To the staff of Cornerstone, I would like to say thank you for working with me and tolerating me around the office.  I had the opportunity to work with two great staff secretaries – Ms. Dot and Jessica! Continue the great work around the office – for the glory of Christ.

To my fellow pastors, Bro. Eddie and Bro. Phillip, I would like to say thank you for listening to all of my crazy ideas and trying to bring me back to reality at times.  Thank you for serving Christ and taking your office of oversight seriously.  Press forward brothers for the glory of His name and remember that you will stand before the sovereign King some day and give account of your ministry.  It has been a privilege to call you brothers and fellow pastors.  The families of Cornerstone are blessed to have their children and youth under your ministries.

To the deacons of Cornerstone, I would like to say thank you for always being deacons!  The first time I met Jasper Adkins at his home prior to coming to Cornerstone as your pastor, I asked him the following question.  “Do the deacons consider themselves as the men who run the church and their pastor as a glorified puppet or “out front” man?”  He responded by saying, “We as deacons see ourselves as servants and are 100% pastor supporters.”  As I look back on my ministry here, I thank you for being deacons rather than power hungry administrators. I love each of you and appreciate your service to the Lord.  Continue to be deacons and consider it an honor to be called a servant of the Lord.

To the people of Cornerstone Baptist Church, my heart swells with gratitude and thanksgiving.  You as a church family have always been good to the Buice family since the very first time we met you shortly after the “beauty shop gossip” incident with one of your former search committee members!  Our days here have been good days.  We have cherished our time here as part of the Cornerstone family.  From the very first time we met with the search committee until last night’s “goodbye” fellowship – the thing that stands out in my mind is that you know how to treat your pastor.  You have always loved my family, treated my wife with respect, played with my children and loved them like an extension of your own family, and demonstrated a great deal of respect for the office of pastor.  May you grow to love your next pastor and always support him as he faithfully proclaims the Word of God.

Thank you for loving my wife enough to provide her a surprise shower last night – that was very generous and kind of you!  I wish I could say the same thing about your obnoxious singing of Rocky Top to me….while I may not have appreciated it, I did tolerate it.  In a strange way, I guess I will always remember you when I hear Rocky Top – and for the Buice family, we will always feel like “Rocky Top you’ll always be home sweet home to me.”  Remember my words to you regarding the search for your next pastor.  Find a man who will faithfully proclaim the Word of God and feed the family of Cornerstone each week.  And until Christ returns, don’t just stand there gazing up into the sky awaiting the return of Christ – take the Gospel of Christ to the nations for His glory (Acts 1:1-11).

Live life with no regrets…..we will see ya later!

Pastor Josh Buice and family

With three of our members already on the ground in Arizona and the rest of our team leaving today, we must join our hearts together in prayer for their mission effort!  Many people on the Indian Reservation in Arizona have blinded eyes, hardened hearts, and deaf ears to the gospel of Christ.  We must pray for them each day as they work for God’s glory.  Pray that God will open the spiritual eyes of many people in Arizona to the truth, and turn their hearts to repentance and faith in Christ.

Below is a letter that each one of our mission team received as they started off on their journey today.

………………………………………………….

CBC Missionaries,

I’m addressing you as missionaries because that is exactly who you are.  You may not be called to a life long journey on the mission field, but when you consider what the Christian life is, you begin to realize that you are indeed a missionary for Christ Jesus.

I want you to know that I am very pleased with your dedication to serve Christ and to reach the people in Arizona with the gospel.  God has called you and appointed you for this task, and I pray that you will all serve Him with gladness and for His glory.  David Brainerd, a famous missionary to the American Indians who is now in Heaven, once wrote in his journal, “O God, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.”

We as a church support you, are praying for you, and send you out on this journey to accomplish the glory of Christ in the hearts and lives of the people of Arizona.  Go faithfully, preach the truth, and come home rejoicing in the grand opportunity you have enjoyed to make an eternal impact on people with the gospel of Christ.

Remember, the power to save does not rest in you, and that truth should free you up to do His work and trust in His power in this mission endeavor.  Remember that the gospel you speak to the people is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16)!

Romans 10:13-15 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ¹⁴ How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

May God keep you safe and use you for His eternal glory!

Pastor Josh Buice

The points I made from the text of Deuteronomy 6 are listed below.

Deuteronomy 6:4-25

I. Proper Devotion (Vs. 4-6)

II.  Proper Instruction (Vs. 7-9)

III.  Proper Appreciation (Vs. 10-25)

In conclusion, it is important that the fathers take the responsibility of leading the family in a time of worship.  Rather than allowing their spiritual development to be the task of the pastor or staff person, the fathers should take the responsibility into their own hands and faithfully disciple their family.

Donald Whitney once said, “Fathers, husbands – if you have been negligent in this duty and great privilege, repent by starting family worship today. Again, you may feel awkward about what to say to your wife or you children about starting, but simply say that God has convicted you of your responsibility to lead in family worship and you want to start at a given time today or tonight. Almost certainly your wife will be thrilled more than you can imagine to hear you say that. Your children may or may not be as enthusiastic, but that does not really matter. The less interested they are, the more your family needs family worship. The Lord will help you. He does not call His Spirit-begotten sons to this task without giving them the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish it. The same Father who gave you the Gospel and who drew you to Christ will strengthen you by His Spirit to put on this badge of godly manhood.”  Family Worship, 2005, p. 26.

I also want you to take time to read the resolution that was passed at the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention listed below:

WHEREAS, The Bible teaches the spiritual discipline of family worship for the glory of God, the strengthening of the church, and the spiritual nourishment of the family (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Psalm 78:1-8; Ephesians 4-6); and

WHEREAS, Scripture pictures the Christian home as a place in which parents are instructed to teach and disciple their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:1-18; Ephesians 6:1-4); and

WHEREAS, Family worship has been a cherished Southern Baptist principle reflected in church covenants which have called believers “to maintain family and secret devotions” and “to religiously educate” their children; and

WHEREAS, In recent years, family worship has been emphasized in The Baptist Faith and Message, which states that “Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth”; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have launched major initiatives which have brought to the forefront the need for families to pray, read from the Bible, memorize scripture, and give praise to the Lord within their homes; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention included family worship as a key catalyst for a Great Commission resurgence calling on Southern Baptists “to build gospel-saturated homes that see children as a gift from God and as our first and primary mission field”; and

WHEREAS, Family worship is integral to laying a foundation for multi-generational faithfulness to the gospel (Psalm 145:4) and a necessary complement for the strengthening of the local church to fulfill its commission (Matthew 28:18-20); and

WHEREAS, Family worship serves as an important preparation for the corporate worship of the local church on the Lord’s Day (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 10:25); and

WHEREAS, In recent generations, the act of family worship has been neglected, evidenced by the breakdown of the family in our time; and

WHEREAS, The embracing of the spiritual discipline of family worship in the Christian home has the capacity to nurture stronger families, a stronger church, and a stronger nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 15-16, 2010, encourage churches and families to rekindle the spiritual discipline of family worship; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we define family worship as the regular meeting together of a family for a time of prayer and Bible reading, which may include other activities such as scripture memorization, singing spiritual songs and hymns, and discussing biblical truth and Christian mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage families to cultivate not only structured times of worship together, but also ongoing intentional and informal conversations about the things of the Lord; and be it further

RESOLVED, That as we call families and churches to embrace family worship, we urge fathers particularly to fulfill their divinely mandated responsibility to lead their families toward spiritual maturity (Ephesians 5:22-6:4; Colossians 3:19-21); and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage all parents to consider times of family worship to be an opportunity to introduce their children to the gospel, to train their children to seek the salvation of their friends and neighbors, and to pray for the nations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage churches and families to make use of the many resources produced to aid in family worship; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we urge the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention and their pastors to promote family worship and encourage the families of their congregations to place the highest priority on embracing this foundational spiritual discipline for the well-being of families, the spread of the gospel, the making of disciples, and the glory of God.

May God raise up faithful fathers within the body of Cornerstone Baptist Church who will lead their families in a time of family worship for the glory of God.

Pastor Josh Buice

The retreat itself was a success in many ways.  Some youth who attended the retreat became convinced of their sins and laid them down in a spirit of repentance this week.  As we work with them in the days to come, we will pray that they will remain unmovable and steadfast in their faith for the glory of God.  As we all know, the hard work comes in the long weeks and months of discipleship that faces us all in our walk through life. The youth need adults to step-up and help guide them in the way of the cross!  We are thankful that the CBC youth will have a church family to support them in the upcoming weeks.

While reflecting on the retreat itself, I thought about what it takes to pull it off successfully.  I thought about the audio / video and stage equipment that needs to be unpacked, set-up, and tested prior to the first worship service that is held only a few hours after arrival.  I thought about the 100+ teenagers that need to be supervised almost every hour of the day (and night).  I thought about the meals that need to be planned, purchased, and prepared three times per day after arrival.  I thought about the messages that need to be prepared and the youth pastors who must find the energy through the week to stand and faithfully proclaim the Word.  I thought about the unity building games that must be planned and managed by the workers.  I thought about the money that has to be given by faithful church members to make it all possible!

As I considered the week, I was humbled by fact that many workers from our church gave of their vacation time and paid their own way to come on this trip so that they could become a servant for God’s glory.  We had several workers who attended the retreat this week who took their personal vacation days from work to come and stay in the rooms with teenagers.  Speaking from experience, these rooms are not luxury!  They are filled with bunk beds and bathroom facilities that are often extremely dirty by the weeks end.  To these people – the family of Cornerstone Baptist Church is extremely thankful!

Another dedicated group of volunteers gave of their personal time and vacation days to attend this retreat as our kitchen crew.  This group of people had to be up early and in the kitchen to make sure breakfast was served by the time the long line appeared outside the door at 8:30am.  After dishes and clean up was finished, only a couple of hours remained until they had to be back in the kitchen to make sure lunch was served at 12:00 noon.  After cleaning up from lunch, only a couple of hours remained until they had to be ready to prepare dinner that would be served at 5:00pm.  To these people – the family of Cornerstone Baptist Church is extremely thankful!

Tomorrow morning, I will preach from John 13:1-17 on the subject of becoming a humble servant.  It is important that we learn to be humble and serve others in the Christian life.  That is exactly what Christ did for us and it’s what we are called to do in this life as well.  To those who gave of their time, energy, money, vacation, and personal comforts to serve the youth and adults on the youth retreat this week – I say a big thank you!  I thank God for your willingness to humble yourself and become a servant for God’s glory.  Although teenagers are often ungrateful and difficult to serve – I know they really appreciated what you did for them.  I appreciate you greatly!  I know Bro. Eddie is thankful for you.  I know our church family is thankful for you.  But, most importantly, our Savior Jesus Christ is pleased when we become servants for His glory.

Thank you and may God bless you and our teenagers for His glory!

Pastor Josh Buice

The man that had just died was not just a man.  He was God’s Son.  He was God incarnate. Therefore, as Charles Spurgeon rightly said, “It became midnight at midday.”  The ground began to shake and even the Roman soldier recognized that this man was who He had claimed to be (Matthew 27:54).  God the Father had turned His back on His very Son as Jesus literally became our sacrifice for sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, took Jesus body and placed it inside Joseph’s tomb.  Joseph was a rich man and was willing to give up his own newly cut tomb for Jesus.  After preparation, they placed Jesus’ body into the tomb wrapped in the grave clothes.  His tomb was secured with a large rock and guarded by soldiers to prevent thieves from coming and removing His body.

In Jesus’ day, the manner in which He died was the most shameful death possible.  Jesus did not die a valiant death that would be remembered by history like many heroes, soldiers, and kings.  He died a painful and shameful death – in the very place that criminals died.  He was rejected, despised, mocked, betrayed, and executed.  Even in His dying moment, the Father turned away from Christ.

There are several verses that cause us to understand the purpose behind God sending His Son to die in such a shameful manner.

Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

We had walked astray and committed sin.  It was the LORD who laid upon His Son Jesus the iniquity that we actually committed.  Therefore, when we consider the cross, we should see our sin and iniquity.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

God made Jesus become our sin offering although He never committed one single sin.  Jesus was perfect and fulfilled the entire Law – something no other human has ever been able to do.  But, Jesus literally became our sin offering in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.  Therefore, all of us who are His children, have been given the very righteousness of Jesus Christ in order that we will stand before God perfect rather than sinful!

1 Peter 2:24 – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus took upon Himself our sin while hanging on the cross.  He was not a criminal, but He hung on the cross in our place – as a substitute for criminals.  While we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2), Jesus Christ died for us that we would live through His righteousness.  It was by His suffering on the cross that we were healed spiritually.

Therefore, as we prepare to attend our Good Friday service tonight with other Baptist churches in our local Association, we should remember the enormous death that Jesus died for our sake!  It was through His finished work that we were saved, and will remain saved for all of eternity!

When I survey the wondrous cross,  On which the Prince of glory died,  My richest gain I count but loss,  And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast,  Save in the death of Christ my God;  All the vain things that charm me most,  I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,  Sorrow and love flow mingled down;  Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,  Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,  That were a present far too small;  Love so amazing, so divine,  Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Praise Him!

Pastor Josh Buice

The Scripture on Homosexuality

The Scripture is very clear about homosexuality.  It is a sin against God – and one that attacks the family, the society, and the plan of God in procreation.  Take a look at the following verses of Scripture:

Leviticus 18:22 – Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination

Leviticus 20:13 – If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Romans 1:26-27 – For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

God created male and female as His plan from the beginning.  Therefore, any attempt to pervert that original plan is a sin against God and will be judged by God one day in eternity.  For now, it is a lifestyle that is under His present judgment and is not blessed by Him.  Disease, divorce, and disgust from the conservative society is a constant problem for those in the homosexual community.  But, how should the church respond to those who are open or even closet homosexuals?

The Responsibility of the Church

Christ gave His followers a commission before ascending back to the Father after His death, burial, and resurrection.  That commission is found in Matthew 28:18-20.  Another place where we see the commission is located in Acts 1:8.  In both of these sections of Scripture, we do not see anything about reaching the world and leaving the homosexuals to their own lust and sinful lifestyle.  In fact, we go to the poor, rich, those in jail, murderers, thieves, child molesters, and adulterers, but we often ignore the homosexual community.  As the church continues to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the homosexual community – we will continue to fail in our mission to reach the world with the gospel.  Homosexuals are real people with a real need.  It is our duty to shower love and turn them toward Christ.  They are included in the Great Commission.

Below are some basic thoughts that come to mind regarding our need to be more missional in our efforts toward the homosexual community:

1.  We should treat the homosexual that lives next door like the lost truck driver who brings a different woman home with him each weekend.

2.  We should be active in reaching out to them with the gospel of Grace as we would be toward anyone else in our community.

3.  We should fill our church library and resource center up with materials, tracts, books, and website articles that deal with the subject of homosexuality from a biblical perspective.

4.  We should pray for those we know who are involved in the homosexual lifestyle by name.

5.  We should be honest with homosexuals about their lifestyle and about what the Bible says about their choice of sin.  However, that involves both an honest assessment of Scripture regarding judgment upon the homosexuals, but also a clear message of hope, love, and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  Our message should never be lopsided toward hell fire without also showing them the love and mercy of God that comes through Jesus Christ.

6.  We should encourage training for those who target and reach out to the homosexual community.  The church should offer some type of crash course on this subject in order to be most effective in these efforts.

7.  We should offer a support group within the church for those who have been saved out of the homosexual lifestyle.  This would be of great benefit to those who have struggled with that lifestyle in the past and provide encouragement, Bible study, and accountability regarding this struggle.

In the end, we should not treat homosexuals as if they are somehow unable to receive the mercy and love of God in the same way that we have received it in our lives.  We should be active in our efforts to love these people to Christ without compromising what the Word of God says.  If the church fails to recognize the importance of reaching homosexuals across town, how can we organize efforts for African mission work without blushing?  The truth of the matter is that missions is often messy, complicated, and requires time, energy, and commitment.  If we love the lost – we must likewise love homosexuals and share the hope of Christ with them in our daily lives.

In all we do for missions – we should do it for God’s glory!

Pastor Josh Buice

The purpose of the conference will be to encourage and edify men as the spiritual leaders of their home and the local church.  This event will be a wonderful time of fellowship, worship, and sharpening of fellow men – for the glory of God!

Details:

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Speaker – Evangelist Scott Smith

Date – Feb. 27

Times – 8am – 11:30am

Cost – $10 – covers breakfast and supplies for the conference

Registration Deadline – Feb. 25

How to Register – Call 931-668-9495 / Send check to Cornerstone Baptist Church in your name for the Men’s Conference or stop by and pay at the church office with cash if you prefer.

NOTE:  If anyone is unable to pay the $10, we will cover that individual as a church.  Please call the church office and request a free entry if you are unable to pay the entry fee.  We desire all men to be able to attend the conference without any financial burdens.

Special Offering – We will also be taking up a special offering for the Haiti relief fund within the Southern Baptist Convention.  As men, we desire to lead our families and churches to reach out to Haiti during this horrific time of need.  We not only desire to send supplies, but most importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ!

God Bless – and I look forward to worshiping with you on Feb. 27!

Pastor Josh Buice

If we expect to grow in Grace and develop a hunger for righteousness, we need to do so through the Word of God.  If we desire to become more holy (1 Peter 1:16) and Christlike, we must do so through the Word of God (Psalm 119:11).  During this upcoming year of 2010, we are going to attempt to read the entire Bible together as a body of believers. The reading plan that we have set forth is a manageable plan that will require approximately 4 chapters of reading each day.  While some may read at a faster rate than others, the time required to read 4 chapters of God’s Word is not too much and will bring about a wonderful spiritual harvest.

Below is a Bible reading plan attached to this post that you can download, print, and follow along with us as a church.  Therefore, each day as we have our devotional time in the Word of God, we will know that others are doing the same thing across the entire church body.  As we do this together, we will read and meditate upon the same text of Scripture each day.  Therefore, we should be growing together as we read and learn Holy Scripture at the same time.

DIRECTIONS:

Download and read along with us all throughout 2010.

Download: Click Here

1.  Print and check off your Bible reading each day of the year.

2.  This plan is manageable and will allow you to read the Bible in one year.

3.  This plan will allow the members of CBC to read the Bible together in 2010.

Set your goals high and be determined to read the entire Bible in 2010!

Pastor Josh Buice

It has been a pleasure to worship with you all week during revival!  I look forward to our last night of this revival meeting, and I pray that it has been used to spark a genuine revival in your personal lives.  It certainly has done so in my own life.

This coming Sunday morning we will begin a new series titled, “Jesus is the Light of the World.”  The first message will present the truth contained in John 12:1-11.  The title of the message will be, “Reflecting the Light of Christ.”  I encourage you to read those verses prior to assembling to worship on Sunday morning and we will look forward to what God does in our hearts as we seek Him, bow down to Him, and praise Him together as a church family.

May God bless you!  See you tonight at 7pm as we continue our revival meeting.

Pastor Josh Buice