Around our church “the man on the island” has gently stirred the oceanic waters regarding the necessity of evangelism in light of God’s sovereignty. Every so often he sends out a message in a bottle that reads, “What must I do to be saved?” It has apparently reached our shores in central Texas. Ad nauseam has the church debated the man’s question. Hopefully someone has sent a message back to […]
In the past year we have seen four Christian marriages very close to us disintegrate. We watched (and are watching) them all disappear into the black hole of adultery. There are even more when we consider extended friends. Every generation of churches has its particular battles to fight. And the greatest threat to ours is not creationism, school prayer, or even abortion. It is divorce and all its wicked implications. […]
The blogosphere (at least the miniscule percentage of it concerned with Southern Baptist life) pulsates with the release of the 2005 Southern Baptist Convention Statistical Summary. I’m hardly a statistician, but with an accounting degree/background I can make my way through some numbers. Here are my interpretations: The summary reports total SBC membership at 16,270,315 among 43,699 churches. This equates to an average church membership of 372 people. The summary […]
“There they crucified Him” (John 19.18) When it comes to the Gospel accounts of the cross it easy to preach what is not in the text. Most often (and due recently in no small part to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ) we are compelled to detail the physical anguish of crucifixion, depicting the pain and envisioning the terror. And having successfully horrified congregations into submission we appeal passionately […]
I recently lambasted the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) for sending materials hostile to Calvinism to all SBTC churches (see the April 6 post). As fervently as I (and we as a church) objected, I must also commend the Executive Director (i.e. the head honcho) for his swift remedy. This week I received his letter apologizing for the materials recently sent by the Director of Evangelism (i.e. a li’l […]
Of the seven messages heard the conference, my mind has been most drawn back to Ligon Duncan‘s Thursday morning message entitled “Preaching from the Old Testament” drawn from 2 Timothy 3.14-16. Yes, yes, yes . . . Piper was vintage, Sproul was brashly winsome, MacArthur was iconic. But, Duncan is my man so far. Perhaps you’ll benefit as well from his eight insights into preaching from the OT (especially since […]
It’s helpful for pastors to compile lists of things. Doing so helps clarify doctrine, force contemplation, maintain direction and provide instruction for a succeeding generation. It is highly beneficial to ourselves and others to reflect on and record what we’ve learned (or are learning) along the way. Martin Luther had his list: 95 theses outlined in 1517. Richard Baxter had his list in the form of The Reformed Pastor. Jonathan […]
It seems the simmer is escalating to a boil in Southern Baptist life. This morning I received a package from the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC). In it was a letter from the Director of Evangelism encouraging us Texas pastors to consider the enclosed materials, which “[address] two critical issues of our day that directly effect evangelism in the local church.” What are these resources? One, there is a […]
“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . . Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried” (Is 53.3a-b, 4a-b). Oscar Wilde tells a fascinating story in his book The Picture of Dorian Gray. Basil Hallward paints a portrait of Dorian Gray-a young, handsome, strapping young man. Enamored by Dorian’s beauty, Lord Henry Wotton encourages Dorian to take […]
” . . . the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” (Jn 18.11b) Having ordered Peter to sheath his sword, Jesus rhetorically demands that Peter stick to the plan. Jesus had to drain the drink in front of him. And no beggarly fisherman was going to disrupt the swill. Jesus was not simply saying cleverly to Peter, “I’ve got to do what I’ve got […]