Pick Up the Book

Last night the first debate was held with candidates from the Republican Party for the 2016 presidential primaries. I did my best to not watch it, but ended up seeing the last hour before my bride and I settled down to watch “Alone” on the History Channel. She had an idea I appreciated: drop the candidates alone into the woods, and make them film themselves trying to survive. I might actually pay to watch that.

Anyway, I’ve been working on my contribution to our upcoming 3^rd annual Southwest Bible Conference. Our theme this year is “the Sufficiency of Scripture.” The last question of last night’s debate was germane for our conference. One candidate gave a great answer. I won’t tell you who he was because I’m not interested in endorsing any candidate, but I’ll tell you he’s a fellow Southern Baptist and he’s not Mike Huckabee (even if you figure out who he is I’m still not endorsing him). When asked, “I want to know if any of them have received a word from God,” this candidate answered: “Well, I am blessed to receive a word from God every day in receiving the Scriptures and reading the Scriptures. And God speaks through the Bible.”

This was the most interesting part of a debate I really didn’t want to watch (I agree with a friend that these things start seeming like Saturday Night Live skits pretty quickly).

My immediate thought was, “I wish most other Southern Baptists could give an answer that spiritually mature and theologically accurate.”

Ah, beloved. Pick up the Book. Read by faith that the Author (God the Holy Spirit, 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21) is present in you as a believer in the risen and glorified Jesus Christ (John 7:39; Acts 2:38). On every page He will teach you of that same Christ Who is your only Savior and Lord (Luke 24:44-49; John 5:39) to the glory of the Father. Even better – get together with some other believers and pick up the Book together. You don’t need impressions, special words, leadings, mystical guidance, curious feelings, horoscopes, inspiring psycho-babble from self-help life-coaches masquerading as preachers on the television or internet or bumper stickers, dreams, movements in your gut or heart or wherever, songs on the radio, faces on tortillas or toast, signs in the heavens or on the earth, advice from friends or celebrities, or anything else to hear from God.

Pick up the Book. This is how He speaks to His people.

Re-Posting on Rest

I wrote this post on the church's blog earlier this year and had it on my mind this morning - it compares the de-volution of Southern Baptists' confession about the holiness of the Lord's Day over the last century.

I'm reading Walt Chantry's great work Today's Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic, and came across this comment on the evangelistic preaching of the Law of God:

"The present moment of history finds more ignorance of God's Law than in many previous generations. The pulpit ignores Exodus 20. Even church members despise the fourth command, 'Remember the Sabbath day.' How can the world feel guilty in the neglect of worship?" (pg. 29).

"The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8//Mark 2:28//Luke 6:5). In addition to being a clear statement of Jesus' self-identification as God Himself, the Lord's confession ought to make His followers take the Sabbath seriously. While the Sabbath command is part of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11//Deuteronomy 5:12-15), it is even more fundamentally a Creation ordinance (Genesis 2:1-3). The mandate of Sabbath is, in a sense, the meeting point of general revelation (how God reveals Himself through Creation - Romans 1:20) and special revelation (the Bible). We would do well not to live dismissively of this idea!

Have you considered the Sabbath? Have you searched the Word to see how we are called to live this command out in light of the new covenant in Jesus Christ? If the old covenant shadow was taken very seriously, how much more reverently should we regard the day that now marks the beginning of our eternal peace and rest because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the firstfruits of all those who will follow Him by faith (Acts 26:23; 1 Corinthians 15:20,23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:5)? How do you hallow the new covenant Sabbath in your life?

A Southern Baptist Considers Memorial Day

“God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.”

- Baptist Faith & Message 2000, XVII

Memorial Day. Recognize that “a free church in a free state” is an ideal that is not free of cost, and remember those who gave themselves to defend this ideal with their lives, to the benefit of the Church here and in many other places around the world.

This principle is codified in the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
- 1^st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America