The Trumpet
The Trumpet is a monthly paper offered to the good folks of Faith Bible Baptist, Toledo Ohio, and is the work of the pastor. He assembles the articles and edits them as a ministry to his church. We offer it to those who read our Web Site but in a different format than is presented to the Church. The purpose, is simple, to generate spiritual thought, and to encourage spiritual discussion within the body. Where credit can be given, it is, but there is no claim of originality. Further, the Trumpet is an avenue of current and future events scheduled for The Faith Bible Baptist of Toledo.
May the Lord bless you as you read this months issue of The Trumpet.
Pastor Tim Goodman
November 2012
**********************
A Prayer for America on Election Day
Millions of citizens will participate in the first duty of freedom – the freedom to vote… Christians face the responsibility to vote not only as citizens, but as Christians who seek to honor and follow Christ in all things. But, beyond the vote, we also bear responsibility to pray for our nation.
First, we should pray that God will bless America with leaders better than we deserve. Democratic systems inevitably reflect the electorate’s decisions, and these decisions reveal underlying worldviews. And, truth be told, all we can expect from democracy is the government we deserve… May God grant us mercy as He reigns and rules over all things, including this election.
Second, we should pray that Americans will be motivated to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship, yet also that we will be stripped of an unhealthy and idolatrous confidence in the power of government to save us… No human ruler can save. No government official or office holder can heal the human heart, solve the sin problem, or accomplish final justice. These powers belong to God and God alone.
Third, we must pray that Americans will vote by conscience, not merely on the basis of celebrity or emotion. Christian citizens must vote to uphold righteousness and contend for righteous and just laws…
Fourth, we must pray that Americans will vote to defend the least among us – and especially those who have no vote. This starts, but does not end, with concern for the unborn and for the recovery of respect for the dignity and sanctity of every single human life at every stage of development, from conception until natural death.
Fifth, we should pray that God will prick the conscience of the nation on issues of morality, righteousness, and respect for marriage as the central institution of human civilization…
Sixth, we should pray that God will protect these candidates and their families… They are public figures, but they are also flesh and blood human beings, who are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters… We should pray for their marriages and their children. May God protect them.
Seventh, we should pray that the election is conducted with honor, civility, respect, and justice… May there be a clear winner, not a contested result.
Eighth, we must pray that Americans will be prepared to accept the results of the election with respect and kindness… May Christians be ready to respond with prayer, respect for office, and a gentle spirit. Others will be watching.
Ninth, we should pray that this election would lead to even greater opportunities to preach the Gospel, and that the freedom of the church will be respected, honored, and protected.
Tenth, we must pray for the church, praying that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ would be strengthened in the truth, grounded in the faith; and empowered for witness and ministry. May the church, the sign of the, coming kingdom, be faithful to declare the Gospel – knowing that this is the only message that will salve.
May God grant us mercy and grace as we seek to fulfill our responsibilities as Christians …
May God bless America, not because this nation deserves to be blessed, but because He is a God of mercy and grace…
Originally published at AIbertMohler.com
**********************
Parson to Person
Praise the Lord our new steeple is up and we have a new roof. God truly is a God of supply. I am thankful for His supply in our time of need. Realistically looking at our church and our financial capabilities we would have had a very difficult, if not impossible time raising the funds to buy a new roof and steeple, but for God it was just a little wind. That’s the care of our Great God!
With the new roof and steeple in place I am planning a dedication service to be conducted November 11th. I am in the process of planning the service now and as such I don’t have any details to include in this issue of the Trumpet but we will keep you informed as to the details. Please pray for this special service.
We are also planning on having afternoon services during the winter months of Dec-Feb. This will involve having a meal here followed by an early afternoon service. There are a number of benefits to having such a schedule. Let me list just a few:
• One trip to church on Sunday. (That will save you gas back and forth.)
• The church will save in their heating cost. (We will not need to heat up the whole day on Sunday. We will be able to lower the thermostat during the non-use times. This could save us as much as 20% on our weekly heating bill.)
• Two preaching services for the cost of one. (For those who struggle in their Sunday evening attendance this will help. You’re already here, why not stay!)
• Shared meal. (I don’t know anyone who doesn’t need more fellowship.)
The reasons for having afternoon services during the winter months are numerous and I believe that there aren’t any reasons not to have the afternoon services. This can be a time of winter jump and not winter slump. Let’s purpose in our hearts to get behind the church programs and see God do something wonderful for us.
While at the Preachers Fellowship Meeting in Highland Indiana, I met Thom Kimmel. Thom Kimmel is the head of Faithful Stewards Inc. and he conducts a Debt-Free Conference in Church across America. He teaches churches and church members how to live Debt-Free. We have him on the calendar for February 17th thru the 19th. Bro Kimmel is a humble and faithful servant who has been a blessing to many churches through the years. If you want to check up on his ministry check him out at www.debtfreepro.com. I believe this could be a church and church member changing meeting. You need to plan to attend each service. We are also going to do some publicity to make the conference available to anyone who would like to attend. Please pray now for this all important meeting.
Let me close with a reminder that Linda and I love you and pray for you often. May the Lord Bless our efforts together this year!
Pastor Tim Goodman
***********************
How Soon Should You Get It Fixed?
Gerald Privett,
Greenfield, IN
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3)
If something is broken, how soon should you get it fixed? My wife had a ceramic pig and with the kind of activity we have around the house, it got broken. She set the thing aside with the intention of getting it fixed, but our life is so hectic that it has yet to be fixed. Pieces are now missing and it will never be mended. We both know it should have been repaired as quickly as possible, but it didn’t happen.
There are things in our life that get broken and need immediate attention. Bible reading is one of the things that often gets broken, and with that our prayer time. There are many interruptions that cause Bible reading and prayer to be inconvenient and we schedule it for later. Most of the time later doesn’t come and soon we are out of the habit of reading and praying. How can you fix it? I have changed my Bible reading and praying time over and over again. I have never found a time that was convenient, that wouldn’t be interrupted or that the devil wouldn’t fight. I finished reading my Bible for the 62nd time, but not without interuption. It takes desire, determination and discipline to keep this special time “mended.” Broken patterns for reading and prayer time need immediate attention.
We can get along without the pig being mended and there may be other things in that category, but not the things that are essential to your spiritual life. No, Bible reading and prayer are as necessary to the soul as food and drink are to the body. It is a question of realization and priorities. Many people will give immediate attention to the broken things of this world, but wait and postpone the repair of those things which are spiritually necessary. If there is some spiritual thing in your life that is broken, give it immediate attention, before you lose the pieces and can’t get it repaired.
“…Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7)
***********************
Seven Reasons to Have a Debt-Free
Conference in Your Church
By Thom Kimmel,
Faithful Stewards Inc.
1. Practical Biblical Teaching.
Your people will be given straight-forward, practical Biblical teaching on how to get out of debt, how to live DEBT-FREE, and how to live according to Romans 13:8. They will:
a. Learn how to break free from the bondage and servitude of debt as taught in Proverbs 22:7.
b. Learn the “how-to’s” of getting out of debt as opposed to the “why’s” of debt. Many Christian financial ministries teach you should be debt free, WE simply show you how to get the job done!
c. Learn how your people can become DEBT-FREE in 3-7 years including their mortgage and do it on the money they now earn!
2. Our Program Helps Build Stronger Church Members.
When church members are out of debt, they have less stress in their lives; and they are happier, more productive members.
a. It is a well-known fact that the major cause of divorce is financial stress; thus, DEBT-FREE families are stronger families.
b. Our program helps to remove job-related stress due to financial pressures.
c. The program helps alleviate the individual’s anxiety and stress due to the knowledge that he is not following biblical principles with his finances.
d. DEBT-FREE church members are able to respond more readily to the call of God in their lives. They are not tied down with financial problems.
e. DEBT-FREE church members not only tithe, but they also are able to give more abundantly to the Lord because their finances are not obligated to creditors.
3. The Local Church is Made Stronger.
When the people learn personally to be good stewards of the money with which God has entrusted them, church revenues from tithes and offerings will increase because of the debt-free program. When God’s people give biblically, no ministry will ever lack! Fundraisers and missions giving should never be an issue again.
4. The Local Church Becomes a Greater Witness in the Community.
The Christian “witness” to the lost world is strengthened when the church and its members truly “Owe no man anything …” The DEBT-FREE system produces fiscally sound citizens who contribute to society instead of draining its resources. God is always glorified when His people walk in His ways.
5. A Practical Way to Serve the Community.
One of the functions of the local church is to demonstrate God’s love and wisdom to the community in which He has placed them. The DEBT-FREE CONFERENCE can provide the practical means to serve that community by helping its citizens break free from debt and, of course, sin.
6. Evangelistic Outreach to the Community.
The DEBT-FREE CONFERENCE also provides an indirect way to expose the “un-churched,” who normally would not attend a “church” function, to the Gospel.
a. A public conference can be sponsored by the church and advertised by way of radio, newspapers, handouts, etc.
b. Before the conference starts, the pastor can distribute information about the church to the attendees. A devotion and invitation can also be given at the end of the conference as well as an invitation to attend the Sunday and Wednesday services.
c. The conference itself gives an opportunity to articulate the biblical principles to the community that directly relates to the everyday problems and challenges that families face.
7. God Will Bless Those Who Follow His Ways.
The DEBT-FREE CONFERENCE is Bible-based; therefore, it is God blessed. Those who attend and put the principles to use will be successful and blessed of our Lord.
***********************
Baptist We Should Know
John Harper
1872-1912
The Titanic’s last hero
By Thomas Ray
Hollywood has made several movies about the Titanic and its tragic end, but I fear they will never tell the story of John Harper, “the Titanic’s last hero.”
John Harper was born May 29, 1872, in Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland, to godly Baptist parents where prayer and Bible reading was a vital part of each day’s activities. John Harper accepted Christ when he was 14, and by the time he had reached his 18th birthday he had committed his life to preach the gospel. He preached anywhere he had an open door, but most of his preaching was done on street corners and in parks. He earned the reputation as the greatest open air preacher of his day.
In about 1895, the Baptist Pioneer Mission recruited Harper to do evangelistic church work. God abundantly blessed his efforts, and in 1897 he founded Paisley Road Baptist Church in a suburb of Glasgow with 25 members. No man in the British Isles possessed more zeal and determination to reach the unsaved than John Harper. The church became a beehive of activity conducting several weekly open-air services and engaging in an extensive visitation program – all designed to reach the lost. The church experienced phenomenal growth and within four years they were able to build a building that was enlarged several times until it could accommodate 900.
In about 1904, John Harper married Miss Annie Bell. Two years later she gave birth to a beautiful girl they named Annie Jessie (Nana). Tragically, Mrs. Harper suffered from consumption, and childbirth complications resulted in her death. The sadness that engulfed John Harper only deepened his relationship with God, and his preaching and prayers seemed to come directly from heaven.
In 1910 he was called to pastor the historic Walworth Road Church in London. During his brief London pastorate the old church took on new life and new converts began to fill the empty pews. In the fall of 1911, the renowned Moody Memorial Church in Chicago invited John Harper to preach a three-week revival that was extended to three months. A pastor said, “God used him while here as I never have seen a man used before.”
John Harper returned to London for only a few weeks when he received a telegram from the Moody church imploring him to return and to preach for an additional three months. He accepted their invitation and initially planned to sail on the Lusitania, but he delayed his voyage, deciding to sail on the Titanic.
John Harper, his six-year-old daughter, and her Aunt Jessie Leitch sailed as second-class passengers on April 10, 1912. During the next five (and final) days of his life, he was observed on several occasions sharing the gospel with fellow passengers. On the night of April 14, he was awakened by a loud noise and immediately went to investigate. He learned the ship had hit an iceberg and was taking on water. The captain had ordered the women and children to get into the lifeboats.
He rushed back to the cabin where Nana and Jessie Leitch were sleeping and awakened them. He took his daughter and wrapped her in a blanket, and they headed for the life boats. He bent and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes, he told her she would see him again someday.
He turned and headed toward the crowd of desperate and confused passengers. He began yelling, “Women, children, and unsaved into the lifeboats.”
Shortly afterwards, the Titanic began to break in half. John Harper gave his life jacket to an unsaved man saying, “You need it more than I do.” At this point people began jumping into the icy dark waters. John Harper was among them. He was seen swimming franticly to people in the water attempting to lead them to Christ before the icy waters became their grave.
A young man drifted by on a piece of wood. John Harper shouted to the man, “Is your soul saved?”
The man said, “No.”
Harper shouted “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
The man drifted off into the dark but later the current drew him back. John Harper shouted, “Are you saved yet?” “I cannot honestly say that I am.”
John Harper shouted one more time, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ”
Those were the last words John Harper spoke as the icy waters finally engulfed him. Over 1,500 people went into the water; only six were rescued, one of them the young man John Harper had spoken to. The young Scotsman several months later stood in a testimony meeting and stated, “I listened to Rev. Harper’s last message and became a believer in Jesus Christ.”
***********************
How to Become a
Member of
Faith Bible Baptist Church
By Profession of Faith and Baptism
If you will receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and follow Him in baptism by immersion, we welcome you into our fellowship.
By Letter
As a Baptist whose church membership is elsewhere, if God directs you here we will be pleased to welcome you into our church family. We will happily take care of appropriate details for transferring your membership.
By Baptism
If you know in your heart that you have been saved and want to become a member of Faith Bible Baptist Church, we invite you to join us by baptism. This gives testimony of your salvation and your obedience to His direction.
By Statement of Faith
In the event church membership records are not available for a transfer of membership, or if you were once a Baptist church member, we will accept you upon your statement of faith.
You may express your desire to fulfill any of the above by presenting yourself during the invitation at the close of each worship service. Of course, any decision assumes your commitment to being faithful in prayer, church attendance, tithing and participation in our Lord’s work at Faith Bible Baptist Church.
***********************
When the Antichrist Comes on the Scene
By Gerald Privett,
Greenfield, IN
“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:1-2)
The first prophetic seal of the Revelation reveals the central figure of the tribulation period. The Antichrist comes on the scene riding a white horse as if he is the winner of the conquest for the world. His bow, without arrows, shows that, although he has military power, he conquers without the direct use of it. His crown, too, signifies how victorious he is in his march for national and world power.
Daniel says he comes in peaceably and obtains his position of power through what the Irish might call blarney. His words will sound good to the average, unsaved person, but those who walk with God will see through him. He will advance wickedness, be without moral integrity and will fail to bring honor to his political office. He will “work deceitfully,” meaning that he intends to use whatever means is handy to accomplish his desires.
Power is the desire of the Antichrist; political power, military power, financial power, charismatic power and even spiritual power. He will probably be so religious that he will carry a bible to church on a Sunday morning, while working plans for wickedness on Sunday afternoon. He will acknowledge God, but have no regard for Him or His moral attributes. He will use women to advance his goals without regard for their social or moral integrity. The Antichrist will appear in this world as the devil manifest in the flesh. People will approve of him even knowing that his is a liar, deceitful and devilish in his his ambition.
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.” (Revelation 13:8-9)
