A Testimony of God's Faithfulness

Has God been faithful to you? I would love to hear your stories of God’s faithfulness.  I encourage you to follow the Psalmist’s example and not conceal, but declare and sing of God’s faithfulness as the following verses challenge us:

Ps 40:10, “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.”

Ps 88:11, “Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?”

Ps 89:1, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”

I would like to tell you some of the highlights of God’s faithfulness to me:

1.      God was faithful to pursue me in grace when I tried to push Him out of my life from age 16 to 18 by putting my faith in an evolutionary explanation of the origin of life instead of recognizing Him as the Creator.

2.      God was faithful to grant me a heart of repentance when I yielded to His love expressed in the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1-11) and received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior on the third Sunday of August, 1978.  

3.      God was faithful to make me a new creature in Christ; He began changing my desires from the moment I surrendered and truly believed and trusted in Him with my whole heart.

4.      God was faithful in leading me to Churches that taught and preached the Bible—where, although the pastors and congregations were not perfect, they for the most part had a heart for God and encouraged me to be faithful to our faithful God:

First Conservative Baptist Church, Roseburg, Oregon – Pastor Roy Campbell
Westside Baptist Church, Eugene, Oregon – Pastor Greg Kaminski
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Roseburg, Oregon – Pastor Dale Johnsen
Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Greenville, SC – Pastor Jessie Boyd & Mark Minnick
Temple Baptist Church, Richland, WA. – Pastor Michael Gilchrist
Jordan Valley Baptist Church, West Jordan, Utah – Pastor Harley Johnson
New Israel Baptist Church, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil – Pastor Sergio

5.      God was faithful to always give me direction as I waited upon Him in prayer for guidance and wisdom to make the big decisions of life: where he wanted me to go to college, who He wanted me to marry, where and how He wanted me to serve Him.

6.      God has been faithful to forgive me when I confess my sin (1 John 1:9-10).

7.      God was faithful to help me be a better dad when I was struggling.  His Word gave me wisdom beyond myself – Click hear to read the Bible study that changed my parenting.

8.      God was faithful to give me the perfect help meet in my wife, Tammie, who is submissive yet not a doormat, supportive yet not flattering of my sinful ego, and sharpening yet not critical.  God was faithful to restore my wife’s health when she became so ill while we served in Brazil.

9.      God has been faithful to provide for all of our needs in 25 years of marriage and ministry. When we were about out of food, He provided in miraculous ways.  When our mode of transportation broke down, He provided means and funds for it to be fixed.  When we needed wisdom for family and ministry relationships, He gave wisdom for the asking like He promised.  When we needed a place to rest our heads, He always put on the hearts of His people to take us in with loving assistance, which also gave us the opportunity to be a blessing in return.

10.  When the burdens of life and ministry were too hard to bear ourselves, God was faithful to give us sustaining grace.

11.  God was faithful to give me six challenging and good years as Pastor of First Baptist Church where it was a joy to see His word take root in the hearts of those who had ears to hear.

12.  God has always been faithful to slow me down when I need slowed down and to speed me up when I needed speeded up. 

As we wait on the Lord for future direction, we have no doubt that we can trust in our faithful God.  I am reminded of something I wrote to Tammie Rich before she became Tammie Worden:

We can praise God for His providential hand of leading in the past;
We can look forward in faith to what He will do in the future;
but we must concentrate on keeping His commandments consistently today!

What was true for our lives over 25 years ago is true for our lives today; however, I would add another thought: We can only do it by the faithful enabling grace of God.  The grace of God is what I preached on this past month while doing some pulpit supply at Grace Bible Church:  You can listen to the message by clicking on the sermon title: Grace at Grace.  Down load the message: Mp3
I praise God for His faithfulness!  Will you?    
With prayer, Mark R. Worden

I had not painted for over 10 years, when last Sunday a special friend who happens to be an art teacher grabbed her art supplies and said, "Lets go painting."  So Tammie and I tagged along to find a good view of the house that she is living in. The experience was a blessing that I found very relaxing and healing as the artist within me came alive again.  Thank you Lord for the gifts you have given me; I give you all the glory!

October Musings on God's Faithfulness

I would like to finish out the year writing about God’s faithfulness, because He is faithful!

Today I searched anew for Bible verses that reveal God’s faithfulness and was blessed by God’s revelation of Himself through His Word (see selected verses). 

Apparently the first direct mention of God’s faithfulness is by Moses in Deuteronomy 7:9 as he addressed the children of Israel under the inspiration of God, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”

First, let’s note that this is a truth that we can know. Without a doubt, God will faithfully keep His covenants and His mercy. Secondly, that it is qualified by two conditions: 1) loving God and 2) keeping His commandments. The order is important here; the only way that anyone can keep God’s commands is to truly love Him first. We must respond to God’s revelation of Himself with loving faith and trust instead of rejection by willful ignorance (Romans 1) or willful religious pride (Romans 2). The Jewish leaders by the time of Christ had focused on the keeping of the commands in their own ways to the exclusion of knowing and loving God. Subsequently, they did not recognize Emmanuel and rejected their Messiah; therefore, they would not come under God’s mercy and instead came under God’s wrath as Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 23.

These two conditions of love and obedience, in that order, carry over into the New Testament in verses such as the following:

• I John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.”

• Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

• John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

• John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

From these and many other verses we can conclude that our love, obedience, and faithfulness to God can only be attributed to God’s grace and work in us. It is the abiding Spirit of God within us as born again believers that helps us to depend on God’s faithfulness to His promises and mercy.

We must guard our hearts from trying to obey God without first loving Him. What has your motive been recently for obeying God?

With prayer, Brother Mark Worden

Artist's rendition of my last Sunday morning message at FBC

Hanging Out a Shingle

I am now available for pulpit supply and special meetings within driving distance from Dillon, Montana.  Please give me a call if you would like to schedule a meeting: 406-683-2721

I am in grief but trusting God!

September Pastor’s Chat

God is faithful! What a comforting thought and truth it is to know that our Lord, Savior, and God is faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Over the past (nearly) 6 years I have tried by the grace of God to be faithful to Him and His calling on my life to shepherd His flock at FBC of Dillon, Montana. However, on Wednesday, August 18, it became very clear that this calling was to come to an abrupt end. After having not received a majority in a vote of confidence to continue as Pastor of FBC, I gave my one month notice of resignation. We had prayed for God’s will to be revealed through the vote of our church members. I trust in God’s sovereignty and trust Him to provide for the flock at FBC as well as for us in the days to come. Can you trust Him? Will you trust Him?

God knows what each of us needs to be more conformed to the image of Christ. God is a faithful judge and heavenly Father! We can trust Him to send our way what is best for all of us. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.” Regardless of your understanding or lack of understanding of what has happened here at FBC—love God! Grow in your knowledge of Him. Grow in your faith and trust in Him. Search the Scriptures daily and obey its clear teaching. Don’t become bitter. Be forgiving. Be wise. Be careful and discerning. Ask God for wisdom and follow His leading. Be faithful to God, for He has been and will be faithful to you! People will fail you, but He will never fail you!

With love and prayer, Pastor Mark

Listen to Sunday’s Sermon: Love God!
Download: Mp3

May God give us wisdom, comfort, and help from
Romans 8:26-39

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Time to move on! But where?

Last Wednesday night I felt the peace of God in an unusual way. While the vote of confidence ballot was being counted I asked the 30 members in attendance and a few visitors to turn to the hymn, "It is Well with my Soul" and we sang all 4 verses. As we continued to wait for the 4 deacons to return with the result, I asked if anyone would like to share a verse of scripture that would be edifying. About 6-7 people read or quoted comforting, encouraging, and challenging passages. During this time the deacons returned and all sat down and finally a deacon looked at the other deacons and got up and whispered in my ear, "15 to 15! It is your call Pastor" Earlier in the week I had had a premonition that it would be a split vote. When I heard that it was indeed, I felt the sovereign love of God for me and God's love in my heart for those who voted for me to continue as pastor and for those who cast a no confidence vote. For the first time in my life I experienced, in a great way for me and in a small way in comparison to my Lord, how He must have felt when He said on the cross, "Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do." As moderator I could have cast a vote in my favor to have a majority but knew that God wanted me to abstain from voting and read my prewritten resignation letter:

Resignation Letter of Pastor Mark Worden

August 18, 2010

Having not received a sufficient percentage for a vote of confidence as indicated by the constitution or my own conscience before God, I submit notice of my resignation as Pastor of FBC. I will gladly serve the church for another month or mutually agreeable date. I desire to work toward a peaceful and fruitful transition to the glory of God. My thoughts and emotions are mixed. First, I want to thank the Lord for his grace and help these past (nearly) 6 years. Second, I thank the congregation for the privilege of being your pastor, for the fellowship and friendship which we have enjoyed, and for the lessons of life and ministry that we have experienced together. Tammie and I will be praying for God’s blessing upon each of you and the congregation as a whole in the days to come. Romans 8:28 should bring hope, direction, and comfort to all of us at this time: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” We ask for your prayers during this transition time and for God’s future leading in our lives to fruitful ministry in the place of His calling, wherever it may be.

Sincerely in Christ,

Mark R. Worden

Now we are looking to the Lord for His direction, comfort, and wisdom and ask for your prayers.

If you get a chance listen to the message preached the Sunday before the vote of confidence: Good from Bad
http://sermon.net/download.php?c=18884-count_audio_download-2475187

God's Sovereignty