First Baptist Church of Pinellas Park

1 Peter 4:10 ( NKJV ) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

The subject of spiritual gifts was the subject of today’s message from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.  Its seems as if there was much interest in this subject and we only scratched the surface this morning of the topic.  Two important things to remember about spiritual gifts:

1. They are a gracious gift of God and every believer has a gift.

2. Those gifts are intended to be used for the “profit of all” and utlimatley the glory of God.

If you missed this sermon and are interested here is the link:  Podcast – Many Gifts Yet One Lord

Also, some helpful tools are out there to help you understand what areas you are spiritually gifted in.  However, the best way to find out your spiritual gifts is to seek the Lord’s counsel in His Word and prayerfully asking God to reveal them to you.  Also, do not minimize the value of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to help you.  Those closest to us tend to know us better than we know ourselves.  However, here also is a link to a website that is free that will ask you questions about yourself to help you think about these things.     http://www.mygiftstest.com/Login.aspx On this web page you must “create a new log-in” by making yourself a user-name and password.  Then answer all of the questions in the Gifts Assessment 1 & 2.  Your possible top five gifts will be shown after completing the questionnaires.  This will take some time to answer all of the questions.

I look forward to studying this subject of spiritual gifts much more in the coming weeks.  We will be studying the second half of 1 Corinthians 12 the Sunday after our Revival services.  Hope this is helpful to all those who were interested in the subject.  It is so amazing and humbling to realize that not only did God save us while we were yet sinners by His grace and mercy but also has gifted us to do a work for Him!

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Dewayne Slusher

Acts 4:19-20 ( NKJV ) 19 “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

            The last few months God has really been burdening my heart to do a better job individually and as a church family at sharing the gospel.  It was absolutely necessary that we at First Baptist regrouped and refocused for the past year.  That time of healing was essential for us to move forward as a church.  Now we are at a point as a church that we must remind ourselves to look for ministry outside of our church building to effectively reach this world with gospel.    It has been stated that there are currently somewhere around 6 Billion people on our planet today.  However, only 11% of that number are professing Christians.  That means around 5.4 Billion people in our world today do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and will go to hell and suffer the wrath of God for their sin.  Our responsibility, our privilege and our joy is to get the hope of the gospel, the hope of salvation to those 5.4 Billion lost souls.  Yes, you read that right I said, “Our privilige & our joy” is to get the gospel to those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior!!  As a matter of fact if one truly has been saved by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ death, burial and resurrection we cannot help ourselves but to share such amazing grace!  As by the example of Peter & John in the passage above, those who truly know God’s grace should never allow anything to stop us from getting that message of hope to the lost.  Persecution, fear, reputation, and not even death should stop us from speaking such words of hope!!!  There is absolutley no greater news to share than the Good News of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Now, lets go and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!!!!!!!!!!!

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Dewayne Sluser

        This past week with me being sick with the flu gave me a lot of time to read and reflect on my own walk with the Lord.  As I was reading I came  across in a book by Thomas Watson where I was challenged greatly when he said:

         “Let us test our godliness by this touchstone: Do we love God?  Is He our treasure and centre?  Can we, with David, call God our joy, yes, our exceeding joy (Psa. 43:4)?  Do we delight in drawing near to him, and come before his presence with singing (Psa. 100:2)? Do we love Him for His beauty more than His jewels? Do we love Him, when He seems not to love us?”

      Reflecting on those questions have challenged me all week long.  Think about it for a moment.  Do you really love God?  Is God your greatest love and does your life reflect a love for God?  Or do you turn away from God when things don’t go your way or at the first moment of difficulty or trial?  One of the great Christian theologians St. Augustine once said, “I would hate my own soul, if I found it not loving God.”    Thomas Watson also said, “Many court Him, but few love Him.”  All of us would have to admit that many times in our life we are most consumed with ourselves, recognition, money and stuff more than we are consumed with a love for God.  Jesus Himself even once said,  ”Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NKJV)   Now Jesus said this to tell the disciples to love each other and to obey His commandments.  However, I think we can also conclude for this passage a test of our love for God.  Wouldn’t it be logical to conclude from this passage and others in Scripture, that if we really love God our lives would be consumed with living for Him even to the point that we would lay our life down for Him?  So, I will conclude with this question once more, do you & I really love God?

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Dewayne Slusher       

Acts 20:24 ( NKJV )  ²⁴But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

              One of the most revealing questions a person can ask his-self or herself is “What are you living for?”  What in life do you value the most and spend most of your time doing?  Sadly, the answer to that question many times if we where honest with each other is “self”.  As a Pastor I have counseled many couples whose marriage is struggling and almost always the main root problem is that one or both of them are selfish in some area of the marriage.  The same could be said from my experience as a parent.  When my children are feuding with each other 99% of the time it is when one or both are being selfish about their toys or possessions.  Also, we could look at the church and see the same truth.  When a church is divided and fueding the problem can also usually be traced back to selfishness or pride.  So, it should be pretty apparent to all of us that most of the time we are concerned with self way too much.  

               For the Christian the answer to the question “What are you living for?” it obviously should be “Jesus”.  In the passage above the writer of the book of Acts I believe to be the apostle Luke and he basically says that he counted nothing in this life, even his own life as worthy to what God had called him to do.  Luke’s committment to God & His calling was more important than anything else and he was willing to die for it.  The Apostle Paul says something similiar by saying “For me to live is Christ but to die is gain.”  Also, Jesus says, ”He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”  Biblically speaking the greatest joy to be had as a Christian is to live a life completely consumed with the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He has called us to.  There is nothing in this world that should more valuable to the Christian than our faithfulness to Christ & the work He calls us to.  So, let us ask oursleves again “What are you living for?”       

 In Christ Alone,

Pastor Dewayne Slusher

¹ Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. ² It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep. ³ Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. ⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. ⁵ Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate. Psalms 127:1-5 (NKJV)

The first few months of this year were spent in a sermon series entitled ”Reviving the Family.”  So, after this past Mother’s day there was a rekindling of the desire in my heart to see families staying together and serving the Lord.  As a Pastor many people come to me with problems they are having for prayer and counsel.  I would have to say most of the problems I am asked to give counsel for are family related problems.  In our world today the family has become a very confusing and controversial subject for many.  In our world today children are considered a burden because of career goals and dreams so many consider abortion or avoid having children all together.  Also, the issues of gender roles within marriage, homosexuality, divorce and parenting are other issues our culture debates today.  The bible gives counsel and clear teaching about all of these issues.  Also, the bible places a great emphasis on the fact that children are a blessing.

The problem for most Christian families today in regard to the family and most other issues is that we have accepted the cultures values above God’s law.  Instead of looking to God’s Word for what it has to say on the family we look for the approval of our culture.  We have compromised God’s truth for what Oprah, Tyra Banks and Jerry Springer say is okay and what is not.  The bible says as Christians we are in this world but not of it.  That means we are going to look totally different from the rest of the world in all areas of life and especially the family.  Christians need to be looking to God’s Word on issues of the family and the Bible is full of those answers.  God’s Word gives us clear counsel on how to parent our children, how to love our spouse, and what makes a family successful.  God’s Word never says having a family is always easy,  it is very hard work but God’s Word gives instruction for the family even during those difficult times.  Christians need to get back to the Word of God and making it a part of our lives because it is a “Living Word” and when we get that part right God will do amazing things in our families.  God’s Word comes with a promise that it contains all that we need to be thoroughly equipped for every good work God calls us to and that includes the responsibility of our families.

¹⁶All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,¹⁷that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

II Timothy 3:16

In conclusion I also want to say just one more thing to our godly mothers.  Thank you so much for choosing life and giving your life to serve children who have nothing to offer you in return as the world may see it.  Children are a heritage from the Lord!!!!  May God bless our godly mothers and raise up more of them we truly love and appreciate all you do!

Let me also suggest a couple of books for our families especially for husbands & wives:    The Exemplary Husband by Stuart Scott & The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Dewayne Slusher

9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 
Psalms 51:9-10 (NKJV)

Here at First Baptist Church we are getting closer & closer to the dates we have set aside for our Spring Revival services.  We have entitled this event ”Sharing Hope with Pinellas Park.”  And the reason for that title is because most and especially those who are unchurched do not know what a revival service is for.  Our purpose for this event is to do two things:  First, of all it is a time where we invite as many unbelievers as possible to hear the gospel that they might have the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Second, it is a time for reflection, renewal & re-commitment for believers.  We want to see as many as possible to come to faith in Christ as we can but at the same time realize that there are many believers who are struggling in their faith with sin & life circumstances.

One of the most common verses of Scripture I hear when referring to Revival is Psalm 51:9-10 as quoted above.  I believe this is an excellent verse to reflect upon for all of us at First Baptist during this revival.  David in the verses previous to this passage is confessing to God his sinfulness and asking God to forgive him.  David even gets to the point that he asks God to please no longer remember his sins and in verse 9 he asks also God to hide his face from his sins.  In my opinion I believe David was having a revival take place in his life.  David paints a picture of what must take place in the life of a believer before revival can take place.  David recognizes and admits to God his sinfulness and guilt before our Holy God.  David even admits  ”in sin my mother conceived me.”  Not only did David recognize he was a sinner because of his actions but he was born with that problem.  David also says “against you, you only, have I sinned.”  Now if you remember the story of David & Bathsheba you will remember that David had sinned against Bathsheba, her husband, and the nation of Israel.  So, why does David say in this passage he had only sinned against God?  What David is doing in this passage is not minimizing his sin to others but is understanding & admitting that by sinning against others he has most importantly sinned against our Holy God.

So, first Davids revival begins with the repentance of sins and seeking God’s forgiveness.  Second, David’s revival occurs because he not only repents but asks God to do a work in him by asking God, “Create in me a clean heart.”   Regarding this passage Henry Smith once said, “David prayeth the Lord to create him a new heart, not to correct his old heart, but to create him a new heart; showing that his heart was like an old garment, so rotten and tattered that he could make no good of it by patching or piecing, but even must cut it off, and take a new.”  Revival begins with repentance but ultimatley can only happen by the power of God doing a work in our hearts that we can never do ourselves but can only ask God to do in us.  For the believer this is a repentant life style of when we fail and fall into sin we repent and turn our hearts back to God & His will.  For the unbeliever there is not really a revival because one cannot revive something that is already dead!  The bible declares that we are “dead in our trespasses.”  So, for the unbeliever they are brought to life by the proclamation of the gospel through which the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin, leading them to repentance and placing their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

So, I encourage all of our believers to take this opportunity to examine our lives and to repent of the things in our lives that hinder us from doing the work of the gospel and enjoying our relationship with the Lord Jesus.  And lastly, be in prayer that God will do a mighty work in our midst during our revival services and that many would come to faith in Jesus.  Remember, revival is not a service it is a change that only God can do in the heart’s of men and we hope to see much of that before and during our upcoming services!  So, lets pray for God to do a revival in ourselves that God might do a mighty work in Pinellas Park.

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Dewayne Slusher