Remember the Gospel

I fear that the church in the West today has really misunderstood who the gospel is to be preached to. Certainly we know the gospel is to be preached to those in darkness and lost in their sin. Indeed, when one repents there is joy that spreads through the heart of every true believer. However, the gospel is not just for the lost. Paul trusted Timothy to do great works. He had a deep and abiding care for youth Timothy. And yet, he still reminded him about the gospel. The charge is found in Second Timothy 2:8, "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel." Why do we as believers often times fail to take heed to such a great and glorious charge as this?

Being Missional

Why is it that this word is used in normal context for church plants but rarely do I hear it (could be I don't listen well) used for established churches? In Ed Stetzer's book Planting Missional Churches he talks about missional like this, "Missional implies taking the approach of a missionary--being indigenous to the culture, seeking to understand and learn, adapting methods to the mission field--but winding up in the biblical form of a church. And, although the form is highly flexible, the purpose is the same: to see a biblical church planted in a local culture." I don't think this is something that ought to be reserved to church plants. This is simply what the church is to be. To take this a step further, every Christian is to be missional in the sense of knowing the culture so that you can take the gospel to the people. This is not a calling for a pastor/church planter; it's a characteristic of a believer. Am I missing something?

The Valley of Vision

I have referenced The Valley of Vision several times on this blog because I believe it is one resource that God uses to help sanctify the souls of His saints. The same titled prayer has been very beneficial for my soul this day.

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, adn the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine; Let me find thy light in my darkness, thy life in my death, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty, thy glory in my valley.

Pastoring and Church Planting

I'd love to hear some thoughts from some of you pastors and church planters about the difference between the two. Most of my church planter friends are also pastors, but is there a difference?

Church History

There are a couple of major reasons to know church history. First of all, when we don't know church history we are bound and determined to repeat the same mistakes that were already dealt with. More dangerous than that is that we may bring back some of the same heresies. Another reason for church history is so that you do not argue against your history. Have you ever heard someone say that had never heard your view of something when you are closer to the overwhelming majority of church history?

Scripture Memorization

In the internship that I am a part of from Open Door Baptist Church we have to memorize 2 Timothy this semester and Titus next semester. Also, at Christ Baptist Church, which we will be members of in a few weeks God-willing, we are memorizing John 14. To aid with this I have consulted this which is written by Andrew Davis, pastor of FBC Durham. The important thing to remember is the reason for memorizing Scripture. As one of our elders said this morning, we are not memorizing Scripture together for some sort of competition. Rather, we memorize Scripture so that we will have something to always think about to constantly help us preach to ourselves and help conform us into the image of Christ. I would challenge all who read this to find portions of Scripture to memorize. This is a spiritual discipline that cannot be overlooked for the one who sees the importance of being holy as God is holy.

A Great Truth is Displayed...

A great truth is displayed when everything else that you value in life is seemingly removed and you still treasure Christ above everything else. It's easy to say that IF everything were removed we would still treasure Christ. It's another thing to treasure Him WHEN everything that you value in your life is stripped away.

The Need for Church Plants

There are certainly plenty of gatherings of the church throughout most of our cities, but is there a need for more? The answer to that question is yes. For one reason, stastiticly church plants reach more new people for Christ than established churches. That's not to say that established churches do not reach people, some do. However, it is to say that many new churches have a zeal for evangelism that many established churches have lost. So for those who are committed to reaching lost people with the gospel, church planting is an important thing to consider.

Almost a Month

After taking almost a month off (my wife said I couldn't do it), I've decided to go ahead and start blogging again. However, I am working on determining what reason I'll have for this blog. So as time goes on, I'll try to be clear in what my intentions are for this blog. As of right now, I think the emphasis will be primarily related to church planting, though I will continue to share other thoughts and quotes as I have before. Posts will also be light since I am now working early in the morning, keeping Abigail throughout the day, and going to school full-time. Thanks for being patient and I look forward to more interaction again soon.

Taking Time Off

I have actually been considering closing this blog down, but for now I have decided to take August off. God-willing, after taking a break I'll be ready to blog some more in September. I hope I didn't disappoint you 3 or 4 readers.