May 23, 2021
Last Sunday, May 16, Mountain Valley Baptist Church, a ministry planted by Pastor Don Whitecar and his family in Pocatello only three years ago, dedicated their new building at 202 S. 7th Avenue to the Great Commission. Supporters of the ministry traveled from both sides of the United States for the occasion, and members of the Pocatello/Chubbuck community helped fill the church to capacity for the service, which was followed by a lunch celebration.
Pastor Whitecar’s building dedication sermon began with a reading of Matthew 28:18-20, known as “The Great Commission,” the last instruction provided to His disciples by Jesus Christ before He ascended into heaven. The passage reads, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (KJV)
Pastor Whitecar’s message outlined the importance of this instruction, and what it means for mankind:
This last message delivered by Christ to his disciples was very significant. Of all the instructions Christ could have left, this was what He chose, direction to preach the Gospel.
The Gospel means “Good News.” It is the message, summarized in what may be the most famous passage in the Bible, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV)
The Gospel is a personal message, to every individual. As Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (KJV). With mere religion, people are left with trying to earn God’s favor. Yet, they must always wonder, “Am I good enough?” This passage from the Bible teaches that the answer, as “all have sinned, and come short,” is no, we can never be good enough to merit favor with God.
What, then, are we to do? The answer, the “Good News,” is that we can turn to Christ. Romans 10:9-10 reads, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (KJV)
God is perfectly righteous and just. Our disobedience to Him, our sin, separates us eternally from Him. God, from the beginning, recognized that we cannot save ourselves. That is why He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins. By turning from whatever else we might be trusting in; our works, our good deeds, our religion, and placing our faith in Christ alone, the Bible tells us we will be saved. This is the Good News, the subject of the Great Commission.
As Pastor Whitecar stated during an interview with Local News 8 after the service, “My wife and I really care for the people of our church, and we love them very much, and for all of the people that God gives us and God loves them.”
Following the message on Sunday, Pastor Whitecar invited any who had not yet received Christ as their savior to come forward so that someone from the church could take them aside and explain the Gospel message. Pastor Whitecar extends that same invitation to all in the community.
To learn more about Mountain Valley Baptist Church, or to get help in understanding God’s message of salvation, contact Pastor Whitecar at (208) 840-9876, by email at pastor@mountainvalleybaptist.org, or visit them on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. for Sunday School and 11:00 a.m. for the Sunday morning service. You can also visit their website: HOME | MVBC (mountainvalleybaptist.org)
