Bible Baptist Church Botswana

30/12/2023

Do you have a theme for 2024? (Post it below). My theme is , “Rest in the Lord in 2024”!

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7). God is not talking about physical rest that involves taking a break, relaxing, napping, or stopping to gather strength to complete some physical undertaking.

“Rest in the Lord” refers to a spiritual rest from worry, stress, useless human effort, and confusion. “Rest” means “to be at peace,” “to be still,” “to be quiet or calm.” In order to “rest in the LORD” we must dwell in His presence and surrender to His lordship!

Below is a meme going around on Facebook… it conveys the idea of resting in the LORD!

31/08/2023

Have you Been Saved Through the Gospel?

1) To be saved is to be rescued from the penalty of sin. Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. The penalty for sin is spiritual and eternal death. Separation from God in the Lake of Fire.

2) The apostle Paul said that he had begotten the Corinthians through the Gospel. 1 Cor.4:15, “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel”. This means they were born again spiritually through the Gospel message. They received spiritual and eternal life.

3) Paul said to the Romans that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”. The Gospel message is the power of God that brings salvation to us.

4) Jesus preached the Gospel (Mk.1:15-16) and commanded us to preach the Gospel to every person (Mk.16:15). The Gospel is a very important message that every one needs to hear and believe.

5) Therefore, What is the Gospel that Saves? The word Gospel means “ Good News”. But still, what is the the Good News that God wants every person to hear and believe? The answer is found in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. “ Paul reminds them they were saved by the Gospel which he declared unto them and then he defines the Gospel message.
a. “How that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures…” We have sinned, we have broken God’s law, we have fallen short of God’s glory. Jesus was born in a human body so that He could go to the cross to and die for our sins and make the perfect sacrifice by shedding His blood to pay for our sins. This was clearly prophesied in the Scriptures (Gen.3:15; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53:1-10).
b. “And that he was buried…” Jesus truly died and was buried. He gave His life for us and stayed in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights, just like He said He would.
c. “And that he rose the third day according to the Scriptures…” The resurrection was prophesied in Psalm 16:8-11 and Isaiah 53:5-11. The resurrection is proof that He is the Son of God and has power over death and the grave. The resurrection is proof that God accepted the perfect sacrifice of His Son. Jesus is alive and is able to save and give eternal life to everyone that comes to Him.

6) This is the wonderful Gospel message, the Good News of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to save us!

7) How can you receive this message salvation? Jesus clearly said, “repent ye, and believe the Gospel” (Mk.1:15)
a. Repentance from sin means to be sorry for your sins and to be willing to turn from your sins to God to find forgiveness and a changed life. The apostle Paul preached, “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ…” ( Acts 20:21). Repentance toward God because He is holy and we have offended Him by our sins. We need to be reconciled back to Him.
b. Belief and Faith means we are to trust completely and exclusively the death and resurrection of Christ to save us and forgive us. We need to remove our trust in our good works, our own efforts to change and be a good person, our false religion, our church, our baptism and everything else we are trusting to earn us forgiveness. Jesus is the only Saviour and the only mediator between God and man. We must trust Him completely as the Lord and Saviour of our life.

In conclusion, can you look back in your life to a time when you heard and understood the Gospel and truly repented of your sins and put your faith in Jesus alone to save you? Can you look back to a time when you were born again by the Gospel? If not, what is keeping you from salvation?

25/01/2022

31/12/2021

GOALS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN 2022

GOALS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH – CHARACTER & CHURCH GOALS
Text: 2 Peter 1:5-7
INTRODUCTION: As with anything in life, having goals and attaining them is essential to success. The athlete excels when he or she sets goals and then attains them. The successful businessman understands the importance of goals. So it is with the Christian, we must have goals and measurable ways attaining them.
Spiritual growth is a choice that we must make!
1) It is commanded by God (2 Pet.3:18)
2) It requires diligent effort on our part (2 Pet 1:5-7)
3) We are assisted by God in our effort (Phil.2:13; Phil.4:13)
Spiritual growth is too often hindered by a lack of faith and confidence.
1) Too many Christians sell themselves short, because they do not view themselves capable of attaining higher levels of spiritual growth.
2) Not believing in their God-given capability, they are prone to making excuses for not trying, and therefore not growing.
3) Yet because God commands us to grow, we need to have a stronger faith that we can grow
What should be our goals regarding spiritual growth?
I. CHARACTER GOALS
A. Our Ultimate goal is to be like Christ.
1. Jesus’ Teaching
a. Jesus taught this in His lessons on discipleship
b. A disciple is to become like his teacher (Lk.6:40)
2. Paul’s Teaching
a. Paul made it clear that this is the goal of our Salvation
b. God's desire is that we be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom.8:29)
c. We are being transformed into the image of Christ (2 Cor.3:18)
d. We are to be renewed according to the image of Christ (Col.3:10)
B. We are to Grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of Jesus Christ
1. This is commanded by God (2 Pet.3:18)
2. This not just academic knowledge, but personal knowledge through character
development (2 Pet.1:5-7)
3. It is with the development of such character virtues that we are truly fruitful in the
knowledge of Christ (2 Pet.1:8)
4. These graces were best personified in Jesus Christ; the more we grow in them, the more
we truly will be like our Lord and Saviour (Gal.5:22-23).
C. The Challenge of Character Building
1. It requires diligent effort (2Pet.1:5,10)
2. It requires a sustained effort (Gal.6:7-9)
3. True spiritual growth demands a renewal of mind and character (Rom.12:1-2)
4. Character growth does not come naturally and if we are not careful, we may revert back
to our former character and conduct (Gal.5:16-17).
II. CHURCH GOALS
A. The Church is a Body With Many Members
1. Every member is important (1Cor.12:12-22)
2. Every member has a different function (Rom.12:3-5)
3. Every member must do his/her part (Eph.4:16)
4. This is how the Lord's church grows!
B. As Members of the Body, we must Grow Spiritually
1. We must find and develop our unique functions in the body of Christ (Rom.12:6-8)
a. For some, it is laboring in the Word (preaching and teaching)
b. For others, it involves ministering to others (visiting and serving)
c. For all it means using your talents and abilities for the glory of God.
2. We must utilize our gifts in the service of God (1 Pet.4:10-11)
a. Those who speak, doing so according to the Word of God
b. Those who serve, doing so according to the strength God supplies.
c. Failing to grow brings reproach because we are guilty of wasting what God has given us
(Matt.25:14-30)
C. The Challenge of Reaching our Church Goals
1. The challenge of determining our function in the body of Christ.
a. Not all members have the same function; what is mine?
b. Am I lacking in certain talents, or do they simply need to be developed?
c. Am I truly a one-talent individual, or using that possibility as an excuse not to develop
what I am truly capable of?
2. The challenge of developing our function in the body of Christ.
a. While some skills may come naturally, others may take time and energy.
b. Is my lack of development the result of indifference or laziness?
c. Am I selling myself short through a lack of faith?
d. Am I allowing the allurements of the world to preoccupy my time and energy?
e. We need to be honest with ourselves; indeed, the day of Judgment will reveal whether or
not we have been honest (2Cor.5:10; Matt.25:14-30)
D. Goals for Church Growth
1. We have the Goal of Evangelism, Baptism, Discipleship, and Training (Matt.28:18-20).
2. We have the Goal for spreading the Gospel. It requires support from all the members.
(Rom.10:14-15)
3. We have the Goal of Fellowshipping, Edifying, and Encouraging One Another as a church
(Heb.10:24-25)
E. The Challenge of Reaching our Church Growth Goals
1. It depends heavily upon the cooperation of all the members.
2. If we are not united in the need for spiritual growth, it is unlikely we will set church growth
goals that will bring about growth.
3. If we are not growing individually, any church goals will unlikely be met.
4. If we desire to grow as a church, then we need to grow as individuals, and set our goals to
allow for such!
CONCLUSION:
• Spiritual growth requires the setting and obtaining of goals.
• Individuals must have both character and functional goals.
• Both individuals and churches must have similar goals.
• As we obtain our goals as individuals and as churches...Christ will be glorified!
• And as disciples and as members of His body we will become what God desires us to be!

31/12/2021

Happy New Year to all our Brethren in Africa! We look forward to what the Lord is going to do in 2022! Glory!

13/04/2021

"It's true that charisma can make a person stand out for a moment, but character sets a person apart for a lifetime." – John Maxwell

08/03/2021

There are many choices that can be made for life.
There are only two choices that can be made for eternity.