BibleWorks 8 Giveaway

No you are not mistaken. The folks at Cal.vini.st are celebrating their first anniversary by having this fantastic giveaway. Click here to get in on this fantastic opportunity.

The Church – Its Life Begins

I don’t know about you, but every since I started going to church I have been told time and time again that the birthday of the church is on Pentecost. Now just about every one I know accepts this statement without question, but I have a couple of problems with this concept. So I want to take some time and lay out the reasons that I believe that we have this day wrong and a possible solution to the issue.

First we need to look at the book of Acts. It is the logical place to start since that is where people go when they want to know about the church. Our first stop is in chapter two.

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

Here is the passage that we get pointed to concerning the birth of the church and they then continue on through the rest of the chapter. So the first question I have to ask is in relation to Acts 2:41, which states:

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

When I read this I have to ask myself two things:

1. How can you add to something that is not in existence until the day of Pentecost?
2. To whom or what were they added to?

So we need to get some background information if we are to get the answers to these questions. Naturally, I went back to Acts chapter one to see if there was any help to be found there. In verses 7 and 8 we read the following:

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

These are the last words that Jesus spoke before ascending into heaven. What makes this interesting is that we call this one of the commissions of the church. Well, how can Jesus give this commission to the church if it does not exist? That question haunted me until I remembered that the church is a called out assembly. In this case, we have that very thing present at His ascension. When we finish reading the chapter we come to an interesting verse.

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) Acts 1:15

Now I see that there are 120 people gathered in this room. They were all disciples, therefore they must have been called out by Christ during His earthly ministry. This would constitute a church then. Right? So when I read in Acts 2:41 that 3,000 are added, it would be this group that they were added to. Thus the church is present in Acts chapter one. So now I have to look somewhere else for this birthday then.

I have to look back further into the ministry of Christ to see where it all started. That takes me back to Matthew 16 then and the first statement about the church:

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

Here we read that the church is future, because Jesus clearly states the He “will build” the church. So somewhere between Matthew 16 and Acts 1 the church came into existence. But when? I searched and searched. I scratched my head, I prayed, I cross-referenced for years but never found an adequate answer to this dilemma. At one point I gave up and came to the conclusion that I was wrong and even admitted such to people. But then….

We are planting a church in a nearby town and the core-group has been having Bible study together. I thought it would be a good idea to study through Acts and see what God was doing then and apply that to what He has called us to do here. As Easter was approaching I went back to the book of John and did some studying in case I was asked to preach somewhere on Easter Sunday. During that study I found my answer.

John chapter 20 was going to be the focus of the message, when I saw verse 22 for the first time. (Yes, I have read that verse some many times without seeing what it says, that it makes one ill just thinking about it.)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: John 20:22

Jesus breathed on them. This reminded me of the first breath of God in Genesis 2:7. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. What is more, is the fact the He told them to receive the Holy Ghost.

Because of this I conclude that Easter is the birthday of the church. Jesus breathed life into these people and they received that life through receiving the Holy Ghost on that day. Easter is the day that the new creature, that Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 5:17, was born. What greater day could one ask for then the day of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

New Sermon Site

After many attempts to get my sermons on the internet; I have finally found a way to do so that is easy for me. So for those who wish to subscribe to the podcast or those who want to just listen to them on the net without downloading you can go to my sermons here.

This morning’s message

I was invited to fill the pulpit at Allen Park Baptist Church in Galesburg, IL this morning. What is even more amazing is that I got the digital recorder to work so are is the link to the message..

http://is.gd/otL4

 

God Bless.

New Year: New Direction

The last two months have been a whirlwind. But we are even more confident in God's directing us to plant churches in the Hancock and Henderson county areas of Illinois. Between these two counties there are 15,000 unchurched people residing here, with only two Southern Baptist churches in this area. We have had a burden for these people and this area for many years, but that burden grew to the point that it became painful over the last two years.

We have started the process of learning about church planting and getting the support we need from an association and the Illinois State Baptist Association. This is a very exciting time for us as we are learning and growing in the Scriptures and in our faith. Sometimes I want to rush out and get things moving, but God reins me in and reminds me that there are still things that I need to know and learn. So that is what we are concentrating on at this time.

The first thing that I am doing is taking the Basic Training courses at Church Planting Village. The resources there are tremendous. I have also obtained several books by Ed Stetzer,  Charles Fielding,

Steve Hawthrone, and Aubrey Malphurs. Currently, I am reading Ministry Nuts and Bolts: What They Don't Teach Pastors in Seminary by Aubrey Malphurs. I have also been visiting several web sites and gleaning what I can from them. Some of you may find these sites and blogs interesting so I will list a few.

Ed Stetzer's Blog

Church Planting - Steve Sjogren's site.

Passion 4 Planting

Please pray with us as we continue to follow God's direction, continue our training, prayerwalk, meet with people and develop relationships.

Roller Coasters, Valleys, and Such

I did not realize how long it has been since I last posted until last night. Please forgive me as we have been experiencing so trying situations here.

First, let me update everyone on Wendy's health. She is not back to work yet. For some reason her knee is not getting any better. Although she continues with Physical Therapy, she is still having a lot of trouble getting around. Stairs, standing, and any movement that involves her knee are very painful. Please continue to pray for her.

This next part is difficult to write about but I need to give everyone an update on our daughter. She continues to be in residential care at Baptist Children's Home. It has been almost six months now with no sign of any improvement in her condition. Yesterday, we had a family therapy session and it was not good. From the sound of things, we are looking at having to get her into a different care setting as the home has utilized all the resources at their disposal. Please pray for her and Wendy as this is a very painful separation for them and it looks to continue for some time into the future.

The third update regards my status. One month ago, I resigned as pastor of Nauvoo Baptist Church. After two years of preaching and teaching, I came to realize that the theological differences on evangelism and missions were to great a gap to be bridged. But God had already been moving us in the direction of planting churches, so with everything that we knew, we felt this was the right move.

When you look at a map of our county, it breaks your heart to see 20,000 people and only two Southern Baptist works here. God has been convicting me of starting a church in Carthage, IL; it is about 25 miles from Nauvoo. I have been praying about this for more than 18 months; asking God to send a man to come along side of us and start this church. About four months ago I realized that I needed to pray for a man to come and either start the church in Carthage or be the man to pastor at Nauvoo. Well, as God would have it, Wendy and I were the ones He wanted.

We have spent the last month in prayer and God has given us a plan. It is a 33 year plan to plant 11 churches in our area. It is bold and far reaching, but we are convinced that God knows what He is doing.

This blog will continue under its current title and after the dust settles from all the movement, I will start blogging on a regular basis again. Please pray for us as we seek God's face in all matters. We appreciate all the prayers that have been offered up.

Missing a point or bad hermeneutics?

This is actually a continuation of the discussion that was started on dispensationalism. It may not appear so at first, but hang on. My personal views of how the dispensational layout of Scripture changed as a result of studying the Gospels and the book of Acts. Like I said before, I was of the seven dispensations school of thought. The views I had were influences by men like C. I. Scofield, Clarance Larkin, Charles Ryrie, and Dallas Theological School, among many others.

One day I had a "light-bulb" moment. (You know, one of those times when you think you have light, but then you suddenly realize you were walking in the dark). While reading through the book of Matthew I came upon this passage:

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Matthew 3:1-3

I had to read it several times because I kept asking myself about this offer of the kingdom of heaven. Was God really offering the kingdom to Israel or not? If not, then I have no problem with my theology. If so, then I have to reexamine what I believe about the book of Acts. I continued with this thought process as I read. Then I was struck by this same offer being given once more.

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17

Now I have a real spiritual dilemma going on. Was this kingdom offer valid? If not, then John the Baptist lied. Jesus lied. And that makes God a liar. Well, the Bible is explicit on this point. God cannot lie.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;  Titus 1:2

(Now some of you might be asking, "What has this got to do with the book of Acts?" Patience. You have to really see what is being said in order to get the point. You don't find the rare jewels of Scripture by jumping to the conclusion without thoroughly searching for the truth.)

So I had to ask myself, "What did the disciples think at that time?" Well, I found my answer in Matthew 10.

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. vss. 5-7

It is apparent that the twelve believed that the offer of the kingdom was legitimate. So much so, that they went throughout Israel proclaiming that it was at hand. Therefore, we have to accept this offer as genuine. If we spiritualize it, we misinterpret what is happening in Matthew and eventually, bring this misunderstanding into our view of what is going on in the book of Acts.

How so?

Carefully read the following verses.

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:6-8

Did you catch it? The disciples wanted to know if the kingdom was going to be restored then and there. They were looking for the kingdom. John had taught that the kingdom was at hand. Jesus had taught that the kingdom was at hand. They had also done the same. So when the Spirit removed the blinders, I saw how everything in the Gospels and in Acts were a continuation of the prophecies and promises that God had made with the nation of Israel. And I was able to see what follows in Acts 2 in this light as well, but you will have to wait for the next post.

Technorati Tags: dispensationalism

Making Noise

Yesterday, Wendy and one of the ladies from the church went to the historic area of Nauvoo to visit with the Mormon missionaries. While they were at some of the various areas, they had the opportunity to speak with some of the missionaries and were greeted by an interesting response. Each time they were asked about where they were from the response was, "Nauvoo." This generally results in conversation about whether or not they belong to the "church". Wendy tells them that she is the Baptist pastor's wife, which in turn gets the "deer-in-the headlight" look from the missionaries.  Or the pasted on smile they have when they are trying to hide their disdain for you. But one response was, "Your church is very active." It is always good to know what your neighbors think about you and what their perception is of your ministry.

As I mentioned in my last post, the church has been able to reach out to 129 kids and their families in a three day period. What is really interesting is that we spent a total of 17 hours doing this. So I am looking forward to our next project which will be on October 30th.

This project is something that the church had been doing before we arrived, but it has been expanded a bit since then. We provide games, a craft, cookie decorating and treats for the kids. This year we are going to advertise this more than previously and we are praying for a great turn out. If the stats hold up we should have approximately 21 children and their families come to this event over the three hour period that we will be doing this.

Please pray with us as we look forward to this next outreach program. As a result of last years work, we have been having a local family visiting with us, so we are seeing results each year from these outreach programs.

Another Blessed Weekend

This last Saturday we had the opportunity to take our Free Kid's Craft project to the SeptemberFest held in Warsaw, IL (a small town located 17.5 miles south of us on the Mississippi River). After our experiences here in Nauvoo, we purchased two First Up Gazebos (my are they easy to get up) and another five foot half-fold table. As a result, setup was quick and easy. Each time we are out, we learn something that will enhance this mission outreach. What made this event special was that it is the first time we have gone outside of Nauvoo to do this. We had been planning to do this next year, but God opened up this door just one week prior to the event.

So, lets see, we got everything set up and had a great time with all the families who stopped by. We were able to share the gospel with 47 kids and their families. That brings the total to 129 kids and their families who have heard the gospel as a result of this ministry during the summer months. Praise God for His grace!

Then on Sunday we had a record attendance since we were called to pastor here. Twenty-two! Amen! What a great time we had. Our music leader had a mini-concert that he performed and we had the Lord's Supper scheduled as well. The mini-concert was unplanned, but God knew what He was doing. One family that came actually had an activity at Warsaw that was set up right across from us. They came over and their son did a craft as we shared the gospel and they decided to visit the church because of what they saw. What a testimony to God's work.

As we are growing spiritually God is pouring out His blessings. The Sunday previous to last, we had our business meeting and elected our first WMU and Brotherhood directors. These two people and myself make up our Missions Committee. We also elected a Sunday School director and she has been a busy lady planning for class breakdown and looking for teachers of classes that we currently do not have. This is what happens when people catch the vision of what God is doing and wants to do in His church. As I keep telling Wendy, "I am going to keep preparing for rain." (If you do not understand this statement, then I would suggest you watch the movie Facing the Giants.)

Pray with us as we look to the future. This next Sunday we are starting evening services for the first time in several years. We are going to study the book of Joshua during that time. We are also starting our Scripture Memory Challenge. I have not seen such expectation in a church about memorizing the Scriptures, but these folks are hungry for this. Finally, we are starting a new series of messages during the morning services on the Parables.

But that is not all. On a personal note, Wendy is improving rapidly now. We wish to thank all of you for your prays and words of encouragement. She is also back to taking her classes and is still maintaining her 4.0 GPA. As for me, well, many of you may remember my mentioning that I was looking at finishing my bachelor degree. After much prayer and searching, I choose a college/seminary and put in my application. I received a phone call from them and after some discussion, I will be starting in their Masters of Ministry program instead. This was unexpected and I am a bit intimidated by the idea, but once I get started, I'm sure I'll be fine. This is not all that God is doing either, but I will save them for a later time.

I am totally a very blessed man. God has graciously placed me here in order to bless my life through these people; as we share the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ in this area.

Surprise!!

Yes, we are still here. It has been the most hectic couple of weeks I have ever had. Between doctor appointments and physical therapy for Wendy; dentist appointments and eye doctors for me; plus the ministry of the church and our outreach project on Labor Day weekend, we are run ragged.

First and foremost, Wendy is improving. I will have her give you an update later.

Our Labor Day project was very successful. We shared the gospel with 81 children and their families. This year we had more people from the area than last year. Now they know we are here. We are looking to expand the Kid's Craft project to the surrounding cities this next year. Pray for us as we plan to go to Hamilton and Carthage, Illinois, as well as possible one day projects in Keokuk and Fort Madison, Iowa. This gospel project is having a positive impact on the community and I have received  couple of calls already from folks thanking us for doing this.

Our first baptism was not a splash, but my anxiety was under control by the time we did it. Unfortunately, the pictures did not turn out, so we do not have any to post. God is blessing us tremendously.

For those who are wondering, Wendy is still off work, but God has taken care of all of our finances. We want to thank everyone who helped in our time of need. You have blessed more than you will ever know. It is truly great to serve the Lord and be fellowshipping with His people in church, at home and on the web.

We ask your prayers for us as Wendy has started taking classes once again to finish her bachelor's in nursing. As for myself, I have registered to finish mine in theology. Hopefully, I can get everything in order so I can get it started soon.

Grace, peace and our love to all.