From the Pastor

DR. ROGER D. WILLMORE

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Greetings in the name of our Risen, Living, Sovereign Lord Jesus.

It is hard to believe 2009 has gone and we are now moving into 2010, a new year of challenges and opporutnities.

This time of year is always a time of reflection, evaluation, contemplation and preparation for me. I don't always do a good job with the evaluation, but I do try to make the necessary adjustments to avoid making the same mistakes twice. The area of preparation and planning do get my attention...especially in the area of sermon preparation and planning. For several weeks now I have been planning my preaching for 2010 and I am also looking at my preaching ministry for the next two to five years. This is in part because of my stage in life. In February I will mark my five year anniversary as pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church. It is my desire, DV, that the Lord would allow me to conclude my pastoral ministry at DBC. Therefore, I am developing a plan that will aid me in preaching the whole counsel of God to this wonderful congregation over the next few years. When my ministry concludes I pray that the people can say that they were fed well by their under-shepherd.

Preaching is a priority with me. I believe it is the most important thing I do in ministry. God has promised to honor and bless the preaching of His Word. And to be candid, He has not promised to bless much of the myraid of other things the church finds itself engaged in. God has two fundamental agents through which He works: The Word of God and the Holy Spirit. In light of this we need to give more time and attention to the Word of God and the Spirit of God.

I am troubled about the current state of the Church in America. In many places it is difficult to tell any difference in the Church and the World. It seems to me that the past two generations have moved heaven and earth in order to look like the world, talk like the world, sing like the world ....and even be like the world. Such compromise may satisfy the masses, but it does not satisfy the Master. Today there seems to be no distinction between a crowd and a church. There is a difference. A crowd does not consitute a church.

In light of the dramatic social, political, moral, religious and spiritual shifts in today's culture there is a crying need for Christians to be authentic.

As you march into the future that God, in sovereign grace, will open for you please do so with an awareness that you exist for His glory....and that is the only reason any of us exists. Therefore, let us live for the glory of God.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Roger D. Willmore, D.Min, D.D., D.D.

WHY PREACH?

Why Preach? This is a question that is daily in my mind. W.E. Sangster, in his book, The Craft of the Sermon, wrote: Preaching is in the shadows. The world does not believe in it. Sangster's assessment some 50 years was correct. However, my concern at the moment is not what the world believes. My concern is what the Church believes. Does the Church believe in preaching? Does the Church understand the eternal significance of the Preaching of the Word of God?

We, as modern day Christians, certainly need to revisit some of our priorities. Today we are more interested in what makes us feel good than we are in that which matures us and equips us for service. In many places the Church has been turned into a play ground or an entertainment center. This is a dangerous thing in light of the fact that we live on a battlefield and we are engaged in a war with forces that would seek to destroy the Church.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the noted pastor of the Westminister Chapel in London and author of Preaching a Preachers, wrote: To me the work of preaching is the highest and greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called. Regarding his series of lectures on preaching he said: Why am I prepared to speak and to lecture on preaching? There are a number of reasons. It has been my life's work. I have been forty-two years in te ministry, and the main part of my work has been preaching; not exclusively, but the main part of it has been preaching. In addition it is something that I have been constantly studying. I am conscious of my inadequacies oand failures as I have been trying to preach for all these years; and that has led inevitably to a good deal of study and of discussion and of general interest in the whole matter. But, ultimately, my reason for being ready to give these lectures is that to me the work of preaching is the highest and the greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called. If you want something in addition to that I would say without hesitation that the most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Chruch, it is obviously the greatest need in the world also.

Do you find Lloyd-Jones words about preaching to be sobering? I DO!

It was my good fortune for 35 years of my life to sit at the feet of some great men of God. I was befriended and mentored by Stephen F. Olford who taught me that God is more concerned with who I am than what I do. He taught me that preaching issues out of life. The condition of one's life determines the content and impact of his preaching. I have never known a more holy man of God than Stephen Olford. The power of his preaching was directly linked to the holiness of his life.

Would to God that we would return to these high and lofty standards for men who handle the Word of God. I never dreamed that I would see the day that there would be a generation of celebrity preachers who draw large crowds to their contemporary churches and who hold a Bible in their hands and at the same time use profane lanuage, engage in vulgar conversation and who participate in activities unbecoming to a man of God.

Alistair Begg reminds us that there are at least three reasons preaching has been shoved to the sidelines in many churches:

1. Because of a loss of confidence in the Scriptures.

2. Because of a preoccupation with the wrong battles.

3. Because of a sad lack of excellent role models.

Why Preach? Because the primary task of the Church and the preacher is the preaching of the Word of God.

Seeking the Lord

A pastor friend mailed me a brochure containing information about the upcoming School of Theology hosted each summer at the historic Metropolitan Tabernacle (Spurgeon's Tabernacle) in London, England. I have had the privilege of worshipping at the Tabernacle on a couple of occasions. Dr. Peter Masters has been the pastor of the church for almost forty years. It is a thriving, Bible Centered church with an international congregation. On Sunday morning's the sanctuary is packed with worshippers, mostly young to middle-aged adults, with Bibles and notebooks and hymnals. Worship is traditional in form and there are no "bells and whistles". Dr. Masters has stayed the course for almost forty years building a congreagation of people who love Jesus Christ supremely and who cherish the word of God.

I worshipped at the Tabernacle in 1975 when it appeared that there were only two or three hundred people in attendance. I was there two years ago for the Sunday morning service and watched the massive sanctuary fill to capacity. No fanfare...just Christ-centered worship and sound bibical preaching.

Back to the brochure. I was captured by the description of the session that will be taught by Dr. Masters. The description of his topic is as follows: A 'Great Awakening' In Our Churches. As society wrests itself away from all semblance of Christian moral order, believers cease to be shocked at its outrages and excesses, and the sense of urgency for reaching the lost soon fades. The work of outreach requires a deep sense of abiding relaziation of the war we are in, of the subtlety and fury of Satan, and of the level of engagement required of believers 'striving together for the faith of the gospel'.

The culture of our day is like shifting sands. Fads come and go, styles change by the minute, personal tastes and preferences seem to be the dictator of all decisions made in home, society and church. Human preference now trumps the will and word of God. God sits on the sidelines and watches us "run" His business without ever even consulting Him.

What is the answer? That is the question that stays on my heart. However, I think I know the answer. Moses reached a point in His life that he said to God (regarding leaving Sinai and continuing the Exodus), "If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." This was Moses' way of saying that he could not continue without the assured presence of God. Are we comfotable to live without a conscious awareness of the presence of God? Then Moses said, "Show me your glory!" (Exodus 33:15 & 18) What is the answer? That the totality of our lives be driven by a desire for the Glory of God. Soli Deo Gloria...The Glory of God Alone!

Please check out the sermon by Dr. Vance Havner on our website: www.deerfootbaptist.org

Soli Deo Gloria,

Bro. Roger

Book Review:

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister

I could not put the book down. I was captivated by it from the beginning to the end. I have read historical accounts of WWII and the Holocaust in particular, but I have never experienced seeing the horrors of the Holocaust through someone else’s experience as I did in reading Nonna’s story. Her story is told so personally and powerfully that one can almost see the events, hear the sounds, smell the smells and feel the fear. Nonna’s story reminded me afresh of the power of faith in God, of the power of love for others, the power of generosity, and the power of a family’s love for one another.

To see the horrors or war and the torture and murder of millions of people, including many members of her own family, through the eyes of a child is a deeply emotional experience.

I am very thankful that Nonna Lisowskaja Bannister chose to share her story with her family and now with the world. Her extraordinary courage, her unwavering faith in God, her remarkable ability to forgive, her unselfish love and her stalwart character have touched my life and changed my life. I feel certain that all who read this book will be changed by it.

Note: This book is available at all major book sellers, or online at amazon.com and others.

Dr. Roger Willmore

Senior Pastor, Deerfoot Baptist Church

Trussville, AL

Christian Focus

Do you ever have trouble living the Christian life? Are there times when you feel the harder you try the more difficult it becomes? Do you feel that you are often under the circumstances of life? Do you long for the Victorious Christian Life that is seen often in the New Testament characters as well as many modern day saints?

If these questions touch a nerve with you do not fear, you are not alone.

Over the years I have seen so many Christians beaten by temptation, and beaten by the circumstances of life. Something is wrong with this picture. When Jesus Christ won His battle with sin, death and the grave He intended to impart His resurrection, life-giving power to all who will trust in Him. Yet so many among us are still in bondage to the power of sin. It seems victory has eluded them.

J. Hudson Taylor, the Founder of China Inland Mission went to China in 1851, at the age of 21 to begin a life of missions and ministry in a very challenging place and in very challenging times. Hudson Taylor was known by all as a godly man. He was known as a man who walked with God. Yet, at age 37, after fifteen years of "successful" and fruitful ministry in China, Hudson Taylor wrote to his mother in England. In his letter he confessed a sense of failure. He ackowledged his struggles with temptation. In his darkest moments he even doubted his salvation.

Soon after writing to his mother, J. Hudson Taylor received a letter from a fellow missionary by the name of John McCarthy. McCarthy wrote: To let my loving Savior work in me His will, my sanctification is what I would live for by His grace. Abiding, not striving nor struggling; looking off unto Him; trusting Him for present power, trusting Him to subdue all inward corruption; resting in the love of an almighty Savior, in the conscious joy of complete salvation.

McCarthy's letter became a turning point for J. Hudson Taylor. Taylor wrote to his sister in London: When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known before. Here is McCarthy's sentence: But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One. Hudson Taylor said when he read the sentence: I realized I had striven in vain, I will strive no more.

It was Hudson Taylor who coined the term: THE EXCHANGED LIFE. He had learned to exchange all of himself, all of his weaknesses for all of Christ and His strength.

Are you tired of trying to live the Christian life? Why don't you give up and abandon yourself completely to the Lord. Stop striving and start resting in Him.