Monthly Archives: May 2009

Random Rants

Let me say that we heard an amazing message from Brother Tom Gilliam last night in our meeting. He preached from 2 Corinthians 9 on “The Fortress Of Weakness“. Brother Gilliam revealed several of the great gifts of God to His redeemed people. These gifts are a wonderful anchor for the soul. I was helped greatly as I was reminded by the Word of God the many precious things I have in Jesus. I wonder if we sometimes forget who we are and what we have in the Lord Jesus? When we forget, we wander. When we wander, we waver. When we waver, we are a poor witness for Jesus. I pray the Lord will keep His benefits fresh in my heart and mind that I might be all that He saved me to be.

I titled my post “Random Rants“, and that is what I intend to give you today.

Rant #1: Shallow Believers – Does it bother you that mindless, heretical drivel like “Your Best Life Now“; “A Purpose Driven Life” and “The Shack” are among the most popular reading for so-called Christians? Well, it gnaws at me! When I see people wasting their time on junk of that ilk, it tells me that those people lack spiritual discernment and biblical knowledge.

Rant #2: Lifeless Believers – Does it bother you when spiritual truth is preached and God’s people act like nothing of importance was said? Well, it bothers me! I have been at the same church for nearly six years and there are people that I have never seen bow in an altar to pray. Now, I know that I do not know their hearts, but you would think that sometime or the other God would speak to their hearts and they would need to do business before Him. You would think that there might be a time when they just wanted to bow before Him and say “Thank you Lord for saving my soul!” You would think they would want to fall before the Lord and weep over the lost they claim they have a burden for. 

Rant #3: Lazy Believers – Does it bother you when people have duties in the church and then refuse to carry them out? Well, it aggravates me to no end! If the people of the church have trusted you to do a job, you ought to do it! You should be in your place. You should be on time, and early if possible. You should be prepared. You should go above and beyond the call of duty. If you aren’t, then you should make room for someone else who will do the job out of a heart of love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rant #4: Worldly Believers – Does it bother you that many who claim to love Jesus allow everything in the world to come before Him and their service to Him? Well it…, you know! Just for the record, there has never been a family reunion, a ballgame, a school function, or anything else you want to name that is more important than what God is doing in His church, among His people. Christians ought to be in their seats to hear what the Lord has to say to their hearts. Parents need to teach their children that the business of the Lord is more important that the business of a secular institution such as a school or a club.

Rant #5: Complacent Believers – Does it bother you that some people are satisfied with the way things are? It does me! Why is it that anything new is met with instant resistance? Why is it that tradition trumps the will of God? Why is it that some people love to provide for themselves all the things they desire, yet they balk at any request to spend money on the things of the Lord? Why is it that some believers have no vision for the future, or desire to see or help the church grow? Maybe you can tell me!

Well, that will be about enough for today. Let me know what you think. Let me know where I am wrong. Let me know where you agree.

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Hallelujah! What A Savior!

The Lord blessed again in our meeting last night. Brother Gilliam preached from 2 Corinthians 4 about how to build up the inner man. It was a very practical, helpful message. it was also convicting and challenging, to say the least. The Lord spoke to my heart about my own personal time with Him. I want to do a better job of feeding my soul on the Word of God and spending more time in communion with the Lord. I have come to understand that I can do nothing without Him, John 15:5, but I can do all things through Him, Phil. 4:13. I need Him more than I need the next breath of air in my lungs! I need Him to be able to live godly in this world. I need Him to be able to serve Him effectively. I need Him if I am going to feed His people from Word of God. I need Him if I am going to interact properly with those around me. I need Him if I am to love the sinner, serve the saint and preach the Word. I need Him! As Paul said, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being…” Acts 17:28. Please rpay for me as I seek Him. I want to knwo Him better, and by His grace I will.

Please continue to pray for our meeting. As usual, some are coing hungry and others are staying home. God knows hearts and those who desire something from His hand will recevie it. Those who do not will receive nothing. I am not selfish, but I will take their part of they do not want it. I need Him!

Wonderful Day At Calvary

The Lord met with us yesterday in power and glory. Both services yesterday were blessed with God’s presence and power. In the morning service, the Lord blessed our choir graetly and allowed us to enter into His presence in woprship as the songs of Zion were sung and the name of the Lord magnified. Then, the best part, the man of God opened the Word of God and preached it in simplicity and in the power of the Holy Ghost. Evangelist Tom Gilliam is with us for our Spring meeting, He is preaching this week from 2 Corinthians on “The Wisdom Of Weakness”. The text for his series is 2 Cor. 12:10b, “…when I am weak, then am I strong.” Yesterday morning Brother Tom preached about “The Foe Of Weakness”. He talked about how Satan will fight our efforts to surrender fully to the Lordship of Christ in our lives. He will fight our efforts to be weak, because he knows that our weakness will allow the power of God to be strong in our lives. Last night Brother Tom preached about “The Facts Of Weakness”. This message was designed to teach us how suffering is used of God to educate us, to identify us with Jesus, to liberate us and to glorify Him. It was a profound message that God used to bring help to many of His people. I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I will be posting the sermons in the next few days. When I do, I will post a link to them here on this web page.

Please pray for our meeting. The Lord has truly blessed our church, but we need a great move of God. He has done so much for us, but He desires to do so much more. Pray that we will be in a position to receive it!

More later!

Alan Carr

New URL

You might notice that this blog now resides on a new URL. That’s right, you are now at fatbaptist.com. Why fatbaptist? Well, first and foremost, I am a fat Baptist. I have been working on that for years, but I seem to be losing the battle of the bulge, you might say. Then, Proverbs 28:25 says, “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.” So, while I may be fat physically, I am morbidly obese spiritually. The Lord has been so good to me and I prtaise Him for His blessings. Then, a final reason is that fatbaptist.com sounds better than alancarr.wordpress.com. You know what I mean? The new URL signals a new day for this blog. Check back and you will see why, hopefully!

Our Spring meeting begins this morning at Calvary Baptist. Evangelist Tom Gilliam will be with us through Wednesday evening. Please pray for the meeting and for our church. The Lord is doing great things for us, but there is so much more that He wants to do. The fact is, we need revival! Pray that God will send revival to our church and move among His people in life-changing power.

I hope you have a great day in the house of the Lord. Man of God, take His Word in your hand and preach His truth in His power. He will use you for His glory, if you will honor Him in your labors.

Alan Carr

Meeting At Gilead Baptist

I am preaching this week at Gilead Baptist Church in Nebo, NC. Thus far, the meeting has been good. There has been great liberty to preach the Word of God and I am always grateful for that. What makes this meeting different for me is the fact that I was Pastor of this same church for nearly 16 years. Those were good years, filled with many manifestations of God’s grace and glory. He truly blessed our ministry there. It is good to be able to go back and to see old friends and new faces. I appreciate what the Lord is doing for Gilead Baptist Church. Pray for the rest of the meeting.

My daughter Nikki and her husband Chad are in Charlotte for more tests on baby Johanna even as I type this post. They are there for more testing on the baby and for a consultation with a geneticist. We hope to have a little more information about Johanna and her condition and prognosis. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, Johanna has been diagnosed with Trisomy 18, or Edward’s Syndrome. Please pray for Nikki, Chad and Johanna as they wait for the Lord’s will for be revealed in their lives.

Thank you to all you who have E-mailed me that you are praying about our situation. I truly appreciate that. God bless you all!

Alan

Meeting In Kannapolis, NC

I am preaching this week at Franklin Heights Baptist Church in Kannapolis, NC. The Pastor is Brother Jim Grigg. The meeting has been going extremely well. There has been a good spirit in the services and a great response to the preaching each evening. Last night people kept coming to the altar, wave after wave of people praying and dealing with God over issues in their lives. Please pray for the rest of the week.

I want to thank each one of you that has called or E-mailed over the past few days concerning our daughter Nikki and baby Johanna. The Lord is giving grace in abundance and He continues to bless our family. I praise Him for His goodness and His faithfulness. Please continue to remember Nikki, Chad, Clayton and Johanna in your prayers.

Alan