Biblically-based and Biblically-focused Missions & Local Outreaches

Today's prayer focus is that our local outreaches and missions will be true to Scripture

Our mission at www.westcannon.org/mission-statement, states that we strive 

To Proclaim through word and deed the good news of Jesus Christ 

• We believe it is the responsibility of all believers to share the gospel with the lost people around them. Therefore personal evangelism will be an emphasis of West Cannon Baptist Church. We will corporately assist individuals in this task by providing evangelistic training as well as periodic evangelistic events. 

• We believe it is also the church's responsibility and privilege to participate in reaching the lost around the world. Therefore, we will endeavor to facilitate missions education, participate in missions conferences, promote missions trips and financially support missionaries of like faith and practice.

This Gospel Proclamation is Biblically based and Biblically focused.

By Biblically-based, we mean the call to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ is founded in the Gospel.  There are many passages that command believers to do this.  The most obvious one is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

Pray that WCBC would always remember what Jesus commanded disciples to do and say.  

By Biblically-focused, we mean the truth of the Bible is the main thing.  We want to live life for God and His glory.  We know the only way this can be done is by deepening our understanding of and our relationship with God according to His Word.  Read Psalm 119 for a reminder of the importance of God's Word.

Pray that WCBC would always do the God's work God's way, according to His Word.

This and other verse graphics are available for free and purchase
at scripturetype.com

God, 
Today, we pray that we will proclaim the Gospel through word AND deed
in our community with local outreaches and partnerships like Hand2Hand Ministry, Mel Trotter Ministries, Alpha Center in Lowell and other groups
and
in the United States and the world through our missionary family.

Help all of us to be faithful to your word in our personal devotions and our public ministry.

Amen.

God is great

While we did not meet last night for our Fight Night Study, 

the Fighter Verses are always good to look at and review.

This week's Fighter Verses are Psalm 96:4-5

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the Lord made the heavens.

God is great.
God is to be praised.
All other gods are worthless idols.
God made the heavens.

Click HERE for this week's FIghter Verses devotional.

Below is the Verses Project devotional for these verses.

This world is full of greatness. Just open your eyes and look around! Think about all the great and amazing things we each experience on a day to day basis: a breathtaking sunrise, the aroma of a perfectly roasted cup of coffee, a visual artist in his/her element creating a masterpiece, an athlete at their prime, a chef combining ingredients and flavors that dance in our mouths, a musician finally putting words to thoughts and emotions we had felt but hadn’t been able to express, etc. In this verse, the psalmist teaches us that God is great and his greatness calls for two things. 

First, God’s greatness demands from us great praise! We praise greatness wherever we see it! CS Lewis said, “But the most obvious fact about praise -- whether of God or anything -- strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. ... The world rings with praise -- lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game. ... I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.” Not only should we praise God, but our praise should be equivalent to the greatness of the object we are praising. Of course a cup of coffee is praiseworthy, as is pulling off a last second buzzer beater shot in a game of basketball, but if we are more excited about praising those things than God, then we have not truly seen the greatness of God! Oh, that God would give us eyes that first see His greatness and in turn, hearts and lives that praise Him greatly... 

Secondly, not only are we called to praise God greatly, but also fear Him. This is not a “I’m scared of you” fear, but rather an issue of respect, reverence, and allegiance. Have you been fearing other things as over God? Do you care more about what a boss or someone else thinks about you than what God does? Fear God, not man. Man’s greatness is fading & failing, while God’s greatness is infinite & supreme. May your allegiance to God always conquer any lower and lesser allegiance for He is greater and more worthy! 

In verse 5, David explains verse 4 in more depth by making two statements: first that all the gods of peoples are worthless idols and secondly that God made the heavens. David boldly stands against the common belief of other nations in his day that there are many gods, but rather declares there is but One and He made the heavens. Before you write off verse 5 claiming that in our day and age, we no longer have “gods” or “idols” and therefore it doesn’t apply, think again! Every generation and culture has their own set of gods and idols that generally control the market. Idols and gods are not merely physical statues or pagan idols, but rather anything (physical or immaterial) that takes the place of God in our affections. They can even be good things (like a spouse, sports, family, money, influence, or a job) that become “God things”. How do they become “God things”? By becoming the ultimate things that we believe give us our worth as over our relationship to God. They tell us that if we didn’t have (fill-in-the-blank) like would cease to have meaning. What do you spend your free time thinking about? What, if taken away from you, would cause you to crumble beyond repair? May God strip us away from any competing lovers or allegiances we may be giving praise and fear to more than Him. These lovers will always over-promise and under-deliver, but God will always satisfy and follow through with His promises. Because He is Creator and sovereign, He is faithful and able to do what creation cannot and was never intended to do. Praise Him greatly, and honor Him with your life.

Emotions of Easter Love

Originally this was going to be a 5 part series on the Emotions of Easter.

In putting together the post, I began to think "How could I not post anything on Resurrection Sunday?"

Part 5 on Saturday was the Sadness of Saturday

Part 4 on Friday was the Anger of Good Friday
Part 3 on Thursday was Disgusting Feet

Part 2 on Tuesday was the Fear of the Pharisees
Part 1 on Sunday was the Joy of Palm Sunday and an introduction to the Emotions of Easter posts.

So today is Easter, Resurrection Sunday!

Bonus Post:  Emotions of Easter:  The Love of God

Let me begin with a clarifying statement.  Love is not an emotion.  

It is not a feeling that fades.

Love is sacrifical.

Love is a determined act of the will.

For more about this idea go to Is Biblical Love a Feeling or an Action?

Why I love Easter

From www.paultripp.com
Originally posted on March 28, 2018 at
www.paultripp.com/wednesdays-word/posts/why-i-love-easter

Why I Love Easter

I love Easter. I love the celebratory music we sing at church. I love the passages of Scripture we read during worship.

Most of all, I love the visual image of the Empty Tomb.

In one culminating and specific moment in history, Jesus Christ summarizes and finalizes the salvation narrative.

There are 6 things in particular that I love about the Empty Tomb.

1. The Empty Tomb reveals that God is faithful.

Centuries earlier, after Adam and Eve rebelled, God promised that he would crush wrong once and for all (Genesis 3:15). He vowed to send his Son to defeat sin and death by his crucifixion and resurrection. For thousands of years, God neither forgot nor turned from his promise. He didn't grow weary, nor would he be distracted. He made a promise, and he controlled the events of history so that at just the right moment, Jesus Christ would come and fulfill what had been promised.

2. The Empty Tomb reveals that God is powerful.

Think of the authority you would need to have to control all the situations, locations and relationships in order to guarantee that Jesus would come at the precise moment and do what he was appointed to do. Also, could there be a more pointed demonstration of power than to have power over death (1 Corinthians 15:55)? By God's awesome power, Jesus took off his grave clothes and walked out of that tomb. Human beings are capable of some pretty amazing things, but we'll all die, and there's nothing we can do about it.

3. The Empty Tomb reveals that God is loving.

Why would God go to such an extent to help us? Why would he care to notice us, let alone rescue us? Why would he ever sacrifice His own Son? Because not only is God loving, but he himself is the definition of love (John 3:16, 1 John 4:8). You and I need to remember that his love was not motivated by what he saw in us, but by what is inside of him. Even when we're unloving and rebellious, full of ourselves and wanting our own way, God is still loving. He delights in transforming us by his grace and rescuing us by his love.

4. The Empty Tomb guarantees eternity.

No matter how mundane, routine, and slowly progressing your story seems to be, it's marching towards a glorious conclusion. There will be a moment when God will raise you out of this broken world into a paradise where sin and suffering will be no more (1 Corinthians 15:52, Revelation 21:4).

5. The Empty Tomb guarantees security.

No matter how unpredictable and out-of-control your life feels, Jesus is reigning, and he will continue to reign until the final enemy is under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25). That doesn't mean you will avoid the groaning of life in a broken world (Romans 8:22), but it does mean there's nothing that can separate you from the loving and protecting hand of God.

6. The Empty Tomb guarantees delivery.

No matter how hopeless and weak you think you are, you've been provided with all the grace you need to make it to the end. Future grace always carries with it the promise of present grace. God will provide everything you need until you see him face to face (2 Peter 1:3).

So this Easter Sunday, celebrate the Empty Tomb and the right here, right now benefits of the Resurrection that it provides!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. How has God shown himself to be faithful, powerful and loving in your life recently? Find specific examples for each of those 3.
2. How can the guarantees of eternity, security, and delivery change the way you approach life this week? Be specific in your application of each of those 3.
3. How can you celebrate the Resurrection all year long, instead of one Sunday a year? Think of real ways to remember this event in the mundane moments of everyday life.

Emotions of Easter: Sadness of Saturday

Part 5 of 5 Emotions of Easter posts is the Sadness of Saturday

There will be an additional "Emotions" of Easter post tomorrow
Part 4 on Friday was the Anger of Good Friday
Part 3 on Thursday was Disgusting Feet

Part 2 on Tuesday was the Fear of the Pharisees
Part 1 on Sunday was the Joy of Palm Sunday.  This post also included an introduction to the Emotions of Easter posts.

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Today's emotions is Sadness.

For the disciples, Jesus died yesterday and the reality of the resurrection has not happened yet.

The women went to the tomb Sunday morning prepared to take care of a dead body.

Luke 24:17 reveals what the disciples of Jesus were feeling on that Saturday "And they stood still, looking sad."  While this account obviously occurs after Jesus' resurrection, news of this truth had not yet reached the ears of these disciples.

The rabbi and teacher had just been crucified.  Executed by the government and religious leaders of the time.

Their hope that he would deliver the Jews from the Romans had been destroyed.  

It's Sunday, but Sunday is coming.

The Bible reading for today is not from an account of the events of Saturday.

It is Psalm 62, which talks about waiting on the Lord. 


Here are a couple of resources to help you think about this Saturday

An article by Bob Kellemen that talks about how this Saturday is a lot like life this side of heaven.

"We wait.  Our final resurrection is sure.  Our victory is certain."

A quote by Tim Challies:

"We are not Friday Christians who serve a dead Savior, not Saturday Christians still waiting and wondering, but Sunday Christians who serve a living, breathing Savior–one who is alive and one who reigns."  Tim Challies

A one minute video:

Here are some questions to think through and talk about.

• Have you ever felt disappointment?
• Why did you feel disappointed?
• What are some general reasons why we feel disappointed?  Here are two Bible passages to get you thinking about this question:
• Jeremiah 2:36-37
• James 4:1

Emotions of Easter: Anger on Good Friday

Part 4 of 5 Emotions of Easter posts is the Anger of Good Friday
Part 3 on Thursday was Disgusting Feet

Part 2 on Tuesday was the Fear of the Pharisees
Part 1 on Sunday was the Joy of Palm Sunday.  This post also included an introduction to the Emotions of Easter posts.

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Today's emotion is anger.

Here is some context to help you understand why it is ANGER.

We have a clear advantage over those original disciples of Jesus Christ.

And Good Friday is the day that advantage became very obvious.

The First Good Friday was very different from every Good Friday since. 

We look back and remember and even celebrate Good Friday in the light of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

But those original disciples did not know what was to come.  

Friday was very different for them.

The guards and the crowd had an anger that, to disciples of Jesus, seems so out of place considering who Jesus is.  
The mocking, spitting, cursing, and beating was so hate-filled. 
Followers of Jesus must have wondered why this was happening.

When I read the crucifixion accounts, the way so many different people so angrily treated my savior makes me angry.
And then I begin to remember that my rebellion against God, my sin and Jesus humble submission and obedience are why He died on that cross that first Good Friday.    john Stott wrote “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.”

HERE is a post by Tim Challies to help you reflect on this truth.

The Bible reading for today is one of the Crucifixion accounts.

Read the passage and think about what the followers of Jesus Christ might have been feeling and thinking on that first Good Friday.

Matthew 27:27-61
Mark 15:16-47

Luke 23:26-56

John 19:16-42

Here are some quotes about Good Friday and the cross that are meant to help us prayerfully consider this amazing life changing day. 

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”  The Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:14 

"The only man who ever lived a life that was perfect in every way possible, who gave his life for the sacrifice of many, and who willingly suffered from birth to death in loyalty to his calling, was cruelly and publicly murdered in the most vicious of ways."   Paul Tripp 

“The cross is proof of both the immense love of God and the profound wickedness of sin.”  John MacArthur  

“At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away.  It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!”  Isaac Watts, in hymn “At the Cross”  

“It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and it was his love for sinners like me.”  D.A. Carson 

The Emotions of Easter - Disgust of Thursday

Part 3 of 5 Emotions of Easter posts is Disgusting Feet
Part 2 on Tuesday was the Fear of the Pharisees
Part 1 on Sunday was the Joy of Palm Sunday.  This post also included an introduction to the Emotions of Easter posts.

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The Bible reading for today is the Upper Room account from John 13, specifically the foot washing section.   


Here are some thoughts to consider as you reflect upon John 13.

Feet are disgusting.
Let me rephrase that. 
My feet are disgusting.  I know that because my sister has always reminded me of that fact.

In an article entitled "The Humility of Love," John MacArthur writes  "Normally, foot washing was the duty of the lowliest slave. When guests came, he had to go to the door and wash their feet—not a pleasant task. In fact, washing feet was probably his most abject duty, and only slaves performed it for others. Even the disciples of rabbis were not to wash the feet of their masters—that was uniquely the task of a slave."

Through his incarnation, Jesus humbled himself (Philippians 2:6, 7).
Through his words, Jesus taught humility (Matthew 20:26, 27).
Through his washing the disciples feet, Jesus modeled humility.
Through his obedience to God, Jesus humbly died (Philippians 2:8).

Feet are disgusting.
Washing feet is disgusting.
Yet, there is Jesus, the one who is given the name that is above every name and the name at which every knee should bow (Philippians 2:9, 10), on bended knee washing his followers' feet.

Here is the truly disgusting moment at this dinner.  In the parallel passage of Luke 22 a dispute arises among the disciples about who is the greatest.  
Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper.
Jesus washes the disciples' feet.
The disciples argue over who is the greatest (Luke 22:24-26)

In the same article, MacArthur writes "What a sickening picture this is! They were bickering about who was the greatest. And in an argument about who is the greatest, no one is going to get down to the ground and wash feet. The basin was there, the towel was there, and everything was ready. But no one moved to wash the others' feet."

John 13:1 tells us that Jesus loved them to the end.

This Resurrection Sunday, let's remember that the one who rose victorious from the grave and ascended with glory into the heavens, humbly washed his bickering disciples' feet.

Here are some questions to think through and talk about.

Humility can be shown in many different ways, not just washing feet; what are some others ways you can demonstrate humility?

What is the difference between Jesus' humility and our humility?
Here are two statements to help you think through this.

• Regarding Jesus' humility, think about who he is, where he came from and what he did.
• Regarding our humility, think about this definition of humility:  "To pursue humility means choosing to accept the fact that your knowledge and abilities are limited and in light of that, you are regularly seeking help and graciously receiving advice and correction."

Sing for God

You were hardwired for love, so everything you decide, desire, think, say, and do 

is an expression of love for someone or something.

March 28, New Morning Mercies Devotional

This devotional includes 1 John 2:15-17 and reminders over and over again that we all are lovers and we were created to love God.

Today's Fighter Verses devotional reminds that God made us to be worshippers and to sing songs.

God made us to sing songs.  But left to ourselves we often sing to be praised.  Psalm 96 urges us to use our voices not in order to earn praise, but in order to give it.  Three times David tells us to "sing to the Lord."  This repetition signals, "Pay attention!"  God created vocal cords to give praise to him.

This week's Fighter Verses and Fighter Verses devotional, along with today's New Morning Mercies devotional remind us of the biggest fight each and every one of us has each day - Who will I worship?

The two main questions we discussed in tonight's Fight Night study were

1. What is the singular focus of Psalm 96:1-3?
2. What is a "new song?"

The very strong singular focus of Psalm 96;1-3 is the Lord.  This is very obvious for several reasons

1. We are told to "sing to the Lord" three times.
2. We are to proclaim what He has done all the time ("day after day").
3. We are to proclaim what He has done to everyone.

This "new song" is not necessarily the idea of replacing the old with something new.  It has a new "fresh" everyday idea to it.  Lamentations 3:22 - 23 says "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

All of this is an important reminder for churches, church leaders, and church members this Easter weekend.
It is very easy to forget the focus and the audience of Easter.  
The focus is Jesus Christ and his victory of sin, death and the devil.
The audience is God himself.  

Here are two articles that have challenged my thoughts about Easter Services:
Seven Critical Issues Easter Services
6 Ways to Manage Easter Expectations

The Emotions of Easter - The Fear of the Pharisees.

Part 2 of 5 Emotions of Easter posts.
Part 1 was the Joy of Palm Sunday.  This post also included an introduction to the Emotions of Easter posts.

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Our motivation in this life needs to be the God we have faith in.
Not the people we don't need to fear.

The Bible reading is the Withered Fig Tree and the Temple Debates

The Withered Fig and the questioning of Jesus' authority probably happened on the Tuesday of Passion Week.  Both of these accounts are found in Matthew 21:18-27

Here is a reading based on the motives and desires of Judas and the Pharisees.

HERE is an article about the escalating conflict on the Tuesday of Holy Week.

The following quotes are from another article entitled What Would Judas do? which deals with Judas' betrayal on Wednesday but also connects with the Pharisees 

The Pharisees loved money (Luke 16:14), feared men (Matthew 26:5), and hated Jesus (Matthew 26:4). That formula may be lived out before you more than you realize.   

The love of money often looks merely practical.  The fear of men can hide behind masks.  But the Bible is clear: If you love money and fear men, you cannot love God or escape Hell (Luke 16:13; John 5:44) — and you become a card-carrying member of the crowd who crucified the Author of life (Acts 3:15).  The cross — that horrifying drama of hatred — was only a symptom of the Pharisees’ craving for money, approval, and power. It was as if they bought a billboard to advertise their love for money, and set it on a hill for all to see.  But they would never do something so obvious. What would the people say? They “feared the people” (Luke 22:2). In fact, the people’s love for Jesus was half the reason the religious leaders hated him so much. 

The authorities were cowards with cravings. They had to find a way to kill him quietly (Matthew 26:3–5). They had to find a way to murder an innocent man without losing any esteem or influence.

While the Pharisees and Judas were both parts of God's great salvation plan, the motives behind their actions demonstrate a lack of trust in God and His plan.

Mountain-moving, God-trusting faith, not man-centered, money focused fear, is what we need.

Here are some questions to think through and talk about.

What are some things you are afraid of?How does the fear of people impact the way you live your life?
What are some truths you need to remember that will help you focus more on faith in God than fear of man?

Chapter 20 Holiness

Welcome to the 20th week of reading the book Holiness.

This week's chapter is "Christ is All"

I want to encourage you to continue reading this great book 

or to start reading it today.

For general info about the reading schedule go to 

http://drodgersjr.blogspot.com/p/t4g2018.html

Here are the questions for this seventeenth chapter.

GENERAL (Questions for each chapter)

1.  What is a quote or two from Chapter 19 that stood out to you?

2.  What was something this chapter said about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?

3. What was something this chapter said about man?

4.  What was something this chapter said about how a Christian is to live?  

Think general and specific applications.

FINAL QUESTION
5.  What is the most significant thing that you learned from this chapter?

The Emotions of Easter – Joy of Palm Sunday!

Introduction to the 5 days of readings.

Throughout this week (Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday), there are going to be five posts with Bible reading, quotes and some questions  for you and your family with the theme of "The Emotions of Easter!"

The five emotions are joy, fear, disgust, anger, and sadness.   These emotions also correspond to the emotions in Disney’s Inside Out.  One of the reasons I originally decided to write the post with these emotions is because of an article entitled “Talking About ‘Inside Out’” by Jeremy Pierre.  In the article Pierre writes “Emotions reveal desires.”  It is my prayer that ultimately the Holy Spirit and God’s Word would draw you and your family even closer to God.  These posts are a collection of resources that will hopefully help you look into God’s Word and examine your motives and desires.

The Bible reading is the Triumphal Entry.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus entrance into the city is filled with joy!  Branch waving, coat dropping, Hosanna shouting joy!  Take time to read the Triumphal Entry account in Matthew 21:1 – 11; Mark 11:1 – 11; Luke 19:28 – 44; John 12:12 – 19. 

Here are some questions to think through and talk about.

What is joy?

Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the Word and in the world.

Now understand, describing joy as a good feeling is not a bad thing.  You don't necessarily have control over your feelings.  When you think about what God has done for you through Jesus Christ it should make you joyful.

What brings you joy?

What do you do when you are joyful?

Here are some additional readings about the joy of Palm Sunday.

Here are some quotes regarding the Joy of Palm Sunday from an article entitled "The Strange and Wonderful Ride."  Click HERE for the entire article.

“Joy shines on Palm Sunday — a joy, as we now know, that anticipates a supernova of gladness coming on the following Sunday. In the thrill of hope, the crowds rehearse the praises of Psalm 118, pining that perhaps this is, at long last, the great 'Son of David,' the promised royal rescuer, riding into the Holy City to definitively save his people.”

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9).  Hosanna— a Hebrew declaration of adoration and delight — is the refrain for this triumphal entry."

“The joy of Palm Sunday is a shadow of the joy to come.  Yet the joy of Palm Sunday forecasts the unrivaled euphoria to come on Easter morning.”

“In Jesus our joy comes from the most unlikely place.”

“The long-awaited Messiah comes not in human glory, but peculiar glory — the glory of strength in weakness, the glory of indomitable joy in excruciating pain, the glory of the Lion of Judah who gives himself as the Lamb of God. He comes on a donkey’s colt to be the stone the builders will utterly reject on Friday, and that God himself will unveil as the very cornerstone on Sunday morning.”