayed after services to be counseled. Which this leads me to my fourth reason of why we held a bible conference.
-iv- Fellowship with like minded brothers and sisters. We were blessed to have people from all over who believes in the great doctrines of God's grace. People from Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. We had a great time fellowshipping in the Word of God, meeting new brothers and sister in Christ, and great food as well.
In closing, I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God in allowing us to host such a conference. I am very thankful for God's people at PHBC and how they supported their pastor even though they "never done this before." It says alot about PHBC. I know alot of churches who would have rebelled but our people surely expressed a heart of grace through the entire conference. They cooked, greeted, and attended all the sessions with joy and gladness, this causes a pastor to truly be thankful for God's work in their hearts. To God Be the Glory!

"Why A Bible Conference?" pt.1

In the last three months I have been asked the question, "why are you hosting a bible conference?" Another question is also, "is it like a revival?" It has taken me aback a little that people actually believe we should only hold special meetings for lost people. So I want to give a couple of thoughts for why Pleasant Hill Baptist church is hosting a bible conference. I want to use a verse of scripture from the book of Acts 20:32, "and now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace,which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

1. "...commend you to God..." The Apostle Paul was telling the elders from the church at Ephesus he was: (allege, commend, commit (the keeping of), put forth, set before, God almighty. In other words he was telling them they were before God almighty in the work of the ministry as elders to the church at Ephesus. My job as an elder is to feed the sheep of God with sheep food (the word of God). One reason why we are hosting a bible conference is to feed the sheep that God has entrusted, commended to, and put forth before me with (regardless of how many or how few). Gods word in Hebrews 13:17 says, "I will give an account of the souls of men who sits under the word of God."

2. "...to the word of his grace..." The Word of his grace is all we have in this world that will bring hope to a sinner and joy to the saint. If it were not for the word of grace all men everywhere would be condemned. This word of grace is how God graciously deals with man in salvation, namely the gospel. As an elder/pastor my job is to encourage God's people with the "word of his grace." They need not some man to play on peoples emotions and to manipulate them in a so-called "revival meeting." They need their souls comforted and to be strengthened in their walk with Christ by His Word. This is only by "the word of his grace."