Rock of Ages – Part 2

Not the labours of my hands
can fulfil thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears for ever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save and thou alone.

–Augustus Montague Toplady

The Great Unifier

A few months ago Bryan Barley contributed to Baptist21 with a great article, “Journey of an Unlikely Southern Baptist.”  Not only is it a fantastic read, but I think within it lies a precise articulation of the opinions many young Baptists hold today: a desire for true unity. Unity that is brought about by the Gospel, and unity that spreads the fame of our God. Here’s a preview:

The gospel is the great unifier and in light of its unparalleled worth, my own non-essential preferences grow “strangely dim,” and I’m ready to go on mission. You can wear two ties to church for all I care; if you’re about the true gospel, then we couldn’t have anything more important in common. Let’s get to work together.

Get it, Bryan!

The Blacks

Many of you know how influential Dave Black has been in my life as a professor and friend. Right now Mrs. Black is beginning the fight against uterine papillary serous carcinoma cancer. I’d ask for all of you to read her thoughts here and here for a powerful word on living and dying for Christ. She is a true woman of God! Please be praying…

Gateway to the West

We’ve made it to St. Louis! Today was a beautiful day for riding…no rain, only sunshine. And lots of it! The temperatures rose to the low 90s today, and we felt it a few times. So far, we’ve been problem free…for the most part. A few maintenance issues with Phillip’s bike slowed us at the beginning, but they were all worked out with relative ease. Tomorrow we’re headed out early for Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 611 miles ahead of us…yikes! I have more pics to post from the Arch, but can’t find my camera cable. (Hope I didn’t leave it at home.) Will update ya again when I can. Keep praying for us!

Weather Update

Currently 68 degrees with beautiful blue Carolina skies. Hope this can last all day! (The forecast says otherwise, however…)

I preached and teached!

This past weekend I preached my very first sermon…ever!

Did I address a congregation of thousands? Was there an incredible band that provided a smooth intro for me to begin (and that really cool sounding concluding music to help evoke that emotional response to the altar)?  Was I blinded by the stage lights from above? Were there hundreds of decisions made, confessions pronounced, and baptisms had?

Well, no. None of those, really. And boy am I glad. My very first sermon was preached at a church plant in Louisburg, North Carolina. A huge crowd of 15…tops. They met in the back room of a daycare center. No one wore a tie. There was only one button-down shirt. No piano. No organ. No electric guitars. No powerpoint presentations. No video clips. No musical solos.

But here’s what did happen.

I was greeted in the parking lot by 3 boys all under the age of 11, and a young girl who was 12…I think. They were all running towards me and yelling, “You’re the substitute preacher, aren’t you?!?!” in excitement…as they each stuffed my hands with numerous Gospel tracts. The energy was overwhelming!

As I entered the daycare center, one of the boys said, “Welcome to Christ’s Community Church. Please don’t judge us by our building. The church is a body. Not a building!” Ya know…I didn’t realize that until my first semester of seminary! And this little theologian already has an “essential” of ecclesiology under his belt. Praise God!

The service began with prayer, and then a reading from the Scriptures. Psalm 18. The whole Psalm. Then we had a time of thanksgiving and down the rows we went, each congregate (regardless of age) proclaiming what he or she was thankful for that week.

The rain. The rain stopping. Bowling with grandma. Playing with a neighbor. Making a big decision about school. Restored health.

Every single person had something to be thankful for. What a blessing.

Then John 4 was read. The whole chapter.

For “a time of congregational singing,” one of the men volunteered to hand out the three hymnals they had to be shared by everyone and then lead each song. He took requests.

First request: hymn 472. Jesus Loves Me. (All three verses.)
Second request: hymn 18. Blessed Assurance.
Third request: hymn 156. Come thou Fount.

We prayed for the pastor who was currently overseas, they prayed for me, and then I preached. And what fun it was! Young children were actually answering my (sometimes rhetorical) questions. Men were volunteering to read Scripture passages. We looked at Acts 6 and saw obstacles to the Word being preached, the importance of getting the right people to fulfill needs, and the goal of seeing the Word increase and disciples made. Unity for the sake of the Gospel!

Afterward, we broke bread together! Literally! We had garlic bread alongside the delicious chicken pasta lunch..and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. My favorite. I heard several personal testimonies, many prayer concerns, and even received advice on how I could more effectively share the Gospel with some of my lost relatives.

Now I believe that is the church. The body was worshiping together in truth and spirit. Nothing was particularly special about the preacher. He practiced his gift. Others practiced their gifts. They gave me Gospel tracts and advised me on better ways to share the Good News! Thank God for such blessed opportunities.

Mid-terms =

No blogging.

Gotta Serve Somebody

Last week I took a class with Dr. J.D. Greear, and at one point he referenced an old Bob Dylan song, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” I never really was a Dylan fan (couldn’t stand that voice!), but I looked up a little info on him, as well as the lyrics of the song just for fun. Apparently, Dylan became a “born-again Christian” in the late 70s and this radically changed his life, as well as his music career. Many fans rejected his clearly religious and Christian albums, a price he didn’t seem paying. [I should probably clarify that I know next to nothing about Bob Dylan, never had any idea that he was a Christian, and can't vouch for his spiritual beliefs one bit. The majority of what I read was--unashamedly--from Wikipedia, as well as a few other sites.] Apparently he was connected to the Christian Vineyard churches for some time, some Jewish organizations later in life, and now doesn’t follow any organized religion. That’s probably more than you–or I–care to know, but sometimes those random stories are kinda fun to hear about.

Anyways, I’m not going to quote the entire song here, b/c it’s  ridiculously long, but here are a few verses and the chorus that seem to be particularly applicable to human nature. Makes me ask the question “who am I serving today?” and I think it’s an especially fair question to ask non-Christians. What better way to illustrate idolatry?!

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock ‘n’ roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

What makes a healthy church?

In addition to my thoughts on the local church, I’d like to include an introduction to the first chapter of Mark Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. I found this book to be particularly insightful and helpful when trying to really understand what constitutes a church body and how to measure its health. If you’re interested in reading the entire book (which I highly recommend), click here. Also feel free to check out the 9Marks site. Enjoy!

This is how I began my sermon on Sunday morning in January, not too long ago:

So, how’s it going? Did you get enough sleep last night? Did you have trouble finding a good parking place this morning? Were the doors clearly marked? Did the people welcome you as you came in? Did the building seem nice and neat? I wonder, did the church’s name make it more difficult for you to decide to come in? Or, maybe that was part of the reason why you decided to come in.

And when you did come in, were the people friendly and welcoming? Any trouble dropping the kids off? And what do you think about the stained glass? I know I have the best view of it, but it’s really pretty, isn’t it? Then again, maybe it’s a little too traditional for you.

Are the pews comfortable? Do you have a good view of all the activities from where you are sitting? Can you see clearly? Can you hear okay? Is it warm enough for you right now? Do you feel pretty comfortable?

And how about the bulletin? Nice, clear, simple, pretty straightforward, wouldn’t you say? Not too complicated. Maybe a little too staid. Did you notice all the announcements in it? And did you see all the programs listed in the church card? There are a lot of them, aren’t there? Probably more than you’ve even read. Of course, it’s easy to read, but I guess the print is kind of small, isn’t it? And there aren’t any pictures. I mean, it’s so type-heavy. That probably tells you a lot about the church, doesn’t it? You think this is probably the kind of church where they’d rather have the thousand words than the picture, right?

And what about the people sitting around you? Are they the kind you like to go to church with? Yeah, I know you’re too nervous too look around you right now, but you know who they are. What do you think? Are they the right age? Are they the right race? Are they the right social class? Are they just like you?

And what about the service so far? I mean, was it too difficult switching between the two hymnals? You know, most churches just use one and here you’ve got two; you’ve got to go to the green one and then sometimes the beige one. Has the leader seemed informed, yet not know-it-allish? Competent, yet not overbearing? There weren’t too many announcements in the service, were there? I don’t think so this morning. Have the prayers been involving? Have they engaged your heart and mind?

It is a bit unusual these days to read so much Scripture in church, isn’t it? You don’t often find that done.

And of course, there’s the music. You know, we’re still trying to get some things worked out, as you can tell—contemporary or traditional, classical or more modern, liturgical or more informal. As with every other church in America this very morning, there are probably some people who have come to this church in the past who this morning are out looking at other churches because they would like a different musical experience. And, you know, there are probably some people who are still here, in part, because they like this musical experience.

And how’s it been for you with the offering? Can you believe that? They actually took up an offering in public with visitors and all! That is the kind of thing they tell you in seminary these days you should never do. How did it make you feel? Did it make you feel that the church is full of a bunch of money-grubbing people who just want to get from you when you come?

What are you doing here? Whether you’ve been coming to this church for fifty years or this is your first Sunday—why do you come?

And now, of course, well, you know what’s coming now. Maybe it has already begun: the sermon! For some people, this is what you just have to sit through to get to the good bit—maybe some more singing, or meeting and talking to people afterwards.

The preacher does have a very difficult job, doesn’t he? The preacher has to be someone that you feel you could relate to and talk with and let your hair down with or trust in some measure. But he needs to seem holy, too. But not too holy. You know, he needs to be knowledgeable, but not too knowledgeable. He needs to be confident, but not too confident. He needs to be compassionate, but not too compassionate. And his sermon? Well, his sermon needs to be good enough, relevant enough, entertaining and engaging enough, and certainly short enough.

There is so much to consider when you are evaluating a church, isn’t there? Have you ever really stopped to think about it? There are so many different things to think of an, as much as Americans move these days, we have to evaluate churches. It happens all the time. We have to ask ourselves what makes a really good church.

In my study I have shelf after shelf and stack after stack of books about exactly this question: What really makes a good church? And you would be amazed at how widely the answers vary. They range from friendliness to financial planning to pristine bathrooms to pleasant surroundings to vibrant music to being sensitive to visitors to plentiful parking to exciting children’s programs to elaborate Sunday school options to the right computer software to clear signage to homogeneous congregations. You will find books written and sold that advocate all of those things as the key to a good church.

So, what do you think? What makes for a healthy church? You need to know that. If you are a visitor today, looking around for some church where you can come regularly and to which you can commit yourself, you need to consider this question. Even if you are already a member here, you need to consider this question—you might move, you know. And even if you don’t ever move again, you need to know what constitute a healthy church. If you’re going to stay in the church and be a part of building it and shaping it, don’t you need to know what you’re trying to build? What you want it to look like? What you want to aim for? What should be foundational?

Be very careful how you answer these questions. As I said, you’ll find experts who will tell you the answer is everything from how religion-free your language is to how invisible your membership requirements are.

So, what do you think? Are secure nurseries and sparkling bathrooms, exciting music and look-alike congregations really the way to church growth and church health? Is that really what makes a good church?

sem⋅i⋅nar⋅i⋅an (sem-uh-nair-ee-uhn) – noun

If I had to guess, I would assume about 5-10% of our population actually knows what it means  to be a seminarian. And, to be honest, that’s perfectly fine with me. I think the title itself–like most titles–is misleading, presumptuous, and unnecessary.

But as a seminarian, it would only seem natural and fitting that I have a great appreciation for the church. I mean, it would only make sense that someone “training for the ministry” has a deep respect for its place in our culture, that I have a well-developed understanding of what defines the church, how it should be organized, the proper way to lead one, etc., right? All of these ideas are typically assumed of any seminarian, but oddly enough, it’s not the case. I know this foremost because it certainly wasn’t the case for me…and it still isn’t completely the case. Perhaps that sounds strange, but allow me to explain.

When I enrolled at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary about 1.5 years ago I had little idea of what it was that I would want to do after graduation. In fact, I really didn’t even completely understand why it was that I was attending seminary in the first place. I did feel compelled (to some degree) to serve a ministry (of some sorts) vocationally, yet I realized that this could include a wide variety of options. [After all, this wasn't the 1950's anymore, of course: no longer was seminary for the "preacher-to-be" or "missionary-to-be" alone. This degree could open doors to a world of opportunities.]  Several people affirmed me in this decision, and just like a freshman beginning his collegiate career with little to no idea of what path to pursue, I began the journey.

Now if you would have asked me at the beginning of this journey what type of work I envisioned myself doing one day, I could have probably listed them off in an order that went something just like this:

1.) Disaster relief/Christian social justice ministries
2.) Christian camping ministries
3.) College campus ministries
4.) Some other para-church organization.

I would usually mention those four ideas to anyone who asked, but it never failed that someone would follow up with the obvious question:

“So…you’re going to seminary, but you’re not going to work in the church?”

Or for those who didn’t understand seminary or Christianity that well, it sounded a little more like:

“So…you’re going to seminary, but you don’t necessarily want to be a priest?”

More or less, I consistently told individuals that I had the desire to serve God in some form or fashion…but the local church would probably be the last place I’d want to be. I can even remember emphasizing that to some people with enthusiasm, and after looking back on my life and realizing the amount of growth and maturity that has developed in my Christian walk in the past 1.5 years alone…I think I know why I felt the way I did.

Up until that point, my experience with the local church had been…well…mixed. I was raised in a very traditional, historically established Southern Baptist Church and, looking back,  I truly did enjoy my time there. Wonderful relationships and friendships were formed there, there was a certain degree of growth in my life that occurred, and I felt genuinely accepted as a part of that body.

By the end of my high school years, though, I did begin to perceive that something wasn’t “just right” about the church…and it didn’t take long for me to realize that it basically boiled down to the presence of a lot of “fakeness” and “shallowness.” Outside of my 3 closest friends, everything else was surface level. The cumulative growth as a disciple of Jesus that I experienced in my 8 years there was minimal, and my eyes were opened to a certain routine of church that just lost some appeal.

But soon enough I started college and experienced a whole new type of church…

This church was big.

I mean, not just the building (although the building was big), but everything about it. Big college group. Big worship service. Big parties. Big rock band. Big events. Big fun. Everything was totally different.

And I loved it.

I learned what it meant to be “contemporary.” I learned what Christian rock music was. I learned that pastors don’t always wear ties. I learned that the church can be a lot of fun, and attractive, and even…flashy. And during my 4 years there I really appreciated the church.

Like before, many friendships were formed…

…and like before a certain degree of growth occurred

…and like before I felt genuinely accepted as a part of that body.

But by the end of my 4 years, I started to experience the same feeling that I had at my “old-fashioned, very traditional, historical Southern Baptist” church. The fakeness. The shallowness. The lack of growth. And even the routine.

I really began to do some serious questioning about the reasons why that happened. What was it that caused these same exact feelings in such a different, “unique,” exciting, and attractive environment? How could it be that two churches that–on the shell–were incredibly different still have the same downfalls? Why did this seem to be the fundamental fate of every church?

It was, perhaps, these experiences that formed in my mind a certain…hesitation…to the church. (I should probably clarify that there was never a point that I adopted some form of anti-establishment or anti-institution feelings. I just…could never imagine myself being confined to working in that type of environment.) The routine of a week-in, week-out type of job. The eventual complacency. The eventual lost of luster. The fakeness. The minimal amount of true growth.

And what I’ve really begun to realize is that, at the time, nothing seemed attractive about taking a church job. Especially when I could be rebuilding churches in Sudan, teaching farmers in Nepal, investing in a dynamic campus ministry, directing one of the country’s largest Christian summer camps. Because those were appealing sounding jobs. Those were the types of jobs that make people’s eyes light up when you tell them your plans. Those are the opportunities that few ever take; and only the fortunate, the brave, the independent type does.

So that’s what I was after. That’s where I wanted to go. Those were opportunities that I wouldn’t be “settling” for, despite the fact that I really had no idea what day-in/day-out responsibilities were involved in such “exciting” jobs.

But then the Lord started doing another work in my heart. He began opening my eyes to other possibilities. Possibilities that I never had really envisioned…or when I did, they were last on the list…or even on the “need not apply” list! He began to turn my affections in such a way that I can only attribute them to His living, active, caring, and personal presence in my life. It has been over the last year or so that Jesus has developed in my heart a true love and passion for the local church–to minister to my local community, to desire their personal growth in their Savior, to see them become disciples of Him and share that love with their neighbors. Wow, what an exciting change!

When I look back and consider why and how this transformation came about in my life, I realize that a great source of the change resulted from a select group of people that reshaped my thinking on the church itself. These were mostly seminary professors who challenged my traditional understandings of even the most basic foundations of the Christian faith in such a healthy and humble way that I was forced (and allowed) to start reasoning through many ideas that I only thought I understood. In some ways, then, this blog entry is a note of appreciation to those individuals who have influenced my walk with the Lord and deepened my understandings of our Savior and his Church. When I think back on these professors and the many, many lectures I’ve heard them all teach, I’ve come to realize that, generally speaking, I can only remember a single nugget (sometimes two!) from each one. So here goes…

Dr. Alvin Reid is perhaps the corniest professor I’ve had with a gimmicky sense of humor that never ends (really…he won’t stop), but he was the first person in my life that ever communicated the idea that the church is not a building, but a group of people. Giving attention to this simple thought began to radically alter my use of language and how I view congregations.

Dr. Mark Liederbach is the most humble man I’ve ever met. While I expected a much different approach to the study of Ethics, he drew me closer to the Gospel, and ingrained in me that I am more sinful than I ever dared to believe, and more loved than I ever dared to hope. Learning to eat and drink–and do everything else–for His glory is now a daily reminder, and to be able to teach that in the church, amongst God’s people, is a privilege and an honor.

Dr. David Alan Black is the smartest, most passionate, most giving, most godly (ok…I could go on forever) man I know, and he’s inspired me to be a part of a Great Commission church, live a Great Commission life, and raise a Great Commission family. He’s also served as a constant reminder to ask myself What’s the best use of my time? What’s the best use of my money? What’s the best use of my resources? What’s the best use of my life? He’s modeled how to love one another and carry the love of Jesus from the farm churches of Virginia to the village churches of Ethiopia. “We don’t need DOM’s! We don’t need IMBs! We need churches planting churches!!!” I love his passion.

All this to say, I think I’ve finally arrived to a position that I’ve (just begun) to develop a deep respect and love for the local church. I realize that it has its weaknesses, its shortcomings, its failures, and its room to improve. The preaching may not always be inspiring. The choir may sing out of tune. The style may be old fashioned. And, of course, it may be too modern. I can say that the same things about myself, though. I have my weaknesses. I have my shortcomings. I have my failures. I have my room to improve. But, if anything, I’ve realized the importance of committing myself to the church, to one another, and most importantly, to Christ.

I’ll close with a few passages from Scripture that I’ve found to be particularly relevant:

“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, so that he might make it holy by cleansing it, washing it with water and the word, and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault.” — The Apostle Paul, Letter to the church in Ephesus, 5:25-27

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy, then fill me with joy by having the same attitude, sharing the same love, being united in spirit, and keeping one purpose in mind. Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves. Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.
– The Apostle Paul, Letter to the church in Philipi, 2:1-4

“Now I am rejoicing in my sufferings for you and completing in my flesh whatever remains of Christ’s sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, so that I might fulfill the ministry of the word of God. This secret was hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints, to whom God wanted to make known the glorious riches of this secret among the gentiles-which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim as we admonish everyone and teach everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I work hard and struggle to do this according to his energy that powerfully works in me.” - The Apostle Paul, Letter to the church in Colossae, 1:24-29