Seeing New Light

My last Sunday at FBC Bedford is soon approaching. In fact, today is my last “official” day in the office. After logging a good many hours in this office over the past three years, I certainly want to tell of my respect for FBC Bedford. Words, however, cannot convey my positive thoughts and wishes adequately.

I will be preaching about the new journey of faith for FBC Bedford this week. I know that the Lord will move here in ways unseen. I’m anxious to see what He plans next! May His will be done here in Bedford, and may God’s rich fellowship continue to flow through the wonderful people in the church family.

An intriguing article appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday (Aug. 15) entitled, “Choosing My Religion” by Gaile Robinson. Robinson used the term “church shopping” to describe an activity which is becoming increasingly important to families.

Why are families church shopping? Perhaps inquisitive children begin to ask weighty theological questions of a parent. Perhaps parents feel guilty for putting off spirituality in favor of other family activities. No matter the reason, I think Robinson hit on an important feature of spiritual life here in America.

Therefore, churches must be aware of church shoppers for a variety of reasons. First, churches should understand that generations of children may not have any background in religious terminology or behavior. While this reason not only places an indictment on the lethargy often found in churches, it also motivates us to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission by actually stepping foot outside the walls of the church to live out our faith and by watching our language (i.e. Would a visitor know what the term ”born again” really means?).

Second, churches should consistently engage the Scripture for guidance in reaching church shoppers. While it is a bit humbling to think that masses of folks who live in our neighborhoods do not know the name Jesus, it is also an exciting challenge to know that God could use us just as sure as God used those first century apostles (Read about the excitement in Acts!). We’ll talk about the specifics of this reason in later posts.

As the week draws to a close, be aware of church shoppers in your area. What would be a good first step for you to take in showing the love of Christ to them?

The main headline in this morning’s edition of the Fort Worth Star Telegram reads, “Back to the Books.”  Ah, yes, it’s that time of year again! Students will soon be getting back into the groove of studying and socializing–perhaps all at the same time. I remember the challenge and the excitment created on those first days of school.

Take some time today to read Luke 4:14-30. This is Luke’s exciting account of Jesus’ first day back in Nazareth after the desert temptations. After reading a Messianic text from Isaiah, Jesus puts it all on the line, alluding to the fact that he is the very fulfillment of the text. Curiously, the gathered crowd was, at first, proud of their hometown hero. Not a one seemed upset at Jesus’ authoritative reading. Trouble began brewing, though, when Jesus began alluding to God’s aid of foreigners. The crowd intended to throw Jesus off the cliff at the edge of town, but Jesus got away from them…quite a first!

I hope that the firsts of your life are not this harrowing, but we should remember that Jesus stands with us at ANY point in life–the firsts, the lasts, and all the in-betweens. We can depend on the One who fulfills the Scripture.

The word “autonomy” is not bandied about much in churches these days. I could probably count on my fingers the number of times I heard the word in church while growing up. Yet, there is much importance to be place on autonomy within the local church, and Baptists have characteristically stood up for autonomy throughout the years. Perhaps it’s time to revisit such an impacting concept.

Autonomy comes from two cool Greek words: autos, a pronoun having to do with the self, and nomos, a noun for what we would term as “law.” Nomos is a word conveying a sense of governance. Therefore, autonomy means “self-governance.”

In theological terms, autonomy may be characterized by the following Trinitarian structure.

God is at work in the world and calls us to participate in that work.Jesus is the head and founder of the church.The Holy Spirit guides both the individuals and the congregations who make up the ekklesia (“called out ones”) towards unified participation in God’s work.The theological application of this structure is captivating and evident for a congregational form of church polity. First, every member of the body of Christ relates directly to God through Christ. Second, every member must be sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit. Third, every member is of equal importance. In other words, the people of God can be trusted. Congregations can and should be responsible for themselves through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. While this kind of autonomy talk may seem a bit isolationist in tone, may it be far from us as Baptists to isolate ourselves from cooperating with other congregations. However, let us go forth in mission while not only protecting our priesthood but also while making sure the body of Christ works together as a unified whole.

Have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to practice your priesthood at church services.

There is certainly contentious debate out there concerning religious liberty. This is nothing new! Baptists have been involved in the struggle for religious since the 16th Century. Walter Shurden, a wonderfully insightful Baptist historian said, “Baptists’ passion for religious liberty is deeply rooted in our heritage, for this liberty is anchored in the nature of God and in the nature of faith.” Shurden’s observations lead us to consider the nature of God in defining our religious liberty (which, incidentally, may be defined on too many occassions by shere political rhetoric). Going by our Trinitarian model, here is a path to defining religious liberty according to Baptist heritage.

God is the ultimate source of liberty.

Jesus liberates us from sin.

The Holy Spirit guides us towards experiencing full freedom in faith.Thus, religious liberty is a spiritual matter. Baptists have traditionally, then, stood up for a persons right in choosing to worship or not to worship according to the dictates of conscience.Back in April, I attended a conference at Logsdon Seminary at which Brent Walker, the Executive Director for the Baptist Joint Committee, spoke at length concerning religious liberty. Listed below are some of the observations Dr. Walker shared with us concerning the protection of religious liberty in the public sphere. These suggestions come from my conference notes, but the thoughts are original to Dr. Walker. A link to the Baptist Join Committee website is located ot the right hand side of the blog.

Know the 5 Commandments of religious conversation in the public sphere.

1. Acknowledge the limited scope of our perspective, exercising much humility.

2. Acknowledge and respect the perspective of a disagreeing person.  

3. Speak & act in a way that does not undermine our witness.

4. Do not fall into the civil religion trap.

5. Do not involve the church in electoral politics.

Baptists have traditionally been known as “people of the book.” However, over the past 25 years, Baptists have argued and disagreed primarily over the Bible. Of course, I have my own take on the authority of Scripture and the controversy which continues to boil over among many Baptists these days. Yet, listed below is a definition of the authority of Scripture based on Trinitarian thought. 

God is Truth. Truth is what God does. Therefore, God is our ultimate authority.

Christ’s will is made known by the Bible. Because Christ is the Lord, Scripture is interpreted through the lens of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Jesus fulfills, or fills full the entirety of theological thought and practical application given in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Holy Spirit inspired the biblical authors and leads Christians to recognize the authority of Scripture for their daily faith practice.

While arguments rage over the methods of inspiration and even the foci of Scripture (deciding the relationship between the Bible and science, philosophy, etc.), the Bible continues to be an encompassing, life-changing, living book. We should be aware that there are those who may place other authorities (namely their own) over certain interpretations of Scripture without giving over total authority to God. As Baptist heritage confirms, the only authority over Scripture is Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow, let’s look in to the hot topic of religious liberty.

One of the most rewarding experiences of my ministry thus far occurred recently. I led a Baptist Heritage and Ethics study at First Baptist Church in Bedford. Each session was a testament to the Baptist spirit of intense discussion but great fellowship.

In this age of non-denominationalism, I appreciate the distinctives of Baptists and the commitment towards congregational polity. While non-denominationalism and the watering down of theology may be popular for a good while, we must remember that Baptists were whipped and even killed for taking a stand on issues like baptism, the priesthood of the believer, and the self-governance of local churches. Indeed, Baptists have stood up for the freedom of the individual to choose either to worship or not to worship. Baptists, recognizing God as the author of truth, seek to do the truth–participate in God’s work in the world.

Over these next days, I would like to propose some of the historical Baptist distinctives for local churches, giving an account for these distinctives in Trinitarian terms (referring to the Trinity). For it may become easy to skip over theology when speaking of faith practice at times.

First, let’s discuss the priesthood of the believer. How do we apply such a great principle in terms of theology? Here are some thoughts:

God is accessible. Therefore, we may pray directly to God, and we can confess our sins directly to God.

Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest. Jesus is the mediator between God and people, and salvation comes by grace through faith. Thus, believers are co-workers with Christ.

The Holy Spirit guides believers. Therefore, we may interpret Scripture as led by the Holy Spirit. A priest’s responsibility also comes in terms of community. There is a healthy tension between clergy and laity, but the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

Tomorrow, we will look at Baptist distinctives regarding the authority of Scripture.

Well, folks, I have some big news. After many weeks of conversation and prayer, my wife and I traveled to First Baptist Church in Tulia, Texas in view of a call as their pastor. After an affirmative vote on Sunday, we accepted the call of the congregation. I cannot begin to tell you how excited and challenged I am to be a part of such a wonderful and historically missional church.

Over the next weeks and months, we will be journeying together in this calling. I hope to share insights which will hopeful minister to not only the congregation but also to those who may casually stop by the blog.

These days continue to be a whirlwind, but I wanted to briefly share a passage from Psalm 55 today. Psalm 55:22 states, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Sounds so easy, does it not? Two actions, however, are explicitly called for here: casting our burdens and righteousness, or rightness of living.

Cast your burdens and be sustained by God. This sounds very much like Jesus’ fulfilling commandment for us to “not worry about your life.” Casting our burdens does not mean we shy away from worries or forget about our troubles with some Jimmy Buffet like attitude. We are reminded that God is the companion who carries us through the times of uncertainty, challenge, and change.

Rightness of living comes from a right heart. God will never permit the righteous to be moved. Obviously, changes occur in life, and we are buffeted by many waves and doubts. We “feel” moved on occassion. Yet, with Christ, our hearts are consistently and constantly made right. Therefore, we can resonate with Paul who said, “work out your own salvation with feart and trembling, for it is Gos who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12b-13). With right-ness of heart, we can stand firm in the grace of God.