Making Gates

Well, I haven't been posting much lately. That will probably continue for a bit. With cooler weather and the ever-increasing tidy-up projects, more of our free time has been spent outside. For the last couple of weeks I have been welding a gate together from scrap oilfield pipe, and an antique spoked wheel. We have always wanted an exit from the front yard west into the pecan orchard, so as cooler weather arrived I began the project. I made the breach in the fence over a month ago, and then had the hardest time finding the material needed to do what I wanted to do. The gate is up in the gap but I am still working on the nifty little latch. I should be finished with all but the brushing down and painting this weekend. This gate is the widest of my three yard gates because the other two were too small to allow our new mowing machine into the front yard. This Sunday next I suspect that Pastor Rod will be discussing gates, as he has worked his way through The Sermon on the Mount to that point (Matthew 7:13, 14) where Jesus commands his hearers to “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.". I remember the first time I heard a message from this passage from Thom Smith, now pastor of Randolph Street Baptist Church, in Charleston, West Virginia. It must have been twenty-five years ago. The thing I remember him stressing most was that most people draw the wrong analogy from the two gates. The two gates do not represent belief versus non-belief, but rather the one, true belief versus all of the multitude of false beliefs. Pastor, Sunday-school teacher, Brother, as you preach, teach, walk, what kind of gates are you building for people to walk through? Be sure to check out all of the other bloggers photos at the Friday Photo Group on Flickr. I have started a set on Flickr named Making Gates that I will be adding to as my gate project progresses. Check it out.

Friday Photos: Storms

A line of thunder storms formed over eastern Oklahoma last Thursday, bringing us much needed moisture, without any of the nasty weather in the mix. The next day, the line reformed about a hundred miles east, over in western Arkansas. This time it was a bit more dicey, but still nothing really severe, just lots of rain. This first shot was taken about 3:45 p.m. from just east of the Port of Catoosa. Yes, Tulsa has a sea port. Later, back in Tulsa, this next shot was taken about 7:20 p.m. at the corner of 51st and Mingo, while I was waiting for the light to change.

He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

Have a blessed weekend. Be sure to check out all of the other excellent photos at the Friday Photo Group.

What's Wrong With Southern Baptist Churches?

What do you think? Are Southern Baptists, as a group, "better off or worse", than the larger group in America that we are a part of, known as "Protestant Evangelicals"? How do we Southern Baptists fit into that larger group? Do we set the curve, or are we a part of the curve? When it comes to doctrine, faith, and practice, how do we stack up with the larger group? I just read Tom Ascol's post which discusses the push in the SBC for decisions and baptisms, and how low the retention rate is one year later. He goes on to say "When this is the typical fruit of typical evangelism--the kind that focuses more on getting decisions than making disciples--it is impossible to think of every reported baptism as a person rescued from hell." It looks to me like we are probably no better off than the larger group we are a part of. The following is a sampling of what I have been reading, but mostly listening to, in the past few weeks. Mostly discouraging, it has made me think that the SBC needs to quit quibbling over minor issues, such as alcohol resolutions, private prayer language, and baptism policies in the IMB, and start worrying big time about education, discipleship, and the gospel. I believe that these minor issues are just symptoms of a much larger problem, which is a largely uneducated, undiscipled, and unregenerate church. First, listen to the audio from the September 15th broadcast of the Albert Mohler Radio Program titled Which Comes First: Allegiance To God Or Country?, in which Dr. Mohler discusses a recent study done by the Pew Research Center which indicated that only 62 percent of American Evangelicals said that God came before country. That means that 38 percent polled don't understand that our citizenship is in heaven. I wonder how many of those polled were Southern Baptists. Another podcast that I listen to on a weekly basis, this one from the September 3rd broadcast of the Whitehorse Inn titled Zeal Without Knowledge The following are interesting exerpts from that podcast. The whole program is well worth listening to also:

(Speaking of modern Evangelicals) "The Gospel is gone (Rod Rosenblat)." "The leader of the second Great Awakening, in many ways, was Charles Finney. And he wasn't an Arminian. I don't want to give Arminians a bad name. He was a Pelagian. . . . He said that the church is basically a society of moral and social transformers. Finney gave rise to both liberal activism and conservative activism (Michael Horton)." "Jessie Jackson and Jerry Fallwell both have the same theological father, and it's Charles Finney (Kim Riddlebarger)" "All kinds of different political positions that are identified either with the left-wing side of the aisle, or the right-wing political side of the aisle, were all comprehended in this one revivalistic movement that has now split into liberal Protestantism and conservative Protestantism, but it's all basically moralism (Michael Horton)." "If our hearts are going to be on fire, the way God has made us is that the conduit to the heart is the mind. Mindless zeal has no virtue to it whatsoever . . . I don't know of any issue in the church today that's more grave, more serious, has more lasting consequences than the debate over imputation, a word that most evangelicals don't even know what it means. But there you're talking about the very heart and soul of the gospel itself. . . The term "Evangelical" is a misnomer in this day and age. How can in the world can you be an Evangelical, and never heard the term imputation? . . . The tragedy is that Christians think they know the Cross, but they don't. You remember the theme of the Reformation, post tenebras lux, after darkness light, but now the gospel has receded once more into the darkness. It's eclipsed, even in the so-called Evangelical church. If you ask an ordinary self-proclaimed Evangelical what the gospel is, they're saying "getting purpose for my life", "having Jesus in my heart", "having meaning to my existence", "having a personal relationship with Jesus". Those are all nice things, but that's not the gospel. The gospel has a content of the person and work of Jesus, whose work is appropriated to us by faith, and by faith alone (R. C. Sproul)."

And if that isn't discouraging enough, listen to the September 17th broadcast, also from the Whitehorse Inn titled Pursuing Faith in a “Follow Your Heart” Culture. The second quote is of an audio clip on the program. Here again, the entire audio of this program is worth the listen.

We're talking about the importance of words, and particularly what do you do with a so-called religion of the Book, what do you do with a religion that says "faith comes by hearing the word preached. What do you do with a faith that says you have to be grounded in the teachings of Scripture, a text? What do you do if that is your faith and you live in a culture that says "What are words for?" (Michael Horton) "We see it even in the seminary setting, where we get much of the cream of the crop of the churches of the reformed world. Twenty years ago, when I was the academic dean here at Covenant seminary, the students who came in and took the remedial Bible test, at that time, twenty years ago, one third of the incoming students did not pass the Bible test, two thirds did. Here, twenty years later, it's exactly the opposite. Two thirds of the students do not pass the Bible test, one third do. There's been that large a transition even in a half generation of the Bible knowledge of the best of those coming out of Christian homes, and the most wonderful of our churches. It's the erosion, not only of Biblical knowledge, it's the erosion of family, it's the erosion of church, it's just the way in which our culture has more and more attacked the family as well as the church. (Brian Chappel, President, Covenant seminary, St. Louis, MO)

And coming from Friesville back on September 7th is this disturbing quote from the post Finney's Follies:

You have read what I have stated before, but I’ll say it again, we in the evangelical community have a problem with seeing authentic faith from those who are “converted” in our churches. We experience many, many responses to our “gospel call” when we offer them. We have churches that are baptizing by the hundreds, if not thousands, and yet we find that many, if not the vast majority of these “converts” are falling away from the faith within a short period of time. Ray Comfort has claimed that 80-90% of “converts” fall away from their faith within the first year after their “conversion.” Billy Graham has been known to claim that somewhere in the area of 75% of the church is lost. Jim Elliff makes the claim that the Southern Baptist denomination is, on the whole, unregenerate.

Even yesterday in church my pastor began his message with similar statistics: "Three-quarters of all Americans claim to be Christian. . . If this is so, then where are they, as far as influence in the culture?" So, what do you do? Where do you start? Does any body have a clue? Does anybody even care? Sometimes I wonder. What do you think? I'd like to know.

All the Way My Savior Leads Me

Our minister of music, Jim Davis (pictured left), surprised us this Sunday morning with special guests and special music. Pictured beside Jim is Noel Kaiser and his wife Phoebe. Listen to Jim, Noel and Phoebe's offering of All the Way My Savior Leads Me. Phoebe accompanied at the piano. Jim's fourty-plus years in music has benefited him with many such friends in Christian music. He never misses an opportunity to invite them to Trinity when they are in town and available. We are blessed. Thank you, Jim. Editor's revision, Sept 26: I made a terrible mistake. Although Jim knows the Kaisers through the Singing Churchmen, it was Ed and Betty Roseborough who made the contact initially to invite Noel and Phoebe to Trinity this past Sunday. Thank you, Ed and Betty.

Friday Photos: Plumb Lines

This small decorative sandstone wall was probably not built with a plumb line, because it is only about five feet tall, but the plumb line clearly shows that the wall has begun to lean due to an inadequate footing. Because the weight at the end of the string is constantly drawn to the center of the earth, it is impossible for a plumb line to "lie", it is definitely the wall that does not measure up. God's law acts in the same way, showing each and every one of us that we have missed the mark (Romans 3:23) and need a different foundation, which is Christ (Matthew 7:24; 16:18).This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” (Amos 7:7-9, ESV) Be sure to check out the photos of other excellent Friday-Photo Bloggers at the Friday Photo Group on Flickr.

Ten indicators that you might not belong in the SBC

1. The message you preached/heard last Sunday had more quotations from Presbyterians than from Baptists. 2. Most of the blogs you read are named after taverns. 3. You have a hard time finding something worth singing in the Baptist Hymnal. 4. Your Sunday-school class decides to build a piñata for an upcoming class party, and everybody brings the state Baptist newspaper for building material. You wish Baptist Press came in hard copy too. 5. You try to spell words without using c's and p's. 6. You are considering names for your next child so that his initials will be R. C. 7. You suggest to your Sunday-school class that they use the Heidelberg Catechism for their next quarter's study material. 8. You own and have read every book John Piper has ever written. 9. An Advent wreath is the centerpiece on your dining-room table during the holidays. 10. You realize that now that your children are all grown, infant baptism isn't such an issue any more. (Mark Dever makes the point that at least one reason that the PCA is presently one of the fastest growing denominations in America is that Southern Baptists are joining it in droves. (By Whose Authority?; 9Marks; Washington, DC; page 26)) Bonus indicator: You have a hard time deciding wether to name your new family pet Bobby, or Paige.

Friday Photos

The Biltmore Estate: Home of George Vanderbilt On our way back from Greensboro this spring, we stopped and toured the Biltmore Estate, home of George Vanderbilt, grandson of the railroad tycoon Cornelius Vandebilt. When I first started walking through this fabulous house, located in Asheville, North Carolina, the first thing I thought of was "What extravagance!" After all, with a grand staircase at least ten or fifteen feet wide, and a giant wrought-iron chandelier within its spiral hanging from fourty feet above, what else can you think. Don't get me wrong, I'm not jealous. I have a nice five-bedroom house on four acres in the country, but the square footage of the magnificant Biltmore castle equals 175,000 square feet. That's equal to four acres! You can imagine my other thoughts. "Couldn't the money been put to better use? How much house does one family need?" Our tour began on the ground floor, where everything was big; big rooms, big halls, big stairs, a huge library, big windows, big everything. Working our way up everything became progressively smaller. When you got to the servants quarters on the fourth floor, two people could hardly walk side-by-side up the back stairs or down the halls. The bedrooms were just adequate, no more. And then it dawned on me; these bedrooms, halls, staircases, and even windows were larger than anything in my own home. How marvelous it must have been to have been a cook, or a chamber maid, or the butler in this place. From the fourth floor, the view was breathtaking. There was no lack of food, clothing, or shelter for anyone in the economy of this household. I am sure that the entire staff of this magnificent project benefitted from the wealth of the master of the house. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalm 84:10 ESV) In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (John 14:2 ESV) But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV) Be sure to check out all of the other Friday Photos at the Friday Photo Group on Flickr.

Friday Photos, Last Year's Labor-Day Vacation

The Mackinac bridge, Labor Day, 2005

Sunrise over Lake Huron, Labor Day, 2005

These photos were taken last Labor Day at the annual Mackinack bridge walk. We were staying with our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, who lived near by. They have since moved, and now live in Oklahoma City, where there is more sunshine, warmer winters, and many more opportunities for my wife and I to get to see our "Jelly Bean". The five of us walked across (Well, the little one was strolled across.) in a couple of hours. With Lake Michigan on your right, and Lake Ontario on your left, the walk begins on the upper peninsula end of the bridge and ends in the lower portion of Michigan. This Labor-Day walk has been going on for a ton of years, and I am told that it symbolizes the migration of all of the sane folk back to civilization before winter sets in. Be sure and check out the Friday Photos Group posted on Flickr. The group has grown to 39 members, and many of your favorite bloggers post photos there.

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #14

We come to that article, finally, that defines what it means to be Southern Baptist. Not just Baptist, but Southern Baptist. Evangelism and missions are the two reasons that Baptists in the United States came together in 1845 to form the Southern Baptist Convention. The North American Mission Board, and the International Mission Board are the two agencies that make up the organizational bulk, and is the very heart of the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC is known around the world for its second-to-none missions organization, and their passionate commitment to reaching the lost for Christ with their 5000-plus army of full-time missionaries on the foreign mission field. Since the devastating hurricane disasters in 2005, the North American Mission Board, NAMB for short, has earned a reputation for first-class rapid response in domestic disaster relief, especially in the areas of providing hot meals and fresh, clean water. NAMB also sends missionaries to plant churches here in America, rural as well as urban, in areas where Baptist churches are not the norm. Article 11 marks the beginning of the articles that define what we do, not just what we believe. The first ten articles have laid the ground for what we do, for what we are suppose to do as ambassadors for Christ. Article by article we have created a giant mosaic called a biblical world view. In that biblical world view we have rightly assayed the character of God, of man, the dilemma that exists between God and man, and the reconciliation to that dilemma that is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Now that we have all of this information, it is time to do something with it. Coming to these truths for the first time, if you are not a Christian, your first responsibility is to bow the knee, repent of your sins, and confess Christ as your Lord and Savior. After that, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to go and tell, to make disciples of all the nations, on our block, in our town, and around the world. Let's look now at Evangelism and Missions.

XI. Evangelism and Missions It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.

We have the duty to evangelize: Christ commands us not once, but five times to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-49, John 20:21-23, and Acts 1:8). Paul tells the Romans that he is under an obligation to preach (Romans 1:14-17). He later states that Christ sent him to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17). In 1 Corinthians 9:16, Paul adamantly declares that necessity is laid upon him, and goes on to proclaim "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel." Paul commands his young brother in Christ, Timothy, to "preach the word" (2 Timothy 4:2). Peter declares in Acts 10:42 that "he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead." We have the privilege of evangelizing: In Romans 1 above where Paul announces his obligation to preach the gospel, he is quick to add, just one verse later, that he is eager to preach to those in Rome. In 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Paul describes the preaching of the gospel as something he has been entrusted with. Indeed, what a great duty and privilege it is to evangelize. God does not need us, but He stoops down and uses us, allowing us to share in the joy that He has in the salvation of lost sinners, in the ever-increasing worship brought about by new believers being brought into the fellowship of the redeemed.

The new birth of man's spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ.

I am surprised that no reference to John's first epistle is given in this article's listed Scripture passages. John repeatedly makes the connection between love for God and love for our fellow man ( 1 John 3:10, 11, 14, 16-18, 23, 4:7-12, 19-21). We therefore should have a desire and make every effort to obey our Lord's commands, using the means He has given us, to proclaim the gospel to a lost and perishing world. We preach to the lost, realizing that we were once lost, without hope in this world (Ephesians 2:12), and someone had compassion on us and shared the good news that Jesus saves sinners.

The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

The above underlined parts are new to the 2000 version. They represent a strengthening of the 1963 version, which at this point reads: It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ. Notice the differences. First, notice that all Christians are commanded. The five verses listed in the introduction, as well as the passages listed in the "we have a duty" section above, bear clear witness to this fact. Secondly, notice that we are not commanded by one of the apostles, but by Jesus Christ Himself, who is our Lord. Thirdly, notice that our duty to seek the salvation of the lost is by means of the spoken word. The new wording has replaced personal effort with verbal witnessing undergirded by a Christian lifestyle. Verbal witnessing leaves no doubt that we are to proclaim the gospel to the lost, whereas personal effort is not quite so clear. Notice also that our walk needs to correspond with our talk. Our lifestyle has to back up, or undergird our message. We most certainly must live before the world as examples of obedience to Christ, but a godly lifestyle is not enough. We must go and tell. We must be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us] (1 Peter 3:15). As Paul points out in Romans 10:13-15, salvation comes primarily by means of the preached word: For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? and how are they to hear without someone preaching? and how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" Conclusion When it comes to evangelism, we are all evangelists. We should, therefore, prepare ourselves by constant study and meditation upon God’s word. We should be eager to tell the world about our great Savior. When it comes to missions, we only have two options: to go or to send. If we go, our churches, through the Cooperative Program, send us out with their funding and their prayers. If we send, our joyful giving to our church, through the Cooperative Program and our constant, earnest prayers are a must. Verses Listed Under Article 11: Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 13:18-30, 37-43; 16:19; 22:9-10; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 15:7-8,16; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 2:1-3; 11:39-12:2; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17. Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 (An Introduction) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 (On the Doctrine of Scripture) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3 (On the Doctrine of God) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4 (On God the Father) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #5 (On God the Son Baptist, What Do You Believe? #6 (On God the Holy Spirit) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #7 (On the Doctrine of Man) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (On the Doctrine of Salvation) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (Continued) (On the Doctrine of Salvation) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #9 (On God's Purpose of Grace) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #10 (On the Doctrine of The Church) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #11 (On Baptism and the Lord's Supper) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #12 (On The Lord's Day) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #13 (On The Kingdom of God and Last Things)

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #13

What do we as Baptists believe about the kingdom of God and the last things? We are going to look at these two articles together, because they are very much related to one another. The only thing that really separates these two articles is the concept of time. Article 9, on the Kingdom, has to do with God’s sovereign rein here and now, in time and space. Article 10 deals with the wrapping up of history and God’s glorious plan of redemption, and the peering beyond time and space into eternity, where all that is wrong here and now will be set right forever. When we combine these two articles for consideration it makes it easier to see that the Kingdom of God has two aspects: the already, and the not yet. We can see the already when we read passages like Matthew 28:18: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. We can see the not yet in passages like 1 Corinthians 15:25: For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The future fulfillment of the kingdom of God can also be seen in passages like Revelation 21:4: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Article 9 clearly and accurately teaches that God’s Kingdom is already here, firmly in place, and yet we can plainly see from our surroundings that not everything is as it should be. The final consummation of the age will only take place when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead. You may have noticed as we have moved farther from the first articles to the latter articles in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, that these latter articles have been less detailed than the first articles. Those first articles on Scripture, God, and man deal with vital doctrines of the Christian faith. We need a fairly detailed and concrete statement on these doctrines. Perhaps as you have noticed items missing as we have discussed latter issues. That is especially true here. Why is there no mention of the role of the church in government in Article 9? Why is there no talk of a millennium, a rapture, or the tribulation? The reason for this is that among Southern Baptists there are several views concerning these matters. Let’s look now at Articles 9 and 10.

IX. The Kingdom The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ.

These two sentences pretty much wraps up the entirety of the concept of the God’s kingdom. An earthly kingdom is always defined by two distinctives: land and possessions, and subjects. God’s kingdom is this way too. He has a general sovereignty which extends over all of what He has created, which is everything. There is nothing too large, nor anything too small or insignificant to fall beyond the sovereign care of God. All of the earth belongs to God (Exodus 19:5), His are the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and even the roll of the dice are determined by God (Proverbs 16:33). Even a sparrow falling to the ground is not outside of the domain of our God (Matthew 10:29). In a more specific sense, God’s kingdom is made up of men and women, boys and girls who have bowed the knee to Him. When questioned about His kingship, Jesus told Pilate "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). As we mentioned above, just before His ascension Jesus told His disciples that all authority had been given to Him, in heaven and on earth, and yet His only directive to them was to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

Right out of the model prayer (Matthew 6:9,10) that our Lord gave his disciples, and us, we are to desire the coming of the fullness of the consummation of the age. We are to long for that day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns (Hebrews 9:28). This last sentence rightly assesses the situation, that the full consummation, or completion, of this kingdom waits for one thing and one thing only: the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. More about that in the next article. Scripture passages listed with this Article: Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Romans 5:17; 8:19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.

X. Last Things God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

As I pointed out above, there is no mention of millennium, rapture, or tribulation in this article. Only what is vital to this doctrine is mentioned here, and that is the way it should be. Here is what really matters when discussing the Last Things:

• God is on His timetable, not ours. Nothing anybody does or can do is able to speed up or hold up God's perfect plan (2 Peter 3:8,9).
• Jesus will return, personally, visibly, physically. He will judge all men in righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:10).
• There is a Hell, and those who are unrighteous will go there at the last judgment, to be punished for ever (Mark 9:47,48, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Jude 1:7).
• The righteous will be reunited with their bodies, but they will be glorified, Just like Jesus (1 John 3:2), absent of corruption of any kind, perfect in every way.
• We will live in Heaven for ever with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Scripture passages listed with this Article: Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13. Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 (An Introduction) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 (On the Doctrine of Scripture) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3 (On the Doctrine of God) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4 (On God the Father) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #5 (On God the Son Baptist, What Do You Believe? #6 (On God the Holy Spirit) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #7 (On the Doctrine of Man) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (On the Doctrine of Salvation) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (Continued) (On the Doctrine of Salvation) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #9 (On God's Purpose of Grace) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #10 (On the Doctrine of The Church) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #11 (On Baptism and the Lord's Supper) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #12 (On The Lord's Day)

Friday Photos

Waterless Clouds

A Three-Button Sweat

It sure has been a hot summer here in Tulsa. Here is a couple of pics demonstrating tripple digits. We did get a little over an inch of rain Monday evening, but that just made Tuesday unbearable. Besides, we are so far behind on rain for the year that 40 days and 40 nights wouldn't be enough. Check out the other Friday Photos at Flickr. There are some "cool" pictures of water that will help you beat the heat.

Light Wine from Stein

Same Great Oinos with Only a Quarter of the Calories (and Gladness of Heart, Too) Well, If you haven't read it, you certainly have heard of the bomb-shell research Dr. Mohler alluded to in his now-famous declaration of total abstinence over the air waves last Wednesday on his radio show. For a refresher course, or if you don't know anything about what I am speaking, you can check out my post from a couple of days ago. I have since obtained and read this scholarly work by Dr. Robert Stein, and find it quite interesting. After reading it, I am curious why Dr. Mohler mentioned it all, for instead of advocating a total-abstinence position, such as Dr. Mohler was verbalizing, it called for a mixed, or watered-down approach to wine consumption. With the aid of primary sources from the ancient Greeks, the intertestamental Rabinic texts, and the early church fathers, an acceptable wine would be a wine that had been mixed one part wine to three parts water. Curious as to how this would taste, I decided to conduct an experiment. I felt like I was back in organic chemistry lab at college. With one ounce of Mogen David (Dr. Stein specifically mentioned this as a possible choice.) and adding three ounces of water you get what you see in the photograph above. Noticed how much darker the contents of the bottle are by comparison. How did it taste? Not bad. Not bad, at all. I tell you what: I'll go for it if Dr. Mohler will. Now, about changing the wording of Article VII, Baptism and the Lord's Supper in the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 back to the original wording found in the 1925 Baptist Faith and Message (then Article XIII).

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The act is a symbol of our faith in a crucified, buried and risen Saviour. It is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation and to the Lord's Supper, in which the members of the church, by the use of bread and wine, commemorate the dying love of Christ.

I plan to post a more in-depth, serious piece in a few days concerning Dr. Stein's paper, but for now, this will have to do.

Martin Luther and Wade Burleson

R. C. Sproul tells of Rome's opposition to Martin Luther for translating the Bible into the German language:

They warned, for example, that letting the laymen read the Bible could open a floodgate of iniquity. Luther responded to that by saying, yes, a floodgate of iniquity could be opened by unskilled people. That is why God has put teachers in the church. But he also said the basic message essential for every Christian to understand was so clear, so manifest, that a child could understand it. It is so important and so worthwhile that if it risks the opening a floodgate of iniquity, Luther said, so be it. R. C. Sproul, Now That's a Good Question (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996), p. 226.

Legalism in the church hasnt changed much in 1500 years:

But those who argue with me argue with all sincerity. To them, it is I who have "destroyed" the gospel. If I don't agree to their prohibitions and mandates, then my gospel is not truly the gospel of the Bible, and I am the one who is marring the gospel. I believe they look at the gospel through a filter. Maybe it is the filter of their upbringing, past personal disappointments or failures, or simply fear that a simple gospel, without certain prohibitions will lead to licentiousness.

Wade Burleson, Grace and Truth to You, Sunday, August 13, 2006

An Abstinence Statement I Can Respect

Well, Dr. Albert Mohler didn't make it. Dr. Mohler's comments on alcohol consumption, which he made last Wednesday on his radio show were a disappointment, but no surprise. I don't want to be guilty of playing favorites, so I better say what needs to be said. I do like Dr. Mohler. I share his nuanced view of the doctrines of Grace. I listen to his week-day radio show via podcast regularly. He's right on the money on most everything, every thing that is important, at least. The topics he covers on his program are usually current and relevant issues facing our culture, and he always has a solid Christ-centered approach to his commentary. On Wednesdays he has a format called "Ask Anything Wednesday", where the callers are free to ask virtually any kind of question. This last Wednesday (August 9) A lady simply asked him what his views on alcohol were. This segment occurs 22 minutes, 45 seconds into the program. Pastor Ben Cole very kindly has made available a written transcript of Dr. Mohler's statement. Dr. Mohler's position wasn't news to me. Several weeks back, I stumbled across an audio file of a student forum on the alcohol consumption policy at SBTS, that Dr. Mohler and Dr. Russell Moore conducted at SBTS sometime earlier this year. It was a very interesting forum, lasting about 57 minutes. Dr. Mohler's opening statement was especially informative, starting off with a history of the SBC's position on alcohol consumption, beginning with the SBC's roots in protestant revivalism of the mid 19th century, to the women's temperance movement, and through prohibition, which he describes as "a failed cultural experiment." He explains those movements' views on the "evils of alcohol", but you clearly get the flavor that Dr. Mohler also embraces these views as his own. Within the framework of a history lesson, as only he can do, Dr. Mohler articulately and smoothly makes a compelling argument in favor of total abstinence, based, not on Scriptural evidence, but based solely upon a social arguments. What can I say. He's just plain wrong. In much the same way as the other big wigs of the SBC have done before him, he has effectively denied the sufficiency of scripture, by going outside of scripture to mandate something that God's word does not mandate. We all have areas of inconsistency in our theology. This just happens to be one of those areas for Dr. Mohler. On the whole, I haven't wrung my hands over the situation this time. This simply is not as big of a deal as the others who have weighed in before him, for one simple reason: Dr. Mohler didn't go running to the press to let everybody know what his views on alcohol were. A lady called in to his program and asked him what his views were, and he told her (and us). Dr. Mohler isn't attempting to discredit pastors Burleson or Cole, or anybody else. He simply answered a direct question, honestly and candidly. Dr. Mohler is one of the most transparent, guileless men in the Southern Baptist Convention. He is the best spokesman and representative the SBC has. I am surprised, however, that his close friends Ligon Duncan, and C.J. Mahaney haven't had a greater influence on him with regard to the alcohol issue. Maybe they will now. Personally, I think an abstinence policy at our seminaries is a good idea, just as long as it is for the right reasons. What would I like to hear in an abstinence statement from a seminary president? It would look something like this:

In light of the intense focus we have here at Southern in preparing these young men and women for service in Christian ministry at home and abroad, and in light of their relative youth and inexperience in judgment, in regard to the consumption of beverage alcohol, we feel it is best to have a total abstinence policy in place. In order to show our student body that we would not require of them something that we would not hold ourselves to, the faculty and staff have also committed themselves to this higher standard during our time here at Southern seminary.

The only real statement I have heard on total abstinence that does not deny the sufficiency of Scripture has come from my pastor, Rod Harris. It is short and to the point: "Knowing my propensity to excess in other areas, I just figure I very well might have trouble with alcohol. It has never interested me, and I think it would be best if I abstained." Now, there is an abstinence statement that I can respect.

Lady Plowman Turns the Earth in Texas Over Alcohol

My wife is amazing. She had carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand last Wednesday. By Monday she had had all she could take, after reading the comments for five days over at Southern Baptists of Texas Convention blog. With her right hand in a brace, and strict orders from her doctor not to do such nonsense with said right hand, she procedes to bang out a comment on the alcohol debate over there, giving them what-for. She's right on the money, too. It's all about being counted righteous in Christ, and not blaming anything or anybody else for your sin. It's just you and the exceeding sinfulness of your own sin. If you've ever argued with her daddy, you'd know better than to tangle with Mrs. Farmer Brown. Go check it out. She made me proud.

Brush Arbor Meeting

Jackets laid aside, white shirt sleeves rolled up, and women waving cardboard fans, it looked and felt like a brush arbor meeting. To get the feel for our meeting Sunday morning, after the air conditioning blew up, listen to the "Call to Worship" and "Offertory Music" located in the side bar. The message was good too. You need to hear it. It was all about Jesus and Christian Morality. In the offertory music, the duet rumblings you hear in the background are our beloved music man, Jim, humming along with the piano, and our "building" man, Bob, explaining to Pastor Rod what's going on with the air conditioning. Anyone is welcome to download the offertory music file for private, non-commercial use. Enjoy.

Tag, You're It

I’ve been tagged by Brother Bishop (Jeff) Young. Now, I will start off by saying that I am not going to abide by the rules. I'm 50 years old, and I've got more than one book that did this or did that. I also contemplated bogus answers to mess with your minds, when I realized that the real answers would do more damage than anything else. I am sure no one would be surprised to read that a horticulturist had been meaning to read Hortus Third, or that he would want Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop, by Euell Gibbons on a desert island. So here they are. Enjoy. 1. One book that changed your life: The Trinity Hymnal, 1976 edition, and The Second London Confesson; then later in 1991, Desiring God, by John Piper. 2. One book that you've read more than once: Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis. First as required reading in high school, a number of years later as an adult. I didn't get it in high school, but later I did. Along with the other two books in the trilogy, this novel is a powerful alegory dealing with sin and redemption. I have also found it necessary to reread The Time is at Hand, by Jay Adams. 3. One book that you'd want on a desert island: Other than the Bible, Saint Augustin's Confessions, in Latin. Depending on how long I'd be there, This would be a great opportunity to brush up on my Latin and my prayer life at the same time. 4. One book that made you laugh: Right Behind: A Parody of Last Days' Goofiness, by Nathan D. Wilson, and The Mantra of Jabez: Break on Through to the Other Side, by Douglas M. Jones. 5. One book that made you cry: Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson, and probably Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot. 6. One book that you wish you had written: Here's the list:

• Hermeneutics for Dummies (and Southern Baptists)
• Wine, Women, and Song: Reclaiming the Culture by Taking Every Thought Captive to Obey Christ
• Beware the Calvinistas: Memoirs of Twenty-five years in a Small, Rural, Independent, Reformed-Baptist Church, with Plural Eldership
• Psalam et Mente: Recovering the Hymnody of the Puritans, and Beyond
• Living in the House at Pooh Corner - the Blessings of Dad Reading to His Children
• I Learned More About Human Nature in the Hen House than Anywhere Else
• Baking Your Own Bread and Breast Feading Don't Make You More Holy (This one would be authored by my wife.)
• "Do You Work?" - Confessions of a Homicidal Housewife at the Grocery Checkout (Also by my wife.)

7. One book you wish had never been written: Systematic Theology, by Charles Finney, and the Scofield Reference Bible, edited and annotated by Cyrus I. Scofield. 8. One book that you are currently reading: By His Grace and for His Glory, by Thomas J. Nettles, Mark Dever's little book By Whose Authority?, and I have just finished Timothy George's book Amazing Grace: God's Inititative - Our Response. This last book is a very easy read. Even an Arminian pastor could read it, and I think, enjoy it. 9. One book that you've been meaning to read: Calvin's Institutes. I have used it as a reference for years, but have never had the time, or discipline to crack open page one and stick it out to the end. I would also love to read the new (anything less than five years old is new to me.) Whitfield biography by Arnold Dallimore, and also Iaian Murray's biography on Lloyd-Jones. Obviously, these are all large large two-volume sets, so I probably won't get around to them until I retire, or throw my computer away. I am supposed to tag four people. Nuts on that. This sounds too much like a chain letter. I think I may be the last blogger in the world to have been tagged, so those thousands of dollar bills will never begin pouring into my in-box. I have noticed that some of you out there have admitted to being tagged more than once. Look, if you haven't been tagged, and feel left out, drop me a comment, and I will tag you. Fair enough? Now I've got to get busy on my Sunday-school lesson. Love in Christ, Wayne Hatcher a horticulturist by profession, a truck driver by necessity, and a child of the King, by the Grace of God

Friday Photo

Cheese Toast 2 Originally uploaded by Wayne Hatcher.

I have been thrashing it out this week with some folks over at www.sbtexas.com/blog. over alcohol the sufficiency of Scripture. To understand the full meaning of the cheese toast, you need to go over there and read the comments under the post "Biblical inerrancy and alcohol use by Christians". Don't forget to view all of the other Friday Photos at the Friday Photo Group at Flickr. Have a good weekend.

Welch's or Wine: No Comment - Well, Not Much

Now Bobby Welch has weighed in, among other things, on the alcohol resolution. In many ways, there is nothing much worth commenting on. As far as I can tell, he doesn't start out defending his position, as some of those who have weighed in before him have. He simply begins by attacking his opponents. When I got up yesterday morning, all of the blogs I read had his name somewhere in the title or first paragraph of their posts. There has been adequate commentary, so I don't feel the need to comment on his statements. Here is a list of those posts.

• Grace and Truth to You
• The View from the Hill
• 12 Witnesses
• Baptist Blogger
• Founders Ministries Blog
• Caught in the Middle

I do feel the need to comment on one thing. I believe in providence. I don't know why things happen when and the way they do, but I do not believe that anything happens by accident. Last week a friend, just out of the blue, brought me a VHS cassette of the movie The Untouchables, with Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro. He said he thought I would like it. I had never seen the 1987 movie, which is not uncommon for me. There are many movies I have not gotten around to watching, for a number of personal reasons. For some reason, I decided to watch this movie. The Untouchables is all about America's prohibition of alcohol, and the mob. The story is set in Chicago in 1930, and Robert De Niro is Al Capone, while Kevin Costner plays Eliot Ness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to draw a one-to-one correlation here, on any level, but there was something that sent chills through me viewing the character played by Robert De Niro. Al Capone was so suave, so charming in public, especially with the press, but you could tell, just barely, that there was more to the man than just charm and dimples. I got that same uneasy feeling upon first seeing Bobby Welch and Paige Patterson at Greensboro this spring. First impressions mean a lot to me. Some people call it prejudging, but I call it carefully reading the minutiae: the tiny details of someone's mannerisms, a smile, a wink, a word. I am often wrong in pegging a bad guy as good, but never the other way around. I'm not saying these men are evil, I'm just saying they like to win, and don't and won't take loosing lying down. I wonder if either of them has a baseball bat in his office.

Baptist, What Do You Believe? #12

I have mentioned in the past how heavily I have leaned on my pastor’s notes when writing these posts on the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. In preparation for Article 8, on The Lord’s Day, I have found that pastor Harris’ notes in the main were virtually a transcript form of his Wednesday-evening message of January 25, 2006 (listen to the audio), so I have decided to publish his outline here, with only minimal editing. Introduction Why is it we gather for worship on Sunday? Why the first day of the week? Are we violating the Sabbath? What about those folks who worship on Saturday? Are they just nuts? What is to be our relationship with the Sabbath? Is the Sabbath a Christian institution? Is it merely for the Jews? This is one of the long-standing debates within the Church. What is to be our attitude toward the Sabbath? Which is part of a larger controversy – “What is to be our relationship to the Old Testament Law?” Here again we must recognize that godly people disagree on this subject. There are those who believe the Law is binding on the believer as well as the Jew. There are those who would modify that and say that the 10 Commandments are binding. Others would say it bears no relationship to those who are in Christ. Still others would insist that it does to some degree. As I try to work through this and untangle the knot – I have to acknowledge some of my presuppositions. I must acknowledge, up front, that I bring certain convictions to this question:

• God exists.
• He is Sovereign, king, lawgiver, he makes the rules.
• He has spoken, revealed himself through the Scripture.
• His word is faithful and true..
• God has a people.
• I reject a strict Dispensational approach to the Scripture.
• I do not believe that God has two separate people: the Jews and Christians.
• I do not believe that the OT was for the Jews and the NT is for Christians.
• There is continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments.
• Something is new about the New Testament.
• I read the OT from a NT perspective.
• The focus of all the Scripture is Christ! (See article 1 page 7, the last sentence.)

Thus I’m convinced that as New Testament Christians we read the Old Testament in light of the New Testament. The New Testament has logical priority over the Old Testament. Which is the higher, more complete revelation of God; the O.T. law, or Christ? The New Testament regularly refers to believers as “slaves” of Christ. Christ is our master/law-giver. Look at the Mount of transfiguration, with Jesus, Moses (law) and Elijah (prophets). Hear The voice of God – “This is my son, listen to him.” With that in mind… What about the Sabbath? For the instituting of the Sabbath we must look to Exodus 20:8-11. Here we find the institution of the Sabbath Day. What day was it? The seventh. Why is this? It was to commemorate the work of creation. God set it up to be a day of “rest” and worship. It became one of the four major emphases in Judaism: The Temple, the Scriptures, traditions and the Sabbath. Let’s ask a question for thought: What does it mean “God rested”? Was He worn out from all that “creat’n”? Was He tired? Did He need to rest? Note throughout the Scripture the promise of entering into His rest. The Sabbath was a picture of this. I believe it is a picture of entering into Christ. All the OT rituals pointed to Christ. What was given as a picture of Christ and His work on our behalf was twisted and perverted into a means for man to prove how righteous he was because of what he did (observe the Sabbath)! What was intended to be a blessing became a “burden.” (See Matthew 12) The Sabbath was to be a day “set aside” to focus upon worship. It was to be a day given to God for the purpose of rest and spiritual development. Now, what of the Lord’s Day? The early church gathered on the first day of the week. Why is that? To honor and remember the Resurrection! The Lord’s Day commemorates the work of redemption – the “new creation.” Where do we find the New Testament command that “changed” the Sabbath? We don’t! Acts 20:7 Revelation 1:10 The command is in the implications of the text and in the practice of the early church. Even secular historians note that these early believers met on the first day of the week. The following passages might indicate that a specific day is not commanded (Galatians 4:8-11; Colossians 2:16-17; Romans 14:5-10; Hebrews 10:1), yet we must balance that with Hebrews 10:23-25 to gather together for worship regularly. Now look at our Statement of Faith. VIII. The Lord's Day The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Note the following:

• It is a “Christian” institution.
• It is “For regular observance.”
• It “Should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion both public and private…”

There is some concern with the last sentence. If this statement were applied to all the articles it would render them meaningless. This is a change from the 1963 statement.The 1963 statement was a much stronger statement, reading thus: “…and by refraining from worldly amusements, and resting from secular employments, work of necessity and mercy only being excepted.” Why was it changed? A number of people are asking that question. There was talk of seeking to replace the Article viii of the 2000 with article viii from the 1963. It would appear that the change was an accommodaation to our culture. At the time of the adoption of the 2000 BFM a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel, following the convention’s vote, wrote with tongue in check the following :

"Now that the NFL Tennessee Titans (based in the SBC’s headquarters, Nashville) have made it to the Super Bowl, Southern Baptist have conveniently decided that refraining from worldly amusements on the Lord’s Day is not longer advisable."

This is another of the emotional issues that surrounds our faith. While I would agree that Romans 14:5-10 should guide us in dealing with this issue, I also believe it is important that we acknowledge that the Lord’s Day is a special day. It is unique and set apart for a holy purpose. Previous Lessons: Baptist, What Do You Believe? #1 (An Introduction) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #2 (On the Doctrine of Scripture) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #3 (On the Doctrine of God) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #4 (On God the Father) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #5 (On God the Son Baptist, What Do You Believe? #6 (On God the Holy Spirit) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #7 (On the Doctrine of Man) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (On the Doctrine of Salvation) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #8 (Continued) (On the Doctrine of Salvation) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #9 (On God's Purpose of Grace) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #10 (On the Doctrine of The Church) Baptist, What Do You Believe? #11 (On Baptism and the Lord's Supper)