Sunday night, May 21 was a night of exceptional blessing at Fellowship Baptist Church of Salisbury.
The Adult Choir from Hardingville Bible Church came down and provided a Sacred Concert at our church. Mr. Dave Hibbard (the choir director at HBC) did an excellent job of preparing the choir for this time of ministry.
The choir sang a number of songs and interspersed the singing with testimonies of God's grace and mercy. I know that a number of our people were blessed by this evening of ministry.
I was also encouraged by the wonderful acustics that our building provides. A number of the team commented on how great things sounded in the building.
On a pastoral note, it makes me long for the time when our own choir will be ringing out praise in this new building.
On a personal note, it was neat to see some of our former teens again. It is amazing how quickly people grow up. We enjoyed getting a chance to see some old friends again and to see teens that we had worked with serving him by singing and playing piano. We had a nice time of fellowship afterwards, but it would have been nice to spend a lot more time together.
On a humerous note (sort of), it was Missy and my twelveth wedding anniversary and we received a card from a friend whose anniversary is in the same general time period who commented that they did not have a whole choir come and sing for their anniversary like "some people."
In Christ,
Pator Frank Sansone
BTW, Dave Hibbard, the choir director, has also put out an excellent CD of sacred music entitled, Along Life's Road: Songs for My Savior. I believe that Dave still has some left if you would like to order them. He can be contacted at dhibbard@juno.com or at 856-863-4992.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
BJU Drama Team at FBC
On Thursday, May 18, we had the Bob Jones University Truth-in-Action Drama Team at Fellowship Baptist Church in Salisbury, Maryland.
The team did a good job as they presented the story entitled, A Grain of Wheat. The story was a true story about a young man who had given his life in the War in Iraq.
The presentation was especially timely as we had just lost a couple of soldiers from our area in the previous week - including one Christian young man who many in our church knew.
It is a little too late to be posting this, but with all of the computer and moving issues of the last few weeks, I realize that I had not given any updates on The Pastor's Pen.
If the BJU team is in your area, you should make sure you stop by and see the team. (Be advised, they are also doing another presentation this summer called "Gehenna", so if you are wanting to hear this specific presentation on A Grain of Wheat, you should check with the host church to see which presentation they are doing at that church.)
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
The team did a good job as they presented the story entitled, A Grain of Wheat. The story was a true story about a young man who had given his life in the War in Iraq.
The presentation was especially timely as we had just lost a couple of soldiers from our area in the previous week - including one Christian young man who many in our church knew.
It is a little too late to be posting this, but with all of the computer and moving issues of the last few weeks, I realize that I had not given any updates on The Pastor's Pen.
If the BJU team is in your area, you should make sure you stop by and see the team. (Be advised, they are also doing another presentation this summer called "Gehenna", so if you are wanting to hear this specific presentation on A Grain of Wheat, you should check with the host church to see which presentation they are doing at that church.)
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
The DaVinci Code
Below is the text for the article that I wrote about on my last post. It should be posted soon in .pdf format on the FFBC website, as well. (Please note, there are a couple of minor differences between this version and the article that was edited to fit in the space needed for publication in the FFBC Spotlight, the .pdf version is the edited version and, when printed, fits on a regular sheet of paper and has a nice layout, etc.)
THE DAVINCI CODE by Pastor Frank Sansone
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown has become an international phenomenon. As a hardback book, it has been on the famed "Bestseller List" of The New York Times for over 160 weeks and has been declared to be the "all-time best-selling adult novel." Reports indicate that over forty million copies of the book have been sold and it has been translated into over forty languages. With the recent release of the book in paperback and a movie based on the book starring popular actor Tom Hanks, the conversation around The DaVinci Code only promises to get louder in the coming days.
The popularity of this book has earned the author a place on Time Magazine's list of "The World's 100 Most Influential People." A quick look reveals that this book has been the catalyst behind a whole range of other books, articles, web-sites, and documentaries which trumpet or expand upon many of the ideas promoted in this book. In addition, there have been a number of books and articles written which have sought to correct the "alternative history" that is presented in The DaVinci Code.
Why has The DaVinci Code warranted such attention? Aren't people - especially Christians - just overreacting to a fictional novel? Does Dan Brown actually hit on some deep, dark secrets that strike at the root of Christianity? Was Jesus really married to Mary Magdalene and did He have children that carried on His blood? Did the early church really think that Jesus was merely a mortal prophet until Constantine got them all together and made up the idea that Jesus was God? How should Christians respond to the claims of The DaVinci Code?
While the length of this article does not allow for a full treatment of all of these issues, it is the desire of this article to highlight some of the issues presented by The DaVinci Code and present some suggested responses for believers.
BOOK OVERVIEW
The plot of the book is rather straightforward. The curator of the Louvre in France is murdered by an albino monk and leaves a coded message for his estranged granddaughter, Sophie. Sophie, who is a police cryptologist joins up with Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor in religious symbology, as they seek to find out the meaning of her grandfather's coded message and escape from the police and others. During their escape, they must break a series of codes and follow secret messages throughout France and Britain. Central to these codes is the idea that the grandfather was the Grand Master of a secret society called the Priory of Sion, whose goal has been to protect the Holy Grail and keep its secrets. The twist ensues, however, when it becomes revealed that the Holy Grail, rather than being the legendary "cup of Christ" that supposedly held the blood of Christ and was sought in the Middle Ages, is instead actually Mary Magdalene, who held the blood of Christ by being the mother of His children.
As the book progresses, a wholly different world of alternative histories promotes as fact the idea that Jesus Christ was merely a mortal prophet, that Mary Magdalene was in reality the wife of Jesus Christ and the mother to His child, that Christ believed in a "sacred feminine" and that a sexual rite is needed for man to experience union with the divine, that there has been a vast cover-up by the Catholic Church and Christians about all of these things and that Constantine basically "made up" Christianity for political purposes in the 4th Century A.D.
If many of these ideas were presented in a non-fiction work, the outlandish nature of these claims would be subjected to critique and exposed as the bad and distorted history that they are. Unfortunately, the way things are presented in the book, it is not as easy to understand what is true and what is false. Mr. Brown gives his main characters an outstanding knowledge of art and history and often has those characters display that knowledge while mixing in the "alternative history" as part of the descriptions. This mixing in of the true history with the untrue "alternative history" is what leads to much of the confusion regarding this book. To add to the apparent credibility of his ideas, on the first page of the novel, Mr. Brown presents some "facts" and claims that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." In doing so, Mr. Brown makes an underlying claim of accuracy and then uses the shield of fiction to present his views, giving these radical view the air of authority by having his "enlightened" characters bring to the forefront his ideas and present those ideas as well-established fact.
For instance, consider these words from Sir Leigh Teabing, a "former British Royal Historian":
"the early Church needed to convince the world that the mortal prophet Jesus was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that described earthly aspects of Jesus' life had to be omitted from the Bible. Unfortunately for the early editors, one particularly troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the gospels. Mary Magdalene." He paused. "More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ."
"I beg your pardon?" Sophie's eyes moved to Langdon and then back to Teabing.
"It's a matter of historical record," Teabing said. (1)
In addition to all the distortions presented as indisputable fact, he also makes a point that "history is written by the ‘winners'" and that therefore we cannot trust the history as recorded because it is biased against the truth that has been covered up and suppressed all these years.
EVALUATION
While Mr. Brown likes to claim that this book is based on fact and well-researched, in reality, Mr. Brown presents a work that is a lopsided presentation built upon faulty documents, personal bias, and inaccurate details.
Faulty documents
Much of the undergirding for the claims in this novel are based upon two sets of faulty documents. The first set is the Gnostic Gospels, in particular those found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Teabing speaks about these records highly, calling them, "the earliest Christian records" and uses them to support his claim that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married.
The reality is that these documents were not even close to being "the earliest Christian records." In fact, they were written well after the Gospel accounts and other books that make up the New Testament. They were rejected by the early church because of their lack of authenticity (e.g. written by people using fake names long after the named author was dead) and their departure from the Christian message as presented by the Apostles and those that followed them.
Another set of faulty documents at the core of this story is the Les Dossiers Secrets. This is the documents that Brown uses to support his list of the Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion - including Leonardo Da Vinci and Sir Isaac Newton. This list is referred to a number of times to give a picture of importance to this secret organization. The problem, however, is that these documents which are presented as historically reliable were actually a forgery. Pierre Plantard, the man who supposedly found the documents, admitted under oath to a French judge in 1993 that the documents were forged - yet Brown used these documents and presented them as historically authenticated.
Personal Bias
While it is not my intention to belabor this point, Dan Brown has explained in interviews that he actually believes the underlying views that are expressed in his book. The book therefore becomes a way in which he is able to get his bias towards this view into the mainstream.
Consider these statements from an article in The Washington Post.
"I was skeptical, but after a year and a half of research, I became a believer, " says Brown.
"Do you believe that Jesus was actually married to Magdalene?" "I do," he says. (2)
When Sophie declares that she does not know much about the Bible because she was raised by a man who worshiped Leonardo Da Vinci, Teabing responds, "An enlightened soul. Superb!" (3)
Inaccurate Details
Throughout the book, Robert Langdon and Leigh Teabing are presented as "experts", yet, in a number of cases, the information that they declare to the reader is actually inaccurate information - sometimes completely wrong and other times a distortion of the truth.
Robert Langdon describes the etymology of YHWH (the personal name of God) by explaining it being derived from Jehovah, when in fact Jehovah comes from a mixing of the Hebrew consonants YHWH with the Hebrew vowels for the word Adonai (another word for God or Lord).
Teabing mentions over 80 gospels, when, even with counting the very late ones written centuries after Christ, there were not anywhere close to that many.
Langdon describes Shekinah as God's "powerful female equal" rather than the cloud that represented God's glory.
Teabing claims that the idea of Christ being God came about at the Council of Nicea and was the result of a vote that was "a close vote." The reality is that the earliest Christian documents - including the books that make up our New Testament, clearly declared the deity of Jesus Christ more than two hundred years before the Council of Nicea. While it is true that the Council of Nicea affirmed the deity of Christ and stood against the heretic Arius, even that was not a "close vote" as only three of the over 300 bishops refused to sign the document affirming the deity of Christ that came out of the Council.
Many other instances like these could be pointed out in the writings.
CONCLUSION
There is much that The Da Vinci Code claims that makes for a great conspiracy theory. But, like most conspiracy theories, when confronted with the light of the truth and the facts of history, this great "alternative history" that Dan Brown espouses in the book does not stand up to scrutiny. His personal bias allows him to elevate unreliable documents to a place of primary importance and he weaves many inaccurate details into his writing to try to make his case look much stronger than it is.
As believers, we should be prepared to give an answer of the hope that lies within (I Peter 3:15). The nature of the size of this article does not allow for a full presentation of all the issues contained in The Da Vinci Code to be addressed. For a fuller discussion on these issues and other issues related to The Da Vinci Code, some valuable resources would be the book, Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Darrell L. Bock, a series of articles in the publication Nick of Time written by Dr. Kevin Bauder of Central Baptist Theological Seminary and found online at http://www.centralseminary.edu/index.asp?m=701 and a section devoted to this book on the Radio Bible Class web- site at http://www.rbcdavincicode.org.
(1) Brown, Dan, The Da Vinci Code, p. 244.
(2) Roberts, Roxanne, "The Da Vinci Code", The Washington Post, Aug. 2, 2003.
(3) Brown, Dan, The Da Vinci Code, p. 230.
THE DAVINCI CODE by Pastor Frank Sansone
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown has become an international phenomenon. As a hardback book, it has been on the famed "Bestseller List" of The New York Times for over 160 weeks and has been declared to be the "all-time best-selling adult novel." Reports indicate that over forty million copies of the book have been sold and it has been translated into over forty languages. With the recent release of the book in paperback and a movie based on the book starring popular actor Tom Hanks, the conversation around The DaVinci Code only promises to get louder in the coming days.
The popularity of this book has earned the author a place on Time Magazine's list of "The World's 100 Most Influential People." A quick look reveals that this book has been the catalyst behind a whole range of other books, articles, web-sites, and documentaries which trumpet or expand upon many of the ideas promoted in this book. In addition, there have been a number of books and articles written which have sought to correct the "alternative history" that is presented in The DaVinci Code.
Why has The DaVinci Code warranted such attention? Aren't people - especially Christians - just overreacting to a fictional novel? Does Dan Brown actually hit on some deep, dark secrets that strike at the root of Christianity? Was Jesus really married to Mary Magdalene and did He have children that carried on His blood? Did the early church really think that Jesus was merely a mortal prophet until Constantine got them all together and made up the idea that Jesus was God? How should Christians respond to the claims of The DaVinci Code?
While the length of this article does not allow for a full treatment of all of these issues, it is the desire of this article to highlight some of the issues presented by The DaVinci Code and present some suggested responses for believers.
BOOK OVERVIEW
The plot of the book is rather straightforward. The curator of the Louvre in France is murdered by an albino monk and leaves a coded message for his estranged granddaughter, Sophie. Sophie, who is a police cryptologist joins up with Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor in religious symbology, as they seek to find out the meaning of her grandfather's coded message and escape from the police and others. During their escape, they must break a series of codes and follow secret messages throughout France and Britain. Central to these codes is the idea that the grandfather was the Grand Master of a secret society called the Priory of Sion, whose goal has been to protect the Holy Grail and keep its secrets. The twist ensues, however, when it becomes revealed that the Holy Grail, rather than being the legendary "cup of Christ" that supposedly held the blood of Christ and was sought in the Middle Ages, is instead actually Mary Magdalene, who held the blood of Christ by being the mother of His children.
As the book progresses, a wholly different world of alternative histories promotes as fact the idea that Jesus Christ was merely a mortal prophet, that Mary Magdalene was in reality the wife of Jesus Christ and the mother to His child, that Christ believed in a "sacred feminine" and that a sexual rite is needed for man to experience union with the divine, that there has been a vast cover-up by the Catholic Church and Christians about all of these things and that Constantine basically "made up" Christianity for political purposes in the 4th Century A.D.
If many of these ideas were presented in a non-fiction work, the outlandish nature of these claims would be subjected to critique and exposed as the bad and distorted history that they are. Unfortunately, the way things are presented in the book, it is not as easy to understand what is true and what is false. Mr. Brown gives his main characters an outstanding knowledge of art and history and often has those characters display that knowledge while mixing in the "alternative history" as part of the descriptions. This mixing in of the true history with the untrue "alternative history" is what leads to much of the confusion regarding this book. To add to the apparent credibility of his ideas, on the first page of the novel, Mr. Brown presents some "facts" and claims that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." In doing so, Mr. Brown makes an underlying claim of accuracy and then uses the shield of fiction to present his views, giving these radical view the air of authority by having his "enlightened" characters bring to the forefront his ideas and present those ideas as well-established fact.
For instance, consider these words from Sir Leigh Teabing, a "former British Royal Historian":
"the early Church needed to convince the world that the mortal prophet Jesus was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that described earthly aspects of Jesus' life had to be omitted from the Bible. Unfortunately for the early editors, one particularly troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the gospels. Mary Magdalene." He paused. "More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ."
"I beg your pardon?" Sophie's eyes moved to Langdon and then back to Teabing.
"It's a matter of historical record," Teabing said. (1)
In addition to all the distortions presented as indisputable fact, he also makes a point that "history is written by the ‘winners'" and that therefore we cannot trust the history as recorded because it is biased against the truth that has been covered up and suppressed all these years.
EVALUATION
While Mr. Brown likes to claim that this book is based on fact and well-researched, in reality, Mr. Brown presents a work that is a lopsided presentation built upon faulty documents, personal bias, and inaccurate details.
Faulty documents
Much of the undergirding for the claims in this novel are based upon two sets of faulty documents. The first set is the Gnostic Gospels, in particular those found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Teabing speaks about these records highly, calling them, "the earliest Christian records" and uses them to support his claim that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married.
The reality is that these documents were not even close to being "the earliest Christian records." In fact, they were written well after the Gospel accounts and other books that make up the New Testament. They were rejected by the early church because of their lack of authenticity (e.g. written by people using fake names long after the named author was dead) and their departure from the Christian message as presented by the Apostles and those that followed them.
Another set of faulty documents at the core of this story is the Les Dossiers Secrets. This is the documents that Brown uses to support his list of the Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion - including Leonardo Da Vinci and Sir Isaac Newton. This list is referred to a number of times to give a picture of importance to this secret organization. The problem, however, is that these documents which are presented as historically reliable were actually a forgery. Pierre Plantard, the man who supposedly found the documents, admitted under oath to a French judge in 1993 that the documents were forged - yet Brown used these documents and presented them as historically authenticated.
Personal Bias
While it is not my intention to belabor this point, Dan Brown has explained in interviews that he actually believes the underlying views that are expressed in his book. The book therefore becomes a way in which he is able to get his bias towards this view into the mainstream.
Consider these statements from an article in The Washington Post.
"I was skeptical, but after a year and a half of research, I became a believer, " says Brown.
"Do you believe that Jesus was actually married to Magdalene?" "I do," he says. (2)
When Sophie declares that she does not know much about the Bible because she was raised by a man who worshiped Leonardo Da Vinci, Teabing responds, "An enlightened soul. Superb!" (3)
Inaccurate Details
Throughout the book, Robert Langdon and Leigh Teabing are presented as "experts", yet, in a number of cases, the information that they declare to the reader is actually inaccurate information - sometimes completely wrong and other times a distortion of the truth.
Robert Langdon describes the etymology of YHWH (the personal name of God) by explaining it being derived from Jehovah, when in fact Jehovah comes from a mixing of the Hebrew consonants YHWH with the Hebrew vowels for the word Adonai (another word for God or Lord).
Teabing mentions over 80 gospels, when, even with counting the very late ones written centuries after Christ, there were not anywhere close to that many.
Langdon describes Shekinah as God's "powerful female equal" rather than the cloud that represented God's glory.
Teabing claims that the idea of Christ being God came about at the Council of Nicea and was the result of a vote that was "a close vote." The reality is that the earliest Christian documents - including the books that make up our New Testament, clearly declared the deity of Jesus Christ more than two hundred years before the Council of Nicea. While it is true that the Council of Nicea affirmed the deity of Christ and stood against the heretic Arius, even that was not a "close vote" as only three of the over 300 bishops refused to sign the document affirming the deity of Christ that came out of the Council.
Many other instances like these could be pointed out in the writings.
CONCLUSION
There is much that The Da Vinci Code claims that makes for a great conspiracy theory. But, like most conspiracy theories, when confronted with the light of the truth and the facts of history, this great "alternative history" that Dan Brown espouses in the book does not stand up to scrutiny. His personal bias allows him to elevate unreliable documents to a place of primary importance and he weaves many inaccurate details into his writing to try to make his case look much stronger than it is.
As believers, we should be prepared to give an answer of the hope that lies within (I Peter 3:15). The nature of the size of this article does not allow for a full presentation of all the issues contained in The Da Vinci Code to be addressed. For a fuller discussion on these issues and other issues related to The Da Vinci Code, some valuable resources would be the book, Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Darrell L. Bock, a series of articles in the publication Nick of Time written by Dr. Kevin Bauder of Central Baptist Theological Seminary and found online at http://www.centralseminary.edu/index.asp?m=701 and a section devoted to this book on the Radio Bible Class web- site at http://www.rbcdavincicode.org.
(1) Brown, Dan, The Da Vinci Code, p. 244.
(2) Roberts, Roxanne, "The Da Vinci Code", The Washington Post, Aug. 2, 2003.
(3) Brown, Dan, The Da Vinci Code, p. 230.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Join us for our new series
He appears abruptly on the pages of Scripture and he leaves just as abruptly. In the pages in between, we find a man who God used in an extra-ordinary way. A man who saw God hold off the rain at his word. A man that prayed and saw God send fire. A man that stood boldly before the corrupt ruler of the land and denounced the ruler's sin to his face. A man that also experienced great depression and asked God to let him die.
This man, of course, is the great prophet Elijah.
When we think of Elijah, may our heart burn to be used by God in a manner like Elijah.
For the next few weeks we are going to be looking at the life of this extraordinary man of God during our Sunday morning services. We would love to have you come out and join us for these services.
We started the series on Sunday, April 30 and the first sermon in the series is available for listening or downloading on the "Sermons" page.
Hope to see you out.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
This man, of course, is the great prophet Elijah.
When we think of Elijah, may our heart burn to be used by God in a manner like Elijah.
For the next few weeks we are going to be looking at the life of this extraordinary man of God during our Sunday morning services. We would love to have you come out and join us for these services.
We started the series on Sunday, April 30 and the first sermon in the series is available for listening or downloading on the "Sermons" page.
Hope to see you out.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Sermons available for listening and downloading
After some considerable time trying to figure things out, I am pleased to be able to announce that we are now able to make some of our Sunday Sermons will be available on our church web-site.
It is not our current plan to upload every sermon, as we do not have the space for that type of thing, but it is our desire to make a few sermons available for those who are interested. The new sermons can be found by clicking on the "Audio" link on the main church website page at http://www.fellowshipbaptist-salisbury.org.
The first sermon that has been made available on the web-site is the message from last Sunday (Easter Sunday), entitled "Responses to the Resurrection" on Matthew 28. It can be found through the main church web page as described above, or it can also be accessed through clicking here.
I hope you find this helpful.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
It is not our current plan to upload every sermon, as we do not have the space for that type of thing, but it is our desire to make a few sermons available for those who are interested. The new sermons can be found by clicking on the "Audio" link on the main church website page at http://www.fellowshipbaptist-salisbury.org.
The first sermon that has been made available on the web-site is the message from last Sunday (Easter Sunday), entitled "Responses to the Resurrection" on Matthew 28. It can be found through the main church web page as described above, or it can also be accessed through clicking here.
I hope you find this helpful.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Building Dedication Sunday
On Sunday, April 9, we celebrated our Building Dedication Sunday at Fellowship Baptist Church. It was great to see many people come out to join us for this special day. We had a number of friends and visitors from locally, as well as a good group of people from our former church (Hardingville Bible Church).
In the morning service, Pastor Mark Franklin from Hardingville Bible Church preached, and he dealt with the building of the walls in Nehemiah's day and encouraged us as we move ahead as a group of believers.
In the afternoon service, Pastor Steve Wagner, the founding Pastor of Messiah Baptist Fellowship (now named Fellowship Baptist Church) spoke on Revelations 2-3 and dealt with the Lord Jesus Christ's messages to the seven churches.
We also enjoyed special music from Mr. John Fleming, Mr. Ken Dennis, and Mrs. Edna Woodhall and had a great time of food and fellowship at the new building.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Praise the Lord for the work He hath done
On Sunday, April 9, we held our Building Dedication Sunday at the church. It was a great day in which to thank God and to praise Him for what He has done in our midst. I plan on blogging about that soon and including some pictures later this week. Since I do not have the pictures for that day, yet, I thought I would take this space to highlight the work that has been done on the building and then do a post on the Building Dedication soon.
As I look around at the building, I am amazed at God's goodness to us as a church in providing for us such a wonderful place to meet. If someone had said to me last year that we would be in a building this nice by this time, I would have had difficulty believing it. If you had said to me a couple of months ago that the building we are in would look so nice, I would have had difficulty believing that as well.
One of the things that has been encouraging in this whole process is the way that practically everyone has chipped in and helped. It has truly been a team effort and the final product is much nicer than it would have been if I had been the one deciding things by myself.
Here are some pictures for those who have not had an opportunity to see the new building.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Building Is Coming Along
Things have been busy the last couple of weeks as we get things together in the new building that the Lord has provided for us. It is a time of excitement and challenge as we seek to get the building ready for our building dedication Sunday on April 9.
I am looking forward to see what God is going to do in and through our church. It has been neat to see some additional peole come out to the new building, despite the fact that we have not really advertised that we are in the new building, yet. It has also been good to see how everyone is chipping and helping - both in the labor and in the finances. We have been able to paint the entire sanctuary (including the roof), walls have been spackled and repaired, the orange room is painted and now is a temporary office (until we get use of the rest of the building in a month or so), the green room is painted and is no longer a green room. (It will be funny if we keep referring to these rooms by the color that they are no longer covered with.) The flower beds have been mulched and planted. The lobby has been set up as a beautiful entrance to the church. The nursery has been painted and then stenciled. We have been given a new stove, refridgerator and cabinet and work has been done in the kitchen. The sound system is being worked on so that it can be controlled from the sound room instead of from underneath the communion table. People have babysat children so that others could work. It has been neat to see everything coming together.
Okay, I just rambled. Everyone has been so helpful that you want to mention everything, even though I know I will miss stuff.
We still have some more to do, but progress is replacing the mess.
Please continue to help in whatever ways that the Lord has laid on your heart. Also, please continue to invite others to come out to the Building Dedication Sunday on April 9. Pastor Mark Franklin will preach the 10:45 a.m. service and Pastor Steve Wagner (the founding Pastor of Messiah Baptist Fellowship) will preach the 2:00 Building Dedication Service. In addition to this, we will have a Fellowship Lunch, Special Music, and some special visitors - including Pastor and Mrs. Woodhall who served as interim here at Messiah Baptist Fellowship prior to my arrival. We will also be officially changing our name to Fellowship Baptist Church on that Sunday.
If you are reading this and do not normally come out, may I encourage you to join us for that special day. We would love to have you as our guest.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
I am looking forward to see what God is going to do in and through our church. It has been neat to see some additional peole come out to the new building, despite the fact that we have not really advertised that we are in the new building, yet. It has also been good to see how everyone is chipping and helping - both in the labor and in the finances. We have been able to paint the entire sanctuary (including the roof), walls have been spackled and repaired, the orange room is painted and now is a temporary office (until we get use of the rest of the building in a month or so), the green room is painted and is no longer a green room. (It will be funny if we keep referring to these rooms by the color that they are no longer covered with.) The flower beds have been mulched and planted. The lobby has been set up as a beautiful entrance to the church. The nursery has been painted and then stenciled. We have been given a new stove, refridgerator and cabinet and work has been done in the kitchen. The sound system is being worked on so that it can be controlled from the sound room instead of from underneath the communion table. People have babysat children so that others could work. It has been neat to see everything coming together.
Okay, I just rambled. Everyone has been so helpful that you want to mention everything, even though I know I will miss stuff.
We still have some more to do, but progress is replacing the mess.
Please continue to help in whatever ways that the Lord has laid on your heart. Also, please continue to invite others to come out to the Building Dedication Sunday on April 9. Pastor Mark Franklin will preach the 10:45 a.m. service and Pastor Steve Wagner (the founding Pastor of Messiah Baptist Fellowship) will preach the 2:00 Building Dedication Service. In addition to this, we will have a Fellowship Lunch, Special Music, and some special visitors - including Pastor and Mrs. Woodhall who served as interim here at Messiah Baptist Fellowship prior to my arrival. We will also be officially changing our name to Fellowship Baptist Church on that Sunday.
If you are reading this and do not normally come out, may I encourage you to join us for that special day. We would love to have you as our guest.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Settlement is done! Praise the Lord!
After an unexpected delay, we are rejoicing tonight in the Lord's goodness in allowing us to go to settlement and complete the purchase of our new church building.
As was mentioned in a previous post, we were scheduled to go to settlement on our new building back on February 1, but we ran into some difficulty in the process.
Praise the Lord, that today - exactly one month after the originally scheduled date - we went to settlement at 4:00 p.m. We are now the happy owners of a new church building located at 1308 Robins Avenue in Salisbury, Maryland. If you live in the area, we would love to have you come and visit us. If you are from out of the area, we would love to have you stop by when and if you come to town. If you have been praying for us as we have been seeking a building, we thank you for your prayers for us.
Here are a couple of pictures of the new building.
As was mentioned in a previous post, we were scheduled to go to settlement on our new building back on February 1, but we ran into some difficulty in the process.
Praise the Lord, that today - exactly one month after the originally scheduled date - we went to settlement at 4:00 p.m. We are now the happy owners of a new church building located at 1308 Robins Avenue in Salisbury, Maryland. If you live in the area, we would love to have you come and visit us. If you are from out of the area, we would love to have you stop by when and if you come to town. If you have been praying for us as we have been seeking a building, we thank you for your prayers for us.
Here are a couple of pictures of the new building.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Our First Sunday in the New Building
Sunday, February 5, 2006 was an exciting day for Messiah Baptist Fellowship as we held our first services in the new building at 1308 Robins Avenue in Salisbury.
While there is still some uncertainty about the building situation, it was great to be able to get into the building and have our Sunday services and a Fellowship Lunch at the building.
For the morning service, we had a men's quartet and we spent some time examining the concept of God's timing. In particular, we noted that God's timing is Perfect, Purposeful, and Powerful.
The Fellowship Lunch and the afternoon service was a good time together as we looked at the concept of God's Goodness (yes, I actually took a detour from our Sunday Night series on Colossians this week) and then celebrated the Lord's Table.
Friday, February 03, 2006
An Update on our Building Situation
As many of you reading this probably know, yesterday, Feb. 1, 2006 was scheduled to be the date in which Messiah Baptist Fellowship officially closed on a new building for our church.
While I do not want to go into a full discussion of the situation in this public of a forum, I do request that you continue to pray for us and the building situation as we have run into a "glitch" in the process.
I still believe that God wants us to have this building and that everything will work out, but the events of the last couple of days have served to remind us all that we need to continue to seriously pray about this situation (and I know that many of you are already doing so).
The short version is that the church we are buying the building from ran into some difficulty in the process of buying the building that they are buying, and as the successful purchase of that property by them is a contingency on our contract to buy their current building, this places us in a holding pattern until things are worked out. Please pray for them that they will be able to get everything worked out, and for us that we will have wisdom as we wait and that the deal will ultimately be consumated.
We will still be holding services in the new building starting THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, but we will be doing so as a "guest" of the selling church rather than as "owners" of the building.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
While I do not want to go into a full discussion of the situation in this public of a forum, I do request that you continue to pray for us and the building situation as we have run into a "glitch" in the process.
I still believe that God wants us to have this building and that everything will work out, but the events of the last couple of days have served to remind us all that we need to continue to seriously pray about this situation (and I know that many of you are already doing so).
The short version is that the church we are buying the building from ran into some difficulty in the process of buying the building that they are buying, and as the successful purchase of that property by them is a contingency on our contract to buy their current building, this places us in a holding pattern until things are worked out. Please pray for them that they will be able to get everything worked out, and for us that we will have wisdom as we wait and that the deal will ultimately be consumated.
We will still be holding services in the new building starting THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, but we will be doing so as a "guest" of the selling church rather than as "owners" of the building.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
January 2006
We have started 2006 at Messiah Baptist Fellowship and this month could be a monumental month for us. If everything continues to progress as expected, this could be our last month at our current location. Our anticipated closing date on the property on Robins Avenue is February 1, 2006. It is exciting to see God's direction and provision and we look forward to finishing well at the South Salisbury Plaza and starting well over on Robins Avenue.
The month of January has a number of events that are coming up that everyone should mark on their calendar (note to self: add these things to the church web-site calendar as well).
January 8 - Special Building Fund Offering - since I am writing this post after the event, I can report that God's people have given generously and (counting the previous building fund amount) we reached our goal for this offering - exactly.
January 15 - Celebration of the Lord's Supper - as part of our evening service on this night.
January 22 - Annual Church Business Meeting after the evening service.
January 29 - Special Final Luncheon - lunch after the morning service and then an early afternoon service as our final Sunday (D.V.) in our current location. (UPDATE: We have moved this fellowship lunch to the first February 5 instead (which should be the first Sunday in the new building).
I hope that if you have not been out in awhile that you will take the time to visit us this month. God is doing great things here at Messiah and we would love for you to come and take part.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
The month of January has a number of events that are coming up that everyone should mark on their calendar (note to self: add these things to the church web-site calendar as well).
January 8 - Special Building Fund Offering - since I am writing this post after the event, I can report that God's people have given generously and (counting the previous building fund amount) we reached our goal for this offering - exactly.
January 15 - Celebration of the Lord's Supper - as part of our evening service on this night.
January 22 - Annual Church Business Meeting after the evening service.
January 29 - Special Final Luncheon - lunch after the morning service and then an early afternoon service as our final Sunday (D.V.) in our current location. (UPDATE: We have moved this fellowship lunch to the first February 5 instead (which should be the first Sunday in the new building).
I hope that if you have not been out in awhile that you will take the time to visit us this month. God is doing great things here at Messiah and we would love for you to come and take part.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Friday, December 23, 2005
2005 Church Christmas Letter
The following is a copy of our 2005 Church Christmas Letter:
The Christmas season is upon us. A season in which there is much thought and concern put into the concept of gifts. Many children (and not a few adults) focus upon and delight in the anticipation of what gifts they may get during this season. Many adults run around from store to store consumed with getting the "right" gifts for all of those on their lists.
Too often in the hustle and bustle of what is going on at this season, we forget the most important gift of all - Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world that He gaveHis only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Bible relates to us the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sin and that he lived a perfect, sinless life and died a cruel death on the cross of Calvary to be our Substitute and our Savior.
This is an exciting time at Messiah Baptist Fellowship. It is exciting to see new families coming out to church. It is also exciting because of the Lord's answer to prayer regarding a building. As of December 9, we have entered into an agreement to buy a new building. We are thankful to God for this answer to prayer and are looking forward to moving into the new building after the beginning of the year.
This is also a time of opportunities. It is a time for us to use the opportunities of this season to share with others the true meaning of Christmas. It is a time for us to use the opportunities of this season to gather together and worship "the new born King."
Whether you are a regular attender or whether you have not been out for awhile, we also have some specific opportunities and events at Messiah that we would like to encourage you to attend during this season.
May God give you a Blessed Christmas in which the Gift of Christ remains foremost in your mind.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
(This is also being cross-posted at Pastor's personal blog - A Thinking Man's Thoughts)
The Christmas season is upon us. A season in which there is much thought and concern put into the concept of gifts. Many children (and not a few adults) focus upon and delight in the anticipation of what gifts they may get during this season. Many adults run around from store to store consumed with getting the "right" gifts for all of those on their lists.
Too often in the hustle and bustle of what is going on at this season, we forget the most important gift of all - Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that "God so loved the world that He gaveHis only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Bible relates to us the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ came to save us from our sin and that he lived a perfect, sinless life and died a cruel death on the cross of Calvary to be our Substitute and our Savior.
This is an exciting time at Messiah Baptist Fellowship. It is exciting to see new families coming out to church. It is also exciting because of the Lord's answer to prayer regarding a building. As of December 9, we have entered into an agreement to buy a new building. We are thankful to God for this answer to prayer and are looking forward to moving into the new building after the beginning of the year.
This is also a time of opportunities. It is a time for us to use the opportunities of this season to share with others the true meaning of Christmas. It is a time for us to use the opportunities of this season to gather together and worship "the new born King."
Whether you are a regular attender or whether you have not been out for awhile, we also have some specific opportunities and events at Messiah that we would like to encourage you to attend during this season.
Christmas Caroling and Fellowship. We will be going Christmas Caroling starting at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17. We will meet at the club house of the Greens at Schumaker Pond - just off Beaglin Park Drive on College Lane. If you can't make the caroling, but would like to still come to the Fellowship, you can meet at the clubhouse at around 5:30 p.m. Call if you need directions.
Special Christmas Morning Service. We will be having our Christmas morning service at 10:45 a.m. and are looking forward to a blessed time as we enjoy a children's program and celebrate with a special Christmas Candlelight Communion as part of our service.
Special Building Fund Offering. On January 8, we will be having a special offering to help pay for the new building. Please prayerfully consider what you could give on that date. Also, if you would like to give toward the building before the end of the year (for tax purposes, etc.), you can mark it "Building Fund" and we will count it as part of the Special Offering.
May God give you a Blessed Christmas in which the Gift of Christ remains foremost in your mind.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
(This is also being cross-posted at Pastor's personal blog - A Thinking Man's Thoughts)
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Praise the Lord!!
Praise the Lord!
Since The Pastor's Pen is my Pastoral blog designed mostly with our church people and friends in mind, most of you reading this are probably already aware of the fact that we have been praying about a specific building situation for our church, as I mentioned in a previous post.
For those unfamiliar with our situation, I will provide just a brief summary here:
The church celebrated its seventh anniversary in October. For the majority of those seven years, the church has been meeting next to the Red Door Sub Shop in the South Salisbury Plaza in Salisbury and we have been praying for God to provide us with a building or some property that we could use for His glory.
For the last few months we have been praying for a specific church building here in Salisbury that was/is occupied by a church that is moving to a different location. This building has a good location that is easily accessible and not too far from our current location. The building itself is in pretty good shape and has room for us to grow as well as rooms for us to have Sunday School, fellowships, children's ministries, and offices. It even has a kitchen and our own bathrooms (that will make more sense to our own people than to most others who may read this).
Anyway, during the last month or so, we have been in negotiations for and praying for this specific building. We have been praying that God's will would be done and that God would provide us this building if it was His will.
Well, the Pastor of the selling church has called said that they had decided to sign our contract!! Praise the Lord!!! I am excited. I am sure if you are part of this church you are excited. I am also sure that those of you who have been praying with us are excited for us, as well.
We still have the normal aspects to deal with regarding the buying of the property (e.g. the seller has a contingency regarding the building they are buying, financing needs to be finalized, etc.), but at this point it is a go and I praise the Lord for His working in this situation.
Thank you to all of you who have been praying with us for this building.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Since The Pastor's Pen is my Pastoral blog designed mostly with our church people and friends in mind, most of you reading this are probably already aware of the fact that we have been praying about a specific building situation for our church, as I mentioned in a previous post.
For those unfamiliar with our situation, I will provide just a brief summary here:
The church celebrated its seventh anniversary in October. For the majority of those seven years, the church has been meeting next to the Red Door Sub Shop in the South Salisbury Plaza in Salisbury and we have been praying for God to provide us with a building or some property that we could use for His glory.
For the last few months we have been praying for a specific church building here in Salisbury that was/is occupied by a church that is moving to a different location. This building has a good location that is easily accessible and not too far from our current location. The building itself is in pretty good shape and has room for us to grow as well as rooms for us to have Sunday School, fellowships, children's ministries, and offices. It even has a kitchen and our own bathrooms (that will make more sense to our own people than to most others who may read this).
Anyway, during the last month or so, we have been in negotiations for and praying for this specific building. We have been praying that God's will would be done and that God would provide us this building if it was His will.
Well, the Pastor of the selling church has called said that they had decided to sign our contract!! Praise the Lord!!! I am excited. I am sure if you are part of this church you are excited. I am also sure that those of you who have been praying with us are excited for us, as well.
We still have the normal aspects to deal with regarding the buying of the property (e.g. the seller has a contingency regarding the building they are buying, financing needs to be finalized, etc.), but at this point it is a go and I praise the Lord for His working in this situation.
Thank you to all of you who have been praying with us for this building.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Thanksgiving
Tomorrow we celebrate a day of Thanksgiving here in the United States of America. While we ought to give thanks in everything, I appreciate the yearly special emphasis that our country puts on Thanksgiving. The following is some of my reflections at this time of thanksgiving.
1. I am thankful to God for the gift of salvation that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ, I am a miserable, guilty sinner destined for an eternity in Hell and separated from God forever. In Christ, I am still a sinner, but one whose sins are forgiven and washed in the blood of the Lamb of God, a sinner, but one who is saved by grace and who has been given all that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him.
2. I am thankful to God for the gift of my wife. In the Garden of Eden, God declared that it was not good that man should be alone. I am thankful that God has given me my wife, Missy, who has a desire to serve Christ and to live for Him. I am thankful that she stands by me and supports me and is eager to see God work in our lives, in the lives of our family and church, and in the lives of those with whom we have contact.
3. I am thankful to God for the gift of my family. God has given to me three precious children whom I love dearly. Each one is unique and precious. Each one is a reflection of the image of God. Each one is a soul for whom Christ died. Through them God has taught me much about the love of a father and helped me to reflect in a greater way upon His love for me.
4. I am thankful to God for the gift of our church. In a few days it will be one year since God officially brought us to Messiah Baptist Fellowship in Salisbury, Maryland. In that time, God has knit my heart to these people. I have had the opportunity to mourn with those that mourn, as well as to rejoice with those that rejoice. I have been challenged, encouraged, and, most of all, blessed to be the Pastor to these fine people. I look forward to what God is going to do in and through us in the coming days.
5. I am thankful to God for the gift of friends and acquaintances, both near and far. God, in His providence, started my life with much moving. Now, in ministry, He has also given me the opportunity and challenge of knowing many for short periods of time - whether from traveling on Minutemen, preaching at camps and churches, or from just meeting and having fellowship with some at various meetings and conferences. I fondly hold to friendships with some who have influenced me for years, as well as some who I have not seen in years, as well as (thanks to the online world) some whom I have only met via typed words read from a computer monitor
6. I am thankful to God for this country that he has allowed me to call my earthly home. While I recognize and rejoice that I have a "heavenly country" in which my citizenship ultimately lies, I am glad that God has given me a country where I have the freedom to worship without fear of persecution (yet).
7. I am thankful to God for a myriad of other blessings which I have not the time to delineate in this space. I am thankful for blessings both large and general and blessings small and private. I am thankful for blessings that have brought the appropriate response of praise and thankfulness and blessings that I have neglectfully allowed to pass without a word of recognition. I am thankful for blessings that have even come disguised as difficulties and trials over the years.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
1. I am thankful to God for the gift of salvation that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ, I am a miserable, guilty sinner destined for an eternity in Hell and separated from God forever. In Christ, I am still a sinner, but one whose sins are forgiven and washed in the blood of the Lamb of God, a sinner, but one who is saved by grace and who has been given all that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him.
2. I am thankful to God for the gift of my wife. In the Garden of Eden, God declared that it was not good that man should be alone. I am thankful that God has given me my wife, Missy, who has a desire to serve Christ and to live for Him. I am thankful that she stands by me and supports me and is eager to see God work in our lives, in the lives of our family and church, and in the lives of those with whom we have contact.
3. I am thankful to God for the gift of my family. God has given to me three precious children whom I love dearly. Each one is unique and precious. Each one is a reflection of the image of God. Each one is a soul for whom Christ died. Through them God has taught me much about the love of a father and helped me to reflect in a greater way upon His love for me.
4. I am thankful to God for the gift of our church. In a few days it will be one year since God officially brought us to Messiah Baptist Fellowship in Salisbury, Maryland. In that time, God has knit my heart to these people. I have had the opportunity to mourn with those that mourn, as well as to rejoice with those that rejoice. I have been challenged, encouraged, and, most of all, blessed to be the Pastor to these fine people. I look forward to what God is going to do in and through us in the coming days.
5. I am thankful to God for the gift of friends and acquaintances, both near and far. God, in His providence, started my life with much moving. Now, in ministry, He has also given me the opportunity and challenge of knowing many for short periods of time - whether from traveling on Minutemen, preaching at camps and churches, or from just meeting and having fellowship with some at various meetings and conferences. I fondly hold to friendships with some who have influenced me for years, as well as some who I have not seen in years, as well as (thanks to the online world) some whom I have only met via typed words read from a computer monitor
6. I am thankful to God for this country that he has allowed me to call my earthly home. While I recognize and rejoice that I have a "heavenly country" in which my citizenship ultimately lies, I am glad that God has given me a country where I have the freedom to worship without fear of persecution (yet).
7. I am thankful to God for a myriad of other blessings which I have not the time to delineate in this space. I am thankful for blessings both large and general and blessings small and private. I am thankful for blessings that have brought the appropriate response of praise and thankfulness and blessings that I have neglectfully allowed to pass without a word of recognition. I am thankful for blessings that have even come disguised as difficulties and trials over the years.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Thursday, November 10, 2005
A good finish to a great week
Tonight marked the end of our special meetings with Evangelist J. Mark Kittrell at Messiah Baptist Fellowship. We had another good turn-out tonight and it was good to see some visitors come out again. I believe that God used the preaching again and I think it has been good for our church to have these meetings. Since this is the first time of hosting meetings for me as Pastor, I was not really sure what to expect when I started planning things. A big part of me wishes I would have went ahead and scheduled the meetings for the whole week, instead of just until Wednesday.
Tonight's meesage was on I Thessalonians 5:1-11. Mr. Kittrell dealt with the Characteristics of the Day of the Lord - it is unexpected (in the idea of timing, not in the idea that no one knows it is going to happen) and unavoidable, the Character we are to have in light of the Day of the Lord - being awake, sober, watchful, and clothed with the armor mentioned in the passage, and the Comforting of each other in regards to the Day of the Lord that we are to do. (Sorry for the very short synopsis, I am writing this without my Bible and notes handy at 4 something in the morning after a storm woke me up and the dog needed out). It has been good to hear Mr. Kittrell preach again this week. I always enjoyed the seriousness and the thoroughness with which he preached the Word when I traveled with him on the Minutemen Evangelistic Team back in 1991.
Tonight in particular was a little bittersweet. Saying "Good-bye" is such a hard thing for Missy and I and after finally re-acquainting ourselves with some "old" friends, it is hard to imagine that the week is already over. God speed to you, Kittrell family, may God continue to show Himself strong to you and through you.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Tonight's meesage was on I Thessalonians 5:1-11. Mr. Kittrell dealt with the Characteristics of the Day of the Lord - it is unexpected (in the idea of timing, not in the idea that no one knows it is going to happen) and unavoidable, the Character we are to have in light of the Day of the Lord - being awake, sober, watchful, and clothed with the armor mentioned in the passage, and the Comforting of each other in regards to the Day of the Lord that we are to do. (Sorry for the very short synopsis, I am writing this without my Bible and notes handy at 4 something in the morning after a storm woke me up and the dog needed out). It has been good to hear Mr. Kittrell preach again this week. I always enjoyed the seriousness and the thoroughness with which he preached the Word when I traveled with him on the Minutemen Evangelistic Team back in 1991.
Tonight in particular was a little bittersweet. Saying "Good-bye" is such a hard thing for Missy and I and after finally re-acquainting ourselves with some "old" friends, it is hard to imagine that the week is already over. God speed to you, Kittrell family, may God continue to show Himself strong to you and through you.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Tuesday Night's Meeting
We had a lower turn-out tonight at the meeting with Evangelist Mark Kittrell than we had on Sunday or Monday, but the message tonight was another great message and was particularly relevant for our congregation.
Mr. Kittrell preached tonight on John Chapter 4:31-38. Most of the time when people are addressing those verses, the emphasis is on the need to get out into the harvest, etc. Obviously that is a legitimate concept to take out of this passage, especially in light of v. 35. Tonight, however, Mark (it feels weird for me to call him "Mark" since it was always "Mr. Kittrell" when we traveled)went a little further than what I was expecting when he asked us to turn to this passage. His topic was on "Our Motivations in Being Missionaries for Christ."
The first point that Mark developed was the fact that we must maintain a Spiritual Focus in everything we do. In particular on this point he dealt with the immediate context of the disciples going to get meat and Jesus' own thirst. Even though there are legitimate physical needs, it must not interfere with the spiritual focus we are to have. The reality is that while living on this earth requires us to be involved in the day to day things of life, we must keep spiritual things as our priorities even in the midst of the "busyness" of life.
The second point focused on the need to maintain a Spiritual Readiness. This is where he dealt with v. 35 - "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." (KJV). Part of the challenge here was to not be a "four month" Christian, thinking constantly that "in four months down the road, I will do this or that, etc." Too many times we tend to put off our service or our obedience and many times never get to it at all. He also dealt with the need that is pressing - the fields are already white to harvest.
The third point dealt with the Spiritual Reward. The key to the spiritual reward is not not about "what have I accomplished" but rather about "teamwork" - one sows, one reaps, etc. If we all do our responsibilities, we can leave the results to God.
Anyway, I felt it was an excellent message with particular relevance to our church.
In Christ,
Pasor Frank Sansone
Note: As per all week, this post is being cross-posted to my personal blog at A Thinking Man's Thoughts.
Mr. Kittrell preached tonight on John Chapter 4:31-38. Most of the time when people are addressing those verses, the emphasis is on the need to get out into the harvest, etc. Obviously that is a legitimate concept to take out of this passage, especially in light of v. 35. Tonight, however, Mark (it feels weird for me to call him "Mark" since it was always "Mr. Kittrell" when we traveled)went a little further than what I was expecting when he asked us to turn to this passage. His topic was on "Our Motivations in Being Missionaries for Christ."
The first point that Mark developed was the fact that we must maintain a Spiritual Focus in everything we do. In particular on this point he dealt with the immediate context of the disciples going to get meat and Jesus' own thirst. Even though there are legitimate physical needs, it must not interfere with the spiritual focus we are to have. The reality is that while living on this earth requires us to be involved in the day to day things of life, we must keep spiritual things as our priorities even in the midst of the "busyness" of life.
The second point focused on the need to maintain a Spiritual Readiness. This is where he dealt with v. 35 - "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." (KJV). Part of the challenge here was to not be a "four month" Christian, thinking constantly that "in four months down the road, I will do this or that, etc." Too many times we tend to put off our service or our obedience and many times never get to it at all. He also dealt with the need that is pressing - the fields are already white to harvest.
The third point dealt with the Spiritual Reward. The key to the spiritual reward is not not about "what have I accomplished" but rather about "teamwork" - one sows, one reaps, etc. If we all do our responsibilities, we can leave the results to God.
Anyway, I felt it was an excellent message with particular relevance to our church.
In Christ,
Pasor Frank Sansone
Note: As per all week, this post is being cross-posted to my personal blog at A Thinking Man's Thoughts.
Another great message by Evangelist Mark Kittrell
I have needed this week. It seems that it is so easy as a Pastor to spend my time and focus on ministering to others, that the concept of being ministered to never even comes up, but this week has been a good week for me to be recharged as well.
Last night, Mr. Kittrell preached another great message, this time on "Passing the Test of Obedience." The text from which he preached was Genesis 22 - the passage that tells of Abraham's obedience in offering Isaac.
Focusing on Abraham's obedient faith, Mr. Kittrell reminded us that obedience demands Attentiveness, Promptness, Work, Faith, and Sacrifice. I am always struck by Abraham's complete trust and consideration of God's Words when I think of this story. Abraham knew that God would not deny Himself and that gave him the confidence that he would return with his son - even after going to sacrifice his son.
I also found it interesting that my eight-year old son took some unexpected applications out of the sermon. In the process of putting him down for bed last night and praying with him and tucking him in, I asked him to do something and he responded by mentioning his need to obey with promptness.
Looking forward to two more nights.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Note: This entry is also cross-posted at my personal blog A Thinking Man's Thoughts.
Last night, Mr. Kittrell preached another great message, this time on "Passing the Test of Obedience." The text from which he preached was Genesis 22 - the passage that tells of Abraham's obedience in offering Isaac.
Focusing on Abraham's obedient faith, Mr. Kittrell reminded us that obedience demands Attentiveness, Promptness, Work, Faith, and Sacrifice. I am always struck by Abraham's complete trust and consideration of God's Words when I think of this story. Abraham knew that God would not deny Himself and that gave him the confidence that he would return with his son - even after going to sacrifice his son.
I also found it interesting that my eight-year old son took some unexpected applications out of the sermon. In the process of putting him down for bed last night and praying with him and tucking him in, I asked him to do something and he responded by mentioning his need to obey with promptness.
Looking forward to two more nights.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Note: This entry is also cross-posted at my personal blog A Thinking Man's Thoughts.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Excellent Messages by Evangelist Mark Kittrell
Note: This post is being cross-posted at my personal blog (www.athinkingmansthoughts.blogspot.com as well).
Wow! We had a really good first day of special meetings with Evangelist J. Mark Kittrell. It was good to see Mark and Tammisue Kittrell again after a number of years. It was also good to meet their three boys, Kaleb, Zachary, and Micah.
On Sunday morning, Evangelist Kittrell preached a very good message on Ephesians 2:1-10 on The Walk of the Past vs. The Walk of the Future and What Makes the Difference. He very clearly laid out the difference between the life without Christ and the life in Christ.
On Sunday evening, he preached one of the best messages I have heard in a very long time. He preached from Hosea 14 and he dealt with the concept of "Returning to the Lord." I was greatly blessed and challenged by this message and I plan on listening to it again on tape.
I greatly appreciate a number of things regarding Mark Kittrell's ministry. One of those things is that when he preaches, he does not fall into the trap of some evangelists of simply telling a lot of stories around a Biblical truth, but rather he takes the time to develop and explain THE SCRIPTURE PASSAGE. To me, that is one of the keys to proper preaching that I strive for as I preach and that I greatly appreciate from Mark Kittrell. A second thing that I particularly appreciate is his way of dealing with invitations. Mark makes it a point to give an opportunity for people to respond, but he does not do any type of high-pressure tactics or drag out the invitation.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Wow! We had a really good first day of special meetings with Evangelist J. Mark Kittrell. It was good to see Mark and Tammisue Kittrell again after a number of years. It was also good to meet their three boys, Kaleb, Zachary, and Micah.
On Sunday morning, Evangelist Kittrell preached a very good message on Ephesians 2:1-10 on The Walk of the Past vs. The Walk of the Future and What Makes the Difference. He very clearly laid out the difference between the life without Christ and the life in Christ.
On Sunday evening, he preached one of the best messages I have heard in a very long time. He preached from Hosea 14 and he dealt with the concept of "Returning to the Lord." I was greatly blessed and challenged by this message and I plan on listening to it again on tape.
I greatly appreciate a number of things regarding Mark Kittrell's ministry. One of those things is that when he preaches, he does not fall into the trap of some evangelists of simply telling a lot of stories around a Biblical truth, but rather he takes the time to develop and explain THE SCRIPTURE PASSAGE. To me, that is one of the keys to proper preaching that I strive for as I preach and that I greatly appreciate from Mark Kittrell. A second thing that I particularly appreciate is his way of dealing with invitations. Mark makes it a point to give an opportunity for people to respond, but he does not do any type of high-pressure tactics or drag out the invitation.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
Friday, November 04, 2005
A Time to Pray
These next couple of weeks could be a very eventful time in the history of Messiah Baptist Fellowship.
First, we are hosting special meetings with Evangelist J. Mark Kittrell that begin on Sunday, November 6. I am looking foward to seeimg Mr. Kittrell again and I am excited to see what God is going to do through these meetings. If you do not already come to Messiah Baptist Fellowship, I urge you to make some time to come out to these meetings. If you do come to Messiah, I urge you to do two things. 1. Pray for these meetings, that God would be glorified through them and that God's Word would run and have free course (2 Thessalonians 3:1) and 2. invite other people to the meetings.
Second, please pray concerning our search for a building or property for a church. We are looking at a situation currently and need God's wisdom and provision as we follow this path.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
First, we are hosting special meetings with Evangelist J. Mark Kittrell that begin on Sunday, November 6. I am looking foward to seeimg Mr. Kittrell again and I am excited to see what God is going to do through these meetings. If you do not already come to Messiah Baptist Fellowship, I urge you to make some time to come out to these meetings. If you do come to Messiah, I urge you to do two things. 1. Pray for these meetings, that God would be glorified through them and that God's Word would run and have free course (2 Thessalonians 3:1) and 2. invite other people to the meetings.
Second, please pray concerning our search for a building or property for a church. We are looking at a situation currently and need God's wisdom and provision as we follow this path.
In Christ,
Pastor Frank Sansone
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