Just look at what the LORD is doing at SHBC!

(Below is the post that I added to our church blog today… I hope it is a blessing to all my readers!)

Have I told you all lately just how great a joy it is to serve as your pastor?  I believe that God is alive and well today and that He is beginning a great work at Southern Heights!

I really do want us, as a church, to learn from the children of Israel in Nehemiah’s day!  In Neh 12:43 (the text from last Sunday’s sermon), we see the children of Israel celebrating, worshipping and rejoicing in such a way that others around them knew something was going on in Jerusalem!  That’s the way I hope it will be at SHBC.  I pray that we would mature as a church, constantly moving toward greater unity, theological depth, and passionate love for Jesus Christ.  As we do that, may our worship, our words, our giving, our service, our fellowship, and everything else that we do create an environment in which others can clearly see that we are changed… different… excited about something… and as they see it in us, they will desire it for themselves… and then we point them to the wonderful cross of Christ!

I have so much to share that I felt it was necessary to drop everyone a line to keep them on top of all the great things that are happening at SHBC!  I hope that hearing these things not only encourages you, but also gives you a guide by which to pray and seek ways to get involved.  When we constantly talk about the ways in which God is at work in our church, the result is infectious!  Soon, others want to know more about our church and our Savior.  May others see the joy and excitement with which we approach ministry opportunities in our church, and may they be drawn to Christ through our joy!

Note the following updates and announcements:

1. The new (March) LifeWalk magazines are in for next month; these are the daily guides that we are using for reading through the Bible in 2009.  Be sure to pick up your copy this week or on Sunday so that you can stay on top of your daily Bible reading.  At our meeting this past week, our crowd was looking kind of puny!  We began with yearly Bible-reading commitments from at least 30 people, but only about 12 were present at the February accountability meeting.  Let’s get back on our reading plan and work hard to diligently read God’s word this year!

2.  We heartily and joyfully welcome the Campbells, Kevin and Natasha, who both presented themselves to our church Sunday morning as candidates for baptism, having just recently accepted Christ as Savior of their lives!  We welcome them and their infant daughter, Sydney, and are anxiously anticipating the baptism service in which we will see Kevin and Natasha announce their faith in Christ together through the ordinance of baptism.

3. I want to give a special thanks to all who gave to the Gideon’s offering this Sunday; we gave $147 to the Gideon’s organization for distribution of the Bible throughout the world.  Learn more at www.gideons.org

4. I want to give a VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to all who made our Valentine’s Day Dessert Auction a great success!  Almost $2,700 was raised in one evening for the church mission-trip coming up in June of this year!  Praise God for your generosity!

5. We have completed the initial phase of our G.R.O.W. Team training, although there will continually be various training sessions offered on evangelism.  We want everyone to know that if they were unable to attend the training sessions, they can still be involved in a team.  Come and talk to me (Pastor Terry) about how to get equipped in order to serve on an outreach team.  The teams have been selected, and will meet according to the following divisions:

The “G” Team (1st Thursday, 10:30 am)- Don Carter, Lloyd Goodlett, Barb Riddle, Agnes Durbin, Sam Benge, Libby Padgett.

The “R” Team (2nd Tuesday, 6:30 pm)- Bob Dooley, Garry Reynolds, Larry Reynolds, Ashley Blair, Bill Landrum, Betty Landrum, Mike Padgett (sr.), Jackie Thompson

The “O” Team (3rd Thursday, 10:30 am)- Bill and Linda Grant, Bob Tibbetts, Lisa Wisener, Ethel Hill, Fred Meade

The “W” Team (4th Tuesday, 6:30 pm)- Ken Cornish, Jerry and Cheryl England, Betty Anders, Bill Workman, Michael Howard, Mike and Fran Stone, Monnie Leap

While we want the teams to “GROW” in members and participation, we certainly don’t want them getting smaller than they are here, so make EVERY EFFORT to be a part of your team’s first meeting in March!  You will be blessed for attending!

Don’t forget to pray for our Kids on Mission 311, who, right now as I type this email, are ministering with our friends downtown to create sack-lunches for the hungry in Lexington.  Pray for these kids and their ministry!  Also remember that we are meeting tonight for fellowship, prayer, Bible Study, and a specially-called Business Meeting to discuss some issues surrounding the calling of a new Music and Worship Minister.  If you can’t come, pray for us…but if you CAN be here, then please do make it!

Dr. Nettleton on passionate evangelism…

I share the following from a sermon by Asahel Nettleton, the subject of my forthcoming dissertation in evangelism at Southern Seminary.  This excerpt is from the sermon Professing Christians, Awake! and is taken from the compilation of Nettleton’s sermons by William C. Nichols:

“Another reason why you should awake is that sinners are perishing around you.  While you sleep your example will contribute much to their destruction.  Yes, while you sleep the world may now be stumbling over you down to destruction.  Little does that ungodly professor of religion think what a train of immortal souls may be following him down to hell.  It is a fact not to be concealed that one ungodly professor of religion may do more to prevent the conversion of sinners than many infidels.  I know it is most unreasonable that mankind should suffer themselves to be thus forever ruined.  It can surely be no  consolation to the sinner in hell that he was led there by a hypocrite.

Brethren, is heaven,- is hell a fable?  If so then let us treat them as such.  Or are they eternal realities?  Whence then, this silence, this seeming indifference to the souls of men that your fellow sinners should obtain the one and escape the other.  Do you verily believe that within a few days you shall be in heaven, singing the song of redeeming love- or in hell with devils and damned spirits forever and ever.  Have you ever described your own danger, and fled for refuge from the wrath to come , and do you feel no concern for the souls of men?  Or are there no sinners in this place?  Have they all become righteous?  Do all profess to know the Lord from the least to the greatest?  Is there no prayerless family in this place, on whom God hath declared he will pour out his fury? No prayerless youth to whom God has said, I will cast thee off forever?

My brethren, if there be one impenitent sinner among us who is in danger of going into that place of eternal torment, can you sleep? One sinner in this house!  One inhabitant of hell!  Solemn thought! One soul present that will be lost forever.  Who can it be?  Could you bear to hear the name?  Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?  Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning? Have you not reason to believe that many are now living without hope and without God in the world?  Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Wherever God designs to pour out his Spirit and to call up the attention of sinners to divine things, he will be inquired of by his children to do it for them.  This he has taught us in his Word and often in the language of his providence.  It is high time for you to awake out of sleep; for others are awake- sinners at a distance are alarmed- and hundreds are now flocking to Christ.  And can you rest?  Are there not more souls here to be saved or lost forever?  Are they not as precious as ever?  And is he not a prayer-hearing God?  Hath God forgotten to be gracious?  Is his mercy clean gone forever?  And will he be favorable no more? No, my brethren, the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear- Come then, ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence, if ye speak not to warn the wicked; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.”

Wow…Nettleton sure sounds like a man who was passionate about evangelism.  He certainly has a heart for reaching the lost.  In fact, during the ten years that he was most prominently involved in evangelistic ministry (1812-22) it is said that upwards of 30,000 people were converted under his ministry!  That’s amazing by any account!  But the part that I like most is the fact that he remained this passionate for the lost while maintaining an unapologetically Calvinistic theology.  He unashamedly preached the doctrines of depravity, election, limited atonement, the powerful and irresistable drawing of the Spirit, and eternal security.  All while maintaining a positive passion for the lost and an actively engaging evangelistic ministry.

Maybe it is possible after all to hold to the doctrines of grace and be evangelistically passionate; all the while desiring biblically informed methods and a doctrinally sound message.   I believe that it is, and that Nettleton provides us one example of a man who held to such a soteriology while maintaining evangelistic passion.    May that encourage and challenge all of us who hold to these doctrines to be more faithful, diligent, and passionate in our personal evangelism.

Thoughts about the Northwest Territory and a new look…

I haven’t been blogging here too much lately; for the past 2 weeks the town in which I live (Lexington, KY) has been basically shut-down because of the horrendous weather conditions.  Maybe you’ve seen it on the news.  In the midst of all this, I haven’t had too much spare time, and what time I have had, I have been putting in to starting a blog-site for our church at www.southernheightsky.wordpress.com.

Anyway, while I had a spare minute, I thought I would tinker with the site for a few minutes, and I decided to customize my blog-header with a picture I took a few years ago.  It is one of my all-time favorite pictures.  I took it in black-and-white a few years ago while on a mission trip to the Dogrib Indians of the Northwest Territory, Canada.  The team I was serving with flew in to Edmonton, Alberta and then drove hundreds and hundreds of miles north to the NW Territory.  On the way, we stopped at Twin Falls Territorial Park and walked to the Louise Falls.  They were absolutely, stunningly beautiful.  And unlike parks in the U.S. there were almost no railings, signs, or protective barriers at the park.  I could walk right up to the water and stand right at the edge of the falls…which was kind of wierd for me.  (see pic below)

Anyway, I hope this new header-pic looks cool, and that folks like it.   And if you think about it, pray for the folks of the Northwest Territory.  I have taken a few trips up there in the past few years, and I LOVE it.  I even considered going there full-time as a church planter, but alas, it was not to be.  The need for the gospel in the NWT and throughout Canada in general is great.  The fields are white unto harvest, we must pray therefore that the Lord will raise up laborers for His field.

Your thoughts on local Associations…

OK, I don’t have long to post right now; I am getting ready to head out the door and attend the weekly meeting/ luncheon of the Elkhorn Baptist Association.  EBA is the oldest association in the state of Kentucky and I believe (but could be wrong) the oldest west of the Alleghenies.  Anyway, I enjoy the fellowship and work of our association here in Lexington.  I believe it is done right by our DOM Don Reed and his staff.  We have various ministries to the people of greater-Lexington and our association sees itself as a resource for the churches, not vice-versa. 

My question, which is specifically directed at “younger” guys but open for all, is this: What do you think about local associations in Southern Baptist life?  Why aren’t more “younger” guys interested in being a part of the fraternal fellowship provided at the associational level?  Why are the meetings increasingly attended by the older generation but skipped over by younger guys?  Are we really arrogant enough to believe that we don’t need any fellowship, encouragement, or accountability outside of our local places of service?  What is the usefulness of the association for you?  How would you like to see them improve?   

I am not necessarily offering answers to these questions, but merely asking them because I really believe that in my lifetime, we are going to see either a radical restructuring of associational life or the death of them as institutions.  I say that not as a critic, but as one who participates and supports associational life when it is done well. 

What are your thoughts?

There are so many things wrong with these three stories…

That quite frankly, I don’t even know where to begin.

Check out the first one here, about a 6-year old that took his family car and attempted to drive to school, saying that he learned how to drive from playing Grand Theft Auto?@#$!

1. What the heck is a 6-year old doing playing Grand Theft Auto?

2. How does a 6-year old take keys, start a car, and drive for 6 miles unassisted?  NO WAY can he reach the pedals and maneuver properly?

3. How does he crash the car and receive nothing but a bump on the head?

4. How does he do this without the parents knowing a thing?

Can anyone begin to see why our nation is in such a mess?

The second story is a ridiculous report out of       Chicago, where the kids graduate without knowing how to read, but really enjoying their coffee!  BTW, same cess-pool of corruption out of which some other politicians of note have come.

Finally, there’s this one.  I have just one question… how is one “accused” of urinating on another’s leg?  Shouldn’t that one be pretty cut and “dry”?  The evidence should speak for itself?

This world in which we live is not only coming apart at the seams, it’s just a downright weird and creepy place to live sometimes.

PROVERBS FIVE MAKES FOR SOME INTERESTING FAMILY DEVOTIONS…

*NOTE: If you are someone who takes yourself or life in general too seriously, you probably don’t want to read this. If you can laugh at the little things in life, then enjoy!

Last night as my wife and I gathered with our children for family Bible reading before bed, we read Proverbs chapter five (5) to them and discussed it’s content. You may ask “why did you choose that passage?” The answer is that I am making it our goal to read through Proverbs this month as a family by reading a chapter per day out loud and discussing the wisdom of Proverbs with our children. After all, no book is more practical or more needed today than Proverbs.

And so we read chapter five. Now, chapter five of Proverbs is a discourse on the wisdom of marital faithfulness, which leads to life and blessing, as opposed to the folly of infidelity of any sort. I think this is a very relevant passage for a number of reasons. First of all, kids today need to understand the beauty of covenantal relationships as God intended them and the way in which they point us to the gospel (Eph 5:25). They need to learn from their parents and pastors about God’s plan for relationships and understand sexuality in the context of marital relationships. They are certainly not going to hear this message from the culture?@#! And so as I read the passage and explained the idea of infidelity in all its forms (i.e. marital unfaithfulness, pornography, lust, emotional infidelity, etc…) my kids were surprisingly attentive, even though they are only seven and ten years old (the babies were in bed by this time!). They asked questions about marriage, divorce, adultery, and even what it meant for sin to lead to death. It was a great teaching opportunity.

It got a little sticky for me however, to try to skate around the obvious issue of sex in the passage. Instead of being graphic, I spoke to the kids about “kissing” and “mommy and daddy smooching” and used other colorful terminology to substitute for sex without being too graphic with my kids. The time will come to drop the cutesy terms and be blunt, but its just not yet. As I read on and explained more, there were a couple of responses from my kids that were just pure gold.

When I read verse 15, (Drink water from your own cistern…) I paused and asked my kids in a puzzled tone just what that meant. I never dreamed that they would have a clue, but my 7-year-old son responded without missing a beat, “I think that means that you should be happy with the girl God gave you dad.” How incredibly perceptive is that for a young boy who had NOT been coached in the answer?! I hope he remembers that when he grows in to a young man!

Then, when I approached Proverbs 5:19, I faced a problem. The verse reads, “Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight,” but I just could not bring myself to explaining that to my mixed audience of children. As I paused momentarily to think of a substitute word (I settled upon “Let her hugs and kisses fill you at all times…) my wife snickered softly, sensing my clear discomfort and awkward hesitation and knowing the verse well. My ten-year-old daughter then bursts out of her seat and, like a hyena perfectly sensing its prey’s weakness, comes at me insisting, “that’s not what it says dad, come on, tell us what it really says.” It was a moment of laughter and fun as we playfully wrestled and I diligently sought to maintain some level of innocence by keeping the Bible from her and “hiding” the real word used! But we eventually continued in our study together and I was left to reflect upon some lessons that I had been taught about family devotions.

#1- God’s Word is relevant to the needs of every generation. It is not outdated, outmoded, or out-of-touch as some insist. In a day when many in the church feel that they need to move to “something else” to give kids what they need, I say that a return to the relevant Word of God is what is needed. When exegeted properly and diligently mined for nuggets of truth, the Bible addresses clearly and truthfully all areas of life from God’s perspective. I would much prefer for my kids to learn about human relationships and sexuality from God’s Word than from MTV, Oprah, or from the public education system.

#2- God’s Word is powerful when unleashed. All I had to do was read it to my children and facilitate instruction and they were able to grasp its truths by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

#3- We need a return to more Bible reading in our homes. Most adults today are not even aware of what rich truths the Bible contains because they have simply never read it. How much less today’s children, who seldom know more than what they have learned from a singing vegetable! (Before anyone complains, I LOVE the singing vegetables… but they should not be the sole source of children’s knowledge of the Scriptures!)

#4- Sometimes presenting the totality of God’s Word can become awkward or uncomfortable, especially with our children, but with a little common sense, the truths of Scripture can be conveyed without too much embarrassment or discomfort. There is no question that in our culture, our children are going to be exposed to issues like violence, war, murder, sexuality, adultery, etc… In fact, they see it every day on the news and in popular media. I firmly believe that parents can use the Word of God to give their children right moral and ethical views on these and other subjects according to what God has revealed about them. This can and must be handled with sensitivity and common sense, but navigating the difficult course between truthfulness and embarrassment is possible with a little practice and common sense. I guess what I am saying is, don’t avoid the “hard passages” of the Bible with your children, but rather, approach them truthfully with much prayer and concern for your child’s moral and spiritual development.

**On a lighter note though, a list of passages you may want to save until your kids are older might include Genesis 9:18-27, Leviticus 15, Judges 19, 2 Kings 6:24-31 (Lam 4:10), and the entire book of Song of Songs! It’s hard enough to explain circumcision to your kids or to tell them why David danced naked before the Lord (II Samuel 6) without having to make things too complicated! Stick to the “fun stories” that kids (especially little boys) love hearing, such as the story of fat king Eglon (Jud 3), or Jael and her tent-stake (Jud 4), or Absalom’s hair-problem (2 Sam 18), six-fingered giants (1 Chron 20) or even Ezekiel’s fuel dilemma (Ezek 4:9-17)! Last year, we bought my son a comic-book style adaptation of selected Bible stories called “Weird and Gross Bible Stuff,” and amazingly, he couldn’t put the book down! He read it diligently and asked many questions about the content of the Bible. Incidentally, there is a whole series of these books for children published by Zonderkidz, including one titled “Seriously Sick Bible Stuff” and “Bible Wars and Weapons.”

#5- Sharing the Word of God with your children can be fun, exciting, and memorable. It does not have to be some negatively stereotyped “boring quiet time” that your kids dread. My kids laughed, interacted, and even asked for applications of the text as we discussed this difficult text. I’m willing to betcha’ that they will remember for a long time to come the core teachings of this text.

#6- Be patient with kids as they learn the ropes of spiritual truths. One last anecdote. Because we had spent yesterday evening volunteering at a local homeless shelter, my kids had asked lots of questions about homelessness, poverty, and a Christian’s concern for these issues. I explained as best as I could the plight of the homeless and why we should be motivated by the love of Christ to help our fellow man not only with physical comfort, but also with gospel-centered concern. As we closed out our evening with family prayer, my son prayed just as seriously as he possibly could (no denigration intended), “Lord, help the homeless people of our city to find a nice cozy dumpster to sleep in tonight…” My daughter began cracking up and my son didn’t understand the problem. I worked through the chuckles to explain to my son a better prayer to offer and he then finished. Kids have to grow in their understanding of how to live the Christian life, but shame on us parents if we don’t teach them diligently and then give them the room they need to make mistakes and learn by trial and error.

As my son demonstrated with his response, they really are picking up a lot more than we give them credit for!

It was one of the best nights of family devotion in my recent memory. I can’t wait to find out what we discover tonight in Proverbs six… and neither can my kids.

Oh, and by the way… I never did tell my daughter what the real word was in 5:19! I know she can find out for herself if she chooses to and nothing I can do will change that…but as I said, there is a time and place for everything. For now, she just knows that I am satisfied with her mommy’s “hugs and smooches!” And she is a happier child for it!

Re-entering the blogosphere…

First let me wish everyone who reads this the happiest and most blessed of new years! My prayers are for peace, joy, health, and the advancement of the gospel in 2009 in an unprecedented way, both in my own life and church and around the world as well! May you be blessed in 2009!

Now for other matters…I am officially reentering the blogosphere with this post. As you may be able to see from the date of my last post (June 25, 2008), it has been over six months since I wrote. Although I really do love the engagement, interaction, and capacity for communication that blogging allows for, I had to make the choice to put blogging on the back burner for a few months for a number of reasons (which I will mention below). However, in the past two weeks, I have received three inquiries from friends about when I would begin writing again. Honestly, I didn’t really think that there were three people who cared, but apparently I was wrong. So today, with “things” finally slowing down and a new year upon us, I thought it was a good time to reenter the blogosphere and begin a regular regiment of posting again. I do so with a renewed commitment to try to post things that are positive and encouraging rather than focusing on negative things in the SBC today. Believe me, I do think that there are lots of things wrong that I could blog about. Chronicling the so-called “Baptist Identity” or “Anti-Calvinist” agendas, while it would really boost my “daily hits” number, would lead only to greater division and nasty posting back and forth by the same 2-3 dozen people. Spending my time ranting against the political agendas at work within the SBC or pointing out the incessant nepotism and narrowing of parameters would lead to lots of heat, but very little light. Yes, there are problems. Southern Baptist life is not perfect. However, I want to work with my brothers and sisters to make it a better place. I want to work hard to create a positive environment within the SBC in which the world can see the love of Christ at work. Maybe I just don’t have the stomach for the politics of it all, or maybe I just naively trust that truth will win out in the end. Maybe I’m just a coward, afraid anymore that to speak out about some things will only result in bad consequences for me personally. Whatever the case (and they are all options), I hope to bring some things to the table that are positive and encouraging to my small crowd of readers and those within my church who visit the site.

So where have I been for these six months and what has been going on in my life?

Southern Heights Baptist Church, Lexington Kentucky

First, in late August of 2008, my family and I transitioned to Lexington Kentucky where I began a new ministry as pastor of the Southern Heights Baptist Church. We dearly loved the First Baptist Church of Grayson and valued our almost 4 years of ministry in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky, but in the end felt that truly God was leading us to Southern Heights where there were greater opportunities and greater challenges for a young minister like myself. The moving process took a number of weeks. We packed, moved, unpacked, and lived out of boxes until we were finally “settled in” around the end of September. We are still not completely unpacked, but we are comfortable enough to feel that we are truly “home” at our house just down the street from the church.

We absolutely LOVE living in Lexington and we are crazy about our new church family at SHBC. Our church has tremendous potential, sitting right in the middle of a growing residential area in southwest Lexington. Estimates project that there will be almost 80,000 people living within a 3-mile radius of our church by 2013. My challenge is to lead a group of solidly-committed, progressive-minded Christians (about 140 per week at SHBC currently) to become a missional-minded church that is committed to disciple-making through biblically-sound evangelism and discipleship. It is a tough task, but I feel that I am up to it. I am surrounded by wonderful people, a great staff, and a church with a strong history. We are truly preparing to see God work and move in great ways!

Secondly, the last six months were complicated tremendously by the fact that all of this moving and transition took place in the midst of a very demanding semester of Ph.D. work. Doctoral work is always a bear and working full time in the pastorate while attempting a doctorate is even more strenuous. Moving is always difficult as well. But trying to work full-time at a new church, move my family, and complete some of the most strenuous doctoral work to date (including the reading of about 30 books!) proved to be almost too much. Regrettably, many things had to give, including personal health (recreation and exercise), sleep-time, fun-time with family, blogging, and even leisure-reading. Outside of work and school, I have had little time for much else in the past six months. I have just this week begun preparing for my last semester of seminar/ colloquium work this spring at SBTS. My classes are challenging, but I am more excited than ever to be studying in the program that I am in and blessed to be studying under the godly men that I am under. Pray for me this semester to manage my time better.

Third, there were a string of health-related issues that kept my wife and I extremely busy in the past 3 months as well. Our younger two children (Terah and Lucas, 3 and 9 mos) went through rounds of infection, fevers, and viruses, as do so many children. But also, our 7-year old little man, Ethan, has had some serious gastro-intestinal problems all of his life that finally demanded attention back in October. Without getting in to detail, his condition is by no means life-threatening or even dangerous, however it is one that causes him terrible pain and discomfort and has affected his physio-biological growth in some ways. He had to have an overnight procedure in October at the UK Children’s hospital that seems to have helped somewhat with his problem. He has bounced back well since the procedure, but his problem still requires lots of attention and causes us lots of concern.

Following that, on October 11^th, my father was in a life-threatening motorcycle accident. While riding his Harley, he and my step-mother were hit by a deer. It killed the deer and almost killed my dad as well. Though my step-mother walked away with minor injuries, dad had multiple broken-bones, the most serious of which was a crushed pelvis. He was air-lifted to University of Cincinnati hospital where he spent about 2 weeks in intensive care and going through surgeries to reconstruct his pelvis. After UC, he went to rehab for about a week and then came home just before Thanksgiving to complete his recovery. He has been in a wheelchair ever since and will require months of therapy just to walk normally again. Though my step-mother has taken care of him through most of this, we have made some trips north to stay with dad and have spent lots of time and energy helping deal with this trauma. We are just glad that he is alive, well, and recovering. Hopefully, God can use this trauma for his own glory by reminding my dad what the real purpose of life really is, namely to “Love God and keep his commandments.”

So in a nutshell, that is where I have been in the past 6 months. It’s a crazy life…but it’s the only one I got! I hope that things slow down a bit in 2009, but then…wait… no I don’t… I enjoy every minute of the life with which I am blessed just as it is!

I hope to hear from more of you as I re-enter the blogosphere in 2009, and I hope to be a blessing and encouragement as I write!

Nettleton on sleeping Christians…

Asahel Nettleton, in his sermon Professing Christians Awake!  challenges us to consider what Paul meant when he commanded his Christian friends in Rome to wake-up from their spiritual slumber.  This sermon is taken from Romans 13:11.  In it he answers the question, “when does the Christian sleep?”  In answer to that question, he gives a three-fold answer, the first point of which I share below.

This sermon is taken from the book Asahel Nettleton: Sermons from the Second Great Awakening, William C. Nichols, editor.  International Outreach, 1995.  Nettleton is of particular interest to me and I am considering doing my dissertation project on him.  He was a nineteenth-century Calvinistic evangelist who is said to have led over 25,000 sinners to faith in Christ.  He is best known for opposing Charles Finney’s “new methods” but leaves a much richer legacy than that alone. 

When does the Christian sleep?

“In general he desires his own case, and begins to consult that, when it comes in competition with duty.  Religion is the great business of his life.  It imposes on him many duties which are painful and crossing to corrupt nature.  Thus the fraternal admonition- exhort one another daily, lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him is the command of God.  To neglect this and similar duties for fear of incurring reproach, is to indulge in spiritual sloth.  You may sit down and rest quietly if you will not disturb your fellow sinners around you with a sight of their sin and danger.  This requires no effort.  And here thousands resign themselves to rest.  Individuals or a church may close their eyes on the conduct of an offender and be silent, and this awful indifference to his soul assumes the name of charity, without lifting a finger to restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.  The slothful servant will ever consult his own ease by sinful contrivance to shun duty.” (pp 1-2)

I ask…are Southern Baptists awake today?  or sleeping through our spiritual duties?

A Thoughtful Challenge from a Wise Man…

OK…forget for a moment that Dr. Chuck Lawless is ultimately the man who will grant me my PhD one day from Southern’s Graham School.  Forget that he is brilliant and very engaging on just about every topic a seminarian would care to talk about.  Forget for a moment that he is author of many successful books on various spiritual topics.

 

Forget for a moment that he grades my papers…  J

 

The other day he posted a challenging open letter to all young leaders here on his blog.  I believe that he is spot-on with what he says here and challenge you to check it out.  

 

Young leaders, of which I currently still consider myself (I am 33 and have pastored for over 12 years) are at a critical juncture in SBC life.  We have been leaving in droves for the last decade and we have even raised our voices in protest until we have been heard in SBC life.  Now we are being heard, and I ask “how will we respond?”   

 

 

I would really like to know for sure why we are losing so many young leaders.  I understand that many who are still in SB life are those who have grown up SB and have SB connections.  I think this is the bulk of our current “young leadership.”  I know that every seminary prof and mega-church pastor has their “entourage” of young guys who will sail through the ranks, and there are always the sons and sons-in law of those in high positions, but by and large, younger “non-connected” pastors are pursuing other alternatives outside the SBC.  I know a lot of the guys who are “connected” and they are great guys who really love Jesus passionately, but the SBC really needs to connect with a wider circle of young leaders if we hope to flourish in the coming years.  I respect those who choose to walk away and understand their reasons.  I still fellowship with many of these guys and appreciate their ministry.  I’m just not there yet…

 

 

So what is the reason young guys are leaving, and what is the solution to keeping our young leaders?  I think these are questions worth asking and finding answers for today.  I suspect that I know lots of the reasons already, but would like to hear from others on this issue. 

   

I believe that what we have in SB life is worth fighting to keep.  Read the challenge and prayerfully consider the words of a wise man.  The ball is in our court..

Why I am thankful today for the CBF…

In a nutshell, the existence of the CBF and articles like this one make me really glad I am a Southern Baptist.  If you haven’t read it yet, please take a moment to do so before reading on.  It is very telling.   

 

David Roach of the Baptist Press has written an excellent article here highlighting the presence of heretical teaching at this year’s CBF meeting.  I don’t use the word “heretical” lightly.  I don’t use it to describe just any difference of opinion within orthodox thought, but I reserve it for only the strongest misrepresentations of bliblical truth.  Though many readers will have critical comments about the BP and question whether or not this article is a fair representation of the CBF overall, if the substance of the article is true (and I believe it is) then there are some serious questions about the doctrinal integrity of the CBF.  In short, it appears that the organization is fostering the teaching of outright heresy.  Many have suspected this for years, but I cannot see there being any question about it after this.   

 

I said in my title that I am thankful for the existence of the CBF and I say this somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but please follow my point.  For all of our in-fighting and problems as a convention, Southern Baptists should read this article and be thankful to God for a few things that this information brings to our mind.

 

First, we should be thankful for and reaffirm the importance of the key principles of the CR (conservative resurgence).  Now if you have read any of my previous postings or know anything about me personally, you will know that I am critical of a number of things concerning the CR.  I question whether or not the methods used during the heat of the CR were always proper.  I also question whether or not the CR corrective movement is currently seeking to carry things too far in SB life through continual narrowing.  But one thing that I cannot question at all is the emphasis of the CR to bring Southern Baptists back to a fundamental understanding of orthodox Christian faith as presented in the inerrant, infallible Word of God.  We should thank God that today we are truly holding to “the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”  As Dr. Mohler pointed out during his SBTS report this year at the convention, we should be thankful that as Southern Baptists, the things we are debating include regenerate church-membership, missiological methods, and a firm stance against same-sex marriage rather than the deity of Jesus Christ as presented in the Word of God. 

 

I am glad that true theological liberalism was rooted out of our seminaries and institutions.  I am thankful that today, as a doctoral candidate at SBTS, I am being taught by those who affirm without reservation the deity of Christ and the inerrancy of the Scriptures.  Shouldn’t we be thankful for that at the very least? 

 

I mean, for heaven’s sake, Killinger was standing at a meeting of Baptists and questioning the divinity of Christ and the divine nature of the gospel of John!  At times, I have been mildly sympathetic to the cries of many CBF supporters as they lamented the “takeover” by the CR guys, but I cannot in good-conscience be much sympathetic to any group of Christians who allow this kind of rhetoric to transpire at a national meeting without voicing serious opposition and denouncing it outright.  If someone had presented such heresy at a SB meeting, I am sure that many voices would have arose and denounced it as outright heresy and pointed out that it in NO WAY represents the doctrinal leanings of our convention. 

 

As of tonight, in spite of my efforts to find any, I have not found any official statements from CBF leadership denouncing Killinger’s propositions.  Though I may still have my critiques, I thank God for the CR.  (*note: in fairness, if any readers find an official pronouncement from CBF leadership, please send me a link.)

 

Secondly, this article helps to put true “liberalism” into perspective for us SBs who spend so much time fighting among ourselves.  It seems that anymore, the “L” word is tossed around to describe basically anyone who is somewhat left of one’s own position.  It’s funny how “liberal” is used to define anyone who is to the left of where you are at personally on the “liberal to conservative” spectrum.  This becomes very subjective, very dangerous, and often very unhelpful in our argumentation.  This article helps us to recognize that true liberalism is that which seeks to undermine the very foundational elements of the Christian gospel according to the inerrant Word.  As Machen argued long ago, theological liberalism results in a new religion that is not even recognizable as orthodox Christianity.  (J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism, 1923)

 

A “liberal” is not necessarily someone who ordains female deacons.  A “liberal” church is not really one which holds open communion as opposed to your church which holds “closed” (or close, depending on your terminology) communion.  A “liberal” is not someone who uses the HCSB rather than the ESV or NKJV.  A “liberal” is not even someone who holds a different view of accepting members in to their congregation (immersed, of course!) than you.  Even if you disagree with some of these positions, it is hardly fair to accuse someone who subscribes to the BFM and affirms the inerrancy of Scripture as a “liberal” just because they disagree with you on such issues. 

 

 

This article helps put into perspective that which the apostle John referred to when he wrote in 1 Jn 2:22, “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”  At its heart, true “liberalism” in the theological sense, seeks to unseat Jesus Christ from his rightful place as God incarnate, the eternal Son who came as redeemer and rose as Lord of all creation.  To be sure, there are other theological areas which liberalism seeks to attack, but we must be careful about attacking other BFM-affirming Southern Baptists as “liberals” simply because they disagree with us on some secondary or tertiary issue (I know…the Baptist Identity guys will hate the fact that I believe any doctrines are secondary or tertiary, but that is an argument for another day!).   I have personally heard and read the use of such language to describe other cooperating Southern Baptists.  It is very convenient to use, because it has a way of rallying immediate sympathy to one’s cause, but it is simply not accurate.  This article reminds me to be careful and reserve the use of the term for those who truly deserve to be called theologically “liberal.”   

 

So in a nutshell, I am glad that I found this article and came to read about this gross misrepresentation of Christian doctrine at this CBF meeting.  It helped me to chase away my gloomy, pessimistic tone towards all things Southern Baptist and remember, once again, that there is much to be thankful for in Southern Baptist life today.  We may have a long way to go before we right the ship again, and there is still much need for humility, repentance, and correction, but at least we have a solid foundation from which to build.  And gathered around the fellowship of the Word of God and the person of Christ, we have a fellowship with other believers that is strong and hopefully determined to stand against false doctrine of all shades, so that the true gospel of Jesus Christ is trumpeted throughout the world. 

 

As for the CBF as an organization…all I can offer are my continued prayers.