African Pastor's Conference 2010

We had our fist service at Bethany Baptist Church in Centurion, South Africa (near Pretoria).

Please keep us in prayer!

Monday and Tuesday we will be at Port Elizabeth speaking at a Black African Pastor's Conference.

Our desire is to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ!

Soli Dei Gloria

God Bless,

Pastor

African Pastor's Conferences 2010

I am leading a team from Berean Baptist to South Africa in January. Please check the Pastor's Blog for updates and pics on our trip. Ben Dickie and Eric Stewart plan to post some photos and updates from time to time.

The topics that I will be sharing with our dear friends in South Africa include worship, prayer, and the subject of brokenness before the Lord. I thought that you might find some of these thoughts and quotes on brokenness and spirituality a blessing to your soul. Read and may the Lord bless each of you!

* In a world where self confidence and self reliance are celebrated it is important to remember that broken people who are have humbled themselves before God and find their strength in Christ are those who have been greatly used by the Lord.

* "Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit...the decline of the knowledge of the Holy has brought on our troubles." A. W. Tozer

* "A glimpse of Jesus will save you, but to gaze on Him will sanctify you." Manley Beasley

* "If you lay yourself at Christ's feet he will take you up in his arms." William Bridge

* Every great man of God or woman of God has passed through times of trial, brokenness, and what is often called the wilderness experience.

* The crushing sorrows and burdens of life may be overwhelming at times but they produce in our lives the things that make us truly useful to God--brokenness, desperation, humility, repentance, tears, tenderness, and patience.

* "God will never come to his right unless we are totally reduced to nothing, so that it may be clearly seen that all that is laudable in us comes from elsewhere." John Calvin

* "Unbelief makes the world a spiritual desert, where no divine footsteps are heard, where no angels ascend and descend, where no living hand adorns the fields, feeds the birds of heaven, or regulates events." F. W. Krummacher

* "Suffering so unbolts the door to the heart that the Word has an easier entrance." Richard Baxter

* What the church of Jesus Christ so desperately needs today are men and women who walk with God in the power and gentleness of the Holy Spirit.

Trials and tribulations are often used by the Lord to mold our hearts into His image. These hard Providences that we often pass through will teach us the importance of brokenness before the Lord. Never forget that broken people are precious to the Lord. A broken and contrite heart He will not despise.

God bless all of you!

Pastor Dickie

Dear Bereans,


I trust that you will all have a Merry Christmas!


keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus.



Remember as you gather as families with friends and loved ones to worship Him.

I would like to ask all of you to keep me in prayer as I head to South Africa on the 31st to speak at the African Pastor's Conferences. Our goal is to encourage our brethren over there to preach Christ in the context of the Doctrines of Grace. May the Lord be pleased to bless us with a strong moving of His Spirit and bring revival and reformation to that part of the world.


My love and prayers are with you all.


Yours in Christ,


Pastor Dickie

Online Sermon & Online Calendar Companion

We at Berean Baptist Church have used two wonderful tools in our ministry. These tools are Online Sermon and Online Calendar Companion. Sermon Companion allows us to upload our weekly messages online and enables us to catalogue them by speaker, topic, date, or series. We also use Sermon Companion on our website for Emmaus Road Academy. Calendar Companion allows us to manage our activities and upcoming events. One unique feature with Calendar Companion is the ability to notify people by email of upcoming events. These are two wonderful tools that will greatly enhance any website and Christian Ministry and they have been a blessing to our congregation here at Berean Baptist Church.


Listen to our sermons and follow our events here:


Berean's Online Sermons

Berean's Online Calendar

I want to encourage all of our brothers and sisters at Berean to utilize these tools in their interaction here at Church and with our Academy. I want to challenge all of you to listen to the weekly messages if you have been shut in, away traveling, or not able to attend our services for any other reason. I am greatly encouraged that because of Sermon Companion many people around the world in Europe, South America, and Africa are listening to our weekly messages! Praise the Lord!

Sincerely, Pastor Dickie

Always Do Right!

When I was a student many years ago in college a slogan was posted in our dormitory that read, "It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right." Many people today are good at justifying poor behaviour if it leads to some good opportunity or end. I have never forgotten, however, the quote on the dormitory wall. I would encourage all of you to read this quote over and over and reflect on your life. Time is rushing by at such a fast pace. We will all be standing before the Lord before we know it. I pray that all of you will keep that moment in your mind. Let us not justify any gossip, slander, unkindness, mean and unloving spirit, or any un-Christian behavior in our lives. I have often seen people in life do some of the most unkind and un-Christian things and then casually say, "I didn't do anything wrong." We must not deceive ourselves. Always do right! I have always believed that the Lord will bless kindness, patience, generosity, meekness, thankfulness, and love. These are common ingredients in the Christian life. But sadly these things are missing by many who claim to be the people of God. May it never be so in our lives.

My vision and desire for all of those who sit under my ministry is this:

1. Be filled with the Spirit.

2. Follow the golden rule!

3. Be conformed into the image of Christ.

4. Walk with God in humility and kindness.

5. Be considerate of others.

6. Love one another with agape love.

7. Live in the continual practice of praise.

8. Be devoted to the gospel of sovereign grace.

9. Love the people of God for they are indwelled by the Lord of glory.

10. Be passionate in your love and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless you all!

Love, Pastor Dickie

Dear Bereans,


Recently I spoke on prayer in the morning service as we have been going through the book of Isaiah. As I reflect on what it means to live the Christian life there are two things that stand out to me that are of utmost importance. The two most important aspects of living for Jesus are prayer and Bible reading. These two activities are critical to true discipleship. Neglect either of these two duties and you will greatly hinder and impair your relationship with God.


One of my favorite books on prayer is by E.M. Bounds entitled, Power Through Prayer. I encourage all of you to read it. My message last Sunday on Hezekiah's prayer gives a number of suggestions and encouragements on prayer. If you did not hear that message you can listen to it on Allgrace.com.


Let me encourage all of you to enjoy the special privileges of drawing near to God in the Word and in prayer. You will be blessed if you seek the Lord with all of your heart.

“If my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land". II Chron. 7:14

"Call unto me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not". Jeremiah 33:3

“Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer.” D. L. Moody

"Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things.” Andrew Murray.

Our praying, however, needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails." — E.M. Bounds

God bless you all, and keep on striving to walk with God as the days and years of our lives pass.

Yours in Christ, Pastor Dickie

The wonderful, incredible, and amazing Bride of Christ!

The Church of Jesus Christ is His precious Bride. This last month as I spent a time resting, reading, and seeking the face of God in the Word and in prayer I jotted down on a note pad various words that came to my mind that described the Church. This list is by no means exhaustive but it captures the essence of many of the ways the Church functions in our lives. I trust this is a blessing to all of you.

The Church is:

1. A Workshop

2. A Refuge

3. A Compass

4. A Foundation

5. A Temple

6. An Army

7. A Hospital

8. A Repair Shop

9. A Bakery

10. A Winery

11. A Library

12. A Hiding Place

13. A Kitchen

14. A Light House

15. A Home

16. A School

17. An Oasis

18. A Bride

19. A City

20. A Kingdom

21. A Dwelling Place

22. An Anchor

23. A Blazing Fire

24. A Witness

25. A Body

Now if you can think of other words that describe the church share them here as well! As I thought of each of these words I was able to think of many verses that could be applied to these descriptions and I thought of various ways that these words could be descriptive of the Church.

A great word of thanks to all of you for your prayers and encouragement during the last month when I was away. And I want to thank the office staff, our elders and deacons and of course Pastor Eric for all their labors for the Lord. Amen!!!

The pictures are of Kings Chapel in Cambridge, England.

My love to you all, In Christ, Pastor Dickie