Revival, part 5

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

God gives us an awesome promise here! If his people (Christians) will humble themselves (accept themselves as they really are before God), seek God’s face (confess our sin), and turn from their wicked ways (repent), then God WILL:

1. Hear from heaven- that means that God will hear our prayers and answer them. There are time when God chooses NOT to hear the prayers of His children!

Isaiah 59:1,2– “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

But, thank God, when we confess our sins and turn from them, God promises that he WILL hear us.

2. Forgive their (our) sin- What a wonderful thing that God forgives our sin! God forgives PERFECTLY- not like people do! How many times have you told someone, “I forgive you” but the next time that you saw that person you immediately thought of the wrong thing that they did to you? God is not like that!

Isaiah 38:17- “In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.” God not only forgives sins, he FORGETS them.

3. Heal their land- you remember when Adam and Eve sinned, the ground was ‘cursed’ because of their sin. God told Adam that he would have to sweat and work to bring food from the ground. Our sins do affect the world we live in- physically, politically, and in every other way.

Some people look to the preacher for help. Many people are looking to John McCain or Barak Obama for the answers, but the truth is that NO man can help us out of the mess we are in- only GOD can do that.

Psalm 103:1-5- “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

God is waiting to hear from us. God is willing to change us.

But- are we willing to spend time with Him and let Him change us?

 

Revival, Part 4

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

We have already seen that revival is for Christians and that we must humble ourselves and seek God’s face to experience revival. But there is one more step- God says, “Turn from your wicked ways.”

What does that mean? Well, there is another word that is used in the Bible that means the same thing. That word is repentance.

Let me tell you what repentance does not mean- repentance is not just being sorry for our sin. Rather true sorrow LEADS to repentance- “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10)

‘Worldly sorrow’ is “I am sorry because I got caught” sorry. That is ‘jailhouse conversion’ sorrow. It does not produce a changed life!

Genuine repentance is what David expressed in Psalm 51 after his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband-

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”(v. 1-4)

1. First, there is personal responsibility for sin. David did not blame Bathsheba for his sin, he blamed HIMSELF. There cannot be real repentance until we take a good, hard look in the mirror and say, “That is the person that is responsible for my sin!”

2. There is a recognition that all sin is an offense against God. We take sin too easily- “Oops, I did it again, Lord- sorry!” Your ( and my) sin is a HORRIBLE thing. God HATES sin. It is so horrible that Jesus died for it!

“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place” (v. 6)

3. A third part of genuine repentance is honesty with God and ourselves. When we truly repent, we “lay it all out”. That means that there is nothing held back, no hidden plans- we just come to God as we are and confess what we are.

“Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.(v. 13-15)

4. The final evidence of genuine repentance is a changed life. When we repent in truth, we will show it by our new actions. Look at Luke 19:1-9, the story of a man named Zacchaeus-

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.””

A changed life involves restitution. ‘Restitution’ means ‘to pay back’. When we have truly repented, we will want to go to people that we have done wrong to and make things right. It is NOT enough to just go and say “I am sorry” to God. He demands that we go and make it right with those people that we have done wrong to. Jesus said, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23,24

I pray that each of us will spend some time with God today, asking Him to search our hearts and show us any sin that is in our lives. And that when He does show us the sin, that we will genuinely repent.

 

Revival, Part 3

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

For revival to come, there must be prayer- not just our regular, “Dear God, please bless me and my family and keep us safe today” prayers, but prayers that seek the face of God.

What does it mean to “seek God’s face”? Let me give you an example from when I was a little boy. I remember that sometimes, when I disobeyed my mother, she would refuse to look at me. I remember one specific time when I did something that embarrassed her in front of a crowd of other people and she pretended that she did not know me. When my mother did that I knew that I was in trouble!

God also turns his face away from us sometimes- when God turns His face from us, we are in trouble!

Look at Ezekiel 39:23,24– “And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.”

David says in Psalm 27:7-9- “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When you said, Seek my face; my heart said unto thee, Your face, LORD, will I seek. Hide not your face far from me; put not your servant away in anger: you have been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

When my mom was mad at me, I knew the only way to get her to look at me again was to say, “I’m sorry” and MEAN IT. (Moms are kind of hard to fool!)

In the same way, when God has turned his face away from us, the only way to see his face again is to go to him humbly and say, “I’m sorry.” And mean it, because God is even harder to fool than mom- as a matter of fact it is IMPOSSIBLE to fool God.

As a Christian, do you humbly desire personal revival?

Seek the face of God today.

 

Revival, Part 2

Again, our verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14- God says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Yesterday, we saw that revival is for Christians. As a child of God, do you desire to be closer to your heavenly Father?

Today, we see that revival requires humility. What is humility? Here are a couple of good definitions:
(Definitions from http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Humility/Humility00.html)

1. Humility is accepting our selves as we really are before God.

2. Freedom from a sense of one’s own importance, with total dependence on God and honest concern for others.

The Bible is very clear that God rejects the proud and accepts the humble- remember the story that Jesus told about the self-righteous (another word for ‘proud’) Pharisee (read Luke 18:9-14)? Remember also what Peter said- “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5,6)

God is looking for people who are broken-hearted- another word for humble. King David said, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Will you take some time today to humble yourself before God? Confess to him your failures, your faults, your sins, your bad attitudes, your pride, and your weaknesses. God KNOWS us- we cannot fool Him. He knows that we need Him and he asks us to come humbly.

Are you a Christian? Revival is for YOU!

And revival is for those who will come and HUMBLE themselves.

 

Revival, Part 1

(Hope you get a blessing from this series on revival that I wrote for our deaf church a few weeks ago.)

The thoughts that I would like to share with you this week will come from 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is God’s response to Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

This morning I would like to focus on the first part of that statement- “If my people, who are called by my name…”

Revival is for God’s people– that is, for Christians. God reserves the promises in this verse for HIS people, they are not promises made to everyone. What does this teach us?

1. We should desire revival. Revival is a renewal of our walk with God. It is a new surrender to God’s desire for our lives. It is a renewing of our commitment to Him.

2. God desires for us to experience revival. The Bible says that God knows our weaknesses, he knows our temptations, he knows that life in this world is not easy. He wants us to come to him and confess our sins and failures so he can fill us with himself.

King David said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng” (Psalm 42:1-4)

To ‘pant’ means ‘ to desire deeply’- it is like a thirsty man wandering in a desert place- he doesn’t want anything but water. When we get to the place where we desire nothing but God, we will have revival.

Let us each ask ourselves, “Do I desire God more than anything else in my life?” If the true answer is no, then we need revival.

 

NC Baptist Deaf Pastors’ Retreat

It has been a week since the Pastor’s Retreat (and a very busy week) but I have an hour before I have to go out so I will try to post some pictures of the wonderful time we had together. Donnie and Irma Wiltshire were, again, wonderful, wonderful hosts (thanks to BSCNC as well) and it is always a blessing to gather, fellowship, pray, worship, and (thanks to the Marsha’s memory) sing together. This conference was also special because two deaf missionaries from Honduras were also with us, Melvin and Wendy.

let me post some pictures:

Kevin, Debbie, Glenda, and Bo

Donnie's Idea of Olympic Competition (Kinna)

Donnie, Irma, and Gena

Mmmm... lunch on Lake Lure

All play and no work makes Jack a difficult report

Melvin and Wendy

Go Fish

You will be missed!

Jerry and Leona Potter will be moving to a little Dutch town in Northern Washington. They will be greatly missed. It was a wonderful blessing to have had fellowship with them once again before they moved.

 

Deaf Missions- how can YOU be involved?

Hello, everyone! Jim Walterhouse here. I want to thank Dale for allowing me the privilege of posting on ‘Silent Matters’.

If you read the post that Dale made about me you will know that our family served as missionaries to the deaf in Mexico for nine years. Although I am now pastor of a deaf work in S. Texas, I am still involved in missions work in Mexico, and our oldest son and his family are now raising support to go to Mexico as missionaries to the deaf also. Missions is a subject that is very close to my heart, especially deaf missions. Without a doubt the greatest mission field in the world is the deaf community.

I want to encourage each of you to consider what your involvement should be in missions work. Not everyone can be a missionary in a foreign country, but everyone should have a part in foreign missions work. Let me share with you some ways that you can be involved in deaf missions:

1. The most important thing that you can do is PRAY FOR YOUR MISSIONARIES! Missionaries are not “SuperChristians”. They have the same aches and pains, the same worries, the same sin problems (!) and they even have to pay their bills like the rest of us do. Their cars break down, they have a ‘fit’ with the wife or husband once in a  while, they get discouraged, and they sometimes want to quit. Yes, missionaries need prayer!

2. Communicate with your missionaries! Get the e-mail or mailing addresses of some of the missionaries to the deaf and write to them. Let them know you are praying for them. Send them a ‘care package’ once in a while (Check with them first! Sometimes they have to pay heavy taxes on packages and it is better to just send them a special offering instead.) I cannot tell you how many times I felt alone and discouraged on the mission field and my day was brightened by one person who took time to write to me and tell me that they were praying for me.

3. Support your missionaries! Encourage your church to be involved in the Lottie Moon offering for missions. Consider special offerings for your missionaries from time to time.

4. Visit the mission field! Nothing will give you a ‘heart for missions’ like a visit to the mission field. Your life will be challenged and your viewpoint on life will be changed by a visit to the deaf missions and churches in other countries. Who knows, maybe God will call YOU to be a missionary to the deaf!

Let me close with this- the question is not ‘if’…, it is not ‘how’…, it is not ‘why’…, but it is WILL you be involved in deaf missions? Jesus said the field is ready for harvest, but the laborers are few. Let’s all do our part to share the Gospel with the deaf of the world.

 

JAARS Deaf Day

On Saturday, our church was went to the JAARS (Jungle Aviation And Radio Service) Deaf Day and it made a wonderful impression on our members and other churches that attended. the JAARS encampment is locted an hour south of uptown Charlotte (where our church is located) in a beautiful dense forest.  This seems ideal for the training JAARS provides for missionaries. For a more thorough history of JAARS, visit this link. We met in the morning and were greeted by around 50 people from several Deaf churches around the city and and had several very interesting messages regarding why JAARS is in existence, but also Wycliffe Bible Translation as well.

The first presentation was on why it is important to use the ‘vernacular language” when ministering to different cultures and this was exactly the same message Aric Randolph gave at the SBCD. “Vernacular language” means “heart language” and I believe that the deaf hearing his (names forthcoming) presentation understood exactly what he meant having lived this everyday.

There was a wonderful skit that morning also demonstrating the burden that missionaries carry when they go to a far-off village and are pushed to quickly translate the Bible into the vernacular language. A young volunteer, Ron Caughman,  came up to act as the missionary called out to a obscure village in Northern Africa to translate the Bible, but he also found that, along with his work as a translator, he would also work as the carpenter, reading teacher, homeschooler, doctor, financer, editor, father of six, and husband. The point of the skit was to show the need for other volunteers to help ease the burden on many missionaries around the world. Ron did a good job in the skit and throughout all the burden he carried, kept copying the translation of the Bible.

Shawn Collins

After the skit, we moved to another building to listen to a presentation by Shawn Collins. This presentation was very interesting because in included a new concept of using technology to create 3D animation to translate the Bible. How the Technology works would take several years of college study, but Shawn explained to us laymen the goal of the program was to create a software that would allow the creation of signing in different sign languages around the world. He explained that there are around 300 to

Dee Collins

400 different signed languages around the world and that this software would provide a safe alternative to using locals on video. Often when locals who speak the vernacular language sign on video, opposing religions would hunt them down and kill them so it is often hard and dangerous using locals to create Bible videos using signs. Everyone really loved this concept and look forward to see the finished product. You can see an example of the work at Shawn’s blog. Shawn and his wife, Dee, are a wonderful asset to our Christian Deaf community in Charlotte and we are so blessed to know them.

After lunch, we all went down to the JAARS hangar to prepare to be boarded onto the helicopter for a thrilling ride (3 at a time). The heat and humidity that day was high, but it did not dampen our spirits. It was also a good time to fellowship. We did not have enough time to tour the museums, but will next time we visit.

From all us here at FBC Charlotte Deaf Mission, many thanks to JAARS, Shawn and Dee, and the interpreters who volunteered their time there. God bless you all.

 

Jim Walterhouse

Let me introduce you to a wonderful brother of mine, Jim Walterhouse. We met on the Baptist Board several years ago where Jim was a regular contributor and clicked right off. We have been prayer partners from afar over the few years and finally last month met at the SBCD in St. Louis. It was wonderful finally meeting him in person. I asked him if he would like to be a contributor to Silent Matters and he agreed. Let me me take his “About” information from his website Deaf4Christ.org:

The Walterhouses

About us – Let me begin by introducing you to our family. Jim (that’s me) is tall, dark, and handsome. Well, two out of three isn’t too bad- I’ll let you guess which two! I was born in Indiana and graduated from Tennessee Temple University in 1982. My wife Debbie is a Georgia peach. We met at Temple and got married in 1979. We have two sons, Jonathan and Joshua. Jonathan is married to Michelle and they currently reside in Tennessee while on deputation as missionaries to Mexico. They are also parents of our first grandchild- Jaiden Paul. Joshua is still living at home with us. He is in 12th grade in our home schooling program, and plans to attend Bible college next year.

About our ministry in Mexico – After working with the deaf (starting deaf ministries in churches) in the USA for 15 years, in November of 1997 the Lord saw fit to call us to work with the deaf in Mexico. In January of 1999, we arrived on the field to attend language school in Saltillo. In November of that same year, we moved to Tampico and began the ministry of Iglesia Bautista ‘El Faro’ para sordos (Lighthouse Baptist Church for the deaf). We also have a mission church to the deaf in the city of Ciudad Mante, teach a class on Mexican Sign Language (LSM) to the students in the Baptist Bible Institute in Mante, and direct a camp for the deaf every summer.

About our people – There are anywhere between 6-7 million deaf in Mexico. The majority of them have very little education, and thus very little hope for decent employment. Many live with family and are completely dependent upon others for their subsistence. But that is not their biggest problem. Their biggest problem is the lack of knowledge of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. In all of Mexico there are very few Gospel preaching churches with an outreach to the deaf, only about 7 Baptist churches for the deaf, and less than 20 independent Baptist missionaries to the deaf (including their families). Truly this is a field ‘white unto the harvest.’

Jim was called a few months ago to pastor the Deaf Ministry at the McAllen Baptist Temple in McAllen, Texas but he still sneaks across the border to cast the gospel net whenever he has the chance. Last week he went to a camp there and reports 109 came with 7 accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior. Now he is hopping the Rio Grande once again to help start a new Deaf ministry in Reynosa, Mexico. Pray for his ministry and welcome him to Silent Matters!

 

JAARS Saturday

This Saturday Charlotte Deaf Mission will be going down Waxhaw, NC to visit and tour JAARS (Jungle Aviation And Radio Service). For those who are riding on the church bus, meet me in the back church parking lot at 8:00am. We leave at 8:15 or “train gone.” For those of you who are driving on your own, here are Dee’s directions:

I am really looking forward to JAARS day next Saturday!

Here are the directions to JAARS from I485 and Providence Road.

I485 and NC-16/Providence Road (10.2 miles)

Turn Left at E S Main st/NC 75/Providence Road/Waxhaw HWY (Railroad tracks)

Continue to follow Providence Road S (2.1 miles)

Across from the Petro Gas keep to the right-stay on Providence Road S

This also says it’s Old Waxhaw Road

Turn right to stay on Providence Road S.

There is a white furniture store sign (0.4 miles)

Turn Right at Davis Road  (2.9 miles)

Please meet in the Townsend Building (which is labeled) in the coffee shop

Wear comfortable walking shoes

There will be things for children to do as well

If you are wondering about the schedule, here it is:

9:15am: Arrival (Briefing for Interpreters) Meet in the Townsend Building Coffee Shop (signs are posted)

9:15-9:50am: Coffee Shop, Chatting;

Dee needs full count of people staying for lunch to inform cafeteria

10:00am: Auditorium; Welcome, Prayer & Announcements by Arthur Lightbody

10:02-10:17: Vision Talk by Phil Baer

10:18-10:23: Video presentation from “For such a Time as This”

10:24-10:40: Skit with Katy and Ken

10:40am: Dismissal to LSC Building across street

10:45-11:00am: LSC Building; sign language software project by Shawn Collins

11:00am-11:30am: Walk over to Aviation; Helio demo at hanger; air presentation

11:35-12:15am: VMS presentation back at Townsend Building; VMS Room; by Phil Baer

12:15pm-1:30pm: Lunch in Cafeteria

Choice of Pizza or Potato Bar*

1:30pm: RIDES: helicopter, small plane or 4-Wheel Drive and small Plane ride

(Each ride is about ½ hour)*

After Rides, groups are free to stay and tour other departments or museums on own

*Dee will need an exact count of rides by 9:45am, day of event.

JAARS will stay open until 4:00pm

*Lunch in Cafeteria $5.00

*Helicopter rides ($20.00), 4-Wheel & small plane rides ($18.00)