Looking upon God's Face

For several months I have been preparing for the 2008 AM message series. The goal of this series can be found in Psalm 27:8, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek." For much of the prep time I have had in my mind the pattern of preaching/studying The Parables, The Sermon on the Mount, and The Gospel of John. However, now I sense that God would want me to change that order, to begin with John.

The Parables are found in the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Their focus is predominantly on the Kingdom of God. John on the other hand has no parables, unless you consider the shepherd & vine passages as parables. Also the focus of John is not so much on kingdom but on new life. As I have prayed and talked to some others, I now believe that we should begin with John to have a greater chance of realizing Psalm 27:8

Please join us starting January 6th as we begin to walk with Christ through John's eyes.

-Mark

Preparing Workers for the Next Harvest

We recently completed our missions conference. Dave Wall, of New Tribes Mission, Linda Reynolds, of Biblical Ministries Worldwide, and Dan & Barbara Keys, of Interact were our visiting missionaries. God truly blessed us with their presence. Because of this, and my recent visit to ABWE, my mind has been centered on missions.

Wakefield has a wonderful history with missions. I believe that this is due in part to Pastor Horner's vision and love for missions. Additionally, the people of Wakefield truly love and support their missionaries, committing almost 100,000 dollars per year to missions. This coming from a church of approximately 100 on Sunday mornings.

What then could be added to such a church? I feel that to build on a such a strong foundation, Wakefield must work harder at becoming a sending church. There are some from within our congregation that are on the field. However of late, we have not focused on training the next generation of missionaries. Where are these trainees? I believe they are now approaching retirement, making themselves ready for a new career, and are in middle school and high school.

To then motivate this upcoming class of missionaries, it is essential that we do the following: 1) Constantly put missions, both local and the "uttermost" in front of the congregation. This must include our children, for according to many missionaries, they sensed God's call on their lives when only kids. 2) Provide opportunities for local evangelism. This should include purposeful outreach events and frequent training. 3) Seek to plant churches in the local area and surrounding counties. It is my understanding that many missionary candidates have never led a person to Christ and have never been involved in a church planting program. Therefore, it is essential that our people experience such.

These are three simple steps that I will expound upon in time. I pray that God will continue to use Wakefield in His missionary program. I am certain that the current congregation will lovingly and enthusiastically support missions. However, we need to begin now to train the next congregation.

-Mark

Almost thou persaudest me ...

Praise God for a glorious evening in New Windsor! Because of three months of sincere prayer and relationship building we were permitted to share Christ with some in our community. That said, I must admit to having mixed emotions. On the one hand I am greatly encouraged, for God was glorified and His Son clearly presented. On the other hand my heart is heavy because no one would receive Him.

After years of doing door-to-door evangelism I am familiar with this response. However, this time was particularly unsettling. Why? Because we shared Christ with some fine people. Unfortunately, their lives of good deeds and service to the community has blinded them of their need for a savior. One responded in so many words, "My good deeds will get me in."

Please pray for those in New Windsor with which we shared Christ. Especially pray for Sheri, William, Sean, and Peggy. Pray extra for Peggy who fell and is in the local hospital. Some will visit her tomorrow to check up on her and to pray with her.

Even in times when it seems our efforts fail, God is glorified and we are edified. All of the team was weary prior to going out. After, although saddend by the rejection of truth, we were greatly encouraged! Even in times of rejection, rich soil is turned over and seeds planted. Pray that soon we will witness a harvest in New Windsor.

-Mark

White Already to Harvest

Tomorrow, Oct 16th, the GROW Team will return once again to New Windsor to meet with people, seek their prayer needs, and offer Christ. This will be the third pass for this particular GROW Team. This team has worked a series of houses in the New Windsor area. The first two visits were for the purpose of meeting people, getting to know them, and asking for prayer requests. We have then taken these requests back to the church and prayed for them on the following Wednesday evenings.

I will say that the experience of both teams has been all positive. The people have greeted us warmly, they have shared their needs, and for the most part they have welcomed us back. Also, I feel that our people, those of Wakefield Valley Bible Church, have enjoyed the process and have truly developed a love for those that they have met. Now tomorrow starts step three.
On this step we will return to our warmest contacts. As before we will sincerely ask for their prayer requests. Then we will share a short Gospel presentation. We will begin this presentation with the following statement, "May I tell you of a time that God answered one of my prayers?" If given permission, we will share our testimony and move through a presentation like that of the Romans Road.

Pray for our teams and the people of New Windsor. Our other team is one month behind and will be returning to their contacts the first Tuesday in November.

-Mark

The Entire Mission of the Church is Missions

I'm sorry that I have not posted in the past many weeks. There have been many conflicts for our time and focus.

This week I am at ABWE for the Pastors' Consultation. The training has been outstanding. (If you are a pastor you should request the opportunity to attend or send your missions' pastor.) I have taken much away from the training and I will relay parts of the training on this blog as well as preach on portions of it in the near future.

One thing to share with you is the false idea that missions is what is done overseas and evangelism/outreach is what is done at home. Rather, churches need to quit separating the two and understand that the entire mission of the church is missions, that there is no difference between local church outreach and foreign missions.

I'm excited about what God will be doing in coming years at Wakefield in the area of missions. We have always had a desire to send the Gospel overseas. Let's now add to that focus the desire to take the Gospel across the street.

-Mark

The Nature of Worship

In preparation for next week's message, I have been reviewing my notes from Ecclesiology. Dr. James R. Mook stated many years back, "Worship must begin in a person's spirit and be done without hypocrisy and be done with uncompromising acceptance of God's revelation of Himself in Scripture." (Ecclesiology, The Local Church Part 2: The Purpose of the Local Church, page 6) He used John 4:23-24 to make this point. Just prior to that statement, Dr. Mook used Romans 12:1-2 to teach that worship is the sacrifice of one's entire self as a living sacrifice.

I have been chewing on these two points and realize how far short I, and probably many others fall. This failure leads me to ask a few questions: 1) If we fall short of an entire self-sacrifice have we then truly worshipped? 2) If we have yet to master our hypocrisy and fail to yield to God's revelation in Scripture, have we truly worshipped God? 3) If questions 1 & 2 are a "yes" then what have we done?
I am going to ponder these questions for a few days before I attempt to answer them. However, I would appreciate your insights.
-Mark

Weed Wackin for Jesus

Back in July, Debbie and I moved into our new home. It was an amazing experience! God used many people to move our entire home in only 90 minutes. During the process of moving, Alan, one of our church members, noted that our new sidewalks were overrun with grass. He mentioned that he had an edging tool and would be happy to take on the project. I agreed and that afternoon Alan began to edge the walks around our home.

I tell you this story because now, over eight weeks later, the neighbors still comment on how nice the sidewalks look. They also point out how terrible they were under the care of the previous owners. All of this has led me to conclude the following:

We can inherit the testimony of others. - This, of course, cuts both ways (no pun intended). In my case with the sidewalks, the testimony of the previous owner was one to avoid. Often believers and the church inherit the testimony of those harming the name of Christ. Great wickedness is done in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts of racism, murder, and even perversion are done in the name of Christ. The world, wise to the wickedness, then associates all of this behavior to the church. What to do when associated with an incorrect testimony? We must overcome it.

We can overcome the testimony of others. - The previous owner's yard care, or lack thereof, was something that I had to overcome. With Alan's help I was able to move forward in this area. I have continued to keep the yard in great shape. It is interesting to note that Paul, after his Damascus Road experience, had to overcome his other self (Acts 9:26). It then takes time and a consistent walk to overcome. Also, it helps to have the confirmation of others, Barnabas in the Acts 9 story, to hasten the process.

Well, it's not that deep but it is a lesson that will hopefully stick with me. Thanks Alan.

-Mark

Looking Ahead

I've been giving great thought to the direction of the Sunday morning messages for 2008. We've looked at the church in Antioch, the deity of Christ from the book of Colossians, and we developed an eternal view of life by studying heaven. Now what?
With what is left of 2007, I need to finish some matters of importance as it concerns the church. So, we will look at the biblical basis for missions and stewardship (Uh oh, money messages!). But in 2008 our focus will change from church to Christ.
I feel that 2008 is an important year for Wakefield. We must return to and develop a profound understanding of the Christ we worship. To do so, we will devote the year to studying His words, and teachings. We will begin with a study of the Parables of Christ. Then we will study The Sermon on the Mount. Finally, we will examine the Seven Letters to the Seven Churches.
Pray for us as we draw closer to Jesus and develop an even greater love for our Savior.
-Mark

What to do when God forsakes you

I thought I would include some thoughts from my last message. These notes are not complete but may give you some thoughts to ponder.

When you are forsaken, alone, and afflicted speak your mind to God.

Jeremiah 20:7-18 contains one of the complaints of Jeremiah to God.

"Yahweh, you have seduced me, and I fell for it, you have overpowered me, and you have won. I have become a perpetual laughable clown, everybody mocks me. Whenever I speak up and cry out I feel compelled to shout, 'Bloody murder!'“ And all I get for my God-warnings are insults and contempt."

Notice that Jeremiah does not hold back from God his thoughts and what is going on inside of him, he speaks his mind to God. Often we feel one way but express to God in our prayers and words something entirely different.
Notice also the results of this complaint:

• He becomes aware of God's indwelling Word
• He becomes aware of God's presence
• He becomes aware of God's victory over the situation
• He is able to worship God even while in despair

When you are forsaken, alone, and afflicted acknowledge your spiritual thirst, remember God, the times of worship, and His Word.

Psalm 42 is a moving example of one that feels isolated from God, forsaken by God. Look at verses 9 & 10.

I will say to God ,my Rock, "Why did you forget me? Why must I be so sad? You let my enemy do what he likes to me!" My enemies hurt all my bones. The people that fight me are always saying, "Where is your God?"

If you start back at verse one you will find the writer acknowledging his spiritual thirst. I hear the same story often, of one hurt or wounded by church, religion, even God, who choose to turn away, to walk away from God, never to return. I am certain that in every case, if truly a believer, then God calls to them to return and the believer has a longing for Him. However, if not acknowledged, this thirst, the relationship will slowly die. I do not mean in a salvation sense, for I do stand on eternal security, but in a living sense.

Also notice that this writer, either a hostage or one in exile, purposely remembers God and His person, where and how he had once worshipped Him, and uses repetition of praise to heal his situation. You can see this repetition in verses 5, 11, and 43:5. (At one time 42 & 43 were probably joined as one Psalm.)

Why am I so depressed? Why is this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my savior and my God.

When you are forsaken, alone, and afflicted understand that sometimes only death brings an end to the matter. Consider Psalm 102:1-6.

God, listen! Listen to my prayer, listen to the pain in my cries. Don't turn your back on me just when I need you so desperately. Pay attention! This is a cry for help! And hurry—this can't wait! I'm wasting away to nothing, I'm burning up with fever. I'm a ghost of my former self, half-consumed already by terminal illness. My jaws ache from gritting my teeth; I'm nothing but skin and bones. I'm like a buzzard in the desert, a crow perched on the rubble.

In real life the boy does not always get the girl, the cowboy does not always ride off into the sunset, and all our problems do not resolve themselves in a positive manner.
Look over this Psalm and see the finality of the writer's words, especially in relationship to the eternity of God. I makes me think of 2 Cor 4:16-18, that our problems are light and momentary in relationship to the eternity we will spend in heaven with Him. Unfortunately, the writer of 102 only hints at such and, at least for me, does not bring into his words a strong 2 Cor 4 type conclusion. Thus it is true, only death will bring an end to some matters, either you will die or the problem will die.

Is there then no hope? Of course there is great hope. Look at Hebrews 11:35-40. Here we have the "others," those that did not have a happy ending while on earth. The promise granted was not delivered until Christ. I do not want to include too many words in this writing so I will just ask you to look at Heb 10:14 & 12:23. As you do, if you are a believer in Christ then celebrate these great words in praise to our King!

Is there then no hope? Well the title of this blog, What to do when God forsake you, is a misnomer, for Heb 13:5-6 states, "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." So then the believer will never be forsaken by God. What do we then make of Jeremiah and the authors of Psalms 42 & 102? They were never forsaken by Him, they only felt like it. When God is silent in our times of trouble it seems to us that He has forgotten us. But rest assured He is there and He loves you.

-Mark

Some Thoughts on Heaven

John Newton, writer of the hymn, "Amazing Grace" once said, “When I get to heaven, there will be three wonders:
1. Who is there
2. Who is not there, and
3. The fact that I’m there!"
Any day now, we also will experience these three wonders and wonders beyond those three. Any day now, in the twinkling of an eye, without warning, without announcement, and unseen by the world, Christ will call His Church to Himself. One moment we will be about our business and the next moment, we will be standing before God. Can't wait!