A Mighty Fortress

I thought I would share this story from Matt Maher, a Christian artist I really enjoy. His comments relate to spritiual warfare.

"I was driving down to Atlanta from Nashville in August and a melody came to my head, along with the phrase, "You are our salvation; our stronghold, our strength; You are our foundation, mighty fortress is Your name.” Obviously that really isn't a name of God, but that's how ideas sometimes start, as abstract phrases and melodies. This idea eventually turned into the song "Mighty Fortress."

 

Of course, I'm referring to the Hymn written by Martin Luther. I did not realize that it was considered the "Battle Hymn of the Reformation," I just saw it as a Hymn about God being our refuge in times of trouble, against "powers and principalities."

Here we are, 500 years after the reformation, and now we find ourselves in an increasingly secular society that is not only dismissive of the Gospel, it is increasingly hostile towards it. How do we move forward and remain secure? How do we stand firm in our beliefs and love our God and neighbor? We do it by standing in the faithfulness of our God, by letting Him be our shield. In fact, we stand firm by letting God be God. By bearing witness that He is a refuge for the weak, so maybe we shouldn't so much hide our weaknesses, but as St. Paul says, we should boast in them. We boast in the fact that we our not our own refuge, but rather, the fact that He is.

When Satan Strikes

We finished Session Two tonight of our Bible Study Victory in Spiritual Warfare. What we learned tonight is how to put on the first piece of  God's Armor, Truth. The only way to know what Truth is to know God's Word and who He is.
One of the greatest spiritual challenges for me is when Satan seeks to attack me by conflicting my mind. This is one of his favorite tactics. He knows what each of us knows about the Bible and wants us to stop believing it and to certainly not do what it says.
Satan wants to force us into conform mode, don't be different, don't stand out, conform to those around you.
We must be encouraged to recognize Satan's strategies and anything that is not of Christ in our behavior and attitudes and understand we have victory in Christ.

Be aware that Satan attacks mentally and psychologically, don't allow him to win the battle within your mind. He will defeat you daily and take up residence in your heart.
 

Frequency of Crime

Because of our fallen and broken world, crime is unfortunately part of society. The Christian is able to see through the crime and focus eternally on Christ and His promise of salvation.
Thus followers of Christ should ask themselves what can I do about the crime in my community. We have not been given a "spirit of fearfulness, but one on power, love, and sound judgment" (2 Timothy 1:7). We can begin by not being afraid, then we can pray boldly for God to intervene against the dark forces that are causing the crime.
Think about that as you read these crime statistics in America:

1 person is murdered every 31 minutes
1 person is raped every 2.7 minutes
1 person is assualted every 2.7 minutes
1 home is victimized by theft every 2.3 seconds
1 home is burglarized  every 9.2 seconds
1 child is reported abused or neglected every 36 seconds
1 person is killed in an alcohol-related traffic crash every 31 minutes
(Office for Victims of Crime)

Do you ever wonder what the Federal Government spends fighting crime:

1995 - $21,197,000,000
2000 - $27,994,999,000
2005 - $40,019,000,000

Yes, that is billions!
That doesn't include the state and local government totals of hundreds of billions!!

The answer to reverse this crime problem is not more government programs, its turning back to God and establishing strong families grounded in Jesus Christ.
 

A Letter to Victoria’s Secret From a Father

A Letter to Victoria’s Secret From a Father

An open letter to Victoria’s Secret regarding their choice to make an underwear line aimed at young teenagers. (Read about it here)

---

Dear Victoria’s Secret,
I am a father of a three year old girl. She loves princesses, Dora the Explorer, Doc McStuffins and drawing pictures for people. Her favorite foods are peanut butter and jelly, cheese and pistachios.
Even though she is only three, as a parent I have had those thoughts of my daughter growing up and not being the little girl she is now. It is true what they say about kids, they grow up fast. No matter how hard I try I know that she will not be the little ball of energy she is now; one day she will be a rebellious teenager that will more than likely think her dad is a total goof ball and would want to distance herself from my embarrassing presence.
I know that this is far down the line and I try to spend as much time as I can with her making memories of this special time.
But as I read an article today posted on The Black Sphere, it really got me thinking that maybe the culture that we currently find ourselves in is not helping the cause.
Recently I read an article that Victoria’s Secret is launching a line of underwear and bras aimed at middle school aged children. The line will be called “Bright Young Things” and will feature ” lace black cheeksters with the word “Wild” emblazoned on them, green and white polka-dot hipsters screen printed with “Feeling Lucky?” and a lace trim thong with the words, “Call me” on the front.”
As a dad, this makes me sick.
I believe that this sends the wrong message to not only my daughter but to all young girls.
I don’t want my daughter to ever think that her self-worth and acceptance by others is based on the choice of her undergarments. I don’t want my daughter to ever think that to be popular or even attractive she has to have emblazon words on her bottom.
I want my daughter (and every girl) to be faced with tough decisions in her formative years of adolescence. Decisions like should I be a doctor or a lawyer? Should I take calculus as a junior or a senior? Do I want to go to Texas A&M or University of Texas or some Ivy League School? Should I raise awareness for slave trafficking or lack of water in developing nations? There are many, many more questions that all young women should be asking themselves… not will a boy (or girl) like me if I wear a “call me” thong?
I want my daughter to know that she is perfect the way she is; I want my daughter to know that no matter what underwear she is wearing it does not define her.
I believe that this new line “Bright Young Things” thwarts the efforts of empowering young women in this county. “Bright Young Things” gives off the message that women are sex objects. This new line promotes it at a dangerously young age.
I implore you to reconsider your decision to start this line.
By doing so you will put young girl’s self-esteem, self-worth and pride above profits.
Sincerely,
Rev. Evan Dolive
Houston, TX

Whom Do You Serve?

Awesome song, video and message by John Waller! Enjoy and reflect on whom you serve in your life and in your home.
The song is based off Joshua 24:15 where Joshua says "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."
Joshua was telling the Israelites that his family would serve Yahweh, not false gods. Joshua is calling all people to commit themselves to serve  the Lord and make Him the center of their lives and their homes.

Are You Seeking His Face?

Awesome video from Richard Owen Roberts about seeking God's face!

Free Course on Bible Interpretation

If anyone is looking to learn about the Bible, this is a great opportunity to learn how to interpret the Bible correctly.

What is a MOOC anyway? A MOOC (massive open online course) is a popular new way of viewing lecture content from top ranked universities for free! Our desire is to offer the highest level of theological training to the greatest number of people so they can be further equipped to fulfill the Great Commission. The information and resources you will receive in our MOOC courses will be the same lecture content as our classes here at Southeastern. As an added convenience, you will be able to enroll in these courses directly from our website, and they are self-paced so you will not have to worry about deadlines or rearranging your schedule.

In February we will be offering Dr. Akin’s, "how-to-read-and-interpret-the-Bible course," called Hermeneutics. You will learn methods that will not only help you interpret Scripture, but communicate it in a variety of environments. This course will transform the way you read Scripture! Although this course is taught in a seminary, Dr. Akin’s clear teaching style can be understood by all who desire a deeper knowledge of the Bible. As an added bonus, if the participant watches all of the lectures, completes some additional leveling assignments, and pays for the credit hours, Southeastern has provided a way to turn this course into undergraduate or graduate level credit.

Register for MOOC

Contents and Assignments will be available February 1st, 2013 for you to start at your own pace.

Contact the Distance Learning Office to find out more information: distancelearning@sebts.edu.

No forms to fill out. No hidden fees or cost. Just biblically sound methods and techniques for understanding God’s Word in the 21st century.

Victory in Spiritual Warfare

 

We began a new Bible Study tonight at South Camp Chapel, Victory in Spiritual Warfare by Dr. Tony Evans.

Perhaps the scripture which best summarizes what spiritual warfare is about is Ephesians 6:12

"Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens."

Paul tells us that we a fighting against a spiritual force of darkness and we have a desparate need for God's supernatural protection. Satan and his demons are not "flesh and blood," but are spirit beings.

To battle Satan we must set aside wordly wisdom and our physical approach to life and fight back using the supernatural power of God found in prayer and His Word.

Remember, Satan has no conscience, no compassion, no remorse, and no morals. He is ruthless, decpetive and looking to destroy your life.

If you are at South Camp, come join us every Wednesday at 1900!

Great Evangelism Website

If you know of a person who needs to hear the life changing good news of Jesus Christ (and we all do) direct them to this website.

http://www.whativaluemost.com/Gospel_main.aspx

This is a great tool to very simply explain to your friends why they need Christ and the gospel!

Coptic Church of Sharm el-Shiekh

I was blessed today to visit with the Coptic Priest of this Church here in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. I invited him to our camp today for lunch and gave him a tour of the South Camp Chapel. We exchanged gifts and spent most of our time together discussing the need for the gospel to penetrate the hearts of people, both in Egypt and around the world. We also spoke about false converts, which appears to be a problem even in the Coptic Church. Even though I come from a Southern Baptist background and he from an Orthodox, we were unified by our belief in the Trinity and the desparate need for people to recieve Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!

He will return next week to speak at our South Camp Prayer Breakfast.

Inside the church, virtually every wall is painted. The pages and stories of the Bible come to life on the walls of this Church. From Genesis to Revelation a person can read the Bible from the artwork on the walls and ceiling. 

It was amazing!

Preaching Where Jesus Walked

On the morning of February 24th I had the honor of sharing several scriptures from God's Word while on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.

I shared the story of Jesus walking on water (John 6:16-21). But I also shared Matthew 7 since we were looking up at the Mount of Beatitudes. Verse 14 is one of the most profround scriptures in the entire Bible. "How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it." I simply felt led to share this scripture because Christ continually emphasized the difficulty of following Him. Salvation is by grace alone, but the Christian life is not easy because it is so radically different than how society lives. The Christian life calls a person to seek truth, to repent of sins, be fully submitted to Christ, and have a willingness to obey God's will and Word. This is uncommon in today's society.

How often do you come across a person living a life completely different than the rest of the world or living by the teachings of Jesus?

If you answered honestly, it's not all that often.

This might be why Jesus said "few will find it?"

 

Who Do You Look To?

I was reading in 2 Chronicles 20 a prayer from Jehoshaphat. The Ammonites and Moabites were coming to attack Judah and Jehoshaphat had nothing left to do but call out to God for help. The last thing he says in his prayer was "...We do not know what to do, but we look to You."

The best part of the chapter is how God answered Jehoshaphat's prayer in verse 17. God told him "you do not have to fight this battle, just position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord."

Basically, God said stand there and watch as I  bring victory. God can do the same thing in your life. It all begins with submission and surrender. When we fall down on our knees and tell God that I can't win this battle on my own, He will say step aside and watch Me work. It might require patience, but it's worth the wait. It doesn't matter if its alcohol, drugs, a rocky marriage, pornography, hopelessness, bankruptcy, anger, pride, selfishness, etc... God will go out and face these battles and demons for you. In fact, God will also tell you "to not be afraid or discouraged" while you wait.

Do as Jehoshaphat did, "bow on your face" and know that "Yahweh is with you."

Try starting your day like that and turn over your problems and life to the Lord of Hosts!

Are you Salty?

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells believers "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled." Jesus wanted His disciples to be a purifying agent and it only makes sense. His believers are to be examples of righteous living and to proclaim the gospel. But what happens when Christians lose their saltiness? In our present day, they begin to look like non-believers, they turn to unrighteous living and slowly slide into a pit of immorality and impurity. It also could show that they were never true beleivers to begin with. So if you want to be of use to the Lord, remain salty and vibrant. When Jesus comes into our lives, He invites us to live life with Him and for Him. Following Jesus involves repentance and receiving a new identity.
You walk away from your old life in order to gain all Christ has for you!

Lukewarm

I came across the story of the church of Laodicea in a book I was reading, so I went back and read this story again in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 3:14-22 Christ gives this church no compliments. It seems that nothing was right about the church in Laodicea. Laodicea was known to have an aqueduct system to supply its water so Christ drew from this to make an illustration. The author of my book wrote how cold water was refreshing, hot water was cleansing, and lukewarm water was nauseating. Which I think everyone would agree with. The scripture reads "I know your works, that you are either cold or hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth." (v. 15-16).
Christ was addressing the works of the church, He knew they professed to love Him, but their works and actions were halfhearted at best, making them lukewarm. Ultimately, only Christ's opinion matters and He was angry with the church at Laodicea.
Every Christian must refrain from becoming insincere or self-indulgent. When a believer becomes lukewarm to Christ he or she might as well be ice cold, because he or she no longer has any spiritual worth to God.
This scripture is a great reminder for all believers to never let their zeal grow "lukewarm" for Christ, but to remain hot through the Holy Spirit.
The world and the enemy pose the greatest dangers to having a lukewarm heart.

I Am Second

If you are struggling with an issue in your life such as anger, sex addiction, fatherlessness, relationships, divorce, self-esteem, war related wounds, meaning, pride, your purpose in life, molestation, etc... Check out these powerful testimonies and videos from people like Tony Dungy, Colt McCoy, Lecrae, Anne Rice, Greg Ellis, Jack Graham, and many more.

You will be inspired and quickly discover you are not alone and that our Creator has provided all we need to overcome the struggles of this world.

www.iamsecond.com

Re-Baptism

This is a great article that addresses re-baptism.

As both a pastor and a professor who teaches Baptist history and thought, hardly a month goes by that I do not have at least one person ask me if they need to be “re-baptized.” From time to time, this question comes from someone who was sprinkled as an infant and is now wrestling with the practice of exclusive believer’s baptism. My answer in this case is simple: infant baptism is a practice that is alien to the New Testament and absent from church history until likely the middle of the second century. Biblical baptism is the full immersion of a presumably regenerate individual following his or her conversion. Since infant baptism is not biblical baptism, one who was sprinkled in infancy needs to follow the Lord’s command by receiving believer’s baptism by immersion.

Far more often, however, the person asking the question grew up attending a Baptist (or at least baptistic) church and now, in adulthood, struggles with whether or not he or she was actually converted prior to his or her immersion. I am very sensitive to this question, since I was immersed at age nine in a mainline Disciples of Christ church following a confirmation class, but never heard the gospel clearly proclaimed until I was around fourteen. I was subsequently converted around the time I graduated from high school and later baptized at the age of twenty-four, after years of struggling with this very question. Many folks have a baptismal testimony similar to mine, likely for a variety of reasons (that is a topic for another day). When I ask my Baptist History class how many of them have been dunked more than once, it is common for between one-third and half of them to raise their hands.

Bobby Jamieson of 9 Marks Ministries recently weighed in on this very issue in an article written for The Gospel Coalition’s website. I was pleased to see that Jamieson answers this question exactly like I do. If you are absolutely convinced that you were not a Christian when you were immersed, as with my own testimony, then you have never been baptized – you have merely been dunked. So you do need to be dunked again, but it is definitely not a “re-baptism,” but rather your actual baptism, since this second dunking conforms to the biblical practice.

But if you simply struggle with the question of when you were converted, which is especially common among those who profess faith during childhood and/or in more revivalistic contexts, then you should not be immersed again. Baptism is not some repeatable sacrament that infuses sustaining grace into us or grants us ongoing assurance of salvation. As Jamieson argues in his fine essay, “It’s easy to mistake childlike faith for no faith at all, and to impose an adult standard of spiritual fruit on a child or even a teenager. In such cases, I’d encourage someone to get baptized only if she came to be absolutely convinced that she was not converted at the time of baptism.” Amen.

If you know that you have never followed the Lord’s command to be baptized as a follower of Jesus Christ according to the New Testament pattern, then I would urge you to submit to biblical baptism. If you simply struggle a bit with certainty about the exact timing of your salvation, or if you are haunted by the guilt of a season of rebellion or staleness, then I would urge you not to rush back into the waters of baptism. Instead, look to Christ and remind yourself of the gospel. Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and was raised from the dead for you. Repent of any un-confessed sin, but be assured that as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you will forever belong to the living God who has adopted you as his spiritual child. Baptism testifies clearly to this gospel, but it is not a substitute for the good news.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Nathan A. Finn is associate professor of historical theology and Baptist studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. He serves on the Biblical Recorder’s Board of Directors.)

Strong and Faithful

I studied through the book of Habakkuk today and I wanted to share my thoughts on perhaps the central scripture of the book. In Habakkuk 2:4, the prophet writes God's answer to his prayer, "...But the righteous one will live by faith." Believers are called to step out in faith. For the believer, faith is never based on sight. Paul commanded believers to "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
But in everyday life we are challenged to obey this scripture. We are challenged by various circumstances to either walk by what we say and believe or do what the world does. God doesn't have to explain everything for us to believe Him. Even when things are difficult to understand, we are still commanded to trust in Him. If you don't trust in God today, then you won't trust in Him for tomorrow or 6 months from now. The Christian life from the day you receive Christ as Lord and Savior until you die is based on faith.
The proud trust in themselves. The strong and faithful trust in God for everything in their life.
A true believer will perserve in faith no matter the circumstances surrounding them. 

On Mission

When I wake up I like to remind myself to be on mission for Christ. In Luke 19:10, Jesus stated His "mission statement," "to seek and save the lost." Ever since I have returned from Jerusalem I have been studying the Gospels. Tonight I was studying Luke 5:29-32, the scripture where Jesus was dining with sinners at Matthew's house. The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus' disciples , "Why he was eating and drinking with tax collectors  and sinners? Jesus replied to them, "the healthy don't need a doctor, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Jesus referred to the Pharisees and their allies as the healthy and righteous. In contrast, Jesus labeled the tax collectors as the sick and the sinners. Jesus never meant the Pharisees were actually righteous, but only that they saw themselves that way.
In this story, those who the Pharisees viewed as sinners realized they were spiritually sick and desparately needed a spiritual doctor who could guide them to repentance.
Thus Jesus had a great desire or a "mission" to guide these sinners to repentance.
But the key to understanding this scripture is that these sinners came seeking to find out how they could be saved. Thus Jesus was dinning with them and preparing to share with them how they could turn away from their sins and one day live forever in heaven.
I pray there will be sinners dine with me and other Christians who will come seeking the life changing good news of Jesus Christ!

Hobby Lobby

I received this story in an email tonight about Hobby Lobby.
Hobby Lobby is a Christian based business and a store my wife and I support fully. They have stood against the contracpetive mandate of Obamacare, a biblical stand I agree with.

The owner and CEO David Green attends Council Road Baptist Church in Bethany, OK:
I thought I would share his philosphy on business.
"We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve
always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our
business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more
than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our
employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on
Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers
and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by
God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our
employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised
wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start
at 80% above minimum wage.

Read more: http://savingourfuture.com/2013/03/hobby-lobby-may-close/#ixzz2Mh9s5wln

Observing versus Judging

We observe something when we become aware of it. We acknowledge "this is so." We judge when we form an opinion, as in "I think this about that." Observation is a neutral act of taking in information upon which we base our responses. Judgment involves rendering an opinion regarding the relative value or merit of what is being observed.
No matter what you do for a living, these two concepts should be understood.
Christians around the world are accused of judging others, when in reality their observations are based on actions, words, or visible habits. When Kirk Cameron spoke out about homosexuality based upon his biblical convictions he was blasted for a week for being judgmental. Even the great Billy Graham was bashed for standing up for the Marriage Amendment in North Carolina this past May.
Often times people rush to judgments of their own based upon nothing more than their personal opinion. The genuine Christian or "spiritual person" can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone (1 Corinthians 2:15). Is that because they are perfect and better than other people? Absolutely not. The spiritual person can discern everything with respect to his or her wisdom, yet he or she is examined by no one. This is what the Bible says, this is not an opinion, this is truth. The spiritual person's discernment is an understanding of the deep things of God freely given to the believer by the Holy Spirit that dwells inside him or her. The "spiritual person" is examined by the Lord as Judge to determine how faithful he has been to living and proclaiming the truth.
Obviously, unbelievers are able to recognize Christian's faults and shortcomings, we all have them. But they are not to evaluate their true nature as spiritual people who have been transformed into children of God.

Crucified with Christ

The walk of a genuine disciple of Christ can be lonely and hard, but fulfilling and strengthening. Especially when that Christian walk is experienced in full time ministry as mine is. Whether in corporate America or in the military, my ministry challenges are varied and constant. But I have learned to love the testing and the growth that follows.  Each day is a chance to allow the Holy Spirit to increase, while I decrease (John 3:30). Once I made a decision to accept the testimony of Christ, I affirmed that God was truth (John 3:33). Once I did this I could no longer straddle the world and my dedication to Christ. A life committed to full submission in Christ and understanding that it is no longer I that live, but Christ you lives in me requires suffering and criticism, while forgiving those who lie against me and attempt to hurt me and my family. You can't do this with a temporal mind. I have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:19) and no one who is not "born again" is ever going to understand what this means. However, I pray that they will one day. Paul meant he was going to live each day as if died on the cross with Christ. While I will continue to live physically, spiritually I no longer live for myself, but for Christ. Thus, if anything is toxic to my soul, my mind, or my body I remove it from my life.

 

Wisdom from Adversity

My wife was sharing this verse with me this evening. A verse my pastor was preaching about this morning at our church.
The wisdom of scripture is amazing!

Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to force people to look at their mortality seriously and thus to consider carefully how they should live. It should serve the same purpose for us today.

In chapter 7, Solomon lists numerous wise sayings, to include verse 3: "Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad."

In the Christian life, more is learned from adversity than from pleasure. Thus, perception is not reality. The person with spiritual eyes sees past the surface and learns to look at what is inside a person.
A sad face can sometimes mean a glad heart, like when a heart breaks for sinners, but rejoices inside at the hope they could have in Christ.

Inside Old City Jerusalem

There were people selling bread in every corner of old city Jerusalem. I bought a chocolate, cinnamon croissant from this man. It was very good!

Self-Examination

Something we have to do as Christians is examine our hearts and test ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). This is something I do daily. I fall short in many areas, but I'm grateful to be able to see my errors and this is only because God allows me to see them. I have learned that a believer never gets beyond the need for regular self-examination.  We are also called to do this before prayer and before receiving the Lord's Supper.
This deployment has been challenging in ways that only few can understand from my perspective. I wake up each day with one purpose and that is to be on mission for the Lord. My heart breaks for the unsaved and many days there seems to be walls placed in my way, primarily by the Devil and his forces. I get frustrated and after self-examination, I have found a great amount of cynicism in my heart. During my time of study, I was reading Jesus' instructions to His disciples in Mark 6:6-13. Jesus told them if any place doesn't welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.
If I could I would shake the dust off my feet, but I have no where else to go at the moment, the Lord has me here in Egypt. 
This action of shaking the dust off their feet, was a gesture of judgment against those who rejected their message about Jesus.
I pray that God will cleanse my heart of my cyncism and break open the hearts of our soldiers to receive the gospel.
I love people and it hurts when they won't even taste what the Lord has to offer.
If they get a taste, they will be fulfilled for life and find the the Bible is worth living.