HBlog Charles Jr.

Speaking @ 93rd Street Baptist Church in Miami

2012-01-18T06:36:00.000-05:00

I am in Miami.

I arrived yesterday to speak for Pastor Carl Johnson atthe 93^rd Street Community Baptist Church.

Pastor Johnson is a kind host and passionate leader. Andit was great to worship with the 93^rd Street family last night.

I also had the opportunity to reconnect with a PastorTyrell Brown from Virginia, who lectured before I spoke. We met almost tenyears ago, when we were much younger preachers. It is good to hear the ways theLord is blessing Pastor’s Brown’s work.

I will be on my way home in a few hours.

I am looking forward to our Midweek Worship Service atShiloh tonight. I am working on a message from Psalm 84 that I am calling “TheHeart of a True Worshiper.”

Join us at Shiloh at 7 PM or online at www.smbcjax.com.

Notes from Sunday - 1/15/12

2012-01-16T07:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Yesterday ended our 2012 Prayer Emphasis Week. It hasbeen a powerful week of prayer.

The week climaxed with our first All-Night PrayerMeeting. It started Friday night at 10 PM and went through Saturday morning at6 AM. What a time!

Thanks to all of our staff and volunteers. It was a longweek. But you made it happen!

Saturday afternoon, I spoke at the Christian EducationsConference for the Progressive National Baptist Convention. I spoke on thePersonal Develop of the Christian Educator. Thanks to Pastor Streeter for theinvitation and opportunity.

We held a rally during out Bible Study Fellowship (Sundayschool) hour. The new groups were introduced. And we prayed for the BSFworkers. More than 450 new people have signed-up for a BSF group over the pasttwo weeks. We are in store for a serious space problem. Praise God!

I am grateful for all of our guests who joined us inworship yesterday.

Praise God for the brother who was baptized yesterday.

The song of preparation was Yolanda Adam’s “Just a PrayerAway.” The young lady was only scheduled to sing it at 8 AM. But I asked Roger(our Minister of Music) to have her stay for our 10:15 service. I cannot getthat song out of my system now.

I did a little bit of Albertina Walker’s “I Can Go to Godin Prayer” with the choir during the 10 AM service. I love that old schoolGospel music!

I preached a message from Matthew 6:5-8 that I simplylabeled, “When You Pray.”

In this passage, Jesus gives two simple but profound instructionsabout how not to pray:

1. Do not pray like the hypocrites (6:5-6).

2. Do not pray like the Gentiles (6:7-8).

This is now what I planned to preach. But I trust it washelpful to the congregation.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to thechurch.

I plan to start preaching through the Epistle of 1 Johnthis coming Sunday. I intend to begin with a message on 1 John 1:1-4. I amreally looking forward to it.

The New York Giants defeated the NFL champion Green BayPackers. Impressive.

The 49ers defeated the red-hot Saints Saturday. It willbe a crime if Jim Harbaugh does not will the Coach of the Year this season.

The beat-you-up Ravens manhandled the upstart Texans. ButI predict you will see the Texans in the mix again next season.

The Patriots whipped the Broncos like they stolesomething this weekend. No more Tebow-Mania until next season.

I had no problem with any of these teams going to theSuper Bowl!

All-Night Prayer Meeting Tonight at Shiloh

2012-01-13T20:07:00.000-05:00

This is Prayer Emphasis Week at Shiloh Metropolitan BaptistChurch.

We are climaxing it with an All-Night Prayer Meeting. Itbegins tonight at 10 PM and will last through 6 AM.

The Psalms frequently mention praying to God in the nightwatches. Jesus spent all night seeking the will of the Father. Throughoutchurch history, devout Christians have set times where they have sacrificedsleep for prayer.

We are gathering as a church family for a night of prayer tocall on God for a special work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are alsoasking for the favor of the Lord on our church and revival in our city andnation.

Each member is asked to spend at least one hour to join nusfor this tie of prayer, praise, fellowship, study, and meditation.

Childcare will be available. Breakfast will be served whenwe conclude at 6 AM.

Join us.

Pray for us.

Oxford Sermons: Volume IV

2012-01-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

This past summer, I had the privilege to attend theProclaimer’s Place preaching conference in Oxford, England. It was led by Dr.Joel C. Gregory in conjunction with the

It was my second year attending. And I was challenge,refreshed, and inspired to continue growing in my preaching.

I also had the opportunity to speak at a local Baptistcongregation on the Lord’s Day that I was in England. It was a wonderfulexperience.

A collection of sermons from Proclaimer’s Place attendeeshas been published.

I am privileged to have a sermon included in thiscollection. It is a message on Psalm 23 entitled “Living with Confidence in God.”

There are also contributions by two of my preaching heroes –Maurice Watson and Ralph Douglas West

Pick up a copy of “Oxford Sermons: Volume IV” edited by JoelC. Gregory today.

Guidelines for Participating in Prayer Meetings

2012-01-09T14:43:00.002-05:00

Corporateprayer is an expression of Christian fellowship. Therefore, it should be ourgoal that our prayer meetings promote our unity in Christ. Here are tenpractical guidelines that will help us honor the Lord Jesus in our times ofprayer together.

1. Recognize the appointed leader of the prayermeeting. Look to this person to give direction.

2. Use prayers that bless, are biblical, and brief(The 3 B’s).

A. Bless: Are others up or torn down? (1 Co. 14:26)

B. Biblical: Does my prayer align itself with theword of God? (John 15:7)

C. Brief: Am I respectful of others who also wantto pray? (Matt. 6:7)

3. Direct prayers Godward. Avoid prayers thatteach, counsel, or give information to others in the group.

4. Seek God’s perspective. Ask God to address therelevant heart issues (Prov. 4:23) that go beyond practical matters offinances, health, relationships, etc.

5. Be sensitive to others who are present. What maybe appropriate in your own personal prayer time may not be appropriate when youare praying with others.

6. Agree in prayer. Bring your thoughts incaptivity. Don’t let your mind wander. Instead of thinking about what you aregoing to pray next, listen to the one praying. Giving a sincere word ofagreement such as “amen” can stir faith in the one praying.

7. Model faith-filled prayers. Pray with anattitude of expectation that God will answer. Focus on God’s faithfulness andability rather than the problem.

8. Pray with thanksgiving. Don’t just give God ato-do list. Thank him for his faithful promises, for the privilege of prayerthat we enjoy through Jesus Christ, and for the fact that God knows and caresabout all of our needs and desires.

9. Speak up when leading out in prayer. Thisenables others to come into spiritual agreement with you.

10. Assumethat all person matters of prayer are confidential. To share even with a closefriend or spouse could violate the trust of another person. If you want toshare a request outside the prayer group, ask the person who requested prayerfor permission.

Notes from Sunday - 1/8/12

2012-01-09T08:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday began Prayer Emphasis Week 2012 at the ShilohMetropolitan Baptist Church.

What better way is there to start a new year than in prayer?

This week we give ourselves to pray as a church family,seeking God’s face, submitting ourselves to God, and petitions God’s blessingson our disciple-making efforts.

Our congregation will pray through prayer guides this weekthat will enable us to be praying about the same things throughout this week.

There will be prayer meetings each day this week at thechurch from 12-1 PM.

Pastor Carison Adams of the St. Paul Baptist Church inMarion, Indiana, will be our guest speaker Wednesday. He will lead our middayprayer meeting at noon. He will also be our guest speaker during our MidweekWorship Service, Wednesday evening at 7 PM.

We will also have an all-night prayer meeting from Fridaynight (10 PM) to Saturday morning (6 AM). I will teach the “Midnight Special.”

I led a mass Bible study during our Bible Study Fellowshiphour. I taught: “Pray for your Church.” No comment.

We had many guests in worship yesterday. Way cool.

Our children’s choir sang in our 10:15 service and did agreat job.

Praise God for those who were baptized yesterday asfollowers of Christ and new members of the body of Christ.

I preached from John 14:12-14. I called it “Following Christwith Great Expectations.”

I argued three reasons why we should follow Christ withgreat expectations:

1. We have a sovereign promise that enables us to do great things for God (14:12).

2. We have a special partner that enables us to do great things for God (14:12).

3. We have a sacred privilege that enables us to do great things for God (14:13-14).

John 14:12-14 is not an easy text to preach.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the churchin our services yesterday!

I plan to preach a message entitled, “What To Do When ThingsGo Bad,” 2 Chronicles 7:12-14.

The NFL playoffs got off to a great start this weekend.

The Tim Tebow led Denver Broncos beat the Pittsburg Stealersin overtime yesterday, 29-23. It was a good day.

The New York Giants beat down the Atlanta Falcons yesterday,24-2. It was not a good game.

As for Saturday's wild card games... The Saints whipped the Lions. Sorry George. And the Texans whipped the Bengals.

I have no predictions. But I am enjoying the playoffs so far. Can't wait!

As for tonight's BCS national championship game, I predict Alabama will defeat LSU, unless LSU defeats Alabama!

One more thing.

Brodes Perry should not be allowed to the the video announcements ever again! LOL

Notes from Sunday - New Years Day 2012

2012-01-02T05:06:00.000-05:00

I am in Los Angeles.

I flew in to attend the annual Prayer Bowl, hosted by Pastor Melvin Wade and the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church of Los Angeles. The Prayer Bowl is a daylong service of preaching – one sermon after another that Mt. Moriah has hosted at the beginning of the year for almost 30 years. I have attended it since I was a boy. And I preached in it every year until I moved to Jacksonville.

I am not here to preach. I just want to attend and be preached to. But Pastor Wade warned me that I need to be prepared to give a word. We’ll see.

So… My flight that was supposed to leave JAX at 3:30 left an hour later. My connection through Miami went from 5:15 to 7:55. And when I arrived, my bag did not. By the time I finally get to the front of the lost bag line, they tell me that my bag would be arriving on the next flight. It finally arrived. And I made it to my room before 2013!

New year. But some things never change. H.B.'s airport adventures continue.

Anyway…

We had a great day of worship at Shiloh Sunday.

We only had one service today – at 9 AM – because it was New Year’s Day. But the saints came out to worship!

Ray did a great job leading the corporate singing.

Glad to have had all the guests who were in worship with us.

As always, it was a privilege to lead the congregation in the celebration of the Lord’s Table.

Gloria led “He Wants It All” as the song of preparation. Beautiful.

I preached “God Knows What He’s Doing” from the doxology of Paul in Romans 11:33-36.

Sermon Point: God is worthy to be praised because he knows what he is doing, even when we don’t!

How should you respond to the marvelous truth that God knows what he’s doing?

I. Celebrate the wonder of God’s greatness (11:33).
II. Embrace the truth of God’s greatness (11:34-35).
III. Affirm the scope of God’s greatness (11:36).

This text really ministered to me this past week. I struggled with the temptation to worry about something that is beyond my control. And I was frustrated. I really needed to be reminded that, whatever happens, God knows what he’s doing.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our service today. Wow!

I love my congregation. And I am grateful for the privilege of serving such great people. I did not get to see any football Sunday! Not cool.

The Jags beat the Colts. But the Colts won the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

The Cowboys… aw, never mind. You know what happened!

The Gift of Gifts

2011-12-24T05:36:00.001-05:00

O Source of all good, What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts, Thine own dear Son, begotten, not createdMy Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute, His self-emptying incomprehensible, His infinity of love beyond the heart’s grasp. Herein is wonder of wonders: he came below to raise me above, was born like me that I might become like him. Herein is love; when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of grace, to raise me to himself. Herein is power; when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart he united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and the created. Herein is wisdom; when I was undone, with no will to return to him, and no intellect to devise recovery, he came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost, As man to die my death, To shed satisfying blood on my behalf, To work out a perfect righteousness for me. O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds, And enlarge my mind; Let me hear good tidings of great joy, And hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,My conscience bathed in an ocean of repose, My eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father; Place me with ox, ass, camel, goat, To look with them upon my Redeemer’s face, And in him account myself delivered from sin; Let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart, Embrace him with undying faith, Exulting that he is mine and I am his. In him thou has given me so much that heaven can give no more. The Valley of Vision, pp. 28-29

Christmas Concert Tonight at Shiloh

2011-12-21T15:42:00.002-05:00

Tonight at 7 PM, the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville will host our music department's annual Christmas Concert.

Our Worship and Arts Department is under the capable hands of Dr. Roger Sears.

Our Mass Choir, Forgiven Ensemble, Children and Youth Choir, and Praise Dance Team will all be performing tonight.

It will be a great celebration of the miraculous birth and redemptive work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you live in the Jacksonville area - and your local church does not have a meeting scheduled - joins us for this special time of worship. Or watch it online at www.smbcjax.com

Notes from Sunday - 12/18/11

2011-12-19T02:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Crystal!

I am not good at surprises. But I did a pretty good job this weekend. I sent from my niece Harriette, who is very close to Crystal, to visit for the weekend while I am away. I think it is the best birthday gift I have ever given Crystal.

I am writing this post from Chicago.

I filled in this Sunday for my friend, Romell Williams, at the Lilydale Progressive Baptist Church, as he is recovering from surgery.

Romell has bailed me out on many occasions. It was a privilege to return the favor.

Romell and his family mean so much to me that I not only left my pulpit on a Sunday morning, but I was also away on my wife’s birthday. This is an indication of what the Williams family means to the Charles family.

I am a better friend to Romell than he is to me. He preached for me last month. And I brought him from the cold of Chicago to the warmth of Jacksonville. But to preach for him I had to leave the warmth of Jacksonville to come to a snowstorm in Chicago!

It was a great day of worship and fellowship!

I preached to messages from the Psalms that I have recently preached at Shiloh. I love the Psalms!

I have been battling a cold all week. I felt the best Sunday than I have all week. Credit prayer, rest, and Dayquil.

I really missed being with at Shiloh today.

I received good reports of how the Lord used West Wilson and Donald Lewis to minister the word today. Praise God.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

I am looking forward to preaching Christmas morning, God willing.

Did you know that the Dallas Cowboys whipped up on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday night?

I missed a really good boxing match Saturday night. Can’t wait to see the replay.

Was the Lord with Tim Tebow Sunday?

The Indianapolis Colts finally won a game. And then announced that Peyton Manning will not play this season.

I can’t tell you how glad I am that the Green Bay Packers lost this weekend.

I think I am beginning to get excited about the upcoming NBA season. Go Heat!

Breaking News: This season, I will also be cheering for the Los Angeles… Clippers!!!

Our 13th Wedding Anniversary

2011-12-12T15:11:00.001-05:00

Thirteen years ago today I was blessed to marry the love of my life, Crystal.

Crystal and I met in high school. Los Angeles High School. Go Romans! I was a senior. She was in the tenth grade. We met in Coach Williams World History Class. We sat next to each other. And every day, Crystal would ask me if I had my homework (probably, so she could cheat). Most times, I had not done my homework, either. I would have let he cheat if I did!

I thought Crystal was beautiful. How could I not? But I was not interested in me. And I was not interested in her. It was not until we were both out of high school that we began to date. She was visiting my sister at my mother’s house. I came by while she was there. I tried to be smooth. But my sister Donetta fronted me out. She said, “Why are you trying to be cool? You ask about Crystal all the time!” I left.

The next day, Crystal came to church with Donetta. Later that evening, a group of young adults from the church went to the movies. They asked me to go. I told them that I would only go if “cuteness” was going. Another failed attempt to be smooth. She went. So I went. And she let me drive her home after the movie. That’s how it all began.

We dated casually for quite some time. There was no a lot of pressure on either side. And love kind of snuck up on us. At some point, we just got to the place where we had to be with each other all the time.

Crystal’s mom, Charlene, fell in love with me long before Crystal did. When Crystal and I were not talking, she would intervene. She would also let me come see Crystal when I got out of class at night. And she did not get upset when my associate preachers and I would start the most epic water gun fights in front of her building. We miss her a lot.

My proposal was unsmooth and unromantic, even though I tried really hard to surprise her and to make it special. There were circumstances beyond my control. Long story. I am just glad she said yes.

My brother, Kevin Willis, did the opening portion of our wedding ceremony. My Pop, John Reed, preached. And my pastor, Melvin Wade, did the vows.

Our wedding did not start on time. But it was not because the bride or wedding party was not ready. It was because our state president brought the president of the National Baptist Convention to meet me. We couldn’t start until his “official” visit was over. (I will not say who the national president was at the time).

We spent our honeymoon in San Diego, about three hours out of Los Angeles. We chose San Diego for two reasons. I was broke. And I was just coming out of a four-year court battle. And there were papers my lawyer needed me to sign as we reorganized the church. So I couldn’t be too far away when he called me in. Crystal should have run then!

Crystal insisted that she did not want children right away. We needed time together. I argued that we should be ready for children soon. Crystal became pregnant immediately. And she immediately turned maternal. I was in shock. I Still am.

I have become a much more complete person as a result of being married to Crystal. The Lord has used her to teach me how to receive and extend love.

One of the things I love about Crystal is that she is so predictable. I mean that in the best sense of the term. Over the years, I have not had to guess what I was going to have to deal with when I got home. She has an even temperament and stable disposition. Me, not so much.

I am in Jacksonville because of two people. The Lord Jesus Christ. And Crystal. With so many people in my ear about what I should and should not do, Crystal dealt gently with me.

These are just some of the thoughts that have been on my mind about the past thirteen years of marriage to Crystal. As this point, we have known one another for twenty years.

I have been blessed way out of my league to be married to such a wonderful woman. I thank God every day for her. And I pray that the Lord will give us many more blessed years together.

notes from Sunday - 12/11/11

2011-12-11T22:47:00.001-05:00

Great day of worship at Shiloh today.

Grateful for all the guests who were in worship with us today.

As usual, our children choir did a great job singing in worship today.

Praise God for those who were baptized today.

I had the opportunity to chat with several new members today. Very encouraging testimonies.

I preached from Psalm 3. I called the message, “It’s Not As Bad As It Seems.”

The point of the message: Things are never as bad as they seem, if God is on your side.

Outline:

I. Bring your complaints to the Lord (3:1-2).
A. He told the Lord about what his enemies were doing (v. 1)
B. He told the Lord about what his enemies were saying (v. 2)
II. Place your confidence in the Lord (3:3-6).
A. Confidence in who the Lord is (vv. 3)
B. Confidence in what the Lord has done (vv. 4-6)
III. Give your conflict to the Lord (3:7-8).
A. God will fight your battle (v. 7)
B. God will give you the victory (v. 8)

I have had a great time preaching from the Psalms over the past several weeks. I plan to preach one more sermon from the Psalms in our Midweek Worship Service this Wednesday evening.

Praise God for those who were added to the church today.

I enjoyed the fellowship with one of our districts after church today.

I planned to go to Jaguars game today. I but I was too tired to go. I do not regret going home and getting in the bed!

The Jags whipped the Bucs today 41-14.

I had the privilege of speaking at the chapel for the Bucs on Saturday evening. But it apparently did not help them today. I am now 4-1 for the season.

What can you say about Tim Tebow. 7-1. That’s what you say.

As I write this, the Cowboys are playing the Giants. The score is close at the end of the 3rd quarter. But I am trusting the Cowboys will pull it out.

Notes from Sunday - 12/4/11

2011-12-05T09:08:00.000-05:00

It was so good to be home with my church family this weekend!

Last week, I was in Antigua and Barbuda, speaking for the Eastern Caribbean Baptist Mission led by Dr. Jensworth W.C. Jonas. Crystal joined me on the trip. And we had a great time.

I look forward to future Missions partnership with Dr. Jonas and the ECBM.

Saturday night, John P. Kee was in concert on our campus. John P. Kee!

John Kee did not see “Jesus is Real.” What’s up with that?

One of my favorite female Gospel voices – Lejuene Thompson – was singing backup. I wish I had the opportunity to hear her sing more.

Thanks to all our staff and volunteers who prepared for the concert Saturday and then got the campus ready for worship Sunday. You make it happen!

We had a wonderful celebration of the Lord’ Supper in both of our services.

I was glad to have our guests in worship with us.

I forgot to do our “Fighter Verses” in both services. It is a weird irony that I forgot our memory verse!

I preached “Out of the Depths” from Psalm 130.

I argued that God is able to take you from the depths of personal despair to the heights of divine favor.

Psalm 130 teaches us what to do to move the hand of God to reach you and lift you out of the depths:

I. Cry out for God’s mercy (130:1-2).
II. Remember God’s goodness (130:3-4).
III. Wait on God’s promises (130:5-6).
IV. Proclaim God’s redemption (130:7-8).

I plan to preach the psalms over the next few weeks. I love praying David’s harp!

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our worship services yesterday.

Yesterday was our youth pastor’s last day. We are praying for Pastor Andrae Robinson and his family as he transitions to his new ministry position.

After church, we shared a meal with several of our church districts who were having their Christmas fellowship. We had a good time.

Last night, I had the privilege of speaking at the chapel service for the San Diego Chargers. It was a great time in the word of God with the brothers.

The Cowboys lost to the Cardinals yesterday because of an inexplicably bad coaching decision in the 4th quarter. But thanks to the Giants losing to the Packers, we still lead the divisions. Go Cowboys!

Tiger Woods won his first tournament in two years yesterday.

Miguel Cotto beat up Antonio Margarito to win at 10th round TKO.

The BCS Championship game will be a rematch between LSU and Alabama. I am fine with this.

The Jags will play the Chargers tonight on Monday Night Football? Who you got?

Notes from Sunday - 11/27/11

2011-11-28T10:36:00.001-05:00

Crystal and I are in Antigua & Barbuda.

I am here to preach for the East Caribbean Baptist Mission led by Dr. Hensworth W.C. Jonas.

The Central Baptist Church, one of the oldest Baptist congregations here, celebrated its 46th church anniversary this weekend. Tryells Baptist Church and Covenant Baptist Church, which are plants and extensions of Central on different parts of the island, also celebrated almost 20 years of ministry.

This is Antigua’s Harvest Celebration, which seems to be similar to our Thanksgiving. It is a time when the people here give thanks to God for his provisions. The various congregations dress their chapels with fruit to signify God’s provisions, goodness, and faithfulness.

I preached at the Tyrells Baptist Church for the 8 AM Service. Then I preached about 20 minutes away at the Central Baptist Church at 10 AM.

Sunday evening, I preached again for a joint service at the Central Baptist Church.

Over the next three nights, I will preach an evangelistic meeting – one night at each of the locations in the Baptist circuit, as it is called.

The weather here has been beautiful. Even though it rained really hard last night, it still felt great outside!

Various insects are eating us alive. It goes with the territory, I understand.

I received reports that Shiloh had a great day of worship yesterday in my absence. God be praised!

Thanks to Vince Towns and Brodes Perry for ministering the word to the saints.

I really missed being in worship with my congregation yesterday.

My phone has not been working here. That may be a good thing.

The USC Trojans hung 50 points in a shutout against the UCLA Bruins. Just wait until next year, when our sanctions are over!

Looks like we are headed for a LSU-Alabama for the BCS championship. I have no problem with this.

The Jags lost at home to the Texans with a no-name quarterback, 13-20.

Matt Leinart just cannot cut a break!

The Cowboys beat the Dolphins on Thanksgiving. Grateful, grateful, grateful, grateful!

Tim Tebow.

I do not think I care that the NBA has reach an agreement and will soon begin a shortened season. I may change my mind when the NFL season is over.

Speaking @ the East Caribbean Baptist Mission (Antigua)

2011-11-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

I am writing this post from Antigua & Barbuda.

Crystal and I arrived Friday evening. I am here to speak for the East Caribbean Baptist Mission led by Dr. Hensworth W.C. Jonas.

Dr. Jonas is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, where he has served for 26 years. Under his leadership, the congregation has planted several affiliated churches across the island. It was what we would call “one church in multiple locations.” Central is also the home of one of the leading schools on the island, which is also led by Dr. Jonas.

I am here to speak for their Harvest Sunday and circuit anniversary. There will also be a 3-night evangelistic crusade.

I was privileged to speak for this meeting last year. It was a rich time of fellowship and worship. I am glad and grateful to have been invited to participate in the meeting again this year.

I will speak at their leadership banquet tonight. And I think I am scheduled to speak 3 times on Sunday. Then there will be services Monday through Wednesday.

This trip is already a better trip than last year, because I am not traveling by myself. Crystal is with me. This is the first time we have traveled out of the country together. And I am hoping to get some rest and refreshment during our stay.

Please cover us with believing prayer this week.

May the Lord bless the ministry of the word to draw the lost, edify the saints, and bring glory to his majestic name!

When the Holidays are not Happy

2011-11-25T03:25:00.000-05:00

When the Holidays are not Happy
By H.B. Charles, Jr.

The holiday season – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years – is a special time for many people. It is a time of celebration. Family and friends come together that may not have seem one another for a while. Wonderful meals are enjoyed. Gifts are shared. Affirming traditions are practiced. No wonder so many people look forward to the year-end holidays all year long.

But this is not the case for all. There are also many people who find the holidays to be a time of grief and sorrow.

My father was estranged from his father for most of his adult life. They finally reconciled. And my dad drove across the country to pick up his father, who was to live with him. His father died during the trip back to the West Coast. On Thanksgiving. As a result, my father could never really “celebrate” Thanksgiving.

Your story may not be as dramatic as my father’s experience. But the sorrows of the holidays are just as real to you.

It may be that the recession has brought about a financial reversal in your life. And the holidays are an acute reminder of your new reality.

You may be separated from loved-ones because of military service.

The holidays may be particularly stressful time that causes you to become anxious about your life situation.

A misunderstanding or disagreement may have broken fellowship with those you care about.

You may feel that you have healed from the grief a death has caused until the holidays come around again.

These days may confront you with the fact that the plans that you started the year with did not come to pass.

Things in your life are not the way you want them to be and just don’t feel like celebrating.

For whatever reason, you may face this holiday season with a sense of trepidation. You just want it to be over with. The Lord sees and knows and cares about you. Your situation is in his sovereign hands. And God really does cause everything that happens in life to cooperate for the benefit of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).

The holidays may not be a happy time for you. What should you do? “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

This is the power of Christian joy. You don’t have to be happy to rejoice! Give your situation to God. Count your blessings. Remember the faithfulness of God. Trust his promises. And praise God that things are as well as they are.

Job was right. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Bless the Lord, because he always gives before he takes away. Bless the Lord, because he always gives more than he takes away. And bless the Lord, because even when he takes away, he leaves you enough to make it with.

Thanksgiving Day Service @ Shiloh

2011-11-23T09:07:00.001-05:00

There will not be a Midweek Worship Service at Shiloh this evening.

We will meet in the morning for a special Thanksgiving Day Service at 9 AM in our Coleman Auditorium.

Start your holiday be joining us for corporate worship. God is the source every good gift and perfect gift. And he is worthy to be praised for all of his undeserved benefits toward us.

Hope to see you there!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

Things I've Learned Along the Way...

2011-11-22T08:43:00.003-05:00

Things I have learned along the way…

I have been in pastoral ministry for over 21 years now. I started my first pastorate when I was 17-years-old, still a senior in high school. I served Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles for almost 18 years. And it has been my privilege to serve the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville for a little more than 3 years now.

I have learned a lot about pastoral ministry over these years. Of course, I still have quite a bit to learn. I hope to be a lifelong learner. But I am not a rookie anymore, either.

I recently began to list things I have learned over the years. These are not deep, theological, doctrinal truths. Just personal conclusions I have made about ministry through two decades of observation and experience.

This is not a scientific list. It is in no particular order of importance or category. Just a collection of thoughts. I am sure the list would be much longer if I kept writing. And I would probably replace some things with other things, if I took more time with it. But for whatever it’s worth, here about 103 things about pastoral ministry I have learned along the way.

1. Your primary responsibility as a pastor is prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4).

2. Sheep bite.

3. Faithful preaching does not guarantee church growth.

4. Just because there is a crowd does not mean there is a church.

5. Nothing is as good as it seems; nothing is as bad as it seems.

6. Don’t assume anything.

7. All church fights are bad. But some church fights are necessary.

8. It happens after prayer.

9. The most important people in a pastor’s life are those he can have an honest conversation with.

10. Be careful of giving members multiple positions of authority in the church.

11. Ministerial success cannot be determined by the size of a pastor’s congregation.

12. Preaching can get you into trouble. And preaching can get you out of trouble.

13. No one is indispensable.

14. The better the worship is the better my preaching is.

15. Pick your battles carefully. Every hill is not worth dying on.

16. People will remember how you treat them long after they have forgotten your sermons.

17. Prominence and significance are not the same thing. The one who is in front of the line is not necessarily the most important person in the line.

18. If you take care of God’s business, God will take care of your business.

19. The pastor who is always available will be of no use when he is available.

20. Doing pastoral care should be seen as a means of maintaining a pastoral heart.

21. If you can keep from preaching, do it.

22. The pastor is just as responsible for the doctrine being taught from the choir loft as he is for the doctrine being taught from the pulpit.

23. Congregational leaders who view their role as representing the members will be a problem.

24. There are no better minds, only better libraries.

25. Be a friend to other pastors and preachers, even if they are not friends to you.

26. Strive to make it easier for the next guy who comes to pastor that comes to pastor the church than when it was when you arrived.

27. You will only get what you negotiate, not what you deserve.

28. If they don’t trust you, you can’t lead them.

29. View pastoral ministry as a marathon, not a sprint.

30. Never buy the lie that the church will not survive if you are not there.

31. If you guard your character, your reputation will take care of itself.

32. Beware. People who loved you when you first arrived may change their minds. Don’t panic. People who dislike you when you arrive may also change their minds.

33. Don’t be impressed by titles, degrees, and accomplishments. People are people.

34. Make friends with books. They will never leave you nor forsake you.

35. Do not read anonymous mail or unsigned letters.

36. Learn to live with criticism.

37. You cannot lead people and need people at the same time.

38. God’s timing is perfect.

39. Every pastor needs a lover. Just make sure it’s your wife!

40. Never let anyone make you act like you don’t know Jesus.

41. A bow that is always bent will soon break.

42. Never give up on anybody.

43. Pastoral loneliness goes with the territory. If you cannot take it, you won’t last in the ministry.

44. Our goal in preaching should be to light a torch, not fill up a bucket.

45. The shepherd knew that one of his ninety-nine sheep was missing because he counted!

46. Some hurtful people are not intentionally mean. They are just thoughtless.

47. Comparison breeds contentment, damages relationships, and clouds vision.

48. Do not put a price tag on your ministry.

49. The one who is given the responsibility should also be given the authority.

50. Just because that person is talent, gives a lot of money, or has been a member a long time does not mean that person should be a leader in the church.

51. Aaron was more “spiritual” than Moses. And Joshua was a better leader. But the Lord put the rod in Moses’ hand.

52. Disgruntled members will not have an opportunity to get a foothold without linking their cause to weak leaders in the church.

53. Pastors often spend more time in conflict resolution than in prayer and the ministry of the world.

54. Put first what God tells you to put first when he tells you to put it first (Matt. 6:33).

55. Every pastor needs a pastor.

56. Do not make important decisions when you are tired or angry or hurt.

57. It is better to present your wife as your wife rather than “the first lady.”

58. Most of the theories in church growth books are wrong.

59. People do not give to needs. They give to vision.

60. Excellence is in the details.

61. The power is in the pulpit. Change does not happen by your shrewd leadership. It happens by faithfully preaching the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

62. If you do not control your time, someone else will. And they most likely do not share your priorities.

63. Closing the back door may be more important the opening up the front door.

64. The attempt to micromanage a growing congregation will lead to moral failure, burnout, or unnecessary division.

65. Avoid hero worship. Everyone God uses is a jerk and a sinner.

66. Long naps are a key strategy for spiritual warfare.

67. Powerful and important theology is communicated by simply being there with and for your people.

68. The person who has to announce that he is charge, really isn’t.

69. Write everything down. Your memory is not that good.

70. It is better to work smarter than to work harder (Eccl. 10:10).

71. Stingy pastors will never produce generous members.

72. Work hard to get the right players on the team so will not have to work hard to get the wrong players off the team.

73. Many pastors feel overworked. Many church members feel pastors do not really work.

74. Constantly look for ways to make Baptism and the Lord’s Supper special events in the life of the church.

75. Preach to an audience of one.

76. When you leave a church, leave! Do not meddle in the next pastor’s business.

77. You cannot get to second base and keep your foot on first base at the same time. Progress requires taking risks.

78. Do not be afraid to repeat sermon material. Most of your members do not remember what you said. And those who do still need to be reminded.

79. When a member brings you a complaint against another member, ask, “Have you talked to that person about this?” If they have not, refuse to listen to them.

80. When you staff does succeeds, give them credit. When they fail, take the blame.

81. The fact that the attendance is increasing does not mean that the giving will increase.

82. Avoid being the hero in your sermon illustrations.

83. You need to worship just as much as the congregation does. Do not miss the opportunity to worship by going over your sermon. Worship!

84. The command to “do the work of an evangelist” was given to a pastor.

85. Your wife and children are your most important church members.

86. The difference between good preachers and average preachers is that good preachers stay in the study until the hard work is done.

87. Fight for your convictions. Do not fight over methodologies.

88. A cynical preacher is an oxymoron.

89. Do not plagiarize the Holy Spirit by taking credit for things the Lord has done.

90. Dig your own wells so you will not have to steal other people’s water.

91. Do not feel that you have to reinvent the wheel. Learn from others. And implement what is helpful and applicable to your situation.

92. Sermons don’t grow in trees.

93. God raises up all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. Your church will not fit everyone.

94. People say no to what is confusing.

95. Short-term missions should have long-term goals.

96. Tradition can be good. Traditionalism never is.

97. Constantly try things that are so great that you are doomed to fail without God’s help.

98. People give to the church out of five different “pockets”: general fund, building fund, Missions, designated-giving,

99. Never refuse any resignations. Ever!

100. Don’t take it personal. Even when it’s personal… don’t take it personal.

101. It is your job to fill the pulpit. It is God’s job to fill the pew.

102. Make haste slowly.

103. If you can explain what’s going on, God didn’t do it.

Notes from Sunday - 11/20/11

2011-11-21T10:16:00.001-05:00

We have a blessed day of worship yesterday at Shiloh.

Thanks to all our volunteers who served in any way over the course of the weekend. You make is happen!

We distributed our 2011 Annual Report to the church yesterday. It was our first time undertaking something so detailed. I pray it will be received well by the congregation.

We did “Blessed Assurance” corporately. I love that hymn!

As always, I am grateful for the guests who were with us in worship.

I preached from Psalm 46. I entitled the message, “A Safe Place in God.”

The point of the message: The only safe place in the world is in God alone.

Here is the outline:

I. There is safety in the power of God (46:1-3)
II. There is safety in the presence of God (46:4-7)
III. There is safety in the purpose of God (46:8-11)

I had a great quote from Martin Luther that I did not actually say in either service. So I’ll share it here: “We sing this psalm to the praise of God, because God is with us, and powerfully and miraculously preserves and defends his church and his world, against all fanatical spirits, against the gates of hell, against the implacable hatred of the devil, and against the assaults of the world, the flesh and sin.”

I think Psalm 46 is one of the most famous psalms that most people do not actually know. We know verses 1 and 10 and that’s about it. But the entire psalm is remarkably comforting and encouraging.

I was behind in my studies last week. And I determined Saturday afternoon that I would safe Psalm 46 for another time. But the Lord made me press through. I am glad I obeyed.

I was not feeling well yesterday. I am grateful the Lord gave me strength to preach.

You would be surprised by the mental distractions I have to preach through yesterday.

Can’t wait to preach Psalm 46 again.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church yesterday.

The Dallas Cowboys defeated their division rivals the Washington Redskins yesterday in overtime, 27-24.

The Jags lost to the Cleveland Browns, 14-10. No good.

Would someone please beat the Green Bay Packers! Please!

The BCS is a mess with all of the upsets this weekend in college football. And I love it!

Notes from 3rd Pastoral Celebration (11/13/11)

2011-11-14T06:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated three years the Lord has blessed us to serve him together as pastor and people at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

What a church!!!

Either time flies by or I am getting older. Or both.

Wednesday evening, Pastor George Hurtt of the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church of Los Angeles was our guest speaker. He kicked off the celebration in a great way with a message from Psalm 23:2.

Yesterday, our guest was Pastor Romell Williams, who leads the Lilydale Baptist Church in Chicago. He preached from Matthew 20:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. They were both solid messages.

It was good to have a Sunday off from preaching. The bow that is always bent will inevitably break.

My daughter, Natalie, led a song with the children choir during our 10:15 service. If she would have sung another verse, I would have completely fallen apart .

Maurice Griffin was our guest soloist this weekend. He did an excellent job, as usual.

I was greatly encouraged by every expression of love, kindness and support the members of Shiloh showed my and my family. I am blessed to serve a great people. I am grateful for the privilege and thankful for the all the Lord is doing in us and through us.

In the afternoon, our choir was in full concert. It was a moving time of worship and praise.

I even sang a little with the choir!

I am scheduled to preach today at the Southern Baptist Convention of Texas that is meeting in Irving (Dallas) this week.

I missed my flight last night. And, of course, it was the last flight of the evening.

Crystal found me an early morning flight to Dallas, while I slept.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”

Please pray for me as I minister the word today.

Speaking of Dallas, the Cowboys put a whippin’ on the Buffalo Bills 44-7.

The Jags defeated the hapless Colts 17-3.

Saturday, the USC Trojans beat down the Washington Huskies 40-17.

I slept through the Pacquiao-Marquez fight Saturday night. From all reports, I did not miss anything.

Notes from Sunday - 11/6/11

2011-11-07T10:02:00.001-05:00

Good day of worship yesterday.

The congregation sung “Holy, Holy, Holy” as our hymn for the day. Wonderful.

We celebrated the Lord’s Table yesterday, as is our custom on 1st Sundays. Always a great time of worship and fellowship.

We sung “Father I Stretch My Hands to Thee” during Communion. I learned a new verse to this hymn in Pensacola last week. I really like it. It says…

“I do believe, I now believe
That Jesus died for me
And by his blood, his precious blood
I shall from sin be free.”

Grateful, as always, for the guests who were in worship with us.

Ray Scott song “A Heart that Forgives” as a song of preparation. It is a beautiful song. Ray did a great job. Very moving… and convicting.

I preached on prayer from Matthew 7:7-11. I called it “Why You Should Pray About It.”

In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus gives two reasons why we should pray:

1. Pray in obedience to the command of God (7:7-8).
2. Pray with confidence in the goodness of God (7:9-11).

I have been meditating on prayer all last week. I was really eager to preach on prayer Sunday. I hope the message helpful.

Ask me how my day went yesterday. Answer: The battery on the microphone I was preaching from yesterday died as I was beginning my final point.

Praise God for those who were added to the church.

I will not be preaching this week, for the first time in a long time.

This week we will celebrate three years as pastor and people at the Shiloh Church. Guest speakers are scheduled for both Wednesday night and Sunday morning.

I had a really quiet evening with the family. Nothing better.

USC bounced back this weekend with a great win over Colorado 42-17. We need Matthew Barkley to remain with the Trojans for another year!

For the record, the LSU/Alabama game did not live up to the hype. I expected Alabama to win. Wrong again.

Saw one of the best boxing matches Saturday night that I have seen in a long time. Unfortunately, I do not know either guy’s name.

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks 23-13. I am sorry that Coach Pete Carroll keeps losing. But I am glad that the Cowboys won.

The Jacksonville Jaguars did not lose yesterday!

Notes from Sunday - 10/30/11

2011-10-30T21:29:00.001-04:00

Today was a good day of worship at the Shiloh Church.

5th Sundays are like a box of chocolates…

I led a questions and answers session with my New Members Class today. They had some provocative questions.

Thanks to all of our volunteers. You make it happen!

Today is Reformation Sunday. We introduced it with a brief video clip about Martin Luther and the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Wish we could have just shown the whole video!

We sang, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” It was a new hymn to many. But it was great to hear the voices of the saints lifted in praise to God.

We featured the local work of One Church, One Child is our services today. The representative left with a page of names of interested persons and families. May the Lord grant that families in our church will take on the great step of adoption.

Our Fighter Verse(s) this week was Proverbs 3:5-7. I memorized verses 5-6.

Our Women’s Chorus led the special music today. Sis. Letson led a song entitled “Safety.” It was wonderful.

I preached from Job 1:20-22: “The Test of True Worship.”

I endeavored to make three points about true worship from the text:

1. True worship is a choice (v. 20).
2. True worship is the result of an eternal perspective on life (v. 21).
3. True worship requires stubborn faith (v. 22).

I planned to preach something else today. But beggars can’t be choosers.

I am glad I preached what I was lead to preach.

Praise God for those who were added to the church today.

I met a new member that joined our church today as a result of the witness of one of our men. Very encouraging.

After church, I drove to Orlando with Crystal to pick up the kids who spent the weekend with the Washington family.

I drove back. I got my second speeding ticket in two weeks. I repent. (Can I repent and blame Crystal at the same time?)

I could not find my driver’s license. I found it when I got home… in my pocket!!!

The USC Trojans lost in a thriller to Stanford Saturday night.

The Jaguars lost to the Texans 14-24. We are not 2-5 for the season.
The Cowboys are presently losing to the Eagles 0-21. I probably will be sleep by the time this game is over. But this does not look good.

I am heading to Pensacola Monday morning to preach their citywide revival. Please remember this meeting in your prayers.

Notes from Sunday - 10/23/11

2011-10-24T09:24:00.000-04:00

We had a blessed time of worship yesterday at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Thanks to all of our volunteers for your service yesterday. You make it happen!

Our ensemble, Forgiven, led the musical praise yesterday and did a wonderful job. It was a good time of worship.

We had a great Fighter Verse this week – Proverbs 1:10: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” This weeks verse(s) is Proverbs 3:5-6.

Grateful for all the guests who were in worship with us yesterday.

The world famous BrothaRollins was in the house!

I met a family from Canada after the last service. They are in town visiting their son who is here in school. They saw our TV broadcast and decided they wanted to go to church. They got lost and passed by our church. The wife suggested that they come here. They walked in and saw me standing there preaching and were so excited. Way cool.

I preached my final stewardship message for the month. My text was Proverbs 3:9-10. I called it “Godly Wisdom for Money Management.”

The point of the message: The way to make your money work for you is to make sure you money works for God.

I have really enjoyed preaching on Christian stewardship and generosity this month. I am also glad that I am done with this series.

I am still having trouble setting my work to memory. This has been going on for a few weeks now. I think I need a mental break. It is coming soon.

Praise God for those who were added to the church yesterday.

Next Sunday I intend to preach on the mission of the church from Acts 1:6-11.

Last night, I spoke that the chapel service for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a great time in the word with the brothers. Grateful to the Jags chaplain, Anthony Johnson, for the opportunity.

What do you think is going to happen when the Jags take on the Ravens on MNF tonight?

The Dallas Cowboys beat the St. Louis Rams 34-7 to go 3-3 for the season.

Before I fell asleep last night, I saw the replay of the Bernard Hopkins/Chad Dawson from a week ago. All I can say is that I am so glad that I did not waste my money ordering that fight.

The USC Trojans defeated Notre Dame 31-17 Saturday night!!!

I hear there is a pretty good World Series going on. Not watching. Sorry.

Does anyone care that the NBA is still locked out and cancelling games?

Notes from Sunday - 10/02/11

2011-10-02T23:32:00.000-04:00

This past week we hosted our first Fall Church institute at Shiloh. It was a great week of study, worship, and fellowship. I have received many good reports on the classes. And Pastor John Adolph ministered the word in a strong way each night. Praise God for blessing this step of faith!

Today was a good day of worship.

I enjoyed teaching my New Members Class today. I have been out for a few weeks. Glad to be back at it.

It was a great joy to lead the congregation in corporate praise to God.

We celebrated the Lord’s Table in both of our services today, which is always a special time in corporate worship.

Grateful for all the guests who joined us in worship today.

I preached a message from Mark 12:41-44 that I entitled “How the Lord Counts Your Offering.”

The point of today’s message what this: The motives of the giver is always more valuable to the Lord than the amount of the gift.

I endeavored to show the church three ways the Lord counts our offerings that go beyond the amount of the gift:

1. The Lord counts your offering by the commitment it declares.
2. The Lord counts your offering by the cost it demands.
3. The Lord counts your offering by the confidence it demonstrates.

Today was the first time I have preached about giving in more than a year. I felt the weight of the message as I preached. But I was very nervous about preaching about money.

I may swap out this week’s sermon for the one I plan to preach on the fourth Sunday. Stay tuned. And pray for my studies this week.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

We were scheduled to worship with the Abyssinia Baptist Church this afternoon in celebration of Pastor Eugene Diamond’s pastoral anniversary. However, Pastor Diamond’s went home to be with the Lord this weekend. And the service was cancelled. Please remember the Diamond family and the Abyssinia congregation in your prayers.

My wife’s cousin also passed away this weekend in Seattle, WA. Please remember my family in your prayers this week. And pray for Crystal as she plans to travel to Seattle for the funeral.

The USC Trojans beat Arizona in a shoot-out 48-41.

The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Detroit Lions (30-34) thanks to the assistance of quarterback Tony Romo.

The Saints defeated the Jaguars this afternoon 23-10.

Apple is scheduled to announce the new iPhone this coming Tuesday. Be there!

SMBC Fall Church Institute

2011-09-27T12:11:00.007-04:00

Today begins our first Fall Church Institute at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

The Church Institute will be three nights (Sept. 27-29) or Bible preaching and teaching, corporate worship, and spiritual renewal.

At 6 PM, there will be classes on various aspects of Christian discipleship, which will include classes for children, youth, young adults, singles, men, women, and financial stewardship. Several local pastors and professors will lead classes on Church History, and Old and New Testaments surveys.

At 7 PM, there will be a time of corporate worship. Our guest speaker will be the Dr. John Adolph of the Antioch Baptist Church of Beaumont, TX. Pastor Adolph was one of our guest speakers for our Wednesdays in the Word in February 2010. The Lord used him in a great way to bless and encourage our congregation. We trust that the Lord will use him over these three nights to minister the word.

Maurice Griffin from Chicago will be our guest soloist each night. Maurice was a contestant on BET’s Sunday’s Best competition. I did not hear him on the show, which I do not watch! But I had the privilege of hearing this young man at a conference in Dallas this past summer. And I was blessed by the two occasions I had to hear him sing. I am glad to have him as our guest.

I am really looking forward to these three nights. And I pray that our congregation will be enriched and edified by the ministry of the word.

Please cover these nights in believing prayer.

If you are able to attend, please join us for study and worship. If not, you can catch a live stream of the service through our website at www.smbcjax.com

Notes from Sunday - 09/11/11

2011-09-11T23:56:00.001-04:00

It was a long but good day.

I praise God for all that he is doing in and through the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church!

Throughout the day, my thoughts have drifted back to the tragedy that took place 10 years ago today. Remembering. Grieving. Praying.

I had just fallen to sleep after finishing a sermon for a special prayer meeting we were to have that night. I was knocked-out on the coach. The phone kept ringing. It was my mom, calling to tell me to turn on the TV. Do you remember where you were when you heard the news that our nation was under attack?

For the record, I am proud to be an American!!!

During our Bible Study Fellowship hour we have a rally to introduce to new groups and pray for our new teachers.

Today’s Fighter Verse was 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. It was a good start to our new corporate Scripture memorization system. Next week’s verse is 2 Corinthians 9:8.

Grateful for all the guests in worship with us today.

Praise God for the one who was baptized today.

Our opening hymn was great today! I love hymns!

Our children’s choir sung today. It was the first time they have sung in several months. They did a good job, as usual.

The choir sung Richard Smallwood’s new song, “Trust Me,” before the message. It is a beautiful song.

I began a three-part series that I am calling “Real Church.” I preached today on “Real Worship” from John 4:19-24.

I strived to make the point that real worship is about God and not about you!

I preached all day with a sore throat. But his grace is sufficient and his strength is perfected in my weakness.

I plan to preach next Sunday on “Real Change” from 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

My family and I went to the Jaguars home opener this afternoon. The Jags beat the Tennessee Titans 16-14.

It was so unbelievably hot that I felt I was going to melt right in my seat.

The halftime tribute to the 9/11 victims, families, and first responders was moving and beautiful.

I am so glad that football is back!

I cannot believe the beat down the Indianapolis Colts received today without Payton Manning.

I am disappointed that Serena Williams lost in the US Open Finals today.

The Dallas Cowboys gave us a 4th quarter lead to lose to the New York Jets tonight. This is not the way we were supposed to start the season.

The USC Trojans defeated Utah 24-13 this weekend. You can put us on probation. But you cannot keep us down. Go Trojans!!!

From HBC2 to SMBC (09/07/11)

2011-09-07T09:51:00.002-04:00

Good day, Shiloh family members.

Hope you are having a good week so far.

Here are several updates for this week that I want you to be aware of.

Midday Bible Study. Today begins our new Midday Bible Study, which will be led by Pastor Brodes C Perry. It starts at noon and will last for one hour. The study will be through “The Journey of a Lifetime,” a yearlong survey through the entire Bible. Pray for this meeting. Come out and participate, if you are able.

Midweek Worship Service. Tonight, I plan to continue our material on “How to Study the Bible for Yourself.” I hope to finish the material tonight. But, we’ll see.

Men’s Prayer Breakfast. Our Men’s Prayer Breakfast will meet this Saturday from 9-10 AM. We will share a meal together and then hear the word explained. I plan to teach this Saturday. I look forward to seeing our brothers out for this great time of learning and fellowship.

Fighter Verses. Our memory verse(s) for this week is 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. We will quote it in worship together Sunday in both of our services. Praying for you as as you follow through your commitment to memorize scripture.

Real Church. This Sunday, I plan to begin a new, 3-part series entitled, “Real Church.” Sunday’s message will be on “Real Worship” from John 4:19-24. Invite a friend to join you for worship.

Back to Church Sunday. September 18 is National Back to Church Sunday. Invite an unsaved or unchurched person to worship with you in one of our services.

MADD Reloaded. Our Make a Difference Day Reloaded will take place on Saturday, September 24. Check in with your ministry or district leaders to find out how you can participate in blitzing our community with acts of love.

Fall Church Institute. Remember that our first Fall Church Institute will take place September 27-29. There will be discipleship classes available each night at 6 PM. Then there will be a time of corporate worship at 7 PM. Dr. John R. Adolph of the Antioch Baptist Church in Beaumont, TX. You do not want to miss one night of this great meeting!

This is a busy month. Please cover these events in believing prayer. Be marked present. And invite someone to join you for worship.

God bless,

HBC2

Notes from Sunday - 09/04/11

2011-09-04T21:41:00.000-04:00

What a great day of worship at Shiloh!

I love the Lord Jesus Christ! I love the word of God! And I love the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church!

I led a Q&A session during our Bible Study Fellowship hour today. I had a great time teaching my congregation in dialogue.

We had a special time of worship and fellowship during our Lord’s Supper observance today.

I am grateful for all of the guests who were in worship with us today, including friends from Detroit and the Williams family reunion.

God be praised for all our volunteers who served today.

The choir sung one of my throwback favorites – God Will Take Care Of You (by Edwin Hawkins).

I initiated a corporate scripture memorization program for our church today. We will use the Fighter Verses established by the Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis. I pray the Lord uses our commitment to memorize scripture to cause us to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I preached on “Spiritual Warfare through Scripture Memorization,” using Ephesians 6:17b as by base scripture.

I gave the church five basic reasons why we should practice the spiritual discipline of scripture memorization:

1. It will draw you closer to God.
2. It will lead you to spiritual victory.
3. It will strengthen your prayer life.
4. It will make you a better witness for Christ.
5. It will equip you to minister to others.

Pulpit monitors: 2 – HBC2: 0. The loser gets a sore throat.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our worship services today.

I plan to begin a new series next week that I will call “Real Church.” The first message will be on “Real Worship” from John 4:21-24.

The college football system began with a bang this weekend. USC defeated Minnesota 19-17. You can unfairly sanction us, but you cannot keep the Trojans down!

Happy Labor Day! Be safe. Have fun. God bless.

On Memorizing Scripture

2011-09-03T17:30:00.002-04:00

He was in the wilderness. He was exhausted. He was hungry and thirsty. He was alone. He was attacked by the Devil. He was armed with the word of God. He was victorious. With confidence in the sacred scriptures, Jesus prevailed against the tempter's deceitful schemes (see Matt. 4:1-11). The Lord defeated Satan with three verses from Deuteronomy. How much more can you and I resist temptation, live obediently, and endure hardship if we get the word of God into our hearts and minds through scripture memorization?

There are very few spiritual disciples that are more beneficial than scripture memorization. It arms you with truth to resist temptation. It renews your mind as you meditate on scripture. It shapes and strengthens your prayer life, enabling you to pray the scriptures back to God. It makes the wisdom of God readily available for decision-making. It arms you with biblical authority for counseling fellow-believers or witnessing to lost people. It gives comfort in times of grief, sorrow, and persecution. And it fills your mind and mouth with truth to offer as grateful praise to God in worship.

Here are seven steps you can take to begin and stay on track down the narrow but life-giving path of scripture memorization.

1. Have a plan. When left alone, good intentions suffocate spiritual progress. Godly desires must have the fresh air of practical commitments in order to breathe and live and grow. So establish a definite plan for scripture memorization - a plan that works for you. Decide when you will do it. Select what verses you are going to memorize. Have a plan and establish measurable, challenging, attainable goals.

2. Start small. Don't begin by telling yourself that you are going to memorize a chapter a week. No you’re not. And your failure will only discourage you in the future. Remember, each victory will help you another to win. So start small and build on your successes. One or two verses a week is a good place to begin.

3. Select verses that are meaningful to you. The Bible is filled with hundreds of verses worth memorizing. Many profitable Bible memory systems are also available. And pastors and teachers may encourage you to memorize certain passages. Draw from all of these sources for ideas. But also select your own memory verses. Choose passages that are meaningful to you and that you find helpful.

4. Make memory cards to keep with you. Write out the verse on a card that you can take wherever you go. And when you have spare moments – on a break, in a waiting room, or between activities – you can read, review, and recite your memory verses.

5. Get a Bible memory partner. Do you have a prayer partner? If not, you should. A good prayer partner can give you support, hold you accountable, and celebrate victories with you. A good Bible memorization partner can do the same. Iron sharpens iron. So consider partnering with someone for mutual support in memorizing scripture.

6. Keep practicing your verses. Scripture memorization does not come easy for most of us. But don’t be too quick to blame it on a poor memory. Scripture memorization is spiritual warfare. But our spiritual enemy cannot prevail against the word of God. So keep practicing your verses until you get them down. Then constantly review them. Remember, repetition is the key to memorization.

7. Pray for God’s help. Do you fear that you cannot memorize scripture? Tell God about your fears. Do you need strength to remain focused? Ask the Lord for it. Do you need wisdom for selecting verses or managing your quiet time? Pray with confidence for these things. God is glorified as you learn to think and behave biblically. So labor and pray and trust the Lord to help you to make the word a treasure in your heart, so that you might not sin against him (Ps. 119:11).

Notes from Sunday - England Edition

2011-08-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am writing these words from London, where it is Monday morning. When I finish typing this post, I will help to the airport for my flight home.

I had a great day of worship with the Loughborough Baptist Church in Loughborough. The city is about an hour’s train ride outside of London.

Saturday evening, I stayed with Michael and Katie in their home. Michael is the secretary for the church.

Michael and Katie were wonderful hosts. They have been married for 47 years, having met at a Christian youth camp. I enjoyed the conversation.

Michael and Katie were shocked that I did not use milk in my tea. I was equally shocked that they did.

Their home was built in 1740. Of course, it has been fully refurbished. It was beautiful.

Across the street from their home was a sign commemorating the fact that John Wesley had preached in that stop from his horse. Way cool.

Gert Sassius is the pastor of the Loughborough congregation, where he has only served for nine months. But the congregation is very excited about the prospects for the future under its new pastor.

Several members of the congregation had watched the streaming of our services at Shiloh over the past several weeks. So they had a sense of what to expect from my preaching.

When I asked how long I should preach, the answered was, “It is not for me to say. We are here to hear the word of God. It is not our place to say how long or short the ministry of the word should be.” The best answer to that question I have every heard!

I preached from Psalm 23, hoping I would be able to connect through a familiar passage. My exposition of the passage seemed to be received well.

I quoted Charles Haddon Spurgeon and John R.W. Stott – two famous English pastors/preachers – in the introduction. The congregation smiled.

Though very quiet during the sermon, the members were eager to share with me how they were helped by the message after the service was over. There were many specific references to thoughts in the message. It was obvious they were listening well.

There was no choir. Only congregational singing. Rich hymns. It was great!

There was no invitation to discipleship extended in the service, even though the church obviously has a commitment to evangelism. I did not ask by what means new members are received into the church.

They thought it was novel that we have Sunday school for adults, as well as children.

The congregation has a pipe organ that was donated to the church by Dale Carnegie in 1908. The congregation celebrated its centennial in 2008.

Several members expressed how troubled they were by the riots that had been taking place in London. Different perspectives; mutual concern.

I really missed being with my congregation today. It was the first Sunday I have not been at Shiloh all year.

Brodes Perry preached at Shiloh on “Friends Don’t Let Friends Die Lost” (Mark 2:1-11).

Over the evening, I received several reports about how great the service was. Praise God!

I met up with several colleagues here who had preached in different places. All seemed to have had a good experience. Very encouraging.

Ready to go home.

A Unique Preaching Opportunity

2011-08-13T08:39:00.000-04:00

I am writing this post from London. The Proclaimer’s Place preaching conference in Oxford ended yesterday. Part of the conference this year a festival of African-American preaching, in which preachers from the conference have been assigned to preach in local Baptist churches in the area.

It will be my privilege to preach in the morning at the Loughborough Baptist Church in Loughborough, where Michael Tebbatt is the pastor. It is about 150 miles away from where I am presently. So I will be taking the train there soon to preach in the morning.

Please remember me in prayer as I prepare for this unique preaching opportunity. Likewise, this is will really be the first time I have travelled here by myself. And I am chronically “directionally challenged.” This should be interesting.

Over the past day or so, we have traveled freely around London. But we have not encountered any of the riots firsthand. However, there are constant reports and warnings about the riots breaking out in different places. And there is some obvious level of anxiety in some places.

Please pray for this city. And thanks for your prayers for our safety.

I cannot wait to go home!!!

The Proclaimer's Place 2011

2011-08-10T04:46:00.001-04:00

I am in Oxford, England, participating in the Proclaimer’s Place, led by Dr. Joel C. Gregory. It is four days of study for preaching, with about twenty-five ministers from around the United States participating.

Each day, we take a text of scripture and study it together, with a view toward preaching. Yesterday, we studied Exodus 13-17-22. Today we will study 1 Thessalonians 2:1-11. Malachi 3 and Luke 1 will follow in the days to come.

I am being refreshed by the study and the fellowship.

In baseball, hitters take batting practice and constantly work on their swing. The same is true in golf. Unfortunately, preachers can go to the pulpit week after week, without taking time to work on our swing, so to speak. So I am finding this time to be very refreshing.

As you can imagine, my body is in Oxford. But it is still acting like it is in Jacksonville. All of my patterns are thrown off.

If you have watched the news, you know that there are riots in London. I am not scheduled to be there until this weekend. I pray things will quiet down before then. Last night, we received warnings that there may be riots here in Oxford. But that really did not come to pass.

Thanks for all your prayers.

Notes from Sunday - 08/07/11

2011-08-07T18:11:00.003-04:00

What a great day of worship today at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville!

I had a good time teaching my new members class today. I have “ditched” teaching the past few weeks. It was great to get back into the saddle.

It was our privilege to deliberately remember the Lord Jesus Christ through the celebration of the Lord’s Table today.

I led the corporate singing in our services today. We sung “Glory to His Name” and “There is a Fountain.” Two of my favorite Communion hymns!

As always, grateful for all of our guests who joined us in worship today.

The choir sung one of my favorite songs – “I’m Encouraged,” by the late Thomas Whitfield. I would have loved to get me some of that song. But it would have only made it harder for me to preach. Next time!

I concluded my three-part series on 1 Peter 1:3-9 that I called “Real Hope for Difficult Times.”

Today’s message was on 1 Peter 1:8-9: “The Believer’s View of the Unseen Christ.”

I outlined for marks of a true relationship with Jesus Christ:

1. Personal devotion: “Though you have not seen him, you love him.” (v. 8)
2. Abiding trust: “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him…” (v. 8)
3. Abundant joy: “and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (v. 8)
4. Confident assurance: “obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (v. 9)

I have really enjoyed preaching through this section at 1 Peter. I am tempted to go just keep going in 1 Peter. But I will resist that temptation. Other subjects beckon me.

And I really, really enjoy preaching to my congregation. What a church!

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our worship services today!

I regularly pray for members after the services. It was so encouraging to have members praying for me today.

I was basically on my feet on morning long. Thank God for granting me physical strength and physical energy today.

Just think, our Sunday afternoons will be soon filled by National Football League. How ‘bout those Cowboys?!?!

I am writing these notes from the JAX airport. I am on my way to Oxford, England, for the Proclaimer’s Place preaching conference. And I am scheduled to preach in London next weekend. Please pray for my travels. And remember my family and church in your prayers.

As I was writing this, they just updated my flight information. My flight to Dallas is now one hour and ten minutes late. It will be interesting to day if I make my connecting flight to London.

Pray saints!

Reflections on Preaching through the Epistle of James

2011-08-04T07:47:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago, I completed a verse-by-verse exposition of the Epistle of James for my congregation at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. My faith was enriched by this personal study. And I trust my congregation was built up in their faith, as a result of hearing these messages.

I have been thinking about this series over the past several days - not necessarily the spiritual experience of studying James, but the practicalities of preaching through it. Here are some of my reflections.

Why James? I love the Epistle of James. I think it is James’ “in your face” style of writing that endeavors me to this letter. I have read it countless times devotionally. I have memorized sections of it. And I have preached several messages from it over the years, mostly from chapter 1. But I had never done a complete study of James. Likewise, I find portions of James challenging – both spiritually and homiletically. So I wanted to take up the challenge. And, above all, I believe that it would be a good study for our congregation. That belief proved true.

Preaching long sermon series. I was recently in a setting where the argument was being made that people will not listen to long sermon series anymore. When the discussion got to me, I admitted that I was preparing to preach my final sermon in James. It would be twenty-second sermon!

The prevailing notion is that a sermon series should be between 4-6 messages, no longer than 8. But many of my preaching heroes are men who preach long series, consecutively through books of the Bible. Rather treating this idea of short series as an inviolable law, I think it should be emphasized people adapt to what you feed them. I am grateful to serve a church that is willing to endure long series through Bible books.

Stop-and-go through James. If I had followed my schedule, I would have completed James months ago. But toward the end of 2010 and in the beginning of 2011 I found myself facing congregational pressures. With God’s help, I was able to preach each week. But, admittedly, it was all I could do to drag myself to the pulpit. Some weeks I pulled a file of sermon I had preached before. Other weeks I preached from passages that I found encouraging. But many of those weeks I just did not feel like talking about faith without works is dead. Or the power of the tongue. Of whatever was next in James. So I worked through James in fits and starts. But the congregation was very patient and understanding through this. Only once did anyone say anything to me about abandoning James. I was preaching through a storm. And the congregation did not mind what I was preaching, as long as it was the word of God. Praise God!

Technical difficulties. I read several solid introductions to James before I began my studies. But they did not prepare me for the textual difficulties I encountered. Many weeks, I would be faced with challenges in the Greek over which the scholars sharply disagreed. And I would have to make an interpretative judgment call. This forced me to prayerfully work through the texts with my thinking cap pulled down tightly on my head. Of course, I tried not to bring these matters to the pulpit. I believe that the sermon should reflect the fruit of your studies more than the process of it. So I did not share most of these challenges with the congregation. But being forced to consider them stretched me. Difficult texts make strong preachers!

My favorite commentaries on James. I have collected quite of few commentaries on James over the years. And I picked up a few more before I started my study. And a few more over the course of my study. My favorite, above all, is D. Edmond Hiebert’s commentary on James (Moody). It is everything a commentary should be. I also appreciated Peter’s David’s commentary. I surprised myself by using the NIV Application Commentary by David P. Nystrom throughout the study. I consulted Ralph Martin’s well-respected commentary on James. But it was not one of my favorites.

I read the Holman NT Commentary religiously each week. And, of course, I read John MacArthur and R Kent Hughes and Warren Wiersbe every week. They are old friends. I had to consider what they thought about the text. I likewise listened to audio messages by Kent Hughes, John MacArthur, Gary Inrig, and Alistair Begg each week. I also read some popular works on James by O.S. Hawkins, David Jeremiah, Tony Evans, and Joel Gregory. I found them all useful in seeing how preachers handled the texts of James.

A lot of weeks I kept reading late into the week, when I should have stopped and started writing the sermon. And it put me behind in my sermon preparation. I think this hurt the quality of some of the sermons. But at least I knew the text well.

Texts I enjoyed preaching. I enjoyed studying and preaching every text of James. Really. By the time I got out of chapter 1, I was convinced that no matter how difficult the text seemed at first glance, it would yield great treasures. I was not disappointed once. And it just got better as the study progressed. I praise the Lord for James and for the privilege of spending months immersing myself in its message.

The Lord be praised for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ!

Notes from Sunday - 07/31/11

2011-08-01T02:22:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning, I taught a seminar at our church on “How to Study the Bible for Yourself.” It was well attended. And it was great to see the enthusiasm of the members about study the word of God. In typical H.B. fashion, we did not complete half of the twenty pages of notes I prepared. So we will plan a follow session for sometime soon.

My family returned home from Los Angeles Saturday afternoon. Yes! The suicide watch is over. Thanks for your prayers.

We had a great day of worship at Shiloh yesterday.

Our Men’s Chorus led the music in both services. It was great to have our men leading in worship.

Our Bible Study Fellowship group meets did not meet yesterday. During our BSF hour, we have a mass baptism service.

I actually got in the water, for the first time in at least 15 years. Or more.

We baptized more than 40 new members.

It was my great privilege to baptize my two oldest children – H.B. & Natalie. I praise the Lord that my children have made a profession of faith in Christ. And it was a speechless privilege to baptize them this morning.

I could not help but think today about the day my father baptized me, when I was six years old. I remember my baptism and am grateful to God for saving me.

Shout out to Pastor Mike Rodgers for his assistance during the baptisms. I am not sure I would have been able to do it alone.

As always, I am grateful for the guests who were with us in worship. There was a special group that joined us from Savannah. I am glad they chose to worship with us and pray they were blessed.

I continued a brief, three-part series on 1 Peter 1:3-9 that I am called, “Real Hope for Difficult Times.”

I preached from 1 Peter 1:6-7: “The Truth About Your Trials.”

I sought to make five points about the trials of life we face as Christians:

1. The proper response to your trials (1:6a)
2. The limited duration of your trials (1:6b)
3. The spiritual necessity of your trials (1:6c)
4. The painful reality of your trials (1:6d)
5. The intended results of your trials (1:7)

It is not often that I attempt to a five-point outline, for obvious reasons. I have enough trouble as it is preaching a three-point outline in a reasonable amount of time.

I am preaching this series out of my pastoral desire to say something encouraging to my congregation. I pray that these messages have been comforting and encouraging so far.

Next week’s sermon: “The Believer’s View of the Unseen Christ” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our services today.

Slow afternoon. Really slow afternoon. No complaints. Needed the rest.

Breaking News: Football is back!

Notes from Sunday - 07/24/11

2011-07-25T03:09:00.001-04:00

It was a long week. Followed by a long weekend.

I preach for our district association Friday afternoon, which met at our church for its Congress of Christian Education. And I preached Saturday afternoon for the national convention of the Church of the Living God that was meeting in Jacksonville this past week.

Have sermon, will travel.

It was a great day of worship at the Shiloh Church today.

Our ensemble, “Forgiven,” led the music in both of our services. They did a good job, as usual.

Grateful for the guests who were in our worship services today. Several pastors from different parts of the country joined us for worship. I was encouraged by their presence.

Still praying for our members who are traveling on vacation over the summer months.

Today I began a 3-part series entitled, “Real Hope for Difficult Times” (1 Peter 1:3-9).

William Barclay began his commentary on this passage by saying: “It will take us a long time to appropriate the riches of this passage, for there are few passage in the New Testament were more of the great fundamental Christian ideas come together.” I fully agree.

I gave three reasons why we should praise God for salvation:

1. We have experience a new birth (1:3).
2. We have received a guaranteed inheritance (1:4).
3. We have obtained an eternal security (1:5).

Next Sunday’s message: “A Theology for your Trial” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

I absolutely cannot wait to get back to my pulpit next Sunday.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to this church in our worship services.

Quiet afternoon. Too quiet.

My family is still in Los Angeles. They will be home this week. Suicide watch continues…

I am scheduled to speak for Pastor Timothy Fleming at the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Atlanta this Monday through Thursday night. Please remember this meeting in your prayers.

Are you ready for some football?

Speaking @ the E.K. Bailey Expository Preaching Conference 2011

2011-07-12T08:25:00.000-04:00

The E.K. Bailey International Conference of Expository Preaching is taking place this week in Dallas (July 11-14). It is a great week of study, fellowship, and good preaching!

The conference is named after its founder, the late Dr. E.K. Bailey, founding pastor of the Concord Church in Dallas. Dr. Bailey was a noted African-American expositor. And God used his ministry and this conference to introduce many to the principles, tools, and disciplines needed to preach what the text means by what it says.

I was drawn to expository preaching by divine conspiracy. I was hearing preachers, reading books, and having conversations that were all calling me to it. But hearing Dr. Bailey sealed the deal. I walked out of the service after hearing him for the first time and said, “That’s what I want to do.” I was not talking about his style or delivery or anything like that. I was talking about how he simply explained the meaning of the text.

This preaching conference is now lead by my friend, Pastor Bryan Carter, who now leads the Concord Church. In his capable hands, this conference continues to be a premiere meeting on biblical preaching. At the same time, Dr. Sheila Bailey leads the Stand Women’s Conference, and continues to honor the legacy of her late husband with her love for ministering to the word of God to women.

The conference kicked off last night in a great way. Dr. Michael Duduit, editor of Preaching Magazine, lectured on the conference theme – Preaching Under Pressure. It was a very thoughtful, challenging, and encouraging message. Pastor Jeffery Johnson delivered the evening message.

I am scheduled to teach on expository preaching this afternoon, teach and preach Wednesday evening, and teach and participate on in a panel discussion Thursday, along with other commitments. It will be a long week. But I am looking forward to it. May the Lord give me strength.

Crystal is here! She flew in yesterday from Los Angeles, where she and the kids are spending several weeks with family and friends. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to see her. When she arrived, I shaved for the first time since she left!

Likewise…

My brother, Pastor Kevin Willis and his wife, Linda, are here.

Four of my pastoral staff members – B. Perry, D. Beckwith, A. Robinson, and A. Letson – are here.

My pastor from Los Angeles is here. My adopted dad from Oklahoma City is here.

Several of my closest friends from around the country are here.

There are quite of few preachers from both Los Angeles and Jacksonville here.

And this all up and what you get is very little sleep for H.B. Charles, Jr. this week. But I should be a great time of fellowship.

Please remember this meeting in your prayers.

Notes from Sunday - 07/10/11

2011-07-10T22:11:00.001-04:00

What a great day of worship at Shiloh today!

We began the service this morning with several praise choruses that I really like to sing. One of them had I had been singing to myself all week. It was great to sing it together in worship with the saints.

As always, I am grateful for all of our guests in worship today.

As I sat in our second service today, I began to give thanks to God for all of the volunteers who serve in our congregation. The service of so many others make what I do possible. And I am grateful to God for all who serve.

I preached today from James 5:13-18. I entitled the message, “Handle with Prayer.”

I wrote seven pages of the manuscript. But I knew that I several pages to material in my head. So I just quit writing. I knew that I was going to go over time this morning. But there was nothing I could do about it.

There is so much in this text. But I hope that I did a fair job of keeping the main thing the main thing.

In both services, in skipped a portion of the text. And it was the same portion – the second dealing with mutual confession and prayer in verse 16a.

I spent a portion of the message dealing with “the elders of the church” (James 5:14). After the service, someone asked me about the relationship between elders and deacons. It never crossed my mind to address that. But here are my understanding of the relationship of elders and deacons in two sentences:

1. The elders serve by leading.
2. The deacons lead by serving.

I have one more passage to preach in James. I intend to conclude my study of James next Sunday with a message entitled “Rescue the Perishing” (James 5:19-20).

For the record, I love preaching to my congregation!

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church in our services this morning.

We went home singing, “Trouble In My Way.” I don’t know what brought this old song to my mind. But I sure enjoyed singing it! Could you tell?

Our 2011 Vacation Bible School will begin tomorrow and last all (7/11-15). Please pray for our Children’s Pastor, Lucius Johnson, our staff and volunteers, and all the children who will participate in VBS this week. May they grow as Jesus grew (Luke 2:52).

Crystal and the kids are in Los Angeles with family and friends for several weeks. I have been here on suicide watch without them. Sure, I leave them to go preach all the time. But I am not used to them leaving me. Let the church say, “Spoiled!”

It’s time for the E.K. Bailey International Conference on Expository Preaching in Dallas!

Notes from Sunday - 07/03/11

2011-07-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

I had a great time teaching on the good news of Jesus Christ in my new members class.

We had many guests in worship yesterday. Grateful for it.

We had several families, celebrating their family reunions, in worship with us yesterday. It was good to host these guests. Hope they were blessed by the service.

Dr. William Lawson, founding pastor of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston (where Dr. Marcus Cosby now serves as pastor) was in worship with us yesterday. His family was one of our special guests. It was an honor to have him worship with us.

Thinking about and praying for our members who are traveling and vacationing over the holidays. May the Lord bless them and bring them home safely.

We celebrated the Lord’s Supper in both of our services yesterday. What a wonderful time of worship, as we remembered the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanks to our Deacons and Deaconesses for your service yesterday. You make it happen!

I preached from James 5:12 – “Tell It Like It Is.”

I believe the Lord gave me a good understanding of this verse. But, boy, did I have to wrestle to shape it for preaching!

I stood up to preach at my 8 AM service with only 20 minutes to preach. I think I took about 30 minutes… with a 45-minute message.

Next week’s sermon: “The Power of Believing Prayer” (James 5:13-18).

Praise God for those who were saved and added to our church family yesterday.

My memory verses these week are Ephesians 6:12-13: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

In just a month, more than 4,000 people have downloaded out Shiloh Church app. Way cool!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July! God bless.

Midyear Tune-Up Tonight at Shiloh

2011-06-29T17:10:00.000-04:00

The Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church family will meet together for its Midyear Tune-Up Service tonight at 7 PM.

We will praise God together for all that he is done for us – personally and corporately – during the first half of 2011. And we will pray for God’s guidance, strength, and favor for the second half of the year.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. A.B. Sutton, Jr., who is the Pastor-Teacher of the Living Stones Temple in Birmingham, Alabama.

If you do not have a commitment at your church, please join us for this for this special time of worship. Or join us online at www.smbcjax.com.

Notes from Sunday - 06/26/11

2011-06-27T08:29:00.001-04:00

Last week, I participated in the National Baptist Convention USA Inc.’s Congress of Christian Education in Indianapolis. It was the first time I have participated in the meeting for the full week. I had the opportunity to teach in the Laymen’s Department each day and to speak in the general session Wednesday afternoon. I was an exhausting but enriching week. Grateful to Harold Simmons, president of the Laymen, for all his kindness.

Our new Car Care Ministry began this past Saturday! More than twenty men will volunteer their services to do free basic car repairs for seniors and single mothers in our congregation. Shout out to Pastor Letson for his oversight and Donald Brooks for his leadership.

We had a great day of worship at Shiloh yesterday.

I taught a new lesson in our new members class – a new version of “What Shiloh Expects From You.” I really enjoyed the time with our new members.

Our ensemble led the music Sunday. And, as usual, they did a great job.

Thanks to all of our Greeters and Ushers for your service. You make it happen!

We had quite of few guests in worship Sunday. After the services, I had the opportunity to meet several families who have recently moved to Jacksonville and are looking for a church home. They were blessed by the service and said they would consider returning. Very encouraging.

I am praying for our many members who are on vacation. May God’s blessings be on them and bring them home safely.

I preached from James 5:7-11. I called the message, “What to do in the Meantime.”

James 5:7-11 teaches three disciplines to practice when you are forced to spend time in God’s waiting room:

1. Be patient (5:7-8).
2. Do not grumble (5:9).
3. Follow godly examples (5:10-11).

For some reason, I did not say much of what I mapped out to say and ended up saying much that I did not map out.

I have three more sermons to preach to conclude my study of the Epistle of James.

Next Sunday’s message: “Tell It Like It Is” (James 5:12).

Praise God for those who were added to the church yesterday. (Particularly, thank God for adding Brodes and Danielle to our church family.)

We had a pretty quiet evening. Just the way I like it. Now for a busy week.

A Testimony: My Journey to the ESV

2011-06-24T13:30:00.001-04:00

The Bible has always been a central part of my life. And the translation of my youth was the King James Version. My home church was not “King James Only.” But the KJV was the only translation we were exposed to. I had a children’s story Bible that I loved. But I knew it was not THE Bible. The KJV was. I assumed it was the Bible Jesus and the apostles read.

My father – who was my pastor – studied and preached from the KJV. But he often read devotionally from the Moffat Translation, I later discovered. It was the default version from which he would quote Psalm 23:1: “The Eternal shepherd’s me, I lack nothing.” This introduced me to the world of multiple Bible translations.

Then I got a copy of Kenneth Taylor’s Living Bible paraphrase. I was fascinated that it was written to help his children understand scripture during their family devotions. And I understood that it was a paraphrase, not a translation. But I enjoyed reading it. On one occasion, I was studying Psalm 1. I knew the psalm by memory. But I struggled to make sense of it for preaching. So I pulled down my Living Bible. The first verse read: “Oh how happy are those who do not take advice from ungodly people.” That paraphrase caused things to begin to click for me and showed me that different translations can help you see a text with fresh eyes.

I remember in the early days of my pastorate, I was in a jam and stole a sermon from a book. It was called “Other Little Ships” based on Mark 4:35. Jesus was on the ship, but there were other little ships with him… like worship, fellowship, discipleship, and stewardship… Get it? I thought I nailed it. But after the service, a member showed me her Bible, which read “other little boats.” I was embarrassed. And I determined not to steal again (Until the next time!) and not to have a sermon trumped because I did not compare translations.

At some point, after young people and new believers kept mentioning their difficulty in understanding the KJV, I started using the New King James Version. It was basically the KJV, with some words translated more accurately and the archaic language updated. It used “You” rather than “thee” and “thou.” And it did not use any words that end with “eth,” like “maketh” or “cometh.”

I used NKJV for personal study and public teaching for about ten years. But I constantly read from various translations. For an extended period, I would study from the NKJV and do my devotions from the New International Version – memorizing scripture from both translations. But this proved to be more than I could maintain.

One day, I drove out to my favorite Christian bookstore. I slowly perused every section of the store, looking for anything new or of note that I had not read. Scanning the Bibles section, I picked up the English Standard Version. As I began to read it, I was hooked. It had the accuracy of the New American Standard Bible, the readability of the New International Version, and yet maintained much of the poetry of the King James Version/New King James Version. It became my personal Bible, even though I was still preaching from the NKJV.

When I finished a book series I was preaching, I decided to try out the ESV for a few weeks. I have been preaching and teaching from it every since. I never made an announcement of my change. I just would just state the translation I was using before I read my text, which I had always done and still do. Many followed me to the ESV, in order to have the same Bible the pastor was preaching from.

I continued to compare translations. And I am sensitive to the fact that there are many different translations sitting in people’s laps when I stand to preach. But the ESV has proven to be sufficient for my personal devotions, in-depth study, and public ministry. And the growing number of reference resources linked to the ESV only increases my confidence in it as a fitting Bible for both personal and corporate use.

I actually think that there are too many translations on the market. Publishers are producing new Bible versions for economic gain rather than spiritual benefit. Thankfully, there is a “survival of the fittest” dynamic that renders unworthy translations extinct. But it is my prayer that the ESV will gain readership and influence among Bible readers and students. May the Lord use this wonderful translation to spark a revival of love for the word of God!

Notes from Sunday - Father's Day 2011

2011-06-20T17:09:00.001-04:00

Friday night, a large group of us traveled to Savannah, Georgia, to worship with Pastor Matthew Odom and the Temple of Glory Community Church. It was great bus ride with our members. Our choir really showed out! And I finally got to preach a sermon that has been on my heart for several weeks now.

Note: Whenever someone reads a long bio about me before I preach, I feel like at sitting in my own funeral as someone is readying my obituary. I am just waiting for them to say, “He lives behind to mourn his passing… and a host of family and friends.”

Saturday morning was our annual All-Male Round-Up. Our theme was “Finishing Strong.” I taught on the theme from Hebrews 12:1-2. We had sessions on health, marriage, parenting, and financing, as well as classes for our boys and young men. Then there was plenty of food and fellowship! It was a great day. Thanks to Mitch, our Men’s Ministry team, and all the brothers (and sisters) who volunteered to make it a great day. You make it happen!

Yesterday was a great day of worship and fellowship at Shiloh.

Throughout the day I was grateful for the blessing of a great father – H.B. Charles, Sr. – and for the blessing of three great children – H.B. III, Natalie, and Hailey.

Grateful for all of the guests who were in worship with us, including the members of the Rebault High School Class of 1991.

The Bakers, friends from New Jersey, dropped in for worship at 10:15. I had just asked a mutual friend about them last week. And there they were. It was good to see them.

Sister Mildred Brown was present yesterday for worship. If I am correct, she is our oldest member. She turned 101-years-old today. What a blessing!

Special thanks to all who serve on our Security Ministry.

Praise God for those who were baptized yesterday in faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Women’s Chorus led in musical praise, giving the brothers the day off. Thanks for your service, sisters.

Before the sermon, they choir sung “There Is No Way.” I love this song. And the choir really blessed us with it in both services.

I ditched my study of James this week and preached a Father’s Day message from Ephesians 6:4 – Why Fathers need to be Spirit-Filled.

I endeavored to give three reasons why fathers need to be Spirit-filled:

1. Fathers have been placed in a special role: “Fathers”
2. Fathers must practice self-restraint: “do not provoke your children to anger”
3. Fathers have been given a special responsibility: “but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

I said some big things to and about fathers. But I hope that my tone was not too harsh.

Yesterday was actually the first time I had preached a Sunday morning message on the family since I have been at Shiloh. I need to rectify this situation soon.

Next week’s message: “Be Patient” (James 4:7-11).

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church yesterday… including Keecia.

Between services, I came up with the bright idea of giving free copies of the message to all of the fathers who were present. It was a blessing to the fathers. But it was a nightmare for the media workers. Yet they served our men graciously and patiently. Thanks to all the media/tape room team members who helped out. You make it happen!

Of course, I got in trouble for giving CDs away to the fathers, because I did not do the same for the mothers last month. I knew that was coming.

By the way, in about two weeks, more than 2,000 people have downloaded our new church app. Way cool!

I had a great dinner with my wife and kids. I don’t remember much after that.

Remember H.B. Charles Sr. (Father's Day 2011)

2011-06-19T13:16:00.000-04:00

It has been a long weekend for me. And I am not just talking about my hectic schedule over the past several days. I am referring to my consuming thoughts about my father.

My father was funeralized Father’s Day weekend, 1989 – twenty-two years ago.

I trust I will see my father again in glory. This is a comforting assurance for me. Yet there are still times when I still grieve his passing. It happened to me again this weekend.

I think being at my grandmother’s funeral this week did it to me. There was a slide show at the end of the service. And there was a picture of my dad, standing outside my grandparents’ house. There were several other people in the picture. But I did not pay attention to them enough to tell you who they were. All I saw was my father’s big smile. I have been consumed with thoughts of my dad the rest of the week.

Most of my weekend has spent studying and preparing myself to preach. And it has made me think much and long about how my father taught me to love books.

I do not think that my affinity for reading and research came naturally for me. I made friends with books trying to be like my father. He was an avid reader, with a library that consisted of thousands of books. We moved several times over the years. And I remember the biggest priority was always whether a potential home had a suitable place to store his books. I think he would be impressed with the library I have developed over the years.

I do not know what happened to most of my father’s books. But I still have my father’s Bible. It is filled with the study notes in the margins. When I see it, I think about the countless hours my father sat reading and studying that Bible. And it challenges me to spend much time in the word of God.

One evening, I asked my father to help me find a scripture. I quoted it to him: “If my people, who are called by my name, would humble themselves…” I knew the verse. But I did not know the reference. He told me to go get a book off his desk called a “Concordance.” He told me he would show me how to find the verse. I did not want to do that. I just wanted him to tell me the reference. He gave me a choice. Either I could get the concordance of his desk and let him show me how to find the verse or I could get his phone book off his desk and call to ask his assistant pastor, Rev. Russell Banks, where it was. I chose to call Rev. Banks. But I was rebuked by how patiently my father dealt with his prideful son. I later asked him to show me how to use a concordance. And it began a friendship with reference books that has taught me the word and help me to prepare to teach others.

My father taught a minister’s class on Tuesday nights. One night, before class, I showed the other guys several new books of sermon outlines I had bought. He sat and listened. Then he started the class by warning the other guys not to be like me. He says that I was looking for short cuts and that guys were making money writing sermon outline books for lazy preachers like me. I was challenged to dig my own wells so that I won’t have to steal other people’s water.

As I was preaching my early service this morning, I thought about how my dad used to tell people that raising me was like raising a champion horse. He was trying to discipline my ways without breaking my spirit. I do not know if he died with a sense that he succeeded. But I hope he would be proud of the man, Christian, husband, father, and minister that I have become.

I truly miss my father. And I thank God for sharing him with me as long as he did. And I pray that the Lord will keep me from dishonoring the good name my father passed on to me.

My Grandmother's Homegoing

2011-06-17T08:28:00.001-04:00

I attended my grandmother’s funeral yesterday in Oklahoma City. I was in town for less than 24 hours. And it felt like I was in the air – coming and going – longer than I was on the ground. But I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend and be with my family during this important time.

Eula B. Sheffield, my mother’s mom, lived a long, rich, and full life. She was a free spirit, a straight talker, and a relentless lover of her family and friends. She had a tough exterior. I cannot remember one occasion when I was in her presence that I was not nervous. But she had a soft heart. When she said, “I love you,” you knew she meant it. And she would back it up.

My grandmother had been sick over the past few years. In fact, my mother moved back to Oklahoma City from Los Angeles, a few years ago, out of concern for my grandmother’s failing health. And the last year or two had been really difficult for grandmother. So I am glad that her days of sickness and suffering are over. She is at peace. She is at rest. And she is at home with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eula B. was my last living grandparent. My maternal grandfather died when I was six-years-old. And I never had the opportunity to meet of my paternal grandparents. This reality weighed on me when I arrived at grandma’s home yesterday morning. This has been the family home for decades. And there are some things in the house that are just the way they were when I was a little boy. It was a little bit overwhelming. But thank God for precious memories.

People were coming into the house that I did not know. I spoke and introduced myself, only to discover these were cousins and relatives that I had not seen for years. It was great to see everyone. My brother, Renaldo, was there. My nephew, Jasten, is now a grown man. My cousin Ronnie just had a new baby. We are definitely not kids anymore! Psalm 90:12 was on my mind all day: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

The service was very uplifting. The presence of local pastors was very encouraging. My little sister, Donetta, sung, “Amazing Grace.” Pastor Bradford preached a comforting message from my favorite psalm – Psalm 23. I was on program to give remarks. I asked out of this responsibility. I was there to join my family in paying our respects to grandmother. But my Aunt Debbie insisted. And I am glad she did. It was an honor to speak in tribute of my grandmother and to offer words of comfort to my family.

As we sat and chatted at the repast, it was time for me to head to the airport for my flight home. It all went by so fast. And I miss everyone already.

Thank you for your prayers, condolences, and expressions of love for my family during this period. It means more than you can know. And thanks in advance for your continued prayers.

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

Thank God for Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr.

2011-06-15T01:30:00.005-04:00

I am happy.

I came home from work, there was a package on the porch waiting for me. I knew what it was. And I had been waiting on it. It was my copy of the new biography written by Iain Murray and published by Banner of Truth: “John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock.”

I was introduced to the ministry of John F. MacArthur Jr. early in my pastoral ministry. I was being confronted with claims of Charismatic experiences in my congregation. And I needed a better understanding of the matter. Somehow – I think it was through a magazine advertisement – I heard about MacArthur’s Charismatic Chaos.

I went to a local Christian bookstore to find Chaos. When I asked the young lady behind the counter if they had the book in stock, she replied, “Yeah. But I wouldn’t recommend it. He doesn’t believe in the gifts.” I was shocked. I have never had a bookstore employee to discourage me from buying a book. It made me all the more eager to read the book. Honestly, I thought the MacArthur was harsh at points. But the book settled my convictions. And they have not changed. Chaos also deepened my passion to know the truth and strengthened my confidence in the sufficiency of God’s word.

I then began to pick up everything I could find by MacArthur. If he wrote it, I read it. I regularly listened to his “Grace To You” broadcast. And when I found out where his church was – about a thirty-minute freeway drive from where I lived – I would drive out to pick up tapes of his recent sermons.

During the first extended vacation time I took as a pastor; I spent my first Sunday off at Grace Community Church. This began my regular attendance in MacArthur’s Sunday night services. I remember with fondness the messages he preached through Romans 8 on Sunday evenings. Hearing them joyfully settled my convictions about Eternal Security, once and for all.

I knew that I was in love with Crystal when I invited her to join me for a Sunday evening service at Grace Church. I had never attended a service there with anyone before. I kind of viewed it as my own time to have my faith fed. Thinking that Crystal would one day be my wife, I wanted her to visit the church that was having such a profound impact on my doctrinal convictions and philosophy of ministry.

After the service, we were in the “Book Shack.” As we saw all of the books and tape series, we talked about the discipline required to produce this kind of work. When we were making our purchases, Crystal asked the young man what Dr. MacArthur was teaching on Sunday mornings. He answered 2 Corinthians. She asked was he in a series. He answered that Dr. MacArthur had been in 2 Corinthians for the past 3 or 4 years. I can still see the shocked look on Crystal’s face.

Some years later – being married with children – I was able to briefly continue my formal studies at The Master’s Seminary, which is on the campus of Grace Community Church and where Dr. MacArthur is the president. Though only there a short time, my understanding of scripture was deepened and my vision for pastoral ministry expanded.

I have never met John MacArthur. But he has been a dear friend to me for many years now. His example has challenged me. His preaching has nurtured me. His courage has inspired me. His books have taught me. His commentaries have aided me. His congregation has blessed me.

As I heard the news that Dr. MacArthur has recently completed preaching through the entire New Testament – verse-by-verse – I have been overwhelmed with gratitude for this faithful servant of the word. His defense and confirmation of the truth is formidable. Sure, there are times when I disagree with positions that Dr. MacArthur takes (It seems that most who read or listen to him give this qualification). But even when I disagree with him, I cannot easily dismiss him. He has done his homework on the text. And he forces me to do mine.

I know that it may not be best to write a biography on a subject while he is still alive. All of the evidence is not yet in. But I am grateful for the providential orchestration of circumstances that have caused this new biography of MacArthur to be written. And I am looking forward to reading the story of this man of God and his commitment to Christ, the scriptures, and the church.

Thank God for Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr.

Notes from Sunday 06/05/11

2011-06-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

Great day of worship at Shiloh yesterday.

God be praised for all of our volunteers who serve in various ways during our Lord’s Day services. You make it happen. Thank you.

We celebrated the Lord’s Table in both of our worship services, which is always a special time in the life of our congregation.

Grateful for the guests who joined us for worship.

Our choir sung a song called, “I Never Lost My Praise,” before I preached. It blessed us in both services.

I am convinced that if you can praise God in the midst of whatever you are going through, you already have the victory.

I preached from James 5:1-6 – “A Warning to the Rich.”

I have finally made it to the final chapter of the Epistle of James, after many fits and starts of the past few months. I am looking forward to the last four messages I have scheduled from James 5.

James 5:1-6 is a difficult text. It is said that difficult texts make good preachers. If that is true, I am a better preacher for having worked through this challenging but important passage.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church yesterday.

First Sundays mean I get to teach the first lesson in our new members class series: “The Good News of Jesus Christ.” I love teaching the message of the gospel!

Yesterday afternoon, I spoke at the baccalaureate service for the graduating seniors of William H. Raines High School. I am so grateful for the privilege. And I pray the young people and their families were blessed by the message.

Later in the afternoon, I spoke for the 11th Pastoral Anniversary celebration of Pastor Herb Anderson at the Emmanuel Baptist Church. Pastor Anderson is a “Son of Shiloh,” a strong preacher, and a faithful shepherd. It was a joy for Shiloh family to be present to encourage him.

Our Youth Choir sung during the afternoon service at Emmanuel. They did a great job. I was so proud of them.

After teaching five times, I was ready to do it again… until I got home and ate a bite. I don’t remember anything after that.

As I slept, my Miami Heat defeated the Mavericks 88-86 to go up 2 games to 1. Two more wins to go!

DOWNLOAD OUR NEW “SHILOH APP” THROUGH APPLE ITUNES AND ANDROID MARKETPLACE. LISTEN TO SERMONS, ACCESS CHURCH INFO, AND READ OR LISTEN TO THE WORD OF GOD.

Speaking @ the 2011 OKC Simultaneous Revival

2011-04-27T09:23:00.001-04:00

I am in Oklahoma City. I am preaching for Pastor John A. Reed, Jr. and the Fairview Baptist Church.

Dr. Reed and my father were great, longtime friends. And my father preached this meeting for some years. I remember my dad preaching three times on Easter Sunday morning and then we would change clothes and hit the road. He would drive to Oklahoma City and we would arrive in time for him to preach Monday night.

When my father passed, “Uncle John” became “Pop” to me.

I was invited to preach this meeting the year after my father’s death. And I have been preaching it since with, with the exception of a several years. The entire Fairview congregation is family to me. And it was good to see familiar faces again and to preach to this precious congregation one more time.

Without a doubt, my life and ministry have been richly blessed by participating in this meeting over the years. And I am glad to have the opportunity to participate in this great meeting again.

For the record, a “simultaneous” revival is when a group of churches hold revival services at the same time. In the evening, each congregation meets with its own preaching. At noon, there is a mass service preached by one of the guests. And here in OKC there is even a late-night service, with even more preaching!

Last night, my boyhood friend, Reginald Payne preached the late-night service. Reginald and I have been friends since we were boys. He didn’t have a choice. His mother “Aunt Pat,” to me) would make Reggie, who is a little older than I am, take me with him a lot. Since he was kind of stuck with me, we became friends. We both starting preaching as boys. And Reginald served as my assistant at Mt. Sinai until he was called to his own congregation, which he has been serving now for some 18 years.

It was great to hear Reginald preach last night. I was so encouraged. And my heart was filled with gratitude as I thought of the goodness of the Lord in my life. To hear Reginald – now a seasoned pastor and preacher – reminded me of how far the Lord has brought us over the years. Praise God!

Likewise, my mother and other family members live here in Oklahoma City. My mom, little sister, and cousin were in worship last night. It is a treat to see family.

Please pray for the meeting this week. I have four more sermons to preach – three at Fairview, and I am the late-night speaker Thursday evening.

Please pray for all the guest evangelists who are ministering the word this week. Pray for every pastor and congregation participating in this meeting. May souls be saved, lives be changed, and church’s be revived to the glory of God.

A Holy Week Prayer

2011-04-19T08:57:00.003-04:00

I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming a human being so I do not have to pretend or try to be God.

I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming finite and limited so I do not have to pretend that I am infinite and limitless.

I thank you, crucified God, for becoming mortal so I do not have to try to make myself immortal.

I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming inferior so I do not have to pretend that I am superior to anyone.

I thank you for being crucified outside the walls, for being expelled and excluded like the sinners and outcasts, so you can meet me where I feel that I am, always outside the walls of worthiness.

- Fr. Richard Rohr (HT: www.iamscotthodge.com)

Ministry Emphasis Day 2011 at SMBC

2011-02-25T03:14:00.001-05:00

This Sunday is Ministry Emphasis Day at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. And I can’t wait!

One of the key factors in my spiritual growth over the years has been the responsibility to serve others that I have been entrusted with. The fact that I am called to serve has been a God-given and built-in means of accountability in my spiritual walk. And I do not want my congregation to miss this important means of spiritual growth.

Mark it down. To come to church and be ministered to week-after-week without ministering to others stunts your growth. What happens if you keep eating without exercising?

So we will be encouraging our members this Sunday to get off the bench and into the game. Representatives from our various ministry programs will be set up around our campus. And we are encouraging our members to hang around after the services to get information, ask questions, and get plugged into a place of service. We will also have listings opportunities to serve members can participate in without making a long-term commitment to a particular program.

I am really looking forward to Sunday. I plan to preach on the greatest reason I know why we should serve one another: Jesus was a servant! In John 13:1-17, Jesus gives us an example to servanthood to follow and even announces divine blessings on those who obey his call to service.

Our volunteers make it happen at Shiloh. We are able to do what we do because of their faithful service. But we still have a long way to go. And I trust that or Ministry Emphasis Day will be a step in the right direction that reminds us that we are saved to serve. May Shiloh increasing become a culture of servanthood that encourages our members to join in the great adventure of Christian service.

My prayer is that 1 Peter 4:10-11 would be fulfilled in and through the body-life of SMBC: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (ESV)

Grateful for 38 Years of Life

2011-02-11T08:14:00.002-05:00

Today is my 38th birthday.

And I praise God for all his undeserved goodness to me. I am speechless with gratitude for the Lord's favor in my life. He has saved me. He has called me to preach. He has blessed me to marry way out of my league. He has blessed me with three wonderful children. He has given me the privilege to serve the saints of a great congregation.

These blessings are more than I deserve and enough to thank God for the rest of my days. Yet the Lord continually pours blessings and blessing into my life.

God be praised!

There Must Be Factions

2011-02-01T09:04:00.000-05:00

Pastor, I am having an issue with my mate – or a relative or friend or coworker or fellow church member or whoever. Should I be taking Communion?

Should a church in conflict be taking Communion?

I did not take Communion today because I knew there were things in my heart that are not right. God understands, doesn’t he?

After receiving a series of questions like these, I decided that I should teach on this an after the question officially.

And that’s what I did. I called the message, “When Should I Not Take Communion?”

I will give you my answer to that question another time. This post seeks to make another point.

I sought to answer the question that sermon raised with an exposition of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. It is a corrective Paul writes to address the abuse of the Lord’s Supper in the church of Corinth.

As I studied the text, something popped out at me that I had never paid attention to. It was in 1 Corinthians 11:17-19 reads: “But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized” (ESV).

Did you see that? Paul rebukes the church for divisions among them (v. 18). Then he concedes: “there must be factions among you.”

The New Testament is clear and consistent in teaching that the church of Jesus Christ is to be marked by spiritual unity. Scripture is replete with prayers and commands and instructions and motivations and celebrations of unity among God’s people. Take Paul’s letter to the Corinthians as an example. Throughout this letter Paul rebukes division and calls for harmony. But 1 Corinthians 11:19 is a remarkable exemption. Paul says, “There must be factions among you.”

Let that sink in for a moment. “There must be factions among you.” It would make perfect sense for Paul to say that must not be any divisions among you. It seems to make no sense that he says there must be divisions…

What does Paul mean? Why must there be divisions among the saints?

1 Corinthians 11:19 says: “for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.”

There are times when there are factions among the people of God so that the Lord may reveal who’s who and what’s what. God hates division among the saints. But he uses it to reveal who he has his hands on. Sometimes disharmony is God’s means of exposing the counterfeit and putting the genuine on display.

The Lord is honored when his people do whatever is necessary to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). But what does it mean when you have done all that you know to do to avoid conflict and it arises anyway? Could it be that there must be factions that so that those who are genuine may be recognized?

Getting Back to the Letter of James

2011-01-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

This Sunday, God willing, I will resume my verse-by-verse exposition of the Epistle of James. This past week was Prayer Emphasis Week here at Shiloh. And I have preached on prayer the past two Sundays. I am now heading back to James.

This Sunday’s message will be on James 2:1-13 – The Sin of Partiality. It will be the first of two sermons on James chapter 2, the second will be on verses 14-26.

Interestingly, it took me nine sermons to get through chapter 1. But I plan to get through chapter 2 in two sermons.

The two passages in chapter 2 are vital to the letter. They are also difficult passages to study and preach. For instance, verses 1-13 addresses again (cf. 1:9-11, 27) the matters of poverty and wealth. Specifically, it commands us not to show favoritism toward those who are wealthy in the church. And this matter of how you treat the rich and poor is an illustration of a larger principle. There is no place for partiality in the body of Christ.

The thought of the practical implications of this text is staggering.

Please pray for me as I work through this important text in preparation for Sunday. And pray that the Lord will help me to present the message of the text in a clearly, faithfully, and accurately.

May the Lord help my congregation – and all Christian congregations to live out the royal law to love our neighbor as ourselves to the glory of God in Christ.

Reproofs

2011-01-04T14:35:00.002-05:00

Part of my devotional reading this morning was the following prayer on how to receive reproofs with a godly attitude. It was an "accident of providence" that my reading landing on this prayer this morning. May you find it to be as convicting and encouraging as i have.

When I hear of disagreeable things among Christians,
It brings an additional weight and burden on my spirit;
I come to thee in my distress and make lamentable complaint;
Teach me how to take reproofs from friends,
Even though I think I do not deserve them;
Use them to make me tenderly afraid of sin, more jealous over myself,
More concerned to keep heart and life unblameable;
Cause them to help me
To reflect on my want of spirituality,
To abhor myself,
To look upon myself as unworthy,
And make them beneficial to my soul.

May all thy people know how little, mean, and vile I am,
That they may see I am nothing,
Less than nothing,
To be accounted nothing,
That so they may pray for me aright,
And have not the least dependence upon me.

It is sweet to be nothing and have nothing,
And to be fed with crumbs from thy hands.

Blessed be thy Name for anything that life brings.

How do poor souls live who have not thee,
Or when helpless have no God to go to,
Who feel not the constraining force of they love,
And the sweetness of communion?

O how admirably dost thou captivate the soul,
Making all desires and affections center on thee!
Give me such vivacity in religion,
That I may be able to take all reproofs from other men as from thy hands,
And glorify thee for them
From a sense of thy beneficent love
And of my need to have my pride destroyed.

The Valley of Vision, pp. 148-49

Notes from Sunday - 1/2/11

2011-01-02T22:07:00.001-05:00

We have a great day of worship at Shiloh on this first Sunday of the new year!

Grateful for all the guests who worshiped with us today.

Alice Martin, a longtime and faithful member of MSMBC in Los Angeles worshiped at Shiloh today. Crystal and I were shocked and happy to see her.

Our worship team was really on point today. Great job!

Special Note: This Sunday was the start of our new Partners In Prayer ministry, consisting of teams of intercessors who pray for the worship services during the services on Sunday. Thanks to West Wilson for his leadership and diligence. May this tribe of intercessors increase. In happens after prayer!

It is always a blessing to celebrate the Lord’s Table!

I preached a “devotion” message from Colossians 3:15-17 that I called “Three Priorities for a New Beginning.”

The three priorities I emphasized in the text were the peace of Christ (v. 15), the word of Christ (v. 16), and the name of Christ (v. 17).

I need not get hoarse preaching today. Good deal.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

Next week begins Prayer Emphasis Week at Shiloh. I plan to preach on prayer over the next two weeks. What a way to start the new year!

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles today 14-13.

The Jaguars were beat down by the Texans 17-34 and with the Colts win are out of the playoffs.

I wonder how many coaches will get the axe on Black Monday?

If there is anything better than the NFL regular season it is the NFL playoffs.

Notes from Sunday - 12/19/10

2010-12-20T09:15:00.001-05:00

We had a good day of worship yesterday at Shiloh.

The choir sung my “anniversary” song: “The Joy of the Lord.” It is one of my favorite choir songs. And I was blessed beyond words to hear it in worship.

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” – Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)

Grateful for all of our guests who were in worship with us yesterday.

I am continuously amazed by the kindness of people to me. I view it as postcards from heaven that read, “I am still with you.”

I preached from James 1:22-25: “What To Do With What You Hear.”

Preaching through James is hard work – spiritually and homiletically.

I argued that hearing the word of God obligates you to do what it says.

I am still recovering from a cold. Sinus problems continue. But I am feeling much better. Can’t wait to preach again without these symptoms bothering me.

Praise God for those who were added to the church yesterday.

Next Sunday’s Sermon: “Do You Have Good Religion?” (James 1:26-27)

Our entire music department and worship team were in full concert last evening. It was a wonderful time of worship and praise. Hats off to our Music Director, Dr. Roger Sears, and all of our music team leaders and members for a job well done!

The Cowboys beat the Redskins yesterday, 33-30. I do not know what makes me happier – that the Cowboys won or that the Redskins lost. I am still offended that they benched McNabb.

Tough lost for the Jaguars against their arch-nemesis the Colts.

Did you see the New York Giants snatch defeat right out of the jaws of victory again the Eagles?

People had a lot to say when the Miami Heat were losing. Not so much now that they are beating everyone down. Looking forward to the beat down they will give the Lakers for Christmas.

I cannot believe that 100-year-old Bernard Hopkins fought two a majority draw decision Saturday night for the light heavyweight title. This guy is ageless.

Saturday was my wife Crystal’s birthday. I continue to thank God for the gift that she is to me and our children. I married way out of my league. And I am grateful to God for such a wonderful partner. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…”

Breaking the Approval Addiction

2010-12-15T13:20:00.004-05:00

When I catch myself comparing myself to others or thinking, I could be happy if only I had what they have, then I know i need to withdraw for a while and listen for another voice. Away from the winds, earthquakes, and fires of human recognition, I can again hear the still, small voice, posing the question it always asks of self-absorbed ministers: What are you doing here?

I reply by whining about some of my Ahabs and Jezebels, And the voice gently reminds me, as it has reminded thousands of Elijahs before me, that I am only a small part of a much larger movement, and at the end of the day there is only one king whose approval will matter.

The voice also whispers, Do not despise your place, your gifts, your voice, for you cannot have another's, and it would not fulfill you if you could. - John Ortberg, Dangers, Toils, & Snares, p. 35

God Is Good All The Time! (James 1:16-18)

2010-12-06T10:07:00.002-05:00

In his book, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, R. KENT HUGHES tells of a dark night of the soul that he went through and how the Lord brought him out. Kent Hughes had been groomed for success. It was no surprise that he was chosen to plant a new church. Expectations were so high that there were whispers that his new church would soon outgrow the mother church. But several years later, there were very few signs of life, growth, or fruit. In a moment of weakness, Kent said to his wife Barbara, “God has called me to do something he hasn’t give me the gifts to accomplish. Therefore, God is not good.” Barbara assured her him that she still believed in the goodness of God. She encouraged him to hold on to her faith for the night. She had enough faith to believe for the both of them. What do you hold on to when life causes you to question the goodness of God? Let me encourage you to hold fast to the words of James 1:17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

The recipients of this letter from James were undergoing trials of various kinds. They needed wisdom to understand their trials and respond to them appropriately. Indeed, both misunderstanding and mishandling trials were both problems for James’ readers. They needed to know that God uses trials test the genuineness of our faith and to nurture our faith to maturity. Because they did not understand this, they were failing these tests of faith. Their trials were becoming temptations to sin. Some were even accusing God of a divine conspiracy in which God was using their trials to set them up to sin. In James 1:13-18, James addresses this matter of God and a case of mistaken identity. In verses 13-15, James argues that God is a holy God that never sends temptation or sin into our lives. Then in verses 16-18, James argues that God is a good God that only sends good and perfect gifts. In clear, graphic, and powerful terms, James makes the point here that God is good all the time. In fact, the English title, “God,” is derived from the German word for “good.” God’s nature and character and ways are all good. WILLIAM TYNDALE said it well: “God’s goodness is the root of all goodness; and our goodness, if we have any, springs out of his goodness.” God is good all the time. James 1:16-18 defends, declares, and demonstrates the goodness of God.

I. THE GOODNESS OF GOD DEFENDED

Verse 16 issues a stern warning: “Do not be deceived, by beloved brothers.” This verse is a bridge between what James says about the nature of temptation in verses 13-15 and the character of God in verses 17-18. Both ideas are closely connected. There is an insidious connection between misunderstanding God’s ways and indicting God’s character. So James issues a word of admonition with a word of affection.

A. A WORD OF ADMONITION

James commands, “Do not be deceived.” Do not err. Do not be misled. This Greek verb means to stray or wander away from truth, safety, or virtue. It is the picture of one who is on a journey that is led astray, so that he does not reach his destination. It is the picture of a sheep that wanders off from the shepherd and the flock and becomes lost. It is the picture of a ship that drifts off course and becomes lost at sea. James uses it here to admonish his readers who hold to wrong views about God’s character, purpose, and ways. His concern is more than a simple failure of judgment. It is a deviation from the truth. So James commands, “Do not be deceived.” This command is in a grammatical emphasis that forbids something that is already in progress. Literally, James says, “Stop being deceived.” Genesis 3:13 records God’s confrontation of Eve after her and Adam sinned: “Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” This is the ongoing work of the enemy of our souls. He seeks to deceive us. But in John 8:31-32, Jesus says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

B. A WORD OF AFFECTION

Verse 16 says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” Notice how James blends both sharpness and tenderness as he issues this warning with love, addressing his readers as “my beloved brothers.” In verse 2, James addresses his readers as “my brothers.” As a means of address, “brothers” it is a gender-neutral term that acknowledges his readers to be his brothers and sisters in Christ. But here James fills this phrase out, calling his readers “my beloved brothers.”

This term of endearment tells us something about the recipients of this letter. They were Christians. They were saved, redeemed, born again. They were fellow-members of the family of God. They were brothers and sisters in Christ. They believed in the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Yet they were susceptible to deception about God. So are you. The peril of the unredeemed sinners is unbelief. The peril of the redeemed sinner is misbelief. In A Grief Observed, C.S. LEWIS writes, “The thing I feared is not that I’ll stop believing in God, but that I might begin believing dreadful things about him. Not that I’ll say, ‘There is no God.” But that I’ll say, ‘So what’s what God is really like.’” That can happen to you. So beware that you are not deceived about God, because your view of God is everything. Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let know the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

This term of endearment also tells us something about the author of this letter. James was clearly concerned about the truth of God being upheld. But he was also concerned about the people who were affected by error. James reminds us that our concern for what is right does not give us license to treat people wrong. You can win and argument and lose a soul. So we must speak the truth in love. James 5:19-20 says, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

II. THE GOODNESS OF GOD DECLARED

Verse 17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” This verse highlights three attributes of God in which you can place your confident trust at all times.

A. GOD IS GOOD.

Verse 17a says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” Where do good and perfect things come from? They do not come from below or within or around. They come from above. That is, they come from the one who is above. They come from God. God is the source of all that is good. James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” The word “every” is emphatic. Everything that good and perfect is from God. Nothing that is not good and perfect is from God. There are actually two different Greek words in this verse that are both translated gift. The terms are basically used synonymously here. But the nuances of these two terms teach us that the goodness of God is seen in his act of giving and in the nature of his gifts.

THE GOODNESS OF GOD IS SEEN IN HIS ACT OF GIVING. When verse 17 speaks of “every good gift,” it focuses on the act of giving. Indeed, the gifts of God are good. But the very act of giving by God is good. This may be an obvious point. But it is not to be overlooked. Not everything act of giving is good. According to 2 Corinthians 9:7, one may give grudgingly or of necessity, rather than giving cheerfully. It happens during Christmas all the time. You may give someone a gift an expression of your love for him. Or you may give someone a gift because they got you one or will be offended if you do not. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?”

THE GOODNESS OF GOD IS SEEN IN THE NATURE OF HIS GIFTS. Verse 17 says that the gifts of God are both good and perfect. This is the second time James uses the word “perfect” in this letter. Verse 4 says, “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” This word “perfect” refers to spiritual maturity, not sinless perfection. It is the picture of a fully developed person who has passed from adolescence to adulthood. The trials of life are designed to nurture our faith to maturity. As the recipients of this letter underwent various trials, some accused God of tempting them to sin. James refutes this error by asserting that God only gives perfect gifts. That is, the gifts of God are always given to build us up, never to knock us down. This does not mean that every gift of God is desirable, comfortable, or pleasurable. But Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

A certain king placed a heavy stone in the road and hid to see who would remove it. The people simply worked their way around it, some loudly blaming the king for not keeping the highways clear. Finally a poor peasant, on his way to town with his burden of vegetables for sale, came upon the stone, laid down his load, and rolled it into out of the way. Then, he saw a purse that had lain right under the stone. He opened it and found it full of gold pieces with a note from the king, saying it was for the one who should remove the stone.

B. GOD IS SOVEREIGN.

Verse 17 states the sovereign source of all goodness: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” Then it states the sovereign process by which we receive these good and perfect gifts: “coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” The verb translated “coming down” is a present participle that describes a continual, never-ending flow of God’s beneficence to his children. Every good and perfect gift is from God above who pours them down in a constant stream that never ceases to flow. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Herein is wise counsel for how to respond to tests, trials, and temptations: Look up! Don’t judge God by what you see around you. Look up! Your outlook is determined by your up-look. Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Verse 17 says that every good and perfect comes down from “the Father of lights.” This title, “the Father of lights,” is a typical Jewish circumlocution that speaks of God without directly mentioning his name. Yet this reverent ascription says so much about God. The “lights” mentioned here refer to the heavenly lights – the sun, moon, stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. To say that God is the “Father” of these lights is to say that God created these heavenly bodies. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” And Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavenly declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” God the Father created the heavenly lights. When scripture affirms that God as the creator, there is always an imbedded theological assumption: The one who creates a thing is greater than and thus controls the thing he creates.

When James calls God “the Father of lights,” he is saying that God reigns over these heavenly bodies with sovereign authority. In Joshua 10, Joshua and the fighting men of Israel went to battle against the Kings of the Amorites. God was with them and they routed their enemies. As the enemy fled in defeated, Joshua commanded the sun to stand still. And God caused the sun to stand still until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. I cannot tell you how the sun stood still for Joshua. But I can tell you who brought this supernatural phenomenon to past: “The Father of lights.” King Hezekiah was low-sick. Isaiah the Prophet told him that he would die and not live. But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to God. God heard him and promised to give him fifteen more years of life. Isaiah told Hezekiah to pick what would be a sign that God would heal him: Did he want Ahaz’s sundial to go forward ten steps or backwards ten steps. Hezekiah said it is easy for the shadow to go forward. So the shadow of the sun went backwards ten degrees. I do not know how that happened. But I know who did it: “the Father of lights.”

C. GOD IS IMMUTABLE.

Lloyd C. Douglas, author of The Robe and other novels, lived in a boarding house during college. A retired music teacher lived on the first row, with whom he had a daily ritual. Douglas would ask, “What’s the good news today?” The old man would take his tuning fork and strike the side of his wheelchair and said, “That’s is Middle C. It was Middle C yesterday, and it will be Middle C a thousand years from now. The soprano upstairs sings off-key, and the piano across the hall is out of tune. But this is Middle C.”

THE GOODNESS OF GOD NEVER CHANGES. Verse 17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation…” The word “variation,” used only here in the New Testament, denotes the constant change of heavenly bodies. The sun, moon, and stars seem to be absolutely stable from out perspective. But there are actually mutations taking placing among them all the time. Variations of different kinds are constantly taking place in the heavens. Not so with God. There is no variation in God. God is immutable. Our God never changes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” The reason why we have not been utterly wiped out is because God is a good God who does not change on us when we change on him. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

THE GOODNESS OF GOD IS CANNOT BE BLOCKED BY ANYTHING THAT CHANGES. God is immutable. God never changes. God is good all the time. But the phrase “shadow due to change” further asserts that nothing that does change can block, hinder, obscure, or eclipse the goodness of God. In other words, life may be hard. But God is still good. The difficulties of life do not cancel out the goodness of God. If you stand in the sun long enough, the shadows around will move. From your perspective, it seems that the sun has moved. But in reality, the planet is moving, but the sun stays right where it is. You moved; the sun didn’t. It is the same way with God. An old couple was riding together, reminiscing about the early days of our relationship. The wife said to her husband, do you remember when we used to sit so close that people couldn’t tell which one of us was driving? Why aren’t we close like that anymore? Her husband replied, “I don’t know. But I haven’t moved.” If God seems far away, guess who moved? It was not God. God is good all the times.

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, O GOD, MY FATHER
THERE IS NO SHADOW OF TURNING WITH THEE
THY CHANGEST NOT, THY COMPASSIONS THEY FAIL NOT
AS THOU HAST BEEN THOU FOREVER WILL BE

III. THE GOODNESS OF GOD DEMONSTRATED

A certain couple bought their young son a new bicycle for his birthday. It was everything a boy could ask for in a bike. They could not wait to see how his reaction. On his birthday, they presented the gift, opened the box, and wheeled out the bike. To their dismay, the little boy looked at it, smiled, and began to play with the box! It took them a while to convince him that the bike, not the box, was the real gift.

James did not want his readers to be so preoccupied with outer wrappings that they miss sight of God’s true gifts. So he specifies the ultimate gift God bestows. Verse 18 says, “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” The phrase, “he brought us forth,” states the doctrine of regeneration. Regeneration is the sovereign and gracious act by which God gives new life to those who are death in sins and trespasses. In John 3:6-8, Jesus explains, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows were it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” This is what God has done for us in Christ: He brought us forth. This verb is the same word used in verse 15 where James says: “and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” Sin brings forth death. But God brings us forth to new life. In verse 18, the verb “brought forth” is in a grammatical emphasis that speaks of something that has happened once and for all. That is, you are not born again and again and again. God has brought us forth into new life once and for all. The statement emphasizes three wonderful facts about the new birth.

A. THE NEW BIRTH TAKES PLACE BY GOD’S WILL

Verse 18 says, “Of his own will he brought us forth.” The phrase, “of his own will,” means that God saves us by a deliberate and influenced act of his sovereign grace. This statement of the source of regeneration occupies the place of emphasis in this verse. Before mentioning the fact or means or goal of regeneration, James states the motivation behind it: “Of his own will he brought us forth.” God chose to give us new life. In John 15:16, Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not chose me, but I chose you…” Being dead in trespasses and sin, unbelievers do not have the will or the ability to choose God. A sinner cannot choose God any more than a dead man can choose to walk. God chooses us. And God did not choose us merely because he knew beforehand that we would choose him. God brought us forth by his own will. John 1:11 records a sad indictment against the people of God: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” But there is good news. John 1:12-13 says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

B. THE NEW BIRTH TAKES PLACE THROUGH GOD’S WORD

According to verse 18, the means by which God gives new life is “by the word of truth.” Ephesians 1:13 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” God saves sinners who hear and believe the word of truth. Romans 10:13 is a wonderful promise: “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Then verses 14-15 raise several dilemmas that prevent sinners from calling on the Lord for salvation: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” God brings us forth to new life by the word of truth. This affirms the primacy of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ in the life and work of the church. A local congregation is a true church only to the degree it is exposed to and permits its life together to be shaped by the word of God. Likewise, this phrase also reminds us of the great privilege and awesome responsibility given to those who teach and preach the word of God. James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” Those who teach the truth must make sure that we tell the truth on the truth.

C. THE NEW BIRTH TAKES PLACE FOR GOD’S GLORY

Verse 18 says, “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” When the harvest would come, the people of the God were to give the firstfruits – the first and best of the harvest - to God. It was to be consecrated to God to acknowledge that God was the source of the harvest and to express confidence in God’s future provisions. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” You cannot beat God giving. And the proof of your confidence in the beneficence of God is to offer God your firstfruits. Here, James uses this familiar image to say that we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are the firstfruits of God’s creatures. God’s redemption of rebellious sinners both affirms what he has done through Jesus Christ and what he will to redeem all creation. Romans 8:19 says, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” This reference to the firstfruits emphasizes the fact that salvation is for us, but is not about us. God saves us for his glory.

DOWN AT THE CROSS WHERE MY SAVIOR DIED
DOWN WHERE FROM CLEANSING FROM SIN I CRIED
THERE TO MY HEART WAS THE BLOOD APPLIED
GLORY TO HIS NAME

Notes from Sunday - 11/28/10

2010-11-28T22:21:00.000-05:00

I am in St. John’s in Antigua & Barbuda, preaching for the Dr. Hensworth W.C. Jonas and the Baptist Circuit of Churches.

The Baptist Circuit of Churches is made up of three congregations in Antigua led by Dr. Jonah – Central, Tryells, and Covenant Baptist Church.

The mother church, Central Baptist Church, celebrated 45 years of ministry today. The Tryells Baptist Church celebrated 18 years today.

Dr. Jonas is also the founder and principle of the Baptist Academy of Antigua. With over 400 students, it is one of the leading schools in the country.

Today is Harvest Sunday in Antigua. It is their equivalent to our Thanksgiving.

I really missed worshiping with my church family today.

This was the first Sunday my wife was able to attend church since her surgery. Praise God!

Thanks to Pastor Al Letson for ministering the word today.

You can tell how mature a congregation is by how it acts or reacts when the senior pastor is away.

I preached Saturday night for the ECBM leadership banquet.

I preached three times today, at two of the three congregations.

These are well-fed congregations that love the word of God. It was a joy to preach to the saints here this morning.

Tonight’s service was beginning of an evangelistic crusade that will take place at each of the three churches.

Pray that many souls will be reached for Christ during this evangelistic crusade.

Dr. Jonas and one of his deacons tried to convince me today that soccer is the real football. I am not buying it!

My Dallas Cowboys lost to the Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Jaguars lost today to the NY Football Giants. The Jags will have to find a way to get it done on the road.

I am yet to see any of the sites in Antigua. I trust that will change before my trip ends.

There is a KFC here and three Subway sandwich joints. That’s it. Every thing else is local. That’s pretty cool.

Notes from Sunday - 11/14/10

2010-11-15T04:59:00.003-05:00

Thanks, again, for your continued prayers for my wife, Crystal.

Yesterday was the second anniversary of my installation as pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

I love my congregation.

May the Lord make me into the man and pastor I need to be to lead Shiloh in its next season of ministry.

Hebrews 6:10 kept coming to my mind throughout the day: “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (NKJV)

Throughout the weekend, I having been listening to and singing to myself Minister Thomas Whitfield’s song, “I’m Encouraged.” My testimony!

Our children’s choir rocked!

Praise God for those who were baptized in worship.

Grateful for the guests who joined us in worship.

I preached from James 1:12 – “A Blessing for the Steadfast”

I argued that Christian steadfastness transforms burdens into blessings.

I outlined the text in terms of (1) a present and (2) future blessing for the steadfast.

Studying James is exposing to me how much I need to grow as an expositor and preacher. I am up for the challenge.

Next week’s sermon: “The Truth About Temptation” (James 1:13-15). Sorry GEH for stealing your title.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

HBC3 and I caught the Jaguars-Texans game this afternoon. Great game. Even better time with my son.

My beloved Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Football Giants 33-20. Does this mean that Wade Phillips was actually the problem?

I do not have a dog in the fight, with my USC Trojans under NCAA sanctions. But I am really enjoy the college football season.

I am so glad that I did not waste my time or money on the Pacquiao-Margarito fight. Either make Pacquiao-Mayweather happen or boxing is dead.

On Long Series and Short Attention Spans

2010-11-11T23:47:00.001-05:00

People have short attention spans. You cannot preach long series any more. It is best to keep sermon series short – six weeks at the most.

Many who preach and many who teach preaching have concluded that society in general and congregations in particular have short attention spans. Churches cannot endure long sermon series anymore, they say. This conclusion is stated as an irrefutable fact. And it goes unchallenged. But is it true?

Every pastor must make a personal decision about how long to spend on a particular book, theme, or biography. And there are many factors that go into this decision.

A sermon series can definitely go too long. Genesis and Psalms and Matthew and Romans and Revelation are great books to preach. But it may not be wise to spend multiple years analyzing the details of them. You may cause your congregation to miss the forest for the trees, if you go too slowly through a book.

But who determined that a pastor had better keep a series under seven messages or risk experiencing a mass exodus of protesting members?

There are many good preachers who preach long series. Expository series. Doctrinal series, even. When I hear this short series theory stated dogmatically, I smile as I think of strong preachers in growing churches around the country who do not subscribe to this theory.

Let me offer an alternative theory: People will endure whatever they become accustomed to.

If you only preach short series, the idea that you can only preach short series becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. But if you take a shot at a longer series, making sure that every sermon is a solid biblical message that can stand on its own, your congregation very well may keep coming and keep growing.

Notes from Sunday - 11/7/10

2010-11-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

It was coooooold yesterday!!!

We had a good day of worship at Shiloh.

Thanks for your continued prayers and many expressions of kindness as Crystal recovers from her surgery. Please continue to cover her with your prayers.

Throughout the day, I was praying for three pastors I know of around the country who were beginning officially started new churches yesterday.

I was also praying for the Diamond family and the Abyssinia Church, who funeralized their long time pastor, Dr. Tom Diamond, Saturday morning.

I really enjoyed my time with the New Members Class yesterday. We discussed the good news of Jesus Christ. What a privilege to explain the message of the gospel of salving by grace through faith in Christ!

Praise God for the celebration of the Lord’s Table yesterday as a church family.

Grateful for our deacons and deaconess who serve in our congregation’s celebration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And grateful for all who serve behind the scenes in the church.

We began using video announcements for the first time. It was different, but cool. We’ll see how it goes.
It was good to have many guests in worship with us.

I continued my study of the book of James with a message on James 1:9-11 that I call, “Boasting In What Money Cannot Buy.”

I saw two main ideas in the text: (1) Mature Christians boast in spite of their poverty (1:9), and (2) mature Christians do not boast in their wealth (1:10-11).

“Any trial that weans us away from the love of passing things and sets our affections on things above is a blessing in disguise.” – William McDonald

James is a hard saying. We do not often think or act as James prescribes here. It was very challenging to meditate on this passage over the course of the week.

I introduced the sermon with one of my dad’s stories. In the 10 AM service, I abandoned by planned conclusion and closed with another one of my dad’s story. Got away with it. But I wish I could tell them they way he used to tell them.

I look forward to preaching on James 1:12 next Sunday, which announces a blessing to those who hang in there.

Praise the Lord for those who were saved and added to the church yesterday.

My beloved Dallas Cowboys lost last night to the Green Bay Packers 7-45. The free-fall continues. When will it end?

Even though the Cowboys are losing, this has been a good NFL season. I am enjoying the competition.

Notes from Sunday - 10/31/10

2010-10-31T23:18:00.000-04:00

CRYSTAL UPDATE: Crystal is having good days and some bad days. But, overall, her recovery is progression with no major complications. Thanks, again, for your prayers, concern, and support.

Today is Reformation Sunday. By grace alone! Through faith alone! According to scripture alone! In Christ alone! To the glory of God alone!

We have a good day of worship at Shiloh today.

Grateful for the guests we had in worship today. I even met a guest who watches our services from Canada. Way cool.

We sung “Come Thy Fount Of Every Blessing” as a congregation this morning. Glorious!

Our women’s chorus led the music today. They did a great job. And Gloria sung one a song that I love, “I Believe God.” God be praised!

I continued my new series on James with a message of James 1:5-8 entitled, “Praying for Wisdom.”

I argued that God freely provides wisdom to face life’s trials to all who come to him in believing prayer.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

Studying James is renewing my spiritual passion.

Next Sunday’s sermon: “The Great Reversal” (James 1:9-11).

My USC Trojans put up a good fight Saturday night. But it was not meant to be. At least they were beat by the #1 team in the nation.

The Jacksonville Jaguars absolutely stomped down my Dallas Cowboys 35-17. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Notes from Sunday - 10/24/10

2010-10-25T07:49:00.002-04:00

CRYSTAL UPDATE: Thanks for your ongoing prayers for Crystal. She still cannot move around much. But there have been no complications from her surgery. And her recovery is coming along as scheduled. Praise God.

Good day of worship at Shiloh yesterday.

Our youth and young adults led the music yesterday. Good job.

Thankful for all of our guests yesterday.

God bless the families who participated in our parent-child dedication yesterday.

I began a new series on the Epistle of James yesterday. I preached from James 1:1-4 and called the message, “Taking Advantage of your Trials.”

I have been looking forward to preaching the book of James for many years now. I hope to learn a lot from it. And I pray that my labors will bear fruit in the pulpit.

I had been working on an introductory sermon on James. I decided Thursday evening that was not the best way to go. So I had to bunker down to do an exegesis of verses 1-4. It wiped me God. But I am glad I did.

I am really looking forward to the study of James and pray that it will mark a special time of growth and fruitfulness in the life of Shiloh.

Next week’s sermon: “Praying for Wisdom” (James 1:1-4).

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church.

Sunday afternoon, I preached for my friend Brodes Perry at the Philippi Baptist Church here in Jacksonville. Brodes is a godly young pastor and a faithful preacher. I was glad to be there. I preached Romans 8:28. Thanks, Shiloh, for your presence. You’re the best.

I did not realize it until Brodes mentioned it to me, but yesterday was the third straight Sunday afternoon I have preached.

Congratulations to my friend, John Fils-Aime, on his pastoral installation yesterday in New York.

The San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers are going to the World Series It should be absolutely boring without the New York Yankees.

It seems no one wants to be #1 in college football. But who cares, since the USC Trojans are nowhere near the top.

I am not a UFC fan. But I was absolutely shocked by the news that Brock Lesner was knocked-out in the first round of his match Saturday night.

The Jaguars were beat up pretty bad by the Chiefs.

My Dallas Cowboys MUST defeat the New York Giants tonight! Are you ready for some football!!!

Can you believe the movie "Back To the Future" is 25 years old?

How’s Lido! Lido, our family dog, got a haircut this weekend. He is feeling good and looking good.

Notes from Sunday - 10/17/10

2010-10-17T23:18:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for my family this past week. Crystal surgery this weekend was a success. I brought her home late Saturday night. Please continue to pray for her that she will have a full and speedy recovery.

Thanks, again, for all of your kindness and concern.

Two of Crystal’s adopted mothers – Beverly and Lisa – came to town from Los Angeles to be with her. I am grateful for what their presence has meant to Crystal.

Praise God for those who were baptized today.

Our music department was on fire today. What a blessing!

Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church is a great place to preach. I am grateful for the privilege to feed and lead this wonderful congregation.

I basically preached a “devotional” message today from a text I had been meditating on this week – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. I called the message, “We Do Not Lose Heart.”

I love 2 Corinthians.

The “melodic line” (R. Kent Hughes) is that our weakness is a platform for God’s strength and our suffering is a platform for God’s glory.

I read this week very helpful sermons online on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 by John MacArthur, John Piper, and Ray Pritchard. Praise God for those who are generous enough to share their hard work for the benefit of others. May their tribe increase!

I wanted to stay with Crystal today. But she made me got to church to preach. I am glad she did.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

This afternoon, I preached for Pastor Jeffrey Robinson and the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church of Daytona Beach. I was wiped out. But the Lord was kind to give me strength to preach again. It was a good time of worship and fellowship.

I plan to begin a new Sunday morning series on the Epistle of James next Sunday. Please pray for my preparation and for the presentation of the word to forth with faithfulness, clarity, and power.

The NCAA football rankings are in absolute chaos. And I love it! May the #1s keep going down.

The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Minnesota Vikings 24-21 to fall to 1-4 for the season. Please, Jerry Jones, fire somebody. Please!

May the Jaguars whip the Titans tomorrow night!

"Assembly Required" (Hebrews 10:24-25)

2010-10-12T18:15:00.002-04:00

Acts 2 records the birthday of the church, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 believers who were assembled in the Upper Room. It also records the growth process of the infant church. On the Day of Pentecost, about 3000 people believed the gospel, repented of their sins, and were baptized as followers of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:42 says: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” And the last sentence of Acts 2:47 reports, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Notice that God did not add people to the church without saving them. And God did not save them without adding them to the church. This organic union of personal salvation and church membership is the unchanging pattern of the New Testament. And throughout church history, whenever biblical Christianity has been practiced, Christians have had a high view of the church. Unfortunately, this is not the case in the day and times in which we live.

There are many today – both unbelievers and professing Christians – who question the necessity, relevance, and importance of the local church. And our generation has created a new category that biblical and historical Christianity never conceived of: UNCHURCHED CHRISTIANS. In contrast, the position of historic Christianity can be summarized in the words of CYPRIAN who said, “Outside the church there is no salvation.” In other words, the biblical answer to the question “Who needs the church?” is this: Whoever wants to be saved. This does not mean that church membership, attendance, and participation can save you. God forgives our sins by grace alone through faith alone because of Jesus Christ alone. But God has made the church the stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So a person can be a church member without being a Christian. But I am not sure a person can be a healthy, growing, fruitful Christian without being a participating member of a local church. Christian assembly is a biblical requirement for Christians. Hebrews 10:24-25 gives four biblical reasons why Christian assembly is a requirement for every follower of Jesus Christ.

THE CONFESSION OF SALVATION REQUIRES ASSEMBLY. The Epistle of Hebrews was written to a group of at-risk Jewish Christians who were tempted to turn away from Christ because of severe persecution. The anonymous author of Hebrews wrote this letter to challenge them to persevere in their faith. He does this by emphasizing one word: BETTER. He wants them to know that what they have in the Lord Jesus Christ is better than what they had in the religious system of Judaism. In Hebrews 10:19-21, the writer summarizes the argument he has been making since chapter three; the Lord Jesus himself is our great High Priest and perfect atoning sacrifice, who has established for us a new and living way to God through his own blood. Then, on the basis of the Person and Work of Christ, he calls the readers to hold fast to Christ with three commands that begin with words “Let us.” THE FIRST COMMAND RELATES TO GOD. Verse 22 says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” THE SECOND COMMAND RELATES TO SELF. Verse 23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” THE THIRD COMMAND RELATES TO OTHER BELIEVERS. Our text, says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” What do you say to a person who is ready to give up on Jesus? This chapter gives divinely inspired instructions for those who are ready to throw in the towel. Specifically, our text teaches that you need to commit yourself to some local assembly of believers, so that you can submit to the accountability and responsibility that will help you to persevere in faith. Then verses 26-27 issues a warning about apostasy: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

This warning about apostasy does not mean that it is possible to lose your salvation. God’s preserving graces ensures that every true believer is eternally secure, which means that true believers will not apostatize or fall away from Christ. They will endure until the end. But the perseverance of the saints is not only tied to the preservation of the saints. It is also tied to the partnership of the saints. Church membership, corporate worship, and Christian fellowship are primary means through which God’s preserving grace sustains true believers. This refutes those who say that church does not have anything to do with salvation. The fact is that it has everything to do with your salvation. In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul says, “I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” The pillar and foundation of a building hold it up. If the foundation gives or the pillars fall, the building will not stand. Likewise, the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. Your faith in the truth of the gospel will not be able to stand without the church in your life. Or as WILLIAM WILLIMON puts it: “The gospel does not make sense without the church that makes it make sense.” The confession of salvation requires Christian assembly.

I learned about the spiritual epidemic called “MORBUS SABBATICUS.” In laymen’s terms, it is known as “Sunday Morning Sickness.” The symptoms are quite interesting. It never interferes with the appetite or affects the eyes. The Sunday newspaper can be read with no pain. And watching television seems to help the victim. The only symptom is that you cannot get up and go to church. Strangely you usually do not feel it on Saturday. But it hits when the morning comes. And it never lasts more than 24 hours. About the time Sunday morning services are over, the patient feels better. Monday morning, the patient is able to get up and go to work. But it has a way of striking again the next Sunday. And after a few weekly “attacks,” it may become chronic. I am talking to someone who suffers from MORBUS SABBATICUS. And I stand to tell you that you need to ask the Great Physician to heal you today, once and for all, from the dreaded disease that can strike a deathblow to your faith walk with Jesus Christ.

THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS REQUIRES ASSEMBLY. California redwood trees are the tallest and oldest trees in the world. They stand hundreds of feet high and some of them are said to be over 2,500 years old. As a result, you would think that redwoods have tremendous root systems reaching deep down into the earth. But compared to other trees, redwoods do not have many roots and they do not go very deep. Yet the redwoods have stood for centuries, because their roots are intertwined and interwoven with each other. So when the winds blow, the redwoods stand, because they are linked and locked to each other, holding one another up. That is the way Christians stand against the storms of life that assault our faith in Jesus Christ: We hold each other up. THE APOSTLE’S CREED refers to this as “the communions of the saints.” It is the internal disposition and external demonstration of Christian fellowship that is succinctly summarized in verse 24: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”

THE INTERNAL DISPOSITION OF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. Verse 24 commands us to consider one another. The verb “consider” means to perceive clearly, understand fully, or consider closely. It is the same word used in Hebrews 3:1, which says: “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.” You must set your mind on the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ if your faith is to be strong, stable, and secure. But our text teaches us that Christians should also set their minds on one another. And this verb “continue” is in a grammatical emphasis that denotes continual or repeated action. Literally, the reading is, “And let us constantly consider one another…” Just as we are to always be thinking about Jesus, we also are to always be thinking about one another. The important point to get from this term is that Christian fellowship is – primarily, essentially, and ultimately – an internal reality. Fundamentally, our fellowship is not geographic, social, organizational, institutional, or programmatic. It is an internal disposition of care, concern, and compassion for one another that results in words, decisions, and actions that express the love of Jesus Christ.

1 John 3:14 says, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” True Christian love will not only lead you to attend and participate in corporate worship, it will also lead you to prayerfully consider the needs, growth, and concerns of your brothers and sisters in Christ even when you are not physically together.

This biblical emphasis rebukes those who would say, “Well, I read Christian books, watch religious television, and listen to teaching tapes. Doesn’t that count?” NO! Do not misunderstand me. Those things can be helpful supplements to what you receive by being a participating member of a local church. However, if you are able to get up and out, you must make sure that supplements to corporate worship do not become substitutes for corporate worship, because your fellowship with God must never be self-centered. Proverbs 18:1 says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” 1 Corinthians 10:24 says, “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” And Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others.”

THE EXTERNAL DEMONSTRATION OF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. After commanding us to consider one another, verse 24 tells us why we should do this: “to stir up one another to love and good works.” The church is to be marked by love and good works. However, love and good works are not automatic parts of church life. Every Christian is called to love and good works. But you cannot fulfill this calling on your own. You need others to “stir up” love and good works in and through you. The KJV uses the term “provoke.” The NASB uses the word “stimulate.” The NIV uses the word “spur.” These different terms translate a Greek term from which we get our English term “PAROXYSM.” It refers to a sudden outbreak of sickness, symptoms, or spasms. Usually, this term has a negative connotation, meaning something like “irritation” or “exasperation.” In fact, the only other time it is used in the New Testament, it is used negatively. Explaining Paul and Barnabas’ disagreement over whether to take John Mark on their second missionary journey, Acts 15:39 records, “And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.”

But while Luke says that paroxusmos caused Paul and Barnabas to separate from one another, our text says that paroxusmos ought to bring Christians together. Yet the negative connotations of the term should not be dismissed here. If need be, we should irritate one another to love and good works. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” You do not sharpen iron by hugging, caressing, or pampering it. You sharpen iron by getting another piece of iron and rubbing it the wrong way. Likewise, your true friends are not the people who always agree with you, cosign your agenda, and stay out of your way. Your best friends are the ones who make you better. That involves times when friends put a supportive arm around your shoulder and times when they put a scolding finger in your face. You need both the comfort of tender love and the confrontation of tough love. You need to be with brothers and sisters in Christ who think enough of you to stir you up to love and good works.

This command to stir up one another to love and good works confronts those who may say, “Church is boring. I don’t really get anything out of it. It doesn’t meet my needs.” SO WHAT? If you practice a spiritual discipline solely for personal benefit, you pervert the discipline, rob yourself of its true benefit, and God is not pleased. That includes corporate worship. Football has been described as 22 men on a field in desperate need of rest, being watched by 22,000 people in the stands in desperate need of exercise. The sad fact is that most churches operate just like that. But corporate worship is not a spectator sport where you simply show up, receive the ministry of others, give an offering, greet a few acquaintances and friends, and then go home thinking and talking about how whether the service suited your tastes, touched your emotions, and met your needs. Corporate worship is three-dimensional. God blesses us and we bless God. But it doesn’t stop there. In corporate worship we also bless one another by saying and doing those things that stir up love and good works.

THE COMMAND OF SCRIPTURE REQUIRES ASSEMBLY. Verse 25 teaches us that, if you are a follower of Christ, your presence and participation in corporate worship are mandatory.

YOUR PRESENCE IS MANDATORY. If you were to ask me for one verse that commands to go to church, I would give you Hebrews 10:25. But the truth is that this verse does not technically command us to go to church. It commands us not to forsake Christian assembly. Yet in commanding the reader not to forsake the assembly, the text assumes a previously established commitment to corporate worship. So it tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. The word “neglecting” is emphatic and intensive, meaning to totally abandon or to utterly forsake. This term is used in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, where Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Paul used it in 2 Corinthians 4:9, where he describes himself as “persecuted, but not forsaken.” It is also used in Hebrews 13:5, in the promise of God that says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And the writer uses it in our text to tell us that we are not to forsake, abandon, or desert the gathering together of the church. Every Christian should be marked present when the church assembles on the Lord’s Day.

This call to weekly corporate worship attendance may sound legalistic, pedantic, and impractical. But such a high view of corporate worship is warranted in light of verse 25b: “as is the habit of some.” Some people had already started missing the meetings. And the word “habit” tells us that their habitual absence had become customary. Remember why some people were missing the meetings. They were facing persecution because of their faith in Christ. Their lives were on the lines every time they met together. But God still said to them, do not neglect to meet together. If God did not excuse these ancient believers, even though the may be martyred if they showed up, then I know that God does not excuse us for the sinful, selfish, silly, and superficial reasons we come up with for missing church. Does this mean that you should attend every meeting, function, and service the church holds? Let me answer that by laying down a principle: If you are absent, and others do not know where you are, but they are not surprised by your absence, you are probably out of the will of God on this matter. If you can miss church without being missed at church, something is missing. And if you can miss church without missing church, something is missing.

An elderly saint had lost his hearing and his eyes had grown dim with age. But he never stopped attending church. One intrigued individual finally asked the obvious, “Why do continue attending church when you can’t see or hear what’s going on?” The old man replied, “I want to show everybody whose side I’m on!” And that ought to be your attitude. You presence in corporate worship ought to show your family and friends whose side you’re on. Your presence ought to show neighbors and coworkers whose sign your own. Your presence ought you show the principalities and powers in the unseen realm what side you’re on.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IS MANDATORY. Notice verse 25 again: “not neglecting to meet to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” Note that the contrast is not between showing up and not showing up. It is between not neglecting the meeting and encouraging one another. This text calls for more than just your presence in the meetings of the church. It calls for your participation. Consequently, there are those of you who have forsaken the assembly, even though you attend the worship meetings on a regular basis. You neglect the meeting when you show up late and leave early every week. You neglect the meeting when you get to church and hang outside, rather than coming in. You neglect the meeting when you show up with a bad attitude. You forsake the assembly when you are inhospitably, critical, and irreverent. You neglect the meeting when you spend the service sleeping, walking, talking, or passing notes. You neglect the meeting when what you have on or don’t have on distracts others from worship. You neglect the meeting when you are filling out an envelope during prayer or reading the bulleting during the sermon.

God demands your presence and your participation in the worship meetings of the local church. Unfortunately, many Christians are ecclesiastical hitchhikers. The hitchhiker’s thumb says, “You buy the car, pay for repairs and upkeep and insurance, fill the car with gas – and I’ll ride with you. But if you have an accident, you’re one your own! I may even sue you.” That is the way many people treat the church. They say, “You worship. You serve. You give. You pray. You support. And if you do it well enough, I’ll come along for the ride. But don’t expect anything from me. And know that if things don’t suit me, I’ll criticize and complain and bail out. My thumb is always out for a better ride.” But I submit to you that it is not God’s will for you to be a church-hopping hitchhiker. God want you to be a participating member of a local assembly. Many churches buildings have signs that say, “Enter to worship; depart to serve.” But that is a false dichotomy. We are to enter to worship and serve and then we leave to keep on worshiping and serving.

THE COMING OF THE SAVIOR REQUIRES ASSEMBLY. In every congregation, there are those who believe the church meets together too much. And from a carnal-minded, flesh-dominated, self-centered point of view, that may be true. But notice verse 25 one more time: “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” While some would say the church meets too much, God says that we need to assemble even more than we do, so that we might encourage one another. Hebrews 3:12-13 says, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” You may think it is too much to go to church every Sunday. But the Bible says you really need Christian exhortation every day, so that sin does not harden your heart. As we see the Day of the Lord’s return drawing near, we need to meet together as much as possible to exhort, encourage, and admonish one another to remain faithful.

One survey reports that 66% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ will return to earth someday – yet one third of those people say they never attend church. That is a blatant contradiction. The imminent return of the Lord Jesus is biblical motivation for being faithful to Christian assembly. In fact, the word translated “meet together” (or “assembling”) in verse 25 is only used twice in the New Testament – here, and in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, where Paul speaks of “the coming of tour Lord Jesus Christ and our bring gathered together to him.” Those who expect to meet Christ in heaven ought to be meeting with other Christians on earth. Here’s why: The closer we get to the Lord’s return, the worse things are going to get for the church in this world.

There are those who talk about a great end time revival. But they do not get that from scripture. The New Testament consistently speaks of end time apostasy among those who claim the name of Jesus Christ. Yes, God gives you strength to persevere. But God gives that strength by using other believers to come alongside of us to help us hang in there. So he says we are to be “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The word “encouraging” (or “exhorting”) means, “to call alongside.” The noun form is used in 1 John 2:1 to refer to Jesus as our Advocate with the Father. It is also used in John 14:16 to refer to the Holy Spirit who is our Helper or Comforter. Just as Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit come alongside of us to help us, we as brothers and sisters in Christ are to come alongside one another to exhort one another.

Usually, when I am preaching away from home, I stay in my room reading and resting until time for church. Except for those special times when I am preaching for a pastor that I really enjoy spending time with. That’s what happened on one occasion. So much so, that my host talked me into to working out with him just hours before preaching time. After giving me a general tour of the facilities, he marched me to the weight-lifting area. Now, I can sit on a stationary bike and read with the best of them. But I don’t mess around with weights. So honesty, fear, and pride forced me to be tell him straight out, “I really don’t do weights.” But, again, he talked me into it. For my sake, he started with lighter weights. And I stood back and watched, and he bench-pressed the weights effortlessly. When he finished his reps, he got up and I got on the bench. But rather than standing back and watching, my host went on the other side of the bars to “spot” me or watch me just in case I needed help. And I did it. And when he added more weight, I lifted that too. In fact, everything he lifted, I lifted, even though he was a much bigger man than I am. I had no idea that I was that strong. And I never would have known it, had it not been for this brother who came alongside to help me. And you will not ever know how strong you are spiritually if you don’t have other believers who will come alongside to exhort, encourage, and admonish you.

BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS OUR HEARTS IN CHRISTIAN LOVE!
THE FELLOWSHIP OF KINDRED MINDS IS LIKE TO THAT ABOVE.

BEFORE OUR FATHER’S THRONE WE POUR OUR ARDENT PRAYERS
OUR FEARS, OUR HOPES, OUR AIMS ARE ONE, OUR COMFORT AND OUR CARES.

WE SHARE OUR MUTUAL WOES; OUR MUTUAL BURDENS BEAR.
AND OFTEN FOR EACH OTHER FLOWS THE SYMPATHIZING TEAR.

WHEN WE ASUNDER PART, IT GIVES US INWARD PAIN.
BUT WE SHALL STILL BE JOINED IN HEART, AND HOPE TO MEET AGAIN.

Notes from Sunday - 10/10/10

2010-10-11T02:23:00.005-04:00

Good day of worship and fellowship at Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Grateful for all the guests who joined us in worship.

Our children's choir led in song during our 10 AM service.

Our mass choir looks beautiful in their new robes.

Carlton Burgess led the song of preparation at 10 AM. His medley of old hymns was moving.

Praise God for those who were baptized.

I preached a message from Hebrews 10:24-25 that I entitled "Assembly required."

I argued that Christian assembly is required for all Christians.

I am very passionate about this subject. I believe that growing Christians much be participant members of a local church.

"The gospel does not make sense without the gospel that does not make sense." - William H. Willimon

Praise God for those who were saved and aded to the church.

In two weeks, I plan begin a verse-by-verse exposition of the Epistle of James. Please pray for my preparation.

Saturday afternoon we worshiped with the Abyssinia Baptist Church to celebrate the 13th pastoral celebration of Dr. Eugene Diamond.

I am a sucker for a church that loves its pastor!

I preached from one of my favorite verses, Galatians 6:9. I needed that message more than anyone else.

The Jaguars beat up the Bills 36-26. That's two in a row for the Jags. 3-2 for the season.

My Dallas Cowboys lost to the Titans 34-27 to go 1-3 for the season. It seems like the only way my boys will make it to the Super Bowl is to get free passes. At Cowboy Stadium!!!

The USC Trojans lost to Stanford 37-35. Well, at least we do not have to worry about going to a bowl game this season.

Thanks for the concern and kindness you have shown for my wife Crystal. Please remember my family in your prayers this week.

Count Your Blessings

2010-10-06T22:14:00.002-04:00

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (Ephesians 1:3)

Ephesians 1:3-14 records what is called THE HYMN OF GRACE. It is so because scholars tell us that these verses record an actual hymn of praise that was sung in worship by the early church. Whether or not this is true, the content of this passage is still accurately labeled a hymn of grace. In the original Greek text, these twelve verses comprise only one sentence, even though no English versions translate it that way. In some remarkable way, this complex passage was one simple exclamation of praise in Paul’s mind. And this high praise is offered to almighty God for the sovereign grace by which he gives sinful people a new position in Christ. Verses 4-6 praise God the Father for choosing us for salvation. Verses 7-12 praise God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for purchasing our salvation with his own lifeblood. And verses 13-14 praise God the Holy Spirit for sealing our salvation.This passage is a careful explanation of the God-centered, God-exalting nature of the Christian message of salvation. But this explanation begins with a celebration. Verse 3 says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

What does it mean to be blessed? This is one of the fast-growing list of words in the Christian lexicon that is often used, seldom explained, and very misunderstood. Consequently, there are many believers who spend their energy chasing down the seemingly-elusive blessings of God. And there is much jealousy, rivalry, and disunity in the church, as children of God quietly compete for supposedly bigger and better blessings. And then there’s the great cover-up of breaking news that we do not really talk about; namely, that the material and financial things we so desperately crave as blessings from God do not really satisfy. In the process, God’s sheepfold has become a zoo, filled with professing Christians whose view of life is no different than the people of the world who do not know God. So I raise this question with confidence that the right answer can change our lives, revive our church, and strengthen our witness. What does it mean to be blessed? Ephesians 1:3 provides a clear and comprehensive answer: “Bless be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Chris who has bless us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

I submit to you that every person who is united to Christ by faith is already richly blessed. Notice that this verse does not promise that God will bless us. And it does not announce that God is in the process of blessing us right now. It declares that God has already blessed us. It is a done deal, a settled reality, and an unimpeachable position. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are sovereignly, abundantly, and eternally blessed. TOM JULIEN writes: “Some seek blessings and miss Christ. Others seek him and find both.” If you belong to Jesus Christ, you are richly blessed beyond measure. Now, I did not say that you will always feel blessed. The fact is that there will be times when you will feel abandoned, frustrated, hurt, neglected, and overwhelmed – anything but blessed. But your changing feelings have absolutely no affect on the reality, prosperity, and security of your blessed position in Christ. My wife has a sign on the refrigerator door that says, “I’M TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED.” But that’s not my testimony. I’ve discovered that you can be blessed and stressed at the same time. And the only way to handle some stressful situations is to remind yourself that you are blessed in spite of the stress. JOHN OATMAN JR. gave us some wise advice when he wrote:

WHEN UPON LIFE’S BILLOWS YOU ARE TEMPEST TOSSED,
WHEN YOU ARE DISCOURAGED, THINKING ALL IS LOST,
COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS – NAME THEM ONE BY ONE
AND IT WILL SURPRISE YOU WHAT THE LORD HATH DONE.

R. KENT HUGHES rightly asks, “The Devil may curse us, but if God blesses us, what does it matter? If you are united to Christ by faith, you are already richly blessed of God. And Ephesians 1:3 highlights three dynamics of the blessed life that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ.

I. THE PROPER RESPONSE TO THE BLESSED LIFE

What is the proper response to the blessings of God? There are several ways to respond to God’s blessings on the believer’s life. For instance, it would have been proper for this declaration of blessing to say, “Trust in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Or, it would have been proper for this declaration of blessing to say, “Serve the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” But Paul did not choose these or any of the other legitimate responses to the God’s blessings we could mention. Instead, under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

The NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION translates this verse: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” in order to avoid the potential confusion of the repeated use of the word blessed. But in so doing, it robs the reader of the beautiful play on words here. Literally, the verse says that we ought to bless God because God has blessed us. This word “blessed” literally means, “to speak well of” someone. It is the Greek term from which we get our word “eulogy.” Paul says that we ought to eulogize God! We ought to speak well of God. We ought to declare good things about God in grateful praise to him. In Mark 10:18, Jesus declares, “No one is good except God alone.” And since God alone is truly good, he is supremely and exclusively worthy of our highest expressions of praise. We ought to bless God with our praise for all his blessings toward us.

The same root word for blessing is used throughout this verse. But there is a difference between how we bless and how God blesses us. When God blesses us, it is both gracious and effectual. It is gracious in that God does not speak well of us because we deserve it. God blesses us because he is good and in spite of the fact that we are not good. Likewise, his blessings are effectual. When God declares his goodwill on us, his sovereign authority fully accomplishes everything he decrees. Paul affirms this by calling him “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In calling him God, Paul declares that he is our SOVEREIGN CREATOR. Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” God is our sovereign Creator. And note that Paul says he is “the God,” meaning that he is God all by himself. But not only is God our Creator; he is also our SOVEREIGN REDEEMER. Paul calls also him “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In verse 2, he is “our Father.” But now he is “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This description states the unique relationship between God the Father and God the Son. It declares Jesus Christ to be the only and eternally begotten Son of God. And God loved us so much that he sent his son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, adopt us into his family, and qualify us for eternal blessings.

So when God blesses us, it is gracious and effectual. However, when we bless God it is deserved and useless. It is deserved in that we speak well of God because he is worthy to be praised. Or as WALTER WINK defines it, “To worship is to remember who owns the house.” And to say that it is useless is to say that our blessing God does not contribute anything to God in any way. We are wrong when we speak of magnifying God, exalting God, or lifting him up in any way that suggests we make God bigger with our praise. If God needs us to make him bigger, then he is no God at all. The biblical idea of magnifying God is that we are to treat God with the glorious magnificence that he rightly deserves. MARVA DAWN calls worship “a royal waste of time.” By this she means that worship is not a means to an end; it’s an end in itself. God alone is the SUBJECT and OBJECT of true worship. And we ought to bless him for blessing us.

This doxology teaches us much about true worship. First of all, it teaches us that true worship is to be God-centered, not man-centered. Real worship is not about who you are, what you have, or how you feel. It’s about who God is and what God has done for you through Jesus Christ. So when our worship begins to lapse, we really cannot blame the preacher, the music, or the atmosphere. When you find it difficult to worship God, it only means that we have forgotten what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. If you consider the spiritual blessings that are yours in Christ, you can praise God no matter what. John 4:24 says: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” That is, true worship must be with head and heart. We see that here in THE HYMN OF GRACE, where Paul is filled with both joyful exuberance and theological reflection. Likewise, our worship will have a proper balance of God-entranced joy and God-centered truth when we learn to bless God for Jesus Christ. May our prayer be:

COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING, TUNE MY HEART TO SING THY GRACE
STREAMS OF MERCY, NEVER CEASING, CALL FOR SONGS OF LOUDEST PRAISE
TEACH ME SOME MELODIOUS SONNET, SUNG BY FLAMING TONGUES ABOVE
PRAISE THE MOUNT! I’M FIXED UPON IT, MOUNT OF GOD’S UNCHANGING LOVE

II. THE EXCLUSIVE MEANS TO THE BLESSED LIFE

Again, Ephesians 1:3 declares: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” That phrase, “in Christ,” is a succinct statement of the dominating theme of THE EPISTLE OF EPHESIANS. It, or some variation of it, is used more than thirty-five times in this letter. This phrase, “in Christ,” is theological shorthand that describes the believer’s spiritual union to, intimate relationship with, and new identity in Christ. In fact, the early Christians would begin their answer to the question, “Who are you?” with this simple phrase: EN CHRISTO – “in Christ.”

This phrase is, first of all, a statement about Christ himself. On one hand, it affirms the exclusivity of Christ. ST. AUGUSTINE was right: God is more anxious to bestow his blessings on us than we are to receive them. But God’s blessings can only be received in Christ. Note that Paul did not say we are blessed in Christ and something or someone else. Christ alone is the only means to spiritual blessings. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus Christ is the only way to the blessings of God. On the other hand, this phrase also affirms the sufficiency of Christ. That is, if you are in Christ, you already have full and free access to the God’s blessings. There is absolutely nothing lacking from your salvation. But this phrase is also a statement the Christian. It tells us that if we you are in Christ, you don’t have to be governed by your past, haunted by your mistakes, bound by your limitations, afraid of your weaknesses, or handicapped by your pain. You have a brand new identity in Christ.

In his book, Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?, JOHN POWELL writes of asking that question in a classroom. “Do you want my answer?” asked a student.” “Yes, of course I do,” responded Dr. Powell. “I am afraid to tell you who I am, because if I tell you who I am, you may not like who I am, and it’s all that I have.”

In the same way, many of us find it difficult to live authentically before others out of fear that others people will not like who we are. In fact, some of us are afraid to live authentically with ourselves out of fear that we will not like ourselves. But 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” If you are in Christ, you have a brand new identity. You are blessed in Christ. Verse 3 is a celebration of our blessings in Christ. But verses 4-12 are an exposition of our blessings in Christ. Verse 4 says you have been chosen by God. Verse 5 says you have been predestined and adoption. Verse 6 says we are blessed, accepted, graciously endowed by God. Verse 7 says you have been redeemed and forgiven. Verse 13 says you have been sealed. And verse 14 says that you have received the guarantee, the down payment of the Spirit. In Christ, we are richly blessed.

III. THE INFINITE SCOPE OF THE BLESSED LIFE

The infinite scope of our spiritual blessings in Christ is described three ways in this verse.

OUR BLESSING IN CHRIST IS SUFFICIENT. In verse 3b, Paul declares that God is the one “who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Even though most versions translate this phrase to read “every spiritual blessing”; the original text actually reads all, not every. The intended idea is that there is one blessing that God gives the believer in Christ of which there is nothing lacking. It’s not that there is a series of individual blessings that God promises to give. There is no first, second, or third blessing that God gives us in Christ. There is just one blessing that is first, full, and final. MATTHEW HENRY wrote: “Those whom God blessed with some he blesses with all spiritual blessings.” Our blessing is Christ is sufficient. Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Colossians 2:10 says: “and you have been filled in him.” And 2 Peter 1:3-4 says: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” Our blessing in Christ is sufficient.

A faithful but struggling missionary candidate finally raised enough funds to purchase a ticket overseas on a cruise ship. And when he packed his bags, he includes enough cheese and crackers to get him through the entire trip. And at every mealtime, while the rest of the passengers went to the dining room to eat, this missionary would go to the deck of the ship and eat cheese and crackers from a brown paper bag. Every meal, he would sit on the deck eating cheese and crackers. Finally, some one asked him why he kept sitting on the deck eating cheese and crackers during each meal. He explained that he barely had enough money to purchase his ticket. He definitely didn’t have the money to pay for the expensive meals that they were serving in the dining room. And he was shocked to discover that once he had paid for the ticket; the meals were provided for free.

I submit to you that we don’t really know how blessed we are. You can tell it in how we pray. We often pray for spiritual blessings that already ours in Christ. We sometimes pray for the love of God. But Romans 5:5 says “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.” We sometimes pray for peace. But in John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” We sometimes pray for joy. But in John 15:11, Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Sometimes we pray for strength. But Philippians 4:13 declares, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

WE HAVE A SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN CHRIST. Again, verse 4 declares that God has blessed us in Christ with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” This word spiritual has two implications. First, it means that our blessings in Christ come from the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-14 says: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The wonderful Holy Spirit is the agent who delivers, affirms, and secures our spiritual blessings in Christ. But this term spiritual is also a reference to the nature of our blessing in Christ. That is, the blessing in Christ is spiritual, rather than material. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, God promises material blessings to the obedient children of Israel. If the members of the old covenant kept God’s law, the Lord would reward them with long life, a large family, abundant crops, and protection from their enemies, among other things. But the obedient Jew could only enjoy certain spiritual blessings.
But in the new covenant, God does not promise Christians guaranteed or uninterrupted health and wealth. But he does bless us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now, this is not to say that God does not bless his children materially. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 declares: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” And Philippians 4:19 is true: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Now, God doesn’t promise to supply all of your greeds. But God will meet your needs. In fact, let me stop here give some advice to someone who may be having a hard time with limited resources:

IF THE WORLD FROM YOU WITHHOLD OF ITS SILVER AND ITS GOLD
AND YOU HAVE TO GET ALONG WITH MEAGER FARE
JUST REMEMBER, IN HIS WORD, HOW HE FEEDS THE LITTLE BIRD
TAKE YOUR BURDEN TO THE LORD AND LEAVE IT THERE

God can, does, and will bless you materially. However, even more than scripture promises God’s material blessings, it warns us about the spiritual dangers of material prosperity. In Luke 12:15, Jesus says: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” In a letter to his followers from prison, former televangelist JIM BAKKER wrote: “There is no way, if you take the whole counsel of God’s Word, that you can equate riches or material things as a sign of God’s blessing.”

WE HAVE A SECURE BLESSING IN CHRIST. Again, this verse declares that God has “blessed us in him with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” This phrase “the heavenly places” (or the heavenlies) does not refer to heaven itself, the glorious dwelling place of almighty God. It speaks of a real environment of spiritual activity that is beyond the physical ordering of the created universe. JOHN R.W. STOTT calls it “the unseen world of spiritual reality.” And that may be the best definition for the heavenly places. It’s the place of spiritual reality beyond the physical realm. And Paul introduces us to it in the verse to declare to us that our blessings in Christ are secure. They are secure because Ephesians 1:20 says that God has raised up Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is name, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And Ephesians 2:6 says that God raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And Ephesians 3:10 says that through the church the manifold wisdom of God is now made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Now, this does mean that the believer can enjoy a life without any struggles. Ephesians 6:10-12 says: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” I must warn you that if you determine to walk in the spiritual blessings that are yours in Christ, the devil will fight back. However, the good is that God has already provided everything you need to stand in victory. Ephesians 6:13 says: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” You can stand firm with the spiritual armor that God has given you in Christ.

BLESSED ASSURANCE, JESUS IS MINE!
O WHAT A FORETASTE OF GLORY DIVINE!
HEAR OF SALVATION, PURCHASE OF GOD,
BORN OF HIS SPIRIT, WASHED IN HIS BLOOD.

Having Possessions and Being Possessed

2010-09-17T21:12:00.003-04:00

Matthew 6:19-21 marks a transition in THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. In the first half of this chapter, Jesus explains how righteous people practice religion. Verses 1-4 address how righteous people give. Verse 5-15 address how righteous people pray. Verses 16-18 address how righteous people fast. In the later half of this chapter, Jesus moves from warning his disciples about the consequences of hypocrisy to calling his disciples to embrace the values of the kingdom of heaven. Verses 19-34 make it clear that true righteousness transcends religious activity. To be a citizen of the kingdom is to adopt a countercultural mindset toward material possessions. In other words, righteous people do not, cannot live for the Lord on Sundays and live for money the rest of the week. We show where our devotion rests by seeking the eternal rewards of heaven rather than the passing riches of this life. This does not mean that Christians must be poor to be righteous. The Lord does not condemn giving, having, or using material possessions. Money is morally neutral. It is our attitude toward money that is either godly or evil. And having material possessions is not a sin. But being materialistic is.

A rich man with a miserable attitude visited the local minister who lived a simple life. They were not together long before the minister got a wonderful idea on how to illustrate to the man that his attitude was wrong. He led him over to his window and said, “Look out the window and tell me what you see.” The said, “I see some men and women and children.” “Fine.” Then minister then led him across the room to a mirror. “Now tell me what you see.” The man frowned and said, “Obviously, I see myself.” “Interesting,” replied the minister. “In the window there is glass, in the mirror there is glass, but the glass of the mirror is covered with a little bit of silver. And no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, only yourself.”

If the Lord allows you to see financial prosperity, you are blessed. But it is a curse if that is all you can see. We must seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and trust that God will take care of our needs. That is what Jesus is teaching here in this text. Go ahead. Lay up treasure for yourself. Just make sure you lay it up in the right place. Do nit live for material possessions that will not last. Live for what 1 Peter 1:4 calls “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” Let me bottom-line this for you. It is not wrong for you to have possessions; it is wrong for your possessions to have you. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus teaches us how to have possessions without being possessed by our possessions.

I. BE CAREFUL OF WHERE YOUR TREASURES RESIDE.

Verse 19 issues a prohibition: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” In the ancient Near East, one’s wardrobe was considered a part of one’s wealth. In 2 Kings 5:22, Gehazi attempted to swindle Namaan out of two changes of clothes. And In Joshua 7:21, Achan sinned by stealing a beautiful cloak from Jericho. Fine clothes were considered great wealth. But Jesus says do not treasure your clothes, because moth will destroy then. Likewise, precious metals were considered a part of one’s wealth. But Jesus warns not to treasure precious metals, because rust will destroy it. And whatever other valuables you has stashed in your house, don’t treasure them. Thieves will break through the mud walls and steal them.

Then verse 20 gives a parallel exhortation: “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither most nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Notice that the issue Jesus addresses here is not whether you lay up a treasure. The issue is where your treasure resides. And the location of your treasure – earth or heaven – indicates the character of your treasure – worldly or spiritual. Laying up treasures on earth speaks of worldliness, materialism, and covetousness. Laying up treasure in heaven speaks of trust in God, communion with God, and blessings from God. The point is that in order to have possessions without possessions being possessed by them, you must have a godly value system. You must make sure your priorities are in order. You must adopt a heavenly attitude toward earthly things.

There is an important play on words here. More literally, verse 18 reads, “Do not treasure your treasures on earth. But treasure your treasures in heaven.” And in verse 19 is in a grammatical emphasis that forbids an action that is already in progress. In other words, Jesus says, “Stop treasuring your treasures on earth. But continue to treasure your treasures in heaven.” If you are not going to be possessed by your possession, you must resist treasuring worldly things, and persist in treasuring spiritual things. Proverbs 23:4-5 says: “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When yours eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.” Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his good income; this also is vanity.” And in Matthew 16:26, Jesus says: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?”

Mark it down.
• Money can buy amusement, but not joy.
• Money can buy a bed, but not sleep.
• Money can buy companions, but not friends.
• Money can buy a house, but not peace.
• Money can buy a medicine, but not health.
• Money can buy sex, but not intimacy.
• Money can buy therapy, but not redemption.

Matthew 19:16-21 records the story of a young man came to Jesus wanting to know how to inherit the heavenly treasure of eternal life. Jesus told him, in essence, to obey THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Interestingly, though, Jesus skipped over the first commandments that deal with how we should relate to God. And he only mentions the later commandments that deal with how we should relate to our neighbor. But this guy totally missed the point. And he replied, “I learned those commandments when I was a little boy. And I’ve been keeping them all of my life.” Jesus said, “Good, but there is still something missing. Go sell all your stuff and give the money to the poor and come follow me. And if you do this, you will have treasure in heaven.”

In Matthew 16:21, Jesus explicitly told this man how to have treasure in heaven, which refers to eternal life. But this guy refused to follow Jesus’ instructions. Matthew 16:22 says that he walked away in great sorrow, because he had a lot of stuff. Or, according to the CHARLES INTERNATIONAL VERSION: “His stuff had him.” Now, when Jesus told this young man to divest himself of his wealth, he was not condemning the rich of calling for charity toward the poor. Jesus was addressing what was most important to this guy. Although the young man said he wanted eternal life, the truth was that he wanted his stuff more than he wanted eternal life. And that’s the danger and power of materialism. The quest to get, have, and spend money can so pull you away from God that you can get to a place where you don’t really even care whether you go to heaven or hell – as long has you can have your cash, cars, clothes, and other stuff in this life. That’s why Jesus says stop treasuring your treasures on heart and keep treasuring your treasures in heaven.

II. BE COMMITTED TO TREASURES THAT REMAIN.

Luke 12:13-21 records how Jesus responded to a guy who interrupted his teaching and asked him to settle a financial dispute he was in with his brother. “Make my brother split the inheritance with me,” he said. Jesus replied, “What do you thing this is? The People’s Court? Who made me a judge of an arbitrator over you?” And in Luke 12:15, Jesus says: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Then Jesus illustrated warning point with a parable. Once upon a time, there was a man who had a great harvest. His bumper crop was so plentiful that he didn’t have room to store it all. And with that premise, the story proceeds to show us the smallest package in the world – a man wrapped up in himself. He didn’t know what to do with his great harvest. So he went into counsel with himself and said, “Self, we’re rich! We’re loaded. In fact, we’re overloaded. What will we do? Where will we put it all? Yeah. That’s a great idea. Let’s demolish these barns and build bigger ones. We can store our harvest and we won’t have to worry about anything for years to come. We can just eat, drink, and be merry.”

But while he toasting himself for his great business savvy, God intruded into the conference room of this man’s heart, and said, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Jesus called this man a fool, because he was shortsighted. He cared about his bankbook, but not his soul. He thought about tomorrow, but not eternity. He knew what he would do if there was a drought next season, but he did not know what he would do when he had to stand before God. So God called him a fool. And in Luke 12:21, Jesus warns: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” That’s a disturbing statement, because we here this story all the time. The media regularly spotlights the stories of people who live, act, and think just like this man. But the world calls these celebrities smart, stars, and successful. But God calls them fools.

Indeed, the world around us is filled with people who are doomed, because they have embraced two foolish myths: more is better and now is better. But there is one big problem with our “get-more-and-get-it-now” way of life: the material things of this life do not last. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where most and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

When Jesus commands us to lay up treasures in heaven, he is not in any way suggesting that one can earn his salvation by the performance of good works. Romans 3:23-25 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.” Sinners are saved from eternal judgment by trusting what God has done for us through the blood and righteousness of Christ – not by anything we do or do not do. So Jesus is not teaching a works salvation here. He is teaching that there are those who are saved by grace through faith should live in light of the fact that there is coming a day of reckoning and reward.

1 Corinthians 3:11-14 says, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw – each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.” The matter that is before us in our text is this: make sure you are investing your life in things that will last. In his book, The Treasure Principle, RANDY ALCORN sums it up neatly: “You cannot take it with you, but you can send it ahead of you.” If that is true, then you should only invest your life in things that are going to last.

• How important will your house be a hundred years from now?
• How important will your car be a hundred years from now?
• How important will your diploma be a hundred years from now?
• How important will your career be a hundred years from now?
• How important will your accomplishments be a hundred years from now?

Some things we invest so much of ourselves into will not really matter ten years from now, much less a hundred years from now. How about 100 million trillion years from now?

In Matthew 6:19-20, Jesus declares the FACT of life’s loses. The old saying jokes that the one who has the most stuff when he dies wins. But the serious question is, wins what? In Job 1:21, Job confesses, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” The inevitable reality is that earthly treasures do not last. This may be the most valuable lesson of the board game, MONOPOLY. At the end of the game, the board is folded, everything is put away, and the lid is placed on top of the box. It’s a little reminder that someday our lives will be over as well. Then it will hardly matter who owned how many railroads and utilities, or who owned boardwalk. Earthly treasures do not last. Likewise, Jesus declares the FACTORS of life’s losses. Verses 19-20 name three factors that guarantee the loss of material possessions: moth, rust, and thieves. Moth speaks of nature: tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, etc. Rust speaks of time (depreciation, wear-and-tear, out-datedness, etc. And thieves speak of people: swindlers, car-jackers, family members, televangelists.

Furthermore, Jesus declares the FORCE of life’s losses. Jesus mentions three factors that he places into two groups: moth and rust being one; thieves being the other. Moth and rust destroying your stuff says that some things we will lose passively, subtly and eventually. But thieves digging through and stealing says that we will lose some things abruptly, immediately, violently. The point is that, be it over years or overnight, earthly treasures do not last. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Paul says, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly live.” If you are going to have possessions without possessions having you, you must be committed to treasures that remain.

III. BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT YOUR TREASURES REVEAL.

MARTIN LUTHER, the father of the 16th century Protestant Reformation, coined a slogan. In Latin, the statement is: Sacra Scriptura sui interpres. It means: “Sacred Scripture is its own interpreter.” That is, the word of God explains itself. I wholeheartedly agree. Consequently, a significant part of my personal Bible study involves the process of discovering what the rest of scripture has to say about the specific passage of scripture I am studying. And I did that in my study of Matthew 6:19-21. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, a big book of cross-references, is the primary resource I use during this part of my study. The first passage it mentions in relation to Matthew 6:21 is Genesis 21:14. It says: “So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.” This reference is a backdoor into the meaning of Matthew 6:21.

God called Abraham away from his family and homeland in order to walk with him. This call was accompanied by the promise that God would make a great nation through Abraham seed. Abraham trusted God and obeyed. But after years of following God, Abraham still did not have a son, his wife Sarah was barren, and old age was gaining on him. So Sarah devised a plan where Abraham would have a son through her maid Hagar, before it was too late. He did. But that was not the son that God had promised. God intended to give Abraham a son through his wife, Sarah. And sure enough the Lord visited Sarah and she conceived and had a son named Isaac. After this, it did not take long for the already-present tension between Sarah and Hagar to grow, concerning the respective boys they had borne to Abraham. And Sarah demanded that Abraham kick Hagar and Ishmael out. Abraham’s heart was distressed, to say the least. But God told him to do what his wife said. Genesis 21:14 records that early the next morning, Abraham prepared a meal, gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent them away.

Sarah represents the sovereign and guaranteed promises of God to bless Abraham. Hagar represents Abraham’s doubt-filled and flesh-centered attempt to do what God promised to do. Juggling these two realities brought inevitable distress to Abraham’s heart, because the two realities couldn’t live together under the same roof. It would have confused and compromised God’s plans for Abraham. Likewise, you are I today are either standing on the sovereign promises of God, or we are attempting to accomplish in the flesh what God has promised to do if we trust and obey him. Both realities cannot live in the same heart. The only way to ensure that you do not confuse or compromise God’s plans for your life is to heed the voice of Jesus: “For where your treasures is, there your heart will be also.”

When the heart is mentioned in scripture metaphorically, as it is here, it refers to the seat of personhood, the totality of our inward being, who we are underneath the skin – the mind, the will, and the emotions. So when Jesus says that your heart follows your treasure, the point is clear, precise, and stinging. Your treasure is revealed by what you think about the most. Your treasure is revealed by what you choose to do and do not do. And your treasure is revealed by what you are passionate about. R. KENT HUGHES said it well: “If anything in this world is everything to you, it is an earthly treasure.” In order to have possessions without your possessions having you, you must be concerned about what your treasures reveal. And note that Jesus makes this statement to his own disciples. But even though the disciples were following Jesus, their hearts could still be lead astray into an ungodly fixation with things. And the same thing can happen to you. 1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” So you must be careful about what your treasures reveal.

Acts 8:14-25 records how the church at Jerusalem sent Peter and John to verify what was going on, after the Holy Spirit fell on the Samaritans. When they saw that the Lord was now moving among the Samaritans, they affirmed it by the laying on of hands. A magician named Simon watched all of this curiously. And he offered the apostles money if they would show him how to do that “laying-on-of-hands” trick. Acts 8:20-21 records, “But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.’” I submit to you that we need people today who are courageous enough to say to this covetous generation of so-called Christians, who are only concerned about health-and-wealth. “Your heart is not right.” Be careful about what your treasure reveals. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” In Matthew 12:35, Jesus says: “The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” And Hebrews 3:12 says: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” I repeat: Be concerned about what you treasure reveals.

When I first engaged this text in a meaningful way, it had a radical and revolutionary effect on my view of life. I assumed that your treasure follows your heart. That made perfect sense to me. You invest in that which you love. Your resources follow your affections. That makes perfect sense to me. Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also. But Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Counter-intuitively, Jesus teaches us not to invest in earthly treasures – be it a goal or relationship – that you do not want to love. Only invest in that which is worth loving. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The more I invest in the kingdom of heaven, the more my heart will be drawn toward God the Father. But if I only invest in earthly things, then my heart will never be drawn toward the things of God. So let me challenge you to make a new commitment today to invest your life in the things of God. May FANNY J. CROSBY’S song be your prayer:

DRAW ME NEARER, NEARER, BLESSED LORD
TO THE CROSS WHERE THOU HAST DIED
DRAW ME NEARER, NEARER, BLESSED LORD
TO THY PRECIOUS, BLEEDING SIDE

One day, a shipwrecked sailor was seized by the natives, hoisted on their shoulders, and carried to the village, and set on a throne. He later learned that it was their custom once each year to make some man a king. King for a year. He liked it until he began to wonder what happened to all the former kings. Soon he discovered that every year when his kingship was ended, the king was banished to an island, where he starved to death. The sailor did not like that, but he was smart and he was king for the year. SO he put his carpenters to work making boats, his farmers to work transplanting fruit trees to the island, farmers growing crops, masons building houses. So when his kingship was over, he was banished, not to a barren island, but an island of abundance.

In Praise of Long Pastorates

2010-09-16T09:35:00.000-04:00

My orientation to pastoral ministry is bent toward long pastorates. My father served the church I grew up in for forty years. My adopted dad has is congregation for forty years. My own pastor has served his congregation for thirty-five years. And most of the men who have shaped my faith, theology, and ministry philosophy are men who have had long pastorates.

Of course, not every man is cut out for long pastorates. The calling of the Lord on each person’s life is unique. And some men are not divinely wired for long pastorates. Some men are called to serve different congregations for relatively shorter periods of time. And there is nothing wrong with that. There are times and places where that is what is needed.

Likewise, some men serve in church structures that do not lend themselves to long pastorates. I have friends and colleagues who serve in the Methodist church. And each year the bishop determines where each pastor is going to serve. I have been invited to preach by Methodist brothers and by the time the date arrives a few months later they have been moved to another church. I definitely would not want to serve in that kind of system. But it seems to work for those who are a part of it.

Furthermore, there are some occasions in which long pastorates are detrimental to the soul of a pastor and the health of a congregation. In some instances, long time members of a church develop a sinful sense of ownership of a church. “This is our church,” they think. And their attitude and actions become detrimental to the mission of the church. But pastors who serve a local church for a long time can also adopt this corrupt and corrupting mindset, which is absolutely not healthy.

And there are other times when it is just not possible for a pastor and congregation to serve Christ together for a long time. Division and turmoil may arise that make it best for a pastor and congregation to part ways, rather than damaging their witness for Christ with infighting. Or the Lord may call a pastor a way to another place of service. Or sometimes a pastoral is just the transitional guy that God intends to get a church through a difficult period.

Yet, while factoring in all these qualifications, I still believe that it is best for pastors and congregations when a man plants his flag and determines to serve a local church for the long haul.

It is usually a benefit to have stability at the top of an organization. Churches are no different. I am convinced that unhealthy patterns develop when there is constant pastoral turnover in a local church. It usually means that people who are not called to be pastors are actually pastoring the church from the pews.

But there are more important, spiritual reasons why long pastorates make a difference in a local church. Namely, it takes time to nurture a healthy congregation. You can attract a crowd in no time. But a crowd is not a church. A church is made up those who trust, obey, worship, serve, and give, witness, and suffer as they grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, not just people who show up on Sunday mornings. To nurture a Christ-centered, biblically functioning congregation requires a long time of teaching and patience. A mushroom can grow in hours. But it takes longer to grow an oak tree. What are you trying to grow?

I praise God for the pastors and churches that hang in there together as partners in the gospel and maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord’s blessings be on those men who maintain their integrity and preach the gospel faithfully year after year. May do not without any acclaim. Yet they do not allow their place of obscurity to be an excuse for not giving God their best. May their tribes increase!

One final word.

Brothers, churches are not stepping-stones. It is wrong to pastor a church looking out the window for a bigger or better opportunity to come a long. The souls over which the Lord has made you an overseer deserve your best. For that matter, the Lord demands your best. So be faithful right where you are. Work on the depth of your ministry and trust God to work on the breadth of your ministry. If the Lord intends for you to be somewhere, believe me, he knows how to get you there. Until then, plant your flag. Preach the word. Love the people you have been called to. Count it a privilege that the Lord would use you to lead his people. And serve the Lord with gladness.

On Technology and Transcendence

2010-09-15T00:28:00.001-04:00

So there I was in a worship service at the National Baptist Convention in Kansas City last week. Between messages, during the offering, the woman sitting next to me said to me, “Now you know you should not be playing with your phone during worship.” I explained that I chose to use the Bible on my phone and that I was simply following along with the text during the sermon. She accepted my explanation but added that using the Bible on my phone is a temptation to check emails or do something else in church. All I could say was, “You’re right.”

The times are changing. Rapidly changing. Ten years ago… five years ago… last year… we would not have dreamed of some of the technological gadgets that we not take for granted. And we can expect the pace of updates to continue in the days to come. Just today I read that my five-month old iPad may become outdated by the possible release of the iPad 2 by the end of 2010. And I love it. I am a gadget geek. And I love all of the user-friendly gadgets that are being released. Except when they come to church.

Am I old fashioned about worship protocol? I guess it depends on who you ask. I would like to think that I embrace a reverent informality when it comes to corporate worship. There are so many things I cannot believe people get so stuffy about in church. But then I catch myself getting stuffy about the use of gadgets in worship. I guess I am a recovering Pharisee, too.

For the record, there is nothing wrong with people using the Bible on their phones in worship, in and of itself. What matters are the words of the text, not whether those words are printed on dead trees. But I think that pushy lady who sat next to me in church last week may have been on to something. Because I was using the Bible on my phone, I was tempted to check emails, send a text, or pull up my Facebook page. Things I do not otherwise think about in worship.

On top of that, my cell phone Bible version was apparently a distraction for the lady sitting next to me. Sure, I could say that it was none of her business what I was doing with my phone. But that is not the spirit of Christ. The very nature of corporate worship and Christian living requires that I be careful not to allow my liberty in Christ to become a stumbling block for a weaker brother or sister.

Several weeks ago, a friend and colleague visited the midweek service at the church I serve. One of my members leaned over and asked him, “Why are you playing with that thing and not listening to my pastor’s sermon?” My friend was listening and following along and taking notes. On his iPad. But the fact that he was doing so on an iPad became a distraction to the person sitting next to him. And ultimately to him, as well, as he had to stop listening and explain himself while the sermon was going on. Is this right or wrong? I don’t know. But I think it is something to think about.

We are now at a place where people in church respond to something encouraging or helpful in the sermon by Tweeting it or posting it on their Facebook page. “Touch your neighbor and tell them…” has apparently been replaced by “Text your neighbor and tell them…” Before we just declare this reality to be the way it is, we should carefully think through the implications of how we use technology in worship.

I believe the most valuable asset we have as humans is our time. And with all the time saving gadgets available to us, most of us still complain that we do not have enough time for the things that are important to us. That includes God! Isn’t ironic that our time saving gadgets are crowding out the one place and time where many people focus on God – in corporate worship on Sunday mornings?

One of the great indictments against contemporary worship is that we have lost a sense of the transcendence of God. Everything is so immediate and imminent that we do not acknowledge that God is above and beyond us. The Lord is sitting on the pew next to us, not sitting on a throne high and lifted up. While I am grateful for all the ways the technology makes our lives easier, I am concerned about anything that aids our trivialization of the Almighty. And any medium that gets in way of the message. As we integrate our gadgets into our worship lives – or before we do so – we should think long and hard about whether our gadgets dull our sense of the majesty of God in worship or help us to see and sense the supremacy of God more clearly and deeply and joyfully.

Could it be that using mobile devices in worship can be just as dangerous as texting while driving?

Disciple-Making Is THE Priority

2010-09-14T07:35:00.002-04:00

The longer a congregation exists, the more concerned it tends to become with self-preservation - and the less concerned with its original purpose. Time, money, staff, and even the prayers become increasingly inward-focused. The result, not surprisingly, is that the church stops growing. The foremost principle says that leaders must keep, or turn, the focus of their church away from themselves and back to their primary goal -and Christ's primary goal - of making disciples. This happens through prayer, engaging the Bible, programming, budget, staffing, and evaluating all the church's ministries on their contribution to increasing the number of Christian disciples. - A church can do many good things. A church should do a few important things. But there is only one essential thing a church must do: "... God out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life..." - (Matthew 28:19, The Message). - Charles Arn

Notes from Sunday - 09/12/10

2010-09-13T10:33:00.004-04:00

There are very few experiences like Sunday morning at the Shiloh Church.

As always, I am grateful for the guests who were in worship with us at Shiloh.

Shiloh is filled with many very kind people. It is very encouraging.

Bless God for those who expressed their faith in Christ through water baptism yesterday.

Praise God for our children's choir who led us in musical praise during our 10 service.

The choir sung the Edwin Hawkins version of “God Will Take Care Of You.” Yes!!!

I finished my little series on the book of Ruth with a message on chapter 4 that I entitled, “The Best Is Yet Come.”

I preached a part of the sermon to Crystal Saturday night. She replied, "So you are preaching to yourself in the morning." I said, "Nope." I thought, "Absolutely."

My prayer is that these messages on Ruth have and will encourage God-inspired hope for those who heard the messages.

I greatly enjoyed preaching through the book of Ruth. I am not strong at preaching narratives. But the challenge of working through these long Old Testament narratives has been a blast. And I have really needed each of these messages more than anyone else.

I intentionally avoided spending on the typological comparison of Boaz to Jesus. It is hard for a Christian to read this story without thinking about our great redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. But that is not the point of the book of Ruth. The connection is more with David and Jesus, rather than Boaz and Jesus.

That air was coming down on me so hard that it was painful. Literally. Painful.

Have you ever read H.Beecher Hick’s book, “Preaching Through a Storm”?

On of my favorite chapters of Charles Spurgeon’s “Lectures To My Students” is about the importance of ministers having one blind eye and one deaf ear. He’s right.

Praise God for those who were added to the church in our worship services.

Saturday night, the USC Trojans defeated Virginia. The Trojans are under sanctions this season. Thanks Reggie Bush. That is all the reason I need to wish for the Trojans to have a great season.

The Dallas Cowboys lost last night to the Washington Redskins last night. We deserved to lose that game. That’s all I have to say about that.

The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Denver Broncos yesterday. I am not a Jags fan. But I am cheering them on this year. If they keep losing, the odds go up that they will leave town. Maybe Los Angeles? And I do not want that to happen.

The Detroit Lions scored a touchdown last night. It was a stupid rule.

Is Michael Vick back?

The Faith of a Frequent Flier

2010-09-10T23:55:00.000-04:00

I was on a flight this week that ran into an extended patch of rough air. The turbulence was like being on a roller coaster, as the plane bounced up and down. For the record, I hate roller coasters.

I kept reading as the plane danced a jig, until I heard a scream. A young lady, sitting nearby with her mother, cried out in fear. It was her first airplane flight. And she was overwhelmed by the turbulence, clutching onto her mother for dear life.

I understood. I smiled. I continued reading.

May the Lord help me to be that at peace when I am going through turbulence in my personal life, walk with Christ, and pastoral work.

"There is no fire on that paper!"

2010-09-10T02:10:00.002-04:00

It was youth Sunday afternoon. I was hanging out on the church grounds with my dad, waiting for the youth musical to begin. A car pulled up and a woman got out and walked up to me and asked, “Are you ready?” She was the lady assigned to pick me up to preach the youth service at her church that afternoon. The service my father forgot to tell me about. As a boy preacher, just into his teens, this was an indescribable crisis. But I got through it. Barely.

This early experience taught me to always be prepared to preach. And it taught me that I could actually preach without notes. My father was a manuscript preacher. And most of the preachers I admired as a boy were also manuscript preachers. I just thought it was the way to preach, with a manuscript in front of you. But that day introduced me to a whole new world, as it were. And as time passed, I began to hear other men I admired who preached without notes. I even heard about one preacher who actually moved the podium from the platform when he preached revivals, standing there with just a mike (and a Bible, I hope). I never saw him do it. But I was impressed with the idea that he could stand without notes and preach.

At some point, I made an intentional decision that I wanted to preach without notes. I still wrote complete manuscripts, for the most part. I just would not take any notes to the pulpit. My dad used to say that I would stand there “flatfooted” and preach. It became something I was very proud of. Not a good thing. And not something I feel the same way about anymore.

As an older and hopefully more mature preacher, I am less neurotic about whether or not I preach with notes. In fact, when I moved from Los Angeles to Jacksonville several years ago, I planned to begin preaching with notes. No one in my new church would know the difference, I thought. But it never really happened. I still basically write out a manuscript or extended outline and review it thoroughly enough that I do not have to carry any notes to the pulpit. But it is not a big deal to me anymore. My philosophy of preaching can be summed up in the words of Malcolm X: “By any means necessary.” If I can do it with nothing in front of me, fine. If I need some notes to make sure I stay on point, fine. The goal is that I am faithful to the text and clear in my presentation. Whether or not I am able to do that without a “cheat sheet” in front of me is irrelevant.

If a younger preacher asks me how I preach without notes, I usually try to share some of the “tricks” I use to remember the major movements of my messages. But I confess that I have been doing it the way I do it for so long that I am not really conscious of my process anymore. I just do what I do. I also try to encourage them to put a lot of effort into the preparation of the message. Good preparation is the birthplace of good presentation. After you have fully prepared yourself in the study, the best advice I can give is that you do what it most comfortable to you. It may be that you preach best with a full, word-for-word manuscript in front of you. It may be that you preach best with an extended outline or just a few reminders. Or maybe you are able to prepare your message and deliver it without anything in front of you except your Bible. Good.

Think yourself empty. Read yourself full. Write your way clear. Pray your way hot. And then go to the pulpit and be yourself. Remember, preaching is, to use Phillip Brook’s famous definition, truth through personality. So be yourself. Don’t preach yourself. But offer the best you to God when you stand to proclaim the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Two men were walking together to a preaching engagement. One of them pulled a manuscript from his pocket and began to review it as they walked. His colleague observed this and said, “What are you doing with that manuscript? You need the fire of God to preach. And there is no fire on that paper!” Without breaking his stride, the manuscript preacher answered, “You’re right. There is no fire on this paper. But I can use this paper to start of fire!”

Notes from Sundays - 08/22/10

2010-08-22T20:06:00.003-04:00

It was a good day of worship and fellowship today at Shiloh. The Lord blessed both of our services today in a special way.

We had quite of few guests in worship with us today. Some were special guests - teachers and administrators from local schools. And others who were invited by our members. However, they got there today, I was glad to have them in worship. For the record, a church cannot grow if no guests are attending.

When is the last time you personally invited someone to church?

Praise God for the one who was baptized today.

Our young adult chorale and youth choir led the musical praise today. It is always encouraging to have our young people serving in worship.

Deacon Harold Simmons, a member of the 8th Street Baptist Church of Kansas City and president of the Laymen's Department of the National Baptist Convention, USA Inc., led a special class for our men today during our Bible Study Fellowship time. Deacon Simmons was with us this week to speak at our Deacons' retreat. He was a blessing to our men all weekend.

In our 10 AM worship service, we held a special time of prayer for the school administrators, teachers, and students who begin classes tomorrow. As always, my prayer is that our children will grow as Jesus grew - in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:51).

Pastor Kenneth A. Duke, who has served the New Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church in MIami, was our guest speaker today. He preached from Habakkuk 3:17-19 in both services. He entitled the message, "I Still Have Joy!" It was a very encouraging message.

I met Pastor Duke a few years ago, as we were both preaching in Oklahoma City. It was during that meeting that I heard him preach for the first time. I have followed his ministry since then. And I have a great respect and appreciation for him. It was an honor and blessing to have him minister the word to our church family today.

Habakkuk is a Minor Prophet with a major message! My faith is always stretched in great and unique ways when I read or hear this book.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

I cannot describe how good it was today to sit under the teaching of the word and to join the saints in being ministered to today. Most Sundays, I am preaching in worship. Today was a rare treat to be under the teaching of the word today.

Not being scheduled to preach today, I was all more prayerful today for my brothers who had to stand today to declare the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I have a compulsion. Before I was out of church three hours, I was thinking about the next sermon I have to preach on this Wednesday night. Woe unto me if I do not preach!

Throughout the day, I have been thinking that the real strength of a church is not found in what happens on Sundays, but on what happens between Sundays.

Just in case you did not know, NFL football has begun. I know it's only preseason. But I am enjoying the games anyway. I am ready to get the season started and cheer the Dallas Cowboys onto a Superbowl championship!

Wondering what AFC team will meet the Cowboys in the Superbowl. Any predictions?