THE KEY TO SUCCESS

June 15, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”–Luke 10:2

The most important task given to the followers of Jesus Christ is to take the gospel to the world. The value God places on this assignment is highlighted by the fact that the command, commonly called the Great Commission, appears at the conclusion of all four Gospel accounts, and then is repeated at the beginning of the book of Acts. However, though there is no question of the importance of the work of evangelism, an honest assessment requires us to admit that the admonition God gave Joshua near the end of his life, “There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed,” is still true today.

Why are we not making more progress with this important task? There are many reasons, but one of those is that there are not enough people actively sharing the gospel. Though it is important to work to reach the lost, the first thing Jesus commanded was for us to pray for more laborers. One of the results of this kind of prayer is that it motivates us to be faithful in our witness as well.

Indeed, the harvest of souls is great. There are billions of people around the world who have not yet even heard the gospel. A Christian with a true concern for the lost and for the work of God will pray that more people will respond to the command of Christ to share the gospel with others.Prayer is not a substitute for evangelism, but a necessary prerequisite for it.–Daily in the Word

A SPRING OF JOY

June 14, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. “–Ps 19:8

Many people think that a godly life–must be a sad and gloomy life. They suppose that Christians have no joy. They have to deny themselves many pleasures. They have to live strictly and soberly. They have to follow the Scriptures. Life must be dreary and joyless to Christians.

So the people talk, who boast of being free from the restraints of the Bible. But, as a matter of fact, the happiest people in this world are those who are keeping God’s commandments. Who ever heard of sin “rejoicing the heart”? Disobedience never made anyone happy–but obedience always gives peace.

There are fresh-water springs in the sea, which continually pour out sweet water beneath all the brackish tides. So in the obedient heart, under all self-denials, there is a spring of joy ever flowing. It is the peace of God which nothing can disturb, a holy fountain whose flow nothing can ever check.—J. R. Miller

LOOK AT YOU

June 13, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”— James 1:22-25

Sometimes we try to appear more spiritual than we are. Were you to ask me “What’s the last thing you do before you come out to preach?”, you might expect me to say “Pray”. But the truth is, the last thing I usually do is look in the mirror and check my buttons and zipper. I’m sorry if that disappoints you, but it is the truth. If I haven’t prayed before then I doubt that a little “wish me well” prayer as I’m walking out the door will do any good. By the way. looking in the mirror isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it does us good to look at ourselves. As Yogi Berra said, “You can see a lot by looking“.

Most people try to put themselves in the best possible light. We base our conclusion on what we want to think rather than what we actually are. But even if we fool others we haven’t helped ourselves. The first step in changing is seeing the need of change. To do that we must examine ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word–that’s the only mirror that can change our appearance! What we see might be discouraging and even fill us with despair, but that’s not all bad–we need to see the truth and the Bible doesn’t lie. Let’s face it, there are times when we don’t want to face it. We don’t want to look in the mirror because we know we won’t like what we see. That’s why some folks shy away from the Bible. It doesn’t fit their life-style.

Now I know there is a morbid introspection that isn’t healthy, but that doesn’t mean we should never examine ourselves. The mirror of God’s Word is absolutely essential to our spiritual well-being. Our spiritual growth depends on it (2 Cor. 3:18; Jam. 1:22-25). But, if we look into God’s Word without taking action we deceive ourselves (Ja. 1:22). However, if we obey what we observe it will transform us into the likeness of Christ. Sp, rather than spending time looking at others, we ought to be looking at ourselves, with the intent of correcting what’s wrong. Look at you–what do you see? —HDS

LIKE JESUS

June 12, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.”–Matt. 8:19
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. “–Matt. 8:20

So you want to be like Jesus? Are you sure? We sing “To be like Jesus”. We talk about W.W.J.D. We speak about being Christ-like. But do we really mean what we say? What does it mean to be like Jesus? Do you know how Jesus lived? I’m afraid we’re not nearly as spiritual as we think, or as we want others to think. Take contentment for an example.

There is a lot of confusion about the matter of contentment. While many aren’t content regardless of how things are, others are content only because things are as they are– as they please. However they wouldn’t be content if that changed. For example, it’s easy to be content in America, but would you be content to live like the rest of the world? Do you know how the rest of the world lives? If you had to live like the average person in the world I doubt that you would be content.

But let’s stick with the example of Jesus, and stay with our text—“The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. “. Think of that in the light of 2 Cor. 8:9”For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” Have you ever thought about what all is implied by the phrase He became poor”? While many desire to be like Jesus when it comes to His supernatural power, sinlessness, wisdom, and ability, etc. not many would want to be like Him in his poverty. Put yourself in His sandals. Imagine eating what He ate, traveling in the same manner as He, being subjected to hostility, misunderstood, falsely accused, beaten, and crucified. I don’t have the words to describe the depths to which Christ went when He became poor.

Now notice the transition–“He was”–“He became”. What he was He had always been. What He became was by His choice. It has been called, “The Great Renunciation” and for good reason (see Phil. 2:5-8). Don’t misunderstand what it meant for Him to become poor. He did not change His purity, His perfection, His power, nor His proprietorship. He owns it all and He can do all things, but for our sake He made the choice to limit Himself and subject Himself to suffering so we might “have life, and ….have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). He became poor in the sense of poverty, prestige, physical pain, etc. His greatest suffering was an inward act, an attitude of His heart that was willing to give up whatever was necessary to accomplish the Father’s purpose. That’s what we are to emulate. So now ask yourself again, “Am I willing to be like Jesus?”—HDS

OUR FATHER’S FAMILY

June 11, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,”–Eph. 3:14-15

The family is the oldest institution on earth. Perhaps no other word stirs up such pleasant thoughts as does “family” and “home”. But there is something even greater! I’m speaking of the family of God. There is absolutely nothing we could be a part of that’s more important. Since that is such a bold statement it raises questions that deserve to be answered.

I. WHAT MAKES GOD’S FAMILY POSSIBLE?

Answer– a supernatural formation. The family of God is unlike anything man ever made. It is a special creation wherein God takes the vilest of sinners out of all nations, forgives them, accepts them, and makes them His own. It is entered by the new birth which unites us together with God and one another. We become the children of God, heirs of God, and joint heirs of Christ.

II. WHAT MAKES GOD’S FAMILY PRECIOUS?

Answer– a sweet fellowship. Believers share a spiritual bond that is even stronger than blood. Paul describes this with the word “fellowship”, which means to have in common, share, or partnership. In his letter to the Philippians he speaks of the fellowship of —

–their service, 1:5

–the Spirit, 2:1

— their suffering, 3:10

III. WHAT MAKES GOD’S FAMILY PERMANENT?

Answer– a sure future. While earthly families come and go, God’s family is forever. There is an entrance but no exit. God’s children will be eternally supplied, perfectly satisfied, and perpetually serving their Father (Rev. 22:3). Although separated by death for a short time, God’s children never meet for the last time. They live each day with the prospect that they will be reunited. What a day that will be!

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

A SPRING OF JOY

LOOK AT YOU

LIKE JESUS

OUR FATHER’S FAMILY

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