Weekly Words of Encouragement 7-27-09

I should be back on the normal email account by next Monday, we are in route heading home from south Florida. The good news is there was around 250 souls saved in Guyana for the week and two souls were saved yesterday in a church were I reached in Ft. Myers, FL. Praise the Lord!

Good Morning All,
My thoughts today come from I John 3.11"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." From the beginning? What beginning? Is it the beginning of time, the church, Israel? When Christ began His ministry here on earth, He set in motion a new covenant, a covenant based on love. The beginning John is referring to here is the time when the Lord began preaching to His disciples:
John 13.34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."
But how should we love one another? The answer is found in the words of Jesus... In the same way Christ loved us: John 15.12 "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

Jesus Christ loved us with a sacrificial love, a love that not only cost Him His life, but gave us eternal life. This is the pattern by which we can and really should love one another. How many times do we get the opportunity to really sacrifice our time, talent and treasure for benefit of others? I mean truely investing in teh lives of others... There are friends, family and co-workers in our lives which we could exercise that sacrificial love so that the Lord Jesus Christ could be seen in us. Sure, it may cost us some time and it may even cost some money to help others... However, if a lost hour results in a saved soul or just a brief moment of comfort in this life of love one or even a stranger, it is worth time and it is worth the tresure.

I ask you to look back in you life, begin numbering the people that took an extra moment, an extra mile or just an extra minute and see how much it helped you. This is the love the Lord showed...and it changed the world. We can exercise this love and maybe change someone's world. Jesus Christ said: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15.13

Today in History:
1214 - At the Battle of Bouvines in France, Philip Augustus of France defeats John of England.
1586 - Sir Walter Raleigh returns to England from Virginia.
1663 - British Parliament passes a second Navigation Act, requiring all goods bound for the colonies be sent in British ships from British ports.
1689 - Government forces defeat the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Killiecrankie.
1777 - The Marquis of Lafayette arrives in New England to help fight the British.
1778 - British and French fleets fight to a standoff in the first Battle of Ushant.
1793 - Robespierre becomes a member of the Committee of Public Safety.
1861 - President Abraham Lincoln replaces General Irwin McDowell with General George B. McClellen as head of the Army of the Potomac.
1909 - Orville Wright sets a world record for staying aloft in an airplane–one hour, 12 minutes and 40 seconds.
1914 - British troops invade the streets of Dublin, Ireland, and begin to disarm Irish rebels.
1921 - Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best isolate insulin at the University of Toronto.
1944 - U.S. troops complete the liberation of Guam.
1953 - Representatives of the United Nations, Korea and China sign an armistice at Panmunjon, Korea.
1964 - President Lyndon Johnson sends an additional 5,000 advisers to South Vietnam.
1993 - Israeli guns and aircraft pound southern Lebanon in reprisal for rocket attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas.
Til the Shout,

Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.

Pastor

New Testament Baptist Church

www.ntbctn.com

Weekly Words of Encouragement 7-20-09

Good Morning All,
As you may notice this week's 'Words' is sent from my yahoo account, we are currently in Guyana, South America therefore I must use this email account from a Internet cafe.
Rejoice with us that we have seen two souls saved this morning in opening services.

My thoughts for today are taken from Psalms Psalm 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. When we ponder upon the mercy of Christ, His wonderful grace and compassion on His people we cannot but think about the forgiveness God offered upon the cross of Calvary.
Looking at Israel and the many times in the wilderness as well as the promised land, they turned their back on the God that set them free from the bondage of Egypt (which is a picture of the world). God could have have several times over destroyed them, judged them for their infidelity. However, He had mercy...Mercy for thousands and grace for many. How many times did God forgive their trespasses? 490.

Yes, there was more to the answer Jesus gave Peter when he asked the Master how many times should he forgive his brother's trespasses. Jesus' reply was 7 times 70... or 490. It was not until Israel transgressed once more, did God send them into captivity under Babylon. They remained there for 70 years, which is the amount of Sabbath years they owed God (the commandment was to work the land 6 years and let it lie for one, however they did not do so and owed God 70 years for transgressing every 7th year within the 490).

With that thought, how often should we forgive our brother or sister that transgresses us? According to the Lord Jesus Christ 490 times... Therefore, we ought to forgive, have compassion and mercy on even those that wrong us... We should have compassion on those that even despitefully use us so that the Lord may be glorified and His name lifted high in all we do or say. Yes, as man, we should have mercy and compassion as even God did for our sake. I pray that you may use this thought the next time you are trespassed against, maybe you can use it as an opportunity to witness for Christ.

****Please remember us in prayer this week as we serve in the nation of Guyana. Also, the last man that was saved during my last trip here 4 years ago was a Muslim named Buddy. I am delighted the say he came up to me today, Bible in hand and praised the Lord for that night 4 years past. He is a faith member of the church. Amen Amen!

Today in History
1780 - General "Mad Anthony" Wayne leads two brigades of Pennsylvania militia, supported by four artillery pieces, in an attempt to destroy a fortified blockhouse located approximately four miles north of Hoboken, in Bull's Ferry, New Jersey.
1881 - Sitting Bull Surrenders
1951 - King of Jordan assassinated
1976 - Viking I lands on Mars

Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church
www.ntbctn.com

Weekly Words of Encouragment 7-13-09

Good Morning All,
I trust everyone has had a safe and blessed weekend. Yesterday I finished my adult Sunday School class on the Life of Paul. 5 years, 2 months and 8 days after teaching lesson 1, we finally brought Paul’s life to a close. Believe it or not, I have diligent studied Paul’s life for most of my time as a Pastor. Doing so has changed my life, my walk with Christ, my willingness to serve and compassion toward others in ways I cannot explain. In reality, it was a sad day for me having been so involved in one person’s doings for so long and now we are through.

In the close of Paul’s life, he was chained to a Roman soldier; for the last years of his existence on earth, Paul would be fastened by a chain to a man of the military. There is no way to honestly describe that without words like affliction, burden and irritation. 13 times in his letters, Paul mentions his confinement, mostly referring to it as his ‘bonds’. Yet he never complains, whines, rebukes or offers any sign of regret in serving the Lord, which resulted in his latter day bondage. In Ephesians 4.1, Paul makes the statement that he is a ‘prisoner of the Lord…’ Notice, he did not say a prisoner of ‘Rome’ or ‘the world’ or ‘Nero’. It was for serving the Lord Jesus Christ that Paul was constrained to appeal to Caesar. Yet Paul does not consider himself a victim, but rather the victor! Paul looks at his confinement, this chain of affliction and bondage of irritation as from the Lord; knowing that if the Lord brought that into his life, it is for some reason to bring Christ glory. In AD58 Paul wrote the letter to the Roman Christians, in that letter we find Romans 8.28 that reads: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” If read correctly you will notice that it does not say that “all things are good to them that love God”, but “all things work together for good”. Friend, that good that works together through the bonds in your life may be for others; someone in your family or at your work place, it does not necessarily mean that everything that happens to you us will be ‘good’ in the sense of application and occurrence in your life. But it will work for good in bring glory to Christ and helping others when they have problems in their life. We can look at Paul in the midst of chains as he rejoices and celebrates the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord and gain confidence through his bonds (Philippians 1.14).
Notice how Paul looked upon that affliction chained to his arm, the soldier sent to watch Paul on 12 hour shifts more than likely. He received a new solider every 12 hours, but for Paul he has a constant chain that that was a perpetual source of pain and irritation. Yet, instead of complaining, Paul studied that affliction…He studied that soldier, from his shoes to his helmet and from his shield to his sword. Paul studied the moves, methods and manpower of the soldier. From his confinement, we now have Ephesians 6, where Paul speaks about putting on the ‘whole armor of the God’ (us preachers are always looking for a good illustration). Paul studied the soldier’s armor that each piece performed a particular task… Paul studied the soldier’s ability that he would ‘stand fast’ with his loins girt… Paul studied the soldier’s allegiance, that he obeyed his master to the fullest in every order given. From that studying he writes to Timothy in II Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
We have gained so much from the suffering of Apostle Paul and I for one am so grateful to the Lord for enabling this man to endure such contradiction that we today may live a life glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus was the life of Paul, born in AD 1 a Jew with Roman citizenship…died a Christian and child of the living God in AD68 at the hands of the Roman empire. We have learned so much from his life, to say the least, we have learned that even in suffering and situations of stress and anguish; there is a reason that will help others in their time of need.
I pray this is a blessing to all of you today. Lord bless.
Today in History:
1787 – Congress adopts the Northwest Ordinance, providing for the government of the region north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania.
1863 – Rioting against a Civil War military draft erupts in New York City, leaving more than 100 people dead.
1865 – In a New York Tribune editorial, Horace Greely advises, “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.”
1923 – The famous Hollywood sign (originally reading “Hollywoodland” to advertise a real estate development) is dedicated on the hills above Hollywood.

Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church

Weekly Words of Encouragment 7-6-09

Good Morning All,
I hope and pray everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend as we celebrated our nations Independence. With that thought, true independence is only achieved through dependence on the Lord. Thomas Jefferson said: “The God Who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.” What a blessed attribute to possess…Freedom. So many others seek freedom and never find it, while some have it and never respect it. We Americans have been taught from childhood about our rights, and we enjoy a glorious freedom and self-rule that we can easily take for granted. We don't have to hold our Bible studies in secret for fear of the government. We don't have to worry about being imprisoned for months or years without facing charges. We accept our freedoms as a normal way of life, easily forgetting that millions of people in other parts of the world do not enjoy the independence that we do. In celebrating Independence Day in America, it is appropriate that we spend some time reflecting on our freedoms.

If we were sincerely granted freedom, there must be a granter… The Bible says: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36. The freedoms in America we enjoy every day is more than a right and even more than a privilege, but rather it is a gift from Lord Jesus Christ Himself. I, for one, am extremely grateful for being born and raised in our great country.

In America, we are the heirs of great sacrifices made to give us a heritage of freedom. We must guard and protect this inheritance, and not squander it like ungrateful children. To keep our freedoms, we need to appreciate the cost. We need to be willing to understand the sacrifice ourselves, so that we have the same legacy to hand our children…"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - Thomas Paine.

The Apostle Paul said: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1. America…the last best hope, as Bill Bennett would appropriately sub title his two volume history books. America was truly the final frontier, the final expansion of prophesy to be fulfilled in order to set a blaze the missionary and evangelistic trails across this globe, before God would re-gather His people to Israel…

Why America? Upon the first Great Seal of the Massachusetts Bay Colony stands a half naked Indian pleading these words: “Come over and help us.” He is beckoning Christians remaining in England to brave the peril of crossing the Atlantic to bring him and his people the true Gospel of Christ.

America’s Foundation, Faith and Freedom – was not only for the benefit of its own patrons, but as with any fruit producing tree, she was intended to produce the fruit of the Spirit of God for the benefit of others. America is a shining land, that was ordained from above to be a free nation where Jesus Christ is to be exalted and souls are freely saved. Praise God today for the freedoms we enjoy and thank God today for the men and women who sacrificed life and limb in order to provide, protect and propagate such a glorious gift.
Have a wonderful and blessed day.

Today in History:
1699 – Captain William Kidd, the pirate, is captured in Boston and later sent to England, where he is hanged.
1785 – Congress adopts a currency system with a basic unit called the dollar.
1854 – The first official meeting of the Republican Party takes place in Jackson, Michigan.
1892 – A strike at the Carnegie Steel plant in Homestead, Pennsylvania, erupts in violence, resulting in 18 deaths and dozens more wounded.
1916 – The most famous image of Uncle Sam appears on the cover of Leslie’s Weekly.
1928 – The Lights of New York, the first all-talking feature film, premieres in New York.
1976 – The U.S. Naval Academy admits women for the first time.


Til the Shout,
Dr. B.J. Stagner Jr.
Pastor
New Testament Baptist Church