Global Warming?

I'm no meteorologist, but I ran across a couple of articles today that I wanted to share concerning Global Warming, or as I like to call it, the church of climate change (since it appears that many people are so enthralled with global warming they have made it their religion). A 2006 National Geographic article declared that Arctic Ice Isn't Refreezing, and went so far as to report some predictions that there would be no arctic ice left by 2070. Of course, that would bring about the doomsday scenario that the CCC (Church of Climate Change) has used as a scare tactic to push their agenda for the past several years involving the flooding of NYC and other coastal cities. It is reports such as this one that have led to an increase in awareness of this issue and the public fear. Of course, the problem is that this is only one report covering a very short span of time.

Interestingly, an article from December of last year reported by The Daily Green, reports Arctic Sea Ice Refreezes at Record Pace. According to this article, arctic sea ice refroze at an unprecedented pace in late October and Early November 2007. Citing the article directly:

Some 58,000 square miles of ice formed per day for 10 days in late October and early November, a new record.

"Sure, Craig," you may say, "but you're a pastor not a scientist." Right you are, but the data reported by The Daily Green was not recorded by a novice, no, the data and included pictures are direct from NASA.

Why in the world am I taking time to write on this issue? Simply, because I believe God is in total control of his creation and that he alone is worthy of our worship. Some evangelicals have reported on the move of many Christians from Worship and Evangelism to Social or Environmental Activism as evidence of their faith. This is idolatry. God alone is worthy of our worship, and no measure of environmental activism will effectively communicate and spread the gospel message.

Is climate change a reality? A balanced look at the research seems to suggest that it is, but that it is not a man-made change. The earth seems to go through many climate cycles, but the fact of the matter is that we just do not know all of the answers. After all, meteorologic data has only been recorded for about a hundred years (and much less in some areas), considering the age of the earth, that is a very small control for any experiment or prediction.

Regardless, before we sell full bore into anything, we need to examine all sides. I encourage non-Christians to put my faith to the test before selling out. Why? Because when they put Jesus to the test, he will always come out on top. Proponents of the CCC bash anyone who would question their findings. Maybe they are concerned that they won't come out on top. Who knows, I just thought someone might be interested in this.

As an ADHD sufferer (actually, sufferer is probably a bad word, its usually pretty fun), this article from Al Mohler really sparked my attention. I do admit to struggling with ADHD, but this is an issue that I am often able to control without medication (though I do strongly suggest lots of coffee to help). I was not diagnosed until later in life, but I do know that it is a real disorder. I do share the concerns with Mohler and many others, however, that too many little boys are medicated for ADHD simply because parents and teachers are looking for the easy way out.

Trust me, its much easier to medicate a kid than to teach him discipline. Further, many little boys would do better sitting still if they were given opportunities to do "little boy" activities. You know, they are hyper. Maybe they need to climb trees and wrestle, and run.

Regardless, I got a kick out of this and I hope you do too. And, for all of you who saw that adorable picture of Wyatt from yesterday, do not be fooled, he can't sit still either.

When thinking of signs of our times, consider this advertisement from a Nebraska newspaper.

The ad was brought to my attention by a helpful listener to the radio program.
Now, let's think carefully about this. Can't sit still? Can't play quietly? Loses things? Does not seem to listen? Has difficulty paying attention? Is fidgety? Honestly, do you know any 6 to 12-year-old children who do not fit this description?

The number of children -- especially boys -- diagnosed with ADHD has skyrocketed in recent years. While some boys may well have some kind of genuine problem, the vast majority appear to be diagnosed as, well . . . boys. As physician Leonard Sax, author of Boys Adrift, explains, a diagnosis of ADHD lets everyone off the hook, so to speak. The boy is told he is not responsible for his behavioral problems, the parents are relieved of anxiety over inadequate parenting, teachers and bureaucrats have a new pathological slot into which boys can be filed, and drug companies get to sell pills. Everybody wins.

But, as Dr. Sax argues, the diagnosis and the drugs can have far-reaching consequences for the boy. I am not a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a pharmacologist, or a medical professional of any sort. I am a former boy, however, and I know very well that every boy I have ever known would fit the categories described in this advertisement.

I would write more about this, but I just can't sit still. Now, what were we talking about?

Pray For Your Children

God has given us as parents a special task and responsibility. Namely, that of raising his children to be Spiritual champions. We are to raise our children in the "fear and admonition of the Lord." Outside of maintaining my personal relationship with God, there is no other task more important in my life than leading a godly family. That means that I have the God-given responsibility to be a godly husband (first) and a godly father to my son. Even my responsibilities as pastor do not come before my responsibilities as husband and father. After all, as a pastor setting an example to my people, how better can I do that than by loving my wife and child as God has commanded?

I prayed for and with Wyatt this morning. You know, he has no idea what that is all about...yet. But, God hears my prayers and he will hear yours. Are you trusting God to care for your family? I encourage you to do so! Just as I praise God everyday for Wyatt, I also pray to him for guidance in parenting and I pray for Wyatt's salvation at an early age. I also pray for his future wife, and even for her parents as they raise her. So, I may not know who you are yet, but for those parents out there raising a godly daughter that will one day be my daughter-in-law, you were prayed for this morning. I believe God hears and honors these prayers.

Unaborted Baby Surpasses Doctor's Expectations

In an age where a "normal" child is the only acceptable baby that shoud be allowed to be born, doctors in in the UK must surely feels some remorse at the suggestion to abort a child who was subsequently born healthy and is not teething and attempting to talk. Click here to read the full story of a child who has surpassed all expectations. Because a set of parents chose life for their child, they have been blessed to discover that doctors were wrong.

This story should serve as a wake-up for anyone who favors aborting "abnormal" or "unhealthy" children. Doctors can and sometimes are wrong. All life is valuable and every child should be given the opportunity to enter this world. Not only is the phenomenon sweeping western culture to abort unhealthy babies terrible because it devalues human life that does not fit the prescribed patterns, it is also terrifying because we are losing healthy children to abortion based on probability of birth-defects.

My iPod

I haven't dedicated a blog to my iPod yet, but today is a perfect day to do that. I got my iPod for Christmas and, considering I had bordered on coveting iPods for a few years now, I was very excited. It is loaded with music that many people do not enjoy, podcasts, sermons, and even lectures from universities and seminaries around the country. My iPod is just that, MY iPOD. I listen to what I want to listen when I want to listen.

Thats great for an iPod, but unfortunately, many people want a church just like that. You put into it what you think it should have and expect to push a button and get what you want. You show up at church expecting the church to bow down to meet you. The big problem with this view is that it does not fit with what the Bible says the church is supposed to do. The church exists to glorify God and reach people with the gospel. The church is not your weekly therapy session, or your tyrannical domain, or the last great democracy where your voice can be heard loud and clear. It is the church of the Living God.

How different would our world be if God's church were more interested in what God wants than in what each individual wants. Imagine the liberation for pastors who never had to hear, "well, thats not the way we usually do it (For the record, if you keep hearing that, come to Malvern Hill and let our people love on you)." God is the one with the play button and he is choosing the play list, we are responsible to act with him, not to DJ the show!

Where Has God Sent You Today?

"So it was not you who sent me here, but God." This quote from Joseph in Genesis 45:8 to his brothers concerning his arrival in Egypt via sale into slavery sparked my attention this morning in my reading. Joseph realized that God was ultimately in charge of his destiny, and that even though his brothers meant him harm, God was the one who actually sent him to Egypt. His brothers were, unwittingly, working as agents of God to bring about his good for Joseph's life.

I believe the same thing still happens in our lives today. I heard a pastor say sometime back that there are no such things as coincidences, only God-incidences. Where is God sending you or what has God sent to you so that you can be a part of his activity in the world. Whether its here in Camden or around the world, God desires to use his people to impact his creation.

Rather than bemoaning your situation, why not look with positive eyes as Joseph did. God sent me here, now, "God, what do you want me to do?" Joseph worked to feed the hungry in a time of famine, what can you do? Get to work, somebody needs you!

Are Christians Wrong About Heaven?

In his new book (which I have not read), N.T. Wright apparently makes the accusation that the vision of heaven offered by many professing Christians is not the picture painted by Holy Scripture. TIME Magazine's David Van Biema interviewed Wright about his new book and the seemingly scandalous claims (The interview can be read here).

Because I have not read the book, I can only comment on the article, but I do believe that the article is worthwhile reading for any Christian who wants to consider seriously the truths of the Bible about heaven and the afterlife. For the most part, Wright seems to be hitting a strong point. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23 that to be separated from the body is to be present with the Lord. Further, even Wright himself quotes Christ in his promise to the thief on the cross, "today, you will be with me in paradise." Jesus surely did not lie, but the thief surely did not experience immediate bodily resurrection. I believe this is probably the intermediate state to which Wright is referring.

Colloquially, we refer to this as heaven, but it is absolutely not the final destination for Christians. The Book of Revelation shows that the bride (the church) will be united with Christ as the New Jerusalem comes down and there will be a new heaven and a new earth where Christ will reign supreme. Further, the Bible explicitly points to a bodily resurrection (refer to Jesus discussion with the Sadducees regarding marriage), and it is obvious that the bodily resurrection has not yet taken place. So, what does that say of the time right now? Those who are dead (asleep to use Bible language) are indeed present with the Lord, but in some sort of Spiritual sense, you might say that their soul is with the Lord, but there will come a time when all will be united at the resurrection.

Has God Called You To Preach?

Another Mohler Post...

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1095

The God Focused Life

In some final preparations for Sunday's Sermon I just read this statement by Mark Dever, "Biblical spirituality is never centered on people and the help that God can give us to achieve our ends. Rather, biblical spirituality is always focused on God." For some people, this may come as a shock, but the Bible does not exist to provide a roadmap to success and Christianity is not a guarantee to have your best life now. Instead, Bible-inspired Christian spirituality is focused on God and giving him glory.

In a world packed full of health and wealth preaching, escape from hell evangelists, and self-help sermons, voices of theoloically sound prophets of God seem to stand out as odd and out-dated. However, the Bible shows us over and over again that God's primary goal in all the world is bringing glory to himself, and his grace extended to us through his word and ultimately salvation is one more means by which he adds fame to his great name. Christianity is a call to die. Biblical spirituality is unashamedly God-centered; it has God as its starting point and its ultimate goal.

Dever continues, the government of the United States may legitimately be of the people, "by the people, for the people", to use Abraham Lincoln's eloquent formulation. But biblical religion is not fundamentally of the people; its origin is of God. It is not fundamentally by the people; it works by God's grace. And it is not fundamentally for the people; it is for the glory of God.

The time is ripe for men of God to stand up and declare the truths of God. I praise God for men like Mark Dever who stand firm on the truths of Scripture and pray that God will raise up many more to bring glory to his great name.

Gangs or Churches?

Lately, I have been a bit intrigued with a series on the History Channel called Gangland. It is a documentary about some of the most powerful gangs in recent American history. The thing that jumps out at me about these gangs is how they are able to recruit young people in droves and how people remain involved even into middle age. I began to question how and why people were involved in gangs and soon found the answer.

Young people join gangs and stay with gangs because they find a place to belong. In a gang they believe they have people who care for them and protect them. That may seem odd, but the recruitment process works much like a college fraternity. An established member of a gang will usually build a relationship with a potential member and invest time with that person. The gang member will then invite the young person to join up and be a part of a family. The desire to belong is so strong in the human heart that the answer is basically a no-brainer for the potential member.

Gangs have it figured out, and yet we continue to struggle in the church. People are longing for a place to belong, and because we as the church are not investing in their lives and inviting them to be a part of a loving community with Christ at the center, they are finding belonging in other places. We must do more than open the doors of the church if we expect people to show up. Those far from God are not going to run into the church, but if a Christian will invest in their lives and show them the love of Christ and then invite them to visit the church and experience the love and sense of belonging in Christ’s church, those far from God may very well experience a life-change through Christ.

This is the question, are you willing to invest and invite? This is not an easy task, it takes work, but it is a necessary task if we are to see the kingdom of God advance. We can take Camden by storm if we are willing to work a little bit. I’m excited to see what God will do through us as we invest in the lives of others and invite them to be a part of what He is doing at Malvern Hill; after all, we are not just a place to belong, we are also a place to become!

Between Two Worlds?

In his excellent book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference (which I haven't finished yet, but would highly reccommend so far), Philip Yancey makes this statement:

The way jesus talked, prayer made everything else possible. Jesus seemed fully at ease with the Father and at unease with the world [around him].

Yancey asks the question, "Why should we pray?" I like his answer, which basically is this: we should pray because Jesus prayed. If we can come up with no other reason (and there are many others), we know that Jesus, God in the flesh, the Messiah, needed prayer and engaged in it often. If the G0d-Man needed this communion with the Father so regularly and so desperately, how much more do we need prayer.

Prayer is a bit of a mystery, but no doubt that Yancey is right...in many ways, Jesus was an outsider here on earth and seemed completely at ease when talking to the Father. As Christians, we exist in a realm between two worlds (this is also the name of a John Stott book), the physical and the Spiritual. We are citizens of two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. Prayer leads us to be as comfortable in the kingdom of God as we are in the kingdom of man.

Not Just How...Why?

Today at lunch with our ministerial staff, we were discussing the book, Eating The Elephant: Leading The Established Church To Grow, by Thom Rainer and Chuck Lawless. A question came up that I thought was worth mentioning here. We talk alot about the "how" to grow a church, but how much time do we spend on the "why?"

Why are we interested in growing the church? Why are baptisms important and why should we share the gospel? The answer: Because Jesus commanded us to do so and because God is glorified in us as we carry out his commands. The Great Commission is why we must be interested in reaching the world with the gospel. How you go about doing that may vary from person to person, church to church, and even people group to people group. Maybe your church uses F.A.I.T.H., Evangelism Explosion, huge community festivals, or Invest and Invite initiatives, evangelistic crusades, or even door to door evangelism. How you share the gospel is not nearly as important as why.

God is glorified in the salvation of sinners, he has commanded us to spread the good news. That is why we are evangelists...the rest is just details.

What Is Church Growth?

Church growth is more than a movement so that pastors can pad their resumes and develop bragging points on their blogs. The term, Church Growth, was first coined in the fifties by Donald McGavren to represent true evangelism. Church Growth is about more than just the local church, but the church universal. The growth of the church is the salvation of sinners. It is the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Some people claim that pastors and churches can be too numbers driven. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I do know that it is the desire of God that His church grow. Rest assured, the church of God will not grow unless our local churches are growing. What are you doing to bring about growth in the church? Who are you bringing with you?

This is about Malvern Hill and how we can reach our community for Christ, but it is also about the body of Christ everywhere. Regardless of where you are, how are you impacting your world and carrying out the Great Commission. Church growth may not pad a resume, but it will definitely bring glory to God, and isn't that our primary focus?

Preach The Gospel At All Times

The Rick And Bubba show is a nationally syndicated morning radio show out of Alabama. My favorite aspect of these two men is their faith. The show, though carried on secular radio stations, is unashamedly Christ-centered and evangelistic. Over the weekend, Rick Burgess' two year old son drowned in a swimming pool. Below I have posted three youtube links that show Rick speaking at his son's memorial service. This is a touching and beautiful gospel presentation that will impact anyone who hears it--especially parents.

This is an incredible challenge that should spur us all to evangelize and bring glory to the name of our God!

Rick Burgess- A Father's Heart part 1

Rick Burgess- A Father's Heart part 2

Rick Burgess- A Father's Heart part 3

Invest and Invite

How in the world are we ever going to grow the church? How are we going to see those far from God walk through the doors of his church? How are we going to see those who have walked away from the church run back to it? Maybe you've asked those questions yourself, and I believe I have a simple answer. Invest and Invite.

People in this world are longing for relationship and a sense of belonging. They need to know that they are wanted. Opening the church doors does not communicate, "Please come in," but investing in someone's life and showing that you believe them to have worth and then inviting that person to church says, "you are important and I want you to come with me." Who is important enough for you to invest your life and invite them to join you in your spiritual journey. The Bible says that it is God's will that none should perish but that all should have eternal life(2 Peter 3:9). Is that your will as well? What are you doing to see God's will accomplished? Are you investing and inviting? If not, get started...let's see what God can do through churches that get serious about invest and invite (actually, if you look around, you can see some places where God is blessing this initiative, Northpoint Community Church is a great example).

One word of caution for church leaders: if your people get serious about investing and inviting, you better make sure that you are serious about leading those visitors in an excellent worship service. Afterall, we want those visitors to come back.

A Borrowed Note On Regenerate Church Membership

This post can be found in its original form and location at Walking Together by Wyman Richardson.


B.H. Carroll was and is a giant among Baptists. He founded my alma mater, The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and was a phenomenal preacher, teacher, interpreter, educator, and denominational servant. His portrait hangs in the rotunda of Southwestern Seminary, and though the portraits of the other Presidents surrounding his are of equal size, there is no doubt who is the Baptist giant in that room.




Last night I read Carroll's testimony, "My Infidelity and What Became of It," and was struck by an anecdotal reflection he gave that proves the need for regenerate church membership. At thirteen years of age, Carroll joined the church though he knew that he did not really believe the gospel. It was "a protracted meeting" and, as he explains it, "many had joined [and] the hour was late," so young Carroll joined the church as well.




Later, when Carroll went to the church and asked for his name to be removed from membership because he was not a believer, the church refused because "the brethren thought I mistook temporary mental depression for lack of conversion." Amazingly, then, Carroll was brought into the church, though he was not saved, and he was refused an exit from the church as well.
Reflecting later on this fact, he explains that the whole misunderstanding could have been avoided by a little diligence on the church's part (and, of course, on his own). Here is what he said:




"The whole thing would have been exposed if, when I presented myself for membership, I had been asked to tell my own story without prompting or leading questions. I did not have any to tell and would have told none. But many had joined, the hour was late, and a few direct questions elicited the same historical, stereotyped answers. Thus, the die was cast."




This is the very heart of regenerate church membership. Any member of a local church should be able to "tell their own story." They don't have to be able to tell it with the wisdom of Augustine or the eloquence of Chrysostom, but they should at least have a story.
How often have we repeated the tragedy of the young Carroll in our own churches, simply for want of asking a few questions?

Avoid Stagnation

Yesterday I wrote about avoiding frustration, and today, along the same lines I want to talk about stagnation. Frustration is detrimental to any church, but stagnation is just as dangerous (and possibly even more sad). You see, information without motivation leads to stagnation. We've all known those people, they are just like a stagnant pond, water is always coming in, but nothing is going out, and eventually...it stinks.

Stagnant people are no different. You see, if you are sitting in church week in and week out, soaking up the Word of God, but never allowing the Word to pass through you to someone else with the positive purpose of seeing the gospel change lives, you begin to stink too. Attitudes sour, and evangelsim dies. Church leaders must be careful that in teaching and preaching you do not neglect to motivate your people to put the Word of God to action in their lives and in the world. God's Word is living and active, and this should be most true in the way that it works in and through his people. Don't stink it up...but the truth to work. James simply says, "But, be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." James 1:22

No More Excuses

Three posts in one day is probably a new record for me, but I just couldn't resist one more. I'm a little behind on this one, but now that I have found www.biblicaltraining.org I feel the compelling urge to share it. It is a website that has compiled audio recordings of classes taught by some premier theologians and academics of our time (including at least one, Ron Nash, who has passed away) and has made them free of charge for streaming or downloading.

The internet, for all of its bad press, continues to break down barriers to education. Presumably, you could actually complete the equivalent of a divinity course-load through listening to these lectures. I am downloading the Ron Nash apologetics class now to put on my iPod (it was a Christmas present!); I encourage you to find a class in which you might be interested. They have classes for all levels, including a foundations level. Check it out.

Listen to some Jerry Clower

Because I am such a Jerry Clower fan and have thought much of this myself before, I share this with you from Baptist Press.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (BP)--Listening to Jerry Clower will make you a better sermon-listener. Of course, many of you about now are asking yourself, "Who is Jerry Clower?"

If you grew up and lived in the Deep South in the 1970s through the 1990s you know all about Clower. A comedian, Clower was born and raised in South Mississippi and looked every bit the part -- heavy-set, thick gray hair, huge smile and deep southern drawl. His down-home humor and comedic routines about southern culture were downright hysterical. He was the clean comedian of my parent's generation, and I never heard of an audience he did not have rolling in the aisles with laughter.

But what made him so funny and effective as a comedian was not his material. You or I could have taken his material and received blank stares. What made him so effective was his ability to tell a story. Some might say that Jerry Clower was a one in a million talent, but the truth is he was about a one in a dozen among his generation in the South. There were Jerry Clowers all over South Mississippi. They did not perform on stages with vast audiences; they simply told stories on the front porch steps to listening family members and friends. Storytelling was a part of the fabric of the culture and it took place wherever two or three were gathered.

A short time ago I downloaded one of Jerry Clower's famous bits about a baseball game on my iPod. An amazing thing happened: My boys absolutely loved it, and after hearing it a few times they could repeat it almost verbatim. They begged me to put more Clower on my iPod, and I noticed how intently they listened to the stories -- knowing that they had to listen carefully for how the story fit together so they could enjoy the punch line.

I realized then just how impoverished our culture is with the lack of storytelling. Television, with its imagination zapping power, has replaced those front-porch times.

The culture of Jerry Clower not only produced good storytellers but also good story-listeners. How important is it that we become good story-listeners? Our spiritual health and well-being depends on it. Have you ever thought about how God chose to reveal Himself in His Word? He gave us the awe-inspiring story of creation, fall, the promise of a skull-crushing Savior, the preparation of His coming, His unusual arrival, His counterintuitive ministry, His death, burial, bodily resurrection and the promise of His sure return and consummation of His everlasting Kingdom. The unfolding of His story is full of twists and turns, high and lows, irony and suspense every step of the way.

God certainly could have revealed Himself to us in the form of a Bible dictionary. We simply could have looked things up in the index and learned about all of the topics and doctrines we needed to understand. But He did not do that. That is why good expository preaching does not come in a Bible dictionary format, but rather it tells the story of Christ and the unfolding of His Kingdom purposes, and it also challenges you to evaluate your story in light of His. This is also why sermons that skip the Story in an attempt to boil the Bible down to lists and life application points fall short and call into question the wisdom of God in the way He chose to reveal Himself to us.

If you see my family driving down the road in fits of laughter, we probably are listening to Jerry Clower -- and, I am convinced, becoming better sermon-listeners. After all, nobody ever stopped Clower in the middle of a story and said, "Would you just skip all of the detail and description and give us the point?" If he had done that you would not have gotten the point.

You might not run to the computer and download Jerry Clower bits, but you should at least think about what it means to listen to the story of the Bible. God thought enough about stories to reveal to us the Ultimate One by which we evaluate every aspect of our lives. Let's start telling His story on front porches and in break rooms and everywhere else two or three are gathered. And let's start getting excited about listening to it as well.

--30--

David Prince is pastor of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Lexington, Ky.

Avoid Frustration

"Motivation without information leads to frustration." I picked that quote up somewhere, but I'm not sure where (I am pretty sure it's not original to me, though). Regardless of where it came from, it is very true. To motivate a person without giving them the information they need to succeed at a task is a very frustrating thing indeed. It is like giving a person a box of matches with instructions to build a fire, but without wood.

We must always be careful to avoid this trap in our churches. It is not sufficient to motivate people, they need to be motivated to accomplish a specific task and then given the information and resources necessary to accomplish tha task. Don't expect people to be evangelistic if you do not tell them how to do it. Motiviation s a necessity in the church, but not at the cost of proper education. Go, stir up the fire, but carry the wood with you as well..