"Heal Our Land" Conference

We are hosting a special Spiritual Renewal Conference in just three weeks. Dr. John Sullivan, the executive director/treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, will be preaching. If you're in the South Florida area, make plans to attend. Click on the above flyer for more information.

An Honest Answer to an Honest Question

A seeker who is visiting my church sent me an email asking "Out of all the religions in the world, why are you a Christian?" She went to ask me how I knew that what I was teaching was right. In essence, I was asked why I believe what I believe. Here was my reply...

I believe in God because there must be a first cause. Someone must have tipped over the “first domino.” I believe in God because the universe has a design. I would never see a watch lying on the ground and think that the band, hands, glass and all other mechanisms simply came together accidentally. I believe in God because humans long for their Creator. Just as hunger implies the existence of food and thirst implies the existence of water and sexual desire implies the existence of fulfillment, the longing in man’s heart for God implies the existence of a Creator. I believe in God because while it takes faith to believe in God, it takes blind faith to believe that matter is eternal and that the rules of chemistry and physics that scientifically govern us developed accidentally from nothing. I believe in God because I cannot believe that God could or would have created the world and all those living in it only to then abandon it all and ignore it, as agnostics believe. That also takes blind faith. Thus, I believe it is natural that having created the world and all in it, God would then work to reveal Himself to that world.

Having established that there must be a God, I believe in the Bible for several reasons. I believe in its message. What it tells me about myself and my world is accurate. Only the Bible adequately explains my purpose, the world’s fundamental problem and the solution. I believe the Bible because of miraculous love. That God would be willing to enter my dirt and become a worm like me so that I could personally know him is beyond the ability of the human imagination to invent. I believe the Bible because it is a miraculous book. I believe that archeology has proven its perfect track record of reliability. I believe the Bible because I do not believe that it is possible to get dozens of authors from only one location and one time period to completely agree with one another in their writings. Yet the Bible was penned by dozens of authors from a wide variety of places over the course of centuries, yet with perfect agreement. I believe the Bible because I have yet to see a convincing contradiction, though I have seen many, many attempts to create them where they do not exist. I believe the Bible because I believe that the evidence for Christ is compelling. I believe that the prophecies fulfilled by Christ are amazing. I believe that the location and circumstances of his birth were adequately predicted centuries prior, and with a specificity not mirrored by phonies like Nostradamus. I believe the Bible because of the uniqueness of the Bible. I believe the Bible because every other ancient religious writing gives me the impossible task of reaching God by rules and regulations, but the Bible tells me how God has reached down to me. “GOD so loved the world that HE gave.” I believe the Bible because I need a death conqueror and Jesus died and rose again. I believe the Bible because I have the testimony of those who actually walked and talked with Jesus and were willing to die for their conviction that a man who literally died on a cross literally rose again the third day. I believe the Bible because I do not believe that so many men would willingly die (and in horrendous fashion) for what they KNEW to be a manufactured story. I believe the Bible because only the resurrection of Christ can account for the spread of the early church’s growth. While Islam spread because of the sword, Christianity spread in spite of the sword. People initially converted to Islam for fear that they would die if they did not. People initially became followers of Christ knowing that they would die if they did. I believe the Bible because I can look at my world and see it becoming exactly what the Bible said it would become.

I am a Christ follower because having accepted that there is a God and that this God has revealed Himself and His story to me in the Bible, I have chosen to base my life, what I believe and how I live, on what the Bible says. I believe what I believe about the trinity because the Bible clearly teaches it. I believe what I believe about the family because the Bible clearly teaches it, etc. God has every right to tell me how I should live my life, as well as what is right, what is wrong, what is true and what is false.

This was rather quickly done, but what would you have added and how would you have answered her question?

How Is This Possible?

Miami Dade County public schools were $88 million dollars in the red last year. I remember when I was a pastor in North Carolina and a lottery was proposed as the ultimate solution to all school funding problems. States with lotteries didn't have a lack of cash, we were repeatedly told. Putting aside the fact that Miami Dade public schools are among the worst in the country, the fact remains that when we exploit the poor via legalized gambling, we reap what we sow.

"The God Who's Near"

Here is the message I preached August 24th from John 14:7-14. I'll be taking a break from my series on John as the next four weeks are devoted to the topic of revival. This will culminate in our "Heal Our Land" Spiritual Renewal Conference, September 19-21. This message will be available online for about one month.

"There's No Place Like Home"

Here is the message I preached on August 17 from John 13:36 - 14:6. It will be available online for about one month.

"Only the Cross"

I'm catching up a bit on my online messages. Here is the message I preached August 10, from John 13:31-35. It will be available online for about a month.

The Most Important Thing

Dave Freeman, the author of "100 Things to Do Before You Die" has died. Ironically, he was only 47 years old and died after falling and hitting his head at home. I read that he'd only made it through half of his famous list. But I wonder if he ever did the most important thing...prepare for eternity?

An Abortion Tax

Here's an interesting article for those who claim to be "pro-choice" but say they want to see abortions become "rare." Simply put, what does the government do every other time it wants a legal activity (smoking, for example) to decrease? It taxes the behavior. So, do liberals favor a tax on abortions to reduce the number taking place in America? Don't hold your breath!

Where Euthanasia Takes Us

A cancer patient in Oregon was told that their state run health plan would not cover life saving chemotherapy, but would cover physician-assisted suicide.

Once we decide that it is okay to hasten death among the sick and elderly, the end result is that government and its agencies become more concerned with the mighty dollar than with promoting life. A person on chemotherapy represents a drain on the economy and not a life worthy of defending.

Here's the story. Scroll halfway down.

"The Brillance In Betrayal"

When Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the brillance of his character and love shone through. In this message, I preached from this familiar story in John 13:18-30. It will be available online for about one month.

The Ever-Increasing Debt

I learned something this past week. Oftentimes we preachers will say something along the lines of “Since Christ has given you so much, how could you not do __________ in return?” The insinuation, of course, is that by doing whatever goes in the blank, we are paying back to God a small portion of the debt we owe. We admit, of course, that we will never be able to repay God for all He’s done. We admit that we will never out-give God. But nevertheless, the hint is dropped that we are to give, serve, etc. in order to “pay God back,” even if only slightly. I myself have preached some variation of this thought in the past. It sounds very Biblical at first. However, I am now convinced that this is false. The Bible teaches us that we do not serve God in order to “pay Him back” for all He has done and given us. Instead, the Bible tells us that when we serve God, we do so out of grace. In other words, the very act of serving God is such an undeserved honor that it is only by God’s grace that we can do it. Second Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Friends, we will never do anything that causes God to owe us anything. Neither will we ever do anything that causes us to owe God less. John Piper said “Good deeds do not pay back grace. They borrow more grace.” The next time you do anything for God, just remember, your debt just got bigger, not smaller. That’s what the Christian life is all about…going further and further in debt to God’s grace.

Proof That God Is Working

I read a report yesterday about the son of a leader of Hamas who accepted Christ as his Savior. Considering that most consider Hamas to be a terrorist group, I'd say this man's conversion is absolutely amazing. It proves the truthfulness of Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Anyone, anywhere who truly seeks to know the one true God, will find Him if they are wholeheartedly seeking Him.

Hamas leader's son declares faith in Christ

An Inspiring Prayer

The following is an incredible prayer that I read at the end of the first chapter of a book I just started, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals by John Piper. May it be the prayer of us all...

"God, deliver us from the professionalizers! Deliver us from the low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us. God give us tears for our sins. Forgive us for being so shallow in prayer, so thin in our grasp of verities, so content amid perishing neighbors, so empty of passion and earnestness in all our conversation. Restore to us the childlike joy of our salvation. Frighten us with the awesome holiness and power of Him who can cast both soul and body into hell.Cause us to hold to the cross with fear and trembling as our hope-filled and offensive tree of life. Grant us nothing, absolutely nothing, the way the world views it. May Christ be our all in all.

Banish professionalism from our midst, Oh God, and in its place put passionate prayer, poverty of spirit, hunger for God, rigorous study of holy things, white-hot devotion to Jesus Christ, utter indifference to all material gain, and unremiting labor to rescue the perishing, perfect the saints, and glorify our sovereign Lord.

Humble us, Oh God, under Your mighty hand, and let us rise, not as professionals, but as witnesses and partakers of the sufferings of Christ. In His awesome name. Amen."

Praying for Revival

The following is the article I wrote for the August 2008 edition of our monthly newsletter, The Way.

An author named Raymond McHenry says that a lot has changed in America since the last time we experienced revival across our land. Leaders were making plans to connect our country, east to west, by railway. The first flight would not occur for another half century. The light bulb was still just an idea in the mind of a child named Thomas Edison. The civil war had not yet been fought. Needless to say, it’s been some time since we have seen a true great awakening in America.

We talk a lot about revival in our churches, as we should. And there have been pockets of revival in individual churches and regions from time to time. We have seen what might be called tremors of revival that never materialized. But the real thing? Unless you have traveled the world, none of us have ever seen it. We can read about it in the Bible. We can read about it in church history...times when the hearts of people were turned to the Lord on a mass level…times when an entire culture was transformed by the effects of unusually large numbers of people being converted in a short time period…times when sudden decreases in sin and a sudden increase in righteous living brought about forcible changes in society. We can speak of this is in the past. We can speak of this among others. But we cannot speak of this in the here and now. We cannot use the first person.

All of that being said, we are still to pray for revival. Psalm 85:6 says “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” We should pray for revival in our churches, our nation and in our own lives as well.

Many say that the word “revival” is outdated. However, as long as the word “revive” appears in the Word of God, it will never be outdated. (And for the record, it does, five times to be exact. This does not include the many biblical examples of revival in which the word is not technically used.) Some say that new church growth methodologies have rendered all concepts of revival as useless. However, our human efforts and strategies will never be able to do what God can and will do with a revived church full of holy people.

Unfortunately, it's been so long since most Christians have seen revival that I'm convinced many Christians wouldn't even pray for it if they knew what it involved. In fact, I agree with Voddie Baucham, that true revival would initially result in a decline in our churches, followed by long term, sustained growth. If revival were to take place in every Bible believing church in America, holiness would be emphasized and sin would be addressed, leading many carnal Christians and nonbelievers to stay at home. But in the log run, our homes would experience God’s presence and blessings. Our pulpits would be filled with renewed power. Our witness would be renewed and there would be drastic increases in genuine conversions and baptisms. The world would look at the church and see the difference that is all too often missing today. Few churches would have problems meeting their budget and the number of missionaries accepting the call to serve, as well as the dollars contributed to support them, would surge. Teenagers would not “graduate from God” when they get to college because they would have been trained by godly moms and dads. We would stop losing the next generation to the world. No church growth methodology can produce these kinds of results. And that is why we must never stop talking about, praying for and planning for revival.

As your pastor, I am asking you to do just that. Would you take the next few weeks and months to pray for revival in your life and in our church? Would you pray both individually and corporately?

We will be setting aside a few precious days in September to focus exclusively on revival. We are blessed to have Dr. John Sullivan preaching for us Sept. 19-21. Dr. Sullivan is the executive director/treasurer for the Florida Baptist convention. He has been a servant-leader among Florida Baptists for many years. He is also a "voice crying in the wilderness," so to speak, beckoning the people of God to submit to God's conditions for genuine revival. But let me make this clear: Revival will not take place because an able preacher came a blessed us with a few good sermons. It will not take place because a rousing singer or choir came and entertained us in song.

God makes it abundantly clear what the prerequisites for revival are. Second Chronicles 7:14 tells us that we must do four things. First we are to humble ourselves. That means asking God to help us see ourselves as we truly are. That means confessing and forsaking our pride. There is a chorus we sing at First Baptist from time to time (we’ll probably be singing it again real soon!) that says “This is what I ask, Lord, this is what I need. I fresh new look at You and an honest look at me.” Second, we are to pray. I am not aware of a single revival that has taken place in the Bible or church history that did not involve God’s people praying fervently. On the other hand, I am aware of one revival that took place in which there was very little preaching, but prayer is indispensable! Would you make a special effort to pray both individually and corporately for revival? We gather as a people to pray on Tuesdays at 5:30 AM (yes, in the morning) and on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Third, we are to seek God’s face. That means that we pursue the knowledge of Him. We devote ourselves to knowing His Word. We ask God to reveal Himself to us in a fresh, new way. Finally, we must turn from our wicked ways. Just as revival never occurs apart from prayer, it is also true that it never occurs apart from repentance. Next month I’ll talk more about this part, but for now, let me encourage every member to do something. Two years ago, our church provided a copy of the Gregory Frizzell’s book Returning to Holiness to every member. In that book, Frizzell identifies seven categories of sin and uses Scripture alongside penetrating personal questions to guide the Christian through a process of spiritual cleansing. Dust off that book if you still have it. If you need a copy, plenty of free copies are available at our welcome center. Just drop by and ask. Spend these weeks reading up on these seven categories of sin and asking God to show you the unconfessed sin and the unyielded areas of self in your life. And if you’re really serious about God bringing about personal revival, combine that with scheduled days of fasting. The late Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ wrote a marvelous work on fasting. You can link to it from our church website (www.fbchomestead.org) under the “sermons” section.

Needless to say, I am also asking you to guard September 19-21 on your calendar. We honestly aren’t treating these meetings as a “crusade” in which the majority of time is spent evangelizing the lost. I have asked Dr. Sullivan to focus on the church. Come expecting God to work in your life in a wonderful way.

God's Success Through Our Failures

As I was wrapping up my series on 2 Samuel this past week, I learned something about David's life that I'd never noticed before. If you look at the two greatest sins of David's life, those sins were what gave birth, in a sense, to the temple. God used - not David's greatest successes - but his greatest failures, to produce the greatest good.

What were David's two greatest sins? First, there was his adultery with Bathsheba in Second Samuel 11. This also led to the murder of Uriah the Hittite. David was punished severely for this sin, but from that experience would eventually come a son named Solomon who led in the construction of the temple.

David's second greatest sin (chronologically speaking) was in conducting the census after which God judged Israel and 70,000 died in a plague. Yet the Bible tells us that this plague ended at a specific spot...the house of a man named Araunah. At that very place, God said "enough" and the judgment ended. At that exact same place, the Bible says in Second Chronicles 3, the temple was built and the altar was placed. From David's second sin came the location of the temple.

It's amazing to consider that both the leader and the site of the temple's construction both resulted from the greatest failures of David's life. It's amazing to think that God's sovereignty means that he not only uses our successes, but our failures as well. Satan loves to tell us that God cannot use us because of the sins of our past. God responds, "I'll not only use you in spite of the sins of your past, I'll even use your sinful past itself in order to further my purposes." Understanding this principle is one of the greatest sources of encouragement in the Christian life. It helps us to "forget what is behind" and "push forward to what is ahead." (Philippians 3:13)

A Reminder to Pray

May the arrival of the Olympic games in China in the upcoming week serve as a reminder for Christians to pray. The Church in China is mainly underground and reports of persecution against Christians are rampant. To read a short history of persecution in China, CLICK HERE.

Would You Take $20 Million?

It has been reported this week that the Green Bay Packers, fearing a PR disaster, have offered future hall-of-fame quarterback Bret Farve $20 million dollars to stay retired. While I am all for a free market, there is something wrong in our society when doing nothing is rewarded with that sum of cash. That got me to thinking...how many people would be willing to quit or stay away from what they do in exchange for $20 million? I know if I had to choose, I'd turn down the money easily. I couldn't stop pastoring/preaching for all the money in the world.