Pastors Pen

Hi. My name is Bill Bogers and I am Pastor at Albion Hills Bible Church. Some weeks I write a short devotional comment for the weekly bulletin. We decided to post this on our website as well for your benefit. If you would like to comment on any of my posts, please email me from the feedback form. We would love to hear your comments. If I can be of any help, please contact me.

July 11, 2010

One of the great privileges of the position of pastor is to spend time studying the Bible.  I am amazed week by week that the passages we deal with always have a message for us.  It would be impossible to ever stop learning new things from the Bible.  However, it takes time and effort to dig out these truths and to allow the Holy Spirit to make them real in your life.

Did you ever notice how important the Scriptures were to Jesus?  He used the Bible as his path for life.  He used them when he needed strength and encouragement.  He used them when he needed to ward off attacks from Satan.  He brought authority to his teaching by saying, “It is written.”  He countered the false teachings of the Pharisees by referring to the Scriptures.  “You are in error because you don’t know the Scriptures”  he explained.  Where did he get such knowledge?

I know that Jesus was the living Word of God but I think he came to such deep understanding in the same way we have to, with lots of time and effort, relying on the Holy Spirit to teach him the truths of the Bible. 

If the Word of God was the way Jesus was led and encouraged, how much more do we need it in our lives? 

June 13, 2010

Last week I was privileged to attend the Associated Gospel Churches of Canada National Conference on your behalf.  It was held at Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa.  As you know Albion is a member of this body.  President Bill Fietje likes to remind us that the goal of our association is to be “a movement of healthy reproducing churches.” 

I was able to be there for two days and was encouraged to meet many pastors and delegates from across Canada, to attend two good workshops, to be part of the business meetings and to be challenged by Bill Lawrence, the key note speaker.  I would just like to report on a few things which were an encouragement to me.

1.  There was a great sense of unity at the Business Meetings.  These of course can be quite dry but after each area gave their reports, someone came to them to commit them and their ministry to the Lord in prayer.  

2.  There were at least 8-10 reports of new church plants across Canada and each were profiled.  A number of these works have started in the Province of Quebec and we need to pray for them all. 

3.  I did not know that our Association is partnering with like- minded groups of Churches which are growing in the Developing World in at least ten countries.  One of these countries is Haiti and we are part of a rebuilding program among these churches. 

4.  The desire of the AGC to remain faithful to the Word of God.  All pastors are required to sign a document in which they agree “to submit to and promote the Articles of Faith and Doctrine.”

It was good to have George Boyd, our Canada East Superintendent with us the other Sunday.  He will be coming back in September to minister in a morning Service.  If you have any questions about the Conference, please see me.

May 23, 2010

As I was preparing this week I picked up a book called “Whatever Happened to Worship” by A.W. Tozer.  One line in the first chapter struck me.  He says, “I would rather worship God than do any other thing I know of in all this wide world.” 

That started me to reflect about some of the things I enjoy doing most in life.  I enjoy spending time with my family, I enjoy travelling and seeing God’s creation, I enjoy reading, I enjoy boating even though I don’t own a boat.  Where does worship of our Lord and Saviour come in my life, where does it come in your life? 

Perhaps we might object that if all we did was worship, nothing else would get done.  Tozer replies that, “the beautiful part of worship is that it prepares you and enables you to zero in on the important things that must be done for God.”  True worship through what we do brings meaning and purpose to our daily activities.  Our tasks and our enjoyments will have eternal qualities to them.  They will be the “gold, silver and precious stones” instead of the “wood, hay and stubble.” 

Paul gave this advice to the Corinthian Church, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”