SBC 2016 St. Louis/ Preaching and the Cross

I have been blessed to attend many SBC Annual Meetings since 1993, but none were any more moving than last week's meeting in St. Louis. John Meador put together an outstanding Pastor's Conference.  We arrived Sunday night, just as James McDonald was starting his message.  I missed Noah Oldham's message but just listened to it archived and he brought a strong, moving Word!

After the evening message, the praise team led us in beautiful worship as we sung about the cross, the blood, and the love of God.  As they sung, a man stepped out and began to notch a huge cross propped up.  He worked feverishly as sweat rolled form his brow.  You could tell he was in shape and that he was laboring.  He did the large beam  and then moved to the smaller.  He tied and hammered it together.  the choir continued to sing and was reaching a crescendo when about ten young men came out in black attire, took ropes and raised the cross to stand center stage.  Pastor Meador then ask all Pastors to come to the cross.  As we prayed together , with tears and repentance, the power of God had touched me, us, afresh.  I saw a Preacher buddy from Cincinnati and we embraced.  The words that came out were these, "No better place to see each other, than at he foot of the cross."

The old hymn says:

1. Jesus, keep me near the cross; 
there a precious fountain,
free to all, a healing stream,
flows from Calvary's mountain.
Refrain: 

In the cross, in the cross,
be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find
rest beyond the river.

2. Near the cross, a trembling soul,
love and mercy found me;
there the bright and morning star
sheds its beams around me.
(Refrain)

3. Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
bring its scenes before me;
help me walk from day to day
with its shadow o'er me.
(Refrain)

4. Near the cross I'll watch and wait,
hoping, trusting ever,
till I reach the golden strand
just beyond the river.
(Refrain)  

Jesus will you keep me near the cross?  I need you to do it.

The Power of God unto Salvation!

Sunday, May 22, 2016 is a day that we will never forget as a church.  What a blessing to begin the service with the baptism of three.  A mother and daughter, and a man that nearly everyone in Camden would recognize. Fred Green.  Twenty eight years ago, Fred became the owner of the local grocery store in Camden and has been a gracious, faithful friend to our church and this community.  Fred has always been a good, kind, and fair man.  If good men were to to get to heaven, one would think Fred would make it.

Fred's world, and the world of his family was recently shaken as he discovered a life threatening illness, and as God used it, it brought us face to face for conversation about Christ.  In that conversation we were reminded that good men don't automatically go to heaven.  That Jesus died for all of our good, which would never be enough, and for all of our bad which would never be bad enough to be forgiven.  The Holy Spirit spoke to Fred that day and his heart and life were changed in an instance by the power of God.

I was reminded that day as he and his wife left the office, that this is why we do what we do.  God is faithful and we must not give up.  The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation!  Romans 1:16

As this illness has led to an early retirement, and the sale of the store. As he was baptized many of his workers were in attendance.  What a blessing!  I pray God's best for the days ahead.

God's best is still ahead as heaven will be our home one day forever.  Until then, let's pray for the Fred Green's in our lives and community,  Let, pray and not give up!  Let's love people with the Gospel. Good people like Fred, and difficult people,  we are all lost if Jesus is not our Savior and Lord.

Thank you Fred and Lisa Green for your faithful service to the Camden Community.  May the Lord bless you in retirement and meet your every need as you walk with  Him.

Now we are brothers in Christ, let's live for Jesus!

WHY HAVE A REVIVAL?

That is question that appears to be coming from pastors all over the country.  As we get ready for our 2016 Spring "It's A Big Deal" Revival with David Burton from Jacksonville, I am more excited than ever about God using a fresh voice, with a fresh word, to stir our hearts, and bend our knees toward the Father.

April 13, 2016 will mark forty years since I gave my life to Christ... on a Tuesday night...in revival! God used a revival service and a guest evangelist who preached the word to speak to the heart of a fourteen year old church kid.  Revival means something to me and always will.

As a pastor now for twenty three years, we have had some great preachers come to the small town of Camden, Ohio.  Some full time evangelists, some pastors, some missionaries.  Pastor Mike Landry from Sarasota once told me, "You will never know if they will come unless you ask."  That has always stuck with me and I have tried to go after some of the best.  Often as a pastor, we are prone to ask a circle of friends, and sometimes the gifting of a certain pastor friend may not be a good fit for a revival in your church.

By attrition, churches have gone from week long, five services, four services, weekend, to a Sunday revival, then to not having one all together.  While a pastor and church has every right to schedule how they feel, have we gotten to the point where we think that revivals are not worth the time or effort?

Recently I heard of a pastor who  indicated that having a revival was too expensive.  Some claim their people won't come. Some say that a love offering will take away general giving of the church. Some say the lack of attendance was embarrassing to the pastor and church. Some simply don't want to bring in a speaker that their folks may enjoy more than them. Some argue that people are already strapped for time and adding something else just makes it harder. Could it be that revivals become a burden rather than a blessing because that is the way they are treated?  No preparation, no prayer, no excitement from the pulpit is sure to equal no expectation. God's grace still shows up in spite of ourselves.

We always see changed lives, and most of the time we will see people come to Christ.  Leonard Ravenhill has greatly challenged me recently with his heart for revival. "Why Revival Tarries" has become one of my all time favorite and challenging books.  God give me a heart to see you doing something that we cannot explain other than a mighty move of God!

All Eyes On Ohio

They say home is where your heart is!  Oh how I love Camden, Ohio!

As we watch the the news and those reporting on the Primary in Ohio tomorrow, it seems like many feel that after tomorrow we can draw some conclusions.  That some of our questions will be answered.  Regardless of who wins in Ohio, there will still be some important questions that we still face....regardless!

It may sound like a cliche, but it is the truth.  "We are praying for change in the White House.  What we really need is change in the Church House."  The only way that is going to take place is by the power and hand of God.  The change that we can create will be temporary, not eternal.

God has placed each of us here for such a time as this.  One preacher recently shared, "God must think we are pretty special to let us live in a day like this."  While some say it is the toughest day to be a Christian, I believe it is the greatest day in history to let our lights shine for Christ.  The light will be the brightest in the darkest night.

Don't get discouraged by elections and primaries.  Pray and vote!  Vote and pray!
King Jesus is still on the throne.

Join us this Sunday, Palm Sunday, March 20th at 10:30 A.M. as we welcome back Steve Ladd leading us in worship.  You won't want to miss it as we continue our series "Witnesses."

Two Broken Legs Later

Twenty two years ago today, on Martin Luther King Day, we went from having a a great day to one of the worst days of our lives.

It all began with a great night of fresh powder snowfall, so Renee and I decided to take Drew, our then eight year old son skiing for his his first trip.  There was so much snow that we actually had to fight our way there as we navigated the freshly covered roads.

After several hours of fun and getting him used to the equipment and bunny hills, it all changed in a matter of seconds. As he skied below Renee and I, he went down in a weird looking way and immediately we knew something was wrong.  As parents, you know when your kids are hurt, and there was no doubt.  We made our way to him and it was obvious, that one of his legs was broken. Neither ski had released on his fall.  We were numb as the Ski Patrol came to his and our rescue, but that was not all.  As they began to move him, it was soon realized that both of his legs were broken!

How could it be? In just a moment everything for him changed.  Renee rode with him in the ambulance and I followed.  Due to the slick conditions, my car would not climb out of the parking lot.  I would just spin.  Finally a good Samaritan pulled me out and off racing I went, crying, praying, and worried.  The X-Rays revealed two boot-top fractures.  They splinted him and told us to make an appointment the next day in Dayton with an Ortho. After nine weeks in casts up to his thighs,  and a great Elementary Teacher that came to our house daily to make sure he didn't get behind, he recovered. I can still see him clinging to the pews at church to balance himself as he learned to walk again.

Lessons that we learned:
*God is in the business of fixing broken things.
* We all fall from time to time, both physically and spiritually.
* We all need help.  That is why Jesus came and died. We all need the Savior.
* You hurt when those you love are hurting.
* Sometimes accidents can happen right in front of you.
* To be more considerate of families that have handicapped children.
* People with handicaps just want to be treated normal. Everyone needs grace and love, and that includes you and me.


I thank the Lord that he healed that little boy who is now a fine young thirty year old husband, and daddy of two great boys himself,  two broken legs later.

"Torn Paper"

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) 
²³  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

John 1:12 (NKJV) 
¹²  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Christmas wrapping paper has come a long way.  If I recall correctly, there was a time when it was so thin that you could literally read the name of the gift through the paper.  Anyone been there?  It would tear easily, and when you cut it with scissors, it tore as you cut.  Stores like  Elder Beermans,  J.C.Penneys, (Rikes) had gift wrapping available.  This year it is hard to even get a free box to wrap a gift.

This week as Renee and I wrapped some gifts I was surprised to find out that the back of the paper of a certain brand had a grid on it.  A straight line grid to help you cut more accurately.  Now there is a great idea.  Something to make sure I stay on track.  Do you realize that God has given us a life grid, something to help us stay on the right track and that is His Word, the Bible? It is the bestselling book of all time. There will be many Bibles given and received as presents this year for Christmas.  I recently had my preaching Bible returned after be rebound and I love it. It cost the price of three new ones, but it is special to me.

The purpose of any Bible is to be read, not left in your car until next week, or packed away to preserve it's newness.  We all love new Bibles, but it's purpose is to be read. Read, internalized, then applied to your daily life.  It is the wrapping paper life grid for the believer.  Hey, every now and then the paper may get torn, and life may get a little off the line,  but there is One who specializes in torn paper, torn lives, torn relationships, torn hearts, who is in the business of repair and restoration.

Someone once said, " A Bible that is falling apart, usually represents a life that isn't."  May that be true for all of us.

Merry Christmas!  Bro. Greg

"The Heart of Christmas"

What this Past Weekend Really Taught Me About "The Heart of Christmas"

Wow what a weekend of worship and ministry!  God came through again for us in a miraculous way as the Choir, Kids Choir, and Drama Team, along with our sound, media, and lighting folks  did an outstanding job for the Lord. Marcia with the music, Adults and Children, and Bev leading the Drama and setting up the lighting (While still singing in the Choir!)  reminded us once again that we have two of the best and should thank God for their tireless effort. Saturday night marked our largest attendance on opening night and we had another full house Sunday morning as we learned there is hope for the lonely, the hurting, and the torn family this Christmas.

What did I learn from this past weekend?  

1. God honors prayer. I know many of you prayed for us, and let me assure you we prayed. A special time of prayer took place Saturday evening in the choir room prior to the presentation as different people stood and and ask God to touch those participating who may be ill, and for every area of ministry in "The Heart of Christmas!".  It was a special time.

2.  God allows us to sweat sometimes in order to see His hand. (Sunday morning at about 10:20 A.M. Marcia shared, "The lights are not working!"  Bev was frantically working with Andrea and on the phone to Tim, the Lighting Engineer that set up for us.  Yes, no lights and it is about tip off.  What do we do?  We prayed together upstairs and ask the God of the universe to help us.  Why were the lights so important?  Because the storm and power outage were key players in the entire drama.  Lighting was crucial.  As we stood in the vestibule ready to come in not knowing what to expect, Dave Fyffe popped in and said, "They have got it!"  Praise the Lord!  What happened?

Hands that should have not touched the controls, touched the controls Saturday night sometime after our presentation! Wow!  God came through for us again! No one knew that God came through once again in the 11th hour!

3. God honors hard work.  I was reminded that productions and cantatas don't just happen. Months, and late hours of practice paid off.   In some places they might, but I believe like the former President of Cedarville, Paul Dixon always said, "Anything done in the name of Jesus should be done with excellence."

4. People come to Church when they are invited by a friend.... and their kids are involved.  I loved hearing and seeing the kids involved. I hope this is the beginning of a new era in Children's Worship.  I believe they are going to be singing at the Christmas Eve Service.

5. I have the blessing of pastoring a great Church with people Renee and I love with all our hearts.  Thanks for making this Christmas even more special.

Merry Christmas,  Bro. Greg