Living in Liberty

A Ministry of Bryce Lowance

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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The People Pressed To Hear Him

19 September 2014

"And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship." (Luke 5:1-3)

What a glorious scene this must have been!

Contrary to the trend of today where pastors and churches are continually encouraging and begging people to come or come back to church, the believers of the first century "pressed" Jesus to preach to them all the time.

What has happened to our culture that so drastic a change has happened? Why is there so little interest in the Lord and the word of God? Why is it that good churches feel the need to abandon the practice and doctrine of the Bible and introduce entertainment in their worship just to get people in their doors?

First of all, the Lord Himself established His church and how it should function. Therefore, we should be very careful to lay the blame on "outdated customs and methods." Jesus knew what men would be like 2,000 years later so He set up a system of worship that was simple to follow in any era of time.

The problem is not the message of the Bible or even the simple form and order of worship. The problem is US.

We make excuses for being late or missing church that we would never use for our jobs. Do we feel that our earthly boss deserves more honor than our Redeemer?

We live very comfortable lives in our air-conditioned homes and cars, both filled with TV's and other distraction devices. Have we become so comfortable that we feel no need for the Holy Comforter?

We get upset when our fast-food order takes more than 2 minutes. We want instant gratification for our desires. Are we no longer patient enough for the Lord to teach us slowly and steadily through the preached word?

I could go on and on. The problem is us. We need to change not the church. We need to have more zeal for the Lord and for His word that He gave us. After all, He died for us can we not LIVE for Him?

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Tags: all_in, harmony_of_the_gospels, luke, preach

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.