Meet Nancy E. Petty

Meet Nancy E. Petty.  She is the pastor of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC.  To conservative Christians, the fact that a woman serves as the pastor of this church is enough to raise concerns about this church.  Add to this that Nancy is a practicing lesbian, and you have even more reason for concern.  Then, as if all of that were not enough, Sunday, November 20, 2011 the church unanimously voted to prohibit their pastor from preforming weddings until she can legally preform same-sex marriages in North Carolina.  The total disregard this church has for the clear teaching of God's Word is mind boggling.

How can a church just ignore what the Bible says about women not having authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:8-15)?  How can they ignore what the Bible teaches concerning homosexuality?  And, how can they ignore what the Bible teaches concerning marriage?  We should not really be all that surprised.  The Bible warns us, "The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4, ESV).  We are seeing these verses fulfilled before our eyes.

The question that faces us is what should you and I do in response to this?  We need to continue faithfully preaching and teaching the Word of God.  We are to continue even in times like these when people are turning away from the truth.  Notice Paul's instructions to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5, "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV).  Let's keep preaching the Word!

Pray for the President

The Praying Hands...symbol of one of the most important aspects of the Christian's life.  The Bible repeatedly tells us about the importance and the need for prayer.  In fact the Bible tells us that we are to pray continually.  1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."  Prayer is vitally important to the life of the Christian.  Prayer is one of the most coveted things from other Christians.  In that popular passage in his letter to the Church in Ephesus, Paul told the believers there to put on the full armor of God (see Ephesians 6:10-20).  As he wrote about putting on the armor of God, Paul told them they needed to pray for God to keep them alert and for God to give them the strength to persevere.  He also instructed the believers in Ephesus to pray for each other, and Paul said, "...and also for me..." (Ephesians 6:19).  Paul coveted the prayer's of God's people.  I desire the prayers of God's people; in fact, I know of no one who would not want to be remembered in prayer.


It is surprising, to say the least, when a prayer meeting is protested.  This is exactly what happened February 4, 2010, during the annual Prayer Breakfast hosted by the President in the White House.  Outside was a group of gay activists who were protesting the presence of some of the evangelical leaders the President had invited to join him for prayer.  The gay activists claim that some of those evangelical leaders were responsible for the mistreatment of homosexuals in Uganda, leading them to protest their presence at the President's Prayer Breakfast.  


As February 4, 2011, draws upon us, the gay activists are threatening to protest again this year.  While there are those who want to protest this Prayer Breakfast, I want to give my support to the President for honoring the annual tradition of hosting a Prayer Breakfast in the White House.  There are several points that I would disagree with President Obama; but there is at least one point he and I would agree on, the need for prayer.  We need to pray for ourselves, our families, our friends, our church, our nation, and, let us not forget, our nation's leaders.


The Bible instructs us, "...I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" (1 Timothy 2:1-2).  You may or may not agree with President Obama on many issues; but one thing is certain, you and I have a biblical mandate to pray for him.  As you think about praying for President Obama, or any national/political leader for that matter, for what should you pray?


First, and foremost, we ought to pray for his salvation.  Do not misunderstand me.  I am not suggesting that President Obama is lost.  Only God is the judge of the President's heart.  Since we do not know for certain that our President is a saved, i.e., born-again Christian, we need to pray that if he is not, God will save him.


Second, we need to pray that God give the President, and all of our nation's leaders, wisdom.  The Bible says in the book of James that if anyone lacks wisdom they should ask for God to give them wisdom, and He will grant it.  When Solomon was appointed king over Israel, God told him that He would give Solomon whatever he asked.  Of all that Solomon could have asked for, the one thing he requested was to be given wisdom to lead God's people rightly.  We need to pray that our President, and all our nation's leaders, be given the wisdom to lead this country rightly.


A third request to make on behalf of the President, and our nation's leaders, is that they be protected from the temptations that accompany their position.  There is so much abuse of power, and political corruption in our society; we hear of it almost daily.  We need to prayer that our leaders be protected from such temptations.


Finally, we should pray that God bless the work of our nation's leaders.  We all desire for God to bless our nation.  One of the ways God has blessed our nation in the past is through the work of our nation's leaders.  We need to pray that God blesses their work.  While we are at it, it would not hurt us to pray that God would bless them and their families as well.


There is so much more that we could pray for on behalf of our President and our nation's leaders.  If we were all to begin with these four suggestions given above, we would go a long way in seeing God begin to change the hearts of our leaders.  Remember, the Bible says, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will" (Proverbs 21:1).

In His Steps,

Pastor Tim

Hard to Believe?

Since the historic Roe vs. Wade decision in our United States Supreme Court, January 22, 1973, abortions in the United States have risen from 775,000 in 1973 to over 1.2 million per year. That’s over 3,315 abortions per day; or 1 child aborted every 25 seconds.   Since 1973, there have been over 53 million abortions in America alone.

Can you believe that unborn babies are more endangered in the United States that in any other nation of the world? Hard to believe? Not when you remember there is an abortion in America every 25 seconds. Every 25 seconds an unborn baby is murdered.

Did I just use the “M” word? Without apology! Those who support and defend abortion would say that abortion is not murder because the fetus is merely tissue that is growing inside the mother’s womb. Some of the people who support and defend abortion would also argue that the fetus does not become a human being until that fetus can sustain its own life outside of the mother’s womb. Furthermore, the proponents of abortion will try to make the case that a mother’s body is her body and that she has the right to determine what happens to her body and what happens in her body. They clearly argue that the rights of the mother outweigh the rights of the unborn.

But what does God say on this subject? The older I get, the less I am concerned what people say about a particular issue or subject; and the more I am concerned about what God has said in His Word, the Bible. When one begins to read through what the Bible says about abortion the first lesson to be learned is that conception is a work of God. There are several verses that could be pointed out specifically, but the main one I want to call to your attention is Ruth 4:13, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.” Did you pay close attention to those words? The Bible said that God gave Ruth conception! No conception happens by chance or by mistake. Conception is part of God’s creative work. Every time a woman conceives, God has given her conception. For the first 16 years of our marriage, my wife and I were unable to have children. She and I went to doctor after doctor. We tried medicine after new medicine. We tried procedure after procedure and routine after routine with no results. Finally a doctor told us that, because of some unknown reason, my wife and I would never have children. He suggested we begin the adoption process. The day that we mailed off our adoption application to the agency, my wife took a home pregnancy test and discovered that she was pregnant…and next month (February) our oldest daughter will turn 9. That right, God not only gave us conception once, but twice. We have two beautiful girls. My point…a couple can try every doctor in the book, take all the medicines that are available, but they will not get pregnant until God gives them conception because conception is the work of God. Furthermore, not one single conception takes place by chance or by mistake; every single conception is part of God creative work.

As you read through all that the Bible has to say about abortion, the second lesson to be learned is that the baby created at conception is created in the image of God. Genesis 1:26-28, Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; make and female he created them.” From the very moment of conception, that life has been created in the image of God. As a result, the Scripture says, “Whoever sheds the blood of man by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:6). This verse is not telling us that we need to take up arms against those who promote and defend abortion. It is not telling us to take up arms against those who perform abortions. It is, however, telling us that abortion is murder in the eyes of God because the abortionist is taking the life of a human being who has been created in the image of God.

That is the third lesson you need to learn as you read through what the Bible says about abortion…abortion is murder. In Exodus 21:22-25, the Bible says that if two men are fighting and a pregnant woman steps in to break up the fight and is struck by one of the men causing her to go into premature labor, and the baby is born normal and healthy, then the one who struck her should be fined as the woman’s husband deems appropriate. But if the woman is struck by one of the fighters causing her to miscarry, then the one who struck the woman should pay with his life. Why? Because the man who struck the woman causing her to miscarry has committed murder and the Bible says, “…you shall pay life for life.”   According to God’s Word, killing an unborn baby is murder. Even Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines abortion as, the termination of pregnancy resulting in the death of the fetus. Simply stated it is murder.

Twenty-eight years have passed since the Roe vs. Wade decision by the United States Supreme Court, and over 53 million, unborn babies have been murdered…unborn babies are more endangered here in America than anywhere else in the world. It is time for Christians to stand up and speak up on the city square and in the voters’ box. We must speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…we must protect those who cannot protect themselves. 

If you have had an abortion, or if you have participated in providing abortion services, I want you to know that you do not have to carry a load of guilt and condemnation. God says, “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as a freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool” (Isaiah 1:18, NLT). I love that verse, don’t you? Did you catch what the verse says? “No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it…” Will you allow God to remove the stain of your sins? Confess your sins to Him, and experience His grace as He removes your sins and casts them into the sea of forgetfulness!

In His Steps,

Pastor Tim

In His Steps

The title of my blog site, "In His Steps," is the title of the painting you see in the background of the title.  It is my favorite painting.  Several years ago, before my wife and I had children, we shopped for art often.  I guess you could say that shopping for art was our hobby, we both enjoyed it very much and is something we both miss doing.  One particular Saturday my wife and I went to our favorite art and frame store in Brownsville, KY.  As we were browsing through the art, I came across this painting by Mark Keathley, and fell in love with it the very moment I saw it.

In the painting you see two small children following behind their father as he plows.  It reminds me of how every spring my Dad would put out a garden.  The first thing Dad would do was to till the garden spot.  In my mind, I can see him behind that tiler now.  As Dad would walk behind the tiler working the ground, I would go behind him carefully placing my feet in his tracks that he was leaving behind in the freshly tilled soil.  As I walked behind him, I would pretend that I, too, was using a tiler and working just as hard as he was.  To some this my be insignificant, but what I haven't told you was that a far back as I can remember I wanted to be just like my Father; my Dad was my hero.

This is exactly what God desires from all who are His children...He desires for us to be just like Him.  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Epehsus, "Be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Ephesians 5:1, ESV).  Like children desire to be like their earthly parents, you and I are to strive to be like our heavenly Father.  So, the question we need to ask ourselves is who are we most like?  Are you like Satan - remember, Jesus told a group of religious leaders that they were just like their father, the Devil, who is the father of all lies?  Are you like the rest of the world - living your life to best of your ability just trying to get along in this world?  Or, are you like your heavenly Father?

How can we be like God?  How can we even know what God is like?  The answer to both of these questions is: by looking at Jesus Christ.  The Bible says, "He (speaking of the Son of God, Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature..." (Hebrews 1:3, ESV).  Everything we need to know about God is found in Jesus Christ because He is God in flesh.  Jesus said that He and the Father are One.  So, the way to be like God...to be an imitator of God...to walk "In His Steps," you must strive to be like Jesus.  Today, you should be more like Him than you were yesterday.  Tomorrow, you should be more like Him than you were today.  Everyday you and I need to strive to be like Jesus in every area of our lives...that means we are to think like Jesus, behave like Jesus, love like Jesus, forgive like Jesus, etc.

"Dear God, please press me into the mold of Your Son, Jesus Christ so that I will be pleasing and acceptable in Your sight."

In His Steps,

Pastor Tim