Photos from Baptismal Service

Here are a couple more photos of the people who got baptised on Sunday with their families.  These photographs are not taken in our church building but in a building that we were using just for the baptismal service.  Please pray for these young people. The following photo is of Andrew and his mother Kim.  

 

Andrew Owens

This is a photograph of Megan Laverty and her parents David and Tracey along with her brother Joel and sister Sophie:

 

Megan Laverty

Video from Baptism Service

Baptism Service

What a wonderful day God gave us on Sunday for our baptism service!  The congregations of Roe Valley Baptist Church and Northwest Baptist Church came together for a combined baptism service in Derry/Londonderry.

We started out the day with the morning service at 12.30pm at the Baptist church building on Fountain St.  We had 57 people in total (35 from Derry and 22 from Limavady).  David Laverty did a tremendous job leading the music.  The message was from Acts 2:1-41 on “The Wonderful Works of God”.  The wonderful works we see in that passage are the coming of the Spirit, the fulfillment of prophesies, the resurrection of Christ, and the changing of lives that is still happening today!

After the morning service, we had lunch together.  The ladies did an outstanding job with the meal.  There was tons of food and tea, and we enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship.

Fellowship

At 3.00 PM, we all drove over to Richill Park Baptist Church at 67 Richill Park, Waterside for our baptism service.  I wanted to say a special “Thank You” to Brian Gillon who prepared the baptistry for us and to the church there for their generosity in letting us use their baptistry.

Baptism Service

We had two young people follow the Lord in believer’s baptism: Andrew Owens from Limavady and Megan Laverty from Drumahoe.  The water was cold, but they braved it and took this great step of obedience to the Lord!

Megan Laverty

 

Andrew Owens

After the baptism service, we all went back to Northwest Baptist Church in city centre for an afternoon service together.  Some folks had to leave early, so we had 38 in total at that service.  Once again David Laverty did a great job getting us into the spirit of the meeting with some uplifting singing.  Then we had some special music followed by another message from the book of Acts 4:41-47 called “Continue Steadfastly”. 

Afternoon Service

I preached about how that salvation and baptism are not the end but the beginning of a whole new way of life, and we need to continue steadfastly in nine things: the apostles doctrine (Word of God), fellowship, breaking of bread (Lord’s supper), prayers, fear, ministry, giving, rejoicing, and evangelism.

It was probably one of the most exciting days I have had in the ministry thus far, and I want to thank God for His goodness and all of the people who made Sunday possible.  From the greeters, to the car park attendants, from the creche workers to the musicians, from the ladies who prepared the food to those who drove over 30 minutes one way to come to the service – thank you, thank you, thank you!

His Right Hand Spans the Heavens!

Isaiah 48:13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

A few days ago, I watched a DVD by Lou Giglio called “Indescribable.”  The DVD was a huge reminder of just how big God is, how small I am, and how wonderful the love of Jesus Christ was to die on the cross for me – a speck in the great magnificent universe.

Lou Giglio references the verse above, and I was reminded of it again as I read it in my devotions today.  God says, “…my right hand hath spanned the heavens…”  As incredibly massive as the universe is, God says that he can span the heavens with his right hand.

When I consider this, I think…

1. How can I not worship such a big God who laid the foundation of the earth?  He is trully awesome, powerful, magnificent, and I bow at His feet in worship.
2. Why would God be mindful of me? David said in Psalm 8:3-4 “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
3. What love that God would send His Son to die on a cruel cross for me?  What love that He would give His back to the smiters, His cheeks to them that plucked off His hair, and His face to those that spit on Him (Isaiah 50:6)?
4. Why do I doubt Him?  He is a big God.  He formed the mountains.  He hung the stars in space.  He can be trusted.  The swine flu may have the world in an upheaval and a thousand other things may attempt to make us afraid, but today I can be a peace because I know the One whose right hand spans the heavens!

May God help us to get a clear vision of just how big and awesome God is, and may be bow at His feet today in submission, in prayer, and in worship!

How Thirsty Are You?

Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.

God gives a promise here in this verse to “pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.”  This is a principle we find all through Scripture.  God wants to work in our life, but we have to want Him to work.  God wants to pour water on us, but we have to be thirsty for Him.  If we are filled up with our own things and not hungry and thirsty for Him, then he cannot pour water on us.

Truthfully, we all need God.  We are all very dry and have nothing in us that will really satisfy, but we are often not willing to admit how badly we need God.  We need to have the attitude of David in Psalm 42:1-2 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” 

Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”  Jesus also said in John 7:17, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”  This means that if we really want to do God’s will, then He will show you what we should do.

God tells us that this is the secret to obtaining wisdom and knowledge in Proverbs 2:1-5:

 1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

 Can you see a pattern here?  God is looking for hungry and thirsting people.  He is looking to pour out his blessing, wisdom, righteousness, and Spirit on those who want it.  How badly do you want Him?  Do you seek for Him?  Do you ask Him?  Do you search His Word diligently?  Do you cry and ask Him to teach you?  Are you thirsty?  Are you hungry for Him?  May God make us realise that the things of this world will never satisfy and what we really need is Him!  May we develop an appetite for God, His Word, His wisdom and understanding, and His work in our lives!

Wait Upon God

Isaiah 40:28-31 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

What a blessing this passage was to me this morning to think about “waiting on God.”  I saw several things from the passage:

1.  God has everlasting strength.  He is the eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He never faints nor gets weary.  He never gets tired and has to take a break.  He never has to sleep or eat.  There is no way to comprehend just how powerful and strong God is.

2.  God gives power to the faint.  He increaseth strength to those who have no might.  If you have recognised how weak and frail you are; if life is beating you down and you can’t get up; if the road ahead is hard and impossible, call out to God.  He will strengthen you, but you must come to the end of yourself and acknowledge Your need for Him.

3.  Even the strongest of men will get weary.  Even the youths with their seemingly endless supply of energy will eventually tire.  For example, our children are 2 and 4 years old.  They have tons of energy, but there comes a time when they just crash and sleep very hard.  No matter how strong you may be, how optimistic your attitude, how stable your personality, how tireless your endurance, there will come a time when you utterly fall and will have no more strength.

4.  God renews the strength of those who wait on Him.  The secret to continuing on and thriving with abundant strength is to wait on God.  The word wait here means: “to expect, to look for, to patiently tarry for, or to wait upon.”  It means: Get alone with Him.  Get in His Word.  Get on Your knees in prayer.  Pour your heart out to God.  Feast on the riches of His promises and His love found in His Word.  Trust in Him.  Cast your cares upon Him.  Just wait on Him, and He will renew you strength.  If you do, the strength God will give you will not be just a little, but enough to mount up and soar like an eagle, to run without being weary, to walk without fainting.

 

So today, will you wait upon God will me?  Will you say what the writer of Psalm 121:1-2 said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”?

Another Soul Saved Through All Ireland Tract Outreach

Here is a testimony of a man getting saved through the “Missing Answer” tract outreach.  Praise the Lord!

Friday 24th April

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Ecclesiastes 11:1

The Lord gave another victory last night. A man sent an e-mail to the all
Ireland tract outreach office. He had received the leaflet through his door
at Easter and felt it spoke right to him. As he lives in my area, I was
asked to follow up. I knew him already and had visited him a good number of
times in the period 2004 to 2006. However his interest had dropped off, he
became evasive and I discontinued visiting. In the meantime, the Lord has
been really working on his heart. In fact, I have probably never seen a more
prepared person. I arranged to visit him at 8:45pm yesterday. After going
through the way of salvation in the recently published John Romans booklet,
David called on the Lord at 10pm, Thursday 23rd April. Please pray for his
wife, Angela and three children. Two of his children have been asking many
questions about spiritual matters. Up to now, all he could do was warn them
of the errors of Roman Catholicism, but he had nothing positive to offer.

Praise the Lord for this breakthrough.

Complete in Christ,
Derry O’Sullivan

Thanks for Praying for Darci

I appreciate everyone who prayed for Darci.  On Monday of this week, she was not feeling very well.  Tuesday, we took her to the doctor because she had a fever and calpol was bringing it down.  The doctor sent her to the hospital on Tuesday night.  She had some kind of infection (probably viral) that gave her the fever.  They gave her three doses of antibiotics and she was able to come home this morning.  Praise the Lord she is feeling much better and sleeping now in her own bed.

By the way, here is a great quote I read today on prayer:

“…I am trying to pray more at any time just as the desire comes. Waiting for a special time so accumulates requests that they seem to become a little burden on the mind…the thought came to me to take everything to Jesus just so as not to carry the burden a minute. If we could only realize that every such prayer sent up is immediately heard. I am so like the man who accepted a ride but carried his bundle on his back all the time.”in a letter from Grace Wilder to her younger brother, Robert Wilder

Missing Answer Update

Here is a note from Pastor David O’Gorman in Dublin “I just received a phone call from a believer called Tony in Townsend Street in Dublin city. Two of his neighbors received the tract and asked him what it was about. He took them to a coffee shop and spent an hour and a half going through the Gospel with them. He phoned to say he would never have had the opportunity apart from the leaflet.”

Whom Shall I Send?

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

In this chapter, Isaiah has a life-changing vision of the Lord high and lifted up.  As he see the power, glory, holiness, and awesomeness of God, he cries out, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Not only does he get a vision of God; he gets a vision of himself – a wicked sinner whose only hope is the grace of God.  God demonstrates His grace by sending a seraph to take away his iniquity and purge his sin with a coal from off God’s altar.

Then Isaiah hears the words, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  This is the call God is giving out today as well,  “Who will be my messenger?  Who will let me use them?  Who will make themselves available?  Who will go tell the lost of my saving grace?”

Isaiah responds by saying, “Here and I, send me.”  He just volunteers.  He doesn’t wait for God to specifically say His name; he just says, “I’m here; I’m available; send me.”

Why did Isaiah volunteer?  He saw how great God is; he saw how wicked he is; he experienced the grace of God; he just wanted to serve God and do whatever he could to say thanks to such a wonderful God and Saviour.

Could it be that there are very few volunteers for Jesus because we don’t have a clear vision of who God is, who we are, and what it means to experience God’s saving grace?  Maybe we think we are our own god?  Maybe we don’t see ourselves as mere servants?  Maybe we don’t appreciate salvation? 

If we did, would we not cry out to God like Isaiah did and say, “Here am I, send me!”  Do you need to repent of a distorted view of God, of yourself, and of salvation?  Do you need to repent of your stubborness and selfishness?  Do you need to make yourselve wholly available to God?

Here I am, wholly available
As for me, I will serve the Lord
Here I am, wholly available
As for me, I will serve the Lord

The fields are white unto harvest
But O, the labourers are so few
So Lord, I give myself to help the reaping
To gather precious souls unto You