A Persecuted Pastor to Visit Us

This man is a pastor that ministers in a country where Christians are still being persecuted. It is very difficult and unusual for such a leader to be able to leave the country to visit other believers. We were privileged to be contacted today to see if we would be willing to have this man tell his story and preach to our congregation.

Tom MacAdams writes:

Nicolai is the stalwart leader of a group of churches that are committed to helping men be trained up to teach God's word in his country -- one that is considered to be a "restricted access" country in that foreigners can't come in for religious purposes/business.

Churches in Belarus are legally forbidden to preach/evangelize publicly, and the gospel can only be proclaimed freely inside a registered church. And further, there are limits on what can be a "registered" church. Oppressive laws have basically outlawed house churches and small groups in Belarus, since they are illegal unless "registered" and can't register unless the church has a building AND 100+ people. No public baptisms are allowed. And believers are regularly arrested or detained for various alleged violations.

I think that this might really open the eyes of your church, to see what the Lord is doing in a part of the world that may be new to many of them. It is a open harvest field in many ways, due to the vacuum left after the collapse of the atheistic state and the incorrect Gospel coming from the Orthodox church which is more of a cultural institution. I think he might tell a compelling story of a church still under persecution.

And more -

Pastor Sinkovets comes from a family line of pastors, including his father and his grandfather, who spent 25 years in prison for his faith in the early years of communism. After over 10 years as pastor of the Baptist church in Kobrin, Belarus (which grew from 100 to 1000 under his leadership), he accepted a call 6 months ago to pastor a new and growing church just outside Minsk in the city of Kolodishi.

He is in town this weekend in order to meet with representatives from Slavic Gospel Association.

I highly respect men who serve in places a thousand times more difficult than where I serve. This past year I have prayed often for a Baptist church in Belrussia that has been undergoing many difficult things from its government. I am gladly welcoming this man. He will be with us next Sunday evening!

Garards in Snowstorm

Keep Mark and Bev in your prayers. I talked to Mark this afternoon. They have been in the storm all day long - the storm that is supposed to hit us later on tonight. It is called a traffic snarling storm. There have been six inches of snow in Enid, OK already and he was warned about drifting. They wisely reserved a hotel in which only two or three rooms were left and they hope to be there by 9 tonight. The hotel is in Tulsa.

News coverage the last couple of weeks have been dominated by reports of several large icebergs floating off the southern shores of New Zealand. The icebergs have floated up from Antarctica and are causing quite a sensation. The icebergs are indeed beautiful and have been an incredible reminder of the diversity and magnitude of God’s creation.

Our first Sunday at GNBC there were four children in attendance. We now have as many as sixteen each Sunday. One eleven year-old boy walks to church by his own initiative. The rest of the children come with their parents. We would like to divide the class into two smaller groups and need wisdom for organizing additional adult help. We also need to make the space we have available more suitable to our requirements…a lesson we learned well at Morning Star! The children’s class is adjacent to the hall where the main service is held. The kitchen connects the two, and there are large windows with no covering. You might imagine how difficult it can be to keep the children extremely quiet in their class…or to try to teach when the sermon becomes animated. We have decided to purchase 4-inch foam, cut to size, to insert in the servery windows of the kitchen. This will give us the option of using the kitchen as additional nursery space when needed. We might also be able to add singing to the children’s class, which we are currently unable to include due to the noise issues. The attached photo shows our little people in the back of the children’s classroom trying to be quiet so that they do not disturb the main service on the other side of the wall or disturb the children’s class just behind them in the same room!

We would appreciate your prayers for the church family as we prepare to teach through and adopt a constitution. This is always a huge step for a church plant, and we desire to see a core group of members committed to each other and the Word of God. I am currently using the Sunday School hour to teach people how to study their Bibles using an inductive Bible study method. Some have commented that the homework is painful and hard work. Yet, they are digging into their Bibles and it is oozing out of them. Conversation around the services is now often centered on what people have studied, and it is so exciting to see them meditating on God's Word and sharing what they have learned with each other.

Please pray for me personally as I seek to balance endless ministry opportunities with meeting the needs of my family. This last week I found myself struggling to be content with my secular job, where I was doing a physically demanding and intellectually boring, endless task. I’ve asked the Lord to help me be content so long as He intends for me to support my family in this way.

In the Beloved One,
Scott Silsbee

P.S. If you are interested, Lori has recently begun a family blog initially intending to deliver family news and provide a window into our attempts to balance two cultures in one home. See www.silsbeefamily.spaces.live.com

Hebrews preaches!

Throughout the series on Hebrews you have often heard me say that I agree with the scholars who speculate that the Epistle was a sermon before it became an epistle. It preaches! Well, here is an outstanding illustration of what I mean. In the following video clip we have only two chapters of Hebrews, but it makes you want to hear the same person deliver the entire book. He "preaches" chapters 9 and 10. Listen to it (and watch)! It is an 11 minutes well spent.

Read for the Lord, Track One

The Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan

This is a classic. It is a must-read for the Christian today because it has earned its reputation as a valuable companion along with the Bible for many great Christians of times past. Charles Spurgeon read it over 100 times. William Carey could only afford to take a very small collection of books with him when he went to the field. This was one of them.
The Power of Praying Together, Oliver W. Price. 181 pages. Kregel Publications.

I have selected this book because it speaks to a subject that has been a central theme for our church - corporate prayer. The author is theologically sound and you will find the account of revivals to be inspiring. This is easy to read!

Spurgeon, A New Biography. Arnold Dallimore. 244 pages. Banner of Truth Trust.

The first biography in our Read for the Lord program just has to be one on Spurgeon! Dallimore was a well-respected Canadian pastor who wrote several outstanding biographies. This one on Spurgeon is short, but captures the essence of Spurgeon's life and ministry.

Knowing God. J.I. Packer. 275. IVP.

Our first in the theology category. This is a very popular book by a very popular author. We appreciate this esteemed author for his many helpful contributions to the cause of Christ. We regret that lately he has compromised much of what he has taught. This volume, however, is an excellent overview of the study of God. As a young man I read throught his little book every year for a period of five years.

Spiritual Leadership. J. Oswald Sanders. 202 pages. Moody Press.

This is a classic on spiritual leadership.

Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism, The Battle for Gospel Preaching. Iain H. Murray. 160 pages. Banner of Truth Trust.

This is the first book for the "thorny issues" category! Sadly, most people do not understand the issues and they assume that Calvinism is Hyper-calvinism. You will see in this book that Spurgeon, an outspoken Calvinist, fought Hyper-calvinism with holy fury. I believe this easy to read book will contribute to your understanding of this critical issue. Iain Murray is a respected conservative theologian and Chief Editor of the Banner of Truth Trust. Enjoy!
The Pursuit of Holiness. Jerry Bridges. 157 pages. NavPress.

If you find a book by Jerry Bridges, pick it up. This man's writing is simple and humble. Everything that he writes is good. This particular study is invaluable to the Christian walk. Thus, it is our first in the "Christian Walk" category.
Foxe's Book of Martyrs. John Foxe.

Another one in the "Classics" category. Though the accuracy of some of these accounts has been questioned by professional historians, it is still remarkably trustworthy - a near 500 year old book written by an author running for his life! John Foxe has sometimes been called the Father of the Puritans. Read of the faithfulness of the martyrs and be stirred to be more dedicated to God.

An Outsider's Inside View

Our very own Joy McCarnan gives some insight into the lives my Dad and Mom lead. Dad and Mom Bixby are our supported missionaries to France. I am delighted that Joy sees some of the same things that I have told you often about.

Dr. Tooth's ministry in Cameroon

Dear Bob,

Well, we just returned Sunday from a very exciting ministry in Cameroon. We thank the Lord for His faithfulness and His grace. We were with missionaries Eric & Christine Mossman, Walter & Carol Loescher, Danny & Carrie Wright as well as Ellen Doyle, a single missionary nurse. Ellen flew back with us as far as France and then on to visit with your folks there. Please pray for these missionaries as the work is endless there and the living conditions, although tolerable, are difficult. Most of the days there were periods when there was no running water and the poor roads cause endless problems with their vehicles. But God is doing a great work there through them all. People are getting saved and young men are being trained. Praise the Lord!


We were able to introduce their ministry in two new (to them) mostly Muslim villages where the people were very open to the preaching of the Word. We are praying for them as they return to these villages and have further opportunities for ministry. People sat for hours watching the Jesus video in their own language and frequently had questions for Eric or Walter Loescher afterward. We were thankful to be a part of their ministry for 2 plus weeks. The dentistry was a challenge, but seeing these people listen intently to the gospel made it al worth while. We left a lot of our equipment there anticipating a return visit, perhaps next year. Now we are trusting the Lord to provide replacement supplies and equipment as we prepare for our next ministry to Saipan, Yap and Palau in January.

Jennifer and I pray for your ministry regularly and trust God is continuing to bless. I've attached a few pictures of some of the many children receiving toothbrushes. These are some of the brushes the good folks at Morning Side sent to us. The kids, as well as the adults, were so excited to receive them! Thanks for your part in that.

We're praying for the new building details, and that God will provide all that is needed for that. Please greet all for us.

Jack & Jennifer

Dr. Jack Mitchell
Grace Dental Mission

New Building Update

Monday night a group of men met at the site of the new building at Sandy Hollow Commons to take the next step in purchasing our new building. It was also the biggest step that we've taken so far. We have entered into an agreement to purchase the property (subject to some minor contigencies that are being worked out as this is being written).

Young Adult Hayride at the Aschers

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course, there will be more than just a hayride. But the hayride as given by Mr. Ascher is the sine qua non of the annual hayride. In other words, you cannot have a hayride unless you have, well, a hayride.

But since when have we ever gotten together for over fifteen seconds without breaking out goodies of some kind to munch on? Do you really believe we would drop the ball this time? At the annual hayride? Puh-leeze.

(Of course, at this very moment I have no idea what is planned food-wise. But experience has taught me that Jennie, Margaret, Lacey, and Mrs. Ascher -- of all people -- will not fail us in this department.)

Anyway, if you qualify as a young adult, please come. If you think that your young adult credentials may be out of date, but you still want to come, please do. Just let us know in advance.

And, by the way, just because you don't attend our church doesn't mean we wouldn't love to have you join. Come on!

Ascher's Farm
Friday night
6:30

Free Spurgeon Audio

Some of you like to listen to audio books or messages. Here's a good deal. You can download a free audio book of Spurgeon's All of Grace. You'll have to sign up, but it may be worth it for some of you! I just did it. Shannon Brown is the one who pointed this out to me.

If any of you cannot get it, please talk to one of our tech-savvy people (i.e. Jeremy, Kurt, or Pat). I am sure they would be glad to help you get it or burn a copy of this on CD for you. I notice that there are twelve downloads possible per sign-up.

Communion

This coming Lord's Day we are going to celebrate the Lord's Supper together. Let me encourage you to prepare your hearts and minds by meditating on the death of the Jesus.

Also take time to meditate on the miracle of oneness in Christ and the constant and faithful nourishment Jesus is to us as the Bread of Life.

Pray for God's special blessing on us as we enjoy Communion.

Pray for the Jones in St. Helena

Dear Praying Friends,

Greetings from the beautiful Island of St. Helena, SC. Our children, Sarah
and are helping us to make and pass out invitations to children in our
community to come to our church for Sunday School and Kidz Bible Club.
Would you pray for this effort? We invite kids to come to Bible club and
church on a regular basis but we're organizing it a bit differently not and
have our children more involved in the visits and inviting. Sarah is 8 and
Peter is 10. They are assigned one to two kids to pray for by name, we
began this week. They pray for the kids during our devotion time and again
at night. Then between Thursday and Saturday they help us invite the kids
out to church. They will each give the invitation to the kid they are
praying for and invite them personally. All of us have a few people we will
focus on during the week and trust that they will come and that we can share
with them there on the spot. Sarah and Peter have gone through an
evangelism class and know how to share the gospel in a simple,
straightforward way. There is a group of kids that live near us who always
ask us as we pass them, "are you going to church?" As often as we remind
them of the days we are going to church it seems they aren't ready so we are
especially targeting them this week. We would appreciate your prayers as we
go out this week. And keep all of the adults we invite in prayer too,
we're just doing something a bit different in our invitation of children.

Prayer Requests
*For us (Jones family) and teachers
*To make enough invitations
*Have nothing hinder us (come up) from passing out invitations
*To pass them out with love and be ready to answer questions, witness etc.
*We will be well prepared and trusting in God's strength for this and for
teaching the classes

*For those kids who will receive invitation
*That their parents/guardians will permit them to come and even parents will
come
*Nothing will hinder them from coming
*They will get up early, get dressed and be ready when we stop by to pick
them up
*They will be attentive in class
*Their hearts will be receptive to the word of God as it is taught
*Children will be saved
*Children will continue to come weekly

Thank you for your prayer support,

The Jones Family
All Nations Community Church
St. Helena Island, SC

John Gill on Godliness

This is the quote that I passed up in last Sunday's message. John Gill was a pastor in the 1700s. He pastored the church the Charles Spurgeon would pastor over 100 years later. Now for the quote:

Godliness is “the inward devotion of the mind, a fervency of spirit in serving the Lord; it is a holy disposition towards God. Such a gracious disposition, Godward, is not to be found in unregenerate men, only in such who are truly partakers of the grace of God. It is godliness which distinguishes between one who truly serves and worships God, and one that serves and worships him not. Internal worship requires our first attention, it being of the greatest moment and importance; external worship profits little in comparison of that; if the heart is not engaged in worship, bodily exercise is of little advantage, that being only the form without the power of godliness; yea vain is such worship where the heart is far removed from God.

God is a Spirit, and must be worshipped with our spirits, the better and more noble part of man; if we serve his law, it should be with our mind, the inward man delighting in it; obedience to it should flow from a principle of love to God in the heart, and with a view to his glory; and if we serve him in the gospel of his Son, it should be with our spirits, with a fervent affection for it; if we pray to him it should be with the spirit and the understanding also; if we sing his praises, it should be with melody in our hearts to the Lord; herein lies powerful godliness; and godliness is the groundwork of internal worship, and without which there can be no worshipping of God aright, and therefore it deserves our first consideration” (John Gill).