Grace Camp Meeting

Exhausted but satisfied! That's the best way I can describe how I feel on this Sunday afternoon after our Grace Camp Meeting. God met with us. We have been instructed in His Word and filled with the joy of fellowship with fellow believers. There is so much I'd like to be able to share since Aaron was not able to finish his hoped-for live blogging. But all who would like may listen to the awesome messages on our Sermon Audio Site.

One thing that has warmed my heart so very much has been watching our young people serve so faithfully this weekend. From the young ladies who were helping in the kitchen to all the young men and young women who served our guests in the book room, by leading worship, by serving meals and cleaning up, etc, etc, etc. What a blessing you all were to us!

In His Mercy,

SSL

Grace Camp Meeting - Friday Night Update

Bro. Mike Williams and his wife are still in Texas as of 4:30pm this evening due to mechanical problems and storms. Therefore Mike Durham and Tim Conway will be preaching in this evening's sessions at 7:00pm.

Scott Lead us in reading Psalm 27

Songs for the second morning session:

How Great is Our God (including added verse noted below)

The Darkness of our Hearts
Has kept us far apart
From His amazing Love
From His amazing Love
He gave himself to die
My lifeless soul to buy
Redeeming sinful man,
Redeeming sinful man

How Great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see How Great,
How Great is our God!

Brother Mike Morrow brought the 2nd message of the morning session.

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Grace Camp Meeting - Friday Morning

We are getting started Friday morning with a time of singing some great hymns of the faith and enjoying fellowship with one another.

Songs for Friday morning:

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

There is a Fountain

Background Text - John 4:8

Theme – God is Love

Bro. Michael Durham

Here are some summary statements of part of the sermon. The full audio version will be available approximately 15 minutes after each session.

How do we define or explain God’s love? There is nothing lovely about us and there is nothing about us that can attract the love of God. God does not love out of want or need. We love because we need. The more we love something is in proportion to our need of it. We love because we gain from those things with which we place value. However God does not lack anything. God does not love out of need for anything.

God loves, not in the way that we do. He loves us, not because he gains anything from us. There is no profit for him because he is self-sufficient. Therefore how can a Holy God love unholy people? What happens among a people who are loved by God? How are they different? How do they love one another? Visit our Sermon Audio Site to listen to this and other sermons.

Grace Camp Meeting - Session 1

The song list for the evening included:

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
Here is Love
Let us Love and Sing and Wonder

Let me first state that this is not anywhere near a complete outline or synopsis of what is going on here at Grace Camp Meeting, just a background text and later, hopefully, some testimony from people who have attended and been blessed. Let me encourage you to please visit our Sermon Audio Website to hear the complete sermon in detail. I would like to thank Jason Vaughn and Billy Jackson for working this evening with the audio and video equipment that we pray will be a blessing to all who read, listen, and watch.

Scott Lee introduced the first speaker of the night, Brother Michael Durham, whom Scott first met in the country of Romania participating in mission work with Heartcry Missionary Society. Bro. Durham serves as Pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Paducah, KY.

Brother Mike's background text was:

2 Corinthians 5:14

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

It is our prayer that our meetings would bless those beyond the group that has gathered and will be gathering each night. Please consider joining us for the services to come either in person or online.

Grace Camp Meeting Tonight!

We have been so very busy preparing for our Camp Meeting that I have not posted anything here in a very long time. Sorry about that. But I hope to jot some notes down as things go along! God has been blessing at Rockport and we're anxious to get to share in that blessing with those who will be coming to our conference.

Also, it is my intention to put up a summary of our elder's meetings as they occur every other week just to keep our congregation (and anyone else who cares!) informed. This past Monday was largely spent praying together for our conference and for our congregation and it's needs. We continue to seek the Lord for the salvation of those who don't know Him, of our children, friends and visitors, and that He would grant assurance of salvation to some who are struggling in that regard.

We anticipate that God will use this year's Camp Meeting in the life of our church and those who attend. We know that it is not by virtue of our planning that good things will take place, but as a result of God's mercy in choosing to visit us. That is the core of our prayer. Please join us in praying that God would come with power upon us as we meet April 16 - 20th, 2009. As soon as we are able, we will post links to the message on our Sermon Audio page.

Grace and peace to all
SSL

PS - For any who might be interested. Our guys have started going out and doing a little street preaching. Here is a link to their recent effort.

The Difference Between Being Really Sorry and Repentance

Repentance is a radical change of mind wrought by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God that is given with the gift of faith. The results of repentance are a change in attitude about sin that is radically different than the attitude we had about sin before repentance was given, and a change in behavior, which attitude and behavior does not fade back into the former attitude and behavior.
There is no self-justification when repentance is given by God. The repenters’ purpose has been altered, as it were, in his own mind. His intentions are not to return to that sin, or to sins in general because he has also been given a new heart. This does not mean that the truly repentant will never return to that sin, but that it is his real mind that he does not have the intention to sin again.
Although repentance does not cause a sinless walk, there will be a walk in which the repentant sins less, because this change of mind given by God is real
The new purpose in life is no longer about the one who has repented and the hatred of sin is profound. He does not take sin lightly because his real attitude about sin has been, as has already been said, changed!
There is a persistent endeavor after a holy life in walking with God. The truly repentant are conscious of their guilt, of inward sin and of helplessness, but at the same time truly comprehend the mercy of God, without which there can be no true repentance.

When one is merely “really sorry” for their sins, they do not comprehend the mercy of God because what they are experiencing is of themselves. They are like Judas in that they see what they have done only after seeing the awful consequences and feel the heat of impending judgment. They are motivated more by a desire for a standing with God that is without consequence than by a hatred for the sin that Jesus died for. The mind has not truly been changed. There was always a desire for what was good for ones self, and only after seeing once again that what sin had promised it did not fulfill is there a remorse for having acted in a way that will not procure what they were deceived into believing it would procure.
Thus there are those who live in a state of being really sorry for what they are and what they do, but it is a worldly sorrow concerned more with the here and now workings and results of what controls them. There is often a strong effort to think differently, but it is grounded in selfishness. If they could have their sin and heaven too, it would be fine with them.
The godly sorrow that brings about repentance is something that does not come from a free will, or from a natural conscience, or from a fear of hell and judgment. It is a work of the grace of God in the heart of man by the Holy Spirit and the result of His mighty power. It has God as its object and its author. It is on account of God because of sin against God. It is the beginning of true repentance and is a part of it, in fact an essential part, without which there is no true repentance. It is unto salvation, not salvation, because Christ is our salvation. Godly sorrow being the first fruits of the work of the Spirit will surely see Christ as our only salvation.
Matt 27:3 Psalm 119:128 Psalm 51 Acts 11:18 Romans 2;4 2 Cor 7:1 2 Tim 2:25

THE POWER OF GOD

Divine unction only comes to those who have kept themselves pure in heart and mind.
Without that unction, ALL of our sermons are mere dribble, no matter how eloquent, persuasive, or intellectual.
Only as we are endued with power from on high will lives be radically changed.
Stephen Olford said "Beloved, if you stand behind this holy desk and you're life isn't pure; if you're life isn't absolutely holy as far as you know it; if are not walking under an unclouded sky with the ungrieved, unquenched Holy Spirit in your life; then, my friend, you've absolutely blocked the message from any authority whatsoever," he said.
While I was at Stephen Olford's home years ago during his Institute on Biblical Preaching, (there were just a couple of us back then when he first started the Institute in Memphis in 1985), I remember his admonition concerning power.
He said, "Don't you think for a minute that being instant in season and out of season means that you can ask God for His anointing to preach when you need it on Sunday, if you haven't been living in power everyday."
I have tried to remember that on Monday as well as on Saturday, and have always asked my church to be in prayer for me.. We simply cannot afford to let down our guard for a moment. How many men will we see with their armor not on and they ending up on the shelf, with no power, doing no mighty works, preaching merely from the intellect, dispensing no life, with Ichabod written over the lintel of their sanctuaries.
The man of God is to be endued with power from on high as he lives his dedicated life. His prayer should be, "God, if I cannot live my life with a divine anointing to preach and witness to the unbeliever, then just go ahead and take me home now." Oh that men would tarry before God until the power comes. There have been nights when I have waited before God through the night, pleading with Him for power. Most Mondays are spent seeking God and asking for a refilling of His Spirit. I often feel spent after a day of ministering. Yes, we need a fresh anointing all the time. God gives us a fresh anointing. Send down the power from on high. Shake this place where we worship and let the glory of God fall! Send the fire! Wake the sleeping church. Save the deaf, dumb and blind. Open the eyes of those who are blinded by the god of this world. Free those who are shackled by sin. Raise those who are dead to God. These mighty works only happen as the man of God is anointed with the power of God, and it is Satans' determination that God's man would fall
Church, let us earnestly pray together that our teaching Pastor is filled with the Spirit of God and endued with power from on high. It is our responsibility to stand beside him and hold up his hands, to labor together in prayer that the glory would descend and that there would be a divine anointing upon him as he preaches. Let us pray every week that he would have more and more of God's power upon him, and let us never stop praying until we gather with the heavenly throng around His glorious throne!

Accepting Your Unacceptability

I hear a lot of people talking about their lack of assurance these days. That is a good thing. It is time to seek the Lord till He may be found. But let’s face it, religion has confused the issue
What I hear is a lot of people feeling like their faith or their repentance is not good enough. They are unsure as to whether what they have experienced qualified them for salvation and they are unsure if they are truly converted. They are not sure if their faith measures up to what God demands. They are not sure if their repentance was enough.
Do you see what is happening here?
You are looking at yourself? You are looking inward to see if there is enough value in your efforts, or your performance, or the degree of your faith for God to accept. You have got it completely wrong. You are making it too hard.
Christ did not lovingly endure damnation so that you could believe enough or repent enough to be accepted before God. He suffered because you are absolutely unacceptable. You are trying to be acceptable instead of repenting of who you are and trusting Christ to save you. And at the bottom of it all is pride.
It is pride that is causing you to look at yourself and see if you are sufficient enough to qualify. That is why you don’t feel like you are saved, because you are trying to be good enough in your belief and your repentance for God to save you. You are looking at yourself and trying to feel that you have made yourself acceptable enough in your own belief and repentance for God to say, oh OK, now you have done well enough and I will save you.
You are drowning and you will not cry out for God to save you. You don’t want to admit that you are drowning because there is still a bit of self-effort there. For one reason or another, you won’t totally give up on yourself. You still have a bit of strength left so you are going to keep trying as hard as you can until you really “feel” acceptable. That is not the way of salvation.
The way of salvation is to look to the shore to the Savior and cry out that you are lost, drowning, on your way to hell, with no ability, no strength and completely unacceptable.
Christ came to save the lost. Repent of your pride. Quit looking to yourself. Cry out to God to save you. Quit looking inward to see if you measure up. You don’t. Nothing of you, your belief, your repentance, your performance, your feelings of uncleanness, your love, nothing is good enough. It is enough that Christ died. He arose from the dead, and you need to look to Him alone. Don’t even try to feel as if you are desperate enough. That is simply more pride. Repent and believe. He is a mighty Rescuer. He is mighty to save! Will you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins? Will you repent of your pride and come to Him? You say, I can't! I am not able! I am drowning! I am lost! I am unacceptable! I have no more pride! Ah.............Cry to Him! He is mighty to save!

Much of Today's Preaching

I am so sick of the Satanic, twisted, watered down gospel that men are preaching from the pulpits across this land.

Men preach as if it were a game. They tell their cute little jokes as if men were not going to hell right under their noses. Men like Joel Esteen spew the crap right out of their mouths that convince thousands that they are OK, when they are far from OK!

Truth has fallen in the streets and the ears of the multitudes are being tickled by these spiritual eunuchs who do not know the God of the bible.

If you are anywhere near one of these churches where the man standing behind the pulpit is afraid to clearly, and powerfully declare the whole counsel of God without apology, you ought to run as fast as you can away from that damnable place. These heretics from hell who preach a health and wealth gospel, an I'm OK you're OK gospel, a "just decide for Jesus" gospel...they are emissaries of Satan sent to deceive the masses. RUN FROM THAT PLACE AS IF IT WERE ON FIRE!

These pollyanna pulpiteers who have not warned you to flee from the wrath to come and they comfort you in your spiritual torment, when you know good and well that you have never been truly converted ought to be banished from the pulpit and let a preacher with backbone who will not care about position, or salary, or career, or fortune, or fame, or persecution stand there and preach the truth.

Those who love the praise of men more than the praise of God are damning souls to hell and should be run out of town until they repent of rushing into the pulpit to give their false man-centered message of hope.

There is only one message of hope and that is the message of the Christ who is the God-man, who came in the flesh, suffered on Calvary under the wrath of a holy God, for those who repent and believe, and rose victoriously from the grave to call men to take up their cross and be willing to die for the sake of the gospel.
When you truly believe that, you aren't afraid to tell men and women that the house is on fire, and they had better flee.

You aren't afraid to die for the sake of the gospel, because you know it is worth it.
You aren't afraid to declare the whole counsel of God because you really do believe that unless men repent they will perish for an eternity under the wrath of a holy God.
You aren't afraid that you won't be taken care of, because your hope is in heaven, not on this earth.
You aren't afraid to tell the truth that if you have not been radically converted by the power of the Holy Spirit of God, and if you are not absolutely a new man in Christ Jesus, because you have repented and cast your life into the hands of Jesus you are a lost man under the wrath of God, on your way to hell.
You aren't afraid to declare to your religious church members who have just "been in church all my life", that they had better flee from the wrath to come.

GOD GIVE US SOME MEN WHO WILL PREACH WITHOUT APOLOGY NO MATTER THE COST AND FILL THE PULPITS IN OUR LAND, OR FIND A PULPIT IN THE STREETS TO PREACH FROM!