Hard to Believe

I read a wonderful book several years ago by John MacArthur entitled “Hard to Believe.” I know of no contemporary Pastor who is any more clear on their understanding of the Gospel. This book stays on my “focused” book shelf. If you are wondering - it is the shelf in my study right behind my chair on which I keep books I am currently reading, wanting to read soon or great books I have read but need to keep within reach at all times! “Hard to Believe” is in the great book category - it clearly lays out the gospel as well as the damaging effects of the false gospel that so permeates our culture.

A couple months ago someone sent me an article on a church…a church which was having special days for pets to accompany their owners to church. Many of these owners spoke about what a wonderful worship it was with their dog, cat, or hamster by their side. How far have we fallen in America when our worship is more complete because Fido accompanies us! This event was on my mind as I re-read page 1 of Dr. MacArthur’s book:

…Today this same consumer mind-set has invaded Christianity. The church service is too long, you say? We’ll shorten it (one pastor guarantees his sermons will never last more than seven minutes!). Too formal? Wear you sweatsuit. Too boring? Wait’ll you hear our band!

And if the message is too confrontational, or too judgmental, or too exclusive, scary, unbelievable, hard to understand, or too much anything else for your taste, churches everywhere are eager to adjust that message to make you more comfortable. This new version of Christianity makes you a partner on the team, a design consultant on church life, and does away with old-fashion authority, guilt trips, accountability, and moral absolutes.


The Gospel is truly "Hard to Believe” - it takes a miracle for it to be grasped and embraced. It is a foolish message to the lost, but a miraculous, life changing message to those who receive it. We must never tire of hearing the Gospel, we must never tire of telling the gospel, and we must never tire of studying the gospel. I thank the Lord for putting pastors who get the Gospel right in my life personally and through great books like this. Pastors that present the Gospel not as some deal on a late night infomercial… not as something to add to your life… but something that must BE your life! I thank the Lord to be a part of a congregation who is embracing and articulating it more passionately and consistently day by day.

Great Advice

Below is the link and blog from Thabiti Anyabwile. Many of our members may recognize his name from his book on our book table entitled “What is a Healthy Church Member” - it is outstanding! He summarizes a sermon that was preached and in it he lists 20 recommendations…these were outstanding (especially in light of our Church series we are going through right now). So, I thought I would link to it here and encourage our members to take a few moments to think through these 20 recommendations….

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/


THABITI ANYABWILE|1:54 PM CT
What to Do Now
I love reading or hearing from Kevin DeYoung on the local church. From C.J., recapping Kevin DeYoung’s message at Next 2010:
To close out his Next 2010 conference message, “The Church,” Kevin DeYoung gave a list of suggestions for how to be a difference maker in the local church. He said:
• Find a good local church.
• Get involved.
• Become a member.
• Stay there as long as you can.
• Put away thoughts of a revolution for a while.
• Join the plodding visionaries.
• Go to church this Sunday and worship in Spirit and truth.
• Be patient with your leaders.
• Rejoice when the gospel is faithfully proclaimed.
• Bear with those who hurt you.
• Give people the benefit of the doubt.
• Say “hi” to the teenager that no one notices.
• Welcome the old ladies with the blue hair and the young men with tattoos.
• Volunteer for the nursery.
• Attend the congregational meeting.
• Bring your fried chicken to the potluck like everybody else.
• Invite a friend.
• Take a new couple out for coffee.
• Give to the Christmas offering.
• Sing like you mean it.
• Be thankful someone vacuumed the carpet for you.
• Enjoy the Sundays that “click.”
• Pray extra hard on the Sundays that don’t.
• And in all of this, do not despise the days and weeks and years of small things (Zechariah 4:8–10).
I cannot recommend this message too highly. Please take time to download and listen to “The Church” by visiting the resource page at www.thisisnext.org.

What I Saw Last Week

I saw a great group of Trinity Students in this building the majority of the day! I watched them in meetings learning how to rightly share the Gospel, I watched them leave and go serve other people in the area, and I watched them being taught doctrinal truths throughout the day. All of that to say, it is a wonderful thing to watch God working in the lives of our students. Praise God for sending us such a wonderful Minister to Families with Students! If you notice, I didn’t say “Student Minister” or “Student Pastor.” Bro. Brad understands that his “job” is not to be the guy that parents use as a contractor to teach their students biblical truth. Instead, he is called to partner with parents in teaching and training students, and their families, in the Word of God. When Bro. Brad Walker came on staff I knew we were getting a man who could teach doctrine to our students, but he also brings us more laughs (laughing AT him AND with him), more life and more excitement than any staff member of any church I have ever seen. Just as in a family it is the sum of the parts that makes the family what it is, so is true with any staff. Sometimes that is good and sometimes not so much…for Trinity Baptist Church, let me say it is one of the things that makes serving here so enjoyable! I watch Bro. Brad love this church, love his family and love our Lord consistently. Most every Student Ministry I have seen does its very best to make students “an island unto themselves” - they are an isolated section of the church at best, but not really seen as part of the church. I thank the Lord that Bro. Brad understands the Word enough to not only come beside parents as they train their students, but also push those students to serve the church as a whole… getting them to understand they are not the “church of tomorrow” but rather, they are part of the Church today!

All of this to say, outside of preaching the Word of God I have no greater joy in ministry than serving with these incredible men we have on staff. I love them. I love their devotion and hunger for truth, I love their understanding of what a biblical church should look like and I am grateful for their passion for our Savior. Thank you students for striving for growth and faithfulness… thank you Bro. Brad for your service to these families and this church, and thanks be to our Lord for His grace and mercy in our lives and in our church family!

Desperate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=340x_QEsBA0&feature=related

Just the video of this wonderful saint of God who loves truth - and hits me in the face with it every time I listen to him! Instead of taking 5 minutes and reading this blog, take 5 minutes and pray that God raises hundreds of Pastors who proclaim truth so boldly. May the Lord bless Bro. Paul Washer.

Strangely Encouraging...

Many Pastors get in their cars on Sunday evenings and it can be a very discouraging time. They have preached the Word, ministered, prayed, wept and laughed with people they love deeply. They have had kind, encouraging words spoken to them and, at times sarcastic words spoken to them… but to say the least it is emotionally draining. However, to be very honest there have been very few Sundays at Trinity that I have left discouraged or frustrated. But, I must admit that I don’t know if I have ever been as encouraged on any Sunday as I was our last Sunday in June. Now if you are a Pastor and reading this, that probably sound crazy because with people out of town on vacation and about two hundred other events going on in June and July, these summer Sundays can usually be discouraging. I walked in and our service looked…well like it was the last Sunday in June. But we began with 4 baptisms of people that ran the gamut of ages, we had incredible worship, 2 more professions of faith. This was followed by several visitors at the Pastor’s Reception, one of the best deacon’s meetings we have had, and then a wonderful Sunday evening service.

Now all of these things have happened before during my time at Trinity….but at the end of the service on Sunday evening, I was speaking with a lady who was asking about joining our church family. I introduced her to my wife and to another sweet lady who is a member (we will call her Laura because that is NOT her name). As we began to talk with this sweet visitor, something unique happened and it was at this moment my heart began to rejoice. She is a member of another church in our area and I was getting ready to talk with her about this issue, when “Laura” said (I summarize)---“We have a wonderful church and I love it and can tell that you do to. But, can I ask you why you are leaving ______________Church?” After the lady explained her reasons, Laura then questioned her in such a loving way and asked her if she had prayed about this decision…Laura was very tender with the lady, but politely questioned to see if there was any problem or bitterness towards her present church. “Laura” did this in such a gracious and loving way that it made my heart leap! I have been preaching about the Church and the commitment we must have to one another and this dear lady gets it! With grace, love and mercy she presented questions in such a way to let a visitor know that she was wanted at Trinity, yet sought her spiritual well being and sought to protect this fellowship! She got it! So in short - this one event put the last Sunday in June over the top. It is a blessing to watch the Body of Christ, do what the Body of Christ should do! I know in a day that the chief desire of many Churches and Pastors is to just get’em in. I am encouraged by a church that wants health above all else. Thank the Lord for all the “Laura’s” and “Leonard’s” at Trinity!

How to Define Great Music

After writing my blog last week and quoting the tremendous song we sang as a congregation, I came across this wonderful blog on 9marks.org and I thought it would be a blessing. I put it below and also put a link to it. I hope it serves as a frame work for each of us as we worship together.

http://www.9marks.org/answers/how-important-style-music-church-sings

How important is the style of music a church sings?
The style of music a church sings is relatively unimportant.
1. Most important are the truth of the words being sung. Since a church sings music in order to worship God, our songs should function like a musical confession of faith. Those confessions of faith should contain substantial truth about God, or else we’ll hardly be worshiping at all.
2. Two principle purposes of putting such words to music (questions of style aside) are (i) to assist the heart to emotionally engage with the truths being sung, so that one’s emotions properly conform to those truths; (ii) to help the congregation remember, even memorize, those truths. We sing to God to stir up our hearts to exalt and honor him.
3. The style of music a church uses is ultimately unimportant. Style is passing.
4. It’s only worth paying attention to insofar as different styles may do a better or worse job of helping people properly conform their hearts to the truths being sung.
5. Even then, many people can learn to adapt, especially when their pastors teach them that our musical preferences provide us an excellent opportunity to “count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3). This is especially true if a church hopes to reach a variety of people from a variety of walks and stations of life.
6. In short, what we sing is far more important than how we sing it.

A Song for the Saved!

Every week Bro. Jon Rushing does an incredible job of leading us in worshipping our Lord. Some time ago, several of our staff went to a conference and heard a song that he led our congregation in last week. I said then, as I say now…one can differ on styles of music but if a person’s spirit does not rejoice as they sing this song, it should really cause them to examine themselves spiritually! I had to take a blog and just list these lyrics… they are saturated with the gospel (just as every song he leads us in).

I had a man visit me who had joined our church very recently. He said… “What I noticed about Trinity when I came, is that everything happening is dripping with the truth of the Gospel.” There is no greater compliment! I want to just conclude this by posting these incredible words that we sang:

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

Our July 4th Service....

I love America! I would align with the “Love It, Or Leave It” crowd. I believe She was founded primarily by men, many of whom were believers and those who were not had an understanding of the importance of Scripture. I was raised and served in a town where the primary employer was an Air Force Base. I thank the Lord for the freedom we have in America. However, if one walked into our service Sunday morning they heard the following songs: “O God Our Help In Ages Past”, “God Of Our Fathers”, “I Will Sing Of My Redeemer” and “Jesus Paid It All”. Our goal is not to ignore civil holidays - we want to recognize the wonderful common grace of freedom, just as on Mother’s Day or Father’s day we want to draw attention to these significant roles given by God. But in our worship services, the focus of these days can not be Mothers or Fathers any more than the focus of a worship service can be the blessing of America’s Independence. The purpose of Sunday, July 4th (just as the purpose of any other Sunday the Church meets) is to worship our Savior and glorify God. Many of the songs that we all love to sing and hear sung as we watch fireworks cause us to think of men and women we know who are bravely serving our country and some who have even died fighting for this land…we should have deep appreciation and admiration for the brave soldiers and love for such patriotic songs. But, these songs should not be the focus of our worship or attention during the gathering of the church body…Christ died for His Church, and we should go into a worship service that should be fixed on Him in every aspect. Our songs, sermons, attention and worship should not be divided on July 4, or January 4th . I thank the Lord for Bro. Jon, our choir and our congregation whose focus was on Christ alone Sunday morning as we gathered. It is my prayer that regardless of what our calendars say, when we walk in Trinity Baptist Church our focus will always be on Christ.

Think About This...

Family Worship: If you worship together with your child from age 2 until 17 at the rate of 4 times per week in your home and 2 times as a corporate gathering in your local church each week – you will have spent 4,680 worship services with your child! By then, he or she will be ready for college and should know the truth of the Gospel! Proverbs 22:6

A Pastor friend of mine and of Bro. Brad Walker’s, posted the quote above on his FaceBook status. When I read this I was filled with joy! To think that such an effort, when added up, has an incredible impact upon the life of our family. There are so many times that I end our Family Worship more blessed personally than I probably blessed my family. To think back at the way I spent time teaching my boys such simple principles when they were so young, to now at a time of their lives that they are taking notes on eschatology as we worship…wow! Right now they can explain the Gospel more clearly than I could when I graduated High School. The fact that we can worship with our children over 4500 times and teach them incredible life altering truths should motivate us past the “I just don’t feel like it tonight” attitude. I have written several blogs on this, but never stopped to add up all the opportunities. It is such a blessing to “get” to lead my family in worship! Let’s not bemoan the ills of the world, let’s exalt the name of Christ and trust in the power of the Gospel to transform their lives and ours.