Greater Portland Baptist Church

Easter Sunday is Coming!

Sunday April 4 Unified Service at 10:45am

I want to remind you that Easter Sunday is just 4 weeks away! Remember that THERE WILL BE A UNIFIED SERVICE STARTING AT 10:45AM. There will be no Sunday School at 9:45am. The Sunday Night service will be at 6pm as normal. Please start inviting friends and family members that are unsaved or without a church home. This is an opportune time to reach them for Christ! Please be in prayer for our Choir, our Kids of Praise Ministry as well as for our Drama teams as they prepare to present the wonderful news of a Risen Savior in the Easter Cantata, "Sound His Praise!"
It will be here before you know it! Please make plans to not only attend this great service, but prayerfully to invite somebody to be your guest!

God bless you!
Preacher

"Glory To His Name!"- WN Series Starting March 31st

Have you ever really thought about what is in a name?

When the Bible speaks of God, the name used holds more significance than perhaps you ever knew. For example, the very first reference to God in Genesis 1:1, the name Elohim, not only speaks of His creation power but also reveals the triune nature of God.

God's names are not only a divine title, but they also reveal the very nature of God Himself.

We are commanded to honor the name of God! I am convinced that if we are to do that adequately, we must understand the inherit greatness of the names which God uses to refer to Himself.

As we begin this study it is my prayer that like the Apostle Paul we may not only desire "to know Him" better but be better prepared to share Him with others!

Please make plans to come every Wednesday night for a time of fellowship, prayer and study of God's Word together!

Don't forget that there is something planned for the whole family! Joy Bells for the Preschool, Joy Club for the Elementary and Wednesday Nite Live for the Teens!

See you in church this week!
Preacher

Praise the Lord for the Great Services Last Sunday!

Last Sunday as we celebrated "I Love My Church Sunday" the Lord blessed GPBC in a wonderful way!

God's people were faithful to be at Sunday School and Church! We also had several visitors! The Word of God was proclaimed and taught in over 34 different classes! The Gospel was preached in the Main Auditorium as well as in the Super Churches and our Deaf Church Service! The Choir and Orchestra did a fabulous job in providing the music for the day! The Video ministry provided some great testimonies from many different members of GPBC telling "Why they love their Church!"

Over a hundred faithful servants made an eternal difference by being in your place of service!
Once again God met our needs financially in the Tithes, Missions and Dream offerings! And most of all there were souls saved and baptized while others joined and were added to the church!

As we start this new week let each of us be grateful for all that God continues to do here at GPBC! Let's continue to focus on Christ and may we never forget that "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!"

See You in Church this week!

God bless!
Preacher

I Love My Church!

This week GPBC will be celebrating "I Love My Church!" Sunday, February 14, 2010.

We will enjoy special music and testimonies that will thrill your heart and glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! There will also be helpful and encouraging preaching from God's Word. You will also enjoy fellowship with some of the greatest people that you will ever meet in this world!

In Ephesians 5:25 the Bible tells us that "Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it!" Each of us that call ourselves Christians ought also to faithfully love and support our church. As your pastor, let me encourage you to be in Sunday School at 9:45am sharp! Our Morning Preaching Service begins at 11am and then, please make plans to be back again Sunday Night at 6pm.

Let me also encourage you to bring an unsaved or unchurched friend with you this week! It could change their life and their eternity!

If there was ever a reason that we should love our church it is now! God has been so good to each of us! Now it is our turn to show our love for our Lord and His church by not forsaking it this Sunday! A special gift will be given to every person in attendance this week!

The Psalmist said, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1
I am looking forward to seeing you this week!

God bless you!
Preacher

"Stewardship to the Glory of God!"

Missionary David Livingstone, said, "I place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of God. If anything will advance the interests of the kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time or eternity."

God's Word teaches that as believers we should do all that we do "to the glory of God!" This includes and by no means excludes our financial stewardship (1 Corinthians 4:2). This Sunday we will begin a Bible study series entitled "Stewardship to the Glory of God!"

It is my prayer that each of us will experience the joy of living and giving God all that is rightly due His wonderful and holy name! Be sure and bring your Bible and get ready for the "windows of heaven to open" as we take God at His Word as faithful stewards! Malachi 3:8-9

If you have not yet purchased your tickets to the Couples Sweetheart Banquet this next Monday night, be sure to do it ASAP! There are only a few tickets left!

May the Lord bless you as we purpose to Honor and Glorify Christ in all that we do!

See you Sunday!
Preacher

Praise the LORD for the Great Day Last Sunday!

"To the glory of God!" we saw souls saved and baptized as well as many visitors attend GPBC as a result of God's grace and the faithful work of the members of GPBC last week! I pray for God to bless each of you for your faithful and dedicated service for our Lord!

I also want to encourage you to invite someone that you know and someone that you do not know personally out for "Fellowship Night!" this Sunday night after the service.

If you have not yet purchased your ticket reserving a place for you and your "sweetheart" at the Couples Sweetheart Banquet at the Old Spaghetti Factory, Monday Feb 8, 2010, please get your ASAP! There is only room for 50 couples. So don't miss your opportunity!

"I Love My Church Sunday" is coming in a couple of weeks on Sunday, February 14. Brother Pat Gleason is videoing testimonies with his roaming camera for this exciting day! Be ready if he asks for your testimony! I know that this will be a blessing to our church on Sunday night!

God bless each of you and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday!
Preacher

Don't Forget about Fellowship Night Coming Up Sunday Night Jan 31!

Please make plans as we end the first month of this New Year to invite someone you know and someone you don't know to be your guest for Fellowship Night!

One of the vital elements of a growing church is to maintain a warm and friendly environment.
We are "a family" and we are to live and to treat one another as such. That is why we have set aside the last Sunday Night of every month for this purpose!

What better way to get to know one another than in wholesome and godly fellowship. Whether in your home over light refreshments, or at a fast food restaurant, fellowship can and should be done in a way that it not only glorifies God but it also grows believers!

Please help GPBC to not become a spiritually social clique, but rather a spiritual friendly church where every member and visitor feels loved and welcomed to the family!

As the Pastor and Staff lead the way in this effort, please do your part to help GPBC be known as
"the friendliest and most loving church in Portland!"

Friendship night is only two weeks away. Please pray about who to invite and do it this week. Remember, "If a man is to have friends, he must shew himself to be friendly!" (see Proverbs 18:24).

God bless! See you Sunday!

Preacher

Purpose for the New Year, 2010

When the ball dropped on New Year's Eve and the Christmas decorations came down, many celebrated the arrival of another New Year with all of its promise, while the old year left many people searching for purpose!

When a year of uncertainty lies before us, as Christians and or members of GPBC, may we be certain that our ultimate purpose in life is to live our lives every day of this New year "... for the glory of God!"

The Apostle Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

Let me challenge every member of GPBC to live and to labor with us as we purpose to make this year one that will not only cause us to grow together but also together glorify God in all that we do!

God Bless You!
Preacher

"To the Glory of God!"

What comes to your mind when you think of "the glory of God?" God's great works; His excellencies and perfections; His revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ? There is no doubt that God is glorified in all of these ways! But that is not all the Bible means when it speaks of "the glory of God."

In both the Old and New Testaments "the glory of God" refers to not only the position that God holds, or the power that He has, but also to the purpose for all of His creation! All of creation has as its goal and purpose to declare the glory of God. He created everything for His own glory. Everything that exists has its existence from God and for God. Romans 11:36 says, "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." Revelation 4:11 says, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Psalm 19:1 teaches, by virtue of their mere existence "The heavens declare the glory of God."

That is why I have chosen "To the Glory of God!" for the theme of GPBC during 2010!

In 1 Corinthians 10:31 every Christian is commanded "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." What does that mean? Answers like "worship and witness" no doubt come to our minds, but I suggest that this is much too narrow!

When God created us for His glory does not mean that He wanted to become more glorious! As Christians, God has re-created us (saved us) so that we might show others the value and the worth of God in all that we do!

In the Westminster Larger Catechism, the first question is asked and answered as follows: "What is the chief and highest end of man?" Answer: Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever."

Let it be understood that we demonstrate the greatness of God not primarily by doing, but by receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Savior! Jesus said "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

Charles Spurgeon said, "We shall bring our Lord most glory if we get from Him much grace. If I have much faith, so that I can take God at His Word...I shall greatly honor my Lord and King."
As we begin this New Year, it is my desire as your pastor to lead GPBC to honor and glorify God in all that we do and to show others how they might also know and enjoy Him forever!"

God bless you!
Preacher

Merry Christmas!

God gave us a wonderful service last Sunday with souls saved and baptized for His glory!

Our Christmas @ GPBC on Sunday night was also a tremendous blessing and inspiration! The part that the children played was not only precious...it was priceless!

It is my prayer that you will have a blessed and merry Christmas! If you are not out of town please be sure to come and enjoy our Christmas service Wednesday night Dec 23, at 7pm.

If you are out of town have a safe trip and be sure to be in church while you are gone. Lord willing, I will see you this next Sunday!

Until then, please know that Regina and I love you!

May I also say that from the Staff of GPBC we wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

God bless!
Preacher

Christmas @ GPBC - Dec 20, 6pm

Praise the Lord for the wonderful job that our Choir, kids and drama team did during the Christmas Cantata last Sunday night! There was a lot of work and effort that was put into that beautiful musical and drama. I do not know when I have ever heard them perform more for God's glory! There we also a lot of people that worked behind the scenes that made it all happen. The sound and lighting crew, the directors of the drama, Pastor Brad McFeters, and the list goes on! God bless each of you and please know that we thank God for your servant hearts!

Please make plans to be with us this Sunday night as we celebrate Christmas @ GPBC!
The entire service format will be delightfully changed! The children of GPBC as well as my wife, Regina will assist me as we purpose to make this a Christmas service one that will not only be for God's glory but one that we will personally enjoy and not soon forget!

God bless and remember Whose birthday we are celebrating. Please make plans to be there and celebrate Christmas with your church family.

December 8, 2009 - Where Else Would a Lamb Be Born?

This Sunday Night, Dec 13 at 6pm we will be hosting our annual Christmas Cantata. The title of this year's production is "Where Else Would A Lamb Be Born?"

The Muslim calendar is dated from the Hegira, which marks the date when Mohammed fled to Medina to escape persecution to save his own life. Our calendar is also dated from a journey, but it was not a journey to flee persecution. Instead Christ willingly made the journey from His throne in Heaven to earth, and when His time had come He willingly went to the cross to die for our sins so that we might have eternal life!

All that we could ever imagine, all that we could ever hope for, is found in Jesus Christ! He is the Prince of Peace whose first coming was to die for our sins, but whose Second Coming will be to redeem all that put their faith and trust in Him. Praise God, He will then establish justice and righteousness forever!

All of this, and infinitely more, was found in the manger that Christmas night! Admittedly, it was a place where you would least expect to find anything of value, but even more surprising is the truth that in Jesus is not only everything you could ever want, but all that you will ever need! Be sure and come to the Cantata on Sunday night, and please bring a friend with you!

God Bless you!
Preacher

Jesus is "The Reason for the Season!"

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas there are many that still question "the real meaning of Christmas!"

The Gospel of Matthew reminds us that when Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, Joseph her espoused husband was told by an angel, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:21-23

When Jesus was born he came to meet the need that only He could fill! Gregory Nazianzus beautifully wrote of this by declaring:
"Jesus began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life. Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water. Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest. Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King. Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons. Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears. Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world. Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd. Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death."
May I add that "Jesus rose again from the dead, and by his resurrection, assures all that place their trust in Him, a home forever in Heaven!"
That, my friend, brings us full circle of what Christmas is all about! As we approach the celebration of His birth this season, may we never forget "He was born to die that we might live!"
Isaiah said, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
Let me also encourage you to invite your unsaved and unchurched friends and family to this year's Christmas Cantata on Sunday Night Dec 13, 2009 at 6pm.

I pray that every member of GPBC will use this Christmas season as an opportunity to share "the reason of the Hope that is in you...with meekness and fear!" 1 Peter 3:15 My prayer is that those that do not know Jesus personally might meet and see "Christ in you the Hope of Glory!" Col 1:27

God bless you!
Preacher

20th Annual NWYC a Tremendous Success!

God used this year's NWYC in an incredible way! Hundreds of teens and youth workers from the Northwest and Canada came to this year's conference! To the glory of God, there were many souls saved and hundreds of decisions for rededication and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ! The theme was "Opportunity!" Gal 6:10

Dr. Johnny Pope, Dr. Steve Roberson and Dr. Mark Swanson were the key note speakers and God used each of them in a wonderful and powerful way!

Pastor Greg and Tina Adams also did a wonderful job in leading and preparing for this year's conference.

There is no way to express the joy and appreciation that I feel in my heart as pastor of GPBC as I witnessed the unity and the spirit of camaraderie among the many volunteers that made this conference one of our best ever!

"Thank you!" seems so inadequate but let the record stand clear: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." Heb 6:10
May our Lord richly bless all of you that prayed and worked to make this conference one that will continue to make a difference into eternity! See you Sunday!

God bless you!
Preacher

Praise The Lord! - 27 Years Growing and Serving Together

Praise the Lord for the great day we had last week Sunday, celebrating our 27 years at GPBC!

Regina and I will forever be grateful for your love, kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity shown to us on this anniversary. The gifts, and cards, and wonderful fellowship were such a blessing to us! Thank you! We love our Lord and we love this church!

As we celebrate 27 years of ministry here at GPBC, let each of us remember His goodness to us and let us also be reminded that nothing has changed since our beginning!

Our primary goal remains "to glorify God in all that we do!"

Romans 15:5-6 tells us, "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

As we enter our 28th year of ministry here at GPBC let us purpose to continue glorifying in Christ by:
• Glorifying God in all that we do!
• Obeying God's Word and Will for our Lives!
• Manifesting Compassion and love for others!
• Evangelizing the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

If our Lord should tarry His coming, may each of us commit to a life and ministry that honors and glorifies our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Please be in Prayer for the Annual NWYC which starts this Thursday! This will be twenty years of God has using this meeting for His Glory! Be sure to pray and to congratulate Pastor Greg once again for the incredible job that he is doing with not only our youth, but also the youth around the Northwest!

God Bless You!
Preacher

Defend The Word of God?

We live in a day that The Word of God is under attack. Some have suggested that we need "to defend it!" While I do believe that we must "earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints," as exhorted in Jude 3, I am also convinced that God's Word is well able to take care of Itself!

I believe it was Charles Spurgeon who once suggested when asked about defending the Bible, "Defend the Bible? Never! The Bible is like a caged lion. We do not need to defend it...we just need to open the door and let Him loose!"

The Word of God is powerful because it is the Word of an Omnipotent God. No law or court can make it impotent. It is only the silent lips of those of us that claim to believe it that weakens its effectiveness. One preacher once said, "While a lost world is crying for answers, Christians are stuttering!"

The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

We must not allow the Gospel to be hidden! Let us pray as the early church did in Acts 4:29-31, requesting for "boldness that we may speak thy word."

One day when Christ returns as The Lion of Judah, it will be by the sword of His Word that He will defeat all of His enemies! (Read Revelation 19:11-21)

But today, it is in the Word of God that we must anchor our faith and our souls! Romans 10:17

Defend the Word of God? No, as Christians and members of GPBC, let's be faithful to Deliver the Word of God to all that still need to hear it! Mark 16:15

God bless you this week as we "Consider Them!" and Taking God's Word to the Lost!

GPCA Fall Sunday School Campaign "Consider Them!" Begins in Just Two Weeks!

On the heels of our recent Missions Revival we are gearing up for our Fall Sunday School Campaign. Our theme for this effort is "Consider Them!"

We are following the example of Jesus Christ in Matthew 9:35-38:

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

During the weeks of October 12 through November 4 we have a fourfold purpose:

October 11 - "Find Them!" - We are going after those that are unsaved and unchurched as well as those that have not been faithful to Sunday School over the last few months!

October 19 - "Teach Them!" - During this week we are committed to helping every member in giving a gospel witness to an unsaved friend or loved on!

October 26 - "Love Them!" - As a church we are going the second mile to help the homeless and the unsaved and unchurched of our community!

November 1 - "Bring Them!" - We are asking every member to bring their unsaved friends neighbors and loved ones to church this week! Mark Gray will be our guest and be providing the special music for the day!

Please begin now praying about this wonderful opportunity that God has given us to make a difference not only in our city, but also in eternity! Listen up for more details!

God bless you!
Preacher

Have You Made Your Faith Promise Missions Commitment?

My, how the Lord blessed our hearts in the Faith Promise Missions Revival this week! From Sunday through Wednesday, we were challenged for the cause of worldwide missions through the passionate presentations of our missionaries, the Spirit-filled music from the choir, orchestra and special music, and the straight-to-the-heart preaching from Dr. Don Sisk!

No one who attended could possibly walk away untouched with the burden of missions!

This past Wednesday evening, we began to receive our Faith Promise Missions Commitments for the next year. Our current missions budget is $3,773.08 per week.

For us to continue to support every missionary the next year, we must receive at least $3,773.08 per week in missions commitments and giving.

But, the cry of the lost is greater than ever. There are more missionaries waiting to go to the field, many of whom we want to add to our missions giving.

To add new missionaries, we must receive more than $3,773.08 per week in missions commitments and giving.

Praise the Lord, on Wednesday, as we began to receive the Faith Promise Missions Commitments for the next year, we rejoice that already $2,306.72 in commitments has come in! To God be the Glory! That is 61% of the goal from a Wednesday night crowd!

I know many of you were unable to be here for the closing service of the Missions Revival on Wednesday, so I am asking you to prayerfully consider what God wants you to do for the cause of worldwide missions, and then, this Sunday, we will give you the opportunity to turn in your commitment card, too!

I can't wait to see what God is going to allow us to do for missions this year! Thank you for your faithfulness and stewardship. The many souls won to Christ through our missions giving will be grateful for all eternity that you cared enough to give! God Bless You!

Consider Him! - Consider Them!

25th Annual Faith Promise Missions Revival
September 13-16, 2009 Sunday-Wednesday

This Sunday marks the beginning of our 25th annual Faith Promise Missions Revival. This is one of the most important meetings that we have all year long. In this meeting we will:
- Remember the last command that Jesus left to His Church: The Great Commission
- Reflect and see how we as a NT Church are doing in worldwide evangelism
- Refresh the missionaries as they come to report and present their work of worldwide missions
- Recommit ourselves personally to pray, give and perhaps even go based on God's moving in our heart during this meeting!

As your Pastor I am asking every member to make plans to attend every service unless you are providentially hindered. God is about to do "great and mighty things!" Please do not miss out on it!

We will start in Sunday School at 9:45am Then Dr. Don Sisk will be our keynote speaker in all of the services!

Make plans to arrive early to meet our visiting missionaries and their families as well as see their missions tables filled with information and pictures of their field of service.

Monday through Wednesday services will start at 7:00 pm, and on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm we will host an International Dinner! We are asking every family to bring their favorite main dish and dessert from a foreign country! The final service will follow!

Please pray and personally attend every service asking God to work in your heart as well as your church as together we "Consider Him! - Consider Them!"

Laborers Together with God

As we approach this upcoming weekend most of America will celebrate "Labor Day."

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The Scriptures are not silent concerning labor, and speak much on the sin of slothfulness! Prov 13:4; 1 Tim 5:8

As bible-believing Christians we must remember that our labor for the Lord is:
A labor of love 1 Thess 1:3
A labor that is not in vain 1 Cor 15:58
A labor known by Christ Rev 2:2
A labor that God does not forget Heb 6:10
A labor which is to be done together 1 Cor 3:9
A labor for eternal things Col 1:28-9
A labor which expects reward 1 Cor 3:8
A labor done to be accepted by Him 2 Cor 5:9
A labor which doesn't have an end Luke 10:2; 19:13
A labor done for God's glory 1 Cor 10:31; Col 3:17 

We must also remember that no amount of labor or human effort can save a man's soul! Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5. Only the blood of Jesus and faith in the Gospel can do that!

As members of GPBC let me encourage you to enjoy this weekend but in doing so, may we never forget that until Jesus comes again, we are to be "laborers together with and for God!"

See you Sunday! God bless!
Preacher

GPCA is still Enrolling Students!

School is almost ready to begin and if you have not yet enrolled your children in GPCA and desire to do so, it is important that you do not wait any longer. Some classes are already full! If you are interested in your children getting a "Bible based education with a Biblical world view," GPCA is the school for your children. Contact Mrs.Tallie Hein, our School Administrator, and she will answer any question that your may have about costs or openings for this school year of 2009-2010.

God bless you as you purpose to "Train up your children in the way that they should go!" It is our utmost desire to help you accomplish that goal for each of your children!

Vacation Bible School was a Tremendous Success!

A special thank you is due to all who worked and served in VBS this year! It was a wonderful example of how many people working together for the cause of Christ can make an eternal difference!

Please know that of the many who were saved, and the thousands of pennies that were given (over $1500 worth!), God has not let one effort go unnoticed! It matters not whether you worked in a class as teacher, or as an assistant, helped bring the kids in on a bus or a van, or served refreshments, worked in crafts, or in the break room, a nursery or in the offices, this promise still rings true: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister." Hebrews 6:10

Thank you Pastor Tom and Mrs. Susan Hall for your leadership and loving example that has truly made a difference once again in the lives of many children and their families this year!

Truly you set an example of living out the theme of "All of Me...All Out for God!"

Evangelist David Sommerdorf and the "Marine Corps-Vette" this Sunday!

Never Forget the Tragedy of 9/11/01...

...and the thousands of lives taken on that fateful day in our nation's history.

This Sunday, August 9, 2009, Evangelist David Sommerdorf will be our guest for all the services at GPBC. Bro. Sommerdorf is a preacher who is passionate about calling believers back to remember the Godly heritage of our nation.

A former United States Marine, David Sommerdorf will have on display a specially outfitted Corvette that is called the Marine Corps-Vette. This customized car is decorated with images honoring our U.S. Military, as well as memorializing the victims of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks on our nation.

You will be challenged through the preaching and personal testimony of Bro. Sommerdorf at 9:45am Sunday School (all teens and adults), during the 11:00am Service and the 6:00pm Service.

Bring a visitor with you, and plan to be in your place for this special service this Sunday, August 9, 2009.

Going the Extra Mile!

Andrew Carnegie said, "There are two types of people who never achieve very much in their lifetimes. One is the person who will not do what he or she is told to do. The other is the person who does no more than he or she is told to do."

Christians who are genuine servants of Jesus Christ are known for going the "extra mile!" By experience I can tell you there are no traffic jams on the road that takes you that "extra mile!"

Jesus taught us "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." Matthew 5:1

It was Roman law that demanded a Jew to carry the burden of a Roman for a mile. But if a Jew were to carry the burden of his enemy a second, or "an extra" mile, well that was the way Jesus said that we could make an impact on others.

I am saddened by Christians who do just what is necessary to get by. Our Bible study , prayer life, church attendance, our stewardship, and even our personal ministry to others is often done with the just get by attitude!

A "second mile" Christian is one who lives and gives and forgives more than what is expected! If we are going to impact this world it will be done by people that "go the second mile" in giving our time, talent, treasure, and our personal touch in reaching out to others with the Gospel message.

Let me challenge all of us here at GPBC this week to become a "Second Mile Christian!"

The law of sowing and reaping, promises we will reap what we sow! No doubt we all needed someone that would go the extra mile for us! Thank God He did...all the way to the cross!

It is our turn to take up our cross and follow Him!

See you Sunday!

God bless,
Preacher

One Small Step, One Giant Leap!

On July 20 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of NASA putting a man on the moon. As Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module named "The Eagle," he spoke to millions who were watching by television. When he stepped onto the moon's surface, history has recorded his words: "One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind!"

While that was indeed a unforgettable moment in American history, it does not even come close to the significance of the journey that our Savior made to redeem lost men! He left Heaven so that He might die on a Roman cross and be raised again so that we might be saved! John 3:16

Did you know that God's Word tells us that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord!" The steps we take serving Jesus Christ may seem insignificant to us, but to God and those that we minister to they are giant steps that make an eternal difference!

Whether it is stepping up to helping a fallen child, walking across the street witness to someone, or stepping into a Sunday School class to teach a lesson form the Word of God, or walking up a flight of stairs to visit that bus route! All of these steps make an eternal difference!

Just because the world does not pay attention, we can rest assured that God does! Let each of us determine here at GPBC to be found faithful as we labor for Him this summer!

Remember, "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame." Proverbs 10:5

It is my prayer that each of us will live, labor, and look for the soon coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Precious Lamb of God!

We will rise one day to take our final step of obedience in this life, to be raptured and take that giant leap toward heaven! When that trumpet sounds we will rise to see Jesus!

Remember what Jesus said in John 14:1-6:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Until then, let's be faithful!
Preacher

I Was Glad!

This past week my family and I enjoyed a much needed vacation! Thank you for praying for us and for being faithful to our Lord here at GPBC! While time spent at Cannon Beach is always a blessing despite the weather, coming home is and has always been the icing on the cake!

Yes, we enjoyed a less scheduled and urgent pace for a week. Yes, we enjoyed the beauty and scenery of the coast and mountains. And yes, we enjoyed the wonderful time we spent together as a family. But, I was also glad to get back home. It is good to be back at GPBC and to look forward to the rest of the summer here serving the Lord with each of you!

I was glad...
- To be back where, God has called me to serve as the pastor of the greatest people in the world!
- To see the great job my staff did while I was gone!
- To hear of the faithful labor of God's people while I was gone with souls being saved and baptized!
- That God's people are taking serious our stewardship responsibilities.
- To be back in the pulpit this Wednesday night and Sunday!
- That the Great Commission is still our responsibility as Bible believing Christians!
- That when the sun rose today it reminded me that God has given us one more day to love and obey Him!

Let me remind you, being "glad" is a scriptural characteristic of God's people! Consider the following verses:
Psalm 70:4
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

Psalm 118:24
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 122:1
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

Psalm 126:3
The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

While vacation was a time to refresh ourselves, it was also a time to return to the work He has left us to do!

Let's determine to be found faithful as we labor for Him this summer! Remember, "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame." Proverbs 10:5

It is my prayer that each of us will live, labor, and look for the soon coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Precious Lamb of God!

Rev 19:7
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come..."

SUMMER!

It was God who established the seasons! Paul exhorted Timothy to be "instant in season and out of season!" (2 Tim. 4:1-2) Solomon said "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame." (Proverbs 10:5) As your pastor, let me challenge you to determine not to let this great season of life pass without making it one of our greatest summers ever! How can we do that?.

First, determine to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ even though it is summer! Don't let the busyness of summer activities cause you to become careless in your relationship to Christ. Second, remember to be a faithful steward to GPBC even while you are out of town. I am so grateful to each of you who make sure your tithes and offerings are received at the church when you are on vacation. Remember, the needs of the ministry do not stop during the summer months! Third, personally guard your heart and testimony during the summer months! Beware of the enticements of the world while participating in summer activities. Fourth, be a faithful witness and ready to share Christ with others wherever you are! People still die and go out into eternity in the summer. Take advantage of opportunities to be a witness this summer. Fifth, be sure to inform others when you are going to be gone on vacation so that we can pray for you! We will pray for your safety, and that God will give to you a wonderful time on your vacation, so don't just disappear and leave us wondering where you are at. Sixth, make sure that your ministry responsibilities are covered before you leave! It should never happen that a ministry responsibility is left uncovered when you are on vacation. Nor should you ever be guilty of calling the night before church services to inform us that you are gone and the ministry responsibility is not taken care of. Be a good steward of the ministry God has given you. Seventh, when you get back home, come on back to church and tell us all about the great time you had! Be careful of the temptation to get out of the habit of faithfulness following your vacation. Get back to church! We want to rejoice with you in your joys and hear about your family and activities. We are your church family afterall.

Let's determine to make this a great summer, not only for you, your family, and GPBC, but also for the glory of our Lord!

GPBC Plans Flag Pole Memorial Dedication at 4th of July Picnic

This Saturday, July 4, GPBC is making plans to dedicate the new Flagpole Memorial! Our Annual 4th of July Picnic will begin at Noon and lunch served at 1pm. After lunch we will meet at the new memorial at the church and have a special dedication service. It will be a time of reflection and patriotic celebration! There will also be lots off fun and activities for the whole family! Please make plans to be a part of this great event! Please pray that God will continue to bless GPBC and of course, God bless the USA!

At GPBC, We Think Dads are "Grand!"

Celebrate Father's Day with us this Sunday, June 21, 2009

This Sunday we will celebrate Father's Day at GPBC with a special Sunday School Session for all men at 9:45am! We will be meeting in the gym where we will enjoy special treats and refreshments for all of the men! I will also bring a personal challenge to all of the men of GPBC! There will also be a special message at 11am dedicated to help every man to be the man that God desires us to be.

Mrs. Patty Appleby, founder and Director of Women at the Well Ministries, will be speaking to all of the ladies during the Sunday School hour at 9:45am in the Auditorium. She will be a blessing to them as well!

Please invite friends to come and be your guest as we celebrate Father's Day together here at GPBC! This is going to be a great weekend! Please make plans to be a part of it!

See you Sunday!
Preacher

It Is Not Too Late!

Couples Conference: Fri-Sun, June 12-14

It is not too late for married and engaged couples of all ages to make plans to be a part of our dynamic Couples Conference coming up this Friday here at GPBC! Evangelist Sam Wood and his wife Debbie will be our special guests for this great meeting that is sure to make an impact on your marriage to the glory of God.

The conference begins Friday, June 12, at 7pm and continues on Saturday, June 13, from 8:30am-2:45pm.

On Sunday, June 14, Bro. Wood will speak in a special combined Sunday School for all adults at 9:45am, as well as speaking to the entire family at 11am and 6pm.

An exciting children's program and Wild & Crazy Teen Activities are planned for Friday evening and all day Saturday, so moms and dads can enjoy the conference without worries.

All of this (including lunch) for just $20 per couple, with children and teen activities for just $3 per child or teen (with a $9 family maximum for the kids).

Registration is still possible this Wednesday night in the foyer, or you can call the church office to register. I am sure that this is going to be an awesome family-focused weekend!

God bless you!

Preacher

GPBC Prepares for the Lord's Supper

This Sunday, June 7, at 6:00pm, GPBC will celebrate the Lord's supper.

Almost 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ left two ordinances for the New Testament local church. The first was believer's baptism, Matt 28:19-20, Acts 2:41 and the second was the Lord's supper Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32. Neither are a means of grace or salvation. Both are to call to remembrance the wonderful grace of God extended to every believer.

This Sunday night, GPBC will once again serve the Lord's supper in obedience to Christ's commands.

As your pastor, let me encourage every member to prepare themselves both scripturally and spiritually for this important event.

According to Christ's command as individuals we are called to "examine" ourselves, and as a church we are to be in one accord with the Lord, His Word, and one another.

As we come to the Lord's table, may we remember what George F. MacLeod said years ago: "Jesus was crucified, not in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves"...and He did it all so that we could be forgiven and have a home in Heaven forever with Him.

The exercise of the Lord's Supper must be much more than just a religious ritual. It must be a personal discipline and exercise of worship and devotion of every Christian "in spirit and in truth."

Coming to the Lord's Table allows us to both personally and corporately say:

"Thank you Lord for saving my soul, thank you Lord for making me whole.
Thank you Lord for giving to me, thy great salvation so rich and free!"

Please read and study 1 Corinthians 11 to prepare for this ordinance. God bless you and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

Preacher

Men and Boys... This Steak is for You!

Every man is encouraged to come to the Men's Prayer Breakfast this Saturday, May 30, at 7:30am. Bring your son with you, and come enjoy a delicious breakfast of steak and eggs! Our special guest speaker will be Bro. Rick Terrazas, Missionary Chaplain with the Rock of Ages Prison Ministries, working in the juvenile jails and prisons. The cost is just $3.00! You can't beat that! Steak and Eggs for $3.00. The food will be great, the coffee hot, and the fellowship sweet..................

Have you purchased your tickets for the Father & Son Campout? Our 22nd annual campout is just a little over a week away. Held at the beautiful Indian Henry Campground, 22 miles east of Estacada on the beautiful Clackamas River. We will have a Steak Dinner on Friday night, and a hot breakfast on Saturday morning. The fishing is free on Saturday, and you and your boy are sure to have a great time together! The cost is just $15 per person! Don't miss this! Get your tickets after any service in the foyer.

GPBC Couples Conference is Coming!

June 12-14, 2009
Friday 7pm; Sat 9am -2:45pm; Sun 9:45 am; 11am and 6pm

Starting Friday night June 12, GPBC will be hosting Dr. Sam Wood and his wife, Debbie
for a dynamic Couples Conference!

Sam and Debbie Wood are the founders of Family Fortress Ministries in Jamestown, Tennessee. The mission of Family Fortress Ministries is "to exhort families in all aspects of family life to passionately fear God and to live according to His Word, so that they will experience the abundance that God desires to bless them with."

This meeting will help each of us to honestly examine our current relationships with God and family members by explaining God's plan for the family through His Word. Every couple must understand the fact that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the home and that families should take heed how they build upon that foundation.

This Couples Conference promises to compliment our families and challenge each of us to a higher plane of living out our faith before the next generation. Every couple should make plans to attend every session of this meeting. I also want to encourage you to invite couples that you know who may not attend GPBC but are struggling or looking for a home church.

The Couples Conference will start on Friday night, June 12, at 7pm and have special activities and sessions on Saturday June 13 9am -2:45pm , and then on Sunday June 14, 9:45am; 11am and 6pm! Please listen up for more details!

There is a minimum charge of just $20 per couple for this conference. A nursery will be provided, as well as great activities for the children and teens. The cost for them is just $3 per child with a maximum cost per family of three children or just $9! If a couple cannot afford this cost, the church will take care of it! We just want to make sure that every couple has the opportunity to attend!

Every couples is encouraged to sign up and to make plans for this life changing meeting! Please pray with me that God will truly pour out His blessing upon us!

God bless you!

See you Sunday!
Preacher

Remembering Those That Loved God, Country, and the Church!

Memorial Day Flag Pole Project


Recently, I shared with the church an opportunity that I thought would be a blessing to many people in GPBC.

Two years ago a fund was started by my mom with a love offering for a flagpole to be put up in memory of Brother Van Vandervort, who went home to be with the Lord that same year. The plan was developed and there will be three beautifully lighted flag poles for the American flag, the Christian flag, and the State of Oregon flag. The estimated cost for the project was around $9,000.

A year later, the Lord also called my mother home and the church graciously gave toward that project in her memory for Pastor Greg and me. At that point the fund grew to almost $3,000.

Since then, the Sorrells Family gave toward this project in memory of Brother Harold Sorrells who passed away this past January. Now currently, we have $5,300 dedicated toward this project.

I was praying about it a few months ago and the Lord laid on my heart that perhaps others would like to remember a friend or a loved one in this project. We could do this by having a beautifully engraved granite plaque with the names of every person that is remembered in this effort.

I shared this with my staff and our chairman of Deacons, Dick Jackson, and all were encouraging and said this will not only be a great way to pay tribute to those who deserve it, but also a way to finish this project for God's glory.

The plaque will be 18"x 24" and state "In memory of those that loved God, Country, and the Church- (their names)," and at the bottom, Revelation 14:13 which states, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."

The cost for each name is just $200 and is limited to 40 names. The first three will be Van Vandervort, Lora Mitchell, and Harold Sorrells. At this time there are already twenty-one names on the list. After the project is complete, any funds that may be left over will be dedicated towards our current nursery remodel project!

Let me encourage you to prayerfully consider this opportunity and help us to accomplish this by Memorial Day, May 25. There is a table set up in the foyer after every service for those who are interested. You may also stop by the church office to reserve a name for your friend or loved one.

I know that every one of us will be blessed by this beautiful lighted flag pole memorial for years to come. It will be especially appreciated by those who made sure that their friend or loved was remembered. If you have any questions feel free to contact me or the church office.

My prayer is that this will be a Christ honoring testimony for all of us that will speak unashamedly of our love for our God, our Country and our Church, and of course, our friends and loved ones!

God bless you! See you Sunday!

Preacher

This Sunday is Mother's Day!

Every Mother is Special at GPBC!

Bring your mom to GPBC for Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10. At GPBC, we think mom's are special people and we will take time to recognize every mom who is in the service this Sunday morning! We look forward to seeing you this Sunday for Mother's Day!

Ladies, Will You Pray With Us?

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). One of the most important ministries in the life of our church is the Prayer Line Ministry. Through this ministry, immediate needs are distributed quickly to ladies in our church who then lift them up before the throne of the Lord in intercession on your behalf. A ministry that is behind the scenes, and yet, a ministry that is of vital importance to the church. Are you willing to labor together in prayer for one another? Right now, we are looking for a few more ladies who would band together with us to pray for the needs of our church family. When a prayer need is received, you will receive a phone call from another member of the prayer line team. You will be given a specific need with a specific request to pray for, and then you will be asked to stop right then, and pray. If you are interested in being a part of this dynamic, and life-changing ministry, please contact the church office or Mrs. Angie Watson. God bless you, and thank you for praying!

Operation: Recognition This Sunday

Last Week of the Spring SS Campaign!

I read once that "Most people wish to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity!"

The truth is, the real mark of a servant is one that hears his Master's voice and obeys His master's will.

One of my desires, as a pastor over the last few weeks, has been to help every member of GPBC to take advantage of the many different opportunities that God has given to us to serve Him!

There have been many that responded to this invitation by getting involved in the different ministries here at GPBC! While we praise the Lord for all of those that are faithful to the ministry here there are still several areas that we need your help!

Our Sunday School Department as well as the Bus Ministry are to of the most pressing areas of need and yet, they are also some of the most rewarding!

Jesus said, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37-38.

2,000 years later the harvest is still plenteous and the labourers are still few! Let me encourage you to answer God's call and take advantage of the opportunity to become part of the fraternity of God's Servants!

Remember Paul's admonition, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10

Let there be no doubt that God will not only Recognize His faithful Servants, He will also Reward them!

My prayer for each of us is that we might hear our Lord say one day soon, "Well done thou good and faithful servant!"

See you this Sunday!

God bless you!
Preacher

To God Be the Glory- He Is Risen!

There is no better way to celebrate a risen Savior than to share the "good news" of the amazing grace of God with others! And this we did last Sunday!

As a result, God blessed our church on Easter Sunday in a wonderful way! We had a packed church and to the glory of God, many souls saved!

I do not have words sufficient to express my love and appreciation to all who worked so hard to make that happen. Needless to say there were many (hundreds) who made this event possible. But if you were to ask any one of them they would tell you that they were just doing it for the Lord.

I have heard that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who do the work and those who take the credit. If we try to be in the first group, we will soon discover that there is less competition there.

Let my message be loud and clear, for all that God has done and continues to do here at GPBC: "I give the people the credit, and God the glory!"

I praise the Lord for a staff and church that love their Lord and their preacher enough to catch his vision and try to make a difference in our world!

May we continue to be faithful proclaimers of the Amazing Grace of God found only in the Gospel!

He is risen indeed!

Praise the Lord!
Preacher

Don't Forget April 12, Easter Sunday Service is at 10:45am

"Amazing Grace...My Chains Are Gone!"- Easter Drama and Musical by GPBC Music Department
Message by Pastor Rick Adams
Please Come and Be Our Guest and bring a Friend!

"HE IS NOT HERE...HE IS RISEN!"

If Easter says anything at all to us it is that Jesus is all that He claimed to be simply by proof of the Resurrection!

The pyramids of Egypt are famous because they contained the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian kings and Pharaohs. Westminster Abbey in London, England is renowned, because in it rests the bodies of English nobles and aristocrats. Mohammed's tomb is noted for the stone coffin and the bones that it contains. The Tomb of the Unknowns, in Arlington cemetery in Washington, D.C., is revered, for it is the honored resting place of brave and outstanding Americans that gave their lives for our freedom and liberty.

However, The Garden Tomb of Jesus is famous not because of who is in it but because WHO IS NOT IN IT! It is famous because it is empty! When the women came in to see Jesus body, the angel of the Lord spoke to them saying, "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." Matt 28:5-6

As we celebrate Easter Sunday we can rejoice that Christianity is the only "faith" in the world that can make that claim! This Sunday while a world makes a big deal about an Easter bunny and colored eggs, let every one of us that knows Jesus as our Savior, let the world know that "Jesus is not only alive, but by His death and resurrection, He made a way for us to be saved!" 1 Cor 15:1-6

While we celebrate a risen Savior let us also do our part in making Him know to others! May we never forget that Our Risen Savior is one day soon, "coming again!"

See you Sunday!
Preacher

OPERATION: OPPORTUNITY is an opportunity for you!

As we continue in our Spring Sunday School Campaign, there are many OPPORTUNITIES for you to get involved in serving our Lord through your service to others.

On Saturday, April 4, join us at 10AM for OPERATION: SATURATION as we saturate the neighborhood around the church with Easter invitations, followed by lunch at 12pm.

This Sunday, April 5, the entire church family is invited to join us on a Community Prayer Walk at 2pm. We will meet at the Freedom Foursquare Church (SE 162nd & SE Stark) at 2pm, and then walk around the perimeter of an area near our church, praying and asking God to help us reclaim our community for Christ.

We are calling Easter Sunday, OPERATION: RESURRECTION! We will have one combined service at 10:45am, with great singing, wonderful music from our adult choir and Kids of Praise, along with stirring drama, all designed to point our hearts to our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Invite a friend to be your guest as we present, Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone!

I want to encourage you to find the OPPORTUNITY to serve God in these next few weeks as we focus on OPERATION: OPPORTUNITY. When we stand before God, you will be glad you served Him with all your heart!

Pastor Greg and Tina Adams Celebrate 20 Years at GPBC this Sunday Night!

Twenty Years ago this Sunday, Pastor Greg Adams with his wife Tina and their two daughters Erica and Alicia came to GPBC to join the staff as Youth Pastor. His life verse, like mine, was Jude 22: "And of some have compassion, making a difference." That verse says and their lives emulate all that he and Tina have done through the last 20 years of faithful ministry.

Much has changed during that time! He now has two additional daughters: Erin and Abbey. He is wearing several more hats of responsibility than when he first arrived. He has also grown and matured gracefully... and we will leave it there!

But there are some things that have not changed! His passion is as fervent as ever for serving the Lord and for reaching and mentoring teens! He still has a genuine love for his wife and family! He still has a "good name" and wonderful testimony not only in the Northwest, but literally across our nation and around the world! And last but not least, he is still my "kid brother" and I have never been more proud of him! Praise the Lord for the last 20 years that we have had to serve together here at GPBC!

We will be celebrating that milestone with Pastor Greg and his family this Sunday night at GPBC! We will have a service entirely hosted by our teens! Pastor Greg will be preaching and our church family we will say "thank you!" to Brother Greg and Ms. Tina for "making a difference" in the lives of our children.

Don't miss it! See you this Sunday night at 6:00pm!

God bless!
Preacher

Getting Into the Water

A few years ago there was an article in Reader's Digest that told of Kim Linehan, who at that time held the world record in the Women's 1500-meter freestyle. According to her coach, Paul Bergen, the 18-year-old was the leading amateur woman distance swimmer in the world. He also said that Kim was deeply committed to training and preparing for her next competition. To do this she did endless training exercises and swam 7 to 12 miles every day! We might expect that from a champion! When she was asked what was the most difficult part of her training regimen? She responded: "Getting in the water!" Reader's Digest, June 1981

Now that is NOT what you expected to hear from a champion! For most of us that is the way it is in life! As Bible believing Christians, we have the God-given talents and the abilities, but most of us have to overcome the most difficult part, disciplining our selves every day just to "get in the water!" That takes "Commitment!"

If there is one thing that will get us up every day and cause us to faithfully do what God has called us to do, it is "Commitment to Him!" Our commitment to Christ is fueled by our desire to do "all that we do for the glory of God!" 1 Cor 10:31

What is it that you are committed to? The answer to that question is found in another question, "What are our most basic "Convictions?"

If we really love God, we will obey Him. If we love his Word, we will read it. If we believe the Gospel is true we will believe, repent and accept it, then share it with those that have yet to hear the "good news!" If we really believe that Christ is coming again, we will live like it! For most of us we fail to get into the water because we really do not have those convictions....yet!

Over the next couple of months we are going to be studying some of these "convictions," and prayerfully and hopefully they will cause more of us to personally, not only "get into the water" of our faith, but to get in the deep end with God!

Make plans to come to our Wednesday Night Bible Study and Prayer Meeting starting at 7pm each week. There is also a nursery as well as a dynamic Bible based program for the kids and teens!

See you at the pool!

Preacher

Considering Christ in our Stewardship

Several weeks ago I began the series on scriptural stewardship. The series was based on 2 Corinthians 8-9 and Malachi 3. God has taught us many things about this matter of being "stewards." A steward is a manager of someone else's property and possessions. It is essential that we remember that:

- All things belong to God - Psalm 24:1
- Every good gift comes from God. - James 1:17
- We are stewards of all that He has placed in our care. - 1 Corinthians 4:2
- "Unto whom much is given, much shall be required." - Luke 12:48

When we started out, I reminded us that we will each give account of:
- The Time that we live on this earth
- The Talents that we are given
- The Treasure that we posses
- The Truth that we have heard

As I close the series this week, it will be with a prayer that we will not only be found fruitful stewards, but that we will also be found faithful stewards for God's glory.

God bless you!
Preacher

Consider Him at the Lord's Table

This Sunday evening we will be observing the Lord's Supper at GPBC.

Our theme for our church this year is found in Heb 12:3, "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

As we come to the Lord's table this week it will provide for us two things that will help us to not grow wearied or faint in our minds.

First of all, we have the picture of what the supper represents to every believer! The unleavened bread represents the perfect and sinless sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins, and we have the cup that represents the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, without which no one could be saved! Heb 9:22

Second we have a promise: in Matthew 26:29 "But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Here Christ promises us that one day we will enjoy this time of fellowship and communion with Him personally! That is all wrapped up in the promise that we know as the "Blessed hope!" Titus 2:11-13

As a member of GPBC, please prepare your heart personally according to 2 Corinthians 11:23-32. Read these verses carefully and prayerfully. Then on this Sunday evening as we meet and observe this wonderful ordinance that Christ gave to us for the local church, may we leave not only refreshed spiritually but rejoicing corporately as we anticipate the soon return of our Lord!

God bless you!
Preacher

Please Excuse Our Dust!

GPBC Dream - Nursery Project Is Now Underway!

This past year our church has been raising the funds necessary to remodel and upgrade our church nurseries! We reached our start up goal of $50,000 at the end of October, but because of the NWYC and the holidays we were not able to get started right away. The winter blast and wind storms did not help matters either. But to the glory of God we have now begun and it will not be long before we will not only see the dream become a reality but it will also soon be put to good use!

Let me encourage you to be in prayer that things go smoothly as our project coordinator Brother Dick Jackson leads us in this upgrade! Please remember that we are doing most of the work ourselves, so we will be calling on the church for help as we need it! Remember that we are "laborers together with God!"

Let me also ask you to please continue giving toward the Dream Fund to help finish this project. I know that God is going to allow us not only to give toward this need, but to also rejoice in the fact that we had an opportunity to be a part of something so important to GPBC and this ministry!

I also want to thank you for your patience and understanding during this noble effort! There may be some dust and inconveniences during this time but let's keep our eyes on the goal! Yes, it will be worth it all!

God bless you!
Preacher

Great Opportunities are Ahead for GPBC!

Great opportunities are ahead for GPBC! Please don't miss them!

The next two weeks promise to be a great opportunity for every member of GPBC to "make an eternal difference" in the lives of others!

First, this Saturday we are hosting the annual GPBC Sportsman's Banquet. Chad Shearer, world champion elk caller, will be our speaker once again! Brother Shearer is not only a great outdoorsman, but he is also a committed Christian! He will challenge all who come to the banquet this Saturday with his knowledge, wit, and humor, as well as with his powerful message of how God has worked in his life this past year! Please invite your friends and your neighbors to come to this event! Doors open at 3:00pm and dinner is at 5pm.

This Sunday, at 9:45am Brother Chad Shearer and his wife will be speaking respectively to our men and our ladies adult Bible classes! This is a fantastic time to invite unsaved, unchurched loved ones to come to church with you!

Also this Sunday night is Fellowship Night at GPBC! Please make plans to invite someone you know and someone you do not know out to fellowship after the evening service! Remember this is to help you get better acquainted with our new members as well as to introduce them to other members of GPBC! Remember Proverbs 18:24 "If a man hath friends he must shew himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother!"

Then, in just another week, on Friday, Feb 27, we will be showing the movie "Fireproof." There is no charge to come. Concessions will be provided for sale by our teens, who are raising funds for the college and missions trips coming up this Spring and Summer! Once again this is a great time to invite unsaved or unchurched loved ones to come to GPBC!

Please be in prayer for these opportunities for each of us to personally touch others for Christ! Of course, we know that these are only extensions of our ministry here at GPBC! Let us determine to be faithful to our threefold purpose of: reaching people, teaching God's Word, and ministering to the needs of others!

Let me encourage every member to remember our theme for 2009 as we "Consider Him..." lest we be weary and faint in our minds! I am looking forward to seeing you this Sunday!

God bless you!
Preacher

This Sunday is "I Love My Church" Sunday!

This week GPBC will be celebrating "I Love My Church!" Sunday, February 15, 2009.

In Ephesians 5:25 the Bible tells us that "Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it!" Each of us who call ourselves Christians ought also to faithfully love and support our local church.

As your pastor, let me encourage you to be in Sunday School at 9:45am sharp, as well as in our morning worship service at 11:00am, and then back again on Sunday night at 6pm.

If there was ever a reason that we should love our church it is now! The Church naturally has her enemies! We must openly declare as members and christians that we like Jesus love His church!

God has been so good to each of us! Let each of us show our love for our Lord and His church by not forsaking it this Sunday! "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

Let me also encourage you to bring an unsaved or unchurched friend with you this week! It could change their life and their eternity! The psalmist said, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1

I am looking forward to seeing you this week!

God bless you!
Preacher

9:45am Sunday School - A Place Where YOU Can Grow!

As a pastor, let the record be clear, I have a heart for every member of GPBC. One of my highest goals as a pastor is to help every member young and old alike to "grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Our purpose as a church is to honor and glorify God by reaching people, teaching people, and by ministering to people!

In a day when many who are seeking to honor God with their life, their family, and their resources, it seems like there is just not a lot of support for them. We here at GPBC are committed to make this church an exception! There is no better place to meet new friends and to start growing in your walk with God than in Sunday School!

Scripturally, the local church must be a place that offers not only a safe environment for our children, an exciting Christ centered youth ministry, a Spirit led worship service, but it is also a place where every person can find the direction from God's Word as it is taught and preached every week!

Coupled with the support of a pastor, staff, and teachers who love and pray faithfully for you, Sunday School a place for you and your family to grow and develop in God's grace and His will.

There are over thirty Sunday School classes that are taught by godly spirit-filled teachers to assist in this matter. Not only do they offer a strong relevant Bible-based lesson each Sunday, but they also offer warm and personal care, fellowship and support to all.

If you are not currently involved in Sunday School, please do not miss this opportunity to meet new friends and to grow in God's grace this week! If possible, make it a point this week to be in Sunday School at 9:45am and come "grow with us!" I am looking forward to seeing you there!

God bless you!
Preacher

The Sending Forth of Servants

In the Book of Acts chapter 13 we find the New Testament Church in Antioch doing what every local New Testament Church should do: the sending forth of servants!
Acts 13:1-3

1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

The sending forth of servants as missionaries from the local church should be as natural as it is for a couple to have children, train them up, and then watch them go out to reproduce themselves as adults.

As the pastor of GPBC, I must tell you that I have great joy in my heart as I look back over the last 26 years and rejoice over the many full time servants of Jesus Christ that call GPBC their home church!

Two of God's choicest servants, Jesse and Tiffany Shanks, and their son Joshua, have answered God's call for their lives to serve our Lord as missionaries in Togo, West Africa. They are the children of Assistant Pastor Tom and Susan Hall and Ken and Janice Shanks.

This Wednesday evening Jesse Shanks will be preaching for us. Then as a church on Sunday night, February 1, 2009, we will officially say "good bye!" They will fly out of PDX on Tuesday, February, 3, 2009.

After the service this Sunday night, let me encourage everyone to make plans to join with me for a time of fellowship and the bittersweet privilege of sending off these anointed servants of Jesus Christ! It will be a night we will not soon forget!

God bless you!
Preacher

A New President and an Old Promise

Today America watched as Chief Justice John Roberts swore in Barrack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. Let there be no doubt, this is an historical point in America with our first African American becoming President.

I am thankful that as citizens of this great nation, we can both participate in and witness the exercise of free democracy right before our eyes! But it is also a pivotal point, in that many critical issues are on the line over the next four years.

Three of those issues are the sanctity of human life (the unborn, the handicapped, and the elderly), the attack on the biblical institution of marriage, which is composed of one man and one woman, and of course, our allegiance and loyalty to the state of Israel.

It is my firm belief that these "big three" are critical with God and will prove to be the conditions to His blessing or judging our nation.

Although I did not vote for our new president, and I do not agree with many of his policies, nor would I vote for him if we again had another election. I do believe that it is my responsibility and every Christian's responsibility to pray for him and his family.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:1-4:

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

As Bible-believing Christians, we must remember that God has commanded us to pray for those in authority over us, and with that prayer comes an old promise: "that that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."

Our peace is not found in who is President of the USA but rather in Who is resident in our heart as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Proverbs 21 begins and ends with two old promises that we must not only remember but also embrace!
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." Proverbs 21:1

"The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD." Proverbs 21:31

Let each of us pray for our new President but rest upon these old promises until Jesus comes again!

Lord willing I will see you Wednesday night for Bible study in 1 John and this Sunday as we prepare to celebrate The Sanctity of Human Life. This was something that we were unable to do last Sunday morning or Sunday night because the building lost electricity. The severe windstorms of Saturday and Sunday kept us from being able to meet at all last week! Trust that I mean it when I say hope to see you this Sunday!

God bless you!
Preacher

Consider Him in Our Stewardship

Our theme for 2009 at GPBC is "Consider Him!" based upon Hebrews 12:3: "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

One particular area that every Christian must be careful not to become weary or careless in our responsibility is our stewardship. Stewardship involves much more than finances. It also involves our faith, our family, and also our future.

Pastor and writer David Jeremiah wrote recently,

"Steward" used to be a common concept, most notably in the form of a "stewardess" - when airline flight attendants (the replacement term) were all females. Now, stewards are mostly found in labor unions (shop steward), fancy restaurants (wine steward), and cruise ships (ship's steward). The earliest, and still the best, biblical example of a steward is Joseph - the favorite son of Jacob who was sold as a slave into Egypt by his jealous brothers. So rich was the blessing of God on Joseph that his Egyptian master, the wealthy Potiphar, made Joseph the overseer and manager (steward) of his entire household. Joseph was responsible for everything: finances, the other servants and employees, and Potiphar's reputation as it related to all his affairs. A steward's chief occupation is to do what his master would want done. To that end, a steward's responsibilities can be summed up in the words loyalty and faithfulness.

Let me challenge you to stop and to look around consider all that God has given us: gifts, talents, money, property, opportunities, and of course life! Every Christian is required to be a faithful steward of God. 1 Corinthians 4:2 reminds us, "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

May we never forget that we are going to be held responsible to use what God has entrusted to us in the way that God would want it used. As we start this New Year, let me encourage every GPBC member to "Consider Him in Our Stewardship!"

Preacher

Praise the Lord Anyway! - Happy New Year!

The last couple of weeks of December 2008 were no doubt two of the most memorable weeks for most of us here at GPBC! Not only did we have to cancel our Christmas Cantata twice because the ice and snow that prohibited us from meeting, but we also had to cancel our Christmas Eve service because of inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions!

When all was said and done we had one Sunday Morning service for which fewer than 200 folks were able to attend and another Sunday Morning and two Sunday Night services that had to be canceled because of inclement weather.

While I must admit this was not what we had planned for December and the Christmas holiday celebrations here at GPBC, I do believe that God was and is still in complete control. More than once I found myself claiming 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you."

Now that we have entered in to the New Year, I want to express my appreciation to:

- Pastor Brad McFeters and our GPBC Choir, Kids of Praise, and the GPBC drama teams, as well as all involved in the sound and lighting for the Christmas Cantata this year. Many hours of practice went into preparing for this event, which ultimately was never able to be presented. Please know that your labor was not in vain! God will bless your faithful work and labor and love done in His name!

- Brother Gerry Desmarias, Dick Jackson, and the men of GPBC who came out on Saturday, December 27 to dig us out of the snow so that we might be able to have service on Sunday, December 28! There was a lot of snow to shovel but you did it and your labor will not go without blessing and was not unnoticed or unappreciated by your Pastor and the people here at GPBC!

- The faithful stewards of GPBC. We cannot have almost six services canceled without it having a devastating impact on us financially. I am confident that you will bring "all of your tithes and offerings" in to God's house despite the fact we were not able to meet on those days. Malachi 3:8-10, 1 Cor 4:2; 16:2

- The faithful Bus workers! They were not able to run the buses and the vans for almost three weeks in a row because of the inclement weather! But praise God, they were back out there this past week and God blessed with 116 riders and 1 saved for God's glory!

- And of course, to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I must confess that I do not know when I have been more excited about a New Year! We have claimed "Consider Him!" from Hebrews 12:3 as our theme for this year. Let me encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus and remember that despite the weather God is faithful and He expects us to be the same to Him!

Please know that I love and pray for you faithfully. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday! Pleases pray that God will help us make this Sunday one that will honor and glorify Him!

God bless you!
Preacher

Consider Him!

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." Hebrews 12:1-3

Hebrews 12 reminds us that as we start this year, that we must "keep our eyes on Jesus Christ!" Let there be no doubt in our heart that we can trust in the presence, the power, and the promises of Jesus Christ!

Only God knows our future and just how close His coming may be! This demands that we all keep our eyes focused on none other than Jesus Christ!

During this next year we are sure to enjoy both victories and trials. Some may even come to the place where we think that we can go no further! It is then that we must "Consider Him!"

Let me share a poem that has been a blessing to me.
Consider Him
When the storm is raging high,
When the tempest rends the sky,
When my eyes with tears are dim,
Then, my soul, consider Him.

When my plans are in the dust,
When my dearest hopes are crushed,
When is passed each foolish whim,
Then, my soul, consider Him.

When with dearest friends I part,
When deep sorrow fills my heart,
When pain racks each weary limb,
Then, my soul, consider Him.

When I track my weary way,
When fresh trials come each day,
When my faith and hope are dim,
Then, my soul, consider Him.

Clouds or sunshine, dark or bright,
Evening shades or morning light,
When my cup flows o'er the brim,
Then, my soul, consider Him. Author Unknown

One of the reasons for turning our eyes on Jesus is for our encouragement. Jesus is truly the divine Energizer of our faith. Nothing we will ever face will compare to that which He not only endured but has also gloriously finished!
While we rejoice that one day we will "live forever with Him in Heaven," we should also rejoice that we can and must determine to live for Him right now!

Let each of us determine to make 2009 a year that we personally and purposely "Consider Him!" in every area of our Christian life!

A Note from the Preacher:
As we come to the beginning of another New Year, I want to remind you that while we may not know what this year holds for us, we do know the One that holds us in His omnipotent hands! Of course, I am referring to none other than Jesus Christ!

I want to encourage you during the difficult times to keep your eyes on Jesus Christ and to "Consider Him!"

We may be tempted to look at the stormy waves or tempest that can cause us to begin to doubt God's promises, but He has never failed us in the past, and we can be confident that He never will!

I am confident that as the pastor of GPBC, our greatest days are still in front of us! Come on! Let's determine with God's help we will finish this year, but we will do it together for God's glory!

Watch Night Service - December 31, 2008

This year, New Year's Eve falls on Wednesday, and we are looking forward to bringing in the New Year with the entire church family in a Watch Night Service. We will begin the evening with our regular mid-week service at 7pm, which includes Joy Clubs for the kids, Wednesday Nite Live for the teens, and our mid-week prayer and Bible study for the adults. Then, at 8:30pm, everyone will come to the gym for a potluck fellowship. Following the potluck fellowship time, we will be showing a film in the auditorium, followed by testimonies and a time of prayer as we bring in the New Year. Every member and friend of GPBC is encouraged to be here for the Watch Night Service, and "Bring a Friend!"

Rescheduled Christmas Cantata is December 21

"What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him" (Luke 8:25,b). These words, spoken by the disciples speak to the power of our Lord to control the very elements of our world. There is no storm that catches God by surprise, nor that is beyond His ability to control. Even when a snow storm changes our plans, God is still in control and we can trust Him, for He knows what is best.

This past Sunday night, we were forced to cancel our presentation of the Christmas cantata, Where Else Would a Lamb Be Born? due to inclement weather. However, we have rescheduled the program for Sunday, December 21, 2008, at 6pm. Our desire is to minister to you and your family through the music of our adult choir, Kids of Praise children's choir, and drama team.

With the change in our schedule for the Christmas program, and the time needed to present the cantata, we will be cancelling the Christmas fellowship that was previously scheduled for Sunday night following the service.

Please make plans to enjoy a great evening of music as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, this Sunday, December 21, at 6pm, weather permitting.

NOTE: I don't want to have to say this, but the reality is that the extended weather forecast for this weekend is looking like another storm front is headed our way. If the weather forces us to cancel the cantata again this weekend, we will update this website and our church phone system with the appropriate information.

Where Else Would A Lamb Be Born?

Sunday Night, December 21st at 6:00 pm we will be hosting our annual Christmas Cantata. The title of this year's production is "Where Else Would A Lamb Be Born?"

The Muslim calendar is dated from the Hegira, which marks the date when Mohammed fled to Medina to escape persecution to save his own life. Our calendar is also dated from a journey, but it was not a journey to flee persecution. Instead Christ willingly made the journey from His throne in Heaven to earth, and when His time had come He willingly went to the cross to die for our sins so that we might have eternal life!

All that we could ever imagine, all that we could ever hope for, is found in Jesus Christ! He is the Prince of Peace whose first coming was to die for our sins, but whose Second Coming will be to redeem all who put their faith and trust in Him. Praise God He will then establish justice and righteousness forever!

All of this, and infinitely more, was found in the manger that Christmas night! Admittedly, it was a place where you would least expect to find anything of value, but even more surprising is the truth that in Jesus is not only everything you could ever want, but all that you will ever need! Be sure and come to the Cantata on Sunday night, and please bring a friend with you!

God Bless you!
Preacher

Happy Holidays?

There are many that question whether or not we should say "Happy Holidays!" or "Merry Christmas!" during this time of the year. The claim is that it might be an invasion of privacy or even an insult to those who do not know and worship Christ.

The truth is we live in a nation that was founded on God and His Word. Not only does our Constitution guarantee us the freedom to worship God, but we also enjoy the right and the responsibility as Christians to share with others the wonderful message of Christmas not only during the Christmas season but 365 days a year! Acts 1:8

The "fly in the ointment," if we will admit it, is not the message but the messengers of this wonderful message! If our actions matched our profession I am convinced that there would be a lot more people who would listen with sincerity.

Peter tells us to "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." 1 Peter 3:15

If we are honest there could be no happiness or merriness without Christ! Jesus really is the "Reason for the Season!"

Let me encourage you to invite your unsaved and unchurched friends and family to this year's Christmas Cantata on Sunday Night Dec 14, 2008 at 6pm. I pray the every member of GPBC will use this Christmas season as an opportunity to share "the reason of the Hope that is in you...with meekness and fear!"

Let those that do not know Jesus personally meet and see "Christ in you the Hope of Glory!" Col 1:27

God bless you!
Preacher

A Thanksgiving Proclamation

Several years ago I read a story that was told of President Abraham Lincoln. One day the President summoned to the White House a surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland from the state of Ohio. The major assumed that he was to be commended for some exceptional work. During the conversation Mr. Lincoln asked the major about his widowed mother. "She is doing fine," he responded. "How do you know?" asked Lincoln. "You have not written her for several months. But she has written me. She thinks that you are dead and she is asking that a special effort be made to return your body." Then the President and Commander and Chief placed a pen in the young soldier's hand and ordered him to write a letter proclaiming to his mother that he was alive and well.
 
This time last year I was able to call and tell my mother "Happy Thanksgiving!" I was able to express to her my love and appreciation for all that she has done and meant to me. Today she is in Heaven. I am so thankful that I was able to tell her those things that she longed and loved to hear.

We also have a God who loves to hear our words of love, worship, and praise. It is a fitting thing for us to take the time to not only tell our mothers how much we love and appreciate them, but it is even more fitting and timely for us to tell our Heavenly Father "thank you" for all that He has done for us!

Let me encourage you to take the time to do that today, tomorrow, and yes, even on Thursday when we celebrate Thanksgiving Day!

The psalmist said in: Psalm 103:1-2
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

It should not surprise us that President Lincoln issued one of the most powerful Thanksgiving Proclamations ever given in the history of our country. He was reminding us as Christians not to "forget all the benefits" that we enjoy as citizens of America and the family of God! Please take time to read it.

Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.

We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?
 
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
 
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
 
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the heavens.
 
A. Lincoln, October 3, 1863.

Psalm 107:1-2
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

God bless you!
Preacher

Thank You Lord for Saving My Soul!

Right after I was saved I was taught a beautiful chorus that has long been a favorite of mine. Its words still warm my heart! They are:

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. 
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
 Thy great salvation so rich and free.

Thankfulness seems to be a lost art today. Warren Wiersbe illustrated this problem in his commentary on Colossians. He told about a ministerial student in Evanston, Illinois, who was part of a life-saving squad. In 1860, a ship went aground on the shore of Lake Michigan near Evanston, and Edward Spencer waded again and again into the frigid waters to rescue 17 passengers. In the process, his health was permanently damaged. Some years later at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the people he rescued had ever thanked him.

That is extreme but it is also a reality today! Most people live and work without giving a second thought to the Lord who not only created us but also conducted the greatest rescue effort in the history of mankind!

John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us "For he hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

John testifies for all to hear, "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. " 1 John 4:14

If you are not a Christian, thank God for the opportunity that you have right now to believe, repent, and be saved by God's grace through your faith in Jesus Christ! Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 10:9-13

If you are a Christian, remember that the Apostle Paul is an example to us with his expression of thanksgiving and praise when inspired of God he penned the words in 1 Corinthians 3:15, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!"

Take the time right now if you are saved and thank God for the gift of eternal life and perhaps sing these words as a prayer of thanksgiving to our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. 
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to me 
Thy great salvation so rich and free.

As the Pastor of GPBC let me invite you to come this Sunday as we meet for worship and the study of God's Holy Word! I look forward to seeing you then!

God Bless!
Preacher

God Is Still On The Throne!

After the Elections on November 4, there were some Christians who were surprised that the sun still came up the next morning! I am comforted by the fact that God is still on the throne despite who is in the White House or who holds the majority in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Recently, I was reminded of five things that the Election did not change:

- The Bible still has all the answers!
- Prayer still works!
- The Holy Spirit still empowers!
- The Church still has a Commission to obey!
- There is still room at the Cross for anyone to be saved!

I am also thankful that the majority of the Christians in the states of Florida, Arizona, and California voted to protect and define marriage from a biblical perspective.

In spite of the negatives of the elections, we can rest assured that God is still at work!

As my good friend Evangelist Dave Kistler said recently, "We must become more, not less, involved in the affairs of government.  Not to the neglect of our primary calling (the gospel ministry), but we must participate in a deeper way to "strengthen the things that remain" and lift up a standard of righteousness in our decaying culture! I am so thankful that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood for truth and obedience in a difficult place.  If you read the rest of the book of Daniel you will read that Nebuchadnezzar, after his dramatic humbling by God, said, "Now, I praise and extol the God of heaven...those that walk in pride, He is able to abase. Daniel and his three friend's influence resulted in a profound impact being left on both the king and the kingdom!"

Amen! I could not have said it better!

As stewards of the good gifts of the grace of God and the freedom we now enjoy, we must pray for God's wisdom to show us the most effective way that we are to be both "salt and light" in our nation. 

While doing so, we can rest assured that "God is still on the throne!"

"And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia." Revelation 19:4

Preacher

The Next One!

When my children were small they used to like to play a game with me that seems rather silly but was fun to them at the time! They would ask me, "Daddy, what is the best sermon that you ever preached?" I would act like it was a very difficult question and then with much enthusiasm I would say "the NEXT ONE!"

This past Sunday, I closed the 26th year as the pastor of GPBC. It seems like only yesterday that Regina and I arrived in Portland not only with our children, but also with the burden and the vision to start an independent fundamental bible-believing Baptist church.

God has wonderfully blessed beyond our abilities and to Him we give the credit and the glory for all that has been done over the last 26 years!

But please do not think that we have seen our best days! I really believe that our greatest days are still ahead of us! There is still so much that needs to be done, and so little time to do it before the Lord returns! We must not become complacent or lackadaisical in the work of our Lord.

As your pastor and friend, let me encourage you to catch a fresh glimpse of the harvest field that God has placed us in to serve Him. If our Lord should tarry His coming, let each of us determine to make our 27th year the year that brings God more glory than any of those before it!

Please never forget that I love you and pray for you faithfully. As we start this next year may you never doubt that as your Pastor, I believe our best one is "the NEXT ONE!"

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Proverbs 29:18

God bless!
Preacher

This Sunday Is Time Change Sunday! - November 2, 2008

Sunday School will start at 9:45am

For the last couple of months we have been talking about it, and telling you that it was coming, and finally the official time to change our clocks has arrived!

With the Daylight Savings Time change this Sunday, we are also resetting our starting time for all Sunday School Classes of GPBC to be at 9:45 am.

While we will enjoy an extra hour of sleep this week, please make sure that you plan to be at Sunday School no later than 9:45am.

This will be a great help to every teacher and class! It will also give you an extra fifteen minutes to fellowship and make the transition from the Sunday School to the Preaching Service or your ministry responsibilities at 11am.

I know that I can count on you to be right on time! Thank you for being faithful and please pray that God will bless us with many visitors and souls saved on our last Sunday of the Fall Campaign, "Finishing Well!"

I am looking forward to a great day this week! God bless you and I will see you Sunday at 9:45am!

Preacher

Psalm 90:9-12
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Numbering our Days!

Henry David Thoreau is given the credit of telling us that "you cannot kill time without injuring eternity." The truth is it was not Thoreau that first told us that...it was God!

In Psalm 90:9-12 David, inspired of God tells us, "For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Years ago I came across an article that reminds us of this truth:

"If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000 that carried over no balance from day to day...Allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening canceled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent every day, of course, and use it to your advantage! Well, you have such a bank, and its name is TIME! Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances, it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account with you. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow." Source unknown

Let there be no doubt that "numbering our days" and spending our time wisely is not just a suggestion to us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, it is a command! This in reality is the basis of all stewardship. God is the giver of life and all that we have! We must spend it wisely!

Carl Sandberg once said, "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you!"

Like those swindling hawkers at the fair calling you to spend your money at their booth, there are a lot of people that will call out for you to come over to play their game. If we are honest we know that no one ever wins at that challenge! The reward is only trinkets or useless things that have no eternal value of worth.

The tragedy of tragedies is when a life is wasted and traded for the temporary instead of the eternal! Let me remind you to "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness!" Jesus promised when we do, "All these other things shall be added unto you!" Matthew 6:33

I once heard a preacher say, "Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. The only cash in hand is today. Spend it wisely!"

As we prepare for the Lords' Day and ultimately the Lords Coming let each of remember to "Number our days and apply our hearts unto wisdom!"

God bless you!
Preacher

Fall Sunday School Campaign Has Begun!

Last Sunday morning we kicked of our Fall SS Campaign! Our theme is "Finishing Well!"
During the last year we have placed the Olympic premise of "Going for the Gold and Finishing Well" as our theme. As we come to the close of this year our desire is to finish the race that is set before for God's glory and honor! How can we do this? Here are just a few suggestions:
- Make your worship and service to Jesus Christ the highest priority!
- Maintain a right relationship with our spouse, family and friends!
- Commit to a daily time in God's Word and Prayer!
- Be faithful to Sunday School and Church!
- Be a faithful steward of all that God has given you oversight of!
- Personally share the gospel with someone daily!

It is my prayer that we will all "Finish Well!" truly making a difference for Jesus Christ!

Don't forget this Saturday, October 18 GPBC is teaming up with thousands of independent Baptist churches across America to reach our communities for Jesus Christ. This will be a concentrated effort of our church to saturate our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As your pastor, I am asking you to come help us not only obey the Great Commission, but to also touch the lives of those who are nearest us and still unsaved or unchurched!

We will start with a Rally at 10am and then we will go out until 11:45am to impact our city for Christ! Then at noon we will meet back at church for a delicious lunch and victory celebration! A nursery will be provided for children too small to participate with their parents.

I am asking EVERY member of GPBC to be "One of Many!" that will make a difference not only in our community but also in eternity!

See you Saturday!

God bless!
Preacher

Day of Evangelism!

Saturday, October 18, Rally 10am - Lunch to follow!

On Saturday, October 18 GPBC is teaming up with thousands of independent Baptist churches across America to reach our communities for Jesus Christ.

This will be a concentrated effort of our church to saturate our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As your pastor, I am asking you to come help us not only obey the Great Commission, but to also touch the lives of those who are nearest us and still unsaved or unchurched!

We will start with a Rally at 10am and then we will go out until 11:45am to impact our city for Christ! Then at noon we will meet back at church for a delicious lunch and victory celebration! A nursery will be provided for children too small to participate with their parents.

I am asking every member of GPBC to mark your calendar and be "One of Many!" that will make a difference not only in our community but also in eternity!

God's Word tells us "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." James 5:20

I pray that God will be pleased and honored by your obedience and your desire to help us reach the lost for Jesus Christ!

God bless you!
Preacher

You Can and Do Make Difference!

Praise the Lord for the way He blessed during our recent Faith Promise Revival. I do not know when the teaching and preaching was any better. God used Brother Steve Cerna and each missionary to challenge us to stretch our faith as we committed anew to our responsibility to "Carry the Light!" to the uttermost parts of the earth.

We are now in the process of making our faith promise commitments for the next year. If you have not yet made your commitment to world wide evangelism please pray and seek God's will in this matter.

Each of us can prove the sincerity of our love and commitment by praying and seeking God's will for our part as individuals to finance this missions endeavor. Your involvement in this offering can and does make an eternal difference!

Please ask the Lord what He would have you to give financially in a missions offering on a weekly basis. Then join with your church to pray and give faithfully to the most important business of the New Testament Church... "Carrying the Light of the Gospel!" to the lost.

Thank you for continuing to help GPBC "make a difference" both here at home and around the world!

God bless you!
Preacher

RE-CONNECT - New Adult Bible Classes start this Sunday!

Let me encourage every adult member and friend of GPBC to make plans to be in Sunday School this week as we begin three new Bible Classes for our couples!

* The Pursuit- led by Paul and Suzette Francis, meeting in the Fellowship Hall.
* The New Pursuit - led by Anthony and Lisa Perez, meeting in Room B218
* Higher Ground - led by Ed and Francine Sorensen, meeting in the Room A124

Also:
The Connecting Pointe- (previously known as Cornerstone) and The Next Step (previously know as New Life) will begin a new cycle of discipleship class this Sunday!

* The Connecting Pointe led by Pastor Rick Adams and Jonathan Sorensen meets in the Auditorium
* The Next Step led by Pastor Brad McFeters will be meeting in Room A120 (Choir Assembly Room)

If you are not currently involved in a Bible Class let me encourage you to RE-CONNECT this week!

The classes begin at 10am sharp! Bring a friend and your Bible and come grow with us!

God bless you!
Preacher

Carry the Light! - GPBC Faith Promise Revival

September 14-17, Sunday through Wednesday

"Man it is getting dark out here!"

Have you ever said that or heard those words spoken as you were trying to finish a task like mowing the lawn or working in the garden? I can sure identify with that dilemma! It seems that almost anything I do it turns into a major project that starts out early in the morning, and more often than not it is late into the night before I am finished!

On a spiritual note, that is where we are today in reaching the world with the Gospel! It does not take much imagination to understand that our field is the world. It has never been darker than it is right now. Jesus Christ left us with the responsibility of not only being "light in the world," Matt 5:16 but also to "carry the light" in to the world made dark by sin and Satan. 2 Cor. 4:3-4.

That is why we have chosen the theme "Carry the Light!" as our theme for our Annual Faith Promise Missions Revival!

It is that time again for GPBC to humble ourselves before God and offer to Him all that we are and have for the express purpose of reaching the lost with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. This is more than a Missions Conference! This is a Missions Revival! It is our prayer that God will help revive us as a church to answer the call to "Carry the Light of the Gospel to a dark world."

My prayer is that before this week ends we will be eternally changed and personally committed to doing all it takes to "Carry the Light!" of the Gospel to those that are still in the darkness of sin.

Please make plans to attend every service of this meeting! Starting this Sunday, September 14 through Wednesday, September 17, you will meet some wonderful missionaries and hear first hand those who are home on furlough to give a report and to raise the much needed funds to return.

My prayer is that this years Missions Revival will light a fire in our soul as we consider not only what we have been able to do this past year, but also with God's help, what we must do to not only "Carry the Light" but that through our prayers and financial support we will keep the light burning in a dark world until Jesus comes again!

Come on! It is only getting later and darker!

God bless!
Pastor Rick Adams

GPBC Will Pay 9-11 Tribute this Sunday AM!

It is hard to believe that almost seven years have passed since the horrific attack by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001. Although America is by no means perfect, it is still the greatest nation in the world in which a Christian may live!

God reminds us that "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD..." Psalm 33:12

Let there be no doubt that we are indeed a "blessed nation!" When is the last time you thanked God for America?

J. B. Priestley once said, "We should behave toward our country as women behave toward the men they love.  A loving wife will do anything for her husband except stop criticizing and trying to improve him. We should cast the same affectionate, but sharp glance at our country." I could not agree more!

This Sunday we will cast an affectionate glance toward America, but we will also prayerfully and honestly consider what God has called for us to do until He returns!

Make plans to be with us this Sunday when we not only celebrate our freedom, but also remember the price and privileges we enjoy of living in America. Be sure and invite a friend to come along and hear beautiful music as well as powerful preaching from God's Word.

God bless you!
Preacher

This Sunday Evening is Fellowship Night at GPBC!

The last Sunday evening each month GPBC enjoys a time of fellowship and refreshments with the church family. This week we will celebrate this event! Each family is requested to invite someone they know and someone that they have never met before to enjoy fellowship together either in your home or a place of your choosing. We are counting on you to make this a wonderful time of Christian growth and encouragement for everyone! Remember, "If a man is to have friends, he must show himself to be friendly!"

God Bless You!
Preacher

Thank God for Our Children!

This past week or so I have been thinking about the time effort and the finances that have been invested in our children. Junior Camp, Youth Conferences, Teen Camp and recently VBS, just to name a few!

Clovis Chappell, a great preacher of a previous generation, used to tell the story of two paddleboat steamers. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, crew members made disparaging remarks about the slowness of the other boat. Words were exchanged and challenges were made. Without meaning to a race began. The competition was keen as the boats roared down the Mississippi! However, one boat began falling noticeably behind. They simply were running out of fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising crew member took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the ovens. Suddenly, their boat began to catch up, so they made fuel out of more and more cargo. They finally won the race, but in the process they burned their cargo, the very material they had been hired to transport!

We must never forget that our primary mission is not to win a race, but to faithfully care for the cargo that has been entrusted to us! Proverbs 22:6. That cargo is our family and even more specifically our kids!
The Psalmist reminds us that "Children are an heritage of the Lord!" Psalm 127:3.

As we live our lives as believers in Jesus Christ, let us carefully and prayerfully determine to finish our course with the precious cargo of our family and children!

Why not take the time right now and thank God for your children and for a church that loves kids and promises to help and support you in the greatest effort of winning them to Jesus Christ!

While you are at it thank God for our Children's Pastor Tom Hall and his wife Susan and our Teen Pastor Greg Adams and his wife, Tina! They are a tremendous asset to all of us here at GPBC!

God bless you!
Preacher

Evangelist Dave Kistler Coming to GPBC, All Day This Sunday August 10, 2008!

It is with great delight and anticipation that GPBC will host Evangelist Dave Kistler and his family as they come to minister to us this Sunday, August 10! The Kistlers are a family that God has used mightily here at GPBC for many years. He will be speaking to all of the Adult Sunday School classes in the 10:00 am Sunday School hour in the main auditorium. He will also be preaching in both the Sunday morning service at 11:00 am and the Sunday evening service at 6:00 pm. His two children, Nathan and Hannah, will be providing the special music for us. They are especially gifted in this area and will prove to be a great blessing to all of us! Please make plans to attend every service and bring an unsaved or unchurched friend with you this week! Ask God to prepare your heart and let's trust God to do "Great and Mighty Things!" once again as we meet to worship our Lord this Sunday with the Kistler family!

Greater Portland Christian Academy Enrolling Students for the 2008-2009 school year

Greater Portland Christian Academy begins its fourth year this Fall, with classes from K-4 through Sixth Grades! Classes are filling up, so now is the time to get your child enrolled! The Lord has given us a great staff of dedicated, God-loving, capable teachers, who are led by our administrator, Mrs. Tallie Hein. Each child who attends GPCA has the opportunity to learn with academic excellence in a Christ-honoring environment. From weekly chapel services, to daily lessons incorporating principles of God's Word, the students at GPCA are encouraged in the ways of the Lord as a regular part of their education. I encourage you to contact the GPCA office right away for more information about enrolling your child in Greater Portland Christian Academy!

GPBC to host Rock of Ages Prison Ministry National Conference - July 20-24, 2008

The Northwest will once again be the backdrop for one of the most dynamic
Bible conferences in America. GPBC is proud to host Dr. Terry Ellis and the Rock of Ages Prison Ministry for their annual national Bible conference.

This year the keynote speakers will be Dr. David Gibbs with Christian Law Association, Dr. Bobby Roberson, the pastor of the Gospel Light Baptist Church in Walkertown, North Carolina, Dr. Jimmy Rose, Brazilian Director of BIMI Missions, and Dr. Terry Angelea, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

Special music will also be provided by Southern Gospel singer Kurt Labouve, the Jeff Bickkish family, as well as our own GPBC Choir and the Rock of Ages family.

Services will be held Sunday July 20 at GPBC at 10:00 am, 11:00 am, and 6:00 pm. The Conference will officially begin Monday evening at 7:00 pm and then Tuesday through Thursday at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. There will be many visiting preachers and evangelists as well.

Everyone is invited to come and enjoy this spiritual feast that will change your life! If you have any questions feel free to contact the GPBC office at 503-761-1136.

GPBC to host Rock of Ages Prison Ministry National Conference - July 20-24, 2008

Dr. David Gibbs of Christian Law Association to Preach at GPBC This Sunday!

Longtime favorite preacher and friend of GPBC, Dr. David Gibbs, will be our guest speaker all day Sunday July 20, 2008. He will speak to all of the adults during the Sunday school hour at 10am. He will also be preaching at 11am and 6pm.Dr Gibbs is a seasoned preacher with God's obvious anointing upon him. Please make plans to come and hear him at GPBC! Be sure and bring an unsaved or unchurched friend with you to hear Dr. Gibbs. It could be a Sunday that they will remember in eternity!

"Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and GPBC!"

I hope each of you will be able to join us for our annual 4th of July picnic in the park this Friday, July 4 from 11am-4pm. Every family is asked to bring your hot dogs and buns, a salad or dessert, and a bag of chips. The church will provide the grills, plates, napkins, lemonade, ice cream and condiments.

Bring your friends and neighbors, lawn chairs, softball mitts and gloves, and come prepared to enjoy a great day of fellowship in the Rockwood Park, across the street from the church. There will be games and activities, and plenty of time to relax and enjoy the day with your friends and church family.

God has truly blessed us with a great country, and we are grateful for this opportunity to get together and enjoy a wonderful day in recognition of our country's independence. We will be finished with all the day's activities by 4pm, so there will still be plenty of time for you to go and catch the ball game, see the rodeo or watch the fireworks in the evening.

We'll see you there!

Have You Lost Your Way?

Max Lucado told of when he visited New York City just a few days after the attacks of September 11, 2001. On a ride around the city, Lucado asked his taxi driver if his life was any different since the attacks. The driver replied, "Yes indeed! I keep getting lost!"

He explained that he had always looked to the World Trade Towers to get his bearings while driving around the city. He said, "Now that the giant towers are gone, I can't get my bearings anymore."

I don't know about you but I can sure relate to that man's problem. After a tragedy in our lives, we often feel like we just can't get our bearings anymore. It is at times like these that when we must turn our eyes upon Jesus Christ and His Word! Jesus never changes! "He is the same yesterday today and forever!" Heb 13:8 God's Word is eternal! "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Matt 24:35

When we enter those times that we cannot see or understand God's plans, let us remember that "the just live by faith!" Rom 1:17

Solomon's advice is still the best advice for anyone that has lost their bearings: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

School is Out! - Summer is In!

I can still remember the old saying I used to quote as a boy when the last day of school was over! "No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks!" Trust me I had my share of those when I was just a boy!

Somewhere I read of the last day of classes being marked by yelling and cheering, bells, whistles, cartwheels in the halls...and that was the TEACHERS!

Whatever the case, school is out and summer is in! As your pastor let me challenge you to determine not to let this great season of life pass without making it one of our greatest summer ever!

How can we do that? Determine to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ even though it is summer! Remember to be a faithful steward to GPBC even while you are out of town. Personally guard your heart and testimony during the summer months! Be a faithful witness and ready to share Christ with others wherever you are! Be sure to inform others when you are going to be gone on vacation so we can pray for you! Make sure that your responsibilities are covered before you leave! When you get back home, come on back to church and tell us all about the great time you had!

On another very serious note please do not let this summer end with out knowing Christ as your personal Savior! Jeremiah echoes this truth when he said, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Jeremiah 8:20 Please trust in Christ today if you have never done so before. Romans 10:9-13

Before you know it summer will be over! Solomon tells "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame." Proverbs 10:5

Let's make this a great summer not only for you and your family and GPBC, but also for our Lord!

Thank God for Fathers!

This Sunday is Father's Day! Do you know when, where, and why Father's Day began?

Garrison Keillor, in his "Writer's Almanac" on National Public Radio reminds us that Father's Day goes back to a Sunday morning, in May of 1909, when a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd was sitting in church in Spokane, Washington, listening to a Mother's Day sermon. She thought of her father who had raised her and her siblings after her mother died in childbirth, and she thought that fathers should get recognition, too. So she asked the minister of the church if he would deliver a sermon honoring fathers on her father's birthday, which was coming up in June, and the minister did."

The tradition of Father's Day has caught on, though rather slowly. Mother's Day became an official holiday in 1914. President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.

It has been confirmed that Mother's Day is still the busiest day of the year for florists, restaurants and long distance phone companies. However, Father's Day is the single day on which the most collect phone calls are made!

Before it became a presidential proclamation, honoring fathers and mothers was God's idea! "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Exodus 20:12

You can rest assured that we will do that this Sunday! It is an honor to pastor men that are doing their best to love God, their wives, and their children while taking care of their many responsibilities. It takes some broad shoulders and even a bigger heart to do it, but God in His grace has enabled us to do all that he expects of us!

I will be speaking on the wonderful honor and privilege of being a father. If your father is still alive and able to attend please invite him to be your guest this week. If he is not able to come, just be sure to let him know that God loves him and so do you!

Prayer Does Matter!

Recently I received a phone call from a dear friend that called to let me know that the doctors had found cancer in one of his kidneys and that it would be removed by surgery in just a few days. My response was one of surprise and sympathy. Then I asked the question that most of us ask in times like this. I said, "Is there anything that I can do for you?"

We really mean it but in times like these I have discovered the answer is almost always the same: "No, the most important thing that I need right now is your prayers!" I promised that I would pray and that I would also lead my staff and our church to pray for him as well! He was very appreciative. After we hung up I remembered those same words were heard form my Mom when I asked if there was anything that I could do for her. She said, "No son, just pray for me." I did. Those were the same words that a patient in the hospital gave me when I asked what they needed, they said, "Just your prayers!" I did.

I suppose there have been hundreds of times if not thousands that I have heard that request and somehow felt that I wish I could do more, but only discovered that there was nothing that was more needed for me or them than to pray!

Paul knew what he was talking about when he said that we are to "pray without ceasing!" Yes I know that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen those words, but he also knew that it was by the prayers of God's people that not only sustained him through his toughest trial but also gave him victory in his most difficult and desperate hours!

Yes, prayer does matter! Jesus commanded it and we must obey it! It is while we are in prayer that we have tapped the wisest counsel, the strongest defense, and the most compassionate ear. We have touched the throne of God!

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb 4:14-16

As we remember these comforting words may we all remember that Prayer does matter" to God and to us!

Please pray for me.

God bless you!
Preacher

We Must Not Forget

This next Monday we will celebrate Memorial Day. This is, of course, a holiday set aside by Americans to remember those who gave their lives for freedom and liberty.

If we are honest, memory is a very tricky thing. It seems that the things that we ought to remember we most often forget and the things that we need to forget we most often remember! There are some things, however, that we should never forget. One of these, of course, is the sacrifices that others have made in our behalf.

History tells us it was a spring morning in 1866, just after the Civil War had ended. The South was still devastated from a war that had cost her the best she had to offer: her sons and husbands. On this morning a group of Southern women did something quite extraordinary. They marched down the streets of what was left of their town to a cemetery. There they decorated the graves of the soldiers who had fallen in battle during the war. The unusual thing about this display of respect was they did it for all the soldiers...Union as well as Confederate.

These mothers and daughters and widows who had buried their dead had now gathered and determined to bury their hatred. The time for healing had come. That became the first American Memorial Day.

However, as believers we are warned to never forget all that God has done for us! The Psalmist said "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" Psalm 103:2

As we focus on Memorial Day this weekend I will be preaching, drawing your attention to Four Memorials of our Lord, and on Sunday evening our call to Live Like a Soldier! These are some things that will help us "not to forget some things that we must remember!"

On another note, have you ever wondered why Memorial Day is celebrated in May? It is obvious that it is a date that doesn't recall some historic battle, the start of some war, or the signing of an armistice. Why, then, in May? Well of course for a very practical reason... it is a time of the year when flowers bloom...flowers with which to decorate graves!

Thank God as Christians, our lives, not our graves, are decorated by none other than Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God, the Rose of Sharon! May we never forget God and all that He has done for us!

"For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:" Psalm 78:5-7

Have a great Memorial Day!

God bless!
Preacher

Had a Bad Day?

If we are honest all of us have days that are better than others. While that is true there are also days that are worst then others!

If you think that you have had a bad day read this account of a man that is described in The Encyclopedia Britannica's 1982 Yearbook, under the heading "Strange and Unusual Events." It tells about a man named Brian Heise who had what you and I might call a "very bad day!"

Brian Heise had more than his share of luck in July of that year, and most of it was bad. When his apartment in Provo, Utah, became flooded from a broken pipe in the upstairs apartment, the manager told him to go out and rent a water vacuum. That's when he discovered his car had a flat tire. He changed it, and then went inside again to phone a friend for help. The electric shock he got from the phone so startled him that he inadvertently ripped the instrument off the wall. Before he could leave the apartment a second time, a neighbor had to kick down the apartment door because water damage had jammed it tight. While all of this was going on, someone stole Heise's car, but it was almost out of gas. He found it a few blocks away but had to push it to the gas station, where he filled up the tank. That evening Heise attended a military ceremony at Brigham Young University. He injured himself severely when he somehow sat on his bayonet, which had been tossed onto the front seat of his car. Doctors were able to stitch up the wound, but no one was able to resuscitate four of Heise's canaries that were crushed to death by falling plaster. After Heise slipped on the wet carpet and badly injured his tailbone, he said he began to wonder if "God wanted him dead, but just kept missing."

And you think you have had a bad day!

As Christians we are not immune to bad days, but we are assured by God that He is always in control of everything "that comes or goes our way!" Romans 8:28 reminds us of that truth: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Recently I was reminded of this when in the midst of my plans God showed me He had other things in mind. I can honestly say a week later I can see much more clearly now that what started out to be a very bad day actually ended up "working together for good."

I am not sure what you are facing today, but a good way to start out any day is understanding that "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Remember, God is still on the throne!

God bless you!
Preacher

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I heard the story of a mother who was driving her three sons to school, when they started discussing new babies. Her 7-year-old son, asked, "Mom, were you there when I was first born?" I do not know about you but I can honestly say it just seems like Mom has always been there for me. However, this past week held several "firsts" for me. As most of you know, on March 8, 2008 my mom went to Heaven and this Sunday will be the first time in 52 years that I was unable to wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day.

This past week I was in Jacksonville, Florida for my daughter, Anna's, college graduation. After several board meetings at TBC and several quick visits with my family I was able to go by the cemetery where my mom is buried next to my father. I have bought my mother flowers many times through the years but again this was the first time that I ever brought flowers to her grave. Yes, I am comforted by the promise that she is in Heaven and that I will see here again. But like so many of you that have experienced the loss of a parent, I still miss her.

God gave to me a wonderful mother who taught me many things about life. It was not until I became a parent did I understand how much my mother had sacrificed for me. Not until I became a parent did I feel how hurt my mother was when I disobeyed her. Not until I became a parent did I know how proud my mother was when I accomplished something of eternal value. Not until I became a parent did I realize how much my mother loved me and sacrificed for me and all of my family. I am very thankful that I was able to tell her I loved her and that I was proud she was my mother before she went to heaven! In Proverbs it says, "Her children arise up, and call her blessed." Let me encourage you to bless your mom this week by telling her how much you love and appreciate her.

While I was rushing to make a connection to my flight back to Portland I was passed by a man who was also in an obvious hurry. He was also smiling and humming as he was about to pass me by when he said to me, "I have got to hurry; I am on my way to see my mom! She is 83 years old and I do not want to miss this Mother's Day!"

I smiled and commended him for his noble journey! I also handed him a gospel tract entitled "Heaven." I told him to never take for granted that he would always have his mom there to say Happy Mother's Day! I told him of my mom being in Heaven and at first he was saddened by my loss. But a thankful smile was shared as he told me that that he was also a Christian and had the blessed hope of seeing his loved ones in Heaven as well.

If our Lord tarries his coming, and you are still able, please take advantage of the opportunity of expressing to your mother that you love her. Then honor her with you life and the decisions that you make in the future.

Remember Exodus 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

To all of the mothers of GPBC young and old alike, may I also wish each of you a "Happy Mother's Day?"

If you are able, please make plans to bring your mother to church with you this Sunday. We will honor every mother this week in our morning service at 11am. I am looking forward to seeing you then!

God bless you!
Preacher

Will You Help Us?

Over the last few weeks my staff and I have been challenging every member of GPBC to personally get involved in reaching the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We have talked about it and scripturally shared the motive behind it all. It is now time to stop talking about it and for all of us to start going out to do something about it. This week is the last week of our Spring Sunday School Campaign. I am asking every member to help us reach the lost for Jesus Christ.

I read once where, D.L. Moody was attending a convention in Indianapolis on mass evangelism, he asked his song leader Ira Sankey to meet him at 6 o'clock one evening at a certain street corner. When Sankey arrived, Mr. Moody asked him to stand on a box and sing. Once a crowd had gathered, Moody spoke briefly and then invited the people to follow him to the nearby convention hall. Soon the auditorium was filled with spiritually hungry people, and the great evangelist preached the gospel to them with many trusting in Christ as their personal Savior! Then the convention delegates began to arrive. Moody stopped preaching and said, "Now we must close, as the brethren of the convention wish to come and discuss the topic, 'How to reach the masses.'"

Moody graphically illustrated the difference between talking about doing something and actually going out and doing it. Each of us will be judged for not only do we know Jesus Christ as our Savior but we will also be judged for what we did with the wonderful "good news of the Gospel!"

As your Pastor will you help us? Please invite an unsaved friend, neighbor or loved one to come and be your guest this week! Pray for God to work in a mighty way for souls to be saved and for Him to be glorified in all that we say and do! This could be a day that you and your guest will remember for all of eternity!

God bless you!

Preacher

New Dream Project Announced!

Last Friday evening I had the privilege of sharing with the church in our Annual Dream Banquet the newest opportunity that our Lord has now set before us!

We are preparing to remodel and refurbish the "C-Wing" of our church facilities. This newly remodeled building will bring our entire Nursery and Primary Sunday School Departments into a newly refurbished facility with safe and secured modern classrooms. They will be furnished with state of the art lighting, communications systems and HVAC, as well as all of the amenities needed to have the very best for our kids!

I shared that while we may all be excited and motivated about this need, "It is not enough to care...but caring enough to give!" The exciting part is we believe that we are going to be able to do this all for less than $100,000.

We will be doing all of the work using the men and women here at GPBC to do the labor under the direction of one of our members here at GPBC! Brother David Sorensen will serve as the superintendent of the project. No doubt if we were to contract this out to independent contractors it would cost us over a quarter of a million dollars!

We have set as a goal $50,000 to be raised before we will get started. At the Dream banquet almost $30,000 was committed to be given over the next 60 days. Our prayer is that we will see the total amount come in to get us going. The balance will be paid by our weekly giving in the Dream offering!

If you are not involved in this please pray and seek God's will for your part! Remember "It is not enough to care...but caring enough to give!"

God bless you,
Preacher!

He Did it Again

I still have to smile when I think of the man that was driving under the influence was pulled over by a police officer. He had a bottle in a brown paper sack sitting on the seat next to him. The officer asked him what was in the bottle. He replied, "Oh, Officer that is just a bottle of water."

The officer insisted on smelling it for himself. When he did, it was clear it was not water it was a bottle of wine! When the officer confronted the driver, he said, "Praise God, He did it again!"

I must confess, I am thankful for God's abundant grace and blessings on our Easter service last Sunday morning. We had 768 with 20 saved and 2 baptized and 2 rededications. While it is not unusual for us to see good crowds and people saved each week I am thankful that He just keeps on blessing!

I love the words to the song by Bill and Gloria Gaither "It Gets Sweeter!"

And if He keeps on blessing and blessing, If He keeps on pouring it on, If His love just keeps getting richer, And if he keeps on giving a song. If my cup gets fuller and fuller, If my prayers keep on getting though, And if it keeps getting better and better oh Lord, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

My prayer is that God will do it again this Sunday! We do not celebrate the resurrection just once a year! As Bible believing Christians we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day of every week! Let's determine to work and pray this week with the expectation that He will do it again...all for the Glory of God!

Resurrection Sunday and Saturday Visitation

In just another week or so, Christians around the world will celebrate Resurrection Sunday in remembrance of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, March 15, the entire church family is encouraged to come help us "saturate" the neighborhoods around the church with invitations for our special Easter services. We will meet at 10am. You will be provided with maps and transportation, and we will be done by 11:30am. Everyone can do something! Bring the kids with you for Saturation Visitation. If they are big enough to walk with you they are big enough to go with you. Childcare is available for small children.

Then, mark your calendar, and be in your place on Sunday, March 23, at 10:45am for our special Easter services. Our church choir and Kids of Praise children's choir will present the musical production of Champion of Love! Invite your friend, neighbors and family for a wonderful day of celebration of our risen Lord!

GPBC is the place to be on Resurrection Sunday, March 23, at 10:45am!

28 Days of Prayer Starts in Just One Week!

Last Sunday I announced the start of a spiritual journey for GPBC as we begin our 28 Days of Prayer from Monday, March 10 through Sunday, April 6, 2008!

I will also begin a new series of messages entitled: "Striving Together in Prayer." Let's face it: while prayer is simply talking with God, and anyone can do it, some prayers connect with God's heart while others do not. From the Word of God we will learn the dynamics of life changing lessons that will help all of us as we "Strive Together in Prayer!"

E.M. Bounds said, "Prayer breaks all bars, dissolves all chains, opens all prisons, and widens all straits by which God's saints have been held."

History has proven that one of the great failures of the church is that we often try to accomplish with human strength and wisdom what only God can do.

Jeremiah said, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3. Oswald Chambers was never more accurate when he said "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work!"

It is my desire as the pastor of GPBC to see a supernatural anointing and revival for our church that can come only through effectual and fervent prayer!

James 5:16 says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

This next year holds some of the greatest opportunities for the future of GPBC! As your pastor I am convinced that the power and persistence of personal and corporate prayer is not only the secret to our future, but also the catalyst!

When God's people pray, things happen!

J. Sidlow Baxter said, "Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers."

Get ready church! Once again I am calling every member of GPBC, young and old alike, to join with me, my staff, and our deacons for 28 Days of Prayer as we prepare for our Dream Banquet on Friday Night, April 4, 2008, at 7pm!

As a church we must "pray as if everything depends on God, and then work and live as if everything depends on us." I know that I can depend on you as we "Strive together in Prayer." See you in church!

God bless you!
Preacher

Don't Forget to Smile

Several years ago my wife and I had the privilege of being in San Antonio, Texas for a few days. This of course is the home of the famous Alamo, one of the places where Texas liberty and statehood was purchased with the blood of many brave men and women.

I had read years before that there was on a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo a portrait with the following inscription: "James Butler Bonham--no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom."

Much like James Butler Bonham, there is no literal portrait of Jesus that exists either. However, the likeness of the Son, who saved and makes us free, can be seen in the lives of His true followers known as Christians!

Paul reminded the believers in Colossians 1:27 that God's plan for a lost world is to see "Christ in you the hope of Glory!" In Galatians 4:19 he said "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you..." Romans 8:28-29 also reminds us that it is God's goal for all of us! "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son..."

In Acts 11:26 we are told that the disciples were first called "Christians at Antioch." The word Christian actually means "Christ like."

As Bible-believing Christians, the way we live, give, serve, love, and forgive are to reflect an image of our Savior toward the blind hearts of those that do not know Him! This is not to give us glory, but rather to bring glory to God the Father and to His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ! Matthew 5:16

The story has been told of a little boy overwhelmed by the love and kindness shown to him by a godly Sunday School teacher asked her one day, "Are you Jesus?' She blushed and humbly smiled and replied, "No, I am just one of his children!" The little boy thought for a moment and said, "I knew that you had to be kin to Him!"

To be honest, I have not ever had anyone ask if I was Jesus before, but I have had the opportunity to show them Jesus and sadly failed! Let me encourage you to join me and GPBC to show a lost world what Jesus looks like! We cannot do that without spending time in His Word and prayer, and then fleshing it out before the eyes of a lost world!

Every Christian must remember that we are to be that portrait of Jesus Christ, Who died, was buried, and rose again and is coming again one day soon to redeem us unto Himself. We have been placed here by God Himself, and must purpose to live in such a way that we resemble our Lord, to show others the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is available to all who will believe upon His precious name!

Remember, you or I may be the only picture of Jesus they have an opportunity to see! Don't forget to smile!

GPBC Dream Banquet Announcement

This past Sunday I announced to the church that we are now in gear and headed for our Annual Dream Banquet! By now every member of GPBC should have already received a letter also informing you of this exciting event!

What a phenomenal year God gave to us this past year! Let there be no doubt that this year is one of the most strategic years in the history of GPBC! On Friday evening, April 4 at 7pm we will once again host our Annual Dream Banquet to help us navigate this course both personally and prayerfully!

Solomon inspired of God tells us "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." Proverbs 29:18.

In Jeremiah 23:28 the Scriptures tell us "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully..."

This Dream Banquet will be a time that the deacons, my staff, and I will pull back the curtain to our future, to give you a glimpse of our dream and vision for GPBC over the next twelve months! I honestly believe that our future has never been brighter!

Please mark your calendar and make plans to come to this exciting event! We will be meeting at beautiful Monarch Motel and Conference center located at SE Sunnyside and I-205 near the Clackamas Town Center. We will enjoy a delicious meal and a wonderful time of fellowship and fun! The cost is only $7 per person. Our high school teens are also encouraged to come. A nursery and child care will also be provided.

Please get your tickets right away. They are on sale in the foyer before and after every service. I simply cannot express to you the importance of every member and friend of GPBC to be there! Listen up for further details. I know that I can depend on you to pray and prepare for this event! God bless you!

Loving God

While most people will celebrate Valentine's Day this week, as Christians we can also rejoice in the love of Christ for the whole world! John 3:16; Rom 5:8

It is also right for each of us to demonstrate our love for God by our faithfulness and obedience to Him. John 14:15

Show me a church where there is love, and I will show you a church that is truly making a difference in both the church and the world!

D.L. Moody told once of a little boy in Chicago who attended one of his Sunday schools. When his parents moved to another part of the city the little fellow still attended the same Sunday school, although it meant a long, tiresome walk each way. A friend asked him why he went so far, and reminding him that there were plenty of other churches that were just as good, but closer to his home. He said, "They may be as good for others, but not for me!" "Why not?" his friend asked. He quickly replied, "Because they know how to love a boy over there."

I am convinced that if we can make the world believe that we genuinely love them there would be fewer empty churches and many more coming to Christ in personal faith!

When we let love replace duty in our personal church service, we can be sure that the world will be much more prepared for our witness to them! Matt 5:16

God bless you!
Preacher

I Love My Church!

This week GPBC will be celebrating "I Love My Church!" Sunday, February 10, 2008.

We will enjoy special music and testimonies that will thrill your heart and glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! There will also be helpful and encouraging preaching from God's Word. And we will enjoy fellowship with some of the greatest people that you will ever meet in this world!

In Ephesians 5:25 the Bible tells us that "Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it!" Each of us that call ourselves Christians ought also to faithfully love and support our church. As your pastor, let me encourage you to be in Sunday School at 10am sharp, our Morning Worship Service at 11am and then back again Sunday Night at 6pm.

Let me also encourage you to bring an unsaved or unchurched friend with you this week! It could change their life and their eternity!

If there was ever a reason that we should love our church it is now! God has been so good to each of us! Let each of us show our love for our Lord and His church by not forsaking it this Sunday!

The psalmist said, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." Psalm 122:1

I am looking forward to seeing you this week!

God bless you!
Preacher

All is Well!

Recently my family and I received the sad news that my mother has been diagnosed with late term small cell lung cancer. Even more tragic is that her prognosis is that she has fewer than three months to live. Of course we are trusting the Lord during this difficult time and we rest in the promise that "we sorrow not as them that have no hope." 1Thes 4: 13

My mom is doing well, and has even been used of the Lord to witness to several in the hospital. She even had opportunity to lead one young man to Jesus Christ! We do rejoice in this grace that has been so evident in all of our lives.

At this time I am on my way to Jacksonville, Florida to visit my mother. My sister and brothers will all be there as well. We are praying that we will be a comfort to both my mom and to each other during this time. We will also be making preparation for whatever the Lord has for us in the future.

I know that you will remain faithful while I am gone. Please continue to pray for me and for my family and, of course, for my mom. I will be sure to update you when I return of all that God is doing.

I thought recently of when Robert Louis Stevenson told of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steer man, at his post holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship once more out to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer: "I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well."

Praise the Lord, by faith I have seen the face of our Savior and "All is well!"

Getting Back Into Circulation

In the early 1600's, during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, there was a shortage of currency in the British Empire. Representatives carefully searched the nation in hopes of finding silver to meet the emergency. After one month, the committee returned with its report. "We have searched the Empire in vain seeking to find silver. To our dismay, we found none anywhere except in the cathedrals where the statues of the saints are made of choice silver." To this, Oliver Cromwell eloquently answered, "Then let us melt down the saints and put them back into circulation."

If there has ever been a need in our world today it is to see God's saints melted down and put back into circulation as witness and ambassadors for Jesus Christ! Our responsibility as a believer is to bear fruit and be light in a dark world. As Pastor, let me encourage you to take every opportunity to show and tell others of God's grace and salvation that is abundantly available to all who will believe and call upon the name of Jesus Christ!

D.L. Moody once spoke with a woman who didn't like his method of evangelism. His response was "I don't really like mine all that much either. What's your method?" She replied that she didn't have one. Moody said, "Then I like mine better than yours."

If we are honest there is no better method than for sinners saved by the grace of God telling the lost of a Savior, who loves them and longs for them to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16

There are two ways of being united -- one is by being frozen together, and the other is by being melted together. What Christians need is to be united in brotherly love for God and the lost.

If you are not sure how to witness to others, why not come to soul winning visitation this Thursday or Saturday at 10am. There is no better place to learn how to witness to others! Melt you heart with your pastor and church and let's make an eternal difference by witnessing to others.

If you are out of circulation why not get back into the habit of daily sharing your faith with others. Ask God to help you share your faith with someone today! In eternity, you will be glad that you did.

God bless you!
Preacher

2008 GPBC Theme: Striving Together for the Gospel!

As this New Year begins the entire world is gearing up for the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China. Whether or not you enjoy sports and athletics on a regular basis, there is something that draws even the novice into the arena during the Olympics every four years. It is in this venue that athletes from around the world gather to compete for the highest honor, a gold medal that recognizes them to be the best in the world! Their performance and courage symbolizes the true Olympic spirit. Each Olympian bears a banner of reason, respect, and resolve. For most this is their highest aspiration in life. This is not an effort accomplished by just a few, but it is the effort of hundreds of athletes who train and prepare for this moment!

According to the Olympic Charter 2004, Fundamental Principles, paragraph 1, the purpose of the Olympiad is as follows: "Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."

As Bible-believing Christians let's not forget that we are not preparing for a great event that happens only every four years! We are to be involved in the greatest effort known to mortal men: the matter of reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Notice what Paul said to the church at Philippi, in Philippians 1:27: "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."

The most mammoth undertaking God has ever laid out for men is to lead lost souls to Jesus Christ! It cost God more and requires more from man than any other movement in human or divine history! To make the world God had only to speak the Word; to save the world He must crucify His Only Begotten Son, bury him, and three days later raise Him from the dead!

He has now commissioned the New Testament Church to take the Gospel to every creature! We must never abandon that mission! It is the only reason God has left us here on this earth for the last 2,000 years!

In order for that to happen we must "Strive together for the faith of the Gospel!" The word "strive" is a Greek word "sunathleo." It is compound word from "Sunao" where we get the root for the word "synagogue," meaning together, as a union or an association, and "athleo" meaning "to contend or to compete with the intention to win the prize!"

The word "strive" has as its definition to "stand fast together with the intention to win as a team!"

It is my prayer that this theme will help us to "Strive together!" as we purpose to win the lost to Jesus Christ! In order for that to happen we must have unity, compassion, and resolve!

One day the trumpet will sound and those that have striven together in this noble undertaking will also rejoice in the reward that is much more valuable than a bronze, silver or gold medal! Precious souls will be in heaven because as a church we refused to grow weary in the most important thing in the heart and mind of God!

Let us "not be weary in well doing! We shall reap if we faint not!" In the years to come few will remember the names of those that won the bronze, silver or gold medals of the XXIX Olympiad! But in Heaven, ten million years later we will still be rejoicing that we were a part of God's Dream Team!

New Year Resolutions

Have you ever thought about why we bother to make New Year's resolutions in the first place? Why do we feel the need each January 1st to set new goals that most of us never reach?

I believe, first of all, that it helps us to do two things: identify our priorities and adjust our life to match them! Resolutions also answer the question "How do I want to invest my time, energy, money, and talents in this New Year?"

The Word of God, like the New Year, reminds us that time is passing. It is up to each of us to maximize the potential of every moment. Please note the following Scriptures:

James 4:14
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Psalm 90:9-12
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Proverbs 27:1
Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

A few years ago I came across a list of resolutions prepared by Pastor Walter Schoedel. I have never met him before but he sure offers some great advice about New Year Resolutions!

He called them "7-UPs for the New Year." No, this has nothing to do with the famous soft drink! Rather these "7-UPs" fall under the category of attitudes and actions that every Christian should adapt!

As we start this New Year, 2008, I think it would be a good idea for us to revisit Pastor Schoedel's resolutions.

Here they are:
WAKE UP - Begin the day with the Lord. It is His day. Rejoice in it.
DRESS UP - Put on a smile. It improves your looks. It says something about your attitude.
SHUT UP - Watch your tongue. Don't gossip. Say nice things. Learn to listen.
STAND UP - Take a stand for what you believe. Resist evil. Do good.
LOOK UP - Open your eyes to the Lord. After all, He is your only Savior and He is coming again!
REACH UP - Spend time in prayer with your adorations, confessions, thanksgivings and supplications to the Lord.
LIFT UP - Be available to help those in need, serving, supporting, and sharing.

If we are going to make New Year's resolutions this year, let me suggest that all of us start with these!

God Bless and Happy New Year!
Preacher

The Reason for the Season!

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas let us remember that He really is "the reason for the season!"

The Gospel of Matthew reminds us that when Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, Joseph her espoused husband was told by an angel, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:21-23

Jesus was and remains to be the answer to our every need! Years ago I read where Gregory Nazianzus declared that:

Jesus began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.
Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.
Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest.
Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.
Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.
Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.
Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.
Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.
Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

May I add, Jesus rose again from the dead, and by his resurrection, assures all that place their trust in Him a home forever in Heaven!

That, my friend, brings us full circle of what Christmas is all about! As we approach the celebration of His birth this season, may we never forget He was born to die that we might live.
Isaiah said, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

May Christ's peace and forgiveness be yours this Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Rick Adams

Thank You, Jesus and GPBC!

During this past year we have talked much about reaching the milestone of 25 years hear at GPBC. This is not only a milestone for my wife and me but also for the church family and leadership. It has been an incredible blessing to serve with a staff and church that have a heart for God! I am very thankful that we continue to do together what God led me to start 25 years ago and that is to truly "make a difference in Portland and around the world!" Jude 22.

Recently, the Church showed their love and appreciation to my wife and I as we officially passed the mile marker of 25 years of ministry here at GPBC. The love and generosity poured out on us and our children was such a blessing and so unexpected! Thank you for allowing us to serve here as your pastor and for making this day so special! The incredible love offering will allow us to take a dream trip via the Dixie Queen Stern Wheeler to visit the Civil War battlefields! We can't wait!

Thank you also for bringing my family and kids home. I cannot tell you what a blessing that was to us! The longer I live and serve the Lord the more convinced I am that being saved and in the family of God is indeed one the greatest joys in this life on earth.

I love each of you and thank God for my staff, deacons, and the support of so many gifted and dedicated leaders of this ministry. Without you I could have never made it the first mile! Together we all know that without Christ we could have done nothing!. Rest assured that I know that the credit indeed goes to each of you and the glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! God bless you!

If our Lord should tarry His coming, I pray that we might enjoy serving 25 more years together here at GPBC! See you Sunday!

Preacher

WARNING: "The Golden Compass" - Satan's Tool to Destroy Your Children's Faith in God and the Bible!

Over the past couple of weeks I have received several warnings about a movie entitled "The Golden Compass." I have personally checked this out and unfortunately, they're true.

The movie is based on the book with the same title published by Scholastic and is part of a collection of books. These children's books are some of the most alarming things that you will ever read. What makes it worse is that the movie based on the book premieres in just a few days.

Both the book and the movie introduce atheism to children as well as portraying Adam and Eve actually killing God at the end of the movie. The movie has been described as "atheism for kids" and is based on the first book of a trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials" written by Phillip Pullman. Pullman is a militant atheist and secular humanist who despises C. S. Lewis and the "Chronicles of Narnia." His motivation for writing this trilogy was specifically to counteract Lewis' symbolisms of Christ portrayed in the Narnia series.

Clearly, Pullman's main objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview, "my books are about killing God." He has even stated that he wants "to kill God in the minds of children." It has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."

While "The Golden Compass" movie itself may seem mild and innocent, the books are a much different story. In the trilogy, a young streetwise girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle to ultimately defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God.

Another character, an ex-nun, describes Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve eventually kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH. Each book in the trilogy gets progressively worse regarding Pullman's hatred of Jesus Christ.

"The Golden Compass" is set to premier December 7, during the Christmas season and will probably be heavily advertised. Promoters hope that unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the movie, that they will enjoy the movie, and that the children will want the books for Christmas.

I think that you will agree that as Christians we should have no part of the promotion of such heresy and trash labeled entertainment! Once again I am called upon "to exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3

Personally as a parent, grandparent, and pastor let me encourage you to boycott the movie and the books. Also, pass this information along to everyone you know. This will help to not only educate parents so that they will know the agenda of the movie and the books, but also to protect our children from another attack from Satan's bid for our children!

Some of the information quoted above was taken from the following websites and sources. For more information on this subject please feel free to visit these websites:
www.citizenlink.org
www.breakpoint.org
www.onenewsnow.com
www.afa.net

Don't Let the Grinch Steal Your Joy!

Do you remember Dr. Seuss's children's holiday classic "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas?" Perhaps you recall in the story how the Grinch enters all the homes by way of their chimneys disguised as Santa Claus. He takes all the presents and ornaments, the trees and stockings, and even their food down to the very last morsel. He drags his loot up to his mountain and then looks down upon ""Whoville" with a sinister grin. He is listening for the cries and wailing of the people to start as they wake up on Christmas morning to discover that all of their Christmas is lost. What he hears instead surprises him. Up from the town of the "Whos" comes a joyful Christmas carol that they are singing. "Why?" he asks. The answer he learns is that "Christmas resides not in things but in the heart which is truly thankful."

Although we have now officially entered the Christmas season, we must be careful that we do not allow the many different pressures of the season to steal our joy and gratitude for all that blessed season represents! We can do that by simply remembering the" Reason for the Season!"

Matthew 1:21-23 tells us "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

2000 years later it might help each of us to remember the response of the shepherds after meeting the Christ child for the first time! Matthew 2:20 tells us "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." Dr. Seuss was right, "Christmas resides not in things but in the heart which is truly thankful."

Just as the Grinch was unable to steal the joy of the "Whos," we must also not allow Satan to steal our joy and gratitude this Christmas season! Really, nothing should prepare our hearts more than Thanksgiving! I hope you had a great one and as your pastor I pray that all of us can remember this over the next few weeks!

God bless you!
Preacher

Are We Starting to Forget?

There is a convicting story about a little boy who couldn't wait for his new baby sister to come home from the hospital. He just could not wait to be near her, to talk to her! His parents however, because he was only four years old, did not want him to be left alone with her. They wanted to make sure that one of them was always present to supervise his visits. He kept begging them to let him be alone with her! One night his parents finally relented. However, unknown to him, they watched as the boy tiptoed into her room and next to his sister's crib and lovingly whispered, "Tell me about God - I'm starting to forget."

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us remember that being thankful helps us not to forget all that God has done for us! It is good for us to gather together around the table to tell each other about God and to remember just how much God loves and has done for us.

Thanksgiving is a time to tell the story again of how God came to us in Jesus Christ to provide for us forgiveness and eternal life! Paul had it right, in 2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."

Thanksgiving is not based on what we can hold in our hands, but rather what we have in our heart...all because of Jesus Christ, our personal Savior!

Let each of us during this Thanksgiving season, remember not to forget!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Preacher

I Am Not Dead, I Am Watching You Do Your Duty!

The Book of Jude reminds us that every believer has a sobering call to faithfully and earnestly contend for the faith! Jude 1:3 says, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

The old and wise preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said:

There is a touching fact related in the history of a Highland chief, of the noble house of McGregor, who fell wounded by two bullets at the battle of Prestonpans.

Seeing their chief fall, the clan wavered thus giving the enemy an advantage. The old chieftain, seeing the effect of his disaster, raised himself up on one of his elbows, and while the blood gushed in streams from his wounds, he cried out to his soldiers, "I am not dead, my children, I am not dead! I am watching to see you do your duty."

These words revived the sinking courage of his brave Highlanders. There seemed to be a charm in the fact that they still fought under the eye of their chief. It motivated them to put forth their greatest effort and they courageously did all that human strength could do to turn and stem the dreadful tide of the battle.

One of the great truths of every Christian is that we are contenders on the battlefield of life under the eye of our Great Savior? Wherever we are, no matter the size of our oppressors, no matter how exhausted we may be, the eye of Christ is fixed most lovingly upon us! May we also remember that Jesus is not the only observer of our conduct? There is also "a great cloud of witnesses." Heb 12:1-2

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon, (Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, Inc, 1990)

While GPBC has by the grace of God, won many battles, it only takes one defeat to destroy our testimony. Let everyone of us remember that God is not dead! He is alive and He is watching! Let's determine to be faithful soldiers until He returns! Rev. 1:10-18; John 11:25-26; 2 Timothy 2:3-4

Let Us Give God the Glory He Deserves!

Praise the Lord for the great day we had last week on Miracle Sunday, celebrating our 25 years at GPBC! Regina and I will forever be grateful for the love, kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity you showed us on this anniversary. We love our Lord and we love this church!

As we celebrate 25 years of ministry here at GPBC, let each of us remember His goodness to us and let us also be reminded that nothing has changed since our beginning!

Our primary goal remains "to glorify God in all that we do."

Romans 15:5-6 tells us, "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

As we celebrate 25 years of ministry here at GPBC let us purpose to continue glorifying in Christ by:

- EXALTING Christ as our Creator, Savior, and Lord
- EXEMPLIFYING Christ and the values of His kingdom
- EDIFYING His Church
- EVANGELIZING the Lost World
- ENCOURAGING the Saints
- ENRICHING our Culture

If our Lord should tarry His coming, let each of us commit to a life and ministry that honors and glorifies our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

God Bless You!
Preacher

The Effective Encourager!

A man received a "Second Notice" from the IRS stating that his tax payment was overdue, and that unless it was immediately forthcoming, the IRS would be forced to take legal action. The very next day the man appeared at the IRS office with the overdue payment in hand, saying: "I would have paid sooner, but I never received your 'First Notice.' " The clerk replied, "Do not worry. We ran out of 'First Notices' a few months ago. Besides, we discovered that the 'Second Notices' are much more effective!"

This week in our Fall Sunday School Campaign we are asking every member of GPBC to be an encouragement to someone about coming to Sunday School. In all probability you have invited them before, but out of experience I can tell you that often the "Second Notice" is a charm!

Please do not miss this opportunity to Seek Them for Jesus!

God Bless!
Preacher

And of some have compassion, making a difference!

In 1975 a child named Raymond Dunn, Jr., was born in New York State. The Associated Press reports that at his birth, a skull fracture and oxygen deprivation caused severe retardation. As Raymond grew, the family discovered further impairments. His twisted body suffered up to twenty seizures per day. He was blind, mute, and immobile. He had severe allergies that limited him to only one food: a meat-based formula made by Gerber Foods.

In 1985, Gerber stopped making the formula that Raymond lived on. Carol Dunn scoured the country to buy what stores had in stock, accumulating cases and cases, but in 1990 her supply ran out. In desperation, she appealed to Gerber for help. Without this particular food, Raymond would starve to death. The employees of the company listened.

In an unprecedented action, volunteers donated hundreds of hours to bring out old equipment, set up production lines, obtain special approval from the USDA, and produce the formula--all for one special boy. In January 1995, Raymond Dunn, Jr., known as the Gerber Boy, died from his physical problems. But during his brief lifetime he called forth a wonderful thing called compassion. (Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 3)

In this second week of our Fall SS Campaign we are asking every member to show compassion and to do what they can to help another person to come to Jesus as the Good Samaritan taught us in Luke 10:30-37.

Jude: 2 tells us "And of some have compassion, making a difference!"

Can you remember when someone showed you compassion? It is now our turn! I can hardly wait to hear how God used you this week! Remember Matthew 25:40 "Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it unto me."

God bless you!
Pastor Rick Adams

Running the Race

This past week almost 10,000 runners lined up to run in our 36th annual Portland Marathon. The weather was at its best and the runners performed with many records broken and many with personal bests set!

My dear friend Pastor Al Hughes recently shared with me a story about another race that I also want to share with you. It is an old story about the Greek Marathon.

Muscular, conditioned runners paced nervously near the starting line for the long-distance race. The time was near. They "shook out" their muscles, inhaled deeply, and put on their "game faces."

In the midst of it all, a young stranger took his place at the starting line. His physique was awesome. Taking no notice of the other contestants, he stared straight ahead.

Two prizes would be awarded the winner of the Marathon: a magnificent bouquet of flowers and the honor of standing beside the king until the conclusion of other contests.

There seemed to be no question among the runners about who would win the prize. It is alleged that the stranger was offered money not to run. Someone else attempted to bribe him with property. Refusing the offers, he toed the mark and awaited the signal to run. When the signal was given, he was the first away. At the finish line, he was the first to cross, well ahead of the rest.

When it was all done, someone asked the young man if he thought the flowers were worth as much as the money and property he had refused. He replied, "I did not enter the race for the flowers. I ran so that I could stand beside my king!"

May each of us be reminded that those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ are also "running the race!"

1 Corinthians 9:24-25
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

This is not a race that will be televised or even the results printed in the newspaper! However, it is a race that God Himself is very much interested!

It is a race that has a prize not just for those that finish first, second, or third, but for all that will just "finish the race!" The prize, according to the Apostle Paul, is not a ribbon with a medal hung around our neck or even a trophy that will rust or flowers that will fade away. It is an "incorruptible crown."

I think that you will agree with me, the greatest prize will not be the flowers or any other accolade that can be given to us! The greatest prize will be that of standing next to our beloved Lord and King, Jesus Christ!

As members of GPBC and faithful servants of Jesus Christ, let me challenge you to run the race with patience. We must keep our eyes on Jesus! Our King is watching and waiting as the finish line draws nearer than it has ever been before! When the race ends where will you be standing?

Hebrews 12:1-2
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

See you either in church on Sunday or at the finish line!

God bless,
Preacher

GPBC -- A Life Saving Station

Several Years ago I was given the following article that helped form my commitment to "Keep GPBC a Life Saving Station!" Please read it both carefully and prayerfully.

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a little life-saving station. The building was primitive, and there was just one boat, but the members of the life-saving station were committed and kept a constant watch over the sea. When a ship went down, they unselfishly went out day or night to save the lost. Because so many lives were saved by that station, it became famous. Consequently, many people wanted to be associated with the station to give their time, talent, and money to support its important work. New boats were bought, new crews were recruited, and a formal training session was offered. As the membership in the life-saving station grew, some of the members became unhappy that the building was so primitive and that the equipment was so outdated. They wanted a better place to welcome the survivors pulled from the sea. So they replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged and newly decorated building.

Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members. They met regularly and when they did, it was apparent how they loved one another. They greeted each other, hugged each other, and shared with one another the events that had been going on in their lives. But fewer members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions; so they hired lifeboat crews to do this for them. About this time, a large ship was wrecked off of the coast, and the hired crews brought into the life-saving station boatloads of cold, wet, dirty, sick, and half-drowned people. Some of them had black skin, and some had yellow skin. Some could speak English well, and some could hardly speak it at all. Some were first-class cabin passengers of the ship, and some were the deck hands. The beautiful meeting place became a place of chaos. The plush carpets got dirty. Some of the exquisite furniture got scratched. So the property committee immediately had a shower built outside the house where the victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting there was rift in the membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities, for they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal fellowship of the members. Other members insisted that life-saving was their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all those various kinds of people who would be shipwrecked, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. And do you know what? That is what they did.

As the years passed, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a place to meet regularly for fellowship, for committee meetings, and for special training sessions about their mission, but few went out to the drowning people. The drowning people were no longer welcomed in that new life-saving station. So another life-saving station was founded further down the coast. History continued to repeat itself. And if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of adequate meeting places with ample parking and plush carpeting. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown. (Thomas Wedel, Ecumenical Review, October, 1953, paraphrased in Heaven Bound Living, Knofel Stanton, Standard, 1989, p. 99-101.)

God Bless you! Preacher

Traveling On Our Knees

Now that our Faith Promise Missions Revival is past it would be easy to sit back and glory over all that God has done for us. Not only have we met our financial goals for this new year, but we have a new spirit if expectation and commitment to Jesus Christ and world wide evangelism!

Several times during this past few weeks we have been challenged to give sacrificially, serve personally, and to pray faithfully. It is clear that GPBC is not only willing to give financially and even to go personally, but I wonder how many of us will continue to pray faithfully?

We must not discount the value of prayer! Prayer is the only form of omnipotence that we will ever enjoy while here on this earth. Through prayer we can shake the throne of God and tap His power to accomplish the impossible.

Perhaps only in Heaven will we know the impact that our prayers will have made. The thrilling thing is every one of us can pray and make a difference while on our knees. Sandra Goodwin penned these challenging and encouraging words that have been a blessing to me. Let me share them with you:

Last night I took a journey
To a land far 'cross the seas;
I didn't go by boat or plane,
I trusted on my knees.
I saw so many people there
In deepest depths of sin,
And Jesus told me I should go
That there were souls to win.
But I said, "Jesus, I can't go
And work with such as these."
He answered quickly, "Yes, you can
By traveling on your knees."
He said, "You pray; I'll meet the need,
You call and I will hear;
Be concerned about lost souls,
Of those both far and near."
And so I tried it, knelt in prayer,
Gave up some hours of ease;
I felt the Lord right by my side
While traveling on my knees.
As I prayed on and saw souls saved
And twisted bodies healed,
And saw God's workers' strength renewed
While laboring on the filed.
I said, "Yes, Lord, I have a job
My desire Thy will to please;
I can go and heed Thy call
By traveling on my knees."

Let us take heed to the plea of Paul when he was inspired of God to write, "Brethren, pray for us...!" 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Hebrews 13:18. While we are giving faithfully let us not sin against God by ceasing to pray for our missionaries! 1 Samuel 12:23

God bless you! Preacher

To the Glory of God!

The heartbeat of Greater Portland Baptist Church is for honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ! The heartbeat of glorifying Christ is none other than Worldwide Evangelism!

The last command that Christ gave us was to "Go into all the world and to preach the gospel to every creature!" Mark 16:15

We may never personally visit a foreign mission field but every one of us can experience the joy of praying, giving, and helping to send others to reach the lost.

This Sunday we will begin our 23rd Annual Faith Promise Missions Revival. Please make plans to attend every service as we continue to "Seek Him!" by "Seeking Them!"

Please pray that this will be our greatest effort ever for worldwide evangelism all to the glory of God!

Preacher

One Of Those Crosses Should Have Been Mine!

If you were to look at Rembrandt's painting of The Three Crosses, your attention would be drawn first to the center cross on which Jesus died. Then as you would look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you'd be impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God.

Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.

This Sunday evening we will be serving the Lord's Supper at GPBC. As we do it is to help us remember that when Jesus died he died for us! We must never forget that!

The Lord's Supper is a perpetual ordinance in the church given to us by Jesus to Christ to serve as a reminder of Christ's death, resurrection, and promise to come again and redeem us unto Himself.

This ordinance, while having no saving merit, should motivate every Christian to exalt Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords; to examine their life, to evangelize the lost with the wonderful message of the Gospel, and finally to expect His soon return!

As your Pastor, let me encourage you to please prepare your heart and family for this holy time of personal worship and obedience to our coming Savior according to 1 Cor 11:23-32.

Like Rembrandt, it is my prayer I will never forget that "One Of Those Crosses Should Have Been Mine!"

Preacher

Priceless!

Do you appreciate those MasterCard commercials that show a man with his son buying a rod and reel for $50 and a fishing license for $25 and a boat for $1000, and then it shows them enjoying a day fishing together while the sun sets at the end of the day, and closes with the words "Priceless!"

I read recently that "every day your heart beats 104,178 times. Your blood travels 171,000 miles. You breathe 23,172 times, inhaling 438 cubic feet of air. You move 752 major muscles and exercise 8,000,000 brain cells. You do this every day. No wonder I'm tired so much of the time!" Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).

While we may laugh out loud at the humor of that statement do you groan inside at the truth it contains!I know that I did! How much of our life do we spend on the "pointless" and not the "Priceless?"

Just recently Regina and I realized that there have been several weeks pass that we had an appointment or some other responsibility that consumed not only our regular time in serving but also the time that we desperately needed as a couple.

I was deeply convicted as I remembered that as important as my labor for the Lord is, He is just as much concerned that I take the time to spend with my wife and family. And like it or not it takes a lot of work to have a healthy marriage and family!

If we will take the care of balancing these two responsibilities, we will enjoy the pay which is excellent, and the benefits, which are priceless!

Let me encourage you as this Labor Day weekend approaches that we reevaluate what we are working for in this life and start laboring not for the Pointless but the Priceless!

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Mark 8:36-37

The New Deacons Approved

Last Sunday evening GPBC had the privilege of voting on and approving the four new members of our Deacon team here at GPBC! These four men and their wives are:
• Mike and Katrina Dawson
• Richard and Beverly Gunn
• Doug and Amy Jackson
• Mike and Sandra Krause

These men and their wives have proven themselves to be faithful servants of our Lord and loyal to this church. Each of them is a gifted and willing servant that will not only compliment the ministry here at GPBC but also bring new energy and experience to our current deacon team. These new deacons will be ordained Sunday evening, September 2nd. No doubt, this will be a blessed night to remember!

Praise the Lord, GPBC has enjoyed a wonderful and fruitful summer! To God be the Glory! For "the great things he hath done!"

Please continue to pray and let's be faithful as we "SEEK HIM!"

God Bless!
Preacher

Our Highest Priority

Have you ever been in a big hurry, buttoned up a long overcoat with lots of buttons, and then discovered after you were done that the coat was uneven? What went wrong? I'll tell you what went wrong: when you don't get the first button in the right hole, all the rest of the buttons will be out of sequence too! Right?!

That's a parable about life. Jesus said it this way in the Sermon on the Mount:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

Stop and check your spirituals buttons. Are your relationships with God, your spouse, your family, and your job in proper order? If the Lord is not the highest priority in our life, then, like the overcoat, so many other things in our life will be out of whack as well.

When it comes to living our life according to God's purpose, I am convinced the reason most of us "miss it" is because we have our priorities all messed up! Nothing can rightfully take the place of God, and we should never try to put anything or anyone in God's place! If we do, we are asking for trouble.

When I have found myself in that situation, I soon realized that nothing will correct the situation until I stop and take care of the problem. Let me challenge you to take a quick glance in the mirror of God's Word and see how you are doing! (James 1:21-25) You will be glad that you did!

God bless you!
Preacher

New Deacon Candidates Revealed

Last Sunday evening I had the privilege of revealing the four new candidates for Deacon at GPBC. The four men and their wives are as follows:
- Mike and Katrina Dawson
- Richard and Beverly Gunn
- Doug and Amy Jackson
- Mike and Sandra Krause

These men and their wives have proven themselves to be faithful to our Lord and loyal to their church. Each of them is a gifted and humble servant who will not only compliment the ministry here at GPBC but also bring new energy and experience to our current deacon team.

The church will vote on these four new deacons Sunday, August 19. The new deacons will be ordained Sunday, August 26, with their first meeting on September 1, 2007 and Lord's Supper served Sunday night, September 9, 2007

This Sunday, August 12, we will be honoring our past and current deacons in the evening service. This will be a blessed time for all involved. Please do not miss it!

GPBC has had a wonderful summer! I do not know of a greater way to end this summer than by recognizing those who have served faithfully and by receiving the newly elected deacons to start a bountiful and blessed fall!

Please continue to pray and be faithful as we "SEEK HIM!"

God Bless!
Preacher

Picking 'Em Up and Putting 'Em Down!

John Ortberg, a pastor in South Barrington, Illinois, tells of a newspaper article in Tacoma, Washington, that carried the story of Tattoo, the basset hound. Tattoo didn't intend to go for an evening run, but when his owner shut his leash in the car door and took off with Tattoo still outside the vehicle, he had no choice!

A motorcycle officer named Terry Filbert noticed a passing vehicle with something that appeared to be dragging behind it. As he passed the vehicle, he saw the object was a basset hound on a leash.

"He was picking them up and putting them down as fast as he could," said Filbert. He chased the car to a stop, and Tattoo was rescued, but not before the dog reached a speed of twenty to twenty-five miles per hour, and rolled over several times. The dog was fine but asked not to go out for an evening walk for a long time!

There are too many of us whose days are marked by "picking them up and putting them down as fast as we can."

It matters not if you are a pastor or a carpenter, a mother in a carpool or a secretary in a corporate office, we can all get in such a hurry that we are sure enough "picking them up and putting them down!"

There is not only another way to live; there is also a better way to live!

It is learning to "Be still and to wait on the Lord!"

Psalm 46:10
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 27:14
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Isaiah 40:31
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Being still and waiting on God is not my idea, nor is it easy for us to do, but it sure does make a difference in our daily life! Instead of rushing about, why not stop right now and simply, be still! While you are there stop and count your blessings. Pray and talk with the Lord about that which has you so tied up in knots! Read His Word and get some direction for the rest of your day as well as for the rest of your life!

Sure, you can keep on "picking 'em up and putting 'em down" or you can let the One who loves you not only pick you up, but you can and rest in His strong and loving arms knowing that He will never let you go!

I promise you that a walk with God is a lot better than what this world has to offer! Just ask Toto!

God bless you!
Preacher

Does Anyone Care?

I was reading this morning about Frank Reed, who was held hostage by Lebanese terrorists from 1986 to 1990. His treatment by his captors was not only barbaric but almost indescribable. He was beaten, tormented, and kept in total darkness. But, by his own testimony, the single worst thing that he suffered was the feeling that no one cared.

In Time magazine article Terror and Tedium, dated August 27, 1990 he said, "I began to realize how withering it is to exist with not a single expression of caring around me... I learned one overriding fact: caring is a powerful force. If no one cares, you are truly alone."

Like David, the best of us can come to a place that we feel that way! He said, "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul." Psalm 142:4

Let us never forget that God instituted two social systems on this planet we call Earth. The two systems were instituted so that no one would ever be without care! They are: the family, and the church.

In a day when even Christian families are failing to care for their own, the church must step up and be a place where love, healing, and acceptance can be found. The New Testament is filled with admonitions and examples of how we are to care for those in need, both within the church and without.

Jesus Himself said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35

It is my desire that GPBC be known as a Church that cares! We can be thankful we have a God that shows us He certainly does! "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7

God bless you! Have a great week!

Preacher

Thank You, GPBC Deacons!

When someone has a servant's heart, it not only is seen but it is also sensed by those who are its recipients. Jeff Iorg said "While a person's motives may be difficult to describe or define, they are not difficult to discern!"

Each week I have the privilege of working with many different and faithful servants of our Lord here at GPBC. It is an honor and privilege to pastor a church that is blessed with so many who are willing not only to attend faithfully, but also to serve Christ personally.

Some of our finest are the deacons and their wives here at GPBC! In just about a month four of our current deacons will rotate out while four new ones will be elected from our church body.

Let's not let this month pass without expressing our individual genuine heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for their personal surrender and sacrifice of time and energy over these past few years!

Brothers Dave Norwood, Duane Banks, Steve Gary, and Ed Sorensen will rotate out while our current deacons, Dick Jackson, Mark Norwood, Joe Kelchner, and Bill McFeters will continue to serve for another term. These men and their wives have demonstrated a servant's heart, for which I am grateful and our God has been honored.

Servant leadership is a worthy model. But don't be fooled into thinking servant leadership is about the job, the title, or the amount of the paycheck. Servant leadership is all about the heart. It's primarily about our motive. Yes there is a reward! Hebrews 6:10 promise that! But when it comes down to it a servant leader is driven by his or her love for God and His people. Thank you deacons for your servant leadership!

Please continue to pray as we receive the nomination responses this week, and begin the final election process for our four new deacons. They will have a wonderful example and a great opportunity to continue this biblical tradition of servant leadership.

God bless you!
Preacher

Sucked In, Washed Up, and Blown Over!

No doubt anyone reading this can identify with this humorous story from Max Lucado:

Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming.

One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.

The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.

The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.

Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do ... she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.

Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

A few days after the trauma, the reporter who'd initially written about the event contacted Chippie's owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."

It's hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over ... That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.

Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm, Word Publishing, 1991, p. 11.

In Romans 8:28-29 we find the following promise:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

While the Scriptures promise us that God is working and developing within us the character of Christ, we must also understand that in order to do this, He must take us through times that we feel as if we have been "sucked in, washed up, and blown over!"

One of the greatest lessons that we can learn in life is that God is more interested in our character than our comfort, and He's more concerned about our holiness than our happiness.

However, David understood this process and found great comfort in knowing that God was his Shepherd through the whole process! In the 23rd Psalm we find three steps that will help us as we face tough times:

Psalm 23:4
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
- Refuse to be discouraged - "I will fear no evil..."
- Remember that God is with you! - "for thou art with me..."
- Rely on God's protection and guidance! - "thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

I heard once that "the difference for the Christian during times of trials or suffering is not the absence of the shadow, but the presence of the Light!"

Remember,

God has not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our life through;
God has not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God has promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way;
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love. Source Unknown

God bless you! Have a great week!
Preacher

Too Close For Comfort

Several years ago I read where Edward Gibbon, author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to five incredibly relevant reasons:

1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of marriage and the home, which is the foundation of human society.
2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.
3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.
4. The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.
5. The decay of religion; faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming spiritually impotent to warn and guide the people.

I think that you would agree with me that when we compare this to the day and time we live here in America...it is too close for comfort!

If there has ever been a day that Bible believing Christians need to pray for our country it is now! 1 Peter 4:17

While America may be one of the most socially progressive nations in the world it is also one of the most spiritually regressive.

Let us remember the stern warning from Scripture in Proverbs 14:34: "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

With this warning also comes an invitation to call America back to God. 2 Chronicles 7:14 "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."

As we celebrate the 231st birthday of America let us never forget that Christ's coming has never been closer. If you are reading this and you have never accepted Christ as your personal savior, then no doubt the coming of Jesus is "too close for comfort!"

Trust in Him today and find the peace and comfort that this world can never offer! Rom 5:1; Matt 11:28-30; Phil 4:7

Rescued!

It is hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the world watched the 58-hour heroic rescue drama of "Baby Jessica McClure."

For those of you who may have forgotten, 18 month old Jessica McClure fell into an abandoned dry well in October of 1987 in a small Texas town. Initial estimates indicated she would be rescued quickly, but rescuers encountered difficulties when they attempted to drill a secondary shaft near the well. Experts flew in, television crews filmed, and millions prayed. Finally, after almost 60 hours, "Baby Jessica" was pulled from the well and rushed to the hospital.

The word "rescue" means "to save someone from danger or harm." As wonderful as the rescue of Baby Jessica was, let me remind you that 2,000 years ago Jesus came to rescue a lost world that had also taken a very serious fall. Genesis 3 tells us all about this fall. As a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, our only hope was to be rescued by Christ. Romans 5:12, 19

As in the rescue of Baby Jessica, no price was too high for God to save a lost world. He gave His only begotten son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Thank God, Jesus came to us. He met us where we were, simply because no one but God could save a lost world! Luke 19:10

As incredible as it may seem, this rescue is sufficient for everyone to be saved if they will personally trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior! John 3:16

Twenty years have now passed since Baby Jessica's rescue. The news article that reported the anniversary of her rescue reported that for Jessica, "life goes on." She is now married and has children of her own. She is very grateful for the rescuers and the sacrifices that were made to save her life.

And after our spiritual rescue, life goes on. We are new creatures; "old things are passed away and all things become new!" 2 Cor 5:17

We should also be very grateful for the "unspeakable gift of salvation" afforded to us at the cross! 2 Cor 9:15. It is now our turn to tell others about the Good News of salvation! John 15:16; Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8

As the world looks back and celebrates the heroic rescue of Baby Jessica, may every Christian remember the urgency of the continued rescue effort that must be pursued to reach a lost world with the Gospel. Come on, Church! The alarm is sounding!

God's Grace! - It's Still Amazing!

I can still recall the first time, 25 years ago, when I caught a glimpse of Mt Hood! We were coming in from the east on I-84. My family and I were making the move from Jacksonville, Florida to Portland, Oregon to start a new church that would soon become GPBC. We were awed by its beauty so we pulled over and took our first picture. As we drove on we came to another point that gave us another view of the mountain. Once again we had to stop and take a picture. Believe it or not the closer we got to the mountain the bigger and more beautiful it became to us!

Looking back, I have discovered that God's grace is like that. The first glimpse I got of God's grace was from a locker room on my knees looking at another mountain called Calvary and an old rugged cross where my sins were forgiven. The view from here will take your breath away!
But as I have traveled in this life with Christ as my Savior and Guide, I have seen His grace from many different views. Honestly, I still have to pull over a take a look!

I saw it again this week in a mother who is a brand new Christian, who took a gospel tract and showed her children how they could be saved. Two of them made their faith public this past Sunday and were baptized!

I saw it again in a hospital as a couple with fear and trembling leaned on God's grace to get them through one of the greatest trials that they have ever faced.

I saw it again up close and personal on Father's Day as I thanked God for my wife and children that He so graciously gave to me.

Grace has been defined as the "unmerited favor of God!" That is an understatement if I have ever heard one! But it is still true! "God's grace still amazes me... His love is still a mystery!"

Let the words of a song that I love and we are all familiar cause us to pull over from the fast lane of life and thank God for His Amazing Grace.

Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
- John Newton

Hey Mom and Dad, This is Not a Race!

Clovis Chappell, a great preacher of a previous generation, used to tell the story of two paddleboat steamers. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the river to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, crew members made disparaging remarks about the slowness of the other boat. Words were exchanged and challenges were made.

Without meaning to a race began. The competition was keen as the boats roared down the Mississippi! However, one boat began falling noticeably behind. They were simply running out of fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising crew member took some of the ship's cargo and tossed it into the ovens. Suddenly, their boat began to catch up, so they made fuel out of more and more cargo. They finally won the race, but in the process they burned their cargo, the very material they had been hired to transport!

Parents, we must never forget that our primary mission is not to win a "rat race," but to faithfully care for the cargo that has been entrusted to us! Proverbs 22:6. That cargo is our family, and even more specifically our children!

The Psalmist reminds us that "children are an heritage of the Lord!" Psalm 127:3. As we live our lives as believers in Jesus Christ, let us carefully and prayerfully determine to finish our course with the precious cargo of our family and children!

God bless you!
Preacher

Finally, Getting It Right!

Did you ever notice that some people always get it wrong? Paul Harvey, in his book For What it's Worth, tells about a county jail in south Florida where jail officials found a plastic trash bag setting on the floor right next to the bars of a cell. Believe it or not, inside was Jimmy Jones, a prisoner who hoped he would get taken out with the trash. And he might have...except during roll call his instincts took over. When the name Jimmy Jones was called, from inside the bag came a muffled response: "Here!"

Poor guy! Some people just can't seem to get it right. But here's some good news, especially for those of us like Jimmy Jones who sometimes get it all wrong. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," and again in Romans 5:8-9 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."

Think of that. When we place our faith and trust in Christ, we no longer need to concern ourselves about our salvation. We are "justified" with God! Simply put we are made "right with God!"

We no longer need to wonder whether we will be found acceptable when we stand before the throne of grace. We no longer need to cast an anxious eye over our life's work. Thank God, because of what Christ has done, those of us who so often get it wrong have eternally been made right!

God bless you!
Preacher

The Holy Grail?

The legend of the Holy Grail is familiar to most Christians.

It basically involves the search for the chalice, the very cup from the upper room from which our Lord Jesus Christ drank and instituted the Lord's Supper. The legend continues in claiming that Joseph of Arimethea later used that same cup to collect the blood and sweat from Christ while he was dying on the cross. Let it be understood this is nothing more than a hoax and holds absolutely no Scriptural truth or validity.

The question that demands an answer is, "If we had that cup would it enhance our observance of the Lord's Supper?" The truth is "Not at all!" However, we do have two things from the first supper in that upper room that do enhance our observance of the Lord's Supper.

First of all we have the picture of what the supper represents to every believer: the unleavened bread represents the perfect and sinless sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins; and the cup, which represents the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.

Second, we have a promise in Matthew 26:29: "But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Here Christ promises us that one day we will enjoy this time of fellowship and communion with Him personally! That is all wrapped up in the promise that we know as the "Blessed hope!" of Titus 2:11-13.

As a member of GPBC, please prepare your heart according to 2 Corinthians 11:23-32. Read these verses carefully and prayerfully. Then this Sunday evening let's meet and observe this wonderful ordinance for the local church! Rest assured that when we come to the Lord's Supper our focus will not be on the cup, but rather on the Cross and the Christ who loves us and gave Himself for us!

God bless you!
Preacher

"Quittin' Meeting" Scheduled For This Sunday!

This weekend we will be hosting Evangelist Randy Chovan with his wife and son. He is a gifted preacher and spirit filled evangelist. He will undoubtedly be used of God to challenge GPBC to go to new heights spiritually.

Evangelist Chovan reminds me of Sam Jones, one of the great revival preachers and evangelists of this past century. He used to conduct what he called "Quittin' Meetings" during his revivals. They were called "Quittin' Meetings" because he gave people the opportunity to confess their sins and repent. Many people quit swearing, drinking, smoking, gossiping, etc.

After a service one night he asked one woman what she planned to quit and she replied, "I ain't been doing nothing and I am goin' to quit that too."

If we have become careless in our service to Christ or our attendance to church let's determine to "quit it!"

As your Pastor let me encourage every member to make sure that we invite our friends and neighbors to the services this week, and may the Lord help us not to miss a single service this Sunday!

God bless you!
Preacher

Take this Quiz

I can still remember the fear that came into my heart when I heard my teacher say to the class "Okay class, close your books, clear your desk, and take out a piece of paper and a pen. This is a pop quiz!"

I want to challenge you with a pop quiz that I took several years ago after reading a book by Max Lucado, And the Angels Were Silent. He said:

Name the ten wealthiest men in the world. Name the last ten Heisman trophy winners. Name the last ten winners of the Miss America contest. Name eight people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize. How about the last ten Academy Award winners for best picture or the last decade's worth of World Series winners?

How did you do? I didn't do well either. With the exception of you trivia hounds, none of us remember the headlines of yesterday too well. Surprising how quickly we forget, isn't it? And what I've mentioned above are no second-rate achievements. These are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

Think of three people you enjoy spending time with. Name ten people who have taught you something worthwhile. Name five friends who have helped you in a difficult time. List a few teachers who have aided you in your journey through school. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Was it any easier? It was for me, too.

What is the lesson? It really is pretty clear: "The people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the credentials, but the ones with the concern." This is a great lesson!

I have one more question. Do you ever wonder if someone else taking this test happened to write down your name? Jude 22 reminds us that we can also make a difference in the lives of others: "And of some have compassion, making a difference."

Take a minute and think about those who have made a difference in your life. If possible, why not write them a note? Or better yet, tell them personally. Go out of your way this week to help someone who really needs your direction spiritually or in some other personal way. Your love, appreciation, and concern for others does make a difference! It may be that you will be used of our Lord to make a difference in their day and maybe even their life!

God bless you!
Preacher

Education Is Learning More Than What You Are Told!

As many of our children, teens, and college students graduate this year, I was reminded of an article that I read in Reader's Digest written by Judith Swanson. She said:

From the day we entered the ninth-grade health class; one blackboard was covered with the names and locations of the major bones and muscles of the human body. The diagram stayed on the board throughout the term, although the teacher never referred to it. The day of the final exam, we came to class to find the board wiped clean. The sole test question was: "Name and locate every major bone and muscle in the human body." The class protested in unison: "We never studied that!" "That's no excuse," said the teacher. "The information was there for months." After we struggled with the test for a while, he collected the papers and tore them up. He then gave us some wise words of advice. "Always remember," he told us, "that education is more than just learning what you are told."

Education truly is more than a classroom experience. It really is a daily process that continues throughout life! If we will take it, that is both wise and painful advice. I can also tell you from experience that education is not only painful...it is expensive. My wife and I have paid the high price for education for both my children and ourselves. But, as one person put it: "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!"

We must never think that we have arrived either academically or spiritually. Let each of us determine that wherever we are in life, we must strive as the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:7-14

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let's just keep on "pressing towards the mark!" remembering that "Education Is Learning More Than What You Are Told!" It is experiencing the grace and goodness of our God along the way!

Preacher

National Day of Prayer - Thursday, May 3, 2007

I am thankful that we live in a nation that still has the right and privilege to pray publicly. This Thursday, May 3, 2007 has been designated as the National Day of Prayer for our great country, The United States of America. If there has ever been a day that our nation needs prayer it is today!

I am reminded when Pastor Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual politically correct generalities. But on January 23, 1996, what they heard instead was a stirring prayer, passionately calling our country to repentance and righteousness.

The response was immediate, with a number of legislators walking out during the prayer. In six short weeks Central Christian Church logged more than 5,000 phone calls, with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired Pastor Joe Wright's prayer on the radio and received a larger response to this program than any other program Paul Harvey has ever aired.

The prayer is reprinted below as an encouragement and challenge for each of us to stand for the truth of the Gospel wherever the Lord gives us opportunity.

Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, " Woe on those who call evil good," but that´s exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:

- We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;
- We have worshipped other gods and called it multi-culturalism;
- We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle;
- We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;
- We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation;
- We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare;
- We have killed our unborn and called it choice;
- We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;
- We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;
- We have abused power and called it political savvy;
- We have coveted our neighbor´s possessions and called it ambition;
- We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;
- We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Amen.

Eleven years later, this is also my prayer for our country and our churches!

Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

God bless you!
Preacher

A Friendship That Can Change Your Life!

Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play major league baseball. While breaking baseball's "color barrier," he faced jeering crowds in every stadium. While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, New York, he committed an error. His own fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while the fans jeered.

Then shortstop "Pee Wee" Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and together they faced the crowd. The jeering fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career and changed his life!

Two thousand years ago in front of a jeering crowd Jesus took our place on Calvary's cross. Every Christian knows that day changed our life! Proverbs 18:24 says "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

While we thank God for His love and friendship to us, whom do you know who still does not know Jesus as their personal savior?

This Sunday is the last day of our Spring Sunday School Campaign. We are calling it Friend Day and asking every member of GPBC to personally invite and encourage a friend to come to Sunday School and church this week!

Please help us make a difference in the life of your friend! James 5:20 says "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

Like Jackie Robinson and every honest Christian, they will also say that it was not only a day that a friend changed their life, but also a day that a friend made an eternal difference!

God bless you!
Preacher

When We Cannot See Him, We Must Trust Him

I would be remiss if I did not ask every member and friend of GPBC to pray for the victims and the families of those that were either killed or injured by the senseless mass shootings in Blacksburg, Virginia.

The media has informed us that the death toll is now at 33 and rising. We have also been told that this incident is the deadliest mass shooting in the history of our nation. With the tragedy of these shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday comes the reminder of the awful shootings at Columbine, Colorado and Springfield, Oregon just a few years ago.

H.L. Mencken once said, "For every complex problem there is a simple solution--and it is always wrong." At this time there are no answers that can take away the pain of those planning funerals or facing the future, not sure of just what it holds. Many wonder if our schools and college campuses will ever be safe again. We must remember that even though we may not understand God's purpose in all of this, the one right answer is still that God is our refuge and strength!

As Christians, we must not only offer our heartfelt condolences to these victims, but we must also offer our prayers and unswerving confidence that God has not abandoned us! The Apostle Paul tells us that we can anchor ourselves in the unshakable promise, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Although all of us are saddened by the devastation and loss of lives, our hearts and confidence rest in God's eternal promises. It may be in heaven that we finally see and understand all that has happened, but rest assured that Jesus always has been and still remains the right answer!

To God be the Glory!

There is no better way to celebrate a Risen Savior than to share that "good news" with others! And this we did!

As a result, God blessed our church on Easter Sunday in a wonderful way! We had a packed church and to the glory of God, many souls saved!

I do not have words sufficient to express my love and appreciation to all who worked so hard to make that happen. Needless to say there were many (hundreds) who made this event possible. But if you were to ask any one of them they would tell you that they were just doing it for the Lord.

I have heard that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who do the work and those who take the credit. If we try to be in the first group, we will soon discover that there is less competition there.

It is obvious to me here at GPBC that we are not competing with each other, but rather encouraging one another as we purpose to "Seek Him!" And in doing so we we are also faithfully trying to "Seek Them!"

I praise the Lord for a Staff and Church that love their Lord and their preacher enough to catch his vision and try to make a difference in our world!

Let my message be loud and clear, for all that God has done and continues to do here at GPBC, "I give the people the credit, and God the glory!"

I love you all!

Preacher

Because He Lives!

As a Bible believing Christian it is impossible for God to ever forget that we belong to him! However, if we are not careful we can forget that He belongs to us! That is one of the reasons that we celebrate a resurrected Savior every Sunday!

Easter Sunday is the day that once a year a lost and confused world remembers that something happened 2000 years ago three days after Jesus' death on Calvary. He arose from the dead!

Yes, we will celebrate Easter this Sunday, and we will do all that we can to reach the lost who will attend our services. But let those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior, remember that "Because he Lives!" is the reason we worship and work for Him in the first place!

When this Easter has come and gone, may we remain faithful to the One who died and rose again on the third day, and is one day coming again to receive us unto Himself!

As the song so wonderfully says:

Because He Lives by Bill & Gloria Gaither

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Saturation Visitation for Easter Sunday

This Saturday GPBC needs your help as we saturate East County with the Good News of the Gospel and a personal invitation to be with us on Sunday morning April 8 for our Easter Service! It has been said before that the "best kept secret in East County is GPBC!" Let's work together to get the Good News of the Gospel out! We will meet at 10am and be finished no later than 11:30am! A nursery will be provided for children too young to go with you. I look forward to seeing you as we continue to make a difference for our "Risen and Coming Savior!" I know that I can depend on you!

We are a soul-winning church!

God gave us a great day last Sunday! We had four saved and baptized as well as several saved during our weekly soul winning and visitation outreach. If you are a member of GPBC and are not personally involved in trying to reach others with your faith let me encourage you to ask yourself, "Why?"

For most people it involves one of three reasons: time, fear, or complacency.

If time is an issue, let me encourage you to set aside an hour a week to get involved in our soul-winning on Saturday morning at 10am. It is not only a great way to make friends but you will look back in eternity and be glad that you made witnessing a priority in your life. It will truly make a difference. Surely you have an hour that you can give to Christ for telling others about Christ.

If you are fearful, let me encourage you by saying we are having a soul-winning seminar coming up this Saturday from 9am to noon. John Nordstrom with AAA Ministries will be our instructor. He is one of the finest soul-winners that I have ever met. This seminar will not only help give you the courage but also the confidence to be an effective witness for Christ.

If your heart has grown complacent about the lost souls of men, I pray that this will convict you and challenge you to ask God to rekindle the fire in your heart not only for those whom He loves but also those for whom He died!

I am asking God to use us this week to be a greater witness for Him! I will pray for you. Will you please pray for me? GPBC is a soul-winning church. I need your help to keep it that way. God bless you!

Almost Home!

I was thinking recently, remembering the small voices of my children when we were traveling: "Are we there yet? How much longer will it be before we get there?"

This past week my wife Regina and I went to California. I was scheduled to preach at the West Coast Baptist College and took this opportunity to visit with our kids who are students there. We had a great time and afterwards we took a few days off for some rest and relaxation! To be honest it was anything but relaxing! We rented a car and drove over 1400 miles in less than a week! That was after we flew to Los Angeles!

We did see some great sights though. We visited the Yosemite National Forest, as well as the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California.

On Sunday morning we attended the Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon where Dr. David Jeremiah is the pastor, and on Sunday evening in San Diego, Lighthouse Baptist Church where Pastor Doug Fisher serves as the pastor. What a blessing to be able to visit those two fine churches!

I praise the Lord for my faithful staff, who did a fantastic job while I was gone! When it was all said and done, we saw a lot of beautiful scenery and many incredible sights but none quite like our finally seeing "home" when our plane touched down Monday evening here in Portland!

I was thinking what it will be like one day when we finally get to our "Heavenly home!" 1 Corinthians 2:9 reminds us "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

The mansions, the golden streets and the river of life are certainly going to be beyond description! But imagine with me seeing our loved ones that have gone on before us! And most of all... seeing Jesus face to face! And best of all, never having to say goodbye again! Heaven will be our greatest expectation fulfilled! Every tear will be wiped away and we will forever be with Christ!

Are you ready to go there? If not please take the time to read on this website how to know that you are going to heaven! If you are saved, do not forget: Heaven has never been closer! Let each of us determine to be faithful this week because we are almost home!

Prayer Changes Things and People

Historically, when God's church faced a new challenge they rose to meet that challenge on the wings of prayer!

It was my desire as the Pastor of GPBC to see a supernatural anointing and revival for our church that could come only through effectual and fervent prayer! On Miracle night, February 4th God did just that!

We were facing challenges which could only be met through the power and persistence of personal and corporate prayer! I was convinced that when God's people pray, things happen!

The timing could not have been better! The opportunities for ministry have never been more abundant! It has been said that "Prayer Changes Things!" Let it been known that" Prayer also Changes People!" It has changed us!

The 28 days of prayer allowed God to do a great work in my heart as well as the people of GPBC! Let each of us determine to keep the fire burning for God's glory!

God bless you GPBC! I know that I can depend on you as together we continue to "Seek HIM!" during 2007!

Jeremiah 29:12-13
12Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Seek Him!

One does not have to read many contemporary biographies to discover that what most people spend their life seeking does not deliver the happiness and satisfaction that it promises.
Instead, most people end their lives with the same frustration and disappointment of unfilled dreams, shallow relationships, and broken promises.

Jack Higgens, author of The Eagle Has Landed, was asked what he would like to have known as a boy. His answer, "That when you get to the top, there's nothing there."

The Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, understood the need for every man and woman to have in their heart a spiritual compass that pointed them not to riches, but to a Holy and Righteous God. In Jeremiah 29:13 we find the promise, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart!"

When we seek Him we will discover that He is not a moving target, but rather a Seeking Savior! That's right, when we seek God we will discover that He has been seeking us all along!

As the Pastor of GPBC, it is my prayer as we enter our twenty-fifth year of ministry that we personally and corporately "Seek Him!" with all our heart!

Each of us may rest assured that when our lives in this world end, and we stand before our precious Lord, our testimony will not be "There was nothing there!", but rather "When Christ was all we had, He was all we needed!" Come on, GPBC, Let's "Seek Him!"

-by Pastor Rick Adams

Come Be Part of GPBC's Newest Soulwinning Opportunities

GPBC has launched its newest Soulwinning outreach! Instead of meeting on Thursday morning and evening the church is now meeting on Saturday at 10am. There is a nursery provided for children too young to go with their parents. Sunday school teachers and bus workers are also encouraged to take advantage of the nursery and visitation opportunities. The Pastor and Staff look forward to the joy and fellowship that this ministry offers to all that will get involved. There has never been a better time to get involved with sharing the gospel with others! I am looking forward to seeing you this Saturday at 10am sharp.God Bless You! Preacher