Saturday, January 28, 2017
Luther Rice College and Seminary
Yesterday, I attended a Board of Trustees meeting for Luther Rice Bible College and Seminary in Lithonia, GA. As I sat in the room with the other Board members, I was truly humbled and, again, wondered how and why God gave me such an amazing opportunity to serve in this capacity. LRS has been a leader in biblical education for over 50 years! The school was founded for the primary purpose of allowing pastors and missionaries to continue their biblical education and seminary training, without having to relocate. LRS removes the need for pastors, ministry leaders, and lay-people to leave their ministries or uproot their families; by making it possible for them to receive a quality Christian education online. LRS is committed to teaching solid and sound Baptist doctrine without compromise! That is one of the primary reasons that I chose to study and now to serve at LRS. Check out their website at www.lutherrice.edu. If you are considering taking classes to enhance your biblical knowledge, I highly recommend LRS.
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Identity Crisis #2 - His Blood is on Your Hands!
My heart was broken recently as I heard about a young man who had taken his own life. That young man (we'll call him Bob) had a troubled past, plagued by substance abuse. A Christian family took Bob in, provided shelter, food, and invited Bob to their church services. During a church event, Bob made the decision to trust Christ as his Lord and Savior. Bob was baptized the following Sunday, told many of his decision, started attending multiple church services per week, and was beginning to get plugged-in with his new church family.
Not long after, the young man was facing the same battles that many of us face... his old nature was warring against his new nature. Bob reached out for help, but was pushed aside as a church employee (a staff pastor) and his wife made up false allegations against Bob. As a result, Bob was asked not to return to that church. Bob had now been turned away from the only real family he had ever known; from the place where he had found hope and acceptance. The people who could have helped Bob grow in his faith, were the people pushing him out of the church. Fast forward the story... Bob took his life. Bob's blood is on the hands of those who pushed him away from the church.
The man's name was not Bob, but the story is true and should remind us of what Jesus said in Mark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Many have forgotten that the Church was once called a "soul-saving station," and a "spiritual hospital." We've forgotten that the Master told his servants, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." The Master NEVER said, Go gather people who dress like we do, like the same music we do, use the same Bible version we do, cut their hair like we do, refuse tattoos like we do, and hide all of their weaknesses like we do! The Master didn't say to establish a commune... He said, "I will build my Church!"
The church identity described above has been replaced with today's "clubhouse mentality" or "pep-rally mentality;" in which members of the church gather to sing a few songs, tell a few jokes, talk about their favorite sports teams, and then they return home to resume life as usual. BUT... that is not the purpose of the Church! Ministers are not mere performers and ministry is NOT merely a 9-to-5 job! The Church is a spiritual army, the Church is at war against the forces of evil, the Church is a lighthouse in the storms of life, the Church is the vehicle that God established to share the Gospel and disciple believers! If the Church won't reach the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the prostitutes, the homeless, the rejected, the broken, the unemployed, the sick, the and even the religious Pharisees; then who will? That's what God called His Church to do! Listen to the words in Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Yes, real ministry is messy and when you reach down to lift someone up, you'll probably get dirty! No doubt that shepherds smelled slightly like the sheep back in New Testament times! I challenge those pastors who see ministry as a 40 hour per week job to pick-it-up or have the integrity to go find other employment. Ministry is not a job - it's a calling! I challenge those who see the church as a clubhouse to reexamine Luke 4:18-19. I challenge those who are not sharing Christ with others to start doing so. I challenge you DO NOT allow the story of Bob, to be true of you or your church. God help Your Church to see the battle and defeat the enemy! "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Not long after, the young man was facing the same battles that many of us face... his old nature was warring against his new nature. Bob reached out for help, but was pushed aside as a church employee (a staff pastor) and his wife made up false allegations against Bob. As a result, Bob was asked not to return to that church. Bob had now been turned away from the only real family he had ever known; from the place where he had found hope and acceptance. The people who could have helped Bob grow in his faith, were the people pushing him out of the church. Fast forward the story... Bob took his life. Bob's blood is on the hands of those who pushed him away from the church.
The man's name was not Bob, but the story is true and should remind us of what Jesus said in Mark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Many have forgotten that the Church was once called a "soul-saving station," and a "spiritual hospital." We've forgotten that the Master told his servants, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." The Master NEVER said, Go gather people who dress like we do, like the same music we do, use the same Bible version we do, cut their hair like we do, refuse tattoos like we do, and hide all of their weaknesses like we do! The Master didn't say to establish a commune... He said, "I will build my Church!"
The church identity described above has been replaced with today's "clubhouse mentality" or "pep-rally mentality;" in which members of the church gather to sing a few songs, tell a few jokes, talk about their favorite sports teams, and then they return home to resume life as usual. BUT... that is not the purpose of the Church! Ministers are not mere performers and ministry is NOT merely a 9-to-5 job! The Church is a spiritual army, the Church is at war against the forces of evil, the Church is a lighthouse in the storms of life, the Church is the vehicle that God established to share the Gospel and disciple believers! If the Church won't reach the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the prostitutes, the homeless, the rejected, the broken, the unemployed, the sick, the and even the religious Pharisees; then who will? That's what God called His Church to do! Listen to the words in Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Yes, real ministry is messy and when you reach down to lift someone up, you'll probably get dirty! No doubt that shepherds smelled slightly like the sheep back in New Testament times! I challenge those pastors who see ministry as a 40 hour per week job to pick-it-up or have the integrity to go find other employment. Ministry is not a job - it's a calling! I challenge those who see the church as a clubhouse to reexamine Luke 4:18-19. I challenge those who are not sharing Christ with others to start doing so. I challenge you DO NOT allow the story of Bob, to be true of you or your church. God help Your Church to see the battle and defeat the enemy! "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Thursday, January 19, 2017
The Identity Crisis in Today's Baptist Churches
In my previous post, I recommended listening to Dr. Bill Monroe's sermon "God's Plan for Church Leadership." If you haven't yet watched it, I'd strongly encourage you to do so. Just click the link.
Today's Baptist churches are experiencing a crisis pertaining to church leadership and government. I personally believe that this crisis stems, in part, from a generation that has seen churches focused more on numeric growth, rather than spiritual growth. Today, success is measured by the 3 B's: Buildings, Budgets & Butts. In years past, the success of churches was measured by spiritual decisions: salvations, baptisms, memberships, students enrolling in Bible college, surrender to vocational ministry, church plants, and missionaries sent out. Those measures now seem archaic to many and have been lost in the quest for numbers. Where once Baptist churches were known for their doctrinal depth, today, many are known simply for their musical styles, casual dress, and contemporary atmosphere. Personally, I don't have a problem with any of those items, but they should not define any church. Those are marketing issues and have nothing to do with depth. When a pastor tells you more about his church's style than he does about its doctrinal beliefs and spiritual decisions, you know something is wrong! Sadly, this focus on growth without depth has led Baptist churches into a state of confusion, maybe even into an identity crisis.
With the void of historical and doctrinal teaching; the gap has been filled with attention on preferences resulting in misunderstandings that have wreaked havoc in the church. Baptist churches are beginning to look like Presbyterian churches as they implement Elders and embrace Reformed Theology; including "Election" and "Predestination." Ironically, John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian Church, considered Baptists to be heretics and now many Baptists are embracing Calvin's religion! Power struggles also stem from a lack of understanding as it pertains to forms of church government. Today, feelings and opinions seem to take preeminence over the Bible.
In Scripture, we find a stark contrast to the roles of Deacons and Elders when compared to their usage in modern churches. Again, Baptists have become Calvinistic in describing these terms, also. In the Scriptures, we find God calling a man... not a committee... not a Board, to lead His people. God always called a man. Consider some of these men: Moses, Joshua, David, Gideon, Peter, Paul, and others. Interesting that the idea of Elders in Baptist churches really only began to take hold in the late 1990's; but Baptist's trace their roots back over 2000 years. Allow me to be totally transparent in telling you that every time I have seen Elder rule established in a Baptist church, it was initiated either by a group desiring to control and limit the Pastor or by a struggling Pastor in an effort to use a small group (Elders) to control the congregation. Someone once said, "You can either have control or you can have growth, but you can't have both."
I tell people that I am a Christian first and a Baptist second. I believe Baptist beliefs and doctrine are the most accurate in keeping with the Scriptures. When Baptist churches don't take time to teach Baptist history and doctrine, then they eventually lose their Baptist identity. I encourage you to read books such as the "Trail of Blood" and to study Baptist history. Once finished, you'll see the rich heritage that makes Baptists different. Finally, for those who think this is just another post by a small church pastor, leading a dying church; my last church doubled in size and was the largest in the community. I didn't say choose teaching or growth... I believe solid Bible teaching will lead to substantial growth!
Today's Baptist churches are experiencing a crisis pertaining to church leadership and government. I personally believe that this crisis stems, in part, from a generation that has seen churches focused more on numeric growth, rather than spiritual growth. Today, success is measured by the 3 B's: Buildings, Budgets & Butts. In years past, the success of churches was measured by spiritual decisions: salvations, baptisms, memberships, students enrolling in Bible college, surrender to vocational ministry, church plants, and missionaries sent out. Those measures now seem archaic to many and have been lost in the quest for numbers. Where once Baptist churches were known for their doctrinal depth, today, many are known simply for their musical styles, casual dress, and contemporary atmosphere. Personally, I don't have a problem with any of those items, but they should not define any church. Those are marketing issues and have nothing to do with depth. When a pastor tells you more about his church's style than he does about its doctrinal beliefs and spiritual decisions, you know something is wrong! Sadly, this focus on growth without depth has led Baptist churches into a state of confusion, maybe even into an identity crisis.
With the void of historical and doctrinal teaching; the gap has been filled with attention on preferences resulting in misunderstandings that have wreaked havoc in the church. Baptist churches are beginning to look like Presbyterian churches as they implement Elders and embrace Reformed Theology; including "Election" and "Predestination." Ironically, John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian Church, considered Baptists to be heretics and now many Baptists are embracing Calvin's religion! Power struggles also stem from a lack of understanding as it pertains to forms of church government. Today, feelings and opinions seem to take preeminence over the Bible.
In Scripture, we find a stark contrast to the roles of Deacons and Elders when compared to their usage in modern churches. Again, Baptists have become Calvinistic in describing these terms, also. In the Scriptures, we find God calling a man... not a committee... not a Board, to lead His people. God always called a man. Consider some of these men: Moses, Joshua, David, Gideon, Peter, Paul, and others. Interesting that the idea of Elders in Baptist churches really only began to take hold in the late 1990's; but Baptist's trace their roots back over 2000 years. Allow me to be totally transparent in telling you that every time I have seen Elder rule established in a Baptist church, it was initiated either by a group desiring to control and limit the Pastor or by a struggling Pastor in an effort to use a small group (Elders) to control the congregation. Someone once said, "You can either have control or you can have growth, but you can't have both."
I tell people that I am a Christian first and a Baptist second. I believe Baptist beliefs and doctrine are the most accurate in keeping with the Scriptures. When Baptist churches don't take time to teach Baptist history and doctrine, then they eventually lose their Baptist identity. I encourage you to read books such as the "Trail of Blood" and to study Baptist history. Once finished, you'll see the rich heritage that makes Baptists different. Finally, for those who think this is just another post by a small church pastor, leading a dying church; my last church doubled in size and was the largest in the community. I didn't say choose teaching or growth... I believe solid Bible teaching will lead to substantial growth!
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
God's Plan for Church Leadership
You've got to watch this sermon! Without question, today's churches are experiencing a crisis pertaining to church government and leadership. Below, you will find a link to a sermon preached by Dr. Bill Monroe, founding and current Pastor of the Florence Baptist Temple in Florence, SC. Bro. Bill is a godly man, a humble man, and a friend to me and my family. My wife's family were ALL saved through the ministries of Florence Baptist Temple and Florence Christian School. Bro. Bill is a "Pastor's Pastor" and he loves God's Church. God has used him to help churches, pastors, and I pray his sermon will be a blessing to you.
Click on the link and scroll down the page to watch this powerful sermon entitled "God's Plan for Church Leadership" preached on December 4, 2016 at the Florence Baptist Temple. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SERMON
Click on the link and scroll down the page to watch this powerful sermon entitled "God's Plan for Church Leadership" preached on December 4, 2016 at the Florence Baptist Temple. CLICK HERE TO VIEW SERMON
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