Category: Pastoral Ministry

To Ron and Shelly Hamilton’s Church

If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.  1 Corinthians 12:26a

Our dear friends Ron and Shelly Hamilton and family are suffering unspeakable grief.  Their 34 year old son Jonathan died in tragic circumstances on Mother’s Day afternoon.  This beloved family is giving testimony to the comfort that only God can give.

People’s natural responses to this news include sorrow, questions, and speculation.  The God-glorifying  response of those who are joined to Ron, Shelly, and family by union with Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13) is to suffer with them.  That is, we take their pain upon ourselves as if their tragedy had happened to us.

The extremity of grief is an opportunity for the church to be the church, to do what the body of Christ does.  The Hamiltons’ connection to the body of Christ includes not only our local church, but the greater church of Jesus Christ to which they have ministered for many years.  The Spirit Who has united us will lead individuals and local churches to take the Hamiltons’ pain upon themselves and to embrace and support them in ways that impart grace into their lives.  The present ordeal is a learning moment for us all, an occasion for Christ-followers to grow in our understanding and practice of “one anothering.”

As co-members of the body of Christ:

  • We share in the joys and the heartbreaks of life together.
  • We hold our dear ones up through unceasing prayer for superhuman strength, mega-doses of grace, and Spirit-fueled endurance.
  • We communicate our support through acts of love, providing for material needs.
  • We express words of comfort while understanding when space and privacy are needed.
  • We do not stay silent just because we don’t know what to say.  “I know words aren’t sufficient, but I want you to know I love you and am praying for you” is always appropriate.
  • We do not ask hurting people questions for which there are no answers.
  • We do not offer well-meaning platitudes for which there is no basis in Scriptural truth.
  • We are patient and understanding when grief debilitates for a season and when a tragedy leaves its mark for a lifetime.
  • We speak truth from God’s Word into the lives of those who grieve, not with a preachy tone, but to give them solid footing during a tumultuous experience.

We at Calvary Baptist of Simpsonville often recognize what a treasure we as a local church have in the Hamilton family.  We also recognize they belong to the greater body and that God has opened many ministry opportunities to them.  The door to greater ministry was opened through suffering when Ron lost his eye to cancer.  His personal testimony and encouragement to others has been “Rejoice in the Lord.”  May Ron and family receive an infusion of the grace of God now and in the days ahead to endure, trust, grow, and even, yes, rejoice in the Lord.

Pastor Dean Taylor

What Flowers Won’t Fix

…is the theme of my message this Sunday morning at Calvary.  Yes, it’s my Mother’s Day message.  People are buying bazillions of flowers this weekend for mothers and wives, which is a great way to show love and honor.  But I am guessing that there are problems in many of those relationships between adult children and their mothers, and between husbands and their wives, that flowers won’t fix.  That’s what my message will address.  Join us Sunday morning, or listen here next week.

Two Pages In My Bible

I did not know that so much rich truth and practical instruction was packed into the two pages of my Bible that contain Paul’s letter to Titus.  Wow.  When I determined that I should preach through it on Sunday mornings at Calvary, I didn’t know what I was getting in to – in a good way!

Here’s a line-up of the paragraphs I followed and the sermon titles/themes I used:

Book Theme – Learning and Living

1:1-4      The Christian Life in Three Parts

1:5-9      Delivering Life-Changing Truth

1:10-16  Getting Ready to Learn and Live

2:1-10    Healthy Living – for senior men, senior women, young women, young men, pastors,    and people in lowly positions doing menial tasks; “healthy” is based on the meaning of the word translated “sound” in Titus.  Did four messages from these verses.

2:11-14  Why Should I?

3:1-2      Learning to Live in Our Community

3:3-7      Why Christians Shouldn’t Be Snobs

3:9-11    Living With Differences

3:12-15 What Really Closes the Gap  (focus on “grace” in v. 15 and the other places it occurs in the book)

Observations

  • I love preaching straight through a book of the Bible.  One of the benefits is you address issues that you might not otherwise.  When would I have preached on avoiding foolish disputes and rejecting divisive people (3:9-11)?  Probably when I thought I needed to, reactively rather than proactively.  Another benefit is you never have to wonder what you’re preaching on next Sunday.  It’s right in front of you.  Just start digging.  The sermon will almost write itself sometimes.
  • People appreciate understanding a section of Scripture so that when they read it later they know what it’s talking about.  That’s one of my goals in preaching – delivering it like Ezra did (Nehemiah 8:8).  So I explain a lot, apply a good bit.
  • I’m amazed at how the Holy Spirit makes truth personal.  Many times during the past three months people have told me how what I preached from Titus was exactly what they needed for a specific struggle, decision, trial, temptation, crisis, etc.  I don’t know what everyone is facing, but God does, and so sweetly speaks to us in very specific ways through the ministry of the Word.  I love that.  Praise God.
  • I love my new Bible!  It was my family’s gift when I turned the big 5-0.  This is the first series I’ve preached from it.  Another blog post on that later…
  • God’s Word is true.  It is relevant to all people, everywhere, for all time.  The people on the island of Crete in the first century had the same junk as people in Upstate South Carolina have in 2013.  And the answers are the same.  It’s all in the Word.  It’s pretty much all in the book of Titus!  Tightly packaged and condensed.

Titus would be a great book to study yourself this summer (see post on studying the Bible here).  It would be perfect for a small group or home Bible study.  For big-time memorizers, hide this powerful package in your heart!  If someone were going underground because of persecution or being imprisoned for his or her faith, and could only hold on to a few pages of Scripture, Titus would be a portable and concise source of sound doctrine and spiritual nourishment.

There’s a lot in the book of Titus.  I preached 15 sermons from it, and could have done more.  You can listen to them here.  Only two pages of Scripture, but tons of truth.