One of the defining moments in my life occurred at a restaurant table nearly thirty years ago. Across the table was a man who had been one of my childhood heroes. Years earlier, he had preached in our church and signed my Bible.

So, when he called me to tell me he would be in the area and would like to take me to lunch, I was thrilled. I could hardly wait to tell him what God was doing in our ministry and to ask him questions. I pictured a mentoring-type of conversation, and I was humbled that he wanted to make himself available to me.

To my great disappointment, he didn’t bring up spiritual topics at all. In fact, within a few minutes, I learned that he was out of the ministry and had actually taken me to lunch because he wanted to sell me life insurance! In those moments, I quietly resolved in my own heart to finish my life doing what God called me to do from the beginning.

I love the imagery the Apostle Paul gave as he told Timothy that he would soon be departing. With an unbroken record of faithful ministry behind him, he wrote, “I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6). As you read that, you can picture a ship preparing to pull out of the harbor—the time of departure has come.

That time will come for all of us. And when it comes for me, I want to have spent my life in such a way that I don’t have regrets. Like the apostle, I want to be able to say, “I am now ready.”

Of course, none of us know when our ship will leave the harbor. How can we live every day in such a way that we are ever-ready for that moment? (more…)

Spiritual Leadership Conference has already held so many blessings. My heart has been stirred through the preaching, sharpened through the fellowship, and touched through the testimonies of others. But the watershed moment for me happened yesterday afternoon when I stepped into the room where our annual West Coast Baptist College alumni luncheon was served. (Many of our alumni attend the conference, and this luncheon is a great way for them to get together each year.)

One of the decisions requiring the most faith that our church ever made was to start West Coast Baptist College. From its beginning, the college surpassed all of our resources in every way—time, money, facilities—everything! To this day, overseeing and caring for the college is a daily walk of faith.

Not only that, but it’s a lot of work! Over the years, God has brought together a team of staff and faculty who tirelessly give of themselves to this work of training laborers for His harvest. Of course, even as we pour our lives and our hearts into our students, we do it with gratefulness to have a part in their future labors.

But yesterday afternoon, when I stepped into the room where the alumni had gathered for lunch, I was overwhelmed by what I saw—hundreds of men and women who are literally serving the Lord all around the world as pastors, missionaries, assistants, Christian school teachers—faithful servants of God. Seeing so many at the same time astounded me as I realized the magnitude of what God has done through these years of faith and labor. (more…)

“The world is in great need for good men—godly men!” (from Dr. Eldon Martens’ book The Steps of a Good Man)

Dr. Eldon Martens was one of those good men—a man of great integrity. Last night, the Lord directed his final step Homeward. After preaching the evening service for a revival meeting in Fresno, California, he suffered a major heart attack and went home to be with the Lord.

When I think of Dr. Martens, three words come to mind—faithful, fundamental, and friend.

He was faithful.

For over forty years, Dr. Martens served the Lord in full-time ministry, pastoring for many of those years. In his early days of ministry, he served with men such as Jack Van Impe and Dr. Wally Beebe.

Dr. Martens pastored Central Baptist Church in Clovis, California, and he founded the Fundamental Baptist Church in Escondido, California. He pastored these churches for fourteen years each, leading both of them in great spiritual and numeric growth.

In 1992, Dr. Martens stepped out of the pastorate after completely losing his voice from Spastic Dysphonia. During this difficult time, he faithfully served the Lord and never stopped trusting Him. Churches around the nation were thrilled when God restored his voice, even after medical experts said it was impossible.

In 1997, Dr. Martens began a Men’s Conference called the “Master’s Men.” This ministry has touched the lives of hundreds of men and has strengthened and encouraged scores of pastors and local independent Baptist churches.

He was fundamental.

Dr. Martens’ ministry was marked by a commitment to fundamentalism, including a willingness to practice ecclesiastical separation and, when necessary, to refrain from those who employed or endorsed false doctrine.

And yet, he practiced all of that with a gracious spirit and a genuine walk of godliness.

He was a friend.

Dr. Martens has been a friend to hundreds of pastors, encouraging and loving them. He was a faithful friend to me for more than a quarter of a century, and I will miss him deeply.

For the past few years, Dr. Martens and his wife, Martha, have been members of Lancaster Baptist Church and have traveled representing West Coast Baptist College. Dr. Martens’ preaching and wise counsel has been an encouragement to many pastors and young church planters as he has traveled.

Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” Dr. Martens walked with the Lord for many decades, allowing the Lord to order his steps. I can only imagine his delight when the Lord ordered his final step—into His very presence.

A memorial service will be conducted at 9:00 a.m. on Friday in the auditorium of Lancaster Baptist Church. Please be in prayer for Mrs. Martha Martens and their children and grandchildren.

One hundred seventy years ago this month David Livingstone sailed for the continent of Africa. As I read the biography of Livingston this summer, I was struck by the appropriateness of the book’s subtitle: One who followed Christ. As a missionary-explorer, Livingstone’s life was spent carrying the Gospel into the deep interior of the dark continent of Africa.

Livingstone preached the Gospel in hundreds of African villages, and he saw some fruit from his labor. He couldn’t have known, however, of the fruit that would come in the generations to follow. The missionaries on African soil today are there largely because of the sacrifices Livingstone made to follow Christ through unknown paths, staggering on through fever, loneliness, and even abandonment. (more…)

A good relationship with a wise mentor is like having personal access to a goldmine. It’s an opportunity anyone would be foolish to not take advantage of! Proverbs 1:5 reminds us, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.” (See also Proverbs 11:14; 12:15; 15:22; 19:20; 20:5; and 27:9.)

But just as a goldmine must be discovered, wise mentors must usually be sought out. They don’t hold a sign reading, “I am a wise mentor!” (And if they do, they likely aren’t!)

So, what do you look for in a mentor? How do you discern between truly golden wisdom and fool’s gold? The Lord has blessed me with wise and godly mentors over the years. The following characteristics are descriptive of each of their lives and are what you can look for in a mentor: (more…)