OVERWHELMED BY GOD'S BLESSINGS

We may have received more of God's blessings in 2003 than any other year in our history. There is a great spirit in our church with many new families. Our fall campaign was exciting, seeing a good number receiving Christ as Saviour and an average of 2,592 riding the buses. Fairhaven Baptist Academy is expanding, and our college freshman class has 61 good students in it from across America. We even saw an explosion in our finances with our offerings going up by 40%. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

The rebuilding and expansion of our classroom structure is underway. When complete, we will have a 55,000 square foot modern facility matching our church auditorium. This will include an expansive new dining room, a beautiful chapel for the schools, and added classrooms.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy as an old man about to die. He was in a prison in Rome when he said, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." II Timothy 4:6-8

In summarizing the things he did that he thought were important, it is interesting to notice that Paul didn't remind Timothy that he had preached more revivals, conducted more missionary journeys, won more souls to Christ, or been inspired to write more Scriptures. Instead he wrote, "Timothy, son in the ministry, I want you to carry on; and when you think of me, remember, I fought a good fight, stood firm, did what God wanted." Paul may have been a small man, but he stood firm and was strong. Whatever he did, he did it enthusiastically, wholeheartedly, with all his might.

History is made by people who put themselves into what they are doing. Greatness is never achieved by half-heartedness. I believe George Washington was the greatest President in America's history. We wouldn't have our country without him. Many might think that the citizens as a whole came together in the Revolutionary War effort, but that was not the case. Take the Christmas of 1777. The British Army was warm and cozy in our capital, Philadelphia. In nearby Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, ladies and gentlemen danced until 4 a.m., entertained by wine, punch, sweet cakes, and singing.

But in Valley Forge, 20 miles north of Philadelphia, the main American army of 11,000 under George Washington was in disarray. Everything was going wrong. Farmers refused to sell meat and flour to the army because other markets were more profitable. Supplies that managed to get through to river ports miles away could not be picked up because Washington couldn't get wagons or healthy horses. Three thousand men died that winter of starvation and disease; yet, the majority of their countrymen were living normally. Many businessmen and farmers preferred to deal with the British.

Washington's army marched on empty stomachs and bare feet, yet many in Congress attacked him for failure from their cozy, warm fireplaces. But he would not quit! That is an example of what the United States of America was built on and what is needed for any success. Ecclesiastes 9:10 reads, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Anything you have to do, especially in the Lord's work, do it as if your life depends on it. Do it as Paul lived his life. The average person does not succeed in his undertakings simply because he is not willing to make the necessary sacrifices. He wants the crown without the cost, the prize without the perseverance; yet sacrifice is the key that unlocks the door to success.

Athletes give up leisure, foods they crave, and other endeavors just to win a race. When I was on our high school swim team, at times after kicking for a mile, pulling for a mile, and then swimming normally for another mile, I couldn't lift my arm to comb my hair. Isn't it tragic then that most Christians are not willing to pay a real price to succeed in their service for Christ? We want to take the easy way out and never take much initiative on our own to work for the Lord.

"Beware of the man of one book" was the advice of an old philosopher to his students. "The man of ‘one thing' is the man who in the long run does great things and shakes the world." Yet, we as Christians just want to "look good." Our church gets a good amount of criticism because we require all of our bus workers to meet at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and visit the route for at least five hours, but that is the main reason for our success in that area. The Bible is right. You do reap what you sow.

God said to Joshua when Moses died, "Be strong and of good courage." Put yourself into the fight-be bold. The history of the world has been written by the Pauls and the Joshuas who have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into service for God.

Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, and I'll tell you something else, I have finished my course. I didn't quit! I didn't stop! I finished the work God gave me to do." He refused to be discouraged. He ran for his life as they let him down the wall in a basket, he was beaten, put in jail, starved, and shipwrecked. Most of us would say "the door is closed," but he kept on going.

Can you imagine Luke or Silas asking, "Aren't you afraid?" And he would answer, "Who me? I'm crucified to this life; I'm dead already." Jesus spoke a parable to them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint-not to stop! Not to quit!

We hear of great men of God who did exploits for Him and say we wish we had a chance to do something great for Him. Listen, we do have a chance, it's just that most Christians are quitters. The devil could not stop Paul by beating him black and blue and bloody, but he stops most of us by hurting our feelings. Paul said in II Timothy 4:7, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

We read of John Bunyan jailed and others such as Wesley and Whitefield not allowed to preach in English churches because they refused to take a state license. We read that "the church wardens hated Whitefield because he went after the souls of the masses." His biographer wrote that they didn't want the poor wretches saved and despised Whitefield because for 31 years he preached to the poor in the fields. He was familiar with the perils in the wilderness and perils at sea traveling around the world preaching to hundreds of thousands at a time. You say, "That must have been exciting." No, it was a miracle that his life was not cut short by violence, and he burned his life out at age 56.

Wesley had a similar ministry, preaching through jeering and as people threw rocks and spit at him. He wrote, "Leisure and I have taken leave of one another and no man knows how much can be done in 12 hours until he tries. It is precisely those who try to do the most who do it."

Oh, you say, "It is exciting even to think of him preaching to 20,000 people in the fields. But to most in his day, he was thought of as a nut. They called Grimshaw "mad." Moody was "crazy Moody." They put Paul to death and threw many early Christians to the lions.

Followers of Wesley and Grimshaw were "trampled in the mire, dragged by the hair, beaten with clubs, and stoned" only because they came to listen to the preaching. Yes, it was thrilling to see tens of thousands come to hear and many saved, but revival is not easy.

See the Apostle Paul hanging onto a piece of wood or laying in a pile of stones left for dead, and it will give us somewhat of an idea of why we don't see the great works of the New Testament or early years. Yes we need power, but we also need to endure hardness and learn to fight.

The kind of guy who irritates me is the one who throws Chanel No. 5 down his shirt collar and says, "We ought to contend for the faith but not be contentious." I believe we ought to be ladies and gentlemen; but face the facts, the man who tries to destroy the deity of Christ, for instance, or your faith in the Bible is a man who if he had his way would damn your son or daughter and unborn generations to hell. That's why we preachers must not be afraid to stand for the King James Bible or fight publicly against men such as John MacArthur who take the blood of Christ lightly.

We better realize that in contending for the faith we are contending for the souls of our loved ones.

Paul kept, guarded, and defended the faith, and he said, "Timothy, I want to remind you of something else, ‘Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.'" II Timothy 4:8

I think all of us are going to be ashamed when we meet Christ and realize how little we have thrown ourselves into the battle. I think we are going to be amazed at what trifling, insignificant things have thrown us off track. How we will grieve that we have so poorly kept the faith that God entrusted to us.