Highland Park Baptist Church
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Speak with your life!

May 10th, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)
An idiom that has dominated American Christianity since the eighties reads: It is easy to talk the talk, but can you walk the walk. This is something we have heard and been challenged to do our whole Christian life. Something that delineates between “Jesus Freaks” and “Jesus Believers.” Walking the walk is actually really hard to do, but something required of those who profess Jesus to be Lord of their life. I implore you to DO more than you TALK. To be imitators of Christ is no small feat, however we are challenged to try (Eph. 5:1-2). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, one can be empowered to give there ALL in trying. I have found in my evangelism opportunities, people are much more interested in how I live, than what I say. In fact, how I live gives credibility to what I say. How I live gives meaning and power to scriptural truth that I proclaim from my mouth. You want people to know Christ and experience His love….. stop only talking and LIVE OUT THE GOSPEL:
1 John 2:4-6
The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Derrick Jackson
Music & Worship

“Your Way be Known on Earth, Your Saving Power Among All the Nations.”

May 4th, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Dave K - (0 Comments)

It’s Global Missions Fest week! I have been a part of the HPBC family for my entire life and some of the best and most meaningful memories I have center around the annual Global Missions Fest. As a kid, I have great memories of participating in the processional of flags to start what was then called Missions Conference.  I can remember watching for the red-light to go on over the balcony which indicated a foreign missionary was on the phone and it was time to talk to them live.  After school each day, I would make my way down to the kitchen where countless volunteers would be preparing for the nightly dinner. My assignment was normally to wash dishes.  In our home, we would always house a missionary couple or family during the conference and then through-out the year we had many missionary guests. All of these experiences developed in me a heart and passion for missions.

Psalm 67:2,3 says, “Your way be known on earth, your saving power among all the nations. Let the peoples praise you oh God let all peoples praise you.” God’s heart is for the nations; not political nations but ethnic nations. The ultimate goal of missions is God’s glory.  This is accomplished as more and more individuals representing an ever-increasing number of people groups enter into a worshipping relationship with our Lord. As that happens, God is glorified to a greater and greater degree. Why do we dedicate so much time and money to missions? Because it represents the very heart and passion of God!

Billy Kim and the Korean Children’s choir started off our week with a wonderful time of celebration. Dick Gascho, one of our own missionaries, will close our conference on Sunday.  In between, it’s been an honor to rub shoulders with our missionary family – who so faithfully represent the Lord in their places of service. We enjoyed a rich time of prayer with them on Wednesday night and have enjoyed getting to know each of them in a more deeper way.  I am also excited about Saturday night’s Discovery Night – where we will highlight the ministry activities of our youth and young adults. We’ll also enjoy an international cafe and a casual time of interaction with our missionaries. The gym will be full of activities for kids as well. Don’t miss it!

When I was asked to consider adding Director of Missions to my responsibilities, it was easy for me to say “yes”.  I look forward to serving in this way and to watching God work through the people of HPBC – for His glory!

An Exalted View of God

May 2nd, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

An exalted view of God. Why is it so important? As I prepared to preach from Isaiah chapter six two weeks ago, I was reminded of how essential it is that I worship Him in every aspect of my life. Nothing, no one compares with Him. To focus my attention or thought anywhere but Him is both idolatry and empty. It is amazing that when life gets busy with good things or when I focus on checking things off my task list, I also experience a increasing lack of passion, joy, and fulfillment. It is only when I am constantly conscious of His majesty and His perfections, that the other aspects of life are filled with purpose.

I was talking with Inell the other night about this and she reminded me of how true this is in our prayer life as well. Sometimes we begin to pray about our needs, or our dreams, or against the enemy. All of these have their place. But whenever the wonder and worship of God Himself takes second place to intercession or petition, the problems and challenges that fill our prayers begin to fill our minds and hearts. They drag us down. They depress our spirits. He must fill my mind. He must consume my heart. He alone satisfies. When His glory is what I see, my petitions and battles cannot pull me down.

Lord, may your glory fill my thoughts and prayers, motivate my work and labor, and possess my passions and dreams. You alone! I live for you alone!

-Brent

What an Amazing God!

April 27th, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Dave - (5 Comments)

The men of Tuesday morning have been studying the life of Daniel.  From his days as a teenager to his fruitful life as a senior citizen – his life is well deserved study on the amazing faithfulness of God.  When he needed wisdom and power, he called out to the God of Heaven for mercy.  When he provided an interpretation for a dream of the king, he made it clear, that this was the wisdom of his God, not his amazing faith or above-average abilities.  When tossed into the den of lions, at the ripe old age of 80, he never wavered in his dependence upon the King of Heaven.  During his 30 years of life outside of the public eye and identifiable leadership, he stood out as a man with a sterling reputation, consistency, and no-compromise.  Add to that, he maintained a three times a day habit of prayer – giving thanks to God, and seeking His help.  He understood that it was only his amazing God that could sustain and use him.

Daniel himself was not a superstar prophet – just an uncommon guy who actually believed God, fearlessly followed, and exercised a God-centered dependence.

Noted throughout his story are expressions of praise by those he spiritually impacted.  What is noticeably absent is other’s amazement with Daniel.  What is obvious, is that they were awestruck with the God of Daniel.  I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.  For He is the living God; He endures forever, His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end.  Daniel 6:26

Jesus put it this way: Let your light shine before men, that they will see your good deeds, and praise your Father in heaven.  – Matthew 5:16

This is just as it should be.  God at work through us is not about us, but only our amazing God.  We are just the instruments He uses to bring honor and glory to Himself.  He alone is worthy of praise.  It is truly amazing that He can use us – and that He does.    We remain in awe of Him.

-Dave Borror


Road Blocks

April 11th, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Gordon - (448 Comments)

Ever run into a road-block in life? By road-block I don’t mean a 6-foot piece of cement in the middle of the road, but something more along the line of losing a job you love, or not finding any job open in your field. Or maybe it’s getting sick and losing days of work without having sick-days left for the year . . . or losing a dear friend or relative . . . or just not being able to make ends meet because prices keep sky-rocketing. And over time the “road-block” drags you down to where discouragement sets in . . . and you lose all perspective in life. There just does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel . . . and if there is a beam of light, it is on the front end of a locomotive headed straight for you! Discouragement comes in all shapes and sizes, and it can be relentless in its pursuit to haul us down mentally and spiritually.

Believe it or not, even the Lord Jesus experienced discouragement. Nestled away like a robin’s nest in a majestic maple tree is a passage that speaks of the Lord from a prophetic perspective. Isaiah 49:1-13 is one of five short “Servant” sections that could only be fulfilled by the Savior (see also 42:1-13; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12; 61:1-3). In 49:1-3 the “Servant” speaks of His task that God has given Him, how he was called by God to His task, equipped by God for His task, and kept by the power of God in His task. But as He sought to fulfill his task there did not seem to be anyone responding to His message (v. 4ab). He complained that His efforts were fruitless, and any survey of the Gospels will reveal how often the Lord was frustrated at the lack of understanding by people, especially his own men (see for instance Mark 4:40-41; 6:49-52; 8:17- 21; Luke 9:37-41; Matt. 23:37-39).

But the beauty of the Isaiah passage leaves us no doubt that the Lord, in the midst of moments of discouragement, always kept his eyes on His Father. The rest of verse 4 lets us see that He handled discouragement by resting in His Father’s evaluation of how well He was faithful to His task after it was finished. He knew that being faithful in spite of no apparent achievement would bring final vindication in the end. He kept looking ahead to what God had for Him. The writer of Hebrews also captures the same faithfulness of the Savior in 12:1-2, as he exhorts us to keep going in faith, even as Jesus did: “. . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross . . . .” Notice, the Lord could go through the struggle of the cross (final rejection by all people . . . even his Father!) because “of the joy set before Him”—and that joy was us as He procured our salvation!

When you run into one of life’s “road-blocks” and you see no way out, keep looking to the Lord Jesus and keep being faithful to the task the Lord has set before you. Don’t lose confidence in God’s calling you to be His own and in His keeping you to the end. He is sovereign over road- blocks and He will reward you for your faithfulness.

-Gordon Ainsworth

Oasis: Refreshing the spirit

February 29th, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Brent - (569 Comments)

Most of our lives are too busy already. We work hard every day and then run from one event to another. Many of us are desperately busy and when we do find a few moments to relax, we just don’t feel very refreshed. The TV may temporarily numb us, or the restaurant may fill us, but very few places or activities honestly refresh us. We need an oasis; a place where the inner soul in refreshed.

It was about 1992 when I first learned where my Oasis was. I was a missionary in Uganda and loved the ministry, but was constantly away from home and with people. I started taking one morning every other week to be alone with the Lord. I would read scripture, and maybe a book, and then just talk to Jesus. I worshiped Him as I looked at the starkly beautiful Rwenzori Mountains where we lived. I thought about His amazing qualities and praised Him. I remembered His goodness towards my family and thanked Him. I poured out my dreams before Him and found Him giving me His own dreams in exchange. Those mornings were my Oasis. It wasn’t just the change of pace, or the books I read. It was the time alone in His presence that refreshed me. I walked away from each of those mornings with a renewed and invigorated joy and purpose.

I still maintain personal extended prayer times. I find them invaluable. But I’ve learned as well the spiritual Oasis that comes when brothers and sisters pray together. This community Oasis is so powerful that I find it is almost as if I’ve been on a quick recharge cycle. Each Wednesday evening, at 7:00pm, we have an Oasis here at HPBC. We spend 90 minutes in prayer together, in the North Atrium. Interspersed with songs, our prayers are focused around a different passage of scripture each week. The richness of this hour renews my strength every time. From young adults to mature saints, we bow together before our Father. The time flies by, but the refreshment endures.

Do you need an Oasis? More than a break and more than relaxing, do you long for deep spiritual refreshment? I would challenge you give Oasis on Wednesday night a try.

-Brent Slater

Defining Moments

February 9th, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Jimmy - (635 Comments)

There are moments in every believer’s life when we must step towards the
unknown or unfamiliar in order to carry out obedience to God. During these times
its customary and even biblical for us to lean upon the Lord with much prayer and
supplication (Isaiah 26:3-4, Phil.4:6-7). However for many of us, once the end is in
sight and our deliverance is apparent, we often fail to take the time to personally
reflect and learn from those defining moments.

Personally, for my wife (Amber) and I, it was just about eight months ago, we
encountered one of our own defining moments. Our move to Metro Detroit and
decision to answer the ministerial call at HPBC continues to serve as a personal
vehicle for spiritual growth. Everyday we understand our relocation was less about
the time we changed the physical place we call home, and more and more about the
opportunity God gave us to experience His faithfulness on a new level.

Many young adults are facing similar decisions in their own lives. For some it may
be where to attend college or what to study. For others it may be pulling the trigger
on a career move or even whether deciding it’s time to tie the knot or start a family.
Whatever it may be, defining moments are waiting at our doorstep. The key is to
understand how God will use those for our spiritual growth.

As many of you know, the Old Testament is loaded with individuals who faced their
own defining moments with God. Studying these accounts teaches us how He used
people just like you and me to play important roles in His rescue mission to save
all people through His Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Young Adult Ministry has
recently embarked on a yearlong journey at the beginning of 2012 to study through
the entire Old Testament and exploring these accounts together.

If you’re a college student, young professional or young married couple, I personally
invite you to join us as we learn more about these Divine encounters in the Old
Testament and how to apply them to our own defining moments with God. We meet
every Sunday morning at 10:15 in the Student Center.

-Jimmy Smith, Young Adults Ministry

Tradition

February 6th, 2012 | Posted by bvosler in Dave K - (631 Comments)

My times with the Lord recently have led me to contemplate the traditions we have. Some of us loathe tradition and are constantly looking to break-out and experience God in new & fresh ways. Others of us are drawn to reflect upon the character of God more intimately through the same traditions that some despise. Are traditions right or wrong? When should we hold on to them and when should we let them go? As I was reading one morning, I found D.A. Carson’s thoughts to be helpful in this area.  Dr. Carson points out that the word tradition or traditions can be used in either a positive or negative way:

“The word tradition simply refers to what is handed on. If what is handed on is apostolic teaching, then traditions are a very good thing (e.g., 1 Cor. 11:2); if what is handed on conflicts with what God says, then traditions are unhelpful and dangerous (See Mark 7: 1-13).

{In today’s world we often}make distinctions on the basis of the social effect of traditions, not on the basis of whether or not they are true. But in the New Testament, traditions are praised or criticized not on the basis of their social function but in the light of their conformity to or departure from the Word of God.  In Mark 7:1-13, the traditions that Jesus condemns are those that allow people to sidestep what the Scripture clearly says.

Dr. Carson further points out that we:

“sometimes embrace traditions that effectively domesticate the Word of God. These may be traditional interpretations of Scripture, or traditional ecclesiastical practices, or traditional forms of conduct that are “allowed” in our circles but that are a long way from holy Scripture. In every case, fidelity to Christ mandates reformation by the Word of God.

My prayer for the family of HPBC is that we will be in the Word daily and that we will allow ourselves to be reformed by the truth of Scripture.  Let’s hand on to the next generation those traditions & practices that are solely based upon God’s Word.

David Kuntzman – Business Administrator

On Purpose & With Passion

February 2nd, 2012 | Posted by admin in Dave - (556 Comments)

It was recently recommended that I read a pamphlet written by Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, applicable principles directed toward those who lead in the “social sector”.   I was struck in particular by one of the key people-resource values.  Focus on getting the right people . . . who are productively neurotic, those who are self motivated and self disciplined, who wake up everyday compulsively driven to the best they can because it is simply a part of their DNA.  Lack of resources is not an excuse for lack of rigor. I guess we all wish we had things a little bit better.

This principle from his laboratory of the business world prompted me to acknowledge once again that the choicest servants of God that I know of are those who do life with passion and purpose from the inside out – motivated and disciplined because it is a part of who they are as servants of the King.

What is particularly notable is that I have the privilege of observing and experiencing this with others who live with this kind of compulsion every day.  Rarely does a day go by that I am not in awe of the men and women, young people to senior citizens, who show up as volunteers or paid staff, on both Sundays and/or weekdays, and do with energy and passion what it is that God has called and gifted them to do in His kingdom ministry.  And they do it, fully resourced or not.  It is obvious to me that the motivation and discipline they have comes from a passion to work for, and to put on display, the glory of God.  I can’t help but believe that same passion to do their best for Christ sake, is the same heartbeat they have in the workplace and in the home.

So I’m thinking –  what would happen among those that we are called to impact for Christ, if each day out of the intensity of our love for Christ, we acknowledged His passion for people, and get engaged with a compulsive  and energetic desire to glorify Him in whatever we do – in word or deed  (cf.  II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 6:7; I Corinthians 10:31 Romans 12:1, 2).

It seems that as a new creation in Christ with a transformed DNA, having this kind of purpose and passion would be normative for Believers.

-Dave Borror, Ministry Administration

Winter Camp

January 25th, 2012 | Posted by admin in Brian | Student Ministries - (556 Comments)

The Herd (middle school) and Crash (high school) ministries had an amazing time at our annual winter retreat January 14-16 and I wanted to share four things with you that jumped out to me from that weekend.

First, we were extremely blessed by our volunteers (not our normal staff, I’ll get to them in a minute). We have a group comprised of adults in the church, some parents some not, that go up all weekend to serve the students. They make all the food, serve all the food, wash all the dishes, clean up etc… Some are parents who would otherwise have a kid free weekend at home. Some are just people who love the youth ministries and want to help out. We are so blessed by them every year and are amazed that many of them do this every year for us. It is also a great picture of the different ages and generations of HPBC coming together and serving for a united purpose and it is powerful to see.

Second, we were able to take CBC of Brighton’s middle school group and Bell Creek’s youth groups with us on the retreat. Andrew Williams is the youth pastor at CBC and Dan Baughman is the youth pastor at Bell Creek. Both are men who have grown up at our church and in our youth group and have also worked at HPBC at different times. It is so encouraging to see not only what God is doing in our youth group but in other groups through men that we know and have had the opportunity to work with.

Third, our volunteer staff people are amazing. This group of staff are the people that work regularly with the Herd and Crash. They actually paid to go on the retreat and sleep with smelly middle schoolers and stay up until crazy hours talking with students. We could not do what we do without them and they do it all with a smile on their face and such energy and positivity that it is amazing. We were also able to take 3 SAM (Special Abilities Ministry) students with us for the first time which was a huge blessing.

Lastly, we have a unique relationship with the Romulus basketball team. Many of you know Josh Baker who is a member at our church. Up until this year he was a coach for the team. Through this connection, and an unbelievably gracious sponsor, we have been able to have the team come to some of our summer camps in the past. This was the first year we have had them up to winter camp and it was amazing. Through this same sponsor we were also able to take a number of basketball players from SCS who had never been to any of our retreats. Seeing those guys with tears in their eyes singing Great I Am will not be something that any of us will soon forget. A couple of the guys even accepted Christ!

There were many other highlights and powerful times of worshipping God and learning from His word, but those are the 4 that really jumped out to me.

Thanks to all of you who played a part, we couldn’t do it without you. And please keep the students, especially those who made important decisions, in your prayers as they are back into normal life and having to deal with all the things pulling them away from Jesus.

We are remembering what God has done for us and because of that we have faith that God will accomplish the hopes that He gave us that weekend.

-Brian