I plan to preach on this subject on Sunday, September 28th at morning worship.
Scriptures: John 7:1-31; Hebrews 6:1-11 (the Question is in John 7:19)
Do you think that "American Idol" and the current craze with celebrity is a new thing? Guess again! Jesus' own brothers urged Him to go to the big city, and "do his thing" (miracles) there, so that He could get public acclaim. But Jesus wasn't interested (think about it...He had myriads of angels to sing His praises). Instead, He went secretly to the Jewish feast in Jerusalem.
Maybe He went secretly so He could hear what people were saying. They certainly were talking. Some said He was "a good man." That's still a popular opinion today, except that the world today says He was just a good man. Others in His day thought He was a deceiver. Isn't that just like Satan? His usual tactic is to call evil good and good evil. Think about that when you encounter our culture's advertising, pop culture, (im)moral attitudes, and thinking habits.
In the middle of the feast, Jesus moved suddenly from the shadows to center stage. He boldly began to teach in the Temple, confounding the religious establishment, because He had not received their training. Of course, His teaching comes straight from the Father, but they don't get it. "Didn't Moses give you the law?" He asks. "Yet none of you keeps the law!" And He sees straight into their murderous hearts, "Why do you want to kill Me?"
[timeout] This reminds me of the inflammatory rhetoric employed in some of our US elections. It's always easier to silence your opponents than answer their legitimate criticisms. And people get emotional, quit thinking logically (or at all!) and just want to crush the 'enemy.' (Case in point: MoveOn's unreasoning blind hatred of George W. Bush). [time in]
The crowd asks, "Who wants to kill You?" with the accusation that Jesus has a demon. (Remember that this is the 'unforgivable sin'--attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.) Jesus defends the healing on the Sabbath by appeal to the law of Moses, which prescribes that the work of circumcision must go on, even on the Sabbath.
"Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment." How needed is this command? Very, I'd say. People judge according to outward appearances all the time--then are surprised when the respected pastor has a moral lapse, or the admired athlete was taking steroids, or the "goody-goody" actress suddenly loses her moral compass. All these come about because something went wrong first on the inside of the person's heart.
The result of all this was a tremendous turmoil centered around whether or not Jesus was the Messiah.
It's interesting to compare Jesus' question, "Why do you want to kill Me?" with the scripture passage in the early part of Hebrews 6. Those who abandon the faith (truly, they never had the real thing) crucify Jesus again.
That raises the question: Do unregenerate "members" in churches today do anything different? By the lives they live (claiming to be Christian, but living according to their own lusts, wants, etc) they are destroying the very bride of Christ. And that breaks Jesus' heart!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Voting issues
It's never proper under our system of government for churches to tell their members how to vote.
But at the same time it is imperative that we Christians study the issues and vote according to our Christian convictions.
A friend sent me this to show what Catholics have done to encourage their 67 million people on election day. As my friend said, "They don't tell them how to vote but they sure do get their message across."
Paste this into your browser: http://www.catholicvote.com/ (you may be able to click on the link)
Also I'd suggest you visit the website of our own Ethics and Religious Libert Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and scroll down on the 'topics' page to "Citizenship."
Here's the site to paste: http://erlc.com/topics/ (or click the link if you can.)
Friday, September 19, 2008
Questions Jesus Raised: "Does this offend you?"
[Note: this post corresponds to the sermon for Sunday morning, September 21, 2008]
One of Jesus' greatest miracles was the feeding of the 5,000. Yet it led to a crisis in His ministry, after which many of His former disciples deserted Him. How could this be?
First, a little background. John's gospel, chapter 6 describes crowds following Jesus due to His healing ministry. They even followed Him into a desolate place when He was trying to get away for some rest and spiritual recovery time. (A later sermon will deal with His question to Phillip about where they would get food to feed the people). Jesus miraculously feeds the 5,000 people.
Overnight, He sends the disciples back across the sea of Galilee, and goes to pray. During the night, a storm arises, and He comes to the disciples, walking on the sea.
Next day, the crowd starts looking for Jesus, but can't find him. They crowd onto boats and follow across the sea. Surprised to find Jesus there, they ask, "When did you get here?" Notice that Jesus doesn't really answer them. God has no obligation to answer our questions!
Instead, Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter. The crowd is simply hungry for another free meal.
Today, many people still "seek Jesus" for worldly reasons, just like the crowd looking for a handout. But Christ is interested in us not just for the moment, but for eternity. He wants a relationship with us in which He becomes our entire sustenance...food and water for all of life.
The crowd has a typical response: Prove it to us. What sign will you give us? They referred to the miracles of Moses, the great lawgiver, but didn't perceive that one greater than Moses was in their midst.
When Jesus used the parable of Bread coming from heaven, they were offended. The Creator of the universe stood before them, and all they could see was a poor carpenter's son! But the people murmured against Jesus' teaching...which led to the question: DOES THIS OFFEND YOU?
Many things about true Christianity will offend those who want to live "according to the flesh." What does that mean? It's not just indulging in "worldly pleasures." A self-righteous person who doesn't "smoke, drink, cuss, or chew, nor go out with women that do" might still be living as much in the flesh as the most notorious public sinner. How? By basing his or her life on "what I want" instead of on "what Jesus wants."
At this point, many of Jesus' "fairweather disciples" desert Him. After all, Jesus is headed toward a cross. Where's the profit in that? It's heartbreaking to hear Him ask his innermost group of disciples, "Will you also leave?"
In a shining declaration of faith, Peter says, "Where would we go? You have the words of life."
But in a warning for all time, Jesus notes that, even within the circle of the 12 is one who, at the last extremity, will desert and betray Christ.
One of Jesus' greatest miracles was the feeding of the 5,000. Yet it led to a crisis in His ministry, after which many of His former disciples deserted Him. How could this be?
First, a little background. John's gospel, chapter 6 describes crowds following Jesus due to His healing ministry. They even followed Him into a desolate place when He was trying to get away for some rest and spiritual recovery time. (A later sermon will deal with His question to Phillip about where they would get food to feed the people). Jesus miraculously feeds the 5,000 people.
Overnight, He sends the disciples back across the sea of Galilee, and goes to pray. During the night, a storm arises, and He comes to the disciples, walking on the sea.
Next day, the crowd starts looking for Jesus, but can't find him. They crowd onto boats and follow across the sea. Surprised to find Jesus there, they ask, "When did you get here?" Notice that Jesus doesn't really answer them. God has no obligation to answer our questions!
Instead, Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter. The crowd is simply hungry for another free meal.
Today, many people still "seek Jesus" for worldly reasons, just like the crowd looking for a handout. But Christ is interested in us not just for the moment, but for eternity. He wants a relationship with us in which He becomes our entire sustenance...food and water for all of life.
The crowd has a typical response: Prove it to us. What sign will you give us? They referred to the miracles of Moses, the great lawgiver, but didn't perceive that one greater than Moses was in their midst.
When Jesus used the parable of Bread coming from heaven, they were offended. The Creator of the universe stood before them, and all they could see was a poor carpenter's son! But the people murmured against Jesus' teaching...which led to the question: DOES THIS OFFEND YOU?
Many things about true Christianity will offend those who want to live "according to the flesh." What does that mean? It's not just indulging in "worldly pleasures." A self-righteous person who doesn't "smoke, drink, cuss, or chew, nor go out with women that do" might still be living as much in the flesh as the most notorious public sinner. How? By basing his or her life on "what I want" instead of on "what Jesus wants."
At this point, many of Jesus' "fairweather disciples" desert Him. After all, Jesus is headed toward a cross. Where's the profit in that? It's heartbreaking to hear Him ask his innermost group of disciples, "Will you also leave?"
In a shining declaration of faith, Peter says, "Where would we go? You have the words of life."
But in a warning for all time, Jesus notes that, even within the circle of the 12 is one who, at the last extremity, will desert and betray Christ.
And now for something completely different & silly!
Ahoy, mateys! It's international talk like a pirate day! (Friday, September 19th) Arrrgh!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
G-daddy!!!
G-daddy is what Brenna, my 29-month-old granddaughter, calls me. It's interesting, since I called my own grandfather "Daddy Jones," and my boys called my Dad "Papaw." When Nathan and Kayla were expecting, and asked me what I wanted to be called by the new grandchild, I had a hard time deciding. I finally settled on resurrecting "Daddy Jones" which hadn't been used since 1956. But of course, grandkids have minds of their own, and Brenna herself chose to call me G-daddy.
I love the way that Brenna usually says her name for me as if it has three exclamation points behind it. It's always good to know that someone's excited to see you, or to talk to you on the phone.
Debbie (very wisely) picked out the name "Nonnie" which is easy for little mouths to form. The only problem was that for awhile, Brenna's pronunciation of "Nonnie" and "Annie" (her Jack Russell terrier) was exactly the same!
Anyway, just wanted to let the church know that she really enjoyed being with us this weekend, and seemed to enjoy church at Morganton.
I didn't know until last night that yesterday was the first time Brenna had stayed in "big church." So thanks, Uncle Matt and Aunt Tasha, for helping with her during the service, and thanks Mrs. Hitt (and Sarah Queen), for doing such a great job with her in Sunday School!
By the way, the photo shows her getting ready to 'explore' my Mom's old library supplies in my office at home.
Feedback, feedback!
Sunday after church, one couple mentioned that they'd followed my advice about reading my "pre-message" post. They'd actually studied the sermon text before coming to church, and both said it made the sermon time a richer experience.
That really made my day, because it let me know that doing the posts is worth it!
If you are reading these blog posts, take some time to reply with a comment. There's a little link at the foot of each and every one that lets you make a comment about what I've written. Making comments not only helps me, but they will be available to help others too.
Thanks, and blessings on all readers.
That really made my day, because it let me know that doing the posts is worth it!
If you are reading these blog posts, take some time to reply with a comment. There's a little link at the foot of each and every one that lets you make a comment about what I've written. Making comments not only helps me, but they will be available to help others too.
Thanks, and blessings on all readers.
Friday, September 12, 2008
"How to Hear a Sermon" from Pastor David Jeremiah
Sometimes things are just too good not to pass on. That's the case with today's e-mail devotional from Pastor David Jeremiah:
Friday, September 12How to Hear a Sermon
"They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" Acts 17:11.
Recommended ReadingPsalm 119:73-80
Mortimer Adler wrote a little volume in 1940 that has since become a classic: How to Read a Book. Many who thought they knew how to read books learned all over again how to skim, analyze, comprehend, dissect, and absorb a book's message.
The same concept can be applied to sermons. Every week, thousands of pastors stand with a Bible in their hands to teach God's Word. But much of their ministry is wasted by careless listening in the pews.
Here's how to hear a sermon:
(1) Pray for your pastor's message and prepare your heart to hear it;
(2) If you know the text in advance, read it;
(3) Sit near the front;
(4) Bring your Bible, and follow along with the Scriptures;
(5) Make notes of the outline, main points, quotes, and illustrations;
(6) Take away at least one truth to apply in a practical way to your life; and
(7) Try to share something from the message with another person as soon as possible.
Of course, we mustn't rely on a once-a-week sermon for all our spiritual nourishment. Let's remember those faithful Bereans who received the Word with readiness and searched the Scriptures daily.
"A love for the Word in the pulpit is bound to produce a love for the Word in the pew"
—Merrill F. Unger
Questions Jesus Raised: "Four months until harvest?"
Sunday I'll be preaching on John 4:1-42. Here are some things to think about from that message:
The Bible says that Jesus "had to go through Samaria." We don't know why this was. Most Jews avoided this route, going far out of their way, down several thousand feet of elevation on the dangerous road to Jericho, crossing Jordan, going up the east bank until opposite Galilee, then recrossing into Jewish territory again. All to avoid people they disliked! Possible reasons Jesus "had" to go through Samaria--
>>>He was in a hurry to get to Galilee and didn't want to take the time for the longer route. I think this unlikely, since He took the time to spend some days at Sychar before going on to Galilee.
>>>He knew supernaturally that he had a 'divine appointment' at Jacob's well. This is certainly a possibility.
>>>He was guided by God's Spirit, and followed the Spirit's leading. To me, this is the most 'useful' interpretation. Seldom do we everyday Christians have spiritual precognition of events toward which God is leading us. But all of us need to be sensitive to the pulling (and sometimes pushing!) of God's Spirit in certain directions.
Notice Jesus was physically tired, and He opened conversation with the woman by asking for a drink. Have you thought about the contrast between His humanity and His sovereignty?
Jon Clore shared with me some thoughts he heard from Pastor Johnny Hunt of Woodstock on buckets of water. Bro. Johnny was talking about having a bucket of hot water, and how if you add just a glassful of lukewarm or cold water, suddently the bucket's water isn't hot anymore. Remember Christ's taste in water? (See Revelation 3:16) Hot or cold is infinitely preferable to lukewarm...and I'm afraid most Christians today are pretty lukewarm.
Ever considered the possibility that the "spring of living water" can be a hot spring?
Sunday one of the things we'll consider together is the question, "What are you doing with your spring?" Some scriptures to look at are Jeremiah 2:13, Judges 10:13, Psalm 36:9, Isaiah 55:2, and Galatians 1:6-7.
In his encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus uses his prophetic insight ("go call your husband"/"you have had 5 husbands, and now are living with someone not your husband"). The woman, like many folks without a personal relationship with God, tries to deflect the conversation into side issues and unsolvable religious disputes, but Jesus reveals Himself as the true object for worship, "I AM."
When the disciples return, they are confused by Jesus' behavior and His lack of hunger. In contrast, the woman now has a certainty...she must share the news about the Messiah she has encountered. But wisely (or more likely, inspired by the Spirit) she simply asks, "Could this be the Messiah?" Witnesses must always allow people to make up their own minds, and come to their own encounter with Christ.
The end of this passage is a wonderful discourse on food and harvests. Jesus asks His disciples, "Don't you say, 'There are still four months, then comes the harvest?'" But He commands, "Open your eyes!" In their day, a harvest of souls was "white unto harvest" right then and there! Is it different in our day?
Matthew 9:36-38 is the prayer we need to pray over our own harvest of souls. "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest."
See you Sunday!
The Bible says that Jesus "had to go through Samaria." We don't know why this was. Most Jews avoided this route, going far out of their way, down several thousand feet of elevation on the dangerous road to Jericho, crossing Jordan, going up the east bank until opposite Galilee, then recrossing into Jewish territory again. All to avoid people they disliked! Possible reasons Jesus "had" to go through Samaria--
>>>He was in a hurry to get to Galilee and didn't want to take the time for the longer route. I think this unlikely, since He took the time to spend some days at Sychar before going on to Galilee.
>>>He knew supernaturally that he had a 'divine appointment' at Jacob's well. This is certainly a possibility.
>>>He was guided by God's Spirit, and followed the Spirit's leading. To me, this is the most 'useful' interpretation. Seldom do we everyday Christians have spiritual precognition of events toward which God is leading us. But all of us need to be sensitive to the pulling (and sometimes pushing!) of God's Spirit in certain directions.
Notice Jesus was physically tired, and He opened conversation with the woman by asking for a drink. Have you thought about the contrast between His humanity and His sovereignty?
Jon Clore shared with me some thoughts he heard from Pastor Johnny Hunt of Woodstock on buckets of water. Bro. Johnny was talking about having a bucket of hot water, and how if you add just a glassful of lukewarm or cold water, suddently the bucket's water isn't hot anymore. Remember Christ's taste in water? (See Revelation 3:16) Hot or cold is infinitely preferable to lukewarm...and I'm afraid most Christians today are pretty lukewarm.
Ever considered the possibility that the "spring of living water" can be a hot spring?
Sunday one of the things we'll consider together is the question, "What are you doing with your spring?" Some scriptures to look at are Jeremiah 2:13, Judges 10:13, Psalm 36:9, Isaiah 55:2, and Galatians 1:6-7.
In his encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus uses his prophetic insight ("go call your husband"/"you have had 5 husbands, and now are living with someone not your husband"). The woman, like many folks without a personal relationship with God, tries to deflect the conversation into side issues and unsolvable religious disputes, but Jesus reveals Himself as the true object for worship, "I AM."
When the disciples return, they are confused by Jesus' behavior and His lack of hunger. In contrast, the woman now has a certainty...she must share the news about the Messiah she has encountered. But wisely (or more likely, inspired by the Spirit) she simply asks, "Could this be the Messiah?" Witnesses must always allow people to make up their own minds, and come to their own encounter with Christ.
The end of this passage is a wonderful discourse on food and harvests. Jesus asks His disciples, "Don't you say, 'There are still four months, then comes the harvest?'" But He commands, "Open your eyes!" In their day, a harvest of souls was "white unto harvest" right then and there! Is it different in our day?
Matthew 9:36-38 is the prayer we need to pray over our own harvest of souls. "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest."
See you Sunday!
More on Women in Public Life
If you read my previous LONG blog on this topic, you might be interested in reading the comments that have come in on ERLC's website. Here's the link:
http://erlc.com/article/the-role-of-women-in-public-life
http://erlc.com/article/the-role-of-women-in-public-life
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A really long post about women in government
The other day I was going on a day trip with some other pastors. We began talking about the remarkable choice of Sara Palin as the Republican VP choice. Several pastors commended her personal faith and views, but one pastor surprised me by citing Isaiah 3:12 as what he called "God's curse on a nation when women are in leadership."
Today, there was an article posted in the Faith and Family Values newsletter of our Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee, titled "The Role of Women in Public Life" by Barrett Duke.
I feel this is important enough to copy his entire article, and also my comment that I posted on ERLC's website.
Here's his column:
The Role of Women in Public Life
By Barrett Duke - Nov 8, 2007 - comment
The question about the role of women in the political life of our nation is an important and certainly timely one. I do not believe that the Bible prohibits women from serving at any level of public life. The Bible’s instructions about the proper roles of men and women apply to the church and the family. The Bible does not speak directly to differing roles of men and women in public life.
Some people have developed principles from the Bible’s instructions about the proper roles of men and women in the church and family and applied them more broadly. Depending on the setting, the application of these principles has varying degrees of validity. In the church and in the home, the Bible teaches clearly that God has appointed the man to serve as the primary leader. In these environments the issue of spiritual headship figures prominently. As one moves further from roles where the exercise of spiritual authority is involved, it becomes more difficult to apply these principles.
Public service is essentially a secular role. While a person can certainly express spiritual opinions in that setting and can influence public policy related to spiritual activities, there is little, if any, assertion of spiritual authority. Some people choose to apply the biblical model of male headship to all activities in life, including public service, as a means to reinforce the biblical teachings on the proper role of men and women in the church and the family. The Bible does not prohibit this, but neither does it require it.
In fact, there are a number of biblical examples of women providing key leadership roles in the public life of nations. Consider the very affirming depiction of Deborah’s role as a judge in the book of Judges (Judges 4-5). The Bible says “the Israelites went up to her for judgment” (Judges 4:5). It even says that Barak refused to meet Sisera on the battlefield unless Deborah accompanied him (Judges 4:8). Some may note that the text does not explicitly state that God established Deborah in her role as judge and conclude that she did not occupy that role with the same divine authority as the other judges (cf., Othniel, Judges 3:9-10). But Deborah is not the only judge where the divine appointment language is not used. It is also not used for Shamgar (Judges 3:31), Tola (Judges 10:1-2), or Jair (Judges 10:3-5). It is evident that the divine appointment language is not needed to validate for the reader the divine appointment of the judges. Interestingly, the book of Hebrews singles out Barak’s accomplishments without mentioning the role that Deborah played, but this is understandable in light of the passage’s emphasis on the heroic and spectacular (Hebrews 11:32-33).
Some people have claimed that God calls women to leadership when He can’t find a willing man. Certainly, the vast majority of examples of leadership in the Bible are male, but that should not be interpreted to mean that women should be excluded from leadership in public life if a man can be found to do the job. The Bible gives no hint that Deborah was a judge because adequate male leadership could not be found. Indeed, we can be glad that Deborah wasn’t afraid to exercise leadership, since she is the one who summoned Barak and told him that he needed to obey God’s command to fight Sisera (Judges 4:6).
The Bible is clear about the leadership role of men in the home and in the church. Neither the example of Deborah nor any other female leader in, or outside, the Bible should be used as a means to undermine that design. In the same regard, God’s design for male headship in the home and the church does not require the exclusion of women from leadership in public life, where spiritual headship is not involved. Such extrapolation carries the biblical teaching about the role of women beyond the Bible’s own application.
Here is my comment that I posted to the ERLC website: (I later had to condense this as it was too many characters for their system)
I'm a pastor, and the other day had occasion to ride with some other pastors to a meeting. I was surprised that one of them cited Isaiah 3:12 as a prohibition on women serving in public office.
Here's the verse from HCSB: "Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders mislead you; they confuse the direction of your paths."
The pastor stated, "Every time a woman in the Bible was a prophet or judge or ruler, it was a curse from God."
Naturally, I wanted to check this for myself. Not being a very good Hebrew scholar, I did some comparisons of translations first.
Here's the KJV: "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths."
NASB: "O My people! Their oppressors are children,And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray and confuse the direction of your paths."
NIV: "Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path."
The Message: "Skinny kids terrorize my people. Silly girls bully them around. My dear people! Your leaders are taking you down a blind alley. They're sending you off on a wild-goose chase."
It seems to me that given the background of this passage (God 'taking Judah's leaders to court' for their leading the people into sin) that the verse is either 1) stating the actual course of affairs or 2) using sarcasm to compare the leaders to children and women. [New American Commentary, Vol. 15A p. 149 tends to confirm this last.]
Bottom line--I agree with your interpretation, and disagree with the other pastor's position. The Bible does not speak authoritatively either way on the role of women in government leadership roles.
By the way, Dr. Duke is VP for Public Policy at ERLC.
Today, there was an article posted in the Faith and Family Values newsletter of our Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee, titled "The Role of Women in Public Life" by Barrett Duke.
I feel this is important enough to copy his entire article, and also my comment that I posted on ERLC's website.
Here's his column:
The Role of Women in Public Life
By Barrett Duke - Nov 8, 2007 - comment
The question about the role of women in the political life of our nation is an important and certainly timely one. I do not believe that the Bible prohibits women from serving at any level of public life. The Bible’s instructions about the proper roles of men and women apply to the church and the family. The Bible does not speak directly to differing roles of men and women in public life.
Some people have developed principles from the Bible’s instructions about the proper roles of men and women in the church and family and applied them more broadly. Depending on the setting, the application of these principles has varying degrees of validity. In the church and in the home, the Bible teaches clearly that God has appointed the man to serve as the primary leader. In these environments the issue of spiritual headship figures prominently. As one moves further from roles where the exercise of spiritual authority is involved, it becomes more difficult to apply these principles.
Public service is essentially a secular role. While a person can certainly express spiritual opinions in that setting and can influence public policy related to spiritual activities, there is little, if any, assertion of spiritual authority. Some people choose to apply the biblical model of male headship to all activities in life, including public service, as a means to reinforce the biblical teachings on the proper role of men and women in the church and the family. The Bible does not prohibit this, but neither does it require it.
In fact, there are a number of biblical examples of women providing key leadership roles in the public life of nations. Consider the very affirming depiction of Deborah’s role as a judge in the book of Judges (Judges 4-5). The Bible says “the Israelites went up to her for judgment” (Judges 4:5). It even says that Barak refused to meet Sisera on the battlefield unless Deborah accompanied him (Judges 4:8). Some may note that the text does not explicitly state that God established Deborah in her role as judge and conclude that she did not occupy that role with the same divine authority as the other judges (cf., Othniel, Judges 3:9-10). But Deborah is not the only judge where the divine appointment language is not used. It is also not used for Shamgar (Judges 3:31), Tola (Judges 10:1-2), or Jair (Judges 10:3-5). It is evident that the divine appointment language is not needed to validate for the reader the divine appointment of the judges. Interestingly, the book of Hebrews singles out Barak’s accomplishments without mentioning the role that Deborah played, but this is understandable in light of the passage’s emphasis on the heroic and spectacular (Hebrews 11:32-33).
Some people have claimed that God calls women to leadership when He can’t find a willing man. Certainly, the vast majority of examples of leadership in the Bible are male, but that should not be interpreted to mean that women should be excluded from leadership in public life if a man can be found to do the job. The Bible gives no hint that Deborah was a judge because adequate male leadership could not be found. Indeed, we can be glad that Deborah wasn’t afraid to exercise leadership, since she is the one who summoned Barak and told him that he needed to obey God’s command to fight Sisera (Judges 4:6).
The Bible is clear about the leadership role of men in the home and in the church. Neither the example of Deborah nor any other female leader in, or outside, the Bible should be used as a means to undermine that design. In the same regard, God’s design for male headship in the home and the church does not require the exclusion of women from leadership in public life, where spiritual headship is not involved. Such extrapolation carries the biblical teaching about the role of women beyond the Bible’s own application.
Here is my comment that I posted to the ERLC website: (I later had to condense this as it was too many characters for their system)
I'm a pastor, and the other day had occasion to ride with some other pastors to a meeting. I was surprised that one of them cited Isaiah 3:12 as a prohibition on women serving in public office.
Here's the verse from HCSB: "Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders mislead you; they confuse the direction of your paths."
The pastor stated, "Every time a woman in the Bible was a prophet or judge or ruler, it was a curse from God."
Naturally, I wanted to check this for myself. Not being a very good Hebrew scholar, I did some comparisons of translations first.
Here's the KJV: "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths."
NASB: "O My people! Their oppressors are children,And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray and confuse the direction of your paths."
NIV: "Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path."
The Message: "Skinny kids terrorize my people. Silly girls bully them around. My dear people! Your leaders are taking you down a blind alley. They're sending you off on a wild-goose chase."
It seems to me that given the background of this passage (God 'taking Judah's leaders to court' for their leading the people into sin) that the verse is either 1) stating the actual course of affairs or 2) using sarcasm to compare the leaders to children and women. [New American Commentary, Vol. 15A p. 149 tends to confirm this last.]
Bottom line--I agree with your interpretation, and disagree with the other pastor's position. The Bible does not speak authoritatively either way on the role of women in government leadership roles.
By the way, Dr. Duke is VP for Public Policy at ERLC.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Questions Jesus Raised: "Do you want to get well?"
The sermon for this Sunday has the title above. It's taken from the 5th chapter of John's gospel (as are all the texts for this sermon series.) In a way, it's a strange question...asking someone who's been sick more than 30 years if he wants to get well. But notice, if you read the passage, that the man doesn't answer Jesus--he gives him an excuse as to why he isn't already healed!
Don't we do that in our own lives, and in our church lives? This Sunday's sermon will have a section where I "quit preaching and go to meddling" (the old saying I used to hear from my Dad.) It's a 'timeout' where we look at seven deadly sins of dying churches...
Here's a list of the "classic" seven deadly sins, formulated during the very early days of the Christian church: Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
Here's a list of the seven sins of dying churches (from the book Essential Church, pp. 16-19)
1. Doctrine dilution
2. Loss of Evangelistic Passion
3. Failure to be relevant
4. Few outwardly focused ministries
5. Conflict over personal preferences
6. The priority of comfort
7. Biblical illiteracy
Here's my personal take on how the 'classic' deadly sins line up with the sins of dying churches:
Doctrine dilution: Failure to teach what the Bible really says, to supposedly make it more 'palatable' for today's society. This seems to me to involve some aspects of pride (thinking WE know better than God), lust (so that we can conform to today's lax moral attitudes), and even gluttony (we "want it all" without the restraints that sound doctrine lays upon committed Christians.)
Loss of Evangelistic Passion: Sloth, definitely! But also maybe some hidden pride (if we've doubted the truth of Scripture that says those apart from Christ are condemned to hell.) Maybe even a little wrath (if you've ever thought, "Let those worthless sinners just go to hell!")
Failure to be relevant: Some may doubt that this is even a sin for churches. Doesn't the old song say, "Gimme that old-time religion, it's good enough for me"? But a look at the New Testament book of Acts quickly reveals that the church had to adapt to different cultures as it pushed out from the Jerusalem base. Was this easy? No. Did it bring conflict? You betcha! But if we don't make the unchanging gospel speak to the changing needs of people in our society, we shouldn't be surprised if they ignore us as unimportant. To them, we are, and because we are, they think Christ Himself is unimportant. God help us! So which 'deadly sin' relates to this? Greed. We want things the way WE like them, and if that keeps us from sharing the gospel as it should be shared, too bad! Doesn't that sound greedy to you?
Few outwardly focused ministries: Greed rears its ugly head again. But hey, aren't we a society of consumers? Isn't everything really driven by greed? Is it so bad? You know it is. Selfishness is the antithesis of the spirit of Christ. How can we focus on our own comfort while souls He died for are being lost?
Conflict over personal preferences: This is a stewpot of sins.
Greed (I want things my way!),
lust (don't forget that this is not just sexual lust...you can also lust for 'the good old days' or 'my favorite hymns' or 'if we only had a preacher as good as the one I saw on TV last night'),
sloth (I'm too lazy to change, I'm 'set in my ways'), and maybe even
envy (Why can't we have a beautiful new building like xyz church?)
But the worst thing brought out by conflict in a church situation is wrath. Which you already know if you have ever experienced church conflict!
The priority of comfort: This hits lust, sloth, and envy just as the church sin above does. Maybe hits a little in gluttony, too, don't you think?
Biblical illiteracy: Pride, definitely pride. We remain unknowing of what the Bible teaches because we think we are sufficient in ourselves. Or maybe sloth is crawling out from under the covers--we're simply too lazy to "study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who needs not be ashamed."
See you Sunday!
Hey, don't forget that Sunday night we host Hemptown Baptist for a joint worship service. Our youth group will present their drama again, and Bro. David Whitener will preach. Bring some goodies for the fellowship afterwards!
Don't we do that in our own lives, and in our church lives? This Sunday's sermon will have a section where I "quit preaching and go to meddling" (the old saying I used to hear from my Dad.) It's a 'timeout' where we look at seven deadly sins of dying churches...
Here's a list of the "classic" seven deadly sins, formulated during the very early days of the Christian church: Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.
Here's a list of the seven sins of dying churches (from the book Essential Church, pp. 16-19)
1. Doctrine dilution
2. Loss of Evangelistic Passion
3. Failure to be relevant
4. Few outwardly focused ministries
5. Conflict over personal preferences
6. The priority of comfort
7. Biblical illiteracy
Here's my personal take on how the 'classic' deadly sins line up with the sins of dying churches:
Doctrine dilution: Failure to teach what the Bible really says, to supposedly make it more 'palatable' for today's society. This seems to me to involve some aspects of pride (thinking WE know better than God), lust (so that we can conform to today's lax moral attitudes), and even gluttony (we "want it all" without the restraints that sound doctrine lays upon committed Christians.)
Loss of Evangelistic Passion: Sloth, definitely! But also maybe some hidden pride (if we've doubted the truth of Scripture that says those apart from Christ are condemned to hell.) Maybe even a little wrath (if you've ever thought, "Let those worthless sinners just go to hell!")
Failure to be relevant: Some may doubt that this is even a sin for churches. Doesn't the old song say, "Gimme that old-time religion, it's good enough for me"? But a look at the New Testament book of Acts quickly reveals that the church had to adapt to different cultures as it pushed out from the Jerusalem base. Was this easy? No. Did it bring conflict? You betcha! But if we don't make the unchanging gospel speak to the changing needs of people in our society, we shouldn't be surprised if they ignore us as unimportant. To them, we are, and because we are, they think Christ Himself is unimportant. God help us! So which 'deadly sin' relates to this? Greed. We want things the way WE like them, and if that keeps us from sharing the gospel as it should be shared, too bad! Doesn't that sound greedy to you?
Few outwardly focused ministries: Greed rears its ugly head again. But hey, aren't we a society of consumers? Isn't everything really driven by greed? Is it so bad? You know it is. Selfishness is the antithesis of the spirit of Christ. How can we focus on our own comfort while souls He died for are being lost?
Conflict over personal preferences: This is a stewpot of sins.
Greed (I want things my way!),
lust (don't forget that this is not just sexual lust...you can also lust for 'the good old days' or 'my favorite hymns' or 'if we only had a preacher as good as the one I saw on TV last night'),
sloth (I'm too lazy to change, I'm 'set in my ways'), and maybe even
envy (Why can't we have a beautiful new building like xyz church?)
But the worst thing brought out by conflict in a church situation is wrath. Which you already know if you have ever experienced church conflict!
The priority of comfort: This hits lust, sloth, and envy just as the church sin above does. Maybe hits a little in gluttony, too, don't you think?
Biblical illiteracy: Pride, definitely pride. We remain unknowing of what the Bible teaches because we think we are sufficient in ourselves. Or maybe sloth is crawling out from under the covers--we're simply too lazy to "study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who needs not be ashamed."
See you Sunday!
Hey, don't forget that Sunday night we host Hemptown Baptist for a joint worship service. Our youth group will present their drama again, and Bro. David Whitener will preach. Bring some goodies for the fellowship afterwards!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Judges but no judgment
At church, I'm doing a Wednesday night 'series' on the book of Judges. Some well-known folks there, like Gideon, Samson, etc., but also some lesser-known folks.
The frustrating thing is to see that Israel slid back to idolatry after every judge. Maybe they'd be free from opression for a generation or so (40 years) but then they'd go after the idols again, and God would punish them again. They had judges, but no judgment.
It's amazing that God continued to have mercy on them when they cried out to Him...but then, maybe that's not so amazing. I have a little caligraphy card framed in my office..."O God of second chances, here I am again."
The frustrating thing is to see that Israel slid back to idolatry after every judge. Maybe they'd be free from opression for a generation or so (40 years) but then they'd go after the idols again, and God would punish them again. They had judges, but no judgment.
It's amazing that God continued to have mercy on them when they cried out to Him...but then, maybe that's not so amazing. I have a little caligraphy card framed in my office..."O God of second chances, here I am again."
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Fun things about being a pastor
News flash--Some things about being a pastor are not so fun. But today there are two things that I really enjoy.
Earlier today, I got to counsel with a couple who are planning their wedding. It's always fun to hear how God brought two people together.
In a few minutes, I'm headed home from the office to drop by Fannin Regional hospital on the way home to visit the Cormonas and their newborn son! Irma and the baby are doing fine, I hear from Bro. Freddy Gomez.
Earlier today, I got to counsel with a couple who are planning their wedding. It's always fun to hear how God brought two people together.
In a few minutes, I'm headed home from the office to drop by Fannin Regional hospital on the way home to visit the Cormonas and their newborn son! Irma and the baby are doing fine, I hear from Bro. Freddy Gomez.
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