Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17, 18 NASB)

There is no way to know how many will read this. Our mailing list is growing and we cannot count how many people are reached through every home. Tracking our web presence is another challenge. I am certain of this, some readers can identify with Habakkuk’s resolve to praise the Lord even when all else fails.

Many turn to Him only when all else fails. Those that love Jesus persevere in there faith even when all else fails. I remember overhearing the desperate prayer of one husband   shattered by his wife’s eminent death. I had known him for years and turning to Jesus was not his habit. It was a when-all-else-fails petition to God. The finest doctors in a premier hospital offered little hope. So, he pragmatically, emotionally prayed to Jesus for his wife’s miraculous recovery. She slowly turned the corner to make a full recovery. He embraced his old ways of spiritual disconnect.

The word on which this portion of Habakkuk resonates is “yet.” It speaks of a resolve that endures in the midst of failure. It is the picture of exultation and rejoicing in the Lord based on a practice of faith not a crisis-driven promise to be a better believer. The writer  confidently says “yet” because he said “yes” to his Savior time and again. His “yet” is the product of experiencing the Lord’s faithfulness.

Is “yet” part of your lexicon? Should your doctor give you a bad report will you say, “Yet, I will exult in the Lord?” If another national financial crisis wipes out your savings is your response going to be “yet?” The answer depends on what you do before the calamity. If, like Habakkuk, you have a routine of worship, ministry, prayer and praise to your King, then his claim is familiar to you. For those that log their time with Jesus by religious holidays rather than intimacy then the prophet’s “yet” probably seems quirky.

I encourage those of you without a pattern of devotion to the Lord to begin the practice. When the calamity comes you will probably say “yet.” Your relationship with Him is defined in the valley, not on the mountain; through the hardships, not on the cruise ship.  Be a “yet” follower.

Every blessing,
Pastor

Through my years as a pastor people have identified to me a number of issues they have with Easter. Some are offended by the word Easter. They claim its origins are in ancient pagan festivals. They believe that at some point the church “Christianized” these unholy celebrations in order to be acceptable to a wider audience. These folks usually prefer Easter to be known as, Resurrection Sunday.

There are those who are put off by the practices of colored eggs, baskets and chocolate bunnies. I admit I still chuckle every time I see the candy ad with the clucking rabbit.

I have also heard the laments of those put off by the commercialization of the holiday.  Easter is often the only Sunday of the year, unless Christmas falls on a Sunday, we see young boys in suits and ties or girls wearing those fancy dresses with lace on the hems to church. I imagine the clothing industry loves Holy Week.

Here is what I think is the problem with Easter; setting aside one day a year to highlight Jesus’ resurrection trivializes the most important event in all human history. His resurrection is so fundamental to the Christian faith that to have it memorialized just once every twelve months is like the man who expresses his love for his wife only on Valentine’s Day. Believers should celebrate Christ’s resurrection everyday because without His victory over the grave there would be no Christianity or hope of eternal life. No salvation! Paul writes this, “and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is without foundation, and so is your faith.15 In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ-whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Therefore those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have placed our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.” (1 Cor 15:14-19)

Pastors love Easter because it is typically the highest attended Sunday of the year. While I take joy in a full sanctuary when many gather to receive their annual infusion of the gospel, I’m sure you agree that it is a sad commentary on the state of the church. Imagine the disciples, on discovering their Lord risen from the grave saying, “Let’s start a holiday so we can celebrate the event this same time next year!” Never crossed their minds. They were ecstatic over His resurrection everyday. Monday gave as much opportunity to tell others about the miracle of life everlasting as Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday.

Be encourage everyday by the reality of His resurrection.

Blessings,
Pastor

Yes, signs of spring are all around us. Some people still act as though they’re living in the Nordic tundra. Have you noticed? The sun is shining, birds sing, a warm breeze embraces your face when you notice someone bundled up like an arctic explorer, ready for the harsh elements stride with authority along city streets toward their frozen destination. They cling to winter with every fiber of their puffy down coat. Some people have a hard time letting go of the past even if the future is more bright.

Discipleship, in some ways, means letting go of the past even when holding on to the winter of your discontent comes naturally. Old roots of anger have a way of tangling around the regenerate heart. It takes only a little encouragement for them to spring to life. Sins you thought were shed long ago are triggered by stress, disappointment or boredom. Two steps forward, one step back is the dance of the disciple. Just when you think you’re walking in His steps you stumble.

The Bible offers dance lessons. It is a record of men and women learning to stay in step with the Lord. Not too fast, not too slow, but synchronized to the music of His perfect will. Some of us seem more coordinated than others but everyone that moves to the tune of God’s Word must learn the lesson of following His lead. We cannot follow Him while hanging on to anchors of the past. That’s it. Jesus put it this way, ” . . . ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:62) Paul encourages us on this point, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 8:1) Scripture leaves no wiggle room for Christ-followers to remain bound or burdened by their past. We cannot excuse ungodly behavior today on former circumstances. The Bible never justifies sin. It teaches justification from sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Jesus invites us to move when He moves and be still when He is still. This is the dance of the disciple. Follow His lead. It is a complex waltz of ups, downs, the occasional spin and spill. These are graceful moves when we follow Him. “Dance with Jesus . . . dance with Jesus . . . dance with Jesus . . . and live! (Chris Rice, Untitled Hymn)

Every blessing,
Pastor

 I had a conversation with Jim today. Jim’s not a member of Pittsburgh Baptist, in fact, I don’t think he claims any church affiliation. He wanted to know about baptism. It seemed important to Jim. I started by asking about his faith background to get a little perspective before diving into my response. Boy, what a background. Although he was raised Catholic, Jim’s search for spiritual truth has taken him over a broad landscape of religious experiences. He has been influenced by the practices of Unitarianism, mainline Protestantism and Buddhism, to name a few. Jim said his search is bringing him full circle, back to Jesus.

This kind of conversations gets my pastoral juices flowing. Little else competes on the excitement meter with talking to a bonafide seeker. And although Jim didn’t receive Jesus as his Savior during our encounter, I hope he came away knowing what that means.

Dear member, this is why we are hosting the prophecy conference this month. 48 Hours Anticipating His Return, is a choice occasion for us to invite our unchurched and lost friends to hear the Gospel. Dr. Ron Herrod weaves the message of salvation throughout his end-times sermons. I want seasoned believers to gain fresh insight about  what Scripture teaches on the return of Christ during the conference, but Jim and those like him is our target audience. We want seekers to come away from the conference either having made a decision for Christ or knowing what that decision means. I urge you to prayerfully ask your family, friends and neighbors (especially the Jims) to attend at least one of the five seasons. God will do the rest.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul illustrates the disciples role in evangelism. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (HCSB) The Apostle uses the agriculture motif to teach us use what God gave us (salvation) to influence others toward this same end. Only God produces salvation, but He wants us working the fields. Pittsburgh is a field that’s “white unto harvest.” I pray that some will plant while others water and all of use celebrate what God grows.

Every Blessing,
Pastor

This is not an exercise in New Age projection therapy. Nor am I hocking the benefits of a positive mental attitude championed by Napoleon Hill and Rev. Robert Schuller. This said, your assessment of the next 365 days may include some new highlights; especially in your faith. Adopting a few spiritual disciplines early on offers the potential for your best year yet. Here are some ideas:

Include time each day meditating on the writings from Oswald Chambers’ book, My Utmost for His Highest. This classic devotional will introduce you to tenants and truths of faith few believers contemplate on their own. Another practice I have found enriching is to pray through the Psalms. The Holy Spirit powerfully animates this exercise to inform and enlarge the tired soul. It doesn’t take much. A small portion of His  Word driven home this way can make a real difference. These are just a couple ways you may want to kick start the New Year.

Another option is to attend 48 Hours Anticipating His Return prophecy conference.  Pittsburgh Baptist is hosting this event February 18-20. Our speaker is Dr. Ron Herrod. In 1995, Dr. Herrod began R.H.E.M.A. (Ron Herrod Evangelism Ministries Association) following 36 years as senior pastor of some of America’s largest and fastest growing churches. His ministry has included national television, crusades and mission projects in more than 30 countries throughout the world, an international tape ministry, and writing seven books. Dr. Herrod has served our denomination on the International Mission Board, Louisiana College Board, Southern Seminary Board, Vice-President of the SBC’s Pastor’s Conference, President of Tennessee Pastor’s Conference and in many other capacities. He is a graduate of William Carey College (BA), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (ThM), and Luther Rice Seminary (ThD). Dr. Herrod also serves as the President of the Southern Baptist Evangelists Association. The focus of R.H.E.M.A. is evangelistic crusades in the U.S. and overseas, mission projects involving pastors and lay teams, consultants in missions to local churches, Bible Conferences, Marriage and Family Conferences, and Prophecy Conferences. A major missions focus of R.H.E.M.A. is the R.H.E.M.A. Institute which trains national pastors and church leaders in developing countries for effective church planting and leadership.

You may remember from our 50th anniversary celebration in 2009, music evangelist, Rev. Bob Smith. Bob will lead worship during the five conference sessions. I encourage you to start 2012 Anticipating His Return.

Every blessing,

Pastor

Now imagine it’s your birthday but no one calls you by name or worse, your family gathers to exchange gifts and leaves you out of the party. The Christmas season is in full swing. Yet, the name of the One whose birth we celebrate is being increasingly  replaced with culturally sensitive seasonal expressions including the ultimate in acceptability, “Happy Holidays.” “Happy Holidays” is the go-to idiom for most merchants, municipalities and schools.  Nativity scenes are considered more offensive than porn shops in many communities and the weeks leading up to December 25th are primetime for lotto sales with Pennsylvania’s second-most famous groundhog singing the praises of exchanging lottery tickets in honor of our Savior’s birth. Make no mistake, marginalizing the name and person of Jesus in the public square is a priority for some in positions of power and influence. “Merry Christmas” is verboten throughout the land.

The erosion of our identity as a Christian nation, though new to us, is just the redeployment of an ancient tactic.  The Evil one used it to great success on Israel.  Second Chronicles 34, records King Josiah leading a country that lost its distinct commitment to the Lord. The people had become so distracted with the stuff of life that a hundred years passed before anyone, including the priests, noticed the only copy of  God’s Word was missing. When they brought out the money that had been deposited in the Lord’s temple, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord [written] by the hand of Moses. (2 Chronicles 34:14 HCSB) Had the young Sovereign not ordered the Temple restored, the Law may never have been recovered.

It may seem quite a leap from the diminishing presence of “merry Christmas” to a singular copy of the Word buried under piles of money in the Temple, but consider this; is Jesus Christ getting covered so deep in commercialism, materialism and political correctness that the mention of His name is becoming the exception during the time of year traditionally set aside to celebrate His incarnation? Are we just a few generations away from no one missing Christ during the “holidays”? “It could never happen,” you think. Yet, it did. God’s people became so biblically ignorant (though very spiritual) that they no longer knew how to follow Him. ” . . . For great is the Lord’s wrath that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord in order to do everything written in this book.” (2 Chronicles 34:21 HCSB)

There has always been tension between Jesus and the marketing that inevitably invades authentic faith (John 2:13-15). I pray that during Christmas 2011, the church will  prize the name of Jesus above all else.

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Kim

It is important we do not forget the Lord’s favor. It is what energizes the service of countless believers serving in the hard places of the world. So many with so little do so much because they feel so blessed. So should not we who have more than most ever will do abundantly more?

Another reminder of abundant ministry cultivated in humble supply is the Bhutanese gathering which meets at Pittsburgh Baptist each Sunday. This growing group of thirty believers springs from the dedication of one of our member families, Deo and Rajani Lagoon and their three children, Juliya, Victor and Alvin. I recently read a brief account of this family’s struggle to live its faith in Bhutan and inspiring perseverance to evangelize expatriates from their homeland in Pittsburgh. It is a testament of sacrifice, providence and prayer.

The Lord has blessed us with unprecedented opportunities to engage in cross-cultural ministry. Every month there are four different language congregations meeting at Pittsburgh Baptist Church. The Tamil Church celebrated its sixteenth anniversary of worship here on Saturday, October 22. The group’s love for Jesus was punctuated by  song, testimony, praise and preaching. On October 30, our Ukrainian partners decorated the sanctuary in their traditional Thanksgiving adornment recognizing God’s favor.

This is a weird time in our country and city. A huddle of malcontents “occupy” a small privately owned park in downtown Pittsburgh railing against the system which provides them the right to rail. Their bizarre attitude sits in stark contrast to those who sacrifice for the privilege to come to the United States of America, in large measure, to be able to worship the Lord and live their faith because of a system that offers the opportunity to do so.

As Thanksgiving nears I encourage you to take the occasion to reflect on the Lord’s goodness. I know of some people from Bhutan, India and the Ukraine that will do just that.

On a personal note, Diane and I express our deep appreciation for the opportunity to serve Him through Pittsburgh Baptist Church. As our fourth anniversary of ministry here approaches we count it a great blessing to be part of what God is doing in this corner of the Kingdom. If you have a favorite pair of jeans that fit just right every time you put them on you know how it feels whenever I come to the church. I just feels right. There’s nothing better than being where the Lord wants you.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Pastor

This was true as Diane and I formed our family and it’s true with our church family too. Most families, I suspect, relate best where work is done and conversation abounds. This is typically in the kitchen. Kitchens are usually informal and conducive to intimacy.

People usually relate to the work and words of the church through small groups. They may be in a Bible study, team meeting, gather for a meal, a discipleship class or impromptu conversation in the parking lot, but these are typical conduits for community. More relationship-building takes place outside the worship setting than in it. There, I said it and for a guy who spends a big part of each week preparing for worship to admit that it is not central to strengthening relationships is like a librarian admitting most learning doesn’t take place among the stacks of books. As important as the sanctuary is to adoration and libraries to education neither is built primarily for human connection. “Worship in its broadest sense is a meeting between God and His people.” (Webber, Robert E. Worship Old & New, Zondervan 1982, p 16) Worship also flows out of the strength or weakness of human relationships. Have you ever known a divided church to experience spiritual renewal? Worship is a reflection of our love for the Lord and one another. We cannot honestly reverence Jesus in the sanctuary while rebuffing other believers in the halls of the church. We don’t truly love Him if we ignore opportunities to serve Him. (1 John 1:6, 7)

So what’s your point pastor? Simply, it is time some get out of the living and dining room to come into the kitchen. It is time all of us heed the wisdom of Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” If Sunday morning is your only time of interaction with God’s people then I invite you to get in a small group, ministry or on a team. Your worship will be revolutionized!

Every blessing,
Pastor

The purpose of the fall semester discipleship options is to help you strengthen in the arena of context and content. Each class is chosen to involve participants in practice and principle. This is what making disciples looks like. As your church, we are tasked with the responsibility to offer you opportunities to grow as a Jesus follower, but you are called to engage in the one(s) that most meet you on your personal journey with the Lord. The eight selections listed in the newsletter and online are designed for doers of the word and not merely hearers. James teaches, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (James 2:17) I encourage you to take advantage of at least one of the discipleship options.

Evangelism is certainly central to discipleship and Pittsburgh Baptist Church has been active in witnessing this summer. Twenty-six people indicated a decision for Christ as personal Savior through the ministries of your church since June 2011. Ministry-related decisions include: VBS 13; Youth 4; Bhutanese gathering 4; Renovation project 2; Backyard Bible Club 1; Pastoral counseling 2. Praise the Lord! We will celebrate these with a baptism service during the second worship service on Sunday, September 11.

I close with an urgent plea. Our growth has increased needs in a number of areas with the bed-baby/preschool ministry at the top of the list. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS for Sunday mornings during Bible study and worship! Please see Dayna Granzeier in that department during either of these times or call her at 412-315-8911. We thank God for sending families with children. We must provide a safe, clean and competent place for the youngest among us.

Last but not least, remember the Sunday morning schedule change beginning September 11: Worship 8:15-9:15; Bible Study 9:30-10:30; Worship 11:00-noon followed by fellowship.

Every blessing,

Pastor Kim

Church unity is intentional, purposeful and functional. With this in mind, I want to propose a new way for our church to work more cooperatively. The beginning of this approach is to move away from the old “committee” model of operating and to develop Functional Teams. Each August, the Nominating Committee struggles to “fill committee positions” which relatively few members want to serve and even fewer are committed to. The current system requires our members accept 71 positions to be fully implemented. A tall order given we typically have around 100 people in worship. The attendance includes visitors, youth and children. In essence, the Nominating Committee struggles because their task is impossible! Too few people, taking on too many tasks with too little results. A recipe for frustration that can lead to division!

The purpose of the Functional Teams is three-fold: 1) Practice a biblical model of church administration; 2) Improve communication; 3) Strengthen effectiveness. In this model, four Functional Teams take the place of our current ten committees. The four teams include; Worship, Discipleship, Stewardship and Missions. The number of volunteers needed to operate the Functional Teams is thirteen (as apposed to 71). Others would be called on, but oversight of regular church activities can be done with these volunteers and four staff members. Please refer to the chart below. Note that this configuration calls for establishing two new key volunteer positions. These are Discipleship Director and Children Ministry Leader. The Discipleship Director would function much like our current Sunday School Director with focus on identifying leaders for our discipleship classes. The Children Ministry Leader would provide oversight of children’s discipleship classes. The four Functional Teams member’s would meet monthly in place of the Church Council.

The committee approach for maintaining ministries is no longer sustainable. Continuing to try to operate under the old model frustrates our Kingdom work and creates potentially divisive conditions. I discussed the Functional Teams with our deacons and they affirmed it. I would like to implement it with the new church year beginning in September, but I also want to hear your questions and thoughts. Therefore, there will be a “listening session” to discuss the Functional Teams on Sunday, August 28, at 6:00 pm. If the church chooses to move in this direction it can do so during a called business meeting in September.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration,
Pastor Grueser