Anyone who wants to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus needs to study his teachings often. Jesus is our savior. That means he is the one who knows how to save us from going down the wrong paths in life, the paths that lead to failure and misery. A savior is a teacher, because knowledge about how to live saves us. Our Teacher gives us the truth about who God is and what God expects of us.
The parables of Jesus are his attempts to bring the truth to us when we resist seeing the truth. His model was the way Nathan approached David with a parable in order to break through his defenses and force him to face up to the truth about his sins against Uriah and Bathsheba. Parables are stories or comparisons that sneak the truth past our defenses. I look forward to preaching a series of sermons on the parables and pray that God will open our eyes to the truth we most need to see.
Here is the schedule.
February 1 The Return of the Prodigal: Two Sides of the Father’s Love Luke 15:11-31
February 8 The Midnight Request: Prayer Luke 11:5-13
February 15 The Pharisee and the Tax Collector: Humbling Yourself Luke 18:9-14
February 22 The Good Samaritan: Who Is Our Neighbor?
Luke 10: 25-37
March 1 The Rich Fool: On Being Rich Toward God Luke 12: 16-21
March 8 The Talents: Use or Lose Matthew 25:14-30
March 15 The Sulky Children: Being Open to the Truth Matt. 11:16-19
March 22 The Great Banquet: Responding to God’s Generosity
Luke 14: 15-24
March 29 The Sheep and the Goats: The Final Judgment Matt. 25:31-46
I hope you will be in worship each Sunday and invite friends to come and join us in seeking the truth through the parables of Jesus.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Evangelist to the Middle East: Chaouki Boulos
On Wednesday evening, January 21, we had a visit from Chaouki Boulos of Lebanon. He is a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionary. What he told us was encouraging and downright amazing. Historically Muslim countries like Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Bahrain are beginning to develop religious freedom. He showed us some photos of a Christian worship service being held outdoors in Beruit with the largest mosque in Lebanon in the background. On his video was a Muslim imam welcoming a Christian group from the US as they were preparing a “Jesus Festival” in his neighborhood. As CBF of Florida Coordinator Ray Johnson said to us as he introduced Chaouki, “God is doing some incredible things in the Middle East.”
Your response to our missionary guest was wonderful to see. We gave him our usual honorarium for a speaker of $100. And when I asked us to give him a love offering for the Christian retreat center that is being built in Lebonan, we placed another $200 in his hands. Thank you for giving in a way that shows a heart for harvesting the souls that are responding to the good news about Jesus in the Middle East.
I thought of how faithful our giving has been lately at New Hope as I read these words from Henri Nouwen in a devotional book: “Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question therefore is not ‘How can we make community,’ but ‘How can we develop and nuture giving hearts?’”
I am happy and proud to be the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church.
Your response to our missionary guest was wonderful to see. We gave him our usual honorarium for a speaker of $100. And when I asked us to give him a love offering for the Christian retreat center that is being built in Lebonan, we placed another $200 in his hands. Thank you for giving in a way that shows a heart for harvesting the souls that are responding to the good news about Jesus in the Middle East.
I thought of how faithful our giving has been lately at New Hope as I read these words from Henri Nouwen in a devotional book: “Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question therefore is not ‘How can we make community,’ but ‘How can we develop and nuture giving hearts?’”
I am happy and proud to be the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church.
"Pilot," A Simple Song about a Hero
For more than 26 years I have listened almost every week to Garrison Keillor’s “News from Lake Wobegon.” I discovered Keillor’s radio program while driving back home to Columbia, SC after Fleda, our son John Marc, and I (before Lydia was born) had been visiting family in Easley. This amazing storyteller hosts “A Prairie Home Companion” every Saturday from 6 to 8 pm on National Public Radio (90.7FM in our area). He is a national treasure. As a service to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have transcribed the words of a song Garrison Keillor recently sang to his radio audience about “the little piece of amazing heroism you’ve been hearing about over and over again on the TV.” You won't see this anywhere else.
His name was Chesley B. Sullenberger III, Which for a pilot is somewhat absurd. A pilots name should be Buzz, Bill, or Chuck, But a name like Chesley may mean good luck. He was flying an airbus out of New York, when at 3000 feet, the engine lost torque. His voice was calm as he sent out the word: Chesley B. Sullenberger The Third. No time to maneuver or head for New Jersey. The force of gravity shows us no mercy. There was the river stretching for miles, so he said to his copilot, Jeffery Skiles, “We’ll put it down here. Don’t look at those maps. Bring landing gear up and extend the flaps.” And the flight attendants prepared themselves: Donna Dent, Sheila Dale, and Doreen Wells. The city spread out below their feet, and he landed at the foot of 48th Street. On the Hudson River he landed that bird, Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third. The plane did not sink. It lay on the river, and all aboard were safely delivered. It could have been tragic, but no deaths occurred Thanks to Chesley B. Sulleberger the Third. The next time you fly look in the cockpit where the captain and first officer sit, Ready to take you up and onward Like Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third. Take you across the country for miles with officers like Jeffery Skiles And attendants who, in a crisis won’t fail: Donna Dent, Doreen Wells, and Sheila Dale.
His name was Chesley B. Sullenberger III, Which for a pilot is somewhat absurd. A pilots name should be Buzz, Bill, or Chuck, But a name like Chesley may mean good luck. He was flying an airbus out of New York, when at 3000 feet, the engine lost torque. His voice was calm as he sent out the word: Chesley B. Sullenberger The Third. No time to maneuver or head for New Jersey. The force of gravity shows us no mercy. There was the river stretching for miles, so he said to his copilot, Jeffery Skiles, “We’ll put it down here. Don’t look at those maps. Bring landing gear up and extend the flaps.” And the flight attendants prepared themselves: Donna Dent, Sheila Dale, and Doreen Wells. The city spread out below their feet, and he landed at the foot of 48th Street. On the Hudson River he landed that bird, Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third. The plane did not sink. It lay on the river, and all aboard were safely delivered. It could have been tragic, but no deaths occurred Thanks to Chesley B. Sulleberger the Third. The next time you fly look in the cockpit where the captain and first officer sit, Ready to take you up and onward Like Chesley B. Sullenberger the Third. Take you across the country for miles with officers like Jeffery Skiles And attendants who, in a crisis won’t fail: Donna Dent, Doreen Wells, and Sheila Dale.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
What Does It Mean to Be Saved?
David Gushee teaches Christian Ethics at Mercer University. He has helped me to clarify my thinking about what it means to be saved.
He writes that in the Gospel of Luke twice (10:25, 18:18) Jesus is asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer who asks it. The lawyer replies with the Old Testament commands to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself (cf. Mt. 22:34-40). Jesus affirms his answer: "Do this, and you will live." The lawyer then tries to narrow the meaning of neighbor. So Jesus tells the unforgettable parable of the compassionate Samaritan, who proved to be a neighbor to a bleeding roadside victim.
In Luke 18, Jesus responds to the same question, this time from the man we know as “the rich young ruler,” by quoting the second part of the Ten Commandments forbidding adultery, murder, theft, and false witness, and mandating honor towards parents. His questioner says that he has kept these commandments, and Jesus calls on him to "sell all … and distribute to the poor." Jesus assures him, "You will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." The "extremely rich" ruler won't do this, and Jesus goes on to teach his disciples about how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.
In our Baptist tradition, we direct people to "invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior," using a formula called the "sinner's prayer." Or we simply say, "Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved." But Jesus never taught easy believism. Whether he was telling the rich young ruler to sell all and follow him or telling a crowd near Capernaum that to do the work of God was, yes, to believe on him (John 6:28-29), he called people to abandon their own agenda and trust him radically, which calls for both belief and action. “Mediocrity and hypocrisy,” says Gushee, “characterize the lives of many avowed Christians. Anyone can, and most Americans do, ‘believe’ in Jesus rather than some alternative savior. Many Americans say a prayer asking Jesus to save them. But not many embark on a life fully devoted to the love of God, the love of neighbor, the moral practice of God's will, and radical, costly discipleship.”
“We tend to confuse the beginning of the faith journey with its entirety. Yes, believe in Jesus—that's the first step. Yes, invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior. Then, empowered by God's grace, embark on the journey of discipleship, in which you seek to love God with every fiber of your being, to love your neighbor as yourself, to live out God's moral will, and to follow Jesus where he leads you, whatever the cost.” That is the approach to being saved I want New Hope Baptist Church to preach and teach.
He writes that in the Gospel of Luke twice (10:25, 18:18) Jesus is asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer who asks it. The lawyer replies with the Old Testament commands to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself (cf. Mt. 22:34-40). Jesus affirms his answer: "Do this, and you will live." The lawyer then tries to narrow the meaning of neighbor. So Jesus tells the unforgettable parable of the compassionate Samaritan, who proved to be a neighbor to a bleeding roadside victim.
In Luke 18, Jesus responds to the same question, this time from the man we know as “the rich young ruler,” by quoting the second part of the Ten Commandments forbidding adultery, murder, theft, and false witness, and mandating honor towards parents. His questioner says that he has kept these commandments, and Jesus calls on him to "sell all … and distribute to the poor." Jesus assures him, "You will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." The "extremely rich" ruler won't do this, and Jesus goes on to teach his disciples about how hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God.
In our Baptist tradition, we direct people to "invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior," using a formula called the "sinner's prayer." Or we simply say, "Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved." But Jesus never taught easy believism. Whether he was telling the rich young ruler to sell all and follow him or telling a crowd near Capernaum that to do the work of God was, yes, to believe on him (John 6:28-29), he called people to abandon their own agenda and trust him radically, which calls for both belief and action. “Mediocrity and hypocrisy,” says Gushee, “characterize the lives of many avowed Christians. Anyone can, and most Americans do, ‘believe’ in Jesus rather than some alternative savior. Many Americans say a prayer asking Jesus to save them. But not many embark on a life fully devoted to the love of God, the love of neighbor, the moral practice of God's will, and radical, costly discipleship.”
“We tend to confuse the beginning of the faith journey with its entirety. Yes, believe in Jesus—that's the first step. Yes, invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior. Then, empowered by God's grace, embark on the journey of discipleship, in which you seek to love God with every fiber of your being, to love your neighbor as yourself, to live out God's moral will, and to follow Jesus where he leads you, whatever the cost.” That is the approach to being saved I want New Hope Baptist Church to preach and teach.
Look Back and Honor the LORD
We at New Hope have many reasons to thank God as we begin a new year. In 2008 we grew in several ways. We received 18 new members. We met our budget goal for the year. We exceeded our goal for our Global Missions Offering.
You did it. You warmly welcomed, you were witnesses, you grew spiritually, and you gave. New Hope depends on God’s goodness, your faithfulness, and your generosity.
What are some of your favorite moments as you think back on 2008? One of mine is baptizing Gabi Abdenabi, Samantha Senatro, and Annie Roberts. All of the baptisms we did are memorable, but only theirs was in 69-degree water. They were brave. God was present. And when I came up out of the water, I had found great temporary relief from my backache: getting into a cold swimming pool. Who knew?
Looking back over the year is an opportunity to see and celebrate God’s goodness. In what ways has God helped you this past year? God blessed me through the discipline of writing an article every week for the back of the bulletin and another one each month for Connections. Deadlines are a good discipline for me. Getting started is hard, but after doing the writing, I am grateful to have the opportunity to communicate with you this way.
Certain Bible verses come to mind as I think about how we can look back and see how God has been at work for good in our lives: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the LORD, and he rescued you. He made the storm stop and the sea be quiet. . . . You should praise the LORD for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us. Honor the LORD when you and your leaders meet to worship.” (Psalm 107:28-32 Contemporary English Version)
You did it. You warmly welcomed, you were witnesses, you grew spiritually, and you gave. New Hope depends on God’s goodness, your faithfulness, and your generosity.
What are some of your favorite moments as you think back on 2008? One of mine is baptizing Gabi Abdenabi, Samantha Senatro, and Annie Roberts. All of the baptisms we did are memorable, but only theirs was in 69-degree water. They were brave. God was present. And when I came up out of the water, I had found great temporary relief from my backache: getting into a cold swimming pool. Who knew?
Looking back over the year is an opportunity to see and celebrate God’s goodness. In what ways has God helped you this past year? God blessed me through the discipline of writing an article every week for the back of the bulletin and another one each month for Connections. Deadlines are a good discipline for me. Getting started is hard, but after doing the writing, I am grateful to have the opportunity to communicate with you this way.
Certain Bible verses come to mind as I think about how we can look back and see how God has been at work for good in our lives: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
“You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the LORD, and he rescued you. He made the storm stop and the sea be quiet. . . . You should praise the LORD for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us. Honor the LORD when you and your leaders meet to worship.” (Psalm 107:28-32 Contemporary English Version)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Our Trust Is in God's Faithfulness
We have been hearing about the dire straights of the automobile manufacturers, "The Big Three." We hear predictions of massive job losses. We Americans will buy a whole lot less on credit. We will spend less and get by on less. We will, I pray, depend more on God.
I think of a hymn about God’s trustworthiness: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” number 54 in our hymnal. The words of the comforting chorus are inspired by the prophet Jeremiah found in the Bible in Lamentations 3.
Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Will Christians allow their thoughts and feelings to be shaped by words from the Bible like these and by their deep awareness of God's mercy? Can you hear these words being sung and felt by each of us at New Hope Baptist Church?
I think of a hymn about God’s trustworthiness: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” number 54 in our hymnal. The words of the comforting chorus are inspired by the prophet Jeremiah found in the Bible in Lamentations 3.
Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Will Christians allow their thoughts and feelings to be shaped by words from the Bible like these and by their deep awareness of God's mercy? Can you hear these words being sung and felt by each of us at New Hope Baptist Church?
How the Kingdom Comes Today and Tomorrow
Advent is our time to be reminded that Jesus has come, is coming, and will come. I grew up in a church that tended to think of the gospel message as getting yourself right with God and claiming Christ as your savior so that you could go to heaven when you die. It was all about “Do you know where you will spend eternity?” I have come to see that salvation is about more than making sure you can go to heaven when you die. I believe in the resurrection, the final judgment, heaven and hell. But the good news of Jesus not only has to do with life after death, but also with life as God wants us to live it before death. The Gospel has to do with following Jesus every day, saying to God, “Not my will but Your will be done. Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”
Daniel Vestal, the Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship writes in his Christmas letter, “The goal of the Gospel is not only that one day when Christ appears we shall be like Him, but also that we be conformed to the image of Christ today.” He continues, “The good news is that this Kingdom that has come in Jesus is now available to all . . .. As people are born of the Spirit, as people become like a child, as people care for the suffering, as people become humble, as people live as servants to one another, the Kingdom comes. As people confess ‘Jesus is Lord’ and live in radical obedience to His ethic, the Kingdom comes.”
We look forward to the day when the kingdom of God will come on earth as it is in heaven. There will come a day when “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). There will come a day when "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15), when perfect justice will be done in this world. This is the Good News: The Kingdom has come. The Kingdom is coming. The Kingdom will come.
Thank you for your gifts to the Global Missions Offering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We have already given $449. Our goal is $500. We will exceed our goal and we will be serving “the kingdom of our Lord and his Messiah,” helping missionaries in many places on the globe to live as servants, preach the Good News, and care for the suffering.
Daniel Vestal, the Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship writes in his Christmas letter, “The goal of the Gospel is not only that one day when Christ appears we shall be like Him, but also that we be conformed to the image of Christ today.” He continues, “The good news is that this Kingdom that has come in Jesus is now available to all . . .. As people are born of the Spirit, as people become like a child, as people care for the suffering, as people become humble, as people live as servants to one another, the Kingdom comes. As people confess ‘Jesus is Lord’ and live in radical obedience to His ethic, the Kingdom comes.”
We look forward to the day when the kingdom of God will come on earth as it is in heaven. There will come a day when “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). There will come a day when "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15), when perfect justice will be done in this world. This is the Good News: The Kingdom has come. The Kingdom is coming. The Kingdom will come.
Thank you for your gifts to the Global Missions Offering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We have already given $449. Our goal is $500. We will exceed our goal and we will be serving “the kingdom of our Lord and his Messiah,” helping missionaries in many places on the globe to live as servants, preach the Good News, and care for the suffering.
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