Don't Give Up!

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

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

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

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.

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

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'

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

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.

UnGodly Holiness Part 4, The Danger the Emergent Movement Poses to Missionary Baptist Churches

Learning the hallmarks and modes of operation of the emergent movement is vital to maintaining the health and prosperity of the Lord's New Testament churches. While most American Baptist Association preachers are doctrinally sound enough to stay true to God's Word, the emergent influence that is so widely published through popular Christian authors that it can easily influence a pastor to lead his church into a direction that will dilute the doctrinal stability and harm the fellowship of the church.

The emergent's goal is to dismantle the church as we know it today, and replace it with a less formal, less authoritative body. It wants a church that establishes a dialog rather than proclaim a message. The emergent movement also wants a church that abstains from politics (thus offering no resistance to pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, anti-family and anti-religious freedom legislation), elevates women to prominent positions (in direct opposition to I Timothy 2), and basically advocates that a church become everything that scripture told it not to become, all in the name of tearing down walls of empty tradition to reach the lost.

Most Missionary Baptist preachers see that agenda coming a mile away. However, there are two premises that the emergents put forth that tend to be Achilles heels to some ABA preachers and churches. (1) The fear of becoming inept at reaching a community for Christ and (2) Ironically, the pastor and church's commitment to scripture.

Change! Change! Change! Change you can believe in! The times, they are a changin'. Listen to the winds of change. George Barna wrote in Boiling Point that life in this world is changing at such a rapid pace, that change has become the one constant in our daily life. He also wrote that the younger generation has grown up knowing nothing but change, and the absence of change bothers the younger generation because they see it as a sign of stagnation.

Our nation's demographics are changing. Political structure is changing. Technology is changing how we do things. Think about it... how has social media (Facebook and Myspace) changed your daily routine? Recently, I chatted with a missionary who is on the field in The Phillipines. Twenty years ago, that conversation would have only been possible via a high-cost international telephone conversation, or by me going to the Phillipines or he visiting me in the states. A week ago, I got to see a missionary in Indonesia address a missions conference at Sublett Road in Arlington via Skype.

Values are changing. American's attitudes are changing. The priority of faith and the church are changing in the lives of people. People are busier, more self-absorbed, more opinionated, and unfortunately, less considerate and more rude.

The emergent will point to the rapid change in our society and say, "Look, to reach this new society, the church must change with it!" I'm not talking about contemporary worship vs. traditional worship... I'm talking in method of ministry and operation and even appearance. Terminology is also under fire. Now, the emergent disdains the title of "Christian" and opts for the title of "Christ follower." In my younger and more ignorant days (two years ago), I though this was cool. Now, it bugs me. The title of "Christian" was given to the believers at Antioch by the heathen because of their faith and devotion to Christ. Now, I am told we have to abandon that title because the emergents claim that people don't like Christians.

So the premise that the emergent puts forward is that society is changing, so the churches must change, or else the churches will become irrelevant and will die off with the last baby-boomer. This premise has scared some ABA preachers into leading their congregations into territory where their congregations are rightfully uncomfortable. Some have taken to cancelling services and replacing them with home Bible studies. While a church is free to do so if it feels so led, doing so with significant opposition leads to discord in the Body of Christ. I'm not saying the preachers who do this are emergent, I'm just saying they have been influenced by emergent thought. Home Bible studies are profitable... but perhaps it is best do so in addition to the current services being offered, instead of as a replacement to them. Hebrews 10:25 says "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching." In other words, as you see the day of Christ approaching, get together more, not less.

The premise that God's churches will be left in the dark is flawed. (1) Jesus said He'd build His church, and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it, regardless of how many Facebook groups are out there. (2) God's churches have endured for centuries. Building styles may have changed, hymn books may have different songs, but the constitution of the church has not changed, neither has its mission. To insist that it all change now is ludicrous. Since the days of the Roman empire, the dark ages, the Renaissance, the Inquisition, Napoleon, American Revolution, Civil War, French Revolution, World Wars, Industrial Revolution, two Darin's on Bewitched, the Digital Revolution, and the so called "post-modern" society, churches have remained stable. They have worshiped by singing hymns, special music (it's in scripture), and sermons have been preached.

Churches actively engaged in mission work and associated freely to assist one another in the Great Commission. The world today is vastly different than the world 2,000 years ago, but the church, it's operation, mission, values and scripture, remain the same. Why change now?

The emergent will claim that church today is nothing like church 2,000 years ago, but the church 2,000 years ago would not be an emergent church. You don't think the Apostle Paul would have taken an opportunity to speak out against abortion and homosexuality on the floor of the senate? Go back and read your Bibles and see how Paul acted in front of those in authority. If Paul could have seen souls saved by influencing the government, he would have. Did Paul establish a dialog? Or did he preach the Gospel and establish churches? Churches today are much like churches 2,000 years ago. I can defend this, scripturally. Read the book of Acts. Churches were sending out missionaries, collecting money for the poor, spreading the Gospel, and associating one with another. They were organized bodies, had membership rolls, and were committed to a mission, just like the churches today.

The second premise of the emergent movement which is a weakness of Missionary Baptist pastors is ironically that pastor's commitment to scripture. The emergent, like I mentioned in a previous post, will point to the book of Acts and highlight all the things we do that are not specifically mentioned in Acts. The Missionary Baptist Pastor, desiring to stick to God's word and not tradition, is then less enthusiastic about defending traditions and customs not clearly spelled out in Acts. Thus, little by little, the actions and activities of the church are eroded away until the church finds itself in an identity crisis. This has happened before, but out of reverence to those affected, I will not discuss those examples here.

The premises of the emergent movement paint a nightmare scenario for most Missionary Baptist preachers... a lost and dying world to whom the church is ill-equipped to minister. The fear of that nightmare entices some pastors to take steps the emergent movement pushes. This should not be so. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, no matter the time period, culture, or social change. People today might be busier, but their spiritual need is the same. They might be pushier, but their need is the same. They might be angrier, but their need is the same.

In a time of constant change... don't let the emergent's desire for acceptance rob your community of the only solid Rock on which it can stand. Be the church. Worship God the way you can in your heart. Preach the Word, the way the Lord has called you to preach it. Reach out to people the way the Word, the Lord, and your pastors have taught you.

Hold fast the profession of your faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised. Hold forth the Word of life, defend the faith once delivered to the saints, PREACH THE WORD. It is still God's sword, and His answer for a lost and dying world.

This should be my last post on the emergent movement.

UnGodly Holiness Pt. 3 - Rebels without a Cause

Zechariah 3:1-2 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: [is] not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father." - Jesus Christ in John 5:45.

One of the main problems I have with emergent Christianity is its hostility toward traditional Christianity. Visit any forum, blog, debate or discussion site, and you will find emergents who are unabashedly anti-church, anti-tradition, anti-leadership, anti-elder and anti-establishment. They question everything the church does from organized missions programs, associations, and even the structure of the worship services.

Noticeably absent from emergent literature and postings on blog sites and discussion boards are a clear set of principles and beliefs. So the nature of the emergent church is one of protest and accusation, not one of a constructive nature. So, the emergent church by nature is basically one that is set on protest against the establishment and questioning every practice in which God's New Testament churches have engaged.

The aim of this post is to highlight the hostility of the emergents toward Christianity, highlight the absence of a clear set of beliefs, and note the lack of scripturality and Spirituality in their movement.

The premise of the emergent movement is that modern Christianity has become pharisaical, hypocritical, and nothing more than empty traditions. They prey upon the errors committed by churches and Christian leaders.

The church, obviously, is made up of men, who still suffer from the sin nature and the temptations thereof, and so it is natural that errors will be made. By the vote of the church, or actions of the leadership, mistakes will be made, wrong decisions will be made, bad moves will occur. Doctrinal error will happen, practical error will happen, and leaders will fall to temptation. It's human nature. It happens.

Failing to see the dual nature of man, and the struggle that each Christian has within their own spirits and souls (except when it's their own struggle) the emergent will jump on any error, any sin, any wrong action, word, belief or practice, all for the sake of advancing his own agenda of deconstructing the church. His arguments are not one of "here is the way the Bible teaches us to do things," rather his arguments are, "look how rotten the modern church is. It needs to be changed."

I remember a few years ago. A dear brother in Christ, to whom I looked up at the time, was in the midst of what I believed to be a Spiritual struggle. He struggled at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning to write a sermon. Unable to get his message together, he aired all of his grievances on his blog (which has since been deleted.) A number of preachers jumped in and encouraged this meltdown, until a notable ABA preacher, Brother Bobby Sparks, stepped in and called the meltdown for what it was worth. The initial post challenged the 21 doctrinal statements of the American Baptist Association (which are all basically non-controversial to the learned Bible student), basically saying, "You can keep your Baptist doctrine, I like Bible doctrine." His insinuation was that Baptist doctrine was not Bible doctrine, and that insinuation seemingly infuriated Brother Sparks.

Brother Sparks is still a man to whom I look up. No man preaches the Gospel like he does. Anyone who heard him preach at the 2006 Missionary Baptist Association of Texas meeting in Longview would have to agree. However, less than a year after Bro. Sparks amazing sermon at the state meeting, several preachers, lay members, and self-ascribing emergents were on Bro. Sparks' case for his statements in response to the original meltdown posts.

The posts included such statements as "Who does Bobby Sparks think he is?" and "What has Brother Sparks done for the ABA?" "His degree isn't worth the paper it's written on." and so on. Bro. Sparks comments were not debated, only his credentials and personality. Basically, Bro. Sparks was under attack from that moment on, at least in cyberspace. THESE WERE PEOPLE WITH ABA BACKGROUNDS, who were preachers, lay members, and some former members of ABA churches.

Bro. Sparks has spent much of his ministry debating the Campbellites, so this sort of controversy had little effect on how he carried out his ministry. In fact, it probably barely registered on his radar. Bro. Sparks, you might say, is a big boy. I rehash all of this for the sole purpose of highlighting the hostility and animosity the emergent movement (of whom at least one of the participants of the discussion was a part, and I suspect several more were) has toward the traditional church. As much as I regret having gotten involved in the discussion, it was a learning experience for me. I began to see the enemy at work in our own ranks.

For the record, Bro. Sparks has spent his entire ministry of preaching and defending God's Gospel, salvation by faith through grace apart from works, preaching the Gospel to the captives in the form of debates, writing books that highlight how Old Testament worship pointed to the coming of Christ (which is very important), and I understand he even has become knowledgeable in tax codes for ministers and has made that knowledge available to others. Yet this man, in the course of that discussion, was regarded as the enemy. That basically sums up the emergent movement.

The emergent views the seasoned pastor as a lord over God's heritage. He sees the church's influence on our political processes (such as Focus on the Family's lobbying for pro-family and anti-abortion legislation) as harmful. He sees traditional worship as boring and unexciting, and thus aims to change that. He sees evening services as redundant and seeks to replace those with Bible studies. Back when the ABA Survey blog was still in existence, the notion was floated that a church could conceivable have only one corporate worship service per month and spend the rest of the month in small groups. They see formal leadership as a hindrance because they believe that post-modern individuals don't trust ordained leaders. They see themselves as Jesus Christ, and the New Testament church as Caiaphas.

The emergent would be perfectly content if all the churches in America sold their buildings, scuttled their missions programs, withdrew from the political arena, accepted a secular society, then worked quietly from their homes withing that secular society. Stuart Murray, author of Post Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strangle Land says the emergent church is widely opposed to the attributes of the traditional church, including being at the center of society rather than the margins. Satan also wants Christians and churches to withdraw from society and live on the fringes. It's much easier to discredit and disregard them that way.

Other similarities between the emergents and Satan include the constant accusations made toward the church and its leaders, and the hostility toward God's churches.

Emergents think formal organization is also a hindrance. In fact, having an organized belief system is also useless to the emergent, who seeks to establish a dialog rather than deliver a message. The problem with this viewpoint is that Christ came to deliver a message and complete a mission, not to establish a dialog. When God told His people in Isaiah 1:18 "Come let us reason together," He was not asking them how they felt. He was telling them what He was going to do. He was going to cleanse them from their sin. No dialog. God gave us His message, and He commissioned the churches to spread that message and make disciples.

Perhaps the commitment to dialog and railing against the church can explain the absence of a clear belief system for the emergent movement. Christian scholar D.A. Carson wrote that the emerging church movement is primarily a movement of protest against their more conservative heritage. He concluded that emergent literature is more preoccupied with criticizing the church rather than offering a constructive agenda. In fact, the only thing an emergent will truly be dogmatic about is the need for contemporary worship service.

ABA, as well as most Baptist writers, write about the distinctions of the Baptist faith and use their research and study to affirm Bible doctrines. Emergent writers use their research to figure out why people are non-religious and seek out new ways to engage the unchurched in a dialog, conversation, or seek to interact with them via contextualization. When the focus becomes fitting in with the unchurched and being attractive to them, Bible doctrines and beliefs are abandoned, no message is conveyed, and evangelism and Bible study get reduced to "I kind of think this... but you have the right to your own belief."

Beyond the idea that church stinks, I can not find the central message of emergent Christianity. And I've tried. I've read some of the books, many of the blogs, and engaged a few online. Many emergents (and many Christians in general) don't even have a clear concept of what the Gospel is. The lack of a central message and mission relegates the emergents to being rebels without a cause. They don't like the way things are, they want to change the way things are and withdraw from the church, but they don't really know (as a group) where they are going. All they know is where they are going will be a magical land of authenticity, openness, dialog, equality, and emotional comfort. All of which are alive and well in the Lord's churches, but then again, who wants to wake up on Sunday morning?

The lack of a central message is indicative that the movement is not rooted in scripture. This is vastly different from B.M. Bogard's protesting against increasing infringements on church sovereignty back in the 1920s, or John Leland's railing against the rise of missionary societies back in the 1700s and 1800s. Both men had a core set of beliefs, that God commissioned the churches to carry out his work, not para-church organizations. They had a strict set of doctrinal beliefs, and preached and taught those beliefs. Anyone who has read either man's work will see that those beliefs were deeply rooted in their study of the scriptures.

Contrast that with the emergent's approach of studying the culture then looking for ways to blend in with that culture without violating an explicit Bible command. One example of this is the new rise in third-location churches, many of which meet in coffee shops. Now, scripture permits a church to meet anywhere it deems practical, however, the coffee-shop phenomenon was not born out of a study of the scripture, rather it was born of an idea that it would be easier to get people to show up to a coffee shop where food was being served than a brick building with a steeple. In fact, many of these third-location churches even reject the notion of calling themselves a church.

Notice the difference between studying the scriptures and letting the practice grow out of that, as opposed to studying the culture and building a practice around that. The emergent movement, by practice, lack scripturality because they seem to have no interest in deep studies in the scriptures. Rather, they look for permission to fit into a culture that they have deeply studied. The premise and starting point are flawed.

While it sounds nice to be "outwardly focused," the truth is we are to be focused on God. Any time our primary focus shifts away from God, we are drifting into idolatry. This drifting leads to a lack of spirituality. While the feeling in the room of an emergent gathering might have a spiritual feel to it, the fact that they are operating outside of God's will renders them unspiritual. The greatest action by the Holy Spirit, the empowerment of the church in Acts 2, happened as the church was praying to God and seeking His will, not as they were studying their culture.

The fatal flaw of emergent Christianity is that it seeks to deconstruct the church and remake it after its own image. God never called anyone to remake the church after his own image. We are to join the church and its mission to make disciples in all the world. If the emergents really want to see God move, they'd be well off to get on board.

Mission: Brownwood December 2009 Report

Grace Pointe Adopts Constitution and By-Laws

Pursuant to God’s directions to do all things decently and in order, Grace Pointe adopted their constitution, by-laws and articles of faith on Dec. 6. This step has given Grace Pointe much needed structure as they move toward being self-supporting. The articles of faith match the ABA doctrinal statement, although Grace Pointe did add a provision that encourages the use of the KJV.

Mission: Brownwood Still Needs Support

While Grace Pointe continues to pay her own day-to-day expenses, support is still needed to fund outreach efforts like Vacation Bible School, summer revival, facility purchase, summer youth camp and other public outreach events we feel will help Grace Pointe get a leg up toward becoming self supporting. If you currently support our work, we greatly appreciate it and hope you’ll prayerfully continue that support. If you don’t support our work, we would be grateful for any consideration you may give us.

God has blessed the support that has come in and He has built Grace Pointe well. Our prayer is that the progress we have seen this year will continue.

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.

VBS Dates Set

Grace Pointe’s Vacation Bible School will be held June 7-11, 2010. We are currently enlisting volunteers.

By The Numbers:

Sunday Morning

12/6 - 14
12/13 - 23
12/20 - 13
12/27 - 8

Wednesday Evening

12/2 - 12
12/9 - 7
12/16 - 11
12/23 - 11
12/30 - 6

Finances

Offerings: $1,727.66
Oakland MBC (Rusk, TX) $50
Oakland MBC (Rusk, TX) $50
Northcrest MBC (Andrews, TX) $74.74
Northcrest MBC (Andrews, TX) $68.90

Expenses:

Rent: $600
Rich Cone Air Conditioning (Heater repair) $82.50
Walmart (decorations) $111.43
TMD $82.69
MBA of Texas $82.69
Leland Acker $100
Brownwood Water $84.51
Kelso family (reimbursement for curtains) $60.27
TXU-Electricity $97.64
Banking $3

Mission: Brownwood Account

Deposits:

Missionary Bapt. Assn of TX $2,484
Rocky Springs MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $200
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
White Rock MBC (Center, TX) $100
Quaker Ave MBC (Lubbock, TX) $100
Memory Lane MBC (Palestine, TX) $50
Heritage MBC (Missouri City, TX) $200
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
58th Ave MBC (Amarillo, TX) $138.47
East Side MBC (Jacksonville, TX) $100
Hickory Grove MBC (Newport, AR) $64.45
Nevill’s Chapel MBC (Mt. Pleasant, TX) $151.64
Muse MBC (Grapeland, TX) $200
Wyndrock MBC (Abilene, TX) $140
Arp First Baptist Church (Arp, TX) $120

Expenses

Salary $1,784
Housing $700
CPA Services $50

UnGodly Holiness Part Two - Declergification

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. - Matthew 9:36

Imagine for a moment...

It was a routine play... the quarterback takes the snap and tosses to the running back, who just happens to be your son. He cuts to the inside and disappears beneath a pile of linemen. Everyone gets up, except for your son.

You rush out onto the field. The trainer tells you his arm is broken. Relieved that it's not more serious, but still concerned for your son's well being, you load him up into the truck and head to the emergency room.

You arrive at the hospital, rushing in with your son.

"I NEED A DOCTOR!" You exclaim.

A Nurse at the door responds, "Here at the PostModern Method Hospital, we aren't realy big on titles... but here, let's plug you in to this lifegroup here and your peers will help you overcome the problem."

See, it doesn't make sense in that context either.

Declergification is the process by which a church removes all ordained pastors and deacons and becomes totally run, and led, by lay members. The intent is to eliminate the office of pastor and deacon.

There is a movement within Emergent and Postmodern Christianity to remove all titles from the church. Many even want to declergify the church, meaning they want to see the church reach the point where there is no formal leadership, no formal titles, no formal pastor, and no ordained deacons or ministers. They would like to see the church just be a collection of people who gather, study the Bible, share testimonies and fellowship. While on the surface this might sound like a utopian church, in actuality it is neither practical nor scriptural.

While we can argue whether it is more fitting to call the pastor of a church pastor or elder, we should be able to agree that God's model for the New Testament church called for organized leadership. I mean, if God's will were for the church to go without pastors, then what did Christ spend 3 1/2 years training the apostles to do? Just "be" the church? I think not. Christ was very specific in John 21 of what He wanted the apostles to do. He explicitly told Peter to "Feed my lambs." Peter was specifically told to feed the flock of God. It's no surprise that Peter emerged as the leader of the 12 in the Book of Acts.

The commandment to "feed the flock" was extended to all elders (read, pastors) in I Peter 5. The job of an elder is to feed the flock (the church). To feed the flock means to teach the church the Word of God. This is demonstrated in Acts 6:2-4:

Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples [unto them], and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

One has to wonder if one reason our churches are in the shape that they are in is because our pastors or elders have been pulled from the Word of God and made to serve tables... in some cases by taking on too much side work at the church (mowing, cleaning, and other non-spiritual type work) and in some cases, literally waiting tables at the local cafe to make ends meet. I digress.

So, elders (pastors) have the exhortation in I Peter 5 to feed the flock of God... to teach the word to the church. However, it doesn't stop there. Elders are also to take the oversight thereof (I Peter 5:2). This means to step into a leadership role in the church. It means that a pastor is not only to teach the church, he is also to give it leadership... both Spiritual leadership and leadership in its ministries. He is also called upon to be an example (I Peter 5:3).

This scripture is in direct opposition to the idea of not having a pastor, and it is also in direct opposition to the practice in some denominations of stripping the pastor/elder/minister of all leadership roles and placing him ONLY in a position of teaching. There are some denominations where the church is led and governed by a board or committee of lay people, and the pastor only gets to teach and preach. They might let the pastor in on the board meetings, but he has little, if any, leadership or oversight.

Not only does I Peter 5:1-3 give instructions for pastoral leadership, you see this process in action in the book of Acts. In addition to that, I Timothy 3 clearly gives qualifications for the men who desire to fill the office of pastor and deacon. Not only does the first chapter of Titus reiterate these qualifications, Titus is reminded in Titus 1:5 that he was appointed to ordain elders (pastors) in every city. Establishing church leadership was just as vital to the mission of the early churches as getting people saved.

As for pastoral salary, scripture gives indication that pastors are to be supported financially. They are not to get rich from the ministry (I Peter 5:2), but they should have their needs met. How else could the apostles, the first pastors of God's church, stay in the word unless someone were feeding them. Paul praised the Philippian church for meeting his needs in their time of poverty, told the Corinthians not to muzzle the ox that treads out the corn (I Corinthians 9:9), and even apologized to the Corinthian church for making them an inferior church by failing to teach them to support their clergy (II Corinthians 12:13).

I've barely scratched the surface. Scripture discusses the need for pastors, ordained ministers, deacons, all of which could fall under the heading of "clergy." Scripture not only discusses the need, it gives instructions for ordaining clergy and what the clergy should do. While individual members of the clergy may have strayed from their God-called purpose and God-given duty, that hardly warrants direct disobedience by eliminating the clergy from the church altogether.

If the emergent and post-modern Christianity movements really want to set up utopian churches, they would be well of to go to the examples and instructions clearly given in the scriptures. Anything other than that is an apostate religion.

A church without clergy, where every member contributes to the dialogue in a "Bible study" that has no leadership is like kids on a playground playing the parachute game. The parachute game is a game where a parachute is laid out on the ground, and a ball is placed in the middle. The kids surround the parachute, grab the ends, and pull, resulting in the ball being bounced into the air. But as the kids pull on the parachute, the group moves, without solid direction, and wanders aimlessly on the playground until one of the kids collides with an object.

Churches without clergy will wander aimlessly as well, being tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.

Jesus looked out upon the multitudes and saw them scattered as sheep without a shepherd. May God help us if that scene ever describes the institution of the church.

UnGodly Holiness: Part One - Deconstructing the Church

Have you ever stopped to think about how much of what we do in the way of corporate worship and ministry as a church is actually spelled out in scripture? Does scripture mandate three-four songs, an offering, a special music, a 30-45 minute sermon, an invitation and dinner on the grounds? Are youth programs found in scripture? What about associations?

You may have thought about these things, and you may have concluded that even though there is no scripture to mandate reducing most hymns to three verses, God has given us the freedom to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. God has mandated our worship, our assembling, and our mission, and given us the freedom to do so as He calls us and as He has given us the ability.

Your conclusion on Biblical mandates for youth programs may very well come from verses such as "train up a child in the way he should go." Your conclusion that church associations are scriptural may come from the Jerusalem Council. Many have asked themselves these questions, and many have come to the conclusion that what we as Baptists do is well and good in the eyes of God. One of our members at Grace Pointe once told me (we were discussing whether or not scripture mandates that we vote to receive members) that if a practice has been around long enough in the Lord's churches, it may very well be the way God wants it.

Others have asked these questions, however, and come to a different conclusion. They have concluded that since there is no Biblical mandate for church buildings, it is sin to spend so many resources on acquiring and maintaining worship facilities. Since there is no Biblical mandate for the traditional format for worship, perhaps we should dump our worship traditions and start over. Since there is no Biblical mandate for church associations the way we use them (three messengers per church and a missions program, plus a publishing house) then we should just dump that and get back to basics. These have rejected the church the way most Baptists have come to understand the church. They claim that the younger generation is turned off by the church, views the church as irrelevant, and to reach the younger generation, we must shirk the "unnecessary burdens of the Pharisaical mindset of the church and get back to what Christianity was meant to be." There is no formal church organization. If you gather, you are part of the church. Baptism is de-emphasized, and even structure is a thing of the past. Two Christians sit next together at an airport terminal waiting for their flight, there's a church.

Popular Christian writers have also latched onto this trend, claiming that the post-Modern culture (watch that term, it is very popular among the Emergent Church movement) has rejected all of our traditional values, and to reach them, we have to leave behind our traditions and start anew. Otherwise, we'll miss the younger generation and God's church will die off as it's members age and pass away.

I have weighed these arguments, I have measured them, and I find them wanting. There are those who constantly scream out "change!" Should we find ourselves blindly following these calls, we will find ourselves just as disillusioned as the American electorate in 2008-2009.

My arguments against the Emergent belief system and the "post-modern" Christianity belief system is based on the fact that we have seen these arguments all before. (Well, maybe you did, I wasn't born yet). Didn't we hear all this back in the 60s when the Baby Boomers were coming of age? Didn't we hear about how the younger generation was dumping the traditional values of their parents and we would have to change and get back to basics to reach them? Didn't we hear that if we didn't change, the Baby Boomer generation would be a lost generation and the churches would die without them? Who makes up the majority of the membership today? Baby Boomers. Mega churches have flourished, false religion has abounded, but the Lord's churches continue on today. Today, we hear that the church will die with the last Baby Boomer if we don't dump all of our traditions to reach the younger generation. See the irony?

Furthermore, the idea that all church activities that are not clearly spelled out in the Bible is sin is flawed thinking. Read the book of Acts the way it was meant to be read. The Emergent Christian will read the book of Acts looking for the absence of the things we do to point out the sinfulness of doing what we do... like singing hymns, supporting our clergy, sending out missionaries, and gathering at the associational meeting to raise funds for missionaries.

The Book of Acts, popularly referred to as a how-to book for churches, is in fact historical record written by Luke under inspiration of the Holy Spirit to show how God can spread His Gospel if the churches are obedient to Him. A closer reading of Acts shows a church that gathers... often. This church sat under preaching, sometimes for hours (to the point that men were falling asleep and falling out of windows.) Imagine how your average Emergent would react to that?

Furthermore, the Bible clearly mandates singing hymns, spiritual songs, and Psalms. I & II Corinthians clearly gives instruction for orderly worship and formal membership. If a church deems it orderly to purchase or build a worship facility, sing four hymns every Sunday, have a special or two, and learn from a 30-90 minute sermon, then that is no more sinful than if an emergent church decided to go all vegetarian for their post-Bible study meal.

While some who follow the Emergent theology ignorantly, earnestly seeking God's will, the fact is those who propagate this theology are truly seeking to deconstruct the institution of the church, God's institution, the one He bought and established, the one through whom the Gospel would be preached to all nations. This attempt to deconstruct the church is veiled in a pseudo-holiness, a holiness that says "we are so holy that we no longer need the church." This holiness, which has a form of Godliness but denies the power thereof, is in fact, unGodly.

The intent of the Emergent church to deconstruct God's church is clearly spelled out here. Wikipedia describes the Emergent church as "...disillusionment with the organized and institutional church and their support for the deconstruction of modern Christian worship, modern evangelism, and the nature of modern Christian community."

They seek to deconstruct modern Christian worship, because for some reason these "holy" Emergents can not worship God to the words of Amazing Grace (unless it is cleverly rearranged to sound like "The House of the Rising Sun.") They can not worship in an environment that is decent and in order. They seek to deconstruct modern evangelism (door-knocking and witnessing to strangers in public) because they don't want to be offensive. After all, Jesus wouldn't be offensive, would He? (The Gospel is by nature offensive, because it is through scriptural preaching and teaching of the cross that man becomes convicted of his sin. When a man is brought face-to-face with his sin, he in his natural state becomes offended because his sin-nature sends him into self-justification mode).

They seek to deconstruct the modern Christian community... which contrary to popular belief does in fact center around the church. There are worship services, Bible studies, Bible schools, Sunday schools, Awanas and Discovery, youth programs, choir programs, and we haven't even gotten into the heart of the church, missions and ministry. Do those who seek to deconstruct the Christian community really seek to deconstruct the mission efforts of that community? Do they seek to deconstruct the benevolent efforts of that community? Can a loose-nit band of friends calling themselves an Emergent church really spread the Gospel with the same resources and God's power as an organized church?

Jesus told His disciples, "Upon This Rock will I build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it." He also promised His church that "Lo, I am with you alway, even until the end of the world." Could these promises have been kept true had the church been nothing more than an aposthetic brand of phariseeism, even if just for a few decades? No. If the true church ever ceased to exist, then these promises could not have been kept, which means that the premise of the Emergent movement is flawed from the beginning. Church is Biblically mandated. True churches have existed continually since Christ was on earth. Those churches follow God's direction, meaning the things they do are not empty traditionalism, and carry far more weight with God than the Emergent's unGodly holiness, a holiness that is by definition man-centered.

The Emergent latches on to that which he likes, that which he finds pleasurable and comfortable, and rejects that which he does not. That is a self-centered, a man-centered way of thinking, not a God centered way of thinking. So their practice, mindset and perceived holiness is done apart from God, and thus, is an unGodly holiness.

Mission: Brownwood blog is back

Over the past several months, my blogging has slacked off due to a couple of reasons. (1) My first and foremost priority is to lead Grace Pointe to become a self supporting doctrinally sound Missionary Baptist Church. (2) The continued economic downturn wreaked havoc on ad sales at KSTA, thus forcing me to put in extra effort. My efforts were in vain, however. I have resigned KSTA and will be full time in the ministry for 2010. (3) A wise man speaks when he has something to say. A fool speaks because he has to say something. I really haven't had much to say outside of pointing out new state/interstate mission fields to go to. That is, I haven't had much to say until now.

There are three things on my heart right now.

(1) I want to encourage the brethren who read this blog. I know that I am not "somebody come" as Brother Brooks would say, but I know there are days that I find encouragement in what other brethren are writing and I hope to be a blessing to others as well.

(2) I am noticing the economic collapse of our nation. The focal point of my observation is Detroit. If any city shows the pain that accompanies a shift from a manufacturing to a service economy, it would be Detroit. My heart goes out to those people. Michigan, and many of the Great Lakes states have traditionally voted liberal. Why? Because many don't know the truth. How can we expect them to know the truth if we don't take it to them. Imagine a life where God was a distant being, and where no one shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you. Hard to imagine, isn't it?

(3) I am noticing more fervent attacks on our churches, not just individually, but institutionally. Many, if not most, of these attacks are coming from within the church itself. It seems the only way to sell a book in a Christian bookstore these days is to rip the institution of the church and advocate throwing out all of our practices and starting all over with a whole new "revolution." I plan to compose a series of blog posts that will show that those who are in opposition to God's church are also in opposition to God's Word and even God Himself.

May God bless you and may we be blessings to each other as we share our faith and encouragement online.

Detroit in Ruins

On the Road Again

Since Grace Pointe does not currently have evening services, I thought it would be wise to check back in with some of our supporting churches, as well as some churches who are interested in the work. If you would be interested in having me share what the Lord is doing in Brownwood, TX with your church, please call me at (325) 200-8531.

Soul-winning made "easy"

Call me crazy, but I think I have found a less-intimidating method of soul winning. I must admit a couple of things first. (1) I got the idea from watching "The Way of the Master." (No, I'm not just going to parrot their approach.) (2) The phrase "All things old will become new again" has never been truer than what I am about to say.

In soul-winning (which is STILL something I don't do enough of), you must first get used to talking with complete strangers. Just saying those first few words is a daunting task for some, unless you live in Texas where you can make an instant friend out of almost anyone by declaring the idiodessy that is Jerry Jones.

A good exercise to use to get comfortable talking to strangers would be to get in the habit of greeting everyone you meet. You're walking down the produce aisle at Walmart, and another customer is walking toward you. As you pass by, just greet them. New Yorkers might say, "How you doin'?" Texans might say, "Howdy." In the Deep South, the greeting might sound like "Hey y'all." Whatever the official greeting in your language is, just get used to saying it.

Before long, you may find yourself totally engrossed in a conversation with a complete stranger. In doing this, it is entirely important to remember names. Remembering names is the chief way people will know that you care about them. Plus, people like to hear their names. My favorite name memory trick is to use their name as soon as possible after they tell me. It goes like this.

"Howdy."
"Hey, y'all."
"Cool weather these days, huh."
"Man, you ain't kiddin'. It's cold enough out there to freeze your Winnebego."
"Hi, I'm Leland Acker. Pleased to meet you."
"Good to meet you Leland. I'm Bob Barker."
"Bob, it's good to know you. So how are you liking Texas?"
"Pretty good. Hey! How'd you know I was a foreigner."
"Your Winnebego is frozen."

As soon as they give you their name, turn around and use it again. Get used to doing that, and you'll get used to knowing people by name.

People love to talk. In Texas, talk ranges from the weather, to the Dallas Cowboys, to the weather, to whether or not the Longhorns are going to win another title, to the weather, to the Dallas Cowboys, to the weather, to whether or not Texas A&M will ever play Division I football again. (Hey, 6-6 ain't too shabby. Sherman really has worked hard to clean that mess up.)

If you wait on a natural opening in the conversation to work in the Gospel, you'll likely be dissappointed. For one thing, Satan's forces are all around to make sure the natural progression of the conversation stays as far away from spiritual matters as possible. For another, the Gospel sounds so ridiculous when you try to say that Jesus paid the yardage for your penalty flags. No, you must intentionally steer the conversation over to spiritual matters. Doing so is easier than you think.

To intentionally steer a conversation toward the Gospel, all you need is a little courage (faith of a mustard seed) and a pocket full of tracts. Simply pull the tract from your pocket, hand it to your new friend, and say, "Did you get one of these? It's a Gospel tract."

Chances are they'll take the tract, if only to be polite. You may then ask, "Do you go to church anywhere?" or "Do you have a Christian background?" or so on. Regardless of how they answer the question, you have now successfully steered the conversation into matters of eternal significance and have a real opportunity to share the Gospel. Once the conversation has been steered into this place, I have found it effective to utilize the methods of the Way of the Master... but you should do what God leads you to do and what works for you.

People are amazingly tolerant of discussing these things. You'll find that more often than not, people wil be polite and talk with you. Some may turn away in disgust. Don't let that discourage you. Now, let's get out there and win some souls for Christ!