Bittersweet Farm

Bittersweet Farm

A Unique Birthday Gift

Filed Under: Current Thoughts

Grandpa Pierpont's Bible

My birthday is tomorrow. Today I received a small parcel in the mail from my Dad and Mom. Within the parcel was a card and a gift and a little New Testament printed in 1917. It had been given to my grandfather, the original Kenneth Pierpont, in December of 1919 when he was only ten years old. It will soon be one hundred years old. It is stamped with a small American flag in gold foil and it is bound in soft tan cloth. Within is a quotation from the President of the United States written on July 23, 1917:

The Bible is the word of life. I beg that you will read it and find this out for yourselves. Read, not little snatches here and there, but long passages that will really be the road to the heart of it. You will find it fill of real men and women not only but also of the things you have wondered about and been troubled about all your life, as men have always; and the more you read the more it will become plain to you what things are worth while and what are not what things make men happy, –loyalty, right dealing, speaking the truth, readiness to give everything for what they think their duty, and, most of all, the wish that hey may have the approval of the Christ, who gave everything for them, –and the things that are guaranteed to make men unhappy, –selfishness , cowardice, greed and everything that is low and mean. When you have have read the Bible you will know that it is the Word of God, because you will have found it the key to your own heart your own happiness, and your own duty. -Woodrow Wilson

President Wilson, in an address called The Bible and Progress said; “America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.” Wilson ended by saying to those present that if they want to see America free and pure then they need to make their own spirits free and pure by a baptism of the Holy Scripture.

My Grandfather would go on to fight in WWII and then, later in life, come to follow Jesus with passion. He was ordained to the ministry at fifty-five years old.

Kenneth L. Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
November 2, 2015

Grandpa Pierpont's Bible 2

Will Christ Confess You? (Sermon)

Filed Under: Sermons

Revelation-v2_text

Series: REVELATION! Letters from Jesus to the Churches
Title: Will Christ Confess You?
Text: Revelation 3:1-6
Date: November 1, 2015 AM
Place: Evangel Baptist Church-Taylor, Michigan
Speaker: Pastor Ken Pierpont

Ken Pierpont
Ken Pierpont - Sermons
Will Christ Confess You? (Sermon)
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I Don’t Care What You Think

Filed Under: Current Thoughts, Discernment

Decisions

I’ll tell you what I think…
Let me tell you how I feel…
It seems to me…

I was once taught that good decisions require good information. Intuition, emotions, feelings, opinions, even human logic are not an adequate basis for good decisions. When we are making vital life-altering decisions we need good information. We need truth. The Word of God is truth. When you need to make a good decision, see what God has to say about it. What does the Bible say and where does it say it?

1. Don’t base your decisions on how you feel–your emotions.

2. Don’t base your decisions on what you think–your logic.

3. Don’t base your decisions on texts of the Bible that are not addressing the issue you are discussing.

4. Base your decisions on a careful, thoughtful understanding of the right texts of Scripture. The first question to ask when wrestling-through any issue or Biblical question is: “What are the key passages of Scripture that clearly address this issue or question?” After we have discovered those texts then we need to go to work to see to it that we have handled those passages accurately. This is hermeneutics… the art and science of interpreting texts.

When you are discussing a Biblical issue listen to yourself. Are you continually saying “I think” or “I feel” or “It seems to me”? These phrases indicate that you are not building your views on a firm, biblical foundation. It really is not important what I think or how I feel. What is paramount is “What has God said?”

Can I be blunt? I don’t care how you feel or what you think…
And you shouldn’t care what I think…
You need to know what God has said.

Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
November 2, 2015

No Show

Filed Under: Village Parson, Virtues and Values

Image processed by CodeCarvings Piczard ### FREE Community Edition ### on 2015-05-19 02:04:47Z | https://piczard.com | https://codecarvings.com

(Classic re-post from 2001)

This weekend I spoke to a father-son retreat at a small camp. There were only a couple dozen guys there but there was a sweet spirit among them and good fellowship. A fifteen year old boy stood and lead singing with a guitar and the men sang with obvious zeal and conviction. As I drove away my heart was full. I knew we had met with the Lord. To get back to Fremont in time for Sunday school and church I had to leave without speaking to anyone, but someday in eternity I believe I will see some fruit from what happened this weekend. I am convinced the Lord met with us there.

When I am asked to preach in a jail or rest home or in a small meeting or country church I always go if I possibly can. I’m sure I learned this from my parents who have served God in humble, faithful anonymity for over forty years. Sometimes they served in country villages so small the traffic didn’t even slow down. Jesus did the same thing. He once said; “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.”

One summer evening when I was a boy still lives in my memory. It was the Lord’s Day in New Carlisle, Indiana. Mom and Dad worked briefly with a church there and decided to start a Sunday evening service. They knew attendance would be small at first but they were a little surprised when no one showed up for the service at all. I expected my Dad to cancel the service but he went right ahead as if there was a crowd of 300. He prayed, gave announcements, and lead singing while Mom played the piano. At first my sister and I were the whole congregation.

About twenty minutes into the service the back door slowly opened and an elderly couple walked in. They were my mom’s aunt Betty and uncle Bill. They lived about a half-hour away in South Bend. Aunt Betty and Uncle Bill were not believers and they never attended church. They came out of kindness to Mom and Dad, sat quietly through the rest of the service and left.

Mom stopped them on the steps of the old church house and there, while my sister and I caught fire-flies on the lawn in the failing light of a summer evening, aunt Betty and Uncle Bill stepped over the threshold of faith into the family of God.

Some people questioned the sincerity of their decision but after a few weeks it was obvious to anyone who knew them that after years of hard living and unconcern about the things of God their lives were greatly changed.

They walked faithfully with the Lord for the rest of their lives and went to be with Him peacefully within an hour of each other one night. They were faithful to the Lord and to each other until death.

During my ministry I have preached countless times to tiny groups in humble churches and homes, jails, hospitals, and rest home chapels. From time-to-time it is my privilege to speak to a large group of people in a coveted place. But no matter where I preach I always try to remember that God often does really big things in really small places. And when the crowd is small and the place is humble I try to pour out my heart as if someone’s Aunt Betty or Uncle Bill are there hearing the sweet story of Jesus’ love for the very first time. The way I see it no job is small if it is an assignment from the King of kings.

(six years after the incident described in the first paragraph of this story I was called to pastor the church that sponsored the retreat–ironic that I had written; “someday in eternity I believe I will see some fruit from what happened this weekend…”).

Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
October 30, 2015

Boring Sermons?

Filed Under: Discernment, Past Ministry

How-To-Keep-People-From-Falling-Asleep-In-Church

The Problem of Boring Sermons. Let’s be honest… On Sunday morning it’s easy to let your mind drift or get mentally lost when the pastor is preaching. I have preached every Sunday morning and most Sunday nights and Wednesday nights for the last 36 years and hundreds of times in-between. I know what I’m talking about. I can usually tell when someone’s mind is wandering off to the lunch menu or their fantasy football team. I do my best to capture and hold the attention of people, but it helps a lot if both the the guy in the pulpit and the folk in the pew are working at it.

Questions. Here is a good way to make the message more interesting, if your pastor announces his text ahead of time. This works well when your pastor is preaching through a book of the Bible so you can anticipate what portion of Scripture he is going to preach from. Read the passage ahead of time starting early in the week so the passage is on your mind and in your heart all week. Read or listen to the passage from a few different translations and paraphrases. Now here is the key thing to make the messages more interesting. Write down any questions that come to your mind. Pepper the text of scripture with questions. Who, what, where, when, and why. It’s also helpful to ask “So what?” Here are three more great questions to ask…. (These are questions you can ask in your heart while the pastor is preaching) What does the text say? What does that mean? What does that mean to me? When you answer these three questions you are observing, interpreting, and applying Scripture.

What does it say: Observation.
What does it mean: Interpretation.
What does it mean to me: Application.

By all means if you ask questions of the text the message will be more interesting because as the pastor preaches he will be answering the questions you have been carrying in your heart all week. If you want the sermon to be more interesting read the Scripture ahead of time and ask questions of the text.

Don’t Belch and Walk Away. Early this morning I had a hospital visit. It was dark when I pulled into my parking place at the church. I thought about supper last night. Lois had made a delicious beef stew and had it ready for me when I finally got home after a late meeting. I took a minute to send her a text to let her know how much I appreciated the meal and the cozy atmosphere she always creates in our home. Don’t forget to pray for your pastor and encourage him by interacting in a positive way about his preaching. He spends many hours a week in preparation. It’s good to know that you just don’t eat, belch, and walk away without gratefulness or thought.

Additional Tip: Get a good study Bible. I recommend the John MacArthur Study Bible or the ESV Study Bible. These will help you think more deeply about the text. Every week when I begin to study my text I am tempted to believe that the passage is not interesting or applicable to my life. The more I dig the more fascinating and relevant it is. The more I study, the more I see how all the pieces fit together into a single picture.

Pastor Ken Pierpont
Evangel Baptist Church-Taylor, Michigan
October 29, 2015

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