Preaching In Never Never Land

Got this picture from Wes Kenny's site, "Called According" I don't know if it is Joel Osteen from Lakewood or Wes' friend. It sure does look similar to Osteen with a Peter Pan head. If you want to see it click to this site:
http://cathp.blogspot.com/

When I showed it to my son he called it the "feel good" preacher from Never Never land. I added, "Never preach against sin and you never have to preach for repentance." (We thought it was Osteen behind the mask) I guess I'm brainwashing my kid to the point that it is starting to scare me.

After that Joel Osteen came on T. V. He remarked that we should have God draw close to us. I always thought that we were to draw close to God. Draw to His standard and not ours when it comes to holiness, mercy, and grace. Does 2 Timothy 4:3-4 ring a bell. Itching ears, not enduring sound doctrine, turning their ears from the truth.

Are There Parameters of Cooperation?

Below is a response to an article Wade Burleson posted to his blog (www.kerussocharis.blogspot.com) dated May 29, 2006. It dealt with the five points of the Christian Union Church. I felt a little confused about the blog and so I commented back with a few questions and comments in the comments section. Bro. Wade has wisely made the decision to monitor the replies to his blog. I don't know if this will appear. If it doesn't it will most likely be Wade being graceful by keeping me from being embarrassed on his site.

If you don't know about Bro. Wade, he is a pastor in Enid at Emmauel Baptist church and has taken some pretty important stands against what he conceived as being wrong. I am thankful for him and his witness.


Bro. Wade,

I want to thank you for keeping us aware of the situation concerning the new rules that are being formed. I do agree with you that we are narrowing the conditions of service beyond the scope of the BF & M. I appreciate your demeanor when you were at the meeting in Albuquerque. It is a true witness on how we should act when confronted with accusations against our character.

I am concerned over this last blog. What do you mean by “emulate” concerning the five principles of the Christian Union? If our desire should be to maintain Christian union without controversy, should someone address a situation they think is wrong, knowing that it will create controversy? How can ideas be explored if controversy is our measuring rod of whether to discuss them or not? Frankly, as you know, the gospel is controversial.

If we were to “emulate” the five Union points, could this keep our BF & M from being a doctrinal tool for accountability as stated in the 2000 preamble? From what I have read from you, I believe you want to stay within the framework of the 2000 BF & M. If you remember seven years ago some controversy was generated over the changes proposed in the 2000 BF & M. I was at SWBTS at that time and there was controversy. Should the changes have been made from the 1963 Confession? I would say yes.

I have also read in other blogs where you feel we should be an organization of cooperating Christians. Yes, I believe we are to be Christians before we are Southern Baptists, but does this mean that should cooperate with “Open Theology” Christians in doing missions? Or how about cooperating with such people as Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, or any other “name it and claim it” preacher? Yes, I do believe we are to share the Gospel so others can be saved, but we are called to make disciples. As you have shown this through your leadership at Emmanuel, it doesn’t end with leading them to the Lord. This means that after they are saved, we are to help them grow in their new relationship to maturity in Christ. Do we want an “Openness” person teaching their view on the sovereignty of God to new converts? Do we want to support someone who denies eternal security of the believer? Yes, salvation is of primary importance, but I think there are some differences that can lead to confusion in converts rather than growth.

Someone might say that all this doctrine divides us. But on the essentials we must worship God both in spirit and in truth. I believe that the 2000 BF & M is a good rallying point for us to cooperate in missions. Again, from what I have read from you, I believe you agree with this. If I have misstated your view, I ask your forgiveness.

I know you and your family have been hurt from this stand. I do pray that the hurts are healed. No wife should be in a meeting and have to hear what was said. I am disappointed that the conduct was not better.

If I have a sent this comment with out a proper understanding of your article, please forgive me. I do not wish to cause you anymore pain. I just didn’t understand the premise of the blog.
Thank you for serving Christ. Thank you for serving our convention.

God Bless,

Bro. Robin

Loving One Another

Today I had a wonderful opportunity to judge a barbecue-cooking contest in our town of Perkins. I judged the chicken, pulled pork, and brisket. I was also able to share this time with a deacon from our church. I treasure moments that I get to share with other godly men. It wasn’t that I only got to taste great barbecue, but I got to spend some time laughing, checking out how the smokers were built, and discussing things with a man I have come to love and respect in my first year at Immanuel. In other words, we shared our lives with each other.

When we had judged some entries I did a quick peek to see how he was judging some of the stuff we tasted. I noticed that he gave high marks to food that I gave low marks to and I gave high marks to ones he gave low marks to. We just looked at each other and laughed. Wow, can you believe that two Baptists did not agree! Afterwards we sat and talked over a couple cokes about life, church, and dreaming of what God has in store for us in making disciples.

One thing I have discovered in this journey is that the Lord has given us to each other. As the saying goes, life is too short to get hung up on the minors. We are to support, encourage, and love one another even in our failures.

Prov 27:17 As iron sharpens iron,So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. NKJV

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." NKJV

Personally, I believe that Jesus knew the day I would be born. He knew when I would commit my first sin and every sin there after. Even in spite of my sin nature and rebellion towards Him, He showed the greatest form of love anyone could reveal to an enemy. He died for my sins and with stood the wrath I so deserved.

Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, NKJV
Luke 6:36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. NKJV

On July 8th, 1990 the Father showed mercy on this wretched sinner and drew me to His love.
As we have seen in Southern Baptist life, we can focus on the minors and miss the point of why we cooperate. It is a great blessing to serve God in a church that practices unity, but not uniformity. It is by God’s grace that I have abiding and loving fellowship with other Christians. It is only by satan’s schemes that we divide and focus on self and pride. May it be by God’s grace that I submit myself as God’s servant to my fellow Christians.

Eph 5:15-21 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. NKJV

Blessed Beyond Measure!

I serve a great God and He has put me in a great church. Some days I have to check myself to see if I am in a dream because I never feel that I deserve the love that is given to me. When I see the big picture, I notice many people giving of themselves to serve the Lord and I see the Lord blessing their work.

I do want to mention that the church I serve is not perfect, but also that the pastor who serves them (me) is not either. We understand this and are willing to work together in making disciples. We make up for each others weaknesses and try our best to love one another and prove to be disciples of Jesus. Let me add that they make up for a lot more of my short comings. I have been given a tremendous trust among the congregation and it is my hearts intent to confirm that trust each day I serve.

You may ask, "Why are you writing this?" Because I want to be an encouragement to those who are facing tough times. If we observe the average church, we either see hurt churches, hurt pastors, or both. When we try to find who to blame, we fall into satan's plan of focusing on the wrong issues to get us off the main issue: Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

Some time ago Immanuel Baptist Church (IBC) decided to focus on the great commission as our mission. To make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching. My heart beat and ever consumming thought has been how to do this under the guidance of God. His answer time and time again is that He is in control and that I am responsible to be faithful. How many of you are faced with decisions and issues in your life? I want you to know that not too long ago I thought I had reached the end of my rope, but the Lord proved faithful and worked in my life a great blessing called IBC. He is asking each of us to be faithful and to do what He wants. Either God wants us to take an action, not take and action, or wait for Him to make the time right for action to be taken.

So that because I am in a place of great blessings, I need to trust that He will give me wisdom in being undershepherd of His church. I need to trust that He will continue move in the hearts of His people at Immanuel. We all need to remember that He has proven himself faithful time and time again. And when the time was right, Jesus came and died for sinners.

What a great God we serve. He is with us in the high moments, but He is also with us in the low moments wanting to bless us and have us find our joy in Him.

Sola Deo Gloria, Sola Scriptura, Solo Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus

Are We Missing The Point?`

Dear Friends

This weekend we have seen the release of the movie, "The Davinci Code." I hope you saw my earlier blog that had a sermon concerning the book and movie. If there is an issue we are facing that can and does harm our cherished beliefs, it is people trying to discredit the scripture and the truth it contains. I believe God is all sovereign and will take care of the matter in his way, but I also believe that as Christians we need to ready ourselves for the fight that is here.

I do look at other blogs and I have read discussion concerning who our next SBC president will be and the other issues that are burning up the internet highway. Not that these aren't important issues, but I have begun to wonder if we are missing the point? The point is this, should we spend so much energy, time, and talents on these internal issues and neglect the fact that the world is being told a lie about who our Lord and Savior is? Or is there a better balance?

I am worried that these other issues have taken precedent on the web instead of trying to educate and exort people the truth of Christ in this post-modern society. I am not pointing fingers and talking about anyone. This is only a general statement of the few blogs I do read. We can debate, organize and shape how things will be done in our convention, but in the process loose our relevance in a society that desperately needs Jesus.

Personally each of us can get lost in the peripheral issues of our lives and miss the opportunity we have to serve Christ and show His love to others. How do each of us make a difference for Christ? Are we prepared to answer the questions that have and will continue to arise from Dan Brown's book and movie based on it?

I read one artice that was titled, "Forrest Gump Unravels The Da Vinci Code." Yes I see the humor in it, but I also see that Tom Hanks plays the lead role in the movie. We have had a love affair with Mr. Hanks since "Splash" and "Big." Tom Hanks playing this leading role will give credibility to the lies pushed in this movie. The few reviews I have heard about the movie has declared it long and boring though. Yipeeee!

How can we impact a society for Christ that has rewrote the parameter of acceptable moral behavior, no longer accepts absolute truth, and operates on a pragmatic and existential view of right and wrong? The answer: Be prepared apolegetically for attacks against the credibility of the scripture and declare the truth of the Word like Paul did on Mars Hill and let the Lord move on the hearts of those He has chosen. The issues we are facing are much bigger than the SBC presidency or the other topics that have been explored on blogs. Again I am not saying those other items are not important, but the world needs Jesus and we must deliver.

Disciplining Our Private Lives

In studying the life of David one cannot help to notice his great leadership traits. For thirteen years he was a fugitive on the run. For the next seven he solidified his power over all of Israel. During the next thirteen he expanded the kingdom and made Israel a leader in the strip of land that controlled international trade and commerce.

From the beginning after Saul’s death, David did not go anywhere the Lord did not command him. He sought God’s direction and trusted that God had things well in hand. That is why he did not go and take Jerusalem, but made Hebron his capital. During this time, David did not complain about waiting longer to assume his kingship, but patiently waited upon the Lord.

We have seen the birth of the “Purpose Driven” philosophy to life. I am not discrediting Bro. Rick Warren. It is great that we understand our purpose in life, but to fulfill that purpose, we must be God led and guided. I believe my fellow pastor would agree with this. David knew he was to be king over all of Israel and could have raced towards that purpose without waiting for God’s direction. I believe that would have been disastrous. Sometimes in pursuit of our “purpose” we may follow the pragmatic approach. “What ever it takes” seems to be a popular statement today. Priorities become distorted and we seek only the “good feelings” thinking we are fulfilling our purpose, but in reality this may not be where God is guiding us.

Many young couples start out this way. They believe they are to build a home and what do they think a home is? They just left mom and dad’s place with the three bedrooms, two baths, formal living room, dinning room, bedrooms, plasma hi-def T. V. and an array of other stuff. They feel they need to have these things so with little money, they go into debt. A couple of years later and a couple of kids, money is really tight, they are in dead end jobs, the marriage is having complications and they have turned their backs on God and His purpose for them. Two things happened, they had the wrong vision for what a home is, and they did not discipline their desires by submitting them to God’s leadership.

When we truly surrender ourselves to Christ, we give up the right to be happy according to worldly standards. Being a disciple means being disciplined and doing without the pleasures of the world. I like what Proverbs 27:7 says,

“A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

When we discipline ourselves, we don’t make the mistake of following the world and never being satisfied.

If short term happiness and pleasure are my measuring rods in making decisions, I will end up with a bag of chips that is full of air and hardly any chips. I will not be satisfied.

David’s son Solomon tried it all and ended up with this statement:

Eccl 12:1
1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them":

We will and can always find our pleasure in the Lord.

David in his role as king was disciplined to wait for the Lord and ultimately became king twenty years after Samuel anointed him. But, In this time of triumph during his public life, David was laying the ground work for failure in his private family life.

David was marrying wives and collecting concubines to satisfy his lustful desires. Kings were warned against having multiple wives (Deut 17:16-17), but David engaged in the practice of other kings who surrounded him. It is recorded that between the ages of 30 and 37 David had twenty sons and one daughter from his marriages. How can one man provide the leadership for all these children? As we find out, one son raped his sister and another brother killed him for the rape. What did David do? All scripture says is that he became angry.

Another occasion, David is not with his army and is taking a stroll out on his balcony. In the distance he sees a young beautiful woman taking a bath and commands her to be brought to him. She is married, but that didn’t matter. It is said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. In David’s case, this is true because he tried to cover up his rape by killing Bathsheba’s husband. All of this because David could not discipline his passion for women earlier in his life.

What was the result of David’s lack of discipline concerning his lust for women, he died with his kingdom firmly in place, but his family life was in shambles.

When we lust for the pleasures of the world and do not submit our passions to Christ, others will ultimately be hurt. Absalom, Adonijah, David’s firstborn from Bathsheba, all dead, and a daughter raped because of David’s lack of discipline with himself and his family.

When parents fail to discipline their private lives in accordance to God’s word, submitting themselves to a growing relationship with him that includes, Church attendance, Church service, and being transformed into His image, they will ultimately fail as parents and their children will be lost unless God intervenes in their lives without the parents leadership.

May we all be careful of our private passions. If they are not submitted to Godly discipline they will ultimately reveal themselves publicly.

May God bless you!

Don't Fear The Doctrines of Grace

I recently read a blog that asked why Calvinism is on the rise. Personally, I don’t prefer the term Calvinism because it has gotten a bad rap and has been associated with Hyper-Calvinism that teaches not to evangelize or engage in missions. I don’t like to be labeled “Reform” because it could possible link me to not being a Dispensational Pre-Millennialist. I prefer being an advocate of the Doctrines of Grace in salvation. Personally, I don’t like labels because they can be misleading.

I had a conversation with a pastor who I had just met and he asked me what I thought was the next big controversy in the SBC (If that isn’t a loaded question?) I told him I thought we didn't need a controversy, but that we needed to get together and focus on expanding the Kingdom through missions and evangelism.

I asked him what he thought and he said that we needed to get rid of Calvinism in the SBC. I asked him to define Calvinism and he couldn't come up with a definition.

In seminary, I was dead set against Calvinism. I didn't understand it outside of being told that Calvinists don't believe in witnessing or missions. I was wrong. Since graduating seminary (2002 Southwestern) and studying the Bible on my own, my views have changed and I believe in the Doctrines of Grace.

I am of the opinion that over time as more and more pastors and lay people study and see God's sovereignty in election the tide will turn. I am hopeful that those of us who believe in this historic Baptist doctrine will not have to fear those who are ignorant of our evangelistic beliefs, choose to define us as the enemy of missions, and want to rid us from the SBC. Yes, If you add to this doctrine philosophy outside the bounds of the Bible, Hyper-Calvinism can arise. But I would also contend that the logical conclusion of non-Calvinists (Arminians) is to have a man centered gospel rather than a God centered gospel. Man could be good enough for God. But, I don’t fear those who don’t agree on all five points of Calvinism as long as they maintain an evangelistic fervor for missions and reaching the lost.

I don’t understand all the details of this controversy, but I don’t believe we should divide over this. We should not declare a witch-hunt against those who differ in opinion from us. The focus should be on cooperating to send missionaries, to lead people to Christ, and start evangelistic churches that reproduce and win souls to Christ.

What Should Really Matter At This Year's Convention

There seems to be growing concern among Southern Baptist pastors about the upcoming convention and the election of a new President. This is an important issue. But what I am surprised about is the energy that has been expended concerning this election and the speculation that covers it. I don’t think there is as much talk concerning whom will win American Idol this year as compared to the opinions given for this year’s SBC’s presidential election. Well, maybe there is, but I don’t hear much talk concerning how to revitalize our churches that are on a down slope. Another program or gimmick won’t get it done. Our churches and people don’t need to be “Purpose Driven” but God guided through His Word and Holy Spirit. So here is my two cents on what the themes need to be addressed this year.

1. Why do many of our churches lack any spark of vitality and excitement about Jesus and the Gospel? What can pastor’s do to lead his congregation to be excited about Jesus.

2. How do we overcome the onslaught of pragmatism and existentialism infecting the decision making process of the church and individual believer?

3. Should the trend to send our people on mission trips continue to rise and divert money away from the cooperative program that sends missionaries to start and help grow churches? Are we Biblically called to send people on mission trips or send missionaries?

4. Are we singing the same old song? We finally got our ducks in a row with the resurgence and it seems we are still looking for something else to keep us divided. Are we still in the cleaning house mode? Who is acceptable and who isn’t? Is anyone acceptable? When do we switch gears to the original premise of the resurgence and start with the enlarging of the Kingdom? Stop with the political cloak and dagger and let’s put all the cards on the table.

5. Are we truly going to be salt? Yes, salt preserves, it makes food taste better, but it also stings if you put it on a cut or a wound. When will our actions match up with our preaching of God’s grace, mercy, and truth? We can’t even practice it among ourselves. Our merciful actions to each other could sting the world in its wound of sin. The world may accuse us of being intolerant because we stand up for the truth of scripture, but they should not have any grounds to condemn us for slandering, falsely accusing one another, or attacking each other rather than discussing the issues in Christian love.

While the issue of president of our convention is important, let’s not get side tracked and forget the weightier issues of what we are facing. Baptisms are down, personal soul winning is down, biblical knowledge and application of it is down, churches have peaked or are in a state of decline, our influence in society is waning, 85% of our teenagers graduate high school and never return to church, truth is no longer seen as absolute, adultery happens in our ranks, divorce, drug abuse, apathy has gotten a foothold in our churches and many more issues to numerous to name. These issues may be recognized and addressed by leaders, but they are dealt with and worked on at the grass roots level.

I hope we address how, as a convention, we are going to engage the post-modern world we live in and exalt Christ as Lord and Savior.

Say No To Self Edifying Blogs

Recently I have been reading some blog pages and have taken a break from bloggin. I started to toil with the idea that, more than not, the pages I have seen were self absorbing and self edifying. I decided to cease bloggin temporarily to evaluate why I was doing it. Was the Lord guiding me in this endeavor? If there is anything I want to see out of these writings is God glorified. All that is blessed around me is not because of any brilliance I might have. I am not that brilliant to begin with. It is solely because God overcomes my weaknesses and turns my chicken scratch thoughts into understandable sayings. I am not saying that God is inspiring me like He did the writers of Scripture, but as a called prophet, He is illuminating my mind to His Word and leading me to applying the truths gleaned from the Bible to the current world situation we face.

This past Sunday (Mother’s Day) I had the awesome privilege to baptize a mother and her son. I was impressed from the beginning with this family. Good hardworking people who were doing their best to raise their sons in this fallen world. They were also knowledgeable of Scripture and issues we debate concerning it. As a church we do not accept so called “alien” baptism (I don’t particularly care for that term even though I agree with our practice) and she was from a different denomination, but she was a sister in Christ trusting Him for her salvation. At the time she was not keen on going through our baptism, but I encouraged her and her husband to continue coming to our church and I would do my best to minister to them as their shepherd regardless of their church affiliation. Just when I thought no one from the church I am pastoring read the blog, I got an email from her thanking me for the alien baptism articles and helping her better understand why we did what we did. Approximately three months later, I get to help her into the water as a symbolic testimony of what Christ has done in her heart. As a pastor, I am blessed more than I deserve with awesome people like the ones I baptized this past Sunday.

So, if this humble blog can make the difference in one life for the Glory of God, is it worth it? Absolutely! I pray that those who read can help keep me humble and focused on Christ and Him crucified.

Sola Deo Gloria, Sola Scriptura, Solo Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus