Earth survives and thrives because of the changes in the times and seasons. These held in proper balance guarantee the continuance of life for generations to come. (That is if Jesus tarries.) The church in its essence is what it has always been since its inception in Acts. However, the church in its manifestation is a testimony of constant change. I’m not sure if it is the emotional insecurity of immaturity or the nagging fear of faithlessness but there is something that makes some incorrectly assume that all change is compromise.

A quick mental review of the history of the church would immediately reveal that the church has always changed the way it ministers in an effort to accommodate the needs of each present generation and society. Even the Apostles of the first century understood this. (Paul did not require Titus to be circumcised but he did require Timothy, according to Acts 16:3 simply to appease the Jews.) Change is inevitable in ministry because society changes, language changes, political environment changes, the pressures of life and living change.

The problem with ignorance in Christianity has been ongoing. A call to truth is not a call to blindness. A call to Christ is not a call to mental paralysis. Unwillingness to learn and grow has often hindered the Lord’s work.

As a young boy I used to read Hardy Boy mysteries. I sold the “Grit” newspaper and used my earnings to purchase many of the books in that series. In those days one book cost a couple dollars. Recently I was in a used book store and saw some of these same books priced at $30 a piece. Why? Well now they have sentimental value because they are old and we call them antiques. Are these books really worth more? No, but people place value on them and this artificially imposed value is now assumed so anyone who owns a “Hardy Boys” book now believes they own something of greater value. Do they really? No. These books only have market placed value not actual value.

This is what has happened in the church. We did something this way or sang that song as a child and because of sentimentality we artificially place value on things and traditions but that value is neither real or actual. So much of what the church does around the gospel is merely cultural trappings from one era or another and as such these things have no actual spiritual value. Therefore to change or discard them is not compromise it’s just transition. It is not an attack on the past or an overvaluing of the present above the former it is simply the force of life moving the church forward in time.

We, as the church of Jesus Christ have a charge to keep and that charge is the Word of God. Therefore we must strive to have biblical, theological, and doctrinal fidelity. That’s what the biblical writer meant when he challenged us to “earnestly contend for the faith.” We must do everything possible to make sure that the truth is not compromised, limited, or obscured. It is for this very reason that we now make the transition away from bearing the moniker “Fundamental” and start using the name “Hilltop.”

The word fundamental means ‘first,’ ‘essential,’ ‘basic’ etc… If you get involved in sports the first thing they do is teach you the fundamentals and that is a good thing. However in the context of religion, even more since 9/11, the term ‘fundamental’ bears an unshakable reproach. It is a term that designates ignorant radicalism in every branch of religion whether it be in Iraq or in some Mormon polygamist group down in Texas. Anyone who would not admit that the term “fundamentalist” has become an unnecessary hindrance to the work of the gospel isn’t being honest about the present reality. So, rather than pine away for days gone by that will never return, or fight for a word that has forever been lost, we choose to move forward for Christ’s sake.

For those who would say, “I wouldn’t let the world have that word I would fight for it” I would respond that your perspective is the opposite of the Apostle Paul’s. In first Corinthians 14 one of Paul’s major concerns was that those in the church speak words that even the world can understand. Later in another letter (1 Timothy 6:4) Paul instructed young Timothy that it is only ignorant pride that would cause someone to fight and stress over words. Our mission is not semantics it is salvation. Our treasure is not tradition it is truth. Our hope is not to resurrect the past but rather to revive the present.

Yes our loyalty is to a name but that name is Jesus Christ because it is only his name that will stand throughout all of time and eternity and to that name we pledge our allegiance. As a local New Testament church we have changed our name but we will never compromise our Lord or His word.

I must admit that I am warming up to Pastor Rick Warren. Certainly I still disagree with some of the biblical and philosophical implications of the “Purpose Driven Church” I can’t argue with the generosity of his spirit. Also, I appreciate his sanity and openness when expressing his affirmation of biblical marriage and his prolife position. His presentation of the political candidates with his “forum” was by far the best display during the recent presidential race. I saw his interview with Ann Curry this past week and it was obvious—at least to me—that she was trying to do a hatchet job on him. He is coming under fire because President-elect Barack Obama has asked Pastor Warren to do the invocation because of his biblical position on marriage and abortion. (I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with President-elect Obama’s choice but that is another blog.)

Ann Curry wanted to know why Pastor Warren thought American found itself in its present economic dilemma. When Warren said it was because America had turned its back on God’s principles I could see the Ann’s eyes light up. She was going to ask the question that would finally make this pastor look like a crazy eyed radical. “What principles have we turned our back on?” She asked. This would be a defining moment in her career. “We have bought what we did not need with money we do not have to impress people we do not like.” Even Curry had to smile at the answer because everyone knows that this is true.

As a nation and as churches we have become addicted to consumerism. Like the world churches are filing bankruptcy and seeing their houses of worship being repossessed and auctioned to the highest bidder. Somewhere we have bought into the lie that a new building will bring revival—it never has it never will. Revival costs nothing in the sense of money but it cost everything in the sense of self.

I don’t even pretend to know what the New Year holds for our economy but when I go to town it seems like everybody seems to have plenty of money to buy plenty of stuff. When the local Sears only has three plazma TV’s left to sale a week before Christmas someone’s got money—even with a looming catastrophe we go about blindly doing what we have been doing without fear or concern for the consequences that may come. Certainly we shouldn’t live in worry but we should live in wisdom.

Unlike the sappy sentimental stories on TV in many homes Christmas morning will be a time of turmoil and stress when children don’t get exactly what they asked for or when one child gets a better gift than the next. Tempers will flair, tears will flow, and parents will feel inadequate and we shouldn’t be surprised because we have acted the same way in church when we didn’t get our way or when someone got a position we didn’t get or when we feel that our perceived power or authority is threatened. Spoiled adults raising spoiled children equals a spoiled self centered church and culture. This world is headed to God and the most awful truth is that there will be church members who will say, “but Lord we have prophesied in your name and done many wonderful works” and He is going to reply, “depart from me ye worker of iniquity I never knew you.” This world is going to God and we need to be ready for that final destination—especially those who claim the name of Christ.

We live in desperate and urgent times. In case you doubt me let me give you a partial list.

• The economic dilemma that America (and the world) finds itself in is estimated to cost us 1 trillion dollars over two years. The original estimate of 600 billion is now considered too low.
• The exposure of Bernard Madoff’s long running Ponzi scheme and loss of 50 billion dollars includes losses to some of the world’s most popular players in global finance including HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Spain’s BBVA and Frances BNP Paribas—and that is just to name a few.
• As I am writing Russian warships are preparing to be in Cuba by the week’s end as Russia seeks to renew relationships with Cuba and other Central and Latin American powers. Some perceive Russia’s actions a passive aggressive political statement. Who knows?
• On Tuesday (Dec. 16, 2008) There will be a gathering of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in Brazil—a region wide summit that is excluding the United States.
• The big three automakers have been in Washington with their hands out begging for a bailout saying that without it their days are numbered.
• And while most of America and the world is still grappling with the implications of this economic crisis Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is trying to increase his own economy by selling off President-elect Barak Obama’s senate seat to the highest bidder and New York Gov. David Paterson is trying to levy an obesity tax on non-diet soda in an attempt to raise 404 million dollars. (I’m not making this up.)

If you read any newspapers, watch any news, or listen to any radio you can’t deny that these are perplexing times and in this time God is looking for loyal hearts that have linked themselves to Him—people who long to live in His presence.

I’m afraid that American Christianity has very little to offer in this area. (Now before you label me a doomsday preacher ask yourself, “If all the millions of people in America who claim to belong to Christ were passionate about serving Jesus and living the Christ life would America be in its present circumstance?”)

As we get nearer to December 25^th I think you can see the American problem. At Tinanmen Square in Beijing China in 1989 people protested for democracy and when the government responded to quell that demonstration many died in pursuit of a noble cause. In contrast America’s recent public gathering protest was when a guy was trampled to death at a Walmart as customers rushed in to buy one of four flat panel TVs that the store had at a discount rate. Do you see the difference?

We are self centered. Christ is often mentioned during this season but for what reason? Are we really consumed by the wonder of Jesus? There will be Christian homes where children will be angry and sad because they didn’t get exactly what they wanted. Other homes will have tension because one child got his desires and another didn’t and the accusation will be made, “you love them more than you love me.”

But we shouldn’t be shocked or surprised. There are people in the church who act the same way. If they don’t get what they want they will pout and throw a fit.

America is self indulgent, self centered and proud.

If graceful humility is the great liberator then judgmental pride is the great debilitator.

• Pride has made us haughty and arrogant in our beliefs.
• Pride has made us intolerant toward others.
• Pride has made us act in disgust toward opinions different than our own.
• Pride is what makes us think our sinful attitudes aren’t a big deal.
• Proud people will weep over their sins without ever repenting.
• Proud people do not seek after God in times of spiritual decline—instead they look for someone to blame.
   

  Did you know that it is impossible for a proud man to please God. Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, and arrogancy..”
  

  America needs a revival of selflessness and humility not just in our nation but in our churches.

  I understand why the inflated intellects of our day accept the atheism of Voltaire and Rousseau but what I cannot understand is why so much of the church lives like God is dead—they claim that they know Christ but live like they will never have to give an account to God for their unchristian attitudes and their critical lukewarm attendance to their local church.

  Isaiah 23:9–
  ⁹The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

  • Worldliness believes that a certain degree of pride will give you that confident edge that you need to be a success.
  • Self Centeredness tells you that you have a right to be proud.
  • But the Word of God tells us the opposite. Pride will take away your honor. Pride will displease God. Pride will take away your passion for prayer.

   

  The church is filled with people in bondage but who stand each week and sing songs of victory and freedom. Pride saps your faith and your limited faith hinders.

  • The problem with your family might not be your lazy husband it might be your pride.
  • The reason your marriage is crumbling apart might not be that your wife isn’t as submissive as you want her to be—it might be your pride.
  • The reason you are so unhappy isn’t because your parents are trying to make your life miserable—it’s because of your pride—you think the world should revolve around you.

   

  If we hope for God to change our nation, our churches, and our homes we must first let Him change us.

  Christmas is not just the story of a birth—it is the record of the salvation of a people. There was a man named Simeon who understood that.

  Luke 2:25-26
  

  ²⁵And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. ²⁶And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

  Here is God’s man. He is ‘just’ which means he has moral character. He is ‘devout’ which says that he is passionate. He is waiting for God’s promise—this means that he trusts God. And the Holy Spirit was on him.

   

  Simeon knew who Jesus was because he was not ordinary, run of the mill, religious man—He had a relationship with God. God isn’t looking for bodies to grow the membership lists he is looking for men and women who have a fire in their soul that comes from a humble and upright heart.

  Did you know that King David was that kind of man and it came through even in his failures? There came a day when David chose to commit a wicked act of immorality that led finally to him committing the act of murder. He lusted after Bathsheba and took her into his bedchamber and she got pregnant. Confronted with consequences of his heinous act he was forced in the circumstances to have Uriah killed. So God sent the prophet Nathan to him and that old prophet pointed his finger at David and said “Thou art the Man.” You did it! You’re the sinner.

  • Thank God for a preacher who’s not afraid to blow the trumpet loud and clear.

   

  • Thank God for a preacher who’s not committed to preaching his opinions but is committed to preaching the unsearchable riches of the Word of God.

   

  • Thank God for a preacher who will just clear a spot off and preach his heart out.

   

  David could’ve said, “Who does this man think he is? I am the king. This is my palace I was here when he came and I’ll be here long after he is gone.” David didn’t do that. Confronted with his sins he ran to God. He fell on his knees in prayer. You can hear the anguish of his soul and the brokenness of his spirit. You can sense the emptiness of his heart as he cries out in Psalm 51: “O Lord restore unto me the joy of they salvation.”

Do you see him there in his prayer closet?

Can you see his heart?

David didn’t hate the messenger he heard him and in sorrow he found the secret place under the Shadow of the Almighty and cried out, “God forgive me.” His sin broke his relationship with God but his prayer restored it.

So much of religious America is just that—religious. We’ve made god’s out of hymnbooks, choirs, dress styles and denominational rituals and in so doing we have offended the first commandment. America is ripe for either revival or judgment. Unless the American church and Christianity humbles itself and turns from its pride we will not have a revival.

A. W. Tozer: “In every Christian’s heart there is a cross and a throne. A Christian is on the throne until he puts himself on the cross. If he refuses the cross he remains on the throne!”

Unless things change we could very easily be looking at the last American Christmas. I may be overstating. I certainly hope we are not doomed for total collapse but things are critical. However, I will say that if an economic crash is the only thing that will turn America back to God—in that respect I’m for it. When times are difficult and hard Christianity seems to thrive. I long to see Christianity thriving once again in America.

I’ve seen the faces of my friends; torn in shame

The sorrows of the past; they’ve come up again

And as the tears begin to flow; “Lord, I wonder why.”

My heart begins to break; I to begin to cry

Nathan Morton ©2004

Things happen through us and to us. We involve ourselves and we get involved. I don’t care who you are or where you live sin happens. But then the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit brings conviction and in humility we surrender ourselves and repent and suddenly supernaturally it is all under the blood and our sins are as far away from us as the East is from the West—or are they?

Certainly the sins we have committed are gone, forgiven, and erased but as long as we live in this body of flesh they are never far away. Our old sins, our former habits, those things that we once were are only as far away as our passion for Christ. Paul writes about “such were some of you” and we rejoice that we are no longer what we were but what we need to be reminded of is that what we were is exactly what we will become if we allow ourselves to drift away—if we lose our first love.

It is shocking how quickly Satan can resurrect our past when we turn our eyes off of Jesus. The things of the world grow strangely bright without the light of His glory and grace. I guess what I am saying is, “beware.” Beware of your old self because he lurks in the shadows of lukewarmness longing to return to the center stage. That drunk you used to be still wants to be. That liar that used to speak haunts the corners of your lips. That fornicator, hater, idolater, and thief waits outside the door of your prayer closet hoping for another opportunity to bring you pleasure and render you broken, wasted, ruined, and hopeless. God delivers but Satan enslaves and re-slaves. We should not be surprised when we read of OT kings who, at the end of their lives, turned away from God. I am pretty sure that Judas did not begin his time with Jesus plotting to sell him for 30 pieces of silver. Somewhere on the road to righteousness, along the path the purity, they stopped the onward move. They took a break. They diversified their interest and before you know it Alexander the coppersmith is doing harm to Paul, Saul it chasing David, and Lot is living it up in Sodom.

I know you are thinking, “this would never happen to me” and my response would be, “pride goes before…..” If you close your bible, ignore the house of God, and avoid your prayer closet you will see how quickly the old man will claw and scratch to get out of his grave.

This past week Ted Haggard, disgraced former evangelical leader, was given the opportunity to speak in a small church in Illinois and his words were quite telling. He spoke of how his sin brought shame to his wife and family. He told that church that when he was 7 years old one of his father’s workers molested him. He didn’t use it as an excuse and he admitted to his gross moral failure and as he did he said this, “There I was 50 years old….loving God, an evangelical, born-again, spirit-filled…..”But, some of the things that were buried in the depths of the sea from when I was in the second grade started to rage in my heart and mind.” How awful.

There is no doubt that whom the Lord has set free is free indeed but there is no free pass. This is why Paul encourages us in Galatians to “be not entangled again.” For this reason Peter warns us to not be “again entangled therein, and overcome.” Peter also encourages us not to be so ignorant as to fashion our lives according to our former lusts but instead be holy.

This is the conflict of the two laws: the law of the flesh vs. the law of the Spirit. All of us are bound by the law of the flesh. Our body desires sin and it seems like an inescapable law—like the law of gravity. (What goes up must come down.) But the great principle of a law is that it can be circumvented by a higher law. When I am in an airport sitting in an airplane I am stuck to the ground bound by the law of gravity. Then as the plane begins to move and as it goes faster and faster something wonderful happens. The law of gravity is suspended as a higher law (law of aerodynamics) takes over. When that happens the massive metal vehicle breaks away from the earth and takes flight.

We are all born living under the law of the flesh. When we come to Christ, like Paul, we continue to struggle with this law. But there is a better way to live. Some call it sanctification, some call it consecration, some call it commitment, I don’t care what you call it, believers need to live it. At that place where we take up our cross, at that point where we are willing to lose our lives to find them it is there that we no longer walk in the flesh but instead we live in the Spirit and it is there that we find this higher law of freedom in Jesus. This is what it means to become true disciples of Christ. This life is possible. Many before us have lived it. Many live it today. Will you?

If we continue to chose to live lives of mediocrity. If we continue to accommodate our flesh we will never be victorious believers. Without this “Christ life” we are doomed to miss out on that “abundant life” that Jesus hopes for us.

Have you found this life in Jesus? Wonderful! Then it is my prayer that you will continue in it. My warning to you is the same as Peter’s. Don’t become focused on yourself or your own desires because the result can be devastating. If you draw away from Jesus when the coldness of carnality floods back in that stale wind of satanic influence will resurrect the things God has freed you from. The law of aerodynamics will stop and the law of gravity will drop you like a rock. (He that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.) Jesus raises dead souls to new life but in a cold heart Satan will raise death itself. Those things buried in the depths of the sea from way back when will start raging in your heart and mind. My advice: “Love the Lord God will all your heart, soul, mind and strength…”

Two women are leaving the worship service. One turns and says, “I didn’t like that worship music this morning.” The other lady responds, “that’s alright we weren’t worshipping you.”

Therein lies the problem. Worship is not supposed to be self centered it is supposed to be Savior centered. Worship is not to lift us up it is to lift Him up. Worship is not about our feeling God but God feeling us. Are you picking up what I am laying down?

I have never been a fan of the “praise and worship” genre of music. As a 40 something I prefer something harder and more upbeat.

It isn’t that I don’t like hymns because I do. Two of my favorite religious songs are “The Love of God” and “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I like southern gospel. There is no finer song than the “Midnight Cry” written by Greg Day. I was raised on the Dixie Melody Boys and Bill Gaither. I even like some of the praise and worship like “How Great is our God,” “As the Deer,” “Above All” and I truly appreciate the music of Michael W. Smith. But if I had my choice it would be more along the lines of Keith Green, Casting Crowns, Spur 58, and the like. Conversely on the other side there are some of each genre that I really dislike. I won’t take the space to designate the style but you know the songs, “I come to the garden alone,” “Faith of our Fathers,” “Faith is the Victory,” “The King is Coming,” “Could He, Should He, Would He,” “It’s Party Time in Glory,” “Joy-Full,” “Uniquely You,” and others. But we sing some, we use some of them in the choir and congregation, and I enjoy them with the rest of God’s people.

It is this variety of song “type” that has led to much confusion in the church. They call the conflict “worship wars” but I have a better name for them “will wars.” Every group tries to establish its preferred type as the “right” kind. The other kinds are “less” or even “godless.” Now I don’t pretend to think that my few words will resolve all the differences. The conflicts of worship existed even before Christ came. This was the context of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman. However if I could bring at least my perspective to the table of conversation and express myself clearly enough that maybe one person would be helped then I would feel that God has used me for His glory.

Let me make four statements.

1. All that is necessary to believe to please God is contained in the scriptures.
2. Any belief based entirely upon logic, reason, or philosophy is a belief conjured in the mind of man and by virtue of that is therefore finite in its content and uncertain in its truthfulness.
3. Scriptural principles must be confined to a scriptural context. (For example when the bible says “I will set no evil thing before my eyes” the principle is that we should guard what we look. But, it is whole of scripture that defines what is evil not our opinions or some unexpected cultural shift.)
4. There is no musical notation or style in the scriptures or implication of it.

So this summer we took our teens to the Student Life camp at Cedarville, OH. Of course the meeting started with contemporary worship where everyone stood throughout. I, of course, sat. Not in protest I was just tired and sitting was easier. However, by the second day I saw our teens in worship, engaged with God, in a way that I had never seen. (Usually our youth trips had been more about the hype than the Holy Spirit. The greatest challenge of the mission’s trip was to keep one of the girls from sleeping with the missionary’s son and at the amusement park we had to deal with those in our group “shop-lifting” from the shops. Even on local trips it was a struggle to keep down the profanity.) This week I saw our teens impacted by God like I had never seen before and it wasn’t just a moment in time. They came home and continued to pursue the things of God. They were actually changed by this encounter. By the second service I stood with the teens and watched with joy as God worked in them. Parenting isn’t creating a restrictive environment that makes us look like good parents. Parenting is like gardening you keep them from that which causes them harm and encourage those things that make them flourish and grow. Remember we are not raising children we are raising adults.

Now if you know me you know that I have lampooned praise and worship music. I have said that singing love songs to Jesus is “sissy.” If you would have asked me 9 months ago if I would consider contemporary worship I would have clearly told you “no.” So what changed me? I can pinpoint it to a moment on the Thursday night of youth camp when my fourteen year old son looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “I never realized that you could talk to God through music. I am committing my life to God.”

Do you know what verse echoed through my soul? “Suffer little children to come unto me for such is the kingdom of heaven.” Our inflexible attitudes toward a musical style that impacts our youth is akin to the disciple’s unwillingness to let the children come to Jesus. We who profess to know Christ have become musical Pharisees—song Sadducees.

Some groups are so hypocritical that their choirs and groups will sing “Shout to the Lord,” “Above All,” “As the Deer,” or some other praise and worship song, sans the five piece drum but with a kettle drum in the orchestra, and then preach against churches that use praise and worship music. (Like the religious crowd of Jesus day that demanded heavy burdens of the people but would not themselves lift a finger.)

Is there any price too high to pay for the souls of our children? Is anyone else concerned about the mass exodus in our churches when our children turn 18? I am willing to do anything that does not violate the scriptures that will bring people to Jesus and help them become true disciples of Christ. Are you?

In defense of my position let me put the defendant on the stand and ask four questions. He who sets before you is vertical music that praises God.

Q: Does the musical form of Praise and Worship music violate the scriptural mandate for musical form? (A: There is no scriptural mandate for musical form.)

Q: Can any complaint against this musical form be backed up with a definitive scriptural prohibition? (A: Again there are no commands for or against any musical form. Any firm belief without scriptural basis is an unscriptural belief.)

Q: Are the words of the music unscriptural? (A: Like with hymns and every other musical drama unscriptural songs can be found and certainly those should be avoided. But also like the hymns many of the praise songs are both scripturally sound and doctrinally deep as an example I would cite the song: “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.”)

Q: Is it right to call godless and wrong what God himself has not called godless or wrong. (A: No.)

Therefore if we will “man up” and be honest with ourselves we have to admit the only reason we don’t like praise and worship is because we just don’t like it just like some of us don’t like sauerkraut, beef liver, or the New York Yankees. When people leave a church because they don’t like the music they are nothing more than spoiled children taking their ball and going home because the other kids won’t do as they like. The doctrinal term for this behavior is….selfish immaturity.

P.S. I know that lot of people read this blog but I don’t know who. If you believe that I am wrong and you have clear scriptural evidence to prove that I would invite you to send it to me at pastormorton@msn.com. Whenever the clear exposition of the scripture exposes my failure I want to conform to the scripture not rationalize the sin. But, if you believe that I am wrong and you do not have clear scriptural evidence to prove it then I would encourage you turn from your spiritual pride and embrace Christ-like humility.

“We face extreme danger.” That is how the news article for October 8, 2008 in the United Kingdom’s Telegraph begins. Today begins our discovery of how well or how poorly the Federal Government’s bailout will work. Early indications don’t look good. Some things need to die and some things should fail but Americans seem to have the incessant desire to live a consequence free lifestyle. We operate on the premise “if I want it then it should not be denied me.” The crime of big business is that it reflected the attitudes of its customers. However, unlike its customers its greed extended beyond a few credit cards that could be resolved through self discipline, extra income, or in worst case scenarios, personal bankruptcy. And who is to blame?

I thought it was interesting that this week’s episode of SNL was honest enough to actually admit that President Bush warned about the coming crash six years ago while the opposite party opposed any restraint. So are the democrats or the republicans to blame? I respect John McCain’s admission that both parties have become addicted to the abuses of power and greed. In truth there is enough blame to go around to us all—and by all I don’t mean all of wall street I mean main street as well. We like to point our fingers and identify the evil crimes of cooperate America but they could not have done it without our help. Like a high school drug pusher giving away freebies so that he can expand his customer base in almost every major department store they have a table set up with a smiling representative offering an additional 20% discount on purchases to everyone who will apply for their credit card. And we do it telling ourselves how much money we are going to save—the world is addicted to credit and we need to go to detox and rehab.

Because of the credit freeze the financial world is crumbling all around us. Collapse is on every front and in every nation. No nation’s economy is independent from the world’s and one nation’s effort to protect itself without regard to the rest will not work. I am sure we are going see a lot of economic recoiling from the world market in the next few days. But we will see.

America can buy up the repossessed homes, pay off the delinquent credit card debt, print more money and infuse it into our national economy and the short term results may be pleasing but the long term results will be devastating. Every additional dollar the government prints reduces the value of all dollars to that degree. Now as far as we American’s are concerned that is not really a big deal. However it is a big deal to those outside of America to whom our government owes over half of its debt because the debt we owe is not due in gold bars but in US dollars and if the dollar crashes that debt is essentially worthless. It would be akin to you going into the bank trying to pay off your house mortgage with confederate dollars.

The problem is that when one nation seeks to isolate itself from the rest it only shoulders off its problem to the next nation who will then do the same which will push it to the next nation and on and on, etcetera, etcetera until it comes back around again and then after a few cycles of that the erosion will be so great the world economy will be beyond repair. Does anyone remember the 1930’s? The depression wasn’t just in America. Germany in their desperation to recover from starvation and economic distress embraced a madman who brought both finances and fascism. The German people allowed for the final solution (one of, if not the most, awful atrocity in modern history) at the hands of a hellish, horrible Hitler. It is amazing what lengths people will be willing to go when they are starving.

James 1 says something wonderful. “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: ¹⁰But the rich, in that he is made low…” In a nutshell this passage means that earthly wealth, or lack thereof, neither exalts you or diminishes you. In Christ the poor man is exalted and in Christ the rich man is made low—Christ is the great equalizer. We need to learn that our hope is not in government, it is not in banks, it is not in politicians—Jesus is our only hope. We just forget that when times are good. I believe we are entering a time of great remembrance—I am sorry it takes this but I do hope that this is all it takes. Nathan

Next Sunday (Oct. 12, 2008) we begin our marriage enrichment series “Fireproof your Marriage” based upon the principles introduced in the Kirk Cameron movie that bears the same name. Although, as a church, we purchased the promotional material from outlook.com and I will be using the provided outlines and direction for this campaign I will not simply be regurgitating a script and preaching canned messages. Families are facing a greater threat than ever before and they deserve more from their church. The word of God has a lot to say to the family about how it can remain joyous and victorious even in the most pagan society.

As I was looking over next week’s scripture passage some thoughts came to me. There have been a lot of changes in the last 75 years and they have not all been bad. I am thankful for the results of the civil rights movement that has guaranteed equal rights for all ethnicities. I am thankful for the same political attitudes that have opened up many doors for woman. What a great thing that even the church now realizes that although the roles of men and women may differ we know that different doesn’t mean inferior. Unless things change I will be gladly voting for a presidential ticket that has a woman (Christian woman) in the VP spot. I love technology and all of the implications of its advancements for ministry and the Lord’s work. But although not everything has been bad contrariwise not everything has been good.

One of the most negative changes has been society’s attitude toward marriage and the home. There was a time when societal peer pressure kept even unhealthy marriages together. There was a time when a man or woman knew that leaving their mate and their children would bring disgrace to their parents, their church, their community, and themselves and that was a deterrent. Although some would argue about the implications on the children in an unhealthy marriage statistics would indicate that children even in an unhealthy marriage home still fare better than those from broken homes.

Now I am certainly not arguing FOR unhealthy marriages but I am trying to illustrate how the church’s responsibility to the home and the challenges of the home are very different today than they were 30 years ago. In today’s world the ONLY marriages that survive are the healthy ones. All other marriages will most likely dissolve—regardless of the participant’s age. For me this has been a difficult year for marriages. I have seen marriages dissolve that are a few years old, thirty years old and one couple in their 70’s—all calling it quits and none of them for good reasons. I know this is a blanket statement to make but I do not know how any marriage without Jesus in the center will ever survive. The challenge that the church now has is to call people to a life of passionate love for Jesus. We must do all we can to help people have spiritually healthy lives and relationships. I’m not sure what all this will entail but I am sure this must be our mandate. As we love Jesus more we will love one another more and as a result our children will have healthy marriages as a standard and role model for themselves when they enter into adulthood.

It’s that day again. That day when every preacher is either on the mountain peak or in the lowest part of the valley. The question every Monday morning is “should I rejoice or should I resign.” Pastor Pat Hall, a friend of mine from Cape Fear FWB church in Wilmington, NC has said (and I paraphrase), “If you have a bad Sunday don’t worry another one’s coming and If you have a great Sunday don’t be overconfident, another one’s coming.” At the end of the day the pastorate must have an eternal motivation not an emotional one. Anyone who is in the ministry because of an occupational choice is an occupational hazard to the ministry. I think that might be why so many pastors quit. Question: “Is the ministry hard?” Answer: “Not the ministry part.” My answer may surprise you. The ministry of studying the word, bearing the burdens of lost souls, hurting people, and broken homes, and prayer is hard in the sense that it is wearying but it is never discouraging. What makes the ministry hard, in a discouraging sense, are the non-ministry things.

Consider this. A pastor’s heart is breaking because he knows that a wonderful family in his congregation is on the verge of collapse. At the same time there is a family suffering financial ruin and another family is without heat or food. He is also burdened about someone with terminal cancer who may, or may not, make it through surgery. Another family has just been abandoned by the dad. He is also burdened about a mother who may lose her lost son to death and an eternity in hell. Add to that he bears the continual burden of carrying God’s message to the people with power and passion. In the midst of that someone is all out of sorts because of a Sunday school lesson or a changeup in the Sunday service. It is the last sentence that evokes a breathy sigh from the lower register, “idiot.” It is dealing with religious people that don’t have a clue that discourages.

“Well you went into the ministry what did you expect?” I expected Christians to actually be Christians. I thought that people who say they loved God would be thrilled to have a man as pastor who walked with God, was faithful to his wife, and loyal to God’s word regardless of which legalists and liberals objected. I expected ministry, not babysitting. I expected ministry, not politics. I expected people to return, in kind, the care and grace that they have received.

We can fault the Purpose Driven Church model and the mega churches (and I have) for pastors who distanced themselves from the people and treated the church as an industry rather than a ministry but maybe it was the only way that they could cope with the pettiness that comes from shepherding people up close. Maybe their way of “living peaceably with all men as is possible” means preaching in an intimate way from behind a barrier of ministry staff. I once heard Adrian Rogers say to pastors, “the man who is always available is not much good when he is available.” I understand what he means by that.

But is it possible to minister to people without engaging yourself in their lives? I don’t think so. I think the ministry is finding a way to minimizing the importance of the unimportant and keeping your heart fresh and tender to the things that really matter. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He knew how to get angry at the stupid Pharisees and still keep a heart of compassion for the others. He wasn’t looking to upset the religious crowd but He wasn’t upset when it happened. Jesus was a peacemaker between God and man but in the society of man He was the grand distinction. We are either for Him or against Him.

Yesterday was a great day. There was an unusual move of God in my heart and in the Church. As far as I know there was no criticism or complaint. Yet, at the end of the day my heart was broken. I kept breaking into tears over some dark circumstances and situations in the lives of people. Just mentioning how that God is not welcomed in His own house and how after showing mankind his love over and over again man still rejects Jesus was almost more than I could say without weeping. It was ministry pure and simple and though there were many tears there was an underlying joy to it all. Our prayers were genuine. Our focus was God. We are finally getting there. We are finally moving beyond the temporal and becoming captivated by the eternal. To say that we are concerned about sinners and missions is becoming more than just Baptist rhetoric.

Now I know that next week is coming but I am aware that God is at work in this place and if we will respond to it He will continue to work. Rex Lichtenfels said to me last night, “What is happening in the church is because of the Wednesday night prayer meeting. God is doing miracles in our midst!” That is exactly right. It is no one’s ingenuity, it is God. When God suddenly rises in our midst and like Isaiah we see the KING high and lifted up our only response is, “we are unholy but our God is ever Holy, ever Righteous, ever Pure, ever Loving, ever True, ever and forever OUR GOD!

[FBC in is the process of transitioning into becoming a more aggressively evangelistic ministry and that means change. In the mind of many unlearned Baptists change is equivalent to biblical compromise. They never even consider that what the church has been doing was, at one time, new. Everything was contemporary at some point. It is possible, and has been the case for 2000 years, that the church has maintained biblical fidelity while changing to meet the demands and challenges of each new generation. Those that were spiritually aware and theologically sound allowed the truth to reign over tradition. Those who were not let tradition triumph over truth and at that point in time they were frozen and their effectiveness for Christ ceased. Here is a great article handed to me this past Wednesday by a true deacon.]

When did our church turn into a church of Pharisees? The Pharisees thought things had to be done only one way—their way. Then Jesus showed up and turned everything they thought upside down. He went against everything they thought was the right way of doing things.

Bring this into today. We can’t bring anything new into the church because “that isn’t the way we do things here.” We have always done things this way, your way will never work. This is said even before anything new is tried. Or, if you do something new in the church people try and stop it because it is different from what they have done in the past. And they try and use the Bible to show their point, even if it’s not in the Bible.

Look at music first. I have had someone tell me that you can’t have drums in church or anything else that isn’t a organ or piano because that is what is in the bible. (Needless to say this person does not know what is in their Bible.) We may laugh at that but it has happened to me. To the person what tries to use the Bible to say we can’t have something they should be able to back it up. In case you don’t know, there were no pianos in the Bible. Show me or the pastor where the drums or anything else can’t be in the church and they will be removed. But don’t come with, “that’s the way it’s always been done” or “that’s how all churches do it” because that won’t fly.

How about dress? You have a tie and coat for the men and a dress for the women and if you don’t you can’t get up on stage or do anything up front for God. Now wait. Before you think that I am saying anything goes, I am not. If a woman wears a dress it should cover her. She shouldn’t be hanging out anywhere and pants shouldn’t be so tight that everything shows. (Sorry ladies guys will stare.) As for men they should wear real shirts that don’t have your sides hanging out—even if you have the body for it. Pants are the same for the guys. Don’t paint them on and don’t have them hanging so low that everything hangs out. But, what do we do if someone comes in not dressed the way we think they should be. Are we happy they are there or do we let our feeling show or go and complain to someone about them? “Did you see what so and so was wearing today?” That is not right! That is not biblical! Have you ever, and I mean ever, looked at what was worn in bible times or in the 1700’s or 1800’s. I doubt it. Guys are you ready to wear a wig as they did in the 1700’s or women are you ready to wear a dress that is cut really low in the front? Do some research on the web and find out. Just because we are used to one way of dressing don’t make it right.

What most people don’t know is that I have been looking at reaching out to bikers but have been putting it off because of what some might say to the people that might come, or it may cause trouble in the church. But, it crossed my mind—what are we doing in church if we don’t reach out to the ones that don’t fit. And folks don’t be surprised if you see me and ****(his wife) in leathers.

We need to stop fighting and fretting over the little things. And what are the little things? ANYTHING that does not point someone to Christ. Money doesn’t, dress doesn’t, music doesn’t, only the Word of God does. So, let’s focus on the word of God and do what He wants us to do. Reach the lost for him almost any way we can.

FBC Deacon