Survivor : Port Royal Baptist Style

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Most everyone has seen the cultural phenomenon that is Survivor. This television reality show puts two teams against each other through a variety of physical challenges. The goal is to outwit, outplay, and outlast your opponents. Today, we had our own version of Survivor at Port Royal Baptist Church. Monday is back-to-school day so we hosted a Survivor Back-to-School Fun Day for our kids and guests. We divided our kids into two teams and they competed in four team challenges for points. After all the competition, everyone was rewarded with an all-you-can eat ice cream bar. Here are some pictures from today.

     

    

    

    

I would like to thank all of our parents and everyone involved in our children’s ministry for their hard work in providing our kids and guests a fun and relaxing day. Your dedication and positive attitude is much appreciated my me, your pastor. Job well done.

FIFS : 2 Samuel 9:1-4

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1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “At your service!” 3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”

Standard practice in ancient days was for the new king to remove any family of the former king that may pose a threat to his throne. This removal often meant sending those family members away to other parts of the country, imprisonment, and even death. It would have been appropriate and in line with the customs of the day for David to have had any of Saul’s family that was still alive put to death so there would be no threat to his throne. David shared a very close relationship with Jonathan, the son of Saul who was Israel’s first king. Although Saul pursued David in order to kill him out of jealousy and anger, Jonathan and David remained close. David wanted to do something for his friend Jonathan as a result of a vow that he had made. David’s relationship with God motivated to extend kindness to someone who the world would say did not deserve it.

David’s question in v.3 serves as a modern-day challenge for God’s people. “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to which I may show the kindness of God?” If this world today needs anything it is kind people. In our world of rudeness, inconsideration, and indifference, Godly kindness will make a significant difference. How well do we accomplish the demonstration of kindness? How well do we put others first? Kindness is listed as “fruit of spirit”  in Galatians 5:22-23 along with eight other traits that collectively characterize a Spirit-filled life. There are a few interesting things about David’s question in verse three.

First, David was intentional about showing kindness. He did not wait for the opportunity to come to him. It was important enough to him to go looking for a way to show kindness. Are we this intentional?

Second, David was not specific as to who he showed kindness to. David said “Is there not still someone”. Little did he know that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was still alive and that he was cripple in both feet. Kindness crosses all boundaries: physical, social, racial, and economic. Do we allow boundaries to stop our attempts at kindness?

Third, David was properly motivated. Again, David said, “the kindness of God”. I don’t believe David was trying to show off. I don’t believe he was trying to draw attention to himself. As a result the kindness God extended to him, I believe he wanted to pass that along. Kindness is contagious. God’s kindness toward us is our proper motivation. How well are you doing in returning kindness?

Worth Repeating

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The church can, at times, communicate the need for change in peoples’ lives, and it ends up understood as some low-level therapeutic moralistic deism where a faraway God makes your life better and makes you a better person. But that is not the gospel. We don’t want to produce good religious people. We see what becomes of good religious people from the encounters Jesus had with the Pharisees. God wants–as should we–to see people transformed at a spiritual level rather than a behavioral level. Though often thought of in the same sense as a New Year’s resolution, transformation does not come from decisions made on January 1. Instead, it comes from re-creation, the re-creation that comes from new life in Christ. The change people need most is not in their circumstances, but in themselves. It is not the ability to try harder, but it is a life entrusted to Jesus. So, when you hear change, translate it to mean “gospel change.” It is not the same thing as trying harder; in fact, there is no trying involved. Transformation occurs not because we “do,” but because Christ has “done.” “

Ed Stetzer, President of Lifeway Research

Ordination Sunday

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This past Sunday, we ordained three men as deacons at Port Royal Baptist Church. Josh Riley, Steve Michalski, and Danny Mallard were elected by the church to serve in this servant ministry. This is an important office in the New Testament church. Deacons are servants. Their office is not one of ruler, overseer, or financial manager. Instead it is a position of service and support. They are also to be examples to those around them. Their character and integrity is to be at the level that others may see Christ in their lives. Deacons are to be leaders as well. In the same way that pastors lead the congregation is spiritual development, deacons lead the congregation is physical development. I reminded our deacons that their model of leadership has been given to them by Jesus Christ, that model is to Love God and Love People. I am confident in these three men that they will serve the Lord and our church well. I am proud to be serving with them. Below are a few pictures of the service from Sunday. 

  

  

The Baptist Association : Part #2: Challenges

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In part one of this series I put forth historically what the purpose of the Baptist association is. The history and purpose of the association is well documented (well beyond what I have documented here). My working definition of a Baptist association is “a collection of churches who share common beliefs that come together along specific geographic boundaries and voluntarily cooperate together in carrying out the Great Commission”. In much the same way that the local church is challenged in carrying out its purpose, the Baptist association is as well. I have been involved in the local Baptist association for over ten years. I have seen some good things where the association was able to fulfill its purpose. I have also seen some bad things where the association struggled in fulfilling its purpose.

Through my years of associational involvement, I have seen, and am seeing, certain challenges plaguing the local association. Let me say right here that I am not anti-association. Just the opposite. I want desperately to see the association succeed. I also believe in being honest. Introspection can be a positive and helpful thing. I want to share what I feel are the challenges facing the Baptist association today.

Challenge #1: The training and support that is offered to the local church at the associational level is readily available at the state level.

For the most part, the local Baptist association has ministry areas that closely mirror those of the church. The association may contain departments such as Sunday School, Discipleship Training, Music, Youth, Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, WMU, and others. From time to time the association may offer training and resources to help the local church to be better equipped in these areas. This same type of training and resourcing is available to every church at the state convention level. Often times this training and resourcing is available quicker, in greater volume, and from staff with years of specific experience. The church has to make a decision. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “If it becomes necessary to receive some of my training and resourcing from the state convention, why would I not receive all of it from the state convention?”  This is the challenge of assistance. The association faces the challenge of being an effective and consistent avenue of training, support, and resource.

Challenge #2: The local Baptist association may not be able to adequately resource and support the local church with the ministries that are specific to their own community.

This is not the same as challenge #1. As local churches explore their community, as they determine felt needs, as they identify new and specific ways to communicate the gospel, there will be a need for specific help and support. Churches are discovering new and emerging fields of ministry in the community that reflect segments of the population. These segments could include multi-housing ministry, skateboarders, resort and vacation settings, and the military. Each one of these fields requires specific support and even specific training. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “Once I have identified ministries specific to my community, where is the best place to go for training and support?” This is the challenge of relevance. Can the association, in its present form, be of real and lasting help to the church? To be fair, the association cannot be “all things to be all people”. But, if the church determines that business as usual will not reach people with the gospel, the Baptist association faces a decision as well.

Challenge #3: The local Baptist association taking on ministry that is the responsibility of the local church.

I was once part of an association that felt that if the churches in the association were not doing ministry at a level they thought was acceptable, the association would sponsor that ministry. Instead of encouraging the churches to develop a comprehensive men’s ministry, the association sponsored the event. Instead of providing training on how to do it, the association just did it for them. That may seem fine on the surface. That may work for a time. However, it is not profitable for future ministry. Here is what I mean. In the event the association was no longer able to sponsor this type of ministry, the local church had not been equipped and empowered to do it. I witnessed this same practice in the area of youth ministry. Instead of bringing in training and empowering the church, the association just did the ministry. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “Is the local Baptist association capable of performing ministry for the church instead of strengthening the church for ministry and hope to remain needed? This is the challenge of priority. Here is the struggle as I see it. Can the association do ministry, of course. But, the association has the responsibility to first assist and equip the local church to better conduct ministry.

Challenge #4: The local Baptist association faces financial challenges as their sole source of support is the local church.

Associations have budgets. These budgets are met by contributions from the local churches that cooperate in the association. Each church determines how much money is forwarded to the associational level. This amount usually either a percentage or a specific amount. The challenge for the association is to encourage and persuade the local church to give in a consistent manner.  There are times that the vision and priority of the local church and church pastor do not match up with the vision and priority of the associational leadership. Southern Baptist churches have a desire to cooperate. It is in the very DNA of the church to do this. It is not always easy for the local church to support everything the association does and plans to do. There are times when differing visions of purpose strain the cooperation between the church and association. Churches want to see the funds used in a meaningful way. Churches want to see real life-changing ministry taking place. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “Am I able to stand before my congregation and assure them that the money that is sacrificially given to the Baptist association is being used for the furtherance of the gospel?” This is the challenge of accountability. Right or wrong, when visions differ at the associational level, churches don’t give as much or they reduce their giving. This is challenging to the association because, again, their entire source of funding comes from the church. If the church decides to re-route their giving to what they deem as meaningful, the association still has a budget to meet and must make up the difference.

In my next post, I will share what I feel is the future of the association.

The Baptist Association : Part #1 : Purpose

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I am not a theologian. I don’t claim to be. I am not an excellent Greek or Hebrew scholar. I don’t claim to be. I am simply the pastor of a Southern Baptist church. I care deeply about the local church. I care about the people who make up the New Testament church today. Therefore I care about the things that affect the church that I pastor. The basis for this series of posts is to simply share my thoughts about the local Baptist association as I see it based on my personal experiences. I have been part of four associations (three in Florida and one now in South Carolina) and have served in leadership positions there. I will begin with the purpose of the association, move on to the challenges facing the association, and finish with the future of the association.

The reality of the local Baptist association is not foreign to Southern Baptists. In fact, the great majority of all Southern Baptist churches are members of a local Baptist association. This is their choice to make. When considering the purpose for the association, you may find many different viewpoints. For example, the members of the local church have their own thoughts as to why the association exists. These vary from congregation to congregation. The pastors of local churches have their own thoughts as to why the association exists. These thoughts vary from pastor to pastor. The leadership of the association has their own thoughts as to why the association exists. These views vary from association to association. The state conventions have their own thoughts as to why the association exists. Again, these thoughts differ from state to state. In order to find some kind of cohesive purpose for the local Baptist association, we must take a look at what this purpose has been historically.

Next to the local church, the Baptist association is the oldest unit of Baptist life. The Baptist association had its’ beginning in the United States in 1707 with the formation of the Philadelphia Baptist Association. From its’ beginning the association has served at least three fundamental purposes. Although there may be other purposes that have emerged over the years, there seems to be three at the center. Those three are fellowship, missions/evangelism, and doctrinal integrity.

1. Fellowship: In those early colonial days in the Philadelphia Baptist Association, the local Baptist churches struggled with their own individuality. These churches were weak financially and in weak in terms of resource. They were isolated from each other by distance. This led to a solitary existence. Churches were also very fragile due to all the circumstances occurring in colonial America just prior to the birth of a new nation.  Churches were few, small, and in need of mutual support. The Baptist association gave these churches the opportunity to come together, work together, and be encouraged by one another. The association would also give credibility in their area by identifying them with other churches who were like-minded. This same thought of fellowship has continued and evolved through the years. Today, the association still offers this much-needed fellowship between like-minded churches. The Baptist association offers churches the opportunity to come together under the same banner and fellowship together and be strengthened by each other. Under the umbrella of fellowship is that of churches helping each other. Dr. Jimmy Draper, past president of Lifeway Christian Resources made the following statement about this fellowship and cooperation, “It is the essence of our faith that the stronger help the weaker, that the greater help the lesser, that the larger help the smaller. In that sense we need to heed the Lord Who served with a towel in His hand.” Dr. Richard Harris, Director of Missions for the Santee Baptist Association in Sumter, South Carolina wrote, “There is a need for fellowship. None of the things listed above [accountability, encouragement, counsel, support] can happen if we remain isolated and separated from one another. We can be a mighty force and army for God, or we can go our separate ways, be disjointed and ineffective, weak, and powerless.”

2. Missions/Evangelism: Across Southern Baptist life there is a statement that we all know very well, “we can do more together than we can do by ourselves”. It is this thought that leads us to cooperate together and work together for our common faith. Historically, the association has been involved in mobilizing the local churches to be involved in mission work, church planting, and reaching beyond themselves. Again Dr. Draper writes, “In the latter half of the first century of the Philadelphia association, that entity turned from inward matters to outward matters of religious liberty and ministerial education. As the churches standardized their own internal life, the inevitable role of the association was to help them look out beyond themselves to the emerging world in Colonial America.”  Dr. Harris again wrote, “There is a need to be involved in a purpose greater than oneself. To avoid growing introverted, selfish, and ineffective, churches need exposure to ideas, methods, and opportunities for kingdom growth beyond their own church family.”

3. Doctrinal Integrity and Accountability: I believe in doctrinal integrity and accountability. I believe that all churches who choose to cooperate together in an association of churches should have certain agreed upon doctrinal positions and commit to hold to them. This is the reason for the Baptist Faith and Message. The BFM is our statement of faith as Southern Baptists that provides a comprehensive outline as to where we stand biblically on important doctrinal positions. Local churches “join” a Baptist association based on the promise to cooperate together and uphold those agreed upon biblical positions (BFM for example). Through the membership at the associational level, the church affiliates with the state and national convention. So, there is a sense that the Baptist association exists for this purpose doctrinal accountability. Dr. John Sullivan, Executive Director of the Florida Baptist Convention wrote, “The association is the theological watchdog of Southern Baptists”.  Dr. Harris wrote, “There is a need for accountability. Pressures from the culture, changes in current thinking, challenges from within church membership can cause compromised beliefs to become accepted. Knowing that there are standards for common beliefs and practices help keep the stresses of the moment from misguiding the church.” The Baptist association historically has been on the “front line” of doctrinal accountability, as seen in Dr. Draper’s statement, “But those earliest churches needed one another in other ways. In the absence of any seminaries, national or local denomination, in the pristine days of the emergence of our nation, they needed help with everything. The minutes of the Philadelphia Association reveal constant questions about baptismal doctrine, ordination, church disputes and other theological issues. The first Baptist association in America was a clearing-house of information on church polity and doctrine. The fellowship of an association is grounded in the unity of faith and practice. Each association may differ from others in particular doctrinal matters that are important to their fellowship and the amount of diversity tolerated on those issues. However, the association is, by its nature, a doctrinally based fellowship.”

 

FIFS : Romans 8:31-39

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31. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33. Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36. As it is written:   “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”   37. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39. nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I believe the eighth chapter of Romans is perhaps the single most encouraging and uplifting chapter for the believer in the entire Bible. It begins with “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” and ends with “nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” and the middle part gives us the reasons why. In v.31, Paul asks a question, “What then shall we say to these things?” What are the “things” he spoke of? Here are a few.

1. According to Romans 8:1, we enjoy redemption. Through Christ we stand forgiven and our sin penalty has been paid.

2. According to Romans 8:6, we enjoy victory. Christ gives the believer the victory over the carnal nature that is opposed to everything Christ stands for.

3. According to Romans 8:14-15, we enjoy adoption. Being led and controlled by the Holy Spirit, the believer is no longer an enemy of God, rather now adopted into the family of God.

4. According to Romans 8:16-17, we enjoy assurance. In the low times of life when Satan casts doubt upon our salvation, the Holy Spirit bears witness that through the difficulty we are His.

5. According to Romans 8:26-27, we enjoy intercession. Ever felt like praying but were so burdened that words could not be found? The Holy Spirit hears our heart and speaks for us to the Father.

6. According to Romans 8:28, we enjoy a promise. This verse is for believers. All things in life that happen to us may not be fun, enjoyable, or painless. However, because of our relationship with Christ, “for those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” all things that happen to us can be used by God to bring about good in our lives.

Our enjoyment and possession of these “things” should motivate us to share the gospel message. Do the lost not need redemption? They have sin that Jesus died for. Do the lost not need victory? Without Christ, they will always be slaves to the flesh. Do the lost not need adoption? They will remain outside the family, enemies, until Christ brings them in. Do the lost not need intercession? They have no avenue to approach the Father without Jesus Christ. What will we do?

Is Social Networking Eroding the Fabric of Genuine Authentic Friendships?

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Aristotle once said, “the desire for friendship comes quickly; friendship does not”. Deep down inside each of us is the desire to share our lives with others. There is a desire for intimacy. There is a desire for each of us to have people in our lives with whom we connect on a deeper level. There is a desire to be part of a community that share the same beliefs, values, and interests that we do. Building healthy and meaningful friendships requires work. They do not just “happen”. What we must do is decide if the effort and work are worth it. We must determine how deep we want our friendships to go and how much they will impact our lives. When I talk about effort and work, I am not saying that making friends and building lasting friendships is a job. I am saying that it requires giving up time in our already busy lives to the pursuit of friendship.

We structure ourselves right out of the opportunity to build friendships. We learn to make friends at an early age. Remember as a child there were times of just “hanging out” together. Kids would spend the night at each other’s homes where they would get to know the family and the family would know who their children were spending time with. Times of tree houses, sandlot football, bicycle riding, fishing, and camping were not just ways to pass the time, but were avenues to strengthening and deepening friendships (we just thought it was fun). We don’t see too much of this anymore. Enter social media.

Social media has taken the world by storm. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs (web logs), and other sites are growing in popularity around the world and among all ages. The very essence of these social networking sites is that of friendship and connection. They offer an avenue of keeping up with established friendships and for the establishment of new ones. These sites allow for the constant and immediate answer to the question, “where are you and what are you doing?” Having “friends” on Facebook and “followers” on Twitter assist in connection. The only question that has to be answered is this one: Are these social networking sites capable of reproducing authentic and genuine friendships in the lives of people? I would have to say no.

Aristotle also said, “close friends share salt together”. I believe there is a great deal of truth and logic in that statement. Close friends share meals together. They sit across from each other and share time, struggles, victories, tears, family, hurts, and laughs together. Close friends share time together. I am not saying that social networking sites are bad. I am not saying that they do have a purpose. I blog, use Facebook and Twitter too. To answer the question asked in my title, “Is social networking eroding the fabric of genuine authentic friendships?” my answer is yes. Social networking sites promote social connectivity. This is not the same as intimate friendships. I see this erosion, or the slow wearing away of authentic friendships, taking place when the preference becomes a computer screen instead of a face-to-face meeting. This erosion can be seen when we would rather engage in online chatting instead of in-person communication. Although we hail the progress of technology today, and there have been some good advancements, I believe that our making it possible to communicate and never have to sit down face-to-face separates us as people. Instead of saying, “Let’s get together for lunch and talk”, we say “I’ll email you”. Instead of picking up the phone and phone and talking to someone, we text them. If we are not careful, we will forget how to relate to people all together.

Again let me say that I am not against social networking, or technology for that matter. I just believe strongly in the value of personal communication. Let me close by giving you a few questions for thought.

1. Is the quantity of your friendships on social networking sites more important that the quality of those same friendships?

2. Do you spend as much time and effort in face-to-face relationships as you do in “finding friends” online?

3. How many of your friends on social networking sites have you sat down with face-to-face for at least 30 minutes in the past six months?

Leaving On A Jet Plane

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Actually, leaving in an Impala is more accurate. We are leaving early this morning for St. Augustine Beach, FL for our summer vacation. St. Augustine Beach is one of my favorite places in Florida. I enjoy the beaches (in small doses), the history, and the atmosphere of this old Spansh city. I am looking forward to a time of rest and unwinding with my family. I hope to post several times this week about the sights and sounds of St. Augustine and the random things that catch my attention. I think I hear the waves…..

A Little Water Goes a Long Way

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Today, Port Royal Baptist Church had the opportunity to minister to the people of Port Royal and Beaufort at the Farmer’s Market across the street from our church. This is the third time this summer that we have ministered there. Our goal in this project is simple: introduce ourselves to our community through servant ministry. We have chosen to give away free water. Through this approach, we as a church have been able to satisfy a need (thirst, who doesn’t like cold water on a hot day), while at the same time showing the love of Christ in a real and tangible way.

Opportunities have presented themselves to not only invite the community to our worship services, but also to just talk, and listen to them. I am thankful for the chances that we have had to hear their questions and their prayer concerns. It is true that a little water goes a long way. A little effort on our part has gone a long way toward building bridges of trust and friendship. As a pastor, I am extremely proud of our people and their willingness to move beyond the comfort of the church walls and meet the people where they are.

  

 

      

Days like  today excite and encourage me. Although it was a hot and tiring day, I believe God was honored by our efforts. I am excited to see the Lord work in the lives of our people. I am further encouraged that when future doors of ministry open, our people will ready to walk through them. Thank you Port Royal Baptist Church.