70,000 square feet of Family Life Center or 80lbs of Dung?

What is your idea of a local church and it’s purpose?

This question brings many different answers and opinions in our day and age. For example:

Many people view local churches as community centers

a.     Beautiful buildings for weddings, etc. even if you are not a member of that church or denomination

b.     They are used for voting centers and community gathering points

c.      Gyms or other activity focused centers

But is this idea of a local church valid according to Scripture? The answer has to be no because the church is never pictured as a facility or building, but rather as the called out ones of God.

This idea of church as a facility or community center has in effect been a hindrance to the gospel. Let me read to you the statement from one large church about their family life center:

“The Family Life Center is a 70,000 square foot facility that offers a wide variety of amenities to suit your fitness needs. Complimentary exercise orientations are offered to every new member of the Family Life Center. Visitors are always welcome to come by for a tour of the facility.”

This facility contains a full gymnasium, weight rooms, racquetball courts, game rooms, tennis courts and a pool.

I am seeing more and more of this in our society and I think that it makes sense for us to consider the effects. As a pastor I am really struggling with this. While one group of saints struggles to keep their local church doors open another local church is building a 70,000 square foot athletic facility.

Let me contrast this with a blog written by Dr. Barry Carpenter:

80 pounds...of dung. Reflections on Missions at 2:30 AM

My son and I bought luggage today. We will carry 4 checked bags and 2 carry-on bags to the Philippines. I spread the bags out on the living room floor and began to think about what is essential for the next year or 2 of our lives. Two of the bags will carry ministry essentials and things we will give away. That will leave each of us one checked bag and one carry on- roughly 80 pounds each. If I could reduce the fruit of all my labors in life down to 80 pounds, what would I keep? What do we need?

On Saturday I will take everything I own and put it in my front yard with a "for sale" on it. I realized even if I sold everything we own it will not be enough to support us or pay for our relocation. We currently have only about 20% of what we need to relocate and to live on. This is really shocking to me as we are asking for one-third to one-half of what most missionaries live on and a great deal less than the average American lives on. And almost half the money is not even for us but for the support of the ministry.

At least once or twice a week someone will ask me "What if you don't get enough support money? What will you do?" I used to answer "I don't know. We are still praying." But now I know. Now I answer "We will suffer even more." I do not say this with piety or nobility. It is not said with a "stiff upper lip" nor with my chest poked out. Rather, I hang my head and whisper "We will suffer. The ministry will be hindered and the message of the Gospel will be restrained and we will suffer." The reality is sinking in.

People also ask me "Is it safe where you going?" This is hard for me to answer. On the island on which we will live and minister it is not safe. To the west are the Muslim separatists. They have closed four house churches last year by killing the pastors and lay leaders. To north are Maoist rebels who recently raided the Del Monte plantation and killed people. Hundreds of people die on the island every year from typhoons, hurricanes and mudslides. Robbery, murder, tribal warfare, disease…No it is not a "safe" place to be.

I have been awake since 2:30 am this morning thinking on these things. Is it wise to take my son there? What will I do when we come back and we will have nothing? How will we survive on such a small amount? What if we are killed? What if I lose my son? Should I even go if I cannot fulfill all the plans we had for ministry? You see I am not a brave man nor a man of great faith. I am just a little, foolish and fearful man. God what should we do?

I thought of the words of Peter and Christ's response from Matthew 19. "Then Peter said to Him, Behold we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us? And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you. that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne. you shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life."

I have never seen this passage so clearly before. Who would trade the paltry trinkets of this world for the throne of glory and eternal life? Oh, how foolish! Christ tells us to count the cost of the cross. Those who seek to save their lives will lose it and those who lose their lives for His sake will have life eternal. Oh the joy to say with Paul "I count it all dung for the sake of the cross of Christ."

Please do not pity me and my son. We are not worthy of your pity. Pity the poor church in America and those who fill her air conditioned walls and sit on padded pews under the illusion of safety. I feel sorry for those who have CDs, escrow accounts, and tens of thousands of dollars in the bank - so fearful to let go of it that they may never get it back. Have they not read the story of the man who hide his talent in the ground? I pity them. I am so sorry for those who will never know one instant in their lives in which they were fully satisfied in Christ alone. Oh, rapturous joy to know Him and be satisfied in Him! Oh how humbling to be offered the chance to risk all- knowing that all is really nothing! Great piles of earthly dung! HA!

            "Let goods and kindred go- this mortal life also"- for it is NOTHING in the joyous light of the One who hung upon the cross for me! Hallelujah! 

What a brilliant outlook, forsaking everything in order to be obedient and follow the Lord.

There is a growing issue in the American church culture that proclaims aesthetics over humility and that building size is an indicator of success.

To give you an idea here are a few recent examples: -- 

I once had a woman come to me and say that if "we wanted more people to come to our church then the flower beds needed to be kept up better." Is this true? Have we come to the point in America Christianity where church attendance is dictated by how well the lawn is manicured and not by the gospel that is preached inside?

Over the years we have had several families leave our congregation for similar reasons. In each case the members left because another church had a better children's ministry or youth ministry. Never did they indicate that they were not being fed spiritually, their sole purpose in leaving was driven children's entertainment and events.

A couple of years ago I was attending a conference at a local mega-church and I walked away being greatly grieved and distressed. The foyer was elaborate and the furniture in that room alone probably exceeded our annual church budget by one hundred times. The silk flower decorations probably cost as much as we take in annually. 

This is a struggle for me... how can the local church validate spending millions of dollars on facilities while gospel preaching goes unfunded? Why will a local church take on years of debt in order to build the nicest facility in the area?   

 

Monergism vs. Synergism

Fascinating article by John Hendyrx from Monergism.com

The following chart highlights some of the major points of difference in these systems:

Synergism	Monergism
Cause of Regeneration
Regeneration is the work of Christ plus the good will of unspiritual man. What makes men to differ from one another is not the grace of Jesus alone, but Jesus plus the good will of unspiritual man.	Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit alone applying the the effectual crosswork of Christ to the unspiritual man. What makes men to differ is Jesus Christ alone.
Faith is the cause that triggers regeneration	Regeneration has causal priority to faith (Just as a person must have eyes before they see and ears prior to their ability to hear, so one must first have a new heart in order to understand spiritual truth)
Faith and affections for God are produced by the old nature.	Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature. It is the immediate and inevitable product of the new nature. The new heart (by nature) loves Christ.
God and Man work together to produce the new birth. God's grace takes us part of the way to salvation, man's unregenerate will must determine the final outcome. In other words belief in Christ gives rise to the new birth.	God, the Holy Spirit, alone produces regeneration with no contribution from the sinner (A work of God). The new birth is never spoke of in the imperative (not commanded), rather man must be born again by God.
God is eagerly awaiting the sinner's will.	God effectually enables the sinner's will.
The persons of the Trinity have conflicting goals in accomplishing and applying salvation: The Father elects a particular people; The Son dies for a general people and the Holy Spirit applies the atonement conditionally on those who exercize their autonomous libertarian free will.	The persons of the Trinity work in harmony - The Father elects a particular people (Eph 1:3-5), Christ dies for those the Father has given Him (John 17:9, 15; Rev 5:9) and the Holy Spirit likewise applies the benefits of the atonement to the same. (Regeneration is one of the redemptive benefits of Christ's work)
Restoration of spiritual faculties comes after the man without the Spirit exercizes faith with his natural (innate) capacities. Has the ability to see spiritual truth even before healed. (see 1 Cor 2:14). Has spiritual capacity/desire to receive the truth, prior God's granting any spiritual ability.	"Light" itself is not enough for a blind man to see, his vision must first be restored. (John 3:3,6). Needs spiritual ability to receive truth prior to receiving it (1 Cor 2:12; John 6:63-65 & 37).
View of Humanity
The fallen sinner has the ability and potential inclination to believe even prior to the new birth	The fallen sinner has no understanding, moral ability or inclination to believe prior to the new birth. (1 Cor 2:14).
There is enough good left in fallen man to turn his affections toward Christ.	Fallen Man has a mind at enmity with God; loves darkness, hates the light and does not have the Holy Spirit. "There is no one who seeks God" (Rom 3:11); Sinner would never turn to God without divine enablement and new affections.
Sinner needs help, is spiritually handicapped.	Spiritually dead sinner needs new nature (mind, heart, will), regeneration.
Natural man is sick and disabled like a drowning man so God would be uncaring if He didn't help by casting a rope.	Natural man is spiritually impotent and morally culpable for sin. Our moral inability is not like a physical handicap or a drowning man for which we would not be culpable but, rather, it is like a man who cannot repay a squandered financial debt. Inability to repay, therefore, does not relieve us of the moral responsibility to do so. God, in His mercy, does not merely throw us a rope, He dives in to make certain we do not drown.
Needs salvation from the consequences of sin - unhappiness, hell, psychological pain.	Needs salvation to remove the offense we've made against a holy God and from the power and bondage of sin.
The natural man is sovereign over his choice to accept or reject Christ - God conditionally responds to our decision. God's love for the sinner is, therefore, conditional.	The natural man can contribute nothing towards his salvation. Faith is a response rendered certain following the efficacious work of the Holy Spirit. We respond to God's unconditional love. (Acts 13:48; John 6:37)
Those fallen men who are saved, either created a right thought, generated a right affection, or originated a right volition that led to their salvation while some others did not have the natural wherewithal to come up with the faith that God required of them to obtain salvation. Therefore salvation is dependent on some virtue or capacity God sees in certain men. Not Jesus alone, but Jesus PLUS...	No Fallen man will create a right thought, generate a right affection, or originate a right volition that will lead to his salvation. We would never believe unless the Holy Spirit came in and disarmed our hostility to God. Therefore salvation is dependent on God's good pleasure alone (Eph 1:4, 5, 11), not some virtue or goodwill He sees in us.
Man's nature & affections do not determine or give rise to their choices. Even without the Holy Spirit working change in his heart, the sinner can still make a saving decision to believe the gospel. In this scheme God gives enough grace to place man in a neutral position which can swing either for or against Jesus. (An act of chance?)	Man's nature determines his desires/affections and give rise to the choices he makes. Jesus bears witness to this: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit." Luke 6:43 Only Christ can "make a tree good and its fruit will be good." (Also see John 8:34, 42-44; 2 Pet. 2:19).
View of the Gospel
The Gospel is an invitation	The Gospel is not merely an invitation, but a command (1 John 3:23)
Christ died for all our sins except unbelief	Christ died for all our sins including unbelief
Sinners have the key in their hands. Man's will determines whether or not Christ's death is efficacious.	God has the key in his hand. God's eternal counsel determines to whom the benefits of the atonement apply.
It would be unjust of God to not give everyone an equal chance.	If God exercized His justice then none of us would stand, since each of us is in active rebellion against an infinitely holy God. He owes us nothing and is under no obligation to save any person. Regeneration is, therefore, an act of pure, undeserved mercy because the justice we deserved, He poured out on His Son (thereby turning His wrath away from us).
After God makes one's heart of stone into a heart of flesh the Holy Spirit's call to salvation can still be resisted.	After God makes one's heart of stone into a heart of flesh, no person wants to resist. By definition our desires, inclinations and affections have changed so we willingly and joyfully turn in faith toward Christ.
Salvation is given to fallen sinners (unregenerate) who choose and desire Christ of their free will.	Apart from grace, there is no fallen sinner (unregenerate) who fits that description. A desire for God is not part of the old nature.
The grace of God is conferred as a result of human prayer	It is grace itself which makes us pray to God (Rom 10:20; Isa. 65:1)
God has mercy upon us when we believe, will, desire, strive, labor, pray, watch, study, seek, ask, or knock, apart from his regenerative grace.	To desire and seek God prior to the new birth is an impossible supposition. (Rom 3:11; 1 Cor 2:14) It is the infusion and quickening of the Holy Spirit within us that we even have the faith or the strength to will, desire, strive, labor, pray, watch, study, seek, ask, or knock and believe in the finished work of Christ.
Commands to repent and believe the gospel imply the ability of the sinner to do so.	The Command toward sinners to repent and believe does not imply ability. Divine intent of the Law, according to Scripture, is to reveal our moral impotence apart from grace (Rom 3:20, 5:20, Gal 3:19,24). The Law was not designed to confer any power but to strip us of our own.
God helps those who help themselves.	God only helps those who cannot help themselves. (John 9:41)
Unregenerate man contributes his little bit.	Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling.
Repentance is considered a work of man.	Repentance is a gift of God. (2 Tim 2:25)
One of the greatest gifts God gives humans is to never interfere with their free will.	The greatest judgment which God can inflict upon a man is to leave him in the hands of his own free-will. If salvation were left in the hands of the unregenerate sinners, we would indeed despair of all hope that anyone would be saved. It is an act of mercy, therefore, that God awakens the dead in sin to life since those without the Spirit cannot understand the things of God at all. (1 Cor 2:14)
With Man's will salvation is possible.	With man's will salvation (repentance and faith) is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Matt 19:26; Rom 9:16; John 6:64,65) "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." John 3:6

Buckingham Palace and Bethlehem

I find it interesting that, at the very start of Advent, we learned of a pregnancy in the royal family. Prince William and his wife, Kate, are expecting. This is a big deal. This child, male or female, will be third in line at birth to sit on the throne as King, or Queen, of England. This is a very important birth indeed.

While times have changed and certain royal customs have faded, there is no doubting the anticipation that will build as the birth of this royal child draws near. It use to be a custom that a child being born into the royal family be born in the palace, but that changed with Princess Diana and the birth of her first son, William, the expectant father to be in this case. The child will still be born in a private hospital under the care of the finest physicians available. Much speculation will be made as to the sex of the child and what the name will be and what a joyous time it will be for the country at the time of his/her birth. One custom in the past is that a 41 gun salute be given at the birth of a royal child. It is unknown if that will happen this time. Traditionally (before the social media era began), the birth announcement was posted on the gate of the palace. That will probably be unnecessary this time. The fact remains, that the excitement surrounding the birth of this child will only grow as the time draws near.

And here we are. Against the backdrop of such a unique birth, we turn the pages of Scripture to Luke 2. There we find a humble birth to a poor family. No distinguished team of physicians. No private hospital room fit for a royal child. What we are told is that there was no room for the family to stay in the Inn. When born, the child was laid in what is normally a feeding trough for animals. There was quite an announcement, though. But it was not made to the King, or Queen, or anyone close. It was made to a group of shepherds. Not quite the upper echelon of society. They called the child Jesus. Not because of a grand-father or uncle, but because He would be the Savior of the world. No, this was no ordinary birth. This was God taking on human flesh. This was the birth of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. He did not take His place in line to sit on the throne, the throne is His and His kingdom is eternal.

So, it is the season we call Advent. It is to be a time of waiting and preparation and even reflection. I encourage you to meditate on what this birth was all about over 2000 years ago. Then, meditate on what the return of this King will mean. Merry Christmas.

Below is a hymn by Charles Wesley, entitled, “To Us a Child of Royal Birth”

To us a Child of royal birth, heir of the promises, is given;
the invisible appears on earth, the Son of Man, the God of heaven.

A Savior born, in love supreme he comes our fallen souls to raise;
he comes his people to redeem with all the fullness of his grace.

The Christ, by raptured seers foretold, filled with the eternal Spirit's power,
Prophet and Priest and King behold, and Lord of all the worlds adore.

The Lord of hosts, the God most high, who quits his throne on earth to live,
with joy we welcome from the sky, with faith into our hearts receive.

Playa Maria and Saladero

I traveled several hours yesterday to the remote villages of Saladero and Playa Maria and once again it was a great blessing. The Lord's church there is growing and has more members than my first visit nearly two years ago.

What is it that drives a man to carry a handicapped woman for nearly a mile to hear the Bible preached? What causes a drunkard to lay down his machete and stop his violent nature? What causes a woman to reject the idols she has grown up worshiping her entire life? What cause a child who has been raped to be at peace with her life? The answer to all of these and much more is simply the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the power of the gospel the Lord is saving and changing lives in southern Mexico and all over the world.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Preaching at the funeral of a lost person

On several occasions I have been asked to preach at a funeral or memorial service of someone whose salvation was in question or unknown. In most of those cases my personal observation would lead me to believe that the person was not in Christ. There was no talk of the Lord, no reliance upon Christ, no love for His word, and no fellowship with His people. In short, there was no fruit. And despite the absence of a Christian walk, in most cases, the family was always adamant that the person was saved and is now in heaven with Christ.


Several friends have asked me, "What do you say at the funeral of someone who you think is lost?" My answer is, and will likely always be the same, "I preach Christ and Him crucified." While I do reflect on the positive remembrances of the deceased and strive to provide comfort for the family, I never try and cloud the fact that salvation is found in Christ and in Christ alone. 


In the most recent occurrence I was lead to preach, "What Does it Mean to Believe Upon Christ". I started by asking how many believed in Christ (quoting John 3:16) and from what I could see every person in the chapel was agreeing that they did. Then I challenged their belief and asked what separated their belief form that of the demons. I urged the hearers to reflect on John 3:3 and that a true believer must be born again according to the Spirit and not the flesh.


Urging them to plead with Christ I explained that true believers must come to grips with the depth of their wickedness and depravity. The problem for most people is that they do not see mankind as evil. Most people think that since man is capable of doing “good” deeds that deep down man is OK. But this is where mankind is blind to the truth. Man is sinful and must come to Christ alone for salvation or else perish. It isn't until you understand your sinful state that you recognize you must cry out to Jesus.

 

In closing I told the audience that true believers hear and obey Christ. The true believer hears Christ because they have a love for His word. The true believer also follows Christ’s teachings and trusts fully in His work on the cross.

The gospel is for all to hear – we preach Christ crucified to all nation, to every man, woman, boy and girl, because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There are none righteous and apart from Christ all will perish in an eternal hell. And yet although the gospel is for all to hear not all will receive this word. Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:24-28)

In regards to eternal life the gospel is very selective. Only those who Christ knows will be saved, only those who follow Him will be saved, only those who have been given eternal life will be saved.

Yet many, and most, will claim to believe but have no understanding of the word.

Matthew 7:21-23 ESV - “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Easy believism will get you nowhere. Just saying that you believe that Jesus is God’s Son makes you no different than the demons.

Acts 16:30-31 ESV - Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

This belief involves the hand of God changing your life and what used to be a love for sin becomes a hatred for sin. You must repent of your sins and put your trust in the work of Christ.

If your belief is no different than that of the demons than I plead with you today to repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 ESV - For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Who among you today will claim to believe but have not been born again? Who among you today will claim to believe but don’t see mankind as evil? Who among you today claim to believe but have no desire for the Word of God and do not follow Christ?

This was my plea to the gathering that the Lord had appointed that day. I pray for grace and comfort for the family and I pray that the Lord might grant ears of faith to the lost. The truth of God should never be void of grace. Always show grace to the family, pray for grace for the family, and proclaim grace to the family.

33 Words that are greater than 40

Simply phenomenal...

A New Message?

I heard some guys talking today about the recent tornadoes and the damage and loss of life they have caused, a few weeks back throughout the south and most recently through Missouri. No one can deny how devastating weather has been this year. But a comment by one of them made me think. He said "Somebody's trying to tell us something". The implication is that God is trying to warn mankind about impending doom. I have heard that a lot. But is He really?

Hebrews 1:2 tells us that in these last days God has spoken to us by His Son. What that means is that God has made His message clear. If it wasn't clear when He spoke through the prophets (Heb. 1:1), it is clear now, because He has spoken by His Son, Jesus Christ. There is nothing else to say.

It is also worth mentioning that Christ spoke on this subject. In Luke 21:11, Jesus says:

There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

These things, He says, will happen as the end approaches. So, now that we see terrible events such as tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. that leave a trail of death and destruction in their unforgiving paths, we shouldn't think that God is all of the sudden trying to tell us something.

These events are tragic, but I don't think it is God clearing His throat as if to wake us up. That's why Christ came. That's why His words are final. But, I could be wrong.