Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Patton Family!

Christmas @ Biltmore

Lesa and I spend a day at the Biltmore in Ashville just before Christmas. We'd never been, and it was beautiful. One of the highlights of our Christmas season! Not a bad looking couple don't you think.

The Media and Jesus

Darrell Bock has insight on how Christians should respond to the next "blockbuster" book, movie, or whatever.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/december/22.40.html

In my own classes in NT and the church I pastor, I am attempting to cover some of these issues. I think it is more than necessary; it is essential.

Which "Emergent?"

You have heard of the Emerging Church. Which of the following "emergents" are you?

• The Mergent Church--when two or more struggling congregations decide to get together and struggle in a larger setting.
• The So-urgent Church--when the congregation is in a really big hurrty to finish the worship service because kickoff is at noon.
• The Re-emergent Church--when an Emerging Church congregation decides it is not emerged enough, so they get new, more comfortable couches for worship and replace their previous praise music with something more trendy.
• The Submergent Church--when a congregation tries all the latest trends and their people keep leaving to attend the popular mega-church down the street.
• The Unmergent Church--when a congregation splits and becomes two churches.
• The Dis-emergent Church--when a congregation gets tired of sitting on couces and drinking Starbucks and decides to go back to the boring old worship services they grew up with.

[Michael Duduit, Preaching].

The Preacher's Pledge

I ran across this in the recent Preaching.

I PLEDGE TO MAKE THE BIBLE

My primary resource in sermon preparation and preaching.

I may use other resources such as commentaries and websites
to enhance, not replace, my personal interaction with Scripture.

As I study I will strive to accurately understand and honestly
apply God's Word, allowing Him to uniquely proclaim His truth
in a relevant way through me.

May we all take this pledge!!

Wikipedia

Mark Goodacre has a recent blog entry on Wikipedia...

http://ntgateway.com/weblog/2007/12/students-should-use-wikipedia-says-its.html

Just as Goodacre, I have encouraged my students to not allow Wikipedia to be their primary source, but I think it is o.k. to use it secondarily. Students should always check Wikipedia against other sources. In other words, it is always 'Researcher Beware.'

Gospel of Judas

A recent blog by Al Mohler called my attention to an article recently written by Greg Tomlin of BP. In it, a Rice University professor has declared that the Gospel of Judas does not declare Judas a hero but a demon. You can read the article for youself.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=26763

As usual, you should always be skeptical of "new findings" that will "shake" Christianity's foundations. National Geographic, as all the others, excelled in hyperbole but was short on reality.

[By the way Greg did his Ph.D. work at Southwestern at the same time I did; I appreciate the work he does with BP. He is an excellent journalist.]

Calvinist Pastors in the SBC

Here is an interesting story in BP about the number of SBC pastors who espouse Calvinism.

http://www.baptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=26914

Ehrman, Metzger, and the Historical Jesus

Dan Wallace has an interesting take on remarks made by Bart Ehrman at this week's SBL meeting in San Diego. For those ineterested in the historical Jesus, this is well worth the time.

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2007/11/19/the-historical-metzger/

Good One

I read this in a sermon lately: "Some church members are B.P.O.--Burial Purposes Only!

[Frank Harrington, "It's Decision Time]

Small Churches

I really appreciate recent blog entries by Rodney Decker and Dave Black on the importance of supporting small churches. Both are members of smaller congregations. I currently do not pastor a small church; our congregation runs between 500 and 600 on Sunday mornings, but for over 20 years I served smaller congregations.

My wife grew up in a small church; her youth group was her and one other for the most part. She does not feel badly that she missed out on VBS every year, nor does she feel slighted about not going to camps and attending the youth events kids in the larger churches take for granted. She fondly remembers growing up in a church where everyone knew and cared for everyone else.

It is getting harder for the smaller church to "compete" with the churches that have the programs and all the bells and whistles. Sometimes smaller churches have a bit of an inferiority complex because they can't offer what the other churches do. Smaller churches, however, have what larger churches primarily do not--intimacy. Everyone knows when you're there and when you're not. You don't have to wonder about names on the prayer list you don't know. You don't have to wonder whose going to minister to you when life is difficult--the church will--all of them.

I'll never forget that when my son was born, everyone and I mean everyone came to our home and celebrated our first child with us. That doesn't happen in larger churches.

I celebrate the small church. My prayer is that in a day when many believers think bigger is better, they'll consider that often that is not the case. Perhaps they need to join or remain in that church with 100 or less. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but when did that matter to God?

Worship

In preparing for a message about worship I came across this quote from Franklin Segler. He writes, "A church can remain alive only as it continually comes to God in worship" [Christian Worship, 73]. Our mission is to make disciples, but our life is worship.

Bad PowerPoint

Got this from the DBO blog. Anyway, I hate PowerPoint; I do think it hurts learning and interaction. Yet, I use it every week in class. Am I a hypocrite? Probably!

Height of Goliath

I preached last Sunday on 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath. During my study, I read articles in the recent Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society that deal with the height of Goliath. The NKJV states that Goliath's height was 'six cubits and a span.' Traditionally, it is thought that Goliath was well over eight feet tall, perhaps well over nine feet tall.

In the December 2005 edition of JETS, J. Daniel Hays argued that Goliath was only about 6'9" tall. He based his argument on a Dead Sea Scroll text, major early LXX texts, the fact that Goliath is never called a giant in the narrative [he is called a 'champion'], and the fact that the overall thrust of the narrative is the comparison between Saul and David. Hays argues that Saul should have been the one to fight Goliath; they were close to the same size.

Clyde Billington responds to Hays [and Hays responds to Billington] in this edition of the journal. He believes the MT reading is original, and Goliath was over 8 feet tall. Billington spends much of his article dealing with the Anakim giants of the Bible and in Egyptian texts, which Billington believe essentially agree.

This is a pretty good scholarly "smack-down," and a very interesting discussion. I suggest that you get hold of the article and make up your own mind. You might also want to track down Hays' original article to get his full argument. He makes a pretty convincing case, but I wonder if David's courage against Saul's fear is the only reason for the longest war narrative in the "David story." Would Saul have feared Goliath if they were essentially the same size? Perhaps, but I wonder?

Halo 3

I'm constantly amazed at how we attempt to use worldly means to get people in church. Halo 3 is being used by some youth ministers to attract young men.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/us/07halo.html?th&emc=th

Does anyone see any contradictions here?

Mission Statement & Core Values

It has been popular for several years now for churches to come up with mission/vision and core value statements. I believe both can be helpful to define a church. I officially unveiled our new statements yesterday.

Missions statements should be short and to the point. Ours is: "The purpose of Fairview Baptist Church is to make disciples." When you get right down to it, this is the reason churches are in business. Our core values undergird the mission statement and call attention to how we'll carry it out. First, we value Scripture. Obviously everything a church does must be based upon the truths of God's Word. Second, we value celebrative worship. The word "celebrative" is used to remind us that we are to love God with everything that's in us. Third, we value relational evangelism and discipleship. "Relational" is important because both evangelism and discipleship are best done through building relationships.

Our church's purpose then is to make disciples. We do that through building relationships with lost people and an effort to win them to Christ, assimilating those won into small-groups to learn about Christ and His will, continually celebrating the goodness and grace of God through worship, and building a foundation under all of us that is Scripture based.

A strong church can be built on these principles!

Great Story

Here is a great story about a young man accepting Christ. I especially like it because this happened in our neck-of-the woods. Lyman is just down the road from us and the music director quoted served for years at Fairview.

http://www.baptistcourier.com/1978.article

Alocohol Survey

I was pleased by poll results on a survey taken concerning the consumption of alcohol. See the results in the following story.

http://www.bpnews.org/bpnews.asp?id=26564

If I could destroy the alcohol business I would do so today. I've seen too many lives and families destroyed by it.

Episcopal Meeting

Bishops of the US Episcopal Church met this week and again debated whether they should approve of gay bishops. Unfortunately they fell short again of banning the practice. How long can a “Church” survive when it is clearly violating the Word of God?

James 4:4 (HCSB) Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0927/p02s01-ussc.html

Church Planters Letter

Here's a letter in this week's Baptist Courier that echoes an earlier blog of mine concerning church planters [splitters?]

http://www.baptistcourier.com/1911.article

My sentiments exactly!

Three Basic, Quiet Acts

This is challenging:

The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeepers' concerns--how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street . . . Three pastoral acts are so basic, so critical, that they determine the shape of everything else. The acts are praying, reading Scripture, and giving spiritual direction. Besides being basic, these acts are quiet. They do not call attention to themselves and are not often attended to. In the clamorous world of pastoral work nobody yells at us to engage in these acts [Eugene Peterson].

How true a statement this is. I've never had somebody say, "Please study more," or, "Please pray more." I've had many say, "Why weren't you there when Mrs. So and So had her this or that."

1 Corinthians 13

I am studying this week 1 Corinthians 13 in preparation for Sunday's sermon. In v. 6, Paul wrote: "(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth." I ran across this extended quote from Gordon Fee in his commentary on this verse. It is outstanding.

"The person full of Christ’s love joins in rejoicing on the side of behavior that reflects the gospel—for every victory gained, every forgiveness offered, every act of kindness. Such a person refuses to take delight in evil, either in its more global forms—war, the suppression of the poor—or in those close to home—the fall of a brother or sister, a child’s misdeed. Love absolutely rejects the most pernicious form of rejoicing over evil, gossiping about the misdeeds of others; it is not gladdened when someone else falls. Love stands on the side of the gospel and looks for mercy and justice for all, including those with whom one disagrees" [Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 639.]

No more true comment has been made on this verse. It is an understatement to say that it is challenging.

By the way, in vv. 4-7, the 15 present tense verbs that depict love in action all remind us of God's love for us. We are to go and do likewise.

Memorizing James

This was on the Southwestern bloggers site. Thanks to Dave Black for leading me to this one. It really doesn't take that much to memorize Scripture.

Different Vows

These are different vows for sure!

Church Planters

I've been concerned for some time with a problem I've seen now in every place I've ministered for the last 15 years. It is the problem of splitting a church to start a new one. A couple of weeks ago I attended a meeting with the new Executive/Treasurer of the South Carolina Convention, Dr. Jim Austin. The meeting was sort of a listening session; one of several he is having around the state. Church planting became the primary topic of discussion. One church planter shared some of his story. He felt led to start a church in the town he was in. When he told the church he served, he was let go. He just didn't understand why his church was so reluctant to support the church start.

Here's the problem. Established churches are tired of staffers "feeling led" to start a new church and do so by pulling out, going down the street or across town, and taking several members [perhaps several hundred] of the church with them. You can't blame established churches for feeling betrayed by the staffers and the members who leave.

There seems to be two kinds of "church planters" today. There are men who are called by the Lord to start churches. If a man feels led by the Lord to become a church planter, the best thing to do in my opinion is to leave the area in which he is currently ministering and start a new church elsewhere. That man will find support from sister churches. There are other men who become frustrated with the church they are in, wish to see changes, and those changes are coming too slowly. He then leaves, takes people with him, and starts a new church more to his liking. If a man is frustrated with the traditional church he's in, let him be patient for the changes he wants to make or let him go somewhere else and serve a church more in line with his minister philosophy.

Church starts should not be done to the detriment of established churches. A man should not split a church to start a new one. Surely there is a better way.

Just musing.

Vick Perspective

I'm a bit tired now of hearing 24-7 Michael Vick news. I am as disgusted with what he did as anyone; no animal deserves to be treated in those ways. I wonder, however, why we get so up-in-arms as Americans over the mistreatment of animals and yet turn a blind eye to the unborn babies killed each year?

Just musing.

Byzantine Text of John

The Byzantine Text of John is now on-line. The project, primarily produced by Dr. Rod Mullen, has been in the works for some time. One of the Church Fathers used in the apparatus is Chysostom. As I was finishing my dissertation on Chrysostom's text of John, Dr. Mullen and I corresponded several times. I sent him the work I had completed up to that point [too many mistakes in it, I'm afraid. Those mistakes have been corrected and hopefully will be in book form in the next year.], and he compared my work with his, using that comparsion for Chrysostom's witness to the 4th Gospel.

The text and information relating to it can be found at:

http://www.iohannes.com/

The IGNTP latest edition on John is also out.

The New Testament in Greek IV/ the Gospel According to St. John: Volume Two the Majuscules (New Testament Tools and Studies)by U. B. Schmid (Editor), D. C. Parker (Editor), W. J. Elliott (Editor), American and British Committees of the I (Editor)
List Price:$239.00Hardcover: 558 pages
Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (August 15, 2007)Language:
EnglishISBN-10: 9004163131
ISBN-13: 978-9004163133

[The above from an e-mail I received from Dr. William Warren]

Man I wish this wasn't $239!

Finally,

There is a little debate going on the Johannine Byzantine text on the Evangelical Text Criticism blog that you might be interested in.

http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/

Crusade

We finished the North Greenville Stadium Crusade this week. The crowds were a bit hindered, especially on Monday and Tuesday due to the record-breaking heat. The last night of the crusade made it all worthwhile, however. We had at least 50 people saved. Tony Nolan preached a powerful message. We had other great messaged during the week. My favorite was from evangelist Len Turner, who shared a great word on heaven.

I found it interesting that each night as the preacher was wrapping up his sermon and going into the invitation that geese would fly over, making the noises that geese make. Spiritual warfare is alive and well!

I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with two high school students on Wednesday night during the invitation. They were the among the many young people who gave their hearts to Christ.

Ankiel

During last night's Cardinals game I saw an outstanding story of perseverance. Rick Ankiel, who is probably one of the biggest pitching prospect busts in history, found himself back in St. Louis-this time in right field. Ankiel's makeover is truly one of the most remarkable I've ever seen. His story has a great ending too--a three-run homer in the 7th that gave the Cardinals some breathing room against San Diego.

What this teaches I think is that if you want something bad enough and are willing to persevere no matter the critics, good things can happen!

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070809&content_id=2140369&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl

Great Site

Here is a great site for pictures of Bible Lands. You need to bookmark this one.

http://www.bibleplaces.com/index.htm

Thanks to the Dave Black blog for pointing this one out.

One More!

Mamaw and her great-grandchildren. The group grows!

Family Party!

Mamaw with her grandchildren. Only one is missing.

[Front from l to r: Cousin Linda, Mamaw, and my sister Susan. Back from l to r: Brothers Dave, Rob, John, and me].

#90

Happy 90th Mamaw! We recently travelled to Missouri for a big birthday bash for my grandmother, Mary Hogue. I think we surprised her. We had a birthday party at her church fellowship hall.

Missouri

We're looking forward to going to Missouri tomorrow. On Saturday the family will gather to celebrate my maternal grandmother's 90th birthday. Some Bill's barbecue, Causbie's bakery products, and Stawberry's ribs are in my future!!

Fairview Call

Yesterday Fairview extended a call for my family and me to serve there by unanimous vote. It was the culmination of what has been the most unusual times of my life. When we arrived in South Carolina last year, in no way was I looking to pastor a church. In the back of my mind I hadn't ruled it out forever, but I was looking for many years at North Greenville. God had other plans.

Only God can take a guy from Texas to a church via a university. His ways are certainly greater than our ways! Pray for us as we begin this journey officially on August 1. Fairview is a great church with God-given opportunity. An open-door is before us. My prayer is that we'll go through it.

Happy Birthday!

Lordy, Lordy look whose no longer 40!!

Lesa is officially AARP eligible.

Muslim-Christian 'Priest'

There is some recent news about an Episcopal priest's identity crisis in Seattle.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=972

Misplaced Priorities

More evidence is in that suggests much different priorities for married couples. The Pew Research Center survey on marriage and parenting found that the percentage of Americans who consider children "very important" to a successful marriage has dropped again. Couples cite the sharing of household chores as pivotal. Just 41% view children as important while chore-sharing was cited by 62% of the couples.

I suppose making sure the right person vacums or washes the clothes is all-important to a marriage. What happened to raising a family?

Psalms 127:3 (HCSB) "Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, children, a reward."

Mormons as "Christians"

An interesting debate is taking place now on beliefnet.com about Mormonism. If you're interested click on the link below:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/mormondebate/

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th everyone. It will be a sunny, perfect day in South Carolina. We had a great July 4th celebration at Fairview on Sunday. There was a stirring musical by the choir and a fireworks display that was as well done as any I've seen. There were hundreds of people in attendance. As far as today is concerned, it is grill and chill!

Churches Marketing Hollywood

James Smith has an interesting take on churches marketing movies in an editorial found in the Florida Baptist Witness.

http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/7536.article

I am always a bit uncomfortable telling my people to go to a certain movie because Hollywood's overall depiction of Christianity is anything but exemplary. "Facing the Giants," and "Passion of the Christ" are the two exceptions. When I saw the promotion of "Evan Almighty" by some churches I was VERY uncomfortable. We need to be careful.

CBF Counting

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's counting practices have been called into question. See the following article:

http://www.bpnews.org/bpnews.asp?id=25983

If a church affiliated with the SBC has a few members give to the CBF, should that church be counted as a CBF church? I think not.

Confused and Dazed

This is a wonderful example of confused and dazed in religious America. An Episcopal priest in Seattle is a practicing Muslim. Read this one and scratch your head in disbelief!

http://www.bpnews.org/bpnews.asp?id=25959

This truly is "inclusion run amok."

Retirement

This is where I intend to spend my retirement!!!

Hilton Head

My two favorite girls!

25 Years

Lesa, Stephanie, and I just returned from Hilton Head Island. It was our first time there, and during the week Lesa and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. She's put up with me a long time!

Father and Daughter

Ten things a teenage daughter doesn't want to hear from her dad.

10. “Let me explain what 'deductible' means on car insurance.”

9. “Your mom’s almost ready. Where are we going on our double date?”

8. “Seems to me last year’s prom dress still has some life in it.”

7. “I signed us up for the pairs karaoke contest this Friday night.”

6. “We ate possum toes like popcorn when I was a kid.”

5. “Let's get ice cream, my treat! Just let me grab my jar of coins.”

4. “I am proud that you decided to keep the family unibrow.”

3. “You don't need to go shopping after all. I picked out a purse for you on my way home.”

2. “I ran into Bobby at the grocery store. I told him that you're really hoping he'll ask you to the dance.”

1. “By the way, I had to borrow your deodorant yesterday.”

(www.fathers.com)

I can't wait to give this one to my daughter. I'm sure she could add to the list!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day one day early. I'm writing today because I doubt I have time tomorrow. I wish my Dad were still here to wish him a happy day. Dad died in 2001, and I still miss him. There have been many times over the last six years I would have liked to receive his advice, as crazy as that was sometimes.

My Dad was a bricklayer who wound up owning a catfish restaurant. While he and my mother rarely took my siblings and me to church when we were kids, I owe him alot. Primarily, I owe him the value of a hard day's work and the reward of a good afternoon's nap!

SBC

As expected Frank Page was re-elected without opposition yesterday at the SBC in San Antonio. I've gotten to know Dr. Page slightly in the year I've been at North Greenville. He is the man for the hour in our convention.

Jim Richards of Texas was elected 1st VP. Some see this vote as an opportunity for the "old-guard" to reestablish itself. Perhaps, but since Richards is executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas he had a home-field advantage, much as Page had last year in Charlotte. It will be the presidential vote next year that will determine whether Page's election was just a blip on the screen or something more substantial.

Sermons On-Line

Some of you may be interested my Sunday sermons are now available on-line:

http://www.fairviewgreer.net/page2619.php

We're experimenting with this right now so be patient.

When God Comes to Church

I've just finished reading Steve Gaines' new book, When God Comes to Church. Gaines, the pastor of Bellevue Baptist in Memphis, writes that what churches need is not a reformation of theology, but a reformation of worship. I agree.

The book primarily deals with worship but is also greatly concerned about revival. Some of the salient quotes are:

• You haven't had a great Sunday until God shows up!
• Definition of revival: the glory of God filling the house of God.
• One of the reasons so many people are turned off from the idea of church these days is that it is all so explainable.
• The motto of some churches is "Come as you are; leave as you came."
• Some Christians talk urgently about getting God back into government. Others talk about the need to get God back into the public schools. What I'm most concerned about is getting God back into our churches.
• Worship services should not be designed primarily to attract people. Rather, worship services should be designed to attract the manifest presence of God, and He in turn will attract the people.
• Before any talk about doing, let's talk about being.

These are just some of the nuggets you'll find in this book. My favorite chapter is "What Attracts the Presence of God." Gaines deals with what essentials must be found in a church for God's presence to be real and powerful. Those essentials are: sincere and passionate prayer, tithing, fasting, repentance, corporate worship, and unity.

He writes a great chapter on music. Of course everyone knows this is the silly subject that is getting so many church folks upset today. Every music minister knows the tension of trying to please everyone. Gaines advocates a 50/50 split between the old and new [something we try to do at Fairview with varying degrees of success I might add].

A great quote from the chapter: "Can we all please understand that church was never meant to be your personal jukebox? Everybody has 165 other hours in the week to pick out just the songs you personally like. God to your nearest Christian music supplier and load up on whatever you want. Play it nonstop from Monday to Saturday. The new technology of the iPod makes this even easier. You can select, download, and then replay your handpicked favorites as often as you want. But in the house of God, we have a different agenda. We're offering up praise and adoration for the pleasure of someone else."

Well said--if we want God's blessings we must understand that worship is not about us; it is about Him. I'm tired of people telling me what they like or don't like. It makes no difference what I like or dislike. The question about worship is what does God like and dislike?

This is an important read for those grappling with the idea of what true worship is all about. Gaines seems to be saying that real worship brings Holy Spirit revival. Amen! Let it be so.

I may blog on this more later.

Been A While

Sorry that it has been so long since I've posted. Life has been terribly busy this second semester at North Greenville University. Between classes and doing the interim pastor gig at Fairview Baptist in Greer, I've met my self behind and ahead of myself. My spring and summer terms are now over and maybe I can catch up on a few things of interest as the June and July unfold.

We just finished Vacation Bible School at Fairview. I'm not sure what our final enrollment was, but our average attendance was something like 255. We had at least 18 kids saved! What a blessing. I still believe VBS is the best opportunity for evangelism a church can be involved in. Besides, it reaches the most important generation--the next one!

Mohler on Homosexuality

Al Mohler has created some buzz on his recent writings on homosexuality. I believe he is essentially correct. Here his latest blog entry.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=901

NCAA

Lesa and I always go at each other in the NCAA tourney. She knows nothing about this but always picks well! She got me on Thursday and Friday, but in the end I know that I have her. Seven of her Sweet 16 are out!! I have 13 of my 16 still in!!! Texas disappointed us both. All four of our Final 4 are still in but I have to admit that I'm worried about Ohio State. They could very well lose to Tennessee. We both have North Carolina winning it all, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Kansas cuts down the nets. I just hope its not Florida again. I hate Gators!!

The Country Ten Commandments

1. There is only one God

2. No false gods

3. No hankerin' for other's stuff

4. No cuss'n

5. Gather on Sunday

6. No killin'

7. Mind your Ma and Pa

8. Cheatin' is forbidden

9. Ya'll don't steal

10. No white lies or gossipin'

I like these, don't you?

Something to Ponder

Al Mohler has a fascinating entry that Christians need to think deeply about.

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=891

He's right--the perfect ethical storm is brewing.

Nail Obituary

I mentioned earlier that Lesa's uncle, Rev. Bill Nail, died the other day. His obituary shares something of his half-century as a Southern Baptist pastor. Once again, I believe that we should honor the soliders of the cross who pass on.

http://www.webfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=116367&fh_id=10801&s_id=691F0591BDCA60B1B3C1149313DED56D

Response to Cameron

As you might expect, biblical scholars are challenging James Cameron's documentary set to air on Sunday. Ben Witherington is featured in the following story:

http://www.playfuls.com/news_0005642_Scholars_Prepare_Systematic_Debunking_of_Tomb_of_Jesus.html

I saw "Larry King Live" the other night and Al Mohler did a masterful job as usual in articulating the orthodox response to all this nonsense.

Here We Go Again!

We must be getting close to Easter. James Cameron is going to "sink" Christianity.

http://www.filmstalker.co.uk/archives/2007/02/james_cameron_reveals_remains.html

Don't you get tired of this every year? I do.

Fairview Website

Several of you have asked by e-mail about the website of the church where I am currently serving as interim pastor. Here it is:

http://www.fairviewgreer.net/index.php

You might even get a glimpse of me in a couple of pics.

Bill Nail

I wanted to write just a short piece on the passing today of Lesa's uncle, Rev. Bill Nail. Bill served many years as a pastor, often as a church planter. His most effective ministries were in Michigan, during the days when Southern Baptists were just catching hold in that state. He was a go-getter, and I would have liked to observed him during the height of his ministry.

The old soldiers who paved the way for guys like me are going on to their eternal reward every day. We should learn a few things from men like Bill. First, their devotion to the Lord; that is obvious. Second, their devotion to their church. They loved their people. These men were not CEO types. They lived to serve the people, and they often sacrificed a lot to do that. Third, their devotion to the SBC. Bill was a denominationalist. We're losing that more every day, and the convention is reaping the results of it, I'm sad to say. I hope there will be a renewal of devotion to the convention that Bill and others like him spent their lives building.

Bill has enjoyed today a great reunion in heaven with members of his family who have gone before. I'll always be grateful for knowing him. Lesa is a bit sad today because this is the last one of her uncles and aunts to go on to Heaven. Bill was her mother's younger brother.

His funeral will be Wednesday in Kennett. I'm sure he's heard a "Well Done" from the one who he has served all these years!

Spiritual Warfare

We were blessed at Fairview this weekend to have Dr. Chuck Lawless of Southern Seminary to conduct a Spiritual Warfare conference on Saturday and to preach in our morning service on Sunday. If you ever have a chance to hear him, take the opportunity. Some of the quotes that I wrote down from this weekend are:

• We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. Thus our enemies are not other people.
• If a church has no strategy for equipping new believers, why would God entrust that church with new babes in Christ?"
• The Christian life is a life of joy but not without conflict.
• Are we a church that threatens the enemy?

And this one was an "Oh Me" moment: "The reason some new believers' fire goes out is that they hang around us [meaning other Christians] too much."

In Sunday's service, Dr. Lawless preached an outstanding sermon on quote four above. His text was Acts 19, but I'll leave that for another entry. I will say that I've seldom seen a work of God greater than when the invitation was given in the morning service today. God moved in an unusually powerful way. There is no question that this weekend, planned many months ago, was used by God to do the business in our church that needed to be done. To Him be the glory!

Women Professors

I'm sure you're aware that Southwestern Seminary refused tenure to a Hebrew professor, Sheri Klouda, simply because she is a she. Using the Baptist Faith & Message and its prohibition of women pastors as the reason, Klouda was forced out at SWBTS and is now teaching at an institution in Indiana.

I'm sorry this happened. I know Sheri slightly; we were in the Ph.D. program at SWBTS at the same time. She is a highly competent, gifted teacher. I cannot see how we can broaden the BF&M tenet on pastoral leadership and apply it to the seminary classroom. I've sat in classrooms, and I teach in classrooms. Classrooms ain't churches. Students know it. Profs know it.

While I too have the conviction that women are not to serve as senior pastors; I believe women should be allowed to teach on the theology faculty of our seminaries. I appreciate the trustees of our institutions as well as our administrations, but I think they're wrong on this one.

Naps

Well my Dad was right. New research on napping will keep you alive. Researchers tracked more than 20,000 healthy Greek adults, and those who napped three times weekly for about a half-hour had a 37% lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap [Orlando Sentinel].

My Dad made sure his nap was uninterrupted each day. If you woke him up, you were dead pure and simple. I've taken his cue and try to take a nap a couple of times a week myself. On Sunday for sure and any other time I can work one in.

God knew we needed rest. Didn't He command a Sabbath rest? So what if I want to do it more than once a week. I'll live longer!!

SC Winter

Well it is moving out today, but here is what a SC winter looks like!

Work of the Church

Since I'm home with time on my hands, I've been thinking about the work of the church. I think I've boiled it down to four areas:

• Attract--this of course is evangelism. We must attract the lost to Christ and His church. How do we do this? I think the best way is by lavishly loving others, displaying Christ's character. Truly His character is contagious.
• Assimilate--once someone is born into the kingdom of God and becomes part of the church, what then? They must be assimilated into the fellowship. The best way here is to become part of small-group ministry. Call it Sunday School or cell-group or whatever, my experience is that when someone becomes part of a smaller group in the church, he/she begins to feel more at home and comfortable. Small groups must learn to take initiative to do whatever it takes to make assimilation successful.
• Develop--there must be a thorough and well-thought out/prayed over process to develop believers in the faith. How do people get from point A to point B in discipleship? Most churches, unfortunately have not thought this process through. How do people learn the basic building-blocks of discipleship? Every church is different but every church must have a plan!
• Deploy--as believers develop they must be deployed into service. Every Christian has been saved to serve. Again, a church must have a definite plan to move believers beyond the pew into the real work of the church. If not most will not serve and the few that will become too weary in their well-doing.

Of course, these four areas are not new, but I believe these principles are sound and should become the church's "Master-Plan." Everything the church does should be planned, coordinated, and then evaluated according to these four principles. What does not enhance these four should be abandoned.

Winter!

Well winter finally arrived early this morning. It has been snowing since about 3am, and freezing rain is now falling. School is out everywhere, so we're all home enjoying the day off! We missed the first couple of weather events but not this one. It had to happen sooner or later. The folks at church last night were concerned that the freezing rain would cause the same kind of massive power outages as the ice storm of December 05. We'll pray that won't happen!

FBC Daytona Beach

Well another super-church is falling on hard times following the retirement of their pastor. The pastor of FBC Daytona Beach, FL has resigned due to severe criticism of the "changes" he's made at the church since the retirement of Bobby Welch. For more go to the following link:

http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/6925.article

I've wondered what would happened to the super-churches after the founding or long-time charismatic pastor resigned, retired, or died. It is awfully hard after they're gone. There will be other carcasses in the road before it is over, I'm afraid.

Factions

I was shocked to learn this week that over 3,000 churches, both Protestant and Catholic, close each year. That's roughly 60 per week. While many close because the community around them has dwindled to nothing, there may be one factor that has helped close the doors than any other: factions. I believe factionalism is the great church killer.

Paul dealt with many issues troubling the church at Corinth, but the one that took up the most space gets to the heart of their problem of the great church killer. The church was divided between the great personalities of Paul, Cephas [Peter], Apollos, and even Jesus. It was factionalism that was at the heart of the other problems within the congregation, and the one that was potentially the most fatal.

Why is there factionalism in the church? Paul knew. Factionalism occurs when the church misunderstands the gospel, misunderstands ministry, and is plain ol' prideful.

What was Paul's prescription? It was the cross. If you read chapters 1-4 of 1 Corinthians, you are immediately struck by the emphasis upon the cross. For Paul it was simple--when a congregation's focus was upon the cross, there would be no room for factions. It is the cross that unifies a congregation. It is the cross that brings together so many personalities and backgrounds under one great purpose.

Simple isn't it? In a day when churches and denominations are divided, my prescription is the same as Paul's--focus upon the cross. Glory only in the cross. Preach only the cross. Let the cross of Christ be the rallying point and God will bind us together with one mind and one soul.

Good One

This was given to me the other day by one of my cohorts in crime--Dr. Charlie Bass.

After having dug to a depth of 1000 meters last year, Scottish scientists found traces of cooper wire dating back 1000 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 1000 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that followed, English scientists dug to a depth of 2000 meters and shortly after headlines in the UK read: "English archaeologists have found traces of 2000 year old cooper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a thousand years earlier than the Scots."

One week later, Texas newspapers reported the following:

"After digging as deep as 5000 meters in West Texas, scientists have found absolutely nothing. They have therefore concluded that 5000 years ago Texas inhabitants were already using wireless technology."

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!

Family Pic

I thought I'd show you how short I've become. This pic was taken on Christmas Eve at my grandmother's home in Kennett, MO. Have a great day!

Mark 5

This past Sunday was my first as interim pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Greer. We had a great day. My message was on Mark 5. If you need a quick outline, here it is:

"Who Is This Man?"

1. He is greater than the devil

2. He is greater than disease

3. He is greater than death

This passage is powerful and gives a great deal of encouragment. Also, don't miss that Mark 5 is an acted parable of salvation. Satan has control over the life of a lost man/woman; the lost person is suffering from the fatal disease of sin, but Christ is greater and can bring salvation to any person.

Mohler

It is good news that Al Mohler is out of intensive care:

http://www.bpnews.org/bpnews.asp?ID=24730

I pray that Dr. Mohler quicly recovers and gets back into the fray soon!