Remember, dear believer, if your pastor is a “gift” to your congregation (Ephesians 4:11), how you treat him says a lot about your relationship to the Giver. – A. Baker
Tag Archives: Church
When Tomorrow Is Sunday
Never forget that the arguments, the hurt feelings, the illnesses, the stresses, and the pains that hit seemingly out of the blue are not coincidence when tomorrow is Sunday. – A. Baker
Filed under Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Life Lessons, ministry, Preaching, Relationships and Family
Having Fun While Filling In
One thing about not regularly pastoring a congregation is that I get a chance to visit other churches. Last night I got to visit New Salem Baptist Church and fill in for the regular pastor, Alan Rogers.
If you’ve never done it before, filling in for another pastor can be rather fun. In other words, it’s always refreshing to preach from someone else’s pulpit when there’s no risk of you being fired. HA!
So, just in case I have many more opportunities to cover for other pastors while on vacation or at a conference, or whatever, here are some sermon ideas I’m considering. Just let me know when you want me to come preach one….(cue the maniacal BWWAAAHAHAHA!)
- “Put On that New Robe: Why Congregations Should Buy Their Pastor a New Suit“
- “Beautiful Are the Feet that Carry the Gospel: Keeping Your Pastor’s Feet Healthy and Happy In New Shoes“
- “Smite a Scorner: Ways to Deal with Gossiping In the Congregation“
- “The Hem of His Garment: Why Jesus Is Concerned With How We Dress“
- “The Holy Spirit: What Scares Baptist More than a Clinton“
- “Deacons: Who, What, When, Where, and How to Deal With Them“
- “The Pastor’s Family: Living In a Glass House with Those Who’d Love to Throw a Rock Back“
Below is a picture of me preaching at New Salem Baptist in Soddy-Daisy, TN. They had a big screen behind me, but it was not put to use when I was talking. Therefore, I did a little editing. What do you think?
Would you like to know why I HATE the devil? If so, that’ll be my next post.
Different, Yet the Same
South Soddy
Yesterday (Sunday) I was blessed to be able to preach at two different churches, one in the morning, the other in the evening.
Yesterday morning I was the guest speaker at South Soddy Baptist Church. The congregation there was warm and friendly and very receptive to the message I delivered. Below it a picture I took inside the auditorium (sanctuary).
Notice, South Soddy Baptist was constructed back in 1946. It is small, simple building by today’s standards.
Mile Straight
Last night I was very privileged to be invited to speak at Mile Straight Baptist Church. Mile Straight is a much more modern building (it’s been remodeled, too) with plenty of up-to-date technology. Click HERE to visit their website – it’s pretty cool.
Notice, even though Mile Straight has a more modern layout than South Soddy, something about the two are very similar. Can you tell what that is?
Neither have big choir lofts.
I first noticed this at South Soddy yesterday morning. I noticed how in the old design of this church the focus was never supposed be on the choir. Instead of an entertainment-like model many Christians have come to expect, this old church was set up so that the congregation would do all the singing and “worshiping,” not simply be entertained by the choir.
When I got to Mile Straight I saw the same thing. Oh, Mile Straight used to have a choir, but not so much anymore (I think). No, more focus is place on congregational singing than choirs. Even though they do have more of a “praise team,” the idea is to lead the congregation in worship rather than just sit and listen to others do it.
Honestly, I have no problem with wonderful, trained choirs. Friday night I got to hear my daughter Katie sing a solo in her college choir, and it was chillingly glorious! But that was a true performance…we paid to go see that. Church services should never be about entertaining the crowd; they should be about corporate worship. So, have a choir if you want, but encourage the congregation to be more than just consumers.
Two very different church congregations and buildings, yet still very alike in at least one important way.
Filed under baptist, Christian Unity, Church, worship
The Harmful Effects of Drought (on video)
Tonight I was very privileged to preach at Mile Straight Baptist Church, a wonderful and gracious congregation in Soddy-Daisy, TN. Dr. Tom Goss is the pastor, and a great friend.
Unfortunately, the numbers were down a good bit for the service, but that was too be expected. For a good while the Chattanooga area has been suffering from a severe drought, and recently forest fires have caused much of the surrounding area to look like it’s covered in fog, even in the daylight. Smoke is everywhere, even in the church building.
So, I preached to a smaller crowd in person, but others watched live over their computers at home (isn’t technology great?). Mile Straight has certainly taken advantage of technology.
Therefore, I give you a rare treat – video of me preaching. The sermon took advantage of the most obvious illustration one could ask for.
Funny things: I was told to dress casual – this was old, fat man casual. 😉
Perfection Not Required
Jesus Said…
“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” – Luke 18:11, 13
The Perfect Candidate
Imagine that instead of the temple, a Pharisee and a publican walked into a pastoral search committee meeting. They walk in, introduce themselves, and compare resumes.
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Which one do you think would be offered the position? I believe it would be the one who meets the average preconception of what every Christian fit for service should be. I believe the Pharisee, the one with the perfect resume and appearance, would be the first considered.
But God doesn’t use perfect people; He uses REAL people. Unfortunately, there are many men and women in the church who feel inferior and useless because of their sinful and broken pasts. They are the people who sit on the pews, week after week, doing all they can to be faithful in life, but are forbidden to hold positions in the church. They are much like the Publican, men and women who know they have failed in the past, but want to be forgiven and start new.
Genesis of Dysfunction
A while back I read through the book of Genesis in a couple of sittings. Reading a book of the Bible that way, especially in a different translation, can help you see the story from a new perspective. This time I was just astounded at how messed up these people really were! There was so much “stuff” going on that if it were today, it would make an episode of Jerry Springer look tame!
Consider, if nothing else, the sad story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel. This was a seriously messed up family with real marital problems. At one point, Leah and Rachel get into a jealous argument over a son’s mandrakes. Just imagine you were a marriage counselor and listened in to the following story…
Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother, Leah, Rachel asked, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want my son’s mandrakes?“
“Well,” Rachel said, “you can sleep with him tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night. – Geneses 30:14:16 HCSB
Check this out…
- Twice Abraham told other people that his wife, Sarah, was his sister so that he would not be harmed.
- Joseph’s brothers hated him and sold him to traveling salesmen.
- Jacob and Esau were seriously at odds.
- Leah, poor thing, kept trying to have children so that her husband, Jacob would love her.
And there’s more!
- Jacob’s father-in-law, Laban, got him drunk on his wedding night and gave him the wrong wife – on purpose.
- The son’s of Jacob (founders of ten of the tribes of Israel) lied to a bunch of men about making a covenant, then proceeded to slaughter all of them after they had convinced them to be circumcised.
It just goes on and on. Messed up, I am telling you! MESSED UP!
Nevertheless,
God told Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” How is this even possible?
If God can use Abraham and his family – with all their problems – to bless the nations, then He can use ANYBODY!
Resigning to Trust My Shepherd
Most of the time I can enter the title of a post before I begin to write it. In this case I don’t know what to call it. All I know to to do is start writing and let things fall into place.
That’s sort of where I am in life, right now; I don’t know where I am going, but I had to get going to find out.
Old News
By the time you read this post, someone in my former congregation will have read aloud my formal resignation as Pastor of Riverside Baptist Church – at least I hope they read it…all of it. It took me a couple of hours to craft it, all 1,026 words worth, and some of the words were painful to write. However, it had to be done.
Themes
In my resignation letter I focused on two main themes. First, it was important to note that the Church, including the local body of believers I pastored, did not belong to any of us; it belongs to Jesus Christ. Secondly, I stressed the importance of effective leadership: both the need to have it, and the willingness to accept it.
If either one is dysfunctional with either party (the pastor or the congregation), tension will grow…even worse, the power of the Holy Spirit will fade.
Feels like…
Therefore, based on several reasons, I had to accept the fact that my leadership was no longer effective, thereby necessitating a change, however painful and scary it may be. Unfortunately, it feels like a divorce (even though I’ve never experienced one). Maybe I could say it feels like a death, but that’s not really true – I have experience that kind of loss many times.
What it does feel like, however, is a missed opportunity…an “Oh, well” moment. I guess that’s why it’s called a “resignation.”
More to Do
Nevertheless, I will share with you the closing words of my resignation letter, for they express something that is more important than anything else – God is still sovereign! He’s got this! None of this caught Him by surprise, for He already has been working to make things new.
If you will remember, the Mission Statement of Riverside is as follows:
“Reach the Lost, Rescue the Perishing, and Restore the Wounded for the Glory of God.”
Continue to reach the lost… We will. Endeavor to rescue the perishing… We will. And especially today, seek to restore the wounded, heal divisions, and move forward with grace and forgiveness… We will.
Pray for Us
Please, please, pray for my family and me as we seek to follow God to the next field of service, wherever that may be. Please pray for my former flock that they will find a more suitable shepherd and follow his leading.
Also, please pray that I will be able to put in to practice the lessons I have learned over the last eight years, thereby being able to replace the “missed opportunity” feeling with assurance that all things work together for good, to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.
After all, there are still plenty of lost, perishing, and wounded out there.
Now I know how to title this post 🙂
Filed under baptist, Christian Maturity, Christian Unity, Church, Future, Life Lessons, ministry, Preaching, the future
You Love Jesus, but You Hate Church? Really?
First, the Body of Christ (the Church) is not a building, but a blood-bought people, the Bride of Christ. Got it.
However, body parts tend to group together, don’t they? Otherwise, those separate parts have a tendency to rot and die. I hope you get it.
So, when we read in the book of Acts where Saul (later Paul) was heading out to track down Christians in order to put them in jail, or worse, what did Jesus say when he appeared on the road to Damascus?
… “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” – Acts 9:4 NKJV
Did you see that?? Jesus so closely identified with the Christians – the Church – that he asked Saul why he was persecuting HIM! Persecuting the Church equated with persecuting Jesus!
Now, with that in mind, what do you think Jesus thinks when you disparage His followers? What do you think He would say if you were to tell him (after falling to your knees under a blinding light), “Jesus, I love you, but I have no desire to meet with others who love you”?
Get it?
Jesus is very fond of gatherings in His name.
Do you love Jesus? Love his Church. Be a part.
Filed under Christian Unity, Church
Are You Anything Like David?
King David was called a “man after God’s own heart.” Wouldn’t it be great for God to think of you and me that way?
David had absolute faith in God (1 Samuel 17:37); he loved his law – the Word of God (Psalm 119:47-48); he was truly thankful (Psalm 26:6-7); and he was truly repentant (2 Samuel 12:13).* Are you like David in any of these things? Even a little?
Well, how about this…how often do you go to church? Do you even have the desire?
David did.
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. – Psalm 122:1
Sadly, so many of you have fallen into this line of thinking that argues going to a building to worship is an unbiblical, modern construct – the early church just met in their homes and read scripture, sang, and ate pizza (or the equivalent). Is that how David would have thought?
Are you anything like David?
*Source: GotQuestions.Org
Filed under Christianity, Church, worship
I Saw a Steeple
“I Saw a Steeple”
I saw a steeple pointing high, lifting my eyes upward.
I felt the pulling of strings inside, calling me homeward.
Inside the doors were welcome sounds, voices full of joy I heard.
And when the Word of God was read, I went forward.
Not a preacher’s hand to shake, or to drop a dollar in a plate,
But in humble, broken, desperation seeking needed consolation
That the upward, homeward consecration wasn’t over.
Assurance was the welcome sound; the Spirit’s Voice I heard.
So from my knees I stood repaired, repented, marching onward.
– Anthony Baker
Filed under Christianity, Church, poetry
The Recovering Legalist 