Category: From Our President

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

Over the years, I have read many of the sermons preached by Charles Spurgeon.  In several of those messages, not only did they ring true for his day, but for ours as well.  He warned those of his day of the peril that was before them if things continued as they were.

What was needed then and now was revival.  The believers in 2 Corinthians 8 first gave themselves to the Lord before they attempted to give themselves to minister to the needs that Paul put before them.  So many things are happening in our world today that certainly deserve God’s judgment.  It is so easy to look at things that happen in the Middle East, Hollywood, and Washington, and say God would bless if only changes could be seen.  However, we are fully aware that judgement must first begin at the house of God.  “If my people” were God’s words to Solomon.  If He brought judgement on Israel and they saw pestilence and famine, they were to look to God.

Yes indeed, God said that His people must pray, seek His face, and turn from their sin.  It is easy to blame the problems in the world on everyone but us; however, would the world be what it is if the church was what it should be?  It is rare to hear fervent prayer in any church these days.  There are mentally prepared prayers.  There are pretty prayers.  There are even preaching prayers, but rarely do we witness heartfelt fervent praying.  It must be easier to curse the darkness than to light the world!

If the world is darker, would it not stand to reason that the light must be dimmer?  Is it under a bushel?  We can do better, but we must want to rise above the darkness that has infiltrated the church.  Once the light has brightened in the church, it must then be displayed so that the world can see that there is a difference.  We must know that the world sees a lot of religion, but very little light.

Please permit me to speak clearly to us as ministers of the Gospel, and even more specifically to those that are taking the Gospel to regions beyond.  You are the only hope that the people watching you have of ever seeing real Christianity lived out before them.  If you find it impossible to represent Christ appropriately in the area that God has called you, please step aside and permit someone to bring light to their dark world.  You could very well be the only opportunity that they will have to not only hear the truth, but to also see it lived out before them on a daily basis.

We must lay aside the sin, but also the weight that so easily besets us and allows the darkness to prevail in our villages, towns, or cities.  May God graciously allow us to see real revival in our day, and may that revival push back the darkness so that the world can see genuine light lived out before them every day.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

Have you noticed how cluttered our lives are?  Paul offered many challenges to Timothy, and one really stands out to me in light of the stressful lives that we live almost every day.  2 Timothy 2:1-4 says, ”Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”  There are so many things in these verses that speak in certain sounds to me.  However, think on this one thing, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life.”

This reminds me somewhat of Hebrews 12:1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”  There is no question that sin is on every side.  We are warned on every hand, and the law of Christ written in our hearts makes us aware of the pitfalls that abound.  However, “the affairs of this life” and the “weight” can be easily dismissed.  Pastors will schedule revivals, Bible conferences, and missions conferences months and years ahead.  Everyone is aware of the church schedule.  Yet, when it is time to participate, it is as though it catches everyone by surprise, although many times it happens the same time every year.  Church leaders are often discouraged because the daily schedule of so many is continually filled to, and many times, beyond capacity.  Unfortunately, this is not only true for the average church member, but it is also true for most of us.  Are we incapable of discerning priorities?  Can we not find His guiding hand in the affairs of life?  Many years ago I read about a preacher in one of E.M. Bounds books on prayer.  The preacher said, “I have so much to do today that I fear if I do not pray at least four hours I will never get it all done.”  Are we actually praying about the priorities of life?

Much has been said of having a five year plan, but I wonder if we even have a daily plan.  It is so easy to drift along with the affairs of life and permit the heavy weights of life to map our lives for us. Life has limits, and time stands still for none of us.  The Lord told His disciples that His meat was to finish the work given Him by the Father. Let’s examine our lives.  Is the load that we are under everyday ordered by the Lord?  Are we making wise choices when faced with multiple options?  Praying that our steps would be ordered by the Lord should be a natural part of our Christian experience.  In all of our ways, we must acknowledge Him if we are to cross the finish line with the task complete to His satisfaction.

I pray that God will give us clarity concerning today, and then everyday He sets before us.  May His blessings be yours continually.

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone

Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

It is difficult to imagine what life would be like without burdens. Mounce defines burden as “heaviness; a burden, anything grievous, and hard to be borne.” Another definition states that it is “burdensome weight in reference to its pressure, burden, load.” Perhaps if someone asked you to define it, there might be other words that you would use. If someone asked you what a burden feels like, your mind would probably produce many images difficult to describe with words. None of us are exempt. The burden that you bear could be very different from others of which you are aware, but they are heavy nonetheless. Our quick declaration to those burdened down today would be to trust the Lord. Obviously that is true, but is that all? No, we are instructed to “bear ye one another’s burdens.” Harry Ironside says, “The law of Christ is the law of love, and love seeks to help others in their distress and share the load with them.” Our Lord taught that the greatest of all laws was to love God, but there was one law inseparably bound to that one. We are to love our neighbor.

It isn’t always what we say or even do. When a friend carries a heavy burden, simply knowing that you care means so much. How busy would you be today if your shoulders were stooped with care? I noticed when my dad died that nothing else in the world mattered. It was as if the world stood still, and everything in me focused on nothing else. Someone you know might be there today. Do they know you care? Yes, it means that we are at times inconvenienced. Have you ever been in a traffic jam and found yourself complaining because of the delay? Then you saw why you sat still for so long. Maybe someone was seriously injured in an accident. The price you paid for sitting still was far less than than their price, wasn’t it? Every situation is certainly different, but consider what others did during your trial that blessed you, and seek to incorporate those in the lives of others.

It is no small matter to fulfill the law of Christ. Many words are not necessary. Great expenditures are not needed. So, how do we know what to say or do? Love! When care is conveyed, the burdened are blessed. In the end, only the Lord can meet the need of the broken, but we can assure them that they are not alone. When the law of Christ is obeyed, all are blessed even in difficult times.

If your heart is not bent in this direction, perhaps you could schedule some time on a regular basis to ponder the needs of others until caring becomes a natural part of your life. If you do care, pray for our Lord’s wisdom in bearing the burdens of others.

John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone
President

Do you have an electronic device or kitchen appliance that has a reset button?  Many times you can use one of these and not even know it has one simply because there is not a need for it.  However, when the day does come that it is needed it is the first thing to look for.  Perhaps there is an electrical surge that would have destroyed the device or appliance, but it was saved by a small circuit breaker that kept the power from torching it.  When that happens you can just press the reset button and you are back in business.

So many things clamor for our attention these days.  We have often heard someone say, “information overload!”  There was a day when things were not so complicated.  You would know the people that lived right around you, and probably every intimate detail of their lives, but apart from them you only knew what the evening news would tell you in half an hour.  Today, twenty four hours a day we are bombarded with information every waking hour.  It is so easy to lose sight of the important things in the midst of all of the “information overload.”

Is it time to pause and look for the reset button.  We know that we need to pray, read our Bibles, study the Word, witness to others of the saving grace of God, and teach others how to live out their faith.  Have you noticed how easily the world can overrun these very important things in our lives.  It seems obvious that we have many responsibilities because we are saved by the mercy of God, but because of our calling these duties are even more obvious.  We have been specifically called of our Lord to go into the world to witness, baptize and teach.  How can we justifiably permit the world to so intrude into our lives to the degree that these things are put on the back shelf and gotten to only when time permits?

Press the reset button on your life today if the circuit has indeed been broken.  Let’s focus on the things that not only matter for time, but for eternity as well.  Let’s move on from the survival mode the the service mode.  We are servants of the living God, and we have been sent out to serve among a very specific people.  That isn’t to say that our burden isn’t for the entire world, but by virtue of our call of God He has gotten very specific with our location.  Look around today and see the faces of the souls that the Lord has put you in the midst of, then ask yourself if you are truly focused on completing the task given you by God.

It is good to understand the unfolding of events surrounding us today, but not to the exclusion of our duty before God.  Paul fought a good fight.  Paul finished his course.  Paul kept the faith.  Are we?

In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone
President