Dear Berean Family,

In these days we need to be vigilant as there are heresies sweeping the Christian church that are dangerous and destructive. One heresy is The Word of Faith Movement. I have an excellent article by Gary Gilley on This Movement. Gary Gilley is an author that we use at Evangelical Press in England. His writings are always concise, penetrating, and helpful. If any of you would like to see some information on this please let me know and I will send Gary Gilley's article to you. A good book to read on this subject is Man As God by Curtis I. Crenshaw. Crenshaw is a Reformed theologian. This is a Reformed analysis of this movement.

I have been alarmed recently at the serious departures that many Christian pastors and theologians are making in the areas of worship, doctrine, and even Christian practice. This is a time for the Lord's people to stand tall for truth. My prayer is that the Reformed faith will be defended and proclaimed far and wide.

I love the Five Solas of the Christian Faith:

1. Sola Fide- by faith alone

2. Sola Scriptura- by the Scriptures alone

3. Sola Christus- by Christ alone

4. Sola Gratia-by grace alone

5. Soli Deo Gloria- to the glory of God alone

We should defend these historic positions of the Christian faith. Having these solas as a compass or guide serves to protect us from falling for the fads, heresies, and new and dangerous trends that pop up on the scene from time to time. This is why having a firm faith in the historic creeds and doctrines of grace such as Calvinism will protect the church from making mistakes in these crucial areas.

Dear Bereans, stand resolute against all heresy. God be with you.

In Christ, Pastor Dickie

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24.

A favorite quote of mine is, "You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." However true this may be we need to remember that we can never, ever, fool God. The wise man in proverbs tells us that, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Proverbs 15:3

May our daily prayer be that the Sovereign God of the universe would search our hearts and and show us our sins that we might humbly confess and forsake them. Only in this is there peace and confidence in the future.

Live my dear Berean friends with the understanding that the Lord sees and knows who you are and what you do.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Dickie

We are moving rapidly through the summer. It is hard to realize how fast the summer is passing by. All of this reminds me of how quickly time is rushing by bringing us closer every day to eternity. I am awed by the responsibility I have to preach the whole counsel of God to those who sit under my ministry. The great day of judgment will cause all of us who are pastors to tremble. In the near future I plan to bring a series of messages to our church on spiritual leadership. After nearly 45 years of ministry I have witnessed the rise and fall of many Christian leaders within the church. I hope I can share some of my observations with my Berean family so that we can all watch over our personal relationship with Christ and not make the same mistakes that so many others have made. Let us remember that to whom much is given much is required. May we all pray for wisdom and grace to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord that we have vowed to serve. Holiness, obedience, humility, and Christ likeness are the hall marks of those who would lead others in the Christian church. God bless all of you and may the Lord shine upon us at Berean! Our best days are just ahead.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Robert L. Dickie