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Aug 3 2010

I worship with these folks…


This is where I worship.  On the pulpit there is an inscription, “It’s not about me”. It really is about the cross.

WFR is a place where you have the absolute freedom to be you. No one needs to put on a front, you know, a “church face” to be accepted and loved. It’s a church that loves people where they are, like they are, with no promised expectation.

This couple is an elder and his wife. They lead our Celebrate Recovery Ministry. Mac and Mary Owen are two of the reasons I love Whites Ferry Road church. They are two ordinary people with an extraordinary passion for helping the down and out find Jesus and abundant life.

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The guy below is an elder too. He is a famous duck hunter, duck call maker and has the number one show on the Outdoor Channel. He is also a guy with a passion to tell as many people as possible that “There is a way out of here alive” as he puts it when he preaches to thousands every year all across America and in foreign countries.Phil Robertson and Mac Owen are two unlikely characters God has chosen to use to get the good news about what Jesus has accomplished to helpless and hopeless sinners. Regular guys, passionate about Jesus, another couple of reasons I love where I worship.

“Two preachers for the price of ….two”. We have two preachers, who are also elders. Alan Robertson and Mike Kellett share the pulpit, sometimes together, and sometimes alone, but always with simple, honest Bible messages. Grace focused, Christ honoring, preaching is what we get every Sunday. They think “ego” is a substitute for eggs at breakfast! Good, down to earth guys, who love the folks and love God.

Well, I could go on for hours, I know and worship with scores of great people! Some as odd as home made soap, but most are sincere followers of Jesus who have learned to love deeply, forgive quickly, and enjoy being Christ’s child on the way to heaven.

At WFR it is entirely possible to embrace our Restoration Movement roots without disliking other Christians who aren’t exactly like us.

On a Sunday morning you will likely see dozens of people surround those who come forward to ask for prayer, confess some sin, to be baptized, or to share a victory. I think of our auditorium as “the family room”.

WFR church is a place where you can be you, the real you, and you will not be rejected if the real you is a flawed, sometimes sinful, person. You will be loved, forgiven, encouraged, and hugged…over and over and over until the light of God’s amazing love comes on in your life.

The stories of God’s redemption are legend. The reach of these usual people is unusual and world wide. Come by for a visit. If you don’t stay you’ll probably wish you could. It’s a grace place with few rules. Love God and love your neighbor and tell someone the good news. That’s about it.

For ten years my wife and I have been loved and supported and have enjoyed one of the most unusual churches in America. We are so blessed to worship at White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ.

Royce

Jul 23 2010

Please Help Feed the Hungry


The following is an email I received just now. I know Mike well and of course the church (Hemley Road Church of Christ) there in Bayou La Batre. I think Mike says what needs to be said. Hunger is as real in south Alabama when families have no food as in some 3rd world country. Please contact Mike and help if you can.

Thanks for your prayerful consideration.

Royce

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“Hi Everyone We have been very busy this week, listed below is a recap of our weeks work. Also I am pretty sure we are going to have more and more families coming to us. BP has laid off all ofthe workers because of the storm and most of them will not be hired back. So this means the people that were still working will now not have any income. Today we had to turn away many families because we ran out of supplies. The food bank only brought us about 1/4 pallet of produce today so we handed out frozen dinners. Don and Rosemary Hudson will be arriving Monday. Don is our Director of Evangelism and Rosemary runs the kitchen for me. They can only stay for a few days than they must return home than will be back here on August 9 to help.

We Urgently need funds to purchase food, supplies and cover expenses for this mission. Below is the recap of this weeks work. Monday – Regular food hand out from the Church plus 400 hot meals served.Tuesday – 450 hot meals served and one bag of food given to each family.Wednesday – Went to food bank to unload frozen dinners and pickup truck load for church food pantry. Regular Church services. Thursday – Over 1200 pounds of food given out here at the Church from the food bank.Friday – Small amount of produce and 6 pallets of frozen meals handed out. Many families were still standing in line when we ran out.

Please help us provide food for hungry people!

Above all, please pray for the people of the Gulf whose lives have been once again torn apart.

Make your check payable to and mail to:

Disaster Assistance CoC402 Center Way St Lake Jackson, Tx 77566

OR

You can donate online at   www.disasterassistancecoc.com Lake Jackson Church of Christ (is our overseeing elders)

I have posted many photos on the website and blog and will try and post updates often so you
can see where your funds are going.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, …” Matt. 25:35

Please pass this information on to everyone on your email and Facebook list , take it to your church and business, you never know who might be willing to help us. Please pray for the thousands of people whose lives have been forever changed and for us as we show the love of the Lord to them by just providing a simple meal.”

Mike Baumgartner
Disaster Assistance CoC
281-881-1876
www.disasterassistancecoc.com

Jul 15 2010

How can we know we are Christians?


Maybe a better question would have been not “how can” we know, but simply “can we know”? Well, there is no doubt this topic is one worth discussing. Some good people, people whose lives are given to serving Christ and others are doubtful and really don’t think you can know if you are safe or not until the final judgement. Others ask themselves and others, have I been good enough?

There are all sorts of subjective conclusions about this subject but the final authority on this question and all questions spiritual must be answered by God’s revelation, the Bible. When we stand on what God has said we stand on solid ground. Now we have another problem! Everyone who has an opinion claims biblical authority for what they believe and or teach. So, knowing full well that I am only one more undeserving, redeemed sinner, I will add my thoughts.

Almost everyone who goes by the name “Christian” agrees on a set of facts. Those are that Jesus was God in flesh, that he was the Christ of God, that he died for our sins, that he rose from the grave three days later, and only though faith in him can we be forgiven of our sins and finally have a home in heaven. For the most part, these things are not the topic of debate. The worrying question is, am I personally saved because of these facts?

To further complicate matters, some people have assurance of their salvation who shouldn’t. There are likely tens of thousands of regular church attenders, givers, teachers, preachers, and people who live what is considered to be a good moral life, who think they are saved but are not. (Matthew 7:21-23) And, there are many, many people who should have assurance but do not. So how do we unravel this puzzle of misconceptions, assumptions, and false assurance, or lack of assurance?

Both Peter and Paul addressed this head on. Peter warned,

“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:10,11)

Paul, in 2 Corinthians said the same thing this way,

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Why would the Holy Spirit move these men to write these things if you can’t make your calling and election sure, or if you can’t know if you are in the faith? It is absurd to think such a thing.

False Assurance

I am a better person than most of my neighbors. I am honest, kind to dogs, children, and old people. I attend church faithfully, I was confirmed, I was baptized, I give a tithe, I have had a successful ministry, I made a decision for Christ, I prayed the sinners prayer, etc., etc. The problem with this is the word “I”. In this case the I’s do not win.

Biblical Assurance

Jesus is the only ground and hope of my faith. I am depending only on Him and the promises of the gospel that if I lean on Him and allow his rule in my life I can know I am secure. I understand that I don’t deserve God’s grace and forgiveness of sins and that I have no power within myself to change my destiny. For me it is either Jesus or nothing!

What Should We Be Looking For When We “Test Ourselves” and How Do We “Make Our Calling and Election sure”?

Peter said it this way.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” (2 Peter 1:2-9)

Peter says we have all that is necessary to be certain we are in the faith and they all are found in the person of Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we have everything that matters for daily living and godliness, and we have His promises.

First Test, Peter.

Are you and I purposefully working on being who we are in Christ? If not, DANGER ahead! A life that is not showing the qualities Peter lists, in increasing measure is one that is not safe.

Paul answers this way.

“Do what is right…” (2 Corinthians 13:7)

“Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace” (2 Corinthians 13:11)

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

What does this look like in a person’s life?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26)

Paul’s Test

We must ask ourselves honestly, does this look good on me? Is this what a watching world sees at my work, at a ball park, when I talk to my CPA, and when I have to interact with people at church that I really don’t especially like? There are no coasting Christians.

I’ll end this post with one of the most convincing statements on assurance in the Bible. John wrote these words specifically so you and I may know we are in the faith.

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

It would be a cruel thing for God to say this and not let us in on how we can know for sure. He does clearly tell us.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (1 John:1)

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4,5)

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:20)

A Spiritual Check up!

First, agree with God that eternal life is not what we do but is Christ himself. We must “know Him” and be “in Him” to be save.

Second, read 1 John understanding that it was written for your assurance that you are really a Christian. Don’t make the common mistake of going backwards and thinking that if you mimic what John writes, that will make you a Christian. We are not saved by what we do but by Jesus alone.

1 John is a spiritual check list so you can know you are in the faith, that you are secure in Christ. Honest answers will either prove up the genuineness of your faith, or show you that you are not in the faith and point you to Jesus who is himself eternal life.

There are NO promises of assurance for pretenders, make believers, and the self-righteous. ALL of the promises are for those who are in Christ by faith. Don’t be misled. (Matthew 7:21-23)

In the professing church on earth there are two groups of people. There are first those who have a sincere faith in Jesus and are trusting Him alone for their salvation. Good works are what they are designed for (Ephesians 2:10). God’s law of love is written on their hearts and they want to love him and their fellow-man because they are now partakers of the divine nature.

The second group in our churches are those who are depending on their superior morality, measuring themselves by themselves. They will point out how “faithful” they are, to their baptism or confirmation and other things about them that lead them to believe they are safe. This group includes pew riders and preachers, elders and bishops, priests and all other pretenders who will give as evidence they are saved only what they have done or are doing.

A careful, soul-searching reading of 1 John, will tell you for sure if you are, or are not, really a Christian.

In Christ,

Royce Ogle


Jul 11 2010

The Divine Rescue – A Review


“The gripping drama of a lost world and of
the Creator who will not let it go.”

“The Divine Rescue” is nothing less than the subtitle above promises. It is classic Fudge! This latest book by Edward Fudge is excellent in every way I can measure a book.

Indeed it is a “gripping drama”. I found myself purposefully hurrying through the last paragraphs of pages eager to get to the next. It is the story of all stories told by a master word smith.

Fudge begins the story before the beginning and ends it after the end. He masterfully covers all the bases, hitting all the high points of biblical revelation about God’s pursuit of sinful men, leaving no part of the drama untold.

Few people of faith have been able to have an audience as wide and diverse as Edward Fudge. Christians of many stripes have embraced his teaching and he is a favorite author/teacher/preacher to many denominations of believers including his own churches of Christ. Edward Fudge is not a dogmatist, he just presents the truths he finds in scripture without prejudice.

“The Divine Rescue” doesn’t avoid the controversial themes of the Bible, like election and predestination, but rather presents them and more so that they fold together like the fingers of hands clasped together for prayer.

There is only one Redeemer, one Rescuer, and one rescue, but God allows us to see it from many different perspectives. Sadly, many Christians who favor only one view, from one vantage point, often insist that only the view they see is the correct one.

God’s scheme of redemption (rescue) is not a snapshot, it is rather a panorama. Every part is important, and to refuse to see even one perspective of the whole is an unfortunate loss and partial lack of appreciation for the whole story.

Edward Fudge, as a master artist, begins this word-painting, and chapter after chapter, adds color and depth, clarity and meaning come into view, perfect highlights and the brush strokes of phrases bring to the eye the beauty of the love and grace of the Creator demonstrated in Jesus Christ.

“The Divine Rescue” is God’s story and it is my story. In it you will find yourself, at your worst, and as God’s best completed work, a rescued sinner who in the end is just like Jesus the Rescuer.

From those who are new to the community of faith to the most celebrated Bible scholar, I recommend this latest book from my friend and mentor Edward Fudge. It would be a wonderful gift for a friend who is not yet a Christian as well.

The book is available at Amazon.com, Texas Costco stores, Family Christian book stores, Lifeway Christian stores, Mardel’s, Books-A-Million, and from the author at EdwardFudge.com. I hope it is read around the world.

Royce Ogle