This is part of a post by J.D. Greear. The entire post can be found here. I want to address those of you who, like me, have a Baptist past but have often found yourself wondering, regarding the Southern Baptist Convention, “What is the point? Aren’t denominations a thing of the past?” I want to try and persuade you that this movement, the Great Commission Resurgence, is something of God, is valuable for the Kingdom, and worth the investment of your time. I do so simply as a pastor of a young Southern Baptist church, not as an official spokesperson of the Great Commission Resurgence Task … [Read more...] about A Word to Young Southern Baptist Pastors
What’s In Store for Orlando and Beyond
I find so much of what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes as utterly profound. His writings do not seem sad to me like I've heard others say they are to them. It's brilliant. The wisest man in Old Testament history comes to the conclusion that life is futile; "all is vain". Life is a continual repetition of things. Indeed, "what has a man left of all his labor and the striving and vexation of his heart...all his days are but pain and sorrows, and his work is vexation and grief; his mind takes no rest even at night..."(2:22,23) The wisdom in this passage is that man has nothing left of all his … [Read more...] about What’s In Store for Orlando and Beyond
When Preaching “Jumps the Shark”…
"Jumping the shark" is a phrased often used in the television industry to refer to the moment it's realized that a once-good program has begun a downward descent into mediocrity and eventually obscurity. It refers to a classic set of episodes from the program "Happy Days" where the character Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli (you may know him as "The Fonz") attempts to water ski over a section of ocean containing a shark. Since then, the phrase "jumping the shark" has become a popular reference to a desperate stunt or attempt to save something that is rapidly headed south. I don't view preaching … [Read more...] about When Preaching “Jumps the Shark”…
Why One State Convention President Supports the GCR
Why does the President of the West Virginia Baptist Convention support the GCR? 1) The GCR says out loud, what I have been thinking for a long time. The Southern Baptist Convention is losing ground in an increasingly lost culture. In the United States, we baptized 33,000 fewer people in 2008 than in 1950, and we have 17,000 more churches than we did then, while at the same time the population has effectively doubled. The demographics and population centers of North America have changed rapidly and we have not kept up. Two thirds of Cooperative Program dollars are remaining in states with … [Read more...] about Why One State Convention President Supports the GCR
Pentecost Sermon: Babel Revisited
Chuck Warnock On Pentecost, the community that was divided by God at the Tower of Babel is recreated in the miracle of communication at the coming of the Holy Spirit. Babel Revisited Acts 2:1-21 1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled … [Read more...] about Pentecost Sermon: Babel Revisited
Kevin DeYoung: Realities Indeed
The following is a post by Kevin DeYoung. A lot of our readers are pastors so I thought it would be good to post here. The gospel minister must help his people live well. But more importantly, he must prepare his people to die well. Those of us who are young and healthy can scarcely imagine what comfort the gospel of Jesus Christ provides for dear saints in their dying days. John Newton tells a story of visiting a young woman who died too soon from “a lingering consumption.” She was wise, but plain. She could read her Bible, but had read little else. Newton supposes she never traveled … [Read more...] about Kevin DeYoung: Realities Indeed
This Won’t Hurt a Bit
This Won’t Hurt a Bit By Thom Hunter -- http://thom-signsofastruggle.blogspot.com/ There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!" -- Aesop's Fables The sunshine this morning is so brilliant through my office window that I almost need sunglasses to focus on the keyboard. The cloudless sky spreads from a softness along the horizon to a taken-for-granted pureness at its unlimited heights above. The breeze is gentle and all seems as it is … [Read more...] about This Won’t Hurt a Bit
“Perspectives on the World Christian Movement”
Since its initial publication in 1981, the missions anthology Perspectives on the World Christian Movement has been read (or skimmed) by countless seminary and college students, missionaries, and interested lay people. In my case, I got to read it in both undergrad and graduate classes (with detailed quizzes to ensure I hadn't skimmed!). As my wife and I pursue God's call on us to missions, I wanted to share some of the best of this huge volume with her. So essentially, which essays would one find most vital from this huge series (I have the 3rd edition in case anyone wonders)? If you … [Read more...] about “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement”
Dave Miller and Matt Svoboda Played Golf Today: Who Won??
It was a beautiful day in Sioux City. … [Read more...] about Dave Miller and Matt Svoboda Played Golf Today: Who Won??
A Great Commission Resurgence End-Vision
A GREAT COMMISSION RESURGENCE END-VISION By Dr. Rodney L. Hammer I’d like to express deep gratitude for the work of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. They have demonstrated courageous leadership in helping us evaluate how we move forward with greater focus. I support each recommendation of the GCRTF Final Report and pray we will embrace the challenges. I’d like to suggest our SBC family also consider adopting a “SBC 2020 End-Vision”. An end-vision can be called a picture of a preferred future. While not comprehensive in detail, such a picture revealed to us from the … [Read more...] about A Great Commission Resurgence End-Vision