A Church Plant called Calvary Goldsmith

Westside Baptist Church has before it an opportunity to join other Southern Baptist Churches in a project spearheaded by the North America Mission Board. On Sunday morning, October 19th, we will vote as a church family on whether we believe God is calling us to walk through that door of opportunity.

As we seek greater clarity on this matter, I have made two short videos and will again make the full Exploratory Team's presentation available.

If you only choose to watch one video, PLEASE watch this first one. In it, I explain that this is a step of faith but I also explain exactly what that faith-step looks like. You can view it by clicking here or watch it here...



So, as described in this video, the motion that the church will vote "yes" or "no" on is as follows:

"Westside Baptist Church will enter into a family partnership with Calvary Goldsmith. The partnership will consist of enlisting prayer warriors, sending teams to do ministry projects and a love offering. This partnership between our two congregations will be reviewed annually."

In the second video, I explain how engaging in ministry outside our walls actually benefits us. You can view it by clicking here or watch it here...



Yep, you heard me right. I believe that a great way to give Murray and Calloway County residents 'new eyes' to see the needs of our community and the heart and hands to do something about it, we need to do missions somewhere else. When we come back, we'll see our home differently. Just ask the folks who have gone on mission trips.

The third video is the full presentation of the Exploratory Team. You can view it by clicking here. (I could not embed it on this site.)

Finally, if you would like to read how this opportunity was birthed in my heart, you can do so by clicking here.

Why we MUST pray "with thanksgiving" if we are anxious

Have you ever been anxious? Of course you have. We've all been there.

Maybe it occurs when you pay bills at the kitchen table with the knowledge that there simply isn't enough money.

Maybe it happened when you were sitting in a waiting room as a loved one was undergoing surgery down the hall.

Maybe you're a student and it happens as a deadline nears or you are sitting at a desk waiting to take a major test.

The possibilities are endless. Yet, we all agree that anxiety is a normal, sometimes frequent, response to life.

Well, in my time with the Lord this morning, I came across a familiar verse but I had a 'eureka' moment reading it. All of a sudden, I got it! It made perfect sense!

Let me share the verse and then some comments on how God has told us to get rid of anxiety.

Philippians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

So, in these two verses, we see that in order to combat anxiety, we are told to pray. We need to unload our burdens and talk to God about them. 

But, there are two words that I have often overlooked that are essential to dealing with anxiety. It is the words: "with thanksgiving."

You see, God is speaking to people who are anxious. They are worried. (Why else would he tell them not to be anxious?)

So, he is telling anxious people to pray "with thanksgiving." 

Now, that's powerful! Why? Because when I'm worried, I rarely ever thank God in my prayers. My prayers typically fall into two categories: 1) "God why!?" and 2) "God, get me out of this mess!"

If you think about the attitude of thanksgiving, it doesn't come natural at all. But, it is the way out of anxiety.

For instance, let's say that I have just been diagnosed with a terrible illness. I can get anxious (I probably would!) and remain filled with anxiety (this response is perfectly normal - most people do it).

However, I could intentionally apply the principle of Philippians 4:6-7 and spend time talking to God. In those prayers, I could express my thanksgiving to God. 

I might exercise faith and thank God for what He is doing in the illness by providing me with incentive to depend up Him.

I could thank Him for who I may be able to encourage along the way.

I could thank Him for promising to work the illness out for my ultimate good and His glory.

I could thank Him that even if I don't beat the illness that Heaven awaits me.

The possibilities to express my thanks are endless.

While being thankful for the bad stuff doesn't come natural, it is pleasing to God because it is an expression of faith in Him. But, it also helps us to put our problems into perspective. When we can thank God for anything and everything that comes our way, anxiety will have no place to hide in our minds and hearts. In fact, gratitude to God will chase it away. 

Why not comply with Philippians 4:6-7 the next time the waters get a little rough.

What was nailed to the cross? It's more than you may have realized...

As I read through Colossians 2 this morning, I came across a very amazing word picture. It's in regard to our sins and how God forgave them.

God is infinitely holy and demands moral perfection from us. When we sin, we become ever more indebted to Him. That sin cannot simply be forgotten. His holiness has been violated and someone must 'pay.'

We understand this in our American culture. We often say, "Do the crime? Do the time!"

We understand that when someone violates society's laws, they are indebted to society and must either pay a fine or go to jail.

This is the way it works in our relationship with God. When we sin (and we all sin every single day), we are indebted to a holy God who demands that payment be made.

Well, folks can be shipped off to an eternity in a Christ-less hell to experience the consequences of not paying their debt to a holy God in this life. Yet, we realize that this is not God's heart (2 Peter 3:9).

So, in eternity past, God determined to glorify Himself by paying our debt for us. That word picture is provided in Colossians 2:14 where it says:

"by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

So, God cancelled our debt by "nailing it to the cross."

We know from the narrative of the Gospels that Jesus had something nailed to His cross. In John 19:19, it says: "Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.'"

This appears to have been common procedure at crucifixions. The crime that someone had committed was put in writing and nailed to the cross. So, as folks walked by, they could see the offense and see the person who had committed it.

As far as the Romans were concerned, Jesus was accused of insurrection. He was accused of trying to set up a kingdom in opposition to Caesar. That was His offense.

Yet, in Colossians 2:14, we're told that as far as God is concerned, there was something much different nailed to the cross. It was our sins!

Friend, that's how God paid our sin debt. He couldn't simply forget it. Someone had to pay the debt. So, when Jesus hung on the cross, God placed our sin debt on His cross so that as the Jesus-follower walks by, they can see their sin debt being paid for by their infinitely loving Heavenly Master.

We serve an awesome God!!!

Filled with God!

As I spent time in God's Word this morning, I was again overwhelmed at how gracious our God is!


The 'gods' of all other religions place a great weight upon the worshipper to perform. At the end of their lives, they can only hope that they have done enough good to enter a place of bliss. But, if they take their religion seriously, they live with anxiety wondering if they are being devout enough.


Our God is not so! He calls us to be perfect (Matthew 5:48) ... and then He gave us the Law. Through the Law of Scripture, any mildly contemplative individual will realize that we all fall so far short of God's perfect standard (Romans 3:20,23).


But, our God satisfied His own demands. He glorified Himself by paying the sin debt we owe to Him. That's incredible!


He calls it like it is and sees us all as guilty sinners. Then, He took the punishment on the cross for those sins so that we could be brought into relationship with Him.


But, that's only the beginning, friend!!!


This morning, I was reading through Colossians 2. In that chapter, I came to the truth found in verses 9 and 10. In those two verses, we are told that Jesus is fully God. Everything that God is was in the person of Jesus.


Yet, it doesn't stop there! The next verse tells us that Jesus (who is fully God) fills us!!! If we are a child of God, then every bit of God resides in Jesus and every bit of Jesus resides in us! (reread and seriously contemplate that last sentence!)


God didn't save us and then make us menial slaves who must continue to fear Him. No! He literally comes to dwell inside the body of each believer (Colossians 1:27) and calls them His children (John 1:12)!


Colossians 2:9-10
"For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority."


#Overwhelming

Does your god cause weight gain?

As I spent time reflecting on God's Word this morning, I came across a text that seemed to be particularly troubling.

You know what that's like, don't you? You are reading a book (God's Word) but a verse 'jumps off the page.' It's a clear reminder that God uses the reading of His Word to speak with us.

Well, the passage I'm referring to is Philippians 3:18-21. In it, God (through the Apostle Paul) notes one very important factor that shows who is truly a child of God and who isn't.

Simply put, people who are on their way to Heaven focus on the things of God. Those who are headed to a Christ-less eternity are focused on self-gratification and the temporal.

People who are truly saved 'seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness' (Matthew 6:33). Those who are not saved are focused only on their own interests.

Philippians 3:18-21 (ESV)

"For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

I found the phrase, "their god is their belly", particularly troubling. That seems to describe someone who eats more than is necessary to satisfy a craving that only God can and should satisfy. I know that too many times that characterizes my behavior. While I love the Lord, I am keenly aware that there are times that I run to the frig rather than drop to my knees or open His Word for solace.

Virtually every time I read God's Word, I am reminded that there is still much work to do as I strive to become more like Jesus.

Praying Scripture back to God

One way that I have learned to integrate studying my Bible, prayer and meditation is by personalizing Scripture. What I mean by that is this - as I read through Scripture, I turn it into a personal prayer to God.

As I spent time with the Lord this morning, I came across Romans 11:33-36. Let me show you how it works:

"Oh, how great are Your riches and wisdom and knowledge, God! How impossible it is for me to understand Your decisions and Your ways!

For who can know Your thoughts, LORD?

Who knows enough to give You advice?

And who has given You so much

that they need to pay it back?

For everything comes from You and exists by Your power and is intended for Your glory. All glory to You forever! Amen."

Do you see what I did? I simply turned Romans 11:33-36 into a prayer. In doing so, I have read God's Word, I am praying but I'm also meditating on God's Word (thinking about it so that it can be absorbed into my mind and heart).

Why God gets the glory for our spiritual growth

Here are some (hopefully) helpful thoughts after my time in God's Word this morning:

Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

It is in these two verses that we see a very important principle for the follower of Jesus: 1) we must intently work toward becoming more like Jesus, and 2) God works intently to make us more like Jesus.

Someone who is on their way to Heaven isn't going to get rid of sin and evidence a growing number of evidences of holiness unless they roll up their sleeves and get to work. They must spend much time in Bible study, prayer, obedience to God's Word, submission to the Lord, serving others, and other spiritual exercises.

Yet, the second verse points out that it is God who is at work in us to make us more like Jesus. If God did not work in us to help us get rid of sin and grow in holiness, it simply wouldn't happen.

It's like this: Someone who wants to get fit may decide to go to a local gym and start working out. They'll pump weights and will initially get pretty sore. But get this, when they work out, they aren't becoming stronger. They are actually tearing their muscles down. Micro tears are occurring (muscle damage!).

If that was the end of the story, working out with weights would be horribly detrimental to our overall fitness. It only tears our body down.

Yet, something happens to our muscles after a workout - if our body is healthy, our muscles will begin to rebuild. Those tears are healed but in a slightly greater capacity. And what's the result? Stronger, bigger muscles!

In some ways, this is like our pursuit of becoming more like Jesus. Sure, we absolutely must go to the spiritual gym and read our Bibles and pray and do so many of the other spiritual exercises. That's absolutely necessary.

But, we cannot give ourselves any credit for spiritual growth. God must come along behind us and do His work in us if there is to be any spiritual growth at all.

So, we cannot take credit when we are becoming more like Jesus. It's God that has done it. Sure, we participate in the process but ultimately He's the One who completes the work.

Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.