I want to share something with you which has grabbed me more and more over the past few years as I have studied The Beatitudes.  Take a look at the words “hunger and thirst” in             Matthew 5:6.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” –                    Matthew 5:6

When you read “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” does anything in particular come to mind?  What about this; are there degrees of hunger?  Of course, there are.  When Jesus was teaching this, do you think that he was referencing the type of hunger that you have when you skip breakfast or miss lunch?  Was He speaking about the type of thirst you have from doing yard work on a hot day?  I would suggest to you that Jesus knew of more intense degree of hunger and thirst, one which few of us have ever experienced.

Turn in your Bible exactly one chapter back and read of Jesus’ temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11).  Matthew 4:2 tells us that Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights in preparation for his temptation.  And then it simply says this, “he was hungry”.  If you’re anything like me, the idea of going that long without food is unfathomable.  I don’t personally know anyone who has ever fasted that long.  Jesus’ level of hunger had to be something that few of us have ever known.  

Now return to Matthew 5:6 when Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  Jesus was not talking about the minor hunger pangs that a person can get on day to day basis.  He knew what hunger was, real hunger.  Therefore, hungering for righteousness is not a simple thing which you merely say with your mouth.  Truly hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of God demands your full devotion, as if your life depends on it… as if you will die without it… because you will.    Let the righteousness of God be the entire focus of your life.

Pastor Bruce 

Since my teenage years I have experienced problems with both of my ankles and have endured numerous injuries and multiple surgeries on both of them. A few years ago, I was experiencing some new pain in my right ankle. X-rays subsequently showed that I had a bone spur which could only be removed by another surgery (of course).

I went in for the surgery and what had initially been planned as a simple procedure was modified into a moderate reconstruction once the surgeon made his incision. Upon closer inspection, the surgeon was surprised to find much more damage than was apparent from the X-rays. As a result, I woke from anesthesia to find that the original plans had changed drastically, and I had a large cast on my foot. A weekend of fairly intense pain followed.

But has it ever occurred to you that God is never met with surprise? I may have been surprised at what I heard when I awoke from surgery, but God was not surprised. My plans may have changed, but His plans did not change. Stop for a moment and consider how absolutely amazing this is.

We have all had the opportunity to minister to families who are dealing with physical ailments which are much more serious than my ankle surgery. It may even be your own family. When you’re facing end of life circumstances, the outlook certainly appears much more dire than even a complicated orthopedic surgery. But you know what? God is still the same God. He is still not surprised, and His plans have still not changed, even in the midst of those dire circumstances. That may be much more difficult to process now, but our correct response is to continue to give all glory to God, and to continue to worship Him as the King of kings. His plan for His children is perfect.

He created the entire universe and all that is in it, and He holds it in the palm of His hand.

Warm Regards,

Pastor Bruce

Do you find it difficult to share the gospel effectively?  That probably describes most of us.  We don’t find it difficult to be kind, or to love our neighbor, or even to serve the underserved among us.  Those are natural overflows of the Holy Spirit living in a believer.  However, when it comes to actually broaching the subjects of sin and judgment, and repentance and forgiveness (you know, the gospel), we often find ourselves hesitant to broach the subject with lost people. 

Why is that?

Most Christians report that they have a fear of being rejected or ridiculed for their beliefs, or that someone with ask them a question about God or the Bible which they cannot answer.  Let me give you some assurance for both of those fears.  If you’re sharing the gospel of Christ regularly, both of those fears will be realized – that is, they will come true.  You will be ridiculed and rejected, and you will be asked questions which you cannot answer.  Christ promised as much (read John 15:18-26).

Nevertheless, we are commanded to share the gospel (read Matthew 28:18-20).  To neglect this assignment from Christ is to be disobedient to Him.  This means that we must, through the power of the Holy Spirit, overcome these fears and share the Good News anyway.  This is the hard work of creating a culture of evangelism at Lakewood.  We are praying for the Lord to send us new people and new families.  We are returning to Sunday School classes.  We are looking at returning to additional services in 2021.

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed to the Lord, “Not my will, but yours.”  You and I must pray this same prayer.  Despite the fearful thing which Christ was facing, He obeyed the Lord’s will.  Despite the things we fear about evangelism, we must obey the Lord’s will. 

I am planning to teach an evangelism training class in early 2021, and we’ll talk about these fears and tools which we can use to overcome them.  In the meantime, you will be blessed to read this small book by J. Mack Stiles titled, Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus.  It is approximately 100 pages of large print, easy reading, on a middle school level.  It would probably be only one or two chapters of your average sized book.  I would encourage all Lakewood members to purchase and read this book before the new year.

When we overcome our fear, we unleash the power of the Holy Spirit to those things which we could never accomplish on our own.  The eternal destination of our friends, family, and neighbors are at stake.

Pastor Bruce

What a blessing it is to be the pastor of Lakewood Baptist Church.  The Lord is faithful.  He has joined a congregation who is hungry for discipleship, with a shepherd who is eager to disciple.  I cannot express the excitement I have for the work which the Lord is already doing in me, and among our congregation, to prepare us for the good days ahead.

It is important to me to always keep Lakewood members informed as to my thoughts and plans.  Of course the membership wisely decided to stop meeting during the beginnings of the COVID-19 outbreak.  Many have returned for regular in-person Sunday morning services, but I have been asked a number of times what my thoughts are concerning returning to Sunday evening and Wednesday night services and activities. 

First let me say, I believe that you are the best judge as to what the safest decision is for you and your household.  If the Lakewood building is open for a service or activity, and you are not yet comfortable enough to attend in-person, then we honor your decision to stay home.  We will continue to broadcast our Sunday morning worship services live on the Lakewood Facebook group.  And please know that your pastor, your deacons, and other members are being faithful to make calls and visits.  If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to call the church office and we will do all that we can for you.

Watching the news and looking at the calendar for the rest of the year, I see possible COVID-19 vaccines, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other important things.  I believe that returning to Sunday evening services and Wednesday night events at this time would be met with a series of challenging obstacles.  I want us to return to these services (and other ministries) when we can be “full steam ahead.”  For this reason, I feel that it is best to wait until the beginning of the new year and relaunch such ministry efforts with full energy and support.

Shifting gears, I want you to know that you’re always welcome in the pastor’s study at the Lakewood Baptist Church building.  If you see my black Toyota truck in the parking lot, please feel free to stop in and say hello.  I have already been blessed by many people who have done just this.  You do not need an appointment to see your pastor, at least not at the moment!  Please continue to join me in prayer as we invite new people and encourage old friends to come to Lakewood.

Blessings,

Pastor Bruce