God and Country Day, 2008

Today we had a “God and Country” day service at LMBC.  We worshiped and praised God for all of his blessings, especially on America, and we prayed for our nation.  Our very special guest was my friend Chaplain 1st Lt. Bill Berry.  Yes, that Bill Berry.  Bill did an outstanding job preaching the Gospel from Acts 17.  Resonating in my spirit is the question Bill challenged us with from Acts 17:2 — What is my custom?  What is my manner?

Paul’s manner and custom was to proclaim Jesus Christ.  Wherever Paul went, Jesus was proclaimed and people were confronted with the Gospel.  I pray my manner and custom will always be to proclaim Jesus Christ.  Because after all, Jesus is what America needs the most.

Just So We’re Clear

I Can Sympathize

http://garfieldminusgarfield.net

Question of the Day #3

Hello everyone.  Been on vacation with the family.  I hope everyone is doing great.  Here’s a new question to kick around.

What makes a sermon good?

Fundamentalists are our Friends

Fundamentalism is a funny term.  It means different things to different people.

To some, fundamentalism is belief that the Bible is true and right and without error.  J.I. Packer’s Fundamentalism and the Word of God is a great description of the kind of fundamentalism I want to live.

On the other hand, some associate fundamentalism with legalism, ignorance, and at times lunacy.  And there are some that fit that category.

But in the main, fundamentalists are people who believe the Bible and take God very seriously.

John Piper has written a great list of 20 reasons why he doesn’t take potshots at fundamentalists.

1. They are humble and respectful and courteous and even funny (the ones I’ve met).

2. They believe in truth.

3. They believe that truth really matters.

4. They believe that the Bible is true, all of it.

5. They know that the Bible calls for some kind of separation from the world.

6. They have backbone and are not prone to compromise principle.

7. They put obedience to Jesus above the approval of man (even though they fall short, like others).

8. They believe in hell and are loving enough to warn people about it.

9. They believe in heaven and sing about how good it will be to go there.

10. Their “social action” is the helping the person next door.

11. They tend to raise law-abiding, chaste children, in spite of the fact that Barna says evangelical kids in general don’t have any better track record than non-Christians.

12. They resist trendiness.

13. They don’t think too much is gained by sounding hip.

14. They may not be hip, but they don’t go so far as to drive buggies or insist on typewriters.

15. They still sing hymns.

16. They are not breathless about being accepted in the scholarly guild.

17. They give some contemporary plausibility to New Testament claim that the church is the “pillar and bulwark of the truth.”

18. They are good for the rest of evangelicals because of all this.

19. My dad was one.

20. Everybody to my left thinks I am one. And there are a lot of people to my left.

This is a really great list.  As frustrated as I can get with some of my more “fundamental” brothers in the Baptist world, I need to remember that we really aren’t that far apart.  We may disagree about some minor points of doctrine.  We may wrangle over Bible translations.  We may have different views of what is socially acceptable or not.  But on the whole, we believe the Bible, love the Lord, believe all people need Jesus Christ, and want to live holy lives that are pleasing to the Lord.

This makes fundamentalists my friends and not my enemies.

So, if you are fundamentalist and I’ve sparred a bit with you over the NIV or NKJV, or over some other issue, please know, I believe you to be my brother and I hope to count you as a friend in Christ.

Baseball Fun- It’s May and the Rangers Don’t Stink!

The Rangers are 27-27 (that’s .500 ball people!).  We haven’t been this good in years.  In the month of May, the Rangers are the best team in baseball.

Josh Hamilton is one good reason for it.  In the last 18 games, Hamilton is hitting .410 with 6 homers, 33 RBIs, and 13 extra base hits.

I’ve also got to commend the pitching.  It is not the prettiest in baseball, but it is decent.  Padilla had 10 strikeouts last night.  True he struggled and gave up a couple of homers, but he still recovered and gave six innings.

It’s a great time to be a Rangers fan.

Question of the Day 2

What constitutes a “true New Testament church?”

Question of the Day

Do you have to be a Landmarker to be in the ABA?

Or, to put it another way, should everyone in the ABA be Landmarkers?

I’ll Vote Yes

Pastor Jeff Haney and Pinecrest Baptist of Corinth, Mississippi will offer an amendment to the current ABA Missions Policy at the Messenger Meeting in Spokane in June.  I can’t find a link with the current Missions Policy, so if anyone knows where it may be found, let me know and I’ll include the link.

When the amendment is presented, I’ll be voting in favor of it.  Here’s why:

1. It is the honorable thing to do. When a church asks the association to financially support a missionary they should show that they are team players by contributing to the associational work.
2. It is the responsible thing to do. Some question whether or not churches are contributing their fair share to their missionary or simply having the association carry the whole burden.  By giving through the Missions Office, there is no question whatsoever.
3. It is the reasonable thing to do. If you are going to ask for money from the association, don’t you think you ought to be a contributing member?  Programs like Interstate Mission Development and Texas Mission Development allow only contributing members to the program to request funds and vote for those who get those funds.  Makes sense to me.  They aren’t attacking any church’s autonomy, but they are respecting the autonomy of the contributing churches.

Some will argue this amendment interferes with local church autonomy.  I say it does not.  I say it expands the respect for local church autonomy from one church (the sending/ sponsoring church) to many churches (the contributing churches).

The church I pastor gives generously every month to the associated mission work.  We believe in it and are excited to participate in it.  For me, the Pinecrest Amendment goes a long way to encouraging greater participation in associated mission work.

The Pinecrest Amendment

The following amendment to the ABA Missions Policy will be presented by Jeff Haney, pastor of Pinecrest Baptist Church in Corinth, Mississippi at the Messenger Meeting in Spokane, Washington next month.

Done in regular conference on  February 10th, 2008, by unanimous vote of the members present of  Pinecrest Baptist Church in Corinth, Mississippi.

Whereas the current payout for salaried missionaries exceeds the current monthly offerings through the office of the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions, the messengers of Pinecrest Baptist Church of Corinth, Mississippi, move that our current mission policy be amended with the following changes:

Under Section V Salaries, #2., Letter D., Page 226 of the American Baptist Association      Yearbook of the messenger meeting in Tulsa, OK, June 19th – 21st, 2007:

1.) Delete: “The sponsoring church of a salaried missionary is therefore strongly urged to send at least 20% of his salary to the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions.”

2.) Add: - “In order for the sponsoring church of a salaried missionary to have the financial support of this messenger body in her mission work, this messenger body formally requests that at least 20% of her missionary’s salary be sent to the office of the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions.   If that sponsoring church chooses to reject this request, then this messenger body respectfully chooses not to fund the request for salary of the sponsoring church’s missionary.   While the messenger body has no authority over the sponsoring church concerning what that church will or will not do, the messenger body does retain the right to express to the sponsoring church what the messenger body will or will not do.”

Section D would then read completely:

“Each salaried missionary may receive up to 80% of his salary from the office of Secretary-Treasurer of Missions as funds are available. In order for the sponsoring church of a salaried missionary to have the financial support of this messenger body in her mission work, this messenger body formally requests that at least 20% of her missionary’s salary be sent to the office of the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions.   If that sponsoring church chooses to reject this request, then this messenger body respectfully chooses not to fund the request for salary of the sponsoring church’s missionary.   While the messenger body has no authority over the sponsoring church concerning what that church will or will not do, the messenger body does retain the right to express to the sponsoring church what the messenger body will or will not do.”

In the next day or so, I will comment on the amendment.