February 24, 2009
Blog Moving to WordPress
I will be shutting down this Blogger blog, as I have moved everything over to WordPress.
February 23, 2009
Favorite Preachers
Over the years, I've developed an admiration for certain preachers. Some of them you will recognize, others you won't be familiar with. Here is my list, in no certain order of preference, of the preachers I admire...
- Adrian Rogers
- Dr. Lee Roberson
- Dr. John R. Rice
- Charles H. Spurgeon
- Dr. Albert Mohler
- John Duty
- D.H. Easter
- Dr. Clarence Doyle
- Billy Cloud
- Dwight Coffman
- Dr. Leon Maurer
- Dr. Jerry Falwell
- Jonathan Falwell
- Darrell Hayes
- Ken Trivette
- W. A. Criswell
Questioning And Examining
I resigned my last pastorate in 2000. The main reason for my stepping away from active pulpit ministry was due to health issues of my own, as well as my wife and newborn son. However, prior to resigning, I had come under conviction that I simply didn't like the direction my ministry was taking. I had been exposed, and admittedly, drawn in to the harsher side of fundamental Baptists.
I was not raised in an extreme fundamental church. The one thing I have taken great pleasure in was the church environment I grew up in. It was one full of Christian love, forgiveness and balance. I am very fortunate during my late childhood and teen years to have had the best pastor -- bar none -- a young person could have ever had. He was patient, loving, kind and always willing to take extra time to mentor a young person, especially a young preacher.
So, when I decided to take my "self imposed exile" from the ministry, I asked the Lord to teach me some things. I laid it all out on the line in prayer. I asked God to radically reshape my ministry, my philosophy of ministry, my style of preaching and my positions. You know the old saying -- "Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it?" That's exactly what happened.
When God teaches you, he will also test you. When God tests you, He will also provide some trials along the way. When He teaches you, you will learn about patience. But, I couldn't have been happier in the end.
My ministry has been totally revived and retooled. Not by me, but by my Master. No longer am I a strictly topical preacher as I had been in the past. I asked the Lord to make me an expositional preacher. Granted, you can do some topical preaching that is also expositional, but it's not as easy to do so. Expositional preaching forces you to go straight to the text. It forces you to expound upon what God has said, not what I want to say. It forces me to address whatever is in the text, not my soapbox. My next goal is to become an expository preacher that does not use notes whatsoever. I'm asking God to provide me with the ability and confidence to do so, and I'm confident that He will.
The main thrust of this post though, is to propose that we all begin to question and examine we do why we do what we do, and does it align up with Scripture. We all know that Baptists are tradition-laden. Tradition is not always bad, but it can detour us if we aren't careful.
Think about it. I believe with all my heart that God doesn't mind one bit if we question Him and question our methods and even our beliefs. Some of our beliefs are truly man made, and not God given, yet they have been elevated to the status of doctrine.
I was not raised in an extreme fundamental church. The one thing I have taken great pleasure in was the church environment I grew up in. It was one full of Christian love, forgiveness and balance. I am very fortunate during my late childhood and teen years to have had the best pastor -- bar none -- a young person could have ever had. He was patient, loving, kind and always willing to take extra time to mentor a young person, especially a young preacher.
So, when I decided to take my "self imposed exile" from the ministry, I asked the Lord to teach me some things. I laid it all out on the line in prayer. I asked God to radically reshape my ministry, my philosophy of ministry, my style of preaching and my positions. You know the old saying -- "Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it?" That's exactly what happened.
When God teaches you, he will also test you. When God tests you, He will also provide some trials along the way. When He teaches you, you will learn about patience. But, I couldn't have been happier in the end.
My ministry has been totally revived and retooled. Not by me, but by my Master. No longer am I a strictly topical preacher as I had been in the past. I asked the Lord to make me an expositional preacher. Granted, you can do some topical preaching that is also expositional, but it's not as easy to do so. Expositional preaching forces you to go straight to the text. It forces you to expound upon what God has said, not what I want to say. It forces me to address whatever is in the text, not my soapbox. My next goal is to become an expository preacher that does not use notes whatsoever. I'm asking God to provide me with the ability and confidence to do so, and I'm confident that He will.
The main thrust of this post though, is to propose that we all begin to question and examine we do why we do what we do, and does it align up with Scripture. We all know that Baptists are tradition-laden. Tradition is not always bad, but it can detour us if we aren't careful.
Think about it. I believe with all my heart that God doesn't mind one bit if we question Him and question our methods and even our beliefs. Some of our beliefs are truly man made, and not God given, yet they have been elevated to the status of doctrine.
More on the KJV
This article sheds light on our fundamentalist forefathers and their position on the Bible. Good stuff!
Charles H. Spurgeon
I couldn't have this blog up without throwing in a post about one of my heroes of the faith!
Perspectives
Another thing I want to go on record about is our ever present hostility in IFB-dom toward our brethren who have differing views. For example, the IFB world is very hostile toward those who hold to the teachings of Calvinism, and yes, those who embrace Calvinism can have the same hostilities as well. While I don't hold to that viewpoint, I'm not going to treat these individuals as 2nd rate. Actually, as I ponder in thought and study the Scriptures, I'm not so sure that us IFB's don't have a little more Calvin in us than we want to admit. Chew on that one for a while, guys. If you think long enough, you'll see what I mean!
Guess I'll get branded for sure now for what I just said...
Guess I'll get branded for sure now for what I just said...
Thoughts on the KJV
Here is a link to an excellent treatment of the KJV-only issue. I'll go on record, being crystal clear that I am not a KJV-only preacher. I prefer the KJV because I believe it is a faithful translation that has served Christianity well for over almost 400 years. I use the KJV in my preaching and teaching. However, I do not believe that the KJV is inspired, or that it is the only copy of the Bible that God ordained for our use.
Here is the link to the blog of Pastor Sean Harris out of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Here is the link to the blog of Pastor Sean Harris out of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Welcome to my blog
I've actually been blogging since the first of the year, having decided to make a disciplined effort to do so. However, I've decided to change my focus. On my previous blog, I tended to drift toward the negative aspects of fundamental Baptists. As I continued down that path, I discovered that this approach was not doing me any good.
While I firmly believe independent Baptists have more than a few problems, this blog is going to deal strictly with the ministry God has given me. Surely, I will take positions that my Baptist brethren will not agree with, and that's OK. I know that I will stand in account to no man, but to God Himself for what I believe, what I teach and how I carry out my earthly ministry.
I welcome differing opinions, and we can respectfully discuss our differences. However, don't expect me to argue with you. It just won't happen. As the title of my blog aptly says, I am grounded and settled in my faith. We may just need to agree to disagree. If you can abide by that one simple request, then we'll do just fine!
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my blog and I hope that some small part of my writings will be a blessing to you!
While I firmly believe independent Baptists have more than a few problems, this blog is going to deal strictly with the ministry God has given me. Surely, I will take positions that my Baptist brethren will not agree with, and that's OK. I know that I will stand in account to no man, but to God Himself for what I believe, what I teach and how I carry out my earthly ministry.
I welcome differing opinions, and we can respectfully discuss our differences. However, don't expect me to argue with you. It just won't happen. As the title of my blog aptly says, I am grounded and settled in my faith. We may just need to agree to disagree. If you can abide by that one simple request, then we'll do just fine!
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my blog and I hope that some small part of my writings will be a blessing to you!
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