Life Goes On

I'm one of those who has emphasized many times that most of the programs in most churches are designed as "come" structures.  Come to our service, come to our program, come to our concert, or revival or whatever.  Cast against the backdrop of the Great Commission which emphasizes "go", it makes it seem as if we are choosing the exact opposite of what Jesus meant.  Today as I was praying and thinking about an identity for our church, I began to think of "go" in a bit of a different light.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if the people of our town began to think of Faith Baptist Church as the "go-to" place for all sorts of needs?   Lonely?  Go to Faith Baptist. Depressed?  Go to Faith Baptist. Hungry?  Go to Faith Baptist. Homeless?  Go to Faith Baptist. Jobless?  Go to Faith Baptist. Not that we are currently equipped to meet all those needs, but we can become equipped.  When we have a member who is passionate about a particular mi...

This post has been stewing in my mind for a while. I've waited so that I could write it as objectively as possible, though I'm sure that emotions will permeate throughout. Recently I've been made aware of a church operating according to a Pharisaical mindset rather than scripture. By Pharisaical mindset, I mean man-made rules that are observed as equal to if not above the laws of God. It seems there are churches that operate on a business model rather than following the clear guidelines of scripture. The end result is that hearts are broken, lives are disrupted, and in some cases churches are split as leaders take actions that they deem "for the greater good". Is it any wonder that the most scathing words of Jesus were directed toward the Pharisees of His day? He equated them to a "brood of vipers", and to "wolves in sheep's clothing". In this most recent incident, the staff member being asked to "resign" complied by writing...

Many years ago Ralph Neighbor drew attention to the fact that most of our church programming is based on getting people inside our building. The truth of the matter is, if we are to ever be successful getting them into our building, we're going to have to go outside the building to find them. In Matt. 28:19-20, Jesus commanded us to "Go and make disciples of all nations..." We are not commanded to "invite them", or even "bring them". He said "Go". The literal translation of that is "as you are going". Therefore, our disciple making is to take place as we are going about our normal traffic pattern of life. When we connect to people where they are, and build meaningful relationships, it is then easier to get them to accompany us to church. This being true, the purpose of our time "in" church should be preparation for going outside the church and doing the work of ministry there. Everything that happens in the building...

Currently I'm working with two churches; one a small, mostly Sr. Adult church and the other a First Baptist in a small town. Both are currently without a pastor. I'm serving as Interim pastor for one (the small church) and helping with pastoral ministries for the the other. The thing that I'm finding true in both is that they are striving to continue doing "business as usual" (whatever that means). They are missing a great opportunity to make some changes that have long been needed. I have a friend who often says, "The best time to make changes is when change is happening." The loss of a pastor is change. Obviously things will be done differently because those who remain have different gift sets, strengths and weaknesses. The key to adapting to the current situation is that someone or some group must step up and take responsibility for leading. That doesn't mean there should be a power struggle. Unless someone steps forward, it is very easy...

Since June of this year I have been involved in three funerals and will be doing another this coming week.  Thankfully, each of the deceased were strong Christians and had lived their faith in such a way that comforting the believing family and friends was easy.  At each funeral I do, I always present the gospel, believing that this is a vulnerable moment for any un-believers in the audience.  There are certain times when people are more open to the gospel than others, and I believe that we should discern those times and boldly seize the moment to present the good news. Just last week when I did this, two people, including a relative of the deceased, gave their lives to Christ.  We did not have an “altar call” as such, but after I had prayed a prayer of repentance and faith and invited any one to make that prayer their own, I asked that those who did pray that prayer please open their eyes and make eye contact with me.  This in no way took away from the servic...

Matthew 16:18 (HCSB) And I also say to you that you are Peter (petros, a rock), and on this rock (boulder; the statement “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”) I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. It is Jesus’ intention that the church overwhelms the gates of Satan’s domain. He wants us to be on the offensive for the Kingdom of God . We are never to be in retreat or in a circle the wagons mode. We are to be on the attack. We are to take captives away from Satan and lead them into the kingdom through faith in Jesus. We must learn what our rights are and how to use the weapons God has supplied. Our rights Matthew 16:19 (HCSB) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:19 (HCSB) Again, I assure you: If two of you on earth agree about any matter that you p...

On Labor Day our church had a fish fry. More people attended than have attended church or Bible Study on any given Sunday in the past three months. This got me to thinking about the place that fellowship occupies in the life of the church. In Acts 2:46 we find the new church members meeting together daily in the temple and then "breaking bread" (having fellowship over food) from house to house. This reminded me of something I once heard; "it is hard to put on airs while eating". We are more apt to be ourselves over a meal or refreshments than in most other settings. The only problem I see is that many churches have elevated fellowship to a position above worship, evangelism, discipleship and ministry. At one point the Sunday School was known as the "outreach arm" of the church. In the early 1970s, that changed to being the Bible Study FELLOWSHIP, or Small Group FELLOWSHIP. The drop in baptisms can be traced back to that change in philosophy. I thin...

I t seems to me from scripture that the primary purpose of the church is to represent Christ to the world.  The unfortunate reality is that many, if not most, church members think that the church exists to cater to them.  They expect the church to entertain, comfort, inspire and pamper them simply because they are "members".  If the opening statement of this blog is true, how does that play out in reality?  Here are some random thoughts. The church should serve as a "service station" to members equipping them for ministry to and in the world in which they live. The church should demonstrate to the world how to live in community with one another. The church should do for those outside the church what Christ did for the multitudes when He was here on earth. The church should provide nurture and care for new believers, helping them discover and develop their gifts that enable them to function as Christ's ambassadors to the world. The church should be a platform for...

Yesterday I preached from Matthew 7:21-23. That is a passage that always grabs my attention when I read it. The bottom line of the passage is that Jesus says that not everyone is welcome in His kingdom of heaven. Many church-goers will find themselves excluded. Why? Primarily because they skipped first base in their pursuit of a home in heaven. Rather than starting with a relationship with God through Jesus, they went straight to church membership and "good works" which they decided on themselves. The scriptures are very clear that the starting point (first base) is recognizing that one is separated from God because of sin; confessing and repenting of that sin (turning from self & sin to the Savior) and receiving Jesus as Lord of their life. I told a group of leaders just yesterday that I found it maddening that it was harder to join the Kiwanis Club than most Baptist Churches. When I preached in Russia several years ago, those who responded to the altar call were...

Maybe it's because I recently celebrated my 70th birthday, but I don't think so. What? It's the fact that we Americans tend to lump all our older folks into the "has-been" folder and generally forget about them. The only exception seems to be in government. We do have our fair share of seniors involved in government. The Bible supports the idea that the elderly have much to offer. Moses was 80 when God called him to deliver the Jews from Egypt. Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. Caleb was 85 when he requested of Joshua the right to take the mountain occupied by giants that he had been promised as a 40 year old. In Biblical times, the elders of a city oversaw and approved most business deals transacted in their city. They also settle disputes without having to bring the courts into the mix. Today, especially in our churches, we tend to forget the more mature folks. We allow them to be a part of the "Prime-timers", or some other benighnly name...

Today my wife and I had a new experience. For the almost 43 years of our marriage, and for me for some 20 years prior, we had never joined a church without being on staff. Since we were urged into retirement some five months ago, we have been visiting churches, and praying that God would make clear where He wanted us to plug in. Our primary concern was and is that we don't feel that God is finished with us yet. We want to be somewhere where our gifts and abilities can be used for the kingdom. We have no interest at all in "sitting and soaking". After visiting several churches in our area, we found one that seemed to fit the criteria we had prayerfully set. Finally, I made an appointment with the pastor, and expressed to him our concerns and desires. He graciously answered my questions without putting any pressure on me to decide right away. We came away from that meeting with an agreement to pray for God's leadership. Today as the service progressed, I became...

Today my wife and I attended Belle Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, FL. Since the end of April, the church has lost their pastor & his 13 year old son in a plane crash, and then lost their Pastor of Worship to a heart attack. They, like many churches these days, are experiencing a decrease in giving due to the economy. (by doing the math, I determined that they are @ $200K behind) However, instead of scaling back, they are aggressively moving forward in evangelism and missions. Oh, and they have just moved into a beautiful new worship center. We were so impressed by how they went about voting for those who will serve on the Pastor search and pulpit supply teams. Before the vote, they asked the nominees to come to the front of the church where 100's of church members gathered around them, laid hands on them and prayed for them. Since the untimely death of their pastor, they have seen an 1100% (not a typo, that is eleven hundred percent) increase in professions of faith co...