March 22 , 2023
What a Joy to Be a Christian !
Oh , how grand it is to be a Christian , to know the Lord God of Heaven , to have a wonderful Saviour , to be forgiven , to be washed in the blood of Calvary ’ s Lamb , to be saved and eternally secure and to have a place reserved in Heaven ! Amen !
It is my testimony and it is the free privilege and the full posses - sion of every single one of the blood-bought sons and daughters of the King of Kings , the Lord Jesus Christ .
Think of it ! Salvation free , full and forever !
Now , whether you ’ ve been saved a few weeks , a few years or several decades , you do well to reflect upon the day when the great transaction was done . Never forget its importance to you . Let the beauty of it all stay fresh in your
Editor ’ s Notes
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my Making a Difference broadcast five days a week at 12:15 p . m .
This week is their annual missions conference , which is a really big event for them . Dr . Mike Allison will be their keynote speaker for the conference . They are supporting 140 missionaries each month .
Ocala is a beautiful city ( popula - tion 64,000 ) with Marion County at 365,000 . Central Baptist Church has an influential ministry ; and when you come to Florida , this is one of the places you ’ ll want to be sure to visit .
Betty and I stayed five days , went to church on Wednesday night , met the missionaries and heard Dr . Allison preach a tremendous mes - sage . We had a wonderful , blessed time in Ocala and headed down to Eustis on Thursday morning .
Sunday and Monday , Victory Baptist Church , Eustis , Florida
Just about an hour southeast of Ocala and about thirty minutes north west of Orlando , you ’ ll find the city of Eustis , Florida and the Victory Baptist Church .
Pastor Tim Maness came to the church in 2019 . During his four years here they have been steadily growing and making improve - ments to their property . Brother Maness is a young man with solid commit ments as a funda - mental , independent Baptist . He is a good pastor , leading his church well .
This week is their annual Jubilee . I preached for them Sunday morn - ing , Sunday night and Monday night . Brother Terrell Hopkins from Georgia preached Tuesday and Wednesday nights . Don and Kim Case , our friends from Michigan , sang for us Sunday and Monday nights . Brother Maness put it all together , the people turned out and we had a blessed time .
Eustis ( population 23,000 ) is in such close proximity to Leesburg , Mt . Dora and Tavares that it almost seems like one city .
If you live in the area or if you are visiting Florida , you ’ ll enjoy Victory Baptist Church .
Haines City Radio
On the Saturday that we were in Eustis , Brother Maness drove me over to Haines City to be a part of the day of fundraising for Gospel 90.3 FM , the radio ministry mind . Let your words resonate the joy it gives to you . Amen !
If you ’ ll keep the flame of faith first and foremost , if you ’ ll relive the testimony of your salvation daily and if you ’ ll commend it with fervent witness to others , you ’ ll be faithful to Him “ that loved us ” ( Rev . 1:5 ) and you ’ ll be fruitful in your service for Him .
When you find it a struggle to go to church , a chore to do the slightest things in the church , a displeasure to tithe and an embar - rassment to talk to a sinner about the Gospel — then you need to backtrack to the day you were saved ! Refresh yourself with Him whose manna is fresh every morn - ing ( Num . 11:8 , 9 ) and reclaim the joy of walking daily with the Saviour .
What a privilege it is —
of Landmark Baptist Church . Pastor Barry Parsons and I were o then air together during the 9:00 a . m . hour encouraging the folks to undergird the station budget for the year ahead .
I did not hear the total , but by midmorning they were already more than halfway toward reaching their goal . It was an exciting morn - ing and we had a good time being a part of it . My Making a Difference broadcast airs on Gospel 90.3 at 8:00 p . m . Monday through Friday .
Your Summer Plans , July 17 – 20
If you miss this year ’ s National Sword of the Lord Conference , you are going to be slighting yourself . This is going to be a four-day major event , packed full of good things . The preaching , the music , the workshops , the fellowship — all of it will enrich your family and your church .
In a world where so many things are going wrong , you can count on the Sword of the Lord Con - ference to get it right .
Every seat is a free seat , no advance registration and no fees whatsoever .
The great facilities at Gospel Light Baptist Church in Walker town ( Winston-Salem ), North Carolina are a wonderful place for the Con - ference . Brother Matt Morrison and the Gospel Light church family will roll out the red carpet of wel - come for us . You ’ re going to love it ; and I surely look forward to meeting you there .
Ponderings From My Pen
When you desire what the Lord desires and delight in what delights Him , then He will be delighted to give you what you desire ( Ps . 37:4 ).
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Playing church and goingthrough-the-motions ministry will neither impact the nation nor save it from its free fall toward oblivion .
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The Lord gave Noah plenty of time to build the ark and load the boat , but once the rain began to fall it was too late to prepare for the coming flood .
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SWORD OF THE LORD 3
What a joy it is — What a blessing it is —
to be a Christian — saved , born again , justified , redeemed , sins atoned for , forgiven , propitiated , reconciled , delivered , kept , pre - served and sealed until the day of redemption !
Added amen ’ s and multiplied hallelujah ’ s can hardly express it , but it ’ s a start !
So dust off your Bible , polish your blessed assurance and “ let your light so shine ” ( Matt . 5:16 ).
Claim the power of the Holy Spirit and find someone to whom you can tell the old , old story of Jesus and His love .
If we would get all excited once again about what we have and who we are in Christ Jesus , I ’ m certain we would see a real revival erupt and multitudes would be saved as a result . Amen !
— Dr . Shelton Smith
April 2 – 3
Landmark Baptist Church ( Sunday )
Landmark Baptist College ( Monday chapel ) 2020 East Hinson Avenue Haines City , Florida
Barry Parsons , pastor 863-422-2037
April 10 – 11 ( Monday – Tuesday )
Faith Baptist Church 10559 West Watergate Road Cadillac , Michigan
Jayson Godsey , pastor 231-779-7777
April 13 ( Thursday )
Parkside Baptist Church 1729 Gross Road Mesquite , Texas
Mike Wells , pastor 972-613-7833
April 23 – 25 ( Sunday – Tuesday )
Central Baptist Church 424 East Baldwin Road Panama City , Florida
Bruce Barton , pastor 850-769-6000
Success in ministry is a complex combination of both human and divine elements but is never an entitlement to which you can lay claim .
Stay in Touch
Yes , do stay in touch . I appre - ciate your friendship and all your communication with us .
Remember to pray for us too . Thank you .
London School of Economics Strips Christian Words From Calendar
The London School of Economics said it is doing away with Christian words for its semester names to provide a more “ international ” atmosphere .
Starting next year … the Christmas break [ will be renamed ] as “ winter break ”… and Easter break as “ spring break .”…
Toby Young , general secretary of the Free Speech Union , said the university ’ s decision to strip Christian words from semester names “ reflects the fact that the LSE , like most British universities , is in thrall to a new religious cult — the church of woke — that is far more dogmatic than Christianity ,” LBC reported .
LSE ’ s move is seen as the latest attack on Christians at Britain ’ s top campuses and as pandering to secularists who want to strip the country of its last remnants of Christian identity .…
The move follows the University of Brighton ’ s advice to staff not to say “ Christmas ,” but instead refer to it as the “ winter closure period ,” as the festive title is too “ Christian-centric .”…
Last September , Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge University canceled an event for young Christian professionals , saying that the values of the organizers , who do not support same-sex marriage , were “ not compatible with the values of the college .”
— Anugrah Kumar , christianpost . com
Mom Sues School District for “ Socially Transitioning ” Daughter Behind Her Back
A California mom is suing her daughter ’ s school district , alleging that district officials went behind her back to affirm her daughter ’ s stated gender identity as a male , which she believes violates her parental rights .
The Center for American Liberty has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Aurora Regino , whose daughter attends classes at the Chico Unified School District in Chico , California .
The complaint alleges that the school district has a “ Parental Secrecy Policy ,” which allows schools to “ socially transition students … keeping the social transitioning secret from their parents unless the student specifically authorizes the school to inform them .” The school district has denied the existence of such a policy .
Regino ’ s daughter … told a school counselor in early 2022 that she “ felt like a boy .” The counselor allegedly encouraged the then-fifthgrade student to adopt a name and identity consistent with her new gender identity as a male and informed the child ’ s teacher about her new identity .
— Ryan Foley , christianpost . com
“ Diversity , Equity , Inclusion and Social Justice ” Course Mandatory for SUNY Students to Graduate
All students within the State University of New York college system , which includes 64 campuses , will be required to complete a “ Diversity , Equity , Inclusion and Social Justice ” course to receive a diploma , the New York Post reported .
SUNY released new guidance requiring incoming freshmen to pass a course on racial equity . The “ primary focus ” of the DEISJ classes will be to teach about “ diversity , identity and social justice in the United States .”…
Critics pushed back against the “ woke ” curriculum , calling it a “ dangerous ” initiative .…
“ This is a woke , left-wing agenda . It ’ s disturbing . It ’ s dangerous ,” [ New York Conservative Party Chairman Jerry ] Kassar said . “ They ’ re treating everybody as having prejudice . It ’ s like a socialist , communist state . It ’ s unbelievable .”
— Candace Hathaway , theblaze . com
Teacher Fired for Not Hiding Kids ’ Sex ID Changes From Parents
Jessica Tapia , a physical education teacher at the Jurupa Unified School District in California , says she was fired from her job for refusing to hide students ’ confusion about their sexual identities from their parents and was discriminated against for her Christian beliefs . “ I knew immediately … that there was a decision I had to make because , you know , these two things were totally butting heads . I essentially had to pick one . Am I going to obey the district in the directive [ s ] that are not lining up with … my own beliefs , convictions and faith ? Or am I going to stay true … choose my faith ?” Fox New Digital quotes the teacher as saying .
Tapia , who was fired on January 31 , says she realized she “ couldn ’ t be a Christian and a teacher .” A California Department of Education policy mandates schools seek approval from trans-identified students before disclosing their chosen sexual identities to their families and requires that schools allow trans-identified students to enter any single-sex restroom and locker room they choose . Tapia refused to comply with this policy ,… saying , “ I believe firmly that God created man and woman , and you are who He made you to be .”
— freedompost . ng