FATHER'S DAY at SOLID ROCK BAPTIST CHURCH
The Church had a great day yesterday as we celebrated Father's Day at the Father's House. What better thing could Christians do on Father's Day than to honor their "heavenly Father" by going to church to worship Him? Amen.
We also honored our earthly fathers. Each of the fathers present received a little book called the "Bible Prophecy Handbook" published by Barbour Books. It is a great little book that I found this week. The book is set up to read just a short article (about 1 to 2 pages) for 90 days. It covers a different topic of prophecy each day, and at the end of 90 days the reader can be an amateur prophetic scholar!
The pastor preached from Genesis 18:19, where God said that He knew Abraham and his character, and that he would lead his family in the ways of God. What a great text for Father's Day. The title of the message was, "Old Fashioned Advice for an Old Fashioned Christian Home." If dads would heed the advice, America would change in one Sunday. The altars of America's churches really should be full of men seeking God's blessing on them and their families and their churches and communities. What a difference it would make if AmericaN dads would not be indifferent to their spiritual needs. God help each of us to be godly fathers in an ungodly time and place. I pray that Christians would get a burden to lead their families and live their personal lives in light of the fact that God knows us inside and out, and is looking for us to step up our games, and be what He wants us to be and knows we can, by His grace.
After services, we had some great Memphis B-B-Q with all the fixins, followed by an afternoon of volleyball on the church grounds. All had a good time.
“Doing What You Like and Enjoying What You Love”
What do you love? Who do you love? The Bible and Jesus Christ are clear that our greatest love is to be reserved for our Creator and Redeemer, and that we are to love Jehovah-God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. A Bible reference is not even needed to prove that point to most people in the world. (But here they are anyhow – Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30)
Do you love God? Do you love the “things of God”?
Yesterday, I worked an all-night shift, then came home and went to bed. Six and a half hours later I woke up, tired, and with a combination migraine/sinus headache. That was about 4:15 in the afternoon. I had joined a local sports league recently, and was scheduled to play a singles tennis match at 6:30 that evening. So I had less than two hours, really, to get ready to head for the courts and meet my opponent. But I had this pounding headache. Well, I ate something light to see if that would help, and it didn’t really. So I took a sinus pill with a “D” in it to try and relieve the pressure. Then I decided to help alleviate the migraine part, too, so I took two Excedrin migraine tablets. It was then I remembered also that my right elbow would have bursitis flare-ups when I played sometimes, and it would hurt so bad that I couldn’t hit the ball very well, or sometimes even at all, when it did that – so to hopefully avoid that, I took two Aleve pills. As the time approached to go the courts, my head still hurt some. But I thought to myself: just go on, you know you want to, and give the medicine time to start working, and who knows, you may feel up to playing and do alright, even if it just works a little bit. So I changed my clothes, grabbed my gear, got in the car, and went to meet my tennis buddy for that week’s match.
(BTW, tennis is not an expensive sport, and it is better for your health than that lame golf game that most preachers play at. For tennis, most courts are public and free, and all you need are a pair of good shoes [$35 to $50] and a racket [for the serious player, about $120 to $150]. The only thing you have to put out for each week is a can of balls [$2.18 at Wal-Mart]. It is much cheaper than golf, and you can get a better workout in less time. Golf takes at least 3 hours, not counting the before and after formalities; for tennis – no formalities, just warm up for 10 minutes, play for 60 to 90 minutes, and you are done.)
Now, why did I go through all this, when I could have called and cancelled and rescheduled this weekly routine? Because I need the exercise, because tennis is fun, and most of all – because I LOVE it. I love the courts, the rackets, the feel of the racket making contact with the ball, the sound of the ball coming off the racket, the challenge of getting that first serve in, the rush of a clean cross court winner low over the center of the net, and of course, popping open the new can of balls, hearing the air hiss as the pressure is released, and the smell of those fresh new tennis balls. Oh what joy, oh, what delight! Tennis bliss at its best.
I like the game of tennis and I’ll watch it on TV. I really like watching it in person, if I have the time and get the chance – but I LOVE to play the game itself. That is why I went through the trouble described above: because I LOVE the game of tennis with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
Now, what is that you love that much? There is bound to be something in your life that you enjoy, and you are motivated to do whatever you can to participate in it. There are things and activities and people that you love, and you love to engage in them and be around them.
Now here is the point of all this. If you LOVE the Lord God Almighty as you should (and we are commanded to do so) then you will make every effort to worship and serve Him with all your ability. You won’t find reasons or make up excuses to “get out of” worshiping the Lord. Instead, you will do your dead-level best to overcome the obstacles to Christian worship and service so that you can participate. That means that you will read your Bible, you will do some praying, and you will definitely attend a Bible-teaching, Gospel-preaching church where God is honored and Jesus Christ is exalted – all on a regular, consistent basis. A little sniffle, a slight headache, a stiff joint or two, aren't going to stop you – not if you can help it, BECAUSE you LOVE the LORD.
I have learned that people do what they like to do, and that they enjoy what they love. Do you love God? Do you enjoy worshiping Him? Do you like serving the Lord? Do you desire to be around others of like mind and faith? Do you want to please your Savior? Do you love the “things of God?” If you don’t, I’ll tell you from the Bible what your problem is: you don’t LOVE God, because you love the world too much (Matthew 6:24.) The solution is to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
The apostle John said in his epistle in 1 John 2:15 – “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” What he meant is that if your heart is full of love for the world, your heart won’t have room to love God. It doesn’t mean that you are not saved, or not a child of God. It simply means that you don’t love your heavenly Father as you should, because the world has gotten hold of your affections. If that is your case, you need to repent and return to your first love – the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 2:5). You need to start loving God again. And the way you do that is to quit spending so much time with the world, and start spending time with Him – by reading His word regularly, by talking to Him in prayer every day, and by hanging around His house (church).
One wise preacher gave good advice when he said: “Now that you are saved, be sure to stay in the Bible, stay in prayer, stay in church, and stay in love with God.”
I hope that you will resolve to love the Lord and enjoy the things of God.
The Preaching Moment
-Copied and slightly edited from The Disciple Maker
Isaiah 48:14, 16 – “All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear… Come ye near unto me, hear ye this...”
God has ordained the local church for what we might call the preaching moment. The preaching moment involves the culmination of all of a week's events and trials of life into one moment's time where the congregation will be confronted, encouraged, challenged, and strengthened by the preaching of the Word of God.
I have come to believe that God has prepared something special for every person in a local church at every preaching moment. If the preacher lives a Spirit-filled life during the week, God will bring forth a special miracle that touches every life in a local church during the preaching moment.
However, Satan's minions do not want the miracle of that preaching moment to take place. Some people will be kept away from the service. Others will not hear because of distractions within the church service. Many others will not hear because their attention is elsewhere. May God help us to escape the apathy that results in the unheard sermon.
If it were not for the "dispensation of grace" (God's supernatural enabling through the ministry of His Spirit) operating through the preacher's life through the week, the preaching moment does not occur the way God intends. If it were not for the "dispensation of grace" (God's supernatural enabling through the ministry of His Spirit) operating through the lives of individual believers throughout the week, the preaching moment does not occur the way God intends.
It is through this supernatural spiritual dynamic that God makes "known" (Ephesians 3:3) to the preacher what it is that the believer is to be brought to "understand” concerning the “knowledge in the mystery of Christ" (Ephesians 3:4).
If believers do not understand this supernatural spiritual dynamic in which they are to be involved, they will fail to take the gravity of the preaching moment seriously. They will fail to understand the warfare waged against them as mentioned to us in Ephesians 6:10-18. They will fail to understand the critical importance in praying for their preacher in the way he prays for them during the week (Ephesians 6:19-20).
Again, may God preserve our congregation’s preaching moments and save us all from unheard sermons.
Romans 10:17 – “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
MAJOR MILESTONE: 20 Years As Pastor of Solid Rock Baptist Church
This past Sunday I celebrated my 20th Year Anniversary as Pastor of Solid Rock Baptist Church. It is hard to believe that it has been that long, and then again, it seems like such short time. I thank God for His goodness towards me and my family and the church over these many years.
We have seen souls saved and baptized; Christians taught in the Word and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ; couples married and Christian homes established; foreign missionaries supported; revival meetings with some of God’s best evangelists.
There have been many souls come through our doors over the years, and we thank God for each person we have had the opportunity to minister to.
I want to thank the Lord for the family he has blessed me with – especially for my faithful wife of 30 plus years who has stood by my side in the good times and the bad times.
I appreciate every faithful church member who has prayed for me and offered a timely word of encouragement; who has invited, made visits, and supported the ministry here.
One of our men reminded us that Church is a “team effort,” and I count it a great privilege for the people of God to entrust me with the honor of being the “team leader” as the Pastor of our congregation here at Solid Rock Baptist. Praise the Lord for His mercy and grace.
Bro. David Martin
Every year people make their New Year's Resolutions. As the Pastor of Solid Rock Baptist Church, I decided to post mine for all to see.
The Pastor’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2013
1. I resolve to read a portion of Scripture each and every day.
2. I resolve to spend time in prayer each and every day.
3. I resolve to witness for Christ in some form or fashion every week.
4. I resolve to faithfully attend church services every Sunday and every Wednesday night this year.
5. I resolve to regularly support the church with my financial giving as the Lord prospers me.
6. I resolve to love the brethren and minister to the flock of God to the best of my ability.
7. I resolve to study my Bible and prepare and preach the Word of God faithfully every week.
Some of you aren't preachers, but simply common Christians who want to do right. Each of you can resolve to join me in resolutions 1 through 5. What a tremendous difference it would make in your personal life, family life, business life, church life, community life, and national life - if we all determined in our hearts to be resolved to live for Jesus Christ this year and worship and serve Him in our respective local churches.
Signed, the Preacher.
SEEKING GOD EARLY in 2013
Psalm 63:1, 2 - "O GOD, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and they glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary."
When it comes to seeking God early, I believe that means we should seek God early in our day, to meet with Him, and get to know Him better. I also believe it can mean that a person should seek God early in age - in other words, the sooner in life you begin to seek God, the better. At this time of year, I believe we could say that people should begin to seek God early in the New Year, and should start no later than tomorrow, Jan. 1, 2013, to find the Lord.
People should seek God early in the matter of their CONVERSION. Have you been converted? Have you come to God as a little child (Matt. 18:3), humbly, forsaking your sin and your unbelief and your pride, and believed the word of God and received the gift of eternal life that God offers to those who come to Christ? I hope that you have, but if you have not done so, yet, what are you waiting for? SEEK GOD EARLY, as soon as possible, for your conversion and be saved today.
People should seek God early in the matter of their CONSECRATION. Are you a consecrated Christian? Have you relinquished your personal rights and given your life over to God? Have you presented your body a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2) to the One who bought you with His blood and saved you by His grace? Have you surrendered yourself to God? The Bible tells it is only our "reasonable service," and the Lord deserves our dedication. As a child of God, you should not have to be shamed into serving God out of a sense of guilt and mere obligation. But you should be a consecrated believer and a dedicated servant of the Lord out of a sense of gratitude (because of the "mercies of God" - Rom. 12:1), a sense of duty, and a sense of devotion. If Jesus died for us, the least we can do is to live for Him. SEEK GOD EARLY, as soon as possible, for your consecration, and dedicate your life to living for Christ.
People should seek God early in the matter of their COMMUNION. By this I don't mean the taking of the Lord's Supper every week as some traditions do. I am referring that deeper fellowship with God through personal Bible reading and Bible study, and private prayer. Fellowship is getting along with God, but communion is something more - it is getting alone with God at times during the week, without distraction, so that you can seriously focus on God speaking to you through His Word, and you meditating on the Scriptures, and spending quality time in prayer with your heavenly Father. Jesus set the example for us in Mark 1:35. He sought out communion with the Father early, often, and alone. SEEK GOD EARLY, as soon as possible, for your communion with God, and don't let the world crowd God out of your schedule. Start your day with God.
You cannot go wrong if you SEEK GOD EARLY. But you must "seek the Lord while He may be found." (Isaiah 55:6-7) Don't put off the Lord. And you must seek him "diligently" (Heb 11:6).
David said he would seek God early because He was HIS God. Is the God of the Bible YOUR God? If so, seek Him early, and make it a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and a lifetime habit.
Hope to see you at church the FIRST SUNDAY of 2013 as we at Solid Rock Baptist Church choose to seek the Lord in our daily lives and weekly worship.
God bless all of you.
Pastor Martin
I ask this question because it is with mixed feelings that I commemorate our nation's birthday this year (2012).
I love America. It is the best country on earth. And as Ronald Reagan put, America is the "last best hope on earth." If America goes under, the hope of the world and the promise of freedom goes with it because America has been God's instrument of blessing during its brief history.
My grandfather served in WW2, my father-in-law served in the Army, my father served in the Army, and in the Navy during Vietnam. I served in the Air Force. I know and work with many veterans who served and fought for this nation, as well as current military members who are serving now. I wish the best for America and her people, and pray for her revival.
Unfortunately, this great country is being transformed before our very eyes for the worse. It is being 'fundamentally transformed' just like our current President said he would do when he ran for office and was elected in 2008 - he kept his campaign pledge, for sure.
What the socialists and sodomites have been working so persistently for over the the past several decades has come to fruition this year. I doubt that it will be long before the US Supreme Court legalizes so-called 'gay marriage.' which is in the eyes God is an abomination. Our military has now endorsed and embraced the "gay" soldier, sailor (no more jokes about the Navy anymore), airman and marine (of all the branches!). Rev. Wright said that America's "chickens had come home to roost." I say that America's "goose is now cooked."
Illegal immigration is weakening our nation's security and sucking the life out of our economy, and it seems our leaders don't have the resolve to stop it or even curb it. The state of Arizona has been told that it cannot protect its borders, even though according to authorities Mexican drug cartels are literally occupying parts of the United States along the Arizona border. If we cannot put troops on the border to prevent illegals from invading our country (see, the Posse Comitatus Law), can't we at least send troops to push the drug cartels back across the border?
Islam is still being pawned off and accepted by much of America as "just another religion", no better or worse or dangerous than Christianity. It is still being called a "religion of peace." We tell the world that we are not at war with Islam, but as one person said, "Maybe we aren't at war with them, but they are at war with us."
The so-called "Arab Spring" has produced more militant Islamic states that are threats to the free, christian world; particularly Libya and Egypt. We have fought for 10 years to protect ourselves from the Islamic threat and liberated Iraq, only to have the whole effort undermined in Afghanistan, and by the new "democracies" of the Arab Spring, not to mention the crazy Iranians, backing Syria, and backed by the Russians. And our government officials have congratulated these new totalitarian, anti-Western, anti-Christian, anti-Israel regimes! What insanity (or is it actually fear?)! Armageddon, here we come - the pieces are being placed in position on the game board as we speak.
Atheism is on the rise, or at least, it is becoming more militant and vocal. Their literature is becoming more pervasive in our local bookstores, and infecting the minds of our young people. It is no longer wack jobs like the hate-filled Communist "Mad" Murray O'Hair (who, by the way, single-handedly got prayer and Bible reading out of the public schools of America FOREVER 50 years ago). but the likes of Hitchens, Dawkins, Maher, Jillette, and others whom the media and the public takes to and listens to.
And the Church in America? The Christians in America? As one preacher put it, there are only 3 outcomes for us - Ruin or Revival -- Rapture. I vote for the Rapture! But we'd better pray and work for Revival, or Ruin is in store before the Rapture.
May we this 4th of July take inventory of our Christianity and make the needed adjustments for our nation, our churches, our communities and our families.
God help us. God have mercy on us.
Will God Bless the U.S.A.?
“We shall be a city on a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.” ( John Winthrop, to the newly arrived pilgrims aboard the ship Arabella; Massachusetts, 1630)
2 Chronicles 7:13-15
“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.”
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” (Psalm 33:12)
"Satellite School" of Gulf Coast Bible Institute at Solid Rock Baptist ChurchI want to let you know about the latest thing we are doing here at Solid Rock Baptist Church.
As you know who know me, or who have read my bio on the website, I graduated from Pensacola Bible Institute (PBI) in 1984 with a Bachelor of Divinity degree, and then YEARS later received my Master of Biblical Studies degree from Gulf Coast Baptist Bible Institute and Seminary (GCBI) out of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in 2008.
I have been good friends with the head of GCBI, Dr. Harold Tabb, since 1979. My wife was his secretary and our marriage was the first wedding he performed in his ministry. Dr. Tabb also preached my ordination at Bible Baptist Church in Pensacola back in 1986.
As a pastor of a local church, you want to feed the flock of God the best you can. A church family of ours who is enrolled in GCBI suggested that, to help them, and also benefit the church, I should teach the GCBI material at church. For years I have thought about doing this as a satellite of GCBI, but did not because I thought we needed to do it on another night rather than a regular church service. Why, I don't know, but when they made their suggestion, I thought: why didn't we do that before? Dummy me, I suppose.
Following up on "the suggestion," I called Dr. Tabb on the phone and told him what we would like to do. This is really one of the options that he allows for, as he wants the Bible Institute to be a ministry of the local church. So the bottom line is that we are now teaching through the GCBI curriculum in our Sunday afternoon services, and advertising ourselves as a "SATELLITE SCHOOL" of the Gulf Coast Baptist Bible Institute & Seminary.
We hope that our church family that is officially enrolled will continue on to earn their degree, and then get see them graduate with their Graduate of Theology degree in Fort Walton Beach in the next couple of years. And of course, we also hope that others will see the benefit and challenge of earning a Bible degree, and decide to enroll as well. As a satellite school, ALL WE DO IS TEACH THE MATERIAL and serve as ministers of the word of God to teach, and to be available to answer questions and clarify the Scriptures. We have nothing to do with the finances or grading or granting of degrees, or any administrative functions. That is strictly handled by GCBI if a person decides they want to enroll in the Bible Institute.
For those who don't feel the need to "earn a degree," no problem. You will still benefit from the Bible material that is taught and so will our church. It will make you a more knowledgeable Christian and a better, more mature church member. And that is what all our churches need. We would like to have some "home-grown" servants of the Lord here at Solid Rock Baptist, that we can be a better church to bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ in our community and throughout the world.
Please PRAY FOR US as we endeavor to educate God's People in God's Word.
Sincerely for Christ and His Cause, Pastor David Martin
What's Your Excuse, 21st Century Modern American Christian????
According to one of Chuck Colson's most recent Breakpoint articles -
"The [Chinese] Communist government views Christianity as a threat to its authority. They tolerate churches that submit to government control, but churches independent of the state face serious persecution.
"This year, pressure from the government deprived the unregistered Shouwang Church and its 1,000 members access to the building it had rented for worship. Similar tactics have been used to shut down unregistered churches in other cities. But the Shouwang church refused to cave. Instead of going home as the government hoped, members began holding open air services in nearby plazas.
"On Easter Sunday (2011) the [Chinese] government took action. Police prevented 500 church members from leaving their homes, detained dozens, and placed several leaders under house arrest."
Would the Chinese Communist Police have to come to the modern 21st century American Christian's house to stop them from going to church? If they did, they would have to knock real loud, then probably batter the door down, and go in and wake them up to let them know they were not allowed to go to church that day. So much for the modern 21st century American Christian.
If you are one of the lame, lazy American 'Christians' who don't go to church anyway, there is probably a Chinese Christian who would love to trade places with you: you could still stay home (in China) and he/she could go to church here in America (without being really persecuted).
But since that is impossible, and you wouldn't do it anyway, the least you could do is to do what many a Chinese Christian would love to do but cannot - go to church in his place, out of respect for a brother "in bonds" (Heb. 13:2) who cannot do what you take for granted and treat so lightly.
"Those who practice casual Christianity become Christian casualties." - Bro. Martin
Faithful Christians!
That is what America and its churches need --- men and women who consistently read their Bibles, pray, witness, and attend church every week, and support the work of God with their giving. But in 21st century America you know its hard to be a faithful Christian. There are alot of people who "say" they are "Christians" in America, but you wouldn't know it by their habits of life. But a real, genuine, consistent Christian in America? A faithful Christian in 21st century America? Well, you know, it's really HARD to be one of those kinds of Christians. I mean, to get out of bed on Sunday morning and go to church? That means a person would have to go to bed early on Satuday night, and that would interfere with TV viewing, video games, or internet surfing. That would be such a HARDSHIP on the 21st century American "Christian." To read the Bible everyday? How can a person find the time to do that in these modern days in which we live? Or to actually set aside time to pray? (What would Bill Maher think?) Or to pass out a Gospel tract to someone and ask them if they are saved and invite them to church? They might think a body was some kind of religious nut. I mean, those are things that a person has to MAKE themselves do. That would require self-discipline, and you know, that is not what 21st century American "Christians" are all about. "Saved," well, yes, of course, why should anyone doubt that? But, "committed?" --- no way. It is just way too HARD to be a faithful Christian in 21st century America.
It is so much HARDER in America to live the consistent Christian life; I mean look at what the average "Christian" has to contend with here in America. It is not a bit like living the Christian life in some other country, say NIGERIA for instance. Just read about how EASY the Christian folks have it there in the following true story from this year. (If only it was this easy here in America, 21st century American "Christians" could be faithful, too.)
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KURUM, Nigeria (Compass Direct News, 5/12/2011) — As she lay on the ground after being shot and then slashed with a machete, Dune James Rike looked into her husband’s tear-filled eyes and asked, “Is this the end between us, so we shall not be together again?”
Pastor James Musa Rike told Compass he held the hands of his dying, 35-year-old wife and told her, “Hold on to your faith in Jesus, and we shall meet and never part again.”
Muslim extremists who attacked Kurum village, in the Bogoro local government area of Nigeria’s Bauchi state, had already killed two of the couple’s children in a rampage that began Wednesday (May 4) at midnight. Rike, pastor of a Christian congregation in Kurum, next heard the cries of his 13-year-old daughter, Sum James Rike, a few yards away.
“I rushed to my daughter, only to discover that she too was cut with a machete on her stomach, and her intestines were all around her,” he said. “I held her hand and began to pray, knowing she too was about to die. She told me that the Muslim militants told her they would kill her and “see how your Jesus will save you.”
The girl told her father that she responded by telling them that Jesus had already saved her, and that by killing her they would only be making it possible for her to be with Him. Pastor Rike prayed for her as she died.
Shooting and setting homes on fire, the Muslim extremists killed 12 other Christians in the attack. Bauchi police reported 16 people dead – one man, three women and 12 children.
Pastor Rike said that when the attackers reached his house, they tried to force their way into their bedrooms.
“I opened a backdoor, and we ran out into the dark night while the militants pursued us,” he said. “They shot my wife and two of our kids as they tried to escape.”
Pastor Rike said that after killing the two children (one of them 1 year old) the assailants cut his wife’s abdomen with a machete.
"I was shocked at what I saw,” he said. “I knew my wife would not last long, and the only thing I did was to encourage her to hold on to her faith in Jesus.”
The Muslim extremists set more than 20 houses ablaze before leaving the village, he said.
Pastor Rike and his son survived the attack, and he said his adopted daughter was injured and receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Bogoro. He said five others others were also receiving hospital treatment.
The Muslim jihadists also stole money and the other valuables from the Christian village as they withdrew, church sources said.
The area has a history of sectarian violence, and the attack follows the death of hundreds of people in Bauchi and other northern states last month after Muslims rioted over the April 16 election of a Christian, Goodluck Jonathan, as president. He defeated a Muslim candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. More than 200 church buildings were burned.
Northern Nigeria climbed to 23rd place in 2010 from 27th in 2009 on Christian support organization Open Doors’ World Watch List of nations with the worst persecution.
The church where Pastor Rike ministers has about 30 members and has been in existence for more than 50 years. Those killed were members of the three churches in the village – the COCIN church, St. John’s Catholic Church and an Evangelical Church of West Africa congregation.
Pastor Rike said the incident has strengthened his faith in Jesus.
“Whatever is the situation, I will never forsake Christ,” he said.
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Yep, 21st century American "Christians" have it got it rough; I mean, it really is HARD being a faithful Christian in the good old USA these days. While some of our 21st century American "Christians" were laying out of church for some lame excuse this year, real Christians were literally being chopped to pieces by Satan's soldiers. But I know - these American "Christians" are having a tough time, too, what with the gas prices being what they are and their cable TV reception having intermittent problems and all.
But just maybe we'll see some of those 21st century "Christians" at church next time they can drag their lazy carcasses out of bed on a Sunday morning. Oh - and if they can't, there is always Sunday night or Wednesday night service to attend. Oh, but, I forgot ---- that would be HARD for them, too, wouldn't it?
Peace and Love, brothers and sisters.
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