Religion and Politics...

Christians SHOULD be involved in politics! Seems too many people have believed the lie, "Separation of Church and State" as it has been fed to us over the past several decades. The original intent was NOT to keep the church out of the government, but rather to keep the government out of the church!

I don't care if you are Democrat, Republican, Tea Party, coffee drinker, or sand bagger --if you are a Christian, your worldview and biblical beliefs should override all party lines! Christ-followers should be voting according to biblical truths and values, not according to a political party. Some say Christians have no place in politics -- I DISAGREE! The Constitution, our legal system, the inscriptions in Washington, and more -- ALL prove that America was founded as a Christian nation! So, Christians should be actively involved in politics, running for office, and exercising their right to vote.

Too many professing Christians are worried about being "politically correct." Others are just ignorant on the issues. The recent health care issue was a great example. There was no question that health care needed to be fixed, but how could ANY believer vote for health care reform that opened the door for abortion? The Bible teaches that God hates murder and specifically in Prov. 6, it mentions "those who shed innocent blood." During the Health Care vote, the United Methodist Church was listed in support of the bill. How could any Christian, much less an entire denomination, offer support to a political issue that stands in contradiction to biblical instruction?

In the early 1980's, the Moral Majority brought Bible believing people together (across denominational lines), and encouraged people to vote in line with biblical teachings. That movement made an impact on our nation! Who will rise up to unite the body of Christ on political matters now that Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, and other godly men have passed off the scene? If God did raise someone up, I wonder how many "professing" Christians would attack that person because he or she is not of their denomination, they worship differently, they use a different Bible version, has read books by authors they don't approve of, or attended a church growth conference they think is "satanic." We can't even get along with each other... how are we supposed to stand united against our common adversary? (1 Peter 5:8)

I encourage true Christ-followers to put God first, put your differences aside, and start working to make America once again, "One Nation Under God."

Sunday Summary 3.28.10

Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. We read of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, then focused on the phrase, "It is Finished." What a statement. It meant, the suffering was ended, Satan was defeated, and salvation was complete! We concluded the morning service by observing communion together.

Last evening, our choir and instrumentalists presented the musical, "3:16, Numbers of Hope." The message was crystal clear and they did a great job. Travis, thanks for your leadership. As I was talking to someone today, they said that they had never been part of a more talented choir. The choir will be performing several of those songs this Sunday during our Easter service.

We concluded our membership class today. A total of 14 people have recently or will soon make the decision to unite with our church family, and we have several baptisms lined up over the next couple of Sundays. I heard of a young man who was baptized in another local church Sunday as a result of Team Impact event. It's good to hear those stories, too!

Can't wait for Easter! That is like Super Bowl Sunday for the Christians! This week will be busy in planning for the big event. We kick-off with a pancake breakfast for the whole church and a celebration service to follow.

8th Annual EGGstravaganza

This morning, EBC hosted its 8th annual community Easter egg hunt. It's neat when you start a great tradition and people call you each year asking when it is going to be. This event bridges ethic and economic gaps across our community and seems to be a lot of fun for everyone. We were taking good notes on Saturday and are already thinking of ways to make this Bigger and Better for next year.

Literally hundreds of children, plus parents and grandparents joined us for the day. The story of Easter was presented appropriately to each age group, and we gave away 130 prizes, including bicycles and many other "fun" toys to those who found the special prize eggs. Finding the special eggs was a daunting task among the 12,000 eggs that were distributed across our campus, but every child went home with at least a bag of candy.

The highlight of the day was the parents' egg hunt. Last year, we gave away a Wii game system, this year, we gave away two $100 cash prizes. The parents were almost more fun to watch than the kids. Congratulations to Scott and Carie for finding the winning eggs!

Thanks to Pastor David, our staff, and the dozens of volunteers that takes to pull off such a large event and to do it well. The involvement of our church family is what makes EBC so special.

Racism

I just started a new Sunday night series entitled, "Biblical Ethics in an Unbiblical World." Our first topic was racism. In the Deep South, it is alive and well. Sadly, the most segregated places that I've noticed are the churches. People work, shop, and play together; but they do not worship together. Thank God we've broken through that barrier in our school, and we're working toward it in our church.

Let me share a few points from last Sunday night:
1) I want to thank my friend, Senator Gerald Malloy, for having a part in our service and sharing his thoughts on racism in Darlington County. Gerald keeps encouraging me to swap pulpits with some of the black preachers in our community and I hope to do so soon.

2) God only created one race -- the human race. Gen. 1:26-27 says both male and female (not red, yellow, black, or white) were created in God's image.

3) God gave instructions for people to care for foreigners. (Lev. 19:33-34) Jonah preached in Ninevah, Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman, Philip baptized the Ethopian, and Paul carried the Gospel to the Gentiles. God loves all people.

4) We know that King Solomon had a black wife. (Song of Solomon 1:5-6)

5) God did prohibit interracial marriage (Gen 28:6), but not due to skin color. This mandate was to protect His people from worshipping the gods of those outside of Israel. Notice His fury when they did (Num. 25:1-5).

6) While man focuses on skin color, God focuses on the heart. Sadly, many believers are more worried about skin color than doctrinal purity. Too many professing Christians are marrying unbelievers. Others marry "believers," but then attend churches of unsound doctrine. I could actually make a better case against interdenominational marriage than I can about interracial marriage.

7) Having said all of that, there are still many bridges to cross in America (especially in the Deep South), so many who choose an interracial marriage will encounter opposition.

Men's Breakfast

This morning, our men truly encouraged the heart of their pastor. We have a monthly men's prayer breakfast for the purposes of provoking thought, fellowship, sharing, and prayer. Last month we opened the discussion to the topic of what keeps men from sharing their faith. Today, we discussed the major issues that Christian men are facing. Breakfast was good and the conversation was excellent. We had 20 men participating!

It's also been exciting to see small accountability groups springing up within our church family. Men are gathering in groups of 4, meeting for breakfast, studying, sharing, praying, and holding one another accountable in their daily lives. You can drive through Hartsville and see small groups of men sitting in restaurants at 6:00 - 6:30am. Another group meets in the evenings. I encourage all of our men to be part of an accountability group. Prov. 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

Forgiveness & New Members (3.14.10)

Yesterday was a good day at EBC. Attendance was strong, many guests were present, and the altar response was good. I started a new series pertaining to "The Last Words of Christ." Today we examined His statement, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." We looked at mankind's need for God's forgiveness, and also man's need to forgive one another. Sadly there is a growing trend of unforgiveness in today's churches. Professing Christians say they believe the Bible, but tend to ignore the passages they don't like. For instance, Matt 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." If we really believed the Bible, we would be practicing forgiveness.

We also started a new members class today. Believing that over 50% of professing church-goers are not true believers, I am committed to making sure we guard the door of the church. We had 14 people present and talked about our church's history, core values, salvation, baptism, and communion. We're condensing 4 weeks of material into just 3. It will be a challenge, but the folks seem very eager.

Sunday Summary 3.7.10 (Ministry Fair)

What a day and where do I start? During our LIFE Group hour, we hosted a ministry fair. Nearly 40 display booths were set up in our Fellowship Hall, ministry leaders were present to answer questions, and our folks were given the opportunity to sign-up to serve in the ministries of their choice. At EBC, we expect our members to be ministers. Thanks to all who took time and exhausted your creativity to make the booths look so special. We are already planning to make this ministry fair a regular event.

I've been sick for a few days and today, I felt physically worse today than I've ever felt on a Sunday. God gave me the strength to preach, and it was a good reminder that I have to be dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit. I preached from Matt 5 about Christ-followers being salt and light, challenging our church to get out of the salt shaker and into the world. We seem to focus too much on the presentation of the container, quantity of salt, and how our salt compares to others; rather than the effects that salt can have on a lost world. Believers should constantly be creating a thirst for the Living Water found in Jesus Christ.

In the evening service, Dr. Long gave a report from his recent trip wo Haiti with an SBC Disaster Relief Team, then we continued our study in Francis Chan's book, "Crazy Love" with the "Profile of the Obsessed." Are you obsessed with Jesus or are you just a casual follower?

Today, and over the past two weeks, God has been blessing our services! In addition to the results from Team Impact, we have seen 5 men saved through our basketball league and 5 families have joined EBC. This past week, I sent out 35 letters to families who recently joined or have been attending our services regularly. The letters were invitations to join our next membership class which begins next Sunday, March 14. Praise God for His blessings!

Team Impact 2.28

This has been an exciting and action packed week at EBC as we have hosted Team Impact. http://www.team-impact.com/ This group of men is using feats of strength to draw crowds and preach the gospel. They use a different technique for evangelism, but preach the same solid message of God's love! This week, the team did presentations in assemblies that touched eight different area schools, followed by evangelistic events every night at our church, which resulted in approximately 3,000 people in attendance at the evening events, 183 making decisions for salvation, 60 recommitting their lives to Christ, and others who would have never attended a church service hearing the Gospel!

The team was crushing bricks, bending steel rods, bench pressing telephone poles, blowing up hot water bottles, breaking baseball bats, and more! They had smoke, fire, and a truck load of enthusiasm! (The fire on stage was a bit exciting... since our church burned down twice previously.) I'm sure not everyone was happy with this type of event being held in the church building, but "Isn't this what the church is about... reaching out to "lost" people and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" Fishing for men means we have to use a variety of bait.

The volunteers from our church were absolutely amazing! They served as stage crew; sound & lighting technicians; supply gatherers; meal, accommodation, and transportation providers; merchandise managers; ushers; greeters; decision counselors; and more! Justin and David did a great job coordinating the event! The rest of our staff (Team "Low Impact") pitched in wherever they were needed. It's amazing what God can do, when His people work together for a common purpose! Praise God for using us to reach people with the gospel.