The Slippery Slope of Compromise...

In two separate conversations in the last few days, I have been challenged in my spirit regarding the dangers of what I call "the slippery slope of compromise." Believe me; I know sometimes compromise can be a healthy thing when you are talking about the color of carpet or paint and items that have no eternal significance. However, in making decisions that do have eternal significance compromise can be a dangerous thing.

The first discussion is one I've had numerous times in my ministry related to believer's baptism and whether or not a person must be baptized by immersion in order to become a church member. In the New Testament, we have numerous clear examples that baptism was always by immersion. It was how the Lord Jesus himself was baptized and the early church faithfully followed that example. The very word means to immerse, to plunge under or to submerge. The ordinance of believer's baptism is a fundamental act of obedience for a person who desires to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. It is one of two ordinances or commands the Lord Jesus gave to His church to observe, the other being the Lord's Supper. It is in the most simple of terms a pledge of allegiance to Christ. In the class I teach on baptism, I tell folks it is like putting on the uniform of a Christian. In the first century, it was how the early New Testament Church knew someone's commitment to Christ was the real deal because for someone to be baptized by immersion, they were declaring to everyone they would be loyal to Christ and not Caesar, the Emperor of Rome. The Romans believed their emperor was a god and called for their subjects to worship him as god. You could be killed for not worshipping Caesar and many Christians died martyrs deaths in the Roman Coliseum for their loyalty to Christ.

For the early church, people could say with their lips they were devoted to Christ all day long but until they were willing to publically identify with Christ in baptism, undergoing the public spectacle of being fully immersed, they were not considered true believers. Why such a stringent standard? Because baptism meant you were willing to put your life on the line for Jesus Christ and die for Him. It meant that in the first century, it means that now in many parts of the world even though here in the United States we're not under a death threat if we're baptized.

Another important point is that God teaches His people with symbols and pictures. In the Old Testament, the sacrificial system demonstrated to God's people the high cost of sin as an innocent animal was killed and blood shed as a temporary covering for sin. Believer's baptism is a beautiful picture of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a person is baptized they are picturing outwardly what Christ has done for them inwardly and that their old sinful nature has died is buried and as they come up out of the water, they picture the new life in Christ. Both baptism and the Lord's Supper visually illustrate for us the high cost of sin.

Okay, that's all good theological Bible teaching. Let's get to the real world application of it. Let's be honest. Baptism by immersion is a pain to pull off. At Calvary, it begins on Friday with a volunteer coming to the church to turn on the faucet to the baptistery and letting it run for a several hours to get it half full. They have to come back to the church to shut it off. On Sunday, another volunteer comes to the church early and turns it on again this time with warm water so it is at a comfortable temperature and filled to the appropriate level before the baptism takes place. A couple of men or women volunteers assist men or women candidates as needed getting robes on. The men help the preacher get his waders, robe and microphone on, we baptize and it's all over in a matter of minutes. Here come the candidates out of the baptistery soaking wet from head to toe, a robe slinging water all over the place and the preacher hustling out of his robe and waders to get back to worship in time to pray. Water everywhere, towels galore mopping up the mess. Then still another volunteer takes all the wet robes and towels home and washes them, dries them, folds the towels and hangs the robes with another trip to the church to put it back in place for the next month. Honestly, I'm tired just describing it.

In the church we started in New Hampshire, we used a portable baptistery that routinely sprung leaks under the strain of the water pressure and boy it made for a royal mess. Finding a spot in the freezing waters of the Ammonusec River behind the church wasn't much of an option either. The one time I did a baptism there in September, I thought I was going to drown when I slipped and my waders began to fill. I was sure they'd find my body in Lisbon 15 miles downriver! If I didn’t drown, I was certain I would freeze to death! With every baptism I have conducted, there is great joy in seeing new believers obeying the Lord in complete humility and submission to Christ. The beauty and powerful testimony of that ordinance and the impact of it on those who courageously obey is hard to describe with mere words. I am certain the Lord Jesus smiles brightly as Father, Son and Holy Spirit watch their children faithfully obeying God's command. 

This leads me to a recent conversation I had with a man who is currently in a mainline denomination church who has had it with the liberalism that has swept over the church he's been in his whole adult life. He's endured under a female pastor, a compromise he said he will never stand for again. The proverbial last straw for him is that she is determined ordain practicing homosexuals and their "music minister" is a homosexual with a live in partner. He wanted to know if there would be a place for him to serve the Lord at Calvary because he has fought against these outrageous activities in the church he loves all he can. There is no hope they will change and so he must find another place to worship and serve the Lord. I haven't answered his question completely as I'll need to talk with him further about his beliefs. 

Both these conversations start in different places but they end in the same place. You see compromise in seemingly little areas as to the proper method and mode of baptism leads the church away from fundamental obedience to the Lord's explicit command in Matt. 28:19-20: "Go and make disciples...baptizing (immersing) them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all things I have commanded you."  On a practical level, from a human point of view, I understand how churches and whole denominations have said baptism by immersion is just too inconvenient. “Just sprinkle a little water on them and call it a day. Just to be safe, make the sign of the cross on their forehead so God will bless it. So begins the slippery slope of compromise because if Jesus really didn't mean immerse them, then there is probably other stuff He said that He really didn't mean either. He didn't really mean His requirement that Pastors be men who lead their homes well spiritually.” There is no end to where this slippery slope of compromise leads because it becomes very easy to pick and choose the commands we want to obey. Jesus didn't stutter when He said "immerse them and teach them to obey all things I commanded..."

Obedience is not easy, but God honors His children who are determined to obey Him no matter what and who refuse to compromise. It is not easy for this pastor to say to an individual I love that I will only baptize by immersion and you cannot be a member of Calvary until you obey the Lord's command, regardless of the reasons why they can't be immersed. For me to compromise on that issue places Calvary on the precipice of that slippery slope. As your Pastor, I'm committed to keep us far away from that slippery slope of compromise and I intend to do exactly what Jude commanded in Jude vs. 3: "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." Being faithful to obey the clear basic commands of the Lord Jesus Christ in how we practice believers baptism will help us be faithful to obey the more complex ones that have derailed many a church and denomination. Satan is the architect of all this temptation to compromise our obedience to the Lord's commands. Like Jesus, I intend to stand on the authority of God's Word and obey it fully. In so doing, we keep Satan from getting a foothold at Calvary and we'll glorify Christ in our faithful, loyal obedience. I don't know about you but I'm determined to obey Christ, from my little corner of the world to yours...    

Reorganizing...with a purpose...

After almost 27 years of marriage, I've learned a few things about my wife and myself. I am one of those people prone to get into a rut and stay there with my surroundings. I have stuff arranged a certain way in my office, on my desk, my dresser drawers and so forth. It used to stress me out when I noticed stuff was out of order. 27 years and 5 kids later, not so much. It's just that I was taught that old axiom "a place for everything and everything in its place" and I took that to heart. I never have to look for things because I know where they are for the most part.

One of the things I've learned to appreciate and love about my wife is she is an organizer. She makes our home a wonderful place to live and I look forward to coming home to our physical surroundings that make for a warm and inviting place. Early on in our marriage, living in a small old farmhouse, or living in a townhouse, she was constantly looking at how we could use the space better. I would come home and she'd announce she wanted to rearrange the furniture. Me being the "stick in the mud" creature of habit I am would generally protest and say "oh sweetie, it's just fine as it is." The truth is I was being lazy because her desire to rearrange the furniture meant lots of heavy lifting for me! She would lovingly explain all of the marvelous benefits we'd enjoy by moving stuff around and through her “subtle persuasion” (okay “subtle” may not be the right word...) I would help her move everything sometimes up or down multiple levels. Yes it was a pain, and yes I was sore for days afterward; but boy did I learn my wife was right! After she got me to cooperate, I would invariably enjoy the space much more and it would help our family tremendously to function more comfortably. 

I tell you this story because Calvary's ad hoc vision team and site plan development teams have been hard at work praying about our current ministry needs and future ministry needs that we believe the Lord would have us to do. With much input from church council, ministry team leaders, and a trusted architect who has donated lots and lots of professional time to us, we've been examining how our facilities enhance and/or hinder our ministries. We've been diligently looking at how we can appropriately and fully utilize the property the Lord has given to us right in the heart of Bel Air and Harford County. We've been prayerfully asking God to provide the vision for what He wants Calvary to be in order to reach as many people with the Gospel as we can.

We believe God in His sovereignty placed us where we are and with that understanding, we realize we have roughly 5 acres on this campus that still has room for some growth, but our physical lot has limits on the numbers of parking spaces that we could have as well as the size and type of any buildings we would potentially build. This will also directly impact the size of worship attendance as well and that is okay because we need to be planting new churches in other areas to "make it hard to go to Hell from Harford County."

The good news is through some conceptual drawings from our architect, we've seen we do have room to grow here. Through a number of meetings, discussions and prayer, we believe there is a need for a multipurpose type building that would house a gym to accommodate the physical activities of children and youth ministry that could also be used for outreach events involving sports. The space could be used for meals and fellowship and to minister to our community as well. When we say multipurpose, that is the best word to describe it and we've had a few “dream sessions” on Saturday mornings with key leaders asking how such a space would be used. It was exciting and encouraging to see what God could do to expand His kingdom through this type of space.

However, we also recognize that buildings take time to build and money to be raised and unless you have a clearly defined purpose for any building, it doesn't solve all the issues the ministry might need to address. The vision team and site plan development team have also been faithfully looking at our current use of space and we think there are a number of things we could do to help us use the current space we have in more effective, efficient and more importantly impactful ways. Our current layout worked well in the past but is that still true?

For example, let's say a young couple with 3 children arrives to visit Calvary for the first time on Sunday. They have a child in kindergarten, one in 2nd grade and a 7th grade teen; they also want to go to a young married class. They arrive right on time at 9:45 for Bible Study and show up at the greeters’ desk on the main floor by accident. They got lucky and found a parking spot out front, yet they drove around the building 3 times before finding that spot. They have to go down stairs to the preschool department and check in child 1. Take the elevator up two levels to get kids 2 and 3 checked in, then to get to the young married class, they have to back down two levels to the fellowship hall and they are forced to open a curtain and step into a crowded room of adults sitting around a table with no extra seats and worse they interrupted the guy praying and everybody instinctively looks up at them! Talk about an intimidating 1st visit! By this time it is nearly 10:10 they are majorly uncomfortable and completely turned around having no idea how to get back to retrieve their children so they miss concentrating on the Bible Study. If you were this couple, how likely would you be to return with your family the following week?

Sadly, this scenario happens currently at Calvary with great regularity. The good news is that for the most part, our church family is a warm and friendly bunch and the love you show helps people overcome the barriers in place. But we need to remove barriers for people to help them come to Christ. I have shared a couple of times as part of my vision casting responsibilities the message from Mark 2 I called "A recipe for our future." That text from Mark tells of four friends who carried a paralyzed man to Jesus who was teaching in a house that was packed and they couldn't get in. These amazing friends of this poor guy had the right mindset: A “Whatever it takes to get him to Jesus” attitude and they removed barriers to get the man to Christ, even tearing a hole in the roof! Jesus met the man's most important need of being forgiven of his sin, and then Jesus healed his physical need.

The point is that we need to have that same attitude here and see the reality of the barriers we have that could be corrected; not just from building a building, but by simply rearranging where classes meet for example. I'm sharing this information with you now because it is important for all of us to embrace some needed changes that must be made with our current space. There may be some remodeling that needs to be done, Bible Study classrooms may need to move to other locations to help our flow, function and God-given mandate (purpose) to make disciples. The leadership teams working on all this don't have all the answers, but we're confident by summer and in preparation for fall, we'll have a clearer picture of what needs to change.

We’re applying the practical principle “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.” Some classes don't need to move at all and so we'll not move them. But if you're class is asked to move, please be cooperative and embrace the rearranging, knowing it has a well planned, thought out and prayed through purpose. We'll do our best to communicate and explain what is happening along the way. I know change can be difficult and reorganizing will involve some sweat equity, energy and significant financial resources. However like with our homes and families, rearranging, remodeling or even adding an addition at church can produce wonderful long term results as we keep our eyes on the God sized big picture of making disciples.

I need to run, sounds like I have a couch to move, from my little corner of the world to yours...

Ralph Green

Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

www.calvarybelair.com 

Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/  

Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RalphGreen  

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph

Spring has sprung...

On my walk the other morning, there was a definite change in the air. I heard more birds singing than I had in a long time, the air temperature was decidedly more warm than in previous days, robins were digging up worms in my yard and on Main Street, trees were blooming with pink blossoms. Even I can figure out spring has sprung. The time has changed over to daylight savings time and my body is trying to adjust now to it being dark again when I take my high school son to school. What all this means in church life is that Easter will be upon us in a very short period of time. I love spring and I love Easter because we have the occasion to celebrate our risen Savior’s death, burial and resurrection.

The Easter season is a busy time in church life as we head into Palm Sunday when our choir and orchestra will sing and play the songs of the cross, we’ll observe the Lord’s Supper as part of that presentation in a special way and proclaim that Jesus Christ is risen indeed. On Good Friday, we’ll have our annual noontime service when many people from our community will come to Calvary to reflect on the cross and our Savior who laid down His life there and then share a fellowship meal together. Saturday will bring our annual pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt and then on Resurrection Sunday we will celebrate Jesus. The whole week will be an amazing time of worship, celebration and fun.

There are a number of ways for you to get involved. First and foremost is to begin to pray for God to speak to people who have not placed their faith and trust in Christ as Savior and Lord. Easter is a prime time of year to invite people to church and they will come, they’ll hear the wonderful Gospel message and by the grace of God, they can be saved! Ask the Holy Spirit to draw men and women, boys and girls to Christ through our Easter ministries.

You can also volunteer to help at the Good Friday luncheon, or Saturday's pancake breakfast and egg hunt. Many hands make light work and you’ll be blessed and encouraged serving alongside your church family. Let the office know you can help even if for just a little while.

You can also take a few of the invite cards we have at the exits to make it easy to invite lost people to come with you to church. Don’t invite friends who already go to church. Focus on people who don’t attend anywhere or haven’t been in a long time. Offer to give them a ride and invite them to lunch afterwards to help them come. Why? Because you love them and you want them to know the Risen Savior!

On Easter Sunday, if you are able, park in the parking garage up the street to make room for our guests and walk down or catch the shuttle we’ll be running. Be looking for people you don’t recognize, great them warmly and love them like Jesus. Move to the middle of the row to make room for guests to sit on the ends. Don’t sit in the back rows, move forward and take seats closer to the front for the sake of our guests who come in late so our ushers can help them get seated quickly – Okay preacher, you’ve done gone to meddlin’! Seriously folks, think of it as though someone’s eternal future in heaven or hell depends on what you do that momentous Sunday – in reality, it does.

We’ve just begun our emphasis for our Annie Armstrong offering for North American Missions. Each week we’ll see how that offering is used to support missionaries and their work to reach people with the Gospel right here in North America. Our church goal is $16,000.00 and I realize the economy is bad and things are tight for everyone, I know you cannot out give God. I need you to prayerfully consider how you could give more than you’ve ever given before so we exceed this goal. We are at a critical time in human history, the Lord’s return is soon and people need the Lord. Your sacrificial gifts will help spread the gospel right here in our country and Canada. Having been a North American Missionary and church planter, I can tell you the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is a great blessing to the missionaries who serve with NAMB.

I love Easter. I love proclaiming that Jesus Christ is risen and I always marvel at the gift of God’s grace in saving this sinner and turning me into a preacher. Let’s enjoy spring and let’s go fishing for souls this spring. Those robins in my yard remind me the early bird gets the worm. Start praying and inviting your lost friends and loved ones to church and be the early bird. “Going fishin’”; from my little corner of the world to yours…

Ralph Green

Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

www.calvarybelair.com  

Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/  

Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RalphGreen  

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph

Continue earnestly in prayer...

That was part of the veteran missionary and Apostle Paul’s instructions to the believers in the Colossian Church in 4:2-3. His full statement was “Continue earnestly in prayer being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains…” The term “earnestly” could also be translated “steadfastly” or “fervently”. The idea is to engage in focused, intentional and resolute prayer. He also uses the term “vigilant” which means to be watchful in prayer – that term vigilant describes what is expected of a soldier guarding something or someone; they are to be wide-awake and on duty at their post. What was Paul asking this church to pray so intently about? He wanted them to pray to God with a thankful heart because God is the only God able to hear and answer prayer. But his specific request was for an open door for his missionary team to proclaim the word of God and preach the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was encouraging these believers to continue to pray earnestly and vigilantly for him and those with him as they proclaimed the Gospel and the Word of God.

Having just returned from an incredible trip to Africa, I feel a bit like the Apostle Paul because it was evident to all of us on our team and our missionaries there that God’s people were earnestly and vigilantly praying for us as we went out into the bush to engage people with the word of God and the message of Christ. Being on the receiving end of these kinds of prayers over the course of this trip, I have a renewed appreciation for the importance of prayer in furthering the work of the Kingdom. It is vital for the people of God to pray for the work of God whether here at Calvary or across the ocean reaching people without access to the Gospel.

Before we left the country, we left a daily prayer list and prayer cards for our church family to have so you would know how to pray specifically for this trip. In looking at that list of items we asked you to pray about, I think nearly every one of those prayer requests was answered. There were some we may not know how they were answered until we get to Heaven, but I know many of the measurable requests we saw answered in a God sized way. We’re looking forward to sharing about our trip during the Bible Study hour at 9:45 on Sunday March 11. Everyone from grade school, youth and adult classes will meet in the Sanctuary to hear this report. (For our devoted preschool workers, our team will be happy to come speak with you if you miss the report).

I will share a quick account of how your prayers were answered specifically. The last day of going to the bush, three of us men drove an hour and a half one way across non-paved roads/desert sand to go meet a man who was at best a “folk medicine man” or at worst an outright “witchdoctor.” The drive out to this place was quite rigorous (that’s a polite way to say it felt like it beat us to death) and I started to get sick about 15 minutes from our destination since I was in the back seat. Fortunately I recovered quickly when we arrived (answer to prayer). We met the man we were looking for riding out of his village to town on his horse. If we’d have been a mere 5 minutes later, we’d have missed him and driven out there for nothing. He forgot we were coming but God orchestrated it so we’d connect with him out there in the middle of nowhere. We went to his thatched roof hut/compound and sat in the shade to tell him Bible stories. I had the story of God healing Naaman in mind to share in order to make the point that God heals in ways so He alone gets the credit. However, our host was a hyper little man and he never really sat still long enough to talk. Instead, he got word to a number of other men in the area and before long about 10 men were in front of us to listen to Bible stories. Our missionary looked at me and said “tell the parable of the sower.” So I applied my principle of being flexible and told that parable and explained it’s meaning – of course through our missionary who interpreted for me and this took quite a while. I made the point Jesus made “He who has ears to hear let him hear.” We told them we had more stories to tell if they had ears to hear and that God wants them to produce fruit for Him. It turns out one of these men was the chief who is in control of this area. Our missionary shared with us later he had met the chief once before and basically said unless we were there to put in a well for them, he didn’t want to hear anything we had to say and we wouldn’t have permission to talk to his people. This time however, the chief said he wanted to hear more and invited the missionary (and us) to come back! He thanked me repeatedly as we walked to our truck to leave!

Only God could orchestrate such a dramatic change of attitude in one key man’s heart. God orchestrated the timing of our visit and that our medicine man contact was the means to introduce us to whom we were really there to see, the chief. Coincidence? Luck? Good fortune? No way! It was because God’s people were earnestly and vigilantly praying for us – for an open door to the word and to preach Christ. So my encouragement to you is to “Continue earnestly in prayer...” We must pray earnestly for God’s work in and through each of us believers. Prayer is the weapon Satan has no ability to stop (Eph.6:18), whether we go down the street to talk to our lost neighbor, our lost co-workers, classmates, or some village chief on the other side of the globe. The prayers of the saints of God have incredible impact for God’s kingdom and in encouraging saints who are in distress. Continuing earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving, from my little corner of the world to yours…

 

Pastor Ralph Green
Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

  www.calvarybelair.com  

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph

A well defined purpose...

A well defined purpose…

As I write this, I’m amazed to see the date and that it’s already February as the year is off to a fast start. Not much has changed in a couple of thousand years of serving the Lord. You see in Mark 6:30-31, the Apostles came back to Jesus after He sent them out to do ministry and they told Him all about it including what they had had been teaching. Jesus’ response to them was refreshing in that he didn’t say, “get back out there and keep at it, time is money.” Instead, Jesus said “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.” Then we’re told “For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.” I love the fact that the Son of God pulled His disciples aside from the rigors of ministry in order to rest and refocus. Ministry picked back up immediately following this time away apparently with great impact with the feeding of the 5000 and a myriad of other miracles shortly after.

With all the hubbub of the holidays and the start of the new year, the earliest time our pastoral staff could pull aside for a planning and visioning retreat was at the end of January. For two days we pulled out of the office and set aside a time to worship together, pray together and work on refining our purpose as a church and our leadership roles. In my “State of the Church” address on January 8^th, I stated that we need to analyze what it is that we do and simplify a number of things that hinder the work of the ministry. We seem to have much that keeps us very busy but we need to ask what impact does this busy schedule and myriad of processes actually have? 

I’m thrilled to tell you that our time spent together was a blessing and encouragement to each of us. I believe we came out of this planning retreat recharged, refocused and excited about our future together. We talked much about the need for a well defined purpose for all of our ministries and activities we engage in at Calvary. Most of the time the first instinct is to talk about what we should do and while that is important, what we do should flow out of our purpose. Purpose helps answer the question “Why are we here?” Purpose is not a goal to shoot for; it is our reason for being. Purpose provides direction, boundaries and motivation; a well defined purpose will move you forward to make a great impact. Plans, goals and activities should all flow out of the purpose. Purpose also helps you identify things you will not do.

On the flip side, lack of purpose leads to a meager impact at best. A lack of purpose shifts the focus from ministering to people to a maintenance mode of maintaining programs or massaging personalities. We asked some tough questions related to what drives our church. Is it tradition – doing what we’ve always done? Is it personality – doing what he or she wants done? Is it finances – doing only what we can afford to do? Maybe programs drive the church – doing what everybody else is doing (or because the publishing arm of our denomination is pushing it). Maybe facilities drive the church – doing only what our space allows. Events can drive the church – doing what everyone expects. Some churches have allowed un-churched people to drive what they do so they do everything they can to make church not seem like church – (that sounds silly and it is silly!) Sometimes a “maintenance mode” drives the church – doing just what is needed to achieve last year’s results. These are tough questions to be sure and it’s okay to be honest that some of these components have driven us and currently drive us as a whole or specific ministries. We can’t improve what we’ve not willing to identify as a problem. We also need to understand that sometimes maintenance mode is a necessity because we lack appropriate leadership but it shouldn’t remain that way. These ways of thinking and “leading” don’t leave room to dream of what God might want to do in and through the ministry. Healthy churches are driven by purpose and I know all of us as a staff desire for us to be a healthy church that is flourishing for our Lord Jesus Christ and for His honor and glory.

This idea of a well defined purpose is not new and many of you have probably read this stuff before in Dr. Rick Warren’s books “The Purpose Driven Life” or “The Purpose Driven Church.” Since I don’t want to be guilty of plagiarism, much of these ideas come out of those works. I believe Dr. Warren actually got his ideas from Jesus because everything the Lord did flowed out of His purpose to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The principles shared in those resources are very helpful and practical for both churches and individuals to identify their purpose. Now don’t worry, we as a staff have no intention of trying to turn Calvary into a Saddleback Church clone. Many church leaders have made the mistake of trying to take what works in a Southern California context and make those strategies and goals their own. In the process, they ignore their own ministry context and wonder why it doesn’t work. They simply didn’t take time to identify their own purpose, they just adopted Saddleback plans.

The great thing about a well defined purpose is that it forges your own unique identity and shows us we can minister appropriately according to our unique context here in Harford County. One of the things we want to do this year as a staff is to lead us to help define our purposes. We got the ball rolling a few years ago when we identified our purpose as “Encountering God, Experiencing Life Change.” That’s our DNA, our purpose in a simple concise statement – We want to be encountering God as we “do life together.” We affirm that authentic God encounters always result in lives being changed.

This year we’re going to be encouraging us to think in terms of purpose across the board in our ministries. Our ministries must flow out of our overall purpose of encountering God, experiencing life change in the cyclical process of making disciples. We’re going to have a great time working through this together among our ministry team leaders (our committees). As you see some changes being made, it’s because we are identifying a well defined purpose for ministry so we can introduce more people to the Lord Jesus Christ and make Christ followers out of them.  From an eternal perspective, that is the best purpose any individual or church family can have! It will be challenging, it will cause us to think, evaluate and examine if we’re actually carrying out our purpose. But I am convicted to the depth of my soul we must engage in this healthy dialogue of defining our purpose or we’ll be no further down the road of making disciples 10 years from now than the hamster that runs the little treadmill all day long. The poor critter is wiped out from lots of activity and spent energy but never got anywhere!

So let us begin this journey together of a well defined purpose, from my little corner of the world to yours…
Ralph Green
Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church
www.calvarybelair.com 
Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/  
Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RalphGreen  

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph

And we're off...

Christmas decorations put away, all the college football bowl games are over and the NFL playoffs are in full swing (Go Ravens!), annual “State of the Church” message has been preached, discipleship classes have started, it’s cold, it must be January. We’re off to a great start at Calvary after a nice Christmas and New Year break from our regular schedule of events. Our Wednesday evening schedule has resumed with our AWANA ministry to disciple children and is cranked up and running again for the Spring semester. These children are hiding God’s Word in their hearts, they are studying to be Approved Workman who Are Not Ashamed (AWANA). We have some dedicated leaders who work with nearly 100 children weekly making disciples of grade school aged children. This is an enormous opportunity and responsibility God has given us to plant the Gospel, a love for Jesus and His Word deep into the hearts of these children. We have a number of children whose parents do not regularly attend Calvary but over the years we’ve seen several families come to Calvary because of our AWANA ministry.

Right now they are gearing up for the AWANA Olympics where our team will travel to another church in Maryland to compete in the games they play. If you’ve ever wondered about the red, blue, green and yellow stripes on the fellowship hall floor, that’s for AWANA games. Their game time is a lot of fun as I’ve been down there during our second hour helping out. I need to make an appeal for help in this critical ministry especially during the 2^nd hour from 7:15-8:15, especially for our men to step up and help. Our AWANA commander (who happens to be this pastor’s wife) has her hands full during that period because this is when our Sparks group of Kindergarten, 1^st & 2^nd grades are doing their game time. There are over 40 children in the Sparks group and without enough supervision and adults providing instruction for the games… let’s just say I think it would be easier to herd cats from Maryland out to the West Texas prairie. I know that may not be the best way to recruit but it’s the current reality because we don’t have nearly enough adults in 2^nd hour. Many of our volunteers work with the Sparks 1^st hour but then head out to choir practice 2^nd hour so there is a void during the game time. I know it may be hard for many of you to arrive by our early 6:15 start time but making it to church by 7:15 would be no problem for you. The games are simple and the kids are obedient and listen because they want to play the games. Because of their ages and attention span, we need a 1 adult to 2 children ratio for it run smoothly. What we have currently is about a 1 adult to 8-10 children ratio and we need to change that! It really helps if we have a number of men involved because you just have a way of being “large and in charge”. There is a game leader who gives clear instructions, your job should you choose to accept it, is to take those instructions and help line the kids up, get them ready for the game and cheer them on. (This tape will not self destruct in 5 seconds…I’ll keep repeating it till we get helpJ!)  The children have a ball blowing off energy after studying God’s Word and memorizing Scripture; a well run game time sends them and our leaders home happy and encouraged about their night at AWANA. I can tell you I participated in AWANA when I was in grade school and most of the verses I have committed to memory I learned in the AWANA club. If you want to help, you need to call Cheryl Green to see how you can get involved.

January also means for myself, Michele Emerson, Patty Wackford, and Matt Cruikshank, we’re less than a month away from our trip back to the region of West Africa I went last year to explore mission partnership opportunities. Because of security concerns for our IMB personnel, I’ll not share more about where we’re going specifically in this context. There is a bulletin board from our Mission’s Committee by the Greeters Desk that explains this. We’ll be working with Hausa and Fulani people groups telling Bible stories in their language with audio recordings and picture books, helping build relationships so the Gospel can take root in a Muslim culture. We’re also taking equipment to help the missionary show the Jesus film for the first time in the villages he’s been working in which will be a huge opportunity to see many people turn to Christ. I’ve heard of many accounts where the Lord used this video in other contexts to reach entire villages with the Gospel and the response was tremendous. The need is great, the people are friendly and receptive to this good news and it speaks volumes to them that we Americans would travel all the way around the world to share this important news they have not heard before. We also desire greatly to be a big encouragement to our missionary personnel faithfully serving there.

The logistics of this trip are very hard. Getting there literally is the most difficult and expensive part flying commercial air as far as we can to the capital city and then taking a small missionary aviation plane out into the bush where we’ll be working. 4 days of the 12 day trip are consumed with travel. Our team has been training on what to expect, the culture of the people, learning some basic greetings, getting all the paperwork, shots and gear ready. What we need is your prayers because Satan certainly doesn’t want us to go. Pray for the logistics of travel, for our luggage to arrive in full and especially for our equipment as we have to leave our large luggage at a bus station overnight to be shipped out to the missionary house since the small plane cannot take it. Pray for health, strength and a flexible attitude for all of our team members so the work of sharing Jesus would not be hindered. It would be easier to stay home quite honestly, but when I think it would have been easier for Jesus to stay home in Heaven than to come to earth in order to reach this hard-headed sinner, I’m grateful Jesus came so I could be forgiven. I can’t wait to share that with these special peoples. Our church is fully committed to mission endeavors as we develop an Acts 1:8 strategy, in this case to the uttermost parts of the earth, to expand God’s kingdom. Thank you in advance for praying for this trip and for our team.

God has great plans for us at Calvary in 2012 and we’re off to a great start. Let’s be obedient, let’s be faithful, and let’s celebrate Jesus as we encounter God and experience life change each week. Let’s ask God to help us introduce others to Him and to make us sensitive to the people around us and especially the children God has brought to us. Looking forward to a great year of serving the Lord together, from my little corner of the world to yours…

  Pastor Ralph Green
Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

  www.calvarybelair.com  

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph

Back to Reality...

I’m kind of in shock. I find myself here at the beginning of 2012 wondering what in the world happened and where in the world did 2011 go? Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year have come and gone with what seems like the speed of light but I kind of feel that way about the whole of 2011 also. Time off from the regular schedule and routine has been a nice break. Having the kids out of school and a chance to sleep in and catch up on some much needed rest has been great. Going to parties or special events has been nice but the regular schedule and routine are slamming us all back to reality. The alarm clock for the high school kids sounds much too early and the pace of life is at freeway speed once again. So much of I wanted to accomplish in 2011 did not happen but that’s okay because I always have more work to do than I’ll ever get to in my lifetime (or at least what I think needs to happen).

By the time you get this article, I will have shared what I call “The State of the Church” message. It is an opportunity to reflect on the past year and the work the Lord has done through us. It’s been a good year for Calvary over all and we celebrate what God has done. As a leader however, I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the Philippian Church as the Holy Spirit inspired him to write: “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil.3:13-14).” How many New Year messages have come from that text down through the ages?

Paul was a goal setting visionary leader who did not want to dwell in the proverbial “good ole days.” Paul was looking forward to the new adventure that awaited him in his walk with Christ. That’s the way we Christians are called to live; with eyes for the future and what the Lord would have us to do. I encourage you to set some goals for this New Year, prayerfully asking the Lord to help you with this in all areas of life. Ask the Lord to help you choose your priorities carefully and in a way that would be pleasing to Him realizing your life is not your own but it belongs to God. What I love about Paul’s writing here in Philippians is the encouragement that even if you blow it, you can put it behind you and press on.

An amazing Biblical principle and truth is that by God’s grace, we can always start fresh with God, not just at the start of a New Year, but literally at the end of every day and if we’re willing to, we can start fresh with God the second we blow it and the Holy Spirit convicts of us sin if we’ll repent immediately and ask for forgiveness. I think one critical mark of a Spirit filled Christian is one who takes responsibility for and repents immediately of sin in their life upon conviction. They don’t gloss over it, attempt to rationalize or justify it, they don’t blame-shift, and their response is like David’s when convicted of sin. “I have sinned against the Lord…(2^nd Sam.12:13)”.

I think one worthwhile goal every Christian ought to set is to resolve to repent the moment the Holy Spirit knocks on your hearts door and says “Hey pal, you blew it there.” The response should be: “You’re right Lord. I’m so sorry for that sin, would you please forgive me?” By doing so your relationship with Christ can be restored instantly and the repentant believer can have fellowship with Christ restored.

As we begin 2012 together as a church family, I believe the Lord has great plans for us this year. I believe we can make a huge difference for God’s kingdom if we resolve to put the Lord first in everything. Your Ministerial Staff will be making some plans and developing some strategies for this year at the end of January for two days of prayer and dreaming with God about what He wants us to do. We’ll be challenging our church leaders to examine their purpose for existence as a ministry and how that purpose fits into the overall vision and mission of our church. Where change is needed, we need to be flexible and willing to change. In areas and with processes that work well, we need to continue to be faithful but we need to be able to learn how to apply principles from that successful ministry into other areas. I’m excited to have an almost complete compliment of ministerial staff and office staff. But we cannot do what God is asking of us as a church without the dedicated service and ministries of our members. Will it be hard at times? It will be excruciatingly hard at times when personal life and church life vie for the precious commodity of time. I love the attitude of one of our men as I had lunch with him the other day. The gist of what he said was “I have resolved that whenever God asks me to do something, I’m going to say yes no matter how much I already have on my plate.” I was so encouraged by his tremendous attitude that his life belongs to the Lord and whatever God wants is what he plans to do with his time, effort, energy and resources. That attitude first is a God honoring attitude but it is contagious and exciting and I want our church family to approach 2012 with that same attitude because eternity is at stake for millions of people around this world.

Let’s press on together, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let’s let that be our reality here at Calvary. Looking forward to 2012, from my little corner of the world to yours…

Ralph Green

Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

www.calvarybelair.com 

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Posted via email from Pastor Ralph