Author: River Westlake Baptist Church

Pastor’s Notes – October 27, 2023

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

Halloween is Occult, It Should Be Avoided.

“Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.”
 – Psalm 141:4 –

 

No Christian should be involved in Halloween in any way.  Halloween is not innocent, it is demonic.  Halloween is a celebration of the occult.

A lot of people try and dress up Halloween in Christianity.  That is compromising with evil.  There is no such thing as Christian occultism, just like there is no such thing as Christian heroin.

Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan said: “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year.  Welcome to Halloween.”

Don’t fall into this trap.  Just stay away from evil as much as you can.  Do things that would please Jesus, not the things that please Satan.

 

 

 

 

Pastor’s Notes – November 19, 2022

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

Westlake Gospel Campaign

 

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
– Acts 1:8 –

Over the last few months River Westlake Baptist Church has been conducting a city-wide evangelism program through the mail.  We have now successfully gotten the life changing, life saving Gospel of Jesus Christ into the households of every address in Westlake.  Praise God.

Join us in praying for the city of Westlake; that a revival of Biblical doctrine would govern this city, and that a revival of salvation would sweep through its streets and homes.

Acts 4:4 – “Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.”

 

Pastor’s Notes – July 25th, 2022

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A Traditional Church Service.

 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
– Romans 1:16 –

 

At River Westlake Baptist Church, we offer a traditional church service very much like you would have experienced at the beginning of the 1900s.  The surroundings are authentic to that time period, but more importantly, we open the Bible and exhort directly out of it, which used to be the norm in churches. 

Unfortunately, there is confusion these days about preaching.  Opening the Bible and exhorting directly out of it is now considered “hard preaching.”  Exhorting out of the Bible is not “hard preaching,” it is “Biblical preaching.”

We are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  On the contrary, we want to share the full counsel of God with as many people as we can.  Please join us soon, it’s very important.

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

 

 

 

Pastor’s Notes – March 23rd, 2022

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

 

Ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
– Romans 1:16 –

 

Ecumenicism is sweeping through churches today and is rendering them impotent.  If churches won’t stand for God’s truth, who is going to?

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Today unfortunately many churches and their people ARE ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  There are many people and churches that profess to believe the Word of God, but think that they must improve on the Gospel to make it more palatable to people.  They think that God couldn’t possibly have meant that we should actually tell people to avoid sin, to hold fast to the doctrines of God, and that the Word of God is the only standard of truth.  They don’t believe these things.

There are lots of churches that think they know better than God, so they will “improve” the clear teachings of the Word of God and make it more agreeable to people.  They think that they know what will “resonate” with people better than God does.  May God have mercy on them.

Churches that are ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are not actually churches, they are just meeting halls and social clubs.  This is why Christianity is so weak right now; because the Word of God is being compromised, and because people think that the Word of God needs to be improved, and they know just how to improve it… make it more agreeable to everybody.

God knows who is a true believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and who has a feigned faith.

Revelation 14:12 – “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

 

Pastor’s Notes – October 24th, 2021

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

Our First Baptisms:

 

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
– Acts 22:16 –

On September 14, 2021, River Westlake Baptist Church had our first baptisms.  We had five church members get baptized after giving their individual salvation testimonies, and a brief sermon on the beach about the meaning of Biblical baptism.

We went over the fact that baptism does not save anyone from their sins, rather it serves as an illustration of their death to their old sinful self as they go down into the water and are “buried,” and then they are raised up again illustrating their new life as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, linking themselves to Jesus death and resurrection.

We also discussed how infant baptism never occurred anywhere in the Bible, including when Jesus Himself was baptized.  Baptism is for believers, never for unbelievers, and baptism does not wash away sins.  

In Acts 22:16 “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

The action that saves us from our sins is calling on the name of the Lord in belief, for salvation, not being baptized.   

If baptism washed away sins, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross to forgive our sins, He could have just stayed in Heaven.

 

Pastor’s Notes – July 30th, 2021

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Spreading The Word

 

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”
– Acts 16:31 –

 

River Westlake Baptist Church is currently running some very short radio commercials on WTAM 1100AM for the next two months.  The reason we are doing this is to spread the word of God and achieve what WTAM tells us will be about 1.3 million “gross impressions.”  Praise God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 – “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Please don’t be one of the ones that thinks the word of God is foolishness, as you are on your way to an eternity without Jesus in Hell.  Be reconciled to God, saved from your sins by belief in who Jesus is and what He has done for you, and be on your way to Heaven.

Heaven is so holy that sin can not enter in there.  Your sins must be wiped clean and forgiven, which is done though your true, life changing belief in Jesus.  Not just a knowledge that Jesus existed, but a belief in who He is and what He has done for you.  Do you have that belief?

Salvation is that simple.  As our radio spot says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved…” – Acts 16:31.

If you have any questions about any of this, please don’t hesitate to call.  Your eternity hangs in the balance.  May God bless you.

 

 

 

 

Pastor’s Notes – July 16th, 2021

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Predestination:

 

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 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?”
– Romans 10:13-14 –

Calvinism/Reformed Theology is sweeping through churches these days, but it will not sweep through River Westlake Baptist Church, because we understand that Calvinism/Reformed Theology is “ANOTHER GOSPEL.”  God does NOT predestinate approximately 85% of humanity to hell fire with no chance of salvation from their sins.  That is a Satanic belief. 

One of the many Calvinist/Reformed problems is their misunderstanding of the concept of Predestination.

When Paul is speaking to the Ephesians about them being predestinated, nothing Paul is saying is wrong (of course).  The problem arises when Calvinist/Reformed people think that this predestination that Paul speaks of is only for the Ephesians.  Everything Paul spoke to the Ephesians is true, but it also applies not only to the saved Ephesians, but to everybody else also.

Ephesians 1:4-5: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

Those saved Ephesians WERE chosen and predestined “to be holy and without blame before him in love.”  And they WERE “predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,”  but so was everyone else that has ever lived.

Here is the problem:  Being predestined for something doesn’t mean that it is going to happen.  We are ALL predestined to be reconciled to God.  Every single person ever in history, and every single person living today, was predestined or chosen to be “IN HIM,” and “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”   But that doesn’t mean that we are going to be.  Most people will not “be holy and without blame before him in love.”  Why?  Not because they weren’t predestined, because they were, but because they do not BELIEVE who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  We get saved from our sins by our belief.

We were CREATED by God to be in fellowship with Him.  We were PREDESTINED by God to be in fellowship with Him.  But sin broke that fellowship with God, so now God commands us to be reconciled to Him, though Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

There is a massive misunderstanding about being PREDESTINATED.  Calvinists/Reformed people think the “Predestined” are only THEM; only certain people.  God has chosen and predestined us ALL “to be holy and without blame,” but that doesn’t mean that it is going to happen.  Just because something is “predestinated” doesn’t mean it is going to happen.  We either choose to believe on Jesus or we choose to reject Jesus,  We were all predestined to believe, but many, to their shame, choose not to believe.

 

 

Pastor’s Notes – April 3rd, 2021

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

 

Resurrection Sunday Service this Sunday at 11:00am.

 

“And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.”
– Matthew 28:7 –

 

Join us on Resurrection Sunday, April 4th, 2021 at 11:00am as we celebrate Jesus’ rising from the dead to give those who believe eternal life with Him in heaven.

 

 

 

Pastor’s Notes – December 30th, 2020

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

River Westlake Baptist Church is Supporting Our First Missionary.

 

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
– Acts 1:8 –

 

River Westlake Baptist Church is very happy to be taking on our first missionary for support.  Bob Mach is a missionary to the Ivory Coast of Africa. He has a dynamic presence in the country that includes training future Pastors, planting churches, running Bible Schools and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a difficult area of the world.

We are very pleased to start regular support of these missionary efforts. We continue to pray that whatever area we find ourselves in, whether it be Africa or Westlake, we would be a light to this lost world, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to whomever we encounter.

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Your Jerusalem is wherever you live.  Start there.  The people right outside your door in your neighborhood need to hear the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ just as much as the people of the Ivory Coast of Africa.  Bob Mach will handle his area in the Ivory Coast, and we need to handle our areas in Rocky River and Westlake.  That’s how you make a difference.

 

 

 

 

Pastor’s Notes – November 26th, 2020

Posted on by River Westlake Baptist Church

 

Thanksgiving Memories – As Printed in the Thanksgiving 2020 issue of West Life Newspaper

 

 

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
– 1 Thessalonians 5:18 –

 

By James Mileti, Pastor newly formed Westlake Rocky River
Baptist Church (River Westlake Baptist Church).

When I was in high school in California, one Thanksgiving my parents were out and I was on my own to find and have Thanksgiving dinner. I went to a fast food restaurant called Jack- in-the Box and ordered a burger and fries, to go. It was pouring rain, and when I got home I accidentally locked my keys in the car, so I couldn’t get in the house or back in the car. I ended up eating my Thanksgiving dinner, which was a Jack in the Box burger and fries, on the front porch of our house, by myself, in the pouring rain.

I was feeling sorry for myself.

When I was in high school I had no idea we are to give thanks to God in all our circumstances. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I should have thanked God for a warm meal, a car to go get it with and a warm home to come home to, among so many other blessings in my life at that time.

I found out later in life, after I became a born again believer in Jesus, that we are to give thanks to God always, and for everything. We can do that if we are truly thankful to God for his blessings in our lives, no matter how we sometimes may not see them.

Not everyone feels thankful during the holidays, and they can be tough times for
some people. You should understand that, as a believer, God is with you during the good and the bad times, and that you should be thankful for God’s great care and blessings in your life, no matter how hard those blessings may be to identify at the moment.