"Missions Report and Syracuse, NY"

(Mission Team from FBC Briar, TX and PHBC, Orlinda, TN)

      Jeremy Shultz and I spent last week (May 29-June 3) in Syracuse, New York serving alongside Christ Is King Baptist Church. Christ Is King Baptist Church is a church plant started by First Baptist Church Briar in Azle, Texas. Jon Speed serves as church planter and pastor of Christ Is King Baptist Church. Jon had been involved in street preaching and evangelism all over the world for several years; however, God gave Jon a desire to plant a church and to be involved in serving a congregation as a pastor, rather than traveling from city to city preaching. Therefore, in His grace, God gave Jon a burden for Syracuse, New York.

     Since I (Chad) have been a pastor, I have wanted to serve a church that was passionate about evangelism, discipleship, and missions. Why? I believe God is passionate about getting His gospel out for His glory. It was through my relationship with Pastor Randall Easter that I learned about the church plant in Syracuse. Pastor Randall and FBC Briar have the same convictions when it comes to preaching the gospel, making disciples, and planting churches. The gospel is worthy of sending individuals out in places that have never heard the name of Christ, and after my week in Syracuse, it was apparent that it is a very needy place in regards to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Charlie handing out gospel tracts

     Jeremy and I left for Syracuse after our morning worship service on Sunday, May 29th. We traveled to Cleveland where we stopped and got a room for the evening. On Monday, we continued to travel to Syracuse, which was 4.5 hours away from Cleveland. The scenery along I-90 was beautiful. As we traveled along I-90, you could see Lake Erie to the north of us for around a 100 miles or so. The drive there wasn’t all that bad since we were able to stop in Cleveland to spend the night. We arrived to the bookstore/church around 4 PM and were greeted by Jon, Kim (his wife), Veronica, Samantha, Charlie, and Jonathan (Jon’s four children). Kevin and Carol Colomb, church members of Christ Is King, were also there and graciously allowed us to stay with them for the week. 

     As Tuesday morning rolled around, Pastor Jon took us to Syracuse University to do some open air preaching. We set up to preach on a street corner that was near a bus stop, hospital, and several restaurants. This was a perfect location to herald the gospel because we had several people for an audience. As Pastor Jon was preaching, I had a gentleman walk up to me by the name of Chris.  Chris then told me he was seeing demons, hellhounds, and aliens, and he wanted to know if I could cast out demons. After thirty minutes of listening to his story (I couldn’t get a word in edgewise), I told him that he needed Christ, and Christ was able to remove any demonic and evil spirits from him and set him free. However, he did not seem interested in Christ. I noticed another gentleman sitting by himself on the concrete steps. I approached him, confidently ready to share the gospel. During our conversation, Herman admitted he had anger problems right before he told me he wanted to be alone and didn’t care what I had to say. I asked him if I could pray with him, and surprisingly, he replied, “Yes.” After I prayed with Herman, he opened up to me and confessed, “I was made to go to church when I was a boy and now I don’t want to go.” I sympathized with Herman, gave him a gospel tract and information on the church plant. I then began to preach on the concrete steps where Herman stood up against a tree and listened to my entire sermon. Pray for Herman. As I was preaching, I noticed that there were three ladies who were sitting, talking, and eating lunch.  One lady was a Muslim, and they sat there the entire time I preached. I pray that they heard something that would drive them to seek God in Christ.  I was taken aback at the receptivity of the people at Syracuse University and the freedom to preach Christ.

(Pastor Jon open-air preaching and me speaking with Chris)

      After we finished preaching, we went across the street to the Varsity Restaurant for a slice of pizza and then headed to downtown Syracuse. Upon arriving in downtown Syracuse, I noticed the scenery had changed, as well as the people. I saw homeless people. I saw drug addicts. I saw drunks.  I saw businessmen. I saw businesswomen. I saw children. I saw and met a lot of people without Christ. I met people who were in a hurry and had no time to take a gospel tract or listen to the gospel. After we spent a couple of hours walking around, passing out tracts, and striking up conversations, we started preaching on a busy intersection. Jon, Jeremy, and myself each preached the gospel on the street corner. There were a lot of spectators, a few listeners, and as always, mockers, but the gospel went forth.

Jeremy sharing the gospel

     Wednesday was a full day, as Jeremy led singing and I taught three different Bible studies in three different locations. The men from First Baptist Briar arrived in Syracuse on this day as well. The first Bible study was held in a 23-floor assisted living facility.  Meeting on the 14th floor gave us a beautiful view of the Valley. Afterwards, we had lunch and picked up Jon’s boys (Charlie and Jonathan) and headed to the park, where we spent a couple of hours passing out tracts and talking with people about the gospel of Christ. Again, I was amazed at the receptivity of people when we engaged them with the gospel. After our time in the park, we headed to the airport to pick up the other team flying in from Texas. Our next Bible study was held in another church member’s home in an apartment complex near the church. Once we finished there, we had just enough time to get back to the church for the mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting. It was a great time of teaching, singing, and fellowshipping with other believers.

Bible Study at Christ Is King Baptist Church

     Our last day of ministry was Thursday. Our teams paired up to go out and do door-to-door evangelism. We had gospel tracts and information about the church. I teamed up with Jack, a pastor from Texas, and we hit the streets to tell folks about Christ. The very first door we knocked on led us to a man who introduced himself as a witch. As you can imagine, neither one of us were prepared for this conversation. He was involved in Wicca. In all honesty, I was not even remotely prepared to deal with meeting a witch! However, the gospel is sufficient and we shared the gospel with him. His name is Ronnie. Pray that God would make the gospel effectual in Ronnie’s life. We walked up one side of the street in this neighborhood where we met Universalists, Catholics, Atheists, and Non-Interests. I met one man who had just lost his son-in-law, who professed to be a Christian, and when I asked him if I could pray for him he said, “No.” After lunch, we went back out on the streets for a couple of hours, where I met Jim. Jim is a retired schoolteacher who was raised a Roman Catholic and was sitting on his front porch, smoking a cigar. Once he learned what we were out doing, Jim admitted, “I am a heathen and you are barking up the wrong tree.” Jim seemed to be a very hardhearted man who was quite self-sufficient. He tried to tell me that he was a good guy (even though he used God’s name in vain on several occasions) and that St. Peter would forgive him once he got to heaven. Jack and I confronted Jim with his breaking of God’s law (Ten Commandments) and one of them being using God’s name in vain. You could see Jim’s demeanor change as we began to point out his sin. This opened the door for us to share the gospel with him. Please continue to pray for Jim. As we finished our time going door-to-door, we gathered together for a picnic at the Sherwoods’. The Sherwoods are members of Christ Is King who graciously opened their homes and provided a wonderful time of food and fellowship after our long day of ministry. 

Andrew and Jonathan going door-to-door

     I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman believers when he wrote, “I make my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ had already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.” Paul wanted to preach Christ where the gospel had not been proclaimed. Friends, may I say that Syracuse, New York (especially in the Valley of Nedrow) is a spiritually dark place that desperately needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. God, in His grace, has opened a door of opportunity for PHBC to be a part of by praying, going, and giving toward this church plant in New York. It is my desire to see God glorified through the spreading and illumination of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ in this spiritually dark community. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Therefore, Jesus is able to bring light into dark places. How do we know this? Because as believers, we all once lived in spiritual darkness, until Jesus shined his light for us to see. And now, the question may be WHY should we do this? Because Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world…” May God grant us the desire and the resources to be a part of getting the light of Jesus Christ into Syracuse for His glory!

In Memory of a Friend: Brian "Ozzy" Osborne

     

On Tuesday afternoon traveling back from my great-uncle’s funeral I received a text that a childhood friend, Brian “Ozzy Osborne was found in his home on Monday, April 26th not breathing. Ozzy had passed away at the young age of 43 years old. I was shocked and saddened by the tragic news. No one likes to hear the news of people passing away, especially those whom you were close to at one time. I first met Ozzy the Summer of my freshman year when I had moved to Phil Campbell, AL from Russellville. Back then the hang out place was downtown Russellville on the “strip.” This is where I first met Ozzy, along with his uncle Waylon (which I always found interesting that Ozzy was older than Waylon, but Waylon was his uncle), Skeeter, and other Seniors of 1991. I had a Summer job at McDonalds and I would often go to the “strip” after I got off work to hang out. Ozzy had a odd sense of showing how he liked you (or at least liked me) by picking at you (me). One night, I remember getting off work and showing up at the “strip,” and Ozzy in front of several people called me “McBeck" sine I worked at McDonald's (You get. Right?). I have to admit, it embarrassed me at first, as everyone laughed at his comment. However, at that moment I sensed an acceptance by Ozzy and the other guys from Phil Campbell, as I was the laugh for the night. It was then I began to hang out at Betty’s (Waylon’s mother and Ozzy’s grandmother) house to play pool, cards, and do what PC boys used to do. It was then the older guys took me in as their little brother and they were my older brothers that I never had. Ozzy was special in the sense he loved life and he lived it to the fullest. I remember his smile. His laughter. His sense of humor. He was a jolly guy who always had to have the last word:) He was Ozzy.

     I received a call from the family on Wednesday morning asking if I would speak at Ozzy’s funeral. I was more than honored to minister the Word of God to his family and friends. There were several of Ozzy’s family members I had not seen in several years and I hated to see them under those circumstances. Myself along with Jason Burcham, and Brain Scott, all childhood friends spoke at the funeral. Friends that we went to high school  gathered to remember Ozzy’s life. Some friends traveled hundreds of miles to show their support to his family. Funerals are a sad time, but it is a time God uses to remind us that all of humanity is mortal. What I mean is that, life is brief and there are no guarantees when or where ours will end. Therefore, I wanted to share some thoughts from Ozzy’s funeral that I shared with the friends and family.

James 4:14 tells us, “You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Renee DeCarte a 16th century French philosopher has been attributed with basically saying, "all men ask 4 questions when it comes to life:"

#1 Who am I?

#2 How did I get here?

#3 Where am I going?

#4 How do I get there?

     At some point in our lives we ask these question. Perhaps not out loud but in the recesses of our being. The purpose of these questions begs to answer another question: “What is the meaning of life?"

Outside of a biblical worldview one will never understand the purpose or meaning of life. In order to make sense of evil and death in the world today one must have a proper understanding of sin. Evil, nor death makes sense apart from the Word of God. 

As James writes to the persecuted believers to remind them that life was fleeting from them faster and faster. And therefore, we need to understand 3 truths about this life:

1. Life has no guarantees.

Someone has said, “There are only two guarantees in life. You are guaranteed that you will pay taxes and die.” To which I say, “You don’t have to pay taxes!"

However, you are guarantee that you will die. This is an absolute fact. It is a 100% guarantee that you will not leave this world alive, unless you are a child of God when He makes His visible appearance. 

The Bible teaches us, “that is appointed once for man to die and then the judgment” (Heb.9:27).

2. Life is short. 

An older preacher once told me, “Yesterday I was 8, today I am 40, and tomorrow I’ll be 80.” He was telling me how fast life goes by us. 

We all remember growing up we couldn’t wait to turn 15 or 16 so we could drive. It meant freedom. Then we couldn’t wait to graduate and move out of the house. Then we couldn’t wait to get married and have children. And now we wish we could go back and be a kid again. 

My grandmother use to say, “Don’t wish your life away. You’ll be an adult soon enough.” She was right. 

James says, “Life is a midst (vapor).” Life is not like a midst. It is a midst. The average American lives to be 80 years old. That is not a long time to live when you think about it in light of eternity.

Too many people spend their short time here on earth living for themselves and never finding true fulfillment. The reason why is because God has created us a beings who worship. The problem is that most spend their short time worshipping the creation, rather than the Creator.

3. Life is under God’s control. 

We are all born believing our destiny is in our hands. It is up to us in what and how we do it. James reminds us, that we should be reminded life is under the “Lord’s will that we will do such and such.” 

For several years I thought I was living the life the way I wanted to (which I was) and it brought great pain and damage to myself and others. It was only by God’s amazing grace that I was spared death at an early age from car wrecks, along with drunken stupors and drug binges. I hurt several people from living the way I wanted to live, yet God was providentially sparing me for something greater than myself. He was sparing me for Himself. 

In the same way, if you are reading this God has spared you for this very moment. I do not believe in accidents. It is God’s providence that you are reading this post in memory of Ozzy. There is a purpose for everything which happens in life, even evil and death. Even though we don’t fully understand it, God tell us “The secret things belong to the Lord, but the things revealed belongs to his children” (Deut.29:29). God has a greater purpose for your life and its better than anything you could ever imagine for yourself. He desires that you know him through a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. You see, even though I was sadden to hear the news about Ozzy’s death, and the loss his children and family will have to live with from now on, I was encouraged by the fact that Ozzy had came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I was blessed to hear that Brian Scott had the privilege of leading Ozzy to the Lord and that Christ had made a difference in his life. 

In conclusion, I would like to answer the 4 questions that all men ask at some point in their lives:

#1 Who am I? You are a living creature made in the image of God.So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Gen.1:27). 

#2 How did I get here? God created you.  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). 

#3 Where am I going? If you are forgiven in Christ by trusting in Him alone by faith (not of works Eph.2:8) you will possess an eternal heaven. If not you possess an eternal hell.   "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

#4 How do I get there? Jesus and Him alone.  “ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

I have never lost a father, son, brother, or nephew and cannot truly understand what this family this has experienced. Only God knows the pain and suffering of this family and it is only God who can truly give them 
"the peace that surpasses all understanding in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Phil.4:7).

My prayer is after you read this you would take a moment and pray for this family. 
My prayer is if you have not been forgiven of your sin and have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ that you would seek Him today, by turning from yourself and turning to Him. He is a gracious and loving Father. 

May God be praised! 

Please feel free to leave a comment or a memory about our friend Ozzy in the comment section.

"Remembering My Great-Uncle Oscar: And A Gift To My Great-Aunt Barbara"

If you were to ask me, “Chad looking back at your childhood, name the men who had the most spiritual impact on your life.” Without hesitation, I would answer, “William Walker Cummings (my great grandfather) and Oscar Burrow (my great uncle).

Uncle Oscar was a man of few words, but taught me so much by his faithful example in being a godly man. Proverbs 17:27 says, “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” Uncle Oscar was a wise teacher, who may not have known the impact he had on my life personally, but it was evident in the life of others too.

When I think of Uncle Oscar I think of one word: FAITHFUL. The Apostle Paul submits, “Moreover, it is required that a steward be found faithful.” Uncle Oscar was a faithful steward of God. He was faithful to his wife for over 66 years, his family, his job, and most of all he was faithful to follow his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Uncle Oscar was faithful in his life and taught many, especially us young men what it meant to be a real man. 

Titus 2:2 "Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness."

The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus to set the churches in order on the island of Crete. One of Titus’s task was to place elders over these congregations. He was also instructed to have the older men to teach the younger men in the church and in everyday life. As I think about this admonition Paul gave Titus, I am reminded how Uncle Oscar emulated Titus 2:2 for us younger men. 

Therefore, I want share with you 6 ways that my Uncle Oscar, as an older man taught me, as a younger man.

1. Uncle Oscar taught me to be “sober-minded."

This mean literally, not to get drunk. To think and act with wisdom. As far as I know, Uncle Oscar was faithful to live this out. He understood, Ephesians 5:18, “Do not be drunk with wine, but let the Holy Spirit control you.” He knew the danger and evil that being controlled by anything than the Holy Spirit. Most of all, He knew how being anything but sober minded would affect his testimony for Christ. He was a clean-minded man whose life was evidently controlled but the Holy Spirit.

2.     Uncle Oscar taught me to be “dignified."

Uncle Oscar was serious minded, but but so much that he didn’t have fun. Uncle Oscar enjoyed life to the fullest. He enjoyed Alabama football, Atlanta Braves baseball, watching Westerns, and watching his grandchildren swim. He was a man who was dignified and had a good reputation with others. 

I think about growing up and going to the local store where he would take us and tell us to put our drinks and candy on his “tab” or “credit.” The store owner knew he would be there to pay for it on pay day. He was dignified.

3.     Uncle Oscar taught me to be “self-controlled."

This means to “act with a saved mind.” I am not saying that Uncle Oscar was perfect, but I can recall never living out of control. Again this goes back to being controlled by the Holy Spirit. This self control speaks of being disciplined. A self controlled man is a disciplined man. 

Matthew Henry says, “self control means the ability to govern well his passions and affections, so as not be hurried away by them to anything that is evil or indecent.” Uncle Oscar was a self controlled man.

4.     Uncle Oscar taught me the importance of “sound faith."

This word “sound” means literally healthy. The older men were to be fit in their faith. Their faith were to be healthy. You were not around Uncle Oscar before too long before he would make his way to the Bible. Uncle Oscar knew and lived the Word of God. I remember only 3 weeks before he passed away, I drove to Alabama to sit and visit with him. It wasn’t long he and I began talking about the Word of God. He was quoting the Old Testament about the sinfulness of the world today and the only hope was Jesus Christ. And I think about today, Uncle Oscar is now with the eternal Word Himself today.

5.     Uncle Oscar taught me how to “love."

How did he do this? He never sat me down and said, “Now Chad I want to teach you how to love.” No, he taught me how to love, how he loved his wife for over 66 years. He taught me how to love in how he love his two daughters, Linda and Kathy. How he loved his grandchildren. He taught me how to love by loving me, even though I wasn’t even his flesh and blood. You see some of my fondest childhood memories was when I spent time with his grandchildren, who were my cousins. I remember there was a time when they all got new Alabama jerseys and I got one too, just like I was one of his own.

Uncle Oscar taught me to love.

6.     Uncle Oscar taught me how to be “steadfast."

This word is a compound word which mean to remain under. Uncle Oscar lived a steadfast, enduring, persevering life in Christ. Matthew records the words of Christ in Matthew 24:13, “those who persevere until the end will be saved.” Uncle Oscar had been graced with salvation some years ago. He understood that he was a sinner separated from God and his only hope was in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Uncle Oscar received the gift of repentance and faith it is was evident as he persevered until the end in his walk with Christ. Uncle Oscar’s faith in Christ was unshakable and immoveable and he was able to say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith."

I pray that I may be able to influence my children, grandchildren, and others for Christ like Uncle Oscar. I give God the thanks and glory for providentially placing me in the life of this man and his family. I will be eternally grateful for his faithfulness to the Lord and how it has impacted my life as a pastor, husband, and father. May the Lord be glorified.

"An Exemplified Fort"

"I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I  call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies" (Ps 18:1–3).

 Where do you run in the midst of life’s trials?  How do you respond when your enemies seem to out number your friends? Psalm 18 is a poem written by David in response to the attacks he suffered by King Saul in 2 Samuel 22. David through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives his readers a clear reminder to flee to the Lord in the midst of their attacks by the enemy.

Spiritual warfare is a constant reality for the one who desires to walk in communion with God. Jesus faced spiritual warfare in Matthew 4 as he began His earthly ministry, so it should not surprise the Christian when attacked by Satan. However, there is good news! As believers we have a place to flee, a city of refuge, an exemplified fort and His name is The Lord God, Jesus Christ.

Notice a few things about David’s and our exemplified fort:

1. He is our “strength.” When spiritual attacks come upon us we should draw our strength from the Lord. Matter of fact, even when we are not experiencing spiritual attacks we should draw our strength from the Lord, for that is the only true source of strength. Where does our strength in the Lord comes from? We find strength in His Word, prayer, worshipping with other brothers and sisters in Christ, serving others, sharing the gospel of Jesus.
2. He is our “rock.” When a tornado comes where do you want to be? You want to be in a solid, safe, and secure place usually, underground that can sustain the force of high winds. When the force of Satan’s spiritual attacks come we have an unmovable, safe, and secure shelter. Christ is our “rock” (1 Cor.10:4). Christian you can find safety in Him! 
3. He is our “fortress.” During David’s days forts were constructed along trade routes and borders in order to keep cities safe and to keep the enemies attacks at a minimum. The Lord is our fort! In Christ, we are able to withstand the attacks of the evil one. Paul reminds us to “put on the whole armor of God” in Ephesians 6:11-13. When the enemy attacks run to the fort. Seek shelter, safety, and security in the fort of Jesus Christ. Read Ephesians 6.
4. He is our "deliverer.” Jesus reminds his disciples to pray, “deliver us from the evil one” in the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord is the One who delivers us from the the spiritual attacks. Its not that we just persevere and try to make it through them, but God in His mercy and grace delivers us through them. He proves Himself faithful to us through it all.

 "You may pray for deliverance from a trial, but God may give you endurance to go through it.” Dr. Steve Lawson

    Spiritual warfare is a constant reality in the life of the believer. These attacks by the enemy are real and they hurt. Sometimes we may feel we cannot take it any longer. But, be of good cheer, "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (1 Cor.4:17-18).

     This is when we must turn to God by faith trusting that He is our strength, our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. By the way, God has already eternally delivered in Christ Jesus by sending His Son taking on flesh, living a perfect life,  dying on the cross, and rising again the third day, and now make intercession for all of those who have genuinely trusted and is trusting in Him for their eternal salvation. Praise the Lord. This is the reason why we are able to embrace the attacks from the enemy.

I pray as we come against the attacks of the evil one that we find ourself finding our strength, our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer in our exemplified fort, Jesus Christ.

"Rejoice In Suffering"

Acts 5:41-42 “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

            Growing up my grandmother use to tell me, “When you think that you have it bad, always remember there is someone who has it worse.” I find it easy to feel sorry for myself or seek the pity of others when life gets difficult. The reality for most everyone who reads this is that our lives on the most difficult days are really not that bad. How many of us have been threatened with the loss of our lives if we failed to comply with our governmental or religious authorities? It is easy to look at our current situation in life and say, “Woe is me.” Yet, God is working something far greater, namely His sovereign will in His children’s lives.

            The book of Acts is filled with Holy Spirit empowerment of the Apostles to do miracles, wonders, and signs. The book is also known as the great missionary book that records several missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul and others. However, the book of Acts is also known for the great persecution that sent the early church in an amazing revival and the advancement of the gospel to the nations. One of the main themes throughout Acts is the suffering of God’s saints. The advancement of the church and the gospel will always come with a price of suffering and persecution by the unbelieving world. The Apostle Paul reminded the church at Philippi, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29).

            Therefore, as Christian’s our life will be marked by suffering and persecution when lived out before a Christ hating world. The world hates God, Christ, and His Word. As Christians we love God, Christ, His Word, and His gospel, which will bring about suffering, as the Apostles endured in advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Dr. Luke recorded, the Apostles did not seek comfort or pity from others, but literally rejoiced (celebrated) in the fact that they were “beaten” for the name of Christ. The Apostles were commanded not to teach or preach in the name of Christ, but as we read in Acts 5:42, “And every day in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

            I want to encourage us all today no matter where you find yourself, remember God has sovereignly placed you there. If you are God’s child He knows exactly where you are at, what you are doing, and how you are responding to His sovereign plan. Think about these Apostles who were beaten by the religious crowds for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and yet, they rejoiced in the fact, “they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” [of Christ]. May we have the same resolve of the Apostles to continue to proclaim Jesus as the Christ regardless of the cost. May we be able to say, like the Apostle Paul at the end of his life, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering…” (2 Timothy 4:6).

 May the Lord give us grace to endure wherever He has placed us to be “salt and light” to a dark world by advancing the truth of the gospel for His glory. Thus, being reminded that we have a Great High Priest who suffered in every way as us, yet without sin. Therefore, rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for Jesus!

Sola Deo Gloria!

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Chad

"Being Still and Knowing God"

“Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

PHBC meeting house

             The past few days have been filled with Arctic air, snow showers, and sheets of ice here in northern Tennessee. I measured Friday morning at 9AM, and we had received 10 inches-- two hours later, there was over a foot of snow on the ground. As far as I can remember, this is the most snow I have seen fall at once in my lifetime. And, as usual, when all the white stuff falls, there is anxiety that comes along with it. Do we have enough milk? Bread? You know, for milk sandwiches (that’s a joke). Will we be able to make it to work? Will the kids have school? Will we be able to gather to worship on the Lord’s Day? All of these are legitimate questions, but should we not ask, "What is the Lord teaching us during the time we are unable to get out of our houses and go about our normal routines?"

            May I suggest a couple of things that perhaps the Lord would like for us to glean during times like this past weekend.

1. First, perhaps the Lord is teaching us to “Be still.” If you know me, I am not very content with being still. I have to be doing something all the time. I am a mover and a shaker. I am unable to sleep at night because I am afraid I might miss something (that’s another joke... kind of). There are times that I may look like I am “being still,” but I am actually thinking or meditating on what needs to be done next. This is not healthy. Therefore, I believe the Lord gives us times such as this past weekend to slow us down and “be still.” This can be a good thing. Notice, being still does not mean being lazy, but be still and…

2. Secondly, “know that I am God…” God wants His children to know Him. This is one of the most amazing attributes of God. God makes Himself knowable to His creation. He is immanent (meaning that He is knowable). He has made Himself knowable through His creation (Psalm 19:1), which is general revelation, but namely, He has made Himself knowable through His Son, Jesus Christ (John 17:3), and by the Holy Spirit, which is special revelation. To know the sovereign God of the universe in a personal and special way is humbling, and, at the same time, it is beyond my comprehension; however, it brings me great joy-- not only in the here and now, but also as I look forward to being with Him one day soon in heaven.

So, I reflected and wanted to share with you some of the blessings I received from “being still and [knowing] that [He is] God” over the weekend:

1.     Our family spent time together. If your family is like mine, there is a lot going on. Our calendars are packed with little time to waste. I barely made it in late Thursday night from the Pastors Conference before the ice and snow began to fall. Our family spent a lot of time together playing games, talking, playing in the snow, and eating. We just spent TIME together. The older I get, the more I realize how important TIME is. It is actually how we show our love to those whom we love.

The Becks

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2.      Our family ate meals together. This is something I do not take lightly. All of our meals are eaten at our kitchen table as a family when possible, regardless if it snows or not. As the boys have gotten older, Chance's job, baseball practices, and my appointments run me late into the evenings, so meals at the table together are not always possible. So, over these few days, we spent time eating together. There is such a joy and blessing that many families miss out on due to the simplicity of just gathering at the table to eat and talk. I enjoy hearing how everyone’s days was and what happened. This is a tremendous blessing I believe too families miss out on.

3.     Our family played together. As I am sure many of you did, we were able to get out and play in the snow. The boys rode the sled. Dylan and I built somewhat of a snowman. Samantha even made a snow angel. We had to clean off our vehicles, shovel the sidewalk, and try to clear off our driveway, in which I ended up getting a vehicle stuck. Overall, we had a good time just being a family and playing in the snow.

Dylan's snowman

Samantha's snow angel

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4.     Our family worshipped together. It was good to spend some time together in God’s Word and pray together as a family, particularly yesterday as we worshipped with James McDonald and Harvest Chapel Church in Elgin, IL via television. It was a blessing to listen to his message and then spend time together talking through his message on biblical wisdom. Our family concluded our time in worship with reciting scriptures that we have memorized. It was even mentioned we needed to get back into the practice of memorizing Scripture together as a family.

In conclusion, I write this today to remind all of us that this weekend was exactly the way God intended for it to be. He was not surprised by the snow or ice. He knew we would be unable to meet yesterday, but in all of this, He desired for us to "Be still and [to know Him]." I pray that you and your family took time to meditate upon Christ, Scripture, and spend some time in prayer together. If you are like me, you often miss the forest because of the trees. God often works in the mundane, every day events of life. It is in the craziness of having three rowdy boys with cabin fever who are picking and arguing that we find God right in the middle of it all. Therefore, I praise Him for this weekend and causing me to “Be still and know He is God.”

So, what have you and your family been doing these past few days? If you feel like sharing, please do so.

"An Open Response on the Doctrine of Election"

    As a pastor, I have been called by God to preach and teach the "full counsel of God's Word" (Acts 20:27). "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ" (Romans 1:16), nor the doctrines which accompanies it. Therefore, I want to be faithful to teach God's people His Word and to expose them to the doctrine of Scriptures. I am not naïve enough to think everyone will agree with me in every facet of the gospel or to believe as I do on elements such as, "election," "limited atonement" or the "teaching of the last things." 

     However, as I said last night, we must agree on the fundamentals of the faith when it comes to Christian orthodoxy, such as the virgin birth, deity of Christ, substitutionary atonement, the physical death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. By God's grace, I try to make the gospel of Jesus Christ the centrality of all my teaching and preaching at PHBC. For without the free grace of God in Jesus Christ, no one can or will experience the forgiveness of and the removal of the bondage of sins and come into a personal relationship with God.

     Likewise, my interpretation of the doctrine of election does several things; 

First, it allows God to be God. He is sovereign! He has the right to do whatever He chooses (Psalm 115:3 & Romans 9: 14-18), and I believe He will do the right thing. By the way, He is God. 

Secondly, it causes me to worship Him. When I think about what He has done in choosing me before foundation of the world (Eph.1:4 & Jer.1:5), and then seeking me out with the gospel of Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10), convicting me of my sins (John 16:8), granting me a desire for forgiveness of my sins against Him (John 3:8), and saving me-- it causes me to love and worship Him. 

Thirdly, the doctrine of election brings about humility (4:6). As the Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8-9, "By grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." I have no room whatsoever to boast about the salvation with which God has graced me. 

Fourthly, the doctrine of election gives me assurance that I am eternally secured in Christ (Eph.1:13). If God eternally choose me before the foundation of the world in Christ (Eph.1:4; Rev.13:7;17:7), then after being graced with salvation, I cannot lose that salvation because He is the One who brought it about. Therefore the doctrine of eternal election secures my eternal security.

 Fifthly, the doctrine of election motivates me to burn passionately for the souls of lost men, women, boys, and girls. Because I know that God has His elect who will believe, although I do not know who they are, and it gives me confidence that when I share the gospel with others, there will be those who will repent and believe upon Christ. 

I will close with a quote, from arguably the greatest of Baptist preachers known as the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, to his pastors on preaching/teaching the doctrine of election:

"Some of you have never preached on election since you were ordained. “These things,” you say, “are offensive.” And so you would rather offend God than offend man. But you reply, “These things will not be practical.” I do think that the climax of all man’s blasphemy is centered in that utterance. Tell me that God put a thing in the Bible that I am not to preach! You are finding fault with my God. But you say, “It will be dangerous.” What! God’s truth dangerous? I should not like to stand in your shoes when you have to face your Maker on the day of judgment after such an utterance as that."

Here is a link to an excellent message on the doctrine of election which helped me immensely on this glorious doctrine:

Click here: Elder D.J. Ward "According to the Election of Grace"