Four Points

Posted on by josiahkagin

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Do you long for God to move in your life, in your church and in our nation? I believe that God is still in the business of hearing and answering prayer for revival. Some may scoff at the notion of revival, yet time and time again throughout history God has a revived His people as the cried out to Him in contrition. God is looking for believers to be desperate for His reviving presence. As you pray for revival here are some helpful points to personally consider.

  1. You must put away any unconfessed sin. Isaiah 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One
    That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” The heart of our Lord is to revive. We must do our part and He will do His. 
  2. You must put away any doubtful habit. There is plenty that dazzles and distracts. Some we see as outright sin and we avoid it. However, some habits are like weights that hold us back from all that God desires to do in and through our lives. What is your weight? Hebrews 12:1 “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.” No earthly habit is worth the substitution of God’s reviving presence.
  3. You must obey the Holy Spirit promptly.  John 16:13  “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:” The role of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to guide into the truths that we are to be living. We cannot please God if we choose not to listen and respond.
  4. You must confess Christ publicly. Psalm 51:13 “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”  The revived believer will have no problem speaking out for Christ. It will be the desire of his heart. 

Revival is still possible and God’s Word gives us guidance in how to experience it. May God cause my generation to have a passion to see God move.  Remember, with God all things are possible.

In this post I expanded on  Robert Evans’ Four Points concerning revival. 

The Good Wife

Posted on by josiahkagin
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This year at Couples Retreat we were delighted to have Pastor Jeff Hargraves from Chapmanville, West Virginia with us. One of the resources given was Biblical descriptions of the good husband and wife.  These verses will help you to be the wife that God wants you to be. (Men, check out The Good Husband)
  1. Leaves Mom and Dad and cleaves to her husband—Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:and they shall be one flesh. ​​(Genesis 2:24)
  2. Guards against the natural desire to supplant her husband​—Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. (Genesis 3:16)
  3. Productive in the home​​​​​​—Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vineby the sides of thine house:thy children like olive plantsround about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. (Psalms 128:3,4)
  4. Builds her home with wisdom​​​​​—Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. (Proverbs 14:1)
  5. Sees herself as precious and valuable—Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord. ​(Proverbs 18:22)
  6. Excellent because she fears God—​​​​​Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants ‘ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:10-31)
  7. Respects God and her husband​​​​​—The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.  By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour:but a man of understanding holdeth his peace. (Proverbs 11:3,7,9,11,12)
  8. Submits to her husband through love​​​​—Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (Ephesians 5:22-24)
  9. Subject to her husband according to God​​​—Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. (Colossians 3:18-19)
  10. Dresses modestly​​​​​​—In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
  11. Loves her husband and teaches others the same​​​—The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)
  12. Lives as an example for her husband​​​—​Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Peter 3:1-7)
Plan to attend Ladies’ Retreat at Grace Baptist Church May 2-3, 2014 with Cathy Jackson. 

The Good Husband

Posted on by josiahkagin

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This year at Couples Retreat we were delighted to have Pastor Jeff Hargraves from Chapmanville, West Virginia with us. He and his wife, Ginger, were a real blessing to our couples. My wife and I really enjoyed the time to pause and invest in our relationship. In one of the sessions Pastor Hargraves went through a list of verses that describes a good husband and the good wife. Take sometime to read these verses and let them direct you to be a husband that pleases God.

  1. Dedicated to his wife’s happiness—When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business:but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. (Deuteronomy 24:5)
  2. Satisfied with his own wife—Drink waters out of thine own cistern,and running waters out of thine own well.Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. (Proverbs 5:15-16)
  3. Makes preparation—Prepare thy work without,and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. (Proverbs 24:27)
  4. Sees his wife as God’s reward—Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 9:9)  House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord. (Proverbs 19:14)
  5. Guards his spirit—And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. (Malachi 2:15)
  6. Submits his body to his wife—Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence:and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. (1 Corinthians 7:3-5)
  7. Understands his headship—But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)
  8. Communicates openly with his wife—Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour:for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not:let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more:but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 5:25-32)
  9. Loves his wife as Christ loves the Church—Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:and he is the saviour of the body. (Ephesians 5:22-23)
  10. Not bitter toward his wife—Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected:for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. (Hebrews 12:14-17)  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. (Colossians 3:18-19)
  11. Provides for his home—But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. (1 Timothy 5:8)
  12. Understands his wife and honors her—Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)

Part 2—The Good Wife will be posted later this week. 

Fellowship with the Believers

Posted on by josiahkagin

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I was blessed this past Sunday night to see all the people who attended the Lifestage Home Fellowships. There was a great spirit and I could see that believers were encouraged from time spent together. I believe fellowship is one of the most important components of strong churches. Here are some reasons.

  1. It was practiced by the early church. Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles ‘doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” It says they continued steadfastly. This was not just something casually attempted but rather a key component to the church. Note that in the order fellowship come second after doctrine—the preaching and teaching of the Word. It is important!
  2. It is vital to spiritual strength. 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” Believers are inundated with world through the radio, podcasts, TV, Facebook, Twitter, internet and secular agendas. Everywhere you turn it seems the world is communicating with you. How badly we need good communication to build up our spirits, encourage us to guard our hearts and motivate us to serve our Lord. For the sake of your Christian walk, be sure to prioritize fellowship with the believers.
  3. It is an outflow of love. 1 John 4:21 “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” God has commanded believers to love each other. Think about it, you spend time with the people you love. Fellowshipping with believers shows your love for them. Sometimes believers will look at fellowshipping based on personal need. Fellowship is not about us getting our needs met, but meeting the needs of others. According to 1 Corinthians 13:5 love “...seeketh not her own…” True love causes us to fellowship with other believers even if there is nothing in it for us. Consider the well known verse found in Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 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.” The whole point of attending church and engaging believers in fellowship is to motivate fellow believers to love and good works in the time remaining before the rapture. Make sure intentional fellowship with the believers has place in your life. You can be sure you will be blessed in the process.

10 Fellowship Ideas

  1. Encourage someone after church
  2. Invite a person or family to your home for lunch/dinner
  3. Interact in the Adult Bible Studies
  4. Go to coffee during the week
  5. Go for Ice Cream after a service
  6. Go out soul winning
  7. Get together for prayer
  8. Share a testimony
  9. Write an encouraging note
  10. Include another person on a church work project

Turbulence

Posted on by josiahkagin

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Have you ever been on a plane ride when you experienced turbulence? It can be quite alarming. I remember a time when my wife and I took a flight in a six seater airplane from Ohio to West Virginia. We hit some turbulence that had the plane going up and down as well as side to side. Thankfully we had strong enough stomachs to withstand the choppy air. When you are in an aircraft you don’t have any way out—you certainly can’t jump out. You have to endure and pray! Similarly, when we face turbulence in our Christian lives we must endure and pray. God sometimes calls us through the choppy times to cause us to trust Him more.

King David was in that kind of situation. His son Absalom was chasing him in an effort to kill him and take over the kingdom. Not an easy time of life for sure! It was during this time that he penned Psalm 25, a Psalm that reveals where David turned in the midst of turbulence. Let notice how David responded.

First, David was devoted to trusting the Lord. (Psalm 25:1-3) When life got choppy David did not look to his position, wealth or army but to his God. We are tempted in these times to turn to people, bank accounts or our own understanding. Turbulence tells who you trust. You prove that your trust is in God when in humility you take your problems to the Lord in prayer.

“When faith comes worry leaves.” —Dr. Bobby Robertson

Second, David desired to follow the Lord. (Psalm 25:4-7) David prayed to God in desperation begging  God to fulfill four requests.

  1. Show Me—David needed God to help him see the turbulence from God’s perspective. He needed to see what God was trying to do in his life. Our greatest need in the midst of trials is not to be relieved but to perceive what God is trying to teach us.
  2. Teach Me—He had a teachable spirit. He did not clam up to God’s dealings in his life but opened his heart to instruction. David wanted to hear from God. Teachableness is a characteristic that must be apart of every believer’s life. The true test of your teachableness will take place in turbulent times.
  3. Lead Me—This has the idea of causing a person to follow. David needed God’s help to walk in the way that God would show and teach him. This ought to be our daily prayer. Psalm 119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; For therein do I delight. 
  4. Remember Me—David’s request led him to the point of pleading for mercy and confessing sin. You cannot expect the Lord to show you, teach you and lead you unless you are willing to say, “Forgive me“. Psalm 25:11 For thy name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

Third, David delighted to praise the Lord. (Psalm 25:8-10) His desperate prayer turned to praise, praise for who God is. What an example of faith in God. He praised God for His goodness, guidance and grace.  The fact is, even when it seems like God has been unfair or has allowed too much turbulence in your life, He has never let you down. You can praise Him in the best of times and the choppy times alike because He always will take care of His own. Psalm 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 

Like David, you and I must choose to look to the Lord when turbulence comes into our lives and trust Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 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.

Here the sermon preached on this topic.

Men’s Retreat 2014

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Without reservation I can say that Men’s Retreat 2014 was the best retreat I have seen at Grace Baptist Church. There was an excellent spirit in the men and a desire for God’s Word. Despite the winter temperatures and weather, the attendance was fabulous. Here are some of the reasons for a great retreat this past weekend.

  1. God’s Presence—We prayed and prepared for this retreat and God blessed us with His unmistakable presence. As the Word was preached I sensed that God was deeply working in our hearts as men. He helped us identify the challenges that we as men face in these days and how to overcome them. He showed us that we can live holy lives in an unholy world. He taught us how to walk in victory day by day. He led us to prayer for strength to be the men, husbands and fathers that we ought to be. It was awesome to see God work in my heart and in the hearts of our men in specific areas.
  2. Great Preaching—God promises to bless and use the preaching of the Word. We were blessed to have Pastor Dan Mawson, Senior Pastor at Victory Baptist Church in West Chester, PA, as our retreat speaker. His heart for God and enthusiastic preaching was a blessing.
  3. Good Music—There is nothing like a group of men singing praises to God. It is bold, heart felt and glorious. I love singing and was certainly moved by this year’s music. It was a blessing to sing songs of salvation, heaven, victory and praise. We sang that encouraging song I’m on the Winning Side reminding us that the Devil is a defeated foe and we stand with our God on the winning side. The men sang this song for the Sunday Morning Service as a testimony to our Lord.
  4. Godly Fellowship—Men are bombarded with the influence of the world on a daily basis and are often wearied with its temptations. The godly fellowship found at Men’s Retreat was refreshing and encouraging.

If you missed Men’s Retreat 2014, I would encourage your to listen to the messages here and then make plans to attend next year, January 30-31 with Pastor Marc Monte. You will be glad you did! Until then, seek to be faithful to the Lord, to your wife, your family, and your church. The Devil is not playing games and neither should we. Let’s be men for God that make a difference by being different.