Missionary/Evangelist Bob Walker was the guest speaker for the spring revival at Bethany Baptist Church last week.
Bob Walker displayed his collection of facsimile copies of early English translations of the Bible. His collection included copies of the Tyndale Bible, the Coverdale Bible, the Geneva Bible, the King James’ 1611 Version and some others. This year marks the 400 years anniversary of the printing of the King James’ Bible.
Bob gave a short history of how we got the English Bible. Many of the early translators were imprisoned and some burned to death for their efforts to get the Bible into the language of the people. The King James Version, which is based upon literal translations from the Received Text (Greek) and the Masoretic (Hebrew), has undergone seven corrections as the English language developed a standardized spelling changes were made in the formation of letters and as typographical errors have been corrected.
Bob Walker preached on “Remembering Jesus” Wednesday evening. When anyone fails as badly as Peter did when he denied Jesus, it seems inexcusable, but we know that when Peter “remembered Jesus” it brought him to repentance. No matter what a mess we have made of our lives, Jesus is just a prayer away.
Thursday evening, Bob preached on the need to find someone to “stand in the gap.” To stand in the gap one must be saved, dedicated, and determined to serve Jesus. This person has been washed in the blood of Jesus and delivered from sin and Hell. This person is determined to be a witness to the lost because there is only one way that anyone can escape Hell and that is by acceptance of and faith in the cleansing power of the precious blood of Jesus.
The Friday evening message focused on a world without God or hope. Hell is a place of torment and darkness. It is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is a place of flames and no water. It is a place of no escape. The Bible says that all whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into a lake of fire. There those who chose to live without God in this life will suffer for eternity in a world without God.
The Sunday morning message focused back on Jesus Christ. Jesus came to save lost sinners from Hell. Satan wants to keep people from being saved. Satan hates God and has inspired hatred for Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees wanted Jesus dead. Jesus was taken by wicked hands and crucified without a cause. Jesus suffered extreme torture on the cross, not just the physical pain of hanging with bones out of joint, nails driven through the hands and feet, and the torn flesh from the brutal beatings, but perhaps the worse suffering was because of the sin that was laid on him. He that was without sin drank the bitter cup of the sins of the whole world. God who can not look on sin had to turn away. When Jesus cried out in the garden the night prior to his crucifixion that this cup might pass away there was not found any other way to pay for the sins of the human race. Jesus bore the sins for us all.
Pastor Bob Sorensen preached the last message in the revival on the greatest need of Bethany Baptist Church. We do need money, talent, and wisdom, but the greatest need of Bethany Baptist and any other church is to “Believe God.”
We need to believe God concerning his priorities and make them our priorities. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God…” Jesus commanded the church to go teach the gospel. If we have the most beautiful church in town with the best program of preaching and music, and one neighbor dies lost, our program has failed.
Christians, we must get the lost to see what God has done for us and would do for them. Salvation is the best thing that ever happens to us. Jesus is always with us. It is even as was told us. We have just “Believed God.”
