More Quotes

I got a new Bible for Christmas (around the last time I posted something on this blog).  It has a ton of lined pages in the back for taking notes.  It’s the perfect place to write down quotes I hear during sermons.  Here are a few of my favorites from the last couple months.

“Problems are not for solving, they are for growing.”

“We should want influence…not to be seen, but that Christ might be seen through us.” – Doug Fisher

“Influence is not what we are before people.  Influence is what we are before God.” – Doug Fisher

“Confusion ensues when we forget what God has said about the matter.”

“Don’t give until it hurts.  Give until it feels good.”

“The Gospel is only Good News for a lost person if it gets there on time.”

“Fear is a tool of the devil.  Faith is a tool of God.” – Larry Smith

“Courage is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.”

“Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.”

Which one is your favorite?  Have you heard a good quote lately?

The Touch of a Father

A lady in our church wrote me a very kind email this week.  You’d have to know her story to understand the true depth of what she said, but I believe the note will touch your heart either way.  It read:

“Thank you for the little things I see you do for your kids.  Holding your daughter is such a precious sight to me.  I hope you never get "too busy" to hold her, stroke her hair or give her hugs as she grows up.  Never stop holding her.  Trust me, your touch gives love and security, strength and acceptance to Kim, Jacquelynn and any future little girls in your family.  Receive this as from one who was very seldom touched by her father in an affirming way.  HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!”

The note was a powerful reminder that I don’t ever want to do anything to hurt my kids.  If my love is that strong, imagine how deep the Father’s love for us.

Tundra Ministry Commercial

This video is a spoof commercial we created based on the big storm we just had in the Portland area.  We're going to show it during our Watchnight Service on New Year's Eve.  Enjoy!

Discipleship

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." - Matthew 28:20

Becoming a disciple of Christ is a lifelong process.  The word sounds like "discipline" because it comes from the same root word.  Being a disciple of Christ means you are disciplined to follow His commandments.  That's why He tells us to teach baptized believers to "observe" the things He has commanded us.  Discipleship is doing what Christ wants you to do.

When is the process of discipleship complete?  Not in this life.  I believe it is complete when we see Him (1 John 3:2).

Building disciples should be the goal of everything a church does with believers.  Worship and preaching services, classes, fellowship times...all of it should make a child of God a stronger disciple.

One of the ways our church disciples people is through a class that takes place during our mid-week service on Thursday nights.  I am taking two couples through a book called 7 Steps to Joy.  (It actually takes about 10 weeks to go through the course.)  It is a simple book that covers eternal security, baptism and several practical aspects of the Christian life.  One of the greatest feelings in ministry comes when you are teaching someone the Bible and "the light comes on."  I love seeing the look in someone's eyes when they grasp a truth from God's Word.  It's harder to see it when you're preaching because of the size of the crowd.  In a small group, it's much easier to catch.  I'm having a blast on Thursday nights.  The 7 Steps book is pretty basic, but it's amazing the stuff we talk about based on questions the students ask.  Tonight's topic was "the Church" and we ended up hitting on things like the Passover and communism in the book of Acts!

If you know anything about the Bible, make the effort to pass that knowledge on to someone else.  It's the pinnacle of ministry and the culmination of the Great Commission.

What does your church do to build disciples?

Knee Jerk?

Let me start this post with a few disclaimers:

1. I haven't been saved very long (almost 12 years), let alone around fundamentalism very long.

2. I don't know all the "circles" within fundamentalism nor the individual men that make them up.

3. I may not be reading the right blogs.

What I'm trying to say is: I don't have an omnipresent, omniscient perspective when it comes to the subject I'm about to address. I'm only presenting my humble view and theory. So, here goes...

I've come across several blogs that are authored by people who have come out of "hyper-fundamentalism," "IFBxdom," "psuedo-fundamentalism" or any of the other little nicknames they create. To a degree, I understand what they're talking about. On the other hand, it seems a little over the top.

Dennis Prager (yes, I listen to him quite a bit) was talking about how people raise their kids and he brought up a great, but obviously not universal, point. He said that children who are brought up strict tend to raise their children more loosely, whereas children who are raised loosely tend to raise their children more strict. My first thought was: there will be a consistency if generations raised their children according to the Bible. But that's beside the point.

Anyway, it kind of made me think about the "fundamentalist" movement. As I read, it seems there has been an ebb and flow to the emphasis placed on certain aspects of Christian faith and practice. It's kind of like the parent who was raised in a strict home that raises their child loosely or vice versa. The parent wants to give their child something they feel they missed out on. If they missed out on liberty, they go over the top with giving their child liberty. If they missed out on direction and standards, they go over the top with rules.

To me, that's how fundamental Christianity has gone for the past few centuries.

People in certain generations look back at the generation that raised them and say, "My parents (figuratively speaking) didn't give me...fill in the blank." As a result, they go over the top with whatever they feel they missed.  I see a lot of bloggers who seem to have this attitude. I see blog titles and sub-titles like "Ichabod" and "encouragement for those longing to break free."  I read of the terror of KJV-onlyism and ruthless, overbearing pastors.  Our church only uses the KJV.  Our pastor leads our church.  I love it that my church would just be lumped in with the "IFBxers."  Don't bother asking why we use the KJV or how my pastor leads.  It must be tyranny.  (By the way, I've been serving at my church for almost a year and I've never heard my preacher rant about or even mention the KJV in a message.  Also, I know that he loves our people more than anything but God.  And...he graduated from Hyles Anderson.)

I really don't know what these people have experienced, but I don't feel like I'm in prison! If it wasn't for a "fill in the nickname" church, I wouldn't be saved today! It just bothers me that I see very little gratitude for the heritage people have been given. Are those that gave the heritage perfect? No. But neither are you.

Here's my prediction: those that are "reforming" and moving away from some of the emphasis of their fathers are going to raise a generation that sees weaknesses in them and that will "reform" back to be like the original generation. For example: one generation emphasizes passion, another emphasizes doctrine. The doctrine generation produces the passion generation. The passion generation produces the doctrine generation.

Is there anything wrong with that? Not necessarily. Would it be better if there wasn't so much criticism and more gratitude for heritage handed down? I think so. Would it be great if we could find a balance and stop the "swings?" Absolutely.

As long as sinners are handing down the heritage, there will always be weaknesses in the heritage. Just don't have a knee jerk reaction.

Numbers

I think I've come to a conclusion about an issue that really isn't important.  (Aren't Baptists really good at that?)  Every now and then I hear or read about somebody criticizing someone else because that someone else "only cares about numbers."  Usually they're talking about a pastor or ministry that has expressed some kind of passion for reaching more people with the Gospel or growing numerically.  I've heard it said about such men as Paul Chappell or Jack Schaap.  Dr. Schaap just released a very compelling book called Where are We Going?  In a nutshell, the book chronicles the decline of fundamental Baptist influence in America over the last 30 years.  This is the kind of book that draws the criticism I'm talking about here.

Here's my take: I think criticism about this issue is pointless and ignorant.  Is the ministry all about numbers?  More people in the pews?  More people saved and baptized?  Of course not.  However, I don't think that emphasizing numerical growth is unbiblical or carnal.  It can be, but we can't judge another man's heart in that respect.

Jesus did say to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  1 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."  1 Timothy 2:4 says that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."  There are over 6 billion people on planet earth.  God wants every one of them to be saved.  Why is it wrong for us to emphasize greater numbers when God doesn't want us to miss even one?

Of course, a Calvinist or one who believes in sovereign election will have a hard time with this.  I don't believe in arbitrary election by God regarding who will be saved and who won't...but that's for another post.

If numbers are your god or your measure for success in life and ministry, then there's a problem.  However, there is nothing wrong with having and expressing a passion to reach more people with the message of the Gospel.  God Himself has given us a numerical goal...the whole world!

Spirituality vs. Religion

Dennis Prager was discussing a very interesting subject on his syndicated radio show today.  If you don't know who Dennis is, you can find out more about him at his website.  He is a very conservative, religious Jew.  He has very strong morals.  I agree with about 95% of what he says.  The areas I usually disagree with him on have something to do with the Bible or religion.  By the way, he knows the Torah inside and out.  I don't believe he understands it, but he knows it.  If he understood it, he'd see the obvious types of Christ found in it.

Anyway, the subject he covered during the Ultimate Issues hour today was: Spirituality vs. Religion.  He argues strongly for being involved in some kind of organized religion.  One of his points is that any substantive spirituality must come from a source.  Jews get theirs from the Old Testament.  Christians get theirs from the Bible.  Muslims get theirs from the Quran, etc.  As I listened to people call in about their "spirituality," a thought occurred to me.  People are OK with being "spiritual" as long as they aren't accountable to anyone or anything (a pastor, church, holy text or especially God).  They want to be "spiritual" on their terms.

Many people like this who called in referred to "god" or a "higher power."  The funny things is, if God exists or if there is some "higher power," that means He is in charge!  They reference this "higher power" but they don't submit to it.  They want to be in charge.  That is the ultimate sign of pride in man.

You see, if you want to worship God, you have to do it His way.  Jesus said in John 4:23, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."  In essence, religion is man's understanding of how God wants them to worship Him.  That said, man certainly isn't right about this all the time.  In fact, he's wrong about this most of the time.  That is why there are so many false religions in the world today.

The way I see it, there are three kinds of religions:

1. A religion that worships a false god.

2. A religion that worships the true God the wrong way.

3. A religion that worships the true God the right way.

God is only pleased with option number 3. 

Religion is certainly better than spirituality.  Why?  Because religion is worshiping God and that is the highest form of spirituality.  The key is having the right religion.  When you worship God, you'd better be sure you're doing it the way He wants you to.

Making a Difference

Her name is Michell. I didn't spell that wrong, there is no "e" on the end of her name. She is one of the most faithful attendees of our Saturday night service at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. She is one of 100+ ladies who lovingly refer to that service as "church." We sing, we preach and we grow together in the Lord. Ladies trust Christ as Saviour every week. It is definitely church.

Michell also cuts hair in the salon inside the prison. I thought that was strange at first, but it is just one of the many life skills that can be learned while in prison that can be used productively on the "outside." She cut my hair this morning and she did a great job.

Michell was interviewed for an article that appeared in the Wilsonville Spokesman (the local paper). The article was about religious services in the prison. It was a great blessing to me and the other volunteers to read the testimony of a life that was changed. You can read that article by clicking here. Let it bless you and encourage you to keep serving the Lord and making a difference.

Coffee Creek Update

I just got home from the service at Coffee Creek Correctional facility. I have blogged previously about the ministry we have in the local ladies prison. God is still blessing in a tremendous way. There were 120 ladies in attendance tonight and 3 trusted Christ as their Saviour.

It is a huge blessing to be able to go in there each week and preach God's Word. The ladies are so appreciative of our willingness to come. They are also extremely receptive to preaching. I can't think of another group I'd rather speak to. Please pray that God will keep His hand on this unique ministry.

A Thought about Thinking

I am in the process of preparing to teach a class on preaching to a group of about a dozen men in our church. This Saturday, I am going to give the guys a lesson on the introduction of a message. When I was in Bible college, Dr. John Goestch taught us an outline for the introduction that he has used almost every time he has preached since he took homiletics at Maranatha.

Dr. Goetsch taught us that one of the key parts of the introduction comes in the form of a question. He calls this aspect of the introduction the propositional statement. Let's say you are preaching on the subject of the will of God, you might as a question like: "Do you know God's will for your life?" or "Are you seeking God's will for your life?" Dr. Goetsch taught us that questions make people think more than direct statements. I wholeheartedly agree.

As I was preparing for the preaching class, a succinct thought came to my mind. I don't know if I am the originator of this statement, but I know that I've never heard it put quite like this.

Think about this statement:

You can't make people change unless you can make them think.

It hit me as simply profound.

Your Labor is Not in Vain

Whenever a Christian is busy serving God, it's very easy to convince yourself that what you are doing really isn't making any difference. When you start thinking this way, you need to remind yourself of the promise found in 1 Corinthians 15:58.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

Like many promises found in the Bible, there is a condition. Your labour will not be in vain "in the Lord." If you are trying to serve God in the power of your flesh, you will not make an eternal difference. However, if you serve with God's power and blessing on your life, you can claim the promise of this verse. You may not see the results you wanted or thought you might see, but God promises your labour will not be in vain. In other words, your labour will not be empty or pointless. There will be fruit. God promises.

Years ago, a young man named Shawn was attending Bible college. He was coming home for one weekend and his pastor asked him to preach for the Sunday morning service. Shawn immediately got excited about the opportunity. You see, he had many unsaved relatives living in and around his hometown where the church was. He worked and prayed. God blessed his efforts tremendously. Many family members were in attendance that Sunday morning including his parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. All of them were unsaved.

Shawn stood and preached a powerful Gospel message from John 3. The title of the message was, "Ye Must Be Born Again." The desire of his heart was obvious. He desperately wanted his family members to get saved. When the sermon was over and the invitation was given, not a single one of his relatives responded to the message of Christ. Every one of them walked out of church that day as lost as when they came in. Understandably, Shawn left the service very discouraged.

What Shawn didn't know was that there was a 16 year old boy sitting on the front row in church that morning. That was the first time that boy had ever attended a Bible preaching church and it was the first time he ever heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the invitation was given that morning, that 16 year old boy left his chair to pray at the steps to the platform along with many others. The boy didn't even really know what he was praying. He just knew he needed what that young preacher was just talking about! A deacon from the church came and put his arm around the young man and asked him if he could pray with him. They went back to the pastor's office and a few minutes later, the boy received Jesus Christ as his Saviour.

The young man went on to get involved with the youth group. A few months later, God called the boy to preach. When he was 19, he went off to Bible college himself to train for the ministry. After graduation, God moved him to pastor a church in the Bay Area of California for 3 years. Recently, God moved that man and his family to Sherwood, OR to serve in a local church. Currently, that man is typing this blog post. That 16 year old boy was me!

Shawn preached that message from John 3 on June 9th, 1996 at Florence Baptist Church in Florence, MT. Even though he didn't see the results he wanted to see from his efforts, his labour was not in vain. God kept His promise. I'm eternally grateful for the fact that Shawn was faithful to preach God's Word. I'm glad he laboured.

Even when you don't see fruit for your labour, remember the promise of God. Your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Coffee Creek Baptist Church

Every Saturday night, about a dozen servants of God from Timberline Baptist Church hold a Bible preaching service at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, a women's prison in Wilsonville, OR. We affectionately refer to the weekly service as Coffee Creek Baptist Church. Of course, it's not an independent church. The Lord's Supper and baptisms take place under the authority of TBC. The ladies like having their own "church."

I got involved with this ministry the first Saturday after my family moved to Oregon. We like to warn prospective volunteers before they come to the service for the first time. The warning isn't about the danger of a riot or the possibility of a hostage situation. The warning is this: if you come, you'll be hooked. One visit to the service and you'll want to attend again and again.

I've heard of many churches that have prison ministries. I've never heard of one like this. A handful of volunteers started this ministry about 5 years ago. I think they started with less than 15 ladies in the first service. We now have over 100 ladies in attendance every week. The service is very exciting. The ladies are tremendously responsive to God's Word. Souls are saved every week. Many spend time in prayer during the invitation. The ladies greatly appreciate our willingness to come and hold the service. They love us and it's impossible not to love them back. There are people from every walk of life attending the services. The ages range from 18 to over 80. Pick a nationality and we have it.

When Saturday night comes around, I'm usually tired. The rest of the volunteers are as well. However, when we're done with the service, our hearts are always lifted. Please pray for the ladies at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. God is doing an unusual and powerful work in that place. It's awesome to be a part of it.