David Tarkington

"Semper Fi" - Always Faithful. . .Everywhere

I enjoyed lunch with a couple of good friends today. Ricky Powell, Pastor of Fort Caroline Baptist Church and I met with Clint Clifton, church planter and Founding Pastor of Pillar Church in Virginia. 

I have known Clint for years. He served as Worship Leader for Church at the Island years ago and then, when on a short-term mission project in Virginia, we reacquainted. It has been good to see how God has used Clint and the ministries of Pillar Church to not only fulfill the Great Commission through individual connections, but through church planting.

Most recently, God has led Clint and Pillar Church to seek to establish new churches at every United States Marine Corps base in the world. The strategy to place new Pillar Churches near these bases will allow for greater ministry and connectivity. 

God is calling men from Pillar near Quantico to go out and plant churches near every USMC base. This is the Great Commission at work.

The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis. Latin for "always faithful," Semper Fidelis became the Marine Corps motto in 1883. It guides Marines to remain faithful to the mission at hand, to each other, to the Corps and to country, no matter what.

Becoming a Marine is a transformation that cannot be undone, andSemper Fi reminds Marines of that. Once made, a Marine will forever live by the ethics and values of the Corps. There is no such thing as an ex-Marine.

As children of God, we too are called to be always faithful. We are to be faithful to God and the calling which He has given us. The Great Commission instructs us to make disciples, baptize and teach as we go throughout our daily lives. There is no such thing as an ex-Christian.

Pillar Church has been strategically placed to impact Marines and their families in ways that go beyond the temporary. 

The Marine Corps was founded by Congress in 1775. In honor of this date, we are being challenged to join the effort to place a church (yes, it's a Southern Baptist Church) at each Marine Corps base in the world. Our challenge is to donate, just one time, a total amount of $1775.00 toward the effort. We will not make this donation from our church budget, but are challenging the membership of First Baptist Church to join this church planting and Great Commission effort to reach Marines and their families. We hope to have at least $1775.00 to donate toward the Praetorian Project by Memorial Day this year (May 28, 2012.) You can donate through First Baptist Church online or by designating a gift toward "Praetorian Project" or "Marine Churches" with your regular tithes and offerings.

Semper Fi!

Watch below to learn more:

The Praetorian Project from Pillar Church on Vimeo.

(Oh, and what does this mean for Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard bases and stations? Perhaps, that's the next chapter of the Praetorian Project that we are called to spearhead?)

Jesus' View On Evangelism & Leadership

 

1-01 Thesis Statement

 

Yesterday, I preached from the 13th chapter of John's Gospel. This is a very poignant portion of the Gospel narrative. Jesus has entered Jerusalem for the final time before the crucifixion. He knows this. The disciples have not yet come to understand that this would be their final gathering before the world changing event of the cross.

It is in this part of the narrative that John writes a statement that I believe could be the thesis for all that remains.

John 13:1(ESV)
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 

 

In this verse, we are reminded that Jesus was Jewish. While not an earth-shattering revelation for most, there is significance in this. For centuries it seems that the "Jewish-ness" of Jesus has been either ignored or downplayed by many in the church. To disavow Jesus' heritage is to miss a major portion of the Gospel and truth. Why have so many tried to disavow the Hebrew heritage? Racism perhaps? I'm sure. However, I also believe it is because we (and I mean people througout history and today) tend to want to have a "Jesus" who looks like us. I wrote of this in a previous blog related to the book Imaginary Jesus here.

 

In addition to affirming Jesus' Jewish heritage and affirmation of pure and undefiled religion, John 13:1 also reminds us that he was fully aware and in control of the situation at hand. He had been born to die. For 33 years he walked the earth. For 3 years he taught, healed, performed miracles and revealed what "pure and undefiled religion" was to be. The hour was at hand and the great purpose and love of Christ was revealed.

This verse is deep. It tells of religion, purpose and focus, relationship, the Father's glory, the love of God's children and the eternal aspect of an intimate, agape love relationship with God.

From this verse, the passage tells of Jesus' last meal with his followers. In this section of Scripture, Jesus gives His clear evangelistic strategy. He kneels down, wraps a towel around himself and begins to wash the disciples' feet. This very humble action, played out before His followers, was a sermon. It was a message of clarity for those who choose to become Christ-followers. Jesus clearly stated that in order to follow Him, one must recognize that he/she submits to Him and will follow His lead.

The fully devoted follower of Christ will therefore seek and embrace a heart of service. This is love.

John 13:20(ESV)
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

In other words, Jesus is saying to His close followers in the room, and to us through the Word of God. . .

“Listen to me. When I send you out in my name, under my authority, with the Word, you represent me. This is not frivolous. This is powerful. There are expectations. There are things you are to do and things you are to never do. This is not about works, this is about representing me clearly. You represent me so clearly to the world that if people receive you, they receive me and my message. If they welcome me, they welcome the Father. If they receive the Father, they become His child.”

This is Jesus' evangelism and leadership strategy. This strategy is about not just memorizing some Scripture, marrying marketing strategy with the Bible and going door-to-door asking a "key question." The plan isn't for believers to discover the latest leadership technique and then package it with Christian terminology so that we can be better "leaders" among our peers. It is about fully embracing what it means to follow Christ, glorify the Father and serve in His name.

This is about living life fully devoted and focused on Christ. It's about being His representative, or ambassador, to a lost, dying and separated from God and life world.  

 

How to Take a Mission Trip and Not Make the Missionary Wish You'd Leave

At First Baptist Church we participate in short-term mission projects regularly. In fact, at this writing, we have teams preparing to serve in Alaska, Arizona, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Iowa and Spain. Other short-term journey will likely be scheduled in the near future to places like China, Wales, Oregon and North Carolina. Most likely, there will be places we send teams that haven't even crossed our minds yet.

Short-term mission trips can be very productive and helpful to missionaries in the field. The teams coming in to visit often bring needed resources with them such as clothing, teaching tools, books, games, etc. The teams also brnig manpower. However, the mission team can also become a bit of a burden.

 

I have been talking to some of our missionaries and sponsored church planters over the past year or so about these teams. Having served and led teams myself, I believe we must be very intentional and strategic. Here are some things that come to mind regarding mission teams that should be taken into consideration in order to avoid being the team that is most appreciated when the trip is over.

 

In other words, here are some pointers to avoid being "that team."

• Don't take over the mission. In most cases, the missionary or church planter has been in the field for some time. He has already scoped the community and is beginning to develop and has developed friendships and relationships. Don't show up with a "new idea" of how things should be done. 
• Don't come with an agenda. If your goal is to be able to go home to your church with a report on how many souls were saved on your ten day mission trip, you will most likely miss the point of the trip and be focused on padding your scorecard for the folks back home.
• Don't be the "ugly American." This not only applies to international trips, but could also apply to other areas of the United States where the religous and political makeup is different than your home. The reality is that the term "ugly American" was coined because some Americans really deserved it. Unfortunately, many tourists often affirm the title. Oh, and stop being so loud. Apparently, Americans are very loud. Settle down.
• Don't come with a plan to help the believers in the mission area learn how to "do church" like you do back home. We had one team that visited Australia years ago. While partnering with pastors there, they worshiped with a local congregation. This local, Baptist congregation was observing the Lord's Supper and like just about everywhere else in the world other than the United States, they used real wine. One of our team members shared how she let them know how wrong that was. We have not been back.
• Don't arrive in the field without knowing something about the culture. You cannot fully understand the culture until boots are on the ground (and in just ten days, you can only get a taste) but effort should be made before the trip to understand some about the culture (i.e. language, political issues, needs, views of evangelical Christianity, etc.) On my recent journey to Wales, my friends in country reminded me how many Americans believe Wales and England are the same. FYI - that's a pretty offensive statement to a Welshman, and probably to an Englishman as well. If you cannot comprehend why that's a big deal, just think about calling a good ole boy from Georgia a Yankee. Get the idea?
• Be prepared spiritually. This is vital. The Enemy will do everything to keep you busy, anxious and worried before a trip. Meet with your teammates. Read a book together. Pray together. Pray alone. Be spiritually ready for the trip. There will be challenges. The mission is too important to view it as nothing more than a "Jesus vacation."
• Journal and take pictures. While on the trip, journal your experiences. Take lots of pictures. You will want to remember what God is doing. We are forgetful. Photos and journal entries can take us back to spiritual highlights (and lowlights - all are beneficial.)
• Don't use the word missionary or mission trip while in the field. In most cases, especially internationally, these terms are frowned upon. Check with your missionary/church planter to learn what terms should be used. I heard of one student pastor who was trying to enter a Eurpoean country with his students. He was asked by customs in the airport what he would be doing. He answered "mission work." Since he did not have a "work visa" he was banned from entering the country, and has been placed on a banned entry list. He was subsequently sent home.
• Don't upload photos to Facebook or Tweet about details of the mission unless you get approval from the missionary/church planter. You can undo years of work with one careless Tweet. 
• Remember that you are the visitors. For instance, about ten years ago I led a team of teenagers on a mission trip to the Middle East. One of our students deplaned and while in the airport stated "Wow! Look at all these foreigners." I had to inform him that we were the foreigners.
• Stop asking if you'll have time to get some souvenirs. Schedule the time. Put it on the agenda. Let everyone on the team know when it will be. Otherwise, you'll end up with at least one team member whose sole purpose is to buy everyone back home some authentic (usually made in China) item from the area you are visiting. I remember a team member about twelve years ago on a trip that was driving us crazy because of the desire to get a "souvenir." We couldn't focus on the work because we were always looking for that perfect piece of junk with the name of country plastered on it. Is it a sin that I hoped her stuff would be taxed greatly at the airport? I repent.
• Don't make the missionary or church planter feel that he/she has to keep you busy. I believe that most all missionaries and church planters truly love when teams visit. However, these have to be stressful occasions. Groups arrive and schedules have to be coordinated. Then, the teams are ready to work. It's almost as if the missionary or church planter has to plan a week of camp for the team to keep them busy all the time. While some events can be scheduled that will utilize the manpower, sometimes things are scheduled for the sole purpose of keeping the teams busy. This is a waste and the mission team needs to relieve the missionary or church planter from this wasteful expectation.
• Be culturally contextual. Know the culture. This is difficult because we all live in a culture that is very regional. Beyond that, we all live within sub-cultures, mostly defined by our church. Listen to the missionary or church planter. Be a helper and encourager. I heard of a mission team member who visited another country recently. He had systematically placed stickers with a dated American evangelistic phrase printed upon them all throughout the area. The problem is that even in America, the stickers are dated. In the nation where these stickers were plastered, the native language is not English. So not only were the stickers out-dated and cheesy. . .they weren't even in the language of the people.
• Leave your evangelistic strategy at home. This one comes with a caveat. There are times when the missionary or church planter will instruct you to come prepared and trained in a certain strategy. In these cases, by all means, bring the resources and come prepared. However, in many cases the pre-published, memorized "key question" strategies of sharing Christ are not the most effective. One of my missionary friends serving in a post-Christian culture told me that new strategies are being developed in these cultures and while the Holy Spirit can definitely draw people to God through the tried and true questions and tracts, they are very, very ineffective. Listen to your missionary/church planter contact. Seek and observe their wisdom.
• Know your purpose clearly. Everyone on a misson team has expectations. If the team leader does not clearly understand and articulate what the purpose of the trip is, some on the team will be frustrated (and will consequently frustrate the rest of the team.) Each trip should have a purpose. It may be construction, community outreach, prayerwalking, etc. Regardless, know what it is and remind the team members. Otherwise other plans will be written in the minds of the participants and the Enemy will use this to affect the team and trip negatively.
• Have fun. Seriously. Take some time to enjoy the people and the area. This is all about attitude. Rest. It's OK. Stay focused. Do what is needed, but have fun.
• Be encouraging. Pray for and encourage the missionary/church planter. Serve them. You'll be leaving in a few days but he/she is still on the field. Make sure your time with them is one that will refresh them, not wear them out. Pray for and connect with them once back home as well. Don't bug them, but, depending upon the area they are serving, connect via social media or email and please, please pray for them. You will remain part of the mission this way.

I'm sure there are many other tips. 

I believe in short-term trips. However, I believe the trips should be designed to encourage and assist those in the field. If trips end up being about the trips and not the bigger mission, stop going. Don't be "that team."

The Longer You're Here, the Less You See

As I continue to think about and discuss our community with others, some things begin to grow more and more clear. At lunch today, I was meeting with a friend and missional strategist from Lakeland (and soon to be Jacksonville resident.) In our discussions about churches really knowing how to reach the people within their communities, the talk of contextualization emerged.

I shared how recently on my trip to Great Britain, we (the team that was visiting the region) participated in some "narrative mapping" which basically placed us within a town or community for the purpose of discovering more about the people who call the area home and what motivates them and/or challenges them. It was simply a time to talk to, engage and relate with people.

This was actually an enjoyable outing, unlike other "get to know your community" outings that I have been on under the guise of "evangelistic outreach." In most of the traditional outings, we have been sent out with an agenda focused on getting to a point where you can ask a question such as "If you were to die tonight, why should God let you into heaven?" or "In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven?" While these aren't necessarily bad questions, and in fact, numerous people have been introduced to Christ through an introductory question such as these, the discomfort level rises exponentially when reciting such a question.

I know I will get negative feedback because I said that, but nevertheless it is true.

Sometimes, in the past, we would go out into our community taking "spiritual surveys." (By the way, avoid Christians with clipboards.) I remember doing this here years ago. My frustration was that we were taking surveys for the sole purpose of getting people to a point where we could "ask the question." In other words, we didn't care about the surveys. We did nothing with the survey data. It felt wrong. It felt like a poor marketing "bait and switch." I believe it's unethical.

Oh some will say it's OK because it leads to an evangelistic moment.

Really?

Is that our role, to create evangelistic moments? Is our purpose to create "divine appointments?" Seems to me this leaves the Holy Spirit out of the equation. Perhaps this is what has led to evangelistic scorecards and bloated church membership numbers. . .and anemic church attenders and burned out members.

Could this be why people grimace when the next, great evangelism strategy or program is introduced?

At some point we have to come to grips with the fact that evangelism is vital and commanded yet is always relational. Jesus modeled this. Whether it was his discussion on being "born again" with the religious leader Nicodemus or the down-to-earth discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus always spoke relationally and connected at the heart level.

Why?

Because he truly cared about people.

The narrative mapping endeavor led us to discover the people of Great Britain we were staying near. Yet, throughout this project, I could not help but think about Orange Park, my community. Did I really know the community I have called home for the last 18 years? 

Where is the "third place?" 

What do people in our community really value?

What do people enjoy doing?

The thing is, I think I know the answer to these questions, but in reality, I probably don't. Why? Because the longer you're in a community, the less you see. As I drive from home to church, to my children's school or even to local restaurants, over time I only see what I view as important. I only see what I want to see. Things can change in the community and I may not notice immediately. This is especially true if changes are subtle and slowly done over time.

People groups change.

Demographics change.

Yet, this remains the mission field to which we are called.

Even those who have been in Orange Park or the surrounding areas for decades need a fresh look.

While in seminary on of our professors has us take a video camera to our church and video tape the facilities. It was pretty simple. We just videoed as we were walking into the building, into classrooms, into the restroom (with no one in there,) and even the parking lot and worship area. Then, we watched the video with the staff from the church. It's amazing how many things show up on video that we never notice.

The mirror on the wall of the men's room was cracked. It had been that way for years, but I had never noticed. There was a stack of old curriculum in the corner of one of the Sunday school rooms. There were cobwebs in the corners of some rooms. A carpet stain in the worship center was very visible. There were others.

What was the point?

The point was that when things are so familiar to us, we fail to see the details. Needless to say, most of these things were cleaned up and repaired. 

The mission field that God has planted us (and all churches) changes over time. Some churches remain aware. Some do not. There are churches in fast growing areas in our county that are closing their doors because they refused to see what God was doing around them. They missed the missional opportunity.

I was challenged to take a fresh look at our mission field. 

I need to see our mission field with new eyes. Otherwise, I will be prayerfully planning to reach a community that existed 18 years ago. No wonder so many churches feel behind the times.

More on this later.

Remember. God So Loved. . .

This morning we took the time to celebrate and remember all that God has done for us. We observed the ordinance of the Lord's Supper today and we did not want it to be routine or just an "add on" to an otherwise full service.

Before taking the elements of bread and juice, we watched a brief clip from the Czech movie "Most" (re-titled "The Bridge" in some countries.) The film was made in 2003 and re-tells the famous story of the bridge tender who had a terrible decision to make. How sweet to slow down, think, and thank God for the great sacrifice He made to bring us to Himself.

I have attached a longer, fuller video here. It is from the same film, but shows more of the story.

It's a story of sacrifice, of obliviousness by some, salvation for others. It is a great reminder of the sacrifice of a Son given for each of us.

Take a moment, even if you watched the clip this morning in church, and view the clip attached. The "rest of the story" is worth the time.

After a time of personal reflection and prayer, we then distributed the bread and juice to all believers and together celebrated and remembered all that Christ has done for us.

May we never forget (and oh, we, like those in the Bible are a forgetful people.) 

To God be the glory!

Sometimes the Church Keeps People From Coming to Christ

We have all heard pastors tell these types of stories. Many times they come across as one of those "preacher stories" that may have been embelished to make it more powerful. Unfortunately, most of these types of stories are true (and actually, since pastors are telling them, they should always be true, otherwise, the integrity of the speaker is harmed.)

Nevertheless, I was told of a troubling instance this week that occurred in a local church.

It seems that a family had been asking their new neighbors to come visit their church. That's the Christian thing to do, right? We talk about this relational evangelistic effort all the time. In this case, the new neighbors decided to give the church a try. They woke early on Sunday morning, made their way to the church in time for the worship service. They came into the worship center and found a seat.

It wasn't long before a man came to them. They expected him to introduce himself and welcome them to the church. However, in this case, the man immediately told them they were in "his seat."

So, the couple arose and went to another seat.

It wasn't long before another person came to them.

Yep, you guessed it. The same thing happened. They were once again told they were in someone's seat.

Nevertheless, the family found another seat. They stayed through the service. However, they made it clear to their neighbors they would never again attend this church.

I heard this story and just couldn't believe it. 

What makes this story so terrible is that it is true.

What even worse is that this happened at my church, First Baptist Church of Orange Park, within the last month or so.

I don't know if the family that visited would be reading my blog, but if so, please accept my apology. There is no excuse for this and I am deeply sorry. 

I pray that this family will either come back to First Baptist again or at least find another church in our area that preaches the gospel and lives it out where they can worship in and serve regularly. I don't know if this family knows Christ personally. I shudder to think that a barrier to hearing the Gospel has been built now. Nevertheless, I trust God in His sovereignty to continue to draw these and others to himself. I just never want to become a barrier to Gospel.

I fully realize that the church member (and I have no idea who it was) may read this post. Please understand that I love you in Christ, but your actions that day were so blatantly and terribly wrong. You may have some nice reasons or excuses for saying such a thing, but the fact of the matter is that these excuses do not hold water. I am not trying to embarrass you and I get that by "calling you out" (recognizing that I will never know who you are unless you let me know) may anger you. That's OK. As my mother-in-law says "You can just get glad in the same pants you got mad in." :-) 

Unfortunately, this type of self-centeredness is not rare. In fact, all of us, and I mean all of US (that includes me) - even good, mission-minded, missional-living, Great Commission-focused believers can easily slide into a "me-first" religious mentality.

We cannot say we love Jesus and others in His name, while at the same time living like the church was created for us. If His name is to be glorified, it is to be glorified in all areas of our lives. . .even church.

I fully acknowledge that the vast majority of members and attenders at First Baptist would never say or do such a thing as described above. I know this because I see how God is working and transforming lives. I see how we, as a church body, have willingly set aside our own desires and preferences to better reach this community. I know this because of the audible gasp that was heard when one of our deacons shared this story.

Oh, by the way, this Sunday we will be observing the Lord's Supper. It's a time for remembering what Christ has done for us through his death and sacrifice on the cross. If you come into the building and someone is sitting where you normally do, introduce yourself and shake their hand. . .then go find somewhere else to sit. Otherwise, if you move people out of "your" seat, you have most likely just disqualified yourself from partaking of the Lord's Supper this day.

Should Christians Be Involved In The Social Justice Movement?

Over the past decade or so an increase, especially among younger believers, in what is known as "justice ministry" has occured. To some, this emphasis is alarming. To others, it's something that has been ignored for far too long. As more and more legitimate ministries are advocating for the oppressed and poor, the question of where social justice and the ever popular "social gospel" fits in the biblical narrative and our world today has come to the forefront.

The fear that many evangelical Christians have of "justice" ministry is that traditionally, this has been the rallying cry of liberal theologians and even atheistic leaders. Though Wikipedia is not necessarily the best reference site for terms, in this case, they offer a pretty good working definition of social justice.

Social justice is also a concept that some use to describe the movement towards a socially just world. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution. These policies aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as more equality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies, and to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system.

The word that sticks out in this definition, and is celebrated by many in the world is "egalitarianism." Where issues arise, and blatantly political fodder is developed, is when the term is partnered with "income redistribution," "property redistribution," and "equality of outcome." (www.gotquestions.org)

Those terms are often used in election cycles, and not in positive ways. In fact, it is the egalitarian push that Marx and others have used to justify socialism and communism, especially when referencing an ecomonic outcome. Though some say the actions of the early church as outlined in the Book of Acts affirms a communistic belief system, this is not the case.

Since the social justice or social gospel movements in our culture seemingly have their roots in liberal, social (even socialist) movements, conservative evangelical Christians have often distanced ourselves from such things. By distancing ourselves from this concept of social justice, we have allowed the world to define what it means and have missed out on a vital aspect of the Gospel.

The Bible is clear in both the Old and New Testaments that God is a God of justice. In Deuteronomy we are reminded that this is the case. The Psalms remind us that he cares for the fatherless and in fact will be "Father for the fatherless." We are to minister to the widows and orphans in our churches and communities. Jesus reminds us in his Olivet discourse that we are to love the "least of these" and serve them in His name. 

Therefore, it is blatantly obvious throughout Scripture, that even though the poor will always be with us, we are to love others as God loved us and serve in His name. It is this "serving in His name" that  becomes the great challenge.

The fact is that the world's definition and the Christian's definition of social justice are very different. The world's response to injustice (such as poverty, hunger, slavery, etc.)  is to have the government or an agency advocate care and service to the least in the world in a communal way with a very humanistic outcome desired. While many non-believers advocate for injustices and have raised funds and awareness on a global scale, without a gospel-centric motivation, the "good" works done will remain temporal.

The command to serve the least of these in Christ's name, as stated in Scripture is not given to a government entity or angency, but is given to the church. The church, not a building or denomination or religious agency, but the individual children of God are the ones who have received the instruction and commands to serve the least of these in the name of Jesus.

In other words, I, as a child of God, cannot rightfully ignore the least of these in this world. Ignorance is no excuse. Neither can I use the reasoning that "I gave some money to the church, so that's all I need to do. They'll help the least of these." There is no "they." As believers, it is "we" which begins with "me."

The great commandment, as given to us by Christ, is to love the Lord will all our heart, soul, mind and spirit and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Of course, Jesus then explains who our neighbors are.

So, in the midst of a resurgence of evangelical social justice ministry, it must be remembered that the command is to the individual child of God. When we, as individuals live out the gospel, then the world is changed and God's name is glorified.

Is it valid to be involved in social justice ministries or projects that exist only to advocate for the poor, needy and helpless? The simple answer is "NO." This would be a slide into a "Hands Only" (see this posting for definition) form of ministry. That moves us into a mode no better than the Red Cross or other service agencies. While these entities do some good, they are not gospel-centric and for a church to simply replicate the world's good deed ambassadors is to ignore the gospel. In these cases, God's name is not being glorified.

It is also true that to simply study, read, and think on the things of God without any action is just as useless. Remember, faith without works is dead.

Some argue that feeding the hungry, clothing the homeless or advocating for the unborn or slaves, or any other oppressed group is invalid unless you also share the message of Christ. I do agree with this, however, to believe that giving a Gospel tract to a starving man is better than giving some bread to him is ludicrous. Have you ever tried eating a Gospel tract? The good news of the gospel is to be shared. Jesus is to be overtly proclaimed. The "least of these" are to know that it is all because of Jesus that we serve. Shouldn't our lives be the Gospel tract? Honestly, before printing presses and little gimmicky tracts were ever printed, how did people ever hear and understand the gospel? Through the love of God's children. That's how.

So, is it valid for believers to be involved in social justice causes? Yes, when it is a gospel-centric, God-centered approach that sees and proclaims Christ as Savior, bringing heaven to earth when He returns. This biblical view understands that at His return, He will restore all things and execute perfect justice. Until this time, we, as believers remain Christ's ambassadors to a lost and dying and evil world. We re to express God's love and justice by showing kindness, love and mercy to those who are the "least of these."

So Who Is This "Fully Devoted Follower of Christ?"

For years we have heard and used this phrase to describe the goal of every believer - "to become a fully devoted follower of Christ." It's not a bad phrase. In fact many churches have placed this phrase in their mission statements and core values as one of the goals of the church - to lead God's people to become a "fully devoted follower of Christ."

Here's the difficult question. "How do you know when you're there?"

Of course, the easy answer is "When you are in heaven." 

The danger of trying to determine if you are, or if you are leading others to become "fully devoted followers ofChrist" is that often that leads to arbitrary scorecards that grade behaviors and attendance. While behavior change is going to be evident in the life of a true believer, it is dangerous to use behavior only as the litmus test. 

We began to flesh this out yesterday in our ministery leadershipo meeting. While I'm not sure I fully have this figured out, it seems to me that there are three aspects of the true born again believer's life that must be addressed.

These three have to do with how a person thinks (Romans 12:2), loves (Luke 10:27), and acts (James 2:17). This isn't rocket science. Our thoughts, our heart and our actions reveal who we truly are and whose we truly are.

To connect better with my pastor friends, to alliterate this we could say that our HEAD, HEART & HANDS all show, working together how fully devoted we are to Christ.

So, being a visual learner, I drew a Venn Diagram on the board. First of all, I impressed myself that I remembered what a Venn Diagram was. Secondly, once I drew it, I saw how all three aspects of a believer's life intersect at a point where what we think, what we love and what we do all intersect. It is here, in the center of the diagram, I believe a good image of the "fully devoted follower" emerges.

Think of it this way. There are many who claim to love Jesus and just sit in their churches "thinking" of what ought to be done, normally by others. They know the Scripture. They've probably read through the Bible many times. They most likely are up to speed on all the latest Christian books on leadership, doctrine and how people should think. They, unfortunately, as some have said, become so "heavenly minded they are no earthly good." It's a corny statement, but you get the point, I'm sure.

There are also those who love Jesus and love the mission, or so they say. They just don't do anything about it. It's as if they're in love with the concept of love. Yet, they don't really love because they never act on it.

Then, there are the doers. These are the people who volunteer, serve others, work in the church and community for the good of others. The problem is that in their service, they have forgotten the point. They feed hungry people, clothe some, provide school supplies to needy children, or other such things, but they don't do so in "Jesus' name." 

While living in each of these circles would be considered "good" by the world's standards, and if you could slide into two circles at once, that would be awesome, to miss just one is to miss the gospel.

Think of it as a three legged stool. If one leg were missing, well you can't sit on that stool. It's a useless piece of furniture.

The fully devoted follower of Christ renews his/her mind, loves the Lord fully and serves Him and others in Jesus name. 

I'm not sure this is necessarily "grade-able" but as a personal checkpoint, it is very helpful for me.

Crowd or Congregation

01 Crowd or Congregation

Even though we live in a culture that runs from Jesus Christ whenever He's spoken of in a public forum, we still find it newsworthy when a "Jesus sighting" has taken place. Then, people will make pilgrimages to see the image of Christ. This is weird.

I found these images online of recent "Jesus sightings." For most, it's a stretch to see a face that looks like Jesus (and apparently, all these Jesus images look like actors who played Jesus in film or the Eurpoean Jesus as depicted in great works of art.)

Here are some that I referenced yesterday morning. . .

 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 Seriously? Jesus in a piece of candy or on a dirty sock? Some of these look more like E.T. or Charles Manson than Jesus (well, what we think Jesus looked like.)

Some of these items have sold at auction and on eBay for thousands of dollars. Amazing how people will line up to look at everyday objects with just the hope of seeing Jesus.

Desiring to see Jesus is not a bad thing. In fact, even in the Gospel, crowds would gather to see Jesus. Though most were just enamored with his "rock star" status and wanted to see him perform a miracle, there were some who truly came to him as disciples.

Yesterday's message covers the Gospel account of John 12, following the resurrection of Lazarus. The crowds are gathering and they're celebrating Jesus and proclaiming him King of Israel. Yet, even in this story we see the deep calling of Christ that will soon separate the crowd from the congregation. 

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. John 12:25-26 (ESV)

So, are you willing to do this? 

Are you satisfied with being in the crowd, or do you desire to be closer, to be part of His congregation?

"Passion" and the Cry for Freedom

There is a sub-culture within American (and global) evangelical Christianity. Actually, there are many, but this sub-culture is primarily made up of college students (and some older "hanger-ons".) To this group, when you say the word "Passion" they do not think immediately of a eros love, Valentine's Day, a really bad soap opera or even a film made by Mel Gibson. 

When this group hears the word Passion they think of the following:

• Louie Giglio
• 268 Generation
• Chris Tomlin
• Stadium events
• David Crowder Band
• Beth Moore
• John Piper
• Francis Chan
• Charlie Hall
• sixstepsrecords
• Kristian Stanfill
• Matt Redman
• Christy Nockels
• Choice Ministries (for us older guys)
• Atlanta
• OneDay

There are many more bullet points, but you get the idea.

Passion, also referred to as the 268 Generation (based on the verse Isaiah 26:8), was founded in 1997 by Louie Giglio and Jeff Lewis. I first met Louie (which he will not remember) while I was in seminary at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. I was working with a team of student pastors in planning a city-wide conference and rally. Louie was a friend of a friend and was asked to speak. He was in Waco at the time, I believe, leading a Bible study at Baylor University. As a group of student pastors, we rented out the Tarrant County (now Fort Worth)  Convention Center and raised funds to offer the concert and event free to all students in the area. This was some time around 1991. The event was called "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and featured some definitely early '90s artwork with neon colors on black T-shirts.

The event was good. We didn't pack the house, but the focus was right and God was honored as we gathered and our guests challenged the students to lived God-centered lives. 

Then, back in 1998 or 1999, I received a flyer in the mail here in Orange Park about a new conference being held in Texas for college students. This conference was called "Passion" and even though this was the third year of the event, it would be the biggest as they moved to the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth. I couldn't help but think back to the "Shake, Rattle and Roll" conference. No doubt, Passion would be bigger (and better.)

I did not have the opportunity to attend, but I purchased the message DVDs and the first CD as soon as they became available. It seemed to me that Louie was stepping into a huge story. God was leading him and others into a journey that would not find it's apex in conferences, but in the changed lives of those in attendance.

Over the years, we have sent students to Passion events. One of the greatest events was OneDay 2000 in Memphis, Tennessee. Our collegiate pastor at the time was my good friend, Lyle Bobo (now deceased.) He coordinated the trip and we partnered with San Jose Baptist in Jacksonville to take a bus load of students to Shelby Farms in Memphis for this gathering. Some called it the "Christian Woodstock."

The music and teaching to come through the Passion events has been incredible.

This past week, Passion reached a pinnacle. For the first time, someone from my family was able to attend. My daughter, Ashley, is a college freshman and she made the journey with others from our church to Atlanta for Passion 2012.

Much has been Tweeted and shared on Facebook about this event. The speakers and worship leaders were all incredible. There were some veterans of past Passion events as well as some new friends on stage. 

I have talked to a few parents of students who have attended and each expresses how their children were strongly impacted and talking about much of what was said and done. I was told, among many other things about Passion 2012, that it was "legit." To that I smiled and nodded. I'm pretty sure "legit" is a good thing.

This year's event was themed around freedom. Through their program titled "Do Something Now" students were challenged to give over $1 million toward efforts to eliminate slavery and sex trafficking throughout the world. I hear they tripled their goal. Amazing.

We (First Baptist Church of Orange Park) have partnered with Do Something Now in 2011 by giving to end sex slavery in India. This mission partnership through As Our Own has moved us as a church to a place that many feel is someone else's issue.

Gone are the days when we can simply go to church, sing some songs that make us feel good and fund programs for our own children. God is calling us to so much more.

I appreciate what Louie and Passion have done and are doing. Yet, like any conference, if the heart change and focus is only present while in the stadium event, can it really be called change? 

Our students, and thousands of others have led out to show the love and grace of God to those who have never known freedom. Galatians 5 speaks of this. We must stay focused.

I didn't attend the Passion Conference this year. I did watch some of it on the live feed. Nevertheless, the message of freedom and grace is not just for the 44,000 in the Georgia Dome. It is for all believers. For those who believe this is just another "social gospel" outpouring, rest assured, the gospel is all over this. This is the Great Commission fleshed out - to love God and love people. Loving people enough to introduce them to this great, grace-giving, freedom-offering God.

Oh, and if you're driving through Atlanta, take a stop over to the park near the Georgia Dome. You know, the one that has the statue of the Olympic gymnast (which, imho, is a weird statue) and see the new monument erected during Passion 2012. My daughter has already informed me that whenever we go through Atlanta, we have to stop to see this. She, as well as the other 43,999 students, placed items on the monument representing the cause. To understand better, watch this clip from CNN highlighting the event.

Looking Back Forces Us to Look Forward

When a year ends numerous lists are produced. The "best of" and "worst of" lists propagate the internet. We now all know everyone's opinions on the best movies, best celebrity weddings, most inspirational stories and worst plastic surgeries of 2011.

As I look back at 2011 I too can come up with some lists. Here are some FIRST BAPTIST BEST OF 2011 highlights (inb no particular order):

• Increased mission giving through the Global Mission Fund. Through the faithful giving of FBCOP members, we were able to give even more financial support to missions (Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, Maguire State Missions Offering, and local community missions.)
• Celebrating the graduation of Brandon Phillips from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
• Supporting church plants in Arizona (Legacy Church), Iowa (River City Church) and even here in Orange Park (Mission Church).
• A banner year for camps - Preteen, Junior High & Senior High
• Upward Sports offering full scholarships for all children at one of our local elementary schools. This was a one time gift from Caz McCaslin of Upward Sports and enabled us to engage more families for the Gospel through basketball & cheerleading in 2011.
• Rebirth and renewal of the Heart Matters Women's Ministry. This included hosting our first women's retreat in years.
• Battle Ready Men's Retreat. Last year's retreat has been affirmed by many attendees as the best yet. Looking forward to number ten, this year.
• Broader influence in missions. This is evident in our increated mission journeys in 2011 to places such as China, Honduras, Haiti, Cuba, Wales, and New Orleans.
• Numerous baptisms. Baptisms are a public profession of a personal response to Christ. We celebrate every one of these as a testimony to our great God.
• Saved marriages. I won't list the names here, but rest assured there were numerous couples on the verge of divorce who are prayerfully "working it out" even n0w. 
• Adoptions. Two of our pastors and their spouses adopted children this past year (the Rouse's and the Rodgers').
• Ryan Rouse's fifth anniversary as Student Pastor.
• Worship Ministry featured on First Coast News. This may seem like a small thing, but being able to boldly proclaim Christ in song on television is amazing, especially when it's on the local news and not on a pre-paid televised church service.
• Buying a car. We were able (actually without using any church funds at all, but through the donations of church members) to purchase a vehicle for a Green Cove Springs family of girls who had just lost their mother to murder. 
• Gifting ministries with thousands of dollars. We stepped into a place of stewardship we, as a church have never been before in 2011. By September, we found ourselves with a great surplus of money as compared to budget expenses. Rather than sit on it, we gave away over $50,000 to church plants, orphan-care ministries, and sex trafficking rescue ministries. 
• Paying off debt. In addition to giving away funds, we were able to pay off the loan on our church bus. What a relief!
• Increased staff. We have been blessed to be in a position to add ministry leaders to our staff. Kaytee, Kenzie, Jordan and Caleb have stepped in to serve in areas of great need.
• Intentionally Gospel-Centric Messages and Ministries. We've always been here, but it seems over the past six months we have sharpened the tip of this arrow. The Gospel is the center of God's story and we are unashamedly telling this story.

There are many more things that could be listed. Yet, even in a year where some incredibly awesome things have happened, there are some . . . well, we'll call them challenges. This may be the "WORST OF" list.

• Funerals. There were many. Some were the home-going celebrations of believers. Others weren't so celebratory. Yet, as Solomon says, it's good to go to a funeral every now and then. It's a great reminder of what life is really all about. It can be called good, but it's very difficult, especially for family members and loved ones. Yet, it's during these times God uses His church to bring comfort. First Baptist has done this and continues to.
• Broken marriages. Not all couples "work it out." This is heartbreaking. 
• Lost jobs. We saw a great increase of church members and community friends who have been suffering financially thi past year. We have numerous people every day come by the church office for a referral to the Orange Park Clothes Closet. This doesn't even count the church members who are struggling. Many we help (actually, we help all we can.) Others we cannot. Some never let us know. 
• Lies. Even with God moving greatly in our midst, some just cannot celebrate. They're bitter. They're angry and they create stories to support their feelings. Fortunately, there are more who are walking in the Light than these who are sliding into the darkness. However, every now and then, the lies are heard. Mostly they're about me. I get that. It comes with the territory. Praying for these who were previously respected as "good Christian men" to come back to the Light.
• Brandon Phillips leaving. I put Brandon's graduation on the "best of" list, and on this list only as a selfish issue. We truly are excited that Brandon and Jenna are serving on staff at FBC Ruidoso, New Mexico. It's just I hate to see anyone go. Yet, we sent him with our blessing and God is honored. So, even though this is on the "worst of" list, it could also be on the "best of" list.
• Baptisms. Even though we celebrate the baptisms symbolizing new life, I can't help but think that there are so many more in our community who have yet to hear the truth. I pray we are never satisfied with our "numbers" and continually share the truth of the Gospel to all we encounter.
• Hurt pastors. I'm not referencing the men serving here at First Baptist but a few of my peers who have been serving in "toxic fellowships." Some have had to resign. Some are contemplating getting out of ministry. They're broken. I believe God is desiring to use us as a healing station for these men. 

Looking back on 2011, whether good times or hard times, whether "best of" or "worst of" items, the reality is that for every bullet point (even those on the "worst of" list) we must say "TO GOD BE THE GLORY." 

We have not orchestrated any program or implemented any ministry strategy that does good. It is all God. As we look forward to what He will do in 2012, I pray that we will keep our focus, our perspective and our purpose clear. We are here to serve Him, to glorify Him, to celebrate Him. 

That should be our resolution, not for 2012, but for each day. 

Stay focused.

Jesus, the Great Disappointment

01 Jesus, the Great Disappointment

Have you ever been disappointed in someone? You know, they didn't respond or react the way you expected them to. It may have been a family member or co-worker or maybe a Christian friend. It could have been your pastor.

This sermon looks at a story in the gospel where Jesus did not respond how others expected him to. It caused some grief and hurt feelings and almost cost a friendship. 

This is the story of Lazarus' death and the intentional delay of Jesus when called to come help. 

Jesus made it clear that all that was happening was so that God would be glorified and others would believe. 

Jesus, seemingly the great disappointed did eventually arrive at Lazarus' home. Of course, it was too late. He had already died and his sisters, Mary and Martha let Jesus know how greatly disappointed they were in him.

You probably know the story. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. In the end, only God was glorified - not Mary, not Martha, not even Lazarus, but God alone.

I wonder how often we pray and believe that God is not hearing or is ignoring our requests. Could it be he is intentionally delaying the response? I believe so. I also believe that regardless his answer, it is always intent on bringing glory to Himself.

It's good to remember this.

When Sportianity & Christianity Collide

The largest religion in our culture is being challenged. People who adhere to this religion are having their faith questioned. 

This religion is known as Sportianity. Adherants gather weekly, and sometimes more than once a week, to celebrate and fellowship together. Some meet in large open-air facilities. Others meet in smaller venues. Others are proponents of the "house church" movement and gather with a small group of friends in homes. The more missional of the followers meet in public places known as Sports Bars, to engage with others in the community. 

Just as with all religions, different denominations have developed.

There are the Footballists and Basketballists. These two denominations, like many other mainstream ones, are divided. There are the College and Pro sect within each denomination. Sometimes they can fellowship together, but often they stay in their own arenas.

There is also the Baseballians. There is a small offshoot group here called the Collegians, but the vast majority are Major Leaguians. 

For the most part a follower of a certain sect is very faithful, but there are those - we call them "stadium hoppers" - who tend to just go where the biggest crowd is at the time. 

Meeting places for these denominational groups can be found throughout the nation. However, there are some pretty strong regional groupings. Where I live, the SECers dominate. I must say that recently, the SECers have expanded their mission program into Texas and most likely will continue to grow in that region.

In the north, there are some unique religious groups. These are known as Hockeyists. They're a uniquely northern denomination, but with snowbirds and the retirement of many, there have recently been more of these people spotted in the southern parts of the nation.

We can laugh about this, well at least I can, but at the same time it brings to mind some questions. As a follower of Jesus Christ, where does this sports world fit? I'm a proud member of the Y-chromosome club. I enjoy sporting events. I have my favorite teams. I have the hats, the shirts and the jackets with logos embroidered upon them. I enjoy going to the games. I like cheering for these athletes who do amazing things on the field of play.

So, does God care?

Does God have a favorite team?

There are a number of teams with religious names. Does that mean God likes them more? Is God a fan of the Saints, the Angels, the Padres or for my Catholic friends - the Cardinals? Or, as some have stated, is God a fan of the Denver Broncos because Tim Tebow is the quarterback?

I'm not a Tebow-basher. Neither am I big-time Tebow fan. I like him. I respect him. As a brother in Christ, I admire his willingness to verbally give glory to Jesus Christ. The Tebow story has pushed Christianity to the forefront of the sports page. This is why it's so interesting. Two of the nation's top religions are meeting - the religion of Christianity and the religion of sports. 

I think this is why so many people have a problem with Tebow. Much has been said about "Tebowing" and his camera ready prayer poses. Tebow even reached a pinnacle in pop culture. He was parodied on Saturday Night Live.

Does God show favor to certain athletes or teams?

NO - God doesn't show favor as many would define it. God doesn't care that Team A beats Team B so that a person's Fantasy numbers will go up. God doesn't show favor so those who have bet on games can beat the spread. God doesn't love the Christian on Team A more than he loves the Christian on Team B. 

YES - God does show favor on His children at times. This word "favor" has been used by some who teach a false prosperity gospel. This is not the biblical definition. A good biblical example of one in whom favor was shown is Daniel. There are others like Moses, John the Baptist, etc. 

Whether God is showing favor on Tim Tebow or any other athlete can be debated at length. Regardless of the influence of God in a football game, there is only one reason He would show favor on anyone - that is to bring Himself glory.

I don't believe God cares if the Broncos win. I do believe God cares about Tim Tebow just as he cares and loves all His children (regardless what team they're on, or even if they never even make the team.)

Even the fictional coach in the film "Facing the Giants" understood this. Win or lose, God receives glory. He said this over and over.

I like this quote former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy made after his team was beat soundly by the University of Alabama in the 2009-2010 BCS National Championship Game. ABC reporter Lisa Salters interviewed McCoy and McCoy responded to a difficult question about how it felt watching the game from the sidelines, with the question alluding to how difficult it must have been that his college career ended so abruptly in the biggest game of his life.

Said McCoy: “I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life. And I know that if nothing else, I’m standing on the Rock.”

Win or lose - this is right response. To God be the glory.

2011 Christmas Eve & Day Services "The Light of Christmas"

01 The Light of Christmas

For the past couple of months we have been looking at stories in God’s Word that we believe are central to the bigger story which is the one we are involved in now. 

God is the author of this story and it has already been written. We have been invited into His story and that’s where we are now. What’s so amazing is that in this story of adventure, romance, betrayal and suspense (oh, if you haven’t read the Bible lately, you might want to pick it up. It holds all these elements and more) God, the author, enters into the story. In fact, he’s the main character and the hero. 

That’s what makes the gospel accounts in the Bible the center of it all. It’s the story of God coming down, with intent and purpose, for his glory. It’s the story of redemption and hope. It’s the story of battle and victory. It’s the story that makes everything clear. 

Oh, and you thought Christmas was just about baby Jesus in a manger?

As most of you are well aware, when a crowd gathers at church on Christmas Eve, the expected message is about the baby Jesus born in Bethlehem. The story is ripe with great imagery. The Nativity is a powerful image of God coming down into this story. We all know of the angels and the shepherds and the wise men who arrive later. They story is not foreign to most of us. However, there is a danger of being so familiar with the story that we no longer “get the story.”

 

The full meaning of Christmas can be summed up in one verse.

 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14(ESV) 

The Word became flesh.

This is the meaning of Christmas. God has come into the world, born of a virgin, in the person of Jesus Christ. 

In this age where Jesus Christ is apparently esteemed and honored by other religious beliefs (even Muslims state that they honor Christ more than Christians do because they do not believe God would allow him to suffer such a terrible death as the cross) proclaimed by off-shoot religions and cults and most recently lampooned as some type of “regular guy” who is more of a hipster.

There are many imaginary Jesuses out there, ones we create to fit our stories. That’s why Christmas is so important. It is here we look to the Word of God to see the Jesus who truly is, as revealed in the Word, not the Jesus we create. 

Back to the nativity.

When a baby is born, it is vital that an appropriate name is given to him or her. Parents struggle for months to come up with the very best name for their children. Names are given based on popular trends and famous actors, actresses and characters. Names are given based on family heritage. Names are given based on what sounds good. 

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17(ESV) 

Jesus Christ.

Where did this name come from?

Jesus – the name given to the baby boy in Bethlehem by his earthly father Joseph. This is what the angel told him to name the boy when he appeared to Joseph. He was told “you shall call his name JESUS, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The term Christ was given as a title describing his role. The Christ referred to the long-awaited king of the Jews who would give victory to the people and bear the government of the world on his shoulders. When Andrew met Jesus and then ran to tell Peter, his brother, he said “We have found the Messiah, which means Christ.”

So, this little baby born in Bethlehem was Jesus, the Christ. He was the one who would save his people and also the long-awaited king.

He was the fulfillment of prophecies hundreds of years old.

This part of God’s story was more than just a cut little instance that led to nativity scenes, movies, church plays and plastic, lit up mannequins in the front yards of numerous Americans.

This is the real Jesus – not an imaginary one created in our image. This was the Christ.

This is the Word of God – God choosing to come down, wrap himself in the skin of humanity because he chose to dwell with us. Here. On earth. This sinful planet.

The hero has come.

I think we may miss this at times. Maybe in the midst of hanging up Christmas lights and attending parties, and even “fighting the war for Christmas” we miss Christ.

Christ – in the form of a little baby is God in the flesh, pitching his tent here in our backyard. He is the Word made flesh and he is life. In him life is available for any who would come.

Life. . .becomes light.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5(ESV) 

How is this life, connected to Jesus, relate to light?

1. It enables us to see. When dead people are given life, they see. When you are born, you see. When you are born again, you see. Jesus gives life and that life becomes light – the ability to see spiritual reality.
2. Not only does it enable you to see, but Jesus is the Light that is seen. As unbelievers, we are blind to truth and beauty and worth – the glory of Jesus. 

So many, I fear, follow or at least acknowledge a Jesus of their liking. He may be a nice guy, a warrior, a peace keeper, a giver, focused on homeless, pointing out everyone’s sins, a legalist or any number of other almost right caricatures, but he’s not the real Jesus.

The real Jesus came to earth a little over 2000 years ago. His coming had been foretold for generations. His mother was a virgin, having never been with a man. His earthly father was a good man, a righteous man seeking to do the right thing. His family was in a strange town for legal purposes when his mother went into labor. There was nowhere to stay the night in this town, so it was in a cave that doubled as a barn where he was born. He was placed in a feeding trough and some shepherds came to see him, after being instructed to by a group of angels.

He grew up, lived a perfect, purposeful life. When the pre-determined hour had come, his life was taken. He died on a cross. That death was a payment for all the sin and wrongdoing everyone on the planet had and would do.

Three days later, he came back to life.

He shortly ascended in a cloud to heaven and there awaits the word to come back from His father.

It sounds amazing. It sounds crazy. It sounds wonderful.

It is.

Jesus is the light of the world.

What I find amazing is that in Matthew 5:14 Jesus said. . .

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14(ESV) 

I’m the light of the world now? If you are a child of God, you too are the light of the world. Really?

Yes, according to what Jesus, the Light of the world said, but here’s the catch. 

Just like my crazy Christmas lights, my light only works if I’m connected to His light. Yours too. 

And, the light that I am to show to others impacts other believers as well. 

Staff Christmas Party

Great time today with the staff and family of First Baptist Church. These are great folks.

So blessed to be able to serve God with such a great team.

Merry Christmas!

(The food and fellowship was wonderful!)

Not all staffers were able to attend, unfortunately. Von, Kenzie, Jordan, and Caleb - we missed you.

The Salvation Army's Internal Battle Over Abortion

The Salvation Army is most known for their red kettles and programs that help the underprivileged and those facing natural disasters. I have discovered that many do not realize that The Salvation Army is actually a Christian denomination founded in 1865 by one time Methodist minister William  Booth and his wife Catherine. The movement was founded in London's East End and has grown through the years to become one of the world's foremost ministries focused on charity work.

I have often wondered if the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys have ever connected that their annual Thanksgiving game featuring large red kettles and promoting The Salvation Army's "Doing the Most Good" message is actually an endorsement of a Christian ministry (and you thought Tebow was the only Christian-NFL story)?

Being from the Wesleyan tradition, The Salvation Army holds to certain doctrinal beliefs, as do all churches. Unfortunately, as is the case in many denominations over time, the biblical foundations tend to be ignored or excused as liberal theology overtakes churches. The Salvation Army seems to be facing an internal battle over theology and the biblical stance on life and the sanctity of it.

A few days ago a friend forwarded an article to me from WorldNetDaily titled "Salvation Army Marching Toward Abortion Suppot." The title struck me as unfortunate. While as Baptists, we would differ on some of the theological beliefs of our brothers and sisters in the Army, the foundational doctrines have allowed us to serve together in the past. 

Would The Salvation Army's acceptance of abortion as OK be a deal breaker? It would be for me. While some would say that abortion and abortion-rights are not theological, I disagree. Pro-life and pro-choice (i.e. pro-abortion) advocates have been battling for decades and have turned the battle into political fodder, the fact of the matter is that we cannot pretend that the life issue is irrlevant.

In the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), our doctrinal statement as Southern Baptists, article XVIII states. . .

Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

That phrase "from the moment of conception" is intentional. Life matters.

The article on The Salvation Army and their abortion stance stated this. . .

"The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of human life. Humankind was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). All people – without exception – are of value to him, holding a special place in his creation (Psalm 8:5), irrespective of age, gender, race, religion, health or social status, or their potential for achievement."

But it also states, "A serious commitment to the protection and care of the unborn calls us to a commitment to the prevention of unwanted pregnancy through means such as access to reliable birth control, safety in relationships, and societal respect of women."

Specifically, it says the Salvation Army "believes that termination [abortion] can occur only when carrying the pregnancy further seriously threatens the life of the mother; or reliable diagnostic procedures have identified a foetal abnormality considered incompatible with survival for more than a very brief post natal period."

This open door for denominationally approved abortion, even in the case of rape or incest, provides a slipperly slope to full-blown abortion support. Being from a Christian denomination, some will see this as a biblical affirmation.

While some argue that there are certain instances where abortion should be affirmed, I disagree. There's always the catch-phrase "when the life of the mother is at stake" that is thrown out there, but as former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop stated long ago "Protection of the life of the mother as an excuse for an abortion is a smoke screen. In my thirty-six years in pediatric surgery I have never known of one instance where the child had to be be aborted to save the mother's life."

Koop makes some very pointed remarks about the tragedy of abortion here.

I understand my position on abortion will put off many, but then again, my stance is not devised to get votes or the approval of man. I am anti-abortion. I am pro-adoption. I am pro-life. Unapologetically.

Back to The Salvation Army predicament. Many, after reading the article cited above have determined to no longer place any of their change in the red buckets or shop at the thrift shops. While that is certainly a person's right, I want to point out that The Salvation Army here in the United States has taken exception to the denominational stance on abortion.

"That statement is not the Salvation Army USA's position on abortion," said Jeff Stanger, development director of the Salvation Army, Indiana Division.

Stanger said the commission's website is connected with the Army'sinternationalheadquarters and directed WND to the Salvation Army USA's position statement instead, which, indeed, makes no exceptions in asserting the sanctity of life.

"When I read [the international group's position] I was stunned," confirmed Major George Hood, chief communications officer for Salvation Army USA. "It appears that the International Social Justice Commission worked on a position statement through the London office that does not reflect the position we've taken in the U.S. on abortion.

"When I saw the language," Hood continued, "there was smoke coming out of both my ears."

You can read the entire article here.

The "life" issue is one that is not going away. It will continue to rear its head among Christians. We must remember that life matters. While protesting may not be the best way to promote life (pro-adoption and Christian foster care are better options) Christians must come to grips with this issue personally. 

I fear that too many read of these things and immediately go into protest or boycott mode. I'm just not convinced this is the best response. However, don't hear what I'm not saying. This is a big issue and must be addressed.

Pray for leadership of The Salvation Army. They must address this. They know it. It appears they are.

A Divine Appointment

02 Divine Appointment

The phrase "divine appointment" has possibly been overused in some venues, but the fact of the matter is God sets up these meetings all the time.

This message is "part 2" of the encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

Like most of us, when questioned about the real heart issues, this woman deflects. This happens all the time. Listen to the recording and see how Jesus responds.

"Yes, Virginia, There Is a God." - A Christmas Miracle?

From an editorial appearing in the September 21, 1897 edition of The (New York) Sun titled "Is There a Santa Claus?" the famous line was penned at the close "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." This statement has become an often repeated phrase this time of year. Virginia was the an 8 year old girl who questioned the existence of Santa Claus and was encouraged by her parents to write the newspaper.

The story has been republished ever since and has been featured in movies, television specials and books.

I doubt young Virginia or her parents ever thought they'd go down as part of the American Christmas cultural tradition.

Personally, I have no problem with the mythos of Santa Claus. I know some believers who do and they definitely have valid reasons. I am always reminded about the original St. Nicholas that the jolly old elf is modeled from and his story is pretty remarkable.

Nonetheless, this posting really nothing to do with Santa Claus.

In fact, this is not another rant, as we often see from believers this time of year, to "keep Christ in Christmas."

I wanted to share with you a story of what some may call a miracle. I readily admit the term "miracle" gets overused and misused often. True miracles stem from the hand of God as evidenced of Jesus' actions in the gospels. However, to say that miracles no longer happen would be a fallacy.

Just like with the old "Dragnet" show. . .the story you are about to read is true. Only the names have been changed.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine who works as an administrator in a local public school told me about a young man at his school. This young man was described as one of those boys that teachers like. He's polite. He's considerate. He does his school work and does well. You know, an all around good kid.

This young man was facing a pretty intense and difficult situation at home.

He is being raised by his mother. Apparently, dad is not in the picture. His mother has been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. She is dying. Due to her health and inability to work, a great financial strain has come upon them.

Their home is in foreclosure. It' in a very nice neighborhood, but the fact of the matter is they have not been able to pay the mortgage for a few months due to medical bills and lack of funds.

The young man has been doing everything possible to raise money. He's been mowing lawns, raking leaves, etc. He's been offering to do anything for his neighbor just to make a little money to go toward expenses. In fact, even though he's in junior high school, this young boy is stepping into authentic manhood by necessity.

Well, the story could go on and on about their circumstances. It doesn't get much better. The mother is a believer in Christ and apparently a number of churches in the community know of her circumstances and are trying to help.

Oh, by the way, there is this. I heard of one group of church ladies who went by see if they could help her. When they went into her home, seeing how nice a home it is, they said "Well, you apparently don't need our help," and left. Apparently, they equated a nice home with "everything is alright," not realizing the true nature of the circumstances.

But I digress. . .

A couple of weeks ago the air conditioning unit in their home went out. That may not be a big deal in some areas, but here in Florida it is. Even in December, we're still mowing our lawns and wearing shorts. My friend at the school was trying to find funds to cover the repair of the air conditioning unit and after praying about it, was led to call a local company (knowing no one at the company) to see if they could help.

This air conditioning company heard the story and agreed to send someone out to repair the unit. They did so without charging a penny. There's more to this story as well. It appears the technician sent to the home was having a very bad day. In other words, he wasn't very nice. The lady (you know, the one with Stage IV cancer) asked him if he was ok and if she could pray for him. He said "Yes," so she did. With tears running down his cheeks, he thanked her. Needless to say, his attitude changed.

Then, two weeks ago, during our weekly prayer meeting I briefly shared that there was a lady in our community battling Stage IV cancer. I don't know her name, nor do I know her son, but I had heard of her situation through a friend. I shared that a number of teachers at this local school were trying to raise some funds to help. All I asked our church to do was pray for the woman, her son and the situation.

Two days ago, I received this email from the friend at the local school:

It is not every day one gets to be witness to a miracle, and that term tends to be overused, but we were able to see a real one this morning. Yesterday, a stranger came to see me here at school. He said he needed to talk to me. He was very serious and closed the door behind us. He immediately asked if we were helping a mother of a student who has cancer. He had heard at church (this was during our Wednesday prayer time - DT) that she needed some help with daily living expenses. I said "Yes." He then slid an envelope across the desk and asked if I would make sure she received it. I assured him I would.

This morning I arrived at school and the mother was here. This was unusual and unplanned because she is very sick and does not leave home often. She had baked a huge basket of goodies for my family so I told her I had something for her's. I handed her the envelope and said there was some money from a stranger to help her out. She opened the envelope and it was like one of those Extreme Makeover: Home Edition moments—she absolutely started bawling! One of the ladies in the office brought in tissues. I was doing the tough guy thing trying not to cry myself, but she just kept on crying. 

I knew it was a big gesture on this stranger's part but I underestimated just how big. When she finally regained her composure she told me she had received approval to have her cancer treated at St. Vincent's Hospital (here in Jacksonville - DT) which then makes her eligible to go to the Cancer Center of America in Chicago. There was only one problem. St. Vincent’s required a down payment of $2,000 to begin treatment. This lady has lost her home, lost her job, almost lost her car, and has trouble just putting food on the table. Well, can you guess how much the stranger gave me yesterday? Exactly $2,000! He thought he was helping pay for some groceries. Little does he know he may have literally saved her life or at least extended her time with her son.

God is active and involved today, just as He always has been. 

Sometimes, even we Christians can miss the miracle. While Christians throughout our culture become known for what we're against as we fight and protest and sometimes even play the victim, all the while God is still at work. As some fight with little love evident to "keep Christ in Christmas" God reminds us, He's active every day of the year - not just a redeemed pagan holiday. 

Yes, Virginia, there is a God. In the era of the "new atheism" and the "secularization of our society" God still reigns supremely. The gospel is still truth. Lives are still being changed. Man-defined "coincidences" still happen as God smiles and says "I don't believe in coincidences."

Who's Your Jesus?

A few weeks back a friend of mine shared a book on Nook (nice app - you can share books for up to 14 days.) The book is titled Imaginary Jesus and is written by Matt Mikalatos. It's hard to classify the book. It's not really non-fiction. It's not a novel. One reviewer said it was C.S. Lewis meets Monty Python. Perhaps.

The book description on Amazon states this:

Imaginary Jesus is an hilarious, fast-paced, not-quite-fictional story that’s unlike anything you’ve ever read before. When Matt Mikalatos realizes that his longtime buddy in the robe and sandals isn’t the real Jesus at all, but an imaginary one, he embarks on a mission to find the real thing. On his wild ride through time, space, and Portland, Oregon, he encounters hundreds of other Imaginary Jesuses determined to stand in his way (like Legalistic Jesus, Perpetually Angry Jesus, and Magic 8 Ball Jesus). But Matt won’t stop until he finds the real Jesus—and finally gets an answer to the question that’s haunted him for years. Be warned: Imaginary Jesus may bring you face-to-face with an imposter in your own life.

 

Since I haven't had the time to sit and read this book for hours on end, I'll probably end up purchasing it because the free 14-day borrow will end soon. I am about halfway through and I must say the concept of the imaginary Jesus is intriguing. It echoes things I have thought and said for years. I even find myself guilty of creating my own imaginary Jesuses at times.

As a believer, I stand firmly on the Word of God believing that it is inerrant and that the Jesus described within those pages is the authentic man (Son of God & God the Son.) Yet, culture has a way of leading us to re-create Jesus in our own image.

This has been the case for years. That's why the short Jewish man from Nazareth is depicted as a tall, very white, European man, sometimes with blue eyes, in many classic works of art. While it's easy for us to identify these depictions of Jesus to be wrong, it become more difficult to clearly see how the Jesuses we create are just as wrong.

Mikalatos introduces and describes many imaginary Jesuses in his book. You may recognize some of them. 

• KJJ "King James Jesus" - This Jesus speaks only in King James English. There are many "thees" and "thous" coming from the mouth of this one. 
• Harley Jesus - This one wears a leather vest and has a tattoo or two. He's not just a biker, he's a "holy roller."
• Liberal Social Services Jesus - This one has arms and legs and works hard to clean up areas and serve the community, but has no mouth. That's because he never says anything about why he does this. He just lives in the social gospel. There's also a Jesus on the other end that has no arms, but has a really big mouth. All he does is talk down to people, but never serves them.
• 8 Ball Jesus - This one is like the Magic 8 Ball toy that has been around for years. Ask this Jesus anything and he'll answer like the 8 Ball. It's all chance with fortune like answers.
• Patriotic Jesus - This Jesus is "red, white and blue" and loves America (more than any other nation) and basically wraps the flag around everything.
• Political Jesus - Yes, he's exactly what he sounds like. This Jesus is intent on changing the world by electing the "right" people into office. 
• Testosterone Jesus - This is my favorite. This is the "men's retreat Jesus" who talks grunts like Tim Allen on Home Improvement and spouts lines from Braveheart whenever he gets the chance. "Free-e-e-e-e-e-e-dom!!!!" He also cries alot and tells men to be better husbands and fathers all the time (when he's not quoting Braveheart.)
• The Secret Society of Imaginary Jesuses - These guys are basically like the Jesus Seminar, only imaginary.

There are others scattered throughout the book like CEO Jesus, Hippie Jesus, Legalist Jesus, Health Nut Jesus, iPod Jesus, and others. This reminds me of the Buddy Christ from the film Dogma (no I didn't see the film, but I have seen the "Buddy Christ" figure - pictured to the right.) It's funny how Christians were so upset about the "Buddy Christ" imagery and the film (and rightfully so) but many continue to create their own personal caricatures of Jesus.

 

As I read (the portion I had the chance to) this book, I couldn't help but  do a little self-evaluation. What Jesus have I created in my own image? Am I guilty of this? 

Unfortunately, I believe I have been at times, and to be honest, so is just about every believer I have ever met. I guess since we are image-bearers of the Creator, we tend to create. It's just in this case, we create what we feel is right, but it's, oh, so wrong.

The authentic, biblical Jesus does not need to be recreated into our image or for our cultural acceptance. While we lament that many unbelievers truly do not know who Jesus is, the reality is that many church-attenders and "Christians" tend to see a Jesus who is not truly the real deal. Even true believers can slide into this.

While this is not really a review of Imaginary Jesus (I can't review a book I haven't finished,) the subject matter did cause me to question. Questioning is not a bad thing. Isn't it the Truth that sets us free?

So. . .who's your Jesus?

Is he one listed above? Is he the Patriotic Jesus, the Political one, or maybe the Liberal Social Services one? Maybe he's a mixture of some or a creation yet to be listed.

Is He the One revealed to us through Scripture or some other version?

Stick with the real one. You can read Mikalatos' book. It's fun, but I recommend you spend more time in The Book. Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.) The truth is there. It's evident who He is, what He came to do and what He is doing now. Don't settle for a cheap imitation.

John 14:6(ESV) 

 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 

Bitterness Can Kill You

I think we all know someone who deals with bitterness. It's a dangerous thing, but often we just brush it off with "they need to just get happy" or other such counsel. Unfortunately, there are many who claim to be followers of Christ who at one time or another suffer from this ailment. I say ailment because it truly is a spiritual sickness.

I was told a story today of a brother in Christ who just reeks with negativity, bitterness and anger. I won't use his name, because many of you probably know him. He has transformed over the years, according to those who know him best. The transformation has not been good. Now, people avoid him. Some have come to complain about him to me. The account I heard today didn't surprise me, unfortunately, but does sadden me. The reality is that his name isn't important because all of us can easily find ourselves in this situation. By the way, pray for him, but take a moment to read the rest of this posting for your own spiritual health.

In just about every case where a person is bitter, some event has taken place in the person's life that has caused resentment to develop and grow. 

The writer of Hebrews addresses this. . .

Hebrews 12:15(ESV)
See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.

The "root of bitterness" is a spiritual issue and cannot be ignored.

One bitter believer will not only miss out on all that God has for him, he will infect others. It's amazing how bitterness and negativity spread like cancer.

A few years ago a friend of mine gave me a study titled "Evidences of Bitterness in Your Life." I'm not sure if he was trying to tell me something or not. Regardless, I read over this and yes, even became convicted in certain areas.

I do not know who wrote this. I would cite it if I did. Perhaps, you do and could send me the details. Nevertheless, the information is powerful, so I thought I'd share it.

Perhaps this can help you, or maybe a friend.

Here are some attitudes which may reflect bitterness (or the "bitter root" as described in Hebrews. Below the attitude, I list some examples of how this is visible in a person's life as well as  insights from a biblical perspective.

DEPRESSION

• His bitternness uses up his emotional energy and then he tends to become depressed. 
• This is illustrated in the life of Jonah (Jonah 4)

MISTRUST

• He is fearful of being hurt again so he is cautious in trusting those around him. 
• This is illustrated in Judges 11:7 in the life of Jepththah.

CRITICISM

• If he is hurt by one in authority his bitterness causes him to be critical of all that his offender stands for, yet he is incapable of helping his offender improve.
• Matthew 7:1-5 speaks of removing the board in one's own eye then being able to remove the speck from another's.

INSENSITIVITY

• He is insensitive to the needs and feelings of those around him because he has built up a wall to protect himself, resulting in others treating him the way he treats his offender.
• Matthew 7:2 lets us know that our judgment will be placed upon us.

PRIDE

• His pride is at its height as he seeks to exalt himself, as well as get revenge on his offender. This focus makes him incapable of serving others.
• It is hard to be a servant when trying to be the greatest for Jesus said in Matthew 23:11 that the servant is the greatest.

TENSION

• His muscles become tense and stiff whenever he thinks about those who hurt him. 
• This tension and accompanying stubbornness produces the term "stiff necked."
• Numerous passages: Exodus 32:9, Jeremiah 17:23, Acts 7:51, etc.

UNGRATEFULNESS

• He looks at the good things that happen to him as compensation for the hurts he has suffered.
• He feels things are owed to him.
• 2 Timothy 3:2 speaks of loving oneself wrongly.

FLATTERY

• If he tried to cover up his bitterness toward the one who hurt him, it may show itself as flattery.
• Proverbs 28:23

OBSESSION FOR REVENGE

• His desire to get revenge continues to grow and he takes every opportunity to hurt the one that offended him through gossip, slander, physical attacks, etc.
• Romans 12:19

Recognizing there is a bitter root growing is the first step, but what can be done to remove this?

Prayer is paramount, and I mean real prayer. I'm not referring to the "prayer list" prayer here. Don't get me wrong, those prayers of intercession are important, but not what's needed here. This is real, conviction, repentance, seeking God, on your face prayers.

Begin your prayer time this way. . .

• Praise God for who He is and all that He has done.
• Let the Enemy know that he has no right to interfere in your time with the Father and in Jesus' name instruct him to leave. You need intimacy with the Father with no distractions.
• Praise God for who He is once again. Be specific. Focus on Him. Thank Him for the freedom (Galatians 5) He has given you in Jesus.

Then. . .begin the process of removing the bitter root:

1. Examine yourself spritually (1 Corinthians 11:28)
2. Confess your hurts to God as the Holy Spirit reveals them. This will no doubt be painful. You are going deep into the wound here. Acknowledge your wrong responses toward the hurts.
3. Do not rationalize. Do not rationalize your responses or the offender's hurts.
4. Repent (Acts 8:22; 3:19). Focus on your responses to the hurt, not what was done to you. Ask God to forgive you for wrong responses. You may think "I didn't respond wrongly!" Well, yes you did or the bitter root would not be growing. Remember, this does not absolve the offender for what he has done to you. This does not say "What he did was OK." This is about your response.
5. Release the one who hurt you and the debt owed to you. This is probably the most difficult. Everything in your being, supported by the culture and your friends would say not to do this. God says to do this. You have to make a choice here.
6. Break any cords of judgment and agreements with the Enemy you have made (Matthew 16:19).
7. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill the place the bitterness occupied (1 Peter 2:14).
8. Ask God for his grace and power for every need and to reveal any other roots you may need to have removed (Hebrews 4:16).
9. Bless the offender (1 Peter 3:9). If number 5 wasn't the hardest, this will be. You can do it.

Remember why Jesus came. He said so himself. . .

Luke 4:18-19(ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

It's time to be set free.

Thirst Quencher

01 Thirsty

The story of the encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well reveals so many incredible truths at a variety of levels. It's really incredible to see how Jesus was in control of the entire story as it unfolded. From the decision to leave Judea and to intentionally head toward Galilee by way of Samaria, to the fact that Jesus ensured his disciples would be hungry when he arrived at the well so that he could send them into town for food, thus ensuring his meeting wtih the woman would be less threatening shows that Jesus was writing this story.

There are other things as well. This was a divine appointment. He had a meeting at the sixth hour of the day with this woman at a well in Samaria. The amazing thing is that the woman did not know there was a meeting scheduled.

I look at this story and see things here that remind me once again about Jesus' love for every person, even the outcasts in society. I see His intentinoality here that is comforting to me. This solidifies the truth that God is sovereign and in complete control.

Jesus is sitting at a well and when He encounters the woman, He asks for a drink. This leads to an interesting discussion. You can read about it in John 4. 

Jesus, the greatest teacher ever, since He's sitting at a well,uses the object lesson of water to offer something to the woman. He offers Living Water, coming continually from a spring of life. He offers to quench her thirst. Oh, not the thirst of her physical body, but the thirst of her soul. I know it sounds deep and mysterious. . .and it is.

I then must think about my first encounter with God. It becomes clear. That was a divine appointment as well. I think about the thirst of my soul and how, even now, sometimes I forget that I have access to a Living Spring. Why would I ever be thirsty? I have this pure, holy, living water available.

As I begin this week, as the song says, "I stand amazed in the presence" of this Jesus we serve. May we never lose that feeling of awe.

It Was Like Looking Into the Future

My trip to Wales last month was a wonderful experience. I had first visited Wales as a youth pastor in 2002. We took a group of teenagers to the southern Wales city, Carmarthen, to help with a sports camp hosted at the university.

This time my journey was for another reason and took me to North Wales, primarily in the city of Caernarfen. Partnering with a group of five from the States, plus a friend from Wales, we set about engaging the people in the community and visiting different towns and villages throughout the region in order to better understand the culture.

Wales is a beautiful country, but seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. While those in Great Britain understand the uniqueness of Wales as a country, including the prominence of the Welsh language and the strong nationalistic beliefs that many have, I discovered that many of my friends back here in the States falsely believe that Wales is part of England.

Apparently, this is very common. The Welsh people were quick to let me know that Wales is not part of England. They are very proud of their country and rightly so.

I knew that Wales was not part of England, but came away with a better understanding of the great pride the Welsh have in their national heritage.

There is so much about Wales that could be written here, but I wish to focus on one area that drew my attention, and according to my friend in country is what many from the States notice.

One hundred years ago, the majority of the Welsh speakers in Wales (Cymry Cymraeg) were considered evangelical and born again. At least 90 percent were actively attending church regularly. In the early 20th century, a revival swept Wales. Pastors such as Evan Roberts were on the forefront of this movement of God's Spirit.

Edwin J. Orr writes of this movement in his book The Flaming Tongue (Moody Press, 1973)

The movement kept the churches of Wales filled for many years to come, seats being places in the aisles in Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Swansea for twenty years or so, for example. Meanwhile, the Awakening swept the rest of Britain, Scandinavia, parts of Europe, North America, the mission fields of India and the Orient, Africa and Latin America.

Christian pastors and ministers were being used by God years prior to the revival, throughout all of Wales. Christmas Evans is one such pastor whose influence among evangelicals is still revered among many today.

While the history of the church is strong and there remain many church buildings (called chapels unless affiliated with the Church in Wales, the Anglican Church in Wales) in the country, the sad reality is that many of these facilities are mostly empty each weekend and a good number are either up for sale or have been sold and converted for other uses. I saw a number that were for sale, one that had been turned into a restaurant/pub and one that had been converted to a children's play area (kind of a Chuck E. Cheese's, Welsh-style.)

What is interesting is that when most American believers visit Wales and see this, they are immediately affected. A sense of sadness becomes apparent. Questions as to how this could have happened are asked.

Then, the fact that now, in 2011, it is estimated that approximately 1 percent of the Welsh attend church regularly and would be considered evangelical and born again. That's right, in just under one hundred years, the percentage of evangelical, born again church (chapel) attenders has gone from over 90 to 1.

While the Spirit of God is still at work globally, it appears the people of Wales and other post-Christian cultures (most of Western Europe, for example) are now disenchanted with Christianity and do not see the value in attending church or holding onto a personal faith. Consequently, many do not know Jesus Christ personally.

After speaking with a number of people in the community I noticed some themes that do not sound foreign to what I hear in the States. We all know that latest statistics show a growing disenchantment with "organized" religion and denominatins. In fact, a recent survey by LifeWay Research shows that even in the deep South, the home-base for the Southern Baptist Convention, that 40 percent have a highly unfavorable view of the SBC.

I shared this statistic with people in my church and the shock on their faces was evident.

My friend in Wales told me that many who visit from the United States have very similar feelings as I was having. I told him, "This is like looking into the future for the US. We are going down the very same path that led Wales from 90 percent to 1 percent in just one century."

If nothing else, this should wake us up as believers here in the States. To rest on our laurels and believe we are doing well enough will result, not just in the closure of church buildings (which in some cases may be a blessing rather than a curse) but the continued evacuation of the younger generations from a faith in Jesus Christ.

The encouraging this is that we know God is not finished with His people. While it may seem He is not at work as in the past, the fact that a remnant remains is encouraging. I believe that God will bring renewal to the people of Wales. Wouldn't that be just like Him? To use a people group that many in the world do not even know about (the Cymry Cymraeg) to spark a renewal among the culture.

I also believe that God is showing evangelicals here in America what  could be in store for us. My opinion is that a renewal among believers here is needed as well. I do not equate a spiritual renewal with a traditional "revival" week of meetings. There's more to write about what all this means, but at this point, watch the clip about the Welsh here. Think and pray for the Welsh people. Ask God what we can learn from this as well.

 

The Celt - Wales (Long Version) from David Tarkington on Vimeo.

I Get That "He Must Increase." It's that "I Must Decrease" Part That's a Challenge

01 He Must Increase

As we continue through our study through the Gospel of John, we come to this small, seemingly transitional story about John the Baptist and his followers. It seems that Jesus is teaching nearby and His disciples are baptizing many. The problem? Well, John's disciples notice that Jesus is drawing a larger crowd than they are.

This leads to a meeting with John's disciples and John. The disciples come to John with this "concern." John sets them straight. He reminds them that his role was not to come and be the center of the story, but to prepare the way for the main character - Jesus. 

I'm sure John's followers had heard this before, but human nature is a difficult thing and when they saw the great crowds leaving them to follow Jesus (and even some of their peers) they struggled with something that many believers and churches deal with today.

Jealousy.

Churches in our area of the country are notorious for this. I'm sure it's that way most everywhere in the United States. If a new church or ministry begins nearby and God is using them to reach previously unreached people, the established ministries often have difficulty celebrating those victories. Why? Because we slide into the "little kingdom building mode" which is about "our church" and "our ministry" and "our numbers" and therefore, miss what God is doing.

When this bitter root of jealousy sits in, it can kill a church. 

I don't like being wrong. I don't like being convicted of sin. I don't like having to repent. However, when I do, I really love the freedom and relief that comes from God's grace. Yet, getting to that point is not always easy.

I posted this a few months ago, but it ties in with this message. In fact, I showed it to the church yesterday as the closing of my message. Please understand that by showing this, I am not saying that I have arrived or have everything right. I still struggle with the sin of competitiveness and if I let my guard down, the bitter root begins to grow once again.

You may be the same way.

For many, it may not be about another local church. I've seen this attitude develop between small groups within one church. I've seen it develop between families and even individuals. 

The warning given us in John's Gospel is clear. I pray we respond rightly.

 

Black Or White, But Red All Over - Interracial Marriage In the Church

A number of years ago a couple came to me to discuss a concern they had. It appeared that their adult daughter had begun to friend and hang out with brothers and sisters of the darker hue (i.e. she's a white lady with black friends.) The concern in their mind was the possibility that she might begin dating a man with darker pigmentation than her's. The parents were seeking my opinion and biblical grounds for their concerns. In other words, they wanted me to give them biblical ammunition to use on their daughter regarding this situation.

It seemed that they had done some research before arriving because the first statement was "I think I know what you're going to say, but let me ask this anyway. . ."

They were right. They knew exactly what I was going to say. They didn't like it.

This issue of interracial dating and marriage is trending in the news now due to a decision by a Kentucky church to ban membership and worship participation for interracial couples. So as not to misspeak regarding this church's stand, here's a copy of the recommendation as obtained by television station WYMT:

That the Gulanre Freewill Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals. All are welcome to our public worship services. This recommendation is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity among the church body and the community we serve.  (Full story here.)

While I wish I could say this story surprises me, unfortunately it does not.  I had just hoped that we had grown more from our days of segregation and racial separation. Yet, it appears, we still have far to go.

I have always found it interesting that people tend to grimace when a black person is married to a white person, but any other mix is not seen as such a big deal. You know, if a black or white person is married to a Hispanic or Asian or even Native American, or if any of the said races (and there are more) intermarry, it doesn't seem to cause a problem. Yet, if the two extremes - say, a very dark skinned person marries a very fair skinned person, it's an issue.

I don't get it (Well, I do get it, but I don't like it. It's racism.)

Some may ask what my opinion is regarding interracial dating and marriage. I want to be very clear here. IT IS NOT A SIN.

I even had someone years ago ask "But what if your son or daughter were dating someone of another race?" I responded with "What?" and expressed that my views do not differ in this area and I do not have a NIMBY view of interracial dating or marriage. 

My statement has always been and will be that my approval of my children's dates and future spouses has to do with their faith and not their skin tone. Yes, I will not approve of my children dating or marrying a person who is not a born again child of God.

Many people who wish to use Scripture as their prooftext that interracial marriage is sinful will quote Deuteronomy 7:3 (ESV) which states:

You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons.

Every verse is Holy Spirit inspired and God-breathed. Therefore this passage is absolutely correct and true. However, there is always danger in taking a verse out of context and building a belief system out of it. This is the practice of religious cults. So, with that, what does this passage mean?

This verse is a command to the Israelites, God's chosen people, regarding their relatinship with the inhabitants of the Promised Land. There are also many other Old Testament passages that warned the Israelites not to intermarry with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan. While some see this as a racial issue, I disagree. I believe it was solely a religious and faith issue. The admonition was for God followers not to marry non-God followers, or idolaters. It had nothing to do with skin color. It was fully a matter regarding the people of the land (the Canaanites) and their worship of false gods and practicing immoral and evil reglious acts.

This admonition was echoed in the New Testament, of course, now referencing Christians rather than the Israelites. Paul addresses this with the church in Corinth.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 (ESV)

It's pretty obvious this verse has nothing to do with race or skin color. It does, however, clearly state what we as believers are to know regarding relationships. Besides numerous biblical passages that affirm that marriage is only to be between one man and one woman, the key understanding is that believers are to marry believers. In fact, I believe that believers should only date (if you believe dating is a viable option) or court other believers and, in fact, only those whom they could envision marrying.

Simply put, our relationships are to honor God. 

Being unequally yoked with non-believers is not solely referring to marriage, but it most certainly includes marriage.

This passage is also not an instruction to sequester oneself from the world. We are still to be fulfilling the Great Commission as we go. But, I digress.

So, whether your skin is black, brown, red, white, tan, yellow, dark, light, etc. is not the point. It's not the determining factor. What should be the determining factor (besides being in love and praying through the relationship) is that both the man and woman are "red all over" meaning each is a child of God (and this is a churchy term, but I hope you understand) covered by the saving blood of Jesus Christ.

Born again children of God may marry born again children of God, regardless of skin color.

Somewhere along the line, many in America have come to believe that biblical characters were all white (and spoke with British accents.) It shocks some to realize that biblical heroes like Moses didn't look like their Hollywood portrayers (even though I still tend to picture Charlton Heston.) What's even more shocking, and was to the couple I referenced at the beginning of this post, was that Moses' wife Zipporah was likely black (or dark brown) skinned.

I've even heard some scholars postulate that Bathsheba and the Queen of Sheba were black.

The Ethiopans mentioned in Scipture were most likely dark skinned.

Simeon, called Niger, in Acts 13:1 may also have been black.

It's pretty safe to say that most likely very few characters in Scripture were light skinned in that most were "Semitic," light or dark brown in complexion. Why this surprises us, I don't know. The stories did take place in the Middle East. Maybe it's because we tend to make God in our image rather than remembering it's the other way around.

It is interesting that the Bible does not speak about skin tone much and when it does, it's not a major point. Perhaps that's the message we have forgotten. God's message of grace and salvation is for all people of all races and skin tones.

To try to build a theology of race based on upon Scripture is nothing more than sinful racism. That, my friend, has no place in the Kingdom of God. 

Are Short Term Mission Trips a Waste of Time and Money?

For those who will not read the entire post, the simple answer is: YES & NO

It's not a simple answer, so I'll break it down.

YES - SHORT TERM MISSION TRIPS ARE A WASTE

For some individuals and even for some churches, the short term trip is a waste of time. This happens when people choose their mission destination based on what looks like a fun trip. When absolutely no prayer is involved and simply choosing a location to visit and "serve" is made based upon what new stamp would look good in my passport, or possibly what really cool sites are nearby, the trip is a waste.

Why would this make it a waste? Because in these cases, the trips are nothing more than vacations with "Jesus" stamped on top of it. The ultimate good that is done is relegated to creating an event for church people to feel spiritual and mission oriented.

I fear that often this is what happens.

It must be noted that even on the very best, God-honoring, Gospel-centered mission trips, the potentional that some in the group shouldn't be there becomes pretty clear.

This is normally identifiable by some of these factors:

• If the short-term missionary (STM) is constantly asking when he will get to do some souvenir shopping.
• If the STM seems to view all the people in the area as "foreigners" forgetting that she is the foreigner.
• If the STM disregarded all the guidelines regarding packing and preparation.
• If the STM will not engage any of the locals in conversation.
• If the STM is continually asking when the group will get to go see Big Ben, the Grand Canyon, Broadway, the Biggest Ball of Twine or whatever other local attraction tends to promote for tourists.
• If the STM team brings in a plan that works well in their own hometown, country or culture and expects it to translate flawlessly to the new area.
• If the STM does "church" for the missionary or church planter in the area.
• If the STM is not interested in the long-term strategy for reaching and discipling people where they are visiting.
• If the STM acts and lives "spiritual" on the mission trip but lives obviously outside the will of God at home.
• If the STM believes that participating on the trip makes him a "super Christian" or acts like he believes.
• If the STM only goes on a trip, but never supports through prayer or maybe even financially those who serve full time on the field.

NO - SHORT TERM MISSION TRIPS ARE NOT A WASTE

This is vital to understand. We live in an age where the proclivaty of short-term mission trips is growing. The world is "smaller" and affordable air travel makes it possible for individuals and groups to go on the mission field to support, encourage and help those who serve on the field.

The STM is valuable when:

• He understands that his role is to come along side of the church planter or missionary on the field.
• She understands the power of prayer and that prayer is evangelism, not just what you do before a meeting, a meal, or a spiritual event.
• He knows that he represents many who have supported him financially who are unable to go and therefore, thanks and includes these individuals in the journey either through letters or photos, internet postings or emails, or better yet personal interaction.
• The team realizes they are not on the field to "do church" for the people there, but to assist the missionary or church planter in the field in any way needed (even if it seems menial and not easily graded.)
• He realizes that the purpose of the trip is not to accumulate a big number of salvations for the purpose of grading the trip as successful, but is comfortable with the biblical truth that only God draws people to Himself.
• The work done on the field supports the pre-defined strategies for reaching the culture and people groups there.
• She understands that visiting some of the local sites are fun and can even be valuable for understanding the culture, but not primarily just for a new photo for the Facebook page.
• It is a most humbling and gracious privilege to be able to join God on mission.
• The missionary or church planter on the field doesn't feel the unnecessary pressure to "keep the mission team busy" so they can feel their trip was worthwhile. 
• The trip is not the point and therefore continued prayer and even financial support is needed for those on the field.

There are probably more bullet points for both answers, but these are some of the first that come to mind. Of course, these are all based on trips I've been on or that I have heard from other pastors or mission trip leaders.

The short-term mission trip, in my opinion, a very valuable tool for the 21st century church. That is why we have numerous options available for people to go and serve. However, we must, and do, work to ensure that the trip is not a waste. 

I pray that we will eventually have up to 75% of the membership of our church short-term mission trip veterans. Some of these trips are overseas. Others are in the United States. Still others are in our own neighborhood. All are vital. Are are equal in importance. All require the same heart attitude.

The purpose of the trips are doxological - to bring glory to God. How is He glorified? Numerous ways, but in these cases when people come to know Him personally through salvation and with believers grow deeper in their faith. To God be the glory.

Interested in journeying with God on mission? Check out this link for current options and come back regularly for updates.

Really Bad Christian Songs

Sometimes during the day, I will hear a comment or a statement that just resonates. I guess that's why I have this blog, so I can think through most of these things.

This morning I watched a DVD featuring sessions from "The Elephant Room: Round 1." The Elephant Room is a discussion group featuring prominent pastors (James MacDonald, Mark Driscoll, Greg Laurie, Steven Furtick, Matt Chandler and David Platt) that was aired live via simulcast last spring from Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. Pastor James MacDonald leads this multi-campus fellowship and is the host and moderator for The Elephant Room. By the way, Round 2 is being simulcast on January 25 at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville. You can still register online here. 

Anyway, that's not what this post is about. I was looking for some clips on YouTube of some of the other Elephant Room sessions not included on the DVD and found this clip featuring James MacDonald. It's titled "James MacDonald on Songs They Don't Sing at His Church." Watch it below.

I can't say that I disagree with his comments. However, like most folks, I don't agree completely. I do love where he says "We don't sing 'Jesus is my boyfriend' songs." That was the phrase that resonated today.

This has made me evaluate songs and hymns I enjoy and that I've sung in church for years. Many of these old hymns, choruses and new worship songs are incredible, but I remember a statement made by my music professor at seminary. Dr. Reynolds said, "You can determine a church's theology before the service ever begins. Just open up their hymnal and read the words to the songs."

Of course, many churches (ours included) do not use hymnals anymore, but the point is the same. To determine what the church believes about doctrine, about the Gospel, about God. . .listen to the words of the songs.

Oh, and even though some new praise choruses were referenced, poor theological songs are not relegated to the new worship movement.

There are ancient hymns that miss the point.

There are many Southern Gospel songs that basically re-write Scripture.

There are gospel songs that are embarrasingly misleading.

Sometimes I fear we sing songs that just have a good beat, are mixed well, easy for the choir to do or are the latest popular worship song without considering the theology.

This happens often (not all the time, but often) when soloists bring their own accompaniment CDs for their performance or presentation. I'm sure songs are chosen based upon style and range and what sounds good, but if we're not very careful, we will be presenting a theological concept through a song that then must be either ignored or carefully deconstructed by the Pastor.

Just to be clear, this is not a post accusing anyone of anything. In fact, my friend and Worship Pastor, Shelvin Lamb has often nixed songs simply because of the theology. We've talked at times about certain songs that seem to be making the rounds in churches and have decided that while the song is enjoyable, it is wrong and therefore, we cannot use it.

We (the church) have traditionally, and most likely legalistically, been all over our young people for listening to "bad" music. Of course, there are some bad songs that are very popular, but the kids always say "I just like the beat. I don't listen to the words." We know that's a cop out because even now, if I hear a song on the oldies station (which means they play songs from the 1980s) I can sing along, even if it's been 25 years since I owned the cassette of that artists. This was proved when I heard Prince's "1999" on the radio the other day. Seriously. . ."Two-thousand, zero, zero, party over. Oops! Out of time." Yeah, I can sing it. What a dumb song.

Anyway, my point is if we are telling our kids that they can't just hear the song and not hear the words, we need to listen to our own advice.

Even if the song is in a hymnal, on Christian radio or sung at the latest camp or rally, we had better check the doctrine. Otherwise, we will be singing more "boyfriend" songs about ourselves with really poor doctrine.

I do believe we will be held accountable, especially as pastors and leaders, for teaching sound doctrine. That includes what we teach through our songs as well.

On a lighter note, check out Tim Hawkins "corporate" worship songs. It's good to laugh! Even at ourselves. 

Pastor Approved Apps

Over the last few days I've had some friends ask me about my iPad. As many of you know, I jumped into the Apple world a few months back with the purchase of an iPad2 and have been using it in meetings, sermon prep, on my vision trip to Wales and even using it for personal Bible study and preaching from it.

Now, I'm not advocating that other people buy iPads. In truth, I don't care if you have one or not. However, since I've been asked numerous times about it and what I use it for and what apps I have, I figured I'd give you a short list of some of the apps that I have downloaded and found useful. 

DISCLAIMER: I get nothing from the app developers (wish I did) and am not truly advocating you use these, but am just stating which ones I like and have found useful. Also, in many cases, there are Android versions of the same apps if you are not on an iPhone or iPad.

STUDY

The YouVersion Bible app is one of the most downloaded in iTunes. It was developed by LifeChurch.tv and offers more than 100 versions of the Bible. Reading plans are available when online. Most versions are downloadable, so you may read the Bible on your smart phone or iPad regardless of 3G or internet connection. This is a free app. Don't pay for a Bible app.

 

PRODUCTIVITY

I use the Apple software called Pages, Keynote and Numbers. Each is a separate download and costs around $10 each. Pages is a word processor and converts to and from Word seamlessly. Keynote is a presentation software and converts to PowerPoint easily. Numbers is a spreadsheet and works and converts well with Excel.

 

Another good app for office productivity is QuickOffice. It's n0t free, but offers you the Microsoft Office type software in one package for the iPad.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

Facebook is still king of social media and they have recently released an iPad app that is pretty functional and easy to use. However, sometimes I still end up opening Safari and running Facebook from the web browser. I like the web browser version better (mainly because it's the same on all platforms.)

Before the Facebook app came online, I used MyPad. I still like MyPad and use it often. It is basically a Facebook interface for the iPad.

The Twitter app is simple and easy to use.

The LinkedIn app works well.

Hootsuite is a great tool. It allows you to update Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook as well as monitor multiple accounts. I have it on my PC and the app for iPad is good as well.

Foursquare is addictive and fun. I love the commercial where the guy says "That's Mayor Dennis. . . of the watercooler." I admit, I'm a lot like that guy. I have unlocked numerous badges and am mayor of First Baptist Church (sometimes) and of Dave's Sofa, which just like the name states. . . is the sofa in my living room. By the way, I was really good at foursquare, the real game, back in sixth grade.

Instagram is a fun app that lets you post photos and track friends uploads. It's an iPhone app, but works on the iPad. Again - can be a royal waste of time, but since when has that stopped people from using an app.

G-Whizz! is an app for connecting your Google accounts on your iPad. Google+ and G-mail can be used through this app. 

 

TEXT MESSAGING

I have the iPad with Wi-fi, but not 3G. So, if I want to text message someone from the iPad, I use TextNow. This app is pretty easy to use. The only thing is that it assigns a strange phone number to your iPad for use. I think mine has an Idaho area code.

 

STORAGE & CLOUD

Having a virtual hard drive in the cloud is nice. These apps all provide this. DropBox is my favorite, but SugarSync provides more space for free. The Evernote app allows me to take notes and save to the cloud. I have all these programs on my PC as well and can access my data anywhere.

 

NEWS

In addition to local news channel apps, I have downloaded news apps from major agencies such as CNN, Fox News, USA Today, CBS News, and BBC News.

The Drudge Report app is interesting and links numerous headlines daily, just like the webpage. Tends to be conservative politically.

The Politico app offers the opposite perspective of The Drudge Report.

The following apps will link with your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts to determine your location, likes, dislikes, etc. to push news stories on their app you may find interesting. Each one is formatted a little differently, but I check them all regularly.

Evri - Not my favorite of these multi-site apps, but good info. 

Editions - I like this one. It's by Aol, but after compiling news stories, it presents it on your screen in the form of a magazine. You turn pages and go to sections that are interesting.

Flipboard - This one is likely to become my favorite. It's chock-full of information and news stories. I can get overloaded though, so I must be careful. Great app. 

 

SPORTS

I'm just going to list the sports apps that I use regularly. I have more downloaded, but these are the best ones I've found.

Yahoo! Sportacular

CBS Sports

ESPN ScoreCenterXL

 

CHURCHES, MINISTRIES & RELIGION

 

The best church app is First Baptist Church of Orange Park. OK, maybe not the best, but it's ours. I think it offers some great information. Like most of the churches out there, this is designed by The Church App and offers many of the same features as others including sermons, calendars, Bible (with daily plans to read or have read to you) and links to pertinent church sites.

 

The Florida Baptist Witness - the newspaper of our state convention.

 

OTHER APPS THAT YOU REALLY "NEED"

Since this post is getting long and I know I cannot put every app I use on here, I thought I'd end with some of the "essential" ones. . .

 

Angry Birds

 

Scramble

 

 

Words With Friends

 

Hanging With Friends

 

Jeopardy

 

 

Movie Challenge

 

Talking Tom (He has friends like Talking Ben, Talking John, etc. All are worth the download. The Talking Justin Bieber one, however, is not.)

 

 

Starbucks

 

 

ShopKick (like Foursquare for for shopping and you earn points for discounts)

 

StumbleUpon

 

Google (this app lets you take a photo, it scans the photo and then searches the web for info on it.)

 

Kindle (I like this better than iBooks that comes with the iPad)

 

Skype (Perfect video phone for when I'm on mission trips for calling back home and for meeting with church planters in other areas of the world.)

There are many other apps, and I'm sure you have downloaded and are using some that are really great. Leave comments with your recommendations. 

You Must Be Born Again. . .But It's More Than Reciting a Prayer

01 You Must Be Born Again

Yesterday's message took us to the famous encounter of the religious leader Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but was also seeking to understand the miracles and message of Jesus. He came to Jesus at night with honest questions.

Jesus spoke what could be considered the most terrifying statement in Scripture.

John 3:5(ESV)
⁵Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 

While this may not seem terrifying to us today, it should. Think about how it must have sounded to Nicodemus. Here he was, a religious leader, a Pharisee, a very good (by the world's standards) holy man and he has just been told that regardless how much Scripture he had memorized, how well he had obeyed the law and how often he had attended religious meetings, he was still missing the vital element required to enter the kingdom of God. 

Jesus used the term "born again" and this led to questions from the religious man.

In our culture today, it appears that the term "born again" has been muddied. It's used in the business world to describe resurgences in stock prices and business plans. People use the term to describe a new day in their life based on a job, marriage, children, house, car, etc. It's become the go to term meaning little more than "I now have a new lease on life."

No wonder over 45 percent of Americans claim to be "born again" religiously.

This leads to the hard questions for evangelical churches. Questions like "How come polling statistics tell us that there is virtually no difference regarding philosophy, life choices, morality, etc. between "born again" church attenders and those who do not claim Christ?"

The sad reality is that very likely many within the church who claim to be "born again" simply are not.

Why is this?

I believe that we, the church, are partially to blame for this. Somewhere along the line, we equated salvation with simply reciting a "sinner's prayer." 

Now, don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that a personal relationship with Christ is begun with an acknowledgment of God's greatness and our sin. Paul states clearly in Romans. . .

Romans 10:9(ESV)
⁹because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Yet, you will notice that Paul did not say "If you repeat the 'sinner's prayer' you will be saved."

Neither did Jesus tell Nicodemus that God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever repeates the "sinner's prayer" should not perish but have eternal life.

Here's the actual statement as written in John's gospel account. . .

John 3:16(ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Prayer is essential. It is the tool of verbally confessing to God, but the key word in both of these verses and others is "believe."

I know that's hard to grasp, but that's the depth of the passage. To believe is to fully acknowledge, not just mentally, but spiritually as well - to believe and know from the core of who you are that Jesus is the Son of God and through God's grace, He was offered as a perfect sacrifice. His death was real. His resurrection was real. It all occured to bring glory to the Father and yet, through this process God is most glorified when we acknowledge Him, repent of our sin and receive His free gift of life and salvation.

That's what it means to be "born again." It means to be regenerated. It means to have life coming from lifelessness. It means to put the old away and receive the new.

It's more than just getting a "new lease on life."

It's more than adding religion and even Christianity onto all the other things in life that define us. It's about total surrender.

So, is it possible that our churches are full of people who are banking on the fact they repeated a prayer years earlier? I find this the case at many funerals. I will be speaking to a family whose loved one has just passed away. The loved one is unknown to me. He hadn't been in church for years. His reputation was that of one who didn't love the Lord, His church or righteousness. Oh, he may have been a good guy in the community, but spiritually. . .there was no fruit. However, his name was on the church membership roll. Why? Because sometime, probably about fifty or sixty years earliers, he joined the church and was led through a recitation of the "sinner's prayer." He was even baptized. 

It's difficult. I'm not saying that person isn't a child of God. I hope with all my heart that he is. I even hold onto the fact that at some point in his life he was spiritually soft-hearted and apparently received God's gift of salvation. However, that's a thin string to hold onto.

So what do we do? Do we engage in another of the systematic confrontational evangelism strategies using gimmicks, toys, "evangelistic flying discs" or even tracts? Do we throw all that stuff out?

It's a challenging question.

The truth is that there are many who have truly come to Christ through the efforts of men and women seeking to share evangelistically. This cannot be discounted.

However, we must not slide into a "notch on our gun belt" mentality that seeks to get people to simply "pray a prayer" and think that we have been effective. We must remember that first, it is the Holy Spirit who draws people to the Father, not slick events or gimmicky tracts or even really cool bumper stickers and the like. We also must begin to see prayer not as something to do to "seal the deal" but as a truly authentic and effective evangelistic tool. In fact, it should be "step one" in any personal evangelism strategy. Most of the time prayer is an add on or simply a bumper.

Drive by evangelism is not biblical.

Relationships are. 

Perhaps if we begin to see God's strategy for reaching the world rather than man's, we will truly see more born again children of God in our churches and communities. Regenerated lives are the goal. That's what the gospel is. That's the good news.

Nicodemus was shocked at what Jesus said, but following the terrifying statement was the clear invitation. You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. The good news is. . .you can be.

Watering Plants

Church planting seems to be the trendy thing in American Christianity right now. A few years ago the Satellite Campus was teh big talk and now it's all about planting.

For some who have been involved in a local church for decades, the term may be new, but the concept isn't. In the old days, we used to call it "starting a mission." It's basically the same thing, but with a more trendy title attached to it.

There is something a bit unique about the church planting movement versus its "start a mission" predecessor.

In many cases, the church plant is led by a pastor following a call to "plant a church" in an area to reach a certain people group. The "start a mission" strategy most often started with a church voting to call a mission pastor and then send some members (for a season) to another area in the same region to get the new mission started.

There are other differences, mostly doing with funding, support and strategy, but by and large, it's the same concept. The intent is to see God's Kingdom expand by having church fellowships in regions where no evangelical witness is present. Sometimes, the church plants are uniquely designed to reach a specific type of person who may not feel comfortable attending other local fellowships. This has led to birth of Biker Churches, Cowboy Churches, Contemporary-Style Worship Churches, etc.

Our history here at First Baptist has taken us down the "plant a mission" road. Island View Baptist Church and The Church at Argyle are two local fellowships that began many years ago as "missions" of First.

Over the years, we have supported new starts and even had our own satellite campus for a while.

Recently, we have been challenged to see beyond our own walls and seek to join God where He is at work in the area of church planting. While we have not yet planted a church on our own (I do believe God will lead us to do this) we have been invited to join in supporting a number of church plants. The church plants (or new starts, as they're sometimes called) need pretty much the same things: prayer, finances, resources and people.

In most of these cases we have promised a "100+" gift. Basically, we send $100 each month to the church planter. I know, that's not much, but it's a start. At least it will fill up a gas tank once. However, that is not all. The "+" represents what we feel God leading us to do in addition to the token financial gift.

In some cames, the "+" respresents a mission team going to join the planter for a week or so to offer help and support. This could be providing volunteers for an outreach event or maybe just serving in the preschool and children's area for a Sunday so other adult volunteers get the chance to worship with their families.

It sometimes represents an additional financial gift. In two cases this year, we were able to bless church planters with gifts of over $11,000 each. In the future, we most likely will have a "Church Plant Sunday" where a special offering is collected to be given to our sponsored church planters.

The "+" also can respresent resources. This may be curriculum material, books, Bibles, chairs, etc. The list here is pretty much endless.

Most importantly, the "+" respresents our prayers. Prayer is vital and key for any church plant. We must understand that no programming or creative idea coming from a church planters mind will last or be eternally significant apart from prayer. Also, these church planters and their families often sacrifice much. The Enemy attacks and there are many days where the planters think "This isn't worth it!" and are on the verge of giving up. Our prayers, along with those of others, offers the strength, power and encouragement these men and their families need.

So, while some plant the seeds, others water and still others may reap the harvest. It's a team effort. I'm proud God has invited us into the story. May we be found faithful.

Currently, we are supporting the following church plants in America:

River City Church - Dubuque, Iowa

This church is being planted by Josh Dryer and his wife Darlene. Josh previously served on pastoral staff at Ancient City Baptist Church in St. Augustine and was our Community Missions Pastor here at First Bapitst. 

Legacy Church - Tucson, Arizona

It started with what seemed to be a random phone call from a man I had never met. It became obvious that God had set up this partnership. We have been supportuing Chase Delperdang and his wife Jennie and the people of Legacy Church for about a year now. Here's a video from Chase showing how God is moving at Legacy.

Mercy Hill Church - Greensboro, North Carolina

This new church plant will be launched in 2012. Led by Pastor Andrew Hopper and his wife Anna and a two other couples (Bobby & Allison Herrington and Jeremy and Julianne Gager) and primarily sponsored by Summit Church, this church seeks to reach the many in the greater Greensboro area (more than half the population) who claim no religious affiliation.

Mission Church - Orange Park, Florida

It may seem strange to sponsor a church in our own city, but that's what we're doing. In the case of Mission Church, pastored by Herb Young, our sponsorship comes in the donation of our facilities. That's right, we're sponsoring a church plant in our own city and letting them use our buildings. If this were another era, it would appear to be a conflict of interest. It's so much easier to recognize that it's God's Kingdom we're seeking to increase, not our own. That frees us up to sponsor a church plant in our own building. Here's Herb describing the mission of Mission. . .

These are just the church plants in America that we sponsor at this time. Our sponsorships and support of missionaries and international churches is in addition to this. Also, we anticipate increasing our church plant sponsorships and prayerfully will plant a church through First Baptist soon.

Clearing the Temple

2-01 Clearing the Temple

John's account of Jesus' clearing the Temple is different than in the other Gospels. Even the chronology is different. This is, I believe, because the Temple incidents are not the same. John's account takes place during Jesus' first year of ministry while the other accounts take place in the third. 

Nevertheless, the story is given to us and we must ask "Why?"

One thing's for certain. This story and the message of Temple activity is not about how we as 21st century Christians are to behave in our church facilities. In fact, it has nothing to do with church buildings at all.

It does have everything to do with Temple activity. 

As Paul reminded us in his letter to the church at Corinth - our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

That being said, I love this account. It's just something about Jesus fashioning a whip over in the corner then running through driving the people and animals out of the Temple with it.