Spread the Word

During a sermon a couple of weeks ago....I got on the "anti-Facebook" bandwagon.....warning my congregation that there is evidence that social media has a tendency to make some unsuspecting users a tad more self-centered and narcissistic.  My wife and 12-year-old daughter, both Facebook junkies, were not amused.  They both would be surprised to hear me, just two weeks later, exclaiming the amazing ability of Facebook and other social media sites to spread the news about Christ's grace. 

I recently stumbled on a FoxNews.com story about a Facebook page called Jesus Daily....a site that now has over 15 million regular followers.  The site was started by a physician in Virginia who, from what I can tell, was just following the command of Jesus himself....to embark on the Great Commission.  Here's  quick YouTube video on Jesus Daily.

Amazing what one person can do when moved by God.  My faith in social media is renewed!  Sortof.  ;-)

About that same time I was pondering the good works of Jesus Daily, I received the latest issue of Christianity Today and the cover story was called "The New Radicals"....an article about David Platt, Francis Chan and others who are challenging comfortable Christians to extreme discipleship. 

And then finally I found myself reading up on some history, as I often do, and got on the subject of the Jewish Diaspora and how that spread of Jews helped the spread the Christianity by introducing cultures to a monotheistic God and establishing synagogues that would later be used by early Christian church congregations. 

Perhaps God was nudging me to put together a sermon on "spreading the word"?  You think?

Sure...a sermon on Matthew 28:16 - 20 would not be very original or groundbreaking, but with Easter right around the corner....maybe its time we reminded ourselves of that powerful piece of scripture.

Matthew packs a lot in to these five verses.  In these verses we find Jesus:

....assuring disciples of His power.
....giving them instructions on the Great Commission.
....promising the disciples his continued presence.

What I find comforting, in a weird way, is just how much the disciples doubted Jesus.  We see this same theme over and over again in the New Testament.  The disciples weren't always brimming with confidence.  They doubted Jesus' ability to save them when the seas turned rough.  They had to touch the wounds of Jesus to belief his resurrection.  And few believed that Jesus could somehow feed the 5,000 on a particular busy day during his earthly ministry.  Basically, the disciples were much like you and I.  Always doubting....always questioning our faith.  So in the first part of our scripture passage, Jesus reassures the disciples yet again.

We then hear Jesus offer up details on the Great Commission.  That it is universal...for ALL nations and people.  That it is all about "teaching" or "making disciples". 

Jesus commanded us to "go" and "teach" and know that we are not alone.  What strikes me.....is that if this was the LAST recorded thing (in Matthew) that Jesus said to his disciples....the very last thing he would say to them before departing....then this must have been some important, groundbreaking, earth-shattering stuff.

I'm reminded that I need to have faith that is it possible for all of us to make disciples.  Every-now-and-then we need to also be reminded that the greatest faith movement that the world has ever seen....started with, at most, a handful of ill-prepared, doubting followers. 

As Margaret Mead famously said:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Audio Sermon - Spread the Word

Sermon Notes - Spread the Word

Easily Distracted

On Sunday, February 17th, I started off my sermon by talking about how I get easily distracted while driving.  I just can't help myself.....I like to check out everything around me!  And for some reason, I seem to get most distracted when Heidi is sitting in the passenger seat next to me.  Those times have lead to some interesting comments from her over the years.  LOL.  Of course, in recognizing this affliction, I've come to the conclusion that my iPhone belongs tucked away in the glove box or center console away from view.  Now THAT would truly be a dangerous distraction.

But there is a not-so-funny story in the Bible about distraction.  The Old Testament book of Haggai, though very short, tells of an important tale of the people of Israel after the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 BC.  Taken into exile by the rulers of Babylon, the Israelites were finally set free years later by Cyrus the Great (after Cyrus - from Persia - overthrew the Babylonian empire).  The chosen people of God were now free to restore the splendor of their once mighty temple.  Woohoo!  Well....the Israelites may have been excited in the beginning....but the giddiness soon faded.  The temple project was fraught with delays and after many years only a weed-infested foundation lay as a testament to their lack of follow-through.  Of course....the question is.....what happened?

Well...in short....they got distracted.  In Haggai 1:4 we find the prophet Haggai delivering a message from God.....warning the Israelites that they should not be living in "paneled houses" while the temple sits unfinished.  This reference to "paneled houses" indicates that many of the Israelites were "movin' on up" (just like The Jeffersons) to fancier and fancier subdivisions.  God's chosen people had become so concerned with their own personal wealth and prosperity that they neglected to finish the temple so that God could live and fellowship with them. The nation of Israel had become distracted by material wealth.

I recently found an article called Standards of Living and Modern Economic Growth by John Nye (professor of economics at Washington University in St. Louis).  The focus of the article was articulating just how much our modern standard of living has increased around the globe - especially in the past 300 years.  The data was astounding.  Never has there been a time when average people, world-wide, have enjoyed such economic prosperity.  As the article stated, "in the most successful countries, the average citizen now enjoys a material standard of living that would have made the greatest king of two hundred years ago turn green with envy."

So here's the big question:

If the distraction of material wealth was a problem for the people of Israel back then, how much more is it a problem today?

There are a number of lessons to be learned from Haggai 1:2 - 11:

• Without the Holy Spirit we are selfish.
• Materialism separates us from God.
• Even after we are delivered from hard times, we tend to get complacent.
• God wants to be our top priority.
• Chasing after anything but God only leaves us wanting.

As C.S. Lewis wrote:

And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history - money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery - the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

Audio Recording of "Easily Distracted"

Sermon Notes for "Easily Distracted"

Orange Grove in the Press

Associated Baptist Press ran an online article regarding Orange Grove's recent journey with our sister Hispanic congregation.  This link should take you straight to the article.

Aging Pushes Congregations to Fiscal Brink

The Destructive Power of Self

"The Destructive Power of Self".....fairly ominous and dark title for my sermon on Sunday, February 17th.  Now that I examine that title a little more....it's doesn't sound like me at all....as I'm normally upbeat and positive.  But earlier in the week I had been reading through a flurry of studies that have just come out.....pointing to the dangers that social media can pose for some users.  Made me start thinking about the "self" and how seductive and deceptive it can really be. 

Researchers are now finding that excessive dependence on social media can lead to narcissism and self-absorption....which can then lead to feelings of depression, inadequacy, loneliness and despair.  Perhaps each of us can have too much....."us".  In these articles it was interesting to read how some social media users are creating their own "15 minutes of fame"....concerned not with simply connecting with others but more concerned with building up some type of concocted stage on which to impress others.  In those cases, surely "self" has gotten a little out of control.

But mainly, I had been impacted more by my own preoccupation with self.  Earlier in the week....prior to my sermon, I had struggled through a difficult morning in which I was obsessing and wringing my hands over the direction for my career.  Having left Singing River Health System in November 2012, my attention has turned toward trying to figure out "what now?".  And that wonderment has, at times, been a bumpy ride.  Sometimes I've thought...."am I on the right track?"....."have I made a mistake?"....."what does the future hold?".  Natural thoughts....but when these same thought become a pre-occupation, the "self" grows bigger and more unwieldy.  And on this Valentine's Day morning, "self" had definitely raised its ugly head.  By about 10 a.m. that morning I had had enough and  I prayed that God would but the genie (self) back in the bottle......helping me to look outward....as opposed to inward.  I picked up my iPhone and called each of the ladies in my congregation and wished them a Happy Valentine's Day.  During one phone call I prayed with a member who was struggling with an illness in the family and a number of big decisions in her life.  During another call, I found out a member had a relative in the hospital....and being near the hospital I proceeded to meet with that person.  And then I remembered that one of our members has a brother who is permanently in a nursing home due to a disability.  I swung by Walmart, picked up a Valentine's Card and paid "Don" a visit.  I had visited and prayed with Don before and knew that he had good days and bad days....and this was a fairly rough day for him....legs swollen with fluid....along with the regular list of ailments that continually plagued him.  His sister (our church member) was with him...and so she was able to help interpret Don's speech which was often garbled due to his condition.  I visited....gave him his card....and prayed with him as I usually did.  After we prayed, he said something that I didn't quite understand.  Turning to his sister....I saw her smiling....and she told me he said "I pray for my pastor (me) every day".  In the gentlest, kindest way possible, God had completely chopped me off at the knees.  Through His grace, I was able to turn an inward, self-absorbed, pre-occupation with self into an outward concern for others....at least it was a tiny step in that direction on this particular day.  An in so doing, I experienced the beautiful irony of encountering some else who had been touched by that same grace and was pouring out their own heart on someone else. 

There is no shortage of scripture that warns us about the danger of self.  Solomon tried to caution us in Ecclesiastes 2:10.  And the Apostle Paul really went out of his way to do so in at least three of his letters - Ephesians 4:22 - 24, Romans 7:6 and Colossians 3:1 - 15.  For this sermon, I focused on the passage in Colossians.  There are three "biggies" that we learn from this Scripture:

• Dying to the old self and rising with Christ in the new self is a continual process and not a one-time event.

• According to Paul, we are not to refrain from living in the world and our body, "but to live a life of heavenly-inspired thanksgiving and praise here and now, in the body and the world."

• The unhealthy desire to have more and more things for oneself - the pre-occupation with self - is idolatry.

In this passage in Colossians, Paul uses some great imagery that his ancient Greco-Roman audience would have appreciated.  The vision of baptism as a "watery grave"....where we're buried (hidden) and then raised from the dead....buried with Christ...and then re-emerging with Christ in the resurrection.  And then the "putting on" of the new self....a crisp, white baptismal robe covering the dirty rags (after baptism) that candidates often wore as they entered the baptismal pool.  

Even though we, as Christians, die and rise with Christ...taking off our old self and putting on the new self.....at that point of salvation.....we soon realize that making Christ our life (as Paul says) is a lifelong journey.  A process.  We struggle...but we keep trying. 

Below are the sermon notes and audio recording of the sermon:

Sermon Notes from February 17, 2013

Audio Recording of Sermon on February 17, 2013

A Call to Perseverance

Given all that has gone on with our congregation...as well as me personally....I felt lead to deliver a message on "perseverance".

And since this past Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday....what better way to talk about perseverance than to offer up a good football-related story about the same subject?  I found such a story in "Inky Johnson".  Inky was a celebrated cornerback with the University of Tennessee Volunteers who overcame incredible odds.....having grown up on the wrong side of Atlanta amidst gangs, drugs, violence and a fragile home life.  And despite his small, scrappy frame...Inky was getting noticed from any number of NFL scouts.  But on an average Saturday during an average (at best) contest with Air Force....Inky would suffer a rare, tragic injury that would stop his football career dead in its tracks.

Now unless you are a die-hard UT Volunteers fan, you have probably never heard of Inky Johnson.  And it would be very easy to lump him together with so many star athletes who fade from the scene after injuries and life struggles.  But Inky's story is remarkable....not for what he accomplished....but for how he faced his circumstances.

I latched on to Inky's story because I wanted a good juicy tale about ...."enduring"....."knuckling down and getting through it"......"grinning and bearing it"......whatever you might call it.  After all, I needed something to fit my preconceived notions....a story that would neatly fit the direction I thought my sermon would take.

But I didn't see any of what I expected in Inky's tale.  I found a young man that always seemed to have a positive attitude.  Who not only endured his circumstances but embraced them.....and used his tragedies to show what faith in Christ really means.  The events in his life allowed his character to be shaped, molded....all the while becoming a better man in Christ.  Perhaps I just didn't understand the true meaning of "perseverance".

As it turns out, Inky Johnson understood the scriptural message of perseverance much more clearly than did I. 

For this particular sermon, I studied four particular New Testament passages on the subject:

Romans 5:1 - 5
1 Corinthians 13:7
Hebrews 12
Revelation 2:1 - 3
James 1:1 - 12

What I found surprised me.  Looking at these passages and taking into account the nuances of the text (with specific focus on James 1:1 - 12).....it seems that God intended perseverance as a means for a good end...not bad or negative....and not something simply to "live through"....but to "live for".  Perseverance is not simply bearing things.....it's turning them into something positive....something glorifying.  According to scripture, persevering is not passive either.  It's an active process whereby believers take something that might otherwise be tragic and turn it into something that honors God and shows others what faith (in action) can really do.  Here the complete notes and audio recording of Sunday's sermon:

Sermon Notes - "A Call to Perseverance"

Audio Recording of Sermon


By the way....after his injury, Inky would go on to finish college, publish a book, speak tirelessly to groups of athletes about his Christian faith...and as we speak....is showing others the love of Christ.

Have a great week! 

No Fear

In preparing for this Sunday's sermon on fear I was reminded of the famous Franklin Delano Roosevelt quote...."the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."  FDR uttered these famous words during his inaugural address on March 4, 1933....in the depths of the Great Depression and rumblings of war across the Atlantic.  With nearly 25% of Americans unemployed and great uncertainty about the country's future....surely widespread fear was rampant at that time.  I think it's easy for those of us, living in the midst of 2013, to forget that we are not the only generation that has struggled with fear and uncertainty.

On an interesting note....FDR was sworn in with his Bible open to 1 Corinthians 13....commonly known as the "love chapter".  Especially interesting given the discussion of "love vs. fear" that is part of this Sunday's discussion.

I also drew from an article I found entitled "The Physical and Mental Effects of Fear".  This article made the case, very convincingly I might add, that "fear" was the greatest threat to humanity (in our time).  It even made the bold assertion that being gripped by fear was more devastating than being a victim of nuclear fallout.  Using results from a study done by the World Health Organization, the article shared some amazing facts.  Many surviving victims of Chernobyl, Nagasaki and Hiroshima actually died of preventable cancers.  However, because those victims feared what doctors might find, many did not pursue medical treatment immediately after their radiation exposure.  Similar results have been found in groups of patients who have been found HIV Positive.  Many, who would later die of full-blown AIDS, could have been successfully treated with medical interventions early on.  But because of the fear of "what if".....

Probably the most striking paragraph in the article was:

Fear has manufactured a prison for them that is smaller than their potential boundaries.  According to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, one of fear's sneakiest tricks is convincing us that the realm of possibility is more limited than it really is.  It causes risk-avoiding behavior.  It tells us that we are not good enough or smart enough and robs us of what could have been. 

Wow.  Pretty hard-hitting stuff.  So my question is....if fear is so debilitating to the human soul, then surely our Scripture addresses how we should deal with it, right? Fortunately, the answer is "yes". 

For this message, I chose three passages of scripture:  Psalms 122, 1 John 4:17 - 18 and Luke 8:24 - 26.  Using these passages of Scripture, three truths about fear - and freedom from it - can be fleshed out:

Focusing on others, especially through giving and sharing, frees us from fear.  (Psalm 122)
Wherever Christ is, fear is not.  (Luke 8:24 - 26)
Love is fear's worst enemy (1 John 4:17 - 18)

Our God never intended us to live a life filled with fear.  Much to the contrary.  Fortunately for us, Scripture has left us a blueprint for dealing with fear....and freeing ourselves from it. 

A little bit of fear might be healthy, but taken to extremes....only serves to separate us from God. 

Notes from sermon and audio file of message are below:

Sermon Notes - "No Fear" - January 27, 2013

Audio of Sermon - "No Fear" - January 27, 2013

Being Part of Something Bigger

Sunday, January 13th was a good day.  No....Sunday, January 13th was a great day.  On that day, two separate congregations worshiped together as a way of formally kicking off a unique partnership designed to share physical resources and put each congregation in a better position to survive and thrive.  Although both congregations are Southern Baptist in membership.....there are probably more differences...on the surface anyway....than similarities.  But with the help of a translator, a little patience and a genuine desire to be part of something bigger than each of us....we worshiped together.

Appropriately, Bro. Phillip Price - the person who took the first step in making this new partnership a reality - kicked off the service by welcoming both congregations.  As the dozen or so members from Orange Grove Baptist Church stood to be recognized, I was overcome (once again) by the faith of those church members.  Most have spent a lifetime nurturing and caring for the once thriving but now shrinking congregation of Orange Grove Baptist.  And through all of the ups and downs....persevering through hurricanes, flooding, loss of population in the community, schools closing and employers leaving.....still they stand (and remain) faithful.  In a couple of hours, this band of faithfuls will sign over the deed of the property God built for them.....the place many of them call their church home.  They were able to do this....because they truly let the Holy Spirit take the lead.  They did this because God gives us the will to put our self aside with a desire for something bigger than each of us.

And then as the congregation of Iglesia Bautista Fuente De Vida stood....much more in number than the first.....I applauded and wondered (still) how this group was able to get done all of the changes I saw before me.  When the church was flooded last Fall (compliments of Hurricane Isaac) the church had to be completely gutted.  Pastor Richardo and his congregation rolled up their sleeves and got to work.  New sheetrock, new tile throughout, a remodeled kitchen (new stove, sink, counters and tile) and fellowship hall.  Hardly a square foot was left untouched in the building that now passed the 45+ mark in age.  The bright, cheery colors throughout the Sunday School rooms matched the sounds of the nearly thirty kids and youth that had now filled the church building. 

The service began with a set of praise hymns....and the bongos, electric guitar and drums attested to the fact that there would be a little more "zip" in the service than we were accustomed to.  Pastor Richardo's wife shook a tambourine from the front row....where Heidi and I also sat .  I didn't understand much of the Spanish singing....okay, I didn't I understand any of it....and we did not have enough copies of the sheet music...but no worries....we had fun anyway.

Jose was a superb interpreter (going back and forth between English and Spanish almost effortlessly) so the service moved along with ease.  I was honored to deliver the sermon on this special occasion.  Actually "special occasion" sounds so trite.  Sunday was the kind of day one always remembers. 

With Jose as my interpreter, the sermon flowed.  I was further put at ease knowing that the baptismal sitting directly behind me was full of warm water...awaiting our candidates for baptism...one of which was my youngest daughter Anna.

No one can remember the last time the baptismal had been used....and judging from the amount of dust, cobwebs, leaves and dead bugs I cleaned out of it on the Thursday before....it had been a long while.  Just two days before the service, we didn't know if the heater worked.....or whether it would even hold water.  There were a couple of times when I thought....surely....we'll need to postpone these basptisms.  "This just is not going to work".....I thought.  How shallow is my faith sometimes.  Not only did the baptismal hold water....but, miraculously, the heater worked.  Pastor Richardo borrowed some baptismal robes from another church...and we were in business.  Inch-by-inch and step-by-step.....God challenges our lack of faith...at least he does mine.  I'm reminded of Mark 9:24 - "I do believe.   Help me overcome my unbelief."  Needless to day, it was another unforgettable experience when Pastor Richardo and I each baptized new members of our respective congregations....one of them being Sister Anna....my 8-year old daughter.

I delivered a sermon on Paul's teachings on unity and love.  Appropriate....I think....since those are the things that put all of us together on that particular Sunday.  You can follow this link for the complete notes from the sermon.  I've also pasted the closing comments from the sermon below.

Sermon - 1/13/13 - Paul's Idea of Church

Today, I believe Paul is looking down on us from Heaven…and smiling. In an age when we hear of so many divisions in the Church….churches splitting up…..congregations at odds….churches closing….today represents a step in the right direction. Today, our congregations are an example of what Paul’s vision of love and unity can do.

I don’t know why God uses frail, imperfect human beings like us to work out his plan…..I just know that he does. Paul…just like us….was one of those frail, imperfect people.

Over the past six months, we have prayed and sought God’s will for both our congregations. We have been faithful….and patient….and God has blessed us with folks like Brother Phillip (and many others) who have been with us every step of the way. If we continue seeking God’s will as we have done these past months, both our congregations will reach this community for Christ.