This past Tuesday we had the 3rd Annual WV Capital Connection. Each year pastors, associate pastors and laymen go to our state capital and pray with delegates and senators. We also gave out Bibles to each contact as a token of our appreciation. We did not go with any political or personal agenda. We went to pray, encourage and be a help in any way possible to those that serve us in the state legislature.
Why do we go? We are instructed in 1st Timothy 2:1-6 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. As you study these verses you can see we are to pray for all and especially for all those in authority and the end result is “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” If that was not good enough to satisfy the next verse says “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.” And if that was not enough for us to obey the next verse speaks of a Saviour “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” What more would a believer need to know to be obedient toward God and pray for those that are in authority over us? If you believe and if you obey you will read that we are to pray…not riot, destroy property, rant or hide behind a nonsensical post on social media. Believers are to pray. We went to pray and try in some small way to show those that serve us that we care and are willing to help them. As I went from one to the other I was amazed at the warm reception and the welcoming spirit we received to pray with them. Each person shared their requests and joined us as we bowed in prayer. I was blessed by their concern for those they serve and the sincerity in which they serve. Whether you agree with our elected official’s position or not the only instructions we have is to pray. Anything else goes against the word of God. Enjoy your coffee! Love you all, Pastor Gary Coffee with the Pastor
1/15/17 We are now halfway through the first month of the year. You may or may not have made some resolutions or some changes you want to make to better your life in some way. By now you have settled in to the new routine that you resolved to adopt. How is it going? Are those resolutions still in place? I would think the only thing worse than setting goals and not reaching them is to set no goals and be content with your lot in life and express no desire to grow as a person. One goal we should all share as believers is to grow in our relationship to God. We should desire to be more mature, to have a spiritual outlook that will impact others for God. Some ways to accomplish a more mature spiritual relationship with God is to make him the focus of your life. In Psalms 37:4 we read “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” The first fact we can see in this verse is that we are to delight in the Lord. Be thankful for our relationship with him. Be thankful for the life he has given us. Don’t you get tired of putting your trust in people and constantly be disappointed? Our delight or joy or fulfillment in life should come from the Lord. To look elsewhere is folly. There is no joy or satisfaction outside a relationship with God. The second fact we can look at in that verse is that if we delight ourselves in the Lord he will “give thee the desires of thine heart.” Understand this…if we delight in God he will give us our desires. Also understand this…if we truly delight in the Lord and are willing to follow him our desires will line up with his virtues. If we are living a defeated life as a believer could it be we are not focused on God or our desires do not line up with God’s virtues? It’s not too late. Let’s examine of life and resolve to make the changes that allow our relationship with God to grow and in turn we become the Christians he wants us to be. Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary Christmas…what a great time of year. People seem happy, filled with anticipation and looking forward to time spent with family and friends. Traveling is on the increase, postal workers are more burdened with cards and it seems that delivery trucks run night and day. Christmas is truly a special time of year.
What makes this time of year special though is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. In Luke 2:6-7 we read “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” What joy that day in the arrival of Immanuel. As his name implies God was now truly with man. Jesus had taken the form of a baby and was born to a virgin. I love the words “she brought forth her firstborn son.” Can you picture in your mind Mary as she finally got to lay her eyes on her son, her firstborn son. She must have been filled with wonder and awe at the sight of the Saviour of the world laying there resting in her arms. At that time Jesus had very basic needs and Mary was capable of meeting those needs. You and I on the other hand have needs that no man or woman could fulfill and that is why Jesus had to come to earth as a baby. He lived the life that the Father had intended for him and ultimately gave his life as atonement for our sins. Those early days consisted of a mother and her child resting and enjoying the new life. As the shepherds and those gathered around wondered at the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Luke 2:19 says “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” Try as I might to understand what Mary was thinking about I must admit I do not know. The Bible does not say. She sat looking into the very eyes of God. She knew the Old Testament prophecies. She knew the events foretold about his birth and about his sacrifice. While I do not know the thoughts of Mary I hope she sat, looked into the eyes of Jesus and saw the Messiah…her Saviour. During this Christmas season my prayer for you is that you see Jesus as you have never seen him before. Do not look at him as a babe in a manger. Those days are long gone. See Jesus as he is today. A Saviour, who came, lived, died and rose again that we may have a remission of sin. You are the reason he came. Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, let’s stop just a minute to consider why being thankful to God is important not just on Thanksgiving but every day of the year. Giving thanks is clearly taught in Scripture, but what does it accomplish? God says in Psalms 107:8-9 “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” We can see in verse 8 that God almost laments that men would acknowledge his goodness toward mankind. We should make praising the Lord a part of our everyday lives. I think we could also all agree that giving thanks is good, however, if we are not careful our prayers are used to request from God than giving thanks to God. We’re so focused on our troubles and needs of the day that we sometimes overlook how he has already blessed us. His word says that he will fill a hungry soul. We are surrounded with opportunities to show a hungry soul what god can do. What the world needs today is for believers to trust in him and by that I mean have a trust that an unsaved person can see hope in.
We also read in Psalms 118:1 “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.” The mercy that God bestows upon us has no end. Just think of all the things in your life and see what you can come up with that has not ended. All the emphasis that people put on possessions, money, family, and relationships will all have an end but the relationship you have with God if you have put your faith and trust in him will never end. God truly is good. We have so much to be thankful for that we should be ready each and every day to be thankful to him. As you gather this Thanksgiving with those you love to celebrate God’s goodness, may God real in your life. Only when you make him first in your life with you truly have something meaningful to be thankful for. Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary What now? The question is being asked over and over again in this country by many is "What Now." Those who are euphoric over the election are asking the same question as those angry over the result. So what do we do now?
The very first action item a believer should do is to pray. We need to pray for those over us and for their salvation. In 1st Timothy 2:1-4 we read "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." God would have all men to be saved and if they were, their actions would show their belief in God and his ways. Secondly as believers we should know what the ways of God are. Gods plans, directives and will is borne out in his word, the Bible. We need no other authority to lead this nation than the word of God. Believers should lead this nation in showing by word and deed the truth contained in the word of God. The reason Christians are caught up in meaningless debate over social and cultural issues is their lack of knowledge or outright denial of what the Bible says. If believers would put the time into the study and understanding of what the Bible has to say then senseless debate would cease. We read in 2nd Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Through ignorance people are divided over issues God settled before the beginning of time. Thirdly as believers we should remember that our first responsibility is to share the Gospel with an unsaved world. If we spent as much time sharing the Gospel as we spent on compromising the Gospel the world would be a different place. The reason people are asking "What Now" is that they are placing their trust in the wrong place. In Jeremiah 17:7 we read "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." If you put your faith and trust in a person or party instead of God you are wrong. So where do we go from here. In other words"What Now?" It is sad to see so many prefer the ways of man over the ways of God. It is sad to see people distraught because their person or their dogma did not win and expend their energy in defense of their misplaced beliefs while people are going out into eternity without a saving belief in God. This land needs the hope that comes from God and that message comes though believers. Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary I am a Cubs fan. I have been since I sat in Wrigley Field in the fall of 1981. The ivy on the outfield wall…the old yet venerable ball park…the legions of fans that were willing to wait and band together until the “Cubbies” could make it to the World Series. While I do not live or die on the fortunes of a baseball team I do admire how they pull together, support each other and are willing to follow the manager into the largest spectacle in the baseball world. Win or lose they will do it as one.
We can read in Ephesians 4:2-3 that the Apostle Paul tells us as Christians we should walk “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We as a church, as the body of Christ should be the first to show the world we walk together. Paul goes on to say in verses 4-6 “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Do you see a common theme here? We as the body of Christ are to be seen as one. Anything other than that is sin in the eyes of God. In verse 11 we see gifts given to men and those gifts we see in verse 13 are to be used “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” If we are not willing to be taught, edified and instructed we will those described in verse 14 where we read about those “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” Moving as one shows growth in God…inviting division into the body of Christ is the work of satan. God is the only one that knows the truth and the only one we should turn to in seeking truth. One of Tennyson’s famous lines is “A lie which is half a truth is ever the worst of lies.” Did you ever wonder why in John 4 that Jesus felt “he must needs go through Samaria?” Because there was a woman there that needed that “well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Let us be seen as one…moving together and serving God and sharing the Gospel. Somewhere in your travels there is a person sitting next to a well of despair hoping someone will come along and show them the love of Jesus. Will that be you? Go Cubs! Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary In this time of year I keep hearing about the past and what the future holds. Everyone is talking about the impact and the legacy they will leave if they become our next leader. While I try to avoid as much of this blather as possible it does give me cause to reflect on the future and the legacy I will leave behind.
Sidney Lanier was born in Macon, Georgia on February 3, 1842. He grew up in the area around Richmond, VA and as a child learned to play the flute, organ, piano, violin, guitar and banjo. He served in the Confederate Army in the signal service because of his flute playing. During his service he was impacted by the ugliness of war and he began writing immediately after his release from Point Lookout in 1865. His poems and writings reflected the spirit of today and tomorrow. Here is one of his poems that is a favorite of mine. Souls and Rain-Drops Light rain-drops fall and wrinkle the sea, Then vanish, and die utterly. One would not know that rain-drops fell If the round sea-wrinkles did not tell. So souls come down and wrinkle life And vanish in the flesh-sea strife. One might not know that souls had place Were’t not for wrinkles in life’s face. What kind of wrinkles will you leave on life’s face? How will you be known? If someone were asked to describe you and your defining characteristics what wrinkle would they tell. In James 4:14 we read “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” We have such a short time here and even less time to impact those we come in contact with. How do you impact people? Will you have the witness that gives way to an opportunity to share the Gospel? If not have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? What do you spend your life doing? In Matthew 22:37 we read that a believer is to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” If we love God we will believe in what he says, be obedient to God in all his ways and be faithful to the work he has given us. If I am going to wrinkle life’s face my prayer is that I wrinkle it for the Lord. Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary Back in 1986 when I was working at another job I won an award for going above and beyond the expectations of the job I was doing. This award was known by the acronym “P.W.M.D.” That acronym stood for People Who Make a Difference. At that time in my life I as well as others was recognized for making a difference in the place that we worked and with the people we worked with. The PWMD award was coveted and while many competed only a few received it. That seemed so long ago and I wonder today if I am still making a difference in the world around me.
The Bible says in Jude 1:22 “And of some have compassion, making a difference.” In striving for the PWMD award I out the effort into knowing what was required to be successful and ultimately saw the results of that effort. When reflecting on that I began to wonder if I put that type of effort out to serve God. God does tell us what we need to do to serve him. If we read in the previous verses of Jude 1 we can see that God instructs us to build ourselves up on “your most holy faith.” We all have faith in something but the faith that builds and matures the believer is faith in God. We should be “praying in the Holy Ghost” and keeping ourselves “in the love of God.” Having an active prayer life that includes every aspect of our life gives us the desire to be God honoring in all that we do. Keeping ourselves in the love of God also gives us the ability to look upon others and have compassion on them and the circumstances they are found in. If you want to make a difference in someone’s life show them some love just like Jesus showed you. No one needs our disdain or judgmental attitudes. What they need to someone to show them the compassion and understanding of Jesus. They need to know that someone loved them enough to die for them and rise again so that their sin debt would be paid. If you want to make a difference in the life of someone, show some compassion. Look at them through the eyes of Jesus and let them see the love of God. Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary Yesterday our nation and many of those around the world remembered the tragedy of 9/11. The events of that day changed our lives forever. Have you ever wondered about the day after? I am sure the rescue efforts continued that day and people began to evaluate the impact of 9/11.
Can you imagine the next day after God sent out Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden as told in Genesis 3:23-24? I wonder how long Adam and Eve stood and gazed at their old home. No doubt they spent time evaluating their decision to sin and to this day the “whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain.” The day after Jesus was born Mary “kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” What was Mary pondering? Being a new Mom? The Mother of the Saviour of the world had been born and most likely Mary knew the prophecies and the sacrifice that Jesus would be required to make. How about the day after Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus? The Bible says in Acts 9:8 “ And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.” The day after Paul sat in darkness yet God was working in him and he became the most prolific missionary of his day. What about your “day after?” Do you realize as a believer your day after will be in Heaven? As an unbeliever your next day will be in Hell. When God gives us today he allows us an opportunity to accept and serve him. 2nd Corinthians 6:2 says “now is the day of salvation.” If you know Jesus as Saviour each of your “day after” needs to be another day to grow and serve God. Do not wait until the “day after” to make a decision for God. Those decisions need to be made today. Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary Today, you will have an impact on someone’s life and in turn someone will impact you. I enjoy reading accounts where Jesus impacted people. During his earthly ministry, Jesus moved among people and sought to change their life, many times on a daily basis. In Matthew 9:27-30, Jesus healed two blind men. Blindness can be viewed as the condition of a person without God. Anyone who does not know Jesus as their personal Savior is spiritually blind. They were faced with the physical challenge of blindness but everyone is faced with spiritual blindness when we do not know God. We can see some principles used by these men and apply them to our lives as we confront challenges in our life. Using these same principles, we can also allow Jesus to impact our life just as he did that day.
As we read the account in Matthew 9, what we first notice is that these men were earnest in seeking help. The word which describes their appeal is “crying.” Do we earnestly seek God when life challenges us? Second, they were persistent. Verse 27 says, “Two blind men followed him.” Continuing in verse 28, “And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him.” How persistent are we in asking Jesus to answer? Third, they had a definite object in prayer. They knew what they wanted. They wanted their sight. There was no beating around the bush with these men. Be specific with God and then allow him to work in your life. Fourth, they confessed their own unworthiness. They cried out, “Thou son of David, have mercy on us.” They were not asking for justice. They wanted mercy. We all need mercy. We read the reply of Jesus in verse 28: “Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?” The question concerned their faith and Jesus wanted to hear their answer. There was no hesitation…they answered immediately: “Yea, Lord.” When we ask God do we really believe he will answer and also are we willing to accept the answer he gives? When our faith is under attack and being challenged can we say “Yea Lord?” We read of the response of Jesus and “Then touched he their eyes…And their eyes were opened.” Because they believed they were healed. That healing came from the one who could heal. Their lives were impacted that day because they believed. You will have the opportunity to have your faith put to the test…will you believe and allow Jesus to impact your life today? Do you believe? Enjoy your coffee. Love you all, Pastor Gary |
AuthorGary W. Hall, Pastor of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. Archive
January 2021
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