Thanksgiving thoughts

Psalm 100:4, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless His name.”

Thanksgiving is a time set aside each year for us to let God and others know what we are thankful for.  As Christians we ought always to be thankful, not just for one day a year.  At Calais I taught through a very brief word study on “thanksgiving” and “praise” for the past 2 Wednesday nights, as I knew I would be out of town last Sunday and this week of Thanksgiving.  The word study was a very interesting one and I would encourage each of you to do the same study some day.  You’ll find that the word “thanksgiving” is found some 23+ times in scripture and the word “praise” is found some 250+ times in scripture.  There are even 4 examples such as the one above where they are found together!  As you begin to study the meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words you’ll soon realize that they closely resemble each other in definition.  God puts great emphasis on the act of being thankful and “praiseful” unto Him and others for what we have received and I think it would do us all good to be more mindful of giving thanks and offering praise.

As you gather with your family and friends this Thanksgiving day, make it a point to share with them what you are truly thankful for.  Be specific, and don’t leave God out of the picture.  For we know that all good things come from above!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Brandon L. Ward

Musings of a Country Pastor

It's been some time since I have updated my blog, and many things have happened since our baptismal service in August. My folks came up for a visit for the week of Labor Day, and we had a good week of spending time together, and the church continues to "continue".

As many of you may or may not already know, we began a new ministry at Calais Church back at the end of June/beginning of July. Our new ministry was in fact a bus ministry.

This new ministry has been both a challenge and blessing at the same time. Like any thing that God is using to spread His Word, the devil has been on full attack with this ministry from the get go. Our first Sunday out, we picked up 9 children/teens for the Sunday school/Morning Worship Service. VBS followed shortly on its heels, and because we were bringing in 25 children on the first night of VBS the bus decided to break down on the way back to the church after dropping everyone off. This of course follows a few other adventures with the bus already. We spent the better part of the next 2-3 weeks trying to nail down exactly what was wrong, while we also rented a 15-passenger van to run the routes in the meantime. Finally, figured out the issue and had it fixed. Then, it began to act up again the following week with a load of people on it. Fixed the new problem and wouldn't you know that after a month of good runs, and finally some new non-church members riding, something else goes wrong. Back to the shop it went this week! Loads of fun. We've also started an elective Sunday school class called "The Foundations" from Answers in Genesis. We have had good attendance for the first 2 weeks and are covering some really good material. Also, visits are going well. We are making some good contacts on our Saturday visitation and outreach program as well as having several visitors from the surrounding towns and villages in our services this past month. We have more special emphasis Sundays this Fall as well as our Fall Festival coming at the end of October. And we are in the beginning and planning stages of a small construction/renovation project which is keeping me busy along with our Trustees trying to get estimates from area contractors. All of this along with area festivals and fairs, and the occasional funeral or other opportunity to minister to others outside of our "normal" Sunday and Wednesday format. To the one who says that Pastors only work one hour a week and play golf the rest of the time, I simply want to say you may be partially right. I may only "work" about an hour a week, if i am doing it right, but I don't play golf the remainder of the time. I am busy ministering to and serving my wife, church folks and the community around me by preaching, pastoring and everything else I do in the name of the Lord and for His glory. Oh, and here is a new one I heard today: "Pastors get asked out to lunch every week, so they never have to pay for a meal." O the joys of ministering for the Lord!

Why should I get Baptized?

We are having a baptism service for a young lady in our church this Sunday. Often these services tend to bring about questions from others around such as the one which titles this post, "Why should I get baptized?" Let's look at 4 areas:

Why one gets baptized:
As an act of obedience to Jesus Christ: In Matthew 28:18-20 we find a command from Jesus Christ to "...teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost..." Here Jesus was command his disciples to go in His power and preach/teach everyone and baptize them just as he was baptized. Other passages to note include Acts 2:37-38; Acts 8:35-36; Acts10:46-47. In John 14:15 we are told by Jesus Christ that if we love him we will keep his commands.

It's a way of telling family and friends that Jesus Christ is now in your life: Baptism is simply an outward portrayal of what Christ has already accomplished in the heart. In Baptism one identifies with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection.

Why one DOESN'T get baptized:
One doesn't get baptized in order to be saved: salvation doesn't come through being baptized in water, but by grace through faith in the finished work of the cross by Jesus Christ. Rom. 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned or fallen short; Rom. 6:23 tells us that there is a penalty for that sin which is death (eternal separation from God); John 3:16 tells us that there is a present/gift for all of us called eternal life because God loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son; Rom 10:9-13 tells us that if we confess (or agree with God), believe in the gospel (death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ), and call on him we shall be saved. In John 14:6 Jesus states that he is THE way, THE truth and THE life. In John 10:9 Jesus states that he is the door. There are many other passages we could turn to, but the basic idea here is that Jesus Christ didn't say that He + anything (even baptism) was the way to salvation!

One doesn't get baptized to keep their salvation: Logically, if you can't get saved through baptism then one must ask how it can possibly keep you saved. It CAN'T! We are kept or sealed by the Holy Spirit once we are saved. It is impossible for us to do anything in and of ourselves to keep that which we received by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:7-10 tells us "For by grace are ye saved through faith,...it is a gift from God..." also see 2 Corinthians 1:21-23, Ephesians 1:12-14, Ephesians 4:30; John 10:28-30 among others.

If you aren't baptized does that mean you aren't saved? NO, see scriptures above.

What if I was baptized before I got saved? Then you need to be scripturally baptized. All through the NT you find that the conversion happens first, then the baptism not the other way around. Else how can you be identifying with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection if you haven't believed in it yet.

How old must one be before they are baptized? No age ever mentioned in scripture as a prerequisite, only salvation!

There are countless questions that could be listed here that do come up in conversation with church folks and non-church folks alike regarding baptism, but for sake of time and space we will stop here.

If you have never settled this for yourself, search the scriptures, ask God to give you direction, see your pastor and get this settled today!

May God truly continue to bless you and yours.

Steadfast in the Journey

Oftentimes, we go through special services like revivals, conferences, or even camps, and retreats hearing soul stirring preaching and being challenged by the songs and the very Word of God to make a decision, vow, or commitment to be…   But, how long do we remain steadfast in our new found journey?

In Philippians 3:14, we read, “…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus…”  This verse, in context, is about not being high-minded and thinking you have arrived,  forgetting about the things which are past and focusing on what lies ahead, and earnestly striving to reach the goal that Jesus Christ has placed for your life which is his divine will.  And in reaching the goal, i.e. discerning the calling of God on your life (both his general will and specific will), there is much joy as in receiving a prize.

This verse doesn’t say that we should press toward the mark for a week, or maybe 2, or maybe even a month or so.  There is no time limit given here.  Today, at Calais Independent Baptist Church, we will be having a special service to commemorate and make public a very specific vow that our teens, who attended the Great Awakening Youth Conference this summer, made to God.  This vow was made about 3 weeks ago and it pains me to contemplate the prayer, the will power, and determination that has already been required to remain steadfast in their new found journey.   There were many other commitments/vows/decisions to God made that week as there have been numerous others both before and since all around the world.  The question comes down to this, Are we being steadfast in the Journey?

We can’t do it on our own.  If we make a decision, vow or commitment to God based on the genuine leading of the Holy Spirit and honest desire to discern the will of God for our individual lives, the devil will tempt us and sometimes God will test us.  Remaining steadfast in the journey requires prayer with much supplication.  It also requires staying close to God and resting in His Word.  Just like the runner in a race, without strength and endurance, we may end up injured instead of winning or even finishing the race.  As Christians, our source of strength and endurance is Jesus Christ himself.

My challenge to you all this morning is that you remain steadfast in the journey to which God has called you.

Coming closer to the times

Good afternoon,

This is the first, of hopefully many, blog update I have been able to do from the office at the church (instead of trying to remember to do one once i got home). We have finally moved a little closer to the current decade and now have high-speed wireless internet at our church here in Calais. Can't use your cell phone still (no towers close by), but you can get on the web if you need to :).

Things are getting busy as the summer swings into full bloom here at Calais. I picked the bus up today from getting repaired after breaking down during our teen trip last month, and it will go right into use beginning this Sunday morning for our weekly bus ministry! Excited that we will be kicking off a new outreach ministry for our area, the bus ministry. We are praying that many visitors, children and families, take advantage of the opportunity to catch a ride to come to church and hear the gospel. VBS is also just around the corner, as it kicks off on 7/17. Lots of last minute details to wrap up, but praising God for the volunteers already signed up and planning on breaking our attendance record since I became pastor. (for all you out there that didn't get the intended joke, I have only been pastor here at Calais for 1 yr and a month) We had 82 different children attend last year through the week, with an average of 110 counting the adults each night. This year I am challenging our people to reach a goal of 100 different children! Not just for numbers sake, but that they may be exposed to the truth of God's Word, and see what our church is like. I am praying that we will get at least one family from VBS, faithfully start attending our church, get saved serving in our church after VBS, like we did last year. It's great to set goals and strive to reach them, but it is more important to share the gospel with them that they might get saved. Pray for us as we strive to be good stewards of what God has given us at Calais and as we carry out the VBS program from AIG, Gold Rush, this year.

Also, be praying for a purity ceremony that we have scheduled for Sunday, July 17th AM where our teens can make public there vows made to God during the Great Awakening Youth Conference last month regarding remaining pure until Christian marriage.

You'ns have a great remainder of the week and make sure to share the good news with someone today!

Long Overdue Update!

It has been a very busy Spring and beginning of Summer here at Calais Church. Sorry it has been so long since the last update.

We took the teens to The Great Awakening Youth Conference at Morning Star Baptist Church June 22-24 and stopped in Kentucky at New Grace Baptist Church, Pastor Todd Lockyer and his wife Amanda were there to welcome us, to do some mission work on our way back home. Great time of fellowship, got the church cleaned up and ready for the Teens and Adults from Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church from Rocky Mount, NC to come up and do Vacation Bible School this week! The conference and mission work was great and an adventure, but God must have thought we needed even more as the bus broke down 2.5 hrs. from home. Thanks to some awesome church members who gave of their time and drove their vehicles down to shuttle our teens/leaders and the luggage back home we were all safe in bed by 1am on Sunday. Check out the video recap of the week on the church website www.calaisindependentbaptist.com under our teen ministries tab. The sermons from the conference are also available on the media tab of our website.

Lots of fun and exciting things coming up this summer. VBS is only 3 Sundays away! We are very excited to be using AIG's Gold Rush as our program this year and are looking for even more children to be impacted for the Lord. If you remember, last year we averaged about 110 each night (adult/teen workers included) and had a total of 82 different children throughout the week of VBS (many were repeat attenders during the week).

Our bus ministry kicks off, Lord willing and all repairs complete, on Sunday July 10th. Be praying that we will have good reception as we go out in the surrounding communities to pick up children and families that wouldn't otherwise be able or inclined to attend church. Pray also that the Lord will give the drivers and workers the strength, energy and endurance needed to give this ministry our best!

We have some fun services and different things planned for our Sundays during this summer and I, as pastor, am issuing monthly challenges to the church as a whole, our teens, and our children throughout the remainder of the year. May the Lord give me wisdom as I choose how to stretch and equip the flock over which he is allowing me the privilege to be under shepherd. The first teen challenge is to memorize 50 verses (from a book of 100 verses every Christian should know - received at the Conference) by 1st Sunday in August, and our church-wide challenge to be revealed this Sunday morning is 2-fold, first to read the entire New Testament by the end of July (only 8-9 chapters a day)and then to kick it off by committing to a 2 day fast from TV, XBox, and other technology that seems to crowd our time. Pastor is leading by example in this one, as well as the Teen challenge, by shutting off the Satellite service at the house (yep, it is disconnected and getting ready to be shipped back to Dish). Sometimes you just have to get radical about your Christianity ;). The children's challenge is yet to be determined. Why issue challenges to the church, well part of my task as Pastor is to disciple and equip the saints, and these challenges are a part of meeting that responsibility. Feel free to join along with us as we strive to meet and exceed these challenges.

Attendance at worship services continues to remain steady and slightly above last year's average. We have been able to add 2 missionaries so far this year, and have several more to come through on deputation. We have purchased a church bus, begun to have it painted, and have also purchased and installed A/C in our annex building wiht much appreciation from our nursery, Sunday school, Jr. Church,Chilren's Ministry, Youth Ministry and VBS workers (all who use this building and have done so with no A/C for several years).

I think God still has big plans for our little country church out here in Calais,OH. Be in prayer as we endeavor to do our best to stay in the will of God and impact our surrounding areas for the Gospel.

Appologies in advance if the next update is a little while in coming. Y'all (you'ns) have a great Summer!

Getting Back to the Basics

I’ve been really burdened lately concerning whether I, we the local church, am telling God what His church should be like instead of asking Him to show me what He wants it to be.  That’s the challenge I have been sharing with my church congregation over the last several weeks.  Trying to season everything done with the thought that we need to be seeking God’s leading on what we are to be doing, not telling Him what we are going to do.

I know, easier “typed/said’ than done.  However, it is my personal belief that if we really get back to the basics of proclaiming the gospel, sharing the message of salvation, preaching/teaching the doctrines of the Bible, going out in missions or sending others if we can’t go, and preaching the WHOLE counsel of God that the rest will take care of itself.  I believe that today’s  churches and pastors have gotten so far off track that many now follow man and not God.  SHAME ON US, SHAME ON YOU!

In Matthew 7 and Luke 6 Christ warns us that “…wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.  Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it…ye shall know them by their fruits…”

Perhaps we are in the predicament we are in because we have walked through the straight/narrow gate but are trying to walk on the wide path (not heeding or not seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit).  We have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior but refuse to give up living like the world.  Or maybe worse, we have walked through the wide gate (not saved), but trying to walk the narrow way (playing church).  God tells us in His word that we are to examine ourselves.  The trend today can be symbolized by the growing habit to ask the following question in an effort to assure someone of their salvation: “Can you remember a time in your life where you prayed…”.  It’s not the prayer that saves us, it is our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross and nothing more or less that saves us.  Perhaps a better question would be, “Can you remember a time when you realized that you have sinned (fallen short of God’s standard), that there is a penalty for that sin, that you can’t save yourself, believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith (death, burial and resurrection), confessed and repented of those sins and called on Him in faith to save you?”  Really, we can’t assure anyone of their salvation, that is up to their own selves and God.  Remember, “…ye shall know them by their fruits…”  Has there been a change in your life, if not are you being chastened or disciplined by God?  Or the fact that we want to say we worship God yet our church services sound/look/feel like the world.  The trend in many churches today is to water down the Gospel, water down the doctrines and the scriptures.  Today, many churches do what they do because that’s how they’ve always done it.  “Vain repetition” breeds loss of motive, meaning and purpose.  God is not pleased when we are satisfied to simply go through the motions/play church!  “Broad is the path that leads to destruction”, if it’s easy, comfortable, pleasing to the flesh, not confrontational and doesn’t require us to make a sacrifice or commitment then everyone will want to go that route.  But this is the route that will lead to destruction.  Christ tells us in Matthew 7 that not everyone that calls Him Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  There will be many in the last day saying that they have done great things in His name, but His response will be, “…I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity…”

We need to get our own selves right with God, get busy doing the work of the ministry to which He has called each of us to, and understand that it is He that does the changing in us and others (it’s by His power alone that we will be able to change), not us.  It’s time that we get our eyes fixed on Him, get our feet fixed on the narrow path and worship the Lord Jesus Christ.  It’s time that we GET BACK TO THE BASICS.