Johnny and His Resolutions!

January 5th, 2010

jonathanedwardssmallbw   Jonathan Edwards is one of the greatest minds that America has ever known. While his intellect is clear through his countless writings, there is far more reason to admire this man of the early to mid 1700s. Jonathan was a man with a deep passion for God.  Hear the words of Jonathan himself concerning this passion for God:

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.  To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.  Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance.  These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun.  These are but streams.  But God is the ocean.  Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey toward heaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives; to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life.  Why should we labour for, or set our hearts on, any thing else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness (quoted by John Piper, A God Entranced Vision of All Things, 14).

To know God more deeply was the pursuit of his life.  By the age of 19 he had written seventy resolutions which he read through once every week throughout his life.  These resolutions were meant to be for self-evalution.  At the young age of 19, Jonathan was keenly aware of his own sinfulness and the need to have measures in place to keep his passion for God singular.  Therefore, he wrote these seventy resolutions to examine and guard his heart.

As we embark on a new year in the life of BLBC, let me share one particular resolution from Jonathan that I believe will challenge each of us:

Resolution 42: Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.

I choose this resolution so that we each might think through the covenant commitment that we made with one another through our membership with this fellowship of believers.  Jonathan was resolved, first, to continually renew himself before God.  God is first and foremost to be the object of our affection and devotion.  As we love God more we will love His body more.  As our passion for God grows, our love for one another will grow. 

Maybe we should look at this in the form of some questions.  If your love for God is reflected in your commitment to His body, how much love do you seem to have for God?  Occasional?  Part-time?  Sometime?  All-the-time?  For Jonathan there is an undivided correlation between our love for God and our commitment to the church.  If God is “our proper end, and true happiness,” then the church is a primary means by which our joy in God is expressed.

I pray that each of us will be more resolved this year in our passion for God and our commitment to His body.

Resolved with you,

Pastor Doug

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Thanksgiving before Thanksgiving?

October 23rd, 2009

It was one of those mornings. I woke up unthankful. Unthankful that I could walk, that I could see, that I could taste, that I could talk to my wife. Because of my heart of ingratitude, my wife left for her work probably wondering why her husband was panicky about the day that had barely started. I left the house in a hurry, upset that it was raining, upset that I didn’t have exactly what I would have liked for breakfast, upset that I did not take more time to show my wife that I was grateful and I was worried about whether or not the day would pan out as I envisioned.

At 10 AM I picked up two pieces of free furniture for the youth room worried if they would get soaked by rain on the back of my pickup on the 20 minute drive home. They did. On my way back down 65-S I was stopped in traffic due to an accident. As I approached the scene of the accident, I half-heartedly offered a prayer for the driver’s safety and at the same time was still upset that the traffic was so backed up. Was I thankful for free furniture? Was I thankful that I had a vehicle to pick them up? Was I thankful that the Lord allowed me to not be involved in an accident?

By God’s grace, not long after waking this morning, I read Psalm 120 and 121. Now as I sit in my office, the words of the Psalmist are ringing in my ear… “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth…The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” I’m reminded how desperate I am for God. Left on my own, I will let rain and furniture and food determine my joy at times…how pathetic! This morning revealed a heart of ingratitude and a heart of self-reliance and a heart of distrust in God’s plans for the day.

It is one of those mornings now. I’m reminded that God is my keeper. God is my hope. God is my help. God is my joy. I’m thankful for God, for my wife, for my church.

“Lord, give me the grace to be thankful at all times, in all circumstances. Teach me your ways and show me your truths and mold me into a man whose heart finds satisfaction and joy completely in you, giving thanks and praise constantly for who you are and what you’ve done and what you have promised to do”

WA Kimble

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How many Planets are there?

October 19th, 2009

According to a recent article Lots More Planets Out There http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091019/ap_on_sc/us_sci_new_planets , astronomers have apparently discovered 32 more planets outside of our solar system. This brings the total number of planets discovered outside our solar system to 400!

 

The Psalmist says its best, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 (ESV) To think that there are billions of galaxies other than the one we live which is the Milky Way Galaxy, and to ponder on the nebulae and planets and stars we should be humbled at how great our God is.

 

Below is a picture taken from the Hubble Telescope. More pictures can be found   http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/nebula/pr2005035a/    

 

Also at BLBC, in the Youth Dept Library, there are two DVDs that are well liked by our students. Indescribable and How Great is our God by Louie Giglio are tremendous videos you may want to check out on this subject. They would be great to watch together as a family.

 

Wes"X" Structure at Core of Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)

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A Response to a Fellow Blogger

September 4th, 2009

Recently, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. R. Albert Mohler, wrote an article defending why Moralism is not the Gospel. He articulates the reality that in many churches, in the lives of many professing Christians that they think it is. At one point he reflects,

“Writing about his own childhood in rural Georgia, the novelist Ferrol Sams described the deeply-ingrained tradition of being “raised right.” As he explained, the child who is “raised right” pleases his parents and other adults by adhering to moral conventions and social etiquette. A young person who is “raised right” emerges as an adult who obeys the laws, respects his neighbors, gives at least lip service to religious expectations, and stays away from scandal. The point is clear — this is what parents expect, the culture affirms, and many churches celebrate. But our communities are filled with people who have been “raised right” but are headed for hell.”

We need not think long on this quote to understand how sadly truthful it is. At BLBC, will this be said of us? Or by the grace of God, will we be a pillar of truth and a community filled with parents who teach and model the gospel not works-righteousness, a community filled with counter cultural people who have the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, a community filled with redeemed sinners who take the gospel, not moralism, into their schools and work places and their own sanctification and to every tribe and every tongue and every nation.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

I am thankful for the impact of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, led by a President who preaches and lives out the Gospel. Take time to read his article found at http://www.albertmohler.com/ and posted on September 3 titled “Why Moralism is not the Gospel-And Why So Many Christians think it is”

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God over Summer

August 12th, 2009

BLBC Stirred Up "Venture into the Unknown"

BLBC Stirred Up "Venture into the Unknown"

With the commencement of a new school year, for parents and children, an enormous signal seems to flash “Summer is Over.” Children and Teenagers groan with phrases like, “I’m excited and at the same time I dread going back” Parents and Adults have a shift in mind that thinks, “Time to refocus.” These thoughts and words are cast into a melting pot and out of it comes, a hatred for seasons apart from summer. It’s not simply a hatred of seasons though, but a despising of the life God gives us and the changes He brings through the years. Our summer mind-set is that life is fun and enjoyable and refreshing and relaxing and full of leisure and lazy days spent outside. Our after-summer mindset is that life is uninteresting, boring, burdensome, dry and toilsome.

Where was summer for women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo where unruly troops committed horrendous violence against them.

Where was summer for children in India where they drink the same water they bathe and use the bathroom and wash their clothes in.

Where was summer for teenagers in Southern Guatemala who are starving to death because there is no food in their mud caked, dirt floor, thatched roof huts.

Where is there hope? At first reading, we might be moved that these people did not get a summer of vacations at Resorts with clean swimming pools, they did not get to splurge on meals at Outback Steakhouse with refreshing Sweet Teas, they did not go out for ice cream or watch movies in Air Conditioned living rooms, or enjoy summer camps, or even have the opportunity to complain about having to get back to a free education. Then again, there hope is not in a season. Is ours?

Their only hope is the gospel; our only hope is the gospel. Our summer mindset should be on God, our after summer mindset should be on God. We should rejoice in life and in the very next breath He allows us to take in. We ought to have zeal and excitement and passion to live for God’s glory every single waking minute of every hour of every day of every month of every year.

 It’s hard to know this, that summer is nearly over. Refreshing is the truth… that… God is forever.

 

 

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Kid’s @ Camp…..Cedarmore

July 23rd, 2009

Well….we made it and everything is going as smoothly as could be expected with 572 registered guest, 115 of them adult,  the rest….Screaming, Running around Crazy, Fun Loving Children. With that said, this year Crossings is shifting focus to be more mission oriented….10, 11 and 12 year olds really making a difference for the Kingdom of God, thru having them identify their Passion and hooking that up with what the Lord has really burdened them with. The Camp leaders have shared example after example of how this looks. Also, Crossings is operating camps around the world to get the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to those who have not heard the name of Christ. The offering that is being taken up this week is going to such camps to help those who can’t afford to go. And Lastly…not by priority…..the camp is being very, very intentional in sharing the Gospel. As the Camp Director mentioned, they only have 3 days to get to 400 plus children, and they are being very deliberate and clear what that message is ….Jesus Christ, Crucified, Buried and Gloriously Raised from the dead by the Father, and trusting in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to experience what God has planned for , continue to pray for our children that they may see God’s plan in there life….Believing in Him and Making Disciples, and continue to pray for the leaders of Crossings, that God would bless this ministry and bring many children to an understanding of who HE (God) is and a saving faith in HIM.

And on the fun side….i was able to take part in the blop today….in the middle of the lake there is this tower….around 20 feet off the water…under that there are two large and and i mean large pillows…you jump down to the pillow, then crawl out to the end of the pillow, and then someone else jumps on to the pillow, throwing you up and then into the water……very fun, pictures to follow…but lets just say i found the perfect Blopping Partner…..lots of air…..

In Christ

David Pressley

Children’s Director

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Take a Big Breath!

July 10th, 2009

images

Why the need for a big breath?  Because It would take a big breath to blow out 500 candles!  On his 500th birthday, many believers are talking about one of the world’s most influential theologians of all time–John Calvin.  While John Calvin is known for many lasting contributions to Christian theology, his most controversial teaching is with the doctrine of election or predestination.

Christians are divided when it comes to the doctrine of election.  Some say that the Bible does not teach it; others say that we should ignore it; and still others say that everything revolves around it.  Where does the doctrine of election or predestination fit in the life of BLBC?

To begin, passages such as Ephesians 1; Romans 8, 9, 10, and 11; and 1 Peter 1, to name a few, must be dealt with honestly.  These passages clearly teach the doctrine of election.  So to say that the Bible does not teach this wonderous doctrine is unfounded.  Further, because the Bible does teach this doctrine we do not have the luxury to ignore it or push it aside as if it will eventually go away.  Yet Scripture does not teach that everything revolves around this doctrine.  To the contrary, everything revolves around God!  Surely the apostle Paul’s exhortation in Romans 10:36 is fitting, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

The doctrine of election is not meant to be scary or even controversial.  However, I am a realist and know that it is scary to some and controversial to many others.  As I think about the legacy of John Calvin on the night of his birthday, I am grateful that he held high the biblical belief in a sovereign God who elects a people to himself, not a people who deserve it, but a people nonetheless. 

Though I do believe in the sovereign will of God to save whomever he wills (e.g., Acts 2:39; 13:48; Romans 9:10-13), God has give the means by which his elect are to hear the gospel–the Great Commission.  The doctrine of election does not nullify the Great Commission; it ignites it!  We may confidently go to the hard places, the poor places, the far places, the cold places, the indifferent places and trust in a sovereign God to change hearts as the gospel call goes out!

Paul was assured by God of this very hope.  While discouraged in the city of Corinth, Paul was ready to pack up and go elsewhere.  Then God spoke.  God told Paul to continue on with the Great Commission.  Why?  Because of the doctrine of election.  Hear the words of the Lord to a discouraged Paul,  

And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). 

What comfort to know that as we carry out the Great Commission we cannot fail.  The gospel does not fail, so the Great Commission will not fail.  It is certain and it is sure.  It is so because of God, not man.  So, on his 500th birthday, I am grateful for the courage of a man who stood against the theological shifting winds of his day.  However, I am more grateful for a God who assures us that his Great Commission will not fail because of his sovereign hand.

Happy birthday, John.  Sorry we have to eat and run, but the Great Commission calls us to the poor, the hard, and the far.

Trying to run with you,

Pastor Doug

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A Small Band of Followers

June 14th, 2009

I am grateful that God chooses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary.  After all, He did this with the apostles and He still does this today.  We began a new sermon series this morning in the book of Acts. I am calling this series–To Be Continued. . .  You see, what God began with the disciples, He continues on with us.  Lest we think that we are not qualified or gifted to such a task, we need only look at the apostles themselves.  These were men who were considered by the world’s standards as uneducated and ungifted. 

In Acts 4, the religious leaders upon recognizing Peter and John as follwers of Christ, identify them as “uneducated and untrained men” (Acts 4:13).  In other words, Peter and John were viewed as men without learning and gifting.  Yet, it was these very men who turned the world upside down with the gospel of Christ (Acts 17:6).

As a matter of fact, when we look at the resumes of the twelve apostles there is nothing to note of significance.  They were, in fact, ordinary men.  Four, for example, were fishermen.  One worked for the government.  And another was an activist.  There was nothing particularly impressive about this motely crew.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his book Authentic Christianity writes about this original band of followers,

“Well, there were a handful of people whom the authorities in Jerusalem regarded as ordinary, simple, unlettered, and ignorant men and women.  There were just twelve men essentially, and a number of others with them.  They had nothing to recommend them, no great names, no degrees, no money, no means of communication or of advertising.  They had nothing at all–they were nobodies.  And yet what we know to be a fact is that this handful of ignorant and unlettered people “turned the world upside down” (8).

And turn the world upside down they did.  They understood that God uses the foolish, ordinary things of the world to confound the wise.  Having experienced the transforming power of the gospel, they knew that what the world needed was what they had received–the gospel of God’s grace.

Still today, God uses not those who are the smartest and most skilled, but those who have received the transforming power of the gospel through the risen Lord.  Two-thousand years later, God is doing a great work by advancing His gospel through ordinary Jesus followers.

You and I know the gospel today because of the extraordinary witness of ordinary people.  Jesus’ call to the disciples–”but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1:8)”–is a call that echos still today in the hearts and lives of His people. 

This call is not for the wise, skilled, or even intelligent, but for the ordinary and ungifted.  What Jesus did with a small band of followers then is meant to be continued with the same urgency and passion that began two-thousand years ago.

May God raise up another small band of followers to take His gospel to the ends of the earth, until the end of time.

Banding together with you,

Pastor Doug

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Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

June 8th, 2009

I have been reminded in recent days that suffering is real. However, I have also been reminded in God’s Word that the Lord is sovereign. While we do not know when the pains of suffering will strike, we may find rest that when they do our God is over all things, even the pains in our life. Job understood this and lived by this promise.

Job is a book that is meant to give us confidence in the God who reigns over our lives. Whenever difficulties come, and they will, we can have confidence that Satan is placed sovereignly by God on a leash. The writer of Job tells us,

“Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.’ So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD” (Job 1:12).

Satan can only do what God permits him to do. Not only should we find comfort in an all-knowing and wise God who will only allow in our lives what He wills, the response of Job to such adversity is to be modeled.

In response to the loss of his wealth and, most devastatingly, the loss of his children, Job worshiped God. The writer records for us Job’s humbling reaction to the news of these tragic events:

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.’ Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (Job 1:20-22).

Wow, when our darkest days engulf us, worshiping God is always right and proper. When we do not understand the suffering around us, God is still worthy of our praise and adoration. When our world is torn apart, God still holds the world in His hands.

We praise Him when all is well, and we praise Him when all is uncertain and difficult. Only by God’s grace may we be able to sing, “When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

Only when we trust in a sovereign God can we sing, “It is well with my soul” in times of suffering.

Singing God’s praise with you,

Pastor Doug

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Joy Comes in the Morning

June 5th, 2009

Greetings to all of the BLBC family.  I look forward to seeing you all on the coming Lord’s Day.  I was reminded of the LORD’S goodness this morning as I dwelt upon the song of dedication of the house of David in Psalm 30:4-5: 

“Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.  For His anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life:  weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

My prayer for the each of you is that you (1) sing praise to the LORD; (2) give thanks at the remembrance of His Holy Name; (3) experience His joy that comes in the morning; and, (4) come together Sunday morning with His people to praise and worship the beauty of His Holiness!

Christ is LORD,

Bro. Chip

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