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Regenerate - the four syllable word...

These days, some pastors look out at their congregations and wonder to themselves: “Where are they?” “Where are all the members of this church?” I say some pastors, because evidently this is not much of a concern for our Southern Baptist denomination as a whole. We are currently in a drive to baptize a million people in 2005. “Great!” I say, “But what about the 10-12 million we’ve already baptized who aren’t coming to church now?”

You see, the Southern Baptist Convention’s dirty little secret is that we are not the 16 million strong that we boast about to the nation and to the world. Only 37% of the members of convention churches attend the primary worship service for their church (usually Sunday morning) on any given week.

I’d hardly call this percentage success, would you? If you ran a business that depended on the attendance of your employees and only 37% showed up for the workday, you might have a problem. And it has not always been that way, either (see Elliff's article).

This is where the four-syllable word comes in to play. Like four-letter words (that are usually off-limits, but are becoming more acceptable – even in “Christian” circles), this word is off-limits in most places, too. Regenerate is the term that us evil-minded, God-limiting, reformed-types use to describe a person who has been “saved”, “born-again”, etc.

In most Southern Baptist circles, it is commonly accepted that those who are on the role, along with anyone who has parted the baptismal waters, along with all those who raised a hand or “came forward” during a service – must be born again.

Thankfully, there are some folks that are discerning this disparity between what people say and what they do, and these brave souls are daring to question the status of another person’s salvation. What! How dare them!!! Who do they think they are? Who are we to judge? Blah, blah, blah….

In reality, our lack of structure in receiving and retaining members in our churches has led to a great watering down of Biblical truth. Regenerate people are supposed to be participating members of the local church or assembly. But who wants to verify a life change – when 1^st Baptist Up the Street is growing by leaps and bounds – we have to keep up!

I usually give a three-fold test for people to consider if they or others are regenerate. First, a regenerate person should display a love for God (as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ - not the idolatrous gods of the day). Their lives are to be lived as though they answer to a higher authority and they are glad to do so. Second, they ought to display a love for His Word. The Bible is God’s truth, and saved people spend time studying it, learning it, meditating on it, and putting it into practice in their lives. Third, regenerate people display a love for His Church – the Body of Christ. If you sit at home all the time because you are better than so-and-so at that church, or if you always have time to fish, golf, or pick your nose – but you never have time to gather with the Body (worship services, ministry projects, etc.) you do not have or display a love for the Body.

Churches are supposed to work together to accomplish great things (Jesus said that we would). However, most SBC churches spend their efforts just trying to get their members to attend. And what a great feat that is! But I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind when He created and commissioned the church, do you?

I’ve included a couple of links to get you thinking about this issue – because I think it’s very important. Why do we need to throw another million souls into a machine that just spits most of them back out? Let’s start caring more about seeing God working in the lives of people, than we do about the number on our roles.

MB

Jim Elliff's Article - Southern Baptists: An Unregenerate Denomination

Tom Ascol's Blog at www.founders.org

Church Discipline - the magic bullet?

Surprise. That is the word I would use to describe my feelings as I picked up my mail at church today. Surprise - at what I saw on the front cover of the latest issue of CT:

Why in the world would CT be talking about Church Discipline? Is this the new magic bullet for pastors to use in order to grow the next Mega-McChurch? Well, my surprise deepened as I opened the magazine to the section on Church Discipline to find an interview with Mark Dever. Wow! They must be serious if they are talking to Mr. 9 Marks himself.

I must say that I have been pleasantly surpirsed at the content of the article as a whole - but most especially with Dever's interview. Click here to read the whole thing for yourself, but let me include the following quote just for emphasis (emphasis in the quotation is mine all mine):

CT - If a church wants to start taking church discipline seriously, what would you suggest?

Dever - My basic advice is not to do it—that is, do not do church discipline until your church membership is meaningful.

With most evangelical churches today, the membership is fairly meaningless. And it would be weird to have two deacons turn up on your front doorstep to confront you about adultery or gossip, because there's been no natural conversation about your spiritual life. Not only should we be talking about football and the weather after worship, but also about our own self-denial or lack thereof, our response to the Word just preached, the way we choked up at that older member's testimony, how we've cared for a distressed family, about our concern to evangelize Muslims in the area, and so on.

When it's natural to have serious conversations about real life with each other, that's when you can start practicing corrective discipline. And once you start doing these other things, once you see the culture of the congregation changed where it really is the shape of your discipleship and the center of your life, church discipline is as natural as can be.

Natural conversations about real life. Can you imagine that happening in your church? I mean, getting past all of the tripe that passes for spiritual care and concern for one another and actually connecting with other human beings in a Holy Spirit-led way?

Church Discipline is not the magic bullet for Mega-McChurch growth - but I think it is a key to growing a genuine, New Testament, assembly of believers. Belivers who care more about others and their spiritual growth, than they do about their own selves.

Sounds too good to be true? So does the Gospel.

God's ways are like that, aren't they...

MB

Sympathy for the Devil?

(or you can right click and download to play later)

In 1968, The Rolling Stones released a song that would forever and finally set them apart from another popular British band, the Beetles. From the album, Beggar’s Banquet, the song – Sympathy for the Devil, was the bands attempt to comment on the dark side of man. The song mentions events ranging from the crucifixion of Jesus, to the 100 years war, to the holocaust.

As I was reviewing the news yesterday, I saw the following picture. It was an x-ray of one of the left-over bombs from the car trunk of one of the bombers from the first London attack.

According to one of the experts interviewed in the story,

“…the nails are put there so that when the bomb goes off, the nails will tear tissue and kill people in the area. Bombs don't kill by concussion. Small bombs, they kill by the blast effects of fragments of glass or metal, and this is designed to kill people."

After reading this and thinking on it for a while, the title to that old Stones song came to mind. I cannot imagine that anyone can have sympathy for the murderers that commit these atrocious acts of religious violence. But we have people who claim that the bombers are acting out of some type of disenfranchisement – as if that would justify their actions. Others maintain that they are simply striking back at the West for “our abuse of them and their economies”. But don’t be misled. This is not about oil, land, or money. The current “war on terror” – or to adopt the new White House slogan – “the global struggle against extremism” - is a response to religiously motivated acts of violence - pure and simple.

These homicide bombers are acting with the blessing of their religious leaders and the full assurance of some form of blessing in the afterlife –all because they are willing to kill as many people as possible right now. What a stark contrast there is between Biblical Christianity and Islam.

Sympathy for them? I have sympathy for the innocent victims of these senseless acts of hatred and violence – including the children of the homicide bombers. What in the world are they being taught? Unfortunately, in a religiously hateful climate – many of them are being taught to honor and revere their dead parent. Or in other words, to have Sympathy for the Devil…

MB

House Rules...

Audio version (a pod-cast, if you will) can be heard here (left click to play, right click and download to save)

Consider the retort of many a frustrated parent, "Because I said so, that's why!" Sometimes in an attempt to coerce some form of obedience or action from slow-to-repond or supremely inquisitive children (usually in response to that first order of all questions, "why?"), these words stream quickly and sometimes thoughtlessly from the mouths of otherwise more mature and wise people.

Trust me; I'm not picking on anybody. Truth be told, I've said them too. But hey, who said I'm telling the truth, right (for some MCBC members let me clarify something - that previous statement was an attempt to make a joke, not necessarily the true opinions or actions of the host of this blog, or of the pastor of the church...) but I digress - may I continue?

"House Rules", as defined by the The Urban Dictionary, "are usually the rules followed in ones house that a particular game is being played in" (frequent readers of this blog will forgive the poor grammar reflect in the previous quote - as they are used to such things from me ;-).

I think that the concept of "House Rules" should be followed in all Christian homes. We expect our children to act and think in certain ways, not because we "say so", but in reality the standards of our home have been established by God. Therefore, the "house rules" apply to everybody - not just those people who are under 4 or 5 feet tall.

A more truthful (and Biblical) response to the frustrated parent syndrome is to reply, "Because God said so." This, however, will require said parent to consult the Word of God ( a Bible) , to verify that the alleged infraction is in fact - addressed by the Almighty. "Horror of all horrors" - say the parental units - "you mean if we want to use the Supreme Enforcer - we must consult His rulebook?"

House Rules...they are a wonderful thing.

MB

A Picture of American Evangelicalism?

Audio version (a pod-cast, if you will) can be heard here (left click to play, right click and download to save)

American diver, Chelsea Davis, revealed the dangers of miscalculation at the world Aquatic Championships in Montreal.

The story can be found here.

The immediate thought that came to me when I saw this picture and the accompanying story, centered on the word "miscalculation".

Because she misjudged both her actions and the position of the board, the result was a rather painful reminder of her mistake. As I see it, this same type of thing is (and has) been taking place in American evangelicalism. Our flirtation with the post-modern phenomenon (so passe in philosophical circles it should be called post-mortem) as well as the sexual excesses and license of our wicked society is a severe miscalculation on the part of the church. We have misjudged the position of these things - they are much closer to us than we think. And we have misjudged our actions as well; we aren't shunning the world, being "in it not of it" - we are right in the thick of it all.

The outcome for Chelsea was "two or three stitches". Let's hope that when the church realizes our "miscalculation", it will be a good outcome for us as well.

I am afraid, however, that our miscalculation is much greater than hers.Take heart, wounded ones. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church - but we may end up with some broken bones and black eyes. We ought rather to follow the scriptural admonition to "buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness be not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see." Revelation 3:18

MB

A Must Read!!!

I don't normally make bold statements like this about books. Sometimes a book will speak to me and provide a little insight or direction and I'll tell a few people about it. My Utmost for His Highest, a devotional by Oswald Chambers, is one of those books.This book, however, is something that I am whole-heartedly recommending to anyone who wants to have a better grasp of the prophecies of the Bible.

A word of caution, however. If you are someone who vehemently believes in the pre-tribulational rapture, a one-man anti-christ, a future 7-year period of tribulation, and all of the other stuff that Left Behind and the Scolfield Bible teaches, you will not find another regurgitation of that doctrine in this book. If you believe that anyone who doesn't hold to your view of prophecy is going to hell, or is a pinko, commie, liberal - you won't like this book either. However, if you are interested in researching a Biblical, reasonable, clear, understandable, historical perspective on the end-times, this is your book!

It seems that the only type of prophecy teaching that is taking place today is dispensational premilleniallism. I have never been a full supporter of this view - only repeating what I had heard in church. However, when I began to study the Bible for myself, I began to doubt a "secret rapture" that takes all the Christians away just before all hell breaks loose on the planet.

Furthermore, I have never seen a clear division between an Israel and the Church (a foundational principle of dispensationalism). When I read the New Testament, I find one people of God - who receive that position by grace not race. But I digress...

Wohlberg approaches the subject of the end-times by dividing his book in to four sections that deal with end-time delusions: Section 1 Rapture Delusions; Section 2 Seven-year Tribulation Delusions; Section 3 Antichrist Delusions; Section 4 Israel Delusions. He uses Scriptural and historical evidence to make a clear case for his position in each of these sections.

One of the most important things to come out of the book, though, is the revelation of a great error in modern end-times teaching. Anyone familiar with the Left Behind series will understand that it teaches a second-chance at salvation. The "Tribulation Force" is made up of un-believers who come to Christ after the "rapture".

However, Wohlberg points out that the Scriptural teaching on the parousia (interpreted by many as a secret rapture) is acutally the catching-up of the dead in Christ and the living Saints at His second coming. It is at this time that Christ judges His enemies. No second chance. No seven year period to think it over. No time to change your mind. If Wohlberg is right, teaching people that salvation can occur after the "rapture" is a lie, meant to deceive many.

I could go on for pages, but I want you to get this books and read it for yourself. As with all prophecy interpretation, there is a possibility that he could be wrong. But read the book - and see if your heart isn't stirred for the Word of God and the God of the Word.

Also, if you click on the book cover above (or here) you will be taken to my bookstore, where you can get this book for $9.79 ($2 cheaper than Amazon). And no - I don't make a dime off of your purchases. I want to make this book available as cheaply as possible so you'll get it, read it, and share it with others.

MB

P.S. - If you want to do some research on the historicist position on Biblie prophecy, use the links below (I think you'll be amazed at the personalities who held this position in the past).

Steve Wohlberg's Site - http://www.endtimeinsights.com
http://www.historicism.com
http://www.historicist.com/

Prophet??? Yahweh

Prophet??? Yahweh





Listen to the audio above before following these links - it will make more sense... (I hope :-)

WorldNetDaily Story about Prophet Yahweh

Link to video from news crew in Las Vegas


Matthew 24:24-25: "False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note: I have told you in advance."

Praise the Lord that the elect will never be deceived!

MB