All for Jesus

This poem from the pen of the English missionary C.T. Studd is not only a tremendous challenge and blessing, but will prepare our hearts for tomorrow’s message from Mark 14:1-11.
 
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
 
Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
 
Follow this link (click here) to read the church bulletin for tomorrow. 

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Saturday with Spurgeon

Speak What He Teaches

“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say” Exodus 4:12

Many a true servant of the Lord is slow of speech, and when called upon to plead for his Lord, he is in great confusion lest he should spoil a good cause by his bad advocacy. In such a case it is well to remember that the Lord made the tongue which is so slow, and we must take care that we do not blame our Maker. It may be that a slow tongue is not so great an evil as a fast one, and fewness of words may be more of a blessing than floods of verbiage. It is also quite certain that real saving power does not lie in human rhetoric, with its tropes, and pretty phrases, and grand displays. Lack of fluency is not so great a lack as it looks.

If God be with our mouth, and with our mind, we shall have something better than the sounding brass of eloquence, or the tinkling cymbal of persuasion. God’s teaching is wisdom; His presence is power. Pharaoh had more reason to be afraid of stammering Moses than of the most fluent talker in Egypt; for what he said had power in it; he spoke plagues and deaths. If the Lord be with us in our natural weakness we shall be girt with supernatural power. Therefore, let us speak for Jesus boldly, as we ought to speak.


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Cosmic Conflict

This evening we return to the book of Daniel, and we will fins ourselves in chapter 10. This is one of the most fascinating chapters, not just in Daniel, but in all of scripture. Daniel 10 pulls back a curtain. We are given a glimpse of cosmic conflict. The scene is truly amazing. It also calls to mind Ephesians 6:12. There we read that “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” 
 
There is a pit to avoid here, however, and that is to miss the point of this passage. We may easily be caught up with talk of Michael the archangel, the (demonic) princes of Persia and Greece, and become so focused on these truly amazing scenes that we miss the majesty of Christ and the power of His Word. Let’s learn all that scripture has to say in this chapter, but let’s guard ourselves against running down dead-end paths. 
 
The point of this passage is not angelic being or warfare. We will not study this chapter to tickle spiritual fantasies or raise unanswerable questions. Our focus will be the timeless truth that Daniel has recorded under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration. Once we learn and live that truth, God will be glorified and we will be strengthened to accomplish His work. See you tonight at 7pm.
 
SHinE Kids and G.O.E. Teens will also meet at 7pm in the Family Life Center.

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The Backbone of Biblical Prophecy

In his book The Handwriting on the Wall, Dr. David Jeremiah tells the story of Leopold Cohn. He was a Jewish man born in Berezna, Hungary, in 1862. Cohn became a rabbi. The focus of his studies centered on the Messiah’s identity and  coming. He wanted to know when the scattered people of Israel would be regathered to the Promised Land under the Messiah’s rule. His search led him to the prophecy of the seventy weeks from Daniel 9:24-27.
 
On the basis of verses twenty-five and twenty-six specifically, Cohn concluded that the Messiah has already come. This new conviction confounded Cohn and created conflict with other rabbis. Eventually, Cohn took his family and left Hungary for the United States. Maybe that was because he wanted to immigrate to land of religious freedom, or because one fellow rabbi had told him that while he didn’t know where the Messiah was, he thought Cohn should look in New York City! Maybe both of those reasons are right. At any rate, once in NYC, on one Sabbath morning Cohn walked past the open door of a building that was adorned with the cross as well as a sign, written in Hebrew, that said “Meeting for Jews.” He entered. Found a seat. Heard the preacher proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He was given a New Testament in Hebrew. Back home around eleven that morning, Cohn opened the book and began reading at the beginning. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ [Yeshua the Messiah], the son of David, the son of Abraham” Matthew 1:1. He read until one-o’clock the following morning, at which time Rabbi Leopold Cohn committed himself to Jesus of Nazareth as the Jewish Messiah. In due time, Cohn bought a stable, cleaned it out, set up some chairs, and began to hold his own gospel meetings. That was the first outreach of what was to become Chosen People Ministries. All started because a rabbi read Daniel nine.

 Daniel’s 70 Weeks

Tonight at 7pm we will prayerfully study the backbone of all Biblical prophecy – Daniel’s 70 Weeks from Daniel 9:20-27. Don’t miss out, and don’t forget that SHinE Kids’ and G.O.E. Teens will also be meeting at 7pm in our Family Life Center.
Come with the entire family, just as you are, tonight at 7pm.

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One Praying Prophet

There is no doubt. We live in peculiar times. Between concerns for physical health, political agitation, and social deterioration, many are tempted to run and hide or stand swing a club. Neither option is optimal. Ask any pilot, like Bob Randolph for example, and he will tell you that when visibility is bad, you must fly by the instruments.
 
We must be confident in God’s Word and continue in the same. Armed with a biblical perceptive we will remember God’s past blessings which should stabilize us in present troubles and encourage us for future deliverance. In our Wednesday night study of Daniel we are learning from the prophet’s pattern of prayer. Join us tonight at 7pm for this study, and for a time of praying together.
 
Also at 7pm, our SHinE Kids (grades K-5) and G.O.E. Teens (6-12 grades) will meet in the Family Life Center.

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VBS – August 25 – 28

2020 has been one crazy year. We’ve been locked down, masked up, and a little stir crazy. Many things that we enjoy have been delayed or canceled altogether. At Bible Baptist Church we do not want vacation Bible school to be one of those things. Certainly, there are challenges to hosting a VBS at this time, but obstacles are worth overcoming. Obviously, our 2020 VBS will be different than past events. Still, we are excited to offer this ministry, especially during these times.

Something Different

Since everything about 2020 has been unusual, we have decided to break from our normal VBS format. Beginning Tuesday, August 25 and running through Friday, August 28 Cool Kids Ministries will lead this year’s vacation Bible school with a presentation of their Kidz Storm “Spirit.” Each night there will be music, skits, puppets, magic tricks, illusions, scripture memorization, and lots of AWESOME Bible teaching from Bro. Steve Harney. 

Date and Times

Our 2020 VBS will be four nights long. The dates are Tuesday, August 25 through Friday, August 28, from 6 pm – 8 pm each night. That time schedule will be strictly followed. We promise to get you out by 8 pm exactly!
 

Pandemic Precautions

We strive to provide as healthy and safe an environment as possible. Here are the safety measures that we have implemented and will follow each night.
  • We ask that you complete the online registration forms. Click on this link to fill out the online forms. This will decrease the number of people inside the building each night.
  • We ask that you walk your child to the door without coming inside, or let them enter without you. Since you have registered online, we will have your contact information if we need to contact you.
  • We ask that your child wear a mask as they enter and exit the building. This will be the hardest times to social distance. If your child does not have a mask, we will provide them with one. Masks may be removed once they are seated.
  • We will do temperature checks each night as they enter the building. Anyone with a temperature of 100.5 or greater will not be able to attend.
  • We will have hand sanitizer available at the door and throughout the evening.
  • We will have the seats spaced 6′ apart. Each child will need to keep their seat where it is placed. Bro. Steve has designed his program with safety measures in mind. While your children will be up and moving and playing games, they will be safely distanced.
  • We will sanitize each seat before your children arrive and after they are dismissed.
  • We require that children who are Kindergarten aged or below have a parent with them. We will have separate seating for family groups to sit.
  • We will have prepackaged snacks.
  • We will ensure that your children sanitize throughout the night especially before and after snack time and restroom breaks.
  • Our workers will be wearing masks when interacting with others.
  • We ask that parents wait outside for their children until called. They will meet you at the door. 

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One Praying Prophet

As Daniel eight ended we saw one sick prophet. He had seen the future, and it was not pleasant for his people. There was the little horn, the Old Testament antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes. Followed by the Antichrist of the end times. These men would seek to utterly stamp out the Jews. They would not be successful, but witnessing the havoc they would wreak caused Daniel to faint and become ill.
 
This sick prophet looks to his Lord in prayer. That’s how chapter nine begins. When this chapter is preached or referenced, the focus is typically limited to the prophecy of verses 24-27. But Daniel’s prayer precedes the prophecy that he records, and that prayer occupies verses 4-19 of the chapter! Verses 20-23 are snippets of a conversation between Daniel and Gabriel concerning the prayer.

Prophecy is no Substitute for Prayer

The prayer covers more than twice the amount of inspired ink as the prophecy. That’s a big deal, and that will be our focus this evening, as well as next Wednesday for certain. Daniel was a praying man. We have already learned that, and not just from chapter six and the lion’s den. Prayer has been his consistent pattern from the beginning of the book. He is an example for us to follow, and his prayer in chapter nine is a model of intercessory prayer. 
 
This one praying prophet demonstrates seven principles of intercessory prayer for us to imitate. We will not work through all seven in one sermon, but here they all are in one sentence:
Intercessory prayer seeks to know God’s plan, desiring its fulfillment no matter the personal cost, and is for the sake of others, strengthened by confession of sin, dependent on God’s character and all for God’s glory!

Together Again!

Please join us tonight in person at 7pm. Our SHinE Kids (K-5) and G.O.E Teens (6th-12th) will also meet at 7pm in the Family Life Center. The adult prayer time and Bible study may also be viewed at Facebook.com/BBCMountVernon.

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The Stewardship of Opportunity

1 Corinthians 16:7, “For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.”

Personal plans get altered, many times for reasons beyond your control. (Even the apostle Paul had to adjust his schedule. c.f. 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20) When plans go haywire does it mean you are out of God’s will? Not necessarily. In the matter of seeking God’s will two extremes must be avoided. One is to be so frightened at making a mistake that no decision is made at all. The ditch on the other side of the road is to make impulsive decisions, rushing ahead of the Lord. The stewardship of opportunity is important. Don’t complain about or fear the obstacles. Instead, take advantage of the opportunities, and trust God with the results.


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Count on Him!

2 Peter 1:4a, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises…”
 
Promises are only as good as the one who makes them. That is either good news or bad news, depending on who is making the promises on which you are dependent. Here is some good news, some really good news. God has made many promises to us in His Word. Nothing could be more certain and more comforting than the promises God has made to His people. They are always true, because God is truth. They are always good, because God is good. Therefore, we can be certainly comforted in them because they are from God. We can, and should, trust God’s promises, no matter what. Does that describe you today?

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Another Appeal

Our text this morning is Mark 11:27 – 12:12. The parable in this text, and the reaction to it, teaches us that to hear the gospel routinely preached is simultaneously a blessed and a dangerous thing. Dangerous because there is no neutrality with the gospel, and regular exposure to it will either soften or harden your heart. Blessed because only the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation!

The original hearers of this parable had hearts as hard as stone. These hard-hearted religious rulers rejected their Messiah and would have arrested Him but for their fear of the fickle crowd’s reaction (Mark 11:18). Instead, they left Him and went their way.

By now, their hatred for the Lord Jesus was palpable. Their contempt was no longer concealed. While some men were drawn to Jesus, these men were repulsed at Him. They heard the same marvelous words. They witnessed the same miraculous works, but there was no broken-hearted, joyful acceptance of the Lord for them. Instead there was only anger fueled by arrogance. He had not sought their approval. He did not toe their line. He did not behave according to their code. He ignored their traditions. He disrupted their domination of all things cultural and religious. He had interrupted their lucrative business enterprises in the Temple. Follow this Man? Not hardly. They wanted Him destroyed. They would not honestly compare His words and actions with the scriptures. Instead, they would present an accusation that masqueraded as a question.
 
Be tuned in on facebook.com/BBCMountVernon at 11am this morning to follow along.

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