Pastor's Page
PASTOR'S PAGEUpdated May 10, 2010.
Mondays are usually my office days. I take this day to unwind from Sunday Services, to study and to plan for the week, and to sort through paperwork and other odd things that can be done in my study. I usually reflect on the past week, the prior Sunday Service, and look forward to the week that is ahead.
This past week, we had an evangleistic crusade with Mike Renfrow. The Lord used Mike to really help all of us. His preaching on revival, prayer, and the gospel was both convicting and convincing. While I am disapointed that we did not see anyone come to trust the Lord this past week, I rejoice that many in the services each night responded to the message and yielded themselves to be used of the Lord. We will have to keeping praying the prayer of importunity until we prevail and see people reached with the gospel. I do rejoice that many at the Rose Festival responded to the gospel at the Amazing Grace Mission booth on that weekend that started our meeting. I am reminded that the Lord knows what He is doing, and that He will send the latter rain at the right time.
I want to encourage you today to gain ground in your Christian life and to keep that ground once it is gained. You cannot live the Christian life without first coming to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, and receiving Him as your Lord and Savior. If you have not received the Lord Jesus Christ, why not do that now (see our "Plan of Salvation" tab on this web site). Dear Christian friend, I want to encourage you to be assured of the salvation that God has given you. Become a student of the first epistle of John: the Lord will use that book to give you assurance and help you to live more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Gain ground in the areas of Bible study, prayer, personal and family devotions and makes these things a very part of your daily life. Gain ground in the area of church attendance and in serving the Lord in a good solid Biblical local church. Become a soul-winner by learning salvation verses and learning a suitable outline by which to share your faith, praying that the Lord will use you. In areas of weakness, gird your loins with the Word of God and ask the Lord to strengthen you weak areas, so that you will become stronger spiritually. Follow Peter's advice in the last chapter of his second epistle to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Once ground is gained, it must be maintained or it will be lost back to the enemy. It is one thing to gain ground in your Christian life; it is another to maintain that ground and keep the victory the Lord has given you. The Lord has given the Orangeburg Baptist Tabernacle some great opportunities between our "Families Reaching Families" Sunday School Campaign and our Evangelistic Crusade with Mike Renfrow. The Lord has allowed us to grow in every way: most of all spiritually. We cannot now become lazy or indifferent and allow the ground we have gained to be overtaken by the enemy. We must labor to maintain what the Lord has given us by following what Paul has given in II Corinthians 7:1 - "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." Three things are in this passage that we can use to maintain our gains and to grow in the Lord and to live a righteous life. First, we must lay hold of the promises of the Lord and believe that He will do what He said He will do in His Word. Claim these promises as yours and then stand upon them. Second, we must leave behind filthiness both of the flesh and of the spirit. The things that defile you within and without must be laid aside and forsaken, which means that your spiritual and mental diet may need a change. Just as you would not take your household garbage out of the house and then bring it in again, so you should not get rid of the garbage in your life and then bring it in again. Third, we must labor toward godliness. To perfect holiness in the fear of God is simply to strive toward a goal of living like the Lord, which is definition of godliness: to live like God. Our goal that must evermore be set before us is to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. These simple things will not only help you to hold and to maintain the ground you have gained in your Christian life, but will also help to to gain further ground in the future once the ground you have is firmly secured. The cycle that we need to follow is to grow, plateau, maintain, and to grow, plateau, maintain, and continue in the pattern.
May the Lord bless all of us as we continue in His Great Service for His Glory.
In Christ,
Thomas R. Brookshire