In Case You Missed It...

In case you missed it, I have switched to a new blog which is entitled A Pilgrim's Progress (click here).

At the new location, I'm focusing on pastoral ministry, the local church, theology, and what it is to live a life pleasing to Christ.

I Can't Wait for This Conference

I cannot wait for this year's Ligonier National Conference in Orlando. The line-up of speakers is amazing. Alice and I are also looking forward to taking our daughter, Caroline, with us. It should be a wonderful time of worship, learning, and family. To learn more about this conference, click here.

"O Church Arise"

Interesting Post on the New Capitol Visitor Center

Read this interesting and sad post on the absence of God from the new Capitol Visitor Center in Washington.

Our New Church Website

In November 2004, I ran in and completed a marathon - barely. Putting together our new church website did not take that much endurance, but it was still more work than I realized it would be. This being Thanksgiving season, I am very thankful that the website is basically done. I will probably add a few more details (especially photos of the church family), but for the most part it is finished.

To look at the Chevis Oaks Baptist Church website, click here.

In setting up the website, I first looked for an inexpensive site provider that would be user-friendly. After searching for a bit, I came across Weebly. Weebly is better than inexpensive - it is free. I did, however, spend about $20 on a simple domain name for the church. Originally, I had wanted to find a Christian site provider, but the ones I found were too difficult for a non-techno like me to use.

My goal for the site is that it will be useful for both members and visitors. In order to do this, I tried to keep the site simple in design. If you look at the site, you will not see a lot of flashy graphics or anything of that sort. Rather, any user should (I hope) be able to click on the site and quickly find whatever he is looking for.

I'd like your feedback. Please take a few minutes to look the site over, and then return to this post to leave comments. I am certainly open to making changes. I have asked several members of Chevis Oaks to look it over. I'd also like feedback from others from afar.

Thanks for your help!

Christian Kids in Public School: What are Parents to Do?

What is a Christian family to do if their children attend public school? The reality in this world is that some Christians do have children who attend public school. In light of that, what should these parents do? What do they do if they cannot homeschool or afford private school?

The following are 1o suggestions that have been wandering around inside my head for some time. Some of these will apply to only families with kids in public school, while others will apply to all families regardless of choice of education.

In no particular order:

1. Pray for your children. Trust God to care for their minds while they are in school.
2. Admit that your children are in a secular environment for many hours during the week. Facing this reality will enable you to figure out how to best counteract the secular environment.
3. Teach your children the bible on a daily basis.
4. Preach the gospel to your children over and over.
5. View education as discipleship. The reality is that someone is teaching your kids. What they teach will impact the worldview your children have.
6. Related to # 5, avoid making an artificial division in your mind between education at school and education at home.
7. Talk to your children about what they are being taught.
8. Get to know your kids' teacher(s). They may have some who are Christians.
9. Get to know your kids' friends. Invite them over to your house regardless of who they are.
10. Ask your church family for help. Ask the pastor(s), children's workers, and youth workers to address secular thought and ideas while working with the kids while the church gathers.

If your children attend public school, they will be bombarded with secular thought for much of the week. It is best to admit this, and then decide to battle against it. What is at stake is the worldview of your children. Your church family should be ready and willing to help with this. We must all be open about what is happening, and talk, talk, talk, and talk some more with the children about what they are being taught about the world, and what the bible has to say.

I Pledge Allegiance to the Kingdom of God

Ever since the presidential election I have heard a great deal of talk by Christians who are fretting that our society is about to come to an end. They usually talk about what they think the new president and his administration will do to affect moral issues in our country.

The problem I see with this line of thinking is that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are nowhere called upon to rely on secular government to be some sort of moral watchdog. The reality is that we live in a fallen world. It is absurd for us to hope that secularists in government will act in ways that line up with scripture.

When I read the bible, I see us called to be obedient to government as long as this does not violate God's word. However, nowhere do I see Christians told by God to rely on government for the bettering of society.

This problem is related to the idea that the United States is a "Christian country." Many American Christians, whether or not they realize it, act as if God has made promises to the USA like He did with Israel. When we fall into the trap of thinking this way, we will become greatly disturbed when our society shifts away from Christian values.

Please do not misunderstand. I desire that our society follow biblical standards. However, it is downright silly to expect lost people to act as if they are saved. It is also silly to expect government to enforce this.

Nowhere in the bible are we told to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Growing up in public school, I probably said the pledge 500 times before I ever gave it much of a thought. I still love my country. That said, my primary allegiance is not to the USA.

I pledge allegiance to the Kingdom of God. It is to God and His rule over this world that I pledge myself completely. My Owner, Maker, and Redeemer is the One to whom I give myself.

It is through Christ's church that society can be transformed. It is through the message of the gospel that lives are changed and people's hearts are opened to a desire to live by biblical standards. It is through the message of Christ-crucified that we can make a difference in this country.

Let's stop depending on our government. Let's stop worrying about our government. It is not going to make this a Christian country.

Instead, let's pledge our full allegiance to the Kingdom of God. It is only through His message of the gospel that hearts can be changed and societies transformed.

Our Words Affect How We Think About the Church

The words we use and the way we use them show other people both how we think and what we think about. Words are very powerful, so much so that they affect the way we act. This is true in all aspects of life, including the church.

When you hear the word "church," what do you think about? Some folks immediately think about a building. Others immediately think of the group of Christians they gather with a few times per week. Others think about the universal church of all believers. Still others think of the church as being something that falls somewhere in between either two or all three of the above.

How we think of, talk about, and describe "church" will greatly affect how we live out our Christian lives. In other words, how we describe what the church is and does will impact what we do.

For example, if we primarily think of the church as a building, we will necessarily focus much of our attention on the building itself. We will probably care a great deal about how the building looks, how clean it is, and how it is used by strangers. Much of our time and effort will be aimed at the edifice itself.


If we primarily think of the church as a local group of believers, our focus will be on that group of believers. We will spend much time together, meeting regularly and taking care of one-another's needs. Much of our time and effort will be aimed at when we gather together. We will probably care quite a bit about denominational differences.


If we primarily think of the church as the universal church of all believers, our focus will be on all Christians, regardless of what local church they are a part of. We will spend much time with followers of Christ. They may not gather with us during the week, but we still have active fellowship with them. We will probably have less of an "us-and-them" attitude and care less about denominational differences.


I realize that I have not addressed the issue of how Christians should interact with those who do not know Christ (that would make for a post that is longer than any of us desire to read right now. Share Christ with them and love them).

The above 3 categories of church definitions are not as precise as I would like, but they serve a purpose. If we want to be as biblical about the church as we can be, we must lean toward the universal church model. This appears to be what we see described in scripture most frequently. Some would argue this point, saying that the local church is what we most often see. My response to that is that the local church should be a manifestation of the universal church. When we draw a dividing line between the local church and the universal church, we are creating a division that does not appear in scripture.

Of course we should gather with a local body of believers. However, let's avoid any kind of us-and-them mentality toward other followers of Jesus Christ. One way we can do this is by being careful how we think and speak about the church. When we ponder what the church of God is, it clearly is not a building. We should banish that thought from our minds.

God's church does take the form of many local congregations. However, these bodies ought not have strong dividing lines between themselves and others groups of believers. We are all part of the same group that will be living together for eternity in the New Jerusalem.

Let's all try to be careful how we think about church. Let's strive to be as biblical as possible. How we think and especially how we speak about the church will affect how we live out life in the church.

Spiritual Birth by the Will of God

The more I read the bible, the more I see God's sovereign hand in all things - including salvation.

This morning I began to read through the book of John. I was not looking for anything in particular when I ran across verses 12 and 13 of chapter one. These verses say:

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." NKJV

Verse 12 tells us that anyone who receives God by believing in His name has the right to become a child of God. What an amazing right this is! To become a child of God is the best adoption any of us could imagine.

Verse 13 makes it even more amazing. In verse 13 we are told that anyone who receives God has been spiritually born because it was the will of God for this to happen. Take note of the fact that John makes it explicit that this did not happen because of the will of man. It is because of God's will that anyone is born spiritually.

What is going on here? The ordering of what is happening is the key. First, God wills that a person be born spiritually (born again as discussed in John chapter 3). Second, a person who has been spiritually born receives God by believing in his name. Third, that person has the right to become a child of God.

It is clear based on this passage that God initiates salvation (being born spiritually) by His sovereign will. Again, John states that this is according to the will of God, not of man. When a person is born spiritually, he is then able to respond in faith (believing in God). When a person responds to God in faith, he is saved (becoming a child of God).

My experience is that many American Christians are uncomfortable with the idea that it is God who is sovereign over salvation and not man. I could understand this if God was not perfect, loving, gracious, and merciful to infinite degrees. However, since He is these things, why do so many people struggle with God's sovereignty?

My conclusion is that for some people, the issue is a lack of understanding both God's infinite holiness and our utter corruption and spiritual death. If we admit that humans are dead spiritually prior to salvation, then it must be that God alone is the one who can and does make them come alive spiritually.

We are saved by the will of God.

London: World Capital?

Baptist Press has posted an interesting article focusing on the multicultural situation in London, England. Based on the description, it does sound like London could be the world capital. It certainly makes for an interesting missions opportunity. Here are a few quotes:

"As a coverage by The Guardian newspaper confirmed in 2005, London has become 'a world in one city.' From Algerians in Finsbury Park to West Africans in Woolwich, the newspaper ranged through the alphabet, finding major and minor ethnic/language communities throughout the city: Bangladeshis, Chinese, Indians, Iranians, Jamaicans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Poles, Russians, Somalis, Sri Lankans, Turks, Vietnamese -- to name only a few groups."

"Altogether, more than 300 languages are spoken by the people of London, and the city has at least 50 non-indigenous communities with populations of 10,000 or more. Virtually every race, nation, culture and religion in the world can claim at least a handful of Londoners."

"Christians contend with one of the most secularized societies in Europe. While 58 percent of Londoners claimed to be 'Christian' in the 2001 census, here's a more realistic estimate: 80 percent have had no personal encounter with Jesus Christ, and only a small minority follow Him as Lord."

To read the article in full, click here.