The Macedonian Call 2012 Version

Dear Friends,

For pastors and churches, the call for help is a not a new call.  It seems like we are always being asked to help someone, some church, or some para-church organization or program.  It is to the point that when we do get a call to help, we many times do not give it as much consideration because we cannot help everyone. Most of the time, we are stretched to the breaking point as it is.  But lest we forget, our mission is to help and that all starts with the local church.  One of the Bible commands to help is found in Galatians 6:10, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."  I believe many churches are missing greater blessings because we are not doing what we can to help others. Instead, we tend to concentrate most of our resources almost exclusively on our own needs as a church, and others are left fending for themselves.  When it comes to church planting and helping young churches, I have wanted to do more as a pastor.  This year when Hurricane Sandy struck the North East, I asked our church to help young churches specifically; and for God’s glory, we were able to do that as well as an help an established work.  Now another need of a young church has come to my attention, and I want to lead our church in helping them.  But I want to do more for them by asking you to help as well.  The following letter is from Pastor Barnabus Schwanke of the Faithway Baptist Church in Lowden County, Virginia.  Although I am not a close personal friend, I have preached for Bro. Schwanke, seen his work, felt his heartbeat for the ministry, and feel compelled to help him as this great opportunity has presented itself.  The following letter explains the opportunity, and I would like to challenge my preacher friends to take an offering to try to help this young church establish itself in the spiritually needy area of Northern Virginia.  Please feel free to contact me or Bro. Schwanke directly for more information.  Our church is going to take a love offering and send a minimum of $1,000 to help them reach their goal.  Maybe you can do more or perhaps not as much, but I know if all of us did something this would not be a difficult goal to reach.  I have counseled Bro. Schwanke that Faithway needs to bear the brunt of this load as a local church, but we certainly can come along side and help them for the glory of Christ.  Please read the following letter from him and prayerfully consider what you or your church can do.  We talk of joining together for the cause of Christ, now lets put our talk into action by helping this young church plant!

Thank you,

Bro. Brent

Greetings!

In March of 2008, Faithway Baptist Church was born for the Glory of God. Since then, we have seen many people saved, baptized, and added to His Church. What God has done in restoring lives and mending broken hearts the past four years is truly miraculous. In 2012, we have been averaging about 85 people for Sunday attendance despite meeting in three different locations throughout the week for services.

The Realities of Church Planting: For the past five years, we have been praying for God to give us a permanent place to call home. Since Loudoun County is one of the most expensive places in America to buy real estate, the dream of having our own church building has seemed impossible until now. As our church grew, we spent over $150,000 renting various churches and schools, further evidence we desperately need a church building to call home.

A Gift from God: After waiting the Lord’s timing, He has provided an amazing opportunity we KNOW is from Him. We were recently notified that we had received the commitment of a $450,000 interest-free loan to aid in the purchase of Faithway Baptist Church’s first permanent facility and we are praising the Lord!

The Search for a Church Home: We immediately went to work trying to find property that we could purchase for $450,000 and quickly realized nothing in that budget within Loudoun County that could accommodate our church. Subsequently, however, the Lord led us to some industrial–flex space warehouse units for sale in a prime location. Amazingly, if we landed this location, there would be an estimated 50,000 cars that would drive by our church sign every day!

The only contingency for receiving the $450,000 gift is for our church to remain debt-free. Although we are able to purchase this building for the amount given to us, we will not be able to adequately build-it-out and turn it into a church with the savings we currently have in the bank. In researching the cost of the buildout, it was established we would need a further investment of approximately $250,000. Over the past five years, God has allowed our church to save $55,000 in our "Vision Fund” and is committed to giving an additional over the next three months towards this project.

We need your help: Our Faithway Family has prayerfully committed giving almost $100,000 in order to make this dream a reality, but we still covet your help and partnership in the following ways:

Finances: We need to raise $100,000 for the buildout costs by the time we close on February 15th.

Labor: We are praying that God will allow us to occupy the space by the first Sunday of June and consequently would need help with construction.

Prayer: Please pray for the many logistical and technical details that need to be worked out as Satan would like nothing better than to hinder the Lord’s light from from shining here in Loudoun County,Virginia.

Our vision is to hold our first service in the new facility on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013 to coincide with the celebration of our fifth anniversary. Though plans are tentative and dependent upon the Lord answering every prayer, we firmly believe that we are headed in the direction of His will. Should God lay it upon your heart to partner with us as we cross the Jordan and journey to the promised land of our first building, we rejoice greatly because the time is NOW!! We look forward to seeing God’s hand continue to move as we press forward towards the future in honoring and serving Him.

Serving Him,

-Pastor Barnabas Schwanke

A Letter From A Pastor To His People

Dear Church Family and Friends,                                                                                    October 31, 2012

I trust this letter finds you well! I am sitting in Pettit Goave, Haiti catching the rainfall from Hurricane Sandy. Because we cannot go out, I have spent much time reading, meditating, and praying these last few days! What a wonderful thing to do and yet so hard to do in our busy world! I have been thinking about our church, our nation, and our mission. I would like to address each one of these areas with you for just a moment.

Our Church

Community Bible Baptist Church exists in order to bring people to Jesus Christ and teach them to follow Christ. This is our mission statement. I am very pleased with how far we have come over the last three years together and firmly believe God is positioning us for the future. To be honest, I have questioned that over the last few months but have sensed God's clear hand of confirmation on me over the last few days.  The tremendous building offering, the love offering for Hope Children's Home, the decisions that have been made, the strength of FBI, the growth of RU and discipleship, and other factors have shown me how much the Lord is doing in this place.  Our regular giving has been consistent and strong, and we have operated within our budget except for the occasional unforeseen occurrence.  I have also spent the last month evaluating our staff, leadership, policies, and our procedures.  In doing so, I am encouraged with what I have found as well as enlightened in some areas that need to be addressed.  As a result, in the upcoming months you will notice changes in responsibilities as well as changes in our procedures.  Overall, I am confident in what God is doing at Community and feel that we are about to see God do greater things in the days to come. As in all churches, some members are locked in and committed while others stand idly by. But for the most part there is a strong group of committed believers in our congregation who want to do something for the Lord! I am honored to pastor and lead such a people!

Our Nation

On November 6, our country will cast one of the greatest votes in her history.  Before you get upset about me saying something about politics, know that over the last several weeks the Lord has clearly directed me in this.  If you read the history of Germany in the 1930s, you will find many German pastors who said and did nothing until it was too late! I am afraid America will duplicate this great tragedy if we do not speak out as pastors! In our own Revolutionary War, it was the Black Robed Regiment Pastors who spoke openly and freely against the policies of England. Their boldness to stand for truth caused the British leaders to fear!  We must vote against bad policies as much as we must vote for good policies! President Obama stands for abortion on demand as the law of the land. Governor Romney, while not as strong on the issue as we would like, has said he is against abortion. Therefore we must vote against bad policy. The next president may have the chance to appoint two or three members to the Supreme Court. We have the opportunity to at least get Roe vs. Wade struck down and bring it back to the stairs of the Supreme Court to decide. We could work to enlighten voters of the murderous truth to abortion. But as long as it is not decided by the people on a vote, millions of children continue to die.  This President stands for marriage of homosexuals; Mr. Romney stands against it. The home is the first institution God ordained. From there, we have government and the church. If the home continues to be weakened, soon the government and the church will cease as we know them! In America, your sexuality is your choice under current law; but we should not be forced to accept something as right that the Bible plainly declares as wrong! Never before has a society survived legitimized homosexuality, and America will not either. This President refuses to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; Mr. Romney does. This President will not travel to Israel nor meet with her Prime Minister. Yet members of the Muslim Brotherhood have almost open access to the White House. Any nation in history that has rejected Israel has been rejected by God. This President has left Israel to fend for herself while he gives aid and comfort to her enemies. We must stand with Israel; and this President has made it clear he would rather appear on television with David Letterman than meet with our most important ally in the region. The first responsibility of any President is the protection of our people. This President has failed us on the border with "The Fast and Furious" arms fiasco as well as in the murder of four of our countrymen in Bengazi that he called "not optimal". This President is not only a failure but a danger to our country. The morale and strength of our military is at a low approaching the depths of the Carter years in the late 1970s. We cannot afford four more years of this President with the constant terrorist threat we now face. Economically, this President's plan is to redistribute money from earners to give to those who do not earn.  Nowhere, at any time, has it ever been successful to take people's desire to work and earn away. The Bible is clear on the value and necessity of honest labor. The welfare state this President envisions with his Obamacare is a nightmare of European Socialism. All of this is taking place as Greece, Spain, and the European Union as a whole collapses under a similar system. The free market is the best and overall successful form of economy in the world, and this President is set on destroying it with taxes and unnecessary regulations.  For there to be a financial future we cannot have four more years of this President. Mr. Romney is a problem solver and understands how our economy works! When Communist and Socialist leaders such as Putin, Chavez, and Castro support this President you must see he is more like them than he would want you to believe.  My final thought on this is that another four years of the policies of this administration are going to directly affect the church and the ministry of the Gospel. We are already seeing it now with the Health Care Mandate, but I promise you the liberals have targeted the message and ministry of the church. I urge you to vote on or before November 6th and vote out the policies that are destroying this nation.

Our Mission

Our mission as a church is clearer now to me than ever before! We are to be witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in our communities and around the world. We ourselves must be witnesses, and then we must give ourselves to the training and sending of others! I want to see Community become a vibrant training ground of devout fundamental theology, while at the same time, seeing that theology demonstrated in daily living! I envision young men and women training with us and being sent out by us for the work of Christ around the globe.  We will start in our nurseries, continue through our Sunday Schools, and finish with our institutes and mentoring programs. Single Vision is going to become a force for God that He is going to use to turn the world upside down before His coming! I am confident in this as the Lord has given me new vision and clarity for our work! I pray that you will commit to pray and be part of what God is going to do in, and for this place, for His praise, honor, and glory!

For Jesus Sake,

Preacher

ENGAGE!

Do you remember the TV show Star Trek? Captain Kirk would have them set the course and then give the command, "Engage", and off they would go through space?  Well the course has been set and it is time for the Church to ENGAGE!

The course was set by Christ in his admonition to the believer in Matthew 5:13, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Salt is both aseptic and antiseptic.  It prevents and heals which is just what our country needs.  We need to prevent the further decay of truth and heal that which has already been defiled.  The first part of the verse tells us what we are, but the second part of the verse asks the question, “ what good is salt if it is no longer salty?”  Or another way to ask it is, “what do you do with salt that is no good?’  The answer is, you throw it out.  If we are not making a difference in our world for the cause of Christ and for Biblical truth, we have forfeited our right to exist.  Christian we must engage!  Not just in this election cycle but all the time.  Biblical principles of life, the home, work ethic, strong defense, and fiscal conservatism are Biblically based and sound principles.  We must engage in the process in order to educate our people. 

Sixty million evangelical Christians did not vote in the last election!  Sixty million would have been enough to turn the election, but for whatever reason, they disengaged instead of engaging!  Pastor, we need to stick to the gospel, not politics!  I AGREE with sticking to the Gospel! It is our only message.  The death, burial and resurrection of Christ!  If Christ did not rise from the dead there is no message!  But politics is the vehicle we have to protect our rights and opportunities to share that message.  Freedom of speech, money for missions and ministry, the rights we have in America, and the opportunities we have to pursue those rights allow us to be the gospel sending nation for the rest of the world.  If we lose our America, we lose our ability to impact the world for the cause of Christ! 

Engage pastor, engage Christian!  Let me give you several simple truths to educate and engage with!

1.       The Biblical issue of life is not up for negotiation.  God gives life and abortion is taking life, end of story.

2.       The Biblical institution of marriage is not up for negotiation! Male and female God created them and then gave them the ability to reproduce.  Any relationship outside of a man and woman in marriage is wrong.

3.       The Biblical roles of the home, the government, and the church are settled.  The home is the primary institution, and the government is not to intrude.  It does not take a state to raise a child, it takes parents.  The church is God’s institution spiritually for this age and is not to be dictated to by the government.  The government is to protect the people, while the home and the church are to provide for their other needs.

4.       Fiscal conservatism is a Bible principle.  Do not spend more than you make.  Save your money.  Do not go into debt.  God teaches the believer these principle in both the Old and New Testament.

5.       Israel is to be blessed by other nations.  God is not done with Israel.  At the conclusion of the church age, Israel will again be front and center of God’s attention and affection.  Our relationship with Israel is a critical issue for God’s blessing.  (Apart from the Biblical admonition to bless Israel it is wise to be an ally to your ally regardless.  Israel is the only real ally we have in that region of the world.)

6.       Less government, not more government, less tax, not more, and less regulation, not more, are always the better way.  Even in the Old Testament God did not intend Israel to ever have a king, but granted her wish for a king, while warning that a king would “tax” them to death.  Taking their materials, their children, and their future.  That is exactly what happened to Israel and what has happened to us. 

7.       Government is not God.  We are to look to God for our needs, not to man.  Too many have turned to social or government programs for their needs, and not to the Lord.  We have created a paradigm of dependence on government, and not God.

There are so many more clear Biblical principles that we must take strong stands on and engage with.  If you fail to educate and engage your people, you may find yourself in a few months unable to do anything about it.  Here is a final thought to leave you with.  Socialist/communist nations are not sending missionaries to us, we are sending missionaries to them.  We must protect what God has given us at home so that we can continue to make a difference here and abroad.  Engage!

Your Invited to Join the Friends of Brent Fellowship

Dear Friends of Brent Fellowship,

                Friends of Brent Fellowship is for myself and others who find themselves in the same place I do.  That place is somewhere in the middle of a very crazy and confused spiritual landscape.  Now before I opine let me say there are three wonderful things the last fourteen months have taught me as I have wrestled with the issue of fitting in.  First is a greater love and appreciation for my Savior.  In all of my wrestling with issues, personalities, and problems I have come to love Jesus more now than ever because Jesus never fails; and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Any problem I have faced has been well worth it because it has forced me to prayer and drawn me closer to Him!  Secondly, these months have taught me to appreciate and respect the local church above friend, institution, movement, fellowship, or any other conveyance man has authored.  I love my school and others like her.  I love our fellowship and movement, but I love my local church! It is here that God works on and through me more than anywhere else.  I love the brethren, but the brethren’s decisions do not affect me or my local church ministry.  Therefore, my love and appreciation for my local assembly has grown immeasurably.  Thirdly, these last fourteen months have given me a greater love for my Bible.  The inspired, preserved, Word of God is my constant and consistent source of wisdom and strength.  I have learned to pay more attention to the Bible than what men say about the Bible.  The Bible is our final authority not a man, book, or institution.  We should carefully study it before we make any statement about any subject. 

Our First Annual Fellowship Meeting

                Friends of Brent Fellowship is a simple fellowship started because I find myself loving a lot of people who don’t always love each other.  I am in the middle of some weird relationship dynamics.  I love some far right wing zealots, and I love some guys who would consider themselves far more moderate.  I love the Independent Baptist world I am a part of, and I also have some dear Southern Baptist friends.  (I also have some United Pentecostal friends but don’t tell anyone!)  Some of my friends would not sign the Bible of young man if they saw the name of some of my other friends in it. So where do I belong?  I don’t, so I have formed the Friends of Brent Fellowship.  The rules for my fellowship are fairly simple because I am fairly simple.  They are:

1.       I am the President for Life of the board of directors for the Friends of Brent Fellowship, as well as the board of directors itself.  All members of the fellowship are approved or disapproved by me.

This way I can pick and choose who I want to fellowship with, or who I don’t want to fellowship with based on our friendship alone.  I do not care who you are, where you went to school at, what your board is, or who your other friends are.  If you are my friend, it is enough to be in my fellowship.

2.       Who we allow in our fellowship with us does not depend on who you fellowship with outside our fellowship.

This way I can demonstrate Christian liberty by not forcing you to practice secondary separation.  I have friends in the militant right wing of the family and in the moderate wing of the family.  I disagree with both of them on many issues, but it’s my decisions not yours.  So they are in my fellowship.  I have friends to the right of me, friends to the left of me, but still friends. Do not bash either one.

3.       Our doctrinal position is the Word of God itself.  Personal preferences are not considered as a basis for fellowship.   You can be different with me on some things and still be in the fellowship.

In our fellowship, you are allowed to like Southern Gospel Music or not; the choice is yours.  Of course, if you speak against Southern Gospel, Bluegrass especially, you will have to see the president for a review of membership.  We believe every soul has liberty to follow the Holy Spirit’s leadership.  

4.       No god makers or kingdom builders are allowed in our fellowship.  We have one God, one Son, and one Holy Spirit; you are not any of them.

Our fellowship allows us to appreciate good men, their ministries, what they have done, and what they are doing without exalting them to an unbiblical position of authority.  Good men have huge egos and flaws like everyone else.  The closer you get to them, the more you will notice them.  We can love and appreciate you without worshiping you.  Plus when we learn of your failures, we will not have to throw you out of the fellowship but simply realize God uses messy people to do great things.

5.       Our fellowship will only meet for a purpose.  We are not going to get together for the sake of showing off our new buildings, getting you to financially support our schools, fight straw men, or beat dead horses.

We come together for encouragement, evangelism, teaching, training, starting churches, etc.  We do not meet to discuss old issues, men’s failures, or why we are the only ones right and everyone else is wrong.  We spend a lot of time preaching Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and encourage each other to do the same.

6.       Our fellowship will respect the heritage we have been given, honor the gray hairs of wisdom but will not discount the energy and excitement of those with the dew of youth still on their brow.

We love our Fundamental heritage and will do all we can to promote, protect, and pass it down.  Although we will not make gods of flawed men, we will learn from them and appreciate the trail they cut so that we can be where we are.  At the same time, we will not discount new ideas and new technology but will instead intertwine them with the tried and true methods and message we have been given.  We will not curse new technology as evil simply because it is new and makes us have to leave our comfort zone.

7.       Our fellowship will love songs based on their message not their age. 

Old songs are not automatically good, and new songs are not always evil.  The content and delivery of a song is the issue not when it was written.  Hymns will always be the core part of our worship, but we will seek to teach new songs along the way in order to hopefully inspire others to use their gifts and talents for the Lord as well as to worship Him in every way possible.

8.       If you criticize another member of the fellowship, that is fine as long as it is his position you criticize not his person, and as long as you do it personally. 

If there is a sin problem, we do not discuss it; but we seek to restore or report it to the proper authorities as necessary.  We can and will disagree with people, but we can always be Christian about it.  If you have a problem with someone else, keep it with that person. My fellowship with you does not need to be affected by your problem with someone else. 

9.       Our fellowship will go to whatever meetings we want and support whatever colleges we want.

We do not believe that only one meeting or one college fits every need for every person.  Go to the West Coast, East Coast, North, South, Middle, or out of the country if it is what God leads for your life and ministry.  We have several colleges and conferences that we love and support and thank God for each unique part they play.

10.   We will not kick you out of our fellowship because you kick us out of yours.

I choose you to be in my fellowship, you do not choose me.  Therefore, whether you want to be or not, if I want you to be, you are in our fellowship.  I have learned to love people and thank God for them even when they no longer seem to love or thank God for me.  It is the best love when it is given freely whether reciprocated or not.

Welcome to My Fellowship!