Category: From Our President

“For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil;
because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
Jeremiah 20:8-9

When you read of Israel’s prophets, don’t you ever wonder how they continued on? Before Isaiah ever even started his ministry, he knew that no one would listen to him. He asked he Lord, ”How long?” He was told to proclaim the message until there was no one to tell. Joseph did not have a formula to calculate how long he would be in prison before being released and eventually becoming second in command. Daniel was prepared for the lions’ den to bring his earthly journey to an abrupt end. His three Hebrew friends thought the fiery furnace would be their conclusion as well, but they refused to bow. Esther was of the opinion that she was there for that particular time, and whatever the outcome she would carry through with her task.

Now we find Jeremiah in an awful situation. He had done nothing but deliver the Word as it was given him by God. His only desire was to save Israel from certain destruction. Instead of Israel turning from their sin to God, they turned against His messenger. Jeremiah had had enough. If this was his reward for being true, he would simply remain silent. However, like all of the others mentioned earlier, he could not—God’s Word was in his heart. It wasn’t just written so that he could read it every day. It was not simply memorized so that he could rehearse it each day. No, it was in his heart! It was a part of his very being. He could no more walk away from it than he could rip his heart from his chest and walk away. He would die if he could not deliver God’s message to God’s people. Jeremiah and so many others would have quit, but they knew that there was a divine purpose for them. They would fulfill that purpose or die trying.

You can almost see it in a pastor, missionary, or evangelist. If there is a mandate from God, you cannot stop them. But if that burning is not in their heart and bones, you just know that somewhere along the road of service they will give up and go back. If the call of God is real, you cannot stop them. You might sit by the wayside and observe these God-called servants and wonder why they don’t just quit. They can’t help it. The thought might cross their minds from time to time as it did for Jeremiah, but it is not in them to stop short of God’s calling.

I know many of you have faced unbelievable hardships. I am only one servant observing another, but I want you to know that your testimony helps me stay in the fight. Oh, we must lift each other up in fervent prayer! Please take time to pray for the World Wide family—today.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

In reading again God’s instructions to Moses on the building of the tabernacle, I was taken with the amazing details. Nothing was left for anyone to decide concerning the construction of this house of sacrifice. The materials, the colors, and the furniture, as well as its placement, was given. How the priests would carry out their duties, and even explicit instructions concerning how they would dress in fulfilling those duties, was detailed.

Many hands would be called upon to build the tabernacle according to this master plan given by the Master. The willingness of the people to build and give to make this work a reality should be a great encouragement to us all. As a matter of fact, they were so willing that Moses had to restrain them.

Once everything was completed, the tabernacle was raised for the first time. It must have been a blessed day for the servants of God. The combination of materials and colors could have only been imagined by those observing its construction, but now every detail could be seen. There was only one thing to be added – the presence of God. The glory of His presence could be seen by all. The wonder of this major accomplishment by the hands of the people of Israel was certainly noteworthy, but it meant nothing without the glory of God.

Now we are the temple of God. We are given instructions in equal detail concerning our life for Christ. Much attention is given to what others can see, but all is vain without the glory of God. No doubt the physical appearance that others observe is important, and no doubt intellectual preparation is good. However, these things are simple window dressings if the presence and power of God are lacking. Everything about the building of the tabernacle was in the hands of the people, and then God came! We on the other hand need the presence of God to have the ability to shape the temple as He desires. He is the power, and we are the vessel. As we yield our members to Him, righteousness is the result. This is not self-produced righteousness. It is Christ-imputed righteousness, and it is absolutely necessary if we are to do the work He has given us to do.

The world we live in is changing everyday, but we serve a Savior who is unchanging. Not only is He able to empower us for each task before us, but He is also willing. Are we prepared for Him to accomplish His perfect work through us?

We are living in ever changing times. It seems that the changes have been many in the last few years. There has been an all out attack in America on so many things where we believe the Bible to be very clear. We can simply say that this was all foretold by God through His infallible Book. We can say that the real problem is Washington and Hollywood. The truth is that the real problem rests at the door of the church of the living God. We are in churches around America. Many of our churches will drop in attendance from Sunday morning to Sunday night by twenty-five to fifty percent, and even more by Wednesday night. Much of the work and giving is being done by a handful of the overall congregation. Church people have for years voted for men and women who have openly declared their position against God, without apology. Righteousness has been replaced by a rewritten and misinterpreted bible that has excused ungodliness, not by the world, but by many churches. We must have revival.

We have preached fearlessly against everything under the sun. We have argued about every difference between us theologically and socially. There is little doubt that if we continue down the same path, we will reap the same result. Yes, we must preach against the sin of the world. Yes, we will always have differences. In spite of these things others have been able to receive the blessings of God by way of revival. We must get back to prayer, biblical exhortations, godly living and fervent witnessing.

Obviously the world is moving in a godless direction, but since when was that any different? Unfortunately, the church has moved down that same path to its own destruction, staying just far enough from the world to point to small differences. God has commanded us to “come out from among them.”

You might be living in a country where this is not true, but your ability to stay there probably rests on the ability of the church in America to support your ministry. It is vital that we join our hearts together in prayer for the enormous needs that we have in Christianity in the U.S.A. There is no doubt that our God is able to raise up another nation to take the gospel to the world, but I pray that He does not have to do so. Would you challenge your people to earnestly pray that our churches will experience a move of God that will result in a move toward Him?

Righteousness will see a nation exalted by God. Sin will bring a nation down, and judgement will soon follow. God has been merciful and patient, but how long can we expect that to continue?

“But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen — the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people:for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.” (Ezra 3:12-13)

God had intervened in an amazing way to have the Jews released from their bondage so that they could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Fifty thousand people would make this one thousand mile journey on foot. Others would follow later. The first thing that they repaired was the altar. Not a bad idea for those attempting to have God’s blessings on what they are doing. Once the altar was complete they began collecting the materials to rebuild the temple. In a few months the foundation of the temple would be complete. Only the foundation! You will note in the verses above that the young men shouted, and the ancient men wept. Those standing by must have been confused by what they saw and heard. It was difficult to distinguish which was the loudest – the shout or the weeping.

I consider this with wonder and amazement. Here we have old men that could remember the glory of the first temple. They stood at the sight of the foundation and looked back at the glory they once enjoyed. The young men stood in the same spot looking at the same thing and looked ahead at what God might do in the future. When the ancient men looked forward they could not see very far. Their vision was limited by the distance they could see ahead. However, when they looked back they could see and remember many wonderful things. When the young men looked back they could not see very far, and had very little that they could remember.

I want to encourage the young men that see into the future and are challenged by the amazing prospects of what God might do through them. I once stood at their vantage point and felt my heart race with what might be. Please don’t misunderstand if I speak much of the past with a tear in my eye. I can see things back there that I miss today. At the same time I promise you that I will do nothing to diminish your shout about the hopes you have for tomorrow. Dream on brother, and press forward to see those visions come true. I will rejoice with you, because I know that my day will come for you also. The dreams that you have today will be your memories in the distant future. Make good memories by obeying God every moment of every day.

“What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:15 -16

It seems that I am in more conversations over law and grace than ever before. On the one hand are those that hold a firm hand on the law. On the other hand are those that believe that grace covers all as long as you are not convicted by a particular sin. It appears that Paul is saying that we are not any longer under the law, but that grace is no license for the believer to live in sin. Christ fulfilled the law, but He did not abolish godly living. Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

It does not matter how we feel about a particular sin if God is against it. If you are not convicted about eating meat offered to idols, eat it; but if so doing in the presence of your brother in Christ is an offense to him, then why be an offense to him? However, if you think that you can drink alcohol, commit adultery, lie and steal simply because you “feel” no conviction, you are sadly mistaken. God has spoken concerning these things, and it does not matter how we “feel” if God is against it. There are a great many verses to address these issues, but I am writing today to people who should be well aware of them.

Years ago I was acquainted with a lady who was not in our camp. She invited me to a meeting where a woman was preaching. I asked her how she got around Paul’s admonition that the woman was not to teach men? She said, “That is Pauline doctrine.” I asked what doctrine she looked to for living. She said, “Oh, we practice self doctrine.” In other words, every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Sorry, we have been bought with a price and we are not our own anymore.

Paul challenged Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 to be a good athlete. He told him that he would have to “strive lawfully.” Even in the New Testament era there are rules to keep. There is so little difference in the church and the world anymore. I love you guys dearly, but if you decide to follow Demas back to the world please have enough character to resign from World Wide New Testament Baptist Mission.

What do we have to offer the world if we are just like them? Paul could not have used a stronger term when addressing this issue of sinning under grace. He said, “God forbid.”

I pray that God will use you in a wonderful way to display the gospel this month in your teaching, preaching and living. I look forward to seeing several of you in Greensboro, NC, next month. We will have a wonderful time.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

Satisfaction! Do we ever stop to think about what it takes to satisfy us? I love good food! There are times that I will get a craving for a particular meal. It happens most often when I have been overseas for awhile. Although I do love seafood, I crave a good hamburger. As a matter of fact I am typing this while I wait for a family to come take me for a Five Guys Burger! In a little while I will be satisfied. However, it will be a satisfaction that will be short lived. This experience will be repeated for a lifetime. The satisfactions that we enjoy are very temporal, and oftentimes intensify requiring more of the same.

In Psalm 17:15 the Psalmist said, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” This is our hope of eternal satisfaction. Perhaps it would be good for me to memorize this verse so that I can quote it every time I have a craving for something in this world. Dear child of God doesn’t the thought of this reality stir your heart today. We are sons of God, today. This is the love of God. 1 John 3:1, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” How much love did that require? It required John 3:16 love. He gave His own Son for our redemption. So John went on to say in verse two, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear , we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” Now, that is our hope of real, everlasting satisfaction.

Are you craving anything today that would make you less righteous? This might be a good time for you to pause also and become very familiar with Psalm 17:15. We know from Paul’s writings that the difficulties of this life will mean nothing at all when we enter the glory that comes when we see Him. We have a promise from God’s Word that if we do hunger and thirst for righteousness we will indeed be filled. Would this then bring us to the conclusion that if we are not filled with His righteousness it is because we just do not have an appetite sufficient to be satisfied?

Though many miles separate us all, we still live in the same world. It has never been a friend of God, and that will not change until our Lord rules from Jerusalem. In the meantime would you pray for me? Would you pray that nothing in this world would be so appealing to me as the righteousness of God?

The song writer said, “Oh, I want to see Him and look upon His face.” This could be the day beloved. Let’s consider our appetite.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

Darleen and I just returned from Africa. It was our pleasure to visit with Stephen and Julie Knickerbocker.  They are working with Brother Shumaker, and he has been serving in Burkina Faso for ten years. I had the opportunity to preach four times while there. They had a friend day at church on Sunday morning and seven men, among others, accepted Christ as their Savior. They also permitted me to teach a number of local pastors for almost four hours. The Knickerbockers have their sights set on starting their own ministry in the future. We were blessed by their steadfast faithfulness to the Lord.

We also made a trip to Togo with our son David. Pastor Rod Bell, Jr., his family, and two young men from their school travelled with us. Many things took place, but the highlight opportunity for Pastor Bell and me was the joy of teaching twelve to nineteen village pastors for many hours over three days. There were also ladies meetings and teen meetings going on at the same time. It was a delight to see these pastors discovering things in the Bible that simply brightened their eyes with delight!

There are so many needs around the world. No wonder Paul warned Timothy about getting entangled with the affairs of this world to the degree that he could not function as a good soldier for Christ. We do not need to fabricate any unnecessary battles or needs today. Just place your finger on any land mass on the globe and you more than likely will find a great need. Multitudes need Christ, babes in Christ need nourishment and many servants need to be taught the Word of God. Don’t permit a sideline circus to rob you of the joy of completing the task that the Lord has for you.

I am blessed to be a part of World Wide New Testament Baptist Mission, and my heart is moved when a member of our missions family tells how they pray for others. Would you consider taking a look at our website regularly and praying specifically for others around the world that labor for the Lord as you do?

I pray the the Lord will bless you with His manifested presence in your life, family and ministry this month.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

“For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:” 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6

The gospel came to Thessalonica when Paul on his second missionary journey was led of the Lord to take the gospel to regions beyond Troas.  When the gospel came it was not “in word only.” It came in word, power, the Holy Ghost, and much assurance. We have been called to deliver the gospel of our Lord to every creature. However, we do a disservice to those that He has sent us to if we deliver it in “word only.”  We need the power of God. This power is available to us by the ministry of the Holy Spirit as promised in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” There was no doubt in Paul’s mind that he was delivering the absolute truth. These early missionaries were full of assurance concerning the eternal truth of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We must exercise great caution that our ministries are not reduced to only words that are not taken forward by the ministry of the Holy Spirit through us. Our labor for the Lord deserves a professional presentation, but as Paul did not depend on his amazing training and education, neither can we lean entirely on ours. Electronic libraries make it easier than ever before for us to put together a “sermon.” Sermons can become messages when breathed on by the power of God.

Paul said, “And ye became followers of us….” It is not likely that we will have much success in bringing others to Christ if they cannot see Him in us. No man is worthy of worship, but long before we deliver the message verbally it is more than likely that they will have opportunities to see Him in our lives, “as ye know what manner of men we were among you….”  Now that he had their attention he could point them toward the Lord, and they became followers of Christ. It is foolish to believe that we can convince others to follow Christ if we have not committed ourselves to do the same. We have been sent out by the Lord to do a work that can be blessed by Him. If we fail to present our faith in a Christ honoring way how difficult will it be for the servants of Christ that follow us?

It is not unusual for us to face hardships, discouragement and temptations. Let’s be vigilant to maintain a testimony before the world that will not hinder the work that we have been sent to do.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

Psalm 104:33-34, “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.”

Are you terribly busy right now? Could you possibly find a quiet place? Is it possible to go to a room with no electronic devices to be seen or heard? If so, I would like to challenge you to go there and read Psalm 104. Do not speed read. Perhaps even read it aloud to yourself. Then, ask yourself if there is any wonder why the Psalmist would then write verses thirty-three and thirty-four.

Have you ever gotten so caught up with the Lord that you just broke out in song to Him? Sometimes the songwriters are able to capture our thoughts in a few words that we can sing to the Lord. The overflow of the heart cannot be easily explained, and too often its importance is overlooked. Maybe no one ever compliments your ability to sing, but I have every reason to believe that it is a blessing to our God when it flows from within.

Why does it not happen more often? It could be that the answer is in verse thirty-four. “My meditation of Him shall be sweet.” We are engaged with so many things. Even when we pillow our heads to rest, it is difficult to arrest the spinning mind long enough to get a peaceful night of sleep. Be still! Be still long enough for Psalm 104 to really register in your heart and mind. Believe it or not everything can do without us for a few minutes. Very soon we can get back to the race of life. However, for a moment let us think on Him. Oh! Isn’t it sweet? Just for a little while we are not asking Him for anything. We are simply immersing ourselves in His divine presence. Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

We cannot by thought or deed bring the whole world to a standstill, but we do have the power to call a timeout! Is it possible that we could emerge from this sweet moment of meditation saying, “I will be glad in the Lord.” To be glad is to be joyful. It means to brighten up. We can face today, and we can face it joyfully. However, we must prepare for it by spending time with our Lord. “My meditation of him shall be sweet.”

As we face the challenges of the New Year, let us commit ourselves to time with the Lord. It will be the oil that lubricates everything else in our schedule. It is my sincere prayer that the Lord will use each of us to glorify His name.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

Let the reflections begin! Each year the unwritten item on our schedule is to look back over the past year. We had some ideas about what we would like to accomplish by the end of the new year. Actually, I think that it is a good thing. Some folks are so hard on themselves if they do not meet their own expectations it ruins the first quarter of the following year, but for most of us it helps to gauge ourselves. When we evaluate maybe we find areas that we spent much time on last year that would be better for the overall life and ministry if we shortened that activity for the coming year. Paul had a strong desire to mold Timothy into a soldier for Christ. Paul told him that he could not afford to get entangled with the affairs of this life if indeed he wished to be a good soldier.

Let’s pause for a moment and call to remembrance the things that were very important to us this time last year. Now, sit back down! How did we do? Can you look back and see how the cares of this life swallowed up your good intentions? We can now conclude that whatever it was was not really important anyway, or we can place some safeguards around that activity so that we can do better in the coming year. We need God’s Word every day. Were we faithful to read, study and pray over it last year? How about meditation? Do we take time out of our busy schedule to be still and know that He is God? Everything is clamoring for your attention, and if we do not establish some very strict lines of priority we will soon be reflecting with even greater disappointments.

Set aside time for Bible reading, study and prayer. When you look at your schedule do you find that your family is represented on the calendar as you claim they are in your preaching? Where does your outreach to the lost fit in your schedule? Are you witnessing to sinners on purpose? Perhaps there are a few things that accepted far to much of your time this past year. You know very well that those little time robbers have not retired from their activity. They know that the new year brings new challenges for them. You are determined to do better at getting important things done, and the little time robbers are equally as determined to bind your hands with unnecessary activities.

Set aside some good books to read this year. Take the most productive time in your day to read the Bible. Mark out significant time to communicate with your Lord. Don’t just spend time with your family, but enjoy spending time with them. Convince them that they are important to you and God.

Let’s, by the grace of God, have a wonderful 2015 in the service of the King.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone