Pastor's Blog for January 2017

by SBC Pastor John Chowning

The beginning of a new year brings numerous challenges and opportunities for Saloma Baptist Church and the entire Body of Christ. None of us know what lies ahead in 2017 as far as the day to day course of events. Many will face unforeseen challenges and difficulties while others receive blessings and positive life experiences. 

Regardless of what lies ahead, we should choose to consider the opportunities that will come our way in 2017 and beyond. We are people of the Risen Lord and have the indwelling presence of God's Holy Spirit. 

Accordingly we should move forward in 2017 with hope and assurance in Jesus Christ. We must not despair no matter what comes our way because we are believers in Jesus Christ - the Messiah whose birth we just celebrated and whose death and resurrection we will remember in mid - April. 

May we choose to move forward in 2017 with the faith, hope, love, joy, and grace that are ours in Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord!

Pastor's Blog for December 2016

We are in the midst of celebrating the birth of the Christ of Christmas more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus is a monumental intervention by God in the course of history as He sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16) so that we might believe in Him and have eternal life. It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved from the penalty of our sins and that we have eternal life. 

Much of our Christmas observances in the United States has become secularized and commercialized. Many businesses depend upon this season of the year to make their business profitable. In the name of not offending others, we have removed the word "Christmas" from our celebration outside the church resulting in phrases such as "Happy Holidays and Winter Festival." In many ways, the "Christ" of "Christmas" is no longer at the heart of the celebration.

At Saloma Baptist Church, we place Jesus Christ "front and center" in our Advent and Christmas observances. In addition to the worship and Bible study emphases of the season which focus on the Good News of His birth, we seek to reach out into our community and world in the name of the Christ of Christmas. It is our goal to share the Good News with those around us and to support the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.

We do this in several ways. The SBC WMU prepares and shares fruit baskets with shutins and families undergoing particular difficulties at this time. We participate in the Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program whereby we purchase gifts, on behalf of the incarcerated parent or guardian, for children in Taylor County whose parents are currently in prison. We collect new and gently-used toys in support of the local Fire Department's Toy for Kids Christmas ministry. We distribute Christmas buttons in the local community that announce that Jesus is the "reason for the season." We are giving away copies of Janet Denison's Advent devotional guide titled "Christmas - In the Name of Jesus." And we are raising funds, sponsored by the WMU, for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering that will go to support Baptist global missions.

Certainly, the Advent and Christmas season is a time to spend with family, to give and receive gifts, to decorate our homes and church sanctuary, and to worship together in celebrating the Good News of "Immanuel - God With Us!" However, it is even more a time in which we have a unique opportunity to share with our community and world this message:  "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

Pastor's Blog - November 2016

John Chowning, Pastor

The month of November is often a time when many churches place an emphasis on stewardship as the new year approaches. It's a time when many congregations consider their financial need for the coming year, prepare a budget, and then promote the concept of stewardship with emphasis on the giving of our tithes and offerings in support of the ministry and mission of the church. And of course, we know that stewardship is more than giving of money. It is a lifestyle and recognition of the fact that all we have is granted to us by God. Stewardship involves the giving back to God a due portion of our time, talents, and resources in service to Him.

This brings us to the importance of thanksgiving. A few weeks ago, my sermon was on the the fact that expressing thanksgiving to God is therapeutic for us as we recognize how truly blessed we are.

One of my favorite verses, Psalm 100:4, speaks to giving thanks:  "Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." We are called to give thanks to God - and to give praise to Him for all He has done for us. How long has it been since you truly gave thanks and praise to God?

The psalmist concludes that chapter in Psalm 100:5 with these words:  "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." You can depend on God's love which remains constant through all situations and circumstances. He is truly faithful in all times.

Praise God! During the month of November, and throughout the year, may we give thanks and praise to God for all He has done. Consider the many blessings we have been granted. The Lord has saved us and given us abundant life. Let us give thanks in all things - let us display "thanksliving" in our daily walk.

Blog for October 2016

Pastor John Chowning

It is often said that we live in perilous times, and I suppose that in many ways this is quite true. The Apostle Paul spoke of this in 2 Timothy 3:1, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come." In verses 2-4, Paul lists a number of the characteristics of so-called perilous men. In verse 5b, he said:  "And from such people turn away!" So, we may conclude that perilous times will be characterized by perilous living among perilous men (and women).

Are things worse in 2016 than in any previous period of history? Certainly a strong case can be made for this argument by considering that the world could be destroyed several times over with the nuclear capabilities that the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, Israel, North Korea, and possibly other nations now have. The ongoing threats of the North Korean dictator are sufficient to trouble our nation's leaders and those of other leading nations around the world. There are other problems around the world as well - hunger, poverty, human trafficking and slavery, pornography, all types of addiction, and corrupt leaders.    

The world is beset by "wars and rumors of war..." In our own nation, we see moral standards and values declining, marriage having been redefined just in the past year or so, rampant drug abuse and addiction, violence in our streets, increased volatility of race relations, political corruption, etc. It seems that people are turning away from God and our Christian worldview is increasingly the minority perspective even in our part of the world.

What does all of this mean? Are we living in the final days of history? Is the Lord about to return? Are things worse now than every before? There are no absolute answers to these questions. The one certainty is that the Lord will return - we just don't know when. 

While a case can be made that perhaps we are in the final stages of history and that the Lord is about to return, we have absolutely no way of knowing this for certain. The Bible is very clear that we will not know the day or the hour of the Lord's return. Every period of history, since the Lord ascended into heaven and promised his followers that he would return some day, has had similar problems and issues. The early church yearned for the Lord's return and reflected the challenges of living a Christian life in an increasingly hostile world. An argument can be made that the 21st century is comparable to the first century in terms of certain conditions and forces in play.

My conclusion is that our times bring some unique challenges to the Christian way of living. However, I don't necessarily agree that things are worse now than ever before, because each and every era of history has experienced a number of challenges, and the Christian faith has attracted opposition from the very beginning of our faith more than 2,000 years ago. It is increasingly apparent that we are living in some exciting times when we take a global perspective and see how the Holy Spirit is moving around the world - in places like China, parts of India, Cuba, etc. And even here in the United States, there are signs for renewal and revival.

The bottom line is that we should always be prepared for the Lord's return. The Lord may return this very day - are we ready if he comes? And the Lord may calls home to heaven today - are we ready if he were to call us home? Meanwhile, we are called to be people of hope who are daily going about the mission and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we should always be prepared!

Pastor's Blog for September 2016

Pastor John Chowning

Our local community has recently experienced a rash of drug overdoses resulting in at least one, and maybe two, deaths. A large number of emergency calls were made reporting overdoses in the community. The scourge of substance abuse and drug addiction is rampant in Campbellsville-Taylor County as well as across the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States. All segments of society are impacted by drug and alcohol addiction and abuse. It is no respecter of race, creed, religious affiliation, economic and social status, or political party - there are virtually no families who haven't been impacted by this crisis. We see young lives being destroyed and some snatched away into eternity because of drug abuse and overdoses.

Numerous public policy initiatives have been implemented over the past 30-40 years - including the so-called War on Drugs, drug education programs in our schools, expanded drug treatment programs, addiction recovery programs in churches, mass incarceration of drug traffickers and drug users, etc. And despite all of these and other well-intended efforts and the expenditure of literally billions of dollars, both public and private funds, there seems to be no end to this cancer that is "eating away" at our community and culture.

The latest rash of overdoses in our community apparently resulted from the flow of heroin laced with fentanyl from Detroit, Michigan. This seems to be a very deadly and addictive combination. Heroin has become the "drug of choice" for many involved in the drug culture due to the cheap price. Efforts to control other drugs, such as pain pills, have increased the street prices of those drugs and resulted in heroin becoming the cheapest option. There are many other opioid derivatives that are increasingly prevalent and dangerous that we hear about almost weekly.

What can we do? First, we must strongly support our law enforcement as they work to contend with drug traffickers and suppliers. That is an ever changing challenge no doubt, but we must support law enforcement in these endeavors. Secondly, we must support a multitude of treatment options and show Christian compassion and concern for those who are addicted and seeking to recover. We must also support their families and encourage Christian recovery treatment options that include the best of medical and psychological treatment methodologies.Third, we must acknowledge that there are no easy solutions, and that we must be engaged in fighting this problem on a daily basis. It is not going away anytime soon. As already noted, we move from one drug of choice to another regularly which is governed by forces beyond our direct control and influence. Fourth, we must be willing to help and encourage those who are suffering from these and other addictions. As Christians, we must show compassion, share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who find themselves caught up in the drug culture, and do all we can to help support and encourage those who are in recovery.

Fifth, we must insist on education programs that share with our children and youth the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse as well as the dangers of other addictions. That begins in the home among family members and extends from there into the church, school, and community. We must recognize those characteristics that make certain individuals more vulnerable and get them the help that they need at the earliest point possible and provide them with support as possible. But we have to help people understand that they are ultimately responsible for what they consume and how they treat their bodies - and remember that our body is the "temple of the Holy Spirit" as the Bible tells us.

Sixth, we must pray, pray, pray, pray!!! And we must speak out - prophetically and with love, grace, and compassion. We have lost too many lives to this ravage on our community and culture. We must be people who are "the light of the world and salt of the earth" as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

There are several pastors in the community who are coming together for prayer and collaboration on what more can be done by the Christian community. And we pray that there will be further resolve among all sectors of the community - political, educational, civic, faith, law enforcement, judicial, etc. - to reclaim our community for Jesus Christ and abate the damage, darkness, and death of the drug culture. Please join in this effort!