“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” 1 Timothy 2:1-6.

Four things to notice about this passage:

1. The Charge is Serious. (1) First of all, I urge…  This resembles Samuel as he prayed for Israel even when they rejected God as being king over them (1 Samuel 12:23).
2. The Charge has a Broad Scope. (1-2) …that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions…
3. The Charge has several Motivations (2-6)
   1. The Glory of God (2-3)
   2. The Cross of Christ (6)
   3. The Pattern of the Mediator (5)
4. The Charge has several Biblical demonstrations
   1. Abraham (Genesis 18:24), prayed for Sodom.
   2. Moses (Exodus 32:11-14), prayed for disobendient Israel.
   3. Elijah (1 Kings 18), prayed that God would show himself to idolatrous Israel.
   4. Jesus (Hebrews 7:25) lives to make intercession.

I hope that this post finds you ready to pray for the new President of the United States and that you won’t neglect this key part of honoring God and helping people. (James 4:17)

We haven’t done this in a while, but I wanted to change the pace on Sunday nights for a few weeks, so if you have a burning question about…anything (within reason, of course), reply to this post and I will choose 10 questions or so and answer them in an upcoming Sunday Evening service. I won’t mention any names, either, so ask away.

While on a mission trip with our church and First Baptist Church Arnold, the reality of the need to make disciples of the nations grasped my heart more than ever before. I was confronted with my own sin of complacency and apathy in sharing the gospel with those who don’t believe and I was blessed to see people believe in Christ as a result of our efforts in Mexico. Please pray for the new believers in Alvara Obregon, Mexico and for Walter, Francis and Elda (missionaries to that village), as they seek to minister to them. Also, remember to pray for those within your circle of influence (family, friends, neighbors, co-workers) who don’t know Christ that God might use you to share the gospel with them.

Thank you to all who came out to the Heartland Baptist Church Men’s Golf Scramble today. We had perfect weather and a good time was had by all. This was to kick off our Bible Conference that begins this Sunday and goes through Wednesday night. Our service times are the same for Sunday, but Monday-Wednesday nights will have a 7:00 p.m. start time. It is our prayer that God will work in a powerful way in your hearts that you might know Jesus more and follow him more passionately.

This Sunday, I will reference several different resources that can help your personal spiritual growth and I wanted to give you a quick way to get those resources in your hand.

Family & Personal Devotions: Donald S. Whitney’s website contains great resources for your personal and family devotions: http://www.spiritualdisciplines.org/ .

Puritan Stuff: Begin with the Valley of Vision, but feel free to dive into the depths of these passionate followers of Christ: http://www.banneroftruth.org/pages/home.php .

Other Resources: This online bookstore is my personal favorite and it contains many resources that would greatly aid your spiritual growth: http://www.monergismbooks.com/ .

I hope these resources are helpful to you.

Pastor Jeremy

How should I as a believer in Jesus Christ view politics?This question is a popular one in many circles and spawns much debate and confusion. As we enter the 2008 election season, in fact, this question looms over the way Christians read the paper, listen to the radio and watch the news. The Scriptures are not silent on these issues, however, and we would do well to pay attention to God’s Word at this critical time. Romans 13:1-7 speaks clearly about the Christian responsibility to respect the governing authorities, since there is no authority on earth that God himself has not established. Therefore, we as believers in Jesus Christ have a duty to obey the law and respect those in authority whether police or politicians. Peter echoes Paul when he says, “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17). While it is clear that we are to respect those in authority over us and obey the law, there is still a question as to how Christians should think about politics specifically. Scripture makes it very clear that the goal of Christian interaction with the culture is centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, as people looking at the world with a Christian worldview, we are to filter everything we encounter through the gospel. So, when a radio host or a media darling says something that makes sense in our minds and agrees with our political viewpoint we are not allowed to be satisfied with that. We must search the Scriptures to see if the views we hear agree with the gospel. The main question we should ask is not, “What did they say on T.V.?” Rather we should ask, “What does the Bible say?”

This Sunday, we will be turning our attention to the crucial topic of church membership. Two weeks ago we focused on the equipping ministry of the staff at HBC. Last week we talked about the discipleship and development of lay leadership within the congregation itself. This week we will begin a two part series on what it means to be a member of HBC by examining our church covenant in detail. In these messages I will be referring to a book by Joshua Harris called Stop Dating the Church. I would recommend that every member of HBC purchase and read this book for their own benefit as a church member. You can go to the following link to purchase this book:

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=23653&kw=stop_dating_the_church&event=PPCSRC&p=1018818&gclid=CP713bnPnJUCFQvOIgodPXJ7aQ

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new staff member to Heartland Baptist Church in Ben Leonard, who will officially join our staff in January of 2009. His position will be that of Associate Pastor of Education and Biblical Counseling. One of his jobs will be to focus on how we can most effectively use Sunday School as “intense discipleship” and make it a primary vehicle for maturity and ministry, but his primary responsibility will be to share the load of pastoral responsibility and make himself available to counsel you in the application of God’s word to your life. With that comes his real heartbeat, which is to train God’s people to counsel one another, so that applying God’s word to your life becomes a natural part of your walk.

I have been praying about this all year and I know that counseling can’t just be a reactionary ministry that is merely available to you if you want to get married or if you don’t understand the trinity, because we want our church to be the primary place that our people go for help. While I see that need here, and deeply desire to meet that need, I physically can’t. The idea that we have a staff member whose entire responsibility is to help care for your souls in the counseling room, in an intensely practical and biblical way thrills my heart for our church.  

Desiring God has a post on their blog called Six Reasons Pastors Should Blog. http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1156_6_reasons_pastors_should_blog/

While we at HBC might not be blogging for all six of these reasons, there are very specific reasons why we believe that a staff blog is important for the people here. Two of those reasons are primary in my mind. First, I need to be writing. As noted on the DG post, “through writing, you delve into new ideas and new insights. If you strive to write well, you will at the same time be striving to think well.” This is important for me as I attempt to shepherd the hearts of our people in maturity and ministry. Second, I am passionate about reading and there are so many wonderful resources to recommend and engage that a staff blog affords an opportunity to mention. I will be posting my Sunday Evening book review books on the blog as well as links as to where they can be purchased. The goal of this blog is the same as the vision of our church, which is maturity and ministry. It is my prayer that this communication outlet will play a valuable role in your knowing and following Christ. (Colossians 1:28-29) 

Pastor Jeremy

On June 30th at 7:00 am our Youth Group is leaving on a mission trip to Nashville TN where we will take part in a lifeway camp called M-Fuge.  While there the students will be sent all over the city to minister to the people of Nashville doing all sorts of things from construction, playing games, working in soup kitchens, and visiting nursing homes.  Here are the list of names of those who will be going on the trip so you can be in prayer for them while we are away:

Me

Justin F.

Erin F. 

Jim

Suzi

Emily

Annie

Lexis

Ashley

Taylor

Monique

Karen

Kevin

Kenny

Alex

Ben