It Hurts

It hurts me when I read or hear of someone who has died and I know they did not have Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It gnaws on me that they are now spending eternity in hell without a way out. It makes me want to believe in purgatory or Universalism, although I cannot accept either because scripture says differently.

RC Sproul writes this about hell:

We have often heard statements such as “War is hell” or “I went through hell.” These expressions are, of course, not taken literally. Rather, they reflect our tendency to use the word hell as a descriptive term for the most ghastly human experience possible. Yet no human experience in this world is actually comparable to hell. If we try to imagine the worst of all possible suffering in the here and now we have not yet stretched our imaginations to reach the dreadful reality of hell.

Hell is trivialized when it is used as a common curse word. To use the word lightly may be a halfhearted human attempt to take the concept lightly or to treat it in an amusing way. We tend to joke about things most frightening to us in a futile effort to declaw and defang them, reducing their threatening power.

There is no biblical concept more grim or terror-invoking than the idea of hell. It is so unpopular with us that few would give credence to it at all except that it comes to us from the teaching of Christ Himself.

There have been many speculations as to what hell is. Some say it is fire and brimstone, burning eternally, some say it is separation from God, while others, such as RC Sproul say that God will eternally be there in wrath and judgment. All are horrible.

I agree with RC Sproul in that if the fire and gnashing of teeth is a symbol, that is worse than the symbol.

If we truly think about people that we know,love, and admire, going to hell without Christ, maybe that would spur us to begin to live the Great Commission Resurgence, and to begin to prayerfully give the Gospel to anyone and everyone.

I have gone through the heartache of knowing those who have died without Christ. Some in my family. Friends. It is agony knowing that I will not have the opportunity to give them Christ.

I also know that God in His Sovereignty will make opportunities available, if not through me, then through someone else, for those I have not been able to reach.

Reading through the deaths of celebrities these past few weeks has caused me to pause, as I am burdened that those who have died did not have Christ as their Lord and Savior. I don’t want to see another lost soul die without Christ.

Think and read about hell this week, and no matter your view of what hell is like, think about the lost who are dying daily. There are no more opportunities for them. How many more do we want to see go to hell?

Think about this as some are turning the CRR into a Calvinist vs. anti-Calvinist issue. Focusing on whether we drink alcohol in moderation or abstain. While this is being focused on, there are those who are dying without Christ and going to hell. That is the bottom line. What is being discussed is folly. So, think about hell this week. Then, maybe our perspectives will begin to change.

Believe me, Satan would much rather you focus on the non-essentials. He would like that very much. So far, we seem to be pleasing him. And by all means, don’t let gifted women, or anyone you disagree with theologically among Southern Baptists join in your evangelistic efforts, because that is just less people he has to worry about giving the good news.

We Need To Begin To Wipe The Slate Clean…And Begin Again

Whenever my husband or I get into an argument, which after twenty five years and being complete opposites we do, we have a policy of wipe the slate clean and beginning again. It’s what Christ allowed Peter to do after Peter denied Christ three times.

My husband and I get into arguments sometimes that stem from misunderstanding, tiredness, going through tough stuff and one more tough thing happens, which cause the argument to be basically about nothing but blowing off steam. It’s in those times that we agree to wipe it from our minds, never bringing it up again, and we start over as if it never happened. It’s wonderful. It allows us to make mistakes yet not be held accountable for them to each other. It never brings either of us down in each other’s eyes.

It’s what forgiveness is. It’s what we should be doing as Southern Baptists if we are going to truly unify and do the Great Commission Resurgence. I need to forgive those that frankly, I was formerly mad at due to circumstances surrounding Les Puryear’s running for President last year, the things that were done against Dwight McKissic, my own minister Wade Burleson, Sherri Klouda, and it is what I personally need to do even if there will always be those who are wanting to fight, lie, and do not want peace or unity in the Convention.

It needs to begin with each of us. If we don’t, we are going to continue to not trust each other, scheme, hide, bring up the past, all the things that some of us are wanting to rid the Convention of.

Calvinists need to forgive non-Calvinists. Non-Calvinists need to forgive Calvinists, and let each be free to teach, believe, and live what they believe, knowing that the Holy Spirit is the one who opens eyes to whatever truth the disagreement is about, and resting in that.

No more John 3:16 Conferences, no more anti-Arminian conferences, no more calling people moderates, Fundamentalists, or any other name that offends. No more calling Calvinists, “Calvies” or Fundamentalists “Fundies” both of which reek in anger and loathing whether admitted or not. Both respecting each other and their beliefs. Call it ecumenicism if you want, but it’s called in the Bible unity(1 Cor. 10:23-33) and forgiveness. Until that happens, it’s going to be the same ole same ole but with a different name of The Great Commission Resurgence. If this movement becomes a power play and not unifying, count me out, because it is the only type of Resurgence that I will be for. If Christ isn’t the center, and power is, diversity is out and uniformity in reverse is in…count me out. So which is it going to be?

The Sadness, The Emptiness…

Two people who were very much a part of my generation died this week, both on the same day. I am of course referring to Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Both had fame, both had fortune, both obtained beyond the American dream, both died without Christ.

I was a fan of Michael Jackson. Not the Michael Jackson of the late 1990’s or 2000, but the Michael Jackson who began with the Jackson Five. The Michael Jackson of the 80’s who had such work as Thriller and Black and White.

Just as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were geniuses in the world of music and dance, so was Michael Jackson. He had talent that no one else possessed. He was wonderful to watch as he moved with such precision and grace to the beat of the music that he also wrote. Take a look at his genius at work in Thriller(1982) which is downright creepy, Black and White(1991) a song and video which is moving and beautiful in its message and presentation. Michael Jackson was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately as you see in the two videos, he began to physically change, then emotionally change. I believe his abusive childhood was too much for him to bare along with adoring fans that worshiped him. He broke. Just as Elvis Presley did and others we could name who went on a self destructive path. Solomon couldn’t have been anymore right when he wrote vanity of vanities… Unfortunately Michael Jackson is known for his child molestation charges and his weird appearance more than his genius as a dancer/singer/songwriter.

Farrah Fawcett, although brought up in a wonderful loving home, popular in High School, college, as a tv star, appeared to be a caring gentle soul, wasn’t beyond the ravages of stardom which in the end brings nothing. We all die.

There are so many lessons in just these two stars lives, many have already been written about and I can’t improve on them. It just makes me sing louder…”I’d rather have Jesus than anything”…

Even in church life, when we want to be the star of the show, of the blog world or anywhere else, it may turn out to be a curse rather than a blessing. Being in the background, less “influencing” the real blessing.

My Thoughts On The Southern Baptist Convention

As I sat and watched parts of the Convention this year, my heart was filled with hope for the future.

The attendance was good according to reports, and the participation of young people phenomenal. This is not a reason to have doubted that the attendance is getting lower and lower, I still believe it would have been had we kept going the direction we were formerly going. This was due to God working despite and should be seen as such. Ed Stetzer and others were correct in their predictions. We changed directions, we finally hit where the majority wanted to go and a new interest in preserving that direction followed by more people attending.

I listened to the sermons and agreed for the most part with all of them. JD Greear and David Platt were right on target with what they said. The sermons were right in line with what has been on my heart for over twenty years. The overwhelming vote for the Conservative Resurgence was heart warming for me, but…you can’t vote in heart change and it almost turned into, and still could, a Calvinist vs. Non-Calvinist debate.

Just like it takes time to see if a person is truly changed in salvation, it will take time for me to see if people are really having a heart change in our Convention. It’s not being skeptical to do so in my opinion, it’s simply not jumping to conclusions after two days of preaching, music, debating, voting. You can’t vote in a heart change that only comes from God. Time will tell, and I will be looking for the following things during that time:

1. Cooperation. A real, heartfelt, cooperation where non-essentials are not the criteria or even up for debate. Exclusion will cease on all things non-essential. That includes more than some are willing to admit.

2. Love. Genuine God given love for one another. Even those we disagree with. Love. The absence of platitudes such as God bless you, Have a nice day, or any number of other empty phrases meant to do harm and not good. Stop defending ourselves, but shutting our mouths at times and taking a deep look inside as David suggests in the Psalms. “Search me O God and know my heart…” because it’s the heart God deals with not anything else.

3. Cultural wars will end. We will be so busy loving them, giving them Jesus Christ, that we will not want to war against them.

4. The next year will be the tale tell sign of this being a Political move or a God move. If we come together in genuine love, if we embrace each other and long to tell others of Jesus Christ, that will be the sign. A sign that is not going to be proven over two days. Right now excitement is high, emotions are high, but like marriage, the honey moon phase will end and the true signs will begin. That is what I am going to be looking for.

But, Thom Rainer said it for me in his blog post today. The question each of us must ask is what am I going to do? A personal resurgence must take place before it can become corporate. Each of us must examine ourselves and our own motives. Are we willing to do that? Time will tell.

So although I am genuinely pleased with the Convention this year, and I have seen the doing away of Apple pie and the American way, thankfully, I also know that heart changes do not happen overnight usually, and the fruit will come with time. What seemed to occur over the past two days needs to continue on, and each person individually get before God and ask Him to search our hearts, and if there be any wicked way in any of us, that he reveal it, bring repentance to each of us, and cleanse us of it. Then put in us the desire for the lost that we should have, and guide us in the doing of it. Instead of condemning, instead of being disgusted by the lost, loving them, and desiring them to accept the Good news of Jesus Christ.

If this is a true Great Commission Resurgence, the leaders of this movement, Danny Akin, Johnny Hunt, and others, will take our focus off of them and their accomplishments and place it where it should be placed…The Lord Jesus Christ.

Be Patient Little Grasshopper

I watched the convention, followed twitter, read facebook, and I am still holding out on my observations . To be honest, I have to think about this, possibly watch some of the Convention again to form a view.

In times past, it was easy, this year, not so much. I can tell you that this is not a Calvinist(of which I am one, English smurched on purpose) vs. Non-Calvinist movement. My problem is how sincere is it, is it about cooperating and putting Christ as our only motive, which is all I desire, or are there underlying motives that I am not seeing now? I would like to think not, but I have also been involved in all things SBC to know that not all is at it seems.

I was happy about the involvement of the younger leaders this year. I do think that we need to listen to them, and I hope this involvement continues. More later as I process all the information.

And Everyone Wonders….

Why I agree this view is a Landmark, Fundamentalist view. Now you know.

Give Me That Old Time Religion…Is It Good Enough For Me?

Give me that old time religion Tis the old time religion,Tis the old time religion,And it’s good enough for me.
It was good for our mothers.It was good for our mothers.It was good for our mothers.And it’s good enough for me.
Give me that old time religion Tis the old time religion,Tis the old time religion,And it’s good enough for me.
Makes me love everybody.Makes me love everybody.Makes me love everybody.And it’s good enough for me.
Give me that old time religion Tis the old time religion, Tis the old time religion,And it’s good enough for me.
It has saved our fathers.It has saved our fathers.It has saved our fathers.And it’s good enough for me.
Give me that old time religion Tis the old time religion,Tis the old time religion,And it’s good enough for me.
It will do when I am dying.It will do when I am dying.It will do when I am dying.And it’s good enough for me.
Give me that old time religionTis the old time religion,Tis the old time religion,And it’s good enough for me.
It will take us all to heaven.It will take us all to heaven.It will take us all to heaven.And it’s good enough for me.
Give me that old time religion Tis the old time religion,Tis the old time religion,And it’s good enough for me.

I’m sure we have all heard or sang the song “Give Me That Old Time Religion” sometime in our lives, either on the radio where it was a popular song, or at church camp in our youth. But is that “old time religion” that was good enough for mom, dad, grandpa, really good enough for us?

I’m not remotely suggesting that the things that are in scripture be abandoned. I’m certainly not saying like Oprah’s latest religion, that there is more than one way to heaven, but I am asking the question why we individually believe what we believe. Do we embrace it because the BF&M says we should? Do we hold on to what we believe because it was good enough for mom, dad, grandpa, grandma? It’s what we were taught in church, seminary? Our ancestors believed it? It’s our “Baptist Identity?”

I ask this because when hearing Southern Baptists give testimony, it is said that they are Southern Baptists because they were “born into it.” They began attending because mom and dad were members and brought them as babies, they never left. That statement has always bothered me. It is a statement I have heard from my in-laws who attended a Mennonite church for years. It may be why we have the problem of unregenerate membership in our Southern Baptist churches today.

I am a Southern Baptist by choice. My husband and I moved to Oklahoma seventeen plus years ago and wanted to find a Bible believing church. Although I have disagreed with some policies of late, I embrace totally the doctrine of Southern Baptists concerning baptism, the virgin birth, faith in Christ for our salvation, evangelism, discipleship. I loved the Southern Baptist Convention, or what I knew of it then, because of their dedication to missions, a work that is in my heart.

It was also the people and sermons in our Southern Baptist church in Enid, that caused me to rethink where I was in my relationship to Christ. Fact is I didn’t know how to have one. I knew all the rules, I knew how to do, I didn’t know how to just be, rest, enjoy God, to celebrate who I was in Christ Jesus.

Through patient people putting up with a confused woman’s questions, being shown how to study the Bible for myself, to wrestle with God myself, coming boldly before the throne(thank you Pastor Ted Kuschel), I slowly, and I do mean slowly, worked through doctrinal issues, until I began to fully embrace Christ as my Lord and Savior, as well as know in my head and heart, what I believe the Bible to teach and why.

Now, none of this is said to brag my any means, like Paul, it is the grace of God, not any good(which at that time was very little) works that I had done. I can honestly say I was the chief of sinners. I still am. The difference is that I know realize this, am able to know when I sin, and feel deep sorrow when God points it out. God is sanctifying me. I have a deeper love for people than I have ever had before. The gospel as taught in scripture has changed my life radically.

The hardest part however was that I had to abandon that “old time religion” that was good enough for mom, dad, grandma. I had to believe in Christ because I truly believed in Him with all my heart, soul, and mind. Not because mom and dad did. Not because theologians and Christians in history did. But because God turned my heart of stone into flesh, the Holy Spirit moved deeply in me, to realize I am a sinner who deserves hell. That Christ, through his life, death, burial, and resurrection, made a way of escape for me. What was formerly head knowledge, having been brought up in a Baptist church, moved into my heart.

That same wrestling and faith in other areas of doctrine must be applied. We cannot as Christians, as Southern Baptists, believe something because we are simply told to, commanded to, if you will. It cannot be believed because it is part of our history, it has to be a God work. A wrestling, a studying of all of scripture. Not just Hebrews or Revelation, or the Old Testament with a sprinkling of the New Testament, but all of scripture, to see what the Bible actually says.

By allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us, there are going to be differences in the non-essentials. We are not going to agree. The only way we are going to agree on all things is to give up thinking, reading, studying, and simply listen to sermons, seminars, lectures, and embrace what is said without even having to open our Bibles at home. Then we have an “old time religion, and it’s good enough for me” mentality. Is that truly what we as Southern Baptists want? Or are we willing to change our long held beliefs if scripture dictates we must. Are we willing for God to change our minds after 30, 40, 50 years of believing a doctrine that is in fact not scriptural? I have, I am. Are you?

I think only then will we see unregenerate membership begin to fade, and healthy, vibrant, Spirit filled churches begin to emerge that will make Satan tremble, and the gates of hell will not be able to destroy.

Maybe I Am A Little Intolerant

I read words of control, at least in my opinion, that go along the lines of “what will we answer at the judgment?” or ‘this Jesus is love stuff is just not cutting it’ or the classic, ‘it’s love when we preach hell, and sin(what they mean is what they believe to be sin, not what the Bible actually calls sin).

But the scriptures say:

Psalm 103

Of David.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

So I guess I am intolerant of those who attempt to hold people hostage with God’s wrath, which for Christians was what Christ took on the cross. He took the wrath meant for you and I.

Yes, there will be a judgment according to the Bible(2 Corinthians 5:10), but what is the purpose of that judgment? To show our faith is real. Any good we do is because of the work of God in us. It is grace by which we are saved, not ourselves, but our deeds reveal that our faith is real. They are evidence of our transformed lives, of our salvation.

There are those who have given a little ridicule to those who listen to John Piper, and I am one of those who does and always will because I find much of his teaching is in sync with the original intent of the authors. He gives an excellent illustration of the coming judgment seat:

Remember the story of how two harlots brought a baby to king Solomon, each claiming that the baby was hers (1 Kings 3:16-27). They asked king Solomon to act as judge between them. He said that a sword should be brought and that the baby should be divided and half given to the one and half to the other. The true mother cried out, “O, my lord, give her the child and by no means kill it.” Solomon said, give this woman the child, for she is its mother.

What was Solomon looking for? He was not looking for a deed that would earn the child. He was looking for a deed that would prove that the child was already possessed by birth. That is the way God looks at our deeds. He is not looking for deeds that purchase our pardon in his judgment hall. He is looking for deeds that prove we are already enjoying our pardon. The purchase of our pardon was the blood of Jesus, sufficient once for all to cover all our sins. And the means by which we own it is faith—and faith alone.

So yes, I am a little intolerant of those who say the word Grace but have no idea what it means, otherwise they wouldn’t be so dismissive of those who revel in the grace they have been shown by God by showing it to others. That is Christianity my friend. That is evidence of a life change. And again the best definition of grace I have ever read is from my own minister Wade Burleson who said and I paraphrase, that Grace is when someone steals your money, knocks you over the head in the process, and you get up go over and see if he needs more. That is the grace God has given to us, it is the grace we need to be giving to others, including those without Christ. It’s what Christ did when he was on earth.

Another thing I am intolerant of, Roger Moran is at it again. By the way Roger, you left out the rest of the passage to the verse you quoted, “and your neighbor as yourself.”

Are We Getting Scared?

The more I read before the Southern Baptist Convention is gearing up, the more concerned I am getting that we are headed back to square one. I think there are those in the Convention who are getting scared, wanting to please everyone, and getting away from the scriptures not closer to it.

We are getting scared. We are afraid to take risks. The answer is to get on our knees in prayer, get away from all the clutter for awhile, and to concentrate on where God wants us to go as a Convention. Get those Bibles out, no matter how much you think you know what the scriptures say and prayerfully dig deeper. We need to hear from God himself, not others. Not now.

I give the challenge to the leaders of the Conservative Resurgence and the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The goal should be the Gospel. Period. It is getting further and further away from that goal. So I give the call to prayer and reading of scripture, leaving all biases and thinking out other than those two things. Is it about having more children? Is it about all the clutter that is now becoming a part of the document I signed that I did not see when reading it? I don’t think so, and God will let us either flourish or fall depending on what we do in the next couple of years. I’ll be honest in that I am concerned that it is now turning into a Fundamentalist controlled document in order to get them to cooperate, and while I do believe they should have a say just as others should, where is it turning? I’m not so sure.

Alan Cross and Joel Rainey have posted two articles that further my view on this point. I want to support the Convention, but only if they get closer to scripture, closer to the goal of the gospel, which is freedom not bondage, not away from it.

So True

Just as the lost don’t understand the gospel, the saved rarely understand grace. There are few activities more exhausting and less rewarding than Christians attempting to please the people around them by maintaining impossible legalistic demands. What a tragic trap, and thousands are caught in it. When will we ever learn? Grace has set us free! That message streams often through the sermons and personal testimonies of the apostle Paul.

- Chuck Swindoll