The Blog for Faith Bible Church in Fallon Nevada

After lunch and after each man attended one of several available sessions, we continued the first day at the conference by listening to Tom Pennington preach out of 1 Corinthians 3:9-17.  He exhorted the men to be careful how they build the Lord’s church.  He told us to build on the right foundation (The Word of God), use the right materials (Materials that Last), and remember the rightful owner (Jesus Christ!).  He certainly continued the theme of Biblical Authority and holding fast to the Word of God!  It is amazing to see how these men were able to point us back to the simplicity of devotion to Christ!

After dinner at Baja Fresh, we returned for the nightcap!  The third general session began with the men singing at the top of their lungs to worship their Maker.  We were able to hear some performance music from some of the musicians that regularly attend Grace Community Church.  It was a blessing to be able to see and hear these talented singers and musicians worship our Lord in song.  Many of their renditions brought the men to tears.

John MacArthur finished the evening by talking about his 50 years of ministry.  He had been preaching for 12 years before I was even born!  He arrived at Grace Community Church in 1969 and has been faithfully preaching there for the past 40 years.  He gave us the guiding truths for his ministry since he arrived at GCC:

I.                   The Absolute Authority of Scripture

II.                The Church is the Congregation of Worshippers

III.             Doctrinal Clarity

IV.             Spiritual Discernment

V.                The Church is to Pursue Holiness

VI.             Godly Leaders

VII.          Discipleship

VIII.       Unity

IX.             Marked by Faithful Prayer

X.                Marked by Sacrificial Giving

XI.             Marked by Evangelism

As you can tell from this list of truths, John MacArthur continued the theme of holding fast to the Word of God.  It is incredible that these were the very truths that he held to when he first came to GCC in 1969!  God has entrusted this man with an incredible ministry and blessed him with an incredible legacy!

The next morning was started off with Rick Holland in the pulpit.  He taught us out of 2 Corinthians 11:3.  He warned us not to abandon the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ!  He left our men thinking deeply on their own devotion to our Lord as well as a steadfastness to exhort our local body to continue in their purity and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ!  Rick’s powerful preaching left us all waiting to hear more!

To be continued…

Every year in early March while the cold is still in the air here in Fallon, the men of FBC Fallon make their way to the Shepherd’s Conference at Grace Community Church in sunny Southern California.  I can remember that first conference when I was but a baby in Christ. I kept looking around and saw all these men who had dedicated their lives to Christ in a special way as a pastor and I was in awe of them.  I can say that most of the men who visit Shepherd’s Conference for the first time walk around and are in awe of the whole thing including the godly men; but most of all they are in awe of our wonderful Lord!

This year was no different with Joe Mikulak joining us for the first time.  Joe was joined by Victor Allende, Geof Stark, John Bogdanowicz, Mike Rosario and me.  We traveled to Sun Valley on Tuesday in two groups.  The first group left Fallon at 8 a.m. while the second group left around 12:30 p.m.  The travel was mostly uneventful except for a little snow encountered by the first group down (Mike, John, Joe, and Geof).  We were able to meet up for dinner the first evening along with our brother and friend, Jerod Gilcher.  We had an incredible time of fellowship with Jerod and with our fellow brothers from FBC Fallon!

The next morning we arrived for registration at the conference.  It is an incredible scene as all the men began to gather for three incredible days.  The first session was no let down!  As a matter of fact, it was as incredible as the first time I attended the conference!  I can only imagine what Joe was thinking as 4000 male voices from bass to tenor began to sing in unison.  These men really love and worship our Maker. We sang the old hymns along with newer songs; but no matter what we sang the voices of 4000 men was sweet and deafening at the same time.  John MacArthur topped off the opening session by preaching out of Genesis one.  He reminded us the importance of holding fast to the Word of God starting at Genesis 1:1!  He also exhorted us to put the current green movement in a proper Biblical perspective.

To top it all off our morning, we experienced true Christian service before and after the first session as the entire campus came alive with wonderful saints whose only desire was to show the love of Christ in their service to the men in attendance. It was an incredible start to the first day!  The conference never seems to get old even for the guys who have been back for several straight years.  What a blessing our time truly was and continues to be.

This week is the Shepherds Conference. Please pray for all the men attending, and their families at home. May God’s word be clearly taught, men’s hearts convicted, and the Gospel shared.

http://www.shepherdsfellowship.org/pulpit/

The counsel of the wicked

(Arthur Pink, “The Blessed Man”)
Conversion is the soul’s surrender to God, and acceptance of God–as Guide through this world of sin.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” Psalm 1:1

Notice exactly how this is expressed–it is not “does not walk in the open wickedness” nor even “the manifest folly of the wicked,” but “does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” How searching that is! How it narrows things down!

The ungodly are ever ready to “counsel” the believer, seeming to be very solicitous of his welfare. They will warn him against being too strict and extreme, advising him to be broad-minded and to “make the best of both worlds.” But the policy of the “ungodly”–that is, of those who leave God out of their lives, who have no “fear of God”–is regulated by self-will and self-pleasing, and is dominated by what they call “common sense.”

Alas, how many professing Christians regulate their lives by the advice and suggestions of ungodly friends and relatives–heeding such “counsel” in their business career, their social life, the furnishing and decorating of their homes, their dress and diet, and the choice of school or avocation for their children!

But not so with the “blessed man.” He “does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” Rather is he afraid of it, no matter how plausible it sounds, or apparently good the intention of those who offer it. He shuns it, and says “Get behind me, Satan!”

Why? Because Divine grace has taught him that he has something infinitely better to direct his steps. God has given him a Divine revelation, dictated by unerring wisdom, suited to his every need and circumstance, designed as a “lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path.” His desire and his determination is to walk by the wholesome counsel of God, and not by the corrupt counsel of the ungodly.

The “blessed man” does not walk according to the maxims of the world. “But his delight is in the Law of the Lord.” “The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God” (Romans 8:7). The worldling seeks his “delight” in the entertainment furnished by those who scorn spiritual and eternal things. Not so the “blessed” man–his “delight” is in something infinitely superior to what this perishing world can supply, namely, in the Divine Scriptures. The unregenerate delight in pleasing self–but the joy of the Christian lies in pleasing God. His Word is the daily bread of the “blessed” man.

“And in His Law, he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Thereby does he evidence his “delight” therein–for where his treasure is, there is his heart also! Here, then, is the occupation of the blessed man. The voluptuary thinks only of satisfying his senses; the giddy youth is concerned only with sports and pleasures; the man of the world directs all his energies to the securing of wealth and honors; but the “blessed” man’s determination is to please God, and in order to obtain a better knowledge of His will, he meditates day and night in His holy Word. Thereby is light obtained, its sweetness extracted, and the soul nourished!

“Your Words were found, and I ate them; and Your Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!” (Jeremiah 15:16). Meditation stands to reading–as digestion does to eating. It is as God’s Word is pondered by the mind, turned over and over in the thoughts, and mixed with faith–that we assimilate it. That which most occupies the mind and most constantly engages our thoughts–is what we most “delight” in.

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.” Fruit is an essential character of a gracious man, for there are no fruitless branches in the true Vine. “In season,” for all fruits do not appear in the same month, neither are all the graces of the Spirit produced simultaneously.
Times of trial–call for faith.
Times of suffering–call for patience.
Times of disappointment–call for meekness.
Times of danger–call for courage.
Times of blessings–call for thanksgiving.
Times of prosperity–call for joy.

How far, dear reader, do you resemble this “blessed man”?

(J. R. Miller, “Garden of the Heart” 1906)

We should get it settled in our minds, that the purpose of God for our life on earth, is to have us grow into Christ’s image. We are not in this world merely to accomplish a certain amount of work–but to be fashioned into strength and beauty of character. If we would always remember this, we would not be perplexed so often by the mysteries of our lives.

If joy is ours–it is to make us better and a greater blessing to others.

If sorrow is ours–it is to purify us and bring out some line of Christ’s image in us more clearly.

If our hopes are disappointed–it is because God has some better things for us, than that which we so earnestly desired.

If we are called to endure pain–it is because the best in us can be called out only by pain.

If bereavement comes and we are left without the strong human arm we have leaned upon heretofore–it is because there are elements of strength in our life, which never could be developed unless the human supports were taken away.

If our burdens are heavy–it is because we grow best under burdens.

If we are wronged by others–it is to teach us better, the great lessons of patience and sweet temper.

If our circumstances are uncongenial and our condition hard–it is that we may be disciplined into self-control, and may learn to be content in whatever state we are in.

The Master is always teaching us new lessons, making us into the beauty of the pattern He has set for us, and preparing us for greater usefulness and better service.

Today we had the pleasure to listen to God’s Word taught to us by Jerod Gilcher. Jerod is currently attending Masters Seminary. He will finishing up there next summer. Listen to Jerod preach by clicking here.

Next week Roland Sanchez will be our teacher. You can view Roland’s profile by clicking here.

Fling him [the preacher] into his office. Tear the “Office” sign from the door and nail on the sign, “Study.” Take him off the mailing list. Lock him up with his books and his typewriter and his Bible. Slam him down on his knees before texts and broken hearts and the flock of lives of a superficial flock and a holy God.

Force him to be the one man in our surfeited communities who knows about God. Throw him into the ring to box with God until he learns how short his arms are. Engage him to wrestle with God all the night through. And let him come out only when he’s bruised and beaten into being a blessing.

Shut his mouth forever spouting remarks, and stop his tongue forever tripping lightly over every nonessential. Require him to have something to say before he dares break the silence. Bend his knees in the lonesome valley. Burn his eyes with weary study. Wreck his emotional poise with worry for God. And make him exchange his pious stance for a humble walk with God and man. Make him spend and be spent for the glory of God. Rip out his telephone. Burn up his ecclesiastical success sheets.

Put water in his gas tank. Give him a Bible and tie him to the pulpit. And make him preach the Word of the living God! Test him. Quiz him. Examine him. Humiliate him for his ignorance of things divine. Shame him for his good comprehension of finances, batting averages, and political in-fighting. Laugh at his frustrated effort to play psychiatrist. Form a choir and raise a chant and haunt him with it night and day—”Sir, we would see Jesus.”

When at long last he dares assay the pulpit, ask him if he has a word from God. If he does not, then dismiss him. Tell him you can read the morning paper and digest the television commentaries, and think through the day’s superficial problems, and manage the community’s weary drives, and bless the sordid baked potatoes and green beans, ad infinitum, better than he can. Command him not to come back until he’s read and reread, written and rewritten, until he can stand up, worn and forlorn, and say, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Break him across the board of his ill-gotten popularity. Smack him hard with his own prestige. Corner him with questions about God. Cover him with demands for celestial wisdom. And give him no escape until he’s back against the wall of the Word. And sit down before him and listen to the only word he has left—God’s Word. Let him be totally ignorant of the down-street gossip, but give him a chapter and order him to walk around it, camp on it, sup with it, and come at last to speak it backward and forward, until all he says about it rings with the truth of eternity.

And when he’s burned out by the flaming Word, when he’s consumed at last by the fiery grace blazing through him, and when he’s privileged to translate the truth of God to man, finally transferred from earth to heaven, then bear him away gently and blow a muted trumpet and lay him down softly. Place a two-edged sword in his coffin, and raise the tomb triumphant. For he was a brave soldier of the Word. And ere he died, he had become a man of God.

by George Whitefield
December 16, 1714 – September 30, 1770

Keys for getting the most out of what the preacher says

Jesus said, “Therefore consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). Here are some cautions and directions, in order to help you hear sermons with profit and advantage.

1. Come to hear them, not out of curiosity, but from a sincere desire to know and understand. To enter His house merely to have our ears entertained, and not our hearts reformed, must certainly be highly displeasing to the Most High God, as well as unprofitable to ourselves.

2. Give diligent heed to the things that are spoken from the Word of God. If an earthly king were to issue a royal proclamation, and the life or death of his subjects entirely depended on performing or not performing its conditions, how eager would they be to hear what those conditions were! And shall we not pay the same respect to the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and lend an attentive ear to His ministers, when they are declaring, in His name, how our pardon, peace, and happiness may be secured?

3. Do not entertain even the least prejudice against the minister. That was the reason Jesus Christ Himself could not do many mighty works, nor preach to any great effect among those of His own country; for they were offended at Him. Take heed therefore, and beware of entertaining any dislike against those whom the Holy Spirit has made overseers over you.

Consider that the clergy are men of like passions with yourselves. And though we should even hear a person teaching others to do what he has not learned himself, yet that is no reason for rejecting his doctrine. For ministers speak not in their own, but in Christ’s name. And we know who commanded the people to do whatever the scribes and Pharisees should say unto them, even though they did not do themselves what they said (see Matt. 23:1-3).

4. Be careful not to depend too much on a preacher, or think more highly of him than you ought to think. Preferring one teacher over another has often been of ill consequence to the church of God. It was a fault which the great Apostle of the Gentiles condemned in the Corinthians: “For whereas one said, I am of Paul; another, I am of Apollos: are you not carnal, says he? For who is Paul, and who is Apollos, but instruments in God’s hands by whom you believed?” (1 Cor. 1:12; 2:3-5).

Are not all ministers sent forth to be ministering ambassadors to those who shall be heirs of salvation? And are they not all therefore greatly to be esteemed for their work’s sake?

5. Make particular application to your own hearts of everything that is delivered. When our Savior was discoursing at the last supper with His beloved disciples and foretold that one of them should betray Him, each of them immediately applied it to his own heart and said, “Lord, is it I?” (Matt. 26:22).

Oh, that persons, in like manner, when preachers are dissuading from any sin or persuading to any duty, instead of crying, “This was intended for such and such a one!” instead would turn their thoughts inwardly, and say, “Lord, is it I?” How far more beneficial should we find discourses to be than now they generally are!

6. Pray to the Lord, before, during, and after every sermon, to endue the minister with power to speak, and to grant you a will and ability to put into practice what he shall show from the Book of God to be your duty.

No doubt it was this consideration that made St. Paul so earnestly entreat his beloved Ephesians to intercede with God for him: “Praying always, with all manner of prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and for me also, that I may open my mouth with boldness, to make known the mysteries of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19-20). And if so great an apostle as St. Paul needed the prayers of his people, much more do those ministers who have only the ordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit.

If only all who hear me this day would seriously apply their hearts to practice what has now been told them! How ministers would see Satan, like lightning, fall from heaven, and people find the Word preached sharper than a two-edged sword and mighty, through God, to the pulling down of the devil’s strongholds!

This excerpt is adapted from Sermon 28 from The Works of the Reverend George Whitefield. Published by E. and C. Dilly, 1771-1772, London. George Whitefield (1714-1770) was a British Methodist evangelist whose powerful sermons fanned the flames of the First Great Awakening in the American colonies.

Roland Sanchez, who has ministered to us here in Fallon several times, has recently been ordained. Our own Pastor, Mike Rosario was on hand at the Ordination process, You can read all about it on Roland’s blog which can be found here; Family Forum. Here is a Photo posted there of Dan Jarms, (the tall guy in the back) Roland, Mike and John Smith on the right.