Agree to Disagree Agreeably

Some of the nicest and some of the meanest people that I have ever met have been those who claim to be Christians. Have you ever noticed that some people have a heavenly smile, while others look like they’ve been sucking on lemons? For some, the sour looks are a way of life, for others, they are the result of disagreements gone awry.

Have you ever disagreed with anyone? People have disagreements at home, at work and even at church. There is no problem with disagreeing; in fact, disagreements have the potential to expand the horizons of open minded people. The problems lie not in the disagreements themselves, but in the way that people respond to them.

Have you ever watched children on a playground? What happens when one doesn’t get his way? He becomes angry, he takes his ball and he goes home. Sadly, the same behavior is exhibited among some adults within the Christian community. They become angry when the carpet is not their favorite color, the choir doesn’t sing their favorite song, the preacher doesn’t support their viewpoint or a visitor sits in their favorite pew. They reenact the playground scenario--they get angry, but instead of picking up their ball, they pickup their Bible; instead of going home, they go to another church; and instead of dividing friends on the playground, they divide the family of God.

Disagreements can be good and even healthy; but becoming disagreeable cannot. Most churches do not lose members due to their biblical positions, but many lose them due to their harsh dispositions. Disagreements are a part of life and always will be, so let’s examine how to “agree to disagree agreeably."

In my observation, there are two common elements to any disagreement - an issue and opposing viewpoints. It is very possible that both viewpoints may be correct. If one person describes the interior of a house and another describes the exterior, they are both right in their descriptions of the house; but from different viewpoints. Viewpoints vary in accident reports, at sporting events, at smorgasbords and among auto enthusiasts. We don’t break friendships over a referee’s call, items on a buffet line or whether we drive a Ford or Chevy; so why do we break fellowship over things that are even less significant in a church?

It is imperative that we learn to disagree without becoming malicious and degrading. Ephesians 4:29 tells us that our words should edify others and “minister GRACE to the hearers,” lest they grieve the Holy Spirit of God. God desires us to be tenderhearted and forgiving toward one another as we remember the eternal debt that He forgave us.

The Bible records disagreements between godly leaders and how they responded. Two of the most familiar stories are Abraham vs. Lot (Gen. 13) and Paul vs. Barnabas (Acts 15). The characters in both stories eventually separated; but even after their separation, they exhibited grace toward one another. There is no record of unkind words being exchanged, no effort to defame their character and no attempt to lead a coup against them. The Bible indicates that they “agreed to disagree agreeably.”

Since disagreements are inevitable, there are several things to remember when caught in the middle of one: 1) Leave room for opposing viewpoints; 2) Don’t assassinate a person’s character; and 3) If you don’t get your way – get over it! We would never allow a child to attack his siblings because he didn’t get his way, neither can we allow “brothers and sisters” in Christ to tear apart the family of God. A mark of true spiritual maturity is the ability to “agree to disagree agreeably!

The Windows of Heaven are Open

You may be tired of hearing the same things over and over, but I can't stop sharing what God is doing. We had another 5 people saved and 3 baptized over the course of the past week. People are also beginning to share additional stories of opportunities they have been given to share at work and people who are stopping them in restaurants to ask what is going on at Emmanuel Baptist Church. When people are focused and excited about God, it is contagious!

There is a renewed spirit of excitement in our youth ministry, music ministry, school, LIFE Groups, and almost every facet of Emmanuel Baptist Church. I say almost, because we all know that the Pharisees missed Jesus in their presence and there are some who are sadly missing out of the revival that is going on all around them. Our prayer continues to be that God will use us to lead people into a passionate pursuit of Him.

Understanding Church Membership

I remember sitting at a pastors’ breakfast a couple of years ago, when an interim pastor told me that the church he had been serving was calling a new pastor. He asked me to pray for that new pastor and went on to say that he had a big job stepping into a church of 1,200 members. I knew the church he was speaking of and I was taken back by his comment. The interim pastor must have seen it in my eyes; because his next statement was, “Truth be known, even the CIA couldn’t find 200 of those members.” I personally thought, “Truth be known, the CIA couldn’t find 1,000 of them.”

Since that breakfast dialogue, I’ve been intrigued by listening to pastors talk about this thing we call “church membership.” I go to pastors’ meetings and hear pastors bragging about the size of their church membership. The numbers sound impressive, but the actual Sunday attendance is one-third or less. Associations, conventions, and denominational boards use this same manipulation of “membership” numbers for positioning against other denominations or even as leverage to persuade politicians.

Conversations among church-goers regarding membership also intrigue me. Some people don’t want to “join” any church, others join without even knowing what a church believes, and others desire to leave their membership at one church while attending another. Wouldn’t that be similar to maintaining a marriage certificate with one wife, while moving in with another woman? I guess the answer is left to be determined by one’s personal interpretation or definition of church membership.

Speaking for Baptist churches, most require those desiring to teach, work with children, or hold any positions of leadership to become members for the sake of maintaining accountability. The requirements for membership in a Baptist church are simply salvation and baptism. The practice comes from Acts 2:41 as it describes they that gladly (a) received his word, were (b) baptized: and the same day they were (c) added to the church. Denominations differ regarding the requirements for church membership and some require membership candidates to complete indoctrination classes before they can be accepted into the church. While the requirements differ, the basic concept of membership is the same.

As we know, many churches mindlessly practice the traditions they have acquired through the centuries. In an effort to be “biblical, not traditional,” we must examine what the Bible says regarding church membership. As we study the Bible, we find that those who were saved were immediately part of Christ’s body - the Church. While there is much theological debate over whether or not baptism was a requirement for Church membership; it is certain that those who were completely and fully denouncing their pagan lifestyle chose to identify publicly with Christ through the act of baptism after salvation.

So, did the church at Corinth, Ephesus, or Sardis practice local church membership? In Bible times, all of the believers in a city were part of that local church. They assembled and worshiped together. They didn’t fight, split, or consider themselves competitors as many churches do today. They saw themselves as members of Christ’s body. Through the years, the Church has adopted many practices from the business world, including the concept of membership. Pastors want commitment and members want to know who’s on their team, who is going to help pay the bills, who is going to help do ministry, and who should have voting rights.

I would have a hard time proving that local church membership, as it is practiced today, is completely biblical; but I do think it is important for the reasons stated above. While I believe that every person who comes to Christ the Savior for forgiveness of sin is part of Christ’s body, I also believe every Christ-follower should be part of a local congregation. Let me close by encouraging all believers to be part of a local church family, to serve in and through that local church family, and to remain committed to that local church family. We all need a place to belong, until Christ calls us home!

A Mighty Rushing Wind

I can't tell you that we are experiencing anything like the moving of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, but I can tell you that we are at least feeling the effects of His wind! Today the Spirit continued moving in our services. For the past two months, people have been making decisions in our services, in our offices, in their homes, at school, and more. This week, 4 more people were saved. PRAISE THE LORD!

Our church family is getting right with God and He is moving in ways that we could never have imagined. Our key verse for revival has been 2 Chron 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." It's true... IF those who call themselves Christians will repent and begin living holy lives, God can do miraculous things through them.

The problem as I see it is that too many "Christians" are not true Christ-followers, which means that many churches are nothing more than social organizations. When people say the church is full of hypocrites... they're right! I've been preaching on the tough topics of pride, humility, honesty, holiness, forgiveness, and other lost topics in today's churches. It has resulted in our church family getting right and now the whole community is being impacted by the stories of revival that are being shared across our small town. Please pray that God will keep working, until every person in our church family is in a right relationship with Him.

MORE Saved at ECS Retreat

We just completed our 2008 ECS Spiritual Emphasis Retreat with our high school students. We tried a new format this year and kept the students occupied on our 260 acre campus. They had a variety of activities across our campus, slept on campus, played games at (and in) our pond, swam at the local country club, etc. Each morning and evening, we hosted a chapel service! The services involved our Chapel Band and speakers from within our faculty. It may be one of the best spiritual emphasis retreats that I've ever been part of. Attending a Christian school myself, I know how easy it is to play the game of hypocrisy. I am committed to helping our students realize that spirituality is not a game and we are committed to having a Christian school -- not a "private" school. I feel that if all we do is offer a great academic product... we've failed.

With that being said, we are really trying to help our students see Christ as never before. I spent a couple of sessions really challenging them to recognize hypocrisy and decide to live lives of authenticity. Our Youth Pastor dovetailed with those messages and preached a strong message on "real" salvation. During the course of the weekend, 6 of our high school studnets made decisions for salvation and many others rededicated their lives to Christ. Others still need to be saved, so please join us in praying that they will.

26 Saved This Week

GOD'S SPIRIT IS MOVING in our church and in our Christian School. With the start of the new school year, we always start by sharing the gospel with our students and hosting a spiritual empahsis retreat for our high school students. Well, the retreat doesn't happen for another couple of weeks, but listen to what God did at ECS last week. We started this school year with 432 students and just this week, 26 of those students made decisions for salvation. This is one of the privileges of having a Christian School. Not only do we get to teach subject matter from a Christian world-view, but we also get to share the message of salvation. One person said, "We offer academics and MORE!" Pray for us as we now work to disciple these students and reach these families.

Revival Fires are Burning!

It's Monday, again, and I have to tell you what happened yesterday! The flames of revival continue to burn! We've seen another 3 people come to the decision for salvation. (Remember, we're in a town of less than 8,000 people!) The man who was saved last week was baptized this morning. It was a sweet time as he had to gently kneel and lean forward, due to severe back problems; but he wanted to take that step of public identification. It gave a great opportunity to ask, "If he could do it, what's your excuse?" We added another 8 new members today, along with their 3 children. 6 people rededicated their lives to our Lord and again, the altars were full. We are really to the point that we can't wait until the invitation time comes... so we can see what God is going to do!

MORE Saved and Baptized

God is working in our church services and revival is beginning! Today, our morning worship service started with 9 baptisms. Those who came forward during last week's invitation were among those baptized. Several others were also moved to take this step of obedience during the week. A young man who is on fire for our Lord has been a major spark in the flames of revival. He was baptized this morning and willing to say "yes" to whatever the Lord asks. A special moment occurred as our Youth Pastor, Justin, baptized his wife. Their transparency and honesty before our congregation was amazing. Remember... Justin was just baptized last Sunday.

In addition, there were five more salvations this week. Some occurred in conjunction to the service and others occurred as friends began sharing their testimonies with others. A man who grew up in our church, was so convicted that he came weeping and it took a couple of minutes for him to even tell me why he came forward. He said, "Preacher, I need to be saved." Three more teens were saved this week and the flames of revival are spreading. We added another family to the church and the altar was full again today. GOD IS MOVING!

The Start of Revival

Last night, we had a MAJOR wind storm that took down trees, power lines, and knocked out electricity across our area. Needless to say, today's service was interesting. Some lights, no air conditioning, etc. Believe it or not, the sound system worked and so did God's Spirit. I preached on "Holiness" and the altar response was so good, that I'm thinking about turning off the A/C again next week.

During this past week, our teenagers were running a VBS for a church that we are helping to start in Clover, SC. While our teens thought they were going to minister to others, it was our group that would experience God's moving. The VBS was a great success and there were 10 salvations among those who participated, BUT there were 6 salvations among our team of teenagers that were on the mission team. Included in that number were my middle daughter (17 years old) and our Youth Pastor's wife (age undisclosed for my own safety). On the night that they were both saved, the scene is described as our teenagers scattered across the lawn and through the buildings praying into the wee hours of the morning.

The Sunday after the team returned, we started our Worship Service with the Youth Pastor admitting to the church that he had been a hypocrite, because he had been performing many of our baptisms, but had not personally been baptized after his salvation. He asked the church's forgiveness and then I stepped into the baptistry and baptized him. Immediately following, I had the privilege of baptizing my daughter, Bethany! WOW... what a great feeling for a dad!

After starting our service by baptizing the Youth Pastor and then the Pastor's daughter -- I knew it was going to be a good day. At the close of the service, we had one of Christian School teachers come for salvation. Justin's testimony also touched another lady who grew up in our church and she came for baptism. Two came for church membership and the altar was lined with people rededicating their lives to Christ. It was a GREAT day!

If Gossip is Wrong, Why Do Christians Do It?

The privacy of the Catholic confessional booth provides great symbolism into people's desire to keep their secret sins secret. No one wants to be embarrased by having his shortcomings and foolish decisions proclaimed publicly; BUT, people sure don't mind talking publicly about the sins of others!

Gossip is one of the most "trendy" sins among professing Christians. Gossip is an artform which can be camoflouged under the cover of a prayer request, the guise of a concern, or under the veil of a self-appointed victim. Gossip can be used to rally support, to defame individuals, or to tear apart churches. Gossip is fun, because it directs all of the attention and blame away from the one sharing it and refocuses attention in a different direction. Bottom line, it's a great strategy to keep people focused on others, so they can't get close enough to discover the real you.

From the number of believers who share gossip, it is obvious that they do not realize what the Bible says about it. Prov. 6:16-19 says, "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him...a lying tongue...19A false witness that speaks lies, and HE that sows discord among brethren." Leviticus 19:16 -"Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. "Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbor's life." Proverbs 16:28 - "A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends." Proverbs 25:23 - "As surely as a wind from the north brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!" Proverbs 26:20 - "Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops." Romans 1:29 - "Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip." Gossip is an abomination before God because it hurts His people and destroys His church!

There are many reasons why people gossip: 1) Jealousy - Speaking evil of others helps bring them down to our level. 2) Anger - Some people gossip to "let off steam" about an issue or person with whom they are upset. 3) Acceptance - People want to "fit into" a group. 4) Deference - Talking about others keeps people from focusing on the one sharing the gossip. 5) Self-promotion - The desire to advance or look good at the expense of others. 6) Finally (at least in this post), a major reason for gossip among Christians is failure to understand how serious it is and how it is used by the devil. A person who shares gossip is doing Satan's work for him!

So how should you handle a gossip? 1) Stop them - It is wrong to spread gossip, but it is also wrong to listen to it. 2) Arrange a meeting between you, the gossiper, and the ones being talked about. If the gossiper won't attend the meeting, you'll immediately know that what they were sharing was not true. 3) Once you have discovered the truth, you should go back and correct any misinformation in the minds of those with whom the gossip was shared. This will clear the innocent and remove shadows of doubt.

Gossip has no place in the life of a Christian. Gal. 5:19 NLT says, "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results...hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group." Contrariwise, Gal. 5:22 NLT says, "When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." From these passages in God's Word, I'll let you determine whether a gossiper is Spirit-filled or Satanically influenced.