Missionary and Agency Prayer and Updates (Gil & Denise Thomas)

Prayer and Updates

Missionary: Gil & Denise Thomas – Good Soil Project
Board: ABWE
• In November they made the decision to accept a different ministry with ABWE. It is the position of directing the “Good Soil Project” and requires that they live stateside, but gives them a global ministry. They are excited for this opportunity to be involved in the continued development of evangelism and discipleship material, its translation and the training of missionaries and national leaders.
• They will be moving the first of July to Harrisburg to be at the ABWE home office. Please pray for wisdom in relocating and the sell of their house in Portugal.
• In May they will return to Portugal to participate in the choir festival, train missionaries and nationals in Good Soil, and close up their home there. Pray as they are there as this was an emotional decision, but one where they saw the Lord’s leading.
• They have already been involved in several conferences in February and March.

Agency: Regular Baptist Chaplaincy Ministries – Chaplain John Murdoch
Pray for the deployed.

Capital Campaign Statistics (by Stephen Simpson)

As our Capital Campaign comes to a close, consider some of these statistics.

• There were 192 different pledges
• Smallest Pledge = $39.25
  
• Largest Pledge = $300,000.00
  
• Average Pledge = $7,132.29

• Over 160 pledges were for $10,000 0r less
  
• There were 22 pledges of $10,000 or more.
• There were 9 pledges for $25,000 or more.
  
• The largest one-time cash gift was $125,000.
  

• Stock in several different companies were donated to fulfill pledges. All stock was sold as soon as it was received and the funds were added to the building fund.
  
• Property was donated to fulfill one pledge
• Some contributed directly from an IRA through the Pension Protection Act of 2006
• One interesting gift was 40 shares of stock from a company in Ohio. The stock is not publicly traded which made it somewhat complicated to sell. The Lord graciously provided a buyer who paid $400/share adding $16,000 to the capital campaign.
  

Birds of the Bible - Foundation #3 (by Lee Dusing)

We will continue on with the Birds of the Bible - Foundation series.

If you have not read the previous blogs:
Foundation #1
Foundation #2

In the last blog the "Fall" of Adam and Eve was mentioned and because of that,the "Curse" is now on them and all of God's creation. Death comes on the scene, mankind now has sinned and now each person is born as a sinner. The ground is cursed and thorns and thistle now appear.

By Genesis Chapter 6, God has had it with the sins of man.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:5-7 KJV)

The Ark by Elfred Lee

All is not lost because, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (Genesis 6:8 KJV) Because of the grace found by Noah, the LORD gives him instructions about how to build an ark including the size, materials to use, who and what will be on board, and why the ark will be needed. God makes a covenant with Noah and tells him to come in with his wife and his sons and his son's wives.

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:19-20 KJV)

He was also to provide food for all of them. And Noah obeyed all that he was told. Noah spent over 100 years preparing the ark and trying to warn others of the coming judgment. There was plenty of room on the ark for more than the 8 people who boarded the ark. The others refused to repent.

When we get to Chapter 7, the boarding of the ark takes place and the rain and flood begins. "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him." (Genesis 7:1-5)

Noah did not have to round up the animals, they came to him. Because not every animal we see today came on board but the main kinds (for instance the "bird kinds" may have had a "warbler kind" but not have black and white warblers,yellow-rumped warblers, hooded warbler, etc.), which ever ones they were, there was plenty of room for them. I have an idea that because the LORD sent the animals, birds, and critters, that their DNA's were of the highest quality. (That is my opinion)                                 Doves in Israel

If you read the rest of Genesis 7, you will see that the global flood came and covered everything and only those who were in the ark survived, plus some of those that live in the water.

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:21-23)

In Foundation #4 we will find out about what the birds go through as they come off the ark and after.

Missionary and Agency Prayer and Updates of the Week (The Spotos)

Prayer and Updates
Missionary:  Jim & Lori Spoto – Italy
Board: ABWE
• The church continues to grow. In the recent month they have had some new families visiting and the church service is now averaging over 70 each Sunday.
• The Bible studies for the men, women and the church are being well attended.
• The Bible Institute course is going well. They started the new semester in January and are studying Homiletics. They have nine men attending.
• Enjoyed a sliding outing with the youth group a few weeks ago. They had a time of bible study and ate as well. The hosted a concert pianist who is a Jewish Christian, Sam Rotman. He was with them on the 22nd & 23rd. He has a dynamic testimony.
• The plan to do a franchising store with Casa Della Bibbia (Bible House) to get the bookstore up and running by the beginning of November. They are finishing up some of the physical things and when then need to order materials.
• The Spoto’s will be on a short furlough this summer to visit some churches and supporters in the north.

Agency: Shepherds – William Amstutz

Happy 49th Birthday! (by Lee Dusing)

 

Today, March 20th, 2009, is my 49th Birthday! Not my original birth birthday, but my spiritual birthday. On March 20th of 1960, which was a Sunday, I attended Crossroads Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana at the invite of my sister and her husband. I decided to go that day, to break a record of attending church more than once a year, usually on Easter Sunday. That day became one that would totally change my life and its direction.

My sister, Sharry, and Joe, her husband, had recently received the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior and had been witnessing to me. We were not raised in a home that went to church regularly, but only taken occasionally. I really had no idea about being a sinner nor about John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." I knew that at 16, I did things that were not right and that there was something lacking in my life.

So, there I was, listening to the sermon by Rev. Charlie Kittrell. As he gave his message I realized that I was a sinner, ("As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" Romans 3:10), there was a penalty for sin and also a gift of salvation (For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23), and that I needed to ask forgiveness for my sins and accept the Lord as my Savior. ("That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," Romans 10:9-10). When the invitation was given, I went forward and a lady showed me how to accept the Lord, and I did.

For the rest of this: Happy 49th Birthday!

The Comfort of God's Greatness (Dave Totman)

This Sunday evening, David Totman will be preaching a message from Isaiah 40:1-31 entitled The Comfort of God's Greatness. Read David's introduction to his message below:

We have a tendency to look at our circumstances and question the presence and work of God, don't we? We ask, "How could God let this happen?" Fortunately the Bible isn't silent about God's presence or work. Isaiah, a gifted writer and prophet of God, helps us to refocus our eyes not on our surroundings, but on the incredible greatness of God. In so doing, Isaiah reminds us of God's forgiveness of sins, His eternal Word, His power over creation and His unwavering strength. let's all read Isaiah 40 and humbly ask God to help us refocus on Him instead of our circumstances in preparation for the message Sunday evening.

The Stewardship of Resources (Pastor Osborne)

(from Pastor Osborne)

Stewardship of Resources is serious business and God's will is that we give it serious attention. This demands that we have the right perspective on our resources and that is possible if we have the right focus on our Source. Everything we have, every earthly source, comes from a heavenly Source. God is our faithful Supplier and it is His plan that we be faithful stewards.

Our tangible resources fall into two categories: monetary and material. All resources, whether monetary or material, are the result of God's favor and blessing, not one's personal achievements. Therefore, we must consciously dedicate those resources to Him.

Regardless of the amount of money you have, it can be stewarded in a wise and profitable manner. There are three things to do with money:

1. Give it cheerfully to accomplish God honoring purposes.
2. Spend it reasonably to meet personal needs and fulfill God honoring personal desires.
3. Save it strategically in order to extend value and to keep meeting God honoring needs in the future.

Some have been blessed by God with a lot and some have been blessed by God with a little, but we can all give generously, joyfully, and sacrificially.

Birds of the Bible - Foundation #2 (by Lee Dusing)

We will continue with the Foundation from the Word of God (the Bible) about the creation of birds.

If you have not read "Birds of the Bible - Foundation #1" Click Here

By the end of Genesis Chapter 1 the birds (fowls of the air):

• Created by the Lord on Day 5
• Each according to its kind
• Told to multiply and fill the earth
• Were given every green herb for food (vegetarians)
• Placed under the dominion of man
• "God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good."

In Chapter 2, the birds are named by Adam. (v 19-20)

At this point, we know that the birds were at their best, they were eating fruits, seeds, herbs and not each other. The birds had been named according to their kinds by Adam, who was created on Day 6. Their colors and features were at their grandest showing the Glory of God's wisdom and omnipotence. They must have been fantastic to behold.

BUT WE COME TO GENESIS CHAPTER 3
....... For the rest of the article: Click Here

What are You Living For

"If there is nothing, young man, you are willing to die for, then I submit you have nothing to live for." ~ Chuck Colson

Camp Gilead Scholarship Fund

Last night, Gary Simpson, Executive Director of Camp Gilead, was with us in our evening service. He gave an exciting report about the things going on at Camp Gilead. At the end of his report he shared the need to replenish the Scholarship Fund at Camp. This fund helps kids go to camp. These funds enable the Camp to say "Yes" when a kid asks to go to camp. Without the Scholarship Fund, many boys and girls would be turned away from attending Camp.

Praise the Lord, Faith Baptist Church collected over $1700 last night for the Camp Gilead Scholarship Fund. If you missed the service, it is not too late to participate in the offering. The easiest way to contribute is to send your contribution directly to:

Camp Gilead
Camp Scholarship Fund
PO Box 98
Polk City, FL 33868

(863) 984-1353
http://www.campgilead.com

Stewardship Month & April Faith Day 2009 (by Pastor Osborne)

(Author: Pastor Osborne)

We have traditionally made the month of March our Stewardship month. Stewardship month ends on the first Sunday of April which we call April Faith Day. April Faith day is the one sacrificial offering Faith Baptist Church receives each year. Every year we give large gifts to Missionaries or Missionary projects out of our april Faith Day offering. This year we celebrate the blessings God has given to us. Our Capital Campaign draws to a close at the end of March and if all the pledges come in and the property in Lake Wales sells at its appraised value we have a projected total of $2,427,572.44 to the praise of God's Glory. We want to celebrate God's goodness by giving two gifts this year.

• A $10,000 gift to missionary evangelist Patricio Oliva who is doing an incredible work for our God in South America. Patricio along with his interpreter Melody (Dooley) Priest has been in our pulpit and been a great blessing to our people

• A $10,000 gift to Jared Malcolm who is our Faith's 100 Missionary to Brazil. Jared, along with a team of 20 from our church will be traveling to Brazil on June 7 to finish building the house that Jared will be living in (pictured here). this gift would finish the work on the house and furnish it as Jared stays in Brazil to assist the missionaries and Brazilian people by providing a quality working camp facility.
  

With great joy we can sing To God Be the Glory great things He is doing here at home and overseas.