Pastor Mike's Blog

Is Mormonism Christian?

2011-10-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

This video is from our mid-week pastor's Bible study on October 26, 2011. In a simple, laid-back, classroom style the basic doctrines of Mormonism and Orthodox Christianity are contrasted and found to be in substantial contradiction to one another.

Something Happens

2011-09-06T17:57:00.001-07:00

My favorite soloist with my favorite choir/band at my favorite church singing about my favorite subject. No video could capture how God moved in the service as they sang. Something really did happen!

Fall Revival with Don Hattaway

2011-08-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Dr. Hattaway

We are so blessed that Dr. Don Hattaway has agreed to be our Fall revival speaker. Brother Don is no stranger to Emmanuel, having served as our senior pastor from November 1993 to February 2002. He is currently the longest-serving pastor in church history. It was my great privilege to serve as his minister of music for over half of that time.

Emmanuel experienced incredible days of expansion and renewal under Dr. Hattaway’s leadership. Emmanuel became known state-wide as a leader in Sunday School and evangelistic growth. In the Fall of 2000, Brother Don led the church to embrace a vision to build our current sanctuary. The growth and expansion we’ve seen since that time is but a continuation of the faithful foundation God used him (and those before him) to help lay.

For nearly 10 years now Brother Don has been the senior pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville http://www.tabernaclebaptist.org/. That church has also experienced wonderful days of revival and growth during Pastor Don’s tenure. Brother Don also has a media ministry which can be accessed at http://www.realpeacetoday.org/.

Our Fall Revival will begin on Sunday, October 2nd and continue through Wednesday night October 5th. The choir will be singing in each service and there will be other special music as well. You will not want to miss a single service!

My love for Don Hattaway is no secret. It will be a delight to spend 4 days with him in October. But more importantly, I want to spend those days (and my time between now and then) in the presence of God, asking Him to pour out revival on His people.

The GBC Needs a Church-Planting President

2011-08-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Copied from
http://www.johnwatersforgbc.com/

In these days of increasing lostness in our state, Georgia Baptists need fresh visionary leadership. We need the kind of leadership that embraces various worship styles, multi-generational ministries, and a truly missional mindset. John Waters is that man.

Georgia needs a convention president that understands the importance of church planting…a president who doesn’t just TALK about it. A president that actually DOES it. Frankly, it’s time Georgia Baptists had a president who believes in and practices church planting. The army of faithful church planters across Georgia deserves to have leadership that understands church planting from personal experience.

Others may talk about reaching out and building bridges. John Waters and the folks at First Baptist in Statesboro are actually doing it. With a brand new contemporary church plant for Bulloch County called Southbridge Community Church, John Waters and his congregation are intensely committed to reaching a whole generation of people who would probably never come to a “First Baptist Church.” John Waters understands the issue is not bringing them to First Baptist. The issue is, bringing them to Jesus!

Hey Georgia Baptist church planters, there’s a bold new leader with fresh ideas and a missional mindset coming your way in November 2011. You may have never gone to the convention before. But this year would be a great start.

The GBC meets at North Metro First Baptist Church in Lawrenceville. The presidential election is Tuesday, November 15th.

Plan. Go. Register. Vote. And vote for John Waters.

It’s time to have a church-planting pastor as president of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

Go to http://www.southbridge.cc/ for more information or check out First Baptist’s commitment to this new work at http://fbc-statesboro.org/churchplantinginformation

Outside Preaching Schedule

2011-08-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

My first calling and my first love is to pastor Emmanuel Baptist Church. Preaching 3x per week (most weeks I preach Sunday AM, PM and Wednesday PM) I will be in the EBC pulpit about 130 times this year. But as the Lord leads I have the blessing from time to time to preach in other places. If you are in the area I would be delighted to have you drop by one of these special revivals.

August 22
Awesome August Nights
Brandy Branch Baptist Church
Bryceville, FLA
Rusty Bryan, pastor

September 18-21
Fall Revival
First Baptist Church
Buford, GA
Matt Stacy, senior pastor

September 29
Guest Chapel Speaker
Truett-McConnell College

October 18
Guest Speaker
Women's Enrichment Center
Blairsville, GA

*This is a fundraiser for a pro-life organization. Bring your most sacrificial gift when you come!

October 20
Guest Speaker for annual meeting
Mallary Baptist Association
Meeting at First Baptist Church
Sylvester, GA

January 20, 2012
Real Evangelism Conference
Second Baptist Church
Warner Robins, GA

January 22-24, 2012
Upstate Bible Conference
Anniston, Aalabama

March 2, 2012
Annual Men's Conference
Centennial Baptist Church
Rutledge, GA
John Darsey, senior pastor

March 9-10, 2012
Real Evangelism Conference
First Baptist Church of Indian Trail
Charlotte, NC

March 23-24, 2012
Real Evangelism Conference
Wheeler Grove Baptist Church
Corinth, MS

Rick Coram's PowerLife Student Camps (June and July)

Rick Coram's PowerLife Bible Conference (July 13-14 at St. Simon's, GA)

Nominations for GBC Officers, 2011-2012

2011-07-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Vice Presidential Nominees (in alphabetical order)

Pastor John Darsey

Pastor John Darsey is no stranger to me or my congregation. I've known John since we attended undergraduate school together at Valdosta State. Emmanuel Baptist got to know him while he was pastor at First Baptist in Hazlehurst. Since that time, John has accepted the call to serve as pastor of Centennial Baptist in Rutledge. He preaches with the zeal of a prophet and the wisdom of a pastor. His service will be a gift to Georgia Baptists.

It will be my personal privilege to serve as the nominator for my dear friend, Pastor John Darsey.

Pastor Ray Newman

Pastor Ray Newman needs little introduction to GA Baptists. Ray has given a lifetime of service to our convention. He served as specialist in the brotherhood ministry before going to the office of convention planning. Ray Newman has ably planned the logistical details of our annual meeting for several years. If you've attended, you've benefited from his skill and his love for GA Baptists. Brother Ray presently serves as pastor of Macedonia Community Baptist Church in Braselton. Evangelist Tommy Fountain is the announced nominator.

Pastor and Mrs. Tony Samples

Pastor Tony Samples serves at Pickett's Mill Baptist in Dallas. Tony is a well-respected leader among GBC pastors. He has served on a variety of committees in denominational life. Tony will bring a love for the past and a passion for the future into his position as vice president. I was glad to learn that Bryan Alexander would be nominating my friend, Tony.

Pastor Terry Trivette

Pastor Terry Trivette rounds out the list of vice-presidential nominees. Terry is a 33-year old preaching machine. A published author, he truly is one of the finest young preachers in the state (and beyond). The son of pastor Ken Trivette, Terry possesses Godly wisdom that far exceeds his years. He serves the congregation of White Oak Baptist in Trenton. I am so grateful that our convention leaders desire young pastors like Terry to be involved. And I am blessed he has agreed to be nominated by Pastor Jeff Daniels.

Our convention elects 4 vice presidents who serve in order (by voting) as 1st VP, 2nd VP, 3rd VP, and 4th VP. These men represent a great mix of seasoned experience and youthful vigor. I hope you will support these men with your prayers and presence at the 2011 annual meeting.

A Dog-Gone Day at the Office

2011-07-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

I spent ALL DAY yesterday in the office with a 2,000 year old Syrophoenecian woman. She simply wouldn't tell me why Jesus seems to have called her a dog in Mark 7. And like a good woman, she pointed out that if I really wanted to communicate with her I should have spent a little more time developing a relationship with her instead of spending 2 days at a Bible conference this week :)

I begged from weary pastoral knees.

I pleaded as frustrated tears poured from my bloodshot eyes.

I explained that I thought I was ready to deal with her 2 weeks ago...before going on vacation. But it seemed that the more time I spent with her the less I understood her. She smiled and made some remark about how I should understand that dilemma after 16 years of marriage.

All I knew to do was to hire a few friends to help question her.

I hired Matthew Henry to begin the inquisition. Honestly, I didn't understand a thing he said to her but I am sure it was accurate. And his books look really good on my shelf. I nodded as he spoke so I'd at least LOOK semi-intelligent.

John Phillips came back from the dead to "explore" the matter. The blood-bought Brit wrestled, wrangled, and writhed with her. But despite his prodding, poking, and pleading she provided no remark! No reason! No relenting! There was no answer! No admission! No acknowledgement!

Warren Wiersbe's line of questioning was too balanced for such a hard case.

When Jerry Vines raked her over, all she wanted to talk about was her demon-possessed daughter. Her words provided great "Help for Hurting Parents" but it wasn't the exact information I was seeking.

Dr. Falwell strode in with the Old Time Gospel Hour Bible Commentary. At the end of his spiel she enrolled in 3 classes at Liberty...but said nothing about the whole "dog" thing. And the distinct smell of cigarette smoke on the old Baptist reminded me to never buy books from smokers on eBay again!

Calvin said he was predestined to simply smack her with the truth. If it was the Sovereign will of God for her to speak she would be irresistibly led to do so. No pragmatic devices would be employed on his part to get her to speak. If she'd been Baptist he could have threatened her with martyrdom. But alas, she was a Canaanite. So having no other choice, he elected to leave.

I thought she would relent when I brought in MacArthur. He got right in her face with a report about a parallel incident from Matthew 15. She mumbled something about Markan priority and clammed up again.

Mark Driscoll got further with her than any of the others...letting loose on her with a string of blistery questions more appropriate to a drunken sailor (OK, not really a drunken sailor because the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness. Just a sailor that had overextended his use of Christian liberty). But alas, I couldn't use any of his material in the polite company of the Emmanuel pulpit so in the end it was useless.

Herbert Lockyer did ALL he knew to do before resigning.

David Cloud came in with the Sword of the Lord commentaries. He dressed her down over her short hair style, her NKJV, and for even being in the office of a compromising Southern Baptist preacher. It had something to do with Billy Graham talking to the Pope back in the 70's. I didn't really follow his line of questioning but I do know it had nothing to do with the matter at hand in Mark 7.

Just when I thought I would have to take out the rubber hose and the water board, I remembered something. This old Syrophoenecian woman was a redeemed slave of Jesus. Indeed, she was one of a very small number of Gentiles actually saved during Jesus' earthly life. Some say the only one.

Maybe if I asked Him, He would tell me why He dealt with her that way. Yes! That's it! Since all the Bible is really about Jesus, why had I been wasting my time asking her? I needed to ask Him!

And boy, oh boy...when Jesus revealed why He said that thing about dogs eating the kids' food...well, I nearly had revival in my office.

I can hardly wait to spill the beans Sunday morning at 9a and 10:30a.

Why Should I Study the Bible?

2011-07-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten all about this message until someone emailed me to say it had been a blessing. Perhaps you will be blessed by it and it will drive you to a place of Bible study. It's more than a year old. But truth never changes.

Why Should I Study The Bible? from ebchurch on Vimeo.

I Want to be Like Andrew

2011-07-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last night we went over the devotional for family worship week. It dealt with "serving others." http://www.ebcfamilyworshipweek.blogspot.com/

We spent some time thanking God for the kind acts of others toward us. Then we began to discuss someone that we could encourage through an act of Christian kindness. God laid someone’s name on my heart. When I shared it, the suggestion was warmly embraced by the entire family.

We committed to pray and ask God what he wanted us to give toward a financial need. Each of my 3 kids has multiple “piggy banks” so I thought it would be good to teach them to give some of their own money rather than merely giving a “family gift” from Mom and Dad’s checking account. They were assigned to spend some time praying for the Spirit’s guidance.

Andrew (age 7) woke up this morning and said, "God told me to give everything in my blue piggy bank." I asked, "How much is in it?" He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know." So we emptied the bank, counted the money, and rolled the coins this morning.

With the final tally, he is going to give $43.24. I don’t know who is more pleased by the gift. Him or me?

Reflecting on this event has brought several things to mind.

1. My son has a heart of compassion. Andrea and I have often commented that we do not know a kinder person in the world than our son. Sure, he has his selfish and sinful moments. But his heart is tender toward the needs of others. I need to be more like Him because he is more like Jesus in this area of his life.

2. We believe in tithing, not out of legalism but out of love. But this was a “special offering” so I told the kids, “Just pray and do what God said to do.” When Andrew was willing to give all the money in his bank without even knowing how much it was, it really pictured this simple truth: If God said “give it all” then it really did not matter how much “all” was. I am challenged by his simple heart of obedience.

3. God has been good to our family. We are not wealthy people (by American standards) but we’ve made some wise decisions that God has honored, in part by blessings we’ve received from others. When my middle child has $43 sitting in one of his several piggy banks, it is a sign that we are a blessed people. This thought does not lead me toward asceticism…to feel guilty about my blessings. Rather, it just makes me feel grateful.

4. I am a blessed man. My wife and my kids love me and they love Jesus.

I am convinced I have the spiritual gift of giving. Nevertheless, God spoke to me this morning through the mouth of a child...my child. I need to be more committed than ever before to using my blessings and my possessions to build the Kingdom and to bless others. I feel like God has allowed us to do that as our regular practice. But we can always do better and we can always do more.

So thanks for being obedient, Andrew. God taught Daddy a lesson through your kind and generous heart. One of the greatest joys of my life is watching you fall more in love with Jesus as you grow in His knowledge and grace.

Daddy wants to be like you.

South Georgia Bible Conference 2011

2011-07-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

I am honored to be preaching in a few weeks at the 26th annual South Georgia Bible Conference. Pastor Wayne Robertson and the wonderful family of faith at Morningside in Valdosta have hosted this dynamic conference for more than a quarter of a century. Over the years I have enjoyed attending the conference for a time of renewal and personal refreshing. Now this will be my 5th year on the program. I could not be more humbled.

I dearly love Pastor Wayne. When people learn that Valdosta is my home they often assume I grew up at Morningside. I am tempted to let their assumption go unaddressed! Of course I am grateful for the Godly men and women that did shape my life in other churches as a young boy. But Brother Wayne Robertson has proven himself to me to be “12 inches to the foot and 3 feet to the yard” as the saying goes.

This year’s program on July 17-20 is a special blessing to me. In addition to the staff evangelists (Sam Cathey and Bill Sturm) and gifted musicians from MBC, Brother Wayne always puts a great program together. Let me introduce my church family to a few of these guest preachers in hopes you will be able to drive over to Valdosta for one or more of the preaching sessions.

Gerald Harris is one of my favorite people on this planet. A scholar’s scholar, he is the editor of The Christian Index. Brother Gerald is a veteran pastor, a former president of the GBC, and unquestionably one of the greatest preachers of our day. The last several times I’ve heard him preach he has demonstrated the passion of a pastor and the power of a prophet. As a footnote, my only hesitation about preaching at this conference is that I share one of the preaching sessions with Dr. Harris…an unenviable position to say the least!

Herman Parker leads the congregation at First Baptist Church in Bremen, GA. The first time I recall hearing him preach was at the annual session of the GBC. If my frail memory is correct, it was the day that Adrian Rogers passed away. Brother Herman’s powerful sermon on the ministry of John the Baptist is still etched in my mind. No place for rivalry! No place for jealousy! No place for sympathy! It really is just the sovereignty of God that every Southern Baptist doesn’t know the name “Herman Parker.” I eagerly await hearing him expound God’s Word.

Clifford Palmer will be with us from Rogers, Arkansas. He is the former pastor of First Baptist Church of Springdale (now Cross Church). I am told that Adrian Rogers once stated that if he could only subscribe to the cassette ministry of one preacher he would choose Clifford Palmer. After hearing Brother Palmer preach last year on “The Doctrine of Imputation” it’s easy to see why that statement could be true!

John Waters has been a friend of mine for over a dozen years. I met him through our mutual friend, Don Hattaway. Brother John has done a superlative job serving as pastor of First Baptist Church in Statesboro. Many of our college students attending Georgia Southern have benefited from the ministry of that wonderful fellowship. Earlier this year it was announced that John would be the conservative candidate for our state convention presidency. As of now no other candidate has been announced but I believe John will do an outstanding job. I look forward to hearing him preach in Valdosta.

Jack Price, David Tew, Martha Sturm and the music ministry from MBC will provide soul-stirring music. It really would be worth the drive to Valdosta if you get a chance to go! The sessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are at 9:30am and 7pm. Emmanuel family, if you can’t make it please pray for your pastor that I may preach with boldness and compassion.

A Great Prayer from My 7 Year Old

2011-07-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

"The Beast" is our president's armored Caddy

Tonight our family was praying for our governmental leaders as part of EBC's Family Worship Week. http://www.ebcfamilyworshipweek.blogspot.com/

My 7yr old was assigned to pray for our president. When he thanked God for the president's "magic car" I started to chasten him. Then I realized he was talking about the president's armored car, "The Beast." You're right, Andrew. We should thank God for protecting our president.

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior." (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

EBC Family Worship Week

2011-07-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

For those who are looking for the "EBC Family Worship Week" blog, here it is along with today's devotional.
http://ebcfamilyworshipweek.blogspot.com/2011/07/freedom-is-not-free-by-mike-stone.html

My Great Loves

2011-06-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

Nectar of the gods

Without a doubt my greatest love is the Lord. I take seriously the age-old commandment to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. But as I celebrate a few milestones I want to express a few of my more "earthly" loves.

No...I'm not writing a post about coffee and Mountain Dew :)

June 23, 2011

My first thoughts go to my sweet bride. What would I do without her? She is to my heart what air is to my lungs. In a few weeks we will celebrate 16 years of marriage. I do not know where the time has gone but I know how the time has gone. Joyfully. Peacefully. Gratefully. And blessed.

Easter 2011

Then of course there are my precious children. I take the task of being a Godly father more seriously with each fleeting day. With my son's 7th birthday party this weekend I can see my opportunities to "raise them up" flashing before my eyes. No doubt about it. I would die for them. But I'd rather die to myself and live for them.

My other great love is Emmanuel Baptist Church. Last week I celebrated my 9th anniversary as senior pastor. And my niece's 15th birthday party last weekend reminded me that we've been at EBC for a total of nearly 15 years.

Emmanuel Baptist Church

It's a long story...but it was her birth that brought us to Blackshear for a visit. That night in the summer of 1996 we came to this dear city to have supper with a young pastor and his wife, Don and Sonny Hattaway. I had no idea we were fellowshipping with a man who would become my pastor, my boss, my Bible teacher, my predecessor, and one of the dearest friends I would ever have. And little did I know that a quick dinner at Shoney's in Waycross, GA would lead me to be a part of the greatest fellowship of believers in the world.

Family Worship Week

2011-06-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd annual "Family Worship Week" begins this Sunday morning. To help folks keep up with all the fun and activities, we've set up a brand new blog. Stop by www.ebcfamilyworshipweek.blogspot.com for all the latest news.

Mark this page as one of your favorites, at least for the next week and a half!

We'll be posting daily devotionals, videos, coloring sheets, activities, and announcements related to EBC's Family Worship Week.

Lord, You're Holy

2011-06-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Lord, You're Holy from ebchurch on Vimeo.

My favorite soloist sings with my favorite choir. I am a blessed husband and pastor :)

My Weekend

2011-06-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

I am excited and challenged by the preaching opportunities before me this weekend.

Sunday morning at EBC we are continuing our Sunday series through the gospel according to Mark. I have really enjoyed this series as Mark portrays Jesus is the Son of God and the servant of God’s people. In our 15th lesson we will examine the familiar story of the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter.

As we’ve seen in this sermon series, the miracles that Mark records reveal the power and the purpose of Christ. For example, the power He manifests over sickness is symbolic of His power over sin. What He does in the natural realm is a picture of what He desires to accomplish in the supernatural realm. These accounts are certainly real literal events but they are simultaneously glorious pictures of the grace of our Lord.

This is certainly true in the case of Mark 5 and Jesus’ encounter with Jairus. The resurrection of this precious 12 year old girl is a beautiful symbol of the salvation of our children. Our children are born in need of a Savior. Paul says they are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1).

Jairus sought out the Savior and begged Him to come to his home because his daughter needed a touch from Jesus. As a result his faith was forever deepened, his future was forever changed and his family was forever impacted because one day this daddy brought Jesus home to raise his daughter from the dead.

What kind of commitment did it take to see his little girl raised from death to life?

What barriers did Jairus have to overcome in order to see Christ do a miraculous work of grace in his home?

Who were Jairus’ biggest critics, skeptics, and scoffers?

We will examine each of these questions on Sunday morning. As a father of 3 young children I am challenged by Jairus’ example. He serves as a Biblical role model of doing “whatever it takes” to see Jesus do a work in my kids’ lives. I am excited to study his commitment to his little girl and to his big God.

Pastor John Darsey

On Sunday night, I am honored to preach the installation service for a dear friend of mine. Pastor John Darsey has ably served First Baptist in Hazlehurst for over 6 years. Recently, he has accepted the senior pastorate at Centennial Baptist Church in Rutledge, GA. This is a dynamic church of believers and John is going to do a tremendous job there.

This Sunday is John’s first official day as their pastor. The evening service will feature an official installation service, laying on of hands, etc. It will be a privilege of mine to be in this great church and preach in honor of my friend and in honor of our Lord.

I don’t like to be gone from EBC very often on Sundays. In fact, I’ve preached 18 of the last 20 messages in the EBC pulpit and was present to hear 1 of the other 2. But I am delighted to be invited to preach at Centennial this Sunday evening. Pray for me as I travel and for John as he begins an exciting new ministry in Rutledge, GA.

The Greatest Miracle

2011-05-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Miracle from ebchurch on Vimeo.

I really enjoyed preaching this message. I pray it's a blessing to you.

And this is the song I asked Rhon to sing...minus the white-man afro...and minus the pinky ring :)

The Death of My Friend and a Motorcycle in Haiti

2011-05-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

Good night my friend.
I'll see you in the morning.

This afternoon, my friend and fellow church member Jerry Strickland went home to be with the Lord Jesus. I take great comfort in that thought. But there is another thought that is quite compelling. This thought gripped my heart tonight as I preached in the PM service from Mark 3:13-19 on "12 Men that Changed the World."

I had just come from a bereavement call to Jerry's house to visit his precious family. Flying into the parking lot on two wheels, I made it into the service with a few minutes to spare. So Jerry's death was fresh on my mind as I preached a sermon on the characteristics of people God uses to change the world.

My body was in Blackshear at Emmanuel Baptist Church. But for a flash, my mind was in Gonaives, Haiti on a 2010 mission trip with my dearly-departed friend. Jerry and I were traveling in a little truck with a Haitian pastor named John and a missionary. Pastor John was asking the missionary if he could possibly borrow his vehicle.

As we listened to this conversation it became obvious to Jerry and to me that Pastor John was trying to shepherd 2 Haitian congregations many, many miles apart. He was spending a great deal of his life walking between his 2 churches. For Pastor John, the cost of a motorcycle (the best means of travel there) was prohibitive.

"How much does a good used motorcycle cost here in Haiti...and can you even get one," I asked.

"Oh yes, we can get one in Port au Prince," the missionary replied. "But a good reliable used one would be about $1200 US dollars."

From the back seat, Jerry and I commented on how surprised we were...and convicted at the relatively low cost. $1200 for us was a good sum of money but not prohibitive. What for us would be a family vacation could literally change Pastor John's life as he sought to change Haiti for Christ.

Back at the missionary's house, Jerry came to me privately and said, "I want us to buy Pastor John that motorcycle." Jerry really wanted us to go ahead and buy that motorcycle. I said, "Jerry I can't make that kind of commitment for our church although I agree we ought to do it."

Jerry appreciated my desire to not make a $1200 commitment on my own. But he was not to be dissuaded. "I will go ahead and commit to buy the whole thing myself if we can't get some others to chip in." With that commitment I gave the go-ahead to the missionary to buy Pastor John a motorcycle with the understanding that we would wire the money when we returned to Georgia.

Landing in Jacksonville, Jerry rode with me and 2 others back to Blackshear. We dropped the others off at their house and I took Jerry home. At his house, Jerry went to a special place and retrieved 3 crisp $100 bills. "Here's my part," he said. "And if nobody else wants to get in on it, come back and I'll give you the rest."

I protested. In nearly 20 years of vocational ministry I had never taken cash from a church member for any reason. I saw no reason to change my policy. It's just not smart. "Just put it in the offering plate Sunday in a designated envelope, Jerry. I do not handle cash!"

But again Jerry Strickland would not be dissuaded.

Shoving the generous offering into my hands he said, "If I can trust you to preach the Bible to me every Sunday I can trust you with $300!" Seeing the tears in his eyes and hearing the crack in his voice I immediately discerned this occasion would be an exception to my rule.

"Brother Jerry, I will take this if you make me a promise. Be sure to check your contribution record for a $300 love offering. And if you don't see it you tell the church office and we will make it right." He waved me off with a non-verbal gesture that clearly said, "I'll do no such thing!"

We did have some other funds contributed to help buy pastor John's motorcycle. But Jerry's commitment to buy the whole thing if necessary is what made the transaction possible. A few weeks later when our missions report included a picture of Pastor John grinning from ear-to-ear on his motorcycle, I looked back at Jerry. He looked at the floor in a Divine mix of humility and gratitude to God.

So tonight as I grieve the death of my friend and consider the characteristics of people who "change the world," I am overjoyed with this reality. Somewhere tonight in Haiti, a local pastor is going to bed a little more rested than he used to be on the Lord's Day. And it's because a man like Jerry was willing to be used by God to change the world.

Jerry ministering in Jubilee Village
on the island of Haiti (Spring 2010)

Tonight as Wanda and her sweet family mourn the passing of a fine man, the gospel of Jesus is spreading across Haiti...carried in part on a $1200 motorcycle.

And the life of Jerry Strickland lives on.

What a View

2011-05-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

A great pastor writes about a great view from a great mountain. Praise God for occasional trips to "Mount Perspective."

http://michaelcatt.com/2011/05/a-view-from-mt-perspective/#more-890

In Everything Give Thanks

2011-05-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

It was already promising to be a very busy weekend. There was a Friday afternoon trip to Griffin, GA for a camp-out/birthday party for my nephew, time at the in-laws, a late Saturday evening wedding for my cousin in Macon, GA, preaching 2x Sunday morning, doing a Sunday afternoon wedding on St. Simon's for our nursery director, and an evening service back at EBC.

Feeling totally overwhelmed, I took Sarah to breakfast this morning for our weekly date. When I got home about 9:45 I sat down to finalize Sunday morning's sermon. Andrea had taken Sarah with her to go to the kids' field day at school. I wanted to go but sermon prep was calling and Sunday was coming!

I had been sitting at the computer working on Mark 3 when I heard a noise. It sounded like it had come from the back yard. I was supposed to be home by myself so I got up to investigate. That's when I heard the water running. Had the sprinkler system come on by itself?

Walking into our new master closet (on the back corner of the house) I saw water running into the floor from underneath the wall. When I ran outside to cut the water supply to that section of the house I saw water pouring out of the eaves of the house.

I immediately knew what had happened. My long weekend had just gotten longer.

Last summer we added on a small bathroom and a master closet. I had already discovered (several months ago) that one of the 2 plumbers we used on the project did NOT glue all the CPVC joints. Just a simple oversight. An honest mistake. He'd obviously dry-fitted the plumbing and then gone back and glued the joints...well...most of them anyway.

One missed joint revealed itself when we first turned the water on back in September. Today, about 8 months later, another unglued joint made its presence known. This line ran overhead, in the ceiling above the new closet. Why today? I will never know. And I doubt it will make my list of "top questions" to ask Jesus in eternity :)

As of this moment, I've pulled up the decking in the attic, glued (as opposed to re-glued) the joint, taken all the wet attic insulation into the back yard, taken the siding off the back corner of the house, removed that insulation, and offered a few prayers that the sheetrock dries before it starts buckling too badly.

In all this, I have a few things to be thankful for.

1. I was home and heard the joint "pop." A few more hours and we would have been gone for about 36 hours. As bad as it was today, it would have been worse to find it at midnight Saturday night. If 3-4 minutes made that much damage, I'd hate to see 1.5 days' worth.

2. I know how to fix the stuff myself. As a pastor, I can't afford to get into a debate with a local plumber. It's just not a good testimony for me. So we pastors kind of "take one for the team" on things like this. Besides, it was just an honest mistake that could happen to anyone. My insurance agent said my deductible was $1,000. So...into the attic I go.

3. It's a hot sunny day. Really hot for ripping siding off your house or working in the attic...but a GREAT day to dry out insulation :)

4. I did not get angry. Several months ago when I preached a sermon called, "Taming the Temper" I confessed that God was dealing with me about getting frustrated too easily. My anger is not typically one that shows itself. It's the slow-burning internal kind. Just as dangerous, mind you. And just as sinful.

But I was about 2 hours into this project when it hit me...I've not gotten frustrated at all about this situation. And believe me, this hectic weekend would have been the weekend to get really upset. I cannot boast in my lack of anger. It's just God's santifying grace in my life. But I am so very thankful for it.

5. In the last few hours I've been reminded how blessed I am. For starters, this whole incident happened because of an ADDITION onto our house. Secondly, I already have every tool and supply I need. I could list them all but you get the idea. We've got a lot of stuff. This project is going to cost me about $5 for a new can of CPVC glue (and an awful lot of elbow grease!)

I've only stopped to take a break from the heat. When the sun goes down I will start rebuilding the back corner of my house...a modest but nice home where 1 blessed pastor lives with his beautiful bride, his precious kids, and his grateful heart.

Prayer Request

2011-05-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

My friend and church member, Jerry Strickland was placed under Hospice care today. I got to know him best when we traveled together and bunked together on a mission trip to Gonaives, Haiti. Tonight as I visit them before mid-week service, I am praying for a miracle...and trusting in Providence.

O Bless the Lord

2011-05-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

O Bless The Lord from ebchurch on Vimeo.

From Christmas 2010. I love this song and was blessed to solo along with my favorite choir and worship band.

The Best News...

2011-05-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

Now Thats Good News from ebchurch on Vimeo.

I really enjoyed preaching this message on "Soul-Winning Commitment Sunday" back in January. I pray it's a blessing to you. And in case you're just stopping by and you are not a Christian, here is the good news:

1. Jesus Christ can save anywhere.
2. Jesus Christ can save anytime.
3. Jesus Christ can save anybody.

Whew! Now that's good news!

One Proud Daddy

2011-05-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

"Before My Birthday" from ebchurch on Vimeo.

In case you haven't seen it, here's our 3 year-old singing on "Sanctity of Human Life Sunday" at EBC. It has had about 4,000 unique views over on Vimeo.

Underneath my mother's heart waiting for nativity
I never was so tiny but what God's eyes
And long before my ears could hear
He called me by my name
In the darkness He watched me grow
He watched His creation

For long before my birthday
God was celebrating me
He knows the very moment
That my life came to be
And from the time He gave me life
He watched my tenderly
For long before my birthday
God was loving me.

My Favorite Choir

2011-05-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

You Are Worthy from ebchurch on Vimeo.

My favorite choir sings a tremendous song. It is great on video but nothing takes the place of sitting on the front row and hearing it "live." I dearly love these folks!

Friday Morning Sunshine

2011-05-06T04:59:00.000-07:00

In light of Wednesday's post on "Redeeming the Time" I thought I'd share these two pictures. I've been taking my little Sarah Sunshine to breakfast every Friday morning since just before her second birthday. There's been a lot of Huddle House eaten in the last few years.

There are 2 pictures at the right. The top one is from Easter Sunday, 2011. The other is from our first weekly "Daddy/Daughter Date" back in August of 2009.

Oh...how the time is flying. Time is like a nearly-expired coupon. Better go redeem it while there's still time!

Well...gotta go. It's Friday morning and I've got a hot date waiting on me :)

Parent/Baby Dedication

2011-05-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

One of the great joys of pastoring a growing church is officiating parent/baby dedication. With a vibrant and young congregation it is a regular occurrence. In fact, I am told something is in the water at EBC :)

On Monday of this week I had the blessing to visit in the home of one of our members who informed me that he and his wife were expecting. On Tuesday I was in the home of another couple as they welcomed their new-born son home from the hospital. After preaching mid-week service on Wednesday, I saw another couple on the church playground with their 2 kids. They had the same joy-filled announcement!

And to think, none of that even counts the 13 children we will dedicate to the Lord this Sunday evening as part of our day-long celebration of motherhood. We know this ceremony is not salvific in any way. But it is a glorious picture of a time when Mom and Dad commit themselves to raise their child in the nurture and admonition of our Lord.

The cameras will be flashing and the camcorders will be rolling (do digital cameras actually "roll?") as we have a blessed time in the Lord's house this Sunday night. And it will be a delight of all delights to "officially" begin my time serving as pastor to the newest members of our extended EBC family. Emmanuel, I've told you many times. My great delight is to be my wife's husband, my kids' Daddy, and a pastor to God's people.

Bring an open Bible and a warm handshake Sunday night. We are going to have a great time in Jesus along with a house full of guests!

Redeeming the Time

2011-05-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight I preached in Ephesians 5 and the text dealt with "redeeming the time for the days are evil." It was, at its core, a call to make the most of life in light of the swift-moving pace of time.

Job said, "My days are passing faster than a weaver's shuttle."

James said, "Life is like a vapor."

I say, "Wow! When did my little girl get that big?!?!"

In preparation for tonight's message on the fleeting nature of life I was reminded that I've been at Emmanuel Baptist 14 1/2 years. In a few weeks, Lord willing, I'll have my 9th anniversary as senior pastor. And if the Lord tarries and lets me live, I should become EBC's longest-serving pastor in church history within the next several months. The only reason that's important in this context is that it seems like we moved to Blackshear...well...yesterday.

So I've spent several days contemplating my ministry and recommitting myself to doing whatever would please God and bring Him maximum pleasure and glory.

After preaching on this subject I spent all of a late Wednesday evening supper time staring at my 8 year old and wondering where the time went. She's becoming a beautiful little lady. Even though she's finishing up the 2nd grade in a few weeks it seems like she was born...well...yesterday.

After supper I went upstairs and found some old pictures. That's when I found the emotional final straw.

There were some old high school photos. (1980's)

There were some little league ball photos. (1970's)

Then there was this picture. It's a photo of my paternal grandparents (Hollis and Juanita Stone) celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. This picture was made years ago (1/9/90) and they are both deceased now. But it still seems like...well...yesterday.

Then it hit me. If 20 years ago (for example) seems like yesterday, then 20 years from now may seem as if it is here as soon as tomorrow. And the remainder of my life may seem like just a few more days. And then my yet-to-be-born grandchildren may be looking at a picture of me thinking, "He sure does look old!"

Let me be clear. My thoughts haven't been of the morbid "mid-life crisis" variety at all. It's been invigorating, challenging, and motivating. I am ready to take the world by the tail and make this day count. And tomorrow. And the next day.

Since I only have a limited number of days, I want them all to matter in the light of eternity. So I'm getting up in the morning ready to be a disciple, a husband, a father, and a pastor. I want this day to be a day that I help declare the glory of my God to the ends of the earth.

After all...the days are fleeting. I need to redeem the time.

A Sneak-Peek at Tomorrow's Lesson

2011-04-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ever known professing believers who were always negative? Who never had a good word to say about anyone or anything? Ever wondered, "What causes that?" Ever been forced to ask yourself, "Am I that way?"

Tomorrow morning in our continuing series in The Gospel According to Mark, we will discover at least one of the main reasons for this spiritual malady. It's called P-R-I-D-E. And the Pharisees were steeped in it.

I am really enjoying this new series in Mark. Each lesson has brought me face to face with the Lord Jesus and face to face with myself. Tomorrow's lesson will reveal that if we are full-time, professional critics, we should resign and find a new line of work.

By the way, I am blessed that the wonderful congregation I serve does not need this sermon as a corrective Word. But we can all receive it as a Word of caution. If you are in the area, drop in to visit us at either 9am or 10:30am. We've got a great SS class just for you and your family at either 9:15am or 10:30am. The music is going to be great and the fellowship of the folks at Emmanuel is always sweet.

Tomorrow morning Christ will overturn the apple cart of religion and show us that the only cure for our spiritual malady is His cross. I hope you can make it!

Pure Joy Really is...Pure Joy

2011-04-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

When LifeWay Christian Resources was looking for a musical group to sing at the 2011 National Conference for Ministry Assistants at First Baptist Sevierville, TN, they didn't have to look any further than Emmanuel Baptist in Blackshear, GA. So at their request, the ladies of Pure Joy pulled out this afternoon headed for the volunteer state.

Brother Rhon Carter has done a tremendous job preparing this musical group. They have sung at a lot of different events and conferences over the years since we formed the group over a decade ago. But this week will be their first opportunity to be on a truly national stage. And it's well-deserved.

They sound great. But that's not what makes them a pure joy to this pastor's heart. You see, I know these girls. They are all dear and devoted women of God. They love their Savior, their church, their families, and their pastor. And Andrea and I sure do love them.

Please join me in praying for Jamie Daniels, Samantha Hall, Michelle Kirkland, Brie Long, Sherri Robson, and Donna Wallace as they travel and lead this event. By my count, they've left 11 kids at home between them...so pray for their husbands too!

Seriously, I am thankful for their husbands and parents who will be shuffling responsibilities with home, jobs, and kids for the next few days. Your sacrifice has helped make this trip possible. I pray our Lord will bless you for your efforts.

If you are anywhere near the 2011 National Conference for Ministry Assistants then you are in for a real treat and a great delight. In fact, by this pastor's estimation, you are in for some pure joy.

http://www.nasbs.net/2011%20National%20Conference

Dr. Jesus, HD

2011-04-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight our sermon series through Mark continued with a message on “Dr. Jesus, HD.” At the conclusion of the message from Mark 2:13-17, I posed a series of questions. They are listed here for your consideration.

1. How do I view people that are lost without Christ? Am I burdened or am I boastful?

When I encounter people who are not followers of Christ, do I look down on them with a “holier-than-thou” attitude? Or is my heart grieved by their lost condition? In other words, which bothers me more: the idea that they are not meeting my standard or that they are in danger of dying under the just condemnation of God against their sin?

The example I used in the service tonight was this. Imagine I am at a restaurant and the person in the next booth has a foul mouth. Do I look down my religious nose, criticize them for “taking my Lord’s name in vain” and walk away? Or do I acknowledge, “There but by the grace of God go I?” Does their ungodly lifestyle lead me to criticize them or pray for them and seek to befriend them?

2. How much time do I spend around lost people for the purpose of showing the love of Christ?

Too often I am not only insulated but isolated. Christ spent time with sinners. It was not for the purpose of becoming like them. He spent time so they could become like Him. In our context, we don’t need people to become like us. We all need to become like Christ.

3. Do I have a critical spirit? In other words, do I enjoy correcting and chastening other people?

Some believers seem as if they were baptized in pickle juice. They’ve been weaned on persimmons and appear to be sucking on lemons. They’ve never seen a glass that was not half empty. And they spill their critical spirit on others at every turn.

Granted, there is a time to correct, for sure. And there certainly is a time to chasten. But it should be the least enjoyable part of our Christian walk. I realize that some spiritual gifts (teaching, for example) cause some of us to recognize doctrinal error more easily than others. And we do find a sense of fulfillment in bringing a word of correction through God’s Word. But that’s not really what I am referencing.

I’m talking about the spirit in which it is done. If you actually enjoy rebuking people, something is desperately wrong with your heart. Don’t attribute it to having the spirit of a prophet or being some spiritual watchdog. If you enjoy putting folks in their place, it’s probably because you are just plain mean.

We have some dear friends who once met a sister in Christ who seemed to enjoy putting others “in their place.” Her actual name was Rebecca. People who knew her best gave her the nickname, “Rebukah” because she loved rebuking people.

By the way, a good diagnostic question to ask is this, “When is the last time I found something commendable in my spouse…my kids…my pastor…and my church?”

It is always easy to find something commendable in someone else’s spouse. I don’t have to live with them.

It is always easy to find something commendable in someone else’s kids. They didn’t break your 5th generation family heirloom china.

It is always easy to find something commendable in someone else’s pastor. I don’t know him like I think I do. If I did, I’d see he has feet of clay too.

It is always easy to find something commendable in someone else’s church. I need to remember that everybody in that other town doesn’t go to that other church. There’s a reason for that. It’s not the perfect church that I think it is.

So if the only people I can commend are people that, in reality, I don’t actually know then it may be a sign I have a critical and sour spirit.

4. Do I consider myself to be a doctor or a patient when it comes to spiritual matters?

If I am never a doctor, I can never help others. God certainly wants us to grow up and mature to the point we can help others. That’s a fact. But how often do I see myself in need of a touch from the Great Physician? If I am always the one doing the correcting but I am never able to be corrected, something is woefully wrong.

John MacArthur comments this way on our text, “So our Lord's gospel ministry as any gospel ministry since is concentrated on those who know they are sinners, admit they are sinners, desire forgiveness and turn to Christ, the only source of forgiveness, the only one who has the right to forgive. Well in apostate Judaism in the first century where you earned your salvation, this kind of grace, this friendship with sinners was an outrage and threatened, really, to bring their whole system down, it was so opposed to it. So they hated Jesus and they're already early in His ministry formulating a way to get rid of Him before He brings the collapse of their system down on their heads.”

And thus, the saddest part of this story in Mark 2 is that the Pharisees thought they were so spiritually healthy they did not need a Physician. And their self-inflicted misdiagnosis prevented Jesus from helping them. They were, in fact, dead men walking. And the Resurrection and the Life stood in their midst and they did not recognize Him. Their strict adherence to their religious system did not help them. It actually hindered from seeing who Christ was. In the end, their flawed perception of their spiritual health sent them to hell.

I pray God will help me maintain a regular appointment with Dr. Jesus, Heart Doctor. And may I be more faithful in telling others about the One who alone can transform their hearts.

Well Done, Ladies

2011-04-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

In the next few weeks it is our joy to celebrate together with three outstanding members of our leadership team. Each of these ladies is making a transition in her life and ministry. I pray you will join me in expressing your gratitude to the Lord and to them for their service at Emmanuel.

Mrs. Kay Allen is stepping down as the principal of Southeast Christian Academy in order to spend a little more time enjoying retirement. When EBC first launched SCA, we immediately saw the hand of heaven through the procurement of Mrs. Allen. A veteran educator and curriculum expert, she has been used mightily by God in the birthing of SCA.

Recently, SCA applied for accreditation through a major, DOE-approved agency. By the end of the first day, our accreditation advisor gave rave reviews about the work being done at SCA. This man is a retired teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent from the public schools. In other words, he knows his stuff! While we are still awaiting official action, he has already recommended to his board that SCA be “accredited with quality.” That is the highest level of official accreditation that a school can receive. He was so blessed by his observations that he has even recommended that the accreditation be made retroactive.

That news is shared in this context because it is a testament to the work performed by Mrs. Allen and her faculty. The SCA board, faculty, parents, and church members have long witnessed numerous examples of her competence and commitment. Now we are on the verge of having an official state-sanctioned affirmation of the incredible job she has performed. We know that God is the One who has been shaping and molding these young hearts and minds. But we’ve been blessed that He has chosen Mrs. Kay Allen as one of His instruments. Congratulations Mrs. Kay! And we pray God’s richest blessings on this next season in your life.

Mrs. Christi Jones has ably served as our nursery director since December of 2003. She and her late husband Kelly were actually two of the first people we met in Sunday School when we came to EBC in the Fall of 1996. On May 15th, Christi is scheduled to become the bride of Mr. Brian Cowart. They will be making their new home in the Stilson area, southeast of Statesboro.

All 3 of our children have been a recipient of Christi’s service overseeing our ministry to birth-2 year olds and their families. We will miss Christi around Blackshear, around EBC, and around our family. We pray the Lord’s favor on your marriage and your transition to a new town. Your church family will miss you and your children.

Mrs. Brandy Ricketson joined our support staff in January of 2008. She brought her skills in accounting and bookkeeping to our finance office. Although her ministry has been “behind the scenes” for most members, her service has touched the lives of every member of this congregation. With the birth of their 3rd child, she and Rick sense the call of God for her to become a full-time, stay-at-home mom and we rejoice in that decision. Rick, Brandy, Tatum, Sam, and Layne are a vibrant part of our ministry here at EBC. We will still see them around the church but we’ll sure miss her around the office. Thanks Brandy for a job well-done!

During the next few weeks, please take an opportunity to share your thanks with these dear ladies. They have been an integral part of what the Lord has done at EBC in recent years. As I consider their contribution here I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Philippians, “I thank my God on every remembrance of you.”

From John MacArthur

2011-04-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday evening I dealt with the Biblical reality that God desires to forgive sinners. He takes no pleasure in the death of the unregenerate. His desire is to forgive.

I took as one Biblical support for this truth the writing of the prophet in Ezekiel 33:11a – “Say unto them, as I live saith the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live.’”

An exact quote from my pulpit notes is, "We have no right to develop a theological construct in which God is seen as delighting in, pleasuring in, glorying in the death of the unregenerate."

99% of my congregation was looking at me like a calf at a new gate, joyfully unaware that there are people who actually believe God delights in sending sinners to eternal destruction.

This morning in studying for this Sunday's sermon in Mark 2, I came across a sermon from John MacArthur. I had actually forgotten that his sermon manuscripts are available at http://www.gty.org/. It's a great resource for pastors, teachers, and Bible students. I don't agree with everything John MacArthur has ever said...but then...I don't agree with everything I've ever said either :)

From the introduction to his sermon on Mark 2:1-12, Brother John writes,

But what is man's greatest need? The greatest need of man simply put is to escape the wrath of God poured out on sinners eternally in hell. The greatest need of man is to escape the wrath of God poured out eternally on sinners in hell. Only Christianity, only the Christian gospel offers the benefit that meets that need. Only through the Christian gospel can anyone escape the wrath of God poured out on sinners eternally in hell.

What sends people to hell? You say sin. No. It's not sin alone that sends people to hell. It is unforgiven sin...it is unforgiven sin that sends people to hell. Hell is only occupied by people whose sins have never been and will never be forgiven. Heaven, on the other hand, is occupied by people whose sins have all been forgiven, therefore what causes people to escape the wrath of God in eternal hell is the forgiveness of their sins. That is man's greatest need, to move him from hell to heaven. Christianity alone offers that very benefit, the forgiveness of sins. The greatest need of every soul is divine forgiveness of all sin and the greatest benefit of Christianity then is the provision of that complete forgiveness.

God uniquely presents Himself in Scripture as a God who is willing to forgive, who is eager to forgive, who is by nature compassionate, kind, loving, merciful and seeks to save sinners from His own wrath. This is the message of the Christian gospel. [If] You have been assuming that the Christian church, or the Christian gospel, or the Christian religion has any other message than that, you've been wrong. That is the message. (emphasis mine)

In Acts chapter 13 and verse 38 we read, “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you and it is granted to all those who believe.” When you believe the gospel, you receive forgiveness of sins.

In Ephesians chapter 1, that familiar statement in verse 7, “In Him,” that is in Christ, “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” That is the message of Christianity, God will forgive your sins. It is God's desire to forgive your sins. Forgiveness is consistent with His nature. (emphasis mine)

Not just in the New Testament, but in the Old as well. Back in Exodus 34 verses 6 and 7, God introduces Himself...this is God speaking about Himself and He says, “The Lord, the Lord God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness and truth, who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin.” That is God introducing Himself.

What a great word. Jesus is not only Lord of the Leper but the Savior of the Sinner. Amen, amen, and amen.

Our Study in Mark Continues...

2011-04-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying our study of the gospel of Mark. We are only into the second week. In fact, tomorrow I am prepared to deliver the 3rd and 4th sermons from this dynamic book.

Tomorrow's messages will bring us face-to-face with a couple of interesting questions. They will be hinted at in the morning message but addressed more directly in the evening sermon, "Lord of the Leper."

My sermon title for the 6pm message is borrowed from a commentary on this text by Dr. Jerry Vines. I do not often use other preachers' sermon titles but this one sounded so clear and succint I though I'd make an exception. And if you're going to make an exception, why not for Jerry Vines :)

Now for the questions we will confront:

First, why would Jesus not want people to know exactly who He was? At least not in the early part of His ministry? Often called The Messianic Secret of Mark, Jesus clearly rebukes demons for announcing His identity (Mark 1:25, 34) and tells a newly-cleansed leper to keep silent as well (Mark 1:43-44). The question before us is, "Why?"

Secondly, we will have to answer the question, "Upon whom does the Lord Jesus wish to bestow His mercy?" You might be surprised that the answer given by the "evangelical community" is not nearly as unanimous as you might think.

To understand its implications you must keep in mind that leprosy is a picture or prototype of sin. The leper, having been confronted by God's Word approaches the Lord with a telling statement and a profoundly important question. Though most Bible translations render it as statement, we do no injustice to phrase it as a statement and a question.

"I know that You can make me clean. Are You willing to do so?"

The answer from the Lord strikes to the heart of the gospel message. "I am willing. Be made clean."

We will look at that question a bit more fully Sunday night. Bring your Bibles. Bring your thinking-caps. We will cover 2/3rds of chapter 1 of Mark between the morning and evening services.

Marking the Romans Road

2011-02-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

Tonight I preached a sermon called, "3 Ways 2 Share 1 Gospel." In the course of the message we talked about a wonderful practice of marking your Bible. A marked Bible is a wonderful evangelistic tool that many a faithful soul-winner has used to share the gospel of Christ.

I led the church to mark 6 verses of Scripture we often call "The Romans Road." Because we moved so quickly, let me share these simple little steps again.

1. Locate Romans 3:10-11 and circle the passage...or at least circle the verse numbers. The point is, mark it in a way that when you turn to that page your eye naturally falls to those verses.

2. Make note of the page number in your Bible. (In my main preaching Bible it is on page 243 because the page numbers begin again in the New Testament).

3. Go to the front page of your Bible (the inside flap) and write down the page number. For example, in my Bible I would write "start on page 243."

4. Now go back to Romans 3:10-11. It should be easy to find by this point :) In the margin beside Romans 3:10-11 write the words, "Go to 3:23." This is a reminder that the next verse to use is Romans 3:23.

5. Circle Romans 3:23. In the margin beside that verse write, "Go to 5:8." This is a reminder that the next verse to use is Romans 5:8.

6. Circle Romans 5:8. In the margin beside that verse write, "Go to 6:23." This is a reminder that the next verse to use is Romans 6:23.

7. Circle Romans 6:23. In the margin beside that verse write, "Go to 10:9." This is a reminder that the next verse to use is Romans 10:9.

8. Circle Romans 10:9. In the margin beside that verse write, "Go to 10:13." This is a reminder that the next verse to use is Romans 10:13.

9. Beside Romans 10:13, write the word "INVITE." This is a reminder that once the gospel has been presented, you can invite the person to repent and receive Christ.

By the way, once you commit these verses to memory, you will find that they are practically sufficient to answer the most common questions about the gospel. By the way, evangelism is not about squashing arguments when people ask, "Why?" It's about answering questions when people ask, "How?"

Of course this is just one method or approach to sharing the gospel. The intention of marking your Bible is not to create some man-made system for evangelism. But it sure is an easy method for people who are just getting serious about sharing their faith. With time and faithful practice, these verses become "second nature" and the marked Bible becomes a glorious reminder of your early days as a soul-winner.

Honor Your Father and Your Mother...God.

2011-02-12T06:47:00.000-08:00

In my ministry, I deal a lot with "family matters." Marital problems, rebellious teens, abusive parents, financial woes, etc. One of the most difficult is the teenager (or adult child) who feels he has justification to dishonor his parents. And let's face it...some parents are not "honorable."

Because it is such a prevalent problem, I wanted to share some of an email I recently sent to a teenager I believe is struggling with this issue. I've edited my reply in order to maintain the confidentiality, but the rest of the post stands on its own as good sound advice for us all.

Regardless of what you have been through, be it real or perceived, the Bible commands you to give honor to your parents. You have a number of Facebook friends who say they are "praying" for you. Indeed you have asked for prayer yourself in your recent Facebook post.

Since God answers prayer through His Word, let me give you a few places to study. I don't share these to "fuss" at you but to help to answer your request for prayer. My prayer is that God will guide you as you study these verses.

Leviticus 19:3 - "Every one of you shall reverence his father and mother...for I am the Lord your God."

Notice, the reverence of parents is based on who our GOD is, not who our PARENTS are. We honor father and mother because of how GOD has treated us. Not how our PARENTS have treated us. That's why this commandment could be given to "every one of you." Were there bad parents in ancient Israel? Sure. But that did not exempt the children from showing respect to their parents.

Leviticus 20:9 - "If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother he shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother and his bloodguiltiness shall be upon him."

Sounds like God takes saying ugly things TO or ABOUT your parents very seriously. In fact, in the theocratic government of Israel, FB posts like yours where you dishonor your parents would have gotten you stoned outside the city gate.

These theocratic laws about stoning sinners is not operational today...and praise God because we have ALL violated the Word of God in this matter. But it does give us an idea of what God thinks about us using our words to dishonor our parents.

Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16 - "Honor your father and your mother."

These two verses come from the Decalogue, or, the Ten Commandments. That alone should be enough. But when you consider that the OT Jews understood the first 5 commandments dealt with our relationship to GOD and commandments 6-10 focused on our relationships with OTHERS, it is quite interesting that the commandment on honoring our parents is actually listed in the section on being rightly related to GOD.

Romans 1:30 lists being "disobedient to parents" as one of several signs of having a reprobate (depraved) mind. It is the sign of someone who has been cut off from and rejected by God.

Ephesians 6:1-3 and Colossians 3:20 continue this teaching into the New Testament. Those verses would be worth a look.

May I share one more thing...I deal with this all the time as a pastor. When church members and professing Christians slam one another publicly (like on FaceBook) and live as if their lives are a wreck, it sure is an awful witness.

I pray that for your sake, the sake of your own testimony, and the sake of some lost soul you will consider removing dishonoring comments about your parents. You may have other family and FB friends who will condone your actions. I cannot. For God does not. And when they do, they speak in CLEAR and UNEQUIVOCAL violation of what the One you call your LORD has said.

I do not pretend to know very much about what has taken place in your home. But I do know this: such responses are not pleasing to Christ.

I am telling you this because I love you. No one has ever broken God's law and walked away unscathed or unpunished. If your parents have violated God's Word, the LORD is big enough to handle them. In the meantime, ask GOD for strength for you to do what is right in HIS eyes.

I can promise you, you will never regret it.

Sunday Alcohol Sales

2011-02-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here it comes again. Sunday alcohol sales. The liquor lobby is out in full force and it sure looks like the issue will be headed toward a state-wide referendum. The bill currently before the state’s general assembly would not necessarily open the flood gates for booze peddlers. But it would make the issue one of local control rather than state mandate.

It has often been said that 3 parties rule in Washington: The Republican Party, the Democrat Party, and the cocktail party. It is increasingly clear these 3 parties are alive and well under the gold dome as well.

For the record, my conviction on Sunday alcohol sales is actually the same as my view on the other 6 days of the booze business. You would be hard-pressed to find a more fervent and vocal critic of alcohol than I am. I despise alcohol. I really do. Hardly a week goes by that I do not have to minister to an individual or family ravaged by drugs and alcohol. That’s why I have preached old-fashioned “temperance sermons” in the Emmanuel pulpit no less than 3 times in 8 ½ years. My utter hatred of alcohol is well-known by my friends and critics alike.

Nevertheless, I am amused by the apparent shock of my friends and colleagues on the Christian right. They seem flabbergasted by the notion that this bill could make its way through a Republican-controlled state assembly and be signed by a Republican governor. While I share their desire to see this legislation die a decisive death I cannot for the life of me share their dismay. In other words, I am shocked that they are shocked.

The only reason members of the religious right would be surprised by the actions of the general assembly is because they have made a fatal miscalculation. They forgot that "Conservative Christian" and "Republican" are not synonymous labels.

For the last several election cycles, the Christian right has been in bed with the Republican Party. The problem is they’ve been in bed with no marriage. No covenant. No commitment. To a large degree it’s been political fornication that would rival that infamous tryst between David and Bathsheba.

Granted, there are some wonderful Christian leaders in the GOP. But for the most part, the national and state-wide relationship between Republicans and the church has been anything but mutually-exclusive. It’s been more like the unwritten contract between a wealthy mobster and his mistress. Oh he comes by to see her alright…but only when the need arises. And like clockwork, the GOP rings the church’s doorbell every 2 years.

This dirty little aspect of our relationship explains the Grand Old Party’s deafness to the concerns of religious conservatives regarding Sunday alcohol sales. We just scratched their itch in 2010. They’ve got nearly 2 years to play the field, sow their wild oats with other lovers, knowing we will still be here in 2012.

The state GOP has nothing to lose and everything to gain by climbing in the sack with the liquor lobbyists. Where else will conservative Christians go in 2012? And let’s be honest. We have notoriously-short memories. By the time these politicians run for reelection in 2012 and 2014, we will have completely forgotten about Sunday liquor sales. Besides, they weren’t in favor of selling booze on the Lord’s Day, just local control.

They want to say "no" to Sunday liquor sales but they believe the "no" should come locally instead of from Atlanta. That’s why they will vote for the issue to be placed on the ballot and then rush back to their home precincts to champion the defeat of the referendum.

Right.

If you believe that, perhaps you've already been drinking a bit too much.

Maybe the temperance movement in Georgia would be better served to take advantage of this delicate relationship we have with the Republican Party. Instead of spending money to lobby against liquor legislation maybe we should go to the hometowns of the state’s elected GOP leadership and recruit good strong Christians to run against them as Democrats. That, my friends, would be a game-changer.

If the top Republicans in this state thought their own seats were vulnerable, they’d start railing against alcohol sales with the fiery rhetoric of an Independent Baptist preacher. Honestly, if some influential state legislator were in a tight race that would hinge on conservative Christian turnout, that legislator would become president and founder of “Georgians Opposed to Drinking.” That’s GOD, for short.

We'd have websites, Facebook pages, and get-out-the-vote campaigns. There'd be yard signs and bumper stickers predicting that "Sunday alcohol sales will usher in the unveiling of the antichrist!" Church bulletin inserts would show the statistical connection between Sunday alcohol sales and increases in alcohol-related traffic fatalities. This would help make the case that running to the polls to defeat Sunday alcohol sales (and voting for the GOP while you're there) is, in reality, a Sanctity of Life issue.

Following their reelection, all emphasis on the issue would disappear, the crisis having been averted. Not the crisis of Sunday liquor sales but the "crisis" that they were on the verge of losing an election.

For the record, the timing of this legislation is not as much the lack of lobbying from the Christian right as it is about having a governor who will sign this bill. He was not a perfect man (nor am I) but I miss Sonny Perdue more and more every day.

Yes sir. The main reason there is a deafening silence on the issue is no particular politician sees any direct benefit from grandstanding. And they see a definite benefit from keeping their mouth shut. If state Republicans perceived a personal political benefit from opposing Sunday alcohol sales it would be "Katie bar the door!" And the liquor cabinet.

But do not worry Christian friends. The GOP will be back. So keep the lights turned down low, the soft music playing, and the sheets turned back. The doorbell will ring again in 2012. Only next time, he’ll be bringing the booze.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday

2011-01-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

This Sunday at EBC, we will be observing Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. I had originally considered preaching on racism as a sanctity of human life issue. We will be blessed that our student pastor (Brother Philip Tyre) will be dealing with that subject in the evening service.

But my thoughts were changed and my direction was turned by a few emails I received from ladies in our church. So this Sunday morning, I will be sharing a Biblical backdrop for these 3 ladies' testimonies. Sadly, there are many others in our church who could testify about the issue of abortion. But I am looking forward to hearing from these 3 Godly women as they share about their journey toward truth, grace, redemption...and life.

Shockingly, I was recently speaking to the member of a church where the pastor has been a virtual "who's who" among Southern Baptist preachers. He's climbed about as high on the denominational ladder as you could go. This dear sister said, "I don't know that our pastor has ever preached on that subject. He really avoids controversy and tries to keep it in the middle-of-the-road."

While I grant that this woman's report about her pastor may not be accurate, it did cause me to consider (in a generic sense)...

A man of God who won't stand unapologetically for life is NOT, in fact, a man of God. He may be a great politician or pulpiteer...but the blood of the apostles and prophets doesn't course through his veins.

I am blessed that this Sunday I will be joined by 3 of our dear sisters to stand for life. It should be one of the most powerful services we've ever had on this subject.

Paid in Full

2010-12-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

Today I had the joy of ceremonially signing the paperwork that authorized our finance office to make the final payment on our loan. We took 6 or 7 pictures "for the record." I like this one the best. There are no faces. And the only names are the ones that are necessary for our purchase orders. It reminds me that God alone has brought this to pass by stirring the hearts of His people.

Over 23 years ahead of schedule...and with millions saved in interest payments...To God alone be the glory.

A Birthday Gift

2010-12-22T04:42:00.000-08:00

When I became the pastor at Emmanuel in 2002, we had already joyfully embraced the vision to construct a new auditorium at a cost of over $2.5 million. That loan was finalized in March 2004 in what was, in effect, a 30-year note. By God's goodness and the sacrifice of His people, this Sunday we will finish paying that debt...about 23 1/2 years ahead of schedule.

During the last 6 1/2 years, by the Lord's grace, we have also purchased about 13 additional acres, built a large preschool annex, converted the office area to house some additional nursery rooms, bought the old Farmers' and Builders' Supply building, renovated it in 2009 for our student ministry, and constructed a new administration building. That doesn't include the growing budget in other areas as we've expanded our missions and ministry base. That's just a little of the brick-and-mortar side!

All of this effort has been a testament to God's grace and His hand on our fellowship. Humanly speaking, thanks goes to the faithful membership at EBC. Your systematic giving has been an outward manifestation of your love for our Lord. I also owe a personal word of gratitude to my friend and predecessor, Dr. Don Hattaway. He ministered here for nearly a decade and left a strong healthy church. And he and I both have been privileged to reap where many faithful pastors and members plowed and sowed before we ever came along.

So...this Sunday in celebration of our Lord's birth, I plan to give a gift of gratitude to put "The 2010 Vision" over the top. And I am humbled to have the privilege of doing so.

Happy Birthday, Lord.

Real Evangelism

2010-12-08T03:09:00.000-08:00

I am honored to be invited to preach with these fine men. Please pray for me that I will preach with clarity, boldness, and humility. And come if you are in the area. Check out the other conferences at http://www.baileysmith.org/real_avangelism.htm

Smoke, Mirrors, and Delete Buttons

2010-11-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

I will never forget the privilege I had of touring the production studios of one of America’s most famous TV and radio preachers. As a former DJ and radio guy, I was particularly interested in the technology they were using. It was cutting edge at the time although many home computers today contain similar software.

Our host made a very interesting statement to the group of pastors I was with. He said something like this,

“By the time Dr. _____ gets through with Sunday lunch, we already have a full transcription of his actual ‘live’ sermon he delivered in the 11am service. Our paper copy is complete with highlighted portions that we are to delete. So his personal staff takes all the guess-work out of the editing process for us.”

A member of our group asked, “What kinds of things are deleted from the pastor’s sermons?” The reply was quite telling.

“Well, of course we delete all lengthy pauses where the pastor struggled to find the right word. Some pauses are for effect. Other pauses are erroneous. We take all those out.”

That answer seemed pretty natural. He continued.

“Then we delete all of the ‘uhs’ and ‘ahs’ although the pastor doesn’t do a lot of those. He has learned that it’s easier for us to delete a space of silence than to delete an ‘uh’ in the middle of a sentence. So if he is at a loss he will usually just pause. But if he says ‘uh’ or ‘ah’ it gets deleted.”

I was fascinated.

“And of course if he just makes a mistake…”

Those words caught me completely off guard. “A mistake? What do you mean, ‘A mistake?’ I thought. Dr. ________ would never make a mistake in the pulpit. I’ve never heard him make a mistake of any kind!”

But as our guide continued, I realized exactly why I’d never heard the good doctor make a mistake on his international broadcast.

“And of course if he just makes a mistake we take it out. If he misquotes a passage, (usually just giving the wrong reference) then we delete the erroneous part. If he gets tongue-tied or makes a grammatical error, he usually catches it and simply repeats the phrase properly. The congregation would never really catch why he did it. But the fact is, he did it so we could delete the erroneous part, and leave the accurate part on the recording. With the digital editing process you would never know it.”

He was right. I had never known it. But our guide wasn’t quite finished.

“And from time to time he might even make a Biblical error. A doctrinal or a factual error. It can be something as simple as misquoting a survey or saying, ‘Goliath killed David’ or ‘Moses built the ark.’ He once implied that Christ was a created being. Of course, anyone who knows his doctrine would know that was simply a misstatement. But with our world-wide audience, we certainly could not leave that on the recording.”

I was hanging on every word.

“The editing job is tougher when he doesn’t catch the error himself in the pulpit. When he does catch it, he self-corrects and it’s easier to edit. When he doesn’t correct the error himself, the splicing can be a bit trickier. It’s easier of course with the computer, but it’s still tricky.”

I knew our host was an old radio and TV man when he used the word "splicing." That was a reference to the literal cutting and splicing of audio and video recording tape. Even though they were completely digital in their studio and no actual "splicing" occurred, he still said "splicing." In my mind, I wondered if he would like to have that word "deleted" and have the word "deleted" cut-and-pasted in its place.

While I was on the verge of being distracted by this technical faux pas, he concluded this part of the tour by saying, “And occasionally there is a sermon that just simply never sees the light of day again. No amount of editing will fix a poor sermon. That’s a very rare thing for our pastor but it does happen.”

With that final statement, several things rushed through my mind.

1. Dr. ________ was really human. I'd long-expected it. But here was the proof I needed.

2. If I had this guy working for me, no one would have ever heard me say that "Aquila and Priscila were 2 godly women."

3. If I had this setup, no one would have ever known that I quoted what the Apostle Paul said in the book of First Peter. :)

4. The audio where I said, "We need a gully-washing, toad-strangling chog-froaking revival" would have never seen the light of day if I were preaching in this church.

5. The mp3 file of me saying that "Truth runs off some people like ducks off a water's back" could have been erased with a few mouse clicks. The offending phrase would have gone to that great Recycle Bin in the sky.

6. The times I used a joke that just didn't work...or maybe shared an illustration that I just shouldn't have used...or chased a rabbit...or sounded angry...or got in the flesh...gone! With the blink of an eye and the flash of a delete button...gone!

7. Some of my sermons would have never made their way out of the editing room.

8. If this guy worked for me with his trusty little zap-away-all-the-errors laptop, people all over America would be asking their pastor, "Why can't you preach more like Mike Stone?" They would share my highly edited CD's, media links, and podcasts with all of their friends. I'd be the rage of Facebook if this guy worked for me!

9. While taking NOTHING away from the God-given ability of these great preachers, I came to realize...not even John MacArthur preaches like John MacArthur. And Adrian Rogers in the flesh can't preach as well as the host of "Love Worth Finding." David Jeremiah is good when you hear him 'live.' He's almost as good as that guy on "Turning Point."

10. "Crowd shots" on TV broadcasts are used to edit and delete dumb things the preacher said.

11. If every member of every church could see this room they might be a little more grateful for their pastor's faithful preaching of the Word...uh's, ah's, duds, and misstatements included :)

I am grateful for a wonderful and loving church that lets their pastor preach the whole counsel of God without any additions...or deletions :)

He is Jehovah

2010-11-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

This morning I preached on "The God of All Comfort" from 2 Corinthians 1. In the message I mentioned some of the "Jehovah" names of God. Here are a few of them for your study and edification.

Genesis 22 – Jehovah Jireh – The Lord, my Provider

Exodus 15 – Jehovah Rapha – The Lord who heals

Exodus 17 – Jehovah Nissi – The Lord, my banner

Exodus 31 – Jehovah M’Kaddesh – The Lord who sanctifies

Deuteronomy 33 – Jehovah Chereb – The Lord, my Sword

Deuteronomy 33 - Jehovah Magen – The Lord, my Shield

Judges 6 – Jehovah Shalom - The Lord, my Peace

1 Samuel 1 – Jehovah Sabaoth – Lord of the hosts of heaven

Psalm 3 – Jehovah Kahbodi – The Lord, my Glory

Psalm 10 – Jehovah Malech-Olam – The Lord who is king forever

Psalm 18 – Jehovah Chezeq – The Lord, my strength

Psalm 18 - Jehovah Misqabbi – The Lord, my strong tower

Psalm 18 - Jehovah Naheh – The Lord who smites the enemy

Psalm 18 - Jehovah Seli – The Lord, my Rock

Psalm 20 – Jehovah Hoshea – The Lord, my Savior

Psalm 23 – Jehovah Rohi – The Lord, my Shepherd

Psalm 24 – Jehovah Milchamma – The Lord, mighty in battle

Psalm 27 – Jehovah Ori – The Lord, my Light

Psalm 89 – Jehovah Gannan – The Lord who is my defense

Psalm 91 – Jehovah Machsi – The Lord my Refuge

Psalm 98 – Jehovah Hamelech – The Lord, my King

Isaiah 40 – Jehovah Bara – The Lord, my Creator

Isaiah 49 – Jehovah Goel – The Lord, my Redeemer

Jeremiah 16 – Jehovah Ma’oz – The Lord, my Fortress

Jeremiah 23 – Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord, my righteousness

Ezekiel 48 – Jehovah Shammah – The Lord who is present

SCBC Pastor's Conference

2010-10-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to be a part of the South Carolina Baptist Convention's pastor's conference. I will miss the first day of my own state convention to be there. But it will be a great day full of awesome music and wonderful sermons from some of my heroes. See you in Irmo, SC on November 15th!

Lessons Learned

2010-09-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

In light of some of the recent opportunities for grace-filled ministry at EBC, I’ve begun to reflect on some of the things I’ve learned and/or been reminded of about our church. Here are just a few random thoughts.

1. We really do have some incredible leaders. I am intentionally excluding myself from this comment. But I do not know when I have been more humbled to work with a group of people. Leaders who are not afraid to ask tough questions, to lovingly and graciously disagree, and to simply seek the mind of God for the church’s direction. No church in America has any more mature lay leadership than EBC. None.

2. Our staff is awesome. I’ve watched these men and women deal with a lot of different things in the last year. It’s always been with grace and humility. I respected all of them when they were hired. But my estimation of their love for Christ and His Church has skyrocketed in recent days. If there’s anything worthy of criticism at EBC, blame me. But if there’s anything worthy of thanksgiving, say a prayer of gratitude for the staff. Lee, Sandy, Lynn, Tommy, Dusty, Michael, Wendy, Christi, Philip, Matt, Nita, Brandy, Rhon, Kay, Joey, Ronnie, John, and Justin…you guys are the best!

3. We want to be a Bible-centered, gospel-driven church. Every church says that and many really mean it. EBC really means it. In the last few weeks I have watched strong men and women of God humbly submit themselves to the teachings of God’s Word. Their “flesh” wanted to respond in one way but their Bibles demanded a different response. They went with the Bible against their own opinions and emotions. That’s an increasingly rare thing, even in conservative circles.

4. We are a place of truth, repentance, and grace. Without both grace and truth you don’t really have either one. The truth is, God is a God of grace. And grace is based on the truth that none of us deserves forgiveness. You can’t have one without the other. Repentance is the hinge upon which grace and truth pivot. When truth is declared and repentance is expressed, grace begins to flow. It really is a beautiful thing!

5. Grace can be messy. I mean, it’s not easy. Legalism with all of its nice little boxes and check-lists is (in some ways) easier. Grace requires prayer, forgiveness, Bible study, wisdom, discernment, and personal holiness. I know the Savior’s crucifixion was not a tidy little affair. The daily crucifixion of my carnal flesh and the redistribution of His grace can be a bit messy, too.

6. God loves me. In the midst of expressing and teaching the love of God to others I have been reminded of that simple and timeless truth myself. Not because of me or my actions but in spite of me and my actions. God loves me. And He loves you too.

7. I am one decision away from stupid. That doesn’t soften sin or condone ungodly actions but it sure does temper and color my response. Galatians 6:1 and 1 Corinthians 10:12 would be great supplemental reading on this point. Moses, Jonah, Jacob, Lot, Peter, and others would all testify that loving God doesn’t immunize you from sin or stupidity. I have a personal interest in making sure that EBC is a hospital for repentant sinners…I will be a patient there sooner or later.

8. Repentance changes everything. It really does. It changes the reaction from both God and man. No blame-shifting, excuse-making, and acountability-dodging...just confession and repentance. Maybe we could start a new trend...each of us beginning with ourselves.

Hell's Plan for our Revival

2010-08-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

As we continue our study of Nehemiah, here's a little preview of Sunday's message, "Hell's Plan for our Revival."

The people who do not deserve an attack do not deserve a victory. And the pastor who is not worthy of criticism is not worthy of praise.

Outside Preaching Schedule

2010-08-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am very thankful for several invitations to preach in addition to my weekly privileges at Emmanuel. If any of my friends are near these events, I would count it a joy to see you in person.

August 22 at 6pm
Awesome August Nights
First Baptist Church of Thomasville, GA
Dr. Dan Spencer, pastor

September 26-29
Fall Revival
Walkerville Baptist Church
Blackshear, GA
Brother Greg Carter, pastor

October 5-6
Fall Revival
Shady Grove Baptist Church
Blackshear, GA
Brother Edmund Thrift, pastor

October 21
Fall Meeting
Piedmont-Okefenokee Baptist Association
Riverside Chapel Baptist Church
Nahunta, GA

October 25
Upstate Bible Conference
Fellowship Baptist Church
Pendleton, SC
With Dr. Don Whitt (host) and Dr. Phil Hoskins

November 15
South Carolina Baptist Convention
Pastor's Conference
Riverland Hills Baptist Church
Irmo, SC
With Dr. Brad Whitt (host), David Landrith, Emir Caner, James Merritt, and Ken Whitten

December 29
Harvest Community Church
Nahunta, GA
Brother Joey Taylor, pastor

January 25
Alabama Pastor's Conference
Dr. Don Whitt (host)

March 27
North Jacksonville Baptist Church
Jacksonville, FLA
Sunday AM and PM services
Dr. Herb Reavis, Jr., pastor

I have also been privileged with an invitation to preach at all 3 "Real Evangelism" conferences hosted by Dr. Bailey Smith in 2011. They will be held in GA, NC, and MS.

Inviting All Men!

2010-08-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

I am convinced that one of the biggest problems facing our church, families, community, and nation is the absence of real men of God. That’s why Emmanuel Baptist is offering a brand new Bible study on Monday nights for men only. It is going to be a great joy as a pastor to facilitate this Bible study.

The class begins at 8:15p and will end no later than 9:30p. The schedule is designed to accommodate the busy calendar we men have. Most men can get home, enjoy some time with their family, fulfill some evening duties (like getting the kids bathed or helping with homework) and still make the 8:15p start time. Since the class ends by 9:30p, most men in our area can still be home by no later than 10p and in bed shortly thereafter.

I want to invite every man in our church and our community to join me for “Man of His Word.” This study by the late Dr. Adrian Rogers is a dynamic invitation to authentic Biblical manhood. The 8 sessions will take about 10 weeks to complete due to the Labor Day holiday and our Fall revival schedule.

“Man of His Word” begins Monday, August 23rd at 8:15pm in our church fellowship hall. I hope to see you guys there!

Finishing Strong

2010-08-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I have the privilege of preaching about a special two-Sunday offering we will be receiving this Fall. It is going to be a great joy to finally be debt-free as a church.

Church members, please use the logo contained in this blog post to make your own personal "offering box" for yourself and your family. Just click on this picture and your computer will take you to a screen where you can "right mouse click" and save this logo to your computer.

I think for our three children we will use three old coffee cans, one for each child. We will probably let them decorate it themselves and glue or tape this logo on the box. Using something like MS Word or MS Publisher we will probably personalize the label for each child.

Of course you can use other items such as shoe boxes, milk jugs, mayonnaise jars, etc.

Just use this logo to make this entire emphasis a special time of reflection and gratitude for your whole family.

Looking forward to finishing strong,

Pastor Mike

Welcome Brother Matt!

2010-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I was blessed to publicly announce what we believe is God's call on the life of Brother Matt Rodgers to join our pastoral staff as our new children's pastor. Matt is no stranger to EBC. He was raised here, saved here, baptized here, and called to the ministry here. He met his wife Jif here at EBC.

After leaving EBC for vocational ministry, Matt served as the youth pastor at Patterson Baptist Church for several years. For the last 5+ years he has been the minister of youth and children at Jefferson Street Baptist Church in Dublin, GA. As Matt prepares to come preach in view of our church's affirmation, let me share a few reasons I am so excited.

1. Matt loves Jesus.

I sense a love for Christ every time I get around Matt. He is a man of honesty, transparency, and integrity. Those traits are all born out of a vibrant relationship with the Lord Jesus.

2. Matt loves his wife.

OK, the Ridgeway clan is the best thing to ever happen to Rhon and Matt. They both (like their pastor) married up! Of course those girls didn't do too bad either :) But in these days of immorality running rampant, it's nice to have a guy who still gets watery eyes when he talks about his beloved bride.

3. Matt loves his kids.

I confess I am partial toward adoptive parents...especially those who got a "blessed surprise" after they adopted. I can hardly wait to really get to know Matthew and Grayson.

4. Matt loves the Bible.

He understands that the only thing that will make a lasting difference in the lives of our children and their families is to be saturated in the Word of God. There will be plenty of room for "play time" in children's ministry but only subordinate to the declaration, memorization, and application of the Bible.

5. Matt loves our staff.

One benefit of calling a "home-grown" staff member is that we already know, love, and respect each other. Our staff enjoys wonderful relationships together and Matt will be a welcome addition to our team. We've already enjoyed some really sweet fellowship together and I look forward to much more.

6. Matt loves the church.

How could a person not have a special place for the church where they were saved, baptized, and called to the ministry? But Matt not only loves our church. He loves the church. He loves the organized, visible, tangible expression of the work of God in the world today.

7. Matt loves the gospel.

Much of what is labeled as "children's ministry" is nothing more or less than the sounding of a strange trumpet. What our kids need is to be taught that they are sinners apart from God and they must repent and believe. Not merely raise a hand, pray a prayer, and walk an aisle.

For these reasons and many more, I am thrilled that Matt accepted the leadership's invitation to join our pastoral staff. We will seek the church's affirmation immediately following the evening service on August 1st.

The Doctrine of Separation

2010-07-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 6:17 - "Come out from among them and be separate. And touch not the unclean thing and I will welcome you."

Tuesday night I preached on the doctrine of separation at the South Georgia Bible Conference. As part of the sermon from 2 Corinthians 6:17, I mentioned 5 questions that believers can ask the Holy Spirit in order to address the issue of separation. This post is not an attempt to address that doctrine. I took a whole sermon to do that. I merely want to list the questions I gave in that sermon with brief commentary.

1. Does it violate the Bible?

This seems so basic. But the bottom line is that violation of a clear command of Scripture is never a matter of Christian liberty. The Holy Spirit does not have to convict you about lying, stealing, promiscuity, immodesty, etc. in order for these actions (and many others) to be sinful things from which a believer ought to separate. A great deal of things that some Christians seem to think are matters of "conviction" are really matter of old-fashioned "obedience."

For example, going to see a movie that is filled with vulgarities, lewdness, and sexuality is not relegated to a matter of conviction. The Scripture forbids it.

2. Does it harm my body?

We could go off the deep end here because most foods can have a harmful effect in excess. And gluttony indeed is a sin. But as God gives us some common sense and simple wisdom, we should ask, "Does this practice work primarily for the harm of my body?" (drugs, alcohol, etc.)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 teaches us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit so we are to glorify God with our physical bodies.

3. Does it offend my brother?

Christian liberty ends where my weaker brother's offense begins. It should be noted that the offense referenced in the Scripture belongs to a weaker brother, not an overly-legalistic, mature brother. In other words, I am to be more concerned about the sentiment of a new Christian than a fellow pastor. Both are important. One is just more important than the other on this point.

4. Does it lead to bondage?

Many practices are addictive and controlling in nature. Paul said he would be "mastered by nothing."

5. Does it result in blessing?

In short, can I give God glory for it? If not, I should separate from it. I am commanded to do all things to the glory of God. If I cannot stand in the presence of the Lord and say, "Lord, I bless and honor you for _________" then I should consider that practice as an unworthy one.

South Georgia Bible Conference

2010-07-13T03:41:00.000-07:00

It was an honor to be invited to preach at the South Georgia Bible Conference in Valdosta. Please be in prayer for me and the other preachers as we finalize preparations for our messages. Of all the places I preach other than Emmanuel, none is any more humbling to me than Morningside in Valdosta. http://www.morningside.ws/sgbc3.htm

First, because I love their pastor. Dr. Robertson is completing his 25th year as senior pastor of that great church. He is a hero of mine in every respect.

Secondly, because I love this dear church. In some churches where I go as a guest I feel like Paul preaching at Corinth. I have to put my sermon in a spiritual blender so they can wash it down slowly. Morningside, however, is a church that has a corporate appetite for the meat of the word.

Thirdly, because I have a great love for the other men on this program. While Dr. Cathey's health will not allow him to attend this year, I am still humbled to preach alongside some great men of God. I am not only taking my sermons but I am also taking a blank notebook. It is going to be good to sit under the teaching of these wonderful Bible preachers.

The Unpardonable Sin...What is it (not)?

2010-07-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I preached a message on the "unpardonable sin" in Matthew 12:32. Because of the breadth and depth of false teaching on this subject, I intentionally spent a lot of time discussing what the unpardonable sin is NOT. Since I went over them pretty quickly, a few people asked for this list tonight. Here they are in the form of true statements designed to thrash oft-repeated fallacies.

1. A saved person cannot commit this sin.

If you are worried that you’ve committed it, you haven’t. The person who has committed this sin can never be forgiven. It is impossible, by definition, for an eternally-forgiven, eternally-secure person to commit a sin for which there is no forgiveness.

John 5:24 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life.”

Here Jesus teaches 3 tenses of salvation. As a believer, I have passed (past tense) from death into life. I have (present tense) eternal life. And I will not come (future tense) into judgment.

If you do not believe in eternal security, you will stay confused about many facets of the unpardonable sin. The purpose of this post is not to teach that glorious Bible doctrine but the fact is, an eternally secure believer cannot commit the unpardonable sin.

2. It is not teaching against charismatic doctrine.

Several people have accused me of having committed the unpardonable sin because of my teaching regarding speaking in tongues and being "slain in the Spirit."

First, I have never preached against tongues. I’ve merely said that what we see today IS NOT TONGUES. Secondly, even if I were wrong, the unpardonable sin is not a sin of ignorance. It is not a sin committed by a mistaken interpretation of Scripture. It is an eyes-wide-open sin committed in the face of a full revelation of light.

3. It is not “dying lost.”

I've heard this one most of my life in various places. Those who teach this limit the unpardonable sin to an act that is not ultimately committed until a person dies. But think about it…a dead person cannot sin!

Dr. John R. Rice in his book, Crossing the Deadline writes, “All who die unconverted do cross the deadline. God’s Holy Spirit does cease to call. Such sinners are forever past repentance. So what happens to millions at death may happen to some before death.”

Jesus, however, is describing a sin committed by those who are VERY MUCH ALIVE. Though they may live another 100 years, the Spirit of God will never again deal with them about their sin, they will never feel the tug to salvation, and they are as destined for hell as if they were already there.

4. It is not “merely” resisting or rejecting Christ.

Granted, all Christ-rejecters will die lost unless the Spirit of God enlightens their eyes and they repent before death. But if "rejecting Christ" or "resisting Christ" was unpardonable then the only people ever saved would be those who respond the FIRST time they are convicted of sin.

This notion is also based on the false belief that everyone is going to heaven except those who reject Christ. The Bible teaches exactly the opposite. As sinners, we are all under the just condemnation of heaven. Everyone is destined for and deserving of hell except those who receive Christ, not the other way around.

5. It is not adultery.

Adultery is a terrible and horrible sin. But, simply put, there is no such sin as “perpetual adultery.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (in part) – “Adulterers will (not) inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Sorry to bother some readers, but if an adulterer has repented, he no longer has "2 wives." Your grandma may have taught you that but the Bible does not. There's no way to have "2 wives" without being an adulterer and the text above clearly teaches it's possible to be a FORMER adulterer.

King David, the woman at the well, and the "woman caught in adultery" could sing in 3-part harmony that there is "grace that is greater than all my sin."

6. It is not murder.

David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet he was a murderer.

Paul was complicit in Stephen’s death. He described himself as a violent aggressor. He goes on to tell Timothy (1 Timothy 1) that as the worst of all sinners, his salvation was an example that Christ would save anyone...even a murderer.

7. It is not suicide.

This thought is based on the false belief that you can lose salvation. Presumably, a person who kills himself (at least by an instantaneous method) committed a sin without time to repent.

But a person's destiny in eternity is not determined by how they died but by what they did in response to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Interestingly, those who teach that taking your own life is an unpardonable sin do not often think about the sin of gluttony. Many overweight and unhealthy preachers are killing themselves one porkchop at a time.

8. It is not sexual perversion.

We live in a sex-crazed and sex-saturated world. But the truth of the Bible is:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Neither fornicators…nor adulterers…nor effeminate…will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

The word effeminate = perverted = twisted.

I admit that if I were the Lord, crimes against innocent children might be unforgivable. But thankfully, I am not the Lord. He promises forgiveness for even the most heinous of all perversions. Those trapped in bondage to sexual perversion can repent of their sins and discover the truth of the great old hymn,

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day. And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away!

9. It is not profanity.

Admittedly, I cannot stand filthy talk. And specifically, It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck when people take God’s name in vain.

Those who teach that the unpardonable sin is profanity typically draw from Christ's use of the word "speak" when describing this blasphemy. But the root of the sin is in the heart, not the mouth. See Matthew 12:25.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (in part) – “Revilers will (not) inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Several reliable commentators point out the the word "revilers" references people with filthy language. They revile with their speech.

People often take the name of God the Father in vain.
People often take the name of God the Son in vain.
But I’ve never heard anyone take the name of the Spirit in vain as a curse word.

10. It is not homosexuality

No sin in history has pushed and demanded more acceptance by the culture and the church than the sin of sodomy.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (in part) – “Homosexuals will (not) inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

In addition to reaffirming the sinful nature of homosexual relationships, this verse also teaches that it is gloriously and graciously possible to be a former homosexual. One of the biggest lies that Satan whispers to people trapped in this lifestyle is "God made you this way. Don't deny your own nature. Be at peace with who you are as a homosexual because it can't be changed." This text unequivocally teaches that there is freedom, liberty, and release from the bondage of this sinful life...and such were some of you!

Through the years many members of our own church have expressed their repentant spirit over this sin and they would each testify that they have found their pastor to be filled with mercy and grace. But my compassion and grace could never begin to compare to the mercy received from the Lord Jesus!

For these sins and all others except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, there is free and full forgiveness to all who will repent.

For the Record...My Published Quote on the GCR

2010-07-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

I was grateful to be contacted by Dr. Gerald Harris, editor of The Christian Index for a brief quote on the passage of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Recommendations by the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando last month. Dr. Harris is a dear friend, mentor, and eloquent statesman among Georgia and Southern Baptists. It was my joy to fulfill his request.

The text of my quote was simple:

"The invoking of God’s name, the misuse of His Word, and the presumption of His will on an organizational matter (the GCR vote) was incredibly over-the-top. I pray that I never use God’s Word to tell my members that their vote either for or against an extra-biblical structural change in our church is an indication of their faithfulness to Christ or their commitment to the Great Commission."

For the record, I believe this occurred on BOTH sides of the GCR. That's why I stated, "either for or against." It occurred publicly at the podium and privately in the hushed conversations of the hallway. Frankly, I have less patience for the private, off-the-record, if-you-repeat-this-I'll-deny-it approach that many Baptist leaders take. I can at least respect those (for and against) who will stand flat-footed and publicly state their position.

My quote was specifically directed toward those comments that presumed the mind and will of God. For example, God is in favor of the Great Commission. No question. We've got Bible on that. Would God have voted in favor of the GCR? Would God have voted against it? It is prideful and presumptuous to say either way.

I don't think those who voted for the GCRTF report are reckless men and women who do not appreciate the past or who have some sinister motive for denominational advancement. Are you kidding me? The leaders of the task force (beginning with President Johnny Hunt) are people of character, integrity, and faith. And frankly, the members have accomplished quite a bit without the SBC. To assume they are seeking self-advancement is ludicrous, unwarranted, and frankly, sinful. To whisper, "I wonder what so-and-so was offered for his vote?" is a violation of the law of love and the prohibition against sinful judgements. Besides that, if you really have that question, why don't you go ask the man, "Did they offer you a job for your support?" That will hardly ever happen in the SBC.

I don't think those who voted against the GCRTF report are denominational dead-weights who favor "bloated bureaucracy" or "declining baptisms." It is possible they are God-loving, Bible-believing brothers and sisters who simply think it is a misstep from an organizational perspective. Maybe...just maybe...they have not made a god out of the CP and are not more concerned about funding Nashville than populating heaven. Maybe...just maybe.

Having said that, my concern (and the essence of my quote as published in THE INDEX) is the invocation of God's name to support one's position. Good and godly brothers and sisters can simply disagree on this matter. If I were asked to find a text that said, "God is in favor of the GCR report" I could not find it. It is not there. If I were asked to find a text that said, "The report is a violation of God's will" I could not find it either. It's simply not there.

My quote is, at its core, a call for humility. This is what we believe will help us accomplish the Lord's work. We could be wrong. But it's the collective effort of good and godly men and women.

Neither a vote FOR or AGAINST this organizational change was obedience to a Divinely-inspired mandate.

The Most Quoted Verse in the Bible

2010-06-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

This Sunday morning our series on "The Most" will continue with a provocative look at what I am calling the most quoted verse in the Bible. It is not necessarily the most quoted verse by Christians. But I am convinced that the verse we will examine is quoted more often by unbelievers than any verse in the Bible.

Unbelievers may not know John 3:16 but they know this verse. They may not know Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9, or 10:13 but they know this verse. In fact, it seems as if even an unbeliever can parse the Greek verbs in this "most quoted verse." It's as though the world has memorized this verse in the KJV, NIV, NASB, NKJV, and even The Message. Even a lost man deems himself to be an expert on exegeting this verse.

I am looking forward to unveiling this "most quoted verse" and the Biblical teaching that it contains. I hope to see all my EBC family at 9am and 10:30am.

The Most Patriotic Verse in the Bible

2010-05-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

I am a flag-waving, country-loving member of the America-love-it-or-leave-it crowd. Yet I am reminded from Scripture that the greatest thing I can do for my country is not to wave a flag but to live a holy life. The best way to truly love country is to love God first.

This Memorial Day weekend we will honor the memories of those who gave their lives for our civic freedom. We will also (first and foremost) honor the One who gave His life for our eternal freedom. So for the latest installation in our new Sunday morning series called, "The Most" we will take a serious look at "The Most Patriotic Verse in the Bible."

If you are in Blackshear for the holiday weekend, join us for Sunday School and worship. We are going to have a great Christ-honoring look at a Biblical view of patriotism.

The Most Offensive Verse in the Bible

2010-05-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

This morning I preached on 1 Timothy 2:5 and dubbed it "The Most Offensive Verse in the Bible." Granted, this text may not actually be the most offensive verse but it certainly contains the most offensive truth. Namely, that salvation is found through Jesus Christ and Him alone.

There is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (I Timothy 2:5)

My outline of this text was simple. I sought to merely take this verse apart word-by-word and put it back together.

1. One Sovereign Master (There is one God)

A. An emphatic statement (There is)

Not maybe, might be, or perhaps. There is one God.

B. An exclusive statement (one)

Into a polytheistic culture Moses said, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." Paul agrees.

C. An evident statement (God)

The heavens declare the glory of the Lord. Creation itself testifies to the existence of God. Only the fool has said in his heart "There is no God." (Psalm 14)

2. One Single Mediator (One mediator also between God and men)

A. The depravity of man (One mediator)

The reason we need a mediator is because we have offended God by our actions and our nature.

B. The demands of justice (between)

The holiness of God demands that we be separated from Him. God in His righteous judgment cannot fellowship with us in our sin.

C. The desire of God (God and men)

The mediator extends from God to men and not from men to God. God is initiating, extending, and offering salvation to mankind. Since He is the offended party, He alone retains the right to determine the terms of reconciliation.

3. One Saving Messiah

A. His humanity (the man)

While never ceasing to be God, Christ became man. (John 1:1, 14)

B. His deity (Christ)

The clear teaching of Scripture is that Christ was Divine. Not all man and no God. Not all God and no man. Not 1/2 God and 1/2 man. He was 100% God and 100% man. He was as much man as if He was not God at all and as much God as if not man at all.

The reason that is important in His qualifications as a mediator is this: A bridge must be able to touch both banks of the river. A mediator must be able to understand and relate to both parties. Certainly there are many religous leaders who can relate to humanity. But only One can relate to both God and man for only Jesus Christ was both human and divine.

When Bible-believing Christians speak of the exclusive nature of Christ we are not intending to speak in a derogatory way of other religious leaders. We are simply saying, "That bridge is out." For example, you can leave the river bank of humanity on a bridge called Mohammed and you can travel that bridge for a while. But before you get to God, the bridge will be out and you will fall headlong into hell. You can travel the bridge of Confucius, Buddha, or Joseph Smith. Before you get to heaven and to God, the bridge will prove too short and you will fall into an eternity of judgment.

If you travel the bridge of Mary worship...bridge out. If you travel the bridge of water baptism and so-called, "holy communion"...bridge out. If you travel the bridge of good works and membership at the Southern Baptist church...bridge out. If you are traveling the extra-biblical bridge of a "confirmation class" you will soon find that bridge, too, is out.

C. His agony (Jesus)

"Jesus" means "The Lord Saves." By His grace, God did not merely design a great bridge (the man Christ) but He also built that bridge at a place called Calvary (Jesus). For a bridge to work, it has to get off the architect's drafting table, off the structural engineer's desk and get planted in concrete and steel. "The man Christ," God in human flesh offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin. Through His death, burial, and resurrection He actually built the bridge of Divine reconciliation. Rather than opening the bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, He simply cried out, "It is finished."

By far, the most commented-on portion of the message so far was my recitiation of several interviews in which prominent preachers gave less-than-stellar answers regarding the exclusivity of salvation through Christ. These transcripts are available online.

On June 16, 2005 Billy Graham appeared on Larry King Live

KING: But what about those faiths…like the Jews, the Muslims, who don't believe (in Christ).

GRAHAM: That's in God's hands. I can't be the judge.

KING: You don't judge them?

GRAHAM: No.

KING: How do you feel when you see a lot of these strong Christian leaders go on television and say, you are condemned, you will live in hell if you do not accept Jesus Christ, and they are forceful and judgmental?

GRAHAM: Well, they have a right to say that, and they are true to a certain extent, but I don't -- that's not my calling. My calling is to preach the love of God…You can get off on all kinds of different side trends, and in my earlier ministry, I did the same, but as I got older, I guess I became more mellow and more forgiving and more loving.

Wow...preaching that faith in Christ is required for salvation is now a "side trend?" Given his age, this would be almost excusable as a misstatement except for the fact Dr. Graham has a long-documented history of duplicity on this issue.

Joel O’Steen on Larry King Live, June 20, 2005

KING: What if you're Jewish or Muslim, you don't accept Christ at all?

OSTEEN: You know, I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know ...

KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They're wrong, aren't they?

OSTEEN: Well, I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God with judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don't know. I've seen their sincerity. So I don't know.

It is rather telling that the pastor of the largest religious group in America does not understand this basic fundamental of the faith.

Jeremiah Wright at the National Press Club in April 2008

MODERATOR: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but through me.’ Do you believe this? And do you think Islam is a way to salvation?”

WRIGHT: “Jesus also said, ‘Other sheep have I who are not of this fold.’”

Wright's clear implication was that Jesus said that He had sheep who were not, in fact, Christian believers. Ironically, he only quoted ½ of John 10:16 where Jesus said, “I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also and they will hear My voice. They will become one flock with Me, the One Shepherd.”

My prayer is that God will use this message in a polytheistic and pluralistic society to remind believers and non-believers alike, "There is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

The Most: Key Verses of the Bible

2010-05-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

This Sunday morning I will begin a brand new series of messages called, "The Most." Each of these messages will dissect and declare the truth from a single verse of the Bible. The common thread in this series is that each verse will be the most _______ verse in the Scripture. Sermons will include:

The Most Offensive Verse in the Bible
The Most Patriotic Verse in the Bible

The Most Misunderstood Verse in the Bible

The Most Loved Verse in the Bible

The Most Famous Verse in the Bible

The Most Neglected Verse in the Bible

The Most Comforting Verse in the Bible

...and perhaps others.

I do not do a lot of topical preaching but I am sincerely looking forward to this brief departure from book studies. This new series begins with a look at "The Most Offensive Verse in the Bible." The verse I have chosen may not actually be the most offensive verse. But I am confident it conveys the most offensive truth to be found in the Bible.

Following Doctor's Orders

2010-03-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday as I concluded our "First Aid for the Family" series, I shared a final TOP TEN list. These are the "Top Ten Things I Would Have Never Known Without Children." Enjoy.

10. No matter what the TV ad says, “Simply Orange” will not erase a Magic Marker or Sharpie from ceramic tile.

9. The nostril of a 2-year old and an English Pea are exactly the same size.

8. Whoever invented the pacifier deserves a Nobel Peace Prize and a Congressional Medal of Honor.

7. 3 o’clock comes twice a day.

6. “Do you want a spanking?” is a perfectly legitimate question!

5. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42-pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a superman cape.

4. Whoever coined the phrase, “slept like a baby” apparently did not have children.

3. A penny will pass through the digestive tract of a two-year-old in about 2 ½ days.

2. When you hear the toilet flush followed by the words “Uh-oh,” it's already too late.

1. One man could ever have so much joy.

Building a Christian Home

2010-03-23T05:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning in our series, "First Aid for the Family" I shared a quote from Larry Fowler's book, "Raising a Modern Day Joseph." After multiple requests I've decided to post the quote. I wholeheartedly recommend the entire book.

You simply won’t succeed without consistent, committed involvement of the parents working hand in hand with your church. Why? Because for the Christian youth, the home is the most important element. Without the cooperation of the Christian home, the child is being told Christianity is one thing at church and seeing something entirely different at home.

A youth from a non-believing home doesn’t expect home life to be like what the church says – so there is little confusion. Not so with a youth from an uninvolved, unspiritual “Christian” home!” In fact, the highest risk young person is not the one from a non-believing home but rather one from a hypocritical Christian home.

Top Ten Ways to Raise a Rebel

2010-03-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

In our "First Aid for the Family" series, the top ten lists just keep on the coming. The last two lists were intended to be humorous (though true!) but there's nothing funny about this one. Taken from the message, "Raising Healthy Kids in a Sick World," here are some sure-fire ways to raise a pagan child.

The entire sermon may be heard at http://www.ebchurch.net/

Top Ten Ways to Raise a Rebel

1) Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.

2) Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. That way he will learn first-hand how to have a dysfunctional home.

3) When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he’s cute when he sins.

4) Make him go to church but don’t let it affect the way you actually live. That way he will rebel against God but will be so inoculated by religion he won’t know it.

5) Never speak about spiritual things in the home. Wait until he is twenty-one and then “let him decide for himself.”

6) Avoid use of the word, "wrong". He may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.

7) Let him read any printed material, and listen to any music he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.

8) Pick up everything he leaves lying around. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced in throwing all responsibility on others.

9) Take his part against neighbors, teachers, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.

10) Prepare for a life of grief. You will most likely have one.

Paper Pastors

2010-03-20T18:45:00.001-07:00

A friend sent me this link and it is perhaps one of the best blog posts I have ever read. It's a finely-crafted analogy and well worth sharing here.

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/04/porn-and-paper-pastors.html

Things Every Wife Needs to Know

2010-03-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

This morning in preaching part 2 of our new family series, I shared a "top ten list" of things every husband wants his wife to know. Actually, since men need extra help, this list includes eleven things. They are shared (tongue-in-cheek).

1. I don’t really need or want all the details. Get to the point.

2. Learn to work the toilet seat. If it’s up, put it down.

3. Tell me what you want. Subtle hints don’t work. Obvious hints don’t work. Just tell me what you want!

4. I own 3 pairs of shoes. I don’t know or care which of your 75 pairs of shoes would look best with that dress.

5. I don’t see why “yes” and “no” are not perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question!

6. There’s a reason you think that dress doesn’t flatter you. Save an argument and please don’t ask me about it.

7. If something I said can be taken 2 ways, and one of them makes you mad, I meant it the other way.

8. I only know 5 colors. Peach is a fruit. Lilac is a flower. And I have no idea what mauve is.

9. I am not a mind-reader. My lack of ability to read your mind is not proof that I do not love you!

10. If I ask you what’s wrong and you say, “nothing” I will act like nothing’s wrong. I know you’re lying but it’s not worth the hassle.

11. When I’m staring off, don’t ask me what’s on my mind unless you want to discuss bass fishing, deer stands, or whether or not Pete Rose ought to be allowed into the Hall of Fame.

By the way, for those in the 9am service, get a CD of the 10:30 message...You will hear what I "meant" to say. You gotta love the time change (yawn).

First Aid for the Family

2010-03-01T18:32:00.000-08:00

This Sunday morning I am beginning a 4-part series on the family. It has been several years since I have really preached a family series and my pastoral discernment tells me the time is right. Our series is going to be called, "First Aid for the Family." The Scripture text will be taken from Ephesians 5:21-6:4 and will cover 4 topics.

Sunday, March 7
Doctor Dad

No one in the entire household is better positioned to remedy what ails the family than Daddy. Oh, yes, others need to cooperate but it begins with a properly trained and well-equipped husband and father. When it comes to "First Aid for the Family" God is calling on husbands to step up and be trained as family doctors!

Sunday, March 14
Nurse Mom

I wish every husband had the privilege of being married to a woman like my wife, Andrea. This second message will include a lot of instruction about being a Christ-honoring wife. Of course, I know nothing about that personally :) but I've learned a lot from reading the Bible and watching my bride.

Sunday, March 21
Raising Healthy Kids in a Sick World

As a parent of young children, this has been the most challenging part of my sermon preparation. The world we live in is infecting our children with spiritual viruses of the worst kind. God has called their mother and me to stay by their "sick-bed" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and do all we can to keep them healthy. With a strong word to parents about their responsibilities to their kids, this may be the most sobering sermon in the series.

Sunday, March 28
Following Doctor's Orders

In His infinite wisdom, God knows that children need training and instruction. And no one is better able to write that spiritual prescription than Mom and Dad. In this final message, I will share a pastoral plea with young children to honor and obey their parents. Following these doctor's orders will result in their good and the glory of God...just what the Great Physician ordered.

A Simple Prayer Request

2010-03-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

Each day I have several hundred hits on this blog. I simply want to ask my regular readers to pray for me and for my voice. Allergies and early pollen have wreaked havoc on my voice.

My schedule has me preaching 6 times in the next 6 days, including our state evangelism conference and a one-night revival. I would be most appreciative of your prayers.

This Sunday at EBC

2010-02-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

I really love to preach the Bible. It is one of the great privileges of my life. Sometimes people will kindly reference the impact that my teaching has had on their walk with Christ. That's always an encouragement.

This Sunday morning I am going to be preaching about 3 reasons we ought to all study our Bibles. My desire as a pastor/teacher is for my long-term members to be self-feeding, self-sustaining, mature believers who can study the Bible for themselves.

Sunday morning in our 9a and 10:30a worship services I will show you 3 reasons you ought to study the Bible for yourself. I hope to see all my EBC friends and family there.

Dr. Jerry Vines to preach at Emmanuel Baptist

2010-02-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, February 28th I have the joy of sharing the pulpit with one of my heroes, Dr. Jerry Vines. Dr. Vines is the pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. There are few preachers in the world for whom I have greater respect than Dr. Vines. We will be privileged to hear him at 9a, 10:30a, and 6p.

2010 State Evangelism Conference

2010-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, March 2 I will be preaching at the annual state evangelism conference of the Georgia Baptist Convention. I will share the afternoon session along with my dear friend Dr. Gerald Harris, editor of The Christian Index, our state Baptist paper. My scheduled time to preach is about 3:15p-3:55p although I would encourage my friend in SE Georgia to make as much of the 2010 SEC as possible.

For you folks across Georgia who listen to our messages online, I would count it a great privilege to meet you personally.

A Guest Blog

2010-01-27T19:51:00.000-08:00

Lamar and Brie Long have long been two of my favorite people. Top-drawer all the way. Here's the latest reason why.

http://briebird.wordpress.com/

Baptists and Booze

2010-01-22T18:44:00.001-08:00

The subject of Baptists and alcohol has been a recent subject of conversation in our home and among my preacher friends.

Perhaps it's because I occasionally get asked about my service on the 2006 SBC Resolutions Committee and about my support the now-infamous Resolution #5. www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=1156

Perhaps it's because last week I ran into a wayward church member in the local Rite Aid as they were purchasing a huge 24-pack of Bud Light. By the way, why is it that when the pastor sees church members publicly buying booze, the PASTOR is the one to feel embarassment? But I digress.

Perhaps it's because of the fact that hardly a week goes by that I am not involved in ministering in some tragic situation where liquor was a major contributing factor to someone's spiritual, physical, and moral demise.

Perhaps it's because of the seemingly-growing number of churches and church leaders who claim an abstinence position...so long as no one actually mentions it. At least if you do mention it, don't actually act like you mean it.

I have preached on the subject several times. There is no doubt in my mind I could go toe-to-toe with anyone wanting to argue the typical libertine approach to liquor use. The wedding at Cana, the Lord's Supper, Paul's instruction to Timothy, etc. But I won't argue those here because it's far beyond the scope of this post. Besides, most people who bring those things up really don't want a theological or moral discussion. They just want to justify their desire to drink alcohol...or their desire to go-along-to-get-along, please-don't-rock-the-boat.

I really just have a couple of simple questions. They are born out of a satirical conversation between me and my dearest pastor friend, Dr. Don Hattaway, who of course is in complete and total agreement with a 100% abstinence position. Here they are:

If marijuana and other addictive drugs were legalized, thus removing the whole "submit to governmental authorities" argument, upon what basis would pastors and church leaders remove staff members, deacons, committee leaders, and teachers who regularly smoked pot, sniffed glue, or snorted cocaine?

Would a youth pastor candidate be told, "We are personally opposed to casual drug use by our youth workers, but we'd rather you not make a strong statement against it in your youth workers' meeting. After all, it's not illegal. And if it's not at a full-blown, abusively-addictive level then their pot smoking, pill popping, glue sniffing, and coke snorting is really a matter of Christian liberty."

The Most Dangerous Place in America

2010-01-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

On this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday I was thinking about the most dangerous place to live in America.

According to information received from the US Centers for Disease Control, the #1 killer in America takes more lives than heart disease and cancer combined.

The top US killer takes more lives than strokes, lung disease, accidents, pneumonia, suicide, diabetes, kidney failure, liver disease, and HIV/AIDS combined.

The #1 killer in America snuffs out the lives of 88x more people than "homicide" as defined by the government.

According to numbers from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, this #1 killer ends the lives of about 1.3 million Americans each year...that's about 1 life every 26 seconds on average.

I decided to get some information from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. It seems that in Fresno, CA and in Buffalo, NY there is 1 murder per week. There are about 2 murders per week in Boston, MA and Cincinatti, OH. More than 4 people are murdered each week in Dallas, TX while Houston, TX and Detroit, MI loose 6 citizens per week to homicide. Atlanta, GA and Miami, FLA make the infamous list with 1 murder occurring every single day.

But by far the most dangerous city to live in (as far as murder rates) is Los Angeles, CA. In the Greater-LA area there are about 3 murders every single day.

That's 1 murder for every 11,364 residents of Los Angeles. Hold that thought.

Back to our #1 killer...

If it takes the lives of 1.3 million Americans each year, then based on a national population of roughly 300 million, that means this top killer takes 1 life for about every 230 people.

Let's get this straight...The murder-capital of America sees 1 death annually for every 11,364 residents. But the #1 killer in the USA takes the life of 1 person for every 230 citizens. That means the #1 killer in America is 49X more deadly than the gang-infested streets of LA.

It is painfully obvious and statistically irrefutable that the most dangerous place to live in America is...in the womb of your own mother.

To listen to one of the most sobering messages I have ever preached, check out our web site at http://www.ebchurch.net/. Link over to the sermon, "What Happened to the Ammonites?"

Relief for Haiti

2010-01-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

In addition to our prayers and upcoming trips to assist the people of Haiti, I am asking all members of EBC to bring your best offering this Sunday for "Haiti Disaster Relief." We will be bypassing the various agencies and sending money directly to the field.

I have located a trustworthy missions agency in Brantley County that has strong ties to Haiti. In fact, several members of our own church have already ministered in Haiti along with this team.

Some of the immediate needs include food, clothing, and medical care. Your gift this Sunday will literally be on the mission field within a few days.

Please bring a separate check made payable to "Emmanuel Baptist Church" and note "Haiti" in the memo section. Your counting committee and stewardship leaders will make sure your money is on the field ministering to "the least of these" within days.

Repentance

2009-12-30T18:50:00.000-08:00

This Sunday I am beginning a 3-part series called "3 Steps to Revival." The 3 steps are:

1. Repentance

2. Prayer

3. Fasting

Since it makes sense to start with number 1 we will be studying "repentance" this Sunday morning. Part of the sermon is based on the Biblical words for "repent." There are essentially only 4 words translated as "repent" in the Bible. 2 are OT Hebrew words and 2 are NT Greek. Of course there are a few derivatives of these 4 words but basically, these are the 4 words for "repent."

The Hebrew word nacham means "to breathe heavily, to sigh, to change the mind."

The Hebrew word shuwb means "to turn away from."

The Greek word metamellomai means "to care afterward." In other words, after it's done, it bothers you.

The Greek word metanoia means "to change the mind."

Based on these 4 words I have written a working definition of Biblical repentance. I intend to try to use this in my own devotional life in 2010.

Repentance occurs when I am so grieved about my sin that after it is committed, I breath heavily and sigh. My mind having been sufficiently changed about my sin, I turn away from it.

I am really looking forward to this 3-part study. I am looking more forward to the Lord doing a fresh work of grace and repentance in my life.

Wedding Vows

2009-12-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had the privilege of helping officiate the wedding ceremony of my nephew, Carl, and his beautiful new bride, Kristin. As part of the service, I read the following statement. It's something I use to begin every wedding service I officiate. It is shared here for your edification and consideration. And by the way, congratulations Carl and Kristin. Uncle Mike loves you!

Carl, Kristin, I want to remind you that the vows you are about to take are sacred. They are spoken to each other in the presence of these witnesses and they are spoken to the Lord God Almighty and witnessed by the angels of heaven. Therefore they are not to be taken lightly or flippantly.

The recitation of these vows will bring you into a life-long covenant partnership with one another and with your Creator. With very few Biblical exceptions, these vows will bring you into a covenant relationship with the God of the Universe…a covenant that can only be broken by death itself.

Unfortunately we live in a culture, even the church culture that devalues and minimizes the sacred nature of this commitment. By stark contrast, the Holy Spirit through the wise hand of King Solomon gives a sobering warning in Ecclesiastes 5. Listen carefully to the infallible word of the Living God.

“Do not be hasty with your mouth…to say just anything in the presence of God. Whenever you make a vow before God, do not delay in fulfilling it. God takes no pleasure in a fool so keep your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple minister saying, “My vow was a mistake!” Why should God be angry with what you have said and destroy the work of your hands? Because many people’s dreams and words are meaningless, stand, therefore, in awe of God.”

According to the Bible, it would be far better for the two of you to call off this ceremony, even at this late point, than to desecrate God’s altar, blaspheme God’s name, and anger God’s Spirit by making a vow you do not commit to keep.

If you understand the solemn, serious, and sacred nature of these vows and you wish to proceed, I’ll ask you to signify such by joining me and Pastor Brett on this platform.

Abortion: A God-Given Right?

2009-12-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

Taken from today's Baptist Press...

WASHINGTON (BP)--While evangelical and Catholic leaders have been working tirelessly in recent weeks to make sure any health care bill does not include federal funding of abortions, leaders of the nation's mainline denominations have been doing just the opposite, even going so far as calling abortion a "God-given right." The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church's General Board of Church and Society all are members of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, a pro-abortion rights organization that took part in a Dec. 2 "Stop Stupak" rally in Washington D.C., urging the Senate not to include the pro-life Stupak amendment in its version of the health care bill.

The United Methodist General Board of Church and Society -- the denomination's lobbying arm -- even sent out an alert after the health care bill passed the House, calling the bill itself a "major milestone" but lamenting passage of the Stupak amendment, which it saw as "a tremendous setback for access to comprehensive reproduction health coverage." The amendment passed the House 240-194 and prevents the government-run public option from covering elective abortion and also prohibits federal subsidies from being used to purchase private insurance plans that cover abortions.

The four previously mentioned denominations all have pro-choice positions of varying degrees, but their leaders' stances on abortion in the health care bill have surprised even some seasoned observers. Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, said most church members of mainline denominations would know little if anything about the lobbying effort. IRD is a conservative organization working to transform the "churches' social witness." "They would be very surprised," Tooley told Baptist Press. "At least 90 percent have no idea what happens with the money after it leaves the local church. Certainly, 90 percent or more do not know that their denominations have lobby offices on Capitol Hill....

Most mainline Protestants aren't familiar with what's going on in their name. So, it would be very surprising to the vast majority." The issue captured attention in the conservative Internet realm when Carlton Veazey, president of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, told a small gathering at the Stop Stupak rally, "Don't let anybody tell you that religious people don't support choice. You not only have a constitutional right for abortion, but you have a God-given right."

CNSNews.com reported the comment.Tooley said Veazey's quote was "in line" with other past comments. "It's tragic," he said of the coalition's position about federal funding of abortion. "These same church groups were out there supporting Roe v. Wade in 1973.... It's horrifying that groups that are at least in theory parts of the body of Christ are not only defending abortion but demanding that it be funded by tax dollars."

Membership in mainline churches has fallen by a fourth in the past 50 years, according to the research firm The Barna Group. Meanwhile, the leading evangelical denominations have been working to make sure the Stupak amendment remains in the Senate version. Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land said "the Stupak-Pitts amendment is the minimum required for any genuinely pro-life person. People who claim to be pro-life and accept anything less have pro-life views as a preference, not as a conviction," he said.

Following are the four denominations' positions on abortion, according to their websites:-- The United Methodist Church in 2004 adopted a position opposing partial-birth abortion. But the statement also says the decision to abort "should be made only after thoughtful and prayerful consideration by the parties involved, with medical, pastoral, and other appropriate counsel."

The Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1993 adopted a position stating, "The considered decision of a woman to terminate a pregnancy can be a morally acceptable, though certainly not the only or required, decision."

The Episcopal Church in 1994 adopted a resolution stating that the "Episcopal Church express[es] its unequivocal opposition to any legislative, executive or judicial action on the part of local, state or national governments that abridges the right of a woman to reach an informed decision about the termination of pregnancy or that would limit the access of a woman to safe means of acting on her decision."

The United Church of Christ has been pro-abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was handed down in 1973. It joined a friend-of-the-court brief this decade in trying to overturn the federal ban on partial-birth abortion. The Supreme Court allowed the law to stand.

The Spirit of God

2009-11-20T06:52:00.000-08:00

Recently I have had several friends tell me about their visits to other churches (other than the church of their membership, that is). One of the recurring themes and statements has been, "They believe exactly what we believe...other than some different beliefs about the Holy Spirit." On its face, that is a very problematic statement.

The purpose of this post is not to get into the specific doctrines regarding the Holy Spirit. Those issues are numerous and include questions like:

1. Do all believers have the Holy Spirit? If so, when does He indwell them? If not, how do believers receive Him?

2. What are the outward signs (if any) of the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

3. Is there a difference in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit?

4. Does the Holy Spirit speak revelation today in addition to the Holy Scriptures?

5. Have revelation gifts or sign gifts ceased or are they all operational today? (tongues, prophecy, etc.)

6. Can the Holy Spirit give new revelation so long as it does not contradict the Holy Scriptures?

Please do not post a response to these questions. That is not the point of this post. The point of this post is simple and singular.

When well-intentioned believers say, "They believe exactly what we believe...other than some different beliefs about the Holy Spirit" it reveals a profound theological and doctrinal deficiency.

The Holy Spirit is God...the so-called "3rd person of the Godhead." Therefore to say, "They believe exactly what we believe...other than some different beliefs about the Holy Spirit" is synonymous with saying, "They believe exactly what we believe...other than some different beliefs about God."

There is certainly room for honest open debate and even some disagreement among believers. Some issues of the Holy Spirit should not be points of fellowship. I am merely saying that these are issues about the very nature and person of God. These questions should not dismissed as lightly as questions about worship style or organizational structures.

Regardless of your denominational label (including the definitive label of "non-denominational") when you are discussing the doctrines of the Holy Spirit you are talking about God.

Bottom line: If two congregations do not believe the same thing about the Holy Spirit, then on some level they do not believe the same thing about God. Why not? Because the Holy Spirit is God.

Requirements to Date My Daughter

2009-11-17T18:31:00.001-08:00

In Sunday's sermon I mentioned a top ten list for "Requirements to Date My Daughter." Several have asked for it. It is not original to me but I cannot recall where I first found it. It is shared here for your amusement and encouragement.

Requirement One
If you pull into my driveway and honk your horn, you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Requirement Two
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her nose. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Requirement Three
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise:

You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Requirement Four
I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, physical activity without utilizing some sort of "barrier" can kill you. Let me elaborate... when it comes to physical activity between you and my little girl, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Requirement Five
Some people think that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is "early."

Requirement Six
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.

Requirement Seven
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like mowing my grass or changing the oil in my car?

Requirement Eight
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. You may also not take my daughter to any place where there is dancing, holding hands, or any form of happiness.

Requirement Nine
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway, you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car. There is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

Requirement Ten
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me. I will bury you and tell God you died.

Congratulations to Dr. Brad Whitt

2009-11-11T05:19:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for my friend, Dr. Brad Whitt and for his recent election as president of the pastor's conference for the state convention of South Carolina. Brother Brad is a young scholar, a gifted preacher, and one of the rising leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention. Raised in a pastor's home (Dr. Don Whitt) Brad has experience that far surpasses his age.

I know the folks at Temple Baptist in Simpsonville, SC are honored by their pastor's accomplishments. And well you should be. God has smiled on you by blessing you with one of the great pastor/preachers in America.

Congratulations Dr. Brad.

How Great is our God

2009-11-01T16:36:00.001-08:00

God is up to some awesome things at Emmanuel. While numbers don't always "tell the tale" it is worth noting that membership applications are up, the Spirit is awesome, and the waters of baptism are regularly stirring. Budget giving is holding steady in a time of economic uncertainty. The Sunday evening services are as well-attended as anywhere in the Southern Baptist Convention. We've been blessed to see 37 baptisms from October 1-November 1.

In spite of all that, we are not a great church. We are a church with a great God. I know, I know...many people say we have a "great church" and I know what they mean. But it's good theology to put the adjective on the right noun.

As I contemplate what the Lord is doing at Emmanuel Baptist I can only say, "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised."

Harvest Time

2009-10-26T05:23:00.000-07:00

We had an absolutely wonderful time working in the harvest in October. We had scores of people participate in the Harvest Day canvassing on October 15th. Only eternity will reveal the fruit of those homes visited, flyers distributed, and hands shaken.

I am especially grateful for the great crew of folks who took part in that vital outreach event. On October 18th our Harvest Day with Dr. Junior Hill was a tremendous blessing. I cannot recall the last day there were that many public decisions on a single Sunday. I am also particularly thankful for Brother Junior's sensitivity in the time of invitation. Sinners were called to salvation and Christians were challenged to obedience and discipleship, particularly in the area of believers' baptism. No gimmicks, no arm-twisting, and no tricks.

When the final count was in 35 public decisions were recorded. 14 individuals publicly professed Christ as Lord and Savior, 20 believers responded to obedience regarding a Biblical baptism and there was 1 additional candidate for membership (not counting those who were saved). For the Emmanuel members who had other unavoidable obligations, you missed a great blessing. For those who had other priorities, you missed a blessing and will one day miss out on an eternal reward.

The beauty of an annual event like Harvest Day is that it calls the church's focus back to soul-winning. It is your pastor's prayer that evangelism would be a constant event in our lives and not merely an annual event on our calendars. The recent sermons and emphases on evangelism have brought both conviction and commitment to this preacher's heart.

I am blessed to be back in the pulpit for the remainder of the year in all services. As November and December roll around it is my intention to move toward completion of our morning study in Revelation and our evening study in Galatians. I pray that you will be here for each service with an open heart, a warm smile, and a Bible.

God is up to some incredible things at Emmanuel. I am blessed beyond words that He (and you) allows me the privilege of serving as your pastor. Andrea and I love you with all of our hearts!

Shameless

2009-10-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I preached a message called, “Shameless.” The text was Romans 1:1-16 with a primary focus on verses 14-16. The title of course was based on Paul’s glorious and familiar statement, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, the Jew first and also the Greek.”

As part of that sermon I dealt with the phrase “the gospel” and focused on the exclusivity of the gospel message. Namely, there are certain unwavering and immutable components to the gospel. Without these fundamental tenets, there is no communication of the gospel.

For example, some seem to think the gospel means, “I believe in God. I believe in Jesus. I do not want to go to hell.” Those are wonderful statements which I affirm. But our personal confession must move beyond those truths. In fact, if you study Christ’s encounter with the Gadarene demoniac you will find that “Legion” believed in God, believed in Jesus, and had not desire to go to Hell (the abyss).

These statements (belief in God, belief in Jesus, no desire to burn eternally in the lake of fire) are all great statements. But they do not comprise the gospel. Frankly they do not even get us beyond the doctrines and desires of demons.

Many well-intentioned, would-be soul-winners have engaged in a conversation like this one:

Witness: Do you believe in God?

Prospect: Oh, yes.

Witness: Do you believe Jesus is His Son?

Prospect: Yes, I believe in Jesus.

Witness: Do you understand that if you don’t ask Him into your heart you go to Hell?

Prospect: Yes and I sure do not want to go to Hell.

Witness: Have you ever prayed and asked Jesus to come into your heart?

Prospect: No.

Witness: Is there anything that would hinder you from doing that right now?

Prospect: No.

Witness: Well, amen. Then pray this prayer after me and mean it with all your heart (insert sinner’s prayer).

Let me be crystal clear. I agree with everything in this fictitious dialogue. But it is simply not complete. To say the gospel was presented in this scenario is the equivalent of saying that A, B, C, D, E and F comprise the English alphabet. What about the other 20 letters?

As an alliterative preacher by nature, I gave the church a 4-part list comprised of R’s and S’s that I believe gives us a complete picture and presentation of the gospel. This post assumes that readers here are familiar with relevant Scripture passages, though a few are cited.

1. Recognize you are a sinner.

The Bible teaches that we have all sinned and come short of God’s standard of perfection. (Romans 3:23). As a sinner I am deserving of the just condemnation of God. In other words, God would be right if He sent me to Hell. I deserve it. I am a sinner.

This is much different than simply admitting imperfection or mistakes. A bad investment is a mistake. Backing the car over your child’s tricycle is a mistake. Accidentally calling your wife by your high school girlfriend’s name is a mistake. A big one by the way.

But a sin is radically different from a mistake. A sin is something I have done (or failed to do) and that action (or inaction) is an offense and affront to a Holy God. In order to be saved I must recognize that I have offended the God of heaven by my life.

2. Realize Christ is the Savior

I cannot save myself. I need a mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). The only One who can save me is the Lord Jesus Christ. By His virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death for my sins, and His resurrection from the dead I have the opportunity to be reconciled to God. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 1 Peter 3:18, etc.)

I throw myself completely on Him. No human effort. No good of my own either before or after salvation. No baptism or act of piety. No other religion or religious leader. No other hope. He is it.

3. Repent of your sins.

When the NT speaks of repentance, the Greek word literally means a “change of mind.” It does not mean that I have ceased sinning. 1 John 1:8 (written to believers) makes it clear that I will still deal with the struggle against sin and carnality. But when I repent my mind has been changed about my sin.

Before repentance, I sinned and it did not bother me. After repentance, it does. Before repentance, I thought the Bible-preacher, Sunday School teacher, or faithful witness were stupid lunatics. After repentance, my soul cries out either “amen” or “oh me” when the Word of God is proclaimed. Whether I am convicted or encouraged the Spirit of God in me affirms, “That’s the truth!” Why? Because by the mercies of God my mind has been changed about my sin.

Jesus said…and before I quote Him could readers of this blog agree that if Jesus is about to address the issue of salvation…could we agree that He knows what He is talking about? Could we agree that Christ is the resident expert on the doctrine of salvation?

Jesus said, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3, 5) Now, Christ promised Nicodemus that saved people would never perish. Remember John 3:16?

Let’s put this together.

Those who are saved “shall not perish but shall have everlasting life” but those who have not repented “shall all likewise perish.” That simply means that those who have not repented of their sins are not saved.

Scroll back up to the illustration above where the witness encounters the prospect. Where was the mention of repentance from sin? I am afraid it is in the same place it is in many “evangelical gospel” presentations. Completely and totally absent.

4. Receive Christ as Sovereign

I confess I am greatly disturbed when people say they received Christ as Savior but He did not become their Lord until years later. It would be impossible to make a statement that is any more unbiblical.

“Lord” is not merely something Christ does. “Lord” is who He is. He cannot come and merely “do” what a Lord does (redeem) without “being” what a Lord is (ruler).

I do understand that discipleship involves a maturing process. Truthfully, I am continually yielding to His Lordship over my own life. On a daily basis the Holy Spirit reveals to me some corner of my life’s kingdom where I continue to fly my own rebellious flag. But the fact is if I am saved then Christ is my Lord. When I stake a mutinous claim to some corner of my life, I do so as an interloper and a rebel to the rightful dominion of heaven.

The issue is not His Lordship. The issue is my obedience and submission to His Lordship.

Simply put, the call to salvation is a call to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

I do not think that a gospel presentation has to use any particular format (FAITH, EE, CWT, witness bracelet, gospel tract, marked Bible, Romans Road, etc). But if it is truly a gospel presentation it will call the lost to this reality:

I am a sinner in the sight of a holy God. The only hope I have of salvation is to place my faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I do that because my mind has been changed about my sin. I hate it. I can’t stand it. I don’t want to live this way another moment. I surrender my life to the dominion of Jesus Christ. From this moment forward I will follow Him. Perfectly? No. But the issue is my obedience and not His right to rule and reign over the affairs and actions of my life.

Does a gospel presentation have to use those words? Of course not. But if these truths have not been communicated by the witness then the gospel has not been presented. If these truths have not been embraced by the prospect then the gospel has not been believed.

And where there is no gospel, there is no salvation. For it (the gospel of Christ) and it alone “is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.”

To my pastor friends: Please do not automatically assign me to some unwarranted soteriological camp. I would hope both Calvinist and Arminian readers would desire to get the gospel right. I simply desire to lead (by example and exhortation) my congregation to give the gospel to everyone with fervency, urgency, and accuracy.

Harvest Day with Junior Hill

2009-09-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Emmanuel is just a few weeks away from our annual Harvest Day. That's a day set aside for a special evangelistic effort. Dr. Junior Hill has agreed to be with us again for this year's Harvest Day. I am so very excited about that. Brother Junior is one of the most gifted and well-loved preachers in Southern Baptist history.

Dr. Hill will be preaching simple salvation messages in each service on October 18th. The 9am, 10:30am, and 6pm services will each provide a wonderful opportunity to invite an unsaved friend or loved one. While evangelism is a lifestyle and not an event, we are still blessed at Emmanuel Baptist to have this event on our calendar.

He who goes to and fro weeping and carrying his bag of seed shall indeed come reaping with joyful shouting (Psalm 126)

From the Editor

2009-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

At this past Tuesday's meeting of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention Dr. Gerald Harris issued an incredible proclamation. Dr. Harris is a brillant man. He is a brilliant scholar, a bright theologian, a powerful preacher, and a dear friend of mine. Georgia Baptists are blessed to have him serving as editor of our state newspaper. I am grateful for his permission to share his words in this forum.

You may have noticed that in the August 27 issue of The Index that one of our letters to The Forum was critical of the editor stating that he (the writer of the letter to the Forum) did not approve of the partisan content in the paper. In fact what he wrote was: “The Index has become increasingly politicized in the last year. Not as relates to denominational politics, but national partisan politics.”

The letter continues, “If an editor of The Christian Index wants to become a spokesman for one party or the other then he should resign and seek employment with the party of his choice.”

First of all, I am somewhat perplexed that he has only noticed the political bias for the last year. I thought that was evident from the beginning of my term as editor over six years ago.

In the second place he indicated that he has not observed any bias concerning denominational politics. That too, is somewhat disconcerting, because I thought my bias has been reflected in that way as well. However, today the denominational party lines do not seem to be as clear as they were 20-30 years ago. They have been clouded by all kinds of diversity and a conservative theology that is betrayed by a liberal pragmatism. If there is anything worse than a liberal, it is a conservative whose behavior does not match his beliefs.

But if anyone needs to know, I am an inerrantist. I believe our theology should be complemented by our behavior. I am Southern Baptist born, Southern Baptist bred and when I die I will be a Southern Baptist dead. I am also a Southern Baptist by conviction; and I am not ashamed of the name.

I believe in the sovereignty of God and that no man comes to the Father except the Spirit of God draws him, but I believe we are responsible for telling every person within our scope of influence that Jesus saves. I believe there is a general call to salvation that we are responsible for extending to all creation and an effectual call that God in His sovereignty extends to the elect.

I believe that the Baptist Faith & Message is correct when it specifies that there are two spiritual offices for the church: the pastor and the deacon. But I confess that I never knew what to do with deacons who wanted to be a board of directors and were reluctant to be servants.

I like traditional worship, that is, if it is not dead and formal; and I have no argument with those who have a contemporary service if it is Biblically based and Christ-exalting. I love older pastors because most of them paid a price to get to where they are today; and I love younger pastors because they are our bright hope for the future as a denomination.

I am a registered Republican, but I am not much happier with the Republicans than the Democrats. I suppose I am a conservative in exile with regards to national politics. I am a patriot. I get goose bumps when I hear the national anthem. I loved the day when the flag was honored, the Constitution was the rule of law and God was welcome in public life. I believe in freedom of religion. I believe in the separation of church and state, but I don’t believe in the separation of God from government.

I appreciate the First Amendment and believe in the freedom of speech, but I believe it has been abused and misused. I don’t believe that it was crafted to give license to profanity and pornography.

I am an advocate of the second amendment, but I don’t own a gun of any kind, never have and probably have never fired one but maybe a dozen times.

I pray for the president every day, but I hardly agree with any of his policies. I believe that he is more friendly to the Muslim faith than the Christian faith. On September 1 he hosted a dinner in the White House celebrating Ramadan. He did not attend any National Day of Prayer function; and he had the Christian symbols covered when he spoke at Georgetown University. I believe the Muslim agenda is to change our nation into a country ruled by Sharia Law . I know that in 12 days the Muslims will assemble in Washington, D. C. – a predicted 50,000 of them to pray and that they are gaining acceptance day by day in many quarters of our country.

I believe in capitalism and the free enterprise system. I like the day when crime did not pay, but hard work did and people knew the difference.

I believe the president has a Socialist agenda.

I believe that the President’s Health Care Bill is another attempt at government control and it scares me. In fact, in my humble opinion the United States is becoming increasingly socialistic. South Carolina Senator Jim Demint in his book Saving Freedom says we may have reached the point of no return.

I believe in the sanctity of life and that abortion and euthanasia are dead wrong – a violation of the sixth commandment.

I believe in the sanctity of marriage and that marriage is to be between a man and a woman. I believe that same sex marriage is an abomination to a holy God.

I believe that a small minority of homosexuals often have a greater influence in America than the Christians, because they are so vocal and often militant.

I believe that groups like ACORN and the ACLU have an agenda that is foreign to everything that America has stood for in her history. And I wouldn’t give two cents for the collective wisdom of Hollywood; and I don’t care what Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Rob Reiner and Michael Moore think. They would have no real credibility but for their celebrity status.

I believe that many of our political leaders today are influenced by Saul Alinsky’s book Reveille for Radicals. This is the book that had a tremendous influence on the revolution that was taking place in our country in the 1960s when many of our current political leaders were in the colleges and universities of America. Alinsky wrote, “True revolutionaries do not flaunt their radicalism. They cut their hair, put on suits and infiltrate the system from within.”

His concept is to infiltrate the existing institutions such as churches, unions and political parties. His followers include Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Hilliary Clinton’s 1969 Political Science Thesis refers to Alinsky in her paper. Many of our political leaders today were influenced by Alinsky in the sixties and now they are shaping our government by the philosophies they learned from him.

I believe the church is slumping toward Laodicea. I believe we have too many church members who give no evidence of being saved and I believe a non-resident church member in a Baptist Church is equivalent to a broken ankle on an NFL running back.

I believe we need to get back to all night prayer meetings and door-to-door visitation and preaching against sin.

I am delighted that Dr. White is on the GCR Task Force. But I am concerned about two SBC agency heads being on a Task Force to evaluate the work of the SBC. To me that is like asking Bernie Madoff to determine his own fate or a student to grade his/her own test paper. I am concerned that a majority of the people on that committee may come forth with a report to develop a different plan to fund our work as a denomination. I have made a commitment to pray for the Task Force daily. I hope you will do the same.

I believe in the Cooperative Program – and think it has done more to keep us together than anything else, because it IS the COOPERATIVE program. I think most Baptists have become too materialistically minded to give sacrificially anymore.

I am sorry so many churches have given up Training Union, because I think we have not taught our present generation anything about our church history and our church polity. I even wish we had the eight point record system in Sunday School. I know times have changed, but I enjoyed two-week Vacation Bible Schools and two-week revivals.

There are times when I must share my convictions, and I can’t help it. Because I am painfully aware of what Edmund Burke said years ago: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

I believe that time and again those who profess to be good clearly outnumber those who are evil, yet those who are evil seem to prevail far too often. Seldom is it the numbers that determine the outcome, but whether those who claim to be good men are willing to stand up and fight for what they know to be right.

When good men do nothing, they get nothing good done. To be good one must do good. The Lord commands His people to do good. Christ, “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

In the parable of the talents, Jesus described a man who did nothing. When he received his Lord’s money, he “went and digged in the earth, and hid his Lord’s money. When his Lord returned, he gave back to the Lord just what he had been given. Notice that the servant did not do any outright evil, such as stealing the money, but then neither did he do anything good. He did nothing and he got nothing good accomplished. Jesus said he was a “wicked and slothful servant.”

Jesus rebuked the church at Laodicea for doing nothing. That church nauseated Him. Too many Christians and too many churches do nothing. They are standing idly by. They are mere spectators. They sit on the sidelines instead of actively participating and working for the good. If good wins, they join in the celebration though they did nothing to produce the victory. If evil wins, they will complain long and loud though their own apathy helped produce the undesirable result.

When good men do nothing, evil triumphs. Evil, sin and sinful men must be opposed. God commands those who are good, not just to avoid evil but actively oppose it.

In Ephesians 5: 11 the Bible says that we are not only not to “have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Those who do nothing about sin and evil, help the sin and evil to prevail. One who is silent when there are those around him in sin becomes a partaker with them according to Ephesians 5: 7.

In the days of Elijah, the silence of many had allowed the evil of Ahab and Jezebel to prevail throughout the land of Israel. The Bible says, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, how long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word." The silence of the people spoke volumes of their indecisiveness and inaction. Their failure to stand up, speak up and speak out permitted wicked and evil men to run rampant.

The letter in the Forum suggested that I resign and seek employment with the party of my choice. I really don’t have a party at this point in time so I would prefer to stay with my current job, but I serve at the pleasure of you, the Executive Committee, the Index Board and Dr. White and until those who have authority over me tell me otherwise I will continue to try to stir up the church and afflict the saints who are obviously at ease in Zion. Why? Because I refuse to believe we have reached to point of no return.

Fall Revival

2009-09-10T19:47:00.001-07:00

I am honored and thrilled that Dr. Wayne Robertson has agreed to preach our Fall Revival this week at Emmanuel. Brother Wayne needs no introduction to the people of EBC. He has preached for us on several occasions and it has always been a blessing.

I am not given to unwarranted hyperboles. But Brother Wayne is a true mentor, hero, and friend. It is my privilege to have many pastor friends whom I love deeply. But I do not know of 2 pastors I love and respect more than Don Hattaway and Wayne Robertson. My Emmanuel family knows that is pretty "high cotton" in this pastor's book!

Pastor Wayne has been at the Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta for nearly 24 years. It will be our privilege to hear him Sunday night at 6pm and Monday-Wednesday at 7pm each night.

By the way, special music starts 10 minutes before the service each night. Our 100+ voice choir will be singing each night, too. They sang 110 at ChoirFest this week...Pastor will be looking for all of you in the choir loft each evening :)

In Remembrance of Me

2009-09-03T03:47:00.000-07:00

When Jesus Christ established His church, He established two ordinances; the ordinance of believers’ baptism and the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. Members of His church are
commanded to observe each of these ordinances. Many believers who would never be disobedient in the area of baptism are regularly and rebelliously disobedient regarding the Lord’s Supper. Most of us are familiar with the words of Christ regarding this memorial meal, “This do...in remembrance of Me.” Let us not be slothful or sinful as we consider the words of our Master. For the first two words of His admonition are "This do."

In his commentary on 1 Corinthians Dr. John MacArthur writes, “This do in remembrance of Me is a command from the lips of our Lord Himself. Sharing in the Lord’s Supper is therefore not an option for believers. We must have (it) on a regular basis if we are to be faithful to the Lord who bought us through the act we are called to remember. Not to partake of the Lord’s Supper is disobedience and a sin.”

Members of Emmanuel, we will be partaking of the Lord's Supper this Sunday evening. While many will be out of town with the Labor Day weekend (and I pray you have an awesome time of worship and fellowship with your family) I want to challenge the rest of our members to be at the table of remembrance.

Since we typically take the Lord's Supper in the evening (it's called the Lord's Supper and not the Lord's breakfast)...and since some church members never attend the evening worship service...we have scores of Emmanuel members who have been disobedient to this command of the Lord Jesus for DECADES. Beloved, if I did not attend the evening worship service on a regular basis, I would at least attend the evenings we served the Lord's Supper. After all, our Sovereign Lord said, "This do."

You will notice my preferred title of "The Lord's Supper." The name "communion" has often been used to connect this church ordinance to the pagan notion of transubstantiation, a bizarre belief that the elements actually become the body and blood of the Lord. This belief is heretical in its own right because it envisions an ongoing sacrifice of Christ thereby inherently denying the sufficiency of His death on the cross (Hebrews 10). It teaches its adherents that we actually and literally "commune" with God at the Lord's Supper table. After all, they say, Christ literally is "on the table."

Don't get me wrong. I know words can change their meaning over time. I am not suggesting that it is paganism to call the Lord's Supper "communion." No doubt, I will use occasionally that title myself out of mere habit. But I do believe the term "The Lord's Supper" is a more accurate name for this meal.

There are many questions and theological debates that rage concerning the Lord's Supper. One thing, however, is crystal clear. Jesus said, "This do." Sunday night, we will observe the commandment of the Lord. I hope to see each of you there.

Evangelistic Dating

2009-08-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

As a pastor I have often warned about the perils of evangelistic dating. This is the notion that a Christian should date a non-Christian in an ill-fated attempt to lead them to a relationship with Christ. It is almost often some sweet (yet immature) young Christian girl who has met a guy and fallen “in love.” It usually ends with heartache and turmoil. Primarily because such a relationship is a violation of God’s Word.

But this morning I realized there is a form of evangelistic dating that God honors.

My friends and family all know that I have taken my daughter Michaela to lunch every Thursday for over 5 years. I have taken my son Andrew to lunch every Wednesday for over 3.5 years. Today it was time to start the tradition with our youngest, Sarah.

Having run out of practical lunch times, Sarah and I headed off to breakfast together. Out of all her options she chose the Huddle House. So Huddle House it was.

Andrea got Sarah dressed while I took the older two to school. When I drove back in our driveway I felt like a school boy pulling up to his girlfriend’s house for a first date.

My theology allows for a state of grace for children Sarah’s age. But the day will come, by God’s grace, that our Heavenly Father will extend to her the gracious offer of forgiveness. I am overwhelmed with the reality that what I started today will make it easier for her to comprehend a Father’s love. Her love for me will not ensure a love for God. That’s a supernatural work wrought by the Holy Spirit. But I so desperately desire to be an earthly father who will more accurately mirror her Heavenly Father’s compassion and care.

A Father who takes the initiative…before she even realizes how desperately she needs that father’s love. (Ephesians 1:4, 2 Timothy 1:8-10)

A Father who does all the driving, all the ordering, and all the paying. She has no idea the sacrifice required in my busy schedule to make this date. She has no idea what it takes to make the money to pay the ticket. One day she will understand it more. In the meantime all she has to do is submit and enjoy the fellowship and the benefits of being her father’s child. (Romans 8:14-17)

A Father who loves her in spite of the dirty diaper, the spilled milk, and the constant need for a bib. (Romans 5:8)

So in many ways my date with Sarah this morning was an evangelistic endeavor. She has not made a personal commitment to Christ…yet. But I pray God will use the next few years of Friday morning breakfasts to begin lovingly drawing her to His Sovereign side.

A Simple Post

2009-08-16T18:26:00.001-07:00

For those who don't Facebook (is that a verb now?) let me share my latest status update. It's not the most detailed blog post I've ever written. But may its simplicity reveal a slight glimpse into the deepest part of my soul tonight. Properly understood, this statement needs no elaboration.

Mike Stone is grateful for the breath of life, a wonderful and Godly wife, 3 awesome children, and the humble privilege of pastoring one of the greatest churches in the world. God has captured my affection today. I love You, Lord, with all my heart.

Proper Clothing

2009-08-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

"Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly...as is proper for women making a claim to godliness." (1 Timothy 2:9-10)

As unpopular as it may seem to some, the Scriptures teach there is an attire consistent with a claim to godliness. Of course, the context of this passage deals with women and the immediate issue is modesty and sensuality. Here, the Bible teaches that there is a type of clothing that is so sexually-charged and immodest that for a woman to wear it would be incompatible with that woman's claim to be a Godly woman.

If a woman dresses consistently in a sensual and provocative way and at the same time professes to be a Godly woman, discerning followers of Christ have good reason to be scratching their heads and thinking, "Something here just isn't right." Of course we cannot judge the content of the woman's heart. God and God alone can do that. But the fact is, the dress and the declaration simply do not match.

In that vein, I am preaching tonight in a verse-by-verse series through 1st Thessalonians. Our study has brought us to chapter 4, the first 12 verses. Verse 3 in this chapter declares, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality."

Though you can hear the entire message at www.ebchurch.net, I wanted to post part of the manuscript here. Because this is such a delicate and divisive issue, I took the unusual approach (for me) and typed out this portion of my sermon and read it word-for-word. I knew some people would want it, so here it is.

I want to make a very direct statement on this issue and I wish to speak with the love and grace of a pastor and not the fiery rhetoric of a “preacher.”

Ladies, you need to get into the presence of God and ask the Holy Spirit to help you in this area of modesty. You need to decide if you are going to be more interested in dressing fashionably or dressing modestly (though I do not think there is necessarily a contradiction between the two). In other words you can be both stylish and modest, as many of you regularly illustrate. But you are going to have to determine that just because Brittany Spears and Madonna make a certain fashion popular, you are not going to buy it and wear it just because everyone else is and you will not allow your wives and daughters to wear it.

With the invention of websites like SnapFish, MySpace, and FaceBook, it has become increasingly easier for the pastor to peer into the lives of his church members…and in some cases to see more than he wanted to see. I am shocked, dismayed, and frankly disappointed when I see vacation photos, prom photos, and the like from some of our best families and most faithful members. Some of these photos reveal a reckless and sinful disregard for the law of God.

The Biblical mandate for modesty has no exemption clauses if you are out of town or if it’s a “special night.” Men who live in other towns where you may vacation struggle with lust just like men in Blackshear and Waycross. And if you send your daughter out on a “special night” dressed like an immoral woman, you may discover that the night was “special” in a way you had not intended.

In other words, sir, you may discover that if your wife does not mind having half her breasts showing from her blouse or bathing suit in the presence of your MALE friends, she may not mind revealing the other half should the right situation present itself.

Mom and dad you may discover that if your daughter is comfortable leaving the house with her boyfriend with a large portion of her body revealed, she may not require him to use his imagination to picture the rest of her body before the prom night draws to a close.

Some who are listening tonight, or later by CD or internet may be asking, “Pastor are you talking about me?” The preacher in me wants to say, “Apparently.” The pastor in me wants to urge you to ask a much more-important question than “Pastor are you talking to me?” How about, “Lord are you talking to me?” My guess is, if you are asking the question the answer is, “yes.”

For this Biblical teaching is not limited to bikinis and formal attire, vacations and prom dresses. It is an unchanging immutable principle that applies in all times, all seasons, and all locations.

Specifically, when you leave the house with cleavage revealed, men will be staring at your body everywhere you go. If your blouse or shirt is so tight that it clings to every curve of your chest, the vast majority of men and boys over the age of 8 that you meet that day will either be lusting after you, imagining your body in various stages of undress and imagining themselves with you in any number of immoral situations or they will at least be tempted by demonic spirits to do so. If they win the spiritual victory in that moment, it will be because of God’s grace…and in spite of your careless, casual, and carnal attitude.

Since most of the men you will encounter in the marketplace of life are not even saved, more likely than not, they will fall into sin because of your immodesty…perhaps not with you…but with someone else. Or they will remain enslaved to the lust of the flesh. The day will come that they will reap a harvest of destruction in their lives. That harvest may not occur in your field or on your watch. In other words, it may not be with you. But your immodest clothing may light a fire in that man’s soul that will eventually burn down his home.

Solomon asked, “Can a man take fire into his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” You may hear of a “home” that burned to the ground…a home or family in your SS class, your church, your work-place…and you may think, “How awful that this man burned down his own house and lost his family with immorality.” And you may never realize that you are indeed an accessory to the crime. Oh, it was his candle, his carelessness, and ultimately his choice.

Yet you may not know until the judgment seat of Christ that you are the one that lit the flame. You lit a fire in his soul…a fire that he took home, could not handle, and burned down his house, destroying his wife and his kids in the process.

And just as surely as he will give an account for the lives that are destroyed by his sexual sin, so too you will give an account for the careless way you handled and exposed your body.

May God grant His women hearts of compassion and discernment to both receive and live in light of this truth.

The Peril of Postponement

2009-08-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend is going to be an incredible time at Emmanuel Baptist Church. We are hosting a Mega-Disciple-Now weekend. Hundreds and hundreds of teenagers have registered for what is sure to be an awesome time of worship, discipleship, and ministry. Our theme for this year is "Here and Now."

As I began contemplating how to connect Sunday's services to the D-Now theme, I was drawn to a familiar story in Luke 12. In this sad passage, Christ records the story of a man who lived for tomorrow and wasn't prepared to meet His Maker in the "here and now." It is a tragic example of the dangers of delay.

If the Lord wills, I intend to preach this Sunday morning on "The Peril of Postponement." I want to encourage every member of EBC to be present and to bring your lost and unchurched friends. There is a strong warning in this text for believer and unbeliever alike.

If I am going to be a student of the Bible I must do so...right here and right now.

If I am going to repent of my sin I must do so...right here and right now.

If I am going to seek restoration with a brother I must do so...right here and right now.

If I am going to be a servant of Christ and my fellow man I must do so...right here and right now.

If I am going to spend time with my children I must do so...right here and right now.

The late R.G. Lee once said, "Yesterday is in the tomb of time. Tomorrow is in the womb of time. Today is the only time we actually have."

He also said, "Yesterday is a canceled check. Tomorrow is an I.O.U. Today is the only cash we have."

Though I am planning to preach on this subject Sunday, only the Lord ultimately knows. So I intend to live today in light of this truth...right here...and right now.

Fitzgerald Men's Conference

2009-08-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend I will be preaching at an area men's conference in Fitzgerald, GA. Hosted by Arbor Baptist Church, you can find out more at www.fitzgeraldmensconference.com

Keeping with the theme, "Preparing for Battle...Everyday" the Lord has laid 4 messages on my heart.

When Warriors Need to Retreat

A frank message on sexual sin, this is one area God does not tell us to fight but to flee. There's no shame in retreating from this battle.

A Soldier I'd Like to Meet

Based on a day in the life of King Saul, we'll examine the damage that one day of spiritual disobedience and failure can make in the life of one of God's soldiers.

Battlefield Casualties

We will spend Saturday morning examing 2 aspects of David's sin with Bathsheba. This first lesson deals with the causes that led to David's backslidden condition and his infamous sin.

War Reparations

To victor goes the spoils. To the loser goes the war reparation payments. This 2nd lesson on David and Bathsheba will investigate the price David ultimately paid for losing this skirmish.

If you are anywhere near Fitzgerald, come over and join us Friday night and Saturday morning.

Looking Forward to a Great Week

2009-07-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to Dr. Cathey preaching on the 26th at 9a, 10:30a, and 6p. He has been a bit under the weather lately and actually had to miss a preaching slot at a Bible conference this past week. Pray for his healing and for our time together on the 26th.

Rhon has planned some wonderful music for the day. Anybody near Emmanuel will not want to miss it!

On Monday I will be traveling to preach at the North Georgia Bible Conference along with Gerald Harris, Tom Rush, and Bill Sturm. Mike Griffin is the host pastor.

I Love This Poem

2009-06-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

I pause today for a brief departure (sort of) from my recent series on the Great Commission Resurgence emphasis within some circles of the SBC. But I love this poem and pray you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

"YOU’RE JUST OUT OF DATE!"
SAID YOUNG PASTOR BATE
TO ONE OF OUR FAITHFUL OLD PREACHERS
WHO HAD CARRIED FOR YEARS,
WITH BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS
THE GOSPEL TO POOR, SINFUL CREATURES.

"YOU STILL PREACH ON HADES
AND SHOCK CULTURED LADIES
WITH YOUR BARBAROUS DOCTRINE OF BLOOD;
YOUR CHURCH IS SO FAR BEHIND
YOU’LL NEVER CATCH UP WITH MINE
YOU’RE A FLAT TIRE THAT’S STUCK IN THE MUD!"

FOR SOME LITTLE WHILE,
A WEE BIT OF A SMILE
ENLIGHTENED THE OLD PREACHER’S FACE
BEING NOW MADE THE BUTT
OF A RIDICULOUS CUT
DID NOT RUFFLE HIS SWEETNESS AND GRACE

THEN HE TURNED TO YOUNG BATE
SO SUAVE AND SEDATE
“'CATCH UP,' DID MY EARS HEAR YOU SAY?
I’D NOT CATCH YOU INDEED
IF I TRIPLED MY SPEED;
YOUNG FRIEND, I’M NOT HEADED YOUR WAY!"

Virgin Lips

2009-05-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

As I read this article I couldn't help but ask, "Why not have this as a prayer for my kids?"

http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=30475

If you engage in "casual parenting" please prepare to be bothered and/or challenged by Dr. Mohler's wisdom.

Learning My Alphabet

2009-04-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Today I learned about the letter “Z.” Of course a 38-year old college graduate should have learned about “Z” a long time ago but I guess I am a slow learner. But the lesson I saw today in the 26th letter of the alphabet was not about phonics. It was about parenting and the brevity of life.

It seems like just yesterday when I walked Andrew (my "almost-5" year old son) to his preschool class at Southeast Christian Academy. Most parents know how quickly those years fly by. I thought I knew how quickly it would pass too. But nothing had prepared me for what I saw today when I walked him to class. They were working on the letter “Z.”

In case you don’t know it, Andrew’s class work on the final letter of the alphabet means the year is drawing to a close. How can this be? We just started on “A” yesterday. OK, it was really 8 months ago but it sure seems like yesterday. How can this be?

My mind raced with all manner of thoughts. If you think I was wondering about his college, marriage, and career choices you would be wrong. My thoughts went to the recent statistics about children and their world-view. It seems as if a child’s world-view, the way they think and process information, is largely set by the age of 10-11. In other words, my son is about ½-way there.

So my thoughts were not about the secular. I wondered, “Will he know Christ?” I mean really know Him? Not just the stories…not just the Sunday School answers…not just the facts…I mean really know Christ? Will he know more about Diego and Curious George than he knows about the Scripture? Will his love for the Savior be outweighed by his love for football and hunting?

Or will my son be like the 70% of churched kids who leave the church for 1 year or more after graduating from high school? Will my son be in the ½ of 1% of American young people (the so-called Mosaic generation) who possess a Biblical world-view? Or will he find a comfortable place among the 99.5%?

Will Andrew’s dad have an ongoing passion to reach and teach his son? Or will I bury my head in the sand like most parents (even Christian parents) and obliviously skip down the road of life as if on my way to a lazy afternoon of fishing?

As Andrew sat at his desk to begin working on his letter “Z” the inspired words of James came flooding in to my spirit. “Life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” That Scripture was not intended to be given numeric value but yet I pondered, “If a 77-year life is a vapor…and my son’s world-view is established by age 11…then I have 1/7th of a vapor to get this thing right.”

As a parent and a pastor the Lord is reminding me the task is great and the time is short. I cannot be so devoted to my calendar, my church, or my convention that I miss the harvest field right here under my roof. I told the church last night that I don’t merely want to raise 3 Christians. I want to raise 3 productive and effectively-serving disciples. Andrew and his sisters deserve a dad like that and our Lord is worthy of me being a dad like that.

Pray for me that I will keep my hand to the parental plow and my eyes on the finish line. And pray that I will do that today.

After all, my son just starting working on the letter “Z.”

A Great Word from Brother Philip

2009-04-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Philip Tyre serves as the student pastor at Emmanuel. On Sunday night, at my request, he taught God's Word concerning the task of reaching the next generation. Using Ephesians 6:1-4, Philip challenges us with the question, "Will our children keep our faith?" As a father of 3 and pastor to hundreds I was deeply challenged by his thoughts from God's Word.

With one click (and 53 minutes) you can hear from the passionate heart of a true servant of the Lord and of His church.

http://www.ebchurch.net/news_Sermon_1.htm

The Love of My Life

2009-04-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today I had the unusual privilege of taking part in 2 separate pre-marriage counseling sessions. I don’t do a great deal of counseling and I don’t know if I’ve ever done 2 pre-marriage sessions in one day. Today, both couples and I discussed the importance of “love” in a marriage.

Because I only provide Biblically-based counseling, I primarily use 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in discussing love. As I talk to couples in counseling settings I try to simultaneously do an inventory of my own skills as a husband. Today was no exception. As we moved through the well-loved Corinthian passage I asked myself:

Do I demonstrate patience to Andrea?

It involves a lot more than just waiting on her to get ready. It also includes the attitude with which I wait. Sitting in the garage blowing the horn does not constitute patience. Thankfully, I don’t do that!

Do I show her kindness on a regular basis?

Someone once said to me, “I don’t need my husband to treat me like a queen. I just wish he would treat me as well as he treats strangers.” That quote haunts me. How sad that sometimes we treat the clerk at the store nicer than we treat the person who has committed their entire life to us.

How do I overcome the fleshly desire for jealousy?

For me the answer is found in the reality of oneness in Christ. If Andrea and I are one (and we are) then I can never be jealous of her accomplishments, achievements, or accolades. When she achieves something…I do too! Besides, if I love her like I am called to do by Christ, then I am too happy for her to be jealous of her. When she receives praise, I don’t think it could have happened to a better person :)

How do I avoid the sin of pride and arrogance toward my wife?

The best place to begin is to realize I am called to be a servant who sacrifices his all. The servant has no cause for boasting in the presence of the one(s) he is called to serve. Since there is no such thing as an arrogant servant, if I focus on serving my family then any hint of arrogance toward them will flee.

How do I keep from “behaving unseemingly?” Or as we say here in the South, “How do I keep from showing out when I don’t get my way?” Do I demonstrate servant leadership and refuse to “seek my own?”

Simply put, love doesn’t seek its own way. My natural tendency would be to act in an unbecoming manner when I don’t get my way. I believe the key is trying not to seek my own way. Then when I don’t get “my way” there is no shock, sadness, or surprise. In other words, this isn’t Burger King and Frank Sinatra doesn’t live here. (Hint for you younger readers: Old Blue Eyes sang a song called, “My Way.”)

Am I easily provoked to anger or do I have a slow temper and a long spiritual fuse?

I am not an angry person so this isn’t a really big challenge for me. But sometimes I carelessly break the commands of 1 Peter 3:7 and Ephesians 6:4. As a strong leader, I have to remember that my wife and children may see strength as harshness if I am not very intentional in my tone. In other words, the problem is not in my heart but sometimes in the miscommunication of it.

Am I a forgiving husband or do I keep a list of every offense committed in the last 12 months?

Honestly, I fail far too often as a pastor, preacher, husband, dad, and friend to be a list-keeper. List-keepers need to be much closer to perfect than I am.

What are some ways I can avoid rejoicing in unrighteousness but rather rejoice with the truth?

The biggest mistake I see (and hear) people make on this one is when they publicly denigrate their spouse. If I do not rejoice in my wife’s unrighteousness (or she in mine) then I do not want to bring it to light…to anyone. In fact, after the matter is settled I don’t even want to bring up to her again.

How can I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things?

When the Bible repeats a phrase it speaks of its importance. Here of course, the emphasis is on “all things.” It’s the AGAPE love of the Greek New Testament. The only way I can love Andrea, Michaela, Andrew, and Sarah this way is to stay with them through “all things.”

I know a lot of men who claim they would die for their families. With characteristic machismo they brag about their willingness to step in front of an assailant’s bullet to save their wife or kids. But frankly, I’ve never known anyone who was ever called on to make that sacrifice. I’m sure there have been some but I’ve never heard the story.

The call and commitment to die for my family will more likely play out every day in much less exhilarating and less spine-tingling ways. I am called to die for my family when the kids need bathing and my wife is as tired as I am. I am called to die for my family when the dog needs taking to the vet and neither of us wants to go. I am called to die for my family when Michaela needs help with her homework and I’d rather FaceBook or blog.

God isn’t calling me so much to die for my family as He is calling me to die to myself and to live for my family. Granted, stepping in front of a burglar’s bullet sounds a lot more heroic than taking out the trash or changing a diaper. But at least this way I don’t end up in ICU.

As I do a little marital inventory on my skills in being a “1 Corinthians 13 husband” I really think I’m doing pretty well. But by God’s grace, I will do even better tomorrow.

An Atheist Pastor

2009-04-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lousville, Ky offered this commentary in today's Baptist Press. I can add nothing to his insightful analysis so I give you, my Emmanuel family, Dr. Al Mohler.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=30227