Grace Baptist Church

Prodigal

For those of you who are praying for prodigals, may this animated video and song encourage your hearts to persevere and not lose heart.

Labels: Cape Coral, Grace Baptist Church, Prodigal, Sovereign Grace Music | posted by TimBrister at 8:05 am | Categories: Encouragement, Prayer |

What you don’t like about church stretches and matures you.

“When I first became a Christian, about fourteen years ago, I thought that I could do it on my own, by retiring to my rooms and reading theology, and I wouldn’t go to the churches and Gospel Halls. . . .  I disliked very much their hymns, which I considered to be fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music.  But as I went on I saw the great merit in it.   I came up against different people of quite different outlooks and different education, and then gradually my conceit just began peeling off.   I realized that the hymns (which were just sixth-rate music) were, nevertheless, being sung with devotion and benefit by an old saint in elastic-side boots in the opposite pew, and then you realize that you aren’t fit to clean those boots.   It gets you out of your solitary conceit.”

C. S. Lewis, God In The Dock (Grand Rapids, 1970), pages 61-62.

HT :: Ray Ortlund, Jr.

Labels: C.S. Lewis, Cape Coral, Church, God in the Dock, Grace Baptist Church | posted by TimBrister at 7:31 am | Categories: Encouragement |

The Glory of Plodding Visionaries

Kevin DeYoung, in his TableTalk article, recently wrote:

It’s sexy among young people — my generation — to talk about ditching institutional religion and starting a revolution of real Christ-followers living in real community without the confines of church. Besides being unbiblical, such notions of churchless Christianity are unrealistic. It’s immaturity actually, like the newly engaged couple who think romance preserves the marriage, when the couple celebrating their golden anniversary know it’s the institution of marriage that preserves the romance. Without the God-given habit of corporate worship and the God-given mandate of corporate accountability, we will not prove faithful over the long haul.

What we need are fewer revolutionaries and a few more plodding visionaries. That’s my dream for the church — a multitude of faithful, risktaking plodders. The best churches are full of gospel-saturated people holding tenaciously to a vision of godly obedience and God’s glory, and pursuing that godliness and glory with relentless, often unnoticed, plodding consistency.

This excellent article is worth your time.  Be sure to read the whole thing.  May God raise up an army of plodding visionaries here at Grace!

Labels: Cape Coral, Christianity, Grace Baptist Church, Kevin DeYoung | posted by TimBrister at 12:37 pm | Categories: Community, Encouragement, Holiness |

Cancer Is Big, but God Is Bigger

Take a moment to watch the story of God’s grace and what it means to be grounded in God’s sovereign goodness through the life-threatening storms of cancer.  Powerful.

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Labels: Cancer, God's Sovereignty, Testimony | posted by TimBrister at 5:19 am | Categories: Encouragement |

The Words of Men and the Reign of Christ

In his book, War of Words, Paul Tripp explains the relationship between our attempt to rule others with our words and how that attempt is rivaling the rule and reign of Christ in our lives.  Consider this thoughtful and powerful exhortation from Tripp about how our actions sometimes reflect or reject the rule of Christ in our lives.

“The final word that summarizes the resources we have been given in Christ is rule. Paul says that Christ is “head over everything for the church, which is his body” (Eph. 1:22-23). There is no situation we will ever encounter that is not ruled by Christ. Our lives are not out of control. Christ carefully administers them for our benefit and his glory.

“This idea of Christ’s headship and rule goes right to the place in our communication where we often get into the most trouble. Often our words reveal an attempt to control things for our own good. We are moved by a personal sense of what we want or what we think would be good, and so we speak in a way that guarantees we will get it. We defend, accuse, inflict guilt, manipulate, rationalize, argue, cajole, beg, plead, or threaten, all for the purpose of controlling a person or situation.

“Sometimes we do this out of fear. It really does feel as if our lives are spinning out of control. It does seem as if the people around us are standing in the way of what is best. It seems right to take control. If we don’t, then what will happen? But fear-driven talk forgets one of the most precious promises of the gospel: that Christ right now, at this moment, is ruling all things for our particular benefit as his children. I may not always see his hand and I won’t always recognize the good he is doing. but he is active and ruling all the same. Communication that attempts to find personal security by taking control forgets one of the sweetest provisions of the Word, God’s control over all things for his children.

“Another way to say this is that our words often reveal that we are not so much trusting in the Lord as we are trying to be him. We are attempting to do with our words what only he can do. When we do, we will fail, hurting ourselves and those around us.”

- Paul Tripp, War of Words, 46-48.

Labels: Christ the King, Paul Tripp, Rule of Christ, War of Words | posted by TimBrister at 10:02 am | Categories: Encouragement, Holiness |

Encouragement from Leisa

On Thursday, September 15, Leisa Goodall did something she had never done before.  Having been a Christian for only a couple of years, she has developed increasing desires to share Jesus with strangers but had not followed through - until recently.  At the conclusion of the previous Sunday night’s message by Pastor Tom Ascol about the relationship of the mission and the church, God had convicted Mike and Leisa in the area of evangelism.  With tears in their eyes, they told me, “We will be there Thursday night.  You can count on us.”

Sure enough, Mike and Leisa were the first ones to show up.  I had not realized this was Leisa’s first time going out (and Mike’s second) in the neighborhoods to share Jesus and invite people to come to our “Worship @ the Park,” so I asked Mike if it would be okay to take Leisa with me.  Of course, the devil would have you believe the worst when you are entering “enemy territory” and desiring to take the light of the gospel into the darkened hearts whom he is seeking to keep in ignorance and rebellion against God.  And, frankly, I was a little concerned that the potential rejection and angst we could receive would discourage Leisa.  Nevertheless, we went out and ended up visiting roughly 40 homes, only to be stopped by a torrential rainstorm.

In all, we talked to 19 different families and individuals, and to my surprise and shameful unbelief, all 19 people warmly received our invitations and a couple of them even assisted us in who to visit next!  I asked Leisa to briefly describe her first experience, and here is what she sent me:

I do have to say being this was my first time going door to door reaching out to the community that I was a bit nervous.  Pastor Timmy and I teamed up and after about the 5th house I felt better about talking with people, especially when the first lady I talked to worked at Publix.  After we finished our 25 houses I was ready to do more. I didn’t know what to expect or how people would react to us, but out of all 19 people we talked with all of them seemed to be thankful that we had invited them to the picnic. This is really out of my comfort zone, but I know in my heart that this is something that I have a desire to do, so I’m thankful that I went and hope in the future to do more for the community, and if the Lords wills doing short term mission trips.

The encouragement from Leisa did not end there.  What she did not say was that the next morning, Leisa went by herself in her neighborhood inviting them to the outdoor worship gathering and desiring to talk to them about Jesus!  How cool is that?  Evangelism and witnessing is one of those things that is better caught than taught.  Two hours of going with Leisa and doing the work of evangelism brings more fruit than twenty hours of talking about evangelism in a Bible Study.  The fear, intimidation, and anxiousness that precedes the obedience of God’s people almost inevitably changes to joy, passion, and earnestness afterward.

I pray that the encouragement from and example of Mike and Leisa as new Christians getting out of their comfort zone to share Jesus will inspire and challenge you to do the same.  God has so designed the church to be the vehicle through which He accomplishes His saving purposes, and you play an important part of that–yes, you!  As good stewards of the Great Commission, let us all follow Jesus to His harvest field with the confidence in His promise to make us fishers of men.

Labels: Encouragement, Evangelism, Great Commission, Witnessing | posted by TimBrister at 2:08 am | Categories: Encouragement, Evangelism, Gospel, Jesus, Testimonies of Grace |

Preserving Essentials, Embracing Change

John Stott has written what many have considered to be the best commentary on the book of Acts.  In that commentary, he addresses the changes the early church faced.  Below is an excerpt from Stott which came through the “Langham Partnership Daily Thought“.  The daily excerpts from Stott’s writings are worth subscribing.

When Paul and Barnabas set out into the unknown on the first missionary journey, they found (as Abraham, Joseph and Moses had found before them) that God was with them. That is exactly what they reported on their return (Acts 14:27; 15:12). Indeed, this assurance is indispensable to mission. Change is painful to us all, especially when it affects our cherished buildings and customs, and we should not seek to change merely for the sake of change. Yet true Christian radicalism is open to change. It knows that God has bound himself to his church (promising that he will never leave it) and to this Word (promising that it will never pass away). But God’s church means people not buildings, and God’s Word means Scripture not traditions. So long as these essentials are preserved, the buildings and the traditions can if necessary go. We must not allow them to imprison the living God or to impede his mission in the world (emphasis mine).

Labels: Acts, Change, Early Church, John Stott | posted by TimBrister at 10:30 am | Categories: Acts, Change, Encouragement |

“All It Takes Is One Shot . . .”

In light of our ministry to special needs children through Nathaniel’s Hope and Buddy Break, I thought I’d share these videos of how one autistic teenager inspired two others to pursue their dreams.

Labels: Autism, Nathaniel's Hope, Special Needs | posted by TimBrister at 12:56 pm | Categories: Encouragement |