Some people believe in God. Others believe in believing in God. There is a vast difference between these two. Those who fail to see the difference are setting themselves up for trouble. When people talk about God, we cannot assume that they have the God of Scripture in mind. We must be discerning.
Whenever someone says that we should “return to God” or “pray to God” – we need to ask a few questions first. Such urging may sound good, but it may not be good. This generic kind of “God talk”, that we often hear at July 4th celebrations, can be particularly misleading. Some feel strongly that any kind of call or urging of our nation back to God will lead us in the right way politically. In the process, though, it may lead us down the wrong path theologically.
Are we really so passionate about political victories that we’re willing to gain them by theological compromise? The doctrine of God is a supremely important issue. Evangelicals who make a molehill out of this mountain are being deceived.
Consider, for instance, the recent “Restoring Honor” gathering in Washington, D.C….
That sounds like I’m talking about a Japanese flower or some kind of sushi, doesn’t it? But koinonia is more beautiful than any flower and more nourishing than sushi.
Koinonia is about fellowship. Koinonia is about community. Koinonia is about you connecting with others from Forest Baptist outside the walls of our church meeting house.
God never meant for you to walk the Christian life alone. Spending time with your spouse (and kids) is good, but it’s not a substitute for fellowshipping with others in the body of Christ. God wants those, unrelated by blood but fully related by the Spirit, to be together. In fact, one of the simplest Bible definitions of the church reveals this. Philippians 1:27 says that the church should be
“together for the gospel.”
Christian isolation is antithetical to the good news. The gospel gives us unity. Our fellowship around the gospel gives us community. That’s our goal and purpose in providing a time for Koinonia Connection.
Call it a “bucket list” if you will. But, like most people, I have always had a few goals that I want to achieve before I die. It’s nothing extravagant, but here it is.
Tyler’s Lifelong Goals
1. Get married. (“Check.”)
2. Have children. (“Check.”)
3. Pastor a church. (“Check.”) 4. Maintain my 145lb high school weight.
5. Travel to England for a Premiere League Soccer/Football game (maybe one day)
6. Be published.
Last post I began exploring the question, “What constitutes a church?”
As others have pointed out, sitting in a garage doesn’t make you a car.
Likewise, putting a steeple on a building does not necessarily make a church. There are certain biblical marks that are found in every true New Testament church.
To review, the first three criteria include: 1) Regenerate Church Membership, 2) The Ordinances, and 3) Church Discipline.
Last Sunday evening, after our service, I found myself in the midst of a conversation that I seem to be having more and more often these days. We were talking about the church. We weren’t specifically discussing our church but we were talking about the church in general. The question we were exploring was, “What constitutes a church?”
Just because a group of people devotedly get together on Sunday at a predetermined building during a predetermined time with a common goal in mind does not make it a church. (In fact, that same description applies aptly to NFL season ticket holders.)
So, what makes a church a church? Is it the steeple? Is it the music? Is it how we dress? Is it what we do? What constitutes a church?
Borrowing from some men who are wiser (and much deader) than I am, I would like to submit to you…
This last week, I spent five days in Wake Forest, NC on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS).
“Why?” you ask. Well, as most of you know I am beginning my studies in the Doctor of Ministry program at SEBTS in Expository Preaching. It is designed as a three-year degree (notice I use the word “designed”) that I hope to complete sometime before I am 45 years old. By the way, this is a good time to mention that at the end of this degree, you will all be required to then call me by my newly earned title, “Exhausted Tyler”.
Now, I know that some people think that seminaries are actually theological “cemeteries” that will suffocate and kill any sense of passion that a minister has. But I firmly believe that…
Pastor Tyler, what is Paul talking about when he refers to those “baptized for the dead” in 1 Corinthians 15:29?
(By the way, if you’re not yet awake, don’t read this article. Bookmark it and come back later when you are. This is not a “pre-coffee” subject.)
That had nothing to do with the answer, I just love the video. It’s the kind of stuff us preacher’s kids always thought about doing. Let the real answer begin…NOW!
As Peter said, in 1 Peter 3:15-16, in Paul’s letters
“there are some matters that are hard to understand.”
This 1 Corinthians passage is a prime example. The text in question reads,
“Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?”
What on earth is Paul talking about here? What does Paul mean by “baptism for the dead”?
Everybody wants it but not everyone has it. People like to have a sense of confidence about their choices in life. Why do we hire home inspectors before closing on a purchase? Why do we read Consumer Reports before making a major buy? There’s one reason: assurance. People go to great lengths to have assurance about temporal issues. But how many of us go to such great lengths to have assurance about eternal issues? A home inspection may be important, but a heart inspection is essential.
Can we have assurance about our salvation? Does God’s Word teach us to live in uncertainty and fear or in confidence and hope?
You know those famous red, double-decker buses commonly found in England? Well, for now, across the city of London, these buses have “God on their side”…literally. However, if the British Humanist Association has its way that will soon not be the case. According to FoxNews.com, atheists throughout England have become upset that religious groups, both Christians and Muslims, have…
When it comes to understanding the essence of salvation clarity is a rarity nowadays.
Christians (even us preachers) speak often and casually of “being saved”, of having been “washed in the blood”, or of “trusting Christ”; but many times, these are spiritual-sounding phrases void of any real meaning and depth.
The result of our modern, prepackaged presentations of the gospel (such as The Four Spiritual Laws) is that we have gained much in terms of convenience and brevity, but we’ve paid a high price in terms of understanding and appreciation.In an attempt to simplify the gospel, we have made the gospel simplistic.
In other words, we emphasize the “A, B, C’s” of becoming a Christian but, once people do, we often neglect to emphasize the “D, E, F, G’s” of being a Christian.This, in turn, puts added pressure on churches to “perform” and “entertain” a shallow audience rather than preach and edify a thoughtful congregation. It is a dizzying and unfortunate cycle.
If you were to ask the average Christian “What does it mean to be ‘washed in the blood’?” you would likely get a blank stare or fumbled answer in return. This is unfortunate.Our problem is not that the church suffers from believing in a limited atonement, but that the church today suffers from a limited understanding of the atonement.Both of these distress the church; but the latter does far more.
Last time, I began taking a look at the issues of God, Gender, and the Church. With so much debate surrounding these topics today, my goal was to begin applying biblical sense to some of the nonsense that exists. Let’s review.
I’ve been reading a book by Dr. Robert Smith, professor at Beeson Divinity School, entitled Doctrine that Dances.
The book is about the importance of preaching doctrine in your sermons. Doctrine is the iron in the church’s blood, but unfortunately, most churches are quite anemic. And Smith is calling for a return to “brining doctrinal preaching and teaching to life” in our churches.
Last night I read a quote in his book which, at first, I got mad at. I was moments away from closing the book and throwing it away. No joke. But as I continued to read, his point became, not only abundantly clear, but indescribably beautiful and encouraging. What I initially thought was poor theology, turned out, instead to be a rich, doctrinal truth.
On pages 83 and 84 of Doctrine that Dances, Smith writes: “When I go back to the cross, I see something that I had not seen before…I used to think that there were just two thieves at the cross, but…”
