Pray for the Orphans of Moldova

Cross Lanes Baptist Church partners with Children's Emergency Relief International to do the Lord's work in Moldova. Over the next couple of weeks we will be participating in Operation Knit Together. (Click here to watch an informational video)

We will be taking part in putting warm winter boots on 12,000 orphans and sharing the love of Jesus. Pray for us as we do this work and most importantly, pray for the orphans of Moldova.

It is estimated that there are 143 million orphans worldwide. This is an overwhelming number. It would be easy to be paralyzed by this and do nothing. God is calling each of us to do what we can and to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

I hope to provide daily blog updates of our mission work.

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27

Proclaim His Salvation

Scripture Focus- Psalm 96

This coming week is the Week of Prayer for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. The national SBC goal is $170 million.

The goal of missions is the Worship of God, the centrality of God. Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. When this age is over, and millions upon millions of the redeemed of all the ages fall on their faces at the throne of God, missions will have ended. It is a temporary exercise that will one day pass. Worship of God will last forever. Missions is the mission of the church because Worship is the focus of the church, to bring honor and praise to God. Our responsibility and privilege is to tell the story of Jesus, to proclaim the salvation of God.

Missiologists identify people by people groups not geo-political boundaries. A people group is an ethno-linguistic group with a common self identity that is shared-history, customs, family identities, language, etc.

There are:

11,543 People Groups
6,439 Unreached (less than 2% are believers)
6,900 Known Languages
2,500 Languages have some or all of the Bible

Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14

We have the privilege of being a part of God's unfolding plan as the Gospel is preached in the whole world.

What will you do to proclaim the salvation of God?

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Thank You Lord

It is Thanksgiving Day. Every day is a day of thanksgiving for the believer. I have much to be thankful for in my life.

I am thankful for:

Life- It is a gift from God. Only by the creative hand of God do any of us have the privilege to live on this earth. Thank You Lord.

Salvation- It is a gift from God. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He died for me, in my place, to pay the penalty for my sins. I have nothing to offer God that could merit my salvation. It is all of grace. Thank You Lord.

Family- I was blessed to be raised in a home where I was loved and had every opportunity to succeed in life. I am now blessed with a godly wife and three wonderful children. They are gifts from God. Thank You Lord.

My Calling- God called me to serve as a Pastor. At the time, I could not imagine doing that. Now I cannot imagine doing anything else. Thank You Lord.

My Church- God blessed me to be able to grow up in a wonderful church, and to serve another great church in my early years in ministry. Now I pastor what I believe is one of the finest churches in America, Cross Lanes Baptist Church. I love the people and know that I am loved by the people. It is God's church. Thank You Lord.

Daily Provisions- We live in the land of abundance. It is easy to forget how blessed we really are. We are blessed to be a blessing. Thank You Lord.

Each New Day- Each new day is a day of opportunity to serve the Lord as we serve others. Thank You Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever!

God Our Protector

The financial markets continue to drop. We have a new Presidential Administration promoting change and nobody is sure what that means. Pirates are controlling the seas off of Somalia and on and on the news goes.

I am thankful that God is our Protector.

. . .the Lord is going before you, and the God of Israel is your rear guard. Isaiah 52:12

We are children of God, the bride of Christ, a holy people and we are more than conquerors.

God leads His people triumphantly- We have been redeemed from the bondage of sin and freed by God. We once resided in the City of Destruction, now we are on a journey to the City of God, led by the Lord Himself.

In life, death, trials, tribulations, persecutions, plenty or want, sickness or health, God always leads His people triumphantly.

God leads His people by the Holy Spirit- The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our lives to direct us as believers in Jesus Christ.

All those led by God's Spirit are God's Sons. Romans 8:14

God leads His people by going before us- Repeatedly the Bible speaks of God protecting and going before His people. He tells us which way to go and we are to follow.

Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know, I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them, and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.

Life is full of darkness, and rough places. Do not despair for God has promised to lead His people and not to forsake them.

God leads His people by coming behind us- He is our Rear Guard. After the Israelites left Egypt, Pharaoh pursued them with a great army of chariots. People began to complain and murmur. Yet God was true to His promises.

The Angel of the Lord who was going in front of them, moved and went behind them as their protector. God guards and protects His children.

God surrounds His people- No power in all of creation can separate us from the grip of God.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.

The victory is ours! What are we to do?

Have Faith in God

Follow God

Fulfill His will for our lives.

Why is the Church not praying?

Then Jesus began to teach them: Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? Mark 11:17

Statistics show that the Southern Baptist Convention is declining and evangelical churches all across America are failing to keep up with the population growth. Perhaps the reason we are losing ground is because we are operating in our own power in direct contradiction to God's best plan. Our tank is empty, spiritually speaking.

So, why is the Church not praying?

Your first reaction may be, "that's silly, of course the church is praying." I will concede that I do not know of any churches that do not pray at least the perfunctory prayers at the scheduled times. How many churches do you know however, that could be described as houses of prayer? Is your church legitimately a house of prayer? I have to say with transparency, that the church I pastor is not yet "a house of prayer for all nations".We have confessed that to God as sin and are taking deliberate and purposeful steps to change it. There is a prayer movement growing in our fellowship and I give God the praise for that. There is a real hunger among our people to understand and practice prayer. We are not there yet.

It is easy to give spiritual speak and gloss over our real condition at times, but that is not profitable for anyone. If we are going to become a praying people we have to admit where we are, and then move toward where God wants us to be. We pray so that we can know God. When we know God, we are able to serve God and follow His will.

So, back to my question, why is the Church not praying?

- Prayer is work.It is easier to buy a kit for a program and try to implement it than it is to come face to face with God. When we come face to face with God we will discover many things about ourselves that we do not like, that need to be changed to conform to His image. Ironically, as I was writing this post, I received a junk email that said it contained everything I needed to package and promote my Christmas Sermon series. I have everything I need actually. I have the Word of God and the Spirit of God. A gimmick is not going to get the job done in the church. The modern church in America is a testimony to that. We need the power of God, desperately.

- Many people do not know how to pray. If we expect our people to pray, we must teach them.

-Many pastors are not praying as they should. Are there really pastors who don't pray? As with the church, I don't know of any pastors who never pray, though there may be some somewhere. After all, who is the first person people look to for public prayer? You got it, the pastor. Therein lies the danger of becoming a professional pray-er and not personally seeking the face of God. The pastor cannot lead his people anywhere spiritually, that he has not been personally.

Bernard Toppings, my friend in the ministry, Pastor of Witcher Baptist Church, and Associational Missionary of Pioneer Baptist Association gave me a book to read recently. The book is entitled, Fresh Encounters: Experiencing Transformation Through United Worship-Based Prayer, by Daniel Henderson with Margaret Saylar. It is a tremendous tool to help you help your local church become a house of prayer. It is a tool that would be beneficial to both pastors and lay people. I recommend it to you.

The book contains numerous helps and guides for prayer and also includes a number of references to online resources by the author and other ministries.

Strategic Renewal International

Church Prayer Leaders Network

Pastors' Prayer Summit

Praying Pastor

The Global Day of Prayer

When You Don't Know What To Do

In a time of crisis, in our humanity, we often don't know what to do. It seems I have been faced with a significant number of these times this fall. I have preached three funerals for people under the age of 45, all of whom died suddenly, and several other funerals for older brothers and sisters in our fellowship. I have also dealt with some personal issues that have risen to the level of crisis.

There is not a course in seminary that teaches how to handle these things. In fact, I'm not sure it can be taught in a class. It is something that you have to either learn for yourself or see it modeled.

Early in my ministry, I felt like I needed answers. I wanted to say or do something to make everything alright. It is such a helpless feeling to be in the midst of the fire and not be able to do anything to remove the pain of the hurting. Then I learned there was nothing I could say or do that could make everything alright. Sometimes everything is not alright. In those moments, I believe we are called to represent Jesus and just be there. I refer to it as a "theology of presence." Thankfully we have a Comforter in the Holy Spirit who can bring peace beyond all understanding. We cry out to God to bring a comfort that can only come from His hand.

I have also learned that in my most helpless moments, God is often teaching, refining, and molding me in order to grow my faith and trust in Him.

Our Heavenly Father said, "Call on Me in a day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor Me." Psalm 50:15

Are you dealing with a situation where you don't know what to do? Call on the Lord and He will deliver you. God is all we have, and He is all we need. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

The Danger of Pursuing Busyness

Luke 10:38-42 Listen to the Message

Modern life is lived at a frantic pace. There has to be a better way to live than how many of us live.

We have a choice:

A) We can be distracted by many tasks, worried, upset about many things, things that will soon pass.

B) We can choose the one thing that is necessary, that will not be taken away from us.

What is this one thing? The Word of God- written and living.

How can I focus on this one thing?

* It is a matter of my attitude.


* It is a matter of my adoration.


* It is a matter of my action.

Application:

Determine what really matters.

Learn to say yes with purpose and no with courage.

Passionately pursue Jesus.

Parent & Child Dedication at Cross Lanes Baptist

Psalm 127:3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, children, a reward.

We typically hold a Parent & Child Dedication at CLBC in the fall and in the spring. This event confers no saving grace. It is a commitment of the parents before the Lord to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and to provide every opportunity for their child to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

It is a commitment on the part of the congregation to encourage families and fulfill our responsibility to provide a place where families can grow in their faith.

Today was a unique and special day at CLBC because a mother and father who dedicated their baby boy, were baptized in believers' baptism just before the dedication. They publicly professed their faith in Jesus and then committed their baby to the Lord. What a blessing! We love families. We love families who love Jesus. We love families who need to know Jesus. Growing God's Forever Family is more than a slogan, it is who we are and what we are about.

Men in the Church

(Photo of CLBC Men's Prayer Breakfast)

In many churches, men are missing in action. Studies are reflecting that Western Christianity is becoming more feminized. Men are continuing to abstain from church attendance and involvement in record numbers.

David Murrow wrote Why Men Hate Going to Church seeking answers to why this is happening. I think Murrow overstates the reasons why men are staying away, though I think he may be on to something in some of his theories. I think it is incorrect to first place the blame on the church as to why men are not engaging in church adequately. We must begin with the fact that men, like all human beings are sinners. They are not involved in church because they do not know the Christ of the church. They are doing as they please- golfing, hunting, fishing, sports, you name it. Anything that appeals to the flesh. Anyone who loves Christ passionately will also want to be involved with His church. Not to the exclusion of these other "manly" activities, but as a central part of life.

I do believe men want to be involved with something larger than themselves. They are not much interested in a woman's club mindset where they are supposed to be as Murrow states, nice, neutered wimps. That is certainly not what we see in the life of Jesus.

I believe men are compelled by:

*Purpose- Why are we doing what we are doing? What is the point? Why should I be here? Christ calls us to live the crucified life, to be conformed to His image. We are called to the Great Commandment.

*Vision- Where are we going and how are we going to get there? We are called to the Great Commission.

*Implementation- What can I do to fulfill my purpose and help implement the vision? The fastest way to lose men is to fail to give them a role in the process. Men need to be called to fulfill their God given roles and then be held accountable for it.

At Cross Lanes Baptist, we are blessed with strong, godly men that completely defy the metrosexual feminization that is taking over many churches. Men ought to look like men, talk like men, and act like men, because they are men. They are not women.

Through our Cornerstone Men's Ministry, we are challenging men to follow a higher calling. A calling that is from God and greater than all of us. We are reorganizing for 2008-2009 to return to the basics and attempt to involve more men to follow Jesus in a radical life of surrender. I am encouraged by what God is doing in our church and I pray that we will be found faithful.

Why Cal Thomas is Wrong

In a recent article entitled, "Rest in Peace, Religious Right", Syndicated Columnist Cal Thomas argues several points I believe he is wrong on.

I believe he is wrong in what he argues for the following reasons:

* No Christian I know of argues or holds to the position that government is our hope or ultimate power. Christians who are engaged in the process see government as an instrument that God uses to administer justice, and to accomplish his purposes. It is temporary at best, but a framework in which we are to speak for truth and engage the culture with the Gospel.

* Thomas states: "Thirty years of trying to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative evangelical image has failed." Really, Mr. Thomas? Considering the shape our culture is in, where would we be had there not been people with enough moral fortitude to take a stand for right and wrong? How many more babies would have been aborted? How many more states would already be sanctioning same sex unions? We have failed? I think the assessment is inaccurate. God uses believers as instruments of the Holy Spirit to restrain evil and to advance His Kingdom. What would be Mr. Thomas' solution? Do nothing to engage the culture and be involved in the process? That's not an option.

*Thomas places cultural engagement and the Christian faith in opposition to each other. He says we should follow the admonition of Jesus to "love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison and care for widows and orphans." What he infers here is that one cannot engage the culture and do these things.

Interestingly he invokes the name of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell whom he states birthed the Religious Right movement. Is Mr. Thomas completely ignorant and void of understanding of the life and ministry of Jerry Falwell or just willfully ignoring the facts? The Scriptural mandates to do what Thomas encourages here, were passions of Jerry Falwell and his ministry is well documented. Yet at the same time, he saw the decline of culture and took seriously the responsibility to be salt and light in culture and to contend for the faith. Engaging the culture while at the same time being the hands and the feet of Jesus are not mutually exclusive. They go hand in hand.

There is currently a softening occurring in evangelical life. We desperately want people to like us and we want to appear to be hip to culture so that we can attract the culture. All too often however, the church is being attracted to the culture, and being changed rather than the church changing the culture. It is easy to preach a general, feel good message rather than to preach the whole counsel of God. Too many preachers are afraid of plunging into the darkness with the light of truth and are content to circle the darkness with a pocket flashlight. Consider the prophets of old brothers. Develop a backbone and some courage for the difficult issues of life and ministry.

I offer several guiding principles for your consideration:

-Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. This is eternal.

-Submit to those in authority over you and pray for your government leaders.

- Get involved in the process. Speak the truth in love in the culture and engage those around you in order to advance truth.

- Leave the results up to God. Trust that He is Sovereign and holds time and eternity in His hands.

I do not want to stand before the throne of God someday and regret the fact that I sat back and did nothing to reach people with the life changing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We do this "as we are going."

For a more in depth discussion of this, read Tom Minnery's book, Why You Can't Stay Silent: A Biblical Mandate to Shape Our Culture. Read Chapter 9 in particular as it gives more context and history of Cal Thomas' involvement.

The Foolishness of Man- The Parthenon

I was in Nashville, Tennessee to see the Florida Gators play Vandy. Just across the way from the stadium is the Parthenon in Nashville. It is an exact replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It was built in 1897 for the Nashville Centennial Exposition and then later refurbished in solid concrete around 1920. The original Parthenon in Athens was built around 438 BC. It housed a statue of the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and daughter of Zeus. The Parthenon in Nashville houses a 41' 10" replica of the goddess Athena covered in gold.

When the Apostle Paul preached at the Areopagus, the "hill of Ares" in Athens as recorded in Acts 17, he would have had a clear view of the Parthenon. Paul "stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it- He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. From one man He has made every nation of men to live all over the earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live, so that they might seek God, and perhaps might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist . . . Having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent."

What could drive men to spend untold amounts of time, money, effort, and ingenuity to build a monument to human wisdom, a dead idol? It can only be the foolishness and blindness in their hearts. What man thinks is wisdom is foolishness to God and what man thinks is foolishness is shown to be wisdom from God.

The Word of God says in I Corinthians 1:27-31 "God has chosen the world's foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the world's weak things to shame the strong. God has chosen the world's insignificant and despised things- the things viewed as nothing- so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence. But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord."

I am thankful that I don't worship a dead idol. I am thankful that God removed the scales from my eyes so that I could see Jesus, the Eternal King and the embodiment of Wisdom!

The Culture War- Post Election

There were several battle fronts in the culture war related to Tuesday's election. The culture war in reality is a battle between light and darkness. The following are some updates on how things progressed:

* California Marriage Amendment- This passed defining and defending marriage as being between a man and a woman. It reversed what an activist court had done in legalizing same sex unions.

*Florida Marriage Amendment- This passed defining and defending marriage as being between a man and a woman.

*Arizona Marriage Amendment- This passed defining and defending marriage as being between a man and a woman.

*Arkansas- Passed a measure making it unlawful for unmarried people to adopt.

*South Dakota- Rejected a proposed law that would have virtually outlawed abortion in that state.

*Colorado- Rejected a measure that would have defined life as beginning at conception.

*California- Rejected a measure to require parental notification for minors who are having abortions.

*Massachusetts- Decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana.

*Washington- Approved physician assisted suicide, joining Oregon as the only other state to permit this.

Dr. Albert Mohler has written a thoughtful and measured response to the election that is worth reading, America Has Chosen a President.

So, what do we do now? We pray. We keep speaking and living for truth in the culture. We trust God that the ultimate victory is ours in Christ.

Ephesians 6:10-13 Be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.

Politics and the Sovereignty of God

There has been amazing interest in the political races this year, particularly for the Presidency of the United States. As a lead up to the election, many Christians have been praying. I know personally I have been praying for God’s mercy to fall on us, and as a nation that we not get what we deserve for our willful disobedience and rebellion. I believe prayer makes a difference and I believe God will answer our prayers, and that He hears the cry of the remnant that loves and serves Him.

That said, today is election day. What now? Well, I hope you have already exercised your privilege to vote and that you have done so according to a Biblical Worldview. If not, the polls stay open late. Go do your duty. Much blood has been shed on foreign soil by men and women who loved this country and were willing to lay down their lives for its freedom.

I am certain that when I wake up on Wednesday morning, and the election is a “done deal” that God will still be Sovereign. The Bible says:

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before You for kingship belongs to the Lord; He rules over the nations.
Psalm 22:27-28

God already knows the outcome of the election, so for certain He will not be surprised. There is no need to worry or fret. Our ultimate allegiance is to our Heavenly Father who gives us eternal freedom in Christ. Jesus said in John 8:31-32 If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

When the dust settles and we know who our new national leaders are, we must continue to pray. Paul wrote:

I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I Timothy 2:1-4

It is my desire to live a quiet life in all godliness and dignity. To please God our Savior, and lead people to the knowledge of the truth. I hope that is your desire as well.

There is coming a day, when at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11). Even so, come Lord Jesus.

The Pursuit of the Material

Focal Passage: I Timothy 6:6-19

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Proper management of God given resources is a profoundly important biblical focus. There are approximately 2,350 verses in the Bible related to stewardship. There is a direct correlation between your spiritual condition, and your attitude and actions concerning the material possessions of life.

Materialism= The thinking that the only or the highest value or objective lies in material well being and in the furtherance of material progress. Materialism is an outgrowth of the broken and unbiblical worldview that this life is all there is.

We are in seriously bad shape in the church when it comes to stewardship:

- The total portion of per capita income given to churches last year was lower than in the worst year of the Great Depression. It continues to decline.

- 20 percent of all US Christians give literally nothing away to either religious or secular causes.

- The vast majority of Christians give very little. The average household income given to all religious and charitable causes by the average Christian household is 2.9%.

How can I avoid the pursuit of the material, and instead passionately pursue God?

* It is an issue of perspective.

If you see life with a biblical worldview perspective, you will live for a higher purpose because you see the higher purpose.

* It is an issue of purpose.

To seek first the kingdom of God is to seek first the things of the One to whom we belong.

* It is an issue of priorities.

-Glorify God in everything.
-Work hard.
-Live within your means.
-Depend on God not on debt.
-Ask,how much is enough?
-Give generously.
-Care about the poor, the defenseless, the orphans.
-Keep an eternal perspective.