Winter Update: Miracles, Moving, Meetings, and OFF WE GO!
Fall Blessings!
Since announcing God’s calling to evangelism in August, God has done so, so much. I want to say a big “thank you” to all of you who have prayed for us and for the encouraging words. These last few months have been filled with praying, planning, preparing, pastoring and preaching. Well, would you look at that – alliterated! And last but not least, God has been providing. He has given grace for every step.
First, I want to thank God for my lovely, sweet wife, Chelsey. She has been busy preparing for our eventual move by pairing down our worldly goods and selling off everything one by one. When we move to Indiana we’ll be living in a small mission house and probably renting a small storage unit for the few items we want to hang on to. After thirteen years in a large, roomy parsonage, that’s quite the undertaking. On top of that, she’s been busy homeschooling our children and dealing with all the disruption of traveling to and from meetings. She’s a treasure!
Here at Woodridge Baptist, things are moving forward well. It has not been easy for us to face the fact that our time here will be quickly gone. We love our Woodridge family! The pulpit committee has been working faithfully, and I’m excited to say, our first pastoral candidate will be here in December. Please pray for God’s will to be clearly known, and that the church would move forward in unity and faith. When I knew God was moving me out in to evangelism, my prayer was that God would quickly bring the right man to follow me, and that there would be no period in which the church was without a pastor. It seems God is answering that prayer! I continue to pastor the church during this transition, and have only taken a few meetings this fall. God is strengthening and growing this congregation in a wonderful way. I’m so thankful for the way everyone has responded and followed the leading of the Lord, and for their love and support for our family. We are overflowing with God’s blessings through these folks who are so dear to our hearts.
We travelled to a couple churches in October. We had the joy of preaching a whole Sunday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Valparaiso, Indiana on the 3rd. What a wonderful day it was. God blessed the preaching and we enjoyed getting to know these dear folks. This is the church we will be joining when we leave Woodridge. They showed us so much love and support and made us feel at home.
On October 24th, I preached at my brother Jonathan’s church, Ann Arbor Baptist Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was their missions month, so I preached two messages on the topic of personal evangelism. I believe God blessed His Word, and I know they all were a blessing to our family.
The first week of November, I had the privilege of preaching a 4-day Bible Conference at Bible Baptist Church of Hilton Head Island. My father, Scott Barber, has been the pastor there for 17 years, and it was such a blessing to see folks come out to each service with joyful, hungry hearts. God blessed the preaching and we had a sweet time knowing God’s working in hearts. We also enjoyed precious time with Granddady and Grandmommy!
I’ve joked that when I run out of dads and brothers I’ll be in big trouble! But seriously, God has continued to encourage us by bringing in meetings. Several pastors have contacted me about scheduling for 2022, as well as 2023. We praise God for each one. I’ve tried not to think about it too much, knowing that God is able to direct our steps and fill our calendar. It is my prayer that we will be on the road fulltime in the coming year. Will you pray with us that God will fill up 2022? I am prepared to work part-time as necessary to fill in gaps in our schedule, but I’m trusting God to keep us on the road in the coming year. He is able!
The need in hearts and churches has never been greater. Our desire is to bring the truth to needy hearts and see God do wonders. God blesses the preached Word. Pray that God would enable us and bless our ministry. We know the power is not in us. It’s God or it’s nothing. But praise God, He’s with us!
Thanks so much for reading this update and for your prayers and interest in our ministry!
In His Service,
Matthew & Chelsey Barber
Melody, Matt Jr, Timmy, Evelynn & Andrew
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Launching Out By Faith!
Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Luke 5:4-6
On Sunday, August 22, I announced to my church that God has called me into full-time evangelism. It has been an honor to serve as the pastor of Woodridge Baptist Church in Illinois these past 13 years. I have agreed to continue here until March to provide stability for the church as we seek God for the next man.
I have known that God has given me the gift of the evangelist since God called me to preach. Yet, God directed me to accept the position of pastor at Woodridge, for which I am so thankful.
When I began, the church was small and hurting after a difficult season, but God was faithful to bless and strengthen us year by year. Now, by God’s grace, the church is financially sound (debt free!), on a good footing spiritually and actively reaching the community with the gospel. Souls have been saved and added to the church, and Christians are maturing spiritually. To God be the glory!
In 2019 God began stirring me with a burden for the churches of America—churches like Woodridge. Churches need to be strengthened, believers need to be set free from bondage to sin, pastors need to be encouraged, and lost souls desperately need the Gospel. It’s harvest time! God has granted great peace to my wife Chelsey and me that now is the time to launch out by faith.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers for my family and for Woodridge. For the next few months I have agreed to oversee the church during this time of transition, and prepare for full-time evangelism. Pray that God would quickly bring the right man here to Woodridge.
Over the next few months I can take the occasional meeting as God leads, but I am looking to schedule 2022 right away.
I look forward to preaching revival and evangelistic meetings as God leads. I also have a burden for seminars and conferences on important themes, such as:
- “Heavenly Homes” (marriage and family seminar I have conducted here at Woodridge over the years)
- “Hope for the Addicted” (for those struggling with besetting sin, and those who minister to the addicted)
- “Discerning Godly Music” (practical sessions designed to establish biblical principles that the average Christian can readily understand and apply)
- “Law, License and Liberty” (a biblical harmony of grace and law in the Christian life, pointing out extremes & pitfalls and finding biblical balance in Christ through the Spirit-filled life)
- “Financial Freedom” (biblical principles of faith-based giving and money management)
- Children’s Worker and Teacher Training
- Soul-winning training
Click here to contact us!
Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions about our ministry or if you are interested in scheduling a meeting or to just meet for coffee and chat.
We look forward to ministering in churches as a family. We sing, my wife plays piano and violin, and I play the trombone. My wife and children are looking forward to offering exciting children’s meetings. We’ve found this to be a real key to seeing families attend all week long.
Our prayer is that God would make us effective ministers for His glory.
In His service,
Matthew Barber
“[Christ] we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.”
Colossians 1:28-29
Mastering Our Moods
PART 1: David’s Method
Feeling Moody Lately?
Do you ever have one of those days where you’re just in a mood? A mood is a hard thing to pin down. Sometimes you know why you’re in a mood, sometimes you don’t. You just have it. What is a mood? A mood is not purely emotional, although it involves emotion. A mood is also mental—it has to do with your thought patterns. Maybe you’re looking backward, inward or forward. Our minds often think irrationally. A mood is emotional and mental, but also it is physical. We may feel down simply because we didn’t get a good night’s sleep or we’re hungry. Have you ever felt a bit edgy when your stomach was empty, or you were exhausted after a long, hard day? All three components—mental, emotional, and physical—mix together to create what we calla mood or an attitude.
Does God’s Word have anything to say about moods? Yes, it certainly does. In the Bible, the word that indicates a mood or an attitude is the word, “spirit.” Of course, spirit can often refer to spiritual beings, such as the Spirit of God, angelic beings, or an individual’s invisible spirit, but often the context makes clear that the word is referencing the idea of an attitude or mood. This kind of “spirit,” while not necessarily spiritual in nature, is certainly an opportunity for spiritual darkness and deception to take hold of an individual. The Bible is full of references to both good and bad attitudes: a haughty spirit, cheerful spirit, angry spirit, joyful spirit, broken spirit—just to name a few. Thankfully, God gives us instruction about how to master our moods. You do not have to be a slave to your mood!
David certainly knew the darkness and power of negative moods. The psalms record his experiences, but also his method of gaining divine power over his moods. A good example of this is Psalm 42. I would encourage you to stop and turn to this passage right now and read it. You’ll find that David never actually uses the word “spirit,” and yet the whole psalm is David’s prayer—David’s method—of dealing with inner darkness and despair.
Why do I feel this way?
We see David grappling with his feelings. He is up and down in this psalm. He starts out expressing a longing for God. He feels parched. He thirsts for God. David’s mind went back to the days when he could freely go to the place of worship with his friends. Most likely this was written while David was in exile, running from King Saul (1 Samuel 18-31). He missed the house of God.
David was lonely. Loneliness is a mood: a sense of being forgotten, a sense of abandonment. In verse 5, he asks himself this question: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul.” We often ask ourselves that, too. “Why am I feeling this way? Where did this mood come from? Why can’t I shake it? Will these storm clouds ever part? Is there something wrong with me?”
The word, “disquieted” means the sound of war—loud, chaotic noise that upsets and disturbs our inner calm. Our minds and souls are often filled with the clamor of crazy thoughts, feelings, and imaginations—noise that only we can hear. What can be done? How can we silence this noise and restore peace and quiet in our hearts?
Hope in God.
David gives the answer: “Hope thou in God. For I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Hope, in the Bible, doesn’t mean to cross your fingers and wish for the best. Hope means a joyful, confident expectation. It’s choosing to believe that something good is coming because Someone good is in control. It’s turning your gaze to an object outside of you and bigger than you, and declaring to yourself and anyone present that God is in control, God is good, and God will bring you through! Everything changes, but God never will. You can choose to anchor your mind on the unchanging rock of God’s Word.
This is the first step in mastering your moods. Hope in God. When you’re in a dark place emotionally, mentally or physically, it feels hopeless. But when you choose to turn to God, you have hope. The clouds will begin to part as you declare your faith in Him. This leads to the second step:
Praise God on Purpose.
David continues: “I shall yet praise Him.” Do you ever do things that you don’t feel like doing? Maybe you get up early because you don’t want to be late to work, or you do the laundry because somebody has to do it. You don’t feel like it, yet you do it anyway. David understood that he would probably not feel like praising God. He had determined that He would do it anyway. It was the only way out of a dark place. You can’t wait for the feeling. Sometimes we feel like praising theLord, but in the dark times we must praise Him on purpose.
Praise turns the light on. Have you ever walked into a dark room or dark basement and felt around for the string hanging from a light bulb? You can’t even see your hand but you know the string is there. You move forward cautiously waving your outstretched arms hoping to brush against the dangling cord. There! You found it! With a simple pull the light bulb clicks on and the darkness is gone. Praise is the act of faith that makes God’s truth and God’s presence real in our hearts. He is truth and light. Praise allows His light to shine in our hearts. Praise is a focus on our God.
This leads us to the third step in mastering our moods:
Take Comfort in God’s Presence.
David continues: “For I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” God’s countenance is simply His face. It’s the idea of God’s nearness, and it implies God’s attitude of favor toward His children. We don’t get to see God’s face literally, but when we hope in God and praise God His face comes into focus. We remember what His Word declares, and the Holy Spirit makes His presence real to us. This is not necessarily an “experience.” It’s not something rooted in our feelings. It’s also more than a head-knowledge. The help of God’s countenance is received by faith. God ministers His comforting presence in a real way that is beyond human understanding—the “peace which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Many Christians feel as though God is distant and disapproving. They ask for His presence, when all along they could have rested in His presence. God is not far away! He indwells His children and has promised never to depart.
Many Christians feel as though God is distant and disapproving. They ask for His presence, when all along they could have rested in His presence.
“Yes,” you say, “God may be with me but I don’t think He likes me very much.” This idea of an austere, disapproving God does much to darken the heart and send us into the most destructive paths. Many believers understand theologically that God loves them, but practically they don’t feel it.
Perhaps they try to win His favor through fervent service, or confession of sin, or by cultivating a heart of surrender, but always God’s presence is something to be desired—something outside of them—something to be sought after—something to be earned. I find it interesting that David did not ask for God’s presence. Instead, He declared it as a comforting reality. He knew God was with him, that God’s face was toward him, and he took comfort in God’s favor.
We haven’t mentioned the word yet, but we’ve been talking about it. The word is GRACE. Grace is God’s unmerited (undeserved, unearned) favor toward us. It was this favor that sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die for our sins and be raised again for our salvation. Have you trusted in Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior? If not, do so now. It’s the only way to make peace with God and receive the promise of eternal life!
It is God’s continued favor that sent His Holy Spirit to indwell each one who trusts in His Son. If you’ve asked Christ to save you and been born again by faith in Christ, you’ve been washed of your sin by His blood. God now looks upon you with the same favor that He has toward His Son, Jesus. His favorable presence is not only with you, but it is in you. You need not ask or beg or plead. You don’t have to strike a deal with God or woo Him to your side. He simply wants us to hope in Him, praise Him, and rest in Him. He isn’t going anywhere, and He hasn’t changed His mind about you. As Christians, nothing we’ve done or that has been done to us “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Hope in God, and praise Him for the help of His countenance and you’ll see your mood begin to change.
Painting by Numbers
Painting by numbers can be fun! It requires mostly patience and attention to detail. If you follow the steps, matching the paint to the numbers on the page, you can produce a beautiful painting. However, doing so does not make you an artist. You’ve only proved you can follow instructions! A true artist–a master–doesn’t need to follow step-by-step instructions. He’s not bound to those elementary guidelines. All he needs is some paint, a few brushes and a blank canvas. He sees everything in his mind and skillfully, creatively lays it down.
This illustrates the difference between law and grace in the Christian life. Some Christians go through life using the paint-by-number method. Yet the law is much more demanding. Our best attempts fall short. Even if we were able to obey every command (which we cannot), that would not make us truly righteous! Rather, it would merely demonstrate our ability to obey instructions. Christ is so much more than that. He is the Master! He is the very essence of righteousness, virtue and wisdom. We have the Master dwelling in us! He will guide us, not by the letter, but by His Spirit. Christ doesn’t simply enable us to be better law-keepers!
Christ fulfilled the law once and for all. He has moved us on from paint-by-numbers. We are no longer “under the law” (Romans 6:14). Every Christian is out from under the law’s jurisdiction because “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4).
The spiritual Christian, therefore, is no longer ruled by laws and commands; instead he is guided by wisdom. If we yield to the Holy Spirit, He will cause us to glean wisdom and instruction from the law–and from every page of Scripture–informing our conscience and heightening our ability to discern God’s will. We see the virtues, principles, and wisdom of God revealed in every command–even if the command itself no longer has jurisdiction over us as Christians. We see God’s heart revealed and we embrace His virtues from a heart of devotion and love. Laws expressing God’s moral virtues are fulfilled in us as we love God and love others (Matthew 22:36-40). Just as a master artist produces artwork far superior to a paint-by-number painting, the indwelling Christ guides our hearts through the “law of love” and causes us to far exceed the righteousness which the law prescribed.
We will make mistakes as we’re growing in grace. Yet, amazingly, the Master artist is able to incorporate these errors into His masterpiece. He declares us righteous while guiding us in the paths of righteousness. We would make a mess of it all, but GRACE makes all the difference! What a beautiful picture.
