sbc IMPACT!

A Good Read

I’ve been doing some reading about reading. Well, some reading and listening about reading, actually. A friend sent me an email with this notice. His subject was: Maybe If We Pool Our Money. I’m not really in the market for first editions, but I would love to read some of the books in that collection. I also listened this morning to a Sovereign Grace Leadership Series podcast on reading. C.J. Mahoney commented that he reads too many books and reads them too quickly. I guess that’s better than buying too many books and not reading them at all, which is what I’ve been doing lately. Mahoney went on to stress the importance of reading in the life of a leader, and I agree and would pass this reminder on to you: if all you read are blogs, even this one, you are missing out on some good stuff. So pick up a book (after you finish reading this post, of course.)

In any case, those got me thinking about my reading and I thought it might be helpful if we shared some recommendations with each other. So here are my recent reads (only the ones I liked) in no particular order, with comments. It’s a pretty eclectic list, and these are not my favorite books of all time (that’s another list)but I like books, old and new, of many genres. Reading lists that look like the Lifeway bestseller list bore me to tears (10 Ways To Cook Your Congregation Breakfast or The 9 Writing Utensils of a Leader or Step Up! Removing Obstacles to Your Faith And Discovering Your Hidden Potential By Losing Weight, Getting Out of Debt, UnleashingYour Inner Sculptor and Turbocharging Your Marriage or the fundamental guide to being a young, hip, goateed pastor: Your Best Beard Now).

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Ministerial Ordination

*Knowing this is a potentially controversial topic, I want to make clear right from the top that I am, by no means, dogmatic on this, and am totally open to gaining any further insight from Scripture any of you may have to offer on this.

I do not believe that ministerial ordination, as traditionally practiced in Baptist churches, has a biblical basis. I also believe that it can end up having an adverse affect on the advance of God’s Kingdom. I do believe, however, in publicly setting apart individuals called by God to a particular ministry, laying hands on them, praying for them, and commending them to that ministry. I believe this is biblical, and has a generally positive effect on the advance of God’s Kingdom.

In traditional Baptist practice, there is a three-fold recognition of God’s call on the life of an individual, and commendation to ministry: first, license to preach; next, ordination; and next, installation into a specific ministry role.

I believe that what is symbolically communicated by such a practice flies in the face of the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. It props up the idea that “professional ministers” are, in one way or another, a class apart. Historically, it has its roots in the Roman Catholic concept that certain members of the Church, by virtue of their ordination (”holy orders”), have prerogatives and abilities to carry out certain spiritual tasks (”sacraments”) that others do not. Some historical justification for this is also at times adduced from the Old Testament practice of ordaining priests, insinuating that Christian ministry is essentially a continuation of the Old Testament priesthood.

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New Feature: Discussion Forums!

So… you’re a frequent visitor here at sbc IMPACT. You’ve enjoyed reading the thoughts of our contributors and commenters, maybe even interacted a bit here yourself.

But, you feel something’s been missing. You see, you’ve wanted us to talk about certain topics that we haven’t yet hit. You’ve considered asking one of us to write about it, but thought… it would sure be nice if I could just post my own thoughts or ask my own questions here?

Today?

You’re getting your wish… we now have a place for user-driven content here at sbc IMPACT!

Today, we’re announcing the opening of our Discussion Forums. Check them out, register, and join the fun!

You see, our forums are a bit different than the main site… there really are no limitations for what can go there, and we see that as a good thing. If you want to talk about politics, sports, ministry matters, SBC issues, family issues, or even just chat socially… it’s all fair game, just sign up and start sharing! There’s only one real rule: be God-honoring with what you write.

So… check it out today. We’d love to have you be a part of our efforts to further online Christian community.

Quotable - R. Philip Roberts

“Cultic-Christian groups establish themselves as the one true exclusive church of Jesus Christ.  It is important to note that exclusivity is especially presented in the sense of the church’s ability to administer salvation, or at least the fullness of salvation.

“While Baptist confessions mark clearly the biblical parameters of “church,” in contradistinction to cults, Baptists never claim that other churches, even outside the denomination, do not bear the marks of New Testament churches.  Baptists affirm that where there are true believers, true churches may appear, seemingly apart from denominational authority or label.”

R. Philip Roberts in the essay, “Contemporary Cults,” in Missiology: An Introduction to the Foundations, History, and Strategies of World Missions, pp. 406-7.

Psalm 2

I’m not discouraged; not exactly. This isn’t any where close to being my “Dark Night of the Soul“. It does, though, seem as though periods of joy are few and far between. Things are working out - mostly. Projects are completed and done well - pretty much. It does feel like everybody wants something done and wants it yesterday. I don’t necessarily have enemies - the barbarians aren’t at the gate - just hoards of brittle-minded bureaucrats knocking incessantly at my door.

O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God.

I want the mountain tops but am thankful I’m not in the valley. I want to run with the big dogs but am surrounded by little yappy strays.

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New Team Members!

Within the next couple of weeks sbc IMPACT! readers will find posts from a couple of “new guys” … well, sort of.  We are so excited to welcome these newest members of the sbc IMPACT! team.

First there’s Dave Samples. Dave has had the privilege of serving as the pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Windsor, Colorado since July 23, 2000. He is currently the Team Leader for the Missions/Outreach Team of the Longs Peak Association. He has a Master of Divinity Degree with Biblical Languages from Southwestern Seminary. He did his undergraduate work at Union University and is also a graduate of Harrison-Chilhowee Baptist Academy in Seymour, Tennessee. Dave has served as the Chairman of the Colorado Baptist General Convention Executive Board. He is a veteran of the United States Navy Chaplain Corps. Dave frequently blogs at http://davesamples.blogspot.com. He married his wife Tina in 1985 and they have two teenage boys. Tina is a talented singer, songwriter, speaker, and author. Find out more about Tina at http://tinasamples.web.officelive.com.

Then there’s From the Middle East. And, besides his mysterious name, there’s not a lot that we can tell you about him. His identity must be protected for security reasons.  He and his family were called by God six years ago to represent His Kingdom to Muslims from unreached people groups. He is the father of two children and the husband of one wife. He currently works with a “short-term” sending agency and is responsible for raising awareness of needs among unreached Muslim people groups and then mobilizing, training and leading short-term teams to meet those needs. Prior to this he studied Arabic while sharing life with Muslims from one of the least-reached people groups in the world. He holds one secular degree and is currently working on second. FTME also shares stories of regular folks impacting darkness at Here and There.

And we would be negligent if we didn’t mention John Stickley.  John lives in St. Joseph, Missouri, and is a layman at Missouri Valley Baptist Church. He is the webmaster for sbc IMPACT!, and is responsible for all things technical associated with the site. He has remained behind the scenes since the inception of the collaboration, but has recently become an active post contributor.  John is an electrical engineer by trade, a rabid Kansas City Chiefs fan, an avid fisherman, amateur guitarist, and enjoys other hobbies including computers / internet, sports, and photography. He is married to Nancy, and is daddy to three wonderful kids, Jeffrey, Jenna, and Allison. John writes regularly over at his blog, Toward the Goal, sharing thoughts on life, faith, and family.

We welcome all three of these great writers and fellow servants to our team. Please get to know them and interact with their posts.

Tithing on Lottery Winnings?

From firstcoastnews.com:

Robert Powell of Orange Park, Florida, hit the jackpot in the Florida lottery last month. His total winnings? A cool $6 Million. Interestingly, he thought of his church, First Baptist Church of Orange Park. He offered the church a tithe on his winnings .. a check for $600,000.

And the church refused the money.

Pastor David Tarkington politely declined the offer, telling Powell that the church would not accept lottery winnings.

First Baptist Orange Park is not the first church to reject gifts from lottery winnings. I recall a few years ago that the new pastor of a Baptist church in Louisiana discovered that the church had accepted a tithe on lottery winnings. He demanded that the church refund the unwelcome cash. In the aftermath of the event he also discovered that one of his deacons was a lottery winner. (I tried my best to find a link to that story, but to no avail. If anyone remembers or has a link, please share it with us…) Surely there must be other instances of similar church actions. Perhaps IMPACT! readers know of specific instances they can share.

But, tell me … what is your conviction? Should a church refuse financial gifts from a lottery winner? Let me tell you my view.

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Is It Okay To Have Sex Outside of Marriage?

If someone came up to you right now and asked you, “What’s wrong with having sex when you’re not married?”, what would you say?

Our culture has been changing its attitudes about sex for the last 30 years. According to one poll, only 49% of American women believe sex before marriage is immoral, and that’s down from 65% who believed that in 1970. According to another poll, 47% of Americans say that it’s wrong to have children outside of marriage but 50% responded that it is not wrong. Other surveys tell us that 80% of Americans name the Bible as the most influential book in human history and 58% believe the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches. If most people believe in the Bible, then how can half of the people in this country think that sex outside of marriage is okay?

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Finding a New Church

by Kevin Peacock
Cochrane, Alberta, Canada

It is not an uncommon scenario – someone seeks a new church to join, either because of relocation or out of dissatisfaction with their previous congregation. In my context, so many of our seminary students have moved from elsewhere and they need to find a new body to join – many having just left the only church they have ever known. Which church to join? I would hope that all of God’s servants would acknowledge that God’s will is primary in this endeavor, but how do we determine God’s will in this vital decision? The following is some pastoral advice I give to people seeking a new church home.

I like the analogy of choosing a life’s partner in marriage. With a certain amount of compatibility and an awful lot of commitment a marriage can work. Physical and emotional attraction can help in a marriage, but they make a weak basis for stability in the relationship. Although I believe that it is a good thing for people to like/love their church, it is my opinion that those who join a church for the primary purpose that they “like it” for whatever reason (music, preaching, programs, etc.) are thinking mainly of themselves. A person’s relationship with their church has to be based on more than mere attraction. The Father’s will must be primary in this relationship. God not only wants to be involved in “joining” people together in marriage (Matt 19:6) but also in “placing members in the body as He desires” (1 Cor 12:18).

Much in western consumer-driven society promotes the highest good being that people get what they want. In fact, for many Christians the idea may be foreign that what God wants for their lives may not be what they personally desire. But the Master may have something else in mind. He may have a need somewhere else that He has specifically gifted this servant to address. God may be sending His servant into an “undesirable” situation to be His agent of change there (most missionaries experience this). Many times the affection does not precede the service but rather follows it.

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Thoughts on Family Focused Faith (Part 1)

A couple weeks back, I shared the introductory post to this series (“The Discipleship Void”), where I shared a few facts and figures that seem to indicate that there is a real lack of discipleship occurring in modern churches. In that post, I noted that discipleship efforts focusing on developing spiritually sound families seem to hold much promise in addressing some of these problems.

Today, I want to dive into this series and begin exploring the topic of family focused faith with you. As I’ll do for the entirety of this series, I’ll start by sharing a brief thought or two from Voddie Baucham Jr.’s book, “Family Driven Faith”, and follow up with a few questions and thoughts of my own to foster discussion.

Anyway, here goes. Today, we’ll focus on parenting goals of modern-day Christian families.

Voddie writes:

Many families have been lulled into what I like to call a full-screen view of parenting. We look at the biblical mandate and compare it to societal norms, and there appears to be something missing. We believe that somehow we are depriving our children of experiences that will make them more liked, more respected, more normal. Hence we trade in the biblical standard for a cultural norm that hovers just below mediocrity. All of a sudden our desires for our children change. Now all we want for our kids is what “every other parent” wants for their children.

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