1Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: Without a doubt many times we go through very hard testings and trials. It is hard to understand what God is doing and why. Our instructions here seem to be that we should rejoice. […]
Archives for August 2009
Be careful with being too tolerant
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The Secret to Spiritual Growth
James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. This verse holds the secret to our spiritual growth. If you are born again and desire to mature in your faith then this is your verse. If you long to […]
Learning Christ
Dear Vision Ephesians is a power packed book for sure. We are learning what it means to not walk like everyone else and to learn to walk worthily of our position in Christ. We want to learn Christ. We want to put off the old way of living and live a new life in Christ. […]
Philip and Lori Bassham are getting married today!
Philip Bassham has been an integral part of Vision since before our first services. He has been a tremendous blessing. I love Philip like he was my own son! I am very excited to see what God is doing. God has given Philip a very fine young lady to be his wife. Lori comes from […]
Compassionate Giving
Hebrews 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. The writer of Hebrews makes some very strong statements in this verse. First the believers were concerned for the man of God […]
Come boldly!
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. We have a great high priest in heaven. We can talk to God. We can get a message through to the Father. There is not need to fear or […]
Welcome newest members!
God blessed us with 6 new members tonight. Welcome Chuck and Leisa Littlefield and their children, Hannah, Luke, and Lydia! They are a wonderful family and God has blessed us! Also welcome Kyle Shreve-Young as a new member! Kyle is a student in the Our Generation Training Center preparing to be a missionary!
Find a need and fill it!
Titus 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. Paul in his letter to Titus tells him to get God’s people involved in good works where there are needy people. He wants God’s people to be fruitful. They need to accomplish something with their life. […]
Victory Baptist, Loganville
I want to express my thanks to Victory Baptist Church, Loganville and Pastor Derik Lawrence. It was a real honor to be with you and your church for your Mission’s Conference. Betty and I greatly enjoyed the meeting on Saturday evening. I was greatly honored to be able to preach two times and participate in […]
Shubal Stearns
Tonight before the message from Ephesians we will look at some more Baptist History. I want to introduce you to Shubal (Shubael) Stearns. Late 1755 to early 1756 Stearns moved to North Carolina and started the Sandy Creek Baptist Church with 16 members-the majority were his family members. 8 men and their wives. The church […]
Leader training!
2Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Leaders training others to be leaders is the point of this verse! Paul told Timothy to take what he had heard from Paul and to find […]
What to do with all that money!
1Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for […]
One!
1Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; This a very important verse for all of us to know and apply in our lives and Bible teaching. First, there is only one God! That might seem obvious to you but there are those that believe […]
Pleasing God!
1Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. Paul is begging the people that he leads spiritually to please God in their lives. He is […]
Pastor’s Desk
Dear Vision. God has greatly blessed us as a church. I thank Him for all He is doing and how He is working in all of our lives. I thank you for your faithfulness to be here each week, growing in grace, sharing your faith, and standing true to the gospel. Today, I am preaching […]
Every man mature in Christ Jesus
Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: The ministry of the church and every godly leader could be summed up in this verse. Paul preached Jesus. He warned people about hell, about sin, about everything in their […]
God works in you!
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure . Did you know that God is at work in you. He gives you the will or desire to do things. He gives you the do or ability to do things. All that He is […]
Confidence
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: It was God that saved us and not we ourselves. I thank Him for having come and sought me out loving me when I did not love Him. […]
Welcoming Sean Enoch Velke to this world
David and Stephanie Velke are the proud parents of a healthy baby boy named Sean Enoch Velke. God has been so good to this fine young family. We are very grateful to God and very proud of them.
Taking over
Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Everyday another problem that I face. I was saved by the unmerited grace of God. I know that. I realize that He did it all. He sought me and He bought me! He loved me while […]
David Gardner’s prayer letter
Dear Pastors and Praying Friends, We are finally on the mission field! We have finally had the blessing of arriving in Arequipa and man, has it been busy! We are very excited about all that has been happening the last couple of months. Although it has been extremely hectic, there have been tremendous blessing. Lima […]
The Comparison Game
2Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. Not wise can pretty well describe me without a doubt! I have often compared myself to commend myself. That is just a […]
Tears of the Saints
Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!
God allowed me to meet Betty in 1972. When I met her I had no idea that we would spend our lives together. She was a “rich” girl from Roswell, Georgia and I was a redneck from Tennessee. She was dressed in her jeans, moccasins with her long hair and looked like a hippy girl […]
Introducing Tyler Masters
I am so very proud of Tyler and Gretchen Masters. They are members of Vision and we are so happy to have them. I know you will say that they need no introduction but this is really for my pastor and missionary friends. I want to invite pastors to consider having Tyler in to preach […]
Report on William Carey Sunday
Yesterday was one of the most wonderful days that we have ever had at Vision! God blessed in tremendous ways. He gave us several visitors and a good attendance. We had a wonderful Sunday School time. The guys did a wonderful job on a skit about William Carey and the need to get the gospel […]
Congratulations to Mateo and Shianne Vensor
Yesterday evening Mateo and Shianne Vensor followed the Lord in believer’s baptism. It was a wonderful evening. Their dad, Stephen, was home from Iraq and Afghanistan and could be with us. He leaves this week to return to Germany this time. I thank God for those that work in our children’s ministries and teach our […]
Chris Gardner’s prayer letter
Dear Pastors and Praying Friends, What a crazy few months the last ones have been. These last few months have been some of the most difficult yet most fulfilling months of our lives. We have had some major problems arise through the Julio Santos ordeal we wrote about in the last letter. Since the last […]
Cheerful Giving!
2Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. Giving can stir up more dissension and hurt feelings in the church than anything I know. People have been billed by their churches for their pledges. Pastors have coerced […]
What do you do with the grace you have been given?
1Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Here is the balance. It is God’s grace at work […]
OGTC classes set to begin!
Dear Vision, God’s blessings are on every hand. Today is the One year anniversary of our ministry via Ronald Tubillas and others from Vision at Trinity Hills in Norcross. God is blessing and using several of our people to reach many new Spanish with the gospel. Congratulations to Ronald Tubillas and all those who participate. […]
Free to serve!
1Corinthians 9:19 For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. Paul was free from all men. He could live and be and do as he saw fit. He was an apostle. He had no superiors in rank or privilege. No one paid […]
Going too far!
1Corinthians 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. You can abuse Christian liberty. You can take it too far! You can take your liberty so far that it becomes a stumbling block to your brother. The watch word of the day is Christian liberty. […]
Thursday evening picture
God blessed last night as we had Chris Gardner, our missionary to Peru, preach. The teens came into the auditorium. Mark Tolson took three pictures and pieced them together and I thought it was a beautiful picture. Hope you enjoy. God has tremendously blessed us a church.
More on William Carey
Soon after his conversion William Carey began to speak at various Dissenting churches and soon felt called to pastor among the Baptists. If Carey’s future success had been judged by his early days in preaching he would have been deemed hopeless for the ministry. He was never considered a good speaker. Carey was slight of […]
What’s all the bragging about?
1Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Paul brings us right back down to earth in this verse. He reminds us that whatever we have and […]
Paul’s Prayer Request
Romans 15:30-32 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem […]
For His Glory
“God plants His saints in the most useless places. We say – God intends me to be here because I am so useful. Jesus never estimated His life along the line of the greatest use. God puts His saints where they will glorify Him, and we are no judges at all of where that is.” […]
Why you need to invite Tony Howeth to your church!
We had the privilege of going to a church in Covington, Georgia last night to hear Tony Howeth preach. He was preaching for Pastor Doug Parham at Newton Baptist Church! Brother Tony is the Deputation Director for Macedonia World Baptist Missions. He is preaching mission’s conferences, revivals, and whatever God opens the door for. I […]
William Carey Sunday
“EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD. ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD.” This Sunday we will celebrate William Carey’s life. He was born on August 17, 1761 which means this weak would be his 248th birthday! He said: “If it be the duty of all men to believe the Gospel … then it be the duty of […]
Continually under a great heaviness and sorrow!
Romans 9:2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. Have you ever noticed how much Paul felt the responsibility to get the gospel to the world. He is to the point of willing to be accursed of God so that his people, Israel, could be saved. It has always shocked me […]
Going too far!
Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; It starts with thinking that you are very smart, very wise. You know enough not to need to follow God’s will and warnings. It […]
What are they saying about us?
Acts 24:5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: The religious leaders of Paul’s day hated him. This is the accusation that they give about him. He is a pestilent fellow: he […]
Pastor’s desk
Dear Vision God has tremendously blessed us even in these summer months. Our attendance has dipped but not below 100 and still averaging about 115 to 120. Now that school starts back tomorrow I look forward to seeing God take us forward reaching more and more people with the gospel message. I hope you have […]
The FAITH PROMISE PLAN for MISSIONARY GIVING
The FAITH PROMISE OFFERING is a method of missionary giving by individuals or families through their local church. A FAITH PROMISE is made to contribute a certain amount, either weekly or monthly, to the missionary fund of the local church, over and above the usual tithe, building fund, and other offerings. It is based upon […]
World Evangelism every week, every where
The third step we all need to take if we desire to be a Baptist Church Committed to World Evangelism is to 3. organize our ministries so that World Evangelism is taught and put before the people every week through the church, the pulpit, the Sunday School, VBS etc It is a sad commentary that […]
How is it going to affect business?
Acts 19:27 So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. God has been working through Paul and people are turning from their […]
What does it take to stir your spirit?
Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Paul comes to Athens. There he sees all the idols and the people worshipping. The people have completely given themselves to their idols. Paul’s spirit is stirred. His spirit stirs […]