THANK YOU LORD!

Recently I've had the opportunity to preach for two wonderful brothers.

The first, Rev., Dr. David L. Wade, Pastor of the historic Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Mesa Arizona. I've had the distinct pleasure of knowing this gregarious, generous, giving Pastor since he first arrived in Arizona a few short years ago.

Pastor Wade was scheduled to go out of town on preaching business and asked me to come and share The WORD of GOD with his people at Mt. Calvary. I'm thankful that The LORD gave me clearance to leave my Canaan familly and preach at Mt. Calvary that Sunday ... particularly since Pastor Wade and I pastor different churches in the same city. In truth, our churches are just a few miles apart.

The Calvary Church family proved to be welcoming, warm and friendly. The service was vibrant. The choir (yes, I said choir... not praise team); sang one of my favorite gospel songs from bygone years. Namely, "Uncloudy Day". Dr. Wade's associate Minister and Deacons were kind as well.

It is my prayer that our God was pleased with my attempt at preaching His WORD to His people (those Dr. Wade calls "the sweet members" of Calvary.

I thank my God for this preaching privilege.

Most recently, just last week in fact, I was blessed with another wonderful preaching opportunity. Believe it or not, I preached for the inimitable Rev., Dr. Emil M. Thomas.

Pastor Thomas serves as Pastor of Destiny Church in the Washington DC/Baltimore Maryland area. WOW! What an experience. When it comes to Dr. Thomas it has been my distinct pleasure and privilege to know him for better than twenty five years now. When I was a much younger preacher he allowed Pastor Fredrick L. Fairley, Pastor Thomas E. Fisher, myself and so many other
"young preachers" to preach at the Jerusalem Baptist Church, in Palo Alto California- during his tenure their as Senior Pastor.

Not long after I began serving as Pastor of Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Thomas preached at CMBC. And, since that time he has become a favorite of both Pastor and people. In fact, Pastor Thomas has now exceeded my friend and brother Rev. Fredrick L. Fairley Sr., as the preacher who has preached most often at CMBC. I believe he's conducted our Annual Church Revival for five years in a row. And, if The LORD says the same he will join Pastor Louis B. Jones II, one Sunday in January 2010 as our special guest lecturer that day.

Let me get back to the point. Pastor Thomas allowed me the privilege of preaching for him last week at Destiny Church. His church is alive, vibrant, kind, friendly, warm and welcoming! The music provided by the Male Chorus was excellent! Not only was Bro. Jones on point with both playing and singing, it was The Holy Spirit active in these men that took service to another level.

And, in spite of Pastor Thomas telling a joke about the Washington Redskins football team, the men presented him with an authentic Philadelphia Eagles/Michael Vick Jersey. They gave him the real thing. The men remembered his making reference to the jersey some time earlier and gave it to him on this their first Annual Men's Day.

Again, I hope The LORD was pleased with my effort to preach His WORD at Destiny church.

Thank you Pastor Wade. Thank you Pastor Thomas.

THANK YOU LORD!

Grateful,
Sherman J. Fort

Marriage Matters!

I recently heard Dr. Ralph D. West (quickly becoming one of my favorite preachers); refer to an article written in the 1920's in a Harper & Rowe Magazine titled: "What's The Matter With Preaching?"

I think of that reference now, the couples ministry at our Church prepare for our next Couple's Fellowship- and I ask myself quietly... "What's The Matter With Marriage?"

Now, before you think too much into this. Two things immediately come to mind here. 1) Marriage in fact matters! 2) In our modern world, marriage is suffering.

This quick blog is not about laying blame for any negative views on marriage at the feed of any person or group. I'm just thinking out loud. Marriage matters! It matters so much to our God that marriage is His idea. God officiated over the very first marriage between Adam and Eve.

It's in marriage and the confines of the Christian family that our God has chosen to build the weight and worth of a society and culture.

Marriage is a merger of two people... a husband (or house-band); and a wife (or help-meet). But Christian marriage is more than the merging of two, it's the merging of three into one. That is to say, marriage is about a Christian man and woman loving Jesus Christ and growing closer to Him and one another at the same time.

Without question, one of the best images I've seen of a Christian marriage is that of a triangle. Go ahead, draw one on a piece of paper. Now, write the word JESUS at the top of the triangle. Now, write the words "husband" and "wife" at each corner at the bottom of the triangle. Go ahead do it. It'll only take a moment or two.

Now, draw a line pointing from the word husband to the top of the triangle where the word JESUS is. Do the same with the word wife on the other side of the triangle.

There you have it. Marriage at its best is a husband and wife each striving to fall in love with Jesus Christ, grow closer to Him, become more like Him... and in the process they grow closer to one another. Eventually meeting at the top where Jesus is.

There is an off chance that a married member of CMBC may read this particular blog this week. If so, join the CMBC marriage ministry this Saturday, October 3, 2009 for a great time of fun, food and faith sharing with one another. We have a fine and faithful couple, Darryl and Jennifer Dorsey who lead our Couples Ministry. They, along with our other couples will be glad to have you join us.

Keep believing in marriage. It matters!

Safe in CHRIST,
Sherman J. Fort

Thankful for preaching opportunity!

I was honored just a few weeks ago by Rev. Ottley Holmes and the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Mesa Arizona. Pastor Holmes and his church family invited me to be the guest speaker at one of the Pastor Appreciation Service's this year.

The afternoon celebration took place a few Sunday afternoon's ago. Several guest churches were invited and shared in song. A number of preachers and pastors were present as well. Including at least two associate ministers from Canaan Missionary Baptist Church.

I attempted to preach a sermon titled: How To Treat The Pastor. The text was First Timothy 5:17 & 18. Again, I wanted to be short, considering it was an afternoon program and one with several guests no less. Also, once again, I'm making an attempt to deal with smaller sections of Scripture in my hope to be more thorough.

I'm thankful for The Lord blessing me in spite of myself. I still need to work on my "close". I have a personal conviction about always closing every message with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's not what I'm talking about here however, now I'm just talking about style and flavor in closing. Any way, that's not what I wanted to write about.

I really wanted to say that I'm grateful to Pastor Ottley Holmes for the invitation and I'm encouraged when I see churches encouraging their Pastor with words and gifts of thanksgiving and appreciation for a job well done. Indeed, the pastor who "rules well"; especially those who "labor in preaching and teaching" are worthy of "double honor".

While I haven't heard Pastor Holmes preach every Sunday morning, I'm convinced he's a solid Bible preacher. In fact, he hosts a weekly radio show on one of our local AM stations here in the valley of the sun. I'd encourage you to check him out when you have the chance. I listened to part of a broadcast recently, he was teaching from the book of Acts.

If you're interested you can check him out online. Their church website address is: www.smbcmesa.org

May our God continue to bless us with preachers and pastors who preach The gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for the opportunity to preach The Word at Shiloh M.B.C. pastor Holmes.

Preaching The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a privilege, it is a responsibility. Thank you Jesus. Please make me the preacher You want me to be.

Shalom,
Pastor Fort

Joy ... No Matter What!

Four Sundays ago I began a new sermon series in the book of Philippians.

It's been a wonderful journey so far.

I titled the first sermon: Joy And The Single Life. In this message I attempted to set up the context of the book and emphasis the Apostle Paul's repeated use of the words "all" and "my" in the opening verses. I wanted to communicate the fact that Paul was inclusive in his addressing "all the Saints with a particular emphasis on the fact that he ultimately had a single goal in mind.

Consequently, joy can be the reality of every beliver when we seek a single focus on The Lord Jesus Christ, His will, Word and way in our lives.

I titled the second sermon: Paul's Prayer for his People". The text here was Philippians 1:3-6. In this sermon I talked about being thankful, being thoughtful and closed on the fact that our God is thorough. A quick look at the passage reveals this simple but profound outline.

I titled the third sermon: Paul's Prayer for his People Part 2... Abounding Love. The text for this sermon was Philippians 1:7-11. In this message I tried to emphasize the matter of affection, association, abounding love and approving those things which are "excellent".

It's friday night now and Sunday morning will be here soon. I'm looking forward to it too. And what a great passage of Scripture Philippians 1:12-17 is. I don't know that I'll be able to cover all of those verses this week. I've made a commitment lately to focus on smaller pieces of Scripture. This is for two reasons. First, there's just so much in each verse that it's hard to get through too many verses at one time. Second, I'm trying to be more thorough in my preaching. This goal lends itself to considering smaller portions of Scripture at a time.

Well here's what I really want to say.

No matter what you or I are dealing with today. No matter what we may face tomorrow. And, in truth, no matter what we've had to deal with in our past, that still seeks to lay hold on us in our present... you can have joy no matter what.... if you trust The Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior.

Shalom,
Sherman J. Fort

WHAT'S GOING ON? ... APOSTASY!

It's Friday night. My wife and daughters have just left along with two other Minister's wives and their daughters for a women's retreat near Carefree Arizona.

I've been musing over the matter of holiness and compromise for some time now. As I continue to do so now in the quiet of my home, I'm moved to write just a little about this matter.

I have some old convictions along with some new conclusions that I reached recently. I just want to share some musings with you.

1) I'm not a Democrat. I'm not a Republican. I'm a registered independent. But, more than that I fancy myself a Christocrat. I know, new word. I made it up some time ago. I want to be a Christian first, through and through. Then, shape everything else on that fact. Including my politics.

2) The Scripture is clear, God has called His children to live holy lives! It's something we can't do without Him. But, He has given us the permanent, personal, presence of The Holy Spirit, His instruction on how to live in His Word, the Bible; and The Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, Redeemer, God, Friend and example.

3) This matter of compromising The gospel for gain must come to an end.

Am I alone or have you also noticed the craziness going on among clergy and laity alike in the U.S.A.?

We've got preachers and pastors preaching false doctrine and calling it the gospel. Pastors, preachers and church members around the country have been caught up in sexual, yea even homosexual scandals.

Have you noticed the number of preaching personalities who've attempted to make the jump from the pulpit to national talk shows lately? And watch this, as "life coach" no less.

What? Did God call you to preach The Gospel of Jesus Christ? If so, what's going on?

Have you noticed the ridiculous emphasis on money among certain ministers and ministries lately? I know this focus has been around for decades, perhaps it just seems to me like it's even more prevalent than ever before.

Have you noticed the move of one church in two, no make that three locations? And, now the move to pastor one church in two states? Now here's the latest I've heard... one church in two (or more) countries.

Now, know this, I'm not against the spreading of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I just question whether or not it's His gospel we're spreading? It seems to me in most, if not all of these cases, men are looking to make a name for themselves. It seems to me as though men are looking to build monuments unto themselves.

Now above everything else I've said thus far, the greatest indictment may not be against the preachers and pastors at all. A case can be made that we have churches filled with people who simply don't know The Lord Jesus Christ the way they say they do. In fact, too many of us don't know our Bibles. If we did, we'd recognize false teaching and preaching when we hear it. And we'd cease doing two things:

1) Supporting ministries that claim to be Christian but are not.

2) Step up our evangelizing efforts and intentionally, fervently share Christ with others.

Okay, I'm going to stop writing now.

Pray for me. Let's all pray for one another.

Safe in CHRIST,
Pastor Fort

Monday Morning Reflections!

I was blessed yesterday to preach at a great church... twice! That great church is Canaan Missionary Baptist Church in Mesa Arizona. It's the church where The Lord Jesus Christ has allowed me to serve as senior minister, as pastor for nineteen years now.

The reason I call it a "great church" is because it has a great God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord Jesus Christ makes His church great.

Two Sundays ago I started a new sermon series for our Sunday morning time together. On Sunday morning's I'm attempting to preach through the book of Philippians. Two Tuesday nights ago I started a new Bible Study series for our adult class. I'm attempting to teach through the book of Esther. This Wednesday afternoon I will prayerfully begin a new Bible Study series in the epistle of James.

All of these are great books.

The benefits of series preaching and teaching are far too many to mention here. But let me say to any pastor or Bible Study leader that series sharing ... for me at least- is the way to go. I know we live in a day where many people are talking about a "right now word". We hear language that almost sounds "spooky" to the hearer. Language that suggests the preacher/pastor is going to get up each Sunday to share The Word of God, and somehow be supernaturally endowed- on the spot- with this right now word for you. It's almost a seance spirit, a kind of "power of prophecy" hour in ministry.

But on a more stable, stout and sturdy level, let me suggest that series preaching and teaching is a better way to go. Some of the reasons that make it better include: 1) Both you and the people you're preaching or teaching to, know where they're going from week to week. 2) It builds christians in a more dedicated and dynamic way than sharing a new thought, idea or conviction from week to week. 3) It allows the hearer and student to study ahead. 4) It makes the preacher and teacher deal with whatever subject the text speaks of- that is if you're approaching the preaching and teaching from a verse by verse exposition of The Scripture. Etc., Etc., Etceteras

That said, the other thing I've really been trying to practice lately in my preaching it brevity. By brevity I mean, not trying to tackle too many verses of Scripture in a single sermon. For me, there's just too much in every verse, sentence, phrase, etc. And, through the years, as I've made vain attempts to preach large sections of Scripture I inevitably rush it and fail to give justice to the passage I'm attempting to share.

But not only brevity in my preaching in terms of text preached, but also brevity in my preaching in terms of time spent preaching the message. Now at this point let me say that I am not placing emphasis on being short- in terms of time for short sake. Rather, I refer to not going so long in the sermon that the people lose interest-because their attention span is only so long.

Finally, by brevity I also refer to announcements and my musing from the pulpit. I've discovered something over the years. I like church, I like serving as a pastor. And, I really like preaching. Sometimes this fact, combined with a few key announcements on Sunday morning make me long in the tooth with respect to talking. Yesterday, I asked our new Church Administrator, Deacon Emerson Turner, to please handle Sunday morning announcements for me going forward.

I did have another opportunity to preach yesterday for the great Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Mesa Arizona. The event was the twelfth appreciation service for Pastor Ottley and Sis. Wanda Holmes. My, my, my, what a great pastor and first lady. They honored me with an invitation to come and preach.

I hope the message was helpful to both pastor and people.

I believe Pastor Holmes is a good person. He's a solid, Bible preacher and teacher. Sis. Holmes was beautiful and gracious. In addition to his duties as pastor of Shiloh MBC, Pastor Holmes also has a weekly radio show on one of our local Christian radio stations where he teaches The Word of God. Sis. Holmes owns her own hat business. And the hat she had on yesterday was beautiful and elegant.

Lastly, I was really blessed yesterday to have my pastor in church at our 10:20 worship service. Reverend Fred Campbell, pastor of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Redwood City, California. I didn't see him until I was walking out of the sanctuary to go in my office for a brief moment during the offering period. And there he was seated in the back (in the lobby in fact). When I saw him, I greeted him, went back into the sanctuary and then asked him to come up and say a word to our church. With reluctance he did. Now, he was brief and classy at the same time.

I'm grateful for Pastor Campbell and other men who have helped shape my thinking, my heart and my ministry.

It's Monday morning. I have two appointments this morning at the church. I'm going to try and leave after that. We'll see what happens.

On Judging Others!

Mankind has a natural inclination to pass judgment on one another. Even among christians we have a tendency to cast judgment on other Christians.

Now, there is no question that we are called by our God to assess, examine, and make a judgment at times with respect to people, places and things... in keeping with The Word of God and as we are led by The Holy Spirit. But that's not what I'm talking about here.

Here, I'm talking about the manner in which some of us, judge others of us when we should not. I am a christian, who has suffered with a very serious disease called legalism. Maybe you've heard of this illness? The legalism that I speak of is born out of a genuine desire to live a holy life according to The Word of God. But somewhere in the process the person suffering with this illness moves from a desire to live a holy life to a point where they can't move or think without beating themselves up about a particular matter.

The religious leaders of Jesus' day suffered from a type of legalism. They obeyed what the Scriptures in principle, but disobeyed The Lord in practice. That is to say, a surface look at their lives left the viewer with the impression that they were living a holy life... in keeping with the law of God. However, a deeper look at their heart revealed they'd violated the law of God and did not authentically love Him.

And, what's worse... they sat in judgment of others. Calling others hypocrites, referring to others as some kind of immature believer if you will.

In Romans chapter fourteen, the Apostle Paul writes to the saints who live in Rome about this very matter. In the end, he says that we should remember that The Lord God is the only Judge that matters. It's His judgment that is right and pure. His judgment matters.

Paul writes that we should not quarrel, fight or dispute of things that do not matter.

The late Dr. E. K. Bailey said: "Some things are urgent and some things are important. When it comes to The Gospel, it is both urgent and important".

Perhaps we've spent too much time examining the life of another believer, looking for the speck in their eye, and ignoring the forest in our own.

I believe God has called us to holiness. I believe we should seek to live holy lives. And seek to live that holy life in, through and by the power of The Holy Spirit. Being sure that our actions are guided by the instruction we receive in The Word of God.

I believe that we should not do anything in the presence of another believer that might cause that "weaker" less mature believer to stumble. We must recognize that not every believer is aware of the fact that Christ has made us free from the law of sin and death. Not every believer understands that we've been set free. Moreover, if the exercise of our freedom in Christ causes another, weaker, less mature believer to stumble in their faith- we should exercise that freedom in their presence... and perhaps not all.

Just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should. Especially, when it hurts or has potential to hurt someone else.

I believe that we should spend our time intentionally trying to win people to Jesus Christ. And intentionally trying to disciple people who are believers already. That is to say, we should seek to help the weaker, less mature believer become fully mature in Christ Jesus.

In the end it is salvation and discipleship that is both urgent and important.

Safe in Christ,
Sherman J. Fort