From the Pastor’s Hearty:

What does it really mean to celebrate our freedom in America? This past weekend we celebrated that we are a nation that was liberated from tyranny. Our forefathers had enough of empty promises and taxation without representation. The United States of America is not perfect but our constitution was written to guarantee our freedoms. Freedoms like living where we please and working to support our families. The freedom to worship as we see fit without the government mandating which church, synagogue or other house of worship we choose to attend. We have the freedom not to worship, which close to two thirds of Americans seem to choose as church attendance is at an all time low.
For the first time in my 48 years of public ministry the government had to mandate that we were not allowed to gather as communities of faith. In our case from March 22, 2020 through May 10th we could not have any more than ten people in our sanctuary. This was for our benefit to slow the spread of Covid19. Then we gradually had more attend and on May 31st we opened up with two services at 8:15 & 10:00 am with only part of our sanctuary full so that we could social distance. Many of our people longed to return to the Calvary’s sanctuary and worship with their brothers and sisters in Christ. We have had about two thirds of our congregation return for public worship. During this time we have provided online worship has continued through FaceBook live on Calvary Baptist Sedalia’s page and on YouTube and will continue to do so for those not ready to return. It is for the protection of those who are most vulnerable to getting the virus that we surrendered our right to gather. I want to unequivocally say that everyone who can needs to return to their respective houses of worship as soon as they possibly can. Worshipping from home in your pajamas with a bowl of cereal is not the same as being with God’s people in the house of God. What we miss most is the sense of community with the family of God. I for one hope that we are never again asked to give up the freedom that we have to gather and worship with our family of faith. These freedoms were purchased with the blood of patriots who died in our place. Let me encourage all who previously worshipped in person every Sunday to get back to being the gathered church.
There is another freedom that was purchased with the blood of the ONE who was sacrificed for all men for all sin. Hebrews 10:10 & 14 says, “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” The sacrifice by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary paid for all sin for all men. All that we can do is place our faith in Christ alone who shed his precious blood for all sin. If you have never done so before this is the only way to be free from the penalty of paying for your own sin, trust Jesus Christ as your sacrifice. The Bible clearly says in John 1:12, “but as many as receive Him (Jesus Christ) to them HE gives the power and authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on his name.” When you do this the verse from John 8:32 comes true for you. “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
With freedom comes responsibility. While we are free to do as we please we are not free to harm others in that process. God reminds us in Proverbs 14:34 that “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. My heart has been saddened in the last six weeks as what were to be peaceful protests turned into very ugly rioting, arson and looting. We do not have the freedom to express ourselves in such a way that others property and lives are in danger. It is never right to do wrong to do right. Let’s pray together that we will follow the words of Jesus when he said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples that you love one another.” My recommendation is that we live by this law of love. Let’s do this and gather together to worship, we will be stronger and more unified if we do. 
 

​Happy Father’s Day. It is a good day to reflect on and give thanks for our fathers, those who are still with us as well as those who have gone on. If you had a good father then you were indeed blessed. Over one third of children today have grown up without their biological father in the home. A large percentage of children have neither a father or a father figure. Some have grown up or grew up with an abusive father and for them it might have been better if there was no father in their home.
I’m so thankful for my father. He has now been gone for 24 years but I still miss him greatly. He taught me the importance of faith, family and hard work. From the time I was seven years old I worked an early morning paper route (Tampa Tribune) with my dad. He had over a thousand customers and it was a lot of work to deliver those papers every day. Dad also had a fulltime job selling insurance on a debit route. He taught me the importance of hard work and honesty. He also taught me something important about taking time away and going on vacation. I can count on one hand the number of vacations my family took together while I was growing up. It is for that reason that vacations with my family are so important to me. Finally, and most importantly my dad taught me the value of faith and modeled that by making sure his family was in church. There has never been a season of my life when I wasn’t involved in serving Jesus Christ through His church. I can thank my father for that.
If you didn’t have a good father growing up or never really had a father, I want to remind you that God has promised to be a father to the fatherless. As the current song says, “You’re a good Father, it’s who you, it’s who you are. And I’m loved by you, it’s who I am it’s who I am.” I’m also thankful for my heavenly Father who has always been there for me. He can and will be there for you as well.
Thankful for Godly Fathers,
Pastor Don

​From the Pastor’s Heart:
A New Year is a great opportunity to have a fresh start in so many ways. Some people start an exercise program, join a gym or get active in some way. That’s a great idea but we must remember the Apostle Paul told his son in the faith, Timothy that bodily exercise profits little but that which builds up the spirit lasts forever. So how is your spirit going to be built up in 2020? To have a greater future spiritually then we need to do something to be strengthened spiritually.
The first and most important thing we can do is spend time in God’s presence. We do that through allowing God to speak to us through His word and speaking to Him in prayer. Do you have a daily time when you read God’s Word and communicate with Him through prayer? If not then why not begin a daily habit of getting into the Word of God and prayer every day. I’ve made a practice of this for years and if I miss my time with God then I am attacked by our adversary, the devil. If you read the Bible every day fifteen minutes a day you can read through the Bible in a year. One method I have used is the “One Year Bible” and more recently I’ve used www.youversion.com. It is a free Bible App that you can get on your phone, tablet or computer. There are a number of choices for translations and plans. Will you join me in reading the Bible through in 2020?
Spending time in God’s presence includes corporate worship. How faithful have you been to the fellowship of believers at Calvary Baptist Sedalia? A nationwide poll recently discovered that many people who consider themselves to be faithful church members only attend and average of two Sundays a month. Besides being present, which is vitally important, how are you doing at serving in our church? There are some critical needs right now for bus drivers on Wednesday nights. We have many children and youth that want to come to Calvary Crew and AWANA but they need transportation. Please let Pastor Jonathan know if you can help. These two ministries also need additional workers.
The last thing I want to suggest that we all improve in 2020 is in inviting others to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You may have heard me mention “Whose Your One”? I’ve talked about that because everyone needs to know Jesus and you probably know people that need to know Jesus. Will you pray about and then begin to cultivate a relationship with someone you can bring to Jesus? You might say, “I don’t know how”? That’s fine, we will help you know what to say. We are planning some training events early this year that will help you to be better witness.
I’m excited about the year and decade that we are entering into. It is exciting to serve the Lord at Calvary and I’m so thankful for what He continues to do in and through His people.
Yours for Kingdom Growth,
Pastor Don   
 

Have you given any thought lately to why you are here? I spoke in this blog last month about how life is really worth living. Don't you want to do more than stay alive? Our purpose in life needs to tie into "bringing glory to God". The best way that I know to bring glory to God is to bring people to faith in Christ.
I read a newspaper article today which stated that the number of atheists and agnostics in America are growing at an alarming rate. An atheist is a person that is absolutely convinced that there is no such thing as God. An agnostic is at least a little more honest as their belief is that they just don't know. They aren't certain that God exists so therefore they question whether or not there is a God. An honest agnostic is someone who at least is thinking. The next largest group of people who increasing in number in America are the none's. When they are asked what religious affiliation they have their answer is none. They choose to not affiliate with any religious group.
Perhaps that is not the worse thing in the world but what does it say for all of the churches that are still in business? Does the way that we live our lives and express our faith have no impact on them. Have we actually run some people off from the church by not paying any attention to them or offending them.
I want to challenge you to begin a conversation with someone who doesn't believe as you do. Invite someone who you are pretty sure is not a Christian to join you in a conversation. Invite them over for dinner or out for a meal. Ask them to join you at church for a worship service so that they can share their opinion. What does it hurt to ask?
I'm praying for you to do what you can this week with heaven in mind.
Praying for you,
​Pastor Don

​I read with great sadness just a few weeks ago that a young and promising Associate Pastor of a mega-church in Riverside, California made the decision to kill himself on the evening of Suicide prevention day. This is a very sad thing to realize that depression doesn’t care who you are or what you do. Much has been written in the Christian press about how tragic this unexpected death was. This was a pastor who had committed his life to help people who were struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. He left a wife and two small sons and he was only 30 years old.
I’ve had some battles with depression but never anything that would cause me to take my own life. This guy had so much to live for and because of this darkness that overcame him he decided he couldn’t live anymore. The problem with suicide is that it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. While it ends the immediate suffering for that one person, their family and friends will live with that fatal decision for the rest of their lives.
The question that keeps going through my mind is “why would somebody take their own life?” There are many who are the ones that are left to pick up the pieces, even clean up the mess because their loved one just couldn’t take it any more… If you truly love those who you live with as well as those who love you then you wouldn’t want to put them through such trauma dealing with such a difficult departure of someone that they love.
I’m convinced that the number one reason people resort to this type of action is that they have lost all hope. They may have lost hope in a relationship, someone they thought loved them no longer does. They may have such a great financial need, like a gambling debt where they are in over their heads and they can’t find their way out. At times it could be because of a medical condition that they don’t believe will get any better.
Let me encourage you if you are depressed and having suicidal thoughts, find someone you can talk with, your parents, your siblings, a counselor who is trained in dealing with those who find themselves in a hopeless situation.  Let me challenge you to consider that there is much to live for. If you know Jesus as your Savior & Lord then you have a reason to live in telling other people about Jesus. As long as we have Jesus, we have hope.
The greatest reason to live is to live your life spending time helping somebody else. If we live like our creator God told us to live then life won’t be for us. In his letter to the church at Phillipi, the Apostle Paul wrote, “My earnest expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” These words were spoken in the context of Paul serving God in a hostile situation where Christian martyrdom was a strong possibility. He was saying whatever happens I want to magnify the Lord. His aim and purpose in life was to let others know about the grace of God that was available through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let me encourage you if you are experiencing sadness or depression, in most cases you will get through this difficult time. Trials and tribulations generally only for a season. God has promised to be with us always. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah he promised in chapter 46:3-4 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you and I will rescue you.” No matter what happens when you have faith in the Lord you can be certain God will carry you through. Life and love are worth living to the glory of God. If you need to talk with someone and remain anonymous you can call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8355.
 

Church family I am excited about what God is doing at Calvary. Through our VBS many seeds of the gospel were planted. As a result of this God has given us a harvest of souls. There were six professions of faith Sunday morning and another sister joined our church by statement of faith. This doesn't count the 12 other children who made public decisions for Christ Thursday and Friday night at Bible School. Some will ask the question, "did they really understand it, did they really get save?" Only God knows the answer to this question. We are to be faithful in presenting the gospel of the grace of God and then we need to leave the results to HIM. We will make every effort to follow up each person who makes a decision and to teach them about the security of the believer as well as the significance of baptism.

I want to appeal to all of our members to make them feel welcome and to be present yourself during the summer months. It is during these days that we begin to look for workers for the upcoming church year which begins in September. Please look at, pray about and fill in the volunteer survey soon. They will be in your bulletin the next two Sundays, July 16th and 23rd.

Please pray for me as I will for you and that God would use us for HIS glory.

Blessed,
​Pastor Don

4/17/2019
IT’S ALL ABOUT HOPE
Why do you think more people attend the church of their choice on Easter Sunday than any other weekend of the year? Why do people who hardly ever darken the doors of a church decide on this one Sunday that they are going to make an appearance?
It could be that they are going for a family member, their wife, their mother, their brother or sister. It could be that they are going to try to impress somebody. They might go to church to show off their new Sunday best that they might only wear one time this year. I’m hoping these aren’t the reasons they have chosen to go to church this Sunday.
It is my sincere belief that the reason more people show up on Easter Sunday is because they are looking for hope. Our world is filled with hopeless situations. Some people have no hope that they will get a good job that will meet their families need. Others have no hope that their children will turn out well. For many this Easter they are facing illness themselves or with a family member who doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
Hope, that’s what Easter is all about. It’s not about the bunnies, baskets or spring flowers. It’s not about egg hunts and how precious our children or grandchildren might be. It’s not about trying to impress someone. For the pastors and church staff, it’s not about how big your crowd is this year as opposed to last Easter. It’s all about hope.
The disciples of Jesus, these twelve men, who became eleven after Judas betrayed Jesus had left all that they had to follow Jesus. They left their jobs, their families, their homes and forsook all to follow Him. They watched their Lord and Savior get arrested, beaten and crucified. All that they thought would happen vanished in just 24 hours. The disciples on the road to Emmaus said, “we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” Luke 24:21
What the disciples didn’t understand was that Jesus purpose in coming to earth wasn’t about the here and now, it was about eternity. They wanted a religious leader who would also overthrow the Roman government and deliver them from oppression. Much of what people are hoping for in this world is simply that, of this world. What we hope for in this world will not last. The hope that Jesus promises is not of this world, it is a hope which is eternal.
The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:16-20, “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile (worthless) and you are yet in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable, but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”
The old familiar hymn says it well, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
The question you need to answer this Easter is not whether or not you will show up at church but whether you have made your reservation for heaven. In John chapter 14 Jesus shares the only way anyone can be sure of heaven. “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you.” He then told them “where I am going you know, but Thomas said, “Lord we don’t know where you are going and how can we know the way.” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except by me.” If you want to go to heaven and be in the presence of God forever you must go through Jesus. He is the only one who can give you eternal life. Place your faith in Jesus Christ this Easter and you will have the greatest hope you can ever have. I’d love to help you find this hope, come join us this Sunday at 10:00 am at Calvary Baptist, 1015 W. 16th St. or online at www.calvarybaptistsedalia.org. 

You can have your best year ever in 2019. Here is a summary of my message from 1/30/18.
Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." We must believe that God can do bigger and better things than we ever imagined.

Remember David the shepherd boy who faced the giant. Read I Samuel 17:1-52
We all have giants that we face. Financial, physical, emotional, and then relationships at home, work and school. 

Here are four steps to expecting God's best.

1. Start your day with God's principles. Psalms 5:3, II Timothy 3:16 & 17

2. Saturate your mind with God's word.
Psalms 119:9&11, II Peter 4:5

3. Set your goals according to God's purposes. 
I Samuel 17:46 Believe that God will give you the victory.
I Corinthians 9:25&26 Run the race with purpose to win.

4. Spend your time with God's people. 
Psalms 119:63
Hebrews 10:25
Psalms 37:4
Matthew 9:29

Practical steps - Begin a daily time in God's Word and prayer. Get involved in a small group or Bible Study. Invite one person a week to join you at Calvary.

Remember that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. "Good, better, best, never let it rest til your good be your better and your better be your best."