More On Effective Church Action

Town turns to prayer to fight pornography
Courtesy of OneNewsNow

An adult entertainment facility in Lavonia, Georgia, has shut its doors, and opponents believe it was due to the power of prayer.

Café Risqué opened six years ago, and the city lost several lawsuits to try to close it or force it to move from its location along the nearby interstate highway. The business was deemed an embarrassment to the city, but residents turned to prayer in order to shut the place down.

Larry Finger is senior pastor at First Baptist Church. "We prayed and hoped and trusted that the Lord would help us, and then eventually a situation came up where the property owner was prepared to sell, and using a third party, the city had someone buy the property," he details. "Then the city bought the property from them and closed the establishment."

Out of all the approaches to try to shut down the business, the only one that worked was prayer, says Finger. "It was a scourge on our community and we knew it, but we had come to the point where we thought we were almost hopeless outside God's miraculous help -- and we finally got the victory, and a great one it has been," says a joyful Finger.

The senior pastor is hopeful other towns with a similar problem -- perhaps that are ill-equipped to deal with the situation -- will not forget about prayer. He notes that Lavonians prayed for six years before there was a solution.

What?! You mean prayer actually WORKS?

Did you notice how long it took?

Have you ever quit before 6 years was finished?

I think that I probably added a couple prayers to theirs without knowing it on trips to Atlanta and Florida. I'm glad that place is gone... just like I'm glad Dockside Dolls in Mebane is gone. I credit prayer with that one too.

It is really amazing what the Church could accomplish if we would simply BELIEVE what the Bible says and act on that belief.

An Admonition From the Word...

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:10-18

And Another

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

A Useful Tool

Have you ever managed to read the Bible through from cover to cover? It can be a daunting task, especially when you are struggling through the opening chapters of 2 Chronicles! However, to develop the "global picture" of God's Word that is necessary to interpret the Bible correctly, there is no discipline more critical than the regular, repeated reading through the entirety of the Scriptures.

I have found The One Year Bible a valuable aid in achieving that goal. The Bible is broken down into 365 daily readings that include an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a passage from the Psalms and a passage from Proverbs. So when you get to one of those passages that are more difficult you know that you will be gleaning from a different passage before long. It also comes in many different translations. I switch translations every year or so to get a different perspective on the texts. It aids my understanding and helps to keep things fresh.

I have a leather Bible that was given to me for my 21st birthday. I don't write in that Bible. However, I do make notes and write questions in my One Year Bible as thoughts come to me. I started using the One Year Bible 10-years ago, and as a result have managed to actually complete 5 trips through the entire Bible. There are also chronological versions as well although I think a different publisher produces them. I may take that up in the near future. It would probably help to draw better connections between people and events in the different books of the Bible.

Another strategy that I use is that each year I try to pick a theme and look for Scriptures that pertain to that theme as I am reading that year. It is a really helpful exercise. This year I was focusing on the nature of God. It was very enlightening.

So there you go. Something that might help you on the way!

Shocking!

... by one offering He (Jesus) has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit bears witness to us; for after saying, "'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,' says the Lord: 'I will put my laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them,'" He then says, "and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

Hebrews 10:14-17

Quote of The Day

Jesus realized that without the refreshing of His Father’s presence and the providence of His Father's words, He would quickly lose His effectiveness.

Have you learned this lesson yet – the lesson that your time with God is the very foundation of success in your life? If you haven’t, the lack of what you could be having is already affecting you more than you even realize.

Until you are experiencing the benefits of seeking God on a regular basis, you won’t even know what you have been missing. If this is where you find yourself today, remember it is never too late to start seeking the God who has always been waiting for you to pursue Him.

It is also crucial for you to realize that devotional consistency will not come without a fight.

Luke tells us when the people found Jesus in prayer, they tried to keep Him from leaving them (Luke 4:22). Like Jesus, you will find that the needs of the people you love the most will pull you away from your time with God, if you do not guard that time arduously.

For some of you, the ringing of the telephone and the busyness of your schedule will become your greatest enemies. Others of you will have to battle to detach your emotions from the stressful pace of life you are forced to endure.

Remember, your time with God is priceless. No matter how early you have to get up in the morning, or how radically you have to adjust your schedule, every precious moment you spend with God translates into hours of strength and faith for your life.

-Jim Laffoon @ Our Daily Blog

A Message From The Skipper

Dear Friends

"Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." Joel 2:13 NIV

The God of grace is the God of your reality.
The Lord of glory is the Lord of your heart and spirit.
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is your strength and help.

That is why He is so approachable, even though He is holy and sovereign. It is His desire that each of us have our heart's desire to delight in Him. It is my heart's desire to be a leader among many who do exactly that... daily.

This Sunday morning and evening should prove to be important in our corporate life as a congregation after God's own heart.

I will make my plea here: please join the gatherings on Sunday as they may well set the course for our immediate and longer range future as an extended family of faith. It is important to me, and I hope you will join me and Carol, and the rest on Sunday.

Worship gathering at KidSports 10:30 am,
"What Happened to THEM?"

Oasis Diner at Kirker home 5:30 pm,
"Christmas in October" - Carol is roasting Turkey and you may bring all the trimmin's! Rick and I will present some of the opportunities relating to parties in the months to come.

God's best to you, now and always,
Cameron
Romans 1:16,17

Scripture For Today

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that He (Jesus) answered them well, asked Him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:28-31 ESV