Posts by Matt Recker
Why a Local Church Bible Institute?
The desire of Heritage Baptist Church is to win souls to Christ and train those disciples to live for Him. Since September 1996, our church has provided a ministry we call the Heritage Discipleship Institute (HDI) to provide an opportunity for believers in our local church to fulfill this goal. Our HDI has been a…
Read MoreHalf a Millennium of Believers Baptism
Less than two years from today will bring us to an incredible 500-year anniversary that should be remembered by God’s people: January 21, 1525, was the day that saw many brave Anabaptists receive baptism as believers. Among those baptized at that time were Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, and George Blaurock. “The newly baptized then pledged…
Read MoreEnduring to the End: Five Keys
Jesus said, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved (Matt.10:22). One of the keys to enduring to the end is found in the root word of “endure” (hupomeno) which is to “abide” (meno). We must have an abiding relationship with…
Read MoreWhy We Don’t Observe Lent
[Ed. Note: Currently, according to liturgical calendars, we are in the season of Lent. We sent out a request for comment to our writer’s pool on this subject. Two of them responded. This is the second of two. You may find our first, “What About Ash Wednesday?” here.] While Lent is a ritual observed by…
Read MoreGod’s Power to Transform
This article first appeared on the website of Gospel Fellowship Association Missions, here. We republish it here with permission. The Gospel’s transforming power in the hearts of individual people will always be one of the great joys of the ministry. Helen Stevens and Stephanie Marnoch demonstrated this miraculous transforming power when they were saved to…
Read MoreNew York City 2022 FBFI Regional Fellowship
The FBFI NYC Regional Fellowship met on September 13th at Bethel Baptist Fellowship in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. About thirty men in full time ministry attended along with their wives, children and faithful servants in our churches. Overall, more than 60 attended the meeting as Heritage Baptist Church and Bethel Baptist Fellowship co-hosted the event. We…
Read MoreThree Keys to Self-Control from Proverbs
In a world out of control, we need self-control! In consideration of this subject, let’s first look at two key texts to guide our thinking regarding self-control. Proverbs 16:32; He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. The one who…
Read MoreAnger Management (from Proverbs)
If a parent constantly criticizes you, a co-worker gossips about you, a spouse commits adultery against you, an employee steals from you, or a friend hurts you by their actions or words, it is difficult to manage the anger, bitterness, and desire for revenge that you may feel. Anger can take over your life and…
Read MoreHealing the Wounded Spirit (2)
Prov.15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. This headline exploded on my computer screen as I sat down to write this blog: “New York City school kids are losing their minds over the zonked-out drug addicts and raving vagrants they encounter every day –…
Read MoreHealing the Wounded Spirit (1)
Proverbs 18:14: The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? The pandemic we lived through has triggered an explosion of crushed spirits and broken hearts. Loneliness, exhaustion, abuse, fear of infection, grief over loved ones lost, and financial concerns are some of the key stress factors. All…
Read More