Alone with Him  

Posted by Calvary King's Lynn in

"For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. And they praised God because of me." Galatians 1:13-24


  • First off, forgive me for not posting! I have been down with the flu and have just started getting better. I didn't forget about you guys!
  • Paul was the best of the best. Before being saved, he was going all out for Judaism. He was raised and lived his whole life to further Judaism. Philippians 3:4-6 says "though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." He was living the life everyone wanted. He had done everything perfect and was advancing in Judaism straight to the top. When God met Paul on the Damascus road, he did a 180 and left all of that behind because he "counted them as loss for Christ." He dropped reputation, pride, friends, and his future in Judaism to follow Christ.
  • After his conversion, Paul didn't go to man or go to the apostles to learn from them. He went straight into the deserts of Saudi Arabia and spent 3 and 1/2 years studying and listening to God. He didn't want to have any influences from man in his teachings but wanted to sit before God and just listen. So this gospel Paul taught was birthed through a time of intimacy with God. This shows the importance of alone time with God. We cannot grow if we aren't listening for that still small voice of God. James 4:8 promises that if we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us and meet us where we are at just like he met Paul where he was at.
  • The reason Paul had all the answers is because he was searching for them in the Word and through prayer. James 1:5. God will give wisdom to those who ask for it. And he has given us all the answers in His word but we need to dig in and search them out.
  • After Paul's 3 and 1/2 years in the desert, he returned to Damascus as a teacher instead of a persecutor . He spent 3 years teaching them before finally going to Jerusalem.
  • Paul stayed with James for 15 days. This is not James brother of John the fisherman because that James had already been martyred before Paul arrived. This was James brother of Jesus who wrote the book of James. After Jerusalem, Paul went back to Tarsus and went back to his old profession of tent making. Again this seems like a job where he would have plenty of time to think and talk to God. He grew in his relationship with God because he spent time with Him. If two people get married and never talk to each other, the relationship will never work. Every relationship requires that intimacy. Draw near to Him!
  • The church in Jerusalem was a little fearful because of Paul's old life. He has harshly persecuted the church and we responsible for many deaths. But when they received the report that he was serving God they rejoiced. Paul's story gives me hope. That God would take someone who imprisoned and killed HIS people and not only use him for His glory but to love him. This shows we can never mess up to the point of no return. He will always love you and will never leave you nor forsake you.
  • I encourage you to make alone time with Him. If you set aside that time He will make the most of it! Not only will you grow in a deeper relationship with Him but you will, like Paul, begin to have those answers.

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Authenticity of the Bible  

Posted by Calvary King's Lynn in

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught [it], but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" Galatians 1:11-12

After reading this, I begin contemplating the authenticity of the Bible. I have always heard arguments where people say "The Bible was written so long ago, we cannot prove its accuracy." or that there is no historical evidence of in favor of the Bible. So I decided to take a day and scour the web to try and find if our Bible 1. Is the Word God intended for us to have and 2. Has any historical standing.

When compared with other works, I was very surprised! Here is what I found:

OLD TESTAMENT:
Up until 1946, the oldest complete copy of the Old Testament was "Codex Babylonicus Petropalitanus" from AD 1008, more than 1,400 years after the Old Testament was completed. In 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. These scrolls close the gap to about 200 years. So in that gap when man could have added whatever he wanted, such as prophecies about Christ, did he? The answer is: No! There were no changes between "Codex Babylonicus Petropalitanus" and the Dead Sea Scrolls. This shows the Jewish people were great at keeping records and that the Old Testament we have today is completely reliable and trustworthy.

The Bible mentions the Hittites forty times, but for centuries there was no secular record so they were presumed to not exist. In 1906, a German archeologist uncovered what is now known as the Hittite Empire capitol. This shows the Bible knew things before any human ever did!

NEW TESTAMENT:



WORK WRITTEN Earliest Copy Time Span Number of Copies

  • Herodotus------------488-428 BC-----AD 900------------1,300-----------------8
  • Thucydides-----------460-400BC-----AD 900------------1,300-----------------8
  • Tacticus--------------AD 100---------AD 1100-----------1,000-----------------20
  • Ceasar's Gallic Wars--58-50 BC-------AD 900------------950------------------9-10
  • Livy's Roman History-59BC-AD17----AD 900------------900------------------20
  • New Testament------AD40-100------AD 130------------300------------------5,000 Greek, 10,000 Latin, and 9,300 others.

From the table, we can see that the earliest existing documents concerning Roman history were found 900 years (Almost 1 whole Millenium) after the events happened and only 20 copies exist. Yet Roman history is taught as complete fact even to this day. The Bible manuscripts date from only 30-150 years after they happened and more than 30,000 copies exist. By comparison, Roman history becomes a mere fairy tale.

What makes the bible so special?
The Bible was written over a period of about 1,500 years by more than 40 authors from various backgrounds (Joshua-Military General, Daniel-Prime Minister, Peter-Fisherman, Nehemiah-Cup Bearer, ETC) in many locations (Wilderness-Moses, Prison-Paul, Patmos Exile-John, ETC) on three different continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe) and in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) yet the Bible is in complete unity. There is not one place where it contradicts itself.


2 Timothy 3:16 is true where it says that all scripture is God Breathed. He gave us His very word and protected it for thousands of years. The Bible has not only proven the test of time, but it has history backing it up.

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Outreach and First Service  

Posted by Calvary King's Lynn in

Hello, My name is Jerry Dayton and I am new to this blog because I just arrived in King’s Lynn last Thursday.

Coffee Outreach
The outreach on Saturday went very well. We served tea, coffee, doughnuts, and these sausage rolls that were served cold and I wasn’t brave enough to try. Mac and I also played/practiced worship for about four hours, while the rest of the team shared and ministered to the guests from the community. A couple of our first visitors were a pair of Bobbies, with whom God gave us great favor. They were not just impressed with what we were doing, but they informed us of a website we could visit to announce our activities as a church to the community. Then after enjoying their refreshments, they returned to their work of patrolling the town center, all the while telling people about the outreach. They said they plan to attend the opening service tomorrow. Overall I believe we had more than thirty people wander in for a dry space, hot drinks, a bit of food and warm conversation. That is not including our team of about nine. Unlike last time when Mac said people quickly ate their food and left, people milled about for quite a while, some for even a couple of hours. It was a blessed time of actually engaging with the community and many said they planned to return in the future. I thank you for your prayers and ask that you continue diligently because people are pretty skeptical. The comment was made today that if we are giving away free food, there must be something wrong with it. (Like it’s poisoned) I kid you not. And one couple said that if we have so much money that we can give away free food we could give them the money instead. While this sounds strange and even a bit amusing, so many here are hurting and desperate for connection.

Our First Service in the Church Building
I cannot even pretend to relate to the struggle and sacrifice those who have arrived before me have endured and overcome. The Proffits have worked extremely hard to carve out a place of ministry here in the hard soil of King’s Lynn and I was amazed to see it in action. I am not sure if my goose bumps Sunday morning were from the cold or the incredible sound of voices echoing off the old brick walls of the warehouse turned church as Mac lead worship. Vince continued in the book of Acts and as the trek took us to the end of chapter fourteen it fit our situation perfectly. After all the prayer and waiting on my visa it was a blessing to sit with my pastor at the feet of Christ, bathed in His Word. Having been given the honor of passing out communion, the sweetest moment of the service for me came when I offered the juice to a new fellow in the church. The joy on his face over partaking of the Lords sacrifice was overwhelming because many churches here will only permit you to join in communion if you have been baptized into that specific church. Oh how we take for granted our freedom of worship in the states. After service we fellowshipped, ate pastries and drank tea. There is always tea. Then after more than an hour of enjoying each other’s company church still was not over because most of those in attendance migrated back to the Proffit’s home for a late lunch. Marie prepared fabulous traditional English soup, perfect for warming the soul from the inside out on such a cold and rainy day. The Proffit family were joined by Tony, Sherry and myself from the states, Alex who came down from the bible college in York, and a handful of members of the church in King’s Lynn. We talked, Laughed and played games well into the night. The sense of community as the body of Christ, and the feeling of family are indescribable. God’s hand is clearly at work, but there are still so many unreached hearts in this place. Please go to war on your knees for the people of King’s Lynn

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False Teachers  

Posted by Calvary King's Lynn in

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."
Galatians 1:6-10

The way this whole false teacher business came about was that as Paul was travelling throughout Galatia teaching, a group of false teachers (the Judaizers) followed his every move. When he would stop in a city, some of the false teachers would branch off from the group and would stay behind to challenge his teaching. It was like they were playing a giant game of Wack-A-Mole, trying to crush the churches as they were popping up.

As Christians, we are not free from sin. When we get saved, a bubble doesn't come down and protect us from every sin and temptation. But this is for our good! Romans 5:3-4 says "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;and perseverance, character; and character, hope." The definition of tribulation is: pressure, affliction, distress. When tribulation is "pressing" in on us it develops character, perseverance, and hope. So when we go through trials, no matter how hard it may be, we need to see them as something that betters us. 1 Peter 5:8 says "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." The enemy is always seeking to tear us down. Satan's goal is not to make ys bad or to further his kingdom. Its to make us ineffective in the Kingdom of God. Where we as Christians fail today is when we attempt to fight to fight off the enemy on our own. Psalm 46:1 says "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." God will fight for us but it is a choice we have to make in those trials.

False teachers don't completely change or make a new religion: They subtly change an existing one. If they made a radical, obvious change people would notice. If they were to change one of the core beliefs such as the divinity of Christ, people would recognize the lie and steer clear of it. False teachers work on trickery and subtlety. The way to see false teachers is this: they always leave a wake of hurt, confusion, and trouble because their work is not of God. Romans 16:17-18 says "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple." We need to be rooted in the word so we can easily spot the fakes and stay away.

God has called believers by His grace and here Paul is telling them not to trade that in for a false teaching. It is easy to see false teachers when you know what you believe. The more you are in the Word, the easier it is to see through deception. When you have a crystal clear understanding of what the whole Word says, you can easily see when a teacher shares a message full of cracks.

Accursed means "Cursed to the lowest hell". That's some strong stuff! When I think of all the false teachers who have led millions away from God, who have hurt people in the name of God, it doesn't seem so harsh any more. These people pervert the truth for their own appetites.

Again Paul has stuck his neck out there and says he isn't seeking the approval of man. He lived his life to please God. Romans 12:1-2 says "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." We are called to live a life like Paul, a life where we live totally for Christ no matter what the repercussions. Paul had it down! He presented himself to God and God renewed his mind. And because of this he was able to share with the gentiles what was good and acceptable. And he had such a close relationship with God he knew the perfect will of God and he lived it. We need to learn from Paul and find God's will and live it.

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Galatians 1:1-5 "Intro to Galatians"  

Posted by Calvary King's Lynn in

"Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom [be] glory forever and ever. Amen." Galatians 1:1-5


OK here's a bit of a geography lesson. Galatia was not a city, it was a territory. Paul travelled throughout Galatia and planted several churches: Iconium, Lystra, Pisidian Antioch, Derbe, Tarsus, Syrian Antioch, and Jerusalem.

Since Paul was constantly travelling, he guided the churches through writing letters.
Jewish teachers had crept in and started perverting the gospel. Paul had taught that man is saved by grace but these teachers were saying man was saved by a combination of works and grace. Many people today think that by simply being a "good" person or following the ten commandments they can be saved. The law was never made to be kept by man. In fact, its impossible for man to keep the law. God's standards are so high that lust is adultery (Matthew 5:27-28) and that anger/hatred towards a brother is murder (Matthew 5:21-22). So if man was incapable, what was its purpose? The purpose of the law is to reveal the sinful nature of man and to lead man to Christ.

So Paul is writing to the Galatians to correct this false teaching. (False teachers will be a big subject to come in Galatians) At first I thought "What kind of people were they that they could meet Paul and be taught by him, and after he leaves slip into this false doctrine?" When you think about it, these people had lived under the law. This wasn't a radical new doctrine they were teaching but they took the message Paul had taught and added a little something. (How false teachers work!) These false teachers (Jewish teachers called Judaizers) went in for the kill by attacking who they thought was leading this movement: Paul. If they would have stopped and listened to Paul's teaching or read his letters they would see Paul always declares he surrendered to God, that he is an apostle of God, and had been sent of God. So in a sense, they were coming against a soldier when they thought they were attacking the commander!

Paul had to remind the Galatians that Jesus delivered them from that bondage of trying to earn salvation through works. When is enough enough? You could say "I helped that lady cross the street." and someone else could say "I was just in a plane and the pilots passed out and I broke into the cockpit and landed it and saved everyone." Well I would say helping the lady would pale in comparison. But then would all men need to land a full plane to be equal and earn salvation? You can either 1.Confess and believe in Christ and be secure in your salvation or 2.Try and be Good all your life, hoping your good outweighs your bad and not know until the day you die. God gave Himself for us to deliver us from trying to earn salvation. He gave us a free gift!

By its very nature, man seeks to earn salvation. If you want to please someone or get something from them, you do something for them. If I want some money from my Mom I might do the dishes or wash the car. This is Legalism. Legalism is a problem when you view God as the best image you can imagine X10. "Man likes it when I was the car and do the dishes so God must need something too." What would be the purpose of Christ dying on the cross if you could earn salvation through works? This shows you cannot believe in the Bible, and believe in Legalism. They are in conflict!

Something I took from Paul here is that he wasn't afraid to stand up and defend the faith. He was willing to put his neck on the line to defend it. He wasn't worried of what people would think of him or if he would be ridiculed for his beliefs. There's a source to that power and bravery and Paul shares with us what that source is. He opens the letter by stating he is an Apostle of God and not of man. Paul straight out says "I have no connections to man. God sent me, God is empowering me, and God is using me." When we are in that kind of relationship with Him, He uses us too. There's a difference between Disciple and Apostle. Apostle means "Messenger, he that is sent out" and comes from the Greek word Apostolos. Disciple means "to follow his precepts and instructions" and comes from the Greek word Matheteuo. So one was raised up a disciple and sent out an apostle.

We as Christians can take a lot from the life of Paul. If he had backed down because of his own pride, Christianity would have reverted to a Jewish sect under the weight of the law. He used God as his power source instead of using his own strength. Its like comparing the power of a bike, with the power of something like a space shuttle.

Galatians opens the door between God and Man and destroys legalism. We will never be able to build a ladder, built of our own works and deeds, that is big enough to reach God. And if we could, our God isn't very big is He? How many people are going to stand before Jesus with a grin on their face because they opened doors for people but find themselves hearing God say "I never knew you." The people in your town are dying. They are literally inching closer to death with each second that passes and we hold life in our hands: The Word of God. If that doesn't spur us on to defend the faith like Paul regardless of how people view us, nothing will.

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Long Time, No See!  

Posted by Calvary King's Lynn in

Hello everyone!


Forgive us for not posting in so long! So much has happened in the last few months. As you know the Cates moved to Colorado a few months ago. My Sister and I began college. The church is moving into a building soon and we have been hard at work with that as well. Overall we have had a lot happen in a short amount of time!

The good news is we are going to kick start the blog again. It will be updated every Tuesday and we may have a few random posts in-between.

So please keep an eye on the blog for devotions and updates on the church and all that is happening in Kings Lynn, England!

God Bless,
Mac Proffit

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A Revival in Prayer  

Posted by Calvary King's Lynn in

Nehemiah 9 is such an encouraging chapter of the Bible. Here the people of Jerusalem have just rebuilt the wall and in the previous chapter they reconnected with His Word, and now here in Nehemiah 9 they are connecting with God through prayer, and I am so encouraged.
The people prayed to God and they reflected on all that He had done for the Jewish people, going all the way back to Abraham. They listed the faults of the past but more importantly they listed God's faithfulness. And man is His faithfulness great! Every time the people failed God stayed strong.
"Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; for You are God, gracious and merciful." (Nehemiah 9:31)
And as I look back at the last few years, I see continually the Lord's faithfulness throughout every aspect of Calvary King's Lynn, from getting the Proffit family to England, to starting a Bible Study in our home, to now having a building of their very own. And so I am convicted to continue to pray for Calvary King's Lynn and those that are serving the Lord there. As we look to the future, and wait to see what the Lord is going to do in the city of King's Lynn, my hope is that those of us praying for this town would be convicted to pray faithfully, myself included. I pray that we would not grow weary in praying but that we would do our best to stay faithful to the call that God has for us in this church plant.
Let us come together as one body and pray without ceasing for the Lord's work in King's Lynn.

Carleigh

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