I am so tired of hearing people misquote the Constitution with regard to the "Separation of Church and State." This morning, I was watching another debate over removing the Ten Commandments from schools in Giles County, VA and heard the CNN anchor state that this was a First Amendment issue, dealing with the separation of Church and State. FALSE! On any other topic, the media would check the facts; but they seem ignorantly content with misquoting the First Amendment. The words "Separation of Church and State" DO NOT even appear in the First Amendment!
The words, "Separation of Church and State," were first used by Thomas Jefferson in his letter of response to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The group was concerned that the government would breach its boundaries and try to interfere in religion. They wanted to keep the State out of the Church. President, Thomas Jefferson, responded, "...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make 'no law respecting and establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."
In its true context, the First Amendment is to protect the freedom of religion by keeping the State out of the Church. Even Wikipedia gets this one right, "...the amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an "establishment of religion," impeding the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech," etc. The desire for a freedom of religion (without government interference) goes back to the Pilgrims, and is one of the premises upon which this country was founded.
So, why do we allow people to continually misquote and misuse the First Amendment? When will we demand that the First Amendment be properly interpreted? Evidence of the UNITY between Church and State is all over Washington, DC and woven deep into the fabric of our nation! Remember our national motto, "In God We Trust."
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday Summary 1.20.11
Today was another GREAT Sunday at Emmanuel. We are currently experiencing a mini revival as we have seen people saved, baptized, and added to the church for the past 4 weeks. Yesterday, I had the privilege of leading a 79 year old lady to Christ! Today, we started our service by baptizing two adult sisters, one of which was saved just two weeks ago. They both joined the church, which makes 17 new adult members in just 4 weeks. It's been incredible!
This morning, I continued the "Back to Basics" series with a message entitled, "The Bible, God's Word." The message was simple and described how we got the Bible, where it was written, in which languages, who wrote it, etc. We discussed scientific proofs, archaeological discoveries, prophetical accuracies, and other proofs that the Bible is a supernatural book. The proofs are overwhelming and even backed by the records of non-Christian historians. After proving the Bible is supernatural, I challenged our church to read it, study it, memorize it, and live it. I closed with four Bible truths: hell is hot, heaven is real, Jesus it the ONLY Way to heaven, and every man must choose to accept or reject Him. Those teachings aren't popular today, but they are the message of the Bible!
Tonight, I continued teaching "about" the Bible and how the 66 books were selected. We discussed canonicity, and even delved into the books of the Apocrypha to explain why they did not pass the test of canonicity and are rejected by everyone except the Catholic church. The Apocrypha is where teachings such as purgatory, praying for the dead, and angel worship originated. Too many Christians are easily persuaded into false beliefs, because they do not take the time to research and study their faith. At EBC, we are trying to lay a firm foundation.
Thank you, Lord, for another great day and the privilege to preach your Word. Thank you for the blessing of seeing people make spiritual decisions. Help us remain faithful to the work you have called us to.
This morning, I continued the "Back to Basics" series with a message entitled, "The Bible, God's Word." The message was simple and described how we got the Bible, where it was written, in which languages, who wrote it, etc. We discussed scientific proofs, archaeological discoveries, prophetical accuracies, and other proofs that the Bible is a supernatural book. The proofs are overwhelming and even backed by the records of non-Christian historians. After proving the Bible is supernatural, I challenged our church to read it, study it, memorize it, and live it. I closed with four Bible truths: hell is hot, heaven is real, Jesus it the ONLY Way to heaven, and every man must choose to accept or reject Him. Those teachings aren't popular today, but they are the message of the Bible!
Tonight, I continued teaching "about" the Bible and how the 66 books were selected. We discussed canonicity, and even delved into the books of the Apocrypha to explain why they did not pass the test of canonicity and are rejected by everyone except the Catholic church. The Apocrypha is where teachings such as purgatory, praying for the dead, and angel worship originated. Too many Christians are easily persuaded into false beliefs, because they do not take the time to research and study their faith. At EBC, we are trying to lay a firm foundation.
Thank you, Lord, for another great day and the privilege to preach your Word. Thank you for the blessing of seeing people make spiritual decisions. Help us remain faithful to the work you have called us to.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday Summary 1.13.11
Yesterday was another exciting day at Emmanuel. We started the service with a couple taking the step of believer's baptism! There is nothing better than seeing a family know the Lord, grow in Him, and to help them take a spiritual step together.
In the morning service, we celebrated marriage and concluded the service with couples gathering at the altar and exchanging vows of recommitment to each other. Marriage is a picture of the love relationship between Christ and His Church, so is it any wonder that Satan wants to destroy it. Marriage is under attack in the media, culture, and even in the political arena. So, in my "Back to Basics" series, today we went back to the beginning and looked at God's design (His blueprint) for marriage. Though the world may be redefining marriage, God's plan hasn't changed.
In the evening service, EBC hosted Garrett Graham for his debut concert to promote his new CD "Welcome Home." Garrett is a testimony of God's grace and has an absolutely amazing voice. He sang to a full house and we were truly blessed by a very worshipful concert.
In the morning service, we celebrated marriage and concluded the service with couples gathering at the altar and exchanging vows of recommitment to each other. Marriage is a picture of the love relationship between Christ and His Church, so is it any wonder that Satan wants to destroy it. Marriage is under attack in the media, culture, and even in the political arena. So, in my "Back to Basics" series, today we went back to the beginning and looked at God's design (His blueprint) for marriage. Though the world may be redefining marriage, God's plan hasn't changed.
In the evening service, EBC hosted Garrett Graham for his debut concert to promote his new CD "Welcome Home." Garrett is a testimony of God's grace and has an absolutely amazing voice. He sang to a full house and we were truly blessed by a very worshipful concert.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium.
This is a great blog post by Pastor Steven Furtick. I encourage all of our church members to read it, meditate on it, then catch this vision for Emmanuel.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stevenfurtick/~3/kxBCbA95d1w/
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/stevenfurtick/~3/kxBCbA95d1w/
Emmanuel Christian School 2011-12
ECS enrollment for the 2011-12 school year opened to the public on February 1. I was informed today that we already have 201 enrolled for next school year. Classes are filling fast and there are limited spaces in our 2K-6th grades. We have already filled one class in a couple of grade levels, and we only offer 2 classes on each grade level. The second class is only offered if there are sufficient students to fill the class -- So, don't delay in getting your application fee turned in to reserve your space!
For those who are not aware or are comparing schools, ECS became a State "Licensed" Preschool in 2010, which sets us far above the average church daycare which only meets the minimal "registered" status. To our knowledge, we are the ONLY church related school to have voluntarily taken this step to make ECS accountable to the State of SC and to meet their requirements in all areas of safety, inspections, documentation, and academics. Make no mistake, we are still unapologetically a Christian school and teach academics from a Christian world-view; but we believe "whatever bears HIS name deserves our best!"
If you have questions about ECS, call (843) 332-0164 or visit http://www.ecscrusaders.com/.
For those who are not aware or are comparing schools, ECS became a State "Licensed" Preschool in 2010, which sets us far above the average church daycare which only meets the minimal "registered" status. To our knowledge, we are the ONLY church related school to have voluntarily taken this step to make ECS accountable to the State of SC and to meet their requirements in all areas of safety, inspections, documentation, and academics. Make no mistake, we are still unapologetically a Christian school and teach academics from a Christian world-view; but we believe "whatever bears HIS name deserves our best!"
If you have questions about ECS, call (843) 332-0164 or visit http://www.ecscrusaders.com/.
Sunday Summary 2.6.11
This week, I had lunch with the Director of a local non-profit group in our community. During our meeting, I was informed that Hartsville (our small city of approx, 8,000 people), now has 142 churches and another one getting ready to start. In addition, our population has been stagnant since 2007 as local companies have closed, laid off, implemented hiring freezes, and/or people have moved away. So, a small town with a stagnant population doesn't sound exciting, but I share those items, because it further emphasizes what God is doing!
Yesterday, we had another great crowd in our morning worship service. I'm preaching a series entitled, "Back to Basics" and yesterday's message was specifically addressing the topic of salvation. During the altar call, people moved and God blessed as 1 teenager and 2 adults received Christ! We also had 2 children baptized (both of whom had been saved through the ministries of EBC), 2 came to recommit their lives to God, and we had a wonderful family added to our church. That means 5 saved, 4 baptized, 4 rededications, and 14 new members in just two weeks! God is so good!
Last night, our church family divided up by LIFE Groups and met in homes across our community to use the Super Bowl as a platform to gather together, invite friends, share and pray! The group that we were part of started our prayer time during the halftime and didn't turn the TV back on until the third quarter was almost over. People were sharing, praying, talking about what God has been doing, and in no hurry to watch the game. It was GREAT!
Our community seems plagued by the typical Bible-belt struggles of church politics, infighting, pastoral changes, power struggles, and so on; but God is truly blessing those ministries in our community that are staying focused on Him. Lord, help EBC to stay focused on YOU, to continue the work to which YOU have called us, and to remain a shining light in a dark world! Amen.
Yesterday, we had another great crowd in our morning worship service. I'm preaching a series entitled, "Back to Basics" and yesterday's message was specifically addressing the topic of salvation. During the altar call, people moved and God blessed as 1 teenager and 2 adults received Christ! We also had 2 children baptized (both of whom had been saved through the ministries of EBC), 2 came to recommit their lives to God, and we had a wonderful family added to our church. That means 5 saved, 4 baptized, 4 rededications, and 14 new members in just two weeks! God is so good!
Last night, our church family divided up by LIFE Groups and met in homes across our community to use the Super Bowl as a platform to gather together, invite friends, share and pray! The group that we were part of started our prayer time during the halftime and didn't turn the TV back on until the third quarter was almost over. People were sharing, praying, talking about what God has been doing, and in no hurry to watch the game. It was GREAT!
Our community seems plagued by the typical Bible-belt struggles of church politics, infighting, pastoral changes, power struggles, and so on; but God is truly blessing those ministries in our community that are staying focused on Him. Lord, help EBC to stay focused on YOU, to continue the work to which YOU have called us, and to remain a shining light in a dark world! Amen.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
MUST READ - Sunday 1.30.11
This is far more than just a simple Sunday summary. God smiled upon our church and city in very special ways this past Sunday! Last week, we saw 2 people choose Jesus for salvation during our visitation efforts! In our Sunday morning service, Satan sent distractions; but God moved in spite of them! We had our largest attendance of the year... 1 senior citizen recommitted her life to God... 2 adults were baptized... 9 adults joined the church... and 6 children were also represented in those families! People were kneeling, praying, and the invitation extended almost 15 minutes!
In the afternoon, Christians from across our community gathered to form a prayer chain downtown where the heinous act was committed this past week. The prayer chain stretched for 2 city blocks! It was a true picture of the church... no racial barriers, no denominational barriers, no worship wars, and no personal agendas! It was the Church in Hartsville praying for a hurting family, the capture of the perpetrators, and the protection of our city.
On Sunday night, we had our first Leadership Summit for 2011. I was blessed as over 80 of our lay-leaders turned out to enjoy homemade soups, get clarification on upcoming events, ask questions, and hear testimonies of what God is doing through the various ministries of EBC.
Thank You, Lord, for a wonderful day in which You showed Yourself to be my shield and strength, a mighty fortress in our time of trouble. Thank You for your blessings that are so amazing that we cannot explain them! Thank You for blessing Your Church!
In the afternoon, Christians from across our community gathered to form a prayer chain downtown where the heinous act was committed this past week. The prayer chain stretched for 2 city blocks! It was a true picture of the church... no racial barriers, no denominational barriers, no worship wars, and no personal agendas! It was the Church in Hartsville praying for a hurting family, the capture of the perpetrators, and the protection of our city.
On Sunday night, we had our first Leadership Summit for 2011. I was blessed as over 80 of our lay-leaders turned out to enjoy homemade soups, get clarification on upcoming events, ask questions, and hear testimonies of what God is doing through the various ministries of EBC.
Thank You, Lord, for a wonderful day in which You showed Yourself to be my shield and strength, a mighty fortress in our time of trouble. Thank You for your blessings that are so amazing that we cannot explain them! Thank You for blessing Your Church!
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