Feb 07 2008
Union University Jackson, TN
My heartfelt prayers go out to all those that have endured such a tragic ordeal in the past few days. For all of you that may not know Union University has lost much of it’s student housing among other damages earlier this week as tornado’s ravaged across the south.
I urge you to help in any way possible.
Here is a list of websites to keep you informed on that status of the situation at Union University:
Feb 06 2008
For the past 3 months I have been teaching the doctrinal portion of my own, “History and Doctrines of the Baptists” during our Wednesday night services. We have started with the basic doctrines of salvation: repentance, faith, regeneration, justification, Godly Sorrow/Conviction. We have now finished the Soteriological doctrines and last week we reviewed all of these doctrines. Tonight I have something special planned.
Theology in and of itself is purely academic and meaningless. So, tonight I am going to deal with “ordo salutis” or the order of salvation. I have a pretty cool idea in mind for my congregation, we are going to play a game. I am going to make a card for each doctrine we have learned about that has that doctrines name printed on it. Then I am going to ask the congregation to put them in the correct order based on what I have taught them in order to get the dead man to live! In other words, I’m going to make them tell me how God saves some using theological terms.
This does 3 things. First, it causes them to THINK and use their minds to make sense of everything they’ve been taught thus far. Second, THEY will be the ones defining in their own minds that regeneration proceeds faith. Lastly, it primes them to look deeper at the sovereignty of God in salvation.
I’m super pumped. I hope my folks are getting it! We will see tonight.
Dec 08 2007
Once again Mr. Spurgeon has blessed my heart.
Evening, December 8
“Thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor”
Psalm 68:10
All God’s gifts are prepared gifts laid up in store for wants foreseen. He anticipates our needs; and out of the fulness which he has treasured up in Christ Jesus, he provides of his goodness for the poor. You may trust him for all the necessities that can occur, for he has infallibly foreknown every one of them. He can say of us in all conditions, “I knew that thou wouldst be this and that.” A man goes a journey across the desert, and when he has made a day’s advance, and pitched his tent, he discovers that he wants many comforts and necessaries which he has not brought in his baggage. “Ah!” says he, “I did not foresee this: if I had this journey to go again, I should bring these things with me, so necessary to my comfort.” But God has marked with prescient eye all the requirements of his poor wandering children, and when those needs occur, supplies are ready. It is goodness which he has prepared for the poor in heart, goodness and goodness only. “My grace is sufficient for thee.” “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”
Reader, is your heart heavy this evening? God knew it would be; the comfort which your heart wants is treasured in the sweet assurance of the text. You are poor and needy, but he has thought upon you, and has the exact blessing which you require in store for you. Plead the promise, believe it and obtain its fulfilment. Do you feel that you never were so consciously vile as you are now? Behold, the crimson fountain is open still, with all its former efficacy, to wash your sin away. Never shall you come into such a position that Christ cannot aid you. No pinch shall ever arrive in your spiritual affairs in which Jesus Christ shall not be equal to the emergency, for your history has all been foreknown and provided for in Jesus.
Nov 18 2007
I can think of no better reason to vote for Mike Huckabee for President. Just watch the video below.
Nov 07 2007
If you don’t know who Bill Hybels is you may have been hiding in a cave for the past 30 years. He is the Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. Willow Creek for the last few decades has been the model for many church growth experts in the seeker sensitive movement. The premise of this movement is that we should throw out any traditional thought on how we do church and simply meet the “felt needs” of the people that are interested or “seeking.”
This morning the Baptist Press has published an article that says after an extensive study of the effectiveness of their own programs WCCC have found their own programs to be faulty. Here is the quote,
“Willow Creek has released the results of a multi-year study on the effectiveness of their programs and philosophy of ministry. The study’s findings are in a new book titled “Reveal: Where Are You?,” co-authored by Cally Parkinson and Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Hybels himself called the findings “ground breaking,” “earth shaking” and “mind blowing.” And no wonder: It seems that the “experts” were wrong.”
It seems that after all this time, millions of dollars and thousands of people they have found out what many knew all along. You can’t repackage the church. It only works one way, the way the Bible proclaims.
What does Bill Hybels and his billion dollar baby have to do with the Emergent Church? 30 years ago he set out to “wipe the slate clean” and come up with a fresh new way to do church. He looked at it through rose colored cultural glasses and set out to build a church around what he felt were the greatest needs to be met in a community. Obviously now he wishes he would’ve looked through the lens of scripture to see what the church looked like.
The same thing is happening today in the Emergent Church movement. They are trying to once again repackage the church and cause it to be more culturally relevant. The numbers will be there. Multitudes will flock to these places but ask Hybels after 3o years of ministry if it’s all about the numbers?
I have 2 great qualms with the EC. First, they are trying to build a church without a model ( ie.. Hybels. What he did had never been done before). It’s like trying to build a skyscraper without a blueprint or get somewhere you’ve never been without a road map. To be honest it’s insane. We have a model of how the first church was built and functioned and it worked extremely well. As a matter of fact the testimony of scripture is that they “turned the world upside down” through their church.
Secondly, they are doing the same thing Hybels did. In being seeker sensitive he was conforming to culture to make the Gospel more palatable. This didn’t work for Hybels and it won’t work for the EC. Making the Gospel more palatable never works because it violates a scriptural principle. The preaching of the Gospel will always be offensive, foolish and a stumbling block. (1 Cor 1:23).
It doesn’t matter how we repackage it. If the Gospel is preached correctly no matter if it’s in a coffee house or an abandoned movie theater, it’s offensive. It doesn’t matter if we wear a suit or ripped jeans and a t-shirt, if preached correctly it’s going to be offensive. Furthermore, if you repackage the gospel in such a way that it removes the offense you also remove it’s power.
This isn’t a warning to the EC only. It’s a warning to all churches, including and most especially the traditional church. We can’t repackage the church, the way if functions or the Gospel and expect to get the desired results; Vibrant, Passionate, Effective Worshipers of God. It simply doesn’t work. If you don’t believe me, call Bill Hybels and ask Him. He will tell you the same thing.
