Berean Baptist Church


 Thank God For A Godly Pastor!

       I want to give praise to the Lord for the provision of the new pastor at Berean Baptist Church in Grand Blanc, Michigan. After spending nearly 36 years at Berean Baptist Church it was not an easy decision for Mary and me to pull up our roots and move south. Mary and I have poured the best years of our lives into our dear Berean family. I have made sacrifices, tried to serve faithfully, and sought to walk with the Lord in the spirit of grace, kindness, and holiness. As I have reflected on these precious years spent here in the service of our Lord I have been concerned that those who follow me will do a good job of loving the people, feeding their souls, and caring for the flock. Many times when a pastor leaves the church often suffers through a long process of trying to find the right man to replace the previous minister. It is often a time of confusion and division. I was well aware of this and at least tried to prepare our church and its leaders for a transition. However, the Lord had other plans. Once a search committee was formed I made it a matter of prayer and fasting to encourage them to find the right person to come in after me. It became apparent to me that the Lord had His man chosen in Eric Maynard. After the church had come to a decision to pursue Eric I had a wonderful spirit of peace that came over me. Mary and I took a couple of days and went up north to rest and spend some time on the great lakes. I commented several times as I drove up there that I was so very pleased with the choice of Eric Maynard and his wife Julie. The joy was full and I knew if the church chose him he would be a gentle, gracious, kind, and Christ-like pastor. When people desire to be in the office of the pastor they must be godly, spiritual and gracious men. The church needs bold leadership in these days in which we live. But that also means that those who lead the church in these days need to have the spirit of Christ about them.  To me, Eric has that quality. Those who serve in the office of the New Testament Pastor must be patient, reasonable, kind and gracious men. It is with a deep sense of joy and satisfaction that I can depart and have confidence that the church is going to be in very good hands.

 When I came to Berean back in 1982 I was taking the torch from a brother in Christ and was going to be serving in the pulpit that he labored in for the past 13 years. It is an awesome thing to follow another godly shepherd and to try serve in the pulpit he so faithfully labored in for those many years before. A pastor must seek to build upon the foundation that others have laid who have gone before him. Let me encourage all of our Berean family to get behind your new pastor. Pray for him daily. Seek for opportunities to be an encouragement to him. We are entering a period of history in the West and in our country that will surely be one of the most trying times in the history of our church and in our own personal lives. Now more than ever the church must be vigilant, Spirit-filled, and gospel-centered. The Lord has given you a shepherd. He is a shepherd. He is called to lead you and to feed you. Don't follow the hirelings, the voices of false prophets, or the wolves in sheep's clothing. In the years to come, they will arrive on the scene as Paul the apostle predicted in Acts chapter 20. You have your shepherd. Follow pastor Eric as he is following Christ. Your new pastor is not a novice. He is a seasoned minister who has been faithful for many years already. Praise God for him, encourage him, pray for him, and protect him. Don't let anyone harm your pastor. A pastor is a gift from the Lord. Cherish this precious gift. I have no doubts that Eric will faithfully feed and lead you. Be of good courage dear Bereans. The best is yet to come. 

God bless and care for you all,

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Dickie

How do I know if I am really saved?

When a person becomes a Christian by putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior there may arise from time to time doubts about whether or not if you are  really saved. So how does a person know if they are the Lord’s or not?  The Bible tells us that the true Christian will have certain marks or characteristics that distinguish him from those who don’t know the Lord. Read I John 1:7, 2:3, 3:9, 5:2. These verse will give you the clue as to the kinds of things we should see in the life a true child of God. 

The Bible teaches us that those who have been born again will bear the testimony of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. There are many who profess to be Christians but are living lives that discredits everything they profess. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. These words were written by the apostle in the book of Hebrews  in 12:14. 

No one should assume that they are going to heaven if they have not been radically changed by the power of the Holy Spirit when they were born again. The goal of salvation is to call a people into fellowship with the triune God. These people will become worshippers of God and will reflect the characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ in their daily lives. 

The marks of a true Christian are many. Here are a few of the most important ones that we should expect to see in the lives of those who really know the Lord. If these are absent there should be serious concern whether or not the person has been born again. The marks are:

1. Obedience
2. Worship
3. Love for Christ
4. Love for the Word of God
5. Love for the brethren
6. Prayer
7. Overcoming sin
8. Living a consistent life
9. Bearing the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, Gal. 5:22-23
10. Conviction of sin

If these marks are missing in your life I would encourage you to seek the Lord, ask for forgiveness and repentance and study the doctrine of justification by faith. Only as we trust in Christ and His shed blood, and find ourselves covered by His righteousness can we have the hope of eternal life. Don’t settle for a nominal faith. Make your calling and election sure!

Living For Jesus

Here is a Blueprint for Christian Living

 “Look and Live”

1. Look to the Lord for your purpose in life, Micah 6:8, “He hath shown you O man what is good and what the Lord requires of you, but to do justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
2. Look to the Lord for your wisdom, Proverbs 3:4-5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
3. Look to the Lord for your salvation, Isaiah 45:22, “Look to Me and be and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is none other.”
4. Look to Christ for a righteousness greater than your own. Mathew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
5. Look to Christ to give you an abundant life, John 10:10, “I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”
6. Live for the glory of God. I Cor. 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatever ye do, do all for the glory of God.”
7. Live in the spirit of praise, I Thess. 5:18, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
8. Live on the Word of God, Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds form the mouth of God.”
9. Live with your eyes on the judgment seat of Christ, II Cor. 5:10, “For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in the body whether good or bad." 
10. Live before God with a broken and repentant heart. Psalm 51;17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-These, O God, You will not despise.”

This is a very informative video from Prager University with Dinesh D'Souza on evaluating differnet cultrues. 

What makes the culture of America unique is that it was built on the principles and the foundation of a Christian worldview.  Here are the following building blocks of a Christian worldview:

The list that follows are the main presuppositions that make up a Christian worldview:

1. There is a God, Isaiah 43:10,11; 44:6,8; 45:5. 

2. This God is a Trinity, Gen. 1:26; Zech.
12:10; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 1:1. 

        3. God has revealed Himself in three ways: In creation, which is general revelation,in the Bible, which is special revelation, and in Jesus Christ His Son, Rom. 1:18-20' I Cor. 15:3.

4. God is the creator of the universe and all that is in it with order
and design -- the universe is not an accident, Gen. 1;
Isaiah 44:24; 45:18; Jer. 27:5; Neh. 9:6. 

5. God created all of life with a design and a
purpose -- life did not evolve, Gen. 1:11,12,21,24,25; 1 Cor. 15:38,39. 

6. The unseen supernatural world is just as real as the physical world, Eph. 6:12; Job 1:6; Mark 5:2; Matt. 12:22 

7. God made man in His own image, Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7; 1 Cor. 11:7. 

8. Man possesses dignity due to being made in God's image Job 31:15; Ps. 22:10; 139:13; Hosea 12:3; Luke 1:41-44. 

9. The first humans were Adam and Eve, and lived in the Garden of Eden, Gen. 2;    Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:22,45; 1 Tim. 2:13. 

     10. Adam and Eve were the first family (male and female) homosexuality 

        therefore, is unnatural Gen. 1:28; 2:21-25. 

    11. Man is morally accountable to God Ex. 15:26; 1 Kings 11:38; Rom.

      2:16; Ps. 50:6; 82:8; James 1:21. 

    12. God gave Man dominion of the earth, Gen. 1:28; Titus 1:7 

   13. Man is to subdue the world in a manner consistent with biblical

     revelation Gen. 1-2; 2 Tim. 3:16-17. 

   14.Sin entered the world through the sin and fall of Adam and Eve, Gen.

      3:1-6; Rom. 5:12-14 

   15. All people have sinned in Adam and are therefore in need of

      salvation Rom. 3:23. 

   16. Jesus is the only way to escape the judgment of God Acts. 4:12; 

      John 14:6. 

   17. The civil government is ordained by God and is God's provision for

       order and safety in society Rom. 13:1-7; John 19:11. 

   18. Christians are obligated to follow the laws of the land except where 

      they contradict the Bible Acts 5:29; 4:19. 

   19. Christians are commanded to preach the gospel to all the people in

        the World Matt. 28:18-19; Ps. 22:17. 

If we lose these foundatinal principles we will lose what has made this nation and its culture so special in the modern world. A Christian culture can only be maintained by the preaching of the gosple of Jesus Christ.

May the Lord enable us at Berean to continue to proclaim the unsearchable riches of that great gospel!!!

Wonderful Time In Africa

A Precious Brother in Christ

It was a very enjoyable time in Zambia, Africa with Ronald Kalifungwa. The Lord is truly blessing these men and their churches with a moving of God's Spirit. The singing was amazing and the fellowship was sweet in Christ. Ronald and Conrad have planted 45 churches and they are spreading the doctrines of Grace and Reformed theology all over the continent for the glory of God. I came home from ministering there very refreshed and challenged. May the Lord of the harvest send forth His servants to labor for Him in these days of spreading confusion and doctrinal declension.

All Things Work Together For Good--Romans 8:28

Seven Ways That Demonstrate How God Brings Good Out Of All Our Sufferings

1. God will use these “things” to get our attention. “All things work together for good…” The “All things” in Romans 8:28 refer to the trials, sufferings and tragedies that often hit us in our lives and surprise us when we least expect it.

a. Let me explain, all of us occasionally pass through times of spiritual dryness and aridity of soul where we see our love for Christ cooled. We may become spiritually tired and exhausted and the word of God seems to lose its effect on our lives.

b. What shall we do at times like this? Superficial and shallow people simply inject another program into the church or create another busy activity that exhausts people who are already worn out and spiritually fatigued.

c. God’s method is to get our attention through these “things” that Paul is mentioning. A true child of God knows when God is calling for his attention. These “things” bring us back to our senses, and help us to refocus and cause us to listen to the voice of God once more. David said in Psalms 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” David was drifting spiritually but then some affliction hit him and it brought him to his senses and he returned to the Lord.

2. God will use these “things” to develop patience, godly character in our lives, and to mold us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. James tells us in James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

3. God will use these “things” to teach us how to pray, to trust, to walk with Him more faithfully. Dr. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “Christian people are generally at their best when in the furnace of affliction.”

4. God may use these “things” to teach us humility. Struggling, suffering people are not usually over confident and arrogant. They aren’t proud and self-sufficient thinking they can live without God or without His word and Spirit working in their lives. Humility dwells with those who are suffering and sorrowing.

5. God will use these “things” to make us more tender, sympathetic, and understanding of the hurts, bruises, and needs of others. “Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (II Corinthians 1:4). When we suffer we are able, from our own experiences, to comfort others. When we have gone through the fire we know how to help those who are passing through the flames of trial and tribulation.

6. God will use these “things” to teach us deeper lessons about His own person. We learn about His,

a. Forgiveness

b. Faithfulness (He doesn’t forsake us)

c. Omnipotence (as He keeps his promise)

d. Omnipresence (as He draws near to comfort)

e. Tenderness

f. Patience (bearing long with us in our failures)

g. Provision, etc.

7. God uses these “things” to prepare us for Heaven.

a. So often we are earth bound, we do not have that joyful anticipation of the coming glory.

b. But pain, suffering, sorrow and tragedy, etc. will develop a godly longing to be with Christ.

c. Perhaps your heartaches are preparing you to look up for your redemption is drawing nigh.

The Timothy Library

If you were stranded on an Island or had to seclude yourself somewhere for an extensive period of time what books would you take with you? Here is a suggestion of some of the great books that have been a blessing to me over the years. There are several suggestions from my dear friend Dewi Higham. How many of these great books have you read? It would be a wise person who would note these books, purchase them, and then read them. 

The Bible calls us to grow in grace. These books and others like them will be a great help to that end.

1. The Bible
2. A hymn book
3. Matthew Poole's Commentary (2 vol.)
4. Pilgrim's Progress
5. Calvin's Institutes (2 vol.)
6. Romans Chapter 5 by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
7. Precious Things Of God by Octavious Winslow
8. Spurgeon's New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, (4 vol.)
9. The Presence of God by Matthew Henry
10. The Biography of Elijah by A. W. Pink
11. The Body of Divinity by Thomas Watson
12. The Great Preachers of Wales

The man who will not read is not much better than the man who cannot read. Read and grow in grace!