When God Seems Late

Have you ever felt like God doesn't care what you are going through? Does it sometimes seem like He's a million miles away when you're having problems? Have you ever wanted to pray, "God, I'm serving you faithfully, and yet you still don't seem to be showing up in my life?"

Chances are, if you've been a Christian for very long, you've experienced times when God just seemed to be running late. I heard a country song one time that suggested that "God must be busy," and that was the reason He wasn't coming through. And although I have no doubt that God is very busy, I want you to know that He's never too busy to help you out in your times of trouble. The only thing we have to understand is this: His timing is seldom what we're expecting or hoping for; but it's always perfect.

This Sunday at EFBC, we'll look at John 11 as we wrap up this three-part series called Alternate Plans. The message this week is entitled When God Seems Late, and hopefully you'll find comfort in learning that many people in the Bible had to wait on God just like we do. I'm so excited to preach this message on Sunday, and I hope you'll plan on being here!

If you're down, depressed, and feeling like there's no hope for your situation, I've got some good news for you today: The best is yet to come, and you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Alternate Plans

Hope everyone's having a great Friday. If not, take heart, because Sunday's on the way! Are you as excited about worship this weekend at EFBC as I am? I can't wait to meet together with my church family and see what God has in store for us! I hope you're still praying BIG prayers!

It has been such a blessing this week to see how folks in our church have responded to the needs associated with the tornado disaster. We've had much given including money, food and supplies, and manpower. It was awesome this past Sunday to have the opportunity to help out a precious 90-year-old sister in Christ. Our team from EFBC worked tirelessly transforming what was a disaster area back into something resembling normalcy. I hope we were a blessing to her, but I know this experience was definitely a blessing to me and everyone who participated.

Now, as we look forward to Sunday, let me encourage everyone to be praying. Pray for a mighty move of the Spirit. Pray that God will use me to bring a powerful message. Pray for lives to be changed. And most of all, pray that we'll make much of Jesus. He's what it's all about, anyway!

This Sunday we'll continue the series we started last week called Alternate Plans. The message is entitled From Bad To Worse, and we'll be looking at Genesis 39-40. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like things couldn't get any worse? And then, somehow, things got worse. You may be going through something like that right at this very moment. This Sunday we're going to look at a guy who understood all too well what it meant to go from bad to worse. I hope you'll plan on being here.

Also, don't forget that this Sunday is Mother's Day, and we'll be recognizing all the mother's that are in attendance. And remember, there's no evening service on Mother's Day.

Our God is an awesome God! Come to worship this Sunday morning like you really believe that! And come to worship this Sunday like you really believe that the best is yet to come and that we ain't seen nothin' yet!

About Sunday

Hope everyone's doing well tonight. This past week has been historic for the state of Alabama, and unfortunately not in a good way. The response from our church has been phenomenal...including donations and people volunteering to work on the front lines.

Many, however, who work during the week have felt helpless not being able to go and do something. We've had an overwhelming number of people wanting to go tomorrow and work in the affected areas. Therefore, we've decided to postpone the deacon's meeting, and call off evening services tomorrow to allow our people an opportunity to minister. This is what being the church is all about.

If you still have donations to give, you can bring them with you to church in the morning. Then, after the service, we'll break for lunch and everyone who can, meet back at 12:30 (time may be adjusted depending on what time we dismiss). If you can't be back that quickly, but still would like to help out, we'll have a contact person you can call to find out where we're working.

Sorry I didn't get out a Sunday Preview email this week, but with everything going on I just haven't had the time. Tomorrow morning we'll begin a new series of messages entitled Alternate Plans. Tomorrow's sermon is When Your Dreams Are Shattered, and I promise you, I wrote this sermon before the storms that came through on Wednesday. In fact, I sent Star the bulletin outline on Tuesday, having no idea at the time the depths of the devastation our county and state would experience the next day. But God just works things out that way sometimes. The scripture we'll be looking at is 1 Samuel 21 and 22.

I can't wait to meet with my church family tomorrow. We've seen a lot of bad this week, but we've also seen a lot of good as people have responded. But never forget that the best is yet to come, and we ain't seen nothin' yet!

Will The Sun Stand Still?

Last Sunday at EFBC, we talked about how Joshua prayed an audacious prayer, asking God to make the sun stand still...and God answered his prayer! On Monday, just 24 hours after preaching that message, I read this quote from Francis Chan: "If we never pray audacious prayers, how can He answer them?" Could it be that the reason we don't see even greater, more miraculous things than we've already seen, is because our prayers aren't audacious enough?

This week, I've been praying HUGE prayers for this Sunday at EFBC! I'm praying that we'll see "sun stand still" kind of miracles right here at the end of Gate 8 Road. I hope you're praying those kind of BIG prayers, as well. If you haven't already, let me ask you to please start praying right now for Easter at EFBC.

We'll begin the day with a sunrise service at 6 a.m. That will be followed by Sunday School and morning worship, both at their regular times. There will be no Sunday night service this week.

At the 10 o'clock service, I'll be preaching a sermon entitled The Best News. In case you're wondering, this will be a straightforward gospel message taken from the resurrection chapter...1 Corinthians 15. I'm praying for a packed out church building, and I'm praying for a multitude to be saved!

Besides praying, however, I'm also inviting people. I hope you are, too! This may be the best opportunity you have all year long to get your family and/or friends to attend a church service. Do your best to GET THEM HERE!!!

One more thing I wanted to mention this morning: If you or your family haven't yet had your picture made for our self-published church directory, we'll be doing that one more time this Sunday. This will be your last chance to be a part of this, so please help us make this directory complete.

Christ is risen, He's still answering audacious prayers, and He's coming again! The best is yet to come, and you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Audacious Prayers

Have you ever prayed a prayer that was audacious? I was blown away recently by the audacity of a prayer that Joshua prayed. I've known this story for a long time, but when I got to really considering just what he asked for, I was kind of overwhelmed. When I saw the bigness of his request, and that God actually granted it, it made me realize just how small my prayers really are.

The sermon this Sunday is entitled Audacious Prayers, and we'll be looking at Joshua 10:6-14. If you're reading ahead, it would help if you go back and read all of chapter 9 and the first five verses of chapter 10 to get some important background information. Then, when you get into this week's text, pay careful attention to what Joshua prays for in verse 12. God's answer follows immediately in verse 13. It's one of the most audacious prayers ever prayed, and the result is one of the most amazing miracles the world has ever seen!

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. That means we're one week away from Easter. We've already talked about going fishing for Easter, and I'm praying that the results will be MIND BLOWING! I've made up my mind that I'm going to be praying audacious prayers for God to do something ASTOUNDING on resurrection day! I hope you'll join with me in asking God to do something HUGE right here at 1835 Gate 8 Road!

Let's face it, folks: We've already seen God doing incredible things here. We've seen a miracle take place with our Wednesday night ministries. We've seen more baptisms than this church has seen in decades. We've seen God doing more than we could have ever imagined. And yet, I have no doubt that He wants to do more! Second Peter says God's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Until we've seen every soul saved in this community, I believe God wants greater things for Eulaton First Baptist Church!

With Easter Sunday coming up, I'm asking you to join with me in praying audacious prayers. Pray that God will send so many people that we'll be busting at the seams! Pray that the seed of the gospel will find fertile ground in the hearts of the lost and that multitudes will be saved! Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like we've never seen before! And pray for God to do the impossible!

Church, I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it: The best is yet to come, and we ain't seen nothin' yet!

Go Fishing For Easter

OK, so I am still being consistently BLOWN AWAY by how God is working in our church! This past Wednesday night was AMAZING! Ten decisions for Christ were recorded, and yet I still can't get past the feeling that we've only seen the beginning of all that God wants to do in this community! In fact, God laid something on my heart yesterday that I'm trying to iron out some details on. If it all works out, it has the potential to have a HUGE impact on Wellborn High School! Hopefully I'll have something to report on this really soon; possibly Sunday!

And speaking of Sunday, my message this week is entitled Go Fishing For Easter. You know, Resurrection Day is less than a month away, and we need to be thinking about how we can not only lift high our risen Savior, but also how we can use this opportunity to reach the lost. The scripture we'll be looking at is from Matthew 4:18-20. I hope you'll plan on being here this Sunday at EFBC!

Keep lifting Him up! Keep reaching out! Keep on praying! And keep on believing that we ain't seen nothin' yet

It's Time To Celebrate

Are you ready for Sunday at EFBC? I'm unbelievably excited about what God has in store for us this weekend. We'll be hearing an incredible testimony from two very special people, and you definitely don't want to miss it.

The message this Sunday will come from Luke 10, and it's entitled It's Time To Celebrate. The testimony we'll be hearing is definitely something worth celebrating; and even more than that, if you've been saved by God's amazing grace you've got even more of a reason to celebrate.

We serve an awesome, holy, powerful, amazing, healing, forgiving, saving, mighty God! We ought to celebrate all that He is, all that He's done, and all that He's going to do! I hope you'll be able to be with us this Sunday morning, and I hope you'll come ready to celebrate Jesus!

He has done great and mighty things, but I guarantee you that we ain't seen nothin' yet!

Rob Bell And The Danger Of Stereotyping

A typical response by some evangelical church leaders to the Rob Bell controversy goes something like this, "Bell's denial of orthodox Christianity exposes the postmodern church movement for what it really is: a sham." Many seem more than willing to seize upon this opportunity to castigate all pastors who may not dress in a traditional suit and tie, read from the King James Bible, or lead a church that sings only hymns that are at least a hundred years old. It's almost as if any pastor who is young, hip and non-traditional has become anathema to them.

And that's a problem. Because as I see it, there are a lot of "trendy" pastors out there who are reaching a multitude of lost people not with a watered down, soft on sin and hell gospel, but rather with the timeless message that God is holy, sin has separated us from Him, Jesus died in our place to atone for our sins and save us from a literal hell, and without Him we are eternally lost and condemned. To be sure, that's not the message that Rob Bell appears to be preaching in his latest book Love Wins, and the outcry against it is loud and absolutely justified.

But why do some conservative Christians feel the need to stereotype and paint with such a broad brush the Rob Bell scarlet letter onto countless other ministers who stand diametrically opposed to the message in Love Wins? When did style of dress, choice of Bible translation, musical preferences, etc. become a litmus test for true orthodox Christianity? Because last time I checked, there are plenty of pastors out there who wear a suit and tie, read from the KJV only, and pastor a church that sings only the timeless hymns of the faith, and yet their message is as foreign to the truth of the scriptures as is Rob Bell's and Brian McLaren's. The emerging church movement doesn't have a monopoly on bad theology; you can find it in all shapes, sizes and styles.

So here's my plea: Let's get back to substance over style. Let's quit judging ministers by the clothes they wear and the music they listen to, and let's start listening to the content of what they're communicating. Heresy is heresy whether it's coming from a guy with tattoos and earrings or whether it's coming from a man in a three piece suit. Truth is truth whether it's coming from a guy wearing denim or whether it's coming from a man wearing silk.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that one day every man, woman, boy and girl would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. And I believe in that dream. But I also have a dream that one day the evangelical world will judge pastors, ministers and churches by the message they are preaching and not the methods they are employing.

March Newsletter Column

Have you caught the vision? Thankfully, it's not a new contagious disease that's going around. It's the expectation of seeing God adding to this church daily those who are being saved, just like He did in the first church. And on February 20th, we got just a small taste of what that would be like!

That morning we saw seven people come forward in the service and trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What would it look like if that became a weekly occurrence? What would it look like if, instead of averaging one baptism a week (which is incredible), we were averaging seven baptisms a week? What would it look like if God used this body of believers in Eulaton, Alabama to spark a revival that would spread throughout our community, our county, and our state?

We were privileged to have John Hays with us on February 23rd, pastor of Jersey Baptist Church in Ohio. He shared with us how thirty years ago God planted a church in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere, and how that church is now one of the largest in the state. The journey at Jersey began with eighteen people who had a vision for what God could do in that community. And today, eighteen has grown to over twenty-five hundred!

Church, if God can do that in a cornfield in Ohio, He can do that on a dead end road next to an army depot in Alabama! I'm not saying we'll one day have twenty-five hundred people here. We may never see that many here; we may see more. But what I'm trying to get across is that God is able to do exceedingly greater things than we can even imagine. So let's not limit our vision!

One of the things Pastor John shared that really stuck with me was his testimony. He grew up in a home that knew nothing about Jesus. The first time he ever went to church, it was so he could play basketball. But even though he didn't attend church for the right reason at first, He soon met Jesus and his life was radically changed. And look at how God has used him!

The thought that came to my mind was this: how many kids do we have attending on Wednesday nights that might not be coming for the right reason? I'm sure many come just so they can play with their friends or to get out of the house for a few hours. But what's important is not why they've come to church; what's important is what we share with them while they are here! And who knows what the future will bring for some of these children? We may be ministering to the next John Hayes, or Adrian Rogers, or Billy Graham. What we're doing here matters. And it will have eternal consequences.

Have you caught the vision?

Ten In Eleven

Just finished signing baptism certificates for those we've baptized since January 1st, and I counted ten so far in 2011. And that's definitely not going to be the end, because as I write this, I'm filling up the pool in anticipation of another baptism this Sunday at EFBC! Our God is AWESOME, and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us next!

I'm super pumped about continuing our It's About Time series this Sunday. The message this week is entitled It's Time To Meet With Jesus, and will be taken from Luke 10:38-42. How often do we make the mistake of choosing the good over the best? I know I'm guilty of it in my life from time to time, and so was one of the ladies in this Scripture passage. Can't wait to see what we can learn this Sunday as we dive into the Word of God!

God's still working here! He's still not finished with this church! He's still changing lives! We've seen some amazing things, but I'm convinced now more than ever that WE AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!!!

The Fullness Of Time

I love the verse in Galatians 4 that says, "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son." It's a reminder to me that God works in His own perfect timing, not my messed up, flawed sense of timing. And just as God knew the precise moment to send His Son into this world, He also knows the precise moment when He'll send His Son back to this world.

In the meantime, God has left us here with a mission; and the clock is clicking. We've all been given precious opportunities to serve the Lord, and it's imperative that we make the most of every moment. I'm reminded of the words of John Keating from the movie Dead Poet's Society, "Seize the day...make your lives extraordinary."

This Sunday, I'm excited about continuing the series we began last week entitled It's About Time. This week's message, It's Time To Tell Somebody, will come from Galatians 4:4-5. I'm praying for God to show up in a HUGE way and blow our minds with His presence and power!

Eulaton, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

No Church Tonight

The decision has been made due to the Winter Storm Warning that goes into effect at 6 p.m., as well as the church van that runs as late as 8:30, to cancel services at Eulaton First Baptist tonight. Please help spread the word to those who aren't on the Internet. Hope to see everyone on Sunday, as it looks like the weather's going to be much more Spring-like this weekend! Everybody stay safe tonight and tomorrow as the wintry weather moves in.

It's About Time

I'm really excited about beginning a new series of messages at EFBC entitled It's About Time. Message number one, It's Time To Hear God's Voice, will be this Sunday and we'll be looking at Hebrews 3:7-13 (if you want to read ahead).

You know, God's given each one of us a finite number of days here on this earth. My prayer through this series is that we will learn to better appreciate the opportunities we have, and that we'll choose to make the most of every moment. The clock is ticking, and it's up to us to seize the day!

Are you expecting God to show up every time we meet together? Are you ready for all that He has in store for us? Are you prepared to see greater things at EFBC? You may think you've seen all there is to see, but I'm here to tell you that you ain't seen nothin' yet!!!

Biblically True; Culturally Relevant

On the last Sunday in January, I preached a message entitled Starting From Scratch, and I asked the question, "What would it look like if you were starting a church, and you knew nothing about how to 'do church' except what the Bible says about it?" It's a question we need to consider, given that most of us have grown up with an "Americanized" version of Christianity. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does sometimes beg the question, "What do we do because it's biblical and what do we do because it's 'the way we've always done it?'"

One week earlier, on January 23rd, the message was entitled Where Opportunities Abound, and we talked about the church at Philadelphia and how Jesus opened some amazing doors for ministry there. One of the things I said in that sermon was that we have to realize that the way God calls us to do ministry in 2011 may not look exactly like it did twenty, thirty, or fifty years ago. The message is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but the means that we use to get that message out can and does evolve from time to time.

I look at how the world has changed just in the past 18 years since I've been in vocational ministry. The teenagers I worked with as a youth pastor in 1993 were growing up in a very different world than this current generation of students. When I was starting out, if you had asked me what the World Wide Web was, I would have said it was probably a new movie about the son of Spider Man who goes rogue and tries to dominate the planet. And Facebook? That was just another name the kids were using to describe their high school yearbook. My computer skills back then consisted of doing word processing on a 1984 Commodore 64 using a 1541 floppy disc drive.

Having said all of that, here's the question: How do we reconcile those two thoughts from those two sermons? How do we seek to do church the way the Bible prescribes, and still manage to be culturally engaged in 2011? Some people may think that those two things are mutually exclusive, but I'm here to tell you that they most definitely are not! Using new technologies to reach people, engaging the culture, and meeting people where they're at are all good things that can be done in a way that stays true to the biblical mandate. Notice how The Message paraphrases the words of Paul found in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22:

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

If Paul was able to go to different places in the first century and engage the culture while still remaining true to his biblical principles, there's no reason why we can't go and do likewise right here in the twenty-first century!

Starting From Scratch

What would it look like if you were starting a church, but you had no previous exposure to church culture in the United States? What would it look like if your only blueprint for how the church ought to operate was the Bible? What would it look like if the modern church in North America sought to align our priorities more with the priorities of the church in the first century?

These are some things that have been on my heart a lot lately, and this Sunday we're going to try to answer these "what would it look like if" questions. Our main scripture focus will be in Acts 2, where Luke describes the day to day workings of the first church. Along the way, we'll also be looking at a couple of other first century congregations in the book of Acts to try and get a better understanding of what a true New Testament church looks like. The message is entitled Starting From Scratch.

I'm incredibly excited about what God has in store for us this weekend at EFBC! As I write this, I've got the pool filling up yet again in anticipation for another baptism. Do you really believe that God can add to this church daily those who are being saved just like He did at the first church in Acts 2:47? He's still the same God, and if He did it at Jerusalem, He can do it at Eulaton!

Strap yourselves in EFBC members. I firmly believe 2011 is going to be the greatest year this church has ever seen! You may have been here to see the days when our attendance was higher and our bank account was stronger. But believing that God has even greater things in store for our church, I want you to know Eulaton that despite what you've already seen: YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!!!

Make It Stop!

As one who generally loves winter weather, I've got to admit that I'm ready to scream, "Make it stop!" I've had enough of the ice on my driveway. I've had enough of the slippery conditions. And I've had enough of the cancelled church services!

Thankfully, it looks as if we're in for a well-deserved break from the wintry landscape we've been living in. Granted, we're not going to hit the 80's anytime soon, but at this point, just reaching the 40's will be a huge milestone. And it will be nice to get back to normal here at EFBC!

This Sunday, we'll be back in Revelation chapter 2, looking at the churches at Pergamos and Thyatira. The message is entitled A Load Of Compromising (yes, for you Glen Campbell fans, that's a Rhinestone Cowboy reference), and I can't wait to share with you what God's laid on my heart for this weekend!

God is here! He is working! And He wants to do more than we could ever hope for or imagine!

Come expecting great things! Come seeking His power and His glory. And come with the knowledge that the best is yet to come!

Can You Hear Him Now?

Good morning, everyone! Hope your Friday is going well. I've been watching the weather reports and forecast models this morning, and it looks like we are in for a major winter storm Sunday night and into Monday. HOWEVER, please everyone take note that we're not expected to get anything until after noon on Sunday, so morning services SHOULD NOT be hindered in any way!

Everyone please make sure that you are prepared for the possibility of power outages Sunday night and into Monday. Also make sure you've got enough food for a few days just in case the worst case scenario happens. We want everyone to be safe!

But again, regardless of what happens Sunday afternoon and night, Sunday morning's looking really good, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us this weekend at EFBC! I know we've got some baptisms lined up, and that always lights my fire! And I've got a message that is burning within me for this Sunday. The sermon is entitled Can You Hear Him Now?, and we'll be looking at Revelation 3:1-6. I can hardly wait!

Don't forget that this Sunday we'll also have our monthly business meeting immediately following the morning service. If you're a member of this church, let me encourage you to please plan on staying for the business meeting. These meetings are not just for the "church leaders." If you're a member here, these meetings are for you, too! I hope you'll stick around.

By the way, did anyone notice how many folks were here Wednesday night? Quite possibly the biggest crowd for a regular Wednesday night service we've ever had (at least in the past 9 years). It was an AWESOME night!

God is up to something BIG at EFBC! He's not done working here! He's got greater things in store for 2011! Last year was great, but THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!!