What Is Biblical Truth

Women shouldn't be pastors; Parents should be the primary source of their children's discipleship not youth pastors and Sunday School teachers; Homosexuality is wrong. These are a few statements, based upon scripture. How do they make you feel when you read them because your response reveals much about who you are and what you stand for? Many people hear things like this and they cringe because these statements are very much anti-cultural and most Christians are very in to the culture and they do not even realize it.

Why is this such a big deal? Many believers are operating in a worldview that is not biblical. As a result our churches and ministries are not biblical. Let me paint a picture for you that I believe captures the heart of modern-day Christianity. One day a woman came into her pastor's office to speak with him about the message he preached on Sunday. This woman was upset because the pastor said from the pulpit that homosexuality was a sin and that a person living within that lifestyle is not bearing the fruit of true repentance and without repentance we can not be saved. She proceeds to tell the pastor that she disagrees; that a practicing homosexual is loved by God and He would never send them to hell. The pastor asked the woman to back up her claims with scripture. Very heatedly she tells the pastor that her son is a homosexual and she refused the believe that God would send her son to hell. The pastor very patiently encouraged the woman to site a passage of Scripture that validated her belief but she didn't have one. She simply said, "I don't feel in my heart that God would do that."

This little story, that came off the top of my head, is similar to conversations that take place every day. Many Christians are so worldly that they will side with their personal feelings or beliefs over the Word of God. Then, trying to justify their feelings, they twist other verses and create doctrines and theologies that belittle the God that gave them life.

So I ask...What is biblical truth? Is it what the Bible says or is it what the Bible says, as we interpret it? My friends I want to tell you that it is what the Bible says and that's it! Truth is not our feelings or emotions but what the Scripture clearly teaches. And we should be okay with that for if we are not then I would assert we are in trouble at the core of our relationship with Christ. For if we can't take God at His Word what else do we have? The answer is chaos and unfortunately that is what many of our churches are today.

Family Revival

I got home last night around 10:45 after I had been in Valdosta preaching to a group of students at a youth event. I was greeted by Mary Kathryn with a big hug. I could tell she had be crying. She had picked up Family Driven Faith, the book Ive been reading lately. God had used it to break her heart. We sat down for the next few hours and spoke of the rebukes we had both recieved and we spent some time repenting before God. The good news is that repentance leads to revival. God did a glorious work in our family last night and I can't wait to see the fruit it will produce.

And boy did it come at a good time. Today is our 5-year anniversary!

Season of Repentance

Sometimes we look at repentance as the one time thing that happens in the blink of an eye; a time when a person does a complete 180. However I have learned something new about repentance in my own life. For the past few weeks I have found myself in a season of repentance; not just a one day type of thing but daily hitting my face and telling God how sorry I am for being wrong. I have realized that my views on family, church and evangelism have been severely misguided and even unbiblical.

My journey began a little over a year ago when my good friend Chase put a book my hands entitle Way of The Master by Ray Comfort. God used that book and the prayers of my friend to bring some serious conviction in my life about evangelism. The Gospel I preached was watered-down, weak and even worldly. I didn't help a person confront the reality that they were a sinner that had offended God.

During some recent bible study and sermon preparation God again brought me to my knees with conviction. As a believer in Christ I have always believed and taught that we should be most concerned about the things that God is most concerned about. However, my actions have not been lining up with my preaching. God is most concerned about His glory. Even in salvation the God is most concerned with His glory than He is our fire insurance. So I've been repenting for making evangelism more about an eternity free from hell than the glory of an awesome God who loved us enough to save us.

But wait there is more, much more. It has come to my attention that I've been a lousy husband and father. Before God ordained the church He ordained marriage and family. Mary Kathryn and Cooper should be coming before my church but that has not been the case. Once again my good friend Chase gave me a book and to him I say "keep them coming buddy". This book is entitled Family Driven Faith. God has used this book, that I am not even finished with, to rock my world. I have to repent and change everything I have ever thought about discipleship; to get it from the church and back into the home where it belongs.

Now you would think the past few weeks would have been horrible with all this conviction and repenting but nothing could be further from the truth. I feel great; like a 100 pound weight has been removed from my chest. I look at my wife and daughter in a new and wonderful light and our family time has reached a new and much deeper place than ever before. And as a result I actually feel like a more effective pastor. I know that sounds weird but it's true. I pray that my church and my friends and complete strangers would get a hold of the truth I have found and find themselves in a season of repentance.

Like a Pro

I am concerned about the professionalization of discipleship and Christian growth in our churches today. Many are under the assumption that seminary and other courses are required before one is "qualified" to preach, teach and disciple. This is why many parents are not taking responsibility for teaching their children; they let the Sunday school teacher or youth pastor take care of that. (See the blog below this one for more). Many wrongly assume that higher education is required in order to have a deeper understanding of God; His ways and His will. Let me give you an example.

Yesterday I spoke with a young man that couldn't have been much older than 21. As we spoke he revealed to me his future plans which involved some education. Then he asked me a question. "How much education do you have to have to be a preacher?" When I told him none the look on his face was priceless. Then I gave him a John Piper quote. "We are fools for Christ's sake. But professionals are wise. We are weak. But professionals are strong. Professionals are held in honor. We are in disrepute. We do not try to secure a professional lifestyle, but we are ready to hunger and thirst and be ill-clad and homeless."

What a message for the church today that seeks education for status or for possessions. Believers are called and equipped by God not by education and based upon that divine calling and equipping we are capable of teaching our children and discipling new believers. The key and unfortunately the missing ingredient for most believers in the 66 books that God has given us; The Bible. The reason many are not prepared and empowered is because they are not in The Word of God.

If there is one thing this pastor wants his people to know it is that we have all we need in our Savior. He can give us what we need to be a God-honoring, biblical church.

Family Focus

Over the past few weeks God has been speaking to me, in volume, about family; specifically the importance of being the spiritual leader to my wife and daughter. After studying the scripture, in preparation for my Mother's-Day sermon, It has become so clear to me that family is much more important than church;something I think the Southern Baptist Convention and the Church at large has lost sight of. The reason for this is due to the fact that when families are strong the church is strong and when families are weak the church is weak. The single greatest contribution that anyone could ever make to their local church and community, for the glory of God, is not to serve on every committee or teach a class but to be godly at home and raise children that are passionate about Christ. Yet in most churches the responsibility of discipleship has been placed on the ministers, the professionals, the leaders. We bring our families to church and we attend different classes and sometimes different worship services then we meet back up and go home. The average parent spends more time taking their kids to baseball games than they do studying the Word of God. My heart is just so heavy for this problem in our churches. I want to empower parents to lead their children.

To validate the things Ive been learning in scripture God provided a new book for me today and I'm already a few chapter into it. I had to tear myself away to come and write this blog. Its entitled Family Driven Faith by Dr. Voddie Baucham. Why is family so important? According to Baucham "my family is the primary place where my walk with Christ takes on flesh. It is my relationship with my wife and children that gives my walk with Christ legitimacy." I love this guy!! His mission is life is to give the privilege and duty of discipling children back into the hands of moms and dads. Ive added a short video of Dr. Baucham. He says it much better then I ever could.

My Sharpest Arrow

As a minister your goal is to make committed disciples of Christ; to motivate people, from the preaching and teaching of scripture, to be passionate about their Savior. You want your people to sharp and powerful arrows that have a deep impact on the world for Christ. I've been thinking a lot about arrows lately; mostly because of the conversations I have been having with a friend of mine about Psalm 127:3-5 and I have come to some conclusions.

Arrows must be crafted and this process can take quite some time but the end result is well worth it. Sometimes arrows hit or miss therefore it can take a few shots before a desired end is reached. Some people within my ministry are easier arrows to work with than others; some will just be sharper than others and some will have a deeper impact. All this sounds good. It might even make for a good book or chapter in a book but the one thing I keep asking myself is our of all the arrows God allows me to work with which one should be my number one? The answer is found in Psalm 127:3-5. My children should be the sharpest and most powerful arrows that my ministry produces. Up top is a picture of my daughter, Cooper. She will be one year old on Thursday. She is so full of personality and life and energy. Which will grow into gifts and talents that I'm sure her mother and I have never even thought about. But as I look at her all I can think about is her college education, the people she will become friends with, her husband even her children. The reality is that Cooper will have an impact on people; what type of impact will be determined by me.

I do not have all the answers but one thing I do know and I pray this will spur on any parent that may be reading this....I want my daughter to be in love with Christ and passionate about His mission in this world. I want her to be a soul winner comparable to any theologian and preacher I admire. I want little Cooper to grow up and refuse to marry a man who is less committed to Christ than she is. I want my baby girl to grow up to be one sharp arrow that leaves an impact for the Kingdom.