GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

GROW BY LEARNING January thru
March 2010
Personal, Family, and Church

This book of Blogs from Charles E. Whisnant, Pastor/Teacher of
Rivers of Joy Baptist Church. My dear wife Charity has help me to
make my blog readable. Hope you enjoy reading them.

1

Contents
The Start of a new year Two Thousand and Ten 6
Charles E. Whisnant 6
Bible Class 509 7
Tiger Wood's Redempton 7
Lexmark Collection Cars 8
Bob Temple Preaching January 2010 8
Should We Have Services Sunday 9
What A Family 10
Our Conception of Christian Living 11
Granddaughters January 2010 11
Charles Whisnant and Charity's 40.6 Anniversary. 12
Wednesday Night Bible Study 13
Are Your Serious About Your Spiritual Life 14
Salvation is a continuous working out its holiness in us 14
Roanoke Baptist Temple of 1963-1966 Is Now a Rescue
Mission 15
Memorial Service in Roanoke, Virginia 16
Roanoke Baptist Temple and now a Rescue Mission 17
The Active Willful Neglect of God Glory 17
Reasons How God Can Bless Your Church 17
The Gospel Is..... 18
Monday, January 25, 2010 19
Charles Whisnant Teaching Chapter by Chapter 19
Rivers of Joy Baptist Church 19
Rivers of Joy Baptist Church Photos 2009 20

3

Computer Virus Hits 20
Update on the Computer 21
Randy and Barbara Webb Family 21
Bowling 22
Why Do Preachers Think They Can Sing? 22
Faith Is The Result of The New Birth 23
Charles H. Spurgeon Sermons 23
The Atoning Work of Christ 24
Real Love Is Not Clean Water but the Living Water 25
the church is the body of Christ 25
Until You Know You Are A Sinner, You Will Not Know You Need
A Saviour 25
350 Years of Baptist In America Were 26
Is The Teaching And Learning Doctrine Important? 26
God’s Right To Judge Mankind 27
God Is The Energizer of Life Part two 29
Trip to Lexington Februay 2010 31
SEVEN THINGS A PASTOR NEEDS TO REMEMBER 31
WAYS TO GLORIFY THE LORD 31
LEADERSHIP IS BEST DONE BY THE PASTOR WHEN 32
Union Mills Confectionery 33
GOD IS TO BE PRAISED AND GLORIFIED 33
RIVERS OF JOY BAPTIST CHURCH AND THE VICTORY
CIRCLE 33
GROW BY LEARNING BOGGERS POST 2007 34
Spiritual Discipline 34
NOTHING HAPPENS AUTOMATICALLY IN THE CHRISTIAN 34

4

GOSPEL DRIVEN CENTERED CHURCH 36
A NEW BLOGGER FOR THE STUDY OF ROMANS 36
THE EXPERIENCES OF MINISTRIES SEEM TO BE THE
SAME 37
GOD SAVES PEOPLE FROM EVERY GROUP 38
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? 38
SON KYLE AND GRANDDAUGHTER 46
THE LORD IS PATIENCE WITH US WHEN WE ARE NOT 46
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF LEARNING THE WORD
OFGOD 48
THE DESIRE TO BE HONEST WITH WISDOM 49
Adam and Eve Redemption By Faith Video 50
Three Reasons Why We Should Not Complain To God 51
THE RESULTS OF GOD RELEASING MEN PART ONE 51
23 Results from God Releasing Man To Their Desires 52
The Philippian Kind of Church 52
HOW WE ARE TO WORSHIP GOD 52
WHY SHOULD WE QUIT COMPLAINING? 54
HOLDING FORTH THE WORD OF LIFE 56
GOD IS PRESENTED AS SAVIOR 59
What About The Moral Folks 61
HOW DO YOU WORSHIP AND PRAY 63
What Did Jesus Really Achieve on the Cross? 63
Everette Whisnant, my DAD 66
TEN QUESTIONS UNCHURCHED PEOPLE USUALLY DON'T
ASK 66

5

The Start of a new year Two Thousand and Ten
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Sometimes just for the enjoyment of music I guess, click here

We begin another year. Its a new beginning by the calendar date. We can build on the
pasted and remember the future is here, as they say its the first day of the rest of your
life. So start today and make this day a day to be proud of.

While I am here, here is a quote:

• “The gospel as recorded in Scripture is as broad as creation. Since the church has
been sent to make known this good news in all of life, in actions and in words, the
church’s mission is, likewise, as broad as creation.”
- Mike Goheen and Craig Bartholomew
The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. Its more than just Matthew 1:1, but John
1:1 AND Acts 1:1 and Philippians 1:1 and Romans 1:1-5 too.

Remember its not about physical beauty that really counts, its the inward beauty you
have with the Lord Jesus Christ. Really.

Posted by Charles E. Whisnant at 06:48AM (-06:00)

Charles E. Whisnant
Sunday, January 03, 2010

6

Bible Class 509
Monday, January 04, 2010
Mrs. Bernice Fail, (member of FBC in
Altoona, Ks.) said as she was leaving the
church, "Pastor Charles, its like being in
college when you teach us the Word of
God." Charity said, "When you preach, you
have to think, its like taking class 509."

I do not try to teach on a college level, but
try to explain the text in which I am
teaching. I don't try to speak from the little
knowledge I have in my head at the moment I am teaching. I spend a lot of time studying
from those who have a greater understanding of the text than I do.

I have a sermon manuscript before me when I am preaching, and give out an outline of
the sermon to the people so they can follow alone. If they wish to study more later in the
week.

While most preacher it seems, preach on a fifth grade level on purpose, I have refused to
do that. Because adults are not 5th graders. Besides as we have learned on the other
hand we don't know as much as a fifth grader do we?

Here you have Christians who have been saved for 20 years still on a fifth grade Bible
level. And I desire to see them grow in the knowledge of wisdom of the Lord.

I know we are told to take a deep subject and made it simple. I think my teaching is
simple. I have seen Theological Journals in which I can't understand at all.

The content of the message is propounded to say the leased. God's word while simple, is
deep in in thought. Obedience. Simple right? To live it is not.

7

Tiger Wood's Redempton
Brtit Hume did great on O'Rally Monday. He was totally one with his comment. I hope
someone will put his comment on YouTube.

I have recently taught that God “calls us to obedience” and not to results. Brit the
journalist had the opportunity to offer a safe professional journalistic response to the
conversation about Tiger Woods. I commend him because he chose to stand in
obedience to God and support of his faith. Adda boy Brit. Now we need to keep in mind
that he (Brit) could very well be the new target for what he said on national TV. Let’s keep
Brit in our prayers.

Posted by Charles E. Whisnant at 07:43PM (-06:00)

Lexmark Collection Cars
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Amazing, we are in the moment of time, I
took this photo at 5:57 and posted it on
Facebook at 5:57 and then posted the
photo on my Blogger at 5:59 p.m.

Thanks to Brian Williams for sending me
two Lexmark 1/64 collection cars. My
collection is growing. Brian is April's
husband, who is the daugher of my lovely
sister Ellen, who is the daughter to my wonderful Mom Pauline Whisnant, and they all live
in Texas.

Bob Temple Preaching January 2010
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
This past Sunday January 03 2010 my father in law Bob Temple spoke for us at the
Rivers of Joy Baptist Church. From Romans 5:1- 3 and Romans 5:4-5. Three words we
have seen on a wall.

8

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love
The idea we need to put into action those nouns.

1. Believe
2. Dream
3. Image


Should We Have Services Sunday
Friday, January 08, 2010
Honest to goodness is this Thursday or
Friday? So what happen to Thursday! It
must have been all the blowing white snow
that was fallen on my head.

SO DO WE WORSHIP AND HAVE
FELLOWSHIP AT RIVERS OF JOY
BAPTIST CHURCH ON SUNDAY?
I think of the mail carrier, rain, sleet or
snow, hail, or high water, they always deliver the mail. So why should't Christians always
find a way to come to church.Its going to be a little bitter cold Sunday, there will be snow
in the yard.... I understand reasons people don't come to church, I understand there are
good reasons not to come to church. There are some bad reasons why people don't
come to church. Here is what I am saying, as I have said a number of times over the
years, if you can get out 6 a.m. in the morning to go to work, then you should be able to
get out at 9:30 a.m. and come an worship.
And if you are old and unable to drive, then you need to say home.

Remember folks who are not old and are able to drive will not come to worship the Lord
9

and have fellowship with us.

If you can get into your car Sunday, then I would say, you might be able to come. Just
saying.

What A Family
Posted by Charles E. Whisnant at 06:30PM
(-06:00)

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Our Conception of Christian Living
Our conception of Christian living

(J. R. Miller, "Being Christians on Weekdays" 1888)

True religion is intensely practical. Only so far as it dominates one's life--is it real. We
must get the commandments out of God's Word--and give them a place in the hard, dusty
paths of our earthly toil and struggle. We must get them off the tables of stone--and have
them written on the walls of our own hearts! We must bring the Golden Rule--into our
daily, actual life.

We are too apt to imagine, that holiness consists in mere good feeling toward God. It
does not! It consists in obedience in heart and life to the divine requirements. To be holy
is, first, to be set apart for God and devoted to God's service, and it necessarily follows
that we must live for God.

Our hands are God's--and can fitly be used only in doing His work; our feet are God's--
and may be employed only in walking in His ways and running His errands; our lips are
God's--and should speak words only that honor Him and bless others; our hearts are
God's--and must not be profaned by thoughts and affections that are not pure.

True holiness is no vague sentiment--it is intensely practical. It is nothing less than the
bringing of every thought and feeling and act--into obedience to Christ! We are quite in
danger of leaving out the element of obedience, in our conception of Christian living. If we
do this, our religion loses its strength and grandeur--and becomes weak, nerveless and
forceless.

Our religion must touch every part of our life--and transform it all into the beauty of
holiness.

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Granddaughters January 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
(-06:00)

Charles Whisnant and Charity's 40.6
Anniversary.
Charity calls: "Do you want a date night?" I said, "What for?" She said, "Its our 40 1/2
wedding anniversary!" Okay I said, let's have a date.

So we had dinner and went to a movie. Yep a movie, the first one since 1999 or 2000.
We saw the Blind Side with Sandra B. And the movie was great.

And we had a great time. Charity said, we need to do this again. Maybe the 14th of next
12

month it will be our 40.7 wedding anniverary.

She might have something.

Wednesday Night Bible Study
The Role of Members 2 of 2 from Charles E. Whisnant on Vimeo.

Should Christians desire to study together
on Wednesday Night the Word of
God?Saundra and Bob
Danny, Dorthy Janet, Shyann, Charity
Kindra
Bill, Linda, Lois, C, Dr. Who Jimmy
Frankie, Pauline, Richard, Mary and Assoc
Pastor Bill

Should Christians desire to hear the
teaching of the Word of God, and have
fellowship with other believers in
Wednesday Night?
(-06:00)

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Are Your Serious About Your Spiritual Life
Let me ask this: ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE?

POINT ONE: The Christian is to work out, bring out, and commanded to keep on doing
an action as one’s general habit or life-style. To produce on the outside of your life what
is on the inside of our life. What is planted by grace on the inside is to be made visible in
your conduct what God has worked in.

THEOLOGICAL: What God has worked by the way of salvation we are to work out by the
way of sanctification.

The call for maximum work. Maximum effort. Bring forth, to give intense commitment to
the result of the salvation placed in us to do its designed purpose.

C.T. Studd (1860 -1931)
• Christ's call is to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; He came not to call scoffers but
sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches, and
cathedrals at home in which to rock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever
essays, stereotyped prayers, and artistic musical performances, but to capture men from
the devil's clutches and the very jaws of Hell. This can be accomplished only by a red-
hot, unconventional, unfettered devotion, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Lord
Jesus Christ.

• I felt something wrong with my relationship to the LORD, and so I am reading through
the entire New Testament to check all the commands in case I have unwittingly violated
any of them.”

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Salvation is a continuous working out its holiness
in us
SALVATION DOESN'T STOP AFTER WE FIRST RECEIVE GOD'S GRACE

What God has worked by the way of salvation in us, we are to work out by the way of
sanctification. Romans 1:20

The call for maximum work. Maximum effort. Meaning "bring forth", "to give intense
commitment" to the result of the salvation placed in us to do its designed purpose.
• 1 Corinthians 9:27, Romans 12:1-2

Salvation is a continuous work in progress, i.e. called sanctification. We are continuous
called to be obedience to the commands of Christ. They work for our holiness. They work
of our spiritual health.
We are not to careless live our lives. There is to be a daily discipline of right thinking, right
acting, taking in the right stuff that will produce in us the right kind of spiritural food for our
daily living.

Roanoke Baptist Temple of 1963-1966 Is Now a
Rescue Mission
The map of the location of Roanoke Baptist
Temple as was shown by Google in 2010.
The mission provides sleeping and washing
accommodations to homeless men and
women, a free cafeteria, free medical clinic,
thrift store, free year-long live-in addiction
recovery program for men and for women,
a family shelter, and a summer rural day-
camp for children.
The Roanoke Rescue Mission is a Christian
mission located in downtown Roanoke,
Virginia. The mission is the largest
homeless shelter in the state of Virginia. It
is part of the City Mission movement.
See the photos here and see here the work
at the Rescue Mission in Roanoke

While in Roanoke Virginia this week, I took
these photos of the building that was in
1962-1966 the Roanoke Baptist Temple. I
will say more next time.
(-06:00) 15

Memorial Service in Roanoke, Virginia
Charles, Dolly, Joyce and Buddy

This week I had the joy of speaking in
Roanoke Virginia, my home town as a child
and youth, and until I finished High School
in 1966. My Dad, Everette Whisnant,
pastored in Roanoke from 1954 until he
died in February 1966.

I was asked to speak at Frances Copper
Pruett's funeral. She was 87 years old. You might asked why was I asked. I had not seen
Frances in a number of years. But I had known her in my father's church when I was
seven years old. She was my first girl friend. She was the same age as my mother too.
Frances and her kids loved us and Dad and Mom. She was a great help to the church.
And for the rest of her life was involved in her gospel music, playing the piano, taught
Sunday School class at Garden City Baptist Church and enjoyed traveling and her family.

I loved her family too. She had five children. Bill and Kenny Copper who have pass way
some years ago. Joyce and Dolly (Darlene) and Buddy (James).

I reconnected with Joyce, Dolly and Buddy after some fifty years. It seemed we picked up
where we left off.

Dolly and her husband Bob were so kind to me. Dolly called me to ask if I would come
and hold the service for her Mom. Dolly and I were in high school together at Jefferson
High School. And they drove me all over parts of Roanoke. Thanks Dolly and Bob so
much for your gift and love.

After the service we went to where Joyce and here husband Jimmy live and had a great
time of fellowship and eating. And we had a great time with Buddy and his wife Anita. We
had a great time with all the families and friends.

While we were sad about the home heaven bound Mrs. Cooper as I knew her, we were
happy to know she gave her life to the Lord, and to see her family after so many years
16 apart.

Its amazing after 55 years you still have in your heart a love for those who you knew. A
seed was planted and it grew for all these years.


Roanoke Baptist Temple and now a Rescue
Mission

The Active Willful Neglect of God Glory
Romans 1 1 24 10 Outline The Active Willful Neglect Of God View more documents from
Charles E. Whisnant.

This morning I preached from Romans 1:20


Reasons How God Can Bless Your Church
Lois and Jimmy Grant and grandson,
members of Rivers of Joy
Bill Bower, Assoc. Pastor of Rivers of Joy
Baptist Church, Minford, Ohio

1A DEFINE MY PRESENT GOD-GIVEN
ROLES (Spiritual giftedness)

2A DETERMINE SPECIFIC,
THEOLOGICALLY INFORMED GOALS
AND

3A TRANSFER THESE GOALS INTO MY
SCHEDULE.

For God to be able to bless our work
ethic…… the above three areas need to be
addressed.

Wrong Reasons to Love the Church 17

• Don’t love the church because of what it does for you. Because sooner or later it won’t
do enough.
• Don’t love the church because of a leader. Because human leaders are fallible and will
let you down.
• Don’t love the church because of a program or a building or activities because all those
things get old.
• Don’t love the church because of a certain group of friends because friendships change
and people move.

Love the church because of who shed his blood to obtain the church. Love the church
because of who the church belongs to. Love the church because of who the church
worships. Love the church because you love Jesus Christ and his glory. Love the church
because Jesus is worthy and faithful and true. Love the church because Jesus loves the
church.


The Gospel Is.....
My friends, I do not believe it is preaching Christ and him crucified, to give people a batch
of philosophy every Sunday morning and evening, and neglect the truths of this Holy
Book. I do not believe it is preaching Christ and him crucified, to leave out the main
cardinal doctrines of the Word of God, and preach a religion which is all a mist and a
haze, without any definite truths whatever.

I take it that man does not preach Christ and him crucified, who can get through a
sermon without mentioning Christ's name once; nor does that man preach Christ and him
crucified, who leaves out the Holy Spirit's work, who never says a word about the Holy
Ghost, so that indeed the hearers might say, "We do not so much as know whether there
be a Holy Ghost."

And I have my own private opinion, that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and
him crucified, unless you preach what now-a-days is called Calvinism. I have my own
ideas, and those I always state boldly. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism. Calvinism is
the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not
preach justification by faith without works; not unless we preach the sovereignty of God in
his dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal,
immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor, I think, can we preach the gospel, unless we
base it upon the peculiar redemption which Christ made for his elect and chosen people;
nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and
suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation, after having believed.

Such a gospel I abhor. The gospel of the Bible is not such a gospel as that. We preach
Christ and him crucified in a different fashion, and to all gainsayers we reply, "We have
not so learned Christ."

18


Charles Whisnant Teaching Chapter by Chapter

Rivers of Joy Baptist Church
Outline from Charles Sermon Sunday
Morning

THE ACTIVE WILLFUL NEGLECT OF GOD’S TRUTH LEADS TO EMPTY
SPECULATION

Romans 1:21

January 24, 2010 Pastor/Teacher Charles E. Whisnant

BECAUSE 1360 THAT, WHEN THEY KNEW 1097 GOD, THEY GLORIFIED 1392 HIM
NOT AS GOD, NEITHER WERE THANKFUL2168; BUT BECAME VAIN 3154 IN THEIR
IMAGINATIONS 1261, AND THEIR FOOLISH801 HEART2588 WAS DARKENED 4654

Romans 1:21 For even though they knew (AAPMPN) God, they did not honor Him as
God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart
was darkened (3SAPI).

19

“Two things never live up to their billing: the circus and sin.”

“It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge
the man away from the Light and out into nothing. Murder is no better than lies if lying
does the trick.”—C. S. Lewis

“The punishment of sin is sin.”—Augustine

The basis for God’s wrath against the Gentiles and the fact that they are without excuse
is that they suppress the truth about God and have exchanged the glory of God for idols
(1:18-23)

The basis for God’s wrath against the Gentiles is that although they knew God, and
claimed to be wise, they neither glorified him nor gave thanks to him, but instead they
became futile in their thinking, darkened in their foolish heart, and exchanged the glory of
God for idolatry (1:21-23).

THEY KNEW

· God has given mankind the means to know personally the existence of God and to
know His divine attributes. Men have knowledge of God’s being and character. Acts
17:27.

THEY DID NOT GLORIFY HIM AS GOD

· About the worst thing you can say about a man is a man who is not thankful to God.

· They give the glory to another, they did not praise Him, or magnify Him, they did not
place Him into the position of power and immense honor that He truly deserved.

· They made a choice of their will. They made a deliberate choice not (absolute
cancellation) to honor or glorify Him.

· Mankind is to respond to the Truth given. Truth demands a response. The response? To
glorify Him as the Great Creator.

· It’s the main thing for a man: to glorify God: I Corin. 10:31; Romans 11:36;Psa. 73:15-
281 Chronicles 16:24-29


Rivers of Joy Baptist Church Photos 2009

20

Computer Virus Hits
This is my office at home.

Its Friday. My computer at the home office
got a virus of the major kind on
Wednesday. I should get it back today. I am
not in the church pastor's study. I set up a
new Lexmark printer, etc. yesterday.

I don't have all the information on this
pastor's office computer as I do in the home
office computer, therefore I can not upload
the different information I would like too.
But I am working on a external memory in which I will be able to get information from
home to the office.

I love working out of the church pastor's office. But since so much of my work is on the
computer its hard to do as much as I would like. But I am working of that problem.

Sunday I hope to be in Romans Sunday Morning. I hope I have not lost all my notes too.

Update on the Computer
I have my computer back and am setting up
here in the home office.

I have to upload all the software that I have
before the virus hit.

This is a challenge but okay.

(-06:00)

Randy and Barbara Webb Family
I took this photo from Barbara's Facebook. I was glad to see the photo. Charity and I
have known Randy since Pleasant Valley Ranch in Perrsyville, Ohio back in the late 70's.

21

Bowling
Monday, February 01, 2010
On Saturday Charity and I went bowling
with a family and friends from the church. I
had not bowled in twenty years. But I had a
good time trying to get back in form. (which
I didn't).

We hope at least once a month we can
make this a church activity. Maybe I will get
in form after a few months.
Posted by Charles E. Whisnant at 06:01AM
(-06:00)

Why Do Preachers Think They Can Sing?
Why Do Preachers Think They Can Sing?
Well many really can. While I enjoy singing
some, my thinking is always on preaching
and teaching. But twice now Charity and I
have sung. We are getting a little better.

(-06:00)

22

Faith Is The Result of The New Birth
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
THE CHANNEL or conduit IN WHICH GOD USES TO BRING ABOUT THE CHANGE IN
THE HEART: TO AWAKENED THE MIND TO THE REALITY OF THE GOSPEL OF
JESUS CHRIST. AT THAT MOMENT IT’S LIKE YOU PUT YOUR FINGER IN AN
ELECTRIC OUTLET. THERE IS AN IMMEDITATED REACTION. CHARITY AND I
TOUCHED LIP’S SUNDAY AND THE ELECTRIC SHOCK WE FELTED KNOCK US
BACK FROM EACH OTHER IN THE INSTANCE WE FELT THE SHOCK. 1 John 5:1

God’s Begetting Causes Our Believing

John says this plainly in 1 John 5:1. This is the clearest text in the New Testament on the
relationship between faith and the new birth. Watch the verbs closely as I read 1 John
5:1, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”

Here is what John Stott says on this verse, and I agree totally:
• The combination of present tense (believes) and perfect tense [has been born] is
important. It shows clearly that believing is the consequence, not the cause, of the
new birth. Our present, continuing activity of believing is the result, and therefore,
the evidence, of our past experience of new birth by which we became and remain
God’s children. (The Letters of John, 175)

The Divine Power of God in and through
the preaching/teaching of the Gospel when
connected with the spiritual deadness of
man’s heart and at that moment is
awakened to the reality of Jesus Christ.
Believing happens; faith is activated when
the New Birth occurs.
(-06:00)

Charles H. Spurgeon Sermons
CHARLES H. SPURGEON SERMONS
• Charles H. Spurgeon sermons has been used by more preachers than any other
preacher I think. I remember on of my first experience preaching outside my home
church was in North Caroline, at my father's friends church. That Sunday Morning I
preached a sermon that Charles Spurgeon had preached. I was only about 17 years
old. I had no idea of the impact of Charles Spurgeon. I knew that Dad had a set of
his sermons in his own library and I was reading the sermons. So I thought it would
be good to take on of the sermons and try to preach it. Of course I had not been to
seminary and had little idea about the art of preaching. But that was the beginning
of my learing to preach.
23

Simply recording Spurgeon's messages was a labor-intensive process in those days
before electronic sound-capture was commonplace. Spurgeon spoke extemporaneously,
without the use of a manuscript. (He normally took only half a used envelope or a similar
scrap of paper into the pulpit with him, containing just a handwritten, bare-bones outline.)
Two or three stenographers would record his words as he spoke. Their transcriptions
would be compared and combined, insuring that very few words were missed. Then
either Spurgeon himself (usually), his trusted secretary (especially in later years), or
another qualified editor (beginning around the turn of the century) would edit the
transcript for publication. I own several pages of edited transcripts with emendations
scrawled into the margins by Spurgeon's own distinctive hand, and he was a meticulous
editor. (It is some consolation to me as a rather halting preacher to see that some of the
stunning eloquence of the published sermons was added during the editorial process. All
that genius wasn't straight off the top of Spurgeon's head when he preached-though
much of it was.) The task of editing and proofreading sermons was a massive one, and
the stress of so many relentless deadlines no doubt complicated Spurgeon's frequent
health problems. It may well have hastened his death.

The Atoning Work of Christ
Thursday, February 04, 2010
The atoning work of Christ and the attributes of God

"[saving faith is demonstrated]...by the Word of God having come in divine power to the
soul so that my self-complacency is shattered and my self-righteousness is
renounced...by the Holy Spirit convicting me of my woeful, guilty, and lost condition. ... by
having had revealed to me the suitability and [ALL] sufficiency of Christ to meet my
desperate case and by a divinely given faith causing me to lay hold of and rest upon Him
as my only hope... by the marks of the new nature within me - a love for God; an appetite
for spiritual things; a longing for holiness; a seeking after conformity to Christ" - A.W. Pink

The gospel of Christ in general is this: It is the good tidings that God has revealed
concerning Christ. More largely it is this: As all mankind was lost in Adam and became
the children of wrath, put under the sentence of death, God, though He left His fallen
angels and has reserved them in the chains of eternal darkness, yet He has thought upon
the children of men and has provided a way of atonement to reconcile them to Himself
again...Namely, the second person of the Trinity takes man's nature upon Himself, and
becomes the Head of a second covenant, standing charged with sin. He answers for it by
suffering what the law and divine justice required, and by making satisfaction by keeping
the law perfectly, which satisfaction and righteousness He tenders up to the Father as a
sweet savor of rest for the souls that are given to Him...And now this mediation of Christ
is, by the appointment of the Father, preached to the children of men, of whatever nation
or rank, freely offering this atonement unto sinners for atonement, requiring them to
believe in Him and, upon believing, promising not only a discharge of all their former sins,
24 but that they shall not enter into condemnation, that none of their sins or unworthiness

shall ever hinder the peace of God with them, but that they shall through Him be received
into the number of those who shall have the image of God again to be renewed unto
them, and they they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Jeremiah Burroughs

Real Love Is Not Clean Water but the Living
Water

the church is the body of Christ

Until You Know You Are A Sinner, You Will Not
Know You Need A Saviour
Saturday, February 06, 2010
William Newell writes that

• "The silliness of these "modern" shallow-pan days! How men are rushing back to the old
pagan pit out of which God’s Word and His gospel would have delivered them!

• They suck up sin; they welter in wickedness; they profess to be wise! They sit at the feet
of "professors" whose breath is spiritual cyanide. They idolize the hog-sty doctrines of a
rotten Freud: and count themselves "wise"!

• They say, "God is not a person; men evolved from monkeys; morals are mere old
habits; self- enjoyment, self-expression, indulgence of all desires—this, " they say, "is the
path of wisdom."

• It is the path of those who go quickly down to the pit and on to judgment!

• The very morals of Sodom, as our Lord foretold, are rushing fast upon us, and God will
bring again the awful doom of Sodom (Lk 17:28-31).

• This is a strange introduction to the gospel of God’s grace, we answer, It lies here
before us, this awful indictment of Romans One, and cannot be evaded!

• Moreover, until man knows his state of sin, he wants no grace. Shall pardon be spoken
of before
the sinner is proved a sinner?

• While the evidence is being brought in, the whole attention of the court is upon that.
25

• If the evidence of guilt be insufficient or inconclusive, there is no necessity for a pardon!

• Preachers and teachers have soft pedaled sin, until the fear Of God is vanishing away.

• McCheyne used to Say, "A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hands of God" A
preacher who avoids telling men the truth about their sin as here revealed, is the best tool
of the devil. (2Ti 4:3, 4, Acts 20:30, Heb 13:9)"

350 Years of Baptist In America Were
Kenneth Good, in his book, Are Baptists Calvinists?, does a good job of tracing the
Calvinistic influence that Vedder speaks of to the Baptist Bible Union and the General
Association of Regular Baptists. (pp.188-216) All the various Fundamental Baptist groups
have their roots back to this same source. Whether Fundamental or Southern, most
Baptist churches of our day have for their Articles of Faith but a version of the New
Hampshire Confession of 1833, with certain modifications. Although The New Hampshire
Confession is more moderate in tone than the Philadelphia Confession, it was drawn up
precisely to combat the message of the Free Will Baptists which was becoming popular
at the time in that area. (Baptist Confessions of Faith, Lumpkin, p. 360) Therefore it still
retained its distinctly Calvinistic theology purposely, and that for polemical reasons. It has
always puzzled me why the longest single section of that confession has always been
omitted by modern day Baptists. It is article ix, "Of God's Purpose of Grace."

"We believe that Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which he
graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners; that being perfectly consistent with
the free agency of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end; that it
is a most glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, being infinitely free, wise, holy,
and unchangeable; that it utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility, love, prayer,
praise, trust in God, and active imitation of his free mercy; that it encourages the use of
means in the highest degree; that it is ascertained by its effects in all who truly believe the
gospel; that it is the foundation of Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard
to ourselves, demands and deserves our utmost diligence." (Ibid, p. 364)

It has always seemed to me that any Baptist group, wishing to stand with the mainstream
of the venerable Baptist past and desiring to be true to the gospel, would be proud to
include such a biblical and Baptistic statement in its Articles of Faith. In fact, if purposely
done, it seems to me to be historically dishonest to have omitted it, particularly when
such Articles were and are set forth as representing the historic Baptist position.

Is The Teaching And Learning Doctrine
Important?
IS THE TEACHING AND LEARNING DOCTRINE IMPORTANT?

26

Pastor/Teacher Charles E. Whisnant

One of the fundamental marks of liberalism is its constant attack against "doctrine." A
growing number of people are now saying, "Doctrine is not important. Jesus is important.
Let's lay aside our petty doctrinal differences and get back to Jesus."

Bible doctrine is SO IMPORTANT that God made sure 2 John 9-11 was recorded:
"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He
that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come
any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him
God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." If doctrine is
not important, then these verses do not mean anything. Doctrine is of utmost importance!

The word doctrine means: "instruction, teaching." Therefore, the "doctrine of Christ" is the
instruction or teaching that Christ gave. Is the teaching of Christ important? Is the truth
important? Is sound doctrine important? YES! A thousand times YES!

Just how important is the doctrine or teaching of Christ? Paul told Timothy to "give
attendance to...doctrine" and "charge some that they teach no other doctrine" (1 Timothy
4:13,16; 1:). Titus was told to "speak the things which become sound doctrine" (Titus 2:).
Paul warned that some " will not endure sound doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:3), that we are as
"children" when we are "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine"
(Ephesians 4:), and to "mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the
doctrine" (Romans 16:17). Elders are to be able "by sound doctrine both to exhort and
convict the gainsayers" (Titus 1:9). Every Christian is to "hold fast the form of sound
words" (doctrine) and "earnestly contend for the faith" (doctrine) (2 Timothy 1:13 Jude 3).
Therefore, we see not only the importance of doctrine but also the strict warning to
anyone who would pervert or change Christ's doctrine.

If doctrine is unimportant, then what parts can be changed? Can we do away with the
doctrine of: the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the church of Christ, the acts of worship,
the plan of salvation? If any point of doctrine can be changed, then WHO has the right to
change it and HOW FAR can he go in changing it? Let's submit to Christ's doctrine, for
therein only do we purify our souls (1 Peter 1:22).


God’s Right To Judge Mankind
Romans 1:22 # 45.23 February 07 2010
Pastor/Teacher Charles E. Whisnant

Romans 1:22 Professing (PAPMPN) to be wise, they became fools (3SPAPI)

Romans 1:23 and exchanged (3PAAI) the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in
the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures

• PROFESSING (alleging, asserting, affirming) TO BE WISE: phaskontes (PAPMPN)
einai (PAN) sophoi:
• (Ro 11:25; Pr 25:14; 26:12; Is 47:10; Jer 8:8,9; 10:14; Mt 6:23; 1Co 1:19, 20, 21; 27

3:18,19)

As you know it’s always being my goal to discover the depth of Scripture. I do get excited
about what I am learning from God’s Word.

Romans is about the Good News, but for the Good News to be good, we need to know
what the bad news is. And the bad news is, we are all under the wrath of God. We are all
sinners and with out some good news we are all bound to go to HELL for all eternity. That
is forever. So we need good news.

On the TV News they give us all the bad news without, or with little good news.
Jesus spoke more on the negative. He had more to say about judgment, destruction,
damnation, Hell, than anybody recorded in scripture.

• For contempt of others.
• For unwillingness to forsake sin.
• For falsely professing to follow Christ.
• For assuming Jewish lineage can save.
• For rejecting the Messengers of Christ
• For failing to fear and reverence God.

From the beginning Jesus’ testimony was clear. God is a God of judgment and wrath who
will punish sin.

So Paul does the same, he first warns men about the wrath of God. And Paul answers
the question: “Is God fair?” Is God unloving? How? By defending God’s right to respond
in judgment.

• God has a right to judge: Romans 1:18-23.
• Paul gives FOUR REASONS FOR THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD’S
JUDGMENT:
1A REVELATION:

1. God has given the truth of God.
• Man is responsible for responding properly to the revelation of God:
• • Acts 14:15, 17:23,27, John 1:9

2A REJECTION:

• 1. Men have rejected the revealed creation of God, and refuse to thank and glorify
Him.
• 2. Rejecting the light of God’s knowledge in their consciences, men now arrogated
to themselves wisdom, and became—what? Fools! “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning”—of both knowledge and wisdom (Pr 1:7; 9:10; 15:33; Ps 111:10-; Job
28:28).

That is the characterization of the entire human race apart from regeneration. Rom 2:23
Man refuses to glorify God and thus praises himself. Daniel 4:30-37 Nebuchadnezar

3A RATIONALIZATION:

28

1B Professing (5335) (phasko from phemi = to say or affirm) means to affirm, allege,
pretend, profess. The idea conveyed by this verb is that one is speaking with an air of
certainty, stating something with a high degree of confidence The English word assert
which means to affirm or declare positively or with assurance and often even forcefully or
aggressively. The idea of assert implies stating confidently without need for proof or
regard for evidence.

• Man rationalizes his sin and proves his utter foolishness by devising and believing
his own philosophies about God, the universe, and himself

2B They Became fools (3471) (moraino from morós = foolish and root of our English
moron = very stupid person) can refer to physical sloth or dullness, but mainly is a
reference (and especially in the present context) to one's intellectual life. It means to
cause content of certain thoughts to become devoid of meaning or even to cause them to
become nonsense.

• Rejecting the light of God’s knowledge in their consciences, men now arrogated to
themselves wisdom, and became—what? Fools! “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning”—of both knowledge and wisdom (Pr 1:7; 9:10; 15:33; Ps 111:10-; Job
28:28).

THREE WAYS THEY HAVE BECOME FOOLS:

1B COMPROMISE: THEISTIC EVOLUTION:

2B LIBERAL THEOLOGY:

3B PSYCHOLOGY

God Is The Energizer of Life Part two
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Philippians 2:12-13
Charles E. Whisnant, Pastor/Teacher
February 2010

Philippians 2:13 for it is (3SPAI) God who is at work (PAPMSN) in you, both to will (PAN)
and to work (PAN) for His good pleasure

SUPERNATURAL WORK
REQUIRES
SUPERNATURAL ENERGY

The Christian life is a disciplined spiritual life. Paul is calling for a personal sanctification,
personal godliness and spiritual maturity.

Work (1754) (energeo from energes = active, operative, at work in turn from en = in +
érgon = work)

• refers to active, efficient, effectual fervent work. God energizes His children to obey 29

and serve Him; His power enables their sanctification.
THE POSSIBILITY OF LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS TWO-FOLD

1B The Christian working 100% out what is on the inside.

2B The Lord working 100% on what is on the inside.

Remember: Whatever is being produced in your life for the glory of God is being
produced by God, He is at work in you. So which one is it? You or God bringing about
your salvation?

FIVE KEY TRUTHS ABOUT GOD WE MUST UNDERSTAND.

1B HIS PERSON: It is God in person working in you.

2B HIS POWER: It is God’s power who is working in you.

• It is God who is energizing the fulfillment of His own command in us.

3B HIS PRESENCE: It is God who is in you, working out His will.

• Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Psalms 139:3

His presence is always present in your life from the first day to the last day on earth and
into eternity. Always sustaining, supporting, upholding, strengthening, shielding, never
out of His care.

4B HIS PURPOSE: He is trying to develop something very specific in us. Thus He is
working in us both to will and do His good pleasure.

BOTH TO WILL AND TO WORK: kai to thelein (PAN) kai to energein (PAN):

• 1 King 8:58; 1 Chro 29:14-18; Ezra 1:1,5, 7:27; Nehemiah 2:4; Psalms 110:3; 119:36;
Psalms 141:4; Proverbs 21:1; John 6:45, 65; Ephesians 2:4-5; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Titus
3:4-5; I Peter 1:3

There are two things God wants to energize in us!

1. Our Will and
2. Our Work.
• Psalms 110:3; Ezra 1:5; 7:27; Proverbs 21:1
• God is working in you on your will to produce the intent, the will to do what He
desires.

HOW DOES GOD PRODUCE IN US TO MOVE OUR WILL?

1B HOLY DISCONTENT:

• You are discontent with your holiness, your spiritual state. He wants you to hate sin.

30

2B HOLY ASPIRATION:

• A Strong desire to achieve something higher or greater: knowledge, wisdom, to be
like Paul, Peter, James and John

3B HIS PLEASURE:
• Why is God doing all this in you…..for His good pleasure. For His satisfaction. He
wants to cause us to do what pleases Him.


Trip to Lexington Februay 2010

SEVEN THINGS A PASTOR NEEDS TO
REMEMBER
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Seven Great Lessons of a Faithful Pastor

1. Dead orthodoxy is deadly.

2. Tradition is a wonderful servant but a
terrible master.

3. God blesses preaching that is scriptural,
personal, and evangelical.

4. Do not neglect the Lord's Supper.

5. Fear God, not people.

6. Doctrinal fidelity and evangelistic fervor do not have to be at odds.

7. Passion and courage are no excuses for a harsh spirit.

WAYS TO GLORIFY THE LORD
WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL WAYS TO GLORIFY THE LORD?

BY CONFESSING JESUS AS LORD: Philippians 2:11

BY MAKING IT OUR GOAL TO GLORIFY HIM 1 Corinthians 10:31
31

BY CONFESSING OUR SIN Joshua 7:19

BY TRUSTING IN HIM Romans 4:20

BY PRAISING HIM Psalms 50:23; Psalms 145

BY PRAYING John 14:13

BY MINISTERING OUR GIFTS 1Peter 4:10-11

BY PROCLAIMING THE WORD 2 Thess 3:1; 1 Thess 1:8

BY MORAL PURITY 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

BY TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT CHRIST 2 Corinthians 4:15

BY BEARING MUCH FRUIT John 5:8; John 15:5, 15:16


LEADERSHIP IS BEST DONE BY THE PASTOR
WHEN
Friday, February 12, 2010
PASTORS OR LEADERS

• No form of leadership a pastor provides is more decisive than his proclamation of
Scripture. Preaching both defines the priorities for your church and fuels the
implementation of those priorities in the church. We must never sever the
connection in our minds between leadership—providing direction for the
church—and your preaching plan. It’s that preaching plan, and its execution, that
provide the most powerful and biblically rooted leadership. And I’m not just speaking
about the “leadership opportunity” on any given Sunday. The preaching diet over a
period of time will be the most formative, shaping influence on a church.
• If all this is true, what then? If you’re a senior pastor, then nothing you do this week
is more important than, nor should it supplant, your prayerful preparation for the
preaching of God’s Word. If you serve on a pastoral team with a specialized sphere
of ministry, you should be thinking about how the Sunday preaching can be applied
in the life of the church in your sphere. If you’re a member of a church, there is no
more important moment for you than when you sit under the teaching of God’s
32

Word, hearing his voice, and receiving direction for your life as a part of your
church.
• THUS PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF
THE PASTOR/TEACHER'S MINISTRY FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH
BODY.


Union Mills Confectionery
Union Mills Small Feb2010 View more documents from Charles E. Whisnant.

GOD IS TO BE PRAISED AND GLORIFIED
GOD IS HOLY – So He always does what’s right.
GOD IS LOVING – So He is always concerned with our best.
GOD IS GRACIOUS – So He always forgives.
GOD IS MERCIFUL – So He always holds back the fullness of judgment.
GOD IS JUST –So He is always fair.
GOD IS GENEROUS – So He always gives more than enough.

RIVERS OF JOY BAPTIST CHURCH AND THE
VICTORY CIRCLE
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2010

There was the NASCAR Daytona 500,
There was the NBA All Stars
There was the Winter Olympics
There was the PBA Masters Bowling
There was the NHRA Funny Car Race
There was the College Basketball
There was the Tennis Games
There was the PGA Golf
And Rivers of Joy Baptist Church in Minford Ohio was having a great time in their
services.

Of course you would expect the pastor/teacher to say that. Well know always. But there
are times you might say the worship, fellowship and services were a bit better.
33

So what would make one service better than another when you are doing the same
things each week? The singing is always good, the fellowship is always good. And
generally I really enjoy teaching and preaching each week.

And the attendance should not be a factor, having visitors is always a good sign, and
people not walking out while I preach is a good sign. Kidding.

We do have a really small church. Really small. But again we have a great group of
people who do love the Lord and generally love to fellowship and like hearing the
teaching of the word of God.

One member said to a former member last week. "You know, our problem before was
that we were not getting spiritually feed by the Word of God, and we are now."

I know personally that the joy I had Sunday was as much joy as any of the winners had in
the sporting events mention above.

GROW BY LEARNING BOGGERS POST 2007
Grow By Learning[2) 2007 View more documents from Charles E. Whisnant.

Spiritual Discipline
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
According to 1 Timothy 4:7-8 physical exercise, while beneficial, is no where near as
critically important as spiritual exercise! We are also told in Romans 8:29 and 1 John 3:2
that Christians are in the process of becoming like Christ. While believers are in the
process of becoming like Jesus, the writer of Hebrews 12:14 teaches us that we are not
merely to wait for holiness we are to pursue it. But how? The answer is discipline!
“The word discipline was disappeared from our minds, our mouths, our pulpits, and our
culture. We hardly know what discipline means in modern American society. And yet,
there is no other way to attain godliness. Discipline is the path to godliness.”
- Jay Adams
Concerning discipline two things must be understood:
1. Discipline is the necessary key to accomplishing anything in this life.
2. Discipline without direction and desire is drudgery.
That is true in regards to any kind of discipline, but it is especially true concerning the
spiritual disciplines. Discipline is not an end to itself, it’s the means to an end. Referring
again to 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we learn that spiritual discipline is for the purpose of godliness.

34

NOTHING HAPPENS AUTOMATICALLY IN THE
CHRISTIAN LIFE
Nothing happens automatically in the Christian life.

Christians learning to THINK. Critical Thinking.

Critical thinking gives due consideration to the evidence, the context of judgment, the
relevant criteria for making the judgment well, the applicable methods or techniques for
forming the judgment, and the applicable theoretical constructs for understanding the
problem and the question at hand. Critical thinking employs not only logic but broad
intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth,
breadth, significance and fairness. Definition

Thinking is often casual and informal, whereas critical thinking deliberately evaluates the
quality of thinking.

SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE

Understand that spiritual discernment means being ready to admit to weakness or
limitation in that very gift; being willing to abandon “shortcuts” in return for the demanding
spiritual disciplines that produce lasting fruit; and resisting the temptation to judge the
hearts of others.
Lloyd-Jones makes a great point in the quote below. The only thing I would add is that
many people today think that simple preaching of doctrine will automatically lead to a
transformed life. Lloyd-Jones is right when he says we must be taught to think. We need
practical guidance to help us apply the wondrous truths of the gospel, or we will remain
stunted and immature Christians. Where is the preaching that will help us live as
Christians?

NOTHING HAPPENS AUTOMATICALLY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

Nothing happens automatically in the Christian life. That is a very profound principle, for I
believe that most of our troubles arise from the fact that we tend to assume that they do
happen automatically.

We persist in holding on to a semi-magical notion of regeneration which teaches that,
because of what has happened to us, the rest of the story is, quite simply, ‘they all lived
happily ever after’.
But of course we know that that is not true . . .Obviously the antidote to that is

• to think,
• to have an understanding,
• to reason the thing out thoroughly.

The world does not do that. The trouble with the world, ultimately, according to the
teaching of the Bible, is that it does not think. If only people thought, most of their
problems would be solved . . .
35

The fallacy of the humanist is, of course, that he believes that all you have to do therefore
is to tell people to think. But as long as they are sinners they will not think. (As our study
in Romans 1 tell us, I have added)) These elemental forces are so much stronger than
the rational forces that ‘man in sin’ is always irrational.

When we become Christians we still need to enforce this self-same principle. Even the
Christian does not think automatically; he has to be taught to think—hence the New
Testament .

Why were they ever written? If a man who becomes a Christian automatically does the
right thing, why did the Apostle ever have to write these epistles? Or if you can receive
your sanctification as one act, one blessing, why were these epistles ever written? Here
they are, full of reason, full of argument, full of demonstrations, full of analogies and
comparisons. Why? In order to teach us how to think, in order to teach us how to work
these things out, and how to gain understanding.
David Martyn. Lloyd-Jones, Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home & Work : An Exposition of
Ephesians 5:18 to 6:9 (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1974, c1973), 209.

Sanctification happens in our life as Philippians 2:12-13 tell us, but as I have said, we
have to put forth the effort to think on the spiritual things of the Word of God and then
God gives us the will to do His will for His good pleasure.

GOSPEL DRIVEN CENTERED CHURCH
Gospel Driven Centered Church 2 of 5 from Charles E. Whisnant on Vimeo.


A NEW BLOGGER FOR THE STUDY OF
ROMANS
I have added another BLOGGER for the
express purpose of posting the outline and
notes from my study of the book of
R O M A N S .
http://charlesromans.blogspot.com/ . What I
am going to do is post all the outlines that I
have so far from the study of Romans. This
process will take a few weeks to complete.
(-06:00)

36

THE EXPERIENCES OF MINISTRIES SEEM TO
BE THE SAME
My experience in ministry seems never to change. The same events usually happen ever
time, in every church. I must say, if the experience didn't prove to be what was worked
out by the Lord I would be rather discourage to say the least.

I don't necessary believe one can question my hearts desire to be the kind of teacher I
desire to me. The question seems to be the interpretation of Scripture that I make with
scripture.

What I have learned over the years, it seems that pastors are not willing to teach publicly
what they really believe in private. I think the reason why preachers don't preach from the
text is because they are not willing to teach the truth from the text.

The Scripture seems to be clear about what it teaches. But over the years preachers
have avoided teaching the truth about the text, and thus the members have not learned
the scriptures.

Then when a preacher really began to teach the text and what it is really saying, the
people throw a fit. "Well its not what we have been taught by our pastors in the past." The
truth is they are right, they haven't.

Many fundamental preach preaches on topic of sin, and legalism, and stuff that are not in
the scripture, and fail to teach the Word of God, and thus the people are ignorant of the
truth.

In every cast that I have confronted are people who say, "You are not Baptist." "You
teach the doctrine of Calvinism." "You don't preach to us,you teach."

While I do believe its more of a personality, or control issue, they often leave the church.
They are willing to get back into a church like the one they had and didn't really like in the
first place.
They are more willing to listen to a preacher who just tells them how sinful they are, and
gives an altar call, and is in control of the church. And where you are simply saved when
you just invite Jesus into your heart at the end of some sermon and Just as I am is sung.
That is the way its always been.

Good Christian people get so caught up in these things that they are not willing to really
listen to what they are saying or even believe.

I have never tried to pressure people to believe any doctrine. But I don't skip doctrine. All
my preaching is teaching doctrine. I try my best to teach people how to study the people.
To examine what I preach, I am not afraid of examination of what I preach, as a matter of
fact I welcome it.

I am not afraid to change my position if my current position is incorrect. But I firmly
believe after carefully studying the text I am correct to teach the text to the people before
me.
37

I continue to view others who are much smarter than I in matters of interpretation. I don't
change my position just because some Dr. says so, but after carefully viewing his
position again mind.

There will always be two sides to the same doctrine position. I have to agree that some
are not going to change their position.

I am forced to preach the verse that I am current's in and not back down from what I
believe it says. As a pastor/teacher I have been given the responsibility to teach the word
as I have studied it.

GOD SAVES PEOPLE FROM EVERY GROUP
God Saves People From Every Nation from Charles E. Whisnant on Vimeo.


HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?
Keep Believing Ministries
Tupelo, Mississippi
January 17, 2010

How Do You Measure Success?
2 Corinthians 3:1-3
Would you hire this man as your pastor?

*Arrested many times.
*In and out of prison.
*Often run out of town.
*Never built a building.
*Never spoke on television.
*Never had a website.
*Never had a Facebook page.
*Never owned his own home.
*Had to work on the side to support himself.
*Never stayed very long in one place.
*Not a skilled public speaker.
*Unimpressive appearance.
*Sometimes preaches for hours at a time.
*Seems to get involved in public controversies.

38 Most churches would take a pass on a man like that. After all, you can’t trust your pulpit

to just anyone who comes along. And that’s why the Apostle Paul would not feel at home
in many of our churches today.

Every year I spend a good part of my time talking with pastors. I love pastors and I love
spending time with them. Sometimes I’ll ask, “How is it going?” and then sit back and wait
for the answer. Just as I typed that sentence, I shrugged my shoulders, as if to say, “It
depends.” It depends on who is asking and when and where and why. And it depends on
what day you ask.

Success in the ministry is notoriously hard to define. Even if we have met all our goals,
have we truly been successful in the eyes of the Lord?

How do we measure success in the ministry?

That’s the question Paul faced in 2 Corinthians. He had to justify himself because a group
of critics had virtually taken over the church, filling the people’s minds with base
accusations against Paul’s character and his conduct. “You can’t trust him. Look how
fickle he is. He says he’s coming for a visit, then he doesn’t show up. How do you know
he’s not a fake?"

Part of Paul’s answer comes in 2 Corinthians 3:1-3 where he declares that the real
measure of his ministry is the lives changed by the Holy Spirit. That constitutes true
success in the eyes of the Lord.

It’s not about programs or buildings.
It’s not about budgets or titles.
It’s not about a big reputation.

I. Inadequate Measures of Success
“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people,
letters of recommendation to you or from you?" (2 Corinthians 3:1).

Paul says, “I don’t need to boast and I don’t need a letter of reference to prove the validity
of my ministry."

That’s different from the way we do things today.

Sometimes we measure success by our degrees. So we go to college for four years to
get a BA or a BS. Then we may go to graduate school for an MA or an MBA. Some will
seek a professional degree, such as an MD, JD, DDS, or DMin. Those with a scholarly
bent will pursue a PhD so they are qualified to write or teach at the highest levels. So in
the end the extremely studious person may have a string of degrees after his name, such
as BA, MA, PhD.

And of course these things matter. We pay attention to them. We put our degrees up on
the wall. We want people to know we went to Georgia Tech or Miami or to Notre Dame or
Princeton or Multnomah or Biola. And it’s not just those letters. We gain status, we make
friends, we network, we may meet our spouse at college or in graduate school, and when
we graduate, having a degree from a particular school may land us a job some day. So it
does matter.

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Sometimes we ordain people to the ministry. That’s important because it means that a
certain group of well-respected people examined you carefully regarding your testimony,
your background, your education, your doctrine, your spiritual life, and your call to the
ministry. In some denominations a candidate without ordination papers will not be
considered for the pastorate. We put our ordination paper on the wall. It’s a mark of
accomplishment, a sign that someone, somewhere has checked us out and we pass
muster.

Often we measure pastors by church size. Probably nothing matters more than this. Go
to any ministerial gathering and after the initial greetings, someone is sure to ask, “How
large is your church?” or “How many are you running in Sunday School?” That matters
because 50 is better than 25, 100 is better than 50, 500 is better than 100, 1000 is better
than 500, 2000 is better than 1000, and anything over 2000 is considered a megachurch.
And these days there are quite a few churches in America that draw more than 7000
people very Sunday. Currently the largest church in America attracts over 40,000 people.
And around the world there are mega-megachurches that number over 100,000 or
200,000.

There are other ways of looking at success. Who do you know? How well are you
connected? Do you know a senator? How many millionaires attend your church? Do you
have Bill Gates’ cell phone number? Do you Twitter with Shania Twain? Do you drop by
and say hi to Donald Trump when you are in New York? Have you met President
Obama? Will Peyton Manning return your calls? Did you eat lunch with Chuck Colson last
week? On and on it goes. Because we live in a celebrity culture, it matters to all of us who
we know. Knowing important people gives you clout, it helps you get things done, and it
elevates you in the minds of others.

But these things, the “letters of recommendation” that Paul is talking about, the approval
and recognition of others and the applause of the world, these are not the true measures
of success.

God views it differently.

II. The One Thing That Matters Most
It’s all about lives changed by the Holy Spirit. See how Paul explains it in verses 2-3:

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You
show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but
with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

As far as Paul was concerned, the real proof of his ministry was the changed lives of his
hearers. As he preached the gospel, the Holy Spirit applied it to his hearers so that when
they believed in Jesus, their lives were completely changed. Corinth was a thoroughly
pagan city, given over to idol worship and gross sexual immorality. As a seaport town, it
had a reputation for sensuality to the point that “to corinthianize” had become a by-word
in the first century. It meant to live on the level of brute sexual appetites. Corinth was a
place where you could say that truly “anything goes.” So when the gospel entered with its
promise of life transformation through the power of Jesus Christ, sinners were converted,
and some of them were radically changed. Paul had written about that in his first letter to
40

the Corinthians:

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor
homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor
swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

In today’s world we tend to regard that as a “hard passage” that makes us squirm
because it seems so negative-and it is! But that’s not the end of the story. Read on to
verse 11:

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

The most important part of this text is the first phrase of verse 11: “And that is what some
of you were.” In those eight words we find the entire Christian faith. The effective power
of all that we believe is summed up in those few words. Christianity is supremely a
religion of conversion. Everything we say and everything we believe is built upon one
fundamental and revolutionary premise: You don’t have to stay the way you are. Your life
can be radically changed by God. The miracle of conversion happens when the life of
God intersects with human personality. Once God enters the picture, your life will never
be the same again. Until then, you may be religious and you may be a very good person
and you may obey all the rules of the church, but you have not been converted.

Let’s just write it down for the whole world to understand. The Christians at Corinth were .
..

Wicked no more.
Immoral no more.
Idolaters no more.
Adulterers no more.
Homosexuals no more.
Thieves no more.
Greedy no more.
Drunkards no more.
Slanderers no more.
Swindlers no more.

Talk about a change. Can you imagine the impact in Corinth when an idol worshiper
came to Christ and his buddies at the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love,
wondered what happened to him. Why didn’t he come around anymore? Why didn’t he
offer sacrifices? Why did he partake in sexual escapades with the many priestesses
attached to the temple? Why didn’t he join in the bacchanalian celebrations? What
happened to him? “I met some people who told me about Jesus, and he changed my life
completely."

Or suppose a woman was one of those priestesses who practiced a form of religious
prostitution. What would her friends say when suddenly she stopped plying her trade?
41

Her answer would blow their minds.

Or here is a man in Corinth who has lived a homosexual lifestyle. But no more. He has
been washed, cleansed, sanctified, given a new heart, a new life, a new direction. Yes,
the temptations remain, but the direction of his life has been altered forever. Can you
imagine what his friends would say when he declared, “I’m not going to do that
anymore"?

There is another way to say it. Conversion is the miracle whereby God changes the
tenses of your life:

This is what you were.
This is what you are.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ can do it, and we believe that only Jesus has the life-
changing power to utterly transform your life from the inside out. That’s what happened to
the first-century believers in the seaport town of Corinth. It could happen to you today as
you read these words.

How did this radical change take place among those who heard his message? These
former idol-worshiping pagans were now . . .

Visibly Different

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody” (v. 2).
It’s a wonderful thing when your conversion is so real that no one can deny the change in
your life.

Followers of Christ

“You show that you are a letter from Christ” (v. 3). Their lives were like a letter from
Christ, written in their hearts, plain and clear for the whole world to see.

Supernaturally Changed

“Written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God” (v. 3). They had not been
changed by “joining the church” or “walking an aisle” or “signing a card." Those things
have no power to change us. Only the Holy Spirit working within can write God’s truth in
our hearts.

Internally Transformed

“Not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (v. 3). The Ten Commandments
were written on stone, giving them permanence as a rule of life for ancient Israel. If
someone said, “Is it okay to sleep with my neighbor’s wife?” the answer was, “Check out
the tablets. What do they say?” Rules can do many things. They can tell you right and
wrong, and they can provide guidance in tough situations. Only the gospel can change us
from the inside out.
42

Christians are “living epistles,” letters that anyone can read. Christianity written on the
soul is

Legible,
Persuasive,
Enduring,
Irrefutable.

Jesus is the writer, the Holy Spirit is the ink, you are the letter!

You are writing a Gospel,
A chapter each day,
by the deeds you do and by the words you say.
People read what you write, whether faithful or true.
Just what is the Gospel according to you?

So what is the real mark of a successful ministry? It must be the lives changed by the
preaching of the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s why the proof of the
ministry can never be simply counting nickels and noses or listing degrees or books
written or places preached or the size of your Sunday School or how many services you
have or how big your budget is or who came to speak for you or who serves on your
Board of Reference or how long you’ve been in the ministry.

Michael Andrus makes a telling observation on this very point:

Paul never gives us any attendance statistics from his churches; never tells us how many
baptisms were performed in a given year; never reports on the number of new programs
he started; and he never even tells us how the giving was doing compared to budget!

We count those things and say, “Well, if you’ve got those, you’ve got a successful
ministry.” Paul said, “I’m not playing that game." He wouldn’t ask for letters of reference
nor would he provide any. He simply said, “If you want to know about my ministry, check
out the people who listen to me. Look at what God has done in their lives.”

Living epistles.
Living proof.

That’s the only thing that matters. The rest is just details. And a lot of it is just ministerial
window-dressing.

III. The Source of Our Success
If you take this passage as a standard, it means that God measures our success in terms
of lives changed. He’s evidently not that impressed by the size of our budget or by the
stained glass in our sanctuary. The One who hung the stars in space doesn’t really care
how many books we’ve written or how much money we make or whether or not we see
our name in lights.
43

He’s Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth.
Like we’re going to impress him?
I think not.

I’ve already said that the proof of our ministry is lives changed by the Holy Spirit. So who
does the changing? (This isn’t a trick question.)

The Holy Spirit (who is God himself).

If lives are truly changed under our ministry, God did it!

He has arranged things so that we get the honor and privilege of serving him. To us he
committed the message of reconciliation and told us to go into the world and preach it in
every nation, saying to one and all, “Be reconciled to God."

We do the preaching.
God does the saving.

We do the praying.
God does the answering.

And it is God who takes the message we preach and writes it on the hearts of those who
hear. And let us be thankful about that. If we had to save people, no one would ever be
saved. I can preach from sunrise to sunset, I can preach till the cows come home, but if
God doesn’t work, no one will ever be saved. A wonderful old hymn from the colonial era
says it this way:

Brethren, we have met to worship and adore the Lord our God;
Will you pray with all your power, while we try to preach the Word?
All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down;
Brethren, pray, and holy manna will be showered all around.

I don’t know how you feel about this, but I’m very happy that “all is vain unless the Spirit
of the Holy One comes down” because that means it doesn’t all depend on me.

My success depends on the Lord!
Not partly, but entirely.

Three Simple Conclusions
Let me draw three simple conclusions from this and we will be done.

First, I have a part to play and I must do my part. I am called to preach and teach the
Word of God. The where and the how and the when are not specified. Circumstances
change all the time. Look at Paul’s life. He had great success in one city and was run out
of the next. He stayed in one city for months and in another for three or four weeks. He
was loved and hated, admired and reviled, praised and criticized wherever he went.
Some of the churches he started had major problems. Not everyone who heard him
44

believed his message. Not all of his disciples stayed true to the Master. And yet he
determined to go wherever he was led, to become “all things to all men” so that by God’s
grace, he might win some to Christ.

Was Paul successful? From the perspective of twenty centuries later, we know the
answer is yes. But he ended up in jail in Rome (twice!) and evidently died by beheading
at the order of Nero.

In 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul reveals a key secret of success in the ministry. “It is required
that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." There it is, plain for all to see.

Be faithful.
That’s what God wants from you and me.

Be faithful to our calling.
Be faithful to the Lord.
Be faithful to preach the Word.

That is my part and I must do my part. No one else can do it for me.

Second, I won’t really know how successful I’ve been until I get to heaven. Several years
ago I watched Larry King interview Billy Graham. At one point he asked Dr. Graham,
“How many people have been saved under your ministry?” Without missing a beat, Billy
Graham answered, “I have no idea.” “You have no idea?” “No, only the Lord knows that."

Here’s a man who has preached to more people in person than anyone else in history.
And hundreds of millions have seen him on TV. He is the best-known evangelist in
Christian history. But when you ask how many have been saved, he says, “I have no
idea.” You can count decisions but only the Lord knows the true heart condition of those
who come forward.

His attitude is exactly right.

Whatever success we have in serving the Lord comes because the Lord himself granted
it to us. Since we don’t save anyone, all the glory belongs to the Lord alone.

Third, I shouldn’t bother comparing myself with anyone else. Years ago I heard Dr.
Vernon Grounds, longtime president of Denver Seminary, share a story from a time in his
early ministry when he was bring harshly criticized for some stands he had taken. The
men criticizing him felt he should have been stronger or stated things more forcefully or
done things a different way. They were so vocal that he could not ignore them. Eventually
he became angry and discouraged. Then the Lord impressed upon his heart the passage
in John 21:20-22 where Peter, evidently feeling a bit of apostolic competition, asks the
Lord what will happen to the Apostle John. Here is the Lord’s answer in verse 22, “If I
want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." It’s a
polite way of saying, “What happens to John is none of your business.” The King James
Version renders the last phrase this way, "Follow thou me.”

“Follow thou me.”

Dr. Grounds said the Lord used those three words to set him free.

45

“Follow me, and don’t worry about anyone else.”
“Follow me, and I’ll take care of the others.”
“Follow me, and you’ll have plenty to do.

Here is our calling put simply:

Feed God’s sheep.
Be faithful.
Follow Jesus.

If we do that, we are successful already, and when our work is done, we will discover that
the Lord made more of what we did than we knew while we were on the earth. The
applause of heaven will welcome us home, and that’s the only success that really
matters.

SON KYLE AND GRANDDAUGHTER
(-06:00)

THE LORD IS PATIENCE WITH US WHEN WE
ARE NOT
Monday, March 01, 2010
How could you not be glad with just a
wonderful granddaughter
You don't want to say everything on
Facebook or any other social network, of
course. But there are some who like to
know what we are doing from time to time.
Personally I have a personal interest in my
friends and family. I enjoy knowing how I
might be of better service and how to pray
better.

We live in a society of those who are not
really interested in others, only themselves. To those we would hope the Lord will call
them unto salvation.

46

Our home was broken into last week, and they took a lot of things, but they are things. A
little shaken but we are find.

On another note, while I am sad about our personal experience, and lost, I will confess by
joy out weight my sadness in other matters.

In every church I have been the pastor, what is so amazing, those who were responsible
for me coming to the church, have over time decided to leave the church. Experience
over the last 40 years have proven this out. Every time a pastor comes and a pastor
goes, you aways have people to leave and come.

Those who say they would never leave the church no matter what, usually are the first
ones to leave. From my first church I was the pastor in 1971, to second in 1980 and then
in 1997 and 2001 and now in 2010. You are usually shaken and discouraged and believe
you have failed in your effort and that you have failed the Lord. You believe the Lord's
work is hurt and recovering is going to be hard to accomplished.

In every church that I have been the pastor, the church body was in disarray before I ever
got there. I really don't know why the Lord challenges me with these churches.

And I go into the leadership positing with the idea that I might be able to pull out the
church from disarray. And there is a group that is willing to work with you and see
change, and then there is the other group that believes they don't need change.

What I have learned over time, those who really love the Lord and love the church and
want to see the church grow and are willing to follow our leadership, the church does
grow. On the other hand when those who will fight you on every decision you are making
and changes you make, the church is in disarray and the spirit of the Lord is broken and
the church can not grow.

Then in time you realized that the Lord was in the midst's and that He is watching over
things, since the Church is His to began with, and in time He will correct the problem if we
stay faithful and the people will follow the leadership of the Lord.

What I am most joyful about today is how our people have responded to disruption and
change in our church. I am not one who will paint a good picture if there is not one. What
I have learned that if the Lord is going to bless a church, then we need to trust Him in the
process.

Today I gleam from the past, that the LORD is working in our midst, trust Him when you
are discouraged, trust the Lord that He is guiding you, and what I have found He knows
and we trust Him for the outcome. I know you are thinking, okay what is going on. After
Sunday, I can say, everything is going to be just fine at Rivers of Joy Baptist Church.


47

GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

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