The Ohio Independent Baptist, January 1961

~Ja_n_ua_~_,_1_9_6_I______________________ T_HE __~O~H=I~O--=IN:..:..=D=EPENDENT BAPTIST Page Eleven One of the best ways to help us as we start along this road of being "set apart for God" is to have daily devotions, set– ting apart a certain time each day for our Lord. I'm sure by singing and praying to– gether here this morning we have already gained a blessing. So al so can 'We gain blessing from family devotions, but I ~d like to think about a quiet time with our Lord. I think God wants us to read His Word and then use our minds co interpret what we read so to help us along our daily paths. What better time could we find for seeking God's counsel than in the morning when our minds are fresh and when we can use it to help us along, throughout the whole day ahead of us? If you were to search the Seriptures, you would find that Jacob arose early to have devotions with God. Daniel daily sought counsel with his Lord . J ob, the most plagued of men, sought God early in the morning. In Mark 1:35 we read of our Lord Jest 1 s, "And in the morning rising up a great while before day He went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed:' Other places in the Scriptures we read about our Lord going away from the people for a brief period of devotion with His Heavenly Father. He loved the peo– ple and yet He felt the need of a quiet time alone. Today lee us real ize our need for a 'quiet time' when we are alone with God. Let us be willing to devote these few minutes a day. His all has been devoted to us. Let us come to God in devotion wi ll– ingly, not considering it a duty; being humble, not boastful and makin~ rash promises like Peter once did; willing to give our all, however great or small, like the widow who gave her last mite; work– ing as the early Christians did. I cannot help thinking of the political campaigns going on right now. How de– voted each man is to his ideals, willing to travel across the country to present them to the people. Our country was bt 1 ilt by men who put aside themselves, wholly given up to the principles of democracy. Early Christians likewise willingly endured per– secutions, even death, rather than com– promise their devotion to God . Today we are not asked to give up our lives , only our time, something no one seems to have enough of these days. Besides daily devotion, I think we should also be willing to give of ou rselves in do– ing some of the services needed in ou r church. Some can teach a Sunday School class and devote themselves to helping in the teaching of our children . Others can devote their voices in song to God. Ochers can hold church and missionary society offices; and let me say here, although you may not think yourself qualified to do some of these things, give what you have to God. He will tell you what to do and ~ay. Surely all of us can attend our church services, and all of us can PRAY. In a time when our world Jays so un– settled around us, let us rededicate our lives to give, not for this morning only, but permanently, our time- even ourselves co our Lord . - Notes taken by Carolyn Kemmerer. ' ' 1 <)d sav s us fro111 ottrsel v s l)e ·a t1s.. 1 I e ,va 11 t . us f·or IIi1l1 - snlf. ' ' ( ,.; . 1 . ] a1·tJ .. 1 t ) ' ' 'J'}1~ less n1 11 tJ1i11l{, 1l1e 1r1or 11 )y tc111<. ' ' WM. J. ABSALOM NEW AKRON PASTOR The Emmanuel Baptist Church of Akron called Rev. Wm. J. Absalom as their pastor early last ovember a11d the work l1as already shown a 40%in– crease. The church ,began to recover unde1· the nearly two year pastorate of Rev. Don Lewis , who led it back into our state and national associa– tions. ow, with the coming of Brotl1er Absalom we b11st that the church will be able to go forward at a much faster pace and finish its auditorium or fiI1d a new location, whichever will soon be decided upon. For the last two years the Absalom fan1ily have been me1nl)ers of tl1e Brown t. Baptist l1t1rch of Akron . They l1ave fottr children , nvo boys and two girls. Ile vlrites of his life as follows: "My folks were in show business when I was bo1n in Rome, Georgia, but I was raised in Pennsylvania un– til at 17 I came to Ohio. I was con– verted in 1945 at the Have11 of Rest Resct1e lissio11 in Akron. Within three ,veeks I enrolled at the Bible Baptist Semi11ary of Fort Worth, Texas. I received my Th.B. degree from Pioneer Theological emina.ry of Rockford, Ill. "We fou11c1ed a1 d pastored the First Bapti t Cht1rch of Ashland, Ohio, for nearly seven year . ,vhile pastor– i11g i11 Ashland we also founded the Lorai11 Baptist Taber11acle. It is no"v called th Lorai11 Baptist Temple. vVe also condt1ctecl a raclio broadcast for ten years and pt1blished a small , four page monthly paper. We left Ashla11d becat1se of our healtl1. We spent two years i11 Texas until our re– cove1y. We reh1med north and were ordained at tl1e Bro\vn St. Baptist chw·ch. " ,ve hope soon to make our personal acquai11tance "vith Brother Absalom and to hear from time to time 11evvs of the progress of his ,vork. • and 2 1·2 ACRE CAMPUS We take possession September 1st. It offers new oppor– tunitie& to Bapti$t Bible Seminary students. The purchase p rice of $125,000 is needed promptly. Write fur Brocliure 011. tltis property. end de~ig,iated gift• to Baptist Bibi S mi ,ia.ry Jol,nson City, N. Y.