Authenticity. So much hinges on that one word. Much of our world is looking for authenticity in something. Authenticity in advertisement. Authenticity in government. Authenticity in leadership. And yes, authenticity in church. A lie can be found in so many places but the truth is rare. If there is one place truth, genuineness, and authenticity should be found, of course, it is in the church. Unfortunately, however, that is simply not always the case.
I have been on a journey of seeking authentic discipleship for myself and for those that I lead for quite some time now. It seems now more than ever that I have found my thoughts echoed by many other church leaders. Whether it be in books that I or my wife are reading or in blogs or statistics, the drive for authentic Christianity and discipleship is a plea coming from every direction. For example, my wife is reading a book on the history of the Baptist denomination. In it, she discovered that a church local to us is the oldest Baptist church in the state of Georgia, the historic Kiokee Baptist Church. In its beginnings, Kiokee was so determined to be an authentic outpost of the Kingdom of Heaven that they practiced and enforced the strictest variation of church-discipline. One could not simply be a nominal Christian and be a part of Kiokee. An individual had to represent Christ, His Kingdom, and Kiokee well in order to maintain membership. Kiokee Baptist Church is still a wonderful church that is genuinely making a Kingdom difference and I thank God for the work they are doing in our community.
Things in general have changed however.
The Word tells us that we should be in the world but not of it. In attempts to be relevant, we have capitulated to the world's standards. We are too afraid of being called judgmental to hold our brothers and sisters in the church to a heavenly standard, and heaven forbid we speak out against any injustice or immorality in our culture for we are sore afraid of being called bigoted or worse. It may be that we have spent to much time trying to look like the world for the purposes of attracting the world. The aforementioned books, blogs, and statistics tell us that what will actually attract the world is quite the opposite. People are looking for truth and we possess the ultimate source. Now we must understand that we will not advance the Kingdom by being Bible-thumpers or those who would seek only to win arguments with what we perceive as our social enemies. When the Bible tells us to disseminate truth, it tell us to do so with love. We must lovingly speak out against issues in our world such as abortion, sexual abuse, anything that stands against biblical marriage, racism, and the like. Believe it or not, those who are coming to our churches want to know how to think about these things in a different perspective. High schools, universities, and mainstream media tell them how to think about these issues rather unashamedly. Their minds are flooded with progressive ideologies that are being promulgated by a liberal socialism that many are recognizing, in unprecedented numbers, as yet another inauthentic vie for their minds, hearts, and their very souls.
In the Word of God, we are told to not only be hearers of the Word but also be doers. This, unfortunately, is another place where the church fails to be as authentic as we should be. A. W. Tozer once said, "If you are not worshiping God on Monday the way you did the day before, perhaps you're not worshiping Him at all." People know when you go to church. They see you leave every Sunday and they know where you are going. They hear you talk about your church. And I have been in church settings where no one ever said anything good about the church...trust me, people pay special attention to the negative things you say. Praise God, Powell (the church I am serving now) does not disparage herself in this way. Whether they see you going to church once or twice a month or they see you going every time the doors are open, what your friends, family, and neighbors are actually looking at is how your church attendance and your devotion to Christ affects your life and behavior. If there is no discernable difference between you and Joe Atheist across the street, what would lend anyone to believe that you or your religion is authentic. How can we be world changers when we look, smell, talk, and walk like the world? Simply put, we will not. I pray for Kingdom advancement but that requires work on my part. It does on your part as well. In the book that my wife is reading, The Baptist Story, Caleb Evans said, "When we pray for the advancement of this kingdom, if we are not willing to do all we can to advance it, our prayers cannot be genuine, they are hypocritical." The last thing this world needs is another hypocrite. I realize that we cannot provide perfection to the Kingdom because we are human and by nature we are sinners. I don't think that the saved have to live in the bondage of the old life to sin but, alas, we still sin everyday. What I do think is that we can and should live in authentic relationship with Christ and repent everyday. Authentic discipleship to King Jesus is radical and will be noticed. Live in a way that makes you a bright shining city on a hill, an outpost of grace, an ambassador of justice, a beacon of hope, and a lighthouse of love. You will be amazed at the impact that you can and will have on this world. People need authenticity and genuineness in a world nearly devoid of it. Where else will they find it if they cannot find it in the body of Christ?
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Fight The Right Enemy
I spent some time this morning thinking about heaven. I thought about what it would be like to see the face of Jesus. I pondered on the overwhelming joy that would flood my soul as He embraces me and welcomes me into everlasting perfect communion with Him.
And then it happened...our adversary distracted me. The enemy reminded me of the struggles of this life. Satan told me to quit daydreaming of fairy-tales. That is what spiritual war is all about. When you begin to think on the beauty and wonder of God, Satan quickly tells whatever lies he can tell to rob you. He is a roaring lion whose only desire is to devour you. He wants to kill you, steal from you, and destroy you. We must be vigilant because he will use whatever means necessary to distract you from the wonder of God and the purpose of life.
One of the main things that our adversary uses is people. We know that the Word of God tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12) but often times Satan will use people as human shields. The enemy will hide behind people and make you think that they are your enemies. They are not.
I have not been in ministry for a very long time comparable to some pastors but I have been for ten years. In my time in ministry, I have found that when God wants to do big things, Satan feels threatened. Our adversary will pull out every weapon in his arsenal to stop us from being used of God. One of his most devastating weapons against us is divisiveness and dissension. He will use mundane things to drive wedges between people. He will destroy relationships over trivial nitpickings that should not, and in fact, do not really matter. The adversary does not have to create major rifts between people to create chaos. All he really needs is a toe-hold. All that is really needed is for us to open the door for him by allowing differences of opinion to matter more than they really should. When we think of spiritual warfare, it seems that we often think of doing battle with strong demons. It is a lot more subtle than that.
Our God is a big God with big plans. Satan is a big adversary with big plans. Satan is not an enemy that should be taken lightly. Although it seems that he may not be waging all out war on us...I can promise you that he is. His battle plan is to wear us out by winning small skirmishes. We may think that these are no big deal until we realize that we have let him have victory on so many small skirmishes that he has won some major battles and is nearly winning the war. As they say, hindsight is 20-20. So wage war on him every day. As an individual and as a part of the corporate body of a church, determine daily that Christ will have the victory. Do not let him win any more skirmishes in your life and in your relationships. Get along with people for the sake of the Kingdom. Again, I have to reiterate that we as believers have more in common with each other than what the enemy would have us believe...because we have Jesus in common. Put aside your differences. Be united with the body of Christ. Realize that the enemy is cowardly and is hiding behind those people that you think are your enemies. Do not allow him the pleasure of hindering the plan of God in your own personal life or in your church because of trivial, nitpicky, non-sensical differences that will not matter in eternity.
As believers we know that the war has already been won. We know that God is victorious. We know that we are more than conquerors but we have to realize that although Satan has been defeated, he has not given up on taking as many down with him as he can. The Normandy invasion in 1944 has been infamously called D-Day. We know that this took place on June 6, 1944 but do you realize that, although the war was essentially won by the allies on that day on that bloody beach, skirmishes continued to rage on for nearly another year until what is known as V-Day (or Victory Day) in May of 1945? The Axis powers knew they had been defeated but they kept trying to inflict as much harm as they could until the bitter end.
The War has been won for us when Christ stormed the beach of death on Easter and proclaimed victory over the grave but our V-Day is still in the future when Christ leads his battalion to end Satan once and for all in the valley of Megiddo. Until then, keep fighting and realize that the person in the trench (or in the pew) next to you is not the enemy. In fact, they are your battle buddies. Don't weaken the war effort by fighting skirmishes with your allies. Join forces and flank the enemy together with the sweeping death blow of love and unity.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
What Did You Just Pray?
Do you believe that God is a God who answers prayers? I am sure as soon as you read that your heart began stirring within you and you gave a resounding yes as if it was as sure as the fact that you are breathing right now. If we indeed believe God answers prayers, then what are we praying for?
All too often we treat God as if He were our cosmic grandfather. We want Him to grant us our desires of fortune and comfort. If God were to answer your prayers today, would your family, friends, and neighbors be saved because you prayed for them to be saved today? Or would you have a clean bill of health, a new car, a new house, and your favorite sports team would be undefeated? There is, of course, nothing wrong with praying for the health of our friends and family. There is nothing wrong with praying for the blessings of God on those we know and love. Why not pray then for the ultimate blessing of the security of salvation in their lives?
In Acts 1:8, Jesus commanded us to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After this, in verse 14 we find that the disciples went back to their gathering place and devoted themselves to prayer. They knew and believed that what they were called to do was to share the Gospel with the entire world around them. Great power had been bestowed upon them and they immediately committed themselves to continuously tapping into that power. They believed in Philippians 4:13. They believed that God would equip them to do anything that He called them to do. Philippians 4:13 does not mean that you will be able to accomplish crazy feats of superhuman strength. It does not mean that you will have access to every outrageous desire of your heart. It means that God will strengthen you to do what you were made to do.
So while we are praying, we should be praying that everyone that we come in contact with will know of the love with which God loves us. When we are praying, we should be considering ourselves an answer to the prayer. The Word of God tells us to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into His fields...we are the laborers. The Great Commission says to "Go therefore" but when you study the language, what it actually says is "As you are going" which means that as we are living our lives, we are praying, we are being strengthened to live as we are called, and we are going with intention in our lives to tell as many people about what God has done for us and what He desires to do for them as we can.
Do not say that you cannot share your faith. You can say that you are too fearful or that you are not passionate about sharing your faith. But do not ever say that you cannot. You have been given the power from heaven to share this good news and if you are a follower of Jesus it is not only a commandment, it is a privilege. You can and you must. The president of the Southern Baptist Convention, J. D. Greear, has challenged us to find our "one". Who is that one person or perhaps more than one in our lives we know needs to hear the Gospel boldly proclaimed? Find that "one" and share with them. Pray for them. Do not ever give up.
Prayer is a powerful thing. To pray is to speak to the Creator of the universe. To pray is to have a conversation with the great and mighty omnipotent God. I am challenged today to pray and speak to God and ask Him to do that which only He can. Today, I am asking Him to bring salvation to the lost and dying. Today the average statistic would say that 7 out of every 10 people that live in the U.S. are far from God. Of that seven, there are surely those who would say that they are saved. There are most definitely those who could speak of some time that they walked an aisle or prayed a prayer but their lives do not reflect the transformative power of Christ. I am praying today that I will have the boldness to speak truth into their lives. That God would give me opportunities to share my faith, my testimony, the Gospel. I am praying that we would not go to church but that we would be the church as Christ intended.
Pray and when you are done pray some more and then go and be an answer to prayer.
All too often we treat God as if He were our cosmic grandfather. We want Him to grant us our desires of fortune and comfort. If God were to answer your prayers today, would your family, friends, and neighbors be saved because you prayed for them to be saved today? Or would you have a clean bill of health, a new car, a new house, and your favorite sports team would be undefeated? There is, of course, nothing wrong with praying for the health of our friends and family. There is nothing wrong with praying for the blessings of God on those we know and love. Why not pray then for the ultimate blessing of the security of salvation in their lives?
In Acts 1:8, Jesus commanded us to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After this, in verse 14 we find that the disciples went back to their gathering place and devoted themselves to prayer. They knew and believed that what they were called to do was to share the Gospel with the entire world around them. Great power had been bestowed upon them and they immediately committed themselves to continuously tapping into that power. They believed in Philippians 4:13. They believed that God would equip them to do anything that He called them to do. Philippians 4:13 does not mean that you will be able to accomplish crazy feats of superhuman strength. It does not mean that you will have access to every outrageous desire of your heart. It means that God will strengthen you to do what you were made to do.
So while we are praying, we should be praying that everyone that we come in contact with will know of the love with which God loves us. When we are praying, we should be considering ourselves an answer to the prayer. The Word of God tells us to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into His fields...we are the laborers. The Great Commission says to "Go therefore" but when you study the language, what it actually says is "As you are going" which means that as we are living our lives, we are praying, we are being strengthened to live as we are called, and we are going with intention in our lives to tell as many people about what God has done for us and what He desires to do for them as we can.
Do not say that you cannot share your faith. You can say that you are too fearful or that you are not passionate about sharing your faith. But do not ever say that you cannot. You have been given the power from heaven to share this good news and if you are a follower of Jesus it is not only a commandment, it is a privilege. You can and you must. The president of the Southern Baptist Convention, J. D. Greear, has challenged us to find our "one". Who is that one person or perhaps more than one in our lives we know needs to hear the Gospel boldly proclaimed? Find that "one" and share with them. Pray for them. Do not ever give up.
Prayer is a powerful thing. To pray is to speak to the Creator of the universe. To pray is to have a conversation with the great and mighty omnipotent God. I am challenged today to pray and speak to God and ask Him to do that which only He can. Today, I am asking Him to bring salvation to the lost and dying. Today the average statistic would say that 7 out of every 10 people that live in the U.S. are far from God. Of that seven, there are surely those who would say that they are saved. There are most definitely those who could speak of some time that they walked an aisle or prayed a prayer but their lives do not reflect the transformative power of Christ. I am praying today that I will have the boldness to speak truth into their lives. That God would give me opportunities to share my faith, my testimony, the Gospel. I am praying that we would not go to church but that we would be the church as Christ intended.
Pray and when you are done pray some more and then go and be an answer to prayer.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
What Jesus Says About You
Believe what Jesus says about you. This has been a theme that has been running through my head for a couple of weeks now. God has been using this phrase recently to encourage me and to use me to encourage others.
Satan wants nothing more than for us to feel defeated. He wants nothing more than for us to throw in the towel. Just give up. Our adversary says we are not good enough. Not smart enough. Not strong enough. He tells us to quit trying because we will never succeed. He reminds us of our failures and assures us that we will indeed fail again.
Jesus tells us that He is enough. He is good enough, smart enough, and strong enough. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." When we become his disciples, we are promised that he will never give up on us. When we fall, he is strong enough to pick us up, dust us off, and lift our heads.
We are called his children, his beloved. The Word of God assures us that before Christ, all we had to offer were filthy rags but when we embrace a relationship with him, we are co-heirs with Jesus. If Jesus is the King of Kings and we are his children, then we must be princes and princesses in the most glorious kingdom of all eternity. When the Bible speaks of our heavenly inheritance, it speaks of being in the court of the most high God. We stand to inherit the earth and the fullness thereof because it all belongs to our Father. Not only does our Father own cattle on a thousand hills, he owns the thousand hills too.
He says that those who follow him are new, transformed, justified, redeemed, accepted, righteous, free, chosen, holy, blameless, sealed, alive, complete, and Jesus even calls us his friends. We can stand up to our adversary and remind him of all of these things. Tell our enemy who you are in Christ. Never ever give up. Remind Satan of his destiny and yours! Thomas Edison once said, "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." When you think you don't have the strength to defeat the enemy, you are absolutely correct. But when you trust in the power of our Creator God, you have more than enough weapons to slay the father of lies. Get back in the fight and try again, dear friend, for Jesus has already said that you are victorious!
We are called his children, his beloved. The Word of God assures us that before Christ, all we had to offer were filthy rags but when we embrace a relationship with him, we are co-heirs with Jesus. If Jesus is the King of Kings and we are his children, then we must be princes and princesses in the most glorious kingdom of all eternity. When the Bible speaks of our heavenly inheritance, it speaks of being in the court of the most high God. We stand to inherit the earth and the fullness thereof because it all belongs to our Father. Not only does our Father own cattle on a thousand hills, he owns the thousand hills too.
He says that those who follow him are new, transformed, justified, redeemed, accepted, righteous, free, chosen, holy, blameless, sealed, alive, complete, and Jesus even calls us his friends. We can stand up to our adversary and remind him of all of these things. Tell our enemy who you are in Christ. Never ever give up. Remind Satan of his destiny and yours! Thomas Edison once said, "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." When you think you don't have the strength to defeat the enemy, you are absolutely correct. But when you trust in the power of our Creator God, you have more than enough weapons to slay the father of lies. Get back in the fight and try again, dear friend, for Jesus has already said that you are victorious!
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Running The Ultramarathon
All of us are running toward something. We are traveling down one path or another. As the old hymn says "This world is not my home, I'm just a'passin' through," One thing is for sure, God never promised that the road would not be long and hard. He just promised that there would be eternal rest for those who love him waiting on the other side.
I want to be able to say, like Paul, that I have ran the race and finished it well. I want Jesus to look at me and say "Well done, good and faithful servant." That is what I want for all of us at Sardis Baptist Church.
I have a friend who was a cohort peer with me in my doctoral studies. He runs 100 mile ultramarathons. I have heard him talk about the grueling process of training that running these races requires. He has explained to me the fatigue that comes with running this extreme race. He describes the desire to give up and quit before he is finished. But then he gets excited when he speaks of the second wind that he gets that takes him to the finish line. Oh the sight of that finish line!
As a follower of Christ, life is not a sprint. It is an ultramarathon. It takes significant training that only the church can provide. Only Jesus can be our trainer. He keeps pushing us to get better, run harder, be stronger. One beautiful thing about that is that Jesus runs the race with us. Jesus never gets winded. He never gets tired. His strength is made manifest in our weakness. When we want to give up, he is there to give us a second wind. When the road is too long, too tough...he is right there. He knows what it takes to finish the race and he knows the course because he created it.
There have been times when I have gotten too weak. Times when I have gotten lost on the course. I have wanted to take shortcuts. He keeps guiding the way. The road to destruction is wide and easy. There aren't too many hurdles on that road. I have found myself trying to get out of the marathon and just take a casual stroll on the wide and easy path. I know that is not who I am. I know that is not what I trained for...but it's easier.
Recently I made the difficult decision to leave my position at Sardis Baptist Church and begin a new ministry at Powell Baptist Church. This was not an easy decision. I have been the pastor at Sardis for over five years. I know that is not a tremendously long time but it is long enough to establish life-long relationships. It is long enough to become a part of a community. And, dangerously, it was long enough for me to have become comfortable in my position. Jesus said it was long enough. In my time here, I ran the best way that I knew how. I wanted to stay on this course but Jesus wanted to challenge me.
I have made so many friendships. I have learned so many things. Seminary prepares you doctrinally for the marathon but it cannot prepare you the way that actually running the race will. I remember my first week here. I was new at this thing. I was clueless. There were many times in the first weeks and months that I didn't even know what I was supposed to be doing...how to even get started running. After a while, though, I began to figure things out little by little. I have not, by any means, arrived. I've just figured out how to start running. I pray that most of the marathon is still ahead of me and that I can use my experience here as a springboard to propel me into many fruitful years of ministry. Sardis Baptist, though, was never considered a stepping stone for me. I never had intention of leaving until I knew for certain that God was calling me away. I believe with all of my heart that God called me here just as strongly as I believe that he is leading me away now.
I will always remember my time here. I will remember that this was where God chose to use me for the first leg of my race. I will remember that through the ministries of Sardis Baptist, my son came to know Jesus. I will remember the good times. Were there bumps in the road? Sure. But God used those bumps to make me stronger...to give me a second wind. I pray that our Lord will do the same for Sardis Baptist. I pray that the best years of ministry in this place are still to come. Run the race, church, and finish well.
Sardis Baptist will always hold a special place in my heart and I look forward to crossing the ultimate finish line and standing before Jesus together will all of the saints. One day we will fellowship again together. Until then, let's keep running.
Pastor Nick
I want to be able to say, like Paul, that I have ran the race and finished it well. I want Jesus to look at me and say "Well done, good and faithful servant." That is what I want for all of us at Sardis Baptist Church.
I have a friend who was a cohort peer with me in my doctoral studies. He runs 100 mile ultramarathons. I have heard him talk about the grueling process of training that running these races requires. He has explained to me the fatigue that comes with running this extreme race. He describes the desire to give up and quit before he is finished. But then he gets excited when he speaks of the second wind that he gets that takes him to the finish line. Oh the sight of that finish line!
As a follower of Christ, life is not a sprint. It is an ultramarathon. It takes significant training that only the church can provide. Only Jesus can be our trainer. He keeps pushing us to get better, run harder, be stronger. One beautiful thing about that is that Jesus runs the race with us. Jesus never gets winded. He never gets tired. His strength is made manifest in our weakness. When we want to give up, he is there to give us a second wind. When the road is too long, too tough...he is right there. He knows what it takes to finish the race and he knows the course because he created it.
There have been times when I have gotten too weak. Times when I have gotten lost on the course. I have wanted to take shortcuts. He keeps guiding the way. The road to destruction is wide and easy. There aren't too many hurdles on that road. I have found myself trying to get out of the marathon and just take a casual stroll on the wide and easy path. I know that is not who I am. I know that is not what I trained for...but it's easier.
Recently I made the difficult decision to leave my position at Sardis Baptist Church and begin a new ministry at Powell Baptist Church. This was not an easy decision. I have been the pastor at Sardis for over five years. I know that is not a tremendously long time but it is long enough to establish life-long relationships. It is long enough to become a part of a community. And, dangerously, it was long enough for me to have become comfortable in my position. Jesus said it was long enough. In my time here, I ran the best way that I knew how. I wanted to stay on this course but Jesus wanted to challenge me.
I have made so many friendships. I have learned so many things. Seminary prepares you doctrinally for the marathon but it cannot prepare you the way that actually running the race will. I remember my first week here. I was new at this thing. I was clueless. There were many times in the first weeks and months that I didn't even know what I was supposed to be doing...how to even get started running. After a while, though, I began to figure things out little by little. I have not, by any means, arrived. I've just figured out how to start running. I pray that most of the marathon is still ahead of me and that I can use my experience here as a springboard to propel me into many fruitful years of ministry. Sardis Baptist, though, was never considered a stepping stone for me. I never had intention of leaving until I knew for certain that God was calling me away. I believe with all of my heart that God called me here just as strongly as I believe that he is leading me away now.
I will always remember my time here. I will remember that this was where God chose to use me for the first leg of my race. I will remember that through the ministries of Sardis Baptist, my son came to know Jesus. I will remember the good times. Were there bumps in the road? Sure. But God used those bumps to make me stronger...to give me a second wind. I pray that our Lord will do the same for Sardis Baptist. I pray that the best years of ministry in this place are still to come. Run the race, church, and finish well.
Sardis Baptist will always hold a special place in my heart and I look forward to crossing the ultimate finish line and standing before Jesus together will all of the saints. One day we will fellowship again together. Until then, let's keep running.
Pastor Nick
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Unity Matters
I am back in the Peach State after being away for a few days in the Lone Star State for the Southern Baptist Convention. I must say that I thoroughly enjoy fellowshipping with the believers for these unforgettable events every year. Each time I go, my batteries are recharged and I return home with a fresh zeal for ministry. This year is no different in spite of many events and challenges that were presented to our beloved convention.
When I arrived in Dallas, I was nervous for what was going to be in store for the two-day convention and for our denomination in the days to come. Scandals and bad press unfortunately ran rampant in the days, weeks, and months leading up to our meeting. In the midst of our meetings, the Vice-President of the United States of America, Mike Pence, asked if he could address us. While this may seem to most like a good thing, it was not without controversy. Many people questioned whether politics should be allowed in the pulpit. Others believed that embracing Pence would be tone-deaf and would isolate ourselves from other faithful believers who either hold differing political views or who harbor distrust in the current White House Administration. In reality this convention was a watershed moment for our denomination. We had so many things on the table that would shape who we are as Southern Baptists that I am not going to mention them in detail here. Suffice it to say that we had major decisions to make and the world was watching.
There were several things that took place that I did not whole-heartedly agree with. That will always be the case when sinful people like myself are involved. One moment that was particularly sobering to me personally was when Ravi Zacharias stood before us and reminded us that opinions are things that we have but convictions are things that have us. In other words, we must humbly remember that we will not always agree on secondary and tertiary issues but that we must completely agree on the primary issues. If we can agree that Jesus is primary, we still have a basis for unity. Our convictions about the Gospel and the exclusive path to salvation in Jesus must align!
I have written before that infighting weakens any group. We can say terrible things about each other and believe that no one outside of our circles of influence will ever hear our voices but we would be terribly wrong. I believe with all my heart that we must stand boldly for our beliefs and convictions and that we must hold high the doctrines that our faith and denomination were built upon. We must not, however, tear down our brothers and sisters just because they have differing mindsets on secondary or tertiary issues.
When we attack each other it hurts. It hurts individuals. It hurts churches, it hurts the heart of God. When the world looks at us (be assured that the world most definitely looks at us) and sees us biting each other, they are understandably turned off. Why preach grace, mercy, and forgiveness if we go out of our way to defame and slander Godly people with whom we might disagree with on issues that are probably not as important as we think they are. My advice, for what it is worth, is that we all have a slice of humble pie. I am not saying that we shouldn't disagree. I am saying that we should be soaked in the humility of Christ and that when we come to the table with our ideas, we do so with love for our brothers and sisters. It is okay to disagree. I disagree with my wife on even some seemingly important issues...most of which I realize later that I was wrong about in the first place (except for how to squeeze toothpaste out of the tube). I can disagree with her while still upholding her integrity.
I will be the first to admit that I do not affirm Calvinism. Many of my peers disagree with me on this issue. This is the basis of one of the many disagreements that we have had over the past years as Southern Baptists and it was a major issue in the presidential race of the Southern Baptist Convention this year. So we have a choice. Do we split over this issue, or do we commit to unity in Christ? Make no mistake, if we continue heading down this path, we will have to address this question at some point. In fact, some have already hinted that those who affirm Calvinism should leave the Baptist Church for the Presbyterian Church. When we do reach this moment, my prayer is that we will ask ourselves one question: what will honor King Jesus? So much rides on this one pivotal question. Yes, I isolated the one issue of Calvinism but there are other issues that will beg the same question. The conviction that has me is that we should do everything that we can in the power of the Holy Spirit to look as much like heaven as we can. We do not know much about heaven because it is entirely too glorious for our feeble hearts to imagine but one thing we do know is that every nation, every tribe, every people group, and every language will stand before the Lamb. That includes a vast array of people with as many different perspectives, ideas, and opinions. It might be time for us to start getting used to unifying with people different with us because one day those of us who call Jesus Lord will see fully, we will all agree, and we will all be in unity...because in the Kingdom of God...unity matters.
When I arrived in Dallas, I was nervous for what was going to be in store for the two-day convention and for our denomination in the days to come. Scandals and bad press unfortunately ran rampant in the days, weeks, and months leading up to our meeting. In the midst of our meetings, the Vice-President of the United States of America, Mike Pence, asked if he could address us. While this may seem to most like a good thing, it was not without controversy. Many people questioned whether politics should be allowed in the pulpit. Others believed that embracing Pence would be tone-deaf and would isolate ourselves from other faithful believers who either hold differing political views or who harbor distrust in the current White House Administration. In reality this convention was a watershed moment for our denomination. We had so many things on the table that would shape who we are as Southern Baptists that I am not going to mention them in detail here. Suffice it to say that we had major decisions to make and the world was watching.
There were several things that took place that I did not whole-heartedly agree with. That will always be the case when sinful people like myself are involved. One moment that was particularly sobering to me personally was when Ravi Zacharias stood before us and reminded us that opinions are things that we have but convictions are things that have us. In other words, we must humbly remember that we will not always agree on secondary and tertiary issues but that we must completely agree on the primary issues. If we can agree that Jesus is primary, we still have a basis for unity. Our convictions about the Gospel and the exclusive path to salvation in Jesus must align!
I have written before that infighting weakens any group. We can say terrible things about each other and believe that no one outside of our circles of influence will ever hear our voices but we would be terribly wrong. I believe with all my heart that we must stand boldly for our beliefs and convictions and that we must hold high the doctrines that our faith and denomination were built upon. We must not, however, tear down our brothers and sisters just because they have differing mindsets on secondary or tertiary issues.
When we attack each other it hurts. It hurts individuals. It hurts churches, it hurts the heart of God. When the world looks at us (be assured that the world most definitely looks at us) and sees us biting each other, they are understandably turned off. Why preach grace, mercy, and forgiveness if we go out of our way to defame and slander Godly people with whom we might disagree with on issues that are probably not as important as we think they are. My advice, for what it is worth, is that we all have a slice of humble pie. I am not saying that we shouldn't disagree. I am saying that we should be soaked in the humility of Christ and that when we come to the table with our ideas, we do so with love for our brothers and sisters. It is okay to disagree. I disagree with my wife on even some seemingly important issues...most of which I realize later that I was wrong about in the first place (except for how to squeeze toothpaste out of the tube). I can disagree with her while still upholding her integrity.
I will be the first to admit that I do not affirm Calvinism. Many of my peers disagree with me on this issue. This is the basis of one of the many disagreements that we have had over the past years as Southern Baptists and it was a major issue in the presidential race of the Southern Baptist Convention this year. So we have a choice. Do we split over this issue, or do we commit to unity in Christ? Make no mistake, if we continue heading down this path, we will have to address this question at some point. In fact, some have already hinted that those who affirm Calvinism should leave the Baptist Church for the Presbyterian Church. When we do reach this moment, my prayer is that we will ask ourselves one question: what will honor King Jesus? So much rides on this one pivotal question. Yes, I isolated the one issue of Calvinism but there are other issues that will beg the same question. The conviction that has me is that we should do everything that we can in the power of the Holy Spirit to look as much like heaven as we can. We do not know much about heaven because it is entirely too glorious for our feeble hearts to imagine but one thing we do know is that every nation, every tribe, every people group, and every language will stand before the Lamb. That includes a vast array of people with as many different perspectives, ideas, and opinions. It might be time for us to start getting used to unifying with people different with us because one day those of us who call Jesus Lord will see fully, we will all agree, and we will all be in unity...because in the Kingdom of God...unity matters.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
How The Mighty Have Fallen In The Midst Of The Battle
In 1 Samuel 31, the Bible tells us that a great battle occurred between Israel and the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. This battle led to the death of King Saul and the utter defeat of his son Jonathan. As Jonathan lay on the battle ground defeated, he asked an Amalekite sojourner to end his life. In what the Amalekite considered an act of mercy, he killed Jonathan and brought his crown to David to tell what he had done and why.
David was greatly distressed. He tore his clothes and mourned and wept for Jonathan. In 2 Samuel, David wails three times that now infamous phrase "How the mighty have fallen!" He exclaims in verse 27, "the weapons of war perished!"
Recently many mighty men have been slain by the enemy. My heart aches within me as I exclaim "How the mighty have fallen!". The president and CEO of the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, Frank Page, resigned recently amid reports of his moral failings involving an inappropriate relationship in his not-so-distant past.
Paige Patterson, the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been forced to resign amid allegations that he demonstrated a lack of discretion with the reporting of a rape that occurred on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary between a female student and her assailant. Patterson encouraged her not to report the rape to the authorities and brought her before a board of his proteges to describe the assault in full detail, which, by her own testimony, essentially shamed her.
Yet another well respected seminary professor that I personally looked up to and who helped me with my doctoral work has recently resigned from the seminary and from his ministry in the local church with no details as to why he promptly exited ministry. The lack of details in this case is disturbing. He has made a short public statement saying that he has resigned but as for now and the foreseeable future, he will be saying nothing more out of respect for his family. Unfortunately, this lack of forthcoming information would lead me to believe he has done something that would bring shame to himself, his family, and ultimately the Kingdom. I have to confess that I do not know for sure that this is the case but the circumstances certainly point in that direction.
In times like these, God reminds me to take inventory of my own life. I realize that I am susceptible to falling because I am human. My humanity means that I am sinful. When we fall, the enemy gains a little more ground. We have given him more than enough to work with to bring destruction to us. We have got to take this battle seriously. Eternity hangs in the balance.
Men perish. We are fallen. The enemy loves nothing more than to bring the crowns of our mighty men to us to remind us just how easily we can be defeated. No matter how mighty the man, we must realize that the enemy is mightier. No man-made defenses will stand against the onslaught of our adversary. That is why we have been given weapons of war.
The prevailing weapons of war are Godly weapons. God's might is incomparable. Ephesians 6 describes these weapons. We have the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, Boots of Readiness that come from the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. These weapons of war WILL NOT PERISH! It is imperative that we all take advantage of this combat gear afforded to us before we, like many other mighty men, fall. El-Gibhor will not be defeated and if we take on His strength, power, and might, neither will we.
David was greatly distressed. He tore his clothes and mourned and wept for Jonathan. In 2 Samuel, David wails three times that now infamous phrase "How the mighty have fallen!" He exclaims in verse 27, "the weapons of war perished!"
Recently many mighty men have been slain by the enemy. My heart aches within me as I exclaim "How the mighty have fallen!". The president and CEO of the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, Frank Page, resigned recently amid reports of his moral failings involving an inappropriate relationship in his not-so-distant past.
Paige Patterson, the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been forced to resign amid allegations that he demonstrated a lack of discretion with the reporting of a rape that occurred on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary between a female student and her assailant. Patterson encouraged her not to report the rape to the authorities and brought her before a board of his proteges to describe the assault in full detail, which, by her own testimony, essentially shamed her.
Yet another well respected seminary professor that I personally looked up to and who helped me with my doctoral work has recently resigned from the seminary and from his ministry in the local church with no details as to why he promptly exited ministry. The lack of details in this case is disturbing. He has made a short public statement saying that he has resigned but as for now and the foreseeable future, he will be saying nothing more out of respect for his family. Unfortunately, this lack of forthcoming information would lead me to believe he has done something that would bring shame to himself, his family, and ultimately the Kingdom. I have to confess that I do not know for sure that this is the case but the circumstances certainly point in that direction.
In times like these, God reminds me to take inventory of my own life. I realize that I am susceptible to falling because I am human. My humanity means that I am sinful. When we fall, the enemy gains a little more ground. We have given him more than enough to work with to bring destruction to us. We have got to take this battle seriously. Eternity hangs in the balance.
Men perish. We are fallen. The enemy loves nothing more than to bring the crowns of our mighty men to us to remind us just how easily we can be defeated. No matter how mighty the man, we must realize that the enemy is mightier. No man-made defenses will stand against the onslaught of our adversary. That is why we have been given weapons of war.
The prevailing weapons of war are Godly weapons. God's might is incomparable. Ephesians 6 describes these weapons. We have the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, Boots of Readiness that come from the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. These weapons of war WILL NOT PERISH! It is imperative that we all take advantage of this combat gear afforded to us before we, like many other mighty men, fall. El-Gibhor will not be defeated and if we take on His strength, power, and might, neither will we.
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