Twin Falls – Page 5 – PaulThompsonBlog

Things Every Student Needs to Know

Posted on August 19, 2017Leave a comment

An open invitation to every student preparing to arrive at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Dear Students,

Welcome to Twin Falls, Idaho.

I hope you find this city and the College of Southern Idaho a pleasant place for the unknown number of months/years you’ll be here. But more than that I hope you will find a local community of faithful followers of Christ as defined by the Bible.

My name is Paul Thompson. I’m a pastor at Eastside Baptist Church located at 204 Eastland Drive North in Twin Falls. I shepherd a peculiar people of God. Not weird peculiar, not strange peculiar, not disconnected peculiar, more like refreshing peculiar. You’ll need to come see for yourself.

There are many things that are attempting to capture your attention in these first days on campus. In reality, what you give yourself to early in these formative days of your life is what you will invest in the longest

I invite you to join me this coming Lord’s Day.

When you arrive at Eastside Baptist Church you will discover that there is a Sunday morning bible study class that begins at 9:15 a.m. When you arrive, you will not find a segregated class for every age, you will find several classes made up of people in all stages of life. They will have their bibles with them and they will be reading that bible and examining their lives against this trustworthy standard. Feel free to join right in.

When you arrive at Eastside Baptist Church you will discover that our corporate worship gathering at 10:30 a.m. is filled with people of all ages. No one has an assigned seat so don’t worry about sitting in the wrong place. (I’m confident the front rows will be empty if you are an adventurous kind.) In our worship gatherings we sing, read Scripture, pray, preach, proclaim the Lord’s death (Lord’s Supper), respond to God, and fellowship regularly.

You’ll also hear that we have another opportunity on the Lord’s Day to gather in the evening at 6:30 p.m. This is a unique moment for us. Few churches in our day gather in the evenings anymore. This is a time for further examination against the plumb line of God’s words and to stir one another on to obey Christ in all things. This is of greatest interest to me in regards to my invitation to you. This Lord’s Day evening, August 20, 2017 at 6:30 p.m., I will address several challenges to you concerning this powerful season of your life.

You will also hear word of a regular time each week for corporate prayer. This isn’t a mid-week activity. It is a sweet time of seeking the face of God together in a time of prayer. This may be the most foreign duty of the modern church, but it is expected and commanded in God’s word that we pray together.

Come be the church with us.

This Lord’s Day evening, August 20, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. I will address several challenges to you concerning this powerful season of your life. I hope you will consider joining me this weekend.

Love God more than you love the college experience. (Matthew 22:37-38)
Love others. Devote yourself to helping others.
Saturate yourself in Scripture.
You need friends who love to listen to Jesus!
Christ centered community is essential. And I don’t mean a community of peers. I mean a multi-generational community that is lead by biblically qualified shepherds. And I don’t just mean Sunday morning.
Stop looking for your “soul” mate and be on the lookout for a “sole” mate.
College is a time that reveals your heart. Your heart wants what it wants. Have you instructed your heart to want God? Guard your heart from craving what is disruptive from obeying God.
Be done with the “American Dream”, have a heaven driven dream.
Examine all things with the lamp of Scripture on!

Welcome to Eastside Baptist Church

Paul Thompson

Sufficiency of Scripture

Posted on July 7, 2017Leave a comment

Today, a video project I’m involved with on repentance was released today entitled “The Winds of Philosophy and Methodology”. Visit this link daily for reflections on repentance.

The Winds of Philosophy and Methodology from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Tomorrow, July 8, 2017 the Times News will publish my column on the Sufficiency of Scripture in print and online. Look for it in the Religion section of the Twin Falls Times News.
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What You Believe about the Bible Will Determine What You Know about the God of the Bible

The 500 year anniversary of the great protestant reformation is around the corner. The Reformation really isn’t about one event on October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther posted his infamous 95 Theses on the doors of the Wittenberg Chapel doors.

Really it is much bigger than this.

I will devote my next five columns to exploring five convictions of many Christians that emerged during those significant days in church history that are still important today. They are commonly known as the five solas.

First, is Sola Scripture (Latin for Scripture alone).

For clarity, it is critical that you understand when the reformers were speaking about Scripture they were talking about the 66 books that make up the Holy Bible. They did not, nor do I, include the Koran or any other books as Scripture. Today the reformers not , nor do I, include the Book of Mormon or the Pearl of Great price as Scripture either.

The position was that Scripture is the only trustworthy source for Christians to know their God, define their faith, and govern their churches. This doesn’t mean that others can’t speak truth but rather that everything else we learn about God should be interpreted with the lamp of Scripture.

The argument is still valid. We believe that these 66 books of the Holy Bible came from God and the Bible’s authority is from God alone. Every original word of the 66 books of the Bible is solely inspired by God’s Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit also helps us to understand the Bible and obey God. Here we learn of the Holiness of God and the depravity of man and our great need for salvation. The kindness of God is that he not only shows us these truths, He also calls us unto repentance of our sins and turn to Him.

Many will want to make the invalid argument that we can’t trust that the Holy Bible is a trustworthy account of God. But one would have to discount the mountain of historic evidence that supports that what we have today known as the bible has been sufficiently preserved. We have ancient texts from various places and eras of time that confirm this reliability.

This can be a topic for another day, but for now, give yourself to study this Bible to know God. Commit yourself to the hearing of biblical preaching and teaching and the public reading of Scripture.

Think like the early reformers when they said; “No authority, whether of antiquity, or custom, or numbers, or human wisdom, or judgments, or proclamations, or edicts, or decrees, or councils, or visions, or miracles, should be opposed to these Holy Scriptures, but on the contrary, all things should be examined, regulated and reformed according to them.” (1559 French Confession)

To say Scripture is sufficient is both helpful and risky.

To say, “the Bible does not simply contain the words of God, it is the word of God,” helps the searcher of truth to know he is reading a reliable source of who God is and what He demands from men.

Further, the Bible is not a primary source of who God is it is the only reliable source anyone can trust. It is to say, “put all other books aside and read the bible to know God.”

You see the risk here, not everyone likes this. Many people are offended when someone makes claims like this about the bible. What does this say about other “holy books”?

It is a blessing from God that there are faithful pastors and churches in the region who believe this about the Bible.

This Lord’s Day find one of these churches in the Magic Valley and gather with them.

Trustworthy News

Posted on May 17, 2017Leave a comment

In a day when everyone wants to say other news outlets are “fake news”, can there be anything such as trustworthy news?

News reporters who report to a base will willingly say things that are not true to insight a people to say and do things for them.

If you forgot about this, then be reminded. If you didn’t know this, learn it quickly. Recently, Alex Jones and InfoWars.com have retracted inflammatory remarks it once reported as factually true after a lawsuit was filed.

When you listen to anyone talk about anything it’s always best to begin looking for primary sources they are using. If they’re not using sources, ask for them to verify. If they have a pattern of not using credible sources, stop trusting them and stop sharing their stories.

This is a good reminder for all of us.

Some guidelines for listening ears…

Listen for truth.
Don’t be satisfied with opinion primarily.
Read as many primary sources as possible.
Don’t share everything you read as fact.
Read and listen to media with awareness of what and who you are listening too.
Interesting media reports are more driven by opinion than truth.
Just know what’s influencing you. Don’t play the part of the fool by the manipulating media.
Attend local government meetings.
Ask good questions and listen for logically true answers before you formulate an opinion.

Why did it take a lawsuit to get truth from Alex Jones? Can Alex Jones and InfoWars.com be trusted as reliable news?

Can You Call a City a “Welcoming City” While Planned Parenthood Murders Unborn Babies

Posted on April 12, 2017Leave a comment

As long as Planned Parenthood is allowed to do business as usual within the region, no document declaring Twin Falls a “Welcoming City” can be taken seriously. It is a flaw in logic to say we welcome all while at the same time being silent about abortion.

Planned Parenthood is not an official function of the city and neither is the refugee center. My appeal to the city in the “Welcoming City” resolution process is to not consider the actions of one without the other. The city has no jurisdiction over either unless there is direct violation, need for an event permit on public property, or any other matter that requires official city action.

I’m not interested in distracting the city council from their duty. As far as I’m concerned the city officials are best when they are doing their duty. A “Welcoming City” resolution is not their duty. If they pick this matter up as a duty, then I want fairness to all within the city, not just one or select segments of the population to be considered.

While the city works through the drafting of a resolution to declare the city of Twin Falls a “Welcoming City”, please consider writing the Mayor, City Council, and city staff reasonable letters to not present or accept any resolution until the ongoing abortion of babies in the wombs within our city limits is answered. Appeal to them as a reasonable person with compassion.

To declare the city a “Welcoming City” while babies are aborted all year long in silence is a contradiction in responsible logic. The city will likely adopt some kind of a “welcoming city” resolution; shouldn’t it have something to say about the most vulnerable in the city?

The timeline is unknown as to when the city council will act on such a resolution, but when it does, we must be prepared to give a reasonable rebuttal rather than an emotionally charged vent or confused response. Whatever is said in public or private must also be done with respect to authority and honor to our God.

Zach Hunter Preaching at Eastside Baptist Church

Posted on February 26, 2017Leave a comment

Tonight at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time, Zach Hunter, pastor at Jackpot Baptist Church in Jackpot, NV will we preaching in our series through the book of Ephesians. Don’t miss out on this. May it be a blessing to you that you would gather with us in person tonight at 204 Eastland Drive North in Twin Falls.

If unable to gather with us in person join us via streaming here. Be sure to sign our guestbook that you are watching online HERE. Thank you.

Disaster Relief Emergency Shelter

Posted on February 10, 2017Leave a comment

Eastside Baptist Church has just been established as a disaster relief emergency shelter for anyone displaced due to ongoing regional flooding in Southern Idaho. If you are aware of anyone needing this kind of assistance please send them to 204 Eastland Drive North in Twin Falls, Idaho. The shelter is open 24 hours a day and will be available at least through the weekend and longer, as needed, as flood waters are displacing people from their homes.

Share this information throughout the magic valley.

Everything Is Wrong If We Don’t Get This Right

Posted on February 1, 2017Leave a comment

Published in the Twin Falls Times News on Saturday, February 4, 2017

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There is little argument that the most familiar name in all of history is a man named Jesus.

What is at stake however, is who this Jesus is.

The Muslims have a Jesus, the Mormons have a Jesus, the atheists have a Jesus, Jehovah Witnesses have a Jesus, Universalists have a Jesus, and evangelicals have a Jesus. It may not be popular to talk about it, but all of these (and more) have at the core, a different Jesus.

What do you do when there is not enough space in the column to show how different all beliefs are? You look at one source and compare all others to that Jesus. I will do this by looking at the Jesus of the Bible.

Consider a few claims made in the bible…

Jesus is the third person of the one triune God (John 14:16, 24)
Jesus is the one and only begotten son of God. (John 1:14)
Jesus is the creator of all things. (John 1:3)
Jesus is the image of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15)
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Jesus. (John 14:6)
Jesus is the redeemer of repenting sinners. (Matthew 1:21)
Jesus is uncreated. (John 1:3)
Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:11)

If we get this wrong: that Jesus is eternal, uncreated, creator, redeemer, the image of the invisible God, and more claims made in the Bible, we get everything wrong. Everything!

Don’t just take my word for it. Look at the Bible and compare this Jesus with the Muslim Jesus, the Mormon Jesus, and a secular Jesus.

Honest and truthful conversation today is what is most needed. It helps us unearth truth. It is more helpful to acknowledge that there may be some things that appear to have similar emotions and thoughts, but faiths built on feelings rather than truth is the most dangerous action one could ever take. It is a clear truth: we don’t have the same Jesus.

The same Jesus cannot be the Jesus of Bible and at the same time truthfully be the same Jesus of all the others.

Don’t get this wrong. If truth is being pursued, then search with all of your being for truth.

Come, let us speak and listen honestly.

From Behind the Pulpit (FBP-007)

Posted on January 19, 2017Leave a comment

Prayer for the Next Generation

Posted on January 2, 2017Leave a comment

In the Lord’s way and in the Lord’s timing, He has blessed and is blessing Eastside Baptist Church with a generation of Children.

Never in the history of Eastside Baptist Church has there been a season quite like this one.

Five years ago Eastside asked God Almighty to forgive her of trusting in the methodologies of men and began a renewed path to trust in the Lord by trusting the sufficiency of Scripture as our primary instruction for training our children; meaning we stopped all age graded segregation of our children, we stopped providing ongoing systematic separation of children from parents when families gathered together on the Lord’s Day.

It felt strange at first, many were confused about what we were doing (and still are), some thought we don’t care about children and youth.

Today, God has has given us more children than we’ve ever had and more children than we could ever build facility for if we still segregated the children.

I want to share with you a short moment in yesterday’s (1/1/2017) gathering. We committed and recommitted ourselves to the duty God has given us, the church, and the family.

Here is a short clip from that gathering yesterday when we committed ourselves unto the Lord in our duty to obey Him.

Today, Eastside Baptist is committed to the Lord to obey him with respect to every child given to her duty both here and abroad. Locally, thirty-eight children belong to families of Eastside Baptist and forty-five children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Over eighty children under direct order of God to teach and instruct.

We can do it our way or God’s way. We are slaves of God, so we choose to do it God’s way regardless of the outcome.

May God help us to obey Him.

A Post Christmas Note and Blessing to My Family

Posted on December 26, 2016Leave a comment

The Christmas weekend was filled with great moments.

As always, there’s something about snow fall on Christmas. Even though it is statistically low to actually have a ‘white Christmas’ we have enjoyed two in a row here in Twin Falls. I had multiple times to gather with my biological family and my church family. All of those times were treasured times.

Christmas Eve at Eastside:

In those rare years that Christmas actually lands on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) it is even more special for me to gather with my church family on Christmas day.

(The sound did not record properly on the Lord’s Day so there is no archived recording of this gathering)

Snowy conditions made travel to the church house difficult, but I’m not known for cancelling a regularly scheduled Sunday morning or Wednesday night prayer gathering (this may have made me unpopular with my children from time to time when they were younger). There are legitimate times to cancel a gathering and I’ll leave that door open for that possibility, but I’ll reserve it for the kind of day that will be memorable. (My practice of not cancelling is not an indictment against churches that do.)

I’m of the opinion that if I was out of milk on this same day and had a box of cereal in the cupboard, would I go to the grocery store for more milk? I don’t even have to really think about this, the answer is nearly automatically, ‘yes, of course I would go get milk.” Is not God more important than milk? Of course he is. So why would I let a lesser thing cause me to put my life at risk but hope my church cancels a worship gathering? This kind of thinking may have some legitimate flaws in thinking, but It is what I would do if I were out of milk.

So, yesterday, after a weekend of sleet, snow, freezing rain and the more fresh snow, followed by howling wind most of the night I gathered at 204 Eastland Drive North with a band of believers for our regularly scheduled Sunday morning worship service. (no audio recording available.)

Then my grown children and their lovely wives gathered at our home, along with my mom who now lives in Twin Falls. During this time we read Scripture together, shared gifts with each other, ate lunch together and played a game of Monopoly. During this time I like to always give a verbal and written blessing to my family. The verbal is more general and applies to all of our households. The written is personal.

I’ll share with you the verbal (which is also written but I do speak it out loud). As the patriarch of my family now, more than ever I must be an honest blesser of my household.

I first drafted this in 2014 and have tweaked it with a few additional lines over the past three years.

The Thompson Home: (originally drafted in 2014)
May our homes be homes where the will of the Lord is sought after with feverish hunger.
May our homes be homes where the bible is read, heard, loved and taught.
May our homes be homes where the glory of God and his favor rests in our neighborhoods.
May our homes be homes where mercy falls and warriors rise for war.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May our homes be homes where husbands are faithful, true and strong.
May our homes be homes free from slavery of the flesh
May our homes be homes that are filled with songs of the redeemed.
May our homes be homes where the shout of joy is heard among the saints.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May our homes be homes where wives provide sanctuary and rest.
May our homes be homes where the Lord is not only called Lord, but is also a welcomed Lord.
May our homes be homes that glow bright with the Lamp of Scripture.
May our homes be homes where strangers meet Christ.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May our homes be homes with the sound of children.
May our homes be homes where the beauty of Christ is upon display with child-like faith.
May our homes be homes where the warmth is felt from the fire of God that comes from the family alter each day.
May our homes be homes where godly men and women are raised and homes where missionaries are sent.
May God give us these kinds of homes…
May the grace of God be tasted by all who reside and enter these homes.
May the songs of our faith be the soundtrack of our homes.
May the sound of the Gospel never be missed with the words spoken in our homes.
May the mercy of God be the motivation of all activity in our homes.
Oh, might God give us these kinds of homes….

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