Tomahawk Missionary Baptist Church

Perfect Peace

Once a man died & went to the gates of heaven. AS he was about to enter in to heaven, Peter stands by the gates and refuses to let him in. Peter says… tell me why I should let you into heaven. You list out your reasons. I will score you. And If you score 100 points, then I will let you in.

So the man begins to think and tell his points.

1. “I regularly came to church every Sunday” – Peter announced…”2 points.”

So many years, coming regularly to church fetched him only two points. He was thoroughly disappointed.

2. “I gave my offerings and tithes” – Peter said…”3 points”

3.” I participated in ministry” – Peter replied….”2 more points”

He thought hard and then remembered this.

4. “I shared about Jesus to two of my friends” – Peter answered “Ok I’ll give you 5 points for that.”

“Oops.. still I only have 12 points.”

He naturally is very concerned and says, “if it goes at this rate, I can only enter by the grace of God!”   Immediately, the gates of heaven were opened!

It is by grace alone that we have access to God. We do nothing and did nothing to earn the entry to heaven.

There is a movie call “AI”.  It is set in the future, where a company has created a human robot child with the ability to love unconditionally. In many ways it was a disturbing movie, posing a number of difficult questions about what it means to be human and what the limits of our dependence on technology should be. But probably the most poignant question if you watch the movie is, to what extent will we go to find love?  The thread that runs through this movie from start to finish is capsulated by a question this robot-boy asks repeatedly: "Then will mommy love me?"

Mankind is like the robot in AI.  We strive to do good deeds and works but like the Robot instead of asking “then will Mommy love me?” we ask “Then will God love me?”

Mankind yearns for love and purpose from someone and that someone is really God.   We can do nothing to earn the right enter into heaven, we can do nothing to earn the love of God.  He has loved us, is loving us and will always will love us.  John 3:16 “for God SO loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  He has already reserved a place in heaven for those who trust in the grace of our Savior who loves us……. and died for us……. to purchase for us…… a place where He is with us…..forever and ever! 

Pastor Jack Ward is on facebook under the name “Jack Ward” and iTunes under “Tomahawk Missionary Baptist.”  Hear Pastor Jack each Sunday Morning at 10:30 Am on WSIP FM 98.9.    Check out the website tomahawkmbc.com



The Japanese Sword

It is the Japanese who have created the best swords in the world. To create these fine weapons, ancient Japanese sword makers had to create a sword that was hard enough to retain a sharp edge, but at the same time soft enough not to be brittle. Sword makers who made swords by making the steel hard found they could preserve a sharp edge. Such swords, however, were often so brittle that they would often break when they clashed in battle. Soft steel, however, was found to be not as brittle, but would easily dull and be unable to slice through armor. Japanese sword makers therefore had to forge a sword with steel hard enough to retain a sharp edge, but at the same time pliable enough not to break in battle.

What Japanese sword makers learned to do was to create a sword made of hard and soft steel. Multiple sheets of hard and soft steel are heated, folded and pummeled together over and over again. Japanese swords go through a lengthy forging process until they have up to 33,000 paper-thin laminations of hard and soft metal. Each of these layers is one hundred thousandth of an inch thick. This is all done to a very precise recipe of temperature treatment. The end result is a finely crafted weapon with extreme pliability and a blade that will retain a finely honed edge.

Just as Japanese sword makers repeatedly hammer together layers of metal to produce a sword that will be strong enough to withstand breaking, so God allows trials to hammer metal into the lives of His children. Just a sword made of hard metal will easily break in battle, so the believer filled with pride will also break in adversity.

It is in the forging hand of God that humility and dependence on Him are developed into our lives to create character that will triumph in adversity. The hard steel in our lives is the word of God. The soft steel in our lives is humility and a dependence on God. These are forged together in our lives through fiery trials and prayer to produce vessels that will give Him glory. We need the hard steel confidence of what we believe….. together with the soft steel of humility—Steve Rutherford.

I am weak outwardly so that He may be strong in me.  2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”



The Basement

The old mountaineer had lived a full but not exactly saintly life and now was on his deathbed. He summoned his weeping wife. "Sara," he said, "go to the fireplace and take out the third stone from the top."   She did as instructed.

"Reach in there," said her husband, "and bring out what you find." Her fingers touched a large Mason jar, and with some effort she pulled it up. The jar was full of cash.    "Sara," said the old man, "when I go, I'm going to take all that money with me. I want you to put that jar up in the attic by the window. I'll get it as I go by on my way to heaven."

His wife followed his instructions. That night the old mountaineer died. After the funeral his wife remembered the Mason jar and went to the attic. There was the jar still full of money and by the window.   "Oh," the widow sighed. "I knew I should have put it in the basement."

We make a lot of assumptions about our eternal destination.  We assume that we are going to heaven.  But on what basis?  According to Jesus heaven is a very exclusive place.  John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Only those born again can see the kingdom of God.  Jesus explained what that meant in John 3:15-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

We must believe in Jesus.  Not believe intellectually but trusting in Him with the heart.  Admitting our sin and giving all of our sin to Him and in turn we receive His righteousness and eternal life with Him. 

A certain courthouse in Ohio stands in a unique location. Raindrops that fall on the north side of the building go into Lake Ontario and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while those falling on the south side go into the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. At precisely the point of the peak of the roof, just a gentle puff of wind can determine the destiny of many raindrops. It will make a difference of more than 2,000 miles as to their final destination.

The spiritual application is clear. We are already separated from God.  We are born as sinners.  You don’t have to do anything to go to hell.  The simple act of faith in Christ will completely and dramatically change your destination for all eternity.  How far is heaven from hell?  As far as believing is from unbelief.  As far as light is from darkness.  As far as death from life. 

If I were you….. I would choose life, I would choose Jesus Christ the only way to eternal life.   I would be born again as soon as right now!



A man tells the story of training to run a 5K run.  In order to train properly he decided to get on the hard path full of rough terrain and hills.  Each he would walk a little faster, and with a little more gusto. One day, a half mile in a young lady came at them sprinting towards Him. He jumped out of the way so she could pass, and she blew by him so fast, all he saw was Nike shoes and a pony tail. He thought to himself, “Man, she must be late for something. No sane person would run that fast for no reason.” But, when she ran by him, it engaged his competitive spirit.

So, he said, “All right, it’s time to pick up the pace a little.” So, he started walking a little faster down this road, and he got about a half hour into this trail, and here she comes again! He couldn’t believe it. He thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me! Not only has she lapped me once, she’s lapped me twice now! Well that was it. "It’s on now.” He was almost toward the end, and he’s feeling really good about himself when all of a sudden this lady passes him a third time!

This time he was just mad. He threw his water bottle on the ground and screamed, “This is ridiculous.” And then he writes, “What she was showing me was that being on the hard path requires a whole other level of commitment. Up to that point, I hadn’t been willing to give that level of commitment.”  I decided instead of treating the path as a burden I will treat it as a commitment. 

Jesus said “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  The longer I stayed on the hard path the burden became easier and my feet felt lighter as I was strengthened and empowered each day. 

To really serve Jesus requires another level of commitment.  Many of are content to just stroll through life with Jesus.  Taking our time.  Resting often.  Not stressing out.   When it gets too hard just get off the path and stay away for a while.  But Jesus wants us to be strong.  He wants us to be the best we can be!  But it requires staying on the hard path.  It’s not a stroll it’s a race.  You always will win when you stay on the hard path.  Jesus gives us the strength to make the hard paths smooth and the rough roads level. 

Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.   It’s easy to quit when it gets too hard. The problem is there is no reward.  It’s not easy to keep going when the going is rough.  But the reward is worth it!  Don’t fear the suffering, the pain, the trials, the tribulations from the hard paths of life…… they are only temporary.  Jesus will turn your pain to progress, your suffering to joy, your trials and tribulations to triumphs! 



Globalism

Globalism is coming and being touted by the United Nations and their cohorts in America.  They want a global banking system, education, energy interdependence, world Climate change regulations, equality and socialism for all.  The Average American has no idea what is happening to them and don’t really believe any of us who continue to warn about these things.

Globalism is the reason that God scattered the people just after Noah’s flood who were trying to build a tower to heaven in the land of Shinar (Babylon) in Genesis chapter 11.  Nimrod was trying to become the king of the world with his corrupt government.  But God made this world for Jesus Christ to be king with a righteous government.  No man can or will be the king of the world except Jesus!!   God came down and saw what they were doing.  God knew that the idea of everybody working together under the leadership of one mortal man would not work.  Mankind is sinful and evil in his godless heart.  God knew then and knows today that anything man does without Him will eventually lead to the vast majority of people being subject to suffering and poverty and the elite controlling everybody and everything.  Under this type of government no one would worship God again.  His judgment on mankind with the flood was barely a century old and here they are doing it again.   

So God in His goodness and mercy confounded their language and scattered them throughout the earth so that they might become nation states each with their own languages, dialects, rulers and their own land and economic infrastructure with borders and yes even walls to protect them from invaders.   (Yes, God is for walls….God encouraged and even made Nehemiah rebuild the walls of Jerusalem as his first priority!)

God’s knows that sinful fallen man cannot work together.  God knew that even this nation state plan would not be perfect because that there will be wars between nations due to Satan’s desire to tempt men with the lust for power so that they might control and rule over others.  But at least the independent nations of the world could fight the tyranny that would be imposed upon them. 

God’s nation state plan has resulted in many in the world living in relative freedom and liberty instead of no one at all living in freedom and liberty under a one world government lead by a power mad despot.    And many can worship God, love Him and follow Him under religious freedom in many nation state governments.  This would never happen under a one world government godless leader.  As a matter of fact, would Israel have become a nation under Nimrod’s one world government?  Would Abraham and Moses been hero’s of the faith?  I seriously doubt it!

But mankind always has this idea that globalism is the way to go.  And here it has reared its ugly head again especially in these days.  The world is a global system already when we have things like global communication, global transportation, global markets and financing, global standards in education, the internet, and social media.  But nations can still work together economically and socially still maintaining their distinctive nationalism and borders and reject the ideas that we must all think alike and act alike.  Today we have the United Nations which was founded one hundred years ago with the sole purpose of preventing another world war, now its agenda has evolved into bringing the world together and under the control of an elite group of people who think they know best for everyone.

Soon there will be a leader arise who will use the system for his advantage.  And today the world cries for such a man…the world is looking for a man to lead us to the great utopian godless society of man’s making. 

People surely we must know that it is the last days…..Satan has his man ready to lead the world into a godless utopia that is founded on the lie that man can make himself good.  It is doomed from the start because it is simply rebellion against God!!  

But people know this also that Jesus Christ stands ready to come for His beloved bride the church and then seven years later will take his rightful place as the king of the earth and truly lead it into truth, joy, righteousness, and glory!



Happy 2019

James 4:13-14 “Come now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain; whereas ye know not what shall be on the next day. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

London businessman Lindsay Clegg told the story of a warehouse property he was selling. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash around the interior.

As he showed a prospective buyer the property, Clegg took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage.

"Forget about the repairs," the buyer said. "When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the site."

Compared with the renovation God has in mind, our efforts to improve our own lives are as trivial as sweeping a warehouse slated for the wrecking ball. When we become God's, the old life is over (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes all things new. All he wants is the site and the permission to build.

So it is for this new year.  Learn from the past but don’t dwell on it.  Live for today but don’t put all your hope in today.  Look forward to the future so that you might prepare for it by what you learned from the past and your preparations for today. 

Ben Franklin said “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each year find you a better man.”

Anne Frank said “What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't even happened yet.”

CS Lewis said “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind."  Amen to that!  For the Christian we have a past to leave behind and future to look forward to that has endless today’s!

Have a happy 2019 in the Lord!









Patrick Henry….”Give me liberty or give me death!”  We know the world is divided like never before.  You know what they are really divided over?  Liberty or equality.  Liberty is the right of people to be what they want to be, live where they want to live and be as successful as they can be.  Individual liberty!  Be what I want to be.   Take myself as far as my abilities, hard work and success will take me.   Sounds like capitalism to me. 

Equality is the right of people to be what everyone else is……. no more or no less.   No individual liberty. Sounds like Socialism and Marxism to me.

Let me put it this way.  If I have the ability to earn twenty dollars…. and everyone else has the ability to earn just ten dollars…. liberty allows me, because of hard work and good management to earn that twenty dollars.   Liberty also allows me the freedom to only get as much as I want to get by with.  If I only want five dollars then that’s okay. But I will have to accept the consequences of that.  That’s individual liberty.  

But if I have the ability to earn twenty dollars and everyone else can only earn ten dollars…. equality says I can only get ten dollars….. so that I don’t get ahead of the next guy.  But….If I only want to earn five dollars, equality says I will still get ten dollars.  No reward for hard work, sacrifice and individualism.

The Puritan’s tried equality.  After they arrived in America they divided everything equally among them all.  Well, after a while the result was the lazy didn’t work and those who worked hard quit because they weren’t being rewarded.  Result, the Puritans almost starved.  They went back to individual liberty and capitalism and they thrived.   

People say…in capitalism the poor are taken advantage of by the rich capitalists.  That is a lie of Marxism and Socialists.  The poor do better under individual liberty and capitalism than socialism!   Look at the United States!  The poorest in America are the richest five percent in the world!  The rich have incentive to take care of the poor out of their abundance and the poor always have hope of through hard work, initiative and help from those escaping their poverty!  That’s the way it is in America!

Look at it another way.  Liberty says if I can walk twenty miles and everyone else can only walk ten miles, I get ahead of you because I’ve worked harder and shown more initiative.  That good capitalism.  But under equality I am not allowed to walk twenty miles. I can only walk ten miles.  What if I can’t or won’t walk ten miles?  Then everyone else will help me get the extra five miles.  Sounds like Marxism to me.  Now you see what equality really is.  It’s dressed up Marxism, socialism and communism. 

In the United States everyone is treated equal under the law.   But the United States Constitution says each individual may pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”   Christians have individual liberty from the constraints of sin and we are free from the requirements of the law. 

I am not a libertarian.  I believe in Individual liberty and capitalism as the Bible teaches us.  Christians are all saved by grace and in that we are equal.  But we have the liberty to serve the Lord in whatever capacity we feel He has called us.  We are not all going to be treated equally in heaven. There are rewards given for those who have been faithful to the Lord Jesus.  We can earn as many rewards for our Lord as we can.  The more faithful, the more rewards. 

You know that there is no socialism or equality in the Lake of Fire either.  The Bible says that some will be beaten with many stripes and some with few.  It will be worse for the really wicked. 

The world is divided between those who believe in liberty and those who believe in equality.  Jesus warned about being deceived four times in Matthew 24.  But be not deceived……the world will finally unite one day soon.   Jesus will remove all the lovers of true Liberty in the rapture and then there will be equality for all…...Marxism…… under the reign of their guy…..the beast, the anti-christ!  Everything will seem great.….until God unleashes His wrath upon the world.  And It will be a terrible time like none other in the history of man and the world! 



Thanks Giving

The first American Thanksgiving didn't occur in 1621 when a group of Pilgrims shared a feast with a group of friendly Indians. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than 11 years earlier, and it wasn't a feast. The winter of 1610 at Jamestown had reduced a group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God. 

First National Thanksgiving Proclamation…. George Washington, 1779

Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; Whereas, both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me

"to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness!"

Now therefore, I do recommend next, to be devoted by the people of the states to the service of that great and glorious being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country.  

In his book FOLK PSALMS OF FAITH, Ray Stedman tells of an experience H.A. Ironside had in a crowded restaurant. Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited his to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside replied, "No, I don't." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat." 

The man said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don't have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"

 Ironside said, "Yes, you're just like my dog. That's what he does too!"



The Folly Of Fame And Fortune

His initials were W.W., and in the 1930s and 1940s they were enough to identify him to most of America. He was widely considered the creator of modern gossip writing, and in his heyday this rude, abrasive, egotistical and witty man was the country's best known and most widely read journalist and one of its most influential. In 1943, when there were 140 million people in the United States, more than 50 million of them read his gossip column every day in more than 1000 newspapers, including his flagship,  The New York Daily Mirror. Even more people listened to his weekly radio broadcast. Hated, feared and revered, he presided over Table 50 of the Stork Club in New York, creating and destroying celebrities at the drop of his trademark gray snap-brim fedora. Yet when he died in 1972, at age 74, he was practically forgotten. Only two people attended his funeral; his daughter, Walda, and the rabbi who officiated at his services. Today, not many people under 40 even know the name of Walter Winchell.

Recognize any of these names: Owen D. Young, Pierre Laval, Hugh S. Johnson, James F. Byrnes, Mohammed Mossadegh, Harlow Curtis? You should; according to Time magazine, these are all people who have been designated as "Man of the Year" by Time, indicating they had the greatest impact in that year of all persons living on Earth. The celebrity of today is all but forgotten tomorrow.

Matthew 26:16.  “What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Charles T. Studd born in 1860 was a famous British cricket player in the 1880’s.  Charles accepted Christ in 1928 after his father was saved at a DL Moody revival in England.  When Charles’ brother George was taken ill Charles asked the question “What is all the fame and flattery worth….when a man comes to face with eternity?”  “I know Cricket will not last, honor will not last, nothing in this world will last. But it is worthwhile living for the world to come.”  Charles gave up his fame as a Cricketeer and soon went to China working with Hudson Taylor as a missionary.  

He then became a missionary to India and then would up in Africa in the Sudan and set up the Heart of Africa mission.  He visited the Belgian Congo in 1913 and established four mission stations there.  His wife of forty years died in 1928.   Under the sickness of gallstones Charles T. Studd died in 1931.  He spent fifteen years in China, six in India and the rest of his life to spreading the gospel in Africa founding the Worldwide Evangelism Crusade. (Now WEC international) To this day his name is honored in the Congo basin.  Charles, who wrote several books is most famous for this quote…….”Only one life, ‘twill soon be past.  Only what’s done for Christ will last.” 

The folly of fame and fortune will lead to one thing you of which you can be certain……fame and fortune will come to an end and so also the pleasures to its followers that it gives.  Followers of Jesus can be also be certain of one thing….that He will not come to an end! And neither will the pleasures of joy, peace and love that He gives! 



B. C.

This story deals with a rather old fashioned lady, who was planning a couple of weeks vacation in Florida. She also was quite delicate and elegant with her language. She wrote a letter to a particular campground and asked for reservations. She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped but didn't know quite how to ask about the "toilet" facilities. She just couldn't bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter.

After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term "Bathroom Commode," but when she wrote that down, she still thought she was being too forward. So she started all over again; rewrote the entire letter and referred to the Bathroom Commode" simply as the "B.C.". Does the campground have its own "B.C.?" is what she actually wrote.

Well, the campground owner wasn't old fashioned at all, and when he got the letter, he couldn't figure out what the lady was talking about. That "B.C." really stumped him. After worrying about it for several days, he showed the letter to other campers, but they couldn't figure out what the lady meant either.

The campground owner finally came to the conclusion that the lady was and must be asking about the location of the local Baptist Church. So, he sat down and wrote the following reply: "Dear Madam: I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take pleasure of informing you that the "B.C." is located nine miles north of the camp site and is capable of seating 250 people at one time.

I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along, and make a day of it..... They usually arrive early and stay late. The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there.

It may interest you to know that right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats.....They plan to hold the supper in the middle of the B.C., so everyone can watch and talk about this great event.....I would like to say it pains me very much, not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not for lack of desire on my part....As we grow older, it seems to be more and more of an effort, particularly in cold weather..... If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go...sit with you...and introduce you to all the other folks..... This is really a very friendly community.....

I hope that your B.C. is just as acommodating.  But seriously, many misunderstand the purpose of the church and what church is.  The church is not the building but the church is the people who follow, live for and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.  The church meets to worship, edify, encourage and to equip the church.  And to glorify, follow and serve the Lord Jesus as a group and in their personal lives.  All that they might accomplish God’s will on this earth.    If we keep that focus there will be no confusion as to what the church is and its purpose. 



Church Killers

If You Want to Kill the Church….

Never go to your church or meetings held there,

If you do go, be late, it's no one's affair.

If the weather is bad, either too hot or snowing,

Just stay home and rest, for there'll be others going.

But should you attend, be sure and remember

To find fault with the work, each official and member.

Be sure to hold back on your offerings and tithes,

The bills will be paid by the rest of the guys.

And never take office if offered the post,

But eagerly criticize work of the host.

If not on a committee you're placed, be sore!

If you find that you are, don't attend any more.

When asked your opinion on this thing or that,

Have nothing to say, just turn 'em down flat.

Then after the meeting, shine out like the sun

By telling the folks how it should have been done.

Don't do any more than you possibly can,

Leave the work for some other woman or man.

And when you see faithful ones work themselves sick,

Then stand up and holler, "It's run by a clique!"

Football in the fall. Basketball in the winter. Baseball in the spring and summer.   This pastor had been an avid sports fan all his life. But I’ve had it! I quit this sports business once and for all. You can't get me near one of those places again. Want to know why...

Every time I went, they asked me for money.

The people with whom I had to sit didn't seem very friendly.

The seats were too hard and not at all comfortable.

I went to many games, but the coach never came to call on me.

The referee made a decision with which I could not agree.

I suspected that I was sitting with some hypocrites -- they came

 to see their friends and what others were wearing rather than to see the game.

Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home.

The band played some numbers that I had never heard before.

It seems that the games are scheduled when I want to do other things.

I was taken to too many games by my parents when I was growing up.

I don't want to take my children to any games, because I want

them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.

Hmmm…...sounds so familiar.

Hebrews 10:25 “Forsake not the assembling together of yourselves as the manner of some is…..”

Relevant Churches.

If people would have been asked in 1968 which nation would dominate the world in watch making during the 1990s and into the twenty-first century the answer would have been uniform: Switzerland. Why? Because Switzerland had dominated the world of watchmaking for the previous sixty years.

 The Swiss made the best watches in the world and were committed to constant refinement of their expertise. It was the Swiss who came forward with the minute hand and the second hand. They led the world in discovering better ways to manufacture the gears, hearings, and mainsprings of watches. They even led the way in waterproofing techniques and self-winding models. By 1968, the Swiss made 65 percent of all watches sold in the world and laid claim to as much as 90 percent of the profits.

 By 1980, however, they had laid off thousands of watch-makers and controlled less than 10 percent of the world market. Their profit domination dropped to less than 20 percent. Between 1979 and 1981, fifty thousand of the sixty-two thou-sand Swiss watchmakers lost their jobs. Why? The Swiss had refused to consider a new development—the—the Quartz movement—ironically, invented by a Swiss. Because it had no main-spring or knob, it was rejected. It was too much of a paradigm shift for them to embrace. Seiko, on the other hand, accepted it and, along with a few other companies, became the leader in the watch industry.

 The lesson of the Swiss watchmakers Is profound. A past that was so secure, so profitable, so dominant was destroyed by an unwillingness to consider the future. It was more than not being able to make predictions—it was an inability to re-think how they did business. Past success had blinded them to the importance of seeing the implications of the changing world and to admit that past accomplishment was no guarantee of future success.

How do we change our churches?  Not by starting a new program.  Not by starting a new outreach.  It begins when pastors and teachers engage the culture….. not compromising to the culture.  We need to challenge the belief’s and morals of today.  Preach the truth of the word of God fearlessly and you will be relevant in today’s society.   The church is not a watch maker but we are watchmen!  We are called to warn and to prepare.  If you do that you will always be relevant. 

Don’t be ashamed to look at today’s culture through the lens of the eternally relevant word of God.  Your church will come right along with you and the community will be attracted to your church.   People want to hear the word of God.  They don’t want some watered down, milk sop version.  They want the truth!  Give it to them….now! 

Another thing….not every sermon has to be evangelistic!  Preach to the church!  Edify the saints!  Of course, we give the gospel every message.  But we give 45 minute invitations and twenty minute sermons.  No wonder our churches are floundering in the faith. 

Think about this pastors…….Your church will be more effective being EQUIPPED by the preacher than being INSPIRED by the preacher!    90 percent of people come to church because someone in the church invited them and shared their faith with them.  Only six percent come to a church because of the preacher.   Sorry preachers, you thought it was all about you.  NO…It’s about you being relevant to your church, edifying your church, equipping your church with Biblically uncompromising preaching.  A church that does that will never be out of business, God’s business will flourish. 



Worship

Do you rush, cuss, shout and become generally unpleasant on Sunday mornings? Do you complain about church? Are you irregular in your attendance? Are you overly-conscientious about matters that are not really important? Do you always criticize the pastor, the choir, the length of services and the songs? Then don't be surprised if your children grow up to look at Sundays as the worst day of the week.

Concerning the importance of taking one day a week to worship I found this story.  One man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had. "I don't get it," he said. "Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did." "But you didn't notice," said the winning woodsman, "that I was sharpening my ax while I was resting."

The citizens of Feldkirch, Austria, didn't know what to do.  Napoleon's massive army was preparing to attack. Soldiers had been spotted on the heights above the little town, which was situated on the Austrian border. A council of citizens was hastily summoned to decide whether they should try to defend themselves or display the white flag of surrender. It happened to be Easter Sunday, and the people had gathered in the local church. The pastor rose and said, "Friends, we have been counting on our own strength, and apparently that has failed. As this is the day of our Lord's resurrection, let us just ring the bells, have our services as usual, and leave the matter in His hands. We know only our weakness, and not the power of God to defend us." The council accepted his plan and the church bells rang. The enemy, hearing the ringing, concluded that the Austrian army had arrived during the night to defend the town. Before the service ended, the enemy broke camp and left.

We worship God as creator, Lord, Savior and Sustainer of all things.   Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”   The Bible encourages us to gather to worship for the day of the Lord is approaching.  We need His power and His wisdom for these days.   

So why do you not worship?  What possible excuse for not worshiping could you give to Jesus Christ when you meet Him face to face?  I know in many areas of our world they do not have Biblical preaching and teaching churches.  In Martin County of course not all churches teach the truth but we have many that do.  So, you don’t have that excuse if you live in this area of the world!