Rejoicing in the Goodness of God

Sunday Afternoon

I am praising the Lord for a great service this morning. The church was full; the spirit was good; and I felt extraordinary liberty to preach the Word of God. Many people came to the altar and one man received Christ as his Saviour. We are looking forward to a great service tonight. We have four people scheduled to be baptized at the close of the service. I am starting a new series tonight entitled, “Why I Am A Baptist”. Sometimes when I reflect on what God had done and is doing, I am overwhelmed by his goodness in using someone like me in His ministry. Praise the Lord for His mercy and his grace!

Todays Reading – 1 Kings 1 – 3

This morning I preached from 1 Kings 3 about the wisdom of Solomon; but I would also like to express just another thought from chapter 1 of 1 Kings. As you read the passage, notice how Adonijah, Abiathar the priest, Joab, and many others ignore the will of God and the wishes of the king (David) when they take it upon themselves to annoint Adonijah as the king. It never ceases to amaze me how God’s people will resort to worldly and carnal means to get their way.

Christian, you and I only have to look to God in order to accomplish His will. Anything that is done in the flesh will surely come to nought. Let’s find out what God has for our lives: whether it be a prominent, public position; or a spot behind the scenes where nobody but God sees us. Oh that we would see that God is the only one that we have to impress with our lives.

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Phil Erickson

Pastor Phil Erickson has been the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church since January of 2002. Having grown up in Ocean County, Pastor Phil has always had a burden for the south Jersey area. After graduating from Bible College in Longview, Texas, he and his family moved to Galloway Township with the vision of digging in and serving the Lord and the people of Atlantic County. Pastor Phil and Cindy Erickson have been married since 1985. They have four children and ten grandchildren. Their oldest son, Phil Jr. and his wife Katelyn are serving the Lord in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Their oldest daughter, Melissa, is married to Wesley Clayton who is in the Air Force and is currently stationed in New Mexico. Samantha, their third child, is married to Justin Mears and they are both serving the Lord at the church in Galloway. Hannah, the youngest, is married to Lucas McCollum, and they are also serving here in Galloway. In preparation for ministry, the Lord led him through a variety of educational experiences that have equipped him to serve the Lord and His people. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgian Court University, a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Pastoral Theology from Texas Independent Baptist Seminary (formerly Texas Baptist College), a Master of Religious Education in Bible from West Coast Baptist College, and a Master of Biblical Studies from The Crown College. More recently, he completed a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Counseling and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Veritas Baptist College. He is thankful for these opportunities to study God’s Word more deeply, and counts it a privilege to use whatever knowledge the Lord has given him for the building up of His church. In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given Phil the wonderful privilege of teaching as an adjunct professor at Vision Baptist College in Berlin, NJ and Veritas Baptist College.