Locusts and Wild Honey

Lakeshore Baptist Church Covenant

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 | General | No Comments

The best we can ascertain, this is the original church covenant when Lakeshore Baptist Church constituted in 1911:

Having been led as we believe, by the spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We engage therefore by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote it’s prosperity and spirituality: to sustain it’s worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotion; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

дивани

The Gospel - Thabiti Anyabwile

Friday, May 1st, 2009 | The Gospel | 1 Comment

“The gospel or good news of Jesus Christ is that God the Father, who is holy and righteous in all his ways, is angry with sinners and will punish sin. Man, who disobeys the rule of God, is alienated from the love of God and is in danger of an eternal and agonizing condemnation at the hands of God. But God, who is also rich in mercy, because of his great love, sent his eternal Son born by the Virgin Mary, to die as a ransom and a substitute for the sins of rebellious people. And now, through the perfect obedience of the Son of God and his willing death on the cross as a payment for our sins, all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, following him as Savior and Lord, will be saved from the wrath of God to come, be declared just in his sight, have eternal life, and receive the Spirit of God a a foretaste of the glories of heaven with God himself”

- from “distributed raman amplifierWhat Is a Healthy Church Member?” by Thabiti Anyabwile, pp 40-41

Pastor’s daughter diagnosed with cancer

Friday, March 20th, 2009 | General | No Comments

Please pray for my friend Yogi Taylor and his family. Yogi is pastor of Saraland Baptist Church outside of Mobile AL. Their 14 month old, Hanna, has just been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma cancer. Doctors performed surgery today to remove the tumor. The Taylors look to have a long road ahead as they minister to their baby girl, consider treatment options, etc. I spoke with Yogi this morning, during the surgery, and he expressed a strong confidence in the sovereignty of God as he acknowledged depending on his theological grounding to keep them stable in the days ahead.

Yogi was scheduled to preach in Lakeshore on March 29, when I will be in California preaching at the West Coast Reformed Baptist Pastor’s Conference. Understandably, he will not make the speaking engagement. Please join us as we continue to lift his family up to the the Lord in prayer.

Radical Christian Sacrifice - John Piper

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 | General | 1 Comment

In Christ Alone - Book Review

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 | Books | No Comments

Recommended Reading: “In Christ Alone - Living the Gospel Centered Life” presents a collection of short articles written by Sinclair B. Ferguson over the last 20 years or so. Although you can find most of the work in back issues of Eternity Magazine and Tabletalk, having the 50 chapter 256 page volume of Ferguson’s work provides theologically sound rich devotional material in a nice hardback Reformation Trust binding.

Sinclair Ferguson serves as pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina.

Preaching Schedule

Saturday, January 10th, 2009 | General | No Comments

I have the privilege of preaching at several events in the next few months, in addition to the ministry at Lakeshore Baptist Church.

Next week, January 15-17 I plan to attend the Deep South Founders Conference in Jackson MS. I’ve been invited to speak about our mercy ministry in Lakeshore on Thursday evening and preach on “The Love of God” in the Friday morning session.

On January 25, Clifton Baptist Church in Franklinton, LA has invited me to lead their January Bible study. We will cover the book of Exodus in three sessions.

At the end of March my wife and I will fly to see our friends in Livermore California where I will speak at the Livermore Reformed Baptist Church for the morning Sunday School hour and preach in both the Sunday morning and Sunday evening services on March 29.

Later that week I will speak at the West Coast Reformed Baptist Pastor’s Conference in California. I really enjoyed this gathering last year and and received great encouragement from like-minded pastors. I look forward to spending the week with these men again.