SEND Conference 2017

This week my wife and I had the opportunity to attend the SEND Conference that was hosted by the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was a great time as my wife and I got away and experienced God in a mighty way. I thought that I would share a couple of things that stood out to me from this week.

Great Host

The SEND Conference was hosted by First Baptist Church of Orlando, Florida. I had heard many great things about this church, and this week just solidified what I thought. This church has so many things going on, but they gave their campus over for a week so that people from all over the world could worship together and be encouraged.

Diversity

One of the first things that we noticed about the SEND Conference was the diversity of people that were present. There were people from all generations present. There were people from different languages, cultures, and ethnicities present.

This was a breath of fresh air. Sadly, the Southern Baptist Convention has been seen as a denomination of old white people by many. I know that there were people of younger generations and other ethnicities in our denomination, but it is easy to see the stereotype when you look into some of our meetings.

The SEND Conference was a picture of heaven, at least according to Revelation 7:9-10. There were men and women, boys and girls, various languages and ethnicities… it was a beautiful sight. It really showed me that there is a future for the Southern Baptist Convention.

Amazing Worship

The musical worship for the SEND Conference was led by the Austin Stone worship team. Oh my goodness… I have heard some of their music before, but I have never seen them lead worship before. It was something special.

The one thing that I appreciated most about the worship team was that they were not just up front playing music for others to sing along to. They truly took a pastoral role and led each person in the room to the throne of grace. They took time to explain lyrics and used both older hymns of the faith and contemporary songs. It was truly something for all present.

Gospel and Great Commission Focus

The main thing of the SEND Conference was undoubtedly the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His church. While there were multiple sessions and many different breakout sessions, each and every one had the gospel and the Great Commission at the heart of them. I loved how each of the breakouts and main session speakers clearly tied things back to the gospel and did not have to stretch it to make it happen. They showed that the gospel truly does apply to any topic.

Meeting New People

I always like to meet new people and hear their stories. This week provided a great opportunity to meet people from all over and hear about what God is doing in and through their lives. It was also good to see a few people that I haven't seen in a while. It was so good to refresh the connection.

I will be grateful for some time to the North American Mission Board for contacting and providing complimentary tickets to the conference in Orlando. It was a much needed break from the norm and time to refocus. I am definitely looking forward to 2020 when they will do it again in Atlanta.

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The Church is a Place of Boldness

We have been going through a sermon series at the church where I serve as Pastor this month called “Rethinking the Church.”  If you were to ask the common person on the street what they thought of when they heard the word “church,” you would get a variety of answers.  It is for this reason that I believe that we should look to the Bible to give us a clear understanding of what the church should be.

The church is to be a group of people that come from different walks of life and encourage one another as we seek to fulfill God’s purposes here on the earth. This is called community.

As the Bible shows us that the church is to be a community that is dependent upon one another, the question may come up “Why?” Why is it so important that the church be a community that shares life together with one another?

I would answer that question by saying that the church community is important because it is a part of God’s plan in building us into who we are supposed to be.

God has a plan of bringing redemption to our fallen world. Sin has entered in and wreaked havoc on everything. It has messed up our relationship with God, our relationship with other people, nature, and everything else.

God did not desire all of this destruction that has been left in the path of sin. This is why, from the beginning, He had a plan to make things right. He planned to come Himself and make things right. This is why Jesus Christ came to earth. He lived the life that we were supposed to live. He died our death – paying our penalty of sin. He arose from the grave to give us hope and assurance that His plan was at work.

Before Jesus left this world, He charged His followers (the church) to continue the mission that He began. We see that most clearly in what is called the Great Commission.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:18-20)

 

This is a mighty task that we as the church have been given. We are responsible for taking the message of the gospel to all who need it. There is no place under the sun where this gospel is not needed. It seems that everywhere you turn there are people who are living in the shackles of sin’s clutches.

It would seem easy enough to understand that we as followers of Jesus Christ would need to take this gospel to those who we come in contact with and who need it so desperately. The question that continues to pop up in my mind is “why don’t we?”

I think sometimes the greatest hindrance that we have to doing what God has tasked us to do is a lack of boldness.

Boldness

If you were to look up the word boldness in the dictionary, it would say something like “not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.” Sadly, this is a term that has dropped in its usage over the past 200 years.

The presence of danger or resistance has been around since sin entered into our world. We do not like danger or resistance. We would like to have a comfortable life, but Jesus warned us very plainly that in this world where sin is present, that would not happen.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

It is because of the ever-presence of danger in our sin-filled world and the amazing task to share the gospel with all who need it that we need the church. The church is to be a place where this boldness needed to carry out our task is shared and grown in our lives.

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12–14)

 

Paul wrote to the church at Philippi about the situation that he was in. He was in prison for his commitment to the task of sharing the gospel with people. No doubt there were many who were concerned for him. Not only concerned for Paul but for themselves. Would this fate come upon them?

Adversity is not something that many would willingly put on their “to-do” list each day. Most of us strive to steer clear of any adversity that would try to come our way. It is seen as a type of plague that we should stay away from at all costs.

Adversity can be a good thing though. Adversity can actually build and reveal the quality of what is inside of us.

Paul states that the adversity that he was going through at the moment of writing (imprisonment) was actually serving to advance the gospel message to places and people it had never been before.

There is a teaching that is becoming more and more popular today that if one follows Christ then everything will be fine and dandy for them. They should not face any kind of adversity if they just have enough faith. That is a good definition of one ancient Hebrew phrase that Dr. Chuck Kelley (President of NOBTS) likes to use: “bologna.”

If Jesus said that this world will be filled with tribulations and adversities of all kinds, who do we think that we are to say that isn’t so?

God can use any adversity that comes against the church to accomplish His plan, and more importantly He will.

How does God use adversity in the life of the church?

God uses adversity to build boldness in the life of the church to accomplish the mission.

And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.  (Philippians 1:14)

 

Paul said that most of the Christians who had heard about his circumstances were not fearful or scared, but that they were speaking more boldly the gospel message.

There have been people from the very beginning days of the church who have believed that if they can simply persecute or instill fear in the church, then they could shut it down. The truth is that the church has only become bolder in its mission when it faces adversity.

When adversity comes against the church and the church seeks the Lord, the Holy Spirit rises up a boldness to stand strong. We realize that God gives us armor for the fight and the ability to stand strong together as the Body of Christ.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  (Ephesians 6:13)

When people see the church standing not in their own strength but in the strength of the Lord, it causes a curiosity as to what does the church have that is missing from everywhere else. This gives the church the opportunity to share the great gospel of Jesus Christ with those who need it.

Adversity is never a fun thing. It will tend to last much longer than anyone would desire. It will cost more than many would like to pay. But for the church, it is a builder of boldness to accomplish the mission that we have been given.

The church is so much more than just a place where we come to sing songs and listen to a person speak. It is a community where we come together under the banner of Jesus Christ and bear one another’s burdens. We see the Holy Spirit build boldness in each member to be faithful to the task of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who need it.

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Book Review: Jesus Called: He Wants His Church Back

I was recently given a copy of Jesus Called: He Wants His Church Back by Ray Johnston to review.  I enjoy reading books.  I really enjoy reading books about the Christian church.  This post will be my thoughts from reading this book.

Anyone who has spent a decent amount of time in a North American Christian church and compared it with what they read in the New Testament book of Acts will notice that something is different.  I know that as times change certain things have to change.  The best way that I heard this put is “the message is never changing but the methods have to change.”

In Jesus Called: He Wants His Church Back, Johnston talks about how the picture of Christianity has changed since the 1950s.  He states that

• In the 1950s, we lost innocence.
• In the 1960s, we lost respect for authority.
• In the 1970s, we lost love.
• In the 1980s, we lost values.
• In the 1990s, we lost faith.
• In the 2000s, we lost security.
• In the 2010s, we lost hope in the future.

He also goes on to share that the time we are living in now is one that is far better than any time before.

• We have better resources.
• We have world-class buildings.
• We have corporate-level leadership.
• We have better communications.

If we have all these “betters,” then why does the church look so different?  Why is it struggling so much in our culture today?

Johnston’s book is divided into two basic parts: ways we have gone wrong and the Jesus that most people miss.  In the first part, Johnston shares that thoughts such as hedonism, materialism, pragmatism, humanism, and fatalism have found their way into the life of the church.

In the second part, Johnston shares seven characteristics of Jesus that are (by his definition) missed by many people who are in the church today.  By missing these characteristics of Jesus, Johnston shares that the church in North America has gotten off-track.

My Thoughts

As one who has spent the good portion of my life in the North American church, I see a lot of what Johnston is writing about in this book.  It does not take one long to see the distance of many churches in our land from what we read about in the pages of the Bible.  I do not believe that it is too late though.  I still believe that “the local church is the hope of the world” (Billy Hybels).  That is because it is the local church has the responsibility of taking the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Jesus Called: He Wants His Church Back is another work that brings light to the ways in which the church is falling short on its task.  I didn’t really find anything “new” in this book.  It had some good stats and attempts at humor at points.  Johnston reminds readers of some ways to get back to the point where the church needs to be.

My Recommendation

If you are looking for some new insights to the current state of the North American church, this book doesn’t really give them to you.  If you are looking for another book to remind and encourage you to help make the church what it should be, then this book might just be for you.

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The Sin of Isolationism

I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

1 Corinthians 5:9 HCSB

As the apostle Paul is writing to this church in Corinth about some things that are going on, some churches today are taking it to heart.  Paul had written the Corinthian church previously about some of the relationships that they had.  Paul had warned them not to associate with people who were living in blatant unrepentant sin.

Before becoming a pastor, I had the privilege of serving in student ministry for many years.  During my time in student ministry and working with teenagers and their families, the issue of isolating students from "the world" came up many times.  Parents wanted to see their children not tainted by "the world".  There was even times when this verse was used to justify it.

I never wanted to see anyone get caught up in the traps of "this world".  I know that a person's environment can be a strong factor in how they will act themselves.  If a person has come to Christ and is trying to change their habits, then sometimes the best thing that they can do is put some separation between them and their former environments and friends.

A problem that I see is that when Christians isolate themselves from "the world", they lose their opportunity to accomplish the Great Commission.  Can you see a Christian come to saving faith in Christ?  They are already there!  The Gospel was given to Christians to go and share with "the world" who does not know Christ.

If you continue to read on as to what Paul was writing to the Corinthian church, you see that he was talking about not having association with those who call themselves followers of Jesus and then live in blatant unrepentant sin (1 Corinthians 5:11). Now, this is a different ballgame altogether.  For those within the church, those who name the Name of Christ and live in a way that you would never know it, then there needs to be a couple of things going on.

First, there needs to be some confrontation.  How many of our parents told us when we went out, "Remember who you belong to and the name you carry?"  We are in no place to judge a person's eternal destiny, but we can call what we see.  I heard one preacher say it like this: "God didn't make me a judge of your soul, but He did call me to be a fruit inspector!"  Christians should love one another enough to get in their face when they are clearly out of line.  I believe that many of the problems that we see in churches today would not be there if more brothers and sisters in Christ would hold their spiritual siblings to the commitment they made when they decided to become a Christian.

Second, there needs to be some room for the Holy Spirit to work.  When we do not confront our brother or sister in Christ on the blatant sin in their lives, we send the message that we approve of it.  God has called us to reflect Him and be holy (Leviticus 11:44-45; Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16).  When sin is present in the life of a Christian and they are not willing to repent of it, then (after confronting in love) we should allow room for God to do a discipline work in their lives (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20).

We cannot put a barrier between the Gospel - the message of hope placed in the hearts of Christians - and "the world" - those who do not know Christ.  Should we expect an non-Christian to act any other way than a non-Christian?  If we do not intentionally go to them with the Gospel, how will they hear?  May it not be said of Christians that we are just living in our "holy huddle".  May we intentionally build relationships with non-Christians and share with them the amazing love that Jesus has given to us.

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Church Teamwork

This past Sunday at New Life Fellowship, we were blessed by the presence of a small group from the Church at Brook Hills.  I know a couple that is in this small group.  It's amazing how this meeting came about, but that is a topic for a whole other post.  The bottom line of this group being in worship with us this past Sunday was to meet our fellowship and meet afterwards with me about the possibility of teaming together to do ministry in our local area.

One comment that I made during the service was that it is a beautiful thing to see the Body of Christ coming together and working together to carry out the Great Commission.  I'm not sure where it all started, but it makes me sick when I see "churches" at war with one another instead of working together.  I have had the dreadful experience before in watching churches in a community fight over the same couple of hundred people, while many more hundreds in the area were not being reached with the Gospel at all.  I believe that I read somewhere that if one has trusted Christ as Savior and Lord, then they will spend eternity together with others who have worshipping the Lord.  If we are going to be a team then, why not start now?

Why is it that churches who practice the same faith fight and "compete" with one another instead of joining hands and helping bring about what Jesus prayed for in John 17?  I see it happen most when a congregation loses its focus on the task at hand (the Great Commission) and focuses more on building a kingdom for themselves.

I pray that we might hear the words that Jesus prayed so many years ago on our behalf...

May they all be one,
as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.
May they also be one in Us,
so the world may believe You sent Me.
I have given them the glory You have given Me.
May they be one as We are one.
I am in them and You are in Me.
May they be made completely one,
so the world may know You have sent Me
and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:21-23 HCSB)

If we do this, then maybe... just maybe we might see the Lord move in even more amazing ways than we are currently seeing.  Do we all have to look the same and use the same approach? Of course not! If we share a common belief though, then we should be building one another up and so showing the world around us a clear picture of Jesus Christ.

In what ways do you see the Body of Christ (the church) working together in unity?

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I'm Thankful: Day 4

Day 4: A Church Home



The local church has played a vital role in my life to this point. I do not see any change in that pattern coming anytime soon. I was raised by my Christian parents with a priority given to "going to church." It is very typical of those who live in the deep south to be involved in a local church. To some, it is a fellowship gathered to worship... to others, it is another social meeting to be part of. When I speak of the local church, I'm speaking of a group of professing believers who gather together to worship the Lord and carry out the Great Commission that Jesus gave.

I'm thankful for the local churches that I have had the privilege of being part for many reasons...

• It taught me about who God was and gave me knowledge of His word.


• It told me about the "why" behind the "what". Though I had heard and even believed the truth that Jesus was God's Son and that He came to earth to live a perfect life, die upon a cross, be buried, and resurrected from the dead, it was the obedience of a couple members of a local church that showed me that Jesus did all that to pay for my sin and make a way for me to have a relationship with God.


• It showed me the importance of growing in my faith. God used people within the church fellowship to show me how to study the Bible for myself, pray, and share my faith with others.


• It backed me and encouraged me in my calling to ministry. As a 17 year old young man, the local church came alongside me and gave me opportunities to see that calling grow and be used for the glory of God.


• It has provided some of the deepest friendships I've ever known. In the local churches that I've had privilege to be part, God has brought into my life (and the life of my family) some friends that have truly grown more to be like family.

These are just a few reasons that come to mind for the reason that I thank God Almighty for the local church. There is truly nothing on the face of the earth like the local church. I whole-heartedly agree with Bill Hybels (Pastor of Willow Creek Church) when he says..."The local church is the hope of the world."

I hope that you have the wonderful opportunity to be part of a local Christian fellowship commonly known as a church. If you are not, I would greatly encourage you to find one close to you. Get involved and let God minister to you as He has me in my life. What role has the local church played in your life?

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No Plan B

A group of students and adults at our fellowship is going through the "Radical" bible study that was created to go along with the book by the same title by David Platt.  This book has been a great encouragement and conviction to me.  I would highly encourage anyone in the United States of America to read this great book, as it will definitely make you think and evaluate some things.

This week's lesson is about disciple-making and uses "the Great Commission" found in Matthew 28:16-20.  One of the key elements of this "Great Commission" that Jesus gives to His followers is that we are all to go and make disciples.  That's right... all of us.  Not just the professionals (pastors, youth pastors, evangelists, vocational missionaries).  As many have probably heard in sermons, the word translated "go" could better be translated "as you go".  The thought was that there was no "if you go" or "when I get the chance or opportunity to go", but "when you go".

Another thing that stood out to me was that there is no plan B that God has in mind to take the Gospel to the nations.  He set a plan in motion (every follower of Christ taking the Gospel to everyone they encounter) and did not make a back-up plan.  The question becomes then, if we as followers of Christ are not making disciples of those we encounter, how will the Gospel get to all the nations?  If the Gospel doesn't get to the nations, people will not be saved and be eternally under the wrath of God.  Also, when we choose to not fulfill the command that God has given us as His followers/children, we are robbing Him of the glory due Him when people come to experience His grace.  Are we really looking forward to the day that we stand before Jesus and have to say, "Sorry, Jesus for robbing You of the glory due You... but I just didn't see the importance of making disciples... it was too hard... it cramped my style..."

May that day not have to be in our future, but rather the day that we look at Jesus eye to eye and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

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PowerPlant Thoughts

June 7-12, 2010 marked a new adventure for me and our student ministry.  We participated in PowerPlant, a mission trip experience put on by NAMB to help church plants and teach students about church planting.  It was the first time that I had been part of this ministry.  I had heard about this ministry before but not had any friends who had actually tried it out.  After much prayer, I felt led to take our group on this adventure.

Here are some thoughts that I had from this mission trip...

• Church planting is important. I had not heard a whole lot about church planting as a ministry of local churches.  The only churches that I knew of growing up that newly started were those that consisted of a group of people who were tired of the way things were going at one church and decided to start something new (that suited their own tastes).  What I seen in Indianapolis (and been seeing a lot more of in other areas) was amazing.  There is truly an understanding that no one church can be "all things to all people."  We got to see churches working together as teams to reach entire cities instead of them competing with one another over the same 100 sheep.


• Church planting is not the only way to reach the world. I know that the emphasis of this week was the importance of church planting, but I was reminded that if the current established churches would step up and be what God desires them to be (Great Commission and Great Commandment focused people), then the need for new fellowships wouldn't be as needed.  (Note: new fellowships are still needed, but in some areas they wouldn't be if the current ones stepped up.)


• Students will shine when given the chance. Okay, I had known this already, but hadn't had much of an opportunity with this group of students to see it happen.  I was blown away at how these students took the reigns and stepped out into unknown territory.  It was encouraging to see this generation of students step up to the plate and knock it out of the park.

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