SBC Voices

What Really Matters in the Church? (by David Worley)

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Tennessee pastor David Worley (known as Volfan007 to many) offered this good word about the essentials of church. What should a church be most interested in? Numbers and finances? Budgets and Backsides in the pews(or chairs)? I don’t think so. Oh, I’m not saying that these things are not important. They are. And, nobody would be more excited about my church having double the attendance that we have now, than me. Nobody would love to see the finances being much better and overflowing, than me. But, there are some people, who would make these things THE most important factors in determining if … [Read more...] about What Really Matters in the Church? (by David Worley)

Can one be a member of more than one local church? (by Stephen Young)

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(Stephen M Young is a missionary living in Brazil.  He blogs at "Beyond Outreach" and has a personal blog as well.  I appreciate him sharing this post with us.) I am interested in the opinions here on SBC Voices. Can someone be a member of two local churches simultaneously? (Let’s keep the hypothetical to SBC churches.) I am putting the question out as a general question, but have added some examples to think it through. Case 1: A missionary who, being sent as a member of his home church, joins with a local church in the country in which he is working. Can he be a member of USA Baptist … [Read more...] about Can one be a member of more than one local church? (by Stephen Young)

The Lord’s Prayer, part 2: The Requests Concerning God

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This is part two of a study on prayer I wrote for my church.  You can read part one here. Part Two :: The Requests Concerning God (6:9-10) This first section of three requests begins with a direct address to God, specifically God “our Father in heaven.”  This is significant in three main ways: Prayer is personal. Prayer is reverent. Prayer is corporate. First, prayer is personal.  The Bible fills our minds with great and glorious thoughts about God.  He created all things; he is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere-present; he is awesome and fearful; he is holy; his ways are … [Read more...] about The Lord’s Prayer, part 2: The Requests Concerning God

A Blogging Dilemma: Dealing with the Wolves among the Sheep

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Author's Note: I blog about what I am thinking about and I've been thinking a lot about this ever since I became the editor of this blog - especially recently.  While certain individuals may come to your mind, and may have come to mine as I wrote this, this is not directed at any individual.  I'm just trying to think through this biblically and practically. I hope you will do the same. Personal comments against anyone will be deleted. How are we supposed to treat people who oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ but still want to take part in a Baptist blog? It is a tough one.  Part of me says … [Read more...] about A Blogging Dilemma: Dealing with the Wolves among the Sheep

Do Islam and Christianity Have the Same God? The Question is Irrelevant!

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I have seen a lot of debate over this question.  Do the Muslims worship the same God we do?  Ultimately, I think it is a pointless question that misses the real issue. In one sense, the answer is no.  The god revealed in the Quran is different in many ways from the holy and loving God of Israel revealed in the pages of the Bible. In another sense, one could argue that that these two faiths have Abrahamic roots, both are monotheistic and share some elements in common. As I look carefully at the Scriptures, I do not find the question significant.  Before you drive a stake in the ground … [Read more...] about Do Islam and Christianity Have the Same God? The Question is Irrelevant!

Twenty POLITE Reasons to Oppose GCB (Part Three of Four)

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Taxonomy is the science or technique of classification. When a body of material becomes large enough, it is helpful to organize it and classify it, not only for listing purposes, but also to provide an easy and fairly thorough source of reference. When I began this project of defining twenty specific reasons to oppose GCB, my purpose was to provide concise, one paragraph explanations in order to clarify, without the use of inflammatory language, the principles undergirding my opposition to GCB. Unless the arguments of GCB opponents could be stated clearly and rationally, I had grown concerned … [Read more...] about Twenty POLITE Reasons to Oppose GCB (Part Three of Four)

Are you pursuing God?

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I have a question. Are you pursuing God? I mean really striving after him? That is a question for you whatever your season in life. God’s desire is that we pursue Him and that as a result of that pursuit, we find our joy in Him and Him alone. I’ve been thinking about the different places in life in which several people I know are. Some are facing a time of uncertainty, wondering how the present circumstance they are in will turn out. Some are in a time of suffering, going through a difficult situation because of physical or relational crisis. Some are in a time of transition, seeking God’s … [Read more...] about Are you pursuing God?

The Lord’s Prayer, part 1: Introduction and Commandments about Prayer

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Recently, I put together a study for my church covering the Lord’s Prayer.  It is something we will we doing this spring at Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible study.  I figure if we’re going to have prayer meeting, it is probably good to talk about prayer! This is the introduction and part one… Introduction In Scripture, we have two accounts of Jesus teaching what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”  The first, and most well-known, we find in Matthew 6 where Jesus taught on prayer during the Sermon on the Mount.  The second, Luke recorded in 11:1-4 of his Gospel. Luke tells us Jesus was … [Read more...] about The Lord’s Prayer, part 1: Introduction and Commandments about Prayer

Pastors Conference Shout Out

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Just when I thought I was a stranger in my own denomination, Dr. Grant Ethridge invites a list of actual Southern Baptist Pastors to preach at the Southern Baptist Pastors Conference. This list is certainly not complete, and I'm sure there are likely to be a few outsiders invited to the party, but it's pretty hard to go wrong with David Jeremiah, David Platt, Fred Luter, Johnny Hunt and Jack Graham. A year ago, we were embroiled in a bit of controversy over this conference. I suppose there is still time for that to develop, depending on the remaining speakers. But so far, from my … [Read more...] about Pastors Conference Shout Out