Things new and old

Valentine’s Day and Love?

2012-02-21T12:13:00.000-06:00

A few days before Valentine’s Day one year my wife made a comment to me. She said, “Don’t get me any flowers or buy anything for me this year.” She went on to say, “I know you love me but I just think we ought to use what money we might spend on Valentine’s Day and give that money toward some worthy need.” I agreed with her. We sent some money to West Africa to enable a handful of pastors to have some quality scriptural books for their ministry. After all, ‘the grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). I confess that I sometimes hate days like Valentine’s Day or other calendared days. Why? Because that’s the day when you get something for someone because, well, that’s the day to do it! Kind of a duty thing, but then when you don’t do it and it’s anticipated, well then, you have become a nerd or a senseless, meaningless, loveless miser. God help us to do the right thing whether it’s on the calendar or not. I love my wife whether it's on the calendar or not!

Significance of insignificance

2012-02-10T15:37:00.000-06:00

He didn’t have a great following. He didn’t have a normal diet. He didn’t wear normal clothes. He didn’t have a great ministry. He was anything but conventional. Yet before he was even born, an angel of God announced to his parents that he would be great NOT in the eyes of men, but “in the eyes of the Lord.” Who is it? John the Baptist!

During the life of John the Baptist, two important questions were asked of him. To answer these questions, one can uncover some valuable insights into what it means to be significant, even in the 21st century. The first question posed was just after his birth - What will this child turn out to be? (Luke 1:66). Since we are able to look back in history at the life of John the Baptist, we can easily answer this question. Unusual circumstances surrounded his birth. His Mother was aged and barren. She had prayed for a child. God had intervened and granted her request. John the Baptist is the only person recorded in scripture to have been filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. Is it any wonder that the hand of God was upon his life? What was Jesus estimate of his short life? (Luke 7:28). There is none greater. Six months wholly yielded to God and God put that mark of excellence upon his life.

Can you imagine what the world thought of John? He is so very, very insignificant. Why he doesn’t even have a seminary education! How can he amount to anything? He didn’t fit the status quo, he was anything but normal. Most of us think that rising to the top is a sign of greatness. We could profit greatly from learning the parable of the whale. “He who rises to the top and begins to blow will soon be harpooned.”

Why did God give John that mark of excellence? Because of his great numbers? Because of his great success? NO, he chased people away, “you brood of vipers.” That’s not exactly the way to win friends and influence people. Greatness to the world is relational. It’s always in comparison to something else. But when God puts His mark of greatness upon you, it’s not in comparison to anything or anyone, except your relationship to him. What’s the principle of significance? Significance is always to be found in the eyes of the Lord.

There is a second Question that comes out of this text: ‘who are you? (John 1:19). John was asked, “Who are you?” Then he was given multiple choice answers. A. Are you Elijah? Or B. Are you a prophet? John chose C. He was not conventional, his answer was ‘I am nothing but a voice in the wilderness crying out, prepare ye the way of the Lord.’ John was what every Christian ought to be, a voice, a pointer. The last thing he wanted men to do was to look at him, he wanted them to forget him and see the king! Who was John? He was a humble child of God called to serve. Who you are involves your relationship with God who gives us our identity.

For John, knowing who he was helped him to do what he had to do. It wasn’t his doing that determined who he was. It’s not what I do that determines who I am, but who I am that determines what I do. He knew who he was when they came for him in prison to behead him. He knew who he was when he spoke sternly to the Pharisees (the religious leaders of the day). His mind was not on climbing any ministerial ladders but only on his calling as a humble child of God prepared to serve.

No one is willing to take a back seat in ministry unless they have first settled the issue of who they are. When that question has been answered honestly, we will be willing to do any task that God sets before us. When you settle the issue of who you are in an honest and sincere way, then you will be willing to go to the far ends of the earth in an unknown place and be an unknown for God in order that He might become known. That’s what Christianity is all about. Making Him known! He must increase, I must decrease.

To clarify the question, who are you? Even after giving him multiple choice answers, they asked again a little differently (John 1:22). What do you say about yourself? What you say about yourself should always be put in the context of your relationship with Christ. John never said anything about himself. He never responded with a list of his great achievements. John was never caught arguing with the disciples as to who is the greatest.

It’s only what you say about Christ that will count for eternity. What you say about yourself will mean nothing on judgment day! What was important was not what others said about him, not what he said about himself, but what God ways about him!!

Jesus’ appraisal of his life was, “There is none greater than John the Baptist.” What a testimony to his life! When you’ve worked out who you are, it doesn’t matter where you are or what task you are doing.

On January 29, 1948 Jim Elliott jotted these words in his diary. “God, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn up for thee. Consume my life, my God for it is Thine. I seek not a long life but a full one like yours, Lord Jesus. May my way prosperous, not that I may achieve high status but that my life might be an exhibit to the value of knowing God.”No long after he penned these words, he died a martyr’s death. May we strive to follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist – to be great in the eyes of the Lord, knowing from whom we have been sent and for what purpose.

What does the Christian life look like?

2012-02-03T17:17:00.000-06:00

One of my greatest burdens as an associational missionary concerns the membership of all our churches. Currently there are over 8,000 people on the rolls of Nine Mile Baptist Associational churches that are scattered throughout four counties. How many genuinely know God? I am not asking how many have made a decision for Christ in the past but how many have been born from above and have been given a new nature with new desires and interests in the things of Christ.

One summer while on vacation in Canada I attended a certain church with some friends. After the service while people were drinking tea and chatting, a man came up to me and asked me a question. He said to me that he had made it a habit of always asking new Christian acquaintances one particular question. Here’s the question he asked: “What does the Christian life look like?” First, I have to say that I was stunned by the question. Not the question itself, but the fact that someone after a worship service was still interested in spiritual things. Have you ever noticed how quickly the worship of God dissipates and the subject turns to the Cardinals, weather or where we’re going to eat? But today was different! I have to confess that I was taken aback by the seriousness of the question from a total stranger. I am not wired to think quickly on my feet. I usually need time to mull things over and process them for a while. Nevertheless I did answer his question on the spot. Throughout that day the question repeatedly came to mind and I continued to ponder what the best answer should be. How would you have answered that question?

Now that I have had more time to think about it, here’s a response from the apostle John. The one who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same manner as he walked (1John 2:6). The Christian life looks just like Christ! We know that walking is a metaphor for living, so the question remains, ‘how must we live?’ Obviously there must be some kind of union between us and Christ in order for there to be a connection. I have heard it said many times that Mahatma Gandhi is reported to have said, “I like Christ but I haven’t found anyone else like him.” The Christian life is the life of Christ lived out just as Paul describes in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

It was in Antioch that the early disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). They referred to themselves as “followers of The Way” or as “disciples.” But in Antioch they were observed and referred to as “Christians” by unbelievers. Michael Green in his book, Thirty Years that Changed the World describes how this name was given partly in jest and mockery as it was intended to hurt. And yet it would not have been given at all had there not been some noticeable parallel between them and Jesus. So those disciples in Antioch reminded people of Jesus. What were they doing that caused them to be identified with Christ? Was it their faithfulness in going to church? Was it that they all wore Christian T-shirts and jewelry? Was it because they didn’t go to the local barbecue restaurant? Was it because they were always smiling when they were mocked? Is there anything in the text that might give us a clue? Yes, I think there might be one. Immediately after the reference ‘to being called Christians’ an announcement comes concerning a famine in Judea (11:28-30). What happens next is crucial. Those disciples in Antioch determined to send relief to the brethren in Judea. We cannot take this lightly as though, ‘oh yes, a hunger relief offering, we do that once a year.’ No, this was indicative of their union with Jesus. They had a generous spirit that permeated the very core of their being oozing forth in new desires and values that branched out into many different actions that were totally contrary to their culture.

There is a relationship between their action and a parable Jesus gave about the final day. He said that “in as much as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me” (Matt.25:31-46). The seed that is dropped in the good soil doesn’t just sprout, it bears fruit a hundredfold. Jonathan Edwards writing in 1746 said, “The judge at the day of judgment will not go about to examine men as to the method of their experiences (I walked the aisle in church), or set every man to tell his story of the manner of his conversion (I prayed and asked Jesus in my heart); but his works will be brought forth, as evidences of what he is, what he has done in darkness and in light.…….The seed sown in every kind of ground, stony ground, thorny ground, and good ground, which in all appears alike when it first springs up, yet is tried, and the difference made to appear, by the burning of the sun. Seeing therefore, that these are the things that God makes use of to try us, it is undoubtedly the surest way for us to pass a right judgment on ourselves, to try ourselves by the same things (Italics are mine).” So what does the Christian life look like? Well, what did Jesus’ life look like? What did the early disciples’ life look like? And now, what does my life look like?

They were not really of us!

2012-01-25T19:48:00.000-06:00

The Barna Group is a research driven organization that churns out survey after survey analyzing data and statistics taken from polls among churches. The group continues to forecast the decline of church membership in our day. There are many reasons why there is a decline in church membership. One such reason, out of many, has to do with the Apostle John’s analysis of church life. He states: “They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that it might become plain that they all are not of us (1 John 2:19).” The apostle John is clearly saying that they were once with us and they were a part of us but now they are no longer with us, the reason – because they were never really of us. These insightful words help us to understand the rise and fall of some church stats as well as the doctrine of perseverance. Let me give you a very clear example. I had the occasion to listen to an interview on NPR one day. Bart Ehrman was being interviewed about his new book that was being released that day. It’s entitled God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question – Why We suffer. Mr. Ehrman stated that he was born again while in High School at the age of 16. He later attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago as well as Wheaton College. Among his many endeavors, one stood out – the fact that he was a pastor in Evangelical Churches including a Baptist Church for a while. Imagine being a member of his church and listening to him preach and even seeing people saved under his preaching ministry. What if someone had predicted that he would one day abandon the faith. You would have probably said, “that’s insane!” You would, no doubt, have found it hard to believe. But it happens! In the interview Mr. Ehrman related how he was a good church going Christian until he started wrestling with real issues like the problem of suffering and evil in the world. How can someone abandon the faith that they once preached? That would take a lot more time to discuss. From the Apostle John’s text, it is evident that genuine faith was never really present. How do we know? Because he went out and did not continue! Genuine faith perseveres (Matt. 10:16).

Church membership, commitment to discipleship, and even engagement in professional ministry are not guarantees of genuine Christian faith. Does that mean we should constantly scrutinize and examine each other’s faith? No, of course not, but we should take to heart the abundance of scriptural teaching that exhorts us to bear much fruit (John 15:8; Mark 4:8). One aspect of fruit bearing is that it is continual year after year and never ending. May you and I be like the Apostle Paul confessing that “WE have finished the race and we have kept the faith!”

Real Christianity through the eyes of a politician

2012-01-18T08:32:00.000-06:00

The thought of real Christianity being seen through the eyes of a politician seems to be one big oxymoron; however, when one turns back the pages of history we get a surprise. It’s not a politician of today but one from long ago. William Wilberforce was a member of British Parliament who wrote a book entitled, Real Christianity in 1797. The life of Wilberforce was propelled into the limelight by the movie, Amazing Grace. Wilberforce helped abolish the slave trade. In 1787, when William was twenty-eight years old, he wrote in his diary, “God Almighty has set before me two great objectives, the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.” Wilberforce committed himself completely to this end. For the rest of his life, these two issues shaped everything he did. Though he wrote his book in 1797, his words are extremely relevant for today. It’s almost as if he is reading the culture of Christianity in the 21st century. The disparity between the life of Christ and the life of a Christian is not unique to this century because this is what he said:

Lately it seems to be the commonly held opinion that so long as a person acknowledges in general terms Christianity’s particulars, and if she is not habitually guilty of any obvious vice against her fellow creatures, then we should all be satisfied with her claim to Christ’s name. These days the word “Christian” seems to imply no more than a sort of formal general agreement with Christianity’s basic tenets. People expect that this alone will be enough to earn them the benefits of Christ’s life and death. When we look at their lives we see nothing that would distinguish their morality from that of a good Deist, Moslem, or Hindu. We see nothing of the unique character of Christ.

True practical Christianity, never forget, consists in devoting our hearts and lives to God. Real Christianity demands that we always be governed by the desire to know and do His will. Our greatest inspiration in life should be to “live to his glory.” If we lack these essential prerequisites, then it matters little how likable we are, how creditable and respectable. If we lack the essence of Christianity, then we should not be complimented by being given its name.

May God raise up Christians worthy of the name!

The most important little book to share

2012-01-05T09:01:00.000-06:00

Of all the books we could recommend to people to read concerning the gospel, the best one is often overlooked. The one most neglected not to mention one of the oldest is included in our Bible - The Gospel of John! It is an easy to share little book. There are five other reasons why I make this suggestion. The first and primary reason has to do with the purpose of John’s gospel. We may forget that the gospel writers were like any author, they had a purpose for writing. The first three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are often called the synoptic (which means seeing together) gospels because they are so much alike. But the gospel of John stands apart from the others due to many differences among which is the clearly defined purpose statement: “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). This gospel was written to bring about LIFE. What other book makes such a claim even among New Testament writers?

The second reason has to do with its simplicity of style. It flows naturally, without cumbersome words or wordiness. John uses simple words and sentences that make for easy reading. Even in Koine Greek, the language it was first written in, most students begin by reading this gospel because of its uncomplicated structure and repetitious style. I believe it was Merrill Tenney who once said that the gospel of John is deep enough for an elephant to swim in and shallow enough for a baby to play in. Its simplicity of style accommodates both the scholar and the first time reader.

Third, it’s a gospel of miracles and events that will enable the reader an immediate glimpse of the very works of God. An invitation to a wedding, a conversation with a half-breed Jew, the healing of a disabled man, the rescue of a prostitute, and the delayed reaction to a friend’s death all portray windows into the realm of the invisible where the Father is always at work. These exciting events and encounters can open the reader’s eyes to the work of God in the world today.

Another reason is the writer’s emphasis on God’s part in man’s salvation. I believe that John’s gospel makes it very clear that salvation is due to the work of God not man. Besides Jesus’ famous conversation with a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who was left dumbfounded at the very idea of being born again, there is the sixth chapter which is replete with Jesus’ own words about man’s inability to come to God. And then there is the seventeenth chapter where Jesus prays and intercedes on behalf of those within whom God is at work.

A final reason for anyone to begin reading in John is because it brings us face to face with the claims of Christ like no other gospel. The first chapter of John opens with Jesus being pre-existent and possessing the nature of God himself. John’s gospel carries a continual dialogue between Jesus and the religious leaders of the day that makes plain the relationship between the Father and Jesus. After you have read the gospel of John, read it again! Encourage family and friends to read it that they too may have life in His name!

Voluntary poverty?

2011-12-24T12:29:00.000-06:00

When we think of Christmas, do we ever think of poverty?  Probably not, for Christmas is connected to happiness. Our happiness is connected to beautifully decorated trees, laughter and fun at office parties, gigantic family gatherings, and exhausting shopping for that perfect gift. But the real Christmas is connected to poverty.

Now maybe your mind is racing to the stable where Mary and Joseph landed during their trek to Bethlehem; thinking of Mary giving birth to Jesus and laying him on straw surrounded by smelly animals.  If that is what surfaced in your mind, then you’re right.  But what is the connection with poverty?  Mary and Joseph must not have been too poor because they made the journey and after all, it wasn’t because of money that they didn’t get a room in the Inn.  Yes, by all indications they were a rather poor young couple though they were obedient to the decree that brought them to Bethlehem where they were numbered in the census taking.  The connection to poverty is not to be found in Joseph and Mary but in royal infant son of God that was laid in the fodder.  Seeing manger scenes year after year combined with Christmas plays can sometimes cause our familiarity with an event to be dulled.  We sometimes need something to awaken us to the magnitude of an event or perhaps reawaken us.  For me, that something is found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians when he reminds them of the grace of God, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich,  yet for your sake he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians. 8:9).  This is not the typical verse that makes the front of Hallmark Greeting cards during Christmas but it does describe the first Christmas in a very significant way. Christ was rich but He became poor.  Why?  That we might become rich.  Poverty brought riches, true riches!

Voluntary poverty on the part of the sovereign God of the universe brings true riches to mankind.  Wow!  What was the context in which Paul made that statement?  He made it to remind his beloved readers about the grace that had come to them.  Wouldn’t they now want to extend the same grace to others, to assist in spreading true riches?  Think about the world in which we live for a moment.  In the United States we have 4.6% of the world’s population while China has 20.9% and India 16.7% yet we (the United States) have 34.1% of all Christian finances while China has 0.4% and India 0.1% combined with our 27.8% of all Christian workers while China has only 1.9% and India 5.6%.  Will we choose poverty that others might become rich?   Will we give more than just money?  Will our churches stock pile just in case? Will our churches only try to amass and retain? Though HE was rich ….yet HE became poor… What will our churches do? What will we do?

Where is the house where God dwells?

2011-12-20T13:42:00.000-06:00

If you were to randomly survey people in your community in regards to this question, you would no doubt find such answers as these: “It’s that building on the corner of second and main or it’s that church building right in the middle of town.” Most responses would point to a particular place that would in fact be a church building. These kinds of responses wouldn’t be so atypical since inside these same church buildings on any given Sunday we frequently hear prayers such as “Lord, thank you that we can meet in your house today.”

Are these responses wrong? Are we wrong to pray such prayers? Unfortunately the culture in which we live and even the culture of our church life are too close together. That is, the way non-churched people think, speak, and act is not always different from the way churched people think, speak, and act. The apostle Paul wrote a letter to a young aspiring pastor named Timothy. Paul wrote his first letter (1Timothy) to give Timothy instructions about how people should conduct themselves in the church (3:14). Right away when we read such words, our minds conjure up the image of how people are to behave in a building. But that, of course, is not what Paul had in mind. Church buildings didn’t exist then. In the process of stating why he is writing the letter he provides two very important images that help to define the church.

The first image that Paul uses is a household. In verse 15, he writes, “….you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God.” The church is a household. The word translated household sometimes refers to a physical house. But most of the time it refers to a household or better yet, a family. He uses it in this same chapter in verses 4, 5, and 12. All three times it refers to a family. Paul writes to inform people how they are to behave in the family. This letter is packed with practical instruction on how to live as God’s family. It’s important also to note that it’s a household of God. In other words, it’s a family belonging to God. God possesses this family. He owns them. They are His! They belong to Him! This image raises the bar of the standard of behavior among believers. Notice it isn’t about how we get along with one another inside of church buildings. That’s easy, just put on a mask when you enter. The church isn’t a house or temple or building, it’s a FAMILY. What do you find in a family? Relationships!! What Paul is pressing on us is this: We are a family possessed by God.

The second image found in this same verse is of a people who are called of God. Paul writes that the household is a church of the living God. The basic meaning of the word church has to do with being called out - people who are called out who congregate together. People who have regenerate hearts born from the Spirit of God above. But note that this image is clarified by the use of the phrase living God. In other words, the called out ones belong to the living God. We don’t belong to a temple or building that is innate, but a God who is alive. This is the antithesis of the church today that always points to a building. But the building is innate, dead, whereas God is living, but living in the people who are regenerate and who assemble themselves regularly for instruction and encouragement. Paul may also be saying that this gathered community as such belongs to a living God and since He is living, he will chastise those whose behavior is not in sync with godliness. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God (Heb.10:31).

Where is the house that belongs to God? If you know Christ, love Him, abide in Him, hope in Him, witness of Him, pray to Him, then, when you assemble for worship and instruction, you bring God with you as much as you find Him when you arrive. When Paul was correcting the use of tongues in the church at Corinth, he spoke of how an unbeliever could enter into the assembly and be convicted by the words being spoken and declare: “God is really among you” (1 Corinthians 14:25). God is among us because we are possessed by Him!

Let us not diminish the greatness and majesty of our God by letting our speech, our concepts, or our beliefs be molded and shaped by the world in which we live. Let us be biblical people, people who possess God and who are possessed by God.

Professional Baptizing?

2011-12-13T17:10:00.000-06:00

baptism in Zimbabwe

When I observe baptisms these days, I often think back to my past as a duly ordained and commissioned missionary. I often found myself baptizing when the need arose or whenever I was asked to which was often. I enjoyed doing it and it made me feel needed and important but it stifled the spontaneous expansion of the church. I was setting a precedent so that no one could baptize except the missionary. It took me a couple of years before I realized I needed to stop and allow others to do it. Why do only missionaries or even pastors do all the baptizing? Is there a chapter and verse that says that only the ‘ordained’ can do it? Why aren’t others in the church involved? Who did the baptizing in the New Testament? None by Jesus, only a handful by Paul (his own admission, 1 Cor. 1:14-17 ), one by Philip (the Ethiopian, Acts 8:38) and?? May we refrain from being professional in our practice and return to every member involvement!

Seeking Jesus

2011-12-06T19:39:00.000-06:00

As a master teacher, Jesus’ words always seem to cut sharply through the thick of things and get to the heart of a matter. After the multitude had their bellies filled when Jesus fed the 5,000, they seek him out. He responded to their seeking of Him and said, “Truly, truly I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled” (John 6:26). They had expended labor in their search for Him. They came seeking Him not for the right reasons. Their bellies were filled but their eyes were firmly shut. Jesus makes it very plain that it wasn’t even because their bellies were made content. Their needs were gratified for the moment.

So here we have many people seeking Jesus which by all appearances would seem to be a good thing. When people come to church, it would seem to be a good thing. When people inquire about church membership, it would seem to be a good thing. But wait! Just as these people were seeking Christ because he could meet physical needs, so we too may be doing the same. All kinds of people seek church for some benefit. Many seek Christ because they want to escape hell. They don’t really care about God to any extent, they just don’t want hell. But that is no different from these people. If we do not have any more to show for our love to Christ than running after sermons, prayers, heaven, escaping hell, or even good preaching, then we have reason to suspect ourselves no better than this crowd. To seek Christ for any benefit other than for Christ himself is to seek Him for the wrong reasons. May God purify our hearts and so captivate our hearts that we long to seek Jesus because He is LORD.

Nando's chicken and the Dictator

2011-12-02T09:32:00.000-06:00

I love Nando’s chicken! The first time I ever ate it was in Zimbabwe. The last time was while on a trip to Canada in Calgary. The media is a powerful tool for either good or evil. In this brief advertisement, Nando’s has spoken volumes about a very old and still standing dictator – Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. The ad shows Mr Mugabe having a water-pistol fight with Col Gaddafi, making sand angels with Saddam Hussein, riding on a tank with Idi Amin in a scene parodying Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio from the Titanic film, and also singing karaoke with China's Mao Tse-Tung. According to BBC the video was part of a Christmas festive season campaign running on South African TV. I applaud them for exposing Mugabe in this way though unfortunately they have pulled the ad due to threats from Mugabe’s cronies. Proverbs 10:27 says, the fear of the Lord prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened. Since he has been in power for 31 years 'shortened' is a term to be defined by the Lord; nevertheless the end will come for this dictator as well!

Let’s Build a New Church!

2011-12-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

I want to build a new church. One that will be really great, one that will catch everyone’s eye, one that people will flood to, one that is located right where the people are. Do I really want to do that? You mean build a new church? Yes, I do! I really want to! I have that desire. Okay, are you reading this because the title caught your eye. Perhaps you are thinking that new churches aren't needed; after all we have plenty of churches that have lots of space. If that is what you’re thinking, then you’re right! We do have plenty of churches and they do have lots of space (some more than others). But I still want to build a new church. I just can’t get it out of my head. Now I want you to think with me about building but let’s get some architectural plans for building from the New Testament. Doesn’t that sound like a good idea, you know, look to the Bible for guidance?

The word ‘build’ or some form of the verb occurs 40 times in the New Testament. That’s amazing especially when you consider that church buildings didn’t exist during the first century when the New Testament was written. In fact, buildings didn’t come into existence until the fourth century. So what’s all the building in the New Testament? A few times the word is used for illustrative purposes like the wise man who built his house upon the rock but most of the time ‘build’ is used to refer to edifying people such as in Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified or 1 Thessalonians 5:11 which says, therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. So let us return to the New Testament and give ourselves to “The Building” which is fulfilled by exhorting, admonishing, and discipling of the Body - The Church!

Trouble in Amish Paradise (1 of 6)

2011-11-29T12:39:00.001-06:00

I watched this documentary about two Amish men with absolute amazement. I have always been intrigued by the Amish lifestyle and have had the opportunity to visit this Pennsylvania Dutch country in Lancaster Pennsylvania when my wife and I lived in the Northeast years ago. This documentary filmed by the BBC is very well done. What intrigued me was 1) how these two men came to the decisions that they made and 2) how their lives continued to be transformed little by little subsequent to the first major change. This is truly worth watching and giving serious thought to what happened and why? In many respects this is a microcosm of what happened in church history when people began reading the Bible for themselves. Every return to the New Testament brings a fresh movement of God! (There are six parts to this series)

Church Planting in Botswana

2011-11-21T21:53:00.000-06:00

In 1992 while serving as a missionary in a small town in the nation of Botswana, my wife and I started a Bible Study in our home. After meeting for some time they began to ask why our study group couldn’t establish a new church. We agreed and we committed ourselves to think seriously about how the church might be structured.

We began meeting in an elementary school and soon had expatriates from several countries like Zambia, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Scotland, England, and Botswana. Three men in the group (two South Africans and myself) began to study - searching the scriptures together. We searched the scriptures trying to determine the activities, goals, purpose, and leadership of the local church. Our study caused us to wrestle with many traditions and ideas. We had many late night discussions over coffee with lots of passionate conversation. We didn’t agree on everything but what we didn’t agree on we accepted as non-essential. We agreed that the New Testament definitely teaches a plurality of elders. How and when did the church evolve into a one man show we didn’t know but we did know that if we were going to be biblical, we needed plurality in leadership. This marked the beginning of a return to the scriptures for answers concerning the local church. We also determined that the two primary activities of the church were edification and evangelism. Edification when she met, evangelism when she disbursed. Our structure evolved into an elder-led church with the three of us being those elders. Both the process and the experience of establishing this church was an enrichment that began to change and shape my ecclesiology. The church was very diverse but extremely unified and a joy to serve.

Preaching and Coffee

2011-11-16T09:41:00.000-06:00

There are two things that I really like to do, one is preach, and the other is drink coffee. Actually there are many other things that I like to do as well but I really like the taste of coffee and I really like the taste of preaching. Now everyone knows what the taste of coffee is like but I have come to realize that not everyone knows about acquiring a taste for preaching. In fact, you may be saying, “I’m not even a preacher, so why would I acquire a taste for preaching.” If we examine the New Testament, even a little, we will find the answer to that question. Luke 8:1 describes Jesus “………..going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God.” We picture Jesus with some disciples talking to groups and mingling among crowds of people. The word for ‘preaching’ is the verb form of the word translated ‘gospel.’ Preaching here is simply the announcement of ‘good news’ just like a news commentator.

Years ago when I was in Seminary my wife and I worked at a small group home for mildly retarded children one weekend a month as relief house parents. We always took the children to a nearby church which they loved. One Sunday while we were getting ready, Clifford, a 10 year old ran through the house screaming, “Jesus is dead, Jesus is dead!” I stopped him, trying to comfort and determine what had happened. He said, the man on the TV said Jesus died. Clifford had heard a TV preacher that morning as if he was a news commentator announcing the death of Jesus. For Clifford, that news was devastating, much like the disciples felt that first Easter morning.

Preaching is the announcement of the good news about GOD who has come. Preaching was done in the temple courts, in the streets, and in the synagogues. However, that same word for preaching is found in Acts 8:35 where Phillip was whisked away to the Ethiopian Eunuch. He hears the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah and Phillip was invited to step up into the chariot and he did, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. Notice what Phillip did. He PREACHED Jesus to him. It was just Phillip and the Ethiopian -one on one sitting side by side in the chariot. No masses, no pulpit, no preaching class, and by the way Phillip wasn’t even one of the twelve sent out. Phillip and Bartholomew would never have made it in the twenty-first century, at least not within our churches. Neither would Epaphras, Mark or Luke, some friends of Paul. They weren’t preachers, who got up on Sunday morning and expounded the Scriptures, but they did get up on Sunday morning and they did expound the Scriptures, but they just didn’t do it with a pulpit or a crowd or even a church (building). But they nevertheless ‘preached.’

One Tuesday while eating at an International Luncheon at the University, I sat and ate next to a man and ‘preached’ to him. What was really interesting that day was the fact that I was sitting on his right while a Muslim man was sitting on his left. After some ‘preaching’ the man stopped me and said, “you know that man who was sitting here on my left was trying to preach to me about Islam. I left that day with a greater urgency about preaching. But what’s the connection to coffee, in case you missed it. You can ‘preach’ just about anywhere. This type of preaching can’t be relegated to Sunday mornings; it must be carried out in coffee shops, malls, living rooms, beauty shops, offices, classrooms, and restaurants. We can even engage in some activity that we really like and combine it with ‘preaching.’ Ultimately what takes place on Sundays ought to be good teaching or exposition of Scripture but ‘preaching’ must bring the Word of God to bear upon people where they are. Charles Spurgeon, the great 18th century preacher said, “The great means of the conversion of sinners is the Word of God, and the more closely we keep to it in our ministry the more likely are we to be successful." May God grant us courage to step up into Chariots and sit with Ethiopians!

Remembering on Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T09:17:00.002-06:00

Since today is Veterans Day and I am a veteran of the Vietnam War I am posting an excerpt from a daily report of the Gray Ghost of the Vietnam Coast. That was a code-name given to my ship during the war. Though our ship was based in Yokosuka, Japan, we spent many weeks in combat on the coast as noted in a daily news report given out to all hands on the ship.

On Friday night Oklahoma City continued to strike in the vicinity of Vinh, North Vietnam. On Saturday, the strikes were continued in the same area. Yesterday afternoon, Oklahoma City and five accompanying destroyers proceeded 30 miles north of the 20^th parallel in Search and Sweep Action to a point about 20 miles south of Hai Phong. Late last night two task units including Oklahoma City conducted strikes against a missile site and the Than Hoa Bridge, the latter being one of the most important targets in North Vietnam with respect to the enemy’s lines of communication.

The Oklahoma City can be seen in this video clip receiving return fire from shore batteries and yes I remember that very day!

Real faith in the 21st century

2011-11-10T09:01:00.000-06:00

“More Christians have been martyred in the 20^th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined.” That statement came from the Joshua Project website. Sitting here in a comfortable chair in a country that still allows us the freedom to believe, preach, and teach our convictions makes that statement difficult to believe until you begin to research the subject of martyrdom and persecution in the world today.

A case in point is the story of Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34-year-old pastor in Iran who was arrested in October 2009 after he protested a government policy that required school children, including his two sons, to study the Quran. Originally charged for protesting, Nadarkhani found himself on death row for apostasy. He is a real man in a real prison with a real wife and children who is imprisoned for his REAL faith in Christ that is more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:6-7). For more information on his current situation visit this website.

Harvesting with prayer

2011-11-06T08:44:00.000-06:00

Harvest time is here. The lights of combines are shining bright even late at night up and down the state of Illinois. Every farmer knows that he must take advantage of the opportunity to harvest when good weather is present. He knows he must avail himself of all his resources to get it done as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The typical farmer’s prayer is probably something like this: “Lord, thank you for the harvest and help me to get it done.” Nothing wrong with that! But there is a harvest in the world that is far greater than any corn or wheat field of Illinois. It’s the harvest of people.

Matthew records Jesus going about in all the cities and villages teaching and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 9:35). While he was going about in all these villages he saw multitudes and he felt compassion for them. Jesus’ compassion led him to inform the disciples that the harvest is plentiful, so plentiful that workers are needed to help bring it in. Then He gave them an amazing demand. He told them to “beseech the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into the harvest (Matt. 9:38). Imagine, the God of the universe telling us to ask HIM to send out workers! Will He do it? Of course, He is the one who desires it in the first place. Why aren’t there more laborers in India with a population exceeding one billion? Why aren’t there more church planters in Illinois where more than 8 million people have never bowed the knee to Jesus? Could it be that we don’t believe Jesus’ demand to appeal to Him? Is there a prayer that has greater assurance of being answered than this one? Let us beseech HIM!!

7 Reasons Why Halloween Judgment Houses Often Miss the Mark

2011-11-03T15:48:00.001-05:00

Judgement House has almost become a yearly program in many churches much like the annual Vacation Bible School. I think Russell Moore offers some very sound thoughts about it that are worth reading and thinking over. So here is his post on the subject:
7 Reasons Why Halloween Judgment Houses Often Miss the Mark: Russell Moore offers his thoughts on the effectiveness of Judgment House evangelism.

Telling on God

2011-10-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

When I opened up my email this morning out popped one with a report about SBC churches; how these churches had increased in baptisms, and giving. This kind of reporting is not new within the SBC; most all reporting lends itself in the direction of baptisms and giving as if these are the signs of a work of God. Are these truly the sign posts for measuring the health of a church? Could we not hold a crusade for children age ten and under and gain some of the most significant reports we’ve ever had from baptisms? The giving might certainly be a little weak! But you get the point.

When I look at the reporting that was done in the New Testament, the contrast is significant. The apostle Paul is in prison in Rome but he opens his laptop and receives an email report from the little community of Colossae. Actually it came by way of a man named Epaphras. We don’t have a copy of the report because it was most likely verbal but we do have a copy of how Paul responded to the report that Epaphras brought. The response is in Colossians chapter one. There we read how Paul gave thanks to God for their faith in Christ (the new believers) and their love for all the saints (vs.3). Wasn’t Paul interested in how many people were led through the waters of baptism or even how much money was garnered for kingdom work? What was it that impressed Paul from Epaphras’ report? One thing, their love! I am confident that Epaphras didn’t just say to Paul, “oh those Colossians really love each other.” No, he recounted personal stories of people with names that led Paul to make the conclusion that ‘he had heard’ of their love. Paul then mentions how love is a fruit of the gospel and how the gospel will always bear this kind of fruit (vs.6). Love is not only one of the measuring sticks of genuine conversions; it is also a measuring stick of a healthy church. The only way someone can truly love is if they have been born of God. The apostle John says it’s one of the signs of knowing God: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7-8).

Isn’t it amazing how we have turned the great commission into “go, baptize and pass the offering plate?” Why is it that we always single out one participle in the great commission and not the other? Aren’t there two participles, ‘baptizing and teaching?’ Is it because only one can be easily measured but not the other? But isn’t one more important than the other? Didn’t Paul even say that he had baptized only Crispus and Gaius and the household of Stephanas and that’s all (1 Cor.1:14-17). And didn’t Paul spend years in some places doing teaching night and day (Acts 18:11; 20:20)? Jonathan Edwards, one of America’s finest theologians and preachers remarked, ‘if the spirit who is at work among people operates as a spirit of love to God and man, it is a sure sign that it is the Spirit of God. Beloved, if we are going to tell on God, maybe we should tell what He has done not what we have done!

My first church plant involvement

2011-10-22T08:57:00.000-05:00

While I was a student a Southwestern Seminary (Ft. Worth, Texas), my wife and I were invited to become a part of a new church plant through some men I had met while still single. We initially became a part of a bible study with several of the people but later they formally established a new church. We agreed to become some of the founding members of the new church. At the time we were required to make a commitment that demanded we even release a part time job we held one weekend a month. We agreed and in doing so we sacrificed and gave up some of our income to join that church. We never regretted that decision because that church wasn’t just a ‘church’ with an address on the corner of fifth and main, it was a community of believers who exalted Christ together while meeting one another's needs. For several years the church met in a hotel while small groups met in homes. The church was formed with very high standards which meant not just anyone could join. There was never a push to amass a great number of people though evangelism was a major emphasis for everyone. Involvement in a small group during the week was a hallmark of the church along with prayer, accountability in evangelism and bible study as well. My experience with this church taught me many things such as the value of small groups, personal discipleship, practical application of the Word, and team work. But probably the greatest lesson wasn’t learned through being taught but through experiencing the ‘body of Christ’ on a regular daily basis. We didn’t just go to church, we were part of a community that experienced a dynamic worship experience every Sunday but that was never the end nor was it ever the main thing.

Oldest Church Building in the World

2011-10-14T07:54:00.001-05:00

I am by no means a proponent of church buildings whether they are ornate, old, modern or whatever. Biblically the church building doesn’t have anything to do with “the church”. Church buildings didn't surface until around the 4th century when the winds of change began to blow concerning the erection and importance placed upon them. I think this is why I enjoyed seeing the oldest building in the world still standing when Cindy and I visited Istanbul last year. It has a rich history (around 360?) and was built during the era when this shift began to occur. It served as the cathedral of Constantinople until it was taken over by the Muslims then it became a mosque and today it’s a museum. Are church buildings becoming museums today?

Here are a few shots of it (not the best in the world):

Remembering history...

2011-10-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how easily we can forget the name of an infamous criminal who forever darkened history. It’s also amazing how easily we can change our positions when confronted with the same annals of history. I heartily recommend this 33 minute movie that provides a glimpse into the twisted lies of our culture.