WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

Last night we had the joy of seeing 8 souls baptized at Believers Fellowship. Here is a link to the service – https://www.bfsatx.org/mediaPlayer/#/sermonvideo/1726

Whenever we have a baptism service I always think, “This is what it’s all about. This is why Believers Fellowship exists, to make disciples and baptize them and then teach them so that they too can be involved in making more disciples.” However, it is so easy to loose that focus and get busy doing other things.

At the service last night I read a story illustrating what happens when we lose sight of our purpose. I read this same story in a sermon I preached in  January, 1995, my first month as pastor at Believers Fellowship. This story still has as big an impact on me now as it did the first time I read it. Here it is:

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little lifesaving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for those who were lost. Some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and gave of their time, money, and effort to support its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little lifesaving station grew.

Some of the members of the lifesaving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building.

Now the lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully because they used it as a sort of club. Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The lifesaving motif still prevailed in the club’s decorations, and there was a liturgical lifeboat in the room where the club’s initiations were held. About this time a large ship wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So, the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split among the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a lifesaving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station. So, they did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

This story sadly describes the history of many churches. I pray that Believers Fellowship will always remember that we are a lifesaving station.

 

NASTY NASTY NASTY!

So I needed a gallbladder surgery. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right? The doctor said get this done and not only will the pain go away but you’ll be preaching again in a week. Sounds great! Let’s do this thing!

However, once the doc got in to see my gallbladder his response was, “Nasty, Nasty, Nasty.” I won’t give you all the nasty details, but after taking out the big nasty there is still more nasty that must be addressed over the next couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to think that being a Christian is easy peasy lemon squeezy. The truth is there is a whole lot of nasty that needs to be dealt with.

One nasty would be that of the world – as in the world system of values which is contrary to God. As Christians we still live in this world but we must be separate from it, not necessarily physically, but in what we value, what we prioritize, what we spend our time and money on and what things we will pursue. This is hard. The world is all around us. We hear it’s message everywhere. Unless we have convictions based on biblical revelation we will easily get sucked into the under current of the world. There is some serious surgery that must be done in this part of our life.

Speaking of surgery, another nasty we must deal with is our flesh. Our flesh would refer to our inner, natural desires, lusts, and passions. We carry these with us everywhere we go. We are told to be cutting off and putting to death the desires of the flesh. We are to be replacing these fleshly desires with holy ones which, again, come from convictions based on biblical revelation and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This process can be very painful and involves sincere confession and repentance, but it must be done.

The last nasty is Satan himself. The devil, known as the serpent of old, is still active tempting people today. He’s the mastermind behind the world system and he knows your fleshly desires and how to stir them up. Satan’s influence must be dealt with again through convictions based on biblical revelation where we not only become wise to his schemes but our faith is strengthened to resist him.

Those who take the easy peasy lemon squeezy approach to Christianity will not submit themselves to the surgical knife of the Word and therefore will not know victory or fruitfulness in their walk with the Lord and cannot even have the full assurance of salvation.

This is why the church is so important. Not only as a place where we can be strengthened in the Word but where the Word can do its surgical work in our lives. We need fellowship not only so we can encourage each but where we can surgically admonish one another.

I am thankful for Believers Fellowship and praying that we might all come alongside one another to deal with the nasty and replace it with the pure.

This gallbladder surgery was really the first surgery of my life but I am thankful I have had it. Not only because of present issues that are being addressed but futures issues are being eliminated. Thankful, most of all, for the ongoing work of the Great Physician in my life.

The Advance of the Gospel

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending time with Dennis Saffold. That was special to me because in March, 1974 Dennis told me the gospel and God saved me. We had a great time recounting that day when I was sitting at the Tommy Trojan statue on the campus of USC and Dennis approached me with the Good News of Jesus Christ. We also marveled at how God worked because prior to that time I had never been to church, never read the Bible, and never heard the gospel. However I was convicted that I was a sinner and I was eager to trust Christ as the Savior I needed for the forgiveness of all my sin.

But the gospel not only brings forgiveness but also new life in Christ and I was changed that day. And once someone has tasted the life we have in Christ they want to spread it to others. Dennis and I talked about the effect that him bringing the gospel to me has had and how many people have now been transformed as the gospel has advanced.

For example, later in 1974 I shared the gospel with my younger brother, Scott, and God saved him as well. For the last 28 years Scott has been teaching in a Christian school and reaching students with the Good News.

We have seen this Good News advance through the next generation as well. Roberta and I have three sons. We taught them the gospel and the Lord has saved them as well. Bobby, Billy, and Ben are all serving as pastors and countless more people have heard the Good News through them and God has saved many more.

Dennis and I could have never seen this coming on that March day in 1974, but God did. He is seeking out lost sinners and saving them through the gospel message being passed on from one person to another.

I hope this short testimony will encourage you. Maybe some of you need to turn to Christ for forgiveness and new life. Maybe others of you need to be encouraged to pass on the Good News that has been brought to you. Just like when Dennis brought the Good News to me, you never know what the Lord might do and how many people will be saved as a result.

God is Amazing and I am amazed!

Taking Nothing For Granted

In the past four weeks I have spoken at three memorial services. At the same time I have friends who have attended services for family who have died. I have never been through a season like this before in my 26 years of pastoral ministry.

Finally having time to sit and take stock of what I have just experienced has led to me to some familiar Scripture and some necessary commitments.

The familiar Scripture is Ephesians 5:15-16 which says, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” In the previous verse Paul has shown how we live in a world of contrasts between death and life, darkness and light. We, as Christians, are called to shine the light of the gospel to expose the darkness and call those who are dead in sin to life in Christ. Verse 14 is a great evangelistic appeal saying, “Awake sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Faced with the real and often sudden nature of death leads me to resolve to never take anything for granted. We have no guarantees of tomorrow for ourselves or others. I must make the most of my time – buying it up – by investing in the eternal souls of those around me.

It can’t be enough to just live a Christian life and do church. The purpose of my Christian life and the purpose of the church is to exalt Jesus Christ and shine the light and life of the good news into a world of darkness and death so that people can receive eternal life in Christ and are prepared for the inevitability of death.

May the Lord help us to take nothing for granted and make the most of our time.

CAMP ALIVE

Next week I have the privilege of speaking to students at the Camp Alive Youth Camp! We will have Middle School and High School students attending and I will be speaking on the theme of “What I Wish I Had Known When I Was Their Age.” The picture here is photographic proof that I actually once was their age! This picture is from 7th grade.

When I was this age I was not a Christian and I didn’t even know a Christian so most of all I want the students at camp to know Jesus Christ. Please pray for me as I deliver 4 messages. Pray the Lord would use these messages to bring eternal life to those who need it.

Now is the Time

There has been a lot of after-the-fact election discussion and disputation from people of all different perspectives. What’s going on almost reminds me of the 1960’s and 1970’s except that now marijuana is legal in several states.

And while we may define the issues differently, we all seem to be in agreement that our country is in a state of moral and spiritual decline. Even the coach of the San Antonio Spurs has declared, “We are Rome.” He seems to be comparing the decline of the Roman Empire with what he sees happening in America.

What Christians need to remember is that Christianity spread during the decline of the Roman Empire. Christians today are quick to point to Romans 1:18-32 as descriptive of our day, but they seem to forget that those were the conditions during the days of the early church and those believers “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

The early church appears to have believed in the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16) and they saw the conditions of their day as ripe for the preaching of the Good News. Today, many conservative, Bible – believing Christians seem committed to defending the gospel (which is always important) and defining the gospel (an absolute necessity) but they don’t seem so eager to get out and proclaim the gospel. Now is the time for such proclamation.

The early church was also committed to prayer (Acts 1:14; Ephesians 6:18-20; Colossians 4: 2-4; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). This kind of prayer fueled their evangelistic zeal and, no doubt, led to the fruit they experienced. Are conservative, Bible-teaching Christians committing themselves to pray like never before? Now is the time.

Back in the chaotic 60’s and 70’s many college students were saved because of the faithful prayers and gospel proclamation of believers. I know, because I was one of them. Chaos and confusion creates questions. The Bible gives authoritative and timeless answers. Let’s take the light of the gospel and point people to Jesus Christ.

Now is the time.

The 4th of July

The 4th of July is special to me for many reasons.

When I was a young boy we lived in a neighborhood where firecrackers would be set off throughout the day, so I would go out an play “army man” with the firecrackers providing a “realistic” soundtrack.

When I was in college I majored in US History and still have a strong interest in the history of our country. Last fall, Roberta and I took a vacation to Boston and Philadelphia to take a “Revolutionary War” trip. That’s where we took the above picture. Philadelphia is also the city I was born in.

But the biggest thing about the 4th of July for me is the memory of July 4, 1976. 40 years ago today while our country was celebrating the 200th birthday of our nation, I was celebrating something far more significant.

40 years ago today I was baptized in a backyard swimming pool. My baptism was the outward expression of my inner commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. My baptism in water symbolized the fact that by faith I was identifying with Christ in His death and resurrection.In fact, I had died to my old life and had been risen to a new life in Jesus Christ. I was celebrating the salvation God had given me in Jesus Christ.

So this 4th of July I am thanking the Lord for all that He has done for me. I am also praying that this year we will see many more coming to faith in Christ and getting baptized in His Name.

The Heart of a Soul Winner

The Clincher

The picture above is of the sign on the door of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. This Sunday we will be remembering Jesus’ resurrection and the angel’s statement that “He is Risen!”

I am so thankful for this Sunday we have set aside because it seems to me that the resurrection of Christ gets overlooked too often. If you ask people today to tell you what the gospel is the best you might hope for is, “Jesus died for my sins.” That is true, but if He didn’t rise from the dead, then you are still in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).

But Jesus did rise from the dead! To me this is the clincher. Lot’s of people can claim to be religious leaders or teachers of religious truth. Lot’s of people can claim that they know the way to God. What sets Jesus apart is that He rose from the dead so He not only shows you the way to God but He is THE WAY to God (John 14:6).

Jesus made this claim, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if He dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Then Jesus asked the most penetrating question, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Well, do you believe this? The tomb is empty. He has risen!

The Power of the Gospel

Tomorrow will mark the 42nd anniversary of the day I was born again. On March 1, 1974, when I was a college freshman, I was approached by 2 men I had never met before. They told me the gospel, which I had never heard before. And that day the Lord saved me – forgiving me of all my sin and giving me eternal life, new life, and abundant life.

My testimony, like all others, bears witness to the power of the gospel to open blind eyes and give life to the dead.

Yesterday I had the privilege of preaching from John 9 which records the account of Jesus giving sight to a man born blind (both physically and spiritually). I have always related to this account because I can see parallels between what the Lord did for this man and what He has done for me.

Here’a link to the message. I trust it will increase your confidence in the Power of the Gospel.

http://www.bfsatx.org/mediaPlayer/#sermonvideo/800