Posts filed under The Church
Silver and Gold Have I None
As our church family studies through the Book of Acts together, we come this weekend to the first recorded healing after Pentecost (Acts 3). The man who had been crippled all his life (40+ years) is commanded in Jesus' name to "walk!" The result is more than walking. He leaps for joy and praises God!
Gossip . . . The Church Killer
Gossip... Definition...1. Casual unrestrained conversation about another person who is not there..conversation that is demeaning or slandering. 2. Idle talk. Well, boy, am I guilty of this. So many times in my life. And my idle talk has caused so much hurt. Gossip is a weapon of destruction. We don't see it that way because we don't see the souls of those we are destroying. We cannot see the deep wounds that our talk causes and many times we cannot see the horrid scars left behind. I am so thankful for grace that has forgiven me time and time again while it also works to change me. Why in the world do I ever gossip? I think the only reason that makes sense is that I love it. Have you ever gotten an adrenaline rush when you heard something that made you go "oh my?" Well, that is pretty much why we gossip because it fuels us. It makes us feel better about ourselves. But really holy people (like me and I suspect many of you) have learned to clothe gossip in robes of righteousness. We say things like this:
What Wives Wish Someone Would Ask Their Husbands
A wise Christian lady in the church I serve was recently sharing with me how much God had used genuine biblical accountability to grow her husband in godliness. It was a very encouraging message for this pastor to receive. I've been and will continue to try to convince the men of our church, every man in our church, to join what we call Disciple-Making Disciple Groups (or DMDs). These are gender-specific groups where 2-3 men or 2-3 women gather together to:
Who's in Charge Here Anyway?
I am seeing a trend that is surprising to me from God's view but not at all from the world's view. The surprising thing about this trend is that it is as prevalent in the church as out. But wait, wait, we are to be in the world not of it. Ummm...epic fail in this area.
The Moses Diet
Me, my wife and two daughters are tackling reading through the Bible together this year. My wife and I have done this for several years running, but wanted to include our girls this year. While we're a bit behind as of today, we're enjoying reading together, stopping periodically to comment or ponder some grand truth or amazing event. God is good.
Accountability in the Church - Not optional!
Two weeks ago our church had the privilege of ordaining Eric Hall as an Elder. Getting to know him this past year has been a joy and a sharpening experience for me. He wrote the following to encourage our CBC members to get engaged in genuine accountability using the avenues the church is providing, namely Gospel Life Groups (GLGs) and Disciple-Making Disciple Groups (DMDs). Read and seek grace to heed!
Small Group Accountability
Pastor Keith has been teaching on small groups, currently known as care groups at CBC, for the past several Sundays. I am so excited because if he is teaching correctly and according to the Bible, and he is....then I have been a part of a Biblical small group for over two years. Bonnie, Ellen, and I have been meeting on Wednesdays to discuss our sin, confess our sin, read the Bible to confront sin and pray for freedom and grace for one another . We have much to learn still...that is becoming clear on Sunday nights but praise God for his beginning. I am so sinful and lost and such a good deceiver. I deceive myself and others about my sin...we all do....our enemy is the greatest deceiver of all. Pride and fear kept me enslaved to quietness over my sin for so long. And in that quietness, I struggled alone and broken. This group of three women, women who are broken vessels....women who deceive and sin...women who struggle daily...this group has changed my life. It has set me free to fight the battle against sin openly with assurrance that I'm not alone. It has given me courage to speak up...courage to live openly without my covering of fig leaves. It has brought hope to my marriage....hope to my children who are transparent now and will not live in isolation for years....hope to my relationships with other women...a living, breathing hope that cannot be taken from me. Sin has no dominion over me....when I speak it out loud, chains are broken. How could we not yearn for that. Our facebooks...our twitters...our speech are full of our right to be free...and yet when God clearly sets before us an avenue of freedom we do not pursue it....we do not run after it demanding to be a part of this blessed freedom. Small groups matter...small groups in a Biblical way are life changing....freedom giving...hope filling instruments of sanctification. Praise God for my two precious sisters...they have heard me and seen me at my worst and loved me without condition. I am thankful beyond words for God's great grace to me.
Where Church Autonomy Ends
I am the pastor of a Southern Baptist Church. Baptists throughout their history have distinctly held to a belief in church autonomy.
Life Lessons from our Older Folk
"A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness" (Prov. 16:31).
Today Norway, Tomorrow America?
"You have heard it said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:43-45).