Sometimes You Gotta Dig

What did Indiana Jones teach me as a child? 

1. Fear of snakes is completely healthy. 
2. Nazi's were a real superstitious bunch. 
3. Always stop after the third movie. (Still can't believe I paid real money to see Crystal Skull)

The draw of Indiana Jones was the idea of uncovering something that had been buried far too long and was simply waiting for discovery. Christians must also be willing to take on the same work. 

God called the prophet Ezekiel to a dig of discovery, but it wasn't an exciting find. God reveals a small hole in the temple wall and commands the prophet to dig it open and climb through. He enters to find the elders of Israel worshipping idols and false gods within the walls of God's house. 

Then God said to Ezekiel, "You have seen what the (70) elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The Lord does not see us.'" Ezekiel 8:12

Here are some quick takeaways:

We need to dig. When we see a hole in our spiritual house, we need to be willing to admit the damage and work with God on the restoration. 

We need to be honest. God sees everything. When we find the damage, we must admit to God both the sin and the cause. 

We need to be swift! Israel had failed to respond to God and their idolatry grew out of secret places into the open where many were deceived. Failing to repent immediately can only lead to further sin. 

Dig in prayer. Be honest about what you find. Respond swiftly to God's conviction. He doesn't expose our sin to destroy us, but to redirect us! 

No Girls Allowed?

Southern Baptists are considering questions about women's roles for ministry in fresh ways. I was asked to share my own journey on this subject in the Illinois Baptist recently. Here is that article:

https://ib2news.org/2018/07/26/no-girls-allowed/

The Difference Between God's Plans and God's Purpose

"What if my dreams do not happen? Will I just change what I told my friends?"
-Twenty One Pilots from "We Don't Believe What's On TV"

We spend too much time looking for God's plans.

It feels like I've spent years looking for God's plans, merely moving from point to point while failing to discover a bigger picture. My wife and I constantly quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 through times of uncertainty, and we have discovered God consistently has plans for our lives even in the most difficult circumstances.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him
and he will make your paths straight.

So I was content to move along the path, believing God for each step.
But in the journey, I forgot about reaching a destination.

I realize my primary goal is not to find God's plans. My primary goal is to live out my purpose.

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

This is not a promise of God to grant every sin or every whim of every heart.
Taking delight in the Lord comes as we make ourselves more pliable in His hands. We grow in our relationship with Him and we discover our purpose. The desires of our heart mirror His desires for us.

God has made me a teacher. That's His purpose.
Right now, God has made me a pastor. That's His plan.
God's plans are always to shape and mold us as we learn to delight in Him and embrace the desires He has placed within us. Understanding this purpose fuels our dreams for what can be...if we don't fall to fear.

One day, I'd like to be a college professor, teaching students to love and apply the Bible. In the meantime, I see how His current plans are growing and stretching me into my purpose.

• Joseph was an Administrator...yet he spent time as a prisoner.
• David's was a King....yet he spent time as a shepherd.
• Peter was an Evangelist...yet he spent time as a fisherman.

Don't be afraid of your dreams. God has made you and knows what gets you motivated and where you are most useful. Keep seeking the plans of God. Put your trust in God. Take your delight in Him, and watch his plans help you to find the purpose your heart has been longing for. 

#MeToo Hits the SBC

To our First Family:

We are Southern Baptist. I recognize that for many of you, that doesn't really register. You love our church, agree with our statements of faith, and have probably even given to the Christmas and Easter mission offerings. Beyond that, the Southern Baptist Convention doesn't mean much to you.

I'll be heading next week to our annual convention in Dallas, June 12-13. As the largest non-Catholic denomination in the country, our meetings tend to make the news. Usually that news is for our stand on biblical truth, but unfortunately there is a bigger story I'd like to make you aware of.

Our #MeToo Moment
Dr. Paige Patterson has been a hero of our denomination as part of a movement in the 70's to steer the SBC to a place of firm commitment to the authority of scripture. However, it has been revealed that while President of two of our seminaries, Dr. Patterson used his authority to silence women who had been raped on those campuses. In addition, indefensible statements during sermons from Dr. Patterson have come to light regarding domestic violence and describing a teenage girl's appearance.

Dr. Patterson has been removed as President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, but is still in line to preach the sermon at the end of this year's annual meeting. Being voted into that position last year, before any of these details were known, he can only be removed if he resigns (unlikely at this point) or if messengers like myself vote to have him removed. I anticipate the later solution to be the first motion from the floor and to pass overwhelmingly.

You may still hear scattered voices in support of Dr Patterson because of his past service, but no level of service can discount the abuses of authority Dr. Patterson is guilty of. Please know the overwhelming voices in our denominational leadership and mainstream have firmly denounced Dr. Patterson in the strongest of terms. As a husband, father, brother, and son to some incredible women in my own life, I am heartbroken for this situation in our denomination. Men must NEVER be permitted to use spiritual authority for spiritually bullying.

The Good News

I've been part of Southern Baptist Churches for over 20 years. I don't believe we're infallible as a denomination, but in regards to mission and message, I believe the SBC is a great place of partnership for our church. 

The positive impact of the SBC is on the rise! In a time where denominations are dying, we gained 272 churches last year and saw worship attendance grow by an extra 100,000 each Sunday! 

Our own church has seen growth through a second worship service and leadership transitions to build upon and strengthen our worship and discipleship ministries. People are responding to our efforts of biblical worship and discipleship.

As a member of FBC you are a Southern Baptist. That doesn't make you responsible for every difficult moment we experience as a denomination. But as a part of this faith family, let us pray together and use these moments to own our imperfections for the declaration of the Gospel. Let's tell them about our Jesus!

Condemning Comfort

How do I comfort someone whose deceased loved one was an unbeliever? 

Recently the Pope was faced with a heart-wrenching question from a young boy. The child's repeated attempts to voice his question were quickly overcome by tears. Finally, Pope Francis called the child forward and encouraged him to whisper the question in his ear as the boy hugged him tight. After a few private moments Pope Francis shared the question:

"My dad was an atheist. Is He in Heaven?" (Here is the video link: https://usat.ly/2r209qa)

The boy shared that his dad was a good man and even had all four of his children baptized. Pope Francis agreed the boy's father had been a good man and then answered his question:

"God, faced with a dad who was an unbeliever but had his four children baptized, do you think that God would be capable of leaving that man far from Him? No."

A large crowd was present and was encouraged by Pope Francis to also shout, "NO!" The video has gone viral, allowing every viewer to be condemned by an act of comfort. Thousands have heard of salvation not through Jesus, but through personal goodness. 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

John 3:17 is my favorite verse because people usually respond, "Don't you mean John 3:16?" I appreciate that it pushes back against those who say salvation only through Jesus excludes people. Listen:
Without Jesus there was NO WAY to Heaven. 
With Jesus there is ONE WAY to Heaven. 
I prefer the second option. Telling people that Jesus is the only way IS a loving act.

I empathize with this difficult question Pope Francis faced. I've performed many funerals for people who had no testimony of Christ, and yet their families spoke of them as if they were clearly in Heaven. How does a Christian approach this?

1) Don't presume.
Max Lucado encourages us to remember that in the same way the thief on the cross accepted at the very end of his life, so may have this seemingly lost family member. Perhaps they cried out to Jesus in their final moments. We don't treat all people as saved, but we don't presume to absolutely know.

2) Display the love of God. 
Jesus wept with people who were hurting. Regardless of their beliefs, we can still encourage people to hold to those good memories and even be ready to share those stories with family they never had the chance to meet.

3) Point the person to Jesus. 
I know one thing is true of every person who dies: If they were standing before their loved ones they would say, "Eternity is real." We can't do anything for the soul that is gone, but we still have a chance with the soul that stands before us. So share the love of Jesus and salvation of Jesus that is available to every person.

When people are hurting, be a comfort. But don't condemn someone by false comfort that fails to share the truth. Be a person who expresses truth and love side-by-side. 

How Fast or How Well?

Seth: "I'm the new manager."
Jerry: "But you were a bank executive. This is fast food!"
Seth: "Not fast food, good food quickly."

The American experience is a constant trade-in of quality for speed. This issue was recently driven home during my morning workout. The Nike Training App has been my go-to for a while, and I appreciate each exercise is accompanied by video and audio reminders as you progress.

Today's routine included 30-second increments of the "Crab Reach", a move I've done umpteen times. However, a line in the audio immediately changed my approach to this move as well to the remaining sets in my workout:

"Focus on good form over speed"

In my desire to do something good (exercising my body), I'd been emphasizing speed over quality. I emphasized how fast I could perform the move instead of how well I could perform it. 

I think you may see where I'm going with this.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17 (NIV)

Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, the man working to establish an unstable people. Israel was coming out of Egypt and anxious to settle into their permanent homeland, but Moses fought that mindset. Moses prayer wasn't for a quick build, but a quality build. Throughout the Psalm he uses words like everlasting and steadfast. These are words that are willing to take time with the Lord to do things well.

Are you?  

Whether in our devotional time, family time, or work efforts, we must have a desire for God to establish our work as works of quality. Reading the Bible in a year isn't more valuable than studying the Bible for a year. One advances your reading plan, while the other advances your sanctification (becoming more like Jesus).

There's a lot to do everyday: For God, for others, for yourself. Don't focus on how fast you can accomplish these tasks, but on how well you can do them. You just may find the end of each day is more satisfying than it's ever been. 

OMG...Pardon Me?

I think we're doing that 3rd commandment wrong. 

Like me, you may have grown up in a household that didn't allow for phrases like...

OMG

Jeez

Gosh Darn

For those of you who just survived the PG-13 part of this blog, let's continue. If I may be so bold, I believe the commandment our parents tried to keep us in line with goes much deeper than a word spoken in anger or frustration. 

My seminary president once had the honor of teaching an Old Testament study to a group of rabbis. Afterwards, they repeatedly thanked him for not using the proper name of God, Yahweh, during his teaching. Many Christians who'd been invited to teach had used the name, causing extreme offense to their audience. 

If you've ever noticed in your Bible, the word LORD is often capitalized throughout the Old Testament portions. This is actually a substitution by the Hebrew scribes for the name Yahweh that for them was too holy and special to even be written down. The Jews have always treated God's name with a deep reverence, but it goes far beyond the understanding you may have grown up with. 

How do we use God's name in vain.

1) Profanity. Ok, so let's get this out of the way. If you're using the English expression for God as a curse word, then you clearly are speaking it vainly. However, for those with no relationship with Him, "God" is simply a word. We need to be careful about demanding lost people use the name of God properly. Lost people gonna lost. 

2) Prayers of Unbelief. James 1:5-7 says that when we pray we should do so, "...in faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord" What is the issue with this prayer? It called upon God in vain, doubting His ability. We recognize God may answer differently from our preference, but in faith we pray trusting He will answer. 

3) False Oaths. Some people "swear to God" in proving their sincerity, mainly because they've been found insincere in the past. Numerous people swear before God to love "until death do us part", but step away long before. James 5:12 challenges us, "Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No."

So now what?

Obviously, we just say OMG all we want....NOT! My purpose isn't to be flippant about our attempts at honoring God, but to simply think a bit deeper on how we go about it. Idol worship in America looks differently than it did in biblical times, but we have recognized how to think deeper on the temptation to idolize fame, fortune, etc. 

In the same way, let's approach the name of God our Father and Friend with the complete reverence He deserves. Using the name of God with purpose in front of our kids or co-workers will speak louder than simply avoiding random utterances of His name at all.