Children Are Born Believers in God, Academic Claims

A recent article in the Telegraph says that “Children are ‘born believers’ in God and do not simply acquire religious beliefs through indoctrination.  He told the BBC:

The preponderance of scientific evidence for the past 10 years or so has shown that a lot more seems to be built into the natural development of children’s minds than we once thought, including a predisposition to see the natural world as designed and purposeful and that some kind of intelligent being is behind that purpose. . . . If we threw a handful on an island and they raised themselves I think they would believe in God.

He went on to note that children are more likely to believe in creationism rather than evolution, regardless of what teachers or parents may teach.

I find this rather encouraging that someone in the academic realm has been stating what Christianity has been stating for centuries. I wonder how the other academics will react? I, for one, am delighted.

Books for Trinidadian Pastors for Pastor’s Conference in January

Dear friends:

I will be leading a Pastor’s Conference in January in Point Fortin, Trinidad, and would like to provide them with small but helpful book by Art Azurdia called “Spirit Empowered Preaching.”

I have set up a Wishlist at Amazon where you can go and directly purchase a book for us. The book will be sent to Boone’s Creek Baptist Church where I pastor. I’m hoping to bring down 35 to pass out to the pastors.

Can you help? You can buy them new for $12.23 (plus tax and shipping), but there are also other options where you can buy them used.

Keith Green’s Dear John Letter to the Devil

Gotta love the early 1980’s print on his shirt. I just thank God for Keith Green and miss him dreadfully.

Bro. Matt’s E-Newsletter For The Week of 10.27.08

(Note:  I send a newsletter out to the members of Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY.  It’s received a good response.  Here’s this past week’s newsletter.)

Bro. Matt’s E-Newsletter
From Bro. Matthew Perry, Pastor
Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY
For The Week of October 20, 2008
http://www.boonescreekchurch.com – church homepage
http://bromattsblog.wordpress.com – my blog
http://expositionalogistix.wordpress.com – my blog geared for preachers

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TAKE OUR SURVEY
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We have developed a survey to help us understand patterns and trends in church attendance. Won’t you help us out? It’s just ten questions. Closes on Wednesday, the 29th, so you’d better hurry!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=FDczMy0j3Ay5nedIys9e_2bA_3d_3d

Thanks so much. We have 37 respondents so far!

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WHAT’S INCLUDED?
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• • This Past Sunday’s Sermon: “Remember With Joy”
• • Boone’s Creek Fighter Verse: Romans 5:1-5
• • Your Weekly Tuning
• • NEW! Digging Deeper In the Word: Devotions From Our Sunday Morning Sermon
• • Must-Read Articles and a Must-Listen Sermon
• • Fisherman’s Net: Featured Website for the Week
• • What’s Coming Up At Boone’s Creek? (Look for info about Trunk For Treat on 10/29, help with our Election Day Ministry!)
• • Some Good Medicine: Closing Cheer for Your Week

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THIS PAST SUNDAY’S SERMON
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This past Sunday, we celebrated 223 years of kingdom work at our Homecoming. Praise God, we had 217 in attendance with many old friends returning, new attenders visiting, and many hearts and minds touched by the Word and Kristian Booth’s wonderful testimony. I preached on “Remember With Joy” from Philippians 1:3-11. You may access the mp3 file here: http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/256/2008-10-26.mp3. To listen to more sermons, log on to http://www.sermoncloud.com/bcbc .

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Boone’s Creek Fighter Verse: Romans 5:1-5, ESV
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Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

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Bro. Matt’s Weekly Tuning:
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I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now (Philippians 1:3-5, ESV).

I’ll never forget the time when I went to visit Bro. Mahanes while he was in the hospital. It was either around Christmas or New Year’s Day 2004. After I exchanged pleasantries with the family and was caught up on the situation, I remember Bro. Mahanes telling me, “Bro. Perry, remind those beautiful people at Boone’s Creek to be partners in the Gospel!” The very thought of that brought him great joy even in the midst of his ailments. No matter where you put a true preacher of the Gospel, either behind a pulpit or in a hospital bed during the holidays—they still have that heart to preach.

The book of Philippians was written to them by Paul from prison. Bro. Mahanes found joy in this notion in a hospital, Paul found joy in this actuality among the Philippian church while incarcerated! Why did this bring Paul (and Bro. Mahanes), this partnership in the gospel?

The word ‘partnership’ comes from the Greek word koinonia which is often translated “fellowship” or “communion.” Think about partnerships – comedy teams such as the Three Stooges, Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis. Even business partners fall into this. You are one act, one entity under the same umbrella seeking the same goals and vision. It’s a sharing something in common. We have a fellowship with one another based on the gospel! And this partnership shows itself in many different ways!

But the first understanding we must see is this—as churches, we must understand what the Gospel is! Through God’s electing love, He comes to redeem sinners from his wrath into his mercy through the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross for our sin. It is a moving from fellowshipping with the world, with sin, and with the devil and fellowshipping with Christ! 1 Cor. 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

So we are partners in the Gospel because of what the Gospel of Christ has done in redeeming and transforming our hearts from darkness to light, from sin to salvation! This is the fellowship! This is the commonality!

What is dangerous for so many churches is that they have exchanged the commonality and fellowship of the Gospel for fellowship on the basis of family, friends, denominational ties, and other earthly things. When the fellowship and partnership of the Gospel is lessened or compromised, that leaves an open door for Satan to introduce false teachings and practices in the church. I am thankful that Boone’s Creek Baptist Church has a history that has shown both a partnership in the Gospel and times when there was a partnership with earthly things – this the Lord did not bless and prosper.

Partnering with the Gospel is about linking arms with a body of believers who are passionate about sharing Christ, about strengthening His people, about spreading God’s glory, about giving to the Lord’s work (again, not to pay bills, but to help the Gospel spread, as the Philippians church had done – Philippians 4:10-11).

What do we partner with? Hobbies that we cannot do without? What do we identify with most of all? If your answer does not have Christ or His Word as priority, take time to repent right now and ask God to give you a heart that would be joined to Him and His mission!

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Digging Deeper in the Word
Devotions From our Sunday Morning Sermon
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(These are included on the back of our sermon notes each Sunday to help you reinforce what you learned during our Sunday Morning sermon.)

Monday, October 27, 2008: Read Philippians 4:10-20. The Philippian church entered into a partnership with Paul to help him advance the Gospel on his missionary journeys. In what way did they demonstrate their partnership with Paul? What does it mean to “share” in Paul’s “trouble?” Do we share in the labor of not only sharing the Gospel, but contributing to our church to help the Gospel reach further?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: Read 1 Corinthians 1:4-8. According to this passage, how do Christians come into fellowship with Christ? When we come to Christ, do we lack any spiritual gift at all? Has Christ changed your heart to where He is your life and breath, to where you hunger and thirst after Him? Take time to thank God that He has provided everything you need and will “sustain you to the end” (1:8).

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: Read 2 Timothy 2:8-9. Paul wrote a number of his letters while imprisoned. Yet, in Philippians 1:3, he notes how he prayed “with joy” even while incarcerated. What reason do we see from 2 Timothy 2:8-9 that helps him maintain that joy? Is Christ sufficient for us to remain joyful, even in the most trying of circumstances? Do we see Paul as an unrealistic super-saint who doesn’t understand our issues, or do we see that He is

Thursday, October 30, 2008: Read Galatians 2:20-3:6. Paul noted how he had been “crucified with Christ,” yet Paul questioned whether the Galatians received Christ by faith or were “being perfected by the flesh.” They tried to live for Christ who saved them by grace through faith, but did so by living according to the law and by their own power. Why does Paul refer to the Galatians as “foolish” (3:1)? Do you find it difficult to live by faith in the Gospel, or do you try to live by your own strength and power? What role can church play in strengthening us? Pray for God’s work in you to live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you (2:20).

Friday, October 31, 2008: Read Romans 3:21-26. While our culture celebrates Halloween, many in the church celebrate Reformation Day to commemorate Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenburg, Germany in 1517. Luther noted that Romans 3:21-26 is “The Heart of the Gospel.”

Saturday, November 1: Read Matthew 7:1-6 as we look at “America’s Favorite Verse.” See you at Sunday School and church.

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Must-Read Articles/Must-Listen Sermons
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Walk The Aisle: How Did the Altar Call Come Into Use?
By Douglas Sweeney and Mark Rogers, Christianity Today

Here’s an excerpt:

The pastor closes his sermon: “The Holy Spirit bids you come. The congregation, praying, hoping, expectant, bids you come. On the first note of the first stanza, come down one of these stairways, down one of these aisles. May angels attend you. May the Holy Spirit of God encourage you. May the presence of Jesus walk by your side as you come, while we stand and while we sing.” And come they do. Week after week, in churches all across the America—and other parts of the world—scenes like this play out at the end of thousands of sermons. The congregation stands and sings “Just As I Am” or “Come Just as You Are.” Sinners walk the aisle and pray for salvation.

This common evangelistic method, known as the altar call or the public invitation, has not always been around. Successful evangelists such as George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley never gave an altar call. In fact, they did not even know what it was. They invited their hearers passionately to come to Christ by faith and regularly counseled anxious sinners after their services. But they did not call sinners to make a public, physical response after evangelistic appeals. So where did the altar call come from? When did it begin?

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FISHERMAN’S NET: Featured Site of the Week
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International Mission Board, SBC
http://www.imb.org

Kristian Booth’s MySpace Music Page
http://www.myspace.com/kristianbooth

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What’s Coming Up here at Boone’s Creek?
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Trunk For Treat, Wednesday, October 29

Begin inviting parents and their children to be a part of this great time of fun, fellowship, and so much more. We will use this time as a way to acquire a list of prospects for our church. We will set up a booth where we will take pictures of their children, then take down their address and send them their child’s picture along with information about our church and an invitation to join us for worship and Sunday School.

Saturday, November 1: Kenneth Clayton and Kellyn Barker’s Co-Ed Wedding Shower—yes men, you are invited to come as well.

Tuesday, November 4: ELECTION DAY! That’s right, and not just any election day. This Election Day is to elect our 44th President. As good citizens of this country, I want to encourage you to exercise your right to vote. The polls are open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. If you are going to be out of town, submit your absentee ballot. We live in a great republic that gives us the power to choose our leaders. So pray, then vote!!

Wednesday, November 5: Sunday School Worker’s Meeting at 6:00 in the sanctuary

Saturday, November 15: BMen Kickoff for 2008-2009, featuring Bob Van Brugen who will present information on his trip to the Holy Land.

Wednesday, November 19: Church Council Meeting, 6:00 p.m. in Room 101

Tuesday, November 25: Churchwide Thanksgiving Dinner at 6:00 in the Fellowship Hall. $3.50 per individual, $10.00 per family. No prayer meeting or TeamKID the following Wednesday.

Sunday, December 7: Lottie Moon Kickoff during our Sunday School Hour. All adult classes meet in the sanctuary. Also, Children’s Christmas Musical that evening at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 14: Churchwide Christmas Dinner and Blood Drive after service; Adult Christmas Musical that evening at 7:00 p.m.

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SOME GOOD MEDICINE: CLOSING CHEER FOR YOUR WEEK
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Ever heard of a church sign war? This is likely fake, but really funny.

http://jdgreear.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/10/church-sign-war.html

Lord willing, I’ll see you Wednesday! Blessings!

Sermon Posted: God’s Lessons on Anxiety

We have just posted my sermon from yesterday: “God’s Lessons on Anxiety” from Matthew 6:25-34. 

Money For Something (Piper Vid)

(HT: Blake Craig)

An Old Keith Green Video

The Lord really used Keith Green’s music and ministry to bring me back to Himself and to help crystallize His call on me into the ministry. Here’s a clip of Keith singing, “Your Love Broke Through.”

“Reading the Bible for Personal Application” (iMonk Interviews David Powlison)

Michael Spencer, who serves at Oneida Baptist Institute in our beloved state of Kentucky and who runs the Internet Monk blog, interviewed David Powlison. Here’s the iMonk’s bio on Powlison:

David Powlison, M.Div., Ph.D., is a counselor and faculty member at CCEF and is the editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling. He holds a Ph.D. in History and Science of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary.

Dr. Powlison has been counseling for over thirty years. He has written many books and articles on biblical counseling and the relationship between faith and psychology. Dr. Powlison is an adjunct professor at Westminster Theological Seminary and has taught across the world. David and his wife, Nan, have a son, two daughters, and one granddaughter.

Click here for the full and exceedingly helpful interview.

Calling Cards, iPods, and the Worth of Words, Part II: A Lesson from the iPod

(This sermon was preached on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY. To listen to the sermon in its entirety, click here. To read Part I, click here.)

On occasion, you may see someone walking down the street with a very small device that is used to listen to music called an iPod. In fact, I have an iPod right here — it’s a small one called an iPod shuffle that holds 1 GB worth of files. I have songs and sermons on this that I listen to while walking or in my car. What makes iPods so distinct?

If you take a look at one, you will notice the simplicity of the layout. Mine is silver with one big button on the front that includes the play/pause button. Simple. In his book, Simple Church, Thom Rainer observes how certain companies such as Apple, Google, Papa John’s, and Southwest Airlines are part of a trend:

Simple is in. Complexity is out. Out of style at least. Ironically, people are hungry for simple because the world has become much more complex. The amount of information accessible to us is continually increasing. … The result is a complicated world with complex and busy lives. And, in the midst of complexity, people want to find simplicity. They long for it, seek it, pay for it, even dream of it. Simple is in. Simple works. People respond to simple.

If that is the case with our culture at large, should this not also be the case with us as Christians in regards to our speech? In the first portion of verse 37, Jesus says, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’ Why is Jesus making this point?

Your character should be such a model of truthfulness, you won’t need the stack of Bibles or your momma’s grave or even feel the need to swear to God Himself. Your character will be such that when you speak, they know that you are speaking the truth. You won’t need to lace your conversation with extraneous comments so people will take you credibly.

God gave King Solomon great wisdom. In Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, we read some helpful wisdom for today:

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. [2] Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. [3] For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

[4] When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no plea sure in fools. Pay what you vow. [5] It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. [6] Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? [7] For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

You see, the number of words does not equate to wisdom and devotion. “Let your words be few.” Words are precious, so when we speak, we should make them count.

Dan Doriani is a pastor in Missouri who gives us a helpful illustration. Suppose you say to your child on Thursday evening, “If you help me clean the yard tonight, I’ll take you for ice cream on Sunday. The child immediately replies, “Do you promise?” What is this question? It’s questioning the credibility of the dad. Maybe the dad let the child down previously. Yet, whatever the reason, there is a check in the child’s mind that the Dad will come through.

Take a mental inventory of what you say. How do you use your speech? Do we use our speech to honor God’s good truth and character, or do we use our speech to be thought of greatly by men?

Why Does God Care About Marriage, Part II: Marriage is the Primary Bond

Larry Cunningham in an article in Reader’s Digest a number of years ago told about the time he was visiting friends. While there, they received a telephone call from their recently married daughter. After several tense minutes on the phone, the mother told the father to pick up the extension. The newlyweds had had their first big fight. In a few moments, the father rejoined us and tersely explained, “Said she wanted to come home.” “What did you tell her?” I asked. “Told her she was home.”

Matthew 19:5-6 quotes Jesus as saying, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:5-6). Here, Jesus quotes from Genesis 2, establishing once again that marriage is not a new institution nor simply a cultural one, but a spiritual one. It’s not just about a ‘piece of paper,’ but it’s an acknowledgment that the God of heaven has joined you together.

Each culture has struggled with the role of marriage, and they did as well in Jesus’ day. In Matthew 5:31, “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ In fact, the Pharisees bring this up in Matthew 19 when, in expressing disagreement with what Jesus said, noted, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” (Matthew 19:7). So, since this is mentioned in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19, permit me if you will to help understand.

Turn with me to Deut. 24:1-4

“When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance. (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)

Granted, this is a heavy passage. Many have interpreted this to be a way to get out of a marriage, but this is not the case. This is dealing with the matter of adultery and how divorcing someone improperly will lead to adultery. The whole passage hinges on the understanding of a phrase found in verse 1: “he has found some indecency in her.” What is this indecency? The indecency was not adultery, because adultery was punishable by death. But it may have been some indecent act that led up to adultery that brought disgrace and betrayal upon the union. In this passage, we see not an excuse for divorce but the potential harm and evil that comes from it. It serves as a warning that divorce can bring about adultery if a marriage ever takes place.

You may say, “Well, why did God allow this, if he’s so against it?” Jesus enlightens, “Because of your hardness of heart, but it was not so from the beginning.” God gave that provision to protect women from the death penalty and to warn men not to give up on their marriages too quickly.

Now, obviously, while we do not do the death penalty for adultery in 2008, do we see any relevance? Absolutely. God put all these issues and warnings in place so we would take his institution of marriage seriously. It is not something to trivialize or trifle with. We are to leave our father and mother and to join with our spouses so the two will become one flesh! Jesus says in Matthew 5:32, “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Why sexual immorality? Because the trust and the bond has been shattered. Does God want us to reconcile, if possible? Absolutely. Is it difficult if not next to impossible under those circumstances? Believe it!

Will You Keep Short Accounts?

(This sermon, Could You Be Charged With First Degree Anger?, was preached at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY, on Sunday, June 8, 2008. To read through Part I, click here; Part 2 here. To listen to other audio sermons, click here.)

Jesus ties it all together in Matthew 5:25-26:

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

So what is Jesus saying? Jesus is saying, “Dear disciples and all who would hear, you have a window of opportunity.” One day, you will have to give an account of your life before the Great Judge of the Universe, Jesus Christ. When that happens, it will be too late, for the Scripture does say, “It is destined for man to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

But until then, God in his great patience and care gives us an opportunity to take care of those issues. So this would be a great time to put this all together and go step-by-step through this.

First, remember that you and all other human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).

Secondly, admit that you do get angry at times—and don’t make excuses.

Thirdly, take steps to rectify the situation immediately. Even in times of worship, where one’s pride may take the fore because you are attending, now is the time to get up and go reconcile. Frederich Buechner once wrote, “Of the 7 deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back–in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.” So deal with it now!

Fourth, trust that God will administer justice, if need be. Romans 12:19-21 says:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” [20] To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” [21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If your trust truly is in Christ alone, then that Gospel trust must bleed over into every area of life — especially this one.

Lastly, ask God to change your heart. In Ezekiel 36:25-26, God says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” When God works this, we will become more sensitive to his working. True followers of Christ have this, but it takes a diligent pursuit. If you want a hardened heart, then do nothing — that heart will come and drag you right into hell. If you want to be right before him, ask him to change your heart.

Conclusion

Yesterday, I came across a documentary by NPR on the life of Gerry Mulligan. Mulligan was a premiere tenor sax player who was a very influential in the field of jazz in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and was even working on a project when he died in 1996. Mulligan was an innovator, but he was also a bit headstrong. He knew what he wanted his arrangements and his band to sound like — even if it meant going against what others in the field felt was un-doable. While he made a number of friends and gained a ton of admirers, he also had some on the other side of that fence.

In 1995, Mulligan found out he and another one of his former band members, found out they had cancer. These men shared great admiration for one another, but also some serious artistic differences that would often strain the relationship. In light of the cancer, made this very wise comment, he said “When Gerry and I found out we had cancer, all those disagreements were just taken off the table and we focus on the issues we agreed on. None of those things we disagreed on in the grand scheme didn’t matter.”

This is something to ponder, isn’t it? While there are certain this we can never compromise on (Christ, the Bible, the resurrection, the Trinity, the local church, etc.), there are issues that will plant the seeds of anger and contempt in our hearts. What will it take for us to repent of those issues? Let me ask it another way: what will God have to do in your life to help you see that nothing is worth destroying your relationship with God or with your neighbor? Will it have to be cancer? A church split? A catastrophe of some sort? Or have Jesus’ words penetrated to such a degree that his word is sufficient?

Should Christians Partake of the Mixed Martial Arts Phenomenon?

Whether it’s MMA, UFC 84, Elite X — by whatever name you call it, this  gruesome, blood-stained, body-maiming phenomenon started in the shadows but now has become mainstream.  Elite X had some matches debut on CBS this past Friday night (no, I didn’t watch it).

I foresee a debate arising: should Christians partake of the MMA Phenomenon?  Before I answer, I am reminded of one person’s observation of their reaction to the coliseum games in Roman times.  The lions would be turned loose on the Christians.  This man noted, “At first, I covered my eyes.  Before I knew it, I was watching through my fingers.  Then at last, I was cheering for blood with everyone else.”

My answer to this question is an undeniable “No!”  My simple answer is that all of us are image bearers of God (Genesis 1:26-31).  We have been created with the fingerprint of God.  Are we called to participate, watch, or approve of a sport whose total goal is to injure and do bodily harm to another?  And please, do not tell me that this is simply a sport like boxing (called the “sweet science”) only amplified.

We as Christians need to uplift and protect the idea of humanity being the image bearers of God.  We must never encourage anything in which the primary aim is to injure a fellow image bearer.

Our Hearts Are With You, SCC

When I saw that Steven Curtis Chapman’s little daughter Maria was killed, my heart broke.  I mean, to pieces!!  And when I went to a tribute blog about her and saw the dates (2003-2008), my heart broke all over again because I have a daughter who, if she were to leave this earth, would have those same exact dates.  Once you have children, the pain of what SCC and his family are going through becomes so personal. 

Below is a video with SCC and Maria washing dishes.  In the midst of the crushing reality of her loss, there are memories like this that can uplift and crush all at once: uplift in that you praise God you had those memories to begin with, and crush because you will feel the great emptiness that that precious little girl leaves.

SCC and family, our hearts are with you. Please know that there is a pastor and a church in Lexington, Kentucky that cares deeply for you. I had a chance to meet you back in 2002 backstage after a concert which promoted the Wycliffe Bible Translators as well as presented Steve Saint, the son of one of the missionaries in Ecuador killed by the Auca Indians in 1955.  I pray that the hope in Christ that you have sung about over the years that has brought so much encouragement to so many will be yours during this time. 

 

How People Find a Church (Lifeway)

(HT: Don Brown)

www.treasuretheword.net

Switching Usernames For This Blog — Please Note and Change Your Bookmarks

Dear friends:

Due to some rather unseemly sites inexplicably linking to my site and to the inordinate amount of spam over the past two weeks, I am changing my site from http://bromattsblog.wordpress.com to http://treasuretheword.wordpress.com. The same content will be on this site. But this unseemly site linked to a particular post, and in order for me to delete the post, I would have to go on that site to find the actual link so I could delete the page. It wasn’t worth it, believe me.

So if you enjoy this blog, please change your bookmarks and your RSS feeds. The other blog will be gone within the next week.

Blessings,

Matthew Perry

Right Here Is My Problem With Oprah

Oprah Winfrey’s worldview has concerned me for years, but it was this exchange with an audience member in 1996 that ended it for me. She influences 40 million people every day with her detrimental and harmful philosophies. Let us be discerning!

(HT: http://roosternz.wordpress.com)

When Seminary Makes You Forget Other Passions You Have

Seminary tends to be all consuming, and from 1995-1998, then from 2001 to 2003, I found myself focusing solely on my studies out of necessity. Whatever I try to do, I try to do to the glory of God and and to the best of the ability He has given me. In the process, I found myself letting slip something of particular interest — U.S. History.

Having grown up in Virginia, we were well aware of the role Virginia played in shaping our country’s history.  Eight presidents came from Virginia, especially early on.  Plus, Virginia played a key point in the Civil War as well, being one of the great states of the Confederacy and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee.  I remember in 2nd grade we took a field trip to Appomattox, the place where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army to effectively end the brutal Civil War (or as the southerners call it, the War of Northern Aggression).  So the love of U.S. history runs deep — but lay dormant during my seminary years.

But no longer! That passion was rekindled this past week when I had an opportunity to visit Richmond, Virginia. We saw the Capital Square (right) which had statues of Stonewall Jackson, George Washington and a number of other Founding Fathers of our country. We went to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where many of the Confederate soldiers (including Robert E. Lee) worshiped.

Then we went to the Museum of the Confederacy. You may also see in the picture the gray building to the left — that’s one of the nine U.S. Court of Appeals. What really struck me in the Confederate museum was not only the fight that the “Rebs” had in the war, but also how they took for granted certain customs in their culture, not the least of which was slavery. One display showed an insurance advertisement from American Life advertizing how well they would help slave owners stay insured on slaves in case they died or escaped. They were treated as property — something rather detestable to me.

But the South produced one of my heroes, General Robert E. Lee. To the right, you see me posing next to a thumbnail picture of Robert E. Lee at the Museum. The Confederacy’s position on states’ rights showed in Lee’s conviction to stay true to his beloved Virginia rather than join the Union Army.

On Saturday, we went to Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson, our country’s third president who served from 1801-1809) and Ash-Lawn Highland (home of James Monroe, our country’s fifth president who served from 1817-1825).  While Thomas Jefferson (1735-1826) was not what one would call an orthodox Christian since he rearranged his Bible to take away all of the supernatural elements, he did possess a keen mind and intellect as one of the main crafters of our country’s governmental structure.  He was a man of immense detail, writing down and blueprinting every aspect of Monticello — making it very easy on later curators of the home to recreate the layout right down to the cups on the dining room table.  The visitor’s guide (left) was filled with wonderful information that Cindy read through all the way home from Virginia.

Not many really know about James Monroe, our nation’s fifth president.  His home was much more modest that Jefferson’s, but his resume is quite impressive nonetheless.  He did not keep the records of his home like Jefferson did, but he contributed greatly in Jefferson’s administration to the acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 which doubled the size of our country.  He also put forth his vision of Manifest Destiny in which he urged European nations to stay out of the Western Hemisphere while nations in North and South America began to blossom into full-fledged democracies.  Also, Manifest Destiny was America’s believe that we were destined to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  This would shape our foreign policy for the three or four administrations after his.

So there it is!  What passions do you have?  What has made them lay dormant?  Just curious.  This was just an incredible vacation.

Tim Keller Interview (Monergism.com)

A really good interview of Tim Keller by Monergism.com.

Does Good Friday Celebrate Suffering?

Sadly, I am finding more and more college students and young adults influenced by secularism and humanitarian efforts who reject the God of the Bible because they cannot reconcile a loving God who allows suffering in the world. I did address this in a previous sermon which brought a great deal of help to many people who were struggling with various issues but could seemingly find no answers.

I always encourage people to look to the cross. While we do understand that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, to those who are being saved it is the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18). The majority of people in the world will see the cross as scandalous and a stumbling block on many levels:

• Why couldn’t God just forgive? Why did He need to sacrifice His Son?
• Some say, as Steven Chalke and Alan Mann did in a recent book, that the cross is simply “cosmic child abuse” of a Father to His Son;
• How could one man take on the sin of everyone? Isn’t there something more that could be done?
• How could the King of Kings and creator of the universe ever truly subject himself to death? That is beneath the dignity of a King.

It comes down to the penal substitution of Christ in placating the divine wrath of a holy God. This is not a “fly off the handle” type of wrath, but a wrath in which God is decidedly against the very thing that separates His beloved image-bearers from Himself — sin.

As God, Christ came to fulfill God’s Law (something we could not accomplish). As a man, He stood in our place as a substitute for our sin.

But to answer the question, I would like to echo Tim Keller’s comments from his most recent book, The Reason for God: to the human perspective, the cross seemed like the greatest injustice in history (which it was) but there was a tremendous cosmic purpose behind it. So when we look to the cross, we see that behind all the suffering (which came in due to the curse of sin) God is orchestrating a glorious plan to reconcile all things to Himself.

I have been reading through some really good books on the subject over the past few weeks:

• The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul
• The Cross of Christ by John R.W. Stott
• Pierced for our Transgressions by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach
• Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
• The Cross He Bore by Frederick Leahy

Also, some good articles are posted on the subject of Good Friday:

• Good Friday Meditation:Christ and the Meaning of the Universe (Desiring God)
  
• Good Friday Prayer (Jesus Creed)
• Good Friday — “Father, Into Your Hands” (Riddleblog)
• Chuck Colson: The Truth About Everything (Townhall.com)
• It Is Finished (Trevin Wax)

Add Another Evangelical Leaders’ Endorsement to the List

Ever since I included a list of evangelical leaders’ endorsements, I have received many thankful responses for this list.  It’s now time to add two more:

• James Dobson now supports Mike Huckabee.
• Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Dallas, supports Barack Obama.
  

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Add Another Evangelical Leaders’ Endorsement to the List

Ever since I included a list of evangelical leaders’ endorsements, I have received many thankful responses for this list.  It’s now time to add two more:

• James Dobson now supports Mike Huckabee.
• Kirbyjon Caldwell, pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Dallas, supports Barack Obama.
  

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Audio Sermons Posted at Expositionalogistix

I have posted the majority of sermons I have preached at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church at my new preaching blog. Click here to access the sermons. More will be posted later this week.

Blessings!

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Mohler’s Perspective on the Iowa Caucuses and Democracy in General

An excerpt from the article: 

The rhetoric of the race — and the rhetoric of many evangelicals –
is disturbing.  This race is important and necessarily so.  We are
talking about the next President of the United States, after all.  But
evangelicals have invested far too much hope in the political process. 
No government can make people good, transform humanity, or eliminate
sin.  The political sphere is important, but never ultimate.  Jesus
Christ is Lord — and He will be Lord regardless of who sits in the
Oval Office.

This presidential race offers evangelical Christians an opportunity
to mature and rethink our model of political engagement.  We are likely
to confront developments and choices that will require significant
intellectual effort among American Christians.

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Mohler’s Perspective on the Iowa Caucuses and Democracy in General

An excerpt from the article: 

The rhetoric of the race — and the rhetoric of many evangelicals –
is disturbing.  This race is important and necessarily so.  We are
talking about the next President of the United States, after all.  But
evangelicals have invested far too much hope in the political process. 
No government can make people good, transform humanity, or eliminate
sin.  The political sphere is important, but never ultimate.  Jesus
Christ is Lord — and He will be Lord regardless of who sits in the
Oval Office.

This presidential race offers evangelical Christians an opportunity
to mature and rethink our model of political engagement.  We are likely
to confront developments and choices that will require significant
intellectual effort among American Christians.

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Posts on Expositionalogistix Preaching Blog

As you know, I have begun a preaching blog called Expositionalogistix.  Until that blog gets its own niche on the web, I will be posting links to the posts I’ve made during the week.  So, without any further delay …

• Preaching Plans for 2008

• “Spirit-Led Preaching” by Greg Heisler (A Book Review)

• Bryan Chapell on Bible Translations

• An Industrial Strength Bible Reading Plan

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The Eight Excellencies of Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Nativity scenes pepper the landscape of our country.  For many, this is the only time any of us focus on the Christ — and because we are so visually stimulated, Christ remains a weak infant.  But this is an excellent time to look and see who Jesus is from eternity’s perspective.

1. God speaks through ultimately and fully through Christ (Micah 5:1-4; John 4:25).
2. Christ is the heir of all things (Psalm 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:5-9).
3. Christ is an agent of creation (Genesis 1:27-28; Colossians 1:15-17).
4. Christ is the radiance of God’s glory (John 1:18; John 8:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
5. Christ is the exact imprint of his nature (Colossians 1:15; Colossians 2:9).
6. Christ upholds all by His Word (Jude 24-25).
7. Christ makes purification for sins (Hebrews 9:12-14; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
8. Christ completed everything necessary (Hebrews 10:12; Ephesians 2:4-6).

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Ron Paul’s Faith in Jesus Christ — a Good Piece

The following statement by Ron Paul was published July 21st in The Covenant News (HT: Lawn Gospel):

We live in times of great uncertainty when men of faith must stand up for our values and our traditions lest they be washed away in a sea of fear and relativism. As you likely know, I am running for President of the United States, and I am asking for your support.

I have never been one who is comfortable talking about my faith in the political arena. In fact, the pandering that typically occurs in the election season I find to be distasteful. But for those who have asked, I freely confess that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior, and that I seek His guidance in all that I do. I know, as you do, that our freedoms come not from man, but from God. My record of public service reflects my reverence for the Natural Rights with which we have been endowed by a loving Creator.

I have worked tirelessly to defend and restore those rights for all Americans, born and unborn alike. The right of an innocent, unborn child to life is at the heart of the American ideal of liberty. My professional and legislative record demonstrates my strong commitment to this pro-life principle.

In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, H.R. 1094. I am also the prime sponsor of H.R. 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn. I have also authored H.R. 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for so-called “population control.” Many talk about being pro-life. I have taken and will continue to advocate direct action to restore protection for the unborn.

I have also acted to protect the lives of Americans by my adherence to the doctrine of “just war.” This doctrine, as articulated by Augustine, suggested that war must only be waged as a last resort— for a discernible moral and public good, with the right intentions, vetted through established legal authorities (a constitutionally required declaration of the Congress), and with a likely probability of success.

It has been and remains my firm belief that the current United Nations-mandated, no-win police action in Iraq fails to meet the high moral threshold required to wage just war. That is why I have offered moral and practical opposition to the invasion, occupation and social engineering police exercise now underway in Iraq. It is my belief, borne out by five years of abject failure and tens of thousands of lost lives, that the Iraq operation has been a dangerous diversion from the rightful and appropriate focus of our efforts to bring to justice to the jihadists that have attacked us and seek still to undermine our nation, our values, and our way of life.

I opposed giving the president power to wage unlimited and unchecked aggression, However, I did vote to support the use of force in Afghanistan. I also authored H.R. 3076, the September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001. A letter of marque and reprisal is a constitutional tool specifically designed to give the president the authority to respond with appropriate force to those non-state actors who wage aggression against the United States while limiting his authority to only those responsible for the atrocities of that day. Such a limited authorization is consistent with the doctrine of just war and the practical aim of keeping Americans safe while minimizing the costs in blood and treasure of waging such an operation.

On September 17, 2001, I stated on the house floor that “…striking out at six or eight or even ten different countries could well expand this war of which we wanted no part. Without defining the enemy there is no way to know our precise goal or to know when the war is over. Inadvertently more casual acceptance of civilian deaths as part of this war I’m certain will prolong the agony and increase the chances of even more American casualties. We must guard against this if at all possible.” I’m sorry to say that history has proven this to be true.

I am running for president to restore the rule of law and to stand up for our divinely inspired Constitution. I have never voted for legislation that is not specifically authorized by the Constitution. As president, I will never sign a piece of legislation, nor use the power of the executive, in a manner inconsistent with the limitations that the founders envisioned.

Many have given up on America as an exemplar for the world, as a model of freedom, self-government, and self-control. I have not. There is hope for America. I ask you to join me, and to be a part of it.

Sincerely,

Ron Paul

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Ron Paul’s Faith in Jesus Christ — a Good Piece

The following statement by Ron Paul was published July 21st in The Covenant News (HT: Lawn Gospel):

We live in times of great uncertainty when men of faith must stand up for our values and our traditions lest they be washed away in a sea of fear and relativism. As you likely know, I am running for President of the United States, and I am asking for your support.

I have never been one who is comfortable talking about my faith in the political arena. In fact, the pandering that typically occurs in the election season I find to be distasteful. But for those who have asked, I freely confess that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior, and that I seek His guidance in all that I do. I know, as you do, that our freedoms come not from man, but from God. My record of public service reflects my reverence for the Natural Rights with which we have been endowed by a loving Creator.

I have worked tirelessly to defend and restore those rights for all Americans, born and unborn alike. The right of an innocent, unborn child to life is at the heart of the American ideal of liberty. My professional and legislative record demonstrates my strong commitment to this pro-life principle.

In 40 years of medical practice, I never once considered performing an abortion, nor did I ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. In Congress, I have authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception, H.R. 1094. I am also the prime sponsor of H.R. 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn. I have also authored H.R. 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for so-called “population control.” Many talk about being pro-life. I have taken and will continue to advocate direct action to restore protection for the unborn.

I have also acted to protect the lives of Americans by my adherence to the doctrine of “just war.” This doctrine, as articulated by Augustine, suggested that war must only be waged as a last resort— for a discernible moral and public good, with the right intentions, vetted through established legal authorities (a constitutionally required declaration of the Congress), and with a likely probability of success.

It has been and remains my firm belief that the current United Nations-mandated, no-win police action in Iraq fails to meet the high moral threshold required to wage just war. That is why I have offered moral and practical opposition to the invasion, occupation and social engineering police exercise now underway in Iraq. It is my belief, borne out by five years of abject failure and tens of thousands of lost lives, that the Iraq operation has been a dangerous diversion from the rightful and appropriate focus of our efforts to bring to justice to the jihadists that have attacked us and seek still to undermine our nation, our values, and our way of life.

I opposed giving the president power to wage unlimited and unchecked aggression, However, I did vote to support the use of force in Afghanistan. I also authored H.R. 3076, the September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001. A letter of marque and reprisal is a constitutional tool specifically designed to give the president the authority to respond with appropriate force to those non-state actors who wage aggression against the United States while limiting his authority to only those responsible for the atrocities of that day. Such a limited authorization is consistent with the doctrine of just war and the practical aim of keeping Americans safe while minimizing the costs in blood and treasure of waging such an operation.

On September 17, 2001, I stated on the house floor that “…striking out at six or eight or even ten different countries could well expand this war of which we wanted no part. Without defining the enemy there is no way to know our precise goal or to know when the war is over. Inadvertently more casual acceptance of civilian deaths as part of this war I’m certain will prolong the agony and increase the chances of even more American casualties. We must guard against this if at all possible.” I’m sorry to say that history has proven this to be true.

I am running for president to restore the rule of law and to stand up for our divinely inspired Constitution. I have never voted for legislation that is not specifically authorized by the Constitution. As president, I will never sign a piece of legislation, nor use the power of the executive, in a manner inconsistent with the limitations that the founders envisioned.

Many have given up on America as an exemplar for the world, as a model of freedom, self-government, and self-control. I have not. There is hope for America. I ask you to join me, and to be a part of it.

Sincerely,

Ron Paul

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New Preaching Blog I’ve Started

Dear friends:

 

Many of you are readers of my main blog at http://bromattsblog.wordpress.com. 
For that, I thank you.  Just this past week, we reach 60,000 hits and are
reaching many for Christ. 

 

I do have a passion for Bible-centered, Christ-centered
preaching.  So I have started a preaching blog called “Expositionalogistix”
(Expositional Logistics) which seeks the recovery of the centrality of preaching
in Christian worship.  The address is at http://expositionalogistix.blogspot.com
(I may switch to WordPress soon, but I’ll let you know if and when).  I only
have three posts up so far, but bookmark this site and come back soon and
contribute if you like. 

 

May God bless you this Christmas season.

 

In Christ,

 

Matt Perry

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New Preaching Blog I’ve Started

Dear friends:

 

Many of you are readers of my main blog at http://bromattsblog.wordpress.com. 
For that, I thank you.  Just this past week, we reach 60,000 hits and are
reaching many for Christ. 

 

I do have a passion for Bible-centered, Christ-centered
preaching.  So I have started a preaching blog called “Expositionalogistix”
(Expositional Logistics) which seeks the recovery of the centrality of preaching
in Christian worship.  The address is at http://expositionalogistix.blogspot.com
(I may switch to WordPress soon, but I’ll let you know if and when).  I only
have three posts up so far, but bookmark this site and come back soon and
contribute if you like. 

 

May God bless you this Christmas season.

 

In Christ,

 

Matt Perry

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As a Carpenter Needs Tools, a Pastor Needs …

books!!!!

Some have asked me what I would like for Christmas. Books are always good. Here is my wishlist from Amazon.com. This may be of help if you find yourself stumped. Thanks so much for your support of our ministry here.

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Do You Know About ACFAR? Well, You Should!

Our church had the blessing of having John Divito, the East Africa Director of the Africa Center for Apologetics Research (ACFAR), who came to discuss his upcoming mission endeavors in the country of Uganda.  Uganda is in desperate need for a Gospel presence, especially someone to come alongside pastors to share the Gospel and to train in the basics of theology and practical ministry.  John seeks to do just that. 

So take time to visit the Africa Center for Apologetics Research (ACFAR).  John also has a blog that will help us keep up-to-date on his Kingdom work.  

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An Exceptional Challies Dot Com Giveaway

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A Soon-To-Be Classic Political Ad

This looks like Mick CHUCKabee to me!

From the GOP Debate: Do You Believe the Bible?

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

How To Make the Enemy Run (E.V.Hill)

Dr. Bill Henard elected Kentucky Baptist Convention President

From Faith & Works (Louisville Courier-Journal):

The pastor of a large Lexington church was elected unopposed as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention today in the latest sign of the convention following the conservative shift of its national affiliate, the Southern Baptist Convention.

To read the rest, click here.

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Ayman al-Zawahiri’s Christmas Message on Al-Jazeera (ScrappleFace.com)

If only this were true — and it can be!  Let us pray this becomes a reality!

(HT: Ken Mahanes, PBA)

Ayman al-Zawahiri’s Christmas Message on Al-Jazeera (ScrappleFace.com)

If only this were true — and it can be!  Let us pray this becomes a reality!

(HT: Ken Mahanes, PBA)

Sound Advice for Studying Theology at Home (Reformation Theology)

Excerpt:

No Time for Seminary? Here is some sound advice for studying theology
at home. Due to the compromising theological climate at many modern
seminaries, we believe that if you take the time to carefully read the
following materials you will get a better theological education than
90% of seminary graduates. Click on the following links if you are
interested in learning more or want to purchase any of these books.

Click here to read more. 

(HT: Tony Kummer)

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Red Skelton’s Lessons on “The Pledge of Allegiance”

Red Skelton was an incredibly funny comic from days gone by — but we as Americans would do well to heed to lessons from our Pledge of Allegiance. Very moving! May we remember the foundations upon which this country was set.

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Red Skelton’s Lessons on “The Pledge of Allegiance”

Red Skelton was an incredibly funny comic from days gone by — but we as Americans would do well to heed to lessons from our Pledge of Allegiance. Very moving! May we remember the foundations upon which this country was set.

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Bragging on My Boone’s Creek Family: Karate, Sonic, and College Students Frightening Me

I am privileged to be the pastor of a wonderful family of faith here at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church. I want to take some opportunity to brag on some of the folks here.

First of all, take a look at this incredible display from one of our youth, Jack Podgorski, at ITA Nationals 2007:

A Great Encounter at Sonic

When one of my children and I had a mid-morning snack at Sonic the other day, the waitress recognized me and said, “Aren’t you the preacher at Boone’s Creek?” I told her, “Yes” — praying that I wouldn’t pay for that — and she said how much she enjoyed the Vacation Bible School last July. Her children were still talking about it. They loved the gentle and loving spirit of the folks who worked at VBS. Keep in mind, I had this conversation on October 31st — and the VBS was in July! People remember the impressions we Christians make — so make a Christ-like one!

Some College Students Taking the Initiative

During the fall and spring semesters of college, we have about 30-40 college students who worship with us. For the past year, they normally taking up the fifth, sixth and seventh rows of our middle section in the sanctuary. Yet, I walked in and I didn’t see them in their usual place. They instead were spread out all over the place. I asked Cam, “What’s going on?” He said, “They were challenged to sit in various places so they could mingle with other folks in the church.” Amen!

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Bragging on My Boone’s Creek Family: Karate, Sonic, and College Students Frightening Me

I am privileged to be the pastor of a wonderful family of faith here at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church. I want to take some opportunity to brag on some of the folks here.

First of all, take a look at this incredible display from one of our youth, Jack Podgorski, at ITA Nationals 2007:

A Great Encounter at Sonic

When one of my children and I had a mid-morning snack at Sonic the other day, the waitress recognized me and said, “Aren’t you the preacher at Boone’s Creek?” I told her, “Yes” — praying that I wouldn’t pay for that — and she said how much she enjoyed the Vacation Bible School last July. Her children were still talking about it. They loved the gentle and loving spirit of the folks who worked at VBS. Keep in mind, I had this conversation on October 31st — and the VBS was in July! People remember the impressions we Christians make — so make a Christ-like one!

Some College Students Taking the Initiative

During the fall and spring semesters of college, we have about 30-40 college students who worship with us. For the past year, they normally taking up the fifth, sixth and seventh rows of our middle section in the sanctuary. Yet, I walked in and I didn’t see them in their usual place. They instead were spread out all over the place. I asked Cam, “What’s going on?” He said, “They were challenged to sit in various places so they could mingle with other folks in the church.” Amen!

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Singleness and the Glory of God Conference This Saturday @ Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY

Have you been deceived to think that God’s purpose for you is to be married or at least not alone? God’s purpose for you is to be holy — everything else is just details!

Music, door prizes, main group times and breakout sessions.

Leaders will be:

• Matthew Perry, Pastor, Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY (For more about him go to http://www.boonescreekchurch.com/pastor or http://www.matt-perry.com)

• Mark Combs, Pastor, Salem Baptist Church, Salem, KY.  (For more about Mark, go to http://markcombs1978.wordpress.com)

• Josh Martin, Founder and Leader, The Josh Martin Band; Youth Pastor, Harvest Community Church, Eminence, KY (For more info about Josh, go to http://www.thejoshmartinband.com or http://joshuamartin.wordpress.com)

• Kevin Whitt, Lead Pastor, Harvest Community Church, Eminence KY (http://www.harvestcommunity.com)

The topics!?!

• Singleness and the American Idols: What the Culture Tells Us About Singleness (Matthew Perry)

• Singleness and the Sovereignty of God: Do We Trust God’s Timing in Bringing Us “The One”? (Mark Combs)

• Don’t Waste Your Singleness: Consumed By Your Singleness or Using Your Time Wisely for the Kingdom? (Kevin Whitt)

• Singleness and the Gospel (Josh Martin)

• Q&A with Matt, Mark, Kevin, and Josh!

• Mini-Concert with the Josh Martin Band.

Interested?!? Then go ahead and register in one of four ways:

1. Call Boone’s Creek Baptist Church at (859) 263-5466.
2. Drop us a line at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church (ATTN: S&GG), 185 N. Cleveland Rd., Lexington, KY 40509
3. E-mail us at boonescreekchurch@gmail.com and just put in the subject line: S&GG.
4. Go to  the sidebar you’ll see “Upcoming Boone’s Creek Conferences.” If you have a Facebook account, you can sign up there.
   

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Singleness and the Glory of God Conference This Saturday @ Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY

Have you been deceived to think that God’s purpose for you is to be married or at least not alone? God’s purpose for you is to be holy — everything else is just details!

Music, door prizes, main group times and breakout sessions.

Leaders will be:

• Matthew Perry, Pastor, Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY (For more about him go to http://www.boonescreekchurch.com/pastor or http://www.matt-perry.com)

• Mark Combs, Pastor, Salem Baptist Church, Salem, KY.  (For more about Mark, go to http://markcombs1978.wordpress.com)

• Josh Martin, Founder and Leader, The Josh Martin Band; Youth Pastor, Harvest Community Church, Eminence, KY (For more info about Josh, go to http://www.thejoshmartinband.com or http://joshuamartin.wordpress.com)

• Kevin Whitt, Lead Pastor, Harvest Community Church, Eminence KY (http://www.harvestcommunity.com)

The topics!?!

• Singleness and the American Idols: What the Culture Tells Us About Singleness (Matthew Perry)

• Singleness and the Sovereignty of God: Do We Trust God’s Timing in Bringing Us “The One”? (Mark Combs)

• Don’t Waste Your Singleness: Consumed By Your Singleness or Using Your Time Wisely for the Kingdom? (Kevin Whitt)

• Singleness and the Gospel (Josh Martin)

• Q&A with Matt, Mark, Kevin, and Josh!

• Mini-Concert with the Josh Martin Band.

Interested?!? Then go ahead and register in one of four ways:

1. Call Boone’s Creek Baptist Church at (859) 263-5466.
2. Drop us a line at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church (ATTN: S&GG), 185 N. Cleveland Rd., Lexington, KY 40509
3. E-mail us at boonescreekchurch@gmail.com and just put in the subject line: S&GG.
4. Go to  the sidebar you’ll see “Upcoming Boone’s Creek Conferences.” If you have a Facebook account, you can sign up there.
   

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In the Words of John Denver …

“Hey, it’s good to be back home again;
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend;
Yes, and hey it’s good to be back home again.”

After four blessed days at the Salem Baptist Church (read about them here, here, here, and here) , I am now back in my office getting ready for Sunday morning and evening. 

Here’s a question I have:  for Southern Baptists, are revival services only successful if someone “walks the aisle?”  I confess, I felt that during this past week.  No one stepped out to walk the aisle to make a public commitment.  Yet many on the way out talked with me one on one and told them how the Lord convicted and encouraged them in a number of areas.  That’s all a preacher can do is scatter seed — God causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:8). 

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Liveblogging at Salem, KY, Part IV (10/17/07 – 8:50 AM)

It is hard to believe that tomorrow, I will be heading back to Lexington. While I have truly enjoyed my stay here, I must say I miss my family and my people back at Boone’s Creek.

The worship services have been going well, I believe. The music has been wonderful and very worshipful. On Monday night, I preached on “If Jesus Is So Wonderful, Why Are So Many of His Followers Such Jerks?” and last night I preached on “Is Worship a Grand Waste of Time?” from Mark 14:1-11. Tonight, I’m preaching on “Why Do Christians Follow Such an Old Book?” and will deal with the authority and the purpose of Scripture in the lives of believers.

Yesterday, however, Mark took me to Land Between the Lakes to Patti’s 1880 Settlement. There, I had the best hamburger I’ve ever had. Not only that, the restaurant had great personality. So if my wife and I ever decided to vacation in Western Kentucky, Patti’s will definitely be on the menu. Just a really scenic part of the country.

Keep praying for us tonight.

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We Have a New Podcast — Treasure The Word!!

I am excited about the launch of our new podcast called “Treasure The Word” which will consists on oral essays and interviews on different subjects in Christianity and with different folks from around Christendom that you may or may not have heard of. While we are still working on “bumper music,” we do have an excellent interview with Mark Allen Combs, Pastor of the Salem Baptist Church in Salem, KY. It lasts around 20-25 minutes, but I’m sure you will find it edifying and slightly entertaining!

To subscribe to our podcast, click here. Then, if you have iTunes, just open it up, click on “Advanced” and then click on “Subscribe to Podcast” and put the subscription URL in (http://sermoncloud.monkserve.com/EKK/1169/sermons.xml) then hit enter. And that’s it.

Enjoy!

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Liveblogging at Salem, KY, Part III (10/15/07 – 8:00 AM): God’s Sovereignty in Action!

(If you wish, you can catch up on the adventures here in Salem, KY by reading the Introduction, Part I and Part II.)

Every once in a while, I find myself absolutely stunned as to how God works out His plan for His glory and our good. After spending an afternoon resting, watching football (and seeing my Cincinnati Bengals fall to 1-4 on the season), I went over to Salem Baptist Church for a nice meal and met some delightful people. One couple that was there lived in Lexington for a good amount of time, so we spent some time talking about the rapid change and growth of that great city. I met another man who was an MK (Missionary Kid) whose parents served in Senegal in West Africa. What amazing stories he had!

My sermon for the night was “The Ultimate ‘Why’ Question” — why would a loving God allow evil and suffering?’ We were blessed to have the Heartland Praise Band from Paducah with us to lead us in music. They will lead us for the next two night — and am I ever anticipating that. The leader of the group has a heart very sensitive to the Spirit. And that was evident last night.

The first song they sang was “Blessed Be Your Name” which spoke about how God’s name is to be blessed in the joys and the challenges of life. During the second song, they were singing right along and we were praising right along until the band just stopped and said, “We need to go to prayer.” Apparently, someone ran in in the back and said that one of their young deacon’s dad had a tractor turn over on him.

So immediately, Mark Combs (the pastor) called for us to get together in groups and just offer up “popcorn prayers” to God for this situation. Once done, the band led us in “Great is Your Faithfulness” which again was a song about God’s faithfulness in the midst of trying circumstances.

After I read the opening Scripture of Psalm 88, Mark came up and said that this deacon’s father was just fine and we gave praise to God. But even with that circumstance, God used that to help us feel the weight of the question before them — what if he had died, would we still be praising him and trusting him? Do we only trust God during the good and curse him during the bad?

God gave me great freedom to preach to those dear people and many responded to deeper commitments and walks with the Lord.

Tonight, I’ll preach on “If Jesus is So Wonderful, Why Are So Many Followers Such Jerks?” — a title taken from one of the chapters of Randy Newman’s book par excellence, “Questioning Evangelism.”

Thanks for your prayers. Keep ‘em coming. God’s doing a neat work here. Can’t wait to see what He’ll do next.

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Encouraging Words from Josh Martin

Josh Martin has been going through his blogroll explaining why he includes them there — with some other encouraging remarks about the administrators on a personal level.  You can read what he wrote about me here.  Josh is a blessing, and his words really lifted my spirits.

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Liveblogging from Salem, KY, Part II (10/14/07 — 2:46 p.m.): Wonderful Sunday Morning Service

This morning, I preached on “Why Do Christians Seem So Intolerant?”  We had a decent crowd this morning, but it did seem to generate some good conversation during our fellowship lunch afterwards.  One college student who grew up a Roman Catholic had some genuine questions about what we as Baptists believe.  One truth from this morning that seemed to be driven home is that God is not a tolerant God — he does not tolerate our sin and he does not tolerate us rejecting His revealed Word or His revealed Son.  We praise God that His Word still moves. 

I preach on “The Ultimate ‘Why’ Question” tonight.  Keep praying, everyone!

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Liveblogging from Salem, KY (10/13/07): I made it

Praise God! I made it to Salem in fairly good time. The 250 mile trip took approximately four-hours. I took the Blue Grass Parkway from Lexington to Elizabethtown, got on I-65 South for about 15 seconds, then travelled on the Western Kentucky Parkway for about 120 miles. Driving from the WKP to Salem was a scenic bonanza. I enjoy the picturesque nature of Kentucky immensely.

Tomorrow, I begin my series of sermons at Salem Baptist Church on “Questions the Culture Asks (But Christians Are Afraid to Answer).” You can find the sermons on this subject that I preached in September at the Boone’s Creek website .

I would like to thank the Ohio River Valley Baptist Association for allowing me to stay in their guest room (called “The Prophet’s Room which was dedicated here by the associational WMU back in 1995). It was here that I saw the University of Kentucky beat LSU 43-37 in a nationally televised football game. I’m a UofL fan, but I’m finding myself not only falling in love with the Commonwealth of Kentucky but also all that it has to offer.

Not only that, but Salem Baptist has stocked their refrigerator with snacks, breakfast foods, soft drinks, and water for my stay here. I am thankful for their gracious hospitality.

Please pray that the Spirit of God would move in our midst here.

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Why Am I Heading to Western Kentucky Tomorrow? To Answer a Bunch of Questions!

Tomorrow, I leave for Salem, Kentucky, to lead a conference at the Salem Baptist Church entitled “Questions the Culture Asks (But Christians Are Afraid to Answer).” Mark Combs serves as pastor of this church and is a good brother in the Lord.

I plan on liveblogging my time there. The last time I liveblogged anything was when I went for my DMin seminar in June. A number of folks from my church really enjoyed seeing what I was up to, so I thought I’d do this once again.

Here are some prayer requests I have for this week:

1. Pray that God would give me the words to say. I think of Exodus 4:10-12 when Moses was debating God’s call on his life. “But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”  I also think of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:  “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”  Knowing that God’s words and God’s wisdom are given to his messengers brings me great comfort.  Please pray that God would give me the words to say — even if those words are not necessarily “prepared.”
2. Pray that God is already melting hearts to be bent toward Christ.  The purpose of this conference is to help Christians start conversations with non-Christians — and to give them a reason to bring non-Christians to this service to get under the Gospel.
3. Pray that God would give me traveling mercy.  I have a four-hour drive and Salem is in a fairly isolated area in Western Kentucky, so pray that I would find it and that GoogleMaps wouldn’t let me down. 
4. Pray for John Ferguson from the Lexington Rescue Mission who will be preaching at Boone’s Creek this coming Sunday morning on “True Religion” from the text on Isaiah 58.  Cameron Potts will be preaching on Sunday PM on 1 Corinthians 15. 

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Bush Believes All Religions Pray to the ‘Same God’ (WorldNetDaily.com)

An excerpt:

President George W. Bush repeated his belief all religions, “whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God” – an assertion that caused outrage among evangelical leaders when he said it in November 2003.

Bush made the statement Friday in an interview with Al Arabiya reporter Elie Nakouzi.

Al Arabiya is Al Jazeerah’s top competitor in the Mideast.

As the president and Nakouzi walked from the Oval Office to the Map Room in the White House residence, Nazouki asked, “But I want to tell you – and I hope this doesn’t bother you at all – that in the Islamic world they think that President Bush is an enemy of Islam – that he wants to destroy their religion, what they believe in. Is that in any way true, Mr. President?”

“No, it’s not,” said Bush. “I’ve heard that, and it just shows [sic] to show a couple of things: One, that the radicals have done a good job of propagandizing. In other words, they’ve spread the word that this really isn’t peaceful people versus radical people or terrorists, this is really about the America not liking Islam.

“Well, first of all, I believe in an Almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That’s what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace. And I believe people who murder the innocent to achieve political objectives aren’t religious people, whether they be a Christian who does that – we had a person blow up our – blow up a federal building in Oklahoma City who professed to be a Christian, but that’s not a Christian act to kill innocent people.

“And I just simply don’t subscribe to the idea that murdering innocent men, women and children – particularly Muslim men, women and children in the Middle East – is an act of somebody who is a religious person.

(Read the rest of this article here.)

What think ye?

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Bush Believes All Religions Pray to the ‘Same God’ (WorldNetDaily.com)

An excerpt:

President George W. Bush repeated his belief all religions, “whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God” – an assertion that caused outrage among evangelical leaders when he said it in November 2003.

Bush made the statement Friday in an interview with Al Arabiya reporter Elie Nakouzi.

Al Arabiya is Al Jazeerah’s top competitor in the Mideast.

As the president and Nakouzi walked from the Oval Office to the Map Room in the White House residence, Nazouki asked, “But I want to tell you – and I hope this doesn’t bother you at all – that in the Islamic world they think that President Bush is an enemy of Islam – that he wants to destroy their religion, what they believe in. Is that in any way true, Mr. President?”

“No, it’s not,” said Bush. “I’ve heard that, and it just shows [sic] to show a couple of things: One, that the radicals have done a good job of propagandizing. In other words, they’ve spread the word that this really isn’t peaceful people versus radical people or terrorists, this is really about the America not liking Islam.

“Well, first of all, I believe in an Almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That’s what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace. And I believe people who murder the innocent to achieve political objectives aren’t religious people, whether they be a Christian who does that – we had a person blow up our – blow up a federal building in Oklahoma City who professed to be a Christian, but that’s not a Christian act to kill innocent people.

“And I just simply don’t subscribe to the idea that murdering innocent men, women and children – particularly Muslim men, women and children in the Middle East – is an act of somebody who is a religious person.

(Read the rest of this article here.)

What think ye?

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Great article about Lions’ Quarterback John Kitna (ESPN, The Magazine)

An excerpt from the article:

Like many athletes who are outspoken about something as personal as faith, Kitna — with his ubiquitous cross hats and constant biblical references — is often dismissed as a loon. But his impact in Detroit is undeniable. He is part of a team prayer group on Friday afternoons and hosts a Bible study for teammates and their wives at his home on Monday nights.

Since he signed a four-year, $11.5 million deal in March 2006, about 20 Lions have given their lives to Christ. Teammates, converted or not, credit Kitna — and, in part, this religious awakening — with helping change the previously poisonous attitude in the Lions’ locker room. Says Orlovsky, “He is the pulse and the heart and the soul of this team.”

By combining two of the most fervent elements of society — faith and football — a previously anonymous journeyman quarterback has catapulted himself into the zeitgeist.

“People feel football is too trivial for God to care about, especially with so many bad things happening in the world,” says Tim Pitcher, a spokesman for Athletes in Action, which uses sports to push Christianity. “For a lot of people, the worlds shouldn’t mix.”

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Great article about Lions’ Quarterback John Kitna (ESPN, The Magazine)

An excerpt from the article:

Like many athletes who are outspoken about something as personal as faith, Kitna — with his ubiquitous cross hats and constant biblical references — is often dismissed as a loon. But his impact in Detroit is undeniable. He is part of a team prayer group on Friday afternoons and hosts a Bible study for teammates and their wives at his home on Monday nights.

Since he signed a four-year, $11.5 million deal in March 2006, about 20 Lions have given their lives to Christ. Teammates, converted or not, credit Kitna — and, in part, this religious awakening — with helping change the previously poisonous attitude in the Lions’ locker room. Says Orlovsky, “He is the pulse and the heart and the soul of this team.”

By combining two of the most fervent elements of society — faith and football — a previously anonymous journeyman quarterback has catapulted himself into the zeitgeist.

“People feel football is too trivial for God to care about, especially with so many bad things happening in the world,” says Tim Pitcher, a spokesman for Athletes in Action, which uses sports to push Christianity. “For a lot of people, the worlds shouldn’t mix.”

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Bengals Schedule

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Saturday Spurgeon: “Truth Comes Before Unity”

“To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray, that they may be one, even as we are one”? (John 17:22). A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, “Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless… Unite, unite!”  Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity.  Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord’s prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.

(From The Essence of Separation)

Saturday Spurgeon: “Truth Comes Before Unity”

“To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray, that they may be one, even as we are one”? (John 17:22). A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, “Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless… Unite, unite!”  Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity.  Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord’s prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.

(From The Essence of Separation)

Bach in Japan (CT)

Yuko Maruyama, a Japanese organist working in Minneapolis, was once a devout Buddhist. Now she is a Christian thanks to the music of J. S. Bach. “Bach introduced me to God, Jesus and Christianity,” she told Metro Lutheran, a Twin Cities monthly. “When I play a fugue, I can feel Bach talking to God.” Masashi Masuda, a Jesuit priest, came to faith in almost the same way: “Listening to Bach’s Goldberg Variations first aroused my interest in Christianity.” Today Masuda teaches theology at Tokyo’s Sophia University.

Finishthis article from the Christian History & Biography website.

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How Do Pastors Stay Encouraged, Even with People Who Are Not Passionate for His Word? (Piper)

John Piper was asked one time, “How do you keep from getting discouraged when it is apparent that so many people, even in your own church, just aren’t passionate for God and his word?”“ Click here for his answer. So, so helpful.

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I Found “My” Theologian … Who’s Yours?

I recall reading one of John Piper’s works (can’t recall which one) in which he mentioned that a seminary professor urged him to pick one theologian (preferably dead) to pour his life into studying and mentorship.  Of course, Piper picked Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758).  My friend, Mark Combs, adores John Owen. A pastor friend of mine who is now studying in Edinburgh, Scotland, finds John Bunyan as one that God uses to feed his soul.

As for me, I do lean toward Bunyan as well (his Grace Abounding autobiography, though melancholy in spots, provided me with incredible insights to the soul), I must say that Charles Spurgeon has become a friend and mentor to me. Why?

Currently, I am pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree in Expository Preaching. I just submitted my prospectus (and fully expect to receive it back soon — with much ink and blood!) for my project dissertation on “Training Aspiring Ministers and Lay Preachers in Expository Preaching at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, etc.” Part of the process is to find a past model and a present model to base the curriculum in which we are to present to our students. I read through Arnold Dallimore’s “Spurgeon: A New Biography” which is a great 250 page introduction to his life and ministry. One chapter dealt with Spurgeon’s conviction of his responsibility to train future pastors. That, combined with his “Lectures to My Students,” has truly helped crystallize many areas dealing with my personal life, my spiritual life, and ministry. 

So tell me … who is your theologian, pastor, or mentor who has meant a great deal to you?  Share!

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I Found “My” Theologian … Who’s Yours?

I recall reading one of John Piper’s works (can’t recall which one) in which he mentioned that a seminary professor urged him to pick one theologian (preferably dead) to pour his life into studying and mentorship.  Of course, Piper picked Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758).  My friend, Mark Combs, adores John Owen. A pastor friend of mine who is now studying in Edinburgh, Scotland, finds John Bunyan as one that God uses to feed his soul.

As for me, I do lean toward Bunyan as well (his Grace Abounding autobiography, though melancholy in spots, provided me with incredible insights to the soul), I must say that Charles Spurgeon has become a friend and mentor to me. Why?

Currently, I am pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree in Expository Preaching. I just submitted my prospectus (and fully expect to receive it back soon — with much ink and blood!) for my project dissertation on “Training Aspiring Ministers and Lay Preachers in Expository Preaching at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, etc.” Part of the process is to find a past model and a present model to base the curriculum in which we are to present to our students. I read through Arnold Dallimore’s “Spurgeon: A New Biography” which is a great 250 page introduction to his life and ministry. One chapter dealt with Spurgeon’s conviction of his responsibility to train future pastors. That, combined with his “Lectures to My Students,” has truly helped crystallize many areas dealing with my personal life, my spiritual life, and ministry. 

So tell me … who is your theologian, pastor, or mentor who has meant a great deal to you?  Share!

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Fourth Anniversary at Boone’s Creek (High Points and Shortcomings)

On September 7, 2003, Boone’s Creek Baptist Church called a 31-year-old young man who had yet to graduate with his MDiv to be their pastor.  That young man was me.  Now, on the threshold of my 36th birthday, as well as the beginning of my fifth year of ministry at Boone’s Creek, I would like to share with you what I see as some of the good points as well as my shortcomings:

High Points:

• Centrality of the Word of God:  I preach expositionally through the Scriptures.  Thus far, we have covered the books of Mark (two years), Acts (1 year), Psalms (every one of the them! — took three years), Nehemiah (eight weeks), Ephesians (19 weeks), 1 & 2 Peter, Jude, Romans 8 (seven-week sermon series); Great Commission (four sermons), 2 Corinthians 4 and 5 (2 sermons). 
• Missions work:  we have made three missions trips to Trinidad, one trip to New Orleans, plus various missions work in our area.  Plus, we are about to have our second missions conference this month.
• Strengthened online ministry:  with our updated website, the posting of sermons as well as our podcasts, we are attracting a number of visitors to our church.  Those who are looking for a church do their homework now.  They want to know about the beliefs and activities of the church — that way, when they come to visit they just want to see if the love of Christ is evident. 
• Influx of college students:  through our website ministry, some hungry college students who desired to hear expository preaching and to find a church that did love them in Christ.  Soon, 30+ college students began attending our church.  We had prayed for a college ministry — and God just provided some of the most spiritually mature students anyone could imagine.  I’m thankful for Doug and Mindy Yates for coordinating the activities of the ministry as well as Ron and Darlene Thomas for their Sunday School leadership in this area.

Challenges

• Visitation Ministry:  This area has been quite spotty for me.  We would start, then it would lag.  Then we’d start up again, then would lag.  The big reason for this is my neglect in delegating others to help me in this area.  We are having a Contact and Connect Kickoff on Monday, October 1st and will continue with some evangelistic and discipleship training with the terrific resource Two Ways to Live. 
• Encouraging Inactive Members to Attend:  Repeatedly, I tell my people that the biggest surprise I had as a young pastor was encouraging those who were members of our church to actually attend our services.  Some just got out of the habit, but they know they need to come — the majority of inactive members just won’t.   We will have to address the nature of church membership in the very near future.  In the meantime, we shall pray that they will begin to see the responsibility and privilege that comes with connecting with a local church.
• Encouraging Faithful Members and Attendees to Find Their Spiritual Gift So They May Exercise It in Service to the Lord.  ‘Nuff said.
• Equipping the Saints to Do the Work of the Ministry.  It is my responsibility to train the deacons, Sunday School teachers, my staff, children’s workers and other leaders in the church to do what they have been called to do.  I used to assume that they just knew what to do.  I found out that many are just doing what they seen others do and others simply just try to get by.  As a result, burnout occurs.  Pray for me that I do better in this area.

There are other challenges, for sure.  If you are a pastor, share with our readership some of our high points and challenges you have as pastors.  That way, we can come alongside you and pray for you.

Blessings

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Fourth Anniversary at Boone’s Creek (High Points and Shortcomings)

On September 7, 2003, Boone’s Creek Baptist Church called a 31-year-old young man who had yet to graduate with his MDiv to be their pastor.  That young man was me.  Now, on the threshold of my 36th birthday, as well as the beginning of my fifth year of ministry at Boone’s Creek, I would like to share with you what I see as some of the good points as well as my shortcomings:

High Points:

• Centrality of the Word of God:  I preach expositionally through the Scriptures.  Thus far, we have covered the books of Mark (two years), Acts (1 year), Psalms (every one of the them! — took three years), Nehemiah (eight weeks), Ephesians (19 weeks), 1 & 2 Peter, Jude, Romans 8 (seven-week sermon series); Great Commission (four sermons), 2 Corinthians 4 and 5 (2 sermons). 
• Missions work:  we have made three missions trips to Trinidad, one trip to New Orleans, plus various missions work in our area.  Plus, we are about to have our second missions conference this month.
• Strengthened online ministry:  with our updated website, the posting of sermons as well as our podcasts, we are attracting a number of visitors to our church.  Those who are looking for a church do their homework now.  They want to know about the beliefs and activities of the church — that way, when they come to visit they just want to see if the love of Christ is evident. 
• Influx of college students:  through our website ministry, some hungry college students who desired to hear expository preaching and to find a church that did love them in Christ.  Soon, 30+ college students began attending our church.  We had prayed for a college ministry — and God just provided some of the most spiritually mature students anyone could imagine.  I’m thankful for Doug and Mindy Yates for coordinating the activities of the ministry as well as Ron and Darlene Thomas for their Sunday School leadership in this area.

Challenges

• Visitation Ministry:  This area has been quite spotty for me.  We would start, then it would lag.  Then we’d start up again, then would lag.  The big reason for this is my neglect in delegating others to help me in this area.  We are having a Contact and Connect Kickoff on Monday, October 1st and will continue with some evangelistic and discipleship training with the terrific resource Two Ways to Live. 
• Encouraging Inactive Members to Attend:  Repeatedly, I tell my people that the biggest surprise I had as a young pastor was encouraging those who were members of our church to actually attend our services.  Some just got out of the habit, but they know they need to come — the majority of inactive members just won’t.   We will have to address the nature of church membership in the very near future.  In the meantime, we shall pray that they will begin to see the responsibility and privilege that comes with connecting with a local church.
• Encouraging Faithful Members and Attendees to Find Their Spiritual Gift So They May Exercise It in Service to the Lord.  ‘Nuff said.
• Equipping the Saints to Do the Work of the Ministry.  It is my responsibility to train the deacons, Sunday School teachers, my staff, children’s workers and other leaders in the church to do what they have been called to do.  I used to assume that they just knew what to do.  I found out that many are just doing what they seen others do and others simply just try to get by.  As a result, burnout occurs.  Pray for me that I do better in this area.

There are other challenges, for sure.  If you are a pastor, share with our readership some of our high points and challenges you have as pastors.  That way, we can come alongside you and pray for you.

Blessings

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Challies Dot Com Book Giveaway Extraordinaire

This is an extremely nice giveaway.  Just click on the banner to enter.

Weekly Running Update

Well, to be honest, last week was pretty sorry.  I ran on Monday and Tuesday.  I had a lame excuse for the rest of the week regarding my DMin prospectus being due, but that’s no excuse at all. 

So I ran this morning and actually ran 0.4 miles.  I know — not very far, but that’s my farthest yet and I was able to recover quicker.  My block is 0.5 miles around and I really almost made it, so hopefully by the end of the week, I’ll be able to do a whole lap around the block and then some.

My weight is around 194.  By the time I go and preach the set of services at Salem Baptist Church where Mark Combs pastors, I fully expect to be down to below 185 (if I can cut out the Mountain Dews and the Vaults — a major weakness for me). 

Happy Labor Day!

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Mother Teresa’s “Crisis of Faith”

Reformation 21 recently blogged about “Mother Teresa’s Redemption” and her spiritual walk toward the end of her life. Instead of this being filled with great spiritual ecstasies, we find the polar opposite:

By now, many will have heard about the recent revelations concerning Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s crisis of faith. The book version is now out, containing her private correspondence with her spiritual mentors, titled Come Be My Light.
The caption quote to the TIME magazine article sums up Mother Teresa’s
spiritual testimony over the last 66 years of her life: “Jesus has a
very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is
so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.”

Mother Teresa would have been classified as a mystic, who based her spiritual walk on subjective experiences. Although here incredible philanthropic work has few parallels in our modern day, we do see a troubled individual searching.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Mother Teresa’s “Crisis of Faith”

Reformation 21 recently blogged about “Mother Teresa’s Redemption” and her spiritual walk toward the end of her life. Instead of this being filled with great spiritual ecstasies, we find the polar opposite:

By now, many will have heard about the recent revelations concerning Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s crisis of faith. The book version is now out, containing her private correspondence with her spiritual mentors, titled Come Be My Light.
The caption quote to the TIME magazine article sums up Mother Teresa’s
spiritual testimony over the last 66 years of her life: “Jesus has a
very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is
so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.”

Mother Teresa would have been classified as a mystic, who based her spiritual walk on subjective experiences. Although here incredible philanthropic work has few parallels in our modern day, we do see a troubled individual searching.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Being Good Stewards of the Gospel, Part II: Fan Into Flame God’s Gift of Faith

(To listen to this sermon in its entirety, click here.)

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:3-7, ESV).

Every Christian risks having the flame and the fire of their faith begin to grow dim. Life’s circumstances hit in unexpected ways and we wonder if this Christian faith is what we bargained for. The fire may grow dim when we find ourselves engaged in rebellious and sinful activity which will quench the stirring of the Spirit in our lives.

Timothy felt the pressure of pastoring. That pressure came from trying to please everyone, especially those who were older and more mature than he. He began to feel the pressure and soon began to be afraid of their countenance — he put his focus on them rather than on Christ.

So what was Timothy to do? Paul understood the need to remind Timothy of a number of past events. First, know that someone is praying for you. In verses 3-4 he says, that he remembers him constantly “in my prayers.” When we realize our brothers and sisters in Christ are lifting us up to the throne of grace — especially those who are strong in the faith — that bolsters us. Paul encouraged the Ephesian Christians to “Make supplication for all the saints.” And does not James 5:16 say, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Paul reminds Timothy of his upbringing. “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2 Timothy 1:5, ESV). Timothy was given an incredible heritage of faith from his mother and grandmother. Now, while it is true that God does not have grandchildren and that we are not saved based on another person’s faith, we can lean and learn from the example that our family gave. Clearly, the type of faith Lois and Eunice had was a persevering faith — a faith that we need to see more of so that this will encourage us to persevere!

Paul reminds Timothy also of his ordination service! “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (1:6). Is Paul saying that he had a supernatural, magical power in which Timothy received his position of authority in the Ephesian church? No, not at all. What Paul is describing is Timothy’s ordination service, where a congregation senses by the leadership of the Holy Spirit someone who possesses the gifts and the calling to preach the Word and to shepherd the flock. In fact, Timothy may have been called out by this very flock of whom he found himself afraid. He must remember the testimony of the Spirit’s leading of the church

Paul encourages Timothy even further when he reminds Timothy that God gave us type of spirit with certain attributes. Power, love and self-control or discipline are among them.

What about you? Can you look back on times in your life when God helped you in your faith-walk? Maybe a former pastor or a faithful persevering family member?

(To read Part I, click here.)

Please share with us someone or something from your past that helps you in your present walk so the flame of your faith grows stronger and brighter in Christ.

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Being Good Stewards of the Gospel, Part II: Fan Into Flame God’s Gift of Faith

(To listen to this sermon in its entirety, click here.)

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:3-7, ESV).

Every Christian risks having the flame and the fire of their faith begin to grow dim. Life’s circumstances hit in unexpected ways and we wonder if this Christian faith is what we bargained for. The fire may grow dim when we find ourselves engaged in rebellious and sinful activity which will quench the stirring of the Spirit in our lives.

Timothy felt the pressure of pastoring. That pressure came from trying to please everyone, especially those who were older and more mature than he. He began to feel the pressure and soon began to be afraid of their countenance — he put his focus on them rather than on Christ.

So what was Timothy to do? Paul understood the need to remind Timothy of a number of past events. First, know that someone is praying for you. In verses 3-4 he says, that he remembers him constantly “in my prayers.” When we realize our brothers and sisters in Christ are lifting us up to the throne of grace — especially those who are strong in the faith — that bolsters us. Paul encouraged the Ephesian Christians to “Make supplication for all the saints.” And does not James 5:16 say, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Paul reminds Timothy of his upbringing. “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well” (2 Timothy 1:5, ESV). Timothy was given an incredible heritage of faith from his mother and grandmother. Now, while it is true that God does not have grandchildren and that we are not saved based on another person’s faith, we can lean and learn from the example that our family gave. Clearly, the type of faith Lois and Eunice had was a persevering faith — a faith that we need to see more of so that this will encourage us to persevere!

Paul reminds Timothy also of his ordination service! “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (1:6). Is Paul saying that he had a supernatural, magical power in which Timothy received his position of authority in the Ephesian church? No, not at all. What Paul is describing is Timothy’s ordination service, where a congregation senses by the leadership of the Holy Spirit someone who possesses the gifts and the calling to preach the Word and to shepherd the flock. In fact, Timothy may have been called out by this very flock of whom he found himself afraid. He must remember the testimony of the Spirit’s leading of the church

Paul encourages Timothy even further when he reminds Timothy that God gave us type of spirit with certain attributes. Power, love and self-control or discipline are among them.

What about you? Can you look back on times in your life when God helped you in your faith-walk? Maybe a former pastor or a faithful persevering family member?

(To read Part I, click here.)

Please share with us someone or something from your past that helps you in your present walk so the flame of your faith grows stronger and brighter in Christ.

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Being Good Stewards of the Gospel, Part I: Introduction

This morning, we conclude our Stewardship Emphasis. We have dealt with being good stewards of our time, good stewards of our finances, and good stewards of our spiritual gifts with which God divinely designed us.
Some of these issues have been quite personal — digging in to our
deepest areas of need.

I suppose as we begin talking about these issues, we tend to compartmentalize our lives. Recently, I heard one of my favorite preachers, Tim Keller, make a great point about something. Suppose you go to the doctor out of concern for your health. All you want from him is better health. Yet, he begins asking you questions such as, “How much sleep are you getting?” “What is your diet?” “Are you facing any stress in your life?” “How are your relationships?” You find yourself
amazed, even offended, that the doctor is delving into your personal life. You may even say, “Doc, I’m here to ask you to get me healthy. Don’t get into my personal life.”

What’s the point? The point is we are body and soul and they are interconnected. And just as our mental and emotional status can affect us physically, so too are our physical and spiritual status intertwined as well — we cannot compartmentalize. If we come to church saying, “I want to be a good steward of what God has given to me.”   Yet are we willing to allow the Gospel to penetrate and cut out some very personal areas of our lives, or are we like that patient who says, “Doc, I just want to be spiritually healthy! But don’t get into my personal life!”

But as we get into the issue of being good stewards of the Gospel, we find the Gospel is not simply a bunch of facts to embrace, but a life transformed. Like a surgeon, the Gospel comes in and cuts out the infected, cancerous parts that destroy us and heals us. But unlike other religions who insist that the correct outward behavior changes our inward spiritual condition, the Gospel says no — the heart and mind must be redeemed and transformed by the Spirit of Christ from the inside to affect outside behavior. We must constantly live out of
love for the present reality of Christ in us, as Cameron read earlier, the hope of glory.

This morning, we will take a look at the aged Apostle Paul giving some last words to his young protégé pastor Timothy. Timothy was in his mid 30’s as he pastored the church at Ephesus. While Paul was the model of perseverance in his stewardship of the Gospel, Timothy found himself floundering. With Paul in prison and likely facing the sword, with men old enough to be his father challenging his leadership and even bringing in false teachings into the church, with the daily persecutions happening to all Christians everywhere in the Empire, young Timothy found himself with an age old problem: how does one be a steward of the Gospel in the midst of a world that takes offense and even hates not only the Gospel but those who carry it?

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Together for the Gospel 2006 Lectures and Panel Discussions FREE at Sovereign Grace Ministries

Click here and here to indulge and enjoy the talks from Mark Dever, CJ Mahaney, Ligon Duncan, R.C. Sproul, Albert Mohler, John Piper, and John MacArthur.

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You Won’t Believe What I Did This Morning — I Ran!!

My friend Mark Combs is a runner. He runs about six to seven miles per day, and is considering trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon (which he will, by the way).

I, as his friend, am not a runner. The thoughts of it do not enchant me in the least. Yet, this morning, I ran. Why?

1. Mark issued to me a challenge. Here in Lexington, KY, Central Baptist Hospital sponsors each August a 5K race called A Midsummer Night’s Run. I had no idea. Why? I’m not a runner and events like this just fly under my radar. But Mark issued me a challenge. “Matt, if you start working on it now and get in shape to run in that race by next August, I’ll come up and run it with you.” Normally, I dismiss those challenges because “I’m not a runner.”

But then it hit me — “You know, I can do this! This is a do-able goal!” As a preacher, I keep speaking about discipline, self-control, perseverance. Yet, there are areas in which I do not have this. This is a challenge that is do-able. And I need to let the Gospel infiltrate my exercise habits.

So this morning, I ran. I ran a 1/4 of a mile, then walked a bit, ran another 1/4 of a mile, walked a little bit, then ran the rest of the way home — totalling 3/4 of a mile. For someone who hasn’t ran since high school (Lecanto High, 1989), I thought I’d better take it slow. But it’s a start.

2. I need the exercise. A few months ago, I wrote on how I dropped from 206 to 186. I have a small frame, so I needed to lose it. I’m now back up to around 192. With that, plus the heart history my family has, I need to begin exercising and getting this intertube off my middle and heighten my metabolism.

3. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. This is the body God gave me for him to use. I need to begin taking care of it.

Any of you out there taking up running? Any tips?

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You Won’t Believe What I Did This Morning — I Ran!!

My friend Mark Combs is a runner. He runs about six to seven miles per day, and is considering trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon (which he will, by the way).

I, as his friend, am not a runner. The thoughts of it do not enchant me in the least. Yet, this morning, I ran. Why?

1. Mark issued to me a challenge. Here in Lexington, KY, Central Baptist Hospital sponsors each August a 5K race called A Midsummer Night’s Run. I had no idea. Why? I’m not a runner and events like this just fly under my radar. But Mark issued me a challenge. “Matt, if you start working on it now and get in shape to run in that race by next August, I’ll come up and run it with you.” Normally, I dismiss those challenges because “I’m not a runner.”

But then it hit me — “You know, I can do this! This is a do-able goal!” As a preacher, I keep speaking about discipline, self-control, perseverance. Yet, there are areas in which I do not have this. This is a challenge that is do-able. And I need to let the Gospel infiltrate my exercise habits.

So this morning, I ran. I ran a 1/4 of a mile, then walked a bit, ran another 1/4 of a mile, walked a little bit, then ran the rest of the way home — totalling 3/4 of a mile. For someone who hasn’t ran since high school (Lecanto High, 1989), I thought I’d better take it slow. But it’s a start.

2. I need the exercise. A few months ago, I wrote on how I dropped from 206 to 186. I have a small frame, so I needed to lose it. I’m now back up to around 192. With that, plus the heart history my family has, I need to begin exercising and getting this intertube off my middle and heighten my metabolism.

3. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. This is the body God gave me for him to use. I need to begin taking care of it.

Any of you out there taking up running? Any tips?

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Being Good Stewards of Your Finances, Part I: Be Sympathetic in Your Giving

(You can listen to this sermon in its entirety by clicking here. This sermon was preached on Sunday, August 12, 2007, at the Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY.)

Notice 2 Corinthians 8:1-2: “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” When we see at the beginning where Paul uses the phrase “the grace of God,” we would expect Paul speak about the spiritual grace imparted to the believer. We know about this grace from Ephesians 2:8-9 in which Paul says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Or in Romans 3:23-24 which says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Paul here uses a general use of the term in this context to show the kindness and sympathy extended by the churches in the area of Macedonia. As you see, Macedonia was under severe persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. When many of us experience persecution, we tend to either withdraw from service to lessen the persecution or become introverted and only think about maintaining our own status. Yet verse two notes, “their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2 Corinthians 8:2, ESV).

Notice something — they had two conditions: their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed into what? “A wealth of generosity on their part.” This passage goes against those who believe that ones who are truly faithful are ones who have no economic problems at all. When a young man came by to do some work on our house, he asked me what I did for a living. When I told him I was a pastor, I asked him if he had any spiritual beliefs at all. He said he was a believer, but he was struggling with his faith. When I asked how so, he immediately responded, “Well, I’m struggling financially and if I had more faith, I wouldn’t be struggling.” I tried to tell him that God puts us in all situations but that he would always provide himself through Christ, but did you see how they equated faith? Yet Paul said, “See the example of the Macedonians.”

When they saw the issues of the Jerusalem church and how much they were suffering, we did not see them look at their budget to see if they could help. They didn’t look at gas prices or the state of the economy to see if they could give. Many times, the only sympathy we have when it comes to money is for ourselves in not having what we would deem enough or not being able to afford what we want. Then we tend to pout.

But that is polar opposite of what is happening here. Verses four and five show their priorities. The Word says they were “begging [Paul] earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints” and that “they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”

How important it is for the Christian to surrender their all to the Lord rather than surrendering to the mandates of his bank balance.

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Are We Good Stewards of our Time? (Part II: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

We should be stewards of our time with God’s purposes in mind (Ecclesiates 3:1-8).

Here we see a phrase that we may know, but we just didn’t know that we know it. “For there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” A number of issues plague Solomon as they do every human being under heaven. What is the point of wisdom? Solomon said that searching out wisdom to find out about all that is done under heaven is “an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with” (Ecclesiastes 1:13). Trying to attain this knowledge is “a striving after wind” (1:17).

This particular paragraph is an answer from God through Solomon about how to deal with the apparent futility of everything under the sun. This answer applied 2700 years ago, it applies today, and will apply as long as the world exists. Solomon says, “All things are under God’s control. He is sovereign over every event and every time under heaven.”

When most people read this passage, they read this as a simple commentary on our times. In other words, we know that people will be born and will die, people will plant and pluck up, people will be killed and healed, etc. We know this from our experiences of births, funerals, newscasts, parties — the issues of life make this clear. Yet, I believe we need to read this more carefully. Solomon says, “For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” We see that these issues don’t “just happen,” but that God purposes these issues to happen in their season.

Some will object to this, won’t they? They will say that there are items on this list that we should not attribute to God purposing them to happen. Yet, we see this with Moses, don’t we? From no less a place that the burning bush when Moses objected to God’s call on his life because he could not speak fluently. Exodus 4:10-11

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” [11] Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

Or maybe in Sunday School, you remember from the little book of Habakkuk where God raised up evil Babylon as a tool of judgment toward the people of Israel.

“Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
[6] For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.

Or do you not see the life of Jesus Himself? Over and over, he would tell his followers, “My time has not yet come.” Then in John 17 as we say a few weeks ago, his time had come. And God ordained for him to be sent to the cross by Judas, whom he foreordained would deliver him over to wicked men to be crucified.

A word here: some really take issue with the fact that God would allow suffering in this world — and if that’s so, then they would go ape if he ordained periods of suffering as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says. But we must always look to Jesus, right? For in Jesus, God suffered personally, and in Jesus we see that there must be a purpose behind that suffering. God did not escape it — He identified with it in His Son for a purpose. So the suffering that takes place in this world must have a reason as well.

Why go into all this? Because as we look as the stewardship of time that God has given to us, we do see that he has a general purpose for everything that happens under the sun. As one commentator put it, this both reassures us and sobers us. “It reassures us because we know that God is in control; but it sobers us because God’s control is a mystery. ”It’s not random, in the least.

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Who Says Ministers Don’t Lead Entertaining and Interesting Lives

New Study Finds Even Pastors are “Too Busy for God” (Crosswalk.com):

Almost six out of every 10 Christians around the world feel their hectic schedule prevents them from spending more time with God. And when it comes to pastors, the statistics are just as sobering, a new survey reveals.

That’s what a Charleston Southern professor found after polling more than 20,000 Christians from 139 countries about the busyness of their lives and how it affects their relationship with God, according to a new survey whose findings were posted to www.ministrytodaymag.com.

TD Jakes, Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen is “Under Fire” by Talk Show Host Reuben Armstrong (Press Release Newswire):

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) August 7, 2007 — The Reuben Armstrong Show airs on Streaming Faith which is the largest Christian based website in the world and broadcasts in eight states and on TV around the World. Armstrong will release a new book titled “Snakes in the Pulpit.” The book is scheduled for release on August 29th, 2007. Armstrong will be sending a certified letter to these four pastors asking them to resign from their positions as Pastors because they are “deceiving true believers.”

In “Snakes in the Pulpit” Armstrong states, “…these four pastors are using the word of God to manipulate the true believers for fame and fortune.” This book will expose the deception that these four “pulpit pimps”, as Armstrong defines them in his book, are using the word of God to get rich and support their royal family. According to Armstrong, these mega-pastors have deceived thousands and thousands of people and yet are raking millions and millions of dollars from their extremely large congregations.

TN Preacher Accused of Beating Police Officer with Bible (WMC Stations):

A Tennessee preacher accused of beating a police officer with his bible faced a judge Monday.

David Decker preaches on the streets of Athens, Tennessee.

Police said Decker refused to move from the side of the road while preaching, and then hit the officer with his bible.

Decker pleaded not guilty to resisting arrest and obstructing a highway.

The Problem With Preaching (9 Choirs):

Preachers take care, the pulpit is not a place for railing against local businesses. Or at least that’s the message behind a lawsuit filed in Tasmania (Australia). The company that owns the Players Club franchise of strip clubs is suing the Anglican Church for the “continual harassment and media campaign” against the club and its business, according to a local newspaper.

Hyper-Calvinists vs. Hyper Calvinists (Between Two Worlds/Justin Taylor):

Best line of the day: “There are more pro-life, stay-at-home moms involved in Planned Parenthood than Hyper-Calvinists in the SBC.”

If you’re one of those who think that the SBC (and the broader Reformed movement) contain a bunch of “hyper-Calvinists,” you’ll want to read Nathan Finn’s post.

Remember, two cardinal rules to debating Calvinism: first, while some Arminians are Armenians and some Armenians are Arminians, Armenians and Arminians are two very different groups. Second, while it’s true that some Calvinists can be a bit hyper, that doesn’t make them Hyper-Calvinists.

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Who Says Ministers Don’t Lead Entertaining and Interesting Lives

New Study Finds Even Pastors are “Too Busy for God” (Crosswalk.com):

Almost six out of every 10 Christians around the world feel their hectic schedule prevents them from spending more time with God. And when it comes to pastors, the statistics are just as sobering, a new survey reveals.

That’s what a Charleston Southern professor found after polling more than 20,000 Christians from 139 countries about the busyness of their lives and how it affects their relationship with God, according to a new survey whose findings were posted to www.ministrytodaymag.com.

TD Jakes, Eddie Long, Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen is “Under Fire” by Talk Show Host Reuben Armstrong (Press Release Newswire):

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) August 7, 2007 — The Reuben Armstrong Show airs on Streaming Faith which is the largest Christian based website in the world and broadcasts in eight states and on TV around the World. Armstrong will release a new book titled “Snakes in the Pulpit.” The book is scheduled for release on August 29th, 2007. Armstrong will be sending a certified letter to these four pastors asking them to resign from their positions as Pastors because they are “deceiving true believers.”

In “Snakes in the Pulpit” Armstrong states, “…these four pastors are using the word of God to manipulate the true believers for fame and fortune.” This book will expose the deception that these four “pulpit pimps”, as Armstrong defines them in his book, are using the word of God to get rich and support their royal family. According to Armstrong, these mega-pastors have deceived thousands and thousands of people and yet are raking millions and millions of dollars from their extremely large congregations.

TN Preacher Accused of Beating Police Officer with Bible (WMC Stations):

A Tennessee preacher accused of beating a police officer with his bible faced a judge Monday.

David Decker preaches on the streets of Athens, Tennessee.

Police said Decker refused to move from the side of the road while preaching, and then hit the officer with his bible.

Decker pleaded not guilty to resisting arrest and obstructing a highway.

The Problem With Preaching (9 Choirs):

Preachers take care, the pulpit is not a place for railing against local businesses. Or at least that’s the message behind a lawsuit filed in Tasmania (Australia). The company that owns the Players Club franchise of strip clubs is suing the Anglican Church for the “continual harassment and media campaign” against the club and its business, according to a local newspaper.

Hyper-Calvinists vs. Hyper Calvinists (Between Two Worlds/Justin Taylor):

Best line of the day: “There are more pro-life, stay-at-home moms involved in Planned Parenthood than Hyper-Calvinists in the SBC.”

If you’re one of those who think that the SBC (and the broader Reformed movement) contain a bunch of “hyper-Calvinists,” you’ll want to read Nathan Finn’s post.

Remember, two cardinal rules to debating Calvinism: first, while some Arminians are Armenians and some Armenians are Arminians, Armenians and Arminians are two very different groups. Second, while it’s true that some Calvinists can be a bit hyper, that doesn’t make them Hyper-Calvinists.

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My Wife And I Celebrating #9

My wife Cindy and I have been married nine years today. Nine years! I know for many, that’s not a long time, but given this day with the high percentages of divorce, I’ll take nine years with her anytime. She’s my Proverbs 31 woman.

When I preach, I always praise God for her. Some pastors take time to use their families as fodder for jokes to generate a chuckle from the congregation. I received this piece of advice concerning this practice: if there’s anyone in your family that you should choose to make look foolish in the pulpit, it should be you.

But the honest truth is, she gives me no fodder to work with — I have no material, even if I wanted it. How she deals with my frenetic and chaotic schedule as a pastor, preacher, and doctoral student I will never know. But she manages it beautifully. And I have made a concerted effort to let her know how much she is loved, appreciated, and admired. Of all the people on the earth, she is my hero.

I had one person a number of years ago express concern that I mention my wife so much in my sermons. They took it as if I was putting her on a pedestal for everyone else to emulate. That is not my intention. When I preach, I put personal heart matters into the sermon. Plus, it helps deflect anyone in the congregation from thinking I’ve available .

Cindy, I love you — I don’t know where I end and you begin. I look forward to growing old with you, raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and being on-mission together for the Kingdom. Happy #9!

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When Is Theology a Distraction and When Is It a Lifesaver (J.D. Greear)

Terrific article that puts some crucial things in perspective for pastors and theologues alike!

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Attention All Parents: If Your Child is on MySpace or Facebook, Get Yourself An Account PRONTO!

Dear parents:

Just a quick word of advice: if your child is on Facebook or MySpace, it is imperative that you get an account on these community websites and those like them. Why?

Well, for whatever reason, far too many who are on these community sites feel very free to be transparent about everything in their lives — not only about where they work, go to school, favorite songs, and fellow friends.  Sadly, they feel free to share their thoughts on everything that comes across their way. 

As a result, we can see a blurry line between their faith and their lifestyles. The thoughts that too many share indicate that their faith may be relegated to just a set of facts.  And in one sense, this is true, for does not Jude commend us to “contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3)?  This is a body of truth that God handed to the prophets and ultimately to Christ and His disciples to hand to us.  So in essence, there is some truth to our faith being a body of truth to believe.

The problem is, many miss the connection between holding to the truths and the truth holding them.  Some learn the truth, yet do they live that truth they learned? 

We as parents primarily and the church supportively must teach the connection between truth (Bible) and life (well … life)!  Facebook, MySpace, and others like them are not inherently evil.  In fact, I find Facebook to be a crucial component in keeping up with my college students here at Boone’s Creek. 

But Facebook and MySpace are rather enlightening.  There is a freedom these community sites give for teenagers (and some adults, even) to express themselves when the ‘real’ world (read: parents, teachers, even churches!) fail to hear what they are trying to express.  The fear many have in expressing actual thoughts with their actual mouths to actual people may overwhelm and be overcome by expressing actual thoughts on their profile pages to everyone in cyberspace. 

As a result, a pseudo-community ensues.  In the Cyber-Informational Age we live in, everyone, anywhere can get online and find someone who sympathizes.  Therefore, all one has to do is put out certain information (for many, it’s TMI — too much information) about themselves, and they will always have a “friend” who understands where they are coming from without the risk of being judgmental.  This can have its positives and its definite drawbacks.

Parents, this is where you come in.  Get a Facebook account — get a MySpace account!  Be up to speed on what your children are putting up on their ultra-transparent pages.  They will scream, “But I need privacy.”  Yet, no one needs privacy to their detriment.  When you see someone driving and their car is on fire, you don’t simply acknowledge their privacy to have their car on fire.  You say, “Dude!  Car!  Fire!  Here’s the water!  Come back to the bounds of the right temperature!”

Multiply that by about a hundred trillion when talking about your offspring!

Son!  Life!  Fire!  Come back to the bounds of what God has for you!  They may immediately resent you for invading their space — but you answer to God who entrusted them to your care.  Make sure you know how and where to care. 

Extending Christ’s love to you and your child,

Matthew Perry

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Pray for the 23 Korean Christian Hostages in Afghanistan

Pray for the 23 Christian hostages captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan.  The Afghan and South Korean governments have been given until 10:30 a.m. EDT deadline today to respond to their demand to exchange 23 captured militants for 23 South Korean hostages.

Please pray.  Click here for the entire article.  Picture provided by Yonhap/Sammul Church via the Christian Post.

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What Will You Do To Your Spirit-Led Leaders?

When revival takes place and reform hits, one of the first places it hits is looking at how we look at our leadership. As I mentioned to you about the Protestant Reformation, the Gospel as proclaimed in the Word of God took center stage once again. Once this happened, a great crisis arose within the Reformers — the need to train leaders in the Word (since the Word has, just prior, just been translated into their mother language). What was just as important as finding those who could preach and teach were finding those servants who were Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.

Once those Spirit-led, Word-driven leaders were found, the congregation had the responsibility of following their direction — not because of they themselves as capable leaders, but because of the one leading them.

Someone forgot to send that memo to one particular leader named Eliashib. Ezra and Nehemiah were understood to be the leaders of the people of Judah. Yet, in verse 6, we read that Nehemiah was not in town, but actually went back to Babylon in service to the king. And notice too in verse 13 that it is not Ezra the scribe who is mentioned, but “Zadok the scribe.” Where is Ezra? Ezra may have retired or may have died and thus gave his duty to Zadok. Either way — the two main leaders were not around.

Eliashib had a choice to make, did he not? He could have continued in that spirit-led leadership or he could have chosen another path. He chose the other path. He allowed Tobiah — remember Tobiah who constantly stood as an enemy of the progress the people of God were making. Yet Tobiah was a relative of Eliashib — so it was all in the family, I suppose. With Nehemiah and Ezra gone, Eliashib may have tried to make nice and smooth things over with Tobiah by giving him a room in the Temple. One problem: this was against God’s law.

The other problem was the fact that, as Nehemiah noted, “the house of God was forsaken.” Why was it forsaken? The Levites who worked and ministered in the Temple had an issue of “the portions … had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field.” In Genesis 49, we see that while the other eleven tribes were apportioned land, the Levites were not because they were the priestly tribe and, thus, “God was their inheritance.” God had set it up to where the Levites would receive their “portions” from the offerings the people gave as sacrifices.

Nehemiah dealt with each issue accordingly. While some leaders in our time worry about offending someone or hurting their feelings — and some even use a more spiritual tone of stalling by simply saying, “Let’s pray about it.” We need to pray for leaders who are strong and have a good spiritual backbone to lead in every way. Now, am I saying it is bad for a leader to pray? No, because does not Paul tell young Timothy, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1, ESV). We pray to seek out what God’s will is.

Yet when God has already made it will quite clear in his Word, we don’t need to pray about what God would have us to do (we already know what it is!) — we just pray that God would inform, reform, and transform our hearts to desire to follow his path.

Hebrews 13:17 tells us:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

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Did The 1960’s Prejudice Our View of the Scriptures?

Look with me at Nehemiah 13:1-3:

On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, [2] for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. [3] As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

We find from the Word of God that certain restrictions were placed on who could come into the Temple and who could not. Here, the particular restriction was on the Ammonite and the Moabite. This passage in Nehemiah gives some of the issue, but Deuteronomy 23:3-6 is where this particular rule arose: “… because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.” So while the Israelites were coming from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Ammonites and Moabites refused to help.

We see the same issue happening not just in times of worship, but also in the homes as well. Neh. 13:23-24:

In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but the language of each people.

What was their reaction? Concerning the worship, we see that they responded nicely to the Word. “As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.” The reaction to the issue in the home was a bit more severe:

And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. [26] Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. [27] Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?” (Nehemiah 13:25-27, ESV).

What is happening here? Is God trying to tell us not to associate with any individuals who are not Christians? No, in fact in 1 Corinthians 9, he says,

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. [20] To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. [21] To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. [22] To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:19-22, ESV),

Earlier in the same letter he notes that we must not believe that we as Christians are to separate ourselves from those who are not Christians, “otherwise,” as Paul says, “We would have to leave this world” (1 Corinthians 5:10).

Some use this and other passages to say, “This means that we are to separate from other races.” Those of us who understand recent history in our country may truly struggle with these passages. They watch PBS specials and see how the evangelical whites of the South treated the blacks, even to the point of turning them away from their white worship services. This mindset grew so thick that they would take the verse from 2 Cor. 6:14-17 and use it for race:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? [15] What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? [16] What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you.

The problem was never race — nor will it be race. The problem is worship. We must not unite with anyone in any spiritual enterprise that the Spirit does not endorse — namely, those who deny the nature, work, and word of our Lord Jesus Christ. To say that not being unequally yoked together means that this refers to differing races means that they are not equal and that one is superior, while the other inferior. Yet, does this not deny that God made all humanity in his own image (Genesis 1:26-27)?

So let’s get it right. Don’t let the 1960s or any other portion of American history or American prejudice skew the way we look at the Holy Scriptures.

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Did The 1960’s Prejudice Our View of the Scriptures?

Look with me at Nehemiah 13:1-3:

On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, [2] for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. [3] As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

We find from the Word of God that certain restrictions were placed on who could come into the Temple and who could not. Here, the particular restriction was on the Ammonite and the Moabite. This passage in Nehemiah gives some of the issue, but Deuteronomy 23:3-6 is where this particular rule arose: “… because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.” So while the Israelites were coming from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Ammonites and Moabites refused to help.

We see the same issue happening not just in times of worship, but also in the homes as well. Neh. 13:23-24:

In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but the language of each people.

What was their reaction? Concerning the worship, we see that they responded nicely to the Word. “As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.” The reaction to the issue in the home was a bit more severe:

And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. [26] Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. [27] Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?” (Nehemiah 13:25-27, ESV).

What is happening here? Is God trying to tell us not to associate with any individuals who are not Christians? No, in fact in 1 Corinthians 9, he says,

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. [20] To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. [21] To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. [22] To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some (1 Corinthians 9:19-22, ESV),

Earlier in the same letter he notes that we must not believe that we as Christians are to separate ourselves from those who are not Christians, “otherwise,” as Paul says, “We would have to leave this world” (1 Corinthians 5:10).

Some use this and other passages to say, “This means that we are to separate from other races.” Those of us who understand recent history in our country may truly struggle with these passages. They watch PBS specials and see how the evangelical whites of the South treated the blacks, even to the point of turning them away from their white worship services. This mindset grew so thick that they would take the verse from 2 Cor. 6:14-17 and use it for race:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? [15] What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? [16] What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you.

The problem was never race — nor will it be race. The problem is worship. We must not unite with anyone in any spiritual enterprise that the Spirit does not endorse — namely, those who deny the nature, work, and word of our Lord Jesus Christ. To say that not being unequally yoked together means that this refers to differing races means that they are not equal and that one is superior, while the other inferior. Yet, does this not deny that God made all humanity in his own image (Genesis 1:26-27)?

So let’s get it right. Don’t let the 1960s or any other portion of American history or American prejudice skew the way we look at the Holy Scriptures.

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Free Book Friday from PastorBookshelf.com

If you are a ministry student, pastor, preacher, or teacher, here’s a possible free book for you (if chosen).  Here’s the excerpt:

Thanks to those of you who participated in our first Free Book Friday book giveaway, and congratulations to SBTSMatthew Wireman.

This week’s free book is Preaching God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Preparing, Developing, and Delivering the Sermon by Terry G. Carter, J. Scott Duvall, and J. Daniel Hays. Find out more about this book at our PastorBookshelf Overviews entry.

For details on how to participate, visit our Free Book Friday page. We’ve made a change in the entry requirements to accommodate those without blogs.

seminarian

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“Don’t Play the Lottery for Me!” (John Piper)

The West Virginia pastors who accepted Jack Whittaker’s tithe on
his $170 million Powerball booty should be ashamed of themselves.
One of them said, “That’s a blessing to have that kind of backing.”
I don’t think so.

Christ does not build his church on the backs of the poor. The
engine that delivers his righteousness in the world is not driven
by the desire to get rich. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not
advanced by undermining civic virtue. Let the pastors take their
silver and throw it back into the temple of greed.

In 2001 Americans wagered $57 billion dollars on lotteries, $18
billion on horses and dogs, $592 billion in casinos, and $150
billion on other gambling. This is a blot on American life. Break
it down to individuals. Massachusetts sells more than $500 worth of
lottery tickets each year for every man, woman, and child. Think
how many do not gamble, and you will begin to imagine what
thousands are throwing away to have a 1-to-135,145,920 chance for
the jackpot.

The American exploitation of the poor with lotteries muddies the
conscience of many legislators. Statistics abound that “the
government-sponsored lottery continues its shameless exploitation
of the poor” (James Dobson, April, 1999 Newsletter). This
exploitation is explicit in some of the advertising bought by the
$400 million spent annually by states to promote lotteries. For
example, in Chicago one sign read: “This could be your ticket out.”
That is shameless. Other promotions mock the virtues of hard work
and serious study as a way to make a living. Plan A: Study hard,
save money, get old. Plan B: Play the lottery.

Only a few, it seems, are willing to say how far and how
manifold are the corrupting effects of the lottery. How many have
pondered this insight from Richard Neuhaus, “In a democracy, the
need for popular consent to tax is a powerful check on government
growth and irresponsibility. A government that raises money by
encouraging and exploiting the weaknesses of its citizens escapes
that democratic mechanism of accountability. As important,
state-sponsored gambling undercuts the civic virtue upon which
democratic governance depends” (First Things, Sept., 1991, p.
12).

Is it a “blessing” for the church of Jesus Christ to have the
backing of a social sickness that “destroys marriages, undermines
the work ethic, increases crime, motivates suicide, destroys the
financial security of families . . . and dupes people into
believing [it] will benefit the children” (Dobson)?

Don’t play Powerball for me. And don’t play it for Bethlehem. I
go on record now that I will not knowingly take any money won from
gambling. And I will do my best to lead the elders of our church
from accepting any money offered to this church from the proceeds
of gambling.

We are followers of Jesus. He had no place to lay his head and
did not accept the demonic temptation to jump off the temple for
the jackpot of instant recognition. The Calvary road is not paved
with Powerball tickets, but with blood. The Church was bought once
by One who refused the short cut of instant triumph. It will never
be bought by those who dream of riches.

The lottery is another opportunity to pierce your soul with many
pangs, and lead your children into ruin. The Bible says, “Those who
desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish
and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. . .
. Some by longing for it . . . and pierced themselves with many a
pang (1 Timothy 6:9-10). In other words, the desire to be rich is
suicidal. And endorsing it is cruel.

It is wrong to wager with a trust fund. And all we have, as
humans, is a trust fund. Everything we have is a trust from God, to
be used for his glory. “[God] himself gives to all mankind life and
breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). Faithful trustees may not
gamble with a trust fund. They work and trade: value for value,
just and fair. This is the pattern again and again in Scripture.
And when you are handling the funds of another, how much more
irresponsible it is to wager!

Don’t play the Lottery for Bethlehem Baptist Church. We will
not, I pray, salve your conscience by taking one dime of your
plunder, or supporting even the thought of your spiritual suicide.
Let the widow give her penny and the laborer his wage. And keep
your life free from the love of money.

Pastor John

---

© Desiring God

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged
to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided
that you do not alter the wording in any way, you do not charge
a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you do not make more
than 1,000 physical copies. For web posting, a link to this
document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the
above must be explicitly approved by Desiring God.

Please include the following
statement on any distributed copy:
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email:
mail@desiringGod.org.
Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

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“Don’t Play the Lottery for Me!” (John Piper)

The West Virginia pastors who accepted Jack Whittaker’s tithe on
his $170 million Powerball booty should be ashamed of themselves.
One of them said, “That’s a blessing to have that kind of backing.”
I don’t think so.

Christ does not build his church on the backs of the poor. The
engine that delivers his righteousness in the world is not driven
by the desire to get rich. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not
advanced by undermining civic virtue. Let the pastors take their
silver and throw it back into the temple of greed.

In 2001 Americans wagered $57 billion dollars on lotteries, $18
billion on horses and dogs, $592 billion in casinos, and $150
billion on other gambling. This is a blot on American life. Break
it down to individuals. Massachusetts sells more than $500 worth of
lottery tickets each year for every man, woman, and child. Think
how many do not gamble, and you will begin to imagine what
thousands are throwing away to have a 1-to-135,145,920 chance for
the jackpot.

The American exploitation of the poor with lotteries muddies the
conscience of many legislators. Statistics abound that “the
government-sponsored lottery continues its shameless exploitation
of the poor” (James Dobson, April, 1999 Newsletter). This
exploitation is explicit in some of the advertising bought by the
$400 million spent annually by states to promote lotteries. For
example, in Chicago one sign read: “This could be your ticket out.”
That is shameless. Other promotions mock the virtues of hard work
and serious study as a way to make a living. Plan A: Study hard,
save money, get old. Plan B: Play the lottery.

Only a few, it seems, are willing to say how far and how
manifold are the corrupting effects of the lottery. How many have
pondered this insight from Richard Neuhaus, “In a democracy, the
need for popular consent to tax is a powerful check on government
growth and irresponsibility. A government that raises money by
encouraging and exploiting the weaknesses of its citizens escapes
that democratic mechanism of accountability. As important,
state-sponsored gambling undercuts the civic virtue upon which
democratic governance depends” (First Things, Sept., 1991, p.
12).

Is it a “blessing” for the church of Jesus Christ to have the
backing of a social sickness that “destroys marriages, undermines
the work ethic, increases crime, motivates suicide, destroys the
financial security of families . . . and dupes people into
believing [it] will benefit the children” (Dobson)?

Don’t play Powerball for me. And don’t play it for Bethlehem. I
go on record now that I will not knowingly take any money won from
gambling. And I will do my best to lead the elders of our church
from accepting any money offered to this church from the proceeds
of gambling.

We are followers of Jesus. He had no place to lay his head and
did not accept the demonic temptation to jump off the temple for
the jackpot of instant recognition. The Calvary road is not paved
with Powerball tickets, but with blood. The Church was bought once
by One who refused the short cut of instant triumph. It will never
be bought by those who dream of riches.

The lottery is another opportunity to pierce your soul with many
pangs, and lead your children into ruin. The Bible says, “Those who
desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish
and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. . .
. Some by longing for it . . . and pierced themselves with many a
pang (1 Timothy 6:9-10). In other words, the desire to be rich is
suicidal. And endorsing it is cruel.

It is wrong to wager with a trust fund. And all we have, as
humans, is a trust fund. Everything we have is a trust from God, to
be used for his glory. “[God] himself gives to all mankind life and
breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). Faithful trustees may not
gamble with a trust fund. They work and trade: value for value,
just and fair. This is the pattern again and again in Scripture.
And when you are handling the funds of another, how much more
irresponsible it is to wager!

Don’t play the Lottery for Bethlehem Baptist Church. We will
not, I pray, salve your conscience by taking one dime of your
plunder, or supporting even the thought of your spiritual suicide.
Let the widow give her penny and the laborer his wage. And keep
your life free from the love of money.

Pastor John

---

© Desiring God

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged
to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided
that you do not alter the wording in any way, you do not charge
a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, and you do not make more
than 1,000 physical copies. For web posting, a link to this
document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the
above must be explicitly approved by Desiring God.

Please include the following
statement on any distributed copy:
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email:
mail@desiringGod.org.
Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.

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A Word About the Creation Museum — GO!!

(Picture courtesy of Creation Museum, 7-9-07.)

I took my family to the Creation Museum. A word here — you just need to go! It’s biblically-based, scientifically valid, aesthetically pleasing — and you will walk out of that place worshiping the awesome Creator of all! Yet, during one of the shows entitled “The Last Adam,” this gospel presentation really captured me. When they would show verses on the screen which had Jesus’ name it in, I couldn’t help but thinking, “That is the most beautiful name ever written, ever uttered, ever conceived of.” The Lord Jesus Christ — Lord because he’s God, Jesus because He’s Savior, Christ because he’s our anointed deliverer. Do we have a reason to celebrate? Yes! And his name is the Lord Jesus Christ.

In fact, next week I shall blog about our time at the Creation Museum — pictures included!!!

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Mark Driscoll on American Idolatry

OK, OK … I know I said I was off the Driscoll bandwagon, but right is right — and he is right on here.

Win a Free Book from PastorBookshelf Blog

Here’s the offer from their own site:

Welcome to the PastorBookshelf free book giveaway program, Free Book Friday. Nearly every Monday we will pick a book and announce it here on the PastorBookshelf Blog. To enter to win the book, link to the post that announces the week’s free book from your blog and then post the link to your post in the comments section of our post (not necessary if your blog sends out pingbacks automatically). On Friday we will randomly select a winner and mail the book to you free of charge. We’d love for you to review the book for PastorBookshelf Reviews, but this is entirely optional. Our plan is for this to be a nearly weekly occurrence. Spread the word! One qualification: you must be (1) preparing for pastoral ministry, (2) in pastoral ministry, or (3) a trainer of ministers.

This week’s free book is Recalling the Hope of Glory by Allen P. Ross. Find out more about this book at our PastorBookshelf Overviews entry.

Enjoy!

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What My DMin Week Taught Me — And Not Necessarily in the Classroom

1. There is no substitute for study and meditation on the Word of God.  Preachers have so many shortcuts they can take.  Funny stories galore, purchasing a sermon online and preaching it as one’s own, reliance on commentaries and commentaries alone, and the list goes on.  Yet, there is absolutely no substitute for study and meditating on the Word of God.  2 Tim. 2:15 tells us, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV).  Ezra 7:10 shows the model Ezra gave before the people: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”  No substitute for study!
2. There is no substitute for the sharpening of friends in the ministry.  The names Ben, Roberto, Kevin, Steve, Don, and Mark may not mean much to you, but they have meant the world to me over the past few years in ministry.  One thing about it:  ministry leaves me in a perpetual state of guilt.  Trying to balance family, church, and school is like spinning plates on the end of a stick.  You get one rolling well, then the others start to wobble.  Rarely do we find ourselves doing all three “well.”  And few outside the ministry understand that.  But these men do — and we offer encouragement to one another.  That has been priceless to me. 
3. There is no substitute for leadership.  It’s one thing to preach.  No substitute for this (look at #4).  But we have to model what we preach.  We have to proclaim, then implement.  We have to motivate, then give those who are motivated an outlet for ministry.  In preparing for my project, I found out that those in our 40509 area code are about to have an explosion growth.  Over the next 5 years, the population in the 40509 zip code will increase by 13.8%.  They will comprise of 20 year olds with graduate degrees.  If we do not actively find ways to be missional to our growing community, then shame on us.  Pray that God would give me his vision to lead.
4. There is no substitute for preaching.  God spoke the Word, the universe was born.  Ezra brought out the Book, revival took place (Nehemiah 8:1-8).  Jonah spoke the Word, evil Nineveh repented (Jonah 3:1-5).  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we had life eternal (John 1:14, John 3:16).  Peter preached the Word, and revival broke out at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-45).  Each Sunday, I feel the pleasure and the weight of this responsibility God has given to me.  May God continually prod me if I start to go to cruise control in this area.  I honestly do not care if I flame out in every other area — if I take for granted the preaching of God’s Word, then I am a fraud. 
      

      

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Liveblogging my DMin Week at Southern (Day Four — 4:55 p.m.)

I sit here in the computer lab checking e-mail and will soon go over my sermon this coming Sunday on Hebrews 5:11-6:8.  The title of the sermon is “Why Settle?”  In school, we settle for grades just good enough to get us through.  In church, we tend to be willing to lead areas and serve on committees — just so long as the bare minimum is required.  And in the Scriptures, God issues stern cautions and warnings for those Christians who want to come to Christ — but only if they can do so with minimal commitment.  Whereas the late 60’s may have been, as the song goes, “the Age of Aquarius,” we are living now in the Age of Mediocrity.   We settle for far too little in too many areas of life.

One man who did not settle for too little was our guest professor today, Dr. Thomas Schreiner.  Schreiner serves as the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Studies and the Associate Dean for Scripture and Interpretation here at Southern (a title so long, he carries two business cards because one business card cannot contain it all).  He came in today to show us how to trace Paul’s various arguments in his epistles.  He is working on a commentary on Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians and has a wonderful new work coming out in 2008 on New Testament theology. 

Schreiner today inspired me.  He is a scholar who is brilliant, but has a passion for the pure undiluted Word of God.  His books are very accessible, especially his book on Paul: The Apostle for God’s Glory (IVP, 2006, $15.25 at WTS — click title link).  He gave us some very helpful tools in truly understanding the flow of Paul’s thinking.  He helped us be able to mine out some wonderful nuggets of gold from the Word.

Here are some books I would like to recommend to you by Dr. Schreiner:

• Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ (Hardcover)
  by Thomas R. Schreiner and Shawn D. Wright (Editors)
• Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance & Assurance
  
• Romans (BECNT)
  

 Later tonight, I shall blog on how this week will help me in the ministry at Boone’s Creek. I’m hoping to answer the “so what?” question concerning my time here at Southern. Let’s just say I have been quite refreshed, inspired, and convicted.
More later.

Liveblogging my DMin Week at Southern Seminary, Day Three (10:23 p.m.)

Today, Dr. Robert Plummer demonstrated a wonderful Bible software program called BibleWorks.  I purchased this program back in the fall — yet I did not realize that I had the Porsche of all Bible study software.  When I found out all that I could do with this program, I was stunned.

I began to think — isn’t that how we are as Christians?  We walk around defeated and joyless, yet we forget all that we have in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:19). 

I had dinner today with Mark Combs, Josh Martin, and Kevin Whitt (formerly known as the moderators of Reformation Underground).  We discussed the singles conference we’d be conducting in November, so pray for us as we begin planning to be ready for what God has in store.

Tomorrow we have class with Dr. Tom Schreiner.  He is one of my favorite theologians and New Testament scholars.  I’ll fill you in tomorrow.

 

Liveblogging my DMin Week at Southern (Day Two — 9:35 p.m.)

After having a rather stimulating talk on preaching the parables of Jesus, we were graced with the presence of Dr. Al Mohler, seminary president, who spoke to us for a couple of hours on the topic of preaching. 

He shared with us a story of a search committee of a rather large megachurch who called him about a potential pastoral candidate.  After 45 minutes of conversation, Dr. Mohler asked, “Would you like to hear about his theology?”  They seemed taken aback.  They basically said they were looking for someone who wouldn’t “preach” but would “communicate.”  They also said they were looking for someone to reach young people.  Mohler asked, “Well, how do you want him to do that?”  They responded, “I don’t know … that’s up to him?”  Dr. Mohler pressed, “What do you think is his primary task in reaching people?”  They were silent. 

The point was, too many want to fall on so many other methods, yet the pastor’s primary task is the preaching of the Word of God — all of it.  Especially in our day when many in our churches fail to see the urgency of God’s Word proclaimed from our pulpits.  Here is how he defined expository preaching:

Expository preaching is that mode of Christian preaching which takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible. All other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text. As the Word of God, the text of Scripture has the right to establish both the substance and the structure of the sermon. Genuine exposition takes place when the preacher sets forth the meaning and message of the biblical text, and makes clear how the Word of God establishes the identity and worldview of the Church as the people of God.

He acknowledged that “meaning” and “message” could be viewed as synonymous, yet in our day people may understand the message, but then the ’so-what’ factor sets in. “Yes, that’s what it says… so what? What does that message mean to me?” It is up to faithful expositors of the Word not only to tell what the passage says, but also to give the implications and applications of what the text means. And for many young preachers (myself included), we are far more comfortable finding the message of the text than we are trying to apply it to the listeners’ lives. That comes with time and a growing knowledge of your congregation, I would say.

All of our DMin cohort went to Applebee’s off Hurstbourne Lane. What a great time we had just sitting with Dr. Cook, our professor, and just picking his brain about all things New Testament. He shared with us how much Leon Morris, F.F. Bruce, and John Stott (minus his views on hell) have been an influence on him.

My friend and rooming, Mark Combs of Intersect lore, is really enjoying and benefitting from his first set of DMin classes in Evangelism and Church Growth. I’ll never forget something he shared. He said that many of our gospel presentations were crafted from a Christian worldview for those who have a Christian worldview.

For instance, take the FAITH presentation which springboards the salvation message with the question, “What in your opinion do you think it takes for a person to go to heaven?” According to the program, there are only four answers: Jesus, works, don’t know, not sure. Yet, in our day, some may answer, “I don’t believe there’s a heaven.” Bobby Welch, former pastor of FBC-Daytona, insists on using the exact wording of the program in order for greater success. Yet, do we make provision in these canned passages for such a response?

I am convinced more and more that we need to understand the Gospel story of God’s creation, the Fall of Man, God’s redemption through Christ, our response. But instead of a canned presentation, strike up a conversation and just ask about spiritual beliefs — then incorporate that into the conversation. It’s not about presentations and numbers, but about establishing authentic relationships to where people won’t be suspicious of you trying to get them to “join the group,” but will see you genuinely care about them as one made in the image of God.

Tomorrow, Dr. Robert Plummer will come in and show us how to use some Bible software to help us in our study of the Word of God. Then on Thursday, Dr. Thomas Schreiner will come in to help us in the Epistles. I can’t wait to fill you in. God’s been gracious.

Liveblogging my DMin Week at Southern Seminary, Day One (11:00 p.m.)

After taking my friend Ben to Wal-Mart, I spent the majority of my time in the library.  I ran into Steve Weaver who was doing some research (and why not?  After all, Southern has the greatest theological library in the world with over 900,000+ volumes!). 

I spent the majority of my time working on my Prospectus (that is, my proposal for my dissertation for my doctorate).  My proposal is to train aspiring ministers and lay preachers in the basics of expository preaching at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church.  After looking at how Jesus trained the disciples for ministry (Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 24:27, Acts 1:3) and see how they in turn preached the whole counsel of God in their area of ministry, I am hoping to use those biblical foundations to implement a solid ministry in that area here at Boone’s Creek.  I’d appreciate your prayers.  That 25-page prospectus is due September 3. 

Bedtime beckons.  Fortunately, our class doesn’t start until 9:00 rather than the 8:00 time our other class began.  Pray that I will absorb what I learn in class and that I would be a good steward of my time outside of it. 

May Jesus Christ be praised.

Liveblogging My DMin Week at Southern, Day 1 (5:30 p.m.)

Monday, June 25, 2007 — 5:30 p.m.

An eventful day.  I originally stayed in a room that was handicap-accessible.  However, I was asked if I would be willing to move to another room so someone who could make better use of that room could stay.  Around 1:00 p.m., they called and said that the one who needed our original room was there, yet housekeeping had not finished with the new room.  So we had to vacate, re-pack the car, then wait until they were done.  As compensation for my troubles, they gave me five free cafeteria passes.  Good stuff!

I had a New Testament class with Dr. William Cook, New Testament professor here at Southern.  What a wonderful class!  Whereas many of our professors come at their particular field with only an academic knowledge.  He serves as Pastor of Ninth and O Baptist Church in Louisville, so he understands all the particulars about pastoring and sermon preparation. 

The information he gave was so incredibly helpful, especially in dealing with preaching from the Gospels (Matthew-John).  He notes that too many preachers preach the Gospels like the Epistles — only a paragraph at a time.  As a result, many of the stories in the Gospels are encapsulated and divorced from previous and upcoming events.  Thus we miss much of the thrust of what Jesus is doing and the lessons he teaches. 

Tomorrow, all of the preaching classes will be with Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Seminary.  I can’t wait to inform you all about what he has to say.

Liveblogging my DMin Week at Southern

This week, I am in Louisville getting ready for a seminar in New Testament. I am about one year in to my three-year study for a DMin at Southern Seminary. I and my friend/roomie for the week, Mark Combs, will be liveblogging this rather … fascinating time. Really, it’s an intense week and this will be a good way to let off some steam.

Sunday, 10:41 p.m.

After going to eat at Moe’s Southwest Grill (I got the Billy Barou nachos, which was like eating a small town), we arrived at Southern around 8:45. We went to the store to pick up some food, since it’d cost an arm and a leg to eat out every meal. Mark’s a runner, so he can eat a side of beef and run it all off. I on the other hand am not a runner, and only run when someone has a needle in their hand (just ask my wife when she tried to give me a tetanus shot — not pretty). 

We’re now sitting here watching the Detroit Tigers play the Atlanta Braves. The Tigers look solid and the Braves lack that fire. I will say that Jeff Francoeur made a dynamite double play by catching a pop-out 3/4 of the way back in the outfield, then throwing out a runner tagging up from third.

Tomorrow will be the fun time. All the DMin students will meet for a Welcome Breakfast at Heritage Hall. For me, I’m excited about the bacon. Really. Bacon tends to do that to me.

But I am blessed to have a great cohort group:

• Don Brown, pastor of Village Church at Holly Springs, NC;
• Steven Lookabaugh, pastor, Medway Baptist Church, Medway, OH
• Roberto Sanchez, pastor of a Hispanic church he planted seven years ago in LA;
• Ben Skaug, pastor, Central Baptist Church, Aurora, CO;
• Kevin Wilson, Youth Pastor, Ephesus Baptist Church in Winston, GA.

More tomorrow.  (Riveting, isn’t it?)

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matt-perry.com Turns 40,000

Today, matt-perry.com had it’s 40,000th hit! Thanks to all of you who grace this blog with your presence. Keep us in prayer as we seek to advance the Kingdom of Christ!

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I Just Don’t Care About Growing As a Christian — It’s Too Hard a Work

Jonathan Edwards in his sermon on “Christian Knowledge” gives us this gem to think on:

It doubtless concerns every one to endeavour
to excel in the knowledge of things which pertain to his
profession, or principal calling. If it concerns men to excel in
any thing, or in any wisdom or knowledge at all, it certainly
concerns them to excel in the affairs of their main profession and
work. But the calling and work of every Christian is to live to
God. This is said to be his high calling, Phil. iii. 14.
This is the business, and, if I may so speak, the trade of a
Christian, his main work, and indeed should be his only work. No
business should be done by a Christian, but as it is some way or
other a part of this. Therefore certainly the Christian should
endeavour to be well acquainted with those things which belong to
this work, that he may fulfill it, and be thoroughly furnished to
it.

It becomes one who is called to be a soldier, to
excel in the art of war. It becomes a mariner, to excel in the art
of navigation. It becomes a physician, to excel in the knowledge of
those things which pertain to the art of physic. So it becomes all
such as profess to be Christians, and to devote themselves to the
practice of Christianity, to endeavour to excel in the knowledge of
divinity.

The soldier is passion to learn his craft, as is the mariner and the physician.  And yet too many Christians basically say, “I just don’t care about growing as a Christian — it’s too hard a work.” 

Do we really care about growing into what we were predestined for — to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).  Do we care more about growing as a blogger?  Or a preacher?  Or a writer?  Or a student and scholar?  In and of themselves, they are dead — we should desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). 

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I Just Don’t Care About Growing As a Christian — It’s Too Hard a Work

Jonathan Edwards in his sermon on “Christian Knowledge” gives us this gem to think on:

It doubtless concerns every one to endeavour
to excel in the knowledge of things which pertain to his
profession, or principal calling. If it concerns men to excel in
any thing, or in any wisdom or knowledge at all, it certainly
concerns them to excel in the affairs of their main profession and
work. But the calling and work of every Christian is to live to
God. This is said to be his high calling, Phil. iii. 14.
This is the business, and, if I may so speak, the trade of a
Christian, his main work, and indeed should be his only work. No
business should be done by a Christian, but as it is some way or
other a part of this. Therefore certainly the Christian should
endeavour to be well acquainted with those things which belong to
this work, that he may fulfill it, and be thoroughly furnished to
it.

It becomes one who is called to be a soldier, to
excel in the art of war. It becomes a mariner, to excel in the art
of navigation. It becomes a physician, to excel in the knowledge of
those things which pertain to the art of physic. So it becomes all
such as profess to be Christians, and to devote themselves to the
practice of Christianity, to endeavour to excel in the knowledge of
divinity.

The soldier is passion to learn his craft, as is the mariner and the physician.  And yet too many Christians basically say, “I just don’t care about growing as a Christian — it’s too hard a work.” 

Do we really care about growing into what we were predestined for — to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).  Do we care more about growing as a blogger?  Or a preacher?  Or a writer?  Or a student and scholar?  In and of themselves, they are dead — we should desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). 

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Dad’s Surgery Went Splendiforous!

Dad’s surgery went wonderfully!  In fact, he got up and walked down to the end of the hall today.  Thank you for your prayers!  God has continually sustained him and will continue to do so. 

Dad’s Surgery Went Splendiforous!

Dad’s surgery went wonderfully!  In fact, he got up and walked down to the end of the hall today.  Thank you for your prayers!  God has continually sustained him and will continue to do so. 

Prayer for Upcoming Conferences

This fall promises to be an exciting time of fellowship and discipleship at our church.  Please keep us in prayer for the following:

Boone’s Creek Annual Missions Conference, Saturday, September 22, 2007:

FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOODS TO THE NATIONS:
Inspiring You to Reach Your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth

     
We have been very blessed to have had two wonderful speakers at our Fall Conferences.  Chuck Lawless blessed us on his talk on Spiritual Warfare in 2004, while Tim Beougher challenged us in 2005 with his presentation on Lifestyle Evangelism.

 

This year, the Theme for our conference will be “From our Neighborhoods to the Nations” and will deal with the area of missions on a local as well as a worldwide basis. 

 

This conference will take place on Saturday, September 22nd, with pre-registration and continental breakfast beginning at 8:30.  Speakers will be:

• Matthew Perry (me);
• John Fergusson, Lexington Rescue Mission, Lexington, KY
• Hershael York, Pastor, Buck Run Baptist Church; Professor, Southern Seminary; Past Kentucky Baptist Convention President (2004-2005);
• Bill Barker:  Director, Appalachian Regional Ministry, NAMB
• John Divito, Centers for Apologetics Research, Missionary To-Be in Uganda.

---

The Five Points of Christian Growth
Salem Baptist Church, Salem, KY
October 14-17, 2007

I will be leading some revival services at my good friend Mark Combs’ church.  My five points are:

1. Attend church faithfully;
2. Pray constantly;
3. Study Diligently;
4. Give Cheerfully
5. Worship Joyfully

---

Singleness and the Glory of God
Finding our Satisfaction in Christ Alone
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY

Have you been deceived to think that God’s purpose for you is to be
married or at least not alone? God’s purpose for you is to be holy —
everything else is just details!

This conference is sponsored by Boone’s Creek Baptist Church and Reformation Underground (http://reformationunderground.blogspot.com).

Music, door prizes, main group times and breakout sessions.

Leaders will be:

Matthew Perry, Pastor, Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY (For more about him go to http://www.boonescreekchurch.com/pastor or http://www.matt-perry.com)

Mark Combs, Pastor, Salem Baptist Church, Salem, KY
(For more about Mark, go to http://markcombs1978.wordpress.com)

Josh
Martin, Founder and Leader, The Josh Martin Band; Youth Pastor, Harvest
Community Church, Eminence, KY (For more info about Josh, go to http://www.thejoshmartinband.com or http://joshuamartin.wordpress.com)

Kevin Whitt, Lead Pastor, Harvest Community Church, Eminence KY (http://www.harvestcommunity.com)

Schedule forthcoming.

Please keep all these conferences and services in prayer.

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My Father is Having Surgery — Please Pray

This coming Monday morning at 8:30, my father will have surgery to reverse a couple of areas.  I thank all of you who have prayed for my dad over the last nine months after he sustained some very serious and life-threatening injuries (click here to read about them). 

Dad has been exercising and getting his strength up a bit so he’s more ready for the surgery.  Two weeks ago, he went into the hospital for dehydration (a common occurence after having a barium enema, from what I understand).  This trip will help him, I believe. 

Given that Dad went from 185 pounds before his fall to where he’s now 148-150, you can imagine the butterflies all of us have.  God is sovereign, but we all love Dad.  And given the fact that Dad had 21 major injuries to his body as a result of this fall, a normally 90-minute procedure will take around four hours. 

I am leaving Sunday afternoon to fly down and will return on Wednesday.  If I blog any during that time, it will simply be some quick reflections.

Thank you in advance for all your prayers.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, ESV)

   

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My Summer Reading List

 

1. Spirit-Led Preaching by Greg Heisler
2. Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman
3. Mek Some Noise: Gospel Music and the Ethics of Style in Trinidad by Timothy Rommen
4. Preaching the Parables by Craig L. Blomberg
5. Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
6. Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger
7. With One Voice: Singleness, Dating, and Marriage to the Glory of God by Alex Chediak
8. God’s Bestseller: William Tyndale, Thomas More, and the Writing of the English Bible—A Story of Martyrdom and Betrayal by Brian Moynihan
9. Worship by the Book, Edited by D.A. Carson

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My Favorite Preachers

So here in the next installment of my personal favorites are those who are faithful preachers of the Gospel.  Here are my top ten:

1. Arturo Azurdia, III: Arturo Azurdia is the author of the excellent book ‘Spirit Empowered Preaching‘ published by Mentor. He is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and the Director of Pastoral Mentoring at Western Seminary in Portland Oregon.
2. Tim Keller:  Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York (for a great collection of Keller’s resources, click here);
3. John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN; Founder, Desiring God Ministries
4. John MacArthur (especially from the 1980s and 1990s), Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, CA; Founder, Grace To You
5. J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988), longtime leader of Thru the Bible Ministries
6. D.A. Carson, professor of New Testament at the New Evangelical Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (go to ChristWay Media for some good Carson resources as well as Faith By Hearing)
7. Stephen Olford (1918-2004):  Founder of Olford Ministries International which helps ministers engage in expositional preaching.  He wrote a book which changed me called Anointed Expository Preaching.
8. Don Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY
9. J. Ligon Duncan, III:  Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi
10. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) — considered by many to be the greatest preacher of the 20th century. Click on his name to go to the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust and you can actually hear his sermons!

Some preachers whom you have never heard of, but should:

1. Mark Combs, Pastor, Salem Baptist Church, Salem, KY
2. Kevin Whitt, Pastor, Harvest Community Church, Eminence, KY
3. Scott Davis, Pastor, Pitts Baptist Church, Concord, NC
4. Steve Weaver, Pastor, West Broadway Baptist Church in Lenoir City, TN since April of 2000
5. Ben Skaug, Pastor, Conway Baptist Church, Colorado
6. Greg Heisler, Assistant Professor of Preaching and Speech, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC; author, Spirit-Led Preaching (B&H, 2007)

And for your amusement:

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My Favorite Blogs

I have a rather healthy blogroll.  But what if I could only have ten blogs in my blogroll?  Well, here they are:

Top Ten

• Challies Dot Com
• Founders Ministries
• Albert Mohler
• Desiring God Blog (John Piper)
• Striving for the Crown (Steven Adkins)
• Said @ Southern
• Faith By Hearing
• Together For the Gospel
• Pure Church
• The Resurgence

Honorable mention: Confessions of a Pastor, Expository Preaching, Purgatorio , intersect, Encounters with the Gospel, Reformed Baptist Thinker, Soli Deo Gloria, Bring It, The Dickens Family, This Lamp, Unashamed Workman, Adrian Warnock

What are yours?

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My Favorite Podcasts

Podcasts are an amazing resource. Once you subscribe to them on iTunes, they are automatically downloaded to iTunes upon release. Here are my favorite podcasts:

• Boone’s CreeKast: the morning sermons of Boone’s Creek Baptist Church, Lexington, KY (the church where I pastor — had to put it in … kiddingly, of course) — anyway, onward!
• Desiring God Podcast with John Piper
• Capitol Hill Baptist Church Podcast: the church where Dr. Mark Dever (9 Marks) is pastor;
• The American View: The American View is a weekly one-hour program that addresses current events and issues from the perspective that America’s roots stem from God, the traditional family and a Constitutional Republic.
• Rhett & Link: If you’re looking for a few minutes of escape from your world of random muggings, over-processed foods, and glacial melting, you’ve definitely come to the right place. A place where Rhett&Link film things, sing things, and say things. Enjoy.
• The White Horse Inn : The White Horse Inn is a nationally syndicated radio talk show hosted by
  Michael Horton, Rod Rosenbladt, Kim Riddlebarger and Ken Jones. On the air since 1990, the show features a regular roundtable discussion of Christian theology and apologetics.
• CARM Podcast : CARM is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip Christians and refute error. The faith once for all delivered to the saints is under attack all over the world. More and more we need to know the truth and be able to articulate it.

I’m always looking for others that will feed my heart, mind, and soul. Are there any others you can recommend?

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John Piper: A Challenge for Young People

We had our graduate recognition service yesterday at church. This video really helps capture what I pray will happen with our young people.

Jerry Falwell (1933-2007)

Yesterday, Dr. Jerry Falwell, President of Liberty University and Pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church — both in the city of my birth, Lynchburg, VA — passed from this life into a better, grander life as he entered into the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

I found out about the news when my minister of music called me and said that they found him unconscious.  He has some strong ties because his youngest daughter is graduating from Liberty this weekend.  In fact, I wrote his daughter a note of encouragement on her facebook account:

Dear _____________ :

Your mom forwarded me a picture of you and Dr. Falwell and it really helped put in perspective how you all at Liberty must be feeling. We had a beloved professor pass away at college and our concert choir had to be a part of that funeral. THAT was hard. But losing your president and such an influential evangelical as Dr. Falwell was (is!) — you guys are in our prayers. When you graduate, I know it will be quite difficult going through the ceremonies which are supposed to be so uplifting. When down, just thank God that he allowed Dr. Falwell to plant such an incredible ministry at college and in our country and that you got to be a part of it.

Just for what it’s worth!

While I have posted other articles lamenting some of Dr. Falwell’s comments, but I admire his courage in exposing the evils in our culture and seeking to expunge them from our country. I’m not sure going the political route is best — too much ends up being compromised in the process. At least he stood true to his biblical convictions.

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Who Would EVER Want to Be President of the United States?

Have you noticed how most presidents look as if they have aged 25 years during their four or eight year presidencies? I was noticing this with President Bush. Look at him in 2001:

Look at him in 2007:

What about Bush’s predecessor, Bill Clinton? Take a look. Here he is in 1993:

Here he is leaving office:

The last two-termer before Clinton was President Ronald Reagan who served from 1981-1989. Here he is in 1981:

Here he is in 1989:

The strains and stresses that come from such a visible and high power job make me never want to attain a childhood dream as President. God has me right where he wants me, I’d say.

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New Look to matt-perry.com

I have given the website a new look, thanks to the numerous templates offered by WordPress.  The picture in the header is a picture of the flags of various nations which are displayed in our sanctuary during the month of December for our Lottie Moon Emphasis.

I’ve Been Tagged — Thanks to Steven Newell

Steven Newell of The Silent Holocron has tagged me. I now have to list off six weird things about myself. So, here they are:

1. In my 7th grade year, I lived in three different states:  Michigan, Virginia, and Florida.  Needless to say, that year was just ducky!
2. I believe I am the only Florida Marlins fan in the state of Kentucky (I would love for someone to prove me wrong).
3. When the entire congregation interviewed me at the church where I serve as pastor, the fourth question they asked me was, “So, are you a University of Kentucky or a University of Louisville fan?”  (Keep in mind, the church where I serve is in Lexington, KY — home of the University of Kentucky!)  I just answered them, “You’ll just have to pray for me!”  I’m a huge U of L fan.
4. I can listen to Bach, then Weird Al, then Bob Marley, then Frank Sinatra, then Elvis.  Needless to say, I have rather eclectic tastes.
5. I am one of the two people on earth who simply does not like American Idol.
6. My favorite snack is a Hardee’s chocolate shake and their Chili-Cheese Fries.  And boy do I pay for that one!

OK — my turn.  Time to tag five people.  Here they are:

• Mark Combs
• Josh Martin
• Steven Adkins
• Cameron Potts
• Derick Dickens

I’ve Been Tagged — Thanks to Steven Newell

Steven Newell of The Silent Holocron has tagged me. I now have to list off six weird things about myself. So, here they are:

1. In my 7th grade year, I lived in three different states:  Michigan, Virginia, and Florida.  Needless to say, that year was just ducky!
2. I believe I am the only Florida Marlins fan in the state of Kentucky (I would love for someone to prove me wrong).
3. When the entire congregation interviewed me at the church where I serve as pastor, the fourth question they asked me was, “So, are you a University of Kentucky or a University of Louisville fan?”  (Keep in mind, the church where I serve is in Lexington, KY — home of the University of Kentucky!)  I just answered them, “You’ll just have to pray for me!”  I’m a huge U of L fan.
4. I can listen to Bach, then Weird Al, then Bob Marley, then Frank Sinatra, then Elvis.  Needless to say, I have rather eclectic tastes.
5. I am one of the two people on earth who simply does not like American Idol.
6. My favorite snack is a Hardee’s chocolate shake and their Chili-Cheese Fries.  And boy do I pay for that one!

OK — my turn.  Time to tag five people.  Here they are:

• Mark Combs
• Josh Martin
• Steven Adkins
• Cameron Potts
• Derick Dickens

Boone’s Creek Annual Missions Conference 2007 Taking Shape

Each Homecoming weekend at the end of September, our church holds our Annual Missions Conference.  This year, the conference will take place on Saturday, September 22, 2007. The theme will be “From Our Neighborhoods to the Nations” and will have one representative from our Judea, Jerusalem, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth. Last year was a tremendous success with Jim Smith (DOM, Boone’s Creek Association), Randy Foster (Kentucky Baptist Convention), J. D Payne (Missions School Professor, Southern Seminary), and David Sills (former missionary to Ecuador, missions professor at Southern). Our people left with a tremendous burden to reach Eastern Canada for Christ.

This year, the line-up looks just as promising because I know the Lord is at work in these men:

• Matthew Perry (yes, that’s me — I’ll give an overview);
• John Ferguson, Lexington Rescue Mission, Lexington, KY (Jerusalem)
• Dr. Hershael York, Professor, Southern Seminary; Pastor, Buck Run Baptist
  Church, Frankfort, KY; former KBC President (2004-2005)(Judea);
• Bill Barker, Appalachian Regional Ministry (http://www.arministry.org), NAMB
  (Samaria);
• John Divito, Centers for Apologetics Research, Missionary-to-Be in
  Uganda, Editor of “The Reformed Baptist Thinker” (Ends of the Earth)

Please be in prayer over this — and if you can, plan on attending.  It takes place from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. 

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Boone’s Creek Annual Missions Conference 2007 Taking Shape

Each Homecoming weekend at the end of September, our church holds our Annual Missions Conference.  This year, the conference will take place on Saturday, September 22, 2007. The theme will be “From Our Neighborhoods to the Nations” and will have one representative from our Judea, Jerusalem, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth. Last year was a tremendous success with Jim Smith (DOM, Boone’s Creek Association), Randy Foster (Kentucky Baptist Convention), J. D Payne (Missions School Professor, Southern Seminary), and David Sills (former missionary to Ecuador, missions professor at Southern). Our people left with a tremendous burden to reach Eastern Canada for Christ.

This year, the line-up looks just as promising because I know the Lord is at work in these men:

• Matthew Perry (yes, that’s me — I’ll give an overview);
• John Ferguson, Lexington Rescue Mission, Lexington, KY (Jerusalem)
• Dr. Hershael York, Professor, Southern Seminary; Pastor, Buck Run Baptist
  Church, Frankfort, KY; former KBC President (2004-2005)(Judea);
• Bill Barker, Appalachian Regional Ministry (http://www.arministry.org), NAMB
  (Samaria);
• John Divito, Centers for Apologetics Research, Missionary-to-Be in
  Uganda, Editor of “The Reformed Baptist Thinker” (Ends of the Earth)

Please be in prayer over this — and if you can, plan on attending.  It takes place from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. 

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Cincinnati Bengals’ Player Domata Peko Shows Character

From the Cincinnati Bengals‘ Website:

Meet Domata Peko, the Bengals’ fourth-round pick from last season who is emerging as a fine defensive tackle stingy against the run and athletic on the pass. But on Sunday a few minutes past noon, his biggest stop in the offseason came at the intersection of Kentucky Route 18 and Turfway Road in Florence, Ky., when he pulled an elderly man out of his Blazer that had flipped onto its roof.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Cincinnati Bengals’ Player Domata Peko Shows Character

From the Cincinnati Bengals‘ Website:

Meet Domata Peko, the Bengals’ fourth-round pick from last season who is emerging as a fine defensive tackle stingy against the run and athletic on the pass. But on Sunday a few minutes past noon, his biggest stop in the offseason came at the intersection of Kentucky Route 18 and Turfway Road in Florence, Ky., when he pulled an elderly man out of his Blazer that had flipped onto its roof.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Around the Blogosphere: Good Reflections on the Shootings at Virginia Tech

Tim Challies, Prayer for Blacksburg:

Like you, I was horrified to hear of yesterday’s violence at Virginia Tech. And like you, I had immediate flashbacks to the Columbine shootings which, though they happened eight years ago, seem fresh in my mind. It was awful to see the pictures of bleeding students being carried from the campus and to see the death count rising and rising. It was awful to hear of people jumping from windows or cowering for hours in darkened classrooms, wondering if they would ever make it out. What apparently began as an act of violence against a girlfriend soon escalated into an outright massacre. My heart went out to the people of Blacksburg as they begin their attempts to come to terms with this horrific event.

Desiring God Blog, What’s at the Heart of the Murders?:

While others are already making the Virginia Tech massacre a political issue and looking vehemently for someone to blame, let us remember that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Our hearts and the murderer’s.

No x-ray machines, revised gun laws, or fired college presidents will solve the problem. We need new hearts (Ezekiel 11:19, John 3:3). We need Jesus.

Another entry from Desiring God Blog, “What to Say About Virginia Tech“:

After the Columbine shootings, John Piper wrote up 21 ways to love and comfort the hurting
by trusting wholly in God’s sovereignty over all things. He revised
them after 9-11. I posted this a couple months ago, but I want to again
in light of the Virginia Tech incident that is still developing. As lovers of an all-powerful
God, let us be prepared to love people in their pain by empathetically
and mercifully pointing them to a God who is in control.

Al Mohler, President, Southern Seminary, “Facing the Reality of Evil“:

The unspeakable evil of the killings at Virginia Tech bring us once again face to face with the reality of human evil. Christianity faces this challenge honestly, and acknowledges the horror of moral evil and its consequences. The Bible never flinches from assigning responsibility for moral evil. Human beings are capable of committing horrible acts of violence, malevolence, cruelty, and killing.

These are just a few.  Our hearts are with the fellow students as well as the parents of those who are burying their sons and daughters at such a tender age — where they sent them off to find a better life and grander opportunities. 

James 4:13-16  

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—  [14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 

All of them had plans for graduation — but we just don’t know when it will end.  May we take time to “examine ourselves and test to see whether we are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). 
   

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When Being on Facebook (and a Former Youth Pastor) Breaks Your Heart

Facebook is absolutely booming! One cannot help but be intrigued by this community of people who have their profiles updated, pictures uploaded, walls to be written on, relationship statuses to be changed, and basically a portrait of their lives right there for all their friends to see. Through Facebook, I have actually caught up with some from my former churches in Florida and Kentucky to see what they are up to. As a youth pastor in Florida from 1998-2001, most of them are in college right now getting a good education …

… in more ways than one, it seems.

I don’t envy youth ministers. When I was a youth minister, I struggled. Not because I didn’t enjoy teaching them and being with them — on the contrary, those years were some of the best years of ministry ever. We did the usual youth ‘thing’: lots of games, relevant studies, great times of fellowship (hangin’ out, in youth speak).

Yet, I am heartbroken at what I see — mainly in the photo albums. One former youth has a profile pic of him drinking some alcoholic beverage from some woman’s cleavage. Another had a picture giving the dude taking the picture a double middle-finger. Too many find themselves with alcoholic beverages in hand. Many of them who are/were faithful at church both past and present have pictures up which convey a totally opposite mindset — quite worldly, marching in lock-step with the world’s philosophy.

What is so sad is that all of us have seen those in our churches who claim to know Christ (some whom we have even baptized!) are on Facebook, MySpace, Xanga, hi5 and other community sites like this using crass language to communicate, using questionable pictures to put on display the latest ‘good time’ they had.

You know, even though I believe that God is in control and that I know I cannot make people obey (nor should I try to make them), my flesh still fights feeling like a failure. Did nothing I taught them sink in? Were they gathered there simply because it was a fun thing to do rather than to learn about the things of God and how to live for him? Did I fail to show them that the only true satisfaction found in life is to have Christ not just as Savior but also as Lord — and that all other pursuits are a waste?

I still love those ‘kids’ — though they aren’t kids anymore. And my heart also prays they will find Christ as their true north — their true joy!

I am thankful that some have surrendered to the ministry, others are in Christian work, others are using their faith in Christ to minister in their secular work.

I just pray that the pages on their Facebook profiles are just a passing phase and that Christ will come back to the Center of who they are. In the meantime, I will pray … and hope … and hurt for them as they walk through this valley. Of all the things I thought Facebook would give, I never thought a broken heart would be on the list.

And yet … .

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Mohler’s Top Ten Biographies

Al Mohler writes in today’s blog:

Reading the biographies of persons whose lives represent a significant influence on the Christian church is especially enriching. Each of the biographies listed below invites the reader into an adventure that is both literary and theological. These are ten of the biographies I consider most important from recent decades. They are listed in chronological order rather than by ranked importance.

Click here to read his list.

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Mohler’s Top Ten Biographies

Al Mohler writes in today’s blog:

Reading the biographies of persons whose lives represent a significant influence on the Christian church is especially enriching. Each of the biographies listed below invites the reader into an adventure that is both literary and theological. These are ten of the biographies I consider most important from recent decades. They are listed in chronological order rather than by ranked importance.

Click here to read his list.

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30,000 Hits! Let’s Party

Today, this blog received its 30,000th hit!  Thanks to all of you who visit and thanks to the Lord Jesus who gives this blog life!

30,000 Hits! Let’s Party

Today, this blog received its 30,000th hit!  Thanks to all of you who visit and thanks to the Lord Jesus who gives this blog life!

Starting a Sermon Series on Nehemiah

Starting this coming Sunday, I will begin a sermon series on the book of Nehemiah.  Admittedly, I begin this series because our church is considering moving into a building program to add on extra classrooms, a gym, and other necessities.  Yet, we must be more concerned about our spiritual edifice in that we build a great church through the Spirit’s leading — this is of more consequence than adding another addition to our current facilities.

With this, I would like to share some helpful works which I have used in preparation for this study:

• Nehemiah: An Expositional Commentary by James Montgomery Boice (Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 1990);
• The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah from The New International Commentary on the Old Testament by F. Charles Fensham (Grand Rapids, MI:  Eerdmans, 1982);
• Ezra & Nehemiah from Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Series (D.J. Wiseman, General Editor) by Derek Kidner (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP, 1979);
• A Passion for Faithfulness: Wisdom from the Book of Nehemiah by J.I. Packer (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1995). 
• Nehemiah: Experiencing the Good Hand of God from MacArthur Bible Studies by John MacArthur (Nashville: Word, 2001).
• Visioneering:  God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Personal Vision by Andy Stanley (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1999).

Arturo Azurdia, III, has posted some very good sermons on Nehemiah at his Spirit Empowered Preaching website. 

Mark Driscoll is also in the midst of a series through Nehemiah.

I am thankful to these saints past and present.  God has allowed them to teach me so that I in turn may teach others about God’s beautiful Word.

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Slurs Have No Place in Responsible Dialoguing

Don Imus, a radio talk show personality, recently came under fire after an on-air slur (article here) in reference to the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

Former NBA All-Star guard Tim Hardaway recently came under fire in a radio interview on February 14 for his comments concerning his hatred of homosexuals. In the transcript from the Miami Herald of his comments in a radio interview with Dan LeBatard, he said:

Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don’t like gay people and I don’t like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don’t like it.

Ann Coulter, best-selling conservative author known for her rather candid style against all things perceived liberal, was a featured speaker at the 34th annual Conservative Political Action Conference. She used a homosexual slur to describe Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards (D-N.C.).

What is happening here? What happened to all the political correctness which was supposed to cure all these intolerant ills in our society? Slurs of this nature have no place in responsible dialoguing — but even if the slurs fail to leave our mouths, do we not see that these sentiments still reside in the human heart? Absolutely.

One pastor I heard years ago said that “profanity is an empty mind trying to express itself.” Condescending into the use of these types of slurs puts that emptiness on even bigger display. What is the motivation for these slurs?

(1) They are trying to get a laugh. Don Imus and Ann Coulter fall into this crowd. I call it the “All in the Family Syndrome.” The character of Archie Bunker fits this perfectly — saying something so ignorant and so shocking that people laugh at it.

(2) Conviction. Tim Hardaway falls into this category. Say what you will, at least he was honest. He did violate the PC Code of Dialogue, but he stated exactly how he felt.

(3) To elicit a reaction and to keep them in the forefront of conversation. I confess, I really didn’t know who Don Imus was until this whole broohaha came about. I didn’t really keep up with Ann Coulter much until her gaffe. But like many who find themselves purposely on the tabloids, these folks may have said these things simply to keep their names in the forefront of the public conversation.

As many of you know, I’m a big Rhett and Link fan. They have illustrated beautifully this very point.

So maybe it’s just time we quit feeding the frenzy. Give these folks as much attention (and as much prayer) as they deserve. No attention… much prayer.

Oh, one last thing: Don Imus noted that, even though he uses sexist and racist language, that’s just not who he is. He’s a good person who gives to many charitable organizations. Yet, how does Imus reconcile his mindset with Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:34: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”? In two words — he can’t. Let us pray for Christ to transform Imus’, Coulter’s, and Tim Hardaway’s heart.

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Weird Al Yankovic Knows the Pulse of our Society — Yes, Really!!

I and John Divito may be the only two guys in the Christian blogosphere who actually are admitted fans of Weird Al Yankovic (although John’s devotion far surpasses mine). In fact, John’s posts on his blog reacquainted me with Weird Al’s music. While he is an expert at parodies of popular songs, he is also someone who has a way of revealing various idiotic idiosyncracies in our culture.

Off of his latest album, Straight Out of Lynwood, he includes an original composition called “I’ll Sue Ya.” Here are the lyrics:

I sued Taco Bell
‘Cause I ate half-a-million Chalupas and I got fat
I sued Panasonic
They never said I shouldn’t use their microwave to dry off my cat, huh

I sued Earthlink
‘Cause I called ‘em up and they had the nerve to put me on hold
I sued Starbucks
‘Cause I spilled a frappucino in my lap and brr, it was cold

I sued Toys ‘R Us
Cause I swallowed a Nerf ball and nearly choked to death, huh
I sued PetCo
‘Cause I ate a bag of kitty litter and now I got bad breath

I sued Coca-Cola, yo
‘Cause I put my finger down in a bottle and it got stuck
I sued Delta Airlines
‘Cause they sold me a ticket to New Jersey – I went there, and it [stunk].

Yeah
If you stand me up on a date
If you deliver my pizza thirty seconds late

I’m gonna sue, sue, yes, I’m gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do
I’m gonna sue, sue, yes, I’m gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, I might even sue you
Ughh

I sued Duracell
They never told me not to shove that double-A right up my nose
I sued Home Depot
‘Cause they sold me a hammer which they knew I might drop on my toes

I sued Dell Compueters
‘Cause I took a bath with my laptop, now it doesn’t work
I sued Fruit Of The Loom
‘Cause when I wear my tighty-whities on my head I look like a jerk

I sued Verizon
‘Cause I get all depressed every time my cell phone is roaming
I sued Colorado
‘Cause you know, I think it looks a little bit too much like Wyoming

I sued Neiman Marcus
‘Cause they put up their Christmas decorations way out of season
I sued Ben Affleck
Aww, do I even need a reason?

Uhh
If I sprain my ankle while I’m robbin’ your place
If I hurt my knuckles while I punch you in the face

I’m gonna sue, sue, yes, I’m gonna sue
Sue, sue, yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do
I’m gonna sue, sue, yes, I’m gonna sue
Sue, sue, that’s right, I’m gonna sue you

(Written by Al Yankovic.  Copyright (c) 2006 Ear Booker Music, BMI)

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Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where’s thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788
Music: Lyra Davidica, 1708
Tune: EASTER HYMN, Meter: 77.77 D

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Tim Keller on Expository Preaching (Unashamed Workman)

Unashamed Workman is starting a series by asking various popular preachers on their thoughts on expository preaching. Click here to read Tim Keller’s thoughts on this issue.

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James Dobson Just Doesn’t Get It (Chuck Baldwin)

James Dobson Just Doesn’t Get It

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James Dobson Just Doesn’t Get It (Chuck Baldwin)

James Dobson Just Doesn’t Get It

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“The Resurrection of Jesus Christ” by John Calvin

One may find it strange at first glance that our Lord Jesus wishing to give proof of His resurrection, appeared rather to women than to His disciples. But in that we have to consider that He wished to prove the humility of our faith. For we must not be grounded in human wisdom, but we must receive in absolute obedience what we know to proceed from Him. On the other hand, there is no doubt that He wished to punish the disciples, when He sent them women to instruct them, because the instruction which they had received from His mouth had been of no profit to them when it came to the test. For look how they are scattered. They desert their Master; they are confused by fear. And what good has it done them to be for more than three years in the school of the Son of God? Such cowardice, then, deserved great punishment, even that they might be entirely deprived of the knowledge which they had received before, inasmuch as they had, so to speak, trampled it under foot and buried it. Now our Lord Jesus did not wish to punish them severely, but to show them their fault by gentle correction He appointed women to be their teachers. They had been chosen beforehand to publish the Gospel to the whole world (they are really the first teachers of the Church), but since they were so cowardly as to be found thus bewildered, so much so that their faith was, as it were, deadened, it is entirely proper that they should know that they are not worthy to hear any teaching from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, then, why they are sent back to women until they have better recognized their faults, and Jesus Christ has restored them to their position and privilege, but by grace. Besides (as I have said), all of us in general are urged to receive the testimony which is sent to us by God, even if the persons who speak are of little importance or if they have no credit or reputation in the eyes of the world. As in fact, when a man is elected or appointed to be a notary public or a public officer what he does will be received as authentic. One would not say this or that to contradict him. For the office gives him respect among men. And will God have less preeminence than earthly princes, if He ordains only those whom He pleases to be His witnesses, from whom one receives whatever He should say without contradiction or reply? Certainly it must be so unless we want to be rebels even against God Himself. This, then, we have to remember in the first place.

(Click here to read the rest of Calvin’s sermon.)

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“The Resurrection of Jesus Christ” by John Calvin

One may find it strange at first glance that our Lord Jesus wishing to give proof of His resurrection, appeared rather to women than to His disciples. But in that we have to consider that He wished to prove the humility of our faith. For we must not be grounded in human wisdom, but we must receive in absolute obedience what we know to proceed from Him. On the other hand, there is no doubt that He wished to punish the disciples, when He sent them women to instruct them, because the instruction which they had received from His mouth had been of no profit to them when it came to the test. For look how they are scattered. They desert their Master; they are confused by fear. And what good has it done them to be for more than three years in the school of the Son of God? Such cowardice, then, deserved great punishment, even that they might be entirely deprived of the knowledge which they had received before, inasmuch as they had, so to speak, trampled it under foot and buried it. Now our Lord Jesus did not wish to punish them severely, but to show them their fault by gentle correction He appointed women to be their teachers. They had been chosen beforehand to publish the Gospel to the whole world (they are really the first teachers of the Church), but since they were so cowardly as to be found thus bewildered, so much so that their faith was, as it were, deadened, it is entirely proper that they should know that they are not worthy to hear any teaching from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, then, why they are sent back to women until they have better recognized their faults, and Jesus Christ has restored them to their position and privilege, but by grace. Besides (as I have said), all of us in general are urged to receive the testimony which is sent to us by God, even if the persons who speak are of little importance or if they have no credit or reputation in the eyes of the world. As in fact, when a man is elected or appointed to be a notary public or a public officer what he does will be received as authentic. One would not say this or that to contradict him. For the office gives him respect among men. And will God have less preeminence than earthly princes, if He ordains only those whom He pleases to be His witnesses, from whom one receives whatever He should say without contradiction or reply? Certainly it must be so unless we want to be rebels even against God Himself. This, then, we have to remember in the first place.

(Click here to read the rest of Calvin’s sermon.)

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Said @ Southern Blog

I’d like to acquaint you with a blog called “Said at Southern.” It is described as:

An index of blogs and podcasts from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Join the recent conversation and all that is being said at Southern.

When you have time, take a look around.

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Preached This Morning at Pitts Baptist Church, Concord, NC

Thank you to Pastor Scott Davis for allowing me to preach the two morning services this morning at Pitts Baptist Church. Pitts Baptist is where my mom and dad are members. Scott and I managed to keep this as a surprise to my father, who found out only when he opened up his bulletin before the service.

I preached on Psalm 51 as I did the previous Sunday at Boone’s Creek. Click on to the PBC sermons page in the next few days. It should be posted soon.

Thanks to all of you who lifted us up in prayer. God moved and worked. One especially encouraging remark after the service lifted my spirits. One woman who had just received Christ was facing some especially difficult questions from her brother who continually questioned the validity of her new-found faith. I say this to the glory of God (for there is no way I could have known this), but the sermon address each objection that he raised about Christianity. It helped strengthen her faith. Glory to God!!!

Keep us in prayer while we are here in North Carolina.

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Taking Every Day With My Dad as a Gift!

Yesterday, my family and I drove to North Carolina to spend a few days with my mom, dad, my sister and her family, and my brother and his family. In case you are new to this blog, my dad sustained some rather serious injuries. He’s had a very difficult road since then.

I’m here this weekend for Dad’s Welcome Home Party to take place today at 5:00 p.m. I know, I know — he came home on December 26th, but this is the first time all of us are able to get together to celebrate.

I am so thankful for every day I have with him. I used to call him about three times a week. Now I call him every single day unless something comes up — then I usually call him twice the next day! On September 18, I did not know whether he would be around. Now that he is, every day with him is a gift.

He is supposed to have surgery sometime in July 19 to reverse an iliastomy. Please keep him prayer.

Kragthorpe Era Begins for Louisville Football

Being a part of the readership of this blog (glory to God you’re here — thank you!), you will have to deal with reading about the teams for which I root — in this case, the Louisville Cardinals. Given their recent success under Bobby Petrino who left to coach the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, I’m curious to see how Steve Kragthorpe handles the pressure cooker.

I think he’ll be fine. An excerpt from a recent AP article:

National championship hopes. A Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback. A burgeoning fan base and at least six nationally televised games so the whole country can see how the new coach is doing.

Sure, there’s pressure for Steve Kragthorpe to win right away at Louisville. Then again, it’s nothing compared to the situation he entered when he took over at Tulsa in 2003.

“When you walk in at Tulsa and they tell you if you don’t win in three years they are dropping football, that’s pressure,” he said.

Kragthorpe responded by leading the once struggling Golden Hurricane to three bowl games in four seasons. To succeed at Louisville, he knows he’ll have to do even better than that. He’ll get his first up-close look at what he has to work with on Friday when the defending Big East champions open spring practice.

Click here to read the rest of this AP article.

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John Piper is Bad — Extended Video

This has been floating around the blogosphere, but just in case you haven’t seen this, it’s priceless.

Dr. Piper will be at Southern Seminary on March 27-29, 2007.

An Amazing Time at EKU’s CRU Meeting

Last night, I had the pleasure and privilege of speaking at the Eastern Kentucky University’s Campus Crusade for Christ weekly meeting (or as they say, “I came to CRU!”).  I preached from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 on “Can I See Some I.D.?  Being an Intentional Disciple.”  I’m not good at estimating numbers of a crowd, but I would say there were close to 260 college students there.  It seemed to me that the auditorium in the William Wallace building was close to capacity.

Everyone seemed to be dialed in and we had a great time looking at God’s Word.  In the next couple of days, I’ll post my sermon notes for the CRU Kids as well as other resources I used to help me prepare.  But God was so good!

May God bless you this wonderful Friday!

An Amazing Time at EKU’s CRU Meeting

Last night, I had the pleasure and privilege of speaking at the Eastern Kentucky University’s Campus Crusade for Christ weekly meeting (or as they say, “I came to CRU!”).  I preached from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 on “Can I See Some I.D.?  Being an Intentional Disciple.”  I’m not good at estimating numbers of a crowd, but I would say there were close to 260 college students there.  It seemed to me that the auditorium in the William Wallace building was close to capacity.

Everyone seemed to be dialed in and we had a great time looking at God’s Word.  In the next couple of days, I’ll post my sermon notes for the CRU Kids as well as other resources I used to help me prepare.  But God was so good!

May God bless you this wonderful Friday!

What Value Does Life Have? Lessons From a Polar Bear Cub

“Feeding by hand is not species-appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws.” These are the words of animal rights activist Frank Albrecht. Those are the reactions to a polar bear cub named Knut whose mother rejected him but is now living and being hand-fed by the Berlin Zoo. (Read the article here.)

Not species-appropriate? It’s amazing when we find ourselves clinging to certain theories and forms of what is appropriate, and forget about the lives of those affected by those forms and theories. “If a polar bear mother rejected the baby, then I believe the zoo must
follow the instincts of nature,” Albrecht said. “In the wild, it would
have been left to die.”

Yes, but the bear was not in the wild — the bear was in the zoo. Does life have more value than our theories? If not, what value does life have — and who are we to put a value on it? Who made that rule that we are the arbitors of when life ends and what is appropriate in that realm?

Life has value for those who understand we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We are not simply $7.42 worth of minerals and components which come together to make a homo sapien. We have souls and minds created by a life-giving God who instills the preservation of life into each one of us.

And since humans are the only ones created in God’s image, God places prime value on humans. And this is an example of what he has instilled in humans who understand this: life matters, especially the lives of the defenseless. Yet, we must not simply defend the defenseless who happen to be cute and cuddly.

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Happy Birthday, J.S. Bach!

On March 21, 322 years ago, the greatest compose the world has ever known was born. His name? Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Bach was born during an era which music historian label the Baroque Era in which such notable composers as Antonio Vivaldi (“The Four Seasons”), and George Frideric Handel (“The Messiah”). If you look in music history books to see how long the Baroque era lasted, to a book they say it ended in 1750. Why? Because Bach exhausted every single possibility in which this music could go. And he paved the foundation for the way music is crafted now. As you examine his manuscripts (of which he wrote 20 pieces of music per day), you will see a mathematical precision to it.

Bach’s legacy extends to his spiritual life as well. As a devout Lutheran, many of his works were for worship in the church: Mass in B Minor, St. Matthew’s Passion, Christmas Oratorio not to mention his 300+ chorales for choir.

Here are some articles about Bach that may be of interest to you:

Wikipedia article on Johan Sebastian Bach

The J.S. Bach Home Page

Dave’s J.S. Bach Page

Johann Sebastian Bach: Classical music pages article from The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music. Also links to related composers and topics, including cantatas, orchestral music, etc.

Clearing Up Dr. Mohler’s Comments About Homosexuality

While most in the blogosphere have heard and responded to Dr. Mohler’s (perceived) comments about headlines across the nation’s papers saying, “Seminary President Says Babies Born Gay.”  Yet, many in my congregation may not have seen Dr. Mohler’s response.   In essence, he was severely misquoted.  In his article, he clears up the misperceptions as well as addresses “the controversy [that] represents both a challenge and an opportunity.”

Click here to read.

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Clearing Up Dr. Mohler’s Comments About Homosexuality

While most in the blogosphere have heard and responded to Dr. Mohler’s (perceived) comments about headlines across the nation’s papers saying, “Seminary President Says Babies Born Gay.”  Yet, many in my congregation may not have seen Dr. Mohler’s response.   In essence, he was severely misquoted.  In his article, he clears up the misperceptions as well as addresses “the controversy [that] represents both a challenge and an opportunity.”

Click here to read.

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How Not to Lose Your Faith in College (Thabiti Anyabwile)

Thabati Anyabwile wrote an excellent article a number of years ago for Boundless Magazine about How Not to Lose Your Faith in College.  It’s well worth the read.

(HT: Cameron Potts)

The God Delusion? Richard Dawkins Seems To Be the Deluded One

Richard Dawkins has just published The God Delusion, a 416 page tome decrying the improbability and implausibility for the existence of God.

Yet, Alvin Plantinga wrote a scathing review not just of the book, but of the philosophy behind such a premise.  Click here.

Also, if you are a fan of Stephen Colbert, host of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, then you will enjoy this interview he conducted with Richard Dawkins.  Click here for Part I and here for Part II to view.

Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms

An excellent clip from the movie “Luther” (2003). All we ask is to be convinced by Scripture and not by man.

Mohler on King Discussing Homosexuality

Notice how those who hold to gay ministers that they keep saying, “Who I believe God made me to be” and how in her gay relationship, she “feels whole and complete”  — even though Scripture mandates something completely opposite .  We must be who God made us to be as he has revealed in his word. Notice the man who begins to question Dr. Mohler’s use of the word ‘truth.’ It’s the old Postmodern understanding of truth being how we personally define it rather than an absolute standard. Who made that rule? We must keep those who claim the name of Christ, yet divert from his Word, in prayer.

“You’re An Expository Preacher? Ohhh!” Part IV

You Take the Scriptures as a Whole Rather Than as Fodder for Prooftexts

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood (Acts 20:26-28, ESV).

Pastor Topica sits in his office on Monday morning contemplating about the following Sunday. He is a Southern Baptist pastor, which means that he will likely have a special emphasis Sunday. New Year’s, Racial Reconciliation Sunday, Sanctity of Life Sunday, Missions Emphases, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Labor Day, Seminary Appreciation Sunday, and the list goes on. This Sunday happens to be Sanctity of Life Sunday.

Being a faithful follower of Christ, he also holds strongly to the sanctity of life. He believes we should defend the unborn, that embryonic stem cell research should not be an option, that we should take care of the elderly — and its something he feels passionately about. He has a tremendous message.

Now all he needs are the Scriptures to support the message.

Granted, this is an exaggerated case — or is it? It reminds me of the one-box cartoon where the preacher is in his study who prays, “Lord, please give me a message to go with this great illustration!” How often do ministers all over the world sit in their study with a passion for a particular topic — and use the Scriptures simply to mine out Scriptures as fodder for prooftexts to give ’support’ to their message.

Is there anything inherently wrong with this method? Am I saying that anyone who does this on a regular basis is immoral and unfit for the pulpit ministry?

Uh … no.

What I am asking is that the Scriptures be the springboard of our sermons rather than our pet topic being the springboard, relegating the Scriptures as simply the fodder to propel our agenda.

Soon, we will look at ways to spot whether you are guilty of this, and provide some helpful tools to turn the ship around in the right direction.

“You’re An Expository Preacher? Ohhh!” Part IV

You Take the Scriptures as a Whole Rather Than as Fodder for Prooftexts

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood (Acts 20:26-28, ESV).

Pastor Topica sits in his office on Monday morning contemplating about the following Sunday. He is a Southern Baptist pastor, which means that he will likely have a special emphasis Sunday. New Year’s, Racial Reconciliation Sunday, Sanctity of Life Sunday, Missions Emphases, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Labor Day, Seminary Appreciation Sunday, and the list goes on. This Sunday happens to be Sanctity of Life Sunday.

Being a faithful follower of Christ, he also holds strongly to the sanctity of life. He believes we should defend the unborn, that embryonic stem cell research should not be an option, that we should take care of the elderly — and its something he feels passionately about. He has a tremendous message.

Now all he needs are the Scriptures to support the message.

Granted, this is an exaggerated case — or is it? It reminds me of the one-box cartoon where the preacher is in his study who prays, “Lord, please give me a message to go with this great illustration!” How often do ministers all over the world sit in their study with a passion for a particular topic — and use the Scriptures simply to mine out Scriptures as fodder for prooftexts to give ’support’ to their message.

Is there anything inherently wrong with this method? Am I saying that anyone who does this on a regular basis is immoral and unfit for the pulpit ministry?

Uh … no.

What I am asking is that the Scriptures be the springboard of our sermons rather than our pet topic being the springboard, relegating the Scriptures as simply the fodder to propel our agenda.

Soon, we will look at ways to spot whether you are guilty of this, and provide some helpful tools to turn the ship around in the right direction.

How to End a Super Bowl Right

Known as a “Lottery Church”? (From PreachingNow, 2.6.07)

An AgapePress story by Mark Creech details a new challenge for churches: members who win lotteries and then want to donate a portion of their winnings, despite the church’s outspoken opposition to gambling. Creech relates: “Pastor Scott Thomas understands this principle well. According to Family News In Focus, he faced a very difficult situation several years ago when a deacon in his church offered a portion of lottery winnings for a building fund. Thomas refused the gift and stood on the principle of Christian separation. ‘I’ve just always believed that God doesn’t need to use chance to build his Church,’ said Thomas. Furthermore, he added that impoverished people largely play lotteries and the church shouldn’t profit on the backs of the poor.

“Despite Thomas’ opposition, however, the church wanted the money and fired him. They accepted the gift and built the building. As a result, attendance has dropped from 165 to fewer than 50 people a week. Thomas says: ‘Several of the members have called me and said, ‘The albatross around our necks is that we are now known as the lottery church.’”

Pastor John Piper wrote, “Don’t play the lottery for me. We are followers of Jesus. He had no place to lay His head and did not accept the demonic temptation to jump off the temple for the jackpot of instant recognition. The Calvary road is not paved with Powerball tickets, but with blood. Don’t play the lottery for Bethlehem Baptist Church. We will not, I pray, salve your conscience by taking one dime of your plunder, or supporting even the thought of your spiritual suicide. Let the widow give her penny and the laborer his wage. And keep your life free from the love of money.” (Click here to read the full story.)

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/122003mc.asp

Known as a “Lottery Church”? (From PreachingNow, 2.6.07)

An AgapePress story by Mark Creech details a new challenge for churches: members who win lotteries and then want to donate a portion of their winnings, despite the church’s outspoken opposition to gambling. Creech relates: “Pastor Scott Thomas understands this principle well. According to Family News In Focus, he faced a very difficult situation several years ago when a deacon in his church offered a portion of lottery winnings for a building fund. Thomas refused the gift and stood on the principle of Christian separation. ‘I’ve just always believed that God doesn’t need to use chance to build his Church,’ said Thomas. Furthermore, he added that impoverished people largely play lotteries and the church shouldn’t profit on the backs of the poor.

“Despite Thomas’ opposition, however, the church wanted the money and fired him. They accepted the gift and built the building. As a result, attendance has dropped from 165 to fewer than 50 people a week. Thomas says: ‘Several of the members have called me and said, ‘The albatross around our necks is that we are now known as the lottery church.’”

Pastor John Piper wrote, “Don’t play the lottery for me. We are followers of Jesus. He had no place to lay His head and did not accept the demonic temptation to jump off the temple for the jackpot of instant recognition. The Calvary road is not paved with Powerball tickets, but with blood. Don’t play the lottery for Bethlehem Baptist Church. We will not, I pray, salve your conscience by taking one dime of your plunder, or supporting even the thought of your spiritual suicide. Let the widow give her penny and the laborer his wage. And keep your life free from the love of money.” (Click here to read the full story.)

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/122003mc.asp

Want a Different Take on New Year’s Resolutions? Heeere’s Rhett and Link!

New Year’s Resolution Show

Want a Different Take on New Year’s Resolutions? Heeere’s Rhett and Link!

New Year’s Resolution Show

Bibliography for Old Testament Preaching

For those who may find this of interest, here are some works that might be helpful for you in your preaching through the Old Testament. Just click on the link below to read this bibliography.

preaching-bibliography.doc

More Pictures from Trinidad 2007

Here I am preaching at the marriage conference I conducted called “Keeping Your Marriage in Tune: Singing the Song of Solomon.” Roddie Taylor, the pastor of the church we worked on, said, “Talk straight to our people.” And I did. But it resulted in some very intimate and personal questions asked back dealing with marriage and all its aspects.

As we waited and waited and waited in Lexington for our flight to leave. Scheduled to leave at 11:00 a.m., it left and 12:50 p.m. and almost made us miss our flight to Port of Spain. Wow! Sometimes, the Great Commission isn’t always a smooth road.

More tomorrow.

A Life-Changing Series of Sermons for Me

Last month, after ordering Arturo Azurdia’s book on Spirit-Empowered Preaching, I went to his website (http://www.spiritempoweredpreaching.com) and downloaded his four-part series from the IFCA Pacific Northwest Regional Conference in Port Angeles, Washington — and listened to them while in Trinidad.  While the book was quite good, the sermons changed me.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Azurdia is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology/Director of Pastoral Mentoring at Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon. He was minister of a church for more than 10 years. He is married to Lori and they have 2 children

Trinidad 2007 Update (1.28.07)

We had a successful marriage conference at First Baptist San Fernando this past Friday and Saturday.  Forty-three were in attendance and we had some good feedback and questions during the conference. 

But we praise God that this Sunday morning during a three-hour service where I preached on Mark 14:1-11 at Mt. Beulah Evangelical Baptist Church in Point Fortin, one man named Theophilus gave his life to Jesus Christ.  Glory to God and God alone!

We are going to the southwest portion of Trinidad this afternoon and various places tomorrow, so keep us in prayer.  We plan to be back in Lexington at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.  Pray all the flights go smoothly. 

We made it to Trinidad safely

After almost missing our connection due to the late flights out of Lexington, KY, we made the connection with seconds to spare and made it to Port of Spain, Trinidad, smoothly. The flight was just over four hours from Atlanta. Customs and immigration were no problem. We made it to Point Fortin around 11:45 p.m. and got to work right away the next day. Some of the tile at the church was already laid. Here are some pictures to give you an idea.

Here is the title on the platform of the sanctuary at the church in Point Fortin.

Here is am cleaning away the”mud” overflow which seals the tile to the floor so the other men could begin laying the next row of tile.

This is Aaron and Panther. Aaron has no legs and he and Panther laid down the tile quickly and expertly. We hope to send you some more pictures so you can really see the difference. It’s an Extreme Church Makeover.

This is Kasia, Roddie’s granddaughter. She has grown up so much. When we first went in ‘04, she was only eight months old and barely walking. Now, she is growing up, running, talking, and being queen of the castle like always. What a sweet child.

I have an interview today at the Christian radio station in Port of Spain at 4:00 p.m. today (3:00 p.m. EST) concerning the marriage conference I’m conducting this weekend, so please pray. Roddie Taylor, the pastor here, was to be in on the interview, but he is ill so I have to do the fifteen minutes solo. Please pray for me.

God is high above all the nations and is not tied to any culture. We praise God that even those we Americans are in Trinidad, God is with us as well.

We’ll keep you posted.

Invisible Bed Fence (Rhett and Link)

I Need One of These for our Missions Trip

Blogging from Trinidad Next Week

I and four other men from our church will be in Trinidad & Tobago this coming week, so I will be postponing the Expository Preaching series and will blog daily from the field.  Keep these matters in prayer:

• Traveling mercy as we travel from Lexington to Atlanta to Port of Spain;
• Construction work we shall do at the Mt. Beulah Evangelical Baptist Church in Point Fortin;
• The Marriage Conference I will conduct on January 26-27 at the First Baptist Church of San Fernando;
• That we would be a faithful witness on the airplanes, in the airports, at in Trinidad.

Last Call to Help with Books for Trinidadian Pastors

Thanks to all of you who have gone to our Amazon.com Wishlist for Trinidadian Pastors.  We will close the wishlist tomorrow.  Since we leave on the 22nd, we want to give the books plenty of time to arrive so they may be packed and distributed.

I have left only eight books on the wishlist — all of them dealing with marriage and family issues.  Since a marriage conference will be held, these books would be very helpful to these Trinidadian families as well.  Please consider helping.  January 9th (my dad’s 73rd birthday) will be the final day.

Thanks again!!!

Prayer Needed for D. James Kennedy and Albert Mohler

Having arrived back from North Carolina and seeing my dad come home in good shape (praise God!), I was alerted to the news of two men who are giant defenders of the faith in the evangelical world in the hospital.

Rick Phillips at theReformation 21 blog asks for prayer for Dr. D. James Kennedy.

Please pray for Dr. D. James Kennedy, his wife and daughter, and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Dr. Kennedy is in grave condition following a heart attack last evening.Jim’s health has deteriorated markedly in the last several months, and he has manfully continued his ministry to the best of his ability. During all my interactions with him even during this trying time, he has exhibited his characteristic good cheer, charm, and force of mind. Along with being a man with great vision for the kingdom of Christ, Jim Kennedy is a true Christian gentleman. Please pray for God to restore him to full health and give him grace as his situation should require.

(HT: Tim Challies)

And from Albert Mohler’s blog (Dr. Mohler serves as President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, we read the following:

Dr. Albert Mohler is recovering at Louisville’s Baptist East hospital following abdominal surgery. Dr. Mohler was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday after experiencing abdominal pain. During a three-hour procedure, surgeons removed scar tissue from a 1980s operation. Dr. Mohler is expected to be released from the hospital next week and will continue his recovery at home. Dr. Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology and Senior VP for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, will host The Albert Mohler radio program until he is able to return to the air. Dr. Mohler’s blog and commentary posts will resume as soon as he is able. Please join the Southern Seminary community in praying for Dr. Mohler’s quick and total recovery.

Please join us as we continue to pray for them and their ministries.

I’ve Been Tagged

Andrew Rigg of Moved Mountains blog has tagged me. The rules are that I get to tell you five things about me and then I get to tag five more people! Here goes:

(1) God sovereignly saved me in July 1982 — about eight months after my father came to Christ at the age of 47. God used that to really turn my heart toward His grace.

(2) I married a woman custom-made for me (Cindy) who has given me four wonderful children. We celebrated eight years of marriage last August.

(3) I am in love with the peoples of Trinidad & Tobago.

(4) I pastor the Boone’s Creek Baptist Church in Lexington and have since September 2003.

(5) I love watching the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL teams, the Florida Marlins MLB team, the Orlando Magic NBA team.

And now…

Here are the five people I tag:

Cameron Potts of the Bring It blog;

Derick Dickens , moderator of the Reformed Pastors Network;

Mark Combs, soon-to-be pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Salem, KY and co-moderator of Reformation Underground;

Rick Mansfield of This Lamp; and

John Divito of The Reformed Baptist Thinker.

Tag!

I’ve Been Tagged

Andrew Rigg of Moved Mountains blog has tagged me. The rules are that I get to tell you five things about me and then I get to tag five more people! Here goes:

(1) God sovereignly saved me in July 1982 — about eight months after my father came to Christ at the age of 47. God used that to really turn my heart toward His grace.

(2) I married a woman custom-made for me (Cindy) who has given me four wonderful children. We celebrated eight years of marriage last August.

(3) I am in love with the peoples of Trinidad & Tobago.

(4) I pastor the Boone’s Creek Baptist Church in Lexington and have since September 2003.

(5) I love watching the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL teams, the Florida Marlins MLB team, the Orlando Magic NBA team.

And now…

Here are the five people I tag:

Cameron Potts of the Bring It blog;

Derick Dickens , moderator of the Reformed Pastors Network;

Mark Combs, soon-to-be pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Salem, KY and co-moderator of Reformation Underground;

Rick Mansfield of This Lamp; and

John Divito of The Reformed Baptist Thinker.

Tag!

Visualizing One-Year Bible Reading Plans (ESV Blog)

The ESV Blog helps you visualize the one-year Bible reading plans — a helpful device, since there are so many plans to choose from.  Click here to take a look as you prepare to read through the Scriptures in 2007.

The Evangelism Linebacker “Tackles” Christmas!

The Evangelism Linebacker “Tackles” Christmas!

Evangelism Linebacker

Yes, it’s a takeoff on Reebok’s “Terry Tate, Linebacker” — but it’s still good!

Separated at Birth (Lloyd Carr and John Kerry)

Lloyd Carr:  Head Coach, University of Michigan football squad

John Kerry:  Democrat Senator from Massachusetts; Presidential candidate, 2004

I Don’t Remember Pearl Harbor — But I Will Remember

Thirty years before I was born, a travesty happened to propel us into the Second World War — that travesty was the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor.  This attack galvanized a generation to stand up and fight for the freedoms of our country.  I don’t remember the event of Pearl Harbor, but I will remember her lessons!

I Don’t Remember Pearl Harbor — But I Will Remember

Thirty years before I was born, a travesty happened to propel us into the Second World War — that travesty was the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor.  This attack galvanized a generation to stand up and fight for the freedoms of our country.  I don’t remember the event of Pearl Harbor, but I will remember her lessons!

Happy 86th birthday, Dave Brubeck

Today is the 86th birthday of my favorite jazz artist, Dave Brubeck.  A gifted composer, he and his quartet with the incomparable Paul Desmond on alto sax, Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums took jazz to a new level.  The Dave Brubeck Quartet achieved massive popularity all the while remaining artistically innovative.

The DBQ played the US through the 1950s and 1960s.  Although some concerts in the South during that time chose not to host their concerts even at the height of their popularity (they took issue with their band being integrated), they achieved popularity with their first big “hit” album, “Time Out.”  What made this achievement so astounding is that most of the songs were in asymmetrical rhythms.  Jazz up until that time stayed in the 2/4 or 4/4 time signatures, giving it a swing feel.  Brubeck’s “Take Five,” his most popular composition to date, was in 5/4.  “Blue Rondo A la Turk” started out in 9/8 with a 2+2+2+3 grouping — not the typical symmetrical rhythms found in regular radio play.

Brubeck is still composing on Columbia Records.  You can look at some of his works at http://www.dave-brubeck.com.

Here is a picture of Dave Brubeck in 2005 at his 85th birthday bash!

Praying for Your Pastor

Justin Taylor in his blog has posted an excellent quote from a book by Kent and Barbara Hughes called Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome. I had to reproduce it here. (HT: Mark Combs).

Every pastor knows that the strength of the ministry rests on prayer, and that it is those faithful souls who pray regularly for him and the church who bring God’s special blessing upon the ministry. This fact invites a marvelous “what if” scenario. What if not just a few but the entire leadership and congregation prayed in detail every day for the pastor and their church? What would happen to his heart, to his preaching, to worship, to evangelism, to missions? Can there be any doubt that the minister and his people would know greater enablement than ever before in their lives?

Prayer is where the congregation must begin in this whole matter of encouragement. Will you make a personal commitment to encourage your pastor by daily prayer for him and his work? If so, we leave you with this suggestive outline, from which you can draw your own prayer list.

Pray that he will be a true success: that he will be faithful, true to God’s Word and hardworking; that he will be a servant, following the example of our foot-washing Lord; that he will love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength; that he will truly believe what he believes about Christ; that he will lead a holy life, and not succumb to the sensuality of our culture; that he will lead a life of deep prayer, following Jesus’ example; that he will have a positive attitude free from jealousy.

Pray for his ministry–for his preaching, for time to prepare, for understanding the Word, for application, for the power of the Holy Spirit in delivery, for Sunday’s services, for his leadership, for immediate problems he is facing.

Pray for his marriage–for time for each other, for communication, for a deepening love, for fidelity.

Pray for his children by name. Perhaps you might ask the pastor or his wife how they would like you to pray for their children.

Mohler-McLaughlin Sessions

Dr. Mohler and Mr. McLaughlin engaged in some serious issues.

Take Heed How You Hear: Ten Practical Preparations for Hearing the Word of God on Sunday Morning (John Piper)

Click here to read this excellent devotional. May we heed this as we prepare for Sunday morning.

Update on Dad (11.30.06)

I wanted to give you an update on my Dad’s recuperation from his injuries (click here if you are not aware of what happened).

When my family and I went to see him over Thanksgiving, he looked great! He possessed a very positive attitude and his mind was as sharp as ever. He is learning how to walk with a walker, and Mom told me he took 35 steps today. He has set for him a release date of December 22nd — Holly’s birthday. The way he’s moving, I know he’ll do it!

God kept Dad around for a reason. If nothing else, Dad seems to be playing the part of George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He now realizes how truly rich he is with his family and his church and that he helps all of us have a wonderful life as well. Our goal is to make these years that God has left for him happy years. Dad has worked so hard his whole life to provide for us, it’s time now that we as his family take care of him.

So life on that front is looking much, much better. Thank you for your prayers. Keep them coming!

Go From Grieving to Gladdening the Holy Spirit

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

While this verse likely connects with verse 30, it truly can connect with all of these already mentioned — our sin and our unrighteousness grieves the Holy Spirit. And with this we see that all those critics who say that the Holy Spirit is a force or simply a source of energy must deal with the fact that the Holy Spirit grieves and weeps thus demonstrating his personhood. When we see wicked behavior and sinfulness in others, it is difficult, but when we see our children engaged in this, it cuts right to our hearts.

If you look back at verse 27, you see the connection there as well. If you grieve the Holy Spirit of God, you give the devil a foothold. Yet, we are not to grieve but to gladden the Spirit of God — why? — because we “were sealed by Him for the day of redemption.” Ephes. 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The seal is his personal mark of ownership — his seal of approval, if you will. John MacArthur notes:

How can we grieve the One who is our Helper, Comforter, Teacher, Advocate, Divine Resident of our hearts, and guarantor of our eternal redemption? How can we ungraciously grieve God’s infinitely gracious Holy Spirit? He has done so much for us that, out of gratitude, we ought not to grieve Him (Ephesians, 189).

Did you notice that every one of these issues deals with human relationships? And do you see how they can tear down unity and fellowship even among believers? Bitterness and anger are like piranhas in the Amazon that can debone a horse in thirty seconds — anger does the same thing.

St. Francis of Assisi penned a prayer that has brought comfort and motivation to millions throughout church history:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying [to ourselves] that we are born to eternal life.

Keep At Your Work

The Lord has given to every man his work. It is his business to do it, and the devil’s business to hinder him, if he can. So sure as God has given you a work to do, Satan will try to hinder you. He may present other things more promising. He may allure you by worldly prospects, he may assault you with slander, torment you with false accusations, set you to work defending your character, employ pious persons to lie about you, editors to assail you, and excellent men to slander you. You man have Pilate and Herod, Ananias and Ciaphas all convinced against you, and Judas standing by you, ready to sell you for thirty pieces of silver; and you may wonder why all those things come upon you. Can you not see that the whole thing is brought about through the craf! t of the devil? To draw you off from your work and hinder your obedience to God?Keep about your work. Do not flinch because the lion roars; do not stop to stone the devil’s dogs; do not fool away your time chasing the