Musings of a Country Preacher

It’s Over

2011-07-29T18:10:00.001-04:00

I usually listen to the George Klein show on Elvis radio on Friday afternoons on Sirius/XM Radio. Each week GK has some great interviews, and I always love them. Today he interviewed Jimmie Rodgers who recorded songs like "Honeycomb" and "Kisses Sweeter than Wine." If you click on the link I've provided above you'll learn a lot about one of the truly unique singers/songwriters of the 50s and 60s. My favorite song by Rodgers is "It's Over." I remember my dad had the '45 and I played it over and over again. Elvis recorded the song in the 60s too. He also featured the song in his "Aloha" special in 1973. Jimmie said that he wrote the song in New York after he spoke with a girl there who had just broken up with her boyfriend (I think they were engaged actually). He got up in the middle of the night and wrote the song.

He didn't say when, but Elvis one day called Jimmie up and asked if he could record the song. Obviously he gave Elvis his permission (who wouldn't!) There is no telling how many albums, CDs, DVDs, etc that "Aloha" has sold since 1973!! Good decision for sure!!

Anyway, I've heard several versions of this song. Rodgers' is of course excellent. The Elvis version is very powerful.

I really enjoyed heard the back story of one of my favorite all time songs! By the way, Jimmie Rodgers has had a lot of challenges in life. Some of those he discussed in the interview too. I particularly appreciated his Christian testimony. He mentioned that with all the challenges he has faced God has blessed him.

New Chapel

2011-07-19T11:02:00.003-04:00

I'm so pleased to hear that the new chapel at Southwestern Seminary is named after Dr. J.W. "Jack" MacGorman. I have written several times in the past of Dr. MacGorman's influence on me. I had the privilege of being his last graduate assistant before his retirement in 2001. At 90, Dr. MacGorman still attends chapel and works in his office at SWBTS. The wonderful conference center is named after him too. His influence has been far-reaching and only God knows its full extent.

There is a neat live webcam that shows the progress of the chapel construction. It is going to be some kind of building. The dedication is scheduled for Dec 1 and the fall graduation is going to be there.

Warning from Church of England

2011-07-15T09:11:00.001-04:00

Is this the church in America's future?

The Church of England's quickly aging congregations means the denomination will be almost extinct in 2020 unless something is done to attract young people back to the church. "The perfect storm we can see arriving fast on the horizon is the ageing congregations," said the Rev. Dr. Patrick Richmond, a Synod member from Norwich. "2020 apparently is when our congregations start falling through the floor because of natural wastage, that is people dying... Another 10 years on, some extrapolations put the Church of England as no longer functionally extant at all." According to the UK Telegraph, other Synod members compared the church's direction to a company's "perfectly and impeccably manage[d] into failure."

[This from Religion Today Summary…Crosswalk.com]

Best Thing You Can Do

2011-07-04T06:50:00.004-04:00

JFK called on Americans in the 60s of the 20th century to ask what you could do for your country. What is the best thing you could do? The Apostle Paul, in the 60s of the 1st century wrote: “Therefore I exhort first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” [1 Timothy 2:1-2 NKJV]. The best thing you can do for your country is pray, especially for your leaders.

I find that we probably criticize more and pray less for our leaders. Paul taught that the opposite should be true. How should we pray for our leaders? I ran across an article written by Richard Land just prior to President Obama’s inauguration that gives some good guidelines on how to effectively pray for him as well as all other government leaders on every level. I adapted it for my Sunday message yesterday. I used the president as the primary example, but these guidelines could be used for the governor, mayor, etc.

 Pray for the safety of President Obama and his family
 Pray that he and other national leaders will look to God for His wisdom
 Pray that Christ would be glorified in the decisions made in the White House and in every level of government [national, state, local]
 Pray for policies and laws to be passed that will encourage moral behavior and justice for all Americans, especially the most vulnerable of us [unborn, children, the elderly, even the 'stranger']
 Pray that our leaders display exemplary character, good decision making, and will work together for the common good

But it’s not enough for the church to pray the above. Paul goes on to call on Christians to pray for the salvation of all people. He reminds us in verses 3-6 of 1Timothy 2 that God wants all people to be saved and sent His Son Jesus to die for all people. Our nation is not going to change with just good political decisions. Real change won’t happen until the hearts of Americans change. True change doesn’t happen without Christ.

I believe the real change America needs won’t happen from the White House, the Capitol, or the chambers of the Supreme Court. The real change America needs will happen at the altar and in the prayer closet as we cry out to God on behalf of our leaders and as we pray for the salvation of all people.

Praying this way is ‘good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior’ [1 Timothy 2:3].

Critiquing Bell

2011-06-23T08:21:00.004-04:00

Reading a recent edition of Christianity Today, I came across a quote from Eugene Peterson (The Message), who endorses Rob Bell's, Love Wins. According to Peterson, "There's very little Christ, very little Jesus, in these people who are fighting Rob Bell." What? I have read more than a dozen reviews of Bell's book, and quite frankly I've not seen an un-Christian attitude. All I've read are great concerns about Bell's belief about hell. None of the reviews I've read were unkind but they were 'critical.' [Since I've not read everyone's views on Bell's book I would never deny that there are criticisms that are less than Christ-like.]

Has critique now become un-Christ like? Then we would have to condemn Jesus Himself. Remember his scathing denunciation of Jewish religious leaders in Matthew 23? Let's see, He called them hypocrites, sons of hell, fools, blind guides, and like white washed tombs, "full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness" [v. 27].

What about standing up for biblical teaching? Is that un-Christ like? In Matthew 15 Jesus and His disciples were criticized by the religious leaders for not washing their hands when they eat bread [v. 2]. He turns the criticism around: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded saying, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"—Then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition [vv. 3-6]. Jesus obviously stood strong for the Ten Commandments, once again calling the religious leaders hypocrites for placing their traditions over the Word of God.

I have not read a review of Bell from reputable scholars/writers that has had the word hypocrite in it. The reviews were softer than the words Jesus used in Matthew 15 or 23. If Peterson wants to endorse a less than orthodox view of hell he has the right to do so. However, he should not cast those who don't as less than Christian.

UMC Problem

2011-06-22T07:34:00.001-04:00

The United Methodists have a real problem as reported by the AP:

The Associated Press reports that the tide may be turning in the United Methodist Church on the issue of same-sex marriages. Hundreds of pastors from areas including Illinois, Minnesota, New York and New England have signed statements in recent weeks asserting their willingness to defy church rules that forbid officiating at such ceremonies. Many do so anyway, but have mostly kept silent on their conduct. However, church officials have taken several violators to task in church court. The Rev. Amy DeLong of Oscela in western Wisconsin faces a three-day trial on two charges: violating a church prohibition on the ordination of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" and marrying a lesbian couple. She defends her actions by saying it is "incumbent on me not to perpetuate [the church's] unjust laws."

Hopefully the denomination will stay strong on this issue and deal with rogue pastors. Baptists beware! [Just a muse from a country preacher!!]

View of Preaching

2011-06-20T07:43:00.001-04:00

This is a very fine column for preachers. You need to read it.

GOP Debate

2011-06-15T08:04:00.001-04:00

I taped the GOP debate and watched this morning with my coffee. I'm just a regular guy (a simple country preacher) but here's my take on each candidate in bullet point form.

Herman Cain—people liked him for a week or so. He is flamboyant and I like his fire. He has never been in government and while that may be what we need it won't be what we get.
Rick Santorum—I liked him more than I thought I would. He had thoughtful responses and as I've read other's reviews he seems to have helped himself a bit.
Ron Paul—I think this is his 15^th run for the White House. A Libertarian is a good critic of government (and we need that) but cannot run it. Government needs to stay out of a lot but not everything. We need a lot less regulation but not 'no' regulation.
Newt Gingrich—really I think he did the best job answering the questions. I think the short answer format was good for him, but I doubt he can be nominated.
Michelle Bachmann—I came in wanting to know more about her. I like her a lot, and while she didn't 'wow' me, she didn't turn me off either. Can she win the nomination? Stranger things have happened, but I really want to think of her as a VP candidate, depending on who wins.
Tim Pawlenty—I really liked his economic plan when he introduced it, reading it in some detail. I could understand it and it makes sense. I watched his interview with Chris Wallace on Fox Sunday and liked how he critiqued Rominey care and coined the term "ObmaneyCare." But when he had a chance to hit Rominey on the issue he backed away. I was disappointed. I really like Pawlenty; we'll see.
Mitt Rominey—the clear cut front runner and winner of the debate (winner in the sense that he did nothing to hurt himself and no one else tried to hurt him). I HATE that he will not just say his Mass health-care plan is a dyna-whoppin failure.

Can I just say I hated the format? I did. It was cool and for CNN I thought the thing was fair. But the cool wore off on me pretty quickly. Also sometimes it takes more than 30 seconds to answer a question. Of course, that's just the musing of a country preacher. John King did a credible job handling the debate. It is way too early to know who will wind up the nominee, and there's no way we can write off anybody at this point. There are still some wild cards like Palin and Perry. Everybody I see and read says Palin won't run; they've NEVER been wrong have they? As far as Perry is concerned, he is a social conservative with a record of creating jobs in Texas. I was not a big fan when I lived there. I thought he was a "W" wannabe, but he's grown on me. He will have money to run if he decides to do so; after all, he's a Texas governor.

Here's the answer to THE most important question of the evening: Elvis or Johnny Cash? Of course it is Elvis!

That is my humble but accurate opinion.

The Church Confronting Culture

2011-06-13T10:22:00.001-04:00

How does the church confront culture? I think we can look at Acts 19, Paul's ministry in Ephesus and see how. Luke tells us about those who practiced magic turning away from that practice and how the idol souvenir business was threatened by people who turned to Christ, eventually causing a riot in the city.

What did Paul do to confront culture? Simply, he preached the Gospel, allowed God's Word to do its work, and then transformed lives transformed culture. As I studied the chapter recently I particularly liked what Darrel Bock had to say:

Transformation of individuals affects the culture at large, making it so nervous that it reacts to stop the progress. Luke does not speak of a campaign against others but of the presence of effective internal reform. What affects the commerce of idolatry in Ephesus is apparently not a program to stamp out magic but the change of lifestyle among believers, which entails separating themselves from such practices.

The church too often goes about this in the wrong way. God does expect His church to confront culture. It must do so, not through organized protests against sin, but through the organized preaching of the Gospel. When lives change through repentance and faith, the culture will change for the glory of God.

When Pastor's Bleed

2011-06-09T19:10:00.002-04:00

I was recently given Gordon MacDonald's book, Who Stole My Church, by one of our members to read. It is a different church growth type book; it is fiction, albeit based on experience. It deals with the other side of the coin—how does the senior generation feel about all the changes in what can be termed the 'traditional' church? This entry is not about the book but about one section of it: Gordon's reaction to the departure of several people in the church after approval of a name change in a business meeting. I and any other pastor could relate to what he writes about those who leave after a dispute or for any other reason.

Are there any words that a pastor dreads more than 'leaving the church?' There must be, but I can't think of them right now. Leaving! I tend to associate the word with defeat or failure—mine . . . Some are going to ask, Why the fuss over fifteen people (the number of folks who left after that decision). The truth is, speaking as a pastor, you give your heart to the people of a congregation if this work is indeed a calling. You invest in them, think about them constantly, try to find ways to build Christ into their lives. You exalt in their spiritual development. You share their difficult moments. And you rejoice when good things happen to them.

He continues: If you really do give away your heart, then when people leave, they take a piece of it with them. I have known more than a few pastors who have given their hearts away piece by piece until one day there was nothing more to give. It's not unusual for some pastors to reach a point where they can no longer manage the disappointments of people leaving or just hanging around and making trouble. Something dies within them, and they either quit or begin to treat their work as a regular job in which a person counts the days until retirement. (I would add that when this happens a pastor often becomes very cynical instead of hopeful and full of faith.)

To be honest, sometimes there are people who leave the church and you feel relieved. They demand a disproportionate amount of attention, or they generate a chronic kind of complaining. You finally come to the conclusion that this is not a happy experience for them or for you. They have to be released to find a place where they'll find a better fit.

But to be fair, the fifteen or so who left us after we changed our name were very good people. And that's why I took every one of their 'leavings' personally. [Who Stole My Church, 162-163].

MacDonald has eloquently shared what makes pastors bleed. It's not fighting the Devil; we know God will give us victory. It's not standing for truth; we see that as our calling. It is the leaving of the saints. Every time it happens, no matter whom or what the reason, it hurts and we bleed.

After all, contrary to popular opinion, pastors are just people too.

Friends and Tough Times

2011-06-08T08:04:00.003-04:00

The Anthony Weiner situation has been all over the news and there's no use commenting on the specifics. However, one story on the Fox news website yesterday caught my eye. The headline was, "Senate Leader Throws Weiner Under the Bus." Senator Harry Reid said he would not help Weiner, and if the Congressman asked him for advice he would have none to give--"Call somebody else." I don't know whether or not Harry Reid has any kind of relationship with the Congressman at all, but one thing I know--in tough times you really find out who your friends are and who they are not.

Fox reported: "Rep. Weiner has received very little public support since divulging on Monday that he had sent lewd pictures to and engaged in sexually-explicit messaging with at least six women, though his mentor and former boss, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, is standing by his side.

'I am deeply pained and saddened by today's news. By fully explaining himself, apologizing to all he hurt and taking full responsibility for his wrongful actions, Anthony did the right thing. He remains a talented and committed public servant, and I pray he and his family can get through these difficult times,' Schumer said in a statement released by his office Monday night."

Senator Schumer is obviously a real friend. A real friend will feel the pain, be in the ditch with you, and offer real help. A real friend won't throw you to the wolves. Real friends are there even when you really mess things up. In fact, that's when they are needed the most and are appreciated the most. You do find out who your friends are when the dark moments of life hit. Unfortunately you find out some you thought were friends will make the ditch deeper for you.

Who would be with you if you found yourself in the ditch? They are the true friends; and you probably don't have many of them. That's ok. Even one friend who will stand with you in the darkest times is a blessing from God.

"A friend loves at all times and a brother is born in adversity" [Prov 17:17].

The New NIV

2011-06-06T14:18:00.004-04:00

Here we go again. The 2011 NIV is being criticized for its inclusive language. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood [CBMW] is taking the translation committee to task for inaccurate gender language. More than 2700 of the problems critics identified in the controversial TNIV remain in the NIV 2011, and because of those problems the CBMW cannot recommend the revised translation.

As Baptist Press reports correctly, the debate centers on translation philosophy: Is it permissible to make the English translation inclusive when the intent and application of the verse are also inclusive? My answer to that question would be yes. A translation, especially a dynamic equivalent, can certainly do that. Is it wrong to ensure communication? I would say no as long as there is no violence to the intent of the Greek or Hebrew text. Do people speak in gender inclusive ways today? Yes. I even preach that way and have for years. I seldom use the masculine pronoun exclusively and have urged my students to do the same thing. We must communicate. We can without destroying the integrity of God's message. Overall then I believe the criticisms of CBMW are unwarranted. I understand their concerns of course and share in their desire to ensure biblical family values, but making the English text more gender inclusive is helpful and maybe even necessary.

There are two verses in Paul's writings that are especially criticized by CBMW. The first is 1 Timothy 2:12. The 2011 NIV renders the verse, "I do not permit a woman to teach or assume authority over a man; she must be quiet." The criticism is over 'assume authority' over against 'have authority,' found in the 1984 version. CBMW charges that the change will allow those who embrace women pastors and elders to argue that women are not assuming authority but have been given it by others. To be honest those who claim that women can serve as pastors and/or elders use the same argument with 'have authority.' One will not be convinced either way using the new translation. Doesn't the word 'assume' imply initiation of some kind? BDAG translates the word as 'to assume a stance of independent authority.' That definition seems to imply initiation. I'm not sure that the 2011 NIV needed to change the translation of v. 12 [I don't think I would have], but neither do I think the translation committee has violated the intent of Paul's writing.

Then there's Romans 16:7. This is the famous (or infamous) Junia verse. The 2011 NIV reads: "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." The 1984 NIV translated Junia as Junias, a male name and textually very doubtful. The controversy here concerns a preposition translated 'among,' which gives the impression that Junia was an apostle. Other versions, such as the ESV would translate the preposition as, 'well known to the apostles,' eliminating the possibility of a female apostle. The difficulty with the ESV and translations like it (including HCSB) is while that use of the preposition is possible it is not the ordinary use of it and unlikely. The most probable translation is that of the 2011 NIV. For those who do not wish to believe that a woman could be an apostle, it is common knowledge that the word in Greek more generally means 'messenger.' Perhaps Paul had in mind the more common and not the technical use of the term. We simply do not know, but I would rather grapple with the use of apostolos in this verse than do some translation gymnastics with the preposition. Interpretations like the ESV or HCSB seem to me to be more a product of one's ecclesiological presuppositions rather than a good translation of the Greek text.

Our presuppositions are hard to get out of the way when we interpret the biblical text. For example, the fact that I'm a Southern Baptist who affirms our denomination's doctrinal statement will lead me to see verses like 1 Timothy 2:12 and Romans 16:7 in a certain way. Good hermeneutics, however, call for as objective look at the text as possible. We must allow the texts to say what they say. We can grapple with and even argue about the meanings. But let's translate them correctly. In the two cases above, the 2011 NIV does a decent job. I would give it a "C+" on 1 Timothy 2:12 but an "A" on Romans 16:7.

Let's get back to the overall philosophical problem here. How do we translate God's Word? Language usages change. We all know that, and that's why the KJV is a problem for so many people. No one I preach to on Sunday uses "thee" or "thou." Translations must change as well. Good translations will communicate the unchanging Word of God so it can be understood by as many people as possible. You may not agree with gender inclusive language, but the fact remains that it is the way people communicate in 2011. Shouldn't a Bible translation show that as long as there is no violence done to the Greek or Hebrew texts? Can that be done? The answer to both questions is yes. More gender inclusive language does not have to undermine the authority of Scripture. I think that CBMW is reaching out too far in its overall criticism of the 2011 NIV.

A Generation of "Marthas"

2011-05-23T08:10:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was Graduate Sunday at Fairview, an annual celebration of those who are finally getting released from the tyranny of high school and college. To be honest, it doesn't make for the most powerful worship service; people are primarily interested in seeing their 'little darlings' in their caps and gowns. I get that so not a major complaint [maybe a minor one though]. In my message yesterday, I focused on Luke 10:25-11:13, a series of admonitions from Jesus concerning our most important relationships: with others and with God.

In the middle of the message, I tackled an important issue. Luke 10:38-42 is the story of Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is distracted, busy with supper preparations, while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Martha thinks Mary is doing nothing; Jesus says she is doing the best thing. It occurred to me as I studied last week that we are raising the most distracted generation in the history of America. They are a generation of "Marthas." With all the social media, activities, etc. that our youth are involved with and in, it is doubtful they know how to 'be still' and focus on much of anything, much less 'be still' and hear and God. Yet, to be a fruitful follower of Christ, that is exactly what one has to do. Jesus said sitting at His feet and hearing from Him is the best thing.

I don't blame the kids for being Marthas, however. Mostly I blame me and other parents with me. From the time our graduates were born, we decided for some reason that it was vital to their well-being that every second of their lives had to be used up in an endless barrage of activities—from karate to soccer to dance lessons to baseball to football, etc etc etc etc. We 'throw' church in too, of course. But church activities are only part of and not necessarily the most vital part of a child's week. If a baseball tournament or a dance recital is found to be at the same time as a church activity, most of the time the church activity is skipped. We have also purchased the cell phones and computers and pretty much given our kids unrestricted use of them [before I'm criticized I know there are exceptions to these general statements—but not many]. Our kids are Marthas because we have allowed them to be. They are Marthas because we are too. We parents don't really know how to be still either. We have the mistaken notion that stillness leads to staleness or worse yet paralysis.

Parents are not the only culprits. The church is also to blame. Most churches can be described as Martha churches. By that I mean places where there is a whirlwind of activities and very little 'being still' time. I wonder what would happen in the average Baptist church, including the one I serve, if a decision was made to stop all the activities other than basic discipleship and worship? What if I stood in the pulpit Sunday and proclaimed, "We're going to learn to be still and listen to Jesus?" My experience tells me exactly what would happen. There would be a rebellion in the church. Many would start looking for other churches that provide the activities parents especially perceive are necessary to keep everybody busy and happy [as if busyness results in happiness]. Youth and children's ministers would be particularly criticized because it is believed that they are on staff simply to plan and pull off activities.

It is always easier to get people to respond to an activity, but difficult indeed to get people to even attend a prayer meeting. Do you see a problem here? How can Martha churches help Martha parents who desperately need to help Martha children? They cannot.

Yet Jesus tells us that the most important thing is to sit at His feet and hear from Him (in Word and in prayer). That is the best thing that cannot be taken away. Perhaps churches need to reassess their multitude of activities and focus more on teaching people the importance of the 'best thing.' Churches can and should teach the spiritual disciplines. I would argue that is the church's primary responsibility.

We parents need to look at our own lives. How can we teach our children something we don't know how to do?

Here is the thought that is burdening me: What will happen to the church in the years ahead if the most distracted generation stays that way? I believe this is an important issue; the future vitality of the church is at stake.

Judgment Day

2011-05-21T05:59:00.005-04:00

The rapture is supposed to be today according to Harold Camping. I'm watching Fox News as I write this and one of their headlines is about the prediction. My brother called last night and asked (only half joking), Is the world going to end tomorrow?

Let's get this out of the way. First, I'm not a pre-trib rapture guy, but if you are, you believe the rapture of the church could happen at any time. Could this be the day of the rapture? A dispensationalist will say yes. No responsible dispensationalist, however, will ever predict the day. Will anyone be able to figure the day based on so-called evidence found either in or out of the Bible? NO!

If anyone ever gives you a date--STOP LISTENING IMMEDIATELY! The guy simply does not know what he's talking about.

The words of Jesus: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority" [Acts 1:7]. Only God knows the day He wraps up history. Will it happen? Yes. The date is in the mind of God not in the mind of Harold Camping. By the way, he's already been wrong once. Originally he predicted the rapture would take place back in 1994.

It's shame we give this guy a hearing at all.

Importance of Preaching

2011-05-09T07:46:00.002-04:00

In the end, the church will not be judged by its Lord for the quality of its music but for the faithfulness of its preaching. The preacher will be judged for his preaching, and the congregation will be judged for its hearing--and for the preaching it demanded [Al Mohler, He Is Not Silent, 74].

Should I Dance Today?

2011-05-02T14:18:00.003-04:00

It was at 4:30 this morning that I flipped on Fox News and found out that Osama bin Laden was dead, killed by Navy Seals. My first reaction was of elation, extremely happy and satisfied that justice had finally been served upon the mastermind of 9/11. I thought, Well I wish it hadn't taken ten years! It wasn't but a few minutes afterward, however, that the thought occurred to me—where is Bin Laden now?—separated from God for eternity. Should I be happy about that? Thus, there is an ethical dilemma for the Christian today.

There is dancing in the streets of America. At Ground Zero, the White House, West Point, the Naval Academy, and in countless other American locations last night and into the wee hours of the morning there was joy at the death of the hated terrorist. I've seen the video of the various places, including the Phillies home ball park during last night's baseball game, of singing and chants of "USA, USA, USA". But should the Christian dance? Should the Christian sing? Should the Christian be joyful?

I've done a lot of thinking about this today and here are my conclusions. First, I understand the jubilation. Bin Laden planned a terror attack that affected and still affects so many. I saw a man interviewed this morning whose son died in one of the Twin Towers—he still feels the pain. I understand his joy today because some justice has come. Bin Laden is the symbol of terrorism that we've fought so hard against for a decade. So I get the jubilation. As an American I too want justice. Plus, I'm proud of our troops, the work they do, the sacrifices they make, and the undeniable bravery and heroism they display daily to keep us free from any more 9/11s.

But is my primary loyalty to America? Who is to be Lord of my life? It is not any American. It is Jesus Christ. I must ask then, how would He expect me to react? I don't have to look very far: "You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven" [Matthew 5:43-45]. As Jesus hung on the cross, he prayed, "Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing" [Luke 23:34].

Can I leave out Paul's teachings? "Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink…Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good" [Romans 12:19-21].

Both Jesus and Paul seem to indicate that I should not be dancing today.

Is God pleased today about the death of Bin Laden? Let's remember that "God so loved the world," [John 3:16]. Jesus died for Bin Laden just as He died for me. God does 'not want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance' [2 Peter 3:9]. God's heart breaks when any human being lives his life in rejection of His Son's sacrifice. God's heart breaks for any human being spending eternity separated from Him. Yet God always allows us to make our own decisions about what we will do or not do with His Son Jesus. We must all eternally live with that decision, including Bin Laden.

I am an American. But I am a Christian first. Thus while some part of me is greatly relieved that justice has been done (as far as this life is concerned), I must be burdened that there is eternal justice that is much more important—and that justice will be done as well. No doubt--it is a dilemma. I am torn. But I have reached a conclusion:

Whether it is Bin Laden or my neighbor down the road, I should not dance in the street when someone dies.

Spring Training

2011-03-24T07:36:00.005-04:00

Earlier this month I finally did something I had wanted to do for 20 years--go to Florida and take in some spring training baseball. Andrew and I hit three places: Lakeland and Tigertown, Braves camp the Wide World of Sports complex, and Kissimmee for the Houston Astros.

Overall it was a great time. The weather made me wonder why in the world I had left Florida over a decade ago. That was stupid! Anyway, it was a super week. Spring training crowds are certainly laid back as are the games, but still it is baseball so who cares.

Best Atmosphere--Tigertown--we had a great Sunday afternoon there.

Most boring crowd--Kissimmee--It was a Tuesday afternoon I guess. I thought I was at an AARP convention.

Best Complex--Braves at ESPN Wide World of Sports--that is an awesome facility. Don't eat at the ESPN Sports Grill, though--not too good. All three places we went to were great though.

Best Food--Hands down it was Tigertown at Lakeland. The BBQ nachos are to die for!

Biggest Surprise--the sea of Cardinal Red at the Wednesday afternoon Braves/Cards game. That was awesome!

I was disappointed that the prices for concessions, tickets, etc. are way too high. I thought I was back at the Ballpark at Arlington paying way too much money for hot dogs and bottled waters. That was a surprise really. Tickets can be had cheaper for seats at a regular season game. When I paid the same money for a bleacher seat than for a nice regular seat at the Braves' complex I was a bit put out. So I definately spent more money than expected.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! I hope to do it again--heading next time to southern Florida or to Tampa and that side of Florida's Grapefruit League. Andrew wants Arizona to check out the Rangers. So we may try the Cactus League.

How Satan Attacks the Church

2011-03-01T11:14:00.003-05:00

When the church begins to push forward you can bet Satan will push back. The important thing for a church is to be able to discern Satan's activities. Fortunately, while he is certainly cunning and even powerful, Satan is not particularly creative. He has pretty much used the same tactics for 2000 years against the church. Note Acts 5 and 6.

First, Satan uses hypocrisy against the church. Ananias and his wife Sapphira were hypocrites. They pretended to give all the proceeds from a parcel of land while only really giving part. There are 'pretenders' in every church, of course. A true hypocrite is not a Christian, but of course, we all are tempted with hypocritical behavior. The key to combating hypocrisy is humility [Matthew 23:11-12].

Second, Satan uses persecution against the church. That hardly ever works. The Jewish religious leaders bring the apostles before them as Acts 5 unfolds and warn them, even beat them. The apostles stand strong and the word of God goes out even more powerfully. Persecution cannot stop the church because Christians know they are involved in something bigger than themselves--the mission of God. They also know there is something better ahead--heaven. "Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust...The more you mow down, the more we grow; the seed is the blood of Christians" [Tertullian].

Third, Satan uses inner conflict against the church. This is his most effective way, I think, of attack. Acts 6:1-7 tells us of the inner conflict brewing as Hellenistic Christians murmur against the Hebraic believers. Inner conflict distracts a church from its mission, making it inward focused. It always leaves believers discouraged and drains the church of spiritual vitality. The apostles were wise to Satan's tactics and met the conflict biblically, prayerfully, humbly, and quickly. The result of dealing with inner conflict in a godly manner was the expansion of the church.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 6 that Christians are to stand against the tactics of the devil using the full armor of God [Eph 6:11-18]. When the church recognizes Satan's attacks and uses the resources God has given, the mission will go forward and the church will be victorious!

Borg and Crossan's Bible

2011-02-21T13:15:00.006-05:00

The Upstate received a visit from two Jesus Seminar scholars over the weekend. The Anderson School of Theology for Laypersons (whatever that is) hosted Marcus Borg and J.D. Crossan. Both scholars touted their version of the historical Jesus and pretty much discounted any kind of 'literal reading of the Bible.' Some quotes from our local newspaper:

"Sometimes the Bible is wrong. Get over it" [Crossan].

"The passages about women remaining silent in church, they're wrong" [Borg]. By the way, he said the same about homosexuality.

"The empty tomb is irrelevant. Jesus is a living reality that can be experienced today" [Borg].

Quoting the paper (Greenville News): "A literalist approach to the Bible often leaves Christians debating the veracity of a given miracle, so that they miss the point of the story, said Crossan." The example Crossan gives is of the feeding of the 5000. To him, the point of the story is not whether it really happened but that "God owns the world and everyone gets a fair share--no one is left behind." Wow! That is a Bultmannian approach to a miracle if I ever heard one. It is Crossan, who has missed the point. Point one--it did happen. All four Gospels say so. There is good reason to believe in the veracity of the event (see Craig Blomberg's Historical Reliability of the Gospels). Point two--the 'point' of the miracle is to call attention to the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh, not that everyone gets his fair share. The miracles are Christological and evangelistic in their nature--not just a call to compassion to ensure that everyone is treated fairly.

But keep in mind the Jesus of Crossan and Borg is little more than a compassionate sage. He is certainly not the God/Man who died for sins and was raised from the dead [one of their major presuppositions is that miracles cannot happen]. Crossan's Jesus is a Jewish peasant and radical advocate of egalitarianism. Borg's is a mystic who showed way too much compassion for others to demand moral purity from them.

The Jesus of these two men certainly is not the Lord to whom one must submit. Really this is the issue. If Jesus is as these two men portray him, why not just live as you please?

It's a shame that alot of folks in the Anderson area gave them the time of day. It's even more shameful that many walked away amazed at their scholarship and embraced their "Jesus."

New IMB President

2011-02-17T13:49:00.003-05:00

Baptist Press reports today that Tom Eliff is the nominee for IMB President. Eliff is a 'safe' choice for the position in my estimation. The only question I have is that he is already 66 years old. It seems to me in a few short years we'll have to go through all this again. I wonder if we'll be looking at one missions board by then, doing both home and international work? We'll see.

It is just difficult to imagine that it took the search team 16 months to wind up here,but my prayers will be with him.

The Ideal Preacher

2011-02-07T14:46:00.001-05:00

I don't remember if I've ever shared this or not:

After hundreds of fruitless years, a model minister has been found to suit everyone. It is guaranteed that he will please all the people in any church.
• He preaches only 20 minutes, but thoroughly expounds the Word.
• He condemns sin, but never hurts anyone's feelings.
• He works from 8am to 10pm doing every type of work from preaching to janitorial
• He makes $100 per week, wears good clothes, buys good books, has a nice family, drives a nice car, and gives $50 per week to the church.
• He stands ready to give to any good cause.
• His family is completely model in deportment, dress, and attitude.
• He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years.
• He is tall, short, thin, handsome, has one brown eye and one blue eye, hair parted just right.
• He has a burning desire to work with teens and spends all his time with old folks.
• He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work.
• He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time winning the lost, and is never out of the office.

[Darrell Robinson, Total Church Life].

Well there you go!

The Dangerous 'Church Roll'

2011-02-02T14:22:00.003-05:00

Anyone who has heard me preach over the last year plus and have read a few other blog posts in that time know that I am deeply concerned over the fact that we have confused the church membership roll with the Lamb's Book of Life. In other words, most believe that if someone is on the church roll they must be saved--no matter if they live with no regard to God or His will.

I was reading again today an article written by Craig Blomberg several years ago, "Degrees of Reward in the Kingdom of Heaven?" (JETS 35 June 1992: 159-172). I'm thinking of writing my own article about what Jesus teaches about rewards, but that notwithstanding, the last paragraph of this article hit me and I think it deserves to hit others:

God assures salvation only to those who presently believe in Jesus as Son of God (1 John 5:13). Claims of commitment, long since abandoned, may not be salvaged by any appeal to a category of 'carnal Christian,' though Paul does use the term . . . The greatest danger of the doctrine of degrees of reward in heaven is that it has misled many people into thinking that the very nominal professions that they or their friends have at one time made will be sufficient to save them, even if they fail to receive as high a status in heaven as they might have (of course Blomberg disagrees with that belief). This is in no way to argue for a works-righteousness. It is merely to remind us of the consistent theme that true, saving faith does over time lead to visible transformations in lifestyle and to growth in holiness . . . Without such evidence that God's Spirit has truly taken up residence and begun to work within a person, Biblical Christianity is absent.

Well said. To depend on some kind of 'profession' of faith without perseverance in the faith is to depend upon something other than biblical faith. Depending on the church roll is a dangerous thing, and it might be well for churches and individuals to realize that.

Back In Church

2011-01-31T08:22:00.001-05:00

Here is David Jeremiah's daily devotion today--I thought I would share it.

Monday, January 31
Back in Church
So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Acts 16:5
Recommended Reading
Acts 16:1-5

There's a new effort to persuade people to get "Back to Church." It's an annual Sunday targeting those who once attended church but who no longer come. Most participating churches showed an uptick in attendance, and the effort is gaining momentum.
We're for anything that gets people back to church. But how much better to never drop out to begin with! Many churchgoers run into trouble after missing a week or two--perhaps due to work schedules, sickness, travel disruptions, or sheer laziness. The devil takes advantage of these lapses. We find we like sleeping in on Sundays, taking the day off, reading the paper, going to the park, and catching up on our work. The next thing we know, we ourselves are the mission field, needing someone to persuade us to get "back in church."
The church is a community of faith where we share our joys and sorrows. Much joy comes from giving and receiving love, rendering worship, and serving Christ. We should never need to get back in church. Instead we should back the church with our love, appreciation, energy, and faithfulness.

It was a shabby church house, the preacher was plain, the organ wheezy, and the music off key. But there was something that reminded one of the Upper Room.
Vance Havner, about his boyhood church

Super Bowl Week

2011-01-31T08:08:00.002-05:00

Super Bowl week is here and I think everyone agrees we have a great match up. I've always liked both teams. I suppose I'm going to lean toward the Steelers, although I won't be broken up if the Packers take the win. I am rather tired of Fox making Aaron Rodgers the second-coming of Joe Montana, but he may very well have a great game, especially since it's indoors. We all saw what he did to Atlanta under a dome. Admittedly the Steelers are NOT the Falcons.

My old stomping grounds of Tarrant County is sports rich over the last several months and I'm a bit jealous that I've not been there. The World Series, the Rose Bowl champ TCU Horn Frogs, and now the Super Bowl. Not bad at all!

The Challenger 25 Years Later

2011-01-28T07:51:00.000-05:00

I didn’t realize it until I was watching Fox News this morning that this is the 25th anniversary of the Challenger disaster. There are some events in life that happen and you always remember where you were. I was a reporter for KARN in Little Rock, a news/talk station. Each morning I would help out with morning-drive and then I’d be off to cover some ‘event.’ That day I had covered the re-election announcement of the Pulaski County Sheriff. I hate I can’t remember his name [seems like it was Carroll Gravett), but I always felt sorry for him. His announcement got buried!

I had just got back into the newsroom when Neal Gladner, KARN news director, saw me and said, “Steve, the Challenger just blew up. Go to the mall and get some reaction.” So I headed to University Mall in Little Rock, not that far away from the station. I hate reaction stories, but what do you do? Where am I going to get reaction to something that happened only a few minutes before? I went to Sears, found the TV section of the store, and just as I thought—several people were standing in front of the televisions watching in disbelief. As I recall I got some good reaction sound bites. I went back to the station, put the reaction story together, and went home. Although I worked 4am-noon each day and took an afternoon nap to catch up on some sleep, I stayed up during the day, glued to the TV like everyone else as I watched the coverage of the disaster. I’ll never forget President Reagan’s speech to the nation particularly.

One of the things I’ve missed about being in the news business all these years later is a day like that one.

Southwestern and Association Controversy

2011-01-25T11:04:00.003-05:00

Southwestern Seminary and Tarrant Baptist Association are in a squabble that involves the Association's offices on James Avenue on Seminary property. TBA's Executive Board met yesterday to discuss the issue as reported in Baptist Press. I served in Tarrant Association for a number of years, so I'm particularly interested in the story. I hope that this can be dealt with in a 'win-win' way.

It seems (at least from news reports)SWBTS is upset that Broadway Baptist Church is still a member of TBA, and they also seem to be upset that the association does not help students and faculty find places of ministry within the association.

Let's take these one at a time. The seminary has a right to be upset with TBA about Broadway, who has cut ties with the SBC and BGCT over its homosexuality stance. The statement about that in the BP story from Al Merideth, TBA moderator and pastor of Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, seems a bit weak. Of course, I don't know what action, if any, TBA plans or has planned to deal with Broadway.

However, the seminary seems to be stretching a bit in its criticism of TBA with regard to students and faculty. The association has little to do with whom churches call and use in their pulpits. I have had little help from associations with that in the past. Plus there are many SWBTS students (I was one for example) who serve in TBA churches in a number of capacities.

One of the major problems I see with the latter issue is the continuing "political" differences between the seminary and a good many of TBA churches affiliated with the BGCT (moderate Baptists). Churches affiliated with the BGCT are not going to use many seminary students and faculty because of the perceived differences in theology, ethical stances, stance on women in ministry, etc. TBA really can't do anything about that.

I pray that the controversy between the two groups can be dealt with keeping the two great commandments in mind. I would urge you to read the BP story to get some handle on it.

The Church God Will Bless

2011-01-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

In the 25 years that I've served in Baptist churches, one of my greatest frustrations has been reading books and going to conferences about the church. Of course it is obvious that the church is not making the inroads into culture that we'd like, and most pastors I know are desperate to see God work in their churches, but I've been frustrated at all the so-called "new ideas" that I've been encouraged to embrace in the past quarter-century. In no particular order, here are just a few:

• The Traditional Church—this was the model most Baptist churches followed when I began ministry
• The Seeker Church
• The Purpose Driven Church
• The Missional Church
• The Transformational Church
• The Simple Church
• The Emergent Church

I've been asked in books, conferences, and pastor 'get-togethers', Is your church pastor driven, deacon driven, or elder driven? Is your church Kingdom centered? Is your church a cooperating Baptist church? Is your church a Sunday School or small group church? Is it traditional, blended, or contemporary? Are you Calvinistic, or non-Calvinistic? Is your church one-site or multi-site? The list could go on [I haven't even mentioned the conferences/books that deal with various generations], but you get the idea. I've heard people say with each one of these—If you follow this model God will bless.

I've almost stopped reading the books, and I have stopped going to conferences altogether. The Bible is the right place to give me the church model that God will bless. There are several passages that do that. One that I dealt with recently is Hebrews 10:19-39, particularly verses 19-25: 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled ⌊clean⌋ from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, 25 not staying away from our ⌊worship⌋ meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Three "let us" exhortations clearly show what kind of church God will bless. First, He will bless a church that confidently worships Him [vv. 19-22]. We have confidence because of the new and living way Jesus provided for us by His blood. We must draw near with a sincere heart, and if we do so, God will bless. By the way, a church can confidently worship Him no matter the so-called 'style.' To tout any one music style as better for worship is simply unbiblical. Second, He will bless a church that has an unwavering hope [v. 23]. Our hope is simply the expectation that God will fulfill every promise He has made to His children and that we will enjoy our full inheritance. It is hope that causes us to look at circumstances with an eternal perspective, living today with the end in mind. God will always bless that. Third, He will bless a church that shows a deep concern for one another [vv. 24-25]. A church where love is found is always a church God will bless. We cultivate a deep concern by worshiping together and encouraging one another.

Much more could be said about these verses. But God has not made it difficult for us. He has not given us a to-do list that is beyond our ability. We don't need a new paradigm; we simply need to follow the biblical mandate for the church. Follow Hebrews 10:19-25 and God will bless. Follow the principles of this passage and we will reach the people God has for us. We will disciple the people God allows us to reach. We will reach every generation. We will reach every people group.

Jesus and the Land

2011-01-11T09:30:00.002-05:00

For years I have been telling my hermeneutics students that we are not OT saints; thus we must sift any OT passage through the NT to finds its application to the church. Gary Burge shows how this is done in his recent book, Jesus and the Land [Baker 2010]. The primary topic is found in the books' subtitle: The New Testament Challenge to 'Holy Land' Theology. The work is a thoughtful, responsible, and thoroughly biblical response to Christian Zionism.

Burge's divides his book into eight chapters. He begins with a brief look what the OT teaches about the land. He emphasizes several times the land is rightly called holy because it belongs to a holy God. When Israel failed to be righteous, they lost the land. Even God himself became an exile because 'the ruin of his land means that he cannot enjoy it either' [8]. After the exile, retaining the land was interpreted as embracing a strictly religious life. Between the testaments the land, as it was throughout the OT, was central to Jewish identity. Life in the land was contingent on upholding the righteousness expected by God.

Chapter 2, "Diaspora Judaism and the land," is an interesting discussion of how the land was viewed by Jews outside of Palestine. Burge shows that for Diaspora Jews, the promise of land was reinterpreted. For Philo, the land was reinterpreted as the knowledge and wisdom of God. Josephus reinterpreted the promise to Abraham as Israel's greatness rather than land. Burge insists that redefinition deeply influences Christian thinking in the NT.

In Chapter 3, Burge deals with how Jesus viewed the land. The land was a volatile topic in Jesus' world, and He would have been well aware of that. Burge notes that it is interesting that Jesus did not speak much about the land. In fact, it is instructive that Jesus' primary ministry is not in Judea but in Galilee. His primary message, the Kingdom of God, is not linked at all with territorial aspirations, and although it is first preached to the Jews, Jesus offered the Kingdom to those outside of the land as well. Jesus respects the uniqueness of Israel's location in the land, but He expresses no overt affirmation of first-century territory al theologies. Statements like, "The meek will inherit the earth (land)" shows a surprising reversal; those who fight to possess the land will in fact be trumped by the meek. Passages such as The Magnificant are important to Burge's argument.

I found Burge's discussion of "The Fourth Gospel and the Land" fascinating and persuasive. In John, it is obvious that the Jewish festivals are fulfilled in Jesus. So is the land. Jesus is the recipient of the land [John 1:51]. Divine space is no longer located in a place but in a person. Most profound is Jesus' statement, "I am the vine," in John 15. As Burge writes, "The crux for John 15 is that Jesus is changing the place of rootedness for Israel…God's vineyard, the land of Israel, now has one vine: Jesus" [54]. He summarizes: "The hand as holy territory therefore should now recede from the concerns of God's people" [56].

Burge's look at the rest of the NT results in essentially the same conclusion. Here are a few of his statements:

Acts: "…the praxis of the Church betrays its theological commitments: Christians will find in Christ what Judaism had sought in the land" [59].
Acts: "Therefore the Land of Promise was the source of Christianity's legacy but no longer its goal. The political concerns of the land were a part of Christianity's history, but no longer formed its mission. The new mission would be the restoration of the world, not the restoration of Jerusalem and the land" [61].
Paul: "Jerusalem and its Temple are places that enjoy historic respect but cannot claim a universal or lasting theological significance" [74].
For Paul "Christian theology had no room for 'holy places' outside of the Holy One who is Christ . . . Paul would have seen as aberrant any Christian territorialism wed to first-century politics" [94].
Beyond Paul: "There is no discussion of Judea or Jerusalem as the site of ultimate commitment, affection, or veneration" [96].

While one can disagree with Burge's preterist approach to Revelation, I do agree that hope in the NT's final book is not found in the old Jerusalem, which is essentially evil, but in the new Jerusalem that will take up where the old city had failed. Hope is the new heaven and the new earth that 'reorders creation as it ought to be' [107].

In the final chapter, Burge provides an outstanding and insightful critique of modern Zionism. Primarily for Burge, Zionists do not think Christianly about the topic. I would tell my students, they fail to sift the OT concept of land through the NT. The primary point that Burge makes throughout the book and emphasizes in his conclusion is that "Ownership of the land is not a Christian question. The New Testament instead asks if we know the landowner himself, or, in a different framework, whether the land owns us" [127].

I would urge anyone interested in the Christian response to "Holy Land Theology" or Zionism, to read Burge's book. It is an example of proper hermeneutics done taking the One who fulfills the Law and the Prophets into full account.

Arizona and Rhetoric

2011-01-11T06:11:00.001-05:00

I have been saddened greatly by what has happened in Arizona. It is horrible and I am in much prayer for families who lost loved ones and for those recovering. With that said I am even more horrified by the debate whether military metaphors and particularly radio personalities such as Rush Limbaugh or Sarah Palin are to blame. The guy who shot Congresswoman Gafford and others in Tucson is a psychopath and political rhetoric, military metaphors, and Rush have nothing to do with it. I heard one commentator say in the last few days that military/gun metaphors should be banned from political speech. I heard the sheriff in Arizona say that the angry political climate is to blame (which he blames on Sarah Palin) for the shooting. Well of course that is a major over reaction at the least and nonsensical. Banning any kind of rhetoric will never stop what happened last weekend in Arizona no more than taking the "N" word out of Huckleberry Finn will stop racism.

Elvis Top 20

2011-01-08T06:33:00.000-05:00

Elvis Top 20

Today would have been Elvis’ 76th birthday. I decided to sit down and compile my Elvis Top 20.
1. Suspicious Minds
2. Burning Love
3. Steamroller Blues
4. Heartbreak Hotel
5. His Latest Flame
6. Devil in Disguise
7. Viva Las Vegas
8. Hurt
9. Kentucky Rain
10. Just Pretend
11. It’s Midnight
12. Are You Lonesome Tonight
13. American Trilogy
14. See See Rider
15. Love Me
16. All Shook Up
17. Fool
18. It’s Now or Never
19. Always on My Mind
20. The Wonder of You

Most of these were pretty easy. There are several others that could go on the list. Some surprises perhaps would be songs like Just Pretend and It’s Midnight. Just Pretend was from what I think is the best Elvis Album, “That’s the Way It Is.” I bought the album when it first came out in 1970 and was instantly my favorite. Many of course believe Elvis’ sessions at American Studios are his best material. Can’t argue with that from a pure commercial success standpoint. I just disagree. No accounting for taste I know. It’s Midnight I believe is one Elvis’ underrated performances. Just a plain good song sung with lots of feeling.

I still believe Elvis’ birthday should be a national holiday. When will someone listen! 

Lukan Authorship of Hebrews

2010-12-16T08:56:00.002-05:00

I just finished David Allen's monograph, Lukan Authorship of Hebrews [B&H Academic, 2010]. The book is a companion to his commentary on Hebrews, also released this year in the NAC series. His fascination with the authorship of Hebrews began in 1976 in a class ironically taught by Paige Patterson. He is one of the few advocating Lukan authorship today (though there has always been a few in that camp). The book, part of the NAC Studies in Bible and Theology series, is interesting and in parts persuasive. Certainly one will have to deal with it and the arguments presented in future studies on Hebrews.

Allen begins with a historical survey on the authorship question. Chapter 2 evaluates evidence for Barnabas, Apollos, and Paul as authorial candidates. Both chapters are important to the foundation Allen is laying. He comes to the conclusion that there is early evidence for Lukan authorship of Hebrews. He rules out both Barnabas and Apollos fairly easily. While the Patristic evidence for Pauline authorship cannot be easily dismissed, Allen falls on the side of the majority of modern scholars who believe there are no disagreements with Paul in Hebrews, but the many style differences particularly make Pauline authorship less likely.

The strongest arguments for Lukan authorship of Hebews are found in chapters 3 -5. The linguistic argument is first to bat and is by far the strongest hitter. Allen amasses a great deal of lexical, stylistic, and textlinguistic evidence to build his case. The lexical similarities between Luke/Acts and Hebrews are very impressive. However, I found his stylistic section very persuasive. The cumulative effect of the similarities "provide a forceful argument for Lukan authorship of Hebrews" [123]. In my opinion this is by far the strongest arguments presented in the book.

Second up is Allen's comparison of the purposes of Luke/Acts and Hebrews. He presents lexical/semantic evidence found in the prologues of the books and well as the hortatory sections. To Allen these similarities link the works closely. I am not so sure.

Third to the plate is Allen's discussion of the theological similarities between the three books. I personally found his discussion of the High Priesthood of Jesus in Luke/Acts the most interesting. Obviously that is a major topic in Hebrews. If it can be seen in Luke/Acts then Lukan authorship is at least possible. Allen sees Luke's view of Jesus as High Priest shown in three ways. First, Jesus prays for Peter in Luke 22:31-32. The intercessory ministry of Jesus is obviously in Hebrews. Second, Jesus' prayer at the cross for those who are placing Him there [Luke 22:34] is compared to Hebrews 5:2. Third, in the account of the ascension [Luke 24:50-51], Jesus lifts up his hands and blesses the disciples, reminiscent of the high priest. Allen writes, "Throughout Luke's Gospel, Jesus is characterized by the priestly attributes of sympathy, compassion, and mercy." While one may admit the above, Allen seems to stretch a bit. For example, in the account of the ten lepers cleansed by Jesus in Luke 17, the fact that one came back and showed himself to Jesus does not lend itself to proving Luke's view that Jesus is "God's High Priest" [213]. However, I believe Allen has at least shown that Luke is concerned about the priestly ministry of Jesus. A major roadblock to viewing Luke as authorship of Hebrews has at last been moved a bit.

I found Chapter 6 the most interesting. Luke has been assumed by scholars as Gentile. Thus there is no way he could have authored a work like Hebrews. Of course, even though a Gentile, he could have authored the work. That said if it can be proven that Luke is a Jew another major stumbling block has been removed. I believe Allen has done us a great service in this chapter, showing that Luke is likely a Jew. The Birth Narratives alone in Luke 1-2 seem to indicate this as I have believed for a long time. Luke's concern for OT prophecy, the priesthood, the Temple, and his use of Scripture all point to this conclusion. Luke/Acts is shown to be very "Jewish" in nature and one has to ask, If Luke were a Gentile or if he were writing for Gentiles, why do we find so many Jewish features in the two works? Allen's evidence, although a stretch in places, has its intended cumulative effect.

The rest of the book is certainly more subjective as Allen admits. His historical reconstruction, although interesting, is less compelling. He believes Luke wrote to a former High Priest, Theophilus, from Rome in the late 60s. Theophilus is in Antioch among a group of converted priests who are thinking about reverting to Judaism. While it is certainly possible that Luke wrote Hebrews from Rome after the death of Paul and before the destruction of the Jerusalem, the hard evidence is lacking and perhaps always will be.

Allen writes in his introduction that the book "is an attempt to prosecute the case for Lukan authorship by presenting a preponderance of evidence, the cumulative effect of which becomes difficult to deny" [5]. There is no doubt that there is a preponderance of evidence. Some of it stretches the limits of credibility, but there is a good deal in this book that should be digested, pondered, and perhaps even admitted at the very least possible. While his historical reconstruction may not be strong, the other evidence presented is. Particularly, if Luke can be seen as Jewish writing to Jews, then the primary obstacle to Lukan authorship of Hebrews is at least moved. I believe Allen has done this. It must be admitted that Luke could very possibly be (and I believe probably was) a Jew. Thus he certainly could be the author of Hebrews. If the author is not Paul, and it probably isn't, then Luke should be seen as a primary candidate. Certainly there is more evidence for him then Apollos or Barnabas.

I am not 100% persuaded by Allen's book, but I have gravitated closer to his position. "Almost thou persuadest me!."

"One Anothers" of the New Testament

2010-09-20T10:49:00.001-04:00

THE 'ONE-ANOTHERS' OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

I promised the folks at Fairview this list:

John 13:34 Love one another

Mark 9:50 Live at peace with one another

Romans 12:10 Devote yourselves to one another

Give preference to one another

Romans 12:16 Have the same mind toward one another [Rom 15:5]

Romans 14:13 Do not judge one another

Romans 14:19 Live at peace and build up one another

Romans 15:7 Accept one another

Romans 15:14 Admonish one another [Col 3:16]

1 Cor 11:33 Wait for one another

1 Cor 12:25 Have the same care for one another

1 Cor 16:20 Greet one another [2 Cor 13:12; 1 Pter 5:14]

Gal 5:13 Serve one another [1 Peter 4:10]

Eph 4:2 Show tolerance toward one another

Eph 4:25 Speak the truth to one another

Eph 4:32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving toward one another

Eph 5:19 Speak to one another in a spiritual way

Eph 5:21 Be subject to one another

Phil 2:3 Regard one another as more important

Col 3:9 Do not lie to one another

Col 3:13 Bear with one another

1 Thess 4:18 Comfort one another

1 Thess 5:11 Encourage one another [Heb 3:13; 10:25]

Build up one another

Heb 10:24 Stimulate one another to good deeds

James 4:11 Do not speak against one another

James 5:9 Do not complain against one another

James 5:16 Confess your sins to one another

1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another

1 Peter 5:5 Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another

1 John 1:7 If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another

WHY CHURCHES DON'T COOPERATE

2010-09-01T14:47:00.001-04:00

Last fall over 1000 people gathered at our church from across Greer Baptist Association to celebrate our 50^th anniversary. It was a great night of worship, but I wondered while the service was going on why we couldn't cooperate like that more often. For the last several years I've wondered why, for all the talk we do about cooperation, the Southern Baptist churches and association of churches I've been part of don't really cooperate.

After quite a bit of thinking about this subject, I've come up with two conclusions. First, there is the obvious problem of competition. To be quite frank we're all primarily concerned with our own churches and their growth (both in numbers and financially). Publicly we rejoice when we hear great things happening elsewhere, but privately too often we wince in pain and jealousy (sad to say but too often true). The business model of doing church, counting numbers and money and allowing those to determine success, contributes greatly to the spirit of competition.

Everyone talks about the problem of competition, but there is a second reason that is not so obvious. In fact this one is not discussed at all as far as I know. It is the problem of the ever increasing number of disgruntled members who populate other churches. People become upset where they are, move to another church, but remain upset with their previous place of worship. Churches are made up of everybody else's members who are still smarting over the various reasons they left. Usually that means a less than cordial relationship with the people with which they once attended church. Cooperation becomes difficult at best because they are very hesitant to rub elbows with those folks on any project. Church splits, which always bring acrimony, make cooperation even more difficult to impossible.

Of course the bottom line is that we've lost biblical fellowship. We've relegated that to fellowship meals or ice-cream socials. The NT teaches that fellowship is loving others Christians as much as you love God. Until we get back to that we won't cooperate much, and the world will see a splintered Christian witness. That of course sends the wrong message and gives unbelievers another reason to stay home on Sunday.

Moore on Glenn Beck

2010-08-29T18:08:00.002-04:00

Russell Moore has an insightful blog entry on Glenn Beck's rally in Washington this weekend. Read it carefully and thoughtfully.

Who Grows The Church?

2010-08-23T09:00:00.002-04:00

"Preacher it is your job to grow the church?" Is that true? It seems that many in the church today believe that, even pastors. But it that true? For a good deal of the years of my ministry I believed that it was my job to grow the church. I would be asked by pastor search committees how I intended to lead the church to grow. I attended conferences and other meetings in which sure-fire ways of church growth were introduced and each time I was told that if I (the pastor) was behind this it would work. The church would grow. Of course, I am for church growth, so I would use those tools and apply the so-called church growth principles. And they would sometimes work. But often they would not. I would go home after a Sunday in which there were no decisions and seemingly nothing happened and beat myself up. I really thought that if I had worked harder or if I had been more faithful that week something would have happened. Try to carry around that kind of guilt!

One night a few years ago I was having one of those Sunday nights. Pastors know what I'm talking about. No decisions had been made for the umpteenth week in a row. The people just sort of look at you and are polite when they leave, but that's about it. I was blaming myself again. If I work harder and apply some principles smarter the church would turn around and the the aisles would be red hot with decisions, Sunday School would grow, etc etc etc. That night I had an epiphany. God surely had been trying to tell me this for a long time, but I just had not listened. In as clear a voice as I've ever heard, the Lord spoke to my heart—"Son, it is not your job to grow the church. It is mine! You just be faithful to preach my Word. That is all that is required of you. If the people respond they respond to Me—not you. If they rebel, they rebel against Me—not you." Since that night I have not worried whether or not decisions are made, attendance is up, giving is up, and so forth. I really don't look at attendance and giving reports that much. My response when someone asks how many were in church Sunday, "The number is exactly what God knew it would be." The spiritual burdens a pastor carries are always there, but the unnecessary guilt of having to cause church growth is not.

Acts 2:47 is instructive: "And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved." The Lord added to the church. The apostles did not. They were just faithful in what God called them to do. Jesus said the church was His and He would build it [Matthew 16:18]. The pastor doesn't, Jesus does. Paul reminded the Corinthians "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" [1 Corinthians 3:6]. Paul was faithful to preach the Word, as was Apollos, but it was God who brought about growth.

The problem lies in the fact that we have brought the world into the church. We use business principles to determine whether a pastor is doing his job. And if a church is not growing in numbers or if it is losing budget dollars, many church members believe something is terribly wrong with the pastor's leadership. Pastors do the same thing. They often see a problem with their leadership when baptisms are down, membership is down, no decisions are made on consecutive Sundays, budget numbers are lower, etc.

Our denomination (Southern Baptist Convention) does not help. We tout the churches/pastors who baptize the most, who have the greatest increase in attendance, who give the most, etc. That kind of thing should stop. I would love one day to attend a pastor's conference and the featured speaker is a man of God who has proven himself faithful in a church where absolutely nothing visible has happened (attendance increase, baptism by the score, etc) or could happen.

The fact of the matter is that there is only one thing God requires of any person, including pastors—faithfulness. The pastor's responsibility is to preach the Word, and he is responsible only to attempt to lead the church into the presence and purpose of God. I use the word 'attempt' on purpose, because he is not responsible for the church's response.

By the way, proper spiritual leadership often does not lead to church growth. Depending on the circumstances, it may lead to a mass exodus. Also, there are church situations in which no numerical growth is possible, and the success of a pastor's ministry in that kind of situation should not be based on baptism numbers, Bible study attendance, etc.

Pastors—stop trying to grow the church. Church members—stop placing upon the pastor responsibilities that are not his. When both pastor and church members are faithful, God will do in the church was He deems necessary and proper. His will is done. Shouldn't that be the goal anyway?

Pinnock

2010-08-23T05:46:00.002-04:00

I heard recently of the death of Clark Pinnock. Russell Moore has a wonderful commentary on BP.

Pinnock died on Aug 15. Read his obit on Christianity Today.

The Christian Funeral

2010-08-03T10:00:00.002-04:00

Rob Moll has written an interesting book, The Art of Dying, which I recommend highly. In it, there is a chapter on the Christian funeral. Moll is correct when he observes that funerals are best done within the context of a church community and are more than just an opportunity to soothe the grief of the bereaved. He defines the Christian funeral as a "worship service that dramatically recognizes that the Christian life is shaped in the pattern of Christ's own death and resurrection."

For many believers today, there is no sense that the funeral is a religiously significant event. They have bought into the "Hollywood" version of a funeral; it's all about the deceased. There are eulogies and music that reflect who the deceased was and his/her accomplishments. I have even had Christian families ask me to not be 'too preachy'. Unbelievable I know, but increasingly true.

We are losing the Christian funeral because believers are losing sight of its importance. Why have a funeral when it's so expensive and a waste of time? It is important for several reasons. First, it is the last chance for the deceased to influence anyone for Christ. Most Christians have family members and friends who are unbelievers. Some of them will attend the funeral. The testimony of a faithful believer's life [which they obviously know] plus the preaching of the Gospel may soften an otherwise hard heart. I have seen more than one person come to Christ following a funeral service. Second, while there is much more to a Christian funeral, God does use it to comfort the grieving family. Grief is part of life; however, Christians do not grieve hopelessly. As the hope of the Gospel is reaffirmed by the one preaching the funeral, the Holy Spirit comforts the heart and even brings joy in the midst of sorrow. I've seen this happen countless times. A family enters the funeral home or church crying and as the service progresses their countenance changes. There is still grief at loss, but hope brings joy. A funeral consisting of just eulogies neither comforts nor brings hope. Third, as Moll so aptly puts it the funeral is a chance 'for the church to . . . begin reintegrating mourners into the community and . . . to publicly express the church's and the deceased's faith and hope.'

A Christian funeral should include the following:

Singing—I think congregational music is appropriate although it seldom is used [at least in the Baptist tradition of which I belong]. The songs should not be 'dirges'. They can and should be joyful, focusing on Christ who has defeated death. I recently attended a funeral in which congregational music was used, but the songs made me more depressed than joyful. That's not the purpose at all of a funeral service.
Scripture—I appreciate our more liturgical friends here more than Baptists—their services are full of appropriate Scripture passages from both Testaments. When I am in charge of an entire funeral service, I try to spend at least some of it in the reading of the Bible.
A brief testimony concerning the life of the deceased—everyone in the room knows something about him/her likely, so the fact that he was a family man who loved the Braves, for example, is not what I mean. I believe there should be a clear testimony about his/her faith in Christ.
The preaching of the Gospel, emphasizing hope. In recent years I almost exclusively preach on the hope of heaven, using Revelation 21-22. I use other passages, but I seem to keep coming back to those two chapters. A brief message about heaven reminds the believer of what God has prepared for those who love Him and challenges the unbeliever to consider his/her own eternal destiny.

I would agree with Moll's summary, "In some ways a funeral is simply an excuse to publicly get together. Gathering around food, at a funeral home or cemetery, or at-home visitations is an end in itself. A healthy community (here he is talking about the church) and the recovering bereaved simply need to be together. Funerals can be done both well and inexpensively, but the purpose is not to get it done cheaply. Singing hymns, reading Scripture and hearing God's Word preached—all with an ear toward the purpose of a funeral—is how the church displays hope. By doing so the congregation not only gives witness to the rest of the world, but it also serves to reaffirm our resurrection hope" [Art of Dying, 126].

Above everything, the funeral is a worship service, whether it is in a funeral home chapel, cemetery, or church. A funeral is more than just a memorial service. It does remember the one who has died and his/her significance in the lives of those who have gathered to mourn, remember, and worship. More importantly there must be the worship of God, who has through His Son defeated death, and the intentional witness to that glorious hope.

Is Cremation a Christian Practice?

2010-08-02T10:12:00.008-04:00

A question that I have been asked more times that you might think is whether or not cremation is a Christian practice. Based on sheer statistics, it is a question people are asking whether they pose it to a pastor or not. The number of cremations in the U.S. is on a major upward swing. I read recently that between one-quarter and one-third of all corpses are now cremated, compared to less than 5% in 1970. By 2025 that percentage will rise to 60%.

Historically, there is no question about the burial practice of Christians; they always opted for burial if given a choice. In fact, there are those who have written that the great care of a body that Christians displayed is a reason why 'the Way' spread throughout the Roman Empire. Like many modern ethical issues we face, the Scriptures do not really deal with cremation directly. 1 Samuel 31:8-13; Amos 2:1-3, and 6:8-10 are the only explicit passages. Amos 2:1-3 is the only one of the three that unambiguously condemns the practice. The partial cremation of the bodies of King Saul and his sons can be connected to the necessities of war and quite frankly the latter passage in Amos is debated by OT scholars. It may or may not deal with cremation. I believe it probably does, but the cremation of bodies can be seen in that passage as necessary due the great numbers of the dead. While there are no 'thou shalts' or 'thou shalt nots' to draw from, that does not mean the Bible is unclear on the issue. In both testaments, it is absolutely clear that the standard way that God's people handled a corpse is burial. Obviously, there is also the example of Jesus. His body was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. There are exceptions, but they are rare. The exceptions certainly do not lend themselves to approval, even tacitly, of the practice.

There are basically four reasons Christians chose burial over cremation. First, the body was created by God in His image and was proclaimed by Him as 'very good' [Genesis 1:31]. While some deny the physical aspect of the image of God, Genesis 9:6 is clear: "Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His image." This verse makes no sense at all if the soul (non-body) was the essential part of a human being. Thus the body is not just an appendage housing the soul/spirit (non-body). Human beings are a body/non-body unity, incomplete when that which is non-body is separated from the body.

Second, there is need to consider the Incarnation. "The Word became flesh and took up residence among us" [John 1:14]. John Stott has written, "Christians should treat the human body . . . with special respect. Why? Because this is the form in which God became flesh."

Third, there is the fact that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 6:19]. Christians have historically believed that the body should be honored because the third Person of the Trinity used it as His home, living through the body and producing His fruit [Galatians 5:22-23].

Fourth, the final part of a Christian's salvation is the resurrection of the body. Paul wrote, "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:11). According to Millard Erickson, "This new body has some connection or point of identity with the old body, but is differently constituted." That different 'constitution' is that it is transformed, outfitted for eternity. However, there is a direct connection between the mortal and immortal body. Christians have believed that burial best bears witness of this connection.

Thus the issue is not whether God can raise a body that has been cremated. Of course He can. Neither is the issue whether cremation is sin. I do not believe that it is. The issue really is two-fold: What burial practice best reflects the hope of the Gospel? What burial practice honors the body as God's good creation in His image? It seems to me the answer is burial. Just as we (Baptists) believe in immersion baptism because it shows best in a symbolic way what has happened spiritually to a person, burial does the same thing—the burial of a body shows in a symbolic way that God created the body good in His image (thus we honor it), and it better reflects the hope of the future resurrection of that mortal body.

Why has cremation become so popular? I can mention a few reasons. First, the traditional funeral is seen as a waste of money; thus it has become a consumer issue. Second, environmentalism has caused a "Save the Land for the Living" mentality to creep into the American consciousness. Third, there is the upswing of other spiritual worldviews, especially eastern mysticism, which is shown in the increased approval of such ideas as reincarnation. Cremation can be seen as a cleaning/releasing of the soul from the dead body so it will be prepared for another life. Rodney Decker observes correctly, "The cremation movement thus reflects the dramatic shifts in American views of 'spirituality' and the radical pluralism of our postmodern culture." Perhaps a traditional burial will be one of the most counter-cultural acts a Christian can perform in the next generation.

But, why are more and more Christians opting for cremation? I think at least two of the reasons above filter in. The traditional funeral is seen as a waste of money and more believers are embracing 'all things green.' I will blog soon on why a traditional funeral is a good idea for a Christian. All I will say about 'all things green' is that the Christian should be not be 'sucked in' to a worldview that may be far less than Christian. The radical environmental agenda that is so sanitized by the color green is more pantheistic than Christian at its core.

There is a specifically Christian way to grieve. Paul wrote that Christians are not to grieve as those without hope [1 Thessalonians 4:13]. Russell Moore challenges us with this thought, "Christian grief, the way the Christian community deals with its dead, signals what it believes to be true about the dead in Christ." Is what the Christian community believes best seen in burial or cremation?

Floyd and CP

2010-06-29T20:08:00.001-04:00

I have been critical of Ronnie Floyd, pastor of FBC in Springdale, because of his sparse support for the Cooperative Program, the primary funding tool of the Southern Baptist Convention. However, today BP reports that the church is doing something very significant to increase CP support. Read it here.

Bravo to Bro. Floyd and FBC.

The SBC in Orlando

2010-06-18T11:44:00.001-04:00

I thought I'd share my impressions of the SBC in Orlando, particularly with regard to the GCR report. The report passed, but I voted against it (seemingly one of the few). My reasons are simple—Great Commission giving was left in the report. Although I like the amendment which reads that designated giving is to be a supplement to and not a substitute for the Cooperative Program, the idea is still there. Yes I know that designated giving has been and always will be done, but I don't think we need to 'celebrate' is as much as we need to discourage it. I would have liked recommendation 3 to just reinforce CP and that's it. The recommendation is 'better' but not what I would have liked. The other reason I voted against the report was that there is still the 'cooperative agreements' problem out there between the state conventions and NAMB. That wasn't debated, but a change in those agreements may be detrimental to our smaller state conventions. I would have liked to have heard more about that.

With that said, I will support the vote of the convention. I believe that once a decision has been made in a business meeting (in this case the SBC), the decision should be supported (if it's not heretical of course or contrary to the Bible). Thus I support the report and now pray that its impact will be positive and not negative upon the denomination I love and support.

I greatly appreciated the spirit of the debate on both sides. There was no rancor. There was passion, but Baptists should be passionate about how we're going to reach the world. We may have different ideas on how to do it sometimes, but that is ok. Debate is not a bad thing if done with love. It was and that was good to see.

I voted for Ted Traylor for SBC president because I know him to be a good man and pastor who has led a great church. I do not know the ministry of Bryant White, but I'm sure he is as well. He will be in my prayers. I agreed with a statement that he made to the press that he would like to see a smaller percentage of CP funds allocated to the states and more to national causes (NAMB and IMB in particular). That may not ever happen, but I would like to see that debate here in South Carolina. I appreciate the work of the state convention but I have a problem with half of CP funds staying in our Jerusalem and Judea.

The sermons I heard were primarily 'resurgence' centered in some way. I liked it when Mac Brunson (pastor of FBC Jacksonville) said that we did not need resurgence, we needed a refocus to Jesus.

The Unchurched Used to Be in Church

2010-06-11T10:15:00.000-04:00

SBC In Orlando

2010-06-11T07:58:00.002-04:00

Everyone and his grandmother are commenting on the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force [GCRTF] report so let me do so as well with a handful of bullet points of comments and questions as I muse.

The SBC has always had a commitment to the Great Commission, something to applaud.
We are not reaching the masses, something to grieve us.
No report by any denominational task force will bring a greater commitment to the Great Commission in the local church, something to remember.
Will Great Commission giving reported alongside gifts to the Cooperative Program lead to a splintering of the CP? Something to pray about.
The Great Commission giving idea should be scrapped for sake of unity. Something to consider.
Will passing the report as it currently stands lead to a more 'societal' approach as in pre-CP days? Something to watch.

I felt that the TF was hamstrung from the beginning, given the makeup of the team itself and because of its chairman. While the team was tweaked a bit later, in the beginning the TF did not really represent a cross-section of Southern Baptists—mistake. Also, his increased giving to CP notwithstanding naming Ronnie Floyd as chairman, when his church gave little through the CP, was a critical error by Johnny Hunt [please keep in mind that comment in no ways reflects upon Bro. Floyd as a good man and pastor—his church's giving through CP is a matter of record.].

Is the recommendation to celebrate Great Commission giving a way to make more palatable the nomination of men to leadership in the SBC whose track record on CP giving is less than stellar? I don't know…this is just the musing of a country preacher.

I'm not naïve. I've been around for a day or two now. I believe the SBC could do with some stream-lining, and I would like the state to have less of my CP dollar (although I appreciate the fine work of the state conventions), but I think changes should come from the bottom-up and not the top down. Churches must change, send people to their state conventions for them to change, and then the SBC will reflect those changes.

I also think the strength of the SBC is in cooperation. We can still do much more together than separately [even the super-churches]. Whatever moves we make should strengthen cooperation and our resolve to reach the masses with the Gospel. I'm concerned Orlando won't do that.

The Key Question in Hermeneutics

2010-06-03T05:59:00.003-04:00

There is a key question when approaching any biblical text. Where one begins is where one ends. The issue: is a biblical text anthropocentric or theocentric? In other words, is a text man-centered or God-centered?

Sidney Greidanus has written eloquently on the topic:

"Fundamentally, the Bible is more than an ordinary history book, more than

artistically pleasing literature; it is religious literature . . . As religious literature,

the Bible reveals its theocentric nature. Everything is viewed in relationship to

God: the world is God's creation; human beings are image-bearers of God;

salvation belongs to God—in short, all of life belongs to and is governed by

God.

Every genre of biblical literature is theocentric. Even Esther, although God is not mentioned in the book, has a theocentric viewpoint. God is obviously working to protect the Jews. Theocentric interpretation seeks to expose in every passage the God-centered focus of the entire Bible.

Anthropocentric interpretation, on the other hand, is focused not upon God but upon human beings. Too often an anthropocentric emphasis is found in preaching and teaching. Interpreters love to focus on the human drama in the text. Bible characters are often seen as either good or bad examples of what one should or should not do for God—and because those examples are easily found in a text and resonate with the interpreter, a "man centered" spin is placed upon a text that was ultimately meant to teach a great truth about God.

While this is obviously a New Testament narrative, a good example of anthropocentric interpretation is found in the denials of Christ by Peter. As Ernest Best pointed out, "The incidents in which the weakness of Peter are (sic) shown are not recorded primarily to tell us about Peter's weakness but about the mercy of God who forgives him." Thus, Best argued, "The selection of incidents which we have been given about Peter has been dominated by an interest other than the character of Peter himself. It is foolish of us therefore to use these incidents to build up a picture of the character of Peter and then to go on and apply it to men generally. We ought to use the incidents of Peter's weakness instead to argue for God's mercy and strength."

Keep the following principles in mind when interpreting a passage of from the Old Testament:

The Bible was given to reveal the character and purpose of God, not us.
Even the moral requirements of Scripture reveal God and his intentions.
Every text can be studied to discover what it tells us about God.
Theocentric interpretation does not mean the sermon or Bible study is about
God
Theocentric interpretation asks, "What does this text tell me about God?"
Use the basic concepts of a passage to consider how they point to God.
In the New Testament, the basic question would then be, "What does this text tell me about Christ?" In essence, texts in the New Testament are Christocentric. The approach of a New Testament text would essentially be the same as that of the Old Testament.

Allow me now to turn to Genesis 22, the account of Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice. More often than not, interpreters focus on Abraham and offer a moralistic sermon or study on faith. Obviously, Abraham's faith is important in the passage, however, when one focuses only on the Patriarch, it is an anthropocentric interpretation of the text.

If the text is theocentric (and it is), then let us ask the key question: What does this text say about God? When one looks at the text from this perspective there is a change in focus. What did Abraham and Isaac learn about God that day? The answer to that question is found in verse 14 after Abraham found a ram caught by his horns in the thicket: "And Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)."

One meets biblical characters who are extremely human. Remember, however, they are never seen in isolation. They are always part of a much larger story—the story about God. Hence, when interpreters pass on the biblical story, "they ought to employ biblical characters the way the Bible employs them, not as ethical models, not as heroes for emulation or examples for warning, but as people whose story has been taken up into the Bible in order to reveal what God is doing for and through them." [Greidanus]

New Parents and Church

2010-05-24T13:51:00.003-04:00

Does having children make parents better church goers? Here's an interesting article from Barna that didn't send great surprises my way. We better rethink, however, the old idea that parenthood makes people more inclined to think about God and more open to Him.

We Have Seen His Glory

2010-05-15T10:03:00.003-04:00

I didn't read as much on this week of vacation as I usually do, but I did get through an interesting book. Ben Witherington has recently published, We Have Seen His Glory: A Vision of Kingdom Worship [Eerdmans]. Witherington is rightly concerned by the consumer mentality of today's worshiper and attacks it through what is in essence a very fine New Testament theology of worship. The author believes that worship should be seen in light of the eschaton 'rather than in light of what has already gone on in the past, in light of Kingdom Come rather than in light of kingdoms gone' [ix]. He writes, "I am convinced that one of the great detriments to having a more reflective and more Christian approach to worship is that even many of our ministers and worship leaders have very little understanding of what the New Testament actually says about worship" [x]. With those words in the preface, Witherington proceeds in eight chapters to concisely present what the New Testament does say about the subject.

Here are some salient quotes from the book that resonated with me:

Salvation is a means to an end, not an end in itself—that end being the worship of God [7].
Worship is the ultimate ethical act on earth, the most important act on earth because it is the ultimate fulfillment of the Shema, the Great Commandment, and indeed the First and Second Commandments [8].
The function of music in worship is not to set the mood or even to rev up the troops, but rather to engage them at the affective level so that their whole being . . . are caught up in the wonder, love, and praise of God [17].
One of the most disturbing trends in worship is its anthropocentric character. Worship is to be theocentric/Christocentric [20].
Only God's glory should show up in worship [23].
The confession of Jesus as Lord changes everything, including worship [31].
We take the America's Got Talent approach to deciding who does what in worship. Paul says that the prerequisite is having given oneself totally to God, and then recognizing the character and measure of one's faith [40].
Early Christians did not hold to theological principles which suggested that edifices for worship were inherently bad and worship in houses was theologically better [51].
Worship is not just a matter of adoration, but also involves edification [66].
We would do well to see invoking Jesus' name at the end of a prayer as signing his name to our petitions. If so, then we need to ask, Would Jesus sign off on our entreaties? [81].
Did any of the New Testament writers believe they were writing sacred, God-breathed texts? The answer must be surely yes [97].
The fundamental reason why Christian worship should be different is not because Christ has inaugurated his kingdom on earth, but because believers are different and should worship differently [134].
All acts of work should be doxological, and thus should be acts of worship [136].
As the biblical understanding [of worship] ebbs and the consumer mentality flows and grows, it is hardly surprising that worship has been turned into something it was never intended to be: a performance of the few fo the couch potatoes for Jesus in the pews [146].
Worship is the means God uses to mold us into our better selves [150].
Too often people evaluate worship and which sort they want to participate in on the basis of style, and this is a serious mistake . . . The issue is not style but substance. The issue is not 'where am I most comfortable. Did it ever occur to you that worship might be most helpful when it unsettles your ways and makes you profoundly uncomfortable with your present state of spiritual lethargy [153]?
Worship without good preaching is not adequate worship, because God wants to clear his throat each week and address his people [155].
It is not the preacher's job to 'put the cookies on the bottom shelf.' It is time to stop serving pablum in worship instead of real soul food [160].

Witherington does a marvelous job taking a difficult subject and dealing with it biblically and theologically. He synthesizes the NT witness about worship and makes is available to all who wish to 'have an ear to hear.' I found his thoughts on how the early church felt about 'buildings' over against 'homes' especially helpful, given statements in the "home church" movement that worshiping in homes is more 'biblical.' On the negative side, I felt his emphasis on rhetorical criticism a bit out of place. However, his chapters dealing with John 4, Revelation 4-5, Worship as Sabbatical, and Work and Worship, were very insightful and helpful to me. The reflective questions at the end of each chapter make this an even more helpful text. Preaching/Music professors should consider it. I may even use it as a book review text in New Testament because of the importance of the subject.

Ministers need to read this book. The consumer and narcissistic tendencies in today's worship is at partly (and maybe more) our fault. Ministers do need to understand worship, particularly from the NT point of view. Witherington has done us a service in writing this book.

Great Commission Resurgence

2010-05-08T04:59:00.004-04:00

I've read the final report of the Great Commission Task Force. While I'm glad there is a strong affirmation of the Cooperative Program in the final report, I'm still troubled by its embracing of so-called "Great Commission Giving." My church gives 10% of its undesignated receipts to the CP, but we also give a substantial amount of money each year to other mission causes. I would never dream of reporting that giving alongside the CP.

Morris Chapman has written a concise article concerning this issue. I basically agree with his sentiments.

I wonder how much of this is politically motivated? In other words, I wonder if what drives at least some of this discussion is criticism of some recent SBC president candidates who lead churches that give such a low percentage to the CP? Just musing.

When the Word Is Ignored

2010-05-03T14:19:00.001-04:00

What does a pastor do when the message that God lays on his heart is faithfully developed and preached but subsequently ignored? Does he give up? Does he turn in his ordination papers? Does he retreat to his study and crawl up in the fetal position? While those might seem to be viable options at the time (especially on Monday morning), what is the right thing to do? Obviously the right thing is to continue to preach. The preacher needs always to remember this—the response of people to God's message is not the responsibility of the deliverer. The preacher is responsible only for himself. If he has prayed; if he has studied; if he has delivered the message God has laid on his heart—a message based on God's authority (His Word), then that is all he can do. He can do nothing more. God requires nothing other than faithfulness from him. God will take care of the hearers. They are in His hands anyway.

Paul warned Timothy: For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths [2 Tim 4:3-4]. We may be living in the era of 'itching ears' but remember what the Apostle said in vv. 1-2: I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of His appearing and His kingdom: ²Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.

The preacher's job, even when people don't listen—keep preaching! Be faithful! Keep praying! Keep studying! Keep preparing! The preacher doesn't work for the people anyway. He works for God!!!

Is there a reason you’re late … or is it just an excuse? : The Work Buzz

2010-04-21T09:08:00.001-04:00

Is there a reason you’re late … or is it just an excuse? : The Work Buzz

Posted using ShareThis

A Good Word for Preachers

2010-03-23T09:38:00.001-04:00

In a book by Paul Boller, the author tells a story about Woodrow Wilson. One of his cabinet members praised him for his short speeches. He then asked Wilson how long it took him to write a speech. "It depends," said Wilson, "If I am to speak ten minutes I need a week for preparation, if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now."

E. Earle Ellis

2010-03-05T09:57:00.000-05:00

I'm saddened by the death of Dr. E. Earle Ellis, renowned New Testament scholar and churchman.

Southwestern Seminary has an obituary. Ellis' The Making of the New Testament Documents is a classic that will be quoted for years to come.

What Is Worship?

2010-02-07T17:21:00.001-05:00

Being in church for the first time in two weeks today just reminded me again of how sweet it is to worship God corporately. There is nothing much else like it. Let's be reminded of the definition of worship I came across years ago from Calvin Miller, "Worship is the church busy at the business of loving God." Worship has nothing to do with music style or even preaching style. It has everything to do with the heart. Whether the music is liturgical or contemporary; whether the preaching is expository or topical (as long as it is biblical), the believer can worship. It makes no difference who is leading in worship. It makes no difference what the instrumentation is. Worship begins and ends with the heart of the individual. Did you show God you loved Him today? If you did you worshiped. If you didn't, well….

ACTS 6 AND DEACON MINISTRY

2010-02-05T09:11:00.001-05:00

The recent edition of Bibliotheca Sacra has an interesting article by Phillip Sell, "The Seven in Acts as a Ministry Team." Traditionally, this passage assumes the Seven chosen to wait on tables to be the beginning of deacon ministry. For several years I've questioned that, and the article by Sell convinces me that I've been on the right track. Sell writes, "The continual growth of the church seems to have made the distribution of goods to the needy a large task that needed attention so as not to disrupt the unity of the church. This division of labor is situational not paradigmatic for the church for all times. It reflects their practical situation" [61]. Sell also believes that the laying on of hands in the passage was not 'ordination' to a lifetime office but the authorization of the apostles to act in their stead and confirming the selection of the Seven by the congregation.

I've believed for some time that Acts 6 was situational and that the Seven were simply carrying out a temporary ministry. Stephen and Philip, the only two of the Seven that we know anything about, certainly had preaching/teaching ministries—Philip being a church planter/missionary. Neither seems to have been a deacon in the church office sense. Certainly by the time Paul writes the Prison and Pastoral Epistles, the office of deacon was part of the church. The Apostle greets them in Philippians 1:1 and gives presents a list of characteristics to look for in deacons in 1 Timothy 3. It's not altogether clear what their primary responsibilities were, although practical ministry may have been the bulk of it. However, overseers were also to be involved in serving others. Certainly deacons were and are to be spiritual leaders involved in helping the overseer minister to God's people.

In his commentary, Bock writes that the actions of Acts 6 may have led to the creation of the office at a later time. Perhaps that is true, but that may be going too far as well. All we can really say is that the office developed over time—the need for the overseer to have help in ministering to God's people would be obvious so he can spend the bulk of his time in prayer and in the Word. However, the deacon's ministry probably should not be limited to waiting on tables.

Ministers and Depression

2010-01-23T06:01:00.003-05:00

I have meant for a while to blog on a recent article in The Baptist Courier concerning minister's battles with depression. The suicide of a pastor I know last year caused me to think about this problem and the recent article made it even more of an issue for me.

There is a letter to the editor in this week's edition that will shed even more light on the pain in many a pastor's home.

I'll have more to write about this topic later, but the challenge of unrealistic expectations that most congregations have placed upon their pastors is a major problem. Both the article and the letter focus on that. Congregations need to take a hard look at what they expect, ensure that their pastor gets rest and has some down time, and help share the load. Pastors also need to take a day off, have a hobby or something to get their mind off the unending challenges of ministry (I admit that is difficult), and have some people around them who can encourage them along the way.

Read both articles--they are eye openers.

Kennett "Coke" Picture

2010-01-15T08:50:00.005-05:00

Chet Andrews was recently at the Coke museum in Atlanta and found this picture of my hometown of Kennett, MO. Interesting!

Happy 75th Elvis!

2010-01-08T09:49:00.002-05:00

This would have been Elvis' 75th birthday. Shouldn't today be a national holiday?

Christmas in Kennett

2009-12-29T06:25:00.004-05:00

Christmas 2009 was a good one. We found everyone in good health and spirits and for that we're thankful! Hope yours was wonderful and Christ-filled!

Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-15T06:43:00.002-05:00

Lesa and I had a good time at our staff Christmas party. I appreciate our church staff!

Politically Incorrect 12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-09T08:52:00.004-05:00

I got this from the "Preaching Today Newsletter".

[12 Politically Correct Days of Christmas]

On the 12th day of the Eurocentrically-imposed midwinter festival, my potential acquaintance gave to me:
TWELVE males reclaiming their inner warrior through ritual drumming;

ELEVEN pipers piping (plus the 18-member pit orchestra made up of members in good standing of the Musicians Equity Union as called for in their union contract, even though they will not be asked to play a note);

TEN melanin-deprived, testosterone-poisoned scions of the patriarchal ruling class system leaping;

NINE persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression;

EIGHT economically-disadvantaged female persons stealing milk products from enslaved Bovine Americans;

SEVEN endangered swans swimming on federally-protected wetlands;

SIX enslaved Fowl Americans producing stolen, non-human animal products;

FIVE golden symbols of culturally-sanctioned enforced domestic incarceration, (NOTE: After a member of the Animal Liberation Front threatened to throw red paint at my computer, the calling birds, French hens and partridge have been reintroduced to their native habitat. To avoid further animal American enslavement, the remaining gift package has been revised.);

FOUR hours of recorded whale songs;

THREE deconstructionist poets;

TWO Sierra Club calendars printed on recycled, processed tree carcasses; and

A Spotted Owl activist chained to an old-growth pear tree.

Carl Watson

2009-12-05T07:32:00.003-05:00

I read in our hometown paper that the first person I ever baptized went to be with the Lord. Carl Watson died at 87 years old. He was won to Christ by a retired minister in our congregation (Providence Baptist in Kennett, MO) and I baptized him a week later. That was in 1986. He was in his 60s. He was baptized along with three other people but he was the first in the pool. I've been fortunate to have baptized many since, but seldom have I seen someone who took his Christian walk more seriously than Carl. He was a wonderful man, quiet guy, who was a joy to be around and an asset to our church. His was truly a conversion. I'm glad he's with the Lord today.

I thought he deserved a word today.

Riverside Anniversary

2009-11-20T06:58:00.003-05:00

I celebrated a sigificant ministry anniversary 20 years ago but there another one 10 years ago. Ten years ago Saturday I was called to serve as pastor of Riverside Baptist in Ft Worth. I served there until we left for South Carolina in June 2006. Hope all my friends at RBC are doing well!

Budgets, Churches, and Faith

2009-11-11T06:55:00.003-05:00

While attending the business session of the South Carolina Baptist Convention yesterday I was a little bit discouraged as we voted on the 2010 budget, which has been cut from last year. All the "right" reasons were given--the economy, less Cooperative Program giving, churches are hurting, etc., etc., etc. And I wondered, where is faith?

Churches have two ways to put a budget together and a preacher yesterday put it well--either a fact based budget or a faith based budget (preachers love alliteration!). Most of the time here is what we do: we place the previous year's budget alongside this year's requests, determine what the giving patterns will likely be, and then put a budget together.

That may be fine for a business that runs on business rules, but I've always been uncomfortable with a church doing that. Why? It is because a church runs in a different sphere than a business. A church's "boss" is the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing He can't do or can't provide for His church.

So how should a church put a budget together? It should do so on its knees. A church should seek the Lord Christ, petition Him for an unveiling of His will, then obey His will no matter how much it "costs" in budget bottom line. When a church does this the Lord will make sure that a church does not have the resources which the people can see how it will all get done. Instead He will call upon His people to walk with Him by faith, believing He can do through them what they cannot do. In other words, He will ensure that He gets the glory and not the church. When those resources come, then the people of God grow in their walk with Him, learn even more how to walk by faith, and will take even bigger faith steps in the future.

Does this mean that the church should not be responsibile stewards of resources? Absolutely not! However, a church's budget like everything else should be a statement of faith--"We believe God to do what we cannot do!" When the people of God employ a "faith" budget, then God moves in power. However, when we put together a "fact" budget God allows us to do what we can see and nothing supernatural happens. It is just business as usual.

I Will Rise

2009-11-02T07:29:00.004-05:00

Stephanie and I sang "I Will Rise" yesterdy at Fairview. This was our first duet there, although we sang several times at Riverside. Lesa took the pic as we got ready Sunday morning. Steph always makes me look and sound better than I do!!

20th Anniversary

2009-10-30T13:06:00.003-04:00

This weekend is a special anniversary in my ministry. On November 1, 1989--20 years ago Sunday--my family and I moved to Graceville, Florida to serve Poplar Springs Baptist Church and attend what is now known as the Baptist College of Florida. At the time there were just three of us but Lesa was pregnant with Steph. When we got there 20 years ago there was no porch that you see in the picture and there were trees in the front parking lot.

Greek T-Shirt

2009-10-26T08:42:00.003-04:00

Any student of Greek will be relate to this t-shirt. I wish I had one!! This is just plain funny!

The Painful Side of Leadership

2009-10-22T08:10:00.005-04:00

Jeff Iorg, President of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, has written an insightful and extremely practical book. The Painful Side of Leadership: Moving Forward When It Hurts (B&H Publishing) is a must read. Leadership by defintion is often painful and there is always tension. Iorg helps the minister/leader navigate that tension with tremendous insight through personal experience.

There are 15 easy to read and digest chapters in the book. For me his two chapters on criticism were the best. "Leaders have critics--as surely as dogs have fleas and usually about as helpful" (113)! True indeed. Iorg uses 2 Samuel 16, an account of David receiving severe criticism by Shimei, to help the reader understand criticism and how to deal with it. Criticism often comes when we least need it, often when we least deserve it, and usually from those last qualified to give it. But it is the resonse to criticism that is important for the leader. Using David's response to Shimei, Iorg urges the minister/leader to handle criticism in several ways: resond, don't react, to critics; stay focused on mission in spite of criticism; find God's good in every criticism; and allow God and others to handle your critics [131-149]. Often God works through critics to change you--an important truth that all leaders need to remember.

Another chapter I particuarly appreciated was 'Moving to a New Position.' While all ministers accept a new responsibility believing they will be there forever, the fact is transitions occur and often when they are least expected. The chapter has a narrow focus, "on leaving well as part of a healthy resignation or retirement" [248]. There are several practical suggstions. The most important, I believe, is to define your future relationship with the church you're leaving. Two principles should be well learned: (1) when you leave, really leave; and (2) if you return for any reason (even for a casual visit), clear it with the new pastor first. Too many pastors hang onto their former churches, making it very difficult on their successors. When God moves you to a new place or you retire from active ministry, you must respect the leadership God places in a church after you. A new leader is the leader--not you.

There are many other chapters well worth the time. Iorg deals with issues from how to lead a church through significant change to how to terminate someone from your team. Another important chapter is the one dealing with the lonliness of leadership. "Lonliness is an occupational hazard of Christian leadership" (71). Because of the all the public things a mnister/leader does, that seems like an oxymoron, but it isn't. This chapter will benefit every minister/leader I know.

A minister/leader with just a few years experience will learn much from Iorg's personal illustrations. He gives the reader both the good and the bad to illustrate his principles--something I greatly appreciated. And for one who has been in the ministry for well over two-decades now, I laughed often as I could change the names and the places but tell the same stories. We've all been there.

This book is a must read for young ministers/leaders. I would highly recommend the book in any leadership course. More seasoned pastors/leades will also greatly benefit by Iorg's practical advise. There are always things we can learn about leadership.

This book is obviously highly recommended.

The Resurrection of Jesus

2009-10-20T10:10:00.003-04:00

I am ending an almost year-long series of messages from Matthew Wednesday night at Fairview. Of course, the last message is about the resurrection of Jesus. In his commentary, David Turner laments that Christians often focus on the resurrection of Christ only at Easter. But it is in fact the essence of our faith. He writes:

Without the resurrection, Jesus's ministry ends in defeat. But everything changes if 'he is not here, for he was raised, just as he said' (28:6). The resurrection not only culminates the passion narrative but also is at the center of redemption itself. Without it one can only pity Jesus as a martyr whose lofty ideals were sadly misunderstood. With it one must stand in awe of the Messiah, the Son of God, who gave his life as ransom for many and who will one day return in glory to judge humanity (683).

Amen!

Back to Work

2009-10-19T06:56:00.003-04:00

Back from a week at the beach. October is a great time to vacation. I didn't read as much on this go around, but I did get through a great book on leadership that I'll review some time this week.

Good Sermon

2009-10-12T06:50:00.001-04:00

Gordon Fort, the VP of overseas operations at the International Mission Board, was in our church Sunday. He preached a message that all believers need to hear. Here's the link if you're interested.

http://www.fairviewgreer.net/pool/sound/10-11-2009.mp3

Habakkuk 3:17-18

2009-10-06T08:30:00.003-04:00

I was reading in the little book of Habakkuk this morning. The book is a dialogue between the prophet and God about God's plan to send Babylon to judge Israel. 3:17-18 caught my attention.

¹⁷Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, ¹⁸yet I will triumph in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:17-18 (HCSB)

Economic conditions must never dictate our response to God. We must always praise Him. I'm thankful too that no conditions, good, bad, or otherwise, determines our relationship with Him.

The prophets final words:

Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights! . Habakkuk 3:19 (HCSB)

Amen!

Sam the Sham

2009-10-04T06:47:00.002-04:00

I was listening to Elvis Radio Friday on Sirius and the George Klein Show--GK was interviewing Sam the Sham, who did "Wooly Bully," maybe the greatest party song of all time. Anyway, it took me to the summer of 1978 when I was part of a group that opened a show for Sam the Sham and Tony Joe White (wrote Polk Salad Annie). That was a good time!!

Faith and Church Size

2009-10-02T09:04:00.004-04:00

Here is a fascinating study by Barna on faith and church size. It might be a little surprising to some. Off the top of my head I might have believed the opposite of the results.

Here's one interesting quote from the Barna report:

Despite the substantial attention focused on Protestant mega-churches, such congregations draw about 9% of adults who frequent a Protestant church. In contrast, 41% of adults attending a Protestant church associate with a congregation of 100 or fewer adults. An additional 23% can be found at churches of 101 to 200 adults, 18% associate with bodies of 201 to 499 adults, and 9% can be found in churches of 500 to 999 adults.

I keep saying we pay way too much attention to the mega church. Most people attend churches much smaller. One primary criticism I've had of the SBC for years is that leadership comes way too often from the large to mega-church when the vast majority of our churches are much smaller.

Fairview Tailgate

2009-10-01T08:11:00.003-04:00

Everyone enjoyed the 1st annual Fairview Tailgate last night. Probably folks drove by and asked, 'What is that crazy church doing?' Well, we were having a good time. It's not good to be serious all the time. I'm already looking foward to next year.

Kostenberger on Church Government

2009-09-29T17:24:00.002-04:00

Here's a paper I found on Dave Black's blog that will be of interest to some of my readers. Andreas Kostenberger of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary has written a paper on eccesiological issues of interest. I've read part of this and found it interesting. I'll comment on some of the issues a bit later when I've had time to digest it completely.

Choir

2009-09-28T10:11:00.003-04:00

Here's the combined choirs of 13 Greer Baptist Association Churches getting ready for last night's 50th anniversary celebration at Fairview. They sounded great, and it was a wonderful night with over 1,000 in attendance.

GBA 50th

2009-09-28T09:58:00.005-04:00

Fairview hosted Greer Baptist Association's 50th anniversary last night. I think we probably had over 1,000 in the worship center. I have some pics of the choir but for some reason they won't upload this morning. I'll try that again later, but I did want to particularly mention Richard Blackaby's message. He talked about how the church will be effective in the future.

We must be on God's agenda and not on our's
We cannot fear change
We must invest in young people
We must equip the saints

I've been hammering on these four points for a while in our church so his message was timely for us. A church that makes a difference cannot be concerned about the latest trends, fads, and books on the market. We can't look at programs or personalities. We must look only to God who has an individual will for each church.

If a church won't change it will die--period. He told the sad story of a church that refused the change to reach the neighborhood around it. They voted to watch themselves die. Sad, but that is exactly what many churches are doing. They's rather die than change.

If we don't invest in young people we will die as well. We're losing young adults at a staggering rate to the world. Dr. Blackaby was especially passionate on this point and it certainly resonated with me. The most important thing in my life is for my two college age kids to be serving God as adults and raising their families as they have been raised.

We must equip the saints, especially to understand what it means to be born again. One statement from last night--We will not get to heaven by raising our hands, praying a simple prayer, or signing a card. We will get to heaven just because we are a member of a Baptist church or any other church. We will get to heaven because we are born again. And born again people act like they are born again. I blogged recently about folks on the church roll who have the false impression they are saved when it is likely they aren't. Christian people don't continually live like the devil--Christian people live like their Lord!

It was a wonderful night of worship. I was honored we were able to host it.

Heaven

2009-09-22T11:16:00.003-04:00

This is a good one from "Preaching Now" newsletter that I couldn't resist.

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp—
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus,
"What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

"And why's everyone so quiet,
So somber--give me a clue.""
Hush, child," He said, "They're all in shock.
At the thought of seeing you." (from Mikey's Funnies)

Amen or Oh Me?

Church Discipline the Old Fashioned Way!

2009-09-18T10:35:00.003-04:00

A Fairview member recently attended one of their old churches and brought back the bulletin. On the back of it is an interesting history note. I'll leave the church and city nameless.

In 1921 the Baptist Ministers' Association issued a resolution urging Baptist young people 'to show disapproval to dancing...by precept and example.' The measure was approved after an incident involving a member of (church name) who danced at a chaperoned event for high school graduates given by Governor and Mrs. Westmorland Davis at the governor's mansion. The woman was dismissed from the choir and told she could not teach Sunday School.

We used to "church" folks for all kinds of reasons. Now we don't do it at all. I wonder if there should be a happy medium?

Just musing...

Wedgwood

2009-09-15T07:18:00.002-04:00

Today is the 10th annivesary of the shootings at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth. I remember the day well. I was in the hallway waiting on my children at Travis Avenue Baptist Church when we began to hear about a shooting at Wedgwood. Seven people were killed and several were wounded. If you ever want to see how a congregation is to react to tragedy, look at Wedgwood. The church held a special time of observance of the anniversary this past Sunday.

Which Israel?

2009-09-14T08:31:00.002-04:00

I was reading Jeremiah 31-32 this morning, which are chapters in which the prophet tells Israel of a future they would have after their time of chastisement for their sins. In 31:31-34, the New Covenant is proclaimed--a covenant not written on tablets of stone but on the heart. Then come verses 35-36:

³⁵This is what the Lord says: The One who gives the sun for light by day, the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar— the Lord of Hosts is His name: ³⁶If this fixed order departs from My presence— [this is] the Lord’s declaration— then also Israel’s descendants will cease to be a nation before Me forever. Jeremiah 31:35-36 (HCSB)

This passage begs the question, Which Israel? Is the prophecy about the geographical/political nation Israel. Many believe that it is. But what does the New Testament say about Israel? Note Paul's statement: May peace be on all those who follow this standard, and mercy also be on the Israel of God! Galatians 6:16 (HCSB). It is obvious in Galatians that Paul has Christians on his mind. The Church has become the Israel of God.

An important hermeneutical principle when dealing with the Old Testament is that one must sift each passage through the New Testament. Does the New Testament change or at least tweak an idea found in the Old Testament? When one takes the promise of Jeremiah 31 and sifts it through the New Testament grid, it seems that there is a change. Israel is made up of Jews and Gentiles who have professed Christ as Savior.

Israel then will be a nation forever. But she will be nation of priests before God [1 Peter 2:9]. She is the Church of Jesus Christ!

Redemptive Preaching

2009-09-09T07:57:00.002-04:00

This is from the recent PreachingNow newsletter.

In his new book Christ-Centered Worship (Baker), Bryan Chapell includes a chapter on sermons that begins with a reminder of the need for expository preaching. Then he continues: "But we need to be clear that the preacher's concern should not only be instructive. God is active in His Word, convicting the heart, renewing the mind, and strengthening the will. This means that preaching is not simply an instructive lecture; it is a redemptive event. If we only think of the sermon as a means of transferring information, then we will prioritize making the message dense with historical facts, moral instruction, and memory retention devices that prepare people for later tests of formal doctrine or factual knowledge. Such tests are rare. And most persons' ability to remember a sermon's content in following days can devastate the ego of a preacher whose primary goal is the congregation's doctrinal or biblical literacy."The needed reordering of priorities will not come by emptying the sermon of biblical content, but by preparing it for spiritual warfare and welfare. Our primary goal is not preparing people for later tests of mind or behavior, but rather humbling and strengthening the wills of God's people within the context of the sermon. Because God is active in His Word, we should preach with the conviction that the Spirit of God will use the truths of His Word as we preach to change hearts now! As hearts change, lives change -- even when sermon specifics are forgotten (Prov. 4:23). ..."The preacher's obligation to transform as well as inform should compel us to ensure that our sermons are an instrument of God's grace as well as a conduit for His truth."

Lord help me and others who preach Your Word remember this admonition!

Updated NIV

2009-09-02T06:44:00.002-04:00

Baptist Press is reporting that there will be major revision of the NIV by 2011. It is ironic that the revision will come on the 400th anniversary of the KJV. The TNIV will be discontinued. The TNIV has been unfairly criticized for its so-called 'gender-inclusive' language. I think if one reads the TNIV without preconceived notions about it, he would find it an o.k. translation. I'm not a fan of dynamic equivalent translations but as they go the TNIV was fine. It was geared toward younger readers and seemed to meet that need.

I know some of the folks involved in putting the TNIV together. They certainly can't be accused of liberalism and bowing to a feminist agenda, however, that doesn't stop those who like to hurl those accusations.

Same Thing No Matter Where You Go

2009-09-01T07:13:00.002-04:00

While in Honduras, I was part of an interesting conversation with one of our translators, Omar. Omar is called to ministry and has done some pastoral work and lots of evangelistic work in his country. We were told while there that it was very hard to reach young people in Honduras. When we asked Omar that question, he simply laughed. His response, "It's hard for churches who won't change." Then he began telling us about churches that are willing to change from its traditional music and dress to more contemporary modes of both. Those churches are reaching young people for Christ.

I laughed too beause that's just what we're talking about in America. The bottom line: if a church won't change it will die. Period! It makes no difference if that church is in Honduras or in South Carolina. Traditional churches need to understand that if they won't change, all they can look forward to is a slow death.

Jeremiah 17:5-8

2009-08-25T07:40:00.003-04:00

I think we need to hear this word from the Lord.

⁵This is what the Lord says: Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes [human] flesh his strength and turns his heart from the Lord. ⁶He will be like a juniper in the Arabah; he cannot see when good comes but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land where no one lives. ⁷Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord. ⁸He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.

Do you trust in yourself or in man or do you trust in God? I think that is a good question for the times in which we live.

One More from Honduras

2009-08-20T21:33:00.002-04:00

We flew 1500 miles to eat at Pizza Hut! This is just outside the Tegucigalpa airport. The pizza was pretty good!!

Ministry in Oropoli

2009-08-20T21:31:00.002-04:00

Here I am with my fellow pastor, Malcolm Lance. We were helping to weigh people as they entered the medical clinic. Malcom was a great help; he's been in Honduras many times and knows the ropes. He serves at Cathey's Creek Baptist Church in Brevard, NC.

Oropoli, Honduras

2009-08-20T21:29:00.003-04:00

This is the great view up the "hill" in Oropoli. You can see for miles. Folks in the U.S. would pay big bucks for a view like this.

Preaching in Honduras

2009-08-20T21:24:00.003-04:00

I haven't had time to write much about my Honduras mission trip but it was a great time of ministry. Baptist Medical and Dental Ministries International [BMDMI] has a fruitful ministry that pretty much runs like a well-oiled machine. Here I am preaching under the "Gospel Tent" one morning getting folks ready to go to the medical clinic. We were in Oropoli, Honduras about 2 1/2 hours SE of the capitol. During the week over 24 hundred people were ministered to and heard the gospel.

Jeremiah's World and Ours

2009-08-05T08:05:00.004-04:00

I've begun reading Jeremiah in my devotional time and when I got to chatper 2, verses 27-28 jumped off the page:

27 say to a tree: You are my father, and to a stone: You gave birth to me. For they have turned their back to Me and not their face, but in their time of disaster they beg: Rise up and save us! 28 But where are your gods you made for yourself? Let them rise up and save you in your time of disaster if they can, for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah. Jeremiah 2:27-28 (HCSB)

Jeremiah's world was not different than ours. How often we serve our idols but when we get in trouble we turn to God and ask that He get us out of it. Yet God asks, "Why can't the idols you serve get you out of trouble?"

Far too often people turn their backs on God, not really giving Him much of a place in their lives. Yet they go to church on Sunday, going through the relgious motions and cry out to God when the heat is turned up in their lives. We shouldn't expect God to come to the rescue; He won't.

God save us from this kind of hypocrisy.

A Praying Life

2009-07-30T08:48:00.003-04:00

Here is a quick recommendation--read A Praying Life by Paul E Miller (Navpress, 2009). Miller is director of seeJesus.net. From Miller's personal and family life, he gives the reader an honest, everyday look at the vital importance of being connected with the Heavenly Father through prayer. After reading the book, I thought: "Prayer makes a difference every day!"

There are several practical helps in the last section of the book as well. Miller greatly challenged me in many ways. I try to read a book on prayer once a year. This is the best one I've read in the last several!

Church of What's Happening Now

2009-07-30T08:28:00.002-04:00

Cal Thomas has an excellent editorial, published in Wednesday's Greenville News that you should read: "Church of What's Happening Now Embraces Everything." It deals with the recent decision of the Episcopal Church to end the ban on the ordination of gay bishops and permit marriage 'blessings' for same-sex couples. The denomination explains the decision is to stem the exodus from their church by embracing a new doctrine they call 'inclusivity' which they hope will attract young people.

Thomas rightly criticizes the decision as having nothing to do with the foundational truths set forth in Scripture. Thomas writes, The church is inclusive only for those who are adopted by faith into God's family. There are more biblical references to this than there is room to cite here, but for the Episcopal leadership, biblical references no longer have power to persuade, much less compel them to conform. That's because Episcopal leadership denied the teachings of Scripture, in for of, well, inclusivity, a word that appears nowhere in Scripture. Even if it did, Episcopal heretics--for that is what they are--would choose another word to make them feel more comfortable, since accommodation with the world seems to be a more important objective than the favor of God.

Thank God for men like Cal Thomas, who still write/speak the truth. By the way, Thomas takes time in the article to also criticize Jimmy Carter, who also embraces same-sex civil unions.

An Episcopalian priest was a neighbor of mine in Texas. His church, along with several others in the state, had pulled out of the denomination over this issue. This man believed the Word and would not stand for compromise. There are many God-fearing, Bible believing Episcopalians who do not support this kind of rebellion against God. Thank God for them too!

By the way I went to www.calthomas.com to find the column but did not--apparently it has not been posted yet. However on his site are archived columns and comments.

Jamaica Pic 2

2009-07-16T09:10:00.002-04:00

Here's Lesa doing what she loves in Jamaica!

Jamaica Pic

2009-07-16T09:05:00.002-04:00

Lesa and Steph recently ministered a week in Jamaica. It was a blessing to them both. Here is Steph with one of the many friends she made.

Happy Birthday

2009-07-09T08:31:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my blushing bride--Lesa. She's in Jamaica with Steph on a mission trip so we'll celebate later!

Church Rolls and Hebrews 6:4-6

2009-07-08T13:23:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week we had a discussion in my New Testament survey class at North Greenville about the warning passages in Hebrews. Of particular interest to most is Hebrews 6:4-6, where it appears on the surface that one can lose his/her salvation. I interpret the passage as the writer warning those who 'profess' but do not 'possess' Christ. Examples of this would be Judas and Simon Magus in the NT as well as Jesus' Parable of the Sower.

I've been meditating on this passage with regard to the membership rolls of most SBC churches. Many folks on our roll who do not attend could not be found by the FBI. The great majority of them have not darkened the door of the church in years. I wonder if many of them give the church even the slightest thought. Some may but most probably do not.

What is their problem? I suspect the great majority are in the spiritual condition that concerns the writer of Hebrews. Many of these folks are simply not saved. They tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, and tasted God's good word and His power, but simply never received Christ. They've professed but never possessed. They've walked down an aisle, filled out a membership card, perhaps even been baptized, but they've never been born again.

This condition is dangerous on a number of levels. What concerns me most is that many of these folks are putting their eternal security on church membership instead of Jesus. If you are placing your security on church membership, you're no better off than the folks of the book of Hebrews, many of whom were retreating back to Judaism instead of turning fully to Christ.

The problem of church rolls is a conundrum for the traditional church. Many see the church roll as sacrosanct. Every time I've ever brought it up, I get the "we've got to keep them because..." argument. The 'because' is usually, "If we drop them how can we minister to them?" Could it be that by warning them they could be dropped from the roll, sharing what biblical discipleship is all about, and reminding them of the importance of the church, is ministering to them?

Remember this: the church roll book is not the same as God's book, the Lamb's Book of Life. It is likely past time that church's stop contributing to this false sense of security, purge their rolls, and call people back to a personal relationship with Christ that is lived out in the community of His church. The church needs to hold its membership accountable and warn those who fall away that God's children persevere. We must warn in love, but doesn't love compel us to warn?

Thomas on Adultery

2009-07-01T13:29:00.002-04:00

Cal Thomas' recent column on the Sanford 'affair' is insightful and should be read and thought about. Note a couple of paragraphs:

One can make excuses about power and loneliness and starting out as a friendship that develops into something else, as Gov. Sanford rambled on about, but one can’t explain adultery. It is what it is and the person who commits it should be calling on God for mercy, not the voters for understanding.

I once asked evangelist Billy Graham if he experienced temptations of the flesh when he was young. He said, “of course.” How did he deal with them? With passion he responded, “I asked God to strike me dead before He ever allowed me to dishonor Him in that way.” That is the kind of seriousness one needs to overcome the temptations of a corrupt culture in which shameful behavior is too often paraded in the streets.

Read the column; it will cause you to pause and ask for God's help and mercy.

Great Commission Task Force

2009-06-25T15:29:00.003-04:00

The SBC this week approved as expected the formation of the Great Commission Task Force. It looks like a pretty good group, although I wonder if it is truly representative of the entire SBC. A couple of thoughts come to mind when I look over the list. First, there is no one from the mid-west (I don't think Kentucky is considered mid-west). Ronnie Floyd is as close as you get in Springdale, Arkansas. There are five members from Florida!

As usual, the super-church/very large church is represented the most. As far as I can tell (and I could be wrong), Mike Orr of First Baptist Chipley, Florida, is the only pastor of what I would call a medium size Baptist Church. By the way, I don't know Mike but I know FBC. I served in the Chipley area for over five years and FBC is a good congregation. There are no small churches represented as far as I can tell. I'm not sure of the membership/attendance of St. Andrew's in Panama City, but I know it wouldn't be termed small. Five of the members are denominational and three are educators.

I'm not sure what this group will be able to do, but I'm looking forward to hearing from them.

The Sanford "Affair"

2009-06-25T08:49:00.002-04:00

You can't go anywhere today without hearing about the Sanford "affair." For those not from SC, you've probably heard the story about our governor; it's all over the news. I've reflected on all this from a biblical perspective and here are some random thoughts.

We live in a fallen world and people sin, and sin always has terrible consequences.
Integrity matters--always. A good name is better than riches [Prov 22:1].
Believers must always have a heart of compassion and forgiveness [Matthew 18].
Believers must never put too much trust in politics or politicians--our citizenship is in heaven and only our Lord is perfect!
Believers have a responsibility to pray for our leaders [1 Timoth 2:1-3]. One thought that crossed my mind this morning was--if Christians prayed more for leaders, praying for a spiritual mind, a submissive spirit, and protection from the evil one, would this happen less frequently? God convicted me to be less critical and more prayerful.

I think too I must be consistent with this. When President Clinton was caught in his affair with Monica Lewinski, I believed strongly that he broke the public's trust and should resign. Contrary to his supporters, I believed then that his affair showed a basic flaw in character that inhibits sound decision making. I believe that now about Governor Sanford. He should resign. There's a problem deep down in his soul that also inhibits sound decision making. Besides, he should concern himself now with healing himself and his family.

I've committed myself to pray for the governor and his family. I hope you'll join me.

Steph's Blog

2009-06-24T07:49:00.001-04:00

Stephanie is on mission this summer in Florence, SC. She is working with the Florence Baptist Association through the North American Mission Board. She has set up a blog to share some of her experiences. Lesa and I are extremely proud of what she's doing. I know Steph would appreciate your prayers as she continues the work through the end of July.

New Boy Friend

2009-06-24T07:43:00.003-04:00

We recently attended a Greenville Drive game. Looks like Steph found a date!!

The Need for Silence

2009-06-11T15:18:00.004-04:00

Al Mohler's always insightful blog has an entry today about the need for silence. Primarily he discusses children but the need is just as real for adults.

Similarly, I've just begun the book A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I read this only a couple of hours before Mohler's blog. He writes:

American culture is probably the hardest place in the world to learn to pray. We prize accomplishments, production. But prayer is nothing but talking to God. It feels useless, as if we are wasting time. Every bone in our bodies screams, 'Get to work.'

When we aren't working, we are used to being entertained. Television, the Internet, video games, and cell phones make free time as busy as work. When we do slow down, we slip into a stupor. Exhausted by the pace of life, we veg out in front of a screen or with earplugs.

If we try to be quiet, we are assaulted by what C.S. Lewis called 'the Kingdom of Noise.' Everywhere we go we hear the background noise. If the noise isn't provided for us, we can bring our own via iPod.

How true. I've become more and more enamored with silence. To use a quote from a recent blog entry, I've been working on 'ruthlessly eliminating hurry.' That would include having to have noise all the time.

I've never been able to truly study with noise or read with any kind of comprehension when there is something else going on. My staff here at Fairview laugh because I've always got a fan going [even in winter]. It is used primarily to drown out any extemporaneous noise. I'm applying that more and more to my spiritual life with increasing benefits. Try silence. You'll like it.

"Be still and know I am God" [Psalm 46:10].