All to Him I Owe

 A number of individuals here at FBC of Folsom are joining together to read through the whole Bible in a year. It has been a joy to see the enthusiasm in the conversations as people are talking about what God is teaching them. As we finish up the month of January and we keep up with the schedule keep these simple thoughts in mind about our devotional Bible reading.

1. If at first you don’t understand…read it again!

2. Focus on the quality not the quantity! – in other words, don’t feel bad if you don’t finish an assigned reading for the day because you dug just a little deeper on a passage.

3. Don’t feel bad if the lesson you walk away with is simple – some of the best things God teaches us are very simple and concise. Simple can be just as life changing as complex.

4. Don’t feel bad if you have honestly read the passage, studied it, and still don’t understand – the lesson you walk away with when that happens is that God knows something you don’t know. 🙂

5. Look for a Person in Scripture not just the precepts.

6. Try to read out of the same Bible – mark it up, underline, highlight. Let your Bible develop the sense of a journal recording your walk with the Lord.

7. Don’t forget to meditate! – take one thought and give it thought. Use a 3×5 card or a post it to help you capture that thought and let it affect your thinking.

8. Think about Psalm 119:15 – respect what God says! Let “yes sir” be at the tip of your tongue as you read. If God said do it, say yes sir and do it.

This blog went silent for the last year for many reasons. With the revamp of our website I have a new desire to keep this blog more current. In the weeks and months ahead there will be a variety of different posts. You will see small articles of instruction, encouragement, and tid-bits about life in the ministry. Simply think of them as small glimpses into the mind of Pastor Ron.

The following outline is from our Sunday Evening message in Daniel 3. The fiery furnace and the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego make this passage memorable. The passage unfolds a host of principles that apply to worship and will hopefully prove to be as memorable as the fiery furnace.

Text: Daniel 3

Vs.1-12

1.) Unity does not gurantee that true Biblical worship has occurred.

2.) External conformity does not gurantee that true Biblical worship has occurred.

Definition of Biblical Worship: “Worship is directed toward God and defined by His desires.”

What is the enemy of Biblical Worship? Answer – Man’s own pride! (illustrated perfectly by Nebuchadnezzar)

Notice Nebuchadnezzar’s proud responses:

1.) Ignores clear precept (Exodus 20:3-4)

2.) Attempted to manipulate people through music and consequence.

3.) Operates off of impulse (vs.13) and (vs.22 – even at the expense of others)

4.) God becomes small in Nebuchadnezzar’s eyes.

What do Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego teach us about Biblical worship?

1.) Their worship was a response to a truth that they knew about God. (vs.17)

2.) Worship of God and service to God go hand in hand. (vs.17)

3.) They worshipped out of conviction. (vs.18)

4.) The reward of their Biblical worship was the presence of God. (vs.25)

“The greatest cancer to our worship is our own selfish desires and ambitions!”

Principle #1 – [vs.1-2] “Transitions do not require that forward momentum cease.”

Principle #2 – [vs.2-4] “Previous promises do not change because of a transition in leadership”

Principle #3-[vs.5] “The character of God does not change during a change in leadership.”

Principle #4 [vs.6-7] “God given requirements do not always change when the leadership changes.”

Principle #5 [Vs.8] “The Word of God is still the constant guide along the trail of success.”

Principle #6 [vs.9] “Fear is to be expected but always rejected because the presence of God has not changed.”

Principle #7 [vs.10-14] “Preparing for the future while remembering commands of the past are key to making a transition well.”

Principle #8 [vs.14] “Some people will have more responsibility than others in the midst of transition.”

Principle #9 [vs.15] “The Story of Transition can have a joyful ending.”

Principle #10 [vs.16-18] “Public commitments to follow God given leadership are valuable for leaders of transition to hear.”

“The great matter is not how long you pray, but how earnestly you pray. Consider the life of the prayer more than the length of the prayer. If your prayer reaches heaven it is long enough.”

– C.H. Spurgeon

1.) Over a year and a half ago God providentially put Dr. and Mrs. Jones on the church calendar to come and do a missions conference here at Faith. The pulpit committee decided to cancel the missions conference in consideration of our coming and have them do a series on “New Beginnings.” The Lord was so gracious to teach us what He did those days, and Dr. Bob’s counsel and encouragement to me was priceless.

2.) Faith Baptist Church has graciously begun to let me be their pastor. I marvel at their humility to be transparent, teachable, and receptive to the Word of God.

3.) Faith Baptist Church has a strong foundation. There is a reason it has weathered the storms of the last months. Christ is our foundation here and His spirit has empowered right responses, and faithfulness.

4.) There are a lot of people doing a lot of things! Servants are everywhere I turn around. So many ministries were either maintained or even started during this transition time. I can’t believe it. I hope that spirit never ceases.

5.) Trust is not always immediately given, neither is it quickly given.

6.) Faith Baptist Church is a church family. I cannot fully comprehend the amount of love and support that is shown to one another.

7.) New folks are visiting, folks who have been watching are still watching, and some are making up their mind to stay. I hope God will perfectly place and build the church body He desires here at Faith.

8.) Patience is something I need to work on!

9.) Folsom California needs this fundamental Baptist Church. The people of Folsom are busy playing, working, and trying to raise “fun” families without God. One of the challenges before us in the ability to look beyond the facade of wealth and pleasure and see their hearts that are yearning for an answer to the emptiness that pleasure and ease does not fill.

10.) I am going to need God’s help everyday. I cannot afford to not be in the will of God!

I’m excited to be here and what the future holds.

All to Him I owe!

God has bountifully given us the grace we needed to say goodbye to the ministries of Ironwood and Faith Baptist Church of Cherokee Road. The tears still come at times and our heart still aches at times as the memories come to mind however we still firmly believe God has brought us here and we are in the will of God. We have found the grace to say goodbye and we are now finding the grace to say hello. We are excited to be here !

The move was fairly uneventful. We are currently settled into our home and putting the final things together. It has been amazing to see how much time and effort is required to do some of the simple things like setting up a phone, moving bank accounts, etc.

Our first official Sunday is September 13th. I begin my official duties on Thursday, September 10th.