Don't Lose Your Focus (Jonah 4)

Jonah was upset with God after seeing the great revival in Nineveh. He wanted judgment, while God wanted to bring salvation. What do you want for your "enemies?"

Knocking Down Sandcastles to build the Kingdom

A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the privilege of spending a couple of days on New Smyrna Beach, which is one of our favorite beaches. NSB still has the “old Florida” feel, as people drive their cars onto the sand and it does not get too crowded. The very gradual descent of the sand makes for shallow water and a large beach area when the tide goes out. 

Flora and I enjoy getting up early to walk and we certainly enjoy a walk on the beach at sunrise. In the mornings, the beach sand is smooth and beautiful after having been groomed overnight by the rising tide. On the pristine surface of the sand, beach-goers can easily spot sea shells and watch the crabs scurry to and from their holes.That smooth surface does not last for long! 

As the day progresses, you see parents digging holes in the sand with their children; you see siblings burying each other up to the neck; and we even saw one man who dug a hole deep enough and wide enough to set his entire beach chair into. Through the day, you also notice many sandcastles being built up and down the shoreline. Some are elaborate sand sculptures, but most are just simple sandcastles. As you can imagine, wherever there are sandcastles, there is usually “that kid” who enjoys demolishing every sand sculpture he can leap onto! By the end of the day, the sand that was pristine in the morning has been littered with holes, as well as, the remains of many conquered sandcastles. 

I’ve noticed that Churches are often filled with figurative "sandcastles." Too often, good and well-meaning people will build castles within the church. No one does this intentionally; but over time "sandcastles" are built, the boundaries are defined, the walls are fortified, and personal kingdoms are established. The once beautiful church that used to be unified and focused on Jesus, slowly begins to take her eyes off of Jesus. Frequently, God will have to topple the sandcastles in order to restore beauty to the church -- just as the nightly tidal waves do to the shoreline. The process is painful, as the churning waters break the shells, carry off the debris and levels the sand; but the end result is that beauty is restored.

As I look at the year 2020 and COVID-19, I have to stop to wonder if God is using this pandemic to tear-down a few personal sandcastles within the churches across our nation. A paraphrase of Romans 8:28 says that not all things are good, but God can work good from all things. Maybe through this pandemic, God is hitting the "reset" button for the Church and restoring her beauty. Maybe pastors will return to the basics of evangelism and discipleship. Maybe church members will turn their eyes toward reaching the lost in their communities. Maybe the stains of sin will be removed and the light of the Gospel will shine through God's Church once again! 

Having the right perspective can make all the difference, so I ask you to consider that while many are fearing the pandemic, will you consider that God could be using it to revive His Church! It could be that in order to build His Kingdom, God had to remove some personal kingdoms (sandcastles) that were stifling local churches. It could be that by shifting our focus away from Sunday crowds & attendance numbers, pastors will return their focus toward ministering to individuals & making disciples. No doubt that the Church will look different post-COVID, but that it will most likely look more like God originally intended for it to look. It could be that through the pounding and churning of the 2020 "waves" that God is restoring the beauty of His Church.

So, let’s pray that God will allow us to see the current events through His eyes and to walk by faith rather than sight. Let's pray that the uncertainties of this world will cause us to yearn for heaven and become more passionate about telling others of the hope found in Jesus Christ. Rather than being distraught over the current circumstances, let's get excited about the new possibilities that God may have in store for HIS Church!

Church Unity Results in God's Presence & Blessing

You've probably heard the old story about the little boy who was sick and stayed home from church on the Sunday of the annual Easter program. Upon returning from the service, his brother stated," You should have been there... Jesus showed up today." The little boy was so disappointed and proclaimed loudly, "I had to miss the one Sunday that Jesus showed up at our church." Well, let me ask you, when was the last time God showed up at your church?

Emmanuel is so blessed to see people being saved, baptized, and added to our church on a regular basis; but that wasn't always the case. Just as Aachan's sin spoiled the blessing for an entire nation, sin among our staff stifled our growth at one point. Just as division between Jews and Gentiles split divided the early church, we, too, have experienced division and discord. Just as Judas refused to buy into Jesus, we've had some refuse to buy into our efforts to share Christ. Some of the difficulties have moved out of town, some now bless other churches, and some continue to bless us; but others have selected to put aside the conflict and reconcile with God and others. PRAISE THE LORD!

I personally believe that God desires to work in every church, but He can't; because of the lack of unity! This Peacemaker series has helped us to celebrate our differences, agree to disagree (agreeably), focus on Christ, and renew our vision. It has taught us how to resolve conflict. It's brought a sweet, sweet spirit into our church family and we know that it's the Spirit of the Lord! Our prayer is that God will help us continue in unity, strive to live peaceably, and unite in our passion to share Christ, and reach a lost world.

Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful work you are doing at Emmanuel! Please dwell among us and use us to impact eternity!

Peacemaker Series

Yesterday was another amazing day at Emmanuel Baptist Church. I'm continuing the sermon series entitled the "Peacemaker" and based on the biblical concepts taught in Ken Sande's book by the same title. This series is one that I would encourage EVERY pastor to teach to their congregation, and one that is essential based on all of the strife we see in today's churches.

This series is being developed for the purpose of teaching our people how to resolve conflict based on biblical principles. We see so much relationship trouble in the church, on the job, and even at home. We see people leaving churches, employees quitting jobs, and divorces even among professing Christians. What if "we" the "Church" would take the lead in teaching people how to handle conflict?

This series has been difficult and has broached subject such as "Judging," "Finding real peace," "How to hand criticism," "Forgiveness," "Confession," "Church discipline," and various other such topics. It is challenging our people to be Christ-like, rather than self-serving. It is encouraging them to please God, rather than defend self.

The best part of each Sunday is to watch people walk across aisles and embrace each other, to watch them come weeping and kneeling humbly at the altar, to watch people staying around 30 minutes after the service to talk with each other. I've received notes, e-mails, and heard personal testimonies of relationships that have been restored! Praise God for what He is doing at Emmanuel.

Ken Sande, thanks for listening to God and writing this series. Steve G., thank you for introducing me to it. God, thank you for using it in the Emmanuel church family!

God is Moving - 2.27.11

Sundays at Emmanuel have become so exciting that people are literally saying, "I can't wait to see what God is going to do this Sunday." In the past 5 weeks, we've seen 9 people saved, 11 baptized, 22 new members (17 were adults), and our attendance increased by 50. Again, we are in a small town with a stagnant population, BUT GOD IS WORKING!

This past Sunday, we were privileged to start our service with 1 teenager and 2 children taking the step of baptism. We were also blessed to have the "Sounds of Liberty" worship team from Liberty University with us in the morning service and in full concert for the evening service. I preached on "Overcoming Temptation.

At the invitation, people came to the altar to pray, a couple joined the church, and a sweet lady came to make a public profession of her faith. She was saved, but felt she needed to share it publicly and it was such a blessing! As I was walking through the Worship Center, a lady stopped me and asked if we could talk. We talked and she prayed to receive Christ as her Savior!

Earlier in the week we also had two people saved on visitation! God has really been blessing our church family recently. I pray we never take it for granted, and we are faithful to give Him the credit and the glory for what He is doing both in and through us!

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.

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!

1.16.11 - One of the best Sunday's ever

Words cannot describe what happened yesterday, but I'll try to convey it briefly. In the morning service, we celebrated "Sanctity of Life" Sunday. I preached from Psalm 139 reminding people that David was praising God for giving him life, forming his body, allowing him to be an image bearer, and for creating a plan for his life. Through a monologue, Micara described how God worked in spite of her mistakes and the difficulty of a her child's birth defect, to bring her back to God and create a beautiful little girl that brings joy to everyone who meets her. Thank God that she chose life! There wasn't a dry eye in the Worship Center when she finished. We concluded the sermon by asking our folks to take baby bottles to collect loose change for the Carolina Family Planning Centers, a prolife pregnancy care center in our community.

On Sunday evening, Teresa sang a song about praising God in the tough times. The congregational songs followed a similar suit. As I began the sermon about communion, it was as if I could feel God telling me that someone had something to share. I backed up and opened the floor for testimonies... people shared for 45 minutes... one right after the other. They shared deep things, personal things, they were transparent, and made themselves vulnerable. God was working. We closed by asking people to pray together and encourage one another. Groups gathered to pray around those with needs. Prayers were lifted, relationships were mended, hearts were encouraged. At their leisure, people came and took communion at the altar. IT WAS AMAZING!

I can't tell you exactly what happened yesterday, but I can tell you that God showed up!

Spiritual Decisions -- Cause for Celebration!

Spiritual Decisions never get old and we are excited that God's Spirit has been moving in our congregation over the past several weeks. Allow me to share some spiritual blessings...

• Three weeks ago, we had two children make decisions for salvation.
• Two weeks ago, a family of four was baptized and joined our church family.
• Last week, we had two adults saved.
• This week, my wife got to lead a young lady to Christ. That young lady and another young girl are scheduled to be baptized next Sunday.
• During the month of July, our folks have had a renewed interest in sharing their faith and have handed out nearly 5,000 Gospel tracts. They are taking the first step in making disciples (sharing) seriously!
• Our church family also developed a prayer list by writing down the names of those they want to see saved, come back to Christ, or come back to church.

In addition, God has been bringing many new families into our services. One visiting mother asked one of our deacons, "Are the people of your church real, and will they really accept me?" Another young lady said, "I've wanted to be saved for a long time, but I just couldn't get everything right in my life." There are so many hurting people looking for The Answer -- Jesus Christ! God is still doing amazing things when we talk more about Jesus and less about us!

Why is a "spiritual" Worship Leader so hard to find?

Worship leaders appear to be "a dime a dozen" these days, but "spiritual" worship leaders have become difficult to find. We posted our church's open position twice on church staffing websites and received over 150 resume's each time. Sadly, most candidates had a shady past, were unhappy where they were, had been released from their previous position, had no experience, received an unfavorable reference, etc. Out of all the resume's we received, we only seriously considered about 12 of them each time. There are some good worship leaders out there, but most of them are already involved in a church, and the others seem scarce.

I've talked to numerous pastors who have experienced the same difficulty in finding "spiritually minded" worship leaders. Our search started when our last full-time worship leader engaged in adultery. Sadly, this seems to be the norm among worship pastors, rather than the exception. The church in which I grew up experienced this same situation 30 years ago. One of the churches in which I served had the same experience... with several worship leaders. In another church, the male worship leader ran off... with a man. Sounds unbelievable, but pastors across the country are sharing the same sad stories -- it appears to be an epidemic!

What happened to the days of the music "minister?" What ever happened to leading people into God's presence, rather than whipping them into an empty emotional frenzy? What happened to those who served in the background, rather than today's prima donnas who love to be in the spotlight? What happened to using music to prepare people for preaching, rather than making music the main event? What happened to those worship leaders who were godly examples... soul winners... true ministers?

How do we change the trend? How do we repair the damage imposed on onlookers? How do we teach people to trust "spiritual" leaders again? Something MUST be done! My suggestion is that we start by focusing on God as the object of our worship; rather than worshipping worship.

By the way, our church is still looking for a spiritual worship leader. Interestingly, the best worship leader we've had in my 7 1/2 years at EBC was a layperson, a lady that God brought into our congregation. She understood the importance of balancing styles, emphasized spiritual lyrics, loved people, and developed others. She was humble, and anything but a prima donna. She would move over to play the piano and allow others to lead publicly, she would share the responsibility of leading our choir, and she understood that her role was "ministry" through music. We brought her onto our staff and thought that would be a long-term relationship, but God had other plans and relocated her family to Myrtle Beach. So... we're looking, again, and praying that God will send us a true "minister" of music, who can truly lead people into authentic God-focused worship.

Why Do You Attend The Church You Do?

Let me continue to challenge your thinking as it pertains to "nursery" style churches and "Army" building churches...

Tomorrow morning, people across our nation will attend church services. Some of them are already dreading it. I know this, because I hear people in our "culturally Christian" community constantly berating their church, pastor, deacons, choir members, other churches, etc. I talk with pastors in our community (and in other states) who are broken hearted because of the infantile behavior within their congregations. People know the Scriptures, but fail to apply them. These pastors feel like babysitters, rather than spiritual leaders. Sadly, this appears to the be the norm, rather than the exception.

Such common behavior prompts me to ask a few questions:
1) Is berating other believers helping or hurting the cause of Christ?
2) Do "Christians" understand that their negative comments may keep some from salvation?
3) Do people who gossip, sow discord, and divide the body; really think they can also worship?
4) Do those who attend churches as martyrs, really think that is a spiritual act of service?
5) Would we allow on a sports team, what we allow in the local church?

Some people in our area do crazy (and sinful) things under the guise of being 'spiritual.' The majority of believers simply laugh at them and call them crazy, but my heart breaks as they play the game of religion and worship the god of self. They are harming the body of Christ and such behavior certainly does not please a holy God.

So tomorrow morning, evaluate "why" you attend the church you do. If your answer begins with "God," then you're probably in the right place and probably for the right reason. If God led you to that church, and is using you to encourage others, exercise your spiritual gifts, lead some to Christ, and bring others to spiritual maturity; then stay put and keep serving Him!

On the other hand, if your answer contains the words "I," "my," "me," "mine," or anything similar... you only have a couple of options:
1) Repent of your self-centeredness, and rejoin your team.
2) Go find a church where they will worship you, appreciate you, sing your favorite songs, and avoid preaching against your sins. Hey... they might even let you choose the service start times, set the thermostats, and give less in the offering.

Remember: Setting up a nursery is all about keeping the infants comfortable; but building an army is hard work, it's uncomfortable, and it focuses on the needs of others. So... what type of church are you looking for?

Team Impact 2.28

This has been an exciting and action packed week at EBC as we have hosted Team Impact. http://www.team-impact.com/ This group of men is using feats of strength to draw crowds and preach the gospel. They use a different technique for evangelism, but preach the same solid message of God's love! This week, the team did presentations in assemblies that touched eight different area schools, followed by evangelistic events every night at our church, which resulted in approximately 3,000 people in attendance at the evening events, 183 making decisions for salvation, 60 recommitting their lives to Christ, and others who would have never attended a church service hearing the Gospel!

The team was crushing bricks, bending steel rods, bench pressing telephone poles, blowing up hot water bottles, breaking baseball bats, and more! They had smoke, fire, and a truck load of enthusiasm! (The fire on stage was a bit exciting... since our church burned down twice previously.) I'm sure not everyone was happy with this type of event being held in the church building, but "Isn't this what the church is about... reaching out to "lost" people and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" Fishing for men means we have to use a variety of bait.

The volunteers from our church were absolutely amazing! They served as stage crew; sound & lighting technicians; supply gatherers; meal, accommodation, and transportation providers; merchandise managers; ushers; greeters; decision counselors; and more! Justin and David did a great job coordinating the event! The rest of our staff (Team "Low Impact") pitched in wherever they were needed. It's amazing what God can do, when His people work together for a common purpose! Praise God for using us to reach people with the gospel.

3rd Grade Awakening

Today, during her Bible lesson, one of our ECS teachers was telling her third grade class about the prophecy emphasis at EBC yesterday. One student expressed his interest in knowing for sure that he would spend eternity in Heaven, then another, and then another. After the lesson was over, 14 of the 16 students in her class came up to her desk expressing their desire to make sure they had a right relationship with God. Twelve of the fourteen students accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, two rededicated their lives to Christ, and the other two were already confident of their salvation. PRAISE THE LORD!

This is a great reminder of "why" we have a Christian school. Our goal is to glorify God by providing students a Christ-centered, Bible-based education, by influencing them for salvation, by instructing them in values for Godly living, and by providing a program of academic and extra-curricular excellence.” Any school can make an academic impact, but Emmanuel CHRISTIAN School is making an eternal impact!

No Such Thing as "Seekers"

On Sunday nights at Emmanuel, I've been teaching through Francis Chan's book, "Crazy Love." As I was reviewing the chapter for tomorrow, I noticed his statement that too many churches look at attendance numbers to gauge success. He draws attention to Jesus' example of preaching hard to the multitudes, with the goal of eliminating those who were not true followers. Jesus did not water down the message to maintain the attendance, but few preachers use Jesus' tactics today. Too many preachers seem to focus more on growing their attendance, than preaching truth. They focus on attracting "seekers," rather than growing disciples.

Over the past 20 years, the "seeker sensitive" and "seeker driven" movements have weakened the spiritual depth and core separatist foundation of the church. While this movement has resulted in larger crowds and does have some points of merit regarding relevance, even Bill Hybels, former pastor of Willow Creek Community Church and early leader of the "seeker" movement, has since admitted the weaknesses produced by it. Others who led the early "seeker movement" are also now realizing the shallowness produced by services void of doctrine, which cater to the unsaved and the malcontents. Much time and weakening in the walls could have been saved, if they would have read Romans 3:11 - "...there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God."

Don't misunderstand me... I have always been a student of church growth and willing to try many methods for the sake of growing the church and reaching people for Christ. I do believe we must be relevant in order to reach our culture, and change is one of my dear friends. I abhor unbiblical tradition, pious Pharisees, and dead churches. I admire pioneers like Chuck Smith, and preachers like Andy Stanley, Ed Young, Perry Nobles, and Steven Furtick who push the envelope; but also preach sound doctrine. I am simply reminding you (and me) to follow Christ, instead of the latest fad or guru in the church growth movement. Remember, anyone can draw a crowd; but Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone and the sure foundation of the Church.

God Showed Up!

Have you ever been in one of those services where nothing goes as you expected? I've been in several. I remember the night a church member asked us to pray for his child, I closed my Bible, and people gathered around him to pray... for an hour! God answered that prayer. I can also remember the morning when people started going to the altar during a song. A quartet was singing and people began to get up out of their seats, come to the altar, and weep. I can remember a service when a couple confessed their sin before the church, they were broken and repentant, they asked forgiveness, people gathered to pray around them, prayed, and the church family stayed to encourage them for over an hour after we dismissed. Those services are special!

Well, we had another one of those services last night... on a Wednesday night. I've been teaching a Bible study through Romans and we've been camping on Romans 7 where Paul admitted the civil war he was having between his spirit and his flesh. Last night,we were supposed to get into chapter 8 and help people discover how to "stay up, when life gets you down." I introduced the message, told folks that we can't always live on the mountain top, and shared the story of Moses going up the mountain and coming back down to see God's chosen people worshipping and idol.

From the back, a man said, "I feel like I'm living in the valley and can't get out." Immediately, someone shared a personal story of encouragement. Then another person shared. Another shared scripture. The stories went on. The testimonies went on. The masks came off and before we knew it, there were tears and confessions, and God's Spirit was MOVING!

After 45 minutes, it was obvious that I was not going to ever get to Romans 8. Instead of my best made plans and preparation, God chose to use the testimonies of people to encourage others. My words can never convey the heart-warming and soul-stirring service we experienced. It's amazing what God can do when we just get out of the way. I wish you could have been there.

Revival Continues at a Funeral

My friend, Jack Westmoreland, wrote a book entitled, "God, He Don't Live in No Box." Jack is right! God can do whatever, whenever, wherever, and however He chooses. If you weren't sure of that before, you will be after this story. I'm learning more and more that He doesn't work the way our religious system has taught us to expect. He does things that we don't expect,in ways we don't expect and at times we don't expect. Let me give you a great example...

Today, I was officiating a funeral for a dear lady who had been a member of our church for many years. She had been estranged from her son for many years, but they reconciled three years ago. The son had also been estranged from his sister, and if I properly understood, they had not spoken in 20+ years. His family was seated at the front of the funeral chapel and her family was seated at the back and on the opposite side. While the son/brother was speaking publicly and paying tribute to his mother, he began to weep and publicly asked his sister to forgive him. He walked to the back of the chapel, asked for her forgiveness, told her that he loved her, and asked if she loved him -- to which she responded, "I love you, too." There wasn't a dry eye in the room and if we were in church, I would have given the invitation right then.

That was one of the best funerals I've ever been to in my life! I've never seen God work in this way at a funeral before, but it surprises me less and less. I'm beginning to expect Him to work in these miracluous ways. I told the other pastor who co-officiated the service, "This is what we've been seeing God do in our church for 3 months!" I can't wait to see what He's going to do next!

Definition of Revival

I found the following definition for revival on Wikipedia.com. It's actually pretty good...

"Revival in a Christian context generally refers to a specific period of spiritual renewal in the life of the Church. While elements such as mass conversions and perceived beneficial effects on the moral climate of a given culture may be involved, the key factor in revival is the restoration of the Church to a vital and fervent relationship with God after a period of decline.

If your relationship with God has ever been closer than it is today, you are probably in need of revival.

14 BAPTIZED

I'm amazed... I know I shouldn't be, but I'm still amazed. God Spirit is still moving and I'm amazed! When God begins to move in our congregation, I've learned to just get out of the way!

This past Thursday, Justin (our Youth Pastor) baptized 4 of our Christian School students during chapel. The baptistry heater didn't get turned on, so... the water was COLD! Those kids will never forget their baptism. :-) Yesterday, we had 10 people baptized during our morning service. Justin baptized 4 teenagers at the beginning of the service and I baptized 6 adults at the end of the service. It was special as several of the adults shared their testimonies. One is a deacon who was saved last week. One is a Christian School teacher who gained assurance of her salvation. One was a man who had known for several years that he was unsaved, but allowed pride to keep him from making that decision. (Interesting... when he got saved, he didn't care what anyone else thought!) Another was a lady who was saved last week, another saved a couple of months ago and another was a college student. In addition, we had another dear lady come for church membership and the altars were full as people were praying.

God's Spirit is moving and people continue to respond. People all over Hartsville are hearing about our services and talking about us (in a good way) wherever you go. Last night, we had a Ministry Meeting and people were unanimous in their decision and exhibiting unity in their spirit. It was another GREAT day!

Judgement House Report

EBC just concluded our 5th year of presenting Judgement House to our community. This year, there were literally 100+ volunteer workers participating from our church family, plus the JH team. All previous records were broken this year with 1,594 people touring the drama, 182 decisions for salvation, 64 decisions for rededication, and numerous others who came for special prayer. That sounds miraculous, but even more-so when you realize we are in a city with a population of less than 8,000 people!

Each decision was followed-up personally with a counselor and literature was distributed to help these new believers start their walk with Christ. Bibles were also given to those without one in their home. Each person who made a decision was asked to write their decision on a poster board and sign it. WOW! You should read these written testimonies!

Not only was this event beneficial to those who attended it, but it also benefitted our church. It helped us refocus on outreach and evangelism. It took our eyes off ourselves and made us aware of and compassionate toward those without Christ. It caused us to pray without ceasing, realizing that nothing would come of our efforts, unless God's Spirit brought people to conviction. It also reminded us of the joy it brings to work with other churches as Youth Pastors entrusted us to share the message of God's saving grace with their groups. Each church was given all of the follow-up information for those who made decisions and now we pray that true discipleship will take place.

A special "thanks" goes out to our volunteers, those who organized groups, and to the Lord of the Harvest Who blessed our efforts with eternal rewards!

God's Spirit is Moving at EBC

A new day is dawning at EBC and God’s Spirit is moving! It appears that God is opening the windows of heaven and pouring out His blessings on our church family!

Below are just a few of the ways God has been blessing EBC since August 3, 2008:
- There is a renewed spirit of excitement in our church services
- People are renewing spiritual commitments
- 31 students have been saved through ECS and 4 were baptized in chapel
- 22 salvations through EBC
- 20 baptisms
- 24 new members
- Worship attendance continues to increase
- Several LIFE Groups are ready to birth new classes
- Over 50 ladies are involved in Bible studies outside of Sunday mornings
- Men are being trained as deacons
- Our new singles’ LIFE Group and DivorceCare classes are steadily growing
- And the list goes on!

BUT LISTEN TO THIS...
Yesterday... I preached about God's saving grace and a man shared his testimony. It resulted in a 45 minute invitation and God's Spirit moving like I've NEVER seen Him before! 10 people were saved, 6 came for assurance, many for rededication, 14 for baptism, 2 families joined the church (19 members the Sunday before!), the altars were full, and people were weeping uncontrollably over what God was doing! Again... a 45 minute invitation! We had a deacon saved, our congregational worship leader walked off the platform in need of assurance, a man fell on the altar praying for his daughter and men engulfed him in prayer. A lady who was getting ready to have surgery was surrounded and embraced by other ladies. I can't even begin to tell you what it was like. And right now... I can hardly see my computer screen because God is still squeezing my heart and the tears are flowing. I just had to tell you! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

In addition, men have been sharing how God had been convicting them to clear their consciences, repent, and renew their relationships with the Lord. Through tears, they are expressing how difficult it was, but how clean and refreshed they feel. They are experiencing real freedom in Christ.

These are just a few of the incredible stories of what God is doing at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Hartsville, SC. Please keep praying for us!