May 26, 2013

9:30 a.m. Morning Service

Guest Speaker, Pastor Christian Wright

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11:00 a.m. Combined Adult Bible Study

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6:00 p.m. Evening Service

Summer Missions Testimonies

Church Business Meeting

May 7. It has recently pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality, as far as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost, though now, while preparing the fifth edition for the press, more than fourteen years have since passed away.

The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished.

For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit.

Before this time my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as an habitual thing to give myself to prayer, after having dressed myself in the morning. Now, I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the word of God, and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, by means of the word of God, whilst meditating on it, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord.

I began therefore to meditate on the New Testament from the beginning, early in the morning. The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord’s blessing upon his precious word, was, to begin to meditate on the word of God, searching as it were into every verse, to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the word, not for the sake of preaching on what I had meditated upon, but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul.

The result I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that, though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer.

When thus I have been for a while making confession, or intercession, or supplication, or have given thanks, I go on to the next words or verse, turning all, as I go on, into prayer for myself or others, as the word may lead to it, but still continually keeping before me that food for my own soul is the object of my meditation. The result of this is, that there is always a good deal of confession, thanksgiving, supplication, or intercession mingled with my meditation, and that my inner man almost invariably is even sensibly nourished and strengthened, and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart.

Thus also the Lord is pleased to communicate unto me that which, either very soon after or at a later time, I have found to become food for other believers, though it was not for the sake of the public ministry of the word that I gave myself to meditation, but for the profit of my own inner man.

With this mode I have likewise combined the being out in the open air for an hour, an hour and a half, or two hours, before breakfast, walking about in the fields, and in the summer sitting for a little on the stiles, if I find it too much to walk all the time. I find it very beneficial to my health to walk thus for meditation before breakfast, and am now so in the habit of using the time for that purpose, that when I get into the open air I generally take out a New Testament of good-sized type, which I carry with me for that purpose, besides my Bible; and I find that I can profitably spend my time in the open air, which formerly was not the case, for want of habit. I used to consider the time spent in walking a loss, but now I find it very profitable, not only to my body, but also to my soul. The walking out before breakfast is of course not necessarily connected with this matter, and every one has to judge according to his strength and other circumstances.

The difference, then, between my former practice and my present one is this: Formerly, when I rose, I began to pray as soon as possible, and generally spent all my time till breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all events I almost invariably began with prayer, except when I felt my soul to be more than usually barren, in which case I read the word of God for food, or for refreshment, or for a revival and renewal of my inner man, before I gave myself to prayer. But what was the result? I often spent a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, or even an hour, on my knees, before being conscious to myself of having derived comfort, encouragement, humbling of soul, etc.; and often, after having suffered much from wandering of mind for the first ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour, or even half an hour, I only then began really to pray. I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart being nourished by the truth, being brought into experimental fellowship with God, I speak to my Father and to my Friend (vile though I am, and unworthy of it) about the[209] things that he has brought before me in his precious word. It often now astonishes me that I did not sooner see this point.

In no book did I ever read about it. No public ministry ever brought the matter before me. No private intercourse with a brother stirred me up to this matter. And yet now, since God has taught me this point, it is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is, to obtain food for his inner man.

As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should be with the inner man. We should take food for that, as every one must allow. Now what is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the word of God; and here again, not the simple reading of the word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts. When we pray, we speak to God.

Now, prayer, in order to be continued for any length of time in any other than a formal manner, requires, generally speaking, a measure of strength or godly desire, and the season, therefore, when this exercise of the soul can be most effectually performed is after the inner man has been nourished by meditation on the word of God, where we find our Father speaking to us, to encourage us, to comfort us, to instruct us, to humble us, to reprove us.

We may therefore profitably meditate, with God’s blessing, though we are ever so weak spiritually; nay, the weaker we are, the more we need meditation for the strengthening of our inner man. There is thus far less to be feared from wandering of mind than if we give ourselves to prayer without having had previously time for meditation. I dwell so particularly on this point because of the immense spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious of having derived from it myself, and I affection[210]ately and solemnly beseech all my fellow-believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God I ascribe to this mode the help and strength which I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials, in various ways, than I had ever had before; and after having now above fourteen years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it. In addition to this I generally read, after family prayer, larger portions of the word of God, when I still pursue my practice of reading regularly onward in the Holy Scriptures, sometimes in the New Testament and sometimes in the Old, and for more than twenty-six years I have proved the blessedness of it. I take, also, either then or at other parts of the day, time more especially for prayer.

How different, when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the morning, from what it is when, without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials, and the temptations of the day come upon one!

As we learned in a recent message, one of the biggest “letdowns” had to be the Triumphal Entry. Prophecies from Daniel 9 and Zechariah 9 were fulfilled as Jesus rode a donkey – that had never been ridden before – into Jerusalem! The people carpeted the way with branches and coats. They shouted “Hosanna!” (or “save now”) quoting from Psalm 118:25-26. It was a glorious celebration, followed by what we could only be described as a “letdown:”

“And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.”  (Mark 11:11) 

Rather than a coronation, the celebration ended with Jesus “looking around.” You see, He is Lord, even in the “letdowns.”Why would the Lord God allow this to happen? When you stop to think about it, you realize that this theme runs throughout the Scriptures:

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Why would the Lord allow His perfect, beautiful creation to be poisoned by Satan – so that almost every human being who ever lived would have his rotting corpse buried in the earth?

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Why would the Lord command His servant, Abraham, to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and burn him as a living sacrifice – and only stop him moments before he plunged the knife into his promised son?  (Hint: read Hebrews 11:17-19)

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Why would He give fantastic visions to his servant, Joseph, and then bury those hopes and dreams in Egypt?

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Why would the Lord anoint His servant, David, as king of Israel, and then allow murderous, hateful people to chase him all over Judea?

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Why would the Lord allow the Triumphal Entry of His One and only Son to fizzle into a “look around?”

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Why does the Lord allow His servants to experience frustrations and failures?All of these are illustrated by something that gardeners and farmers do every year: put seed into the ground. When you place the seed into the soil, do you call that a “burial” or a “planting?”

To understand more about the “letdowns,” listen to the message: The Blessing of the Kingdom.

God the Father put the Seed of the woman, the Seed of Abraham, the hope of Joseph, the Son of David, into the hands of murderous men, who killed Him and placed Him in a borrowed tomb. But He rose again! Now the resurrected Lord does not bury His children in a “letdown;” He has planted us to bring forth lasting fruit for Him (John 15:16). And “the rhythms of the Resurrection” resound throughout the Scripture to keep us looking up, even in the midst of “letdowns.”

In preparation for the coming coronation of the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lord is still “looking around” today. What does He see when He looks upon your heart? Hanani, the seer, once told Asa the king (2 Chronicles 16:9), “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him.”  Even in your “letdowns” when Jesus is “looking around,” let Him find a heart in you that crowns Him as King. Greet Him each day with a coronation, not frustration. For you see, the Lord of the “letdowns” is the Lord of the Resurrection.

- Pastor Gordon Dickson

Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 a.m.

We have a special guest to share with us from God’s Word, and it is YOU!

We will enjoy breakfast and fellowship around what God is teaching each of us from His Word.

This helps us to bear one an others burdens and pray as we ought.

If you had to stand before

the God of Heaven, and He were to ask you,

“What will you give in exchange for your soul?”

What would your answer be?

Read more…

In this glorious doxology (an expression of consummate praise to God), the Apostle Paul expressed the simple, yet profound premise that “God is Able!”

As I tried to demonstrate in this message, every true believer must begin with this simple, powerful concept. Click here to listen to this message.

Here is the message outline with some passages for additional study:

Praise and Exalt the God . . . Who is able.

This is the potential aspect – God’s capacity.

-         to do infinitely more

o       than we ask

o       than we think

Who is at work in us.

This is the practical aspect – God’s conducting

of His Work through us.

-         According to God’s Power

-         Presently working in us

Additional Study: Note the appeals for extravagant blessings: Philippians 1:9; 4:19, Colossians 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 3:11-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

God is Able!

Matthew 10:28, Acts 20:32, Romans 4:20-22, 2 Cor. 9:8, Philippians 3:21, 2 Timothy 1:12, Hebrews 2:18; 7:25

Here is a new hymn that we have been singing at Calvary, to try to capture the joy of the meaning of our great privileges as adopted children of God.

Try singing this to the tune of  “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.” We’ve listed the Biblical references used to write this so that you can study these passages as you read it.

Sincerely,

Gordon and Harriet Dickson

A Hymn of Adoption

Galatians 4:4-7; Ephesians 1:3-14,
Romans 8:14-17; 23-26, Hebrews 2:11

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1. The time of fullness marked the day,
When God sent forth His Son.
Of woman born, and under law,
Redemption’s time had come,
Reversing that old curse for us,
Adopting us in love,
The blessing of the Trinity,
Free Grace, from heav’n above

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2. Joint-heirs with Christ, and Spirit-led
We praise the Trinity
For “Abba, Father!” now we cry
We’re in God’s family
And Jesus calls us “brothers” now
Our fears are put away.
The Spirit of Adoption’s help
Will guide us in the way

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3. Predestined blessings, we enjoy,
According to His will,
Adopted sons, because His work,
His promises fulfill
We stand before Him now in love,
As holy, without blame,
Accepted in God’s own Beloved
Forever in His Name

4. We’ve heard the Gospel Word of Truth,
Believing by His Grace:
In His own precious promises,
For our accursed race.
The Promised Spirit seals us now
For greater blessings still
God gives us an inheritance
The Living Father’s will

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5. The mystery of His good will:
To gather all in Christ,
For in the fullness of the times
He paid redemption’s price
As blood-bought sons, we now enjoy
Forgiveness of our sins,
Adoption, and inheritance,
Which Christ’s great work begins

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6. Adopted sons, we groan within.
God’s Spirit will abide.
Our bodies will soon be redeemed
They will be glorified
We wait with hope and patience still;
The Spirit helps us pray,
By helping in our weaknesses,
And guiding us today

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7. The Father calls us children now
Behold! Amazing Love
Beloved children now we are
But looking up above
What we shall be has not appeared
We know that we are His
But we will be like Christ because
We’ll see Him as He is

- Gordon A. Dickson, Dec. 20, 2012

Tunes: I Sing the Mighty Power of God
The Son of God Goes Forth to War
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

How should you respond when you become acquainted with an angry man? Should you make friends with this furious man? The danger of this relationship and so many other relationships is explained in verse 25. The fact is, we tend to adopt the values of the people that we associate with. Stay around this man for long, and you will begin to think the way he thinks. The result: you too will find your soul in a trap, just like he does! If you really want to get frustrated, then learn to think like this furious man.

Renewing the Mind

These verses highlight the importance of renewing the mind. We would all like to believe that our thinking doesn’t change, but the fact is that it changes constantly. We are constantly listening to others and evaluating their ideas. We tacitly accept the ideas that we tolerate, while rejecting the others. Scripture passages such as Romans 12:1-2 make it plain that we are in danger of “being conformed” or pressed into the mold of the views of those around us. This is why the Christian must renew his mind with the Scripture; your thinking doesn’t remain static; it changes constantly. As a Christian, you have a golden opportunity each day — you can renew your mind with the Glory of God. (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When I was a youth pastor, parents used to express the wish for “positive peer pressure” for their own teens. They thought that if other teens would pressure their teens to do right, then they would do right. When someone expressed this opinion to me, I usually responded that if someone could be pressured to do right then they could also be pressured to do wrong. My appeal has been the same for years: teach your teen how to renew his mind with the Scripture. Do this in your family devotions and even in your own casual conversation. In so doing, you are placing values that will not be easily dislodged. Teach your children how to find friends and what to avoid in acquaintances. Teach them the danger of adopting the wrong values of others.

Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio

We all think we are right. But check your thoughts by God’s Word for real wisdom. Helpful hint: Ask “what’s right about this?” before you post it.

2     Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: But the LORD ponders the hearts.

Want to get rich online? If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.

Should you assume that strangers who contact you are “probably o.k.”? Think again. Or should you give everyone the ability to post things on your personal pages?

8  The way of man is forward [crooked] and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.

What is really happening with people who constantly criticize others?

10 The soul of the wicked desires evil: his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

Social networking is often used to seduce the simple: “Hey, look at this link! ” Where are you “surfing?” What happens when you wander from God’s way?

16 The man that wanders out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

If I put these Proverbs into effect, I might lose all my “friends” online!

19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.

What are you really searching for online?

21 He that follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.

Do you post whatever comes to your mind? Stop to think before you press “send!” Don’t post it unless you want to see it on a billboard with your name.

23  Whoso keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

Maybe one of your “friends” is using another name. Is his real name here?

24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who deals in proud wrath.

Are you really being productive online? Or are you just entertaining yourself?

25 The desire of the slothful kills him; for his hands refuse to labor.

Some people put on a really bold front. But are they really seeking wisdom for the way?

29 A wicked man hardens [emboldens] his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.

Spiritual warfare is a reality. Do you go online with a “military mindset?” Unrestricted access to the internet could destroy you. Get a filter in place and be accountable. Ask the Lord for safety.

31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

– Pastor Gordon Dickson

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Asia Michaleun.

Moses wrote in Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Here’s an idea – plan your life like you plan your year.

All of us prepare for the seasons of the year.  (If you don’t believe me, check the mall parking lots at certain times of the year.) All of us know how to plan for New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We understand the “rhythms of the seasons.” Now let’s see if we can look at our passing years the way we look at the passing seasons. If my math is right, every five days would represent one year (using Moses’ average life span in Psalm 90:10).

So, what if your lifetime were like one year?

The day you were born – Happy New Year! It’s the start of a brand new life and a brand new year. What a wonderful season! Your whole life and your whole year are before you!

At nine years of age, you would find yourself at Valentine’s Day. It’s still too early for spring, but things are beginning to change. Valentine’s Day introduces you to love – and not just the mom and dad kind. When you discover this kind of love, everything begins to change!

You would be “sweet 16″ on St. Patrick’s Day … and not a moment too soon either! This “green” day reminds you of the greening of spring. In this season of “spring cleaning,” you must sort out the treasure from the trash. At 16, you are choosing between good and garbage – constantly. Your choices in “spring cleaning” stay with you all year long, and that’s just like life.

You need the Lord’s help to know trash from treasure.

At 18, you’re late in March and ready to march. Congratulations! High school is behind you; the world lies at your feet. Spring is in full swing! It’s a time to plan your planting. So much of the rest of your “life year” will be formed by the choices you make here. It’s time to ask the Lord for wisdom.

Age 22? You’re in the Easter season and already making some very adult decisions. As the flowers bloom and the weather warms, you see bright new horizons ahead of you. Already you have seen the results of some of those trash/treasure decisions and those “sowing and reaping” choices. As you plan out vacations and holidays, you begin to realize that the course of your “life year” is pretty well set. How you “applied your heart to wisdom” has made all the difference.

When you’re 27, you would be celebrating Mother’s Day, and, by Memorial Day, you would be “over the hill” at 30! The weather is warm and the plans are many. Now you are making decisions, not only for yourself, but for others. You have more responsibilities and more opportunities. Sometimes wisdom comes knocking – with some very hard knocks! It becomes more and more obvious what kind of life and what kind of year you’ve made for yourself.

If you are in your mid-thirties, it’s time to celebrate July 4th. Isn’t independence great? But how did time pass so quickly? Valentine’s Day was just yesterday, right? These are warm days, sweltering “years,” hot with the activity of many well laid plans. The real fruit of your choices is starting to show and grow.

It’s time to “number your days” and “apply your heart to wisdom!”

By the time you’re fifty, it’s Labor Day, and the summer is over. It’s harvest time! So many choices you made earlier in the year, and earlier in life, are now ready for harvest. You begin to understand the phrase “too soon old; too late smart.” Fall is on the way. Is that snow on the roof already?

It seems a stretch, but if you’re 65 you would be at Thanksgiving. (Whew! let’s stop and catch our breath!) In this season of the year, you want to gather all your loved ones together. The word “family” is very important during this part of your “life year.” It’s time to gather together to enjoy the fruit of your labors. It’s time to bless and be blessed.

At 70, it’s Christmas … who would have believed it? Reminiscing in this season brings back the memories of a lifetime. The treasure of those beautiful memories must push aside the trash of the bad memories. It’s time to bless others with the fruit of your year and the fruit of your life.

In which season of the “life year” are you now living?

Wisdom teaches us to use each season of life the right way. It’s never too late for “course adjustments.” As most of this new year lies before us, I hope you will treasure every moment that you have, and remember “time waits for no man.” None of us is guaranteed three score and ten years.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

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Failures aren’t finished!

The Peter Series: Biographical messages

This series of 22 radio broadcasts reminds us that  failures aren’t finished. Let’s study the life of the Apostle Peter to discover how the Lord can still work through us today.

With this goal in mind, I would encourage you to read through this sermon by C.H. Spurgeon.

We all think that we understand what it means to “read the Bible,” but I especially appreciated Spurgeon’s remarks about the way we read:

“But, now, beloved, our point is that much apparent Bible reading is not Bible reading at all. The verses pass under the eye, and the sentences glide over the mind, but there is no true reading. An old preacher used to say, the Word has mighty free course among many nowadays, for it goes in at one of their ears and out at the other; so it seems to be with some readers—they can read a very great deal, because they do not read anything. The eye glances but the mind never rests. The soul does not light upon the truth and stay there. It flits over the landscape as a bird might do, but it builds no nest there, and finds no rest for the sole of its foot. Such reading is not reading. Understanding the metering is the essence of true reading. Reading has a kernel to it, and the mere shed is little worth. In prayer there is such a thing as praying in prayer—a praying that is in the bowels of the prayer. So in praise there is a praising in song, an inward fire of intense devotion which is the life of the hallelujah. It is so in fasting: there is a fasting which is not fasting, and there is an inward fasting, a fasting of the soul, which is the soul of fasting. It is even so with the reading of the Scriptures. There is an interior reading, a kernel reading—a true and living reading of the Word. This is the soul of reading; and, if it be not there, the reading is a mechanical exercise, and profits nothing. “

You can read Spurgeon’s entire sermon by clicking here.

They probably thought of these Psalms with the same fondness that many people would savor Christmas carols.

With this in mind, I composed a piece of poetry, based on Psalm 123. Together, we sang these words to the tune of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” to try to capture the “holiday flavor” of the text. But this is not, by any means, a “candy-coated” approach to life.

Here is a real conflict as the travelers remembered the proud scorners who held them in such contempt. How should we crowd such contempt out of our minds for the upcoming holidays? Psalm 123 holds some blessed answers as we learn to lift up our eyes to the Lord and cry for His Mercy on us. As we study this psalm today, we learn what it means to be a Christian among the contemptuous crowds.

To You, O Lord, We Lift Our Eyes

A poem based on Psalm 123

To You, O Lord, To You we lift our eyes,

To Him, Who sits enthroned upon the skies

Behold! my eyes attend to your Hand,

To cry for Grace and Mercy in this land.

W need Your Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,

we wait upon your mercy in this place!

Oh Lord, we find such hatred in this land

And all around, contempt on every hand

To You, O Lord, to You we lift our eyes

Oh hear us, Heavenly Lord, oh hear our cries

W need your Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,

we wait upon your mercy in this place!

Until we see Your mercy from above

We serve and wait upon our God of love,

We wait among the hateful scorners here,

Until your work of mercy shall appear

We need your Grace! Oh Heavenly Lord,

we wait upon your mercy in this place!

- Pastor Gordon Dickson

Sandy Hook. 9/11. March 2011 earthquakes in Japan.Tsunamis. Myanmar. Virginia Tech shootings. Samson, Alabama. Binghamton, NY. Air France flight 447. Ft. Hood, Texas. And earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China.

When these kinds of tragedies strike, what are we supposed to understand? Is there a timeless message in a terrible massacre?

These horrible, earthly miseries carry a message for all humanity — even for those who were not victimized by the recent disaster.

These earthly miseries warn us about  eternal miseries, and the Gospel message shows us how to escape from the everlasting tragedy.

The answer came from Jesus Christ and can be found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 13.

Click the player below to listen to a message on this text.

Let’s face it. Some marriages are full of misery.

Why? And how can this change?

In this new series entitled, “Spirit-filled Marriage,” Pastor Gordon Dickson  will examine marriage from Ephesians chapter 5.

As this first message demonstrates, God is able to work in your marriage in a way that is infinitely beyond what you could ask or think.

Believers are given the privilege of being filled with all the fulness of God. With this kind of power, Spirit-filled believers can fulfill

the Biblical purpose for marriage and find great joy in their marriages.

To listen to this message, click here.

To listen to Spirit-Filled Marriage, Part 2, click here.

22 radio broadcasts (about 15 minutes each) describing the Life of Peter. This interesting series reminds us that “failures aren’t finished.” Click the program (podcast) player to begin.

Twenty-two Radio Broadcasts

Updated, August 10:

Please pray for Suzanna Mangum today as she travels on her medical missions trip.

Friday Morning Update: Suzanna’s parents have received word that she arrived safely.

Saturday Morning Update: Suzanna and her co-worker are settled in and have begun to work.

Monday Update:  Suzanna sent the following e-mail.   Thank you for your prayers. My first couple days here have been filled with new experiences.   I assisted with an outpatient clinic on Saturday.  We saw hundreds of people come through the clinic. On Sunday I had the opportunity to travel to one of the village churches. It was very encouraging to see how the gospel can work in hearts that were once closed. Please pray that I will be able to show Christ’s love to those that I serve during the next couple days of clinics and operations.  Having the time of my life! I love it here!!

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Tuesday Update:  Today was an amazing day.  It was operation day here at the hospital. There were forty-one scheduled surgeries.  The food has been great. We have the sweetest girl ever who cooks our meals for us. For breakfast we usually eat eggs,rice tortilla and mango.  There is lots of mango and pineapple here. Lunch and dinner are rice, vegetables, and fish or chicken. I have been able to get enough rest to.

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Friday, August 10 Update   This past week was amazing! Most of my time was spent at the hospital and the school. There are abundant opportunities to serve those in need here. Yesterday we went to a remote area and held a clinic there.  I will have to give more details when I am back in the States. It was an amazing experience! HE was definitely working in blinded hearts.

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Thursday, August 16    Please pray for Suzanna as she travels home today and tomorrow.  Suzanna will be giving a report of her trip in our Sunday evening service.

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Updates from Missions Trips

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This summer, members of Calvary Baptist Church will be taking missions trips to share the Gospel, the Good News of Christ in India, the Philippines, China, Arizona and New Hampshire.  Please pray for our teams.

Why are our members traveling around the world?

Here is the answer

Click here for the answer.

Will and Redge are designing the booth

Have you seen this sign on Interstate 75?

What are those Three Things that God cannot do?

This year, Calvary Baptist Church will have a booth in the Hancock County Fair Merchants’ Tent, #20-21. Drop by the booth, and we will be glad to answer that question, and explain the Mystery of the Two Chairs.

If you would like to work at the booth this year, please call the church office.

Our present plan includes games for children, balloon animals, popcorn, bottles of water, and some intriguing stories about the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We will be training workers for the booth on the next three Wednesday evenings.

Bring your friends by the booth August 29 – September 3. There are special prizes for children and adults.

Click Here to see the Fair Worker/ Prayer Partner Spreadsheet

Couch Potato Derby

Saturday, August 11

Teens, you don’t want to miss this day!!!

This year’s Couch Potato Derby will be held August 11th from 9am until 6:30pm at Bethany Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Ohio.

This is the 8th annual Derby and it is sure to be a fun-packed, food filled day. As always, there will be a lot of door prizes that you can sign up for too! The evangelist again this year is Brother Mike Manor! He loves teens and will be sure to give us all some laughs. More importantly he will clearly teach us God’s Word.

As usual, the CPD includes a yummy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During the build times the teams will construct racing couches out of material from our junkyard. At the end of the day they will enjoy head-to-head racing of YOUR push-powered couches. This is followed by the awards ceremony where they will find out who gets to take home the traveling Couch Potato Derby Cup!

Whether you feel mechanically minded or not, the day holds a lot of fun and entertainment for you!  Last year we had over 100 teens and 18 racing couches! Come join us for this day you will never forget! Please contact us with any questions. We look forward to having you with us on August 11th!

Be sure to wear close-toed shoes (like athletic shoes), and to have a completed and signed parental release form. If you need a form, you can either download it from the link on this page or just have your parent fill it out when they drop you off. Don’t miss out on the fun!!

Click here for parent release and registration forms

Saturday Morning Update:

During this last week, our team members presented the Good News of Jesus Christ in 153 classrooms to a total of 6,670 people. This week was especially arduous since some days required up to 10 hours of travel by van to reach the more remote schools.

Just received word from the team that they are leaving for the airport in about five minutes (6:00 a.m. (PHT).

Our Philippines Mission Team is scheduled to depart from Lumbia / CDO at 8:11 a.m. and arrive in Manila at 9:25 a.m. (PHT).

Saturday Midday Update:

The team called from Manila as they were preparing to board their flight to Taipei. Everything is going well, and the flights appear to be on time. The flight from Manila will depart at 12:55 p.m. (PHT) and arrive in Taipei at 2:45 p.m.

Saturday Late Afternoon Update:

The team arrived on time and will be in the Taipei airport for about eight hours before their next flight.

6:40 p.m. EDT Location Update: In flight, south of the Aleutian islands

Saturday Evening Update: The team has landed safely in Seattle. It will be a short night. The team’s flight departs at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning and arrives in Chicago about noon (CDT).

 Sunday morning in Seattle update:

Just received word that the team is headed for the airport (at 4 a.m. Seattle time).

Sunday afternoon Update: 1:20 p.m. EDT: The team has arrived at Chicago O’Hare and they are waiting on their luggage.

Final Team Update 8:45 p.m. : Our Philippines team has returned!

At 6 p.m. this evening,

the Grand View Mission team

will give testimonies and report on their trip.

Please join us for this celebration of their accomplishment.

Playing some Uno one evening…

And the next day finishing the project!!

Friday Evening Update:

The team is resting in preparation for early morning travel tomorrow.

They are scheduled to fly out of Cagayan de Oro at 8:11 a.m. local time and arrive in Manila at 9:15. After that, it is on through  Taipei.

On Saturday evening, they plan to stop over in Seattle for the night to rest (and recover from jet lag.) On Sunday morning, they will fly to Chicago, where they will be picked up for the return trip to Findlay.

At present, their estimated time of arrival is 8 p.m.

Our team will  be presenting a report and testimonies about the trip on Sunday evening, August 12.

Next: Philippines Mission Team Travels Home

Thursday Morning Update:

From Ron: We are getting ready to head out on a team. Everyone is doing well. Everybody is feeling well. We have everything in order for our flights out on Saturday morning. We are really excited about the opportunities we have had and we cannot wait to share! We are going with the small teams today and Anna is on our team. We are not sure yet how many schools we will visit.

Yesterday was a great day! We went to six schools and I had an opportunity to do impromptu mass evangelism. It was an exciting day! Linda got to do a presentation for a lot of people in a courtyard. It was amazing, simply amazing!

Thursday Evening Update:

It’s 5:45 pm in the Philippines. The team is headed for dinner. Ron had the opportunity to present the Gospel to about 80 students today. Today and tomorrow are National Exam days in the Filipino schools, so the teams may not be able to present the Gospel as many times tomorrow as they have during other days.

Why did we send a team of our members to destinations that are thousands of miles away?

It is because the heart cry of the nations is “Who will bring us to God?” Listen to the answer here.

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In the wood shop working on bunk beds since the roof  project has been washed out.

Wednesday Evening Update:

The newest pictures from the team are below. The internet connection continues to be a little tentative. We hope to have an update later today.

Mrs. Redick wrote:

All’s well tonight with our beloved e-Campaigners. They took the Gospel to 30 campuses today! We need to pray for those who are sick, those who are weary and those who are losing their voices. Pray for those who must make so many decisions every day! Pray especially for Pm and the CDO SMCI I/C Roxanne Ville Serra!

Romans 11:36 !

Here is a wonderful testimony from one of the team’s leaders and co-laborers in Cagayan de Oro!

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Here are some new pictures from the Gospel ministry team:

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Wednesday Morning Update Aug. 1:

The team doesn’t have a consistent internet access, so some reports have been delayed.

From Ron: Linda and I went to two colleges today.  I believe Sam and Anna also went in different teams to two colleges.  I had a unique opportunity to present to around 75 sailors in their uniforms under an open porch.  Really exciting!

I also had the opportunity to present to a college student one on one.  He accepted the Lord! I guess a typhoon is going to hit Manila.  We are seeing it all.

We have not enjoyed as many teaching opportunities due to needing travel long distances by van.  I will attempt to send you some updated statistics this evening.  Everyone is doing well, although the long van rides are very tiring.

The typhoon storm track is away from the Philippines and toward Taiwan. The storm should pass over the northern tip of Taiwan about 9 am (EDT) on Thursday.

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Why would we send a team of people to the far side of the world? It’s because we have an important message for them to hear. You can listen to that message here:

It really doesn’t matter how black your sin is; The Lord has the power to save you from your sin.

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We are working with five others on this project.

The foreman, Roger, owns his own construction company in Greeley, Colorado.  He shut it down two years ago to move here and construct this camp.  When the project is finished, in probably two more years, his family is moving back to Greeley.

It didn’t take long for us to fit right in with the workers.  Two of them came over last night and played table games.