Why do I need to be a member of a church?

"…Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her" – Eph. 5:25

Several years ago, I took a mission trip to Romania. Romania continues to recover from a communistic rule. One thing that stuck out to me when I came back stateside was the amount of advertising here versus over there. Seeing this overload of advertisement reminded me of how individualistic oriented our culture in North America has become. The ethos of individualism has leached its way into the local church. While you will not find any passages that say, "Thou shalt be a member of a local church," here are some biblical reminders of why church membership is necessary:

• In the Old Testament, God made a clear distinction between his people and the world (see Lev. 13:46, Num. 5:3, Deut. 7:3).
• Christ says that entering the kingdom of God means being bound to the church "on earth" (Matt. 16:16-19; 18:17-19). Where do we see the church on earth? The local church.
• The New Testament explicitly refers to some people being inside the church and some people being outside (1 Cor. 5:12-13). Church membership is much more than a casual association. It means being a covenant community, similar to a marriage covenant.
• The church in Corinth consisted of a definite number of believers, such that Paul could speak of punishment inflicted by the majority (2 Cor. 2:6).
• Not only does the New Testament speak of the reality of church membership, but its dozens of "one another" passages are written to local churches, which fill out our understanding of what church membership should practically look like.

The conclusion on church membership is that it is a biblical concept. Even though it lacks direct biblical commands, like the Trinity, the concept exists and remains an expectation for God's people. We must not approach the local church the same way we shop for cell phones, moving around when somewhere else has a better deal of us individually. We should view our local church as a family (Ephesians 1:5), we don't leave just because the family is going through a difficult time. We also don't leave our families because we don't like something someone said. There may be times to leave a local church, which I have about previously, but overall it is always in the best interest of Christians to stay in a covenant commitment to one local church. It is what brings maturity and accountability into our lives.

Common Ground Service Update

Excitement is building as we prepare for the Common Ground Worship Service. Remember the Purpose: To Glorify God and reach the 20-30-year-olds in a 2-mile radius who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. There are several ways that you can help in preparing for this service: Pray for us as we prepare, pray for those the service will reach, volunteer to help in the praise band, or in other needed areas of service. We are hoping to see a 10% increases in two years across the board in baptisms, attendance, ministries, and financial resources. Most importantly, lives touched and transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here are some quick updates:

• Currently Praise Band is practicing once a week- Usually Wednesday Nights.
• The new soundboard is in place along with the new keyboard and digital drum set.
• Working on a new wood floor. It is nearly completed.
• Working on a flyer to mail to the community, new church-wide website, newspaper advertisement, radio, and digital billboards. 

Dates to Remember:

July 31- 1st preview service

August 7- 2nd preview service

August 14 – Commission Service

August 21 – Launch of New Service (This will allow for the city to be back in session for two weeks, and the county schools will be back in school for one week.)

Book Review: 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee: Like Me: Finding Grace to Live Unmasked.

John Fischer is an award-winning author of many books. His insightful columns have been a monthly favorite in Contemporary Christian Music Magazine. He is a graduate of Wheaton College and currently lives in California.  

Fisher asked the hard question of, "Who are we to Judge?"  I have often said that churchgoers are either Pharisees or Recovering Pharisees.  In this book, one will deal with the two nasty sins of self-righteousness and judgmentalism. We to force others to live under "the standard" that is the list of do's and don't for everyone, which we set for all in our minds.

Fisher gives points back to Jesus as giving the definitions for rightness The sad reality is that we cannot be made right before God by being "better" than anyone else. Through recognizing and laying aside the Pharisee in all of us, we can embrace the grace, gratitude, and joy of what Jesus has called us to be.

I believe that this book draws you closer to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It will challenge our self-worth away from images towards the content of our hearts. We all know what we should look like; it is easier to focus on that than on having the right heart to get there.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Somehow, we’ve got to get the spotlight off pharisaical self-righteousness and back on the gospel…”

“Faults make us real. Faults make us human.”

"'Perfect' people have no witness. They have nothing to give anyone. You can only give what you have received, and Pharisees, unfortunately for their followers, have earned everything. Likewise, all those perfect Christians running around being great examples for Christ have no witness at all. They are, in fact, doing grave damage to the gospel. They are perpetuating the myth that Christians are better than anybody else and driving away those who truly need the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ."

"It occurs to me that it's a good church whose pastor the people can comfort."

"In its simplest form, our greatest witness to the world is to show and tell how much we need Jesus."

"Where does a pro-choice Democrat with homosexual struggles go to church today? Not many churches I know of. For that matter, where does a sinner go to church?"

"The gospel is just what it is: good news for sinners. The only people who should be offended by it are people who can't admit their sin."

5 Types of Dads That Exasperate Their Children

 "Fathers,  do not exasperate  your children, so they won’t become discouraged."
- Colossians 3:21


I would like to share with you the five types of fathers that exasperate their children.  The word exasperate means to irritate strongly and to do so repeatedly.  Let me share a few statistics on fatherless children:

·         63% of youth who commit suicide are fatherless.
·         90 % of all youth who run away from home had no father at home.
·         85 % of youth/children with behavior disorders have no father.
·         80% of all rapist had no father at home.

The Bible places a particular emphasis on fathers in the raising of children, but this post is helpful for anyone who is raising children.  Here are five types of Dad that strongly irritate their children which provoke them to anger:

1. The Proud Dad- this is a father who will rarely admit he is wrong. You will never hear him these words, "I am sorry" or "Please forgive me." There is a need always to be right. This type of father demands repentance from his children, but he rarely gives it to them. His motto is "Do as I say, not as I do." He provokes his children because they see no justice!!

2. The Angry/Controlling Dad- These are fathers who are rigid and inflexible, having a short fuse. These fathers are quick to speak and slow to listen. His motto is "Do this because I said so!" This father has forgotten that the anger of man will not produce the righteousness God requires. (James 1:20) He proves his children by the constant turmoil in the home.

3. The Inconsistent Dad- This type of father is always moving the boundaries for the home. The house rules are fluid and always changing from day to day. His motto is "I know I said that yesterday, but this is what I want today!" He will provoke his children because they never know what can or cannot be done.

4. The Religious/Perfectionist Dad- This type of dad sets out standards that are too lofty to be met by any child. No behavior or performance is good enough for this Dad. They are often churchgoers, who drive their children to make the necessary behavior changes to fit a church culture. This type of dad doesn't aim for the heart of his children(Matthew 15:8-9) and will raise either a rebellious or religious child like themselves. Often their children are worse than their fathers were on them. (Matthew 23:15).

5. Submissive Dad- These are fathers who regularly cave to the temper tantrums of their children, especially in public. They fear conflict and are afraid to correct. They want to be their kid's friend, not their child's parent. These dads provoke their children to anger because there are no boundaries, setting them up for failure as an adult. There have been many business meetings where 60 and 70-year-old men throw temper tantrums to get their way, many churches caving to them. Sadly these men never outgrew their manipulation tactics.


We need to love our children with gospel-centered love, discipline, and investment.  We must affirm our love for them, and be honest about the reality of sin in their lives and ours.  Fathers and parents, we will never make a more beneficial investment of time, money and energy, than in our children!  I would like to give special thanks to Dr. Steward Scott for helping me to think through these matters.

Four Marks of True Revival

"I am profoundly convinced that the greatest need in the world today is revival in the Church of God. Yet alas! The whole idea of revival seems to have become strange to so many good Christian people... [This] is due both to a serious misunderstanding of the scriptures and to woeful ignorance of the history of the Church..." –Dr. Martin-Lloyd Jones, 1958

When one hears the word revival images of tent meetings, strange happenings, or Elmer Gantry type characters may come to mind. The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines a revival as "The Sovereign activity of God whereby God renews His people individually and corporately in vigor, affecting both sincerity of belief and quality of behavior." Nehemiah chapter eight gives an excellent snapshot of what revival is and what it looks like. The condition of the walls reflects the spiritual condition of God's people in Nehemiah. Following the completion of the wall, God revives the people spiritually. Here are four observations about biblical revival:

1.  Revival has come when the people of God approach the Word of God with intensified receptivity. (Neh. 8:1)

The people of ancient Israel understood who wrote the Word of God. In many ways, the Bible is just like Jesus in that it is 100% Divine and 100% Human in its origin. When the Word of God, God's people understand the WORDS OF GOD are being spoken, not the opinions of men!

2.  Revival has come when the people of God regard the word of God with the highest possible reverence. (Neh. 8:3)

Time, planning, and effort took place, the people had built a platform and pulpit for this particular occasion. They stood from morning until evening listening intently to God's Word!

3.  Revival has come when the people of God encounter the Word of God in its experimental potency. (Neh. 8:7-9) 

Ezra reads the Word in Hebrew followed by an immediate translation into Aramaic for the 30-50,000 people in attendance. Their reaction to God's Word is brokenness followed by joy. No preacher is good enough to cause that many people to repent! God showed up and dwelt with His people!

4.  Revival has come when the people of God encounter the Word of God in unqualified obedience. (Neh. 8:13-18)

Once God's people understood what was required from them according to the Word, the people responded with unqualified obedience. There was no thinking or praying about it; it happened right then as they launched into the Festival of Booths. Sometimes hesitation is not a virtue, but a sin among God's people.

Bottom line, God's Word is central to revival in the lives of God's people, both individually and collectively. Oh Lord, Grant me, may it revival begin with me! Amen!

Who Can Baptize?

The issue of who should be baptized is discussed far more than who should administer baptism. By its very nature, baptism cannot be performed alone. While many have varying views on the topic, I would like to let Scripture be our guide as we think through the issue of who should baptize. Here are four things we can say with confidence about administering baptism:

1.    Baptisms should be done in the presence and oversight of a local church. In the Great Commission (Matthew 18:16-20), Jesus commands to “go and make disciples” he also assures them that he is with you…PLURAL. Jesus gave his authority and command not to each one individually, but to all of them collectively. The group would eventually become the local church. Paul points out that Jesus died for the CHURCH in Ephesians 5:25. Do not underestimate the importance of Christian community in this ordinance. The local church is also pointed to as the pillar and support of the truth in 1 Timothy 3:15. Note: Mission field examples may be an exception if no local church exists yet.

2.     Baptisms must have pastoral oversight. +Baptizing is not explicitly given in the commands for elders/pastors in 1 Timothy 4 or any other passage in the New Testament. However, based on the fact that this ordinance belongs to the local church, the pastor/elders are overseers. It stands to reason that they would be overseers in this area.

3.     All examples in the NT, except one, are performed by someone holding an office of the local church. The only example of someone performing a baptism that was not set aside for an office of the church was Ananias. Please keep in mind that this may not have been a unique event in the history of the church, descriptive instead of prescriptive. Here are the accounts in chronological order: [1] Acts 2:41; [2] Acts 8:12; [3] Acts 8:13; [4] Acts 8:36-38; [5] Acts 9:5,9,18; (cf. Acts 22:16) [6] Acts 10:44-48; [7] Acts 16:14,15; [8] Acts 16:31-33; [9] Acts 18:8 (cf. I Corinthians 1:14-16); [10] Acts 19:1-7. Baptism is also mentioned in Acts 1:5, 22; 10:37; 11:16; 13:24 -- all in reference to John’s baptism.

While the Bible does not specifically answer the question, I believe that the safest course of action is for pastors/elders to perform this ordinance. Since all the NT examples, with the exception of one, are performed by those who are set aside for offices of the church either apostles, elders/pastors, or evangelists. +It may be possible for exceptions to be made under pastoral oversight, as there is no hard and fast biblical teaching that exactly answers the question in clarity. Although pragmatically, it is simpler for a pastor or perhaps deacon to perform this ordinance, simply because the person who is perfuming the baptism represents the local church in her authority to perform this function. The church will need some way of affirming the person performing the baptism, and that would often add extra steps. Let me give you one more reason it may be better for a pastor to perform a baptism. As a Southern Baptist, we have always viewed baptism as obedience to the command of Christ, and entrance to the body. Given the individualistic/self-centered culture, we find ourselves living in, it may show more community support for the pastor to perform instead of a family member or friend.

Movie Review: God's Not Dead 2

Warning: Spoiler Alert! I will be talking about parts of the movie. 

I had a very low expectation for this film. The reason for my low expectation was two reasons:

1. As a general rule for movies, sequels are usually not that great compared to the original, and

2. “Christian films” don't tend to have the best acting or plots.

God’s Not Dead 2 was a pleasant surprise. The film picks up on a new main character, a teacher in a local high school. It appears a gag order has been placed on all teachers in regard to sharing of religious beliefs. The teacher goes on to answer a question about Jesus in class, which leads to discipline by the school board, which leads to the conflict of the movie. In my opinion, an excellent lead for the movie. Inspired by Real Court Cases, this film captures the first wave of attack on religious freedom, those serving in the public square as civil servants. Here is what I really like about the film, I liked the real struggle the characters face, the expert witnesses in court, and the uncertainty of what will happen up until the end.

It is easy to be drawn into the emotional turmoil of the main character as she struggles to do what will honor God. The overall message of the film is an excellent encouragement to Christians everywhere. Stand strong and courageous in the face of persecution, even if it means losing everything. This film is worth your time. It was better than the first one, in my opinion. I give it a seven on a scale of one to ten.