The Bible Journey Blog

Daily Devotional Time: Philippians 4

2012-01-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

My daily time with God, today, involved a 1-mile prayer walk at Riverside Park, and reading Philippians 4, where three verses caught my attention...

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

I have worked myself silly, and worried myself sick making sure that I was able to provide a certain lifestyle for my family. Through the course of things, problems arise, bills come in, bank balances run low, and things break. When those things happen, it can be easy to become disgruntled, stressed out, and wonder why things always happen to us. (To quote Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh, "Oh why does it always have to be me?!!!")

When problems arise, it's important to look at the big picture. In Matthew 6, The Lord made two promises, (1) to feed me and (2) to clothe me. Anything beyond that is gravy.

Not only has God kept His promises of feeding me, and clothing me, but He has also thrown in a good variety of food, a nice home, and a beautiful family to boot. Did I mention that God has blessed me with an awesome way to make a living... serving as the missionary pastor of Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church, and as news director for KOXE 101.3 in Brownwood, Texas. On my worst day, I should be praising God for the blessings in my life. Whatsoever state I am in, therewith I should be content.

What if the bottom falls out? What if I lose one of my jobs, can no longer pay my mortgage, lose my home and struggle financially? This passage tells me that God has given me the power to endure hard times, and I should praise Him anyway.

Paul said in verse 12 that he is instructed to abound and to be abased. To both be full and to be hungry. The lesson I took from this today is that God wants us to be thankful for what He has done for us. In all things, we are to be full, or content. However, at the same time, we are to be hungry... that is, we are to be motivated to continue to work for the Lord. We work when we are hungry, and we shape up when we want God's favor. These verses tell me that we should stay in that state of mind, ready to work and serve the Lord. Though God has made us full, we should continue to work as if we are hungry.

Then verse 13 concludes the thought... that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. This verse, taken in context, means that we can endure all things. We can enjoy the good times, endure the bad times, and stick it through until the end.

God is great, all the time, and He has blessed us beyond all measure. Let's continue to praise Him and serve Him as He provides opportunity.

The Journey: Genesis 4:17-24

2012-01-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Genesis 4:17-24 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

It's tempting to skip over genealogy passages when reading the Bible. Oftentimes, however, interesting nuggets of truth are contained between the lines of genealogical passages. In Genesis 4:17-24, we not only have the genealogy of Cain's descendents, but we have the record of the rise of an unGodly civilization.

Contrary to popular belief, Cain didn't move to Africa and live in poverty. He moved to Nod, which is east of Eden, in modern day Iraq or Iran. He then began fathering children, and thus became a grandfather and great grandfather. Along with his descendants, Cain founded a society that would go on to be the center of agriculture, commerce, music and craftsmanship.

Cain, unable to farm, wanted to prove to everyone how good he could be without God. Doesn't the world try the same thing today?

New Wednesday Night Series at Grace Pointe...

2012-01-01T20:59:00.001-08:00

The Restoration

2011-12-25T21:23:00.000-08:00

Brownwood is described by many as the buckle of the Bible belt. At one time, the city had more churches per capita than any other town in Texas. It is home to Howard Payne University, a school affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which trains ministerial students before they head to seminary.

Despite the many good things about Brownwood in terms of churches, outreach, civic and benevolent organizations, many people still struggle in their personal lives. One doesn't have to look far to find people who are hurting.

People need the Lord. However, if we are going to lead people to the Lord, we must turn to the Lord ourselves. Series starts Jan. 1. Scripture references will be from Nehemiah.

The Journey: Genesis 4:1-12

2011-12-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

In Genesis 4, Cain brought God an offering of the fruits of the ground, but Abel brought the firstlings of his flock. The Bible says that God had respect unto Abel and his offering, but unto Cain and his offering God had no respect.

Many people have theorized why God respected Abel's offering, but not Cain's. Popular reasons include that Cain's vegetables weren't of the highest quality. Others theorize that Abel's sacrifice of lambs was a blood sacrifice, which God preferred over Cain's vegetable offering. The truth is that the Bible doesn't really support either of those positions.

However, Hebrews 11:4 says "By Faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice." What separated Abel's offering from Cain's is that Abel's sacrifice was made by faith. Abel had faith in God. Cain did not.

What, then, is faith? Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:6, which says "But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Faith means that you believe God exists. It doesn't just mean that you believe that there is a higher power or divinity, but that you believe in the God of the Bible. Given the fact that both Cain and Abel interacted with God, I think it is safe to say both men believed in God's existence.

Faith also means trusting God. In Hebrews 11:6, it says you must believe God rewards those who seek Him. You may believe God exists, but do you trust Him? Do you trust Him to save you? To protect you? To provide for you? Do you trust Him? Or like Cain, do you harbor resentment for God?

Resentment toward God hinders faith, and leads to conflict with God and His people... and that's a conflict no one will win. Cain went on to kill Abel, and God took vengeance on Cain. If you harbor resentment toward God, you will sin against Him... in fact you are already in sin.

On the other hand, if others are persecuting you for your faith, know that they are not fighting you... they are fighting God. That is a fight they cannot win.

The Joe Paterno Tragedy

2011-11-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

During junior high, my reading teacher led the class in reading Something for Joey, the story of Penn State running back John Cappelletti, and his younger brother, Joey, who had leukemia. John would go on to win the Heisman Trophy. Joey eventually succumbed to his disease. The book was later made into a TV-movie.

The book highlighted how the Penn State football team rallied around Joey, and how Head Coach Joe Paterno was an influence and a comfort to Joey and the Cappelletti family. From that point on, I had a certain affinity for Penn State, and Joe Paterno in particular.

Paterno enjoyed a reputation of being a father figure for many over decades. He played by the rules, always did the right thing, and was the picture of integrity... that is, until the world learned that when he was faced with a gruesome situation involving one of his assistants and young boys, he put the program first and did the bare minimum.

The man who had become synonymous with all that was good in college football has been fired in disgrace. It will take years for Penn State to recover its image. Paterno may never see his reputation restored.

One bad decision has erased decades of good service to his university, community, state and even his country. Nothing he can do will undo the decision he made.

Tragically, many people make the same mistake in their own lives. They live, doing good deeds, public service, and giving to charity thinking that their good deeds will somehow outweigh the sin in their life. However, no amount of good that we do can outweigh the sin in our lives.

Our sin separates us from God, and nothing we can do will overcome that separation. The Bible says even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. How, then, will anybody be saved and go to Heaven?

Romans 5:8 says that God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Our sin carries the consequence of dying and going to Hell. But the death of Jesus Christ on the cross paid that penalty on our behalf. The Bible says if you turn from your sins and trust that Christ died on the cross for your sins, you will be saved. In Bible language, it's called repentance and faith.

Do not go through life hoping that your good deeds will outweigh your sin. It won't. The only way you will get into Heaven is by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Do you believe on Him? Do you trust Him?

For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The Journey: Genesis 3

2011-11-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

Genesis 3 is one of the most important passages in the Bible because that is where we find the fall of man, and the first reference to the plan of salvation. In Genesis 3:6, man sins by eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Often we blame Eve for this sin, but the Bible says she gave to her husband "with her," and he did eat. The fact Adam was with Eve when she gave him the fruit indicates that Adam was with her through the conversation between her and the serpent.

1 Timothy 2:14 and Romans 5:14 are two of many passages that lay the responsibility of the sin on Adam's shoulders. I believe this is because God had specifically instructed Adam concerning the forbidden fruit, yet he allowed Eve to be deceived by not interfering in Satan's temptation.

Man's sin brought on the curse of thorns and hard work (Genesis 3:18-19) and death (Genesis 3:19).

However, Genesis 3 is also where God introduces His plan of redemption. Genesis 3:15 says "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

This is a picture of what Christ would accomplish on the cross. Jesus, the Seed of the woman, would crush Satan's power, but in the process would suffer a death blow (bruise His heel.) What Jesus did when He died on the cross was He paid the penalty for man's sin, but He also conquered Satan to where Satan is no longer relevant when it comes to man's eternal destiny. Man's eternal destiny, whether he goes to Heaven or Hell, is between him and God. Either He will respond to God's grace with faith, or he will reject God's grace and go to Hell. Satan can tempt him and distract him, but Satan has no say over whether a man goes to Hell or not.

In the above video, we discuss those concepts, as well as how God covers our sin (Genesis 3:21), assures our salvation (Genesis 3:20), and what the pitfalls to sin are.

180 The Movie: The Full Alicia Interview

2011-11-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned until the end...

The Authority in Mission Work

2011-11-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

The Apostle Paul, preaching in Athens

During the Pre-Association meeting of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, a question was raised about whether mission works which were not under the authority of a sponsoring church should be funded. The discussion was cut short, which sort of disappointed me because this is an issue that I think should be discussed, especially at a meeting where the objective is to share information and not to record votes.

If you poll 100 different ABA pastors, you will likely find 100 different philosophies and understandings about the proper way to carry out mission work. So, in the spirit of the diversity of opinions, here's mine:

In Acts 13, you have the church in Antioch that is ministering to the Lord. In verse 2, the Holy Spirit tells the church to "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them."

Two things stand out for me in this verse. (1) The Holy Spirit spoke to the church and (2) The Spirit called Barnabas and Saul.

The Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to go out as missionaries. Scripture records how the Lord had placed this call on Saul (Paul) during his conversion on the Damascus road.

After the Spirit had called Barnabas and Paul to the mission work, He moved within the church to send them out.

In my opinion, this is the scriptural way mission work should be done. The Spirit calls men to a mission field, and the Spirit leads the church to send those men out. Those men are sent out with the full authority to do the work the Spirit has called them to do. If all those factors are present, I believe that we have a legitimate, and scriptural mission work.

So whether the missionary goes out and establishes a "mission," or whether he plants a "church" is really of no consequence to me. What I look at is whether He is called by the Holy Spirit, and whether His sponsoring church sent Him out.

For this reason, I have never been comfortable with "ministries" that seek to direct the overall direction of our associational missions (and by associational missions, I mean missionaries sent out by churches in our association). For this same reason, I have been leery of associational rules that establish rigid boundaries for missionary qualifications and rigid guidelines for how they do their work. And I have never been comfortable with a board calling, sending, and overseeing missionaries.

So, if you are looking for the authority in mission work, you need to look no further than the Holy Spirit. He calls missionaries, He leads missionaries, and He holds missionaries accountable, and you can find instances of all three of those in scripture.

As for the sending churches, they sent the men out, they sent them out with authority, and they support them. I believe that, just as Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch and gave an account for themselves, so ought missionaries today give an account of themselves to their sponsoring churches.

And that, my friend, is the authority in mission work.

Marriage Pictures Our Relationship to Christ

2011-10-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 5:22-27 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Despite the fact that this is one of the most famous Bible passages regarding marriage, it is often the most disregarded. It gives clear instructions on how to have a successful marriage, and highlights the importance of a good marriage by pointing out the similarities between a husband-wife relationship and the relationship between Christ and the church. Yet, most American couples would rather flush this passage down the toilet than apply it to their lives. Why? Because following this passage requires selflessness and sacrifice, something no one wants to do. Is there any wonder that more than half of American marriages end in divorce, and many more non-marital relationships (read: living together without marriage) break up?

Since the scriptures begin with the wife, I'll begin with the wife... but ladies, hang in there, I'll get to the husband's responsibilities too. A good marriage is a two-way street.

Verses 22-23 tell wives to submit themselves to their husbands, as unto the Lord, reminding them that as Christ is head of the church, the husband is the head of the wife. Notice in verse 23, Paul adds that Christ is the savior of the body.

Most churches want to follow God's will. They want to follow the leadership of Christ, and they want to know what the will of Christ is.

The churches I have been a part of wanted to serve the Lord, wanted to submit to His leadership, longed for the Spirit to move and give direction... why? Because we love the Lord and want to be close to Him, to please Him, to see His will done, and to see Him victorious.

In the same way, wives should submit to their husbands. As a church sets aside its own vision to follow the Lord, so should a wife set aside her own dreams to follow her husband. I know this is not politically correct, but follow me here.

Just as a church is all about Jesus, a wife should be all about her husband. Her goal in life should be to honor her husband, to do his will, and to help him succeed. They say, behind every successful man is a good (and sometimes surprised) woman. Proverbs 31 says her husband sits in the city gates and is known by the elders of the land, all because of what she does for him. Read Proverbs 31. That woman did a lot. She wasn't just barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.

You never see a church sit around and complain about Christ, and you never hear a bunch of preachers at an association, fellowship or convention meeting sit around and list the ways Christ could be better. They may complain about each other, but not Christ.

In the same way, when wives berate their husbands in front of others, they are falling short of what God wants them to be. The same way a church loves and submits to the Lord, a wife should love and submit to her husband.

In verse 25, scripture turns the attention to the husband. The husband is to love his wife the same way Christ loved the church... and gave Himself for it.

How much did Christ love the church? Enough to die for it. He died for the church, He puts up with the faults of the church, is patient, caring, and guides the church. Not only that, but He is all about the church, and believers in general.

Jesus died on the cross to save sinners. He died on the cross so that sinners could be saved and grow closer to Him in a church. Since His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus has been all about the church. The church was the joy that was set before Him in Hebrews 12:2. He makes intercession for the church. He leads the church. He empowers the church. He blesses the church.

Sometimes churches drift away from Christ. They quit doing what He called them to do, or they drift away from Him doctrinally. Nevertheless, He stays with them, patiently guiding them back into His will.

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives. A husband should love his wife enough to die for her... moreover, he should love her enough to live for her. The Bible says Christ gave Himself for the church. The same way, the husband should give himself for his wife... meaning that her needs come before his dreams.

The husband has the responsibility to sacrifice for the well being of his wife. He has the responsibility to come home after work and spend time with her instead of his buddies. (Oh, there's time for buddies, but not at the expense of his wife). He has the responsibility to place her and her needs above his.

Moreover, he has the responsibility to be patient with her. Women are emotional, at least the ones I have known are. Sometimes, they act out on those emotions. We are responsible as men to not become frustrated at those emotions, to continue to show our wives love and kindness despite the emotional state they are in.

We are also responsible to not go off the deep end every time we come home to a dirty house. We are responsible to allow our wives to have lives... I could go on.

I'm really having trouble expressing my view here... but basically, if wives submitted to their husbands unconditionally like the church submits to Christ, and men loved their wives unconditionally like Christ loved the church, and if both put themselves aside and loved each other like Christ and the church, then marriage would be a happy thing... not a dreaded thing that is the joke of sitcoms and break-rooms.

Wives, be all about your husbands. Let your hopes and dreams revolve around them, and help them to be the men God has called them to be. Husbands, love your wives. Put your desires aside and take care of her first. If we all do that, we can reduce stress, blood pressure, and the demand for marriage counselors and divorce lawyers... but more importantly, we will honor and glorify our Savior.

Night Time Photography

2011-10-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Seeing some of the wonderful photography by one of my church member's grandchildren, I was inspired to get my Nikon out and revisit some of the photography skills I learned in college. Below are my attempts at night time photography...

New Sermon Series at Grace Pointe...

2011-10-24T19:03:00.001-07:00

Bursting at the Seams: Occupy Wall Street vs. TEA Party

2011-10-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

Occupy Wall Street Protesters
Photo by: David Shankbone

Maybe I'm just waking up, but it seems that we have seen an increase in public protest rallies since the 2008 election. From the TEA Party rallies that hit mainstream on April 15, 2009, to the rallies at the Wisconsin State Capitol regarding collective bargaining rights for public employees, to the "Save Our Schools" rallies in Texas during the 2011 legislative session.

Granted, anytime in American history that a particular group has faced a situation that would hinder their well-being, they turned out to protest against it. However, it seems that now-days, everyone is ticked off.

The TEA Party feels it is overtaxed to pay for welfare programs to supplement those who will not work to earn a living for themselves. The Occupy Wall Street protesters feel that they can't get a fair chance in a world where the top 1 percent keep getting richer while the rest of the country struggles. Public employees feel they are being thrown under the bus. Teachers face more rigid standards and lower pay.

Environmentalists feel that corporations are ramping up pollution. Peace activists feel betrayed by an administration that has failed to close Guantanamo or end the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. (For the record, I have been very critical of the Obama Administration regarding domestic policy, but I feel that they have handled the war on terror well.)

Pro-military groups feel that the Obama administration is floundering on national defense and military issues. And the summer drought has left many Texans burnt out, on a number of issues. (It doesn't help that the Cowboys and Longhorns are struggling.)

I am not trying to agree, disagree, affirm or refute the viewpoints of any of these groups right now. My only objective is to point out that everyone is ticked off at the moment. The country is divided, and there is no easy fix. Can America overcome this time of national discontent? Or will the divide and conquer strategies of our two political parties tear our nation apart?

Our standard of living is tied up in the future of the United States (regardless of where you are when you read this. If the American economy tanks, or the country falls apart, it will have ripple effects throughout the world.)

Whatever happens in the future, I will be just fine. Psalm 23:4 says Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The Bible teaches that perilous times will come, but it also teaches that God is with His people through whatever trials they endure. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can know that He is talking to God on your behalf as you go through dark times.

I don't fear an economic apocalypse, nuclear disaster, terrorism or war. These things might happen, but I also know that God is in control and He will have the final victory. I trust Him to care for me in the process.

So turn off Fox News and CNN, open the Bible, and grow closer to the Lord. Life will become more peaceful, your blood pressure will drop, and your doctor will be happy.

God bless you. Keep the faith.

The Journey: Genesis 2:7 - God Made Man Different

2011-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Genesis 2:7 says "The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

Genesis 2:4-6 recount various aspects of the creation and how things functioned before man was created. Verse 7 then explains how man was created differently from the rest of creation. Instead of speaking man into existence, God formed man from the dust of the ground... meaning He actually molded man... hand-crafted him to be what God wanted him to be.

Ephesians 2:10 speaks to this when it says "For we are His workmanship...." Workmanship means craftsmanship. If you want to see the craftsmanship of God, look in the mirror. There are parts of the human body that science cannot replicate. Despite the advances in computer technology, man cannot create a brain like God gave him.

To put it another way, God made us specially.

Not only did God handcraft us, He gave us a living soul. When Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life... it is not saying that God gave man mouth to mouth, it is saying that God gave man a living soul.

The Bible teaches that man is both flesh and spirit. The flesh is temporary, but the spirit (or the soul) lives forever. When it comes to salvation, we are not trying to save the life of the soul as much as we are trying to secure the eternal destination of the soul.

If a sinner dies without knowing Jesus Christ as his personal savior, his soul doesn't die. His soul spends eternity in Hell suffering the wrath of God.

However, if a sinner repents and trusts Jesus Christ as His savior, He looks forward to spending an eternity in Heaven with the Lord.

God handcrafted man, gave him life, and also gave him purpose. Genesis 2:15 says "God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

God gave Adam a purpose... to keep and dress the garden. God always intended for man to work... He didn't design work to be so hard and debilitating in the beginning. That came as part of the sin curse which we will discuss in Genesis 3.

God gave Adam a purpose, and He gave us a purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 says "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

God handcrafted us for a purpose, and He wants us to fulfill that purpose. He wants us to follow His plan for our life. But before you can do that, you must know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Do you know Him? Do you know God's will for your life? Are you doing what God has called you to do? May God bless you and keep you.

The Oracles of God (I preached this at the Annual Southwest Association Meeting)

2011-10-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

SUBJECT: The Oracles of God

TEXT: Romans 3:1-2

INTRO:

A. Paul has just written that the Jews are no different than the Gentiles when it comes to sin.

1. All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.
2. All who are saved are saved by grace through faith.

B. So, what is the advantage of being a Jew?

1. Unto them were committed the oracles of God.
2. In other words, God committed His word to them.

I. Just as the Oracles of God were committed to the Jews, so have they been committed unto us.

A. God has committed His word to us.

1. The Gospel we preach is straight from the scriptures. (I Corinthians 15:3-4)
2. The scriptures that we have were given by the inspiration of God (II Timothy 3:16-17)

a. Profitable for doctrine - a system of teaching.

1. Doctrine is important.
2. Doctrine is most powerful when taken from the scriptures.
3. Preach the scriptures to make sure you are giving doctrines the same priority that God has on them.

b. Profitable for reproof.

1. No one likes to be reproved.
2. But when you reprove according to the scriptures, your reproof has authority behind it.

c. Profitable for correction.
d. Profitable for instruction in righteousness.
e. That the man of God may be perfect.

1. Perfect = complete.
2. So that we can be complete Christians.
3. The real deal... like Job. (Job 1:1 says he was perfect and upright, one who feared God and eschewed evil.)

f. Thoroughly furnished unto good works... fully equipped.

3. God has given us His word, and His authority to preach the word. By extension, when we preach His word, we are preaching by His authority. We are not alone in the pulpit.
4. God expects that we will preach His word. (II Timothy 4:2)

a. Preach it!
b. Know it!
c. Disciple people from it!

B. God hasn't just given the word to the preachers, He has given it to His people.

1. The Old Testament wasn't given to the Jewish priests, it was given to the Jewish people, and they were expected to know it and teach it to their children. (Deuteronomy 6:7-8)
2. We need to teach our people the word, and teach them to study it.

a. So they'll know it.
b. So they'll be capable of discussing it.
c. So they'll teach it to their children.

II. The Word Liberates Us

A. Romans 3:10 - There is none righteous, no not one.

1. It liberates us from working for our salvation.

a. We are sinful.
b. God knows we are sinful.
c. We can't earn salvation, and God knows it.
d. So He paid for our sins on the cross that those who repent and believe can be saved.

2. It liberates us from responsibility for others' sin.

a. They are sinful.
b. God knows it.
c. It's not your fault that others sin, regardless of whether people try to blame you for their sin.

B. Romans 3:24 - Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

1. We are sinful.
2. Despite our sinfulness, God saved us.
3. Despite their sinfulness, God can save them. Don't let the sinfulness of others deter you from sharing the Gospel.

C. The word liberates us from the responsibility of the results of our evangelism.

1. In sales, failure to close a deal is failure, period.

a. It doesn't matter if the customer absolutely does not want to buy... if you fail to sell, you are a failure.
b. Aren't you glad God doesn't hold us to that standard?

2. Romans 8:29 - For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

a. We don't have to figure lost people out.
b. God has them figured out (foreknow).
c. He has already been working His plan in their life (predestinate).
d. All He requires of us in obedience in sharing the Gospel with them.

III. The Word Grows our Faith.

Romans 10:17 - So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

A. The more we know His word, the more we know God.
B. The more we know God, the more we trust Him.
C. The more we trust Him, the more faith we have.

APPLICATION: Build your ministry around the word.

Profiting with God

2011-10-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

No one disputes the fact that the Christian life comes with troubles. People ridicule your faith, some believers face persecution, and oftentimes we fore go personal pleasure, ambition or advancement in favor of something God has called us to do. While we make these sacrifices and observe people in the world living it up for themselves and enjoying life, it can become easy to be discouraged, or to blame God for all of our sufferings and problems.

That was the situation Job was in. He was perfect and upright, one who feared God and eschewed evil (Job 1:1), yet God allowed him to suffer when his livelihood was wiped out and his children killed. As Job lamented about these problems during his speeches, he accepted a premise that God will allow the righteous to suffer for no cause, and that God doesn't have a special regard for the righteous. Now, the Bible says that Job neither sinned nor charged God foolishly, but Job did misunderstand what God was doing.

Enter Elihu, a young man who quietly listened to Job lament his suffering, and his friends accuse him of bringing his suffering on himself. After the elderly men have completed their thoughts, Elihu speaks up, and says that Job goes in the company of those who work iniquity and walks with wicked men, because he said, "It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God. (Job 34:9)"

Job's words were spoken out of intense anguish, suffering and mourning, but sadly, I think many of us have accepted the same premise - If you follow God, you will have no profit on this Earth. It'll be non-stop suffering and failure till you die, then you get your reward.

It's a discouraging premise, and one that is seemingly validated when you see people who leave the church get everything they wanted. It seems to be validated when you do massive amounts of outreach and evangelism, and see people reject the message of the Bible in favor of more entertaining venues. It seems to be validated when you strive to honor and glorify God the best you know how, and nothing seems to come from it.

With that discouragement in mind, let's look to Elihu's encouraging words.

Job 34:10-12 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. 11 For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. 12 Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

For God to constantly bring His people into captivity and force them into non-stop suffering and discouragement, He would have to deal wickedly with His people. However, Elihu says that goes against God's holy, righteous and just nature. God allows suffering, but God always rewards His people.

In the case of Job, (and Job didn't understand what was happening at this point), God was working a bigger picture. He was accomplishing another major victory over Satan, while simultaneously strengthening Job and bringing him closer to Himself. Job finally got it in Job 42:5-6.

In our cases, God allows our suffering, but it is never without purpose, and it is never without reward. If we are obedient, faithful, and unwavering in our trust of the Lord, we'll see the fruit of our labor and suffering, and we'll see God bless us mightily. Or as Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

So, do not accept the premise that life is nothing but suffering. Do not accept the premise that you can not make a difference. Do not accept the premise that people will no longer accept the Gospel, or that no one wants to hear the Word of God, and do not accept the premise that your church will never see better days.

Continue to labor for the Lord. He will bless you.

The Journey: Genesis 2:1-3

2011-09-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

The Journey: Genesis 1 - It All Begins with God

2011-09-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

God's limitless power is beyond our comprehension, and it is on full display in the creation of the universe. Think about it, God created everything from nothing! He literally spoke it all into existence.

Science says matter can be neither created nor destroyed, yet, God in His infinite power, not only created matter, but spoke it into existence. The Bible teaches that God created all things, and He will destroy this present world before creating a new, perfect world.

To be honest, God's account of creation as recorded in Genesis 1 does not jive with popular science. In Genesis, there is light before the sun was created. There was water before dry land. There were fish and birds before mammals and land animals.

The most important thing we learn in Genesis 1 is Who God is.

IT ALL BEGINS WITH GOD.

Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth." In the beginning, before time was even invented, there was God. In fact, Genesis 1:5 teaches that God created time.

John 1:1 echoes the sentiment that God is the beginning of everything. John wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John shifted the attention of creation from God the Father to our Lord Jesus Christ, but you still see in this verse that God is there in the beginning, and all things begin with Him.

God is not only the beginning of the world and all the things in it, He is the beginning of everything in our lives. He is the beginning of us, for He created us. Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

God created Jeremiah to be a prophet. In the same way, He creates us with special talents and abilities to follow certain callings in our lives. However, the first step in following God's will for your life is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. This is done by repenting of sin and trusting that Christ paid for your sin when He died on the cross. However, even salvation starts with God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says that "It is by grace through faith that you are saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast."

Following salvation, God calls us to the special area of service He has set aside for us. Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." We are God's workmanship. He hand-crafted each of us to perform some sort of good work for him, and He fully expects us to use our talents and abilities for Him.

So, if we are going to do great things for God, we are going to have to stay close to Him. For John 15:5 says "He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without Me, ye can do nothing." God gives us all of our talents and abilities. The closer we are to Him, the more He will bless our abilities, and the more we'll accomplish for Him.

Everything about us starts with God. Who we are, what we do, where we live, what our calling is, and how successful we are.

GOD IS CREATIVE.

Genesis 1:9-10 says "And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. (10) and God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He seas; and God saw that it was good."

The view from the top of Pike's Peak, the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert and the Florida Everglades were all God's idea, and His creation. The same goes for the beaches of Southern California, Hawaii and the Caribbean.

Genesis 1:11 - "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."

Beautiful plants like roses and the great Redwood trees were God's idea and His creation.

Genesis 1:24 - "And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beasts of the earth after his kind, and it was so."

Horses, kangaroos, dinosaurs, cats, dogs, and all the magnificent creatures that may fascinate you were all God's idea, and they were His creation.

GOD INVESTED HIS PERSONALITY TRAITS INTO US.

Genesis 1:26 says "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing thing that creepeth upon the earth."

God made us in His image, in His likeness, with His personality traits, like creativity, emotion, intelligence, and the ability to conquer. He gave us limited control over the earth, which is always subject to His will.

Genesis 1:31 says "God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." God completed His creation, saw that it was good, then rested on the seventh day to bask in His greatness. Don't we do the same. When we complete a job or a project, don't we sit back for a moment and admire our work?

Hebrews 11:3 says "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

Do you believe God created the Heaven and the Earth in six days as is recorded in Genesis 1? If so, you have faith.

Watchmen (Ezekiel 3:16-21)

2011-07-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

Casting a vision for "The Journey"

2011-07-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

We Can All Get Along

2011-07-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Few things can disrupt fellowship between believers faster than disputes over religious practices. One believer doesn't feel comfortable drinking a bottled water in the sanctuary, the other one does. One believer wears a suit and tie to church, the other one doesn't. One believer will only consume Christian media, the other listens to secular music and watches regular TV. One believer votes Republican, the other votes Democratic. These are just a few small, trivial examples of practices that can divide brothers and sisters in Christ.

The one who drinks the bottled water in the sanctuary feels that the one who isn't comfortable doing so is being Pharisaical. The one who wears the suit and tie in church disdains the casual appearance of the other. The one who only consumes Christian media thinks the one who listens to secular music is rotting their brain. The Republican denounces the Democrat for voting for abortion, the Democrat denounces the Republican for voting for greed.

Is it possible that both parties could be right? Perhaps the one drinking the bottled water in the sanctuary knows that the sanctuary is not the Holy of Holies from the Temple, and sees the church building as just a place where the church meets. Conversely, the non-water drinker is abstaining from drinking bottled water in the sanctuary out of respect for God. The suit and tie wearer feels he is being respectful by dressing up for church, yet the casual dresser feels that God accepts him and sees beyond the Polo shirt.

The Bible addresses these divisions in Romans 14:5-9:

5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

In the early church, some regarded certain holidays, others didn't. Some observed food restrictions, others didn't. However, Paul wrote that all were doing what they were doing for the Lord, and thus they should be left alone to do as they felt the Lord wanted them to do.

The problem arises, however, when Christians feel the need to get their brothers and sisters in Christ to act just like they do. Paul addressed that attitude in Romans 14:4:

Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

God is our master, and He is the one who will judge us. Our decisions on the finer points of practice (dress code, water bottles, music choice, etc,) will be addressed by God. If a believer's standards are not up to par, God has a way of getting them up to par (He shall be holden up, for God is able to make him stand.)

So, conduct yourself the way you believe God wants you to, whether it be by dress, entertainment, food choices, or voting habits. Let everyone else follow God as they feel He is directing them. If Christians will do this, we'll have peace and harmony in the church.

Something's Gotta Give

2011-06-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

As I stand before the congregation leading Grace Pointe through the final verse of Bringing in the Sheaves, I can't help but feel conflicted, and see the conflicted nature of pastoral ministry, church ministry and church planting today. The conflicted nature doesn't have so much to do with the members' personalities (Grace Pointe enjoys a very close unity among its members), as much as the conflicted nature has to do with who the church is, and whom the church has been called to reach.

There are two groups that make up the congregation at Grace Pointe. There are the very young, and the seniors. As for reaching the 20-somethings to 40-somethings, we have not been very successful. Let me clarify. We have seen some 20-40 year olds saved, and some baptized, but few continue to be involved in the church. This happens for a number of reasons, including hectic work/family schedules, and the desire for downtime. However, those factors can be overcome to get young families into church.

As I look across the religious landscape in Brownwood, I see three churches that are excelling in bringing in young families and getting them involved. These churches have three common-denominators. (1) They are built on relationships. The young families who go there have friends there, and they feel at home in those churches. (2) These churches are not known for being dogmatic on doctrine. They tend to focus their teaching on the basic doctrines of Christ (repentance, faith, salvation, and trusting God through the storms of life). And (3) Like it or not, they have contemporary worship services.

The building of relationships takes time, and the relationship must be built out of a genuine love and concern for the other party, otherwise it is little more than a manipulative situation. We can not go building relationships for the sole purpose of building a church. If we do that, we will become guilty of using people and abusing them the same way other religious organizations have done for years. No, we must love people and be there for them, even if they feel at home at the church across the street.

As for the doctrine issue, I have found that those in the 20-40 age range have an appetite for doctrine, but don't necessarily accept or internalize it just because the preacher says so. If a doctrine is presented they disagree with, they typically will try to brush it aside in an effort to get along. If the preacher insists they accept it, they will probably be gone. The way I handle doctrinal issues is that I present them as they come up in the scriptures. I preach through books of the Bible, and when we reach passages of doctrine, I present it. The interesting thing about this approach is that you get a feel for which doctrines are God's priority, as those doctrines are presented most often in the scriptures. Do you have any idea which doctrine is presented the most in the scriptures (and by extension, is the most important to God?) Hint: It's not the Bride. When differences of belief on certain doctrines arise, if you can get back to the fundamentals of the faith and agree there, then you still have fellowship and no one gets their feelings hurt.

Then comes the contemporary worship issue. I have publicly opposed contemporary worship, not because of what it is, but rather the attitudes some people who have propagated it. Their attitudes of contempt toward the senior members of the church, and their proclamations that they couldn't worship in a traditional style were major turn-offs for me.

When I look out among the congregation of grey hair, and in some cases, no hair, I see a generation of people who not only contributed much of their lives and personal resources so that I could stand in a pulpit and preach, but I see a generation of people who built the country into what we know today. I also see a generation of people who have been left behind by our modern, technology driven, frenzied paced lifestyles.

But yet, they stay active in life, and in church. In some cases, church is the only thing that still seems normal, that still makes sense. Then comes the young, on-fire preacher who is going to totally turn the world upside down, and he tells them to sell the piano, get rid of the organ, burn the hymnals, and sing staring at a projection screen to the accompaniment of a praise band. It totally freaks them out, and with good reason.

Contemporary music makes sense to my generation, because it is what we've grown up with. When you grew up listening to Def Leppard, Belinda Carslile, or Third Eye Blind and Green Day, the praise band seems like rather tame, worshipful music. However, if you grew up to Bob Wills, Jimmie Davis, Johnny Cash, and even Buddy Holly and the Beatles, it can be downright disturbing.

To put it another way, what if your worship leader looked like Kesha or Lady Gaga? It'd freak you out. That's what contemporary worship looks like to these seniors. So, they oppose it. However, their opposition only fuels the fire of the proponents of contemporary worship, leading to a split in the church. Sometimes, the result of this split is two different churches. Other times, churches choose to have two, or three, separate worship services. In those scenarios, you have a segmented church membership that is not necessarily working as a body.

I love our seniors at Grace Pointe, and I look up to them. I definitely don't want to leave them in the dust of progress. At the same time, I realize that if we are to see younger families join and become active in our congregation, there are some methods that are going to have to change.

The question is, how do we adjust our methods for reaching people, and bring our established members along through the changes? How do we get them on board? How do we make them feel at home through the changes? If I can find the answer to those questions, then I'll be able to invite you to the dedication of our new state of the art worship facility. Until then, we meet at 1045 West Commerce in Brownwood, Texas, at 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

Is it a sin to... ?

2011-06-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has been in ministry any amount of time has been asked questions that begin with, "Is it a sin to...?" Such questions range from, "Is it a sin to drink a beer?" to "Is it a sin to watch R rated movies?" "Is it a sin to get a divorce?" "Is it a sin to listen to (country, pop, rap, rock, etc) music?"

While I understand the motivation behind these questions (I even asked some of them myself when I was younger,) the fact is that if these are the questions we are asking, we are approaching our Christian walk the wrong way. You see, just about anything can be made a sin in man's eyes (whatsoever is not of faith is sin) and almost anything can be justified in man's eyes (all things are lawful unto me, but not all things expedient.) While these questions may be asked with pure intentions, often they can spark endless and futile debate.

The question is not, "Is it a sin to...?" or "Am I allowed to...?" but rather, "What does God want me to do?"

Ephesians 2:10 says "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

We are God's workmanship, which means that God created us. Not only did He create us, but He hand-crafted us. That's what workmanship is, it is hand-crafting. Every year, Detroit creates millions of cars, but they are not hand-crafted. They are not workmanship. God created the heavens and the earth, but He spoke them into existence. The heavens and earth are not God's workmanship. However, Genesis 2 says God formed man from the dust of the earth. He hand-crafted man.

Not only did he hand-craft Adam, the first man, but he forms all people in the womb. (Isaiah and Jeremiah both speak to this, specifically Jeremiah 1:5).

God created us, He created all of us, and He created all of us with a purpose.

We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. What this means is that God created us with a purpose, and once we are in Christ Jesus (meaning, once we know Jesus as our Savior), we can know and follow that purpose for which God has created us, and He expects us to follow that purpose.

So, while moving to California and renting a two-room flat in L.A. might not be a sin per se, doing that if God wants you to go to New York is a sin. The prophet Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh. Jonah opted to go to Tarshish. Jonah's decision, seeing that it was the opposite of what God wanted, was a sin. Not following God's will for your life is a sin.

So the question is, "What does God want me to do?" Good question. That's the one you should be asking, not whether it is a sin to consume high fructose corn syrup.

"How do I find out what God wants me to do?" Prayer, spend time studying your Bible, and take time daily to meditate on the Lord and His Word.

God bless you as you seek God's will in your life.

Booze Stooge

2011-06-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

Part of my job as news director for KOXE is to go to the Law Enforcement Center every morning and check the police reports for any possible incident that might make a good news story. While there is an occasional robbery, or string of vehicle burglaries, most of the incident reports have to deal with DUI violations, possession of small amounts of marijuana, or disorderly conduct often caused by excessive drinking. To be quite honest, if not for the alcohol-related offenses in the stack of police reports, there probably wouldn't be much news at all come out of the Brown County Law Enforcement Center.

To be quite honest, consuming alcohol is quite popular in America. When Jacksonville, Texas, voted to allow alcohol to be sold in stores, sales tax revenues jumped. At the store my father manages, the increased sales revenues allowed him to hire an assistant manager, thus making it posssible for him to take a day off. While many people drink socially without much problem, many others have their lives destroyed by their actions while under the influence of alcohol. Given the problems and social stigma that often accompany the consumption of alcoholic beverages, my practice is to counsel people to avoid consuming alcoholic beverages.

The Bible is very clear in regard to recreational drinking. Isaiah 5:11 says, "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame them." Isaiah 5:22 reiterates this by saying, "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink."

People who engage in recreational drinking for the purpose of getting intoxicated are setting themselves up for disaster. Drunkeness is a sin, and it also creates situations that will not be easily resolved when the buzz wears off.

For that reason, and given the strength of alcoholic beverages today, I counsel people not to drink alcohol. (1) Despite it's popularity, recreational drinking does carry a social stigma. (2) Given the potential for recreational drinking to go too far, resulting in a drunken incident, I advise people to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages. Why flirt with disaster? (3) Drinking alcoholic beverages does not help your relationship with Christ. You are not going to grow closer to the Lord by drinking.

Now, some will counter with the statement, "But the Bible doesn't forbid drinking." This is true, but if you are going through life trying to figure out what the Bible allows you to do, then you are approaching your relationship with God the wrong way. The question is not, "What can I do, and what can't I do?" but rather, "What should I be doing?" That's a topic for another day.

So, to sum up. Drinking is not expressly prohibited in scripture, but for a variety of reasons, I strongly advise against it.

Heart Like Mine - Secular Music Ponders Christ

2011-05-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the past few months, Miranda Lambert's "Heart Like Mine" has rocketed up the country charts. It's a song that espouses Jesus' love for sinners, and the chorus proposes that Jesus would "understand a heart like mine."

Now I disagree with the premise that Jesus drank fermented wine, indulged in alcoholic beverages and engaged in behaviors that you would find in an East Texas pasture party. (They don't have pasture parties in West Texas, too big a fire hazard.) Still, this song touches the hearts of many people. Why?

Maybe it is because the song proclaims that Jesus loves sinners, and accepts sinners as they are. Maybe it touches that void that is left in a person when they don't know Christ. Maybe it gives the idea that a relationship with Christ can be a reality, despite a sinner's shortcomings. In that sense, I believe the song actually does a fairly decent job of explaining the personality of Jesus to lost people. Don't believe me? Let's look to the scriptures.

In Luke 15, Jesus has walked out of a Pharisee's meal, and sinners and publicans drew near to Him. The Pharisees criticized His association with sinners and publicans, but Jesus told them the parable of the lost sheep. Those lost sheep, the sinners and the publicans, were the ones he came to earth for.

1 Timothy 1:15 says "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." Jesus came to earth to save sinners. Why not? He loved sinners. Read the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Jesus was always with sinners and publicans. Why? Because He loved them.

Bro. Jim Slocumb told me during a recent missions conference that Jesus loved the sinners and the publicans, but He didn't partake of their sin. In reading the New Testament, any reasonable person would conclude the same.

I know in my presentation of the Gospel, and of the personality of Jesus Christ, I often omit this very principle, the love of Christ for sinners. Shame on me. All too often my focus is on how wretched we are because of our sin, and how we must repent and turn to Christ. All too often I tell that part without telling about the love Jesus has for sinners. Maybe this is why I fail to lead people to Christ, because I fail to introduce people to Christ. All I do is tell them about an experience I think they should have. Ironically, a secular country music song presents Jesus' personality (aside from the drinking of wine) better than I do.

It's important to remember the love Jesus has for sinners, because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). Seriously, what makes any of us think we are pleasing to God? Why do you think you deserve to go to Heaven and inherit eternal rewards? Is it because you were faithful to your church, didn't listen to this sinful Country music like Bro. Leland, didn't smoke or drink, wore suits, lived a separated lifestyle from the world, and never watched TV? Hey, good for you! But remember on your best day, your actions still fall way short of God's glory. All our righteousness is as filthy rags before Him.

So, with that in mind, where do we find our blessed assurance? In the knowledge that Jesus loves us, and died for our sins on the cross so that we could have eternal life with Him in Heaven. How awesome is that!

Jesus loves you! If you have never turned from your sin and trusted Him as Savior, let today be your day of salvation. He doesn't want to bring you into some sort of restricted legalistic lifestyle. He wants a friendship with you that will last for all of eternity. All you have to do is accept that friendship.

Trust Christ to save you, not because of what you can do for Him, but because He took the punishment for your sin. If you trust in Him, you are saved.

Fellowship of Believers, Dividers over Doctrine

2011-05-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

During a recent conversation with a dear brother in Christ, the question was raised,"How can so many brethren, who are saved, Spirit-led, committed to studying and standing for the scriptures, come to so many different conclusions on points of doctrine, and be so divided over that doctrine?"

The answer is actually quite simple. Men and women who come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior often begin their walk with Christ by attending church, Sunday School, Bible studies and doing their own personal devotions. This practice leads to an increased knowledge of the Word of God, increased faith, and an increased desire to defend the faith and stand on the truth of God's Word.

While this is good for Christian growth and maturity, there is a downside. The sin nature within us, with which we will struggle until the day we are reunited with Christ (in person), often skews or hinders our understanding of the scriptures. Also, our lack of total knowledge of the cultural and situational context can often affect the way we interpret scripture. So, despite the Holy Spirit's helping us understand scriptures, our sinful minds often pick up the wrong message.

Couple this problem with the fact that many who get to this level of study see anything other than what they believe as false doctrine, and you see divisions arise out of the finer points of doctrine.

Some have even gone as far as to take Amos 3:3 out of context to justify breaking fellowship with other believers over minor doctrinal points. Amos 3:3, which says "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" is not dealing with fellowship between believers over doctrinal issues, but rather can Israel and God walk together seeing how Israel continually rebels against God? To relate this to our modern society, can God fellowship with unrepentant sinners? The answer is obviously no.

Now, when we discuss minor points of doctrine, we are discussing doctrines like the timing of the rapture (pre-, mid- or post-tribulation), the Bride of Christ, and if properly understood, even more controversial doctrines.

So, what should be the basis for fellowship among believers? Some give five basic doctrines that all believers must agree on, and others say that the ABA doctrinal statement should be the basis for fellowship. While that may be well and good, these are still man-made lists. What is God's standard for men to fellowship with each other?

1 John 1:7 says "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, then we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin."

To walk in the light means to conduct ourselves the way God has taught us to in the Bible. God expects us to live by faith, to make ourselves available for His service, and to love others. If we are doing that, and we know Jesus as our Savior, then we have sufficient grounds for fellowship. Notice that this standard applies to fellowship between individual believers.

The person who breaks fellowship with everyone who doesn't believe exactly like he does will eventually find himself in a lonely, bitter and angry world. Don't be that person. Live by faith, fellowship with other believers, and let your joy be full (1 John 1:4).

Reformatting Again

2011-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Almost four years ago, I launched this blog to share my thoughts on theological issues as well as to journal my ministerial efforts in Brownwood, TX. Over the past four years, this blog has evolved from one of theological discussion, to missionary reporting, to current events analysis, to thoughts on life in general.

Today, I am taking this blog back to its roots. From here on out, the discussions will be about Biblical issues with occasional denominational issues thrown in. It is my hope that we return to what we had in 2008, where brothers and sisters in Christ could discuss Biblical topics with a spirit of love and learning.

Manufactured Holidays

2011-05-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

Call me a Grinch, but there are only three holidays I really care about. The first is Easter (celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ), the second is Christmas (celebration of the birth of Christ) and the third is Thanksgiving (getting together with family and remembering how God has blessed us, even if annoying "in-laws" show up.)

Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Independence Day are also important to me as I am given the opportunity to remember how blessed I am to live in such a great country that has remained free due to the selfless sacrifice of men and women who died in combat. However, the latter three holidays have little effect on my daily routine. I still work and honor my responsibilities on those days.

However, on Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving, I step back from the rat race (so to speak) and draw closer to my family and church. Scattered throughout the rest of the year are smaller holidays that appear as speed bumps in my daily routine, some of which are manufactured holidays.

The first manufactured holiday is New Years Day. Sure, a new year means a new beginning. However, when you wake up on January 1, you are still the same person with the same challenges as you were on December 31. Perhaps the changing of a calendar year gives you motivation to do things better, and if that works for you, then great! I'm still going to bed on time.

Then there's Valentine's Day. This holiday in particular gets my goat because the premise in marketing the sales on Valentine's Day is ridiculous. "Let her know you love her." Sure thing. It's not as if you can expect your wife to know you love her by your working two jobs, buying a home, fixing her car, supplying her needs, taking time to take her out on dates, and making sure she has the best life possible the other 364 days of the year. If you fail to go all-out on Valentine's Day, all that stuff will go out the window and she'll think you don't love her. Really? Please! (I'm thankful that Jessica actually "gets it." I do celebrate Valentine's with her, but she doesn't base our love on whether we have a "perfect romantic evening" that night.)

St. Patrick's Day is cool if you are in the third grade. Seriously, I'm 33. If you are over 18 and try to pinch me for not wearing green, you are responsible for what happens to you next.

Tax day is not a holiday. Even if you get a refund, you had to jump through hoops or pay a tax preparer to get it done.

Then there's Mother's Day. The premise is a good one. It's a day that we set aside to honor our mothers. However, often times the premise gets taken as far as the Valentine's premise. "If you don't do something super-special on this particular day, then you don't love your mother." Hogwash. I spend all year trying to do things to make my mother proud of me. On Mother's day, I have to officiate church services and do the ministerial thing. I'll give Mom a call. Would I celebrate with her if I were back home, sure thing. But just because I don't paste a Facebook status, write a big gushy blog post, send a card, and preach a sermon on how great mothers are, doesn't mean I don't love my mother. So there.

I have no problem observing and even enjoying these holidays. The only problem I have is that so many of our holidays honor ourselves. We want to celebrate our history, culture, love lives, family members, veterans, etc. When these holidays roll around, we want church services to center around them. So, a service that is meant to honor God gets reworked to honor man. It doesn't set well with me.

In the Bible, the holidays ALL centered around God. There were holidays that commemorated God delivering His people from their oppressors, or that celebrated how God reconciled Himself to man by atoning for man's sin. We don't celebrate that way in America.

So what am I getting at here? Celebrate what you want and have a good time. However, don't expect me to preach holiday-themed sermons at Grace Pointe, and don't look for that "My mother was so great blah blah blah repost this if you agree" statement on my facebook page. If you want to, go ahead. I won't think any less of you for it. My calling, however, is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and teach people about God. Sundays are about Him, not us, our position, nor our accomplishments.

Happy Mother's Day. Tell Mom you love her, then go to church and worship God.

God Arranges Perfect Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

Jessica on top of Enchanted Rock, looking as pretty as ever.

Sometimes, God puts the right touch on things.

Easter Weekend was a mixture of beautiful weather, great times with friends, and much needed rain. Saturday for the Acker family was marked by a trip to Enchanted Rock with friends of ours. The weather was clear and beautiful, and though the weather was warm for an April afternoon, the shade over the picnic table provided the perfect setting for lunch with our friends.

We hiked up the side of the mountain, frantically trying to keep up with kids who do not have the same trouble with gravity we do, enjoyed the view, explored the cave and took pictures. Down we hiked to a picnic snack before doing some shopping in Fredericksburg. The Fredericksburg Bakery and Fountain still hand-dips Blue Bell Ice Cream, a much welcome treat on such a warm day. Following our adventure in Fredericksburg, we returned to Brownwood, only to find that it had rained two inches. Hallelujah! Much needed rain to get our grass growing again.

Eagles sculpted from a tree on the
courthouse square in Fredericksburg.

Sunday saw beautiful services at Grace Pointe while precious rain fell outside. The really cool part about the rain is it seemed to fall at just the right times... no Easter Egg hunts were cancelled, no sunrise services rained out, Saturday afternoon activities went unhindered. Yet the rain came, falling at just the right times to give us the much needed moisture while not interrupting our much needed family time.

If God's way of mixing beautiful weather with much needed and well-timed rain doesn't illustrate Romans 8:28, then I don't know what does. How was your Easter weekend?

Wednesday Night World of Blessings

2011-04-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Kids work on their crafts during a Wednesday night class
at Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church in Brownwood.

Growing up in Jacksonville, Texas, Wednesday nights were a special time. Our youth group would meet at church at 6 p.m., with the boys participating in the Galileans program, and the girls joining the Girls' Auxiliary. Both programs trained up the youth for future church service. Though I was not yet a Christian, I attended the Galileans, and even advanced in their program. The things I learned in that program came to life when I was later saved and surrendered to the ministry.

Today, Wednesday night attendance at churches is sparse. At Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church, we are likely to have 20 in attendance, but 15 of those in attendance will be children. Most of the children receive rides to church by youth volunteers (namely, my wife). We are blessed at Grace Pointe to have a man who teaches the adults while my wife and I teach the children.

The decline in Wednesday night attendance is due mostly to a cultural shift. As time goes on, life goes faster, and people as having trouble finding the time to go to church. Children have a myriad of activities, and Wednesday nights are no longer off limits to baseball/softball practice, school athletic events, drama practice or other extra-curricular activities. I'm not trying to stir controversy, just stating how things are.

Despite the things that compete for the time, hearts and minds of people, some churches are still enjoying good attendance on Wednesday evenings. Some churches have begun having fellowship meals on Wednesday evenings, and others focus on auxiliary and Bible club meetings. Even if attendance is not very high, Wednesday night services can still offer church members the opportunity to fellowship during the week and get a little more Bible study accomplished.

At Grace Pointe, we are entering an exciting new chapter in our Wednesday night services. Bro. B.R. Teague has begun teaching the adults while Jessica and I teach the kids. Starting next week, we will unveil a new program entitled, "Jesus, the One and Only," an in-depth study of the life of Christ for kids in First through Sixth Grades. This is exciting. After getting to teach ALL of the kids tonight, I have learned that they know a lot about the Bible. Jessica has done well.

Do you attend church on Wednesdays? Does your church offer any Wednesday night services/programs?

Wednesday night services at Grace Pointe begin at 6:30 p.m.

A Fishy Weekend

2011-04-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Volunteers at Lake Brownwood First Baptist Church serve
fried fish plates, complete with hush puppies and baked beans.

The Brownwood community enjoyed a "fishy" weekend as two separate fundraisers involving fried fish took place this weekend.

On Friday, the Pecan Valley Kiwanis Club hosted their annual Fins and Feathers luncheon to raise funds for their various projects that help area children. The event was so popular, the Kiwanians had trouble keeping up with demand. Live entertainment was provided by Island Phil.

Saturday, Lake Brownwood First Baptist Church hosted their fish-fry to raise funds to pay off their building. Fish plates were two-for-$10, or one for six dollars. Additional funds were raised through the desert auction.

The cake has met its demise, but the
pie has survived so far.

Jessica bid on a number of desserts and we walked away with three. If anyone needs a pie, be sure to hit me up. We also have some home-made yeast rolls, but I plan on making quick work of them at lunch tomorrow.

Overall, it's been a fun weekend... and we haven't even had a church service yet! Speaking of church, see you at Grace Pointe, 1045 West Commerce, in Brownwood... Sundays at 11 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. If you're lucky, maybe Jessica will share some of the preserves she bought at the fish fry.

Camp Bowie Continues to Drive Brownwood Forward

2011-04-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Vintage military equipment is on display at 36th Division
War Memorial Park, located at the corner of Milam Drive
and Crockett Street. The park sits on land just outside the
former headquarters of Camp Bowie.

In 1940, with World War II escalating in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt mobilized the National Guard to boost U.S. defenses. That order resulted in the construction of Camp Bowie, a military training facility that would be home to the 36th Division of the Texas National Guard, and more than 3,000 German POWs, many from Erwin Rommel's Afrika Corps.

As the United States became involved in the European theater of the war, Camp Bowie grew to be the largest military training facility in Texas. The influx of military personnel was a boon for the local economy, and the arrival of German POWs provided local farmers with cheap labor.

Following the war in 1946, Camp Bowie was declared military surplus, and land and buildings were distributed to the public.

Camp Bowie remains a training station for the National Guard's 111th Engineer Battalion. Though the National Guard facility is a small fraction of what the camp used to be, the camp, its history, presence and downsizing continue to drive Brownwood today.

Land formerly occupied by Camp Bowie is now home to
major manufacturers, like 3M and Kohler.

Where the main gate was, Gate 1, is now where the Gate 1 Inn is located. Land formerly used for Camp Bowie is now home to Brownwood's major industries, like Kohler and 3M, Brownwood Regional Hospital, and various recreational facilities like the Bert V. Massey Sports Complex, the aquatic center, Gordon Wood Stadium and 36th Division War Memorial Park.

The presence of 3M and Kohler adds manufacturing jobs which continue to drive the local economy. The recreational facilities offer better quality of life and draw visitors from out of town. Brownwood Regional Medical Center is a health care hub for the small towns that surround Brownwood.

The distribution of land and buildings provided for low-cost housing and the addition of subdivisions.

Gordon Wood Stadium, home of the 7-time state champion
Brownwood Lions, is located on land formerly occupied
by Camp Bowie. The stadium is adjacent to the sports complex.

Many homes in Brownwood were fashioned out of former Camp Bowie barrack buildings. Such homes have been remodeled and made into very spacious residences.

Though Camp Bowie's "hay-day" was only six years, Brownwood will always be a military town at heart, as is evidenced by the way the town rallies around the 111th Engineer Battalion at deployment time.

Though Camp Bowie is only a fraction of the size it was from 1940-1946, the decision to build, downsize, and maintain the training facility has proven to be a blessing for Brownwood.

Youth Ministry Should Involve Educating Parents

2011-04-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

My wife, Jessica, recently wrote a research paper for one of her youth ministry classes at Howard Payne University, entitled "Educating Parents of Adolescents and Teens." During her research, she was startled at some of the statistics involving the youth of America, including youth raised in Baptist churches.

I personally found it startling how big of a percentage of Southern Baptist Youth turn 19 without having made a profession of faith, how many Christian parents knowingly purchase inappropriate movies, magazines, video games and music for their kids despite their reservations, and the large percentage of lewd behavior by American teens. Even worse, most Christian parents didn't even see leading their child to Christ as being a benchmark for successful parenting (most placed emphasis on college).

Jessica's research did more than point out the problem, however, it offered solutions. The main solution was to educate parents about what their kids are going through, and the needs to place priority on their children's spiritual development. Practical ways to accomplish this were also discussed.

The following is Jessica's research paper, entitled "Educating Parents of Adolescents and Teens," in its entirety.

Educating Parents of Adolescents and Teens

The goal of this paper is to explore the education of parents concerning their adolescents and teens within the context of the church. This will be accomplished by first defining what it means to educate parents, secondly by establishing what facets of adolescent and teen life ought to be the focus of their education, and lastly by what means parents are to be educated within the context of the church.

Defining Education

According to Webster’s Dictionary, education is the instruction, schooling, teaching, training, tuition, tutelage, or tutoring of an individual or persons for the purpose of producing knowledge or for the development of skills. As a church focuses on educating parents it is important to know the method of education the church will be attempting. It would be less feasible for a church to plan on educating parents through schooling, however, training would be more appropriate. Training is the accumulation of skills, knowledge, and experience which can be attained in a church context. (Merriam-Webster 2011)

At this juncture there is a goal to train parents for the purpose of producing knowledge, the development of skills, and accumulation of experience with the desire to educate them concerning their adolescents. To educate an individual means to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically, especially by instruction or through the provision of information. It can further mean to persuade or condition an individual to feel, believe, or act in a desired way. (Merriam-Webster 2011) By defining educate, the outcomes of education is further quantified by the inclusion of the desired response to the training, to get the parents to believe and act in a desired way.

Within the context of the goals of this paper the education of parents will be defined through the view of training in light of the accumulation of skills, knowledge, and experience. The purpose of this education is to develop within the parents a belief that they are an integral part of the development of their youth and that they have a significant influence on the behavior and future of their youth. Through this belief parents will become proactive and engaged in the lives of their youth and in their spiritual development.

Developing the Areas of Focus within the Training

In developing an education plan for parents of adolescents it is important to develop a sense of urgency for the parents to become more engaged in the developmental processes of their youth. This developmental period of adolescents must be seen by both the trainer and the trainee as a time of great possibilities and with a high propensity for influence.

Adolescence is a period of great risks and opportunities. The dramatic biological changes that accompany this transition are essentially the same as they have been for millennia, but the social context in which they occur is very different from earlier times and continues to change rapidly. Changes in the American family, the economic structure, the media, and the community have all affected the way adolescents live and interact with peers and with the rest of society. Within this social context, adolescents need to find ways to develop a vision of the future, to formulate an image of what adulthood offers and demands, and to work out a perception of opportunity and paths toward practical implementation of such opportunity. (JAMA 1993, 269)
It is with the great risks and opportunities that face adolescents in mind that the needs of youth are identified and the education of parents is developed. Dramatic biological changes, a rapidly changing social climate, changes to the American family, changes in the economy, the media, and the spiritual climate all lead to risks and opportunities for youth. Churches and parents have the potential to work together to help youth develop a healthy vision for their future and respect for the expectations of adulthood.

The Case for Educating Parents about Biological Changes and Pressures

The importance of educating parents about the physical changes of their youth cannot be trivialized nor the sexual pressures that they face. The sexual development of adolescents often occurs earlier than parents are aware. For females the first signs of development usually occur around age 11. Some girls will develop even sooner, with one out of seven Caucasian girls and one-half of African American girls developing breasts or pubic hair by age 8. Girls will typically experience the onset of menstruation around 12 to 13 years of age. For adolescent males spermarche usually occurs around age thirteen, a full year after they have already begun producing sperm. With such early ages for the onset of puberty the sooner parents can be educated about the biological changes, the better equipped they will be to support their children and begin to understand the sexual pressures that youth face in today’s culture. (Adolescence: Feldman 51-52)

If their adolescent has not been directly affected by sexual involvement their life has been impacted by someone who has been.

Chicago—A quarter of teenaged girls have a sexually transmitted disease (STD), and addressing this problem is hindered by a lack of STD screening in contraceptive services for teens and young women, according to reports presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference held in March. (JAMA 2008, 1888)
The staggering statistic of one in four young women having contracted an STD is staggering, however, it is not the only problem highlighted by the above study. The other problem reflected is the idea that this problem is hindered by the lack of screening for STDs. One in four young women does not contract an STD due to a lack of screening but a lack in the establishment of proper expectations on American youth; expectations that should be set by parents and encouraged by churches. Movies, television and music promote sex as being pure bliss apart from consequences. (“A Piece of My Mind” JAMA 1995 Vol 273)

Parents and churches need to be a dissenting voice to the lies the media touts as truth. It is in the power of parents to establish proper expectations on adolescent behavior through intentional parenting in intimate homes. Furthermore, it is within the power of the church to educate and empower parents in the development of homes that promote the proper views and expectations on youth sexuality. The ultimate desire is to equip parents with the skills and experience to be trained to tackle the challenges of adolescent sexuality in a hyper sexualized culture. A sexual culture that reaches into more than sixty percent of American homes through the internet and two-thirds of American homes through cable television. The desired outcomes are parents who craft and maintain a lifestyle that will establish within the hearts of youth the proper expectation to make good choices which will produce good consequences. (Jackson 2004)

Beyond the physical changes and sexual pressures of adolescents is their cognitive ability. It is important for parents to be aware that youth are not miniature adults. Youth will act with great reason than with extreme impulsivity, their emotions will fluctuate frequently, and they will test their limits. These facts are built in to their development or lack thereof. The frontal cortex of the adolescent brain will not fully develop until the mid-twenties. The frontal cortex is responsible for reasoning, planning, and judgment. Without their full judgment abilities to their disposal adolescents will find themselves feeling invincible and parents as unreasonable dissenting voices to their plans. It is at this critical juncture in their development that parents take on a fully engaged approach to instilling critical thinking skills within their children. These skills will help youth to judge the value and impact of their choices. ( Modern Parents, Vintage Values: M. Trevathan and S. Goff)

The Case for Educating Parents on Social Climate

Parents have failed in passing their faith onto their children. They are allowing cultural and educational influences to mold adolescents’ world view. An Adolescent will spend 16,000 hours in secular education from kindergarten through high school and less than ten percent of that in the church during the same 13 years, (for those that attend church). The proportion of time spent in secular education compared to church education is reflected in the attitudes of born again parents. “Seventy percent of born again parents did not mention leading their children to faith in Christ as a critical outcome of their parenting. Nearly forty percent of parents thought getting a good education was an important parenting outcome.” (Barna Research) The world view of critical parenting outcomes projected by survey participants shows the staggering impact of secular culture on families. In June 2006, Dr. Ed Young reported to the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference that seventy-five percent of children raised in SBC churches will not have been won to Christ by the age of 19. (Southern Baptist Association of Christian Schools, Alarming Facts, Trends and Statistics)

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America shows just how out of touch parents are with the current social climate. Twenty-five percent of parents think that their child has tried marijuana when in all actuality thirty-seven percent of youth in the seventh through tenth grades have tried the drug; as documented by the Attitude Tracking Study in 2005. An even more destructive reality is that twenty-one percent of eighth graders have used an illicit drug and forty-eight percent of youth will have used one before leaving high school. (Time to Talk 2007)

Furthermore, parents are allowing popular culture and mass media to define beauty. (“What is Beauty?” Focus on the Family 2011) A disheartening find in women’s personal views show that only two percent of women would define themselves as beautiful. (New Global Study Uncervs Desire for Broader Definition of Beauty 2004) With mothers not leading out in the true definition of a beautiful woman as defined by God as a woman who fears the Lord and is virtuous, Christian parents cannot expect for their daughters or sons to have a Biblical view of beauty. (“What is Beauty?” Focus on the Family 2011)

The Case for Educating Parents on the American Family

The view of what a family looks and acts like is rapidly changing. Americans have grown comfortable with the idea of divorce and see it often times as a natural part of life. Thirty-three percent of all adults have been divorced at least one time. The view of the permanence of the family unit is rapidly deteriorating. (“New Marriage and Family Statistics Released” Barna Group 2008)

This family and societal problem is not new to most parents, however, for better or worse adolescents are emulating the people that they know best, their parents and other close family members. This means that the behaviors of the parents and close relatives will be repeated by youth and will drive how they view relationships. Adolescents’ social skills and family skills are being developed by what is being modeled at home. When determining their own behavior parents should be trained that their youth will do what they do. (“Teen Role Models: Who They Are, Why They Matter” Barna Group 2011)

Parents matter. Their influence on their youth is undeniable as they are the primary “impact people”. (Partnering with Parents in Youth Ministry 2003) Parents need to come to the firm understanding that if they are not “integrated into kid’s faith development, it’s a miracle if their young people continue in the life of the church.” (The Family-Friendly Church, B. Freudenberg) All too often parents want to minimize the impact of their current behaviors on their children. They want to believe that they can send their children to church so that the church can do the faith teaching; without them having to live out the faith that they claim to have or do the work of personally nurturing their children’s faith. (The Family-Friendly Church) In an effort to minimize their role as their youth’s primary spiritual influence they are attempting to remove their personal responsibility for the results. Their effort is fruitless; adolescents are bringing the matter to the forefront of the discussion of the American family by declaring that their parents matter and that the biggest influence and indicator of their behavior is that of their family.

The Case for Educating Parents about Family Economy

A 2009 Lifeway Research survey found that fifty-two percent of American adults with one child at home under the age of 18 years agree that their income brings in enough money to support their lifestyles. When asked how much more annual income would be needed to make them financially comfortable 14 percent said that they would need an additional $10,000, and 47 percent said that they would need at least another $20,000. Two-thirds of adults expressed that they have concern that their families never seem to get ahead. “Although a large number of parents are dissatisfied with their financial situations, many of them don’t have a plan to improve things.” (“Research Parents Value God, Worry About Money” Lifeway)

It is important that churches are aware of the living wage required for families to survive in the area they serve. A family of four may be able to live on $8.00 per hour wage in Cheyenne, Wyoming, however, need to be making a $14.00 per hour wage in Boston just to supply the basic needs without government assistance. Churches need to be aware of that the youth and parents they serve could be living in poverty, which heaps a copious amount of stress on parent-child relationships. (Hope for Children in Poverty, R. Sider and H. Unruh)

Parents need a sense of safety just as their youth. “Parents find safety when a congregation accepts their current situation and helps them to make the most of that situation.” (Embracing Parents, Jolene and Eugene Roehlkepartain). Churches and youth ministers need to keep that simple truth in mind while evaluating parents’ needs for training. With the high financial anxiety and lack of financial stability parents face the need for financial education. While a majority of parents claim that they have clear financial goals only seven percent have actually put those goals in writing. Parents need support in building a stronger financial future for their family and a clear direction on how to get there. (“Research Parents Value God, Worry About Money” Lifeway)

The Case for Educating Parents about Media

Christian parents are large consumers of media for their adolescents. Seventy-eight percent of Christian parents purchased a DVD for their teenagers in the past year and a discouraging one out of four did not feel comfortable about the purchase they made. Out parents who purchased CDs for their children in the past year one-third had concerns about the content. Out of parents who purchased video games for their teens in the past year forty-six percent admitted being concerned about the content. Almost half of Christian parents purchased a magazine for their child in the past year and nearly one third were not comfortable with the content. Despite personal convictions parents are struggling to “walk the fine line between buying things that are morally appropriate while being relevant to the age group.” (“Christian Parents are not Comfortable with Media but Buy Them for Their Kids Anyway” Barna Research Group 2007)

“The process of selecting appropriate Christmas presents for children is a microcosm of the spiritual tension millions of Christian adults struggle with,” Barna noted. “Many Christian parents are striving to serve two conflicting masters: society and God.” (Barna 2007) Unfortunately parents are choosing the master of society and being facilitators of material consumption apart from faith in God within the lives of their children. Parents are choosing to be socially relevant in a postmodern society instead of choosing to instill the precepts of the Lord on their children. Parents need encouragement that they can be even more relevant to the lives and needs of their youth by choosing God over society from other parents and the church. (Barna 2007)

The Case for Educating Parents on the Current Spiritual Climate

There have been dramatic spiritual shifts in American culture. In Passing the Torch of God’s Truth, the question is posed, “Are we seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ advance in our communities and in our nation?” In order to answer that question Dr. Rienow, co-author of the book, looked to the research of Thom Rainer which reveals an alarming answer:

From those born before 1946, 65% of the US population identified themselves as Christians because of their decision to trust Christ as Lord and Savior. For those born between 1946 and 1964 the number dropped to 35%, then for those born from 1965-1976 it fell still further to 15%. In shocking conclusion, among those born between 1977 and 1994 only 4% identified themselves as having put their faith and trust in Christ.
Parents are not passing on their faith to their youth. There is a generational evangelism and discipleship crisis in the United States. It is time to educate parents that they are the keys to changing the spiritual climate of their youth and the nation. It is a cold reality that we are looking at being in the same position as Europe where only a staggering two percent know Jesus as savior out of 821 million. (Passing the Torch of God’s Truth, P. Loth)

Despite dramatic changes in religious affiliation teenagers are vibrant in their religious activity. There is a generation of seekers looking for spiritual connectedness. In fact 60% of teens are involved in some type of group spiritual activity in a regular week. (“How Teenagers’ Faith Practices are Changing, Barna 2010) What this means for parents is that it is time to get engaged in their youth’s spiritual development. When it comes to church involvement those who were raised going to Sunday school in their childhood and teen years are more likely to have an active faith as adults. Youth given positive guidance in spiritual activity before the age of 18 establish future spiritual vitality. (“New Research Explores the Long-Term Effect of Spiritual Activity among Children and Teens” Barna 2009) It cannot be reiterated enough that parents are the primary impact on their youth. They need to be encouraged to fill that calling and responsibility in the nurturing of their children’s spiritual lives.

Educating Parent’s in the Context of the Church

Education of parents about their adolescents can take place in many forms. A regular or special edition of a parenting newsletter such as the “Parent Resource Center Bulletin” supplied by Families in Action at familiesforaction.org, a youth newsletter published by the youth ministry department, or bulletin insert such as those supplied by Heritage Builders can increase awareness among parents about what is really happening in the lives of teens. Informing parents of staggering statistics, current challenges, and current events that are impacting the lives of their youth, can challenge the preconceptions that parents hold concerning these formative adolescent years. The power of this information can prompt them to take a proactive stance in the education and expectations of their youth’s behavior.

Education, however, goes beyond knowledge; the goal goes beyond a talk about sex, drugs, or media. The role of the church goes beyond the simple acknowledgement of staggering statistics. It goes to the development of a church environment that allows parents to garner the skills and experience they need to create a lifestyle of intentional parenting and discipleship within their homes. Creating a church that impacts the lives of parents who will then raise children that make proper choices and who grown as Disciples of Christ is a formidable challenge. It is a challenge that can only be met by a church that is intentional in its leading out in parental education and feels that it is the calling of the family to lead out in the spiritual development of youth and it is the role of the church to be the facilitator for that leadership. God created families to be the center of discipleship and it is “the responsibility of church leaders to inspire and to equip these discipleship centers to fulfill their mission.” (MinistryToday February 2009 60-62)

The church should take a proactive strategy in ministering to the families within the congregation. Churches should desire to equip families to grow through the implementation of well-structured marriage and family curriculum, small groups for parents, support groups, seminars, classes, family activities and events, along with insuring that resources are made available. Churches should be open to having a family life pastor as a future staff position. Youth pastors should see their role is to incorporate the youth into the intergenerational congregation of the church and establish connections to the youths’ families. Parents need to be respected as centers of influence. (The Gate Church, Frank Damazio)

There are several resources available to churches to aid in the support of family ministry and parent education. Many of the resources churches need to create an intentional church are already inside the church. A dynamic resource is passionate men and women of God who are willing to come alongside parents and families for the purpose of encouraging them to reach their full potential. The same heart that goes into driving the Mothers of Preschoolers ministry in your church will be the same one that drives a MOPs and beyond program that will reach out to mothers of school age children and teens. It is also the same heart that will go into planning a multi-generation event such as a Mother-Daughter FAC (Friends and Conversation) that provoke people to thinking about the theme such as, “What matters most in your family?” (Five Simple Ways to Grow a Great Family, Carol Kuykendall)

The same ideas and planning that go into the Boy Scouts, where fathers and sons get to participate in life together can be easily transferred into the church setting. Typical scouting activities include camping, day hikes, canoeing, model car derbies, and service projects which could easily be implemented within church events to promote the development of father-son relationships or the overall relationship of the family. (scouting.org) These activities would be used to fulfill the commission that God has for families. God has commanded that parents be about the work of impressing upon the hearts of their children the commandments of the Lord as they go through the day and even sit at home. Fathers are specifically told in the scriptures to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. These activities should successfully promote parental involvement in their adolescent’s spiritual development. (MinistryToday 2009)

Creating opportunities for adolescents to affirm their parents is a great opportunity to build the parent relationship. Parents don’t often times get to hear words of affirmation from their children. As parents are learning to be affirming of their adolescents it is equally important that the children are reciprocal within the relationship and that the ministry of the church works to build up the parents of the youth in the eyes of the youth, not tear them down. Creating opportunities for success in relationships through annual father/daughter and mother/son banquets at which children have the opportunity to affirm their parents can have positive relationship altering results. (Transparenting, Steve Keels p2)

Parents equally need to be challenged to be someone that their child can look up to and be connected to. Parents need to be challenged by churches to stay involved with their youth, stay alert to their child’s culture and friends, to never give up on their child no matter how bleak the circumstance, and to never stop being proud of their children. Children need affirmation and to know that their relationship with their mother and their father is a safe place. (Transparenting, Steve Keels)

It is important in the development of parent education that churches are in tune with the current needs. If issues of body image are arising within the adolescents of the church it is important that someone is trained in how to equip parents and adolescents to deal with those current issues and resources are made available. A great resource for healthy eating for teens and their parents is the Body Works program available through womenshealth.gov/bodyworks. This resource will provide training and program implementation.

Resources are available for education concerning economic needs of their families. Two great resources for churches to implement in the training of Christian economics are Crown Financial Ministries, located on the web at Crown.org and Financial Peace University along with the Total Money Makeover at daveramsey.com. The quality and breadth of these resources would allow a church to implement excellent financial training.

If drug abuse is the current issue at hand there are great resources at timetotalk.org, from printable tool kits that can be used at a church resource center, to podcasts, and videos. We are in the technology age. “Online technology has become deeply embedded in society. Millions of Americans have become dependent upon the new digital conveniences that provide them with entertainment, information, products, and content.” (Barna Technology Study: Social Networking, Online Entertainment and Church Podcasts 2008)

It would be wise with this growing dependence on technology for churches to develop their websites to not only be a resource for upcoming church events but also a link to resources that can equip, challenge, and encourage parents to become more engaged in the spiritual development of their children. If the talent or technology is available within a church to create tool kits, podcasts, and videos using the people youth are most familiar with to convey the message of the church then it would be wise to do so.

Beyond the technology there is a simple call. A call for parents to impress upon the hearts of their children the commandments of God as found in Deuteronomy 6:6-7. Have parents memorize these scriptures. Provoke parents to hide the word of God in their hearts that they would not sin against God by neglecting their high calling to make disciples of their children. Help them to develop a customized plan to fit the unique needs of their family’s different ages and stages. (Focus on the Family Parents’ Guide to the Spiritual Growth of Children) A small group may work well to encourage a family plan; however, at the heart of the training is the concept that the family is the discipleship group.

Conclusion

The role of the church is to equip parents for family discipleship, specifically the discipleship of their children. Equipping of parents for this important ministry is done through education through training. The training of parents is for the purpose of producing knowledge, the development of skills, and accumulation of experience so that they will respond by taking leadership and responsibility for the spiritual development of their adolescents.

In the current American culture the key issues for parents of adolescents are dramatic biological changes, a rapidly changing social climate, changes to the American family, changes in the economy, the media, and the spiritual climate all lead to risks and opportunities for youth. All of which the church has the power and resources to help equip parents to train their children in a Biblical world view. Through which youth will develop a healthy vision for their future and respect for the expectations of adulthood.

When it comes to the lives of youth, no one can take the place of the parent. Parents should not be waiting for someone else to share Jesus with their children. They need to be exhorted to take the leadership in doing it themselves. They need to be spurred on to the reading of scriptures with their children and to its memorization. Parents need to be taught to lead their families in prayer and in service to their community. Parents need to equip their children through discipleship as the church disciples them. (Transparenting, Steve Keels)

Lessons Learned from the Japan Earthquake

2011-03-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

A fire rages at the Cosmo Oil refinery
in Japan following the earthquake.

As the nation of Japan comes to grip with the destruction caused by the unprecedented 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and as heroic engineers work tirelessly to prevent a core meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, much discussion has ensued about emergency preparedness and safety.

Over the past few days, I have heard claims that this quake was nature's way of telling us that she's in control, and the ridiculous claim that the earthquake was Mother Earth's way of telling us that "nuclear power is wrong."

All kinds of ideas and agenda's are being extrapolated from this tragedy, from a push to stop nuclear plant construction, to plans to upgrade emergency preparedness. With all of these things on the table, it is interesting that few people are discussing the glaring lessons that should be obvious to the evangelical Christian.

1. God is STILL in control - Over the past several decades, technology has propelled man to new heights. From the large amounts of power generated from nuclear power, to the internet, to on-demand publishing, to high-powered personal computers, to a global communications network which links every one together via the voice and data capabilities of their smart-phones. We have learned to tap renewable energy sources, have made transportation more fuel efficient, and have globalized our market place. Our buildings have safer construction, our highways are more efficient, and commercial airliners can virtually fly themselves. These advances, along with medical advances, political advances and educational advances have moved mankind beyond his imagination.

However, we should be reminded that in spite of all of our advances, our destinies still lie in the hands of the almighty God. There is no technology that he can't put down. There are no medical advances that will keep Him from calling His saints home. There is no predicting His movements upon the earth, or when the next big event will take place. Therefore, we need to place our faith in Him, not our technology.

2. Get Right with God - It's amazing to me how many people flooded the church buildings of America on the Sunday following September 11, 2001. The brazen attack on American soil was bound to spark an American war in the Middle East, and many feared the end was near. No doubt, people wanted to know if the end was here and wanted to be in the right place if it was.

The truth is the end is always near. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." We never know when it is our turn to go. Thousands of people were going about their lives in Japan when the quake struck, and the tsunami followed seconds later. Many had approximately a minute to react to the coming flood waters. Many were unable to escape. The fallacy in the thinking of many people is that life goes on as normal, and we can see death coming. The truth is that death can hit you in an instant, with no warning. So repent of your sins now, and trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Don't wait for a major event, or a sign that you might be dying.

3. Don't be selfish - One of the remarkable things about watching events unfold in Japan is how the people are all handling the tragedy. They are banding together, conducting themselves in an orderly fashion. Looting and rioting are non-existent. Contrast that from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. What's the difference? Culture.

Japanese culture is one of being polite, and one of doing your part. American culture is one of pursuing your own dreams and ambitions and only pitching in if you can get something in return. Granted, not everyone in America thinks this way, but by and large we have a greedy culture. That sort of self-centeredness is not a Godly virtue. How many times does scripture warn against covetousness.

I wonder what would happen in American companies if workers did their jobs as if they owned the place, as if their performance directly impacted the business health of the company. I wonder what would happen in American churches if the members came seeking how they could serve the Lord, and not what they could get out of services. I wonder what would happen in American communities if people actually cared about their communities instead of expecting someone else to make the difference. We have case studies in each of those scenarios where everyone brought something to the table, and the entire group was better as a result.

In conclusion, I would like to offer my prayers to the people of Japan, and I would like them to know that I am pulling for them to be able to make a speedy recovery from this disaster. Also, I would like to set everyone's mind at ease. The Fukushima plant will not destroy the world... we have many more prophecies to see fulfilled before that takes place.

Westboro Baptist Church Wins Supreme Court Case, The Cause of Christ Loses

2011-03-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

The Supreme Court's ruling that the Westboro church's protests at military funerals is protected by the first amendment is actually a win for religious freedom and the freedom of speech in America. The case will no doubt be used as a precedent to defend free speech against hate-speech legislation, and protect the activities of churches under the provision for freedom of religion.

However, this ruling will no-doubt empower the Westboro church to not only picket more military funerals, but to also continue to spew their logic-challenged rhetoric on the talk-show circuit. (Margie Phelps, Westboro church member who serves as the church's lawyer, is set to appear on Fox News Sunday). The above video is an AP video of Ms. Phelps addressing the Supreme Court case and the mission of Westboro church.

The actions of the Westboro church could potentially have a negative impact on real churches who are trying to lead people to Christ. First, there's the whole "guilt-by-association" issue. Westboro church identifies itself as an independent, fundamental Baptist church. The danger is that the public will see the actions of Westboro church, and assume that their actions and beliefs reflect the beliefs of all independent, fundamental Baptist churches. The truth is that most independent, fundamental Baptist churches are groups of loving people who only want to see people come to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

Secondly, the negative public perception of Baptists created by the actions of Westboro church would potentially hinder the outreach efforts of real Baptist churches. Churches that engage in door-knocking campaigns may have a hard time getting people to come to the door, if people think that a Fred Phelps-type person is at the door. The problem will compound if the continued actions of Westboro church become such a nuisance that the public begins to favor limitations on the free-exercise of religion and evangelism.

Thirdly, the actions of the Westboro church are already giving way to character assassinations on the Christian community. Kevin Smith's new movie, Red State, is reportedly about three teenagers who answer a personal ad, only to find themselves in a ring of horror brought on by a Westboro church-type congregation. While I have little evidence to support this claim (the details of the plot are being concealed to promote the film), exploitative character assassination films have been used historically to warm societies up to persecution of certain people-groups. I am not saying this was Kevin Smith's intention, but this could be the dawn of a new film genre.

The tragedy of all this is that these negative effects are all the outgrowth of a flawed logic that says that American troops and children are being killed by God because America embraces homosexuality. The truth is American soldiers are being killed by IEDs and RPGs, and children are being killed by evil, psychotic, and even satanic people.

This flawed thinking is exacerbated when the Westboro church believes it is preaching the Gospel by carrying "God Hates Fags" protest signs. In the above video, Ms. Phelps defends the actions of the Westboro church, saying their protests are actually an act of love because they are warning people to flee the wrath of God.

In reality, their signs, and their protests do no such thing. To warn people to flee the wrath of God is to teach people how to be saved. In order to do that, you have to preach the true Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Christ for our sins according to the scriptures (I Corinthians 15:3-4)). Then, you have to tell people how to be saved.

Of all the pictures of all the protests by Westboro church, I have seen NO signs proclaiming the way of Salvation, John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10, or even signs proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord. If the Westboro church does carry such signs, the "God Hates Fags" signs so far outnumber the salvation signs that the salvation signs have totally been lost.

The Westboro church doesn't warn people to flee the wrath of God. It proclaims and celebrates God's judgment on America, the only nation in the history of the world to allow Christianity to flourish.

The churches in America can not afford to let Westboro's signs drown out the message of the Gospel. We can overcome the perception of Christians and Baptists that Westboro creates simply by spreading the Gospel, ministering the way the Bible teaches, and allowing our actions to drown out their words. We must become more proactive and hands on in spreading the true Gospel (I Corinthians 15:3-4). If we sit idly by and wring our hands, the Westboro church will have free reign to define our purpose, and that is a risk we can not afford to take.

Update... found this video on YouTube about a group that shields the grieving families from the picketers.

Why You Should Pay Attention to the Middle East Protests and Uprisings

2011-03-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

When protests gave way to an uprising in Egypt, the bigger picture of civil unrest in the Middle East became front page news. While the media tends to zoom in on one country at a time (right now, all eyes are on Libya), uprisings have taken place all across the Middle East and North Africa. From peaceful protests in Morocco, to the flight of the Tunisian president to Saudi Arabia, to protests against the King of Jordan, to uprisings in Bahrain and Yemen, uprisings are becoming so numerous it is difficult to keep track of them all.

When the departure of Hosni Mubarak became apparent in Egypt, talk in U.S. media centered around the Muslim Brotherhood, a political organization operating in many Middle Eastern countries. Conservative pundits like Sean Hannity began to compare the ouster of Mubarak to the Ayatollahs returning to Iran. Many feared that the Muslim Brotherhood would install an anti-American, pro-terror government in Egypt. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is now in question and many fear war.

During times like these, it is important to avoid hysteria. Still, one needs to be informed about what is going on. Whether the Muslim Brotherhood will install an Anti-American, pro-terror regime in Egypt is still in question. (The Egyptian military is still in control of the country.) However, even if the Muslim Brotherhood installs a relatively peaceful government, there is still cause for concern.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Wikipedia page describes the group as non-violent, however the book Milestones, written by prominent brotherhood member Sayyid Qutb, is often cited by those who advocate for jihad.

The Muslim Brotherhood's goals include establishing the Qur'an as the sole reference point for ordering the life of the individual, family and state. One of the primary goals is the reinstatement of the caliphate.

Referencing the book, Milestones, the Muslim Brotherhood believes that Western civilization is in decline because of its moral decline, and the Brotherhood seeks to build Islam as the lead civilization in the world.

All of these factors should be an eye opener for the Christian who is well studied in end-times prophecy. Imagine, a religious movement that rides the back of, and helps prop up a world government. That religion would be the most powerful religion in the world. It would be able to persecute other religions with little or no consequence.

That scenario matches up with Revelation 17:3-6. That passage depicts a woman riding on the back of a beast. The beast is identified as the Antichrist and his one-world government, while the woman is identified in Revelation 17:8 as being the city of Babylon. However, it is also worthy to note that scripture uses women as symbols of religious movements in apocolyptic passages like Revelation 17. So the woman is not just representative of the city (as in buildings and streets) but also of the religious nature of the city. Babylon will be home to the one-world religion, which will not be any form of Christianity.

Over the years, end times scholars have tried to forecast which players on their respective world stages would eventually be players in the end times. More often than not, these forecasts are wrong. However, I believe that it is entirely possible the dominant world religion in the Tribulation period will be some form of Islam. If indeed the Muslim Brotherhood is successful in taking control of the governments of the Middle East, you could see the foundations being laid to shift the center of power from the Judeo-Christian West to the Islamic East.

We may still have decades before the Tribulation begins. Still, we need to be mindful of how the groundwork is being laid today to usher in that time period. We should be obedient to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who said, "Watch, and pray."

Format Change

2011-02-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

For the past several months, the work in Brownwood has been evolving from a mission dependent on outside support for existence to a church funding its own operations. This process must continue if Grace Pointe is to ever become totally self-supporting to the point that she herself can send out missionaries.

This blog was founded with the intent to introduce myself to the American Baptist Association, and the MBA of Texas, by describing my views on scripture, issues facing churches today, and by giving the readers a sneak peak into my personal life. Once the work in Brownwood started, it became an ongoing chronicle of the events of our mission endeavor. In that regard, I feel that it has succeeded. For a while, this blog enjoyed a good readership.

However, with the "mission phase" of the work in Brownwood winding down (I am not sure if I will seek state support next year, but I have been counseled to keep that option on the table), I feel it is time to transition this blog from one of being a chronicle of Brownwood mission work to one being a chronicle of faith, current events, and how various things in our world today affect Texas residents, ministers, Christians and those around the world who love freedom. From time to time, I will also post my take on issues directly impacting the ABA, and the MBA of Texas.

From this point on, Bible study posts, theological thoughts and so forth will be posted to Grace Pointe's Web site. That site, http://www.graceforbrownwood.com/ will also be an outreach and discipleship tool for Grace Pointe. As for this blog, it will once again resemble what it did in the opening days, plus include some general interest articles as well. I plan to keep it going, and to increase the frequency of the posts.

And lastly, I WILL CONTINUE to post my monthly reports here.

Thank you for reading. I do hope this opens a new, more interactive, fun and informative chapter of this blog.

God bless you.

Mission: Brownwood January 2011 Report

2011-02-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

Grace Pointe Attendance Holds Steady

Despite losing two core members and a regular visitor over the fact that we observe closed communion, attendance at Grace Pointe has held steady in the high teens and lower 20s. We have been blessed with the additions of the Teague family, who has been inviting friends and relatives on a regular basis.

January: A Great Month of Meetings

I was blessed to be a part of the Mission Valley District Ladies Auxiliary meeting in Kerrville on Jan. 15, and was blessed to preach at the Southwest Association Mission Rally on Jan. 29.

Grace Pointe Forms a Ladies Auxiliary

The ladies at Grace Pointe have formed a Ladies Auxiliary, which will help raise funds for missions and various projects, and carry out various ministries within the congregation at Grace Pointe.

Attendance:

Sunday Mornings:

1/2/11 - 16
1/9/11 - 23
1/16/11 - 19
1/23/11 - 19
1/30/11 - 20

Sunday Evenings

1/2/11 - 17
1/9/11 - 21
1/16/11 - 21
1/23/11 - 14
1/30/11 - 16

Wednesday Evenings:

1/5/11 - 17
1/12/11 - 18
1/19/11 - 23
1/26/11 - 14

Mission: Brownwood 2010 Report

2011-02-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

Grace Pointe Attendance Holds at 18

Over the course of 2010, the average Sunday morning attendance at Grace Pointe was 18. Our high attendance was 34 on April 11, 2010, our lowest Sunday morning attendance was 8 on June 6, 2010. That day was marred by a split in the congregation and the fact I was preaching Homecoming services at my sponsoring church that day. We rebounded with 14 the following Sunday and were back in the 20s by September.

Eight Souls Saved in 2010

We witnessed eight professions of faith in 2010, two followed the Lord in Baptism, and a number joined us by letter and statement.

Grace Pointe Budget Takes Shape

When Grace Pointe began the 2010 year, we were utilizing funds sent in from supporting churches to fund our day-to-day operations. During the month of April, we adjusted that approach to where the local congregation would be responsible for funding 100% of the day-to-day operations, while funds sent directly to Brownwood would be put into the building fund, and funds sent to our sponsoring church would go to ministry support.

Grace Pointe’s Building Program Moving Forward

The building fund has been growing and stands to increase exponentially in 2011. The building fund in Brownwood was selected as the 2011 State Ladies Auxiliary project, the second quarter TMD project, and we have been having an average of $400 sent in every month by supporting churches.

Currently, we have a little more than $6,000 in the building fund. If the State Ladies Auxiliary meets their goal of $8,000, TMD hits their goal of $35,000, and if the $400 continues to come in from supporting churches, then our building fund will reach $53,800 this year. We will need $200,000 to purchase an existing facility, $62,000 to purchase undeveloped land.

Grace Pointe 2011 Outlook:

Over the course of 2011, My goals are:

· To be able to come off of state missions salary.

· To see Grace Pointe go self-supporting.

· To purchase a 15-passenger van to transport children to church.

· To develop and implement the Discovery Clubs at Grace Pointe.

· To raise $100,000 toward the building fund.

· To begin a “missions” fund which will eventually be used when Grace Pointe begins to sponsor missionaries.

December 2010 Attendance

Sunday Morning

12/5/10 - 23

12/12/10 - 22

12/19/10 - 20

12/26/10 - 15

Sunday Evening

12/5/10 - 24

12/12/10 - 20

12/19/10 - 23

12/26/10 - 10

Wednesday Evening

12/1/10 - 13

12/8/10 - 19

12/15/10 - 18

12/22/10 - 14

12/29/10 - 11

The Solemn Atmosphere and Purpose of Memorials

2011-01-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

Vietnam War Memorial

During a visit to Washington, D.C., the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I was given the opportunity to visit the Vietnam War Memorial, the Iwo Jima Monument and the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

These memorials stand in honor of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Americans, and the freedom of people around the world. When we, as Americans, visit these monuments, we respectfully remember and consider the sacrifice of those who lost their lives fighting for our freedom. Veterans who survived those wars, men and women of whom I have the utmost respect, are overcome with emotion and reverence toward their brothers in arms who died saving freedom.

Tomb of the Unknowns
Arlington National Cemetery

I remember being in awe. I remember the feeling of reverence toward those fallen soldiers, and the ones who survived who staffed the memorials, and others who were visiting. My visit to Washington, D.C. actually motivated me to explore the option of a career in the U.S. Armed Forces. I later decided not to follow through.

That is what memorials are for. To honor the fallen, to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and to remind us that freedom is not free. These memorials are all about the men who served and sacrificed, and are not about the visitors to the memorials.

When Jesus instituted the Lord's supper, He said, "This do in remembrance of Me."

Just like the war memorials in Washington, D.C., serve to remind us of the sacrifice that our soldiers made during wartime so we could be free, so the Lord's supper is a memorial of how Christ died for us, sacrificing Himself, so that we could be free from sin and be given salvation freely. Our freedom is not free.

Iwo Jima Monument

Now, if I began to sing and dance at one of these memorials, people would be offended and the veterans who staff and monitor these sites would probably escort me out, and rightfully so. Why? Because I would be desecrating the memorial, not discerning the sacrifice that was made for my freedom. If I were to talk on and on about how much I loved visiting the memorial because it made me feel so special, no doubt folks would be offended because I would be glorying in myself, not the sacrifice made on my behalf by these soldiers.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 11:29 "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Most interpret these verses to mean that you shouldn't take the Lord's supper if you have unresolved sin in your life, and rightfully so. However, the major sin is taking the Lord's supper, "not discerning the Lord's body." When you take the Lord's supper, you should take it as a memorial to Christ, not as a show of fellowship, not to show love for the brethren, not to feel closer to God and not to feel more spiritual. It is ALL about memorializing the sacrifice Christ made for us, and being reverent toward that.

Those men who gave their lives in combat to save our freedom didn't accidentally go into perilous situations. They willingly went, knowing they would probably die, but also knowing that is what it would take to win the war and keep America free. That thought takes my breath away. It doesn't make me feel special. It makes me feel inferior because I am not sure I could have made the same decision.

Christ didn't accidentally wind up on the cross. He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). It was His idea. He knew it would take His death on the cross to save us, and He willingly died that death so we could be with Him in eternity. The Lord's supper doesn't make me feel more spiritual, it reminds me that it was my sin that put Christ on the cross.

When I break that bread (at Grace Pointe, we literally break unleavened bread) before we pass it to the congregation, I feel the effect of my sin being taken out on that body. When I take that cup, I see the cup of His suffering. Therefore, I don't feel the need to take the Lord's supper every week, or even every month. It is a memorial. I take it, but I take it remembering what it means.

Don't take the Lord's supper for the wrong reasons. Don't take it to show fellowship, or to "feel closer to God." Take it as a memorial to the sacrifice that Christ made on your behalf. If you do that, you will take the Lord's supper discerning His body, and God is pleased with that.

The Great Dividers

2010-12-15T19:15:00.000-08:00

He has all the answers, knows just what the church needs to do in order to grow and is certain that the church will follow his lead. They better. They need him. Without him, that church can not thrive.

A new worship program, a new youth program, a church building renovation project to modernize the worship center and a half-dozen new paid staff positions... the plan can not fail.

He can already see the praise band, the people singing, hands lifted up to the Lord. He can already see himself leading a staff meeting, preaching from the new pulpit, utilizing state of the art multi-media displays to accentuate his Sunday morning message.

Oh, but wait! What's this? The church voted down his plan for church revitalization? WHY? What gives? Who do these people think they are? Why they must be a bunch of Pharisees stuck in their traditions... more in love with their traditions than they are with reaching people.

Furiously, he rips into them, decrying their dead works of tradition and telling them that they'll never grow until they get with it. Furiously, he storms out the door. Will he be back? Will they be back? Has God been honored in this situation? Did the preacher even consult the Lord? Did the Lord answer? If so, why did the Lord direct him to cause disorder in the church?

We have a problem in the Lord's churches today. Church growth has become a competitive sport, with some pastors ranking themselves and others based on who is able to lead their church to change and grow. It is a race of who can be the most innovative, who can use the latest techniques, vocabulary, who has the best technology, who has the latest Bible translation, and in some cases, who's worship band has signed a contract with the biggest label.

Indeed, churches have become like NFL franchises, and the pastor is the head coach. Churches have become multi-million dollar corporations, and the pastor is the CEO.

Just two small problems. (1) Many times, these carnal pastors, full of the pride of life, throw well seasoned Christians, men and women who have served the Lord faithfully their entire lives, under the bus, calling them hypocrites, pharisees, and challenging their faith. This is done in the name of "change," "progress," and "reaching the unreached." The other problem, (2) GOD NEVER CALLED ANY MAN TO REMAKE THE CHURCH AFTER HIS OWN IMAGE!

These type of pastors have as much love for seasoned Christians and long-term church members as Rush Limbaugh has for Nancy Pelosi. They see these aging deacons, ladies auxiliary officers and Sunday school teachers as obstacles to overcome in order to obtain church growth. There is a certain amount of animosity from progressives toward these Christians. The fact that animosity is in place is evidence of a spiritual problem on the part of the progressive pastor, not the church member. While this type of pastor may feel that the church member is more in love with the traditions than the Lord, the fact is this type of pastor is more in love with his new ideas than he is the church member.

1 John 2:9 says "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now." Don't sit there and criticize, run down, and complain about your church members, your brothers and sisters in Christ, then try to tell me how spiritual you are. You are not, and your attitude and the Bible bear witness to that fact.

Secondly, if you truly want to have a successful ministry, one that God will reward, you need to remember what your role is. Ephesians 4:12 says your work is the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the body of Christ (the local church). If you want to see true church growth, perfect your saints. That means to equip them for the work of the ministry, which is making disciples (evangelism and teaching).

Furthermore, 2 Timothy 4:5 says "Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." Did God truly call you to preach the Gospel? Then why are you not soul-winning? Do you really want to reach the unreached? Why aren't you knocking on their doors.

The work of a pastor is to train the church to do the Great Commission (which is soul-winning, baptizing and teaching, not total change and cosmetic appeal), and to do the Great Commission himself, not to remake the church after his own image.

Why do I bring all this up? Why did I go on this rant? Why?

Because I, for one, and tired of hearing news about a church split where a pastor thought he had to effect a bunch of change to reach new people. I'm tired of hearing how that church was divided and torn apart because the pastor insisted on ramming his agenda through business meeting. I'm tired of hearing about believers being wounded by pastors who degrade them for not "getting with it." I'm tired of it!

I am not anti-Contemporary worship. However, Contemporary worship never won a single soul to the Lord (neither did traditional.) The preaching of the Gospel and the work of evangelists have won multitudes of souls for the Lord. A new worship center can not win souls, but a spirit-filled preacher can. A cool, hip approach to church can not welcome a visitor like a church where there is a sweet spirit.

Brethren, it is time to quit wasting time and churches on this nonsense and get back to basics. Evangelism and teaching. May God bless you where you minister.

Sorting Through Revelation: Chapter 17

2010-12-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

The great whore described in Revelation 17.

From the time that I was a child, I was taught that the great whore in Revelation 17 symbolized false religion, and the fact that she was drunk with the blood of the saints represented how false religions persecute Christianity. Some have theorized that this great whore in Revelation 17 symbolizes the Catholic Church (because of the way the Catholic Church persecuted non-Catholics in centuries past) while others theorize that the great whore represents Islam and its Jihad against non-Muslims and "the people of the book."

While scripture often uses a woman to symbolize a religious movement (the woman in the ephah in Zechariah 5, the woman that hid leaven in three measures of meal in Matthew 13:33), Revelation 17:18 says that the woman John saw (the great whore) is "that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

The ABA Sunday School Adult Lesson Commentary states "The angel's description of the woman as 'that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth' (verse 18) is a lead-in to the account of the destruction of Babylon, which is related in (Revelation) Chapter 18." The commentary goes on to state that the false religion system reigned over the kings of the earth because of the wealth and influence it controlled.

The destruction comes, then, when the kings decide they've had enough of the false religion's influence and confiscate the property and imprison or kill the leaders of the religion. While all of this seems fairly logical, I'm not sure it really hits the nail on the head (and I'm not sure anyone can, there is a reason one of her titles is "MYSTERY.")

Going back to the hermeneutics rule that women in scripture represent religion or religious movements, and including the fact that the angel in Revelation 17 specifically designates the great whore as representing "that great city (Babylon)," one has to conclude that the great whore is, in fact, the city of Babylon, with it's wealth, influence, prestige, attractiveness, and with its heavy religious influence.

Babylon the great will be a prosperous city, despite the death and destruction that takes place during the tribulation leading up to God's wrath. It will be the seat of the Anti-Christ, which means that it will be the most influential city on earth at the time. The power and influence of being the Anti-Christ's seat will undoubtedly contribute to the prosperity of the city, but the city will be more than just a futuristic New York City, Washington, London or Tokyo. It will be a city of power, prosperity, and religious movements, most notably that of the false prophet.

All of these traits are captured with the picture of the great whore. She is riding on the back of the beast (influence), she is very attractive (prosperity, John marvelled at her) and she is a woman, symbolic of religion. In the end time, Babylon will be THE hub of false religion.

Zechariah 5:6-11 says:

This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, this is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, this is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings, for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I unto the angel that talked with me, whither do these bear the ephah? And he said to me, to build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

The woman in the ephah, as well as the two women with stork's wings represent wickedness, which is often synonymous with false religion. The two women with stork's wings bear the other woman in the ephah to the land of Shinar to build it (wickedness and false religion) a house there.

The restored palace at Babylon, photo taken in 2003.

The land of Shinar is Babylon, modern day Iraq. To fulfill this prophecy, I believe that the city of Babylon will be rebuilt in Iraq... either by someone literally rebuilding on its ruins like Saddam Hussein started, or by a city like Baghdad becoming a revitalized prosperous city. I don't believe the city of Rome will become "Babylon."

This revitalized Babylon (which might become prosperous as the international community becomes involved in rebuilding it following the Iraq war, plus economic opportunity could give way to commercial development) will become the hub for false religion.

So, in the final days of Babylon, it's not just the world capital, or the world trade center, but it is also the religious center of the world. The false religious roots in the city will run as deep, if not deeper than any of the city's other traits.

So why, if the great whore represents the city of Babylon, power, prosperity and religion, would the kings of the earth devour her, seeing how they made a fortune off her (Revelation 18)? Simple. Revelation 17:17 says God will put it into their hearts to fulfill his will. Also, they may think that by conquering her, they can take over her power, wealth and influence, and rid themselves of the religion.

Ironic, huh? God overthrows Babylon, and uses the kings and people of the earth who took advantage of her wealth and power to do so. It will be done quickly and with much violence, but the battle isn't over yet. The kings, Anti-Christ and false prophet re-emerge in Chapter 19 to make war with the Lamb.

Now this is the way I am interpreting this passage, and I have found that no matter how long Bible scholars study Revelation, they all come up with a different interpretation. Which means that of all the men that have studied this their entire lives, most, if not all, will be incorrect in some of their interpretations and conclusions.

Which is why, knowing that I will likely fall into the "missed the interpretation" category in some respect, I welcome well thought out responses to my posting on this passage, so that I may have my iron sharpened and learn a little bit. What do you say?

God is Blessing Hill Country MBM in Kerrville, TX

2010-11-30T22:22:00.000-08:00

Current meeting facility for Hill Country MBM.

It's always a blessing to me to visit with brothers and sisters in Christ who are diligently working to see the Gospel spread and lives changed. That's why it is an honor to be able to visit with Don, Cindy, Bethany and Allison Trussell in Kerrville, TX.

Bro. Don is entering his second year as a state salaried missionary, serving at Hill Country MBM in Kerrville. Prior to answering the call of the Lord, Hill Country, and sponsoring church Faith MBC of Round Rock, Bro. Don and Sis. Cindy worked as house parents for the Texarkana Baptist Orphanage.

The Trussells are working hard in Kerrville. They are holding one-day VBS's on Saturdays (one in November and one in December), Open House events at the church building, doing evangelism and reaching out in their community, and trying to see God build the work. So far, the Lord has been blessing.

Cooper the dog visits kids at VBS

As with any mission work, the more tools you have, the more widely you can spread the Gospel. In mission work, those tools are often acquired due to the generous support given by sister churches. As of right now, Bro. Don and Sis. Cindy are working with minimal support aside from the support from the MBA of Texas, their sponsoring church and a recent TMD presentation. The MBA of Texas support pays Bro. Don's salary and the TMD funds can only be used to purchase land or buildings. The MBA of Texas Ladies Auxiliary recently presented the Kerrville mission with the 2010 annual mission project check, but again those funds have designated uses.

In the mean time, tracts need to be purchased and distributed, outreach events need to take place, and the mission could use a few more resources. Therefore, I would like to encourage the churches of the MBA of Texas to consider supporting the work in Kerrville. If not regularly, perhaps a one-time offering. The Trussells are most grateful for all support given. On that note, I am grateful for the support given to the Brownwood work as well. Your support really enables us to do great things for the Lord.

Offerings for the Kerrville mission can be sent via their sponsoring church:

Faith MBC
1561 Sam Bass
Round Rock, TX 78681.

Be sure to write on the memo line that the check is intended for Hill Country Mission in Kerrville.

90-Hour Weeks with Little Sleep? You're Doing It Wrong!

2010-11-23T07:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had the Lord remind you of something so basic you know you shouldn't have needed the reminder? Recently, while studying my Bible, I came across Psalm 127, that says, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so He giveth His beloved sleep."

We know that as children of God, and some of us ministers of God, that without Christ, we can do nothing. Unless the LORD prospers our efforts, our labors are in vain. Paul sowed, Appollos watered, but GOD gave the increase. One of the things that separates Christians from the world is that we know that God will provide our needs, and that if we rely on Him, we don't need to neglect our families so we can work around the clock for additional "security." We know that, right? Maybe. Maybe not.

I have found myself lately in a situation where my wife and I have had little time together. When we do get together, its for a half hour for lunch, or maybe a few minutes in the evening after the kids have gone to bed. The kids... when was the last time I hiked up Enchanted Rock with them? When I have been taking that time with them, many times my thoughts wandered back to what I "really" needed to be accomplishing.

Psalm 127 reminds us that God builds the church, provides our needs and gives us security. It is God who blesses our efforts. Therefore, as verse two says, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so He giveth His beloved sleep."

Wake up at a decent hour (early ends at 6 a.m.), go to bed at a decent hour and be a good steward of the time in between (don't waste two or three hours on Facebook or YouTube). We need to get our ducks in a row on this because our lack of faith is having a devastating effect on the cause of Christ.

Recently, I lamented my schedule to Bro. Jim Slocumb, who told me that I better straighten it out because no Great Commission work is worth losing your wife. I'm noticing as I look across the fruited plain that more ministers seem to be getting divorced now than ever before. I am not judging those men, I don't know what happened. What I do know is that long periods of separation, isolation, or neglect that come with long work hours play a role in the divorce of an otherwise good marriage.

When I was in seminary, a professor told our class that he was counseling with several ministers who had affairs. He said the one common factor in all of their situations was fatigue.

Therefore, I am committing, and strongly urge you to commit, to being a good steward of time, and to relying on the LORD for our efforts to be prospered. Our families need us. May God bless you, and may God bless the churches of the Lord.

Mission: Brownwood October 2010 Report

2010-11-10T22:06:00.000-08:00

Grace Pointe members observe a baptismal service at the lake.

Grace Pointe Attendance Rebounds in October

After having our average Sunday morning attendance hover in the mid to upper teens over the summer, we finally hit 20 in October. Sunday evening attendance averaged 13, our highest Sunday evening attendance since we started holding evening services in July, and Wednesday services held steady at 13. While we don't live and die by attendance numbers at Grace Pointe, seeing increased averages blesses us because it is indicative of more believers becoming true disciples.

Door-to-Door Visitation Results in One Soul Saved

During our weekly door-to-door visitation, Bro. Randy Kelso and I were able to lead one man to the Lord. Please pray that more people would be receptive to the Gospel. We have not even canvassed 25 percent of Brownwood yet, but have seen 18 souls saved over the two years we have been here.

Radio Ministry Gets Underway

Beginning November 4, 60-second Gospel messages sponsored by Grace Pointe began airing on local radio station The Breeze 96.9 KQBZ. The Breeze is our local Adult Contemporary station, very popular among locals who are under 40, and our messages air at 7:50 a.m. as parents are dropping kids off for school. Below is the audio to one of the messages. More can be found on our facebook page.

It's Association Time Again

I will be attending the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas Meeting Nov 15-17. During this meeting, I need your support. (a) Grace Pointe will be nominated for the State Ladies Auxiliary Mission Project. We are trying to finish out the third year of our three-year plan to be self-supporting. West Texas needs churches, and Grace Pointe aims to fill that need as soon as we become self supporting. (b) I will be up for state support again this year. We have rolled back our requested support amount from $3,058 to $2,800 this year. This will be the last year we request state support.

And (c) while not a part of the association meeting, Grace Pointe is on the TMD ballot this quarter. We would greatly appreciate your vote. There are currently two church buildings on the market ranging in price from $150,000 to $200,000. TMD funds would take us a long way toward reaching our fundraising goals to purchase a facility.

Sunday Morning:
10/3/10 - 21
10/10/10 - 19
10/17/10 - 18
10/24/10 - 19
10/31/10 - 23

Sunday Evening:
10/3/10 - 18
10/10/10 - 9
10/17/10 - 13
10/24/10 - 14
10/31/10 - 11

Wednesday Evening
10/6/10 - 12
10/13/10 - 9
10/20/10 - 12
10/27/10 - 14

A Plea for West Texas Support

2010-11-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

In the messenger meeting of the MBA of Texas next week (11/15-11/17), the state Ladies Auxiliary Meeting, and in the upcoming Texas Mission Development vote, tough decisions will have to be made regarding which missionaries and projects to support, and which ones not to support.

While the missionaries and projects presented before all three bodies (state meeting, Ladies Auxiliary and TMD) are worthy projects, led by Godly, respectable men, I really want to present the urgency and magnitude of the need in Brownwood and West Texas in general.

First of all, MBA of Texas churches in West Texas are scarce. From Brownwood, our nearest sister churches to the northwest are Wyndrock MBC and Texas Ave. MBC of Abilene, some 84 miles away. To the southwest, Beacon Baptist Church is in San Angelo, some 90 miles away. To the south, Hill Country Mission in Kerrville is approximately 120 miles (two-hours of driving) away, and to the east, Westview MBC of Gatesville is 90 miles away. The nearest churches to the northeast are in the DFW metroplex (2.5 hours away), and the nearest churches to the north are at least 2.5 hours away in Iowa Park and Wichita Falls.

Now the popular perception is that West Texas is full of nothing but desert and tumbleweeds, but that only describes the areas west of the Pecos river... in Far West Texas. The areas in the panhandle and west-central Texas (from Midland-Odessa to I-35) are actually well populated with towns comparable to those in East Texas.

Between Brownwood and Abilene lies Coleman County (population 10,000). Between Brownwood and San Angelo lies Runnels County (population 11,000) and between Brownwood and Kerrville lies Fredericksburg (10,000), Brady (5,000) and Mason (2,000). All of these areas are at least an hour drive from the nearest MBA of Texas associated church.

Why is this relevant? Because these are all areas that need MBA of Texas churches started there, and we'll only be able to reach into these areas if the current mission projects in the area (Brownwood, Kerrville and Midland) are supported so they can become self supporting.

Why do we need MBA of Texas churches in these areas? Do I really need to answer that question? Because (a) people are lost and going to Hell there, (b) Meth and drug distribution rules the streets there, (c) alcoholism is prevalent (in Coleman, local police do not set up DUI check points and monitor night clubs for political and economic reasons) and (d) we can not delegate the responsibility of evangelizing these areas to other Baptist groups.

The predominant Baptist groups in this are are the Southern Baptist Convention churches, which, with all respect and deference made to my friends in the convention, are being fed pastors who were educated at Howard Payne University, a GBCTx school which teaches evolution and de-emphasizes the importance of correct Bible translations. The second most dominant type of Baptist church in this area is the Independent Baptist Church movement, which teaches salvation well and focuses on Soul Winning, but lacks in the teachings concerning the Lord's Supper. (They teach it, but they generally teach it open, though some are closed.) I am not against Independent Baptists, they are passionate about the Lord's Work and if you ever have some join your church, you'll find them to be well-taught, supportive church members. We can not just delegate this responsibility of reaching these groups to other Baptist denominations. The third most prevalent type of Baptist in this area is Primitive Baptist, followed by MBA of Texas churches.

The need in West Texas is great. We need more churches, more missionaries, and more support coming this direction, and while the churches of the MBA of Texas have been willing to support us in terms of state salary, other support is still needed.

At Grace Pointe in Brownwood, we have been pleading for building funds for two years, especially now that our currently rented building is not handicap accessible, and we have several members who need handicap accessibility. We are actually at a liability should anyone have an accident. We need to move into a place that is not only handicap accessible (per ADA laws), but can also accommodate future growth. Future growth is vital to becoming self-supporting.

At Hill Country in Kerrville, they were elected as the state ladies auxiliary project, but as of the end of October, only 25 percent of the goal had been raised.

In West Texas, we face the challenges of isolation. We are far removed from each other. The local association meeting and mission rallies are typically a five-hour drive away, unless you are the host church. Finding preachers to fill-in when the pastor/missionary is gone is also difficult and expensive, as few are willing to accept the appointment and funding the traveling expenses to bring a fill-in preacher to town can range from $300-$1,000. Attending associational functions in East Texas are difficult, as that can account for an 8-hour drive for some of our churches.

There is a need here, a need for the Gospel and the Lord's churches to be multiplied. That need can only be met by the willingness of the churches of the MBA of Texas to invest in West Texas, an area untouched by the MBA of Texas. With the support of the MBA of Texas, the mission projects we have in West Texas now will be able to finalize their organization efforts, and begin the process of reaching the surrounding towns.

We truly appreciate those who have supported us over the past few years. Memorial MBC of Rusk has supported us though they too have suffered hard times, Denson Springs MBC of Grapeland (Slocum community) has faithfully supported us, First Baptist Church of Arp has supported our building fund from the beginning, Muse MBC of Grapeland was one of our first supporters, Heritage BC of Tyler has stepped in when we needed it, White Rock MBC of Center has been a very faithful supporter, Bassett Road MBC and Memory Lane MBC of Palestine have always been there for us, Salmon MBC of Elkhart has ministered to us even though their finances were sometimes very tight, Nevill's Chapel MBC of Mt. Pleasant has been one of our biggest financial supporters, as well as Hickory Grove MBC in Newport, AR (although they never met us), East Side Baptist Church of Jacksonville, TX has been one of our most faithful supporters and I would be remiss if I didn't mention my sending church, Rocky Springs MBC of Jacksonville, who not only sent me out, but raised me up in the faith.

We have also received support from Oakland MBC of Rusk, (Oakland community) Sublett Road MBC and Crestview MBC of Arlington, Craig Rogers of Grapevine, Quaker Ave MBC of Lubbock, Beacon Baptist Church of San Angelo, Beacon Baptist Church of Odessa, Tall City MBC of Midland, Northside MBC of Snyder, and Northcrest MBC of Andrews, along with 58th Ave. MBC of Amarillo. I would also like to thank Heritage Baptist Church of Missouri City, TX, and the entire Southwest Association of Missionary Baptist Churches. I know I am forgetting some, and I do apologize. But Grace Pointe in Brownwood has enjoyed the benefit of supporting churches who help Rocky Springs with the 20 percent match for state salary, and with the various outreach projects undertaken in Brownwood that has helped Grace Pointe lead 18 souls to salvation.

The close fellowship I enjoyed with y'all back when I was in East Texas is always a great memory for me and my family, and I look forward to the day that we are no longer separated by an Interstate Highway and hours of driving, but are in close proximity to each other as we worship our Savior for eternity. Your prayers and support have been invaluable to us, and we appreciate it. We just ask that you don't forget us. May God bless you as you continue to remember us.

Why I Use the King James Version

2010-11-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Some who read my previous post about the coming drought of God's word might have questions regarding my choice of Bible translation. In my study, personal devotions, and in my preaching and teaching, I use the King James Version exclusively. Some would label me a "King James Only" preacher, but they would be wrong. Some might also be surprised to find that my views on this issue have changed dramatically in the past three years. This is an issue I think needs to be approached logically, and discussed intelligently. Too much of the Bible translation argument is characterized by misrepresentation and name-calling.

When I was in college, very little attention was paid to our Bible translations in our youth group. Perhaps the leader of the group felt that he should focus on more pressing matters (salvation and getting us to stay out of sin). Or perhaps he did address the issue, and I wasn't there. Or maybe I didn't pay attention. I don't know. I have nothing but nice things to say about the man.

However, when I joined Rocky Springs, I was informed that they were "King James Only." So, in an effort to get along, I carried a KJV to church, but continued reading from my NLT and NIV. I was later saved, and eventually went to using a KJV because I got to where I preferred it.

I took my KJV to seminary, during which I was taught that all literal translations of the scriptures were valid (which included the New King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, and even the NIV. Some of my fellow students even carried the English Standard Version). So, while I was in seminary, and during the early part of my ministry, I used the KJV, but vehemently defended other translations. At times I would dabble in a modern translation, maybe preach a sermon or two from it, but I couldn't get comfortable (and no, comfort is not why I use the KJV.)

After a few years of sparring with KJV-Only preachers over arguments about translation by committee and whether the person who led in the translation of the NIV was a lesbian, and whether modern translations were counterfeits, I came across some research by Bro. James Snyder. Bro. Snyder's research, his thesis for the Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary, did something no other discussion on the KJV did. It presented the argument in a purely logical form. Oh, and Billy Howard posted some info, but I rejected it from the hardness of my heart. Sorry, Bro. Billy.

Anyway, what separated Bro. Snyder's research is that it didn't focus on committees or conspiracy theories, but rather the texts and manuscripts that the various translations came from. His research also dealt with textual criticism.

What Bro. Snyder's research revealed to me is that the KJV is taken from the Received Text (Textus Receptus) while modern translations are taken from the Wescott and Hort text. Up until this point, no one had told me that the modern translations and the KJV were taken from completely different documents.

Now, the question is which text is the Word of God? The Received Text, or the Wescott and Hort Text. Seeing how the Received Text was widely regarded as the Word of God for centuries, and the Wescott and Hort Text wasn't finished until the late 1800s, are we to assume that the Received Text was not God's Word and the Wescott and Hort Text finally revealed it to us? Isn't this how cults get started? Or do we believe that the older text is closer to the original? Would God have allowed us to go centuries with a faulty copy of His word?

Seeing the Received Text has been accepted as God's Word for centuries, and it has been what has been used to spur revivals in countries around the world, I believe that we should accept the Received Text as the Word of God. As for the Wescott and Hort, it has significant differences from the Received Text, and comparing the two texts age wise and historically, I can't see how anyone would be able to say that it is the preserved Word of God and the Received Text is flawed.

So, until a modern translation advocate is able to demonstrate to me why the Wescott and Hort Text, a document completed in the late 1800s, super cedes the Received Text, and is able to prove the Received Text to be defective, I will continue to exclusively study, preach and teach from literal translations of the Received Text. The only reliable literal translations of the Received Text that are on the market today are the KJV, the KJV Easy Read, and sources say the up and coming KJV 21st Century, though I haven't had the opportunity to research that edition.

Which translation should you use? A literal translation of the Received Text. There are various translations of the Received Text available in most languages.

So, don't accuse me of believing in an immaculate translation or idolizing a translation, or being a stick in the mud. All I am doing is using the translation that I believe is the true word of God.

The Coming Drought

2010-10-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

During a recent trip to a Christian retailer, I was overcome at how God's word has been sent to the back burner, even in Christian circles. I was saddened to see an abundance of books that were either (a) fiction, (b) self-help "how to have a totally great life" type books, (c) toys and trinkets to attract the children and (d) an ever-shrinking availability of studies and devotions that utilize the word of God as translated in the King James Bible. I dare say that had I gone into this retail establishment looking for the Gospel, I would have had to search long and hard before finding a book that would fit the bill (which I did... The Mind of Christ, which also used the KJV.)

Now I want to be perfectly clear. I do not begrudge this retailer for the selection they carried. As a retailer, all they were doing was stocking merchandise that would sell. The fact that Christian retailers don't stock many KJV Bibles, many devotions and study guides that use the KJV, and the subject of the books are man-centered and not God centered is an indication that the Christian community in America is not interested in those things. For if the Christian community were interested in the KJV and God-centered/Christ-centered resources, they would buy them and the stores would be full of them.

The lack of commitment to the word of God and the study of the Gospel in the Christian community is leading us toward a spiritual drought. Amos 8:11 says, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD."

While at this Christian retailer, my wife found a study that she would like to go through. The subject of the study was something that had been on her heart and she really felt that she would be blessed by doing the study. The study was compiled by a noted speaker who was the child of a very prominent author, speaker and senior pastor of a DFW metro-area church. When I took a look at the study, this author had not only elected to build this study off of modern translations, but she had used paraphrase translations like the NLT and the Message. Not only are the NLT and The Message paraphrase translations, meaning they take God's word and reword it to what they think it says, but it's not even taken from the Received Text, which, for hundreds of years was widely regarded as the true word of God.

How can we, as Christians, say that we are truly being Christ-centered, God-centered people if we are not even willing to take our thoughts and ideas directly from God's word? It gets worse.

Browsing the aisles of this retailer, I found more and more studies which used NIV and NLT versions of the Bible to support their research. I began to wonder if the KJV even still has a place at the table. Does it? Why the animosity toward the KJV? Why the exclusion of the KJV? The only study I found using the KJV was The Mind of Christ, and I find it interesting how it was also the only Christ-centered study I found.

Here's the conclusion I came to while visiting this establishment. As long as we continue down this road of abandoning the true word of God (The KJV and all other static equivalent translations of the Received Text), and gravitating toward paraphrase translations and translations from faulty manuscripts, all the while focusing the message on ourselves and not God, they we will continue toward an expended period of spiritual drought. During this time, we may very well deceive ourselves into thinking that we are experiencing revival due to our ability to manufacture miracles and gather people together for flesh-appealing events, but at the end of the day, we'll still be spiritually dry because we will have sought after fulfillment and emotional validation rather than the Lord.

If we continue down that path, we are setting ourselves up for deception as the end times draw near. The Bible is all about the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins according to the scriptures. Which scriptures? The true scriptures. If you want spiritual revival, open up God's word (any literal translation of the Received Text), and learn about God. Don't seek your own agenda. You'll remain dry. May God bless you as you read His word.

Testing

2010-10-25T14:29:00.001-07:00

I have moved this blog over to my new email address. This is just a test to make sure all is well.

I Preach Christ Crucified... Got a Problem with That?

2010-09-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Following another wonderful Sunday morning service at Grace Pointe MBC in Brownwood, I was approached by a church member who said, "These people in this congregation are all saved. We don't need salvation messages, we need messages about Christian living."

I'm not going to lie, when someone criticizes my preaching (especially the sermon topic), my flesh gets all riled up. So that particular morning, I chose not to engage the conversation. I simply said, "okay," and moved on.

You see, at Grace Pointe, we study through books of the Bible during our Sunday morning, evening and Wednesday night sermons. On Sunday mornings, we study Luke. On Sunday evenings, we study 1 John. On Wednesday evenings, we study Revelation. What I preach about is determined by the text that comes up next in the book we are studying. So, it should come as no surprise that an overwhelming majority of the sermons preached at Grace Pointe Missionary Baptist Church are centered around the Gospel, for the Gospel is the central message of the Bible. Furthermore, we need to be more committed to preaching the Word of God (the Gospel, as recorded and taught in scripture) because the general public has no concept of the Gospel and God's plan of salvation. (If you don't believe me, go out and knock 10 doors of complete strangers in your neighborhood, ask how to be saved, and record the answers.)

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul said, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

Typically, we use these verses to define the Gospel. That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. The Gospel had already been foretold by the Old Testament scriptures, and those Old Testament scriptures are what Paul referred to when he preached the Gospel.

Acts 17:2-3 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

Not only did Paul preach the Gospel when he was evangelizing, it was his central message. 1 Corinthians 1:23 says "We preach Christ crucified."

While the Bible does address issues like being a good husband, father, or a wife and mother, or being a good child, or a good employer/employee, the overwhelming majority of the Bible conveys the message of the Gospel and how God uses the obedience of His people for His honor and glory. Furthermore, the Bible also conveys how God rewards those who are faithful. To abandon the message of the Gospel for a series of "how to be the best ______ you can be" sermons is to turn away from the message of God's word and relegate the Holy Scriptures to a bargain bin self help book like thousands of man-made philosophies lining the shelves of bookstores everywhere.

"But what about the meat of the Word, shouldn't we get beyond salvation to the meat?" You ask.

First of all, scripture does not get any deeper than Jesus Christ (Thank you Roger Copeland for pointing that out.) Secondly, a deeper study of the Bible will always lead to a deeper understanding of the Gospel. The book of Hebrews admonished Hebrew believers for being stuck on the milk of the word... not that they didn't know a lot of scripture, but that they didn't have a thorough understanding of God's grace to the point that they would leave their old religion of sacrifices and rituals behind. Perhaps the reason we have generations of baby Christians who never mature is that we (a) never move beyond the "Here's how to be saved, Admit, Believe and Confess" sermons, and (b) if we do, we preach on some obscure theological point that will not help a person walk with God. The deeper the believer understands the Gospel, the more mature the believer will be in his faith, the more meat the believer can handle, and the stronger that believer's faith will be.

Therefore, as long as God blesses me with a preaching ministry, I plan to continue to preach through books of the Bible, thus preaching the whole counsel of God, and also placing emphasis on what God placed emphasis in His word.

My people are destroyed...

2010-08-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge...." This morning I was visited by a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses (so-called) who said they were looking for people who were "seeking the truth." Anyone who has ever interacted with Jehovah's Witnesses can attest to the fact that opening the scriptures to them is a difficult task because their "Bible" is vastly different from the KJV.

The lady told me that she used to read the KJV before its errors were pointed out to her. I asked how the New World Translation came about, and she told me that scholars went to the museums where the old texts were held and translated them. Her arguments against the KJV mirrored the arguments made against it by proponents of modern translations, but that is not the point of my post.

She had been taught that God has tossed aside the nation of Israel, and that the Old Testament is now obselete. This view flies in the face of Daniel 9, Romans 9, and the Biblical concept of God's plan with man.
She had also been taught that salvation begins with Christ. Salvation begins and ends with Christ (Hebrews 12:2.)

Brethren, it is destructive to stay in the milk of the word and never move on to the meat. To fail to study God's word with the intent of learning more about God is to leave yourself vulnerable to deception. The propigators of false religion are tenacious, well educated and very persuasive. We need to be armed with the whole armor of God, including the sword of the word, and we must know how to properly use it. Otherwise, we will present ourselves to be foolish and dishonor the cause of Christ.

Get in the word today. Open your Bible. Study to show thyself approved. God bless you all.

The Shortest 10 Weeks of the Year

2010-08-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

It's football season once again! The temperature cools down, the arm chair quarterback begins to share his wisdom, and fans pack stadiums to watch their favorite high school, college and professional football teams chase championship glory. To celebrate this American tradition, we even have a new anthem to remind us how close we are to this game. Kenny Chesney's "The Boys of Fall" is currently being played at every country radio station, can be heard from the windows of pickup trucks and is hummed at the checkout line at Walmart.

This year in Brownwood, fans have the added excitement of their team being ranked #1 in the Class 3A Associated Press football poll. Football is good and fun, and it highlights some core values that we should all hold dear.

Everything in Life is Temporary - Last season's success of failure is over. Can you tell me, off the top of your head, who won the Class 2A state championship in Texas last year? Who lost last year's Superbowl? What was the record of the 1983 Dallas Cowboys? If you correctly answer these questions, you either looked it up on the internet, or are too obsessed with football. Mike Leach said it best, "That catch you made last year, well, that was last year!" Most of our accomplishments on this earth will be short lived. My grandfather desegregated the Dawson (TX) public school system, and secured the funding to build a new high school for Latexo, TX. Neither town remembers who he is. Dawson, TX, does remember their most successful football coach ever, and named the stadium after him, but they forget that my grandfather hired him. Most of what we do will be forgotten.
Invest in That which is not Temporary - When the Dallas Cowboys signed Terrell Owens, most fans knew that TO would only be around a few short years. Still, Jerry Jones signed the receiver to a huge contract. Even after TO was cut from the team, the Cowboys still owed him millions of dollars. That is not a wise financial investment, neither is investing in something that won't last wise. While most footballers see the value in bringing in rookie talent and developing it into superstar talent, many don't understand the value in investing in the eternal things of this life.
Football is for a short time, but eternity is forever - Brownwood is full of men walking the streets who played on the 1960 state championship team, or any one of the other 6 state championship teams from Brownwood. These men, for the four years they were in high school, invested every ounce of their being into their football careers. Most of these football careers ended at graduation. A few went on to play in college. While they recognize how fleeting those football days were, and how important it was to get an education and gainful employment to take them through the rest of their lives, most fail to realize the importance of preparing for eternity. My four years of high school ended 14 years ago. It seems like it was in the distant past, and it seems very short. That's how your life will appear to you when you go into eternity. The life we lived on this earth will have seemed short and fleeting, yet, just like the decisions I made in high school still affect me now, so will the decisions we make on this earth affect you throughout all eternity.

And so now we get to the meat of the matter. Isn't it sad to see a man whose best days were while he was in high school? Don't make that mistake with your life in eternity. No matter how good or bad things are in this life, they will be but a blip on your eternal existence. The key decision you need to make in this life is to repent of your sins and trust Jesus Christ as your personal savior. If you do so, you will spend eternity in Heaven. If you choose not to do so, you will spend eternity in Hell. The choice is yours.

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Down the Home Stretch: Acquiring a Permanent Worship Facility

2010-08-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

The front of the church building we are trying to buy.

In June of 2008, my wife Jessica, my children and I moved to Brownwood, TX, under the authority of Rocky Springs MBC, for the purpose of starting a local New Testament church. Brownwood is a town of approximately 24,000 people, with 37,000 living in the county. It is home to Howard Payne University, 3M and Kohler, and the nearest ABA church is located 84 miles away in Abilene, TX.

Over the past two years, we have seen 17 souls saved, four follow the Lord in Baptism, and numerous additions by letter and statement. Our attendance ranges from 15-30 on Sunday mornings, and we have been holding services in a rented facility that is only able to accommodate 40-50 people comfortably.

In order for our mission work (Grace Pointe MBM) to grow to become self-supporting, I feel that we will need to be able to grow numerically, as well as spiritually. While our current congregation is growing spiritually, the numeric growth will continue to be a challenge in our current facility.

Sanctuary from the back row

There is a vacant church facility located on the south end of town, adjacent to the youth sports complex, which includes the high school football stadium. To the north of this facility is Brownwood Middle School. This facility is also located adjacent to Brownwood’s largest residential neighborhood.

The proposed facility has a sanctuary that will seat 125 comfortably, has five classrooms, a kitchen and fellowship hall, and sits on five acres of land that will offer room for future growth. We have begun to canvass this neighborhood and have received great feedback.

The asking price for this facility is $195,000. Aside from some minor repairs, this facility is a turnkey operation. The church pews and church furniture is still in place, including a working baptistery, sound system and projection system. This facility is the most cost-effective option in obtaining a permanent worship facility for this new work.

Our goal is to raise the funds necessary to purchase this facility without going into debt. Any and all contributions to this project will be greatly appreciated, and will ONLY be used to purchase a worship facility for Grace Pointe MBM.

View from the pulpit

Should this particular facility be sold before we can raise the funds, there are two other facilities available for purchase. Please consider sending us a one-time offering for this project.

Support for our building fund can be sent to:

Grace Pointe MBM

PO Box 1828

Brownwood, TX 76804

Thank you for your consideration.

In Christ,

Leland Acker
Missionary to Brownwood, TX
(325) 200-8531

Mission: Brownwood July 2010 Report

2010-08-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Grace Pointe Enjoys Successful Summer Month

July saw Grace Pointe hold their first revival meeting (led by Bro. James Snyder of Central MBC in Jonesboro, LA), its third VBS (with a high attendance of 19 children), two professions of faith, one baptism and one addition by statement.

Ramping up Our Efforts

Grace Pointe has three major projects we are working on right now in an effort to reach the unchurched of Brownwood, TX, and eventually grow to be self-supporting. (1) We are currently going door-to-door sharing the Gospel and distributing tracts. When we finish giving out the current batch of tracts, we will have given out 3,000 Chick Tracts. That means that roughly 15% of Brownwood residents have received a Chick tract from us, not including the 15,000 people who received tracts from us at last year’s Brownwood Reunion. (2) We are also preparing to spread the Gospel at this year’s Brownwood Reunion. For this outreach, I plan to purchase 10,000 custom printed tracts for $920 shipping included. On average, this event is attended by 15,000 people. (3) We are looking to raise funds to acquire a worship facility. More on this to be posted in the near future.
By The Numbers:

Attendance:

Sunday Morning:

7/4 - 16 ($516)
7/11 - 16 ($145.50)
7/18 - 14 ($61)
7/25 - 14 ($500)

Sunday Evening:

7/4 - 12
7/11 - 13
7/18 - 16
7/25 - 10

Income:
Offerings: $1,222.50
Memorial MBC (Rusk, TX) $50
Marvin Acker (Jacksonville) $100
Roy & Cynthia McMullin $25
TM and Eloise Jones $25
Jim Slocumb ; $100
Northcrest MBC (Andrews, TX) $69.25
Arp First Baptist (Arp, TX) $120

Expenses:
Rent: $600
Sound System: $432.99
Leland Acker: $200
Brownwood Water: $84.51
James Snyder (Revivalist) $500
Lake Brownwood State Park (Baptismal Service) $27
VBS Budget (Details provided as soon as available) $500
Checks: $32.67
VBS Banner: $96
VBS Booklets: $192.50
Rich Cone A/C Repair: $298.50
TXU: $144.75

Mission Fund
Support:
MBA of Texas $3,058
Rocky Springs MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $515
Denson Springs MBC (Grapeland, TX) $100
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
Heritage MBC (Missouri City, TX) $200

Expenses:
Leland Acker Salary + Housing: $3,622
Building Materials $279.93
Newspaper Ad for Revival $97.50
Revival $451.51
Outreach Luncheon $120
VBS supplies $373.67

Getting down to the Nitty Gritty in Revelation

2010-08-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

We are studying the book of Revelation at Grace Pointe MBC in Brownwood, TX. For the past few months, we have been studying the seven churches of Asia, and the significance of the contents of God's throne room as is described in Revelation 4-5. This week, we begin chapter 6, which depicts the opening of the seals and the events that unfold during the Tribulation, the seven year period at the end of our current era also known as Daniel's 70th week.

At this point of the study, members at Grace Pointe will expect to hear teaching regarding the timing of the events of the seven-year tribulation. Growing up, I was always taught the following order of things:

The Rapture occurs.
The seven-year tribulation begins.
The four horsemen of Revelation 6 appear.
The two witnesses appear at the Temple or temple mount in Jerusalem.
The "Wrath of the Lamb" worldwide earthquake.
The Anti-Christ, who has appeared on the scene at some point during all this, assumes power.
The Anti-Christ is assassinated, but then healed.
The two witnesses are assassinated, then resurrect after three days in full view of the entire world.
The final 3.5 years of the Tribulation, known as "The Great Tribulation," begin.
The mark of the beast, total war, total judgment, total destruction, Christ returns and establishes His kingdom.

However, as a result of my personal study, and some teachings I received in seminary, I have concluded that the above list is inaccurate. First of all, in all passages of end time prophecy, the rapture is not mentioned. (The rapture is only described in 1 Thessalonians, and briefly in Matthew 24). Furthermore, I find it interesting that there is no mention of the Rapture in Revelation before the opening of the seals, which tells me that there is no Rapture that occurs before the Tribulation begins.

Furthermore, the two witnesses are not mentioned until Revelation 11. They will prophesy 1,260 days (or 3 1/2 Jewish calendar years.) The Antichrist (The beast) will be given power for 42 months (3 1/2 years).

This information, along with the understanding of the purpose of Daniel's 70th week (to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, and to reconcile God to His people, the Jews... Daniel 9:24), we find that the contemporary Christian understanding of the Tribulation is incorrect. Most Christians understand that the seven-year tribulation is God's wrath executed upon an unbelieving world. According to scripture (Daniel 9:24), the purpose is to bring Israel to repentance.

The fact that the Tribulation will be brought about to bring Israel to repentance means that it is not ALL God's wrath being poured out on the earth, meaning that God's children, those who know Jesus as Savior, will in fact endure at least part of the Tribulation. Scriptural evidence of this includes the martyrs mentioned in Revelation 6:9-11 and Revelation 7:9-16.

As for the two witnesses, I am thinking that their prophetic ministry happens during the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, the Great Tribulation. Why? First of all, when they minister. Revelation 11:1 tells John to measure the Temple of God, meaning the Temple will exist during the duration of the ministry of the two witnesses. Secondly, they witness for 3 1/2 Jewish years... the exact length of time of the Great Tribulation (the second half of Daniel's 70th week). Thirdly, the entire world rejoices at their demise... meaning that the world believes that its trouble is over because the two witnesses are gone. Notice also that 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says the world will say "peace and safety," then sudden destruction comes upon them. That is exactly what will happen at the end of the Tribulation.

As for the timing of the Rapture, I think I have found a passage in Revelation 14:14-20:

Rev 14:14-20 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

In this passage, you have one on the cloud like unto the Son of Man with a sickle, who reaps at the cry of the first angel who comes out of the Temple (the Rapture of the Saints?), and another angel who came out of the Temple with a sharp sickle who gathers the grapes of the earth (the fruit of the world, the unsaved) at the cry of the angel from the altar.

This incident happens immediately before the last seven plagues in Revelation 15, which are filled up with the wrath of God. If the rapture is in fact in Revelation 14, then it still occurs before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth, thus we are still not appointed unto wrath.

With this (and many other thoughts in mind) my new timeline is as follows:

The seven year Tribulation (Daniel's 70th Week) begins at the signing of a covenant between the man who will go on to become the Beast (the Antichrist) and Israel. The covenant (probably will be called a treaty) will be a seven year treaty. (Daniel 9:27)
The seven seals and the 144,000 sealed.
The seven trumpets.
The midpoint - the two witnesses emerge and the beast (Antichrist) assumes power after having a fatal wound healed. The talking statue and the mark of the beast begin.
Rapture
Wrath (seven plagues and seven vials).
Fall of Babylon.
Marriage supper of the Lamb
1,000 year reign.
Destruction of Satan.
Final judgment.
New Heaven and New Earth, New Jerusalem.

One objection some will have to this timeline is the timing of the rapture. Paul wrote that it would be at the last trump. It is possible that the seven trumps extend beyond the midpoint of the Tribulation. Regardless of the accuracy of my timeline, God's timeline is set and secure. This means that regardless of the timing of the rapture, God's saints will endure persecution and times are set to get harder. Be prepared and shore up your faith through the study of God's word (Romans 10:17).

I am not an end times expert, nor a scholar in the book of Revelation. These are conclusions I am basing on a study of Revelation in and of itself, with a background of having previously studied Daniel. Should you have any thoughts to offer, corrections to make, or arguments to advance, feel free to do so, as long as all is done in brotherly love and is supported by scripture in context.

A Democrat? Me?

2010-07-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

During our mad rush to make the publishing deadline when I worked at the Cherokeean Herald, my managing editor and I were lamenting the Texas Legislature's refusal to continue to fund the Texas State Railroad. Under a new Republican-controlled House and Senate, the legislature was leading the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to cut expenses, even if it meant shutting down some of the top attractions in Texas.

The Texas State Railroad was on the chopping block because it operated at a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. What was unscrupulous about the whole situation was that while the railroad brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars annually just by providing rolling stock for movies, that movie revenue was not credited to the railroad. So, when the annual financial reports came out, the train showed the expense of providing engines and rail cars for the movies, but wasn't allowed to show the income received. That income went straight to the TPWD in Austin.

Surely, I lamented, that the state could continue to fund this park, given the movie revenue and the fact that the transportation department operates some of the best rest areas in the nation. That's when my boss (a life-long Democrat) looked at me and said, "Leland, you are beginning to sound like a Democrat."

I must confess, I had to rethink my position. At the end of the day, however, I came to the same conclusion. The state railroad had to be funded.

Sometimes we can say things that make perfectly good sense to us, but shock us when we find out that our statements are in agreement with our enemies. Now Democrats aren't my enemies (my boss and I were good friends), but I do oppose their platform. Politics aside, when we get into eternity, state parks funding, tax rates, foreign debt and national defense will be forgotten. What won't be forgotten will be the judgment we receive for our actions. For this reason, we must be very careful that we are fighting on the right side of Spiritual warfare.

Satan is the master-deceiver. Confusion is one of his best weapons, and often he uses it to turn the brethren against each other. Often times, Christians who both serve the Lord, who agree on 99% of things, wind up at each other's throats for the 1% of things they disagree upon. Fellowship is broken, fingers are pointed, accusations are made, and cautions to avoid Brother SoAndSo are issued. These things ought not to be true.

1 John 2:11 says "But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."

To hate means to detest. Do you detest your fellow Christians? Are the fundamentalists too stuck in the mud? Are the contemporary worshippers destroying worship? Is the ABA a liberal organization? Or a traditional pharisaical one? If you can not stand other Christians, it's not because you have surpassed them in spirituality. It is because you are blinded and walking in darkness.

Be not deceived. Detesting your brothers and sisters in Christ is indicative of a relationship with God that has grown distant. It is indicative of one who is stumbling around in darkness and not following Christ. Worse yet, satan can use that confusion and darkness to use you as a tool to wreak havoc on the Lord's church. Even worse still, when you spout those anti-Christian opinions, you sound just like satan.

In Zechariah 3, we see Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with satan at his right hand to resist him. Heaven help us if we find ourselves right there next to satan.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, the state decided to transfer control of the Texas State Railroad to American Heritage Railways, the same company that operates the Silverton-Durango Railroad in Colorado.

Attention Calvinists...

2010-07-14T07:23:00.001-07:00

I need to know how those who follow the TULIP doctrine harmonize their beliefs with the follwing passage from 1 Timothy 2:4-6:

4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

It would appear to me that the Who (God our Savior) wants ALL men to be saved (verse 4), Who gave Jesus Christ to be the mediator between God and man (Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for ALL, not just the elect).

It would appear that this passage contradicts unconditional election and irresistable grace. For if God will have all men be saved, and gave Christ as a ransom for all, then wouldn't God extend His unconditional election and irresistable grace upon all men.

Furthermore, if Christ gave Himself a ransom for ALL, then wouldn't that contradict limited atonement?

Fighting the War on a Budget

2010-06-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Robert McNamara may have earned the position as the most controversial secretary of defense in U.S. history. His decisions to consolidate U.S. military bases angered congressmen and the citizens of those districts, the opposition to the war in Vietnam demonized him, and he has been widely criticized for his involvement in the acquisition of the F-4 Phantoms for the U.S. Air Force. The jets were made without machine guns, because McNamara believed the pilot could fire a missile on the enemy from 75 miles away. That would have worked, if the Sparrow didn't have an 89% failure rate in Vietnam. (The tropical conditions hindered the missile).

There are many things you can criticize about McNamara, but in some ways he was a man ahead of his time. He wanted to develop combat aircraft that could both serve as bombers and air-to-air combat jets. Though that development failed during his tenure, the military later achieved that goal with the F/A-18s and the F-16s.

McNamara made many mistakes, but his decisions were driven by a core belief that the U.S. could not afford to be wasteful when spending money on defense. He believed that the U.S. could afford whatever was necessary for national defense, but that it shouldn't just write the defense department a blank check. McNamara understood that the U.S. could bankrupt itself on defense spending, a lesson that the former Soviet Union learned the hard way in the late 1980s.

Few things will cause hurt feelings and lost fellowship quicker than financial issues. Looking at the associational mission funds of the American Baptist Association and the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, I can tell you that financial issues are in our future. That is, unless the level of support these funds receive from the churches is greatly increased. Looking across our association at the state of our churches (not being critical, but many churches are struggling right now), the idea that more support is coming is not very realistic. Therefore, missionaries, the messengers that vote to support missionaries, their sponsoring and supporting churches will all have to make tough decisions in the years ahead.

At Mission: Brownwood, we have tried to be as cost-efficient as possible. Our biggest expenditures have been on my salary, building refurbishment and massive outreach campaigns. As time progresses, the new work will undertake more of those expenses on its own, but the work is only growing so fast despite our best efforts. None-the-less, when I look at the financial state of the MBA of Texas mission fund, I face the reality that there are not going to be many years of full salary for myself left. In fact, if something doesn't happen, the fund could be broke by 2012. At the same time, out direct support from sister churches has dropped off in the past couple of years. Two years ago, we averaged $1,800/month in direct support. In May of this year, we took in $1,200 from sister churches.

The fact of the matter is that missionaries are going to have to begin to make tough choices, because the well can run dry. We need to have a plan in place to keep our works going should that day ever come. Gone are the days when a missionary could go on salary and know that he was going to be able to draw that salary until his work organized (usually after the completion of an expensive brand new building). We're going to have to learn to purchase older church structures from protestant groups who have folded. We're going to have to learn to work out of school buildings, civic centers, and apartment community rooms. We are also going to have to learn to organize before land is purchased, buildings are built, and possibly before the pastor can draw a full-time salary from the church. We are going to have to streamline our expenses and learn to do more with less.

At the same time, it wouldn't hurt to see more support going to our associational mission programs. Over the past few years, especially when the fund balance was high (in both the Texas and national associations) men began to stand up and promote the idea of withdrawing support from these funds and directing support elsewhere. Some wanted to expend the reserves to purchase land in large cities. Others wanted to just expend it altogether. Others began to rail against our associational mission programs and call them waste of money. The discourse took its toll, and support began to erode. Now we are in a time when that support is needed, but getting the support back is always much more difficult than losing it.

There was a time when Missionary Baptists were proud of their mission programs. There was a time when having a healthy balance in the fund was a good thing, and the prayer was that more men would engage in true mission work so we could see that fund put to use. There was a time when men liked to see missionaries well-supported. Today, it seems that has all changed.

Satan is on the attack. Seminary enrollment is down, support for our associational mission programs, seminaries, mission development funds and mission efforts in general is down. Discourse on how to get new works started has been replaced with finger-pointing and back-biting. All the while, missionaries struggle on the field and supporting churches struggle back home. Let's all get back on the same page, and remember that our purpose here is to make disciples, baptize them, indoctrinate them and organize them into New Testament churches.

My pledge to you, as a missionary, is that I will do my best to streamline expenses and minimize my need. All I ask from you is that you engage in our associational mission work and help promote the Gospel in Texas, the USA, and around the world.

Mission: Brownwood May 2010 Report

2010-06-19T09:44:00.001-07:00

Grace Pointe attendance drops
as Satan attacks

Satan has launched an all out assault on Grace Pointe, resulting in lower attendance and tough times financially for the work.

He is attacking our younger families with discouragement and even led a man to try to lead a significant portion of our congregation into a local church of Christ.

Though these attacks came leading into the summer, which traditionally is a time of lower attendance, We are standing firm. We will hold VBS the last week of July, and a revival July 5-9.

Outreach efforts continue

We are approximately three weeks away from completing our door-to-door canvassing efforts in northwest Brownwood. Once this territory is completely canvasses, we’ll begin canvassing the Southside neighborhoods. Once the entire city has been canvassed, we’ll start all over.

Meanwhile outreach efforts at the Market Place and Wildwood Trails apartment complexes continue. These have yielded some fruit, as the bulk of our core group came out of Market Place apartments.

By The Numbers:

Attendance:

Sunday Morning:
5/2 - 11
5/9 - 15
5/16 - 22
5/23 - 16
5/30 - 9

Wednesday evening:
5/5 - 15
5/12- 15
5/19 - 15
5/26 – 15

FINANCES:
Offerings: $1,003.16
Memorial MBC (Rusk) $50
Jim Slocumb $100
Northcrest (Andrews) $95.31
First Baptist Church (Arp, TX) $120

Expenses:
Leland Acker: $400
James Snyder (fill-in) $100
TMD: $31.12
MBA of Texas $31.12
ABA $31.12
Abel Dimatulac $31.12

Mission Fund

Support:

Heritage Baptist Church (Missouri City, TX) $200
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
MBA of Texas $3,058
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $78.85
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
Ridgecrest MBC (Levelland, TX) $25
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $17.14
Quaker Ave MBC (Lubbock, TX) $100
58th Ave. MBC (Amarillo, TX) $148.15
East Side MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Wyndrock MBC (Abilene, TX) $40
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX) $224.46

Expenses:
Salary: $3,422
Housing: $950
Appliances for new home: $987
Outreach: $374.81
Travel Expenses: $255.68

Mission: Brownwood April 2010 Report

2010-05-07T08:57:00.001-07:00

3 Saved at Grace Pointe Youth Revival

Brother Ken and Sister Barbara Sibley held a youth revival at Grace Pointe April 28-30. Bro. Sibley presented the Gospel by using his illusions as illustrations. Meanwhile, Sis. Sibley led worship and taught lessons with Zeke the Dog. We averaged 21 in attendance each night, had several first time visitors and saw three souls saved.

Grace Pointe Attendance Spikes

April saw attendance reach into the 30s for the first time since we have been in Brownwood. We had 30 on Easter Sunday, 34 the following Sunday and 25 two weeks later. We have had several first time visitors who continue to visit, have had one rededication, one come forward for baptism, and now have solid prospective members in the souls saved at the youth revival.

Offerings Drop During Tax Month

I’m not sure if it was the woes that come with tax month, or the possibility that members who give sacrificially during tough attendance months took a breather during this month of high attendance. Either way, offerings have been down by $700 per month for the past two months. As a result, Grace Pointe has operated at a deficit for two months. We have had the funds in reserve to cover the expenses, but will need to make adjustments in our budget during our May business meeting.

Grace Pointe MBC
PO Box 1828, Brownwood, TX 76804

By The Numbers:

Sunday Morning
4/4/2010 - 30 ($506)
4/11/2010 - 34 ($247.07)
4/18/2010 - 25 ($187)
4/25/2010 - 11 ($87)

Wednesday Evening
4/6/2010 - 18
4/13/2010 - 11
4/20/2010 - 20
4/27/2010 - 21 (Youth Revival) 2 saved!
4/28/2010 - 20 (Youth Revival) 1 saved!
4/29/2010 - 22 (Youth Revival)

Finances
Offerings: $1037.07
Bonnie Rhodes (Snyder, TX) $100
Northcrest MBC (Andrews, TX) $68.99
First Baptist Church (Arp, TX) $120

Expenses:

Leland Acker $400
Rent (April) $600
Gas (March) $79.32
Lord’s Supper décor $103.55
Ben Woodward $190
Texas Mission Development $30
MBA of Texas (State missionaries) $30
ABA Interstate and Foreign Missions $30
Abel Dimatulac $30
TXU $42.68
Rent (May) $600
Gas (April) $30.12
Ken Sibley $300

Mission: Brownwood Account

Deposits:
MBA of Texas $3,058
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $82.60
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $400
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX) $392.11
Wyndrock MBC (Abilene, TX) $80
Rocky Springs MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $200
Heritage MBC (Missouri City, TX) $200
East Side BC (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Ridgecrest MBC (Levelland, TX) $75
Memory Lane MBC (Palestine, TX) $50
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
Denson Springs MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
58th Ave MBC (Amarillo, TX) $114.43
Quaker Ave BC (Lubbock, TX) $100

Expenses
Salary + Housing $3,422
Radio Ads for Youth Revival $220
Newspaper Ad for Youth Revival $195
Youth Revival Supplies $87.77

If only God were more like Starbucks! (Have we lost our minds?)

2010-05-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, church growth enthusiast have heralded Starbucks as a model to be followed in regard to church growth and multiplication (for those who haven't internalized the new vocabulary, multiplication is mission work). Starbucks has been heralded as an example for creating repeat customers (repeat visitors), opening new stores (starting new churches) and how to create "community." While I can appreciate a person admiring a company that makes a product they can enjoy, I can only hope that Starbucks closing 900 locations will abate the rise in "let's do it like Starbucks" churches.

My first and foremost problem with comparing church methods to Starbucks and modeling church growth strategies after the coffee giant is the fact that Starbucks is your quintessential liberal corporation. Based in Seattle, the chain has been widely criticized for promoting unGodly causes and lifestyles if by no other means than the "The Way I See It" cups.

The Bible says "I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? (1 Corinthians 6:5)" The context for this verse was the fact that church members were suing other church members in court. Paul was shaming the Corinthian church for seeking wisdom in heathen courts, when they possessed God's wisdom. Comparisons between the church and Starbucks, as far as I am concerned, amount to seeking worldly wisdom from worldly organizations and applying it to God's church. Did not God give us a formula for church growth? We have God's Word, we have His wisdom. Why on earth are we seeking wisdom from an organization like Starbucks?

My second problem with the often made parallel between Churches and Starbucks is the fact that they are not related. Sure, many churches have diminished valuable seating space in their sanctuaries by building coffee bars in the church buildings, but you can no compare true churches to Starbucks, neither will the marketing approach of Starbucks really benefit the churches.

First of all, Starbucks markets a product that, despite the downturn in business and the closing of 900 locations, people desire to purchase. People like Starbucks coffee, hence they are willing to pay $6 for 24 ounces of it. Contrast that with the churches. The churches, true churches, propagate the Gospel (the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins according to the scriptures.) People don't need Starbucks coffee, but they want it. People need the Gospel, but they don't want it. Disagree with me? First check Barna statistics, then check your Bible. John 3:19-21 clearly teaches that most people turn away from the Gospel because they don't want to have to own up to their sin.

You see, I could open up a coffee shop, spend $1,000 to advertise it, and be covered over in business. On the other hand, I can "start" a church, I can rent a building, put up a sign, spend $2,000 to advertise the new church, and not one soul will show up. Why? Because men liked darkness rather than light, because they didn't want their deeds to be reproved.

Seriously, I have personally designed effective marketing campaigns for clothing retailers, restaurants, cattle exchanges, horse sales, car dealerships, computer stores and repair shops, garage sales, boot repair shops, and pharmacies. These campaigns were very successful. To date, I have never designed and implemented an effective marketing campaign for a church. Why? Because people don't want the product.

So the idea that if we just adopted an image like Starbucks and marketed ourselves accordingly, we'd have first time and repeat visitors is flawed.

My third problem with the concept of modeling churches after Starbucks is closely related to the second. Starting a coffee shop is remarkably simpler than starting a church. To start a coffee shop, all you need is a name, equipment to make the coffee, knowledge of how to make the coffee, and a location. If you have the budget, you are in. Obtaining funding is the hardest part.

Starting a church is not so simple. First, just having knowledge, supplies and location is not enough. You must also have (1) the leadership of the Holy Spirit and (2) the desire, determination and perseverance to continue to share the Gospel one-to-one with lots of rejection. You see, unlike starting a coffee shop, starting a church requires you to convert people to an unpopular Gospel. Starting a coffee shop involves just letting people know you have a popular product. Many differences there.

My fourth problem is that I don't see what is so attractive about the Starbucks model of expansion. The Starbucks business model, at least up until 2009, included opening many locations in a small area, operate them at a loss to drive all competitors out of business, then jack up the prices. If a competitor opens up, buy out his lease!

What part of the model of "let's put other churches out of business" do we want to follow? (Sure, I am all for shutting down cults and false churches, but that's not what we are talking about.)

My fifth problem with the Starbucks model is that, like the video above, it is often used to criticize other churches. Notice in the video above, the producers took all that is stereotypically wrong with churches and applied them in a Starbucks setting. The video also poked fun at visitor cards, Christian bumper stickers, and outreach training methods. I saw no indication that the video's maker admitted that his church wasn't perfect. Nope. Just, "here's what's wrong with the way other churches do it. We're different. We're culturally relevant."

The Bible says "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. (Romans 14:4)" Who are you to go so far as to make a video to question methods other than yours?

My sixth problem with the Starbucks model is that it assumes that Starbucks has it all together in making new customers feel right at home. They don't. I've been there on more than a few occasions. I didn't know what to order, ordered a Mocha Latte (Thank you Kramer), drank my drink, and moved on. If I were to apply my experience to a church setting, it would be as if I were a first-time visitor who came in, sat on the back seat, sat for the duration of service, then left without any interaction with the church members. These scenarios happen in church. First time customers also get alienated at Starbucks. Quit idolizing them.

My last problem with Starbucks is that they are not nearly the jaggernaut that everyone believes them to be. At the outset of the recession in 2008-2009, they were one of the first companies to announce closings. More than 900 locations closed almost instantaneously. Can you imagine the panic if more than 900 Missionary Baptist Churches closed in 2009? Of course, the advantage the churches have in this regard is that they don't have to worry about their value on the stock exchange.

Of course, with the way things are going, it wouldn't shock me to hear someone laud Starbucks' closings as economic genius, and then promote the idea of closing all of our rural churches, selling the property, and using the money to open up new churches in metropolitan areas. Stranger things have happened.

God's churches were founded by God, are preserved and prospered by God, are led by God, and have been blessed and instructed by God. The church is an institution higher than any other on the face of this earth, and no organization is worthy to be compared to the church, nor is any organization worthy to become a model for the church. Get your wisdom from the Word, not Wall Street. Come on, people.

Ken Sibley on America

2010-04-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

During Grace Pointe's youth revival, Ken Sibley discussed faith and America. So far, after two days, we are averaging 20, have three professions of faith, one rededication, one confirmation (they wanted to confirm they were saved).

Vertical Curriculum Alignment

2010-04-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

In 2006, I accepted an offer from the Cherokeean Herald newspaper in Rusk, TX, to be promoted from part-time to full time employment. My new job was reporter, ad sales and radio personality. Yep, three positions, only one me. To this day I remember those days with fondness (no joking or sarcasm. I enjoyed the work.)

One of my first assignments as reporter was to interview Dr. Ray DeSpain, the new Superintendent of the Alto Independent School District. Dr. DeSpain was taking over a school system that enjoyed a great amount of success in athletics (The football, track, baseball and softball teams were perennial state playoff powerhouses), but struggled academically. In fact, as Dr. DeSpain was taking the job, the Texas Education Agency (T-E-A) was in the process of deeming Alto High School as "academically unacceptable."

Dr. DeSpain had just one year to work with the high school principal to bring the rating back up to "acceptable," or else the T-E-A would step in and offer "assistance."

After working long, hard hours to extend the school day by 20 minutes, offer after school programs and peer-mentoring programs to bring up test scores, Dr. DeSpain began to work to insure that the "unacceptable" rating would never again be applied to any Alto ISD campus. He instituted "Vertical Curriculum Alignment."

Vertical Curriculum Alignment works like this... The school received a list of TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) from the state. This list included what the state felt that a kid should be able to do by the end of each grade. These skills were tested by the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test. Should a school fail to have an acceptable percentage of kids in all grades and/or ethnic/economic subgroups pass the test, the school is deemed "unacceptable."

So to make sure the students were being taught up to the level that the state demanded, Dr. DeSpain instituted a program, Vertical Curriculum Alignment, designed around those TEKS. If the state wanted 1st-graders doing long-division, the Alto had better make sure Kindergartners had a firm understanding of numbers, counting, and possibly even some light arithmetic. Instead of repeating what was learned the year before, there would be a quick review and then the teachers would build on what was taught last year.

The goal of vertical curriculum alignment was to make sure that all teachers and educational professionals were on the same page as to where a student should be in his educational development. There were goals for what a high school graduate should be able to do, and there were benchmarks to be met along the way to make sure that the student was on track to meet those goals.

It was well planned, well executed and successful. Alto High School got the acceptable rating, and the football team celebrated by winning the state title. In addition, some of the teachers and students received national recognition. Alto High School was a sudden success story.

Contrast that to the approach to youth ministry employed by most modern New Testament churches. If a child were raised in church (and I understand that this is becoming a rare scenario these days), where should he be in his Bible education when he is in Kindergarten, 3rd Grade, Junior High, High School, and then College and Career class?

What basic Bible concepts should a grade-schooler be able to grasp? When should we begin to see enough maturity for a child to be able to make a reasoned decision regarding salvation? When can we expect that child to begin to understand a call to the Lord's service? How are we preparing them for these developments? Have we even thought about this?

I submit to you that the vast majority of churches in America today approach children's ministry by handing out a story sheet and coloring page, maybe a craft, with little regard being paid toward the big picture of that child's spiritual development. It's not that children's ministry workers and teachers are bad or lazy, it's just they haven't been trained.

I also submit to you that pre-teen and teen ministry in America has been reduced to "don't do drugs, don't have sex, don't get a tattoo, now let's go play ball." Again, it's not that the youth workers and teachers are bad or lazy, it's that the critical training of these volunteers is non-existent. Don't blame the workers, they are doing the best they can (in most cases) and are overwhelmed by the non-stop onslaught of Satan's forces.

That being said, I am sure that there are churches that have it all together... and praise God for them. In the meantime, what should the rest of us do about preparing to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? What should we do to teach them about the Lord and what expectations should we have at certain ages? What should the benchmarks be?

Those are the questions we should be asking.

Read the Book!

2010-04-20T07:46:00.001-07:00

If you study the history of military aviation in the United States, and don't learn about a man named Chuck Yeager, then you didn't really study the history of military aviation.

Yeager had a flight career spanning 60 years, was an accomplished fighter pilot in World War II, earned the title of "ace" in just one day (to earn the ace title, you have to score five air-to-air combat victories), scored the first victory over a figher jet, was the first man to break the sound barrier, then broke another speed record at Mach 2.44 (2.44 times the speed of sound), and commanded a figher wing to success in the Vietnam War.

Yeager's success in aerial combat and his survival through World War II (where he was shot down once) and Vietnam were the results of his committment to knowing his aircraft. Whenever he was assigned to a new aircraft, he got the instruction manual for that aircraft and learned it. He would learn its capabilities, its systems, its emergency backup systems, and emergency procedures should something go wrong. He knew his aircraft's abilities and shortcomings.

Lack of understanding of their aircraft cost many figher-pilots their lives or freedom during Vietnam. Airforce training showed the pilots how to fly and safety procedures, but many pilots didn't know their aircraft's capabilities in combat, an ignorance that cost aerial combat victories, F-4's and pilots alike. Furthermore, those pilots weren't trained in aerial combat maneuvering (a.k.a. dogfighting). Then men like Yeager, Robin Olds, and Steve Ritchie arrived in Vietnam, and taught the younger pilots those skills. A lack of knowledge killed Air Force pilots, but proper training, reading the books on the jets, and applying that knowledge saved many pilots and gave the U.S. the victory in the air.

Yeager's success was based on the fact that he took the time to read the book and learn his aircraft, then apply what he learned in combat situations. He read the book! It works the same in ministry and the Christian life.

All too often, ministers wreck their ministries, and many times their churches, because of a lack of knowledge. This lack of knowledge comes from a lack of reading, not commentaries, but the Word of God.

God gave us the Bible to thoroughly equip us for whatever forms and points of service for which he has called us. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) If a minister knows the scriptures, he will know how to counsel and work with a couple that is facing the prospect of divorce, he will be able to encourage a woman who is married to an unGodly husband, he will know that he is responsible to intervene when he knows child abuse is taking place, and he will know how important the roles of him and the church are, more importantly, he will know what those roles are. To quote the preachers from years ago, "It's in the book!"

The book is only as good as it is read, however. Those instruction books for those planes would have been little use had Yeager not read them. In order for that information to help Yeager, he would have had to read it and learn it before taking off. Imagine what would happen had Yeager taken his flight wing into the air, detected enemy aircraft at 11 o'clock, then decided, "Hey, I think I'll consult the book for this!" With most aerial combat situations (dogfights) lasting less than 60 seconds, he'd be dead before he got the book open.

It is important to make sure you are studied up on scripture BEFORE you find yourself in a Spiritual battle, position of service, or counseling session. If you wait until then, then your only hope is to consult Strong's Concordance, and at that point, scripture is likely to be taken out of context and misapplied, leading to further devastation. Or, you can just shoot from the hip, give your own advice, and disregard God's instruction.

The Bible says to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)."

Study your Bible, learn God's will, apply His truths to your Christian walk and ministry. You might just find that you have a successful 60-year ministry ahead of you.

Irreplaceable

2010-04-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Did anyone notice the slap in the face the Philadelphia Eagles handed their longtime starting quarterback Donovan McNabb? The slap didn't come in the form of being traded, the slap came in the form of to whom McNabb was traded. What in the world am I talking about? Let's go back a couple of years.

February 2008, Brett Favre announces his retirement from the NFL and the Green Bay Packers. However, by July 2008, Farve decides that he wants to go back into the NFL. The Packers told Favre that they would not guarantee him the starting QB position, at which point Favre demanded to be traded.

Favre's desire was to play at Minnesota. The Offensive Coordinator for the Vikings was a coach that Favre loved and desired to play under. However, Green Bay, who still owned Favre's contract, refused to release him from the contract and allow him to play at Minnesota. Why? Because the Packers realized that while Farve might not be good enough to be their starter anymore, he was still good enough to start in the NFL, and could possibly do some damage to his opponents.

Green Bay was not willing to release their former star quarterback to a division rival, Minnesota, and have to play against him twice per year. They didn't want to be on the receiving end of his offensive prowess. So a deal was worked out that sent Favre to the New York Jets, where he played one season before retiring again. He was later released from the Jets, and then came out of retirement yet another time, and being a free agent, was finally allowed to sign with the Vikings.

Contrast this with the saga of Donovan McNabb. McNabb, 34, six years younger than Farve, was considered by many to be past his prime in Philadelphia. Sure he had better days with the Eagles, made good plays, and even led the Eagles to a SuperBowl appearance, but the past couple of seasons, Philly fans booed him instead of cheering him on.

Though he was once the face of the franchise, he was now being regarded as the man who was holding the franchise back (this from a team that signed Michael Vick). During the offseason of 2010, McNabb lost his starting position with the Eagles to Kevin Kolb. McNabb, like Farve, had seen great days with his team, but was no longer considered good enough to start. Unlike Favre, however, the Eagles placed very little confidence in McNabb's ability to compete in the NFL. Why else would they agree to trade him to longtime NFC East rival Washington?

In the NFL, you never send good players to division rivals. (1) You have to play against them twice per regular season, and possibly a third time in the playoffs. (2) If they succeed against you, you'll hear it from ownership, media and fans about how stupid you were to let them go to your rival. (3) You never want to give a division rival the ability to outperform you. It's bad enough to lose in the playoffs and miss the Superbowl. Even worse is to lose while your rival excels, mostly because you handed them your ace.

So when the Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins, they basically said, "This guy is totally expendable. He's a bum, and has no potential in the NFL." Once the face for the franchise, now the garbage to be hauled away.

There's a lesson to be learned here. Many are the church members and preachers who think that the sun doesn't rise until they awake in the morning. Many are the church members who think if they leave, the church will have to close its doors. Many are the preachers who think that if they leave, the church will not be able to find another pastor as qualified as himself. Friend, you are a fool to believe such folly.

The churches of the Lord are preserved, prospered and built by the Lord Himself. Sure, He uses the labor of those willing and obedient to accomplish His will, but He doesn't NEED us. He allows us to serve by His grace.

Consider Ephesians 4:7 "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."

Christ gives us a gift, the gift of a position of service. That gift is given by His grace (the undeserved favor he extends toward us.) So your position of service and leadership is not given to you because of your credentials and the fact you've earned it, it's given to you by God's grace, which means you don't have credentials and you haven't earned it.

Now if this does not convince you that the Lord's churches will not survive without you, consider 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

God's word is the treasure, we are the earthen vessels. Earthen vessels (clay pots) are not pretty, but are easily breakable, and easily replaceable.

So, the next time you think you are high and mighty, just remember that you are nothing more than a sinner saved by God's grace, put in a special place by His grace, all because He loves you.

I don't write this to berate you, nor to discourage you, but that we can all keep things in perspective as we serve the Savior.

One final thought, Old Time Farmer wisdom teaches us that when we think we are a person of great influence, we should try to boss another man's dog around.

God bless you, everyone.

Don't Give Up!

2010-03-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Let's face it... ministry can be downright discouraging these days. While there are churches that are growing and bursting at the seams, chances are you see empty pews when you stand behind the pulpit on Sunday morning.

Not only that, but it seems that no one is interested in hearing about God's salvation when you go out door-knocking. There have probably been days that you felt like the prophet Jeremiah, who preached his entire ministry without a convert.

Lack of "results" can have any preacher questioning his call, his methods, and questioning if he is where God wants him. Don't be discouraged.

For the past several weeks, a member of Grace Pointe and I have been knocking doors in Northwest Brownwood. The vast majority of these doors have gone unanswered, others tell us they are not interested, some don't want to hear our message and some have even refused to take our tracts. One rather famous exchange went like this:

GP Member: Sir, would you like to know about Heaven?
Resident: No. (slams door shut.)
GP Member: Wow. Times are hard when they don't want to hear about Heaven.
Leland: Actually, times aren't hard enough.

Quitting our mission of canvassing Brownwood was never an option, though we did discuss the fact that our job was to merely share the Word. That's when we had a break-through day last week.

We were invited inside twice, had four quality conversations about Christ, and even had two men pray. While their prayers stopped short of "asking Jesus into their hearts," we feel that they were made more aware of the reality of God, His coming judgment, and the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Besides, the transaction of salvation is between them and the Lord, not between us and them.

One thing I have noticed is that those who are giving thought to eternity are highly interested in what God has to say through His word. Study after study and survey after survey tells us that people are abandoning organized religion in droves. While there may be a mass exodus of people from churches, I don't think it's the organization that they are leaving. They are not leaving church, per se, they are leaving empty religion.

To put it another way, they are not rejecting the idea of church, they are rejecting the churches of which they have been a part. Why? Most will share stories of empty traditional arguments, or hypocritical pastors and leaders, some even point out doctrinal error (what the pastor teaches doesn't match up with what their Bible says.) So, to these people, church isn't bad, they just haven't found a good church. You see, it's not the church they are abandoning. They are setting aside a church that has abandoned God.

The question has often been posed, "Has the church become irrelevant?" If the church has abandoned God's word, or the Gospel, it has. This empty establishment is being left behind in the dust, despite its efforts at marketing, contemporary worship, reducing preaching (ironically), and increasing its appeal to "seekers."

I submit that the vast majority of churches have abandoned God's word in favor of crafting a message and looking for validation in God's word. Many pastors have left expository preaching for topical preaching. Often, these topics and sermons are crafted entirely in the mind of the preacher before God's word is even consulted. An example might be using Proverbs 29:18 to promote building and expansion programs. I once heard a preacher preach on Christ's prayer in the Garden while the disciples slept. His main point was that we need to be better friends to each other than the disciples were to Christ. (The theme here had more to do with Christ preparing to go to the cross than with the sleeping disciples.)

The modern "seeker" isn't looking for a rock concert with a how-to sermon attached to the end of it. The "seeker" is seeking God's word and its counsel. The church and preacher that are able to exegete God's word and teach what it says will be the church that is successful in the coming years. The American people have had their fill of cattle excrement over the past couple of generations. Substance will now prevail.

So, don't seek to convey what you think or say, and don't try to teach what other great preachers have taught. Preach the word and teach what God has to say. It will bear results. I'm not promising that you'll have a Billy Graham style crusade, but you will see the Word work in the lives of those who listen, and you will see God move. After all is said and done, isn't that really what it is about?

Mission: Brownwood Feb 2010 Report

2010-03-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Missionary Jason Clark visits Grace Pointe

In keeping with our emphasis on becoming active in mission work, Grace Pointe invited Bro. Jason Clark, missionary to France, to visit and tell us about his work. Bro. Clark has completed language school, has relocated to southern France where he has started a Bible study in his home. The Lord has really blessed his work. Bro. Clark is sent out by Walnut St. Baptist Church in Hillsboro, Texas.

Grace Pointe increases mission offerings

During our Feb. 14 business meeting, Grace Pointe voted to increase missions giving to 12% of our local offerings, and added the ABA Insterstate and Foreign Missions Fund as well as Missionary Abel Dimatulac to our mission budget.

Attendance increases for February

Grace Pointe enjoyed two consecutive Sundays at 27 people in attendance. All in all, we averaged 22 for the month and collected a record amount of offerings. It is our sincere prayer that this trend continues.

PO Box for Grace Pointe

We have a new mailing address for Grace Pointe. Please address all correspondence to me personally, or to Grace Pointe MBC, PO Box 1828, Brownwood, TX 76804.

By The Numbers:

Sunday Morning

2/7/10 - 14
2/14/10 - 27
2/21/10 - 27
2/28/10 - 18

Wednesday Evening

2/3/10 - 12
2/10/10 - 12
2/17/10 - 12
2/24/10 – 16

Finances

Offerings: $2,212.31
Jim Slocumb (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Bonnie Rhodes (Snyder, TX) $100
Memorial MBC (Rusk, TX) $50
Northcrest MBC (Andrews, TX) $90.67
First Baptist Church (Arp, TX) $120

Expenses:

Rent: $600
Natural Gas: $169.31
Secretary of State: $25
Texas Mission Development: $100.06
MBA of Texas State Missions: $100.06
Jason Clark: $150
Leland Acker: $100
TXU: $69.61
Ladies Auxiliary: $40

Mission: Brownwood Account

Deposits:
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX) $212.10
Denson Springs MBC (Grapeland, TX) $100
Memory Lane MBC (Palestine, TX) $50
Heritage MBC (Missouri City, TX) $200
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
MBA of Texas $3,058
Quaker Ave MBC (Lubbock, TX) $100
58th Ave MBC (Amarillo, TX) $119.48
East Side MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX) $100
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX) $159.97
Wyndrock MBC (Abilene, TX) $40
RidgeCrest MBC (Levelland, TX) $50
Heritage MBC (Tyler, TX) $100

Expenses
Salary + Housing $3,822
Postage +Outreach materials $279.87
New Computer + Software $1,125.70
Home Depot (building materials) $26.41

Why State Missions is just as Important as Foreign Missions

2010-03-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

When God first called me to Brownwood, Texas, to start a new church, I felt silly explaining my call to others. I didn't call myself a missionary, because I didn't feel worthy to have the same title as the men who went to foreign countries to preach the Gospel, some in the face of persecution. Explaining my calling to those who are not members of a local New Testament church was equally odd, because, after all, doesn't Brownwood have enough churches? (At one time, Brownwood had more churches per capita than any other city in Texas).

In some circles, state missions is seen as a second-tier priority, because they believe that people in America have had ample access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have a friend in another Baptist association who once told me that "The sun never sets on our mission programs" (meaning the association had missionaries worldwide), but "We're not that good at state missions."

So, why should we give state missions and state missionaries the same consideration we give foreign missionaries? Here's why.

In my two years I have been in Brownwood (it'll be two years come June), I have observed that despite the large number of churches (and buildings with "church" on the sign), there is a large percentage of the population that (a) has not heard the true Gospel (the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins according to the scriptures), (b) have not been reached out to with the Gospel, and (c) many do not have ready access to solid teaching of the whole counsel of God. This is in Brownwood, Texas, a hub for various Baptist groups, and home to many Charismatic churches and organizations as well.

I'm not going to criticize these groups because I have no knowledge of what they teach or how they endeavor to spread the Gospel. What I am saying is that despite the presence of these churches, and a theological school at Howard Payne University, many in Brownwood still live without having heard or without knowing or understanding the Gospel.

Over Spring Break, Jessica and I were priviledged to travel to Corpus Christi (pictured above). We passed through cities like Llano, Fredericksburg, Boerne, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass and Port Aransas, as well as Ingleside, Goliad, Gonzales, Austin, Leander, Lampassas and Goldthwaite. What kept pressing on my heart were the multitudes of people in these towns that still had not been reached with the Gospel.

I understand that many will not receive the Gospel, I recognize that most will reject Christ. Still, we must be busy reaching people with the Gospel because (a) we were commanded and (b) some will receive.

Corpus Christi alone has more than 200,000 residents, all without the lighthouse of an ABA church. McArdle Road MBC was there at one point, but a series of unfortunate incidents led to the church's disbanding a few years ago. If we can find those who still need to be reached in Brownwood, Texas (population 24,000), think of how many need to be reached in Corpus? Yet it seems difficult to get anyone to go there with the Gospel.

It's not just Corpus. Aransas Pass and Ingleside both have populations at approximately 10,000 people, plus a few thousand more in nearby Port Aransas. All three of these cities are within a 10-mile radius of each other. Look at all the growth around Austin. Thousands live there unreached.

There is a great need for state missionaries in Texas, and missionaries all over the U.S. There is a great need for missionaries worldwide. Don't discount the value of a mission work based on its location. Evaluate it based on what the Spirit is leading you to do in regard to supporting it, or even going to the field yourself.

Market Place Apartments Outreach

2010-02-22T10:19:00.001-08:00

Every 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday evening at 4 p.m., I meet with residents of the Market Place apartment complex for an hour-long Bible study. Usually, between 12 and 15 residents will attend this study. Four are members at Grace Pointe, while the rest just attend the Market Place studies.

This ministry at this complex is a blessing, not only for me, but I can see God working in the lives of the residents as well. The faithful support of our sister churches and the MBA of Texas allow me the time to perform ministries like this, and for that, I truly thank you.

Grace Pointe launches YouTube channel.

2010-02-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of using all the available resources God has given us to spread the Gospel, I decided to start posting devotions and scriptural, Spiritual encouragement on YouTube. Be sure to tell me what you think, and if you are so inclined, please feel free to post a link on your blog. Also, all videos will be available for imbedding, so by the off chance I say something you like, you can post it on your blog as well.

The link to the Grace Pointe YouTube channel is here.

Mission: Brownwood Jan. 2010 Report

2010-02-18T10:25:00.001-08:00

Mission: Brownwood returns to Market Place

In January, I was invited by the residents to hold a Bible study at the community room of the Market Place apartment complex. We had 15 in attendance the first week, 8 the second, and 12 the third week. We hold these studies every first, third and fifth Sunday at 4 p.m. Currently, we are studying the book of Ephesians.

Grace Pointe gets “on mission”

Beginning in January, we have begun canvassing northwest Brownwood. We are going door-to-door and handing out tracts in public places. These outreach efforts have brought us into contact with many who need prayer, and reminded us of the need to carry out the Gospel into Brownwood, Texas.

Furthermore, Grace Pointe is showing interest in becoming active in missions. We have Bro. Jason Clark (missionary to France) visiting with us Feb. 21, and Bro. Ben Woodward (missionary to Belize) visiting with us April 11.

Grace Pointe has also upped its mission giving from 10% to 12% of total offerings, dividing the mission budget evenly between TMD, state missions, ABA interstate and foreign missions, and Bro. Abel Dimatulac (missionary to the Philippines).

New PO Box for Grace Pointe

We have a new mailing address for Grace Pointe. Please address all correspondence to me personally, or to Grace Pointe MBC, PO Box 1828, Brownwood, TX 76804.

Upcoming Dates

Southwest Mission Rally (Quaker Ave in Lubbock) April 24
Vacation Bible School: June 7-11
Summer Revival: July 5-9
Southwest Mission Rally (Wyndrock MBC in Abilene) July 31
Southwest Mission Rally (Grace Pointe in Brownwood) Oct 30

By The Numbers:

Sunday Morning

1/3 - 11
1/10 - 14
1/17 - 21
1/24 - 14
1/31 - 15

Wednesday Evening

1/6 - 12
1/13 - 12
1/20 - 10
1/27 – 11

Finances

Offerings - $2,001.05 ($25 designated for Bro. Acker and $80 designated for Ladies Auxiliary)
Memorial MBC (Rusk, TX) $100
Memorial MBC (Rusk, TX) $50
Landmark MBC (Porter, TX) $88
Jim Slocumb (Jacksonville) $100
Northcrest MBC (Andrews,TX) $61.78
Northcrest MBC (Andrews, TX) $68.82
Donna Prasatik (Grapeland, TX) $300

Expenses:

Rent: $600
Brownwood Water: $84.51 (Dec)
Texas Mission Development: $86.39
MBA of Texas (State Missions): $86.39
Leland Acker: $100
Leland Acker: $25 (designated offering)
PO Box Rental: $58
VBS Sample Kit: $208
Ken & Barbara Sibley: $200 (toward Haiti trip)
Brownwood Water: $84.51 (Jan)
TXU Energy: $87.24
Transfer to Ladies Auxiliary: $80
Banking: $3

Mission: Brownwood Account

Deposits:
Missionary Bapt. Assn of TX $3,058
Denson Springs MBC (Grapeland, TX) $100
Heritage Baptist Church (Missouri City, TX) $200
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
Memory Lane MBC (Palestine, TX) $50
East Side Baptist Church (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Rocky Springs MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $200
Bassett Road Baptist Church (Palestine, TX) $75
RidgeCrest MBC (Andrews, TX) $25
Wyndrock MBC (Abilene, TX) $40
Quaker Ave. BC (Lubbock, TX) $100
58th Ave MBC (Amarillo, TX) $110.25
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $48.54
First Baptist Church (Arp, TX) $120

Expenses
Salary + Housing $3,822
Outreach $103.66
Benevolence $100
Lights and signage $63.23
Curtain Rods $9.45
New Checks $41
Home Depot (building supplies) $203.54

UnGodly Holiness Pt. 6 - Missionary 'Accountability'

2010-02-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

The following is based on my observations of certain mission projects conducted throughout the U.S.A., and is in no way tied to my personal experience in Brownwood. Mission: Brownwood is well supported financially, prayerfully and emotionally. Rocky Springs has been a very good sponsoring church and I have no complaints.

The year is 1966. A naval aviator (fighter pilot) has found himself in a dogfight with a VC Mig 23. The Mig 23 is smaller, more agile and faster than the American's jet, and the American pilot soon finds himself under the relentless pursuit of a VC fighter who smells the pending victory over a Naval officer.

The American pilot, desperate to evade the VC fighter inadvertently sends his jet into a spin. He loses total control of the aircraft. The VC pilot, confident that he has secured the demise of the American pilot, flies right by. Then, a miracle happens. The American regains control of his aircraft, and the hunted suddenly becomes the hunter. He locks onto his target, fires his missile, but it misfires and twirls toward the sea below. The only course of action now is to return to the aircraft carrier.

The American pilot was at a severe disadvantage during this confrontation with a North Vietnamese Mig 23. His aircraft was bulkier and slower than the Mig 23. It was actually hard to land on an aircraft carrier, and required special procedures to launch, because it was not designed for carrier use. It was an air force jet... forced upon the Navy as part of the Department of Defense's consolidation program.

Not only did the size and belabored maneuverability of his aircraft put the American at a disadvantage, his jet also lacked machine guns. That's right, many American fighter jets in the Vietnam war lacked machine guns... a must-have for dog-fighting situations. Why? Good question.

It all goes back to the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. McNamara had a vision of streamlining the process of equipping the U.S. Military, shifting from a doctrine of massive retaliation to one of "limited warfare," and conducting national defense while reducing military expenditures.

Under this system, the emphasis would be shifted from small fighter jets to bombers. The goal would be to equip the military with bombers that would have limited dog-fighting capabilities. All branches of the armed forces would get the same aircraft. Why waste money buying specialized aircraft when all can buy the same aircraft in bulk. Plus, many of the expensive features, like machine guns, can be eliminated as the technology has surpassed aerial combat techniques of yesteryear. Hence, the fighter jet with no guns. McNamara believed the American pilot could fire the sidewinder missile from 70 miles away and pick a Mig 23 out of the sky before aerial combat maneuvers were necessary.

The problem was the sidewinder missile frequently misfired, and the VC figured out that if they could get their Migs so close to the Americans that they couldn't use missiles, the Americans would be sitting ducks. Hence the ratio of enemy planes to American planes being shot down fell to 3-1. While this grim statistic led to machine guns being placed on the planes, better aircraft being purchased, the Top Gun academy being founded at the Miramar base in San Diego, and a really exciting movie being made in 1986, the damage to American lives and troop morale had been done, all with the swipe of a pen by a bureaucrat who had never flown a combat mission. Sure, McNamara served in the Army Air Forces in World War II, but he served in a capacity that analyzed bomber effectiveness.

You see, McNamara, and most of those in the cabinets of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, felt they were smart enough to wage war from Washington, with little or no regard given to the needs expressed by the generals on the ground in Vietnam.

Many pastors regard missions and missionaries the same way. There are some sponsoring pastors, and supporting pastors, who feel that they have a better understanding of the mission and its needs than the missionary on the field. These pastors require that all decisions made on the mission field must first cross the pastor's desk, and then be approved by the sponsoring church. Many times, critical needs are denied... all under the guise of "missionary accountability."

To some degree, missionaries need to be held accountable. If a missionary is receiving support from his sponsoring church and supporting churches, and possibly the association, those entities deserve to know that the money they send in is being used for the purposes for which it is sent. They need to know that the missionary is spending his time on the field doing mission work. They deserve reports, and they deserve respect from the missionary. Furthermore, any decision that is going to have a direct impact on the finances or security of the sponsoring church, or one that could possibly create responsibility or liability for the sponsoring church, must be put before the congregation of the sponsoring church.

However, many times the "accountability" term is applied to situations which actually fall under the heading of "lording over." Here are a few examples:

1. A foreign missionary uses an all-terrain vehicle to travel from village to village where he preaches the Gospel, baptizes, establishes churches, and then revisits the churches that have been established. One day, the vehicle breaks down. He has it taken into a nearby town, where repair costs are estimated at $2,500. The funds are available in the mission fund at his sponsoring church. He calls his sponsoring pastor, asking that the funds be sent to him so he can repair his vehicle. The sponsoring pastor replies, "We'll have to bring this before the church in its business meeting."

Here's the problem. The supporting churches have sent that money to the mission fund at the sponsoring church for the purpose of funding that missionary's ministry. Any attempt by the sponsoring church to withhold, delay, or regulate that fund is "lording over," not accountability. Suppose it takes two weeks to get the item before the church in the business meeting, and then it takes two to three days to get the check to the missionary (provided the treasurer was prompt in mailing the check out). The vehicle will then be in the shop possibly for a week, maybe longer, depending on which country he is in. The work has just suffered a one-month set back, and time is the most valuable commodity for many missionaries.

2. A missionary in New York City successfully evangelizes and baptizes a handful of Wall Street investors. These investors become faithful in their study of the Word, their support of the mission in NYC, their attendance, and they become active in the mission work. These mission members get some money together and desire to rent a loft space in Manhattan. The sponsoring pastor says "No. We must wait and take this before the sponsoring church."

The missionary has been faithful in teaching this mission about the "local, visible" church, and against the "universal" church, but now this congregation finds themselves at the will of another ecclesiastical body. Sound confusing? I'll never understand what makes one person or body of believers believe that they can tell another body of believers what to do with the money they've raised. If a mission can fund its own needs, let them, and hinder them not.

3. A sponsoring church votes to send out a missionary, but then forbids him from finding secular employment, while at the same time refusing to guarantee him support. They insist that he step out on faith, but they refuse to step out on faith by making sure his rent is paid and his kids are fed. I shouldn't even have to explain what's wrong with this picture.

4. A pastor stands up at an associational meeting and demands that every associational missionary give a total of the number of doors they've knocked on, the number of people they've witnessed to, the number of sermons they've preached, how much time they spend on visitation and in sermon preparation, the number of visitors and an explanation of why their missions haven't grown more. Actually, this can be a reasonable request, so long as that pastor would not be offended should his church ask the same thing of him the following Sunday.

You see, I'm all for giving an account of myself and my work. I believe that any missionary worth his salt should be willing to give an account of himself and his work. However, when you move from an attitude of reviewing the work to one of "I've got to get this missionary or mission under control," it ceases to be an accountability issue and more one of lordship.

Peter wrote, "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock." Too many people want to be lords over God's heritage. If we would repent of that attitude, maybe more missions would get started and more missionaries would be successful.

Let's pray for our missionaries, let's help our missionaries, and let's support our missionaries financially... not as lords over their work, but as fellowlaborers. May God's work prosper in the years ahead.

UnGodly Holiness Part 5, Silencing the Church

2010-02-11T20:44:00.001-08:00

In Poland, under the Communist regime of the 1950s, churches were required to register with the government, pastors had to be licensed by the government, and pastors could not speak out on politics. Doing so could result in the shutdown of the church and the pastor's license could be revoked, making it illegal for him to follow God's call in the ministry. This was fairly common in Iron Curtain countries prior to 1980, as is my observation from reading "God's Smuggler" by Brother Andrew.

Governments have always despised religious intervention from the time King Henry VIII decided that he didn't like being told by the pope that he couldn't divorce his wife. While governments tolerated religion, some even officially adopting certain religions, the movement in the world has been to rid countries of religion. The Communist were very effective at this. Government wants the churches to stay out of the political arena.

Now Baptists believe in separation of church and state. What this means is that the state does not pick an official state religion, neither does the church usurp authority over the state. The United States put into the Constitution with the first amendment the prohibition of Congress making "any law regarding the establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof." What this meant was that Congress would not adopt a state religion, neither would it regulate religion, neither would it limit the free exercise of religion. It did not say that churches could not petition Congress, support a candidate for Congress, or lobby for or against legislation.

However, IRS tax code does just that. Churches seeking the non-profit status are legally prevented from attempting to influence legislation or elections. This code is in direct violation of the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution because it regulates the free exercise of religion. It limits churches' abilities to stand up against pro-abortion legislation, and stand up in favor of pro-family legislation. Furthermore, churches are not even allowed to contribute money to political causes. (Read the IRS tax codes and state business codes).

The problem we face as churches today is that we not only have the government silencing our voices in the political arena, some of our own people are calling for us to shut up as well. They cite examples such as Jesus being apolitical, their belief in separation of church and state, and rail against Christian PACs that lobby for pro-family legislation, or legislation that expands Christian liberties. We should be all about saving souls and not worry about the politics, or so they say.

To fall into this line of thinking is to ignore thousands of years of precedent, not only in scripture, but in Baptist history as well. Did not the prophets try to influence the kings they were under? Did not Jesus try to explain His Kingdom to Pilate? Did not Paul try to convert and influence Festus, Felix and King Agrippa? Was Rhode Island not founded by Baptists seeking refuge from persecution? Did not Baptists, and John Leland in particular, lobby the U.S. Government for the freedom of religion clause in the first amendment? These are just a few examples.

The point is, when governments follow evil trends and pass evil laws, God's people must rise up and voice opposition to those laws. If they do not, then the evil consequences will come upon the nation with little or no warning.

Paul wrote that we should pray for our governments that we can live peaceably and worship freely, and James wrote that we should put our prayers into action. We have the ability to petition our government for the purpose of protecting our Christian liberties, and for the purpose of keeping our government in line with the things that God finds acceptable. Should we neglect this blessing, and turn a blind eye to the evils being perpetrated by our government, we have no one to blame but ourselves when the persecution comes.

Therefore, the church is right to oppose pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, and pro-immorality legislation. Don't let the opposition, either external or internal, silence you. You will be held accountable by God.