Painting with the Gospel

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)

Thinking about the need for our Network to remain gospel-driven drew my mind to an article I recently read about the Golden Gate Bridge.

I read that the bridge is never not being painted. A team of thirty-four people is tasked with ensuring the bridge stays painted. But the task of painting the Golden Gate is never-ending. Literally, the team paints year-round. The people who paint the bridge are full-time workers who spend their whole time exclusively painting the bridge.

Interestingly, painting the Golden Gate Bridge is about much more than maintaining its unique orange color. The bridge's safety depends upon each bolt, each rivet, each cable, and each beam being painted. If those things are not covered in a thick layer of that orange paint, then the salty Pacific air will cause corrosion, and the integrity of the bridge will be at stake.

So to friends, our church leaders must keep painting with the gospel, for the integrity of our churches is at stake. The gospel must be the core content of our preaching, our teaching, our singing, our discipleship, our counseling, our outreach, our...everything! Everything centers around and is fueled by the gospel. Day after day, year after year, our church leaders must paint the church with the gospel. It's a never-ending task. The stability of the church is at stake.

The pressures of this world and the corrosive air of our culture will constantly hammer the church, and if the gospel does not cover her, she will fail. Therefore we must resist the temptation to thin our gospel paint to be more seeker-sensitive, water it down with mere social justice, or replace it with result-driven pragmatism.

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word... (2 Corinthians 4:1-2)

It's easy to look at the challenges of preaching, teaching, and living the gospel and think there must be an easier way. But there can be no other way! And it is hard and will only get more complicated.

Paul says that through us God spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:24-26) This means that our world does not like the gospel. It smells fishy to them. We must keep on preaching it even though prideful hearts rage against it.

It is hard and even socially dangerous to preach the gospel in our day. Some Golden Gate workmen have to hang from harnesses hundreds of feet over the water, risking their lives. It is not easy. It can be scary. But it must be done. Church leaders must fear God instead of men and thereby keep painting the church week after week with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Network wants to help pastors and church leaders do that very thing. We do gather to establish partnerships, challenge one another for mobilization, and to see churches strengthened, but it's all aimed at seeing the gospel go forth so that our God will be made much of.

To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen! (Eph. 3:21)

Death by Isolation

Have you ever heard of the crazy and cruel experiments of Frederick II? He was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220, King of Jerusalem from 1225, and King of the Crazies. He had a great curiosity for science, but the inhumane lengths he would go to gain knowledge were insane.

Perhaps most disturbingly was an experiment he embarked upon that, he hoped, would prove what the original language of mankind was. He was convinced that Adam and Eve spoke German. In his eagerness to discover humanity's original tongue, he gave a group of newborn infants over into the care of nurses who were given strict instructions on how to raise them. The nurses were ordered not to interact with the children other than when absolutely necessary; the infants could be fed and bathed, but no more. Above all, they were not to be spoken to or cooed over under any circumstances.

Frederick never got an answer to the question he posed. The original language of mankind remained hidden from him because the children all died. They died of starvation. Not starvation of food. But starvation of any form of affection, warmth, and basic interaction. They died of isolation.

Humanity was created for community, communication, and companionship. And I believe the local church, as a living organism, likewise needs connection with other churches, or she will die of isolation. I think that is even more true in our post-Christian culture. Too many churches are dying of isolation.

One of several reasons I moved from being a pastor of a local church to being a "pastor of pastors" in a local association Network is that I firmly believe we are better together. I think the health of local churches depends upon their connection to other local churches. I believe this is supported by what we see in Acts and read in Paul's epistles.

But for a church to see her need for other churches and thereby cultivate a gospel-driven togetherness, there need to be a few shifts in thinking:

• The competition to cooperation shift. Churches are realizing they must stop viewing their sister churches as someone battling them for the same market share and instead recognize that the community will only benefit from more healthy churches as opposed to less. This shift will lead more churches to share their facilities, do joint outreach, and have strategic partnerships.

• The customer to community shift. If churches view other churches as competition, it only follows that they also view people as customers. For too long, churches have treated people like consumers by catering to them with attractional and pragmatic methodologies instead of seeking to meet deeper spiritual needs through authentic, relational, and gospel-centered interaction. This shift should lead churches to embrace their unique contribution to the advance of the gospel while partnering with, and learning from, sister churches that have been blessed with different strengths.

• The isolation to collaboration shift. Churches, quite simply, cannot thrive alone. We are called to be co-laborers in the Kingdom, so we need churches to lock arms for the gospel's sake and actually work together.

Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” (John 4:35-38)

I feel very blessed to be a part of a Network where we see collaboration, community, and cooperation. We desire to continue fostering even deeper gospel-driven unity.

Brothers and sisters, we need each other. We are better together. And when we demonstrate kingdom collaboration, we testify to the nature of our God and exalt His gospel work:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." (John 17:20-23)

May none of our churches die of isolation. We are united in Christ, we are united for Christ!

Praying for a Prayer Movement

What is your first instinct when you see the turmoil happening in our world? When you witness friends tearing each other apart on social media. When you hear news stories telling us that another pandemic is not a question of if but when. When you read the statistics that show an epidemic of loneliness and depression impacting young people.

What's your first thought when you hear of anemic churches struggling to survive? When you see Bible-believing denominations fracturing and church leaders disgraced. When churches teach moralism more than the gospel.

What is your knee-jerk reaction when societal structures are teetering? When global economies struggle? When wars rage? When standing for life and proclaiming the truth is labeled as fascist. When confusion overtakes common sense. When evil seems to be advancing unabated.

Is your first instinct to pray? Is your first thought to go to the throne of grace? Is your knee-jerk reaction to fall on your knees?

O friends, too often, I find myself stepping into the headwinds of culture and tackling life challenges without first praying.

I think we all desire to see a great move of God in our nation and our world.

The revival historian, J. Edwin Orr, has famously said, “No great spiritual awakening has begun anywhere in the world apart from united prayer — Christians persistently praying for revival.”

Are you familiar with the 1949 revival that swept the Scottish islands known as the Hebrides? Most church historians consider it the last genuine awakening in the western world.

It began when two octogenarian women, Peggy and Christine Smith, were greatly burdened by their church and community's dire state. They gathered each evening to pray, sometimes interceding into the wee hours of the morning.

Eventually, they were joined by some local ministers and a visiting Scottish preacher.

Within weeks thirty were gathered to pray. Then fifty. And then hundreds.

Buses began to come from the four corners of the island, crowding the church. The conviction of the Holy Spirit began to sweep over the island. The crowds read scripture, sang, and continued to pray. Across town, people, we cut to the heart, and it was not uncommon to see people weeping and repenting over their sins.

Revival had come and shook the little island of Hebrides. The revival lasted for two years. It is said that over 90 percent of the island came to faith in Christ.

What precedes revival? Prayer.

For some time, I've felt a burden to deepen my prayer life, but also to encourage our churches to work together to see a prayer movement in our communities. But even a movement of prayer is Spirit-generated, so our first prayer is to simply as the Holy Spirit to do something we can't do.

One little step toward fostering prayer in our Network is the Pastors Lifting Up Pastors document we created last year. We've updated the pdf file, and you can download it here. I strongly encourage you to pray for 2 to 3 other pastors in our Network daily. I would even encourage you to lead your congregation to pray for other churches in our Network each Sunday.

Here's a picture of a board in the back of a little church in Auburn, Georgia that I came across years ago. The name on the board is the church I was pastoring at the time. I had no idea that another church (of another denomination) was praying for us. I was convicted that our church wasn't doing the same!

Let me leave you with this passage of Scripture that Peggy and Christine prayed the night that God used them to start an awakening in the Hebrides:

For I will pour water on the thirsty land,

and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,

and my blessing on your descendants.

- (Isaiah 44:3)

The Exponential Power of Cooperation

Are you familiar with the Belgian draft horse? They are the strongest horses in the world. 

Bred to work farms, these horses can pull a tremendous amount of weight.

From what I've read, a single Belgian draft horse can pull up to 8,000 lbs. alone. But these horses are even more powerful when they are teamed with other horses.

So, if one of these majestic animals can pull 8,000 pounds, it is logical to think that two could pull 16,000 pounds, correct? One would assume that to be the case, but actually, two Belgian draft horses yoked together can pull up to 24,000 pounds (3x the weight one horse can pull). And what's even more impressive is that if those two animals are intentionally trained to work together, they can pull 32,000 pounds of weight (4x the weight either could pull alone). And that's just two horses. Imagine the pulling power if there were more horses teamed together!

This story serves to illustrate the power of synergy and cooperation. I sincerely believe that each individual church in our association, by God's grace, can do powerful kingdom work. Still, I also believe that when we intentionally and strategically work together, we can do exponentially more for the kingdom.

I know it's an overused phrase, but I sincerely think that we are better together. But our "togetherness" must be grounded in theological truth and missiological purpose, and thus I like to think of us as United in Christ - United for Christ.

As you've heard me say, associations are the oldest form of Baptist cooperation, dating back to 1707 in Philadelphia. That first association had three stated purposes:

1. Provide a means for pastors to mutually encourage one another.

2. Provide a means for churches to hold each other accountable to sound doctrine.

3. Provide a means for churches to pool their resources for evangelism and missions

It is my prayer that our Network can carry on that type of cooperative effort in the Brazos Valley.

One of the ways we seek to partner, mobilize, and strengthen our churches is through our Annual Gathering, which, over the past few years, we have been gradually reshaping to be an annual Church Health Conference.

This year we are changing the format to accommodate three guest speakers coming to share a word with our pastors. I believe that all three will benefit our pastors and lay-leaders in unique ways while contributing to the long-term strategic goals of our Network.

Our main speaker will be our newly elected Southern Baptist President, Bart Barber. Bart will be bringing a message designed to encourage and edify our Network. As pastor of First Baptist Church Farmersville, Bart can identify with and relate to normative-sized Baptist churches. At the end of Bart's session, we will have a time of Q & A where you can ask Bart questions that are on your heart, including questions about the focus and direction of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Deepak Reju will be another speaker featured at our Church Health Conference. Deepak is the Pastor of Counseling at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. We have asked Deepak to share a message on creating a culture of counseling and discipleship in the church. We live in an age of great moral confusion and increasing mental and emotional stress. It is incumbent that our churches equip their members to counsel one another. We hope this will be the first step for our Network to be able to provide our churches with Biblical Counseling training.

Finally, Kyle Bueerman from the North American Mission Board will speak to us on church revitalization. Kyle is the Rural Specialist on NAMB's Replant Team. He is also the co-host of the popular weekly podcast, Not Another Baptist Podcast with Matt Henslee. Kyle specializes in rural church revitalization, an increasingly pressing need in our association. I pray that Kyle will help our Network continue its vision of seeing churches revitalized and replanted.

All three of these men will be a huge blessing to our Network of churches. I encourage you to mark the date on your calendars now - October 15th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Lunch will be provided.

The conference is free for all BVBN church leaders and members, but we do ask that you register in advance for the meeting. You can do so by clicking here. 

Thank you, friends. I am praying for you and that our Network will continue to partner strategically together—United in Christ, United for Christ.

Mount Rushmore Rules

Vision is important. The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 29:18 that where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. Of course, that verse's context refers to the prophetic vision that comes from God's Word. And thus, any vision that any leader has for the church of God must be anchored in the Word of God.

It is the Word of God that gives us our mission:

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

But how each church carries out the mission is determined by vision.

Each pastor, therefore, has a vision. Leadership implies direction and vision. If a pastor tells me he has no vision; I don't believe him. Unless he hopes to simply survive Sunday to Sunday, every pastor is trying to shape and guide the church in some direction.

But sometimes, in our drive to lead with vision and experience organizational momentum, we can get impatient.

And sometimes, impatience can cause us to miss opportunities to celebrate and offer thanksgiving to God.

Consider the carving of Mount Rushmore. The famous faces of four past presidents were shaped into the granite of the Black Hills between 1927 and 1941. 14 years!

The vision for the monument first originated with South Dakota’s state historian Doane Robinson. Robinson contacted sculptor Gutzon Borglum who expanded Robinson's original vision from two faces to four. The vision was quite grand as it would be the largest sculpture attempted at that time. There was much fanfare and national attention as the work began in 1927.1

But Borglum knew that he needed to keep the public excited by the project and focused on the overall vision. So instead of waiting until the project was completed to celebrate, Borglum organized a dedication ceremony after each head was completed. Washington was first, of course, as his stone effigy was dedicated on July 4, 1930.

Jefferson was the next head to be completed, but because of some unforeseen weaknesses in some of the stone, adjustments had to be made to move the location of Jefferson's image. But this didn't deter the vision, and Jefferson was finished and celebrated in 1936.

Next came Lincoln, dedicated in 1937, and finally, the sculpture of Roosevelt received the same honor in 1939. Final details and finishing touches were added over the next couple of years, and the whole monument was dedicated on October 31, 1941. The vision had finally come to pass.

There are lessons here for us. Let's call them the Mount Rushmore Rules:

1. Accept the truth that vision takes a long time to be realized.

2. Sometimes, vision must be adjusted.

3. Celebrate milestones to keep the vision fresh for the people.

Celebration is not merely strategic. It's biblical.

Thanksgiving should be part of any celebration, for it is God who both gives the vision and providentially brings it about. And thus, we are commanded in Scripture to be thankful.

Perhaps it is the absence of celebration and thankfulness that causes anxiety to arise in our hearts when the detours and challenges come.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

So, friends, keep moving forward with God's vision on your heart for the ministry you have been tasked to lead. Don't let setbacks deter you; adjust and keep moving. And finally, don't forget to celebrate along the way.

The View-Master

When I was a child, one of my favorite toys was something called the View-Master. Do you remember the View-Master? It was this binocular-shaped plastic device into which you would put thin cardboard discs containing seven pairs of small transparent color photographs. When you looked into the View-Master, you would see a 3-D color image that told a story when combined with the other pictures. I know it dates me, but View-Master was the VR goggles of my childhood. The picture below is my childhood View-Master that I still have! 

View-Master discs were produced for everything, including well-known cartoons and comics, movies, educational information, and even Bible stories. What you saw through the lenses obviously depended totally upon what disc was in the device.

Our worldviews are like View-Master discs. Each person has foundational pre-installed discs filled with a set of assumptions that determine how they understand and operate in the world.

Because worldview drives how we live our lives, differences in worldviews lead to significant disagreements on what is right and what is wrong. The gulf between worldviews is expansive and ever-expanding in our world today. It has contributed to the overwhelming polarization that affects our nation and the whole world.

There is a massive gulf between a secularist worldview and a Biblical worldview in our culture. But the differences are more complex than just Christian/non-Christian. Within the brotherhood of believers, I also see massive secondary worldview differences between, for example, Boomers and Millennials.

For that reason, we need to be careful when it comes to defending our worldview. Before we assume the disc installed in the mental View-master of the person we are at odds with is unbiblical, we need to be discerning.

Although it's far too simplistic, I break worldview down into two different "discs." One is convictional and the other is cultural. Our convictional worldview must flow directly from the Bible and is a disc that cannot be removed if we are genuinely Christian. The images on the convictional worldview disc are the foundational truths of the faith (the triune nature of God, the deity of Christ, the authority of Scripture, etc.). These are immovable convictions that inform the way we look at everything.

These convictions cannot change if one is to be a genuine Chrisitan. The "deconstruction" movement affecting many young evangelicals is nothing more than the attempt to exchange the Biblical disc for something else.

On the other hand, the cultural disc comprises images that indeed drive who we are but can vary from culture to culture and even generation to generation. Some of these may be more consequential and important than others, but they are not immutably grounded in the Word of God.

The Apostle Paul knew the difference between the cultural and convictional in his missiology. To see this, simply look at the difference between how he reasoned with Jews (Acts 13:16-41) and the Athenians (Acts 17:22-31). Paul never gave ground on his convictions, such as the resurrection, but he did adjust to cultural differences (see 1 Corinthians 9:20-23).

To flesh this out more for our context, the convictional disc of Christians will not allow us to embrace the transgender ideology and the sexual ethics so promulgated in our day by those whose convictional disc is secular or pagan. Why? Because sexual ethics are grounded in God's Word.

On the other hand, two different believers' cultural disc may differ even though both share a Biblical worldview. For example, a Baby-boomer's cultural disc may cause him to think of patriotic duty utterly different from the way a Gen-Zer would.

To that point, I recently heard a story of a fresh, young pastor who removed the American flag from the stage of the country church he had just been called to because he was concerned that it promoted idolatry of America and distracted from the gospel. As you might have already surmised, it cost him his job. This zealous pastor and his equally zealous congregation had failed to recognize the gap between their cultural discs. Had there been more awareness and sensitivity on both sides, they could have found a way to honor our American heritage while remaining God-centered.

The differences between cultural worldviews within the church can be substantial and touch upon leadership styles, worship expressions, social responsibility, political involvement, global relations, communication platforms, etc. But they are not insurmountable. Even secondary theological issues can cause significant gaps between our cultural worldviews that do not need to divide us.

So we must be discerning in the battles we pick and the energy we expend. There are presuppositions at the heart of every worldview. Some of those presuppositions are cultural. Others are convictional.

It's the convictional presuppositions that are most important. As believers, when we engage a lost world, we must be willing to defend the gospel in such a way that we show unbelievers that their fundamental assumptions (their preinstalled convictional discs) do not line up with reality and that only the Biblical worldview sees the world as it actually is. We must rely on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to accomplish a supernatural work of changing out their disc so that they may have eyes to see for the first time. Our hope is that Jesus will be their new View-Master.

And for those secondary issues that populate our cultural discs, let us learn how to disagree agreeably, show deference out of love, and humbly learn from one another. Especially in the church.

Victory in the Valley

We would love to have you and your church join in and help us reach more people of the Brazos Valley with the life-changing gospel message.

Where
Brazos Center: 3232 Briarcrest Dr, Bryan, TX 77802

When
August 15-18, 2021 | 7:00p each night

The speaker is Sammy Tippit, a world-renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy has previously served as President of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists.

The music for the revival will be done by an all-area choir led by Matt Marsh from First Baptist Bryan.

Click below to hear an invitation from Sammy Tippit.

We encourage you to participate in this exciting evangelistic opportunity and we ask everyone to pray heartily for God to use this even to reach people with the gospel. 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from SBC '21

If you caught my first write-up about the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) you'll be relieved to know that my return flight was uneventful and quite boring compared to my flight to the Convention. The Convention itself, on the other hand, was not boring at all.

First, let me just state what I love about the Southern Baptist Convention: I love the fact that it is like a giant family reunion where I get the chance to reconnect with people I haven't seen in many years. 

While I was in Nashville, I had the chance to meet with two missionary "uncles" from my childhood in Ecuador, a few of my pastor friends from Georgia, and, randomly, I ran across two young men who used to be in my Children's Ministry when I was on staff at First Baptist Bentonville, AR. One of them is now a new pastor and the other has been on the mission field for several years. I love seeing and hearing how God is at work in the ministries and lives of people with whom my life has intersected over the years.

In regard to the Convention itself, in my article written before the Convention I anticipated 4 major areas of discussion and potential controversy. Those were:

1. The sexual abuse crisis
2. Critical Race Theory
3. Gender roles in the church
4. Transparency and accountability

I'll address these in the order in which I think they were most clearly and most definitively spoken to in Nashville. In doing so, this article will be longer than the first.

Messengers want more transparency and accountability from denominational leadership.

The messengers sent a loud and repeated message to the Executive Committee that business cannot go on as usual. For those who don't know what the Executive Committee is, let me try to explain.

The Executive Committee is an 86-member body that runs denominational affairs in between Annual Meetings of the SBC. The Executive Committee does not control or direct the activities of SBC agencies, rather it receives and distributes the monies Southern Baptists give in support of denominational ministries, acts as the recipient and trust agency for all Convention properties, and provides public relations and news services. To carry out these duties, the Committee employs an executive and support staff in its Nashville offices.

 The Executive Committee has been under scrutiny lately for financial changes it was proposing and for its handling of the sexual abuse crisis. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the Executive Committee was taken out to the woodshed in Nashville. Not only was its proposed revision to the SBC’s Business and Financial Plan (which included the Committee's attempt to exercise more control over other SBC entities' money) overwhelming voted down, likewise its much touted "Vision 2025" five-point plan for the SBC's future was altered and added to by the messengers to better reflect what Southern Baptists want to see as the Convention's priorities. This included adding a sixth point calling for the SBC to strive to root out any instances of sexual abuse and racial discrimination in our churches.

And it was regarding the controversies surrounding the sexual abuse scandal that the Executive Committed received it harshest smack-down. After allegations were made and concerning audio surfaced insinuating that the Executive Committee had stalled and not taken seriously sexual abuse claims, the committee voted to hire an outside group to investigate, but the parameters, results, and reporting of that investigation would have been under the Executive Committee's exclusive control. The messengers, demonstrating their distrust in the Executive Committee's ability to police itself, overwhelmingly rejected that proposal and instead voted for a third-party investigation to be overseen by a task force to be chosen by the newly-elected president.

Overall, and not just in these aforementioned areas, the Executive Committee was given a strong admonition from the messengers that they want more accountability and transparency.

Messengers expressed unequivocal support for sexual abuse survivors and zero tolerance for any form of sexual abuse.

You can already see how the four major areas I outlined earlier intersect and so in addressing concerns about the Executive Committee the Convention also made strong statements about supporting sexual abuse survivors and rooting out sexual abusers from leadership in our churches.

To this point, the Convention passed a resolution calling for the permanent disqualification from the pastorate of those who have committed sexual abuse. This did receive some gentle and thoughtful pushback on the floor as some felt it left no room for grace, especially in the lives of those who may have committed some sexual sin prior to conversion. But like many of the resolutions and motions, the limited amount debate (more on that in a minute) meant that those concerns were easily swept aside and the resolution passed overwhelmingly.

So, the Convention's will on the two issues of sexual abuse and Executive Committee accountability, was definitively communicated and saw very little resistance. But the other two issues I mentioned outlined, Critical Race Theory and gender roles in the church, were not dealt with nearly as clearly or comprehensively.

Messengers chose not to talk about complementarianism.

Perhaps to some people's relief and others' dismay, gender roles in the church weren't even really a part of the conversation at this Convention. 

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is clearly a complementarian document, but the narrowness or expansiveness of that complementarianism is still up for debate.

It's clear the Convention doesn't seem to have the stomach for such a debate at this time. The only hint of controversy that emerged on this issue was the fact that the new president of the SBC, Ed Litton, apparently did a sermon series a while back on Song of Solomon in which his wife taught and preached alongside him from the stage. Links to the videos of the sermon series bounced around on social media, but it was not brought up during the Convention nor, apparently, did Ed Litton feel the need address it.

Ed did commit to a complementarian position in a pre-convention interview with Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, but the video leaves many feeling uneasy or confused. I personally believe that, in the years to come, complementarianism will be a continually resurfacing issue that will increasingly create tensions in the SBC. But most people believe that the biggest threat for future problems rests with Critical Race Theory (CRT).

Messengers don't know what to do with Critical Race Theory. 

The convention passed a strongly-worded resolution (Resolution 2) that pushed for racial reconciliation while rejecting worldly systems and philosophies in pursuit of goal, but it did not specifically mention CRT. Resolution 2, by anyone's account, is a better resolution than the infamous Resolution 9 passed in 2019 but its failure to clearly reject CRT upset some.

There was a short debate on the floor about amending the resolution to include language about CRT, but the debate was cut short when a messenger "called for the question," meaning he moving to stop debate and have the messengers vote on the question to amend. His motion received the two-thirds vote necessary and so debate was shut down and a majority of the messengers then voted in the affirmative for the unamended Resolution 2.

What this showed me was that the messengers did not have the will to have a debate about CRT and instead were happy to attempt to address CRT via Resolution 2 without actually mentioning it. Some saw this as a wise and peacemaking approach, but others felt that this was shortsighted and fainthearted. Time will tell if this was Solomon's call to cut the baby in half or not.

I'm afraid that despite good intentions, we have not seen the last of CRT. As one African-American brother said to me, "it seems like the Convention chose to punt the ball." Yes, they did. But I'm afraid it wasn't a 60-yard punt. It was more like a 10-yard shank off the side of the foot. I don't think the concerns over CRT are settled. Southern Baptist seem to be very clear that they want racial reconciliation, but heated debates about CRT and the extent of its danger and/or its usefulness in our churches will inevitably resurface.

The case for optimistic concern.

Overall, I left the Convention optimistic because there was as strong focus on evangelism, missions, and the gospel. I was also joyfully reminded of the big tent family that is Southern Baptist as we aim to agree on the essentials while agreeing to disagree on the non-essentials.

I'm also very glad that strong statements were made regarding sexual abuse, regarding accountability and transparency, and regarding racial reconciliation.

Another area of encouragement was the fact that I heard of the importance of associations to the future of the Convention mentioned over and over and in different settings. I sincerely believe that local networks of churches are going to be more important than large national entities in the decades ahead. 

But I am also concerned about a few things:

I'm concerned that complementarianism has not been clearly defined in our denomination, leaving openings for confusion and friction.

I'm even more concerned that no real conversation is being had regarding CRT. It seems everyone in the Convention agrees that it must be subservient to the Scriptures, but those who see it as an existential threat and those who see it as a redeemable tool are not actually talking to each other. Instead they are "destroying" and "owning" straw men on social media while the average church goer watches with a mixture of confusion and disgust.

And that brings me to my final concern specific to the way this year's Convention was run. Namely, that on too many issues at the Convention there was no real and robust debate. On several motions and resolutions many people standing in line to express their thoughts were left frustrated as pre-set time limits expired or the question was called. Yet at least one entity president, who's allotted time for his entity's report had clearly passed, babbled on interminably to the great frustration of the weary messengers. It would have benefited everyone to hear a little less from the top and little more from the average messenger. The fact is that this year's schedule for the Convention had been truncated by design and in my opinion that was to our detriment.

If there is anything Southern Baptist need to be doing right now it is talking to each other and debating these important issues, but doing so in orderly fashion with charity and Christ-likeness. Intentionally or unintentionally shutting down Convention debate condemns these conversations to the purgatory of Twitter where the venom of asps is under everyone's lips.

To see all the resolutions passed at the SBC'21 click here.
To watch video from SBC'21 click here

The SBC and the Journey We Are Facing

As I write this, I'm sitting at the Bush International Airport in Houston at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday June 13th. I'm supposed to be in a nice comfy bed at a hotel in Nashville getting good rest before attending a worship service with the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders. But yesterday was one of those unpredictable and utterly chaotic travel days.

My connecting flight from Houston to Nashville was delayed. Delayed twelve hours. I think United Airlines is stretching the definition of "delay" when that delay takes you into a new day. I didn't want wait that long so I got on standby for another flight to Nashville. I sat down to wait for that flight only get a notice on my phone that it, too, was delayed. By 30 minutes. Ugh.

Ding.

The United app now says the new flight is delayed one hour.

Ding.

Make that three.

Needless to say, I never left Houston on Sunday. While I write this I am at the gate waiting for that original flight. The twelve hour delay is almost over.

They just called my group!

The chaos of my travel is illustrative of the fear I have as I head to the Southern Baptist Convention. I usually enjoy the Convention. I enjoy reuniting with old friends I haven't seen in years. I enjoy all the booths and the free swag in the exhibit hall. I even enjoy the business sessions where you hear the praise reports of what has been accomplished and witness the mechanisms of our denomination at work. But this year, I do not look forward to the convention. It is in danger of descending into chaos. I feel that my flight might be a premonition.

I've been to several Conventions, but my first as the DOM (AMS or whatever denominational title you prefer) of our association was in Dallas in 2018. Yesterday I looked back at my notes from that Convention and read how hopeful and excited I was about the cooperation on display.

My second Convention in this role was at Birmingham in 2019. I left that gathering a bit more concerned about some issues brewing. If you recall, that convention took place on the heels of the Houston Chronicle report about sexual abuse in SBC churches. That convention also saw renewed questions about how doctrinally complementarian our denomination actually is. And then there was the passage of the infamous Resolution 9. That was the resolution that accepted Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool subservient to the Bible. At the time I felt it was a poorly written resolution and even more poorly explained to the messengers present.

Two years and one pandemic later, we gather again. The year off has done us no good. The differences and struggles that surfaced in 2019 are now raging like an out-of-control wildfire that threatens to do lasting damage to our convention. The issues are real and deserve a good debate. But the debates have turned bitter, and the rhetoric has become downright Trumpian with name-calling and political mud-slinging. It's no surprise that the largest number of messengers since the 80's are showing up in Nashville. Uber be warned!

Plane is taking off. Airplane mode now on. 

There are four major, and somewhat intersecting, issues that will drive much of the conversation, debate, motions, and resolutions this week:

1. The sexual abuse scandal. One pastor I talked with in the airport after the 2019 convention got angry when I called it a scandal. But friends, even one sexual predator on staff or behind the pulpit of our churches is indeed a scandal. And when cases of abuse are intentionally hidden or minimized, it's a big scandal. While some good steps were taken in Birmingham, the movement to address the issue has stalled (I hesitate to use that word while tens of thousands of feet in the air) due, in no small part, to the challenges of Southern Baptist bureaucracy and local church autonomy. I do not dismiss the fact that the means for addressing and redressing the sexual abuse issues are quite complicated and messy, but we all must agree that as a whole we can do better. Pray that we will put justice for victims and prevention of future abuse above bureaucracy and politics.
   

2. Critical Race Theory. Unless you are living under a rock you've probably heard about CRT. It too is a complicated issue, and quite frankly CRT is hard to actually define, but the fact is that it is threatening to divide and destabilize our Convention. Our Convention must make take a stronger stand for racial reconciliation and biblically-driven social justice, but we also must carefully consider whether or not CRT can be an "analytical tool" we should use in that endeavor. Some believe that any use of CRT is a denial of the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture. Others claim CRT is harmless and definitely not the Marxist boogeyman that others claim it to be. Certainly it's more complicated than the talking points on either side, and I personally have good friends who love Christ and His gospel but who view CRT from totally different perspectives. Please pray that God provides a path forward for us to continue to fight the sin of racism while remaining steadfast in our commitment to the authority of God's Word.
   

3. Gender roles in the church. The majority of the denomination overwhelming decided to move in a direction affirming that the Bible teaches that only men are allowed to hold the office of pastor (or elder) with the adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. But the width or narrowness of that Biblical teaching has been debated. Some call themselves soft-complementarians while others are stricter complementarians. The debate has heated up in the last two years. There are big questions driving the conversation. Does Scripture limit only the office of a lead or senior pastor to men, or does that limitation extend to other pastoral roles? And how about female teachers who are not pastors but who exercise the function of a pastor such as preaching to groups of men and women? Is that within the bounds of Scripture? Unfortunately, this debate has gotten really ugly, especially on Twitter where sinful tongues wag without remorse. Please pray for God to grant us the grace to hold tightly to the Scriptures while understanding that we can disagree on secondary issues.
   

4. Transparency and accountability. Part of the problem in our denomination is that there is a bureaucratic class that has rubbed the average church-goer the wrong way. There have been questions about how the Executive Committee has handled certain things, including the sex abuse scandal. NAMB is embroiled in a lawsuit with a former denominational leader that is being appealed to the Supreme Court. Lifeway sued their former President and then retracted the suit after it caused widespread outrage. It makes me wonder if 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 has been taken out of the CSB. There have also been golden parachutes and other uses of money that have caused a good bit of concern. Of the four men running for President of the SBC, only one has made transparency part of his platform. Pray that the leaders of our denomination would remember who they are serving and practice biblical transparency and accountability--whomever becomes the President.
   

They just told me to put way the laptop. We're about to land.

These issue are not light or minimal; they are real and serious. But what I've seen on Twitter and blogs, and heard with my own ears is not believers debating with grace and charity. What I've heard is bitterness, rage, belittling, and dissension. As a life-long Southern Baptist it makes me sad. We need to listen to the Apostle Paul's warning:

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. (Galatians 5:15)

So what do I hope will happen at the Convention?

One thing: REPENTANCE!

I am praying that a genuine move of Spirit-led repentance will overtake at 18,000+ messengers and that through repentance we will once again focus on the gospel. We are all sinners saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and we all are dimly seeing through a mirror on all these issues. Therefore we need to be humble, teachable, and we need to repent of our sinful attitudes. Join me in praying for repentance.

At the hotel. Finally resting. 

And with that, I am reminded that God will accomplish His purposes and will take His church all the way to its final destination. As Southern Baptists we can fret and fear and fight, but in the end, our Sovereign God will reach the nations with or without us. I just hope it's with!

Week of Prayer For Baptist Associations

October 18-24th has been designated by Southern Baptist as the Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations. Baptist Associations are the oldest form of Baptist cooperation with the first Baptist association in America established in Philadelphia in 1707. Since then associations have been key to Baptist churches working together to extend the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

As our culture continues to drift toward secularism and away from traditional Christianity, the local association will take on more and more significance. Churches will need to strategically partner together in increasingly creative ways in the years to come.  

What follows are some specific ways you can pray for the CBBA as we carry out our mission to glorify God through partnering, mobilizing, and strengthening churches to extend the gospel of Jesus Christ

• Pray for our churches to actively look for ways to partner with their sister churches for both local and global initiatives. 

• Pray for God to show us some specific ways that our churches can join together to impact our local communities for Christ. 

• Pray for God to stir up a movement of church health and church revitalization in our association.

• Pray for the association to have the wisdom to help our churches continue to navigate the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• Pray for our Administrative Team as we continue to make adjustments to the structure of our association to be poised to serve the current and future needs of our churches.

• Pray that the association will have the vision to help churches navigate future cultural challenges.

• Pray for the pastors of our churches to be united in a spirit of Christian brotherhood. 
   

I am thankful for each one of you and covet your prayers as we continue to seek God's wisdom to come alongside our churches for greater kingdom impact. 

Noise. Noise. Noise.

A couple of weeks ago, on a weeknight, at about 3:00 in the morning, something happened to the power lines behind our house and our electricity went out. I would not have known until the next morning had my wife not woken me up and told me. Strangely enough, what woke her up was the silence.

As I got up and fumbled around looking for my phone so I could turn on the flashlight app, I too was almost startled by the silence. Not only were the usual noise-makers in our house (appliances, AC unit, etc.) not making their usual racket, but due to the fact that it was the middle of the night, there was practically no sound coming from outside the house either. The sounds of the city would be asleep for at least a few more hours.

After I discerned that the cause of the electrical disruption was not something in my house nor was it something I could address, and after giving the utility company a call, I sat down and just listened for few minutes. The silence was almost startling. It was unsettling. It was almost alien.

I realized in that moment how conditioned I had become come to constant noise. I almost didn’t know how to mentally process the absence of it. Silence forces your mind to fill the void left by incessant sound. It made me realize that noise is a lazy man’s best friend. Instead of having to put our minds to work, too often we put our minds at ease by simply funneling incessant noise into our ears. 

As I sat in silence and thought about these things, I realized that there is a spiritual impact to noise. Noise can keep us from focusing on God, from sensing His Spirit, from hearing Him, from hearing others, from discerning nuances, from exercising wisdom, from listening well to others, from thinking for ourselves. On and on I kept thinking. The silence was now allowing my thoughts to grow louder and fuller.

And so Scripture began to come to mind. Scripture that reinforces the need for us to reduce the noise in our lives. Scripture like…

"The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." Exodus 14:14

"But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me." Psalm 131:2

"Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind." Ecclesiastes 4:6

"But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him." Habakkuk 2:20

I then thought of how we are in such a noisy season right now. Modernity has created a cacophony of physical sounds that run throughout the day, but the culture and cultural moment we find ourselves in has also created myriad psychological, intellectual, and emotional noises.

It seems the pandemic has created immunology experts out of nearly everyone and, therefore, everyone feels the need to shout their newly acquired wisdom at everyone else. Social unrest apparently means that nearly everyone has make sure everyone else knows how virtuous they are through tweeting or posting the latest echo-chamber article with, of course, the appropriate virtue-signaling hashtag. And, in the age of noise, to properly debate your political view, including ecclesiastical and theological views, you must debase your political opponent.

Noise. Noise. Noise.

No wonder we feel far from God. We don’t know how to stop the noise: "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Maybe it's time to pursue silence. This can be done literally through a silence and solitude retreat. That is simply scheduling time to get away and spend time alone with God in quietness. Or, maybe, there are more practical ways right in front of us. Like not turning on talk radio, or even music, when we get in the car. Not flipping on our favorite cable news the moment we get home. Not checking social media when we grab our phone. Or, here’s a novel idea, not grabbing the phone at all.

As leaders in God's Church, if we want to have ears to hear what God wants from us, if we are to have ears to hear the true needs of our neighbors, then we must have ears that are not overrun with noise. And things are only going to get noisier in 2020. The enemy will most definitely keep it noisy.

---

Articles that Caught My Eye 

5 Reasons Pastors Don’t Trust Each Other, and 5 Steps We Can Take to Build Trust

Through a Pandemic and Social Unrest

When Life Feels Crushing

Do Smartphones Make us Dumber?

No One Believes in Social Injustice

1 in 5 churches facing permanent closure within 18 months due to COVID-19 shutdowns

Clarity in an Age of Confusion

Holy Is Who You Are: A Missing Weapon in the War Against Sin

Gospel + Safety + Time = A Church Where Anyone Can Grow

Resource of the Week

Silence can actually be a spiritual discipline. In my mind, the best book on Spiritual Disciplines is Donald Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Chapter 10 of the book teaches on silence and solitude as a spiritual discipline. Now more than ever we need help maintaining the practices that will allow us to walk humbly with our God. 

The Essentials of Church Require Gathering

What Acts 2:42 has to say about the importance of gathering together

Lord willing, the COVID-19 crisis that has gripped our country and our world will be winding down soon. Over the past few months, I've heard it said over and over that there will be a new normal for churches moving forward. I've even heard some say that in-person gatherings may be a thing of the past as people choose digital church attendance either for their safety or as a matter of convenience. 

While I am sure there are some facets of how we do church that must and will change, I am not convinced that the gathering of the saints on the Lord's Day is one of them. Theologically we are not bound to a geographical location to worship God. That was Jesus' point when he spoke the Samaritan woman and said:

“...the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father... But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:22-24)

Can someone worship God while not gathered in a specific location with other believers? Yes. Should that be the norm? No. The new normal cannot be an un-gathered church. I am not saying that buildings are needed. What I am saying is that gathering together is.
 
I believe the core, essential elements of a New Testament church demand gathering in person. For months now we've heard about essential businesses and essential services. We need to ask, what are the essentials of the church and what do those essentials demand?
 
Many people have written on the essentials or elements of a healthy church. From Rick Warren's five purposes of the church to Mark Dever's nine marks of a healthy church, there is plenty already written to help us. I simply want to focus on one verse that Luke gives us to encapsulate what the early church did and see how the four essentials found in that verse should encourage us to gather together, face-to-face, in a location. That one verse is Acts 2:42:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

So, what essentials of the church do we see in this one verse?

1. Teaching the Word of God was essential. The devotion they had to the Apostles’ teaching is the equivalent of devotion to God's Word in our day. What we have in our Bibles, the apostolic teaching of Jesus Christ, who is the focus of all of Scripture. The Word must be taught and preached with passion, precision, and power. This needs to happen primarily in a gathered setting. Preaching and teaching are not one-way communication, but rather should be an intimate and interactive experience where the shepherd lovingly feeds and exhorts his flock. If in-person teaching were not essential to the church, then Paul would not have appointed elders and trained pastors. Instead, he would have limited his ministry to letter writing.

2. Devotion to one another was essential. The word "fellowship" (koinonia in Greek) makes its first New Testament appearance in this text. It meant much more than getting together or eating together. It meant being devoted to one another. It encompasses all the 56 "one-another" passages in the New Testament. It is not something we can do in isolation. As a matter of fact, a couple of the "one anothers" are found in Colossians 3:16 where we are exhorted to teach and admonish one another through the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We cannot do that if we are scattered. We must gather regularly in order to do life together and thereby live out the "one-anothers".

3. Observing the ordinances was essential. There is some debate as to whether or not the "breaking of bread" here is referring to the Lord's Supper or just other meals they had together. For a few reasons I can't go into now, I believe it is the former. The whole imagery and gravity of the Lord's Supper is not something that can be done in isolation or over a screen. A funny meme was created a few months back called "The Upper Zoom" where it showed Jesus having his last meal with the disciples over video-conferencing. It was obviously meant to be funny, and it was, but it highlighted the foolishness of thinking we can observe the Lord's Supper in isolation from one another. The other ordinance, baptism, of course, cannot be done remotely. We must gather in order to be devoted to the ordinances.

4. Finally, prayer was essential. Of course, prayer can be done by oneself, or over the phone, or in a Zoom call; prayer is not limited to a geographical location. But we are called to pray together and the most effective and powerful way to do that is to do it in each other's presence. The Bible speaks of laying hands on one another while blessing or praying for one another. We can not do that at a distance. And the Body of Christ is called to corporately lift prayers to our Father which implies that we are doing that in agreement with one another and obviously in the presence of one another. 

The early church gathered. They gathered in small groups (house to house) and they gathered in large groups (Solomon's Portico). They understood that the failure to gather would be against God's will and God's design for the church (Hebrews 10:35). 
 
The truth is that we were designed for face-to-face communication and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Just because we have mediated forms of communication that allow us to see each other and talk to each other digitally, does not diminish the importance of the physical gathering of the church.
 
The oldest form of mediated communication is the written word, and so let us hear the Apostle John as he says, "I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face" (3 John 13-14). And so in our age, we should rather not zoom, or stream the service, but rather see each other and fellowship face to face.

Resource of the Week:

This week's resource is from 9Marks. Very few ministries have done more to help churches think about healthy ecclesiology than these guys. They have a lot of resources on their website, but today I want to highlight their Pastor's Talk Podcast. Always informative and entertaining, this podcast will help church leaders shepherd their congregations well.

Articles That Caught My Eye:

When the Headlines are Horrifying

Pastors, COVID, and Criticism

Hang in there pastor, change comes slowly

Calling Out the Call-Out Culture

A Very Common Clash of Culture

Why is the Culture Dark and Decaying?

Emotional Health for Pastors and Congregations with David Wells

At this week’s Pastor Roundtable, we heard from David Wells about emotional health for pastors and their congregations.

David Wells would love to work with you or alongside you as you shepherd your church. Visit https://wellscounseling.com/ for more information on his services.

If One Member Suffers, All Suffer Together... 1 Corinthians 12:26

Below is a letter written by a collection of the pastors from the Bryan College Station area representing a variety of denominations. I chose to sign it and encourage our CBBA pastors to do so because I think it reflects Biblical truth and is a step in the right direction toward healing some long-standing wounds. It is not a perfect statement, but it is a good one. The only perfect word in racial reconciliation is the Word of God. In this cultural moment, it is important to be clear that the church has the only true solution for reconciliation, namely the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is imperative, therefore, that while seeking justice and reconciliation, while binding up wounds and caring for the vulnerable, that we also preach the unashamed gospel of Jesus Christ. For, it is only when man has made peace with God that he can have peace with his fellow man and ultimately peace within his own heart.

June 8, 2020

If one member suffers, all suffer together.... 1 Corinthians 12:26

We, as pastors of Bryan and College Station, stand united. We grieve together as we have witnessed the unnecessary death of George Floyd, along with the ensuing turmoil in people’s hearts and in our streets. We grieve the long history of prejudice and racism experienced by people of color in our nation. We grieve that the Church has not done more to heal the divisions in the name of Christ.

We denounce racism and racial injustice in all of its forms. This includes the sin of partiality that affects our hearts individually, as well as all of the various ways that racism manifests itself socially and culturally. Racism is evil and is an affront to our Creator who made each of us -- from every ethnic background, female and male, young and old, rich and poor, weak and strong -- in His image.

Because we are all equal in the eyes of our Creator (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:1-2; Galatians 3:28), we are committed to treat one another with dignity and respect (Romans 13:8-10); we are committed to speak up and protect the vulnerable among us (Proverbs 31:8-9); we are committed to provide for the needy among us (James 1:27); we are committed to live righteous lives (Proverbs 14:34); we are committed to stand for truth and justice (Psalm 82:3,4); and we are committed to love and to forgive (Ephesians 4:32-5:2).

Fulfilling these commitments with diligence reflects the heart of our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, to a broken and hurting world (Matthew 5:16). We are praying for wisdom and courage as we seek to bring the light of Jesus into the darkness and division of our world.

Grace and Peace,
Pastors of Bryan and College Station

Unity in the Church With Guest Blake Coffee

I was so happy to have Blake Coffee from Christian Unity Ministries on with us last week for our Pastor’s Round-Table discussion.

If you were not able to join us, I urge you to watch this video. What Blake had to share was so on-point and so needed in our cultural moment.

May we all be guided by God to have the discernment to share the right words to build one another up despite this divisive age we find ourselves in.

Resources mentioned:

• Christian Unity Ministries: https://www.christianunityministries.org/

• 5 Principles of Unity a 6-week small group study.
We have plenty of copies available at the CBBA office, if you’re interested, email us to arrange a pick up.

• Oneanotherproject.com: FREE web-based small group tool

Dr. Mark Faries on Infection Control for Churches

Dr. Mark Faries from Texas A&M, who has been part of the State of Texas Coronavirus task force, met with CBBA Pastors and Leaders to talk about infection control for churches, child care centers, food pantries, and more. 

Here is the recording of that meeting:

Download the PDF Considerations for COVID-19 Infection Control in Churches HERE.

See more from Dr. Mark Faries at theologyinhealth.org

Mastering Uncertainty

I was always told it is wise to get a second opinion before making major medical decisions. The reason is simple and common sense: our bodies are complicated and no medical professional has the market cornered on how to treat any disease or medical problem. 

When I try to learn more about this coronavirus pandemic, I run into news feeds, facebook pages, and twitter streams that are not just filled with second opinions, but third, fourth, fifth and countless more opinions. And the opinions are not merely about the virus, but about every aspect of our lives that have been touched by the crisis.

All of a sudden our nation is filled with countless experts on infectious disease, constitutional law, government, and economics. The flood of information and competing opinions are endless and it can leave us feeling very uncertain about the future and how to approach it. 

"Uncertain" is the right word. The truth is that there is a lot we still don't know about the virus and there is a lot that we just can't predict about the future. This is where worldview is important. Uncertainty can drive us in one of two directions depending on our worldview: fear or faith. 

Having a Biblical worldview doesn't mean that uncertainty vanishes. But it does mean that uncertainty doesn't control us. The Bible is filled with men and women and nations who faced uncertain futures, and those who looked to God were able to find rest amidst the uncertainty. 

I was reminded of this truth as I read Isaiah 7 this morning. Isaiah is prophesying to King Ahaz of Judah and in doing so is trying to get him to trust God in the mids of an uncertain future. The Assyrians and the Northern Tribes of Israel were threatening war and causing all the people of Jerusalem to literally shake in fear, but God spoke to King Ahaz in Isaiah 7:4 saying this: 

"Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint." 

Be careful means to be watchful, be on guard, and pay attention. Church leaders, it is our responsibility to stay informed and pay attention to all that is happening around us. Your church needs you to be aware of all that is happening and to be developing well-informed plans and strategies for your church's future

But we must also be quiet. This means we must be calm and collected, demonstrating that we have complete faith and rest in the providence of God. 

If that is true then we will not fear. This word fear oftentimes is used in the Scriptures to refer to the awe we should have of our God. The fact is if we fear God first, our fear of man and of our circumstances will fade.

Finally, we are to not let our hearts faint. This simply means that like a soldier heading into battle, we are to move forward with confidence and not draw back. We are not to be timid and fearful. 

I recently read an article about a journalist from a major TV network curling up in a ball in the corner of his house because he was so fearful of all that was happening. As I read that I felt sad, for I knew that this man's secular worldview offered him no hope, no escape from fear. 

But friends, we do have a worldview that offers us escape and hope because serve a God who rules over this coronavirus, and over our nation, and over our economy and most importantly, over His church. 

So pastors and church leaders, don't let the very real uncertainly about this pandemic paralyze you. Instead, show yourselves to be different from the world by leading your churches forward being careful, being quiet, not fearing, and not fainting in the midst of uncertain days.  

I am here to pray for you and help in any way that I can. 

Restful in Christ,
Steve

————————————————

More Helpful Resources for These Uncertain Days: 

Here is a very extensive list of help and resources from the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders (SBCAL). 

This is a good article about church unity in the midst of this crisis. I hope our churches can model a different behavior than what is seen in our fragmented culture. 

Here are some counseling videos from CCEF that I think can be helpful during this season. 

9Marks has produced an excellent page with some very good interviews and resources. 

Finally, here's some food for thought about measuring church health after this crisis. 

————————————————

IMPORTANT UPDATES

Governor Abbot has released guidelines for Phase Two of the plan to reopen Texas. You can download that executive order here or click here to read from the Governor's official page. 

Child-care facilities are included in the Governor's latest reopening guidelines and since some of our church do have child-care facilities below you will find links with official documents to help you reopen safely.

• Check-list for Child-care Centers

• Check-list for families whose children are in Child-care centers

Regathering Plans And Things To Consider

Here are some articles you may find helpful as you plan and prepare to regather as a church:

BGCT: Solutions for Reopening Your Church Facility

SBTC: Strategy Options for Regathering the Church

24 Questions Your Church Should Answer Before People Return: Part 1, Part 2

——————————————

You may also be interested in learning from or about the plans of other churches:

Anderson Baptist: Update from Brother Kyle

Believers Fellowship: Re-entry Plan

First Baptist Burleson: Restart Plan

FBC College Station: Video from Pastor Troy | Comprehensive Plan

FBC Hillsboro: Phased Re-Opening Plan

FBC Madisonville: First Sunday Back | 15-day Devotional | Three-month Plan

FBC North Zulch: Video from Pastor Chip

Henderson Street Baptist: 10 Commandments to Reopen Church

Living Hope Bryan: Video Update from Deacons

Southern Oaks: Regathering Plan

——————————————

Looking for more assistance before finalizing a plan?

Friday, May 8th Church Answers is hosting a FREE Seminar called 14 Major Preparations You Must Make Before Returning to Your Church Facility. You can register to attend HERE.

——————————————

Resources for planning beyond Sunday morning gatherings:

VBS and COVID-19

John Piper’s book Coronavirus and Christ

CBBA April Quarterly Gathering

This quarter, our Director of Missions, Steve Doyle unveiled our new Church Health Cycle and shared how churches partnering together will make it possible.

Download a PDF of the Church Health Cycle

Watch the Quarterly Gathering now:

Our Director of Missions, Steve Doyle, unveiled our new Church Health Cycle and shared how churches partnering together will make it possible.

The Bride is Being Strengthened and Purified

I have used my bike more in the last three weeks than I have in the previous three years. One of the upsides of being stuck at home is that my family and I have been doing more walking and more riding through our neighborhood. I’ve also noticed how much more people are waving at each other now. Every time I ride by a house where there is someone in the front yard or sitting on their porch I get a wave or a “howdy.” I’ve even been getting to know people in my community whom I’m never gotten to know before. In some ways, this virus has made us more human. The irony is that it took social-distancing to make us more social. It’s amazing how God uses trials to push us to be who we were created to be. I think He is doing the same thing to the church at large. 

By this point in the virus crisis, I was expecting more churches to be struggling and pastors to be disappointed. Instead, I’ve heard pastors tell stories of how genuinely blessed they are by how their churches have been able to creatively overcome the COVID-19 hurdles. I’ve heard stories of God orchestrating unique blessings out of the challenges, and I’ve even heard stories of how God has used online worship services and sermons to reach people who would never think about entering a church building. It seems that by not being allowed to gather, our gospel witness is actually spreading more effectively. We are a digital diaspora if you will. 

It is, of course, God’s desire for His people to gather physically to worship Him. Hebrews 10:25 and the implications of several other passages make that abundantly clear. Therefore, I do not think that from now on churches will solely worship digitally. But it is interesting to see how God uses a crisis to advance the gospel. I am reminded of the beginning of the Book of Acts. It took 8:1 to make 1:8 happen. What do I mean? If you recall, the apostles were clearly given the mandate in Acts 1:8 to take the gospel unto the ends of the earth. But the church had largely ignored that mandate until persecution broke out following the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 8:1). It was a severe trial that assisted the church in getting the gospel out of Jerusalem. 

Despite some heavy-handed governors, we are not experiencing persecution, but we are facing a trial unlike any we’ve faced in our lifetime. I believe that God is using this trial to force some of our churches to think creatively and missionally in ways they never have before. Churches who in the past have refused to embrace technology are being forced to rethink their approach. Churches who have failed to creatively reach into their communities are now finding the doors wide open. Opportunities for gospel advancement are there if we will ask God to give us vision and wisdom to recognize them. 

I see other ways that the church is being inadvertently blessed by this coronavirus pandemic. For example, the importance of Sunday morning worship hasn’t been diminished by a month of not being able to gather, instead, it has been magnified. As Christians tire of driving-in or logging-on they are seeing anew the importance and value of the Sunday gathering. Similarly, the pricelessness of the preached Word, the significance of the Lord’s Supper, the need for fellowship, and the joy of singing together have all likewise been underscored by this crisis. Another unexpected blessing is to see long-neglected intergenerational ministries is now taking shape in many churches as younger members reach out to serve their elderly brothers and sisters who are more vulnerable to this disease. Finally, as highlighted by this great article, this crisis may be the death knell for consumer Christianity. Let’s hope so. 

Church history has shown that the church may stumble and struggle through global crises but it never has to fear. Never! For, God is not merely sustaining her through the trials, He’s actually strengthening her and purifying her for her Bridegoom’s return.