March Recap

Here is a recap of the articles that appeared during March. You may have missed some, or would like to find it to re-read them:
   

• Samson: A He Man with a She Weakness (by Pastor Osborne) - Pastor shared 5 principles that we can learn from the life of Samson as well as 12 negative consequences of sexual sin. 
   
• 7 Reflections on the 2011 Mission Conference - Stephen Simpson shared some reflections and highlights from our February Mission Conference.
   
• Missions and Football  (by Lou Gentry) - Lou shared this article shortly after our Mission Conference.  He highlighted a heart-warming example of local mission work.
    
• Formed By Him - Oxpeckers  (by Lee Dusing) - In her popular Formed by Him series, Lee looked at the oxpecker - an African bird known for perching on large mammals and eating ticks, botfly larvae, lice and other parasites.  Some interesting pictures.
   
• Book Review - Unbroken: A Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (by Laura Hillenbrand) - Pastor Brock looked at the story of Louie Zamperini as chronicles in this 2010 bestselling book.
   
• St. Patrick the Baptist? (from the Baptist Bulletin) - The GARBC's own Baptist Bulletin asked the question, "Was St. Patrick a Baptist?"
   
• Are You a Slave? - Stephen Simpson shared some thoughts from a recent message on Matthew 6:19-24.  He also shared a poem by his grandmother entitled "The Slave Girl."
    
• Desiring God, Productivity, & "Church and Parachurch" - This month's edition of Headlines looked at the 25th anniversary of John Piper's classic book Desiring God.  It also pointed to an interview between Tim Challies and Matt Perman on the topic of productivity.  Finally, it pointed to the latest 9marks eJournal.
    
• Book Review - Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs (by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner) - Lou recommended this book as a great resource if you desire to better understand Islam.
    
• Meet Nadine Gentry (by Jonita Barram) - Learn more about a lady with a passion for Ladies' Bible Studies.
    
• 30 Truths from the 2011 Ligonier National Conference - Stephen Simpson shared some thoughts from the recent conference that he (along with several others from our church) attended.
    
• LEGOLAND® Florida and FBC - What Does it Mean? (by Stephen Simpson) - What does the opening of LEGOLAND® Florida mean for FBC and how will it impact us?

LEGOLAND® Florida and FBC - What Does it Mean?

By now, hopefully you are aware that Merlin Entertainments Group has purchased Cypress Gardens and is preparing to open LEGOLAND Florida this fall. The question I want you to think about is this:  What does this mean for FBC and what impact will LEGOLAND Florida have on FBC? 

Here are four ways I think LEGOLAND will impact FBC?

1. Ministry - LEGOLAND will draw many visitors to Winter Haven.  It is quite possible that many of these visitors will look for a place to worship on Sundays while there are in town.  May they always find a welcoming church body inside the doors of FBC.
2. Employment - LEGOLAND will create many new jobs.  Some reports say they will be hiring 1000 people for the park opening.  Many in our church family are in need of work.  LEGOLAND could potentially provide for these folks.
3. Economic Growth - LEGOLAND will provide a much-needed boost to our local economy.  A new business of this size will affect nearly every other business of our economy.  It is likely that more homes will be bought.  More goods and services will be purchased from local stores and businesses.  More meals will be sold at local restaurants.  The many businesses that our church members own, operate, or work for, will most likely reap some benefits from LEGOLAND Florida's opening.  
4. Recreation - LEGOLAND will provide a much appreciated 'local' option for the families of FBC to spend time together.  I, for one, am looking forward to both 'family date nights' and 'daddy-daughter date nights' at LEGOLAND Florida.

FBC should praise God that LEGOLAND is coming to Winter Haven.  The opportunities for ministry, employment, economic growth, and recreation are vast and should have a great impact on our church family.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO Group. ©2010 The LEGO Group. LEGOLAND IS A PART OF THE MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP.

30 Truths from the 2011 Ligonier National Conference (by Stephen Simpson)

John Piper & RC Sproul (Ligonier Ministries)

I just returned from the 2011 Ligonier National Conference.  My heart is full.  My soul has been lifted.  My brain is bursting at the seams.  Allow me to share 30 truths that I came home with.  Some of these may seem obvious.  Others may not make any sense at all.  Either way, they all made an impression on me and may prove beneficial for you.

1. Our doctrine of God informs all of our other doctrinal beliefs.  (RC Sproul)
2. Our holy God has an unholy opponent.  His attack is against the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture.  (Steve Lawson)
3. We are not free to alter or change the Word of God.  We are God's messengers - not God's editors.  (Lawson)
4. There is no good news (salvation) without bad news (sin & judgment).  (Lawson)
5. If Jesus was not fully human, then He would not be fit to be our Savior.  He would be a Super-man and not a Saving-man.  (Sinclair Ferguson)
6. Jesus died, not only for the guilt of our sins, but also for the shame of our sins.  (Ferguson)
7. Jesus is still the God-man and will continue to be so throughout all eternity.  (Ferguson)
8. "Let this cup pass from me" was a perfectly holy request of Jesus.  It would have been unholy for Jesus to have desired divine separation from Almighty God.  (Ferguson)
9. When Jesus was crying out "My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me" God was softly saying "If ever I loved thee, My Jesus 'tis now." (Ferguson)
10. The most powerful preacher in the pulpit is the Calvinist Expositor who is also an Evangelist.  (Lawson)
11. Lawson on Preaching:  Read the text.  Explain the text.  Apply the text.  Have a short porch to a long house.  (ie.  have a short introduction to a long sermon)
12. If there ever was time when there was nothing, then the only thing that would be here not is nothing. (Sproul)
13. Whatever suffering we are called to endure is for God's glory and our sanctification.  (RC Sproul Jr.)
14. God does not simply 'allow' us to suffer.  He goes 'shopping' for us and chooses what suffering we will experience.  He chooses to bless us with suffering because He has a single-minded purpose of making us more like Jesus Christ.  (Sproul Jr.)
15. The current trend is to make the church just like the world.  Instead, we should pattern our worship after the worship in heaven (Rev. 4:1-8).  (Lawson)
16. We must plumb the depths of Scripture to reach the heights of heaven.  (Lawson)
17. In today's church, we try to remove the fear of God instead of instilling it and preaching it.  (Lawson)
18. The unwasted life lives to show that Jesus is more precious than life.  (John Piper)
19. The value of God's glory is reflected in the degree to which I treasure and enjoy it.  God doesn't get any glory if I find Him boring.  (Piper)
20. Since Eden, we have all been cosmic fugitives seeking places to hide from God.  (Sproul)
21. God is only honored by our emotions when they are rooted in truth.  (from a Q & A with Sproul & Piper)
22. John Piper on Missions:  There are only 3 kinds of people - Goers, Senders, & the Disobedient.
23. More Piper on Missions:  There are no closed countries.  You can always get in - you just can't always get out.
24. Too often we think that we are pleasing God when in reality we are only pleasing ourselves.  (Robert Godfrey)
25. The holiest people on earth only have a small beginning in the obedience that God commands.  (Godfrey)
26. It is evil to not pursue joy in God. (Piper)
27. There is no perfect theology - only a perfect book.  (Piper)
28. 'Feeling' loved by God when you are not 'Savingly' loved by God is a very dangerous thing.  (Piper)
29. Our hearts are desire-factories.  (Piper)
30. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.  (Piper)

Meet Nadine Gentry (by Jonita Barram)

If you attend various services at Faith, you have seen and heard Lou Gentry. And if you read this blog regularly, you’ve seen his name on several articles. If you haven’t read them yet, you really should! Lou belongs to one of the Sunday-morning men’s prayer groups, sings in the choir, and is called on to pray publically on Wednesday nights. If it’s true that “behind every successful man stands a great woman,” you should meet Lou’s wife, Nadine.

Nadine grew up in a Christian home in Miami. Shortly before her tenth birthday, her pastor visited her in the hospital (she had broken her leg). During their conversation, Nadine realized she needed to believe on Jesus as her Savior from sin, and was born again (John 1:12; 3:3, 16–18; Romans 10: 9, 10, 13; Ephesians 2:8, 9). After her cast came off, she was baptized (Acts 2:41).

Nadine and Lou attended the same very large church but did not actually meet until two weeks before Nadine left for Florida State. God brought them together at a going-away party, they eventually married, and “the rest is history,” which includes three children—two sons, Lance and Lamar, and a daughter, Luann—and seven grandchildren. On September 2, 2011, Nadine and Lou will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary! All of the Gentrys’ children and grandchildren live in the West, so Lou and Nadine spend much of their summers traveling west in their RV and visiting their family.

After Lou and Nadine moved back to Florida from Hiawassee, Ga., a few years ago, they spent a year visiting area churches. They kept returning to Faith Baptist, and the Lord let them know this was where He wanted them. They have become active at Faith, with both singing in the church choir, among other things.

Nadine is an important part of Women’s Ministries at Faith, including serving as a care cluster leader.  She enjoys scrapbooking and making calendars, but her passion is leading ladies’ Bible studies. Since joining Faith in August 2009, Nadine has led four Women’s Bible studies. The fifth one, Fingerprints of God, will begin soon. You have two options if you want to be a part of this Bible study.

• One option meets Monday nights, 7-9pm, at Nadine's house, and will start March 28th.  
• The second option is a Thursday morning class at the church, 9:45am-Noon.  It will begin March 31st.

Please contact the church office (863-293-0689) if you would like more information about joining either one of these Bible Studies.

Other Posts by Jonita Barram:

• My Goals for 2011
• The Doll Project
• 8 Things I'm Thankful For
• Haiti: A Land of Potential

Book Review - Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs (by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner)

(reviewed by Lou Gentry)

One of the "hot" topics in our society today, as well as that of most Western societies, is the religion of Islam. Because of worldwide Islamic terrorism, recent events in the Middle East and the growth of Islam in our own country, it behooves all of us to have a basic understanding of this religion. There are numerous books available on Islam and its founder, the prophet Muhammad, and I am sure many are quite good. I have only read a small fraction of what is available; however, if one is interested in acquiring a basic understanding of Islam, I strongly recommend Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner.

The Caners are brothers who have lived the Muslim life, having been raised as Sunni Muslims. I was drawn to the book because these former Muslims are now Christians and theology professors. I believe they offer a unique perspective on the religion of Islam. Dr. Richard Land (President of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention) notes, "Unveiling Islam is exactly what its subtitle describes; it is an insider's look at Muslim life and beliefs."

The book is an easy read and provides many examples of the differences between Christianity and Islam; the Doctrines of Salvation and Internal Security are two such examples. There is no comparable concept of salvation (i.e., Jesus paid the ultimate penalty for our sins) in Islam. For Muslims, It is hoped that "salvation" will be earned through one's good works, but it is up to the "will of Allah" as to whether they will enter Paradise or not; therefore, there is no security for the believer of Islam.

In reading the book, you will learn about:

• the Muslims holy book, the Qur'an, and the other books of their religion
• the many sects within Islam, although over 95% of Muslims are either Sunni or Shi'ite (the two major groups), or Sufi
• the five fundamentals ("Pillars") of Islam to which all Islamic sects adhere
• what the Qur'an says about Jesus--for example, He was born to Mary, a virgin
• if Allah and Jehovah are one and the same
• the life and background of Muhammad
• Islamic eschatology (i.e. end times)
• and much, much more.

Again, I highly recommend Unveiling Islam: An Insider's Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs. All of us need to know what we are or will be confronting as this religion continues to spread in the U. S. and throughout the world.

Other Recommended Books:

• Unbroken:  A Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (by Laura Hillenbrand)

Desiring God, Productivity, & "Church and Parachurch" (March Headlines)

It's time for another edition of Headlines - our monthly collection of links from around the web.

 

• Justin Taylor recently posted an interview with John Piper regarding the 25th anniversary of his bestselling book Desiring God.
• I enjoy reading and learning about productivity.  One blog in particular that frequently discusses this topic is What's Best Next by Matt Perman.  He recently posted a two-part interview on productivity with Tim Challies (read part 1 and part 2) 
•  The new 9marks eJournal has now been published.  The theme of this issue is Church and Parachurch: Friends or Foes? and it deals with the relationship between churches and parachurch ministries.  Read it on their website or download the entire journal as a pdf.

Past editions of Headlines:

• Summer Camp at Camp Gilead, Sproul on Creation, & the 2011 Desiring God National Conference
• Bible Reading, Frozen Baptisms, & eJournals
• Headlines - December's Links

Are You a Slave? (by Stephen Simpson)

Photo by Paul Cleveland

Several weeks ago, I preached a message from Matthew 6:19-24 entitled Are You a Slave?  In the message we looked at the verse "No one can serve two masters" and observed that it could be better translated "No one can be a slave to two masters."  We considered our role and identity as slaves of Jesus Christ.

Closing Poem
At the close of my message, I read a poem written by my grandmother.  It is entitled 'The Slave Girl' by Anne B. Simpson.  It was written in 1951 shortly after she and my grandfather were saved at a Billy Graham crusade in Boston.

I was a slave in the market places;
Shackled and striped with sin's cruel traces;
Chains about my ankle, bands around my wrist,
Nor knowing, nor caring of One's loving tryst.

"Comely and black," the auctioneer said.
"I'll give a ruby, the deepest of red!"
"I'll give a pearl of exceeding great worth!"
"I'll give a diamond dug deep from the earth!"

When suddenly out of the throng stood one...
His head was as most fine gold in the sun,
His eyes were soft as the eyes of the dove,
And in His torn hands lay the cost of love.

The price was paid, the transaction done
With His own precious blood, and there was none
Could bid any dearer!  With joy I cried,
For He bought me, a slave, to be His own Bride!

Related Book:

• Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ (by John MacArthur)
  

St. Patrick the Baptist? (from the Baptist Bulletin)

The March/April issue of the Baptist Bulletin has been released and it features an article by Stephen R. Button entitled Saint Patrick the 'Baptist'?

Button writes,

"The man we know today as St. Patrick was kidnapped twice: first by Irish pirates, then after his death, by the Roman Catholic Church.  The first was the impetus for Patrick's entrance into ministry.  The second exaggerates Patrick's relationship to the church in Rome and its influence in the missionary efforts of the fifth and sixth centuries.  Patrick's own writing and the historical record show that Patrick often sounded more like an evangelical (or even a Baptist?) than a Roman Catholic."

In other words, while Catholics may lay claim to him, a careful examination of his writings will show that his beliefs and practices align more closely with Baptist doctrine. In his article, Button points out the absence of references to Rome in Patrick's writings.  He also notes that many early Roman Catholic historians completely ignored Patrick.

When you think of St. Patrick and the annual tradition of wearing green, think of a great missionary to Ireland.  Think of a man with a burden for lost souls. Think of a man who would want us to be burdened more for the lost than for the color of our clothing.

What will you be burdened for this St. Patrick's day?

Related Posts:

• Happy St. Patrick's Day (by Lou Gentry)

Book Review - Unbroken: A Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (by Laura Hillenbrand)

"All he could see, in every direction, was water. It was June 23, 1943. Somewhere on the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Army Air Forces bombardier and Olympic runner Louie Zamperini lay across a small raft, drifting westward. Slumped alongside him was a sergeant, one of his plane’s gunners. On a separate raft, tethered to the first, lay another crewman a gash zigzagging across his forehead. Their bodies, burned by the sun and stained yellow from the raft dye, had winnowed down to skeletons. Sharks glided in lazy loops around them dragging their backs along the rafts, waiting."

The words above are from the preface of Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.

 

The book is loaded with details of Zamperini's days as an Olympic athlete, to his flying days, his ordeal of over 40 days adrift in a raft in the Pacific ocean, and the horrors of his days as a POW in Japan. Upon his return to the US, Zamperini struggled greatly with anger, alcoholism, and the subsequent marriage issues.

Then, in the late fall of 1949, God used a well-known preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ to completely change Louie's life. Unfortunately, this portion of the book receives just a few pages, yet it is a testament to the power of the gospel in the life of the sinner.

Hillenbrand's writing is easy to read and flows at a good pace. A great read, especially if you enjoy WWII history.

This is the first in a number of book reviews that will be posted in the days and weeks ahead. The books will cover a variety of topics and genres and I trust the reader will be challenged to pickup the book and read.

Below you can view the publisher's promotional video for the book.

Formed By Him - Oxpeckers

Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) on Giraffe©©

The oxpeckers are two species of bird which make up the family Buphagidae. Some ornithologists regard them as a subfamily Buphaginae within the starling family Sturnidae but they appear to be quite distinct. Oxpeckers are endemic to the savanna of Sub-Saharan Africa. Both the English and scientific names arise from their habit of perching on large mammals (both wild and domesticated) such as cattle or rhinoceroses, and eating ticks, botfly larvae, lice and other parasites.

Red-billed Oxpecker by Africaddict checking an impala ear

The Egyptians had their run-in with lice when the LORD told Moses to - "Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt." (Exodus 8:16-17 KJV)

Yellow-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus africanus) ©©

Many large animals today have lice, ticks, and such and the Lord has provided them a bird that gets its meals from the things crawling around on animals backs, legs, necks, ears, and even their nostrils. Most of the animals do not mind the help they receive from these oxpeckers. The elephants aren't always happy, but the oxpeckers find plenty of other animals. Also known as tickbirds, oxpeckers have very short legs and sharp claws, which aid them in perching on the backs of large mammals, both wild and domesticated. Oxpeckers were designed with broad, thick, laterally flattened beaks to pick at and feed on skin parasites such as ticks and embedded larvae. They also pick at scabs, often opening and enlarging wounds, and probably obtain their main nourishment from the blood from these wounds rather than from the ticks. Although these birds are valuable from the standpoint of ridding domesticated animals of parasites, they also feed on tick-free game and become debilitating parasites themselves.

Researchers are not sure why they pick the scabs, but they do know that the birds aid the host animals by providing alarm sounds when danger is lurking.

Job was asked by the LORD,

"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? (Job 39:26-27 ESV)

We don't always understand why the birds and critters do what they do, but they have a Creator who does. The Lord encourages us to study and learn, but we do not always find the exact answer.

Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) by Africaddict

The Oxpeckers are about 9 inches long with a brownish color on the upper parts, with a lighter underside. The two Oxpeckers are the Red-billed and the Yellow-billed. The Red-billed has a red bill and yellow eyes where as the Yellow-billed has a yellow bill with a red tip and it has red eyes. The bird spends most of its time on the animals and even court and mate while riding on their back.

Some Breeding Facts from Biodiversity Explorer:
* Monogamous, cooperative breeder, as the breeding pair are usually assisted by up to 7 helpers who are usually unmated adults and juveniles from the previous breeding season.
* It usually nests in a natural tree cavity or a hole in rock or a stone wall, lining the interior with hair from its mammal hosts, dung, grass and rootlets.
* Egg-laying season is from October-March.
* It lays 2-5 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for about for about 12-13 days.
* The chicks are fed by all members of the group, leaving the nest after about 30 days and becoming fully independent roughly two months later.

Yellow-billed Oxpecker with Water Buffalo ©©

This behavior between the animals and the Oxpeckers is another example of cooperation (symbiosis) between species.

From Psalms we know that all creation is His,

For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. (Psalms 50:10-11 ESV)

Videos:
Red-billed Oxpecker by Joseph del Hoyo
Yellow-billed Oxpecker by Joseph del Hoyo

Other Posts in this Series:

• Formed by Him - An Introduction
• Sword-Billed Hummingbirds
• Copper Birds
• Oxpeckers

Missions and Football (by Lou Gentry)

Faith Baptist Church recently held its annual Mission's Conference (Feb. 25-27). Great speakers touched our hearts and provided informative data for us from the mission field. I was particularly interested in the information provided by Bill Stevens, representing Shepherds Ministries which provides a ministry to special needs people here in the U.S.A.

To often we envision "missions" as carrying out the Lord's work in a foreign land, when oftentimes the  opportunity for missions exists much closer to us, sometimes in our own communities. Consider the following heart-warming story as an example of local mission work:

There was an unusual high school football game played in Grapevine, Texas. The game was between Grapevine Faith Academy and the Gainesville State School. Faith is a Christian school and Gainesville State School is located within a maximum security correction facility.

Gainesville State School has 14 players. They play every game on the road. Their record was 0-8. They've only scored twice. Their 14 players are teenagers who have been convicted of crimes ranging from drugs to assault to robbery. Most had families who had disowned them.

They wore outdated, used shoulder pads and helmets. Faith Academy was 7-2. They had 70 players, 11 coaches, and the latest equipment.

Chris Hogan, the head coach at Faith Academy, knew the Gainesville team would have no fans and it would be no contest. So he thought, "What if half of our fans and half of our cheerleaders, for one night only,  cheered for the other team?" He sent out an email to the faithful asking them to do just that. "Here's the message I want you to send," Hogan wrote: "You're just as valuable as any other person on the planet."

Some folks were confused and thought he was nuts. One player said, "Coach, why are we doing this?" Hogan said, "Imagine you don't have a home life, no one to love you, no one pulling for you. Imagine that everyone pretty much had given up on you. Now, imagine what it would feel like and mean to you for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."

The idea took root. On the night of the game, imagine the surprise of these 14 players when they took the field and there was a banner the cheerleaders had made for them to crash through. The visitors' stands were  full. The cheerleaders were leading cheers for them. The fans were calling them by their names.  Isaiah, the quarterback-middle linebacker said, "I never in my life thought I would hear parents cheering to tackle and hit their kid. Most of the time, when we come out, people are afraid of us. You can see it in their eyes, but these people are yelling for us. They knew our names."

Faith won the game, and after the game the teams gathered at the 50-yard line to pray. That's when Isaiah, the teenage convict-quarterback surprised everybody and asked if he could pray and he prayed, "Lord, I don't know what just happened so I don't know how or who to say thank you to, but I never knew there were so many people in the world that cared about us." On the way back to the bus, under guard, each one of the players was handed a burger, fries, a coke, candy, a Bible, and an encouraging letter from the players from Faith Academy.

 

What an incredible act of Christian witness and kindness! You can actually see a video of this mission outreach below.  We should always make ourselves sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading in opening our eyes to mission opportunities, whether they be foreign or local. 

7 Reflections on the 2011 Mission Conference

Our 2011 Mission Conference has come and gone.  Here are 7 reflections I have on the conference.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sunday evening Q & A session.  It was exciting to watch the interaction between the 'seasoned' missionaries and the Faith's 100 potentials.  I just wish it could have been longer.  I felt like there were so many questions left unanswered.
2. With all of the focus on Faith's 100 at this year's conference, I would like to see a future conference devoted exclusively to Faith's 100.  
3. It is difficult to listen to a presentation about Shepherds Ministries and not get emotional.  Thank God for the ministry of Shepherds.
4. Hannah Osborne's video presenting her trip to Door of Hope Orphanage in South Africa was heart-wrenching.  It is hard to fathom that there are places in the world where babies are abandoned in trash piles. 
5. I am looking forward to the future Sunday service when I will be able to hear David Nyeholt's and Hannah Wilkins's presentations.  
6. Saturday morning's breakfast was outstanding!  What a joy it will be to hold next year's Mission Conference breakfast in our new gym!!
7. The messages by Rick Piatt and Kent Craig were outstanding.  They challenged my thinking.

Samson: A He Man with a She Weakness (by Pastor Osborne)

(photo by Paul Cleveland)

Pastor Osborne recently preached a two-part sermon on Wednesday nights entitled Samson:  A He Man with a She Weakness.  You can listen to it on our website:  Part 1 and Part 2.


He gave 5 principles from the life of Samson:

1. Children driven by their sensuous desires can be born of spiritual parents.
2. A sensuous person focuses on the external instead of the internal.
3. The sensuous person usually lives a life of deception.
4. The sensuous life leads to one anxiety after another.
5. Sensuality can lie dormant for years, but it is never dead.

Pastor also gave a list of 12 Negative Consequences of Sexual Sin:

1. Dragging the name of Christ through the mud
2. Hindering the word and advance of the church
3. Untold hurt to my best friend and loyal wife
4. The loss of respect and trust
5. The possibility I could destroy my marriage
6. The loss of respect and credibility with my children
7. The shame brought to my family
8. The shame and hurt to the church
9. An irretrievable loss of years of witnessing
10. The grieving of the Holy Spirit
11. The possibility of contracting a disease
12. The loss of self-respect, discrediting my own name, and embarrassment upon my family