Grace Baptist Church

What’s In a Name? Oct. 14, 2009

Names and labels are valuable- not because they present a complete picture, but a church’s name gives a beginning snapshot to help describe their doctrine and practice. However, a church name does not completely reveal the spiritual nature or fervor of the church, nor whether that church truly follows the Holy Scripture. We all know, that you can smack a label on a skunk and call it a kitty all you want, but it doesn’t make it so; it is the same with a church and its name. A church’s practice is more important than what their sign says, yet a church’s name can be very helpful in understanding where they stand on certain issues, as well as remind a church what their practice ought to be.
Our church name is Grace Baptist. Obviously this is not the only name that a Biblical church can wear- either with the words “Grace” or “Baptist.” But something very dynamic is being said with that name that we wear.
“Grace” defines our view of doctrine and practice. We desire to be an organized body (church) that emphasizes God’s grace in our lives. What is grace? Grace is God’s undeserved, loving favor on sinners which enables us to serve and worship Him. If we are emphasizing grace, that means, primarily, we will not teach nor accept any doctrine that includes human work and effort in securing eternal salvation and Divine forgiveness for sins. We will separate ourselves from any church or organization that is sympathetic to man-willed energy in drawing, believing, or accepting God’s gift of eternal life. We are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9). This does not mean that we will whitewash or ignore sin and man’s sinful tendencies. But rather we recognize that when we come to grips with our own depravity, the great grace of God is emphasized. This also does not mean that man is not responsible to respond to God’s calling by grace. God desires all men and women, boys and girls, to repent and believe the Gospel of Grace.

Grace also defines our position concerning God’s sanctifying work. We believe that God saves us by His Divine grace and then He grows us by His sanctifying grace. Keeping rules (even really good ones) and obeying OT law (or modern man-made law) cannot truly grow a Christian in the Holy Faith. Only when we humbly submit our hearts, minds, and wills to God’s Holy Word through the Holy Spirit’s illumination of that Word will we recognize the immense mercies and grace of God. And as we recognize God’s mercies and grace in our lives, we are able to respond by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice; and out of love and devotion we live holy, godly lives while growing by grace (Rom. 12:1-2;
II Pet. 3:18).
Grace not only describes our doctrine of salvation and sanctification (our Christian growth), but grace must also describe our practice with one another. A church is made up of people, and therefore it is far from perfect. The structure and blueprint is perfectly Divine, but the materials (that’s us folks), are far from perfect. The only way we as a church can be a lighthouse of God’s grace is through gracious living and interaction with one another. Jesus told his disciples that the world would recognize true disciples by their genuine love for one another (John 13:35). We want to be grace-filled, gracious people. That means thinking of one another before ourselves; it means placing another’s good above our own benefit (Phil. 2:3-4); it means being slow to take offence and quick to forgive those who do cause offence. It means that we treat one another as we would treat one holding the light of Christ in their soul (as all believers do).
So we see that “Grace” predominately defines both our doctrine and our practice. We are people of Grace! And by being that, the God of Grace is exalted with great glory.

Letters to my Grace Family

Dear Church Family,                                           April 5, 2009

I have been greatly impressed upon by God’s Spirit through the written Word of God that we are in need of an awakening in our world, our culture, and in our church.  There is much that is on my heart; I thought it would be good for me to put some of these thoughts down in a series of letters both to exhort and encourage you as God’s church. 
          I first want to encourage you as a church regarding our “love-life.”  If we are to ever understand the true meaning of “revival” or as the Psalmist puts it, an “awakening” we must understand Biblical, Godly love.  The Word of God commands us to “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, might, and mind.” We are to love God with every ounce of our being–spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.  The Word also teaches that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.  This is the supreme responsibility of the Christian.  Biblical love supersedes any pet doctrines, positions, or opinions.  Love is the evidence of a genuine conversion to Jesus Christ.  Men will know we are disciples of Jesus Christ not because we stand against the evils of society, or because we know much about the Bible, or because we are authorities with the Truth; but rather, in that we have love one for another.  A true love for one another can only be present in the heart of a believer who has devoted his life to loving God with everything.  We cannot know Biblical love apart from knowing the One who is Love in His very essence.  What is a good definition of Love?  Love is a desire of the heart that manifests itself in the will and actions to seek another’s best interests above our own.  When we are born-again, God places within us His Spirit of Love who produces that desire.  But that desire must be cultivated by a constant and continual earnestness to know our God of Love in a personal and real way.  We cannot know love apart from God and we cannot know God apart from the Holy Spirit’s use of the Bible in our everyday lives and choices.  Will we choose to love today because God is Love, shining His love mercifully upon us through Jesus Christ?

                                                                                   By God’s Grace,
                                                                                                  Pastor Matt

 

 

Dear Church Family,                                                                              May 3, 2009

          This is the second of a series of letters I am writing to our church regarding the burden that God has laid upon my heart desiring a “spiritual awakening” from God.  The first issue that I wanted us to examine in our own lives was regarding our “love-life.”  The definition I gave for love is following:  Love is a desire of the heart that manifests itself in the will and actions to seek another’s best interests above our own.  This is reflected in Philippians 2:3-4, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”  The passage continues to challenge Christians to have the “mind of Christ” or to adapt our way of thinking, our philosophies and our ideologies to the way of Jesus’ thinking.  The rest of the passage touches on the next issue I want us to meditate upon, Christ-like humility.
          For a “spiritual awakening (revival)” to manifest itself in our church, there must be a Christ-like love and a Christ-like humility.  To truly be Christian, we must be filled with love and humility.  After exposing us to the selfless-love of Christ and our responsibility to one another in Philippians 2, the Apostle draws our attention to the humble character of Jesus Christ in that he did not consider His Deity robbery, but rather laid aside his Divine choices and determined to be obediently humble even unto the death of the cross.  This is the mind that is to be present in us.  Pride is the great enemy of love and the Church.  Our godless generation zealously pursues self-love, but the disciple of Jesus Christ pursues selfless-love.  The greatest danger regarding pride is that we tend to see it in everyone but ourselves.  “If a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”  I want us to see some ways in which pride can be demonstrated in the church.  Being quick to take offense, an inability to laugh at ourselves, or a critical view of others manifests pride.  Constant attention given to divisive issues or secondary doctrines in order to prove ourselves “right” shows pride.  Unwillingness to forgive or a focus on the faults and failures of others reveals our own pride.  A desire for everyone to agree with us or a resistance to working out disagreements manifests pride.  Feeling as if the church needs what we know or have is pride.  Attention drawn away from God toward our abilities or lack of the same is pride. 

                                                                                                By God’s Grace,
                                                                                                    Pastor Matt

                                                                                           

 

What’s In a Name?

Names and labels are valuable- not because they present a complete picture, but a church’s name gives a beginning snapshot to help describe their doctrine and practice. However, a church name does not completely reveal the spiritual nature or fervor of the church, nor whether that church truly follows the Holy Scripture. We all know, that you can smack a label on a skunk and call it a kitty all you want, but it doesn’t make it so; it is the same with a church and its name. A church’s practice is more important than what their sign says, yet a church’s name can be very helpful in understanding where they stand on certain issues, as well as remind a church what their practice ought to be.
Our church name is Grace Baptist. Obviously this is not the only name that a Biblical church can wear- either with the words “Grace” or “Baptist.” But something very dynamic is being said with that name that we wear.
“Grace” defines our view of doctrine and practice. We desire to be an organized body (church) that emphasizes God’s grace in our lives. What is grace? Grace is God’s undeserved, loving favor on sinners which enables us to serve and worship Him. If we are emphasizing grace, that means, primarily, we will not teach nor accept any doctrine that includes human work and effort in securing eternal salvation and Divine forgiveness for sins. We will separate ourselves from any church or organization that is sympathetic to man-willed energy in drawing, believing, or accepting God’s gift of eternal life. We are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9). This does not mean that we will whitewash or ignore sin and man’s sinful tendencies. But rather we recognize that when we come to grips with our own depravity, the great grace of God is emphasized. This also does not mean that man is not responsible to respond to God’s calling by grace. God desires all men and women, boys and girls, to repent and believe the Gospel of Grace.

Grace also defines our position concerning God’s sanctifying work. We believe that God saves us by His Divine grace and then He grows us by His sanctifying grace. Keeping rules (even really good ones) and obeying OT law (or modern man-made law) cannot truly grow a Christian in the Holy Faith. Only when we humbly submit our hearts, minds, and wills to God’s Holy Word through the Holy Spirit’s illumination of that Word will we recognize the immense mercies and grace of God. And as we recognize God’s mercies and grace in our lives, we are able to respond by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice; and out of love and devotion we live holy, godly lives while growing by grace (Rom. 12:1-2;
II Pet. 3:18).
Grace not only describes our doctrine of salvation and sanctification (our Christian growth), but grace must also describe our practice with one another. A church is made up of people, and therefore it is far from perfect. The structure and blueprint is perfectly Divine, but the materials (that’s us folks), are far from perfect. The only way we as a church can be a lighthouse of God’s grace is through gracious living and interaction with one another. Jesus told his disciples that the world would recognize true disciples by their genuine love for one another (John 13:35). We want to be grace-filled, gracious people. That means thinking of one another before ourselves; it means placing another’s good above our own benefit (Phil. 2:3-4); it means being slow to take offence and quick to forgive those who do cause offence. It means that we treat one another as we would treat one holding the light of Christ in their soul (as all believers do).
So we see that “Grace” predominately defines both our doctrine and our practice. We are people of Grace! And by being that, the God of Grace is exalted with great glory.