Savannah, Georgia 2014

  Maybe it’s just me, but it seems the further south I go from NC, the more the spiritual climate changes?

  There’s really not much to write about the week I was in Savannah.  I think this was mostly due to feeling weak in the body but in this I was drawn closer to Christ.  In Him I am Comforted, In Him I am Loved, In Him I am Encouraged and In Him I am Secure.  Therefore, no matter the circumstances; In Christ Jesus I am Complete!  Praise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!  Amen.

   The most interesting discovery downtown Savannah was a monument of John Wesley in Reynolds Square.  Inscribed on the front of the pedestal are the words, “John Wesley, 1703-1791, Founder of Methodism, Minister of the Church of England in Savannah, 1736-1737.”  It’s reported that Wesley preached his first American sermon in Savannah.  

John Wesley Reynolds Park Savannah, GA

  Thanks to Bible Baptist Church I had a safe place to park.  Lord willing I would like to go back to downtown Savannah for a do over.  Downtown stays busy with tourist and it would be better having a couple of brothers to take the gospel to the busy streets. 

  Dear Brethren,

  I’m so very thankful for your prayers, encouragement and every way you have and continue to support me along; The Journey 50 States One True Story JESUS!

  Be of good courage as “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9)

                                                Agape, David

Here’s a little about my week in Florence,

  I arrived 11-2-2014 just in time for the evening service at Faith Baptist Tabernacle and the Lord provided a great place for me to park for the week.  Florence is a small city, not so much going on and no large venues.  But during the week I had many good 1 on 1 gospel conversations.  It’s always nice having dialoged with unbelievers whose attitudes are say reasonable.  As in they ask sensible questions.  It’s all good until you get to the point of commitment!  Brakes start screeching, fortified walls spring up…  It’s as if the same person is not there but they are.  This is when I’m glad they have taken a gospel tract and thank them for taking the time to talk.  Okay, I added emphases here and there and they all do not go so far south.

   During the week God blessed me through many believers I met.  I love hearing testimonies and encouraging one another in the word.  On a couple of occasions this week in meeting someone in a parking lot and another inside a retail store the Praising of God, Declaration of Christ Work on The Cross, The Imperative to Repent, Trust Christ Alone or You will Perish happened spontaneously!   I love this every time and it only takes a spark to start the flame.  A song about Jesus was playing in the Salvation Army store and another time; Holy, Holy, Holy was playing in the Life-Way Store.  Later someone said; Praise the Lord in the Walmart Parking Lot. I love it every time, I mean; I really love it every time this happens. 

    On Friday I went to the intersection founded earlier in the week; pulled in, backed up to the corner, hooked up and preached.  That’s until the nice policeman informed me; I needed to have permission from the landowner and because of the noise ordinance I would have to lower the volume. So, I packed up and thanked God that, the gospel went out in all directions during rush hour. 

Here’s a video clip http://youtu.be/NtiT57xvcB8

  The week finished quietly and prior to leaving I was once again blessed to fellowship at Faith Baptist Temple. 

   One more thing to mention:  Yesterday November 9^th marked the 8th anniversary of the greatest event in my entire lifetime and unless the Lord comes before I die in the body I expect no event could top it.  With that said, I hope to write and share the story with you.

  Dear Brethren, I hope to find that you are all the more dedicated in the cooperative work between The Holy Spirit and Your selves growing in Holiness, that you may present Your Bodies to God as a living sacrifice which is your reasonable service to God.  I hear many people say, “The Lord has my heart” or “I gave my heart to the Lord a long time ago” and that’s where they stop.  Brethren, we cannot separate our Heart from our body.  Besides who can serve God or God’s people with just the Heart?  No one can!  God demands, that we present our body’s Holy and blameless as a living sacrifice. We are all commanded by God to give our self to finishing the work that The Lord Jesus Christ inaugurated.  Each one of God’s children has been equipped by the Holy Spirit to engage their “Body” in the ongoing work of The Great Commission!  

  Let us encourage each other while it is day and may we be found by our Master as good and faithful stewards.  

                                                                                       Agape,  David

  Two things I’m most likely to remember about Fayetteville, NC are Berean Baptist Church and Fayetteville’s Police and Sheriff’s Departments. 

  But before I get into that I want to share some of my thought’s this morning while at a Chick-fil-A in Florence, SC.   Everyone who went thru the drive thru saw what you see in the picture posted here and that’s great.  The unusual thing is what I saw as I sat having coffee looking out the window, so let me explain. 

Hello, JESUS SAVES!

   Considering, I designed the layout of the graphic including all of the words; it was not until today that I saw the whole picture.  Here are 2 verses that came to mind: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14) and “Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.” (Deut. 17:6)  Okay now do you see the general call and whose call is it?  Can you see two or three witnesses?  To me that’s pretty awesome but I will go a little further looking at the colors of the center stripe in light of (John 3:19) “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” So looking at the color scheme we have two dominant colors white and black right?  The white represents “the light (the Way, the Truth, the Life, JESUS) has come into the world….”  The black represents “darkness” and men loved darkness (loved Unrighteousness, loved Evil, loved Sin) rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Look at the beginning of the verse “And this is the condemnation,” (judgment) who’s judgment?  Remember the witnesses?  I’m almost done, looking at the small stripes there are two colors black and burgundy.  It has been established that black represents Sin, white represents JESUS and I believe the color burgundy represents the blood of Jesus as in (1 John 1:7) “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  So the color Burgundy represents the Blood of Jesus as the Covering for Sin (Black)!  Last note, the words Jesus and GOD where crafted with letters taken off of vehicles and headed for the trash.  Thinking about that now, isn’t that where most of the American culture would have them?  Not the letters, but Jesus and GOD!  Today, many were confronted with HIS CALL: Repent! Don’t Die In Your Sins!  For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. (1 John 5:7)  All Glory to GOD!  Amen.

  Back to the week in Fayetteville, Berean Baptist Church the Police and Sheriff’s Departments in a little while. 

   Please keep in mind that while I have traveled much of this country, the experiences that I have had are very, very few in number and may or may not be an accurate overall picture of the Church in America.  One of the hardest and quickest reality’s that I encountered when; “The Journey 50 States One True Story JESUS!” began was the response of churches towards me in this calling.  Some of which was due to me being naïve.  When I started out I thought wherever there was a Church, I had a place to go and surely a place to park.  There’s no way anyone could misinterpret what I believed, who and what I loved the most and no one would think I might be coming to do harm and make a quick getaway.

  Not so fast: Hello! Pinch me!  Wake up call!  Reality check!  No way!  You’ve got to be kidding!  JESUS Help!  Here are a few terms that I have grown accustomed to hearing (growing pains):  I don’t know you,  You can keep your references I don’t know your pastor,  We don’t have insurance for you to park here at the church,  You don’t use the same translation,  You need to go where the poor are,  No pastor in this town is going to welcome you,  It takes a month or more to make these arrangements,  We don’t believe what you believe: (in a literal Hell),  We don’t want to be associated with your ministry,   We want to reach people in a different way,  We would need to have a board meeting first and …….. on and on it goes.  By now I think you get the idea. 
   But here’s the Hope that I want to convey the Loudest:  GOD is Faithful, The LORD has Kept, Carried,  Encouraged and Provided; True Love, True Friendship and Treasures which I will praise GOD for Eternally. 

  So along with the Apostle Paul and every Born Again Christian I can say with Certainty, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29 (NKJV)

  Though indeed growing pains, what shall I say except; LORD help me that I may forgive every offence because through all of them I have come to know YOU better and this I count as JOY!  Amen.

  Wow, I didn’t plan to write so much and I need to finish as the time has gone by quick.  I’m very grateful to GOD, for Berean Baptist Church of Fayetteville.  They stand out as a Stark Contradiction to what is largely represented as “American Christianity”.   True to The WORD of GOD,  Determined to Follow the Commands of JESUS Christ and Resolved there can be no Compromise.  In other words; Eternity is Eminent and every living soul who is not Born Again is headed headlong for Eternal Destruction.  Christians are saved to complete the Mission that the Lord Jesus Christ inaugurated.  We are Not to be at Ease in Zion.  No!  We are the called to WAR.  We go into battle from the point of Victory in which the LORD has obtained.  Every Saint this side of heaven needs to be encouraged while it is yet today.  Through Jesus Christ we are assured of victory over Death, Sin and the Grave!  Amen. Amen.  

  Thanks, Berean Baptist Church for receiving me in the Love of Christ, Thanks for Your Prayers and Thanks for every encouragement.  It’s an honor to have met you and I look forward to the time when I will see you again.

Berean Baptist Church Fayetteville, NC Thank You.

  I will close with more good news.  With regard to The Sheriff’s and The Police Department of Fayetteville I was blessed in that members from both departments went out of their way to encourage me in doing The Lord’s work!  This has happened a few times along this journey, but each and every time I’m so thankful because this is another way that GOD demonstrates that HE has a people everywhere I go.   Although these men that I’m writing about as well as every person not mentioned who encouraged me probably will not see this; I thank GOD and each of You for your kindness.  May God bless You!

  Brothers and Sisters,

  My Family, who are around this country and to those who are scattered abroad; May GOD the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ bless you according to the riches which are in Christ JESUS!  Amen.

  Having arrived at the next stop in Florence, SC I hope to write you again next week about this time.

                                                                          Agape,  David