So Much for My Free Will!

Psalm 141:3-4
3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who do iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.

So much for my free will!

The proponents of the free will of man have one huge problem - man's nature, propensity and utter inclination to sin. The heart of man will always choose to act according to its greatest desire and therefore, without the gracious hand of God to intervene and set my heart straight, I will always disappoint and fail God.

The prayer of all the saints through all generations, who understand the condition of their hearts, yet want to please God, pray that the gracious benevolence of the Sovereign One would reach down and change them that they might be enabled to rightly serve Him.

O LORD, I need You to guard my mouth, because in myself, I cannot.

O LORD, I plead with You to give me the words to say, words that are "good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29) for I shall surely fail without Your help.

O LORD, do not incline my heart toward anything evil, for evil is so enticing, so tempting and I am so weak as to give into that sin for a season. Protect me from myself, I pray.

O LORD, may I find pleasure, joy and strength, not in the company of those who do not regard you, but with those who fear and love You.

O LORD, may I not long for their delicacies, the food of their preparation, morsels that appear so appetizing and yet will poison the stomach. May I feast on Your Word - "How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103).

O LORD, deliver me from my will and let me know, experience and walk in Your perfect will, enjoying the sweet fellowship that comes from intimate communion with You.

Not my will, but Your will be done!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Do We Need To "Spread Love"?

The following is a news clipping I pulled from the Internet:

“Pope Benedict XVI installed his first group of cardinals Friday, crowning 15 new princes of the Roman Catholic Church with scarlet hats symbolizing their willingness to shed blood in defense of the faith. Nearly a year after he became leader of the world's most powerful religious institution, Benedict used a solemn, regal ceremony in St. Peter's Square to urge his followers to proclaim a message of love "far and wide" that would unite and bolster Christians everywhere.”

As I listened to the news and followed the story of the installation of these Cardinals, I was impressed (not in a good way) by the various ways it was reported that the Pope charged these men, namely “to proclaim a message of love ‘far and wide’ that would unite and bolster Christians everywhere.” One news agency reported that the directive was to “spread love everywhere.”

Now I don’t want to sound like the unloving ogre, yet I have a real problem with the repeated cries, coming from all circles of Christianity, that the Church is to unite around this message of “love.” It is not that I dislike the message of “love.” My problem is that their so-called message of “love” is not my message, or better said, it is not God’s message. What is meant by this term “love” anyway? How convenient, that the message of Christ could be conveyed so ambiguously, using a term with which very few would argue. So, here I go, arguing with the term.

A quick review of a concordance will reveal that the Scriptures never call believers to such a nebulous task, a task to “spread love” or “proclaim a message of love.”

In Exodus 9:16, the LORD, speaking through Moses to Pharaoh a message of repentance and wrath said, "But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.” Now there is a message of “love.”

In Deuteronomy 32:3-4, Moses makes this his message of proclamation, 3 "For I proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! 4 The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.”

In Psalm 96:2 we receive this charge, “Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.” The message is not to be ambiguous. What on earth does anyone understand by hearing the phrase, “a message of love?” Rather, the message is far more specific as we “proclaim good tiding of His salvation.” Now we are getting somewhere. The message of God’s people is to proclaim “salvation” – deliverance from something dark and horrible, our own sin. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s proclamation in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4;

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

The message to be spread is not to be some vague or hazy sentimental message of “love” but rather is a message to notify man of his deplorable condition before God, namely that man is a sinner in desperate need of God’s intervention. Is this not truly the message to be spread?

Ephesians 2:1; 4-5

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…”

Yes, this is a message of “love”, but it is a “love” greatly unknown to the masses of people. We cannot afford to speak in such veiled terms, but must boldly proclaim the true essence of the Gospel, a Gospel motivated by the love of God, but a Gospel that nevertheless strikes a piercing blow to the confidence and arrogance of man; a message that is to cause a person to realize he is a sinner, and, that unless he repents, he will face a Christless eternity in hell.

Consider the words of Revelation 14:6-7. What is the message of the Gospel here?

6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."

Again we learn that the Gospel is to fear God, to give Him glory, to tremble at His coming judgment upon sin, to worship Him who is the Creator. Beloved, there is so much more that could be said, but suffice it to say we must resist the temptation to be vague in our presentation of the Gospel. Let us pray with the Apostle Paul,

19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Let Us Sing of the Wrath of God

I have spoken to my congregation, both in the past and recently, about how few songs there are that speak of God's wrath or of man's need to repent. How far do you suppose this song would make it in today's Christian culture?

In Thy Wrath And Hot Displeasure

Psalm 38:1

In Thy wrath and hot displeasure,
Chasten not Thy servant, Lord;
Let Thy mercy, without measure,
Help and peace to me afford.

Heavy is my tribulation,
Sore my punishment has been;
Broken by Thine indignation,
I am troubled by my sin.

With my burden of transgression
Heavy laden, overborne,
Humbled low I make confession,
For my folly now I mourn.

Weak and wounded, I implore Thee:
Lord, to me Thy mercy show;
All my prayer is now before Thee,
All my trouble Thou dost know.

Darkness gathers, foes assail me.
But I answer not a word;
All my friends desert and fail me,
Only Thou my cry hast heard.

Lord, in Thee I am confiding;
Thou wilt answer when I call,
Lest my foes, the good deriding,
Triumph in Thy servant'’s fall.

I am prone to halt and stumble,
Grief and sorrow dwell within,
Shame and guilt my spirit humble,
I am sorry for my sin.

Foes about my soul are closing,
Full of hatred, false and strong;
Choosing good, I find opposing
All who love and do the wrong.

Lord, my God, do not forsake me,
Let me know that Thou art near,
Under Thy protection take me,
As my Savior now appear.

The author of this text is unknown, but it would certainly do us well to so consider the wrath of God.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

The Goal of Preaching

I know that it is awfully easy to get overly verbose in one's personal blog (see what I mean). So let me see if I can keep this short and simple. I have been recently impressed with the great need and great privilege of preaching the Word of God. It is my most earnest prayer that I do not diminish the glory of Christ when I preach, but rather that I am truly able, by the power of God, to exalt Him. Therefore, I publish this simple resolve:

My goal in preaching the Word of God is to set the Lord Jesus Christ ever before His people; to let them see Him. Every passage is to unfold truth about the Lord.

My prayer:

O Lord, may I be as Ezra, "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel" (Ezra 7:10).

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Assurance of Salvation

I was reading over 1 John and was reminded of how this little letter gives encouragement as to how someone can have full assurance of salvation. To give credit where credit is due, I do believe that this brief outline is an adaptation from a message I heard by John MacArthur. Write this down in your notes for 1 John and may it help you walk closer to Christ.

The Tests of a True Christian:

Chapter 1. True Christians do not deny sin; they acknowledge and confess it.

1 John 1:8-9
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Chapter 2. True Christians walk in the way that Jesus walked (lived His life).

1 John 2:5b-6
5b...By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Chapter 3. True Christians do not continue over and over in sin (not continually characterized by a sinful lifestyle).

1 John 3:6
No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

Chapter 4. True Christians are characterized by their love of God and of one another.

1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Chapter 5. Thesis of the letter of 1 John - How to have assurance of salvation - the "doing" of "these things."

1 John 5:13
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

As we confess our sin, walk as Jesus walked, abstain from a habitual, sinful lifestyle, love God and one another, then we may have full assurance of God's working in our lives. When one or more of these things are absent, while it may not mean one is not saved, it certainly will rob one of any assurance of salvation and reflects sinful attitudes that must be confessed and repented for full assurance to be restored.

May we strive to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1).

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

God Does Not Do "Call Screening"

Just yesterday I was in my office meeting with a couple of the men in the church when my cell phone made itself known (it rang). Right then I had to make a decision. Here I was in my office discussing some rather heavy issues, not really in the frame of mind or position to take the call and yet the phone call was from someone in the church. In that moment, as I screened the call, I determined that the caller would have to leave me a message and I would have to call back ( I know - no one else has even been in this siutation - right?).

As I was later contemplating this, it dawned on me that the LORD never has to screen His calls. Rather, we have this promise as found in Psalms 34:15 saying,

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.

The apostle Peter utilized this passage in 1 Peter 3:12 and it reads just a bit different saying,

FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER...

I am so grateful for the attentive ears of the LORD. And while as a Pastor I may not do well at multitasking, being unable to engage in two conversations simultaneously, let us thank the LORD for His greatness, that He is -

able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Evolution Sunday

I guess that I am not that hip with what is going on in the "church" (using the term lightly) at large. In the mail I received an update from AiG (Answers in Genesis) informing me that February 12, 2006 was "Evolution Sunday."

And just what happened on "Evolution Sunday?" On this day, what was the 197th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin (author of Origin of Species; and popularizer of the "theory" of evolution), some 400 congregations in 49 states actually celebrated this occasion. And how did they celebrate it? Over 400 clergy actually preached about and in favor of evolution over a literal reading of the Genesis account.

To make matters worse, an atheistic university professor headed up a project call, "The Clergy Letter Project." In this project, this professor solicited clergy from across the United States to sign a letter supporting evolution and rejecting the Genesis account of creation as literal history. As of March 2006, over 10,250 clergy signed this document!

All this goes to show us how a high view of Scripture, along with its authority, is quickly eroding here in the States. We must become more Biblically literate and far more bold in our proclamation and defense of the Scriptures.

Psalm 11:3
If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

In the book of Acts, one of the telltale signs of having been filled with the Spirit of God was speaking the Word of God boldly. What happens in Acts 2? After the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples, Acts 2:11 tells us that the peoples declare:

"we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God."

The disciples were "speaking of the mighty deeds of God." Of course, right after this, Peter delivers a gospel message that saw 3000 people come to Christ. In Acts 4, after a run in with the religious leaders, being arrested and then released, Peter and John, along with the church in Jerusalem, prayed. In Acts 4:31 we read of the result:

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Oh that our conversation and speech would be liberally bathed by the Spirit of God with boldness, "speaking of the mighty deeds of God." While many in the "church" are abandoning the authority of the Word of God, may we commit to not being silent. Let us pray that the words of the psalmist be true of each of us who profess submission to the Lordship of Christ and to His Word:

Psalm 40:9-10
9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, You know. 10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

For more information concerning "Evolution Sunday" please visit the AiG website: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2006/0206evol_sunday.asp

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Let us be truly "seeker-sensitive"

Okay, here we go - the pastor must have truly lost his mind to make a post entitled "Let us be truly seeker-sensitive." Hear me out.

I was going through some of my notes from the Shepherd's Conference and was reminded of statement made by R.C. Sproul that said to the effect that the term "seeker-sensitive" can biblically only refer to Christians (as opposed to unbelievers) since only those who are quickened by the Spirit of God actually "seek."

The conclusion therefore is that a truly "seeker-sensitive" church ought not to appeal to what unbelievers think they want or need from the church, for the "natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Rather, the church ought to appeal to the real needs of believers in Christ, which is to "grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). This means we need churches and preachers to boldly and rightly preach, "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27), not appealing to the wisdom of this world, but rather to the wisdom of God who expressly declared in 2 Timothy 4:2-4;

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (NKJV)

The unbeliever cannot be rightly called a seeker. Romans 3:10-11 makes this clear:

There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. (NKJV)

And again, the words of our Lord Jesus confirm this same thing as we read in John 6:44;

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. (NKJV)

On the other hand, when God's people are truly hunger for God, they seek Him, primarily through His Word. This is seen in part in the book of Nehemiah and in Acts where we read;

Nehemiah 8:1

Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. (NKJV)

Acts 17:11
Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (NASU)

The people told Ezra to "bring the Book" and the Bereans "received the word with great eagerness" and were "examining the Scriptures daily." Here then are your true seekers - those who love the Word of God and want to intimately know the God of the Word, something that Scripture says comes only to those with the Spirit of God. Any other definition for "seeker-sensitive" is unbiblical and therefore theologically incorrect.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Trembling at the Word of God

In the mail yesterday came a box of books that I had to send to myself from the Shepherd's Conference. Most of the books were given to the men that attended, far too many books to stuff into a suitcase (my suitcase was already so stuffed that it came back to Arkansas half opened. It did not help that the TSA inspectors opened it - better safe than sorry I suppose).

One of the books that caught my attention, as this was one of the first times I was truly able to examine the books, is entitled "Gospel Fear - A Heart that trembles at the Word of God" by Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1648). As the date reveals, this is an old Puritan text, actually based off of a series of sermons from Isaiah 66:2 and 2 Kings 22:19 that Burroughs preached.

Isaiah 66:2
"For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

2 Kings 22:19
"...because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD.

Burroughs writes: "True fear and trembling at the Word is that which will settle the heart and strengthen the heart against all other fears."

May our hearts not wax cold and irreverent toward God and His Word! Let us learn, O LORD, to properly fear, that is reverence You. Let us tremble at Your Word; not as the prey fears the predator, but rather in holy awe and in joy at the works of You hands, particularly the work of saving wretched sinners like ourselves from sin (1 Peter 3:18), from Satan (Colossians 1:13) and from death (Romans 7:24-25a). Let us remember and practice the truth -

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

Instruct us, O LORD and may we tremble in awe and joy in Your presence and in Your Word.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Real Men Sing Real Loud

Real Men Sing Real Loud

Most of you know that this has been one of my mottos or “mini-creeds” as I seek to promote hearty, genuine worship in the church. Scripture is replete with calls for God’s people (and God’s men) to come before God with a joyful shout:

Psalm 98:4-6
4 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn Shout joyfully before the King, the LORD.

There is nothing “quiet” about worship in these verses. In fact, the next verses make it clear what our competition is in worship:

Psalm 98:7-8
7 Let the sea roar and all it contains, The world and those who dwell in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy…

We will have to sing real loud to make a more joyful noise than the seas, rivers and mountains. But the passage I wish to draw your attention to is found in Acts 16. The setting is this, Paul and Silas had traveled into the area of Macedonia (northern Greece) after Paul had a vision calling him there. They had come to the city of Philippi and on the Sabbath went to the river supposing that there would be gathered there some for prayer.

It was at this site that the first convert to Christianity in Europe made a profession of faith. You know her as Lydia, the seller of purple, from Thyatira. Not long after this Paul and Silas, who could not be silent concerning the Gospel, made some of the locals mad with their preaching and most specifically with casting out the spirit of divination from a slave girl and were subsequently cast into prison, lock, stock and barrel. Here is the text:

Acts 16:22-25
22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

For all intents and purposes, Paul and Silas were in for it. With hands and feet bound in that inner prison, Paul and Silas might well have thought that their lives were about to be given for the cause of Christ. What a difficult situation. All they did was preach the Gospel and deliver a little girl from demon possession and now they were facing the possibility of death. What would you do? Perhaps cry? Feel remorse? Try to figure a way out of the predicament? Notice what Paul and Silas do in the next verse:

Acts 16:25
25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

In the dead of night, which is one of the most ominous times there are when you are in dire circumstances, Paul and Silas, after some praying, broke out into the singing of hymns of praise to God, evidently in two-part harmony. But now notice what Acts 16:25 says, the other prisoners “were listening to them.” The word used here for “listening” does not mean simply “to hear,” as if these prisoners were being subject to something they did not care about. The word means "to listen intently." It appears that these prisoners were not only "hearing" the hymns of praise (real men sing real loud), but that they were also paying attention to the faith and hope of Paul and Silas. How could these men praise God when in such dire circumstances? Because they knew that ultimately God was in control and that God would use it for His own good will and pleasure to the praise and glory of His name (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11). Oh that we might have such a faith! A faith that does not recoil in light of difficult times; a faith that does not give in to the temptation to shrink back and grumble at our situations. Rather, may our faith be one that not only trusts that God is our light and salvation, but also one that declares:

Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.

I don’t know how many of these prisoners came to a saving knowledge of Christ because of the singing of Paul and Silas; perhaps several, perhaps none; but evidently their singing was loud enough and the content of their songs God-centered enough that many “listened intently.” We do know that this episode eventually led to the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his household (Acts 16:27-35). Let us be a people, who even in the darkest hour (midnight) will lift up our voices in praise of a good and awesome God and may God then use our faith in Him to bring others to the light and knowledge of Christ!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Our Definition of the Church

Our Definition of the Church

1 Timothy 3:15
…the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

I was recently asked by one of our members if I might help them find a church to attend while she travels out of State. I thought to myself, “No problem, how hard could that be.” So I conducted my various searches via the Internet and found this task to be a bit more challenging than I thought.

It is absolutely amazing to me how the vast majority of churches present themselves. Far from declaring themselves to be “the pillar and support of the truth,” I find most churches catering to the “felt” needs of people rather than offering them the real substance of their need, the need to have a right and high view of God, while recognizing their own sinfulness and need of God’s only Son as Savior from their dreadful condition. How’s that for a church slogan?

One church website I visited enticed its viewers in with the following opening paragraph:

“We've got good news for you! [Name withheld] church is designed to meet your needs. We're a group of friendly, happy people who have discovered the joy of the Christian lifestyle.”

Where stands it written that the “good news” is that the church is designed to meet your needs? The good news is that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Another church had the following as it description of the church:

The [name withheld] is a dynamic community of faith. We are a full service church. We are people of all ages. Some of us live here all year and others part of the year. We enjoy the blessing of having visitors from around the world. Our faith is positive. We believe in a loving God and strive to bring faith and hope to our world…We are a [Name withheld] Church with open hearts, open minds and open doors. We accept each person wherever they are on their journey of faith.

A “full-service” church? A positive faith? (As opposed to those churches that promote a negative faith). And by saying that they “accept each person wherever they are on their journey of faith” they are saying that they are simply receiving “Christians” at various levels of growth. Rather, they are saying that whatever kind of faith you possess, bring it on in to the church, because we have “open hearts, open minds and open doors.”

Rather than promoting such warm-fuzzy feelings, the church is to make a bold and straightforward proclamation of the truth. Here is another church that I believe has it correct:

Purpose Statement:
We exist to glorify God by making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the whole world through the proclamation of God’s Word, resulting in transcendent worship, kindred fellowship, strategic ministry, and biblical evangelism.

Evangelism:
A sovereign God working through the faithful presentation of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, calling for repentance and faith, in order that His elect may be regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

This is the message of the church – a high view of God in His holiness and sovereignty; a high view of Scripture as to its authority and trustworthiness; a right view of man as absolutely poor and in need of the grace of God; and a right view of Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation, having died a perfect death for our sins, thus imputing to us His perfect righteousness, enabling us to follow after and live for Him.

The sad truth is, too many churches are following after anything but such a clear message, failing to be “the pillar and support of the truth.”

I close with a rather humorous (yet too often true) identification of the church that was sent to me by one of my members. Oh that none of these would be our definition of the church.

The following excerpt is taken from an excellent book by Glen Wagner entitled, The Church You’ve Always Wanted (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), p. 29-31.

· The Church of Networking—Make contacts to expand your business.

· The Church of the Significant Other—Find that special someone. Hey, it’s better than a singles bar.

· The Church of Social Service and Need Fulfillment—No need is too great or too small.

· The Church of Heavenly Investment with Earthly Dividends—For the amount of money I contribute, I expect a significant return.

· The Country Club Church—Gather to celebrate that you can gather together and that others can’t…at least, not with you. Caters to the right kind of people. Long-term members get the best tables and the best parking spots.

· The Church of Heavenly Fun and Sanctified Pleasure—Keep me and my kids occupied so they don’t get into trouble. If you can’t fill my nights and weekends with fun and excitement, then I’ll have to take my business/membership elsewhere.

· The Church of the Grand Stadium-Watch the gladiators of God do battle with the team of evil.

· The Church of the Self-service, Spiritual Garage—Gives a periodic oil change (or anointing).

· The Church of the Fast-food Restaurant—Get what you need, quick, easy, cheap. Just enough to sustain you for another week.

· The Church of the Celestial Savings and Loan—Stop by and make a few deposits, because you never know when you’ll need to make a withdrawal.

· The Church of the Diving Resort- Come here and be catered to. Others will do you bidding and pamper you.

· The Church of Hellfire—Turn or burn, shake or bake, deny or fry. Others are going to hell…and aren’t you glad?

· The Church of the Citadel—It is a fortress on a hill. Builds buildings, starts programs, and concentrates its efforts within its walls. If it doesn’t happen on this property, it must not be of God.

· The Church of the Mega Mall—Has what the other churches don’t—and, quite frankly, does it a whole lot better. Whatever you need, it has it, tailored and fit to your specifications. Bring the whole family—it’s you one-stop shopping center. If you can’t find it, the church will create if for you, since its job is to keep you happy in Jesus’ name. It won’t threaten you, guilt you, worry you, or overburden you. It wants your time here to be enjoyable, so that you’ll come back and do business again.

· The Church of Evangelistic Fervor—All activities during the week and on Sunday mornings lead up to one exciting moment; the altar call. Get ‘em to the front and get ‘em saved.

· The Church of Sanctified Information—Pours out a stream of biblical material. The people eagerly fill their notebooks; the one will the fullest notebook and the fullest head gets the title “Most Spiritual.”

· The Church of the Latest (and Largest) Program—Presents one extravaganza after another: musicians, preachers, concerts, dramas. The one with the newest, most expensive, and largest attendance wins.

· The Church of Holy Tradition—A museum of and for the saints. The people gather to dust off old relics and be touched by the sacrifices of the past. Nostalgia is everything. Worship amounts to warm feeling about God.

· The Church, Inc.—An organization run like a small business or large corporation, depending on its size. The CEO sets the direction and has little contact with the rank and file. Buy into the vision, baby!”

Again I say, may this not be our definition of the church!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Only the Word is Pure!

Having been back from the Shepherd's Conference I have had time to reflect and consider the many things I have learned. I have been transferring my hand-written notes onto the computer so that I might actually be able to read them later.

One of the striking nuggets of truth that impacted me greatly was made during a message by Steven Lawson regarding the preaching of God's Word. To be sure, the only reliable message by a preacher is a message from and saturated with the Word of God. But Steven Lawson took me a step further. One of the elements of the church service that can be neglected or disregarded is the reading of Scripture. Yet, Paul specifically instructs the young pastor Timothy, "Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching" (2 Timothy 4:13). And here now is what struck me -

The only time the preacher is infallible is when he is reading straight from the Word of God.

Even the man who has studied to show himself approved of God is yet tainted by sin and will yet interject the flesh rather than the divine. With this in mind, we should all look at the public reading of the Word not as some old-fashioned preparation or as some quaint practice that has little impact, but rather as the most glorious and pure receiving of the Word.

As the Psalmist has written: "Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it."

Oh that we would so love the Word of God for in reading and heeding it is the only safeguard against the sin which so easily entangles. Oh how I fear that sin might grip me unawares and lead me down a path away from God. Oh how I pray for the flock that God has entrusted to me, that first, my sin might not be counted against it; and second that those who are engaged in habitual, continual sin, would have their eyes opened, that they would repent, truly crying to God to change their hearts to reflect the genuine fruit of repentance. Let us be reminded that sin is crouching at the door and its desire is to master us.

Hebrews 3:12-13
"12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

There is great joy and encouragement knowing that in Christ, sin has been paid for and that all those in Christ are new creatures. Let us strive to manifest the newness of our creaturehood in Christ to the glory of God the Father.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Why Go To Church?

Why go to church?

I know that the title of this entry may seem a bit strange. Why on earth is Pastor Ed getting all sermon like when all we wanted was an informational blog? The truth of the matter is that this question of “why go to church?” actually is informational. To be sure, I could tell you about the speakers and the seminars, which again were insightful, educational, inspirational and exhilarating; but beyond the information I gleaned, in addition to the notes that I took, the LORD taught me from the other side of the pulpit and answer to this question, “Why go to church?”

I am not sure if I mentioned in my first account that due to the amount of people at the conference, Jase, Bryan and I ended up in an overflow room, watching Dr. MacArthur via closed circuit TV. It was great to see and hear him. The truths he conveyed were just as real and insightful as I have come to expect. Yet, there was something missing. The next session, and all subsequent general sessions, we have made sure to be in the main worship center and here in lies the answer to the question, “Why go to church?”

There is simply and truly a different atmosphere and effect upon the soul when gathered in the very room where the music to which one sings is being produced. There is more intensity and power heard and felt as voices are lifted up in unity to the praise and glory of God. There is a moving and quiet power to be in the room where the man of God, he who has studied and who has poured out his life to dig into the word of God is now communicating truths (not man-made opinions) concerning the blessed communication of the living God to man.

Again, having sat through the first session by watching it on TV and then actually being in the services after than, I can tell you first hand that any who thinks that skipping out on church is inconsequential, who thinks that they can replace live participation with God and the saints by turning on a TV or listening to the radio or popping in a CD, is gravely mistaken. There is no substitute for being gathered with the saints. Sadly, we allow too many things, some seemingly important, some seemingly good, and yet others outright bad and sinful, to rob us of the blessing that God Himself established with the blood of His Son as Acts 20:28 says to the Elders at Ephesus, “…shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
I am grateful for a week of sitting under some of the giants of the faith in our generation. I praise the Lord for the opportunity to learn how to sit, how to listen, how to learn and how to appreciate the greatness of our God, the wonder of the ministry of preaching and teaching His Word and of the blessed fellowship of the saints, lifting up voices and hearts to the Almighty God who redeemed us, giving us life, life now in Christ and for Christ as well as life eternal, yet still in Christ and for Christ.

Why go to church? We go to honor God. We go to obey God. We go to worship God. We go to be the body, the church? We go because we are commanded to do so. Anything less betrays our standing as the children of God. Let us love God and let us love the church.

Hebrews 10:23-25
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ed

It Never Rains In California?

“It Never Rains In California” – except of course when you are attending a Bible Conference (having forgotten an umbrella – actually Pastor Ed has one, but Jase’s is somewhere in Texas). I awoke this morning to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof. And while so many dislike such “dreary” days, perhaps singing “Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down,” I would rather draw from the line of the great hymn, “Immortal, Invisible” where we sing, “Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.”

The LORD has most certainly been raining down His love, mercy and truth upon us here at the conference. Yesterday’s general session conference speakers included Mark Dever, and Al Mohler, both of which hit right to the heart. Some of us were commenting how their messages spoke right to the very situations in which we find ourselves in, situations that are often so divergent and yet, these men, as they proclaim the truth of God’s Word, become vehicles of the Holy Spirit, speaking to our hearts, our concerns – encouraging us on to greater dependence upon our loving Savior and greater devotion to our living God.

Some of you know that I have always appreciated the life and ministry of George Whitefield. One of the break out sessions cover these very things. It was a well-attended and well-received seminar. Whitefield was admired by his contemporaries and continues to be the source of inspiration to subsequent generations of preachers. Giving glory to God for his life, men like Benjamin Franklin, Jonathan Edwards, J.C. Ryle, Charles Spurgeon and D. Martin Lloyd Jones have been encouraged by the life and preaching of this man. By all conservative estimates, Whitefield preached more than 30,000 sermons over his 34 years of ministry (that’s about 2.5 sermons a day, everyday). When someone asked how he prepared for a Sunday sermon, he remarked that the best way to prepare to preach for Sunday is to be preaching all week long. I wonder what would happen if we were preaching 2 or 3 sermons a day, would there be people coming out to listen (of course Whitefield was the father of open air preaching, often preaching to crowds of 10,000, 20,000 or more.) There was one occasion in Scotland where it was estimated that he preached to more than 100,000 people, all without the aid of electronic amplification.

We truly are being blessed here. I am being fired up to “preach the word” with more passion, more fire and by a greater dependence upon the Holy Spirit of God. Our hearts desire must be the conversion of souls to Jesus Christ. We have been left upon this earth not to live for ourselves, but to live for Jesus. Our mandate is clear – your mandate is clear –

Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Do you belong to the LORD? Are you ready to see others come to Christ? Then “go” I say and make learners of Jesus Christ, teaching them to obey all that He commands.

Romans 10:13-17
13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" 16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Be one of “beautiful feet” today!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ed

Another Sunny Day in LA

Okay, this might be interesting. If I repeat myself, it is because I am now at the home of Katie Woodell’s parents typing this, without access to the internet. Without such access, I can view the last blog I typed and so, I will do my best not to be redundant.

It is about 10 pm here and we just got back from a day that has so filled our heads with truth, knowledge and applications that we are reeling a bit. But what a way to flood the mind. The day began with a General Session and John MacArthur challenging the men from Matthew 16:13-28. I think I made mention of that earlier. After this session was lunch – lunch for 3300 men plus 600 volunteer staff. What a feat and yet it was obvious that they knew what they were doing.

After lunch was the first of two break out sessions. The first session that Jase and I went to was entitled, “Maneuvering through Ministry Minefields.” It was in effect a tour through 1 and 2 Timothy, focusing upon four exhortations from 2 Timothy that will help church leaders biblically work through problems in the church. I will give you the outline, but the details will have to come later:

1. Reproduce yourself (2:2) – leaders must be developed and trained
2. Rescue the drifters (2:14-16) – those who fall away. The church has unprecedented access to more error than at any time in history via radio, TV and the internet, errors that produce confusion, doubt and disobedience.

Effective leaders can rescue drifters by being precise with the Word of God (2:15); and pure in life and example (2:20-22).

3. Resist the times (3:1-4:5) - people will not want to “do church” God’s way.
4. Rely on the Lord (4:6-22) – people will let you down; even those who support ministry; must trust in the Lord for God-glorifying ministry.

Our second session was concerning biblical reasons for believing in the Pre-trib Rapture. This was a most insightful session, giving an honest appraisal at what exactly the scriptures say concerning the Rapture. One thing I would emphasize here is that regardless of one’s eschatological view (understanding of end times), the Bible does teach a rapture. The only question is regarding when is the rapture. Dr. Richard Mayhue gave both a critique as well as substance to the Biblical evidences that points to the pre-trib rapture.

For dinner we went out on the town, walking to the corner and eating at Subway. Oh, and by the way, speaking of eating. This morning I had the most wonderful pop-tarts. You might recall that there was a stink made about my purchasing unfrosted pop-tarts on the Slidell trip – how I mentioned that I preferred the unfrosted, while everyone else wanted frosted. Well, these pop-tarts that were provided by Katie, but they were frosted. The big question was, “Will Ed eat the frosted pop-tarts?” I must admit, I was concerned. But then I noted something – these Pop-tarts were “organic.” Organic pop-tarts? I had to try them. And what was the result of my first experience with organic pop-tarts – I loved them! Even frosted! So, I have concluded that frosted pop-tarts are okay – if they are organic!

After dinner we prepared ourselves for the evening general session with John MacArthur again. The whole experience was fantastic. Over 3000 men singing “Be Thou My Vision,” “Marvelous Grace,” “In Christ Alone,” and “And Can It Be?” The music was accompanied by a small but talented orchestra – and boy, was it great. This followed by some special music that was absolutely superb caused even John MacArthur to say, “I’d better be good after all that!” There was no disappointment as JMAC exposited Luke 15. Some great insights into a passage that reveals that God finds joy in recovering sinners. Oh the grace of God that saves wretches like ourselves. We ought to be more amazed at His grace.

Anyway, it is rather late, and although you will be getting this the day after I wrote it, I am tired and need to go to bed. You all are in my thoughts and prayers. Make sure that what you do, whatever it is, in your jobs, in your relationships, in your integrity, that it is all done to the glory of God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (Colossians 3:17).

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ed

Thoughts and Pictures

Hi all!

We have finished our first session and have had lunch. John MacArthur opened the conference and what a blessing - being challenged concerning "what is the Church?" (Matthew 16:13-28). The only problem was, I did not see him deliver the message "in person." There are nearly 3800 people here and by the time we got into the worship center, there was no room. We had to go to the gym and watch the first session via closed circuit tv. It was still great! (Although we do plan to get to the worship center a bit earlier for the next general session.

I have been amazed at all the people I (or Jase) know. It reminds me how small the evangelical Christian coimmunity really is. In fact, I was thinking late last night how much I was looking forward to this time, to see people I know, who are on the same doctrinal page as I am, along with a multitude of others who also share such a vision. Wouldn't it be great if we could all just collaborate together, perhaps work together in some ministry? Some of us have dreamed of working in such a situation. Maybe a few like minded pastors could start a church and work together. I wonder if such such a ministry would work or if we would all "kill" each other. But the bottom line is that we have a command:

Matthew 28:19-20
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."


So, while I love times such as this for growth and encouragement, I also know that we must "go" and make learners of Jesus Christ right where the Spirit of God leads us.

Now, here are some pictures:

Jase and I encouraging each other


Here is the meteor crater I saw from the plane:



Well, there is only one picture. For some reason I am not able to upload any more at that time. Our next session is about to begin, so I will try again later. God bless all.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ed

We Made It to LA!

We made it to LA – but not without incident. Upon arrival at XNA (Northwest Arkansas Airport), we learned that our flight was delayed…an hour and a half. Oh well. Jase and I occupied the time by talking about life, church and ministry.

The flight itself was relatively smooth. There was a lot of cloud cover, so the scenery was limited to small windows of opportunity. And while I took some pictures, such pictures, taken from 30,0000 feet and through a jet window, well, let’s just say, its not as breathtaking. I did feel blessed to see and take a picture of this meteor crater (although I really have no idea in which state it was – perhaps Arizona).

Remember that I told you our flight was delayed – an hour and a half. While this did not pose such a problem for Jase and I, it did have its affects on others. First, we were to meet Bryan Ryan, our pastor friend from the Atlanta, GA area. He flew via stand by – getting to the Atlanta airport early and was able to secure an early flight to LAX. He actually arrived in LA at 10:30 am PT. We were supposed to arrive at 3:30 PT, so Bryan already anticipated a wait. But we did not get in until 5:15 pm PT. Needless to say, Bryan got in a lot of “quiet times.” But as Bryan always is, he met us with grace.

Now I said that our flight affected others. The other “others” that were affected (an of which you might have interest) most of you know. Upon our arrival at the terminal, Jase and I noticed several young children waving. At first I thought they must be waving at someone behind us. Then I realized that these children looked awfully familiar. Then I realized that they were in fact Woodells. The Woodells were returning from their time in the LA area on the same jet that just brought us from Arkansas. So, we had a brief reunion, had our picture taken together and sent them on their way. I can’t believe we had to fly all the way to California to see the Woodells.

As we left LAX, we were taken by shuttle to the rental car place. That trip was more fraught with danger than the jet. At one point the drive slammed on his brakes so hard that he just about threw all of us out of our seats. Whew! We did manage to make it, got our car and headed north to the home of Katie Woodell’s parents, Mary and George. After stopping for dinner at a “El Pollo Loco” (it has been nearly 20 years since I ate at one in San Diego), we easily found Mary and George’s home and got settle in.

There is much more to share and I need to add some pictures, but time does not allow for it now. As I write this, I am at Grace Community Church. We have met up with several men we know (praise the Lord). This morning, in my devotion time, I read Psalm 111:1-2 which I pray fits the very reason why I have come to this conference. It reads:

1Praise the LORD! I will gie thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly. 2 Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them.

May this be true - may we all delight in the great works of the Lord. I will write more latter.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ed