"He Is Not Silent"...

With things being extra crazy around here for the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten away from some of my outside reading. Reading multiple books at the same time isn’t that difficult, it’s not keeping up with reading them that it becomes a hard task. My main interest of late has been a book by Dr. Albert Mohler called “He Is Not Silent.”

I was almost half way through with the book when I had gotten away from my outside reading so I decided to just start it over. John Macarthur wrote the foreword for this book and as usual Johnny Mac doesn’t disappoint. He is definitely one of the best expositors and teachers of our time. This post will be of the six main issues that Dr. Mohler listed in the preface of this book as the results of the weakening of preaching since the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Dr. Mohler says, “I believe the weakening of preaching at the beginning of the twenty-first century is the result of several factors, all of which are matters of genuine concern, and all of which have worked together to undermine the role of preaching in the church and to redefine it as something other than the exposition and application of the biblical text.” (pg. 16 of “He Is Not Silent” by Dr. R. Albert Mohler)

First, contemporary preaching suffers from a loss of confidence in the power of the word.

Contemporary Americans are surrounded by more words than any previous generation in human history. We are bombarded with words delivered to us in every conceivable form—sung, broadcast, electrified, printed, and spoken. Words have been digitalized, commercialized, and subjected to postmodern linguistic theories.
Taken together, all this amounts to a significant loss of confidence in the word as written and spoken. Several years ago, the photographer Richard Avedon declared that “images are fast replacing words as our primary language.” Similarly, in The Rise of the Image, the Fall of the Word, author Mitchell Stephens of New York University argues that “the image is replacing the word as the predominant means of mental transport.”
Since preaching is itself a form of “mental transport,” any loss of confidence in the word leads to a loss of confidence in preaching. Ultimately, preaching will cease to be Christian preaching if the preacher loses confidence in the authority of the Bible as the Word of God and in the power of the spoken word to communicate the saving and transforming message of the Bible. The preacher must stand up and speak with confidence, declaring the Word of God to a congregation that is bombarded with hundreds of thousands of words each week, many of them delivered with a sound track or moving images. The audacious claim of Christian preaching is that the faithful declaration of the Word of God, spoken through the preacher’s voice, is even more powerful than anything music or image can deliver.

Second, contemporary preaching suffers from an infatuation with technology.

The French philosophy Jacques Ellul was truly prophetic when he pointed to the rise of technology and technique as one of the greatest challenges to Christian faithfulness in our times. We live in a day of technological hubris and the ubiquity of technological assistance. We are engaged in few tasks, physical or mental, that are now unassisted by some form of technology. For most of us, the use of these technologies comes with little attentiveness to how the technology reshapes the task and the experience. The same is true for preachers who have rushed to incorporate visual technology and media in the preaching event. The effort is no doubt well intended, driven by missiological concern to reach persons whose primary form of “mental transport” has become visual. Thus, preachers use clips from films, dynamic graphics, and other eye- catching technologies to gain and hold the congregation’s attention. But the danger of this approach is seen in the fact that the visual quickly overcomes the verbal. Beyond this, the visual is often directed toward a very narrow slice of human experience, particularly focused on the affective and emotional aspects of our perception. Movies move us by the skillful manipulation of emotion, driven by soundtrack and manipulated by skillful directing techniques.
This is exactly where the preacher must not go. The power of the Word of God, spoken through the human voice, is seen in the Bible’s unique power to penetrate all dimensions of the human personality. As God made clear, even in the Ten Commandments, He has chosen to be heard and not seen. The use of visual technologies threatens to confuse this basic fact of biblical faith.

Third, contemporary preaching suffers from embarrassment before the biblical text.

Over the years, I have heard innumerable sermons from evangelical preachers, and I cannot help but notice that some have a tendency to appear rather embarrassed before the biblical text. The persistent attacks upon biblical authority and the sensitivities of our times have taken a toll on the preacher’s confidence in the actual text of the Bible.
On the theological left, the answer is quite simple—just discard the text and write it off as patriarchal, oppressive, and completely unacceptable in light of an updated concept of God. Among evangelicals, we can be thankful that fewer preachers are willing to dismiss or discard the text as sub-biblical or warped by ancient prejudices. But even so, many of these preachers simply disregard and ignore vast sections of Scripture, focusing instead on texts that are more comfortable, palatable, and non-confrontational to the modern mind. This is a form of pastoral neglect and malpractice, corrected only by a comprehensive embrace of the Bible—all of it—as the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God. All of it is for our good. As Paul said to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable” for us (2 Timothy 3:16, italics added).

Fourth, contemporary preaching suffers from an emptying of biblical content.

The last point was concerned with passages of Scripture that are never preached, but what about the texts that are preached? Are today’s preachers actually studying for the content of the passage? In far to many cases, it seems that the text becomes a point of departure for some message—again, no doubt well intended—which the pastor wishes to share with the congregation. Beyond this, the text of Scripture is often emptied—evacuated—of biblical content when, regardless of a passage’s textual form or context, the is uniformly presented as a set of pithy “points” that come together in a staple outline form.
Every text does have a point, of course, and the preacher’s main concern should be to communicate that central truth. In fact, he should design the sermon to serve that overarching purpose. Furthermore, the content of the passage is to be applied to life—but application must be determined by exposition, not vice versa.
Another problem that leads to an evacuation of biblical content is a loss of the “big picture” of Scripture. Far to many preachers give inadequate attention to the canonical context of the passage to be preached and of its place in the overarching story of God’s purpose to glorify Himself through the redemption of sinners. Taken out of context, and without clear attention to biblical theology, preaching becomes a series of disconnected talks on disconnected texts. This falls far short of the glory of true biblical preaching.

Fifth, contemporary preaching suffers from a focus on felt needs.

The current debate over preaching is most commonly explained as an argument about the focus and shape of the sermon. Should the preacher seek to preach a biblical text through an expository sermon? Or should the preacher direct the sermon to the “felt needs” and perceived needs of the hearers?
Harry Emerson Fosdick, pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City and perhaps the most famous (or infamous) preacher of the twentieth century’s early decades, once defined the task of preaching like this: “Preaching is personal counseling on a group basis.” Earlier evangelicals recognized Fosdick’s approach as a rejection of biblical preaching. An unabashed theological liberal, Fosdick paraded his rejection of biblical inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility—and rejected other doctrines central to the Christian faith. Enamored with trends in psychological theory, Fosdick became liberal Protestantism’s happy pulpit therapist. The goal of his preaching was well captured by the title of one of his many books, On Being a Real Person.
Shockingly, this approach is now evident in many evangelical pulpits. Urged by his devotees of “needs-based preaching,” many evangelicals have abandoned the text without recognizing that they have done so. These preachers may eventually get to the text in the course of the sermon, but the text does not set the agenda or establish the shape of the message. The sacred desk has become an advice center, and the pew has become the therapist’s couch. Psychological and practical concerns have displaced theological exegesis, and the preacher directs his sermon to the congregation’s perceived needs rather than to their need for a Savior.
The problem, of course, is that the sinner does not know what his most urgent need is. He is blind to his need for redemption and reconciliation with God, and focuses on potentially real but temporal needs such as personal fulfillment, financial security, family peace, and career advancement. Too many sermons settle for answering these expressed needs and concerns and fail to proclaim the Word of Truth.

Sixth, contemporary preaching suffers from an absence of the gospel.

The preaching of the apostles always presented the kerygma—the heart of the gospel. The clear presentation of the gospel must be a part of the sermon, no matter the text. As Charles Spurgeon expressed this so eloquently, preach the Word, place it in its canonical context, and “make a bee-line to the cross.”
The approach of many preachers is to present helpful and practical messages, often with generalized Christian content but without any clear presentation of the gospel or call to decision and accountability to the text or to the claims of Christ. The apostles should be our model here, consistently preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of course, in order for the gospel to make sense, authentic preaching must also deal honestly with the reality of human sin and must do so with a candor equal to that of the biblical text. All this presents the preacher with some significant challenges in our age of “sensitivities.” But in the end, preaching devoid of this content—preaching that evades the biblical text and biblical truth—falls short of anything we can rightly call Christian preaching. (pgs 16-21 of He Is Not Silent)

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Wal-Mart...

The other night out of mere curiosity I watched CNBC's documentary called "The New Age of Wal-Mart." The show intrigued me very much and got me to ask numerous questions about different things. The link below is a clip of the documentary that CNBC has done on Wal-Mart and the entire program will be aired again the first of October.

The New Age of Walmart ? Preview - CNBC.com

A few of the complaints that interested me the most are as follows and below each quote I've added my thoughts on each issue.

"If Wal-Mart moves in then it kills off the little guy."

-Sure, if a new company moves into town then it does make for more competition. In competition someone does loose, but why take aim at the winner? Don't forget, Wal-Mart started out as the little guy.

"Wal-Mart doesn't pay their employees enough to live on."

-If your job isn't paying enough for you to survive on then ask for a raise or find a different job. The documentary even shows that Wal-Mart offers the standard pay rate that any other retail store would offer.

"Wal-Mart is killing the American economy by selling product made from foreign factories by people who are basically treated like slaves."

-Tell me what major company that's in business that doesn't sell foreign made products? As for the workers in the factories, the documentary shows that Wal-Mart is pushing and expecting better working environments for those employees. And don't forget that those factories are not owned by Wal-Mart. They are owned by those that sell merchandise to Wal-Mart. It should be the governments of those countries that should do a better job of enforcing the labor laws. Yet, Wal-Mart is using some of its major power to work toward reform in that matter. Should it be done faster or better? Whose to say, but at least they are doing something about it.

"Employees wanting Wal-Mart to unionize."

-This is very interesting because an amount of Wal-Mart employees are wanting to bring the union in for better pay and benefits. I guess the union is good and does work for the people, but what if Wal-Mart then decides to just move all of its stores out of the United States? Where would our economy be then? The documentary shows that Wal-Mart is now thriving world wide and at some point will have more stores in China then they do here in the states. If Wal-Mart left the USA because of the union then would those mom and pop stores be able to provide enough income and benefits for a family to survive?

All in all I thought the program was very interesting and worth my time. I've realized that Wal-Mart can and is a hot topic with a lot of people. The worlds largest retailer is providing jobs for about 250 people per store if I remember correctly. Wal-Mart has over 4,000 stores nationwide; that's a lot of jobs. Like it or not, Wal-Mart is a major force in our economy. I don't or have ever worked for Wal-Mart, but I do know people that have or do. It's basically like anything else, some like it while others don't. My family does and will continue to shop there, after all it's a one stop shopping trip. We need stuff, they provide it and at usually a low price. It's simple supply and demand.

In Christ Alone,

Mr. V.

Being A Teen Again...

The thought of being a teenager again has crossed my mind over the last couple of weeks. The reasons for the thought are 1. teaching youth again and 2. having another birthday. Just to go ahead and clear the air, there is no way I would want to go back and become a teenager again.

Sunday morning in class we talked about trusting others and the fear of the unknown. I'm still young enough to remember what they are talking about when they make those claims, even though they might not think so. Some are concerned over boyfriend/girlfriend issues, others are worried about tests and homework or athletics. Then there are some that are worried with bigger things, like wondering if their parents will be home when they get there or if mom and dad are fighting again. These are all issues that happen everywhere, even small towns like the one I live in. Yet, it almost seems as though these issues will never be approached or spoken too. They will continue to go on until the youth either moves out or goes away to college. Then, depending on the issue those same concerns will be left for a younger sibling to be worried with; not to mention what the adults in the home are putting each other through.

I then begin to wonder, "where does the church come into all of this?" Some of these kids have been involved in the church in some form or fashion for a period of time, yet as I mentioned above, nothing is done. So where does the church define the line of getting involved in the life of a young person? Is it just offering them a cool place to come and hang out in hopes that something the teacher or preacher says sticks? If so, then what's the point? Even the public school system has a better plan then that. Speaking of the public school system, I would dare say the church looks more like it then the other way around, but that is a topic for another day. I would also say that it doesn't take offering the kid food or a cool place to hang out in order for them to show up or even open up and talk. All it really takes is to ask them. Teens love to talk about all different kinds of issues. They just don't want to be approached as children. I've come to realize that people will react to expectations. If you expect a child to be hard working and caring, most of the time they will be. All people want to be given truth and no one wants to feel talked down to. If a young person knows that you are serious about what's going on with them and you want to share truth with them, regardless how hard it may seem, they will respond. The question should really be, "Are we prepared for what they might say?" Are we as adults prepared for the unknown of the life of some teenager?

So, there is no way I would want to go back and be a teenager again. And my reasons have nothing really to do with the above. I've lived those years for a God given reason and purpose. That purpose was to prepare me for the work that He has for me. That work being to worship Him and to lead my family in a Christ like manner and I wouldn't trade those for anything.

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Dr. Mohler on being Baptist...

From time to time I will pick up the book entitled, "Why I Am A Baptist" edited by Tom J. Nettles and Russell D. Moore so that I can read what individuals have to say about being a Baptist. On this occasion it was Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. that I came across. Dr. Mohler is probably the face of the Southern Baptist Convention right now. He is the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky; the flagship school of the SBC. SBTS is one of the largest seminaries in the world and even in these tough economical times the school continues to grow and thrive. I truly enjoy reading and listening to Dr. Mohler because of his knowledge for church history and his desire to be known for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I thank God for what He is doing through Dr. Mohler and the rest of the leadership at SBTS.

I have pulled the following from Dr. Mohler's article in the book. This information and a little more about Dr. Mohler can be found on pages 58-64 of "Why I Am A Baptist" edited by Tom J. Nettles and Russell D. Moore. I hope the following give us Baptists a little more understanding on why we are Baptist.

THE INTEGRITY OF THE GOSPEL

Baptists are gospel people. We cherish the gospel of Jesus Christ as the means of salvation to all who believe. We know that there is salvation in the name of Jesus and in no other name. Sinners come to Christ by faith, and are justified by faith alone. Grace is our theme and the gospel of Jesus Christ is our message. As the 1644 London Confession stated: "The tenders of the absolutely necessary, any qualifications, preparations, terrors of the Law, or preceding ministry of the Law, but only and alone the naked soul, as a sinner and ungodly to receive Christ, as crucified, dead, and buried, and risen again, being made a Prince and a Savior for such sinners."
Believer's baptism is essential to our understanding of the gospel, for it is our public profession of faith in Christ. It underscores the necessity of personal confession of Christ as Savior and Lord, and denies any faith by proxy. Our rejection of infant baptism is rooted in the clear and normative New Testament witness to the baptism of believers by immersion. But we are also chastened by the knowledge that millions of persons, baptized as infants, consider themselves Christians while never confessing Christ as Savior. I am a Baptist because we defend the integrity of the gospel.

THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE

Every denomination operates under some concept of spiritual authority, however vague or unbiblical it may be. Baptists often describe their churches as "spiritual democracies." This is a true statement, but it can be dangerously misunderstood. Christ rules in his church, and he rules through his Word.
The Bible, and the Bible alone, hold ultimate authority in a Baptist congregation. The Second London Confession of Faith (1677) put the issue plainly: "The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own Glory, man's salvation, Faith and Life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture; unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new Revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men."
Baptist congregationalism is an exercise in bringing ourselves under submission to the Word of God--not in exercising our own authority in the place of Scripture.

THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH

Congregationalism is more than a system of church polity; it is the Baptist vision of the visible church as revealed in the New Testament. The core of congregationalism is the affirmation of our responsibility, under the lordship of Christ and the authority of Scripture, to come together as believers under a covenant of faithfulness to Christ. No one is a Baptist alone.
Seeking to define the church, the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833) states that a visible church is a "congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word." Every word of this definition is essential to the New Testament vision of the church.
In a Baptist congregation, every believer is in covenant with brothers and sisters in Christ. Believer's baptism by immersion, faithfully following the example and instruction of our Lord, is the sign of that covenant, and is prerequisite to membership. We are a congregation of believer priests, serving the Lord in the preaching of the Word, the observation of the ordinances, discipline in accord with God's laws, and the proclamation of the gospel.
I cannot reconcile any other form of church government with the New Testament. Believer's baptism is so central and essential to our understanding of the church that we can see no church without this ordinance and can recognize no other baptism as true baptism. We came by our name honestly.
Baptist by family heritage, I am a Baptist by conviction. With thankfulness to God, I claim this heritage as my own and pray that the Baptists of this generation will stand in faithful obedience before God. By God's grace, this is why I am a Baptist. -Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Acts 12, Peter Imprisoned...

I was just doing one of my favorite things to do and that's flip through the book of Acts until I find what seems to be a good starting point and there I begin reading. I enjoy the book tremendously because it details the early church on how they operated. I love reading about Paul's conversion and how Stephen was chosen to serve, but in this particular reading I came across what I think to be one of the coolest things in the book.

In the twelfth chapter of the book of Acts it is speaking of the death of James and Peter being put into prison. In verse four King Herod puts Peter into prison and orders four squads of soldiers to guard him. Verse five speaks of earnest prayer made to God by the church for Peter and then verse six, which is what I think is the coolest takes place. The night after Passover King Herod was to bring forth Peter from prison and give him to the people. Basically, the King was going to kill Peter for the entertainment of himself and the Jews.

Anyways, verse six tells us that Peter was bound with chains and sleeping! How crazy is that!? Peter, knowing that in a very short time he could be put to death, is asleep in his cell. Peter was solely relying on God in that situation. He knew whatever happened it would be for the glory of God and he was fine with that. How often are we in situations that don't even come close to the one Peter was in and we go straight into panic mode trying to figure out what "I" have to do in order to fix the problem?

Finally, in verse seven an angel of the Lord appears next to him in the prison cell. And even with the light coming from the angel Peter doesn't budge, he keeps on snoozing!! The verse goes on to say that the angel had to strike Peter on the side in order to wake him. Again, facing possible death, Peter gets a good nights rest. Verse nine tells us that Peter thought he was dreaming the entire event until he got down the street. When he realized that it wasn't a dream he automatically gave praise to the Lord for sending the angel to save him. Peter then went to the house of Mary and testified of what the Lord had done for him.

How great is our God that He takes care of us in all matters of life and He gives us the faith and trust to rely on Him in what seems to be the worst of times. And as Peter shows us, when we love God we can't help but to praise Him in all things as well as testify to those around us for what He has done.

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

It's That Time Again...

Yep, August is winding down and September will soon be here!! With the end of another summer means a number of different things. A new school year; which makes for another reminder of just how long I've been out of school. My 31st birthday will arrive in a few short weeks. I remember as a kid how it seemed like birthdays and Christmas took forever to come, now when one arrives I think, "Didn't this just happen?". Honestly though, my favorite part of this time of year is a little something I like to call football season! Within a matter of days in the state of Texas you will be able to see Friday Night Lights!! Two weeks from now will open up the OU football season. The Sooners will play the Mormons at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington. Sure, I'll follow the Cowboys but there is just something about the college game that the pro one can't compare to. I enjoy that every game is a must win, the band going crazy after a score, and seeing the Cotton Bowl split exactly down the middle in early October.

Football is greatness and I do love watching my Sooners play each Saturday afternoon, but as I learned a number of years ago; football or anything else can't become our idol. We as Americans idolize sports and television stars. We've bought into the thought that those people have it all. So often that isn't the case at all. Pro athletes and movie stars have the same problems or issues that the rest of us deal with. They as well have to deal with their own mortality. Look at how shocked everyone was with the death of Michael Jackson. Pro athletes and movie stars do think of their mortality, they just might not say it. Look at how many of these people want to save the animals or stop war. For most it's them trying to tip the scale of their life for their good deeds to out weigh the bad. For those that read the Bible, we know different. For we are saved by God's grace and not of ourselves, lest we should boast, says the book of Ephesians. Is that verse enough for us? Is it enough for us to see that there is nothing I can do for God's saving grace? Here is a bigger question; does it matter or not in the long run if it is enough for us? I'm currently reading one of RC Sproul's books and he says the following:

Have you ever seen the bumper sticker, "He said it, I believe it, that settles it!"? Have you realized that you believing it makes no difference in weather or not God's Word is true? He said it and that settles it.

So, it might be that time of year again, but when was the last time you took a nice hard look at your mortality and realized that He is in total control?

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

"Simple Church" by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger...

"Simple Church" was recommended a few months back and I was told that it was a must read so I went over to the Holy Land of the SBC (Lifeway) and purchased a copy.

I was immediately drawn to the book because it had

the word "simple" in the title. I found out soon enough something that I had known for quit some time now, church has become anything but simple.




The author's begin by comforting me that this isn't another one of those "do it this way and I'll guarantee your church will become the next mega church in America" kind of book. They tell the story of a normal church pastor who truly cares and worries for his flock. The pastor wonders why he spends most of his time in counseling rather then working toward feeding the flock and all the while he wonders if his church is being transformed. I would say that a lot of pastors across this country know exactly how this guy feels. Our example pastor does figure it out though. He asks himself the following; "Is his church making real disciples, the kind of disciples Jesus made? Or is everyone just busy?"




Chapter one wastes no time in bringing forth simple yet mind blowing information. Rainer and Geiger speak of a couple of things that are very popular and very simple. Actually, they reveal that a major reason why these things are so popular is because they are so simple. They call two companies revolutionaries against complexity. The first company is Apple, which has created the greatness of the iphone and ipod. The ipod has one button that does just about everything you need in order to control it. The other being Google, which is one of the fastest growing companies in American history. Take a look at Google's website sometime; there is nothing on it. It's simple.



This book is a basic walk through of two types of churches and how they "do ministry." First Church has many activities and/or programs while Simple Church has very few. First Church has a different mission statement for every activity while Simple Church has every activity revolve around one mission statement. First Church hires staff that are considered the best in their field, while Simple Church hires staff that fits the mold of how they do ministry. The authors point out that while First Church has the most well known staff, they are also in competition with other staff to make their ministry the best in the church. Instead of working as a team to promote the gospel they are over working their people to be apart of as many programs as possible, thus leading them to burnout. One of my favorite points of the book is the comparison of how each church handled new ideas. Both churches had found that they where dealing with marriage issues. First Church decided to set aside an entire weekend for a marriage conference at the church. Simple Church on the other hand decided to implement ways to better its members marriages by putting the material in their Sunday school/small group studies. The reason why I found this so interesting is because First Church, which is already pulling at its members from all different directions decides to expect those members take even more time out of their busy schedule to attend another program. By Simple Church placing the material in their Sunday school/small groups they are accomplishing multiple tasks. Those accomplishments are as follows:

1. 
   
   Couples are being trained weekly.


2. 
   
   Couples become closer as a group because they learn about each other.


3. 
   
   Those that might not want to attend Bible Study just might because of the material.


4. 
   
   By accomplishing the above Simple Church is growing disciples which is their main goal.

Ultimately the book reveals that church leadership must never be afraid to say "no." People may come into your church with well intentions or ideas, but if those ideas don't fit your churches underlining mission then it's not needed. The book does say that it's not easy to become simple, but can actually be very difficult. The leadership must not falter in the goal and direction of the church. Keep sharing the vision of your church with your members even when it seems like people are tired of hearing it.

Rainer & Geiger do a great job with this book and I highly recommend it to anyone in church leadership. Our society has gotten so complex with the rise in technology that it's time to get back to the basics of offering scripture as being sufficient for our church members.

In Christ Alone,

Mr. V.

"Already Gone" by Ken Ham

I just finished reading "Already Gone" by Ken Ham the founder of Answers In Genesis and well known statistician Britt Beemer. The book is an easy read of 166 pages and I thought the stats where laid out very well compared to other books that seem to get confusing and boring by the way they lay out information. "Already Gone" does a very good job of keeping it simple and easy to understand. Actually, I found for the most part that the stats where the best part of the entire book. Ken makes a number of decent observations, but he will probably be quoted more for his bold statements and/or claims then his good points. It almost seems as though the bold statements were more for shock factor then anything else.

The biggest and boldest claim Ken makes is found on page 38 and says, "Sunday school is actually more likely to be detrimental to the spiritual and moral health of our children." Wow! Make that claim to most Southern Baptists and see what kind of response you get. I think the statement wouldn't have been so shocking if the authors would of given their findings first and then made their claim. I say that because their findings are very much eye opening.

Their survey was taken of 1,000 20-29 year old adults that had regularly attended church as children and teens. A few of the findings are as follows. 61 percent of those surveyed said "yes" when asked if they had attended Sunday school often during their child and teen years. According to their results, those that attended Sunday school "often" are more likely to not believe that all Bible accounts are true. They are also more likely then the 39 percent of those that said they didn't attend Sunday school to defend abortion and gay marriage. Those that spent their younger days in Sunday school where also more apt to believe in some form of evolution as well as that good people don't have to attend church. The results of this survey are a cause for the church to take a good hard look at what she is doing and why she is doing it, but I believe that Sunday school is just a small part of the overall problem and not the start of it as Ken Ham tends to lead us to believe.

The authors do make a couple of very good points about how we should transform the Sunday school program. The surveys findings show that for the most part our current Sunday school program is nothing more then irrelevant repetition of the same old stories. Mr. Ham says that we need to teach the Bible as actual history and not as stories because the very definition of the word "story" is fairy tale. He says to show the Bible as relevant we need to use real maps and artifacts. Ken goes on to say that our public schools are showing, testing, and teaching our children secular humanism all while the church says, "have faith" or "just trust Jesus" and doesn't or can't answer the hard questions coming from our culture. Ken also goes on to say that the church is starving from a lack of apologetics. I found that I very much agreed with Ken on this particular issue. Our children aren't being taught the proper information for dealing with our culture.

All in all I'm glad I purchased "Already Gone" because it did show me some new things as well as remind me of things I hadn't thought about in a long while. If you're a big fan of Ken Ham and Answers In Genesis then there is no doubt you will enjoy this book. If you aren't a fan of his, but wonder if this would be a decent read then I would suggest it because of the stats given by Mr. Beemer. Ken does gear toward young earth in his questions, but that's to be expected. Oh, and by the way, I agree with Ken on the young earth topic.

Ultimately we must realize that the job of a Sunday school teacher, VBS leader, or Youth Minister is mainly to back up what we as parents should already be teaching our children at home.

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Finally...

The only thing I could think of for the title of this post was the word, finally....Finally, after almost a year of meetings, resumes, interviews, guest speakers, (one of which was myself) an interim pastor, a lot of church member questions, and more meetings; we finally have ourselves a new pastor!! Somewhere around the five O'clock hour of Sunday July 19th 2009 we called our newest pastor to FBC. Finally.....

Even though it may seem like I'm making the Pastor Search Team sound like something that would be horribly awful to be apart of, I am very thankful for the God given opportunity to be apart of something that will have an effect on our area for years to come. Holding such a position is very important and should be given to those who are held in the highest esteem and respect, which makes me wonder what people where thinking when they placed me on the team.

With my new experience I've been able to confirm one thing; I can't stand meetings! My temperament or thought train aren't what I would call people friendly. I've had to come to the realization that I don't think the same way as most people that have spent their entire lives in church think. I don't understand how the Bible can openly show an example of how to handle business, yet we do it almost completely opposite. For the life of me I can't figure out how meetings are suppose to be about a certain issue, yet can some how turn into a conversation about how the watching of "R" rated movies may or may not be a sin. Speaking of which, "The Passion" by Mel Gibson is rated-R. Honestly though, people probably think the same about me and that's cool. I say that's cool because that means something I've said or done has left an impression. Now I must make sure that impression was left by doing something from the Word of God and not of the selfish flesh. If the impression is left of the Word then to God be the glory, but if it's from my flesh then woe is me. The following is one of my favorite quotes, "What I'm saying might very well be harsh, but the bigger question you have to ask is whether or not what I'm saying is true." -Paul Washer. That always reminds me to love in giving truth.

So what's next...Well, the Pastor Search and the Constitution Review Teams are behind me. I'm not sure really about what's next within the local church. We do have a new Dude coming aboard in the next couple of weeks so we will see what changes he will bring. I have a year to Chair the Nominating Team, but by the end of August that will be down to a minimum. Me teaching again has come up over the past few months. Not sure on when, where, how, whom, or if I will though. That's okay though because God is in control of it.

It's funny how people will argue the separation of church and state, yet don't realize how much of each is in both....

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Church Nursery...

The topic of the nursery has been a hot one as of late in not only our family, but also our church. It has come up in our family discussions because our youngest daughter is now a year old and is starting to get a little fidgety and vocal in the services. It's being talked about in our church because we are currently without a nursery director. While for my family we will stick with the concept of attending church services as that; a family, that's not always the case for everyone in the church. If parents desire to have their children in the nursery then so be it because the issue is an open handed one.

Obviously the next question I get from people on this topic is, "Why won't you put your children in the nursery?" To which I reply, "The Bible says that the parents are to raise their children." Deut. 6 tells parents to diligently teach our children morning and night of the statutes of God. Eph. 6 tells father's to bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Part of that discipline and instruction is teaching our kiddos how to set in church and listen to what is going on. I strongly believe that when 90% of our teens leave the church by the time they are sophomores in college it's partly because they have spent most of their younger years of church going in other areas besides that of the sanctuary. The American church has fallen in love with the idea of our young ones not being in church services. If we teach them as babies that they don't belong in service then why are we surprised when they leave as young adults because they don't feel apart of the service?

Mainly, I don't put my children in the nursery because there is no scriptural basis for it. In scripture we see the exact opposite. Ezra 10:1 says; men, women, and children gathered to him out of Israel. Jesus acknowledged the presence of children in chapters 18 and 19 of Matthew.

The biggest argument I've heard for not having children in church services is, "They cause distractions so someone may not hear the gospel." That is a very interesting argument for a couple of reasons. The first one being that, is God not big enough to save someone even though a child is making noise or crying? Secondly, how hard is it to get the attention of your spouse when he or she is watching their favorite television program? Kids can be screaming, phone will be ringing, and someone is at the front door, yet it still doesn't break their attention toward that program. The bottom line is that when we are doing what our heart desires nothing will stop us from completing the task at hand.

The fact is that the nursery as well as other well intended church "programs" are being used for nothing more then a free babysitter. The church has given parents a good excuse for not training their own children and parents are jumping on the bandwagon by the truck load!

With all that said, does it mean that the nursery is wrong? No, it's just not proven in scripture. We must stop doing things just because that's how we've always done it and get back to using the Bible as our instruction manual. And just because we've always done it that way doesn't mean it has always been done that way.......

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Correction...

Was informed this morning that I had made an error on the site link to Blue Ridge Bible Church in last nights post. Here is the correct site link www.brbctexas.com. I even checked last night to make sure I knew the web-sites address and still typed it in wrong for the post. Guess that's what happens when you try and blog around mid-night. Also, the Blue Ridge Bible guys are on Twitter, so give them a follow. Pastor Tim Camp is @PTCamp and Kevin Wilson's tag is @Kevinbrbc.

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Long Time No Post...

It's just past 11pm and I'm watching the Rangers play the Angels. They are currently winning 8-1 and looking to over take the Angels for first place in their division. Red #3 is not wanting to go to sleep so she is in the middle of our bed kicking, playing, and having a good ole time.

Anyways, part of the reason for not posting in so long is that the last several months have been a crazy and wild time around here. The other part is that I've let Twitter and Facebook take up more of my time. They have proven to be a quicker way of sending and viewing information. Speaking of Twitter, if you're not on or following me then you should be; follow me @NickVineyard.

Reading a new book this week; Simple Church by Thom Rainer. It has even further opened my eyes on how today's church has made things so much more difficult then they need to be. Will write more later on my thoughts about the book. Last week I finally finished up "Vintage Church" by Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Driscoll has become one of my favs when it comes to dealing with our culture while not compromising the Word.

The last 8 months of church have taken a large amount of my time as well. I some how found myself on the Pastor Search Team. Then I found my way on the Constitution Review Team, followed by taking over the chair position of our Nominating Team as well as helping keep the church website updated. Our church website is http://www.firstblueridge.org/, but don't look at it for a day or so because I've been slacking on that job. Then finally, getting my first actual opportunity to preach before the church. The preaching was fun, I definitely learned a lot during the two weeks I had to prepare for the service. I appreciate a lot more what the "pros" go through during preparation. Other exciting news on the church front at FBC Blue Ridge is that we will be having a pastor come in view of a call on July 19th. That day will also be the 5th Anniversary for being in the new facilities. Should be an exciting day of fellowship and it will definitely be a busy one.

Speaking of churches, you guys check out Blue Ridge Bible Church, they are doing some good things over there. Kevin Wilson will be teaching on marriage over the next several weeks, should be some good stuff. Their web-site is http://www.brbctexas.com/.

Well, the Rangers game is headed to the ninth and they are still up 8-1. Guess I'll get off of here and watch the final six outs before calling it a night. Hope all is well with everyone and I plan on getting back to posting on a regular basis.

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.

Something American Churches Don't Understand...

It's been since Christmas day that I last blogged about anything. There isn't really any reason for it except that I let other things consume my time and there just really hasn't been anything that I've desired to write about. Well, let me rephrase that; nothing that I can put out there for people to read about. I am reading a little about Isaac Backus though. Mr. Backus lived from 1724-1806 and was an early historian and a champion of religious liberty among Baptists. I just read a letter that his mother had sent to him while she was in prison for not paying a minister's tax. After reading it I immediately thought about how the modern church in America isn't being persecuted for taking a stand for what she believes in, but rather is to occupied with the goings on within her own four walls. I encourage you to read the following letter from Elizabeth Backus and I hope that it will stir you to remember some of the trials the early church went through so that we could have our religious freedoms today; as well as take them for granted.

My Dear Son:

I have heard something of the trials amongst you of late, and I was grieved, till I had strength to give up the case to God, and leave my burthen there. And now I would tell you something of our trials. Your brother Samuel lay in prison twenty days. October 15, the collectors came to our house, and took me away to prison about nine o'clock, in a dark rainy night. We lay in prison thirteen days, and then set liberty, by what means I know not. Whilst I was there a great many people came to see me; and some said one thing and some another. O the innumerable snares and temptations that beset me, more that I ever thought on before! But, O the condescension of heaven! Though I was bound when I was cast into this furnace, yet was I loosed, and found Jesus in the midst of the furnace with me. O then I could give up my name, estate, family life and breath, freely to God. Now the prison looked like a palace to me. I could bless God for all the laughs and scoffs made at me. O the love that flowed out to all mankind! Then I could forgive as I would desire to be forgiven, and love my neighbor as myself. Deacon Griswold was put into prison the 8th of October, and yesterday old brother Grover, and [they] are in pursuit of others; all which calls for humiliation. This church has appointed the 13th of November to be spent in prayer and fasting on that account. I do remember my love to you and your wife, and the dear children of God with you, begging your prayers for us in such a day of trial. We are in tolerable health, expecting to see you.
These from your loving mother,

Elizabeth Backus

In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.