Saturday, January 30, 2010

Christ our Sin-bearer

It’s late in the week, but I thought I’d go ahead and post on last Sunday's message to refresh our minds and prepare our hearts for worship tomorrow.

As we continue to study the work of God “behind the scenes” in our salvation, we looked last week at the atonement of Jesus Christ upon the cross. Thinking about the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in our salvation, Christ had perhaps the most central and visible part to play. In our text for the morning, 1 Peter 2:24-25, we saw three points:
  1. Christ took our place. Borrowing heavily from Isaiah 53, Peter uses many pronouns in these verses to signify the work Christ did for us. It was our sin He bore. It was our healing He achieved. It was our life He accomplished in death. This was only possible because He was a perfect, spotless substitute for our sins.
  2. Christ took our penalty. We took some time last week to really stop and consider what it meant for Christ to bear our sins. It meant that He took our full penalty and endured our curse, with all its physical, psychological, relational, spiritual agony. Here’s the quote I read by Wayne Grudem that captures so well just how much Christ must have suffered for us: “… to bear the guilt of millions of sins even for a moment would cause the greatest anguish of soul. To face the deep and furious wrath of an infinite God even for an instant would cause the most profound fear. But Jesus’ suffering was not over in a minute—or two—or ten. When would it end? Could there be yet more weight of sin? Yet more wrath of God? Hour after hour it went on—the dark weight of sin and the deep wrath of God poured over Jesus in wave after wave. Jesus at last cried out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Why must this suffering go on so long? Oh God, my God, will you ever bring it to an end?” (Systematic Theology, p. 576) The thought of Christ’s penalty really is staggering.
  3. Christ took our particular sins. We ended last week by asking, “for whom did Christ die? For all mankind, or specifically for the elect?” I shared several reasons for you to consider Christ’s atonement as being “limited." This includes Jesus dying for the sheep (Jn. 10:11), Him standing as the representative of a new people (Romans 5:12, 17-18), and the idea that His atonement really did accomplish its purpose in purchasing our redemption. I believe His death was infinite in value and sufficient to save all, yet His blood was applied only toward those whom God had chosen for the Savior to deliver. I then encouraged us all not to grow bewildered by this theological debate, but astounded at Christ’s finished work, and His promise of eternal life to all who will believe.

As Charles Spurgeon said, let us continue to “abide hard by the cross, and search the mystery of His wounds.”

Questions for thought and discussion:
  • Am I trusting alone in the finished work of Jesus upon the cross?
  • How should the cross “shrink us to true size,” as John Stott put it?
  • According to 1 Peter 2:24, what is the purpose of our salvation? So that we might do what?
  • What is one sinful pattern I need to “die to”?
  • Write out a prayer to Jesus, thanking Him for the penalty He paid and atonement He bought with His own blood

Last Sunday’s sermon is now available for free download on our podcast site.

Tomorrow, we will look at the Holy Spirit’s role in our salvation. I’m very excited to share about the Spirit and His quiet yet very important part to play.

Related post:

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Clamor

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (Eph. 4:31)

Last night, after reading this verse during our Bible Study at church, one of our church members asked the question, “What is clamor?”

In English, “clamor” is defined by Webster as (1a) noisy shouting (1b) a loud continuous noise (2) insistent public expression (like during a protest)

In Greek, the definition is similar. The Greek word in Eph. 4:31 translated “clamor” is krauge . It is a fairly uncommon word (used only 6x in the NT) meaning “a loud cry or call, shout.” According to the BDAG lexicon, it can speak of the clamour of excited persons, shouting back and forth in a quarrel.

Vine says krauge is an onomatopoeic word, imitating the raven’s cry, akin to krazo and kraugazo, “to cry,” denoting “an outcry,” “clamor.” (Can’t you just hear those ravens cawing and crying and shouting krauge angrily at each another, fighting over that little remaining piece of roadkill?)

This same word krauge is used over in Acts 23:9 of the scene in Jerusalem after Paul was arrested: “And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?’”

Raised voices. Loud cries. Shouts. An uproar. Does this kind of clamorous talk describe your communication? Paul says let it all be put away from you. Instead, “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Eph. 4:32)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

How to witness to your waitress

J. D. Greer has some good thoughts on day to day evangelism - taking advantage of all those little 'divine appointments' God brings our way where we can be salt and light.

How do you witness to your waitress? The check out clerk? Your barber? Barista? Mechanic? Co-worker? In our culture, cultivating these relationships is probably far more effective than a Monday night door-to-door visitation program or handing out tracts to strangers. Here are Greer's thoughts.
  • Frequent the same places
  • Ask people how you can pray for them
  • Invite people to church, over and over
  • Use an acrostic like F.I.R.E. to help spur conversation. (I personally like to use R.O.C.I. - Residence, Occupation, Children/family, Interests)
  • Read a good book on evangelism by someone like Bill Hybels (I also recommend Mark Dever and Becky Pippert)

Greer closes with this:
Gospel people are to be people of extraordinary generosity, extraordinary answers to prayer, and extraordinary joy. Look for ways to really put the generosity of Christ on display, because laying down your life can really get someone's attention; look for places to ask God for miracles; and thank God for chances to suffer before your friends, because only in suffering can you put on display that you have a joy that is better than anything life can give and that death cannot take away.
You can read the whole thing here.

HT: Justin Taylor

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The time has come

Today, tomorrow, and Thursday may be three of the most important days in the history of the Southern Baptist Convention. Our Great Commission Resurgence Task force is finalizing their proposals for the Executive Committee. The results of this meeting will without a doubt shape the future of our convention and its support for global evangelism.

Here's an update from chairman Ronnie Floyd in how we can be praying...

Your Great Commission Task Force has listened to Southern Baptists, gathered as much information as possible, asked the tough questions, gone through volumes of information, and has really sought to hear what Southern Baptists desire to do to advance the Great Commission in our generation. Equally, we have been before God to seek His will. Now we enter the season and the crucible of decision-making. The pressure is on and the test is real. For the past three months, these decisions have been in process, and in our next meeting we will finalize and make many difficult decisions. This is why we need you.

On Tuesday through Thursday, January 26-28, our Great Commission Resurgence Task Force will be meeting for our our most significant moment in this journey. As our process goes forward, we will be presenting our report to the upcoming meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee on February 22-23. While additions or revisions to this report are probable before the final report is made in June at the Orlando Southern Baptist Convention, the release of it in February will give Southern Baptists four months to gain clarity and have their questions addressed.

Therefore, I am asking you to give some concentrated prayer time for this upcoming meeting. Please ask your prayer ministries to pray for us. Our need for prayer has never been greater. Please consider even praying for us during the various segments of our meeting. Our meeting begins on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. and concludes on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. We will meet in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings of each day. We would appreciate various groups within your church having continual prayer for our GCR Team during these hours.

How can you pray? We need God's leadership and will to be manifested. We need the wisdom of God regarding every situation. We need complete clarity on presenting our convention of churches a compelling vision for the future. We need to abound in spiritual unity as we move through this significant meeting. We need courage to make the decisions that will truly advance the Great Commission through the ministries of Southern Baptists. We need God's protection upon our own lives, our families, and the ministries we are a part of, because dealing with major Great Commission issues brings strong spiritual warfare.

Please continue to enlist people to be a part of our www.pray4gcr.com prayer team. We have just under 6,000 people who are prayer partners with us daily. We would love to see hundreds more join us in this daily commitment to pray for a Great Commission Resurgence to occur in and through the Southern Baptist Convention.

Additionally, please share with your congregation that Dr. Johnny Hunt, the President of our Convention, has issued a “Call to Prayer” for Sunday, January 31. He is appealing to every Southern Baptist Christ-follower and church to pray for the future of our convention of churches on this day.

May God bless you wonderfully for being our partners in prayer.

Dr. Ronnie Floyd
Chairman, Great Commission Resurgence Task Force

Monday, January 25, 2010

Religion on trial

Andy Pugno has been giving regular updates on the Perry vs. Schwarzenneger trial in San Francisco. I found his summary from last Wednesday to be quite interesting and to have some important implications for the future of religious freedom in our country. Note the mention of Southern Baptists within the plaintiff's evidence...
Today, the legal challenge to Prop 8 took an ugly turn as religion itself was put on trial. Plaintiffs’ witness Gary Segura, a Stanford University political science professor with expertise in the area of the political power of minorities including homosexuals, summed it up when he said “religion is the chief obstacle for gays’ and lesbians’ political progress.”

In trying to make the case that homosexuals are a vulnerable minority with no ability to achieve and secure success in the political system for their interests, Professor Segura blamed hostility, political opposition and even violence towards gays and lesbians on the teachings of major religious denominations. He further testified that there is no more powerful organization in the United States – save the government – than the church. Particular scrutiny was given to the official religious doctrines of the Catholic Church and Southern Baptists about marriage, family and sexual relationships. Therefore, according to his logic, gays and lesbians must be given special legal protection by the U.S. Constitution against religion itself.

If it weren’t such a serious and troubling matter, their line of attack against people of faith would be laughable. To suggest that the people of California cannot consider their own political, moral and religious views when casting their vote on Prop 8 is preposterous. Every election, many issues are presented to voters that involve moral issues, including stem-cell research, the treatment of animals, assisted suicide, the death penalty, health care reform and so on.

In any event, religion has taken the stage, front and center, in the battle over the constitutionality of Prop 8, and is being portrayed as an illegitimate basis for supporting traditional marriage. Religious bigotry surely found expression in today’s presentation by the plaintiffs.

The trial testimony also swerved way into “irrelevant” territory today when plaintiffs called to the stand a young man who was, as a child, forced by his Christian parents to undergo conversion therapy by a therapist because of his sexual attraction to men. No matter that this witness has never resided in California, was wholly unfamiliar with the Prop 8 campaign, was not a willing participant in his conversion therapy, and emancipated himself from his parents as a minor. What the personal experience of a person from Colorado who experienced a deeply troubled family life has to do with the constitutionality of Prop 8 is beyond me. What is clear is that today, however, the plaintiffs put the role of religion clearly in their sights and are likely to fire away at the legitimacy of religious and moral views, as well as the votes and voices of those who hold them.

It is true that Southern Baptists firmly believe in the traditional, biblical definition of marriage between one man and one woman. We took a stand (despite great criticism) in 2000 by declaring in our Baptist Faith & Message,
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.
This may be construed as discrimination, but it is in fact a statement of loving obedience to Christ and to our neighbors, both homosexual and heterosexual (Matt. 19:4-6). It would be deeply wrong for us to ever show hostility or violence toward a homosexual (cf. Luke 6:27-36), but it certainly would not be wrong for us to speak the truth to them in love, vote our conscience before God, and exercise our first amendment rights. It will be interesting to see if Judge Vaughn Walker comes to the same conclusion.


Related post:

Thursday, January 21, 2010

How you can help Haiti

The International Missions Board has put together several tools to help you pray, give, and even volunteer in Haiti. Here's the information copied from their site:

You can give
  • Haiti Response Fund: 100 percent of your gift will be used for meeting needs of earthquake victims in Haiti.
You can pray
You can volunteer
  • E-mail: E-mail haitiresponse@imb.org. Indicate your name and contact information, what skills you have and when you are available. Southern Baptists interested in donating supplies or offering other assistance also can send an e-mail to this address.
You can mobilize others
  • Videos: Download and show these videos to your church or others who may be able to help:


    • Mark Rutledge, long-time missionary to Haitians, speaks out from Port-au-Prince asking you to pray and give to help earthquake victims.
    • Gordon Fort, IMB vice president for global strategy, asks Southern Baptists to pray and help victims in Haiti in other ways.

Southern Baptist disaster relief assessment teams have arrived in Haiti to plan volunteer deployment.

Disaster relief volunteer efforts will be coordinated among Southern Baptist entities, including Baptist Global Response, North American Mission Board and Baptist state convention disaster relief teams.

Source: http://imbresources.org/index.cfm/fa/store.prod/ProdID/2825.cfm

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Fifty ways to give more money to God's work

Whether you're trying to give more money to Haiti relief, to global missions, or to your local church ministry, it's good to review your budget and see where you can cut unnecessary expenses to support God's work around the world. This is part of being a good steward and laying up treasures in heaven.

The Church at Brook Hills (where David Platt pastors) has recently come up with 50 Financial Tips to help families give more for the glory of God. This is part of their "Radical Experiment" discipleship and stewardship campaign for 2010. They've got some great ideas that could make a real difference in your short-term and long-term ability to give.

Here's their list...

1. Remember that all of your possessions belong to God. Psalm 24:1, Psalm 8:4-6
2. Establish giving if you haven’t already. 2 Corinthians 9:6
3. Stop buying on credit right now. Proverbs 22:7
4. Be on guard against materialism. Luke 12:15, Matthew 13:18-23, Ecclesiastes 5:10
5. Borrow money cautiously and modestly or. Proverbs 22:7
6. Practice saving, even if it is a small amount. Save your spare change every day. Proverbs 13:11
7. Remember that you are accountable to God for the stewardship of the resources that He’s entrusted to you.
8. Learn to live on what God provides and not fall prey to what the world tells you that you need.
9. Evaluate where you prioritize your work (Jesus first, family second, work third). Proverbs 23:4-5, Matthew 6:33
10. Think before you purchase everything. Proverbs 24:3, Ephesians 5:15-17
11. Look at your monthly expenses and evaluate which items are needs and which items are wants.
12. Create and follow a written financial plan (budget). Start by praying about it. Proverbs 16:9 (See budget worksheet).
13. Document your cash flow in and out for 3 months in order to see where you’re spending (try using a tracking software such as Quicken).
14. Monitor progress toward your goals by setting weekly/monthly checkpoints and evaluating the changes you’ve made. Set a monthly meeting with your spouse to review your finances.
15. Take advantage of free retirement matching from your employer.
16. Evaluate your outstanding debt and form a plan of attack to pay it off.17. Clip coupons. Try www.couponmom.com, www.couponsuzy.com, or www.hotcouponworld.com.
18. Recycle and reuse.
19. Re-evaluate your entertainment choices. Visit the library for free entertainment. Use Red Box movies at Walmart or visit the Dollar Theater. Consider reducing or eliminating attendance at sporting events (Friday night football, college football).
20. Visit garage sales.
21. Shop off brands or discount retailers.
22. Do your own yardwork.
23. Stop going out to eat. Bring your lunch to work/school.
24. Pay bills online to avoid postage expense and the cost of checks.
25. Drink only water at restaurants.
26. Bunch your travel or errands in order to save gas.
27. Form a supper club instead of going out to eat. Share money saving ideas with the group.
28. Buy kids' clothes on clearance in the off season for the next year.
29. Use best price finder sites for items (www.shopzilla.com, www.froogle.google.com, www.bizrate.com).
30. Buy generic food brands, buy what’s on sale, buy a less expensive version (i.e. hamburger instead of steak), buy store brand items.
31. Consider changing your home phone or cell phone plan. Do you need a land line? Do you need a long distance plan? Are you paying for more minutes than you use?
32. Save on energy bills – programmable thermostat, higher during summer, lower in winter, use ceiling fans, wash clothes in cold water
33. Drive your current vehicle instead of buying a new one. A new vehicle always costs more than repairing your existing vehicle.
34. Consider carpooling.
35. Stop buying bottled water.
36. Only run the dishwasher when it’s full. Only run the washing machine with a full load.
37. Limit your extracurricular activities to a level comfortably within your budget (i.e. children’s sports activities)
38. Review every utility/household expense you currently have to ensure you are paying only for what you need (internet, cable, phone, insurance). Get help from a professional that you trust if needed.
39. Plant a garden.
40. Eliminating or reduce dry cleaning expense. Iron your own clothes.
41. Reduce your Christmas/birthday/gift spending. Do not buy gifts on credit. Proverbs 22:7
42.    Use guidelines for what percentage of your income you should be spending on certain categories (housing, food, automobiles)
43.    Auto deposit your paychecks to a separate account and only move the amount necessary to pay bills to a separate bill-paying account.  This is especially useful for the self-employed or other with variable income.  Proverbs 27:12; Proverbs 6:6-8
44.    Have your savings automatically withdrawn from your paycheck and directed to a separate savings account so you are not tempted to spend it.
45.    Have your paycheck direct deposited to avoid the temptation of cashing it and spending it.
46.    Evaluate the cost of your hobbies and consider reducing or eliminating.
47.    Never overdraft your account.  Keep a cushion in your account in order to avoid overdrafts or service charges.
48. Consider selling assets (big and small…houses, cars, investments, and so on…) that you do not use or do not need. Store your treasures in Heaven! Matthew 6:19-20
49. Give your savings to Christ’s church during the Radical Experiment.
50. Consider not borrowing any additional money during the Radical Experiment.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Book giveaway

SBC Voices is giving $100 worth of books away this week. Here are the titles:

John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion
The Meaning of the Pentateuch- John Sailhamer
The Trellis and the Vine- Colin Marshall and Tony Payne


Click here to learn more and enter the contest.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Loving our neighbors in Haiti

The IMB reports that Christian relief efforts have begun in Haiti after a deadly earthquake. What a privilege to know our monthly Cooperative Program giving, rummage sale fundraiser, and Lottie Moon offering are contributing to this ministry. Let's pray for all those helping with the relief efforts, and that the name of Jesus will be magnified through this.

Southern Baptists are mobilizing to assess disaster relief needs after the largest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti the evening of Jan. 12.

The initial Southern Baptist disaster relief effort will be led by Florida Baptists, who have had ministry relationships in Haiti for more than 20 years and currently have six staff members who live and work in the country, said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist relief and development organization. The International Mission Board does not have long-term personnel stationed in the country.

Initial funding for the relief effort will be provided by the IMB’s disaster relief fund. You can contribute to the relief effort at gobgr.org.

Read  the whole article here.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Dead man walking

Last Sunday, we began a “behind the scenes” look at our salvation. We are considering how a person comes to Christ, and what role God plays in this dramatic event. The best place to begin is with the condition of the unbeliever apart from Christ. So we studied Ephesians 2:1-3 and discovered three points:

1. The Condition (Ephesians 2:1-2). The Bible says quite bluntly that we are “dead” without Christ. Because of our sin nature, there is absolutely no life in us. Other passages describe us as spiritually blind, deaf, enslaved, and in rebellion, and totally unable to please God (Romans 8:6-8).

2. The Consequence (Ephesians 2:3). The result of this terrible condition is that we are all under God’s wrath. We rightly deserve eternal torment in hell because of the heinous nature of our crime against God.

3. The Challenge. Here’s the dilemma. We are spiritually dead and racing down the broad road to hell. And there’s absolutely nothing we can do to fix the situation. Nothing. (We’re dead, remember). We cannot change our hearts any more than an Ethiopian can change his skin, or a leopard can remove his spots (Jeremiah 13:23). But here’s the good news: What is impossible for man is possible for God! By sending His Son, God has redeemed us and made us alive in Christ! (Ephesians 2:4-9).

Questions for thought and discussion:

• What does it mean that I am “dead in my trespasses and sins”?
• Do our “good works” earn favor with God? Why or why not?
• Have I trusted in Christ alone for forgiveness and eternal life?
• Read 1 Corinthians 2:4. Can our clever techniques ever draw an unbeliever to Christ?
• If Ephesians 2:2-3 depicts the lifestyle of an unbeliever, how could we describe the lifestyle of a believer?
• Write out a prayer of thanksgiving for what God has rescued you from, and what He has done for you.

Sunday’s sermon has been posted to our podcast site and is now available for free download.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Historic trial begins today

From the ProtectMarriage blog:
...Monday, January 11th, trial will begin in the San Francisco courtroom of Judge Vaughn Walker in the federal case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger. The Perry case is about Proposition 8 which restored the traditional definition of marriage in California, to be sure, but it is also about much more.

What is at stake in the Perry case is not just the right of California voters to reaffirm the definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman; a federal court decision overturning Proposition 8 could also ultimately nullify the people’s vote on marriage in 45 states and the federal Defense of Marriage Act passed by Congress in 1996...
Many believe this trial will be the "Roe v. Wade of marriage," and expect it to go all the way to the Supreme Court. Please be in prayer in the days ahead for the judge, attorneys, sponsors, and consultants who will be involved in the case. May God's truth prevail, and may the presentation by ProtectMarriage be both gracious and convincing.

Related post:

Friday, January 8, 2010

Book review: Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar by William Mounce is the best beginning Biblical Greek grammar available today.

After introducing the Greek alphabet and word structure, Mounce helps students gain a solid control of Greek nouns (ch. 5-14). He then moves on to indicative mood verbs (chs. 15-25) followed by participles, non-indicative mood, and other troublesome verbs (chs. 26-35). The appendix itself, full of charts and paradigms, is worth its weight in gold.

I'm currently teaching a beginning Greek class with about 15 lay people at our church using the 2nd edition textbook. Mounce is such a clear teacher that any student with self-discipline could actually teach himself the language. Using Mounce's Greek Workbook and Flachcards (each sold separately), you can practice exercises and review vocabulary that reinforce each chapter. The author also provides an alternate track for those who want to introduce verbs earlier in the learning process. Other benefits include a CD-ROM, links to Mounce's website, and cross references to his Morphology book and Wallace's intermediate Grammar for those who want to dig deeper into the language. If there are any drawbacks, it would be an underemphasis on accenting and linguistics.

Please note: there is now a Third Edition of this text available as of December 2009. You will have to decide if you want to buy the second or third edition. The third edition employs more white space in the margins, new pictures, color shades, and book dimensions that are about 30% larger. It now looks more like a Jr. or Sr. High language textbook. The new book also has the benefit of laying open flat on your desk without pages being tempted to flip closed. Apart from the new "look" and size and a few new features, content in the 3rd edition is largely unchanged from the second edition. To learn about the specific differences between the second and third edition, click here.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Frogs, and hail, and locusts, oh my!

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live through the plagues of the Exodus? Take Exodus 10, for example. Here we have a locust plague so devastating that the insects "covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Thus nothing green was left on tree or plant..." (Ex. 10:15). God's judgment on Pharaoh was very severe.

But they're just cute little bugs, right? Um, no. One or two grasshoppers on the front lawn might be fun to watch and pick up, but multiply them by millions and millions, and you have sheer destruction. Nearly a hundred years ago, a modern version of this story took place. In 1915, millions of locusts swarmed through Palestine, devastating crops and attacking people. Just listen to this description:
Whenever touched, or especially when finding themselves caught within one’s clothes, they exuded from their mouth a dark fluid, an irritant to the skin and soiling the garments in a most disgusting manner. Imagine the feeling (we speak from experience) with a dozen or two such creatures over an inch long, with sawlike legs and rough bodies, making a race-course of your back!

Check out a couple amazing pictures of the locust plague at Todd Bolen's site here.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Reading habits, pt 3

Here's part 3 of an interview I had last November with a student from Cal Baptist University. This section actually shifts from reading habits to other forms of education and enrichment available to pastors.

4. Do you attend professional meetings, seminars, and conferences? How often? How helpful are these?

Meetings and conferences are another great way to be sharpened, while also networking and establishing good Christian fellowship. Here are the meetings I typically attend:

Morongo Basin Evangelical Pastors Fellowship – President is a local EV Free pastor. We meet once a month for business and prayer, and we meet a second time in the month strictly for prayer. I am the secretary for this group and take all the minutes.

SBC pastors luncheon – once a month, our Director of Missions comes up to the high desert and the local pastors get together at Sizzlers with our families. Very informal.

SBC annual meetings – this year, I attended our associational, state, and national SBC annual meetings. These have not always been as enriching and biblically centered as I would prefer, but I saw a definite improvement this year. I also believe if young pastors are going to make a positive impact in our convention, we need to be supportive as team players and attend our regional meetings.

Bible conferences – as money and time allow, I like to attend other conferences. This year, I attended:

• Truth  Life Conference at The Master’s College (speakers were John MacArthur, Erwin Lutzer, and Sinclair Ferguson). This conference is free for alumni.
• Shepherd’s Conference at Grace Community Church (speakers were John MacArthur, Al Mohler, Tom Pennington, Phil Johnson, and Rick Holland). I attended this by myself for spiritual renewal, but met up and ate meals with many pastor friends while there.
• Men Discipling Men Conference at The Master’s College (speakers were Carl Hargrove and Stuart Scott). I attended this with three men from our church as a way to expose and equip them in biblical counseling issues.
• CSBC Pastor’s Conference at Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church (speakers were Mark Dever, Jeff Lewis, and the presidents of IJM and Voice of the Martyrs)

In 2008, I attended Together for the Gospel in Louisville, which was outstanding.

On top of conferences I have attended, I'm also blessed to live in a day and age when a ton of free conference podcasts are available right over the internet. I like to listen to sermons and lectures on my MP3 player while exercising.

Related post:

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Reading habits, pt 2

Here is part 2 of an interview I recently had with a student from Cal Baptist University on my reading habits...

2. How much writing do you do? What kind? Do you ever publish? What is the primary purpose of your professional writing?

I have not done any formal publishing. I blog regularly at “Life Under the Sun” (http://stephen-jones.blogspot.com) as a way to think through issues, disciple pastor friends, and educate the general public. I would be interested in doing more publishing someday, whether for a curriculum or a book, but I don’t have any projects in the foreseeable future.

As a pastor, I’m writing constantly – everything from interviews like this, to emails, to bulletin announcements, to biblical counseling advice, to prayer lists, to monthly church newsletters, to sermon notes. I also submit a Minister’s Message for publication to our local newspaper once a quarter.

It’s very important for pastors to be clear communicators not only in speech but in writing. In fact, it’s probably true that the better you can write, the better you will be able to speak.

3. How much education do you need? What kinds of certification or licensing are required? Do you need to update this? How often?

In California, it’s required to have a minister’s license to perform weddings and to be eligible for tax benefits like the Housing Allowance. Many churches also expect you to have this license in order to preach, perform funerals, and administer the Lord’s Supper. The process in churches will vary, but it’s usually just a matter of having your church vote to license you at your next business meeting.

Ordination is a more in-depth process where you study, exercise your gifts, and then sit before a council of pastors and leaders for formal questioning. I did this a year after becoming pastor at First Southern, and do not regret waiting a little while. By then, we had been “tested” for a while, and our flock and denominational leaders knew us better. It made the event much more special and did not occur until after the Lord had truly confirmed He had called us to serve Him full-time in ministry.

As far as education, I highly recommend at least an MDiv for those pursuing full-time ministry. Undergrad is great, but you simply cannot delve into the complexity of issues, original languages, Bible survey, preaching skills, theology, and pastoral training necessary with a BA.

I think it’s OK to begin pastoring while still getting your education (particularly if you are associate). But long-term, I think it’s best to have at least an MDiv. I wouldn’t want to go to a doctor who had merely a bachelor’s degree in biology. Why would we settle for anything less from preachers of the Word of God?

Pastors must be life-long learners. As Howard Hendricks says, the day we stop learning, we stop being effective teachers. Whether this education is formal or informal, we need to be men of the book and men who understand the hearts of our people and the spirit of the times. If we are to ‘guard what has been entrusted to us” (1 Tim. 6:20), we need to be thoughtful, perceptive, discerning, and articulate. It is no wonder that Paul, just months before his death, asked Timothy to “bring the cloak…and the books, especially the parchments” (2 Tim. 4:13). As long as he was on the earth, Paul never stopped learning! We should expect the same.


(to be concluded tomorrow)

Monday, January 4, 2010

Reading habits, pt. 1

My dad used to say, "Leaders are readers," and I've found that to be very true. The most influential people in my life are people who read continuously. In my own ministry, I know it's critical to keep growing in knowledge, reading comprehension, and effectiveness with words - three things that will never occur if I don't read.

In November, I was interviewed by a student at Cal Baptist University about my reading habits. It was part of an English project he had to complete, interviewing someone in the field he wants to go into (pastoral ministry). It was good for me to think through these questions and even caused me to adjust some of my reading habits. Today through Wednesday, I'll post his questions and my answers...

1. What kinds of professional materials do you read?

There are three kinds of materials I normally read. We might call them (1) instant content like blogs, websites, the local newspaper, magazines, denominational newsletters (2) contemporary research and analysis like what is found on some websites and in journals (3) and in-depth content found in books either in print or on my computer.

I follow many blogs and read through every issue of The Family Handyman, World Magazine, and our local newspaper, The Hi Desert Star. I also look through SBC Life, On Mission, and The Master’s Seminary Journal when it arrives, though I don’t read these cover to cover. Last year, I subscribed to The Briefing and The Founders Journal also but discontinued because I found I just couldn’t keep up on them all.

I read and consult many other books, journals, magazines, etc. on an “as needed” basis. Some journals and reference works are available online, while others I own on computer. For example, I own the Journal of Biblical Counseling CD-Rom (.pdf format) and have volumes 1-10 of The Theological Journal Library (Libronix) and use these when I’m researching a particular topic or Scripture passage.

Apart from The Family Handyman magazine, nearly all of my reading relates in some way to ministry, whether in refining my theology, studying for sermons, staying aware of current issues and events, sharpening my preaching, addressing pastoral issues, looking for illustration material, etc. I can only think of one book I’ve read in the past year strictly for pleasure – The Unforgiving Minute, by Craig Mullaney. It was a memoir about an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. And even that had some uncanny parallels to ministry!

A. Who publishes/sponsors it?

There are many different publishers, including book and magazine publishers, theological schools, the SBC, and many other Christian and secular businesses. The list of publishers is quite diverse. Most of my Christian reading is very theologically conservative. Some of my favorite book publishers are Crossway, P&R, Holman, Baker, and Moody.

B. How often does it come out?

Multiple times a week – blogs, local newspaper
Twice a month - World Magazine
Monthly - Family Handyman, the Clarion Inland Empire Association newsletter, California Southern Baptist newspaper
Semi-annual - The Master’s Seminary Journal

C. How does one find it (via subscription, online, etc.)?

It takes a long time to learn which authors, resources, websites, schools, publishers, etc. are reliable and which ones are not. I’m still learning, but I’ve found a lot of good material through my pastoral mentors, college and seminary teachers, and just good old-fashioned word of mouth.

Blogs – RSS feed
National news and current events – Foxnews.com and ESPN.com
Newspapers and some magazines – subscription and delivery to my home
Encyclopedia Britannica – available online
Websites – monergism.com is one of the best
Magazines and Journals – some of these I own on CD-ROM; others I access through a local library database called EBSCOHost.
Books – I buy most of my books through either Amazon or Christianbook.com. To know which books are best I would recommend starting out with these websites:
ttp://bestcommentaries.com/
http://www.9marks.org/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID314526_CHID598032_CIID,00.html
http://www.tms.edu/pdf/850Books.pdf

Try to get familiar now with resources in your local library, personal library, digital library, and online. As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, respectable scholarship cannot be done simply through Google. Learning how to research now will become invaluable later. A great book on this is The Survivor’s Guide to Library Research by William B. Badke.

It’s also important to start developing a good filing system now. I use a combination of a filing cabinet, folders in Microsoft Windows, and a Microsoft Access database to file quotes, stories, articles, etc.

D. Who is the primary targeted audience?

It varies, but a lot of my reading is geared toward those who are pastors or at least somewhat theologically educated.

(To be continued tomorrow)

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Times changing for the US Marines

Our church is located within half an hour of one of the largest Marine bases in the world, so naturally, we try to stay informed of what's going on in the military world. What affects them affects us, and likewise, our church needs to know how to minister to the many demands facing families in our US Marines.

Here are twelve areas the Marines anticipate change in the new year:
  1. A new commandant
  2. Pay and bonuses
  3. New combat swim qualifications
  4. New training for PFT, CFT
  5. Expanded safety push
  6. Unit training plans
  7. New personal gear
  8. Vehicle upgrades
  9. Aviation upgrades
  10. The Japan-Guam shift
  11. Don't ask don't tell
  12. Marines in pop culture

You can read the whole article here.

New Blog

Today I'm closing up shop and launching a new blog called Pinch of Clay. You can visit it by clicking here . Please stop by and...