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RSS Robot

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  1. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from John Young in Paul Chappell: What Does “Woke” Mean? And Why Does It Matter?   
    Woke is an odd word—and not just because it is a past tense verb that is now commonly used as an adjective. It’s odd because it has vague connotations without clear definitions. This ambiguity allows those who appreciate the word’s implications to write off those who criticize its implications as “just not understanding its meaning.” 
    In conversations like this, clarity is always our friend. That’s why I was thankful when someone from our Sheriff’s Department recently asked me what I meant in using the word woke. This individual is not a believer, and I was happy to answer his question from a Christian perspective. 
    Below is a lightly-edited copy of the letter that I wrote him. I thought it may be helpful to readers of this blog who have similar conversations with law enforcement or others who are seeking clarity on our concerns over the radical changes in our society that are being furthered under the banner of wokism. 
    Thanks for asking about the definition of “woke.” I wasn’t sure if the question was asked personally or on behalf of the Sheriff, but I am happy to share a few thoughts. 
    Many of us had never heard the term woke until a few years ago. Prior to that time, it was used simply to describe people who felt awakened to the injustices of racism. In recent years, however, it seems the word has been highjacked by political activists who are often far-left or socialistic in their views and have a larger agenda in mind than standing against racism. 
    Although I cannot in this short space define the whole woke philosophy as is commonly applied today, I can point out a few frequently used terms and highlight some of their implications. 
    Social Justice: This is a broad term that often defeats the principles of “equal justice under the law.” Social justice focuses on enforcing equal outcomes for everyone. In this way, it leans into socialism. And amazingly, “social justice” doesn’t bring justice to the average citizen, as it focuses on groups rather than on individuals’ misconduct or good accomplishments. The end result, as philosopher Friedrich Hayek observed, is that people must be treated unequally in order to create equal outcomes: “And that’s what social justice amounts to. It’s a demand that the state should treat people differently in order to place them in the same position. . . .To make people equal a goal of governmental policy would force government to treat people very unequally indeed.”  Critical Race Theory (CRT): Under the guise of exposing racism, CRT actually suggests a reverse racism by insisting that the color of one’s skin determines whether or not he or she is racist. As one author explained, “Even if a white person has never had a genuinely racist thought…he is still a racist, white supremacist, because he is white and belongs to the majority” (Ronnie W. Rogers, “Understanding the Terms…” blog post). This kind of insistence on seeing everything through the lens of race brings division to communities. LGBTQ Promotion: For many years, the LGBTQ movement has sought to align with the woke activists to gain influence, and that strategy is working. Woke activists aggressively promote sexual behavior and lifestyles through celebrations and legislation with new laws and vocabulary introduced regularly (cisgender, transgender, cultural appropriation, intersectionality, conscious capitalism, etc.). They have enshrined these numerous terms which are now being forced upon the public. The woke agenda also belittles the nuclear, or biblical, family model. Yet strong families are a strength in any society. While claiming to be marginalized, the woke and LBGTQ lobbies in this state are well-represented in government positions and dominant in political circles. Most concerningly, they are now targeting children and prohibiting parents and teachers from speaking up. For instance, CA Bill AB 957 which was put before the California legislature and passed both houses before being vetoed by the governor, said a non-consenting parent of an under-aged child would lose custody if that parent refused a mastectomy or castration (sex re-assignment surgery) for his or her child. Only the “gender affirming” parent is deemed fit to parent a child who may actually be suffering from dysphoria. Additionally, teachers have been fired from their jobs for refusing to go along with these new ideals. (One local example is Jessica Tapias, a teacher in Riverside County, who was fired just this year for refusing to hide gender transitions from parents of young children.) Economic Equity: This aims to reduce the income gap between the poor and middle class—not by increasing economic opportunity for minority groups, but by taking from the middle class by way of taxes and/or not prosecuting theft. Wealth redistribution is a common theme in woke literature. Again, this is a very high-end summary, and more could be said. But the larger point is that, while every American should stand against racism, wokism actually focuses on emphasizing differences between race and seems to have an end agenda of the disruption of society. 
    In particular, it leads to concerning philosophies as it relates to law enforcement. The interpretation of social justice by woke activists has led to practices such as zero-bail policies, refusing to prosecute crime, and large-scale defunding of and/or disrespect for law enforcement. 
    These policies, which are supported by left-leaning financiers such as George Soros and others, have been adopted by the Los Angeles District Attorney. The training of these policies has been disseminated throughout Southern Californian governmental agencies. What has been the result? 
    Increase in crime Igniting class and race warfare Discouragement and apathy among law enforcement, including many LA County deputies For instance, another bill recently passed the California legislature (AB 852) that requires judges to base their sentencing on race, rather than on crime. The essence of the bill is that someone who is a minority should not be prosecuted to the same extent as someone who is Caucasian because of past injustices. This is the actual opposite of Martin Luther King Jr.’s aspiration that people “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
    The woke philosophy applied to law enforcement has essentially emboldened the criminal element of communities. No doubt, you have seen this with grab-and-go robberies of high-end stores and hit and run accidents. In places where the criminal element of a community is emboldened, the rank-and-file deputies as well as law enforcement in general have become discouraged. I know the citizens of the Antelope Valley as well as anyone, and I can tell you they are discouraged by the emboldened attitude of those who run red lights, commit robbery, and worse. 
    As a pastor of thirty-seven years here in Los Angeles County, I care about the safety of our citizens and the wellbeing of our law enforcement community. I am concerned to see crime on the rise and criminals emboldened. I’m saddened, too, to see these issues tied to race. I’ve preached here in our community for nearly four decades against racism, and I know that all people are made in the image of God. 
    Theologically and biblically, I believe that all humans fall short of God’s perfection (Romans 3:23). None of us are better than others. We have all broken God’s law, and we all need redemption through the finished work of Christ for us (Romans 6:23). Whoever calls to God, acknowledges his or her sin, and receives Christ as Savior may have forgiveness and peace with God. I realize this last point is another, although related, topic. But I am happy to discuss it with you at some point in time. 
    I realize there is political pressure because many woke activists are political donors. Yet, I believe the Sheriff’s Department must not be guided by the woke agenda, but by the law. Without law and order, nothing else works in society. Certainly, our new Captain in Lancaster or anyone in the department should be advanced based on integrity, respect, leadership, and a history of good policing. They should not be affirmed because of adherence to a particular dogma such as “wokism.”
    Thank you for your service to our community. Please know that I am here to help you and our law enforcement community in any way that I can. 
    Your Friend,
    Paul Chappell 
    P. S. I’m happy to provide additional resources on wokism and woke interpretations of social justice if these would be a help to you. A few that may be a help are Fault Lines by Voddie Baucham Jr. and Woke, Inc. by Vivek Ramaswamy. I have written a minibook on this topic titled Which Justice? which I would be glad to send you.
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  2. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from Napsterdad in 3 Resources for Your New Year   
    With each new year, I find myself more earnestly desiring to live each day wholly for Christ and to fulfill His calling on my life. 
    As I pray for our church family and friends around the globe, my prayer for each of you is that God would give you the clarity, grace, and courage to pursue Him in this new year and that it would be a fruitful year to His glory!
    One of the things I love about the dawning of a new year is the natural momentum it carries and the opportunity for setting goals and revitalizing the important areas of our lives. 
    As we look forward to 2024, I wanted to share three resources with you that I pray will be a help to you in this new year: 
    Daily in the Word Devotions
    These daily devotions, emailed out each morning, include a Scripture passage, expanded devotional thought, and a condensed take-away principle to carry through your day. 
    Each email also includes the full text of a daily Bible reading plan that will take you through the entire Bible each year—right from your inbox.
    Read each day’s devotion at devo.paulchappell.com, or subscribe to receive each devotion to your inbox every morning.  
    Courageous Devotional
    If you prefer a hard copy devotional book, you’ll love the brand new Courageous devotional. 
    This new book includes fifty devotions over ten weeks. Each week features a different Bible character who displayed exemplary courage (David, Daniel, Mary, etc.) and intertwines the stories of courageous Christians from the annals of history. These devotions will encourage and inspire you to courageously embrace God’s call on your life and conquer obstacles in the power of His name.
    Courageous is newly available from Striving Together Publications or on Amazon. 
    The Stewarding Life Planner
    This personal life planner was developed from over thirty years of seeking to be more effective in God’s calling on my life on a daily basis. 
    I’ve learned that the best personal system for life stewardship begins with understanding and identifying the basic roles God has placed into my life and then filtering my priorities through these roles.
    The Stewarding Life Planner is built around this system of starting with your roles and building daily and weekly priorities from these roles. It includes six months’ worth of daily pages as well as six months of weekly preview planning. 
    (A companion to this planner is the Stewarding Life Navigator which helps you identify your God-given roles and set some big-picture direction for your year.)
    Happy New Year!
    I pray one or more of these resources are a help to you as you begin a new year lived for the glory of God!
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  3. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from TheGloryLand in Five Qualities of Godly Spiritual Leaders   
    From the early moments of church history, we see glimpses of the kind of leaders the Lord desires to be present within His church. 
    That phrase “look ye out among you” is significant because it shows that these qualities are not to be present in pastors only but also among godly Christians within a local church family. 
    As a pastor, I have emphasized the developing of biblical leaders that passionately model the life of Christ in the local church. Although I know it is important that I provide servant, pastoral leadership for our church family, it’s also important that I am not the only spiritual leader in our church. Every man or woman who leads in any capacity—whether that be as a parent, a Sunday school teacher, or a one-on-one discipler—should be displaying qualities of spiritual leadership.
    There are several passages we could look to for a list of qualities that would be present in a spiritual leader. Acts 6 is one. (See “Six Biblical Criteria for Selecting Ministry Leaders.”) But in this post, I’d like to highlight five qualities from various New Testament passages.  
    1. Filled with the Spirit
    We know that the moment we trust Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us. (See Ephesians 1:13–14.) Thus, every saved person possesses the Holy Spirit. However, not every saved person is possessed by the Holy Spirit. Scripture specifically instructs us to “be filled with the Spirit.” 
    To be “filled with” something is to be controlled by it. A person who is filled with wine is controlled by the wine. A person who is filled with the Spirit is controlled by the Holy Spirit. 
    The natural leader is self-confident, but the spiritual leader is God–reliant. This reliance on God keeps spiritual leaders from walking in pride and the limits of their own strength. Instead, they walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and His strength. 
    The natural leader is self-confident, but the spiritual leader is God-reliant.
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    Charles Spurgeon said, “Without the Spirit of God we can do nothing. We are as ships without wind. Like branches without sap, we are withered. Like coals without fire, we are useless.
    2. Yielded to the Spirit
    One of the five commands in the New Testament related to the Holy Spirit is to “walk in the Spirit.”
    (The other four commands are to “Quench not the Spirit,” 1 Thessalonians 5:19; “grieve not the holy Spirit,” Ephesians 4:30; pray in the Spirit, Jude 1:20; and “be filled with the Spirit,” Ephesians 5:18.) 
    The command to “walk in the Spirit” emphasizes the step-by-step, moment-by-moment aspect of yielding to the Holy Spirit. It emphasizes a daily walk with God and a responsiveness to the promptings He brings to our spirit through His Word. 
    For instance, if the Holy Spirit prompts me to witness to somebody, usually with a reminder of His command to “preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), if I’m walking in the Spirit, I’ll respond immediately and share the gospel with that person. The same is true of His prompting to forgive someone, to reach out to someone He brings to mind, to put feet to a commitment He has previously led me to make, to resist temptation, or to act in obedience to Him in any other way.
    Because spiritual leaders are filled with and yielded to the Holy Spirit, they don’t need long lists of rules or external guidelines to live godly lives. They are looking to Scripture and responding to the Holy Spirit in order to walk in holiness. At our church, we have leadership requirements for those who serve in various leadership capacities. But frankly, those lists, based on scriptural commands such as being active in our witness and living with a godly testimony, are largely unnecessary for Spirit-filled, Spirit-yielded leaders. This is because if we are walking in the Spirit, we cannot also be walking in the flesh. 
    If we are walking in the Spirit, we cannot also be walking in the flesh.
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    3. Passionate in Holiness
    Spiritual leaders are not half-hearted in their pursuit of God. They seek Him in sincerity and with a consuming desire to know Him better. 
    Part of this pursuit of God is a passion for holiness. 
    What does it mean to live with holiness in our lives? I love what John Brown, a nineteenth-century theologian, said on this: “Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervours, or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God thinks, and willing as God wills” (emphasis added).
    A leader in pursuit of holiness is consistently asking, “What does God say about this? What does God want me to do? What course of action here would best reflect the holiness of God to others?”
    4. Restorative in Relationships 
    Spiritual leaders have a heart for others because God does. And their goal in leading others is to help people along on God’s agenda for their lives. In other words, spiritual leaders aren’t using others to build up themselves; they are expending themselves to build others. 
    Spiritual leaders aren’t using others to build up themselves; they are expending themselves to build others.
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    Building up others often involves restoration. 
    Sometimes it’s seeking to restore a fallen brother by reaching out to him and inviting him back through a path of repentance and restoration. 
    Sometimes it  involves the restoration of forgiveness when someone has specifically wronged us. Or it may be helping to facilitate repentance, forgiveness, and restoration between two other parties. 
    5. Gracious toward Others
    God’s grace in our hearts is both the motivating and enabling force of our own Christian growth. A spiritual leader full of grace will also be gracious toward others. 
    Here we circle back to Acts 6 and to Stephen who was one of those first deacons chosen. The Bible describes him as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” (verse 5). Later in the same chapter, the Bible tells us “And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel” (verse 15). This was just before Stephen preached one of the great salvation messages in the New Testament and was subsequently stoned “calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59–60). What a picture of grace! 
    Gracious servant leaders are growing leaders who speak the truth—including the gospel itself—in love. They don’t hold back from speaking the truth. But they rely on God’s grace to enable them to give truth with love.
    Bible-believing churches need to be filled with this kind of spiritual leaders: men and women who are filled with the Spirit, yielded to the Spirit, passionate in holiness, restorative in relationships, and gracious toward others. 
    Are you this kind of leader? 
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  4. I Agree
    RSS Robot got a reaction from Joe Chandler in Still a Baptist   
    This month I will celebrate my fortieth year being ordained as a Baptist pastor. No one could have prepared me for the changes that were ahead in the church and ministerial landscape over this forty-year period.
    I was raised as a Baptist and trained to be a Baptist preacher. While I believe there has been a succession of truth passed down through the ages, I have not found a line of church succession named “Baptist” that is identifiable every week of world history. I do believe, however, that churches whose doctrine of salvation and mode of baptism is scriptural have always existed since the time of Christ. And I believe that today those doctrinal distinctives are found in biblical Baptist churches. 
    I don’t believe in a “Baptist Bride” position that only the churches which can trace their succession to the time of Christ are legitimate or that only the people who are members of such churches are part of the bride of Christ referred to in Ephesians 5:25–27. I have friends who are not Baptist and who are wonderful Christians.  
    One of the Baptist distinctives is individual soul liberty. I believe every Christian must make doctrinal decisions based on his or her understanding of the Word of God. Even this article is not written to force my convictions on you. It is written to challenge your thought processes, especially if you are a Baptist pastor. 
    I am not a denominational Baptist. Most large Baptist denominations have struggled and compromised in recent decades over a variety of important issues, including the inerrancy of Scripture, creation, alcohol, women pastors, and ordaining gay clergy. I am happy to not be a part of such groups and have identified throughout my whole ministry as autonomous, or independent, of Baptist denominations. 
    Yet, I’m still a Baptist—and I am one by conviction. As I see Baptist pastors distance themselves from the name Baptist or young men who were, like me, saved and trained in Baptist churches claim that the name Baptist is unimportant, I have concerns. I invite you to think through some of these with me.
    Why Some Baptists Discard the Name
    I do believe there is a thought process a man who is trained as a Baptist but chooses to minimize or entirely shed the name works through. I’m just not convinced it is the right process. 
    Sometimes it is a marketing decision. 
    I get the fact that we want to present our church in brochures and on our websites and social media as something appealing. We don’t want to seem negative. Good marketers remove the “distasteful” aspects of their products. So, in following the marketing logic, many pastors remove the name Baptist. 
    But it’s worth asking the question: who are you winning when you do this? It’s probably not unsaved people, who often don’t understand or care about the differences between Baptist or non-denominational anyway. 
    I have found maintaining our historic and biblical identity helpful to our church family. If we lose potential members from different denominational backgrounds in that process, we likely have gained a good spirit in the church, maintained doctrinal purity, and attracted people who appreciate or become discipled in our doctrinal convictions.
    I don’t want people to visit our ministry websites or social media or to even drive by our church without knowing we are unashamedly a Baptist church.
    Sometimes it is a perceived stigma.
    Some who withdraw from the name Baptist do so because a mentor who strongly identified as a Baptist sullied the name to them—perhaps through moral failure or a mean spirit or just plain weirdness. So now this disillusioned pastor wants to remove everything from his past. 
    Although each pastor and church will certainly have stylistic variances from the previous generation or from where they were trained, someone who is hurt by the past or believes there is a stigma to his heritage may take more pronounced steps to cast off any similarities to his recent predecessors. This is usually not just one thing, but is often a combination of things, including a distaste for having leadership requirements in the church, turning to more trendy cultural alignments, and avoiding strong doctrinal positions in preaching. I was recently talking with a pastor who is working through some of these issues, and I happened to call him “brother.” He responded, “Don’t call me brother; that’s the way I used to talk.” 
    The problem with this kind of reactionary thinking is that focusing on doing things differently than your past means that your experiences, rather than God’s Word, becomes the standard for how you operate. 
    And speaking of God’s Word, Ephesians 6:21 says, “But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things.” (Sorry, brother, I couldn’t resist.)
    Of course, shedding the name Baptist because of its stigma is not always because of hurts of the past. Sometimes it is just the concern that the public at large looks down on Baptists as being narrow-minded, out of touch, or mean-spirited. There is definitely a negative stereotype media portrayal of born again Christians, and sometimes Baptists, along these lines. And the truth is that there is a stigma to the name Baptist. But there is also a stigma to words like church and Bible. 
    But is removing the name the right answer?
    What the Name Baptist Means
    When considering words of identification, it’s good to know what those words represent. In the case of the word Baptist, there is a rich heritage and biblical identification that I do not see in any other single word. Identifying as a Baptist encompasses a biblical position and historic identity. At our church, we teach this in our new members class and emphasize it to our church family. 
    Biblical distinctives
    I like to use the acrostic with the word BAPTISTS to explain the Baptist distinctives to new Christians. I explain that although there are non-baptist churches that hold some of these beliefs, the eight of these as a whole is what sets Baptist churches apart from others; they are what makes us distinct. 
    Biblical authority in all matters of faith and practice: We believe the Bible is inspired and infallible and is the final authority. It is from God’s Word that we understand and teach the fundamental doctrines of our faith as well as pattern our church polity. (See 2 Timothy 3:16; John 17:17; Acts 17:11; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20–21.) Autonomy or self governing power of the local church: We believe that every local church should be independent of a hierarchical framework or outside governmental structure. (See Colossians 1:18; Acts 13–14, 20:19–30; Ephesians 1:22–23.) Priesthood of believers: God’s Word assures believers that we have direct access to God through our relationship with Christ. We believe and teach that the priesthood of the believer is the unspeakably precious privilege of every child of God. (See Hebrews 4:14–16; 1 Timothy 2:5–6; 1 Peter 2:5–10.) Two offices within the church: Scripture only mentions two church offices—pastor (also referred to as elder or bishop) and deacon. These two offices are to be filled by godly men of integrity in each local church. (See Philippians 1:1; Acts 6:1–7; 1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–9; 1 Peter 5:1–4.) Individual soul liberty: We believe that each person must make a personal decision of repentance and faith in Christ. (See Romans 10:9–17, 14:1–23.) Parents do not make this decision for their children, and the government cannot make it for its people. Additionally, each person is responsible before God in matters of holiness and conscience. Separation of church and state: The state should have no power to intervene in the free expression of religious liberty. (See Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29–31; Romans 13:1–4.) Two ordinances—baptism and the Lord’s Table: These ordinances have no part in salvation and only serve as pictures of what Christ did for us. (See Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Acts 2:38–43, 8:36–38; Romans 6:1–6) Separation and personal holiness: We believe that Christ’s ultimate sacrifice demands our complete consecration, and we desire that our daily living would reflect the holiness of our great God. (See 2 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Peter 1:16.) We could list more, such as believers’ baptism by immersion and the church as a body of saved, baptized believers. But ultimately these and others are embedded in the distinctions listed above.
    Historic identity
    The history of those who have held Baptist convictions is a history of choosing to suffer for Christ over enjoying the favor of men. Whether at the hands of oppressive emperors or under the Roman Catholic Church or even from the Reformers themselves, Baptists have stood courageously through persecution for their biblical convictions.
    I think of Felix Manz in Switzerland who preached salvation by grace alone followed by believers’ baptism for church membership. (This was in contrast to the Reformers who were teaching salvation by grace but church membership by infant sprinkling.) For his convictions on baptism and church membership, Manz was imprisoned multiple times and—because he kept preaching it and planting churches across Switzerland—was ultimately executed by drowning. I’ve stood on the shore of the River Limmat where his mother and brother watched him taken out to the middle of the river for his execution. 
    I think, too, of the whole congregation of the earliest Baptist church in Wales. Established in 1649, it was originally located in the town of Ilston but soon relocated to nearby Swansea. John Myles served as the first pastor, until he, along with several members from the church, fled persecution by immigrating to the American colonies. They ended up in Massachusetts where the same group established a Baptist church in 1663—the earliest Baptist church in the state. The town of Swansea, Massachusetts was named after this church’s hometown in Wales. True to Baptist beliefs of individual soul liberty, the town was one of the first towns in New England founded on the premise of religious liberty for all. 
    We are all aware that, as rich as our history is, there have been those who claimed the name Baptist but we wished they wouldn’t have! I have been clear with our church family over the years to state our disagreement with Baptists whose doctrine was false, such as Westboro Baptist, or whose spirit or ministry philosophy is toxic. But we have not allowed these exceptions to drive us away from our true heritage.
    Functional implications
    Remaining a Baptist is more than keeping the word on your church sign. I have always believed that having a Baptist church means having a church of Baptist people. 
    I remember back when we were averaging under fifty people in attendance and needed a pianist. A dear family visited our church, and the wife was an excellent piano player. They were saved but had previously been baptized in a church that taught a non-biblical view of “speaking in tongues” and that this was the evidence of salvation as well as that one could lose their salvation. Our belief about baptism is that the mode is immersion, the order is after salvation, and the authority to baptize rests in a church of biblical doctrine. (This is the historic Baptist position.) Thus, we encouraged this family that if they believed the doctrinal statement of our church, they should consider being baptized to identify with Christ and be added to our church. They chose not to be baptized in a Baptist church. We lost a pianist but kept our conviction. Had we filled our church with people of different doctrines and practices, we would today be more of an interdenominational church.
    Another practical aspect of remaining a Baptist church is following biblical teaching regarding the Lord’s Table. First Corinthians 11 makes it clear that observing the Lord’s Table was required, not optional, for the members of the Corinthian church. And the context of 1 Corinthians is clear that the Lord’s Table is for a saved, baptized body of believers: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth…” (1 Corinthians 1:2). It may seem easier, maybe even more polite, to let an unsaved person take the elements, but it is not scriptural. 
    Church polity is another practical distinction of a Baptist church. Baptists are not elder ruled in the sense of a small group choosing the next pastor. In fact, the most congregational decision of a Baptist church is the election of pastors and deacons. We see this in Acts 6 in the verbiage, “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men…”  (Acts 6:3). In the pastoral epistles of Timothy and Titus, we see that pastors lead the daily ministries of the church, working with deacons. In Ephesians 4:11–12, we see pastors are to equip the entire congregation for “the work of the ministry.”
    Additional Considerations
    So where does this leave a Baptist pastor thinking through whether being a Baptist is a an asset or a liability? Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind.
    The pressure on young Pastors to “succeed” is real.
    Our human nature desires the acceptance of others and the affirmation of numeric growth. 
    It was probably easier to be a Baptist in America fifty years ago when many large and influential churches were Baptist. 
    While there are still thousands of strong Baptist churches, the pressure to attract a crowd is great. And sometimes the quickest path to do that is by not taking a clear doctrinal stand. 
    But there is a ripple effect to this. When one church planter or pastor changes his polity, doctrine, or stand, he quickly encourages others to consider the same path. Seminars are conducted and books are written on how to transition away from the perceived stigma mentioned above. Guys are on social media every day or at meetings encouraging one another in each other’s transition from their Baptist heritage. 
    Pragmatism is prevalent. 
    I remember being asked by prominent people in our community if the name Baptist was necessary. No doubt we lost some donations because we kept the name. However, God has provided and has enabled our church to build a large campus as we have grown numerically and to be a leader in missions giving within the Baptist world for many years. 
    I decided forty years ago I wasn’t going to market the church identity away to hopefully get some other denominational people to join. Some good Christian people did this in other eras. For instance, the Christian & Missionary Alliance was built on this philosophy. (It began as two parachurch organizations focused on outreach and missions and eventually morphed into a denomination.) But those were different days when some sound truth was to be found in various types of churches. I still would not have participated in such a movement then, but I especially would not today as the ecumenical trend of our day downplays vital doctrines and clear biblical practices. 
    Rarely does a pragmatic pastor change just one major tenant of faith or distinctive. Usually there is a domino effect that follows as more beliefs become “non-essentials.”
    Some of the men who downplay the name Baptist have enough theological grounding to reject liberal doctrine and woke ideology with its false teachings of social justice and anti-family dogma. But many of these pastors have adapted a type of virtue signaling by removing the name Baptist or even doctrinal terms like atonement, sin, judgment, hell, or anything that might seem offensive to unsaved people.  
    This idea of being relevant by downplaying truth was introduced in my lifetime in the seeker-sensitive movement forty years ago. This movement has had an impact on every group—Baptist and others.
    I remember thinking that being relatable was going to be key for me in growing a church in Southern California. Thankfully, a pastor preached a message that offended me. But the message also reminded me that being culturally sensitive is not as important as being Christ sensitive. (I eventually wrote a little book The Saviour-Sensitive Church on this thought. Also, this experience in my life has emphasized the need to lovingly pray for and purposefully dialog with pastors who are tempted to make unnecessary changes.)
    Most unsaved people don’t know the difference between the name Baptist and any other label. I’ve always focused on reaching unsaved people rather than attracting people from other churches. In fact, it is interesting to me that while many in the seeker philosophy advocate dropping one’s distinctive identity in order to reach the lost, at a second look, it appears they are trying to reach a broader number of people from various church backgrounds.
    A pastor needs to be careful of trying to accommodate every person. Decision making based on “not wanting to offend everyone” is not leadership. This type of philosophy has led American churches into wokism and a low view of Scripture.
    I still believe in the importance of making our message understandable. To that end, I employ methods like using projection on screens while I preach to show maps or pictures. I also believe there is value to making our message relatable. We try to use tracts with attractive graphics and think through what our church posts on social media. There is no reason to be sloppy, outdated, or mean spirited in conveying our message. Even so, relatability is not the goal. It is only part of keeping the message understandable. 
    Two illustrations of this are Peter and Paul as they preached the gospel in two different settings. When Peter preached in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), he knew that his audience already understood monotheistic religion and looked for a Messiah. Thus, most of his message was simply pointing them to Christ as their Messiah. On the other hand, when Paul preached to the Greeks in Athens (Acts 17), he spoke of the many false gods and used illustrations and quotes from their culture in his message. Yet, Peter and Paul both related to their audience, and neither of them adapted or compromised the message itself in order to have a stronger appeal. 
    An effective preacher longs for people to understand truth, but he does not water down truth so as to seem relevant. Making the message understandable is important; changing the message to make it palatable is wrong.  
    The incremental changes pastors make today will be made in excess by the next generation.
    There is always a tendency to push things further along in the direction in which they are already headed. So when a pastor leans into a direction away from his heritage, those coming up in his ministry tend to take further steps in the same direction. 
    The likelihood of young men who grow up in a church that has relegated the identification of Baptist to a non-essential becoming Baptist pastors themselves is not strong. Young people in these churches who have a heart for things of the Lord tend to have more excitement about graphics and the presentation aspects of ministry than the desire to personally declare the gospel. I believe we send a dangerous message when we change our emphasis from doctrine and preaching to relevancy and excitement. 
    Dropping distinctives is not necessary for growth. 
    Thirty-seven years ago, the Lord brought Terrie and me to a dwindling congregation of about twelve at Lancaster Baptist Church. In those early years, I made repeated decisions to take bold stands for truth and to teach the Baptist distinctives of our church while at the same time passionately and strategically saturating our community with the gospel. For eighteen months, I knocked on five hundred doors per week in my personal soulwinning in addition to training our church family Thursday nights and Saturday mornings on how to share the gospel. The Lord blessed those efforts, and for the past thirty-two years now, I have pastored what some call a “mega church.” And all of this happened in Los Angeles County, California.
    I have found that God honors His Word and that people appreciate a pastor who is not given to change.  I believe the strongest churches in history have had strong commitments to truth.
    Do not believe those who tell you that dropping your distinctives is necessary to reach people. Our church today has the same doctrinal stand and convictions that it did when it was running twenty in attendance. 
    Does the Name Baptist Really Matter?
    Yes, there is something to a name. 
    Most parents check the meaning of a name before they give it to their children. And all decent parents want their children to value and uphold their family name. 
    We live in a day when society is forcing the change of traditional terms. Usually, there is an anti-God and anti-family agenda behind that. 
    While it is true that there are a variety of terms or nomenclature that can be adjusted for sake of clarity (Sunday school or small groups mean the same thing), there are some names that matter. In the case of the name Baptist, I have chosen to identify with the truth it represents and the people who died to pass it down.
    And forty years later, I am thankful to still be a Baptist. 
    View the full article
  5. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from TheGloryLand in 3 Truths Every Child Needs to Know   
    One of the blessings I look forward to every summer is extra time with our eleven grandchildren. Summer is a good time for grandparents to create special memories!
    Being with our grandchildren always reminds me of the innocence and impressionability of young hearts. Our grandchildren are ages three to thirteen, and every one of them needs love and acceptance, reassurance and guidance.
    Satan is waging an all-out assault on the hearts and minds of children. This summer, that assault has been less-veiled than ever before. From the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring a group that performs lewd and blasphemous acts in front of children, to Target selling LGBTQ-themed clothing in toddler sizes, to multiple states setting in motion legislation to allow confused children to have surgeries to mutilate their bodies without their parent’s knowledge, children are under attack. 
    Now, more than ever before, children need parents and grandparents who purposefully and persistently pour truth into their lives. 
    Now, more than ever before, children need parents and grandparents who purposefully and persistently pour truth into their lives.
    Click To Tweet


    What are some of the truths children need to hear over and over? 
    1. I Am Uniquely Created
    The world is telling children that they are an accident—a random result of nature. They are being told that everything about them, including their gender, is up to them to decide and to form. 
    Those are overwhelming—not to mention untrue—thoughts for children to bear. The truth is that every child is uniquely created by God with love and purpose for their lives. Nothing about them is an accident.
    Children need to frequently hear that God loves them, purposefully designed them, and has a special purpose for their lives. 
    Children need to frequently hear that God loves them, purposefully designed them, and has a special purpose for their lives.
    Click To Tweet

    2. I Am Lovingly Accepted
    Children are most vulnerable to the lies of Satan when they do not feel accepted by their parents.
    Children are most vulnerable to the lies of Satan when they do not feel accepted by their parents.
    Click To Tweet

    Throughout the New Testament, God frequently assures His children that they are fully accepted in Christ. When we become sons and daughters of God, we are His forever, and He never holds us at arms length to prove our worth. 
    Our own children and grandchildren also need to know that they are lovingly accepted just as God made them. Today’s world promises children acceptance if they will “be brave” to change something about themselves—such as their gender or sexual identity. We need to assure them that we love them as they are. We don’t wish they had a different personality, gender, age, or any other characteristic that is part of who God made them. They need to know that we delight in and fully accept them for who they are.
    3. I Am Patiently Directed
    Children of every age need guidance. And they need to know their parents and grandparents care enough about them to provide that guidance. 
    Patiently directing children tells them they are valuable to you, that you believe they are worth your time, and that there is a future for them that is good and worth pursuing. 
    Patiently directing children tells them they are valuable to you, that you believe they are worth your time, and that there is a future for them that is good and worth pursuing.
    Click To Tweet

    Ignoring or continually losing your patience with children tells them that they are a nuisance and that all you care about is that they don’t disturb you. 
    God never designed children to raise themselves. He gave them fathers and mothers and grandparents that these adults might invest in children through teaching and instruction and love. 
    Tell a Child the Truth Today
    As children across America are going back to school this month, I urge every Christian parent and grandparent to regularly and persistently tell the children in your family these three truths: 
    God made you special.  I love you just the way God made you.  I am here to help teach and prepare you for the good plans God has for your life. And if you serve in any aspect of children’s ministry—bus, Sunday school, Christian school—teach these truths to the children you serve. Every child needs to know these three truths. 
    If you serve children in any capacity—as a parent, grandparent, teacher, Sunday school teacher...—tell these three truths to those children over and over again:
    Click To Tweet

    View the full article
  6. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from Pastor Matt in A Conversation about Planting Churches in Challenging Places: Spiritual Leadership Podcast   
    At a recent California for Christ meeting, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Alan Fong, Robbie Yapp, and James Kim to discuss the need for and challenges of church planting. 
    It was our joy nearly twenty-five years ago to help Pastor Fong in planting Heritage Baptist Church in San Leandro, CA. It was a blessing to me then in this discussion to join with Pastor Fong to encourage a new generation of church planters on their journey. Robbie Yapp and James Kim are preparing to plant new churches in Los Angeles and Orange Counties here in Southern California next year. 
    In this episode of the podcast, the four of us discuss several topics that relate to sending out church planters and being a church planter including the biblical model of church planting shown in Acts 13, the kinds of churches that get involved in planting other churches, the church planter’s heart for God, the spiritual pressure on a pastor, the need to refresh your spirit in the Lord, developing a calendar for your first year, disciplining your time, establishing convictions and training faithful leaders in a new church, and how the gospel penetrates a liberal culture. 
    If you are involved in any aspect of church planting—whether as a supporting pastor, a sending church, a church planter, or praying about God’s direction to plant a church—I pray this episode will be an encouragement and help to you. 

    (If you cannot view this video in your email or RSS reader, click here.)
    For more information on the California for Christ initiative mentioned in this episode or for more information on or to provide support for Robbie Yapp or James Kim, visit CA4Christ.org.
    If this episode of the Spiritual Leadership Podcast was a blessing to you, please share it with a friend and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. You can subscribe to future episodes via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or YouTube.
    View the full article
  7. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from John Young in A Christian Response to Trouble from All Sides   
    There are many things we want in abundance. Choices. Opportunities. Results. 
    But what the first-century church had in abundance was trials. The apostle Peter said they were “in heaviness through manifold temptations” (1 Peter 1:6). They had trouble coming at them from every angle. 
    The modern American church is not used to this. Sure, we’ve had trouble in the past. But we’re in a season right now when trouble is coming at us from every side. 
    There’s a worldwide pandemic that has drastically altered our ministry schedules and has repeatedly—almost weekly—forced us to adapt. There is civil unrest. There is economic upheaval, including many being laid off from their jobs. There is fear and concern about education options for this school year. And all this is on top of the personal trials many are already going through. 
    Sometimes it all begins to play on people’s minds. Sometimes even for pastors it’s hard to plan for ministry. Sometimes any of us can wonder if pressing forward for Christ during such seasons is worth the effort. 
    But isn’t where we find ourselves now the way Jesus described the Christian life would be? Too often, we’re hoping for a walk through the park instead of committing to press toward the mark. God never promised that the Christian life or spiritual leadership would be a routine, easy path every day.
    Too often, we’re hoping for a walk through the park instead of committing to press toward the mark.
    Click To Tweet

    What God does offer, however, is a resource the world knows nothing of—Christian hope. While many Christians are generally aware of and perhaps even talk about the reality of hope, many struggle to hold onto it or live in light of it. 
    So how do we reach out and grasp this hope? How does it become something so real that it characterizes our lives? How do you live with this hope when you are in a season of heaviness through manifold temptations? First Peter 1:13–16 gives us at least three answers:
    Fasten Your Mind on Truth 
    The word gird means “to gather up.” This is a time for serious, spiritual thinking. Pull your thoughts together to the dominant truths of God. 
    This is not a time for imagining life outside of God’s revealed will to you. It’s not a time to think unscriptural, wandering thoughts that question God’s goodness or fantasize an easier path. This is the time to gird up our minds and maintain a biblical thought process.
    If our minds are not saturated with God’s Word and filled with gospel truth, we will be overcome with fear or frustration.
    If our minds are not saturated with God’s Word and filled with gospel truth, we will be overcome with fear or frustration.
    Click To Tweet

    Fix Your Gaze on Christ’s Coming
    The eminent return of Christ is the blessed hope of every child of God. 
    We see the world in turmoil, but God sees His plan unfolding. And in the midst of all the turmoil, God tells us to look for His coming—to fix our gaze on the heavens and the future glory in Christ.
    We see the world in turmoil, but God sees His plan unfolding.
    Click To Tweet

    Missionary Hudson Taylor described the importance of this truth to our work for Christ: 
    Remembering Christ’s coming frees us from the belief that the trials of this world will swallow up our future. Even if our current difficulties were to last for a lifetime, they are only temporary. When our gaze is fixed on Christ’s future coming, our hope is anchored to the most glorious promises of all. 
    Fashion Your Life after God
    Christian hope is seen in Christian living. When this world is all there is, living by our “former lusts,” or sin nature, makes sense…and holy living seems pointless. But when we remember that we have been freed from sin and called by a holy God, everything changes. 
    Christian hope is seen in Christian living.
    Click To Tweet

    We are not to continue to conform our life to the old sinful life of the old nature, but we are to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, conform our life to our holy God. 
    What Hope Looks Like 
    Christian hope isn’t an unwillingness to face reality. It isn’t someone who is optimistic because his head is in the clouds. 
    Christian hope is experienced in—perhaps even strengthened by—times of “heaviness through manifold temptations.” We can live with this hope when we are facing trouble from every side. 
    But experiencing the help of this hope does require some decisions on our part.
    Fasten your mind on truth. Fix your gaze on Christ’s coming. Fashion your life after God.  Are you experiencing the hope God gives? If not, read 1 Peter 1. Focus your mind on truth, your gaze on Christ, and your obedience on God’s Word.
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    1 Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission: The Growth of a Work of God (London: Morgan & Scott, 1918), 407–408.
    View the full article
  8. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from Alan in The Biblical Responsibility of the Church to Assemble   
    Lancaster Baptist Church is committed to the infallibility of the Bible as God’s revelation to man (2 Timothy 3:16). Included in God’s Word is the truth of Christ as the expressed image of God (Hebrews 1:2–5), the head of the church (Colossians 1:18), and the King of kings (1 Timothy 6:14–15).
    As the head of the church, Jesus has commanded us to assemble (Hebrews 10:25), to preach (2 Timothy 4:2), and to sing praise to Him (Colossians 3:16). The church is described as an assembly of called out believers. While the times of these assemblies may vary and considerations may be made for health and safety, nevertheless, the church must not cease corporate worship or we will be in disobedience to Christ our head.
    While obedience to human government is taught in Scripture (Romans 13, 1 Peter 2), we believe there are limits of jurisdiction as it relates to our responsibility and right to worship. God has not given government the responsibility to oversee the beliefs and practices of the church. For decades, our church has honored and assisted our local government and law enforcement. We have prayed for our political leaders. We do not, however, believe that government should decide when and how the church should worship. Jesus taught us to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). We believe, as did our country’s founders, that the church belongs to the Lord. Therefore, while we honor earthly governors and authorities, we cannot do so when their mandates for the church counter biblical teachings of morality or contradict the guidance of Christ our head.
    A distinctive of the Baptists is the autonomy of the local church. Each church must decide under God when and how they will worship Him. Our Baptist forefathers were sometimes called nonconformists and were imprisoned because they refused state or ecclesiastical license (Titus 1:5). Even today in communist countries, our brothers in Christ risk persecution to assemble and worship Christ.
    We believe the home, the church, and the government are given biblically-assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Romans 13, Ephesians 5, Hebrews 13, 1 Peter 2:13–14). When government restrictions upon the church limit our ability to gather, sing, worship, or greet one another, a biblical church must seek ways to honor Christ and obey His Word.
    Recent events related to COVID-19 have brought about government mandates on churches for the first time in most of our lives. In some cases, these mandates have exceeded the restrictions placed upon shopping centers, movie theaters, and other places of business. While this may be a time of brief intervention, it could also set a precedent for more aggressive persecution in the future.
    As human government moves further from biblical truth, believers everywhere will be tested, and we must determine to stand for the truth of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:12, Peter 4:12, Ephesians 6:12–13). Testing may bring a time of purging to a church, yet, faithful believers will bear fruit in every season.
    We were willing to not have in-person services for a brief time out of concern for our neighbors and church family. Early in this pandemic, we were asked to suspend meeting briefly to “flatten the curve” and avoid overwhelming hospitals. As the public health risk is not nearly as brief or deadly as was first described, however, we cannot indefinitely suspend services and disobey our Lord’s clear command to assemble (Hebrews 10:25). Recent decisions from the Supreme Court and ongoing indications from certain levels and sectors of government have signaled a willingness to ask churches to remain closed or severely restricted indefinitely. Not only do we believe that we have a biblical mandate to assemble, but we also believe that our community needs the spiritual hope and help of a functioning biblical church, and our church family needs the ongoing soul care that is given through the assembling and worship of a church family.
    From the beginning of this pandemic, we have stated our desire to obey both Romans 13 and Acts 5:29. In the spirit of honoring government and safety, we established a vigorous COVID-19 response. However, in the spirit of Acts 5:29, when the government dictates against the clear commands of God, we, the pastors and deacons of Lancaster Baptist Church, say, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
    We intend to follow Christ as our King in all matters of faith and worship. We do this with love in our heart for Christ and without rancor toward our government. We align with the apostles of Christ who, in Acts 4:19–20, said, “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Alan in Way of Life:Harry Truman’s Recognition of the State of Israel   
    I believe that one of the most important events in American history was Harry Truman’s recognition of Israel on May 14, 1948.
    America’s friendship toward Israel has not been perfectly consistent by any means, but the fact remains that America has been Israel’s greatest friend in modern history, and that is significant. God told Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation,
    “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great... Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Alan in Way of Life:Liberal Baptist Denominations   
    The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is an ecumenical alliance founded in 1905 and currently consisting of 223 Baptist denominations in 120 countries, comprising 42 million members in 177,000 congregations. It is divided into six regional fellowships: North American Baptist Fellowship, Asia Pacific Baptist Federation, All-Africa Baptist Fellowship, Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, Union of Baptists in Latin America, and European Baptist Federation.
    Members of the BWA include American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist Union of Great Britain, Baptist Union of New Zealand, Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, General Baptist Church of the Philippines, Luzon Convention of Southern Baptist.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Alan in Way of Life:Repentance in Evangelism   
    Repentance is often a missing element in evangelism today, but it is a prominent theme in the Bible. Following are the answers to some important questions about repentance. This study is expanded from the One Year Discipleship Course and Sowing and Reaping: A Course in Evangelism.
    Is repentance necessary for salvation?
    Many churches don’t preach repentance. They say that only faith is necessary for salvation. But repentance is commanded by God. It is mentioned 60 times in the New Testament.
    Repentance was preached by John the Baptist . “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias,.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Alan in Way of Life:A Discipling Church Is Careful About Membership   
    Outline
    Regenerate Membership is an Ancient Baptist Principle
    Spurgeon’s Care in Receiving Members
    Our Standards for Church Membership
    Caution and Patience
    This chapter is connected intimately with the previous chapter, “A Discipling Church Begins with Caution about Salvation.”
    A regenerate church membership is an ancient Baptist principle based on clear biblical teaching, and it was practiced by most Baptist churches in America until the beginning of the 20th century.
    The Somerset Confession of 1656 stated.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Pastor Scott Markle in Way of Life:John Macarthur and Cultural Liberalism   
    This is a warning about the dangerous waters of evangelicalism and the fact that many fundamental Baptists are building bridges to these waters.
    Recently I received an e-mail from a father who said that his church has begun using John MacArthur’s material for Sunday School. He asked, “Should a parent like myself be concerned?”
    I replied: “I would be extremely concerned if a church started using MacArthur's material. Not only is he a staunch Calvinist who believes that one must be born again in order to believe, but he is a worldly rock & roll evangelical.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Pastor Scott Markle in Way of Life:Ten Tips for Daily Bible Reading   
    One of the most important habits to develop in the Christian life is that of daily Bible reading.
    It is the Word of God that has the power to sanctify the believer and build him up in Christ. It imparts conviction, enlightenment, spiritual strength, faith, wisdom, repentance. Consider the following Scriptures:
    “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).
    “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall... Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Alan in Way of Life:Ten Tips for Daily Bible Reading   
    One of the most important habits to develop in the Christian life is that of daily Bible reading.
    It is the Word of God that has the power to sanctify the believer and build him up in Christ. It imparts conviction, enlightenment, spiritual strength, faith, wisdom, repentance. Consider the following Scriptures:
    “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).
    “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall... Read More View the full article
  16. Praying
    RSS Robot got a reaction from swathdiver in Way of Life:Biblical Walls for the Church   
    There is a lot of talk about walls today, particularly President Donald Trump’s plan to build an effective wall on America’s southern border. That is a reasonable, common sense thing. Even the opponents of Trump’s wall use walls. They have walls on their own property, with gates and doors and strong locks. Every sane person understands the importance of walls in a fallen world. Walls are protection. Walls keep out things that shouldn’t come in.
    The New Testament church needs walls, as well. These are spiritual walls.
    We have five walls in our church.
    First, we have the wall of the biblical standard for baptism, which is primarily born again salvation (Ac. 2:42; 8:36-37). We aren’t hasty in this matter. We do our best to baptize only those who give evidence of salvation (2 Co. 5:17; 1 Jo. 2:3-4). We make sure that each person.. Read More View the full article
  17. Praying
    RSS Robot got a reaction from swathdiver in Way of Life:Teaching Children to Have a Daily Bible Reading Time   
    The following is excerpted from Keeping the Kids , which is available from Way of Life Literature:
    “... from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures” (2 Timothy 3:15).
    One of the most important things that parents can do for their children it to help them develop a habit of daily Bible study. Though I grew up in church, I do not remember any instruction or challenge whatsoever about this.
    It is by the Word of God that the young person can cleanse his way in this wicked world (Psalm 119:9). It must get down into the heart and soul and thus permeate the individual’s life, and this will not happen unless reading, study, memorization, and.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Pastor Scott Markle in Way of Life:Is 17th-Century British English Holy?   
    We have become aware of a tendency among some King James Bible defenders to exalt 17th-century British English to the level of divine holiness.
    For example, the following changes are made in some editions of the KJV:
    afterwards - afterward; alway - always; apparelled - appareled; armour - armor; armoury - armory; asswage - assuage; astonied - astonished; behaviour - behavior; baken - baked; broided - braided; cloke - cloak; colour - color; defence - defense.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from swathdiver in Way of Life:Friday Church News Notes   
    ANOTHER SPECTACULAR ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND IN ISRAEL (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Since Israel’s return to the land at the turn of the 20th century, a slew of artifacts have been unearthed that support the biblical record. The latest, announced this week, is a seal impression (bulla) that reads “Belonging to Nathan-Melech, servant of the king” (“2,600 Year Old Seal Discovered in City of David,” Jerusalem Post , Apr. 1, 2019). This name is mentioned in 2 Kings 23:11 in connection with King Josiah’s revival. “And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah .. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Miss Daisy in Way of Life:The Modest Woman vs. The Strange Woman   
    Consider some of the contrasts between the strange woman described in Proverbs 7:7-23 and the modest woman:
    They are different in where they go . The strange woman is not afraid of going out “in the black and dark night” (Pr. 7:9). Her “feet abide not in her house; now is she without, now in the streets” (Pr. 7:11-12). The modest woman, on the other hand, is cautious about where she goes and when she goes and with whom she goes; she avoids going to places where moral temptations lurk; she avoids being alone with men other than her husband and brothers; she avoids situations that could place her in the way of moral harm. The modern pop culture would applaud the strange woman as “liberated,” but the liberty to do evil is actually enslavement.
    They are different in their attire (Pr. 7:10). The immoral woman has “the attire of an harlot”--skimpy, tight, suggestive--to draw attention to herself sexually and to lure men to her on that basis . The modest woman, on the other hand, is clothed in such a way so as NOT to draw men’s attention to her in a sexual manner.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from John Young in Way of Life:Test of a Pastor’s Calling   
    We find a number of tests of a pastor’s calling in Scripture. These can help a man determine if God is calling him to be a pastor, and these can help churches to examine men before ordination.
    1. The test of desire (1 Timothy 3:1)
    1 Timothy 3:1 (“If a man desire the office”).. Read More View the full article
  22. Like
    RSS Robot got a reaction from swathdiver in Way of Life:Friday Church News Notes   
    SOUTH AFRICAN PENTECOSTAL PASTOR FAKES A RESURRECTION (Friday Church News Notes, March 8, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A Pentecostal pastor in South Africa has been caught faking a resurrection (“South Africa funeral firm to sue pastor, for ‘resurrection stunt,’” BBC News , Feb. 26, 2019). A video of Pastor Alph Lukau raising a man from the dead “went viral,” but it turns out, not surprisingly, to be a hoax. In the video, the pastor, whose church is near Johannesburg, is standing beside a man lying in a coffin, pretending to be dead. To add.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from swathdiver in Way of Life:The Most Amazing Artifact in Israel Today   
    I recently returned from my seventh trip to Israel, and each one has been more profitable. The study of Israel is a major key in understanding the Bible, which is not surprising since Israel is the Land of the Book. The Bible is a historical book, the events of which occurred in the land of Israel and neighboring nations. The better the student knows the geography and history and.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from John Young in Way of Life:Friday Church News Notes   
    PAUL CHAPPELL SCHEDULED TO SPEAK IN ROCK & ROLL SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH WITH SLATE OF EVANGELICALS (Friday Church News Notes, February 1, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Paul Chappell, Pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church of Lancaster, California, and President of West Coast Baptist College, is scheduled to speak in May at the One Nation Under God Conference at the hard-rocking First Baptist Church in Villa Rica, Georgia. (For evidence of their rocking, see the church’s youth ministry video clips.) Other speakers include Todd Stearns (former staff writer for the Southern Baptist Press); Robert Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas (Southern Baptist); Tony Perkins, Southern Baptist and president of the Family Research Council; and Emir Caner, President of the Southern Baptist-affiliated Truett-McConnell University. Pastor Chappell is obviously sensing more liberty these days to be what he has long been, which is a conservative evangelical. This is the type.. Read More View the full article
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    RSS Robot got a reaction from Pastor Scott Markle in Way of Life:Study the Bible Dispensationally   
    One of the things that I am most thankful for in my Bible education is having been taught the importance of a normal-literal method of interpretation. I still fondly recall how that this opened up the Scriptures to me in a wonderful way when I was a young Christian. I didn’t accept it blindly. I had filled my mind and heart with Scripture before I went to Bible School, and I had learned to test all things by it. I was trusting in promises such as John 7:17 and 8:31-32, and the normal-literal method of interpretation rang true to me as soon as I heard it. I knew that it was the truth, and I sensed that it was a very important truth.
    I believe that a consistent application of the literal method of interpretation will result in a dispensational theology. We agree with the following statement by Charles Ryrie: “If plain or normal interpretation is the only valid hermeneutical principle and if it is consistently applied, it will cause one to be a dispensationalist. As basic as one believes normal... Read More View the full article
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