Every Generation's Hope

Time for Sabbath Rest...

2011-06-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

This summer will be the second time in my pastoral ministry that I have had the opportunity to take an extended sabbatical. I am indebted to our church's leadership for providing this for me every three years. They had the foresight and and generosity to set this up for the pastor even before they knew who it would be when I arrived here nearly seven years ago. So this July I will step away for a month and enjoy a much needed rest.

For some folks, there is confusion and skepticism about why a pastor would ever need extended time away. That usually comes from the same crowd that's convinced that he only works on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights! I've discovered this time is valuable for several reasons.

First, the preaching and teaching ministry is one of the most mentally and emotionally draining tasks that anyone can engage in. I tell folks often that Sunday just keeps coming at you. It's a continual challenge to remain fresh and energized when you are speaking to many of the same people for most of the year. My sabbatical gives me the chance to step away and be fed by other preachers and teachers. I can read and study more extensively for myself. I can engage the Word of God, not to preach it to others, but to preach it to myself.

Second, my sabbatical gives me time to reconnect with my family and more intensively pour myself into their lives. Some months in the ministry I can spend anywhere from 4-8 hours in family counseling. As pastors, we often feel guilty that we are giving our best energy to other marriages and other children, rather than investing in our own.

And finally, my sabbatical gives me a chance to step away and really look and my ministry with the long view. In the daily grind of congregational life, you so often get caught up in just trying to keep your head above water each week. There are mettings to prepare for and hospital visits to make. Effective ministry requires some intensive attention given to the big picture.

If your pastor does not get the opportunity to take a sabbatical every few years, I strongly encourage you to be his advocate and provide this for him and his family. The long-term benefit to your church will far outweigh the inconvenience of having him out of the pulpit. His family and the family of God will be blessed by an extended time of sabbath rest.

My Summer Reading List

2011-06-17T06:25:00.001-07:00

Between some vacation trips and a study break I'm taking this summer, I've put together a reading list that I am already working on. These choices reflect my interests as a pastor as well as one of my "guilty pleasures"--American westerns. Maybe a few of them will interest you as well. I hope you will take time this summer to not only refresh and replenish your body, but also sharpen and grow your mind. Happy reading!

Read the Bible for Life: Your Guide to Understanding & Living God's Word, by George H. Guthrie
I met Dr. Guthrie this month at the Southern Baptist Convention and fell in love with this new work he has released. I plan on teaching it this fall on Sunday nights as a preparation course for reading the Bible through as a church next year. It's a great resource every one should have who is serious about knowing their Bible.

Tempted and Tried, by Russell D. Moore
I'm almost finished with this great study on the temptation and triumph of Christ in the wilderness. It's one of the best resources you will find on dealing with temptation in your life.

Hell Under Fire, Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson, eds.
I finished this book last month as a resource for preparing my present sermon series on hell. This is a collection of essays on the doctrine of hell by some truly world-class evangelical scholars.

Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism, by David L. Allen
I'm looking forward to reading this work that is a collection of presentations made at the John 3:16 conference a few years ago.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, by Eric Metaxas
I've heard so many good reviews of this award-winning work by Metaxas. I'm really looking forward to diving in to it.

Radical Together, by David Platt
This is the follow-up to Platt's ground-breaking book. David's probably the most respected voice in the SBC right now.

The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral and How it Changed the American West, by Jeff Guinn
I love westerns, so I'm really looking forward to learning more about the real story of the O.K. Corral (even if it ruins it for me when I watch "Tombstone" from now on).

Doc: A Novel, by Mary Doria Russell
"I'm your huckleberry."

The Word Became Fresh: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts, by Dale Ralph Davis
I've always felt that Old Testament narrative is the most challenging type of text to preach. This is a great new resource for preachers and teachers.

Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach, by Kenneth Keathley
Keathley's treatment of these doctrines intrigues me and I'm looking forward to becoming more familiar with his position.

Biblical Friendship Looks Like This...

2011-04-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

"Brother, I want you to know that I am committed to you. Your will never knowingly suffer at my hands. I'll never say or do anything knowingly to hurt you. I will always in every circumstance seek to help you and support you. If you're down and I can lift you up, I'll do it. Anything I have that you need, I'll share it with you. And if I have to, I'll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you and no matter what happens in the future--either good or bad--my commitment to you will never change. There is nothing you can do about it and you don't have to respond. I love you and that's what it means." Source Unknown

10 Questions to Turn Your Conversation to the Gospel

2010-07-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

(From an article by Don Whitney)

Many Christians suffer with unnecessary fears about sharing their faith. Once they finally get a conversation turned to the subject of the Gospel, however, most believers find that they're able to manage quite well. Much of the time the biggest problem is simply moving a conversation from small talk to "big" talk, the biggest subject of all—the Gospel. Here's a list of questions that can help. Some of them aren't original with me, though I don't recall where years ago I first heard the ones I've borrowed. I've found that the last one opens more doors for the Gospel in the widest variety of situations.

1. When you die, if God says to you, "Why should I let you into Heaven?", what would you say? Are you interested in what the Bible says about your answer?
2. If you were to die tonight, where do you think you would spend eternity? Why? Are you interested in what the Bible says about this?
3. Do you think much about spiritual things?
4. How is God involved in your life?
5. How important is your faith to you?
6. What has been your most meaningful spiritual experience?
7. Do you find that your religious heritage answers your questions about life?
8. Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs? If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it? Well, the Bible says .
9. To you, who is Jesus?
10. I often like to pray for people I meet; how can I pray for you?

What I Wanted

2010-06-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted;
The warm days and the great outdoors.

It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted;
The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.

It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted;
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.

It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted;
The warmth and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted;
The freedom and the respect.

I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted;
The youth and the free spirit.

I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted;

The presence of mind without limitations.

My life was over;
and I never got what I wanted.

(quoted by Chuck Swindoll)

Why I Will Vote for the GCR Task Force Recommendations

2010-06-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

If you are a Southern Baptist, by now you know that next week at our annual convention in Orlando we will vote on recommendations from a "Great Commission Resurgence Task Force" that was appointed at last year's convention in Louisville. The Task Force's work has been the focus of our attention for the last twelve months because the recommendations they put forward in their report have lasting ramifications for our denomination in the years to come.

If you aren't familiar with the group's report, I urge you to visit the GCR Blog and watch or read the entire report. If you would like to read several opposing viewpoints, go to Baptist Press.

I have a keen interest in the report and have read and prayed over it carefully for two key reasons: 1) I'm a lifelong Southern Baptist and a product of God's work in this denomination. Her mission is near and dear to my heart. 2) I'm being nominated next week to serve on our North American Mission Board as a trustee. As you'll see in the report, the mission and even the very existence of NAMB has been a key focus of the discussion.

I have good friends, fellow pastors and leaders in our state conventions, who strongly disagree with many of the key components of this report. And I will go on record as saying that I hope there will be consideration given to strengthening the language concerning the Cooperative Program as our key funding strategy. But at the end of the day, my conviction to support this initiative is three-fold:

First, Southern Baptists aren't the hope of the world. Yes, I said that. Jesus is the hope of the world. As I've pored over many of the opinion pieces on Baptist Press and other places, I'm often grieved that many of our leaders seem to feel that the preservation of a denominational structure should take priority over the spiritual darkness of the world. I know that there isn't a single one of them that actually believe this, but if our passion for the Great Commission is continually limited by our unwillingness to ruthlessly evaluate "sacred cows" (like cooperative agreements and the key mission of longstanding bodies like the Executive Committee) then will we ever really discover the true potential God has given this great denomination?

Second, the people of God should always be on a mission to seek God with fresh eyes and a pure heart. For too long I think we've been unwilling to consider a better way simply because it would require us to make changes that would put a strain on longstanding relationships between state conventions. My concern about "cooperative agreements" simply reflects my bewilderment at how we can keep doing something at the state and national level that we have already seen fail at the local level. For instance, how effective would our church's mission giving be if there were "cooperative agreements" with the student ministry, Sunday School classes, and committees? We would have to require that a certain amount of our missions giving each year be sent back to these groups so that they could fund their own mission projects. This obviously still gets some mission work done; it even involves and develops our own peope in missions, and there isn't anything wrong with that. But would it surprise us if our missions giving actually went down because people began to see that much of their giving never actually made it to missionaries and church planters on the field? Yet this is essentially how a great deal of our missions giving to foreign fields comes right back to the state level. Are good things being done? Absolutely. Is this the best way to fund missions work in the most spiritually lost places? I just don't think so.

Finally, time is short and Jesus is coming back soon. No one who has tracked the health of our convention over the last decade could argue that we are at a critical crossroads. We have to be willing to make the hard choices that give us the greatest potential to impact the world while God grants us the opportunity. I totally agree that if every individual would tithe, if every church would give at least a tithe or more to the CP (our church gives 14%), then it may have never occurred to us that we needed a Great Commission resurgence. But obedience to God has always meant that there is a crucial devotion to stewardship--stewardship of monies, personnel, as well as stewardship of our thinking and planning.

We all recognize that these recommendations aren't a cure-all. Nothing can replace our personal devotion to loving God with our hearts, souls, and strength. But my prayer is that if they pass, they might become a launching platform for the greatest Great Commission movement of our lifetimes. May we all come together under Jesus to make it so.

What Your Pastor Cherishes Most...

2010-06-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

This year at Together for the Gospel, John MacArthur was asked what kind of counsel he might give to elders or church members who wonder what their pastor needs the most from them. For all of my friends who want to discover how to help their pastor be as successful as he can possibly be, these words are priceless:

"What I cherish the most is a true and loving loyalty. This disloyalty, betrayal, undermining, just cuts the heart out of your pastor. When I talk about loving loyalty, I mean when there is an issue that needs to be addressed you go eyeball-to-eyeball, man-to-man, and you confront it. And I love that. I love when guys come to me and say, “John, I think this is a problem. I think you are overlooking this. I think this is a misstep on your part.” Those are the men I cherish. Those are the men I pull to my heart.   
But what is just terribly debilitating is to feign that kind of affection to the man and then undermine that among the people. That is the most difficult thing. It is the betrayal that that brings. I could endure any problem in a church. I am challenged to solve any problem. But it is so hard when the men that you trust betray you behind your back. Because he is God’s man in your midst, you give him your love and you give him your loyalty. Be honest with him, face to face, man to man, open hearted. But understand the burden that he bears, and you need to be his true friend. You really do."

The Day He Died

2010-05-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

When asked what God had taught him most deeply about life, George Mueller (1805-1898), pastor and philanthropist, explained:

“There was a day when I died, utterly died, died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will, died to the world, its approval or censure, died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends, and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”

Quoted in A. T. Pierson, George Mueller of Bristol (London, 1899), page 367.

Just Preach Jesus

2010-05-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

When I came out of seminary a few years ago, the new push towards "relevant," or "seeker-sensitive worship" was just beginning to gain steam. I remember being in preaching class with a lot of guys at Southwestern and that was the buzz. "You've got to exegete the culture around you before you exegete your sermon." And I have to confess that when I first started pastoring a few years later, this kind of thinking got inside my head. It's probably influenced more sermons I've preached than I care to admit.

But God's patience and extended time in the pressure cooker of local church ministry have a way of teaching you things that no conference or church growth seminar can. And over the years I began to realize that a steady, long-term commitment to passionate, in-your-face, biblical preaching produces more long-lasting fruit for the kingdom than any fancy church growth strategy ever did.

I love this recent quote from James MacDonald on his devotion to strong, biblical preaching:

I try not to spend any time in my message preparation thinking about what people want to hear or what questions the culture is asking. I just don’t spend any time on that at all. I have believed now for 21-plus years that if you try with all of your heart to say some things that God wants said—God has some things he wants said; that’s why he wrote a Book—God would get some people over here to hear it.

"I try not to spend any time in my message preparation thinking about what people want to hear or what questions the culture is asking." I had to laugh when I read that. Do you realize how many warehouses of paper have been used to print books and manuals that teach us how to do that exact thing? If you'd like to read the entire interview with James on preaching, you'll find it here.

And I say "Amen." God wrote a book. Let's read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, swim in it, and preach it with white-hot passion until the Savior returns. And trust God to get some people in the seats to hear it. I can't wait for Sunday to get here!

The New Tradition in Worship

2010-05-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

If you hang around the local church long enough, you see trends come and go, especially when it comes to worship style. That's why the substance and the heartbeat of authentic worship has to be the proclamation and the celebration of the gospel, not creating a bigger and better musical experience every week. North Point put out a humorous video this week that illustrates how contemporary has become the new traditional.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

The Divine Architect

2010-05-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Randy Alcorn for pointing me to this incredible excerpt from one of Spurgeon's sermons, "Laus Deo" (which is Latin for "Praise Be to God"). If you don't visit his blog it's well worth your time at www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com.

Meditate, dear friends, upon the whole range of God’s works in creation and providence. There was a period when God dwelt alone and creatures were not. In that time before all time, when there was no day but “The Ancient of Days,” when matter and created mind were alike unborn, and even space was not, God, the great I Am, was as perfect, glorious, and blessed as he is now. There was no sun, and yet Jehovah dwelt in light ineffable; there was no earth, and yet his throne stood fast and firm; there were no heavens, and yet his glory was unbounded. God inhabited eternity in the infinite majesty and happiness of his self-contained greatness.

If the Lord, thus abiding in awful solitude, should choose to create anything, the first thought and idea must come of him, for there was no other to think or suggest. All things must be of him in design. With whom can he take counsel? Who shall instruct him? There existed not another to come into the council-chamber, even if such an assistance could be supposable with the Most High.

In the beginning of his way before his works of old, eternal wisdom brought forth from its own mind the perfect plan of future creations, and every line and mark therein must clearly have been of the Lord alone. He ordained the pathway of every planet, and the abode of every fixed star. He poured forth the sweet influences of the Pleiades, and girt Orion with his bands. He appointed the bounds of the sea, and settled the course of the winds.

As to the earth, the Lord alone planned its foundations, and stretched his line upon it. He formed in his own mind the mould of all his creatures and found for them a dwelling and a service. He appointed the degree of strength with which he would endow each creature, settled its months of life, its hour of death, its coming and its going. Divine wisdom mapped this earth, its flowing rivers and foaming seas, the towering mountains, and the laughing valleys.

The divine Architect fixed the gates of the morning and the doors of the shadow of death. Nothing could have been suggested by any other, for there was no other to suggest. It was in his power to have made a universe very different from this, if he had so pleased; and that he has made it what it is, must have been merely because in his wisdom and prudence he saw fit to do so.

There cannot be any reason why he should not have created a world from which sin should have been for ever excluded; and that he suffered sin to enter into his creation must again be ascribed to his own infinite sovereignty. Had he not well known that he would be master over sin, and out of evil evolve the noblest display of his own glory, he had not permitted it to enter into the world: but, in sketching the whole history of the universe which he was about to create, he permitted even that black spot to defile his work, because he foreknew what songs of everlasting triumph would rise to himself when, in streams of his own blood, incarnate Deity should wash out the stain.

It cannot be doubted that whatever may be the whole drama of history in creation and providence, there is a high and mysterious sense in which it is all of God. The sin is not God’s, but the temporary permission of its existence formed part of the foreknown scheme, and to our faith the intervention of moral evil, and the purity of the divine character, do neither of them diminish the force of our belief that the whole scope of history is of God in the fullest sense.

My Prayer Today

2010-03-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite preachers, James McDonald, shares this prayer today that he often prays for the start of every day. May it be ours also...

Ephesians 5:18, “Be filled with the Spirit.”

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit today. I can’t fix yesterday, and tomorrow seems a long way off.
Today, Lord: Cleanse my heart from the fleshly residue of yesterday’s fallen humanity.
Today, Lord: Scrub my thoughts and motives till they shine with singularity – wanting Your glory alone.
Today, Lord: Wash me and I will be whiter than snow, purposed afresh to follow Your footsteps.

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit today. The tasks ahead are too much. If I must go alone, I cannot go at all.
Today, Lord: I’m not smart enough to know what is best, and not strong enough to choose what is righteous.
Today, Lord: My wife, my family, my friends, my church . . . I am not sufficient for these things, and I know it.
Today, Lord: Or what unfolds in the hours ahead will fade into the abyss of worthless, wasted time.

Lord, fill me with Your Spirit right now. Come, make these 24 hours all You created them to be.
Now, Lord: You know how to ‘give good gifts’ and I am so thankful to be called Your child.
Now, Lord: By faith, I receive the Presence You’ve promised, and delight to know that Your Word is true.
Now, Lord: You are filling my life with peace and purpose and freeing my soul to sing.

Galatians 5:16, 22, “Walk then in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of your flesh. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control.”

I Want to be a Man of One Thing

2010-03-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

"A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he is rich, or whether he is poor--whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offense--whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish--whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise--whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame--for all that this zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing, and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God's glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it--he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray...If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill (Exodus 17:9-13). If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of 'zeal' in religion." J. C. Ryle in Practical Relgion

Books I'm Reading Right Now

2010-03-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

He Dwelt Among Us by A.W. Tozer

This is a collection of Tozer's teachings from the gospel of John. Great insight on the fourth gospel.

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, addresses the doubts that both skeptics and true believers have about God.

How to Reach Your Full Potential for God by Charles Stanley.

Stanley still provides the most practical teaching of any pastor in America. This is no exception.

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

A great story about faith, friendship, and forgiveness.

Everyone's Quest

2010-02-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

Confession time...when I was growing up, I really enjoyed watching "professional" wrestling. I realize that calling it professional may be a stretch, thus the quotation marks. But my favorite wrestling was when the teams went after each other. Two or more wrestlers would go up against another team. When one member got pinned or in deep trouble, he would reach out, tag his partner, and IT WAS ON!!

I think that the best picture of what the Great Commission should look like in the local church is God's people doing "tag-team" evangelism. From the very outset, introducing people to Jesus was a "come and see" invitation. Andrew invited Peter. The woman at the well invited her entire village. When we come together for the sake of the gospel, God just seems to bless that kind of effort in a special way.

Beginning February 21, we will be doing some tag-team evangelism at First Baptist with a campaign called "Everyone's Quest." For six weeks, I will be preaching through the foundational truths of the gospel. We will provide you with some invitation cards like the one above and you can use them as conversation-starters with family, friends, and co-workers. Our worship hour will be prayerfully prepared for your special guests. We're praying for God to use this campaign as a vital resource for you in your mission to share the Good News of Jesus. We are ready to get after it this Sunday. Let's tag up!

One reason I love being a pastor...

2009-06-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

I could think of dozens of reasons that pastoring a local church is the great joy and privilege of my life. To be sure, some days are better than others; but as a servant to God's flock, one reason that this duty is such a joy is the chance to have a "front seat" when God does a transforming work in someone's life.

Last night we hosted a local Christian band for an evening concert at our church. After the concert I was drifting around meeting visitors and enjoying fellowship with church members. A young lady introduced herself to me that had come with a friend. She was new in our city and looking for a church. I told her I was more than happy to talk to her about our congregation. During the conversation, she mentioned that she came as a guest of her friend, who was a friend of a band member. She mentioned to me that her friend wasn't a Christian, but was looking for answers.

In a few moments her friend walked up. We were introduced and began to talk. Here was a lost person who not only showed up for a concert at church, but had invited a friend. If that isn't someone who is ready for the gospel, I don't know who is! I began to explain the gospel to her and asked her if she was ready to turn her whole life over to Jesus. She enthusiastically said "Yes!"

It was a great finish to an incredible day: one other came forward for baptism and one teenager surrendered to missions Sunday morning. Those are the days when I love being a pastor. Every pastor has seasons of trial and grief in ministry, but thank you Jesus for letting us be a part of your eternal purpose in people's lives! I can't wait for next Sunday.

My Pick for the U.S. Open

2009-06-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

This week Phil Mickelson will tee it up for the U.S. Open at Bethpage, New York. I don't know how he will fare in the final standings. Mickelson has always been a threat at major championships. Thus far he has won the 2004 Masters, the 2005 PGA Championship, and the 2006 Masters. But I feel safe in making this prediction: whatever the result come Sunday, in my opinion Phil is already the winner.

You probably already know by now that Mickelson's wife, Amy, began treatment for breast cancer last month. Earlier in the season at an emotional press conference, he announced that he was suspending much of his play this year to be with her as she goes through treatment. As of now, Amy's surgery is scheduled for July, with treatments to follow. The cancer was caught early, so prognosis is good.

"I'm putting everything I have into this week," Mickelson said, "because I don't anticipate being able to play for awhile." In an era where there are so many examples of men embracing passivity and ignoring their responsibilities, Mickelson is a model of what authentic manhood is all about. Real men are there for their wives, "in sickness and in health." I'm sure Amy has stood by him at all the high and low points in his career. And he is standing with her as she faces perhaps her greatest challenge. So that's my take. This Father's Day I'm picking Phil Mickelson. May many other men follow his example.

2009-06-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

"It is a poor sermon that gives no offense—that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher." George Whitfield

Hearing from God Under the Mango Tree...

2009-05-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this morning from Kolda, Senegal. We are having a great time doing some preliminary work on our partnership here. Our goal is to help plant a church in a nearby village, Sarre Yoba, where there are no believers. It is an exciting type of ministry that I urge other churches to get involved in as you seek to take Acts 1:8 seriously.

A few days ago, we met with about 7-8 new believers and their friends here in Kolda. There was no building, or stained glass windows. Just a mango tree and a few wooden benches and our Bibles. This is really the first church in this area, and it is fascinating watching this small band of Christ-followers figure out how the are going to do church. There are no instruments and no bulletins to hand out; just baby Christians reading their Bibles and then discussing what they have discovered in God's Word.

They had chosen the passage in Luke 11:37-53 as their text for the evening. This is the passage where Jesus pronounces six woes on the Pharisees who are seeking to trip Him up. Now, this is a pretty challenging text I think, even for seasoned Bible students. As they turned to the passage, I was wondering, "Will they really be able to grasp the theme of this text?" Dumb question on my part.

In Kolda, there are several languages spoken. The primary one is probably French. The people group we work with speaks Fulani. Then there are Creoles. So in this group, the verses were read through three times, once in each language. I was asked to read it in English. Each reading took several minutes, but the entire group listened closely to every word. When they had finished reading it, they began discussing what they thought it meant. And within just a few minutes, they had nailed it: God's primary concern is the condition of your heart, not the outward dressing of religion. If you have a disobedient heart, no amount of religious fervor is going to please Him.

Wow! "How did they figure that out?" was my first thought. But I already knew the answer. When we listen to the simple Word of God, with a teachable heart, the Spirit speaks truth into our lives. The Spirit is skilled in French, Fulani, Creole, English, and every other language. I walked away from that worship service under the mango tree with a greater determination than ever to preach God's Word with faithfulness and passion. The Holy Spirit is fully qualified to do the rest. I am grateful to my new brothers and sisters in Senegal for teaching me this timeless truth.

Muslim Demographics

2009-05-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

I will be in Senegal for the next week and a half with one of our mission teams, so I will be away from my blog for awhile. Our partnership in West Africa is focused on trying to plant a church in a region that is 98% Muslim. We take the gospel to these regions because of the sobering reality that this video illustrates. Please pray and join with us in asking God to give us the nations.

When God has Regrets...

2009-05-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have read through the Bible every year for several years now and each journey brings fresh insights of who God is and how great He is. No other book is like this. You can read Moby Dick hundreds of times and be bored out of your mind. Read the Bible hundreds of times and be changed.

This week’s reading brought me to 1 Samuel 15 where Saul commits a catastrophic act of disobedience. God gave him a specific command through Samuel--

I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey (Vv. 2-3).

It is a huge deal when God “takes note” of something. He had not forgotten the detestable nature of the Amalekites’ sin and had waited these years for the right time to administer justice. He chose to do so through the man that He appointed the first king of Israel. But the bigger picture here was that God was giving Saul an opportunity to show himself an obedient vessel to use in carrying out His purposes. And at this critical moment, Saul failed miserably.

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction (Vv. 8-9).

So not only did Saul disobey God, he dishonored the name of God by devoting to destruction (a sort of sacrifice to God) what was worthless. God’s response to this type of disobedience and dishonor is chilling. He said to Samuel--

I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments (V. 11).

God plainly says that He regretted (the word is translated “repents” in the KJV) making Saul king. God is not man. He does not sin or have to say “Oops!” So why would He ever have regrets? To hear God express regret seems confusing. But we should read further. Samuel declared later after confronting Saul with this sin--

And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for He is not a man, that He should have regret (V. 29)

The Hebrew word here for “regret” means “to breathe strongly” (like a heavy sigh). In its negative definition it means “to avenge.“ I understand the Bible to be saying that sometimes, as in this case, the sinful responses of people result in God refocusing His attitude in another direction. Human regret is regret over a mistake we made, or sorrow that we got caught. By itself it doesn’t result in us doing anything about it. But God’s regret is refocusing His attitude to deal with sin that has dishonored His Name. He “will not” (v. 29) have regret by allowing His glory to be diminished by man. This is a primitive particle that, when put before the verb, means “never.” God will never let this sort of thing go. He will deal with Saul’s sin because it dishonors His glorious Name. And if you read the story, you know what God does. Saul and his family are removed from the royal lineage.

My question today is very simple. Have I made any choices in my life that have brought God regret? Have I dishonored His name? And what am I doing about it? God’s wants us to align our wills with His so that regret is resolved with righteousness. I want to be diligent to confess the sin in my life and seek after God’s approval daily. I don’t want to just sweep it under the rug, or chalk it up to difficult circumstances like Saul did. I’m praying that you will make today the starting line for living a regret-free life. Whatever you need to do to make things right, do it right now. If you don’t, God will.

Arguing with Emily Dickinson

2009-05-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

As a pastor, I get a lot of requests from our college and high school students to assist them with projects that demand a pastor's point of view. This week one of our students, Rashell Reese, asked if I would provide a pastor's analysis of one of Emily Dickinson's poems she is studying, Some keep the Sabbath going to Church. Since I'm sure that many of you know people who choose to keep the Sabbath the same way Dickinson did, I thought my thoughts might be helpful to you as well. So below is the poem with my comments. And Rashell...if you get a bad grade, then my wife wrote this!

A Pastor’s Response to
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church
by Emily Dickinson

Some keep the Sabbath going to Church --
I keep it, staying at Home --
With a Bobolink for a Chorister --
And an Orchard, for a Dome --

Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice --
I just wear my Wings --
And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,
Our little Sexton -- sings.

God preaches, a noted Clergyman --
And the sermon is never long,
So instead of getting to Heaven, at last --
I'm going, all along.

As a Christ-follower and a pastor, I firmly believe that the first day of each week is the Lord’s Day. For Christians, it commemorates the Lord’s resurrection from the dead and is a time to worship God, both privately and publicly.

Dickinson’s poem expresses an objection that we often hear from those who claim to know God, but feel no obligation to make a commitment to a local church and worship God publicly on a regular basis. If a person has truly made a personal commitment to the Lord, there are several reasons that corporate worship on the Sabbath is vital.

Corporate worship powerfully expresses a sincere love for God and His people. Dickinson saw nature as the setting in which her worship took place. We can certainly worship God in the midst of His wonderful creation, but it was not birds and trees for whom Jesus, the Son of God, died. Jesus died for people; the people that would choose to trust Him and become a part of God’s family. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV). Authentic Christians are committed to corporate worship because we love one another deeply and want to be together.

Corporate worship is observed on the day by which all other days should be judged. The Sabbath for a Christian is the one day when we express our affirmation that every believer should obey Christ, not only with private devotion, but with a corporate devotion. We are to be actively involved in the affairs of our community each week, but on the Sabbath, we are commanded in God’s Word to assemble together: “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25, ESV). As Christians, corporate observance of the Sabbath is not an option. It is a commandment in Scripture.

Finally, corporate worship emphasizes the priority of Christ-centered friendships. The Bible teaches that God has given each believer the responsibility of encouraging and exhorting one another in the faith. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV). In this sense, we believe that the eternal security for every believer is a congregational project.

History tells us that in 1845, Dickinson made a commitment to Christ during a revival in Amherst. The commitment did not last. She never made a public confession of her faith and it was years after this that she wrote “Some keep the Sabbath going to Church.” One wonders if she would have ever penned these words had she had strong relationships with other Christians to model the value of accountability in our relationship with Christ.

For an authentic follower of Jesus, there is no doubt. Observing the Lord’s Day each week is a vital element of a healthy and growing Christian faith. For this reason as believers we join in affirming the declaration “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Psalms 122:1, ESV)

Trouble-Proofing Your Home

2009-04-30T14:11:00.001-07:00

I can’t remember when I first heard it, but the saying goes something like this. "Don’t go looking for trouble. It will find you." I look at my own spiritual journey and feel like too often I have indeed gone looking for trouble. There are now essentially zero limits on the access to information and entertainment in our culture. Everything, good and evil, is as close as the click of a mouse. Strange days indeed.

In my journey through the Bible this year I came to Psalm 101 last week and it cut me to the quick. David pours his heart out to the Lord:

1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord. Psalm 101:1-8 (ESV)

Do you hear the yearning in his words? David wanted to be in the Lord’s presence: to sing His praises, to ponder His blamelessness, to walk in integrity, and to fellowship with other faithful people. And the headquarters of this worship experience? Verse two says, “within my house.” David wanted righteousness to reign in his home. That is what I want! I know that at my best moments when I am living in the way that brings God the greatest pleasure, that is what is beating in my heart: make this home an embassy of heaven!

Yet we know that in a moment of passion, David failed (2 Samuel 11). The very moment that he stopped pondering the way that was blameless, he began exploring the pathway to wickedness. All it took was a season of laziness. All it took was a second look. I have seen what lies at the end of that path. You and your family really do not want to go there.

David forgot his own advice—“morning by morning” cut off the access to evil in your life, and plug into the presence of God. Get the Internet filter that will eliminate the threat of pornography on your computer (I recommend Open DNS). Reserve the close friendships in your life for people who are passionate for God. And above all, practice God’s presence. Feed the spirit. Starve the flesh. Trouble is lurking.

Time to 'Fess Up...

2009-04-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

This Sunday my preaching will come to a place that’s very personal for me because it’s an issue that God has been dealing with me about for some time. I will begin preaching through 1 Corinthians and I'm touching on an issue that is a constant threat preachers deal with every week.

I would frame it in this simple question: Am I delivering a Christ-exalting word from God, or just a compelling speech? Paul dealt with it in the church at Corinth and declares his steadfast commitment to applying the gospel effectively:

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

I love creativity. It’s just part of my personality. I love words. I love compelling and interesting illustrations. And I truly believe that God’s Word deserves our best efforts at using those gifts He has given us to effectively deliver His message. But we are deluding ourselves if we ever fall into thinking that reaching this world and bringing God glory hinges only on our most well-thought out words and ideas.

A favorite "Peanuts" cartoon of mine had Linus and Charlie Brown looking at the clouds and Charlie Brown asked Linus what he saw. I can't remember the exact words, but Linus said something like, “Over there I see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, and over there I see what looks like Michelangelo’s statue of David. What do you see, Charlie Brown?" Charlie Brown says, "I was going to say a ducky and a horsey, but I changed my mind."

I see more clearly every week that compared to the word of the cross, my words are only elementary and foolish. As much as I love creativity, my greatest need isn’t more fresh ideas. I need a fresh and clear vision of the cross. It, and it alone, is the power of God for salvation.

What's Your Story?

2009-04-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

The thing that makes Good Friday "good" is that Jesus paid the penalty for my sin on that day. Only bad people need to repent. But when you're bad, you aren't a good enough person to repent. The only one good enough to do something that noble is God, who doesn't need to repent. That's what makes Calvary so amazing. Jesus owed no debt, but He stepped in on my behalf and accomplished the greatest "bailout" in human history.

So I want to know your story. For the next week both here and on my Facebook page, I'm inviting all of my friends to celebrate the resurrection by telling me your story. To get you fired up about it, I'm sharing Matthew West's video, "Next thing you know." Enjoy the video, and tell me your story. When did it happen? How did it happen? What's your life like now? It's what makes Good Friday great.

The Quest for Joy

2009-04-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

“Man cannot live without joy; therefore when he is deprived of true spiritual joys it is necessary that he become addicted to carnal pleasures.”
Thomas Aquinas

T.A.W. (Thursday Afternoon Worship)

2009-04-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

How to Win an Atheist's Respect

2009-04-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

One of our Sunday Bible Fellowship leaders, Dale Guidry, pointed me to this incredible video from Penn of Penn and Teller (an avowed atheist). Take a look...

Planned Neglect

2009-03-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

It’s now official . We are doing life in overdrive twenty-four hours a day. I woke up at two in the morning last night with a low-grade fever and began thinking how I wouldn’t be able to make the early morning meeting I had. So I took my Blackberry and sent a text to our associate pastor to ask him to cover for me. I’m laying back down praying my fever will break, when I hear my phone chirp. He’s returning my text! I started to text him back and tell him to turn off his phone and get some sleep, but there was this issue of a fully body sweat that was starting to distract me.

My point is to not talk about sweat, but to talk about the need that many of us have for a little planned neglect. There are an endless number of outlets to stay “in the loop” when it comes to our jobs and our relationships. And I’m beginning to think that many of us are falling into the trap of feeling like we have to respond to every issue, every question, every email, text, or tweet immediately. I know that I have. This is a real danger, because there is only one connection that must be continuously maintained and that’s the one that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit is the Christ-conscious life. It’s the neglect of everything unnecessary in order to relentlessly pursue that one thing which is absolutely necessary. It’s planning time in your life to neglect the things that are window dressing and fluff so that you can do the hard work of extensively reading and concentrating on God’s Word , listening to His voice, journaling your insights, and living out your discoveries. Stop right now and consider the last time that you really did this. Or more importantly, have you ever really done it at all?

I’m praying that as you read this you are thinking about what you need to neglect today in order to get alone in God’s presence and soak in His greatness. And when you do, turn off your cell phone.

That's My King!

2009-03-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday afternoon...so let's crank it up with one of my favorites.

There Once was a Man...

2009-03-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

This week I begin a new message series entitled "Why?" I'm focusing on some of the questions that are most asked of God. And by far, the most asked question is "Why does God allow such suffering in the world?" That is where we will start this Sunday.

When suffering comes into your life, you have a choice. Will you run into the arms of Jesus, or will you turn inward with bitterness and resentment? I'll let you decide what choice Dora Tenenoff made.

In 1993 Rick Tenenoff and two other missionaries were trying to advance God's kingdom among the Kuna Indians. Columbia guerillas crossed the border into Panama and went into the village where the three men were ministering and kidnapped the group. For sixteen years now the group has been missing and is now presumed dead.

Rick's daughter, Dora, was a young child when she lost her father. At 15 she wrote a poem that expresses the heart of a daughter that has run into the arms of Jesus:

THERE ONCE WAS A MAN....
There once was a man, a man I once knew.
Who told me stories every night, laughed at my jokes, and held me tight.
He told me, "Don't quit! Always fight the good fight!"
He said, "Love the Lord with all your heart,
and serve Him with all your might!"
He begged me, "Do right!"

There once was a man, a man I once knew.
Who taught me how to tie my shoe,
and gently smiled at every picture that I drew.
He told me, "When you start something, don't stop until the job is through."
He said, "I love you."

There once was a man, a man I once knew.
I saw him in my dream, and it made me scream,
I called out, "Daddy!"
but he told me nothing,
He had nothing to say.
For what can you say,
When you are far, so very far away?
"Daddy? I said,
then a voice echoed in my head.
I lay quiet and still in my bed.
Again the voice,
Your daddy made a choice,
a choice to serve Me with all his might,
To not give up,
to fight the good fight!
He is doing a job for me and is not yet through,
so remember: I love you!"

There now is a man, a man I now know
He lived and He died to save men from their sin.
He made it possible for us to be born again.
I know because my daddy told me so.
And even though he's no longer here,
My God will always be near
To fill in the gaps and show me which way to go
I miss my dad so much,
But God has a plan.
So for now I'll just wait and watch the work of His Hand.

There once was a man,
A man I once knew
He's now just a memory slowly fading away.
"Dead or Alive?" you ask,
"I don't know." I say.
So I beg you, Please Pray!!
Pray my daddy knows that every night,
I whisper, "Daddy, I love you!"

There now is a man, a man I now know.
Every day He becomes more real to me
Every day in Him, I grow.
Every day I pray that my love for Him will show
I've made a choice, to serve Him with all my might.
To not give up, to fight the good fight.
Here on earth, I may not see my dad again,
but that's all right.
'Cause when my life is through,
I'll finally hear them both say
My child, I love you!!"

Read more about Rick and his companions here.

Thursday Afternoon Worship...

2009-03-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

My plan is to set aside every Thursday afternoon for us to worship some together. Here's my first shot at it. No one better to get us started than the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Have a blessed and safe weekend.

P.S. I'll be preaching revival this week at First Baptist Church in Flomaton, AL. Keep me in your prayers and we'll catch up next week.

Trinity-Why It Matters...

2009-03-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

As I wrap up the discussion about Trinity this week, I can't help but think of all the times I've heard someone say, "I don't really understand the Trinity, I just believe it." The deeper your understanding of this doctrine grows, however, the more obvious it is how important it is to let this truth about God's nature sink deep into your heart. Make no mistake. Understanding the Trinity matters, for several reasons.

1. The Trinity expresses what healthy relationships look like. At creation, at the cross, and throughout eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have related to one another in perfect harmony. They have different roles but there is no pride, no jealousy, or any of the sinful residue that exists in our relationships when we fail to walk alongside one another. If we would seek to affirm and appreciate one another's differences like the Trinity does, what a beautiful church we would be!

2. The Trinity emphasizes the priority of community. The Trinity doesn't just exist alongside one another. They are interdependent. What One does affects the Others. What One desires is accomplished by Another. A biblical community follows the lead of the Trinity by depending on deep connection to accomplish our mission.

3. The Trinity models the ideal expression of authority and submission. The world often sees these as undesirable values. God wisely and justly administers His plan for the world. Jesus gladly and obediently carries it out. The Holy Spirit gives powerful application to all of the Father and Son's wishes. Every spouse, parent, and child can learn what healthy authority and submission looks like by looking to the Trinity.

4.The Trinity sets the framework for biblical prayer. I was recently taken back to think of how often some of us "skim" through our prayers without really giving thought to the biblical pattern that Jesus gave us in prayer: "Our Father in heaven..." (Mat. 6:9). I'm not trying to institute "prayer police" to prevent you from praying to Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Just realize that the pattern Jesus gives us in prayer is to petition the Father. What about the rest of the Trinity? "For through Him (Jesus) we both have access in one Spirit to the Father."(Eph. 2:9 ESV) We should pray to the Father, through Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

5. The Trinity sets the framework for authentic worship. If you search the Scripture, you find that the Holy Spirit always shines the spotlight on Jesus. Jesus said that the Spirit would glorify Him by taking what has been accomplished by the Son and declaring it to the disciples (John 16:14). If worship focuses on the Holy Spirit apart from Jesus, it isn't following the way that the Trinity functions. We worship Jesus, through the power of the Spirit, to the glory of the Father.

Getting refocused on the Trinity and what it means has deepened my worship, given me greater clarity in reading the Bible, and improved my understanding of the treasure God has given me in relationships. I challenge you to take the foundation we've laid here and keep building on it as you seek to know God more and more deeply.

Trinity-Part 4

2009-03-13T14:39:00.001-07:00

One of the more popular books of 2008 was The Shack by William Young. Young has said that the book was originally meant to be his own catharsis that helped him deal with the suffering and questions he had struggled with about God. His wife encouraged him to get it published and the rest is history. I read The Shack last year and understand why it has been so popular. It's a very gripping and heartfelt story that will speak to anyone who has grappled with questions about needless pain an suffering in this world.

Mack is the main character in the book and has endured a long period in life referred to as "The Great Sadness." It's a period brought on by the tragic abduction and murder of his daughter. One day in his mailbox he discovers a note from "Papa" to come and meet him at the shack (the location where his daughter was murdered). "Papa" is his wife's endearing term for God the Father, so Mack is skeptical about what the letter means. He finally decides to make the trip and so begins a weekend where he encounters God in Trinity.

"Papa" is a rotund black lady who loves to cook, has some interesting tastes in music, and a questionable sense of humor. Jesus is a middle eastern laborer. The Holy Spirt is a lady named "Sarayu." Although the story is engaging and may seem to help many who have struggled with God's ways, it contains some outright distortions about the Trinity.

First, it's modalism, plain and simple. Modalism was a heretical teaching in the early church that suggested that God existed in different expressions (or modes) throughout history. In the Old Testament He is God the Father. In the gospels He is the Son of God. After the Ascension He indwells believers as the Holy Spirit. In The Shack, Papa says at one point, "I am truly human in Jesus." That's modalism. God the Father isn't human; He is God. Only Jesus took on human flesh. This is alluded to again when "Papa" is described as having scars on His body as a result of His suffering. Again, only Jesus suffered for our sins, not the Father.

We read later, "When we three spoke ourselves into human existence as the Son of God, we became fully human." Sorry Mr. Young, but no, God didn't do that. Neither God nor the Holy Spirit have ever taken human form. This is the distinction we have spoken about in Trinity. To suggest that each of them have existed in this way is to ascribe to modalism.

In fact, my hunch is that Young rejects much of what the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325) asserted about the Trinity. In the Trinity, there is a hierarchy that illustrates perfect authority and submission. For instance, the Father has the role of planning and directing. At creation, everything comes into existence as a result of His command: "And God said..." God is the conductor of the symphony. The role of Jesus is that of being obedient to the Father and accomplishing His plan. God so loved that He "sent" His Son and Jesus fulfilled God's plan. The Holy Spirit's role is to obey the Father and the Son by applying the work of regeneration and empowering believers. If you read the Bible with this understanding, you will see these roles being carried out faithfully everywhere God is working.

The Shack rejects this structure for the Trinity. "So you think that God must relate inside a hierarchy like you do," Papa says. "But we do not." This is a typical viewpoint that the world has about authority and submission. It's frowned upon because sinful people misuse it. But perfect authority and submission is modeled in the Trinity. The divine mystery of God's nature is modeled in how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in being, but subordinate in their roles.

Unfortunately, there are other disturbing issues in the Shack that go beyond the Trinity. You can make the case that it affirms goddess worship. And what about the Bible's command to not make any graven images? When you put human and earthly faces on God's nature, you have essentially broken that commandment. So my suggestion is that rather than get your Trinity training in The Shack, go to some other good books like Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem or Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Bruce Ward. Leave The Shack in the fictional section of the book store and read with caution.

Time-Out to Reflect on Wilkerson's Prophecy

2009-03-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on Twitter and my Facebook page I posted the now widely circulated report from David Wilkerson concerning his prophecy that a great calamity is going to befall the urban centers of our nation, beginning with New York City. I've received a number of requests to share my thoughts on his words so I'm pausing in our discussion on the Trinity to give you my take.

First, let me say I have a lot of respect for David Wilkerson and his ministry. As he mentions in his article, he has been saying for ten years that "a thousand fires" would engulf New York City, and when the planes crashed into the Twin Towers on 9-11 many reflected on his words of warning. And the Bible tells us "Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thess. 5:20:21).

We don't need a "special" revelation from God to know that America is in deep trouble. Every disaster, past, present, and future is a blaring message from heaven to repent before it's too late. The disciples asked Jesus one day about a terrible massacre that occurred when Pilate had executed a number of Galileans. They were wanting to know the purpose, or the sign, behind these events. Jesus said, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:2-3) Jesus might say to us, "Do you think that the tragedies of 9-11 are signs of the end? They may be. But the message for you is 'Repent. The kingdom of God is at hand.'" I don't know what will happen in the days ahead but I know that the message from God in every calamity is the same: Repent.

There are some aspects of Wilkerson's prophecy that give me pause. John Piper has rightly observed that warnings to hoard food or pull all of your money out of the bank seems a little inauthentic. When we give in to those kinds of excesses I think we risk damaging the Lord's reputation. If thousands of people begin trampling each other at the grocery store and then this prophecy isn't true, who suffers for it? Not David Wilkerson, but more so the Lord's reputation.

On the other hand, if Wilkerson's prophecy does come true, thanks be to God! God is holding out His hand of mercy once again and calling on this world to repent before it's too late. The immediate impact of words like these are good in the sense that they remind us that the Bible is a serious book that promises judgment is coming. Why is it that when someone speaks words that remind us of that grim reality, we seem to become anxious? Could it be that we aren't as in love with the WHOLE counsel of God as we say we are? In that case, thank you David for the wake up call.

Trinity-Part 3

2009-03-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

The first distortion of the biblical view of the Trinity was proposed by a man named Sabellius. In his attempt to protect the view of God being one, he suggested that God has manifested Himself throughout history in three different forms. The Father first revealed Himself as Creator and as the One who appeared to Moses and the Prophets. In the New Testament, He appears in the flesh as the Son of God. And when Jesus ascends to heaven, God came in the form of the Holy Spirit. This view is called "modalism" because it emphasizes that the Father, Son, and Spirit are all God appearing in different "modes" each time. Modalism falls apart when the Scripture tells us that the Father, Son and Spirit are present at the same time, such as when Jesus is baptized. Modalism never gained a large following, even though I still come across many believers that think about the Trinity in this way.

The biggest heresy regarding the Trinity was formulated by Arius. He suggested that although Jesus is a supreme Being and worthy of great honor, He was merely the first and greatest creation of God. Like modalism, the intent was to protect Christianity as a monotheistic religion. This teaching became popular enough that the early church called a council (The Council of Nicea in A.D. 325) to deal with this threat. The hero of the council was a theologian named Athanasius. He successfully argued that the New Testament teaches that Jesus is of the same substance, or essence, as the Father. The Council affirmed this and it proved to be a defining moment in the history of Christianity. You could argue that if the church had left behind the divinity of Jesus, we would have eventually died as a Great Commission movement. Remember, Jesus commands us to go and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If the Son and the Spirit aren't God, the Great Commission is meaningless.

These historical distortions of the Trinity have crept back into the church throughout the years in different forms. In fact, you may have already been exposed to it if you have read a recent bestseller, The Shack. We'll talk about that next.

Talking Trinity-Part 2

2009-03-03T06:09:00.001-08:00

The accusation leveled by Islam is that Christians worship three gods. Like many, they distort the teaching of the Trinity by defining it on human terms. Millard Erikson has said, "We do not hold the doctrine of the Trinity because it is self-evident or logically cognent. We hold it because God has revealed that this is what He is like."

So how do we answer this objection that the Trinity is contradictory? The Law of Contradiction states that A cannot be both A (what it is) and non-A (what it is not). If I say, "The moon is made entirely of cheese," and then turn around and say "The moon is not entirely made of cheese" then I have contradicted myself. But, as R.C. Sproul has illustrated, there are some statements that seem contradictory at first, but they are not. For example, Charles Dickens' famous line "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." We understand that he is saying "In some ways this was the best of times and in some ways it was the worst of times."

It is not a contradiction for God to be both one and three because God is not one and three in the same way. Wayne Grudem (in Bible Doctrine) has described God as being one in essence and three in person. "Essence" describes God's being. It is God's substance. Essence describes what God is. "Person" describes who God is. Granted, person does not describe God in the same way it describes us. As a person I can exist separately from you, and the Trinity is not separate from one another. But as person, God regards Himself as "I" and the other members of the Godhead as "You." He is one in a different way than He is three.

I know it is mind-boggling, but there is no one else who exists this way, because there is only one God. Within God's one being, He "unfolds" into three personal distinctive Beings. And those who have resisted God's unique identity as God have constructed some inaccurate and dangerous teachings to support their explanations. We'll look at those next.

Talking Trinity-Part 1

2009-03-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

We began last night going through a 3-week series on the Trinity called "3-in-1." Our objective was to take a "fly-by" of Scripture and discover how the Trinity is found throughout the Bible. We don't start with God the Father in the Old Testament, discover Jesus in the Gospels, and then get introduced to the Holy Spirit when Jesus ascends into heaven. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit have existed this way from eternity past.

This week I plan to both review last Sunday night's message and preview where I'm headed this Sunday night. I hope that you can be there, but if you miss any of the messages, click on the message archive to the left and you can get caught up.

The most important thing to get a grip on is the three core truths of the Trinity:

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons.

The Trinity is NOT just three different ways to think about God. God sent His Son into the world. The Son returned to the Father. The Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit. The Father isn't the Son and the Son isn't the Spirt and the Spirit isn't the Father. They are all distinct persons that have existed this way throughout eternity.

Each person is fully God.

Trinity doesn't divide God into three parts. The Bible says that "in Him (Jesus) all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9, ESV). So Jesus isn't one-third God, neither is any other member of the Godhead. These fit well with human logic, but the third core truth doesn't--

There is only one God.

There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:21-22 (ESV)

So how do we reconcile God's "oneness" with His "three-ness?" Is it a contradiction? How can God truly be one when He is also three? Stay tuned. We'll talk about that tomorrow.

James Dobson Resigns as Chair of Focus

2009-02-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

James Dobson announced that he is stepping down as chairman of Focus on the Family today. Before there was any such thing as conservative talk radio or the blogosphere, James Dobson took to the airwaves to lead the charge for biblical family values. When there were basically no resources out there for married couples and parents to find their bearings and put their faith into practice on the home front, Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family provided us with some tools that many are still using effectively.

Dr. Dobson has taken some hits over the last few years for making his politics front and center rather than his faith, but there is no denying that Christians would not have near the voice we have in Washington D.C. without his leadership. I'm sure that this succession plan will allow him to focus more on what he does best, be a voice for the traditional family. Thank you Dr. Dobson for keeping a vision for the family at the forefront of American culture.

Read More at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-02-27-dobson-focus-on-the-family_N.htm

Words of Wisdom...

2009-02-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

Most of you know what my political and cultural views are, either by reading this blog or following my preaching. After reflecting on the President's address last night, I was reminded of these words from one of the preachers that I have most admired through the years, Dr. Adrian Rogers. I came across this quote from Dr. Rogers recently on David Dykes' blog (pastor of Green Acres Baptist in Tyler, Texas). Although he has now been promoted to glory, Dr. Rogers words speak to me this morning more powerfully than ever.

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom.

What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

Dr. Adrian Rogers (1931-2005)

Fear isn't Fruitful!

2009-02-24T06:14:00.000-08:00

Tonight we will hear our first address from new President Barack Obama. If you were President, what would you say to the nation during these troubled times? I have a thought about what I would say. It was a nugget of wisdom that my financial advisor passed on to me a few weeks ago. I'm glad he's a believer. "Keith," he said, "last time I checked, fear isn't a fruit of the Spirit." You know, he's right. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." When the Spirit of God is controlling my life, there is no evidence of fear, because fear isn't fruitful.

Attitude Determines Your Altitude...

2009-02-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

The economy is in shambles. People are losing their jobs. The polar ice cap is melting. Everybody hates us. Dogs and cats are living together (okay, I made that one up, but nothing like a Bill Murray line to give you a little perspective). If you take your tips from the media, then you are probably just a few remote control clicks away from putting a gun to your head.

So don't. Don't put a gun to your head and don't take your tips from the media. First of all, I think a lot of it is political strategy. I will pray for and support our President when I can, but I get the sense that a lot of the gloom and doom is posturing by the party that has the power in Washington right now. The worse they can make things seem, the more credit they can take when ANY form of progress is made. And the more they can claim they are justified to do some dangerous things (like saddle our kids with billions of dollars in debt). We might not like it, but that's just how politics work my friends.

Second, remember that the media tends to have a short memory. I saw the other day where every recession we have experienced tends to last about eighteen months. We aren't even six months into this one, so I think that a lot of the pessimism and gloom is overreacting. We may indeed be facing one of the worst ecomomic crises in our history, but it's irresponsible to call it that until you have the benefit of seeing the big picture.

None of that really matters for my point this morning anyway. I believe that your attitude determines your altitude. You will rise to the level that your attitude takes you today. If the world forms your attitude, get ready to crash and burn. But as believers we have the Holy Spirit that can give us the mind of Christ. We can develop an attitude that will take us to a much higher level.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:14 (ESV)

God's goal for your life is higher and better than the things of this world. Your call is an UPWARD call, not a downward one. Don't be pulled down by the negative thinking of those around you. Be careful about what you're listening to. Look up!

The Success "Secret"

2009-02-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

I just got back this morning from a special discussion panel I was asked to be a part of for our Mothers of Preschoolers ministry at church. This is a wonderful group of young ladies that are seeking to become godly moms, godly wives, and do that during one of the most stressful periods of life. They had a few Dads on a panel and got to grill us.

We were asked a lot of questions about how we try make our marriage work, how to keep your family on track, and all of those issues that we struggle with daily as families. I was struck by my own answers, because I was reminded of what real success in our relationships is really about.

Success isn't a destination; it's a journey. In other words, success isn't some "magic" moment on the horizon where my husband suddenly meets all of my needs or my wife becomes the fulfillment of all my fantasies. Success is what we do every day to love and serve each other. It's the little things. The one million decisions you make this day and the next.

If you keep focusing on the destination, you will get frustrated and weary before you ever see any progress. Make the decision today to just enjoy the journey. Be thankful. Honor and serve each other. Smile. Laugh. Enjoy the trip.

The State of Marriage

2009-02-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

This article from USA Today has some interesting insight into the state of marriage in our country today...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-17-marriage-campaign_N.htm

We need a little perspective...

2009-02-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

Every where you turn it seems like folks are quite sure that the sky is falling. I understand that the economy is in bad shape and the immediate future doesn't look all that promising, but what I think most of us need is a little perspective.

This morning in my quiet time, I read from Psalm 46-

The nations rage, the kingdoms totter, He utters His voice, the earth melts (v. 6).

While the inhabitants of planet earth wring their hands and argue with one another, God sets the course of our future with a simple grunt. God, grant me the peace and confidence that can only come from seeing this life from your perspective. You alone are in total control.

2009-01-21T14:06:00.001-08:00