I once heard John Piper say...

²Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³ seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. ⁴For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. ⁵Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁶and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, ⁷and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; ¹¹for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Peter 1:2-11)

I once heard John Piper say that some people live better than they think. In other words, some people’s theology is largely inconsistent and filled with error, but their love for God is genuine and their lives reflect this love. I want the Covenant members of GRBC to be persons who live honorable, Godly lives and I want our Covenant members to be persons who think correctly about God and what He has done through Jesus Christ. I do not want us to be unclear on Biblical doctrines.

Certainly we must move beyond right thinking into right living. As R.C. Sproul Jr. writes, “the Christian life isn’t just lived in our minds”. The doctrines which we hold so dear to us must be validated by our daily choices. We must demonstrate that we believe God is sovereign by joyfully entrusting to Him what is most precious to us. We must demonstrate that we believe in the inspiration, authority and sufficiency of Scripture by submitting to its commands. We must demonstrate that we believe in justification by faith alone by courageously coming into the presence of God each day, not relying on our consistently good behavior, but on Christ’s behavior and then His substitutionary death which purchased our salvation.

We must live out the great doctrines of grace in the most mundane circumstances of our lives. If we cannot learn to incorporate sound theology into everyday decisions, then we have missed the point of learning the great truths of God. As we learn to think better, let’s ask God to translate that better thinking into better living. Together as the Church which has been chosen by God and bought by Christ’s precious blood, let us be ever increasing in holiness in the most practical details of life so that our calling and election are confirmed by our very choices.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Belongs The Glory),
Shane

"for the form of this world is passing away" - 1 Corinthians 7:31

Paul warns us not to cling too tightly to the things we know and experience and love in this world. Whether it is husbands or wives, weeping or rejoicing, loss or gain, he says to live in a way that is not dependent upon them. In other words, our happiness should not be too closely tied to what we see and taste and feel.

Why? Because the "form of this world is passing away". This is not our permanent dwelling place. The world as we know it is not the world God has planned for us to see and taste and feel for all of eternity. Don't put your hope of happiness in a wife or husband because that marriage is not eternal (Mt.22:30). Don't put your hope of joy in the circumstances of your life because life as your experience it now will pass away like a vapor (Jms.4:14). Don't put your hope of satisfaction in what you buy or possess because eternity is not about possessing anything but Christ (Mt.6:19-21).

"For the better we know God, the more we will want all of our existence to revolve around Him, and we will see that the only plans and goals that really matter are those that are somehow tied to God Himself, and to our eternity with Him. " - D.A. Carson (The Cross and Christian Ministry)

There is a greater reality that awaits us. May all our living and planning reflect that truth!

Traveling with you as a fellow pilgrim,
Pastor Joey

"Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us." - Hosea 6:1
O, the surpassing joy that fills my heart to know the hand of God upon me!  It is a hand that is strong enough to redeem my lifeless heart. Speaking of the people of Israel who were scattered and in exile, Nehemiah says, "They are Your servants and Your people whom You redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand." (Neh. 1:10). And it is a hand that is good enough to govern all of my life and circumstances towards a glorious end. Again Nehemiah speaks of this when he says, "And the king granted them [all his requests for materials, safety, time away, etc. for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem] to me because the good hand of my God was upon me." (Neh. 2:8)

There have been times when I have known His hand of mercy. Those times are too numerous to count. It would be easier to count every beating of my heart or every breath I have taken than to number His merciful works on my behalf. The very fact that I awoke this morning to a cup of hot coffee rather than the burning flames of hell is a testimony to His hand of mercy upon me.

There have been times when I have known His hand of strength and protection. Sometimes it is as visible as a flaming pillar of fire, and sometimes it is the gentle breeze that easily goes unnoticed. Yet it is there guiding and guarding me all the same. Psalm 121 says that "the Lord is [my] shade at [my] right hand. The sun will not harm [me] by day nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep [me] from all harm; He will watch over [my] life. The Lord will watch over [my] coming and going both now and forever."

There have been times when I have known His hand of discipline. I have failed Him and dishonored His name with a frequency that only brings shame, humility and utter dependence. Yet I am learning to enjoy His hand!

It does not matter so much if it is a touch of mercy or power or protection or discipline; only that I remain in Him and His strong right hand be upon me all the days of my life. May we look for His hand today and find our refuge in it.

Learning to be held rather than to hold,

Pastor Joey

"But if, when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God." - 1 Peter 2:20b

I am always surprised by the activity of grace in the daily course of life. This past week I came upon some illustrations of martyrs throughout church history that vividly portrayed the manner of their deaths. My soul was pierced as their images lingered in my mind. At the same time, I had been meditating on 1 Peter 2:20 (mentioned above) concerning suffering for Christ. Then, over the weekend I read an article that mentioned the recent anniversaries of two martyrs of past centuries. These three events are not coincidental. They are some of the many activities of grace God is working in my life.

It is not enough to simply suffer for doing what is right. Peter says that God wants us to patiently endure such suffering no matter what the form or intensity of the suffering might be. This is an important reminder for us and we should not pass too quickly over it. How many times have we justified lingering bitterness, discontentment, or envy in our hearts simply because we are going through a time of suffering that we did not bring upon ourselves?

Patient endurance must accompany our suffering because it signifies the depth of trust one has in God as Righteous Judge (2:23) and Christ as Kinsman-Redeemer (2:24) and Good Shepherd (2:25). One can do what is right (by right I mean in outward accordance with God's commands in Scripture), receive suffering because of it, and yet find no favor with God. Isn't this a staggering thought?!

Their response to the suffering gives evidence that there were hidden motives of the heart at work in their outward obedience that had nothing to do with a hope or joy in God through Christ. The reason we can patiently endure suffering for doing what is right is because of what Christ has done for us. He bore our sins in His body on the cross. The result of this is not an outward transformation only. God is not interested in corpses who have been made to look alive with the make-up of morality and the fancy garments of goodness. We have had a very dead heart ripped from our chest and now a supreme love for Christ courses through our veins. Obeying God is our greatest joy. Why would the price of obedience cause us to grumble if it is of little comparison to the benefits it brings to us both now and in eternity?

Let me leave you with the account of one such man who knew what Peter knew and lived it out beautifully to the end. This is the account of Bishop Hooper (1555):

"He was led forward between two sheriffs, as a lamb to the slaughter...he sometimes lifted up his eyes toward heaven, and looked cheerfully upon such as he knew; and, indeed, his countenance was more cheerful than it had been for a long time before. When he was brought to the stake, he embraced it...He then kneeled down to pray. Prayers being ended, he prepared himself for the stake, by taking off his landlord's gown, which he delivered to the sheriffs...After this a pound of gunpowder was placed between his legs, and the same quantity under each arm; three chains were fixed around him, one to his neck, another to his middle, and a third to his legs; and with these he was fastened to the stake. this being done, fire was put to the bundle of sticks; but they being green, he suffered inexpressible torment. Soon after this, a load of dry sticks was brought, but still the wind blew away the flames; so that he begged for more, that he might be put out of his misery. At length, the fire took effect, and the martyr triumphantly ascended into heaven...His last words were, 'Lord Jesus have mercy upon me; enable me to bear my sufferings, for Thy Name's sake, and receive my spirit.'"

May we this day receive the grace to walk in obedience to His commands, not just with our feet, but with our hearts. And may we be found among those who patiently endure any such suffering as may graciously come our way for His Name's sake!

Finding encouragement from those who have gone before me,

Pastor Joey

The God Who Made History For Our Good

There is much to be learned from the voices of the past. God is the God of history as well as eternity. He has chosen, in His wisdom, to communicate and operate in the realm of real times, real events and real people. Every story is in some way God's story. Every event is somehow connected to the Event. The ancient is not disconnected from the modern. The new has not dissected itself from the old.

There is no American history, European history, medieval history, black history or church history. While these categories may be helpful to draw our attention to particular designs, colors and images within the tapestry of all history, we must remember that it is still God's history; God's tapestry.

He has known what this tapestry would look like from before time (history) began. He, in fact, designed it using all of His divine wisdom and beauty and creativity and power according to His own good pleasure. Every weave of the providential loom contains two common threads among the many diverse colors and textures. "I will be their God" and "They will be My people". It is staggering to see how God has moved and is moving all of history towards this one great, glorious end which is really just the beginning.

O, may He help us to look to the past for wisdom, encouragement and perseverance. May the cries of Sodom and the burning smells of Gomorrah warn us against the dangers of allowing sin to live comfortably within us (2 Peter 2:6). May the God-given grace of countless men and women who died with courage in their hearts and Christ upon their lips stir our hearts to boldness as we seek to make Christ beautiful to our neighbors and loved ones. May the timeless insights of the early church fathers, the puritans and modern day giants of the faith awaken our dull, sleepy minds to explore the depths of God's infinite glory. May we not become so enamored with our own small thread that we miss the providential beauty of the design and fail to fully worship the Master Weaver.

Learning history for my own good,

Pastor Joey 

Redeeming the Time

"Now for this reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love...And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind." - 2 Peter 1:5-7,15

"Diligence" seems to be the word God has placed upon my heart these days. His Spirit has illuminated it in countless Scriptures during my studies in recent weeks. He has brought me to the table of the past and shown me the diligence of saints who greatly magnified the Lord in life and death, in word and deed. He has made me acutely aware of my own place in His unfolding plan as a family shepherd, a shepherd of the flock here at GRBC, and as a follower of the Way.

I am alive today to give due diligence to these three duties. There is no room in my day for trivial pleasures, idleness of tongue or laziness of mind. May I redeem the time today for Christ that has been purchased for me by Christ. I am enjoying another day of union and communion with the beautiful One at the infinite cost of His own blood. Can I allow even one valuable, blood-bought minute slip away?

Struggling to redeem more time than I waste,

Pastor Joey

Re-Thinking Baptism

Last Sunday’s sermon on baptism has been a focal point of my thinking for a while now. There was a time when I was thrilled to baptize anyone who simply named Jesus as their Savior. I was taught that their profession should be enough to satisfy me and that it was certainly not my job to play “judge” and make any sincere attempt to validate the authenticity of their conversion. The direct consequence of this kind of thinking at GRBC in the early year of my pastorate here resulted in a lot of professions, a lot of baptisms, but very few lasting disciples.

The strange thing about this is that while we were operating as described above, we would have been considered very normal for an evangelistic, Southern Baptist Church. In fact, we probably would have received a few awards for church growth during those years if I had been diligent enough to report our outstanding numbers to the right people within the SBC.

I know that many critics of our methods would say that our problem is that we did not have effective means of doing follow-up with these new converts, but I disagree. The most likely problem is that we were baptizing people who were never converted. It’s not that I would expect a new convert to be spiritually mature, but we should expect a new convert to have new, deep spiritual desires that do not often result in complete abandonment of attending worship services, Bible reading, praying, partaking of communion and meeting together in small groups.

1 John 2:19 helps us understand that those who do not persevere until the end are not only carnal or backslidden, they are lost. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

When we think of genuine conversion and who we should baptize, let us remember these 2 truths: (1) every believer should desires and pursue Christian baptism and (2) every church should be able to reasonably discern the authenticity of that person’s conversion before he or she is baptized. In some circumstances, especially when dealing with children, that may means that waiting is best.

A few final thoughts on the issue,
o The SBC claims over 16 million baptized members, but only slightly over 6 million attend church at all (approximately 37%)
o The practice of Baptists baptizing children is a relatively recent trend and it is largely an American practice
o Baptists of the past often waited until children were young adults before they were baptized. This is still the common practice today in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Blessed to pastor wise and understanding disciples,
Pastor Shane

Sighing Then Singing

We sang a new song last Sunday in preparation for taking communion. Actually, Come Boldly To The Throne is an old song that we just recently discovered thanks to Red Mountain Church in Birmingham, Alabama (www.redmountainmusic.org). D. Herbert wrote the song in 1838 and it was published in William Gadsby’s collection of hymns. Gadsby’s stated purpose in compiling such hymns was the express wish …to have a selection of hymns in one book free from Arminianism, and sound in the faith, that the church might be edified and God glorified. Gadsby compiled hymns that emphasized the greatness of God’s sovereignty and taught sound doctrine to those who would sing those hymns. This is no doubt needed in the church today.

The first couple of verses in Come Boldly To The Throne provide an accurate portrayal of what should happen when we approach the Lord’s table.

Come boldly to a throne of grace,
Ye wretched sinners, come;
And lay your load at Jesus’ feet,
And plead what he has done.

“How can I come?” some soul may say,
“I’m lame and cannot walk;
My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth;
I sigh, but dare not talk.”

We are commanded to come boldly to God (Hebrews 4:16), but we must never come arrogantly. We come to take the bread and the cup with confidence because we plead what he has done, never what we have done. (I hope you hear the great doctrines of Christ’s substitutionary death and imputed righteousness in Herbert’s hymn.)

One sure sign of arrogance is that we continue to try to justify ourselves through our words when instead, we should just be quiet. One sure sign of contrition is that we see our sin so clearly that we affirm My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth; I sigh, but dare not talk. We do not approach the Table of the Lord chattering about why we deserve to be there. Instead, we sigh over our inconsistencies, broken promises, powerful appetites for sin, and then, because of Christ, we boldly sing,

Poor bankrupt souls, who feel and know
The hell of sin within,
Come boldly to the throne of grace;
The Lord will take you in.

This is not presumptuous; it is what God requires of those who trust Him. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

In Christ,
Pastor Shane

Questions to Ask When Looking for A Church

Pastoring in Virginia Beach for these last 7 years has been a unique experience for a guy who grew up in rural South Carolina. Like many urban areas, Virginia Beach is made up of people from all over the world. The neighborhood where Green Run Baptist Church is located is fairly typical of its larger surroundings in that it is comprised of families from numerous parts of the United States and the world. Thankfully, the covenant membership of our church is a true reflection of the neighborhood where it exists. Ministering to so many types of people has given me the privilege of seeing first hand that the Gospel creates a culture of its own where Christ is all, and in all (Colossians 3:12).

When you live here for a while, you quickly realize how transient the people are. People are moving in and out of this area all the time. Because there is such a large military presence here, we may only have the opportunity to minister to a family for 2-4 years before they are relocated. Each year, GRBC will see numerous families leave our covenant membership and then they are faced with the task of finding a new church. Only recently did I come to understand how difficult this process has become. It is not uncommon for these former covenant members to stay in contact with me and ask advice on how to find a church. Frankly, the vast majority of these families seem to struggle with finding a community of believers with whom to worship.

With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to know what questions to ask the elders of a church one may considering joining. Instead of comprising a list of my own, I thought these questions provided by Donald Whitney would serve us well. Whitney’s list of questions provides a great starting point for all who may be considering membership in a local church.

In addition to Whitney’s advice, let me humbly offer a little additional guidance. First of all, do not seek a church based solely on it denominational affiliation. We are a Southern Baptist Church, but I do not advise our members who leave us to only seek out SBC churches when they relocate. There are many more important criteria by which to choose a church than its denomination. Secondly, when possible, the father of the family should accept full responsibility in choosing a new church home. This is not to say that his wife and children cannot offer wise insight, but he is the covenant head of that home and he is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the entire household. Therefore, to let the children choose a church solely because of its “great” youth ministry or “cool” music, in spite of the fact that the pastor cannot teach God’s Word, is the pinnacle of foolishness. (Remember, kids often worship what is cool, not what is holy). Finally, make sure that the prospective church makes a clear distinction between essential doctrines and non-essential doctrines. For help in distinguishing essential and non-essential doctrines, check out this site. I offer this last piece of advice because legalism is as great a danger as poor teaching. Both of these are prevalent in today’s evangelical churches and they are sometimes difficult to recognize.

Praying for your spiritual safety,
Pastor Shane

Recommended Reading

We have just finished a 5 part series of sermons at GRBC directed at the young people that attend our worship gathering each week. The goal of the series was to cover basic concepts that are part of Biblical Christianity. I decided to end the sermon series by making an appeal to become intentional learners (to use Donald Whitney’s terminology). There is no doubt that the primary way to learn intentionally is to read. This is obvious to most, yet practiced by few. So to help the folks at GRBC and anyone else who may need some direction toward helpful Christian literature, I will recommend 3 books that I was privileged to read within the last few months.

1. The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes
First published in 1630 by Puritan Richard Sibbes (commonly known as The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes because of his way of healing with words), this book has become a classic example of rich Puritan literature. The central theme of Sibbes’ writing is taken from Isaiah 42:1-3 and Matthew 12:18-20. Without a doubt, this was the most helpful book I read this past year. This book offers a message of hope to every Christian who is feeling overcome by his own sinfulness. Sibbes brought the overcoming power of God’s grace to the forefront of my mind again and again. This was useful to me because it seems that my own failures most often occupy the prominent places in my mind. I offer just a taste of The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes:

In pursuing his calling, Christ will not quench the smoking flax, or wick, but will blow it up till it flames. In smoking flax there is but a little light, and that weak, as being unable to flame, and that little mixed with smoke. The observations from this are that, in God’s children, especially in their first conversion, there is but a little measure of grace, and that little mixed with much corruption, which, as smoke, is offensive; but that Christ will not quench this smoking flax.

Let us not therefore be discouraged at the small beginnings of grace, but look on ourselves as elected to be “holy and without blame”(Ephesians 1:4). Let us look on our imperfect beginning only to enforce further striving to perfection, and to keep us in low opinion of ourselves.

Since the fall, God will not trust us with our own salvation, but it is both purchased and kept by Christ for us, and we for it through faith, wrought by the power of God, which we lay hold of.

2. Sinners in the Hands of a Good God by David Clotfelter
The subtitle of Clotfelter’s work is Reconciling Divine Judgment and Mercy. The author does a wonderful job of addressing the more difficult questions of orthodoxy. His treatment of the doctrine of eternal judgment was useful for my own pastoral ministry and preaching. Clotfelter also offers a sound defense of the reformed view of salvation by carefully explaining the 5 points of Calvinism in terms that any diligent laymen can appreciate. Every pastor who desires to preach evangelistically, yet struggles with the “altar call” (decisional regeneration) approach will gain insight from Clotfelter’s appendix entitled, A Letter to Seekers. And every layman who desires clarification on difficult doctrines will benefit from this book. One example…

(Writing about George MacDonald’s misunderstanding of God) He was confident that he knew what a good God ought to do, and he was not greatly disturbed by the existence of biblical passages that contradicted his theories. Confronting such passages, his usual response was to insist that whatever they might mean, they obviously could not mean what they appeared to mean!

(Writing about Jonathan Edwards understanding of God) Edwards’ approach was quite different (than MacDonald’s)…Edwards sought always to subordinate human reasoning and feeling to the teaching of Scripture. MacDonald taught me to trust my instincts about God; Edwards told me to distrust those instincts and cast myself on the Bible.

3. Federal Husband by Douglas Wilson
Doug Wilson has quickly become one of my favorite authors and preachers. Wilson pastors Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. I do not agree with all that Wilson says or writes, but I find myself drawn to him because as a Presbyterian pastor with a great love for the covenants revealed in Scripture, he emphasizes (perhaps even over-emphasizes) aspects of Scripture that were almost completely neglected in my spiritual upbringing and theological education. Federal Husband brings a clearer concept of covenant into our marriages and provides a healthy approach to building marriages that honor God. This was probably the most challenging book I read in the past few months and I’m sure that in time, it will prove one of the most helpful.

One of the most difficult things for modern men to understand is how they are responsible for their wives. Men come into a marriage pastoral counseling session with the assumption that “She has her problems,” and “I have mine,” and the counselor is here to help us split the difference. But the husband is responsible for all the problems. This is the case for no other reason than that he is the husband.

Obviously, sins can be committed in marriage by both men and women. But all such sinning occurs in the context of a covenant and within the realm of the federal head’s responsibility. The responsibility for all such sins therefore lies with the husband. A woman can and should recognize her sins before the Lord; her husbands overarching responsibility should in no way lessen her sense of personal and individual responsibility. Properly understood, it should have precisely the opposite effect. When a wife understands that her husband is responsible and knows that he assumes this responsibility willingly, she will be more responsible as an individual, not less.

Let me know how the reading goes,
Pastor Shane

"If Any of You Lacks Wisdom, Let Him Pray"

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." - James 1:5-8

Do we truly realize the importance of prayer or do we think we can be wise without a deep and consistent communion with God? Wisdom is much more than a simple quest for knowledge. It is more than an effort to gain and store the right information. I do not mean to say that knowledge is unimportant. The amount of intimacy a relationship enjoys is directly related to how much knowledge one individual has of another. The greater the knowledge, the greater the level of potential intimacy to be enjoyed. However, we must be careful to remember that, while knowledge is necessary for intimacy, it does not guarantee it. That is why we must pray for wisdom.

It seems that there is a way of attaining knowledge that increases our self-love ("Knowledge puffs up."-1 Cor. 8:1). And there is a way of attaining knowledge that increases our zeal (or passion or affection) for God. It is the foolish man who has zeal without knowledge. And it is the obstinate man who has knowledge without zeal. The wise man or woman has zeal that flows out of knowledge. Wisdom is knowledge in action; it is belief that responds in worship. That is why we must pray for wisdom.

Only God can make our hearts rejoice in the truth and make our minds embrace the truth. Only God can give us the power to rightly apply His truth to our lives and live it out in a joyfully consistent manner. There are no more enjoyable thoughts than those centered on God. There are no greater exercises of the mind than meditations upon the awesome truths as revealed in His Word and His world. So let us be people who pray for wisdom as we seek to love God with our minds. May we not shrink back from treasures that are not easily discovered. May our conversations be flavored with the beauties and perfections of God. May we not be like the fool who is "wise in his own eyes" (Prov. 3:7).

Wise and gracious Father, help us break free of this foolish inclination to lean on our own understanding. In You alone we place our trust! Only You can make straight our paths and keep our footing sure. Help us as your people be drawn close to You by the knowledge we have of You. Amen.

Taking every thought captive for His glory,

Pastor Joey

For Certain

Like most of you, I have watched a lot of news coverage from the Gulf Coast this past week. In light of Hurricane Katrina, there are a lot of reasons to feel pity for the people of southern Louisiana and Mississippi; not the least of which is their uncertain futures. It must be horrible not to know where your next meal is coming from, where you will live or if your family members are even alive. Frankly, I’ve never been faced with such circumstances and therefore, I find it very difficult to imagine their collective state of mind.

Some degree of uncertainty is to be expected in such circumstances, but if I pastored a church in New Orleans, instead of Virginia Beach, these are the certainties I would want to instill in my congregation in the midst of a natural disaster:

God is sovereign over all creation.
God is free. His is free to do as He pleases with all of His creation. As Creator, God has the right and the power to plan what He desires and then accomplish that plan as He alone sees fit.

For the kingdom is the LORD'S, And He rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:28)

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. (Psalm 103:19)

"But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But

He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?' (Daniel 4:34-35)

God is good to all people.
One of the most neglected doctrines in our churches is that of Common Grace. This is God’s grace that does not justify us, but sustains life on earth so that some can be justified. Common Grace comes in many forms that are so “common” we often forget that they are actually grace gifts from God. For example, Jesus said , But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:44-45). The sun rise this morning was an underserved gift of grace to all who experienced it. Both believers and unbelievers awoke to a beautiful day here in Virginia Beach. Those who got drunk and committed adultery Saturday night awoke to the same sunrise as those who spent the evening preparing their hearts for Lord’s Day worship. Psalm 145:8-9, The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.

If this disaster is an expression of God’s anger against sin, it is not a temper tantrum, but instead, it is an expression of holy justice.
It is impossible to fully know why God does what He does. Some things are hidden from us (Deuteronomy 29:29). Even though we cannot completely know the mind of God, we do know the character of God. We know this because it is revealed in the pages of Scripture and in the person of Jesus. We see in both a holy and just anger against all sin. But God’s anger is not like our anger. God does not throw tantrums when His patience has been exhausted. He never rages out of control because He’s in a bad mood. He has a consistent hatred of sin and at times, He chooses, according to His own purposes, to make that known in time and space. I cannot conclusively say that this is what happens in every natural disaster, but it would be humbling if we let the destruction we have seen over the last week remind us of the coming destruction of all who rebel against God’s sovereign rule. Humility is a good gift regardless of the package it arrives in.

So pursue them with Your tempest And terrify them with Your storm. Fill their faces with dishonor, That they may seek Your name, O LORD. Let them be ashamed and dismayed forever, And let them be humiliated and perish, That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth (Psalm 83:15-18).

For His own people, God will turn these devastating events into means of additional goodness and mercy
Romans 8:28, And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Common Grace is one thing, but Saving Grace is another. Both are necessary, but Saving Grace brings with it this great promise that God will alter every disaster in our lives so the outcome is our good. Anything that helps God’s elect know Him more, rely on Him more and enjoy Him more is good. It does not always seem good, but it is good.


Praying that God’s Name will be honored through Katrina,
Pastor Shane

Help for Learning the Basics

We have begun our journey through the Gospel of John during our Sunday worship gatherings. Last Lord’s Day, we encountered the Trinity in John 1:1-18. In last Wednesday’s Family Bible Study, we studied the biblical doctrines of justification, sanctification and glorification. Both Sunday’s sermon and Wednesday’s Bible Study should have been a review of essential biblical teachings. These should have been a glorious revisiting of doctrines learned early in our Christian experience. But I fear that was not the case for many who attended our gatherings. For too many of us who have been converted for many years, we still do not understand the most basic bible doctrines which form the very foundations of our faith. We see this same dilemma in the Christians of the New Testament. ¹¹Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹²For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)

I think that there are a number of reasons why so many of us have never learned the basic teachings of Christianity. First of all, many churches we attended in the early years of our discipleship did not teach these doctrines clearly. They didn’t talk about justification or conversion; they talked about “asking Jesus into your heart”. Therefore, we simply did not hear these biblical terms and now when a pastor actually talks like the Bible talks, it seems as if we are hearing a foreign

language. Secondly, many of us do not read any substantial theological literature. This is an indictment against pastors as well as those who occupy the pews. Check out any 10 church web-sites and look at the pastor’s recommended reading list, if there is one. What is commonly seen is that pastors spend a lot of time reading books that improve leadership skills, organizational skills and most often, church growth skills, but seem to neglect reading theology. Perhaps this is why so many pastors don’t have two theological dimes to rub together (which may not matter to them if they believe preaching doctrine hinders church growth anyway). All of this leads to an inability to think clearly about the Bible and what it teaches us.

So what’s the cure for our ignorance? It has to begin with a commitment to renew our minds daily. Somebody once said, “If you want to change yourself, change something you do every day”. That is a sound principle to live by. So what should a person do daily if she wants to begin to think clearly about Scripture? Here are my suggestions:

• Read through the Bible every year or so, repeatedly asking the Holy Spirit to teach you as you read. The pace of reading will be different for different people. So find a pace that suits you and stick with it. Read slowly enough to meditate on what you are reading and use a good Study Bible to assist you. (2 recommendations for Study Bibles: The Reformation Study Bible, R.C. Sproul, General Editor & The MacArthur Study Bible, John MacArthur, General Editor).

• Study some portion of the Bible daily. Reading is good, studying is better. The mind moves in the direction of what it thinks about on a regular basis. To study is not only to read, but to think about something so that you are changed by what you study. There are numerous plans out there to assist you in Bible study, but I recommend Tabletalk from Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul as the most useful tool I have found for daily Bible study. Subscriptions can be purchased here.

Tabletalk is a monthly publication that helps you study through various portions of Scripture by providing a daily Bible reading and then a few paragraphs of commentary on the assigned passage. Many other Bible study helps use this format, but what sets Tabletalk apart is that (1) it moves systematically through the Bible so that you study the Bible as it was meant to be studied. Recently, by using Tabletalk, I have studied through James, 1 & 2 Peter and now I am presently in 1 John. This method should always be preferred above random readings and topics; (2) the commentary is solid theological information that is designed to be applied to daily living. It is substantial theological reading which any lay-person can handle because the terms are explained and reviewed often and the readings are very short; (3) Tabletalk contains additional articles which help us see how these basic doctrines have developed throughout the history of the Church and how they impact the Church today. In other words, Tabletalk is not Our Daily Bread. (As a sample, this month’s edition of Tabletalk is entitled Redemption Accomplished, The Doctrine of the Atonement. For October, Tabletalk deals with Cults, Disguised as Angels of Light while continuing a study of 1 John.)

Pastor Shane

The Greatest of These is Love

⁸Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part; ¹⁰but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. ¹¹When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. ¹²For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. ¹³But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13

The three great marks of a true follower of Christ are faith, hope and love. The three great pillars of our religion that support and sustain the Church are also faith, hope and love. But it is the excellence of love that is preeminently set forth in Scripture.

This is a dangerous passage in our culture today. There are many false teachers who discard the true God of Scripture for a god made in their own image. There are many deceived souls who readily embrace a worldly concept of love and tolerance and happiness while minimizing the importance of faith and hope.

Genuine faith requires one to acknowledge and embrace God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture and in Christ. Genuine faith will not allow room for subjective, experiential interpretations of who God is. He is the "I AM"! He is free, unchanging, and uncompromising.

True hope requires one to reject the notion that this present life is the fulfillment of all God's promises for us. True hope does not become bitter or downcast in the midst of unmet expectations, difficulties and sufferings, or broken dreams. True hope embraces all such things (James 1:2-3,12; 2 Cor. 4:16-18) as necessary preparations for a future glory (i.e. fulfillment, joy, happiness, peace, rest, etc.) that will not be attained in this life.

So when Paul says that love is greater than faith and hope, he is not saying that faith and hope are unnecessary and may be cast aside. Love is not preeminent because it is the most important quality a Christian must possess. Love is preeminent because it is the most enduring quality of the three. Faith and hope are temporary qualities of the Christian.

While we live in these "last days" we must abide in faith, hope and love. This is because we are not yet what we will be. Our ultimate salvation has not been fully realized. The Apostle Paul says that right now we know in part and see in part. Therefore, faith and hope remain. That is why we need the insight and encouragement that the special gifts of the Holy Spirit give us. Remember, faith is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). But when the perfect comes and we see Christ face to face, we will know Him fully and completely just as He now fully knows us. We will enjoy the fulfillment of all the promises God has made to His children. Faith and hope will no longer be necessary. Prophecy and knowledge and tongues will no longer be needed. But "love never fails".

It is love (our love for God and our ability to enjoy His love for us) that will be ever abiding and ever increasing throughout all eternity. As we endure this present life with steadfast faith and persevering hope, may we also put on the garment of love. One day we will stand at the gates of that great City and all the clothes we have traveled in for so long will be removed except one.

Learning how to love in this world,

Pastor Joey

P.S. For a more excellent treatment of this subject than I have done, see Thomas Watson's work, A Divine Cordial.

Teach Us to Pray
Praying the Prayers of the New Testaments
#1

Teach Us to Pray is a series of meditations designed to help believers know how to pray. Prayer does not always come easily even for the most dedicated disciples. There are times when we simply do not know what we should pray for (See Romans 8:26-27). Thankfully, the writers of the New Testament record at least 54 specific examples of how the New Testament Church prayed. As we strive for a more effective prayer life, let us look to these 54 examples of how the first century Christians were instructed to pray because it is certain that their prayers were effective prayers that accomplished much (See James 5:13-18).


But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14)

Our Lord taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Instead of cursing those who persecute us, we are to bless them with our prayers (Romans 12:14). Scripture commands us not to curse our enemies before God or men. Rather, we are to ask God to show the same kindness to our enemies as He has shown to us. As we contemplate this difficult and most unnatural command from Jesus, it is helpful to

remember that we were once God’s enemies and He demonstrated kindness to us. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:10). It is helpful to remember that we were only deserving of wrath, but to us, God was merciful. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) (Ephesians 2:3-5). Knowing this, how can we possibly withhold the mercy of prayer from our enemies?

Perhaps the difficulty of obeying Jesus’ command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us should alert us to the ever-present temptation to become bitter when we have been hurt. Anger, bitterness, self-pity and a host of other emotions will almost certainly keep us from obeying Christ on this matter of praying for our tormentors. So how do we overcome such obstacles in order to live a life of humble prayer? The short answer is that we grow to know our God so well that we see Him as our Sovereign Lord who will make every wrong right in His own time.

When we have been persecuted, embarrassed, neglected or abused, it is our understanding that God is sovereign and just that causes us to take our persecutors to His throne of grace in prayer. We confidently ask God to have His way in their lives knowing that either He will judge their sin in hell for all of eternity or He will grant them repentance and saving faith which means that Jesus has already paid for their sins on the cross (even their sins committed against us). Either way, we pray with great assurance that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Either way, we follow Christ’s example, and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:23).

So let us become a people who love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We do this not because we are naturally patient and forgiving. We pray this way because we trust God to execute justice and mercy as it pleases Him to do so and we trust that all His ways are right.

Once His Enemy, but now His Child,
Pastor Shane

Missions Month at GRBC

GRBC is sending 10 of our members to Jamaica to minister there with Dr. Ron Long from Luther Rice Seminary. This team will leave on October 20, 2005 to participate in local church services, evangelistic meetings, VBS and a number of other ministries. Dr. Ron Long is a faithful partner in our cause to see the glory of Christ spread throughout the world. Please pray for this mission opportunity as well.

I no longer take it for granted that all of us understand the importance of foreign missions. So, let me give a few minutes to clarifying why every local church must be involved in sending missionaries.

1. Because our Lord commanded us to do this
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

2. Because the gospel must be preached throughout the world before the end comes
14This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

3. Because those who never hear the gospel are nonetheless responsible for their unbelief and they will perish
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

4. Because no one will hear the gospel unless someone sends missionaries to preach the gospel
12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." 14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" 16However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (Romans 10:12-17)

5. Because God has chosen His elect from every nation
9And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10"You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10)

6. Because God has not only chosen who will be saved, but He has also chosen the means by which He will save them
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

13In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)


It is a pleasure to pastor a church that loves doing missions. Please pray for us this month as we walk through the doors that the Lord has opened for us.

Pastor Shane

Our Confidence for Preaching the Gospel throughout the World

As GRBC prepares to send short-term missionaries to India and Jamaica, it seems to be a good time to remind ourselves why we should not only participate in worldwide missions, but do so with confidence. To give us this confidence, let’s remember God’s words to the Apostle Paul as he took the gospel to the sinful and hostile city of Corinth. ⁹And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." ¹¹And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:9-11)

When doing missions, even among hardened and hostile people, we should have confidence that God will work because (1) God is sovereign over whatever resistance we meet as we preach the gospel (Acts 18:10) and (2) God has many of His elect scattered throughout the world who have not yet heard the gospel, but when they hear it, they will believe (Acts 18:10).

When Paul was fearful in Corinth, God said Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you. Fear is a normal part of mission work, but speaking the gospel is necessary if anyone is going to repent and believe. God does not magically convert His elect from all the nations of the world. He causes them to be born again through the revealed Word of God. The living seed of the Word is planted and the Holy Spirit mysteriously creates a new nature within a spiritually dead sinner. As Peter states in 2 Peter 1:23-25, ²³for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴For,
 

"ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS,
AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS.
THE GRASS WITHERS,
AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,
²⁵BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER "
And this is the word which was preached to you.

Missions is the work of God and God has chosen to do that work through His Word. So we go and preach. We proclaim God’s Word because we know that God has promised to save His chosen ones from among every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9). As God said to Paul, so He says to us, for I have many people in this city. God has multitudes that He calls His own, but they are not yet converted. So in the plan of God, He commands the local church to send out its members that they may speak God’s Word to God’s people and the result will be just as Jesus promised. ²⁷My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; ²⁸ and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29)

Our prayer as we go, Father, as they hear our voices testifying of your eternal mercy that comes through Christ; let them hear the voice of a kind, gentle and wise Shepherd calling His sheep to lie down in green pastures and to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Hebrews 13:20-21, ²⁰Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, ²¹equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Excited to go and return with a good report of God’s faithfulness,
Pastor Shane  

The Prayer of a Minor Prophet
A.W. Tozer

When I was a junior in college, my roommate had this prayer on the inside cover of his Bible. When I first read Tozer’s prayer, it left an immediate impression on me; so much so that I asked the Lord to make this my prayer as well. For years, I would pray this prayer as if it were my own because it helped me keep my ministry in focus. For some reason, maybe I lost my copy, I had forgotten about the prayer. Just this morning I came across it once again and as I prepare to leave for India, I made Tozer’s words my own.

(By the time you read this, Joe & I have been in India for a week, Lord willing. Please pray for us. Use Tozer’s words if they are as helpful to you as they are to me).

This is the prayer of a man called to be a witness to the nations. This is what he said to his Lord on the day of his ordination. After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on him he withdrew to meet his Savior in the secret place and in the silence, farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him.

And he said: O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou has called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou art about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, my Lord, Thou has stooped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man taketh this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant.

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine, but Thine. Thou has said, "I knew thee - I ordained thee - I sanctified thee," and Thou hast also said, "Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak." Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.

Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee Thou will honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or by death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.

It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee.

Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet - not a promoter, not a religious manager, but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that could make life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I should have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.
And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven.

Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee, therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with Thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure.

Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen. AMEN.

Written in 1950, this chapter has been reprinted many times and widely circulated.

Pastor Shane  

Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me, Amen!

This week, Protestants around the world should celebrate the 487th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of his Ninety Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. In this document, Luther powerfully exposed the corruption of the Catholic Church and its priesthood. Following this event, the history of the Church would never be the same. All Protestant churches arose from such “protests” as Luther’s and all of us should remember the importance of the events of that day. But the truth is that most Protestants have no idea who Martin Luther was or why October 31 should be celebrated for anything more than an opportunity to grab some free candy. Most of us have lost our sense of history and even worse, we cannot stir ourselves up to learn history because it just doesn’t seem useful. But what could be more useful than knowing how a person gets into a right relationship with God? When we stop to think about it, one day that is all that will matter. That is what Luther was so stirred up about. He had come to see that the Gospel was lost to the people of his day and that the Catholic Church was not the solution to this problem; it was the problem.

Luther helped rediscover the Gospel of justification by faith alone. It was not faith plus sacraments, works or membership within the church. It was the Gospel that comes to us by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone! As a former Catholic priest, Luther himself has been set free from fear and dread by this Gospel and now He was going public. For his efforts, he would suffer greatly and even have his life threatened. Luther felt firsthand how the self-righteous hate the true Gospel.

There is much more to Luther than I can write here, but read for yourselves what God has done through this most intriguing man. I highly recommend the brief overview of Luther’s life contained in The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper (This book can be purchased in our resource center at GRBC). Until you are able to read more about him, here are some quotes from Luther. Take time to thank God for such men.

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.

I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands that I still possess.

Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.

A preacher must be both soldier and shepherd. He must nourish, defend, and teach; he must have teeth in his mouth, and be able to bite and fight.

Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me, Amen. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me, Amen!

Happy Reformation Day,
Pastor Shane

Am I a pig or a sheep?

No, I am not asking you to give your opinion as to which animal I most resemble. Nor am I attempting to participate in a childish game of "What if..." It may seem like a ridiculous question at first, but Scripture would seem to ask me to evaluate my life so that I may know the answer. There is much at stake depending on which category I find myself.

The Apostle Peter, in his second letter, describes a pig as one who, after getting cleaned up, returns to wallowing in the mud.

"It has happened to them according to the true proverb, 'a dog returns to its own vomit,' and , 'A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.'" - 2 Peter 2:22

This is the person who hears the gospel, understands his or her own sinfulness, and even experiences a type of moral reformation. Bad habits are broken, addictions are overcome, harmful tendencies are brought under restraint and relationships are restored. Yet for all their cleanliness they are still a pig at heart. They eventually return to what they really love (i.e. their sin).

Scripture paints a much different picture of a sheep. Peter describes a sheep as one who is prone to continually wander away, but always returns to the shepherd.

"For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:25

This is the person who hears the gospel and is able to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling them, they see their own sinfulness because they are now able to see the beauties of Christ, and they follow Him with a new heart that loves to obey. However, this child of God has not yet been freed from the weaknesses of the flesh. They still battle a tendency to wander. There are old desires that rise to the surface. There are old ways of thinking that cloud their minds, produce selfish thoughts or cause them to forget the promises made to them by God.

How then do we know the sheep from the pig? For all their struggle with sin, the sheep also return to what they love most. They return time and time again to the "Shepherd and Guardian of [their] souls". Only a heart that has been redeemed through the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit will love being in the living waters of Christ. We may have our muddy days, but we will not love it like we once did. It may be hard at times for people to distinguish my sheepish complexion as I fight to be clean, but I am a sheep nonetheless. I have been given the heart and mind of a sheep. No longer am I a slave to the old pig nature that longs for the mud and will not stay clean for very long.

Those of us who are sheep should explode in countless expressions of worship and gratitude. We should not be evolutionists in our understanding of salvation. We who were once pigs by nature did not make ourselves sheep. We did not slowly evolve into sheep over a long period of time. We were born pigs and we were destined to die pigs if not for a merciful Creator God who re-created us from the inside out. He did not clean us up, He made us new!

From a former mud-lovin' swine who is now a sheep for life!

Pastor Joey  

Please Pray for the Elders

We had a 3 hour Elders’ meeting last night. That’s not unusual and no one topic dominated the meeting; it’s just that there are a number of things happening at GRBC right now that demand our attention and prayers. Therefore, I am requesting that you pray on behalf of your Elders. There are a lot of reasons that you should probably increase your prayer efforts for us, but here is one passage that puts this in perspective: ¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. ¹⁸Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things (Hebrews 13:17-18).

To motivate your diligence in prayer, you should meditate on these verses. We must pray for the Elders of our church because we must obey the Elders of our church. We certainly want to be in prayer for those men whom God requires that we obey and submit to. I know that most people, when pressed on this issue, would say that you really don’t have to obey church Elders, even if they are godly men. But the truth is God requires more obedience to Elders than most of us comprehend. This is why the writer of Hebrews pleads that people would pray for those who lead the church. Those who lead must have a good conscience and exemplify honorable conduct so that we encourage joyful obedience and submission because God has made us the watchmen over souls. As strange as it seems to Americans in 2005, this whole idea of Elders who lead honorably and church members who obey is designed to be a joyful experience from which everyone spiritually profits.

So pray for us. Here are some specific ways you can pray:

Pray for us as we consider how to most effectively minister to teenagers. This seems to be the hot topic at GRBC right now. The Elders are well aware that there is a lot of discussion concerning how we can best minister to teenagers who the Lord has brought under our care. All 6 of the Elders share those same concerns, it just that we are honestly admitting we do not yet have the answers. This is our primary motivation for bringing Dr. Voddie Baucham to speak to our church on this matter. And let me be clear; it’s not that once Voddie leaves we are going to magically have all the answers for how to help families raise kids through difficult teenage years. I can assure that we will not be able to develop some program that will satisfy everyone, but we will have more biblical wisdom on this matter and that it what we need. So be patient and prayerful. The amount of literature I see on this matter of how the church should relate to teenagers indicates that we are not the only ones struggling with this issue. Just this morning I read these words from Jim Elliff,

It is increasingly obvious that children and young people in many evangelical churches are anything but serious about Christ. There are notable exceptions, but in many churches a cursory look at the behavioral signals put out by the young people reveal a profound disinterest. On the one hand there is a sort of giddiness and silliness by some who believe that church is there only to provide them a place for enjoying friends and impressing the opposite sex. On the other hand, a complete boredom or disdain for worship and the Word is seen in their dull eyes and passive participation. This should grieve us.

A theological misunderstanding is to be blamed for much of this. We have failed to understand that children and young people are not God-lovers until the Spirit changes them. They are dead to God. Our attempts at getting these young people to “pray the prayer” when they were small have not necessarily made them children of God. Their behavior belies the true state of their hearts. (To continue reading: http://www.ccwonline.org/serious.html).

Pray for us as we consider new mission opportunities in India, Jamaica and a few other locations. It is amazing what God is doing in my heart and in our Elders concerning missions. Last night in our Elders’ meeting, we discussed a brief outline for beginning to plant churches in India and Jamaica. These churches would be pastored by nationals who had received training from GRBC and these churches would reflect the same theology, leadership structure and values as GRBC. I have spoken with our contacts in India and Jamaica about how we could possibly see this vision become a reality and this week I will also speak with a church-planter who works in Venezuela to get direction on this matter. The details are not yet in place, but I am hopeful that soon, the vision will begin to become a reality.

I have to leave for Richmond this morning and I do not have time to elaborate on all the prayer requests I have for our Elders, but as the Lord guides us, more and more details will be presented to you. Without explanation here are a few more requests:

Pray for us as we begin the Bible institute soon after the first of the year

Pray for us as we attempt to systematically visit every covenant family in GRBC to discuss their spiritual growth and to listen to their thoughts about the direction of GRBC

Pray for us as we try to guide those from our congregation who want to spend their lives on the mission field (hopefully assisting national pastors with these new church plants I spoke of earlier)

Pray for us as we ponder the pros and cons of starting a school (yes, a real school) at GRBC (Pastor Joey is presently researching this issue)

Pray for us as we work with the Building Team to see the remaining building renovations (playground, parking lot) completed (we have signed a contract with a site surveying company to have our land surveyed, plans drawn, acquire permission from the city, etc. so that we can bring a full presentation to you)

Anyway, as you can see, we need your prayers. Please do not forget to pray for us.

Dependant upon you always,
Pastor Shane

How to Pray for this Weekend of Worship with Voddie Baucham

Much planning and discussion has led to Voddie coming to teach us this weekend. I cannot stress how gracious God has been to GRBC by causing this event to take place. Now that the planning and discussion has subsided, it’s time to give ourselves fully to prayer. I realize that the elders have been praying about this for some time and I know that most of you have as well, but now it the time to implore God to cause His Spirit to move among our people. The goal of the weekend is clear: we want to know the mind of God concerning how to best care for the children and young adults that He has sovereignly placed within this covenant community.

All of us know that the discipleship of children begins with their parents. But what exactly can parents do to bring their children to spiritual maturity? Let’s hear the Puritan, Richard Baxter as he instructs us concerning our responsibilities toward our children and then let’s pray that whatever we do as a church begins here.

THE DUTIES OF PARENTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN
Understand and lament the corrupted and miserable state of your children, which they have derived from you, and thankfully accept the offers of a Savior for yourselves and them, and absolutely resign, and dedicate them to God in Christ in the sacred covenant. [In other words, do not minimize the impact of your children’s depravity. Instead, know that the hardness of your own heart has been passed to your children. Just as we must not minimize their depravity, neither should we minimize the effectiveness of Christ in transforming their depraved hearts. Has not Christ done this for us, their parents? Is not the promise of the sacred covenant, But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Jeremiah 31:33)? To be fair, Baxter adds to this directive that we should baptize our infants in order to demonstrate their participation in this sacred covenant, but we will forgive him for this because he means well.]

As soon as they are capable, teach them what a covenant they are in, and what are the benefits, and what the conditions, that their souls may gladly consent to it when they understand it; and you may bring them seriously to renew their covenant with God in their own persons. [Baxter presents the correct method for teaching our children the truth of God. We teach them sound doctrine (catechism) before they can fully comprehend its meaning and then when they can understand what they have learned, they have the seed of truth implanted deep within their minds so that the Spirit can cause that living seed to spring forth into salvation. And when this gets difficult because our kids do not seem to be responding, remember Paul’s statement to Timothy, For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10).]

Train them up in exact obedience to yourselves, and break them of their own wills. To that end, suffer them not to carry themselves unreverently or contemptuously towards you; but to keep their distance. For too much familiarity breedeth contempt, and imboldeneth to disobedience. The common course of parents is to please their children so long, by letting them have what they crave, and what they will, till their wills are so used to be fulfilled, that they cannot endure to have them denied; and so can endure no government, because they endure no crossing of their wills.

Make them neither too bold with you, nor too strange or fearful; and govern them not as servants, but as children, making them perceive that you dearly love them, and that all your commands, restraints, and corrections tire for their good, and not merely because you will have it so. They must be ruled as rational creatures, that love themselves, and those that love them. If they perceive that you dearly love them, they will obey you the more willingly, and the easier be brought to repent of their disobedience, and they will as well obey you in heart as in outward actions, and behind your back as before your face.

In all your speeches of God and of Jesus Christ, and of the holy Scripture, or the life to come, or of any holy duty, speak always with gravity, seriousness, and reverence, as of the most great and dreadful and most Sacred things: for before children come to have any distinct understanding of particulars, it is a hopeful beginning to have their hearts possessed with a general reverence and high esteem of holy matters; for that will continually awe their consciences, and help their judgments, and settle them against prejudice and profane contempt, and be as a seed of holiness in them.

Speak always before them with great honour and praise of holy ministers and people, and with dispraise and loathing of every sin, and of ungodly men. [2] For this also is a thing that children will quickly and easily receive from their parents. Before they can understand particular doctrines., they can learn in general what kind of persons are most happy or most miserable, and they are very apt to receive such a liking or disliking from their parents' judgment, which hath a great hand in all the following good or evil of their lives. [Who are our children’s heroes? Do we speak favorably of the leadership of our church in their presence? How have we shaped their attitudes toward those who provide spiritual leadership for us?]

Keep them as much as may be from ill company, especially of ungodly play-fellows. It is one of the greatest dangers for the undoing of children in the world; especially when they are sent to common schools: for there is scarce any of those schools so good, but hath many rude and ungodly ill-taught children in it; that will speak profanely, and filthily, and make their ribald and railing speeches a matter of boasting; besides fighting, and gaming and scorning, and neglecting their lessons; and they will make a scorn of him that will not do as they, if not beat and abuse him. [I am certain that this parental responsibility demands more adjustments than most of us are willing to acknowledge, but let’s now begin to consider this matter of whom we require our children to associate with during their early, formative years].

Pastor Shane 

Christian Duty

We are Calvinists. We love the theology of the Reformers in as much as it reflects Biblical theology and we believe that the Reformers captured the heart of the Gospel. One of the great benefits of understanding what men such as Martin Luther and John Calvin proclaimed from the Scripture is that Christ has secured the salvation of God’s elect by entering into history as the God-man, living in perfect conformity to God’s law, dying as our substitute and rising from the dead to defeat our last, great enemy. Luther and Calvin (and other Reformers) also understood that we reap the benefits of Christ’s objective saving work through faith alone. We contribute nothing to our salvation. The repentance and faith we exercise do not originate from us, they are gifts from God.

But Luther and Calvin understood that justifying faith is a living, transforming faith that changes the most practical aspects of our lives. Calvin said, 'We are justified by faith alone, but the faith which justifies is never alone.' Luther clarifies his understanding of the relationship between justifying faith and our transformed lives when he writes, We must therefore certainly maintain that where there is no faith there also can be no good works; and conversely, that there is no faith where there are no good works. Therefore faith and good works should be so closely joined together that the essence of the entire Christian life consists in both. The implication of both Luther and Calvin’s comments is that the kind of faith that God gives to us when we first believe and are justified, is the kind of faith that goes on gradually transforming our lives so that our sinfulness decreases and holiness increases.

With that said, we must ask how does sinfulness decrease and holiness increase? One answer is that because of the work of God’s Spirit in our hearts at regeneration, we are given a new nature that has a new appetite for holiness. Another answer is that we begin to love the law of God which commands us how we are to live. As justified believers, we are free from the condemnation of the law, but the law still serves as a guide for what a holy life looks like. Jesus pe