Passage: Ephesians 4:7-10 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people. 9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he[c] also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. Devotional: Ephesians 4:7-10 is our passage for today. Let's take it part by part. First, Ephesians 4:7 talks about the grace given to each of us. The thing we … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 4:7-10
Ephesians 3:5-7 “Gentiles in the Body”
One of the quirks of this effort to highlight the "Voice that Matters Most" here on SBCVoices is that we divided the text based on the CSB translation. The goal was to provide some standardization and for you readers to be able to open a Bible and track with us. Some of the (other) writers can do this in Greek, but others (me) aren't quite so good with it, and we wanted this to be reasonable for a blog. The result, though, is that some of our sections divide in strange places if you are in NA28 or even NASB. That goes back to doing the divisions based on sentence structure in the CSB. So, if … [Read more...] about Ephesians 3:5-7 “Gentiles in the Body”
From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 1:13-14 – Sealed and Deposited
We share our opinions and insights at SBC Voices, but we believe that the Voice that matters most is the one that comes from God's Word. We present these daily expositional devotions, beginning with a tour of Ephesians called, "Walk Worthy," in hopes of encouraging our readers to remember to Voice above every voice. Passage: In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his … [Read more...] about From the Voice that Matters Most: Ephesians 1:13-14 – Sealed and Deposited
2018 SBC Voices Bracket Challenge
Good evening! We've done this before, so that makes it a tradition. We are Baptists, after all, and tradition is tradition, even if the times they are a-changin'. So, without further ado, here's the link/information for the 2018 Bracket Challenge and the SBCVoices18 Group: Go to ESPN and sign up for the Tournament Challenge. Search for the SBCVoices2018 group to join. The group password is: BooYankees (Editor's NOTE: Doug will NOT be given this responsibility next year, after the Yankees' 28th World Championship.) Please understand that this is strictly in reference to the New York … [Read more...] about 2018 SBC Voices Bracket Challenge
Paint on some stripes
I learned something from the Internet this year, even though it came from a few years ago. The National Air and Space Museum has a post about D-Day where they explained the stripes painted on Allied aircraft during the Normandy Invasion in World War II. (It's here. I thought about borrowing a picture and linking it, but I don't know if that's fair-use or not.) To summarize the historical material, originally the aircraft of the Allied forces relied on a basic Identify-Friend-Foe system that was automated. Ground crews and naval forces accessed the same system, but it was neither super fast … [Read more...] about Paint on some stripes
Fruit Trees and Failures
A week from now, I leave for the Southern Baptist Convention. I know many of you who read and interact here will be doing so as well, and if you came here for the reason I first started coming here a decade ago, you might be disappointed. This isn't going to address the latest and greatest controversy in the SBC. It won't even celebrate the good progress related to the SBC Pastor's Conference that we have going on. Instead, it's about trees. Well, trees and me. A few years back I left one church and went elsewhere as a pastor. Why I did so takes a long explanation. It wasn't for the … [Read more...] about Fruit Trees and Failures
In Defense of Study Bibles: Why Dave Could Be Wrong
So, we have a good discussion going on about the pitfalls of Study Bibles over at this post. I did chime in on the pitfalls that I found, for me, when preaching out of a Study Bible. My first pastorate I had a tendency to chase rabbits, even in the pulpit, and given my restricted prep time as a bi-vocational pastor, there were weeks that my outline was so skeletal that He-Man would have taken pity on it. At times, I would preach out of my NASB Study Bible and see notes that I hadn't caught before, and then go off on that tangent---then I learned better. Now, I transfer all the rabbits into my … [Read more...] about In Defense of Study Bibles: Why Dave Could Be Wrong
A Bit of Nonsense
Well, there's all kind of seriousness going on in Southern Baptist life. As well there should be. A quick run-down for today would include: 10 million people as "members," meaning we acknowledge them as believers, but absent from church. A remarkable lack of ethnic diversity in too many churches. People who are allegedly "pastors" who see the role of shepherd as the one of "shear the sheep as much as possible until I can eat them." Division within and amongst us about how to accomplish the Great Commission, obey the Great Commandment, and be salt and light in a sin-soaked … [Read more...] about A Bit of Nonsense
Fight Over Ferguson or Focus On Solutions: How Should Evangelicals Respond? By William Dwight McKissic, Sr.
Fight Over Ferguson or Focus On Solutions: How Should Evangelicals Respond? By William Dwight McKissic, Sr. Battle lines are being drawn among evangelicals regarding how to properly interpret and consequently communicate the happenings at Ferguson, within the context of a biblical-kingdom worldview. One side sees the problems of Ferguson as rooted in history; particularly the history of racial and economic injustice in America. I will address this side later. The other side is articulated by JD Hall and Randy White. The JD Hall/Randy White “Evangelical Worldview of Ferguson” The … [Read more...] about Fight Over Ferguson or Focus On Solutions: How Should Evangelicals Respond? By William Dwight McKissic, Sr.
In the Truth Business
As ministers of the Gospel, and more than that as Christians, we are in the truth business. We commit our lives to the Truth (John 14:6) and are commanded to think on things that are true (Philippians 4:8). What do we need to know the truth about? Who do we tell it to? Here are three things that I think we need to be solid on the truth about. These are certainly not exhaustive—if they were, I would have one sermon and just repreach it until everyone got it. 1. We need to be clear on the truth about God. Who is God? What do we know about God? How do we know it? Our doctrine of Scripture … [Read more...] about In the Truth Business