the word downtown

Last week was not without its frustrations. They were rather intense. Though it is very tempting to air some of them out here, it would not be wise or loving. I’m working very hard these days to not allow frustrations to take root as bitterness in my heart. Thankful for your prayers in this.

Now on to celebrating! Last Wednesday night our High School Pastor, Joel Reynolds hosted one of the greatest outreach events we have ever had @ FBC, Battle of the Bands! Were hundreds saved? No. Did we manipulate dozens of students to raise their hands, when “no one was looking around”? No. When then you may ask made it such a great outreach event. Bottom line, probably around one hundred students who never would have stepped a foot in First Baptist Church came, had a great time, and were loved on by dozens of adults and students. While I am a huge fan of incarnational ministry, this was such a powerful attraction event, that it quickly became incarnational as these students felt at home. They felt like they were in their zone. There was just something different. Love. These 100 or so students were sincerely loved by the people at FBC.

Why did these students come? Joel planned an event that spoke their language. It made sense to them and breathed value and worth into their lives. Do they need to know that they are sinners, totally depraved, seperated from God, and in need of a savior named Jesus? Absolutely. Do we have a good chance of reaching some of them with the gospel now? I think so. Do the students know they are loved and valued by our church? Yes! The alternative is that these students would be told to quit listening to that music or playing it for that matter. The alternative would be that these students would be told to dress differently or to cut their hair. Most students do not feel loved by these criticisms. That’s not what we had for them Wednesday night! We had nothing but love, worth, and value to breath into their lives. I celebrate with Joel and the rest of the High School Ministry. I hope this is one of many innovative events we host to engage students earning the right to be heard, reshaping their assumptions with our love, paving the way for the gospel to transform. Way to go Joel! Remain humble! I celebrate with you God’s good work through  Battle of the Bands!

The second thing I wanted to celebrate was the National Day of Prayer! I was assigned a 15 minute slot to pray. One of our own, Bing Verbist spear headed our local gathering. It was a huge blessing and I’m looking forward to next year already!

To God be all the glory!

We’ve known for a couple of weeks that Susan is pregnant. This past Friday however we were hit with a great surprise, she is pregnant with twins! I am so so so so excited! Susan is a bit overwhelmed. Dozens of thoughts have been racing through our minds….like we’re gonna have to get a mini-van or something. Please pray for Susan and the health of these little twins. Susan will keep you posted over @ our family blog.

Laura, Betty, Mike, and Corey, thanks for the great discussion! I typed out a long response to each of you and then got knocked off line and lost the post. I’ll try to respond to each of your comments soon, but until then, let me direct you to two resources. First, if you have not gotten a copy of Brother Roger’s message on Hebrews 6, get one from the music ministry today. Though He and I differ on our interpretation of Hebrews 6, we are rock solid in agreement on eternal security, which he spent a good portion of his message clearly and compellingly defending. Get it, listen and be encouraged. The second resource is a paper that my friend Daniel Patterson just wrote. Providentially, he posted his paper on warnings here, the day after I preached on it. Daniel’s family are members of our church and you might remember him preaching for me last summer. His paper supports the position I shared Sunday. Click here to read his paper.   

The bulk of my material was heavily influenced by the book The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance by Thomas R. Schreiner and Ardel B. Caneday. Though I would not agree with these men at every point in the book, I generally agree with their position the function of warnings and promises in scripture. I have quoted them at several points in the notes below, though it is not footnoted. If it is of benefit to you, the credit belongs to Schreiner and Caneday. These are just my rough notes and not a formal paper. I also commend William L. Lane’s commentary on Hebrews 1-8 in the Word Biblical Commentary series, upon which I have been greatly assisted by.

Of all the positions, I was not satisfied that I had communicated my own with good clarity. Perhaps I can strengthen the clarity of my own position in the days ahead.  

“A Sober Warning”

Hebrews 6:4-12

4 Positions

1. Loss of Salvation view – Because warnings are present, some believe that believers can and sometimes do abandon their faith and consequently lose their salvation. They say, because they fail to persevere in faithfulness, they lose the inheritance of salvation.

2. Loss of rewards view – Biblical warnings do address true believers. Also hold that those who fail to persevere will experience loss. How they differ from the loss of salvation view is that they believe that the one who does not persevere will experience loss of rewards, not loss of eternal life of salvation. Grace Evangelical Society holds this view, as well as The New Scofield Reference Bible, Charles Stanley, and Zane Hodges. The Loss of rewards view are uncomfortable with the idea of perseverance as a requirement for final salvation and see it as a works salvation rather than one of the characteristics of saving faith. They make a distinction between inheriting the Kingdom of God and entering the kingdom of God.

3. Tests of genuineness view – This is one of the most common views in evangelicalism today. Warnings address those who profess to be Christians but are truly not genuine. Warnings like Hebrews 6 address people who experienced many blessings and then fell away, and by their falling away prove that they had never truly been saved in the first place. John MacArthur, Wayne Grudem, Roger Freeman.

4. Hypothetical-loss-of-salvation view – this position believes that the Loss of Salvation view contradicts biblical promises of security in Jesus Christ for everyone who believes. Holds that the problem with the lost-of-rewards view is that it minimizes the awfulness of apostacy…an apostate is not a Christian. The problem they find with the test of genuiness view is that the warning passages particularly in Hebrews are not retrospective (looking back) but is a warning toward a projected act. Otherwise why administer the warning? They argue that the warnings correct “wrong ideas” by making it clear that if a Christian could apostatize, it would be impossible for that person to become a Christian again. The warnings address real believers to correct the wrong idea that apostasy is not serious.

5. Biblical warnings are crucial means that God uses to protect his people for the “salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet1:5) The right question to ask concerns the function of biblical warnings in relation to biblical promises. God’s promises have their own function, namely, to establish belief in the God who keeps his promises and to assure us that he is faithful to his people. God’s warnings and admonitions have their distinctive function. They serve to elicit belief that perseveres in faithfulness to God’s heavenly call on us. Thus, God’s promises and God’s warnings do not conflict. Rather, the warnings serve the promises, for the warnings and admonitions are the means God uses to save and preserve his people to the end.    

 Who is being warned?

• The most natural reading would argue believers.
• The word in verse 4a for enlightened is the same greek word used in 10:32-35.

 Perseverance – elicit faith and grant greater assurance.  Matthew 24:12-14. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.  ”This ^(B)gospel of the kingdom ^(C)shall be preached in the whole ^(D)world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 10:21-23  “^(A)Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and ^(B)children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “^(C)You will be hated by all because of My name, but ^(D)it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. “But whenever they ^(E)persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel ^(F)until the Son of Man comes. l Corinthians 15:1,2, “Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast–unless you believed in vain.”Colossians 1:21-23, “And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel…”2 Timothy 2:ll,l2, “The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him…”Promises of Assurance – John 6:37-44 37^(A) All that^(B) the Father gives me will come to me, and^(C) whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38For^(D) I have come down from heaven, not to do^(E) my own will but^(F) the will of him who sent me. 39And^(G) this is the will of him who sent me,^(H) that I should lose nothing of^(I) all that he has given me, but^(J) raise it up on the last day. 40For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who^(K) looks on the Son and^(L) believes in him^(M) should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ^(N) “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They said,^(O) “Is not this Jesus,^(P) the son of Joseph, whose father and mother^(Q) we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me^(R) draws him. And^(S) I will raise him up on the last day. John 10:27-30, 27^(A) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28^(B) I give them eternal life, and^(C) they will never perish, and^(D) no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father,^(E) who has given them to me,^[a](F) is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of^(G) the Father’s hand. 30^(H) I and the Father are one.” Romans 8

Weary. Much more so last night than this morning. Some of it is the good kind of weary. Some of it is not.

Grateful. I’m grateful for getting to know people a little more up close and personal yesterday at my home as we enjoyed the first instalment of “Pastor’s lunch”.  I’m grateful for my relationship with my wife and son that is growing every day. I’m grateful for friends near and afar. I’m grateful for Brother Roger’s amazing sermon last night on sin.

Frustrated. I’m frustrated and it’s not with my family.

Hopeful. I’m hopeful today because of God’s promises. He really is for us. He really is for His church. I’m hopeful that I will be renewed this week as I will be attending Together for The Gospel in Louisville.

Click here to find out.

In our Wednesday night “How We Got our English Bible” class we’ve been discussing issues of the canon. At the end of our meeting comments about Martin Luther’s perspective on the book of James was brought up. Rather than re-inventing the wheel, I’ve located a helpful article on the discussion. You can read it by clicking here.

If you have further questions or comments on this, just click on the comments tab below.

Steve Moore sent me a link with this Piper video on it today.

Some folks have asked to get a copy of the “one anothers” that we looked at Sunday. It is definitely hard work loving each other as God has called us to. Here is the list:

• Be at peace with one another. Mark 9:50
• Wash one another’s feet. John 13:14
• Love one another. John 13:34-35, John 15:12,17, Romans 12:10, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3-4
• Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
• Live in harmony with one another. Romans 12:16, Romans 15:5
• Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you. Romans 15:7
• Instruct one another. Romans 15:14
• Greet one another with a holy kiss. Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Peter 5:14
• Have the same care for one another. 1 Corinthians 12:25
• Suffer together. 1 Corinthians 12:26
• Rejoice together 1 Corinthians 12:26
• Comfort one another. 2 Corinthians 13:11
• Agree with one another. 2 Corinthians 13:11
• Bear one another’s burdens. Galatians 6:2
• Bear with one another Ephesians 4:2
• Be kind to one another Ephesians 4:32
• Forgive one another. Ephesians 4:32
• Speak to one another in hymns, psalms and spiritual songs. Ephesians 5:19
• Submit to one another Ephesians 5:21
• Teach one another. Colossians 3:16
• Admonish one another in wisdom. Colossians 3:16
• Increase and abound in love for one another. 1 Thessalonians 3:12
• Encourage one another. 1 Thessalonians 4:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:25
• Build one another up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
• Seek to do good to one another. 1 Thessalonians 5:15
• Exhort one another. Hebrews 3:13
• Consider how to stir one another up toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24
• Confess your sins to one another. James 5:16
• Pray for one another. James 5:16
• Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9
• Serve one another 1 Peter 4:10
• Be humble toward one another. 1 Peter 5:5

Here is a link to some great videos promos of some of my favorite preachers and greatest influences highlighting a conference I’m going to be attending in April.

This weekend I’ve been in Indiana. Stephen Coleman, Brandon Hester and I picked up Steve Moore in Nortonville, KY, Friday morning and made our way to Seymour, Indiana. We had a great visit in Louisville on the way. I’m preaching and the guys are leading worship for a youth retreat for LaGrange Baptist Church. LaGrange is where Lisle Drury (who preached at my ordination service) is the Youth Pastor. We’ve had a tremendous time digging into God’s word to see what He has to say about the church. The church is not an event, not a building, or a place, but rather a people. What a privilege to be the people of God. Oh for grace to reflect His glory to His pleasure! Heading back to TN tonight.