What It's All About

In chapter 23 of the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul was hustled out of Jerusalem and placed in protective custody after an uproar in the Temple and a plot to kill him became known.  Learning that Paul was a Roman citizen, a Roman army officer by the name of Claudius Lysias, conveyed Paul to the Roman fortress at Caesarea late at night.  To ensure Paul’s safe arrival there, the officer sent a contingent of 200 foot soldiers, 70 cavalry soldiers, and 300 spear men to bring Paul safely to  the Roman Procurator, a fellow named Felix.  Felix was married to a Jewish woman named Drusilla, who was the great grand daughter of Herod the Great.

Prosecutors, who included the Jewish High Priest, Ananias and an orator by the name of Tertullus, soon followed and brought charges against Paul in the presence of the Roman Governor. The particular false charges and Paul’s defense are found in Acts 24.

Felix heard both sides of the case and told Paul privately that he would make a decision on his fate at a later date.  Several days later, when Drusilla joined her Roman husband, the two sought an audience with Paul to hear more from him regarding the Christian “Way”.  The Apostle never missed an opportunity to share the Gospel, and this was an opportunity to tell the Roman Procurator and his Jewish wife, three simple things that truly matter most.

Dr. Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, tells us very simply in Acts 24:25 that Paul reasoned with them regarding “righteousness, self control, and judgment to come”.  I think there is a very simple, yet important lesson here for all of us who would seek to be more effective witnesses for Christ, when given opportunity to share our faith.

These few words (righteousness, self control, and judgment) make the simple outline of three concepts that every human must consider.  The first involves the problem of “yesterday’s sins”.  We know from the scriptures that “there is none righteous, no not one!”  How then may sinful men and women come into relationship with a Holy God?  This comes only through the righteousness of Christ being imputed to those who would accept Christ’s sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins.  (2 Cor 5:21)

Secondly, Paul spoke of “self control”.  This deals with “today’s temptations”.  Warren Wiersbe writes “Man is able to control almost everything but himself.”  Isn’t that the truth?  Not only can we save ourselves from the penalty of yesterday’s sins, in our own power we are helpless against temptation today.  Again, Jesus Christ is the only answer to that problem.  Apart from the power and indwelling of His presence in our lives, we are hopeless in the face of what Paul speaks of thirdly – the Judgment to come.

As Paul shared these truths, the power of the Holy Spirit overcame  the Roman Governor.  He may have been Caesar’s representative in the province of Judea, but when he heard the message of the Gospel delivered by a man of God, the Bible tells us Felix “trembled”.  A more accurate translation is “he became terrified”.  My friends, that is the power of the Gospel when shared under the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit.

Although frightened, Felix did what many people today do.  He procrastinated.  How sad.  Further reading tells us that Felix thought he might be able to extort some money (bribery) from Paul, and he left the Apostle held in custody for two years!

Felix told Paul that he would hear him again at “a more convenient time”.  There are many who will turn us off with a similar excuse.  However the scriptures tell us there is no better time to hear and react to the Gospel than right now.  “Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”. (2 Cor 6:2)

This brief history lesson reminds me that the simple message of Paul goes right along with the “A,B,C’s of Salvation” that we teach our children.  “A” Admit our sin, and our need of a Savior.  “B” Believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for us.  He takes up residence in the life of every believer and provides the power we need to face the enemy of our souls.  “C” Confess Him as your Savior and Lord.  “For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation”.

Most of our congregation knows I like to add that 4^th letter to the equation.  “D” Do it now! 

As we enter this blessed Christmas season, let us not just relegate Jesus to the little baby in the manger.  Let us use this God given opportunity to remind others “What It's All About”.

Letters From Our Doughboys

My grandfather, Caudle Adkins, Sr., served in the U.S. Army in France during World War I.  My brother and I often wondered what it must have been like for him, a country boy who had never been out of the hills of Lincoln County, West Virginia, to be transported across the Atlantic to fight the dreaded Huns of Kaiser Wilhelm in "The War To End All Wars".  I am a fan of the old Gary Cooper movie about Sgt. Alvin York.  Bruce and I have often wondered aloud if our Papaw wasn't a lot like the boy from the mountains of east Tennessee, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in battle.

Surely their rural backgrounds were very similar.  I can only imagine what it must have been like for them to walk away from their homes and families to answer the call of their nation.  Their orders came from General "Black Jack" Pershing, whom after liberating Paris from the German forces, repaid our nations 147 year old debt to France for their assistance to us in our war of independence against England, by placing a wreath on the grave of an old French ally with the words, "Lafayette, we are here!"

My grandfather died in 1959 just before my ninth birthday.  I remember him well, but he rarely spoke of the horrors he had seen during the great conflict.  Perhaps he felt a child didn't need to hear that stuff, or perhaps he just didn't want to relive the experiences again.  His death in the Huntington, WV VA Medical Center came from Lung Cancer.  One can only assume that his experience of being gassed by the German Army in the Argonne Forest was a contributing factor to the malignancy.

I have always been facinated by the World War I soldiers.  When I was a kid in the 50's they were the "old men" in the neighborhood.  The retired guys.  The grandfathers.  Now, as I rapidly approach the age of my Grandfather at his passing, it is sad to realize that there are no more WWI veterans alive in the world today.  They are ALL gone.  Time marches on.

In memory of these men, and in honor of Veterans Day holiday, I thought I would pass along some lines from letters, which I recently found on some obscure website, written home by lonely, homesick (and perhaps frightened) Doughboys during the Great War.

Food for thought and reflection, indeed:

"I am in a Motor Truck Co. in the Army and I expect to be up north soon, as we have everything ready to leave at a moments notice."

"...takes 2 pieces buttoned together to make a tent, your rifle being the front pole and your bayonet the rear."

"...this war is flooded with human nature."

"...lots of ridges around here...you always want to see what's beyond it...may be a Tommy, may a general...may be living, he may be dead..."

"And for my return, I pull no hero stuff...I never sleep in dugouts, I am never bombed or shelled, I don't even stand a chance of starving to death."

"...got into some action...doing bridge reconnaissance...we were ahead of the front lines and I had some narrow escapes."

"...we moved up the trenches about 12 days ago..."

"We are in the 1st Army and that means we will go to Germany..."

"It is a mystery to me how the Tommies get so drunk on such weak beer."

"If you go far enough, and in the right direction, you will find trees that aren't shelled or cut down and sick-like."

"...I may get around to sending you some souveniers...some high explosives...or a few aircraft searchlight beams."

"...was so damned interested in the war ending that I am just writing now...I dont think the French Army will sober up for a month."

"...I buckprivated into the ambassadors 4th of July Reception in Paris...bowed to the Colonels, shook the hands of diplomats and chatted with a countess..."

"...you asked if my hand was off. No, but I can't write very much. I was shot through the left wrist and it almost tore it off but will get better maybe sometime.">

"The last time I saw him he was going over the top. I don't know if he got wounded or not."

"Russell is in some hospital shot in his left leg just above his ankle, it is not very bad but he will be laid up for a couple of months. I am in another hospital, almost blind from a gas attack from the Boche but I will be o.k."

"...am sorry to say taht he is in the hospital again. He just got out before in time to go in the battle at Soissons, and while there a piece of shrapnel hit him in the arm and the rumor is that they had to take it off.."

"If you can send me some candy or cigarettes, I would certainly appreciate and thank you very much for it is almost impossible to get either here."

What's In A Name?

 

 

As I remember, there was a lot of discussion, time, and effort expended over the last year and a half or so, regarding the subject of a name change for the Southern Baptist Convention. 

 

Former SBC President Bryant Wright bowed to great concerns allegedly from church planters and others around the country who seemed to feel that the moniker “Southern Baptists” was a challenge to the task of planting churches in the Northeast and other areas of the USA.  Surely a new name was needed for the tired old convention.  So Dr. Wright appointed a task force made up of many familiar names to look into this terrible situation and to make their learned recommendations to the convention messengers when we met at our annual meeting in New Orleans this past June.

 

After much research, soul searching, and discussion, it was finally decided that rather than changing the legal nomenclature of the Convention (too expensive and too much red tape) what we needed was a new “descriptor” which would more accurately describe who we are.

 

Let me say at this point, that I personally had no problem with changing the name of the Convention to more accurately define the more global nature of our work.  It had been brought up at other Convention meetings in the past, and I felt there was some merit to the thought, but alas nothing had come of it.  I might add that previous attempts had come from the floor of the Convention, which in my opinion, was the proper way to bring up the matter.

 

In recent years, however, there have been “needs” that have behooved SBC Presidents to appoint special committees to look into serious situations such as the need for a “Great Commission Resurgence” and the perceived urgent need to change our Convention’s name to make it more palatable to those in other regions of our nation.  Some have questioned if the two former Presidents even had the authority to do such a thing, but as my buddy Joed Rice’s late father might have said, “…That’s another thing!”

 

So at any rate, the Ad Hoc Committee in their wisdom did not deem it incumbent on us to change the official name of the Convention, but still felt that it was imperative that we add the descriptor, “Great Commission Baptists”.  The upbuilding of the Kingdom demanded quick action.  The recommendation came to the Messengers of the Convention, and like obedient sheep we passed it, thereby taking the terrible curse of the “Southern” term out of the equation – and presumably making folks in the northeast and great northwest much more open to the Gospel message.

 

The news went out from New Orleans in June, and now we were free to use the new descriptor in hopes that the lost world would like us better now that we had a nickname.

 

I really don’t intend to beat a dead horse, but in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the “Frankenstorm” that pummeled the eastern seaboard, our SBC Disaster Relief volunteers kicked into action as usual, moving hundreds of volunteer chainsaw crews, mud out crews, and feeding units into New Jersey, New York, and other hard hit areas.

 

How interesting it was to note that as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie held a recent news conference, he was high on his praise of the first responders along with the National Guard, American Red Cross, and the SOUTHERN BAPTISTS who were already on site.  The SBC North American Mission Board tells us that SBC Disaster Relief Crews are cranking out more than 400,000 meals per day which are being delivered by the Red Cross to those who are in need.  Southern Baptists.  Imagine that.  I doubt that very many would turn down those hot meals, or send away the chain saw and mud out crews just because “Southern Baptist Disaster Relief” was written in blue across their bright yellow T-Shirts and caps.

 

Perhaps what we do for the Lord in the way of ministry to others carries a whole lot more weight than what we call ourselves. And just maybe, this visible manifestation of God’s love and grace may have more of an impact on lost people than any descriptor a committee might come up with. 

 

(And that’s another thing!)

 

 

 

 

A Golden Nugget From The Sermon On The Mount

Matthew, chapters five through seven cover a discourse by Jesus commonly known as The Sermon on the Mount.  This passage of scripture, which begins with “The Beatitudes” and concludes with the contrast of the outcome of identical houses built on different foundations – caused Jesus’ hearers to be “astonished at His doctrine” and impressed at the authoritative manner of His teaching.  Jesus’ radical teaching in this message was never intended to be a “How To” formula to earn salvation.  Rather, the principles found in this sermon are Kingdom Principles.  These are the attitudes, practices, and motivations that should be the fruit produced by a life of the true follower of Christ.

The middle chapter of this message starts out like this.  "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (ESV)

This teaching was in stark contrast to the common practices of the day by those Jews who were deemed to be deeply religious.  In verses 1-18 Jesus deals with the right (and wrong) ways to give offerings …  to pray … and to fast.  He starts out the thought by reminding His hearers that much of the reward we receive from our Heavenly Father is based on the motives and methods we as His children employ in our spiritual activities.

He first deals with our charitable giving.  Jesus says,  "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (v.2)  Jesus says that our giving in His name is such a private act that one should never draw public attention to it.  In fact, He indicates that if it were physically possible this act should be so private that we would  “… not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,“ (v.3)

He then moves to the subject of the spiritual discipline of prayer.  "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (v.5)  Now, this is not a blanket condemnation of public prayer in worship services, etc, but again, it involves our attitude and actions in practicing the wonderful God given gift of prayer.

 The Master warns us that our prayer life is not for public impressiveness or an exhibition of oratorical skills.  It’s not about generalities and meaningless phrases, but rather as a private communication with the One who already knows all about us and all about our needs. Consider verses 7-8.  "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”   He then goes on in verses 9-15 to teach us the nature of what our honest communication with God should involve.  He speaks of our relationship to the Father…as well as our reverence of Him… our obedience to Him… our dependence upon Him.  He also speaks about forgiveness and deliverance which can only come through Him.

After teaching us the manner in which to pray, Jesus moves on to another spiritual discipline that is always linked with prayer – Fasting.

Again He stresses the private nature of the purpose of fasting.  In Jesus’ day, the “religious folks” often made a big deal and public display regarding fasting.  Jesus deals sharply and simply with the subject.  "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (v.16)  Jesus refers to those who would make a public spectacle out of the very private practice of fasting, are simply “play actors”.  In verses 17-18 He tells us the right way to behave during a time of serious fasting and self denial. “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.”  Like giving and prayer, our fasting is something that is not to be done for human recognition, but is intended to be a very private thing between us and God.

I think it is striking that in pointing out the wrong motives, attitudes and practices of these spiritual disciplines, Jesus plainly says that the only reward given will be the temporary praise of men.  Yet when we follow His example and teaching, the promise is that the God who hears and sees that which we do for Him in secret will one day reward us openly for our Christlike actions.

Speaking for myself, I would much rather have the reward of my Father in Heaven than any temporal recognition in this perishing earth.  How about you?

A Sobering Reminder

My dear friend Bill Barker is director of Appalachian Regional Ministries. ARM is a ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. Bill is a West Virginia native who has a heart for God, and for making Him known to the people throughout the mountains and hills of the Appalachian region of our nation, which runs from parts of New York to northern Georgia.

Bill posted the following article on Facebook this morning, and I felt compelled to share it with our readers. The context of the scriptures cited here is, of course, surrounding the dedication of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. It is written to the people of Israel and regards that special house of worship and prayer that had been constructed to God's specifications. God warns His people, Israel that He stands ready to protect and provide for them, but that He will withdraw His blessings from those who fail to respond to Him in obedience and love.

Even though that unique situation was very different from what we face today, I believe we can draw a correlation to the spiritual situation of God's people today in our region. Our culture has basically forgotten God and His commandments. Houses of worship all around us are closed, locked, mildewed and rotting. Small remnants try to keep other buildings open, and our convention spends money time and other resources on planting new churches. What we need is true revival among God's people. It is a sad commentary on our complacency, our priorities, and our lack of zeal in fulfilling His Great Commission. Here is Bill's article. May God use Bill's post to be a compelling challenge to each of us today!

For the past six days, I have been traveling and working in the coalfields of Appalachia, driving through towns that once brimmed with people and affluence; driving pass churches that once were filled to capacity every Lord’s Day. I paused as I passed a church were over 650 people once gathered to worship and today a dozen or so people struggle to keep the doors open.

I drove by another church that in its heyday was one of the ten largest churches in their denomination and today is just an empty shell of a building.

I drove pass churches with For Sale signs on them, pass others that showed years of neglect, and pass others that were boarded up. Yet, there was one thing in common at each site; men and women, teenagers, boys and girls desperately needing of being reached with the gospel of Christ surrounded the abandoned or nearly empty church buildings.

This reminded me of the store with a “Going out of business” sign on the front window under which someone had scribbled, “we forgot what business we were in.”

While frequently, we quote 2 Chronicles 7:14, we seldom read on to verses 19-22. "But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?' Then they will answer, 'Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them'" (NKJV).

That same truth applies to the church today; accordingly, I pray with the sons of Korah, “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”(Psalm 85:6).

Of Buzzards, Bats, and Bumblebees

I had seen this illustration before, but it has been some time ago. Recently someone sent it to me in an email, and I thought it was something I should share with you. Keep in mind that this is not original with me, and the author is unknown.

The Buzzard-

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a
flight from the ground with a run of 10 – 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, the buzzard will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The Bat –

The ordinary bat that flies
around at night is a remarkably nimble creature in the air. Yet it cannot take off from a level
place. If it is placed on the floor or
flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt,
painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw
itself into the air. Then at once, it takes off like a flash.

The Bumblebee -

A Bumblebee, if dropped into an open jar, will be there until it dies, or until it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the open top of the jar, but persists in trying to find some way out through the side or bottom. It will seek a way out where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

People -

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! That is the
answer. The escape route and the solution to any problem is to look up.
When the problems of life arise. When there seems to be no way out. Look up to the God who has said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you”.

The old saying goes, “Sorrow looks back… Worry looks around… but faith looks up!

Preach, Die, and Be Forgotten

Nicolaus Zinzendorf, 1700-1760, theologian and Bishop of the Moravian Church has been quoted as saying, "Preach the Gospel, die, and be forgotten".

Pretty powerful words! Words that go against the main stream of popular thought.

33 years ago in an interview for a secular job, the Human Resources Manager asked my what my goal was if I should be selected for the position. I told him I wanted to "make a good living to support my family, to serve my community well, and to be remembered for having made a difference".

Sounds pretty noble, huh?

Three decades later, those are similar words that might be spoken by nearly anyone. We live in a time where we would like to feel that we have made a difference in the world. Some speak of leaving a legacy, and that is a very human desire. Presidents save all of their papers, photos, and memorabilia for their presidential libraries. As they serve, we often hear about how they want to be remembered by historians. That is fine and proper, but it's really nothing new. Many today are seeking celebrity status. Some of us are looking for what Andy Warhol called our "15 minutes of fame". Everyone seems to want to be remembered when they are gone. This desire manifests itself in great projects endeavored and monuments left behind.

But again, that is nothing new. Human nature really hasn't changed much in millennia.

The first four verses of Genesis 11 records the following:

"Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (ESV)

When I was a child, my understanding of this text was more along the lines of the idea that people wanted to build a tower so high that they could get up to Heaven. This is far from the message of this passage! Notice in that fourth verse they said, "... let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth". The idea was that they wanted to "make a name for themselves" and to leave a monument to their achievements.

Aren't we all like that to some extent?

Christians in general, and those of us in the ministry in particular, should be very careful not to allow ourselves to be forced into that mold! Great care should be taken, because we are NOT immune to that temptation. A cursory look around us will reveal that there are numerous "ministries" and monuments around us to mark the work of various pastors and evangelists.

God help those of us in the ministry to take heed to the advice given by Zinzendorf to Moravian Missionaries in the mid 1700's:

“The missionary must seek nothing for himself: no seat of honour, no report of fame. Like the cab-horses in London, the Count said, he must wear blinkers and be blind to every danger and to every snare and conceit. He must be content to suffer, to die and be forgotten.”

Such teachings of Zinzendorf had great influence on John and Charles Wesley, and William Carey. It should also have the same effect on us.

John the Baptist gives us one of the great Biblical examples of such a philosophy as recorded in John 3:30 " He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Oh! That we might remember that our task is to lift up Jesus and not ourselves!

May we be quick like the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 2 to lay aside opinion, philosophy, politics, personalities, partisanship and earthly wisdom to take on this attitude:

"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

Our challenge is today as it has always been - "Preach the Gospel, die, and be forgotten". God has a record of our service. His reward will be much greater than any monument we may leave here.