Blog Archives

I Stand Amazed...

6/27/2012

...in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me, A sinner, condemned, unclean.
How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful! Is my Savior's love for me!

Charles H. Gabriel, 1856-1932

That is just the first verse of a powerfully written hymn. It has been on my heart and mind since this past Lord's day. I cannot begin to describe what we experienced at Fellowship the past Sunday morning. Our blessed Lord graced us with His presence in an unusual and mighty way. It was one of the sweetest services that I have ever been privileged to have a part in. Many of our folks got much needed help for their lives, including me. The Spirit began to move as the choir was singing and the Lord took over from there. In the midst of the singing and praying around the altar I shared a few verses of Scripture from Hebrews 4: 14-16:

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. [15] For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

If we as God's people could ever really grasp the enormity of what those verses say, our lives would be transformed. Often we carry burdens and never really seek the help that is available to us in Christ. He is not a God who is far off, with no idea what we are experiencing. He has already endured all that we could possibly face and He stands before the throne of God interceding for us. We can come "boldly" before Him to obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of need. That has the idea of "freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech; openly, frankly, i.e without concealment; free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance." Quite literally we can pour our hearts out unto the Lord without fear or intimidation, in full assurance and confidence that He will hear our plea.

Isn't our Lord amazing? He is so great and wonderful that I am unable to comprehend all that He is. But, His blessing and help in my life doesn't hinge on my absolute comprehension of all He is. He stands ready, waiting to intercede for all of His children and is happy to do so!

Take a few moments to reflect on His glory and power. You can't dwell on Him long without being compelled to offer Him the worship that He is due.

I am looking forward, with great anticipation, to our services this evening. Our Lord has not changed. He is the same God that we worshiped on Sunday morning. I fully expect to receive something that I greatly need from Him again as we meet together at Fellowship!

Preacher Chris

Taylorsville Camp Meeting

6/19/2012

Being born and raised in Taylorsville, North Carolina I had many opportunities to attend the Taylorsville Baptist Camp Meeting. If I am correct in my thinking, this is their 49th year of having Camp Meeting. The meeting in Taylorsville always begins on Father's Day with and afternoon service and continues Monday through Friday for two consecutive weeks with services in the morning and the evening. If you are in the area and have never been, I would encourage you to make plans to attend. You can find their website here: http://taylorsvillebcm.org/

I was blessed to be able to attend the services this morning. My mother still lives in Taylorsville and she attends Calvary Baptist Church, the host church for the Camp Meeting. I picked her up and we went to the morning service. Brother Mike Holcomb, bass singer for the Inspirations, sang and preached first. Brother Mike is a great bass singer, but I believe he is a better preacher. The service concluded with Evangelist Tom Gilliam of Winterville, Georgia. Both of these men usually preach during the first week and are a blessing.

I have said on this blog before that preachers need preaching too and that is the truth. We heard some good singing this morning, but my soul was fed from the preaching of the Word. I was greatly blessed to have been in the service today. I have heard it said that there are two kinds of preaching that makes a preacher want to preach: good preaching and bad preaching. I heard good preaching this morning and I can't wait to have another opportunity to preach at Fellowship tomorrow evening, Lord willing. My heart was stirred and I am blessed to have the opportunity to preach each week.

I have thought today of just how blessed I am. I never want to get to the place that I take any of my opportunities for granted. I never want to step behind the pulpit because I feel as if I have to. I always want to step onto the platform knowing that I "get" to preach. God could have chosen anyone to pastor Fellowship and He chose me! I praise His name for using me in His work and for the great church that I am privileged to pastor.

I was reminded today of the blessings and responsibilities associated with pastoring God's people. I would like to challenge all of God's men to spend some time with Him between now and tomorrow evening and preach the message He has given you with great fervor and zeal. If your message doesn't stir you before you preach it, how can you expect it to stir anyone who hears it! I pray that each of you will experience a special move of God the next time you gather at His house.

Preacher Chris

Great Week of VBS

6/15/2012

We have enjoyed a great week of Vacation Bible School this week at Fellowship. Last night we finished up with our classes and we will have our commencement service tonight, beginning at 6:30. I have always loved and supported VBS. It is one of the greatest times during the year to reach out to our community in an evangelistic way. We have prayed much about VBS this year and God has been faithful. As far as I know, we had 5 precious souls come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ this week.

That is why we do what we do. That was the primary focus for VBS from the beginning. The church ought to be in the business of sharing the Gospel with a lost and dying world. I know that the children have enjoyed their time making crafts and especially the recreation time, but we have made a point to be intentionally evangelistic at each service. I would like to challenge any pastor or church worker who may read this blog to take every opportunity you have to share the Gospel. I have for several years taken a night to share with the children specifically, but that in and of itself is not enough. If I chose to do that on a particular night, it is almost certain that I would miss some who attended other nights. It is good for the pastor to take the time to do that, but we need to share the Gospel each night. In fact, we ought to view every church gathering as an evangelistic opportunity. We are planning on having hot dogs and fellowship tonight, but I intend to share the Gospel again, prior to the food and fellowship. It has been a great week and it may be even better before we officially end our VBS efforts. To God be the glory; great things He hath done!

Preacher Chris

VBS Time at Fellowship

6/11/2012

Last night we began a very exciting time at Fellowship with the kick off of our Vacation Bible School. This is one of the greatest outreach and evangelistic opportunities that we have throughout the entire year. Our kick off was well attended and we are looking forward to one of the best Bible schools ever.

If you are in the area we would love to have you come and join us for Bible school. Our theme this year is "His Kingdom Come" and we are focusing on the armor of God. I look forward to hearing the lessons taught and seeing the impact that they have on all who attend.

We will begin each night at 6:30 and go until 9:00. Our commencement will be on Friday night. We will provide a meal for all who wish to eat prior to VBS beginning at 5:30 each evening. If you can't come and be with us, please pray that our blessed Lord will do some mighty and eternal things among us this week! I will try to post later on in the week and let you know how things are going.

Preacher Chris

The Burden of a Pastor

6/1/2012

Today my heart is focused on the burden that a pastor carries. I recently discovered that a preacher who was unhappy in ministry had visited Pulpit Pages. I don't know this preacher and have no idea what the circumstances of his difficulty are, but it got me to thinking.

Since I am a pastor, I know something about the burden a preacher carries, whether he is a pastor, evangelist, or a missionary. Clearly we all minister in unique places that present their own responsibilities, but there is much in common regardless of the audience.

I have heard, many times throughout the years, comments that were made in total ignorance. I say that with a loving heart, but unapologetically. Many times the average Christian or church member feel as if they know exactly what a preacher faces. They know what his salary is and how many times he stands before them each week to preach a thirty or forty minute message. Most would argue that the preacher has it made. " Just look at what we are paying him for an hour and a half to two hours per week." If all the preacher ever did was stand and deliver three messages a week, I might be inclined to agree with you. However, I do not know a single man of God that only gives the church two hours per week.

Allow me to share what I mean. That thirty minute message was very likely the result of several hours of prayer, study, and meditation long before the preacher ever announced his text and began to preach. He is usually one of the first to arrive at the service and usually the last to leave.

He is responsible (at least in the minds of most of the church) for all of the church and their extended family, whether they are members of the church or not. Let me further illustrate that for you. If a preacher pastors a church that has 100 members on the roll, by the time you include everyone's mother, father, sister, brother, cousins, in-laws, and close friends, he is easily expected to be there for hundreds more. And, that is expected at any time, day or night, even on the weekends. He may be called during the middle of a meal and immediately leave the home to be at the side of someone who is sick or hurting.

Most pastors have to purchase cancellation insurance on hotel reservations for vacation. He never knows what may come up just prior to his departure or even while he is there. I have never had that to come up as of yet, but I know several pastors who rescheduled or cut short a vacation because of needs within the church.

Now, don't misunderstand me; a God-called man doesn't resent what he does. God has put a love and concern in his heart for the people he serves. He is there because he wants to be. But, I can assure you, he will quickly grow tired of the accusation that he is not really doing enough to earn his salary. Most people who punch a clock work much harder physically than a preacher does, but when they punch out their work is done until the next day. They are expected to only deal with the needs of their own families.

I want to be clear that I am in no way unhappy in my ministry. I am blessed beyond measure to have the privilege to serve where I do. I also know that I am "preaching to the choir" on this forum. However, I do know men who are not appreciated. Apparently, the preacher who was so discouraged is facing some sort of difficulty and despair in his ministry. I want to be the voice of reason to those who may be adding to the burdens of preachers. The purpose for this blog post is to challenge and encourage you to thank God for the pastor you have if he is faithful to preach the Word of God. If he is worth his salt in ministry, he has already labored several hours preparing that message. Be patient with him and try to understand that you and your family are not the only one he is responsible for. It doesn't hurt to let him know once in a while that you appreciate him and the work he is doing. I might even suggest that you ask if there is any way that you could help him as he serves the church.

It is very likely that many pastors abandon the ministry because they grow discouraged and "burn out." It isn't because they are forced to pastor bad people, but many times the pastor is misunderstood and under-appreciated. Don't let that be the case with your pastor. Seek to understand him with a patient and loving heart. Be there for him and stand alongside him. Pray that God will strengthen him and enable him to accomplish all that he is expected to fulfill.

Preacher Chris

I am Chris Benfield, pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Boonville, NC. Here you will find some of my thoughts, particularly relating to the church and serving our Lord.

I Stand Amazed...

Taylorsville Camp Meeting

Great Week of VBS

VBS Time at Fellowship

The Burden of a Pastor

Archives

Categories

Home

Old Testament Outlines

New Testament Outlines

Sermon Series

Most Recent

Preacher's Thoughts

What We Believe

About Preacher Chris

Contact Us

A Word about Shady Grove

Helpful Links

Ministry Resources