Why the Sunday Morning Schedule Change at Grace Baptist Church?

In our last business meeting Tim Parsons presented the following motions to the church family:

Current	Time	New	Time
Coffee with Grace	8:30 am	Coffee with Grace	8:30 am
Sunday School	9:15 am	Traditional Worship	9:00 am
Traditional Worship	10:30 am	Sunday School	10:00 am
Kids Worship	10:30 am	Common Ground	11:00 am
Common Ground	11:00 am

Motion #1: We, the deacons of Grace Baptist Church, move that the regular Sunday morning Schedule is transferred from the current times of (see above) to the following (see below) beginning January 7, 2018, and running until July 29, 2018. This is a one six-month trial for the new services times and will be reassessed by the deacons and church mid-year. The deacons will bring another motion for return back to the schedule in the June 2018 business meeting or keep the time.

Motion #2: We, the deacons of GBC, recommend removal of the service times on all external doors as they are currently wrong and will be wrong.

The idea to make this change did not come from me, but the more I thought I about it the more I liked it. I would like to thank so many of our members who came to me and other deacons about changing the time, I believe you were right. Here are the reasons behind the change:

1.    To help Sunday School. Sunday School at Grace Baptist has been in a 30-year decline, we hope this schedule may help Sunday School reach more people. Any shot in the arm we can give Sunday School will help.

2.    To help child care volunteers. Time of service would become shorter for our childcare workers and you can serve one service and worship in one service.

3.    More options for worshippers could mean more worshippers. I am not currently aware of any church in our area who offers a worship service this early. This will be a major appeal to those moving into our area.

4.    Those attending early service, receive more afternoon time with family or get to work on time. Often times individuals have varying work or family get togethers. This allows a Sunday Morning slot for people's ever changing schedule needs.

5.    Pastor Travis remains present and accessible to members and visitors for both worship services from start to finish. As it currently stands, I have to run out of the traditional service at the close to make it in time to preach. I miss fellowshipping with our members after the service, and I believe they  miss me too.

What was Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh?

“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh…” –2 Corinthians 12:7

Paul was a brilliant, zealous man, but he was also a flawed man. Before coming to Christ he had almost single handily snuffed out Christianity in the cradle. After being converted on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9), he eventually wrote three fourths of the new testament. I believe Paul served God to reveal what Jesus would not reveal (John 16:12). Despite his special section by God, and his amazing work he had a “thorn.” He notes that he was given this thorn to keep him humble and depend on God, and he asked to have it removed three times, but God said no all three times. While NOONE knows what the thorn is except Paul and the LORD. I would like to offer an educated guess that he was either blind or going blind. Here is why:

1.    His conversion on the Road to Damascus he saw a glorified Jesus Christ. When Moses asked to see God’s face, God told him, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” While a resurrected Jesus may not have had the intensity, to behold him in his Glory would certainly overwhelm the eyes to a point of great damage. While he did regain his sight back, there is reason to think the damage sustained would have had a lifetime of effects.

2.    His frequent trips to Ephesus. He goes there in 52 AD and stays a year and a half, and returns on his second trip and stays three and a half years. Ephesus was the eye care center of the ancient world.

3.  The interesting reference Paul makes in Galatians 4:15. Paul writes, "What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me." I could be some kind of an ancient saying, but I think it may be linked to him having some kind of eye problems.

4.  Paul dictated some of his letters. While a weaker argument than the last two, Paul did dictate to Tertius in Romans 16:2. He would often pen is owl leters like in 1 Corinthians 16:21, Colossians 4:18, and Philemon 19. But if his eyesight was failing, he would need help.

So here is how this impacts you, Paul clearly minister “hurt” throughout his ministry. If that was blindness and eyesight issues don’t you think he thought, “I could be so much more useful if I just didn’t have this!” We do the same thing, let’s thank God not only for our blessings, but for our limitations, because they keep us dependent on God. Our limitations, our thorns are for our good and God’s glory.

With the HCSB Out of Print, What Will You Preach from Now?

So let me say, I am bummed about the end of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) back in March 2017. I would not have considered switching the translation I preached from had the HCSB stayed in print! You cannot even buy the HCSB anymore from Lifeway. What I really liked about it was the fact that the translated YHWH, found 6,828 places in Scripture, as “Yahweh” instead of “Lord,” and DOULOS was translated “slave” instead of “servant,” but that all changed in the CSB. The CSB scholars elected to translate YHWH as “Lord” and DOULOS as “servant.” So the CSB made their translations closer to the New American Standard Version and the English Standard Version with these changes. As noted in a previous post all the good translations have their strengths and weaknesses. The good ones include: English Standard Version (ESV), New American Standard Bible (NASB), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), NIV (1984 edition), New Living Translation(NLT), and New King James Version (NKJV). I am not going to go into the strengths and weaknesses of each translation, because I have already written about this previously. I wanted to let you know that beginning in January I will begin preaching from the English Standard Version, and here is why:

1.    I like the overall "Word for Word" translation philosophy of the ESV. A bible must have readability, be easy enough to read, and fidelity to the original text, dynamic vs. literal. The closer the translation to the Word for Word means more authority carries over into the scripture reading, memorization, and preaching. Not to say there is no dynamic usage, but the overall leaning is towards the literal word for word.

2.    The ESV translation committee decided to stop translating after 17 years. In a September 2016 article by Christianity Today the chair of the translation committee stated, “The decision now to create the permanent text of the ESV was made with equally great care—so that people who love the ESV Bible can have full confidence in the ESV, knowing that it will continue to be published as is, without being changed, for the rest of their lives, and for generations to come,” We do not have to worry about crossway producing a NESV or a RESV anytime soon, like within my lifetime! That is not to say a time may come in the future to review, not because the word of God changes, but because the English language does change. So we will not have to worry about the rug being jerked out from under us.

3.    The ESV has been translated in the same tradition as the King James Version. The KJV is still a very trustworthy transition, and the ESV keeps this great heritage.

4.    The ESV is a smoother to read aloud in worship services than the NASB. Make no mistake the NASB is the most literal “Word for Word” translation, but it is awkward and wooden in places. The ESV is smoother for us in public settings.

5.    My Ordination Bible is an ESV. I know it is the weakest of my arguments, and maybe even selfish, but my ESV is like an old friend. I have sermon notes and thoughts scattered throughout!

How was Abraham Saved in the Old Testament?

“Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6)

A common misconception about salvation for Old Testament believers like Abraham centers on how they were saved.  We know that the New Testament era has brought salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8-9). But what was the way before Christ died on the cross?

Abraham represents the beginning of the Jewish people. It would be through his family that all people of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). In many ways, Abraham was the first Jew, the earthly father of their nation. But Abraham was not always a God-fearer! God change his Abraham. Abram’s name to  In fact, Abraham was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees, which is in modern Iraq, near Nasiriyah in the southeastern part of the country. Joshua 24:2 says that Abraham and his father worshiped idols. So Abraham was a gentile, who became a believer, but how did this happen?

Following a struggle with the promise, God gave Abraham over his heir. In Genesis 15, Abraham suggested that God use Eliezer of Damascus. Eliezer was born as a slave in his house. He must have been like a son to him. But this was not God’s plan. God reaffirmed his promise to Abraham, and Genesis 15:6 says, “Abram BELIEVED the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Salvation came to Abraham the same way it comes to us, by believing the Lord’s promises. Notice the verse does not say:

•    “Abram offered burnt offerings to the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”

•    “Abram prayed harder to the Lord, and He credited it….”

•    “Abram kept the commands of the Lord, and He credited it…”

The verse reads he BELIEVED! What was required for Old Testaments to be saved? It was salvation through belief in God’s promises. The Hebrew construction translated “Believed” means to place trust in someone with confidence(Exodus 19:9; 1 Sam 27:12). In this verse, Abram’s trust is placed in the Lord, whom he believes will carry out his promise. Genesis 15:6, emphasizes that Abram “entrusted his future to what God would do for him as opposed to what he could do for himself to obtain the promises.”[1] Abraham had continued to believe in the Lord. Abraham received salvation the same way we do, by trusting God and his promises. He was not saved through law-keeping, he was saved through belief in God and believing God’s promises. What about you do you believe and trust God?

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[1] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 166.

Common Ground One Year Later!

“To reach our communities with the unchanging truth and love of Jesus Christ, we may be required to remove the cultural wrapping in which we have cloaked the Good News. Frequently it is not the Word of God people are rejecting as irrelevant. It is the outdated clothing in which we have dressed our Lord.”’ -Arnell ArnTessoni

It's hard to believe that we launched Common Ground a year ago. The Lord has done some amazing things since the launch. I would like to take a moment to reflect on what the Lord has done since it has been launched. I will do this by reminding us why we did it in the first place. And here it is:

1.    We planted Common Ground to Reach the Unchurched, and we did!
We baptized eight people in July 2017 (half of which came from Common Ground), double the mouth of last year which was 4! We doubled the number of individuals we effectively reached through the new worships service.

2.    We planted Common Ground to minister to more people, and we did!
Our average Sunday morning attendance at the end of 2016, measured before we had common ground was 187 on Sunday Morning. Since we added Common Ground the traditional service averages, 158 people on Sunday Mornings and Common Ground averages 45 on Sunday Mornings bringing the combined total to 203 average Sunday morning attendance. It may not feel like it if you are in the traditional worship service every week, but we have experienced an 8.6% growth in overall Sunday Morning attendance! Most churches would love to see that kind of growth over a year’s time in their average Sunday Morning attendance, and don’t forget that is in the face of those who have passed away, moved, or fallen out of fellowship.



3.    We planted Common Ground to reach new kinds of people, and we have!
We have not only reached more people but some who would not have joined our church family otherwise! See above for confirmation of this.

4.    We planted Common Ground to help break the normal life cycle of the church, and we did!
Based on the growth in Sunday morning attendance we are not headed in the right track to begin a new growth curve! Praise God!

5.    We planted Common Ground to allow for change while retaining the familiar, and it has!
Traditional Worship holds a place in many people’s hearts in Grace Baptist and Carter County; It is not going anywhere! So let’s keep singing those hymns and praises to our King!

6.    We planted the Common Ground to activate inactive members, and I would say not so much.
While the hope was to see some who have became inactive, active again, we could do better. Give those friends who are sitting around Sunday morning a call and encourage them to join us again!

7.    We planted Common Ground to empower more church members to use their Gifts and passions weekly, and it has!
Without a doubt, we did this! The praise band, set up the team, and reset team was not always engaged in weekly service at Grace Baptist. Now they are, we have also created new needs for others to join in!

8.    We planted Common Ground to help the Southern Baptist Convention to survive.
See 2!

9.    We planted Common Ground to fulfill our Church’s Mission Statement, “To Know Christ and To Make Him Known,” and we have. 
Four new souls for Christ and he used Common Ground to get them there! I would say that is making Christ Know for sure!