Tuesday, August 31, 2010

SOME GREAT PREACHERS!

Recently I've had several opportunities to hear some really great preaching!

Pastor Fredrick L. Fairley Sr. recently hosted what he calls the S.T.P. Bible conference at his church, Berean Church in Phoenix Arizona.

The special guest preachers and facilitators were Rev., Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr., from Phoenix, AZ.; Rev., Dr. Jerry Carter from Morristown New Jersey; Rev., Dr. Emil M. Thomas, from Washington, D.C.; and Rev. Welton Pleasant from Long Beach, CA. Host Pastor Fairley also preached over the weekend and I was blessed to teach a session on Bible Interpretation.

The preaching and teaching over the weekend were wonderful. While Dr. Emil Thomas has preached at Canaan several times, his preaching this weekend once again was refreshing and challenging. He preached a sermon titled: Dig A Ditch! My, my, my. I was really challenged on a personal level to "dig a ditch"... that is make an investment, deposit and plan for my blessing in The LORD. Thank you Pastor Thomas

Due to a meeting I had at Canaan on Saturday, I was unable to stay and hear Pastor Jerry Carter. However, I heard The Lord used him in great ways as well. He is a well known preacher and teacher of The Gospel.

It goest without saying that Dr. Stewart, Pastor Welton Pleasant and Pastor Fredrick Fairley all came prepared and ready to share as well.

Thank you Jesus for Gospel preachers and teachers.

agape,
pastor fort

It's Been A Minute Since My Last Post... I'm Still Grateful To God!

Friday, August 6, 2010

CMBC MARRIAGE RETREAT 2010 PRE-CONFERENCE NOTE!

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
-Genesis 1:26-28

This Scripture is but one of many Bible verses that speak to and about marriage. Even though it is becoming increasingly popular to live together without the benefit and blessing of marriage, The Word of God is clear... marriage is God's doing.

Please join me in prayer for the couple's of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church who are participating in this years Marriage Retreat. We will be at the beautiful Prescott Resort in Prescott Arizona. Various couples from our church will be leading our discussions on a variety topics that are relevant to Christian marriage.

My prayer for Christian couples everywhere is that we will honor God by living out what His Word teaches us about marriage. I pray that our witness will be both verbal and non-verbal. That we will witness with our walk as well as our talk. I pray that Christian couples would encourage one another, ... "hang out" with one another and learn to love, serve and sacrifice as Jesus Christ does.

Pray for our safe passage to and from Prescott Arizona. Pray for the leaders of our Couple's Ministry, Bro. Daryl and Sis. Jennifer Dorsey. They've worked hard to plan a memorable time for us all with Jesus Christ at the center of our weekend.


Agape,
Pastor Fort

Monday, August 2, 2010

Preaching In Tucson Arizona - Calling A Pastor

On Sunday, August 22, 2010 I was blessed with the wonderful opportunity to preach at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Tucson Arizona. I've been honored to preach at this a number of times over the past several years. The congregation is sincere and the people are special.

The church does not have a pastor right now. In fact, November 2009 marked the completion of their first year without a pastor. For those of you who are believers in Jesus Christ please pray with and for the Mount Calvary B.C. family that they will soon have the pastor that GOD has chosen for them.

That said, I am convinced that many of our churches, baptist church in particular do not use a Biblical model in "calling" a pastor. I've been brooding over this for some now. Most recently I've had several conversations with my pastor and another preacher friend who I respect about the matter.

We seem to forget that the church is a THEOcracy. Not a democracy. That is to say the church is GOD-driven and GOD governed. I fear that sometime we mess up what God has planned by entering into a democratic, secular driven process to call a pastor.

We certainly will do well with focusing more on prayer and seeking God's direction where this matter is concerned.

Mount Calvary B.C., in Tucson Arizona is a church that has nothing but an "Up" side as far as I can tell. I am praying with and for them that The GOD's will is done there. I commend them on having several pastors to come and declare The Word of God to them. I was honored to be in that number this time around.

Safe in CHRIST,
Sherman J. Fort