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“TRUTH IT SHALL MAKE YOU FREE”

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Truth
Open Door Baptist Church Easter Drama 2010

Note: The following report is from Pastor Jason Murphy. Pastor Murphy and the church membership proved once again that with prayer, hard work, and vision you can get visitors to church and many can be won to Christ. I challenge pastors to ignore those who preach that sinners cannot be saved, and that you are selfish in your attempts to reach them. Some of you should contact Pastor Murphy for some ideas and help on how to attract and reach the lost for Christ. Pastor Murphy said:

Truth
We had a great presentation of “Truth” written and directed by Brother Pat Halliday. Our cast and crew are all Open Door Baptist church members, who did an outstanding job memorizing lines and putting everything they have into such a great job, well done!

Our first service was Saturday night at 7pm and we had 281 in attendance, which is one of our largest Saturday night services. On Sunday we had 537 in attendance (over 100 came back from Saturday) so really we had just over 700 with the 2 services. We had over 140 visitors in the 2 services; most of which were invited by the people of Open Door! We had 10 people indicate that they accepted Christ as their Savior, and 15 that renewed their commitment to Christ!

One man came to me personally to hand me his response card and said: “This is the first time he heard the gospel so clear and Lord used that presentation to bring his guard down.” He said to me, “I prayed with you at the invitation and I know I am saved now.” It was an Amazing day, we serve A Risen Savior!

John 4:34-37 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

INDEPENDENTLY FREE

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PASTORING INDEPENDENTLY

By Ken Blue

I was born on the Bible belt in northern Arkansas. Our little town could not afford a church or pastor, so we had Sunday school and revival meetings in the one room school house. I managed to get through those early years without getting saved. Our little church belonged to the Southern Baptist Convention.

At age 17 I accepted Christ in a Baptist Church in Wenatchee, Washington. The church belonged to a fellowship called the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. I spent several years with them and was told that the Southern Baptist had gone liberal. I was instructed to avoid them.

After Bible College, I enjoyed sweet fellowship with many in the Bible Baptist Fellowship. However, some believed our church was not in the bride and made group fellowship impossible, and so I moved on.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There is not a group of churches that will allow you to be independent and retain fellowship with you![/perfectpullquote]

I then searched for those who were truly independent. But I found to my dismay, that such hopes were impossible. I discovered that there is not a group of churches that will allow you to be independently free and retain fellowship with you. The leaders will smear you and their followers will fear you and you will be independently alone.

Although there are many good men in all the above groups; my advice to young pastors is to stay home. Stay out of groups, conventions, and fellowships. Invite into your pulpit those who will help your church. Don’t have men in just because they are “your crowd.” Preach where you are invited, but don’t become ensnared or enamored. There is a subtle addiction that develops here. You will be wined and dined, courted and promoted, so you will do the same for them. If being your own man, pastoring your own church and choosing your own friends forces you out of their nest, so be it. Freedom and independence are great!

MOTHER’S EMBROIDERY

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By Ken Blue

Mother gathered her embroidery tools next to the old rocking chair;
And like a skilled surgeon, she laid out each item, insuring all was there.

She’d ironed a pattern on the cloth; she’d stretched on embroidery hoops;
Threading the needles with various colors; began her stitches and loops.

I sat on the floor observing each move and contentment on her face.
I could not see the pattern above; she was following with skill and grace.

But from where I sat, I could see no beauty, only frayed ends and knots;
The pattern, to me was without a scheme, and the plan I understood not.

She patted my head and patiently said, “When I’m finished, you’ll soon see.”
With reassuring voice she said what she did, she was doing just for me.

So as I look upward, from down below, His pattern I cannot see.
But with reassuring words, He whispers and says, “it’s all for you; trust Me.”

And as skillful hands follow a pattern, unseen by mere mortal man,
We can be sure while we are down here; for us, He has a purpose and plan.

When mother was finished she lifted me up, where I could see;
And what she embroidered I now understood, and she did it just for me.

SIGNS WITHOUT MEANING

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Ken Blue

The_Cheshire_Cat_by_chri77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently I saw a sign in a church, and I ask a lady what I meant. She paused for some time, and then said, “I don’t have a clue.” I find this to be the norm in most churches.

When I was sent to Virginia Mason Hospital to determine my disease, I saw once again that the world has more wisdom than the church in many of its decisions and actions. I was directed down the hall to a room that had a sign over the door; Blood Lab. I went in and they drew several vials of blood.

After that I was sent to another building for an MRI. The room was marked X-ray and MRI. There, I had an MRI. On another occasion I was sent to the Physical Therapy room. The equipment and treatment matched the sign.

But, what about churches, do their signs have any relevance to what goes on in the room, or has someone simply pulled a name out of a hat? For instance, a sign in the parking lot pointed toward a two story building which read Education Building. Since I wanted to be educated in God’s Word, I concluded that was the way to go. The sign said so.

But when I was inside, the confusion became evident. The first door had a sign which read, Gideon Class. Since I knew nothing about Gideon, I figured I would search further down the hallway. The next door said Berea Class. This was a foreign language to me, so I moved on. Finally, a gentleman in the hall saw that I was lost, and ask if he could help.

I told him that I was a new believer and would like a class that taught New Testament and Old Testament survey or a class on how to rightly divide the Bible. He said, “We don’t have any classes that teach those subjects.” Then I ask him if I would learn about Gideon if I attended that class. He blushed, and said “no, that is just a name of the room. The signs do not indicate what they are teaching.” I ask, “What are they teaching?” He told me he did not have a clue.

And so it is with church signs, purpose statements, yearly themes, and sermon titles. It is evident that very little thought has gone into them. About the only thing that matters is, does it look and sound good? What they say has no bearing or impact on what goes on inside.

Pastor, take a long look at the signs in and outside your church and ask yourself, what do they really mean? In reality, do the signs reflect the action going on in the room or in the church?

THE FADING LEAF

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CIMG0367
(The General Store)

By Ken Blue

In early spring, within each bud, lie hopes of the unseen.
The earth awakes to a canopy of red, of yellow, and of green.
Summer passed; its beauty was captured and stored in my mind.
Winter came taking all away; memories only were left behind.

These abide in living color; they never fade away.
I joyfully replay each captured scene, reliving each yesterday.
By providence I returned, where I’d captured childhood scenes;
And discovered all had faded and died; nothing remains as it seemed.

People I remembered were not there; not a soul was in sight.
Buildings were decayed, all had faded away; briers now occupy their site.
And as I mused on what I saw, I sat in stark unbelief;
Reminded that living things must die; and we all do fade as a leaf.

Stores were all gone, no merchandise; only their ghosts remain,
Post Office and depot had disappeared; no children awaiting the train.
The school house upon the hill, where chatter and laughter rang;
Is now silent and cold, a monument only; nothing is the same.

My heart cried as I looked around, realizing all was gone.
Time had taken everything away, and only the memories lived on.
And as I relived those fleeting years, in a moment brief;
I realized winter comes to all, and we all do fade as a leaf.

“…and we all do fade as a leaf..”. Isaiah 64:6