Archives for July 2015

Good morning,

Last Sunday Pastor Ben Burtch, Immanuel Baptist Church, preached a message that encapsulates where we are as a nation. He titled his message “Homosexuality, Righteous in America, Abomination Before God.”

I would challenge you to go to ibcpalmer.org and listen to his sermon. Hopefully, it will move you to action.

Clearly our nation is in desperate need of prayer. We need to “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Our nation’s leaders need salvation. Leadership will either lead their nation to God, and prosper, or away from God to destruction. In my lifetime, I have seen prayer taken out of schools, the murder of babies legalized, and same sex marriages approved. This last one caused the world to be destroyed in the flood and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed. God only puts up with sin for so long before He takes action.

Christians need to obey God. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8) We need to know what we believe. We need to be vocal about what we believe. We need to live it. Our communities, acquaintances, friends need to be able to tell we are believers in Jesus Christ. Think outside the box in your witness for Christ.

Expect persecution. The decisions being made today affect believers in Christ. We will go from being respected for believing in Christ to being ridiculed.  “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:¹³ But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Again, please listen to Pastor Burtch’s message. It is powerful, revealing, and convicting.

Let’s get to work!!!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Joseph Bianchi is a Pastor and has a unique insight on the local church.

A spiritual playpen where the crying babies must be appeased!

(Joseph Bianchi)

In the twenty-first century, we are obsessed with self-satisfaction and getting our desires met. Hence, any teaching that invades our lifestyle and tells us we must alter or discard out old habits, is usually consigned to the junk pile. In so thinking and doing, the church has been transformed into a spiritual playpen where the crying babies must be appeased with what makes them feel good.

The Evangelical world is abuzz with terms like “purpose driven church” or “seeker friendly church”. What these terms really amount to is one thing: compromise.

The goal of churches should not be to see how much like the world they can be, so as to make worldly people feel comfortable. Rather, the churches should be so unlike the world, so alien to the world, that the disillusioned unbeliever will be drawn to them.

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.
For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?
Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?
What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”  “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”  “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Two choices for a church. Compromising and Bible believing. Which do you attend? If you would like to discuss in more detail or you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, let’s talk.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001