20
Farther From Shore
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
The story has been passed down about a man who wanted to walk across the frozen Mississippi River. He started off on thick ice, but as he got farther from shore, he began to doubt the strength of the ice to hold him. He decided to turn back, and, afraid the ice would not bear his weight, began crawling on his hands and knees just to be safe.
He heard frightening sounds begin to come from the ice. It soon became a growing roar, and then, thinking the ice was cracking all around him, he fell on his face and prayed to God for help and rescue. But then the roar passed him — it was a man leading a team of horses pulling a load of logs across the ice. Chagrined, he scrambled up off his belly and finished his trek across the river.
The river never changed during the man’s odyssey; but his faith did. The only real difference between those two men is that one knew full well the strength of the ice and trusted it and the other man did not.
“O people saved by the LORD” if we want to have our Christian odyssey blessed by the Lord Jesus, we must know Him and love Him to trust Him at all times. 1 John 4:18-19 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us.” Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
22
There Will Always Be GOD !
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
They cannot bomb His City;
Nor dynamite His Throne;
They cannot nuke His Heaven;
Nor rob Him of His Own.
They cannot take Him captive, Nor strike Him deaf or blind,
Nor starve Him to surrender,
Nor make Him change His Mind.
They cannot cause Him panic,
Nor cut off His supplies.
They cannot seize His Kingdom, Nor hurt Him with their lies.
Though all the world be shattered
His Truth remains the same;
His righteous laws still potent,
LORD JESUS IS HIS NAME .
He is a Friend of sinners;
He came to shed His Blood;
To die and pay our sin debt,
And so prove His awesome Love.
The third day He arose,
His Power o’er Death and Hell,
Proving He’s Jehovah
Soon to ring Judgment’s bell.
Those who repent of sin,
Place trust in CHRIST alone,
Will receive His Righteousness
And Heaven as their Home.
Satan and sin resist,
Coping with their darts and rod.
Since above all conflict,
There will always be our God!
21
The Relief And Rest In Jesus Christ Now & Forever
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Walking briskly through a hospital corridor after making a visit, I made a full stop to read the helpful thought for the day on the staff whiteboard. “Be extra kind to everyone you come across today; for most of us are having a hard time of it.” My walk was a bit slower, even though I still didn’t want my parking slip to tick over to the next half hour increasing my charge. I was thinking how good that would be if every day, every where with every one, folks were extra kind. Reality check . . . Not until Jesus comes back and makes everything right.
The Lord Jesus Christ understood that life is hard, very hard, even painful, and very painful at times. Jesus came to die for our sins on the cross paying off the sin debt all of us sinners owe a holy God. Christ was then buried, and rose from the dead the third day - and seen by hundreds and is alive for evermore. If you trust Jesus Christ alone as your Saviour once and for all, you are guaranteed by God’s Word of having a holy and happy eternity in Heaven. Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
But what about now? Jesus Christ God and Saviour tells us He’ll share the burdens with us. Matthew11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Do you understand the design of a yoke? Is it to be a burden to the animal which wears it? It is just the opposite; it is to make its burden light. Attached to the oxen in any other way than by a yoke, the plow would be intolerable; worked by means of a yoke, it is light. A yoke is not an instrument of torture; it is an instrument of mercy. It is not a malicious tool for making work hard; it is a gentle device to make hard labor light.
Jesus knew the difference between a smooth yoke and a rough one, a bad fit and a good one… The rough yoke galled, and the burden was heavy; the smooth yoke caused no pain, and the load was lightly drawn. The badly fitted harness was a misery; but the well fitted collar was “easy”. And what was the “burden”? It was not some special difficulty laid upon the “saints”, some unique affliction they alone must bear. It was what all Believers in Jesus, all Christians bear: it was simply life itself; the general burden and hardships of life which all must carry with them from the cradle to the grave. Christ saw that men took life painfully. To some it was just a weariness, to others a failure, to many a tragedy, to all a struggle and a pain. How to carry this burden of life had been the whole world’s problem.
And here is the Lord Jesus Christ’s solution: #1) Above from verse 28- Come to Me and let Me save your soul and so that you will be in right relationship with Me. #2) From verses 29-30- Then surrender and yield to Me and I will be pulling with you, always shouldering the lion’s share. Therefore, look at life from my point of view. Live it upon my Bible principles. ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6
Sincerely,
Pastor Spence
19
A Heart for Our Nation
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
This Tuesday May 19 @ 7:00 PM, “The Servant Singers” from FaithWay Baptist College will be presenting in Biblical Drama and Song the program “A Heart for Our Nation”. YOU are invited to be our guests for this. We are located at 19869 Fraser Hwy Langley. The Servant Singers past presentations have been powerful and encouraging. Don’t miss them this time around!
FaithWay Baptist College is located on the eastside of Toronto in AJAX, Ontario. It was founded in 1983 and is a ministry of FaithWay Baptist Church.
This great Canadian Baptist Bible College has graduates that are true servant leaders for the Lord Jesus Christ and are serving Him throughout the world. To learn more go to: college.faithway.org
We look forward to seeing you Tuesday 7:00 PM @ Victory Baptist Church.
Sincerely,
Pastor Spence
12
Part 3 - The Purpose of VBC is to:
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
V-Value God
B-Build Better Lives
C- Convey the Gospel
C - Convey the Gospel. Convey means “to make understandable to someone; to communicate, make known, impart.” Our Lord Jesus told His people, genuine Christians of Bible-Believing Churches to “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (each and every one of His created persons, i.e. human beings) Mark 16:15. When our Church community outreach takes place, we endeavour to give the Gospel of Jesus Christ to folks. Printed page is excellent; however, there is nothing that can surpass the conveying the Gospel “person-to-person”. This is how our Lord Jesus said was to be the primary way to tell people that, He, Jesus Christ died for their sins, was buried and rose from the dead the third day, was seen by hundreds and is alive for evermore - ready now to save them!
Recently, I came across a gentleman working on his vehicle. I told him we were from Victory Baptist Church and were inviting folks in his area to our Church. He stated that he already attended somewhere. “Fine. May I ask you a spiritual question?” “Yes.” “If your life were to end today are for sure you would go to Heaven?” “No one knows that.” I then stated that, “According to God’s Word, the Bible ‘One CAN KNOW that he or she IS going to Heaven immediately when they die!’”
Tragically, he wasn’t interested to have me “convey” the sure, saving, keeping Gospel of Jesus Christ from the Scriptures. Let me now briefly show you from God’s Word, the Bible, how you CAN KNOW FOR SURE that you can possess eternal life now and when you die you’ll go right straight to Jesus Christ in Heaven. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you.” John 14:2. The Bible Says . . . “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life . .” 1 John 5:13. God WANTS us all to know that we are going to Heaven and we must do it God’s way.
First of all, we are all sinners. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. Because of our sin we are under the penalty for sin. “For the wages of sin is death” Rom. 6:23a. This penalty means eternal separation from the mercy and love of God in an eternal Hell. However, God the Father does not want anyone to go to Hell, so He sent, Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son to die and pay the penalty for our sins. “But God commendeth his love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ..Christ died for our sins.. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”. Romans 5:8 & 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
God’s love is so great that He made a way for sins to be forgiven. He offers salvation and forgiveness freely. “ . . the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23b. God offers Heaven as a Gift, purchased with His own blood on Calvary’s cross. But like all gifts, it is not yours until you receive it. Here is how you can receive Christ once, for all and forever: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Rom. 10:9 You must believe in your heart these facts about Jesus Christ as the Saviour and call on the Lord Jesus to save you. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. 10:13
Will you call on the Lord right now, and ask Him to save you from your sin’s penalty? Do it today! Nothing in all this world is more important than settling this with God. Don’t put it off any longer.
Sincerely,
Pastor Spence
08
HONOUR THY … MOTHER
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Mother’s Day is certainly one of the most important of the year. Many great statesmen have restated the truth in various ways that “the future of the world rests in the Mother’s lap.” Of course, the Lord intended for the Mother to have great influence upon her children. When a child responds in the right way to the righteous teaching of a Godly Mother then the whole world is blessed along with that child. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:1-3, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
Honour means “to regard with great value and respect”. There is never a time in our lives when we stop honouring our mother and father. Thank God for creating and designing the family with man and woman, husband and wife, and the command to be fruitful and multiply children. God made us for family and we need each other and every component of the family as God intended.
It has been the tears of many a concerned Mother that has turned a wayward son or daughter back from a life of waste and destruction to a life of value and happiness. The depth of a Mother’s love can not be fathomed but it can be felt and seen in the lives of her children. The influence of a Mother’s love can hardly be matched. It can only be surpassed by the love of God Himself. Her influence is immeasurable!
Abraham Lincoln said, “No man is poor who has had a godly mother.” An old maxim says, “An ounce of mother is worth a ton of preacher.”
Robert Ingersoll, the notorious atheist, when in his heyday, two college students went to hear him lecture. As they walked down the street after, one said to the other, “Well, I guess he knocked the props out from under Christianity, didn’t he?” The other said, “No, I don’t think he did. Ingersoll did not explain my mother’s life, and until he can explain my mother’s life I will stand by my mother’s God.”
Charles H. Spurgeon, beloved Pastor said often, “I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother. I remember her once praying, “Now Lord, if my children go on in sin it will not be from ignorance that they perish, and my soul must bear swift witness against them at the day of judgment if they lay not hold on Christ and claim Him as their personal Saviour ” G. Campbell Morgan had four sons and they were all preachers like their father. Someone once came into the drawing room when all the family was there. They thought they would see what Howard, one of the sons, was made of so they asked him this question: “Howard, who is the greatest preacher in your family?” Howard had a great admiration for his father and he looked straight across at him and then without a moments hesitation he answered, “Mother.”
Of course, the influence of a Mother has much to do with the practical evidence of her love by willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to protect and help her children as this account will show.
Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby. When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the depths of her mother’s love. Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without doubt, one of England’s greatest statesman.
Personally, I thank the LORD Jesus for a loving, fair-minded, conscientious, practical Mother who always lived with my best interest at heart. I thank God for the times she sat me down and talked to me eyeball to eyeball from her great Mother’s heart about life. I thank the Lord for her tears that made me think deeply about some serious issues of life and caused me to change my course for the better. And I profoundly thank the LORD JESUS for the day my mom asked Jesus to forgive of her sin and come into her heart and life and save her. Hallelujah!
There is another Mother I must mention; one I know so very well. That is my dear wife, the Mother of my three children. She is one of the most loving-hearted, clear-thinking, and devoted of mothers. This flows from her person because of her faithful walk with the Lord Jesus. She is one of the most consistent Christians of which I am aware. The results are that she has reared and raised three children, now young adults, that are serving the Lord Jesus and others with their lives in His ministry. She is a great Mother and by the way, this has gone a long way in helping me strive to be the Father my children have needed me to be. Happy Mother’s Day to you, Darling, I love you, my Sweetheart forever!
A minister’s wife told of filling out a form in her pediatrician’s office. Beside the blank marked “occupation” were these words: “If you devote the greater part of your time to loving, caring and making a home for your family, put a big star in this space.”
Mothers, I take off my hat to you and bow before you in true thanks for your love for God and your children, for your righteous influence, and for your endless sacrifices. I pray God richly bless your lives!
ON MOTHER’S DAY at VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH, we give an encouraging helpful Bible message about Motherhood. We also honour every Mother with a special gift and recognition. Mom, please be our guest on Mother’s Day. WE would be honoured!
Sincerely,
Pastor Spence
08
Part 2 - The Purpose of VBC is to:
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
V-Value God
B-Build Better Lives
C- Convey the Gospel
B - Build Better Lives. The Lord Jesus is certainly in the business of building better lives. He described it this way in Luke 19:10 - “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” In Luke 4:18, Jesus Christ said it this way, that He had come “to preach the gospel to the poor… to heal the brokenhearted .. to preach deliverance to the captives … and to set at liberty them that are bruised.”
First of all, as the previous article stated, Jesus first wants to secure a holy and happy eternity for us by saving our lost souls. He also stated, in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He is looking to build a life first IN us and then THROUGH us, so that the overflow of our saved life life will impact others to get saved too!
Now, this better abundant life is all dependent, not on lots of money, or many people doing things for us, but it has to do with what we do with His precious Words, I.E. the Bible. The Lord Jesus says in Matthew 7:24, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Jesus builds lives to last!
Simply this, the Lord Jesus blesses those that love to hear His Word and obey His Voice. He says, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Victory Baptist has all of its services, programs and activites centred around and based on God’s Word. As we yield to God’s Words and let them take hold of our innermost lives in a vital real way, we begin living the genuine Christian life as God intended. Then we are always in position for Christ to bless us with His mighty hand of guidance and supply.
Jesus said it this way in John 8:31-32, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” A Church that is faithful to the Lord is faithful in ministering the Word of God. This is the main ministry appointed to God’s Churches. This is the avenue of God’s blessings. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
God will build the life that allows Him. The life that submits to His Word. The preaching and teaching and living of God’s Word builds the best lives and all for God’s glory!
05
The Simple Yet Profound Purpose of Victory Baptist Church Is To:
Published by pastor, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
V - Value God
B - Build Better Lives
C - Covey the Gospel
To VALUE the living true God, one must have in their heart of hearts the dedication of Mark 12:30, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Loving the Lord Jesus will cure the world of selfishness, hatred, fear, lust, anger and the love of money and power, etc. and bring into proper priority how we are to value God.
This first priority will save a soul for eternity. 1 John 4: 19 & 10 tell us, “We love him because he first loved us. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Propitiation means “the only satisfactory payment”.
All our sin, my sin and your sin has to be paid for; we owe God wages (a fixed payment or penalty) for breaking His laws. “for the wages of sin is death” Romans 6;23a. The wages or debt we owe God, or the penalty payment we owe is death. Now Jesus died for our sins and was buried and rose from the dead the third day. Christ died our death for us to pay the debt and penalty we owe!
On Calvary’s cross, Jesus Christ was punished in our place for us. When we accept into our life what Jesus Christ did for us as our only way of salvation, then our debt is paid for and we are accepted back by God the Father in HIM-Jesus Christ God the Son. It’s the plan of salvation God designed. It is the exchange that we must accept. The exchange is this: we accept Jesus’ death and resurrection as paying our debt we owe God, we then exchange our sinfulness for Jesus Christ’s’ righteousness, our guilt for His innocence, our being dead in our sins for His resurrection life. It’s called in Romans 6:23b “the gift of God … eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” . This is what we get in exchange for the eternal death from the wages of our own sins.
We are to receive this gift, made up of: the forgiveness of sins, His righteousness, and everlasting life that God offers ONLY through Jesus Christ. For it is Jesus Christ alone that paid our sin debt for us and purchased our eternal life by His precious blood. The blood that He shed in His death is the propitiation (only satisfactory payment) for our sins. He then had a real burial. And then He had a real resurrection from the dead on the third day! He was seen by hundreds and is alive for evermore!
The Lord Jesus says it again in Revelation 1:17b-18, “Fear not, I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death.” Now when you believe on, accept in your heart and life Jesus alone as your personal Saviour by faith in His Bible promise, this IS receiving God’s salvation once and for all, and forever! John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Why not take God’s offer today, now!?! Confess to God that you are a sinner and that you deserve His judgment for your sins, and that you in no way can save yourself. Tell the Lord Jesus you believe He died for your sins and paid your sin debt in full and that He rose from the dead. Tell Jesus that you want Him to forgive your sins and come into your heart and save you right now. Tell Him that you are only trusting Him to save your soul and by His righteousness alone to get you into heaven one day. Amen! Then - Thank Him for saving your soul !
You see Valuing God and Loving God can only really start when we take by faith the salvation that God offers in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. This then establishes the permanent eternal relationship with the living and true God. This is accepting the very proof of the greatest expression of His love to us. Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 1John 4:19 “We love Him BECAUSE He FIRST loved us.” Value God? Love God? Respond to this unsurpassed display of His love by Jesus Christ for you.
We’ll talk about the “B” & “C” another day.
Sincerely,
In Jesus Christ’s Salvation,
Pastor Spence
19
FRIEND Day - March 22
Published by admin, under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Every year we have several very special events. We have an annual Missions’ Conference in January. This is a highlight for our Church and a wonderful way to start the new year thinking about the many needs of others for the Gospel of Jesus Christ all around this planet. In autumn we have Anniversary Revival Meetings. This gives us a unique time to re-focus our vision on our God and His priorities for our lives.
There is also FRIEND Day in the spring. We want our community to know they have a friend in Victory Baptist Church; and of course, above all things, to let all know the greatest Friend a human being could have is in the Lord Jesus Christ!
On our FRIEND Day we change things up a bit. We do ONE big Sunday Service @ 10:15 AM rather than our regular two morning ministries. This year our Men will be providing our special FRIEND Day music. We will be having Dr. Eldon Martens of California giving our FRIEND Day message. There will be a delicious complimentary lunch for all who attend the 10:15 am service.
In all, we are praying that it will be a refreshing, helpful time of God’s blessings on all present. So consider yourself personally invited! Sunday March 22 10:15 am sharp! We look forward to seeing you and yours there! Sincerely, Pastor Spence
13
Welcome to experiencevictory.org
Published by admin, under VBC Posts. No Comments.
Welcome to Victory Baptist Church. We are glad you have dropped by to check us out online. It is our hope that your online experience will give you a taste of who we are and why we love this place and this community. If you choose to join us in church this weekend, we will make every effort to create an experience for you as our valued guest.
No matter where you are or what season of life you are in, you are welcome here. Victory Baptist Church is located in Langley, BC at 19869 Fraser Hwy. between Langley Bypass and 200 Street. We hope that you will come visit with us this weekend!