CHRISTmas Greetings!

CHRISTmas greetings from Dr. Kenneth C. Hill of WHCB 91.5FM.

Evangelism & Discipleship Training by Steve Deal

Evangelism and Discipleship Training

Thoughts for July 4th

Thoughts For The 240^th Anniversary of the birth of the 

United States Of America

By: Pastor Jack Hilton

Bibleemc@comcast.net

Tomorrow, July 4, we will be privileged to celebrate the 240^th anniversary of independence for these United States of America. As I enjoy another year of living in this great land of Freedom and Liberty, I am continually confronted with two vitally important questions:

1. Does the average person truly understand the great heritage they possess as a citizen of these United States of America? 

2. Does the average person understand their responsibility as Stewards of this great heritage which our fathers and fore-fathers provided for us?

As we take time to celebrate our numerous blessings of liberty and freedom and remember the labor and sacrifice required to secure and protect our liberty and freedom, we must give praise and thanks to our Sovereign LORD and those multitudes who fulfilled their responsibilities and maintained a good stewardship over this great heritage.  As we view the parades, enjoy the fireworks and think upon the images, such as Old Glory and the Statue of Liberty, which represent our freedom and liberty, I trust we will reflect upon the history of Ellis Island as the millions that have passed through that great harbor into a Republic that offered “Freedom and Opportunity” to all. I trust we will take the time to reflect on the tremendous price paid by our fathers and forefathers. In the wars of the past and present, many have and are still paying the ultimate price to secure and keep the freedom and heritage we enjoy today.

As the original thirteen colonies declared their separation from England they laid the foundation that would serve as an anchor for the new Republic being born. The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence begins with the words that laid that sure foundation.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

After the successful long and bloody struggle to throw off the yoke of bondage, the colonies were faced with the awesome task of establishing a government for the “New Born” Republic. Having the wisdom from the history of many failed nations and civilizations, they decided the only form of government that could last would be one governed by an unchanging set of laws [The Constitution]. The Preamble to that great document reveals the wisdom and purpose of those who prepared it.

“We the people of the United States, in order to a form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

As I watch and listen, I wonder if our younger people truly realize the great national heritage they inherited at great expense and sacrifice of their forefathers.

Thinking about such a great gift quickly brings my thoughts to the greatest gift man could ever receive. The gift of Jesus Christ, God the Son, [John 3:16-18] opens the door to a multitude of gifts (i.e. Forgiveness of Sin; Freedom from the penalty and power of sin; Spiritual Life; Indwelling of the Holy Spirit; God’s Eternal Word; Fellowship with God; etc.).

I am also reminded of another great gift; the Church of Jesus Christ; which opens the door to many more gifts. One is the gift of being a part of a local Fundamental Bible Church. (i.e. Membership; Fellowship; Truth; Love; Service; Discipleship; Worship; etc.)

These three great gifts [Nation; Saviour; Church] have been provided for you at the expense and labors of those who went before. 

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED HOW VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT THESE GIFTS ARE IN YOUR LIFE?? IN THE LIFE OF YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN?

In Psalm 16, King David clearly recognized and understood the heritage of Israel and the great heritage of every person who comes to God through Scriptural Faith.

Psalm 16:5-6 “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

Israel enjoyed a similar experience when God brought them out of bondage and slavery in Egypt though the wilderness and into the Promised Land. They had (1) God’s Word; (2) God as their Leader; (3) God’s assembly; (4) and God’s Promised Land.

Rev. Jack M. Hilton is the Pastor of the Bible Evangelical Methodist Church in New Danville (Lancaster), Pennsylvania.  He also serves as a member of the Board of Appalachian Educational Communication Corporation (AECC) that owns and operates WHCB 91.5 FM.

Sermons We See

Sermons We See
Edgar Guest

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;
 
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.

 I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.

And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

When I see a deed of kindness, I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be.

And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.
One good man teaches many, men believe what they behold;
One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told.

Who stands with men of honor learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear.
Though an able speaker charms me with his eloquence, I say,
I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one, any day.

Robert Fultz - The Sign of the Prophet Jonah

The Sign of the Prophet Jonah

When you look at all the facts
Concerning Christ and Jonah
Astounding things will come to view
Regarding their persona.

Both grew up in Galilee
And preached to their own nation
Each of them was sent by God
He gave their inspiration.

But in the course of time each man
Would live to save the stranger
Each regarded not his life
But lived in face of danger.

Both men died: Christ on a cross
And Jonah in a fish
Jesus died because of love
But Jonah ‘gainst his wish.

One because He loved the world
Was wrapped in linen clothes
The other, weeds about his head
The Ninevites he loathed.

Jonah swallowed, Jesus buried
Each man was entombed
Both were raised again to life
Their ministries resumed.

The fish had indigestion and
He spat the prophet out
Death could never hold the Savior
There is not a doubt.

Both men preached to witnesses
After they had died
Both men slept while in a boat
Their fellows terrified.

Each man had a lot to do
With calming storms at sea
Those with them calling on the LORD
From death were then set free.

Both men preached repentance and
Their message was obeyed
The Ninevites turned from their sin
Our sin debt Jesus paid.

Though very different, we can see
Their commonalities
The prophet and the Lord were signs
The world still disagrees.

Robert Fultz
April 30, 2016

Ravi Zacharias - A Response to Obama's Address at the National Prayer Breakfast

A Presidential Blunder: My Response to Obama’s Address at the National Prayer Breakfast

Posted by Ravi Zacharias on February 9, 2015

President Barack Obama’s address at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 5, 2015 has reverberated through the corridors of the world and provoked shock and dismay in numerous quarters. Even a professor at the University of London commented on his shallow understanding of the Crusades. I hesitated to write anything on the subject because it would drag me into politics or into a sobering critique of Islam. I am not sure that at a time like this either distraction would be wise, so let me keep it to the minimum.

For those who did not hear the talk, it is sufficient to say that it was the most ill-advised and poorly chosen reprimand ever given at a National Prayer Breakfast. I have been to several and have never, ever heard such absence of wisdom in a setting such as this. ‎I wasn’t at this one but have heard the speech often enough to marvel at the motivation for such thoughts. President Obama basically lectured Christians not to get on a moral high horse in their castigation of the ISIS atrocities by reminding them that the Crusades and slavery were also justified in the name of Christ. Citing the Crusades, he used the single most inflammatory word he could have with which to feed the insatiable rage of the extremists. That is exactly what they want to hear to feed their lunacy.  ‎In the Middle East, history never dies and words carry the weight of revenge.

There is so much I would love to say in response but shall refrain. The President obviously does not understand the primary sources of either faith for him to make such a tendentious parallel. The predominant delight in his remarks would be in the Muslim world and the irreligious. The next day Geraldo Rivera, opining favorably, made the oft repeated lie that more people have been killed in the name of God than in any other cause. Try telling that to the Chinese and the Russians and the Cambodians and the victims of the Holocaust! ‎Such intellectual ignorance gains the microphone with pitiable privilege. If a thinking person doesn’t know the difference between the logical outworkings of a philosophy and the illogical ones, to say nothing of the untruth perpetrated, then knowledge has been sacrificed at the altar of prejudice.

But let me get to the President’s final statement, after he had wandered off into erroneous territory. That final remark was true. He said, “It is sin that leads us to distort reality.” He was right. In fact he embodied it in his talk. But there is good news for the President. At least in the Christian message forgiveness is offered for sin. In Islam it isn’t. You must earn it. May I dare suggest that if Christians had been burning Muslims and be-heading them, he would have never dared to go to Saudi Arabia and tell them to get off their high horse. He unwittingly paid a compliment to those who preach grace and forgiveness. That is the dominant theme of the Gospel. That is why we sit in courtesy listening to the distortion of truth, the abuse of a privilege, and the wrong-headedness of a message.

I cannot recall when I have heard such inappropriate words at so important an occasion, in such a time of crisis. The world is burning with fear and apprehension. We need a message that will inspire and encourage and redeem. Ironically, two years ago when Dr. Ben Carson spoke and made some comments about our medical plan and the tax system, the White House demanded an apology from him for straying into controversial terrain, because it felt his comments showed disrespect for the President.

This year’s National Prayer Breakfast speech was a blunder in thought. But there was a silver lining. In the end, President Obama blundered into the truth. Sin distorts… and only Jesus Christ restores the truth. Christ will ever rise up to outlive His pallbearers. Even presidents will have to get off their high horses then and recognize the Lord of life and hope and peace. There will be no speech making then. Only a prayer of surrender… which is what the National Prayer Breakfast was meant to be in the first place.

Happy New Year!

All Things New

Dr. Kenneth C. Hill

Bible Reading:  2 Corinthians 5:14 - 21

 

Bible Text:   “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”   2 Corinthians 5:17

 

What a wonderful truth we discover in this passage of God’s Word! 

 

No longer must we be bound with the fetters of sins committed in the distant past.  No more will we be shackled by the terrors of the memory of past deeds.  It is impossible to be burdened by the past if we are followers of Christ Jesus.

 

The words are plain and simple.  If you are in Christ then you are a new creature.  You, as a follower of Christ, have become something totally different.  You are a new creation.  You have been changed from a sinner to a saint, from a vagabond seeking shelter from the difficulties of life to a child of God who is a home with the Heavenly Father and under His protection.

 

Further, all of the old things are gone, completely gone.  And we have all things that are new.  These new things in our life are without the stain of sin. 

 

When we place our faith in Christ Jesus and follow Him, we are freed from the past and are become new creatures of God’s grace. 

 

Christ makes saints of sinners.