I am praying that our stewardship study will be a blessing to everyone who is participating. I have gone through this material with great care and prayerfulness and have found it to be very helpful, convicting, and edifying. Anyone who will take the time to prayerfully consider these topics will reap many blessingsin their lives spiritually. May we be Bereans and study the Word and apply the principles of Scripture to our hearts and lives.
This week is a milestone for me. I have been at Berean Baptist for 30 years. I have been in the pastorate for 40 years this year, and I have been preaching since I was 16, that is 46 years! I want to thank all of my Berean family for their kindness and prayers during these past 30 years. Mary and I are deeply grateful for the privilege of ministering here during these years. The Psalmist said, "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." Psalm 16:6
When I travel to Wales to be with the Higham's one of the special joys is witnessing their close family life and traditions. One of the things they have done over the years is to have their family prayer sung in a Welsh song. Being with these wonderful folks is a joy and a blessing. Here on my blog today is the Welsh prayer as sung by the Higham's at a meal after the Lord's Day worship at the Tabernacle in Cardiff, Wales.
Please keep checking on my blog for I have more interviews coming with a number of special guests including Vernon Higham, Bill Tipton and others.
My prayer for all of us today is that the Lord will knit our hearts together in Christian love and that we would all work very diligently to preserve the unity of the saints here at Berean. If you ever see a church that is walking in love, that is fellowshipping in unity, that is doctrinally sound, that worships biblically, that displays the fruit of the Spirit in their corporate lives, you can be sure that there has been a great and concerted effort to make all of that happen. May we each be Christ-like in all that we do for the glory of God.
While we were in Inverness, Scotland we met this gentleman who is a friend of Mari Higham. This brother in Christ is a faithful witness for Christ on the streets as he shares his faith and passes out Christian literature to those who are passing by. I was deeply touched by this man's passion to share the wonders of redeeming love to those he met. There are many different faiths in the world today, all of them claiming to be true. As we all know the only faith that can pass the test of inspection and verification is the Christian message. The evidence to verify the truth claims of Christianity is overwhelming. I trust all of you who hear of this man's faith will be greatly encouraged and challenged to share your faith as well.
It is good to be home. I am praying that the sweet spirit and love that we have had in our church will continue as we move into the summer. God bless you all.
We have arrived home and are looking forward to the services tomorrow at Berean. I will continue to post the interviews and videos that I took over in England, Scotland and Wales. I trust and pray that these will be a blessing to everyone. God bless you and see you tomorrow.
We had a wonderful evening at the Tabernacle with our dear friends the Higham's and all of the brothers and sisters in Christ at the Tabernacle Church in Cardiff, Wales.
Vernon and Morwen have been coming to Berean for the past 21 years. The relationship that we all have together in Christ is very special, indeed. During our stay with Dewi and Mari, we went from Heathrow in London, England, to Inverness in Scotland and then on to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Our journey eventually brought us back to Glasgow, Scotland and then on to Cardiff, Wales. Our last day was spent in Bath, England.
The ties between our two churches is very precious. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the tie that binds our hearts and lives together. Praise God for the wonderful grace that we all share in Christ.
I look forward to seeing everyone in Berean this Sunday.
This is a clip we did on the road in Skye in the Outer Hebrides. We are now back in Cardiff. Had wonderful services yesterday and are spending Monday with Mari and Dewi at Bath, England. I trust everyone had a good Lord's Day at Berean. I have heard some very good reports and praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers. We will be home soon but will continue to post some of the interviews I have done with some of the believers over here.
We have returned from Scotland to Wales with the Higham's. We had a wonderful time with them. Yesterday we had a church fellowship and a dinner with the Tabernacle in Cardiff. Today I will be preaching three times. I appreciate your prayers.
I want to wish all of our ladies a happy Mother's Day! May the Lord bless you all. I am posting this song of The Skye Boat Song which is very beautiful. Mari sang this to us as we enterred the Isle of Skye. You will see the many beautiful places in the video where we have traveled.
Mary and I will be returning later this week. I have kept all of you in my prayers while I was away. God bless you and we will see you on Sunday.
This is a brief interview with a dear friend of mine from London, England, David Malam. David is a deacon in a church in Hampton. I have known David for many years and he has been over to visit with Mary and me a number of times. In this interview David shares with us some of the great concerns about the situation in Great Britain. There are very few young men entering into the Christian ministry in England today. This is a great concern. We need to pray for the church in the British Isles that the Lord of the harvest will raise up many to proclaim the good news of Calvary Love!
I am very pleased that we have people like Eric Stewart and many other young men around the country who have heard the call of God to take the precious gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the earth. I can recall the moment when God's grace came to me in a locker room in Saginaw, Michigan and the Lord changed my heart forever. That was a track meet where I was running for Pontiac Central High School. I am forever grateful for the grace of God that came to me, an unworthy sinner. I am forever grateful and thankful to the Lord for His grace.
Mary and I have returned from Scotland to Cardiff, Wales, with Dewi and Mari. I will be speaking once tomorrow and three times on Sunday at their church. Please keep me in prayer as we minister to the dear brothers and sisters in the Tabernacle at Cardiff.
Recently, on this trip, I have been meditating on Romans chapter 12. In this chapter the apostle is answering the question, "How do we respond to the gospel." There are three things to consider in this chapter.
1. Present your bodies unto the Lord, 1-2.
2. Participate in the body of Christ by using your spiritual gifts, 3-8.
3. Practice personal godliness, 9-21.
Let me encourage you to take special notice of verses 9, 10, 16, and 18. You will see that there is a great emphasis placed on relating with our fellow believers. We should love them, be kind to them, in honor preferring other before ourselves, be of the same mind with one another (strive for unity), and if at all possible is to be at peace with each other. True godliness involves loving the brethren and working hard to protect the love and unity of the body of Christ. This is the duty of all believers. May the Lord bless us as we obey Paul's exhortations in Romans chapter 12.
Be watching my blog for I will be putting up some more interviews.
This was an interview I did with David Clark in London just after we landed at Heathrow airport. Mary and I flew all night and I was exhausted but very pleased to see my friend. I will start posting some videos of the trip and some interviews with different people so be checking every couple of days or so to see what I'm posting on here.
Dave has written a book on the internet that is extremely helpful to parents and to all who may be using this form of media. We discuss his book a little bit here in the clip. I will order some copies when I get home and anyone with children who use the internet should read this book to understant the great potential for good and for evil the internet can be.
I am praying for our church. The Lord is on the throne and we are blessed to be a part of that holy and wonderful company of those invited to the wedding feast. May we live like children of the King.
I did this video before I left home for my journey to Scotland. I wanted to
share this with you while I was away with the prayer that it would be an
encouragement to our church family. We have so many things to praise the Lord
for. This prayer that I will read from Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus
speaks directly to the needs of the Lord's people at all times. I trust that
this finds each of you enjoying the blessings and the presence of the Lord in
your lives.
Please keep Mary and me in your prayers that the Lord will use us to be a
blessing to everyone we meet. We have been so blessed to meet so many wonderful
Christians here in Scotland. It was here that the great Reformation in Europe
was given strength to spread throughout the British Isles and eventually to the
colonies in America. The Calvinism here is close to the roots of the origin of
this great movement that we all know as the Reformation. The people in
Scotland, who love the doctrines of grace, are known for being a God-fearing
people. This is what separates their Calvinistic faith from so many others who
only use the doctrines of grace to debate and to win arguments. Calvinism is a
Christian worldview that touches every area of our lives. When people truly
know the doctrines of grace they will be a God-fearing people who walk in the
Spirit, who are filled with the Spirit, and who are known as a holy and
gracious people. Many years ago one of the early leaders of the rebirth of
Calvinism in America, Dr. Victor Barnard, told me that there are many who know
the doctrines of grace but don't know the grace of the doctrines. I have never
forgotten that statement.
We are presently staying with a wonderful Scottish family in the highlands
on the Isle of Skye. This remote area is one of the most beautiful places that
I have even seen in all of my journeys. But what makes this place so special is
the deep love that these dear people have for our Lord and our Savior Jesus
Christ.
This is the second interview from Don Freeze. I heard that we had a wonderful first service last Sunday. I want to thank those who emailed to give me an update on the services. I am praying that this series on stewardship will be a blessing to all who participate.
Mary and I arrived safely in England and yesterday drove from London to Inverness, Scotland. Our time with the Highams has been delightful. I will be posting on my blog some pictures and video clips from our trip in the near future.
We are keeping all of you in our prayers while we are away. May the Lord pour out His blessings on Berean during these days. God bless you all, Pastor
