Southern Gospel Concerts and Sunday School Teachers

First up, let me say I appreciate everyone who came out to hear The Lesters last Friday night. Didn’t it feel like you’d been in the presence of God? I believe our Lord was glorified through the message of the music, and I hope each person received a special blessing of encouragement.

I’ll say this about The Lesters – whether they’re singing for thousands or tens, their heart is in it. I can imagine that singing the same songs night after night might become routine, but you’d never know it with this group. It was a real joy to experience worship with them.

That said, I also want to invite you to come hear The Whisnants on Thursday, Sept. 9. The Whisnants are one of the most highly-acclaimed groups in Southern Gospel music, and one I believe is genuinely in it to minister to people as they exalt the name of Christ. You’ll hear it in their songs and testimonies.

That concert will be held on the Popcorn Stage downtown Ridgway beginning at 7:00. And, yes, it’s free! Join us in praying for good weather, and invite someone to come with you. Don’t forget to bring a lawn chair, and if you’d like to listen to The Whisnants while munching on some ribbon fries and sipping a lemon shake-up, well that’d be all right.

Parents, can I have your attention for a moment? Our new Sunday School year starts this coming Sunday, and we would love to invite your children to be a part of it. Some of the best Sunday School teachers in the world are getting ready for their arrival already.

Let me share with you in brief what I shared with the church this past Sunday morning. Here are some principles that define our teachers, and standards we continually want to strive toward as we seek to become even more effective as teachers. And by the way, parents, these principles just as easily apply at home as you seek to become more effective in your role. You can take the first letter of each statement to form the acrostic TEACHER.

Ridgway First Baptist Church teachers:

Train others to follow God’s Word. It’s not our goal simply to fill heads with Bible knowledge. That might work great for answering questions on Jeopardy!, but our aim is to teach students to obey everything that Christ has commanded. His Word is our guide, and we unapologetically want to train people to follow the teachings of Jesus.

Encourage others to grow strong in the faith. We want to help motivate and inspire each other to hold on to the truths of the Christian faith. We seek to build an environment where we’re spurring one another on toward love and good deeds and to stay true to the message of the gospel.

Appeal to God on behalf of their students. If you want to know that someone is praying to the Almighty Maker and Sustainer of heaven and earth on behalf of your children, then bring them to Sunday School. We believe God acts in response to prayer, and as we lift up your children before Him, we trust He will guide, protect and save them.

Care for others with Christ-like love. We are all called to be imitators of God as His beloved children and to walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. We truly desire to let the love of Christ flow through us as we teach and minister to your children. They may not remember everything they’re taught about the books of the Bible, but they’ll remember they were loved.

Handle the Word of God correctly. A great teacher must first be a great learner. We want our teachers to be saturated in the Scriptures so that the Bible first permeates their own lives, and then they’ll be able to teach others how to feed on God’s unchanging Word.

Evangelize the message of Jesus Christ. The proclamation of Jesus as Lord and Savior is central to everything else we teach. Apart from the truth of His death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins and His resurrection victory over the grave, we have nothing to offer but empty moral platitudes. The whole of the Bible focuses on the message of Jesus, and we teach this unashamedly.

Rely upon the Holy Spirit for guidance. If we attempt anything in our own strength, our own wisdom or our own abilities, we’ll fail. But when we rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide us, then how can we go wrong? God is able to take ordinary men and women and transform them into vessels of His grace, and so He does.

Hope to see you in Sunday School this Sunday at 9:30!

Life's Humbling Experiences

Coming back from lunch on the Eldorado blacktop, nice day outside, windows rolled down because my air’s not working, left elbow resting on the driver’s side door and my hand’s hanging out, when the next thing I know a bug has splattered his guts all over my finger. Yuck.

That’s never happened to me before. The windshield always seemed to catch them pretty well, but not this time. I have no idea what kind of flying bug it was, but it left a nasty yellow stain.

So I reach for some Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes which we have in our car. When you have young kids you learn to carry Wet Ones because, well, you never know. I didn’t really want to wait until I returned to Ridgway to wipe what used to be a bug off of my hand.

This happened to be a new container. I’m talking about the plastic cylinder containers with the red flip-tops, where the wipes are wrapped around each other and they’re meant to feed through the double-slit opening, then you can tear them off one at a time. Well, new containers do not come with the wipes already fed through the opening. So I had to take the lid all the way off and try to find the origin of that first wipe somewhere in the middle of the wrap.

I’m driving down the blacktop at highway speed, mind you, and let’s just say it’s handy to drive a small car where you can steer with your knees. I remember learning that trick from my dad a long time ago when he used to try to scare us kids by taking his hands off the wheel while driving. It definitely takes two hands to get that first wipe out of the container.

All right, so far so good. Hand is wiped, finger is bug-guts free, and I’m motoring on down the road. Thought then that I should go ahead and try to feed the next wipe through the double-slit opening so that it would be easier to access next time I need it. There really ought to be some instructions on the proper way to do that. Usually, of course, it’s my wife who handles those kinds of things, and I’ll know next time to let her keep that job.

I took the next hand wipe and with my left thumb tried to push it through the opening. By the way, that opening is really tight. Well, I couldn’t get enough of the wipe through to grasp it with my right hand and pull it on through. So I pushed it harder with my thumb, but instead of just the wipe getting fed through, the tip of my left thumb came through as well, and got stuck!

I mean, stuck! The four corners of the plastic gripped my thumb and I could not pull it back out. Did I mention how sharp those corners are? I felt that if I tried to pull it out I would inflict serious damage to my thumb. Kind of like trying to extract a prey fish from a piranha’s mouth.

I really didn’t know what to do. I guess I could have pulled over and tried to work it loose, but I thought I could handle the pain for a few more minutes until I got home. So I drove halfway back to Ridgway with a Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes container clamped to my thumb. If you met me on the road that day and I didn’t wave, you now know why.

When I got home it took a couple of minutes, but I was able to free my thumb from the pinchers without major injury. Just a sore thumb with three fresh indentions (the fourth corner was on my nail), and a bit of a bruised ego. Some experiences in life are quite humbling.

Like when we recognize that we’re truly undeserving people when it comes to God’s grace. In light of how good and holy and righteous and just God is, who am I to think that somehow I have earned or deserve anything. Not a single blessing, not a single promise from His Word, not a single act of His mercy. Nothing. That’s what I deserve. No, not nothing, but in fact something much worse – death and hell.

My prayer rises with the penitent tax collector, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

Ready for the Next 120 Years

Our 120th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration on Sunday proved to be a wonderful day of rejoicing in the Lord. Through worship, fellowship, testimonies and the preaching of God’s Word, our time together served to encourage the church and exalt our Savior.

I want to say that I am so thankful for our Homecoming Committee members and many others who have worked so hard in planning and preparing for our celebration. I want to thank those who have given financially to help cover the expenses. And I want to thank those who participated in the service, and everyone who attended.

God has been so faithful to us! For 120 years, the Ridgway First Baptist Church has experienced abundant blessings from His hand. He has given us godly teachers, zealous missions workers, wise leaders, faithful pastors, servant-minded deacons, inspiring musicians, sacrificial givers, fervent prayer warriors and bold evangelists. He’s given us caring nursery workers, effective children’s ministers, patient youth directors and faithful adult leaders.

God has given His church caring and compassionate minds, generous and gracious spirits, loving and helpful hands, merciful and kind hearts, and willing and beautiful feet.

Some serve behind the scenes while others minister in the spotlight. Whether helping with crafts at VBS or going on Disaster Relief missions, whether delivering meals to the homebound or giving money to feed the poor in foreign lands, God’s love and grace have reached through us into our community and throughout the world. God has raised up countless servants of the Lord Jesus from the pews of Ridgway FBC who have been encouraged and equipped to take the gospel to our neighbors and to the nations.

Though the gifts are diverse and the members are many, all are equally needed and useful in the Body of Christ. Indeed, God has equipped the church with everything we’ve needed to carry out the work He’s given us to do. And it’s all for His glory.

That’s not to say we’re perfect or that we perfectly follow His lead as we should. In the course of our 120 year history there have been some highlights and there have been some lowlights. But God has brought us through, and we continue to praise Him for who He is, what He’s done and what He’s promised He will yet do.

Why not come and join us for worship this coming Sunday? If you do not have a church family where you belong, where you’re loved and valued, where you’re hearing from the Word of God, where you’re encountering Christ as Lord, and where you’re expected to use your gifts and abilities to serve and help build up the Body for the glory of God, then I want to ask you to come and experience God’s faithfulness to His church as we move forward into the rest of His story.

Let me also give you a heads up on what’s next on the calendar for us. On Friday, Aug. 27, at 7:00 p.m., we are privileged to welcome The Lesters in concert! You may remember The Lesters performing last year for Gospel Night during Popcorn Days. They are an incredibly talented and warm-hearted family, and I know you’ll be blessed by their music and ministry. This will be a free concert event, though we’ll receive a love offering to help with their expenses. Everyone is welcome, and we’d love to see you at the Ridgway First Baptist Church on Aug. 27.

Then for this year’s Gospel Night, on Thursday, Sept. 9, a group called The Whisnants will be featured on the Popcorn Day stage. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear one of Southern Gospel’s top performers. Bring your lawn chair, bring a friend, grab some funnel cakes or cheese fries when you get there, and be prepared to be encouraged through the music ministry of The Whisnants.

Ready for the Big 120

Well, the big 120th Anniversary event we’ve been planning for months now is less than a week away. Personally, I can’t wait.


If you didn’t get your invitation in the mail or haven’t been personally asked to come, then consider this a special invite from me to you. We would love to have you be here on Sunday to help us celebrate. Our service will begin at 10:00 a.m. We’ll hear testimonies of God’s work through this church, we’ll sing songs of His victory and His faithfulness, and we’ll engage in His Word as we pray He’ll speak clearly to us.

Our guest preacher will be Duane Faulkenberry. Bro. Duane served as the pastor of Ridgway FBC from 1984-1991, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him back. Duane is currently pastoring Bryan St. Baptist Church in Herrin, IL.

Don Moye will be leading the music on Sunday. Many of you know that Donnie grew up here, and his family has long been a vital part of the church. He now serves as Executive Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Vidalia, GA.

After lunch on the grounds we’re looking forward to The River City Quartet ministering to us through music. This will be a free concert, starting at 2:00 p.m., and we’d love to have you come even if you can’t make it for the morning service.

I love what God has done and is doing through the church! Not just locally, but globally. His church in Ridgway has a rich history of experiencing His mercy, His grace and His faithfulness throughout the years. I’m praying that our greatest days are yet to come. I believe God is raising up prayer warriors who are calling on Him to bring salvation not only to our neighbors but also to the nations. I believe God is calling out more and more workers into His harvest fields. I believe God is instilling in us a greater love for Him and for one another that will result in magnifying His glory in our world.

Globally, the Lord is doing amazing, mind-blowing things in building up His church and His kingdom. People are coming to Christ in Muslim countries where their faith in Jesus literally means risking it all. In the Pacific Rim God is opening doors for the Word and people are responding in faith. In Southeast Asia missionaries are taking the gospel to places where it’s never gone, and many are believing as if they’ve waited their whole lives to hear this message.

God’s “Plan A” for bringing life to a dying world is the church. His plan is for His people to take His message to the ends of the earth. That means that the church lives out the gospel so that others will see the light of Christ shining in us and through us. It means that the church boldly proclaims the truth that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

And guess what. There is no “Plan B.” God has equipped and empowered His church by His Holy Spirit, giving us everything we need to carry out His mission. Worldly wisdom and strategies, worldly wealth and resources will never get the job done. It is the “foolishness” of the message of the cross we preach that saves sinners from death and hell to everlasting life. It is the message of the gospel that showcases the power of God to transform sinners into saints.

And it is the church to whom the message of reconciliation is entrusted, and as His ambassadors God’s appeal through us is this: “Be reconciled to God. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:20-21).

Friend, if you’re not living a life that is reconciled to God by turning away from sin and trusting in Him, then I want to urge you today to receive His offer of salvation. You may not have another day to think it over.

And if you’re a Christian but are not an active part of a local church, then I want to invite you to join us and see for yourself what God is doing in the church. You need the church, and the church needs you.

Finally, to those who are faithfully serving as the Body of Christ, I so want to thank you for your labor in the Lord, for you know it will not be in vain.

Where's Your Treasure?

Having money is great! About a month ago I bought a new pair of shoes. Twenty-dollar Starters from Wal-Mart. Running shoes. And to tell you the truth, they’re one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever worn. I’d bought a higher-priced pair of Skechers a couple of weeks before that, but after wearing them just a few times I couldn’t stand them. I loved the style, but for some reason (probably my flat feet, which I didn’t realize I had until recently) the left shoe was painfully uncomfortable. I had to take them back. Of course they felt great in the store when I was trying them on. Don’t they, though?

Anyway, having money is great! Having stuff makes us feel good. We take pride in owning the latest gadgets and gizmos. Though I’ll admit I look at a Best Buy ad in the newspaper and don’t even know what most of the stuff is. Some people need that new big screen TV. Some have to have a new outfit to wear each week. For some it’s a new car or a bigger house or better furniture or another whatever to add to their collection.

But having money isn’t always so great. There’s a real danger in wealth and having lots of stuff. Riches are very deceptive. And lest you think I’m only talking about the Bill Gates’ and Donald Trumps of the world, I’m talking about you and me! The vast majority of the world would look at us and say we’re rich. They’d be right.

The problem is that our wealth tends to make us think that we are self-sufficient. We tend to think that if we’ve got lots of stuff then we’ve got it made. We tend to think that living the American Dream lifestyle is what it’s all about. And in our wealth, as we accumulate possessions and provide for all our wants and needs, we also tend to dismiss our need for God.

Jesus said in Matthew 19:23, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” See, there was this young man who had many possessions and he came to Jesus wanting to know what he had to do to have eternal life. Maybe he thought Jesus would say to him, “Son, you have nothing to worry about. Look at your life! God has blessed you with many things. Surely you are highly favored in His eyes! And you’re a good man, Charlie Brown. You’ve kept the commandments. Congratulations! What more could God want from you?”

But that’s not what he heard. Instead Jesus told him: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matt. 19:21). Sadly, the man went away grieving, because he had many possessions. He loved his stuff more than he loved Christ. He clung to his possessions rather than clinging to the only One who could give him the eternal life for which he sought. For him the treasures of earth were more important than the treasures of heaven.

This man came to Jesus because he knew that something was missing in his life. Most wealthy people who recognize such a void try to fill it with more and more material things. But he missed out on the infinitely greater blessings that could have been his if only he would have been willing to abandon them for the sake of Christ. If only he would have recognized that he really needed a Savior rather than relying upon himself.

Wealth and morality are a dangerous combination. Those who think they’re good and those who think they’ve got it all often think they don’t need God. That’s why it’s so hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever wants anything more than they want Christ, forfeit Christ and the eternal life that only He can give. Whoever fails to recognize his sin and come humbly to Jesus for His mercy and forgiveness will never find eternal life in his own morality.

What about you? Are you willing to leave all your earthly treasures and follow Jesus as your supreme Treasure? Can I tell you this: No one who follows Christ will ever be sorry. You might be giving up things that seem precious to you now, but what you gain will be so much greater than anything you’ve ever known – both in this present life and in the life to come. Nothing can compare with the blessings of God’s grace poured out upon those who forsake the world and follow Jesus. They will never lack for anything good, for He will open up His hand and satisfy every longing of their heart. He’s done it for me. He can do it for you.

Honoring the Sanctity of Marriage

Here’s to my youngest brother getting married last weekend. Congratulations, Tim! God has given you a beautiful bride, and I hope you rejoice in her and are ever captivated by her love.

Marriage is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately in our world many have done all they can do to try to undermine and redefine the sanctity of marriage. And sadly many couples who entered into marriage with honest intentions have bailed out when the going got tough, or ended up divorcing when one or both partners wanted to explore other options and broke the vows of love and faithfulness promised during the wedding ceremony.

For the record, marriage was established by God’s design from the very beginning. Jesus taught about God’s plan for marriage in Matthew 19, answering His critics by saying, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female…” (v. 4). It doesn’t matter what the courts or popular opinions of our day say, marriage has always been and always will be a sacred institution of one man and one woman designed to last a lifetime. God created it that way from the start.

Jesus noted this aspect of God’s design for marriage as the reason, He says, that “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife…” (v. 5a). It’s the leave and cleave code. It means that when a couple enters into a marriage relationship, their primary responsibility and first priority and main loyalty and love should now be for their spouse, and not toward their parents. Marriage involves a total commitment and consecration of a husband and wife toward one another.

Then, Jesus added, “and the two shall become one flesh” (v. 5b). This means they are now inseparable in union. Only by death should the marriage relationship end. It’s like taking Gorilla Glue and fastening two things together until they cannot be torn apart. It’s meant to be unbreakable. Physically, the one flesh factor in marriage is God’s gracious gift to men and women designed to be experienced only within the bounds of the marriage relationship.

Jesus went on from there to declare, “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (v. 6b). He’s saying that God places His divine seal of approval upon the marriage relationship. When a man and a woman come together before God and the witnesses of their friends and family, it is a sacred joining by God meant to be inseparable.

Divorce is never desirable. God’s intention has always been and always will be that one man and one woman be joined together as one by God in an unbreakable bond of faithfulness and love. See, marriage also serves as a picture of the gospel, in the way that Christ loves His bride, the church, and remains forever faithful to her.

If you have been divorced or remarried outside of God’s will, I don’t mean to make you feel bad or leave you wondering if God will be angry with you forever. In fact I truly feel for those who have gone through the pain and hurt of a broken marriage. Perhaps you did everything in your power to hold things together, yet your spouse was unwilling. Maybe you loved and forgave beyond human abilities, and still your partner left.

I want you to know that for whatever reasons, or whatever’s happened, God is a gracious and compassionate God. He is full of mercy, rich in kindness and abounding in love. Unbiblical divorce or unbiblical remarriage are not unforgivable sins. He is able to take hurts and pains and wrongs, and remake them all into something good. He is able to restore those who come humbly before Him, seeking His face and devoting themselves to following in His ways.

So here’s to Tim and Tara, and to all married couples – may your God-joined marriage fill you with happiness and love all the days of your life and put the gospel of Christ Jesus on display for the world to see.

Saddlin' Up for VBS

Yes, it’s almost here. Vacation Bible School. And this year we’re saddled up for a great adventure through the wide-open spaces of Big Sky Country at Saddle Ridge Ranch.

Parents, we thank you for the trust you’ve placed in us to care for your children and teach them the ways of the Lord according to His Word. Our sincere desire is for each child to come to know Jesus – the greatest thing anyone of any age could do. For Christ is our all in all, our everything, our hope, our joy, our peace and our life. Without Him we’d be hopelessly and helplessly lost.

That’s why we put so much preparation and effort into this week of VBS, so that our love for the Lord and our heart for glorifying His name will be evidenced in our love for your children and in teaching them to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

We also know that kids have many questions, and sometimes they ask very profound questions that leave us as parents (and grandparents) struggling to come up with answers. Discussing things like God and creation, heaven and hell, and salvation and eternity can be daunting tasks!

Here’s a little sneak peek at some of the questions we’ll try to answer next week for your children. Who am I? Does God care about me? What is God’s plan for me? How can I be like Jesus? What do I do now?

And we’ll go to the one sure source of authority to find the answers: the Bible. The Bible is God’s revelation to man. There He reveals Himself, His purposes and His ways. There He reveals to us our sin and our need for a Savior. And there He reveals to us His Son Jesus Christ, to whom the whole of Scripture testifies as the very nature of Almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the true essence of love, the source of perfect peace, the hope of nations and the author of salvation.

We make no apologies for our firm commitment to the truth of Scripture and our complete reliance upon the Word of God. For we know that the Bible is “able to make you wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:15-17).

So that’s what you’ll get. And we’ll use some energetic and fun music to reinforce these truths. We’ll do some terrific craft projects to help your children learn hands-on. We’ll respond to the Lord in worship, prayer, giving and serving. And we’ll do our best to model a genuine walk of trust in the Lord and obedience to His ways in every thought and attitude and in every word and deed.

God has called His church to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-16). I am so thankful and thrilled to be a part of what God is doing in this community and throughout the world through His people.

Friend, if you’re not a part of the greatest enterprise this world has ever known – the advance of the kingdom of heaven led by our risen, conquering King Jesus Christ – then why not turn your life over to the Lord right now? Don’t miss out on the imperishable treasures of everlasting life for the fleeting and fading treasures of earth. Don’t spend eternity in hell regretting what you need to do now – and that’s repenting of your sins and believing wholeheartedly in Jesus for salvation.

Call upon His name this moment in a simple prayer, pleading for His mercy, receiving His forgiveness and grace and trusting Him to lead and guide you from this day forward. That’s a life-long choice you’ll never, ever regret.

This Sunday, July 11, I want to invite you to worship with us, and feel free to wear your Western wear. Also, let me give a special invitation to bring your children, grandchildren, neighborhood children or any other children you can round up on Sunday morning at 10:40 a.m. for a worship experience of blessing for our young ones. Then Saddle Ridge Ranch begins Sunday night with a light dinner at 5:30, and the VBS goes from 6-8. Ya’ll come!

Reflections on Our Nation's Foundation and Future Direction

Before I forget, let me wish you a happy 4th of July! Celebrating our national independence ought to remind us of the wonderful freedoms we enjoy in this country. We have been blessed beyond measure in these United States, and we owe a great debt of gratitude to our founding fathers for their vision and wisdom in shaping this nation.

Of course, we also owe our heartfelt thanks to every man and woman who has worn the uniform in serving and protecting this land. Hundreds of thousands have paid the ultimate price in gaining and preserving our freedoms. We salute them all, knowing that we would have nothing to celebrate if not for their sacrificial efforts on our behalf.

Most of all, we have the Lord God to thank for what He has done for us. Because our nation’s fathers sought the Lord’s help and relied upon His providential hand for victory, God has rewarded their faith and blessed us richly. Indeed, in a way similar to how God promised His blessings upon His people Israel, we’ve seen His grace shed upon us: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His heritage” (Psalm 33:12a)!

It is amazing to read in the Old Testament of how God promised such incredible blessings to Israel for their obedience to His ways, while also warning them of the grave dangers that would come from disobedience. If you read Deuteronomy chapter 8 you’ll see how God longs for His people to follow Him and receive His grace.

In that text God speaks through Moses, saying: “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you” (Deut. 8:7-10).

This Scripture is obviously given to Israel as they were nearing their entry into the Promised Land, but to me it’s not too difficult to see the parallels in our nation’s history. What other nation besides Israel has been so blessed as America has been? We have had it so good here, and we have the Lord our God to bless for the good land He has given us.

With that said, in the very next breath Moses also issued a warning to Israel: “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and your gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth…And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God” (Deut. 8:11-14, 17, 19-20).

Is that not a warning that we need to heed in 21st century America?! By the way, God eventually did bring His judgment upon Israel when they forgot the Lord their God, when they rebelled against His ways, and served and worshiped other gods. After sending many prophets to call the nation back to Him, and after pouring out His kindness and steadfast love toward His people, God used the Babylonians to capture and destroy Jerusalem, as many were put death and some carried into exile out of the land of Judah.

How will history record America’s story? Will the people of this nation return in faithfulness and obedience to the ways of the Lord our God? Or will we forget His commands, boast in ourselves, and suffer the ruin of a once richly-blessed land?

Celebrating God's Faithfulness

Thought I might give you a little heads up on an event coming later this summer that we are getting excited about. Now I could be talking about Vacation Bible School, which I hope you’ll also mark on your calendar for July 11-16, but I’m not. I could be referring to any particular Sunday in which the followers of Christ assemble for worship (I get excited every week), but no.

Would you please write down the date of Sunday, August 15, and plan to come and join us for Ridgway First Baptist Church’s 120th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration? We are so grateful for what our God has done in us and through us and for us in the past, what He is doing now, and what we are confident He’ll do in the future. That’s what we want to celebrate, and what we invite you to celebrate with us on August 15.

The last time we recognized an anniversary was in 1990 when we observed our 100th year of serving Christ as the Ridgway First Baptist Church. This church has a storied history of faith, hope and love, serving our local community and sending out missionaries around the world.

One of my favorite pieces of that history is the leap of faith our membership took to build our current facility. Originally the church was established with just 13 charter members near the corner of Combs and Sycamore streets. The membership had grown to 98 by 1900. But in 1941 an additional numerical growth occurred when the New Zion Baptist Church closed and its members transferred to Ridgway FBC. At that time the congregation voted to relocate and build on the corner of Valter and South streets, which is our present location.

The records show that at that time there the church treasury held just $1.83. Yet the church believed that God would provide and supply their needs as they moved forward in faith. Of course, God did not disappoint. The plans were made, the work began, and the building completed as donations of time, money and materials were given generously, even by people from other denominations.

On September 5, 1943, the new church building was dedicated to the Lord. Then, on August 6, 1944, just three years after the church stepped out in faith with such a meager amount in the treasury, the mortgage was paid off and the note burned.

That’s just one example of the ways in which God has blessed this church abundantly, and how His people have trusted Him wholeheartedly. Today we’re walking in the shadows of some giants in the faith, men and women who have left a tremendous legacy of faithfulness and obedience. And we’re walking in the power of the Holy Spirit of Almighty God, who always leads His faithful ones in the way they should go. Personally, I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for this church.

We want to extend a warm invitation for everyone in the community to join us on August 15. The invitation also goes out to former members and friends who may have moved out of the area, current members who may not have blessed us with your presence for some time, and anyone who wants to come and celebrate with us.

We have invited former pastor Duane Faulkenberry to bring the message that day. Bro. Duane served as pastor here from 1984-1991, and currently serves Bryan St. Baptist Church in Herrin as pastor. Our music leader for our morning service will be Don Moye. Don grew up in this church and went on to become a music minister at First Baptist Church in Vidalia, GA, where he currently serves as Executive Pastor.

After the morning services we’re planning lunch catered in by the Bar-B-Q Barn in Harrisburg. Following lunch we have a Southern Gospel group called the River City Quartet scheduled to encourage us through their music ministry.

August 15 promises to be a special day of rejoicing in the Lord, fellowship with God’s people and anticipation of His future blessings. How about making plans to join us?

Getting the Missions Message

I didn’t even get to preach last Sunday, but I think they got the message.

Eight of the nine people from our church who went on the Missions Spectacular trip to East St. Louis on Saturday told their stories to the church Sunday morning. And I didn’t mind in the least.

The project was initiated by the Illinois Baptist State Association as a One-Day missions event with opportunities to go to Rockford, Springfield or the Metro East area. In all, over 550 people participated from churches throughout Illinois at one of the three locations.

At the Metro East sites mission projects included church building repairs, food pantry repair work, landscaping, park clean-up, farming, clothes pantry sorting, campus prayer-walking, and taking 100 kids from the Christian Activity Center to the zoo. Our group was assigned, and joined by families from two other churches, to spend the day doing Kids Club activities and Sports Camps at the New Yu Youth Movement in East St. Louis.

The New Yu consists of a core group of several teenagers led by a husband-wife youth ministry team. Three years ago this couple was serving as youth pastors in a church when the adults decided to disband. Rather than abandon the students, however, the Thomas’ carried on their ministry to their students in what is now called the New Yu Youth Movement.

Their website describes their purpose: “We exist to inspire and motivate students to seek Christ, pursue a relationship with Him, accept His unconditional love, connect with other students, and tell someone about Him. We will impact this generation for Christ!”

They meet for worship and fellowship in a dilapidated building in a neighborhood surrounded by vacant lots and modest (at best) homes in need of major repair. The house across the street was occupied, but the grass was grown above waist high. Several unsavory business establishments operate nearby. The Southwestern Illinois Correctional Facility is only blocks away. Do I need to mention that the neighborhood is African-American?

It was into this foreign environment that we ministered the love of Christ for the 70 kids who came to see what was going on. The children ranged in age from just a few months old to late teens. Some of their parents also hung around for a while. We set up gazebo tents and brought games and activities, prepared crafts, grilled hot dogs and served chips, cookies and drinks, did face-painting and told Bible stories.

Our mission was to be witnesses for Christ to the world. Indeed, that is the mission of every follower of Jesus in every generation and in every location. Jesus commissions His disciples plainly with these words: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:18). And He tells them: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

It felt like we were going to the ends of the earth when we arrived in the heart of East St. Louis. But what a blessing to serve in the kingdom of Christ and obey His command! What a joy and inspiration to serve, if just for a day, alongside this couple who is indeed impacting a generation for Christ! What a delight to express the love of Jesus to these children and their parents and to share the gospel message of salvation with many of them!

I hope we were a blessing to them, but I know we were blessed in abundance.

The Bible says: “For ‘everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Rom. 10:13-15).

I hope the kids of East St. Louis soak in the good news we brought, and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation – just as is my hope and prayer for Ridgway. I’m so thankful for the ones who sacrificed time, money and apprehensions to go in the name of Christ, and for their willingness to tell others about it. That’s a message that’ll preach!