SBC 2009, part 1

Another anuual meeting of the SBC has come and gone.  We met in Louisville, KY from June 21-24.  Attendace was up from last year’s meeting in Indianapolis – we had more than 8,700 messengers at our 152nd meeting. 

Also of note, the messengers seemed to be younger than in previous years.  For the past few years, there has been much worry over the fact that younger pastors seemed to be ignoring the annual meeting.  My generation has been lacking representation when the churches of the SBC meet to conduct business.  This year, however, was different.  During the first night of the meeting, I thought I noticed a younger crowd than previous years.  Then, as the week went on, several speakers commented on the trend as well.  I find it encouraging that th next generation is stepping up to the plate and wants to see the work of the SBC continue.  (For the Baptist Press story on this, see http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=30776.)

There were many reports and motions and resolutions that were heard throughout the meeting, but the issue of most debate and, I think, greatest importance was a motion to appoint a Great Commission Task Force.  Stemming from a sermon preached by Dr. Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and then converted by him into a document called Toward a Great Commission Resurgence, the motion called for SBC President Johnny Hunt to appoint a task force to study how Southern Baptists can work “more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission.”  Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, made the motion and spoke forcefully for it.  After several minutes of debate, the motion passed overwhelmingly.  (For more info on the GCR, see http://www.bpnews.net/BPCollectionNews.asp?ID=156 and http://greatcommissionresurgence.com/.)

Stating Our Mission

If you missed this past Sunday, we had a Members Meeting following the service.  One of the announcements was that there will be a new mission statement brought before the church in a few weeks.  In preparation for that, the next few Sunday morning sermons will be geared toward grounding this statement in Scripture.  I don’t want this statement to be just some idea, but I want it to proceed from biblical notions about who we are and what we are doing as a church. 

Here is the proposed mission statement:  Crosspoint Baptist Church is a family of believers that exists to make disciples by magnifying, treasuring, and spreading the glory of God in Jesus Christ among all peoples.

The words and phrases, including everything that was included and everything that was not, were very carefully and intentionally chosen.  I hope that over the coming weeks we can unite around a common mission and vision for our church, seeking to magnify, treasure, and spread God’s glory in the matchless name of Jesus Christ among all peoples.

WATC…And We Must Speak for Those Who Cannot

Paul, in his sermon on Mars Hill to the philosophical crowd in Athens, declared that God is the Author, Sustainer, and King of human life.  If I’m breathing, it’s only because He gives me breath.  When I die, I die under the sovereignty of God.  Life is not mine to give or take, but God’s alone. 

If this is the case, then we as the Church must find ways to speak up for those who cannot.  There are people and groups in our culture who have already stripped the “personhood” from unborn children, but there is also a movement that seeks to take it from healthy, thriving infants as well.  But this shouldn’t shock us.  It’s the next natural step in the quality-of-life over sanctity-of-life culture.  The quality of my life should be protected above the right to life of another who is deemed to have a life of lesser quality.  In fact, many will claim that animals should be equal to, or even have priority over, human babies.

This comes from people like Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University, Michael W. Fox, Vice President of the Humane Society, and Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s President, among many others.  Here are some quotes:

If the fetus does not have the same claim to life as a person, it appears that the newborn baby does not either, and the life of a newborn baby is of less value to it than the life of a pig, a dog, or a chimpanzee is to the nonhuman animal.  (Peter Singer)

There are some circumstances, for example, where the newborn baby is severely disabled and where the parents think that it’s better that child should not live, when killing the newborn baby is not at all wrong…not like killing the chimpanzee would be.  (Peter Singer)

The life of an ant and the life of my child should be accorded equal respect.  (Michael W. Fox)

There is no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights.  A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.  There’re all mammals.  (Ingrid Newkirk)

Now, as far-fetched as these things may sound, they are simply the logical conclusions of a naturalistic worldview.  It’s a worldview that discounts the supernatural, and holds that only the natural, or physical, world exists or matters.  A large number of our scienific community would say they hold to some kind of naturalistic worldview, at least in their professional capacity.  And these radical views above are the only logical conclusion to reach as a result.

If we truly believe that everything here is here by chance (i.e. we are merely the result of life originating by chance and mutating and evolving by chance), then we really have no moral obligation to anyone.  If the laws of natural selection are true, then life is a war and I must kill or be killed.  I must do whatever I need to in order to, first, ensure my survival, and second, enhance my life.  This may come at the expense of any other person, animal, or thing, because they are only here by chance. 

Luckily, the majority of those who claim this worldview have not taken it to it’s logical ends.  But some are beginning to.  And this doesn’t only call into question the right of children, born and unborn, to personhood and life, but also any other human being who is deemed to use more resources than he or she produces.  The question should become, if we really believe this, “Does he or she actively contribute to the society?”  If not, we should rid ourselves of their draining influence. 

But thankfully, many in this camp are inconsistently naturalistic – for now.  I don’t think it will remain this way.  I believe that there will be a growing divide in the coming years between those who understand that all human life is worthy of protection and those who would place their quality of life above the lives of others.  But we are the Church…and we will speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

WATC…And We Are a Kingdom Outpost

The Church of Jesus Christ is to be an outpost of the Kingdom of Christ on this earth. 

That was the main point of the message last Sunday.  I think what we see in the establishment of the Church is essentially the beginning of the redemption and recreation of all of creation.  We know that God will one day redeem and restore creation with the return and reign of the true King, Jesus.  But Paul speaks of Christians as a new creation.  We are people who have been redeemed out of the world, out of our sinful nature.  So, in the Church, we see a representation of the kingdom of Christ on earth.

Jesus told Pilate, in John 18, that His kingdom is not of this world.  He told him that his servants even act in a way that distinguishes them from the world, and illustrates the fact that they belong to another kingdom.  Jesus is King and we belong to Him.

Being a Kingdom Outpost should also sound militaristic.  An outpost is a part of an army that has set up camp in enemy territory.  That is the reality of life as the Church.  We must learn to live with a wartime mentality because we fight not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers that are far more dangerous.  A Christian wartime mentality says that everything I do, everything I own, every gift or ability I have must be used for the main purpose of advancing the Kingdom of Christ. 

We are not in a holding pattern waiting for Jesus to return.  We are not to barricade the doors and hide until the war is over.  Rather, we must engage!  We must engage the world with the Gospel of Christ, using everything God has given us for that purpose. 

The Christian life is not part-time.  It’s all the time.  Think about your material possessions, your gifts and abilities, your regular schedule.  Are you using those things for the Kingdom or for yourself?  Are you doing things that will last or things that are temporary?  Are you actively pursuing Kingdom advancement or are you just hiding in the bunker?

WATC…Built Upon the Rock

We saw this past Sunday, from Matthew 16:13-19, that the church is 1) a gathering or assembly of people 2) that belong to Jesus and 3) are established upon the confession of Jesus as the Christ, or in other words, the Gospel.  I think there are some heavy implications arising from this truth. 

First, our identity in Christ is heavily invested in our identity as the church, who is the bride of Christ.  The church is not simply a collection of individuals who have been saved, but it is a whole made up of many parts.  The individualistic thinking that is common to Americans is probably not as consistent with a biblical understanding of the church.  If we see ourselves as united in one spirit, one baptism, by one Savior, and sharing one common salvation, then I think hearts and attitudes toward one another would be impacted. 

Second, acknowledging that I do not belong to myself, but to another, is a radical shift from the worldly culture.  And in the context of the church, understanding that she belongs to Jesus is understanding that it is not me who gets to make the decisions, but Christ.  What I want or what I think is best is not the issue – Scripture must determine how the church is structured, how it functions, and what it does and does not do.  Where Scripture speaks, we simply listen and follow.  Where Scripture does not speak, we can work within biblical bounds to be as effective as possible.

Third, if this is true, then everything that we do as the church must be centered on and supportive of the Gospel.  Being established upon the rock of the Gospel of Jesus Christ means that it is our lifeblood.  All of our ministries, programs, events, classes – in short, everything – must be grounded in and centered on the Gospel of Christ. 

When you hear these implications, what thoughts are sparked?  What applications come to mind?  What are some specific ways that we can be faithful and effective concerning the truths we find in Matthew 16:13-19?

We Are the Church (WATC)

In yesterday’s worship service I introduced a new sermon series that we will be in for the next few months.  We Are the Church is a look at what the church is and how we can fulfill the purpose and task that God has given the church here at Crosspoint.  I want to encourage you to take an active part in thinking through these issues with me so that we can be as faithful and effective as possible, both individually and corporately.

When I say faithful, I mean that we must seek to be as faithful to Scripture as we can be.  There are mandates that we find in God’s Word for the church.  These are non-negotiable, unchanging truths that we are commanded to follow in the local church regardless of time, culture, language, whatever.  It should be our goal to dig into the Bible, see what it says, and then do it. 

When I say effective, I mean that we must seek to be as effective in fulfilling the task of the church as we can be.  The church is not simply called to “be,” but also to “do.”  While we do find mandates in Scripture, we also find many areas of silence on particular issues or methodologies.  Where we find silence, we should not seek to make ourselves as comfortable as possible, but we should seek to be as effective as possible.  We are not called to be comfortable…we are called to impact the world. 

While we are in this series, I will be following up each sermon with a blog post that either digs a little deeper, sheds some additional light on a portion of the sermon that I get questions about, introduces a discussion on the subject of the sermon, or anything else that I think could be beneficial.  I invite everyone to take part in this, so offer any thoughts, reflections, or ideas that are sparked. 

I believe that God has great things in store for Crosspoint, and I want us to have a big faith in a big God to use jars of clay like us for His big purposes.  God’s plan for our world is the church.  We are the body of Christ.  Let’s take this seriously and seek to operate as faithfully and effectively as possible.

What is the Church Here For?

Many people around the world, Christians and non-Christians alike, have asked themselves, “What am I here for?  What is the purpose of my life?”  Answers come from many sources in diverse and varying forms.  Some will tell you that you are here to make the world a better place for the next generation.  Sounds pretty noble, right?  Others will tell you that your life should be focused on getting everything that you need and want to be happy.  A little less noble, perhaps, but it certainly appeals to my selfish nature.  The answers are many, but all fall far short of what Scripture demands from Believers.  

But even many of the answers you may get from Christian leaders are off base and not in complete accord with the Bible.  We hear many church leaders talking about what our purpose is and what the church should be doing.  Some of these purpose statements can get very long and complicated.  Others focus on things like social outreach and meeting physical needs without ever mentioning the gospel.  What I want to propose is very simple and very old.  This is nothing new.  It’s nothing that I came up with.  I am simply repeating what many Godly pastors, missionaries, theologians, and lay believers have said throughout the centuries.  Sadly, this biblical, God-exalting answer to the purpose question seems to have gone out of vogue in many branches of the church today.  I think the correct answer to the purpose question can be answered in one word:  worship.

Worship is what we have been created for, or maybe more accurately, re-created for.  Everything that God has done, is doing, and will do is for His own glory (Ps 19:1; 25:11; 79:9; 115:1; Is 42:21; 48:9-11), and everyone, believer or unbeliever, will glorify God, in the person of Jesus Christ, at the end (Phil 2:9-11).  The church, however, has been re-created (2 Cor 5:17; Col 2-3) for a unique purpose – delighting in the worship of God.  It is what we will be doing for eternity (John 4:23).  It is what we should be consumed by right now.

Though the answer is simple, allow me to explain how everything that we are to do as a church fits under this one purpose of worship.  I do not think worship is one of many purposes, standing alongside others, but worship is the chief purpose of believers with everything else falling under worship.  In other words, if you cannot do it in a way that worships and brings glory to God, it is not something that believers have been called to.

Our highest calling, the very reason that we were created, is to worship and exalt God.  There are two different ways that one can take that.  When I say exalt, I do not mean that we are to raise God up to a higher place than he is now.  What I mean is that we are to see God in his true position!  God is exalted – he is king over the universe.  So we must acknowledge him for what he truly is.  That is worship.  That is exaltation.  And that is what we are to be about on this earth. 

Under the chief purpose of worship, we have many subcategories, or ways that we accomplish this primary task of worship.  I’ll only mention a few here, so please note that this is not an exhaustive list but merely represents some of the main ways that we worship.

First, we can worship God by coming to a better understanding of who He is.  Worshipping a God who you do not know, or do not know well, is both irresponsible and dangerous.  How can we worship that which we do not know?  You may call this discipleship.  It consists of things like personal Bible study, hearing sound teaching and preaching, and sharpening one other, believer to believer. 

A second way that we can worship is by enlarging the circle of worshippers.  This is evangelism.  The primary reason that we evangelize should not be to have a bigger church (thus a bigger building and budget and program), but to make as many worshippers of our great and glorious God as possible because He is worthy of them all.  As a believer, I want to introduce as many people as possible to the reality that there is a God, and He is deserving of our worship. 

The third category of worship that I will mention is what Christians typically refer to when they say worship.  Singing songs to our God that reflect his glory, his character, and his redemptive plan in Christ serve both to teach us about God and to exalt Him in worship.  It is important that we sing songs that worship God rather than center on me. 

Service is another way that believers can worship God.  By emulating Jesus in his interactions with those in need and following His instructions concerning how to treat the “least of these” we can bring glory to God and give Him worship.  Service, however, can never be separated from the gospel, for when it is we have ceased to worship. 

The final way to worship God that I will mention (remember, this is not an exhaustive list) is fellowship with other believers.  God has created us to have a desire for and thrive in relationships.  By building close relationships with fellow believers, we bring glory to God’s creative action in humanity.  By loving each other and keeping each other accountable, we honor God. 

As I said before, this is not a complete list.  These five ways that we are called to worship God are, however, primary subcategories in the larger purpose of worship that all believers are called to.  In a culture where it is so easy to make a job or a hobby or myself the driving force of life, the church is called to something altogether different.  I pray that we would look radically different from the world in the way that we spend our time and focus our passions.  As strangers in a sinful world, may the prevailing culture look more and more foreign as we become more and more like Christ, worshipping our great God in spirit and in truth.

Persecution Education

In the sermon this past Sunday, I listed several organizations that are involved in both aiding the persecuted church and raising awareness among Christians where there is little or no persectution.  I’ll list them again here:

1.  Open Doors, USA (www.opendoorsusa.org)
2.  Focus on Persecution (www.focusonpersecution.com)
3.  Modern Martyr’s Index (www.gospelweb.net/modernmartyrsindex.htm)
4.  Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com)
5.  International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org)

I’m recommending these organizations to you as information resources.  They’re good places to go to read stories and learn what’s happening to our brothers and sisters around the world.  Please use them to become informed, pray knowledgeably and specifically, and get a better perspective on ‘normal Christianity.’

Remember, Jesus promised us again and again that persecution was to be expected for following Him.  With Brother Andrew, let’s ask ourselves what we do with verses like 2 Timothy 3:12 – “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”  And, “do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).  Be ready…do not be ashamed.  The church is overdue for a test, and we must prepare ourselves to suffer with Him, that we may be raised with Him.

What is God most concerned with?

In discussing the Trinity last Wednesday, I posed a question at the very end of our time.  We established from Scripture that the Holy Spirit’s main task is to glorify Jesus, the Son (John 16:14), and that the Son’s main task is to glorify the Father (John 12:27-28).  That sets into place a chain of glorification inside the Trinity.  Now the question is this:  Who does the Father glorify?

Let’s look at John 12:27-28.  This passage occurs in the week before the crucifixion of Jesus.  He knows it is coming, and He says this, “Now is my soul troubled.  And what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour?’  But for this purpose I have come to this hour.  Father, glorify your name.“  Jesus is saying that He came to earth for the purpose of glorifying his Father. 

Now look at the Father’s response:  “The a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”  When Jesus says that He wants his Father’s name to be glorified, God the Father responds by saying that He, Himself, has already glorified it.  And He will glorify himself again. 

You see, throughout Scripture we find that God’s main purpose in all that He does is his own glorification.  He created the world for his own glory.  He chose Abraham out of a nation of pagans for his own glory.  He made the nation of Israel his own people for his glory.  He sent them into captivity for his own glory.  He sent his Son into this world for his own glory.  He planned for his Son to die a tortuous death on the cross for his own glory.  He raised him from the dead for his own glory.  And He saves sinners like you and me for his own glory. 

But here’s the problem with our thinking about this.  If I were to say, “I am the most important person to me,” you’d say that I was a megalomaniac.  And you would be right.  That would tell you that I am overly obsessed with myself to the point of grievous sin.  When I place myself above God in my value system, I violate the first commandment.  I count myself as more valuable than God, and that is rightly reprehensible to a believer. 

But is it the same when we see that God is most concerned with garnering praise for himself?  John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN, preached a very helpful sermon dealing with this.  He said it much better than I can say it, so here is the link to that sermon.  It’s available to read or listen to for free.

Here are some Scriptures to read and meditate on concerning this idea:  Isaiah 48:9-11; Jeremiah 13:11; Ephesians 1 (the whole chapter, but note particularly the repeated phrase in verses 6, 12, and 14).

The Trinity

Our topic of study last Wednesday night was the Trinity.  During the study we talked about the fact that there are some groups who call themselves ‘Christian’ but deny the Trinity.  One of the largest and most known of these groups call themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW). 

If you have ever spoken with a JW, you know that they are very well versed in their beliefs – usually much more so than your average Evangelical Christian.  First of all, this should not be the case.  But second, this has implications for our dialogue with them.  We must be thoroughly prepared to engage with groups like this and be able to make our point from Scripture.

The JW evangelist will tell you that the Trinity is not found in Scripture.  He is right that the word Trinity is not in the Bible, but the concept is all over it.  Here is a simple series of Scriptures that you can walk through with a JW to show them why you believe in the Trinity.  (And you can let them read these Scriptures from their own Bibles!)  Just let them read the text, then point out what it is saying like I do below.

1.  Acts 10:39-40

And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.  They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear.

So, first we establish the fact that Godraised Jesus from the dead.  There shouldn’t be any argument about that.  JWs believe that.

2.  1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Now we see that God calls Jesus his Son.  So that naturally and logically makes God Jesus’ Father.  And again, it states that God did it.  So God raised his Son, Jesus, from the dead.

3.  John 2:18-22

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”  Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?  But he was speaking about the temple of his body.  When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

So we have established that God raised Jesus from the dead.  Then we established that God is the Father of Jesus.  Now in this passage, Jesus clearly says that he will raise himself from the dead – “I will raise it up.”  Clearly, Jesus is claiming the power to do what God does. 

4.  Rom 8:9-11

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Notice what these verses do.  Throughout this passage, the terms Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, Christ, and Spiritare all used interchangeably.  Paul begins by talking about the Spirit of God dwelling in you.  Then, without changing the subject, he speaks of having the Spirit of Christ.  After that, he says simply that Christ lives in believers.  Clearly, Paul understands that there is a Spirit of God and of Christ that is both the same as them, but also distinct.

Using this paradigm to speak with JWs certainly does not guarantee conversion.  This is not a magic formula that you can use to make everyone see the light.  Only the Holy Spirit can work in their hearts and bear witness to the reality of the Triune God.  Mostly this simply helps us to have a quick, biblical, and logical explanation of the Trinity.  What I have done is write these Scriptures in the back of my Bible.  Beside the Acts passage, in the margin I wrote the location of the next passage, and then so on for the next two.  I hope this helps you have something good to say when you encounter someone who does not believe in the Trinity.

But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.  -1 Peter 3:15-16