It has been a while since I have posted an article on my blog. So, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. Below is an article that I submitted to the Jefferson Baptist Association for their monthly newsletter. It is an article to review some of the information from this past weekend's Student Conference.
Thank you to all who helped put this together! To God be the Glory!
We had an amazing “kick off” to the 2008 year at Bates Creek Camp with our Spring Conference “Don’t Waste Your Life.” Approximately 200 students and leaders toughed out the extremely cold temperatures and messy, muddy, soaked ground, rain, drizzle, and all that other stuff to hear a powerful message on the need to repent of sin and turn to Jesus Christ, for to live your life with any other aim, is a failure and a loss.
Saturday featured different messages on discipleship, commitment to the local church body, and missions. We hope to share with you some of the testimonies of the students who stood up and in front of everyone made comments such as, “I’ve been living a lie, thinking that I have been saved, but now I know what it means to be dead to sin, and alive to Christ!” Let me encourage you to read through your Jefferson Baptist newsletter and except to see more information from this year’s spring retreat.
Our desire for our summer camps this year is that we might preach Christ. Oh that the Lord would move upon our young people in the association! Oh that a since of conviction of sin and a God-granted repentance and faith in Jesus Christ would sweep through the participants in these activities and we would see people saved, Pastors and Missionaries called, and all for one purpose. The GLORY OF GOD! Will you pray with me to this end? Will you pray with me that the Lord would glorify His Name through the faithful preaching of the Word of God? Don’t get me wrong…we have some really awesome activities and some fun stuff planned for the summer, but we want something more than just all the fun that you would expect from events at Bates Creek, we are asking for a sovereign move of God this summer.
To God be the glory…great things He hath done!
Aaron
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Baptists and Alcohol
Below is an e-mail sent out by a good brother here in Missouri. Recently there has been some very good discussion on this issue, and I appreciate this man posting this. For that reason, I am going to post it here for others to enjoy.
I recently wrote the ARBCA (Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in America) and asked what their position on alcohol is.
Here's their reply:
Dear Jim, ARBCA has no stand on the use of alcohol except to condemn the sin of drunkenness. We are a confessional association and we believe all three paragraphs of chapter 21 in the London Baptist Confession of 1689 to be a good summary of Bible doctrine on the matter. We see fermented wine, for example, as a food and nothing more, with no moral aspects whatsoever. It would be the immoderate use of this food that Holy Scripture condemns. We are careful to not make sin what the Scripture does not make sin, and end up perverting the very doctrine of sanctification in generating standards for holiness when the Scripture has not sanctioned such rules. I do hope this helps. This is a confusing issue for many. May the Lord bless you.
Bob Selph
CoordinatorARBCA
--------------------------------------------------------------
All three paragraphs of chapter 21 of the LBC of 1689
21. Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
The liberty which Christ has purchased for believers under the Gospel, lies in their freedom from the guilt of sin and the condemning wrath of God, from the rigours and curse of the law, and in their deliverance from this present evil world, from bondage to Satan, from dominion of sin, from the harm of afflictions, from the fear and sting of death, from the victory of the grave, and from everlasting damnation. - This liberty is also seen in their free access to God, and their ability to yield obedience to Him not out of slavish fear, but with childlike love and willing minds. All these freedoms were also experienced in substance by true believers under the Old Testament law, but for New Testament Christians this liberty is further enlarged, for they have freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law to which the Jewish church was subjected. They also have greater boldness of access to the throne of grace and fuller communications of the free Spirit of God than believers under the law normally experienced.
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and has left it free from all doctrines and commandments of men which are in any respect contrary to His Word, or not contained in it. Thus to believe such doctrines or to obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience. The requiring of an implicit faith, an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also.
They who on pretence of Christian liberty practice any sin, or cherish any sinful lust, pervert the main purpose of the grace of the Gospel to their own destruction. They completely destroy the object of Christian liberty, which is that we, being delivered out of the hands of all our enemies, might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives.
I recently wrote the ARBCA (Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in America) and asked what their position on alcohol is.
Here's their reply:
Dear Jim, ARBCA has no stand on the use of alcohol except to condemn the sin of drunkenness. We are a confessional association and we believe all three paragraphs of chapter 21 in the London Baptist Confession of 1689 to be a good summary of Bible doctrine on the matter. We see fermented wine, for example, as a food and nothing more, with no moral aspects whatsoever. It would be the immoderate use of this food that Holy Scripture condemns. We are careful to not make sin what the Scripture does not make sin, and end up perverting the very doctrine of sanctification in generating standards for holiness when the Scripture has not sanctioned such rules. I do hope this helps. This is a confusing issue for many. May the Lord bless you.
Bob Selph
CoordinatorARBCA
--------------------------------------------------------------
All three paragraphs of chapter 21 of the LBC of 1689
21. Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience
The liberty which Christ has purchased for believers under the Gospel, lies in their freedom from the guilt of sin and the condemning wrath of God, from the rigours and curse of the law, and in their deliverance from this present evil world, from bondage to Satan, from dominion of sin, from the harm of afflictions, from the fear and sting of death, from the victory of the grave, and from everlasting damnation. - This liberty is also seen in their free access to God, and their ability to yield obedience to Him not out of slavish fear, but with childlike love and willing minds. All these freedoms were also experienced in substance by true believers under the Old Testament law, but for New Testament Christians this liberty is further enlarged, for they have freedom from the yoke of the ceremonial law to which the Jewish church was subjected. They also have greater boldness of access to the throne of grace and fuller communications of the free Spirit of God than believers under the law normally experienced.
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and has left it free from all doctrines and commandments of men which are in any respect contrary to His Word, or not contained in it. Thus to believe such doctrines or to obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience. The requiring of an implicit faith, an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also.
They who on pretence of Christian liberty practice any sin, or cherish any sinful lust, pervert the main purpose of the grace of the Gospel to their own destruction. They completely destroy the object of Christian liberty, which is that we, being delivered out of the hands of all our enemies, might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Something Fishy
The following post probably seems completely different than any that I have submitted in the past. However, I have been working with people with mental health issues, violent behaviors, etc. I would highly recommend anyone interested in knowing more about this consult http://www.nanc.org
However, I have been browsing around the Mayo Clinic's website to see what they say regarding scientific research on herbal supplements. I found something interesting that you might want to know.
We have been talking in our office about a doctor that is starting to take his patients with depression, bi-polar, etc., off of their psychotropic medications and placing them on high amounts of fish oil. I thought that you might be interested to know that there is significant research that fish oil has been proven to prevent and treat high blood pressure and most forms of heart disease. In addition, there has been new research that shows very, very, very favorable results in treatment of depression, anxiety, etc.
If you are interested, you can check out what the Mayo Clinic says. However, I believe that there has been more research proving it's effectiveness since this posting from Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fish-oil/NS_patient-fishoil
However, I have been browsing around the Mayo Clinic's website to see what they say regarding scientific research on herbal supplements. I found something interesting that you might want to know.
We have been talking in our office about a doctor that is starting to take his patients with depression, bi-polar, etc., off of their psychotropic medications and placing them on high amounts of fish oil. I thought that you might be interested to know that there is significant research that fish oil has been proven to prevent and treat high blood pressure and most forms of heart disease. In addition, there has been new research that shows very, very, very favorable results in treatment of depression, anxiety, etc.
If you are interested, you can check out what the Mayo Clinic says. However, I believe that there has been more research proving it's effectiveness since this posting from Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fish-oil/NS_patient-fishoil
Monday, March 10, 2008
Centenario (Report from February/March Team)
After returning from our trip to Centenario, there are many things that I would like to report. There was a team of 6 who participated. A total of 5 different congregations were represented. Though our focus was the village of Centenario, however we did enjoy spending time with our missionaries Steve and Robin Henry in La Poza, as well as fellowshipping with Iglesia “El Buen Pastor” in San Juan, Mexico.
During our most recent trip we were able to bring a much anticipated Giant Print Bible to Carmen. This is the lady who made a profession of faith during our November trip. We were able to sit down with her and ask her to explain again what she believed happened during that time. She recounted that since that point she has continued to renounce her trust in the things of the world, and specifically the “saint of death” necklace that she took off and gave to us to destroy. She spoke of her faith in Jesus Christ in front of the former director of the school. This really was a great time. She is looking forward to an adult Bible study this summer.
Rockport had also collected money, along with the community, to purchase a much-needed air conditioning unit for the school. John, a member of a congregation in Tennessee, went with me, along with the school teacher and a young man from the village to purchase this item. During the trip John and I shared with the school teacher why we are so committed to the education of the children in the village. We desire that they might be able to be educated so that they may have jobs and provide for their families. We also discussed the greater need and that is that children and adults need to be educated so that they might be able to read and to think through what the Lord has said in His Word! On Sunday, before we left, the teacher came to me and mentioned that the community officials would like to “fix up” a house for us so that we might have a place to shower, and place some of our belongings. This house used to belong to a retired school teacher, who has since moved.
On Sunday I also spoke to the Pastor of a church in San Juan, Mexico. I told him of our desire to be a blessing to the Pastors and church leaders in the area. He was very excited about this and requested more information.
It was a great blessing to have Charlie, John, Michael, Rick, and Irian involved in this trip. Each of them made special connections with the people there! Thank you to all who participated as well as thank you to the congregations and families that made this possible!
There will be more information to come, and I hope that there will soon be posts from the perspective of the other missionaries along on this trip.
During our most recent trip we were able to bring a much anticipated Giant Print Bible to Carmen. This is the lady who made a profession of faith during our November trip. We were able to sit down with her and ask her to explain again what she believed happened during that time. She recounted that since that point she has continued to renounce her trust in the things of the world, and specifically the “saint of death” necklace that she took off and gave to us to destroy. She spoke of her faith in Jesus Christ in front of the former director of the school. This really was a great time. She is looking forward to an adult Bible study this summer.
Rockport had also collected money, along with the community, to purchase a much-needed air conditioning unit for the school. John, a member of a congregation in Tennessee, went with me, along with the school teacher and a young man from the village to purchase this item. During the trip John and I shared with the school teacher why we are so committed to the education of the children in the village. We desire that they might be able to be educated so that they may have jobs and provide for their families. We also discussed the greater need and that is that children and adults need to be educated so that they might be able to read and to think through what the Lord has said in His Word! On Sunday, before we left, the teacher came to me and mentioned that the community officials would like to “fix up” a house for us so that we might have a place to shower, and place some of our belongings. This house used to belong to a retired school teacher, who has since moved.
On Sunday I also spoke to the Pastor of a church in San Juan, Mexico. I told him of our desire to be a blessing to the Pastors and church leaders in the area. He was very excited about this and requested more information.
It was a great blessing to have Charlie, John, Michael, Rick, and Irian involved in this trip. Each of them made special connections with the people there! Thank you to all who participated as well as thank you to the congregations and families that made this possible!
There will be more information to come, and I hope that there will soon be posts from the perspective of the other missionaries along on this trip.
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