I'm Starting A Church....But Not With Sin Of Jeroboam

Jeroboam was one of two rulers over a divided Israel. Upon Solomon's death, he took eleven tribes to the north while Rehoboam took one tribe, Judah, to stay with the holy places of worship, including Jerusalem. When the time of the year came for worship, Jeroboam realized he had a problem. If he let his people go to Jerusalem as was their custom, Rehoboam might turn their loyalties from him. So, Jeroboam devised a plan. He would designate places of worship in the north but allow for pagan worship. Why did he allow pagan worship? He did it because much of it as evidenced in baalism centered around sexual perversions. Men would attach themselves to temple prostitutes and women would do the same in this despicable act of false worship. Jeroboam reasoned that by introducing these vile deeds, he  knew he could draw the crowds to these alternative worship sites in the north; and, after all, once the people were there, they could worship Jehovah. So, why was this endeavor by Jeroboam so hated by God and called an abomination thereafter in the Bible? Simply, God abhorred it because it was using worldly methods to get people to come to worship Him.

Let's be honest.....really honest. Much of what is being done in modern churches is nothing more than the sin of Jeroboam all over again in a modern setting. We are now subjected to a strange philosophy of turning the church worship services into a mishmash of whatever is hottest in the world. God said we are to be peculiar people but we don't want the world to see us as peculiar,  so we disregard God's direct command that we are not to be friends with the world and then build our church services to show that we can actually be worldly friendly. We change the music to be more like the world. I will address that in a moment. We dress like the world, preach like the world and apologize to the world if we accidentally say something that offends. We allow members to live virtually the way they please just as long as they are present on Sunday and put a nickel in the offering. All of the just-mentioned things sound a lot like the sin of Jeroboam.

I'm seriously considering the starting of a church, but some of the things I will install as foundational principles will probably cause you to wince if you do not actually believe I've taken leave of my senses altogether. Here are some of them:

(1) ALL MUSIC, EXCEPT FOR ISOLATED CASES, WILL BE CONGREGATIONAL. We will have at most three congregational hymns in order for everyone to sing praises to God as a body. We will have instrumental accompaniment. This keeps the worship service from turning into a spectator experience.

(2) ALL SONGS OR HYMNS MUST BE DEEPLY DOCTRINAL. Even Christian songs that are light on things of the Word of God will be excluded. The style of music  (traditional, contemporary, etc) will not be the deciding consideration for whether a song is used.  Everything done at this church will be to take the individual deeper with our Lord. I do not believe a genuine worship service should turn into an emotion-satisfying concert. Concerts are wonderful, but I am convinced they are for another night in the week. On Sunday, we are gathered for worship centered around the meat of the Word of God in song and sermon.....not sugary, easily digestible substitutes in either the songs or the sermon.

(3) TIME FOR PRAYER WILL BE A MAJOR PART OF ALL SERVICES. Jesus said that his house would be called a house of prayer. Ask yourself. How many minutes does the church you attend spend in prayer at a service? This will be different. People who attend these services with written prayer needs will have them bathed in prayer in detail regardless of the time required.

(4) ALL SERMONS WILL BE PREACHED WITH A CENTRAL GOAL OF SAYING EXACTLY WHAT GOD WANTS SAID AND SAYING IT THE WAY HE WANTS IT SAID. The unspoken secret in the American church is how many preachers plagiarize the messages God has given others. Church members have a right to expect of me and anyone who preaches for me that the messages we deliver are warm bread from the oven of God, and if we share an experience from a book or another preacher, we give credit....that's transparency. 

(5)MEMBERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT AT ALL SERVICES UNLESS PROVIDENTIALLY HINDERED. The modern church has many members whose addresses are unknown and no longer attend. Yet, because of this, the church reports larger memberships than are practically true. At this new church, each year members who have not attended a single service without an understandable reason during the previous twelve months will be removed from membership. 

(6) INDIVIDUALS WHO SEEK MEMBERSHIP WILL BE TOLD THREE THINGS:

     (A) No negative words can be said about another member. Every statement must be measured by three questions:

          Is it true?

          Is it kind?                                                 

          Is it necessary?

     (B) Each member is expected to tithe.

     (C) Each member is expected to share his personal testimony each week with either another Christian or a lost person.

     (D) Each member understands that living the presence of Christ in his behavior during the week is an expectation. 

You may think this is such a radical departure from your experiences with churches. I believe I can support each point biblically. Nonetheless, I have spent a huge amount of time praying for God's wisdom for what He wants in this church and I'm convinced these are His answers.

The great man of God, Dr Peter Lord, says we proclaim that Jesus is Lord of the church but do we ever bathe in prayer the things we do? On an occasion, he asked me why my church had a choir or praise groups. I responded that when the church was formed, the founding members started a choir because the churches they came from had choirs. He answered that, in other words, it's a lot like Israel wanting a king....everyone else has a king so we should, too. Then, Dr Lord said, "Did anyone ever ask God if He wanted a choir or praise group at your church?" My honest answer was no one had...not even me. We take youth trips, have conferences, do musicals, etc....but is the church ever called to prayer and fasting to see if that's what God wants? 

Let's be honest.....really honest....we need a spiritual awakening in America but I know of no church of any significant size spending any time at all in real fasting and prayer about what they do in any of their organizations or projects. They just assume God's in them. If I follow God's leadership, which I must do because of my pledge of loyalty to Him, the modern threefold measurements of church success (more budget, more buildings, more baptisms) will not be an issue at all. What will be the measuring rod will be that absolutely nothing, large or little, will be done without His prior consent, regardless of what other churches on the other side of town or the nation are doing. I will say with Paul, "To him (Jesus) be glory in the church forever!"

In summary, I refuse the sin of Jeroboam. If the truth cannot draw individuals by lifting up Jesus, we don't need those individuals anyway. Besides, the frank truth of it all is that it is recognizably obvious to worldly individuals when the church tries to out-world the world....and they want none of it when their lives start falling apart. 

Miracles.....and J D Sumner

     I have been often asked if I have seen certifiable miracles in my ministry. There is no question in my mind that I have witnessed the miraculous intervention of God in such supernatural manifestations of His power that I could only come to the conclusion that I had been blessed as a witness to occurrences that can only be defined as miracles. Ordinarily, we have tendencies to associate miracles to medically unexplainable recoveries from terminal illnesses or injuries. However, our Lord moves among us with His "still small  voice" more often than with thunderous proclamations, and His equally miraculous acts may be so camouflaged as coincidences that they are simply overlooked by us. Someone has said that coincidences are God's miracles when He wants to stay anonymous.

     The greatest miracles I have been blessed to see on a regular basis take place during altar calls when people move down the aisles burdened with sin but leave the service delivered and free; they are facing eternal death when they awaken in the morning before their decision for Christ but go to sleep that night resting peacefully with eternal life as their pillow; they do indeed become new creatures in Christ.

     I love talking to people about Jesus, especially those who do not know Him. I certainly am embarrassed that during my ministry I have not led more to a saving knowledge of Him. Nevertheless, I can say with neither apology not boast, that the primary goal of all I do is to lead souls to Christ and my second goal is to enrich the lives of those already saved with a deeper study of Scriptures. 

     The great Methodist evangelist, Samuel Porter Jones, is my pulpit hero and I have patterned much of my evangelistic endeavors and methods after him. His best-known person he influenced for Christ was Capt. Tom Ryman who was converted at a Sam Jones meeting in Nashville in 1885 and later built the Union Gospel Tabernacle for Jones' use for meetings each year in Nashville. Upon Ryman's death, it was renamed the Ryman Auditorium.

     Similarly, the person whose name is most recognizable in association with mine is J D Sumner, the long time bass singer for the famous Blackwood Brothers Quartet, Stamps Quartet and close friend of Elvis Presley. A few days ago I watched an old video recording of the Stamps Quartet at North Jacksonville Baptist Church in 1989.  Most touching and precious to me was when J D stood alone at a microphone with tears flowing and told the congregation about my influence in his life for Christ. Suddenly, tears filled my eyes, too. My dear friend, 

J D Sumner, is with Jesus but I will see him again. I'm humbled that he felt in some way I had helped him. 

     J D is known far and wide. His name transcends southern gospel music. Stories of his legendary life are plentiful, but I want to share a few things about him from my perspective. 

     The last conversation that I had with him before he left for his final series of concerts in Myrtle Beach, during which he passed away, J D hugged me and whispered, "It's such a miracle to me to know that Jesus loves me like he does. Before I got right with God, I just stood on the stage and sang or said something funny; but now that I've found the Lord's love for me, I want to talk about Him instead of singing but I usually just bust out crying."

     Even when J D by his own admission wasn't living as close to to the Lord as he might have done, he was a very generous, caring person. On one occasion, when I was living in Jacksonville, I needed to see my father who was very ill about an hour from Nashville but the plane would arrive so late that I could not get a rental car. When I arrived, there was J D with his car waiting for me, full tank of gas and sack of food and drinks in the front seat. Then, he asked me if either I or my parents needed some money during this time. We didn't but I was overwhelmed with his kindness.

     Although J D is widely-remembered for his straight-from-the-hip honesty, I was truly impressed to hear him defend fellow singers, musicians, pastors or evangelists who may have fallen into sin. On one occasion, I mentioned the name of someone who had actually done him wrong, but he never said a negative word . Instead, he told about a funny experience they had shared one time.

     Somehow, the miracle of miracles is that when I looked at the body of this man who was larger than life lying in a casket, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would see him again. He wrote many, many great songs. One of my favorites is "Inside The Gate." It starts out "Oh how I happy I will be when life's journey here is run, when I look upon His face and I hear Him say well done; you have fought a faithful fight and my child you kept the faith. Enter now my joys are yours so just step inside the gate!" That, my friend, will be the greatest of miracles that we can all experience because of Christ!

     

"A few of my reasons that I believe Trinity Seminary is unique and VERY special"

     It is hard for me to believe that I have now been the president of Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary almost ten years. On August 26, 2005, I became interim president and was inaugurated as the fourth president in Trinity's history on November 5 of that same year. A rather dubious bit of trivia is that later that same day an awful and horrific tornado just barely touched the Trinity campus resulting in minor damage to seminary property but for the greater Newburgh area left a wide swath of death and destruction including the loss of twenty-six lives.  Prior to the arrival of that tornado but after my inauguration earlier that day, my first act as president was to give Trinity to God as completely and totally as I knew how to do. 

     Sometimes I am asked why a person in ministry should choose Trinity for the completion of degree programs. There are several answers I could give but for brevity's sake I will name only a few:

     (1) TRINITY HAS A WELL-CREDENTIALED FACULTY EACH OF WHOM HAS A RICH HISTORY OF MINISTRY ACCOMPLISHMENTS. It is not enough to have a professor who may be a very godly man but has never proven himself in the "foxholes and trenches" of actual ministry. At Trinity you will not only learn from academically well-trained instructors but also from people who have applied what they are teaching into practical success in ministry.

     (2) TRINITY HAS NO THEOLOGICAL HOBBY HORSE. We believe and teach without apology the five fundamentals of the faith which are the blood atonement, the deity of Jesus Christ, the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection and the inerrancy of the scriptures. These doctrines are absolutes and not open to equivocation. Trinity has a long tradition and a wide respect by peers for its adherence to these doctrines. Other institutions work hard to promote themselves as advocates of other doctrinal tenets to the point that they are identified primarily by those tenets which, in my opinion, do not rise to the level of the aforementioned five fundamental doctrines of the faith. For example, there are seminaries whose identity is the propagation of Calvinism. All guest speakers at their campus must be Calvinist. Scholars who have a non-Calvinist view are marginalized by these schools. Other institutions are identified by their anti-inerrancy views while still others are noted for their almost total lack of respect for biblical authority. At Trinity, aside from the five fundamental doctrines of the faith, we allow the student without fear to explore his own denominational distinctives so that he may be able to defend his beliefs. 

     (3) TRINITY HAS LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINARS SO THAT A CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE IS AVAILABLE. Without leaving home or office a Trinity student via his computer can enjoy the benefits of an on-campus classroom while discussing topics with professors and fellow students. I regularly hear from students who are excitedly registering for upcoming webinars!

     (4) TRINITY HAS STATE-OF-THE-ART ONLINE CLASSES. These classes bring to the student the very finest of religious studies. I was pleased when recently I was informed that Trinity has more courses in books of the Bible than any other Bible college or seminary in the world. This is a treasure trove of material that is available to any individual who desires to learn biblical truth but simply is unable to leave his home to pursue it!

     (5) TRINITY PROVIDES A QUALITY EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE.  Our founder, Dr John Brooke, established affordability for a superior biblical education  as his goal and we have held firmly to his insistence for that throughout the forty-six years of Trinity's existence. If you speak with one of our Admissions advisers, you will be pleased with what you hear that will make it possible for you to learn at a cost that will not shipwreck your family budget.

     (6) TRINITY PROVIDES YOU WITH LIFELONG MINISTRY ASSISTANCE.  My pastoral ministry includes churches in sizes of 42 to 5100 and  of hundreds of revivals and area crusades as an evangelist in churches large and small in a variety of denominations. I have developed a ministerial network across the nation as well as other parts of the world. When you complete your Trinity program, I commit myself to you as a consultant to help you deal with organizational problems, to give ideas for church growth or to be a person who can submit your name with a personal recommendation if a relocation is needed by you; and, of course, there is no additional charge. When you walk off the platform with degree in hand, we look forward to being there for you in the future whenever you face a crisis.

     These are only a few of the many reasons to choose Trinity. I encourage you to go to our website, www.trinitysem.edu for more information. Once at the website, if you simply fill out the Evaluation Form for more information, you will receive, if you desire, a free e-book by Dr Braxton Hunter, entitled "CORE Facts," a truly outstanding book on Apologetics. It is a book you will reference often in your ministry and daily life. You may choose to call 812.853.0611 and ask to speak to one of our friendly Admissions advisers. They will help you overcome any anxieties and put you on a joyful path to the realization of your dreams. 

     I hope very soon I will be able to welcome you to our worldwide Trinity family! 

     

A Sad Secret In The Church Some Pastors Don't Want Known

       I am about to address a subject that I have never seen discussed in any book or blog article. It is the peculiar plight of the former pastor who has been "forgotten" by some ungrateful church.....or current pastor.

     Over the last month, I have had  an unusual cluster of conversations with five dear men of God, three of whom are retired. Each of the five shared with me the deep inner pain they suffer on a daily basis of being "forgotten" by some church at which they had previously served as pastor before God had moved them elsewhere. I know each of these men. I know their hearts and the battles they fought and the expenditure of tireless personal work as they selflessly gave of themselves at those churches. 

Now, Satan attacks them with ferocity, especially one dear man  who is ill in a nursing home as the Evil One laughingly sneers that his labors at that thankless church were all in vain. I tried to assure them that the lack of respect was not coming from the people of the congregation but rather from the pastor.

     When I was a pastor, I made sure that my congregation knew that I was standing on the shoulders of each pastor who had preceded me, because I believe that every pastor is brought to a church for a specific reason. Some of my predecessors were men with whom I had serious philosophical or procedural disagreements, some were men who were controversial, some were men with whom I had virtually nothing in common, but the undeniable fact was that they had  been the pastor of my church at some point in history. So, I asked myself, "How can I preach to my people the biblical injunction of giving honor to whom honor is due unless I showed honor to every living predecessor of mine by inviting them back to preach, whether I personally liked that previous  pastor as a person or not?"

     This is an ugly problem. It is far more prevalent than one might ever suspect. Since I have travelled much in my ministry and listened carefully to hundreds, if not thousands, of pastors in private conversations, I am glad to report that the vast majority are humble men of God who sincerely love our Lord with all their hearts. However, many of the more visible pastors see themselves as pulpit celebrities who will jealously protect their exalted opinions about their own preaching ability  by refusing to invite a former pastor for fear that that previous pastor will be welcomed too heartily.

     To me, ingratitude is the worst of human sins, especially when we fail to pay tribute to those who have placed themselves in a position to protect us. That is the reason that all veterans of the military deserve our respect. That is the reason that retired policemen and firefighters deserve a warm thank you. And, that is the reason that former pastors, who may have  fought bloody spiritual battles on behalf of us,  deserve our undying gratitude. 

     A few days ago, as I held the frail frame of one of these dear men against my chest and saw the tears wet his cheeks, I purposed to call the man who is now the pastor of my friend's former church. He is a well-known speaker at Bible conferences. The conversation was rather brief and, to me, very discouraging. He informed me very curtly that he knew the former pastor, but had never contacted him by phone or mail, and that he would not make contact with him in the future. Additionally, he would not invite him back to the church for anything. His simple response to my question as to why was blunt, "We've moved on, it's my church now."  To that reply, I answered, "Paul says that even if he were a great orator who spoke with the tongues of men and angels but did not have love, he would be nothing more than sounding brass or tinkling cymbal. You, sir, are a great preacher, but Jesus says we will recognize each other by our love. I cannot recommend you as a pastor to people who need a pastor since you obviously lack love and gratitude for your predecessor. It would be better for me to recommend a less gifted preacher than you, less educated than you, but a man who ardently loves God and all people, including his predecessors. I simply cannot recommend someone who by his own words is sounding brass and tinkling cymbal."

     A tragedy in America is that we have literally thousands of veterans of the military who fought for us in World War II, the Korean Confict, Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan and other dangerous places around the world. They are dying and leaving us daily without our young people hearing their stories directly from them. Likewise, we have a vast number of former pastors, heroes of the faith, who sacrificed much and asked for little in return, but they are largely ignored or bypassed. They still have much to give even yet in the ever-present spiritual war. Our younger people need to hear from them; and, in return, it would do us all good, as a church, to simply say, "Thank you."

     This is a sad secret; we have an almost invisible army of veteran former pastors. They still stand tall and courageous. Unfortunately, too many current pastors, for whatever reason, never use them or honor them, but instead they silently hope the congregations of their churches never notice nor question their arrogant neglect.

     

Are you a "friend" or a "good friend"?

     Mark Twain said, "Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience. This is the ideal life."  Note that Twain said "good" friends; unfortunately, not all friends are good friends. 

     Jesse Owens was the brilliant American athlete who won four gold medals at the Olympics of 1936 in front of Adolph Hitler in Germany. Owens was an African-American and the son of a sharecropper. Understandably, he was very nervous, actually frightened, because of Hitler's vicious racist views that non-Jewish, white people with Nordic features were the master race and all other groups were inferior. Although the previous year Owens had set a record of twenty-six feet, eight and one-half inches in the broad jump, a record that would stand for twenty-five years, his anxiety increased when he watched the tall, blond, white-skinned Luz Long of Germany leap in the range of twenty-six feet during practice. Surprisingly, Long approached Owens and sensed his fears. He encouraged Owens and suggested that during practice he should move his takeoff for his jump back a few

inches in order to build his confidence. Long stayed close by Owens throughout the practices and later the competition. 

After Owens won the event and claimed the second of his four gold medals, he was the first person to hug Owens and congratulate him in full view of Hitler who was in the grandstands. Long was later killed in battle in World War II. Throughout the remainder of his life Owens often said that Long was so dear to him that you could melt down all his medals and cups he had ever won and they would not begin to compare to the 24-carat gold of Luz Long. He always considered Long not just a friend, but a good friend, a close friend.

     Jesus talks about a friend who sticks closer than a brother. I have noticed a strange phenomenon where a sense of loyalty such as existed between David and Jonathan is a very rare attribute today. I have dealt regularly with hurting people who have friends who are now friends with people who have tried to injure them. All I can say to the shell-shocked individuals who feel betrayed is that it is sad when people you know become people you knew. 

I am quite sure that Jesse Owens concerning his friend, Luz Long, would agree with this memorable quote from Michael Bassey Johnson:

     "People will walk in and out of your life, but the one whose footstep made a long, lasting impression is the one person you should never allow to walk out."

Jesus Is A Personal Savior

       Who is Jesus? I can discuss His role as the most important historical figure in the entire history of the world. Or, I am always happy to share his miraculous  life as revealed in the Word of God. Or, I can shed tears with you as we discuss his awful death to purchase our salvation but punctuate the conversation with "Hallelujah" because of His resurrection. 

     The wonder of Jesus is that He is not only God Incarnate for all mankind, but as Mosie Lister wrote in song and the Statesmen Quartet made famous and I have often sung if to nobody else but myself. This is the chorus:

     "He's a personal Savior

     He's mine I know

     I love Him so

     He did my heart 

     A personal favor 

     That's why I tell it out

     Wherever I may go. 

     When I am blue

     And feeling oh so low down

     He'll take me through

     Old Satan can't get me down 

     And from the path

     I'll never more waver

     For He's a friend

     A personal friend."

     

     There is so much I'd like to tell you about what He means to me. He has never failed to be near me in my darkest hours. He has been my Great Physician when hope was gone. He has lifted me up when I've stumbled. He's given me direction when I've been confused as to what to do or where to turn. 

     Most of all, He is my personal Savior because on the day we celebrated His resurrection, I watched my four grandchildren hunting eggs, scurrying here and there while laughing with childhood glee....and His resurrection means death will not permanently separate me from them. Jesus makes all of that possible. 

     I was in an elevator one day and a fellow rider began to use our Lord's name in a vile profane way, I turned to him and said, "Sir, I wish you would not speak of Jesus in such a way, my beloved mother and father are dead, and one day I'll be dead and my grandchildren whom I love dearly will live their lives without me. The only hope I have of seeing them again is the Jesus you are using as a curse word."

     I would have loved to sing for him the first two verses of Mosie Lister's song:

     "You've heard about a place called 

          heaven up in the blue

     I'm glad that all my sins are forgiven

     I'm telling you

     I'd like to see you get this feeling

     You can receive

     God's ready now to give you 

          this feeling

     If you believe.

     Don't ever try to quench the Spirit

     When God's around

     Some people seem to get

          so near it 

     Then turn Him down.

     Judgment you're going

          to see the Savior

     That you passed by

     Think how you're going 

          to feel that morning

     When others cry"....(sing chorus)

     I love Jesus, my personal Savior, for many, many reasons. Most of all, however, it is He who will bring us all safely to the other side. 

     

"I'm tired of 'doing' church...."

     I'm tired of "doing" church.  It is apparent to anyone with an honest observation that the vast majority of churches today, both traditional and contemporary, have become nothing more than flesh  on parade.  Words like "awesome" and "exciting" have become buzz words that are regular adjectives describing church services. Flamboyant eye-catching "worship events" designed to elicit from the congregation,  depending on the mood of the preacher, either laughter and standing ovations or amazed oohs and ahs are now staples at  worship services. And, above all else, we must be sure people feel comfortable and unoffended, so worship leaders need to dress as ragged as a bouncer at a night club brawl, and ladies can forget Paul's admonition to women about dressing in modest apparel; and, for sure, men should not feel hesitation about their whiskey picture shirt or their favorite casino cap. After all, as we are so often admonished, "man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart." When I hear that phrase used to justify a church crowd that's dressed like glorified sand fleas, I ask myself, "Doesn't the Bible also say to avoid the very appearance of evil"?  Doesn't the Scriptures tell us to "be not conformed to this world?" Doesn't the Bible command us to be "peculiar" people? Say what you will, these verses, as well as host of others, either directly state or firmly imply, that God does care very much how we are dressed when we approach Him and daily represent Him. While I acknowledge that clothing should never be a test of fellowship or genuine hand of welcome to everyone, I still maintain that as we grow by the leadership of the Spirit, everything about us changes, including our dress.

     This is not simply an older generational concern. Today, in 2015, suits and ties with ladies appropriately also attired are expected by participants in wedding parties, funerals, courtroom proceedings, television sports commentators, etc. This is because the degree of  their respect for the activity in which they are participating  is visually conveyed by what they wear as much as by what they say. Casually-dressed large crowds with some religious activity do not necessarily indicate a successful church; otherwise the largest church in Tennessee is located in Knoxville during the fall at Neyland Stadium when over 100,000 are in attendance and start everything with heads bowed in prayer.

     On the other hand, some churches are rusted in tradition and frozen in procedures. Unlike the churches just mentioned, these churches exist at the other extreme. They are bastions of proper decorum. If it weren't so tragic it would be comical that these stilted congregations are so insistent on procedures that a member could be vacationing a thousand miles away from church on Sunday morning but know that at 11:06 they are singing the doxology back home and at 11:23 the pastor is beginning his sermon. 

     While I agree with the scriptural admonition that God expects things to be done decently and in order, the WAY we do worship should never replace WHOM we worship. That applies to the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of disorganized churches mentioned in my opening remarks and also the very formal almost funeral home-like churches of latter remarks.

     The great man of God, Peter Lord, challenged me one time when he asked, "How much of what you do at church, and how you do it, did you ask God if that's what He wanted for YOUR church. Did you and and your leadership get on your knees and ask Him what kind of music that He wanted? Did you ask Him what kind of organization did He want? What kind of preaching did He want? After all, if your church is not really YOUR church, but instead is HIS church, why didn't you ask Him about every detail of what your church does?" Dr Lord's words changed me forever.

     In summary, the churches I was privileged to serve each had significant numerical growth but I believe significant spiritual growth too because I followed Dr Lord's penetrating questions and started seeking God's will instead of emulating what other "successful" pastors were doing. John 22:32 became my guide for growth, both spiritual and numerical, because Jesus promised "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." For assurance, Jesus always keeps His promises, including this one. 

     Yes, I'm tired of doing church. Jesus does a much better job. And, if a church is really a New Testament church in worship, the congregation will actually meet Jesus. When a person meets Jesus, I doubt he will go dancing up shouting, "Awesome!" or formally stretch forth his hand to clasp the Savior's with a courtly "Glad to meet you."  Oh no, I believe that I and every other person who truly loves His appearing will, like John on the Isle of Patmos, fall at His feet as one dead. Friend, that won't be "doing" church, but it will be genuine worship!

     

The Preacher President of the USA

     James A Garfield became the president of the United States in 1881. His presidency, unfortunately, was only of approximately 200 days in duration. On July 2, 1881, only a few months after his inauguration he was shot by Charles J Guiteau as he walked through a railway station. Guiteau was bitter because he had not received a political appointment he wanted. President Garfield lingered until September 19, 1881, but finally died.

     Gloriously, his decision to give his heart to Christ at the age of 18 has been for him of far greater value than being elected president of the United States. Garfield is the only president in American history to also be an ordained minister. He possessed a natural booming voice. He was in New York on Wall Street when news came of President Lincoln's assassination. A large angry mob was on the verge of rioting when Garfield used his magnificent voice and proclaimed, "Fellow citizens, God reigns and the government in Washington still lives!" Those words calmed the mob and they quietly dispersed to their homes. Though his presidency was shortened, President Garfield would often leave the White House to speak at religious gatherings or preach at evangelistic services. He thoroughly enjoyed sharing the claims of Christ with non-believers. So, you can easily see why some historians refer to him as the "Preacher President."

     Can you imagine the horror of today's politically correct crowd if they had to contend with President Garfield or another soul-winning Bible-preaching president like him? On the other hand, can you imagine the welcome Garfield received in heaven as he entered those gates after his death because he loved the "name that is above every name" and that name is Jesus? 

      President Garfield was no poorly educated wimp as those who despise Christians will suggest about faithful men and women who offer themselves for election to public office. He was no wimp because he had served valiantly in the military. He was well educated as proven in that he excelled in Latin and Greek, plus being so ambidextrous and brilliant that he could write equally well both languages at the same time with both hands!

     This may cause some of you to have a migraine, but I think I would sleep better if we had more Preacher Senators, Preacher Representatives, Preacher Justices and Preacher Presidents leading our country.....and I know for a fact that God would be pleased because Proverbs 14:34 says, "Righteousness exalteth a nation..."

On Good Friday, All Of Us Will Make One Of Three Decisions

     Good Friday is a day for remembrance of the agonizing death and the shed blood of Jesus at Calvary that provided salvation for mankind. 

     Today, I have been thinking of three Roman centurions who stood at the base of the cross that day. I believe each of them made decisions that reflect decisions made by everyone in today's modern world. I think you will understand as I present each centurion for your contemplation, because I believe two made the wrong decision and are in hell today, but one made the right decision and is in heaven.

     THE FIRST CENTURION MISSED SALVATION BECAUSE OF DISTRACTION. He was gambling for the seamless coat of Jesus, probably with his back turned on the most important event in human history. There is nothing either moral or immoral about wanting a coat. His problem was that he was distracted from Jesus. Modern Americans have little or no time for Jesus because of their being distracted by sports, family, careers, politics, etc. I believe hell will have huge crowds of people who were actually moral, good people, but people whose attention was on things that in and of themselves were good things but nevertheless kept people from gazing upon the Christ of Calvary.

     THE SECOND CENTURION MISSED SALVATION BECAUSE OF A USELESS

DEED. He cast a spear into the lifeless body of Jesus. That was a useless act. It made no sense. A spear is an instrument of combat against a living person. However, he must have despised our Lord so much that he could not restrain himself from this non-productive deed. There are millions who will be in hell because like this centurion they will choose some useless, non-productive sin rather than accepting Jesus as Savior. I believe at the judgment all of heaven's angels will mock them for the choice of a useless sin over the Son of God. 

     THE THIRD CENTURION MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE BECAUSE HE GOT AS CLOSE TO JESUS AS HE COULD AND ADORED HIM. In Mark 15:39 we are told that this centurion, according to the KJV, got over "against" Jesus. To be so close that you are against someone is to be as near that person as possible. And, once he was there, according to verse 39 of Mark 15, he saw Jesus as he gave up the ghost and then said, "Truly this man was the Son of God."

     On this Good Friday, as we ponder the cross, which of these centurions represents you? Are you so distracted by even good things of this world that you have no intimacy with Jesus? Are you too committed to a useless sin that you will not obey our Lord's commands? Or, are you as near to Jesus as possible and adoring him as the Son of God?

So What If They Did Backtrack In Indiana...

    It is extremely disturbing to me that there are preachers and laymen in the Christian community who believe it is a good thing when legislators and governors change enacted laws because of an unusually heavy backlash by not only their constituents but also by economic threats coming from out-of-state groups. We are seeing this presently in Indiana, the state in which I now have my residence. It is one thing if opposition to legislation is based upon the actual statements included in the bill, but it is quite another to stir up a mob mentality through screaming vitriolic falsehoods by alleging conditions in the bill that do not exist. This acquiescence to whichever group can shout the loudest will lead to anarchy, a total breakdown of an orderly government of laws and reason.  And, lest you think of me as a right-wing fanatic, let me assure you that I have friends of a more liberal political persuasion than mine that are also very concerned about this kind of socio-political protest that distorts facts to fit its own agenda.

     We are living in a time unprecedented in the history of our nation. There is an increasing gathering of storm clouds that is speeding toward all who follow Christ. Since Trinity Seminary has students and alumni in over eighty denominations, I believe I am in a unique position to speak on this subject because we have Christian leaders in this vast array of denominations who serve across the spectrum from very conservative churches to very liberal churches. Let me warn all of you. If this trend continues, none of you will be safe from government interference to preach your convictions concerning anything that touches at all on moral issues. This activist effort to use the government to squelch the faith convictions of business owners will never be satisfied. So, if you are of a more liberal theological leaning and perhaps even agree with the backtracking in Indiana and Arkansas, please consider the history of the USSR and its evolution into an atheist state. Before the fall of that country, not only were conservative churches banned but liberal churches were outlawed as well. It is extremely important that all believers in Christ, and I mean all believers, conservative or liberal, should immediately and very soberly look toward the future of America in terms of your ability to leave your particular religious faith to your posterity. 

     The best defense against an uncertain future that includes the possibility of a religious purging in America is the election of statesmen, not mere politicians, of high moral character to serve in both major political parties. We need men and women in elected office who cannot be threatened, coerced, intimidated, bribed, bought or sold. We need people who possess a reasonable mind who will listen carefully to opposing views; men such as Tip O'Neill and Ronald Reagan who fiercely argued their respective positions and then went out to dinner together. We need people of a resolute spirit who will not listen to the howling mobs or watch the latest polls but rather make decisions based on earnest convictions and then firmly stand on them even if it means the loss of re-election. We need people with a religious foundation that is anchored on "Thus saith the Lord!" as found in their regular study of God's Word. We need champions, not cowards, statesmen, not snivelers; and godly, not godless. 

     Finally, my appeal to all who name the name of Christ is that you determine within yourself that "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

     

I Loved Being A Pastor

     Okay, I'll admit it.  I loved being a pastor.  For twenty-eight years at five different churches, I was the senior pastor; and I loved everything about it. More than once, I was told by Ministers of Music that I should march into the sanctuary with the choir instead of being out there shaking hands and visiting briefly with members already seated in the pews. Many pastors try to avoid hospital visits or nursing home worship services, but I looked forward to those times. I loved the beauty of weddings and the hope through grief of funerals. Put it down; I thoroughly enjoyed being a pastor.

     Several years ago, I was asked to preach at the very influential Morning Star Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, a predominantly African-American congregation. Dr Earl Preston was their noble pastor. After the service, I asked one of the men why he so obviously loved the pastor. He responded that several years earlier, as a young man not yet living for God, he and some of his friends were stranded on a cold wintry night when their car had broken down. They didn't know what to do. His godly aunt had told him that if he ever got into a real problem with no where to turn, he should call Pastor Preston, so that's what he did. He said Dr Preston could have sent someone to assist them, but he came himself. He continued by saying that Dr Preston took them to the finest hotel in Cleveland and paid for their rooms. They tried to persuade Dr Preston 

that a cheap hotel would be more than they deserved to which he replied, "Young men, God set this meeting up between us tonight, and God wouldn't keep you in a dump so I won't either." This church member concluded by saying that Dr Preston had a big heart that reached every member of the church individually and the unsaved outside the church too. That, dear friend, is a real pastor.

     As I write this, it is near midnight. It's also near midnight for many people in their personal lives as they struggle through day after weary day of dark despair. A kind word, a hug or a sympathetic ear by a pastor can brighten their days. I am now a seminary president, but of late I have been pondering in my heart and soul the possibility of starting a church that I could pastor.....a place to love the unlovely, to embrace the lonely, to give hope to the fear-stricken. I have always had the dream of preaching verse-by-verse through the Bible which according to my estimates could be done in eleven years although my original plan called for seventeen years. That would be a veritable fountain for the huge reservoir of Bible truth I carry in my heart.

     I try to tell the pastors who are being educated at Trinity that three  things are 

basics for a pastor's ministry.  First, he must trust the Bible completely and preach each sermon after spending time alone with God until the message burns in his heart. Forget the one-liner jokes, avoid the melodramatic stories, but instead allow the Holy Spirit to speak what God wants said exactly the way God wants it said. Second, love your people by getting to know them and being there when they need you. Third, and most important, love Jesus....really love Jesus. 

     In summary, our churches and various denominations have plenty of preachers, but the desperate need of the hour and the aching hearts of hundreds of thousands of church members is for someone to whom they can share their burdens one-on-one and not from a distant seat in a sanctuary, but someone they can, as a result of his warm personal presence in their lives, say about him, "He's MY pastor."

     

     

Palm Sunday: A Day Some People Make A Bad Decision

     It is my opinion that Palm Sunday is under appreciated in its importance. The people who greeted Jesus that day didn't realize that it was the beginning of a time of decision for them. On that day, they wanted Jesus to be the promised Messiah, their king, who would deliver them from the shackles of oppression under the Roman Empire. They wanted freedom! They wanted deliverance from earthly cares!

    Is that not so today? Is it not true that today's followers of Jesus have a vast throng among them who welcome him because they expect him to reward their praise of him with prosperity and wealth and luxury? They have willingly accepted the self-serving sermons and teachings of religious motivators, of "name it and claim it" preachers and have now succumbed to the allure of so-called worship services that are really more about satisfying themselves than honoring the Savior.  So, they, as it were, throw "palm leaves" at his feet in an outward display of adoration.

     A few days later, these same misguided and deceived individuals turn their adoration of Jesus into anger of him. Their hosannas are changed into chants of "Crucify him!" Why? Because he was not the Jesus they wanted. He chose a cross instead of a crown.  And, it became obvious that he was showing that those who follow him must make that same choice. Their disappointment turned to hatred which meant that kind of Jesus must be destroyed, so they crucified him. 

     Today is Palm Sunday. Like those of old, you have a choice and that choice will determine if you really have a biblically wonderful Easter next week.  Be honest. Do you want Jesus for what he can do to make life better for you  today or do you want Jesus, regardless of the pain and suffering that following him may bring, so that at the end of this life as you enter heaven you may hear him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

     

Dealing With Ugly Racism

     In one of the churches I served as pastor, we had some people with deep racism that had its ugly grip on them. Soon after I began my ministry there, we were blessed to have a wonderful family begin to visit our services. The husband was not only white, he was a very white white, and his African-American wife was simply lovely with a very dark complexion. Their three little children were just beautiful with a shading of skin that was a combination of their parents.

     One glorious Sunday, this precious couple came forward on the invitation and gave their hearts to God. As I later stood at the church door greeting members as they left the building, one very aristocratic gentleman leaning on his silver-tipped cane said to me, "We've never had black people in our church. You've broken tradition by letting her join." I responded by saying, "She didn't just join; she got saved!" He said to me, "Are you going to baptize her?"  I answered, "Yes, I'm going to baptize her." Then he replied, "You know good and well that she joined here to cause trouble and probably at the urging of the NAACP." To that I said, "If you're right and she's here to cause trouble and I don't baptize her, next Sunday, we will have the NAACP out here on the sidewalk protesting. On the other hand, if you're wrong, and she really got saved and I don't baptize her, I'll have trouble with God. Now if I've got to fight somebody, I'd rather fight the NAACP than fight God." So, I baptized her. Without that couple knowing of this incident, they chose to sit on the same pew with this old codger. She began to brag on him, bring him goodies to take home to eat, and call to see how he was doing. I watched his heart melt. She became like a daughter to him. And, a couple of years later he said to me, "I was such an old fool. Look what I would have missed."

     In that same church, we had an African-American couple begin to visit. They were the parents of a newly-born infant. In our nursery, we had several workers, including an elderly lady who was prejudiced through and through. She told me plainly that she would not deal with any African-American babies left in that nursery. One Sunday morning, that couple left their little baby in our nursery, and that little fellow began to cry with might and main. One worker after another tried to calm him to no avail. Finally, he was thrust into the arms of this antagonistic woman whereupon that baby began to coo and gurgle contentedly. From then on, that was HER baby and she jumped to be the first to take that child from his parents' arms each Sunday.

     Dr E V Hill was a great black pastor and orator who is now with the Lord. He was a guest preacher for me on an occasion. We were chatting in his hotel room before services about the issue of race relations. He said to me the whole issue would be resolved if we understood "racialism" and "racism."  He defined racism as being when an individual looks at people of another race as inferior. He defined racialism as being when an individual makes his own race the dominant consideration when interacting with individuals of another race. He said that both make race relations impossible to be anything other than virtually irresolvable.

     My conclusion is simple. A few years ago, I saw a news story telling of a masquerade party with first-graders at a school during Halloween. Thirty-one little boys and girls were in the class, and only one little boy was African-American. The teacher asked if the children could identify each other. Even though the little dark-skinned African-American lad's hands were exposed, he won the contest. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was right when he exhorted us to judge each other by content of character rather than the color of skin. I will put it this way. Racism is is not a skin problem; it is a sin problem.

     

     

"I'll Vote Democrat, Republican.....But Jesus?"

   Either Jesus is Lord of all, or he isn't Lord at all.  That is not just a cliche, a trite saying; it is truth! Certainly all believers heartily attest to that!  Or do they?  Sadly, I think not; indeed, I know not.

     I will address you who are reading this blog very directly and plainly. If an open discussion is considered by you as an attack on your political party and causes you to have a defensive passion that you do not have when hearing our Lord's name being cursed, you are simply not right with God. 

     To set the record straight, I will vote for no man or woman based on whether he or she is a Democrat or Republican.  Every vote cast by a Christian to determine an election of a candidate or the fate of a referendum should be decided on one issue.....how closely does this candidate align himself with biblical moral principles? Someone might take issue with me and state that as a religious leader I should understand the principle of the separation of church and state.  While this principle has fervent arguments either supporting its existence or in opposition to its existence, there is one thing for sure....our Founding Fathers did not support separation of GOD and state. Proof? One example can be found in the Declaration of Independence which speaks of our being "endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights."

     From what authority did those early founders of our nation find the concept of the Creator? They found it in the Bible though some were Congregationalists, others Catholic, others Protestant, others deists, etc. Their religious authority held in common by them was God's Word. Therefore, common sense would dictate that that same authority which guided their penned belief that it was God who gave individuals their rights would also be the authority which governed those same individuals in the proper exercise of their rights.

     Proverbs 6:17 clearly says that one of six things God hates is "hands that shed innocent blood." This is one very good reason that I will never cast a vote for a candidate, Republican or Democrat, who supports legalized abortion. Someone may counter by asking if I support the death penalty, and if I do support the death penalty,  am I not a hypocrite because innocent men have been executed?  There is a huge difference. While I will agree innocent people have died in the executioner's chamber, the death penalty was designed as a public policy for punishment of guilty people. All of the victims of the public policy of legalized abortion are innocent. 

     Of course, another argument is that before a woman delivers, she is simply carrying a blob of fetal tissue which cannot be considered as a person with either innocence or guilt. Psalm 139:16 says, "Thine eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them." Please note that this verse totally dispels the modern myth of a fetal blob. God sees the UNFORMED baby being FASHIONED, that is, being developed in the womb. This one verse clearly confirms life begins at conception, so abortion is the ending of that innocent life, an act that Proverbs 6:17 says God hates. That being so, how in the name of all that is holy and rational  can a person who calls himself a believer politically support a candidate for any office who endorses a public policy which is a policy that God hates?

     This is only one example of the many reasons that sincere believers understand that the Bible must  trump the arguments of any pro-choice group or candidate's platform. Some of you who read this are, this very moment, angry with me and think that I am taking the Bible too seriously with a complex societal and political issue. You have an entire arsenal of non-biblical responses to shoot my way. Let me answer your concern for my narrowmindedness this way....when I stand before God, I'd rather hear Him say, "Harold, you took the Bible too seriously," as to hear Him say, "Harold, you didn't take the Bible seriously enough." For me, if Jesus is, indeed, in actuality, Lord of all, that includes the voting booth.

     

Jesus Is Wonderful

     Rodney (Gypsy) Smith was a great evangelist of a bygone era. He was born inside a tent to humble parentage in England and raised in a gypsy wagon. His family eked out a living by selling baskets and clothes pegs. Smith's mother died with smallpox when he was just a lad. When he was 15 years of age, his father's heart was strangely touched by the singing of Ira Sankey who was the song leader in the great campaigns of the famed evangelist, Dwight L Moody. That night, he accepted Christ as his savior. In turn, he went home and led his son, Rodney, to the Lord. Little could anyone have guessed that this event with this young teenager, later known as Gypsy Smith, would be the catalyst to hurtle him into world renown as a minister....preaching to huge crowds for over 70 years literally around the globe twice and across the United States 30 times.

     Gypsy Smith was characterized as a man who deeply loved Jesus and wanted everyone to know it. His favorite song was "Let The Beauty Of Jesus Be Seen  In Me" and often in the middle of a sermon he would joyfully burst out singing it. Here's a verse: 

Gypsy Smith

"The world says I'm dreaming

But I know tis Jesus

Who saves me from bondage 

And sin's guilty stain

He is my Lover, my Savior, my Master

Tis he who has freed me

From guilt and its pain

Let me dream on if I'm dreaming 

Let me dream on, my sins are gone

Night turns to dawn

Love's light is beaming

So if I am dreaming, let me dream on"

To Gypsy Smith, Jesus was wonderful! He said one time, "Everybody in the world would want Jesus because he is so wonderful if it weren't for their Christian friends who don't look or sound like he is wonderful."

Like Gypsy, I've learned he is wonderful. I wonder what I would do without his sweet name and presence. When I'm fearful during dark days or nights, I breathe the name, Jesus....When faced with hard decisions, I first say, Jesus....When death takes a loved one...my quiet thoughts turn to Jesus. When sickness overtakes me or someone I love, my quick cry is, Jesus. Bill Gaither was right.  There is something about that name.

     Gypsy Smith continued traveling and preaching well into his eighties. When asked why he continued to do so, he quickly responded, "I've never lost the wonder!"

Speaking The Truth In Love

     I admire men and women of strong conviction. Be they magnates of the business world, statesmen with courage in the ever shifting stances of political platforms, preachers of the gospel who will not compromise for sake of  popularity, or the "nobodies" of this world who daily carry burdens others would reject but they just simply bear up under them because they feel it is their duty to do so. People of great conviction and noble resolve have always fascinated me.
   

 
   It occurred to me one evening as I sat before my fire and was musing this line of thinking that it seemed to me that every Christian of great conviction with whom I had ever made a real acquaintance was also a person of great love. How could it be otherwise? Our Lord himself said that "greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friend." (John  15:13). Then, in Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus declares that the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is to love "thy neighbor as thy self." Did Jesus literally exhibit in his own life this profound utterance of love for God and man? Obviously he did with his tortuous death at Calvary; and his apostles,  According to tradition, with the exception of John who was boiled in  oil, all the other of our Lord's apostles were martyred because, as men of conviction, they also possessed unquenchable love.  In fact, their flint-like conviction and passionate love for God and man were so strong that they were transformed from eleven cowards hiding for fear of their lives in Jerusalem into flaming evangelists who some Bible scholars estimate led over 600,000 to salvation in Christ in the following six months of their experience in the upper room!

     In this era of human history, I have pondered if I am a dinosaur, a relic, of a bygone age of preachers of the gospel. I have given my life to the fulfillment of Ephesians 4:15 which affirms that we should speak the truth in love. In this modern era it seems that American  preachers are not martyred but are scoffed, ridiculed or abhorred if they preach with passion on subjects such as hell or the sure judgment of God. Yet, it is simply the underlying truth of the Bible that Jesus came to save sinners with his atoning death, and that death is the single greatest expression of love in human history.  It was the great Prince of Preachers, Dr R G Lee, who responded to someone calling him cruel because he preached on hell by saying, "I'd rather be called cruel by telling you about hell so as to keep you from going there than to not be called cruel by not telling you and letting you go."

     What are some guideposts for biblical loving and selfless conviction? Here are only a few:

     * We cannot allow ourselves to be caught up in the self-help ministries that center on how to become a better person outwardly  unless that ministry begins with urging you to experience a transformational change toward loving God intimately and actively caring about the spiritual destiny and physical needs of one's fellow man with a work of the Holy Spirit wrought first inside your own heart. We simply must avoid the current philosophy espoused by one pastor who said, "My church is growing because I make them laugh, I make them cry, I make them feel religious."

     *We must avoid the temptation to turn  the church into a powerless collection of cliques with each one vying for dominant leadership. It has grieved me to watch, for example, as sincere men of Calvinist persuasions have so thoroughly organized themselves in an effort to control a major denomination. Do not misunderstand me. This is not a diatribe opposing the theology of reformed theology, including Calvinism; it is, however, a sure sign of any group's failure to love as our Lord commanded when any group resorts to organizational manipulation. I heard Dr Adrian Rogers once say, "The way to tell a false pastor from a true pastor is easy. A false pastor wants you to BELIEVE SOME THING. A true pastor wants you to RECEIVE SOME ONE!"

     *We must be willing to forgive....anyone. Corrie Ten Boom, as a child, was held in a concentration camp by Nazis. She saw her sister horribly raped again and again. Corrie hated one man in particular who could have stopped it all.  She hated him intensely. After WWII had ended, some years later, she saw this man enter the rear of a church where she was speaking. Oh, how she hated him! At the end of the service, he made his way through the crowd and extended his hand while asking for her forgiveness. Every fiber in her was rejecting his hand, but the crowd was watching so she reached forward. She later said that she never felt the love of God engulf her as it did that night she forgave someone she had hated so much. 

     In conclusion, I was on a tour bus in Cairo, Egypt on an occasion. I asked the tour guide, a Muslim lady, if she had ever considered the claims of Christ. Her answer has troubled me ever since. She said she had considered conversion to Christ, but she further stated that most of the tourists she served were Christians. Simply listening to them chat on the bus, at meal time or at ancient artifacts, she discovered that they didn't really love each other, much less people of other religious faiths or no faith at all, by their petty jealousies and idle gossip, so her conclusion was that Jesus was no better God than any other. 

     Do you want to change the world and make it better for your children and grandchildren?  Jackie DeShannon had a hit in the sixties with "What The World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love." Jesus said it better in John 13:35 "By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, that ye love one another."

     

Religious Pluralism Is Accepted....Except Jesus

     We are living in a politically correct society. This political correctness is manifested in many ways, but it assuredly is vicious in its opposition to previously almost universally accepted moral codes of personal conduct, and even more often these shrill advocates of political correctness attack without mercy any Christian who holds to the fundamentals of the faith and a devotion to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

     However nonsensical and odious their arguments may be to us who love God, we must nevertheless grant these detractors the right to express their opinions. This has been termed as the "supreme right" by some as granted in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as penned by our Founding Fathers for all Americans. Wars have been fought and blood has been shed to protect, in part, that precious freedom of speech; but we must with that same freedom of speech be ever ready to defend with passion and vigor the truths we hold dear...especially against those that defame the name of Jesus, his church and our precious relationship with him.

     So, the beleaguered believer finds himself under an increasing pressure to hold in silence his religious views while, at the same time, granting those who espouse religious pluralism unrestricted platforms to assail the Christian community with impunity. This results in nativity scenes during the Christmas season becoming fair game, no allowance for references in public schools to anything that pertains to Bible-based faith and even attacks on faith-based institutions. 

     The politically correct crowd insist that we are too narrow-minded when we say Jesus is the only way to heaven. The ancient Romans insisted the same of our early martyrs. These individuals were not slain in public arenas like the Circus Maximus because they believed Jesus is the Lord of All; they were martyred because they believed Jesus was the ONLY Lord of All. They were asked to be open-minded and accept the validity of other gods. It is the same today in America.

     It was Jesus who said of himself in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me."  C S Lewis was correct when he challenged people to make up their minds about Jesus. He is one of three things:

     (1) HE WAS A LUNATIC: If Jesus really thought he was the only way to heaven, but he actually wasn't, he was a lunatic.

     (2) HE WAS A LIAR: If Jesus knew he wasn't the only way to heaven, but said he was anyway, he was a liar. 

     (3) HE IS LORD: if Jesus knew he was the only way to heaven, and really is the only way, he is Lord. Please notice that Jesus did not say that he is a good way, one of many ways, or even the best way. Jesus said, "I am THE way, THE truth and THE LIFE, and NO MAN cometh unto the Father BUT BY ME."

     In conclusion, our response is to grant the supporters of political correctness the right to speak whatever they choose. Too many have died on battlefields on foreign soil to jerk that right from anyone. However, 1 Peter 3:15 admonishes us to always be ready to defend to everyone the reason for the hope within us. Our most glaring weakness in the modern American's Christian community is a thorough lack of understanding of the bedrock doctrines upon which our faith is built. If you are not attending a church where a deep prayerful study of the Word of God is the centerpiece of everything your church does, and if you spend little time in personal devotion and Bible study, you have no basis upon which to be angry when some political pundit or entertainer maligns the things of God.

Fundamentals of the Faith

     There are five basic doctrinal positions often called the fundamentals of the faith. These are:

      1. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

      2. The Virgin Birth of Jesus

      3. The Blood Atonement

      4. The Bodily Resurrection

      5. The Inerrancy of the Scriptures

     At Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary, we will not equivocate nor apologize for our conviction that these statements are absolute truth and are the sole basis for genuine fellowship between believers. There is ample room for brotherly disagreements on various interpretations

 and applications of other biblical subjects such as worship styles, modes of ordinances, end-time prophecies, etc; but the validity of one's personal faith and the foundation upon which a church or denomination is built must be upon all five of these bedrock doctrines or else the anointing power and approval  of God will not be demonstrated.

     While the national debate on the political and cultural demise we are presently witnessing deserves serious attention, and will be the ultimate purpose of this blog, the definition of a biblical church must be understood because the church stands as the last line of defense between America's doom or deliverance; and the clear definition of a New Testament church has virtually nothing to do with the name of the denomination with which it is affiliated. If a church does not boldly adhere to and loudly proclaim all five of these fundamentals, it may be a church in the colloquial sense but it is not a church in the biblical sense and should not be supported with one's attendance or money because its faulty faith will not be able to withstand the fierce societal storms that are coming upon the Christian community in America, and will certainly be found lacking on the day of God's eternal judgment.

   

American Tragedy: AWOL Pastors

     The world is teetering on the verge of moral, political and spiritual collapse while the only army that has sufficient weaponry to bring order out of chaos hasn't even left the barracks. I am not speaking of the military of the United States; I have the utmost respect for the active members of our armed services as well as the highest honor for the veterans who have served our nation on foreign soil. Rather, I am speaking of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and, in particular, the vast proliferation of churches of all denominations across America. Only the church has the ultimate authority for "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness of this world."

     According to the Hartford Institute of Religious Research, there are over 600,000 men and women affiliated with denominations in the United States who identify themselves as clergymen. The number who are unaffiliated denominationally is unknown. It is, however,  a safe estimate that there are over one million Christian preachers in America. Think of that! Just think of that! There are over one million preachers who have in their hands the greatest weapon ever delivered to mankind, the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and yet the world is sliding at avalanche speed into a moral and spiritual septic tank.

     National armies are organized for activity on battlefields; they are not organized to see which military base can attract the most recruits. The army of the church, however, has the three B's of a flimsy definition of success...buildings, budgets and baptisms.  Generals are not remembered in history for the brilliance of their oratory; they are remembered for their love of their troops and the battles they've won.

     It is my opinion, after having been in the ministry for a period spanning over fifty years, and having preached in hundreds of churches large and small of a myriad of denominations, the church in America  is a giant army that is asleep because of pastors (the generals) who are either too lazy or too cowardly to lead them into battle.

     I love preachers. I am a preacher. For twenty-eight years I was a pastor. Here are some issues that must be addressed by pastors if the future is secure for our succeeding generations:

     *QUIT USING THE PULPIT AS A SHIELD:  I learned a long time ago that sermon statements are safe when said in a pulpit. We hear a preacher with great passion and fervor excoriate sin and blast the wickedness of the age and we go away thinking, "What a great preacher!"  Let's be honest. He's preaching to the choir. The people in his congregation will, in the vast majority, agree with him. It takes no courage to preach against cultural transgressions in that setting. His pulpit protects him in a one-way monologue. Many communities never see change though a brilliant  pulpiteer and strong preacher is the pastor of a church right in the middle of the community. That is why I determined as a pastor to develop talk radio programs so wicked people could challenge me, instead of playing some recorded sermon I had previously preached. I joined civic clubs. I made myself available to the news media to comment on any story. I led one secular group in a fight against pornography. If this cultural battle is won, pastors must leave the safety of the pulpit and enter society's battlefields, but I am certain the majority of pastors reading this will not or do not, and the majority of laymen reading this have pastors who will not or do not.

     *PERSONALLY KNOW YOUR CHURCH MEMBERS (your troops): Especially large church pastors will answer me with two responses when I speak of knowing, really knowing, individual members: (1) "My church is too large" or (2) "I'm not going to sacrifice time with my family." Frankly, both of those are excuses, and a pastor who says either one of them should look for a smaller church. Dr Lee Roberson, the legendary pastor of the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga where he preached to 12,000 on Sunday, knew all of his people and taught me the concept of crisis visitation. He said that within every five year period every family would have at least one crisis, and the pastor should be there. I started following that plan in 1978 and it works, and my family didn't suffer and my two sons are today the epitomes of godly men. Toward the end of my pastorate at North Jacksonville, one of our elderly ladies said, "Dr Hunter, we know you love us and we sure do love you. In fact, we  would follow you into hell wearing gasoline underwear!"

     *STAY WITH YOUR TROOPS WHERE GOD STATIONED YOU ( the church to which God called you). It was my privilege to speak on an occasion with Dr Homer Lindsay of the great First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, FL. Under his leadership the church had grown to a point that a 9100-seat auditorium was erected to accommodate the crowds. One of the reasons for its growth both numerically and spiritually, according to him, was that he was seldom gone from Jacksonville even during the week, much less on Sundays. Dr Lindsay said he simply could not understand pastors taking Holy Land trips, leading sightseers to Alaska, accepting invitations to preach at every Tom, Dick and Harry conference but somehow never being available to know his people and serve, except for vacations, where God called him. He continued by saying that those times pastors are away preaching here, there and everywhere could have been used better at home holding the hand of a scared little resident of a nursing home, visiting a family that's about to break up or knock on the door of a lost person. I found it interesting that Dr Lindsay was so respected by even the secular community that the mayors would always ask his opinion before starting a project. As a note, when I was a pastor, I almost never took invitations to speak elsewhere but my church; plus I added nursing home services I led once a week and jail visitation. Also, I personally did handwritten birthday cards to my members, my troops, in the army of the Lord.

    In conclusion, there is a spiritual war of epic proportions taking place in front of our very eyes. The barracks (church buildings) are full of troops, many of whom are willing to fight. Sadly, very sadly, the generals ( pastors) are, for the most part, AWOL.