Confessing Baptist Blog

It's Been Real

2009-02-28T01:56:00.004-06:00

Friends,

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that the Confessing Baptist Blog and the Confessing Baptist Website are closing up shop. I’ve never been the kind of person that likes to do things half-heartedly- I’m typically an all or nothing type of guy. Yet, various life situations and increasingly more important concerns have lead me to give less attention to these aspects of ministry. Frankly, I have little interest in anything I can’t pour myself into- I feel it becomes a waste of my time and belittles the time of others- neither of which do anything for Christ's glory.

To be more specific, an opportunity regarding the website has arisen for me to contemplate the future. I originally started the website to be a base of operation to promote my book. I’ve come to find out that there’s just not that much interest in confessional theology. And really, while the days we are living in necessitate a more robust confessional involvement from the people of the church, I can’t blame anyone for seeking out other interests that may help to promote their spiritual well-being. I also don’t blame anyone for not plopping down dollars on a no-name writer.

A part of that same line of thinking has lead me to conclude the blog as well. When I originally started the blog I wanted it to be a place of discussion for confessional Baptist matters. I drifted from that mission and began to see that my blog was much like other Baptist blogs- rants and raves about all matter of things with no truly edifying matters to walk away with. I shifted from that point to discussing practical ministry and, well, let’s face it, practical ministry matters just aren’t juicy enough to keep floating in the blogosphere.

Nevertheless, I have enjoyed the blog and especially interacting with others on the blog. I have been edified and strengthened through the discussion and I hope others have through me.

I will be posting two other blog entries after this one that I had previously written and I will be interacting with them if anybody desires it. But after that the shop will be closed, so to speak.

Thanks for reading and may the richest blessings of our Lord be with you and yours.

In Him,
TJ

Signs We Are Loosing Our Baptist Identity

2009-02-28T01:55:00.001-06:00

Friends,

Readers of the Confessing Baptist Blog have probably realized that I have intentionally tried to turn this blog into a resource for practical ministry above all else. Nevertheless, there are times when commentary on contemporary matters is necessary. I believe one such time has come.
I recently began receiving emails titled "Stimulus Package an Attack on Faith" or something like it. Then, Richard Land, guru of all things ethical in the convention weighed in on it from Baptist Press. Then I read a blog over at Founders that blasts Malcolm Yarnell for believing that saved people will and should want to follow Christ faithfully in believer’s baptism.

An attack on faith? Really? Yarnell wrong for holding to believer’s baptism? What’s up?

Regarding the proposed and now passed package, many conservative Christians have been in an uproar over a provision of that package regarding the upgrading of school facilities. In short, the package does not allow funds to be distributed to schools whose primary focus is on religion or facilities in schools where religious assemblies are held. This practically means that seminaries or other "Christian" schools cannot receive funds and that chapels and so forth on secular campuses cannot receive funds. This is what these folks are calling an attack on faith.

Friends, what this really reveals is just how far Baptists have gone in loosing our identity. I even received a snickering jeer from one Baptist pastor while discussing this matter after I told him, "no, we do believe in separation of church and state!" Baptists believe, or at least use to believe, more strongly than anyone else that church and state should be separate. We had been there and done that when church and state was one. One doesn’t have to witness too many Baptists beat, drowned and imprisoned before you start to realize this isn’t a good thing and Christ never desired it all along. We don’t take funds from them and they don’t take it from us. They don’t do anything to encourage or deny particular religions and we don’t do anything to make church and state one. This is a classic- even hallmark- Baptist belief. If our chapel needs an upgrade, we’ll do it. If the prayer rooms needs new paint, we’ll handle it. We gladly count ourselves on our own and, in what may be the last vestige of it in this society, we don’t want a government hand-out for it.

Regardless of the merits of the proposal one way or the other, at the end of the day we can be thankful that government is staying out of religious practice. Richard Land writes in the Baptist press that he sees a danger coming that could even bar students from reading and praying in their dorm rooms. What he fails to see is that those who do such things are probably ready to deal with the supposed "persecution." It’s the rest who are left worrying and squabbling about it.
Then to the matter over at Founders. At heart, I really believe the issue lays between Calvinists wanting to fellowship with other Calvinists regardless of belief in baptism. Some, seemingly such as Ascol, elevate Calvinism as a primary matter over baptism while others, such as Yarnell, find baptism to be no tertiary belief.

To be very clear, I personally believe a man can be saved and not undergo Scriptural baptism. In the sense of, "is this man a brother," I can fellowship with him. But, I can’t allow my conscience to receive such error as a part of fellowship in my church- for I am directly responsible for that. So, we all draw lines and at heart, proper baptism is a significant issue to fellowship- even a greater one than Calvinism. I could be wrong about the whole issue, but one can’t deny that the following scenario has serious implications. Imagine a man comes to church. He is a believer. He was baptized as an infant through sprinkling. Most Southern Baptist churches would require him to be baptized. In other words Baptists believe baptism is an incredibly important part of following Christ- even to the point that we received the name Baptists (shocking, I know). Yet, if that same man came into an otherwise Calvinist leaning Baptist church but he wasn’t a Calvinist and he had been baptized in another Baptist church- he would be received.
I guess at heart the issue is, "which is a greater "test" of fellowship- Calvinism or authentic Baptism." Baptists have long held which side they are going to fall on with this one.

Worry not, however, the ACLJ is on the stimulus case and the endless debate over the roll of Calvinism in fellowship will have no end. This blog will, however.

Let’s remain distinctly Baptist either way.

Blessings,
TJ

A Position Paper on Elders

2009-02-28T01:36:00.002-06:00

Friends,

In a previous article of the Confessing Baptist Blog, I raised the possibility to Pastor Ben Hottel about doing a point/counterpoint debate on the issue of eldership in the church. We never actually got around to handling this issue in such a way, but I thought since this blog is about to
close up shop I would go ahead a post what I had prepared.

A Biblical Position for Single Pastor Models of Church Leadership

Introduction
God’s ordained means of leading His people is a matter our Lord does not take lightly. He has given us copious amounts of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments that intricately detail the required character and purposes of those who would lead the people of God. Being a matter of such great importance to our Lord, it should certainly become a matter of great importance to us. And truly, the leadership of the local church is of vast importance to every faithful member in the local church. From the various debates of female pastorates, to the issue of divorced pastors, right into the issue for our current debate, church leadership matters to the people of God.

It is at this point, however, that born-again, Bible believing people sometimes have a difference in idea on what the Bible teaches about local church leadership. This presents us with a critical junction of consideration, for fewer things impact the people of God in the local church more than the view and practice of church leadership, structure and authority. In light of such mammoth responsibility, one must be assured their position on the matter is biblical.

I have decided that this will be the direct approach I will use to present my position on single pastor leadership in the local church. I have determined not to use any resource for this position save the Bible and a Greek grammar and lexicon. I make as my thesis the following:

The vision of the New Testament is for mature churches to have one elder in one church. While the New Testament does allow for multiple elders in single churches, the texts in which we find such leadership in the local church always pertains to a church in its infancy. Ultimately, the more mature the church grows the fewer elders it needs until it needs but one. This is the progressive revelation for the nature of local church leadership in the New Testament.

I believe it can be universally accepted that when the New Testament refers to bishops, elders, pastors, shepherds and so forth they are referring to the same office in different titles. I also believe it can be universally accepted that virtually all texts in the Old Testament have little bearing upon the issue at hand. Therefore, I will confine this paper to texts in the New Testament which speak directly about elders, as well as a few associated texts. I will begin with a brief overview of elders in the New Testament; then I will make a critical investigation of crucial texts. This will be followed by an attempt to synthesize the interpretation of the New Testament’s overview regarding elders as well as the crucial texts pertaining to them. Finally, I will make some concluding comments on various issues that result from the debate and my personal thesis.

I. A Brief Overview of Elders in the New Testament
In the Gospels
As one would expect, the gospels are silent on the issue of eldership be it plural or single. The reason for this is obvious as the intent of the gospels is to reveal the life of Jesus up to the formation of His church. All cases of the term "elder" being used in the gospels are in relation to the governance of the Jewish councils.

In the Historic Writing
The book of Acts is pregnant with passages pertaining to elders in the local church (Acts 14:23; 15:2-6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 22:5). The presence of multiple elders is most visible in Acts at the churches of Jerusalem, Ephesus and Antioch. It is safe to assume, in my opinion, that when elders are mentioned in Acts in connection to the church, they can be mentioned in the context of single churches. In other words, Acts presents itself with single churches have a multiplicity of elders.

In the Epistles
The mention of elders in the epistles is somewhat sparse, but this should not surprise us. The governance of the church was not a primary issue in many of the epistles where greater issues, such as the nature and work of Christ, was of preeminent concern. The few places that elders are mentioned will be reviewed in the next section that will handle critical texts pertaining to the issue.

In the Apocalypse
Elders are mentioned quite regularly in the book of Revelation, especially as the word refers to visions and images that John saw in Heaven. As such, most of the references to elders in the book of Revelation shed little light upon our discourse here. What does shed from the book of Revelation upon our discourse are the words of Christ to the churches of Asia Minor in chapters 1 through 3. I will consider these texts shortly.

II. A Critical Investigation of Elders in the New Testament

There are four primary texts in the New Testament that speak to the issue of eldership. The four texts come to us via four Apostles- Paul, James, Peter and John.

The Particular Vision of Paul in the Pastoral Epistles
I believe it can be said that Paul had a definite specific vision for church leadership that consisted of a single elder and multiple deacons in the church from his writings in the pastoral epistles. This vision is particularly transmitted in the texts of 1 Timothy 3:1-12 and Titus 1:5. I will examine these below in some depth.

Titus 1:5
The text of Titus 1:5 is one of the most highly contested passages regarding the plural-eldership viewpoint as well as the single elder viewpoint. Those promoting plural-eldeship seize upon the plural term elders while those promoting the single elder viewpoint reference the idea that every town had several churches and therefore Paul was directing Titus to appoint each church an elder. I will admit that both readings from both viewpoints are possible in this Scripture, but I believe only the single elder viewpoint is probable. I will diagram the text in its relevant portions to make my case. Examine:
The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders (masculine plural) in every town: someone (with emphasis on ti masculine singular meaning "who" with the context of "a man" or "a elder") who is blameless, the husband (masculine singular) of one wife, having faithful children not accused or wildness or rebellion. For an overseer (masculine singular) as God’s manager (masculine singular) must be blameless, not arrogant, not quick tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding the faithful message as taught so that he (passive deponent accusative masculine singular) will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

It is revealing that of the six times Paul references the person/people he desires Titus to appoint in Crete all but one of those references is masculine singular. This does give some credence to the idea that Crete held many churches and Paul wanted Titus to appoint an elder to each church. I believe it can be reasoned that if Paul’s intent was to establish a plural-elder ministry in all the churches of Crete that he could just have easily said the following. The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town: men who are blameless, the husbands of one wife, having faithful children not accused or wildness or rebellion. For overseers, as God’s managers must be blameless, not arrogant, not quick tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding the faithful message as taught so that they will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

1 Timothy 3
The passage of 1 Timothy 3 is particularly interesting to our discussion. In this chapter, Paul is informing Timothy of the primary character traits required of those who hold the offices of elders (overseers) and deacons. I will not list those qualifications or enter into an explanation of them as they are most readily apparent from a reading of the text. I do want to draw attention to one subtle, but very revealing aspect of Paul’s writing in this chapter.

Paul begins by telling Timothy this saying is trustworthy: "If anyone aspires to be an overseer (singular), he desires a noble work." An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife….

Then verses 8-13 about deacons. Deacons (masculine plural), likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And they (masculine plural, to have to hold, i.e. "they should/must") must also be tested first; if they (masculine plural) prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons (masculine plural, "serve" as in let the men serve or in context, let them serve).

The critical implication of Paul’s message in chapter three can be found in the undeniable truth that Paul envisioned a singular "elder" with multiple "deacons." If his vision were for multiple elders he could have easily identified them as such in verses 1-7 just as he did with deacons in verses 8-13.

I turn my attention now to the writings of the Apostles James.
James 5:14
The book of James is essentially a commentary on our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. The book can prudently be classified in the "wisdom" genre of the Bible and is, in fact, the only source of that genre in the New Testament. James is writing to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion (James 1:1), which is likely a reference to many Jewish believers amongst the old Roman world.
In chapter 5 and verse 14, while teaching on the ways in which Christians should handle both joy and trial, he says Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. We are faced once again here with difference of plural and singular terms. The singular can be found in the person needing the ministry of the elder/s. The plural can be found in James’ reference to the elders. The question is, "was James speaking to this event occurring in one church or amongst the many churches?" If he is speaking to single churches then he is supporting plural elders in that church. If he is speaking to many churches, then he is speaking to single elders in single churches.

Other considerations are required before coming to a definite position on this verse as it relates to eldership in the church. First, one must remember that the foci of James, especially in this chapter, is to meld wisdom to the pursuit of righteousness. Thus, above all, this is not a theological treatise- James desires his people to understand the power of God in effective prayer. Secondly, we have to consider the broad scope of the writing to many churches. And thirdly, we need to consider how such actions would practically work themselves out in the local church. Thus, when considering all the facets together, there is no reason to believe that James suddenly shifts his early emphasis of writing broadly to many believers in many places. He made no effort to so localize this Scripture that we would understand it apart from the entire epistle’s context, which is a writing given to many churches, not one. Nevertheless, by the fact that he made no effort one way or another, the possibility exists that he was speaking either to local churches with one elder or many churches who each had many elders. Ultimately, this Scripture sheds no light upon the issue at hand- which is nothing against the text itself as it makes no claim to do so.

I will now turn to elders as found in the Apostle Peter’s writing.
1 Peter 5:1-5
Peter utilizes the fifth chapter of his first epistle to speak directly to the elders of the church. He does so both to encourage and spur them on the manner in which they should lead their churches as well as to their proper motive and intent. He then encourages the people of the flock, particularly younger men, on how they should submit to their elders. The text reads as follows: Therefore, as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of the Messiah, and also a participant in the glory about to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you: shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for the money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility, because God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Peter identified in 1:1 that he, like James, is writing to the Jewish Christians in the Dispersion. Therefore, we know he is writing this to many congregations over a broad area. This impacts our view of his words, I exhort the elders among you, the you, in this case being the many churches. The ultimate question pertains to the elders among you (5:5). We are presented once again with the case of whether or not Peter had in view the younger men submitting to the many elders in one place, or if he was referring to the younger men in all the congregations submitting to their own elders. Keeping ourselves to the context and confines of Peter’s audience, the most reasonable interpretation is that Peter is still speaking to all the churches and all the elders and is offering a command for all the people to submit to their elders in each local church.

A Brief Analysis of Eldership in Other New Testament Texts
In the Apostle John
John mentions elders in several places of his writings. He has it in his 2 John 1, 3 John 1 and Revelation 4:4, 10; 5:5, 6, 8, 11, 14; 7:11, 13; 11:16; 14:3 and 19:4. All of the references to elders in Revelation point to visions John received of Heaven and do not pertain to the local church on earth. 2 John 1:1 and 3 John 1:1 do have reference to the church on Earth however. In these cases John identifies himself as the Elder (singular). This self-identifying term could have a couple of possible inferences. First, it could be that he is identifying himself as the sole elder of the church universal (unlikely). Secondly, it could be a reference by which all the churches in John’s sphere of influence and ministry identified him as being. This is more likely as it is possible that John was, in a sense "the Elder," from the point that he was the last elder living of the 12 Apostles. It also may play a part in his literal age, which was advanced at this time. In other words, I believe John’s designation in these passages are terms of affection as well as authority and have little bearing to our issue at hand. It does however, nullify the rampant belief by those who hold to plural eldership in the local church that the New Testament nowhere holds the term "elder" in the singular. This is strictly speaking, of course.

And while it is true that the book of Revelation does not link the word "elder" to the local church on Earth, the word "angel" (avgge,lw noun singular) is used of a person in each of the seven local churches addressed by Christ in verses 2:1, 2:8, 2:12, 2:18, 3:1, 3:7, 3:14. It seems most likely that this "angel" was indeed the elder in these local churches. For our purposes in the issue at hand, it is important to note that the Word of Christ was not to go to the "angels" of the local church, but the "angel." At this point it is probably wise to dismiss the notion that there were elders in the local church who didn’t teach and address the congregation. In no place of the New Testament is the office of elder addressed apart from the direct role of teaching the flock. Therefore, if the angels of the churches in Revelation were elders, there was only one of them who would receive and distribute this teaching.

The Author of Hebrews
The author of Hebrews says in 13:17, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. The issue confronts us yet again as to whether this is directed to the local church and its elders or all the churches and their respective elder. Since the real emphasis is upon the obedience/reward scenario of submitting to one’s pastor or pastors, the text offers little in the way to aid us in the issue at hand, except to say that one must take the hermeneutic leap of localizing this teaching to make it read in favor of multiple elders. The author himself leads not this way or another, yet it seems safer to assume he did not redirect his entire context in the epistle for this verse alone.

III. Arriving at a Synposis and Theology of Elders in the New Testament
It seems clear that a dichotomy exists in the New Testament from the place in which we first found elders to the development of elders in the churches at later periods. Primarily, we seem to find several elders in local churches in the book of Acts, but then we are given the distinct vision of Paul in which single churches have one elder and many deacons. In between there is some ambiguity in the rest of the epistles as to how the Apostles viewed elders in the church. The question we are ultimately confronted with is, "how are we to make sense of the New Testament in regard to eldership in the local church?"

A Possible and Probable Explanation
There are two presuppositions we must consider. The first is, "is the model of the church as given in Acts completely normative for every church in every age?" The second is, "does the New Testament progressively lay itself out in a way that directs us to the more full and mature model of eldership in the church?"

If the answer to the Acts model is "yes," then we must agree that multiple elders in single churches is the normative model. However, in order for us to accept the answer of "yes" we must discard the vision of eldership in the church from the Apostle Paul in his pastoral epistles. I am not willing to make such a leap, so this brings us to the second presupposition of the New Testament progressively expanding God’s revelation as to the vision of eldership in the church.
This, in my opinion, is not only a possible scenario- it is a probable one. The nature of biblical revelation itself is progressive; therefore we should be willing to accept that the nature of the church as viewed in the Bible can be the same. Thus, what we have in the New Testament is elder-filled local churches when the church is in its earliest infancy. Then, as time marches on we begin to see how a more mature church model exists wherein single elders are brought to single churches. Ultimately, the time will come upon the glorification of Christ’s church when the church will need no pastors.

This thesis brings in the full scope of the New Testament. It helps us to see why there were multiple elders in the churches of Acts and why the epistles speak vaguely in terms of possible single elders in single churches as well as multiple elders. And it helps to finalize our understanding of single elders in single churches according to the instruction of Paul in the pastoral epistles. In other words, the vision of New Testament is for mature churches to have one elder in one church. While it is true that some churches in the New Testament had multiple elders in single churches, again, these churches were in their infancy. As the Kingdom of God expanded and churches began to reach their full maturity, the need for multiple elders diminished on the basis of 1) the local church no longer needed them and 2) new churches did.

IV. Concluding Comments
If it is true that the New Testament vision for the local church is single pastor leadership, why do so many churches have multiple elders?

The history of the church, and even of Baptists, have contained many theologically solid churches practicing a plural form of eldership ministry. Some Baptist confessions even speak to the plurality of elders. Focusing on Baptist churches particularly, I would venture to say that those in our history who held to plural elder leadership were undoubtedly churches that had Calvinist or reformed theological leanings. In our modern day, Calvinism coupled with pragmatism seems to be the driving motives. This is not to say such churches are not Bible believing churches or that all Calvinistic churches are multiple elder churches. It is to say that oftentimes pastors and churches have trouble separating themselves from reformed salvation theology as well as reformed church theology.

Aren’t most Baptist churches pragmatically driven in their leadership structures? If so, why could a church not have multiple elders on the basis of pragmatism alone?

I will accept it that there are many roles in ministry that are not directed by the New Testament such as "Youth Minister," "Children’s Minister," "W.M.U. Director," etc. We all readily accept these positions as valid when the New Testament doesn’t authorize them, so why can we not have the same with elders?

There is a fundamental reason as to why. When Baptists utilize such positions as Youth Ministers, Children’s Ministers, etc., we are simply living the reality of the priesthood of the believer among us. These positions are simply figureheads for the gifting of Christ in His Church. We can pay them if we wish or we cannot pay them. We can elevate their authority in the church or give them no authority at all. You can strip the titles from those positions and yet the people can function in them just the same. The church can exist and is not defined by Youth Pastors, Children Ministers or W.M.U. directors. It cannot exist and is defined by its adherence to the two biblically ordained offices of pastors and deacons. These titles bear with them the authority of Christ to govern His own church. The New Testament gives very specific direction for who these people should be, how the church should follow them, how they should be remunerated for their work, etc.

This presents us with a dilemma that churches utilizing multiple elders must consider. Are all the elders called, viewed, minister and paid the same way? If not, these people should not be called elders, according to the New Testament. There is absolutely no such position in the New Testament for a "lay elder" or an "executive elder" or the "elder in charge of this, that and the other thing." It is a gross misrepresentation of the biblical office to handle multiple elders any other way. And this misrepresentation presents the opportunity for violating many of the things pertaining to the nature of the church.

Some Real Dangers Regarding Local Church Leadership
The are two twin dangers of multiple elders in the local church.
The first is that those proposing the plural eldership model can begin to believe that multiple elders are normative for the church, i.e. a church is not a church without them. This cannot be supported from Scripture.

The second danger is that since there is such a pragmatic drive for the reasoning of having multiple elders, it seems logical to assume that such pragmatism can bleed into the church. In the worst of cases, the members of the local church may not be able to guide the church, much less "rule" the church (and for the sake of clarity, Baptists do not believe in any form of "elder rule." We believe in congregational rule). Ultimately, problems can exist in church leadership regardless of the leadership style used. It is just as possible for a single elder to dictate and minister pragmatically as it is for multiple elders. However, particularly as it pertains to Baptist churches, this seems an especial temptation and practice in multiple elder ministries.

Blessings,

Don't Give Them Art Supplies, Draw Them Pictures Instead

2009-02-11T10:32:00.003-06:00

Friends,

It is my aim in this blog to discuss the topic of illustrations in sermons. I do so having always felt that some of the best knowledge we receive on any given topic comes from those who have so miserably failed in their endeavors and yet achieved some success. My physics teacher in high school explained to me the workings of a light bulb, but I have no doubt I would have learned more from Edison. The theory would be the same between both men, but only Edison can teach from the advantage of success by failure. If I were caught in the sin of adultery, I would seek counsel from David, not Moses. Therefore, as I write on the topic of sermon illustrations in this blog, I feel I can speak about it usefully. For the coarse grains of dry sand have more than once filled my mouth in preaching. It was once my practice, as it is practice with many conservative, Bible believing pastors, to believe they are being most true to the Word when they are delivering only the raw meat of God’s truth. It is my suggestion that the preacher’s task is not to deliver raw meat, raw facts, raw data to his congregation. Rather, I suggest it is the preacher’s task to draw his congregation the picture of God’s truth, to prepare the meat of God’s Word to be eaten. God in grace has sprinkled my lips and tongue with milk and honey to the point that while I still count myself as one in the wilderness regarding sermon illustrations, my mind knows there is a better land and to that land I strive. I suppose I am saying that from my failures I have some credit to speak on this topic. Nevertheless there is a gorge we need to bridge before continuing as it pertains to content and delivery.

Content and Delivery
I’m going to make a statement at this point and we will see where the chips fall. It is often said that content is more important than delivery, but I believe delivery is as important as content. To be sure, if the content isn’t biblically square, the delivery means nothing because the whole road of the sermon is crooked. But when the content is biblically square, delivery means everything, for the aim of God in preaching is missed, even if one has their land level and the materials ready, if the road itself isn’t ultimately laid.

To test my hypothesis in yourself I bid you to answer the questions "is it the preacher’s task to deliver a book report from the Bible or to be a herald of Christ’s gospel?" and "Is a preacher one and the same thing as a professor?" Is this preaching in worldly wisdom, the very thing Paul rebuked in his Corinthian epistles? No. Paul was rebuking using worldly wisdom for preachers to win listeners to themselves instead of Christ. This, to be sure, misses the mark. When illustrations are used in preaching for the sake of leading people to Christ according to His truth one is not relying on worldly wisdom but merely using the gifts God has given them while resting in the power of the gospel proclaimed. After all, our Lord Himself used illustrations so copiously that one cannot find a single sermon of his that was not ripe with illustrations.

There is, of course, the Edwards and MacArthur edict against sermon illustrations. Some say these men do not use illustrations and God uses their sermons in a powerful way. They will go on to say that Edwards read from a manuscript and spoke in a monotone voice. And, while not using a monotone voice, if one has ever seen MacArthur preach in his home church, he generally keeps his head down and reads the whole time. So, according to the thought, these men don’t use illustrations and God uses them powerfully in preaching, so why should we? You know, I really believe people who think such things of Edwards and MacArthur must have never heard them preach. For example, in MacArthur’s sermon of 2 Timothy 4:3-5 (which, of all texts we would expect him to not use "worldly illustrations"), if one counts his cross references, personal experiences, hypotheticals, comparatives and graphic descriptions he used over 200 illustrations in a single sermon! And to say the Edwards did not use them is simply preposterous. In fact, I believe Edwards is one of the single best illustrating preachers of all time. Take for example this snippet from his famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." "O sinner, you hang over the pit of Hell by a slender thread, like a spider over a burning fire; the flames of divine wrath thrashing about it ready to singe it at any moment and drop you in the pit." In this single sentence Edwards used 11 illustrations. Time and length fail us to consider the illustrations used by Spurgeon and Lee and other great preachers. In fact, I believe the case can be made that all the prophets and all the apostles used illustrations freely, regularly and with great power. It behooves us, then, to accept that illustrations are a vital component of sermon delivery. I would like to talk about a particular type of illustration that all of these great preachers used for the remainder of this blog.

Word Pictures
Illustrations come in various sizes and shapes. They can be historical, personal, scientific, etc. Virtually any story or fact that can be used to magnify the truth of Scripture can be used as an illustration, provided it is a story or fact within the realm of Christian civility and etiquette. There is a particular type of illustration that I believe is the king of all illustrations and that is the illustration of a word picture.

A word picture is nothing more and nothing less than the truth of God’s Word expressed graphically. It differs from historical illustrations or personal stories (both of which have their place) in the sense that while these two provide mental support for knowing God's truth, word pictures draw those truths for the mind's eye to see. We find these all over Scripture and the best way to define them is to simply list a few by contrast. For example, when James is teaching about the dangers of teaching and the dangers of words, he desires for his people to understand that one must be critically careful about what they say at all times and in all things. He teaches that our words convey our hearts and our words condemn us or justify us. In technical language he simply could have told his people: do not speak wrongly but with a right heart speak purely. Instead, his uses word pictures to drive this truth home. He says in James 3:3-6, Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, thought the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies; it pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. By these words James invites us to see things such as a horse's bit, a rudder, a fire, a world in such a way that amplifies his overarching message.

A scant review of God’s Word will reveal that the Bible is pregnant with word pictures (and, yes, this sentence is a word picture).

Using Word Pictures

So how does one come to use word pictures in their own preaching? I would suggest the following.

First, attempt to visualize the word pictures of the Bible in your own personal devotions and preaching. For example, when you read in Scripture that Christ is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, instead of having words like "propitiation," "atonement" and "justification" fill your thinking and preaching, quite literally imagine a Lamb, pure, spotless and innocent being delivered unto the priests. Envision the knife cutting it’s throat and consider the blood that pours forth. View in your mind’s eye the laying of hands of the Lamb by which one’s sin was placed upon the sacrifice. Do the same with the writings of the prophets, the parables of Christ and all of Scripture. By these efforts you can train yourself to see truth graphically and over time will be able to transfer those thoughts into your preaching. One of my favorite biblical word pictures is drawing for my audience a picture of the event when God made His covenant with Abraham.

Secondly, while using the Bible as your primary source of seeing and developing your own word pictures, read works from pastors who are well crafted in this trade. The Puritans knew how to use word pictures better than most. Spurgeon, Edwards, Lee and many others are also well versed in using them.

Thirdly, develop a habit of mentally recording events you see in the world and then, using your imagination, relate these matters in your sermon (and yes, preachers can and should use their imaginations in preaching- it is poor preacher who has no imagination or else refuses to use what they have). For example, nature itself is filled with events for word pictures in preaching (and Jesus used many of these). But, nearly everything can be used that we see around us. The key is to always use word pictures that are familiar to our people. A congregation in a rural setting will get agricultural word pictures easily whereas they might not get one about subways as easily. The converse is also true.

Fourthly, deliberately try to present the best word picture in preaching. This takes some labor and effort, especially at first, but will become more natural over time. Write or type out your first thought and then continually refine it until it makes the greatest impact.

Fifthly, be liberal with word pictures, but avoid overuse. There is no criteria to tell when this is or is not enough. Jesus often gave word pictures in sets of threes. This is not to say we should all use sets of threes, it is simply to say that word pictures should be copious enough to expose the truth from different angles, but not so much that it overburdens and confuses the listener.

Sixth, determine when a word picture is useful and when it is not. Let’s take the Scripture of Genesis 2:16 as an example. The text reads, And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die." A preacher could, prudently and astutely, teach the truth of this passage as a theologically treatise. He could, if he desired, spend the whole sermon developing a theology of sin and its consequence. Or, a preacher could seek a way to encapsulate all of that theology and teaching into one succinct statement or paragraph, allowing the rest of the time to draw His hearers to the glory of Christ crucified. The best way he could accomplish this latter goal and still fulfill the former comes via the use of word pictures. Let me give a brief example of how each style would look and preach.
Without Word Pictures: "God had filled the Garden of Eden with everything man needed. He gave him plenty of trees to eat from and allowed him to enjoy the blessings of harmonious existence directly with His Creator. God only gave one command to man and forbid him from eating one tree in the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He promised man that if man ate of that tree, man would die. This death is a spiritual death, a disruption of peaceful communion with God. This spiritual death would lead to physical death, so that if man sinned against God he was sure to die in every way."

Now, in and of itself this would be a very accurate interpretation and there is nothing wrong with preaching the text in this way. Observe, however, how different the message becomes when word pictures are used.

With Word Pictures: "God gave our ancestors Adam and Eve an absolute treasure chest of plenty. Everything they could desire was placed within their finger’s reach and they could have it without bearing one single drop of sweat on their brows. Their environment was pristine, as was their souls. But Adam and Eve were not holy, they were innocent. And before being proved either holy or defiled they would need to be tested. Therefore God put before them a "No Trespassing" sign, a sign that simply read, "You Must Not Eat of This Tree." God’s command was as ultimate as His offer was free- "obey Me and life, defy Me and die." There are no compromises in the command. Purely, plainly, man was not to crave the tree, nibble from the tree or eat from the tree. If he put his heart upon it and extended his hand to it and placed its produce upon his mouth, he would effectively be spitting in the face of God. He would be divorced and torn in two from His Maker. His life would be sit to walk over the rotten planks of a bridge that spanned a river of fire. Obedience meant abundant life, disobedience meant sure death. It is no slight offense to have pride rise from your heart and fill your mouth with gall and spit in the face of God by disobedience. Does He lack holiness that we would dare do so? Does He lack power and sight that we believe He will not see and if He does He has no justice for us to answer to? Does He lack grace that He would withhold from us every good thing? Friends, it is no small thing to say "no" to God- for he who sins shall most surely die.

One way you can determine if your word picture was useful is to compare both ways of preaching it and see what you most remember. I’ll leave it to your judgment to see what you remembered most about the above two comparisons.

Seventh, always consider a dry, dull, lifeless sermon a sin. Draw pictures, don't give them art supplies.

Blessings,
TJ

Starting Well: Sermon Introductions

2009-01-19T00:43:00.002-06:00

Friends,

The international airport in Louisville, KY was quite still on the night I bid my mother farewell before she departed for her home in Jacksonville, FL. I watched as she left the terminal with the other passengers and decided to wait and watch her plane taxi out before screaming down the runway. Several minutes went by and her plane never moved an inch. Delays are not uncommon at airports, so there was little cause for alarm. That state of mind instantly changed, however, when her plane suddenly became surrounded by all manner of fire-trucks and rescue personnel! Frantically trying to determine what the problem was, I was informed a component in the plane’s engine had malfunctioned and caught on fire. Believe it or not, I was told not to worry because this was evidently a "common and very fixable problem." Such words, though meant to be helpful, do not inspire passenger confidence. Yet, those words were true. After having a mechanic summoned to the plane, the fire was subdued, the component replaced and the plane departed. By the grace of God, the flight proceeded and arrived at Jacksonville without further incident.

The preaching of sermons share some characteristics of the story above, particularly as it pertains to a sermon’s introduction. This is a subject I feel I can speak upon with some authority, for I doubt fewer preachers than I have taken to the pulpit like a ship setting sail only to quickly run into reef and sink beyond repair. Sometimes my sermonic plane finds a faulty component that has set flame to the engine, but I’ve no mechanic to repair it that I might get on my way. Yet, in the course of a long a varied history of failures with sermonic introductions, I have learned a few useful points as well. I desire to share them in this blog so that others might be benefited as I hope to be benefited by others.

In general there are three primary needs for the preparation and proclamation of a sermonic introduction. These three include the identification of the sermon’s theme, the application of the sermon’s theme and the direction of the sermon’s theme.

Identifying a Sermon’s Theme
When a preacher is developing his sermon, his first and primary task is to identify the textual theme of his Scripture. As the name suggests, the textual theme of the Scripture to be proclaimed is the sole truth to which the Scripture speaks. Deriving the textual theme is the process by which a preacher applies proper interpretation to his text so as to arrive at the key command, exhortation, warning, etc. which the Scripture conveys. James Cox offers the following from his book, Preaching- A Comprehensive Approach to the Design and Delivery of Sermons states, "The central idea of the sermon is a statement of the truth that emerges from a study of the text and that determines the content of the sermon. Every sermon has a central idea or at least a constellation of related ideas…The central idea is a theological or theologically shaped statement. It generates and controls the conceptual development of the sermon."

Let’s use Revelation 11:12 as an example. The text reads, Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." They went up into heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. The raw, textual theme of the Scripture is that "God’s Vindication of Righteousness Over Evil is Revealed in the Ascension of His Two Witnesses."

The identification of this textual theme is the bedrock for all that will follow in the sermon. Every development will stem from it and all application will pertain to it. In no occasion may any part of the sermon depart from this theme. Quoting Cox again, "The central idea will come from a careful effort to put into a brief statement or a subject that which the text seems to want said in a particular sermon." Nevertheless, the preacher who approaches his sermon with only this theme will ultimately end up giving a book report of the text instead of heralding the gospel of Christ through the text. Therefore, the textual theme must be brought to a sermonic theme. This brings us to the second pillar of sermon introductions.

Applying the Sermon’s Theme
A sermon’s introduction can typically involve manifold methods that best suite the theme at hand. A preacher is at liberty to use personal stories, historic stories, Scriptural stories, the stating of rhetorical questions, the statement of open ended questions, etc. In general, the application of the theme will entice the listener to hear what is being said. In his book, Rhetoric, Aristotle states "The appeal to the hearer aims at securing his goodwill, or at arousing his resentment, or sometimes at gaining his serious attention to the case, or even at distracting it- for gaining it is not always an advantage, and speakers will often for that reason try to make him laugh."

However, without a short, succinct statement of what the preacher is actually preaching about, the best of stories and illustrations are to no avail. This statement is what I refer to as the "sermonic theme." I suppose you could consider the sermonic theme to be the bridge a preacher attempts to make between raw biblical facts and the hopeful reception of spiritual truth. It bears the relation and the difference of the two following statements: Jesus died on a cross (textual theme) and Jesus died on the cross for you (sermonic theme).

In shaping the sermonic theme the preacher is identifying to his audience what it is he desires to say from God’s Word with the aim of seeing spiritual transformation in his hearers. According to Haddon Robinson in his book Biblical Preaching (which is an absolute must read for preachers desiring to excel in sermon introductions), the sermonic theme will contain both a subject and a complement. A complement poses the question "what am I talking about?" The subject answers the question "what am I talking about?"

It is at this point that the preacher can use considerable imagination. And, yes, in case you're wondering, imagination is most certainly allowable in the preparation of sermons. The preacher needs to imagine and envision how he desires to promote his text to his people; he needs to consider the ways in which he can be assured he keeps his message Christ centered and yet offer application for the saints to be strengthened and sinners to be saved through the gospel of Christ. All of these matters will be represented in the sermonic theme.

As mentioned earlier the raw, textual theme of Revelation 11:12 was "God’s Vindication of Righteousness Over Evil is Revealed in the Ascension of His Two Witnesses." When I preached the text of Revelation 11:12, considering both the issues mentioned above as well as the textual theme, I arrived with the following sermonic theme: "The Day Comes Soon When God Will Beckon His Own to Come Home." In this case the complement is "who will God beckon home" and the answer is "His own." By this sermonic theme I am able to relate personally and directly the event and the truth of Revelation 11:12 to my congregation. (There are other themes one could make from the text, this is simply the one I chose)

It should be noted that arriving at the sermonic theme is possibly the longest, hardest and certainly most fruitful effort of sermon preparation. It is also vital to a sermon’s introduction. Without it there is no aim, there is no information shared to the congregation of precisely where the preacher desires to take them. And without having this direction, one can rest assured that even the biblical content of the sermon will fall on confused (not deaf) ears. Yet, having the sermonic theme prepared, the preacher is now ready to come to the third portion of his sermon’s introduction.

Directing the Sermonic Theme
Once a preacher has his sermonic theme in tow, he can begin to direct his sermon to his audience. In this step of the sermon’s introduction, the preacher is stating point blank what he hopes to actually achieve in the preaching of his message. If he desires his people to learn something particular about God, it is here that he will tell them. If he desire to see the lost saved in Christ through the preaching of the gospel, it is here that he will tell them his hope for their souls. Having stated the sermonic theme, the preacher can then relate the event of his Scripture directly to his people.

One major way in which the preacher can benefit the directing of the sermonic theme is to write out the goal of his sermon, detailing what he hopes to see happen in it and how he will seek to accomplish it. The following was my goal when I preached Revelation 11:12: "My goal in this sermon is to lead my listeners to an understanding of the ascension of the two witnesses of God. I desire to lay particular emphasis on not only their resurrection, but the resurrection of all God’s people and our common ascension into Heaven. Likewise, I want to magnify the grace of God that He would beckon us to do so and the spiritual hope we have to live in righteousness despite living in a corrupt world in light of His promise. Finally, I desire to draw a distinction between those who have heard and heeded that call and those who have not. I pray that God would use this message to reveal the gospel of Christ that His people might be strengthened by it and the lost be saved."

The preacher will not read his goal for the sermon verbatim to his people, but the general thrust and principles of his goal will be contained in the introduction.

Concluding Thoughts
The introduction of sermon is very much like a porch to a house- the more inviting the porch, the more desire and aptness we have to enter the home. So it is with preachers and those in those in the pews. As John Broadus said in his book On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, "In all preaching let there be a good introduction or none at all. "Well begun is half done." And ill begun is apt to be wholly ruined."

Some preaching books advise the formation of a sermon’s introduction to be completed after a sermon is written. I believe this is some of the very worst advice in the preaching world. My own personal method of sermon preparation, excluding those things such as walking in Christian disciplines and prayer, include the following: 1) Textual Selection, 2) Textual Interpretation, 3) Textual Theme, 4) Sermonic Theme, 5) Goal, 6) Arrangement and Division, 7) Manuscript.

May our Lord richly bless you who labor in His Word.

In Christ,
TJ

Business Meetings: Pain or Privilege?

2009-01-12T09:00:00.005-06:00

Friends,

On one brisk Wednesday night several years ago I was leading the church in our normal prayer meeting and Bible study. A certain man was present in the meeting who had recently begun attending our church with his wife. I had gotten to know the couple in the time they had been with us and his story particularly fascinated me. In his lengthy and diverse career he had served in the Army and in retail car sales. A diligent worker, he had climbed the ladder at one particular car dealership and had earned a place second to the owner. At one point in his life he suffered a massive heart attack and had nearly succumbed to the injuries inflected by it. But, by the grace and mercy of God, he recovered and in the recovery had recommitted himself to God in a new way. Part of that committal included serving God, which he was zealous to do. We quickly became friends. Yet in the course of that Wednesday night study, a small, seemingly insignificant event occurred which would not only test our friendship, but his faith and service to God. He had posed a statement and asked me to evaluate it. I wasn’t entirely clear on his statement, so I restated it and asked if my restatement was exactly what he meant. He said "yes" and I responded and we moved on with the study.

This brings us to the next Wednesday night, which happened to be business meeting. In the course of handling our business, the man stood to speak. I will spare you all the details of his speech, save to say that he had evidently been gravely offended that I had restated his question to him in the previous Wednesday night Bible study. Before the end of the night all (and I mean all) the ladies of our church gathered in the meeting were in tears- I don’t think they had ever heard or ever known that someone could speak about a pastor like this man had done. All my deacons were up in arms, coming to their pastor’s defense and ready to haul this gentleman out of the assembly. Our church had always had a history of very peaceful and blessed business meetings, and this one definitely rocked the historical boat.

Business meetings are part of Baptist life- as Vader told Luke- "you know it be true." The purpose of this blog article is to discuss business meetings from the point of view of their presence and practice within the local Baptist church. I hope to offer the readers of this blog a way in which they can better approach and handle business meetings, keep the performance of business meetings done "in decency and order," and realize the blessings of business meetings.

So let’s discuss the relevancy of business meetings first. The truth of the matter is that some of us would just as soon not have them precisely because of opportunities for the flesh (as mentioned above). In fact, surprisingly perhaps, Danny Akin advocates holding no business meetings because they lack biblical warrant and afford opportunities for the flesh of man to drive the church rather than the Word of God (Five Perspectives on Church Government). It is sad, frankly, to hear a Baptist speak like this, because business meetings play a valid part in the overall ministry of the church and the accountability the church so desperately needs to keep its ministry Christ focused, gospel centered and God honoring. Business meetings also reveal the depths to which Baptists take our doctrine of the church. We believe the church is governed by the congregation and that there is no higher human court for the church than the congregation. In no place of Baptist ministry is that more apparent than in the business meeting. Baptists believe that Christ is in every detail of the church and we should cherish the truth that Christ can and does manage every detail in the church by Himself being vested in the church through its members. Southern Baptists confess this premise in Article VI, The Church, of The Baptist Faith and Message 2000. "Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord."

This statement leads us to secondly consider the actual performance of business meetings. If business meetings are to become a blessing and not a burden to the church it shall require every participant in the meeting to be a member in good standing with the church. The reason required for such members to participate is that as "each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord," each member needs to reveal that truth in their life by being in good covenant standing with the church. Ultimately, a local Baptist church is a theocracy under Christ Who Himself works His will democratically through His people. It seems both logical and biblical, then, that His will can only be demonstrated through us when we are devoting our lives, hearts, minds, bodies and souls to knowing Him and His will. Membership in the local church welcomes one to a business meeting, but a faithful life to Christ and His Church earns one the privilege of participating in that meeting. Granted, the judgement of a church regarding who is and who is not evidencing the Lordship of Christ in their lives is not infallible- mistakes can be made and even members in good standing can still be good sinners in our weakness. Nevertheless, the premise of only members in good standing participating in the business meeting will more often than not serve the church better than allowing any member in any standing to come in and vote as they wish. I am sure all of us have heard of how churches fill up with people who haven’t been to church in years to vote on a matter of importance. These same "members" usually vote and go back out from among the congregation, leaving the members in good standing to deal with the aftermath. This is neither acceptable nor conducive to the purpose of Christ in the church gathering to seek Him and conduct business. We should also encourage and expect children, youth and those who are very young in the faith to guard themselves carefully if they do attend business meetings to train themselves more in the discipline of listening and observing rather than speaking and voting.

In the same vein, business meetings should be performed in a manner and rules of parliament that everyone knows and everyone follows. Some churches outline in their constitutions how business meetings should be performed while others rely upon books such as "Robert’s Rules of Order." In either case, the handling of all business should be in accord to the method in which the church has chosen. A great deal of this actually being performed will rely upon the moderator, who should be a man capable and ready to conduct business as so prescribed. The moderator can be the pastor. However, in my opinion, it is preferable if it is another man, as the pastor may need to speak to the spiritual ramifications of an issue, which is something frowned upon for moderators. The manner of making motions, voting on them, discussing them and so forth will be served well by a common and enforced set of rules. Speaking of which, one-problem congregations sometimes encounter with motions is that motions are made but nothing is said about who will actually carry them out. This needs to be made clear in the motion so as to avoid confusion and the retarding of the church’s work.

Lastly, we can consider the overall blessings and burdens of business meetings. The blessings of the business meeting are that the church is made to discuss its progress, its hopes and its future. In doing so, we seek Christ’s will and we formally agree to go in the direction we believe He is giving us. Business meetings are a way in which Christ works in and through His people and offers times in which we can give Him much glory and praise for what He has done as well as earnest prayer and hope for what He desires to do among us. Likewise, business meetings offer everyone an opportunity to see a church’s real spiritual position. I thoroughly believe that one of the strongest indicators of a church’s love for Christ and each other can be located in how the church conducts itself in a business meeting. The burdens of business meetings are that often we get off topic; often we don’t give Christ the credit we should for what He has done; and often we don’t seek Christ for what we should do. Prayer and Scripture are often woefully absent in business meetings- and this to our detriment. Business meetings do open opportunities for fleshly power plays and painful criticisms, but just by the possibility we should not ditch the practice. With our attitudes and wills directed at Christ, our discussion lead by the Spirit and our decisions based on God's Word, the business meeting can more often than not be a source of great ministry and wonderful blessings.

In case you’re wondering about how everything eventually turned out with that opening story, I can fill you in. Upon realizing that my own ministry had been defended and upon seeing that the congregation, though visibly upset with the indictments, did not believe them, I simply lead the church to pray for the man even as he and his wife were walking out the door. We asked God to give them peace, to the bless them, to guide them as only He can. And, after about a year of the couple visiting and becoming members of a few other local churches, they came back to New Hope. I believe the man felt and remembered that closing prayer and the actions of the church that night and couldn’t shake it from his soul. We once again came into full fellowship with them and were all mightily blessed by Christ and loved by one another. The couple eventually went to live in another part of the state to care for an ailing brother, but we still correspond and pray for each other.

Business meetings can be burdensome, but let us never forget the real hope we have in Christ for Him to turn even the burdens to blessings to the glory of His name.

Blessings,
TJ

Practical Matters to Consider for the Lord's Supper

2009-01-05T08:14:00.004-06:00

Friends,

When it comes to theology, fewer matters in the church are more debated amongst denominations (and especially our own) than the observance of the Lord’s Supper. This blog is not intended to deal with those theological issues. My point in writing this blog is to offer an insight into how I personally handle some practical matters that surround the Lord’s Supper and offer these for your consideration. I could offer some tips on things like "how to handle your deacon when he brings grape soda instead of grape juice to prepare the Lord’s Table" (which actually did happen in my first pastorate) but I’ll just stick to more edifying and, hopefully, common matters regarding the Lord’s Supper. It is my hope that this blog can be a means of others possibly renewing or refining their practice of the Lord’s Supper as well as receiving input from others that can be of benefit to all.

1) Consider Intentional Awareness to the Observance of the Lord’ Supper

The Lord’s Supper really shouldn’t be something we just show up and take without serious consideration. Use your church’s bulletins and Sunday School classes to inform people of when the meal will be observed and how they should prepare to take it.

2) Consider Focusing the Entire Worship Service on the Lord’s Supper

The church that I grew up in observed the Lord’s Supper quarterly in what I term an "add-on" to the worship service that fell on that day. Basically, at the end of the service we took five to ten minutes to observe the Supper and it was over. For me personally, this practice conveyed the idea that the Lord’s Supper was no big deal. Biblically, however, nothing could be further from the truth. In no uncertain terms the New Testament teaches that the Lord's Supper is an issue of extreme importance in the church, as are all means of God’s grace. Informed, prepared Christians who take it properly come into contact with the full covenant ramifications of Christ’s life in the Supper. Uninformed, unprepared Christians take the Supper to their own detriment- including sickness and death (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). Hymns, Scripture reading and prayers should be focused upon the wondrous aspects of the Lord’s Supper. This is especially true concerning the sermon, which brings us to my third consideration.

3) Consider Preaching About the Lord’s Supper before Observing It

I have made it a practice in my ministry to preach about the Lord’s Supper before we observe it. These sermons basically detail what the Supper is, what it means and how we should prepare ourselves to take it. I have actually written several sermons on the Lord’s Supper that I rotate when the day arrives. This helps me to stay focused and prepare to take the meal myself as well as offering a comprehensive understanding of what the Lord’s Supper is to my people so that no one is in the dark about it. And, you can use the time you would normally spend in sermon preparation preparing yourself for the meal. This might sound odd at first, but try it and I believe you’ll find you’ve never taken the Lord’s Supper like you have after you have devoted many hours in preparing and examining yourself for it.

4) Consider Observing the Lord’s Supper in the Morning Worship Service

The church I grew up in as well as other churches I have heard from observe the Lord’s Supper in the evening service. This may be because it is a "supper" and therefore some feel it should be taken in the evening. It might also be that churches don’t want to cause issues with non-members taking the Supper. I can appreciate both these reasons (the last one more than the first), but I have found that observing the meal in the morning service offers many opportunities as well. First, I have more members present in the morning service. Second, I have more lost people in the morning service (and, trust me, when an unbeliever hears a full sermon on the Lord’s Supper and then realizes they cannot take the meal, a deep spiritual impression is left upon their souls).

5) Consider Giving a Time for People to Examine Themselves After the Sermon and Before the Meal

We are commanded in Scripture to examine ourselves before we take the meal. Therefore, the church needs to offer a time for examination to occur. My personal practice is to bring the service into utter silence for a few minutes while we all consider ourselves in Christ. At the end of our examination time, before we come to the table, I will lead the church in prayer using the Lord’s Prayer. The entire congregation is invited to pray it with me.

6) Consider Dismissing in Psalms or Hymns

The gospels record that after observing the meal our Lord and His disciples went out singing hymns (mark 14:26). It seems fitting that our benediction of the meal be in the same order.

7) Consider Doing a Children's Sermon on the Lord’s Supper

If your church observes a "children’s time" during its normal service, consider doing a lesson on the Lord’s Supper. Let them see the bread and the cup while explaining it to them. You can even tell them if they can or cannot take based on their belief in Christ, which offers an evangelistic opportunity during children’s time as well.

8) Consider Walking with the Deacons When they Distribute the Meal

This tip is probably more controversial than the others, but I prefer to walk with my deacons when they distribute the meal. This allows me an opportunity to pray for my people as I go along the pews. It also allows me an opportunity to see who is and who is not taking the meal that I might better focus my prayer and ministry. And, who knows, you might be surprised at what happens when you walk through the congregation. I once had a lost person reach out of the aisle and grab me saying, "I want to be saved- today!"

Feel free to share any practical tips for observing the Lord’s Supper that you perform in your ministry. The Confessing Baptist Blog is a place to strengthen as well as be strengthened.

Blessings,
TJ

Pastoral Visitation

2008-12-29T22:36:00.002-06:00

Friends,

To the writing of books (and blogs) there is no end (Ecc.12:12). Nevertheless, not all writings are equally created, nor are they equally distributed as it pertains to the ministerial life. Whether you find yourself in seminary, seminars or simply reading, one aspect of pastoral life seems terrible undervalued and overlooked. I call it the "pastoral visit."

A pastor typically makes five types of visits. You have the "evangelistic visit" in which you seek to get to know and share the gospel with an unbeliever. You have the "counseling visit" which, as the name applies, is a visit designed strictly to give counsel on an issue a church member is facing. You have the "tragedy visit" which is a ministry of presence in times of loss, death or destruction. You have the "sick visit," which is visiting the sick in their time of distress and need. Then you have the "pastoral visit," which is a visit with a church member for the purpose of fellowshipping, learning of their needs, gathering specific ways to pray for their lives and to gauge the level of discipleship and growth their walk with Christ is producing. At heart, the "pastoral visit" is part and parcel of a pastor’s shepherding ministry (Acts 20:28). A great deal of Jesus’ ministry involved the "pastoral visit."

Yet, the "pastoral visit" seems to be a dying venture for pastors. I am not exactly for sure why this is the case, though I would surmise it is a result of pastoral laziness, pastoral ignorance and pastoral pride. Also, the pastoral visit may be dying out because research seems to be pointing to the observation that pastors of growing churches do not do as many pastoral visits as others. I think the rationale behind this observation is obvious. Most pastors seem to be very good at either evangelistic visitation or pastoral visitation- it is a rare pastor who can do both excellently. In either case, especially if one ministers in a rural area, the pastoral visit will become a standard portion of ministry and probably should be for churches urban as well.

I am not quite willing to give the pastoral visit up just yet. I believe, and my experience has verified, that fewer things lead to the fulfillment of the shepherding ministry of the pastor. I also believe that pastoral visits facilitate a relationship between the pastor and the church member wherein spiritual matters and needs are easily mined, thus expanding the ministry of the Word and the gospel. Furthermore, pastoral visitation sets an example to the flock of care and concern that the flock will hopefully emulate.

So, how do you do a pastoral visitation?

First, develop a pastoral visitation strategy. Minimally, every family in the church should be visited at least once a year. That number can and probably should increase for smaller congregations.

Secondly, learn to be lead of the Spirit and visit members who have been laid on your conscience. I cannot tell you how many times the Lord has laid someone on my heart and upon going to see them they say, "I was just now hoping you would stop in." Normally, they are facing some trouble in life, and so the pastoral visitation turns into a counseling visitation (and that’s O.K.).

Thirdly, learn to become an astute observer and listener of everything. When I make a pastoral visit, I become very conscious of everything I see and hear. This can include the artwork present on walls, the placement of the furniture and television, the orderliness of the home, magazines or books placed in common view, the willingness or unwillingness of the person to turn their television off, etc. And, speaking of books, if a Bible is out this offers a chance to view its creases and so forth for "usage" or lack thereof. All of these things help inform me as to how the person is actually living, the priorities they have in life and so forth. Also, do note those things you hear- especially things you repeatedly hear. It is worth noticing if your member constantly brings us a life issue or spiritual question or theological doctrine. Developing an excellent habit of listening will serve this end well.

Fourthly, learn to field spiritual questions, but do not use the normal spiritual language. Be common in your conversation because people who have been in church a long time know how to use religious cookie-cutter responses that can be absolutely meaningless to their true spiritual condition. For example, instead of directly asking, "how are you doing in the disciplines of the Christian life," discuss the temptations and struggles to maintain private devotions and prayer from your own perspective. When a person realizes you are not out to give them the Christian equivalent of a CIA interrogation but are among them as one who also struggles, they will open up and ask questions as to how to better overcome these elements in their lives.

Fifthly, mentally catalogue all necessary points of your consideration and share prayer with them. As noted above, the question, "is there anything I can pray for you about," will probably be answered with, "no, I’m alright." The reason being is that they have probably just shared a plethora of things you can pray for them about, but they would have trouble detailing exactly what those requests could be. For example, I once made pastoral visits to a dear brother in Christ who was always worried about money (even though he was an aged man and had plenty of it). He was especially vexed in his heart about his money as it related to his divorce with his wife, which occurred over thirty years ago at the time. It became clear that this brother needed comfort for God to meet his needs as well as needing to learn forgiveness. Quite literally, he had not been able to get on in life and finally he went to Heaven with decades, maybe a lifetime, of these pains in tow. Nevertheless, if I were to ask him directly, "what can I pray for you about," I would not have received the response "for God to comfort my heart and lead me to forgive others."

Other considerations:

Be careful to respect time and schedules. Life is always happening and a pastor should not create additional burdens. Having said that, some pastors prefer to call to arrange a visitation. I do not personally do this but rather just simply "drop in." My reasoning for not calling is that part of the pastoral visitation ministry is to remind members not only that Christ is among them through the body, but that he could return any moment. And, in the event that a member has an "on site" issue occurring, I can throw myself right into the work and help them out.

Be careful to avoid all appearances of evil. Meeting with women can be an especial problem. I personally meet with elderly women by myself, but for women younger in age, another person, especially your wife, should accompany the visit. Some pastors prefer to take deacons along with them. The only drawback to anyone coming with a pastor is that sometimes people may not open up in the same way they would if they were speaking with the pastor alone. On the other hand, especially if one’s wife accompanies the visit, much more may be shared than could have otherwise.

Be careful to not visit the same person on the same day of the week at the same time. They will come to expect it and it will create additional burdens on yourself if you did not show when they thought you would.

Be careful to guard the time you have with the person. I enjoy discussing all matters of life and believe such discussion can be used for the purpose at hand. But do not get too far into triviality, for some rabbit trails lead to rabbit holes and can be hard to get out of.
Be careful to not allow a pastoral visit to turn into a time of gossip or back-biting against other church members. Some members feel that when they have the pastor’s ear they need to get everything they hold against others off their chests. Pray and counsel accordingly when this occurs. Along these same lines, be careful when handling criticism of yourself. Sometimes during pastoral visits, members sense the freedom to share their problems against you, with you. Always remember that some criticism is valid and opens up an opportunity for greater ministry. Conversely, ill-formed criticism can’t be dealt with directly as well. In either case, seek to be an example and use the opportunity for service (1 Timothy 4:2). And be grateful the person actually spoke to you about it instead of every last other person in the church besides you.

Be careful to take time wisely. I’ve never really counted the minutes in any of my pastoral visitations, but I would venture to say that anything less than 15 minutes is too short and anything longer than an hour is too long. Always remember that there can and should be more visits. The pastoral visitation ministry is very much a marathon to help others spiritually, not a sprint.

Be careful to truly recall any useful knowledge received. If you cannot mentally store that knowledge, keep a notebook in your truck and record your thoughts when you leave the house. You can also take a tape recorder to record your interaction after leaving the visit (of course, never tape the visit itself). This will help you to guide your prayers for your brothers and sisters.
Be careful to not bring any distractions to the meeting. Turn cell phones off; better yet, leave them in your truck or car.

Be careful to never do a visit out of obligation’s sake alone. There are simply some times of life that one cannot adequately and rightly perform a visit. As noted earlier, pastoral visitation take an enormous amount of spiritual energy. If one is low on that energy, so to speak, you can rest assured the visit will have little fruit- it may even be harmful.

Be careful to not let pastoral visitation consume your visitation work. One must perform all ministries of visitation and one must still maintain the necessary time in prayer for the flock as well as the preaching of God’s Word (Acts 6:4).

Be sure to keep in your truck a note to leave on the door in the event you missed the person being at home. These are just small reminders that they are thought about, loved and prayed for. Some church members will have never received a pastoral visit from any pastor and even a small note saying we were there can be just as meaningful to them as a face to face visit.

Finally, very few actions a pastor can take more directly benefit his credit with the congregation as well as offer much insight to his preaching to the congregation than pastoral visitation. Also, apart from the benefit received to the church member, the pastor can use the time in a pastoral visitation to cast vision for the church, get input for effective ministry and engage members in works of service to the glory of God’s name.

And do remember, my brothers, since Christ is risen none of our work will be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

May God Bless You In It,
TJ

The Purpose Driven Inauguration (by Pastor Ben Hartwig)

2008-12-27T00:42:00.003-06:00

While I was a bit shocked, I am not all that bothered. What?!?! Why not? He is associating with the enemy! Not so fast. I am rabidly pro-life and anti-homosexual and probably would be much quicker to preach 1 Corinthians 6 than Rick Warren but I am in disagreement with many of my pro-life friends that are upset that the apparently new "religious right" spokesman has supported Obama in this invocation. Like Warren, I could sit down and talk to Obama for an hour over coffee and it is highly likely that we would not agree on anything. So what do we mean by support? I will carry the gospel to the invocation. If I cannot do this, then I will have no part in the invocation. I will pray in the name of Christ, not a general "god" but the Triune God. And I think that if I were Warren, I might want the ear of the media to explain my decision. I don’t know what Warren’s purpose is, but my purpose would be the gospel—would we rather see the famed Rev. Wright do this?The BF&M 2000 states in the last sentence of Article XV; "In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth."

Is this not a gospel opportunity on an enormous scale? I say yes, in two ways. 1. This gives Warren an opportunity to share the gospel personally with Obama—how many people get to do that? And 2. This gives Warren an opportunity to share the gospel with thousands who may never hear the one true gospel in their own churches and he can do it at the inauguration. If Louis Farakan were doing this how would it be different? If we look at number 1 and the personal gospel witness—where could that take us? I am sure that many "conservatives" that have taken this position against Warren are the same ones that feel that Christ was removed from His throne when the GOP didn’t win. God is still sovereign and this is a real opportunity for "change". Republicans will not stop abortion—the gospel will. Republicans will not stop homosexuality—the gospel will. We need a republican in office? I say we need someone who is born again and washed by the blood of Christ in office. Obama’s problem isn’t that he isn’t a republican—his problem is that he needs Jesus.Look toward Colossians 3:12-17. I know that this is given within the context of the church. But the church isn’t in a vacuum and neither are influential pastors of mega-churches. Take this opportunity and use it for the purpose of the gospel, the kingdom and the glory of God. If the peace of Christ rules our heart and God’s word is in us ready to get out of our faces then we are living as Christ’s representative. And if we get to share the gospel at a pro-abortion, homosexual rally—PREACH.

Our church (and me as an individual) is a member of a community organization called "SMART" (St. Meinrad Area Revitalization Team). I went to a meeting shortly after the church joined this organization. Then I was found out—those that didn’t already know were informed that I was the pastor of the Baptist church—keep in mind 95% of the people in the room were Catholic and either had gray hair or no hair—they are the real deal. An interesting thing happened—they moved me from my seat to the head table and asked me to pray before the meal. I was shocked to say the least, but I did it. What did I pray? Basically that God is Holy, you are not, Jesus Christ is the answer—repent and trust Christ. It gave me a hearing that I would have never had if I would have denied it or stayed away from "them". Rick Warren has an opportunity and we should be praying for him and frankly, we should be praying for Barack Obama—even if we loathe everything he stands for.As a "right-wing conservative" (whatever that is anymore) I am not going to be up in arms about this issue unless Warren uses this for anything else but Kingdom purposes—I guess time will tell.

[Ben Hartwig (M.Div., SBTS) is pastor of First Baptist Church, St. Meinrad, IN. You can check out their website at http://www.fbcstmeinrad.com/]

[Above photo taken from Baptist Press on 12/22/08. Click here to read the Baptist Press story in full]

They Gonna Take My Guns!

2008-12-27T00:26:00.001-06:00

Friends,

My mother informed me of a call she received recently from one of her friends in Florida. He was boasting that he had recently purchased a pistol (semi-auto Glock, for those who care). His reason for the purchase: "They gonna take our guns now that Obama’s in office." This man is a Christian and attends church regularly. His philosophy and experience is one I have become familiar with since moving to Indiana. There is a deep belief amidst many people that their "rights and liberties" are going to be taken. In the interest of full disclosure, the "right and liberty" they are concerned with is their guns. Some, such as myself, believe such philosophies to sit squarely in the lap of paranoia while offering an abysmal witness to the God whom we say is sovereign, and the ultimate realities of Heaven and Hell. Those within those ranks, in utter fairness, view themselves as incredibly patriotic in a Revolutionary War sense of the term. They believe they are out to protect first themselves and then the interest of a nation. They hold a strict belief in the following motto, "when ‘they’ come and ‘it’ goes down, I’m gonna be ready," but they can’t articulate exactly who is coming or what "it" is, they are simply certain "it" is going to happen. They also give the distinct impression that the American Constitution and its amendments rank a very close second to the Word of God itself. To determine which camp is actually right is a matter of debate. But what's for certain, these folks are not mere armchair conspiracy theorists; they are dyed in the wool stock the shelters, hoard the ammo, hold training session action takers. They are also Christians. For what it's worth, I count them as dear, if misguided, brethren.

The one point of real contention I have with the "they gonna take my guns mentality" is that it comes dangerously close to being viewed as some type of preparation for a holy war. Somewhere in the line of time the edges of patriotism have blended into the fabric of faith in this genre of thinking. This is in complete antithesis to the biblical faith. Ours is a faith that was born by a bloody man on a rugged cross suffering before the jeers of an evil and wicked government. It is nothing new for the church of Christ to find herself in the catacombs and in the woods, preaching the gospel while trying to evade the slaughtering hand of Satan. It has and always will our duty to suffer for Christ till He returns. But I fear something of an impasse regarding this reality has edged its way into American Christianity- and it is an intruder for sure.

I believe we need to be crystal clear on the reality that just because one fears their "rights and liberties", i.e. guns, might be taken from them, this is not an attack on faith. And woe be unto the Christian who would dare stand up against God’s ordained in Christ’s name to revolt and attack against them (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 4:15). When the persecution comes to us because we are Christians, such tools are not are not authorized by our Master and Chief. Quite the contrary, actually. It is an intolerable paradox for the gospel of Christ to be lived out by the violence of men. Christ would not suffer it with Peter on the night of His betrayal (Matthew 26:52, John 18:10-11) and John gives the distinct impression that we make our war in such situations by endurance and faith, not rifles and bullets (Revelation 13:10). God is altogether more interested in our learning and making peace than "defending our rights" (Deuteronomy 20:10-12, Matthew 5:9, Romans 12:18).

Confessionally, Southern Baptists believe (Article XVI, BF&M 2000), "It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war. The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace."
As Christians and Baptists we need to clearly establish in our minds the difference between the rights of the land and the commands and promises of God. We also must always keep our views towards our eternal inheritance and judge all earthly matters accordingly. The truth of the matter is that the breath of God has breathed nothing in the American Constitution or its amendments. Furthermore, any and all non-transcendent "rights and liberties" given to us by the men of this earth can be taken from them as well (and, no, in case you're wondering, the right to bear arms is not an inalienable human right). And frankly, it is no loss to us if that happens. What has a Christian really lost if he can no longer purchase ammunition or guns? Remember in all things that we have a better, enduring reward. Consider Hebrews 10:32-39: Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better, enduring reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised. For in yet a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.

A friend of mine in seminary once told me, "when ‘it’ goes down, I’m going out guns blazing." If that is the way one must go out when "it" goes down, don’t attach the name of Christ to it for Christ is not in it. May it be with us, dear brothers, that when "it" goes down, we go out faith ablaze. This is the mark of the saints’ endurance and faith (Revelation 13:10).

Blessings,
TJ

The Blessings of Spiritual Recessions

2008-12-27T00:24:00.001-06:00

Friends,

By now we are all aware of the financial recession America and much of the world is suffering under. Some, such as myself, have felt the recession as we’ve seen our meager retirement and other investments be eaten alive. Others, sadly, are feeling the recession through the loss of their jobs. I don’t believe any of us enjoy recessions, but they do serve a very needed purpose in capitalist societies. They shake up companies that won’t perform and they also reveal dire financial practices that are not conducive to growth and profit. Small recessions shake these companies out of the market and make way for new, streamlined, profit driven companies that bolster the market. Large recessions such as the one we are now dealing stem from incredibly uncooth financial practices and principles that have been brewing for many years. In short, recessions are wake up calls to serious problems in the scheme of financial health that gangrene has started in the financial foot and if not corrected, will necessitate amputation lest the whole body become infected.

Spiritual recessions, so to speak, occur for the same reason and serve the same goal, only in the soul. When I use the term "spiritual recession," I am using it for illustrative purposes. It is biblically referred to as God’s "discipline" (Hebrews 12:7-11). Southern Baptists confessionally address the issue of spiritual recessions in Article V of our Baptist Faith and Message 2000. The statement reads in part, "Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves."

The work of God in spiritual recessions is to bring us to trust and live in Christ as He actually is, not as we pretend Him to be. This requires some explanation. Spiritual recession or God’s discipline almost always rides upon the heels of our pride and greed. Pride fosters in us the abandonment of our ever-present need for Christ and promotes a life of self-sufficiency, self-governance and self-seeking. Such a walk cannot be lived in the fear of the Lord as we deny the reality that every thought and action is seen by God and will be judged by Him (and it will, even for the Christian- 2 Corinthians 5:10). Greed joins pride as two peas in a pod whereby the flesh, now freed by our pride, desires more and more instant gratification, which it finds in sin of all stripes and wicked justifications of those sins. Before long, our lives become built on sinking sand as our sins pile to the heavens in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the sinful pride of life (Genesis 3:6, 1 John 2:16).

Spiritual recessions are generally sent of God when our lives display deep and entrenched spiritual rebellion and disobedience. This was the case with Samson as his pride yielded in him a lifelong lust of strange and forbidden flesh that was a constant source of God’s discipline in his life. It also appears that Paul had the long, besetting sin of pride to the point that God dealt with this issue in him recessively by sending a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to keep him humble (2 Corinthians 12:7). Sometimes, long and unchecked disobedience is finally met in one sinful action by which God acts in discipline to correct us. Such was the case with Moses when agitation and anger met resulting in the denial of God’s glory to the people of Israel. God did this with David when David entered unlawful intercourse with Bethsheba (Psalm 30, 51:10-15). We find it with Job when He sought too much comfort in his friends instead of God (Job 16:2). Likewise, when Peter sought too much comfort in his camaraderie with the Jews at the alienation of Gentiles, Paul was used of God to show him his spiritual inflation and correct it recessively (Galatians 2:14). Of course, I myself have a lengthy list of how and why God has disciplined me. Suffice it to say, there’s been many ranging from lying, carnal affections, pride, critical judgments, poor fatherhood, pitiful shepherdhood, deceit, etc., etc., etc. As a redeemed man, I always have it in mind to not sin, but, like Paul, I often find myself doing the very thing I did not wish to do. I have also experienced seasons in which besetting sins, which I thought were no longer alive to me for some years and decades, rear their heads and so the war starts (this is evidence of pride in my life, by the way). Sometimes, I loose ground in those wars and therefore become in need of God’s wondrous grace in bringing me to spiritual recession and ultimately, spiritual blessing. I emphasize that word "need." For without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

One mystery of God’s discipline is that the Christian who constantly grows in grace and sanctification will continue to experience more of them, not less. The more ground we gain in becoming Christlike, the more we realize the acres of our hearts that are not Christlike. The blessing of God’s discipline is that the more we are entrusted with His grace, the more that is required of us- and sometimes we cannot give the requirement apart from that godly care of discipline. But we are encouraged in this: No discipline seems good at the time but later yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). And the more we strive in our sanctification with God’s Spirit, the quicker the response we have to God’s discipline because though we have failed, what we really want is righteousness. This is a blessed work of God in us, my brothers.

Furthermore, it is important to note that spiritual recessions always deal with our sanctification (set apartness and Christlikeness), never our salvation- or better said, "being saved." When God brings a child of His into conviction and temporal judgment, He is dealing with us as sons, not as reprobates (Hebrews 12:8). These words of God are never broken: Though the mountains move and the hills shake, My love will not be removed from you and My covenant of peace will not be shaken, says your compassionate Lord (Isaiah 54:10). Southern Baptists confessionally address this when we state the following in Article V. "Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." This is important to note as some, when in sin and having had God to replace His graces and comforts with conviction and spiritual darkness, agony and despair, sometime tend to believe that they are so forsaken by God that they must not be saved. Nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, I am quite sure the man who says he knows nothing of spiritual recession can be no Christian at all.

We’ve seen how immediately the world reacts to financial recessions and it should be the same with us through spiritual recessions. The more earnest and acute our repentance, the quicker the dark night of the soul turns to light and the bear market of our spirits goes bullish as investing joy in Christ and reaping glory for Christ is traded for waste and rubbish. Of utmost seriousness, there is a danger of the heart growing hard and callused, unable and unwilling to be spoken to by Christ if one does not turn, in godly sorrow, away from sin and to the Savior (Genesis 4:7, Lamentations 3:65). Lest us not forget those admonitions that God gives us as sons, for from godly sorrow comes godly repentance that leads to godliness in the sons of God (Hebrews 12:5-6).

Blessings,
TJ
p.s. If we do not test ourselves in this at any other time, we are all granted opportunity to do so before coming to the Lord’s Table. In fact, this practice is prerequisite for taking the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:27).

Ordination

2008-12-27T00:20:00.001-06:00

Friends,

It was my true pleasure, honor and joy to partake of the ordination of Michael Wilhite to the gospel ministry at Limestone Baptist Church in Bedford, IN last Sunday. I have known Michael since coming to Indiana in 2003- he and his wife Bethany and now child Abigail are dear to our hearts. Another dear brother of mine, Pastor Josh LaGrange of True Vine Baptist Church in Ferdinand, IN, shared the services with me as he gave the charge to the church and I gave the charge to the candidate.

Ordination is probably one of the least understood aspects of church life. Some have even questioned the practice altogether as not being biblical, but I personally support it and believe the Scriptures do as well. The whole point of ordination is to aid the church at large in knowing that believers of like faith and mind believe a man is called and gifted of God to fulfill the office of pastor (and also deacon and evangelist- more on that in a moment). We find evidences of this practice primarily through the ministry of Paul to the Corinthians. The Corinthians, for some very strange reason, desired to have prove his authenticity as a gospel minister by "letters" from recognized apostles or churches (2 Corinthians 3:1). The reason this request was strange is that Paul himself founded the church at Corinth- the very presence of believers in Christ in that place testified to his authenticity (2 Corinthians 3:2). Nevertheless, the practice of such "letters" was a needed one as the church of early days (and our days as well) was plagued with religious charlatans who taught heresy for the ends of greed. It was a great help for believers to recieve a letter from a recognized authentic pastor (likely in the earliest days to be kept to the apostles and their proteges). The same is the reason for needing ordination today.

Traditionally, a man claiming the call of God on his life to the gospel ministry begins in his own home church. If the church believes his call to be true and witnesses evidences of that calling in his life, they will generally "license" him. This license is no more than a statement to other churches that the man's home church believes him to be called of God. If a church receives this man and calls him as pastor, they then petition the church in which he was licensed in to ordain him. Now, the man has two witnesses to his ministry. The ordination service of his home church can be attended by any sister church and any ordained men of that denomination's church form a council to question the man before recommending him for ordination. The home church will normally act upon the recommendation of that council and verify it through an ordination service. By doing this, multiple witnesses and the authority of at least two churches converge to give the man ordination or a "letter" to all. In my opinion, this practice is useful and necessary to the health of our churches pulpits which in turn help to vouchsafe the gospel in our churches.
This is not to say, however, that the practice can occur different ways. In fact, every ordination service I've witnessed while ministering in Indiana has not occurred at a man's home church, but at the church where he has been called to pastor. While I don't believe this to be the best practice, I believe it is acceptable so long as a robust witness of churches and ordained men are present in the activity.

Furthermore, simply because the practice of ordination is useful doesn't mean it is free from faults. Too often ordination is little more than a foregone conclusion and questioning of the candidate is frankly pathetic. Sadly, this practice reveals itself later in churches who call men that failed to have sufficient knowledge of Christian theology, ministry and particular Southern Baptist beliefs. I have been privileged to moderate the ordination of two men to the gospel ministry- a privilege I take very seriously. I pray all who are blessed to participate in ordinations take them seriously and proceed only with a clear conscience that the man they are about to recommend to ordination are sufficiently prepared for the task of shepherding the dear flock of God.

Deacons, being the other office of the church, are likewise needed for ordination. This matter is a bit different, however, and although I support open ordination services for such men to the deacon ministry, I see little problem with this ordination being entirely in-house. The reason being that unlike pastors deacons do not automatically become deacons of new congregations they join. Furthermore, churches should seek deacons from their own congregations and not from other churches.

The practice of ordaining evangelists is so necessary as to not require comment. It is a good practice for a church considering asking the ministry of an evangelist to see what church he was ordained by.

Blessings,
TJ

2008-12-27T00:18:00.001-06:00

Friends,

I write this blog simply because I believe something needs to be said about the topic at hand- calling a pastor. We Southern Baptists have decidedly declared that we believe the Word of God is our sole authority. This is a righteous stance because lest we stand upon the Word; "To the Law and the Testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them" (Isaiah 8:20).

This being the truth, I pose a question. "Would someone be able to recognize this fact by scanning the posts of churches that are seeking a pastor?" Sadly, methinks not. Or, I should say, not amongst the majority of church postings.

The primary character traits the Bible offers us that we might know a man called of God are listed in 1 Timothy 3, 2 Timothy 2 and Titus 2. I would also add to that the preacher's duties in Acts 6, particularly verse 4. There are various Old Testament prophetic passages we could include as well, but as they are essentially covered by the teaching in the above verses, I shall refrain from listing them.

To be completely fair, one sometimes encounter churches that require these biblical characteristics alone for prospective pastors. The only other addition is that they expect the pastor to preach in accordance to the doctrine they confess and believe, an understandably prudent requirement. Such churches are the exception, however.

Take for example the following from prospective churches:
Church 1: "Looking for a full time Pastor with college degree & seminary graduate. 5-9 years experience, 39-60 years of age , married or widowed, with or without children."
Church 2: "Strong preaching/teaching skills, innovative ministry methodology. Strong interpersonal and organizational skills, ability to entrust and delegate ministry. A heart for missions. Must work closely with a staff of 4 full-time pastors, church administrator, 2 full-time secretaries, and various other staff positions. Must have at least a master?s degree from an accredited Southern Baptist institution. Previous full-time ministry experience, 5 years preferred, either in senior or associate pastoral leadership in an SBC church."

When we examine these posts closely we find some very disturbing issues emerge. To begin, why would a church require a pastor to have certification of academic credentials? Granted, the Bible requires pastor to be sound in the faith and able to rightly divide God's Word- but can a man not do this without formal training? The bigger question for me is why? Not only why would a man be required to have college and/or seminary, but also why is it necessary to even require "accredited" degrees or degrees from specific instiutions? I believe the answer lies first in a church not seriously regarding the Bible as their sole authority. Secondly, I believe the answer lays in the reality that it is just easier work (in the short run anyway) to pick a man out of a line of "best resumes" than it is to seriously seek the will of Christ in prayer and fasting. Is it not minimally wise for us to agree that a church might need to rethink its position if its requirements eliminate Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, and Billy Graham from their pastorate?
Next, what about the amount of years in office? Our examples above require anywhere from 5-9 years in the ministry. I believe there is some prudence in examining the maturity of a man in his ministry. But, quite frankly, I know some pastors that are just as mature in the second year of ministry as others are in their 12 year. In other words, not only is this a extra-biblical requirement, it is also a vain one.

Now we come to the requirement of a man's age. The Bible encourages us not to put men to the ministry who are young in Christ, but it informs us of nothing requiring the man's age at large. Why would a church have an age requirement is the question we ought to ask. I believe the answer lays too often in what is known as "pastor surveys." Pastor surveys are basically question sheets by which a congregation can pick the qualities they want in a pastor- sort of a buffet way of choosing God's ordained man. And, again, why would a church succumb to such a thing? Because its just easier than prayer and fasting.

Next, we have the issue of marriage and children. Our example above requires a man to be either currently married or widowed and either have or not have children (which I am guessing from the drift of the posting means have children at home or no children at home). The Bible is implicity clear that pastors who are married need to be known as faithfully devoted to their wives. Yet, the Bible places no requirement for a man to be married at all. The Bible does teach that pastors should manage their homes, i.e. family, children, well. But the Bible does not require pastors to have children. My personal opinion is that if a church has a requirement that would exclude our Lord, the Apostle Paul and in contemporary time, John Stott from the pastorate, they may ought to reconsider.

Apart from our examples above, we have likely all seen the postings that read "wife that plays the piano a plus." It is also common on postings for churches to require a man to "work well with youth," "work well with elderly," "have a vision" and "be a motivator." Could it be, as it is my personal opinion, that church postings requiring such things indicate a congregation that has, probably for a long time, invested little of itself into its ministry?

Also, I am sure we all have stories of pulpit committees gone astray. I once received a call from a church in Oklahoma that was following up on a resume my friend had sent them. When I answered the phone, a dear sweet lady said, "could you tell me about Brother________." I did, and gave him a glowing review. I knew my friend had already taken and left a ministry and was persuing other forms of ministry. Nevertheless, I called him and informed him of the committee call I had received. He told me, "T.J., I don't even remember sending a resume to them. It must have been when I was first in seminary--3 years ago!"

To conclude, Southern Baptist churches can determine to seek pastoral candidates any way they wish- we have no governance required upon all churches. Nevertheless, I encourage pulpit committees to minimally review how they seek out men to fill pastoral vacancies and insure their methods accord with the Word of God. Can we not agree that it may not be the wisest course of action for us to set such requirements for men to pastor our churches that would exclude our Lord Himself? Likewise, I encourage pastors to view churches that have lists of extra-biblical requirements cautiously. Such churches may say the Word of God is their sole authority, but their practices are evidence to the contrary.

Blessings,
TJ
p.s. In case anyone wonders, this is not a blog from a disgruntled pastor that is turned away from churches because I don't meet these requirements. I am 31, hold two undergraduate degrees (one from a Bible college), one graduate degree and one post graduate degree from a seminary. I am married, have children and meet the years in ministry requirements most churches list.

I Agree With the Pope on This One

2008-12-27T00:15:00.002-06:00

Friends,

Like the rest of the watching world, I have had the opportunity to take note of a few of the Pope?s activities in America. I was touched by the Pope?s concern over the child molestation problems so much of the Catholic church has faced. It is clear he is out to address this issue and seeks to bring healing to all. I was also struck by the comments a young girl made to the news media after the Pope, in the popemobile, had driven by the place she was standing. She said, "seeing him is just like seeing Jesus Christ on earth!" Though I may disagree we such a theology, I am nevertheless strangely encouraged when young Catholics actually know what Catholics believe (in Roman Catholic theology, the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth). And, let us not be coy with the issue, I am equally impressed when young (or old) Southern Baptists actually know what we believe- a sad rarity in our day.

This leads me to comment on the Pope's speech to the United Nations, which I had the opportunity to hear. Of the many topics the Pope touched upon the head issue was religious liberty. His words on the subject fascinated me because 1) Catholics have not historically been known for a strong stance on religious liberty, 2) The hallmark doctrine of Baptists is religious liberty, and 3) Baptists have by and large abandoned a thorough view of religious liberty.
Religious Liberty is purely the doctrine that no earthly power- religious, secular or otherwise- has the right to interfere with the religious convictions of men. Baptists believe this premise is true because 1) All men are created in the image of God and their souls are made competent both to receive and respond to the free vestitures of God?s grace on their own. 2) The souls of all men are held under the judgment of Christ?s Lordship, 3) Jesus completely announced the divorce of church and state in Matthew 25:15-22, 4) The church has always suffered corruption when it was wed to the state, and therefore, 5) no state or church is a true state or church if there exits a church/state.

Some may disagree with this premise and use Israel as proof. Israel was indeed a "church/state", so to speak, because for them the "state" existed by being "the church." But a closer examination of the Old Testament will reveal that though Israel was a theocracy, such was not the expected norm by God for all nations. Israel was never expected to follow the state religions of the nations in which they were held captive. And aliens to the commonwealth of Israel could partake of Israel?s religion voluntarily, not forced (2 Samuel 7:23, Jonah 3:5). Biblically, the state is a completely secular institution and the church a completely spiritual institution (Matthew 25:15-22).

Article XVII of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 reads in full: God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.

The Catholic church, in its ancient through medieval ages, thoroughly held to a joining of church and state- to the point that popes and bishops were of the same rank as kings. During and after the Cold War, the Catholic church struggled in virtually every eastern European nation. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the Catholic church espoused two varying views of religious liberty. In nations where they were the majority they insisted on the national religion being Catholic. In nations where they were the minority, they insisted on a practice of religious liberty for all (convenient, eh?). In our modern day, the Catholic church, along with virtually every other mainline church promotes religious liberty abroad. But only Baptists have from our beginnings held to such a position. The early Baptists (Anabaptists) believed prior to and during the Reformation that the corruption of the church could be linked directly back to Constantine?s Rome. The Reformers such as Luther and Calvin, while thoroughly reforming the theologies of the Bible and salvation, nevertheless held to a church/state relation. The early Baptists therefore called the Reformers "half-way reformers" because they did not go the full breadth of reforming the church through dismissing the theologies of church/states. Needless to say, this, coupled with other Baptist doctrines, lead many early Baptists to be persecuted.

This brings us to the modern day and the Pope's words. I believe his words were in part due to a hope that Islamic nations will allow people to "convert" to Catholicism without governmental reproach. I also believe his words were given in part because of the current "crisis" over whether or not the American President will attend the opening of the Olympic games in China because of China?s woefully lacking history with religious liberty. Just to speak to the latter briefly, I believe if America really wants to send a message to China on their religious liberty failures there are better ways to do it such as denying trade (or, perhaps, quit borrowing money from them! But I digress).

It also brings us to a current evangelical belief in America, namely, that America should "be a Christian nation." Granted, I certainly do hope America becomes a Christian nation, but there is a problem with the definition. Nations cannot be Christian- only individuals can be Christian. Baptists, of all people, should seek to influence government with the precepts of Christ?s righteousness. But Baptists, of all people, should be the first to say that whatever a man chooses to be, Christian, Muslim or Jew- or should a man hold a belief in one God or twenty gods- let him do so and let not the government interfere in the least. The government need only grant that protection which truly makes religion a private affair in a man?s heart. We should also honor the state and seek to be solid citizens of both the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the earth (Romans 13).

Now, of course, someone will say, "but what about if the state wants us to do something that violates our faith in Christ!" First of all, we need to stop pretending that our country does this as if it is the repeated practice of our forefathers until today. Even though our legal system may have problems, the overwhelming bulk of statues and laws do not violate Christian conscience in the least. Secondly, we need to stop acting as if there is honestly a question in the matter. If a state verdict commands us to do something contrary to Christ, we follow Christ! But anything and everything short of that demands our full and willful obedience by virtue of our conscience in Christ. And, if there is a situation where our faith and the laws of the land do not coalesce, we still need to acknowledge that while the state does not have the right to govern our conscience, they do have the right to govern actions that violate the law of the land. The present issue of the folks and children in the Texas compound is a case in point. The state has decided that no one under the age of sixteen can be sexually involved with a person of age with or without a parent?s consent. Thus, while the state will not govern the belief that such a thing can happen, they are nevertheless in full right to govern the action. Early Baptist Thomas Helwys excellently states:
That the magistrate is not by virtue of his office to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience, to force or compel men to this or that form of religion, or doctrine: but to leave Christian religion free, to every man?s conscience, and to handle only civil transgressions (Rom. XIII), injuries and wrongs of man against man, in murder, adultery, theft, etc., for Christ only is king, and lawgiver of the church and conscience.

In the final analysis, even though we may come at it from differing perspectives, I wholeheartedly agree with the Pope on this issue. The logical, equitable and fair relation of religion to the state in a "church/state" model would require that the state be equally active in the church. Many Christians need to realize this truth, for in virtually every historic matter where the church (or another religious) and state have been joined, the state, nearly without fail, will exert more influence on the church than vice versa. In either direction, this is an assault on freedom itself. Though Karl Marx himself said, "religion is man?s private affair," Marxist countries applied this only to individuals while requiring that prayers in churches, synagogues and mosques be sanctioned. Those in violation would be destroyed by the state "by murder if necessary." Our prayer and help should be fashioned under God that such injustice be eradicated and true religious liberty come to all mankind while at the same time we remain vigilant to keep state and church separated in our own country. Baptists particularly need to come back to a thorough understanding of how religious liberty does not merely merge with our beliefs but is a bedrock of them. Because we believe every soul is competent before God on their own to make religious decisions, we likewise believe every believer in Christ, by virtue of their unhindered, direct access to God is a priest unto Him. Therefore, let us heartily promote all ends of our beliefs from soul competency to religious liberty to the priesthood of the believer to an autonomously democratic free church in a free state.

Blessings,
TJ

If You Can't Beat'em, Join'em?

2008-12-27T00:13:00.002-06:00

Friends,

I recently read an article in the North American Mission Board magazine about a pastor and church in Indiana that had discovered the key to overcoming secular schedules interfering with church schedules. In this particular case, the secular schedule was baseball. The church’s solution: if you can’t beat’em, join’em. This church decided that they were tired of "fighting" over the issue and so commissioned those who forsake the fellowship of the saints to a sort of chaplaincy. Instead of coming to church, these folks go on to their sports and try to be salt and light. What was amazing, at least to me, was that the North American Mission Board seemed to support this action lock, stock and barrel- even to the inconspicuous encouragement of other churches to do the same. Everyone seems happy with the agreement- but is Jesus?
In the small western Kentucky area in which I grew up (where Baptists are the majority religion) schools would not dare hold sports meetings on Sundays or even Wednesday nights. This occurred first because those schedule makers were typically Lord’s Day honoring Christians and secondly, if they weren’t, they knew full well there would be an outcry and furthermore, they knew no one would attend. Coming to Indiana in 2003, I quickly learned the opposite is the case in this culture- sports is exalted as a god of summer (or winter, depending on the particular sport) and everyone seems convinced their child will be the next Babe Ruth (or Dan Marino, etc.). My exhortation to my people has been to honor the Lord’s Day and even tell the coaches and staff that makes sports schedules that their children will not participate in sports on Sundays- or at least during service hours. I believe this is equally being salt and light and I have no doubt that would remedy the problem, but to date it hasn’t happened.

Nevertheless, this attitude seems to be occurring more in Southern Baptist life. I really could not believe Lifeway would hold their inventories on Sundays. Granted, they tried to hold them at hours after church- the morning service anyway. Sunday night services were completely disregarded. Personally, I completely balked at the idea- especially when I found out the main reason was so the store could continue to operate without the interference of an inventory. Nevertheless, my wife and I determined she simply was not going to do it- even if it meant loosing her job. She was excused from those hours, but a dangerous precedent had been set.
Thus, we have two attitudes presented to the current problem- join it or confront it. I cannot fault any of my brethren for attempting to be truly missional (sheesh, did I really just use that word- watch out, I’ll probably be saying "organic" soon) to a lost world- yet evangelism and missions becomes an idol when it forsakes and overshadows holiness and obedience. It is an attempt to conform Christ to culture rather than culture to Christ and such cannot be supported from Scripture. The remaining question to ask is, "can the "confront it" mentality be supported by Scripture?" I believe it can.

To begin, one has to ask themselves just what part we don’t understand of "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it". The Sabbath was ordained in creation (Genesis 2:2) and etched into holy law at Sinai. While the fifth command contains a promise, the fourth command receives the greatest commentary and instruction- and God was deathly serious about it (Exodus 31:14-15). Upon breach of the Covenant including neglect of the Sabbath, Israel was subjected to exile and slavery (Nehemiah 13:17-18). God was equally willing to greatly bless those who honored the Sabbath as well (Isaiah 56:2).

In fulfilling the promise to Adam and Abraham, the Law of God has likewise been fulfilled in Christ leaving New Covenant believers free from its demands (Galatians 3:23). Nevertheless, as surely as the Law of Moses did not nullify that promise to Abraham, so the Law of Christ does not forsake the Law- in fact, it is written on our hearts and we are commanded to excel in its point and desire. For example, Jesus taught us that as the Law instructed, do not commit adultery, He expects us in the New Covenant to not only abstain from the physical act, but abstain from even lusting for a woman in our hearts (Matthew 5:27-28). As it pertains to the Sabbath, the demand of its regulation has been fulfilled (note its absence of discussion in Acts 15). The Day has changed to Sunday as it was on this day our Lord rose from the grave, the church began its worldwide mission, Paul worshipped and the day the Corinthians were to bring offerings when they gathered (Luke 24:1, Acts 2 & 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2). We cannot be certain, but it is very likely this is the Day John spoke of in Revelation 1:10.

Having this premise before us are we able to say the holy day has changed to holiday? The New Covenant will not allow it. Minimally, the law called for a cessation of work. Jesus calls us to exceed in that premise, to not only sanctify His Day, but also to recognize in obedient holiness that He is the Lord of it (Matthew 12:1-12, Mark 2:27, Luke 6:5). Furthermore, He expects us to be together in all of our meetings so as to keep our lives oriented and prepared for His return (Hebrews 10:25). We are allowed in the New Covenant to exceed our days and times of worship from just once per week, but minimally we are all to be together, in worship, in service, on His Day- period.

Jesus said that only three activities should be performed on the Sabbath (rest being implied) worship, mercy and deeds of necessity (Matthew 12:10, Luke 13:15). The Christian goal in observing the Lord’s Day should be to seek maximum adherence to these Lord’s Day pillars. Thus, if any activity violates or nullifies the Christian’s worship of Christ, rest, acts of mercy or necessity this is voluntary sin showing an abysmal appreciation for the suffering and resurrection of Christ and the new life He has given us through them (Isaiah 58:13-14, Amos 8:4-8, Hebrews 10:25). If we cannot perform an activity on the Lord’s Day by faith, it is sin (Romans 14:23). Furthermore, if love for the brothers is the chief characteristic of a Christian (1 John 3:14-19), it seems impossible for this to occur when one willful forsakes the assembling of the saints, putting their lives in the world where their hearts really are instead of Christ and His church. Christians express the Law of Christ in part by maintaining the Lord’s Day as a Holy Day, honoring Christ in it through worship and encouraging the brothers through mutual edification.

Confessionally, Southern Baptists believe "The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ." This article was changed from the 1963 confession which stated in part that activities on the Lord’s Day should include "refraining from worldly amusements, and resting from secular employments, work of necessity and mercy only being excepted." Was it a mistake to change this phrase? I agree with the wording of the 2000 confession because the exhortations I’ve given regarding the Lord’s Day do indeed flow from a Christian’s conscience. In other words, these are things saved people desire to do, not legalistic requirements people must do to be saved. Nevertheless, I agree with James Leo Garrett who wrote regarding these changes that, "it is difficult to escape the conclusion that this is an accommodation to the secularization/desabbathization of Sunday in American society and among Southern Baptists." Likewise, I agree with Larry Baker when he wrote: "Baptists of the SBC have largely abandoned the vision of the Lord’s Day as expressed by the BFM…Now it seems that anything goes on Sunday, even for church folks. For many people in the larger society and in Baptist churches, Sunday is only one of seven days in the week. For many people, Sunday is business as usual."

I should know, because I once found myself wayward in this matter. Occasionally when I was around sixteen or seventeen and had the goal of being a tournament fisherman, my grandfather and I would go fishing on some Sundays. I can distinctly remember the last time I did so. I was convicted not only of the sin, but also of the pure vanity of sitting on a lake, trying to catch fish, and then realizing that if my goal of being a tournament fisherman came true, that’s all my life would be before God when it was over. But, I’m a good sinner and a slow learner. When I was around 18 years old I started a collectibles business that operated on Sunday. I only endured that deal, going to church mainly on nights and Wednesdays, for a few months. I can still remember my grandmother so lovingly rebuking me and praying for me to not forsake the church- she knew the seriousness of what forsaking the Lord’s Day meant. Then, a year or so later, I got a job at a municipality. When I first began, I worked a shift that went Monday-Fridays, but later was put on a shift that required me to work every other Sunday. I hated it with all that I was. I prayed that God would open a door for me to continue working but on a different shift. To the glory of God, He did and I went back working from Mondays to Fridays until I surrendered to His ministry calling and went to seminary. I realized while I was in seminary and living in the dorms that a serious problem lay in the hands of Southern Baptists as Sunday by Sunday so many of my fellow brothers in training, so to speak, would sleep in and not go to church at all.

By the grace of God and the concern of godly saints, I come to treasure the value of the Lord’s Day and what a thorough maintenance of it in the soul entails. Praise God I come to know in a most intimate way with my Savior these precious words: If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah 58:13-14).

Confront it brothers, don’t join it- the labor will not be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Blessings,
TJ

The New Star Wars Movie and the Gospel

2008-12-27T00:11:00.001-06:00

Friends,

Last night I had the extreme and ever so rare opportunity to take the boys out to see the new Star Wars movie (cartoon) "Star Wars: Clone Wars." My boys, much to my delight, have become die hard Wars fans. The night began with a visit to Toys R Us where I decided to pick the boys up some lightsabers of their very own (which, much to the old man’s delight, they both chose red for Vader- the same color of my old one- though I also had a green one, in case I decided to turn away from the dark side. These new sabers are also very cool, but I won’t go into that here). After leaving the Toys R Us store, we headed to McDonald’s to grab a bite to eat, wherein the Happy Meals the boys ordered both had Darth Vader toys in them- again, things were going well. From McDonald’s we headed to the theater and got our tickets for the show. Going down the hallway to find our theater we were met by a stormtrooper and Boba Fett. After a few snapshots, we settled in and prepared to go to a place and time in a galaxy far, far away.
It didn’t take but a few seconds for me to actually wish I was in that time and place as the screen opened with a Warner Brothers sign instead of the traditional Fox anthem theme. Then, the theme song that all of us have grown to love with a huge Star Wars banner and introduction to the movie were replaced with a small Star Wars logo, entirely new music and no script preparing the movie. The old, die hard nerds, such as myself, thankfully kept silent but you could almost here us say in the palpable silence- "NO! What have they done!!!!!!!"

The movie began and really, to me, it just didn’t make a lot of sense. And the main turmoil of the movie, just really wasn’t worthy of the big screen, in my opinion. I did not even mind one of my boys needing to go to the bathroom during the movie, which is the equivalent to nerd heresy during a Star Wars film.

Nevertheless, I am not a film critic and my boys didn’t seem to mind. They were content just watching the movie and enjoying the action scenes. Since this was a night primarily for their time and enjoyment, I walked away from the theater thankful for the time together.

And the reason I am sharing this night of my family’s life is to compare it to a tragedy I fear is altogether more common and serious. I have no doubt that there are many people desiring to know, to see, to get a peek into the eternal mysteries and truth of God yet are let down in the same fashion. They go to purchase their Bibles, maybe even get themselves a Bible bag. They load up and head to church only to there be met with little more than hot air blown from a sound and light stage that leaves them as hungry as when they went in. Their problem stems from the fact that too many churches have taken the path the George Lucas took with this latest Star Wars film. Instead of maintaining the integrity, suspense and triumph of the "real" movies, he opted instead to cater to a decidedly young crowd that has little idea of the overarching story and can be satisfied with an end-the world-battle given every seven minutes. This very thing happens in the church when we seek to entertain ourselves and others while leaving behind the Law and Gospel from which the news came that we are condemned in our sin yet able to be freed forever from its condemnation through the atonement, merit and triumph of Christ by faith.

The parallels do not end there, however. The danger of walking one’s family into such a setting is that first, the temptation to check off the "righteous" box of church attendance is met, while at the same time the family is altogether doing something. While I will be the first to say that churches should minister to all ages and the entire family, preachers shouldn’t be surprised when an overstatement of these things surpasses the real reason we gather together on Sunday. This inevitably leads to attendance being let go for the sake of being together with family anywhere doing anything. In other words, people learn quick that the can be together outside and at the cost of church, which must be good since the church itself held it in such a high position.

The worst danger of all, however, comes via a thorough misunderstanding of the entire overarching theme of Star Wars- redemption. The new movie gave no insight and took no lead in bringing one to understand more of how "the force" will be brought to balance- which we know occurs when Vader sacrifices himself to destroy the Emperor in order to save his son. When the ministry of the church, especially the preaching ministry, denies the gospel by pointing no one to the law, no one to Christ, no one to the supremacy and majesty of God, the hope of Heaven, the reality of Hell and the imminent truth that Christ is coming to judge this world, then God is not glorified, the church is not built and the lost remain lost, even if everyone is sitting in the same building.

May it not happen with us, brothers.

Blessings,
TJ

What Are You Trying to Say, George?

2008-12-27T00:08:00.001-06:00

Friends,

Tonight I bore witness to the next installation in George Lucas’ pocketbook- I mean, Star Wars genre. I wrote an earlier blog dealing with the rather pathetic showing of Lucas’s "Star Wars: Clone Wars" movie. This blog is dealing with the new cartoon series.

I have to give Lucas some credit on this one. Tonight’s two half-hour segments were vastly superior to the movie. In fact, I got to see a Jedi, in this case, Yoda, stop a Sith Apprentice’s hands during a lightsaber strike against an unarmed potentate. Yoda then used the force to remove both lightsabers from her hands directly into his. For nerds like me, that was something we’ve wanted to see for a long time.

The point of this blog is not to critique the fulfillment of nerd fantasy in the television series, however. I want to speak to a theme that I recognized in both of the showings tonight.
If you are unaware of exactly what the "clone" means in Star Wars: Clone Wars, this is a reference to those villains more commonly known as "Stormtroopers." Although we didn’t learn this in any of the first three movies (actually last three, if anyone is counting), the more recent movies informed us of how and who the stormtroopers really are. They are all clones, exact replicas from a hired bounty hunter named Jango Fett.

In both of the shows tonight Jedi are teamed up with a few stormtroopers, i.e., clones, as they go out to fight the war against the droid army. To be sure, no one to date has ever cared much of anything about stories pertaining to stormtroopers save to know who they are. Having known this we are content to see them either kill or get killed in battle.

Lucas evidently wants us to know more about them- particularly to sympathize with them and recognize them as unique individuals. For example, in one scene of tonight’s shows, Yoda has a sit down with three stormtroopers and uses the opportunity to hold a training session. Yoda explains that though they are all the same, i.e. clones, they are all different and have different needs and strengths. In the second cartoon this evening, another Jedi, dispatched again with three stormtroopers, informs them straightly that their lives are worth something to him and that he would die himself so that they might live.

I found this to be a very interesting piece of this science fiction. Science fiction, more so than other genres, is generally accepted as a moving word picture of various moral or social elements common in our world. Lucas had confessed that the whole intent of Star Wars was to reinvigorate some kind of religious belief in people, primarily through pantheism and animism. It appears that in the clone wars cartoons he is out to deal, in part at least, with the issue of individualism and cloning. I might be overly critical in what I am about to say. It could be that Lucas wants us to see the compassion of the Jedi order lived out as the clones and the Jedi are slung all over the galaxy in the war. My most educated guess, however, is that Lucas wants to develop a mindset not only in the children he knows will watch the cartoons, but also with adults such as me. That mindset is that 1) Cloning needs to be done and 2) There is no moral dilemma with cloning because all the clones are unique and we can view them as having worth.
I state the above as a point of contention with Lucas because he, like all excellent filmmakers, is not content to make and tell action adventures apart from teaching morality through their works. As Christians we can learn from this endeavor, particularly as it relates to the cartoon episodes shown tonight.

First, we must be ever on guard because the works of Satan are deceptions that almost always come to us entirely by subtlety. Note that when Peter likened Satan to being a lion, he did not say that he "growls" or "roars" so as to give away his position. Rather he roams, prowls, stalking and surveying the landscape for prey (1 Peter 5:8). When you add with this the fact that Satan commonly appears as "an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14), our watch against his schemes must be kicked up a notch or two.

Secondly, the whole concept of making a case for the unique self worth and sanctity of clones is nothing less than a direct attack against the biblical witness. God has precisely ordained the way in which human life is to come to existence in creation. That process is through procreation, not genetic manipulation (Genesis 4:1). Any perversions of this order, cloning included, will not serve to "add" another unique personage to the world but rather diminish the rightly inherent dignity of we "normally born" life forms. History itself is a witness to this as well. Anytime regimes have taken to perverse and often cruel ways of understanding and developing human life (such in Hitler’s Germany), you can rest assured a part of the whole of humanity will have their lives viewed as less than human.

As Christians we must be able to read into the worldviews and mindsets that those in the world, and especially those who practice in storytelling, are really trying to convey. And as for Lucas, my advice is to stick to what really works for your stories. We don’t need (nor care) for having a sympathetic view to the supposed dignities of clones.

Blessings,
TJ

Fears, Tears and Finances

2008-12-27T00:05:00.002-06:00

Friends,

If you are like me you have been keeping pretty close tabs on the current financial situation among the markets of the world. You may have even checked your mutual fund or other investments and have had to hold back the immediate emotional tendency to get out quick. Astute observers have likely also witnessed a real policy change among how the world is rewarding those who have acted quite irresponsibly with their finances. It is truly hard to still maintain a belief that good old American capitalism is alive and well. I like how one financial commentator has commented on the current trend: "The difference between the Russian financial market and the American market is that the Russian’s don’t pretend to be capitalists." Astute observation indeed.

Unlike some others, I myself have had to keep doing regular self, spiritual checks during this "crisis." I do not normally have a besetting sin like greed within me, but I have been sorely tempted as of late to not buy up as much of the market as I possibly can. The market is absolutely on sale right now, and the fear that would normally restrain me from getting too involved with it has been lost. For example, I found some Ford Motor Company shares selling the other day for about $2. In truth, Ford, GM and some other big car makers shouldn’t be invested in right now because they quite literally, under common sense capitalism, fail. Yet the reason I would very much like to buy up a few hundred shares of Ford at $2 is because my government has taught me in the last few weeks that I can do so without fear. If Ford was truly on the edge- big brother will come bail them out. In other words, my $2 investment in the company is almost a sure bet when the sure bet should actually be that the company will severely downsize or fold.

It is this paradox that I believe is very much at the heart of the current crisis. America once understood the relationship between morality and capitalism. That relationship is that fear of loss leads one to invest not only within their means, but according to their very best understanding of a company’s possible success. This meant that to pursue the American dream one had to work hard, invest wisely, do some more hard work, do so more wise investing, etc. It also meant that financial institutions would not bet on you unless they really believed you were good for their credit. They needed to see in you an ability to work hard, a reasonable amount of personal capital and a willingness to pay what you promised you would. These days, however, we have traded in the great American dream for the great American loan application. Well have we forgotten that the one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty (Proverbs 28:19). And, as Proverbs 22:7 says the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a slave to the lender.

The foundation of the crisis before us has met my life in a very interesting way. Before I was married I had not only purchased a home, but paid it off 12 years before the loan was due. By the time I was married I had absolutely no debt and was worth, through IRA holdings, CDs and so forth around $40,000 (counting tangible assets). Yet being a pastor, I needed a few things, like suits. So Jennifer and I went to a men’s clothing store one day to get one. Once we had found the one we desired, I went to the register to check out. The clerk told me that if I applied for their store’s credit card I would get a 40% discount off the suit. I had never in my life had a credit card of any kind and didn’t want one. Yet, being newly married, pastoring a church where I made a little over a hundred dollars a week and being in seminary, the discount would be mighty handy. I applied for it and a few minutes later the store manager came out and told me that I had been denied for the card. When I asked him why, he explained to me that I didn’t have a high enough credit score. This puzzled me. I talked to a few folks in the know about these things and they explained to me that I had no credit score because I had no debt. I objected, saying that I had actually paid off all my debt years before my loans were due. This, I came to learn, actually hurt my credit score. So, I asked what I should do. The response- get a credit card- the very last thing I wanted to do. But, knowing that I may need lines of credit for future family issues, Jennifer and I reluctantly got one. We decided to use it like a checking account and have. And to this day we have not paid one penny of interest on it. But here is where it gets interesting. In 2007, Jennifer and I went looking for a new vehicle. We found a few and of course, in a visitation to many car lots met with some sales people. I remember we were looking at one particular truck and the salesman told us about some loans we could have on it. I explained to him that I didn’t believe we could make those loan payments. I was quickly told, "your credit score says you can." How about that. A few years earlier I wasn’t good enough to credit for a suit when I actually was. But then, when I actually wasn’t good enough for a vehicle loan, the tide had turned and behold, I was!

Thankfully and graciously, God has always blessed me and my family with our every need. I cannot tell you the times we have faced serious financial issues only to see Him pull us clean out. When we’ve been sent out to wander in the wilderness by Shur, we like Hagar have found Him to be Yahweh-Roi, the God who sees. And like Abraham we have learned that not only does He see us, He is also Yahweh-Jireh, the God who provides.

I am concerned, however, that there are many Christians caught up in this financial disaster that have been lead into it by less than these biblical precepts. Years of the health and wealth gospel are surely bearing fruit among those who have long believed that the pursuit of gain is one and the same as the pursuit of Christ. Like the government that has taken the fear out of finances and so let its moral binding loose, so many naming Christ’s name have focused too much on Jabez’s prayer instead of Christ’s command to seek His Kingdom first and all other things will be added unto you. Others have also forgotten that it will not profit a man to gain the whole world and yet loose his own soul. For others, such as myself, the rearing head of sin, especially that sin that is the root of all sorts of evil, greed, must be confronted and slain by the truth of God’s Word and the aid of the Holy Spirit. For God has taught us, "the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." He has also taught us "make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you."

If one does not take personal responsibility before God for their finances, they shall soon find themselves engulfed in a perfectly vicious little circle. For example, people have been outright aghast that the AIG folks would splurge nearly a half-million dollars on resorts and spa treatments in California after their governmental bail-out. But why would this surprise and what action would we really expect them to take otherwise. The government had just taught them that they can be as irresponsible as they wish in how they handle their business and it would all be good in the end. But following Christ’s word and trusting Christ’s promise will not only remove one’s fears but do so by removing all the many factors of greed and worry that compound (pardon the pun) those fears.

I will add another blog entry regarding tithing to the second part of this series. You can also find several sermons about tithing by perusing the "sermons" section of this website. What I will leave you with instead is a portion of one sermon I preached on finances.

"Friends, better than learning how to make a lot of money in this world is learning how to live for God in it. And by this thought I take you to the Lord upon one of my favorite verses of Scripture: wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath, but righteousness rescues from death. Men may save money but it will never save them. Money will buy you religion, but it will never buy you salvation. You can buy a cross with it, but you can’t buy a Savior. You can buy a passport with money to anywhere in this world, but you can’t buy a ticket to Heaven with it. The knowledge of handling money is important, more important, however, is to know how God handles you before the Messiah. Have you gone to Jesus for the salvation of your soul? In the day of wrath and Heaven shall you be bankrupt or blessed?"

May the Lord bless us all to be found in Him and store our treasure in Heaven where it shall never be lost.

Article XIII "Stewardship" of the BF&M 2000 reads as follows. God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth.

Resources Given by and Owed to God
Southern Baptists believe "God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him." God, as sole Creator of all, is also sole Provider of all blessings in Heaven and on earth; all that we have we have received from Him who created, owns and provides all things (Genesis 49:25, Leviticus 27:30, Psalm 50:10-12, Deuteronomy 8:18, 26:9-10; James 1:7). In addition to the mercifully gracious blessings of God in what we have, confessionally, Southern Baptists proclaim that "all that we…are" we owe unto God (1 Corinthians 15:10). Such substantiates the injunction of Christ that if Caesar wants a part of those coins bearing his image given back, then we must give also to God those "coins" stamped with His image, i.e. ourselves and all that we are. Gill defines this concept by stating
God is pronounced, declared and owned to be blessed, by all his creatures; hence the frequent form of blessing him used, "Blessed be the Lord God." Thus he is blessed by angels who, as they are called upon to bless him, do ascribe honour, glory and blessing to him, and the saints, who call upon their souls, and all within them, to bless his holy name for all benefits bestowed upon them. Which is done, no by invoking a blessing on him; for there is none greater than he, to invoke and ask one of, much less by conferring any upon him; for as he needs none, a creature can give him nothing but what is his own. Besides, without all contradiction, the less is blessed of the greater; the creature of the Creator, and not the Creator of the creature: but this is done by congratulating his greatness and blessedness, and ascribing it to him, and praising him for all blessings, temporal and spiritual, bestowed on them by him.

Christian Stewardship
Southern Baptists believe "Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others." When the topic of stewardship is broached, minds almost immediately turn to finances, which are a part of Christian stewardship, but not the whole. Everything that is portioned to the child of God’s life, be it ability, possessions and even time itself is entrusted to the Christian by God, the Giver of all, Who has given up no claim of ownership, for usage in the pursuit of His will and glory (1 Corinthians 4:7). The very air we breathe is entrusted unto us for use in our Father’s Kingdom. Our talents, trades and vocational skills are to be employed fully to God from the heart whether they are used in religious or secular design (Exodus 35:25, 2 Chronicles 2:7, Ephesians 6:5-9). Even time itself is entrusted to us by God and should be utilized for the purpose of the gospel and the living of love both within and without the church (Ephesians 5:16). Perhaps the most tempting erroneous concept Christians encounter is the temptation to dichotomize life into two halves- one for ourselves and the other for God. And perhaps there is no better illustration of the spiritual battle we now endure between the remnant of carnality, the old man in us of Adam and the new life of the Spirit in Christ (Romans 7:14). Utilizing the maxim of Irenaeus, "the business of the Christian is nothing else that to be ever preparing for death," the Christian goal should be to commune with the reality that God’s spiritual, material and even spatial gifts have been granted from God for the sole purpose of His glory. This is done in the believer by heartfelt gratitude, thanks and praise unto God and the vigorous usage of all towards the goal of His Kingdom and the glory of His name in the trusteeship of gospel proclamation and the duty of Christian love to all.

Stewardship Process
Southern Baptists believe "according to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth." Above and beyond the physical actions to employ our gifts and resources in the Kingdom, God is first concerned with our heart’s attitude. For this reason, Southern Baptists specify first that all endeavors in resource investment in God should be done "cheerfully." One of the most striking elements of the Mosaic covenant curses is that Israel would fail to serve God with a glad heart (Deuteronomy 28:47). It is undeniable that we as Christ’s people can give our resources and ourselves "regularly, systematically, proportionately and liberally" yet give completely wrong, whether in service or giving, because we’ve not come to invest "cheerfully." Nothing makes our giving and service to God as useless, vain and self-centered (even self-glorifying!) than doing all with a heart cold, unthankful and without love to God, the brotherhood and the lost (Acts 5:3-5, 1 Peter 5:2-3). Giving from the heart in the hope of Heaven, the glory of God, the edification of the saints and the hope of the gospel to the lost puts us in the right spiritual perspective and creates abounding joy in us simply to be use for God that which He’s given. Dan Schmidt explains, "God wants people who will serve him well, not because they must, but because they want to. He is after people who are so in love with him that they cannot conceive of life lived in any way other than at his feet, eager to do what pleases him. In return, these people experience God’s favor. They life is not necessarily more pleasant or luxurious, but it has heft to it, presence, integrity. People such as this make a conscious decision to serve God out of gratitude and respect. They are not motivated by personal gain. Rather, they have eyes for what expands the kingdom. Because of this they are happy in their work, and what they do has significance."

With a right heart, the discipline for living all of one’s life through kingdom investment is rather easy to solidify. It will reveal itself, "according to the Scriptures," in the characteristics of giving cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7), regularly/systematically (Leviticus 27:30, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2), proportionately (Acts 11:29, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2), and liberally (2 Corinthians 9:6, Malachi 3:10). In the relationship of the New Covenant, the causes of Christ can be pursued with absolute freedom. We are not bound to the regulations of the Mosaic covenant which, particularly for giving, many Christians accept the notion that the tithe (ten-percent of our finances) is what God demands. (In fact, though Israel was commanded give ten percent for Levitical support, they were also to give this tithe at the Tabernacle feast as well as giving to the poor. In all, one can say that the Israelites gave at least 30% to the Lord.) Though this may be a novel thought, and indeed might be what the Spirit stirs many hearts to give, Christians are not under the tithe but free to give as abundantly as the Lord so leads. This is certainly the understanding the early church had of giving (Acts 2:44-45). One of the most common questions I am giving regarding tithing and so forth is "do we tithe before or after taxes?" This is an honest question, but really it reveals someone wanting to find the lowest common denominator to how much they can give, check off their "holiness" box, and be blessed. In truth, the way I determine how much I am going to give to the Lord is that I simply ask Him. And when he lays it on my heart that I need to ask him again, I do, and without fail He always gives me an answer. The tithe could perhaps best be understood as the minimum amount to give not the maximum. Paul understood giving by the principle that each believer is not given a flat-tax, so to speak, but rather a Spirit lead amount according to what one has, not what they do not have (2 Corinthians 8:12). He also taught that believers should sow so as to reap, so as to be responsible and in the assurance that we can’t give out more than God can supply back (2 Corinthians 8:16-24, 9:6-8). The prophets of old warned that not giving to God both from the heart and our best was robbery of Him (Malachi 3:8). Equally as important, both in giving time, talents and resources, is that all investments honor God (Proverbs 3:9). There is certain hypocrisy entailed in giving both to God and to that which is of nature anti-Christ. Christians should thus seek to have dominion over, not under, their time, talents, finances, etc., that they might rightly use all for the glory of God (Matthew 6:24-33, Luke 20:22, Hebrews 13:5). The wisdom of God is that one will never fall short when they give in love to both God and man (Habbakuk Proverbs 11:18, 19:17, 28:20). Matthew Henry well opines "let not any people expect the blessing of God unless they make conscience of observing his ordinances and keeping up the public worship of him. Then it is likely to go well with our houses when care is taken that the work of God's house go on well." The whole book of Haggai proves this exhortation.

Blessings,
TJ

The Christian and Worry (by Pastor Ben Hottel)

2008-12-26T23:58:00.002-06:00

Dear friends, do you worry? Without question, in some form or another, each of us worries. The extent to which we struggle with it differs from person to person. But truth be told, our natural tendency is to worry—worry about how the bills will be paid, about whether we will have enough food for the week, about whether we can afford a new pair of khakis for work, and on and on it goes.

I will share briefly some worries of mine recently. I serve as Associate Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Evansville, Indiana. The Lord has let us stay here now for 4 ½ years. We are in our 14th month of a pastor search process. I do not tend to worry about much, but this process has brought out the best, and the worst, of me. My worries cover the gamut of how well the committee is handling itself, to my future position in the church, to how our church is going to continue providing for 2 full-time ministers.

Recently, God finally had His way with me on this issue. I had been counseled well by friends and fellow ministers on how to guard my heart during this time. I read a sermon by a well-respected pastor in Minnesota, which proved to be the back-breaker. Since then, God has provided a great deal of peace, which He has promised to do in His word when we submit to Him our requests. But that is the subject of the next post. Let’s have a look at what our Savior Himself said regarding the Christian and worry.

In Matthew 6:25-34, we have recorded by Matthew the apostle these words of our Lord (and as translated in the ESV): "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Let’s make a few observations, shall we. First, the first and third major imperatives we find are "do not be anxious." In this passage, we are not to be anxious about 3 areas: "your life" (v. 25), "your body" (v. 25), "tomorrow" (v. 34). Concerning your life, you are not to be anxious what you will eat or drink. Concerning your body, you are not to be anxious about what you will wear. Concerning tomorrow, you are not to be anxious about your future.

Next, why are we not to be anxious about these things? Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater in the first two instances. He says that God feeds the birds of the air, and we are of much higher value than they, so we should not be concerned about the basic necessity of food. Next, He says that God clothes the lilies and the grass, and they wither and die in a short time, so we should not be concerned about whether we will have appropriate clothes to wear. In the final case, Jesus tells us that today has enough trouble of its own. I think that what is implied here is that God knows that today has more in it than we can handle on our own anyhow, we have no need to worry about tomorrow, especially since none of us is promised tomorrow. Let’s get through today, trusting Him for the needs of today.

So we have seen the "what" and the "why," now what about the "how"? How are we to not worry? The second major imperative that Jesus gives us is "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (v. 33). First, Jesus points our direction upward to God. We must focus on the Supreme Object. I believe that Jesus was speaking to His followers in this passage. It is part of a larger portion of Matthew called the Sermon on the Mount, which when viewed from the outset (5:1), we are told that "His disciple came to Him." The link is that this message applies to His followers still. We are to fix our spiritual eyes upward to God, because we have been given a new life (2 Cor. 5:17). All things have been made new. This seems to be what Jesus is getting at when He says, "For the Gentiles seek after all these things" (v. 32). Seek after what? Food, clothing, events about tomorrow. Those of the world fix their gaze on the bigger, better deal. Non-believers trust in their money to get what they want. They worry about all sorts of things that are of earthly value. They are caught up in materialism. But not the believer. Our aim is higher. A.W. Pink states, "Let [man’s] affections be set upon things above and they will be detached from things below." That is the call of the believer. Look to God.

Second, the focus is to be on God’s kingdom (v. 33). Article 9 of our Baptist Faith & Message sums up accurately what I believe Jesus is conveying concerning this point. God’s kingdom has both external and internal aspects to it. God rules over all of His creation as its rightful King. He has set up that rule spiritually in the hearts of those who have trusted Christ.

Third, the focus is to be on God’s righteousness. God reckons His righteousness to those who have trust in Christ as their Savior, based on the obedience of Christ. He works in the believer’s life through His Spirit to grow in holiness, or His righteousness.

However, this seeking cannot be done on our own initially, for "there is none who seeks for God" (Rom. 3:11b). How can this be? Only God in His grace can set a person to search the Scriptures, to believe the gospel, to repent of sins, to believe on Christ alone for salvation, to be converted in his soul, and to await the full fruition of his faith. This is all God’s work.
What then should be our response to these things? Jesus seems to be saying that our basic necessity is salvation. Should we become a child of God, all other necessities will be met (v. 33b). Some will have more than others, no doubt, but our basic needs will be met. The one thing needful is to turn from our sins, to which we are enslaved as is the rest of the world, and be converted.

Second, our duty is to simply trust God. Paul taught Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 about contentment. Should we have our basic needs met, we should be content with what we have. Also, our Savior told us in Matthew 6:11 in the Model Prayer that we are to pray "Give us this day our daily bread."

Trusting God is a day-by-day trust. I am going to trust Him today to meet my needs, worrying neither for tomorrow nor any other day in the future. My job is to do God’s will today, with what He has provided for me today. The Christian is not to worry. In humble obedience, we trust Him to lead is in His will. We follow our Guide and Shepherd into green pastures and beside still waters.

Let us look at two other passages that deal with worry in the believer’s life. We will look at each passage in turn. Then, each of the three passages viewed in this short series will be compared.
First, the words of the apostle Paul to the church in Philippi found in 4:6-7 (again from ESV):
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We find at the beginning of this well-known passage the word "anxious." I want to deal with this word when all three passages are compared. But suffice it to say that this passage deals directly with the topic at hand—worry. Keep in mind that Paul was writing these words while he was in prison. These words follow on the heels of his command to "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" You may find this odd, as I do, that a man imprisoned has these words to say. Keep in mind as well the prison in which he found himself was not an air-conditioned or heated cell with a nice mattress and all the amenities a prisoner may avail himself of in our American penal system. Most likely, he was writing from a cave used as a prison, or a pit dug out in which the prisoner was lowered. He probably was not directly writing these words but speaking them to a scribe who wrote exactly what he said. Now, read the passage again with these things in mind. Is this not phenomenal! Consider your own situation for a moment. I doubt that it was anything like Paul’s. Mine surely is not. Yet, we still worry, so let us look at the antidote for a moment.

First, we are to pray. Second, we are to offer "supplication." Third, we are to "let [our] requests be made known to God". I am indebted to a host of resources that help me understand the original languages. One of my favorites is Kenneth Wuest’s Word Studies series. Here is how he explains these three forms of prayer: "The word ‘prayer’ is the translation of a Greek word which speaks of prayer addressed to God as an act of worship and devotion. ‘Supplication’ is from a word that speaks of supplicating for one’s personal needs. ‘Requests’ is the translation of a word which emphasizes the objects asked for, namely, the things requested."

So, when it comes to worry, we are to not worry about anything, for we are to focus our direction God-ward, ask God for help with our needs, and let Him know specifically what we need. This sounds strangely familiar.

Now, how are we to offer these prayers? Paul says "with thanksgiving." We are to thank Him for His grace and mercy toward us, for meeting our needs, and for answering our prayers. All of this is designed by God to get our focus off ourselves and whatever is worrying us and back on Him where it belongs.

He promises, then, that when we pray in this fashion, he will provide a guard for us—His peace! His peace will stand as a sentinel over our thoughts, emotions, and minds, blocking the way when worry tries to creep in. More specifically, He will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus—the Author and Finisher of faith and the One on whom our gaze must be focused in our Christian life (see Hebrews 12:1-2)
Let’s look at 1 Peter 5:5-10 now: Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Peter was writing to a group of Jewish Christians being heavily persecuted for their belief in Christ. They had been dispersed all over the Roman empire (see 1:1). Naturally, they would be filled with worry over some things.

The first point Peter makes in this passage is that the believer is to be clothed in humility. Humility is a most difficult trait to get and to keep. Yet it is a hallmark of a mature Christian. In the instance in which Peter wrote this letter, the original audience may have been questioning why their Christian walk was met with such great suffering and difficulty. Yet they were to accept trials as God’s way of making them more like Christ in His humility. The believer’s time to be exalted is rarely here and now.

Listed in the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is "longsuffering." Every version that translates this word "patience" does a great disservice to our understanding of this word. One of the marks of the Spirit-led believer is that he or she suffer long. It is a word that helps us understand as believers that no matter what difficulty may come our way due to our faith in the Lord Jesus, we are to persevere through it. When you have been persecuted for your faith time and again, and suffered long, God produces in you the great quality of humility. This is quality so desperately needed in the lives of American believers. We really have no idea what our fellow believers throughout the world endure because they have believed on the Lord Jesus. This is to our shame. Our belief in the Lord Jesus is met with smiling faces, a hand shake, a dip in a heated pool of water, and entrance into a wonderful social club of people just like us. This is a bit of an overgeneralization, but I speak of the American church culture at large. And at any rate, I digress.

Besides this humbling of ourselves to God’s redemptive purposes in lives, we are to "cast all [our] anxieties on Him." Here is our word again—worry, anxiety. God cares for His own so much, that He wants us to throw our worries on Him! His care is us. Our delight is trust in Him. Further, we are to have self-control over our minds and to be ever-watchful. Why? Because we have an Adversary whose name is Satan, a.k.a., the devil, Lucifer, the serpent of old, the dragon. Here he is described as a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

What is your view of Satan? I pray and trust that your view is formed by Scripture rather than by our culture. In our culture, he is viewed as fairly innocuous, sitting opposite the angel that whispers in your one ear telling you to do what is right, while he tries to convince you of doing the wrong thing. He’s depicted with a pitchfork, pointed tail, and little horns. I wonder if Satan delights in this cartoonish caricature of himself. It certainly presents him as little more than the bad-boy/girl side of your conscience. The Bible presents him as far more powerful and sinister. He is the accuser of the brethren; a liar; a thief; the one who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy; here, a roaring lion, seeking to devour. He is also described as one who can masquerade as an angel of light. Make no mistake about it, Satan is powerful, and he is seeking to destroy YOU as a believer. He wants to destroy your witness, damage your credibility, and subject you to pain and misery. We are powerless on our own to stand against him. But we can, if we will take on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and, in our passage here, "resist him, firm in your faith." Remember that "your faith" was a gift from God. You were powerless to respond to God until the Holy Spirit regenerated you and gave you eyes to see and ears to hear. Southern Baptists define this truth from the whole of God’s Word by stating, "Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" (Article IV, Salvation). So, even here, our resistance is in the strength God supplies.

Encouraging words follow this call to action. Fellow believers all over the world are suffering the same fate as us. Be encouraged; you are not alone. And after we have all suffered a little while, God Himself will mend us (restore), confirm our foundation in faith, provide strength for further battles, and establish or settle us in hope.

How does all this fit together? Let’s deal with our key word, anxiety. In Matthew 6 and Philippians 4, we find the verb form of the word, which we would write, "Do not worry." In 1 Peter 5, we find the noun form of the word. These two words are from the same Greek root which refers to a "divided mind." We are not to have a divided mind. The New Testament speaks in several places that the person with a divided mind is an unstable person.
The verses of our study in Matthew 6 followed a teaching Jesus gave on one’s loyalties. Are they on God or money? Our mind is not to be divided on this. Trust in God for salvation, and He will supply your needs. As we live the Christian life, and worries start to hit, we are not to worry, but to pray, supplicate, and present our requests to God. He will set up the guard of peace so that we can remain singularly focused on the concerns of the kingdom. When trials and tribulation come our way (and they will), keep your mind engaged, be ever-watchful. We have an enemy seeking to devour distracted sheep. We are to remain humble under God’s providential hand by casting all our worries on Him. It is His concern to take care of us. We are His children.
By the way, when we worry, we are placing too high a value on ourselves. We are setting ourselves on a pedestal. We are saying my problems and concerns are bigger than God can handle. This is just the opposite of the humility we need to have. This pride must be put to death. The "old guys" called this process "mortification". Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand. He cares for you.

Isn’t Scripture wonderful? We as Baptists have a long history of holding to the inerrancy and infallibility of God’s Word. One of the reasons we do so is because of the unity of Scripture. This is Article I of our Baptist Faith & Message. Each of these passages under study in this series points us in one direction: "to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation."

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

In Christ’s service,
Ben Hottel
[Ben Hottel (M.Div., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Associate Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church, Evansville, IN. Check out Ben’s blog at benhottel.blogspot.com]

Saved from What?

2008-12-26T23:57:00.001-06:00

Friends,

This morning, the son and daughter-in-law of a couple in my church were visiting their parents and came to worship with us. I was glad to meet them and we were glad to have them. Evidently, my sermon became a topic of discussion for the family as I was informed after tonight’s service, via a second-hand piece of information, that the daughter-in-law believes that you only "push" people away from Christ the more you preach to them about Hell.

Really?

When this little piece of second-hand information was given to me, I made the passing remark that this lady should have no trouble finding a church she can be happy in. It is my best, uneducated guess, that if you took any ten churches, Southern Baptists included, you could not find the word "Hell" named in any eight of them over a year’s time.

But the really startling realization I had after coming home was just how much of the sermon actually spoke to the issue of Hell. I asked my wife if she could tell me what the morning sermon was about. She responded "it was about God’s judgment," and she was right. I decided to look back over my sermon, just to see if I really was emphasizing Hell too much. I did a word search on the following words listed below. The number beside them indicates how many times they were actually used in the sermon.

Judgment x28
Hell x2

This fascinates me, quite frankly. Simply hearing the word Hell twice was enough to convince this listener that the entire sermon was on Hell and that was "pushing people away" from Jesus. (She really would have freaked out over last Sunday morning’s message titled, "A Word to Those Going to Hell"!)

Brothers, I am the firmest believer that we are living in an age where many people say they are saved, but they have never really been taught what it is they are saved from. It is little doubt, then, that discipleship in our churches struggles so much, for those who feel they have little to be saved and delivered from have little devotion to give to the Savior and Deliverer (Luke 7:47). When you couple this with the truth that preaching is equally anemic regarding the judgment of Christ, we are in a sorry shape indeed. It is an impossibility for anyone to be "saved" if they do not know what it is they are "saved" from. There is no doubt that the Lord’s riches, kindness, restraint and patience is intended to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). But these things hold no real value in a man’s heart if he does not know, or worse, shies away from, the judgment to come (Romans 2:5) which brings the righteous in Christ eternal life in Heaven and sinning, unbelievers eternal Hell (Romans2:6-8).

Article X (Last Things) of our Baptist Faith and Message rightly states:
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. (italics mine)
Let’s be sure to preach the faith we confess and the gospel we’ve a duty to proclaim in its entirety. Sin, salvation, burden, blood, death, devotion, judgment, justification, faith, freedom, Heaven and Hell are all part of it. Our Master preached this way, and so should we.

Blessings,
TJ

Christian Resistance

2008-12-26T23:54:00.000-06:00

Friends,
Let me begin by saying that I hope everyone had wonderful and grateful Thanksgiving day! Now to the post at hand.
My good friend, brother and fellow contributor to the Confessing Baptist Blog, Ben Hottel, asked in response to a previous blog, "what are the biblical guidelines for resistance" against ungodly, unbiblically governmental legislation. The answer to that question is quite manifold in the Bible, yet I will make my best attempt to outline the answer to that question in this blog. I seek to base my position on the following. First, it is my conviction that Christian resistance must be rooted in the Word of God. Secondly, I believe Christian resistance must stem from the holiness of God and our pursuit of holiness. Thirdly, I believe that Christian resistance must seek to impact society through the regenerating work of God’s Spirit in the heart of the one who submits to Christ according to the gospel.
The Root of Christian Resistance- God’s Word
The first step in any effort of Christian resistance is to ensure that all things we believe require our resistance are actual attacks against our faith. I believe the most applicable Scripture to this exhortation arises from the third command (Exodus 20:7). God demands that His name never be invoked in something that He has not explicitly commanded or denied. Also, the principle Paul taught the Corinthians to learn not to exceed what is written can be extended into this scenario as well (1 Corinthians 4:6). Perhaps the greatest illustration to this point comes from Jesus’ handling of the question over taxes. It is likely that the Roman tax issue was a thorn to many Jews and, sure enough, they brought religion into the conflict without seeing if this was actually something God would have them stand against. Jesus clarified the answer for them, telling them in effect that there are some things that violate the faith from government and some things that don’t (Matthew 22:21). Attacks requiring our direct resistance will stem from attacks on the character of God, the sanctity of human life, the relationship of the church to the state and the clearly decreed directives of Christ to His church.
The Stem of Christian Resistance- Holiness
Southern Baptists believe "all Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society" (Article XV, BF&M 2000). While it is true that all things a believer does should glorify God, it is likewise true that the singular desire of Christ for His people is that we be a holy people (Leviticus 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16). Thus, if our resistance to ungodly legislation and attacks on our faith is to be in any sense valid and useful, it can only occur if we ourselves are personally maintaining ourselves in Christ and His will. Furthermore, by appealing to God’s holiness we are insuring that the resistance we offer comes from the transcendence of God and not the philosophies of the world. Thus, we engage an unholy world with the Word of a holy God as we ourselves are maintained and persevering in His holiness (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 1:12, Ephesians 4:24-5:21). Christians are under obligation to make the will of God supreme in our own lives and then in society without being stained by society’s sin (Romans 12:1-2, James 1:27).
When the Apostles were threatened with silence, they appealed first to the holiness of God and secondly to their willingness to follow that holiness in faith and obedience (Acts 4:13-37, 5:29-32). When the prophets dealt with such things, they followed the exact same pattern and were willing also to confront the legislation as well as the legislator in doing so (Mark 6:18). And having the holiness of God and the supreme joy of their relationship to Him foremost in their minds, they likely had as part of their resistance a joy in suffering for His name as well as a joy in seeking to bless their persecutors (Matthew 6:22-35). This blessing and pursuit of holiness trained them to rest upon the sovereignty of God and to even accept their lot in suffering, captivity and death (Daniel 3:1-30, Hebrews 11:32-40, Revelation 13:5-10). Upon God’s holiness, which brings the transcendental core of our resistance and our own pursuit of His truth and holiness, true Christian resistance stems.
The Impact of Christian Resistance- Regenerated Hearts
Southern Baptists believe "means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ" (Article XV, BF&M 2000). Since humanity’s sole problem is sin and all attacks on our faith shall stem from that bondage, this becomes the sole aim of our focus when resisting attacks against our faith. Russell Moore states "We must remember that the ultimate solution to such things is not evangelical engagement but the evangel itself" (The Tie, The Magazine of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fall, 2004, p.5). As the Kingdom colony, Christ’s people are called to be salt, a preserver, and light, an illuminator, of the righteousness of Christ to a dying and dark world by vigorous gospel engagement (Matthew 5:13-16). This is part and parcel of our resistance as well.
I would comment at this point that I believe this is currently where our resistance has met a stumbling block in the road. The history of the church maintains three great failures in this regard. The first came through the "Social Gospel" which held that man’s chief problem was mere selfishness. This selfishness should be turned into doing good unto others, which the Social Gospel holds as one and the same as salvation. Baptists were at the forefront of this effort, by the way, particularly in Walter Rauschenbusch, Shailer Matthews and Henry Emerson Fosdick. The second failure came through the "Fundamentalist Movement." This movement, while maintaining and edifying the church upon the cardinal tenants of our faith, nevertheless held Christian resistance in the mere withdrawal from society, the very tenant the gospel demands. The third failure is currently being experienced among us in what I term the "Legislative Gospel." Within this movement, the church has deceived itself to believe that true Kingdom expansion and victory occur through legislative means. It’s a great irony, frankly, that while Southern Baptists profess with our lips a separation of church and state, we nevertheless have become increasingly willing to use the government to do the work we alone have been ordained to do. Likewise, we have decreed the Social Gospel to fall short of the gospel and the glory of God, yet we seemingly are depending upon the movement of society to gauge our success in Christian endeavors. At the end of the day, the truth of the matter is that when governmental legislative attacks come to us in mass, the day of putting venture capital into the Kingdom will come to an end and be shown for what it truly is- a hallow shell. In fact, as I have long believed, the use of Christianity as a tool to win elections and guide legislation would become something of our demise if "our" candidate ever lost. What I am speaking to here is the possibility that if legislators or would be legislators ever found out that Christianity didn’t politically "work" for them, we would be hung out to dry. That day may have arrived in our republic.
But to the point at hand, the truth of the matter is that even if every state and the constitution itself was amended to say, for example, that marriage is to be between one man and one woman, not one single heart has been brought to Christ by it. If legislation said tomorrow that all abortions were now illegal, the hearts that would normally have those procedures have not changed. And, as it is coming close to this time of the year, if every store added the word "Christmas" to its sale fliers because of our boycotts, the reality is that not one single manager has come into the Kingdom as He heard Jesus knock as we shared the gospel. Should we abandon these efforts? No. Southern Baptists confess that "every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth and brotherly love" (BF&M Article XV). But can we count them as victories apart from the changing of lives through the sharing of Christ’s gospel and the implementation of true and valid Christian resistance? No. True Christian resistance will always seek to confront the outward ungodliness of man while also praying and proclaiming the gospel that the creature himself will be made new in Christ. Our battle is not in the flesh but in the spiritual realm- this is the realm from which we begin our resistance (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Conclusion
I suppose that one could, in essence at least, say that our view of Christian resistance is formed upon this wise: The Great Commission does not halt while we are persecuted and our resistance should be one that entails all the great aspects of our faith.
Blessings,
TJ

Cooperative Program

2008-12-26T23:51:00.001-06:00

Friends,

Tom Ascol has opened up a blog on the Cooperative Program over at Founders that is worth a read. I believe it is becoming very clear that many pastors are looking for a change in the way CP funds are handled and distributed. In fact, it appears many pastors are also looking to change things in a major way- including an end to state conventions. The two thoughts may not seem at first to be connected, unless you understand how the CP works.

Typically, local Southern Baptist churches determine a percentage of their tithes and offerings to go to the CP. Churches can designate a specific amount to give to it monthly or yearly, if they wish, but generally, most churches choose a percentage. That percentage is then distributed to one’s state convention. The state convention determines how much of those funds stay in the state and how much are forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention. Let me illustrate this using Indiana as an example.

Let’s say New Hope Baptist Church votes to give 10% to the Cooperative Program from its undesignated gifts. Bob gives $100 in an offering. $10 of that offering is sent to the state convention. In Indiana, the stay-in-state CP funds/national distribution is 64.5/35.5. Thus, $6.45 stays in Indiana to fund convention ministries and salaries. $3.55 is sent to national. The last time I checked, the International Mission Board receives 50% of all CP giving- so of the $3.55 that made it to the national convention, roughly $1.77 goes to international missions. The remaining $1.77 is distributed about 6 different ways to national missions, seminaries, ethics and religious liberties committee, etc. (Neither Lifeway nor Guidestone receive any CP funds- in fact, Lifeway gives some of its profits to the CP- so do consider that the next time you purchase a book).

The question some are raising is "why have the state conventions at all that take so much of our giving?" That is a question worth debating. I think that in some of the old line southern states, this is a question truly in need of being answered. I am not ready to say that state conventions in such states should go, but I do believe most of them could certainly thin themselves down to give more out of state to the CP. Tom sites Florida, for example- they keep 60% in state- I think that could change. In more pioneer states, the question, in my opinion, is actually reversed. State Conventions play a key role in pioneer states. I think someone suggested on the Founders Blog that NAMB assume all of the state conventions. What they don’t know is that in pioneer states NAMB is already heavily engaged- most state convention employees and even directors of missions must be NAMB approved and receive NAMB funding and benefits. And for what it’s worth, I believe Indiana is on a very noble path of trying to reach a 50/50 split between in and out of state CP giving by decreasing the in-state CP funds by 1% until the goal is reached.

Thoughts?

Blessings,
TJ

The Purpose Driven Inauguration (by Pastor Ben Hartwig)

2008-12-20T22:25:00.002-06:00

Liberals are mad. Conservatives are mad. Pro-lifers are mad. Pro-homosexuals are mad. President-elect Barack Obama can’t seem to make anyone happy. In case you have been under a rock you should go and read an article concerning the pick for the invocation at the inauguration. Obama has asked Rick Warren to give the invocation. Google search it if you must.

While I was a bit shocked, I am not all that bothered. What?!?! Why not? He is associating with the enemy! Not so fast. I am rabidly pro-life and anti-homosexual and probably would be much quicker to preach 1 Corinthians 6 than Rick Warren but I am in disagreement with many of my pro-life friends that are upset that the apparently new "religious right" spokesman has supported Obama in this invocation. Like Warren, I could sit down and talk to Obama for an hour over coffee and it is highly likely that we would not agree on anything. So what do we mean by support? I will carry the gospel to the invocation. If I cannot do this, then I will have no part in the invocation. I will pray in the name of Christ, not a general "god" but the Triune God. And I think that if I were Warren, I might want the ear of the media to explain my decision. I don’t know what Warren’s purpose is, but my purpose would be the gospel—would we rather see the famed Rev. Wright do this?

The BF&M 2000 states in the last sentence of Article XV; "In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth." Is this not a gospel opportunity on an enormous scale? I say yes, in two ways. 1. This gives Warren an opportunity to share the gospel personally with Obama—how many people get to do that? And 2. This gives Warren an opportunity to share the gospel with thousands who may never hear the one true gospel in their own churches and he can do it at the inauguration. If Louis Farakan were doing this how would it be different? If we look at number 1 and the personal gospel witness—where could that take us? I am sure that many "conservatives" that have taken this position against Warren are the same ones that feel that Christ was removed from His throne when the GOP didn’t win. God is still sovereign and this is a real opportunity for "change". Republicans will not stop abortion—the gospel will. Republicans will not stop homosexuality—the gospel will. We need a republican in office? I say we need someone who is born again and washed by the blood of Christ in office. Obama’s problem isn’t that he isn’t a republican—his problem is that he needs Jesus.

Look toward Colossians 3:12-17. I know that this is given within the context of the church. But the church isn’t in a vacuum and neither are influential pastors of mega-churches. Take this opportunity and use it for the purpose of the gospel, the kingdom and the glory of God. If the peace of Christ rules our heart and God’s word is in us ready to get out of our faces then we are living as Christ’s representative. And if we get to share the gospel at a pro-abortion, homosexual rally—PREACH.

Our church (and me as an individual) is a member of a community organization called "SMART" (St. Meinrad Area Revitalization Team). I went to a meeting shortly after the church joined this organization. Then I was found out—those that didn’t already know were informed that I was the pastor of the Baptist church—keep in mind 95% of the people in the room were Catholic and either had gray hair or no hair—they are the real deal. An interesting thing happened—they moved me from my seat to the head table and asked me to pray before the meal. I was shocked to say the least, but I did it. What did I pray? Basically that God is Holy, you are not, Jesus Christ is the answer—repent and trust Christ. It gave me a hearing that I would have never had if I would have denied it or stayed away from "them". Rick Warren has an opportunity and we should be praying for him and frankly, we should be praying for Barack Obama—even if we loathe everything he stands for.

As a "right-wing conservative" (whatever that is anymore) I am not going to be up in arms about this issue unless Warren uses this for anything else but Kingdom purposes—I guess time will tell.

[Ben Hartwig (M.Div., SBTS) is pastor of First Baptist Church, St. Meinrad, IN. You can check out their website at http://www.fbcstmeinrad.com]

[Above photo taken from Baptist Press on 12/22/08. Click here to read the Baptist Press story in full]