Bush's Last Days

I've beeninterested in various interviews done by President Bush in these the final days of his watch. What I've appreciated most about him these eight years and was reinforced in the last several days is his unshakeable convictions regarding freedom and keeping America safe. His convictions did not change even when his popularity began taking severe hits. On a recent edition of "Hannity," the President talked about this very thing. Thank God for a man who doesn't change with every political poll!

The American Way and Evangelism

Al Mohler has a great entry today concerning evangelism and the "American Way." In essence, Mohler writes that because of Americans' belief in fair play, equality, etc., we really don't believe people who fail to accept Christ will go to hell.

Mohler asks, "Is God subject to the American way?" The answer, of course, is no. We are, however, very much subject to His. We'd better get out and tell people about Jesus!! American Christians must be influenced more by the Bible than the Constitution.

You Know You're a Reckneck Preacher When-

10 Signs that You Know You're a Redneck Preacher:

10. If your Sunday School bus is on blocks.

9. If you've ever canceled church because your cows got out.

8. If your belt buckle's bigger than your Bible.

7. If you're skeptical of preachers who wear robes and clerical collars.

6. If there's a sign over the church that reads, "Protected by Smith and Wesson."

5. If you've ever taken deep-fried possum to a church dinner.

4. If you've ever made change in the offering plate.

3. If you've ever shown slides from your trip to Graceland.

2. If you "work up lather" when you preach.

1. If your altar call is longer than your sermon

[This from Dave Black's Blog]

Church Hopping

This week a good friend of mine and his wife spent the night. He is a missionary in Brazil and as we were renewing our fellowship he asked me what was different about serving in South Carolina as compared to other places I've been. It only took a moment for me to answer. It is the "church-hopping" mentality of many people here. On any given Sunday, we'll have 5 to 10 people visiting our church who are members of other churches. Those folks are discontent for whatever reason with the church they're in. The sad thing is just the opposite is likely true. It is a fact that most churches grow around here by swapping sheep.

I've never seen so many discontented people in one area, and I've tried to put my finger on why that is true. I'm sure I'll keep working on the answer, but here are some preliminary observations:

• There is the need for a religious experience. Some people need an emotional high all the time. After attending a church for a while the new wears off, the high become more middle, and they're off to some other place.
• There is lack of spiritual maturity. Some people are simply not growing in the Lord and do not have the spiritual maturity to handle any "pot-hole" that inevitably shows up in any church. At the first sign of a problem in the church of when they themselves have a problem with someone else, they're gone.
• There is a general lack of commitment to any institution. This is a sign of the post-modern era in which we live. Some simply do not want to live by any one's rules, including God's.
• There is the need to be entertained. Of course this hits at the lack of knowledge about true worship.
• There is a "me" mentality. Some who hop around are looking only to be served and not to serve.

There may be many other reasons but these are starters. In my opinion, if God leads an individual to a church there are only two reasons why He would lead them out. The first is a theological problem. If the church does not stand on the Word, then there is a need to move. Second is moral. If there is a terrible moral problem that the church will not address, there is the right to move. That's it!

How can a church be strong and accomplish God's will if a good number of the members are wondering whether they should go somewhere else?

Succeeding a Moses

I'm studying Joshua 1 in preparation for a sermon and was struck again at the magnitude of succeeding a giant. Just read the few verses that end Deuteronomy and see what kind of man Moses was. One writer calls him, "Moses the Incomparable." No wonder Joshua was a bit fearful.

Yet there is one truth that jumps off the page of Joshua 1. Dale Ralph Davis writes, "Moses may die; God's promise lives on. There is a passing of an era yet the endurance of the promise. Yahweh's fidelity does not hinge on the achievements of men, however gifted they may be, nor does it evaporate in the face of funerals of men."

He is so right. When someone passes off the scene God always has another to take his place. Moses was dead, so God used Joshua. That thought humbles me. God will use me today, but tomorrow He will use somebody else. God's work goes on. Thus I should never think the church can't get by without me. It can and will. In the meantime, I am simply to be faithful. I'm standing on the shoulders of others. One day others will stand upon mine.

Scientology

The recent tragic death of John Travolta's son brings Scientology back to the news. An informative overview of Scientology can be found at 4TruthNet. You might want to check it out. Scientologists believe that human beings are divine. They also believe in reincarnation.

One More with the Grands

Mamaw with her grands at our annual Christmas Eve get together in Kennett. From left to right, Susan, Rob, Mamaw, Steve, John, and Dave. This is the only night of the year the Patton kids are together in one place.

We miss Mom and Dad still but they're forever with us in memory.

Great-Grands and Great-Great-Grands

Here is "Mamaw" Hogue with her great and great-great grand children. When you're 91, the family gets pretty big!!

Christmas 2008

Happy New Year from the Pattons!!

"Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us" [Phil 3:13-14 NLT].

Christmas Devotionals

I've written a week's worth of Christmas devotional thoughts for the folks at Fairview. This is probably the last entry before Christmas so from my family to yours--May the Christ of Christmas be real in your hearts!!

Joseph the Carpenter

Joseph figures prominently only in a couple chapters of Matthew's Gospel, but he obviously left a legacy in Jesus' life. Part of his legacy was his occupation. But what did Joseph do for a living? Matthew 13:55 [NASB] says that he was a carpenter. In Mark 6:3, Jesus is called a "carpenter." Most English translations agree with the NASB and use the word carpenter as well.

The Greek word is transliterated tekton [pronounced with a long 'o' sound]. What does it mean? It likely means more than just the idea that most folks have in their minds when they think 'carpenter.' In an excellent article a few years ago in JETS, Ken M. Campbell surveyed the use of the word in a variety of sources and concluded that a tekton was a general craftsman who worked with materials such as stone, wood, and sometimes metal in large and small building projects. A tekton would be involved in a variety of building projects including but not limited to houses, wine-presses, millstones, olive press stones, tombstones, cisterns, farm terraces, vineyards, watch towers, house extensions, etc. He rejects using the term "carpenter," and prefers "builder." That is more of a catch-all term and likely more descriptive of Joseph's and later Jesus' occupation.

My Dad would often say he was a "Jack-of-all-trades". Perhaps that colloquialism describes both what Joseph and later Jesus did for a living.

[Ken M. Campbell, "What Was Jesus' Occupation?" JETS 48 (September 2005): 501-19.]

Matthew 2:15 and Hosea 11:1

As I mentioned earlier, I'm spending a lot of time these days on Matthew's birth narrative. Several things in Matthew make these passages interesting study, not the least are the OT quotations.

After Joseph is told to leave Bethlehem, he takes Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Matthew writes that this is in fulfillment of Hosea 11:1: "Out of Egypt I called my son." Some scholars see that Matthew saw in this passage a prediction of Jesus' journey to Egypt, however, the original context is clearly a reference to the exodus. As Turner points out in his commentary, those who think Matthew saw a prediction of Jesus in Hos 11:1 usually state that Matthew has insight into the sensus plenior of Hosea.

A better approach is taking Hos 11:1 typologically [following Turner, Blomberg, and others]. Hos 11:1 alludes to a theological motif that Matthew cherishes: divine sonship. The exodus shows Israel's status as God's firstborn. What was true of Israel is even more true of Jesus. Quoting Turner: "In Hos 11:1 the exodus provides a historical pattern of God's loving preservation of his son Israel from Pharaoh's wrath. From a Christian perspective, this past event is recapitulated by God's loving preservation of his Son, Jesus, from Herod's wrath" [91].

Blomberg is surely correct when he writes: "Just as God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt to inaugurate his original covenant with them, so again God is bringing the Messiah, who fulfills the hopes of Israel, out of Egypt as he is about to inaugurate his new covenant--Jesus recapitulates the role of Israel as a whole" [67].

The typological approach to Matthew's use of the OT in chapters 1-2 is surely the correct one. Matthew sees in Hos 11:1 and other OT passages with respect to Jesus parallels in the way God worked in the past that cannot be contributed to coincidence. Again quoting Turner, "Matthew looks at biblical history with the conviction that it is organically related to Jesus the Messiah as the seed is to the harvest." Well said.

Preaching and Authority

Al Mohler has an excellent post today on the preacher's authority.

I believe the preacher's authority comes from three places. First and foremost is the Bible. The Word of God is the authoritative book of the preacher. We have no authority outside it. Second is the call of God. God's call gives the preacher authority to proclaim, "Thus says the Lord." One who preaches must be one who is called. Third is the preacher's character. The preacher loses all credibility with a congregation once his character is proven to be suspect. Thus a preacher must protect his integrity.

I agree with Mohler. God's people are crying for a word from the Lord. The preacher must give it to them and with all the authority God has given! Preachers must throw thunderbolts on Sunday not give nice religious platitudes that mean nothing and change no one.

"For since, in God's wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching" [1 Cor 1:21]. Let's be fools for Christ's sake. Let's preach the Word!

Deaton

Our friend and member of Fairview, Todd Deaton, has been named the editor of The Western Recorder, the second oldest Baptist paper in the country. Todd, Michelle, Laura, and Caleb will move to Kentucky after the first of the year. Our loss is Kentucky's gain.

Congrats to Todd; he'll do a great job.

http://www.baptistcourier.com/2997.article

Scrooge Lives

It seems that Scrooge is alive and well and sitting in the pews of our churches. In an excellent commentary in The Baptist Courier, Don Kirkland reports on a recent article in Christianity Today entitled, "Scrooge Lives." In it, researchers discovered that more than one in four American Protestants give away no money at all, "not even a token $5 per year." Only about 27% of evangelicals tithe.

Kirkland also reports that the CT article confirms what I've known throughout my ministry--only a small percentage of church members cover the bills for everyone else. As Kirkland aptly puts it, "Small groups of Christians who are generous are 'covering' for the vast majority of Christians who give away nothing or very little of their earnings."

This is not new information but it is still alarming. The Bible is clear. God's people are to give. The NT is clear that the giving should be sacrificial. Paul, for example, commends the church of Macedonia as one that gave sacrificially in spite of their poverty [2 Cor 8:2]. Christians are to give no matter the economic times.

Again quoting Kirkland, "All church members must carry their own weight. It is wrong to continue to allow a small percentage of generous Christians to shoulder the load of the Lord's work with little or no help from their fellow believers." Amen!

I wonder if all of us would give, how much more could be done for the Kingdom?

Read Kirkland's commentary; it is worth the time.

http://www.baptistcourier.com/2962.article

Matthew 1:16

I've been studying Matthew 1 the last couple of weeks in preparation for some Christmas messages. Interesting text variants are found in 1:16: "And Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah" [HCSB]. Commentaries always discuss this verse because it is theologically crucial.

Nearly all the Greek manuscripts as well as early versions reflect the reading that is tranlated above. In effect the translation shows Joseph as Mary's husband and that Jesus was born "through" her. Jesus then is not the natural child of Joseph.

There are two other principle variants. Some manuscripts, primarily Caesarean, read: "Jacob was the father of Joseph, to whom being engaged, the virgin Mary bore Jesus, who is called Messiah." This reading seems to read-back information from 1:18-25 into this passage, making it secondary. Also if this reading is orginal it is hard to explain the first reading. Why would a scribe change such a clear expression of Mary's virginity?

The most controversial reading comes from the Sinaitic Syriac: "Joseph to whom was betrothed Mary the virgin, begot Jesus who is called the Christ." This reading allows for a denial of the virgin birth, although Mary is still described as a virgin. It seems to me that the reading shows Joseph as the legal not physical father of Jesus. Be that as it may, the text is not found in any Greek manuscripts of the NT.

A full discussion of the readings can be found in Metzger's commentary [2-6]. In a nutshell, the external evidence for the third reading is weak. The two variants likely arose from the more well-attested reading. Obviously, as Turner points out in his commentary [62], Matthew certainly did not mean to communicate in 1:16 that Joseph was the biological father of Jesus.

DollyWood

A group from Fairview went last week to DollyWood. This was our first time there. If you can't get in the Christmas spirit there you're one big Scrooge! Lesa and I are in the pic somewhere.

Thanksgiving

For what am I thankful today? I am thankful for a family that loves and supports each other, a church family that is second to none, a talented and gifted church staff, friends, and most of all that Jesus is alive! God bless and have a great Thanksgiving!

Missions Education

I had the privilege this week to be part of the WMU report at the South Carolina Baptist Convention. My small part was entitled, "Why I Believe in Missions Education." For some time I've been greatly concerned about Southern Baptist's commitment to missions education. Many churches have dropped RAs, GAs, Mission Friends, and the WMU struggles to gain support among many pastors.

I've been tempted by AWANA and other children's programs too, but my support for our traditional missions education is stronger than ever for two reasons. Biblically, it is clear that knowledge undergirds behavior. Paul's letters, for example, are often divided by commentators between the theological and the practical, with the theological coming first. The Apostle obviously knew that good theology undergirds good behavior.

Some today say that Christians can get all the missions education they need through trips. While not minimizing the importance of hands-on missions, I would disagree. Missions education consistently challenges us to reflect upon important theological themes, such as the sinfulness of all human beings, the person and work of Christ, and His mandate to take the Gospel to the whole world. While these themes are taught elsewhere in church-life, of course, they are at the forefront of missions education. Our personal experiences must have a theological foundation for proper reflection and mature discipleship. Missions education offers that foundation.

Practically, missions education is important because the more people are exposed to what God is doing in the world, the more likely it is that they will hear His clear call in their lives. It is true that believers respond to a call to missions while on a trip, but it is also true that they hear his call while in GAs or RAs or some other small-group. Doesn't it make sense to give people every possible opportunity to hear God's voice? Give people that once-a-year hands-on experience, but reinforce that experience throughout the year through missions education.

Jesus said that we were to make disciples of all nations [Matt 28:19]. We have our marching orders. How can we afford to leave out the area of church life that keeps those marching orders ever before us?

Early Sheryl Crow

I ran across this newspaper clip today. I can't remember what year this is [early 80s], but here I am interviewing Sheryl Crow during the "Miss Delta Fair" Pageant in Kennett. She had been touring with Michael Jackson as a back-up singer. At the time I was working with KBOA-KTMO in Kennett as their news director.