Apologetics and Emptiness

I used to be, and to a certain extent still am, fascinated by reading apologetics materials. Debates and papers, books and magazine articles that attempt to fend off criticism of God, the Bible, the Church, Christianity, etc., all hold an important place in my mind. Years ago when confronted with skeptics it thrilled my heart and opened up new worlds for me when I discovered books like Mere Christianity and The Evidence that Demands a Verdict. These books and those like them helped me to understand that thinking people can reasonably believe in the story of Jesus and everything that goes along with it. But I soon discovered that endless research and vigorously devouring any and all apologetic writings still left me feeling hungry. What I mean is, these things point you to the real thing but can't take the place of it. Apologetics doesn't comfort in times of sadness. Debate can never produce real life change. It's filler but not filling. It has its place. We don't need to be unthinking or shun reason. It's just that God hasn't chosen to reveal Himself through the world's wisdom. Paul said as much if you don't believe me. I'm no anti-intellectual but apologetics can be like Chinese food, you can eat a lot and be hungry a few hours later. It's not "the Bible and nothing else," but if you only have time for one or the other, opt for the Bible. Feast on it and snack on the rest. Not the other way around.

Tell Me About Jesus

Don't tell me your opinions.
Don't even give me words that belong to you.
Really I don't want to know what you think.
Tell me the words of life.
Tell me the story of Jesus.
Tell it over and over again.
That's what the Bible is about.
Every Testament, every book, every page, every word.
Each and all together point to Him.
When I need comfort read them to me.
When I need strength quote them to me.
Nothing else can take the place of the precious word of God.
Just tell me about Jesus.

The Hardest Goodbye

Since becoming a pastor back in February I've had an opportunity to be a part of several funerals for elderly men and women. Without question no funeral is easy. I've had the privilege of burying some people who walked with God for many years. People whose funeral was written long before they passed away. The kind where everyone says, "They wrote their own funeral through the way they lived their life." I've also been a part of saying goodbye to some who only by the profession of their mouth was it at all possible to say they knew Jesus. Those are a bit more difficult. All, however have lived a long life. Today, though I didn't take part in the funeral, I attended the hardest goodbye I've seen in my short ministry. As I watched the ministers talk I wondered how I'd be able to make it through were I in their shoes. As I watched the video presentation of the young girl's life flash on the screen I had to look away. It was too hard to see. As I looked at her I saw my daughter and my throat welled up and I was thankful no one tried to talk to me during it. I wouldn't have been able to answer. I was there too late to even be in the sanctuary so I watched on a television and couldn't see the reaction to the family. I can only imagine the visceral emotions that welled up inside of them, and if they didn't let it out they're stronger than I am. There's no good reason to have to say goodbye to your 14 year old child. I don't care that I'm a pastor. I don't care that I'm an adult. I'm a human and a father and I don't want to ever have to do what that family did today. Yet the words of the pastor were the words of God, and that's the ONLY hope we have. That Christ is raised and so we will be too some sweet day. That the tomb our bodies rest in will be broken into by life, where before they dwelled in death. That the same God who said hello to us when we passed away will reunite us with new and perfect bodies. Bodies that will live forever with our savior, Jesus Christ. With those words, Paul said "Comfort each other." And it is a comfort. It's a comfort during the hardest goodbye anyone will ever say. I don't want to say it, but if I do I want someone to tell me about Jesus. About the resurrection. About the Hope of Glory. Nothing else will do. Nothing else is comfort. One day I'd love to meet the girl that was taken on this past Friday. Because of Jesus I'll get that chance. I'm more thankful her mom and dad will get that chance someday.

Sunday Reflections

This will be a regular post for me on Sunday evenings as I reflect on one of the busiest days of the week for any pastor. It seems lately that the Holy Spirit has brought conviction in the hearts of the people in our church. God's Word today provoked conviction, praise, thanksgiving, and likely hidden things I never saw. The message this morning was from Matthew 7:7-11 (Ask, Seek, Knock). The point was our persistence and God's generosity as a father. I'd like to take a deeper look at how when we refuse to be persistent, it indicates a lack of faith, and says to God, "I don't know if you've got it, so I'll take over." We mistakenly believe that it's somehow more spiritual to pray for something once, and then leave it at that. According to Jesus that's a wrong view of prayer. "Keep on asking and you'll receive; Keep on seeking and you will find; Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." What are you holding onto because you refuse to continually bring it to our generous father in prayer? Holding onto it isn't doing God any favors, and you'd do well to remember that.

Remember to check us out on the web at www.lmbchurch.net

Sin, Guilt, and Deliverance

There are times in every believers life when we sin a particularly "sinful sin." These are the types of sins that make it difficult for us to even go to God with confession and repentance. We think to ourselves, "That sin is too bad for even God to deal with." When we think thoughts like that and act on them by listening to ourselves we are exactly where the enemy would like us to be. The whispers in your ear that accuse you of guilt are not the whispers of God. The ones telling you "That's too bad to go to God over" are not the thoughts of God. The New Covenant we are part of in Jesus Christ tells us that our standing before God is now and always based solely on the blood of Jesus. That it is Christ's sacrificial death for us that allows us to stand before God as sinners and be looked on as saints. Anytime we fall prey to the lie that we can't go to God with one sin or another we've let the enemy gain a foothold and said the New Covenant isn't enough for us. That there's something we need to add. We have nothing to add. God knows that. Do you? When you feel especially guilty, that is exactly the right time to go before God and repent and confess. You have nothing else to give. Before you confess and repent you feel conviction from the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, you feel guilt and that guilt is not from God. It's from the enemy. Listen to conviction. Shun post-confession guilt.

The God Who Answers

We're studying the Sermon on the Mount and we come this Sunday to the "Ask, Seek, Knock" passage. We serve a God who still answers our prayers. As strange as it seems to ask for something from a God who knows all your needs, He still desires that we present our requests to Him. Check out this link from a very interesting blog I regularly read; http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/what-do-you-do-when-god-answers-your-prayer

Any thoughts from the link?

The Questions we Ask...

The past few days I've had an opportunity to be on the inside of the most tragic situation of my short stint in the ministry. On Friday at lunch a 14 year old girl, so full of life, was taken from this world in an instant. Meanwhile her 16 year old sister is in a touch and go situation, on a ventilator, with her brain being monitored for swelling. I've heard many times that "You're not supposed to bury your children." It is unnatural and this situation breaks my heart. I've spent some time with the family and watched as the grief overtook them at various times. In these times we're tempted to ask God why? There's some precedent for that in God's word. For asking why. What's the answer?

• 1st - We have to understand that God weeps for the death of His children. He didn't cause this. He didn't want this to happen. Yet He allowed it.
  
• 2nd - God didn't need this girl in heaven. You hear that from time to time, and it's meant to be a comfort but it portrays God in a negative light.
• 3rd - Death is a result of sin. Not sin of the individual but the fact that this world is fallen. Death is still the end of every human being.
• 4th - The hope of glory is that one day, when Christ returns, all those who've died in Christ will be raised from the dead with incorruptible bodies that will never die again.
  
• 5th - In the meantime we're not guaranteed a single breath. While we have breath in our lungs, we must take advantage of every opportunity.
• 6th - No answer makes the suffering easier to bear. A loss like this is a blow straight to the heart. This is the time not for pat answers, but for sympathetic service. How can we respond with loving service.
• 7th - Do you have the hope these girls have and had? The hope of glory, Jesus Christ. This loss will not be in vain.
  

Pray for the Mitchell family. The need the strength and comfort of your prayers. Pray for the daughter left behind. That God would see fit to heal her, and give her a complete recovery. Love them in this time. Ask the questions even if the answers aren't satisfying.

Why Dig Your Hands in the Community?

Dear Pastor Josh and Brooke,
My name is _______ and I am 2.5 years old. I came to your Fall Festival last weekend with my mommy and daddy and I had lots of fun. The hayride was my favorite. I love to sing 'Old McDonald Had a Farm'. It was the best festival I have ever been to. Thank you Little Mountain Baptist Church!

Love,


____________

Need I say any more?

And it's........Back down again.

I hate the internet. I hate depending on someone else to keep our website up and running. Check us out on the web at www.theserverkeepsgoingdown.com (NOT A REAL WEBSITE) You'll find lots of interesting but useless reasons why our real website doesn't work right now. RANT. Raving About Neat Trivialities. That's it. Trivial. If you're an internet genius. Please contact me? Please? I can't pay you. You'd be doing me a favor. How bout it?

A Deeper Look

Every Wednesday night we have an adult topical Bible Study called "A Deeper Look." The subject is most often a deeper look at a branch of one of my Sunday messages or my attempt at answering a question that's been submitted to me by a church member. I will try to post a brief synopsis online each Wednesday night that goes along with the message. Tonight:

• From John 21:15-22 (primarily dealing with 20-22)
• Peter questions what will happen to John and Jesus tells him basically not to worry about what happens to John, but instead to follow Him.
• We have a tendency to compare our lives to others. To measure our lives by other people's standards.
• The only standard that matters is God's.
• The only measure that matters is God's.
• We're called to be faithful and obedient to what God has gifted us for, not what He's gifted someone else for.
• SO, be faithful and obedient with what you got, where you're at!