We all should realize by now that the persecution of Christians is on the increase, which should not surprise us as we get closer to the return of Christ. However, history verifies the fact that the church of the Lord Jesus has experienced its greatest periods of growth and expansion during times of great persecution. I mentioned in my message last Sunday how Diocletian attempted to destroy the word of God by burning every Bible and then about twenty years later Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Today I read the following article in the August 30, 2006 edition of Our Daily Bread: In AD 64, someone set fire to Rome. A few days later, two-thirds of the city lay in smoldering ruins. A rumor spread that the emperor Nero had set the fire because he wanted to rebuild the city and name it after himself. Needing a scapegoat to get himself off the proverbial hot-seat, he chose to blame a defenseless and unpopular minority—Christians. He then initiated such intense persecution that he’s been referred to as the first Antichrist. It’s believed that both Peter and Paul were martyred during this time. Because Christianity was new and its followers still relatively few, the sadistic treatment that Nero leveled against believers, which included using them as human torches to light his palace garden, continued with little opposition. His persecution eventually backfired, however. Instead of weakening the new faith, it strengthened it. History tells us that within a few hundred years Christianity became so influential that Emperor Constantine made it the official religion of the Roman Empire. God always has a purpose in persecution. He will use it for good if we follow the example of Christ, who, “when He suffered, He . . . committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).“The purposes of God are right, although we may not see just how He works all things for good and transforms tragedy. (Sper)” It is better to suffer for the cause of Christ than for the cause of Christ to suffer.
******************************
As many of you know, Ryan Melton has returned from his Go Student summer mission project in Wales. During those weeks, he grew both physically and spiritually. I am confident that all of us who provided financial and prayer support are excited about hearing how God worked in and through him and other students. Consequently, I have asked Ryan to share pictures and detail of his mission efforts with us during the 6:00 p.m. evening service in the main sanctuary next Sunday, August 22. Don’t miss this special service.
******************************
Our fall semester of Life Study classes will begin on Sunday evening, September 12. We have an exciting array of helpful learning and growing opportunities from which to choose.A brief summary of each 8-week class will be presented by each teacher or facilitator during the evening service on August 29th.
******************************
The 15th semester of F.A.I.T.H. Evangelism will begin on Monday, September 13th. This semester will be reduced to 10 weeks in duration. This will enable us to complete the semester prior to the week of Thanksgiving, which will include a couple of weeks when we will not meet because of special church events. I hope that if you’ve never been involved as a team member, you will prayerfully consider become a part of this ministry. If you are a “veteran” of FAITH, I hope you are making plans to “re-up.”Thank you for helping keep this ministry alive for all these years! A formal opportunity to sign-up will be made available during the invitation on Sunday morning, August 29th.
******************************
I look forward to seeing you (and a friend) in Bible study and worship this Sunday! And don’t forget, you are loved!
Dr. Mike
August 12, 2010
From My Heart to Yours
I recently read the story of a man who attended his 40th high school reunion and experienced something very humbling. He shook hands and hugged people for 20 minutes before realizing there were two high school reunions in the building that day and he was at the wrong one! This man, who was a technology writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, used that experience to illustrate a proven principle of computer troubleshooting: Check the obvious first. Before you replace the sound card, make sure the volume control is not muted or turned down. If the modem isn’t working, check to see if it’s connected. “Checking the obvious first” can also be a good principle for spiritual troubleshooting. Col. 3:12-17 lists several characteristics that give evidence of a healthy spiritual life. Some of those key qualities include compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, and thankfulness. So before critiquing or criticizing others, we should ask the Lord to reveal our own faults. Jesus discouraged others from plucking a speck out of someone’s eye when they had logs in their own eyes. It’s good to look inside our own hearts and check the obvious first—even when it feels as if all our problems are caused by others. Someone aptly wrote - I’ll check within my own heart first, the obvious to see, that faults I find in others are really faults in me.
********************************
Dr. Richard Land will be speaking to the general public at NORTHWEST BAPTIST CHURCH in Oklahoma City on Thursday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Land has been a clarion voice for Christ on moral, ethical, and political issues facing our families and nation today.Dr. Land is a learned theologian, having received graduate degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Oxford University. He hosts the program For Faith and Family on the BOT Radio Network and is President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. I hope you will take the opportunity to hear Dr. Land speak to critical issues of our day.
********************************
I want you to know that we are making preparations to redesign our church website.Alice (my former assistant) and I set up our first site several years ago through Lifeway Link. It was “new territory” for us, but we did the best we could. She then became ill and I had less time to maintain the site. Larry Brewer later agreed to input new information as it became known or available. We all appreciate the many hours he has spent adding information to our existing site, but what he inherited at that time was in need of help. Before long we will have an updated website that will be more inviting, more user friendly, and more effective. An area pastor, whose church has also installed an electronic sign, was asked if their sign had effectively directed visitors to their church. He said that it had, but that they were getting even more visitors through their website. It is my prayer that both our new sign and our soon-to-be redesigned website will prompt many families to visit FBC Midwest City!
*********************************
I look forward to seeing you (and a friend) in Bible study and worship this Sunday.Sunday night we will view a video sermon by Dr. Ravi Zacharias that he preached at the 2010 SBC Pastor’s Conference in Orlando.You are loved!
